Court Blocks U.S. From Enforcing Trump's Asylum Ban
Staff | truthdig.com | 2018-11-20
HOUSTON — A federal judge barred the Trump administration on Monday from refusing asylum to immigrants who cross the southern border illegally. | U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar issued a temporary restraining order after hearing arguments in San Francisco. The request was made by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights, which quickly sued after President Donald Trump issued the ban this month in response to the caravans of migrants that have started to arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border. | Trump issued a proclamation on Nov. 9 that said anyone who crossed the southern bord…
truthdig.com/articles/court-blocks-u-s-from-enforcing-trumps-asylum-ban/

Federal Judge Blocks Asylum Ban, Saying President Can't Rewrite Immigration Law
Shared by Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-11-20
In the latest pushback against President Trump's attack on immigrants rights, a federal judge in California has temporarily halted Trump's asylum ban, which attempted to deny asylum to anyone entering the country from outside of a legal port of entry. Trump announced the move earlier this month, but Monday, US District Judge Jon Tigar put a temporary halt on the order. Tigar wrote, "Asylum seekers will be put at increased risk of violence and other harms at the border, and many will be deprived of meritorious asylum claims. The government offers nothing in support of the new rule that outweighs the need to avo…
truthout.org/video/federal-judge-blocks-asylum-ban-saying-president-cant-rewrite-immigration-law/

Federal Judge Blocks Trump's "Asylum Ban," Saying President Can't Rewrite Immigration Laws
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-11-20
In the latest pushback against President Trump's attack on immigrants rights, a federal judge in California has temporarily halted Trump's asylum ban, which attempted to deny asylum to anyone entering the country from outside of a legal port of entry. Trump announced the move earlier this month, but Monday, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar put a temporary halt on the order. Tigar wrote, "Asylum seekers will be put at increased risk of violence and other harms at the border, and many will be deprived of meritorious asylum claims. The government offers nothing in support of the new rule that outweighs the need to avoi…
www.democracynow.org/2018/11/20/federal_…

PRESS CALL TODAY: Civil Rights Leaders Blast Farr Nomination and Timing of Vote
Regan Farley | naacp.org | 2018-11-20
Washington, D.C. — Leaders of the NAACP, Repairers of the Breach, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and NAACP Legal Defense Fund will hold a telephone press briefing, Tuesday, November 20 at 3 PM ET, condemning President Trump's nomination of Thomas Farr to the Eastern District of North Carolina and the Senate's expected […] | The post PRESS CALL TODAY: Civil Rights Leaders Blast Farr Nomination and Timing of Vote appeared first on NAACP
naacp.org/latest/press-call-today-civil-rights-leaders-blast-farr-nomination-timing-vote/

Airbnb Ends West Bank Settlement Listings, Causing Uproar in Israel
Middle East Eye | theantimedia.com | 2018-11-20
(MEE) — Home rental company Airbnb has announced it plans to remove listings in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that comes after several years of pressure from Palestinian human rights groups. The US-based company said it currently has about 200 listings in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and made its decision after …

Airbnb Ends West Bank Settlement Listings, Causing Uproar in Israel

AirBnB announces: No more listings in Israeli colonial settlements
Celine Hagbard | imemc.org | 2018-11-20
On Monday, the international crowdsourced bed and breakfast company AirBnB announced that they will no longer allow listings that are located in Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land. The decision comes after a two year campaign of Human Rights Watch and other organizations, who pointed out that the promotion of …

AirBnB announces: No more listings in Israeli colonial settlements

Undercutting Female Circumcision
Masturah Alatas | counterpunch.org | 2018-11-20
There is this news that a representative of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry in Malaysia recently defended the practice of infant female circumcision in Malaysia at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. It is part of a Malaysian cultural "obligation", he said. But "the type of circumcision practiced is very mild and does not involve any cutting," he added.
counterpunch.org/2018/11/20/undercutting-female-circumcision/

