The Autocrats of the Middle East are No Longer a Global Anomaly
Robert Fisk | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-01
President Hassan Rouhani of Iran got it right on Tuesday. He said that the White House is "afflicted by mental retardation and doesn't know what to do".Donald Trump's new sanctions may not be as "outrageous and idiotic" as Rouhani claims, but we've now reached a stage where the American president's mental incapacity is plain for all to see.
counterpunch.org/2019/07/01/the-autocrats-of-the-middle-east-are-no-longer-a-global-anomaly/

U.S. Sanctions Block Medicine from Venezuela, Killing Thousands
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-07-01
Ordinary Venezuelans talk about how the sanctions have made it increasingly difficult to access life-saving medications…
therealnews.com/stories/u-s-sanctions-block-medicine-from-venezuela-killing-thousands

UN Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer exposes propaganda and censorship in Assange reporting
wsws.org | 2019-07-01
Melzer was offered various reasons by newspaper editors for rejecting an op-ed on Assange: "Some of them said it wasn't high enough on their news agenda, some of them said it wasn't within their core area of interest."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/01/melz…

#CloseTheCamps: National Protests Against Inhumane Detention of Children & Families
Moveon.org, Families Belong Together, others | indybay.org | 2019-07-01
Protests around San Francisco Bay Area, throughout California, and nationwide | Find an event in your area (keep checking back as new events are being added): act.moveon.org/event/close-camps-now_att……
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/06/28/18824274.php

Trump renews threat of mass immigrant raids "sometime after July Fourth"
wsws.org | 2019-07-01
The passage of a bill funding immigration detention centers last week, with the support of the Democratic Party, makes the Democrats full partners in the savage repression of immigrants.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/01/immi…

Stop ICE Raids! Stop Detentions!
Bob Price | indybay.org | 2019-07-01
San Francisco Federal Building | 7th Street at Mission | San Francisco (near Civic Center BART station)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/06/30/18824320.php

Sri Lankan railway unions cave in to government's strike ban
wsws.org | 2019-07-01
The RTUA's betrayal has once again demonstrated that workers cannot defend their democratic rights and fight for jobs and decent working conditions through the trade unions.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/01/rail…

March for Immigrant Rights in Fresno's Tower District
Peter Maiden | indybay.org | 2019-07-01
Immigrant Rights March in Fresno's Tower District…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/06/29/18824308.php

Facebook to Censor Ads that Discourage People from Voting
telesurenglish.net | 2019-07-01
The social media giant Facebook Inc. will ban ads that discourage people from voting ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, according to its second annual Civil Rights Audit published on Sunday. | RELATED: | Facebook Says 'No Evidence' Russia Meddled With Brexit Vote | According to Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg's recent blog post, Facebook will put its "don't vote" policy prohibition into effect in the fall, before the U.S. elections that are set to take place on No…
telesurenglish.net/news/Facebook-to-Censor-Ads-that-Discourage-People-from-Voting–20190701-0006.html

Watch: Chris Marsden's speech to Paris meeting to demand freedom for Assange and Manning
WSWS repost | indybay.org | 2019-07-01
"No one who is seriously committed to the defence of democratic rights can stand on the sidelines. The case of Julian Assange is a critical twenty-first century battleground in the defence of free speech, truth, and the fight against exploitation, dictatorship and war, the basic evils of the world capitalist system."
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/06/29/18824301.php

Six Turkish citizens held in Libya by Haftar's forces freed
Jerry Omondi | cgtn.com | 2019-07-01
Six Turkish citizens that had been detained in Libya by forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar were released on Monday, the Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson said. | The release of the six came following a warning from Istanbul that the eastern Libyan militia would become a "legitimate target" if the detainees were not released. | "If our citizens are not released immediately, those responsible will become a legitimate target and the consequences will be severe," Vice President Fuat Oktay said early Monday. | said. | Haftar's forces had last week announced a ban on ships and flights operating between Lib…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/07/01/six-turkish-citizens-held-in-libya-by-haftars-forces-freed/

Dallas rally to demand "Close immigrant concentration camps!"
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-07-01
Dallas, TX – Activist groups in Dallas are calling a rally at the Grassy Knoll, 7 p.m., July 2, that will demand the closure of President Trump's concentration camps where refugees and immigrants are detained. There will be speakers from peace and justice, immigrant, and socialist groups. | "We demand that President Trump close these inhumane concentration camps. The camps are cold, unsafe and dirty. Thousands of children are forced to sleep on the hard concrete floors with no mattress. There is no soap or toothbrushes. Children are dying there!" said Sydney Loving of the North Texas Action Committee. | Loving…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/6/30/dallas-r…

