Monthly Archives: January 2020

2020-01-23: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Martin Luther King Jr. and the fight for social equality
wsws.org | 2020-01-23
King's conception of a mass democratic movement for civil rights based on the unified action of all the oppressed sections of the population is being replaced with an essentially racialist narrative that presents all of American history in terms of a struggle between whites and blacks.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/23/king…

Amendment 4 is Still on the Line. Here's What's New
Orion Danjuma | aclu.org | 2020-01-23
The right to vote cannot depend on how much money you have. That's what a federal court ruled in October, when it blocked Florida's attempt to force returning citizens

Deadly Distractions: Laying the Groundwork for the Next Civil War. "Deep State's Plot to Take Over America"
John W. Whitehead | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-23
" Pity the nation oh pity the people | who allow their rights to erode | and their freedoms to be washed away…" | –Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet | And so it continues. | This impeachment fiasco is merely the latest in a never-ending series …
globalresearch.ca/deadly-distractions-laying-groundwork-next-civil-war/5701452

Cyprus govt backtracks on claim Turkey 'stole offshore gas data'
rt.com | 2020-01-23
A government spokesman in Cyprus backpedaled Thursday on a claim that Ankara may have stolen technical data to pinpoint a target for gas drilling in waters where the island nation has exclusive economic rights. Kyriakos Koushos told AP that no such data theft had occurred and his use of the word "stolen" in a Wednesday program by Greece's state broadcaster was a mistaken "a slip of the tongue." | However, Koushos asserted that Turkey did obtain data that enabled it to send a drill ship to a specific location that two energy companies licensed by Cyprus, Eni and Total, had pre-selected to carry out their own ex…
rt.com/newsline/479022-cyprus-backtracks-turkey-offshore/

US imposes Iran-related sanctions on two people and six companies, mostly Chinese
rt.com | 2020-01-23
The United States applied new economic sanctions to two Iranian individuals and six companies, including four firms tied to Iran's national oil company, as tensions between the country peaked after the killing of Gen. Soleimani. | The United States has applied fresh economic sanctions to two Iranian individuals and six companies, including four firms tied to Iran's national oil company. The move comes following a military standoff between both countries. | The US Department of the Treasury accuses the four international petroleum and petrochemical firms of helping Tehran export "hundreds of millions of dollars…
rt.com/news/479019-us-sanctions-iran-china/

Americans Need to Hear More from Iranians. Here's Where to Start
Negin Owliaei | commondreams.org | 2020-01-23
Sanctions starve our people of food, medicine, and safety while public figures threaten us with more violence. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2020/01/23/americans-need-hear-more-iranians-heres-where-start?cd-origin=rss

Australian Open: Daniil Medvedev suffers bleed, Rafael Nadal hails ballgirl bravery, Serena Williams talks boxing
rt.com | 2020-01-23
Nick Kyrgios and Gilles Simon both mocked Rafael Nadal and earned sanctions from umpire Fergus Murphy on an eventful day at the Australian Open when top seed Nadal dealt with an incident of his own and questions about his legacy. | After both players were given time violations, Kyrgios made umpire Murphy smile by appearing to impersonate Rafael Nadal's trait of tucking his hair behind his ears and checking his shorts before serving. | Simon then left Kyrgios twirling his racket with laughter after performing his own impression of the world number one, although Kyrgios could afford a joke at that stage, serving…
rt.com/sport/479005-australian-open-third-round/

DP World escalates attacks on workers
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-23
workers' rights & unions Sam WainwrightIssue 1250 Australia Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) FremantleJanuary 23, 2020Negotiations over a new enterprise agreement at ste…
greenleft.org.au/content/dp-world-escalates-attacks-workers

US Airstrike Kills 15 Civilians in Afghanistan, Including 3 Women and 3 Children
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2020-01-23
(ANTIWAR.COM)

Trump to Issue New Rule Restricting Visas for Pregnant Women in Latest Attack on Most Vulnerable
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-01-23
In the Trump administration's latest effort to strip migrants and travelers to the U.S. of their rights, the U.S. State Department is planning to issue new guidance to consular officers empowering them to refuse visas to pregnant travelers. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2020/01/23/trump-issue-new-rule-restricting-visas-pregnant-women-latest-attack-most-vulnerable?cd-origin=rss

Brazil's Bolsonaro government charges journalist Glenn Greenwald with "cybercrimes"
wsws.org | 2020-01-22
The trumped-up charges against Greenwald by Bolsonaro's fascistic government are of a piece with the global assault on free speech and democratic rights and the jailing of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/22/gree…

