US Stocks Plummet As Mnuchin Makes 'Very Odd' Call to Bank CEOs
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-24
United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he made calls to the heads of the country's six largest banks Sunday to reassure investors that banks had "ample liquidity." By Monday morning the U.S. stock market bench marker, Dow Jones Industrial Average fell another 434 points after it lost 1,655 last week. | RELATED: | Trump's 'Racist' Wall Approved by House | In a statement released on his Twitter account, Mnuchin said he had spoken directly with the heads of Bank of America, Citi, Goldman Sachs,…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Stocks-Plummet-As-Mnuchin-Makes-Very-Odd-Call-to-Bank-CEOs-20181224-0010.html

Lula's Followers Hold Christmas Vigil In Front of His Prison
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-24
Brazilian former President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva's supporters will gather in front of the jail where he is imprisoned to celebrate Christmas in solidarity with him on Dec. 24 and 25. | RELATED: | Lula: I Do Not Want Favors, I Just Want Justice | Members of Lula Livre (Free Lula) movement called on Lula's followers to attend a vigil outside the Curitiba Federal Police station in…
telesurenglish.net/news/Lulas-Followers-Hold-Christmas-Vigil-In-Front-of-His-Prison-20181224-0007.html

Should We Rethink Presidential Powers?
Wim Laven | counterpunch.org | 2018-12-24
On Dec. 18thit was agreed that Donald Trump's charitable foundation would be dissolved. The decision was reached as a result of findings that Donald Trump and his family abused the tax exempt status and abused campaign finance laws. The lawsuit is not over; a decision on $2.8 million in restitution and penalties as well as…
counterpunch.org/2018/12/24/should-we-rethink-presidential-powers/

Angela Davis on Running from the FBI, Lessons from Prison and How Aretha Franklin Got Her Free
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-24
For more than four decades, Davis has been one of most influential activists and intellectuals in the United States. An icon of the black liberation movement, Davis's work around issues of gender, race, class and prisons has influenced critical thought and social movements across several generations. She is a leading advocate for prison abolition, a position informed by her own experience as a prisoner and fugitive on the FBI's top 10 most wanted list more than 40 years ago. Once caught, she faced the death penalty in California. After being acquitted, she has spent her life fighting to change the criminal justic…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/24/angela_davis_on_running_from_the

Lessons for the Left From the Spanish Elections
Conn Hallinan | counterpunch.org | 2018-12-24
In what seems a replay of recent German and Italian elections, an openly authoritarian and racist party made major electoral gains in Spain's most populous province, Andalusia, helping to dethrone the Socialist Party that had dominated the southern region for 36 years. Vox (Voice)–a party that stands for "Spain First," restrictions on women's rights, ending…
counterpunch.org/2018/12/24/lessons-for-the-left-from-the-spanish-elections/

Angela Davis: We Owe It to People Who Came Before Us to Fight to Abolish Prisons
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-24
Angela Davis is a leading advocate for prison abolition, a position informed by her own experience as a prisoner and a fugitive on the FBI's top 10 wanted list more than 40 years ago. Once caught, she faced the death penalty in California. After being acquitted on all charges, she spent her life fighting to change the criminal justice system. Amy Goodman sat down with Angela Davis at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C., in October to talk about the prison abolition movement.
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/24/angela_davis_we_owe_it_to

From 1968 to 2018: Angela Davis on Freedom Struggles Then and Now, and the Movements of the Future
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-24
Legendary scholar and activist Angela Davis's work around issues of gender, race, class and prisons has influenced critical thought and social movements across several generations. Amy Goodman sat down with her in Washington, D.C., in October to discuss freedom struggles over the past 50 years, and where people's movements are going next.
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/24/from_1968_to_2018_angela_davis

Congress Is Trying to Use the Spending Bill to Criminalize Boycotts of Israel
ACLU | indybay.org | 2018-12-24
According to recent reports, congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle are planning to sneak a bill criminalizing politically motivated boycotts of Israel into the end-of-the-year omnibus spending bill.
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/12/22/18819933.php