OPEC Consensus Is for Rollover of Oil Production Cut in 2019
telesurenglish.net | 2019-06-30
Ministers of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) seem to agree on the need to extend oil production cuts but are undecided whether it needs to be for six or nine months, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Sunday. | RELATED: | The Spoils of Economic War: How the US, Saudis Profit From Sanctions on Venezuela and Iran | "Certainly it is a rollover, a consensus is emerging … Everybody I am talking to is assuring that c…
telesurenglish.net/news/OPEC-Consensus-Rollover-Oil-Production-Cut-2019-20190630-0008.html

To Avoid War, the US Must Stop the Sanctions against Iran and Return to the JCPOA
Mehrnaz Shahabi | globalresearch.ca | 2019-06-30
Iran's decision to increase its stock of low enriched uranium from 174.1 kilograms on 20 May to beyond the JCPOA's agreed limit of 300 kilograms on 27 June 2019, is not a "violation" or "breach" of the nuclear deal, as …
globalresearch.ca/avoid-war-us-must-stop-sanctions-iran-return-jcpoa/5682170

Europeans Bowing to Trump on Iran Sanctions, Despite Their Opposition
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-06-30
Trita Parsi, founder of the National Iranian American Council, says that military confrontation between the US and Iran becomes more likely, especially since Europeans who oppose US sanctions are not really pushing back against Trump…
therealnews.com/stories/europeans-bowing-to-trump-on-iran-sanctions-despite-their-opposition

The 'Trump Doctrine' Is Sinking Fast
Reese Erlich | commondreams.org | 2019-06-30
U.S. sanctions have caused the cost of some food items to jump in the last year. Here, bakers in Isfahan. (Photo: Reese Erlich) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
commondreams.org/views/2019/06/30/trump-doctrine-sinking-fast?cd-origin=rss

U.S role in Hong Kong protests
Special to Workers World | workers.org | 2019-06-30
The corporate media have used recent protests in Hong Kong to attack and vilify the People's Republic of China and the ruling role of the Chinese Communist Party, under the pretext of defending human rights. Without knowing the history, as well as all the ways the U.S. super-rich and their . . . | Continue reading U.S role in Hong Kong protests at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/06/30/u-s-role-in-hong-kong-protests/

World Pride underscores that all people are born 'free and equal' in dignity and human rights
United Nations | un.org | 2019-06-30
The empowering message straight from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and human rights" resonated on Sunday from UN-GLOBE members who participated in the World Pride parade in New York City.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/06/1041612

Selected Articles: Demasking the Torture of Julian Assange
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2019-06-30
Do you value the reporting and in-depth analysis provided by Global Research on a daily basis? | Click to | * * * | | Capitalist Development and Community Demolitions …
globalresearch.ca/selected-articles-demasking-the-torture-of-julian-assange/5682201

Civil Rights Group Denounces New Racist Voter Suppression Law Signed By Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Special To The Black Star News | blackstarnews.com | 2019-06-30
Civil Rights lawyer Kristen Clarke says Florida Governor DeSantis' signing of SB7066 will deny voting opportunities to over 1 million Blacks and Latinos… | The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued a statement after Governor DeSantis Friday signed SB 7066 into law on Friday–which undermines Amendment 4 to the Florida Constitution. | Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued the following statement: | "Florida joins a host of states actively working to suppress the rights of voters on the eve of the 2020 election cycle. This…
www.blackstarnews.com/us-politics/electi…

Stop the repression in Germany! Stand with those who stand with Palestine!
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-06-30
Freedom Road Socialist Organization joins with people around the globe in condemning the German authorities for trampling on the rights those who fight for the liberation of Palestine. On June 22, the German government banned prominent Palestinian writer Khaled Barakat from speaking at an event against Trump's "deal of the century." This outrageous act come on the heels of the German government's preventing a speech by the Palestinian leader Rasmea Odeh, and her subsequent deportation. | The Israeli occupation Palestine is being challenged by the growing struggle of the Palestinian people, and a rising tide of an…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/6/29/stop-rep…

New York Pride Parade is One of the Largest in Movement's History
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-06-30
Gay-rights advocates take over much of midtown Manhattan in tribute to the uprising that began 50 years ago with Stonewall Inn police raid.
truthdig.com/articles/new-york-pride-parade-is-one-of-the-largest-in-movements-history/

