(2019-04-02). As Trump Threatens Another Obamacare Repeal, Mother Warns That Losing ACA Would "Wipe Me Out" democracynow.org 
Just a week after President Trump's Justice Department supported a federal court ruling to wipe out the Affordable Care Act, Trump changed course in a series of tweets Monday and said he is willing to wait until after the 2020 presidential election for Congress to vote on a new healthcare plan. Trump has vowed to replace the ACA so that the Republican Party will be known as "the party of healthcare." We speak with Jamie Davis Smith, a mother of four, civil rights attorney and member of Little Lobbyists and Health Care Voter. Her daughter Claire has multiple severe disabilities. In a recent op-ed for The Washingto…
(2019-04-02). Peruvian Trans Activist Claudia Vera Shot Dead in Lima. telesurenglish.net Just a day before International Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, a Peruvian trans activist Claudia Vera was shot dead in the capital city Lima while she was walking down the streets with a group of friends. Vera had been working as a human rights defender and promoter of HIV prevention. | RELATED: | 140 Ancient Child Skeletons Found Ritually Sacrificed in Peru | According to witnesses, Vera was arguing with a man when a woman approached and threatened her before leavin…
(2019-04-02). Paris Will Have a Public Space Named After Activist Marielle Franco. telesurenglish.net The Municipal Council of Paris unanimously approved Monday a motion to name a public space after Marielle Franco, a Brazilian leftist politician and human rights activist who was murdered in Rio de Janeiro on March 14, 2018. | RELATED: | Brazil: 2 Former Police Arrested in Marielle Franco Murder | "This is a tribute to Marielle but also a way of support…
(2019-04-02). Chile: Mapuche Call for Marches Against Police Militarization. telesurenglish.net Indigenous Mapuche communities of Ercilla, Chile, called for a solidarity demonstration Wednesday, April 3, in Temuco. A march for Peace-Demilitarization and Mapuche Self-Determination is due to be held in Santiago the same day. | RELATED: | Chile: Mapuche March to End Militarization of Their Region | The community action intends to reaffirm "the rights that legitimately assist us, on this day we will announce the issues…
(2019-04-02). Egypt's Brutal Crackdown on Workers' Rights. counterpunch.org 
Khaled Abol Naga — an outspoken critic of the Egyptian government — stands accused of treason (AFP). It was comical, farcical, droll. An actor's dream if you were going to put the drama on stage or screen — but the three principal characters were actors themselves. The lead player, as usual in Egypt, was His Excellency Field Marshal More
(2019-04-02). Trumka warns lawmakers: Don't vote for quickie 'New NAFTA'. peoplesworld.org 
(2019-04-02). Uruguay: President Removes Top Defense Officials Over Cover-Up. telesurenglish.net Uruguayan President Tabare Vasquez announced Monday the dismissal of top officials in the Ministry of Defense and the Army Court of Honor over covering up human rights violations during an investigation into a case dating back to the country's military dictatorship. | RELATED: | Uruguay President Criticizes Prosur Initiative, 'Will Produce Same Errors' | The president has dismissed Defense Minister Jorge Melendez, the Deputy Minister Daniel Montiel, the new army chief…
(2019-04-02). White Supremacist Symbol Found Spray-Painted at the Site of Fire, Civil Rights Center Says. splcenter.org Someone painted a white supremacist symbol at the scene where fire ravaged a building tied to the civil rights movement, according to a statement from the Highlander Research and Education Center.
