2019-07-03: Social Media Postees

Thousands of Voices Are Telling the Supreme Court: Don't Roll Back LGBTQ Rights
aclu.org | 2019-07-03
Businesses, women CEOs, civil rights organizations, Republicans tell the Supreme Court to protect LGBTQ employees like Aimee Stephens and Don Zarda. | President Trump has told the Supreme Court it should be legal to fire someone just because they're LGBTQ. The President may be a bully, but he's just one voice. Today, more than 2,000 voices from across the country joined together to tell the Supreme Court: Don't roll back our rights. | The message came in the form of friend-of-the-court briefs–nearly 50 in all–filed in a…
aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/lgbt-nondiscrimination-protections/thousands-voices-are-telling-supreme-court-dont

SF PRIDE 2019 "One Job Is Enough!" Unite Here Local 2 & Free Chelsea & Assange
Labor Video Project | indybay.org | 2019-07-03
At San Francisco PRIDE march and rally on June 30, 2019, Unite Here Local 2 workers and leaders talked about why they support PRIDE and also supporters of Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange marched and talked about the jailin of Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/06/30/18824321.php

Candles for Assange
Bay Action for Assange | indybay.org | 2019-07-03
Meet at Los Gatos Library Lawn 7pm – 9pm…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/06/30/18824331.php

Australian workers and youth speak out in defence of Assange at SEP rally
wsws.org | 2019-07-03
"No other political party, none of the human rights groups are acting. Amnesty is doing nothing! Getup is doing nothing!"
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/03/assa-j03.html

Assange Is Trapped in the Web of the US Legal Empire
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-07-03
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may have been described by British foreign affairs minister Alan Duncan as a " miserable little worm," but his situation is in fact far more like that of a fly, trapped in the web of a powerful predator. | On June 13, British Home Secretary Sajid Javid signed off on the United States's request to extradite Assange from the U…
truthout.org/articles/assange-is-trapped-in-the-web-of-the-us-legal-empire/

Basta !!! Free Chelsea Manning & Julien Assange Oakland Weekly Friday Vigil
Orion Edmonson | indybay.org | 2019-07-03
MacArthuR and fruitvale oakland 94602…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/07/03/18824403.php

Assange Is Trapped in the Web of the US Legal Empire
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-07-03
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may have been described by British foreign affairs minister Alan Duncan as a " miserable little worm," but his situation is in fact far more like that of a fly, trapped in the web of a powerful predator. | On June 13, British Home Secretary Sajid Javid signed off on the United States's request to extradite Assange from the U…
truthout.org/articles/assange-is-trapped-in-the-web-of-the-us-legal-empire/

Australian workers and youth speak out in defence of Assange at SEP rally
wsws.org | 2019-07-03
"No other political party, none of the human rights groups are acting. Amnesty is doing nothing! Getup is doing nothing!"
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/03/assa-j03.html

2020 Census Form Will Not Include Citizenship Question, Trump Administration Says
Robert Mackey | theintercept.com | 2019-07-02
The Trump administration admitted defeat on Tuesday, confirming that forms for the 2020 United States census will not include a question asking residents who respond to the survey if they are U.S. citizens. The change of plans follows last week's Supreme Court decision that the Commerce Department had failed to provide a valid reason for adding the question. | The news was conveyed in an email from the Justice Department's Civil Rights division to lawyers who had contested the effort in lawsuits, and confirmed to The Inte…
theintercept.com/2019/07/02/2020-census-form-will-not-include-citizenship-question-trump-administration-says/

2020 Census Form Will Not Include Citizenship Question, Trump Administration Says
Robert Mackey | theintercept.com | 2019-07-02
The Trump administration admitted defeat on Tuesday, confirming that forms for the 2020 U.S. census will not include a question asking residents who respond to the survey if they are U.S. citizens. The change of plans follows last week's Supreme Court decision that the Commerce Department had failed to provide a valid reason for adding the question. | The news was conveyed in an email from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division to lawyers who had contested the effort in lawsuits, and confirmed to The Intercept by…
theintercept.com/2019/07/02/2020-census-form-will-not-include-citizenship-question-trump-administration-says/