Israel Arrests Palestinian Minister 'Activities in Jerusalem'
telesurenglish.net | 2019-06-30
Israeli police said Sunday that they had detained and questioned the Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs, Fadi Hadami. | OPINION: | War in Al-Aqsa: What Price Netanyahu's Victory | Hadami was arrested for "activities in Jerusalem" after he accompanied Chilean President Sebastian Piñera to the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. He was released after hours of…
telesurenglish.net/news/Israel-Arrests-Palestinian-Minister-for-Activities-in-Jerusalem-During-Chilean-President-Visit-20190630-0002.html

Israel Arrests Palestinian Minister 'Activities in Jerusalem'
telesurenglish.net | 2019-06-30
Israeli police said Sunday that they had detained and questioned the Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs, Fadi Hadami. | OPINION: | War in Al-Aqsa: What Price Netanyahu's Victory | Hadami was arrested for "activities in Jerusalem" after he accompanied Chilean President Sebastian Piñera to the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. He was released after hours of…
telesurenglish.net/news/Israel-Arrests-Palestinian-Minister-for-Activities-in-Jerusalem-During-Chilean-President-Visit-20190630-0002.html

EU meeting on Iran ends with no agreement to prevent US war
wsws.org | 2019-06-29
The Iranian government reportedly objected to the European powers' refusal to defy crippling US sanctions on Iran's oil exports.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/06/29/iran…

Iran: Talks With Remaining Nuclear Deal Signers Not Good Enough
telesurenglish.net | 2019-06-29
Iran's deputy foreign minister says progress was made between the remaining signatories of the nation's nuclear deal in Vienna talks Friday, but not enough to meet the demands of the Islamic Republic. | RELATED: | Protests in New Dehli Against US 'Imperialism' and Sanctions | "It was a step forward, but it is still not enough and did not meet Iran's expectations," Abbas Araqchi told reporters Friday after almost four hours of talks with senior diplomats from Britain, China, France…
telesurenglish.net/news/Iran-Talks-With-Remaining-Nuclear-Deal-Signers-Not-Good-Enough-20190629-0008.html

Iran: Talks With Remaining Nuclear Deal Signers Not Good Enough
telesurenglish.net | 2019-06-29
Iran's deputy foreign minister says progress was made between the remaining signatories of the nation's nuclear deal in Vienna talks Friday, but not enough to meet the demands of the Islamic Republic. | RELATED: | Protests in New Dehli Against US 'Imperialism' and Sanctions | "It was a step forward, but it is still not enough and did not meet Iran's expectations," Abbas Araqchi told reporters Friday after almost four hours of talks with senior diplomats from Britain, China, France…
telesurenglish.net/news/Iran-Talks-With-Remaining-Nuclear-Deal-Signers-Not-Good-Enough-20190629-0008.html

Nationwide Demonstrations Announced to Protest Immigrant Detention Centers
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-06-29
As appalling details of the conditions at immigrant detention centers in the U.S. continue to pour in–with one doctor recently comparing them to " torture facilities"–a coalition of rights groups on Friday announced nationwide "Close the Camps" demonstrations for next week to protest the Trump administration's treatment of migrant children. | "We've seen the images and heard the stories coming out of child detention centers," said MoveOn.org, one of the groups help…
truthout.org/articles/nationwide-demonstrations-announced-to-protest-immigrant-detention-centers/

Tech privacy pioneer Ola Bini released after 70 days of extrajudicial detention in Ecuador
Zoe PC | mronline.org | 2019-06-29
After 70 days in preventive detention without formal charges, Ola Bini's request for habeas corpus was granted, and shortly after, he was released from prison. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/06/28/tech-privacy-pioneer-ola-bini-released-after-70-days-of-extrajudicial-detention-in-ecuador/

If Elected in 2020, Bernie Sanders Vows First Executive Orders Will 'Reverse Every Single Thing President Trump Has Done to Demonize and Harm Immigrants'
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-06-29
"This is a disgrace," Sanders said in response to a new report on widespread hunger at child detention facilities | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
commondreams.org/news/2019/06/29/if-elected-2020-bernie-sanders-vows-first-executive-orders-will-reverse-every-single?cd-origin=rss

History Has Taught Us That Concentration Camps Should Be Liberated. We Can't Wait Until 2020
Shaun King | theintercept.com | 2019-06-29
Few of us have fully considered what we would do if concentration camps were built and operated in our nation, by our government, on our watch, on our dime.
theintercept.com/2019/06/29/concentration-camps-border-detention/

Video of Obama-appointed lawyer defending the denial of child detainees soap, toothpaste sparks outrage
wsws.org | 2019-06-29
Justice Department attorney Sarah Fabian argued that it is legal to deny immigrant children in detention soap, toothpaste, blankets, and a place to sleep for days or weeks on end.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/06/29/immi…

