(2019-05-26). US Sanctions Leave Millions of Venezuelans Without Water. therealnews.com 
"You can't blame the Maduro government, but as for the United States, this Donald Trump is mean. He's mean and he's blocked a lot of things. We have to support each other and this U.S. blockade has to end." — Yolimar Contreras…
(2019-05-26). Iran Economic Sanctions Kill as Effectively as Bombs. therealnews.com 
The Trump administration's illegal economic sanctions against Iran makes it impossible to import essential medicines, says CEPR's Mark Weisbrot…
(2019-05-26). In San Jose, Protesters Call for Preservation of Abortion Rights. indybay.org "If You're Against Abortions Have a Vasectomy" and other placards at protest in San Jose on May 21. | Photos by: Aria Barajas, ProBonoPhoto. Please credit the author. Non-commercial use only.
(2019-05-25). "They'll Give Me a Detention but It'll Be Worth It"—A Climate Scientist Interviews His Climate Striking Daughter. commondreams.org Young people take part in the March 15, 2019 global youth strike for climate justice in Nottingham, England. (Photo: kthtrnr/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-05-25). 70+ US Army & Navy veterans urge Trump to stop Iran war-mongering, stick to diplomacy. rt.com 
An open letter signed by 76 retired generals, admirals, and ambassadors calls on US President Donald Trump to stop stoking fears of war with Iran and ditch "ineffective" sanctions and threats in favor of "aggressive diplomacy."
(2019-05-25). Human Rights Organizations Denounce Impact of Sanctions on Venezuela. plenglish.com 25 de mayo de 2019, 00: 10Caracas, May 25 (Prensa Latina) The blockade imposed against Venezuela has caused great damage to the health, food and daily lives of its citizens, denounced Lucrecia Hernandez, representative of the non-governmental organization Sures.
(2019-05-25). Shielding the World from US Chaos, No Easy Task. A Multipolar World in the Making. globalresearch.ca Donald Trump's foreign policy relies heavily on putting to use to the tools available to the Empire: economic terrorism, threats of war, diplomatic pressure, trade wars, etc. But in re…
(2019-05-25). One Night, Two Executions, and More Questions About Torture. theintercept.com 
As the sun began to set over the prayer vigil outside Tennessee's Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, where 68-year-old Don Johnson was about to die, another execution was underway some 400 miles south of Nashville. "I would like to thank Jesus for everything he's done for me," Michael Brandon Samra said as he lay on the gurney in Atmore, Alabama. "I want to thank Jesus for shedding his blood for my sins. Thank you for your grace, Jesus. Amen." | Samra was strapped down and wrapped in a tight white blanket covering his feet. His execution had been scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 16, but for reasons no one explain…
(2019-05-25). Trump Administration Announces Fresh Attack on LGBTQ and Reproductive Rights. truthout.org The Trump administration on Friday delivered on a promise to try to undo anti-discrimination provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), announcing significant changes to Section 1557 that primarily target transgender patients and abortion care. | The proposed changes would directly impact transgender patients by eliminating protections from discrimination on the basis of gender identity an…
(2019-05-25). Saudi Ship of Death Halted in Europe. globalresearch.ca In a collective demonstration of solidarity between European civilians and the suffering Yemeni civilians, the Saudi ship Bahri Yanbu was turned away from ports in France and Italy without loading its deadly cargo of weapons. | Last summer, the Saudi-led coalition …
(2019-05-25). Pipeline opposition groups fight back against anti-protest laws 'designed to intimidate'. nationofchange.org "The response of the government to protest ought to be engaging on the issue, listening to the concerns of the people that are speaking out, and trying to respect and work with them, not stifle First Amendment rights."
