Daily Archives: August 17, 2019

2019-08-17: News Headlines

Gloria Rubac (2019-08-17). After 10 years, federal executions set to resume. workers.org Attorney General William Barr is moving the United States backward. He is taking hard-fought civil rights gains to the dumpster. Just like President Donald Trump, he has nothing but racist contempt for people caught up in the so-called criminal justice system. Barr suddenly announced in a Department of Justice press . . . | Continue reading After 10 years, federal executions set to resume at Workers.org

Do No Harm Coalition, Public Health Awakening (2019-08-17). #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…

Public Health Justice Collective & Others (2019-08-17). #CloseTheCamps: Protest by Public Health & Healthcare Workers for Migrant Rights. indybay.org Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 630 Sansome St, San Francisco 94111…

Staff (2019-08-17). Trump's Immigration Crackdown Is Quietly Targeting Labor Protections. truthout.org | | New Orleans — Martha came to the United States from Mexico to work in a seafood processing facility in the Gulf South on a temporary labor visa, but it's unclear if all of her fellow laborers were similarly documented. Her boss allegedly threatened to call immigration authorities and have workers deported if didn't they finish high volumes of work on time. | Workplace retaliation is against the law, regardless of where workers come from. Having attended know-your-rights trainings with labo…

Ashoka Mukpo (2019-08-17). Corrections Officer Who Struck Rhode Island ICE Protesters With Pickup Truck Resigns. commondreams.org "In a Twitter post, Never Again Action described Woodworth's resignation as a 'first step' but called for Wyatt to be shut down and for people detained there to be released," Mukpo wrote. (Photo: Never Again Action/Twitter Screengrab) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Staff (2019-08-17). Trump DOJ Urges Supreme Court to Legalize Firing Workers for Being Transgender. truthout.org | | In an escalation of the Trump administration's attacks on the LGBTQ community, the Justice Department Friday night filed a brief urging the right-wing Supreme Court to legalize the firing of workers solely for being transgender. | Buzzfeed described the Justice Department's move, which was widely condemned by rights groups, as one of the Trump administration's "most aggressive steps yet to legalize an…

RT (2019-08-17). Tulsi Gabbard lists political correctness among threats to American values. rt.com Widespread efforts to silence speech deemed to be offensive threaten US constitutional rights, Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard says. Her latest campaign ad takes aim at the hot-button issue of political correctness.

Alex Anfruns (2019-08-17). "In the US Prison Industrial Complex, slavery can be used as form of punishment" dissidentvoice.org On the 31st July 2019 a group of incarcerated people at Scotland Correctional, North Carolina, started a hunger strike in order to protest against the use of torture in the correctional facility. In the United States, there are more than 2 million people incarcerated. To know more about the hunger strikers' conditions, Alex Anfruns has …

CounterSpin (2019-08-16). Ernest Coverson on Guns & Human Rights, Carey Gillam Under Attack From Monsanto. fair.org Media…

Staff (2019-08-16). North Korea Suspends Talks With South Korea Because of U.S. Sanctions. therealnews.com While U.S.-North Korea nuclear talks fail to proceed because of a lack of unanimity within the Trump administration, the North suspended peace talks with the South because of the U.S.'s refusal to lift economic sanctions, says Tim Shorrock…

Fight Back (2019-08-16). Israel bans Representatives Omar and Tlaib from entering Palestine. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) have joined the ranks of thousands of human rights activists and millions of diaspora Palestinians who have been denied entry to Palestine by the occupying Israeli regime. | Reps. Omar and Tlaib had planned a congressional trip to the West Bank for next week, initially agreed to by the Israeli regime "out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America." However, on August 15 Israel announced a reversal of its previous decision and banned the delegation's entrance. | The announcement came imm…

