(2018-11-10). Fierce Critic of Mueller Probe Now Has Power to Sabotage the Investigation. zcomm.org The day after the midterm elections, Donald Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions and appointed Trump loyalist Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general. Whitaker, who has criticized the Mueller probe in the past, could fire Robert Mueller or defang his investigation. Although Sessions was faithfully carrying out Trump's draconian agenda on civil rights, immigration and Read more…
(2018-11-10). Ashton Kutcher admits he broke gun laws while tweeting about need for gun laws. rt.com 
Actor Ashton Kutcher inadvertently proved the point of gun rights advocates everywhere in a tweet he posted in response to the Thousand Oaks shooting calling for more gun control laws. |
(2018-11-10). Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. indybay.org Israeli forces continued with systematic crimes, in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), for the week of 01 — 07 November, 2018.
(2018-11-10). Iranian Celebrities Launch Petition Against US Sanctions. iranian.com Iranian celebrities are fed up with America's sanctions and obsession with hurting ordinary Iranians. Spearheaded by Oscar-winning film director Asghar Farhadi and Grammy winner Kayhan Kalhor, a cast of Iranian celebrities have launched a petition condemning US sanctions on Iran and warning of the impact on ordinary people. "Once again, the United States has imposed sanctions […]
(2018-11-10). Iranian Cartoonist Ali Dorani Talks About Life In And Out Of Australia's Detention Camps. iranian.com Ali Dorani was 21 when he arrived at Australia's Christmas Island by boat seeking asylum, on July 2013. After six months, he was transferred to Manus Island, Australia's offshore detention camp in Papua New Guinea, where he would stay for the next four years of his life. He began drawing cartoons at Manus to cope with his Obsessive Compulsive […]
(2018-11-10). Army Detains A Palestinian Who Reportedly Set A Greenhouse Ablaze Near Gaza Border. imemc.org Israeli sources have reported, Friday, that the soldiers have detained a Palestinian who " the perimeter fence, and set a greenhouse ablaze in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council." Israeli daily Haaretz said the army initially believed the greenhouse was accidentally burnt by the soldiers, who were firing at Palestinian protesters across …
(2018-11-09). The "Blue Wave" Was Also a "Muslim Wave" truthout.org With the Muslim Ban, the promotion of torturer Gina Haspel to CIA director, and increases in hate crimes, it's been a rough year for us Muslims in the United States. | So hearing the words "Salam Alaikum" as Ilhan Omar took the national stage on Election Night to accept her win as Representative of Minnesota's 5th District made it feel like I could finally breathe a little bit easier. | The first Somali-American elected to Congress, Omar joined Rashida Tlaib, a daughter of Palestinian refugees, as the first Muslim women to be elected to US Congress. | The election of these women to Congress is a direct repudiatio…
(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). Trump May Soon Deal Yet Another Blow to Union Rights. thenation.com Trump May Soon Deal Yet Another Blow to Union Rights…
(2018-11-09). Civil rights under threat in name of national security. greenleft.org.au 
One of the usual threats trotted out by governments proposing what would otherwise be considered radical attacks on civil liberties is national security. | The Australian newspaper reported on June 8 that Attorney-General Christian Porter was demanding urgent passage of two separate espionage and foreign interference bills following "intelligence advice of an accelerated escalation in hostile foreign activity over the past 12 months". | The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security had just published a 400-page report containing 60 recommendations, giving the green light to the first bill, the Es…
(2018-11-09). Government proposes making journalism a crime. greenleft.org.au 
Proposed amendments to the Criminal Code Act of 1995 will make it impossible for media organisations to accurately report on what governments do behind closed doors. | The pretence for this legislative proposal, which was tabled in federal parliament at the end of last year, is supposedly to respond to the growing threat of foreign states influencing Australia's political landscape. | Apparently inspired by the scandal involving Labor politician Sam Dastyari and his alleged links to the Chinese government, the Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme Bill is in reality an attack on democratic rights and the abil…
(2018-11-09). Before Resigning, Jeff Sessions Handcuffed the Justice Department's Ability to Police the Police. aclu.org The former attorney general's last action all but eliminates federal oversight of abusive law enforcement agencies. | In his final move as attorney general, Jeff Sessions on Wednesday issued a new policy that all but eliminates federal oversight of state and local law enforcement agencies that engage in unconstitutional and unlawful policing. While Sessions — a white man with money and political connections — will likely never be personally affected by this policy change, his decision to sabotage the legal instruments of federal civil rights enforcement is going to harm people and communities of color…
(2018-11-09). SPLC working to restore voting rights to thousands disenfranchised by Jim Crow-era laws. splcenter.org An "I Voted" sticker stuck prominently to Jazmine Clay's yellow T-shirt as she walked toward a pavilion in Birmingham's Learning Tree Park, next to her polling place.
