Trump administration begins collecting DNA from detained immigrants
wsws.org | 2020-01-09
The new policy violates Fourth Amendment rights and is the first step in the establishment of a law enforcement biometric database for the entire population.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/09/immi…

Millions protest anti-Muslim laws in India
Joe Piette | workers.org | 2020-01-09
Muslim women's occupation in Shaheen Bagh neighborhood of Delhi began Dec. 15. Millions of people have taken to the streets in India in massive protests to denounce Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies that pose immediate threats to Muslims and their citizenship rights. On Dec. 11, he orchestrated passage of the . . . | Continue reading Millions protest anti-Muslim laws in India at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/01/45384/

Cutting Off the Lifelines of North Koreans? That's Called a Siege, Not "Sanctions"
Joseph Essertier | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-09
Last winter, Patrick Cockburn called attention to one of the more disturbing effects of the sanctions against North Korea–their "ghost ships" (in "It's Time We Saw Economic Sanctions for What They Really Are–War Crimes" . Over the past several years, fishing vessels have been washing up on the western shores of Northeastern Japan in larger…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/09/cutting-off-the-lifelines-of-north-koreans-thats-called-a-siege-not-sanctions/

Palestinian Prisoner Continues to Suffer Torture in Israeli Prison
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-01-09
The Committee of Prisoners and Former Prisoners Affairs said that Samer Arbid, 44, from Ramallah suffers from signs of extreme torture, to which he was subjected during interrogation in Israeli jails, Quds News Network reported. The committee said in a statement on Wednesday that Arbid is held now in the …
imemc.org/article/palestinian-prisoner-continues-to-suffer-torture-in-israeli-prison/

UN rapporteur Nils Melzer condemns US torture of Chelsea Manning
wsws.org | 2020-01-09
In a statement responding to Melzer's finding, the courageous whistleblower declared: "Even knowing I am very likely to stay in jail for an even longer time, I'm never backing down."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/09/mann…

PPS: Israeli Forces Arrest Fifteen Palestinians Including Mother of Prisoner
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-01-09
Israeli forces detained fifteen Palestinians, on Wednesday, from across the West Bank, including a woman from occupied Jerusalem and a senior member of Fatah movement, the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported. A statement released by the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) said that Israeli forces detained Sana Rajabi, from …
imemc.org/article/pps-israeli-forces-arrest-fifteen-palestinians-including-mother-of-prisoner/

Canada's Trudeau claims 'intel from multiple sources' points at Iran shooting down Ukrainian Boeing over Tehran
rt.com | 2020-01-09
Also on rt.com | | Trump confirms more sanctions against Iran, says Tehran plane crash may have been 'mistake' | DETAILS TO FOLLOW…
rt.com/news/477866-canada-trudeau-ukraine-jet-missile-iran/

Trump confirms more sanctions against Iran, says Tehran plane crash may have been 'mistake'
rt.com | 2020-01-09
President Donald Trump has announced fresh sanctions on Iran, a day after the Islamic Republic launched a missile attack on a pair of bases used by American troops in Iraq. Trump also called for a NATO presence in the Middle East. | …
rt.com/news/477852-trump-iran-sanctions-plane-crash/

Sanctions Are Economic Warfare
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2020-01-09
Sanctions Are Economic Warfare…
thenation.com/article/sanctions-iraq-economic-warfare/

Andrew Bacevich: Trump Sparked "Unnecessary Crisis" by Killing Soleimani, Barely Avoiding War
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-09
President Trump vowed on Wednesday to hit Iran with new sanctions but appeared to pull back from taking any new military action. Tension between the two countries soared after the U.S. assassinated Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani at the Baghdad International Airport last week. Early on Wednesday, Iran retaliated by firing 22 ballistic missiles at military bases in Iraq housing U.S. forces, but no one was injured in the attack. Iran had warned the Iraqi government about the strike in advance. Two small rockets also later hit the Green Zone near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. During a televised address on Wednesda…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/9/andrew_bac…

Retired Colonel Urges Congress to Constrain Trump After Suleimani Assassination
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-09
President Trump vowed on Wednesday to hit Iran with new sanctions but appeared to pull back from taking any new military action. Tension between the two countries soared after the U.S. assassinated Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani at the Baghdad International Airport last week. Early on Wednesday, Iran retaliated by firing 22 ballistic missiles at military bases in Iraq housing U.S. forces, but no one was injured in the attack. Iran had warned the Iraqi government about the strike in advance. Two small roc…
truthout.org/video/urges-congress-to-constrain-trump-after-suleimani-assassination/

