2019-06-11: News Headlines

RT (2019-06-11). Supreme Court justice questions endless detention at GITMO prison. rt.com After the Supreme Court shot down an appeal from one of the few remaining captives in America's military prison in Guantanamo Bay, one justice has broken ranks and questioned the ongoing policy of indefinite detention.

WSWS (2019-06-11). French state demands four months' jail for "yellow vest" protester Eric Drouet. wsws.org The charges against Drouet are unfounded and underscore that a police state is being built in France.

Vanessa Beeley (2019-06-11). In the Western Media Narrative, SAA-Targeted Underground Bunkers and Terrorist-Run Prisons Become "Hospitals" mintpressnews.com We should not allow ourselves to be collectively hypnotized into believing the media hype that would portray armed-group murderers as heroes, and the Syrian people and government struggling to expel them from their country as the villains.

barry_h (2019-06-11). Tony Award for refugees rights musical. greenleft.org.au The highly topical musical Hadestown won eight awards at this year's annual Tony Awards ceremony in New York on June 9. The Tony's recognise excellence in live Broadway theatre. | The stage adaption is of the 2010 concept album by US singer Anais Mitchell. It uses the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus in the underground as a template for ripping open contemporary US life, particularly the racist treatment of Central American refugees. | The most powerful political and musical piece in the show is The Wall, which demonstrates the hypocrisy and shallowness of US demagogy about refugees. | While it is perfectly in…

Staff (2019-06-10). Racist Gerrymandering Created a GOP Stronghold in the South. We Must Fight Back. truthout.org Longtime civil rights leader Rev. Dr. William Barber joins us to respond to his conviction Thursday for trespassing during a 2017 protest against gerrymandering and attacks on health care at the North Carolina Legislature. Barber had refused to leave the General Assembly as ordered, after he organized a sit-in at the legislative building when Republican leaders refused to meet with him about concerns with voter ID requirements and redistricting plans that would weaken the power of the black vote. "We must start connecting systemic racism, most seen through systemic voter suppression and gerrymandering, poverty…

MAIL (2019-06-10). Rev. William Barber: Racist Gerrymandering Created a GOP Stronghold in the South. We Must Fight Back. democracynow.org Longtime civil rights leader Rev. Dr. William Barber joins us to respond to his conviction Thursday for trespassing during a 2017 protest against gerrymandering and attacks on healthcare at the North Carolina Legislature. Barber had refused to leave the General Assembly as ordered, after he organized a sit-in at the legislative building when Republican leaders refused to meet with him about concerns with voter ID requirements and redistricting plans that would weaken the power of the black vote. "We must start connecting systemic racism, most seen through systemic voter suppression and gerrymandering, poverty, th…

Global Research News (2019-06-10). Selected Articles: America's Intent is to Dominate China, Russia and the World. globalresearch.ca Online independent analysis of US-led wars, rampant corruption, corporate greed, civil rights and fraudulent monetary transactions is invariably relegated to the bottom rung of search engine results. | As a result we presently do not cover our monthly running costs which …

Austyn Ross (2019-06-10). NAACP Trains Volunteers Ahead of 110th National Convention. naacp.org Detroit — On June 8, 2019 the NAACP brought together hundreds of volunteers for a rally and training in preparation for its 110th Annual Convention in Detroit, July 20-24. The Focus H.O.P.E. Center in Detroit hosted enthusiastic volunteers from all over the city who learned the Do's and Don'ts for volunteering at convention. Volunteers were …

Special To The Black Star News (2019-06-10). Attorney General James And NYC Comptroller Stringer Announce Sentencing Of Contractors Who Ripped-off Workers. blackstarnews.com Attorney General James and NYC Comptroller Stringer announce sentencing of "unscrupulous" contruction company owners who robbed workers… | Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer today announced the sentencings of Vickram Mangru, his wife Gayatri Mangru, and AVM Construction Corp., of Valley Stream, NY, for failing to pay proper prevailing wages to workers related to a publicly-funded New York City construction project. | The defendants were sentenced today in Bronx County Supreme Court in front of Justice James A. McCarty. Vickram Mangru will serve 30 days in jail, followed…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-06-10). 'Truth Will Prevail,' Says Lula, After Leaked Documents Suggest He Was Imprisoned to Prevent Victory in Brazil's Presidential Election. commondreams.org "There is no question the procedures against former President Lula are tainted by extremely serious issues when it comes to violations of fundamental guarantees and denial of one's rights." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/lula_brazil.jpg

