Author Archives: admin

2018-12-20: Social Media Postees

Argentine Senate Unanimously Passes Law Against Gender Violence
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-20
The Argentine Senate Wednesday unanimously approved the Micaela Law to eradicate gender-based violence. The 59 legislators present in the Senate passed the Micaela Bill. | RELATED: | Argentine Activist Milagro Sala Faces up to 40 Years in Prison | The bill, named after Micaela Garcia, a femicide victim, calls for mandatory gender sensitivity training…
telesurenglish.net/news/Argentine-Senate-Unanimously-Passes-Law-Against-Gender-Violence-20181220-0011.html

US Makes Top 5 In Record Year Of Killed Journalists
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-20
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says that the number of slain and detained journalists increased worldwide in 2018. | RELATED: | Myanmar Court Green Lights Jailed Reporters' Appeal | For the first time in history the United States is among the top five deadliest countries for murdered journalists, with six members of the media unfortunately meeting their end in the U.S. | The U.S. was fourth on the list because of the June 2018 mass shooting at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland. Ja…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Makes-Top-5-In-Record-Year-Of-Killed-Journalists-20181220-0025.html

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

Spain: Catalans Protest PM Sanchez's Visit to Barcelona
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-20
Nine Catalan pro-freedom leaders, who are jailed, called Thursday for large but peaceful protests to mark a visit by Spain's cabinet. | RELATED: | Catalans Mark 1st Anniversary of Independence Referendum | Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will chair his weekly cabinet meeting in the Catalan capital of Barcelona Friday, as a part the effort to resolve the polit…
telesurenglish.net/news/Spain-Catalans-Protest-PM-Sanchezs-Visit-to-Barcelona-20181220-0023.html

Rohingya Refugees Pushed to a Frontline of Climate Change
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-20
Bangladesh, and its environment, has been struggling to accommodate over 1 million Rohingya refugees who have fled state violence in Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist-majority country. | RELATED: | Bangladesh Creating Island 'Prison Camps' for Rohingya Refugees | More than 900,000 Rohingya live in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district, mostly in camps, according to the United Nations. For decades, Cox's Bazar, a strip of land between Myanmar and the Bay of Bengal, has sheltered refuge…
telesurenglish.net/news/Rohingya-Refugees-Pushed-to-a-Frontline-of-Climate-Change-20181220-0019.html

Unions, civil rights group pan Trump "school safety" commission's recommendations
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2018-12-20
WASHINGTON–Teachers unions and a top civil rights group panned "school safety" recommendations from a Trump-named panel of four Cabinet secretaries, saying they do little or nothing to stop the scourge of mass shootings in the nation's schools. And one of their recommendations–restoring discrimination in discipline of "problem" students–is thinly veiled racism against young African Americans, …
peoplesworld.org/article/unions-civil-rights-group-pan-trump-school-safety-commissions-recommendations/

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/

'Moral disaster' unfolding in child migrant detention centers
Garance Burke, Martha Mendoza | peoplesworld.org | 2018-12-20
Decades after the U.S. stopped institutionalizing kids because large and crowded orphanages were causing lasting trauma, it is happening again. The federal government has placed most of the 14,300 migrant toddlers, children, and teens in its care in detention centers and residential facilities packed with hundreds, or thousands, of children. As the year draws to …
peoplesworld.org/article/moral-disaster-unfolding-in-child-migrant-detention-centers/

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/

America's Mixed Messages: On Board the USS Detention
Karen Greenberg | commondreams.org | 2018-12-20
As the shackling of men on the decks of ships reveals, the Coast Guard's present war-on-drugs detention mission is not one it has exactly been prepared for. (Photo: US Coast Guard) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/uscoast.jpeg
commondreams.org/views/2018/12/20/americas-mixed-messages-board-uss-detention?cd-origin=rss

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

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

Brexit — We Are Now All Political Prisoners to This Rancid Government. Britain in Crisis
Graham Vanbergen | globalresearch.ca | 2018-12-20
There simply isn't any point in condemning the Tory party. They are now bereft of common sense, or morality for that matter. They listen to no-one, not even the electorate who are now aghast at not just their performance but … | The post Brexit — We Are Now All Political Prisoners to This Rancid Government. Britain in Crisis appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/brexit-we-are-now-all-political-prisoners-to-this-rancid-government-britain-in-crisis/5663460

'Fair report privilege': Judge backs BuzzFeed in Russian's lawsuit over Steele dossier
RT | rt.com | 2018-12-20
A federal judge in Florida ruled for BuzzFeed in a defamation lawsuit brought by a Russian internet entrepreneur accused of hacking the Democratic Party in the salacious Steele dossier that was published by the outlet. | …
rt.com/usa/446907-buzzfeed-defamation-steele-gubarev/

