(2024-02-08). Senate Rejects Deal Threatening Protections for Asylum Seekers. aclu.org 
The Senate voted on Wednesday against a bill that would have been the first major overhaul of asylum and immigration law in a generation — and would have been a disastrous retreat from basic principles of fairness. As our elected leaders continue to debate immigration reforms, they must instead advance humane and sensible solutions that help manage the border without compromising our nation's values and the safety of people fleeing danger. | Although branded as a compromise bipartisan "border security" package, this bill would have been a major rewrite of our nation's long-standing asylum laws. To make m…
(2024-02-08). What They Were Hiding: Increased Solitary Confinement in Immigrant Detention Facilities. scheerpost.com 
(2024-02-09). World Cancer Day: Making a commitment to close the cancer care gap. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) recognizes World Cancer Day annually on February 4. The UICC's 2024 theme for World Cancer Day is "Close the Care Gap." The care gap is the gap between people who can obtain healthcare related to the prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer and those who cannot. The factors that create this gap include income, education and geographical location barriers. Discrimination based on ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, age,…
(2024-02-09). Pakistan counts ballots with former PM Khan in jail. newarab.com 
Counting was underway Thursday after millions of Pakistanis voted in an election marred by rigging allegations and a shutdown of mobile phone services, while the country's most popular politician Pollsters predicted a low turnout from the country's 128 million eligible voters following a lacklustre campaign overshadowed by the jailing of former prime minister Khan, and the hobbling of his
(2024-02-09). Sunday 2/25: Also Happening: Violence and Oppression in the West Bank. indybay.org Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco | 1187 Franklin St. @ Geary | S.F. Ca.
(2024-02-08). Faculty Senate calls on University of Michigan to divest from firms aiding Israeli genocide. wsws.org To support the humane and democratic spirit of the faculty resolution requires that it not be used to promote illusions that the governments, universities, parties and official institutions such as the UN that uphold the world capitalist system can be forced by pressure from below to halt the genocide and end the decades-long oppression of the Palestinian masses.
(2024-02-09). On 'purple-washing' and the abuses against the Palestinians. newarab.com 
For the past four months, Israel has continued to engage in a brutal campaign of aerial bombardment against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, with casualties nearing 30,000 lives and rising by the day. | The physical destruction done unto individuals, residences, hospitals, holy spaces, educational facilities, and general infrastructure is unprecedented in modern warfare. | Palestinian prisoners in the West Bank are facing different forms of brutality committed against them as their families and neighbours are terrorised by the Israeli army in tandem. | Despite international criticism and court orders, Israel co…
(2024-02-09). For Crisis-Hit Pakistan, Elections May Not Lead to a Meaningful Alternative. counterpunch.org 
Scheduled for February 8, the upcoming elections for Pakistan's National Assembly and provincial assemblies hold significant importance against the backdrop of numerous upheavals in the country. Notably, the recent arrest and conviction of the former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, adds a layer of complexity. On January 31, Khan received a 14-year prison sentence, adding to his existing three-year
(2024-02-09). Schrodinger's Child: The Curious Case of Ethan Crumbley. counterpunch.org 
"Ethan Crumbley," Reuters reported in December, "was 15 years old when he opened fire at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021," killing four and wounding seven. At 17, per the Reuters story, Crumbley was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. At the times of both the shootings and the sentencing,
(2024-02-08). Prison Lockdowns Are Becoming More Frequent and More Brutal Across the US. scheerpost.com
(2024-02-09). Pseudo-left Québec Solidaire complicit in unions' suppression of public sector workers' struggle. wsws.org Speaking for affluent sections of the middle class, QS is organically hostile to the prospect of broadening the struggle of public sector workers by appealing to the entire working class, not just in Quebec but across Canada.