(2021-05-21). John Kiriakou: A Former CIA Mideast Expert's View of the Israeli-Palestinian Crisis. scheerpost.com Photo by Troy Page] Click to subscribe on: Apple / Spotify / Google Play Editor's Note: A ceasefire was declared on May 21 between Israel and Gaza. While this episode, recorded on May 13, details a crisis that has currently come to a halt, the conversation touches on far-reaching ongoing issues in the region. John Kiriakou's story as an Arabic-speaking former CIA agent and CIA torture… |
(2021-05-21). "We Want Real Dignity and Freedom": Gazans Welcome Ceasefire But Demand End of Siege & Occupation. democracynow.org 
In Gaza, thousands of people have taken to the streets to celebrate after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, ending Israel's 11-day bombardment of the territory. At least 243 Palestinians, including 66 children, were killed in the airstrikes and bombings. Rockets fired from Gaza also killed 12 people in Israel. Raji Sourani, director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza, welcomes the ceasefire but stresses Palestinians demand more than just the end of bombing. "We need [the] end of occupation, end of the blockade, self-determination, independence, dignity and freedom," Sourani says. We also spe…
(2021-05-21). Palestine: The Aftermath of 11 Days of Aggression. libya360.wordpress.com Cease-fire Reached After 11 Days of IOF Aggression on Gaza. Cease-fire Reached After 11 Days of IOF Aggression on Gaza17 Palestinians killed, including two children found under the rubble; 33 wounded, including 8 women and 17 pic.twitter.com/XjtBRIxebD — Palestinian Centre for Human Rights — PCHR (@pchrgaza) May 21, 2021 Aggression Death Toll: 247 Killed,…
(2021-05-21). 'Solidarity With Emily Wilder': Outrage After AP Fires Staffer Targeted by Anti-Palestinian Rights Group. commondreams.org "Today in nonsensical media news, Chris Cuomo faces no discipline and Emily Wilder has no job," said one critic after an AP journalist was fired for criticizing media coverage of Israel and Palestine. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-05-21). Human Rights and Press Freedom Groups Call on Rep Gregory Meeks (D-WA) to Stop Weapons Sale to Israeli Government Following Attacks on Associated Press and Al Jazeera Offices in Gaza. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-05-21). What Is the Biden Administration's Policy Towards Israel? commondreams.org "Beyond helping to end the devastation underway in Gaza, Biden could, in a minute, transform U.S. policy towards Israel and the Palestinians to one that actually reflects the human rights he claims are central to his foreign policy." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-05-21). Jailed at 14, Shot Dead at 17: The Story of Obaida Jawabra's Childhood Under Israeli Occupation. democracynow.org 
Israeli forces shot and killed Obaida Jawabra, a 17-year-old boy, earlier this week in the al-Arroub refugee camp located near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. Obaida was shot in the chest, and witnesses say Israeli soldiers blocked an ambulance from reaching the teenager. He was taken to a local hospital by private car and later pronounced dead. Obaida, who was arrested by Israeli soldiers multiple times and featured in a 2019 short film, "Obaida," about Israeli soldiers detaining Palestinian children, is at least the fourth Palestinian teenager shot dead by soldiers in the occupied West Bank this year. Th…
(2021-05-21). US Extradition of Alex Saab is Illegal & Unfounded: Lawyers & Legal Experts (International Delegation Proposed). orinocotribune.com May 20 (Special for OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuelan businessman and diplomatic envoy Alex Saab, held in Cape Verde and facing extradition to the US, is a victim of political persecution and his case is comparable to that of Julian Assange or Chelsea Manning. Saab, who had engaged in brokering deals that would evade the US economic blockade against Venezuela and bring fuel, food, and other needed materials to the South American country, was detained in the African island nation of Cape Verde last June. | Over the course of the past year, Saab's case has made waves on the African continent and in Venezuela, wh…
(2021-05-21). Workers' rights part of Poor People's Campaign 'Third Reconstruction' plan. peoplesworld.org 
(2021-05-21). The feds want him to spend 20 years in jail for a single phone call, but their case is falling apart. therealnews.com 
The case of Baltimore business owner Sean Weston provides a stark example of our criminal justice system's lack of equity. We also speak to James Gibson, a man who spent 29 years wrongfully imprisoned after being brutalized and tortured by Chicago police.
