(2018-11-14). Truth serum? New CIA 'torture program' docs shed light on post-9/11 'Project Medication'. rt.com 
A CIA report obtained by the ACLU lays bare the details of the agency's "enhanced interrogation" program, including tactics so disturbing even CIA agents were reluctant to implement them.
(2018-11-14). Has Time Run Out For Julian Assange? Signs Point to Imminent Extradition. mintpressnews.com 
It appears increasingly likely Wikileaks founder and publisher Julian Assange will wind up in the clutches of the U.S. government. | It's hardly surprising, given that in ten years' time, Wikileaks published more classified information than all other media combined. It exposed human rights abuses, government spying, torture, and war crimes on an unprecedented scale. | WikiLeaks put the government, corporations and even the Pentagon, the FBI, the CIA and other intel agencies on notice that they could no longer count on operating in secret. | It created a trove of primary source material that serious journalists an…
(2018-11-14). Alameda rap song on renters struggle against corporate landlords, urges "No on K" vote. indybay.org Corporate landlords recently attempted to force a weak rent law into the City of Alameda's charter in order to prevent future changes. Alameda historian, journalist, and MC Rasheed Shabazz dropped a"No On K" rap documenting the recent renters' rights struggle there and the battle against the landlord-backed Measure K on the November 6, 2018 ballot.
(2018-11-14). Protest At Paris UNESCO HQ Over Exclusion At Colombian Pres Iván Duque Márquez Speech. indybay.org Colombian students and human rights activists protested their exclusion from the IGF at a conference at UNESC where Colombian president Iván Duque Márquez was speaking. He has allowed murders to continue and is pushing privatization of education.
(2018-11-14). Sri Lanka crisis escalates as Supreme Court overturns Sirisena's dissolution of parliament. wsws.org The Supreme Court made its ruling after hearing 12 fundamental rights petitions challenging Sirisena's dissolution of parliament on November 9.
(2018-11-14). Judge orders moratorium on offshore fracking in federal waters off California. indybay.org "Protecting the health of our coastal waters is essential to our commitment to conserving the ecosystem and marine life necessary for our maritime culture," said Mati Waiya, executive director of Wishtoyo Foundation. "The decision by honorable Judge Gutierrez upholds the law that ensures the health of our ocean waters. We all celebrate this decision that honors the rights of our maritime resources."
(2018-11-14). Why A Strategic Port In Iran Was Exempted From Sanctions. iranian.com For the US, it makes more sense to allow India to continue developing Chabahar port than for China to 'hijack' yet another strategically important port A port in Chabahar, Iran's southernmost city, was exempted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from sanctions, which he called "the toughest ever put in place", in a move to help […]
(2018-11-14). Zarif Calls Out Pompeo: Says He Must Take Responsibility For Saying He Wants To Starve Iranians. iranian.com Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo must take responsibility for his own words by announcing that the U.S. is seeking to starve Iranians through sanctions. The remarks by Zarif came after Pompeo made a sharp attack on Newsweek magazine that published his words to starve the […]
(2018-11-14). Iran Could Be The Key To Cementing India And Japan Ties. iranian.com Washington granted a sanctions waiver on the Chabahar port in Iran. That could provide an axis as India, Japan and the US try to counter China's Eurasian reach US President Donald Trump has elevated India and Japan to the top of his list of strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific region. At the same time, US […]
(2018-11-13). Protesters to Qantas: 'Don't profit at the expense of human lives'. greenleft.org.au 
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".
(2018-11-13). White cop kills Black security guard in Chicago suburb. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL — Black Community leader Frank Chapman condemned the November 12 killing of an African American security guard, Jemel Roberson, by a white police officer from the Midlothian Police Department in the Chicago suburb of Robbins. | "Every city in the U.S. where Black people live has the same crisis of police accountability. Until Black people have the power to determine who polices them and how they are policed, cops will brutalize, torture and murder us with impunity," said Chapman, of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. | When he was killed by the police officer, Robers…
(2018-11-13). Secret CIA Document Shows Plan to Test Drugs on Prisoners. aclu.org 
New documents reveal the detailed, first-person account of the top CIA medical professional responsible for torturing prisoners. | Thanks to an ACLU victory in federal court, we know much more about how CIA doctors violated the medical oath to "do no harm." | One of the most important lessons of the CIA's torture program is the way it corrupted virtually every individual and institution associated with it. Over the years, we have learned how lawyers …
(2018-11-13). Trump Lashes Out Against Reproductive Rights After the Midterms. thenation.com Trump Lashes Out Against Reproductive Rights After the Midterms…
(2018-11-13). CNN sues Trump over White House ban on Jim Acosta. rt.com 
CNN has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the revocation of press credentials from its reporter Jim Acosta. The suit alleges the ban violated both First and Fifth Amendment rights of the network and reporter.