History Has Taught Us That Concentration Camps Should Be Liberated. We Can't Wait Until 2020
Shaun King | commondreams.org | 2019-06-29
The scene outside the U.S. Border Patrol station where lawyers reported that detained migrant children had been held under bad conditions in Clint, Texas, on June 26, 2019. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
commondreams.org/views/2019/06/29/history-has-taught-us-concentration-camps-should-be-liberated-we-cant-wait-until?cd-origin=rss

Nationwide 'Close the Camps' Demonstrations Announced to Protest Horrific Conditions at Trump Detention Centers
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-06-29
"We need to fight for immigrant families and stop Donald Trump's racist policies, and we can only do it together." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
commondreams.org/news/2019/06/29/nationwide-close-camps-demonstrations-announced-protest-horrific-conditions-trump?cd-origin=rss

Florida Republican Gives Felons Voting Rights with Conditions
telesurenglish.net | 2019-06-29
New legislation offers Floridan convicts their voting rights back, but on the condition they pay fines in restitution prior to casting their ballot, the state governor determined Friday after signing the bill into law. | RELATED: | Florida Republicans Undermine Voting Rights of Former Felons | The text of the newly enacted law states that felons seeking to regain their right to vote must pay fines or restitution to victims as ordered by a court. | Republica Governor Ron DeSantis…
telesurenglish.net/news/Florida-Republican-Gives-Felons-Voting-Rights-with-Condition-20190629-0010.html

Smart Ass Cripple: Happy Birthday Olmstead
Mike Ervin | progressive.org | 2019-06-29
Twenty years ago, a civil rights victory helped disabled people escape institutional life.
progressive.org/dispatches/smart-ass-cripple-happy-birthday-olmstead-ervin-190629/

US Threatens to Sanction Any Nation That Imports Iranian Oil
Andrea Germanos | theantimedia.com | 2019-06-28
(CD) — President Donald Trump's special envoy for Iran further stoked tensions between Iran and the U.S. on Friday when he said the United States will sanction any country that imports Iranian crude oil. Envoy Brian Hook, in his comments to reporters in London, said that there were no exemptions, reiterating a threat the Trump administration made two months earlier. …

US Threatens to Sanction Any Nation That Imports Iranian Oil

'Hands off Venezuela' forum calls for solidarity
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-06-28
"We are resisting", is the answer that Venezuelan-Australian activist Eulalia Reyes receives when she speaks to friends and family back home. "Right now, international solidarity is so important for the Venezuelan people, who are fighting against US sanctions and threats of military intervention", she said. | Reyes was speaking at a "Hands off Venezuela" public meeting held at the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) offices on June 25. The forum addressed the current crisis in Venezuela and the US-led campaign for "regime change" against President Nicolas Maduro. | The meeting opened with an Acknowledgement of Cou…
greenleft.org.au/content/hands-venezuela-forum-calls-solidarity

Activists Lie Under Sheets to Protest Colombian Murders at OAS
telesurenglish.net | 2019-06-28
Protesters covered themselves in white sheets and lay outside the Organization of American States (OAS) taking place in Medellin since Tuesday to demonstrate the increasing number of murders of rural leaders in Colombia, and OAS leadership contradicting state statistics. | RELATED: | Colombian Cartel Kills Woman Community Leader, Son Witnesses | Human rights organizations, Don't Kill, Peace in the Streets, and Peace Generation, organized the performance protest Friday to demonstra…
telesurenglish.net/news/Activists-Lie-Under-Sheets-to-Protest-Colombian-Murders-at-OAS-20190628-0019.html

Working in Prison, I Witnessed the Inhumane Conditions of Solitary for Incarcerated Women
aclu.org | 2019-06-28
Solitary confinement can amount to torture. One practitioner witnessed this first hand, and shares her story and her journey to action. | At the first checkpoint at Tennessee Prison for Women, there was a large, scrolling television screen behind the desk displaying the image of two pairs of hands — one pair with a key and one pair in handcuffs. The message read, "You can either be one of us or one of them." I had been working in the facility for less than a year, but this message exemplified an uneasiness I had long felt without articulating: The prison's faàßade of "rehabilitation" masked a system s…
aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/solitary-confinement/working-prison-i-witnessed-inhumane-conditions-solitary