Baltimore marchers brave sleet and snow to resist war and racism
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-01-22
Baltimore, MD – Several dozen Baltimore community activists and youth endured sleet, hail, snow and rain to stage a march January 18 from East to West Baltimore and to downtown to draw the connections to ongoing war and racism with food stamp cuts and workers' rights. | The group rallied at Penn North, the neighborhood of Freddie Gray, and ended at Lexington Market. Organizers reported that the response was deeply encouraging. The group then held a car caravan to a general assembly of the FMLN (Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front) of the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia region. | The march was initiate…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/1/22/baltimor…

A Torturer Meets His Victims: CIA Psychologist Defends Brutal Methods at Guantánamo Military Hearing
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-22
On Tuesday, the psychologist identified as the "architect" of the CIA's torture program testified for the first time to the war court at Guantánamo Bay. James Mitchell was in the courtroom for a pretrial hearing for five 9/11 suspects who had been subject to torture, euphemistically called "enhanced interrogation techniques." Mitchell and his partner, Dr. Bruce Jessen, were paid $81 million to help design the CIA's torture methods, including some of the agency's most abusive tactics. The pair had no prior experience in interrogation. At the hearing, Mitchell reportedly told defense lawyers he only came to Guantán…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/22/cia_tortu…

Hard Evidence on Torture and Ill-Treatment Against Palestinian Detainees at Israeli Interrogation Centers
Addameer | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-22
Since its creation, the occupying state developed and enforced laws and practices that led to both the systematic use of torture and to absolute impunity for the perpetrator of this crime. There has never been any individual or agency held …
globalresearch.ca/addameer-collects-hard-evidence-torture-ill-treatment-committed-against-palestinian-detainees-israeli-interrogation-centers/5701367

Canada: One-Third of Prison Population is Indigenous
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-22
Though Indigenous people account for only five percent of the general Canadian population, they represent more than 30 percent of the detainees in the country's prisons, a report released Tuesday by a federal watchdog revealed. | RELATED: | Deportations of Migrant Families in US Rose by 110% in 2019 | The correctional investigator of Canada Ivan Zinger described what he called "the Indigenization of Cana…
telesurenglish.net/news/Indigenous-in-Canada-Make-up-One-Third-of-Prison-Population-20200122-0012.html

Soldiers Assault A Palestinian Child Hours After His Release From Prison
IMEMC News | imemc.org | 2020-01-22
Israeli soldiers assaulted, on Wednesday morning, a Palestinian child just a few hours after his release from a detention facility. The Head of the Palestinian Association for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners, Mohammad Hamida, said the soldiers, stationed at the Container military roadblock, northeast of Bethlehem, repeatedly assaulted the child, identified as …
imemc.org/article/soldiers-assault-a-palestinian-child-hours-after-his-release-from-prison/

"The Senate Voted for a Cover-Up": GOP Senators Tilt Impeachment Trial in Trump's Favor
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-22
After the first marathon day leading up to President Trump's impeachment trial, we speak with Vince Warren and Baher Azmy, executive director and legal director, respectively, of the Center for Constitutional Rights. In a 13-hour session, the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate approved rules for the impeachment trial that Vince Warren says are tantamount to a "cover-up." Under the rules, each side will be given 24 hours over a three-day period for opening arguments. Senators also agreed to automatically admit evidence from the House inquiry into the trial record. Republicans rejected 11 amendments from Democrats t…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/22/impeachme…

Independent UN rights experts call for 'immediate investigation' into alleged Bezos phone hack by Saudi Arabia
news.un.org | 2020-01-22
Independent UN rights experts said on Wednesday they were "gravely concerned" over allegations that in 2018, a messaging app account belonging to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was used to hack into The Washington Post owner's mobile phone, calling for an "immediate investigation" by authorities in the United States.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/01/1055771

Denver students say: No war on Iran!
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-01-22
Denver, CO – Students from Denver Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) met on campus | January 21 to continue the rallying against U.S. aggression towards Iran and the U.S. | occupation of Iraq. This action comes after the illegal act of war of the Trump | regime in which Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in the Baghdad International Airport. | The U.S. has claimed that they are backing off from war at this time, but will continue to add | sanctions against Iran which will harm the people of Iran. One SDS member noted | in his speech, "Sanctions are an act of war; countless citizens died in…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/1/22/denver-s…

