2020-10-17: News Headlines

MEE staff (2020-10-16). Saudi Arabia arrests 45 in latest 'anti-corruption' drive. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia arrests 45 in latest 'anti-corruption' drive | Authorities arrest dozens of people, including military officers, and seize $160m as part of kingdom's wide-ranging campaign | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 20: 31 | Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh (AFP/File photo) | Saudi authorities arrested at least 45 people, including military officers and public servants, as part of kingdom's so-called anti…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-10-16). Cori Bush, nurse turned BLM leader and congressional candidate, pushes turnout. peoplesworld.org OAKLAND, Calif.—The nation's largest union of registered nurses, National Nurses United, will open a new, week-long advocacy drive for premium pay for frontline anti-coronavirus pandemic workers and protective gear for all of them on Oct. 26. The Nurse Advocacy Action drive, which will run through Nov. 1, will feature coordinated vigils outside hospitals and nursing …

Randall Scott (2020-10-16). Chester County, PA activists hold "Skate for Black Lives" event. liberationnews.org Dozens came out to Skate for Black Lives on October 10 at the skatepark in Downingtown, Penn. The event was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Chester County Stands Up. Attendees brought handmade Black Lives Matter signs to show support for the national uprising against racism. The event was planned after skateboarder …

RT (2020-10-16). Mexico's ex-defense minister faces five drug trafficking charges in US. rt.com Former Mexican Defense Minister Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, who has been arrested in Los Angeles, is now facing five charges in the US related to drug trafficking, Mexico's foreign minister has said. | The arrested general is expected to be transferred to New York shortly, a senior diplomat, Marcelo Ebrard, said on Twitter, citing the country's consulate in Los Angeles. | Cienfuegos, who was in office from 2012 to 2018, was arrested late on Thursday at Los Angeles International Airport on a Drug Enforcement Administration warrant. | The high-profile arrest was praised by President Andrés Manuel Lop&eacu…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-16). Nigerians demand an end to police brutality. peoplesdispatch.org Massive protests have been held for the past nine days against police brutality across Nigeria.The protesters are demanding the dissolution of the SARS units of the police, and an end to all forms of police brutality in the country.

Andrew Emett (2020-10-16). Tennessee mayor resigns after arrested for shoplifting. nationofchange.org The store loss prevention officer "observed Mr. Blade taking multiple items and only scanning one of the items and placing these items into his shopping cart before exiting the Target store."

WSWS (2020-10-16). Protests against police brutality in Nigeria amid economic catastrophe. wsws.org The protests were sparked by the killing of a young man in Delta State, in southern Nigeria, during a stop-and-search operation on October 3, although the police denied that Special Anti-Robbery Squad officers were involved.

YOFAP (2020-10-16). Friday 10/16: San Jose: BLM & YES on Prop 16: Opportunity for All Rally. indybay.org Plaza de César Chávez, 1 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose, CA 95113 | NOTE: Masks & social distancing…

YOFAP (2020-10-16). Friday 10/16: Oakland: BLM & YES on Prop 16: Opportunity for All Rally. indybay.org Lake Merritt Amphitheatre, Between 12th Street and 1st Ave., Lake Merritt Blvd, Oakland, CA 94612 | NOTE: Masks & social distancing required…

MEE staff (2020-10-15). Egypt: Prisoners begin mass hunger strike against abusive treatment. middleeasteye.net Egypt: Prisoners begin mass hunger strike against abusive treatment | