Monthly Archives: March 2021

2021-03-31: News Headlines

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (2021-03-31). On Land Day, Palestine Will be Free from the River to the Sea. globalresearch.ca 30 March 2021 marks the 45th Palestinian Land Day, a day …

Joshua Francis (2021-03-31). Statewide day of action demands freedom for longest-held political prisoner in the United States. liberationnews.org Three rallies were held across California March 17 to commemorate the longest-held political prisoner Ruchell "Cinque" Magee's 82nd birthday. Ruchell received a tremendous outpouring of renewed support in his fight for freedom after 58 years of unjust imprisonment. These efforts are being led by the Coalition to Free Ruchell Magee, of which the Party for …

Fight Back (2021-03-31). Tampa rally demands justice for George Floyd, jail for killer cops. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – On Saturday, March 27, the Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC) and others rallied at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa to demand a guilty verdict for killer cop Derek Chauvin. Chauvin is charged with the murder of George Floyd, whose killing inspired an unprecedented uprising last summer. | "We need to come together to stand against any attempt to let this murderer off. We need to do it for the Floyd family, and the families of all others affected by police brutality," said Jhosn Pena of TBCAC. | Protesters called attention to local cases of police brutality such as the case of Josiah Pinne…

contributors (2021-03-31). Jewish Nat'l Fund Lawsuit against Palestinian Rights Advocacy in US Slapped down by Federal Judge on First Amendment Grounds. juancole.com U.S. Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Filed by Jewish National Fund Against Palestinian Rights Nonprofit Contact: press@ccrjustice.org Lawsuit "Not Persuasive," Judge Rules ( Center for Constitutional Rights) — March 30, 2021, Washington, D.C. — A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and others against a U.S.-based Palestinian rights organization. The …

Staff (2021-03-31). New York Ordered to Vaccinate Incarcerated People; Will Gov. Sign Bill Curbing Solitary Confinement? democracynow.org A New York judge has ordered the state to provide COVID-19 vaccines to all incarcerated people, saying that officials "irrationally distinguished between incarcerated people and people living in every other type of adult congregate facility, at great risk to incarcerated people's lives during this pandemic." Soffiyah Elijah, executive director of the Alliance of Families for Justice, says advocates have been pushing the state "since the beginning of the pandemic to prioritize the health and safety of incarcerated people," but those efforts were met with silence. "It's unfortunate that it took court intervention i…

Dave DeCamp (2021-03-31). Report: US Asks Taliban to Extend May 1 Withdrawal Deadline. news.antiwar.com Citing sources close to the Taliban, The May 1st withdrawal deadline was set by the US-Taliban peace deal that was signed in Doha last year. While the Biden administration has yet to make an official announcement, it's clear the US is looking to stay. | Tolo News said the Taliban has not yet made a decision on the US request and is asking that first their 7,000 prisoners sh…

MEE staff (2021-03-31). Israeli forces rearrest Palestinian man celebrating release after 20 years in prison. middleeasteye.net Israeli forces rearrest Palestinian man celebrating release after 20 years in prison | Magd Barbar's welcome home party raided by the Israeli military, who wounded several Palestinians, before releasing him again on Wednesday | Wed, 03/31/2021 – 13: 39 | Magd Barbar, a Palestinian prisoner from the occupied East Jerusalem, reunited with his wife Fatmeh, and his son and daughter after 20 years in Israeli jails…

Staff (2021-03-31). Aging Former Black Panthers Mumia Abu-Jamal & Sundiata Acoli Got COVID-19 & Could Die in Prison. democracynow.org We get an update on political prisoners Mumia Abu-Jamal and Sundiata Acoli, who contracted COVID-19 but have yet to be released. Acoli is a former member of the Black Panther Party who is now 84 years old and has been in prison in New Jersey for nearly half a century, even though he has been eligible for parole for almost three decades. He was denied parole again in February. His crime involved the killing of a state trooper. Last year, he contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized, and he reportedly has early-stage dementia. We speak with his longtime advocate, Soffiyah Elijah with Alliance of Families for Justice…

