Civil Rights Are on the Chopping Block in New Supreme Court Term
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-10-13
| This term, the Supreme Court will decide whether people can be fired for being transgender or LGBQ, if people brought to the U.S. as children can be deported, whether states can impose restrictions on abortion that disproportionately harm poor women, how firm the separation between church and state is, the scope of the Second Amendment and whether criminal defendants can be convicted by less-than-unanimous juries. | Millions of people will be impacted by the results of these cases. "The court's de…
truthout.org/articles/civil-rights-are-on-the-chopping-block-in-new-supreme-court-term/

Jeremy Corbyn slams the Tories for trying to rig election results with voter ID checks
Afroze Fatima Zaidi | thecanary.co | 2019-10-13
The government recently announced plans to introduce ID checks at polling stations ahead of the next general election. The move is said to be an attempt to "safeguard against electoral fraud". | However, only allowing people with photo ID to vote will have a massive impact. It may well block the poorest and most vulnerable people from voting. | Voter suppression and election rigging: | The number of people likely to be affe…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/10/13/jeremy-corbyn-slams-the-tories-for-trying-to-rig-election-results-with-voter-id-checks/

Six months since the brutal arrest of WikiLeaks' publisher Julian Assange
wsws.org | 2019-10-12
While Assange is subjected to what amounts to torture in a British prison, the war criminals he has done so much to expose walk free.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/12/pers-o12.html

Calls rise to demand the release of Julian Assange
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-10-12
Singer MIA has joined the call to demand the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after visiting him in London's high-security Belmarsh prison.The rapper and songwriter — real name Mathangi Arulpragasam — is one of a number of celebrity supporters who have been to see Assange since he was sent to Belmarsh earlier this year after spending seven years in the Ecuadorean embassy in the capital to avoid extradition.Asked how the whistleblower was faring, the musician said: It's difficult to describe… he shouldn't be in there.Julian Assange is facing extradition to the US (Victoria Jones/PA)She also s…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2019/10/12/calls-rise-to-demand-the-release-of-julian-assange/

Ecuador: 'No Place to Hide', More Cities Reject Neoliberalism
telesurenglish.net | 2019-10-12
For the first time in the history of the Republic of Ecuador, the government headquarters was transferred from Quito, the capital city, to Guayaquil on October 7. | President Lenin Moreno made the decision amid growing protests against the policy package implemented to secure an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan. | The decision also happened a week after Moreno declared a State of Exception, a legal move which allows the government to restrict civil and political rights. | Closure of alternative media, detention of hundreds of people and other measures to halt citizen protest, however, would appear to have h…
telesurenglish.net/news/Ecuador-No-Place-to-Hide-More-Cities-Reject-Neoliberalism-20191012-0004.html

Alaska Supreme Court hears oral arguments in kids' climate change lawsuit
Joaqlin Estus | nationofchange.org | 2019-10-12
'Is there a time to declare that air that sustains life is a fundamental right?'…
nationofchange.org/2019/10/12/alaska-supreme-court-hears-oral-arguments-in-kids-climate-change-lawsuit/

An Aperspectival View of the Culture War
Daniel Thompson | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-10-12
Each stage in the history of the civil rights movement has had a specific theme and focus. In the 19th century it was race and gender, in the 20th it was race, gender, gay, bi, trans, queer, in the 21st it is all of them +. One could say that these are ideas whose time …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/10/an-aperspectival-view-of-the-culture-war/

Administrative Torture: Free Heba al-Labadi, a Jordanian Citizen in Israeli Prison
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2019-10-11
On August 20, Heba Ahmed al-Labadi fell into the dark hole of the Israeli legal system, joining 413 Palestinian prisoners who are currently held in so-called administrative detention. On September 26, Heba and seven other prisoners declared a hunger strike to protest their unlawful detention and horrific conditions in Israeli prisons. Among the prisoners is…
counterpunch.org/2019/10/11/administrative-torture-free-heba-al-labadi-a-jordanian-citizen-in-israeli-prison/

Houthis Vow Retaliation As Saudi Naval Blockade Sparks Fresh Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen
Ahmed Abdulkareem | mintpressnews.com | 2019-10-11
Saudi Arabia has stepped up its seizure and detention of ships carrying food and fuel into Yemen, sparking shortages that experts warn will push the country's civilians into even more dire straits.
mintpressnews.com/yemen-retaliation-saudi-naval-blockade-humanitarian-crisis/262285/

Inmates fight against dangerous health conditions in prisons
Ted Kelly | workers.org | 2019-10-11
For weeks, prisoners at Pennsylvania's SCI Frackville have been protesting the deteriorating conditions that have led to an outbreak of health problems among inmates. Water from the taps runs a deep "chocolatey brown," according to prison activist Bryant Arroyo. In the showers in his wing of the prison, black mold . . . | Continue reading Inmates fight against dangerous health conditions in prisons at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/10/43995/

