2020-04-28: News Headlines

Margie Mason, Robin McDowell (2020-04-28). Parents fear for their children's safety as coronavirus hits juvenile jails. peoplesworld.org Nicole Hingle wasn't surprised when the call came. Frustrations had been building inside juvenile detention centers nationwide as the number of coronavirus cases continued to climb. Now, her 17-year-old son Jace was on the phone telling her around 40 kids had rioted at his facility in Louisiana—the same state where more than a dozen youths …

en.mehrnews (2020-04-28). Iran FM expresses deep concern over conditions of migrants in US detention center. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 28 (MNA) — Iran Foreign Ministry has expressed deep concern over the conditions of 1,500 migrants in the US detention center.

Medea Benjamin (2020-04-28). During Coronvrius: Cuba to the rescue, but don't tell the American people. mronline.org Anti-Cuba zealots in the Trump administration have been enticing Cuban doctors working overseas to defect, paying journalists to write negative stories, slapping sanctions on Cubans in charge of the program, and strong-arming countries to expel Cuban doctors.

en.mehrnews (2020-04-28). Over 170 doctors protest against inhumane US sanctions amid COVID-19. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 28 (MNA) — More than 170 physicians and surgeons in various fields from around the world in a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General António Guterres protested against inhumane and cruel US sanctions.

Barbara Boland (2020-04-28). Is Trump Using the U.S. Military for Regime Change in Venezuela? globalresearch.ca U.S. policy towards Venezuela has been a head-spinning series of contradictions lately, with no end in sight. From placing a bounty on the heads of President Nicolas Maduro and a dozen current and former Venezuelan officials, to upping sanctions and …

Norbert Ross (2020-04-28). The Luxury to Fear COVID-19. counterpunch.org El Salvador is showing very different faces. While some people herald its young president for his forceful actions as the savior of the country and even an example for Latin America, others denounce him for his disregard for Salvadorian law, the blatant violations of human rights committed under his regime, and his seeming aspirations as a populist, authoritarian leader. Rather than thinking of this as "the truth lies somewhere in between," it is important to explore how the government has reacted to the COVID-19 crisis, and how these actions have affected the sectors of the society that are usually ignored [mdas…

RT (2020-04-28). 'Did Biden's lawyer write this?' WaPo receives 'Noble' for 'embarrassing' attempt to obfuscate sexual assault claim in headline. rt.com The Washington Post was lambasted on social media after running a bizarrely tortured headline that took great pains to avoid direct mention of sexual assault allegations dogging Joe Biden, the presumptive 2020 Democratic nominee. | "Developments in allegations against Biden amplify efforts to question his behavior," read…

Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco (2020-04-28). SF May Day Car Caravan: Cancel Rent, Homes For All, Debt Free Future! indybay.org Meet up location, route and details coming soon!

Staff (2020-04-28). To Understand COVID in Prisons, Listen to Incarcerated People. truthout.org The last few years I have written I have also attempted to expose and explain how over time, communities have been forced to give up their rights and power to help their mem…

WSWS (2020-04-28). Is Sri Lankan President Rajapakse plotting a coup under cover of anti-pandemic measures? wsws.org The government is using the COVID-19 pandemic as the pretext to mount a power grab, insert the military into the running of the state, and run roughshod over working people's democratic rights.

en.mehrnews (2020-04-28). US' new allegations against Iran pessimistic: Ulyanov. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 28 (MNA) — Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Mikhail Ulyanov called the US allegations of nuclear commitment and Washington's plans to reinstate UN sanctions against Iran pessimistic.

en.mehrnews (2020-04-28). Iranian, South African Presidents discuss US sanctions, coronavirus on phone. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 28 (MNA) — In a phone conversation on Tuesday, the Presidents of Iran and South Africa emphasized the development and deepening of relations, especially trade and economic relations, between the two countries, as well as sharing experiences and information on the fight against coronavirus.

WSWS (2020-04-28). California ICE detainee speaks to the WSWS as coronavirus spreads. wsws.org The WSWS spoke to Jorge, a father of two, about the deadly dangers facing detainees in the midst of the growing coronavirus pandemic.