The Dutch racist tradition/Goodbye to Black Pete/Fascism is coming
Astrid Essed | indybay.org | 2018-12-24
Similar to the former "Blackface" [USA] and "Golliwog" [Great Britain], in the Netherlands "Zwarte Piet" [Dutch for | Black Pete] is a racist caricature, that is invented in the 19th century, the era of slavery, diehard colonialism | and racist theiries about the superiority of the "white race" | Black Pete is the stupid servant of Saint Nicholas [in Dutch "Sinterklaas] and leads to discrimination and | teasing of black children. Time to say goodbye to Black Pete!
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/12/23/18819954.php

Denouncing 7-Year-Old's Death, UN Rights Expert Demands US Halt Child Detentions
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2018-12-24
A day after the 7-year-old girl's small body returned to Guatemala in a coffin, a United Nations human rights expert demanded an independent probe into the death of Jakelin Caal while she was in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—and made a broader call for the U.S. to stop its international law-violating practice of detaining children on the basis of their migratory status. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/un-human-rights-expert-jakelin-caal.png…
commondreams.org/news/2018/12/24/denouncing-7-year-olds-death-un-rights-expert-demands-us-halt-child-detentions?cd-origin=rss

Blackwater mercenary convicted of first-degree murder in Iraq massacre
WSWS | wsws.org | 2018-12-24
Nick Slatten will face life in prison for his role in the 2007 massacre in Baghdad's Nisour Square.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/12/24/blac-d24.html

The United States Didn't Lose the Cold War. Racist Plutocrats Won It
David Atkins | commondreams.org | 2018-12-23
President Donald Trump chats with Russia's President Vladimir Putin as they attend the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit in the central Vietnamese city of Danang on Nov. 11, 2017. (Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_vlad_0.jpg…
commondreams.org/views/2018/12/23/united-states-didnt-lose-cold-war-racist-plutocrats-won-it?cd-origin=rss

Iraq/Kurdistan Region: Risk of Double Trials for ISIS Ties
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-23
Cigarette burns cover the hands and arms of 18-year-old "Karim." Kurdish authorities held him for 13 months. He then returned home and was rearrested by authorities under Baghdad's control, who tortured and held him for months. | © 2018 San Saravan | (Beirut) — Sunni Arab boys who serve prison time in Iraq's Kurdistan region for Islamic State (also known as ISIS) connections risk rearrest after their release if they try to reunite with their families…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/23/iraq/kurdistan-region-risk-double-trials-isis-ties

They Rescued Pigs and Turkeys From Factory Farms — and Now Face Decades in Prison
Leighton Akio Woodhouse | theintercept.com | 2018-12-23
In the fall of 2017, Glenn Greenwald reported on a nationwide FBI manhunt for two pigs named Lily and Lizzie. The pigs had been removed from a factory farm in Utah by animal rights activists from a group called Direct Action Everywhere. From the perspective of the activists, the pigs were rescued. From the perspective of Smithfield Farms, the Chinese-owned multinational corporation that owns the factory farm, they were stolen. | Direct Action Everywhere, also known as DxE, engages in a practice calle…
theintercept.com/2018/12/23/dxe-animal-rights-factory-farms/

Chicago city council candidates support community control of police
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2018-12-22
Chicago, IL – There are 212 candidates for the 50 seats in the February 19, 2019 Chicago city council elections. Of this total, 38 came out to a December 20 forum in support of an elected civilian police accountability council (CPAC). It's unusual for so many candidates to be together in one room unless they're seeking the support of a powerful union or political organization. But this wasn't an endorsement session. The candidates came to join the movement establish community control over the Chicago Police Department. | The forum was convened by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the o…
www.fightbacknews.org/2018/12/22/chicago-city-council-candidates-support-community-control-police