'An Absolute Red Alert': Snowden Joins Journalists and Rights Advocates Worldwide Rallying to the Side of Glenn Greenwald
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-01-22
"It should be clear to anyone—no matter their political persuasion—that the Bolsonaro administration is taking these actions in a purely retaliatory manner in an attempt to criminalize journalism." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2020/01/22/absolute-red-alert-snowden-joins-journalists-and-rights-advocates-worldwide-rallying?cd-origin=rss

CBP Deported an Iranian Student With Valid Visa, Defying Court Order
Carol Rose | aclu.org | 2020-01-21
Last night, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deported an Iranian student with a valid visa, despite a federal court order prohibiting his removal. | Shahab Dehghani arrived at Boston Logan Airport on Sunday, January 19 to study at Northeastern University, where he was enrolled. Customs officials detained him and questioned him for hours, abruptly revoking his student visa, which the State Department granted after a year of intense vetting. | As CBP tried to put Shahab on the next available flight, supporters and friends gathered at night in the arrivals hall at Logan to demand that CBP stop deporting…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/cbp-deported-an-iranian-student-with-valid-visa-defying-court-order

telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-21
A 16-year-old is the latest person to die in one of Libya's detention centers where refugees and migrants are jailed indefinitely after they are sent back to the war-ravaged country by the European Union-funded coastguard, The Guardian reported. | RELATED: | Almost 1,000 Migrants Returned to Libya This Year Already: IOM | Adal Debretsion, an Eritre…
telesurenglish.net/news/A-Teenage-Boy-Is-the-Latest-Victim-of-Libyas-Migrants-Centers-20200121-0019.html

Lebanon: UN rights office calls for de-escalation of protest violence
news.un.org | 2020-01-21
What had been largely peaceful demonstrations against Lebanon's Government in the capital Beirut grew increasingly violent over the weekend, sparking the concern of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/01/1055701

PCHR: Palestinians Injured at Great March of Return
PCHR | imemc.org | 2020-01-21
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) works around the clock to document all Israeli violations and war crimes against Great March of Return (GMR) peaceful protestors, especially children, women and the elderly. Aside from legal documentation of Israeli war crimes, PCHR follows urgent cases that require immediate and advanced medical …
imemc.org/article/pchr-short-video-highlights-of-palestinians-injured-at-great-march-of-return/

At Least 10 Killed in Two Days of Violence Across Iraq
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-21
At least 10 people were killed and 138 wounded over the past two days across Iraq as a result of violent clashes between protesters and security forces, the country's High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) said. | RELATED: | Why Doesn't the US Move out Despite the Iraqi Parliament's Decision? | By: Peter Koenig | Demonstrators were…
telesurenglish.net/news/At-Least-10-Killed-in-Two-Days-of-Violence-Across-Iraq-20200121-0015.html

UN human rights ruling could boost climate change asylum claims
news.un.org | 2020-01-21
The UN Human Rights Committee has determined that countries cannot deport people who have sought asylum due to climate-related threats.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/01/1055671

Virginia passes the Equal Rights Amendment, but the struggle continues
Emile Schepers | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-21
January 15, 2020, was a historic day in America: Both houses of the Virginia General Assembly approved the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Virginia was the 38th state to do so. This puts the ERA over the top in terms of the number of states which have signed on. The U.S. Constitution establishes that amendments require …
peoplesworld.org/article/virginia-passes-the-equal-rights-amendment-but-the-struggle-continues/

Voting Rights Advocate: The Impeachment of Trump Is Needed to Protect Our Elections & Democracy
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-21
The impeachment trial begins its proceedings in the Senate today amid accusations of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell attempting to rush the impeachment process. Senators will have 16 hours for questions and four hours for debate, after 24 hours for opening arguments on each side. We speak with Rick Perlstein, historian and author, and Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Clarke says that thanks to the rules set by McConnell, Trump's impeachment trial could be over within a week, with much of the debate taking place in the evening. The proces…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/21/trump_imp…

The US Sanctions on Iran Are Causing a Major Humanitarian Crisis
Ahmad Jalalpour | thenation.com | 2020-01-21
The US Sanctions on Iran Are Causing a Major Humanitarian Crisis…
thenation.com/article/iran-sanctions-humanitarian-crisis/

