(2020-03-17). Iran's supreme leader issues fatwa banning 'unnecessary travel' as coronavirus death toll mounts. rt.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 across the country without a valid reason. The supreme leader has final say on all state affairs and the decree published on Tuesday is a rare move on his part. | Iranian authorities called upon the citizenry to avoid traveling, closing major Shia Muslim holy sites on Monday in a bid t…
(2020-03-17). Nine Years Ago: The US-NATO-Israel Sponsored Al Qaeda Insurgency in Syria. Who Was Behind the 2011 "Protest Movement"? globalresearch.ca It was not a protest movement, it was an armed insurgency integrated by US-Israeli & allied supported "jihadist" death squads. From Day One, the Islamist "freedom fighters" were supported, trained & equipped by NATO & Turkey's High Command.
(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 …
(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."
(2020-03-17). "Zionist" Biden in His Own Words: "My Name is Joe Biden, and Everybody Knows I Love Israel" dissidentvoice.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 …
(2020-03-17). New Zealand cabinet minister Shane Jones continues to stoke racism. wsws.org Jones' anti-immigrant salvos are a sign of the extreme right-wing, nationalist agenda on which the September election will be contested by all the major parties.
(2020-03-17). Oakland to become dumping ground for coronavirus infected trash from Grand Princess ship. indybay.org Statement of Rob Bonta: "I am very sensitive to the perception that the Grand Princess being docked and disembarked at the Port of Oakland- instead of in San Francisco – is wrong and unjust. Frankly, that was my first reaction. It is absolutely appropriate to view this through the historical context and lens of environmental racism and injustice in Oakland, specifically in West Oakland, including exposure to toxics, dirty air, and lead." Assemblymember Rob Bonta may want to rethink his above statement, now that the powers to be have double-crossed the people of Oakland and are dumping the toxic coronavirus infect…
(2020-03-17). 'A Policeman, A Pastor and A Palestinian': The 'Chilestinians' as a Model for Palestinian Unity. counterpunch.org I was only introduced to the term 'Chilestinians' last February at a conference in Istanbul, during a presentation by the Director of the Palestinian Federation of Chile, Anuar Majluf. When Majluf referred to the well-rooted Palestinian community in Chile, who number between 450,000 and half a million, using that unfamiliar and peculiar phrase, I smiled.
(2020-03-17). Brazil: Bolsonaro to Be Denounced for Risking the Population. telesurenglish.net The Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) lawmaker Marcelo Freixo will denounce Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro before the World Health Organization (WHO) for putting the population at risk by promoting the concentration of people in a political act against of the National Congress and the Federal Supreme Court held in Brasilia on March 15. | RELATED: | At an event called by those who long for the return to a military regime, Bolso…
(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.
(2020-03-17). You Can be Free to Vote, Even Behind Bars. counterpunch.org Birmingham, Alabama is a landmark city for the American civil rights movement. Even today, it's ground zero for a vital fight over voting rights. I visited Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham recently to deliver inmates a simple message: you are free to vote, even if you don't know it. And now is the time for
(2020-03-17). Imperialism Fans the Flames of Coronavirus Spread. sputniknews.com As "enemy" country rally to treat Covid-19 US falters; Bernie doesn't show up in latest debate; Gantz set to form unity government in Israel; Cuba contributions to anti-viral medicine…
(2020-03-16). A Policeman, A Pastor and A Palestinian: The 'Chilestinians' as a Model for Palestinian Unity. mintpressnews.com 
The Palestinian diaspora in Chile, the Chilestinians, have had unique success in learning how to accept their political differences and unify over thier common cause.