Yoav Litvin (2019-08-16). Israel Fears a Visit by Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. counterpunch.org On July 16, Somali-American Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, together with Representatives John Lewis and Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib, introduced bill HR-496 which is meant to affirm Americans' "right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights at home and abroad, as protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution". Though not explicitly mentioned, HR-496 is at least More

teleSUR (2019-08-16). Rashida Tlaib Blasts Israel for 'Oppressive Conditions'. telesurenglish.net U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib blasted Israel on Friday for imposing "oppressive conditions" on her visit to the occupied West Bank. | RELATED: | Israel Reverses Ban on US Congresswoman Tlaib | Israel, who was conditionally allowing Tlaib to visit the occupied West Bank, issued a list of demands for the U.S. congresswoman that prohibited her from promoting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) during her stay. | The U.S. congresswoman, in turn, said she would not visit her family there…

teleSUR (2019-08-16). Rashida Tlaib Blasts Israel for 'Oppressive Conditions'. telesurenglish.net U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib blasted Israel on Friday for imposing "oppressive conditions" on her visit to the occupied West Bank. | RELATED: | Israel Reverses Ban on US Congresswoman Tlaib | Israel, who was conditionally allowing Tlaib to visit the occupied West Bank, issued a list of demands for the U.S. congresswoman that prohibited her from promoting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) during her stay. | The U.S. congresswoman, in turn, said she would not visit her family there…

United Nations (2019-08-16). 'Quash' convictions and release women jailed for protesting against wearing veils in Iran, urge UN rights experts. un.org Decades-long prison sentences handed down to three women protesting the strictly enforced wearing of veils in Iran, have drawn alarm and condemnation from six United Nations independent human rights experts.

United Nations (2019-08-16). Friday's Daily Brief: Education key for Rohingya, DR Congo violence continues, Zimbabwe protest latest, women's rights in Iran, environmental protection. un.org Our main stories today: Two years in, Myanmar's Rohingya youth need more education; DR Congo testimonies highlight armed brutality; appeals for Zimbabwe to 'stop cracking down' on protesters; Iran urged to release women jailed for protesting veiling laws; and new human rights agreement on environmental protection.

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 …

United Nations (2019-08-16). Environmental protection moves 'closer to the people' through new human rights agreement. un.org The UN environment agency and human rights office (OHCHR) signed a landmark new agreement on Friday aimed at better protecting vulnerable human and environmental rights defenders and their families, while increasing protection for people and the places where they live, across the world.

Carlo Fanelli (2019-08-16). Austerity without End. Neoliberal Reforms and Labour Rights. globalresearch.ca In 2019, the now 187-member International Labour Organization celebrated its 100th anniversary. As one of the oldest agencies of the United Nations, the ILO used the occasion to renew calls for improved opportunities and working conditions, social protections and collective …

Staff (2019-08-16). How Federal Policies Dispossessed Black Americans of Millions of Acres. truthout.org | | Over the 20th century, black people in the U.S. were dispossessed of 12 million acres of land. Half of that loss — 6 million acres — occurred over just two decades, from 1950 to 1969, a period largely associated with the civil rights struggle. This mass land dispossession, which affected 98% of black agricultural land owners, is part of the pattern of institutional racism and discrimination that has contributed to the racial wealth gap in the United States. Many of the driving force…

Staff (2019-08-16). The Great Land Robbery: How Federal Policies Dispossessed Black Americans of Millions of Acres. democracynow.org Over the 20th century, black people in the U.S. were dispossessed of 12 million acres of land. Half of that loss — 6 million acres — occurred over just two decades, from 1950 to 1969, a period largely associated with the civil rights struggle. This mass land dispossession, which affected 98% of black agricultural land owners, is part of the pattern of institutional racism and discrimination that has contributed to the racial wealth gap in the United States. Many of the driving forces behind this land theft were legal and originated in federal policies, as documented by Vann Newkirk, staff writer at Th…