Severe Torture in Israeli Prisons Targets Palestinian Steadfastness: Walid Hanatsheh, Samer Arbeed, Mays Abu Ghosh and More
IMEMC News & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-01-20
Photo: Walid Hanatsheh after his interrogation. | In the last months of 2019 and early 2020, a growing number of cases of severe physical torture against Palestinian detainees carried out by Israeli Shin Bet interrogators have been documented.
imemc.org/article/severe-torture-in-israeli-prisons-targets-palestinian-steadfastness-walid-hanatsheh-samer-arbeed-mays-abu-ghosh-and-more/

SPECIAL: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in His Own Words
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-20
Today is the federal holiday that honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was born January 15, 1929. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was just 39 years old. While Dr. King is primarily remembered as a civil rights leader, he also championed the cause of the poor and organized the Poor People's Campaign to address issues of economic justice. Dr. King was also a fierce critic of U.S. foreign policy and the Vietnam War. We play his "Beyond Vietnam" speech, which he delivered at New York City's Riverside Church on April 4, 1967, as well as his last speech, "I've Been to…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/20/special_d…

'Come and take it': Thousands rally in Virginia against new gun-control laws (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
rt.com | 2020-01-20
Thousands of gun-rights supporters and militia members have gathered at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, in an armed show of defiance against a slew of gun laws proposed by Governor Ralph Northam. | Northam

2019 Proved We Can Stop Face Recognition Surveillance
Abdullah Hasan | aclu.org | 2020-01-17
This piece originally appeared on Fast Company. | In 2019, we proved face recognition surveillance isn't | inevitable. Now, it's time for Congress to rein in the technology once and for | all. | Last year, communities banded together to prove that they | can

Conspiracy Theories, Threats of Violence Loom Over Coming Gun Rally in Richmond
splcenter.org | 2020-01-16
Gun-rights activists and antigovernment extremists are planning a protest in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday fueled by antigovernment conspiracy theories and accompanied by online calls for violence.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/01/16/conspiracy-theories-threats-violence-loom-over-coming-gun-rally-richmond

Arkansas Legislators' Attack on Abortion is Unconstitutional
Michele Goodwin | aclu.org | 2020-01-16
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled time and again that | reproductive privacy is "central to personal dignity and autonomy, [which] are | central to the liberty protected by" the Constitution. The Court has made | eminently clear that under the Constitution, the right of a pregnant person to | terminate a pregnancy prior to viability is a right so essential to our freedom | that our government cannot ban or impose an undue burden on its exercise. But | despite the long-standing clarity of this principle, reproductive health and rights | continue to come under blistering, unrelenting attack. | Nowhere is this cl…
aclu.org/news/reproductive-freedom/arkansas-legislators-attack-on-abortion-is-unconstitutional

Ex-US intel officer: Pompeo 'lying through his teeth' on Iran
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-01-12
The Trump administration is imposing new sanctions on Iran and defying Iraq's call for a US troop withdrawal. This comes…
thegrayzone.com/2020/01/12/ex-us-intel-officer-pompeo-lying-through-his-teeth-on-iran/

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

2020-01-22: News Headlines

Staff (2020-01-22). A Torturer Meets His Victims: CIA Psychologist Defends Brutal Methods at Guantánamo Military Hearing. democracynow.org On Tuesday, the psychologist identified as the "architect" of the CIA's torture program testified for the first time to the war court at Guantánamo Bay. James Mitchell was in the courtroom for a pretrial hearing for five 9/11 suspects who had been subject to torture, euphemistically called "enhanced interrogation techniques." Mitchell and his partner, Dr. Bruce Jessen, were paid $81 million to help design the CIA's torture methods, including some of the agency's most abusive tactics. The pair had no prior experience in interrogation. At the hearing, Mitchell reportedly told defense lawyers he only came to Guantán…

Staff (2020-01-22). Mexico Begins Flying, Busing Migrants Back to Honduras. truthdig.com CIUDAD HIDALGO, Mexico — Hundreds of Central American migrants who entered southern Mexico in recent days have either been pushed back into Guatemala by Mexican troops, shipped to detention centers or returned to Honduras, officials said Tuesday. An unknown number slipped past Mexican authorities and continued north. | The latest migrant caravan provided a public platform for Mexico to show the U.S. government and migrants thinking of making the trip that it has refined its strategy and produced its desired result: This caravan will not advance past its southern border. | What remained unclear was the treat…

