Daily Archives: 2020-10-10

2020-10-10: News Headlines

Gloria Rubac (2020-10-10). Amid claims of racism, another federal execution set. workers.org The federal government has just set its eighth execution for 2020. U.S. Attorney General William Barr directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to schedule the execution of Orlando Cordia Hall for Nov. 19 in Tennessee. If carried out, this would place federal executions ahead of those by the states for . . . |

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (2020-10-10). Republicans Know They Can't Win If Everyone Casts a Ballot. zcomm.org The Republican Party's voter suppression efforts ahead of the November election, aimed primarily at Black and Brown voters, amount to "surgical racism with surgical precision."

Amiad Horowitz (2020-10-09). Right wing fuses anti-Semitism with anti-communism in its conspiracy theories. peoplesworld.org It's hard for anyone reading any reactionary publication to avoid the name George Soros. Many right-wingers claim that Soros, a billionaire Jewish businessman, is funding radical leftists. They claim that Soros pays Black Lives Matter protesters, and some say he helps coordinate leftist activities around the world. Of course, anyone who does the slightest bit …

ACLU (2020-10-09). Learn About the Charleston County Sheriff Candidates. aclu.org The election for Charleston County Sheriff on Nov. 3 can help shape the county's policies on the role of policing in our community, immigrants' rights, and law enforcement accountability. The Charleston County sheriff can adopt policies that will make our community safer and more just for all. | CAST AN INFORMED VOTE | Make sure you know the candidates' positions on key civil liberties and civil rights issues. The ACLU does not endorse or oppose candidates but urges you to cast an informed vote. | IssueKristin GrazianoAl Cannon (Inc) | Commits to end 287(g), a program working with the Trump administration t…

Mohammad Ersan (2020-10-09). Under US pressure, Jordan hit by furore over Palestinian ex-prisoner's deportation. middleeasteye.net Under US pressure, Jordan hit by furore over Palestinian ex-prisoner's deportation | Hamas member's attempt to appeal to King Abdullah for her husband creates controversy when her line is cut on the radio | Fri, 10/09/2020 – 14: 37 | Ahlam Tamimi speaks to reporters upon her arrival at Queen Alia international airport in Amman on 18 October 2011 (AFP) | The Jordanian government and a popular rad…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-10-09). Black Lives Should Always Matter: Delinking Social Justice from Seasonal US Politics. counterpunch.org After viewing the first US Presidential debate on September 29, one is left with no doubt about the degenerating political discourse among America's ruling elites. Following the debate between US President, Donald Trump, and Democratic Presidential nominee, Joe Biden, most analyses focused mainly on the personal insults and name-calling, which, deservedly, earned the event the

Alex MacDonald (2020-10-09). Turkish prosecutors seek 'aggravated' life sentence for philanthropist Osman Kavala. middleeasteye.net Turkish prosecutors seek 'aggravated' life sentence for philanthropist Osman Kavala | New indictment also targets American academic Henri Barkey as conspirator in 2016 coup attempt | Fri, 10/09/2020 – 07: 30 | A journalist stands in front of a poster featuring jailed businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala during a press conference of his lawyers (AFP) | Turkish prosecutors are seeking an "a…

ACLU (2020-10-09). Mental Health Treatment is on the Ballot: Cast an Informed Vote for Montana Governor. aclu.org More than 90 percent of Montanans with substance use disorders

_____ (2020-10-09). Systemic Racism At Wells Fargo & Microsoft. strategic-culture.org Rod DREHER | Here's a letter the US Labor Department sent to Wells Fargo recently. (I had to screenshot it in parts, which is why it's broken up here): | The Labor Department sent a similar letter to Microsoft: | There is no chance at all that a Biden administration Labor Department would investigate major corporations for anti-white discrimination. Keep that in mind. Naturally, there has been negative press coverage.

RT (2020-10-09). DOJ slaps Yale with lawsuit over 'at least 50 years' of discrimination, claiming it put WHITE & Asian applicants at disadvantage. rt.com The US Department of Justice has sued Yale University for racial discrimination in its admissions process, arguing the school deliberately put Asian and white applicants at a disadvantage for decades. | Filed in the US District Court in Connecticut on Thursday, the

Denise Maes (2020-10-09). The Right to Abortion is on the Ballot in Colorado This November. aclu.org When Justice Ginsburg embarked on her legal career at the ACLU, there were hundreds of laws on the books that discriminated on the

Sarah Hinger (2020-10-09). The Trump Administration is Banning Talk about Race and Gender. aclu.org In the latest attempt to silence conversations about race and gender equity deemed "anti-American," President Trump issued an

