Trump, Pence, G W Bush, Hannity and Sen. Rick Scott's best sheriff fried under DOJ investi
scott huminski | indybay.org | 2020-05-04
The Justice Department and Florida Department of Health are investigating Sheriff Carmine Marceno for civil rights abuses, human rights abuses, ADA violations and felony abuse of a disabled adult.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/01/18832772.php

Spy Plane Resumes Flights Over Baltimore Amid COVID-19
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-05-04
The expensive aerial surveillance program won't help heavily disinvested Baltimore, say Ceasefire co-founder Erricka Bridgeford and author Brandon Soderberg.
therealnews.com/stories/spy-plane-aerial-surveillance-baltimore-appeal-aclu

SFPD Wore "Blue Lives Matter" Face Masks While Responding to Protests
Insult to Black Lives Matter, Insult to All | indybay.org | 2020-05-04
Photos of the scene at a May 1 housing protest in San Francisco show a row of police wearing face masks that depict the Blue Lives Matter flag. At least one policeman at a reopen rally the same day wore the same mask. Police regulation states that officers cannot alter their uniform. City Police Chief Bill Scott says he is seeking "neutral" face coverings for the city's rank and file.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/03/18832811.php

The COVID-19 Crisis Profoundly Exposes African Americans to the Scourge of Poverty and Racism
Azhar Azam | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-04
They live below the poverty level. They are prison inmates in large numbers. They are most likely to be killed by the police, a longstanding grievance that originated the Black Lives Matter (BTM) movement to protest against police killing and | …
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-profoundly-exposes-african-americans-racism/5711687

Judge tosses out equal pay discrimination claims made by Women's soccer
Al Neal | peoplesworld.org | 2020-05-04
On International Workers' Day, May 1, a federal judge quietly tossed out part of the U.S. Women's National Team's pay discrimination lawsuit–the unequal pay argument–while allowing their allegations of discriminatory working conditions to proceed to trial. It was a shocking judgment and a loss for players. Led by Alex Morgan, players filed their lawsuit in March …
peoplesworld.org/article/judge-tosses-out-equal-pay-discrimination-claims-made-by-womens-soccer/

West Australian principal stood down for warning of coronavirus dangers in schools
wsws.org | 2020-05-04
The victimisation of Bronwyn White is a warning that the reopening of schools is being accompanied by the suppression of opposition.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/04/west-m04.html

May Day Caravan in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz News | indybay.org | 2020-05-04
#COLA4ALL activists in Santa Cruz organized a May Day Caravan to support those "striking and fighting for their right to live in this city". Beginning on the UC Santa Cruz campus to support the striking COLA graduate students, the caravan traveled downtown to the Santa Cruz Main Jail, and then on to support Food Not Bombs at Front and Laurel Streets. (Photos taken downtown by Keith McHenry of Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs.)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/02/18832785.php

Return of Iranian scientist in US jail to country confirmed: MP
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-04
TEHRAN, May 04 (MNA)

Scotland: Journalist Craig Murray charged with contempt of court over Alex Salmond trial
wsws.org | 2020-05-04
Journalist Craig Murray could face up to two years in jail following his reporting of the trial of former SNP leader Alex Salmond.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/04/murr-m04.html

24-year-old Egyptian filmmaker Shady Habash dies in prison
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-04
Habash was in a Cairo prison since 2018 after directing a music video which mocked and ridiculed Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and spoke out against government corruption…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/04/24-year-old-egyptian-filmmaker-shady-habash-dies-in-prison/

Uruguay: May First Feminist Manifesto
Women's and Feminist Collectives of Uruguay | zcomm.org | 2020-05-04
The exit from this crisis must be feminist, migrant, plurinational, anti-patriarchal, anti-racist, anti-prison, anti-capitalist, anti-extractivist and anti-fascist…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/uruguay-may-first-feminist-manifesto/

Inmates at Michigan prisons exposed to COVID-19 in unsanitary conditions
wsws.org | 2020-05-04
As of May 2, almost 2,000 inmates have tested positive with 41 prisoners succumbing to the coronavirus.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/04/mich-m04.html

Iraqi MP criticizes Salih for delay in approval of ISIL terrorists' death penalty
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-04
TEHRAN, May 04 (MNA)

Trump, Pence, G W Bush, Hannity and Sen. Rick Scott's best sheriff fried under DOJ investi
scott huminski | indybay.org | 2020-05-03
The Justice Department and Florida Department of Health are investigating Sheriff Carmine Marceno for civil rights abuses, human rights abuses, ADA violations and felony abuse of a disabled adult.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/01/18832772.php

