Daily Archives: August 15, 2019

2019-08-15: News Headlines

Stephen Lendman (2019-08-16). US Waging Wars on Multiple Fronts: Cold Wars, Hot Wars, Economic Wars, Propaganda Wars … globalresearch.ca Supported by both hawkish wings of its war party, the US is waging hot wars, cold wars, economic wars, financial wars, trade wars, anti-social justice wars, anti-human rights wars, anti-democracy wars, propaganda wars, sanctions wars, tariffs wars, protest wars, homeland …

Philip Giraldi (2019-08-16). Punishing the World with Sanctions. Intended to Cause Real Pain. globalresearch.ca Sanctions are economic warfare, pure and simple. As an alternative to a direct military attack on a country that is deemed to be misbehaving they are certainly preferable, but no one should be under any illusions regarding what they actually …

Staff (2019-08-15). Truck Rams Anti-ICE Protest in Rhode Island. therealnews.com A corrections officer struck Never Again protestors with his truck outside of the Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island, hospitalizing two while other protestors were pepper sprayed by police. Update: A Captain involved in the incident was placed on leave pending an independent investigation, officials say…

Public Health Justice Collective & Others (2019-08-15). #CloseTheCamps: Protest by Public Health & Healthcare Workers for Migrant Rights. indybay.org Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 630 Sansome St, San Francisco 94111…

Do No Harm Coalition, Public Health Awakening (2019-08-15). #CloseTheCamps: Protest by Healthcare & Harm Reduction Workers for Migrant Rights. indybay.org Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), | 630 Sansome St, San Francisco 94111…

Staff (2019-08-15). Protesters Crash ALEC Conference to Resist Bill Criminalizing Pipeline Activists. truthout.org | | Four protesters with the Austin chapter of Extinction Rebellion were briefly detained and released Thursday after three activists disrupted a private lunch session inside the JW Marriott hotel in downtown Austin, where the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is holding its annual conference this week. Two other activists disrupted the event on the hotel's fourth and second floors. | Inside a private ballroom, the activists chanted and dropped a banner reading "People & Pla…

Staff (2019-08-15). Protesters Crash ALEC Conference to Resist Bill Criminalizing Pipeline Activists. truthout.org | | Four protesters with the Austin chapter of Extinction Rebellion were briefly detained and released Thursday after three activists disrupted a private meeting inside the JW Marriott hotel in downtown Austin, where the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is holding its annual conference this week. Two other activists disrupted the event on the hotel's fourth and second floors. | Inside a private ballroom, the activists chanted and dropped a banner reading "People & Planet Be…

Staff (2019-08-15). Google Employees Protest Proposed Contract With ICE, CBP. truthdig.com In a lengthy Medium post, more than 600 pledge not to work with the government agencies "until they stop engaging in human rights abuses."

Emily Apple (2019-08-15). Damning new evidence is yet another reason why selling arms to Saudi Arabia is illegal. thecanary.co New evidence that shows the Saudi-led coalition is breaking humanitarian law in Yemen has been published by the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and Mwatana for Human Rights (Mwatana). Its research shows that the coalition: has continued to carry out apparently unlawful attacks throughout the course of the conflict, failed to credibly investigate, and whitewashed signif…

unitedEditor (2019-08-15). The US is already interfering in the upcoming Venezuelan elections. uwidata.com US President Donald Trump has maintained strong economic pressure against Venezuela, having signed numerous decrees blocking the assets of the Venezuelan authorities within US jurisdiction. Giants such as the Central Bank of Venezuela and the state-owned oil company PDVSA were also included in the sanctions list. Now, Washington has announced it will even impose sanctions …

teleSUR (2019-08-15). UK Snubs Trump, Orders Release of Iranian Oil Tanker. telesurenglish.net Gibraltar decided Thursday to free the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1, detained off the British overseas territory six weeks ago by Royal Marines, paving the way for a possible swap for a British-flagged tanker seized by Iran in the Gulf. | The two tankers have become pawns in the standoff between Iran and the West, their fate tangled up in the diplomatic differences between the EU's big powers and the United States. | The Grace 1 was seized by commandos in darkness off peninsula on July 4. | Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo decided to lift the detention order after formal written assurances from Tehran t…

teleSUR (2019-08-15). UK Snubs Trump, Orders Release of Iranian Oil Tanker. telesurenglish.net Gibraltar decided Thursday to free the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1, detained off the British overseas territory six weeks ago by Royal Marines, paving the way for a possible swap for a British-flagged tanker seized by Iran in the Gulf. | RELATE: | US Demands UK Hand Over Seized Iran Oil Tanker | The two tankers have become pawns in the standoff between Iran and the West, their fate tangled up in the diplomatic differences between the EU's big powers and the United States. | The Grace 1 was sei…