(2019-04-02). The Government's System of Censoring Its Former Employees Is Unconstitutional. aclu.org Our lawsuit argues that the government's review process for writings by millions of former government employees violates the First Amendment. | Individuals don't lose their First Amendment rights by entering into government service. By now, that is black letter law. You wouldn't know this, though, from the system of lifelong censorship that the government imposes on former intelligence agency employees and military personnel. | Under this system, known as "prepublication review," millions of former public servants must submit their writing to the government for review prior to publication. And the government can…
(2019-04-02). Chelsea Manning's Attorneys Challenge Prolonged Solitary Confinement, Demand Her Release From Jail. shadowproof.com Chelsea Manning remains in conditions of prolonged solitary confinement, and her attorneys argue she should be released from jail pending her appeal. | "Ms. Manning's conditions of confinement must either be modified so as not to constitute punishment or she must be released," Manning's attorneys declared. "Since the jail cannot turn back the clock on punishment that has already occurred, her confinement in adseg in excess of 15 days already constitutes an incurable due process violation. She must therefore be released." | On March 8, Manning was detained at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center in Alex…
(2019-04-02). Supreme Court's Death Penalty Ruling Leaves Legal Experts Aghast. truthdig.com Critics on Tuesday said the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in a case brought by a Missouri death row inmate fundamentally erodes protections against torture enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. | Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the opinion for the court's right-wing majority in the 5-4 decision, ruling that Russell Bucklew can be executed by lethal injection despite his medical condition, cavernous hemangioma. The disease, warn his legal team and medical experts, will cause Bucklew to choke for several minutes on his own blood be…
(2019-04-02). Legal Experts Aghast as 'Bloodythirsty' Right-Wing Supreme Court Sanctions Torturous Executions. commondreams.org Critics on Tuesday said the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in a case brought by a Missouri death row inmate fundamentally erodes protections against torture enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-04-02). The Origins of Venezuela's Economic Crisis. therealnews.com 
Venezuela has become a popular argument against socialism amongst conservatives because of the deep economic crisis it is currently traversing. Defenders of the Bolivarian project, though, say that US sanctions and economic war are to blame for the crisis. Greg Wilpert presents an analysis that tries to take all the factors into account…
(2019-04-02). 'Solitary Confinement Is Torture': Ocasio-Cortez Calls for Chelsea Manning's Release. commondreams.org "Chelsea is being tortured for whistleblowing, she should be released on bail, and we should ban extended solitary in the U.S." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-04-02). US Government's Refusal to Confirm or Deny It Put American Journalist on Drone Kill List Called 'Chilling'. commondreams.org The British human rights group Reprieve responded on Tuesday to the U.S. government's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit regarding its use of a "kill list" to secretly target U.S. citizens with its drone programs, saying the government's actions threaten all Americans' due process rights. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-04-02). Headlines for April 2, 2019. democracynow.org Whistleblower: WH Security Clearances Reversed Despite Serious Concerns, Senate Shoots Down Disaster Relief Bills as Fight over Puerto Rico Aid Intensifies, Trump: GOP Planning "Really Great" Healthcare Plan for After 2020 Election, U.K.: Lawmakers Shoot Down 4 Brexit Options as Impasse Continues, Algeria: Pres. Bouteflika to Resign as Protesters Call for Systemic Changes, West Bank: Israelis Shoot and Kill Palestinian Man During Raid, Brunei: U.N. Raises Alarm as LGBT Community Threatened by Death Penalty Law, SCOTUS Rules Against Man Who Says Lethal Injection Would Feel Like Torture, U.S.-Mexico Border Shutdown…
(2019-04-01). Israel Praises Nonviolence of Great Return March Anniversary Protest in Gaza, Shoots Demonstrators Anyway. mintpressnews.com While the IDF and Israeli government have suffered few — if any — consequences for their excessive use of force against Gazan demonstrators, the Great Return March and the Israeli response has caused a notable shift in favor of Palestinian rights at the international level.
(2019-04-01). Brunei's new penal code would enshrine 'cruel and inhuman punishments' UN rights chief warns. un.org Proposed changes to Brunei's penal code to incorporate punishments under a strict interpretation of Islamic law – including death by stoning – should be halted, the UN's top human rights official, Michelle Bachelet, said on Monday.
(2019-04-01). Civil Rights Leaders and Advocates to Hold Press Conference Ahead of First-Ever, Historic Equality Act Hearing. naacp.org FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY: March 29, 2019 Will McCullough | HRC | Will.McCullough@hrc.org | 559-892-3038 Shin Inouye | Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights | Inouye@civilrights.org | 202-869-0398 LGBTQ advocates will meet on the Hill to discuss historic federal civil rights legislation that will protect millions of LGBTQ Americans and their families from discrimination WASHINGTON — …
(2019-04-01). First day of Legalization for All Network delegation focuses on Chicano struggles in Arizona. fightbacknews.org Tucson, AZ – On March 30, the Legalization For All Network completed the first day of an immigrant rights delegation to Arizona and the U.S.-México border. | Members of immigrant rights organizations and a Palestinian liberation movement organization from the Midwest are participating in the delegation. | The first day of the trip was in Tucson, Arizona, where the delegation learned about the history of the U.S.-México border and the struggles of the Chicano people in the Southwest, which was the top half of México until the U.S. invasion of México in 1848. | In the morning, the delegation participated in the 19…
(2019-04-01). Wars have rules: 5 things the UN humanitarian chief wants countries to tackle so human suffering in conflict can be minimized. un.org With the rights and lives of millions of women, children and men uprooted by conflict every year, the UN Security Council held a special meeting on Monday to examine ways to promote and strengthen the rule of law, especially in the humanitarian field.