No Exemptions: US Says India Not Protected Against Sanctions Over S-400 Purchase From Russia
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-09
As the US continues to try to control the behaviour of its allies and partners around the world with sanctions, some are defying Washington's ultimatums. Namely, Turkey has so far ignored US demands to ditch Russia's S-400 air defence systems, despite threats of sanctions and the suspension of F-35 deliveries.
sputniknews.com/asia/202001091077991465-no-exemptions-us-says-india-not-protected-against-sanctions-over-s-400-purchase-from-russia/

US Killed Soleimani Because Iran Planned to Blow Up US Embassy – Trump
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-09
The day before, US President Donald Trump averted fears of World War 3 following Iran's missile attack on US targets in Iraq, pledging to introduce another round of anti-Iranian sanctions instead.
sputniknews.com/us/202001091077990984-trump-says-he-has-approved-new-sanctions-against-iran/

International Criminal Court Prepares to Try Israelis over War Crimes
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-01-09
Shawan Jabarin of the Al-Haq human rights organization discusses the International Criminal Court decision to prepare a lawsuit against the state of Israel regarding war crimes committed against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli authorities are already panicking.
therealnews.com/stories/international-criminal-court-prepares-israel-war-crimes

Unions, civil rights groups join mass NYC march against anti-Semitism
PAI | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-09
NEW YORK (PAI)–The Teachers, AFSCME members, and the Jewish Labor Committee teamed up with civil rights groups and a raft of Jewish organizations to lead a mass march on Jan. 5 in New York against anti-Semitism. At least 25,000 people turned out to march from Foley Square in downtown Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge, to …
peoplesworld.org/article/unions-civil-rights-groups-join-mass-nyc-march-against-anti-semitism/

Amnesty International USA, Human Rights Groups Call for Closure of Guant√°namo Prison on 18th Anniversary
commondreams.org | 2020-01-09
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2020/01/09/amnesty-international-usa-human-rights-groups-call-closure-guantanamo-prison?cd-origin=rss

Canadian Trans Woman Waging New War on Beauticians Who Refused to Wax Her for Religious Reasons
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-09
Jessica (born Jonathan) Yaniv, who identifies herself as a "social justice warrior", has previously filed half a dozen complaints against other beauty salons. However, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal dismissed them, citing "improper motives or bad faith", while the activist was accused of targeting immigrant women working there.
sputniknews.com/viral/202001091077991055-canadian-trans-woman-new-war-wax-religious-reasons/

S. Sudan VP denies human rights abuse after US sanction
yenisafak.com | 2020-01-09
South Sudanese First Vice President Taban Deng Gai on Thursday denied committing human rights violations and obstructing the ongoing peace process in the wake of being sanctioned by the U.S."I have been wrongly accused of serious human rights abuses and sanctioned by the U.S State Department of the Treasury's Office Foreign Assets Control," Deng said in a statement. "I deeply regret those baseless and unfounded allegations and wish to assure the international community, and above all the people of South Sudan, that my life has always been dedicated to the building of a peaceful and prosperous South Sudan."He said…
yenisafak.com/en/world/s-sudan-vp-denies-human-rights-abuse-after-us-sanction-3509270

Turkey's security begins far beyond borders: Erdogan
yenisafak.com | 2020-01-09
Turkey's president on Thursday said Turkey would continue defending its rights and interests, adding that the country's future and security began far beyond its borders.Turkey will continue to defend its rights and interests in Iraq, Syria and the Mediterranean, Recep Tayyip Erdogan asserted, speaking in the capital Ankara at an event for the disabled as well as children under government protection.Referring to joint plans with Libya to send Turkish troops to the North African country, Erdogan said: "We are in these lands [Libya], where our ancestors made history, because we were invited there to resolve injustic…
yenisafak.com/en/world/turkeys-security-begins-far-beyond-borders-erdogan-3509267