ACLU (2019-08-15). The Challenges of Breastfeeding as a Black Person. aclu.org How our workplaces and healthcare system create barriers to breastfeeding. | The fight to protect individual choices about reproductive care, including breastfeeding, is an ongoing battle. The central lesson of the reproductive justice movement is that choice means little without access. That lesson applies equally to breastfeeding. | Though laws, in the workplace and other contexts, are in place to protect the right to breastfeed, many low-income women and w…

Michael Doliner (2019-08-15). Bill of Rights: the Last Seduction. counterpunch.org MONDAY, June 16, 1788 Mr. HENRY thought it necessary and proper that they should take a collective view of this whole section, and revert again to the first clause. He adverted to the clause which gives Congress the power of raising armies, and proceeded as follows: To me this appears a very alarming power, when unlimited. They More

Jessica Corbett (2019-08-15). Planned Parenthood demands federal court intervene to stop trump attack on abortion rights and Title X program. nationofchange.org Planned Parenthood warned Wednesday that, without intervention from a federal court, it will be forced out of the Title X Family Planning Program next week because of the Trump administration's ban on health clinics receiving federal tax dollars if they provide or refer patients for abortions. The Health and Human Services Department declared last month it would …

teleSUR (2019-08-15). Brazil: 8 Bodies Found in Secret Mass Grave Used by Rio Militia. telesurenglish.net Police and firefighters discovered Wednesday eight bodies in a clandestine cemetery used by far-right militias in Belford Roxo, a poor municipality ravaged by violence which is located at the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region. | RELATED: | Brazil: 100,000 Daisies in Defense of Working Women's Rights | Bullet wounds were identified on most bodies, some of which were also dismembered, Commissioner Moyses Santana Gomes said to local media. | The discovery of the Belford Roxo grave, w…

pip.hinman (2019-08-15). Free, safe abortion on demand: A question of dignity. greenleft.org.au It is well past time for legislative change when it comes to abortion rights. If women are not to live with the fear of repressive and discriminatory legislation governing the choices they make over their bodies, immediate progressive reform is essential, writes Carmen Espinosa. | Last December, more than 30 human rights and healthcare organisers co-authored an open letter to the NSW government describing the state's abortion law as "archaic, cruel, and degrading" and denying women "

pip.hinman (2019-08-15). School strikers stand in solidarity with unions. greenleft.org.au School Strike 4 Climate (SS4C) is calling on all workers and unions to join the Climate Strike on September 20. To make this a reality they have been working on building links with trade unions and have expressed their condemnation of the Scott Morrison Coalition government's latest attacks on the rights of trade unions. | In an August 9 statement, SS4C said: "There is nothing 'fair' a…

RT (2019-08-15). Truck drives into protesters blocking entrance to ICE detention center (VIDEO). rt.com A video made by protesters shows the moment a pickup truck drives into sit-in demonstrators blocking the street entrance to an ICE detention center in Rhode Island. A crowd starts banging on the car then gets pepper-sprayed.

Ilana Novick (2019-08-15). Prison Guard Drives Truck Into Crowd of Peaceful Anti-ICE Protesters. truthdig.com Activists who were sitting at the entry to the detention facility's parking lot in Rhode Island are shaken but remain as committed as ever.

Mark Gruenberg (2019-08-14). Labor's problem: Overcoming Mitch McConnell's blockade. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON — Worker rights. Clean elections. Campaign finance reform. Stronger job safety and health laws. Restoring the right to vote and banning voter suppression. Collective bargaining rights for public workers. Raising the minimum wage. Putting financially troubled multi-employer pension plans on fiscally sound footings without severely slashing benefits. The Green New Deal. What do all …

Spencer Woodman (2019-08-14). 40 Percent of ICE Detainees Held in Solitary Confinement Have a Mental Illness, New Report Finds. theintercept.com The report from the Project on Government Oversight builds on an ICIJ and Intercept investigation into ICE's widespread use of solitary confinement.

Staff (2019-08-14). "River of Fire": In New Memoir, Sister Helen Prejean Reflects on Decades of Fighting Executions. democracynow.org The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to resume the death penalty after a more than 15-year moratorium. This week Attorney General William Barr proposed fast-tracking executions in mass murder cases, and last month ordered the execution of five death row prisoners beginning in December. The federal government has executed just three people since 1963 — the last being in 2003. The death penalty is widely condemned by national governments, international bodies and human rights groups across the world. Experts say capital punishment does not help deter homicides and that errors and racism in the…

United Nations (2019-08-13). Tuesday's Daily Brief: Hong Kong airport disruption, Geneva Conventions at 70, new Ebola drug, French fighters in Iraq, Mediterranean migrant and Aden updates. un.org Our main stories today cover: Human rights chief on chaos at Hong Kong airport; Geneva Conventions have been 'limiting brutality' for 70 years; breakthrough drug in DR Congo Ebola fight; France pushed to repatriate nationals on death row in Iraq; 'Race against time" for migrants in Mediterranean…

splcenter (2019-08-13). SPLC joins brief opposing Kansas law targeting immigrants. splcenter.org The SPLC and 29 worker and immigrant rights organizations filed an amicus brief today urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a court decision stating that a Kansas identity theft law cannot be used to turn local law enforcement into immigration agents.