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-08-16). Refusing to Be Humiliated, Rashida Tlaib Rejects Israel's Restrictive Conditions on Visiting Palestine. commondreams.org "What Israel proposed to Rashida Tlaib was their age-old proposition: you can stay in your homeland as a humanitarian exception—without political rights—and on condition you surrender and cease to resist." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2019-08-16). In Face of Violence, Racist Rhetoric, and Mass ICE Raids, Latinx Community Leaders Publish Letter Declaring, 'We Will Not Be Silenced'. commondreams.org Banding together after a number of attacks on immigrants and Latinx people in the U.S., more than 200 Latinx entertainers, artists, and rights advocates published a letter in several major newspapers on Friday, pledging solidarity with people of Latin American descent across the United States. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-08-16). As New Studies Shed Light on Struggles of Trans People in US, Expert Highlights Trump's Attacks. commondreams.org As a pair of studies published this week detailed some of the struggles faced by many transgender people in the United States, researchers reiterated the necessity of inclusive policies and highlighted the Trump administration's various attacks on LGBTQ rights. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2019-08-16). Critics Denounce Trump's "Dangerous" Claim That Locking Away Americans With Mental Illnesses Is the Answer to Gun Violence. commondreams.org In comments that highlighted President Donald Trump's refusal to take meaningful action on gun control, his desire to demonize and detain vulnerable people, and his attacks on Americans' healthcare, the president repeated his claim on Thursday that people with mental illnesses are the cause of the country's epidemic of gun violence. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Staff (2019-08-16). New Trump Rule Allows Federal Contractors to Fire LGBTQ Employees. truthout.org | | Shortly after Donald Trump took office, he officially declared that his administration was "determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community," following on his campaign promise to "do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology." (That would be a not-so-coded reference to Islam.) Despite such rhetorical gestures, Trump's administration can hardly be described as pro-LGBT. | On Wednesday, the De…

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…

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…

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 …

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.

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…

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). 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…

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.

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…

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.

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…

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…

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.

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.

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.

2019-08-17: Social Media Postees

#CloseTheCamps: Protest by Public Health & Healthcare Workers for Migrant Rights
Public Health Justice Collective & Others | indybay.org | 2019-08-17
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 630 Sansome St, San Francisco 94111…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/15/18825498.php

#CloseTheCamps: Protest by Healthcare & Harm Reduction Workers for Migrant Rights
Do No Harm Coalition, Public Health Awakening | indybay.org | 2019-08-17
Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), | 630 Sansome St, San Francisco 94111…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/15/18825502.php

Trump's Immigration Crackdown Is Quietly Targeting Labor Protections
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-17
| New Orleans — Martha came to the United States from Mexico to work in a seafood processing facility in the Gulf South on a temporary labor visa, but it's unclear if all of her fellow laborers were similarly documented. Her boss allegedly threatened to call immigration authorities and have workers deported if didn't they finish high volumes of work on time. | Workplace retaliation is against the law, regardless of where workers come from. Having attended know-your-rights trainings with labo…
truthout.org/articles/trumps-immigration-crackdown-is-quietly-targeting-labor-protections/

Corrections Officer Who Struck Rhode Island ICE Protesters With Pickup Truck Resigns
Ashoka Mukpo | commondreams.org | 2019-08-17
"In a Twitter post, Never Again Action described Woodworth's resignation as a 'first step' but called for Wyatt to be shut down and for people detained there to be released," Mukpo wrote. (Photo: Never Again Action/Twitter Screengrab) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/17/corrections-officer-who-struck-rhode-island-ice-protesters-pickup-truck-resigns?cd-origin=rss

"In the US Prison Industrial Complex, slavery can be used as form of punishment"
Alex Anfruns | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-17
On the 31st July 2019 a group of incarcerated people at Scotland Correctional, North Carolina, started a hunger strike in order to protest against the use of torture in the correctional facility. In the United States, there are more than 2 million people incarcerated. To know more about the hunger strikers' conditions, Alex Anfruns has …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/in-the-us-prison-industrial-complex-slavery-can-be-used-as-form-of-punishment/

Tulsi Gabbard lists political correctness among threats to American values
rt.com | 2019-08-17
Widespread efforts to silence speech deemed to be offensive threaten US constitutional rights, Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard says. Her latest campaign ad takes aim at the hot-button issue of political correctness. | …
rt.com/usa/466729-gabbard-political-correctness-american-values/

After 10 years, federal executions set to resume
Gloria Rubac | workers.org | 2019-08-17
Attorney General William Barr is moving the United States backward. He is taking hard-fought civil rights gains to the dumpster. Just like President Donald Trump, he has nothing but racist contempt for people caught up in the so-called criminal justice system. Barr suddenly announced in a Department of Justice press . . . | Continue reading After 10 years, federal executions set to resume at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/08/17/after-10-years-federal-executions-set-to-resume/

