Monthly Archives: August 2021

2021-08-03: News Headlines

Staff (2021-08-03). Headlines for August 3, 2021. democracynow.org Louisiana Orders Mask Mandate as U.S. Logs Highest Coronavirus Toll Since February, Federal Employees Must Show Proof of Vaccination or Face Regular Tests, U.S., U.K. Say Afghan Taliban Massacred Civilians in Spin Boldak, State Department Offers to Resettle Thousands of Afghans Who Worked with U.S. , Refugee Advocates Sue as Biden Admin Continues Trump-Era Border Policy, HHS Watchdog to Probe Reports of Dire Conditions at Migrant Youth Detention Camp , Progressives Blast White House for Allowing Eviction Moratorium to Expire, 200+ Arrested at D.C. Protest Demanding End to Filibuster, Voting Rights, Study: Gerryma…

Staff (2021-08-03). The growing uprising against administrative detention: 17 Palestinian detainees on hunger strike. samidoun.net Palestinian prisoners have launched a growing uprising inside Israeli prisons, with the number of hunger strikers now reaching 17. Sixteen of the hunger strikers are protesting their administrative detention, Israeli imprisonment without charge or trial that can be indefinitely renewed. Palestinians routinely are jailed for years at a time without ever being accused of any action under administrative detention orders, and since the beginning of 2021, 40 Palestinian prisoners have launched hunger strikes, most in rejection of administrative detention. There are currently approximately 540 Palestinians jailed witho…

Sameena Rahman (2021-08-03). People held in ICE detention 50 times more likely to test positive for COVID. liberationnews.org COVID-19 infections among people held in U.S. immigrant detention facilities are skyrocketing. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported higher-than-ever rates of COVID-19 infections among those held in their custody, reaching more than 50 times the positivity rate of the general U.S. population. Even during the pandemic, ICE has continued to detain people with no regard …

Giuli Alvarenga (2021-08-03). Immigrant Detention in Louisiana Is Just Next Chapter of State's Prison Culture. latinorebels.com Louisiana has a long history of being the world's prison capital. This one U.S. southern state once surpassed entire countries with the number of prisons they host. Yes, Louisiana has more prisons than countries like Iran, China, and Germany, to just name a few. For example, one of Louisiana's notorious prisons —Angola State Prison— was …

Staff (2021-08-03). A Prison Guard Raped Me and Threatened My Life. Now I Fight for Others' Lives. truthout.org This piece is a winner of Truthout's Keeley Schenwar Memorial Essay Prize. | Content warning: The following essay contains mentions of rape, anti-trans violence and violence against incarcerated people. | I am a queer, Blackfoot mother of four kids, three dogs, two ferrets and one nonprofit organization. Once, I had an amazing career as a costume designer in the Atlanta entertainment and burlesque industry. But in 2013, I was arrested and sentenced to 12 months in prison. Theoretically, tha…

Staff (2021-08-03). I Want to Start School So I Can Learn to Write Letters to My Dad in Prison. truthout.org This piece was granted special recognition through the Keeley Schenwar Memorial Essay Prize. | My name is Little Coconut. My birthday is May 18. My favorite color is pink, no I mean glittery red. I like learning about dinosaurs. I watch Totally Spies and Loud House. Sometimes I watch Charmed with my grandma and SpongeBob with my great grandpa. Sssssshhhhhhhh that's a secret. | My dad is in Connecticut. He is in jail but he is not a bandit. He does not know all these things about me unless I tel…

Jonathan Cook (2021-08-03). Craig Murray's jailing is the latest move in a battle to snuff out independent journalism. mronline.org He becomes the first person ever to be imprisoned on the obscure and vaguely defined charge of "jigsaw identification".

Staff (2021-08-03). I Was Thrown in Solitary at 14. My Jailers Added a Day Each Time I Fought Back. truthout.org This piece is a winner of Truthout's Keeley Schenwar Memorial Essay Prize. | Content Warning: The following essay contains mentions of violence against youth, and solitary confinement. | Day 1 of 3: | They strip me to my boxers and lock me in a dry cell. No mattress. | They call it a dry cell because it doesn't have a toilet or sink. As solitary confinement goes, this ain't shit because they have to regularly let me out to use the bathroom. | In front of my cell, a tier divides th…

_____ (2021-08-03). On Contact: The Trial Of Ghislaine Maxwell. popularresistance.org On the show this week Chris Hedges talks to investigative journalist Nick Bryant about the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell. | The British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, held at New York's Metropolitan Detention Center and denied bail, will be tried this fall on sex-trafficking charges for allegedly recruiting and grooming teenage girls to engage in sex acts with the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein. She is reputed to have procured teenage girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004 and allegedly paid the girls hundreds of dollars in cash after each encounter with Epstein. Epstein died in a New York jail cell…

Jonathan Cook (2021-08-03). The Jailing of Craig Murray: Another Move to Snuff Out Independent Journalism. counterpunch.org Craig Murray, a former ambassador to Uzbekistan, the father of a newborn child, a man in very poor health and one who has no prior convictions, will have to hand himself over to the Scottish police on Sunday morning. He becomes the first person ever to be imprisoned on the obscure and vaguely defined charge of "jigsaw identification".