WikiLeaks source Jeremy Hammond held in contempt by grand jury
wsws.org | 2019-10-11
Information activist Jeremy Hammond has been found in contempt of court for refusing to answer questions before the same judge and grand jury that imprisoned Chelsea Manning.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/11/hamm-o11.html

Cleveland Protest hits county jail conditions, demands end to cash bail
Martha Grevatt | workers.org | 2019-10-11
Coalition to Stop the Inhumanity at the Cuyahoga County Jail rallies outside Cleveland so-called "Justice Center" October 8. The Coalition to Stop the Inhumanity at the Cuyahoga County Jail held a march and rally in downtown Cleveland on Oct. 8 to spotlight the deplorable conditions in the local jail. After . . . | Continue reading Cleveland Protest hits county jail conditions, demands end to cash bail at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/10/43992/

Under capitalism, even water is a tool of oppression
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-10-11
All life depends on water. It covers 71 percent of the Earth's surface, makes up 60 percent of our bodies and literally falls from the sky. It's abundant and indispensable. But under capitalism, even water is a tool of social domination. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/10/11/under-capitalism-even-water-is-a-tool-of-oppression/

Chicago actors Theo Germaine and Daniel Kyri push boundaries of queer representation
Michelle Zacarias | peoplesworld.org | 2019-10-11
Friday, Oct. 11, marks the annual recognition of National Coming Out Day. First observed in 1988, the day is dedicated to raising awareness of civil rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community. With the current administration occupying the White House threatening to strip away LGBTQ rights, being "visible" remains an inherently political …
peoplesworld.org/article/chicago-actors-theo-germaine-and-daniel-kyri-push-boundaries-of-queer-representation/

The Stanford Sexual Assault Case Made Her "Emily Doe." In New Memoir, Chanel Miller Tells Her Story
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-11
We spend the hour with author Chanel Miller speaking about her recently published remarkable memoir, "Know My Name." The book chronicles how Miller reclaimed her name, her story and her life after being sexually assaulted by Brock Turner, a member of the Stanford University swim team, in 2015. At the time, she was known as "Emily Doe." The case gained national prominence when a California judge sentence Turner to just six months in a county jail after he was convicted of three counts of felony sexual assault. He ended up spending only three months locked up. The sentencing sparked outrage. Voters in California la…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/11/chanel_miller_know_my_name_interview

Elizabeth Warren Shows Us How to Fight a Smear
Joan Walsh | thenation.com | 2019-10-10
But Democrats shouldn't have to keep refuting garbage stories, especially sexist ones.
thenation.com/article/elizabeth-warren-pregnancy-discrimination/

The Supreme Court Needs to Protect Trans People from Discrimination
Robin Savannah Carver | progressive.org | 2019-10-10
progressive.org/dispatches/SCOTUS-trans-people-deserve-job-protection-carver-191010/

White Supremacist William Fears to Get Five Years in Prison
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2019-10-10
William Henry Fears IV, an avowed racist with a lengthy criminal record, has agreed to a plea deal of five years for choking his former girlfriend.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/10/11/white-supremacist-william-fears-get-five-years-prison

The Actual Laws Trump Has Broken, Just With the Ukraine and China Affairs, Could Land Him 10 Years in Prison
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-10-10
Take 18 U.S. Code ß 872: "Extortion by officers or employees of the United States." Or 18 U.S. Code ß 610: "Coercion of political activity."
theintercept.com/2019/10/10/trump-crimes-law/

SCOTUS Deeply Divided on LGBTQ Rights
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-10-10
The Justices heard cases that would broaden sex discrimination under Civil Rights Act to include Gays, Lesbians and Transgender citizens.
therealnews.com/stories/scotus-deeply-divided-lgbtq-rights

Divided Supreme Court Hears Landmark LGBTQ Workplace Discrimination Case
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-09
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in three cases that will determine whether LGBTQ people can be fired from their jobs due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Among the court's conservative justices, only Neil Gorsuch appeared open to prohibiting such workplace discrimination. One of the cases centers on a transgender woman from Michigan named Aimee Stephens, who was fired from her job at a funeral home in 2013. The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision in the three cases by early next summer. We speak to James Esseks, director of the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project, who attended Tu…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/9/supreme_court_lgbtq_sex_discrimination_cases

Reaction to Jock Palfreeman's illegal detention continues to grow
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-10-09
civil rights Pip HinmanIssue 1240 Bulgaria political prisoner paroleOctober 9, 2019On October 7, three Bulgarian judges from the Supreme Court of Cassation decided they would need up to two months to review…
greenleft.org.au/content/reaction-jock-palfreeman%E2%80%99s-illegal-detention-continues-grow

Julián Castro Backs Impeachment Effort & Condemns Trump's "Betrayal" of Kurds in Northern Syria
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-09
Turkey's government says its troops are prepared for an imminent assault on Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, after President Trump ordered U.S. troops to fall back from their positions on the Turkish-Syrian border. Kurdish fighters said they're bracing for a "humanitarian catastrophe." This follows warnings that former Kurdish allies of the U.S. who feel betrayed by President Trump will abandon thousands of prisoners captured during the U.S.-backed war against ISIS over the past two years. We speak to former housing secretary and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro, who says Trump's move is a…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/9/2020_presidential_candidate_julian_castro_syria

