2019-07-28: News Headlines

Staff (2019-07-28). Child Detentions Are Part of a Terrifying Larger Plan. truthdig.com Lately, I've been thinking about the Grimms' fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. Terrified by cruel conditions at home, the brother and sister flee, winding their way, hungry and scared, through unknown woods. There, they encounter an old woman who lures them in with promises of safety. Instead, she locks one of them in a cage and turns the other into a servant, as she prepares to devour them both. | Written in nineteenth-century Germany, it should resonate eerily in today's America. In place of Hansel and Gretel, we would, of course, have to focus on girls and boys by the hundreds fleeing cruelty and hunger in Central…

Staff (2019-07-28). The Child Detentions at the Border Are Part of a Larger Plan. truthdig.com The Trump administration's willingness to leave children unprotected is not merely a byproduct of clumsy actions by the border police force.

Nancy Ukai (2019-07-28). Detention, Denialism, & Activism Now. indybay.org Futures Without Violence | 100 Montgomery Street | The Presidio – SF CA 94129…

Global Research News (2019-07-28). Selected Articles: The Malaysian Airlines MH17 Tragedy. globalresearch.ca Our objective at Global Research is to recruit one thousand committed "volunteers" among our more than 50,000 Newsletter subscribers to support the distribution of Global Research articles (email lists, social media, crossposts). | Do not send us money. Under Plan A

Mumia Abu-Jamal (2019-07-27). Women of the Revolution: MOVE. workers.org This column by political prisoner and journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal was written on June 14. Several days ago, after discussion with sister Suzanne, I began thinking about a piece on the women of MOVE. This seemed especially timely after the recent release of several MOVE sisters: Debbie, Janet and Janine Africa. . . . | Continue reading Women of the Revolution: MOVE at Workers.org

Anya Karaman (2019-07-27). Agricultural Literacy: A Solution to Youth Idleness and Unemployment. globalresearch.ca At a juvenile detention center in Fes (Morocco), it feels like summer camp is all year round. There, "maximum security" is an open, white building complex, "delinquents" are watering plants and planting seeds, and the only guard in sight, if …

Amy Goodman (2019-07-27). Child separation & prison camps: China's campaign against Uyghur Muslims is "cultural genocide" nationofchange.org An estimated 1 million adults from the Uyghur community are being imprisoned in camps that China claims are "vocational training centers" designed to combat extremism.

teleSUR -EF (2019-07-27). Bolsonaro: Greenwald 'May be Imprisoned', Journalist Says ' No'. telesurenglish.net Indignation broke out across Brazil after President Jair Bolsonaro commented that United States journalist Glenn Greenwald "may be imprisoned" for publishing information in The Intercept Brazil that incriminates the nation's Justice Minister Sergio Moro. | RELATED: | Bolsonaro's Phone Hacked, Brazil Police Make Arrests | The comments of the ultra-right president were condemned by opposition politicians and journalist associations that accused him of "serious aggression against freedom of…

John Helmer (2019-07-27). The Malaysian Airlines MH17 Tragedy, Suppression and Tampering of the Evidence. New Documentary. globalresearch.ca A new documentary from Yana Yerlashova and Max van der Werff, the leading independent investigator of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 disaster, has revealed breakthrough evidence of tampering and forging of prosecution materials; suppression of Ukrainian Air Force radar …

Staff (2019-07-26). Child Separation & Prison Camps: China's Campaign Against Uyghur Muslims Is "Cultural Genocide" democracynow.org Chinese authorities have been accused of systematically separating Muslim children from their families in the far western region of Xinjiang. According to a new report commissioned by the BBC, China is rushing to build boarding schools where children, mostly from the Uyghur community, are deliberately removed from their families, as well as their language and culture. This comes as an estimated 1 million adults from the Uyghur community are being imprisoned in camps that China claims are "vocational training centers" designed to combat extremism. We speak with independent researcher Adrian Zenz, who did the resea…