The First Step Act Could Be a Big Gift to CoreCivic and the Private Prison Industry
Liliana Segura | theintercept.com | 2018-12-22
As people continue to die inside CoreCivic's prisons, the First Step Act opens opportunities for the company to keep profiting from incarceration. | The post The First Step Act Could Be a Big Gift to CoreCivic and the Private Prison Industry appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/12/22/first-step-act-corecivic-private-prisons/

Extremists' collectibles used to fund today's hate movement
Bill Morlin | splcenter.org | 2018-12-21
Attempts to sell neo-Nazi memorabilia online are nothing new, but a recent marketing ploy attempts to use the sale of racist antiquities to fund modern-day racist activities.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/12/21/extremists-collectibles-used-fund-todays-hate-movement

Donorbox Shutters BDS Fundraising After Complaint by Israeli-Government Linked Group
AP | mintpressnews.com | 2018-12-21
JERUSALEM (AP) — A U.S. software company said Friday it blocked the fundraising account of the Palestinian-led boycott movement against Israel following a complaint by a pro-Israel group that the campaign has links to militant organizations. | Donorbox, which makes fundraising management software, confirmed that the BDS campaign's account was temporarily blocked while it investigates the allegations. | The BDS movement called the Israeli move "McCarthyite." | The decision came in response to a complaint from Shurat HaDin, an Israeli advocacy group that files lawsuits around the world against Israel's foes,…
mintpressnews.com/donorbox-shutters-bds-fundraising-after-complaint-by-israeli-government-linked-group/253232/

Single Moms Get Sucked Into the Cruelest Debtors' Prison We've Ever Seen
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-21
In Lexington County, SC, moms struggling to make ends meet get jailed for weeks or months at a time when they can't afford to pay court fines and fees | Twanda Marshinda Brown is a single mom in South Carolina who was supporting her children by working at Burger King. In 2016, a court in Lexington County fined her around $2,300 for two traffic offenses. The judge ordered her to make monthly payments of $100, even though she explained she could only afford to pay $50 a month whil…
aclu.org/blog/racial-justice/race-and-criminal-justice/single-moms-get-sucked-cruelest-debtors-prison-weve

Houthis to Demand Body of Slain Journalist Jamal Khashoggi as Part of Saudi Prisoner Exchange
Ahmed Abdulkareem | mintpressnews.com | 2018-12-21
"If [slain journalist Jamal] Khashoggi's sons ask or if they want us to demand their father's body [as part of the Saudi-Yemeni prisoner swap] then we will do it." — Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, President of Ansar Allah's Supreme Revolutionary Committee | The post Houthis to Demand Body of Slain Journalist Jamal Khashoggi as Part of Saudi Prisoner Exchange appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/houthis-demand-body-slain-journalist-jamal-khashoggi-part-saudi-prisoner-exchange/253278/

Congress Touts First Step Act as Criminal Justice Victory–But Critics Fear Bill Makes False Promises
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-21
A major criminal justice reform bill is poised to become law after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in its favor Thursday. The First Step Act, passed in the Senate earlier this week with an 87-12 vote, would roll back sentences for federal prisoners, including mandatory life terms for third-time offenders and mandatory sentences for nonviolent drug users. The bill is now heading to the desk of President Trump, who has pledged to sign it into law. The bill only affects federal prisoners, who make up less than 10 percent of the more than 2 million U.S. prisoners. It has been endorsed by a wide…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/21/congress_touts_first_step_act_as

Spanish regional elections: Socialist Party falters, far-right advances
Conn Hallinan | peoplesworld.org | 2018-12-21
In what seems a replay of recent German and Italian elections, an openly authoritarian and racist party made major electoral gains in Spain's most populous province, Andalusia, helping to dethrone the Socialist Party that had dominated the southern region for 36 years. Vox (Voice)–a party that stands for "Spain First," restrictions on women's rights, ending …
peoplesworld.org/article/spanish-regional-elections-socialist-party-falters-far-right-advances/