(2021-05-21). Rev. William Barber Calls for a "Third Reconstruction" to Lift 140 Million People Out of Poverty. democracynow.org 
Reverend William Barber, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign and president of Repairers of the Breach, says the United States needs a "Third Reconstruction" aimed at lifting 140 million poor and low-income people out of poverty. Barber worked with Congressmembers Barbara Lee and Pramila Jayapal to unveil a congressional resolution for a Third Reconstruction this week, which includes measures to expand voting rights, implement immigration reform, raise the minimum wage, establish a federal jobs program and more. "There is not a scarcity of resources," says Barber. "What there is is a scarcity of social justice…
(2021-05-21). Rev. Barber Calls for "Third Reconstruction" to Lift 140 Million Out of Poverty. truthout.org 
Reverend William Barber, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign and president of Repairers of the Breach, says the United States needs a "Third Reconstruction" aimed at lifting 140 million poor and low-income people out of poverty. Barber worked with Congressmembers Barbara Lee and Pramila Jayapal to unveil a congressional resolution for a Third Reconstruction this week, which includes measures to expand voting rights, implement immigration reform, raise the minimum wage, establish a federal job…
(2021-05-21). Court of Appeal holds modern slavery conclusive grounds decisions are NOT admissible as expert evidence. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
R v Brecani [2021] EWCA Crim 731 — judgment here On 19 May 2021 the Court of Appeal was asked to determine whether a Conclusive Grounds Decision made by the Single Competent Authority ("SCA") that a person is a victim of modern slavery is admissible evidence in a criminal trial. Respectfully disagreeing with the decision …
(2021-05-21). Retention of data on alleged rapist lawful despite acquittal in criminal proceedings. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
YZ, R (on the application of) v Chief Constable of South Wales Police (Rev 1) [2021] EWHC 1060 (30 April 2021) The claimant YZ had been acquitted on three counts raping his former wife but details concerning these matters remain on the Police National Computer (PNC). These proceedings concerned whether such retention was lawful. The …
(2021-05-21). "The Putin Pipeline Must Be Stopped": Senators Introduce Bill To Restore Nord Stream 2 Sanctions. southfront.org 
Fourteen Republican senators have submitted to the US Congress a bill designed to restore sanctions against companies involved in the…
(2021-05-21). Homeland Security Tells ICE to Cut Ties With Jail That Sicced Dogs on Migrants. truthout.org 
In a move hailed as "a major win" by migrant rights advocates, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Thursday announced it is moving to end migrant detention at two county jails under federal investigation for alleged abuses including forced sterilizations and unleashing dogs on detainees. | DHS said in a
(2021-05-21). Farmworkers Modernization Act: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. dsausa.org Join the Immigrants' Rights Working Group of DSA for a discussion about current immigration legislation in Congress.
(2021-05-21). Israeli Occupation Forces Attack Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Injuring 15 & Detaining 20. libya360.wordpress.com The Israeli occupation forces stormed the squares of Al-Aqsa Mosque, attacking the worshippers who performed Friday Prayers and celebrated the victory of the Palestinian resistance. The Israeli rubber bullets injured 15 Palestinians, according to media reports which added that Zionist occupation forces detained 20 others after they left the Holy Shrine. ÿߟџÑÿ≠ÿ∏ÿßÿ™ ÿߟÑÿ£ŸàŸÑŸâ ŸÑÿßÿ≥ÿ™ŸáÿØÿß&…
(2021-05-21). Congress Howls as Biden Kills Trump's Sanctions on Russia Gas Pipeline. globalresearch.ca Biden Ends Trump's …
(2021-05-21). Grand Rapids' Fingerprinting Policy is a Constitutional Nightmare. Michigan's Top Court can End It. aclu.org For more than 30 years, Grand Rapids, Michigan police have engaged in the egregious, unconstitutional practice of detaining people on the street and then fingerprinting and photographing anyone who isn't carrying an ID, all without a warrant. In the process, they have disproportionately targeted Black people, young people, and lower-income people. The
(2021-05-21). West Africa: ECOWAS Court Orders Cape Verde to Release Venezuelan Diplomat Saab. orinocotribune.com Abuja — Eight days after the African Bar Association's (AfBA) warning to Cape Verde Island over the detention of a Venezuelan diplomat, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court has ruled that the arrest and detention was illegal. | On Monday, the ECOWAS court in Abuja said diplomat Alex Saab should be released and paid $200,000 for unlawful detention. | The AfBA on March 8 had also ordered Cape Verde Island to immediately release Mr. Saab, an accredited Venezuelan special envoy and alternate permanent representative to the African Union. | Mr. Saab was arrested by the Cape Verdean author…
(2021-05-21). UK educators support the campaign to defend David O'Sullivan. wsws.org "Why should it be the role of key workers to risk it all? Why should speaking up for your legally protected rights end in termination? Why should we sit by and take blow after blow?"
