Daily Archives: 2020-11-14

2020-11-14: News Headlines

_____ (2020-11-14). Update: Abby Martin's Lawsuit Over Israel Loyalty Oath Mandate In US. popularresistance.org New developments in Abby Martin's major lawsuit challenging unconstitutional pro-Israel, anti-BDS law in the state of Georgia. | Abby Martin: "In February of this year, I was supposed to give a keynote speech at Georgia Southern University. Before the event, I refused to sign a state-mandated pledge to not boycott Israel in order to speak. My invitation was rescinded and the conference canceled as a result. I decided to sue the state of Georgia because signing an anti-BDS clause in order to work in the state is a direct violation of my rights to Constitutional free speech and to participate in political boycotts.

Deirdre Griswold (2020-11-14). Class oppression and the virus. workers.org The United States continues to lead the world — in the number of COVID-19 cases as well as in deaths. As of Nov. 9, this rich, high-tech imperialist country has now registered 243,302 deaths from the virus. This is twice as many coronavirus deaths as in India, even though the . . . |

Jim McMahan (2020-11-14). Seattle: Anti-racist marches continue during election week. workers.org Seattle Black-led marches against racist and economic oppression continued during election week in Seattle. Trump's racism has led more people to stay in the streets. While the vote for Biden was big, the election definitely didn't take people out of the streets. "Count Every Vote — Protect Every Person" rally, . . . |

Dana Drugmand (2020-11-14). Norway's Supreme Court to decide on climate lawsuit challenging offshore Arctic oil drilling. nationofchange.org "To disregard this is to disregard Norway's international responsibilities and science."

Sophia Purdy-Moore (2020-11-14). Netpol reveals 'institutional racism' in the policing of Britain's Black Lives Matter protests. thecanary.co The Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) has released a new Netpol's report comes days after a Joint Committee on Human Right…

Mirinda Crissman (2020-11-13). Commentary: New Jersey releases 2,261 — but to what? workers.org The State of New Jersey released 2,261 incarcerated workers from its state prisons on Nov. 4. This largest single-day release in U.S. history comes on the heels of state law S2519, passed in September, which calls for the release of nearly 3,000 people in prisons to stop the rampant spread . . . |

Lyn Neeley (2020-11-13). After Defund Police victory, Portland keeps marching. workers.org Portland, Ore. After 170 days of uninterrupted protests against racism, fascism and police brutality, 82 percent of Portlanders have voted for a community oversight board to investigate and discipline cases of police violence. Rally for Black Lives Matter and to defend workers' rights, Portland, Ore., Nov. 8 Since the brutal . . . |

The Canary (2020-11-13). Black nurses 'petrified' of being sent to frontline without adequate protection. thecanary.co Black nurses are "petrified" they will be sent back to the frontline without adequate protection or risk assessment during the second coronavirus wave, a support organisation has said. Equality 4 Black Nurses, a nurse-led organisation which aims to eradicate racial discrimination in the NHS, also raised concerns that stresses caused by the pandemic were "bringing racial inequalities to the surface".Discrimination: A survey conducted by the organisation found that a third (32%) of Black nurses were not supplied with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) during the peak of the first wave. The study al…

The Canary (2020-11-13). Met Commissioner admits force 'not free of discrimination, racism or bias'. thecanary.co The Metropolitan Police commissioner has said she feels "very sorry" that trust among Black communities is so low, as she admitted her force "is not free of discrimination, racism or bias".Cressida Dick issued a statement as the force outlined plans for 40% of new recruits to be from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds (BAME) from 2022.It comes as London mayor Sadiq Khan published an action plan to address concerns over the use of police powers affecting Black Londoners, including stop and search and the use of Tasers. It also comes after the mother of Stephen Lawrence argued "that there has been very li…

Nicole Karlis (2020-11-13). Amazon worker who was fired after leading COVID-19 safety protest files lawsuit against tech giant. salon.com Chris Smalls' class action suit filed claims that Amazon violated federal and state laws…

Fred Fuentes (2020-11-13). Women of Steel: Check out upcoming screenings near you. greenleft.org.au Denied jobs at Wollongong's steelworks, working-class migrant women refused to accept discrimination. They began a campaign for the right to work that lasted for 14 years. Women of Steel tells their story, writes Kerry Smith.

commondreams (2020-11-13). G20 Plan Is 'Thin Gruel for Debt Prisoners'. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-13). As conflict in Ethiopia continues, observers fear return of repressive state. peoplesdispatch.org Soon after coming to power in 2018, prime minister Abiy Ahmed had opened up the political space by freeing political prisoners and allowing other political parties to operate freely. The war in Tigray may lead to a reversal of these gains…