The Death Penalty in 2018: A Punishment on the Decline
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-21
We have much to celebrate in 2018, and much work towards abolition in the years ahead. | An annual survey conducted by the Death Penalty Information Center shows a significant decline in 2018 in the use of the death penalty nationwide. This is as it should be — the nation is turning away from the barbaric practice of killing its people as punishment. | In 2018, 25 people were executed, marking the fourth year in a row the United States has had fewer than 30 executions. That's down dramatically from the peak of 98 executions we saw in 1999. Death sentenc…
aclu.org/blog/capital-punishment/innocence-and-death-penalty/death-penalty-2018-punishment-decline

#SaveHakeem — Stop deportation of Bahraini refugee
kathy_f | greenleft.org.au | 2018-12-21
Bahraini refugee Hakeem Al-Araibi has been held in detention in Thailand since November 27, facing the terrifying prospect of deportation to the country where he was tortured. | Al-Araibi fled to Australia in 2014 and was accepted as a refugee. In November, he travelled on UN travel documents to Thailand for a short holiday with his wife. When he arrived at Bangkok airport, Al-Araibi was arrested under an Interpoll "Red Notice" (an international arrest warrant) issued by the Bahrain government. | Interpol is not meant to issue red notices for refugees, so this red notice should never have been issued for Al-Araib…
greenleft.org.au/content/savehakeem-%E2%80%93-stop-deportation-bahraini-refugee

United Arab Emirates: Further Information: Possible Verdict For Human Rights Defender: Ahmed Mansoor
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-21
On 24 December 2018 the Federal Supreme Court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to hear the appeal of prominent human rights defender and prisoner of conscience, Ahmed Mansoor. The court may issue a final verdict. On 29 May 2018, Ahmed Mansoor was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges including "insulting the UAE and its symbols".
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde25/9624/2018/en/

Émirats arabes unis: Jugement attendu pour un défenseur des droits humains
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-21
Le 24 décembre 2018, la Cour suprême fédérale des Émirats arabes unis doit examiner l'appel interjeté par l'éminent défenseur des droits humains et prisonnier d'opinion Ahmed Mansoor. La cour devrait rendre un verdict définitif. Le 29 mai, Ahmed Mansoor a été déclaré coupable entre autres d' ´ outrage aux Émirats arabes unis et à leurs symboles ª et condamné à 10 ans de prison.
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde25/9624/2018/fr/

Taiwan: Open Letter on legal recognition of same-sex unions
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-21
Dear Premier Lai, | We write concerning the results of the recent referendums in Taiwan in which same-sex marriage rights and LGBT-inclusive education in schools were rejected by voters on 24 November. We urge the Taiwanese authorities not to implement the outcomes of the referendums as this would violate human rights law, bolster discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and undermine comprehensive and inclusive education on gender and sexuality. | We would like to recall that despite the referendum results, the Taiwanese government still is under court order to enact legislation for recognizing same-se…
amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2018/12/open-letter-lai-ching-tei-legal-recognition-taiwan-same-sex-unions/

Congress Just Took a Big Step Toward Ending the Shackling of Pregnant Prisoners
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-20
Passing the First Step Act will be a step toward upholding the rights and protecting the health of pregnant prisoners. | Congress on Thursday passed the Senate version of the First Step Act, which is now headed for signature to President Trump. He is expected to sign it on Friday. | The First Step Act would, in addition to enacting other important criminal justice reforms, prohibit the shackling of p…
aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/women-prison/congress-just-took-big-step-toward-ending-shackling-pregnant

'Domestic Workers Don't Have Protections Against Discrimination and Harassment' – CounterSpin interview with Mariana Viturro on Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2018-12-20
Janine Jackson interviewed Mariana Viturro about the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights for the December 14, 2018, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
fair.org/home/domestic-workers-dont-have-protections-against-discrimination-and-harassment/

