(2018-10-17). Colombians Demand Justice 16 Years After Deadly Operation Orion. telesurtv.net The relatives of the dozens of Colombians executed, disappeared, and detained continue to call for justice.
(2018-10-17). Amid furor over Khashoggi murder, UN warns millions more face starvation in Yemen. wsws.org While leading Democrats and Republicans have called for sanctions over the Saudi journalist's killing, Washington has maintained a discreet silence over the US-backed mass murder in Yemen.
(2018-10-17). How Detained US Student Lara Alqasem Became a Cause Celebrea for Jewish Liberals. mintpressnews.com 
An American student of Palestinian descent detained in Israel's airport for nearly a fortnight has become an unexpected cause celebre. Lara Alqasem was refused entry under legislation passed last year against boycott activists, and Israeli courts are now deciding whether allowing her to study human rights at an Israeli university threatens public order. | Usually, those held at the border are swiftly deported, but Ms. Alqasem appealed against the decision, becoming in the process an improbable "prisoner of conscience" for the boycott cause. | The Israeli government, led by strategic affairs minister Gilad Erdan,…
(2018-10-17). Spain Pushes Dialogue Instead of Sanctions Against Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com The policy represents a radical change from the sanctions wanted by previous Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, imposed by Brussels last January, and reinforced last June.
(2018-10-17). The Arabian Game Of Thrones Heats Up. iranian.com The reported torture, murder, and dismemberment of Washington-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate-general in Istanbul reminded the world that an intense power play is now taking place within the monarchies of the Arabian Peninsula and between them. In November 2017, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) ordered the arrest and detention […]
(2018-10-17). Japanese Companies To Remain In Iran Despite US Sanctions. iranian.com A senior official of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announced that the country will not alter its supportive policies towards Iran after implementation of the US sanctions on November 4. "JICA always supports development of mutual cooperation in the private sector and it will use its utmost efforts to return the Japanese companies to the […]
(2018-10-17). Amnesty International: Immigrants separated from family members for alleged "fraud" wsws.org Amnesty International reveals thousands of children have been separated from relatives for supposed fraud and defines separation as a form of torture under US and international law.
(2018-10-17). US Imposes New Sanctions On Entities That Support Iran's Use Of 'Child Soldiers'. iranian.com On October 16, the Trump administration blacklisted some 20 Iranian companies, including banks, steel mills, zinc mines, and manufacturers of cars, buses and tractors accusing them of supporting recruitment of "child soldiers" for Iran. "This vast network provides financial infrastructure to the Basij's efforts to recruit, train, and indoctrinate child soldiers who are coerced into […]
(2018-10-17). Venezuela Ditches Dollar After US Sanctions Hit Private Sector. telesurtv.net International financial transactions using foreign currency were reportedly blocked, agroindustrial and pharmaceutical sectors said.
(2018-10-17). Notorious Canadian MP and Defender of Israel's Human Rights Abuses Ratchets up Campaign Against Venezuela in the Name of Human Rights. mintpressnews.com Canadian MP Irwin Cotler claims to be committed to ending the humanitarian crises in Venezuela, yet Cotler has devoted much of his life to defending Israeli human rights violations, including its recent killing of unarmed protesters in Gaza.
(2018-10-17). OSHA Investigator/Lawyer Darrell Whitman, OSC, Culture Of Corruption, GAP & The Democrats. indybay.org Federal OSHA Whistleblower Protection Program investigator and lawyer Darrell Whitman discusses his effort to defend fellow workers at OSHA WPP. He also discusses the systemic effort to cover-up the retaliation of OSHA whistleblowers from companies like FedEx, Wells Fargo, PG&E, Test American and Lockheed Martin. He reports that he went to many politicians including Diane Feinstein and Congresswoman Barbara Lee about these conditions not only at OSHA about violations of civil rights including the murder of Alan Blueford. He learned that not only were OSHA officials and the Department of Labor DOL Secretary Tom Pe…
(2018-10-17). Five States Where Voters Can Change the Criminal Justice System. truthdig.com On Nov. 6, five states will vote on ballot initiatives which, if passed, will enable their citizens to attain greater accountability from police, prosecutors and other law enforcement officials. Proposals range from restoring voting rights to the formerly incarcerated, to abolishing slavery as a punishment for a crime, to reducing the punishments for drug possession. Many of these rules have roots in Jim Crow-era structural racism, and voters in these states will have a chance to change the way the criminal justice system works.
