Daily Archives: 2020-10-27

2020-10-27: News Headlines

Staff (2020-10-27). Alicia Garza on Being Targeted in Armed White Supremacist Plot as Trump Stokes Fires of Racism. democracynow.org This election season, Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza says President Trump is "stoking fires he has no intention of controlling" and inciting far-right extremists. She was recently approached by the FBI after agents found her name on a list in the home of a white supremacist in Idaho who was arrested on weapons charges. "Racial terror has always been used as a form of control, particularly during periods of people fighting for social change," she says.

Kate Ruane (2020-10-27). Dear Congress: Platform Accountability Should Not Threaten Online Expression. aclu.org Tomorrow, the Senate Commerce Committee is holding a hearing

Staff (2020-10-27). "Movements Are Not Just About Protests": BLM Co-Founder Alicia Garza on How to Build & Wield Power. democracynow.org In her new book, "The Purpose of Power," Black Lives Matter co-creator Alicia Garza lays out how people can build power and effect change. "Movements are not just about protests," she says. "Movements are absolutely about how we get more power into the hands of more people."

Staff (2020-10-27). Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Was Targeted in Armed White Supremacist Plot. truthout.org This election season, Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza says President Trump is "stoking fires he has no intention of controlling" and inciting far-right extremists. She was recently approached by the FBI after agents found her name on a list in the home of a white supremacist in Idaho who was arrested on weapons charges. "Racial terror has always been used as a form of control, particularly during periods of people fighting for social change," she says. | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a…

Staff (2020-10-27). Barrett Confirmed: Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Alicia Garza on GOP's Supreme Court Power Grab. democracynow.org As right-wing judge Amy Coney Barrett is sworn in as the ninth justice to the Supreme Court of the United States, just 30 days after President Trump announced her nomination and eight days ahead of the November 3 election, we speak with Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza, who says the rushed confirmation shows that the Supreme Court "is not a neutral body — it is incredibly political." Barrett's confirmation to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg just six weeks after her death seals the court's 6-3 conservative majority potentially for decades to come and could have major consequences for reproducti…

Christian Noakes (2020-10-27). On prison hunger strike, Maher al-Akhras fights for all Palestinians. workers.org Maher al-Akhras, a 49-year-old Palestinian political prisoner and father of six from the Occupied West Bank, has been on hunger strike since his July 27 arrest by Israeli forces. He is under administrative detention — a practice both British and Israeli colonizers have long used to hold Palestinians captive indefinitely . . . |

Mumia Abu Jamal (2020-10-27). You Cannot Decarcerate by Using the Tools of Incarceration, Says Mumia Abu-Jamal. zcomm.org We must move for what we want, not for what we think the system can produce, because the system is the problem, not the solution to the problem…

Cara Ng, Khelsilem (2020-10-27). 'Check your privilege' is corrosive to our politics. zcomm.org We do not begrudge those who have lived their lives free from discrimination. We just hope that they are fighting alongside us for a world where human dignity is secured for all…

Nadda Osman (2020-10-27). Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul begins new hunger strike. middleeasteye.net Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul begins new hunger strike | Jailed women's rights campaigner protesting against restrictions on contact with her family, her sisters say | Tue, 10/27/2020 – 11: 57 | Al-Hathloul's family have expressed concern for her as she starts a hunger strike for a second time (Reuters) | Jailed Saudi women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul has gone on hunger strike, her family…

Sasha Abramsky (2020-10-27). Trump Attempts One More Preelection Power Grab. thenation.com Trump Attempts One More Preelection Power Grab…

Al Neal (2020-10-27). Barrett cements 6-3 GOP majority as election lawsuits hang in balance. peoplesworld.org With exactly a week until Election Day 2020, Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett, has now been installed, taking the seat previously held by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As voters nationwide line up hours in advance to cast a ballot or request a mail-in ballot in an unprecedented electoral uprising, Barrett's …

Gabriel Arkles (2020-10-26). Don't Let the Supreme Court Open the Door to More Discrimination Against LGBTQ People. aclu.org The Supreme Court will soon hear oral arguments in

Pip Hinman (2020-10-26). Black Lives Matter rally as NSW parliamentary inquiry begins. greenleft.org.au About 200 people rallied in rain at the Sydney Domain on October 26, just before the NSW Parliamentary inquiry into Aboriginal deaths in custody began, reports Peter Boyle.

