Daily Archives: February 21, 2020

2020-02-21: News Headlines

Laiken Jordahl (2020-02-21). Trump's Wall is Destroying the Environment We Worked to Protect. counterpunch.org Imagine dedicating your entire life to protecting a place. Then imagine watching everything you've worked to protect be bulldozed by a desperate, self-serving president. That's what's happening right now to career scientists and conservationists at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on Arizona's border with Mexico. I used to work there too. It breaks my heart.

RT (2020-02-21). Reports of 'hundreds of thousands' of civilians heading to Turkish border because of hostilities in Idlib not true — Russian MoD. rt.com The Russian military has denied claims that scores of refugees are fleeing Syria's Idlib province and moving towards the Turkish border due to battles between the Syrian Army and terrorists in the area. | "There are no verifiable photos and videos, or any other data to confirm the statements that 'around a million' refugees are supposedly moving from the Idlib de-escalation zone," the head of Russia's Reconciliation Center for Syria, Rear Admiral Oleg Zhuravlyov, said in a statement. | The information alleging that 'hundreds of thousands' of civilians are heading for the Syrian-Turkish border because of battle…

yenisafak (2020-02-21). President Erdogan urges 'concrete action' over Idlib in Merkel, Macron call. yenisafak.com Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a concrete action to prevent humanitarian crisis in Syria's Idlib in a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday.The aggression by the Syrian regime and its supporters in the country's northwestern Idlib province should come to an end, Erdogan said, stressing on more support based on concrete actions to prevent humanitarian crises.He added that Turkey was continuing work setting up housing for Syrian migrants in a 30-35 km (19-22 mile) safe zone in Syria along the border with Turkey.The trio discussed the…

yenisafak (2020-02-21). Germany to tighten mosque security after racist attack. yenisafak.com Germany will step up security around mosques and migrant organizations following a racist terror attack in Hanau, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said on Friday."What happened in Hanau was clearly a racism motivated terror attack," Seehofer told a news conference in Berlin, adding that far-right extremism has become a very serious threat to democracy in Germany.He said police presence will be increased across the country ahead of major public events, and authorities will take additional security measures to protect mosques and migrant organizations due to the growing threat posed by the far-right.A 43-year-old f…

sputniknews (2020-02-21). New UK Immigration System Creates Perfect Circumstances for Modern Slavery – Charities. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A new immigration scheme proposed by the UK government will create the perfect conditions for the exploitation of low-skilled workers, who will be barred from the workforce despite enormous demand for their services, charities told The Guardian newspaper.

sputniknews (2020-02-21). Priti Patel is the Conservative Conscience of Boris Johnson's Government. sputniknews.com James Delingpole opens up this week's programme by fully supporting Pritti Patel's new immigration policies and says that her idea of making immigrants speak English will result in "Lefties will call it racist and xenophobic!"

sputniknews (2020-02-21). India Unveils Pic of US-Made Chinook Helicopter's First Mission on Chinese Border at Siachen Glacier. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): A multi-role, vertical-lift platform US helicopter has taken over from the Indian Air Force's erstwhile fleet of Russian Mi-26s in difficult terrain along India's border with China in the Himalayas, the highest potential battleground on Earth. It would be used to transport of troops and equipment.

WSWS (2020-02-21). UK Johnson government rolls out restrictive "points-based" immigration system. wsws.org Those in the trade union bureaucracy who advocated for Brexit, including various Stalinists in the Rail, Maritime and Transport union and "Blue Labour" ideologues such as Paul Embery, together with their accomplices such as the Socialist Party, are politically responsible for this outcome.

Staff (2020-02-20). No One Knows How Many Immigrant Kids Have Disappeared in US Custody. truthout.org This story was originally published by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more at On the fifth floor of the tall glass federal building in Portland, Oregon, the immigration court hums in hushed tones, an air of reverence comi…

Staff (2020-02-20). Headlines for February 20, 2020. democracynow.org Democratic Contenders Take Aim at Billionaire Michael Bloomberg in Nevada Debate, Protesters Interrupt Nevada Debate to Demand Immigration Discussion, Michael Bloomberg Made Transphobic Remarks in 2019, Bloomberg Campaign NDAs Could Prevent Reporting of Abuses, U.N. Warns of Unfolding Humanitarian Catastrophe in Syria's Idlib, German Far-Right Gunman Kills 10 in Frankfurt Suburb, China Expels Wall Street Journal Reporters over "Racist" Op-Ed, Trump Taps Ally Richard Grenell as Director of National Intelligence, As Roger Stone Faces Sentencing in Federal Court, Trump Hints at Pardon, Julian Assange's Lawyers: Trum…

Fight Back (2020-02-20). Minnesota House subcommittee passes bill to end local jail contracts with ICE. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – On February 19, the House Subcommittee on Local Government voted to pass House File 3060. HF 3060 is a bill that would end contracts that local jails in Minnesota have with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain people facing civil immigration charges. Currently several county jails in Minnesota have contracts with ICE to hold hundreds of immigrants facing deportation. | The bill, sponsored by democrat Representative Fue Lee, who represents part of north Minneapolis, will now advance to the Government Operations Committee. | Before voting on the bill, the committee heard testimony fr…

Nicky Vogt (2020-02-20). The Supreme Court Will Decide Whether Asylum Seekers Receive Their Day in Court. aclu.org In March, we will be in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the right to a day in court for asylum seekers and other vulnerable noncitizens. That decision w…

