2020-03-19: News Headlines

Doug Johnson Hatlem (2020-03-19). In Loving and Proud Memory of My Friend Derek Soberal. counterpunch.org Derek Soberal, a friend I had lost touch with in recent years, was a proud Canadian whose most inward being recoiled against Canadian fascism. Derek committed suicide on Tuesday morning in awful, spectacular fashion. Emergency personnel received a call about a man covering himself with accelerant in front of the Esso station at Dundas and

RT (2020-03-19). Israel's Supreme Court hears challenge to coronavirus cellphone monitoring. rt.com Civil liberties activists asked Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday to suspend cellphone monitoring put in place under emergency regulations to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Surveillance began this week after the government approved special orders that circumvented customary parliamentary oversight and enabled the Shin Bet counter-terrorism agency to tap into cellular location data, Reuters reported. | The Association of Civil Rights in Israel, Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights – and the Joint List of Arab parties petitioned the court to freeze the monitoring. "The government canno…

Staff (2020-03-19). Trump Continues Calling the Coronavirus "Chinese" Despite Reports of Anti-Asian Hate Crimes. democracynow.org "I would like to begin by announcing some important developments in our war against the Chinese virus. I will be invoking the Defense Production Act just in case we need it." That was the opening line of President Trump's news conference Wednesday afternoon. Later in the news conference, Trump was questioned by ABC News reporter Cecilia Vega on continuously referring to the coronavirus as the "Chinese virus." A member of the administration also reportedly referred to the coronavirus as the "kung-flu." Meanwhile, racist incidents and threats of hate crimes against Asian Americans have emerged across the United Sta…

RT (2020-03-19). UN chief names new head of beleaguered Palestinian refugee agency. rt.com UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Swiss humanitarian expert Philippe Lazzarini to head the beleaguered UN agency for Palestinian refugees. The UN chief made the announcement on Wednesday following consultations with the Advisory Commission of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Near East, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. | The UNRWA has faced a financial crisis following the cutoff of US funding and a crisis of confidence after its previous leader was accused of abusing his authority. | Lazzarini will replace former UNRWA commissioner-general Pierre Krahen…

teleSUR (2020-03-19). US and Israel Seek to Monopolize Arms Sales in Iraq. telesurenglish.net Iraq said on Wednesday that U.S. and Israeli arms companies are pressuring the country not to buy military equipment from other states, local media reported. | RELATED: | "Companies and businessmen from both countries want Iraq not to buy weapons from other developed countries," Badr al-Ziyadi, a member of the Security and Defense Committee of the Iraqi Parliament, said Wednesday. | According to al-Ziyadi, recently "a d…

Sonali Kolhatkar (2020-03-19). Trump Uses Coronavirus to Spread Racism. truthdig.com There is nothing like a global pandemic to unleash the forces of racism in society. Trump is now routinely calling the novel coronavirus strain "the Chinese virus."

WSWS (2020-03-19). Hungarian government uses coronavirus epidemic to promote racism. wsws.org As throughout Europe, the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Hungary.

splcenter (2020-03-19). West Virginia Tourist Hub Rejects VDARE's 'Negative' Message‚Äã. splcenter.org A vacation hub known for its placid spas and lush hiking trails, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia has hardly been defined by Trump-era political strife in recent years.

Hatewatch Staff (2020-03-19). California Anti-Immigrant Activist Robin Hvidston Seeking State Assembly Seat. splcenter.org Robin Hvidston, a longtime anti-immigrant activist, is running as a Republican for a California Assembly seat in District 41.

sputniknews (2020-03-19). Mossad Brings Israeli Health Ministry Improper Kits For Coronavirus Tests – Reports. sputniknews.com Israel has engaged all of its forces to tackle the spread of the novel coronavirus – just recently the country's Defence Ministry orchestrated the opening of two hotels for people infected with the virus, while also mobilising 2,500 IDF soldiers to help deal with the spread of the disease.

sputniknews (2020-03-19). Iranian Doctors Urge Neighbours to Liquidate Any US Biological Labs Amid Coronavirus Fears. sputniknews.com With over 17,300 cases and 1,135 deaths to date, Iran has been one of the countries hit hardest by COVID-19, with the virus affecting not only the population at large, but a big portion of the political elite as well. Last week, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said there was evidence that the pandemic may have been a "biological attack."