Josh Gottheimer Warned Democratic Leaders He Had Votes to Block Bill Mandating Better Conditions for Children in Detention
Aída Chávez | theintercept.com | 2019-06-28
The bill passed by Congress "does nothing to hold a rogue agency accountable for its cruelty," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal.
theintercept.com/2019/06/28/josh-gottheimer-house-democrats-cave-as-josh-gottheimer-claims-to-have-votes-to-block-bill-mandating-better-conditions-for-children-in-detention/

Florida Governor Introduces a Poll Tax, Curtailing Amendment 4
aclu.org | 2019-06-28
The law forces returning citizens with criminal records to pay for the right to vote. | On November 6, 2018, nearly 65 percent of Florida voters–more than 5 million people–resoundingly approved Amendment 4, restoring voting rights to over a million of their fellow citizens. By passing Amendment 4, Floridians successfully ushered in the largest expansion of the electorate in nearly 50 years. The people of Florida did it on their own, using a constitutional ballot initiative, to finally achieve change where Florida politicians had failed. | Instead of celebrating this progress, Florida politicians are t…
aclu.org/blog/voting-rights/voter-restoration/florida-governor-introduces-poll-tax-curtailing-amendment-4

The Movement for LGBTQ Rights Is On the March Around the World
Ian Lekus | thenation.com | 2019-06-28
The Movement for LGBTQ Rights Is On the March Around the World…
thenation.com/article/international-lgbtq-rights-legacy-imperialism/

'Beyond Spin Control': Anti-Busing Past Not Going Away as Biden and Staff Dig Themselves Deeper
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-06-28
"Joe Biden's campaign going all in on states rights in the civil rights debate. Just rejecting the entire premise of the civil rights movement!" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
commondreams.org/news/2019/06/28/beyond-spin-control-anti-busing-past-not-going-away-biden-and-staff-dig-themselves?cd-origin=rss

We are Fighting for Immigrants' Rights. Here's What You Can Do
aclu.org | 2019-06-28
We know that a better future is possible, and we at the ACLU, along with our supporters and allies, are daring to create it. | The images of Oscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his daughter Valeria, who lost their lives trying to seek refuge in the United States, have left us haunted. They serve as an ever-important reminder of the urgency of the fight for immigrant justice on our southern border and the need to stand up to the Trump administration's policies denying humanitarian protection and basic due process to families fleeing for their lives. | We remain at the frontlines of the family separation fight…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/we-are-fighting-immigrants-rights-heres-what-you-can-do

Supreme Court Hands GOP Big Victory on Gerrymandering, Ensuring "Massive Election Rigging"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-06-28
The Supreme Court hands down two major decisions. The first is a victory for Republicans, allowing extreme partisan gerrymandering to continue. The other temporarily blocks the Trump administration from adding a citizenship question on the 2020 census. We get response from Ari Berman, senior writer at Mother Jones, a reporting fellow at the Type Media Center and author of "Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America." He says the ruling that federal courts can't resolve claims of partisan gerrymandering is "almost guaranteed to facilitate massive election rigging in the future."
www.democracynow.org/2019/6/28/supreme_c…

Harry Hay: Communist pioneer in the fight for gay liberation
Norman Markowitz | peoplesworld.org | 2019-06-28
Beginning with the "ghetto riot" at the Stonewall Bar in Greenwich Village in 1969, an open gay liberation movement came into existence which has been a significant force in the larger peoples' movements for almost a half-century. While most people identify gay liberation with the "New Left" of the 1960s, it, like the civil rights, …
peoplesworld.org/article/harry-hay-communist-pioneer-in-the-fight-for-gay-liberation/

'The Damage Has Been Done': Despite Court Ruling, Experts Say Trump Succeeded in Making Immigrant Communities Fearful of Census
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-06-28
Despite the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of the Trump administration's attempt to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 census, rights advocates said Friday, the damage to immigrant communities across the country is likely already done. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
commondreams.org/news/2019/06/28/damage-has-been-done-despite-court-ruling-experts-say-trump-succeeded-making?cd-origin=rss

Thursday's Daily Brief: dire living conditions in Idlib, migrants at US southern border, end in sight for trachoma, Human Rights Council
United Nations | un.org | 2019-06-27
This Thursday, we cover: the dire humanitarian situation in Syria's Idlib; living conditions at the US-Mexico border denounced by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF); trachoma-related blindness on the verge of being eliminated; and updates from the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/06/1041501

'Words must never be met with violence' urges UN, following Taliban threat to journalists
United Nations | un.org | 2019-06-27
Following last week's public threats by Taliban militants to deliberately target media outlets in Afghanistan, the United Nations mission chief in the country reiterated his call on Thursday for journalists' rights to be protected, underlining the power of press freedom to advance peace, justice and human rights.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/06/1041441