PRISON AND SENTENCING REFORM PASSES THE US SENATE
Adam Lee | naacp.org | 2018-12-20
On December 18, 2018, the U.S. Senate passed, by a vote of 87 yeas to 12 nays, its version of the First Step Act, legislation which begins to reform our nation's sentencing laws and prison terms. This bipartisan legislation, which has been strongly supported and promoted by the White House, offers some important improvements to the current federal criminal […] | The post PRISON AND SENTENCING REFORM PASSES THE US SENATE appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/prison-sentencing-reform-passes-us-senate/

Anti-Lynching Bill Passes the U.S. Senate
Adam Lee | naacp.org | 2018-12-20
Late in the afternoon of 12/19, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S. 3178, the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act, which was originally introduced by Senators Kamala Harris (CA), Cory Booker (NJ) and Tim Scott (SC). This crucial legislation would make lynching a hate crime, therefore eligible for the additional federal tools and resources used […] | The post Anti-Lynching Bill Passes the U.S. Senate appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/anti-lynching-bill-passes-u-s-senate/

Screen Shot 2018-12-20 at 7.46.15 AM.png
Ruth Conniff | progressive.org | 2018-12-20
"It was Paul Ryan and Reince Priebus who transformed the politics of Wisconsin with racist dog-whistle messaging, and that laid the foundation for Donald Trump."
progressive.org/dispatches/paul-ryans-hypocrisy-181220/

The Lives We Changed in 2018
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-20
Because of the generosity of ACLU members, these people are free to live their lives again. | This year hasn't been easy: Thousands of families are still suffering the effects of family separation; the Muslim ban continues to keep loved ones apart; and whole generations of family trees are being decimated by an unfair, out-of-control mass incarceration machine. But beneath the headlines, the news alerts, and the legal battles are a few glimmers of hope that ACLU supporters made possible., , Here are some of our favorite moments from 2018. | Ansly Breathes Free Again : | Ethics teacher Ansly Damus fled…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention/lives-we-changed-2018

NAACP Launches Boycott of Facebook: Platform Is Unhealthy for African Americans & U.S. Democracy
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-20
Facebook is under fire again, this time for new revelations that Russian trolls targeted African Americans on social media in an effort to influence the vote ahead of the 2016 election. A pair of bipartisan reports published by the Senate Intelligence Committee Monday claim the Russian government focused on African Americans in its effort to suppress the turnout of voters likely to cast ballots for Hillary Clinton, spreading fake news and sowing discord in the run-up to the election. The NAACP has launched a Facebook boycott in response, demanding the social media giant be held responsible. We speak with Derrick…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/20/naacp_launches_boycott_of_facebook_platform

United Arab Emirates: Further Information: Hunger-Striking Academic In Critical Condition: Dr Nasser bin Ghaith
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
Dr Nasser bin Ghaith's health has severely deteriorated. The prominent Emirati economist and academic has been on hunger strike for over 70 days in al-Razeen prison in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to protest the detention conditions and the denial of access to medical care. He is a prisoner of conscience.
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde25/9621/2018/en/

UAE: Fears grow for health of unjustly imprisoned academic
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
The authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) must immediately and unconditionally release Dr Nasser bin Ghaith, a prisoner of conscience whose health has deteriorated sharply in recent days, said Amnesty International today. | Dr Nasser bin Ghaith is serving a 10-year sentence for criticizing the UAE in comments posted on Twitter after a grossly unfair politically motivated trial. | "News that Dr Nasser bin Ghaith's health has deteriorated sharply…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/uae-fears-grow-for-health-of-unjustly-imprisoned-academic/

Algeria: Forced to leave: Stories of injustice against migrants in Algeria
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
Over the past two decades Algeria has become a country of transit or final destination of many nationals from West and Central Africa looking for employment opportunities in a variety of sectors, mainly construction and agriculture. Yet despite the large number of Sub-Saharan migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in the country, Algeria still lacks a clear legal framework for migrant workers and has a law criminalizing irregular migration making it an offence punishable by up to five years in prison. | Arbitrary arrests and mass expulsions of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa have reached an all-time high, in star…
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde28/9512/2018/en/