RT (2020-01-22). Migrant caravan shrinks at Guatemala-Mexico border amid deportations. rt.com The number of migrants stuck at the Guatemala-Mexico border continues to dwindle as detentions chip away at what remains of the latest caravan, AP reports. | The first buses of migrants left Tecun Uman, Guatemala overnight to repatriate migrants to their countries. On Tuesday, Mexico began flying and busing hundreds of migrants who had crossed into the country back to Honduras. | Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador recognized the success of his government's strategy on Wednesday, noting that many of the migrants had begun to voluntarily return to their countries. | US Department of Homeland Security…

Staff (2020-01-22). "The Senate Voted for a Cover-Up": GOP Senators Tilt Impeachment Trial in Trump's Favor. democracynow.org After the first marathon day leading up to President Trump's impeachment trial, we speak with Vince Warren and Baher Azmy, executive director and legal director, respectively, of the Center for Constitutional Rights. In a 13-hour session, the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate approved rules for the impeachment trial that Vince Warren says are tantamount to a "cover-up." Under the rules, each side will be given 24 hours over a three-day period for opening arguments. Senators also agreed to automatically admit evidence from the House inquiry into the trial record. Republicans rejected 11 amendments from Democrats t…

RT (2020-01-22). Can cryptocurrencies protect countries from US sanctions? RT's Boom Bust finds out. rt.com RT's Boom Bust has sat in with the CEO of cryptocurrency aggregator Bitsian to discuss how nations facing tough US sanctions have been exploring cryptocurrencies in attempt to shield their economies from damage. | "These countries are looking at this as a way to avoid sanctions, but also these are countries, where their own sovereign currencies are facing huge amount of devaluation and lack of trust by their own people," Raakhee Miller told Boom Bust. | The CEO said that countries such as Venezuela and Iran face a "flight-to-quality" so bitcoin becomes more trustworthy for people to keep their assets. Howev…

WSWS (2020-01-22). SEP to hold public meeting in Canada to demand freedom for Julian Assange. wsws.org The Socialist Equality Party (Canada) is holding a public meeting in Montreal on Sunday, February 2 to fight for the freedom of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, oppose war, and defend democratic rights.

WSWS (2020-01-22). Brazil's Bolsonaro government charges journalist Glenn Greenwald with "cybercrimes" wsws.org The trumped-up charges against Greenwald by Bolsonaro's fascistic government are of a piece with the global assault on free speech and democratic rights and the jailing of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange.

Staff (2020-01-22). Headlines for January 22, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Approves Rules for Trump's Impeachment Trial, Spain Declares Climate Emergency & Readies Climate Legislation, Australian Wildfires Release Massive Amounts of Greenhouse Gas, Airstrikes in Syria Kill 40 People, Including Children, in Idlib, Protesters Denounce Lebanon's Newly Formed Government, U.S. Deports Honduran Children Seeking Asylum to Guatemala Despite Being Ill, Hillary Clinton Slams Bernie Sanders in New Documentary But Says She Will Support Democratic Nominee, Architect of CIA's Torture Program Testifies in War Court at Guantánamo Bay, The Guardian: Bezos's Cellphone Was Allegedly Hacked by Saudi…

Addameer (2020-01-22). Hard Evidence on Torture and Ill-Treatment Against Palestinian Detainees at Israeli Interrogation Centers. globalresearch.ca Since its creation, the occupying state developed and enforced laws and practices that led to both the systematic use of torture and to absolute impunity for the perpetrator of this crime. There has never been any individual or agency held …

Kathy Durkin (2020-01-22). Women's March Global: 'Women's rights are human rights! workers.org The theme of the fourth annual Women's March Global 2020 was "Women's Rights Are Human Rights." On Jan. 18, hundreds of thousands of women and people of all genders marched and rallied in at least 23 countries with various demands. In Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, Canada and the . . . |

RT (2020-01-21). China court sentences former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei to 13 years in prison for bribery. rt.com Former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei, who was detained on a visit to China in 2018, was sentenced Tuesday to more than 13 years in prison for bribery. The case shook the international police organization. | Meng — a former vice minister of public security — is among a growing group of Communist Party cadres caught in China's anti-graft campaign. He vanished during a visit to China from France, where Interpol is based, and was later accused of accepting bribes and expelled from the Communist Party. His wife was granted political asylum in France last year. | Meng was sentenced to 13 years and six months…

Emile Schepers (2020-01-21). Virginia passes the Equal Rights Amendment, but the struggle continues. peoplesworld.org January 15, 2020, was a historic day in America: Both houses of the Virginia General Assembly approved the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Virginia was the 38th state to do so. This puts the ERA over the top in terms of the number of states which have signed on. The U.S. Constitution establishes that amendments require …