Iranian Americans Have Rights, Too — No Matter What's Happening Abroad
Abdi Soltani | aclu.org | 2020-01-08
Like most Iranian Americans, my family immigrated to the United States in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution in Iran, hoping to find safety and acceptance in a country that prides itself on diversity and freedom of expression. We learned and embraced the principles of the Constitution, including freedom of speech and religion, due process, and equal protection — protections that apply to every person, citizen and non-citizen alike. But what happened at the U.S. border this past weekend was a painful reminder that sometimes, we are still considered outsiders. | In the state of Washington this weekend,…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/iranian-americans-have-rights-too-no-matter-whats-happening-abroad

Coast to coast U.S. protests demand: "U.S. out of Iraq! No war or sanctions on Iran!"
Betsey Piette | workers.org | 2020-01-08
Just days into the new year and a new decade, on Jan. 4, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in 80 cities across 38 states to demand U.S. out of Iraq and no war or sanctions on Iran. Many activists described the massive turnout as the largest . . . | Continue reading Coast to coast U.S. protests demand: "U.S. out of Iraq! No war or sanctions on Iran!" at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/01/45365/

'No lives lost': Trump holds fire on 'big missiles,' talks peace after Iran's strikes on US bases in Iraq
rt.com | 2020-01-08
US President Donald Trump is delivering an eagerly-awaited address to America, as the country stands on the brink of war with Iran. Trump's speech comes hours after Iranian missiles struck two US bases in Iraq. | Speaking from the White House, Trump backed away from threatening further strikes against Iran, describing Tehran's stand-down as "a good thing for all parties concerned." | Our missiles are big, powerful, accurate, lethal and fast…The fact that we have this great military and equipment, however, does not mean that we have to use it. | Trump did, however, vow to impose new economic sanctions on the…
rt.com/usa/477742-trump-responds-iran-strike-us-bases/

Trump's Actions in Iraq Could Plunge the Country Into Crisis Once Again, Leaving Iran as Strong as Ever
Patrick Cockburn | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-08
The assassination of Qassem Soleimani has capsized Iraqi politics in the most dangerous of ways, making it possible that the country will be plunged once again into a state of permanent crisis and war from which it has escaped in the last two years. President Trump is threatening sanctions against Iraq if it expels the…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/08/trumps-actions-in-iraq-could-plunge-the-country-into-crisis-once-again-leaving-iran-as-strong-as-ever/

Trump Backs Away from Threats to Retaliate for Iranian Missile Strikes, Promises New Sanctions
Whitney Webb | mintpressnews.com | 2020-01-08
Following Iran's military response to the deaths of Soleimani and his Iraqi ally, Trump's tone — at least publicly — was dramatically less bellicose than his recent tweets promising to strike Iranian territory should Tehran retaliate against the US.
mintpressnews.com/trump-backs-away-threats-retaliate-iran-missile-strikes-instead-promises-new-sanctions/263991/

Iranian-American Lawmaker Warns of Rising Xenophobia as U.S.-Iran Tension Escalates
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-08
In the midst of escalating U.S.-Iran tensions, Border Patrol has been detaining Iranian Americans at the U.S.-Canada border. At least 100 people were delayed at ports of entry along the border over the weekend, following the U.S. assassination of Qassem Soleimani on January 3. For response, we speak with Anna Eskamani, Florida Democratic state representative of Orlando. She is the first Iranian American to be elected to any public office in Florida. "The reality is that when we see the potential war rise in countries like Iran … we'll see xenophobia rise right here locally" in the U.S., Eskamani says.
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/8/iranian_am…

Jerusalem Governor Summoned For Interrogation
IMEMC News & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-01-08
Israeli occupation police, on Tuesday, raided the home of Jerusalem's governor, Adnan Ghaith, in the occupied Jerusalem town of Silwan, and served his family a summon for Ghaith to appear before Israeli intelligence. Ghaith has been detained at least 13 times since he assumed the office of Jerusalem governor and …
imemc.org/article/jerusalem-governor-summoned-for-investigation/

Venezuela: Guaido Installs Parallel Parliament After Washington Threatens More Sanctions
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2020-01-08
The Trump administration is reportedly mulling sanctions against opposition deputies who voted against Guaido.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14759

Turkey and Russia Officially Launch TurkStream Pipeline
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-08
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's Vladimir Putin formally launched Wednesday the TurkStream pipeline project, which will carry Russian natural gas to southern Europe through Turkey as part of Moscow's efforts to reduce shipments via Ukraine. | RELATED: | Nord Stream 2 Construction to Press on Despite US Sanctions | The pipeline project, stretching 930 km (580 miles) across the Black Sea, reinforces strong energy ties between Moscow and Ankara, which have also increased…
telesurenglish.net/news/Turkey-and-Russia-Officially-Launch-TurkStream-Pipeline-20200108-0012.html