(2018-11-09). Trump's War on Trans Rights: A Q&A With Chase Strangio. thenation.com Trump's War on Trans Rights: A Q&A With Chase Strangio…
(2018-11-09). Canada's Trudeau Condemns BDS in Apology to Jewish WWII Refugees. globalresearch.ca Justin Trudeau used an apology for Canada's historical rejection of Jewish refugees during World War II to condemn the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian human rights. | The Canadian prime minister apologised in the House of Commons on …
(2018-11-09). President Trump's Proclamation Suspending Asylum Rights Is Illegal, So We're Suing. aclu.org Refugees fleeing violence have a right to declare asylum regardless of how and where they enter the country. | Claiming that the illegal entry of immigrants across the southern border of the United States is a national crisis, President Trump on Friday issued a proclamation purporting to bar the entry of all persons entering the United States at any place other than an official port of entry. | The Trump administration's action is contrary to the founding values of the country — welcoming homeless refugees to our shores. It also violates U.S. law, so we, along with the
(2018-11-09). Venezuelan Communists say Maduro government not responding to workers' demands. peoplesworld.org 
In late October, the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) called for an "urgent" meeting with President Nicolás Maduro to discuss a series of government shortcomings in the area of workers' and campesinos', or peasant farmers, rights. The proposed meeting, according to the general secretary of the PCV, àìscar Figuera, should be held "with the gloves …
(2018-11-09). Jeff Sessions Was the Worst Attorney General in Modern American History. aclu.org From immigration to transgender rights, Attorney General Jeff Sessions showed contempt for American civil rights and liberties. | On Wednesday, the Trump administration bid farewell to one of its most infamous members: Attorney General Jeff Sessions. In his brief tenure, Sessions managed to dismantle and rescind an astounding range of efforts by prior administrations to protect civil rights and civil liberties and introduced new policies that endanger some of the most vulnerable citizens in the U.S. | From his draconian approach to immigration policy to his efforts to erase protections for transgender people to h…
(2018-11-09). Trump challenged on trans and gender diverse discrimination. greenleft.org.au 
Trans and gender diverse people in the US are preparing to fight for their lives — literally — against a push by the Republican religious right to quash life-saving laws protecting them from discrimination. | A leaked memo from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revealed it is pushing for the federal civil rights law that bans gender discrimination in education programs receiving government assistance to redefine sex as binary. If the push is successful, the law wound dictate that the gender assigned at birth cannot be changed. | If successful, this would effectively exclude about 2 mil…
(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
(2018-11-09). Iran leaders will have to fall in line if 'they want their people to eat,' Pompeo says. rt.com 
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a BBC journalist that Iranian "leadership has to make a decision that they want their people to eat," dropping all pretense of caring about Iranians as he touted the latest harsh sanctions.