yenisafak (2020-03-19). Israel increases settlements in Palestine, says report. yenisafak.com Israel has increased its activity to build settlements in the occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank area by 25%, since the U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office in 2017, said an annual report on settlement activity.According to Peace Now — an Israeli activist group promoting a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — during President Trump's tenure over the past three years 6,800 new units (yearly average of 2,267 units) have been constructed. During his predecessor, Barack Obama's tenure on an average 1,805 such units came up in occupied lands."Nearly 63% (1,200 housing units) of the…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-03-19). 'Zionist' Biden in His Own Words: 'My Name is Joe Biden, and Everybody Knows I Love Israel'. counterpunch.org "I am a Zionist. You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist," current Democratic Presidential candidate, Joe Biden, said in April 2007, soon before he was chosen to be Barack Obama's running mate in the 2008 elections. Biden is, of course, correct, because Zionism is a political movement that is rooted in

RT (2020-03-18). US military 'did not give it to ANYBODY', coronavirus came from CHINA: Trump gets involved in bioweapon conspiracy spat. rt.com US President Donald Trump is refusing to stop using the name 'Chinese virus', despite or perhaps in spite of protests from Beijing and some US media outlets claiming that doing so is inappropriate or even racist. | Asked about his use of the term during a White House press conference on Tuesday, the US president said he will continue calling Covid-19 a "Chinese virus" because it came from China, and he did not appreciate attempts by Beijing to argue otherwise. | "China was putting out information, which was false, that our military gave this to them. That was false," Trump said. "And rather than having an argu…

Jefferson Morley (2020-03-18). Exposing a Biden Staffer's Connections to Troubled Israeli Spyware Firm. counterpunch.org After Sunday night's Democratic presidential debate, Anita Dunn, senior adviser to Joe Biden's campaign, defended the vice president's performance in a briefing with reporters. Last year, Dunn, who served as communications director in Barack Obama's White House, did a similar duty for NSO, the spyware firm founded by former Israeli intelligence officers. The NSO Group

Staff (2020-03-18). Delay or Hold Primaries: Can the 2020 Election Be Safeguarded Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic? democracynow.org Tuesday night's primary election for the Democratic presidential nomination was marred by chaos, confusion and fears over the spread of coronavirus at polling places as former Vice President Joe Biden consolidated his lead as he won Florida and Illinois by a wide margin and scored a victory in Arizona. We are joined by Vanita Gupta, former head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in the Obama administration, now president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the nation's oldest and largest civil rights coalition. They issued a call with 100 voting rights groups for states to proce…

Ali Salam (2020-03-18). Members of US Congress Call for Action Against Israeli Policy of Forced Displacement. imemc.org A letter signed by 64 members of the US Congress on Tuesday addressed to Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, urged the Trump administration to oppose Israel's demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank, and to reject further US funding, Palestine News Network reported. The letter stated, "We are …

Rami Almeghari (2020-03-18). Senior PLO Member: "Israeli Policy of Home Demolition Is A War Crime" imemc.org Tayseer Khaled, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization(PLO), said this week that Israeli policy of Palestinian homes' demolition constitutes a war crime, an act of collective punishment that violates International Law. Khaled's remarks came in the backdrop of a recent United Nations' report on the humanitarian situation in …

Rami Almeghari (2020-03-18). Updated: "Israeli Soldiers Abduct Ten Palestinian In West Bank" imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, earlier Wednesday, at least ten Palestinians from their homes in several parts of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported. In the central West Bank city of Ramallah, a squadron of Israeli soldiers invaded a town in the Ramallah district and abducted six …

Rami Almeghari (2020-03-18). Israeli Forces Abduct 7 Palestinian Civilians in Pre-Dawn Raids in West Bank. imemc.org Israeli soldiers on Tuesday before dawn abducted eight Palestinians from different areas in the West Bank. According to the Palestinian Prisoner Society(PPS), Israeli troops stormed both Awarta and Beita villages of Nablus District, in northern West Bank, and abducted two Palestinian young men, Mojahed Awwad and Sameh Barakat. In a …

