(2018-11-17). Release of Top Secret CIA Document Reveals Deeper Medical Complicity in Torture Program. globalresearch.ca With the release of a previously top secret document – made public thanks to a legal victory by the ACLU – disclosing the role of the Office of Medical Services (OMS) in the CIA's torture program, Physicians for Human Rights …
(2018-11-17). Betsy DeVos Faces Another Lawsuit Over For-Profit College Loans. truthout.org Even though a court ordered the Department of Education to discharge — otherwise known as forgive — student loans taken out by people who attended for-profit colleges that were later shuttered, the agency has been slow to comply. | And now, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos faces …
(2018-11-17). US college let booze-soaked, tenured 'predators' club' prey on students sexually for YEARS — lawsuit. rt.com 
Dartmouth College administrators covered up for a trio of lewd professors who used their classrooms as a sexual hunting ground for over a decade, even threatening victims who spoke up, according to a new lawsuit.
(2018-11-17). Please Help Mississippians Vote For Mike Espy On Nov 27th. indybay.org Democrat Mike Espy, former USDA Secretary, 4 times elected to Congress as the first black American since Reconstruction to represent a Mississippi district, is an attorney who has worked for black farmer' rights. His opponent Cindy Hyde-Smith is a cattle ranch owner and part owner of a slaughterhouse auction block who has been accused of racism and vote suppression advocacy.
(2018-11-16). Sen. Hyde-Smith's Public Hanging Quip Is an Affront to Black Americans Who Were Lynched. aclu.org Dismissing comments about public hangings as a joke is not okay, especially in Mississippi, a state that lynched more Black people than any other. | When Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is in a run-off election with Democrat Mike Espy for the state's U.S. Senate seat, attempted to show her loyalty to one of her supporters during a recent campaign stop, she quipped: "If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be on the front row." | The comment would be wildly inappropriate anywhere, but in Mississippi, which has the distinction of being the state that lynched more African-Americans than any other, it i…
(2018-11-16). NAACP GRASSROOTS & VOTER TURNOUT EFFORTS SPUR INCREASED BLACK VOTER PARTICIPATION. naacp.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 16, 2018 CONTACTS: NAACP@sunshinesachs.com and Malik Russell / mrussell@naacpnet.org / 410-580-5761 NAACP civic engagement campaign helped generate record midterm election turnout among Black Voters BALTIMORE — From the passage of Amendment 4 in Florida, which restored voting rights to convicted felons to the record number of early voting among voters of color — including a 77% increase among […] | The post
(2018-11-16). At its convention, Portugal's Left Bloc gears up for year of crucial fights. greenleft.org.au 
In 2019, European and legislative elections will take place in Portugal in a national political context different from anywhere else in the European Union (EU), where austerity policies still reign and the racist and xenophobic right is rising, writes Dick Nichols from Lisbon. | Over the past three years in Portugal, the minority Socialist Party (PS) government has been supported from outside by the Left Bloc, the Communist Party of Portugal (PCP) and the Ecologist Party-The Greens (PEV). | During that time wages and welfare payments have risen, privatisations have stopped, unemployment has halved to 6.3%, casual…
(2018-11-16). Copy-Paste Error Reveals Assange Has Already Been Charged in the US. theantimedia.com 
(ZHE) — Update: The ACLU has published a statement declaring the US's decision to prosecute Assange to be "unprecedented and unconstitutional". .@ACLU: Prosecuting Assange for @wikileaks publishing operations unprecedented and unconstitutional. …. sets dangerous precedent for U.S. journalists, who routinely violate foreign secrecy laws to deliver information vital to the public's interest. t.co/DJY1CfbpEx — Jamil Dakwar (@jdakwar) …
(2018-11-16). Betsy DeVos Wants to Roll Back Civil Rights Protections For Students Filing Complaints of Sexual Harassment or Assault. aclu.org Our analysis of how DeVos' proposed rule would change how colleges and universities deal with allegations of sexual assault under Title IX. | The Department of Education headed by Secretary Betsy DeVos on Friday released a proposed rule that, if implemented, would dramatically limit schools' obligations to students who experience sexual violence and would not further the stated goal of fair process. The ACLU is equally committed to ensuring students can learn in environments free from sexual harassment and violence and to guaranteeing fair process for both respondents and complainants. | The new rule preserv…
(2018-11-16). ICE Is Targeting Activists in Vermont. And the State's DMV Has Been Helping Them. aclu.org ICE partnered with the Vermont DMV to target farmworker rights' activists for political repression. | In October 2017, Vermont-based Migrant Justice scored a major victory in the organization's campaign to extend labor protections to undocumented farmworkers in the state. After years of public action and lobbying, they reached an agreement with Ben & Jerry's that established basic labor standards at the farms supplying dairy products to the company. Those standards included one day off a week, a minimum wage of $10 per…