(2021-05-21). Peaceful Coexistence in Israel Hasn't Been Shattered — It's Always Been a Myth. zcomm.org As a Palestinian from within Israel I have long been a second-class citizen, denied basic rights…
(2021-05-21). Remembering Christopher D. Stone, An Early Scholar for Legal Rights for Nature Concept. commondreams.org "Christopher Stone may not have envisioned, in 1972, how his bold idea would change the way we think and talk about environmentalism." #RightsofNature | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-05-21). 'This Has to Stop': Palestinian Rights Advocates Condemn Anti-Semitic Incidents in US. commondreams.org "Think about who benefits from pitting the causes of Palestinian freedom and Jewish safety against each other." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-05-21). Lula consolida sus chances de ganar en primera vuelta. globalizacion.ca Desde que recuperó' sus derechos políticos, Lula da Silva pasó a liderar las encuestas para las elecciones presidenciales del 2022. Pero el sondeo de DataFolha, del periódico Folha de Sà£o Paulo, fue el primero hecho de forma presencial y no…
(2021-05-21). Sunday 5/30: A Perspective from David Hartsough Peace and Civil Rights Activist, and Author. indybay.org Join Our Zoom Forum with David Hartsough | zoom.us/j/2200241232?pwd=aCt1dWI0OGxUdUx… | Meeting ID: 220 024 1232 | Passcode: 328697…
(2021-05-20). "It Is Apartheid": Rights Group B'Tselem on How Israel Advances Jewish Supremacy Over Palestinians. democracynow.org 
As Israel faces international condemnation for its assault on Gaza, we look at growing accusations that Israel is an apartheid state. Hagai El-Ad, executive director of the human rights group B'Tselem, describes the findings of their report that details how Israel is committing "apartheid." Israel's treatment of Palestinians is "not complicated," El-Ad says. "Believe your eyes. Follow your conscience. The reason that it looks like apartheid is simply because it is apartheid." We get response from Israeli journalist Gideon Levy, columnist for the newspaper Haaretz and a member of its editorial board, who wrote a r…
(2021-05-20). Freedom Rider: The Palestine Litmus test. mronline.org 
President Joe Biden continues to proclaim endless support of apartheid Israel, but millions have decided that defense of Palestinian rights and lives is the only civilized response to barbaric aggression. | May 20, 2021…
(2021-05-20). Communist Party condemns 'ethnic cleansing' & urges sanctions against Israel. challenge-magazine.org 
The Communist Party has strongly condemned what it called the "ethnic cleansing" of East Jerusalem and Israel's bombardment of Gaza. "The murderous assault of the Netanyahu regime and what can only be described as the Israeli Offence Force has exposed — yet again — the brutal character of the Israeli state's illegal occupation and incarceration of Palestinian lands", Robert Griffiths told the Party's Executive Committee on Sunday (16 May 2021). Britain's Communists also condemned the refusal of the US, British and European Union governments to take any meaningful action against the Israeli state's "cr…
(2021-05-20). Day 11 of Israeli Offensive on Gaza: Violent Artillery Shelling Continues Destroying Homes, Infrastructure and Lives. libya360.wordpress.com On the 11th day of the aggression on Gaza … Violent artillery shelling and systematic destruction of homes, killing (9) civilians, including (3) women and two children, and wounding (120) civilians, including (37) women and (32) children Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (11 — 19 May 2021)IOF military aggression on The…
(2021-05-20). Opposition mounts to US arms sales to Israel. peoplesdispatch.org Several US congresspersons and rights groups have objected to the Joe Biden government's decision to sell weapons worth USD 735 million to Israel, citing continued violations of human rights in Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories…
(2021-05-20). EU Lawmakers Differ on COVID-19 Vaccine Patent Waiver. telesurenglish.net No consensus was reached among the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on Wednesday regarding a proposal for a temporary waiver of patent rights for COVID-19 vaccines in a bid to speed up the global vaccine rollout. | RELATED: | Several MEPs had asked the European Commission to support a waiver of the intellectual property rights for vaccines as a core element in speeding up the rollout processes in low and m…
(2021-05-20). GOP role in a conspiracy to kill democracy exposed. peoplesworld.org 
The GOP and extreme right-wing groups are conspiring against U.S. constitutional democracy in a two-pronged scheme to ram voter suppression laws through state legislatures and block the passage of historic voting rights legislation in Congress. Millions in dark money are fueling this plot, carried out under cover of the "Big Lie" of voter fraud. The …