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-09). Prominent Hirak protester Yacine Mebarki sentenced to 10 years in jail in Algeria. peoplesdispatch.org Yacine Mebarki is the latest in a long line of Hirak protesters and supporters, and journalists to face the wrath of the Algerian establishment. He has been charged with inciting atheism and undermining national unity…

ACLU (2020-10-09). Why Are Police the Wrong Response to Mental Health Crises? aclu.org Over the last months on our podcast, At Liberty, we've explored different conversations on the subject of policing: abolition, violence and accountability, protest, and activism. This week, we dug into a topic that has gained more attention in the wake of Daniel Prude's death in March at the hands of the Rochester Police Department: the startling connection between mental health-related 911 calls and police brutality. , , Studies show that nearly 50 percent of victims of police brutality are living with a disability, predominantly a mental health disability. In many ways, 911 has become the only option for peo…

KPFA Radio 94.1 FM (2020-10-09). Tuesday 10/27: Gretchen Sorin: Driving While Black: African-American Travel & Civil Rights. indybay.org Online webinar…

sputniknews (2020-10-09). 'A Lot of Opportunities Open up' — Afrikaner Minority NGO Welcomes UN Recognition. sputniknews.com AfriForum — a South African civil rights organization, which just received a consultative status at the United Nations, was granted a permission to send its representatives to the UN's New York, Geneva and Vienna offices.

sputniknews (2020-10-09). Baku, Yerevan Agree to Ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh After Negotiations in Moscow. sputniknews.com Amid the ongoing conflict in the unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were invited to Moscow to hold negotiations regarding a ceasefire and exchange of prisoners and the bodies of those killed.

Mark Weisbrot (2020-10-08). Republican attempts to suppress the vote must be stopped. zcomm.org Democrats need to bring some "law and order" to these elections: people who deprive Americans of their constitutional right to vote, in order to steal an election, will be prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned…

Tamara Pearson (2020-10-08). Guatemalan and Mexican Governments Use Pandemic to Turn Back Caravan of Thousands of Refugees. counterpunch.org Thousands of Honduran migrants and refugees have been beaten, arrested, threatened with prison, and deported as they tried to make their way through the closed borders of Guatemala and Mexico. Over the last few days the Mexican and Guatemalan governments collaborated to stop the migrant march or caravan, which left Honduras on 30 September, from reaching Mexico and the US.

Al Neal (2020-10-08). GOP voter suppression efforts pop up in Texas, Indiana, North Carolina courts. peoplesworld.org With three weeks to go until Election Day, over four million voters have already cast their ballots—more than 50 times the 75,000 early ballots cast in October 2016, and those statistics are projected to grow as the nation grips for another wave of coronavirus to hit. The current projection for voter turnout is around 150 million, about …

MEE staff (2020-10-08). Egypt using special terror courts to silence dissent, UN experts say. middleeasteye.net Egypt using special terror courts to silence dissent, UN experts say | Cairo accused of 'gravely endangering' activists and infringing on their fundamental rights by imprisoning them during pandemic | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 18: 39 | Egypt has jailed more than 60,000 dissidents (AFP/File photo) | UN experts have accused Egypt of using special terrorism courts to imprison human rights defenders and silence dissent, w…

MEE staff (2020-10-08). Palestinian prisoner's hunger strike against administrative detention hits 75 days. middleeasteye.net Palestinian prisoner's hunger strike against administrative detention hits 75 days | Maher al-Akhras has refused to cease his hunger strike unless 'freedom (is granted) to my family and my children' | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 13: 52 | Maher al-Akhras with one of his children before his arrest in July by Israeli forces (Screengrab) | A Palestinian prisoner has been on a hunger strike for 75 days in protest against his…

Yasmina Allouche (2020-10-08). Algeria hands Hirak activist 10-year sentence for 'inciting atheism'. middleeasteye.net Algeria hands Hirak activist 10-year sentence for 'inciting atheism' | Sentencing against Yacine Mebarki the harshest of any activists convicted since the February 2019 protests began | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 16: 10 | Algeria has seen an increasing crackdown on activists, opposition figures and journalists (AFP/Ryad Kramdi) | An Algerian activist has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and fin…

a guest author (2020-10-08). Election Defenders: call to action. workers.org Election Defenders: Call to Action: With the stakes being as high as they are, voter suppression already more rampant than ever, and the nationalist right emboldened by conspiracy theorists and the president himself, we can't depend on anyone else ensuring people are able to vote freely and safely. Election Defenders . . . |