US Senate passes bipartisan criminal justice bill
WSWS | wsws.org | 2018-12-20
The First Step Act will have only a marginal impact on the brutal and overcrowded US prison system.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/12/20/just-d20.html

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/

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/

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/

NASA Director Firouz Naderi Calls For Release Of Iran's Political Prisoners

| iranian.com | 2018-12-20
The former director of NASA's Solar System Exploration program, Dr. Firouz Naderi, has joined the international call for Iran to release all political prisoners including Nasrin Sotoudeh, Farhad Meysami and Reza Khandan, who were all imprisoned this year in Iran for peacefully advocating human and women's rights. | The post NASA Director Firouz Naderi Calls For Release Of Iran's Political Prisoners appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/12/20/nasa-director-firouz-naderi-calls-for-release-of-irans-political-prisoners/

Racism, Outsourcing & Retaliation At SF Civil Service With HR Director Micki Callahan
Labor Video Project | indybay.org | 2018-12-20
At a San Francisco City Civil Service Commission meeting, city workers challenged the systemic discrimination, workplace bullying and outsourcing by CCSF Human Resources Director Micki Callahan and her managers. They are also spending hundreds of millions of dollars to outsource and privatize city jobs and targeting in particular the jobs of African American and Latino workers.
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/12/19/18819855.php

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/

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

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

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/

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

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

May Days in Britain
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2018-12-19
It is hard to envisage sympathy for a person who made a name as a home secretary (prisons, detentions, security and such) taking the mast and banner of her country before hopeless odds, but inadequate opponents will do that to you. Vicious, venal and underdone, the enemies from within Theresa May's own Tory ranks resemble…
counterpunch.org/2018/12/19/may-days-in-britain/

Starting again from Marx
Eds. | mronline.org | 2018-12-19
Let us start again from Marx.(1) Why? Is it because we are communists? No, this answer is not convincing. We could start again from somewhere else, from Lenin, or Mao; or, we could believe that current feminist or anti-racist struggles have no need for Marx; we could even think that Marx's Eurocentrism makes him an […] | Source…
mronline.org/2018/12/19/starting-again-from-marx/

ALP National Conference a sham
kathy_f | greenleft.org.au | 2018-12-19
Bill Shorten surprised no one with his laughingly tiny reforms at the Australian Labor Party National Conference over December 16–18. | If you expected debate, let alone proposals to stop the Adani coalmine or refugee boat turn-backs or the closure of off-shore detention centres, then you would have been disappointed as these things did not happen. | If you were hoping that there might be a commitment to increase the Newstart Allowance or to back progressive industrial relations reforms that will actually change the rules for workers, you would be doubly disappointed as these things were also rejected. | Cl…
greenleft.org.au/content/alp-national-conference-sham

US' poorest suffer from blood-sucking parasite because they can't afford septic tank (VIDEO)
RT | rt.com | 2018-12-19
Hookworm, a blood-sucking parasite thought eradicated in the US in the last century, is now seeing a resurgence in Alabama. In the Now explains how wealth inequality and racism put the state on par with countries like Honduras. | …
rt.com/usa/446877-alabama-hookwarm-infection-video/

DOJ faces lawsuits & NRA wrath as it outlaws bump stocks used in Las Vegas massacre
RT | rt.com | 2018-12-19
The US Department of Justice has banned bump stocks — firearm modifications that simulate automatic fire — to the ire of pro-gun advocates. Guns fitted with bump stocks are now legally considered machineguns. | …
rt.com/usa/446820-bump-stock-ban-lawsuit/

DC attorney general sues Facebook over Cambridge Analytica
RT | rt.com | 2018-12-19
The Washington D.C. attorney general has filed a lawsuit suing Facebook for allowing political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica to gain access to personal data of tens of millions of the site's users without permission. | …
rt.com/usa/446887-facebook-sued-cambridge-analytica/

Trump's Criminal Justice Reform Act Is a Meaningless Smoke Screen (Pt 2/3)
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-12-19
Congress's Criminal Justice Reform Act boosts privatization, fails to dismantle mass incarceration, nor does it implement sentencing reform. We speak to Eddie Conway and Natasha Pratt Harris about the proposed reform | The post Trump's Criminal Justice Reform Act Is a Meaningless Smoke Screen (Pt 2/3) appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/trumps-criminal-justice-reform-act-is-a-meaningless-smoke-screen-pt-2-3

