575 arrested at Washington, D.C. sit-in protest against separating immigrant families. “Amid unrelenting daily images of distraught immigrant children separated from parents and herded into fenced enclosures, women sat on the floor of the Senate Hart Office building’s 90-foot-high atrium.” http://time.com/5325904/trump-immigration-policy-protest-senate/
Former ICE spokesperson, who says he was told to lie to the media about the number of migrants who escaped San Francisco bay area raids, gets a visit from Homeland Security agents during his CBS interview. “I could not fathom staying at an organization that was OK with lying to the American public. I hate that. In 17 years in the military, at the Department of Defense as a civilian, at NASA, and now at Homeland Security, I have never been asked to lie. I have never been asked to perpetuate a lie, which is the same as lying.” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-ice-spokesman-james-schwab-opens-up-about-resignation-trump-administration/
Mayor of Pittsburgh suburb urges police to use fire hoses on anti-police brutality protesters demonstrating against shooting of Antwon Rose, posts picture from 1963 showing firemen blasting black anti-segregation demonstrators. “The mayor of Arnold, Westmoreland County issued an apology early Wednesday after screenshots of posts to her personal Facebook page that call for ‘rioters to be destroyed by a water canon (sic)’ circulated on social media…. ‘I’m posting this so the authorities everywhere sees (sic) this … bring the hoses.'” http://www.wtae.com/article/arnold-mayors-facebook-posts-encourage-spraying-protesters-with-water-canons/21941216
Democratic governor of California Jerry Brown signs bill banning cities from imposing soda taxes. “Four cities in California have moved in recent years to raise taxes on soda and other sugary beverages in an effort to combat diabetes, heart disease and other weight-related health issues.” http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/394752-california-governor-signs-ban-on-soda-tax Speechless….
State Department report warns other governments not to separate families. “Even at their best, residential institutions are unable to meet a child’s need for emotional support that is typically received from family members or consistent caretakers with whom the child can develop an attachment.” https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/28/us/politics/state-human-trafficking-report-migrants.html
72% of those polled say social media companies engage in political censorship. “Americans simply don’t trust those companies to be impartial when it comes to partisan politics, the study found.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-28/most-americans-think-social-media-giants-censor-their-views There actually is censorship going on, but not the kind that most people think of. Those who can afford to run ads have their views widely shared (with very few restrictions) while those who can’t are blocked from reaching large numbers of people.
New California data privacy law aims to hold companies accountable for use of people’s data. “Although most privacy advocates support the law, some expressed lingering concerns because it includes a few loopholes. Technology companies can, for example, “share” people’s data even if a consumer bars them from selling it. And the law allows companies to charge higher prices to consumers who opt out of having their data sold.” http://money.cnn.com/2018/06/28/technology/california-consumer-privacy-act/index.html
Poll finds that 32% of Americans want to increase the amount of legal immigration, 24% want it to decrease and 38% want it to remain at the current level. “Overall, 35 percent of respondents believe that most immigrants are in the country illegally, which Pew noted was incorrect…. According to Pew estimates, 75 percent of immigrants in the United States have legal status as of 2015, the most recent year of available data.” https://www.courthousenews.com/americans-warming-up-to-immigration-poll-shows/
Reunification of separated immigrant families going very, very slowly. “On Tuesday, the secretary of Health and Human Services said there were 2,047 migrant children in its care as a result of being separated from their parents at the border so the parents could be prosecuted on criminal charges. Six days prior, the government had said there were 2,053 such children.” https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/27/politics/six-children-families-separated-reunifications/index.html
Iraq threatens to execute more than an estimated 3,100 suspected IS members. “Iraq’s prime minister has ordered the immediate execution of all death row terror convicts after ISIS killed eight hostages…. AP estimated that 3,130 people have been sentenced to death for links to ISIS and other militant links since 2013.” http://www.newsweek.com/iraq-orders-hundreds-isis-prisoners-executed-after-hostages-killed-1000896
Trump’s claim that North Korea has already returned the remains of 200 U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War does not stand up to examination. “We have not yet physically received them,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, but said that he is “optimistic” it would take place “in the not-too-distant future.” https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-korean-war-vets_us_5b352c42e4b007aa2f7e5080
New Japanese law limits overtime to 100 hours per month. “The bill, the most important legislation in the current session under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is a major turning point in the history of Japan’s labor practices.” https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Japan-s-parliament-passes-work-reform-bill-to-limit-overtime Does that include unpaid overtime, or does it only apply to paid overtime?
Progressive News Service 