Alex MacDonald (2020-10-08). 'Pain, suffering, cruelty': Islamic State 'Beatles' indictment paints damning picture. middleeasteye.net 'Pain, suffering, cruelty': Islamic State 'Beatles' indictment paints damning picture | US prosecutors detail Alexander Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh's involvement in filming executions and tormenting prisoners | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 14: 19 | Alleged Islamic State 'Beatles' arrive in US to face charges of hostage deaths (Reuters)

| Two former British citizens have been branded the "leading p…

John C. A. Manley (2020-10-08). Resisting Corona "New Normal" Oppression: Every Civil Rights Movement Begins with a Shunned 5%. globalresearch.ca After a TV interview on

Fight Back (2020-10-08). George Floyd's killer released on bond. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Derek Chauvin, the cop who knelt on George Floyd's neck until he died, was released from jail October 7 on a $1 million non-cash bond. Chauvin was being jailed at a maximum security prison while he awaited a March 2021 trial. He is the last former cop – all four have been fired – to get out on bail. | DeShaun McDonald, of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) stated, "It's a shame that all four killer cops of George Floyd are eating dinner with their families, awaiting their day in court. Yet George lays six feet under. The system created by white men is not broken. It is well and functi…

Ed Rampell (2020-10-08). Doing Time: Do Armed Bank Robbers Deserve Second Chances? progressive.org A new documentary shows how a Black abolitionist is fighting to free her husband from life in prison.

Green Party (2020-10-08). Sunday 10/11: Voter Suppression 2020 and the Cure. indybay.org Online, on Zoom: | us02web.zoom.us/j/82620271999?pwd=S3ZwUklteGI5YjJsMEtMSnJXRzU3UT09 | Meeting ID: 826 2027 1999 | Passcode: 2020 | One tap mobile | +16699009128,,82620271999#,,,,,,0#,,2020# US (San Jose) | +13462487799,,82620271999#,,,,,,0#,,2020# US (Houston) | Dial by your location | +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) | Meeting ID: 826 2027 1999 | Passcode: 2020 | Find your local number: us02web.zoom.us/u/kgrlxBN1m

No Justice Under Capitalism (2020-10-08). Saturday 10/10: Recognizing Prison Resistance : From George Jackson to the Agreement to End Hostilities. indybay.org San Quentin State Prison – West Gate, Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Meet at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal at 4: 30pm and we will march up to the West Gate at 5pm.

sputniknews (2020-10-08). Video: Rapper Tory Lanez Charged With Felony Assault in Megan Thee Stallion Shooting. sputniknews.com Canadian rapper and singer Tory Lanez is facing up to 22 years and eight months in prison for the July 12 incident in which he allegedly shot US rapper Megan Thee Stallion in both feet.

Staff (2020-10-08). Rev. William Barber: Republicans Can't Win Without Voter Suppression. truthout.org During Wednesday's debate, Vice President Mike Pence refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power if Biden wins the election. Instead, he referenced the Trump administration's legal efforts to restrict mail-in voting. Rev. William Barber says the Republican Party's voter suppression efforts ahead of the November election, aimed primarily at Black and Brown voters, amount to "surgical racism with surgical precision." The Poor People's Campaign, of which Barber is co-chair, is leading a major voter mo…

commondreams (2020-10-08). Lawsuit Targets Feds' Failure to Protect Frontline Workers From COVID-19. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Zoé Chevalier (2020-10-08). The Prisoners Who Were Convicted by Hung Juries. thenation.com The Prisoners Who Were Convicted by Hung Juries…

Staff (2020-10-07). "Don't Fear the Virus" Is Genocidal Rhetoric. We Mourn in Rebellion. truthout.org Trump holds up his recovery as evidence that the time for fear has passed. But migrant children and others caged in the path of COVID-19 will not be flown to Walter Reed Hospital. In this episode, Kelly Hayes explains why "don't fear the virus" is genocidal rhetoric. | In recognition of the National Week of Mourning for victims of COVID-19, and the plight of imprisoned people, this episode also features an audio vigil for people who have been lost to the coronavirus. "Let this Radicalize You: A COVID Memoria…

MEE staff (2020-10-07). Saudi trial resumes for Palestinian Hamas members detained by kingdom. middleeasteye.net Saudi trial resumes for Palestinian Hamas members detained by kingdom | At least 68 Palestinians – including veteran Hamas middleman Mohammed al-Khoudary – are standing trial on unknown charges with no access to lawyers, right group says | Wed, 10/07/2020 – 12: 18 | Mohammed Saleh al-Khoudary, and his eldest Hani have been in a Saudi prison since April 2019 (Screengrab) | Rights groups continue to raise the al…