Trump's Criminal Justice Reform Act Is a Meaningless Smoke Screen (Pt 1/3)
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-12-19
Congress's Criminal Justice Reform Act boosts privatization, fails to dismantle mass incarceration, nor does it implement sentencing reform. We speak to Eddie Conway and Natasha Pratt Harris about the proposed reform | The post Trump's Criminal Justice Reform Act Is a Meaningless Smoke Screen (Pt 1/3) appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/trumps-criminal-justice-reform-act-is-a-meaningless-smoke-screen-pt-1-3

"Zuckerberg Must Resign": Facebook Lets Corporations Read, Delete Your Messages
Jake Johnson | theantimedia.com | 2018-12-19
(CD) — Just hours after civil rights groups called on Facebook's top executives to step down from the company's board for allowing "viral propaganda" and "bigoted campaigns" to spread on the platform, demands for CEO Mark Zuckerberg to resign intensified after a bombshell New York Times report late Tuesday detailed a "special arrangement" the social media behemoth had with tech corporations that gave …
theantimedia.com/facebook-let-corporations-read-delete-messages/

New Hampshire Police Arrested a Man for Being Mean to Them on the Internet
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-18
Criminal defamation laws belong in the dustbin of history. | Should it be a crime to call public officials corrupt? Yes, according to the police in Exeter, New Hampshire. Earlier this year, they arrested a local man for writing a comment on a news website accusing Police Chief William Shupe of covering for a corrupt officer. | Robert Frese was accused of violating New Hampshire's criminal defamation law, which makes it a misdemeanor to intentionally and falsely disparage another person. New Hampshire's law [mda…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/internet-speech/new-hampshire-police-arrested-man-being-mean-them-internet

People Should Be Allowed to Sue Facebook If It Violates Law on Face Recognition Privacy
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-18
We filed a court brief opposing Facebook's effort to make it harder to enforce a pro-privacy law. | Ten years ago, Illinois enacted a law that imposes important protections against companies collecting and storing our biometric information — including using facial recognition– without our knowledge and consent. The law is called the Biometric Information Privacy Act. Although facial recognition was relatively crude when it was passed, the wisdom of Illinois' decision has been borne out over the last decade, as facial recognition and other biometric collection has developed and spread. | On Monday, the…
aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/surveillance-technologies/people-should-be-allowed-sue-facebook-if-it

Meet the Texas Speech Pathologist Who Lost School Job for Refusing to Sign Pro-Israel, Anti-BDS Oath
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-18
A Palestinian-American speech pathologist in Austin, Texas, has filed a federal lawsuit for losing her job after refusing to sign a pro-Israel oath. Bahia Amawi is an Arabic-speaking child language specialist who had worked for nine years in the Pflugerville Independent School District. But she lost her job last year after she declined to sign a pledge that she would "not boycott Israel during the term of the contract" and that she would not take any action that is "intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations with Israel." We speak with Bahia Amawi and Gadeir Abbas, senior litiga…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/18/meet_the_texas_speech_pathologist_who

Court docs: Suspects in 'Martyr's Day' beating of black man were wearing Crew 38 attire
Nick R. Martin | splcenter.org | 2018-12-18
Several people arrested in the "Martyr's Day" beating of a black man at a Lynnwood, Washington, bar were sporting T-shirts and patches of the racist skinhead group Crew 38, according to recently released court records.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/12/18/court-docs-suspects-martyrs-day-beating-black-man-were-wearing-crew-38-attire

Trump Foundation charity agrees to dissolve after lawsuit alleging Trump used it as a 'checkbook'
RT | rt.com | 2018-12-18
The US president's charitable Trump Foundation is being forced to dissolve under the supervision of the New York Attorney General. The Defense argues that the case against the charity has been politicized. | …
rt.com/usa/446813-trump-foundation-dissolved-oversight/

Take the Money Out of Prison Slavery
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-12-18
Activists and students continue a national divestment movement to stop the corporate funding of private prisons. Sylvester Owino, a Kenyan immigrant, spent 10 years in an immigrant detention center while his case bounced between the lower and higher courts. Owino and other activists talk about the private prison divestment movement and abuses in the transporting… | The post Take the Money Out of Prison Slavery appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/take-the-money-out-of-prison-slavery

MENA governments must end discriminatory crackdowns and abuse of migrants
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-18
Governments across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are collectively failing to protect the rights of migrants in their countries, said Amnesty International, marking International Migrants Day. | Across the region, migrants regularly face discrimination, exploitation and other forms of abuse as well as in some cases arbitrary arrest, detention and unlawful expulsion. Whether they are sub-Saharan African migrants passing through North African countries on their way to Europe or domestic or const…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/mena-governments-must-end-discriminatory-crackdowns-and-abuse-of-migrants/