We Are Thankful for Our Friends
Regan Farley | naacp.org | 2018-11-20
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we're acknowledging a special group of people we are especially thankful to have at our side — our partners in the civil rights and social justice movement with whom we have powerful friendships with. 2018 was a pivotal year for NAACP, a year in which we made great strides […] | The post We Are Thankful for Our Friends appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/we-are-thankful-for-our-friends/

Immigrant rights advocates urge comments against proposed 'public charge' rule
Marilyn Bechtel | peoplesworld.org | 2018-11-20
As the Dec. 10 deadline approaches for public comment on the Trump administration's proposal to expand "public charge" stipulations, putting immigrants at greater risk when they seek to upgrade their status, a broad coalition of organizations is stepping up its work to mobilize public comment opposing the intended rule change. The Protecting Immigrant Families coalition …
peoplesworld.org/article/immigrant-rights-advocates-urge-comments-against-proposed-public-charge-rule/

Who, Exactly, Is Title IX Meant to Protect?
Naomi LaChance | truthdig.com | 2018-11-20
While Betsy DeVos' Department of Education investigates federal claims backed by a men's rights group that women's studies programs discriminate against men and violate Title IX, survivors of sexual assault are fighting for the ability to attend school without fear of violence. | DeVos, the secretary of education, enraged advocates against sexual violence and harassment when she issued proposed changes last week to Title IX, a federal civil rights law that says any school that discriminates against students based on their sex will not receive…
truthdig.com/articles/who-exactly-is-title-ix-meant-to-protect/

Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams Vows to Continue to Fight Voter Suppression
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-11-20
Republican candidate Brian Kemp will be next Governor of Georgia, but Stacey Abrams vows a legal fight for voter rights while building a new movement | The post Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams Vows to Continue to Fight Voter Suppression appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/georgia-gubernatorial-candidate-stacey-abrams-vows-to-continue-to-fight-voter-suppression

#WontBeErased, Won't Be Forgotten, Won't Be Alone
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-11-20
We should honor the transgender people who have died this year by taking action for trans justice and survival. | On Trans Day of Remembrance the trans community honors our dead. Too many names are read and remembered at vigils around the world marking the deaths of trans people who have been murdered during the year. This year is again on pace to be the deadliest year for transgender people in the United States. As of October,
aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/transgender-rights/wontbeerased-wont-be-forgotten-wont-be-alone

Please Help Mississippians Vote For Mike Espy On Nov 27th
Winds Of Change | indybay.org | 2018-11-20
Democrat Mike Espy, former USDA Secretary, 4 times elected to Congress as the first black American since Reconstruction to represent a Mississippi district, is an attorney who has worked for black farmer' rights. His opponent Cindy Hyde-Smith is a cattle ranch owner and part owner of a slaughterhouse auction block who has been accused of racism and vote suppression advocacy.
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/11/16/18819223.php

Oprah's Animal Rights Consciousness Needs Improvement
Veritas | indybay.org | 2018-11-20
Please ask Oprah Winfrey to stop advertising meat and dairy.
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/11/19/18819254.php

The Iranian Albatross that Donald Trump Has Hung Around Its Own Neck
Alastair Crooke | mintpressnews.com | 2018-11-20
Trump's policy of not just exiting JCPOA, but of going that 'mile' further in seeking to overthrow Iran as well, through sanctions will eventually become seen as 'the Albatross' which Trump injudiciously — and without compelling need — hung about his own neck. | The post The Iranian Albatross that Donald Trump Has Hung Around Its Own Neck appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/the-iran-albatross-that-donald-trump-has-hung-around-its-own-neck/252104/

Iraqi Dinar May Replace Dollar And Euro In Iran's 2nd Largest Export Market
Zero Hedge | iranian.com | 2018-11-20
Amidst continuing talks between Iran and Iraq over how to settle payments for Iraq's natural gas imports from Iran in the face of Washington sanctions, Iranian officials are mulling over Iraq's offer to pay in Iraqi Dinars instead of the dollar or Euro, according to Iranian state media. This follows the September announcement by Iran that it planned […] | The post Iraqi Dinar May Replace Dollar And Euro In Iran's 2nd Largest Export Market appeared first on The…
iranian.com/2018/11/20/iraqi-dinar-may-replace-dollar-and-euro-in-irans-2nd-largest-export-market/