(2018-11-16). Illinois Police Killed a Black Security Guard While Doing His Job. aclu.org Jemel Robinson saved lives — but because of racially biased policing, he paid for it with his own. | In an alternate reality, Tuesday's national news headlines would have read: "Active Shooter Heroically Subdued by Brave Security Guard." Instead, we woke up to news stories announcing that police in Midlothian, Illinois, responded to a bar shooting by killing the security guard who had bravely detained the shooting suspect. | Jemel Roberson should be alive today. But he's not, and…
(2018-11-16). NAACP-opposed judicial nominee Thomas Farr scheduled for a full Senate confirmation vote. naacp.org Senate leadership has now sent President Trump's nominee to a life-time appointment as a judge to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, attorney Thomas A. Farr, to the floor for a vote. The NAACP strongly opposes this nomination; throughout his career, Mr. Farr has consistently supported and worked for efforts […]
(2018-11-16). NAACP Statement on 2017 FBI Hate Crime Report. naacp.org It comes as no surprise to communities of color that the amount of hate crimes reported to the FBI increased by 17 percent last year. Without a doubt, the racist and bigoted rhetoric emanating from the Trump administration has fueled the flames of hate and division in our nation. For at least the last 25 years, African […]
(2018-11-16). CNN's Jim Acosta Back at Work After Judge's Ruling. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Friday to immediately return the White House press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta, though a lawsuit over the credentials' revocation is continuing. | U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly, an appointee of President Donald Trump, announced his decision at a hearing Friday morning. The judge said Acosta's credentials must be reactivated to allow him access to the White House complex for press briefings and other events. | Acosta, CNN's chief White House correspondent, was back in the afternoon. The White House said it would be devel…
(2018-11-16). Edinburgh tells fascist Bannon to go back home. mronline.org 
Ex-Trump aide's visit 'legitimises racist views' | Source
(2018-11-15). NAACP Strongly Urges Senate Rejection of Farr Nomination. naacp.org BALTIMORE (November 15, 2018)—The NAACP strongly condemns Thomas Farr's nomination and the Senate's scheduling of his vote. The nation just experienced national elections which are not yet over and which were tainted by egregious voting rights violations. That Majority Leader McConnell chooses this moment in time to vote on a judicial nominee known as the vote-suppressor-in-chief […]
(2018-11-15). The Watergate Blueprint for Impeaching Donald Trump. theintercept.com 
When Donald Trump's presidential election victory was announced in the early morning hours of November 9, 2016, like many Americans, I rubbed my eyes in disbelief and dismay. Two questions raced through my mind: | What had become of America that a man so unfit, so small-minded, so mean-spirited could be elected? A man whose ethnic and racial bigotry had set the stage for his presidential run when he called Mexicans rapists and made racist birther attacks on President Barack Obama. Whose vulgarity and misogyny were laid bare in the Access Hollywood tape when he bragged about forcibly grabbing women by their genita…
(2018-11-15). Prisoners Are Getting Paid $1.45 a Day to Fight the California Wildfires. aclu.org Incarcerated workers fighting wildfires deserve the same wages and protections that civilian workers receive. | As firefighters in California battle the deadliest wildfires in the state's history, they are joined by unlikely allies against the blaze. About 200 prisoners in California's Conservation Camp program are fighting the fires alongside civilian employees, earning just $1.45 a day for their work. Their pay as workers is a fraction of minimum wage. The hazard to their lives is real, as evidenced by a death toll that has…
(2018-11-15). Vermont Immigrant Rights Group Sues ICE for Monitoring, Infiltrating & "Hunting Down" Organizers. democracynow.org 
A major new federal lawsuit claims that immigration agents are targeting undocumented organizers for their activism in Vermont. The suit accuses Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles of carrying out a multiyear campaign of political retaliation against members of the group Migrant Justice. According to the lawsuit, Migrant Justice was infiltrated by an informant, and its members were repeatedly subjected to electronic surveillance. At least 20 active members of Migrant Justice have been arrested and detained by ICE. We speak with Will…
(2018-11-15). Court rejects neo-Nazi's free speech defense in SPLC case. splcenter.org A federal judge has rejected neo-Nazi leader Andrew Anglin's attempt to dismiss an SPLC lawsuit seeking to hold him accountable for orchestrating a campaign of terror against a Jewish woman and her family in Montana.