(2019-05-25). Detroit Strong: Rashida Tlaib is the American right's worst nightmare. nationofchange.org While the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have made it clear that they don't want to pursue an impeachment inquiry against the current president, one of the newest members of the body, Rashida Tlaib, has been a strong voice for accountability, drawing up a resolution to start the process by having the Judiciary Committee begin an investigation. | Three main arguments have been made against Representative Tlaib's call. The first is made most often by the Democratic leadership in the House, who say that the country's judicial system is the best place for fights ov…
(2019-05-25). Virginia Prisons Putting Up Obstacles to Ramadan Observance. theintercept.com For the last three weeks, Muslims around the world have been observing the month of Ramadan by fasting from food and drink from dawn to sunset — a period of about 16 to 18 hours in the United States. The six to eight non-fasting hours, then, are an important time to recharge and rehydrate. Yet in at least two Virginia state prisons, according to civil rights groups, Muslims are being denied basic rights, despite constitutional protections and federal laws around religious freedom. | In one Virginia prison, Muslims known to be fasting are not being served breakfast before sunrise, while at another prison, Mu…
(2019-05-25). Child Migrants Around the World Are Being Denied Their Human Rights. truthout.org
(2019-05-24). DHS is Locking Immigrants in Solitary Confinement. aclu.org As ICE detention numbers reach record high, new reports are extremely troubling. | In 2012, I visited the federal supermax prison ADX Florence in Colorado and spoke with men living in solitary confinement. I listened closely to their stories of anguish, but I could not understand how they survived it. They told me of the horror of being trapped in a small room, without access to fresh air or sunlight, for at least 22 hours a day—alone, afraid, and not knowing when it would end. I learned that people in solitary confinement talk to the walls, to themselves, to no one — sometimes they stop talking altog…
(2019-05-24). Assange, Espionage, and the Cult of Personality. commondreams.org Wikileaks founder Julian Assange holds a press conference at Park Plaza Hotel on October 23, 2010 in London, England. The series released at the time included leaks of American military documents, nearly 400,000 in total, included details about how the torture and the abuse of detainees by Iraqi police, was ignored by U.S. forces. On Thursday it was reported that the U.S. government has filed charges under the Espionage Act for Assange's work as a journalist. (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-05-24). Six immigrant children dead in US custody since September. wsws.org Protecting the lives and democratic rights of immigrants requires a fight against imperialist war and the capitalist system.
(2019-05-24). The Only Solution to America's Political Crisis. truthdig.com Hardly a day has gone by over the last two years when one hasn't been able to learn of yet another soul-numbing outrage on the part of President Donald Trump and his administration. The stories have been relentlessly disturbing: | Trump's suggestion of moral equivalency between neo-Nazis and civil rights protesters in Charlottesville, Va. | The vicious separation of children from their migrant parents at the southern border. | The concoction of a fake na…
(2019-05-24). Lone US senator decries use of Espionage Act against Assange as establishment keeps mum. rt.com 
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) has become a rare voice among the US politicians to denounce the new US indictment of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange as an encroachment on First Amendment rights.
