(2019-05-08). Julian Assange Tortured with Psychotropic Drug. globalresearch.ca Retired USAF lieutenant colonel Karen Kwiatkowski writes in an article posted at Lew Rockwell's website that Julian Assange is receiving the same treatment as suspected terrorists while in captivity at "Her Majesty's Prison Service" at Belmarsh. | The FBI, Pentagon, and …
(2019-05-08). Women's Rights Are Human Rights. thenation.com Women's Rights Are Human Rights…
(2019-05-08). New Era for the ERA? 35 Years Later, Will Equal Rights Amendment Finally be Ratified? democracynow.org 
Activists and lawmakers testified last week before a House Judiciary subcommittee in the first congressional hearings on the Equal Rights Amendment in more than 35 years. The constitutional amendment was approved by Congress in 1972, and was ratified by 35 states over the next decade — three states short of the required total needed by a 1982 deadline. Nevada and Illinois have since ratified the amendment. A bill by Rep. Jackie Spear would eliminate the 1982 deadline, leaving the ERA just one state away from becoming a part of the U.S. Constitution. We speak with co-presidents and CEOs of the ERA Coalition/…
(2019-05-08). Theresa May needs to prove her PMQs words on hunger strikers aren't just lip service. thecanary.co During Prime Minister's Questions on 8 May, Theresa May was asked whether she will intervene over ongoing Kurdish hunger strikes in the UK and abroad. And she pledged to encourage her Turkish allies to 'uphold human rights'. But she now needs to prove her words aren't just lip service. | Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts questioned the PM over whether she would take action as a matter of 'urgency' given the critical condition of Kurdish hunger strik…
(2019-05-08). Remembering the Woman Who Renovated the House that RBG Built. aclu.org Lenora Lapidus led the ACLU's Women's Right Project for nearly two decades. She died on Sunday, May 5. | On the 50th anniversary of Selma's Bloody Sunday, one of the darkest stains in our nation's civil rights history, President Obama spoke with hope and confidence about Americans who were "unencumbered by what is, and ready to seize what ought to be." Lenora Lapidus lived her life by both of these tenets. | Public servants come in many forms. They're elected officials, politicians, activists, lawyers, organizers, students, ordinary citizens, and steadfast patriots. Our beloved Lenora represented the ve…
(2019-05-08). Workers and youth defend Assange and democratic rights at SEP (Australia) meetings. wsws.org "Politicians have a vested interest in keeping him behind bars, so it will require a broad mobilisation of people to save Assange and defend our rights."
(2019-05-08). Mayor Watkins Blocks Food Not Bombs Proclamation. indybay.org Mayor Martine Watkins has blocked a city proclamation proposed to honor the work of Food Not Bombs in Santa Cruz. In a letter to Councilmember Chris Krohn, Watkins stated it would not be "appropriate" to issue a proclamation honoring Food Not Bombs because the organization is "suing the city". Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs has provided information in support of the plaintiffs in Quntero v. the City of Santa Cruz, a civil right lawsuit filed on April 9 by a group of homeless residents of the Ross Camp, which maintained the closure of the encampment by the city would violate their constitutional rights.
(2019-05-08). US Venezuela Sanctions Violate Human Rights, International Law: UN Expert. venezuelanalysis.com UN expert Idriss Jazairy stated that unilateral measures are against the U.N.'s Declaration on the Principles of International Law concerning friendly relations and cooperation among States.
(2019-05-08). New Iran sanctions: Trump threatens anyone trading aluminum, iron, steel & copper. rt.com 
The US has imposed sweeping new sanctions on anyone who trades with Iran in iron, steel, copper, aluminum and related products, escalating the economic blockade of Tehran as the nuclear deal continues to unravel.
(2019-05-08). Democratic-Aligned Think Tank Knocks Bernie Sanders For Vote Aimed at Avoiding War With Iran. theintercept.com A mainstream, Democratic Party-aligned foreign policy think tank is knocking Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for voting against new sanctions on Iran in 2017 — though the think tank itself and many members of its board oppose new Iran sanctions. | Sanders has been an outspoken supporter of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and said at the time that he voted against the measure in…
(2019-05-08). Trump's "Deal of the Century" Will Use Sanctions, Military Threats to Force Palestinian Acceptance. mintpressnews.com Recently leaked provisions of the plan include threats of US sanctions & military force if Palestinians reject the plan and a requirement for Palestinians to pay the Israeli Defense Forces for protection.