teleSUR (2019-06-10). Lula Is a Political Prisoner: Brazil Workers' Party. telesurenglish.net Brazilian Workers' Party (PT) reacted Monday to reports published by news website The Intercept saying that they evidence the judicial persecution of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. | RELATED: | Politics, Lack of Evidence Behind Lula Trial: Intercept Expose | "Contrary to what they affirm today in a bid to downplay their illegal moves, (Judge Sergio) Moro and the prosecutors of the Car Wash commission are transcending all the limits of legality and the limits of the r…

MAIL (2019-06-10). Headlines for June 10, 2019. democracynow.org U.S.-Mexico Deal Averts Trade Crisis with Plan to Deploy Mexican Troops to Curb Migration, Dem Lawmakers Call Out Migrant Prison Co. for Hiring John Kelly, Bipartisan Senators Oppose U.S.-Saudi Arms Deal with Flurry of Resolutions, Up to 1 Million Protesters Take to Hong Kong Streets Against Chinese Extradition Bill, 2 Reported Deaths as Haitian Protesters Call for Resignation of President MoàØse, WaPo: WH Barred Science-Based Climate Change Testimony, Transgender Prisoner Layleen Polanco Found Dead at Rikers Island, North Carolina Transgender Woman Chanel Scurlock Fatally Shot, Detroit Police Charge 18-Ye…

teleSUR (2019-06-10). Top Brazilian Judge Clears For Trial Lula's Request for Freedom. telesurenglish.net The Supreme Federal Court (STF) judge, Gilmar Mendes, cleared for trial on Monday the request for freedom of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, according to Brazilian media. | RELATED: | Politics, Lack of Evidence Behind Lula Trial: Intercept Expose | The habeas corpus (HC) was presented by Lula's defense last year when then-judge Sergio Moro accepted Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's appointment to lead the Justice Ministry. This time around it is expected that the r…

Dave Lindorff (2019-06-10). Americans' Extinction Denial Syndrome. counterpunch.org Most of Europe has banned Roundup because of both a determination that is carcinogenic and because its widespread use has been linked to the decimation of the world's bees, essential for the pollination of some 90 percent of all plants and of 30 percent of food crops, and Monsanto/Bayer has so far lost three major lawsuits levying a total of over $2.4 billion in punitive damages against the company for cancers found caused by their glyphosate herbicide. Yet despite all this, the American public wants its pristine green lawns, unblemished by dandelions and other transgressors like violets, buttercups and wild stra…

Workers World Boston bureau (2019-06-10). 'No Walls in the LGBTQ2S Struggle'. workers.org Workers' Solidarity Day was marked by a May 31 meeting titled "No Walls in the LGBTQ2S Struggle," sponsored by Stonewall Warriors, International Workers' Solidarity Network and Workers World Party. The meeting was dedicated to Roxanna Hernandez, a Honduran trans woman who died in detention at the border. Speaking about the . . . | Continue reading 'No Walls in the LGBTQ2S Struggle' at Workers.org

Vanessa Mbonu (2019-06-10). 'When They See Us' Reminds Us To Turn Our Anger into Action. naacp.org In 1990, five teenage boys referred to as the "Central Park Five" were sentenced to prison for a heinous crime they did not commit. The basis of the conviction? Racial profiling. The stories of the wrongfully convicted, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Kharey Wise, are re-told in the recently released series When They See Us. The film is …

Andrew Fishman (2019-06-09). Exclusive: Leaked Chats Between Brazilian Judge and Prosecutor Who Imprisoned Lula Reveal Prohibited Collaboration and Doubts Over Evidence. theintercept.com Judge Sergio Moro repeatedly counseled prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol via Telegram during more than two years of Operation Car Wash.