_____ (2021-03-30). The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. popularresistance.org This month, the Bureau of Justice Statistics released two reports with updates on city and county jail populations nationwide: Jail Inmates in 2019 and Impact of COVID-19 on the Local Jail Population, January-June 2020. After a year of upheaval due to the pandemic, the first report is already out-of-date and mainly useful as a historical document. The second report, however, answers some important questions about the decisions local officials made when the high stakes of jail incarceration — for individual and public health — were put into stark relief by the pandemic. Their decisions, and the resulti…

Monica Moorehead (2021-03-30). NCAA exposed for sexist practices in women's basketball. workers.org March Madness is underway — an annual two-and-a-half week tournament that seeds 68 men's basketball teams belonging to National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I. Culminating in the Final Four playoff and a championship game April 3-5, the men's tournament will likely generate about $850 million, mainly through TV and cable . . . |

Joyce Chediac (2021-03-30). In memoriam: Nawal El Saadawi, Egyptian feminist and anti-imperialist. liberationnews.org Egyptian feminist Nawal El Saadawi died March 21 at age 89. Neither imprisonment nor job loss, nor banning her writings, not even death threats could stop her fight for the rights of Egyptian women. She exposed both the religious and sectarian foundation of patriarchy. Her courage and uncompromising defense of women and the poor inspired …

splcenter (2021-03-30). Outrage in Georgia: Civil rights groups sue to block state's shameful new voter suppression law. splcenter.org &nbsp…

WSWS (2021-03-30). Murder trial begins for former officer charged in the death of George Floyd. wsws.org Derek Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter and third-degree murder. If convicted of the most serious charge, he could face 10.5 to 15 years in prison.

Staff (2021-03-30). Will we stand up for Black trans lives, too? therealnews.com Last summer, during what some have called the largest social justice uprising in United States history, the lives of Black trans people were ignored. While many rightly raged against the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, few know the names of Black trans people like Kim Wirtz, who have also been murdered by a racist policing and prison system. In Baltimore, trans activists from the LGBTQ organization Baltimore Safe Haven protested, demanding an end to police violence and an end to the erasure of the Black trans community. The Real News' Eddie Conway talks to activists on the ground in Baltimore ab…

Jason Ditz (2021-03-30). Pentagon Would Face Costly Lawsuits If US Ended Afghanistan War. news.antiwar.com Since February 29 of 2020, the US has had a peace deal in place, intending to withdraw from Afghanistan on May 1 of 2021. The US military was always averse to that, but seems to have been basing its contracts on the idea it wouldn't happen. | Former financial officials are warning that if the US does leave Afghanistan, either on May 1 or any time in 2021, the Pentagon would be facing down a "

RT (2021-03-30). 'Scarface'-style standoff in Russia ends as man who fired shots & tossed grenades at cops likely killed in fire at luxury home. rt.com A ten-hour-long standoff between special forces and an armed resident of an affluent village near Moscow likely ended up with the suspect being killed in a fire that he himself started, a security source said. | Early on Tuesday, officers arrived at Novye Veshki village to search the opulent cottage of 61-year-old businessman, Vladimir Bardanov, who was suspected of being involved in arms trafficking. | But the owner apparently had no desire to go to jail and much like Tony Montana — Al Pacino's iconic character from 'Scarface' — opted to go down with a bang. | When the police presented Bardanov's wi…

commondreams (2021-03-30). Civil Rights Groups Sue Georgia Over New Sweeping Voter Suppression Law. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Jeffrey D. Sachs (2021-03-30). The Current Battle Over Voting Rights Is a Battle for America's Future. commondreams.org Republican-controlled state legislatures across the US are enacting new restrictions on voter participation that target non-whites. Since the Civil War, the white supremacist culture—embraced by a shrinking minority in America—has always based its power on violence and voter suppression. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/voted_0.jpg

MEE staff (2021-03-30). Palestine elections: Marwan Barghouti announces independent election list. middleeasteye.net Palestine elections: Marwan Barghouti announces independent election list | Jailed Palestinian leader's list is 'essentially Fatah in nature' but also includes national figures and independents | Tue, 03/30/2021 – 18: 55 | Graffiti depicting popular Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti can be found throughout the occupied West Bank (AFP/File photo) | Palestinian political prisoner and veteran Fatah party lead…