Staff (2020-01-21). Voting Rights Advocate: The Impeachment of Trump Is Needed to Protect Our Elections & Democracy. democracynow.org The impeachment trial begins its proceedings in the Senate today amid accusations of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell attempting to rush the impeachment process. Senators will have 16 hours for questions and four hours for debate, after 24 hours for opening arguments on each side. We speak with Rick Perlstein, historian and author, and Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Clarke says that thanks to the rules set by McConnell, Trump's impeachment trial could be over within a week, with much of the debate taking place in the evening. The proces…

(2020-01-21). Jan. 25 — Global Day of Protest — No war on Iran! workers.org When President Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in early January, tens of thousands of people protested in over 80 cities across 38 U.S. states. While Trump has since stepped back from pushing all-out war in Iraq and Iran, he has issued executive orders increasing deadly sanctions . . . |

RT (2020-01-21). North Korea won't be bound by old commitments if US continues 'most brutal and inhuman sanctions' — senior diplomat. rt.com A North Korean envoy in Geneva has warned that denuclearization is impossible if the US maintains its "hostile policies," pushing Pyongyang to seek a "new path" from the stalled bilateral talks. | "We found no reason to be unilaterally bound any longer by the commitment that the other party fails to honor," Ju Yong-chol, a counsellor at Pyongyang's mission in Geneva, said at the UN-backed disarmament conference on Tuesday, as quoted by Reuters. | The diplomat blasted the US for making "unilateral demands" and continuing the "most brutal and inhuman sanctions." | If the US persists in such hostile policy toward…

Editor (2020-01-21). Poniendo la verdad tras las rejas. workers.org øSabía que uno de los derechos más protegidos en este país es el derecho del gobierno a mentirle a la gente? Esa es la esencia de la persecución que se está llevando a cabo en este momento contra Chelsea Manning y Julian Assange. Manning era una analista de inteligencia del . . . |

Carol Rose (2020-01-21). CBP Deported an Iranian Student With Valid Visa, Defying Court Order. aclu.org Last night, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deported an Iranian student with a valid visa, despite a federal court order prohibiting his removal. | Shahab Dehghani arrived at Boston Logan Airport on Sunday, January 19 to study at Northeastern University, where he was enrolled. Customs officials detained him and questioned him for hours, abruptly revoking his student visa, which the State Department granted after a year of intense vetting. | As CBP tried to put Shahab on the next available flight, supporters and friends gathered at night in the arrivals hall at Logan to demand that CBP stop deporting…

WSWS (2020-01-21). Trump backs armed gun-rights rally in Richmond, Virginia. wsws.org For the second time in three days, President Donald Trump tweeted support as thousands of gun-rights activists, many of them carrying semi-automatic weapons, descended on Virginia's capital, Richmond.

PCHR (2020-01-21). PCHR: Palestinians Injured at Great March of Return. imemc.org Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) works around the clock to document all Israeli violations and war crimes against Great March of Return (GMR) peaceful protestors, especially children, women and the elderly. Aside from legal documentation of Israeli war crimes, PCHR follows urgent cases that require immediate and advanced medical …

teleSUR (2020-01-21). At Least 10 Killed in Two Days of Violence Across Iraq. telesurenglish.net At least 10 people were killed and 138 wounded over the past two days across Iraq as a result of violent clashes between protesters and security forces, the country's High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) said. | RELATED: | Demonstrators were…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-01-21). Martin Luther King Jr. Day. peoplesdispatch.org January 20, 2020, marked the Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States. It is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King's birthday, January 15. He was the most ardent spokesperson and leader of the civil rights movement. King led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, a protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. It began after, after Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, was arrested for refusing to surrender her seat to a white person.

Stephen Lendman (2020-01-21). Huawei's Meng Wanzhou's Politicized Extradition Hearing. globalresearch.ca On December 1, 2018, bowing to Trump regime pressure, Canadian authorities unlawfully arrested and detained Chinese telecom giant Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on trumped up charges. | Charges against her are politically and economically motivated. | Canada operates …

Stephen Lendman (2020-01-21). Iran Threatens to Quit NPT if EU Pursues Reimposition of Security Council Sanctions. globalresearch.ca On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif said "(i)f the Europeans continue their improper behavior or send Iran's file to the Security Council, we will withdraw from the NPT," adding: " | "The Europeans' remarks lack legal justification…(I)f (they) keep up their actions …

WSWS (2020-01-21). Trump administration ramps up campaign to abolish strong data encryption in aftermath of Pensacola terror shooting. wsws.org The administration, following in the footsteps of the Obama White House, is moving to attack privacy rights protected by the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution.