(2018-11-09). Has The BDS Campaign Really Achieved So Little? imemc.org Last March, outgoing Jewish Agency chair Natan Sharansky declared that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign had "been almost fully defeated". Sharansky's pronouncement came two years after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced BDS had been "beaten". | BDS 'failure'?>
(2018-11-09). Citizens' Petition to Lift All Sanctions Against Venezuela Is Rejected by Canadian Parliament. globalresearch.ca Last November 27 of 2017 Alan Freeman who is a Canadian economist co-director of the Geopolitical Economy Research Group [1] based at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, initiated an E-Petition to the Government of Canada. The petition was …
(2018-11-09). Weathering The Storm As Washington Re-Imposes Secondary Sanctions On Iran. iranian.com Keeping his promise, President Donald Trump has re-imposed economic and trade sanctions on Iran despite global condemnation. The measures taken by Washington were intended to contain Tehran's ability to export oil on the world market, target Iran's shipping industry, and most importantly take a hard hit on ordinary Iranians. The White House has reiterated that […]
(2018-11-09). The Malevolent Hypocrisy of Selective Sanctions. counterpunch.org 
George W Bush used the phrase 'Axis of Evil' in his State of the Union address in January 2002, referring to North Korea, Iran and Iraq, accusing the last of having "plotted to develop anthrax and nerve gas and nuclear weapons for over a decade." There were already comprehensive UN sanctions on Iraq, but as More
(2018-11-08). The Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Agenda for the New Congress. aclu.org Now that the election is over, Congress should take its cue from the electorate. | This week's midterms should send a strong message to the political establishment that when our civil rights and civil liberties are on the line, American voters will step in. Decision-makers should be taking close note of Tuesday's sky-high turnout, an unprecedented wave of victories for diverse candidates, and a slew of local milestones for (2018-11-08). Oregon sanctuary law survives hate groups' election campaign. splcenter.org Oregon retains its unique sanctuary law after voters on Tuesday emphatically rejected a statewide measure to repeal it. The law was targeted for elimination in a campaign financed and supported by anti-immigrant hate groups.
(2018-11-08). Watch the Leaked Documentary the Israel Lobby Didn't Want You to See. theantimedia.com 
(MPN) — A leaked Al Jazeera documentary detailing the tactics of the Israeli lobby in the United States and elsewhere has revealed that pro-Israel groups regularly invented smears, including false accusations of sexual assault, to discredit professors and students on U.S. university campuses that support equal rights for Palestinians and the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement. BDS is …
(2018-11-08). Headlines for November 8, 2018. democracynow.org California: Mass Shooter Kills At Least 12 at Student-Filled Bar, Trump Fires AG Sessions, Puts New Loyalist in Charge of Mueller Probe, WH Bans CNN Reporter Acosta as Trump Spars with Reporters, At Least 15 Midterm Races Still Uncalled, GOP Congressmembers Facing Indictments Re-elected, Voters Weighed In on Abortion Rights Measures in WV, AL, OR, Philippines: Lawyer Fighting Duterte's Drug War Shot Dead, Poland: Warsaw Mayor Bans Annual Far-Right March, Cameroon: Almost 80 Kidnapped Students Released…
(2018-11-08). The Trojan Horse In Iran Sanctions And Oil Markets. iranian.com The U.S. sanctions on Iran are not biting yet, as global oil markets are well supplied. In the coming weeks, Iranian crude volumes should show a decline. At the same time, the success of Trump's sanctions relies for a large part on the compliance of international buyers and the position taken by leading OPEC members. […]
(2018-11-08). State Department: US Will Soon Impose More Sanctions Against Russia. theantimedia.com 
(ANTIWAR.COM) — The US State Department has announced that they intend to soon impose additional sanctions against Russia, after demanding that Russia provide them with a statement offering very specific "assurances" on the use of chemical weapons. This all goes back to the allegations of a March Novichok attack in Salisbury, England. The British government blamed Russia for the …
(2018-11-08). US Warns All Ports To Block Iranian Ships. iranian.com The US State Department has issued a series of warnings today demanding that all ports in the world avoid even nominal contact with Iranian commercial ships, warning that even limited contact could lead to US sanctions. Among the demands were that all ports and maritime insurance companies "steer clear" of Iranian ships, saying the US would […]
(2018-11-08). France Vows to Protect Iran Against US Acting as World's "Trade Policeman" theantimedia.com 
(MEMO) — France has vowed to fulfill plans to defy the US' sanctions on Iran while increasing the international role of the euro in order to prevent Washington from acting as the world's "trade policeman". France's Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, told the British newspaper Financial Times that Europe is planning the formation of a special …
