Cesar Chelala (2018-10-17). Is China Winning the War for Africa? counterpunch.org While traveling in Africa in the 1980 and 1990s, I was surprised to see Chinese crews building roads, schools, and houses. Although at the time this meant little to me, I later realized it was part of a policy of Chinese insertion into the African countries' economies. Historically, the African continent has been plundered by More

Muhammad Othman (2018-10-17). What You Can Do About the Saudi Atrocities in Yemen. counterpunch.org Since the war criminality embedded in U.S. complicity in Yemen is no less than what was represented at the Nuremberg Trials, it is incumbent upon us to take action. U.S. citizens — no matter what their politics are — must do something about the horror we're inflicting upon the innocent citizens of Yemen. After all, More

wsws (2018-10-17). Amid furor over Khashoggi murder, UN warns millions more face starvation in Yemen. wsws.org While leading Democrats and Republicans have called for sanctions over the Saudi journalist's killing, Washington has maintained a discreet silence over the US-backed mass murder in Yemen.

Chris Gelardi (2018-10-17). It's Crunch Time for Activism Against US Involvement in Yemen. thenation.com It's Crunch Time for Activism Against US Involvement in Yemen…

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2018-10-17). Leidesdorff Day 2018, Historic Negro Bar, Sacramento County. indybay.org Restoration and reconciliation of the stolen legacy from the "African Founding Father of California" Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. may help mitigate some of today's challenges seeking to remove the name Negro Bar, Folsom Lake Recreational Area by showcasing to the world the amazing contributions by "hidden figures" of Pan Africans during the California Gold Rush Era.

Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet (2018-10-16). WATCH NOW: Bishop TD Jakes Sends a Special Message to Voters. naacp.org NAACP and Bishop TD Jakes agree on one thing: African Americans need to VOTE! Our lives depend on it. Watch his special message.

Greta Christina, Greta Christina's Blog (2018-10-16). 'How Can You Be Moral?': Here Are 9 Questions You Don't Need to Ask an Atheist — And Their Answers. alternet.org "Why are atheists so angry? " | Asked of Hispanic-Americans: "Are you in this country legally? " Asked of gays and lesbians and bisexuals: "How do you have sex? " Asked of transgender people: "Have you had the surgery? " Asked of African Americans: "Can I touch your hair? "Every marginalized group has some question, or questions, that are routinely asked of them — and that drive them up a tree; questions that have insult or bigotry or dehumanization woven into the very. . .

Democracy Now! (2018-10-16). Desmond Meade Hopes to Win Voting Rights for 1.4M Floridians with Felony Convictions—Including Himself. democracynow.org Voters in Florida are preparing to vote on a measure that would restore voting rights to 1.4 million people with nonviolent felonies who have fully completed their sentences. One in five African Americans in Florida and 10 percent of the state's adult population are ineligible to vote because of a criminal record. Across the United States, more than 6.1 million people with felony convictions are not eligible to vote. Florida is one of just four states that bar ex-felons from voting for life. The other states are Iowa, Kentucky and Virginia. The Brennan Center for Justice reports that Florida disenfranchises more…

Cody Fenwick, AlterNet (2018-10-16). Trump Actually Just Compared the Authoritarian Saudi Regime to Justice Brett Kavanaugh. alternet.org Aren't there people who are supposed to stop him from saying these things? | Speaking with the Associated Press on Tuesday, President Donald Trump compared the treatment of the authoritarian Saudi regime — known for committing atrocities in its war on Yemen and for being implicated recently in the likely murder of a critical journalist — with new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. "Here we go again with you know you're guilty until. . .

aclu (2018-10-16). How America Systematically Fails Survivors of Sexual Violence. aclu.org #MeToo exposed the widespread silencing and dismissal of survivors and the need for our institutions to do better. | Before there was Christine Blasey Ford, there was Recy Taylor, an African-American woman who was raped by six white men in 1944 and fought for justice with the help of Rosa Parks. And in between the two of them, there was The Saker (2018-10-16). The Khashoggi Extortion Fiasco. iranian.com A mystifying diplomatic escalation ensued following the disappearance of Saudi Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, after visiting the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Why would the United States of America make such a fuss over the disappearance of a non-American citizen? Why would America turn a blind eye to the Saudi killing of thousands of Yemeni […]

Jamie Kalven (2018-10-16). Chicago Finally Releases Video of Police Officer Shooting Unarmed and Disabled Ricky Hayes. theintercept.com Chicago's police accountability office released a video of the August 2017 shooting of Ricky Hayes, a mentally disabled African-American teenager.

