Texas man sues over injuries sustained when hit by a police SUV after fleeing a traffic stop over an obscured license plate. “The officer initially reported the motorcycle’s license plate was hard to read but managed to run it through dispatch and learned the number on the plate didn’t match the bike…. According to the lawsuit, the collision fractured [Dustin] Bates’ spine, three ribs, and his right leg in two places. Bates’ attorney said he had to undergo surgery ‘and has permanent scarring as a result of [Lake Worth Officer Jonathan] Granado’s unnecessary use of deadly force.'” https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-fleeing-traffic-stop-sues-after-being-run-over-by-officer/2867119/ Story includes police video of the incident.
Violent anti-protester meme included in Portland, Oregon police training presentation is reportedly from far-right extremist group. “The Portland City Attorney apologized Tuesday to the Department of Justice for not turning over riot-police training materials that included a right-wing meme about bashing ‘dirty’ hippies…. The meme is linked to the ‘Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights’, identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as the ‘tactical defense arm’ of the Proud Boys, the violent, far-right ‘Western chauvinist’ group.” https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/portland-police-used-proud-boy-155330615.html
Black prison guard sues Walmart for detaining and handcuffing him after mistaking him for serial shoplifter who also happens to be black. “[David] Conners said after a Fayetteville [Georgia] police officer confronted and handcuffed him in the store, he provided the officer with two pieces of identification. His lawsuit says that one of those documents showed that Conners was a corrections officer, but he was still taken to another room and held there, per ABC News…. Conners said after he was shown footage of the shoplifting suspect, he told the officers he had visible tattoos that the suspect did not have. He said officers refused to release him, however, and he had to wait until investigators called someone familiar with the case before he was set free.” https://www.insider.com/black-corrections-officer-walmart-lawsuit-racially-profiled-shoplifter-2022-1
Mississippi State Police still investigating death of black job seeker in police custody in July 2021. “The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department and the district attorney’s office did not respond to Insider’s repeated requests for comment about the status of the investigation…. According to [Monica] Lee, the deputy who tackled [Damien] Cameron knelt on his back for ‘a good 15 to 20 minutes’ while he waited for a second deputy. When the second deputy arrived, he ran into the room and ‘fell’ with his knee onto Cameron’s neck and knelt on his neck while placing him in handcuffs, according to Lee. ‘My son began saying he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t breathe,’ Lee said…. ‘I go to the side of the truck to see them doing CPR on my son,’ Lee said. According to Lee, a deputy asked her if Cameron had any medical issues, and when she said that he did not, the deputy responded, ‘fuck!'” https://www.insider.com/mississippi-police-silent-on-investigation-into-death-of-a-black-man-2022-1
Lawsuit accuses Topeka police officer of using excessive force during arrest over parking violation. “[Timothy Harris] was found guilty of interfering with a law enforcement officer and parallel parking more than 12 inches from the curb, according to Topeka Municipal Court records…. [Officer Christopher] Janes in April 2019 sought the dismissal of Harris’ lawsuit count against Janes, saying he was entitled to qualified immunity… U.S. District Judge Sam Crow rejected that argument in an August 2019 ruling…. Crow wrote that a reasonable jury could conclude that Janes violated Harris’ Fourth Amendment rights because of the amount of force he used on Harris while he was handcuffed and not resisting. Janes should have known that, under legal precedent, ‘It was unconstitutional to take down the arrestee face-first, to apply knee pressure to his back, to punch him in the face, and to pepper spray him when the arrestee is restrained by handcuffs, is cooperating by walking to the patrol car and is not resisting,’ Crow wrote.” https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/2022/01/26/suit-alleging-unreasonable-use-of-force-by-topeka-officer-continues-police-civil-rights/6620315001/
