STAFF (2019-01-23). Supreme Court Returns to Gun Rights for 1st Time in 9 Years. truthdig.com The court will take up a challenge to New York City's ban on carrying a licensed, locked and unloaded handgun outside the city limits.
teleSUR (2019-01-23). Supreme Court Finds in Favor of Mapuche Leader Facundo Jones. telesurenglish.net The Supreme Court declared admissible the appeal for annulment in favor of Mapuche leader, Facundo Jones Huala, who is being held in Temuco prison. | RELATED: | Chile: Mapuche Indigenous Leader Facundo Jones Huala Condemned | The alleged cause is related to the use of intelligence law in criminal proceedings, where it's rumored that the Chilean government – specifically the Ministry of Security were illegally monitoring Jones Huala, and leaking secret documents to the Prosecution,…
Raouf Halaby (2019-01-22). The Little Brett Kavanaughs from Covington Catholic High. counterpunch.org 
On Friday, January 17, 2019, a sordid modern day short-lived tragedy unfolded in close proximity to the Lincoln Memorial. A national site that serves as an aide mémoire to the most divisive time in the nation's history and the subsequent slow healing process, the Lincoln Memorial is a hallowed tiny piece of ground that stands More
ACLU (2019-01-22). Amid a Deteriorating Landscape for Abortion Rights, a Critical Victory in New York. aclu.org On Tuesday, New York passed the Reproductive Health Act, finally bringing state law in line with Roe v. Wade. | On the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that secured the right to abortion, the nationwide picture could not look grimmer. That's what makes Tuesday's victory in New York, which protected and expanded abortion rights in the state through the Reproductive Health Act, so important. | Across the country, anti-abortion politicians have been eroding abortion rights in state after state. Since 2011, they have…
RT (2019-01-22). Supreme Court rules in favor of Trump's transgender military ban. rt.com 
The US Supreme Court has ruled that President Trump's ban on transgender people in the military can go ahead, ending almost two years of legal wrangling.
splcenter (2019-01-22). SPLC statement on Supreme Court's decision to lift injunctions against Trump's transgender military ban. splcenter.org The U.S. Supreme Court's decision today to temporarily lift injunctions against the Trump administration's ban on open service by transgender Americans is just that: temporary.
Human Rights Watch (2019-01-22). US Supreme Court Says Transgender Military Ban Can Go Ahead. hrw.org 
| | People protest U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he plans to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals from serving in any capacity in the U.S. military, in Times Square, in New York City, New York, U.S., July 26, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters | The United States Supreme Court on Tuesday gave a green light for the Trump Administration's ban on transgender military service to take effect. | When the…
RT (2019-01-22). 'Not dead yet!' Fox & Friends apologizes for airing premature Bader Ginsburg obit. rt.com 
Fox & Friends has apologized profusely after accidentally airing a graphic memorializing the still-living Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during prime Trump viewing hours.
STAFF (2019-01-22). Supreme Court Gives Green Light to Trump's Ban on Transgender Service Members. truthdig.com In a decision LGBTQ rights advocates immediately denounced as an "awful attack" on the rights of transgender Americans, the Supreme Court's conservative majority on Tuesday gave a green light to President Donald Trump's widely condemned ban on transgender people serving in the military. | While one nationwide injunction against the ban remains in effect—meaning Trump's policy cannot yet be implemented—Slate's Mark Joseph Stern noted that the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling makes it likely that the remaining injunction will "soon be reversed." | "This is heartbreaking and temporary," declared ACLU staff att…
RT (2019-01-22). 'Unconstitutional hoax': Trump lashes out over FBI 'FISA-gate' revelations. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has taken note of leaked testimonies by senior FBI and DOJ officials implicated in spying on his campaign in 2016, but has yet to declassify the documents related to the FISA abuse scandal.
WSWS (2019-01-22). Amid mounting coup threats in Venezuela, Maduro begs Trump for dialog. wsws.org Venezuelan security and intelligence agents suppressed an abortive rebellion by a National Guard unit early Monday morning, provoking protests.
