(2018-10-09). Far-Right Demagogue Follows Rousseff's Ouster and Lula's Jailing in Brazil. truthout.org In a stunning upset that may radically alter the political landscape of Latin America, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro won 46 percent of the vote in Sunday's presidential election in Brazil in a far more decisive victory than expected. The former army officer has a long history of making racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments and has openly praised Brazil's military dictatorship. He will now face Fernando Haddad of the leftist Workers Party in a runoff on October 28. Haddad won 29 percent of the vote Sunday. Many are warning that the future of democracy in Brazil hangs in the balance. We speak with Maria…
(2018-10-09). President of Lithuania conceals from the UN and the ECHR the names of those who organized. indybay.org Like other EU states, Lithuania once pledged to uphold democratic values, to protect civil rights and freedoms, to conduct impartial investigations of violent crimes inside the country. Unfortunately, Lithuanian failed to upbuild consistent policy in this regard.
(2018-10-09). Trump Calls Women Survivors of Sexual Assault 'Screamers'. alternet.org 
"The paid D. C. protesters are now ready to REALLY protest because they haven't gotten their checks. " | President Donald Trump is now calling women survivors of sexual assault "screamers" in his latest offensive tweet. Barely more than 12 hours after apologizing to Brett Kavanaugh "on behalf of the nation," the president took to Twitter to once again attack women
(2018-10-09). Brazil's Eroding Democracy: Rise of Far-Right Demagogue Follows Ouster of Dilma & Jailing of Lula. democracynow.org 
In a stunning upset that may radically alter the political landscape of Latin America, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro won 46 percent of the vote in Sunday's presidential election in Brazil in a far more decisive victory than expected. The former Army officer has a long history of making racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments and has openly praised Brazil's military dictatorship. He will now face Fernando Haddad of the leftist Workers' Party in a runoff on October 28. Haddad won 29 percent of the vote Sunday. Many are warning that the future of democracy in Brazil hangs in the balance. We speak with Maria L…
(2018-10-08). The Government Is Blacklisting People Based on Predictions of Future Crimes. aclu.org Our clients on the No Fly List are seeking a fair process to challenge and correct government error. | Imagine: You've never been charged with any crime, yet the government blacklists you as a terrorism threat and bans you from flying indefinitely. You're separated from family members, can't get to weddings or funerals or religious obligations, and lose jobs because you can't travel or your employer finds out you're blacklisted. | You know what the government has done violates your constitutionally protected ability to travel and to be free from false stigma. You have rights — the Constitution guarantees du…
(2018-10-08). Immigrant Detainee Called ICE Help Line Before Killing Himself in Isolation Cell. theintercept.com 
Jeancarlo Alfonso Jimenez-Joseph repeatedly brought his suicidal thoughts to the attention of officials at a private ICE detention center run by CoreCivic.
(2018-10-08). Israeli Prosecutor Reveals: Requests for Jail without Bail until End of Trial for Facebook Incitement Offenses — For Arab Suspects Only. imemc.org The Israeli courts are keeping Arab political leader Raja Eghbaria in detention at least until 15 October; the prosecutor doesn't deny existence of multiple errors in its translation of Eghbaria's Arabic-language Facebook posts, but says 'it doesn't matter.' An Israeli prosecutor revealed in court yesterday, 7 October 201…
(2018-10-08). GOP Candidate Wrote a Book Arguing the Founding Fathers Were Right Not to Abolish Slavery. alternet.org 
Ron DeSantis can't run from his racial rhetoric. | Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), the GOP's nominee for governor of Florida, has found himself in yet another controversy over racist rhetoric. American Ledger, a project of the super PAC American Bridge, has unearthed a series of toxic arguments put forward by DeSantis in his 2011 book, "Dre. . .
(2018-10-08). Trump Campaign Aide Tied to Manafort Requested Foreign Proposal for Social Media Manipulation: Report. alternet.org 
One proposal request included using "bogus personas to target and sway 5,000 delegates to the 2016 Republican National Convention. " | Rick Gates, a longtime business associate of Paul Manafort and served as the now-convicted felon's deputy for the Trump 2016 campaign, requested proposals for soc. . .
(2018-10-07). NAACP Leaders Advance Education and Employment Initiative with LDS Church. naacp.org 
Senior leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) met with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Friday, October 5, and Saturday, October 6, 2018 — another indication of the growing friendship between the two groups. At a series of meetings and presentations held with members of […]
(2018-10-06). Statement on Kavanaugh Senate Confirmation. naacp.org NAACP President Calls Kavanaugh Confirmation "Devasting Blow" Move Signals Dark Days Ahead for Civil Rights Communities — America Deserves Better BALTIMORE (October 6, 2018)—NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson released the following remarks regarding the Senate confirmation of nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The U.S. Senate's decision today to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme […]
(2018-10-06). Sen. Collins Calls for Kavanaugh's Presumption of Innocence — Where is the Criminal Investigation? therealnews.com 
Our panelists Paul Jay, Dharna Noor, and Dana Vickers Shelley, Executive Director of the Maryland ACLU, and host Marc Steiner discuss the significance of the nomination, why the Democrats didn't pursue a criminal investigation for perjury, the consequences for women's rights and whether a fight should be waged to impeach Kavanaugh once he is confirmed.