U.S. Senators claim they were prevented from inspecting parts of a federal prison. “Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, both Connecticut Democrats, visited the Danbury Federal Correctional Institution with labor union leaders and two state lawmakers. Murphy said they were barred from seeing the main women’s facility but were able to see a men’s unit after a ‘fight’ to gain access. ‘There was clearly a decision made to try to stop both of us from seeing some of the conditions at this prison,’ Murphy said during a news conference after the visit…. ‘For health and safety reasons, portions of the tour were adjusted by the Warden to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 following an increase in COVID-19 cases,’ the [Bureau of Prisons] statement said.” https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/senators-denied-full-access-federal-prison-82491231
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, 83, to resign from Supreme Court. “Breyer has been under unprecedented pressure to retire while Democrats have narrow control of the Senate, which must confirm Supreme Court nominees. The current term concludes at the end of June…. A replacement chosen by Biden would not change the court’s conservative supermajority; Breyer is one of only three liberal justices.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/stephen-breyer-supreme-court-retire/2022/01/26/02a47db0-ace1-11eb-b476-c3b287e52a01_story.html Sounds like Democrats are sweating the 2022 congressional elections. After President Obama disappointed his progressive supporters following his election in 2008, Democrats lost control of the House in the 2010 election, and never managed to regain control of both houses again during Obama’s presidency, even after he was re-elected. During his last two years in office, Republicans controlled both houses. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_divisions_of_United_States_Congresses
U.S. rejects Russia’s national security demand that Ukraine not be admitted to NATO. “’Without going to the specifics of the document, I can tell you that it reiterates what we said publicly for many weeks, and in a sense for many, many years. That we will uphold the principle of NATO’s open door,’ [U.S. Secretary of State Antony] Blinken said, adding: ‘There is no change. There will be no change.’ …. Moscow wants assurances that Ukraine and Georgia will never be allowed to join NATO and has called for a pullout of NATO forces from eastern Europe, including Romania and Bulgaria, and a return to 1997 levels of deployment.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/26/ukraine-and-russia-to-hold-paris-talks-in-latest-effort-to-ease-tensions This is probably not going to end well.
Escaped monkeys were ‘humanely euthanized’ by police, with bullets. “The fatal shooting of three lab monkeys that escaped Friday following an accident near Danville took place in accordance with euthanasia guidelines from the American Veterinary Medical Association, state police say…. The cynomolgus macaques were shot immediately when located, Trooper Andrea E. Pelachick said Wednesday. She did not provide additional details.” https://www.pennlive.com/news/2022/01/euthanasia-guidelines-followed-when-3-escaped-monkeys-were-killed-police.html
Iranian human rights activist goes back to prison for another 8 years, will be ‘lashed’ 70 times. “[Narges Mohammadi] was released from jail in October 2020, after serving eight and a half years in prison… on charges including planning crimes to harm the security of Iran, spreading propaganda against the government and forming and managing an illegal group. Before imprisonment, Mohammadi was vice president of the banned Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran.” https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-iran-dubai-united-arab-emirates-saudi-arabia-d028b73e23bb32d0ef7b426d60c75eb2
Man killed by FBI in Jonesboro, Arkansas was wanted for being a felon in possession of firearms. “FBI agents were leading an operation involving Jonesboro police and Craighead County deputies Jan. 12 to arrest Michael Neuman, 31, of Brookland. Investigators received ‘credible information’ that Neuman was a felon who carried multiple firearms at all times and was ‘anti-law enforcement’, so FBI tactical personnel were called to assist with the arrest, the release states…. Little Rock FBI spokesman Connor Hagan on Wednesday afternoon was not able to say anything more about Neuman or his activities.” https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2022/jan/27/fbi-investigating-jonesboro-shootout-in-which/ I think there is more to this story. Why would the FBI be involved? And why didn’t they release this basic information right after the incident? What felony did he commit? Why was he so heavily armed?