(2019-04-01). What to Know About the Census. naacp.org Today marks exactly one year out from the 2020 Census — the official counting of the United States population, a constitutional requirement occurring once every ten years. The decennial Census is a crucial facet of our Republic because its results serve as the basis for redistricting, the enforcement of voting rights laws, and allocating congressional …
(2019-04-01). ICE Announces "New Normal" zcomm.org ICE agents may also make "collateral arrests," detaining anyone in the area who is not capable of providing official documentation to prove their citizenship or legal status at their discretion…
(2019-03-31). Indianapolis rally held to support Venezuela. liberationnews.org 
"No sanctions, no coup, Venezuela we stand with you!"
(2019-03-31). Rights for All Will Put Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Front and Center in the 2020 Presidential Race. aclu.org The ACLU will press the candidates for president to adopt bold policies that advance civil liberties in the run-up to the 2020 election. | Jose Ivan Parga is a member of a multi-status, Mexican-immigrant family in Minnesota. Even though he is a citizen, every day he witnesses the fear and uncertainty that his extended family has because of their immigration status. For decades they have worked, worshiped, and raised families in the state. Yet at any moment, immigration agents could — and have — detained a member of his family without warning or cause, despite their deep roots in the community. With no…
(2019-03-30). South African university joins Israel boycott. bdsmovement.net 
South African university joins Israel boycott: In the NewsTshwane University of Technology, the largest residential university in South Africa, voted to respect the call for the boycott of Israeli institutions complicit in the violation and denial of Palestinian rights. | Academic BoycottDecember 13, 2017 | By: | | Electronic Intifada
(2019-03-30). The Right to Vote Should Be Guaranteed by the Constitution. thenation.com The Right to Vote Should Be Guaranteed by the Constitution…
(2019-03-30). Chelsea Manning's lawyers file an appeal against her detention. thecanary.co Chelsea's Manning's legal team have filed an appeal on her behalf. They've asked that the fourth circuit court order her release from detention. On … | Read more Chelsea Manning's lawyers file an appeal against her detention | By Bryan Wall
(2019-03-29). Alabama Voting Rights Project helps 2,000 people cast ballots in Alabama, but many more do not know they can vote. splcenter.org Rodney Lofton had never cast a ballot before a felony conviction stripped him of his voting rights in 2015.
(2019-03-29). Venezuela's Oil Production Plummets in February Due to New US Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com The Center for Economic Policy Research in Washington DC analyzes the "very harsh impact" of the latest sanctions imposed on Venezuela's oil sector.