(2018-11-15). Congressional proclamation honors slain man at center of historic SPLC lawsuit. splcenter.org Thirty years ago this month, a group of racist skinheads savagely beat an Ethiopian college student to death on a street in Portland, Oregon — an attack that sparked an SPLC lawsuit that decimated the neo-Nazi group responsible for the murder.
(2018-11-15). The Blue Wave Keeps Rolling On. progressive.org By leaning into racism and voter suppression, the Republicans are trading their future for a few hard-fought, short-term victories. And despite that, across the country organized citizens delivered a rebuke to the politics of Donald Trump.
(2018-11-14). The 2018 Midterm Elections Demonstrate Criminal Justice Reform Is a Winner at the Ballot Box. aclu.org The criminal justice reform movement is thriving and building for continued success in dismantling decades' worth of tough on crime policies. | Criminal justice reform was on the ballot from coast to coast in the 2018 midterm elections. There were over 1,000 prosecutor elections. Pro-reform candidates ascended to powerful roles in cities like Birmingham, …
(2018-11-14). Police and Data Collection: Why Louisiana Needs Reform. splcenter.org If Louisiana were a country, it would have the second-highest incarceration rate in the world, behind only Oklahoma.1…
(2018-11-14). The Outgoing Congress Shouldn't Reward Trump With More Homeland Security Funding. aclu.org The Department of Homeland Security is a moral and fiscal disaster. The lame-duck Congress shouldn't reward it with more taxpayer dollars. | Before Dec. 7, Congress will have to make a decision: Will they reward the department responsible for separating families, jailing immigrants, raiding communities of color, and abusing its power at the border by increasing it budget? Or will they stand up and rein in Trump's detention and deportation force? | The Department of Homeland Security is currently funded by a continuing resolution, a short-term bill that extends its budget from last year. It
(2018-11-14). Attorney General Jeff Sessions is Fired. naacp.org On November 7, 2018, Jefferson "Jeff" Beauregard Sessions III resigned his position as U.S. Attorney General at the request of President Trump. The NAACP had strongly opposed then-Senator Sessions' confirmation to this position in early February, 2017. Going forward, the NAACP strongly urges President Trump to nominate an individual to serve as Attorney General who has […]
(2018-11-14). NAACP Statement on FDA Plan to Ban Sale of Menthol and E-Cigarettes. naacp.org NAACP released the following statement following reports of the Food and Drug Administration's proposal to ban menthol cigarettes: "The NAACP is pleased to hear of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) plan to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes and restrict the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. For decades, data have shown that the tobacco industry […]
(2018-11-14). Headlines for November 14, 2018. democracynow.org California Wildfires Kill 50 Across State as Blazes Rage On, Police Arrest 51 Activists Demanding Climate Action from Pelosi, Landmark Climate Lawsuit by Young Activists in Legal Limbo, Pentagon Chief Mattis to Visit 6,000 Troops at U.S.-Mexico Border, Congressional Progressives Appear to Downplay Plans to Abolish ICE, Congressional Race Results Still Uncertain One Week After Midterms, Georgia: Black Woman State Senator Arrested at Peaceful Voter Protest, Fates of Senior Trump Advisers in Doubt After Clashes with FLOTUS, Trump Lawyers Prepare Answers in Mueller Probe, CNN Sues Trump over Acosta Ban, Chicago: Poli…