The Canary (2020-11-13). Comedian says she is 'disabled and proud' after Question Time speech. thecanary.co Comedian Rosie Jones said she is "bloody proud" to be disabled after speaking on Question Time 25 years since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act. | "Groundbreaking": | The legislation, which was introduced in 1995, prohibited discrimination on the grounds of disability, and was significantly extended in 2006 to include areas such as employment and education. | Jones, who has cerebral palsy, appeared on the BBC's discussion programme to talk about her experience, and said that the "groundbreaking" act had helped her lead a better life. She told Fiona Bruce: Without a doubt my life has bee…

ACLU (2020-11-13). How COVID-19 is Setting Working Women Back. aclu.org In early October, the United States Labor Department reported that women were leaving the workforce at four times the rate of men. A few months earlier, a report from McKinsey Global revealed that while women made up 43 percent of the workforce, they had borne 56 percent of COVID-related job losses. This data — and much more — led one news source to call this moment "America's First Female Recession.", , This week, Colleen Ammerman joined At Liberty to discuss why this is happening, and what we can do about it. Ammerman is the director of Harvard Business School's Gender Initiative. She is also the…

Simon Hooper (2020-11-12). 'Hostile environment' supporter appointed to EHRC equality watchdog. middleeasteye.net 'Hostile environment' supporter appointed to EHRC equality watchdog | David Goodhart, who says he has 'grown used to being accused of racism even by my own children', appointed to Equality and Human Rights Commission board | Thu, 11/12/2020 – 14: 59 | David Goodhart described Black Lives Matter complaints of systemic racism in the UK as "statistically naive" (Screengrab) | The UK government has appoin…

MEE correspondent (2020-11-12). New Saudi-US channel hit with UK lawsuit by Egyptian opposition leader. middleeasteye.net New Saudi-US channel hit with UK lawsuit by Egyptian opposition leader | Istanbul-based Al-Sharq channel, owned by Ayman Nour, claims the rival Bloomberg-tied Al-Sharq has copied its name and logo | Thu, 11/12/2020 – 16: 29 | Founders of the Saudi Al-Sharq News channel pose for a picture on the launch day on 11 November, 2020 in Riyadh (LinkedIn/@Al-Sharq News) | The owner of Egypt's la…

Judy Greenspan (2020-11-12). Sistas With Voices demand mass releases at San Quentin. workers.org Elsie Lee of Sistas With Voices demands mass releases not transfers of San Quentin prisoners. San Rafael, Calif. Nov. 8 — Today, prisoner support groups and family members held a spirited demonstration at San Quentin State Prison's main gate, demanding the state order a mass release of incarcerated people instead . . . |

Olujimi Alade (2020-11-12). Black Lives Matter — from Nigeria to the U.S. workers.org People protest against abuses by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Lagos, Nigeria, Oct. 12. As a Nigerian-American, I was very disappointed in myself for my lack of knowledge about #EndSARS protests in Nigeria that have captivated the world recently. (In Nigeria, SARS stands for the so-called "Special Anti-Robbery Squad" . . . |

Steve Sweeney (2020-11-12). South Africa's Communists condemn possible release of Chris Hani's assassin. peoplesworld.org The South African Communist Party (SACP) is voicing strong opposition to the application for the release of the murderer of its former general secretary Chris Hani. Janusz Walus was jailed for life for the 1993 killing, which took place while negotiations to end the country's racist apartheid system were at an advanced stage. Walus's latest …

Prof. Marjorie Cohn (2020-11-12). Trump's Frivolous Lawsuits Are the Tip of the Iceberg in His Refusal to Concede. globalresearch.ca As masses of people poured into the streets to celebrate the end of Donald Trump's fascist rule, the lame duck president's lawyers were filing frivolous lawsuits in an attempt to nullify Joe Biden's victory. But none of these suits, …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-11-12). Petitions, Probes and Rupert Murdoch. dissidentvoice.org Australia has given the world two influential and disruptive exports in the field of media. One, currently in London's Belmarsh Prison, is facing the prospect of extradition to the United States for charges that could see him serve a 175 year sentence in a brutal, soul destroying super max. The other, so the argument goes, …

Emily Peck (2020-11-12). From Marijuana To Minimum Wage, Progressives Won Policy Fights On Election Night. zcomm.org Taken together, these types of measures could go a long way in reducing race and gender discrimination around the country…