(2019-03-29). Tamils criticise UN resolution on Sri Lanka. greenleft.org.au 
The Australian Tamil Congress (ATC) expressed its "disappointment" with a March 21 United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution on "promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka". | There have been seven similar resolutions passed since 2009, when the war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who were fighting for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east of the island, ended in the massacre of tens of thousands of Tamils. | According to the ATC, "very little justice has reached victims and survivors" for what it describes as "mass…
(2019-03-29). Yemen: 'We cannot survive another four years'. greenleft.org.au 
On March 6, the Yemeni human rights organisation Mwatana for Human Rights, the US-based University Network for Human Rights and PAX for Peace released a report documenting the role that United States and European arms sales have played in the deaths of hundreds of civilians in the Saudi-UAE-led war on Yemen. | It included an account of when Saudi and United Arab Emirates (UAE) forces bombed the al-Honood residential neighborhood in Hawak District, Al-Hudaydah Governo…
(2019-03-29). The Decriminalization of Sex Work Is Edging Into the 2020 Campaign. theintercept.com There isn't much to recommend the current iteration of American presidential elections, which now begin some two years before the day voters go to the polls. One upside, though, is that it opens up policy conversations that are usually closed off. The result is the beginning of a public conversation about decriminalizing sex work. | Three Democratic contenders for the 2020 presidential nomination — Sens. Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard — have weighed in on the rights of sex workers. Harris and Gabbard have said they support the decriminalization of sex work, while Sanders was n…
(2019-03-28). Immigrant rights delegation to visit U.S.-Mexico border. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – In the shadow of President Trump's declaration of a 'state of emergency' to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, the Legalization for All Network is organizing a national delegation of immigrant rights activists to go on a fact-finding and solidarity delegation to the border. The delegation will include activists from the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), Milwaukee's Young People's Resistance Committee (YPRC) and from the U.S. Palestinian Community Network. | The delegation will learn about the history of the U.S.-Mexico border since its unjust creation with the U.S. milita…
(2019-03-28). When Taking a Walk at Night Was an Act of Civil Disobedience. aclu.org Oregon remembers Minoru Yasui, a civil rights icon who broke the law to protest the curfews put on Japanese Americans at the start of World War II. | Seventy-six years ago, Minoru "Min" Yasui sat in a cell at the Multnomah County Jail in Oregon when he read a newspaper article detailing how Walter Pierce, the state's former governor and U.S. congressman, called for Japanese immigrants in the United States to be sent to Japan. Ever the racist and xenophobe, Pierce wasn't done. He even suggested revoking birthright citizens…
(2019-03-28). Headlines for March 28, 2019. democracynow.org Boeing to Update Software Implicated in Crashes of 737 MAX Jets, Federal Judge Strikes Down Medicaid Work Requirements, Migrant Asylum Seekers in El Paso Detained in Open-Air Parking Lot, Trump Says Puerto Rico Received Too Much Aid After Hurricane Maria, Florida Police Identify Second Parkland Survivor Who Died by Suicide, Rep. Ilhan Omar Challenges Trump Admin Rule Easing Overseas Gun Sales, NRA Advised Far-Right Australian Party on Overturning Gun Controls, NRA Official Reached Out to Sandy Hook Conspiracy Theorist, Charlottesville Murderer James Alex Fields Pleads Guilty to Hate Crimes, Facebook to Ban White…
(2019-03-28). Khashoggi murder trials must be public and meet international standards, UN expert urges. un.org A United Nations human rights expert said on Thursday that Saudi Arabia's closed-door trials of those it accuses of assassinating the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, have fallen short of international standards, calling instead for public trials of the alleged killers.
(2019-03-28). A Mentally Ill Man in Solitary Cut Off a Body Part at the Broward County Jail. aclu.org Broward County Jail has a sordid history of damage and death due to its dangerously substandard mental health system and unsafe conditions. | Around midnight on Sept. 5, 2018, guards responded to prisoners banging on their cell doors inside a lockdown unit at Broward County Jail's main facility in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. They went to the solitary cell of J.I.* and made a gruesome discovery. | "I have a real medical emergency," J.I. told an officer. "I just cut my penis off and flushed it down the toilet. I have no need for it anymore." | J.I. had used a razor blade to cut himself. This grisly act of se…
(2019-03-28). Central Mali: Top UN genocide prevention official sounds alarm over recent ethnically-targeted killings. un.org The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, expressed on Thursday his deepest concern and strongly condemned recent attacks against villages in Mali, including mass-killings last weekend in the Mopti region, which left 160 dead, including some 50 children, according to the UN human rights office (OHCHR).
(2019-03-28). All charges dropped against Jussie Smollett, victim of Chicago police. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Immediately after all charges were dropped Tuesday morning, March 26 against actor Jussie Smollett and the record of his arrest and prosecution expunged, Frank Chapman, Co-Chairperson of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, addressed the media. Smollett is a star of the Fox Television series "Empire." | "This is another example of the CPD doing what they do," Chapman declared. "They have falsely accused people, tortured confessions and framed-up innocent people, killed people — there is no justice when it come to the CPD. The people of this city are tired of this. We n…
(2019-03-28). Introducing "Animal Matters," Our New Video Series About Animal Rights, Factory Farms, and the Agriculture Industry. theintercept.com Our first episode debuts today: It is time for humanity to grapple with its treatment of animals and the multilevel damage done by animal agriculture.