Tory government blocks bid to enshrine child refugee rights in Brexit agreement
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-01-08
MPs have voted down proposals to enshrine protections for child refugees as part of the government's Brexit agreement. | Following his election victory, Boris Johnson re-drafted his European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and rowed back on the previous government's acceptance of an amendment from Labour peer Lord Dubs to allow unaccompanied child refugees to continue to be reunited with their families in the UK after exit day. Dubs had fled from the Nazis on the Kindertransport to Britain when he was aged six. | Welcome to the UK in 2020, where Parliament just voted by a large majority to remove protections fo…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/01/08/tory-government-blocks-bid-to-enshrine-child-refugee-rights-in-brexit-agreement/

Trump Announces Additional 'Punishing' Sanctions on Iran
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-01-08
Updated 1: 15 PM ET | U.S. President Donald Trump made a statement Wednesday morning at 11: 30 AM EST and announced that Iran "appears to be standing down" following strikes on U.S. air bases in Iraq. He said there were no American or Iraqi casualties resulting from the attacks. | Trump said that while the U.S. was evaluating its options, it would "immediately impose additional punishing sanctions" against Iran until it "changes its behavior." He called Iran the "leading sponsor of terrorism" and repeatedly said that he would not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Since 2017, the Trump administration has impose…
therealnews.com/columns/iran-attacks-us-bases-in-iraq-in-retaliation-for-soleimani-assassination

It Is Time for a New Way Forward
Madhuri Grewal | aclu.org | 2020-01-07
In 1996, at the height of the "tough on crime" era, President Bill Clinton signed two laws that dramatically changed the criminal legal system and radically altered the U.S. immigration system. Just as the 1994 crime bill instituted unjust mandatory minimum sentences and ballooned the prison population, the immigration bills of that same era led to similarly disastrous consequences for immigrants — an explosion in the growth of detention and unfairly harsh punishments for immigrants, including mandatory deportations for minor…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/it-is-time-for-a-new-way-forward

Iranian Americans Harassed and Detained at US Border
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-01-07
Dozens of people, including American citizens, faced hours of questioning at the Washington entry point. Jamal Abdi of the National Iranian American Council says the reports could indicate a directive for heightened screening of people born in Iran.
therealnews.com/stories/iranian-americans-detained-at-us-border

More Rockets Fired At US Embassy, US Iranians Detained & Trump Says Twitter Is "Notifying Congress"
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2020-01-06
Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (1/5/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/daily-wrap-up/more-rockets-fired-at-us-embassy-us-iranians-detained-trump-says-twitter-is-notifying-congress/

SPLC Statement on the Detainment of Iranians and Iranian Americans
splcenter.org | 2020-01-06
The following statement is by Southern Poverty Law Center Interim President and CEO Karen Baynes-Dunning following reports that Iranians and Iranian Americans are being detained and questioned at U.S. ports of entry:…
splcenter.org/news/2020/01/06/splc-statement-detainment-iranians-and-iranian-americans

Trump's Killing of Qassem Soleimani Means "Rules of the Game Have Totally Changed" in Middle East
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-06
The Iraqi Parliament voted Sunday to expel all U.S. military forces from Iraq. President Trump responded by threatening to impose sanctions on Iraq "like they've never seen before." Iraq has already been the target of some of the harshest sanctions the world has even seen. U.S.-backed sanctions killed more than a million Iraqis, including over 500,000 children, between 1990 and 2003. From Baghdad, we talk to Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, correspondent for The Guardian newspaper.
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/6/ghaith_abd…

Students learn in the streets: struggle wins release of Connecticut teen from ICE custody
Chris Garaffa | liberationnews.org | 2020-01-05
The struggle for Mario's freedom is not over, and neither is the fight for immigrant rights overall.
liberationnews.org/students-learn-in-the-streets-struggle-wins-release-of-connecticut-teen-from-ice-custody/

Trump's march to war on Iran aided by Democrats' weakness on sanctions, nuclear deal
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-01-04
The US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian military commander, is the culmination of three years of Trump administration…
thegrayzone.com/2020/01/04/trumps-march-to-war-on-iran-aided-by-democrats-weakness-on-sanctions-nuclear-deal/