Ali Harb (2021-03-30). US judge dismisses lawsuit linking Palestine solidarity group to 'terrorism'. middleeasteye.net US judge dismisses lawsuit linking Palestine solidarity group to 'terrorism' | Judge rejected argument that US Campaign for Palestinian Rights was liable for militant attacks because of its support for BDS as 'not convincing' | Tue, 03/30/2021 – 23: 41 | Palestinian rights activists in Washington protest against Israel's plans to annex parts of the West Bank, 3 July 2020 (MEE/File photo) | A US judge has dismisse…

Ali Harb (2021-03-30). US judge dismisses lawsuit linking Palestine solidarity group to 'terrorism'. middleeasteye.net US judge dismisses lawsuit linking Palestine solidarity group to 'terrorism' | Judge dismissed argument that US Campaign for Palestinian Rights was liable for militant attacks because of its support for BDS as 'not convincing' | Tue, 03/30/2021 – 23: 41 | Palestinian rights activists in Washington protest against Israel's plans to annex parts of the West Bank, 3 July 2020 (MEE/File photo) | A US judge has dismiss…

Mohammad Ayesh (2021-03-30). Arabic press review: Tunisian politician accuses Egypt of spreading false rumours. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Tunisian politician accuses Egypt of spreading false rumours | Meanwhile, protest held in Gaza in solidarity with prisoner in Saudi Arabia, Libyan politicians accused of falsifying credentials and Saudi foreign reserves fall to lowest level in a decade | Tue, 03/30/2021 – 12: 31 | Tunisian Ennahda Party founder Rachid Ghannouchi gives a speech during the legislative election…

Staff (2021-03-30). Headlines for March 30, 2021. democracynow.org First Witnesses Testify in Murder Trial of Ex-Cop Derek Chauvin, Who Killed George Floyd, Civil Rights Groups File Second Legal Challenge to Georgia Voter Suppression Bill, WHO Says COVID-19 Pandemic Likely Began in Animal Hosts, Rather Than Laboratory Escape, CDC Director Warns of "Impending Doom" as Coronavirus Cases Rise Across U.S., CDC Extends Federal Eviction Moratorium to June 30, Wealthiest 1% of Americans Account for One-Third of Unpaid Taxes to IRS, Protests Erupt in Mexico Demanding Justice for Salvadoran Refugee Killed by Police, Suez Canal Reopens After Salvage Teams Clear Stuck Container Ship, 60 Ch…

Staff (2021-03-30). Derek Chauvin Defense Blames "George Floyd Himself for His Own Death," Not the Police "Blood Choke" democracynow.org As the murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin continues, we speak with Minneapolis civil rights lawyer Nekima Levy Armstrong, who says prosecutors in the case clearly established that "the actions of Derek Chauvin played the most critical role in cutting off the air supply of George Floyd," leading to his death, while the defense appears to be resorting to a strategy of victim-blaming. "I was really dismayed to see them try to deflect blame to bystanders and to blame George Floyd himself for his own death," says Armstrong, a former president of the Minneapolis NAACP.

2021-03-30: News Headlines

_____ (2021-03-30). The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. popularresistance.org This month, the Bureau of Justice Statistics released two reports with updates on city and county jail populations nationwide: Jail Inmates in 2019 and Impact of COVID-19 on the Local Jail Population, January-June 2020. After a year of upheaval due to the pandemic, the first report is already out-of-date and mainly useful as a historical document. The second report, however, answers some important questions about the decisions local officials made when the high stakes of jail incarceration — for individual and public health — were put into stark relief by the pandemic. Their decisions, and the resulti…

Joyce Chediac (2021-03-30). In memoriam: Nawal El Saadawi, Egyptian feminist and anti-imperialist. liberationnews.org Egyptian feminist Nawal El Saadawi died March 21 at age 89. Neither imprisonment nor job loss, nor banning her writings, not even death threats could stop her fight for the rights of Egyptian women. She exposed both the religious and sectarian foundation of patriarchy. Her courage and uncompromising defense of women and the poor inspired …

splcenter (2021-03-30). Outrage in Georgia: Civil rights groups sue to block state's shameful new voter suppression law. splcenter.org &nbsp…

WSWS (2021-03-30). Murder trial begins for former officer charged in the death of George Floyd. wsws.org Derek Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter and third-degree murder. If convicted of the most serious charge, he could face 10.5 to 15 years in prison.