(2019-03-28). Mary Robinson is well-intentioned, but good intentions can't win climate justice. greenleft.org.au 
Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future
| By Mary Robinson
| Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018 | Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, is undoubtedly sincere in her determination to fight climate change and "putting people at the heart of the solution". Unfortunately, her new book shows that sincerity is not enough. | As well as heading her own climate justice foundation, Mary Robinson is the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN Special Envoy on Climate Change. She…
(2019-03-28). MUA rally in solidarity with Pakistani dockworkers. greenleft.org.au 
Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) members rallied outside the Pakistani Consulate on March 26 to demand the dropping of all charges against the Karachi Dockworkers Union president and another unionist who were arrested following a dispute at Hutchison Ports' Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT). | The arrests occurred as Karachi dockworkers were protesting about safety conditions on the site after a worker was run over by a vehicle on March 17. The union leaders were released on bail after 10 days in detention. | The KICT Labour Union has joined with the International Transport Workers' Federation…
(2019-03-28). Poem: Now Is Not The Time. greenleft.org.au 
A long time ago Martin Luther King | Sought justice for his minority, | But his white friends demurred, "That's not a thing | | If you can't persuade the majority. | Now's not the time, wait your turn, you'll get there". | Well, even longer, the sorority | | Campaigned for equal treatment, equal care, | Yet heard again the dreaded, sad refrain: | "Now's not the time, but hold, do not despair." | | Perhaps longer still, gays faced fierce disdain | When seeking basic rights that others own, | Strong prejudice diminished their campaign, | | They struggled on, till law was set in stone | That — like oth…
(2019-03-27). Yemen hospital airstrike under investigation amid resurgence of deadly cholera. un.org UN human rights staff in Yemen are investigating an apparent airstrike on a hospital in opposition-held territory which reportedly killed at least seven civilians on Tuesday, amid fears that cholera is spreading "like wildfire", one of the organization's senior humanitarian officials has warned.
(2019-03-27). The Department of Homeland Security's Attack on Asylum Seekers at the Border Continues. aclu.org The U.S. is systematically violating the rights of asylum seekers and turning them back into Mexico where they are often abused. | In a desperate attempt to escape immediate threats to their life, the Castro* family fled their home country of El Salvador, hoping to make it to the U.S.-Mexico border to seek refuge. What they found instead at the port of entry in Eagle Pass, Texas, were cruel U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and no protection to be found. | After being physically pushed back into Mexico by CBP officers, the Castro family was told that they must get on a list in Mexico and wait. In…
(2019-03-27). Forced pregnancy in Italy violated 'woman's human right to health', UN experts rule. un.org The Italian Government violated a woman's "human right to health" after a law which denied her the right to refuse fertility treatment she had previously agreed to, "led her to undergo a forced pregnancy", the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) said on Wednesday.
(2019-03-27). Google Is Conducting a Secret "Performance Review" of Its Censored China Search Project. theintercept.com Google executives are carrying out a secret internal assessment of work on a censored search engine for China, The Intercept has learned. | A small group of top managers at the internet giant are conducting a "performance review" of the controversial effort to build the search platform, known as Dragonfly, which was designed to blacklist information about human rights, democracy, religion, and peaceful protest. | Performance reviews at Google are undertaken annually to evaluate employees' output and development. They are usually carried out in an open, peer review-style process: Workers grade each other's project…
(2019-03-26). "Hold Israel Accountable": Palestinians Call on Int'l Community to Oppose Golan Heights Annexation. democracynow.org 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington on Monday to meet with President Trump, who signed an order officially recognizing Israel's control of the Golan Heights in defiance of international law. We speak with Budour Hassan, a Palestinian writer and project coordinator for the Jerusalem Center for Legal Aid and Human Rights, and Jehad Abusalim, scholar and policy analyst from Gaza. He runs the Gaza Unlocked campaign for the United States for the American Friends Service Committee.
(2019-03-26). Top 5 Reasons Why the House Should Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. aclu.org The law would give working women the legal tools they need to challenge discrimination and close the gender pay gap. | More than 55 years after the Equal Pay Act was passed, women working fulltime and year-round, on average, are paid only 80 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts. The disparity for women of color is even more severe. This wage gap has remained stagnant for years and continues to squeeze women's pocketbooks, erode their earning potential, and deprive them of the means to improve their own lives and support their families. | It's long past time to update the Equal Pay Act to give wo…