(2018-10-06). Nationwide Class Action Lawsuit Targets DuPont, Chemours, 3M, and Other Makers of PFAS Chemicals. theintercept.com Robert Bilott, who successfully sued DuPont over PFOA, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of everyone in the U.S. who has PFAS chemicals in their blood.
(2018-10-06). Sen. Collins Calls for Kavanaugh's Presumption of Innocence — Where is the Criminal Investigation? therealnews.com Our panelists Paul Jay, Dharna Noor, and Dana Vickers Shelley, Executive Director of the Maryland ACLU, and host Marc Steiner discuss the significance of the nomination, why the Democrats didn't pursue a criminal investigation for perjury, the consequences for women's rights and whether a fight should be waged to impeach Kavanaugh once he is confirmed.
(2018-10-06). Federal judge issues injunction against Trump administration refugee order. wsws.org The four countries cited in the lawsuit represent nearly 300,000 of the 437,000 refugees who are currently receiving TPS in the United States.
(2018-10-05). Watch Webinar Session 2: Mobilizing Voters for the Midterms. naacp.org Watch Civic Engagement webinar number two of the 2018 midterm elections season, featuring presentations from NAACP Vice President of Civic Engagement Jamal Watkins and special guest Shavon Arline-Bradley of R.E.A.C.H Beyond Solutions. Get information here about mobilizing your community to maximize turnout at the polls. • Originally recorded October 3, 2018
(2018-10-05). Kanye is Wrong: Welfare Didn't Take Fathers Out of the Home, Racist Southern Conservatives Did. counterpunch.org 
Rapper Kanye West used the megaphone that is Saturday Night Live last weekend to repeat the ancient myth that the Democratic Party and their welfare policies decimated the black family. Said West: "The blacks want always Democrats… you know it's like the plan they did, to take the fathers out the home and put them More
(2018-10-05). Action Alert Update: Cloture Vote Passes— Tell Your Senators NOW to Vote "No" on Kavanaugh, Full Senate Vote October 6th. naacp.org 
The final vote by the full U.S. Senate on President Trump's nomination of NAACP-opposed Judge Brett Kavanagh to serve a life-time appointment on the US Supreme Court is currently scheduled to occur on Saturday, 10/6/2018.‚Ä® The NAACP remains fervently opposed to this nomination and urges all Senators to vote "no". Urge Members of the Senate […]
(2018-10-05). NAACP Statement on Senate Vote to Advance Brett Kavanaugh Nomination. naacp.org The NAACP released the following statement regarding the Senate's decision to advance the Kavanaugh nomination: "Today's Senate vote to advance a Supreme Court nominee whose record and lack of integrity, temperament & impartiality was a monumental mistake that will affect generations to come. This should have disqualified him from serving on the Court not emboldened […]
(2018-10-05). August Wilson's Radio Golf applies radical traditions in assessing racial, economic progress. peoplesworld.org 
CHICAGO—Because so many of the dynamics of America's racist past persist into the present, even…
(2018-10-05). Afro-Brazilian Women Take on Brazil's Establishment in Upcoming Election. therealnews.com 
Mae Flavia Pinto is one in a wave of Afro-Brazilian women running for public office, challenging Brazil's deeply entrenched racist and classist establishment. A field report
(2018-10-05). Could Brazil Return to a Dictatorship? Glenn Greenwald on Possible Election of Far-Right Demagogue. democracynow.org 
Voters in Brazil head to the polls on Sunday in an election that could reshape the political landscape of South America. Polls show the current front-runner is the far-right Jair Bolsonaro, a former Army officer who has openly praised Brazil's military dictatorship, which lasted from 1964 to 1985. Bolsonaro has a long history of making racist, misogynistic and homophobic comments, and has risen in the polls since September 8, when he was stabbed while campaigning. His campaign directly benefited from the jailing of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in April, who had been leading in all presidential polls…
(2018-10-05). NAACP Congratulates Rev. William J. Barber II on Winning MacArthur "Genius" Grant Award. naacp.org NAACP extends an exuberant congratulations to Rev. William J. Barber II, NAACP Member, National Board of Directors and former North Carolina State Conference President. "No one is more deserving of this award than Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II. He is and will always be an integral part of the NAACP. As a long-standing champion […]
(2018-10-05). Afro-Brazilian Women Take on Brazil's Establishment in Upcoming Election. therealnews.com Mae Flavia Pinto is one in a wave of Afro-Brazilian women running for public office, challenging Brazil's deeply entrenched racist and classist establishment. A field report
(2018-10-04). San Francisco Is a Hotbed of Illegal Race-Based Policing. aclu.org Law enforcement in San Francisco have subverted the Constitution and broken the law by basing arrests on race. | Our Constitution promises all people, regardless of race, equal protection under the law. Yet the San Francisco Police Department has consistently singled out Black people for enforcement of criminal laws. | In 2013 and 2014, the SFPD collaborated with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California on a drug enforcement operation. Despite the fact that the SFPD knew that in the Tenderloin district — where they chose to the…
(2018-10-04). 'Bowing to racists'? University in Ohio cancels musical over 'whitewashing' backlash. rt.com 
A university in Ohio has cancelled a planned production of the musical 'West Side Story' after students complained that Latino roles were given to white students instead of students of Latino descent.