Emirats arabes unis: Un universitaire en grève de la faim est dans un état critique
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
La santé de Nasser bin Ghaith s'est gravement détériorée. Cet éminent économiste et universitaire émirien observe une grève de la faim depuis plus de 70 jours dans la prison d'Al Razeen, aux Émirats arabes unis, pour dénoncer les conditions de détention et la privation de soins médicaux dans cet établissement. Cet homme est un prisonnier d'opinion.
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde25/9621/2018/fr/

Déjà vu on the Greek-Turkey Border
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-20
Migrants that crossed the land border between Greece and Turkey are seen at the Pre-Removal Detention Center in the village of Fylakio, Northern Greece, February 24, 2017. | © 2017 Alexandros Avramidis /Reuters | Ten years ago, I documented a systematic pattern of brutal Greek border police pushbacks of migrants and asylum seekers at the Evros River border that divides Greece and Turkey. Last week, as I edited a new Human Rights Watch report, I felt as though I was re-reading my old report. | Here's a paragraph fro…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/20/deja-vu-greek-turkey-border

US Deporting Iraqis Without Valid Documents
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-20
Protesters rally outside the federal court just before a hearing to consider a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of Iraqi nationals facing deportation, in Detroit, Michigan, US, June 21, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters/Rebecca Cook | (Beirut) — The United States government has deported at least 30 of a planned 1,400 people originally from Iraq back to their country, in some cases threatening long imprisonmen…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/20/us-deporting-iraqis-without-valid-documents

Iran: Imprisoned Dissident Dies
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-20
Rajai Shahr Prison, Karaj, Iran. | © 2004 Private | (Beirut) — Iranian authorities should immediately carry out an independent and impartial investigation into the death of an imprisoned activist on a hunger strike, Human Rights Watch said today. Anyone found responsible for wrongdoing in the death of Vahid Sayadi Nasiri should be held accountable. Iranian authorities have systematically failed to conduct transparent investigations into at least prio…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/20/iran-imprisoned-dissident-dies

Despite Assurances From Trump, the U.S. Battle Against ISIS in Eastern Syria Is Far From Over
Ali Younes | theintercept.com | 2018-12-20
Despite assurances from President Donald Trump that the Islamic State is no more, the U.S.-led battle to oust the militant group from its last Syrian stronghold has intensified in recent weeks. | Amid heavy fighting between the Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and hardened Islamic State fighters, scores of civilians and prisoners have been killed by American airstrikes in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, according to sources on the ground. | As part of that campaign, U.S. warplanes bombed a hospital in the village of Al Shaafa…
theintercept.com/2018/12/20/syria-civil-war-isis-us-airstrikes/

Episode One: Murder at Taco Bell
Murderville, GA | theintercept.com | 2018-12-20
A murder in a small Georgia town sent a man to jail for 20 years. While he awaited trial, three more people were brutally killed. Did police get the wrong man? | The post Episode One: Murder at Taco Bell appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/12/20/murderville-podcast-episode-one/

Revisiting the Taco Bell Killing
Liliana Segura | theintercept.com | 2018-12-20
In the fall of 2001, lawmakers in Cook County, Georgia voted to raise taxes for the coming year. The $1.75 million hike passed "unanimously but reluctantly," according to the Adel News Tribune, which cited large expenditures in the name of law and order. There was the opening of the new county jail, requiring new staff and equipment, but, more significantly, the previous spring Adel had seen its first death penalty trial in a generation. The weeklong trial of 20-year-old Devonia Inman for the killing of a single mother named Donna Brown "quadrupled the Superior Court budget," according to the newspaper. The seque…
theintercept.com/2018/12/20/murderville-hercules-brown-dna-evidence/