(2019-05-08). Russia Blames U.S. for Endangering Iran Deal. truthdig.com TEHRAN, Iran — The Latest on Iran's decision to step away from embattled nuclear deal (all times local): | 2: 30 p.m. | Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the situation surrounding the fate of the 2015 Iran nuclear accord has been complicated by "irresponsible behavior" from Washington. | Lavrov is meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, in Moscow on Wednesday. The nuclear deal will be at the top of their agenda after Iran announced it would suspend some of its commitments in response to U.S. sanctions. | Lavrov says they will discuss the "unacceptable situation" that has been ex…
(2019-05-08). Headlines for May 8, 2019. democracynow.org Iran to Suspend Part of Nuclear Deal Citing U.S. Sanctions, Pompeo Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq As U.S.-Iran Tensions Mount, UN Rapporteur Slams U.S. For Using Sanctions to Precipitate Humanitarian Disasters, 1 Dead, 8 Injured in Colorado School Shooting Near Columbine, NYT: Trump's Tax Records Show He Lost Over $1 Billion Between 1985 and 1994, House Prepares to Hold Barr in Contempt as Justice Dept. Advises Trump to Invoke Executive Privilege, Georgia Enacts One of Nation's Most Restrictive Abortion Bans, Uber & Lyft Drivers Strike Ahead of Uber's Wall Street Debut, Tens of Thousands of Teachers in Oregon to Wa…
(2019-05-08). Pence lifts US sanctions from Venezuela's defector general, hopes to inspire more turncoats. rt.com 
The US has lifted sanctions from a former Venezuelan spy chief, who recently defected from President Nicolas Maduro's side. US Vice President Mike Pence hopes this incentive will prompt others to defect as well.
(2019-05-08). Former Trump chief of staff John Kelly joins board of migrant detention firm. wsws.org The retired general and anti-immigrant demagogue is profiting from the draconian policies he helped implement while working in the Trump administration.
(2019-05-08). Chelsea Manning Says She'll Never Testify Against WikiLeaks, Seeks Release From Jail. theantimedia.com (ANTIWAR.COM) — Whistleblower Chelsea Manning has been held in detention in Alexandria, VA for the last two months on "contempt" charges for refusing to testify against WikiLeaks. On Monday, her legal team issued a new legal argument seeking release. The argument is seen in an 8-page legal filing, which at its core is that she is never going …
(2019-05-08). Bail Reform Should Include Efforts to End Pretrial Incarceration. truthout.org Bail reform is a struggle at the very center of criminal legal reform, but recent proposals to reform bail have failed to effectively address the pervasive problems wrapped up in pretrial detention. Bail reform measures generally seek to reduce the number of people held on pretrial incarceration, and to dismantle the $2 billion-annual-for-profit bond industry that the cash bail system is built on. Some proposals are well-meaning but don't go far enough. While eliminating cash bail, as some have attempte…
(2019-05-08). Arizona students demand release of classmate detained by immigration agents. wsws.org Over 200 high school students in Tucson, Arizona walked out of school Monday to protest the detention and deportation of their classmate, Thomas Torres.
(2019-05-08). Chelsea Manning: Despite Heartbreak And Hardship, Cooperation With WikiLeaks Grand Jury Not An Option. shadowproof.com Editor's Note: The following declaration from Chelsea Manning was filed in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 6. It is part of her defense attorneys' ongoing efforts to free her from the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center. Shadowproof is republishing the statement to help bring further attention to what Manning has endured. | Throughout her declaration, Manning makes it abundantly clear she will never testify before the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. "I can either go to jail or betray my…
(2019-05-08). 'Genuinely Really Scared for Women and Girls': Busy Philipps Shares Personal Abortion Story In Viral Video. commondreams.org "I can not sit idly by while women's rights are stripped away." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-05-07). "Endorsement of Murder": Trump Pardons US Soldier Who Tortured, Killed Iraqi Prisoner. theantimedia.com (CD) — President Donald Trump on Monday evening pardoned an American soldier for murdering an Iraqi prisoner in 2008, generating outrage from progressives and human rights activists. First Lt. Michael Behenna was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2009 for the murder, and released on parole in 2014. The killing came a month after two of Behenna's fellow …
(2019-05-07). After Florida Re-enfranchises 1.4 Million, Republicans Push New "Poll Tax" For Formerly Incarcerated. democracynow.org 
Civil rights groups are decrying what they say is a new poll tax after the Florida Senate passed a bill Friday that would require formerly incarcerated people with felony convictions to repay all fines and fees to courts before their voting rights are restored. This comes six months after voters in Florida approved a measure to restore voting rights to 1.4 million people with nonviolent felonies who have fully completed their sentences, overturning a Jim Crow-era law aimed at keeping African Americans from voting. Nearly 65 percent of voters approved the constitutional amendment to re-enfranchise people with form…
(2019-05-07). Release of prize-winning Reuters journalists in Myanmar welcomed by UN. un.org The release of two prize-winning Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar after reporting on the massacre of Rohingya Muslims has been welcomed by the UN human rights office, OHCHR, which warns however that press freedom there remains "dire".