(2019-05-24). Friday's Daily Brief: Honouring fallen peacekeepers, action against gender-based violence; LGBT rights in Kenya, Rohingya water crisis. un.org Friday's main stories include: Honouring UN peacekeepers; landmark conference to combat sexual and gender-based violence in crises; Kenya upholds LGBT ban; UNICEF's plea for Afghani children; Brazil's bid to compensate tobacco smokers; Water shortages in Bangladesh…
(2019-05-24). US abortion rights attacks escalate. greenleft.org.au 
Legislative attacks on abortion rights in the US have escalated this year, as social conservatives have shifted tactics with an unprecedented wave of state abortion bans adopted. | The most restrictive legislation was signed into law by Alabama's governor on May 15. It bans abortion altogether, except for cases of medical emergency. Pregnancy resulting from sexual assault is no exception and doctors performing abortions are criminalised with penalties of up to 99 years in jail. | On May 7, Georgia became the fourth state this year (after Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio) to sign into law an abortion ban from t…
(2019-05-24). Alabama Is Trying to Ban Abortion. Today We Filed Suit to Stop Them. aclu.org Abortion is a right and this attack on abortion rights won't succeed. | Last week, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation banning nearly all abortions. The law, which threatens doctors with up to 99 years in prison for performing abortions, is the anti-abortion opposition's true agenda on display: ban abortion, jail doctors, and push this essential health care out of reach. | These are undoubtedly dark times in the fight for reproductive freedom as Alabama and states across the South and Midwest aggressively push to place such onerous restrictions on abortion so that the procedure is all but rendered inaccessib…
(2019-05-24). The 500-Year-Long Battle to Save the Planet. truthdig.com "As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice From Colonization to Standing Rock" | A book by Dina Gilio-Whitaker | Land, culture, and history are inextricably intertwined, and for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, environmental justice also preserves cultures. This philosophy was vividly on display during the Standing Rock protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016—'17. But what followed was nothing less than a series of human rights abuses by heavy-handed law enforcement and private security personnel. Hundreds of people were arrested, and many were roughed up. | S…
(2019-05-24). As the far right grows, its mask comes off. greenleft.org.au 
The brutal face of hard right and fascist reaction has been on vivid display on the issues of women's rights and the climate crisis in the past few weeks. | In Germany the AfD (Alliance for Germany) launched a vicious attack on inspirational teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, portraying her as an extremist and suggesting she needs treatment for her "psychosis" — a shabby reference to her autism. | Rejecting near-unanimous scientific opinion, the AfD said that the climate justice movement is scare mongering about levels of carbon dioxide emissions, asserting that the gas is a beneficial plant nutrient.
(2019-05-24). Oakland council resolution puts heat on county sheriff's office. peoplesworld.org 
OAKLAND, Calif. — With unanimous passage May 21 of a resolution urging an independent performance and financial audit of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office headed by Sheriff Gregory Ahern, the Oakland City Council has joined a rising chorus of demands by human rights and racial justice organizations and family members of inmates who have lost …
(2019-05-24). Trump's charges against Assange are historic attack on press freedoms. Media and Obama helped set the stage. thegrayzone.com It is not just Trump, but the media, Obama, Bush, mainstream "human rights" organizations, Republicans and Democrats alike that put…
(2019-05-24). War is War on Mother Earth. counterpunch.org 
"In order to achieve the massive systemic and cultural transformations required for mitigating climate change…we're going to have to deal with the socially sanctioned, institutionalized violence perpetrated by U.S. foreign policy that is pouring fuel on the fire of global warming." — Stacy Bannerman Climate Change Causes War There is the close relationship between war More
(2019-05-23). Why Are Leading Democrats Supporting Trump on Venezuela? thenation.com Why Are Leading Democrats Supporting Trump on Venezuela?
(2019-05-23). For Afro-Colombians, the 2016 Peace Treaty Brought No Peace. thenation.com For Afro-Colombians, the 2016 Peace Treaty Brought No Peace…
(2019-05-23). "India Loses Again, and the World Loses with It": Siddhartha Deb on Modi's Landslide Re-election. democracynow.org 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears set to enter a second term in a landslide victory. Election results show Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP party leading in 325 of the 543 seats in Parliament. At this rate, these numbers will give him an even greater majority than in 2014, when his party claimed the first outright majority in decades. Most analysts had predicted Modi's BJP party would lose seats in this election. Modi's government has been criticized for a crackdown on civil society, targeting political opponents, journalists, human rights activists, lawyers and writers. Human rights groups have also raised…
(2019-05-23). How the U.S. Crackdown on Abortion Laws Influences Other Countries. therealnews.com 