Democracy Now! (2018-10-16). Trump Won in 2016 Thanks to Voter Suppression Says Carol Anderson, Author of "One Person, No Vote" democracynow.org Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election due to voter suppression. That's what professor Carol Anderson argues in her new book "One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy," which tracks the rise of restrictive voting laws across the United States. In it, Anderson examines how African-American voter participation has been systematically compromised since a 2013 Supreme Court decision that gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act. By the 2016 election, turnout among black voters nationwide dropped from 66 percent to under 60 percent. The discrepancy was even larger in key areas like Milw…

RT (2018-10-16). Top wildlife official resigns after posing on hunt with dead baboons & giraffe (PHOTOS). rt.com An intense backlash has prompted the resignation of Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner Blake Fischer after he was pictured posing with a family of dead baboons and a dead giraffe while on an African hunting trip.

Democracy Now! (2018-10-16). Headlines for October 16, 2018. democracynow.org Saudi Officials to Offer New Narrative on Khashoggi Disappearance, Trump Floats "Rogue Killers" Narrative of Khashoggi Disappearance, President Trump Tours Areas Ravaged by Hurricane Michael, Florida Evacuates 4,000 from Hurricane-Damaged Prisons, Georgia County Rejects Nearly 1 in 10 Mail-In Ballots, BuzzFeed: UAE Used U.S. Mercenaries to Kill Yemeni Politicians, Syrian Rebels Refuse to Surrender Idlib Buffer Zone, Burmese Military Led Social Media Hate Campaign Against Rohingya, Nigeria: Boko Haram Kills 2nd Captive Aid Worker, Honduran Caravan of 1,600 Migrants Makes Way to U.S. Border, France: Worst Storm in…

Juan Cole (2018-10-16). Saudi War on Yemen: World's Worst Famine in a Century Could Claim 13 Million. mintpressnews.com The United Nations coordinator for Yemen has warned that the world has only 3 months to halt the slide toward catastrophe in Yemen

Shared by Samantha Borek (2018-10-16). Floridians Will Vote on Whether to Restore Voting Rights to 1.4 Million People. truthout.org Voters in Florida are preparing to vote on a measure that would restore voting rights to 1.4 million people with non-violent felonies who have fully completed their sentences. One in five African Americans in Florida and ten percent of the state's adult population are ineligible to vote because of a criminal record. Across the United States more than 6.1 million people with felony convictions are not eligible to vote. Florida is one of just four states that bar ex-felons from voting for life. The other states are Iowa, Kentucky and Virginia. The Brennan Center for Justice reports that Florida disenfranchises m…

Democracy Now! (2018-10-16). Stacey Abrams Runs to Become Georgia's First Black Governor as Her Opponent Suppresses the Vote. democracynow.org With the midterm elections just three weeks away, voting rights advocates are accusing Republican officials in several states of orchestrating a campaign of voter suppression targeting people of color. In Georgia, the Democratic candidate for governor, Stacey Abrams, is calling on her Republican opponent, Brian Kemp, to step down as secretary of state for placing 53,000 voter applications on hold. Seventy percent of the applicants are African-American. Abrams has accused Kemp of using the state's "exact match" system to disenfranchise voters. With exact match, even a minor discrepancy in a voter's registration an…

Patrick Cockburn (2018-10-15). The Saudi Atrocities in Yemen are a Worse Story Than the Disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. counterpunch.org The plot to supposedly murder Jamal Khashoggi, as apparently proved by Turkish audio and video evidence shown to US officials, is a grisly mixture of savagery and stupidity: Jack the Ripper meets Inspector Clouseau. Neither element is surprising because violent overreaction to minor threats is a traditional feature of dictatorial rule. As seems to be the case with Saudi Arabia today, Iraq under Saddam Hussein made immense efforts to eliminate exiled critics who posed no danger to the regime. Democracy Now! (2018-10-15). Headlines for October 15, 2018. democracynow.org Trump Rejects Ending Saudi Arms Sales over Journalist's Disappearance, Corporate Executives Pull Out of Saudi Investment Summit, Yemen: U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led Airstrike Kills 19 and Injures 30, U.S. Death Toll from Hurricane Michael at 19 as Dozens Remain Missing, Trump Doubles Down on Climate Change Denial on "60 Minutes", Senate Confirms Former BP Oil Defender as Top Environmental Lawyer, Tens of Thousands March in Europe Demanding Action on Climate, Somalia: Al-Shabab Suicide Bombers Kill 20, Injure 40, Nigeria: Anti-Boko Haram Militia Releases Children It Held Captive, Gaza: Israeli Forces Kill 7 Palestinians…

RT (2018-10-14). Wildlife official who killed 'whole family of baboons' faces backlash, calls for resignation. rt.com An Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner who shared graphic images of animals he killed in Africa, including a "family of baboons," is facing calls to resign.