United Nations (2019-08-13). 'Act with restraint' UN human rights chief urges Hong Kong authorities and protestors, following airport disruption. un.org After two consecutive days of chaos at Hong Kong International Airport, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Michelle Bachelet expressed her concern and condemned "any form" of violence or destruction of property and urged the demonstrators to "express their views in a peaceful way".

Fight Back (2019-08-13). On the 3-month anniversary of his death, community rallies for #Justice4Jalen. fightbacknews.org Jacksonville, FL – On August 2, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) and the family of Jalen Mays held a vigil to remember his life on the three-month anniversary of his death. At the vigil, the protesters chanted, "Justice for Jalen." | The family has been calling for accountability and transparency since his death on the morning of May 2, at Orange Park Medical Center. His death occurred a day after being detained after what is believed to be a violent arrest by Jacksonville Sheriff's Officers S.R Maddox and M.J Reddish. Those two officers had previously been placed on administrative leave accordi…

ACLU (2019-08-13). Expanding Involuntary Confinement is Not the Answer to Solve Gun Violence. aclu.org Institutionalizing people against their will is usually a mistake. | In the wake of last weekend's tragic shootings, President Trump did what he does best: stoked fear and cast blame. He proclaimed that "we must reform our mental health laws to better identify mentally disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence and make sure those people, not only get treatment, but when necessary, involuntary confinement." | There are two things wrong with the idea of involuntary commitment as a solution to gun violence. First, focusing on people with identifiable mental disabilities won't help. The data is clear: men…

Bill Blum (2019-08-13). Unequal Justice: John Roberts' Dark Legacy of Voter Suppression. progressive.org Plaintiffs are litigating voting rights cases in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, and several other states. Some will succeed, some will fail, but all will be more uncertain and expensive thanks to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Paul Dobson (2019-08-12). Venezuela Secures New Chinese Oil Investment. venezuelanalysis.com The move defies the US embargo's secondary sanction provisions targeting foreign firms trading with Venezuela.

Fight Back (2019-08-12). U.S. starts blockade of Venezuela. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – On August 6, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton attended a gathering of representatives from the right-wing governments of Latin America. There, he announced the next stage in the U.S. campaign to defeat the Bolivarian Revolution: A total blockade of Venezuela. All U.S. citizens are banned from doing business with "the Maduro regime," and any company – U.S. or international – that does business with the Venezuelan government will be subject to fines, asset seizures and sanctions. While the announcement did not include the immediate deployment of the U.S. Navy to enforce the blockade, Bolton…

Aaron Maté (2019-08-12). Trump admin sabotages Iran diplomacy at every turn. thegrayzone.com With its recent sanctions on Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Trump administration continues to undermine any possibility of diplomacy…

Staff (2019-08-11). Israel's Flagship Lobby Organization Collapses. therealnews.com Richard Silverstein discusses the fall of The Israel Project (TIP), the best-funded organization promoting pro-Israeli propaganda in the United States and around the world. Why did TIP collapse and what does this mean for organizing around Palestinian rights?

Staff (2019-08-09). ICE Raids on Undocumented Immigrants Create Fear and Enable Exploitation. therealnews.com The recent ICE raids that detained 680 food workers in Mississippi not only strike fear and terror in the hearts of immigrants, but are a calculated move to enable greater exploitation of immigrants because it increases their insecurity and makes organizing more difficult…

ACLU (2019-08-09). Over 132,400 Opposed Trump's Anti-Trans Health Care Plan. aclu.org A proposed rule would undermine protections for transgender people and others facing discriminatory denials of health care and insurance coverage. | The Trump Administration has shown it will stop at nothing to undermine access to health care for marginalized communities. Most recently, the Administration has proposed to undermine critical protections against sex discrimination in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, the Health Care Rights Law. Instead of combatting discrimination in accessing health care a…

pip.hinman (2019-08-09). Peace for Colombia. greenleft.org.au Latin American solidarity activists rallied for peace and justice in Colombia, in Sydney on August 3. | Speakers called for an end to the killings of social leaders. More than 600 social leaders, including indigenous land rights activists and human rights advocates, have been killed since 2016. | Photos and stories of many of the activists were displayed in Sydney's iconic Circular Quay. | The action was organised by United for Colombia and included a cultural festival of music, dance, theatre and poetry. | international solidarity

Sapphira Lurie (2019-08-08). Fordham U students win fight to have Palestine rights club. liberationnews.org On Aug. 5, Justice Nancy Bannon of the Supreme Court of the State of New York annulled Fordham University's decision to ban Students for Justice in Palestine from its campus.