Egypt: Court orders release of woman human rights defender imprisoned for speaking out against sexual harassment
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-18
Egyptian authorities must immediately comply with a court decision to release Amal Fathy, a woman human rights defender who was given a two-year sentence in September for posting a video online in which she criticized the Egyptian authorities for failing to tackle sexual harassment. | A Cairo criminal court today ordered Amal Fathy's release on probation after accepting…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/egypt-court-orders-release-of-woman-human-rights-defender-imprisoned-for-speaking-out-against-sexual-harassment/

We Need to Address Police Brutality in Alabama
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-17
The ACLU and NAACP in Alabama have filed public records requests for police policies pertaining to use of force, body cameras, and racial bias. | E.J. Bradford. Chikesia Clemons. Ulysses Wilkerson. Sureshbhai Patel. Greg Gunn. | These are only a few of the names of those who have been in headlines after being brutalized or killed at the hands of law enforcement in the state of Alabama in recent years. Each of these incidents represents a state-wide pattern of police using excessive, and sometimes fatal, force against the people they're supposed to protect and serve. Disproportionately, the victims are people of c…
aclu.org/blog/racial-justice/race-and-criminal-justice/we-need-address-police-brutality-alabama

Will the Supreme Court Overturn Roe v. Wade After All?
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-17
Reading the tea leaves on abortion rights. | This piece was originally published in The New York Times. | When the Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear cases brought by Louisiana and Kansas attempting to exclude Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from their Medicaid programs, legal soothsayers were out in full force opining about what it means for the future of abortion rights un…
aclu.org/blog/reproductive-freedom/abortion/will-supreme-court-overturn-roe-v-wade-after-all

2018-12-19: News Headlines

aljazeera (2018-12-19). Turkey jails nephew of Muslim leader accused of organising coup. aljazeera.com Selman Gulen, nephew of self-exiled Muslim leader Fethullah Gulen, sentenced to years prison on terror-related charges.

STAFF (2018-12-19). Trump Foundation Reaches Deal to Dissolve Amid Lawsuit. truthdig.com NEW YORK—President Donald Trump's charitable foundation reached a deal Tuesday to go out of business, even as Trump continues to fight allegations he misused its assets to resolve business disputes and boost his run for the White House. | New York's attorney general and lawyers for the Trump Foundation agreed on a court-supervised process for shutting down the charity and distributing about $1.7 million in remaining funds to other nonprofit groups. | The agreement resolved one part of the legal drama surrounding Trump, whose campaign, transition, inauguration and real estate empire are all under investigati…

Binoy Kampmark (2018-12-19). May Days in Britain. counterpunch.org It is hard to envisage sympathy for a person who made a name as a home secretary (prisons, detentions, security and such) taking the mast and banner of her country before hopeless odds, but inadequate opponents will do that to you. Vicious, venal and underdone, the enemies from within Theresa May's own Tory ranks resemble More

Eds. (2018-12-19). Starting again from Marx. mronline.org Let us start again from Marx.(1) Why? Is it because we are communists? No, this answer is not convincing. We could start again from somewhere else, from Lenin, or Mao; or, we could believe that current feminist or anti-racist struggles have no need for Marx; we could even think that Marx's Eurocentrism makes him an […] | Source

STAFF (2018-12-19). Senate Passes a Sweeping Criminal Justice Bill. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a sweeping criminal justice bill Tuesday that addresses concerns that the nation's war on drugs had led to the imprisonment of too many Americans for non-violent crimes without adequately preparing them for their return to society. | Senate passage of the bill by a vote of 87-12 culminates years of negotiations and gives President Donald Trump a signature policy victory, with the outcome hailed by scores of conservative and liberal advocacy groups. The House is expected to pass the bill this week, sending it to the president's desk for his signature. | The bill gives judges mo…

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (2018-12-19). Trump's Criminal Justice Reform Act Is a Meaningless Smoke Screen (Pt 2/3). therealnews.com Congress's Criminal Justice Reform Act boosts privatization, fails to dismantle mass incarceration, nor does it implement sentencing reform. We speak to Eddie Conway and Natasha Pratt Harris about the proposed reform

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (2018-12-19). Trump's Criminal Justice Reform Act Is a Meaningless Smoke Screen (Pt 1/3). therealnews.com Congress's Criminal Justice Reform Act boosts privatization, fails to dismantle mass incarceration, nor does it implement sentencing reform. We speak to Eddie Conway and Natasha Pratt Harris about the proposed reform

RT (2018-12-19). DOJ faces lawsuits & NRA wrath as it outlaws bump stocks used in Las Vegas massacre. rt.com The US Department of Justice has banned bump stocks — firearm modifications that simulate automatic fire — to the ire of pro-gun advocates. Guns fitted with bump stocks are now legally considered machineguns.