(2018-11-14). Interview with former Black Panther Thomas "Blood" McCreary and Frank Chapman. fightbacknews.org Thomas "Blood" McCreary is a veteran of the Black liberation movement of the 1960s and 70s, having been a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), then the Black Panther Party (BPP), and then the Black Liberation Army. Today he continues to press for release of the former Panthers who are still in prison, many for 45 years. He also advocates for the dropping of the cases against the Panthers abroad, including Assata Shakur. | Frank Chapman is the Field Organizer of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. | McCreary was in Chicago for an event celebrating the 50th anniv…
(2018-11-13). How Georgia's Probation System Squeezes the Poor and Feeds Mass Incarceration. aclu.org Poor Georgians are falling victim to probation policies that enrich private companies and contribute to recidivism rates. | Charles " Skip" Eckartz, a 63-year-old disabled veteran, and his wife, Virginia "Ginny" Eckartz, were arrested in their Georgia home for manufacturing marijuana. They were incarcerated for five days until Ginny was able to use the small inheritance she'd received after her mother's death as collateral for their bond. | Although all of the charges were dropped…
(2018-11-13). Secret CIA Document Shows Plan to Test Drugs on Prisoners. aclu.org 
New documents reveal the detailed, first-person account of the top CIA medical professional responsible for torturing prisoners. | Thanks to an ACLU victory in federal court, we know much more about how CIA doctors violated the medical oath to "do no harm." | One of the most important lessons of the CIA's torture program is the way it corrupted virtually every individual and institution associated with it. Over the years, we have learned how lawyers …
(2018-11-13). NAACP Calls Mississippi Candidate Hyde-Smith's Hanging Comments "Sick" naacp.org BALTIMORE— (November 11, 2018) The NAACP issued the following statement regarding Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith recent statement on being invited to a public hanging. "Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith's shameful remarks prove once again how Trump has created a social and political climate that normalizes hateful and racist rhetoric. We've seen this in Florida from Ron DeSantis […]
(2018-11-13). "Rock Stone Mountain II" permit denied. splcenter.org A planned racist gathering at Georgia's Stone Mountain monument has encountered its first stumbling block after park authorities denied the planners a permit for 2019's Super Bowl weekend.
(2018-11-13). White cop kills Black security guard in Chicago suburb. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL — Black Community leader Frank Chapman condemned the November 12 killing of an African American security guard, Jemel Roberson, by a white police officer from the Midlothian Police Department in the Chicago suburb of Robbins. | "Every city in the U.S. where Black people live has the same crisis of police accountability. Until Black people have the power to determine who polices them and how they are policed, cops will brutalize, torture and murder us with impunity," said Chapman, of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. | When he was killed by the police officer, Robers…
(2018-11-13). Trump Points to Polls in France, Where 80 Percent Say He's a Dangerous, Incompetent Racist. theintercept.com 
Donald Trump mocked Emmanuel Macron for having a low approval rating in France, apparently unaware that French citizens have a far lower opinion of him.