(2019-05-07). Joe Biden's Son Hunter Is Invested in China's Mass Surveillance Program Used to Monitor Uyghur Muslims. democracynow.org 
As the United Nations accuses the Chinese government of setting up massive camps in the far-west Xinjiang province to imprison an unknown number of ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims, Human Rights Watch reports that China is carrying out mass surveillance there using a mobile app that lets authorities monitor the Muslim population. We speak with investigative reporter Lee Fang about an unexpected investor in Chinese surveillance: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son. And we speak with Human Rights Watch China director Sophie Richardson.
(2019-05-07). Young workers, community members rally for workers' rights in Florida. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – Over 30 young workers, trade unionists and community members rallied May 3 to demand an end to attacks on public school employees in Hillsborough County and the state of Florida. The rally was organized by West Central Florida Future Labor Leaders. | Hillsborough County School Board (HCSB) is currently accepting bids to contract out all custodial services at Hillsborough County Public Schools in an attempt to 'cut costs.' Custodians in Hillsborough County are already only paid $24,000 a year. The only savings HCSB will find by contracting out custodial services is through cutting custodian's wages, l…
(2019-05-07). As Countries Seek Trade With China, Imprisoned Uyghur Muslim Community Has Become "Collateral Damage" democracynow.org 
China's top trade negotiator is traveling to Washington this week as tension over trade intensifies between the two nations. President Trump is threatening to impose a 25 percent tariff on nearly all Chinese imports after the U.S. accused China of backtracking on trade commitments. Talks are expected to resume on Thursday, but the Trump administration is facing criticism for refusing to address China's human rights record as part of the negotiations. The United Nations and a number of human rights groups have accused the Chinese government of setting up massive camps in the far-west Xinjiang province to hold an u…
(2019-05-07). Foreign Minister Arreaza: 'The People of Venezuela Are Prepared to Defend Their Sovereignty'. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza denounced US sanctions and asset freezes during a recent trip to Moscow.
(2019-05-07). Number of US tourists to Cuba almost DOUBLES amid Trump's sanctions & threats. rt.com 
Despite the Trump administration's pressure on Cuba and threats to impose a "full and complete embargo", US tourists have been flocking to the country in record numbers, according to data provided by Cuban authorities.
(2019-05-07). Getting It Right on Immigration. counterpunch.org As the 2020 presidential campaign intensifies in the coming weeks and months, we'll see candidates and pundits airing a wide variety of proposals on immigration policy. We'll get recommendations on border security, asylum, detention, the status of the Dreamers, the status of the 11 million people living in the U.S. without documentation, and the role More
(2019-05-07). Saudi Arabia Detains 174 Yemeni Fishermen and Their Boats in Violation of Ceasefire Provisions. mintpressnews.com "Despite Sweden's truce, Coalition forces have continued to prevent Yemeni fishermen from fishing and if the fishermen dare to sail, they will be killed or detained." — Mohammed al-Hassani, head of the Forum of Tahamah Fishermen…
(2019-05-06). Monday's Daily Brief: biodiversity and forests, labour and road safety, women's rights, and fallen UN staff remembered. un.org This Monday, we cover: how one million species face extinction; the importance of safeguarding forests; a look at labour inequalities worldwide; efforts to tackle road safety; a new intergenerational campaign for the realization of women's rights; and a memorial service honouring fallen UN staff.