WSWS (2018-12-19). Bangladesh to relocate Rohingya refugees on remote island. wsws.org Nervous about criticism of its plans, the government is attempting to hide information about the new detention facilities and has placed the island under naval control.

kathy_f (2018-12-19). ALP National Conference a sham. greenleft.org.au Bill Shorten surprised no one with his laughingly tiny reforms at the Australian Labor Party National Conference over December 16—18. | If you expected debate, let alone proposals to stop the Adani coalmine or refugee boat turn-backs or the closure of off-shore detention centres, then you would have been disappointed as these things did not happen. | If you were hoping that there might be a commitment to increase the Newstart Allowance or to back progressive industrial relations reforms that will actually change the rules for workers, you would be doubly disappointed as these things were also rejected. | Cl…

Andrew Stewart (2018-12-18). Shine a Light for Immigration Rights in Providence. counterpunch.org Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a network of nationwide groups that puts its energy and focus into educating and organizing so-called white people to oppose white supremacy and racism. Recently the co-founders were interviewed on The Laura Flanders Show (youtu.be/mq5NbdVcR_U). On December 18 from 4 to 6 PM the Rhode Island SURJ chapter More

teleSUR (2018-12-18). US Pledges Billions in Aid to Limit Central American Migration. telesurenglish.net The United States will spend billions of dollars in Central America and Mexico, as part of a plan to officially strengthen economic growth in the region but also aimed at deterring immigrants who want to travel to the United States as they are forced to flee poverty and violence, the U.S. and Mexican governments said on Tuesday. | RELATED: | Refugees Lawyer Slams Trump Admin as 'Racist, Xenophobic' over Rejecting Migrant Children | Mexican President Andres…

Democracy Now! (2018-12-18). Meet the Texas Speech Pathologist Who Lost School Job for Refusing to Sign Pro-Israel, Anti-BDS Oath. democracynow.org A Palestinian-American speech pathologist in Austin, Texas, has filed a federal lawsuit for losing her job after refusing to sign a pro-Israel oath. Bahia Amawi is an Arabic-speaking child language specialist who had worked for nine years in the Pflugerville Independent School District. But she lost her job last year after she declined to sign a pledge that she would "not boycott Israel during the term of the contract" and that she would not take any action that is "intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations with Israel." We speak with Bahia Amawi and Gadeir Abbas, senior litiga…

teleSUR (2018-12-18). Trump Foundation To Be Dissolved over Allegations of Corruption. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Donald Trump's namesake charitable foundation has agreed to dissolve under court supervision following a lawsuit by New York's attorney general claiming a "shocking pattern of illegality" and accusing Trump of misusing the foundation to advance his 2016 presidential campaign and his businesses. | RELATED: | Refugees Lawyer Slams Trump Admin as 'Racist, Xenophobic' over Rejecting Migrant Children | New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood…

commondreams (2018-12-18). The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Condemns School Safety Commission Recommendation to Rescind School Discipline Guidance. commondreams.org ______________________________…

commondreams (2018-12-18). New Lawsuit Over Trump Muslim Ban. commondreams.org ______________________________…

ACLU (2018-12-18). People Should Be Allowed to Sue Facebook If It Violates Law on Face Recognition Privacy. aclu.org We filed a court brief opposing Facebook's effort to make it harder to enforce a pro-privacy law. | Ten years ago, Illinois enacted a law that imposes important protections against companies collecting and storing our biometric information — including using facial recognition— without our knowledge and consent. The law is called the Biometric Information Privacy Act. Although facial recognition was relatively crude when it was passed, the wisdom of Illinois' decision has been borne out over the last decade, as facial recognition and other biometric collection has developed and spread. | On Monday, the…

Kevin Zeese (2018-12-18). Israel: Ethnic Cleansing, Land Theft, Apartheid and Racism against Palestinians. globalresearch.ca In recent weeks, racism against Palestinian people and the expansion of apartheid-Jim Crow policies have escalated. The Israeli lobby and its supporters attacked freedom of speech in the United States, showing how far they will go to prevent the US …

Randi Nord (2018-12-18). Texas Educator Files Lawsuit after She was Fired for Refusing to Sign an Oath to Israel. mintpressnews.com Bahia Amawi's federal court suit may constitute the first direct challenge to new legislation aimed at curbing support for the growing Boycott Divest Sanctions (BDS) movement in the United States, which ultimately aims to end apartheid in Palestinian and Israeli territories.

teleSUR (2018-12-18). Natural Fawn Killer: US Poacher Sentenced to 'Bambi' Viewings. telesurenglish.net A judge in Missouri has sentenced a prolific poacher to repeat screenings of "Bambi," the Walt Disney classic weepy about a fawn whose mother is slain by a hunter. | RELATED: | Glass Eel Poaching is World's Worst Wildlife Crime: Activists | David Berry Jr will be forced to watch the animated movie at least once a month during his year-long jail term, the result of what law enforcement officials described as one of their largest-ever poaching investigations. | Berry and two family me…

Nick R. Martin (2018-12-18). Court docs: Suspects in 'Martyr's Day' beating of black man were wearing Crew 38 attire. splcenter.org Several people arrested in the "Martyr's Day" beating of a black man at a Lynnwood, Washington, bar were sporting T-shirts and patches of the racist skinhead group Crew 38, according to recently released court records.

