The U.S. crackdown on protesters who support Palestinian rights. “State legislators have introduced hundreds of bills targeting the right to boycott Israel in the past decade in a direct attack on the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment movement for Palestinian human rights. Right wing groups have borrowed a page from the blacklists of the McCarthy-era, seeking to have supporters of Palestinian rights silenced, fired from jobs, or not hired in the first place. While it isn’t new, the current antagonism toward pro-Palestine speech has reached a frenzy since October 7, 2023. The legal advocacy group, Palestine Legal, which provides legal support for activists, received ‘an unprecedented 1300+ reports from people targeted for Palestine advocacy across cities and industries’, between October and February. ….Many [university] administrators are cracking down on student groups and even prohibiting traditional means of communication and dissent. American University in Washington, DC, instituted a ban on indoor protests, MIT suspended the school’s Coalition Against Apartheid for giving just one day notice about a planned protest, rather than the required 3, and Barnard College has now prohibited students from putting any signs or stickers on their dorm room doors. ….Politicians have been working to explicitly include criticism of Israel in official definitions of antisemitism for years, including by adopting into law the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s definition including the IHRA’s ‘contemporary examples of antisemitism’. The definition itself is not problematic, but the examples it identifies include criticism of Israel. The use of the IHRA definition with its examples has been roundly criticized by civil liberties, human rights, and press freedom groups for conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism and targeting core political speech protected by the Constitution.” https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CEJ8qydtIL6MC7H-dt9s-alq6DdVvhMC/view
Crackdown on bail funding groups. “Texas’ restrictions on bail funds come amid a surge in anti-bail fund legislation passed across the country. Between 2021 and 2022, legislators introduced bills regulating or restricting bail funds in at least nine states. Earlier this month, a sweeping anti-bail fund bill cleared both chambers of the Georgia legislature. Passed in reaction to Black bailout networks and the work of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund to post bond for jailed 2020 racial justice and recent Stop Cop City protesters, the bill limits nonprofits and charities to posting a mere three cash bonds per year. The bill is expected to be signed into law at the end of the legislative session. A Tennessee bill outright prohibiting the clerk of court from accepting bail posted by charitable bail organizations is flying through the legislature.” https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CEJ8qydtIL6MC7H-dt9s-alq6DdVvhMC/view [page 7]
Pipeline protesters charged with kidnapping after blocking roadway. “Virginia’s statute defines kidnapping as using force, intimidation or deception to transport or detain another person. It’s clearly a kidnapping offense to stuff someone in your trunk or trap them in your basement. But in the likely event that you’re confused by how a protester can be charged with kidnapping, here’s how the state’s logic goes: The [Mountain Valley Pipeline] protesters blocked the pathway of a [construction?] vehicle, making the driver unable to leave, so under the law, he was detained, ergo ‘kidnapped’. (Giles County prosecutors, who brought the charge against her, can’t be keen to discuss the fact that the driver was able to walk away from the equipment at any time.) It’s an absurd charge, and one that protesters hope a judge will view with skepticism. But in the meantime, the charges tie up activists in a protracted legal battle. When ‘Maggie’ turned herself in on the felony abduction charges, she was arrested and processed through the Western Virginia Regional Jail. The solidarity networks of activists bailed Maggie out, but being out on bail comes with a series of bond conditions attached. It’s all part of a broader strategy to keep protesters out of the movement.” https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CEJ8qydtIL6MC7H-dt9s-alq6DdVvhMC/view [p. 12]
Is proposed TikTok ban an attempt to stifle pro-Palestinian speech? “After a bill in the US Congress was overwhelmingly passed to ban the social media app TikTok, social media users expressed outrage online and linked the move to pro-Israel groups trying to curb the surge of pro-Palestinian content on the platform. The bill, which passed in the House by a 352-65 vote, requires that TikTok be sold to an American company or face a ban in the US. To become law, it still needs to be passed by the Senate, which the Biden administration has been pushing to happen quickly. The legislation was the culmination of a year-long effort and has been largely attributed to lawmakers with hawkish views on China. ….While US opposition to China helped launch the bill, journalists, experts, and social media users pointed to several issues since October that they say show pro-Palestinian content was a part of the issue behind the bill’s resurgence. ….One of the instances they pointed to was a reportedly leaked recording of Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League, in which he said, ‘We really have a Tik-Tok problem.’ Another example users cite is that one of the major donors for Mike Gallagher, the Republican congressman who introduced the bill, is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The Wall Street Journal also reported last week that there was ‘new momentum in part because of anger over TikTok videos about the Israel-Hamas conflict’. In another report by the WSJ, Democrat Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said it was the war in Gaza that led him to support a ban on TikTok. ….Republican Senator Josh Hawley sent a letter to the Biden administration in November calling for the ban of TikTok. In the letter, he specifically cited the ‘ubiquity of anti-Israel content on TikTok’ as one of his main reasons for advocating for the ban.” https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/why-people-think-us-effort-ban-tiktok-linked-pro-palestine-content