Challenging the Narrative: Media Propaganda Launches Conspiracy Theories Against Covid-19 Skeptics
Timothy Alexander Guzman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-03
Following the September 11th attacks in New York City, it instantaneously changed everything, from expanding US wars abroad against Afghanistan and Iraq, the dismantling of whatever civil rights you had left to the increased use of drones for surveillance and …
globalresearch.ca/media-propaganda-launches-conspiracy-theories-against-covid-19-skeptics/5711597

SFPD Wore "Blue Lives Matter" Face Masks While Responding to Protest
Insult to Black Lives Matter, Insult to All | indybay.org | 2020-05-03
Photos of the scene at a May 1 housing protest in San Francisco show police wearing face masks that depict the Blue Lives Matter flag. Police regulation states that officers cannot alter their uniform. City Police Chief Bill Scott is seeking "neutral" face coverings for the city's rank and file.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/03/18832811.php

Female Genital Mutilation Finally Banned in Sudan
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-03
In a significant victory for women and girls' rights in Sudan, the country's transitional government banned on April 22 and reported by The Guardian on Friday, the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), making it punishable by three years in jail and a fine. | RELATED: | Sudanese Prime Minister Survives Assassination Attempt | Women's rights groups praised the move saying it would help to end FGM but warned about the difficulty of changing mentalities as the practice is deeply…
telesurenglish.net/news/Female-Genital-Mutilation-Finally-Banned-in-Sudan-20200503-0015.html

Parl. Secuiry Commission to address condition of Iranian scientist jailed in US
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-03
TEHRAN, May 03 (MNA)

May Day Caravan in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz News | indybay.org | 2020-05-03
#COLA4ALL activists in Santa Cruz organized a May Day Caravan to support those "striking and fighting for their right to live in this city". Beginning on the UC Santa Cruz campus to support the striking COLA graduate students, the caravan traveled downtown to the Santa Cruz Main Jail, and then on to support Food Not Bombs at Front and Laurel Streets. (Photos taken downtown by Keith McHenry of Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs.)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/02/18832785.php

Israeli Troops Abduct Twelve Palestinians, Including Former Prisoner
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-05-03
Israeli troops reportedly abducted, early on Sunday, a dozen Palestinians from different parts of the Palestinian territories, prisoners sources said. The Ramallah-based Palestinian prisoners forum said that Israeli troops invaded the al-"Isawiya neighborhood of the old city of Jerusalem, which is internationally-recognized as an Israeli-occupied Palestinian area. The forum added …
imemc.org/article/israeli-troops-abduct-twelve-palestinians-including-former-prisoner/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israeli-troops-abduct-twelve-palestinians-including-former-prisoner

New York caravan celebrates May Day
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-02
New York, NY – Dozens of cars gathered in different boroughs of New York City on Friday May 1 in honor of May Day, or International Workers Day. Due to the city being on pause, protesters used a caravan to display signs and drive through different neighborhoods in the city, showing solidarity with workers and other oppressed groups. A special focus was put on COVID-19 and how workers, prisoners and immigrants lack protection from COVID-19. | The three contingents started in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. Their demands included cancel the rents, hazard pay and PPE, free healthcare and COVID testing, free them al…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/5/2/new-york-caravan-celebrates-may-day

New York caravan celebrates May Day
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-02
New York, NY – Dozens of cars gathered in different boroughs of New York City on Friday May 1 in honor of May Day, or International Workers Day. Due to the city being on pause, protesters used a caravan to display signs and drive through different neighborhoods in the city, showing solidarity with workers and other oppressed groups. A special focus was put on COVID-19 and how workers, prisoners and immigrants lack protection from COVID-19. | The three contingents started in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. Their demands included cancel the rents, hazard pay and PPE, free healthcare and COVID testing, free them al…
fightbacknews.org/2020/5/2/new-york-caravan-celebrates-may-day

Louisiana prisons are 'death concentration camps'
a guest author | workers.org | 2020-05-02
By: Quess Moore/transcribed by Mirinda Crissman This slightly edited talk is by Quess Moore speaking at the April 9 Workers World Party webinar. Moore organizes with New Orleans Workers Group and Take 'Em Down NOLA, a group which has been working to take down symbols of white supremacy and slavery. . . . | Continue reading Louisiana prisons are 'death concentration camps' at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48121/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=louisiana-prisons-are-death-concentration-camps