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (2018-12-18). Take the Money Out of Prison Slavery. therealnews.com Activists and students continue a national divestment movement to stop the corporate funding of private prisons. Sylvester Owino, a Kenyan immigrant, spent 10 years in an immigrant detention center while his case bounced between the lower and higher courts. Owino and other activists talk about the private prison divestment movement and abuses in the transporting…

Shared by Samantha Borek (2018-12-18). Texas Speech Pathologist Loses School Job for Refusing to Sign Anti-BDS Oath. truthout.org A Palestinian-American speech pathologist in Austin, Texas, has filed a federal lawsuit for losing her job after refusing to sign a pro-Israel oath. Bahia Amawi is an Arabic-speaking child language specialist who had worked for nine years in the Pflugerville Independent School District. But she lost her job last year after she declined to sign a pledge that she would "not boycott Israel during the term of the contract" and that she would not take any action that is "intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations with Israel." We speak with Bahia Amawi and Gadeir Abbas, senior lit…

Shared by Samantha Borek (2018-12-18). Workplace Violence Against Women Health Workers Hurts Us All. truthout.org The worldwide #MeToo movement has revealed how sexual harassment and assault are part of most women's professional lives. However, we must not overlook other forms of violence that women suffer at work — and how this affects society at large. The experiences of emergency nurses and other health workers, a majority of whom around the world are women, shows this clearly. | Insults, humiliation, and discrimination have become 'natural' aspects of many work relationships. When attacked, many women do not report these incidents, not knowing who to turn to or out of fear of losing their jobs. Even worse, some…

Julia Conley (2018-12-18). Charged With 'Shocking Pattern of Illegality,' Trump Foundation Agrees to Dissolve. theantimedia.com "This is an important victory for the rule of law, making clear that there is one set of rules for everyone." (CD) The Trump family's charity, the Trump Foundation, agreed to dissolve Tuesday amid a lawsuit filed by New York State which accuses the organization of a "shocking pattern of illegality"—but the Trumps' legal troubles won't end with …

RT (2018-12-18). Trump Foundation charity agrees to dissolve after lawsuit alleging Trump used it as a 'checkbook'. rt.com The US president's charitable Trump Foundation is being forced to dissolve under the supervision of the New York Attorney General. The Defense argues that the case against the charity has been politicized.

RT (2018-12-18). Racist 'Russians' targeted African-Americans in 2016 election ploy, reports claim. rt.com Low voter turnout among African-Americans is usually blamed on purged voter rolls or decades of socioeconomic stasis — but in 2016, 'evil' Russia was the main culprit, according to two controversial reports for the US Senate.

WSWS (2018-12-18). Sri Lanka: Action committee of Abbotsleigh Estate workers holds inaugural meeting. wsws.org The meeting passed resolutions calling for independent action committees to fight for decent wages and conditions, and pledged support to "yellow vest" protesters in France, US auto workers and jailed Maruti Suzuki workers in India.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2018-12-18). DeVos' Solution to Mass School Shootings? Scrap the Rules Designed to End Discrimination Against Students of Color. commondreams.org The highly anticipated Final Report from the Federal Commission on School Safety, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, was released Tuesday—and includes a long-rumored recommendation that is alarming civil rights advocates: to rescind Obama-era policies crafted to end racial disparities in school disciplinary practices. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/education_civil_right.jpg

Julia Conley, staff writer (2018-12-18). Charged With 'Shocking Pattern of Illegality,' Trump Foundation Agrees to Dissolve. commondreams.org The Trump family's charity, the Trump Foundation, agreed to dissolve Tuesday amid a lawsuit filed by New York State which accuses the organization of a "shocking pattern of illegality"—but the Trumps' legal troubles won't end with the dissolution. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/16954470200_1c601a6bda_o11.jpg

amnesty (2018-12-18). MENA governments must end discriminatory crackdowns and abuse of migrants. amnesty.org Governments across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are collectively failing to protect the rights of migrants in their countries, said Amnesty International, marking International Migrants Day. | Across the region, migrants regularly face discrimination, exploitation and other forms of abuse as well as in some cases arbitrary arrest, detention and unlawful expulsion. Whether they are sub-Saharan African migrants passing through North African countries on their way to Europe or domestic or const…

