(2021-11-09). Ortega Wins Nicaragua Elections Prompting U.S. Threat Of Sanctions. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega won a fourth consecutive presidential term. | The United States reacted swiftly threatening sanctions, as Ortega reportedly jailed political rivals ahead of the vote. | This prompted the initial threats of sanctions from the United States and international calls for free elections. | Nicaragua's Supreme Electoral Council said that with nearly all the ballots counted, a preliminary tally had Ortega's Sandinista alliance winning with about 76% of…
(2021-11-09). Congress Can't Discriminate Against Puerto Rico Residents Just Because They Live There. aclu.org In 2012, José Vaello-Madero, a U.S. citizen born in Puerto Rico but living in New York, applied for and received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits because severe health problems left him unable to support himself. A year later, he moved to Puerto Rico to rejoin his family and care for his ailing wife. He continued to receive SSI benefits, unaware that federal law excludes Puerto Rico residents from the program, simply because they live in a U.S. territory rather than a state. In 2016, the federal government sued Vaello-Madero to collect over $28,000 it claimed it "overpaid." On Tuesday, the Supreme C…
(2021-11-09). Stop-and-Fingerprint Can't Become the Next Stop-and-Frisk. aclu.org Two
(2021-11-09). The Final Religious Request of a Man on Death Row is in the Supreme Court's Hands. aclu.org Texas plans to execute John H. Ramirez, but state officials are not satisfied with merely taking his life. They are also intent on denying him the right to practice his faith when it matters most—in his final moments. Mr. Ramirez, a Christian, has asked that his longtime pastor be able to touch him and pray aloud over him as he dies. When the state refused this modest religious accommodation, the Supreme Court stepped in, delaying the execution and agreeing to hear Mr. Ramirez's case. Oral argument is set for November 9. | In Mr. Ramirez's Baptist tradition, the practice of spiritual touch by a pastor is…
(2021-11-09). New book gives civil rights leader Alphaeus Hunton long overdue recognition. peoplesworld.org People's World continues its interview series with authors of the latest books from International Publishers. In this edition, we talk with Tony Pecinovsky, author and editor of The Cancer of Colonialism: W. Alphaeus Hunton, Black Liberation, and the Daily Worker 1944-1946. Q: This is the third book you've had in as many years dealing with …
(2021-11-09). University of Florida reverses ban on faculty from testifying in voting rights lawsuit. wsws.org University administrators were forced to reverse their prohibitions against testifying following an outpouring of opposition from legal experts and academics, and on social media.
(2021-11-09). Julian Assange's Fiancée Stella Moris: WikiLeaks Helped Expose Climate Change Hypocrisy & War Crimes. democracynow.org Britain's High Court is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, where he faces up to 175 years in prison under espionage charges for publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes. We get an update from Assange's partner, Stella Moris, who is in Glasgow as part of her campaign to free Julian and to highlight how WikiLeaks has also revealed evidence of how corporations and states have undermined the goals of prior climate summits. Moris says WikiLeaks is an "extraordinary tool … to understand the relationships between the states…
(2021-11-09). Absent Any Proof, Israel Designates Palestinian Rights Groups "Terrorist" truthout.org In an effort to cut off the financial lifelines of six of the most prominent Palestinian human rights groups, the state of Israel has baselessly designated them as "terrorist" organizations. | On October 22, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced that Israel will henceforth officially consider the six groups — Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Al-Haq, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Defense for Children International — Palestine, the Union of Agri…
(2021-11-09). Julian Assange's Fiancée: U.K. Blocking Our Attempt to Marry While He Is Tortured in Belmarsh Prison. democracynow.org Stella Moris, partner of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, says British authorities have so far blocked attempts for her and Assange to marry while he is being held in Belmarsh prison. Supporters have also raised concerns Assange has become suicidal. "They are killing him. If he dies, it is because they are killing him," Moris says. "They are torturing him to death."
(2021-11-08). Yemen: Houthis sentence model Entisar al-Hammadi to five years in prison. middleeasteye.net Yemen: Houthis sentence model Entisar al-Hammadi to five years in prison | Yemeni-Ethiopian model denies accusations of 'drug abuse' and 'prostitution' following February arrest | Mon, 11/08/2021 – 11: 40 | Entisar al-Hammadi, a Yemeni model and actress, has been given a five-year sentence by a Houthi court for 'drug abuse' and 'prostitution' (Screengrab/YouTube) | A high-profile Yemeni mo…
(2021-11-08). How the FBI Spied on Orange County Muslims — And Attempted to Get Away With It | American Civil Liberties Union. aclu.org In 2006, the FBI ordered an informant to pose as a Muslim convert and spy on the congregants of several large, diverse mosques in Orange County, California. The agent, Craig Monteilh, professed his conversion before hundreds of congregants during the month of Ramadan. Renaming himself "Farouk," the informant quickly made friends and impressed members of the community with his seeming devotion. The whole time, he was secretly recording conversations and filming inside people's homes, mosques, and businesses using devices hidden in everyday objects, like the keychain fob of his car keys. | Among those subjected…
(2021-11-08). United States: Racism alive and well in Virginia election. greenleft.org.au Recent elections in the United States have exposed the limits of the Democratic Party establishment and the challenge facing the Black Lives Matter movement, writes Barry Sheppard.