Giniw Collective (2021-08-03). Water Protectors Shot with Rubber Bullets and Tear Gas now Denied Medications in Jail. indybay.org Water Protectors at Stop Line 3 were brutally arrested by Sheriffs' deputies using excessive force, tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper bullets. Water Protectors now in Pennington County jail in northern Minnesota are being denied medications and being fed moldy food, Giniw Collective said.

Center for Biological Diversity (2021-08-03). Sierra Nevada Red Fox Population Gains Endangered Species Act Protection. indybay.org SACRAMENTO, August 2, 2021 — In response to a petition and lawsuits from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today granted endangered status to a population of one of North America's rarest mammals, the Sierra Nevada red fox.

Staff (2021-08-02). 3 August, Oldham: Stand with Palestinian Prisoners #ShutDownElbit. samidoun.net Tuesday, 3 August 3: 30 pm Elbit Ferranti Oldham Greenacres Road Oldham, England Info: www.facebook.com/events/s/stand-with-palestinian-politic/228133445576770/ Stand with Palestinian Political Prisoners — Tuesday 3 August 2021 — 3.30pm Elbit Ferranti Oldham, Greenacres Rd, OL4 3JA At the weekend, we learnt the good news that charges have been dropped for 6 of the 8 activists who Shut Down Elbit Oldham on 1 February 2021. Two remain charged. We are making the link between our struggle and all those who are disrupting Israel's occupation. Please bring banners, flags, messages. Our protests are pea…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-08-02). 17 Palestinians on hunger strike against administrative detention. peoplesdispatch.org 17 Palestinian administrative detainees are on hunger strike in various prisons and detention centers inside Israel to protest against their illegal administrative detention by the Israeli authorities. According to the Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees' Affairs Commission, the detainees have been on hunger strike for varying number of days, ranging from four days to 21 days. The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) stated that several of the striking detainees have suffered severe deterioration in their health and are in urgent need of medical attention. According to the PPS, they are being held in the Israe…

Alan MacLeod (2021-08-02). The Making of two Political Prisoners: Daniel Hale and Craig Murray. orinocotribune.com "U.S. prosecutors didn't get what they wanted in their vindictive Espionage Act prosecution against Daniel Hale. They wanted 9 years in prison, especially since he succeeded in convincing many he is a conscientious soul. But 45 months is still 45 months too many." — Kevin Gosztola, "Shadowproof" | Earlier this week, drone whistleblower Daniel Hale was Hale, a…

Michael Slager (2021-08-02). In the Wake of "Black Lives Matter," does the the 1919 Chicago Race Riot Take on Special Significance? juancole.com Chicago (Special to Informed Comment) — This week marks another infamous anniversary in US history: the Chicago race riot of 1919. It started when white beachgoers threw rocks at Eugene Williams, a black teenager. He had drifted on a homemade raft from his neighborhood beach toward a white section of it, where a group pelted …

Marie Kelly, Phebe Eckfeldt (2021-08-02). Shackling harms hospitalized incarcerated workers. workers.org An incarcerated person must be very sick before the prison administration will allow them to go to an outside hospital. Such was the case for political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, who contracted COVID-19 as a result of his incarceration in a Pennsylvania prison. Mumia also suffers from congestive heart failure, a . . . |

Dana Sanchez (2021-08-02). The Most Influential Trader In Crypto, Sam Trabucco, Works With FTX Exchange: Some See Manipulation. moguldom.com Crypto market participants suggest that Hong Kong-based trading brokerage Alameda Research and its trading partner, crypto exchange FTX, are using insider information to trade digital assets — something that is punishable by fines and incarceration in regulated financial markets. Alameda — considered one of the top firms of its kind in the world — and FTX, a …

Kite Line (2021-08-02). Kite Line: Standing Together. itsgoingdown.org Long-running anti-prison and abolitionist podcast and radio show Kite Line presents a discussion with abolitionists organizing on the outside. Listen and download HERE This week, we are highlighting two experiences of outside solidarity with prisoners. First, we share audio from last week's rally in Indianapolis for clemency, including a recorded statement by Leon Benson, a…

Civil Liberties Defense Center (2021-08-02). A Dispatch from FCI Englewood's Segregated Housing Unit. itsgoingdown.org Report from Lauren Reagan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center on the status of anarchist prisoner, Eric King, who has faced years of hardship and abuse at the hands of guards and fascist prisoners. Today I was locked in a small windowless room with asbestos walls crumbling onto a filthy floor for over seven hours….

_____ (2021-08-02). Resisting Nuclear Weapons in a Climate Crisis. commondreams.org Whistleblowers had sounded alarm about the detention center contractors betraying children's health and wellbeing.

_____ (2021-08-02). Lawsuit Initiated Against Trump for 'Illegal' Deportations Resumes Against Biden. commondreams.org Why humanity must stop the next catastrophe before it begins.