Democracy Now! (2018-10-12). Headlines for October 12, 2018. democracynow.org Hurricane Michael Flattens Florida Towns as It Rips Through Southeast, Turkish Gov't Says It Has Video Evidence of Khashoggi's Murder at Saudi Consulate, President Trump Rejects Calls to Cut Off Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, Report: Trump Administration Separated 6,000 Families in 4 Months, AP: U.S. Army Discharged 500 Immigrant Recruits, Kanye West Praises Trump During 10-Minute Oval Office Tirade, Pop Star Taylor Swift Tells Fans to Vote in Midterms, Washington Archbishop Resigns Amid Growing Church Sex Abuse Crisis, Syrian Rebels Withdrawing Heavy Weapons from Idlib Under Turkey-Russia Deal, HRW: Egyptian-Americ…

RT (2018-10-12). Trump under pressure to stop arms sales to 'good partner' Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi affair. rt.com As public pressure mounts on the Trump administration to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the US defense industry is alarmed while critics of the Yemen war hope for the best.

Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet (2018-10-12). President Johnson Talks African-American Vote on Jonathan Capehart Podcast. naacp.org NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, was a guest on the America On The Line podcast, hosted by Jonathan Capehart, and talked about the power of the African American vote this midterm election. President Johnson spoke about why this year's elections are especially important, and what it means for the coming years. "One election cycle […]

Democracy Now! (2018-10-12). Rep. Ro Khanna Condemns Saudi Barbarity from Disappearance of Saudi Journalist to War in Yemen. democracynow.org President Donald Trump is rejecting calls to cut off arms sales to Saudi Arabia following the disappearance and probable murder of the Saudi-born Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Washington Post is reporting the Turkish government told U.S. officials it has audio and video evidence that Khashoggi was killed last week inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Officials say the recordings confirm that a Saudi security team detained Khashoggi after he walked into the consulate on October 2, before killing him and dismembering his body. We speak with Ro Khanna, Democratic congressmember from California.

Democracy Now! (2018-10-12). Decades After Taking Henrietta Lacks's Cells Without Consent, Johns Hopkins Names Building After Her. democracynow.org Johns Hopkins University has announced plans to name a new research building after Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman who permanently changed modern medicine nearly 70 years ago when it was discovered that her cells could live forever. These "immortal cells" have helped scientists produce remedies for numerous diseases, including the first polio vaccine, that have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. But Lacks's cells were taken without her consent when she was a patient at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in 1951. For decades, the woman whose cells would transform modern medicine was unknown. Instead,…

Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet (2018-10-10). "Voting needs to become ubiquitous to the Black community as quickly as possible," says NAACP President. naacp.org NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, penned an opinion piece for Essence magazine, a leading magazine publication for African-American women. In it, he emphasizes the need to mobilize the Black vote for the 2018 midterm elections, the organization's plan to support this effort, and the Black individual's role in relational organizing: "Voting needs to become […]

Democracy Now! (2018-10-05). Eve Ensler: Nobel Peace Prize for Mukwege & Murad Is an Award for Every Rape Survivor in the World. democracynow.org After a landmark year for the "Me Too" movement, which ignited an international conversation on sexual assault, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday morning to two champions of women's rights who have built their careers fighting sexual violence: physician Denis Mukwege and human rights activist Nadia Murad. Dr. Denis Mukwege founded the Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1999. The clinic receives thousands of women each year, many of them requiring surgery as a result of sexual violence. Nadia Murad is a 25-year-old Yazidi Kurdish human rights activist from Iraq. She was kidnapped and held…

Democracy Now! (2018-10-05). Headlines for October 5, 2018. democracynow.org Senate Set to Close Debate on Kavanaugh Supreme Court Nomination, Coalition of 100,000 U.S. Churches Opposes Kavanaugh Nomination, Kavanaugh Defends His Record in Unprecedented WSJ Op-Ed | , Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens Opposes Kavanaugh, 300 Arrested on Capitol Hill as Thousands March Against Kavanaugh, Yemen: Tens of Thousands Protest Economic Collapse Amid Bombing, Bloomberg: China Hacked U.S. Companies, Including Amazon, Apple, VP Pence Accuses China of Interfering in Midterms, Undermining Trump, U.S. Indicts Russians for Hacking Anti-Doping Orgs, Targeting Nuclear Sites, Dutch Officials Sa…

Democracy Now! (2018-10-04). Headlines for October 4, 2018. democracynow.org As FBI Probe Wraps Up, Senate Could Vote on Kavanaugh on Saturday, Key GOP Senators Criticize Trump for Mocking Christine Blasey Ford, Over 1,200 Law Professors Sign Letter Opposing Kavanaugh Nomination, U.N.: Yemen Sees 10,000+ New Cases of Cholera Every Week, Trump Suggests Saudi Monarchy Would Collapse Without U.S. Support, Saudi Dissident Journalist Missing After Visit to Consulate in Turkey, Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Teenager at Gaza Protest, U.S. Quits 1955 Iran Treaty After U.N. Court Rules Against Sanctions, Judge Halts Termination of Protected Status for 300,000 Immigrants, Report: DHS Was Unprepar…