(2019-05-06). The Use of Solitary Confinement in Virginia Is Inhumane and Unlawful. aclu.org Instead of keeping its word to courts and reforming its use of solitary, the VA Dept. of Corrections built two massive super maximum-security prisons. | William Thorpe has spent nearly 24 straight years in solitary confinement in Virginia prisons stuck in a cell about half of the size of a parking space for more than 22 hours a day, every day, with no outside light and almost no human contact. | In his nearly two and a half decades in solitary, Thorpe has seen changes in leadership at the Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC) and attempts to reform how solitary confinement is used in our state prisons. | The…
(2019-05-06). Asylum Officers Are Being Replaced By CBP Agents. aclu.org Having a CBP officer conduct a credible fear interview is like having an arresting police officer also sit as the judge. | Last week, President Trump issued a memorandum outlining his latest wishlist of ways to undermine the integrity of our nation's asylum system. Among them was a direction to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to change how it conducts credible fear interviews, the threshold screening interview given to thousands of asylum…
(2019-05-06). SPLC Action Fund: Florida Legislature passes unnecessary bill that would preserve vestige of shameful Jim Crow-era voting restrictions. splcenter.org The Florida Legislature on Friday passed Senate Bill 7066, a piece of legislation that is not only unnecessary but that actually contradicts the will of voters who last year approved Amendment 4, a measure that restored voting rights to people with past felony convictions who have served their sentences.
(2019-05-06). Cameroon: Clear 'window of opportunity' to solve crises rooted in violence – Bachelet. un.org The UN human rights chief on Monday welcomed Cameroon's willingness to cooperate over finding workable solutions to "major human rights and humanitarian crises", caused by months of serious unrest and violence across the west and north of the country.
(2019-05-06). Ban Russians from US, sanction sports teams & target Putin, says ex-NATO commander. rt.com 
The US is too "weak" on Russia in the wake of Mueller's report, a TIME article by former NATO commander James Stavridis claims, suggesting Washington go beyond sanctions to target Russian civilians, even President Putin himself. |
(2019-05-06). The Atlantic Illustrates Everything That's Wrong With Media Coverage of Venezuela Sanctions. fair.org 
The Atlantic ( 4/17/19) wonders "whether slow suffocation will prove a match for the myriad international actors that have shored up support for Maduro." | "Trump's Venezuela Policy: Slow Suffocation," an Atlantic report ( 4/17/19) by Uri Friedman and Kathy Gilsinan, passed up a rich opportunity to expose the humanitarian pretexts for economic intervention, and…
(2019-05-04). Guilt by Association? Arrest of Assange Friend Has No Basis. therealnews.com 
Cyber-security and privacy expert Ola Bini was arrested in Ecuador the same day that Ecuador revoked Julian Assange's asylum. A court now affirmed his pre-trial detention, while his parents and his lawyers say it has no basis…
(2019-05-03). We Can't Back People Who Hate Our Kids: Kentucky & Minnesota Teachers of Year Boycott Trump Meeting. democracynow.org 
We speak with two award-winning teachers who are trying to teach Trump a lesson. On Monday, Jessica Dueñas, the 2019 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, and Kelly Holstine, the 2018 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, boycotted a White House ceremony honoring them and other state winners of the award in protest of the Trump administration's education policies. But Dueñas and Holstine skipped the event to register their opposition to Trump's policies on immigration, education and LGBTQ rights, saying many of the White House policies directly impact their immigrant and refugee students.
(2019-05-03). Migrants, asylum seekers detained in Hungary 'deliberately deprived of food': UN human rights office. un.org The UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Friday it was alarmed by reports that migrants and asylum seekers who are being held in Hungarian detention centres are being "deliberately deprived of food in contravention of international laws and standards".
(2019-05-03). "We Shall Overcome": Remembering Folk Icon Pete Seeger on What Would Have Been His 100th Birthday. democracynow.org 
It was 100 years ago today that the late folk singer and activist Pete Seeger was born. In 2004, Seeger came into our Firehouse studio for an in-depth interview. We play an excerpt to mark his centennial celebration, in which he recalls how he learned about the classic civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome," that he helped to popularize. Watch the "full interview": www.democracynow.org/2006/7/3/we_shall_o… and our "full archive of interviews": www.democracynow.org/appearances/pete_se… with Seeger.