Trump DOJ Urges Supreme Court to Legalize Firing Workers for Being Transgender
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-17
| In an escalation of the Trump administration's attacks on the LGBTQ community, the Justice Department Friday night filed a brief urging the right-wing Supreme Court to legalize the firing of workers solely for being transgender. | Buzzfeed described the Justice Department's move, which was widely condemned by rights groups, as one of the Trump administration's "most aggressive steps yet to legalize an…
truthout.org/articles/trump-doj-urges-supreme-court-to-legalize-firing-workers-for-being-transgender/

Israel bans Representatives Omar and Tlaib from entering Palestine
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-16
Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) have joined the ranks of thousands of human rights activists and millions of diaspora Palestinians who have been denied entry to Palestine by the occupying Israeli regime. | Reps. Omar and Tlaib had planned a congressional trip to the West Bank for next week, initially agreed to by the Israeli regime "out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America." However, on August 15 Israel announced a reversal of its previous decision and banned the delegation's entrance. | The announcement came imm…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/15/israel-b…

Israel Fears a Visit by Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib
Yoav Litvin | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-16
On July 16, Somali-American Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, together with Representatives John Lewis and Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib, introduced bill HR-496 which is meant to affirm Americans' "right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights at home and abroad, as protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution". Though not explicitly mentioned, HR-496 is at least…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/16/israel-fears-a-visit-by-ilhan-omar-and-rashida-tlaib/

Rashida Tlaib Blasts Israel for 'Oppressive Conditions'
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-16
U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib blasted Israel on Friday for imposing "oppressive conditions" on her visit to the occupied West Bank. | RELATED: | Israel Reverses Ban on US Congresswoman Tlaib | Israel, who was conditionally allowing Tlaib to visit the occupied West Bank, issued a list of demands for the U.S. congresswoman that prohibited her from promoting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) during her stay. | The U.S. congresswoman, in turn, said she would not visit her family there…
telesurenglish.net/english/bloggers/Rashida-Tlaib-Blasts-Israel-for-Oppressive-Conditions–20190816-0001.html

Rashida Tlaib Blasts Israel for 'Oppressive Conditions'
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-16
U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib blasted Israel on Friday for imposing "oppressive conditions" on her visit to the occupied West Bank. | RELATED: | Israel Reverses Ban on US Congresswoman Tlaib | Israel, who was conditionally allowing Tlaib to visit the occupied West Bank, issued a list of demands for the U.S. congresswoman that prohibited her from promoting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) during her stay. | The U.S. congresswoman, in turn, said she would not visit her family there…
telesurenglish.net/news/Rashida-Tlaib-Blasts-Israel-for-Oppressive-Conditions–20190816-0008.html

North Korea Suspends Talks With South Korea Because of U.S. Sanctions
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-16
While U.S.-North Korea nuclear talks fail to proceed because of a lack of unanimity within the Trump administration, the North suspended peace talks with the South because of the U.S.'s refusal to lift economic sanctions, says Tim Shorrock…
therealnews.com/stories/north-korea-suspends-talks-with-south-korea-because-of-u-s-sanctions

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

'Quash' convictions and release women jailed for protesting against wearing veils in Iran, urge UN rights experts
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-16
Decades-long prison sentences handed down to three women protesting the strictly enforced wearing of veils in Iran, have drawn alarm and condemnation from six United Nations independent human rights experts.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044371

Friday's Daily Brief: Education key for Rohingya, DR Congo violence continues, Zimbabwe protest latest, women's rights in Iran, environmental protection
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-16
Our main stories today: Two years in, Myanmar's Rohingya youth need more education; DR Congo testimonies highlight armed brutality; appeals for Zimbabwe to 'stop cracking down' on protesters; Iran urged to release women jailed for protesting veiling laws; and new human rights agreement on environmental protection.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044391

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

Austerity without End. Neoliberal Reforms and Labour Rights
Carlo Fanelli | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-16
In 2019, the now 187-member International Labour Organization celebrated its 100th anniversary. As one of the oldest agencies of the United Nations, the ILO used the occasion to renew calls for improved opportunities and working conditions, social protections and collective …
globalresearch.ca/austerity-without-end-neoliberal-reforms-and-labour-rights/5686548