Georgeanne M. Usova (2020-11-12). President-Elect Biden's Reproductive Freedom To-Do List. aclu.org After four years of attacks on our

teleSUR (2020-11-12). Dominican Republic: Odebrecht Trials Continue. telesurenglish.net A Dominican Republic's Court Thursday continued the trial against six defendants involved in the Odebrecht corruption case in the country. | RELATED: | The Lawsuit presented by the Public Ministry shows that over US$90 million were paid by the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht to secure the allocations of state works. | Businessmen Angel Rondon, Victor Diaz, Andres Bautista, Juan Rodriguez, Conrado Pittaluga,…

Ria Tabacco Mar (2020-11-12). Men Are Being Fired for Being Caregivers. Here's Why that Hurts Women Too. aclu.org One of the simplest joys of expecting a baby is sharing the news with other people. That wasn't the

commondreams (2020-11-12). ACLU Comment on Appeals Court Decision in Harvard Admissions Case. commondreams.org ______________________________…

_____ (2020-11-12). County Must Stop Development Of Moses African Cemetery. popularresistance.org As someone who grew up in Montgomery County, I've heard and seen countless declarations from acquaintances, teachers and government officials that the county is incredibly progressive when it comes to racial justice. In my experience, many of those who sustain this claim will back it up with references to the diversity of county residents or to progressive legislation such as the CROWN Act, which prohibits discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles. | In addition, praise for Montgomery County's progressivism has almost always included some kind of juxtaposition to more "backwards" parts of Maryland…

RT (2020-11-11). WATCH prisoners escaping by TUNNEL as Brazilian jail witnesses 2nd breakout in 3 months. rt.com Brazil's military police revealed that 11 prisoners escaped Pato Branco Public Prison in the country's south on Tuesday morning. | The inmates were caught on film from CCTV cameras while fleeing from a tunnel they dug. | Police said the fugitives had been digging a tunnel towards a health center nearby, until they reached a water gallery. They group fled around 6: 30am local time. Military Police captain Guido Benjamin told local media that inmates escaped in ordinary outfits, so they urged the public to be on the lookout for suspicious individuals in muddy clothes. He added that it is believed that the grou…

Media Lens (2020-11-11). Robert Fisk: Death of a "Controversial" Journalist. dissidentvoice.org Robert Fisk, the Independent's Middle East correspondent, died on 30 October aged 74. In reviewing his life and career, the newspaper for which he worked for more than two decades wrote of their star reporter: 'Much of what Fisk wrote was controversial…' As John Pilger noted, in describing Fisk's journalism as 'controversial' the Independent was …

Raul Diego (2020-11-11). QAnon Legal Battle Against YouTube Could Transform Free Speech Online. mintpressnews.com A lawsuit brought against YouTube and parent company Google by 15 QAnon social media stars could end up in the Supreme Court and transform the meaning of online free speech in America.

WSWS (2020-11-11). More than 660 parents of separated immigrant children cannot be located by the US government. wsws.org After an ACLU lawsuit last month revealed that the parents of 545 immigrant children could not be located, a lawyer tasked with reuniting families revealed this week that the total has now risen to 666.

The Canary (2020-11-11). Commissioner says children in care 'failed by the state' as private companies make huge profits. thecanary.co Thousands of children in care are being repeatedly moved between residential homes or living in unregulated accommodation, reporting "disgusting" and prison-like conditions, a report has found. | "Irrational system": | Some children feel "dumped" in children's homes in areas they haven't heard of. While hundreds of children who need a place can't get one anywhere in England, the children's commissioner said. Anne Longfield said those falling through the cracks of an increasingly "fragmented, uncoordinated and irrational system" risk becoming victims of criminal or sexual exploitation. | She has published…

Thomas A. Bass (2020-11-11). Pham Doan Trang Goes to Prison. commondreams.org Trang has been arrested in Vietnam's most brazen attack on journalists since relations with the United States were normalized in 1995. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/pham_doan_trang.jpg

commondreams (2020-11-11). New Documents Reveal ICE and Private Prison Contractor Exacerbates a COVID Outbreak at Immigration Detention Center. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Prof. Ruel F. Pepa (2020-11-11). Systemic Racial Inequity: Discrimination, Dehumanization and Destruction. globalresearch.ca "It is race, is it not, that puts the hundred millions of India under the dominion of a remote island in the north of Europe. Race avails much, if that be true, which is alleged, that all Celts are Catholics, …