(2018-11-08). France: US Acting As World's "Trade Policeman", Vows To Defy Iran Sanctions. iranian.com France has vowed to fulfill plans to defy the US' sanctions on Iran while increasing the international role of the euro in order to prevent Washington from acting as the world's "trade policeman". France's Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, told the British newspaper Financial Times that Europe is planning the formation of a special […]
(2018-11-08). As Julian Assange's Health Declines, the Media Obsesses About His Cat. theantimedia.com 
While the media focused on Julian Assange's cat rather than his continuing arbitrary detention, evidence shows that Britain worked hard to force his extradition to Sweden where Assange feared he could then be turned over to the United States. (CN) — Let's start with the cat. You never would have thought one of these beloved felines would …
(2018-11-08). More Iranians Caught Traveling With Fake Israeli Passports. iranian.com Bulgarian border guards at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint have detained three Iranian men who attempted to enter the country from Turkey using fake Israeli passports, the local daily Sofia Globe reported November 2. "The three men, aged 21, 28, and 32, arrived at the checkpoint on Bulgaria's border with Turkey October 31. They presented Israeli […]
(2018-11-08). American Detained by US Military Without Charge for Over a Year Finally Set Free. theantimedia.com 
A U.S. citizen illegally detained by the Trump administration for more than a year was finally set free thanks to the work of the American Civil Liberties Union. (CR) — I have been following the saga of the American citizen who was detained by the U.S. military in September 2017 while fleeing from violence in Syria. This …
(2018-11-07). New York Registration Deadline Prevents Tens of Thousands From Voting. aclu.org The 25-day cutoff is an unnecessary and outdated burden on New Yorkers' right to vote. | Imagine a national department store chain holding a "Back to School" sale in late July instead of in August. People who show up close to when school actually starts are told, "You're too late." | That's what voting in New York is like. Each election cycle, thousands of New Yorkers are prevented from casting a ballot because of the state's registration cutoff, which requires voters to register at least 25 days in advance of the election in order for their vote to count. | The 25-day registration cutoff imposes an unnecessary a…
(2018-11-07). NAACP LAUNCHES ALL IN CAMPAIGN, TO RECRUIT, RETAIN AND ENGAGE NEW MEMBERSHIPS. naacp.org National membership campaign launches just one day after a momentum building midterm election. BALTIMORE (November 7, 2018) — Just one day after the 2018 midterm elections, NAACP, the nation's foremost civil rights organization, continues the momentum by launching an ALL IN national membership campaign aimed at mobilizing NAACP units to increase their membership at least 20 percent by its […]
(2018-11-07). The 2018 Midterm Elections Were a Big Win for Criminal Justice Reform Ballot Initiatives. aclu.org Voters made it clear that they've had enough of President Trump's "tough on crime" rhetoric. | Wednesday morning I woke up in a better America when it comes to criminal justice reform. | On Election Day, voters in states across the country said enough is enough to America's horrific criminal justice system. They voted for reforms that will change people's lives for the better while expanding our civil liberties and civil rights. They also voted for reform-minded law enforcement officials and against the "law and order" types who have led to America's epidemic of mass incarceration. In other words, they rejected…
(2018-11-07). Progressives Win on Medicaid Expansion, Public Education, and Voting Rights Through Ballot Initiatives. theintercept.com 
From state legislative races to the House of Representatives, progressive candidates made a dent in the 2018 election season, and will be relatively well-represented in federal and state-level governments next year. But it's not just elected office: Left-wing activists also made their voices heard through ballot initiatives across the country. On Tuesday night, progressives walked away with some wins and some losses on that front. | They made gains for Medicaid expansion, public education, and voting rights. But they lost other battles, like on criminal justice reform, nurse-to-patient ratios, and universal home…
(2018-11-07). Headlines for November 7, 2018. democracynow.org Democrats Take the House of Representatives as GOP Gains in Senate, Democrat Stacey Abrams Refuses to Concede Georgia Governor's Race, Republican Ron DeSantis Defeats Andrew Gillum in Florida Governor's Race, Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan Defeats Former NAACP Head Ben Jealous, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz Defeats Progressive Democratic Challenger Beto O'Rourke in Texas, Incumbent Senate Democrats Lose in North Dakota, Indiana and Missouri, Democrats Win Governor's Races in Maine and Midwestern States, Wave of Women Voters Brings Historic Firsts in Midterm Elections, Florida to Restore Voting Rights to 1.4 Million wit…
(2018-11-07). Hatewatch Headlines 11/7/2018. splcenter.org Time to declare war on domestic terrorism; CBP accused of voter intimidation; Oregon voters stand behind immigrant sanctuary law; and more.