How Federal Policies Dispossessed Black Americans of Millions of Acres
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-16
| Over the 20th century, black people in the U.S. were dispossessed of 12 million acres of land. Half of that loss — 6 million acres — occurred over just two decades, from 1950 to 1969, a period largely associated with the civil rights struggle. This mass land dispossession, which affected 98% of black agricultural land owners, is part of the pattern of institutional racism and discrimination that has contributed to the racial wealth gap in the United States. Many of the driving force…
truthout.org/video/how-federal-policies-dispossessed-black-americans-of-millions-of-acres/

Ernest Coverson on Guns & Human Rights, Carey Gillam Under Attack From Monsanto
CounterSpin | fair.org | 2019-08-16
Media…
fair.org/home/ernest-coverson-on-guns-human-rights-carey-gillam-under-attack-from-monsanto/

Environmental protection moves 'closer to the people' through new human rights agreement
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-16
The UN environment agency and human rights office (OHCHR) signed a landmark new agreement on Friday aimed at better protecting vulnerable human and environmental rights defenders and their families, while increasing protection for people and the places where they live, across the world.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044361

Refusing to Be Humiliated, Rashida Tlaib Rejects Israel's Restrictive Conditions on Visiting Palestine
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-16
"What Israel proposed to Rashida Tlaib was their age-old proposition: you can stay in your homeland as a humanitarian exception—without political rights—and on condition you surrender and cease to resist." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/16/refusing-be-humiliated-rashida-tlaib-rejects-israels-restrictive-conditions-visiting?cd-origin=rss

In Face of Violence, Racist Rhetoric, and Mass ICE Raids, Latinx Community Leaders Publish Letter Declaring, 'We Will Not Be Silenced'
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-16
Banding together after a number of attacks on immigrants and Latinx people in the U.S., more than 200 Latinx entertainers, artists, and rights advocates published a letter in several major newspapers on Friday, pledging solidarity with people of Latin American descent across the United States. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/16/face-violence-racist-rhetoric-and-mass-ice-raids-latinx-community-leaders-publish?cd-origin=rss

The Great Land Robbery: How Federal Policies Dispossessed Black Americans of Millions of Acres
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-16
Over the 20th century, black people in the U.S. were dispossessed of 12 million acres of land. Half of that loss — 6 million acres — occurred over just two decades, from 1950 to 1969, a period largely associated with the civil rights struggle. This mass land dispossession, which affected 98% of black agricultural land owners, is part of the pattern of institutional racism and discrimination that has contributed to the racial wealth gap in the United States. Many of the driving forces behind this land theft were legal and originated in federal policies, as documented by Vann Newkirk, staff writer at Th…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/16/vann_newk…

As New Studies Shed Light on Struggles of Trans People in US, Expert Highlights Trump's Attacks
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-16
As a pair of studies published this week detailed some of the struggles faced by many transgender people in the United States, researchers reiterated the necessity of inclusive policies and highlighted the Trump administration's various attacks on LGBTQ rights. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/16/new-studies-shed-light-struggles-trans-people-us-expert-highlights-trumps-attacks?cd-origin=rss

Critics Denounce Trump's "Dangerous" Claim That Locking Away Americans With Mental Illnesses Is the Answer to Gun Violence
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-16
In comments that highlighted President Donald Trump's refusal to take meaningful action on gun control, his desire to demonize and detain vulnerable people, and his attacks on Americans' healthcare, the president repeated his claim on Thursday that people with mental illnesses are the cause of the country's epidemic of gun violence. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/16/critics-denounce-trumps-dangerous-claim-locking-away-americans-mental-illnesses?cd-origin=rss

New Trump Rule Allows Federal Contractors to Fire LGBTQ Employees
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-16
| Shortly after Donald Trump took office, he officially declared that his administration was "determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community," following on his campaign promise to "do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology." (That would be a not-so-coded reference to Islam.) Despite such rhetorical gestures, Trump's administration can hardly be described as pro-LGBT. | On Wednesday, the De…
truthout.org/articles/new-trump-rule-allows-federal-contractors-to-fire-lgbtq-employees/

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/

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

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/

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/

"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-…

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

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/

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

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/

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

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

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