Fight Back (2020-04-27). FRSO online event: COVID-19 pandemic striking Black and brown communities. fightbacknews.org New York City, NY — On Sunday, April 26, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) Central Committee members Frank Chapman and Masao Suzuki gave talks in the livestreamed webinar "Pandemic + Racism = Genocide: Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Oppressed Nationalities & How We can Fight Back!". | As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the country, certain communities are affected more than others. The webinar's purpose was to explore how COVID-19 has affected Black and brown communities, why the virus is especially dangerous in prisons and detention centers, and how imperialism is at the center of it all…

Staff (2020-04-27). Headlines for April 27, 2020. democracynow.org Global Coronavirus Deaths Top 207,000 as Hard-Hit European Nations Start Relaxing Lockdowns, States Prepare to Reopen Economies as Cases Continue to Mount, Doctors See Rise in Strokes Caused by Coronavirus; CDC Expands List of Possible Symptoms, Oakland Police Tackle and Detain Unhoused Outreach Workers, Poison Control Center Calls Spike After President Trump Suggests Injections of Disinfectant, WHO Warns Against Issuing "Immunity Passports", Activists Hold "Cancel the Rent" Protests Around the Country, Coronavirus Outbreak Reported at Tyson Foods Meat Processing Plant, "Larry King Live" Tape from 1993 Supports T…

PCHR (2020-04-27). PCHR Condemns Restrictions on Freedom of Journalistic Work in Gaza. imemc.org At approximately 12: 30 on Saturday, 25 April 2020, Palestinian police in Gaza city arrested a Palestine TV Satellite's press crew while recording an interview in Jabalia refugee camp, claiming that they did not have the necessary authorization for photographing and conducting interviews. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns …

Staff (2020-04-27). "Unconscionable": Planned Parenthood Pres. Condemns States Using Pandemic to Limit Abortion Access. democracynow.org As much of the U.S. remains on lockdown, abortion rights are under attack nationwide. We get an update on the fight for abortion access with Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "Our bodies have literally been deemed essential," she says, "and yet the control of our bodies and the right to control our own bodies has not."

news.un (2020-04-27). 'Toxic lockdown culture' of repressive coronavirus measures hits most vulnerable. news.un.org Disturbing details have emerged from dozens of countries that a "toxic lockdown culture" against the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted drastically on society's most vulnerable members, the UN human rights Office (OHCHR) said on Monday. The development follows UN Secretary-General António Guterres's call last week for States not to use the COVID crisis as a pretext for repressive measures, in which he urged Governments to recognize that the threat was the "virus, not people".

Staff (2020-04-27). Planned Parenthood Condemns States Using Pandemic to Limit Abortion Access. truthout.org As much of the U.S. remains on lockdown, abortion rights are under attack nationwide. We get an update on the fight for abortion access with Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "Our bodies have literally been deemed essential," she says, "and yet the control of our bodies and the right to control our own bodies has not." | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. | AMY GOODMAN: As the coronaviru…

commondreams (2020-04-27). Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Releases State Election Law Resource. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Ali Salam (2020-04-27). Family Receives Body of Deceased Palestinian Prisoner. imemc.org The Palestinian Authority's Detainees Affairs Commission announced on Sunday that Israeli authorities are set to release the corpse of the Palestinian detainee, Nour Barghouthi to his family late on Sunday evening, the Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. After serving 4 years in Israel's Naqab prison, Barghouthi, 23, died on Wednesday, …

teleSUR (2020-04-26). Cuban News Agency Reporter Arrested in Chile for 'No Reason'. telesurenglish.net Cuban news agency Prensa Latina's reporter Damian Trujillo was detained Sunday in Chile's Santiago, during a protest marking the day on which the country's constitutional referendum would have taken place, had it not been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. | RELATED: | A group of Carabineros, the Chilean police, arrested the journalist and placed him in their van while his colleagues protested and asked for…

BIICFHRIOT (2020-04-26). B'Tselem: Israeli Settlers Exploit Coronavirus to Take Over West Bank Land with Military Backing: Violent Attacks Spike in April. imemc.org B'Tselem — The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories Since the start of the corona crisis, Israeli settlers have ramped up attacks against Palestinians throughout the West Bank, with full state backing. The attacks have increased despite the movement restrictions, lockdowns and social distancing measures introduced …

Scarlet Kim (2020-04-24). They Were Willing to Make the Ultimate Sacrifice for the U.S., but Trump Won't Let Them Become Americans. aclu.org Ange Samma, a 22-year-old green card holder from Burkina Faso, came to the United States seven years ago, when he was still a teenager. After studying electrical engineering at community college, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Army in 2018. He wanted to give back to his adopted country and also hoped joining the military would help him achieve his goal of becoming an electrical engineer. , , Ange currently serves on active duty as a soldier in South Korea. But despite serving this country on a U.S. military base in a foreign country, he still hasn't been able to obtain citizenship through his military servic…

Staff (2020-04-24). "We Don't Have the Capacity to Treat": Palestinian-Canadian Doctor Says Israel Must Lift Gaza Siege. democracynow.org As fears continue to grow about what a rampant outbreak of the coronavirus might do to the occupied Palestinian territory, already crippled by years of Israeli sanctions, we get an update from Dr. Tarek Loubani, Palestinian-Canadian doctor and emergency physician who volunteers in the Gaza Strip and returned from a trip there last month. "Testing is severely limited," he says. "There have been fewer tests in Gaza so far throughout the entire pandemic than there were in South Korea yesterday."