Colin Benjamin (2019-06-09). British Writer Launches Poetry Show Based On "New Cross Massacre" Which Killed 13 Blacks. blackstarnews.com Black British poet Jay Bernard revisits the 1981 New Cross Fire which killed 13 Blacks… | Award-winning Black British writer Jay Bernard has recently launched a theatrical multimedia poetry show based on London's deadly New Cross Fire, notoriously known as the "New Cross Massacre" which killed 13 young Blacks in 1981. | In this work, Bernard, 31, conjures the voices of the victims by using stage poetry fused with archival audios and videos, related to the event, to tell the story of this disaster—an apparent racist firebombing attack. | In this new show "Surge," Bernard revisits the tragic topic of the Ne…

Special To The Black Star News (2019-06-08). Trump Admin Prioritizes Border Wall Makeover As Children Lose Resources & Detention Conditions Worsen. blackstarnews.com Trump immigration detention policy is inhumane says America's Voice… | This week, the Trump administration announced the gutting of resources for migrant children in detention while at the same time continuing to unconstitutionally direct money to the ineffective border wall. | This is only one of the many attacks the Trump administration has carried out on migrant children, as DHS Watch, a project of America's Voice, laid out in detail today. And while these children stand to lose schooling, legal aid, access to sports and outside activities, active-duty troops are assigned a border wall makeover to "impr…

RT (2019-06-08). Minnesota cop sentenced to 12+ years for killing unarmed woman who called 911. rt.com A former Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer convicted of shooting an unarmed woman in an alley behind her home was given a 12.5 year prison sentence, in a controversial case that had the ACLU crying racism. |

WSWS (2019-06-08). Free Reis Morris! Grenfell Tower campaigner imprisoned while those guilty of social murder walk free. wsws.org Morris's jailing is a vicious act of class justice aimed at suppressing opposition and protecting those responsible for 72 deaths in the Grenfell Tower inferno two years ago.

WSWS (2019-06-08). Revisiting the Central Park Five case in the #MeToo era. wsws.org Thirty years after the New York Times and Washington Post helped railroad five innocent teenagers to prison, these newspapers continue to wage a campaign against the presumption of innocence.

Martha Grevatt (2019-06-08). High court allows racist gerrymandering in Ohio, Michigan. workers.org In 2004, Ohio became notorious for the deliberate suppression of Black voters. The racist disenfranchisement, called "Ohio's first poll tax," may have given the state's 20 electoral votes to George W. Bush. — without which he would have lost to John Kerry. Not much has changed in 15 years. Only . . . | Continue reading High court allows racist gerrymandering in Ohio, Michigan at Workers.org

Dana Drugmand (2019-06-08). Trump admin argues no constitutional right to a safe climate two years after ditching Paris Accord. nationofchange.org Almost exactly two years after President Trump announced his plans to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, a groundbreaking youth climate change lawsuit challenging the federal government's promotion of fossil fuel energy was back in court for a long-awaited hearing. Before a three-judge panel in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Trump administration, which has tried numerous times to derail the suit, argued t…

Jessicah Pierre (2019-06-08). Racism as a Public Health Crisis. commondreams.org Racism is often viewed as an action performed by individuals. But even if we got rid of all America's prejudiced individuals, racism would still exist in the systems they built.

Vanessa Mbonu (2019-06-08). Wear Orange to Raise Awareness for Gun Violence. naacp.org June is Gun Violence Awareness Month. On average, 100 Americans are killed with guns each day, and many of the victims are young and Black. Hadiya Pendleton was one of these victims. At the age of 15, she was shot and killed. To honor her and speak up for gun safety, her friends wore orange—and now so …

United Nations (2019-06-07). Libya's migrants and refugees with tuberculosis 'left to die' in detention centres. un.org Migrants and refugees suffering from tuberculosis are being left "effectively to die" in a Libyan detention centre south of Tripoli, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday, citing reports that those returned to shore by the coastguard have been disappeared or sold to traffickers.

teleSUR (2019-06-07). Sick Migrants Being Left To Die in Libyan 'Hellhole': UN. telesurenglish.net The United Nations (U.N.) denounced the atrocious conditions of migrant detention centers in Libya with reports of dozens left untreated and dying from tuberculosis and hundreds of others trying to survive on starvation rations. | RELATED: | At Least Two Migrants Die, 25 Missing in Boat Crash off Libya | U.N. rights office spokesman Rupert Colville made a statement to the press about a recent visit by the OHCHR to the Zintan detention center, where 654 refugees and migrants are b…

