(2019-08-22). The Dream Is Dead Not Just for Dreamers, But for All Americans. commondreams.org How does one fight for freedom by locating oneself in the headquarters of the worst human rights violator for the last seventy years?(Photo: The Education Trust/Twitter) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-08-22). South Africa bans old racist flag as hate speech. peoplesworld.org 
PRETORIA, South Africa — A landmark Aug. 21 ruling by South Africa's Equality Court has criminalized gratuitous displays of the national flag of the apartheid era. The case was brought before the court by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, backed by the South African Human Rights Commission. The apartheid flag is often displayed by far-right white …
(2019-08-22). DNC Rejects Call for a Climate Debate. therealnews.com 
Democratic National Committee (DNC) officials reversed the previous ban on candidates participating in non-sanctioned climate forums, but Carmen Bouquin of the Sunrise Movement says that's not enough…
(2019-08-22). Trump schemes to smash immigration judges union. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON —Anti-worker President Donald Trump, infamous for hating federal workers and their unions, has now taken the next step. Not satisfied with cutting back on workers' rights, he's scheming to literally obliterate the union sector that represents federal immigration judges. And, in the process, he's trashing immigrants, too — an even higher Trump priority. Trump's …
(2019-08-22). Trump orders indefinite jailing of detained immigrant families, attacks birthright citizenship. wsws.org Democrats have largely backed Trump's attacks on immigrants, with the New York Times describing his concentration camps as "family detention centers."
(2019-08-22). Former Staffer Details Abuse Inside Chicago Child Detention Center. truthout.org | | In the past two years, many articles have been written exposing the link between Chicago based nonprofits and the broader system of mass detention and child separation at the border. Thanks to the work of community organizers and journalists with ProPublica, the existence of a network of nonprofits acting as child prisons for hundreds of so-called migrant detainees in Chicago has been…
(2019-08-22). Trump Looks at Ending Birthright Citizenship for Migrants. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he is "seriously" looking at ending the right to citizenship for U.S.-born children of noncitizens and people who immigrated to the United States illegally. | RELATED: | Trump Imposes Rule to Detain Migrant Families Indefinitely | "We're looking at that very seriously, birthright citizenship, where you have a…
(2019-08-22). 'Anti-alien Hysteria:' Journalist Elizabeth Glendower Evans and the Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti. progressive.org In a case perhaps more relevant now than ever, the trial of the two immigrants became a rallying point for 1920s progressives, labor activists, and human rights advocates around the globe.
(2019-08-22). Auto and railway workers in Tamil Nadu, India defend Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning. wsws.org Workers denounced the ongoing persecution of Assange and Manning and spoke out against the brutal attacks by the Indian government on their own basic rights and social conditions.
(2019-08-22). France: 'G7 and Its Summit are Illegitimate', Aurelie Trouve. telesurenglish.net Environmental activists, human rights defenders, gender activists and social leaders began on Wednesday a "counter-summit" to protest the Group of Seven (G7) meeting which will be held in Biarritz, in the Basque Country, in France, from August 24 to 26. | RELATED: | Over 13,200 Police to Be Deployed at G7 Meeting | Convened by G7Ez Platform and Alternatives G7, the counter-summit was inaugurated in Irun, a town near the border with France, where spokespersons from different soci…
(2019-08-22). A Palestinian/Israeli Experiment for Peace in the Middle East. counterpunch.org Changing dynamics in the Middle East make peace between Israelis and Palestinians more elusive than ever. Both sides have rights, and both sides made wrongs. How to overcome these wrongs is what two professors, a Palestinian and an Israeli, have been trying to do for over two decades. Their work may represent one of the More
(2019-08-22). Human Rights from the Ground Up. commondreams.org The goal of the human rights cities movement is to support local work that builds a bottom-up movement for a world where human rights are truly universal and indivisible. (Photo: Wendy Stone/Corbis via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-08-22). Panama to US: We Won't be Your 'Safe Third Country'. telesurenglish.net The Trump administration is looking to turn all of Central America into a 'safe third country', but Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo says that's "not viable" in his nation. | RELATED: | Won't Block Venezuela Ships Despite US Sanctions, Panama Claims | Newly-inaugurated President Cortizo ruled out the possibility of signing an agreement with the United States to make Panama a 'safe third country' to asylum seekers not allowed to stay within the U.S. while they await their…
(2019-08-22). How to fight for democratic rights in Hong Kong. wsws.org Hong Kong workers and youth need to reach out to their class brothers and sisters in China who confront the same class enemy—the Stalinist regime in Beijing that defends the interests of the corporate elite and the super-rich.