US promises to 'disrupt' oil shipments to Syria, sanctions Russian & Iranian companies
RT | rt.com | 2018-11-20
The US has introduced sanctions against what it called a network of petroleum shipments to Syria, including Russian and Iranian companies and individuals. Washington says it wants to disrupt shipments to Syrian-owned ports. | …
rt.com/usa/444472-us-sanctions-russian-iranian-firms-syria/

A Leftist Foreign Policy Should Reject Economic Sanctions
Nicholas Mulder | thenation.com | 2018-11-20
A Leftist Foreign Policy Should Reject Economic Sanctions…
thenation.com/article/sanctions-economy-foreign-policy/

Iran To Cap Gasoline Sales To Curb Smuggling
RFE | iranian.com | 2018-11-20
Iran is reintroducing fuel cards that will cap petrol purchases in a bid to combat rampant smuggling, state media reported on Tuesday. Smuggling has boomed in recent months as the rial has plummeted against the dollar in the face of the reimposition of crippling US sanctions following Washington's withdrawal from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal […] | The post Iran To Cap Gasoline Sales To Curb Smuggling appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/11/20/iran-to-cap-gasoline-sales-to-curb-smuggling/

How Countries Voted On Canada's UN Resolution On Iran's Human Rights
The Iranian | iranian.com | 2018-11-19
A U.N. committee on human rights voted on a resolution sponsored by Canada, last Thursday, urging Iran to stop its widespread use of arbitrary detention and expressing serious concern at its "alarmingly high" use of the death penalty. The General Assembly's Human Rights Committee adopted the resolution by a vote of 85-30, with 68 abstentions. […] | The post How Countries Voted On Canada's UN Resolution On Iran's Human Rights appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/11/18/how-countries-voted-on-canadas-un-resolution-on-irans-human-rights/

US Airstrikes Kill at Least 40, Mostly Civilians, in Eastern Syria
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2018-11-19
(ANTIWAR.COM) — Continuing weeks of near-daily civilian death tolls from the US air war in Eastern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported that Saturday's US attacks killed 40 more people, overwhelmingly civilians. The victims were described as mostly women and children. Saturday's attacks were against the village of Abu al-Hassan, along the Iraq border. It …

US Airstrikes Kill at Least 40, Mostly Civilians, in Eastern Syria

What democracy? 70% of 'not free' countries get US military aid
RT | rt.com | 2018-11-19
Washington has a habit of bombing defenseless nations in the name of democracy, but isn't the least bit squeamish about selling weapons and giving military aid to countries its own human rights watchdogs deem dictatorial. | …
rt.com/usa/444397-pentagon-dictatorships-military-aid/

Little Rock, Arkansas teachers' union relinquishes due process rights
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-11-19
The union-endorsed agreement will open the door to streamlining the ability of the Little Rock School district to fire educators.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/11/19/rock…

Gig economy workers have rights — whether companies like it or not
kathy_f | greenleft.org.au | 2018-11-19
As recently as last year, the gig economy's "independent contractor" business model seemed like an unstoppable force. It started with Uber, but soon spread to food delivery and before long was entering new sectors, such as freight, logistics and healthcare. | The model reached hero status in the business community. It was the neoliberal panacea, a cure for all their ills. | Sham gig economy contracting provided the perfect business solution to all those pesky costs, such as minimum wage, superannuation and workers' compensation. | The model soared across the economy like a state-of-the-art fighter jet, out manoeu…
greenleft.org.au/content/gig-economy-workers-have-rights-whether-companies-it-or-not