(2019-05-03). Roger Waters on Palestine: "You Have to Stand Up for People's Human Rights All Over the World" democracynow.org 
After a judge ruled a panel can move forward Saturday at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on "Israel, Free Speech, and the Battle for Palestinian Human Rights," we speak with one of the event's scheduled participants: Roger Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd, one of the most popular rock bands of all time. He says he welcomes the lawsuit that challenged the event, because "what it does is it serves to shine a light on the predicament of the Palestinian people."
(2019-05-03). Mass. Judge Refuses to Halt Pro-Palestinian Event at UMass Featuring Roger Waters & Linda Sarsour. democracynow.org 
"Not Backing Down: Israel, Free Speech, and the Battle for Palestinian Human Rights." That's the title of an event set to take place Saturday at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. After three anonymous UMass students filed a lawsuit to stop the event, a judge ruled Thursday the event can proceed, saying, "There's nothing that comes even close to a threat of harm or incitement to violence or lawlessness." We get an update from Sut Jhally, event organizer and professor of communication at the University of Massachusetts, and Rachel Weber, attorney and member Jewish Voice for Peace, Western Massachusetts chapt…
(2019-05-03). Friday's Daily Brief: hunger in North Korea, human rights in Iran, updates on DR Congo and Benin. un.org This Friday, we cover: a worrying food crisis in the Democratic Republic of North Korea; attacks against civilians in DR Congo; outrage after the execution of child offenders in Iran; concerns over a super cereal distributed by the World Food Programme; and post-electoral violence in Benin.
(2019-05-03). NAACP Files Suit Challenging Restrictive Tennessee Voter Registration Law. naacp.org NASHVILLE, TN — The NAACP, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, pro bono firm Hogan Lovells US LLP, Memphis-based firm Burch, Porter, & Johnson PLLC, Bromberg Law LLC, and community practitioner Daniel Ayoade Yoon filed suit today challenging Tennessee's new third-party registration law. The complaint alleges that the law, which imposes burdensome requirements …
(2019-05-03). Venezuelan economist: 'Hyperinflation is a powerful imperialist weapon'. greenleft.org.au 
Much is made in the media of Venezuela's deep economic crisis. But why does Venezuela have the world's highest inflation rate and what impacts have the sanctions really had on the country? Green Left Weekly's Federico Fuentes spoke to Venezuelan economist Pascualina Curcio, from the Simón Bolívar University, to find out more. | Hyperinflation is a grave problem in Venezuela, but its causes are less clear. How do you explain it?: | The determinant cause of hyperinflation in Venezuela is the political manipulation by third parties of the exchange rate between the bolívar [Bs, Venezuela's local currency] and…
(2019-05-03). US sanctions have killed more than 40,000 people in Venezuela. greenleft.org.au 
US sanctions imposed on Venezuela in 2017 contributed to the deaths of more than 40,000 people last year, according to a new report — and this figure is set to rise due to the latest round of sanctions. | According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research report co-authored by economists Jeffrey Sachs and Mark Weisbrot, the 2017 sanctions deprived Venezuela of billions of dollars it needed to pay for essential food and medicine, leading to a rise in disease and mortality and the displacement of millions seeking to flee the worsening situation. | The report states: "The sanctions exacerbated Venezuela'
(2019-05-03). SPLC Action Fund: Florida immigration enforcement bill dangerous, unnecessary and unconstitutional. splcenter.org The Florida Legislature this week passed Senate Bill 168, which would ban so-called "sanctuary cities."
(2019-05-02). Headlines for May 2, 2019. democracynow.org Attorney General Barr Grilled by Senate Judiciary over Mueller Report, Trump Administration Says It May Go to War to Oust Venezuelan President, Hundreds Arrested in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Paris, France, at May Day Rallies, Haitians Mark May Day with Calls for Living Wages, Ouster of President MoàØse, Honduras Cancels Education and Healthcare Privatization Plans Amid Protests, Puerto Rico May Day Protesters Demand End to Austerity Measures, 10,000 South Carolina Teachers Rally for Union Rights and Livable Wages, New York Domestic Workers Join Protest at the Trump Building on Wall Street, 16-Year-Old Gu…
(2019-05-02). Attorney General Barr Says ICE Has Power to Lock Up Asylum Seekers Without Hearings. aclu.org The Constitution does not allow the government to lock people up without due process of law. | Today the ACLU, the ACLU of Washington, the American Immigration Council, and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project launched a legal challenge to the Trump administration's latest assault on people who have come to the United States to seek refuge from persecution: jailing asylum seekers without even allowing a judge to decide if there's any reaso…