Bob Price (2020-01-21). Rekindling the Movement that Won Abortion Rights. indybay.org New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk St (near Ellis), SF | (near Civic Center BART, Muni Lines 19, 31, 38, 47 49) | Wheelchair accessible…

sputniknews (2020-01-21). Indian Court Refuses to Lift Ban on Loudspeakers at Mosques in Uttar Pradesh. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India's apex court in an order in 2000 had ruled that the "right to religious freedom is related to civil order, morality and health. No religion teaches that loudspeakers and amplifiers should be used for prayer. Even if it is done, it should not affect the rights of others."

Lisa Nandy (2020-01-21). Lisa Nandy MP: My Plans as the New Chair of Labour Friends of Palestine & the Middle East. globalresearch.ca I visited Palestine as a new MP and I was struck by the threats facing the next generation, the ferocity of the attacks they endure and the systematic denial of their rights. I met a three-year-old child whose house was …

Zach Haber, Oakland Post (2020-01-21). Advocates and Unhoused Residents Seek Community Help to Build Small Homes on MLK Weekend. indybay.org The Village, a group that fights for unhoused resident rights, is asking for community support on January 18 and 19, 2020, to help with their event Guerrilla Housing: Reclaiming Dr. King's Legacy of Radical Action.

Chris Kromm (2020-01-21). Citizens United at 10: Why Fighting Corruption Is a Racial Justice Issue. commondreams.org Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia) speaks in favor of the For the People Act, a sweeping, pro-democracy bill passed by the House in 2019 that combines measures to protect voting rights, curb Big Money influence, and strengthen ethics rules. (Photo: Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Leon Kunstenaaar (2020-01-21). The 2020 San Francisco Womens' March. indybay.org Photos: Leon Kunstenaar/Pro Bono Photo | Native, immigrant, gay, straight march for their rights…

WSWS (2020-01-21). Venezuela's Maduro offers Trump a "win-win" bargain. wsws.org In an interview with the Washington Post, the Venezuelan president "suggested that a bonanza could be waiting for U.S. oil companies" if the White House ends sanctions.

Ahmad Jalalpour (2020-01-21). The US Sanctions on Iran Are Causing a Major Humanitarian Crisis. thenation.com The US Sanctions on Iran Are Causing a Major Humanitarian Crisis…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-01-21). If Democrats Want to Honor Legacy of Dr. King, Says Ocasio-Cortez, "We Have to Be Dangerous Too" commondreams.org At a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day event at Riverside Church in Harlem, New York Monday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez urged her audience to recognize the Democratic Party is closer to "a center-conservative party" than a progressive one—something that must change if the civil rights icon's legacy is truly to be honored. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-01-21). 'Critical Moment' as Two Key Architects of CIA Torture Program Testify Under Oath in Guantanamo Bay. commondreams.org Human rights groups marked a significant "moment of reckoning" on Tuesday for the U.S. torture program which was used by the CIA following the September 11 attacks, as the two psychologists who developed the program arrived in Guantanamo Bay to testify under oath. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

yenisafak (2020-01-21). Three arrested in Turkey for alleged drone shipment to Syria. yenisafak.com Turkish police arrested three suspects on Tuesday for allegedly sending a shipment of four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to terrorist groups in Syria, security sources said.The suspects were arrested in Istanbul and the southern Adana province, while another of Syrian nationality was held in the southern Hatay province, said the sources who asked not to be named, due to restrictions on speaking to the media.Acting on a tip-off received earlier this month, Adana police detained another suspect in a cargo office, while allegedly trying to send drones to people with links to terrorist groups in Syria.Prosecutors…

RT (2020-01-20). 'Come and take it': Thousands rally in Virginia against new gun-control laws (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com Thousands of gun-rights supporters and militia members have gathered at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, in an armed show of defiance against a slew of gun laws proposed by Governor Ralph Northam. | Northam — who shot to international infamy last year when a yearbook

Staff (2020-01-20). SPECIAL: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in His Own Words. democracynow.org Today is the federal holiday that honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was born January 15, 1929. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was just 39 years old. While Dr. King is primarily remembered as a civil rights leader, he also championed the cause of the poor and organized the Poor People's Campaign to address issues of economic justice. Dr. King was also a fierce critic of U.S. foreign policy and the Vietnam War. We play his "Beyond Vietnam" speech, which he delivered at New York City's Riverside Church on April 4, 1967, as well as his last speech, "I've Been to…

Staff (2020-01-20). The MLK Lesson America Needs Most in 2020. truthdig.com Before he died, the civil rights leader joined a campaign to unify working people of all races. Today, nothing could be more powerful.