The Tide Is Turning: Israel Is Losing On Two War Fronts
Ramzy Baroud | iranian.com | 2018-11-19
The botched Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip on 12 November is delineating Tel Aviv's failure to utilise its army as a tool to achieve Palestinian political concessions. Now that Palestinian popular resistance has gone global through the exponential rise and growing success of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement, the Israeli government […] | The post The Tide Is Turning: Israel Is Losing On Two War Fronts appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/11/19/israel-is-losing-on-two-war-fronts/

Stacey Abrams Isn't Going Anywhere
Joan Walsh | thenation.com | 2018-11-17
Stacey Abrams Isn't Going Anywhere…
thenation.com/article/stacey-abrams-georgia-voting-rights/

NAACP GRASSROOTS & VOTER TURNOUT EFFORTS SPUR INCREASED BLACK VOTER PARTICIPATION
Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet | naacp.org | 2018-11-16
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 16, 2018 CONTACTS: NAACP@sunshinesachs.com and Malik Russell / mrussell@naacpnet.org / 410-580-5761 NAACP civic engagement campaign helped generate record midterm election turnout among Black Voters BALTIMORE — From the passage of Amendment 4 in Florida, which restored voting rights to convicted felons to the record number of early voting among voters of color — including a 77% increase among […] | The post NAACP GRASSROOTS & VOTER TURNOUT EFFORT…
naacp.org/latest/naacp-grassroots-voter-turnout-efforts-spur-increased-black-voter-participation/

Illinois Police Killed a Black Security Guard While Doing His Job
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-11-16
Jemel Robinson saved lives — but because of racially biased policing, he paid for it with his own. | In an alternate reality, Tuesday's national news headlines would have read: "Active Shooter Heroically Subdued by Brave Security Guard." Instead, we woke up to news stories announcing that police in Midlothian, Illinois, responded to a bar shooting by killing the security guard who had bravely detained the shooting suspect. | Jemel Roberson should be alive today. But he's not, and…
aclu.org/blog/racial-justice/illinois-police-killed-black-security-guard-while-doing-his-job

ICE Is Targeting Activists in Vermont. And the State's DMV Has Been Helping Them
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-11-16
ICE partnered with the Vermont DMV to target farmworker rights' activists for political repression. | In October 2017, Vermont-based Migrant Justice scored a major victory in the organization's campaign to extend labor protections to undocumented farmworkers in the state. After years of public action and lobbying, they reached an agreement with Ben & Jerry's that established basic labor standards at the farms supplying dairy products to the company. Those standards included one day off a week, a minimum wage of $10 per…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/ice-targeting-activists-vermont-and-states-dmv-has-been-helping-them

Betsy DeVos Wants to Roll Back Civil Rights Protections For Students Filing Complaints of Sexual Harassment or Assault
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-11-16
Our analysis of how DeVos' proposed rule would change how colleges and universities deal with allegations of sexual assault under Title IX. | The Department of Education headed by Secretary Betsy DeVos on Friday released a proposed rule that, if implemented, would dramatically limit schools' obligations to students who experience sexual violence and would not further the stated goal of fair process. The ACLU is equally committed to ensuring students can learn in environments free from sexual harassment and violence and to guaranteeing fair process for both respondents and complainants. | The new rule preserv…
aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/womens-rights-education/betsy-devos-wants-roll-back-civil-rights-protections

NAACP Strongly Urges Senate Rejection of Farr Nomination
Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet | naacp.org | 2018-11-15
BALTIMORE (November 15, 2018)–The NAACP strongly condemns Thomas Farr's nomination and the Senate's scheduling of his vote. The nation just experienced national elections which are not yet over and which were tainted by egregious voting rights violations. That Majority Leader McConnell chooses this moment in time to vote on a judicial nominee known as the vote-suppressor-in-chief […] | The post NAACP Strongly Urges Senate Rejection of Farr Nomination appeared first on NAACP
naacp.org/latest/naacp-strongly-urges-senate-rejection-farr-nomination/