Special To The Black Star News (2019-06-07). Assemblyman Weprin, State Senator Liu, and Amnesty International Introduce Immigration Customs Oversight Bill. blackstarnews.com Assemblyman David Weprin, at the microphones, with immigration advocates seeking proper treatement of detained immigrants… | Assemblyman David I. Weprin (D-Queens) and Senator John C. Liu (D-Queens), with support from Amnesty International, have introduced the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Oversight Act, A 7853 / S 6107. The law's purpose is to ensure that immigrants detained in county jails in New York are held in accordance with legal detention standards and to limit the expansion of immigration detention facilities in New York unless approval can be gained from the legislature. | This action was s…

WSWS (2019-06-07). Trump administration cuts education and recreation funding for immigrant children in detention centers. wsws.org The Office of Refugee Settlement has halted the flow of funding for any activities they consider "not directly necessary for the protection of life and safety," including legal aid and recreation.

Tim Wheeler (2019-06-07). James Jackson: Communist leader and pioneer fighter for civil rights. peoplesworld.org James E. Jackson Jr., (1914-2007), a leader of the Communist Party USA for many years, began his eventful life in political action at age 16 and he remained an unwavering fighter for equality, democracy, world peace, and socialism all his days. Not the least of Jackson's achievements was his role in the early 1960s as …

WSWS Repost (2019-06-07). Dr. King and Mr. Garrow. indybay.org Patrick Martin at the World Socialist Web Site responds to an incendiary smear campaign against the political legacy of the American civil rights movement and Martin Luther King, Jr.

splcenter (2019-06-07). Weekend Read: The Changing Demographics of Mass Incarceration. splcenter.org After decades of constructing a system of mass incarceration, it appears that our nation is beginning to turn the tide.

Adam Lee (2019-06-07). U.S. House passes relief for Dreamers and TPS/DED holders. naacp.org On June 4, 2019, the U.S. House passed, by a bipartisan margin of 237 yeas to 187 nays, H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act. This bill builds on the 2001 DREAM Act by combining protections for Dreamers with those who have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) because they have fled …

Michelle Zacarias (2019-06-07). "Straight Pride Parade": When you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression. peoplesworld.org Boston may be gearing up to host the first-ever "Straight Pride Parade" this summer after a group of men allegedly filed a discrimination complaint against the city. City officials have confirmed the group contacted them, but say that they haven't yet received the permits required to host a parade. The official "straight pride" website currently …

Monica Cruz (2019-06-07). NYC communities fight jail project and score wins. liberationnews.org New Yorkers do not need more cages for our communities.

pip.hinman (2019-06-07). Bring Julian Assange home appeal. greenleft.org.au Below is an appeal, initiated by Michael Rubbo and signed by many journalists, to the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) to pull out all stops to do more to get Julian Assange released. | * * * | We are a diverse group of people, many of whom originally came together in 2018 to work for the release of James Ricketson from his Cambodian jail. We now reunite to push for the release of Julian Assange who is currently very ill in Britain's Belmarsh prison as he awaits extradition to either the United States or Sweden. | On May 9, he was visited by UN Special Rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer: "Our finding…

RT (2019-06-07). 'Disgusting': Trump slams 'Nervous Nancy' Pelosi over jail-not-impeach comment. rt.com US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, calling her a "disgrace" and a "disaster" for wanting to see him "in prison" rather than impeached — and suggesting the idea is "disgusting."

WSWS (2019-06-07). WikiLeaks warns US Justice Department preparing more charges against Assange. wsws.org The threat of new charges against the persecuted journalist, already facing 170 years in prison, comes amid fresh fears about his health after his father reported a "short notice" medical appointment.