Staff (2020-10-26). "They Wanted to Take My Womb Out": Survivor of Medical Abuse in ICE Jail Deported After Speaking Out. democracynow.org An independent medical review team has submitted a report to Congress on a lack of informed consent and "disturbing pattern" of questionable gynecological surgical procedures at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia, after an account from a nurse whistleblower in September prompted congressional and federal investigations. At least 19 women, most of whom are Black and Latina, have come forward to allege they were pressured into "unnecessary" gynecological treatment and surgeries — including procedures that left them sterile — while they were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We s…

WSWS (2020-10-26). ICE uses torture to pressure African asylum seekers to agree to deportation. wsws.org In a blatant violation of international law and the US constitution, ICE officials in the privately run detention center in Mississippi have been forcing asylum seekers from Cameroon to sign their own deportation forms and quickly shipping them back on secret flights.

Staff (2020-10-26). Survivor Deported After Speaking Out About Medical Abuse in ICE Jails. truthout.org An independent medical review team has submitted a report to Congress on a lack of informed consent and "disturbing pattern" of questionable gynecological surgical procedures at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia, after an account from a nurse whistleblower in September prompted congressional and federal investigations. At least 19 women, most of whom are Black and Latina, have come forward to allege they were pressured into "unnecessary" gynecological treatment and surgeries — includin…

Staff (2020-10-26). Prisons are COVID-19 cluster sites, but this federal law denies recourse for the incarcerated. therealnews.com The Litigation Reform Act makes it harder for prisoners to file lawsuits—Including over unsafe conditions that could put them at risk of COVID-19.

yenisafak (2020-10-26). 'Armenia breaks cease-fire just minutes after start'. yenisafak.com Azerbaijan agreed on a fresh humanitarian cease-fire to exchange prisoners and bodies, but Armenia broke the truce only minutes after it was supposed to take effect, the Azerbaijani leader said Monday.President Ilham Aliyev stressed that those who want an Armenia-Azerbaijan humanitarian cease-fire are sending weapons to Armenia."I have the list. Why would anyone who wants a cease-fire would send weapons?" he asked.Referring to those supporting Armenia, Aliyev said: "If you want to save the Armenian state, tell them to leave our lands. They will go out with a word of yours."Azerbaijan on Monday said the Armenian f…

Tamar Sarai Davis (2020-10-26). Jailed Voters Can Swing Elections if they Know and Can Exercise their Rights. zcomm.org Unlike many people incarcerated in state and federal prisons legally ineligible to vote, moat in local jails — detained pretrial or held on misdemeanor charges — are legally eligible to vote, but are unable to do so…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-10-26). "I'm Gonna Die in Here": Investigation Shows How Jails' Privatized Healthcare Places Profit Over Prisoners, With Deadly Results. commondreams.org A Reuters report found that inmates in jails with contracted medical services were more likely to die and suffer substandard care than those in facilities with publicly managed care. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-5660331311_0.jpg

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-10-26). 'Let This Echo Around the World': Nearly 50 Years After US-Backed Coup, Chile Votes to Rewrite Pinochet Era Constitution. commondreams.org "This historic day belongs to those who have struggled for decades, to those who have given their lives, to the tortured, to the mutilated, and especially to those who remain imprisoned." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/chile_referendum.jpg

Susan Price (2020-10-26). Pakistan: The rise of a politics of resistance in Hunza. greenleft.org.au The sit-ins that took place in early October in Gilgit-Baltistan, demanding the release of ecosocialist activist Baba Jan and 13 other political prisoners, as well as justice for the victims of police brutality, have ignited a political movement crossing gender and religious divides, write Sonia Qadir and Haider Ali.