Iran Front Page (2020-04-27). Netflix to Stream Remastered Versions of Kiarostami's Films. iranian.com The world's leading provider of online entertainment service Netflix is going to offer the remastered versions of a number of movies directed by late Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami. Netflix has signed a deal with mk2 Films, a French company that has acquired all rights to dozens of movies from Iranian filmmaker Kiarostami. Every year, mk2 …

Press TV (2020-04-26). US blocking Iran media outlet stark infringement of freedom of expression: Foreign Ministry. iranian.com Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says a recent decision by the administration of US President Donald Trump to block the domains of Iranian news outlets is in "stark infringement" of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and freedom of expression. In a Twitter post on Sunday, the Iranian ministry "strongly" condemned the US Treasury Department's …

Vira Ameli (2020-04-26). Iran Sanctions and Sickness. iranian.com In the current global pandemic, Iran occupies a unique position. One of the first countries to experience the outbreak of covid-19, it is simultaneously the target of an economic blockade that goes back not years, but decades. How Iran has fared under this dual onslaught is determined by the interaction between its singular place in the geopolitical …

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-04-27). Citing Pandemic, UN Human Rights Expert Urges US to Release Migrants 'Held for Processing'. commondreams.org A United Nations human rights expert on Monday urged the U.S. government to stop detaining migrants who are being "held for processing" of their immigration claims in "overcrowded and unsanitary administrative centers," citing concerns about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-04-27). WATCH: Bernie Sanders to Host Livestream Discussion on the Coronavirus Pandemic and Undocumented Immigrants. commondreams.org Sen. Bernie Sanders will be joined by national immigrant rights advocates Monday evening for a livestream discussion about the effects of the coronavirus on undocumented immigrants in the United States. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

news.un (2020-04-24). 'No time to blame the messenger' warns UN rights chief, amidst media clampdowns surrounding COVID-19. news.un.org The coronavirus pandemic has spawned new threats to press freedom in some countries, according to the UN human rights chief, who declared on Friday that "credible, accurate reporting is a lifeline for all of us".

Daniel Tilley (2020-04-24). We're Going to Court on April 27 to Strike Down This Poll Tax for Good. aclu.org On April 27, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Florida, and our litigation partners will go to trial in U.S. District Court against the state of Florida to win the ability to vote for hundreds of thousands of eligible state voters now being denied that basic right. | In November 2018, more than 64 percent of Florida voters approved Amendment 4, returning the right to vote to Floridians convicted of felonies who completed their sentence and supervision. The only persons excluded are those convicted of homicide or sexual crimes. | Immediately, the Florida Legislature set out to undermine voters'

splcenter (2020-04-24). Florida voting rights trial to be argued online. splcenter.org

Tehran Times (2020-04-24). Iran 'honored' to cut corona deaths to a third amid sanctions: Health Minister. iranian.com The daily death toll and positive cases of coronavirus in Iran have dropped respectively to one third and 40 percent over the course of three weeks, which is a source of honor for the country amid the tough sanctions, Health Minister Saeed Namaki has said. The Iranian health ministry on Friday announced that the total …

news.un (2020-04-23). Human rights 'uplift everyone'; must guide COVID-19 recovery response, says UN chief. news.un.org The coronavirus pandemic is not only a critical public health danger, it is also a human, economic and social emergency that is "fast becoming a human rights crisis", the UN chief said on Thursday, releasing a new policy brief on shaping an effective, inclusive response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staff (2020-04-21). Death Trap Jail: Pepper-Sprayed, Otay Mesa Detainees Demand Release as COVID-19 Spreads Inside. democracynow.org We look at the mounting number of COVID-19 cases inside immigration jails across the country and one of the largest outbreaks at the Otay Mesa Detention Center near San Diego, run by private prison company CoreCivic. Prisoners were told to sign contracts, written only in English, in exchange for receiving face masks. When some refused to sign, guards pepper-sprayed them. This comes as activists say hundreds imprisoned in detention centers in California are on hunger strike. We get an update from Ruth Mendez, community activist and volunteer with Otay Mesa Detention Resistance.