Staff (2019-06-07). UN Torture Expert Says Assange Is Victim of Psychological Torture. therealnews.com UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer investigated the situation of Julian Assange, despite initial reservations. He says if Assange is extradited he faces a "politicized trial," part of the unprecedented international effort to silence and imprison him…

Jessicah Pierre (2019-06-07). Racism is a Public Health Crisis. counterpunch.org Racism is often viewed as an action performed by individuals. But even if we got rid of all America's prejudiced individuals, racism would still exist in the systems they built. Systemic racism, writer Jenee Desmond-Harris explains, refers to how racial disparities operate "in major parts of U.S. society: the economy, politics, education, and more." Racism, More

Fight Back (2019-06-07). Day six of Arizona migrant aid trial sees RedForEd solidarity. fightbacknews.org Tucson, AZ – On June 6, nearly 150 people gathered outside the Federal Courthouse in downtown Tucson to demonstrate solidarity with humanitarian activist Scott Warren. Warren, an Arizona State University geography professor from the border town of Ajo, is facing 20 years in federal prison for providing humanitarian aid to crossing immigrants. | "It is clear that this is an attack by the Trump administration on not just migrants and undocumented immigrants but organizers and aid providers. It is gross political repression. And we are here to protest that attack," said immigrant rights organizer Jessica Rodriguez.

W. T. Whitney (2019-06-07). Santrich Goes Free While Peace in Colombia Still Held Hostage. counterpunch.org Former FARC guerrilla commander Jesús Santrich, imprisoned on April 9, 2018, went free on May 30. Colombian authorities had held him pending extradition to the United Sates. Their plan violated the peace agreement signed in November 2016 between FARC guerrillas and Colombia's government. Santrich, born Seuxis Hernández Solarte, personifies turmoil in Colombia stemming from the More

Camille Erickson (2019-06-07). Pharmaceutical hulk Johnson & Johnson keeps up lobbying efforts as lawsuits pile on. nationofchange.org Amid an onslaught of lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson has kept pace with its historically hefty lobbying efforts as it wrestles to maintain influence in the halls of Congress.

RT (2019-06-07). 'Rape and racism': Washington Post celebrates D-Day with controversial op-ed. rt.com As leaders from around the world gathered in Normandy to honor allied troops who landed on the beaches 75 years ago, the Washington Post published an op-ed that called WWII American troops rapists and racists.

Ron Jacobs (2019-06-07). Free the Seattle 7! A Persecution From the Past. counterpunch.org The radical antiracist and antiwar movements of the 1960s were often the object of severe repression. Besides the attacks on protesters and the attempts to destroy their media outlets by the state and vigilantes who worked for the state, there were the prosecutions of the movement's luminaries and leaders. Some of those prosecutions are well-documented: More

Arielle Robinson (2019-06-07). Anti-racists drown out the Klan in Dayton, Ohio. workers.org Hundreds of anti-racist people came out May 25 to protest the Ku Klux Klan in Dayton, Ohio. Members of the Honorable Sacred Knights of Indiana were scheduled to have a rally that day when only nine members showed up. Their bullhorn was drowned out by the cheering and drum beating . . . | Continue reading Anti-racists drown out the Klan in Dayton, Ohio at Workers.org

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-06-07). Predicting Even More Horrifying Conditions, Historical Journalist Describes Parallels Between Trump Migrant Detention and Concentration Camps. commondreams.org The administration's treatment of migrants is part of a pattern of dehumanization that has disturbing precedent for what could come next | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pitzer.png

CGTN Africa (2019-06-07). Nigeria's oldest prisoner released after 19 years. cgtn.com Nigeria's oldest prisoner, Pa Celestine Egbonuche, 101, who was imprisoned at the Enugu Maximum Prison for over 19 years has finally been released. | The younger Egbonuche is alive and still in prison on death row. | Pa Celestine was released on Thursday to his only surviving daughter, Miss Chisom Celestine through a non-governmental organisation, Global Society for Anti-corruption (GSAC) who had been pushing for his release from the Enugu Prison. | "I am so grateful to God who made this day a reality, who made it possible for my father to come out of prison after spending over 19 years in the prison," Celesti…

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-06-06). Warren and Jayapal Launch Probe into 'Rapid, Cynical, and Unethical' Profiteering Off Trump Child Detention Policy by Former Top Aide John Kelly. commondreams.org The former White House chief of staff and former head of DHS is specifically advising the company on child detention | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/john_kelly_0.jpg