(2018-10-16). Khashoggi Is the Tip of the Bloody Iceberg: 10 More Reasons to Cut the U.S.-Saudi Alliance. alternet.org 
By maintaining close ties with Saudi Arabia, the U. S. is sending a message to citizens around the world that it values money and power over human rights. | Saudi Arabia has made headlines recently for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. What happened to Khashoggi is certainly tragic, but it's far from the only crime committed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Despite Saudi Arabia's history. . .
(2018-10-16). Floridians Will Vote on Whether to Restore Voting Rights to 1.4 Million People. truthout.org Voters in Florida are preparing to vote on a measure that would restore voting rights to 1.4 million people with non-violent felonies who have fully completed their sentences. One in five African Americans in Florida and ten 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 ex-felons from voting for life. The other states are Iowa, Kentucky and Virginia. The Brennan Center for Justice reports that Florida disenfranchises m…
(2018-10-16). US sanctions Iranian banks, factories & mines. rt.com 
Washington has blacklisted some 20 Iranian companies, including banks, steel mills, zinc mines, and manufacturers of cars, buses and tractors – accused by the US of supporting recruitment of "child soldiers" for Iran. |
(2018-10-16). 'NaàØve As a Baby': Here Are 4 of the Worst Authoritarians Trump Has Praised and Cozied Up to as President. alternet.org 
Trump has made it clear he doesn't care about human rights. | President Donald Trump has received a great deal of criticism for his anemic response to the disappearance of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who was last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2. Turkish officials have alleged. . .
(2018-10-16). Trump, Iran and Sanctions. counterpunch.org 
Representatives from the nations that, along with the United States, signed on to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPOA), are still trying desperately to salvage the agreement, which is on life support since the U.S. pulled out of it. The latest attempt concerns SWIFT, and Iranian access to it. SWIFT, officially the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is a secure messaging service that transmits millions of instructions per day to banks and other financial institutions. Among the many sanctions that Trump is re-imposing on November 5, in violation of an international agreement to w…
(2018-10-16). Humanitarian Bombs. counterpunch.org One should not sell bombs to a government that abuses human rights, which means murders a man without using one of the bombs. If Saudi Arabia had murdered a man using a bomb, it would be fine to sell Saudi Arabia more bombs. But Saudi Arabia murdered with a non-bomb weapon, and so shouldn't have More
(2018-10-16). Stacey Abrams Runs to Become Georgia's First Black Governor as Her Opponent Suppresses the Vote. democracynow.org 
With the midterm elections just three weeks away, voting rights advocates are accusing Republican officials in several states of orchestrating a campaign of voter suppression targeting people of color. In Georgia, the Democratic candidate for governor, Stacey Abrams, is calling on her Republican opponent, Brian Kemp, to step down as secretary of state for placing 53,000 voter applications on hold. Seventy percent of the applicants are African-American. Abrams has accused Kemp of using the state's "exact match" system to disenfranchise voters. With exact match, even a minor discrepancy in a voter's registration an…
(2018-10-16). China Defends Extrajudicial Detention of Muslims in Internment Camps. truthdig.com Former captives say they are forced to disavow their religious beliefs and that their children are being placed in orphanages.