After Supreme Court Refusal, It's Up to the People to End Gerrymandering
Prof. Marjorie Cohn | globalresearch.ca | 2019-07-02
The Supreme Court has abdicated its responsibility to strike down partisan gerrymandering. This occurs when one party intentionally manipulates district boundaries to skew its voting power, notwithstanding the will of the voters. Although both parties engage in partisan gerrymandering, Republicans …
globalresearch.ca/after-supreme-court-refusal-its-up-people-end-gerrymandering/5682464

The Only Hope Left of Ending Partisan Gerrymandering
Marjorie Cohn | truthdig.com | 2019-07-02
This piece first appeared in Truthout. | The Supreme Court has abdicated its responsibility to strike down partisan gerrymandering. This occurs when one party intentionally manipulates district boundaries to skew its voting power, notwithstanding the will of the voters. Although both parties engage in partisan gerrymandering, Republicans benefit from it far more than Democrats. | Chief Just…
truthdig.com/articles/the-only-hope-left-of-ending-partisan-gerrymandering/

Trump administration orders printing 2020 census forms without citizenship question
rt.com | 2019-07-02
Opponents of returning a question about US citizenship onto census forms in 2020 are rejoicing as the Trump administration confirmed it would start printing the forms without it, following a mixed opinion from the Supreme Court. | …
rt.com/usa/463242-census-forms-citizenship-question/

Census Will Be Printed Without Citizenship Question
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-07-02
WASHINGTON — Days after the U.S. Supreme Court halted the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday started the process of printing the questionnaire without the controversial query. | Trump administration attorneys notified parties in lawsuits challenging the question that the printing of the hundreds of millions of documents for the 2020 counts would be starting, said Kristen Clarke, executive director of the National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. | Justice Department spokeswoman Kelly Laco confirmed there would be "no citizenship question on…
truthdig.com/articles/census-will-be-printed-without-citizenship-question/

Trump Retreats on 2020 Census Citizenship Question
telesurenglish.net | 2019-07-02
The United States (U.S.) government has backed down from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. census, saying that it will begin printing forms without the query. | RELATED: | Trump: Dictators' Kids Will Benefit From Birthright Citizenship | "I respect the Supreme Court but strongly disagree with its ruling regarding my decision to reinstate a citizenship question on the 2020 census," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement, adding that the "Census Bureau has…
telesurenglish.net/news/Trump-Retreats-Census-Citizenship-Question-20190702-0030.html

Census Will Be Printed Without Citizenship Question
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-07-02
WASHINGTON — Days after the U.S. Supreme Court halted the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday started the process of printing the questionnaire without the controversial query. | Trump administration attorneys notified parties in lawsuits challenging the question that the printing of the hundreds of millions of documents for the 2020 counts would be starting, said Kristen Clarke, executive director of the National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. | Justice Department spokeswoman Kelly Laco confirmed there would be "no citizenship question on…
truthdig.com/articles/census-will-be-printed-without-citizenship-question/

The Mainstream Media Won't Name US Military Aggression
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-07-02
Headlined "U.S. Seeks Other Ways to Stop Iran Shy of War," the article was tucked away on page A9 of a recent New York Times. Still, it caught my attention. Here's the first paragraph: | "American intelligence and military officers are working on additional clandestine plans to counter Iranian aggression in the Persian Gulf, pushed by the White House to develop new options that could help deter Tehran without escalating tensions into a full-out conventional war, according to current and forme…
truthout.org/articles/the-mainstream-media-wont-name-us-military-aggression/

Is CIA Behind Hong Kong Protests?
RT | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-07-02
RT America's Michele Greenstein joins Rick Sanchez to discuss the ongoing protests in Hong Kong and the "National Endowment for Democracy," the US-based NGO funding the protesters.
dissidentvoice.org/2019/07/is-cia-behind-hong-kong-protests/

Is CIA Behind Hong Kong Protests?
RT | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-07-02
RT America's Michele Greenstein joins Rick Sanchez to discuss the ongoing protests in Hong Kong and the "National Endowment for Democracy," the US-based NGO funding the protesters.
dissidentvoice.org/2019/07/is-cia-behind-hong-kong-protests/