Supreme Court deliberates on potential government restrictions on ‘classified’ social media content. “Several justices pointed out that the government often tries to influence the press not to publish news stories that officials claim will harm national security. That’s true. But just as true is that the press remains free to reject the officials’ requests — or even demands — not to publish. For instance, when The Washington Post published the Snowden leaks, it withheld some information — but not all — at the request of officials. If the intelligence agencies had their way, explained then-Executive Editor Marty Baron, the Post wouldn’t have published any of the Snowden documents at all. That important limit seemed lost at some points during the court’s argument. In one particularly troubling exchange, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson asked the lawyer for the states about whether the government could tell the platforms it must remove ‘classified information’ posted by a user. The states’ lawyer — who was there to argue against the government’s power to demand content removals — swiftly agreed that content could be required to be removed. That’s not right. There’s nothing about invoking the words ‘classified information’ or ‘national security’ that gives the government the power to forbid publication or require removal of already published information. That was exactly the argument the Supreme Court rejected in the Pentagon Papers case, when it held that the First Amendment prohibits prior restraints — court orders censoring the publication of an article or documents — in almost all cases. As Justice Black explained, ‘The word ‘security’ is a broad, vague generality whose contours should not be invoked to abrogate the fundamental law embodied in the First Amendment.’ It would be incredibly dangerous for the Supreme Court to adopt an interpretation of the First Amendment in Murthy [v. Missouri] that gives the government greater leeway to coerce social media or any publisher into not publishing information on the basis of national security concerns. Claims that the sky will fall if certain information is published rarely pan out. But that hasn’t stopped our government from invoking national security to try to stop or delay publication of information that reveals its wrongdoing. Other countries that actually have the power to censor speech online in the name of national security have abused it to prevent publication of information that’s embarrassing or exposes their own abuses.” https://freedom.press/news/classified-information-isnt-a-magic-formula-to-suspend-the-first-amendment/
U.S. death penalty hampers extradition of suspects from most developed countries. “The list of reasons to oppose the death penalty in the United States grows longer every day. It is not a significant deterrent to violent crime. It is disproportionately applied to defendants who are Black or brown or who can’t afford good counsel. It is arbitrary: The same crime committed in one state — say, Illinois — and just across the border in another — say, Missouri — can quite literally be the difference between life and death. And, chillingly, scores of death row inmates have been found to be actually innocent through DNA testing or other means and exonerated. To this sorrowful litany add the fact that the United States stands virtually alone among developed nations in wielding this brutalizing punishment. In 2022, the most frequent executions in the world occurred in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt — and the United States. ‘It’s a very weird kind of company we keep,’ Robin Maher, executive director of the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center, said in an interview. Because the United States is such an outlier in clinging to capital punishment, many nations —including Mexico, Canada, and all of Europe — typically refuse to extradite alleged criminals to the United States if they face the possibility of death. It’s one reason the US government has been stymied in its efforts to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, wanted on espionage charges over his alleged role in publishing classified military documents in 2010.” https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/21/opinion/capital-punishment-julian-assange-extradition/
No evidence Hamas is intentionally using civilians as ‘human shields’. “Unable to deny the horrendous human death toll, the Biden administration and many of its supporters have insisted that the responsibility for Israel’s mass killing actually belongs to Hamas for their alleged use of human shields, defined under international law as ‘Utilizing the presence of a civilian or other protected person to render certain points, areas or military forces immune from military operation.’ However, there is little evidence that Hamas is actually doing this. Hamas has certainly not done enough to reduce civilian casualties; Amnesty International notes that it has sometimes positioned fighters and armaments too close to concentrations of civilians. However, this is not the same thing as deliberately using civilians as protection against enemy fire, which is a far more serious offense and recognized as a crime against humanity. Ukraine has also been found to have positioned fighters and armaments too close to civilians, but the Biden administration has neither accused the state of using human shields nor used that to defend Russia’s bombing of civilian areas. ….The use of the term ‘human shields’ makes it possible for people in the U.S. to believe that the staggering civilian death toll is not only justifiable but unavoidable. How do Israeli and U.S. leaders get away with this? ….A Hamas official living with his family in an apartment building is