Ali Salam (2020-03-18). PHOTOS: Using Humble Means, Besieged Gaza Prepares for the Coronavirus. imemc.org By Palestine Chronicle Staff Despite its limited resources, the Gaza Health Ministry and international aid agencies operating in the besieged Gaza Strip, are taking precautionary measures to protect the Palestinians in the Strip from the Coronavirus COVID-19 disease. Palestinian photojournalist Fawzi Mahmoud visited the Al-Shati refugee camp, located on the …

splcenter (2020-03-18). 2019 Year in Hate and Extremism Report Release. splcenter.org

teleSUR (2020-03-18). Online White Supremacist Groups Continue to Proliferate: Report. telesurenglish.net The number of white nationalist groups in the United States (U.S.) has increased, despite a small decline in the overall number of hate groups in 2019, a new report released Wednesday reveals. | RELATED: | Called "Year in Hate and Extremism," the report by The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) identified more than 155 white nationalist hate groups currently active, representing a 55 percent increase in such gr…

teleSUR (2020-03-18). 'Dear World, How Is the Lockdown?' Gaza Takes To Twitter. telesurenglish.net A sly dig at the international community, this is just one among a torrent of social media posts that have emerged from the blockaded Gaza Strip in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. | RELATED: | The world lockdown has sparked a surge of bitter feelings on social media from Palestinians in the tiny coastal enclave who has for years lived with enforced isolation and confinement. | Dear people of the world, | Are you af…

Ralph Nader (2020-03-18). The Federal Reserve Dictatorship Runs Amok Against Savers. dissidentvoice.org If you are a saver in a money market account or in a bank, you've already noticed your dwindling interest income as interest rates have been at their lowest in modern American history. Well, brace yourself. Your saving account has just become little more than a lock box, thanks to the supreme dictatorship of the …

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-03-18). Racist President Trump Refuses to Accept How Racist It Is to Keep Calling COVID-19 the 'Chinese Virus'. commondreams.org "This pattern of conflating race with a specific disease is a constant thread in American history." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

RT (2020-03-17). Trump Derangement Syndrome meets Covid-19 panic: Hollywood actress spreads conspiracy theory about Israel & coronavirus. rt.com Rosanna Arquette inspired some colorful reactions when she floated the theory that Israel has long known about the coronavirus and claimed the country and Jared Kushner are putting "lives at risk for profit." | "I'm still confused," the 'Buffalo 66' actress tweeted to her more than 100,000 Twitter followers on Tuesday, "so Israel has been working on a coronavirus vaccine for a year already? (so they knew)." | Arquette went on to say US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is the main investor in the vaccine. | "Vaccines take a long time to know if they are safe and KUSHNER OSCAR is the major inves…

Rami Almeghari (2020-03-17). Due to Corona, Israel to Let Palestinian Workers Stay in Workplaces. imemc.org Israeli Minister of Defense, Naftali Bennett, decided on Tuesday to let many thousands of Palestinian workers, working inside Israel, to stay for several weeks in Israel. Bennett's statement, reported by Israeli media, suggested that Palestinian workers, who work in the various sectors with recruitment by Israeli contractors, can stay for …

Delilah Boxstein (2020-03-17). The Coronavirus Outbreak is Revealing the Appalling Conditions Faced by Palestinians in Israeli Prisons. mintpressnews.com "Ailing prisoners traveled three days in a metal van tied to metal chairs with feet and hands cuffed. They don't have access to food or a toilet as they spend hours picking up other sick prisoners. Most sick inmates won't even go to Ramleh [Hospial] because they know how excruciating the journey can be."

Rami Almeghari (2020-03-17). Israeli Troops Detain Palestinian Residents in the West Bank. imemc.org Israeli army troops reportedly detained earlier on Tuesday, seven Palestinian residents from different areas in the West Bank. According to the Palestinian Detainees Club Forum in Ramallah city, Israeli occupation troops stormed both Awarta and Beita villages of Nablus city, arresting two Palestinian young men, Mojahed Awwad and Sameh Barakat. …

Staff (2020-03-17). 475 lawyers demand Israel Bar Association rescind effort to intervene in Int'l Criminal Court deliberations on 'Situation in Palestine'. imemc.org By The Legal Center For Arab Minority Rights In Israel — Aadalah: Lawyers: IBA move, pushed through in a hasty and underhanded manner, is strictly political in motive and is seemingly intended to advocate Israeli government positions entrenching occupation.

Jonathan Cook (2020-03-17). The Coronavirus Could Force Rival Benny Gantz to Shake Netanyahu's Hand. dissidentvoice.org Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's caretaker prime minister, is preparing to squeeze every last drop of personal advantage from a local and global crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. He has needed to move fast. Following this month's election, Netantyahu's efforts to establish a governing coalition appeared to have been thwarted yet again — for the third …

splcenter (2020-03-17). SPLC's Three Strikes Project helps nonviolent offenders move from prison to parole. splcenter.org Drugs were a way of life in the economically struggling "Brickyard" neighborhood of Clarksdale, Mississippi, where Nicky Patterson grew up.