UK: GCHQ/MI5 admit illegally spying on millions
wsws.org | 2019-07-02
Their admissions were the result of a court case brought by the civil rights group Liberty.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/02/surv-j02.html

UK: GCHQ/MI5 admit illegally spying on millions
wsws.org | 2019-07-02
Their admissions were the result of a court case brought by the civil rights group Liberty.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/02/surv-j02.html

If war breaks out with Iran, it won't be an accident
Phyllis Bennis | nationofchange.org | 2019-07-02
Some things are still unclear about Trump's recent decision to bomb Iran — and his rapid-fire follow-up decision not to. | We still don't know what he or his bomb-Iran cheerleaders — National Security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — thought the bombing would actually accomplish. We also don't know why Trump decided to recall the bombers. (Trump claimed it's because a general told him 150 people would die in the attack. But given Trump's indifference to civilia…
nationofchange.org/2019/07/02/if-war-breaks-out-with-iran-it-wont-be-an-accident/

If war breaks out with Iran, it won't be an accident
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-07-02
Some things are still unclear about US President Donald Trump's recent decision to bomb Iran — and his rapid-fire follow-up decision not to. | We still do not know what he or his bomb-Iran cheerleaders — National Security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — thought the bombing would actually accomplish. | We also do not know why Trump decided to recall the bombers. (Trump claimed it was because a general told him 150 people would die in the attack. But given Trump's indifference to civilian c…
greenleft.org.au/content/if-war-breaks-out-iran-no-accident

Urban League President Morial: "We Must Not Let Our Guard Down" Because Supreme Court Temporarily Blocked Trump's Bigoted Census Citizenship Question
Marc Morial | blackstarnews.com | 2019-07-01
National Urban League President Marc Morial: "We must not let our guard down" because Supreme Court temporarily blocked Census citizenship question… | Civil rights groups and advocates for a fair census breathed a sigh of relief this week when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's "contrived" justification for adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census. | However, the court did not categorically rule out the addition of a question, should the administration eventually provide sufficient justification. | We must not let down our guard. | We have known from the beginning that the additi…
www.blackstarnews.com/us-politics/white-house/urban-league-president-morial-%E2%80%9Cwe-must-not-let-our-guard-down

Calling Trump's Rationale "Contrived," Supreme Court Halts Citizenship Question
Prof. Marjorie Cohn | globalresearch.ca | 2019-07-01
In a surprise decision, Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by the four liberal members of the Supreme Court — Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor — halted the Trump administration's plans, at least …
globalresearch.ca/calling-trumps-rationale-contrived-supreme-court-halts-citizenship-question/5682247

The Supreme Court Is in Danger of Again Becoming 'the Grave of Liberty'
Eric Foner | thenation.com | 2019-07-01
The Supreme Court Is in Danger of Again Becoming 'the Grave of Liberty'…
thenation.com/article/eric-foner-supreme-court-john-roberts/

Interview with Jose "Cha Cha" Jimenez on original Rainbow Coalition
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-07-01
There are many 50-year anniversaries being celebrated these days, including the founding of the Young Lords on September 23, 1968, and the Rainbow Coalition in April 1969. | Fight Back! interviewed the founder of the Young Lords, Jose "Cha Cha" Jimenez, about the original Rainbow Coalition. The powers ruling Chicago were struck with fear when the Rainbow Coalition came together. The United States government and the FBI repressed the groups of the Rainbow Coalition with the courts and violence in the form of COINTELPRO, the counter-intelligence program. The Rainbow Coalition inspired many activists in the late 196…
fightbacknews.org/2019/7/1/interview-jose-cha-cha-jimenez-original-rainbow-coalition

Intel agencies may be reined in after Russiagate fiasco – ex-Trump adviser Papadopoulos
rt.com | 2019-07-01
The "deep state" that helped orchestrate Russiagate is now running for cover, George Papadopoulos told RT's Going Underground, predicting that US intelligence agencies could face new oversight as a result of the scandal. | …
rt.com/usa/463131-deep-state-papadopoulos-russiagate/