United Nations (2019-08-08). UN rights chief bemoans unilateral sanctions on Venezuela, fearing 'far-reaching implications'. un.org A new set of unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela this week prompted the concern of the United Nations' top rights official on Thursday, who said in a statement that she feared they would have a "potentially severe impact" on the human rights of the South American nation's "long-suffering" people.

Staff (2019-08-07). Headlines for August 7, 2019. democracynow.org Dems and Grieving Communities Voice Resistance to Trump Visits to El Paso and Dayton, FBI Investigating Gilroy Mass Shooting as Domestic Terror, Dems Call on Congressional Leaders to Pass Bills Addressing White Supremacy, Civil Rights Groups Rally Against Gun Violence and White Supremacy at White House, Walmart Workers Plan Walkout to Protest Gun Sales, Toni Morrison, Visionary Author and Nobel Laureate, Dies at 88, Nigerian Journalist and Political Activist Omoyele Sowore Arrested After Calling for Revolution, U.S Warns Turkey Against Syria Attacking Kurdish Forces in Syria, 25% of World's Population Under "Extr…

Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz (2019-08-06). Washington Escalates Venezuela Sanctions into Full-Fledged Embargo. venezuelanalysis.com The latest measures amount to a total trade embargo impacting both US and foreign entities.

splcenter (2019-08-05). New Civil Rights Memorial to be installed on 54th anniversary of Voting Rights Act. splcenter.org Jimmie Lee Jackson was beaten and shot by Alabama state troopers during a peaceful voting rights march on Feb. 18, 1965.

Jason Ditz (2019-08-01). US Sanctions Iran's Foreign Minister; Move Seen as Rebuke of Diplomatic Offer. theantimedia.com The latest US sanctions on Iran are very specific, hitting FM Javad Zarif, blocking all property and financial interests he has in the US.

J. August (2019-07-30). NYC power outage reveals a profit-hungry and racist system. liberationnews.org Electricity, transportation, decent water and other services are basic human rights.

Bryan Ellis (2019-07-29). Protesters in Bradenton defend the rights of immigrants and refugees. liberationnews.org On Sunday, seventeen people gathered at the Manatee County Courthouse in downtown Bradenton to demand an end to US concentration camps for refugees and mass deportations of immigrants.

ACLU (2019-07-25). Hawaiians are Taking to the Streets and Exercising their First Amendment Rights. aclu.org We're ensuring the right to protest and cultural access at the world's tallest mountain. | Driving up Daniel K. Inouye Highway on the Big Island of Hawai'i at 4: 30 in the morning is a sight few will forget: a silent, pitch-black road, with black lava and sparse trees. The dark air is a chilly 50 degrees. In our backpacks are packaged tuna, crackers, water, walkie talkies, and a voice recorder. However, the most important items are without a doubt our blue ACLU of Hawai'i legal observer vests and first aid kit, which is stocked with goods like antacid (to rinse our eyes of pepper spray) and earbuds. Sitting in the…

Ricardo Vaz (2019-07-25). Venezuela: US Sanctions Target Subsidized Food Program as Foro de Sao Paulo Kicks Off. venezuelanalysis.com Washington has targeted companies and individuals it alleges are profiteering from the CLAP food initiative.

Paul Dobson (2019-07-23). Non-Aligned Movement Condemns US Sanctions Against Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com The 120-member movement held a ministerial meeting in Caracas as a US spy jet reportedly violated Venezuelan airspace.

Ricardo Vaz (2019-07-18). Venezuela: Trump Diverts Central America Aid to Guaido as EU Threatens More Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com Guaido's team is receiving over $40 million to fund salaries, travel, training, propaganda and technical assistance.

TeleSur English (2019-07-15). UN Human Rights Council Adopts Resolution Rejecting US Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com The draft resolution was approved with 28 votes in favor, 14 against and five abstentions, and was presented by Venezuela and Palestine on behalf of the Movement of Non-aligned Countries.

Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz (2019-07-12). Venezuela: 'Progress' Reported in Gov't-Opposition Talks as US Sanctions Counter-Intelligence Agency. venezuelanalysis.com The agenda of the talks has not been disclosed but the topic of elections is reportedly being left for last.