_____ (2021-08-02). Amid Allegations of Child Endangerment, HHS Inspector General to Probe Fort Bliss Detention Facility. commondreams.org "With Kevin McCarthy voting against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, it is clear that his comments are reflective of his deeply held beliefs about how women should be treated."

_____ (2021-08-02). Time Running Out for Democrats to Block GOP Gerrymandering Bonanza. commondreams.org "I really want to make sure they understand what we're going through in Florida," said one legislator, calling for "a federal firewall from these state voter suppression activities."

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2021-08-02: News Headlines

Michael Slager (2021-08-02). In the Wake of "Black Lives Matter," does the the 1919 Chicago Race Riot Take on Special Significance? juancole.com Chicago (Special to Informed Comment) — This week marks another infamous anniversary in US history: the Chicago race riot of 1919. It started when white beachgoers threw rocks at Eugene Williams, a black teenager. He had drifted on a homemade raft from his neighborhood beach toward a white section of it, where a group pelted …

Center for Biological Diversity (2021-08-02). Sierra Nevada Red Fox Population Gains Endangered Species Act Protection. indybay.org SACRAMENTO, August 2, 2021 — In response to a petition and lawsuits from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today granted endangered status to a population of one of North America's rarest mammals, the Sierra Nevada red fox.

Giniw Collective (2021-08-02). Water Protectors Shot with Rubber Bullets and Tear Gas now Denied Medications in Jail. indybay.org Water Protectors at Stop Line 3 were brutally arrested by Sheriffs' deputies using excessive force, tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper bullets. Water Protectors now in Pennington County jail in northern Minnesota are being denied medications and being fed moldy food, Giniw Collective said.

_____ (2021-08-01). Craig Murray's Jailing Is The National Security State's Latest Assault On Independent Journalism. popularresistance.org Murray's imprisonment for eight months by Lady Dorrian, Scotland's second most senior judge, is of course based entirely on a keen reading of Scottish law rather than evidence of the Scottish and London political establishments seeking revenge on the former diplomat. And the UK supreme court's refusal on Thursday to hear Murray's appeal despite many glaring legal anomalies in the case, thereby paving his path to jail, is equally rooted in a strict application of the law, and not influenced in any way by political considerations.

_____ (2021-08-01). The Case Against E-Carceration. popularresistance.org As COVID-19 spread through prisons and jails, getting people out of custody became a matter of life or death, heightening the need for eliminating cash bail, granting compassionate release, and embracing clemency nationwide. But in many places, decarceration does not mean freedom. Instead, people released from prisons and jails are increasingly ordered to wear ankle monitors and other surveillance devices that track, record, restrict, and control them. In San Francisco, a city that recently did away with bail altogether, the use of electronic monitoring went up 300 percent and New York is seeing a similar trend.

Joe Tache (2021-08-01). Study, fast, train, fight: The roots of Black August. liberationnews.org "Black August" is honored every year to commemorate the fallen freedom fighters of the Black Liberation Movement, to call for the release of political prisoners in the United States, to condemn the oppressive conditions of U.S. prisons, and to emphasize the continued importance of the Black Liberation struggle.

Staff (2021-08-01). Incarcerated Organizers Call for Mass Actions in August to Abolish Prisons. truthout.org In 2020, during just the first two months of the pandemic, incarcerated people collectively participated in at least

_____ (2021-08-01). Craig Murray's Jailing Is the Latest Move in a Battle to Snuff Out Independent Journalism. strategic-culture.org Craig Murray, a former ambassador to Uzbekistan, the father of a newborn child, a man in very poor health and one who has no prior convictions, will have to hand himself over to the Scottish police on Sunday morning. He becomes the first person ever to be imprisoned on the obscure and vaguely defined charge of "jigsaw identification".

Jeffrey St. Clair (2021-08-01). Rebirth of a Nation: US History According to DW Griffith. counterpunch.org Still from Birth of a Nation. | Since many high school students across the country will be back to learning their history of the US from Birth of a Nation and Gone with the Wind, it's perhaps instructive to recall that when Birth of a Nation premiered at Clune's Auditorium in LA, to large protests by the NAACP, it was still called The Clansman, the title of the racist novel by Thomas Dixon it was based on. In fact, it's possible that the print that was shown at the White House, which generated such a frenzied reaction from Woodrow Wilson, was still called The Clansman. Dixon was a pal of Wilson's and had arran…

_____ (2021-08-01). New Yorkers Say They've Been Ignored In Stop-And-Frisk Fight. popularresistance.org Eight years after a judge ruled New York City police violated the constitution by stopping, questioning and frisking mostly Black and Hispanic people on the street en masse, people in communities most affected by such tactics say they've been shut out of the legal process to end them. Lawyers for plaintiffs in two landmark stop-and-frisk lawsuits said in court papers Thursday that community stakeholders have had "very little contact" in the last three years with the court-appointed monitor overseeing reforms and that reports he's issued don't reflect their experiences.

Mordechai Sones (2021-08-01). The Suppression of Invermectin: 'There's Good Reason Pfizer Fought to Hide the Details of These Contracts'. globalresearch.ca

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