LGBTQ, homelessness, family, prison at 2020 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (2020-10-26). LGBTQ, homelessness, family, prison at 2020 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. peoplesworld.org In what is likely my final report from this year's Festival, here are more capsule reviews of short films from Hawaii being screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, which is taking place through Oct. 31. The topics include LGBTQ, homelessness, family, and prison. Gimme shelter: Strangers in their own homeland Writer/director Kimi …

_____ (2020-10-25). Life Of Palestinian Hunger Striker In Immediate Danger. popularresistance.org Maher al-Akhras, who has been on a hunger strike since his administrative detention on July 27, is waging a battle against the mighty Israeli occupation apparatus. Every day brings him closer to death, as Israel seems to be trying to prove through his case that the life of Palestinians, like their freedom and human rights, are worth nothing. But the formidable insistence of his hunger strike against the principle of administrative detention, and his determination that the strike will end only once he is free or becomes a martyr, is mobilizing more and more people to his support.

Kameron Hurt (2020-10-25). Free Ruchell "Cinque" Magee! liberationnews.org Ruchell Magee is the longest-held political prisoner in the United States and the world.

RT (2020-10-24). 'Dissolve the police!' Protesters hit streets of San Bernardino after police killing of armed black man during altercation. rt.com Protesters have flooded the streets of San Bernardino, California, one day after a police killing of a black man. Police said the victim, who had a gun, was shot after he overpowered an officer and took out his own weapon. | Scores of Black Lives Matter demonstrators amassed in front of the King Tut liquor store in San Bernardino on Friday evening to protest the killing of Mark Matthew Bender, a black man, who was shot and killed there by a responding officer a day before. | SAN BERNARDINO: Earlier BLM protesters called to "abolish the police" in unison in front of the King Tut Liquor store where Mark Matthew…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-10-24). The Covid-19 Numbers Game: The "Second Wave" is Based on Fake Statistics. globalresearch.ca "Red zones", travel bans, quarantines, "red lists". A "Second Wave". Millions of people are lining up for Covid-19 testing. The "Numbers Game". How statistics and "estimates" are used by politicians to justify the closure of the national economy and the derogation of fundamental civil rights.

RT (2020-10-24). Vostochny spaceport scandals continue: CEO of company operating new Far Eastern Russian cosmodrome arrested on corruption charges. rt.com A high-ranking official at the helm of the new state-of-the-art Vostochny spaceport, in Russia's Far East, has been arrested on charges of fraud in a high-profile scandal. The scheme reportedly cost the state over $6.5 million. | Roman Bobkov, the head of the state entity operating the cosmodrome, has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months by a local

Staff (2020-10-24). The Squad Calls for UN Inquiry Into Alleged Human Rights Abuses at Trump's DHS. truthout.org The four first-term progressive congresswomen collectively called the Squad led a letter Friday calling for independent international investigation of "recent, ongoing, and credible allegations of egregious human rights abuses by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), its components, and its private contractors." | "From the unwanted and unnecessary hysterectomies of migrant women, to the forced separation of children from their families, to the indefinite detention of immi…

RT (2020-10-24). CEO of new Russian cosmodrome's operator arrested on charges of abuse of office & forgery. rt.com A high-ranking official at the helm of the new state-of-the-art Vostochny spaceport has been arrested on charges of fraud in a high-profile scandal. The scheme reportedly cost the state over $6.5 million. | Roman Bobkov, the head of the space center, a state entity operating the cosmodrome, has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months by a local

sputniknews (2020-10-24). Trump Campaign Files Lawsuit in Nevada, Asks Court to Stop Officials From Counting Early Votes. sputniknews.com According to Forbes magazine, more than 50 million Americans have already voted in the presidential election in the United States, as authorities have adjusted the electoral system due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Many Americans have voted by mail, a measure that Donald Trump has harshly criticised, saying it may result in voter fraud.