(2018-10-16). Trump Won in 2016 Thanks to Voter Suppression Says Carol Anderson, Author of "One Person, No Vote" democracynow.org 
Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election due to voter suppression. That's what professor Carol Anderson argues in her new book "One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy," which tracks the rise of restrictive voting laws across the United States. In it, Anderson examines how African-American voter participation has been systematically compromised since a 2013 Supreme Court decision that gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act. By the 2016 election, turnout among black voters nationwide dropped from 66 percent to under 60 percent. The discrepancy was even larger in key areas like Milw…
(2018-10-16). How America Systematically Fails Survivors of Sexual Violence. aclu.org #MeToo exposed the widespread silencing and dismissal of survivors and the need for our institutions to do better. | Before there was Christine Blasey Ford, there was Recy Taylor, an African-American woman who was raped by six white men in 1944 and fought for justice with the help of Rosa Parks. And in between the two of them, there was (2018-10-16). There Really Are 'Rogue Killers' — And They're from the United States: Report. alternet.org 
US support for the determinately un-Democratic, rights-free monarchies in the Middle East have long been more than problematic. | While the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi can be laid at the feet of Saudi intelligence operatives, there really do appear to be some "rogue killers" jetting around the Middle East carrying out international assassinations. They are mercenaries provided by private "security firms" inside the United States who send out agents to conduct. . .
(2018-10-16). Two Koreas Advance Peace Without Trump's 'Approval'. therealnews.com 
North and South Korea are moving ahead with plans to build road and rail links as part of their historic peace talks. But the U.S. is standing in the way, as Trump refuses to lift sanctions and claims that the South Koreans "do nothing without our approval." We speak to Col. Lawrence Wilkerson
(2018-10-16). High Prices Helping Iran Make Up For Loss Of Half Of Oil Exports, VP Says. iranian.com Iran has lost some customers for its oil because of looming U.S. sanctions, but high prices are making up for the lost sales, Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri has said. "While some countries have stopped buying oil from Iran, we have found new partners," he was quoted as saying by Iran's IRIB broadcaster on October […]
(2018-10-16). Desmond Meade Hopes to Win Voting Rights for 1.4M Floridians with Felony Convictions—Including Himself. democracynow.org 
Voters in Florida are preparing to vote on 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 ex-felons from voting for life. The other states are Iowa, Kentucky and Virginia. The Brennan Center for Justice reports that Florida disenfranchises more…
(2018-10-16). Fifty Years of Mexican October. counterpunch.org 
In understanding contemporary Mexican politics and society, the careful observer might well draw a line before and after October 2, 1968. That was the day when Mexican soldiers killed, wounded and detained hundreds of students and civilians who had peacefully assembled in the Tlatelolco section of Mexico City to demand a more democratic government and More
(2018-10-16). Bypassing US Sanctions. Russia to Refine Iranian Oil for Export. globalresearch.ca US harshness toward Iran since its 1979 revolution achieved nothing. The Trump regime's aim to crush its economy, mainly by blocking its oil sales, failed before implementation in early November. | On Sunday, OilPrice.com said Iran has ways around Trump regime …
(2018-10-16). Colombian human rights lawyer Diego Martinez needs solidarity now. peoplesworld.org 
More than two years afte…
(2018-10-15). Evacuating Nauru: Médecins Sans Frontières and Australia's Refugee Dilemma. counterpunch.org It is an organisation not without its problems. Conceived in the heat of idealism, and promoted as the vanguard of medical rescue and human rights advocacy, Médecins Sans Frontières has had its faults. Its co-founder Bernard Kouchner went a bit awry when he turned such advocacy into full blown interventionism. As Nicolas Sarkozy's foreign minister, More
(2018-10-15). Why Trump bears responsibility for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. peoplesworld.org 
European nations, including Germany, France, and Britain, are calling for a "credible investigation" of the disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 and never came out. Turkey said he was tortured, killed, and dismembered by a S…
(2018-10-15). Vatican Canonizes Salvadoran Archbishop àìscar Romero, Who Was Killed by a U.S.-Backed Death Squad. democracynow.org 
Pope Francis has named Salvadoran Archbishop àìscar Romero a saint. Romero was a champion for the poor and oppressed who was murdered by a U.S.-backed right-wing death squad in 1980 at the beginning of the brutal U.S.-backed military campaign in El Salvador. Wearing the blood-stained rope belt that Romero wore when he was assassinated, Pope Francis praised Romero for disregarding his own life "to be close to the poor and to his people." We speak with Matt Eisenbrandt, a human rights lawyer and the author of "Assassination of a Saint: The Plot to Murder àìscar Romero and the Quest to Bring His Killer…
(2018-10-15). Trump Admin Hints It May Resume Family Separation at Border; ACLU Says "Public Outcry Is Critical" democracynow.org 
The Trump administration is reportedly considering plans to resume its policy of forcibly separating migrant children from their families along the U.S.-Mexico border, even as the full number of people torn apart the last time it carried out the widely condemned practice remains unclear. A new report by Amnesty International suggests immigration officials separated some 6,000 families between April and August, a far higher number of children and parents torn apart than previously thought. Trump administration officials are now considering plans to detain asylum-seeking families together for up to 20 days and then…
(2018-10-15). Rogue killers or state murder? Riyadh gets benefit of doubt from Trump where Russia doesn't. rt.com 
Washington has reacted with uncharacteristic calm following the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Instead of slapping Riyadh with sanctions and tearing up deals, Trump has refused to pin the blame on anyone.