Jason Ditz (2021-03-30). Pentagon Would Face Costly Lawsuits If US Ended Afghanistan War. news.antiwar.com Since February 29 of 2020, the US has had a peace deal in place, intending to withdraw from Afghanistan on May 1 of 2021. The US military was always averse to that, but seems to have been basing its contracts on the idea it wouldn't happen. | Former financial officials are warning that if the US does leave Afghanistan, either on May 1 or any time in 2021, the Pentagon would be facing down a "

Mohammad Ayesh (2021-03-30). Arabic press review: Tunisian politician accuses Egypt of spreading false rumours. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Tunisian politician accuses Egypt of spreading false rumours | Meanwhile, protest held in Gaza in solidarity with prisoner in Saudi Arabia, Libyan politicians accused of falsifying credentials and Saudi foreign reserves fall to lowest level in a decade | Tue, 03/30/2021 – 12: 31 | Tunisian Ennahda Party founder Rachid Ghannouchi gives a speech during the legislative election…

MEE staff (2021-03-30). Palestine elections: Marwan Barghouti announces independent election list. middleeasteye.net Palestine elections: Marwan Barghouti announces independent election list | Jailed Palestinian leader's list is 'essentially Fatah in nature' but also includes national figures and independents | Tue, 03/30/2021 – 18: 55 | Graffiti depicting popular Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti can be found throughout the occupied West Bank (AFP/File photo) | Palestinian political prisoner and veteran Fatah party lead…

Ali Harb (2021-03-30). US judge dismisses lawsuit linking Palestine solidarity group to 'terrorism'. middleeasteye.net US judge dismisses lawsuit linking Palestine solidarity group to 'terrorism' | Judge dismissed argument that US Campaign for Palestinian Rights was liable for militant attacks because of its support for BDS as 'not convincing' | Tue, 03/30/2021 – 23: 41 | Palestinian rights activists in Washington protest against Israel's plans to annex parts of the West Bank, 3 July 2020 (MEE/File photo) | A US judge has dismiss…

Staff (2021-03-30). Will we stand up for Black trans lives, too? therealnews.com Last summer, during what some have called the largest social justice uprising in United States history, the lives of Black trans people were ignored. While many rightly raged against the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, few know the names of Black trans people like Kim Wirtz, who have also been murdered by a racist policing and prison system. In Baltimore, trans activists from the LGBTQ organization Baltimore Safe Haven protested, demanding an end to police violence and an end to the erasure of the Black trans community. The Real News' Eddie Conway talks to activists on the ground in Baltimore ab…

Staff (2021-03-30). Headlines for March 30, 2021. democracynow.org First Witnesses Testify in Murder Trial of Ex-Cop Derek Chauvin, Who Killed George Floyd, Civil Rights Groups File Second Legal Challenge to Georgia Voter Suppression Bill, WHO Says COVID-19 Pandemic Likely Began in Animal Hosts, Rather Than Laboratory Escape, CDC Director Warns of "Impending Doom" as Coronavirus Cases Rise Across U.S., CDC Extends Federal Eviction Moratorium to June 30, Wealthiest 1% of Americans Account for One-Third of Unpaid Taxes to IRS, Protests Erupt in Mexico Demanding Justice for Salvadoran Refugee Killed by Police, Suez Canal Reopens After Salvage Teams Clear Stuck Container Ship, 60 Ch…

Staff (2021-03-30). Derek Chauvin Defense Blames "George Floyd Himself for His Own Death," Not the Police "Blood Choke" democracynow.org As the murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin continues, we speak with Minneapolis civil rights lawyer Nekima Levy Armstrong, who says prosecutors in the case clearly established that "the actions of Derek Chauvin played the most critical role in cutting off the air supply of George Floyd," leading to his death, while the defense appears to be resorting to a strategy of victim-blaming. "I was really dismayed to see them try to deflect blame to bystanders and to blame George Floyd himself for his own death," says Armstrong, a former president of the Minneapolis NAACP.