amnesty (2018-12-18). Egypt: Court orders release of woman human rights defender imprisoned for speaking out against sexual harassment. amnesty.org Egyptian authorities must immediately comply with a court decision to release Amal Fathy, a woman human rights defender who was given a two-year sentence in September for posting a video online in which she criticized the Egyptian authorities for failing to tackle sexual harassment. | A Cairo criminal court today ordered Amal Fathy's release on probation after accepting…

amnesty (2018-12-18). Crowdsourced Twitter study reveals shocking scale of online abuse against women. amnesty.org Content warning: contains screenshots of racist and sexist abuse and threats of violence | One in ten tweets mentioning black women politicians and journalists in a sample analyzed by Amnesty International was abusive or problematic, the organization said today, as it released a ground-breaking study into abuse against women on Twitter conducted with Element AI, a global artificial intelligence software product company. | More than 6,500 volunteers from 150 countries signed up to take part in Troll P…

ACLU (2018-12-17). We Need to Address Police Brutality in Alabama. aclu.org The ACLU and NAACP in Alabama have filed public records requests for police policies pertaining to use of force, body cameras, and racial bias. | E.J. Bradford. Chikesia Clemons. Ulysses Wilkerson. Sureshbhai Patel. Greg Gunn. | These are only a few of the names of those who have been in headlines after being brutalized or killed at the hands of law enforcement in the state of Alabama in recent years. Each of these incidents represents a state-wide pattern of police using excessive, and sometimes fatal, force against the people they're supposed to protect and serve. Disproportionately, the victims are people of c…

ACLU (2018-12-17). Will the Supreme Court Overturn Roe v. Wade After All? aclu.org Reading the tea leaves on abortion rights. | This piece was originally published in The New York Times. | When the Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear cases brought by Louisiana and Kansas attempting to exclude Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from their Medicaid programs, legal soothsayers were out in full force opining about what it means for the future of abortion rights un…

Human Rights Watch (2018-12-17). Mexico: Reject Bill Expanding Pretrial Detention. hrw.org | | Police officers guard the prison after an internal fight between two gangs in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on August 22, 2018. | © 2018 REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez | (New York) — The Mexican Congress should reject a bill to modify the constitution that would expand the use of mandatory pretrial detention, Human Rights Watch said today. The modification would dramatically increase the number of people in Mexican jails who haven't been convicted of a crime. | The bill…

RT (2018-12-17). Man who killed 100s of deer is sentenced to watch cartoon classic Bambi repeatedly. rt.com A Missouri man, convicted for illegally killing hundreds of deer just for their heads, has been jailed and ordered by a judge to repeatedly watch Disney's Bambi as part of his punishment.

amnesty (2018-12-17). Maroc: Le procès d'appel du Hirak El-Rif est une occasion pour annuler des peines prononcées à l'issue d'un procès inéquitable. amnesty.org Les 26 et 28 juin 2018, une cour de Casablanca a condamné 54 personnes à de lourdes peines de prison pour avoir participé aux manifestations du mouvement du Hirak El — Rif qui ont eu lieu dans la région du Rif, dans le nord du Maroc, en 2017. Le 21 août, 11 d'entre elles ont été graciées par le roi. Quatre autres ont bénéficié d'une libération provisoire en juin et juillet 2017. Les 39 personnes restantes purgent leur peine à la prison d'AàØn Sebaâ 1 (Okacha), à Casablanca. | Le 17 décembre, la cour d'appel de Casablanca procèdera à l'audition des cas des 43 personnes déclarées coupables lors de la d…

amnesty (2018-12-17). Morocco: Hirak El-Rif appeal must deliver justice after deeply flawed trial. amnesty.org Dozens of journalists, protesters and others detained in connection with Hirak El-Rif peaceful protests have been denied their right to a fair trial by Casablanca's first instance court, said Amnesty International, as it published analysis exposing serious flaws in the trial, as the second appeal hearing session gets underway. | Fifty-four people with ties to the Hirak El-Rif social justice protests were convicted of security-related offences and sentenced to prison terms of up to 20 years by a Casablanca court in June 2018, in relation to prot…

Aba Blankson (2018-12-16). NAACP Calls Recent Prada Ads Reprehensible. naacp.org BALTIMORE—(December 16, 2018) The NAACP President Derrick Johnson issued the following statement regarding Prada's recent advertisement: "Although Prada did the right thing by removing this particular product line, their initial choice to display such items is reprehensible and just dumbfounding. Blackface is no laughing matter, and has no place in their window displays or any […]