(2018-10-12). Israeli Authorities Step Up anti-BDS Policies: Political Test to Enter Israel. therealnews.com 
Israel border authorities have detained US-Palestinian student for her alleged Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) activism, denying her entry into Israel, despite having a visa. Tallie Ben-Daniel of Jewish voice for Peace discusses the case and what it means for the BDS movement
(2018-10-12). "Educators Who Bravely Act on Principle Should be Championed, Not Punished" bdsmovement.net 
"Educators Who Bravely Act on Principle Should be Championed, Not Punished": UpdatePalestinian civil society responds to efforts by the University of Michigan to silence teachers who act in support of Palestinian human rights: "As long as Israeli universi…
(2018-10-12). Police Brutality Against Black Kansas City Man Caught on Video. aclu.org 
Police encounters too often turn violent or deadly for people of color across the nation. | Black people in Missouri are disproportionately stopped or harassed by police. Twenty years of collected data shows Black drivers are stopped at a rate 85 percent higher than white drivers. And too many police departments across the state regularly use disproportionate force in dealing with (2018-10-12). Weekend Read: For immigrant survivors of sexual assault, support is off the books. splcenter.org President Trump has now appointed two men to the Supreme Court. During an oral argument this week, one of them, Justice Neil Gorsuch, seemed concerned about the expansive use of government power to detain immigrants.
(2018-10-12). Rep. Ro Khanna Condemns Saudi Barbarity from Disappearance of Saudi Journalist to War in Yemen. democracynow.org 
President Donald Trump is rejecting calls to cut off arms sales to Saudi Arabia following the disappearance and probable murder of the Saudi-born Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Washington Post is reporting the Turkish government told U.S. officials it has audio and video evidence that Khashoggi was killed last week inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Officials say the recordings confirm that a Saudi security team detained Khashoggi after he walked into the consulate on October 2, before killing him and dismembering his body. We speak with Ro Khanna, Democratic congressmember from California.
(2018-10-12). NAACP Monitoring Possible Voter Suppression Tactics in Georgia Governor Race. naacp.org Over 53,000 Voter Registration Applications on Hold in Secretary of State Kemp's Office BALTIMORE—The nation's foremost civil rights organization is closely monitoring possible voter suppression in the state of Georgia stemming from Secretary of State Brian Kemp's ongoing failure to process over 53,000 voter registration applications. "It's a stain on our system of democracy when less than a month before an […]
(2018-10-12). Supreme Court Enables Mass Disenfranchisement of North Dakota's Native Americans. aclu.org A restrictive law will make it hard to vote for people who live on reservations in rural areas and don't have street addresses. | On Tuesday, the Supreme Court chose to stand by and allow the war against voting to continue. Just a little less than a month before midterm elections that will determine control of Congress, the court decided not to block North Dakota's restrictive voter ID law, which will make it harder for people in that state to cast their ballots. | Republicans in the state legislature insist that the l…
(2018-10-12). Israeli Authorities Step Up anti-BDS Policies: Political Test to Enter Israel. therealnews.com Israel border authorities have detained US-Palestinian student for her alleged Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) activism, denying her entry into Israel, despite having a visa. Tallie Ben-Daniel of Jewish voice for Peace discusses the case and what it means for the BDS movement
(2018-10-12). Rep. Ro Khanna Introduces Internet Bill of Rights as Facebook & Google Admit Privacy Breaches. democracynow.org 
Facebook and Google recently admitted major privacy breaches. Facebook says the personal information of nearly 50 million users were exposed after an online attack. Meanwhile, Google is shutting down its social network Google Plus after revelations of a data breach that exposed the private data of hundreds of thousands of users. The breach was discovered in March but was not disclosed to the public. We speak to Rep. Ro Khanna, who recently introduced an Internet Bill of Rights.