Consortiumnews (2019-01-19). Exclusive: They Spy with Their Little Eye. consortiumnews.com The Five Eyes, a part of what the NSA calls internally its "global network," have their dirty fingerprints all over the latest spying scandal engulfing New Zealand, writes exiled Kiwi journalist and activist Suzie Dawson. NZ Spy Scandal: Elephants In The Room;… Read more →
Marjorie Cohn (2019-01-19). Brett Kavanaugh is a Threat to Racial Justice and Voting Rights. zcomm.org In light of the proliferation of laws that pose obstacles to voting, the Supreme Court will have the opportunity to further eviscerate the Voting Rights Act…
Consortiumnews (2019-01-18). Watch Replay of 13th Vigil for Assange. consortiumnews.com Watch Friday's broadcast here on Consortium News that discussed the latest news on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The WikiLeaks publisher continues to resist pressure to leave the Ecuador Embassy and be sent to the U.S. for prosecution, even as he has been… Read more →
ACLU (2019-01-18). Alaska Governor's Mass-Firing of State Workers Violated the First Amendment. aclu.org Gov. Dunleavy's actions are a throwback to a corrupt spoils system that our system strived to eradicate for generations. | Days after being elected governor of Alaska, Michael Dunleavy requested resignations from more than 1,200 at-will state employees. Those who didn't resign were later fired. This kind of political retaliation against non-political state workers is an attack on the very foundations of free speech and good government. | It is not unusual for newly elected chief executives at the federal, state, and local levels to replace political appointees. But such political tests can only reach so far down…
ACLU (2019-01-18). The Justice Department Shouldn't Be Snooping on Journalists. aclu.org Rolling back Justice Department rules that protect journalists' privacy would undermine freedom of the press. | At a time when President Trump regularly attacks the news media, the Department of Justice may be preparing to make it easier for the government to obtain journalists' private communications data. | The public relies on both journalists and whistleblowers for vital information about our government's most controversial activities. Weakening the current rules that protect reporters — as wel…
Joe Emersberger (2019-01-16). Was that the Onion or Reuters Quoting Mike Pompeo on Venezuela? zcomm.org This Reuters article says "The Maduro regime is illegitimate and the United States will work diligently to restore a real democracy to that country," Pompeo told reporters in Abu Dhabi, where he is on a tour of Middle East countries. " [emphasis added] The Onion might have simply changed "countries" above to "dictatorships" or, Read more…
Democracy Now! (2019-01-15). Headlines for January 15, 2019. democracynow.org Over 30,000 Los Angeles Teachers Walk Out in First Strike in 30 Years, Barr Pledges to Protect Mueller Probe as He Faces Senate AG Hearings, NYC Prisoners Go on Hunger Strike, Feel Effect of Gov't Shutdown, Poland Mayor, Defender of Immigrant Rights, Dies After Public Stabbing, Afghanistan: Taliban Car Bomb Kills 5, Injures Over 100, Afghanistan: New Defense Minister Accused of War Crimes, Human Rights Abuses, Brexit: Lawmakers Set to Vote on Contested Brexit Deal, Pennsylvania Judge Blocks Trump's Birth Control Restrictions Nationwide, Justice Ginsburg Declared Cancer-Free, Reviews SCOTUS Cases from Home, SCOTUS…
Dave Markland (2019-01-10). Farewell to bblum6. zcomm.org Bill Blum passed away early last month in Virginia. Many Z Net readers will know his canonical book, Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since WWII, or remember his regular newsletter Anti-Empire Report. My first contact with Bill came in 1995 when I wrote him about something he had written on the Cold War. Read more…
Max Blumenthal (2019-01-09). New Documents Reveal a Covert British Military-Intelligence Smear Machine Meddling In American Politics. grayzoneproject.com The Integrity Initiative has mobilized an international disinformation campaign across Europe. Now, with government and right-wing foundation money, this massive…
Paul Dobson (2019-01-07). Venezuelan Ex-Magistrate Flees to Miami, Pledges to 'Collaborate' with US Authorities. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuela's Supreme Court claims Christian Zerpa fled a sexual harassment investigation.
Ricardo Vaz (2019-01-03). US Secretary of State Pompeo Enlists Allies to 'Return Democracy' to Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com US allies Brazil and Colombia have repeatedly voiced support for regime change efforts.
Paul Kawika Martin (2018-12-04). With INF Ultimatum, Trump's Maximalist Approach Strikes Again. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — December 4, 2018 — In response to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's announcement that the U.S. will formally announce its intention to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 60 days if Russia does not come into compliance with the treaty by then, Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy […]
Yanis Varoufakis (2018-11-29). On Julian Assange and the Political Economy & future of Europe. zcomm.org Interview on the socio-economic transformations taking place within the core of the European Union and how much time is left until it disintegrates…
Chris Hedges (2018-11-26). Crucifying Julian Assange. zcomm.org Chris Hedges and Joe Lauria, journalist and editor-in-chief, Consortium, discuss efforts to force #WikiLeaks publisher, #JulianAssange, out of the Ecuador Embassy in London and extradite him to the USA to stand trial.
The Trump Administration is refusing to reveal details of the charges against Mr. Assange despite the fact that sources in the U.S. Department of Justice have confirmed to Associated Press and the New York Times that Mr. Assange has been charged under seal.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court revived President Donald Trump's plan to ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. military. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court lifted two lower court rulings that had blocked the ban from going into effect on constitutional grounds. Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented. A third injunction remains in place for now. We speak to Chase Strangio, staff attorney at the ACLU, which is challenging the Trump administration's ban on servicemembers who are transgender.
The pioneering trans actress and activist Laverne Cox responds to the Supreme Court's revival of President Donald Trump's plan to ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. military. She spoke on Tuesday at the National Day of Racial Healing as part of a conversation moderated by Amy Goodman.