Trump Administration Recommends Slashing Civil Rights Protections for Students of Color
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-19
A federal commission's post-Parkland recommendations include reversing an Obama-era guidance on racial disparities in school discipline. | On Tuesday, the Federal Commission on School Safety issued recommendations that it claims will help makes schools safer following the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. But at the center of the report is a proposal that will endanger millions of public school students, especially students of color and students with disabilities, by reversing federal guidance intended to address racial disparities in school discipline. Doing away with the guidance will weaken federal civil rig…
aclu.org/blog/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline/trump-administration-recommends-slashing-civil-rights

Federal Judge Blocks Trump's Policy Gutting Asylum for People Fleeing Domestic and Gang Violence
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-19
Once again, the Trump administration's attacks on asylum are held unlawful. | The Trump administration's campaign to dismantle our asylum system just suffered another major setback. | A federal judge in Washington, D.C., permanently blocked a June 2018 "expedited removal" policy that gutted asylum protections for immigrants fleeing domestic violence and gang brutality. Holding that "there is no legal basis for an effective categorical ban on domestic violence and gang-related claims," Judge Emmet Sullivan struck down the policy for being c…
aclu.org/blog/federal-judge-blocks-trumps-policy-gutting-asylum-people-fleeing-domestic-and-gang-violence

NAACP to Host National Townhall on Thursday Dec. 20
Rachel Johnson | naacp.org | 2018-12-19
Leaders, activists, and organizers join in a candid conversation about #livingwhileblack, justice reform, protecting our vote, Facebook and more issues impacting black America FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: Malik Russell/ mrussell@naacpnet.org and Vanessa Mbonu/ vmbonu@naacpnet.org BALTIMORE (December 19, 2018) — NAACP will host its final national tele townhall of the year on Thursday, December 20that 8 pm EST. The townhall is an opportunity to […] | The post NAACP to Host National Townhall on Thursday Dec. 20…
naacp.org/latest/naacp-host-national-townhall-thursday-dec-20/

CYNTOIA BROWN DESERVES CLEMENCY — THIS IS NOT A DEBATE
Rachel Johnson | naacp.org | 2018-12-19
This story is one that meets at the intersection of sex-trafficking and mass incarceration. Cyntoia Brown has been imprisoned since she was 16 years old in 2004, during which time she was charged with first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree felony murder and tried as an adult. Although she was a teenager, she was tried as an […] | The post CYNTOIA BROWN DESERVES CLEMENCY — THIS IS NOT A DEBATE appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/cyntoia-brown-deserves-clemency-not-debate/

Justice for Jakelin: Lawmakers Demand Answers in Death of 7-Year-Old Girl in Border Patrol Custody
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-19
Outrage is mounting over the death of a 7-year-old indigenous Guatemalan girl in Border Patrol custody, as lawmakers demand answers for the conditions that led Jakelin Caal Maquín to die after being detained at the U.S.-Mexico border. Maquin died on December 8, two days after she and her father presented themselves at the border alongside 161 other Central American asylum seekers. She had been held in detention for more than eight hours when she began to have seizures. Border Patrol agents brought the girl to the hospital after her body temperature spiked to 105.7 degrees. The 7-year-old died of dehydration, shoc…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/19/justice_for_jakelin_lawmakers_demand_answers

Brutality Against Prisoners Is Often Unseen. In this Virgin Islands Jail, It Was Caught on Video
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-19
The latest assault follows years of abuse and neglect at the St. Thomas jail. | When Benjamin Hodge, who is serving a nine-month sentence at the Criminal Justice Complex on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, told a corrections officer he had found a cockroach in his food, he did not expect that officer would choke him to near unconsciousness. | Though the jail's own chief investigator found that the officer, Jamal Crooke, had used excessive force and lied in his account of the incident, Crooke continues to work at the jail to this day. No criminal investigation was opened into potential assault charges. No kn…
aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/brutality-against-prisoners-often-unseen-virgin-islands-jail-it-was-caught