(2018-10-11). Venezuela Takes Center Stage in Brazilian Far Right Presidential Campaign. venezuelanalysis.com Frontrunner Bolsonaro has vowed to sever diplomatic relations with Caracas and back sanctions while establishing closer ties with the ultra-right government in Israel.
(2018-10-11). Jury Sends Wisconsin a $780,000 Bill for Denying Health Care to Two Transgender Workers. aclu.org A growing number of courts are ruling that transgender public employees should have access to transition-related health care. | Shannon Andrews just helped bring comprehensive health care coverage to transgender state employees across Wisconsin. Even more reassuring, she proved that average Americans understand that discrimination against transgender people comes with a cost. | Shannon supervises a cancer research lab at the University of Wisconsin. Like other state employees, she gets health care insurance through the state. But as a transgender woman, Shannon faced state rules that specifically excluded coverag…
(2018-10-11). Oops — Did Police Accidentally Reveal Unconstitutional Surveillance When They Tweeted a Screenshot? aclu.org 
We're demanding Mass. state police release their browser history and bookmarks to see if they're targeting progressive protesters for surveillance. | On September 13, dozens of natural gas explosions hit three towns north of Boston, killing one person and impacting thousands more. In the first few hectic hours after the blasts, the Massachusetts State Police official Twitter account posted a tweet reading: | Updated plotting of confirmed fires and explosions by MSP Watch Center. 39 locations confirmed thus far. Number will grow. New responses ongoing. Reminder: all residents of Lawrence/Andover/N Andover who have…
(2018-10-10). Hatewatch Headlines 10/11/2018. splcenter.org The GOP wants to lock up liberal women; Georgia governor's race about voting rights; Kent State grad sticks school with bill for gun rally; and more.
(2018-10-10). Rashid Khalidi: From Iran to Palestine, Nikki Haley Put a Nice Face on Trump's "Horrific" U.S. Policies. democracynow.org 
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has announced she is resigning her post at the end of the year. The former South Carolina governor—one of the few women in Trump's Cabinet—gave no reason for her departure. During Nikki Haley's time as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the United States withdrew from the Paris climate accord; the U.N. Human Rights Council; the Iran nuclear deal; UNRWA, the U.N. agency that provides humanitarian aid to Palestinians; and UNESCO, the U.N. educational and cultural agency. We speak with Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said professor of Arab studies at Columbia…
(2018-10-09). On the far right, neo-Nazis, racists hail Brett Kavanaugh's elevation to Supreme Court as open season on women, minority rights in America. splcenter.org To neo-Nazi-in-hiding Andrew Anglin, the elevation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court is a milestone, one that he hopes will result in an end to women's rights across the country.
(2018-10-09). Headlines for October 9, 2018. democracynow.org Hurricane Michael Kills 13 in Central America, Approaches U.S. Coast, Trump Apologizes to Kavanaugh During Ceremonial SCOTUS Swearing-In, Beijing Strikes Hostile Tone at Pompeo Visit Amid U.S.-China Tensions, China Detains Interpol Police Chief, Accusing Him of Corruption, NYT: Ex-Trump Campaign Aide Rick Gates Was In Touch with Israeli Psy-Group, Turkey Searching for Van in Case of Missing Saudi Journalist, Social Network Google+ to Shut Down After Massive Data Breach, NYC Vigil Held for Uber Driver Who Died by Suicide, Owner of Company Behind Deadly NY Limo Crash Was FBI Informant, New York Governor Cuomo, Pres…