not a case of using ‘human shield’s, as the U.S. claims, nor does it give Israel the right to blow up the entire building, as it has done in such circumstances multiple times since the outbreak of fighting five months ago. In addition, Hamas’s armed wing is a militia, not a standing army. As a result, virtually all of its fighters also live in private homes and go to neighborhood mosques and local hospitals. Furthermore, Hamas is not just its armed wing, but the governing body of the Gaza Strip and its more than 2 million residents. By Israel’s definition, the civilian police force, those employed by various ministries and other such ‘Hamas officials’ are legitimate targets. ….As a result, this resolution – primarily drafted by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – puts the U.S. government on record advancing a dangerous reinterpretation of international humanitarian law that would allow virtually any country with superior air power or long-range artillery to get away with large-scale attacks on residential neighborhoods, hospitals, and more. We are seeing the result of this reinterpretation in the U.S. defense of Israeli war crimes today. Biden has expanded the definition even further, saying that simply the presence of Hamas in the Gaza Strip is responsible not only for the bombing, but for the Israeli blockade and resulting starvation of Palestinians. Addressing a Human Rights Campaign dinner in Washington, he said, ‘The humanitarian crisis in Gaza — innocent Palestinian families and the vast majority that have nothing to do with Hamas — they’re being used as human shields.'” https://truthout.org/articles/us-has-redefined-human-shields-to-enable-israels-slaughter-of-gaza-civilians/
At least 115 killed in terror attack at concert in Moscow. “ISIS claimed responsibility for assault in a short statement published by ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq on Telegram on Friday. It did not provide evidence to support the claim. Video footage from the Crocus City Hall shows the vast complex, which is home to both the music hall and a shopping center, on fire with smoke billowing into the air. RIA Novosti reported the [four] armed individuals ‘opened fire with automatic weapons’ and ‘threw a grenade or an incendiary bomb, which started a fire’. They then ‘allegedly fled in a white Renault car’, the news agency said. ….Earlier this month, the US embassy in Russia said it was ‘monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow’, including concerts. The embassy [had] warned US citizens to avoid large gatherings. ….Starting in November, there has been a steady stream of intelligence that ISIS-K was determined to attack in Russia, according to two sources familiar with the information. ISIS-K stands for ISIS-Khorasan, the terror organization’s affiliate that is active in Afghanistan and the surrounding region.” https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/23/europe/moscow-concert-hall-attack-intl/index.html Russia claims the men were apprehended while trying to cross the border into Ukraine, which I find very hard to believe because that has to be the most tightly controlled border in Russia right now.
Feds want Google to identify users who watched particular videos. “Federal investigators have ordered Google to provide information on all viewers of select YouTube videos, according to multiple court orders obtained by Forbes. Privacy experts from multiple civil rights groups told Forbes they think the orders are unconstitutional because they threaten to turn innocent YouTube viewers into criminal suspects. In a just-unsealed case from Kentucky reviewed by Forbes, undercover cops sought to identify the individual behind the online moniker ‘elonmuskwhm’, who they suspect of selling bitcoin for cash, potentially running afoul of money laundering laws and rules around unlicensed money transmitting. In conversations with the user in early January, undercover agents sent links of YouTube tutorials for mapping via drones and augmented reality software, then asked Google for information on who had viewed the videos, which collectively have been watched over 30,000 times. The court orders show the government telling Google to provide the names, addresses, telephone numbers and user activity for all Google account users who accessed the YouTube videos between January 1 and January 8, 2023. The government also wanted the IP addresses of non-Google account owners who viewed the videos. ….Privacy experts said the orders were unconstitutional because they threatened to undo protections in the 1st and 4th Amendments covering free speech and freedom from unreasonable searches. ‘This is the latest chapter in a disturbing trend where we see government agencies increasingly transforming search warrants into digital dragnets. It’s unconstitutional, it’s terrifying and it’s happening every day,’ said Albert Fox-Cahn, executive director at the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. ….’I’m horrified that the courts are allowing this.'” https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2024/03/22/feds-ordered-google-to-unmask-certain-youtube-users-critics-say-its-terrifying/
Proposed Chicago mansion tax narrowly rejected by voters in low-turnout election. “The Bring Chicago Home referendum has officially failed, according to The Associated Press, which made the call Friday evening after thousands more outstanding mail ballots for the March primary election were added to vote totals. According to updated totals released by the Chicago Board of Elections, unofficial results show 53% voted against the measure, with supporters trailing six-percentage points behind at 47%. The Associated Press called it for opponents at 6 p.m. shortly after results were released. ….Voters were asked whether they wanted to authorize a tax increase on the sale of high-end properties to raise money for homelessness prevention. The proposal would have changed the current, flat real estate transfer tax rate of .75% to a three-tiered, marginal tax, with the portion of property valued over $1 million and $1.5 million seeing tax increases – while the portion of property valued under $1 million would have seen a tax cut. An estimated $100 million was expected to be raised annually from the tax increases. If passed, Chicago would have been on track to join cities like Los Angeles where voters approved a similar tax increase to address homelessness. But the referendum was stymied by a protracted legal battle, low voter turnout and a complicated structure that opponents framed as a property tax increase.” https://www.wbez.org/stories/bring-chicago-home-referendum-fails-after-vote-by-mail-ballots-counted/34371fdc-df55-447f-9f87-718df64d9143