Staff (2019-07-26). Despite Faulty Drugs & Racist Implementation, Trump Is Bringing Back the Federal Death Penalty. democracynow.org Attorney General William Barr announced Thursday that the federal government is resuming the death penalty after nearly two decades. The execution of five death row prisoners were immediately ordered beginning in December. There are currently 62 prisoners on federal death row, including white supremacist Dylann Roof, who murdered nine black worshipers at the historic Emanuel AME Church in June 2015, and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Federal prosecutors are expected to push for the death penalty in both cases. This news comes despite a growing movement opposing the death penalty in the United States. T…

splcenter (2019-07-26). Family of Herbert Lee to visit Civil Rights Memorial that honors his sacrifice. splcenter.org Clifton Franklin was a high school football running back who — at 16 — wanted to play in a big game between Louisiana rivals. His mother, however, had other plans.

ACLU (2019-07-26). When Kicking Around an Orange Gets You On Probation. aclu.org I was in 8th grade. I just didn't want to get in more trouble, so I signed the papers, like I was told to. | I was in 8th grade when it happened. I'll never forget the feeling of those cold, clanky pairs of metal constraints. I was being handcuffed in front of my friends and classmates. | As a lot of middle school students do, I was fooling around with my friends outside at lunch. We found an orange and started kicking it around like a soccer ball. It turns out I picked a bad day to fool around, and a bad person to tick off. A school resource officer — basically a cop — was stationed in the cafeteria,…

The Canary (2019-07-26). Dozens of bodies recovered after refugee boats capsize off Libya. thecanary.co Libya's coast guard recovered dozens of bodies of Europe-bound refugees who perished at sea as search operations continued on Friday, a day after up to 150 people, including women and children, went missing and were feared drowned after their boats capsized in the Mediterranean Sea.A top UN official described Thursday's shipwreck as "the worst Mediterranean tragedy" so far this year.Also on Friday, Libyan authorities transferred dozens of people rescued from the disaster to a detention centre near Tripoli that was hit by an airstrike earlier this month despite UN objections to such a move, the UN refugee agency s…

Staff (2019-07-26). Headlines for July 26, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Administration to Bring Back Federal Executions After 16-Year Hiatus, 44-Year-Old Mexican Immigrant Dies in ICE Custody, Trump Threatens to Impose Travel Ban on Guatemalans, Oklahoma Suspends Plans to Jail 1,600 Migrant Children at Fort Sill, 150 Migrants Feared Dead in Shipwrecks Off Libyan Coast, Five Dead as Europe Swelters Under Record-Setting Heat, "Unprecedented" Wildfires Scorch Over 1 Million Acres of Alaskan Forest, California and Automakers Agree to Fuel Efficiency Targets Opposed by Trump, Rep. Ilhan Omar Introduces Zero Waste Act as Part of Green New Deal, GOP Blocks Election Security Bills as S…

Pearl Bhatnagar, Anneke Gronke (2019-07-26). Harvard Students Are Demanding More Than Divestment From Prison Profiteers. thenation.com Harvard Students Are Demanding More Than Divestment From Prison Profiteers…

RT (2019-07-26). Trump 'very disappointed' Sweden won't embrace American exceptionalism & release US rapper. rt.com In the spirit of American exceptionalism, Donald Trump thinks nothing of demanding Sweden spring rapper A$AP Rocky from jail, ignoring the country's own legal system, while holding the rest of the world accountable to US laws.

WSWS (2019-07-26). US attorney general directs Bureau of Prisons to reinstate federal death penalty. wsws.org The order by William Barr targeting five federal prison inmates of the death penalty for federal inmates sets the stage for the execution of inmates on federal death row for the first time in 16 years.

ACLU (2019-07-25). This County Criminalized Students for Bad Grades — Until Now. aclu.org Today, we filed a landmark settlement that will end the relationship between the probation department and school districts in Riverside. | Since 2001, the Riverside County, California probation department has been needlessly funneling young people struggling with grades, behavior, trauma, and mental health into the criminal justice system. | This direct line to the criminal system is the product of a partnership between local school districts and the county probation department called the Youth Accountability Team (YAT). Instead of counselors or other school and community-based supports stepping in to support and…