The Trump Administration Is Fighting at the Supreme Court to Let Employers Fire Queer and Trans Workers
Natasha Lennard | theintercept.com | 2019-10-08
Three cases before the Supreme Court threaten to gut sex discrimination laws. Already imperiled transgender and queer workers could be the hardest hit.
theintercept.com/2019/10/08/supreme-court-trans-queer-workplace-discrimination/

"We Have to Mass Mobilize": Laverne Cox & Chase Strangio Sound the Alarm on Major LGBTQ SCOTUS Cases
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-07
At the start of its new term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday in three cases to determine whether LGBTQ people can be fired from their jobs due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers cannot discriminate against employees on the basis of sex, as well as race, color, national origin and religion, but the Trump administration claims the law does not cover discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The cases mark the first time the Supreme Court will rule on LGBTQ rights since conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh re…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/7/trans_rights_us_supreme_court_hearings

Labor unions to join national civil rights conference with Angela Davis in November
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-10-04
Chicago, IL – Unions are on the march in defense of their members across the country, with the autoworker strike against GM and strike authorization votes by teachers and other city employees in Chicago. Unions are also defending their members when they leave work and find their lives in danger from the very people paid to protect them: the police. | Labor is joining a new effort to hold the police accountable for the killing, wrongful conviction, and even torture of young Blacks and Latinos. On November 22-24, veteran human rights activist Angela Davis will be in Chicago to re-establish the National Alliance Ag…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/10/4/labor-unions-join-national-civil-rights-conference-angela-davis-november

Young Lords remember martyrs and march for the future
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-10-03
Chicago, IL – A standing room only crowd filled the Holy Covenant United Methodist Church on September 29 to commemorate Reverend Bruce Johnson and Eugenia Johnson. The reverend and his wife Eugenia were remembered for supporting the Young Lords and their role in the struggle against poverty, war and oppression. They were savagely murdered in their own home 50 years ago, stabbed to death, during a U.S. government campaign of repression known as COINTELPRO or the Counterintelligence Program. | Ministers of the United Methodist Church, the Bishop of Chicago's Episcopal Church and leaders from the Presbyterian McCo…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/10/3/young-lords-remember-martyrs-and-march-future

As Man Dies in ICE Custody, California Moves to Ban For-Profit Prisons, Including Immigrant Jails
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-03
A Cameroonian immigrant died this week in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in California. The man, identified as 37-year-old Nebane Abienwi, died on Tuesday after suffering a brain hemorrhage. This comes as California lawmakers passed a bill last month that would ban private prisons statewide, a major blow to the for-profit prison industry in the U.S. that is deeply entangled in immigration detention. The legislation also orders the closure of four ICE prisons that can jail up to 4,500 immigrants. The bill is currently awaiting the signature of Governor Gavin Newsom, who said in his January…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/3/california_private_prisons_bill_immigration_detention

Trump vs. California: In Blow to Climate, U.S. Revokes State's Stricter Auto Emissions Standards
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-03
California is in a legal battle with the Trump administration over tailpipe emissions, air quality and climate change. California recently joined nearly two dozen other states to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after it revoked the state's air pollution standards for cars and light trucks, in its latest regulatory rollback of laws aimed at slowing the climate crisis. Auto emissions are California's single largest source of greenhouse gases. From Los Angeles, we're joined by Mary Nichols, the longtime chair of the California Air Resources Board. She has led the board in crafting California's intern…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/3/trump_admin_california_climate_policies

Opportunity Costs: Community corrections program offers a roadmap for client success
Kathryn Casteel | splcenter.org | 2019-09-23
Positive client outcomes indicate promising investment for fiscally sound prison alternatives, rather than prison construction.
splcenter.org/news/2019/09/24/opportunity-costs-community-corrections-program-offers-roadmap-client-success

Safe For Whom? How the MSD Commission is putting Florida's Children in Danger
splcenter.org | 2019-09-18
The commission appointed by politicians to study school safety in Florida after the mass shooting in Parkland in 2018 has recommended–without evidence to support them–measures that place children at greater risk of being shot or wrongfully arrested; put children's privacy and liberty in jeopardy and strip them of civil rights; create school environments that are more tense, anxiety-provoking, and traumatic; breed distrust between students and faculty; and absorb funds needed for programs that have actually been proven to make schools safer for all students. | Lacking needed expertise and diversity, th…
splcenter.org/20191010/safe-whom-how-msd-commission-putting-floridas-children-danger

Join the Global Climate Strike. Oppose Israel's climate apartheid
patrick | bdsmovement.net | 2019-09-18
Join the Global Climate Strike. Oppose Israel's climate apartheid.: Action AlertTell multinational corporations to stop investing in fossil fuels and in Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people. | Economic BoycottSeptember 19, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) …
bdsmovement.net/news/join-global-climate-strike-oppose-israels-climate-apartheid