Airport director fatally shot during Arkansas ATF raid allegedly had side hustle reselling guns. “Details are provided in an affidavit, provided by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Arkansas. It says [Bryan] Malinowski purchased at least 150 guns over the past three years, many of which he sold at gun shows or to private buyers in other settings. Six firearms that passed through Malinowski’s hands are known to have been recovered in the commission of a crime, the affidavit says, although at least half of the crimes it describes are marijuana possession. He sold three firearms to undercover officers. ….Court documents say Malinowski bought dozens of guns from federally licensed dealers over recent years, each time affirming that he was buying them for himself. ….Malinowski went on to sell some of those guns at gun shows and informally through word of mouth. Malinowski allegedly offered to find specific guns for potential customers. He made some of his sales in parking lots and his vehicle was seen late at night in parts of Little Rock ‘known for violent crime, and buying and selling contraband such as firearms and controlled substances, specifically during the evening and midnight hours’, the affidavit says. ….There’s been much speculation about whether Malinowski was aware the people at his door Tuesday morning were federal agents. The search warrant offers no indication that it was a ‘no-knock warrant’, when officers storm in unannounced. Sources with law enforcement experience say officers would typically loudly announce themselves in such a situation. But according to the ATF’s statement Tuesday, Malinowski greeted agents with gunfire, injuring one.” https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2024/03/21/judge-unseals-documents-in-malinowski-case
Protests in New Delhi after opposition leader arrested. “Hundreds of protesters in India’s capital took to the streets for a second day Saturday, demanding the immediate release of one of the top rivals of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the country gears up for a national election next month. Arvind Kejriwal, New Delhi’s top elected official and one of the country’s most consequential politicians of the past decade, was arrested by the federal Enforcement Directorate Thursday night. The agency, controlled by Modi’s government, accused his party and ministers of accepting 1 billion rupees ($12 million) in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago. His Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man’s Party, denied the accusations and said Friday Kejriwal would remain Delhi’s chief minister as it took the matter to court. Kejriwal was taken into custody for seven days following a court order on Friday.” https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-international/ap-protests-against-arrest-of-one-of-top-rivals-of-indian-prime-minister-modi-continue-for-second-day/
Houthis claim U.S. and U.K. have carried out five more airstrikes on targets in Yemen. “U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes against three Houthi underground weapons storage facilities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Friday. ….CENTCOM also said its forces had destroyed four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense. Attacks by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea region, which the Iran-aligned militants say are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to take longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa. The head of the Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, said earlier there had been ‘reckless’ U.S.-British attacks on Yemen. The Houthi-run Saba News Agency said U.S. and British aircraft had launched five raids on Hodeidah, the area where Yemen’s main port is located. CENTCOM said that during the time frame of the U.S. attacks on the UAVs, Houthi militants had fired four anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea.” https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-says-it-conducted-self-defense-strikes-against-houthi-facilities-2024-03-23/
Higher income Americans dining out more, those with lower incomes dining out less. “‘We’re clearly seeing consumer behavior shifts,’ Darden [Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse] CEO Rick Cardenas said in a third-quarter earnings call on Thursday. ‘Transactions from incomes below $75,000 were much lower than last year. And at every brand, transactions fell from incomes below $50,000.’ Meanwhile, transactions for higher-income individuals were higher than last year, according to the earnings call, so households earning at least $150,000 were dining out more. That’s an ‘ongoing change’ to Darden’s income mix, said CFO Raj Vennam. It’s also a vivid illustration of a two-track economy in which lower-income consumers are pulling back and higher-income families are splashing the cash. ….Indeed, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said in an earnings call that the ‘battleground is certainly with that low-income consumer’, which they consider earning $45,000 or less per year. Kempczinski also admitted that it’s cheaper for many of these lower-income individuals to just cook at home.” https://fortune.com/2024/03/22/how-bad-is-economy-olive-garden-earnings-rich-poor-divide/ In other words, dining out at moderately nice restaurants is now out of reach for many American families.