ACLU (2019-07-25). Hawaiians are Taking to the Streets and Exercising their First Amendment Rights. aclu.org We're ensuring the right to protest and cultural access at the world's tallest mountain. | Driving up Daniel K. Inouye Highway on the Big Island of Hawai'i at 4: 30 in the morning is a sight few will forget: a silent, pitch-black road, with black lava and sparse trees. The dark air is a chilly 50 degrees. In our backpacks are packaged tuna, crackers, water, walkie talkies, and a voice recorder. However, the most important items are without a doubt our blue ACLU of Hawai'i legal observer vests and first aid kit, which is stocked with goods like antacid (to rinse our eyes of pepper spray) and earbuds. Sitting in the…

splcenter (2019-07-25). SPLC: Resuming barbaric practice of federal executions serves no useful purpose. splcenter.org The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that it plans to resume the executions of people who are awaiting the death penalty in federal prisons, ending nearly two decades in which the federal government had not imposed capital punishment.

susan_p (2019-07-25). Puerto Rico: The people rise up against oppression and exploitation. greenleft.org.au The people of Puerto Rico have risen up and forced Governor Ricardo Rosselló to resign, writes Barry Sheppard.

pip.hinman (2019-07-25). Sex workers thrown under bus in Latimer case. greenleft.org.au The case of the release from prison of repeat sex offender Edward William Latimer shines a light on WA's archaic laws which place sex workers in harm's way, writes Emma Softly.

ACLU (2019-07-24). Trans People Led the Fight Against HB2 in North Carolina. And We're Winning. aclu.org Transgender people in North Carolina cannot be banned from facilities based on their gender under H.B. 2 replacement law. | It's been more than three years since North Carolina lawmakers passed House Bill 2, the hateful North Carolina law that compromised the ability of transgender people like me to safely navigate our daily lives. | As the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit the ACLU and Lambda Legal filed to stop this measure, I've spent the last three years fighting alongside LGBTQ North Carolinians and others to mitigate the harm caused by H.B. 2…

United Nations (2019-07-23). Libya: Renewed commitment to Mediterranean rescues encouraging, but 'overriding priority' must be 'lasting peace', say UN officials. un.org The heads of the two key UN agencies championing refugees and migrants have called for an end to their "arbitrary detention" across Libya, following an agreement on Tuesday by European Union countries to offer those fleeing across the Mediterranean a safe berth through a new distribution mechanism.

ACLU (2019-07-22). Arkansas Wants to Make Sure You Know 'Almonds Don't Lactate'. aclu.org An Arkansas law censoring plant-based products isn't just absurd and unnecessary, it's unconstitutional. | The state of Arkansas thinks you're confused about whether a veggie burger comes from a cow. In fact, it thinks you're so confused that it passed a law making it illegal for companies to use words like "meat," "roast," and "sausage" to describe products that are not made from animals. Under the law, it doesn't matter if those words are modified by "vegan…

Staff (2019-07-22). Headlines for July 22, 2019. democracynow.org Iran Says It Has Captured and Killed Spies as Oil Tanker Standoff Intensifies, Trump Revs Up Racist Attacks on Squad as AOC Hits Back: "We're Not Going Anywhere", Heat Wave Grips U.S. as July on Track for Hottest Month Ever Recorded, Fire Breaks Out at Brooklyn Jail as Prisoners Face Dangerous Heat Without Relief, Puerto Ricans Continue Mass Protests as Gov. Rosselló Says He Will Not Seek Re-election, Boris Johnson Expected to Become New U.K. Prime Minister, Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters Face Police Tear Gas and Violent Mob, Israel Begins Razing Palestinian Homes in Occupied Territories, Mueller to Testify B…

Liberation staff (2019-07-21). Justice Dept decision not to charge Eric Garner's killer sparks outrage. liberationnews.org In a blow to all who seek to keep their communities safe from hostile police, on July 1 the Federal government announced that Officer Daniel Pantaleo will not face any federal civil rights charges for murdering Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York, five years ago.