(2019-08-22). Farmers Need a Bill of Rights. commondreams.org Kudos to Senator Warren for endorsing the Farmers Bill of Rights, and to Senator Sanders for seriously mentioning the farm crisis. (Photo: TumblingRun/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-08-22). FIFA Overlooks Israel's Ban on Palestinians Footballers. telesurenglish.net The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) is accused of turning a blind eye towards an Israeli ban on Palestinian football players from Gaza who were supposed to compete with West Bank players for the Palestine Cup. | RELATED: | US Wins 4th FIFA World Cup Amid Chants for 'Equal Pay' | Euro-Mediterranean Human Right Monitor said Wednesday that Isra…
(2019-08-22). Bernie Sanders Backs Rescinding Medals for Wounded Knee Massacre. truthout.org | | This week 10 Democratic candidates and one independent in the 2020 presidential race, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, addressed indigenous communities at the first-ever Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum in Sioux City, Iowa. During the two-day event, candidates individually answered questions from a panel of tribal leaders and Native American youth and elders on issues including treaty rights, voter suppression, and murdered and missing indigenous women. | TRA…
(2019-08-22). Warren Apologizes to Native Americans; Sanders Backs Rescinding Medals for Wounded Knee Massacre. democracynow.org 
This week 10 Democratic candidates and one independent in the 2020 presidential race, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, addressed indigenous communities at the first-ever Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum in Sioux City, Iowa. During the two-day event, candidates individually answered questions from a panel of tribal leaders and Native American youth and elders on issues including treaty rights, voter suppression, and murdered and missing indigenous women.
(2019-08-22). 'She Is Failing Us': Demanding Trump Impeachment, Progressives Disrupt Pelosi 'Resistance' Award Ceremony. commondreams.org "Trump is selling the government to the highest bidder and migrant children are dying in detention—on her watch." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-08-22). Water Rights Group Calls on Newark Officials to Resist Privatization of City's Water Supply Amid Lead Crisis. commondreams.org Pointing to the public health crisis that ensued in Flint, Michigan after the city turned over control of its water to the state, water rights advocates called on leaders in Newark, New Jersey to retain their authority over the city's water as they confront their own lead crisis. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-08-21). US to allow indefinite detention for migrant children following rule change. rt.com 
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a change in policy that could see migrant children detained indefinitely, replacing a previous restriction limiting confinement of undocumented minors to 20 days. | The department announced on Wednesday that it would terminate the 1997 Flores Settlement, which set requirements for detaining migrants, arguing the rules contained a "loophole" that drives illegal immigration into the US. | "By closing this key loophole in Flores, the new rule will restore integrity to our immigration system and eliminate the major pull factor fueling the crisis," acting Home…
(2019-08-21). Washington intensifies its collective punishment of Venezuelans. mronline.org 
Despite previous sanctions leading to over 40,000 deaths in Venezuela over two years, the U.S. is escalating its economic offensive. | Source
(2019-08-21). Trump plan: Split migrant kids from parents, with no time limit. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—In yet another manifestation of Trump administration hatred for non-white migrants seeking to cross into the U.S., top Trump officials announced a new detention rule to split migrant kids from their parents — with no specified time limit on the splits. "A child is no longer a free pass" into the U.S. for the parents, …
(2019-08-21). Jewish Settlers Rule the Roost in Israel, But at What Price? dissidentvoice.org 
Israeli Jewish settlers are on a rampage in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. While settler violence is part of everyday routine in Palestine, the violence of recent weeks is directly linked to the general elections in Israel, scheduled to be held on September 17. The previous elections, on April 9, failed to bring about political …
(2019-08-21). Omar, Tlaib, and the United States of Israel. globalresearch.ca I'm trying to remember when Israel wasn't the fifty-first state. It receives my tax money and a blank check by the United States government to torture, ethnically cleanse, and murder Palestinians. | Israelis are apparently more important and cherished than Americans, …
(2019-08-21). Trump administration refuses to vaccinate migrants in detention centers. wsws.org The decision to run filthy and disease-ridden detention camps is part of a definite strategy by Trump's fascistic advisers.