FTC accuses grocery store chains of ‘greedflation’. “Large grocery store chains exploited product shortages during the pandemic by raising prices significantly more than needed to cover their added costs and they continue to reap excessive profits, according to a Federal Trade Commission report. The grocery giants also used their marketing power and leverage to widen their advantage over smaller competitors, according to the report, titled ‘Feeding America in a Time of Crisis’. ‘As the pandemic illustrated, a major shock to the supply chain have cascading effects on consumers, including the prices they pay for groceries,’ FTC Chair Lina Kahn said in a statement. ‘The FTC report examining US grocery supply chains finds that dominant firms used this moment to come out ahead at the expense of their competitors and the communities they serve.’ ….In 2021, food and beverage retailer revenue increased to more than 6% above their total costs, compared with a peak of 5.6% in 2015, the FTC report says. And during the first three quarters of 2023, profits increased further, with sales topping costs by 7%.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/03/21/ftc-report-grocery-chains-gouge/73059901007/
Former Air Force intelligence analyst reportedly set up Boogaloo Boys Facebook page, shared classified information on Discord. “Investigators allege the now-former airman Jason Gray, 28, shared an image that ‘appeared to be classified’ that he ‘likely obtained’ from his access to National Security Agency (NSA) intelligence while he was stationed in Alaska. ….Investigators say Gray admitted to them that he created a Facebook page for supporters of the Boogaloo movement, which the affidavit notes is a ‘loosely organized anti-government/anti-authority movement’ whose adherents claim to be ‘planning for, or seek to incite, a second American Civil War or second American Revolution which they call the ‘Boogaloo’.’ The private Facebook group was called ‘CNN Journalist Support Group’, which investigators said Gray created ‘in part to [express] his dissatisfaction with the government’. ….Gray did not face any charges in relation to the leaking of classified documents and the image he posted was not believed to be as widely circulated, with investigators noting it was shared with seven others, not all of whom investigators had identified at the time of the affidavit. But investigators found hundreds of images on his personal devices featuring the sexual abuse of children and he later pleaded guilty to the distribution of child pornography, the Daily Beast first reported. He was sentenced for this crime to 60 months in prison and 25 years supervised release last November.” https://www.axios.com/2024/03/22/discord-classified-documents-boogaloo-air-force-jason-gray
Only 23 House Democrats voted against cutting all funding for UNRWA and giving another $3.8 billion in military support to Israel. “All but one of the bill’s Democratic opponents are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC). ….’Humanitarian aid in the region is already severely restricted. Implementing a prohibition on UNRWA funding is irresponsible and unacceptable. As the largest contributor of funding to Israel, we should use our funding leverage to demand that humanitarian aid enter Gaza and that we have a lasting cease-fire and a return of all hostages.’ ….By including such a provision in must-pass government funding legislation, Congress is ‘further deepening U.S. complicity in Israel’s starvation of Palestinian children,’ said Josh Ruebner, an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University and the former policy director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-house-unrwa-israel
Supreme Court to hear case on abortion pill safety. “The Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone — one of two drugs used in medication abortions — in 2000. In the two decades since its approval, mifepristone has become one of the most studied drugs on the market. It is not only safer than common drugs like penicillin or Viagra but also 14 times safer than childbirth. Despite its safety record, two lower courts have found abortion pills carry high risks and should not have been given approvals by the FDA. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled to revoke mifepristone’s FDA approval, finding that the pill caused intense psychological trauma and post-traumatic stress. Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee in Texas, said the government’s prescription and distribution of the drug put some women in serious or life-threatening situations. On appeal, the Fifth Circuit said the FDA failed to adequately consider mifepristone’s side effects and the potential harm of lowering safeguards to accessing the drug. While the New Orleans-based appeals court did not completely revoke mifepristone’s approval, it ruled to strictly curtail access to the pill. Both rulings rejected scientific evidence not only from the FDA but also from leading medical authorities. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Medical Association, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and 13 other leading medical societies called the evidence for mifepristone’s safety overwhelming. The groups said major adverse events occur in less than 0.32% of patients and the risk of death is almost nonexistent. The American Psychological Association said there is no rigorous scientific research that shows abortion negatively impacts mental health. The organization said scientific studies do show, however, that people who are denied abortion care experience more symptoms of anxiety and low self-esteem than those who receive an abortion. The leading medical groups claim that instead of using their expertise, the courts accepted inaccurate and disproven studies from a group of clinicians opposed to abortion.” https://www.courthousenews.com/abortion-pill-dispute-puts-supreme-court-at-the-center-of-fight-over-evidence-based-medicine/