(2018-11-07). Petition: Tell the new Congress to block Trump's white nationalist agenda. splcenter.org Last night, Americans shifted the balance of power in the House of Representatives, creating a Democratic majority. The new Congress now holds the responsibility to take a stand for civil and human rights.
(2018-11-07). "Love Prevails": Floridians Celebrate Massive Restoration of Voting Rights to People with Felonies. democracynow.org 
At least 1.4 million people have regained the right to vote in Florida, following the passage of Amendment 4, a statewide initiative to re-enfranchise people with felony convictions who have completed their sentences, excluding people convicted of murder or sex offenses. The amendment passed overwhelmingly, with 64.5 percent of the vote. It needed 60 percent to pass. The win will permanently alter politics in a state that elected Republican Ron DeSantis as Florida governor by just over 55,000 votes, according to the latest numbers. DeSantis defeated Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, who was vying…
(2018-11-07). NAACP STATEMENT ON JEFF SESSIONS RESIGNATION. naacp.org "U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' resignation might be a welcomed reprieve from his jurisdiction over the justice department. His odious record has done little to impact the civil liberties of African Americans, confirming our deepest concerns when it comes to criminal justice and equal rights. However, given the administration's track record on appointing problematic people […]
(2018-11-07). Venezuela Looks to Dodge Sanctions & Repatriate Gold from Bank of England. venezuelanalysis.com The reported measure will bring US $550m worth of national reserves back to Caracas only days after Washington announced new gold-targeting sanctions.
(2018-11-06). "Smoking Gun" Evidence Shows Trump Admin's Top Anti-Immigrant Officials Trying to Rig the Census. democracynow.org 
We look at a federal trial underway in New York City that could overturn the Trump administration's plans to put a citizenship question on the 2020 census. Voting rights activists fear the question will deter immigrants from participating in the census, leading to a vast undercount in states with large immigrant communities. This could impact everything from the redrawing of congressional maps to the allocation of federal funding. The citizenship question was announced in March by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who touted it as a way to enforce the Voting Rights Act and protect minorities against voter disc…
(2018-11-06). NAACP Unites in Demand to Make Panama City Florida Polling Sites Accessible to Hurricane Victims. naacp.org Groups Want Equal Access to the Polls for Communities Displaced by Hurricane Michael BALTIMORE—(November 6, 2018) Florida officials have rejected a formal request from voting rights advocates to make polling locations more accessible to African-American residents of Panama City, Florida, who were hard hit by Hurricane Michael. Late last week, a coalition of voting rights […] | The post
(2018-11-06). Florida's Amendment 4 Would Restore Voting Rights to 1.4 Million People with Nonviolent Felonies. democracynow.org 
Florida voters are preparing to vote on Amendment 4, a measure that would restore voting rights to 1.4 million people with nonviolent felonies who have fully completed their sentences. One in five African Americans in Florida and 10 percent of the state's adult population are ineligible to vote because of a criminal record. Across the United States, more than 6.1 million people with felony convictions are not eligible to vote. Florida is one of just four states that bar them from voting for life. In October, Amy Goodman traveled to Melbourne, Florida, and spoke with Desmond Meade, the president of the Florida Rig…