(2018-10-04). NAACP PARTNERS WITH WE TV IN MULTI-PLATFORM EFFORT TO UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF VOTING IN THE MID-TERM ELECTION. naacp.org Campaign Features WE tv Talent Encouraging Viewers to Vote on November 6 | …
(2018-10-04). Black Voters Wanted! NAACP to Turn Out the Black Vote Like Our Lives Depend on It. naacp.org The morning of November 7, 2016 was a rude awakening for millions of Americans — 231, 556,622 Americans to be exact. This was the approximate number of eligible voters who did not vote in the presidential election. In fact, if each of these 230 million plus people collectively wrote in a hypothetical candidate's name on […]
(2018-10-04). SPLC report: Detention system forces people to give up claims to stay in U.S. splcenter.org Before fleeing Somalia, Yuusuf was a teacher.
(2018-10-04). When Our Collective Power Is Tested, We Must Vote! Our Lives Depend On It. naacp.org As we approach this 2018 midterm election we have so much to consider. We have to acknowledge the alarming 230 million people that didn't vote in the 2016 presidential election. We have to acknowledge that there were more people who did not vote in the 2016 election than those who did. We have to acknowledge […]
(2018-10-03). Jeff Sessions Is Fighting Tennessee's Effort to Make Prosecution More Fair. aclu.org The Department of Justice is attempting to erode defendants' rights and state independence . | Earlier this year, the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility released an ethical opinion that required federal prosecutors working in the state to disclose all information favorable to criminal defendants. It stated those disclosures must be even broader and earlier in the process than the U.S. Constitution requires. This is a praiseworthy move that could help stem the tide of coercive plea bargai…
(2018-10-03). Mom Fears Her Autistic Son Is Being Abused at School. District Does Nothing. aclu.org A Northern California school district is creating a hostile environment for a Black student with disabilities in violation of the law. | School just got back in session, but one school district in Northern California already needs a lesson in how to create a welcoming and safe environment for Black students with disabilities., , A 5-year-old Black student with autism and speech and language impairments suffered for months, including suffering injuries that needed to be treated by a hospital, all because of the inadequate oversight of Hayward Unified School District's staff. In a time when Black students are regul…
(2018-10-03). Mothers Should Not Be Jailed and Separated From Their Kids Before Trial. aclu.org Despite not having been convicted of a crime, mothers in Oklahoma are routinely jailed before trial with devastating results for their families. | Tanisha (a pseudonym) is a 25-year-old mother of four who was arrested in Oklahoma in 2017 following a domestic dispute with her boyfriend. Three of her children, a toddler and twin infants, were present. Once jailed, Tanisha's bail was set at $61,000. She couldn't afford to pay it, so she stayed behind bars, separated from her children. | This is wealth-based family separation perpetuated by the criminal justice system. | A new joint report from the ACLU and Human Ri…
(2018-10-03). The U.S. Detention of Children Is Only Getting Worse. progressive.org No longer forcibly separating families at the border, the Trump Administration has merely changed the way children are harmed.
(2018-10-03). Why the ACLU Opposes Brett Kavanaugh's Nomination to the Supreme Court. aclu.org The ACLU board concluded sexual assault allegations raised enough doubt to warrant opposing a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. | On Friday, Sept. 28, following the Senate Judiciary hearing at which both Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh testified, the ACLU decided to depart from its usual policy in order to oppose the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. | It was not a decision we took lightly. As a matter of policy, the ACLU does not endorse or oppose presidential nominations. We have made exceptions, but those exceptions are few and far between. In our 98-year history,…
(2018-10-02). Detention conditions: Medical neglect, death and other immigration prison failures. splcenter.org As Mateo's story demonstrates, immigrants held at immigration prisons struggle to receive the health care they need.