Vermont Immigrant Rights Group Sues ICE for Monitoring, Infiltrating & "Hunting Down" Organizers
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-11-15
A major new federal lawsuit claims that immigration agents are targeting undocumented organizers for their activism in Vermont. The suit accuses Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles of carrying out a multiyear campaign of political retaliation against members of the group Migrant Justice. According to the lawsuit, Migrant Justice was infiltrated by an informant, and its members were repeatedly subjected to electronic surveillance. At least 20 active members of Migrant Justice have been arrested and detained by ICE. We speak with Will…
www.democracynow.org/2018/11/15/vermont_…

'SBS: Don't screen Eurovision 2019 in Israel'
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2018-11-15
Protesters gathered outside the SBS offices in Artarmon on November 15 to urge the national multicultural broadcaster not to screen Eurovision 2019, which will be held in Israel. | They handed out leaflets to SBS staff that read: "We love SBS and we love Eurovision, but is a song contest worth more than human rights? Are advertising dollars worth more than international law? | "We can't celebrate Eurovision in Israel while the Israeli government enforces apartheid and ongoing human rights abuses against Palestinians. | "Just like the campaign that ended apartheid in South Africa, your international solidarity is…
greenleft.org.au/content/sbs-dont-screen-eurovision-2019-israel

Venezuela: Workers Rally to Demand 'Revolutionary Exit from Crisis'
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-11-15
The public sector in Venezuela has been mobilizing for revised wages and labor rights.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14148

Prisoners Are Getting Paid $1.45 a Day to Fight the California Wildfires
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-11-15
Incarcerated workers fighting wildfires deserve the same wages and protections that civilian workers receive. | As firefighters in California battle the deadliest wildfires in the state's history, they are joined by unlikely allies against the blaze. About 200 prisoners in California's Conservation Camp program are fighting the fires alongside civilian employees, earning just $1.45 a day for their work. Their pay as workers is a fraction of minimum wage. The hazard to their lives is real, as evidenced by a death toll that has…
aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/prisoners-are-getting-paid-145-day-fight-california-wildfires

SPLC seeks justice for journalist facing deportation
splcenter | splcenter.org | 2018-11-14
SPLC client Manuel Duran, the Spanish-language journalist who was unlawfully arrested and detained in April in retaliation for reporting on controversial issues related to law enforcement in Tennessee, could be deported at any time.
splcenter.org/news/2018/11/15/splc-seeks-justice-journalist-facing-deportation

Protesters to Qantas: 'Don't profit at the expense of human lives'
kathy_f | greenleft.org.au | 2018-11-13
Thirty refugee supporters protested outside the Melbourne headquarters of Jetstar on November 9, demanding that Qantas (Jetstar's parent company) cease participating in the deportation of asylum seekers. | Tamil Refugee Council member Aran Mylvaganam told the rally that the Australian government has deported hundreds of Tamil asylum seekers to Sri Lanka. Citing a United Nations report, which showed that torture is "endemic and routine" in Sri Lanka, he said Tamils who are sent back are in grave danger. He called on Qantas not to be complicit, saying: "Don't make a profit at the expense of human lives".
greenleft.org.au/content/refugee-deportation-protest-jetstar

Venezuela Looks to Dodge Sanctions & Repatriate Gold from Bank of England
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-11-07
The reported measure will bring US $550m worth of national reserves back to Caracas only days after Washington announced new gold-targeting sanctions.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14139

Maduro: Venezuela Sitting on 2nd Biggest Gold Reserve on Earth
TeleSur English | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-11-05
President Nicolas Maduro described the U.S. sanctions on Venezuela as "crazy" and "criminal."
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14133

Gasoline Shortages Hit Western Venezuela
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-11-05
Whilst the government hinted at import problems due to US sanctions, others have cited additional factors, including cross-border smuggling, poor maintenance and increased demand due to the upcoming price hike.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14135

Trump's Latin American Sanctions: Clear 'Political Tactic' For Midterms
Sputnik International | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-11-04
VA's Paul Dobson analyzes the latest US sanctions in this Sputnik News report.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14131