2019-08-15: Social Media Postees

US Waging Wars on Multiple Fronts: Cold Wars, Hot Wars, Economic Wars, Propaganda Wars
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-16
Supported by both hawkish wings of its war party, the US is waging hot wars, cold wars, economic wars, financial wars, trade wars, anti-social justice wars, anti-human rights wars, anti-democracy wars, propaganda wars, sanctions wars, tariffs wars, protest wars, homeland …
globalresearch.ca/us-waging-wars-on-multiple-fronts-cold-wars-hot-wars-economic-wars-propaganda-wars/5686511

Punishing the World with Sanctions. Intended to Cause Real Pain
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-16
Sanctions are economic warfare, pure and simple. As an alternative to a direct military attack on a country that is deemed to be misbehaving they are certainly preferable, but no one should be under any illusions regarding what they actually …
globalresearch.ca/punishing-the-world-with-sanctions-intended-to-cause-real-pain/5686517

#CloseTheCamps: Protest by Healthcare & Harm Reduction Workers for Migrant Rights
Do No Harm Coalition, Public Health Awakening | indybay.org | 2019-08-15
Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), | 630 Sansome St, San Francisco 94111…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/15/18825502.php

#CloseTheCamps: Protest by Public Health & Healthcare Workers for Migrant Rights
Public Health Justice Collective & Others | indybay.org | 2019-08-15
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 630 Sansome St, San Francisco 94111…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/15/18825498.php

Protesters Crash ALEC Conference to Resist Bill Criminalizing Pipeline Activists
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-15
| Four protesters with the Austin chapter of Extinction Rebellion were briefly detained and released Thursday after three activists disrupted a private lunch session inside the JW Marriott hotel in downtown Austin, where the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is holding its annual conference this week. Two other activists disrupted the event on the hotel's fourth and second floors. | Inside a private ballroom, the activists chanted and dropped a banner reading "People & Pla…
truthout.org/articles/protesters-crash-alec-conference-to-resist-bill-criminalizing-pipeline-activists/

Protesters Crash ALEC Conference to Resist Bill Criminalizing Pipeline Activists
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-15
| Four protesters with the Austin chapter of Extinction Rebellion were briefly detained and released Thursday after three activists disrupted a private meeting inside the JW Marriott hotel in downtown Austin, where the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is holding its annual conference this week. Two other activists disrupted the event on the hotel's fourth and second floors. | Inside a private ballroom, the activists chanted and dropped a banner reading "People & Planet Be…
truthout.org/articles/protesters-crash-alec-conference-to-resist-bill-criminalizing-pipeline-activists/

Prison Guard Drives Truck Into Crowd of Peaceful Anti-ICE Protesters
Ilana Novick | truthdig.com | 2019-08-15
Activists who were sitting at the entry to the detention facility's parking lot in Rhode Island are shaken but remain as committed as ever.
truthdig.com/articles/prison-guard-drives-truck-into-crowd-of-peaceful-anti-ice-protesters/

Google Employees Protest Proposed Contract With ICE, CBP
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-15
In a lengthy Medium post, more than 600 pledge not to work with the government agencies "until they stop engaging in human rights abuses."
truthdig.com/articles/google-employees-protest-propose-contract-with-ice-cbp/

Truck Rams Anti-ICE Protest in Rhode Island
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-15
A corrections officer struck Never Again protestors with his truck outside of the Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island, hospitalizing two while other protestors were pepper sprayed by police. Update: A Captain involved in the incident was placed on leave pending an independent investigation, officials say…
therealnews.com/stories/truck-rams-anti-ice-protest-in-rhode-island

Truck drives into protesters blocking entrance to ICE detention center (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2019-08-15
A video made by protesters shows the moment a pickup truck drives into sit-in demonstrators blocking the street entrance to an ICE detention center in Rhode Island. A crowd starts banging on the car then gets pepper-sprayed. | …
rt.com/usa/466553-ice-truck-video-protesters-ram/

Damning new evidence is yet another reason why selling arms to Saudi Arabia is illegal
Emily Apple | thecanary.co | 2019-08-15
New evidence that shows the Saudi-led coalition is breaking humanitarian law in Yemen has been published by the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and Mwatana for Human Rights (Mwatana). Its research shows that the coalition: has continued to carry out apparently unlawful attacks throughout the course of the conflict, failed to credibly investigate, and whitewashed signif…
thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2019/08/15/damning-new-evidence-is-yet-another-reason-why-selling-arms-to-saudi-arabia-is-illegal/

The US is already interfering in the upcoming Venezuelan elections
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-08-15
US President Donald Trump has maintained strong economic pressure against Venezuela, having signed numerous decrees blocking the assets of the Venezuelan authorities within US jurisdiction. Giants such as the Central Bank of Venezuela and the state-owned oil company PDVSA were also included in the sanctions list. Now, Washington has announced it will even impose sanctions …
uwidata.com/4894-the-us-is-already-interfering-in-the-upcoming-venezuelan-elections/

UK Snubs Trump, Orders Release of Iranian Oil Tanker
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-15
Gibraltar decided Thursday to free the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1, detained off the British overseas territory six weeks ago by Royal Marines, paving the way for a possible swap for a British-flagged tanker seized by Iran in the Gulf. | RELATE: | US Demands UK Hand Over Seized Iran Oil Tanker | The two tankers have become pawns in the standoff between Iran and the West, their fate tangled up in the diplomatic differences between the EU's big powers and the United States. | The Grace 1 was sei…
telesurenglish.net/news/UK-Snubs-Trump-Orders-Release-of-Iranian-Oil-Tanker-20190815-0007.html