(2020-03-16). PCHR: Weekly Report on Israeli Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (05-11 March 2020). imemc.org Israeli Violations Continue in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (05 — 11 March 2020) Summary During the period covered by the current report, the Israeli military occupation forces and Israeli settlers continued to commit further grave violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. During this week, Israeli forces …
(2020-03-16). Armed Israeli Colonists Uproot Tens of Palestinian Trees Near Bethlehem. imemc.org A group of armed illegal Israeli colonists stormed, on Monday morning, Palestinian-owned farmlands, close to Gush Etzion illegal colony, south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. Hassan Breijiyya, the head of the National Palestinian Committee against the Annexation Wall and Colonies in Bethlehem, said the assailants uprooted 50 fruitful …
(2020-03-16). Four Palestinian Detainees Placed In Solitary Confinement. imemc.org The Israeli Prison Authority placed four Palestinian detainees in solitary confinement, under harsh detention conditions. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Detainees Committee explained in a statement, issued Monday, that over the past ten days, the Israeli administration at the Ramon detention center, has been confining Hatem Alqawasma, Osama Es'ied, Ibrahim Abdul-Hai, and …
(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 …
(2020-03-16). Julian in the Dock. "A Secret Trial" globalresearch.ca Julian Assange's extradition hearing has had very little media coverage. Even The Guardian and The New York Times barely mentioned it, though these newspapers made a fortune publishing Assange-provided cables. Unless you had been looking for it, you wouldn't …
(2020-03-16). The Long Arm of the American Nazi Party Reaches the 2020 Illinois Primary. truthout.org Republicans voting on Tuesday in Illinois's 3rd congressional district primary will get to decide if they want Art Jones, a lifelong white supremacist, to be their candidate. The state's GOP is actively campaigning against him. They are still embarrassed that Jones was their 2018 candidate, after the party had forgotten to field a primary opponent to ensure that he wasn't their candidate in the general election in a strongly Democratic district. And later that year, despite ample publicity of hi…
(2020-03-16). Bolivia: Over 147,000 Voters Disqualified From Next Election. telesurenglish.net The Bolivian Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) disqualifiedmore tan 147 000 citizens from the voter registration on March 15. | RELATED: | TSE's president Salvador Romero, designated by de facto president Jeanine àÅñez, stated that of those limited to the vote will be 147,064 national residents. | The department of Santa Cruz has the highest number of disqualified electors, 41,813, followed by La Paz with 29,852 and Cochabamba w…
(2020-03-15). Detainee Bilal Ekmail Enters 15 Years of Imprisonment. imemc.org Palestinian detainee, Bilal Ekmail, has entered 15 years of imprisonment, under very strict detention conditions, imposed by Israeli authorities. Montaser Sammour, director of the Jenin office of the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) in northern West Bank, said that Ekmail is serving a 20-year prison sentence, and has been frequently held …
(2020-03-15). Israel's Gantz Secures 61 Majority to Form Government. telesurenglish.net In a hard blow for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bid for reelection, his main rival Benny Gantz was tasked Sunday by Israel's President Reuven Rivlin to form a new government, after the leader from the Blue and White party secured a 61-seat majority. | RELATED: | "At the end of the consultations, 61 Members of Knesset had recommended… Benny Gantz, as opposed to 58 Members of Knesset who had recommended the current…
(2020-03-15). Gaza's Border Crossings Closed. imemc.org All Gaza crossings have been reportedly indefinitely closed, Sunday, said Palestinian and Israeli sources. In Gaza, local authorities in the Israel-besieged territory announced that the Rafah Egyptian-Palestinian crossing terminal, sole outlet to the world for Gaza's 2-million residents, will be closed for two weeks, for travelers on both sides of …
(2020-03-15). Israeli Colonists Cause Damage To Twenty Palestinian Vehicles Near Nablus. imemc.org Many fanatic illegal Israeli colonists invaded, on Sunday morning, the western area of Huwwara town, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and caused damage to at least twenty cars, trucks and buses. Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors Israel's illegal colonialist activities in northern West …
(2020-03-15). Israeli Forces Close Al-Aqsa due to Corona Virus, Allow Israeli Settlers to Invade. imemc.org Israeli occupation forces, on Sunday, closed most of the doors of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem, under the pretext of "precautionary measures against the Corona virus," while allowing dozens of settlers to storm it. According to the Palestine News Network, Israeli forces closed the gates of the sacred …
(2020-03-15). Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinian Herders Near Ramallah. imemc.org Israeli settlers, on Saturday, attacked Palestinian herders as they were grazing their livestock near the village of al-Mughayir, east of Ramallah city, in the central occupied West Bank, according to a local source. Mayor of the village, Ameen Abu Alia, told Palestinian WAFA News Agency that illegal settlers chased the …
(2020-03-15). Israeli Forces Shoot, Injure one Palestinian in Kufur Qaddoum. imemc.org A Palestinian young man suffered a shrapnel wound in his back, on Saturday, when the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired towards a peaceful group, marching in Kufur Qaddoum town, east of Qalqilia, a local official reported. Morad Eshteiwi, the coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Colonies, said …
(2020-03-15). Israeli President Begins Talks to Pick Next Prime Minister. telesurenglish.net Israeli President Reuven Rivlin began on Sunday a series of consultations with all parties elected in the parliamentary election before tasking someone with forming the next government. | RELATED: | According to a timetable released by the President's Residence, the consultations, which are being broadcast live, are expected to be concluded by Sunday evening. | Rivlin will hear the recommendations of eight factions that…
(2020-03-15). "A Policeman, a Pastor and a Palestinian": The "Chilestinians" as a Model for Palestinian Unity. dissidentvoice.org I was only introduced to the term 'Chilestinians' last February at a conference in Istanbul, during a presentation by the Director of the Palestinian Federation of Chile, Anuar Majluf. When Majluf referred to the well-rooted Palestinian community in Chile, who number between 450,000 and half a million, using that unfamiliar and peculiar phrase, I smiled. …
(2020-03-15). Immediate steps are required to avert mass casualties in prisons and jails. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following March 14 statement from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. | The Illinois Department of Corrections has declared that all civilian visits to Illinois prison will be suspended indefinitely starting Saturday, March 14, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for which a national emergency has been declared. New prison inmates arriving from any of the four "Reception and Classification Centers" are reportedly being held in quarantine. | These are minimal steps not based on science. Depriving prisoners of contact with their families only aggravates…
(2020-03-14). CIVIL RIGHTS MEMORIAL CENTER, SPLC OFFICES CLOSE. splcenter.org Our work continues…
(2020-03-13). UN human rights chief: racism and xenophobia are 'contagious killers' too. news.un.org The coronavirus outbreak may have forced millions around the world already into "social distancing", keeping a metre apart to prevent its spread, but it will not stop them from uniting to combat racism, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights declared in Geneva on Friday.