(2018-11-13). International speaking tour says reject Trump's attacks on Venezuela. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On November 10, more than 40 people gathered to hear Steve Ellner, a professor, writer and longtime Venezuela resident speak against U.S. sanctions and the Trump administration's efforts to destabilize Venezuela. | Ellner, who has taught economic history and political science at the Universidad de Oriente in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, since 1977, spoke of the devastating toll U.S. sanctions have taken on ordinary Venezuelan people. "Basically, there's a blockade, a financial blockade, on the entire Venezuelan economy," Ellner said. "That is the net effect of these sanctions, and this narrative t…
(2018-11-13). Iran Sanctions Herald Energy Trouble For Caucasus Nations. iranian.com The resumption of wide-ranging American sanctions on Iran promises economic uncertainty for the Islamic Republic's neighbors in the Caucasus: Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. Washington's goal of reducing Iran's oil exports to zero will not directly impact any of three Caucasus states, as none of them imports Iranian crude. All three, however, have to various extents […]
(2018-11-13). China-US Dialogue: Polite Diplomacy, Illegal Sanctions, Washington's Unspoken Intent is to "Contain" China. globalresearch.ca Washington has interests, not allies. China and Russia are rivals, not partners. | After Beijing cancelled last month's high-level security talks with Trump regime officials, Pompeo and Mattis met with China's Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office director Yang Jiechi and Defense …
(2018-11-13). US will squeeze Iran with sanctions 'until the pips squeak' — Bolton. rt.com 
US National Security Advisor John Bolton has threatened to "squeeze" Iran's economy "until the pips squeak," just one week after Washington imposed a new round of crippling sanctions billed as the "toughest ever."
(2018-11-13). US Violation of Trump-Kim Singapore Agreement. Ban on Humanitarian Aid to North Korea. Sanctions From Hell. 'Death by a Thousand Cuts'. globalresearch.ca Washington's behavior following Trump's signing of the Singapore Summit Agreement with Kim Jong-un must be described as schizophrenic. The Singapore Summit agreement states: | "The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire …
(2018-11-12). Twin Cites FRSO holds event on midterm elections. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis MN — More than 50 people packed Mayday book store, Nov. 11, for an event hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization on the outcome of the midterm elections. Speakers at the event included leaders of the movements for immigrant rights, labor, and against police terror. | Steff Yorek, the Political Secretary of FRSO told the crowd, "These elections were a referendum on Donald Trump and his policies. Voters provided an important setback to him and reduced the number of friends he has in the House and among state governors." | Brad Sigal, also of FRSO said, "Working people's lives are not getting…
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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
(2018-11-08). 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). 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…
(2018-11-07). 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). 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). 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). "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). 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.
(2018-11-07). 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.
(2018-11-06). The West is Failing Julian Assange. consortiumnews.com While media focused on Julian Assange's cat rather than his continuing arbitrary detention, evidence shows Britain worked hard to force his extradition to Sweden where Assange feared he'd be turned over to the U.S., as Stefania Maurizi explains. By Stefania… Read more →
(2018-11-05). Maduro: Venezuela Sitting on 2nd Biggest Gold Reserve on Earth. venezuelanalysis.com President Nicolas Maduro described the U.S. sanctions on Venezuela as "crazy" and "criminal."
(2018-11-05). Gasoline Shortages Hit Western Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com 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.
(2018-11-04). Despite Saudi Crisis, US Increases Threats Against Iran. consortiumnews.com Though the U.S.-Saudi alliance may have been weakened because of the Khashoggi murder, both countries are still targeting Iran as new US sanctions are announced on Sunday, writes Marjorie Cohn of Truthout. By Marjorie Cohn Truthout The alleged torture, murder… Read more →
(2018-11-04). Trump's Latin American Sanctions: Clear 'Political Tactic' For Midterms. venezuelanalysis.com VA's Paul Dobson analyzes the latest US sanctions in this Sputnik News report.
(2018-11-03). Assange Case Shows Support for Free Speech Depends on Who's Talking. fair.org 
by Joe Emersberger Julian Assange, whom the UN has declared to be "arbitrarily detained" by Britain and Sweden, is used by the Guardian ( 10/17/18) to illustrate a gag story on "nightmare flatmates." | The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded in February 2016 that the governments of the UK and Sweden had forced WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange into a condition of arbitrary detention in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has been since 2012. The group's …
(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). Venezuela Ditches Dollar as US Sanctions Hit Private Sector. venezuelanalysis.com International financial transactions using foreign currency were reportedly blocked, agroindustrial and pharmaceutical sectors said.