Staff (2019-07-19). Headlines for July 19, 2019. democracynow.org 70 Catholics Arrested in Capitol Hill Protest of Trump's Immigration Policies, Asylum Seekers in Texas ICE Jail Launch Hunger Strike, House Democrats Grill Acting DHS Chief over Migrant Deaths and Squalid Jails, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Confronts DHS Chief over Racist & Sexist Border Patrol Posts, Trump Disavows "Send Her Home" Chant After Racist Attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ilhan Omar Greeted in Minnesota with Chants of "Welcome Home", House Approves Minimum Wage Hike to $15 an Hour, Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Would Bring Overtime Pay, Union Rights, Trump to Nominate Anti-Union Lawyer Eugene Scalia as Labor S…

Katerina Moore (2019-07-18). Thousands join vigil at Los Angeles detention center. liberationnews.org On July 12, members of ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation joined thousands of people for a vigil outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown Los Angeles.

James Jeffrey (2019-07-18). The Dark Side of the Moon Mission. progressive.org "For that kind of money," Vonnegut cracked on the CBS Evening News, "the least [NASA] can do is discover God." Civil rights activists, anti-Vietnam War protesters and even top scientists were skeptical of the Apollo moon mission at the time.

splcenter (2019-07-17). SPLC sues Trump administration over new rule that makes migrants who pass through other countries ineligible for asylum. splcenter.org The SPLC and its partners filed a lawsuit and an emergency motion this week seeking to block a new Trump administration rule that categorically bars asylum for migrants who cross the southern border without applying for and being denied asylum in any country that they pass through on their way to the U.S.

Liberation Staff (2019-07-17). Free the children, close the camps. liberationnews.org Trump's racist statements against Mexicans and Central Americans is intended for one purpose: To stir up hatred of immigrants, to mobilize his base and deflect blame away from millionaires and billionaires, who are the real cause of the economic crisis and unemployment.

Megan Klein (2019-07-16). Migrants Are Fleeing Something Worse. progressive.org Clearly, if the appalling conditions in detention centers are an improvement from what they are fleeing, these migrants have a sufficient basis for seeking asylum in the United States.

splcenter (2019-07-15). Author of 'Emanuel Nine' church massacre book to speak at Civil Rights Memorial Center. splcenter.org As the prosecution made its closing argument, photos of the nine people that Dylann Roof had shot to death in a Charleston, South Carolina, church appeared on the screen in bloody, gruesome detail.

ACLU (2019-07-12). Pompeo's New 'Human Rights' Commission is Up To No Good. aclu.org The Trump administration appears to be trying to find new moral footing for the president's discriminatory policies. | This week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally announced the creation of a "Commission on Unalienable Rights." Its stated purpose, according to a notice published in the Federal Register in May, is to provide "fresh thinking about human rights discourse where such discourse has departed from our nation's founding principles of natural law and natural rights." | Th…

ACLU (2019-07-11). CBP Can't Detain Domestic Flight Passengers for Refusing Suspicionless ID Checks. aclu.org The Constitution protects passengers deplaning domestic flights just as it protects people on the street or in a car. | In February 2017, two U.S. CBP officers stood on a jet bridge at New York's JFK Airport to meet Delta Flight 1583 as it taxied to the gate upon arrival from San Francisco. As passengers prepared to deplane, they were told by flight attendants — at the direction of the two officers — that all passengers would have to show identification documents to the officer…

splcenter (2019-07-11). Manuel Duran, journalist who reported on ICE, freed from detention. splcenter.org Manuel Duran, an investigative journalist who was detained after reporting on the collusion between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local law enforcement in Memphis, Tennessee, was released today from ICE detention and will be reunited with his fiancée.

Paul Dobson (2019-06-24). UN Human Rights Head Visits Venezuela, Meets Maduro and Guaido. venezuelanalysis.com Michelle Bachelet commented on access to food and medicine, allegations of political prisoners, and the impact of sanctions, among other issues.

CounterSpin (2019-06-21). Brian Mier on Brazilian Political Scandal. fair.org The Brazilian anti-corruption crusade, called Car Wash or Lava Jato, that put popular ex-president Lula da Silva in prison and paved the way for fascist president Jair Bolsanaro—all while being celebrated in the US corporate press—was actually, as critics contended, less interested in corruption than in keeping Lula's Workers Party out of power.