(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.
(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 …
(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.
(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.
(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.
(2020-03-06). "Supreme Inequality": Author Adam Cohen on the Supreme Court's 50-Year Battle Against Justice. democracynow.org 
The makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court has come under intense criticism in recent years after two Trump-nominated justices joined the bench. Senate Republicans confirmed Neil Gorsuch in 2017 after having refused to consider President Barack Obama's nominee in his final year in office, and they confirmed Brett Kavanaugh a year later despite multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against the judge. During the 2020 Democratic presidential contest, several candidates floated the idea of "packing the court" — appointing more than nine justices — in order to counter the court's rightward drift. But while t…
(2020-03-06). Headlines for March 6, 2020. democracynow.org 3,500 Cruise Ship Passengers Quarantined Off California Coast over Coronavirus Fears, Seattle Area Residents Urged to Work from Home as Coronavirus Spreads Across U.S., World Health Organization's Coronavirus Warning: "This Is Not a Drill", Stocks Tumble as Coronavirus Rattles Global Economy, Sen. Elizabeth Warren Suspends 2020 Presidential Bid, Bernie Sanders Campaign Rally Disrupted by Protester with Nazi Flag, Russia and Turkey Agree to a Ceasefire in Syria's War-Torn Idlib, Israel Accused of Collective Punishment After Demolishing Palestinian Homes, Israeli Opposition Parties Bidding to Unseat Netanyahu After…
(2020-03-06). Hate-Free Philanthropy: Identifying Opportunities and Obstacles to Safeguard the Sector. splcenter.org …
(2020-03-05). The New Poll Tax? Long Lines, Closed Polling Stations Hurt Black, Latinx & Student Voters in TX, CA. democracynow.org 
Long wait times plagued polling places in Texas throughout Super Tuesday, especially in districts with high numbers of black and Latinx voters and college students. Many voters reported waiting in line for more than three hours to cast a ballot. At least 750 Texas polling sites have been shuttered since 2013, when the Supreme Court slashed federal oversight of Texas and other Southern states under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. There were long lines, too, in Los Angeles, where many polling places reported problems with a brand-new $300 million voting system. The Sanders campaign sued to keep polling places open a…
(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.
(2020-03-03). TRAP Laws are the Threat to Abortion Rights You Don't Know About. aclu.org This week, the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case | that will have wide-reaching consequences for reproductive freedom and abortion | rights in America. It's the first time the Court has weighed those rights since | gaining a new conservative majority with the appointments of Justices Neil | Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. And the stakes are high. | The case that the court will | hear, June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, | is being argued by the Center for Reproductive Rights (CCR), and it involves a | law in Louisiana known as a "TRAP" — Targeted Restriction on Abortion | Providers. The detai…
(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.
(2020-03-03). SPLC mourns loss of former board member Andrew Fredman. splcenter.org The Southern Poverty Law Center is deeply saddened today by the loss of longtime donor and board member Andrew Fredman, 58, who recently died.
(2020-03-02). My 12-year-old twins' nonprofit provides free period products to girls in need. splcenter.org I didn't know what to expect when my daughters decided last summer to give away sanitary pads and tampons to girls in need.
(2020-02-28). How Kevin DeAnna Orchestrated the Alt-Right's Approach to Conservative Institutions. splcenter.org Months after the loosely bound white nationalist movement known as the "alt-right" began to coalesce around then-candidate Donald Trump, Kevin DeAnna won the attention he felt he long deserved.
(2020-02-28). Kevin DeAnna's Adventures in Budapest. splcenter.org Within hours of arriving in Budapest, Kevin DeAnna was ready to leave.
(2020-02-28). Knowingly or Unknowingly, CIS Newsletters Promote the Work of White Nationalist Kevin DeAnna. splcenter.org Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), has attempted to distance his organization from the far-right actors he has cited over the years to promote CIS's anti-immigrant agenda.
(2020-02-28). Weekend Read: 55 years after 'Bloody Sunday,' voting rights are still under attack. splcenter.org When they looked over the steel-arched crest of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965, the voting rights activists knew there would be trouble.