[Editorial] COVID-19: remaking the social contract
The Lancet | thelancet.com | 2020-05-02
"Allegiance, after all, has to work two ways; and one can grow weary of an allegiance which is not reciprocal." The British playwright David Hare quoted this line by the American writer James Baldwin in his recent reflections on the UK Government's response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Baldwin's reminder and warning in the context of civil rights in the mid-20th century USA speak now in the pandemic to communities the world over who are unsure of their governments' allegiances to them.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30983-1/fulltext?rss=yes

Betsy DeVos Sued for Garnishing Wages of 285,000 Student Borrowers Amid Pandemic
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-02
A home health aide who earns just under $13 per hour is the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit filed Thursday against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, whose department has continued garnishing the wages of hundreds of thousands of student loan borrowers in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. | The CARES Act, which was signed into law in late March, pro…
truthout.org/articles/betsy-devos-sued-for-garnishing-wages-of-285000-student-borrowers-amid-pandemic/

Sudan bans female genital mutilation, UNICEF vows to help support new law
news.un.org | 2020-05-02
The United Nations Childen's Fund (UNICEF) welcomed the landmark move by Sudan's transitional government this week to criminalize female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), with a three-year jail sentence for offenders.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/05/1063122

[World Report] Prisons are "in no way equipped" to deal with COVID-19
Talha Burki | thelancet.com | 2020-05-02
Prisons are a hotspot for COVID-19. In theory, prisoners have the same right to health as anyone else, but the reality is very different. Talha Burki reports.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30984-3/fulltext?rss=yes

Brazil: Prisoners Riot in Manaus and Take Hostages
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-02
Inmates at the Puraquequara prison in Manaus city started a riot on Saturday morning and took seven prison officers hostage. They demand better living conditions inside the prison, which have been notoriously degraded because of the COVID-19 crisis. | RELATED: | Brazil: Manaus Collapses as COVID-19 Hits Indigenous People | "Through social media, the prisoners indicated that they want improvements such as light, mattresses, fans, good food, and medicine for the sick," local outlet UO…
telesurenglish.net/news/Brazil-Prisoners-Riot-in-Manaus-and-Take-Hostages-20200502-0003.html

Coronavirus-positive scientist to return home from U.S. jail: Tehran
Tehran Times | iranian.com | 2020-05-04
Sirous Asgari, an Iranian scientist imprisoned in the United States who has contracted the novel coronavirus, will return home soon, according to Iran's Foreign Ministry. During a press conference on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said the ministry is following up on Asgari's case both in Iran and in the U.S. Asgari, who has …
iranian.com/2020/05/04/coronavirus-positive-scientist-to-return-home-from-u-s-jail-tehran/

Iran Under Siege from Humanitarian Imperialism amid Pandemic
Daniel Haiphong | iranian.com | 2020-05-03
Iran is once again under siege from humanitarian imperialism. The United Nations (UN) has released multiple reports in recent weeks criticizing the Iranian government for supposed human rights violations in relation to the treatment of prisoners and its lockdown procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nazanin Boniadi, a board of director at the Center for Human …
iranian.com/2020/05/03/iran-under-siege-humanitarian-imperialism-amid-pandemic/

UN urged to take action for release of Iranian prof. imprisoned in US
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-02
TEHRAN, May 03 (MNA)

PA prisoners tortured for protesting racist policies
Ted Kelly | workers.org | 2020-05-02
Eric McGill was locked up in Lebanon County Correctional Facility in Lebanon, Pa., on Jan. 19, 2019. For 15 months now he has been held there, not because he has been convicted of a crime, but because he cannot afford the preposterous $1 million bail the judge set. And during . . . | Continue reading PA prisoners tortured for protesting racist policies at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48116/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pa-prisoners-tortured-for-protesting-racist-policies

[Perspectives] Death of a courtier
Sarah Ditum | thelancet.com | 2020-05-02
A plague sweeps the nation, the head of state's health is threatened, and the business of government is rendered fragile and unsteady. It has been over a decade since Hilary Mantel began her Thomas Cromwell trilogy with Wolf Hall in 2009, and 8 years since 2012's Bring Up the Bodies, but what felt like an arduous wait now seems like nothing but impeccable timing. Cromwell even ends the novel under his own version of lockdown as a prisoner in the Tower of London. The world has been uncannily prepared for The Mirror & the Light.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30939-9/fulltext?rss=yes

A Delaware prisoner's plea for PPE
a guest author | workers.org | 2020-05-02
This letter is from a prisoner at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in New Castle County, Delaware. Two prisoners have died from COVID-19 in the Vaughn facility, and a combined 30 more have tested positive for the virus there and at a neighboring Sussex Community Corrections Center. On April 25, . . . | Continue reading A Delaware prisoner's plea for PPE at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48113/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-delaware-prisoners-plea-for-ppe