Los Angeles clears homeless camp on eve of hosting Super Bowl. “… local media reported about 60 people were residing in the space located by the 405 Freeway, which KTLA described as one of the main routes for people traveling between LAX and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood…. officials have denied the sweep had anything to do with the upcoming Super Bowl, scheduled for Feb. 13…. But KTLA, a local news station, reported that a ‘worker’ had told them the cleanup was due to the upcoming Super Bowl.” https://www.vice.com/en/article/4aw4aq/los-angeles-homeless-encampment-super-bowl
Heidelberg University shooter reportedly had links to neo-Nazi group. “The attack killed a 23-year-old woman, who died of her injuries in hospital several hours later, and injured three other students – two women and a man.… on Wednesday, further details of the gunman’s troubled background emerged, with reports that he had previously had links to the militant neo-Nazi ‘micro-party’ Der Dritte Weg (The Third Path)…. The party has only about 600 members, but it’ss focused on extremist activism rather than establishing itself as a major political force, according to the BfV [Germany’s domestic intelligence agency].” https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkpzkz/heidelberg-university-shooting-nikolai-g-the-third-path
State Department approves proposed $2.5 billion arms sale to Egypt. “Despite approval by the State Department, the notification to Congress does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded…. There has been ongoing unease in Washington over Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s treatment of political opponents, with rights groups estimating that Egypt holds about 60,000 political prisoners.” https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-egypt-military-sales-state-department-approves That’s about 67 times as many political prisoners as in Belarus! “The unconditional release of all political prisoners in Belarus remains the top goal of the United States, the U.S. special envoy to Belarus, Julie Fisher, told RFE/RL after harsh prison sentences were handed down to a group of Belarusian opposition activists…. Fisher said there had been signs that the sanctions imposed thus far to try to pressure Belarus to release the more than 900 political prisoners and bring an end to the political crisis are having an impact, but the challenge remains how to ‘drive that toward the release of all political prisoners’.” https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-fisher-us-sanctions/31612045.html
U.S. Navy trying to recover crashed F-35C fighter from the bottom of the South China Sea. “I can confirm the aircraft impacted the flight deck during landing and subsequently fell to the water,” said Lieutenant Nicholas Lingo, spokesperson for the US Seventh Fleet…. “We cannot speculate on what the PRC’s intentions are on this matter.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/26/us-navy-works-to-recover-f35-from-south-china-sea
New leader of Burkina Faso is a U.S.-trained military officer. “Earlier this week, the military seized power in Burkina Faso, ousting the country’s democratically elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré…. Burkina Faso’s new leader [is] Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the commander of one of the country’s three military regions…. Damiba, it turns out, participated in at least a half-dozen U.S. training exercises, according to U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM.” https://theintercept.com/2022/01/26/burkina-faso-coup-us-military/
Award-winning comic-style book about the Holocaust joins list of books banned by U.S. school districts. “A Tennessee school board has banned a Pulitzer prize-winning novel from its classrooms over eight curse words and an illustration of a naked cartoon mouse. The graphic novel, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by New Yorker Art Spiegelman, uses hand-drawn illustrations of mice and cats to depict how the author’s parents survived Auschwitz during the Holocaust…. ‘I may be wrong, but this guy that created the artwork used to do the graphics for Playboy. You can look at his history, and we’re letting him do graphics in books for students…” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/27/tennessee-school-board-bans-pulitzer-prize-winning-holocaust-novel-maus
Bernie Sanders wants to make members of Congress vote against popular programs. “… Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday demanded floor votes on individual pieces of the stalled legislation in order to force Republicans—and right-wing Democrats—to go on the record opposing policies with widespread public support…. ‘Eighty-three percent of the American people support empowering the federal government to negotiate with the pharmaceutical industry to lower prescription drug prices,’ Sanders noted Wednesday. ‘What do the Republicans think? Are they prepared to stand up to the greed of the pharmaceutical industry which charges us the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs? Let’s vote and find out.'” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/27/no-more-hiding-sanders-says-make-gop-vote-popular-policies
Progressive Democrats urge use of diplomacy with Russia over Ukraine. “Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Barbara Lee, two top members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, implored the Biden administration on Wednesday to urgently pursue a diplomatic outcome in Ukraine, warning that ‘there is no military solution’ to surging tensions with Russia.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/26/there-no-military-solution-jayapal-lee-demand-diplomacy-ukraine Well, there are military solutions, but they are all bad. Lots of people die and Russia reclaims Ukraine, either directly or through a proxy government. “Moscow has mustered far more troops [more than 100,000] – with crucial advantages in artillery and armor in particular – and is far more prepared and willing to fight. NATO, on the other hand, would likely take some six-to-nine months to mobilize just 30,000 military personnel in the region. Worse yet, the US currently maintains just one rotational heavy (armored/mechanized infantry) brigade, plus a permanent wheeled cavalry regiment and artillery brigade in Europe. Assuming Biden’s promised 8,500 reinforcements – only some of whom would be combat soldiers – could arrive in time, that’s at best 20,000 infantrymen, tankers, scouts, and artilleryman to Uncle Sam’s name. None of us should like those odds.” https://original.antiwar.com/Danny_Sjursen/2022/01/26/the-us-russia-commitment-gap-and-its-tragic-potential/
Syria prison camp siege ends with SDF regaining control. “The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 124 IS militants, 50 fighters with the Kurdish-led forces and seven civilians were killed in the weeklong attack that extended outside the walls of the prison into residential areas. Thousands of civilians have been displaced.” https://www.courthousenews.com/us-backed-syrian-forces-capture-prison-from-is-after-a-week/
Progressive News Service 