Staff (2020-04-21). NYC Immigrant Communities Fight Hunger, Exploitation & Invisibility Through Mutual Aid. democracynow.org We look at how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting undocumented people here in New York City, where the coronavirus has hit immigrant communities the hardest, even as the numbers of daily deaths statewide has declined in recent days. As reports of widespread poverty and hunger continue in the immigrant communities, people are also organizing and helping each other through mutual aid despite extraordinarily difficult circumstances. We are joined by Juan Carlos Ruiz, Lutheran pastor at Good Shepherd Church in Brooklyn and co-founder of the national New Sanctuary Movement and the New Sanctuary Coalition here in Ne…

Ben Norton (2020-04-20). Human Rights Watch cabildea por sanciones letales contra Nicaragua y Venezuela, mientras arrecia la crisis de Covid-19. thegrayzone.com Human Rights Watch está orgullosamente asumiendo el crédito por sanciones devastadoras contra Nicaragua, mientras busca escalar la guerra económica en…

Staff (2020-04-20). Headlines for April 20, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Fatalities Top 40,000; Nursing Homes Hit Hard as Death Tolls Soar | , Trump and Governors at Odds over Coronavirus Testing as Uneven Reopening of States Commences, Right-Wing Groups Organize Anti-Lockdown Protests Around the Country | , New Deal on Relief for Small Businesses Could Be Imminent But May Lack Key Democratic Provisions, Immigrant Prisoners at Otay Mesa Launch Hunger Strike, Denounce Inhumane Treatment | , Michael Cohen to Be Released from Federal Detention as Prisoners Nationwide Face Mounting Coronavirus Risk, Italy Records Lowest Daily Death Toll in a Week; Spain & France Also Show Signs of Pr…

Janine Jackson (2020-04-20). 'The US Reaction to Pressure to Ease Sanctions Was to Double Down' – CounterSpin interview with Joe Emersberger on sanctions under Covid-19. fair.org "If there were an opposition movement in countries like Canada and the United States and Europe, the demand wouldn't just be, 'You gotta stop this'; the demand would actually be, 'Hey, we've got to prosecute the people involved with this. This is killing people. This is a crime. People should be facing legal consequences for this.'"

ACLU (2020-04-17). What it's Like in ICE Detention During a Pandemic. aclu.org As millions of people in the U.S. shelter in their homes, and millions more who aren't able to stay indoors practice social distancing or other measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, a crisis is brewing in the facilities where immigrants are detained. Cramped conditions and inadequate access to hygiene or medical care have created what one medical expert called a "tinderbox" for the disease in a letter to Congress., , Many of those in detention are asylum seekers, who came to the U.S. to ask for protection after fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries. Many others were long-time U.S. resi…

Ben Norton (2020-04-16). Bolivian coup leader freaks out on The Grayzone for 'fascist' label in complaint to OAS 'human rights' arm. thegrayzone.com The director of far-right Bolivian coup leader Camacho's presidential campaign threw a slander-laced tantrum against The Grayzone in a letter…

splcenter (2020-04-13). Congressman John Lewis shares message of support for SPLC's work. splcenter.org Congressman John Lewis has been a tireless champion for equal rights and justice for more than six decades.

CounterSpin (2020-04-10). Mike Elk on Frontline Worker Rights, Joe Emersberger on Pandemic Sanctions. fair.org Media…

splcenter (2020-04-10). Get-out-the-vote effort goes digital for COVID-19 pandemic. splcenter.org Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Alexis Carr was able to knock on doors in Montgomery, Alabama, register people to vote, instruct them on voting rights and encourage them to cast their ballots on Election Day.

Kathy Kelly (2020-04-04). Stop Tightening the Thumb Screws: A Humanitarian Message. zcomm.org One way to help others survive is to insist that the United States lift sanctions against Iran and instead support acts of practical care…

Joe Emersberger (2020-03-13). No, Venezuela does not have a six child per family policy. zcomm.org I respect UK journalist Andrew Buncombe. As I noted for FAIR last year, he was one of the few corporate journalists who reported on a study linking Trump's financial sanctions on Venezuela to thousands of deaths by the end of 2018. Since 2018, Trump has repeatedly intensified the sanctions and threatened Venezuela with military action,

Tyler Durden (2020-02-08). Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions. theantimedia.com Iraq and Russia are preparing for deepening military coordination.