(2021-05-20). Biden Must End Sanctions Against North Korea — and Finally End the Korean War. truthout.org 
Noam Chomsky
(2021-05-20). Thousands in US participate in nationwide McDonald's strike, reject 'PR stunt' wage hike plan. peoplesdispatch.org 
Workers at McDonald's outlets in 15 major cities across the US participated in a one-day strike demanding wage hikes and union rights…
(2021-05-20). US Closes 2 Immigration Detention Centers Over Abuse Scandal. telesurenglish.net U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday stopped detaining migrants in two immigration detention centers in Georgia and Massachusetts over complaints of abuses against the inmates. | RELATED: | "We will not tolerate the mistreatment of individuals in civil immigration detention centers," DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, adding that both centers are under investigation for being overcrowded and having ove…
(2021-05-20). End To ICE Contracts In Bristol County, Massachusetts. popularresistance.org The FANG Collective is happy to announce that ICE will be cancelling all contracts with Bristol County, Massachusetts. This includes their 287(g) contract which trains deputies to collaborate with ICE and perform immigration agent duties, and their IGSA contract which turned the Bristol County House of Correction into an ICE detention center. | See: Biden administration ends ICE contract with Bristol County Sheriff's Office amid federal probe into alleged excessive force against immigrant detainees | In the summer 2018, FANG launched its Shut Down ICE campaign in Bristol County with a nonviolent direct action tha…
(2021-05-20). US Ends Use of 2 Immigration Jails Accused of Mistreatment. latinorebels.com WASHINGTON (AP) — A detention facility in Georgia where women claim they were subjected to unwanted medical procedures and a Massachusetts jail that has drawn complaints of inhumane conditions will no longer be used to detain immigrants, the Biden administration said Thursday.
(2021-05-20). FANG announces end to ICE contracts in Bristol County, Massachusetts. popularresistance.org The FANG Collective is happy to announce that ICE will be cancelling all contracts with Bristol County, Massachusetts. This includes their 287(g) contract which trains deputies to collaborate with ICE and perform immigration agent duties, and their IGSA contract which turned the Bristol County House of Correction into an ICE detention center.
(2021-05-20). Russia Reacts To US Decision To Lift Sanctions on Gas Pipeline. telesurenglish.net Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday called as "a positive sign" the U.S. decision to waive sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG pipeline, which will carry Russian gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea. | RELATED: | "It is not in Washington's interest to create additional obstacles in our relationship. The project is moving forward despite difficulties," Peskov said one day after the U.S. State Department announced i…
(2021-05-20). 'The First Step of Many': Advocates Welcome Move to Close ICE Lockups at 2 County Jails. commondreams.org "Bristol exemplifies how the system as a whole is fundamentally flawed and we call on the Biden administration to continue to cut detention contracts and shut down facilities for good," urged Silky Shah of the Detention Watch Collective. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-05-20). 'Tortured to Death': Video Showing Fatal Louisiana Arrest of Unarmed Black Man Sparks Outrage. commondreams.org "A system that produces such extreme levels of violence cannot be reformed," asserted the ACLU of Louisiana, "it must be dismantled." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-05-20). Journalists bodies demand release of investigative reporter in Bangladesh. peoplesdispatch.org Several journalists bodies in Bangladesh including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have demanded the immediate release of investigative journalist Rozina Islam, who was arrested for allegedly violating the colonial-era official secrecy law, Official Secrets Act (OSA), on May 17. | "Bangladesh police and authorities should recognize that Rozina Islam is a journalist whose work is a public service and should immediately drop the case against her and allow her to go free," CPJ stated. | Razina has been associated with Prothom Alo newspaper and was detained on Monday night. Her arrest triggered protests an…
(2021-05-20). Berlin bus drivers call for the reinstatement of David O'Sullivan! wsws.org The defence of London bus driver David O'Sullivan is part of the struggle for safe workplaces and the rights of workers worldwide.