Trump Order Aimed at Palestine Solidarity, Not Antisemitism
Gregory Shupak | fair.org | 2020-01-04
Antisemitism is a very real problem–which Donald Trump is exploiting to advance an anti-Palestinian agenda. | President Donald Trump issued an executive order last month to deny funding to post-secondary schools that violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by discriminating against Jewish people. The order notes that such bigotry is rooted in antisemitism, and says that it will determine whether discrimination has occurred by using the non-legally binding working definition of antisemitism adopted by the…
fair.org/home/trump-order-aimed-at-palestine-solidarity-not-antisemitism/

World Braille Day marks key communication tool for millions
news.un.org | 2020-01-03
Being marked for only the second time ever, World Braille Day on Saturday raises awareness of the importance of the tactile global communication system which helps enable blind and visually impaired people, to realize their full human rights.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/01/1054761

Four Lawyers. Four Projects. One Non-Stop Year
Leila Rafei | aclu.org | 2019-12-20
It isn't news that the Trump administration has kept ACLU attorneys working at breakneck speed for the past three years. In 2019 alone, we saw historic moments and victories–from defeating the citizenship question on the 2020 census and bringing the first trans civil rights case to the Supreme Court, to blocking a wave of abortion bans and many of the administration's attempts to dismantle the asylum system. To name a few. | Here are some of our attorneys' takes on 2019 and the year ahead–what's changed for the better and for the worse, and how the outcome of the 2020 presidential election will a…
aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/four-lawyers-four-projects-one-non-stop-year

A Secret CBP Team is Targeting and Detaining Innocent Travelers. We're Suing
Tarek Ismail | aclu.org | 2019-12-18
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is deploying secret teams that target, detain, and interrogate innocent travelers. We're suing to expose their activities. | In November 2018, three CBP officers detained Andreas | Gal, a former chief | technology officer at Mozilla Corporation and current Apple employee, at San | Francisco International Airport after he landed from a business trip to Sweden. | Andr…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/a-secret-cbp-team-is-targeting-and-detaining-innocent-travelers-were-suing

A Tennessee City Banned Surgical Abortion Within the City Limits. We're Taking Them to Court
Melissa Grant | aclu.org | 2019-12-18
For 30 years, I have | worked in reproductive health care. In my current role as Chief Operating | Officer of carafem, a nonprofit with a national network of health centers, I | know the difference compassionate and comprehensive reproductive health care | makes in the lives of our clients. I have witnessed the personal impact when | people who have the legal right to have a child or to have an abortion are denied | those rights due to outrageous societal barriers. Abortion providers are used | to opposition, but we've never experienced the kind of explicit targeting we | received from politicians in the city…
aclu.org/news/reproductive-freedom/a-tennessee-city-banned-surgical-abortion-within-the-city-limits-were-taking-them-to-court

For Many of the World's Children, Education Proves Elusive
Elin Martinez | progressive.org | 2019-12-17
Especially in countries with widespread human rights abuses, kids–especially girls–don't get the chance to go to school.
progressive.org/dispatches/for-many-children-education-proves-elusive-martinez-van-esveld-191217/

UN Counters US Claims Of "Proof" Iran Attacked Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu Impunity & Turkey Sanctions
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2019-12-13
Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/12/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/daily-wrap-up/un-counters-us-claims-of-proof-iran-attacked-saudi-arabia-netanyahu-impunity-turkey-sanctions/

Perth Pride: LGBTI community challenges corporatisation
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-12-12
LGBTIQ rights Petrina HarleyIssue 1248 Australia Rainbow Rebellion PerthDecember 12, 2019Perth Pride assembled its biggest parade to date on November 30, with 115 floats. But many in the LGBTIQ comm…
greenleft.org.au/content/perth-pride-lgbti-community-challenges-corporatisation

Aboriginal leader Sam Watson's farewell draws big numbers
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-12-10
Aboriginal rights Jim McIlroyIssue 1248 Australia BrisbaneDecember 11, 2019More than 1000 people attended the funeral for Wangerriburra and Birri Gubba leader Sam Watson in Musgrave Park on December 6. | Watson passed away on November 26, just two weeks after his 67t…
greenleft.org.au/content/aboriginal-leader-sam-watsons-farewell-draws-big-numbers