(2018-10-02). German Far-Right Uses 'Judeo-Christian' Values to Polish its Racism. therealnews.com 
Shir Hever discusses the new Jewish section in the "Alternative to Germany" far-right party in Germany, and the way that pro-Israeli politics are used to mask Islamophobia, racism against Jews and the xenophobia
(2018-10-02). Trump Admin Sends 1,600 Kids to Texas Tent City as Number of Detained Children Hits Record High. democracynow.org 
The Trump administration is transferring detained migrant children from shelters across the country to a barren tent city in West Texas. The New York Times reports that hundreds of children are being sent each week from shelters to the tent city, which currently houses 1,600 children. The facility reportedly has no school, and children have only limited access to legal services. The U.S. government is now detaining a record 13,000 migrant children. We speak with Louise Melling, deputy legal director at the ACLU, who says, "We have more children in detention now than ever before."
(2018-10-02). ACLU Formally Opposes Kavanaugh, Citing Credible Sexual Assault Allegations & Partisan Temperament. democracynow.org 
The American Civil Liberties Union has come out against the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. It is only the fourth time in the organization's 98-year history that its national board of directors has voted to oppose a Supreme Court nominee. ACLU President Susan Herman said in a statement, "As a nonpartisan organization, the ACLU does not oppose Judge Kavanaugh based on predictions about how he would vote as a Justice. We oppose him in light of the credible allegations of sexual assault against him." The ACLU has now launched a $1 million ad campaign across four states urging key swing-vo…
(2018-10-02). Four members of racist, antisemitic 'Rise Above Movement' charged with rioting at 'Unite the Right' tiki-torch march. splcenter.org Four members of the racist and antisemitic "Rise Above Movement" face federal charges of traveling to Charlottesville, Virginia, with the intent of rioting at the "Unite the Right" rally in 2017.
(2018-10-02). No One Should Be Detained Without a Hearing While Fighting Deportation. aclu.org The government's sweeping interpretation of a 1996 law has expanded mandatory detention far beyond what Congress intended. | In May of 2013, Astrid Morataya, a legal permanent resident, woke up to a knock on the door. Looking outside the window, she saw law enforcement agents with bulletproof vests encircling her home in Illinois. | "They must have the wrong house," she thought. But they were, in fact, there for her. The government waited 15 years to attempt to deport Astrid for a low-level drug conviction that she received in the late '90s, during a period in her life when she was the victim of ongoing sexu…
(2018-10-02). German Far-Right Uses 'Judeo-Christian' Values to Polish its Racism. therealnews.com Shir Hever discusses the new Jewish section in the "Alternative to Germany" far-right party in Germany, and the way that pro-Israeli politics are used to mask Islamophobia, racism against Jews and the xenophobia
(2018-10-02). Due process: Remote immigration prisons impede access to attorneys, chances for success. splcenter.org The Stewart Detention Center where Mateo was held sits in Lumpkin, Georgia, about 150 miles south of Atlanta. With a capacity of 1,996 people, it is one of the nation's largest immigration prisons. In one important way, however, Stewart is like many other such facilities: It is far from cities where detainees would have easier access to counsel…
(2018-10-01). How Jeff Sessions is Attacking Immigration Judges and Due Process Itself. aclu.org The attorney general is abusing his power to force immigration judges to issue more deportation orders. | When the government believes that someone should be deported, it usually has to prove its case in an immigration court. And although the immigration courts have long been plagued by due process problems—including the lack of any right to an appointed lawyer, even for kids—those courts have at least held out the promise of neutrality: a neutral immigration judge hears the case, and the losing party may appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals. | But Jeff Sessions is aggressively working to make t…
(2018-10-01). A Judge Just Reminded CBP That the Border Isn't a Rights-Free Zone. aclu.org A federal court ruled in favor of an American family suing over their abusive detention at the U.S.-Canada border. | An American family that underwent a harrowing detention at the hands of U.S. Customs and Border Protection can now seek some measure of justice. That's the result of a recent ruling by the federal judge presiding over the lawsuit we filed on behalf of…
(2018-09-28). Laws Targeting Israel Boycotts Fail Again in Court. aclu.org For the second time this year, a federal judge has ruled that anti-boycott laws likely violate the First Amendment. | A new wave of state laws that try to limit Americans' constitutional right to engage in political boycotts is now 0 for 2 in federal court. | On Thursday night, a federal court blocked Arizona from enforcing a law requiring state contractors to certify that they are not participating in boycotts of Israel. The court agreed with the ACLU that the law likely violates contractors' free speech rights under the First Amendment. | "A restriction of one's ability to participate in collective calls to opp…
(2018-09-05). Censored Documentary Exposes the Israeli Government's Attack on Black Lives Matter. grayzoneproject.com Exclusive footage from the censored Al Jazeera documentary, "The Lobby — USA," shows Israeli government officials taking credit for attacks…