A County Jail Battles COVID-19 and the Opioid Crisis–At the Same Time
Marcia Brown | progressive.org | 2020-05-01
The pandemic and an increase in immigration detainees create a double whammy for the rural Ohio jail.
progressive.org/dispatches/county-jail-battles-covid19-and-opioid-crisis-brown-200501/

How to Protest in a Pandemic
Emerson Sykes | aclu.org | 2020-05-01
For centuries, Americans have taken to the streets when they've had grievances to share. We've taken to the streets to make our voices heard, to effect change, and to feel and display the power and solidarity of mass gatherings. But with physical distancing and shelter in place orders prevalent throughout the U.S. and the world, how do we responsibly exercise our First Am…
aclu.org/news/free-speech/how-to-protest-in-a-pandemic

McDonald's Employees are Working through the COVID-19 Pandemic. So Why Don't They Have Access to Paid Sick and Family Leave?
Nicole Regalado | aclu.org | 2020-05-01
Essential workers are on the front-lines during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have suffered higher infection rates because of it. Yet too many of these workers do not have access to paid sick leave and family leave. That means that if an employee comes down with COVID-19, they must choose between safeguarding their own health and the health of others, and potentially losing their job. Nobody should have to make this choice. , , Essential businesses include ubiquitous fast-food chains like McDo…
aclu.org/news/racial-justice/mcdonalds-employees-are-working-through-the-covid-19-pandemic-so-why-dont-they-have-access-to-paid-sick-and-family-leave

A COVID-19 Balancing Act: Public Health and Privacy
aclu.org | 2020-05-01
Some states are officially loosening their stay at home restrictions, and more will join in the coming months as Americans attempt to inch their way back to pre-COVID-19 life. Some of us will return to work, gather in small groups, and maybe even dine at a neighborhood restaurant. , , As we proceed, what will it take to keep us safe and prevent new spikes in infections? Many experts say we won't be out of the woods until there's a vaccine, but how would a national vaccination plan even work? At the same time, technological solutions are being proposed, especially related to contact tracing, the process b…
aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/a-covid-19-balancing-act-public-health-and-privacy

What Happened When I Needed an Abortion During the Pandemic
Anonymous Mother in Tennessee | aclu.org | 2020-05-01
I am a 30-year-old woman and mother of three kids living in Tennessee. My oldest is just over two years old. My two girls are nine-month-old twins. Because the twins were born prematurely, they have significant medical needs. I have no family living nearby, and very little caregiving support. I tried to get my son into daycare earlier this year, but the childcare facility

McConnell's Stimulus Scam: Vaccinate Businesses, Expose Workers
Elie Mystal | thenation.com | 2020-05-01
McConnell's Stimulus Scam: Vaccinate Businesses, Expose Workers…
thenation.com/article/politics/immunity-lawsuit-mcconnell/

Chicago Tribune lends its press to racism
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-01
Chicago, IL – The headline in the Chicago Tribune Wednesday, April 19 blared: "Two charities have bailed scores of felony defendants out of Cook County Jail. Some were soon charged with new crimes." The headline could have said, with equal validity, that "Millions of Chicagoans were not arrested last year. Some were charged with new crimes." | The article is filled with racist 'dog whistles' about [Black and brown] people with guns and hysteria regarding violent crime. In actual fact, in the past three years the rate of violent crime in Chicago has declined significantly. The Tribune is blowing the racist 'get to…
fightbacknews.org/2020/5/1/chicago-tribune-lends-its-press-racism

Holding true to the abolitionist framework
a guest author | workers.org | 2020-05-01
Here is a slightly edited transcript of Amber-Rose Howard's talk during the April 9 Workers World Party webinar. Howard is the executive director of CURB, Californians United for a Responsible Budget. Experiencing a felony conviction as a young adult propelled Howard into a lifetime commitment of organizing against the prison-industrial . . . | Continue reading Holding true to the abolitionist framework at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/04/48065/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=holding-true-to-the-abolitionist-framework

'A New Low': Betsy DeVos Sued for Garnishing Wages of Nearly 300,000 Student Loan Borrowers During Pandemic
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-05-01
A home health aide who earns just under $13 per hour is the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, whose department has continued collecting garnished wages from hundreds of thousands of student loan borrowers during the coronavirus pandemic. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/betsy_devos_3_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/01/new-low-betsy-devos-sued-garnishing-wages-nearly-300000-student-loan-borrowers?cd-origin=rss