(2019-08-21). We Have Been Here Before. thenation.com We Have Been Here Before…
(2019-08-21). UN Delays Conference on Torture in Egypt After Criticisms. telesurenglish.net The United Nations says it's delaying a conference set to be held in Cairo, Egypt next month after human rights groups say the government is trying to use the conference to white-wash its own practices of torture and abuses. | RELATED: | Saudi Gov't Offer to Release Woman Activist If She Keeps Mum on Being Tortured | Spokesperson for the offic…
(2019-08-21). Trump Imposes Rule to Detain Migrant Families Indefinitely. telesurenglish.net The United States government presented Wednesday a new rule that allows officials to detain migrant families indefinitely while a court considers whether to grant them asylum, abolishing a previous 20-day limit in the long-standing Flores Settlement agreement. | RELATED: | Rights Groups, Cities To Sue Trump's Anti-Poor Migrant Policy | "This is yet another cruel attack on children, who the Trump administration has targeted again and again with its anti-immigrant policies," Policy C…
(2019-08-21). International Commission Against Impunity Leaves Guatemala. telesurenglish.net The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) presented on Tuesday a closing report that summarized its work in the defense of human rights with more than 120 high-impact cases analyzed, 70 disjointed criminal structures and 120 formal requests for trial. | RELATED: | Son, Brother of Outgoing Guatemalan President Acquitted of Graft | "I contributed with all my effort, I gave my heart for a cause in which I believe," Commissioner Ivan Vasquez said when pres…
(2019-08-21). Orgs Sue Trump Over Anti-Endangered Animal Policy. telesurenglish.net Environmental and animal rights groups on Wednesday sued the Trump administration over its proposal to revise the nation's Endangered Species Act (ESA), seeking to block changes to the decades-old law they say will roll back protections for animals at risk of extinction. | RELATED: | Endangered Condors Face Fragile Existence in Andes | "The new rules move the…
(2019-08-21). Brazilian Congress Committee Approves US to Use Alcantara Base. telesurenglish.net The Foreign and Defense Committee of the Brazilian Congress has just approved by majority vote the U.S.' commercial use of the Alcântara Base along Brazil's north Atlantic coast. | RELATED: | Brazil: the Far-Right's Lawfare Now Aims at Professor Haddad | This move comes just months after President Jair Bolsonaro inked a deal with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to allow the Americans access to this satellite launching base. | As a result of this move by the Foreign and Defense C…
(2019-08-21). An Arizona Law Requires Surveillance of People Who Are Presumed Innocent. aclu.org The government cannot take shortcuts around constitutional rights. | A pillar of our democracy is the presumption of innocence: before a person has been convicted of a crime, they are considered completely innocent under the law. Yet across the country, people who have not been convicted are punished—both explicitly and implicitly—based on the mistaken assumption that they are dangerous, purely on the basis of an accusation. We do not live in a society where you can be incarcerated or monitored simply because you have been accused of a crime. Doing so violates constitutional rights, fuels mass incarce…
(2019-08-21). Birth certificate reform set to win in Victoria despite fauxminist fear campaign. greenleft.org.au 
LGBTI rights Karen Fletcher Australia Birth certificate reform Victoria Victorian Women's GuildA bill to enable trans and gender diverse adults and children to obtain birth…
(2019-08-21). Turkey: HDP calls for mobilisations against AKP attacks – 'We will not be silenced, we will not be stopped…'. greenleft.org.au Kurdish struggle Susan PriceIssue 1234 Turkey Turkish arrests Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP)Human rights organisations, solidarity groups and the European Union have condemne…
(2019-08-21). Headlines for August 21, 2019. democracynow.org Amazon Wildfires Spark Fears of Environmental Disaster as Sà£o Paulo Goes Dark from Smoke, Trump Expected to End Flores Agreement, Slashing Protections for Child Migrants, CBP Will Not Vaccinate Jailed Migrants as Doctors Say At Least 3 Detained Children Died from Flu, Lawsuits Allege "Torture" in Migrant Jails and Child Abuse in Foster Care, Italy in Turmoil as Prime Minister Resigns, Migrants Disembark from Rescue Ship in Italy After Being Stranded at Sea for 3 Weeks, Trump Cancels Denmark Visit over Refusal to Discuss Selling Greenland, Trump Attacks Tlaib & Omar, Says Jews Are "Disloyal" If They Vote De…
(2019-08-20). 'Monsanto Has Worked Very Hard to Discredit Me and My Work' – CounterSpin interview with Carey Gillam on Monsanto's attack on journalism. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed US Right to Know's Carey Gillam for the August 16, 2019, episode of CounterSpin, about being targeted by Monsanto. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