_____ (2020-10-24). Prisoners Won The Right To Stimulus Checks. popularresistance.org Last week, Thomas Root emailed his weekly legal newsletter from his office in Ohio to nearly 11,000 federal prisoners around the country — just as he's done every Monday since 2015. That same day, attorney Brandon Sample in Vermont fired off his own weekly legal updates to more than 6,700 federal prisoners — as he's done for three years. | Within days, the men were flooded with rejection emails declaring that the Federal Bureau of Prisons had abruptly banned their newsletters, saying they were "detrimental to the security, good order, or discipline of the facility, or might facilitate criminal activit…

sputniknews (2020-10-24). Texas AG Office 'Turbulence' May Delay Multistate Ad Suit Against Google, US Media Says. sputniknews.com Earlier this week, Texas became the 11th US state to join the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against Google over the Internet giant's alleged abuse of online search dominance.

_____ (2020-10-24). USPS Ordered To Reassemble Sorting Machines. popularresistance.org A federal judge has ordered the United States Postal Service (USPS) to restore previously decommissioned high-speed mail sorting machines at offices that can't process election mail fast enough ahead of the upcoming presidential election. The order is the result of a lawsuit filed by New York state in late August. | In the order, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan wrote that, if a post office or distribution center is unable to process election mail, "available processing equipment will be restored to service to ensure that USPS can comply with its prior policy of delivering Election Mail in accordance with First…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2020-10-24). Trump Lawsuit to Stop Mail-In Vote Counting in Nevada Condemned as 'Obvious' and 'Desperate' Suppression Attempt. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/nevada_trump.jpg

WSWS (2020-10-24). Russian court extends prison sentence for historian of Stalinist terror to 13 years. wsws.org The brutal vendetta against Dmitriev speaks to the enormous fear of the Russian oligarchy about the growing interest in the historical truth about the October revolution and the Stalinist terror in broad sections of the population.

Staff (2020-10-23). Biden Admits Past Mistake Supporting Crime Bill as Trump Defends Attacks on Black Lives Matter. democracynow.org President Trump and Joe Biden sparred on their records over race and criminal justice in Thursday's presidential debate. Trump simultaneously promoted his criminal justice reform efforts while continuing to lean on "tough on crime" rhetoric. Trump also criticized Biden for authoring the 1994 crime bill and supporting other laws that intensified mass incarceration in the U.S., which Biden acknowledged was "a mistake." Rashad Robinson, spokesperson for Color of Change PAC, says Biden's admission highlights the importance of continued pressure on politicians on racial justice issues. "The Democrats can't just make t…

WSWS (2020-10-23). 50 years since Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act. wsws.org During the October Crisis, the Canadian state, led by Trudeau, exploited two terrorist kidnappings to carry out a coup de force, jailing and intimidating left-wing government opponents amid a growing working class upsurge.

Jeremy Brecher (2020-10-23). How Workers Can Help Defeat a Trump Coup. commondreams.org Protesters gathered outside of the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where President Donald J. Trump held a campaign rally on October 10, 2019. (Photo: Tony Webster, Wikimedia) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trumpforprison.jpg

_____ (2020-10-23). U.S. Spends More Than $80 Billion a Year Incarcerating 2.3 Million People. strategic-culture.org Laura FLANDERS | The U.S. today spends more than $80 billion a year incarcerating 2.3 million people in state and federal prisons, local jails, youth facilities and deportation centers. That's $80 billion that comes out of public coffers and goes into public confinement. | With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, many were shocked to see woman, children and migrants — including many pre-trial and pre-hearing — who had never been convicted of anything crammed into overcrowded lock-ups that might as well have been petri dishes for community spread of the disease. | By the middle of October, close to 150…