Karen Greenberg, Joshua L. Dratel (2020-01-20). Guant√°namo's Indelible Legacy. commondreams.org The indefinite detention that began at Guant√°namo Bay has now spawned its mirror image in the camps for undocumented immigrants (and their children) along the U.S. Mexican border. (Photo: Susan Melkisethian/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

teleSUR (2020-01-20). Thousands of Armed Gun-Rights Activists Protest in Virginia. telesurenglish.net A large number of armed gun-rights activists descended on Virginia's capitol building on Monday to protest a package of gun-control legislation making its way through the newly Democratic-controlled state legislature. | RELATED: | According to the Reuters News Agency, the Richmond rally was surrounded by heavy security after Virginian Governor Ralph Northam banned carrying weapons onto the capitol grounds. | The r…

IMEMC News & Agencies (2020-01-20). Severe Torture in Israeli Prisons Targets Palestinian Steadfastness: Walid Hanatsheh, Samer Arbeed, Mays Abu Ghosh and More. imemc.org Photo: Walid Hanatsheh after his interrogation. | In the last months of 2019 and early 2020, a growing number of cases of severe physical torture against Palestinian detainees carried out by Israeli Shin Bet interrogators have been documented.

IMEMC News (2020-01-20). Israeli Court Doubles Prison Sentence Of Detained Palestinian Teen. imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) has reported, last Thursday, that an Israeli appellate court has accepted an appeal filed by the prosecutor's office demanding to raise the prison sentence of a detained Palestinian teen from the 18 years to life in prison. The PPS stated that the ruling was part …

WSWS (2020-01-20). As neo-Nazis head to Richmond, Trump boosts gun-rights rally. wsws.org The president's tweet is a declaration of solidarity with ultra-right forces on the eve of his impeachment trial.

Peter Rothberg (2020-01-20). Top 10 Civil Rights Songs. thenation.com Top 10 Civil Rights Songs…

Martin Luther King Jr. (2020-01-20). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in His Own Words. zcomm.org While Dr. King is primarily remembered as a civil rights leader, he also championed the cause of the poor and organized the Poor People's Campaign to address issues of economic justice…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-01-20). 'Global Precedent' Set as UN Rules Climate Refugees Cannot Be Sent Back to Life-Threatening Conditions. commondreams.org Human rights advocates on Monday applauded a "ground-breaking" ruling by a United Nations panel, which stated that climate refugees cannot legally be sent back to their home countries after applying for asylum, if they would face life-threatening conditions such as high sea levels, drought, or other effects of the climate crisis. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-01-20). Countering Annual Whitewash of His Legacy, Progressives Remember the 'Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Imperialist' Martin Luther King Jr. commondreams.org While the likes of President Donald Trump, right-wing Republicans, and Pentagon officials—in addition to many liberals—marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day with selective quotes and messages, progressives aimed to challenge their whitewashed narrative of the civil rights leader's legacy with detailed reminders of King's scathing critique of not only racism but also capitalism, militarism, and imperialism. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-01-18). AFL-CIO to the nation: Make King's dream America's reality. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Faced with the renewed and rising right-wing onslaught against women, workers, immigrants and people of color, unionists at the AFL-CIO's annual Martin Luther King Civil and Human Rights Conference spent their two days in D.C. focusing on reclaiming voting rights, battling voter suppression and educating and empowering workers to ensure they can vote this year …

Staff (2020-01-17). The Cruelty of US Justice System Exposed in a Single Video. therealnews.com A 19-year-old girl was punished with 9 months in a men's jail for spitting at an officer during a mental health crisis. Video reveals the extreme treatment she received and her exclusive interview reveals how law enforcement officers are badly equipped to treat the mentally ill.

Staff (2020-01-17). 3 Arrested for Plans to Incite Violence at 'Gun Rights' Rally in Richmond. therealnews.com Three suspected neo-Nazis were arrested, accused of planning to incite violence at the upcoming gun rights rally in Richmond, VA. The state's capitol is in a state of emergency after finding a pattern of communications sounding like the leadup to the 2017 Charlottesville rally that killed Heather Heyer.