PCHR (2020-03-17). PCHR Calls for the Expedited Release of Investigation Results on Tragic Nusairat Camp Fire. imemc.org The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights continues to monitor, with great pain, the consequences of the catastrophic fire at Nusairat camp that took place on 05 March 2020 in a densely populated area at the heart of Nusairat refugee camp market. As a result of the unfortunate event, 19 civilians, …

RT (2020-03-17). Khamenei finally grasps severity of Coronavirus: Issues fatwa banning 'unnecessary travel'. iranian.com The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has made a religious ruling that prohibits "unnecessary travel" in the country in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19. Iran's death toll from the outbreak is nearing 1,000. The fatwa urges citizens to respect the orders of the health authorities and to refrain from traveling …

Ali Salam (2020-03-16). Sheikh Bukairat Arrested from Home in Jerusalem. imemc.org The Israeli police, on Sunday evening, arrested Sheikh Najeh Bukairat, deputy director of the Administration of Islamic Awqaf and Aqsa Mosque Affairs, from his home in Sur Baher neighborhood, in East Jerusalem, Days of Palestine reported. The Administration of Islamic Awqaf and Aqsa Mosque Affairs in Occupied Jerusalem, announced on …

splcenter (2020-03-14). SPLC offices, Civil Rights Memorial Center close. splcenter.org Our work continues with fervor and is needed more now than ever.

splcenter (2020-03-13). Weekend Read: 2020 Census safe and easy, helps communities. splcenter.org This month kicks off a major — and vital — process that is fundamental to the success of our Democracy.

Zero Hedge (2020-03-13). US Moves Patriot Missiles To Iraq. Outraged Baghdad Warns of "Consequences" After Airstrikes. iranian.com With coronavirus pandemic dominating the world's attention, it's easy to forget that the US is essentially in a state of war with Iran, just Thursday night conducting a major aerial bombing campaign against multiple Iran-backed militia targets across southern Iraq. In response to prior rocket attacks on Camp Taji which killed two Americans on Wednesday the Pentagon …

Hatewatch Staff (2020-03-13). Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group Presents "Make the Family Great Again" Petition to U.S. State Department Commission. splcenter.org Anti-LGBTQ hate group Ruth Institute presented a "Make the Family Great Again" petition to the State Department at its Commission on Unalienable Rights meeting Feb. 21.

Hannah Gais (2020-03-11). Was Steve King Persona Non Grata at CPAC 2020 — Or Not? splcenter.org Sen. Mitt Romney may have found himself locked out of the 2020 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, from Feb. 26-29, but Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, seemed to find himself at right at home — whether CPAC's leadership liked it or not.

splcenter (2020-03-11). Executive Summary: 2019 Year in Hate. splcenter.org

splcenter (2020-03-11). Notable extremist attacks and plots in 2019. splcenter.org Extremists across the United States and the world continued to launch attacks during 2019. But the worst carnage came in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15, when a white nationalist gunman attacked two mosques, killing 51 people and injuring 49.

splcenter (2020-03-11). Methodology: 
How hate groups are identified and categorized. splcenter.org

splcenter (2020-03-11). Spotlight on tactics: A flurry of flyering in 2019. splcenter.org The distribution of flyers remained a common tactic employed by groups on the radical right in 2019. The SPLC recorded more than 1,500 flyering incidents during the year.

splcenter (2020-03-11). The Year in Hate and Extremism 2019. splcenter.org Extremist hate threatens pluralistic democracy…

splcenter (2020-03-10). Civil Rights Memorial Center closed through March. splcenter.org The Civil Rights Memorial Center (CRMC) in Montgomery, Alabama, is closed and will remain closed through the end of March 2020.

splcenter (2020-03-06). Hate-Free Philanthropy: Identifying Opportunities and Obstacles to Safeguard the Sector. splcenter.org

splcenter (2020-03-04). Weekend Read: Parents sue Tennessee over voucher program that would drain resources from underfunded public schools. splcenter.org Tracy O'Connor drives her son to another school each day — just for geometry class — because his school does not offer it.

splcenter (2020-03-03). Deportation is a death sentence, and our government's hands are bloody. splcenter.org Deadly violence is inescapable for hundreds of returned Salvadoran migrants. This small, Central American country is the murder capital of the world.