Adam Lee (2018-12-14). Bill improving young offenders passes the Congress! naacp.org After 16 years, more than 6 bills, strong bipartisan support, and countless hours of letter-writing campaigns and advocacy, the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate both passed — unanimously — legislation to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Act (JJDPA) and sent the bill to the President for his signature. While the final bill […]

ACLU (2018-12-14). The Right to Record Police Doesn't Disappear When You Put Your Phone in Your Pocket. aclu.org In Massachusetts, a federal court affirmed that the First Amendment protects secret recording of police performing their duties in public. | The First Amendment right to record the police is a critical check and balance for people living in a free, open, and democratic society. It promotes the free discussion of governmental affairs as well as protects the democratic process. And for some communities, it's a vital tool for uncovering, if not deterring, police misconduct. | But Boston-based civil rights activists Eric Martin and René Pérez were afraid to record the police. Under a state wiretap law passed in 1968,…

Human Rights Watch (2018-12-14). 7-Year-Old Migrant Girl Dies in US Border Patrol Custody. hrw.org The headline alone made my heart sink. "7-year-old migrant girl taken into Border Patrol custody dies of dehydration, exhaustion." I felt a wave of deep sadness, but no surprise. | | | A girl stands in the lobby of the Adelanto immigration detention center, in Adelanto, Californ…

Democracy Now! (2018-12-13). Headlines for December 13, 2018. democracynow.org Former Trump Lawyer Cohen Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison, National Enquirer Admits to Suppressing Trump Affair Story to Aid 2016 Presidential Bid, Yemen: Hodeidah Ceasefire Declared, Rep. Pelosi Secures Votes for House Speaker Role, Guardian: FBI Was Surveilling Members of Environmental Group 350.org, NYT: ALEC & Oil Industry Secretly Campaigning to Weaken Car Emission Standards, U.K.: Prime Minister May Survives Leadership Challenge, China Detains 2 Canadians as Huawei CFO Gets Out on Bail, Turkey Threatens Offensive Against U.S.-Backed Kurds in Syria, Australian Media Barred from Reporting on Vatican Official C…

ACLU (2018-12-13). Arkansas Is Attempting to Ban a Safe and Effective Abortion Method. aclu.org Banning D&Es is part of a national campaign to push abortion out of reach. | The ACLU is in a federal appeals court on Thursday, challenging a slate of Arkansas laws intended to prevent women from being able to get abortions. One of the four laws we are challenging is a ban on the dilation and evacuation (D&E) procedure, a safe and effective abortion method. If enforced, the ban would prevent women from being able to obtain an abortion at all. | Arkansas' ban is part of an anti-abortion campaign being orchestrated by state…

stuart_m (2018-12-13). Occupied Western Sahara: A rare look inside Africa's last colony. greenleft.org.au In an exclusive broadcast, US-based independent news outlet Democracy Now! broke the media blockade and visited the occupied Western Sahara in the northwest of Africa to document the decades-long Sahrawi struggle for freedom and occupying power Morocco's violent crackdown. | Morocco has occupied the territory since 1975 in defiance of the United Nations and the international community. Thousands of Sahrawi people have been tortured, imprisoned, killed and disappeared while resisting the Moroccan occupation. A 1700-mile wall…

Hatewatch Staff (2018-12-12). Hatewatch Headlines 12/13/2018. splcenter.org Campus racism thrives in age of Trump; Gohmert says SPLC stirs up hate; Heyer's mother questions 'Bikers for Trump' presence; and more.

Aba Blankson (2018-12-12). Africa, Diaspora Must Collaborate to Develop. naacp.org For Immediate Release From the office of Ghana Vice President: Dr Mahamudu Bawumia Africa, Diaspora must collaborate to develop — Ghana Vice Presiden Bawumia The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has called for greater interaction and collaboration between Africa and people of African descent across the world in order to help achieve our collective aspirations.This […]

Maryam Saleh (2018-12-12). Donald Trump's Travel Ban Faces a New Day in Court. theintercept.com Opponents of Donald Trump's travel ban have a chance to chip away at it this week by challenging the way it's been implemented. If they're successful, Trump will have only his own administration to blame. | The argument that a group of plaintiffs is making is straightforward: Because the travel ban was upheld, individuals impacted by it can only enter the United States through a waiver system that was said to be a safeguard against arbitrarily keeping people out of the country. Yet the administration has done next to nothing to set the waiver system up, which suggests that a total ban of Muslim travelers from the…

Brett Barrouquere (2018-12-11). Jury recommends life plus 419 years for James Alex Fields in Unite the Right attack. splcenter.org A jury in Charlottesville has handed up a life prison sentence plus 419 years behind bars for a neo-Nazi sympathizer convicted of driving his car into a crowd of counter-protesters after the "Unite the Right" rally.