As Americans struggle to decide the fate of reproductive rights state by state, the U.S. government has imposed a "Gag Rule" that would remove U.S. federal funding from any country or international organization that provides abortions or even advises women that abortion is their choice…
(2019-05-23). Palestinians overwhelmingly condemn German Parliament's anti-Palestinian resolution. bdsmovement.net 
Palestinians overwhelmingly condemn German Parliament's anti-Palestinian resolution: Open LetterPalestinian civil society coalitions, human rights organizations, labor unions, and representatives of the Palestinian people, condemn in the strongest terms the German Parliament's resolution which is based on outright lies and equates the nonviolent BDS movement for Palestinian right…
(2019-05-22). How ICE Is Using Solitary Confinement to Punish Asylum Seekers, Including LGBT & Disabled Immigrants. democracynow.org 
Since 2012, ICE has used solitary confinement as a routine punishment for thousands of immigrants and asylum seekers locked up in immigration jails across the country. We look at a new, damning investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that has revealed this widespread abusive use of solitary confinement in immigration jails overseen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The United Nations special rapporteur on torture says solitary confinement should only be used in exceptional circumstances, and defines extended use of solitary as "inhuman and degrading treatment." Despit…
(2019-05-22). Activists Push Back Against Conservative Threat to Safe and Legal Abortion. therealnews.com 
With abortion rights under threat across the country and conservative anti-abortion bills gaining momentum, women and activists are taking their protests to the streets to defend their right to privacy and bodily autonomy…
(2019-05-22). Abortion rights rally in St. Paul, MN. fightbacknews.org Up to 500 people gathered at the state capitol building here, May 21, joining a national day of action in response to the new round of abortion restrictions and bans in Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri and Georgia. Chants of "Our bodies, our choice," and "No more" echoed across the capitol complex. | Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota helped organized the rally. There were a range of speakers and supportive politicians urging all to fight back on the attacks on women and choice. A woman spoke about a very hard personal decision she and her husband made in the second trimester. Doctors stated their…
(2019-05-21). Children of ISIL terrorists likely held in 'secret detention facilities', UN human rights office warns. un.org In Syria, it is suspected that children whose fathers fought for terrorist group ISIL are being held in unidentified "settlements" and "secret detention facilities" away from their mothers, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday.
(2019-05-21). Detained, Abused & Denied Medical Care: How Trump Immigration Policies Led to Child Deaths at Border. democracynow.org 
A 16-year-old Guatemalan boy died in U.S. custody Monday after spending a week in immigration jail. Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez was found dead at a Border Patrol station at Weslaco, Texas, just one day after being diagnosed with the flu. He was not hospitalized. This marks the fifth death of a Guatemalan child apprehended by Border Patrol since December. Before last year, it had been more than a decade since a child died in the custody of U.S. immigration officials. We speak with Fernando Garcia, the founding director of the Border Network for Human Rights, an advocacy organization based in El Paso, and Jen…
(2019-05-21). Jennifer Harbury: Deaths of Guatemalan Children at Border Have Roots in Decades of U.S.-Backed Genocide. democracynow.org 
Five Guatemalan children have died after being apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol since December. We look at the humanitarian crisis unfolding on the border and its ties to decades of bloody U.S. intervention in Latin America with human rights attorney Jennifer Harbury. Her husband, Efraín Bámaca Velásquez, was a Mayan comandante and guerrilla who was disappeared after he was captured by the Guatemalan army in the 1980s. After a long campaign, she found there was U.S. involvement in the cover-up of her husband's murder and torture. "We trained them. We taught them torture techniques. We funded them, and we armed t…
(2019-05-21). Family of Jailed Saudi Feminist Loujain Al-Hathloul: She Was Waterboarded, Flogged & Electrocuted. democracynow.org 
It's been a year since women's right activist Loujain Al-Hathloul was detained and jailed in Saudi Arabia for leading a movement to lift the kingdom's ban on female drivers and overhaul its male "guardianship" system. Despite international outcry, she's been imprisoned ever since. During that time, her family says, she's been held in solitary confinement and faced abuse, including electric shocks, flogging and threats of sexual violence. The Saudi government has resisted calls from human rights groups and lawmakers from around the world to release Loujain and the other jailed activists. We speak with two of Louja…
(2019-05-21). 'We're Still Going to Be Making Sure People Have Access to Abortions They Want and Need' – CounterSpin interview with Jill Heaviside and Oriaku Njoku on reproductive rights assaults. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed Jill Heaviside and Oriaku Njoku about resisting assaults on reproductive rights for the May 17, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
(2019-05-21). Taking Action to #StopTheBans. progressive.org Across the country this week, advocates for reproductive justice and women's rights are rallying to put a stop to the onslaught of restrictive abortion laws.