UK Snubs Trump, Orders Release of Iranian Oil Tanker
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-15
Gibraltar decided Thursday to free the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1, detained off the British overseas territory six weeks ago by Royal Marines, paving the way for a possible swap for a British-flagged tanker seized by Iran in the Gulf. | The two tankers have become pawns in the standoff between Iran and the West, their fate tangled up in the diplomatic differences between the EU's big powers and the United States. | The Grace 1 was seized by commandos in darkness off peninsula on July 4. | Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo decided to lift the detention order after formal written assurances from Tehran t…
telesurenglish.net/news/UK-Snubs-Trump-Orders-Release-of-Iranian-Oil-Tanker-20190815-0007.html

Brazil: 8 Bodies Found in Secret Mass Grave Used by Rio Militia
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-15
Police and firefighters discovered Wednesday eight bodies in a clandestine cemetery used by far-right militias in Belford Roxo, a poor municipality ravaged by violence which is located at the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region. | RELATED: | Brazil: 100,000 Daisies in Defense of Working Women's Rights | Bullet wounds were identified on most bodies, some of which were also dismembered, Commissioner Moyses Santana Gomes said to local media. | The discovery of the Belford Roxo grave, w…
telesurenglish.net/news/Brazil-8-Bodies-Found-in-Secret-Mass-Grave-Used-by-Rio-Militia-20190815-0001.html

Planned Parenthood demands federal court intervene to stop trump attack on abortion rights and Title X program
Jessica Corbett | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-15
Planned Parenthood warned Wednesday that, without intervention from a federal court, it will be forced out of the Title X Family Planning Program next week because of the Trump administration's ban on health clinics receiving federal tax dollars if they provide or refer patients for abortions. The Health and Human Services Department declared last month it would …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/15/planned-parenthood-demands-federal-court-intervene-to-stop-trump-attack-on-abortion-rights-and-title-x-program/

Bill of Rights: the Last Seduction
Michael Doliner | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-15
MONDAY, June 16, 1788 Mr. HENRY thought it necessary and proper that they should take a collective view of this whole section, and revert again to the first clause. He adverted to the clause which gives Congress the power of raising armies, and proceeded as follows: To me this appears a very alarming power, when unlimited. They…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/15/bill-of-rights-the-last-seduction/

The Challenges of Breastfeeding as a Black Person
aclu.org | 2019-08-15
How our workplaces and healthcare system create barriers to breastfeeding. | The fight to protect individual choices about reproductive care, including breastfeeding, is an ongoing battle. The central lesson of the reproductive justice movement is that choice means little without access. That lesson applies equally to breastfeeding. | Though laws, in the workplace and other contexts, are in place to protect the right to breastfeed, many low-income women and w…
aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/pregnancy-and-parenting-discrimination/challenges-breastfeeding-black-person

Free, safe abortion on demand: A question of dignity
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-15
It is well past time for legislative change when it comes to abortion rights. If women are not to live with the fear of repressive and discriminatory legislation governing the choices they make over their bodies, immediate progressive reform is essential, writes Carmen Espinosa. | Last December, more than 30 human rights and healthcare organisers co-authored an open letter to the NSW government describing the state's abortion law as "archaic, cruel, and degrading" and denying women "
greenleft.org.au/content/free-safe-abortion-demand-question-dignity

School strikers stand in solidarity with unions
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-15
School Strike 4 Climate (SS4C) is calling on all workers and unions to join the Climate Strike on September 20. To make this a reality they have been working on building links with trade unions and have expressed their condemnation of the Scott Morrison Coalition government's latest attacks on the rights of trade unions. | In an August 9 statement, SS4C said: "There is nothing 'fair' a…
greenleft.org.au/content/school-strikers-stand-solidarity-unions

40 Percent of ICE Detainees Held in Solitary Confinement Have a Mental Illness, New Report Finds
Spencer Woodman | theintercept.com | 2019-08-14
The report from the Project on Government Oversight builds on an ICIJ and Intercept investigation into ICE's widespread use of solitary confinement.
theintercept.com/2019/08/14/ice-solitary-confinement-mental-illness/

Labor's problem: Overcoming Mitch McConnell's blockade
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-14
WASHINGTON — Worker rights. Clean elections. Campaign finance reform. Stronger job safety and health laws. Restoring the right to vote and banning voter suppression. Collective bargaining rights for public workers. Raising the minimum wage. Putting financially troubled multi-employer pension plans on fiscally sound footings without severely slashing benefits. The Green New Deal. What do all …
peoplesworld.org/article/labors-problem-overcoming-mitch-mcconnells-blockade/