(2018-11-13). Call to unite against racism. greenleft.org.au 
About 300 people rallied against racism in Melbourne on November 10. The rally was organised in response to the continued vilification of Melbourne's African community by politicians and the media. | Praise and Shema, two high school students from the Liberian and Sudanese communities, addressed the rally. They called for an end to media attacks on the African community. | The Islamic Council of Victoria's Adel Salman told the rally that the media needs a code of ethics and to stop promoting hate speech. | Taqi Azra, a Hazara refugee and National Union of Workers organiser, said: "They are trying to divide u…
(2018-11-12). Headlines for November 12, 2018. democracynow.org Over 30 Killed and 200 Missing in California Wildfires, Gov. Brown Blames Climate Change for Fires as Trump Blames California, Thousand Oaks Evacuated for Wildfires Days After Deadly Mass Shooting, Florida Recounts Underway in Contested Senate and Governor Races, Senate Race in AZ Still Uncalled as CA District Flips to Democrats, MS Senate Candidates Head to Runoff as GOP Incumbent Under Fire for Racist Joke, FBI Probing "Scam Company" Where Acting AG Matt Whitaker Once Served, Trump Continues Attacks on Black Women Reporters, In Final Act as AG, Sessions Limits Police Abuse Consent Decrees, Trump Skips Paris Pea…
(2018-11-09). NAACP Demands for Georgia Election Officials to Promptly Investigate Pattern of Georgia Students Being Denied the Right to Vote. naacp.org BALTIMORE(November 9, 2018)—NAACP, the nation's foremost civil rights organization, sent a letter to Georgia elections officials just two days after the state's too-close-to-call elections, demanding a prompt investigation into reports that Georgia student voters were turned away from polling stations, unable to vote. Others were improperly required to vote provisional ballots. The letter cites two instances where university students […] | The post
(2018-11-09). Jeff Sessions Leaves a Dark Mark on the Justice Department. aclu.org Sessions' Justice Department systematically undermined civil liberties and civil rights. | Under almost any other circumstances, the firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions would be a moment for dancing in the streets. Sessions oversaw a Justice Department that systematically undermined civil liberties and civil rights. | But his departure portends no improvement on these fronts. And the fact that President Trump
(2018-11-08). NAACP Statement on Brian Kemp's Resignation as Georgia Secretary of State. naacp.org NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, released the following statement after reports of Georgia Secretary of State and Gubernatorial Candidate, Brian Kemp's resignation: "It's unfortunate that Brian Kemp did not step down months ago as Secretary of State to ensure that Georgia had a fair election. Whether it's malicious intent or benign neglect, Kemp's actions […]
(2018-11-06). 'Charleston and Tree of Life Are Connected Struggles' – CounterSpin interview with Audrey Sasson on antisemitism, racism and resistance. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed Audrey Sasson about antisemitism, racism and resistance for the November 2, 2018, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
(2018-11-03). Assange Case Shows Support for Free Speech Depends on Who's Talking. fair.org 
by Joe Emersberger Julian Assange, whom the UN has declared to be "arbitrarily detained" by Britain and Sweden, is used by the Guardian ( 10/17/18) to illustrate a gag story on "nightmare flatmates." | The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded in February 2016 that the governments of the UK and Sweden had forced WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange into a condition of arbitrary detention in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has been since 2012. The group's …
(2018-11-02). Get Ready for the Shake-Up: Grassroots Candidates Drive Midterm Surge. progressive.org While Donald Trump rallies the rightwing base with flagrant appeals to fear, anger, and racism, the most diverse slate of candidates in U.S. history is poised to change the direction of the nation's politics for a long time to come.
(2018-10-18). A Tribute to Ron Dellums, Radical. zcomm.org Ron Dellums appreciated the struggle against racism is permanently joined with those against sexism, militarism, and capitalism…
(2018-10-18). Trump Administration's Warped View of Religious Freedom Abroad. zcomm.org Religious freedom arguments are increasingly being used to challenge anti-discrimination policies and access to services…
(2018-10-11). Dreaming political concepts in Iran and the US: Huey Newton and Ali Shariati, through the movie Black Panther. zcomm.org Dreaming political concepts in Iran and the US: Huey Newton and Ali Shariati, through the movie Black Panther In the movie Black Panther, N'Jobu is residing in Oakland, California as a Wakandan spy when he's troubled by the racism faced by black Americans. T'Chaka, the king of Wakanda, considers N'Jobu's plot of Read more…