Interview with Jose "Cha Cha" Jimenez on original Rainbow Coalition
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-07-01
There are many 50-year anniversaries being celebrated these days, including the founding of the Young Lords on September 23, 1968, and the Rainbow Coalition in April 1969. | Fight Back! interviewed the founder of the Young Lords, Jose "Cha Cha" Jimenez, about the original Rainbow Coalition. The powers ruling Chicago were struck with fear when the Rainbow Coalition came together. The United States government and the FBI repressed the groups of the Rainbow Coalition with the courts and violence in the form of COINTELPRO, the counter-intelligence program. The Rainbow Coalition inspired many activists in the late 196…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/7/1/interview-jose-cha-cha-jimenez-original-rainbow-coalition

Renewed push towards authoritarian rule in Brazil after exposures in Car Wash probe
wsws.org | 2019-07-01
The publishing of leaked messages concerning the trial of Lula has led to government threats of repression and charges of collusion with Russian intelligence.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/01/braz-j01.html

How Sen. Rick Scott Became Big Oil's Point Man on Venezuelan Regime Change
Dan Cohen | globalresearch.ca | 2019-07-01
The US oil cartel has given Florida's Rick Scott 500 million reasons to be one of the Senate's most fanatical cheerleaders for toppling Venezuela's leftist government. | *** | While National Security Advisor John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, …
globalresearch.ca/how-sen-rick-scott-became-big-oils-point-man-venezuelan-regime-change/5682251

SF PRIDE 2019 "One Job Is Enough!" Unite Here Local 2 & Free Chelsea & Assange
Labor Video Project | indybay.org | 2019-07-01
At San Francisco PRIDE march and rally on June 30, 2019, Unite Here Local 2 workers and leaders talked about why they support PRIDE and also supporters of Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange marched and talked about the jailin of Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/06/30/18824321.php

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

SEP (Australia) holds Sydney rally in defence of Assange and Manning
wsws.org | 2019-07-01
"If two million people can come out on the streets of Hong Kong against extradition legislation, then we can surely build such a mass popular movement on a global scale to free Assange and Manning."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/01/rall-j01.html

Candles for Assange
Bay Action for Assange | indybay.org | 2019-07-01
Meet at Los Gatos Library Lawn 7pm – 9pm…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/06/30/18824331.php

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-j01.html

The Muslim Ban: A Family Separation Policy
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-06-30
Just shy of the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court's June 2018 decision allowing the Trump administration to fully implement the Muslim ban for the foreseeable future, the State Department published a report showing the ban's devastating impact on American families. The administration isn't just separating families at…
truthout.org/articles/the-muslim-ban-a-family-separation-policy/

Supreme Court's Shock Decision Is an Indictment of Trump's Racism
Marjorie Cohn | truthdig.com | 2019-06-30
The highest court in the land puts a halt to the Trump administration's plans to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census—for now.
truthdig.com/articles/supreme-courts-shock-decision-is-an-indictment-of-trumps-racism/

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

State Redistricting a Target for "Dark Money" After Supreme Court Ruling
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-06-29
Redistricting for the next decade will be up to the states after the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that federal courts do not have the power to rule on partisan gerrymandering, the practice by which lawmakers draw maps that flagrantly benefit their own party. | The decision will make the control of state legislatures a priority for both parties in 2020, as — in the majority of states — the state lawmakers in power draw the maps for congressional districts. The ruling could also increase calls for nonpartis…
truthout.org/articles/state-redistricting-a-target-for-dark-money-after-supreme-court-ruling/

U.S., Taliban Open New Talks to End Afghanistan War
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-06-29
Negotiations resume in Qatar days after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington wants an Afghan peace agreement before Sept. 1.
truthdig.com/articles/u-s-taliban-open-new-talks-to-end-afghanistan-war/