"River of Fire": In New Memoir, Sister Helen Prejean Reflects on Decades of Fighting Executions
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-14
The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to resume the death penalty after a more than 15-year moratorium. This week Attorney General William Barr proposed fast-tracking executions in mass murder cases, and last month ordered the execution of five death row prisoners beginning in December. The federal government has executed just three people since 1963 — the last being in 2003. The death penalty is widely condemned by national governments, international bodies and human rights groups across the world. Experts say capital punishment does not help deter homicides and that errors and racism in the…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/14/sister_he…

Tuesday's Daily Brief: Hong Kong airport disruption, Geneva Conventions at 70, new Ebola drug, French fighters in Iraq, Mediterranean migrant and Aden updates
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-13
Our main stories today cover: Human rights chief on chaos at Hong Kong airport; Geneva Conventions have been 'limiting brutality' for 70 years; breakthrough drug in DR Congo Ebola fight; France pushed to repatriate nationals on death row in Iraq; 'Race against time" for migrants in Mediterranean…
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044181

SPLC joins brief opposing Kansas law targeting immigrants
splcenter.org | 2019-08-13
The SPLC and 29 worker and immigrant rights organizations filed an amicus brief today urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a court decision stating that a Kansas identity theft law cannot be used to turn local law enforcement into immigration agents.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/13/splc-joins-brief-opposing-kansas-law-targeting-immigrants

'Act with restraint' UN human rights chief urges Hong Kong authorities and protestors, following airport disruption
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-13
After two consecutive days of chaos at Hong Kong International Airport, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Michelle Bachelet expressed her concern and condemned "any form" of violence or destruction of property and urged the demonstrators to "express their views in a peaceful way".
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044141

On the 3-month anniversary of his death, community rallies for #Justice4Jalen
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-13
Jacksonville, FL – On August 2, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) and the family of Jalen Mays held a vigil to remember his life on the three-month anniversary of his death. At the vigil, the protesters chanted, "Justice for Jalen." | The family has been calling for accountability and transparency since his death on the morning of May 2, at Orange Park Medical Center. His death occurred a day after being detained after what is believed to be a violent arrest by Jacksonville Sheriff's Officers S.R Maddox and M.J Reddish. Those two officers had previously been placed on administrative leave accordi…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/13/3-month-…

Unequal Justice: John Roberts' Dark Legacy of Voter Suppression
Bill Blum | progressive.org | 2019-08-13
Plaintiffs are litigating voting rights cases in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, and several other states. Some will succeed, some will fail, but all will be more uncertain and expensive thanks to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
progressive.org/dispatches/unequal-justice-john-roberts-dark-legacy-of-voter-suppression-blum-190812/

Expanding Involuntary Confinement is Not the Answer to Solve Gun Violence
aclu.org | 2019-08-13
Institutionalizing people against their will is usually a mistake. | In the wake of last weekend's tragic shootings, President Trump did what he does best: stoked fear and cast blame. He proclaimed that "we must reform our mental health laws to better identify mentally disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence and make sure those people, not only get treatment, but when necessary, involuntary confinement." | There are two things wrong with the idea of involuntary commitment as a solution to gun violence. First, focusing on people with identifiable mental disabilities won't help. The data is clear: men…
aclu.org/blog/disability-rights/integration-and-autonomy-people-disabilities/expanding-involuntary

Trump admin sabotages Iran diplomacy at every turn
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-12
With its recent sanctions on Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Trump administration continues to undermine any possibility of diplomacy…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/12/trump-admin-sabotages-iran-diplomacy-at-every-turn/

U.S. starts blockade of Venezuela
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-12
Chicago, IL – On August 6, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton attended a gathering of representatives from the right-wing governments of Latin America. There, he announced the next stage in the U.S. campaign to defeat the Bolivarian Revolution: A total blockade of Venezuela. All U.S. citizens are banned from doing business with "the Maduro regime," and any company – U.S. or international – that does business with the Venezuelan government will be subject to fines, asset seizures and sanctions. While the announcement did not include the immediate deployment of the U.S. Navy to enforce the blockade, Bolton…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/12/us-start…

Venezuela Secures New Chinese Oil Investment
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-08-12
The move defies the US embargo's secondary sanction provisions targeting foreign firms trading with Venezuela.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14625

Israel's Flagship Lobby Organization Collapses
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-11
Richard Silverstein discusses the fall of The Israel Project (TIP), the best-funded organization promoting pro-Israeli propaganda in the United States and around the world. Why did TIP collapse and what does this mean for organizing around Palestinian rights?
therealnews.com/stories/israels-flagship-lobby-organization-collapses

ICE Raids on Undocumented Immigrants Create Fear and Enable Exploitation
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-09
The recent ICE raids that detained 680 food workers in Mississippi not only strike fear and terror in the hearts of immigrants, but are a calculated move to enable greater exploitation of immigrants because it increases their insecurity and makes organizing more difficult…
therealnews.com/stories/ice-raids-on-undocumented-immigrants-create-fear-and-enable-exploitation