Fight Back (2020-02-20). Immigrant rights activists rally at MN capitol for driver's licenses for all. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – More than 40 immigrant rights activists from all over the state of Minnesota rallied at the capitol here, February 11, the opening day of the legislative session. People traveled from as far as Zimmerman and Rochester to participate in the action. The rally and lobbying action were organized by Minnesota Immigrant Movement (MIM) and Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC). Activists asked the Minnesota legislature to support driver's licenses for all and to make Minnesota a sanctuary state. | Dressed in red, MIM and MIRAC members rallied in the rotunda of the capitol, calling on represe…

Stephen Lendman (2020-02-20). The War On Syria is Not Over: SAA Forces and Russia Confront US Sponsored "Jihadists", Turkey's Phony "Safe Zone", Israel Threatens "Escalated Aggression" globalresearch.ca On Wednesday, Turkey's Erdogan threatened escalated cross-border aggression against Syria. | He ignored his regime's illegal occupation of northern Syrian territory, support for anti-government jihadists, and his revanchist aims, wanting Syrian territory bordering Turkey annexed. | That's what his phony "safe zone" …

Amanda D. Rodewald (2020-02-20). The Trump administration is cutting back protection for migratory birds. nationofchange.org Birds are a shared resource among nations. Where governments have acted, they have successfully protected migratory birds and the habitat they depend on.

pip.hinman (2020-02-20). The climate crisis and the need for peace. greenleft.org.au

The Canary (2020-02-19). Priti Patel defends PM after Dave brands him 'real racist' in Brit Awards rap. thecanary.co Home secretary Priti Patel has criticised rapper Dave for branding Boris Johnson a "real racist" during the Brit Awards.The Tory MP said the artist's comments shortly before winning album of the year were "utter nonsense", and she defended the prime minister as "not a racist at all".Dave added verses to the end of his song Black criticising the government for the Windrush scandal and its handling of the Grenfell disaster. | "The truth is our prime minister's a real racist," he rapped during the performance at London's O2 Arena.Patel was asked about Dave's criticism as she defended the government's immigration pla…

Janine Jackson (2020-02-19). 'Corporate Media Are Not Observers of the Electoral Process; They Are Participants' – CounterSpin interview with Jim Naureckas on Democratic primaries. fair.org Janine Jackson interviewed FAIR's Jim Naureckas about the Democratic primaries for the February 14, 2020, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. Janine Jackson: From debates that encouraged sparring over substance, to evidence-free declarations about electability or momentum, to the insistence—bordering on gaslighting—of the fringiness of ideas that in fact enjoy broad …

Tracy Keeling (2020-02-19). Now we know what's in the new immigration policy, that 'levelling up' slogan makes total sense. thecanary.co Britain's post-Brexit immigration policy is now clear. Home secretary Priti Patel grinned her way through a The UK plans to

Kate Oh (2020-02-18). ICE's Destruction of Records Must Be Stopped. aclu.org Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is | notorious for committing rampant unconstitutional and inhumane abuses in its | detention system — something advocates, communities, and years. Public oversight of ICE detention is about to become even harder, | further eroding accountability and endangering the health and safety of more than | 50,000 people in ICE custody every day. That's because the National Archives | and R…

news.un (2020-02-18). Pakistan-India crossing is a 'Corridor of Hope', UN chief says, wraps up visit with call for interfaith dialogue. news.un.org UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday said he had been moved by the show of religious unity he had witnessed in Pakistan after paying visits to a mosque, a gurdwara and Kartarpur Corridor, the visa-free crossing which allows Sikhs to travel between nearby holy sites on each side of the India-Pakistan border.

news.un (2020-02-17). Protecting migratory species in a rapidly changing world. news.un.org Many animals — including birds, fish and mammals — migrate along set routes in search of food or breeding grounds. How best to protect them in a rapidly changing world is the focus of a major UN wildlife meeting which opened in Gandhinagar, India, on Monday.

Brian Tashman (2020-02-13). Bill Barr Wants Sheriffs to Join His Attacks on State and Local Governments. aclu.org Attorney General Bill Barr, For | Barr's Department of Justice, that escalation includes new lawsuits against | states and municipalities with immigrant-protective policies.

splcenter (2020-02-11). Desperate asylum seekers 'starving for justice' in immigrant prison hunger strikes across Louisiana. splcenter.org Guards shackled Sai Mahad to a chair, placed a mask over his mouth and snaked a long tube through one of his nostrils.

Meagan Burrows (2020-02-11). The Trump Administration Wants Health Insurance Companies to Drop Abortion Coverage from Your Insurance Plan. aclu.org From denying | access to abortion | for unaccompanied immigrant minors, to gutting | the Title X | family planning program, to trying to roll | back the Affordable Care Act's requirement that employers and universities cover | contr…

Hatewatch Staff (2020-01-31). Workers Organization Shares Staff, Cash With Anti-Immigrant Groups. splcenter.org U.S. Tech Workers, a project of the anti-immigrant group Progressives for Immigration Reform (PFIR), has ties to an anti-immigrant hate network and unprecedented access to the Trump administration.

splcenter (2020-01-29). Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' policy marks one year, leaving tens of thousands of migrants stranded in Mexican border towns. splcenter.org