(2019-08-20). Hong Kong: Flashpoint of Class Struggle in China. uwidata.com What began as isolated protests against a standard criminal-extradition law has somehow erupted into a violent fury throughout Hong Kong. The Chinese city's American-and-British-flag-waving protesters are, on the one hand, calling for "freedom, human rights, and democracy" while, on the other, assaulting police and even random bystanders alike. Western media have already been on the …
(2019-08-20). Anti-choice MPs line up to derail abortion law reform in NSW. greenleft.org.au 
abortion rights Pip HinmanIssue 1234 Australia NSW abortion law reform SydneyThose opposing the move to treat abortion as a health matter rather than a crime have made their views known —…
(2019-08-20). NPR Mocks Cancer Survivor in Drumbeat of Syria Propaganda. dissidentvoice.org 
Asma al-Assad, First Lady of Syria (from released Syrian Presidency Facebook page) It may be a new low in propaganda. National Public Radio (NPR) used the news that Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad had overcome breast cancer to mock her and continue the information war against Syria. They interviewed a Human Rights Watch staffer named …
(2019-08-20). Political upheaval over Tlaib and Omar shows the power of BDS. mronline.org 
We are in the middle of a political upheaval on Israel/Palestine in the United States, and Americans who are concerned with Palestinian human rights live for these moments. They are the moments of potential change: When more tarnish is added to Israel's image, and Americans get a clearer picture of what the Jewish state actually […] | Source
(2019-08-19). On Gun Violence, 'We Need the Federal Government to Take Bold Steps' – CounterSpin interview with Ernest Coverson on guns & human rights. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed Amnesty International USA's Ernest Coverson about guns and human rights for the August 16, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
(2019-08-19). Anti-War Committee denounces Israel's ban of Omar and Tlaib. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following August 15 statement from the Twin Cities based Anti-War Committee. | The Minnesota Anti-War Committee condemns the Israeli government's August 15 decision not to allow US Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering occupied Palestine, to which the Israeli state controls all access. Reps. Omar and Tlaib join the thousands of peace activists, human rights officials and people of conscience around the world who are denied entry over their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel and its Zionist policies of occu…
(2019-08-19). SPLC, allies sue ICE for ignoring medical, mental health and disability needs of detained immigrants. splcenter.org Faour Abdallah Fraihat, who ran a successful construction business for years in California, is currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
(2019-08-19). Trump is Taking More Money for Raids and Detention. Congress Should Stop Him. aclu.org Without congressional checks, ICE and CBP will continue to overspend and overstep. | The budget for Trump's turbo-charged immigration enforcement and border militarization is now larger than ever. And just last week, we learned that ICE plans to redirect even more money to further expand immigration detention and enforcement. The plan is currently being reviewed by congressional appropriato…
(2019-08-19). Appointment of alleged war criminal to head of Sri Lanka army 'deeply troubling', says UN human rights chief. un.org The appointment of Sri Lankan Lieutenant-General Shavendra Silva as Commander of the country's army is deeply troubling, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in a statement released on Monday, adding that the military leader had been given the role despite "serious allegations of gross violations of international human rights and humanitarian law against him and his troops during the war".
(2019-08-19). Support Mali reconciliation efforts 'in whatever way possible', urges UN expert. un.org Reconciliation initiatives in central Mali, to bring together local leaders and end ongoing violence, have been welcomed by the UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali, Alioune Tine, who said on Monday that they should be supported "in whatever way possible."
(2019-08-19). "They Are Irreplaceable, and They Mattered": Group Identifies Human Remains Along the Border. democracynow.org 
In a special broadcast from the Arizona-Sonora border, we look at how the bodies and bones of more than 3,000 people have been found in the Sonoran Desert since 2001, and speak with Robin Reineke, the co-founder of the Tucson-based organization Colibrí Center for Human Rights. Colibrí Center is dedicated to identifying the remains of people passing through the desert and, since its founding, has identified at least 100 migrants through meticulous forensic work and DNA data collection of people's remains and family members who are alive. In 2018, it launched the Bring Them Back Campaign to call for dignity and dem…
(2019-08-16). Ernest Coverson on Guns & Human Rights, Carey Gillam Under Attack From Monsanto. fair.org 
Media…
(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…