Over 132,400 Opposed Trump's Anti-Trans Health Care Plan
aclu.org | 2019-08-09
A proposed rule would undermine protections for transgender people and others facing discriminatory denials of health care and insurance coverage. | The Trump Administration has shown it will stop at nothing to undermine access to health care for marginalized communities. Most recently, the Administration has proposed to undermine critical protections against sex discrimination in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, the Health Care Rights Law. Instead of combatting discrimination in accessing health care a…
aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/transgender-rights/over-132400-opposed-trumps-anti-trans-health-care-plan

Peace for Colombia
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-09
Latin American solidarity activists rallied for peace and justice in Colombia, in Sydney on August 3. | Speakers called for an end to the killings of social leaders. More than 600 social leaders, including indigenous land rights activists and human rights advocates, have been killed since 2016. | Photos and stories of many of the activists were displayed in Sydney's iconic Circular Quay. | The action was organised by United for Colombia and included a cultural festival of music, dance, theatre and poetry. | international solidarity…
greenleft.org.au/content/peace-colombia

UN rights chief bemoans unilateral sanctions on Venezuela, fearing 'far-reaching implications'
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-08
A new set of unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela this week prompted the concern of the United Nations' top rights official on Thursday, who said in a statement that she feared they would have a "potentially severe impact" on the human rights of the South American nation's "long-suffering" people.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1043981

Fordham U students win fight to have Palestine rights club
Sapphira Lurie | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-08
On Aug. 5, Justice Nancy Bannon of the Supreme Court of the State of New York annulled Fordham University's decision to ban Students for Justice in Palestine from its campus.
liberationnews.org/fordham-u-students-win-fight-to-have-palestine-rights-club/

Washington Escalates Venezuela Sanctions into Full-Fledged Embargo
Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-08-06
The latest measures amount to a total trade embargo impacting both US and foreign entities.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14615

New Civil Rights Memorial to be installed on 54th anniversary of Voting Rights Act
splcenter.org | 2019-08-05
Jimmie Lee Jackson was beaten and shot by Alabama state troopers during a peaceful voting rights march on Feb. 18, 1965.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/06/new-civil-rights-memorial-be-installed-54th-anniversary-voting-rights-act

US Sanctions Iran's Foreign Minister; Move Seen as Rebuke of Diplomatic Offer
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2019-08-01
The latest US sanctions on Iran are very specific, hitting FM Javad Zarif, blocking all property and financial interests he has in the US.

US Sanctions Iran's Foreign Minister; Move Seen as Rebuke of Diplomatic Offer

NYC power outage reveals a profit-hungry and racist system
J. August | liberationnews.org | 2019-07-30
Electricity, transportation, decent water and other services are basic human rights.
liberationnews.org/nyc-power-outage-reveals-a-profit-hungry-and-racist-system/

Protesters in Bradenton defend the rights of immigrants and refugees
Bryan Ellis | liberationnews.org | 2019-07-29
On Sunday, seventeen people gathered at the Manatee County Courthouse in downtown Bradenton to demand an end to US concentration camps for refugees and mass deportations of immigrants.
liberationnews.org/protesters-in-bradenton-defend-the-rights-of-immigrants-and-refugees/

Hawaiians are Taking to the Streets and Exercising their First Amendment Rights
aclu.org | 2019-07-25
We're ensuring the right to protest and cultural access at the world's tallest mountain. | Driving up Daniel K. Inouye Highway on the Big Island of Hawai'i at 4: 30 in the morning is a sight few will forget: a silent, pitch-black road, with black lava and sparse trees. The dark air is a chilly 50 degrees. In our backpacks are packaged tuna, crackers, water, walkie talkies, and a voice recorder. However, the most important items are without a doubt our blue ACLU of Hawai'i legal observer vests and first aid kit, which is stocked with goods like antacid (to rinse our eyes of pepper spray) and earbuds. Sitting in the…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/rights-protesters/hawaiians-are-taking-streets-and-exercising-their-first-amendment

Venezuela: US Sanctions Target Subsidized Food Program as Foro de Sao Paulo Kicks Off
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-07-25
Washington has targeted companies and individuals it alleges are profiteering from the CLAP food initiative.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14602

Non-Aligned Movement Condemns US Sanctions Against Venezuela
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-07-23
The 120-member movement held a ministerial meeting in Caracas as a US spy jet reportedly violated Venezuelan airspace.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14596

Venezuela: Trump Diverts Central America Aid to Guaido as EU Threatens More Sanctions
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-07-18
Guaido's team is receiving over $40 million to fund salaries, travel, training, propaganda and technical assistance.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14592

UN Human Rights Council Adopts Resolution Rejecting US Sanctions
TeleSur English | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-07-15
The draft resolution was approved with 28 votes in favor, 14 against and five abstentions, and was presented by Venezuela and Palestine on behalf of the Movement of Non-aligned Countries.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14585