Israel claims 1,980 more acres of West Bank land. “The Israeli government announced Friday it was confiscating 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank, which activists called the largest such seizure in decades. ….Israel captured the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and all Israeli settlements in the territory are considered illegal under international law. ….Despite international condemnation of a policy that is regarded as one of the main obstacles to Middle East peace, successive Netanyahu-led governments have sharply accelerated the expansion of Israeli settlements across the West Bank. Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, they are now home to more than 490,000 Israelis, who live alongside around 3 million Palestinians. The U.N. high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk said last week that Israel settlement expansion constituted ‘a war crime’ and risked eliminating any possibility of a viable Palestinian state.” https://www.courthousenews.com/israel-unveils-big-west-bank-land-seizure-as-blinken-visits/
Two Michigan counties sued over restrictions on jail visits. “Two lawsuits filed this week accuse Michigan sheriff’s offices of colluding with large prison telecom companies to end face-to-face jail visitations and then price gouge families who are forced to rely on expensive phone calls and video chats, in return for major kickbacks. Civil Rights Corps, a criminal justice advocacy nonprofit, filed the two class-actions in Michigan state court, one in Genesee County and the other in St. Clair County, on behalf of multiple residents who say the visitation bans deprive children of the ability to hug their incarcerated parents. The lawsuits claim two major prison technology providers—Securus Technologies and Global Tel*Link (GTL)—dangled significant financial incentives in front of Genesee and St. Clair officials to install video chat kiosks in jails that would eventually replace face-to-face visits. Civil Rights Corps argues this violated inmates’ and their families’ due process rights under the Michigan Constitution. In addition to damages, the lawsuit is seeking immediate injunctions ending the bans on in-person jail visits. ‘This scheme violates Michigan law, offends basic principles of human connection and dignity, and imposes profound costs on families,’ Civil Rights Corps argues in the lawsuit filed against Genesee County. ‘It also harms individual and public safety without serving any compelling government interest.'” https://reason.com/2024/03/22/lawsuits-allege-michigan-sheriffs-colluded-to-end-in-person-jail-visits-and-price-gouge-families-for-calls/
Israel failing to follow International Court of Justice’s ruling on Gaza. “The American government has provided most of the armaments and targeting technologies being used to kill Gazans by the thousands while turning many of the rest of them into refugees by destroying their homes, offices, schools, and hospitals. Nor did the Biden administration threaten to withdraw that support when Israel blocked shipments of crucial food and fuel to the twenty-five-mile-long Gaza Strip. It also keeps vetoing UN Security Council resolutions that would hold Israel accountable. And President Joe Biden, despite an increasing amount of rhetorical shuffling, continues to back Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), even though they have ignored the International Court’s orders and continue committing atrocities. On January 26, the International Court of Justice handed down a ruling in a case brought by the Republic of South Africa accusing Israel of genocide. It ordered that Israel must ‘ensure with immediate effect that its military does not commit any acts described’ in the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The court’s first order prohibited ‘killing members’ of the Palestinian population or ‘causing serious bodily or mental harm’ to them. How did Israel respond? Consider that, between late December 2023 and January 21 of this year, the IDF had killed about five thousand Palestinians, already pushing the death toll in the Gaza Strip past twenty-five thousand. The court’s order, issued days later, would have essentially zero effect. Another five thousand–plus Palestinians would be killed by late February, raising the death toll to more than thirty thousand.” https://jacobin.com/2024/03/israel-icj-genocide-war-gaza
Progressive News Service 