Headlines for June 28, 2019
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-06-28
Supreme Court Says Partisan Gerrymandering Can't Be Challenged in Federal Courts, Trump Threatens to Delay Census After Supreme Court Blocks Adding Citizenship Question, Kamala Harris Takes on Joe Biden over Working with Segregationists and His Opposition to Busing, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Decries New Border Bill as an Unacceptable Betrayal, U.S. Helps Block Progress at German Climate Summit as Europe Sizzles in Record Heat, With a Smile, Trump Tells Putin at G20 Not to Meddle in U.S. Elections, Trump's Chief of Diplomatic Protocol Resigns After Accused of Carrying Whip at Work, Brazilian Air Force Officer…
www.democracynow.org/2019/6/28/headlines

Georgia Tried to Ban Abortion, So We Sued
aclu.org | 2019-06-28
Abortion bans place people in danger, and Georgia's is no exception. | Alabama. Arkansas. Kentucky. Ohio. And today, Georgia. That's the list of states where the ACLU has had to go to court over the last few months to challenge laws banning abortion. | The Georgia law bans abortion at six weeks of pregnancy and is in clear violation of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade. In fact, that is the whole point of the law. Georgia politicians, including Governor Brian Kemp, emboldened by President Trump's appointment of two new justices to the Supreme Court, think this is their chance to get the court to take aw…
aclu.org/blog/reproductive-freedom/abortion/georgia-tried-ban-abortion-so-we-sued

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_court_hands_gop_big_victory

'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/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-115229094811.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/06/28/damage-has-been-done-despite-court-ruling-experts-say-trump-succeeded-making?cd-origin=rss

Silicon Valley Immigration Lobby Group: Supreme Court's Decision To Hear Arguments On Ending DACA "Deeply Disappointing"
Special To The Black Star News | blackstarnews.com | 2019-06-28
ALBANY, NY — FWD.us New York Immigration Manager Eddie A. Taveras issued the following statement today on the Supreme Court's decision to grant certiorari and hear arguments on the termination of DACA: |…
www.blackstarnews.com/us-politics/justice/silicon-valley-immigration-lobby-group-supreme-court%E2%80%99s-decision

Georgia Tried to Ban Abortion, So We Sued
aclu.org | 2019-06-28
Abortion bans place people in danger, and Georgia's is no exception. | Alabama. Arkansas. Kentucky. Ohio. And today, Georgia. That's the list of states where the ACLU has had to go to court over the last few months to challenge laws banning abortion. | The Georgia law bans abortion at six weeks of pregnancy and is in clear violation of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade. In fact, that is the whole point of the law. Georgia politicians, including Governor Brian Kemp, emboldened by President Trump's appointment of two new justices to the Supreme Court, think this is their chance to get the court to take aw…
aclu.org/blog/reproductive-freedom/abortion/georgia-tried-ban-abortion-so-we-sued

SPLC: Sentencing of James Alex Fields Jr., who killed Heather Heyer at 'Unite the Right,' will not heal victims or their families
Keegan Hankes, Intelligence Project | splcenter.org | 2019-06-28
James Alex Fields Jr., who was sentenced to life in prison today for murdering a woman who was protesting a white supremacist rally two years ago, is a remorseless killer and a domestic terrorist.
splcenter.org/news/2019/06/28/splc-sentencing-james-alex-fields-jr-who-killed-heather-heyer-unite-right-will-not-heal

At G20, Trump Seeks Fresh Start With Putin After End of Mueller Inquiry
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2019-06-28
(ANTIWAR.COM) — President Trump arrived in Osaka, Japan on Thursday evening, and is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday afternoon. This will be their first meeting since last year in Helsinki, and a huge deal, as US and Russia relations have been suffering mightily in recent years. Trump and other officials have …

At G20, Trump Seeks Fresh Start With Putin After End of Mueller Inquiry

The Military Industrial Complex Loves Left Wing Hawk Adam Schiff
John Kiriakou | mintpressnews.com | 2019-06-28
If there was any doubt at all that Adam Schiff is in the grip of the military-industrial complex, one doesn't have to rely just on his stated positions on Iran, Venezuela, and China to make the situation any clearer. Just take a look at his donors.
mintpressnews.com/why-the-military-industrial-complex-loves-left-wing-hawk-adam-schiff/260069/