Mirinda Crissman (2020-10-07). Challenging incarceration of women and trans people. workers.org The following are slightly edited opening remarks given during the Sept. 24 webinar Women & Gender Oppressed Prisoners, Survival & Resistance. In our global struggle for liberation from capitalism, imperialism, white supremacy and patriarchy, we cannot waver in our determination to 'Tear Down the Walls' of human cages. Since the . . . |

Joe Piette (2020-10-07). Philly protesters demand 'Stop racist police murders!'. workers.org Hundreds of activists gathered at the "Rocky Steps" in Philadelphia on Oct. 3 to hear speakers from Black Lives Matter Philly, Black Philly Radical Collective, Black Alliance for Peace and Mobilization4Mumia condemn the racist police murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Mya Hall and countless others. March leaders used the . . . |

Dianne Mathiowetz (2020-10-07). On Jamil Al-Amin's birthday, Atlanta calls for his release. workers.org Atlanta Oct. 4 — Supporters of a new trial for Imam Jamil Al-Amin (the former H. Rap Brown) gathered in the West End Park today to mark his 77th birthday and to declare this will be the last birthday he spends unjustly held behind prison bars. Through the initiative of . . . |

Dania Akkad (2020-10-07). British MPs probe 'disappearance' of senior Saudi royals. middleeasteye.net British MPs probe 'disappearance' of senior Saudi royals | Six months after arrests, lawmakers seeks answers about princes considered rivals to powerful crown prince | Wed, 10/07/2020 – 11: 48 | Former Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef (R, with current Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman) was arrested in March with little known publicly about his detention (AFP) | A group of British MPs and lawyers have launc…

ACLU (2020-10-07). At the Polls, Episode 4: What Does it Take to Get Younger Voters to the Polls? aclu.org The younger you are, the less likely you are to vote. At least, that's been the

Fight Back (2020-10-07). Decision expected in the police murder of Alvin Cole. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – On the afternoon of October 7, it is expected that Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm will make a decision on the killing of Alvin Cole. The decision comes over eight months after Cole's murder. Milwaukee and Wauwatosa – the suburb where Cole was shot by Wauwatosa police – have been gripped by protests and actions of varying size and intensity since the resurgence of the movement for Black lives at the end of May. | While the initial local demonstrations largely centered around out-of-state cases like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, the focus quickly shifted when the…

WSWS (2020-10-07). Republican operatives indicted in voter suppression scheme in Michigan. wsws.org Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl are alleged to have orchestrated a mass robo-call voter suppression campaign that targeted minority voters in Detroit.

news.un (2020-10-07). Guinea: Steer clear of campaign hate speech, top UN officials warn. news.un.org Given the history of intercommunal violence in Guinea, two high-level UN Officials voiced concern on Tuesday over the risk of "incitement to hostility, discrimination or violence" as the country gears up for elections on 18 October.

Sit.Walk.Listen. (2020-10-07). Sunday 10/11: Sit. Walk. Listen. Because Black Lives Matter. indybay.org Henry J. Kaiser Memorial Park. Oakland, California. | (19th Street/Rashida Muhammad)…

Residents Show Up, Speak Out (2020-10-07). Small but Mighty Sunnyvale Demonstration for Black Lives Matter. indybay.org October 3 Black Lives Matter protest in Sunnyvale, California…

sputniknews (2020-10-07). Ex-Jail Employees Charged for Allegedly Blasting 'Baby Shark' on Loop at US Detention Center. sputniknews.com Two ex-detention officers and a supervisor at Oklahoma's Oklahoma County Jail allegedly subjected prisoners to hours of the children's tune "Baby Shark" on loop.

sputniknews (2020-10-07). 'Not a Joke': Trump Campaign Reserves Ticket For Harris's Best Rapper 'Alive' Tupac at VP Debate. sputniknews.com Last month, during a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) virtual event, Democratic vice presidential nominee for the 3 November election, US Senator Kamala Harris, made a gaffe while responding to a question about her favorite "living" rapper. The Senator answered: Tupac Shakur, who was killed in 1996.

Alec Connon (2020-10-07). From the Jailhouse to Wall Street: How Change Happens. commondreams.org On the night before JPMorgan Chase's annual shareholders meeting in May of 2020, activists with Stop the Money Pipeline projected 30-foot-tall images of people holding protest signs with messages calling on CEO Jamie Dimon to "stop funding fossil fuels" on a wall across from his apartment in New York City. (Photo: Erik McGregor/Stop the Money Pipeline/Facebook) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/chase-protest.jpg

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-10-07). San Francisco Activists Sue City Over 'Illegal Dragnet Surveillance' of George Floyd, BLM Protests. commondreams.org Such practices by police are "completely at odds with the First Amendment and should never be allowed," said an ACLU lawyer on the case. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/blm_1.jpg