(2021-11-08). Thousands of Palestinian prisoners reject meals in solidarity with administrative detainees on hunger strike. peoplesdispatch.org Seven Palestinian detainees are on hunger strike to protest their illegal administrative detention by Israel under which they can be kept in prison for indefinite periods of times without charge or trial. The policy is being used to currently detain roughly 520 Palestinians…
(2021-11-08). American Psychological Association Apologizes For Its Role In Perpetuating Systemic Racism. moguldom.com The American Psychological Association (APA) wants to make amends for its historical wrongs, issuing a formal apology to people of color for its role in perpetuating systemic racism and discrimination in the U.S. The association's governing council adopted an apology, acknowledging that APA "failed in its role leading the discipline of psychology, was complicit in …
(2021-11-08). Last chance: Muslims sue FBI over post-9/11 spying. rt.com The US Supreme Court is set to hear a case about Muslims who say they were illegally spied on by the FBI following 9/11. It was previously thrown out by the lower court over revealing state secrets. | On Monday, a group of Muslim men from Southern California, represented by lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union and others, will see their class-action lawsuit reach the US Supreme Court. The plaintiffs claim religious discrimination and violations of their rights, stating they were spied upon purely because of their faith. | Their claims were dismissed by a lower court after the government said that al…
(2021-11-08). Turkey releases Syrian journalist who posted 'provocative' banana video. middleeasteye.net Turkey releases Syrian journalist who posted 'provocative' banana video | Majed Shamaa was detained and threatened with deportation after posting a video protesting against discrimination | Mon, 11/08/2021 – 15: 02 | In a video posted by Syrian journalist Majed Shamaa, Syrian refugees are seen eating bananas to protest against discrimination in Turkey (Screencapture/TikTok) | Turkey has re…
(2021-11-08). 'Profits over people': Travis Scott & Drake accused of incitement in Astroworld Festival tragedy lawsuit. rt.com The first lawsuits have been filed following the Astroworld Festival performance by rapper Travis Scott, in which eight people died. Scott and fellow rapper Drake have been accused of negligence and helping cause the stampede. | Astroworld Festival attendee Kristian Paredes (23) filed a lawsuit this weekend accusing Scott and guest star Drake of stirring up the crowd and sparking the deadly chaos. Parades is seeking over $1 million in damages. | Drake "came on stage alongside Travis Scott and helped incite the crowd," the lawsuit claims, and the two rappers continued to perform even "as the crowd became out of…
(2021-11-08). Americans disapprove of Biden's plan to pay compensation to migrant families – polls. rt.com Two new polls show that a plan by the Department of Justice to pay millions in lawsuit settlements to separated migrant families does not have much public support, despite an endorsement from Joe Biden. | A new Rasmussen poll found that 57% of respondents believe the government should not be paying settlements to thousands of suing migrant families. Last week, The Washington Post reported that the DOJ was considering payments of $450,000 to each member of families separated at the border. | Thousands of migrants have filed lawsuits against the Department of Justice over former President Donald Trump's 'zero-to…
(2021-11-08). Mayo Clinic, NAACP join forces to create new pathways to success for Black, underrepresented students. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic and the Rochester Branch of NAACP today launched "RISE for Youth," an innovative program that will provide Black and underrepresented students with new pathways to success in education and employment, while also addressing the racial disparities that stand in the way of their success. The program is part of Mayo Clinic's $100 million commitment against racism. According to a Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development report, a huge employment…
(2021-11-08). Social Workers Can No Longer Remain Silent on Oppression of Palestinians. truthout.org In October, the State of Israel criminalized six Palestinian human rights organizations, designating them as "terrorist groups," which effectively outlawed their work, and put their workers (human rights defenders) at serious risk. These organizations — Addameer, Al-Haq, Defense for Children International-Palestine, Union of Palestinian Women's Committees, Union of Agricultural Work Committees and Bisan Center for Research and Development — all represent the best of what social and co…
(2021-11-08). Women Against Military Madness: Stand with the Six. fightbacknews.org Fight News Service is circulating the following statement from Women Against Military Madness (WAMM). | Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) denounces Israel's harassment and criminalization of six Palestinian human rights and grassroots organizations, labeling them "terrorist" organizations. The designation is provocative and dangerous and could result in devastating cuts in funding from international sources as well as grave legal issues for their workers. | Along with a growing number of important international organizations, WAMM stands with the six targeted organizations: Addameer Prisoner Support and…
(2021-11-08). Milwaukee vigil backs Palestinian prisoner hunger strike. liberationnews.org Israel couldn't get away with this ethnic cleansing if it weren't for the U.S. war machine propping it up.
(2021-11-08). Judge Sentences Son Of Gladys Knight To Prison Over Payroll Taxes At Chicken And Waffles Restaurant. moguldom.com Shanga Hankerson, the son of soul music legend Gladys Knight, has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay $1 million for willful failure to remit payroll taxes for a restaurant he ran. Employees of the restaurants said that Hankerson spent money from his businesses on sex parties and weed, the Atlanta Journal Consitution reported. Hankerson …
(2021-11-08). Black Panther Party Soldier Released From Pen After 50 Years. moguldom.com A former member of the Black Panther Party and its revolutionary underground sect, the Black Liberation Army, has been released from prison after spending nearly 50 years behind bars — 22 of which he spent in solitary confinement. Russell "Maroon" Shoatz, 78, is living with stage 4 colon cancer. In October, he was released from …