(2019-05-21). Tuesday's Daily Brief: Libya civil war, African displacement, global trade tensions, terrorists' children 'secretly detained', and more. un.org Tuesday's stories include: Libya facing "permanent division", regional war; Africa event highlights forcible displacement; terrorists' children 'secretly detained' in Syria; Venezuelans need protection; global trade tensions rise.
(2019-05-20). Headlines for May 20, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Threatens "Official End of Iran" Via Tweet If It Provokes the U.S., First Phase of Kushner's Middle East Peace Plan to Focus on Palestinian Economy, Sweden Requests Detention of Assange as WikiLeaks Accuses U.S. of Illegally Seizing His Property, Australian Voters Choose Conservative PM Morrison Over Opponent Who Vowed to Tackle Climate Change, Austria Calls Snap Election After Far-Right Leader Caught in Corruption Scandal, Protesters Take to the Streets Ahead of European Parliament Elections, Narendra Modi on Track for Second Term as Prime Minister as Voting Ends in India, Taiwan Legalizes Same-Sex Marriag…
(2019-05-20). Venezuela: Widespread Gasoline Shortages as Sanctions Take Toll on Oil Sector. venezuelanalysis.com Long queues have been seen at gas pumps around the country in recent days.
(2019-05-20). Border Patrol Museum Demonstrators Targeted In Crackdown On Immigrant Rights Protests. shadowproof.com Four activists turned themselves in to El Paso police on May 13 after the police issued warrants for their arrest related to a nonviolent demonstration inside a United States Border Patrol museum.
(2019-05-19). Coalition win makes fightback urgent. greenleft.org.au 
The right-wing dominated Coalition's win in the May 18 federal election is a major setback for the climate action movement, the union movement and the interests of working people in Australia. | It will no doubt lead to an acceleration of attacks on union rights, the living standards of workers and the poor and is a serious blow to the growing climate action movement among youth and the population generally. | We must now urgently take steps to unite and step up the fight to defend the movements for progressive change in this country. | Despite this electoral setback, which occurred in the face of opinion po…
(2019-05-17). Oriaku Njoku & Jill Heaviside on Abortion Rights in Georgia and Beyond. fair.org 
Abortions will happen, as they always have. The question is what they'll be like, for whom? If that's your question about the future, it makes sense to talk with the people who are doing the work now — of support, advocacy and funding to allow women to access safe and affordable abortion care.
(2019-05-17). United States: Resisting Trump's attacks on migrants. greenleft.org.au 
Green Left Weekly's Jacob Andrewartha and Zane Alcorn spoke to Justin Akers Chacón, a Mexican-based, US immigrant rights activist, in Melbourne for the Marxism conference in April. | What can you tell us about the current situation in the US regarding immigration, particularly as we enter the second half of US President Donald Trump's term in office? | The situation is really dire in many ways. Trump has ratcheted up the attack on immigrants, including trying to prevent thousands of Central American asylum-seekers from even reaching the border where they could apply for asylum. | He has done this by essentially s…
(2019-05-17). NAACP and Civil Rights Groups Hold Rally on the 65th Anniversary of Brown v. Board. naacp.org 
On May 16, NAACP along with civil rights organizations and members of Congress held a rally on Capitol Hill to make the promise of Brown v. Board of Education a reality for all. In honor of the 65th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, speakers addressed the still urgent struggle for education equity as well …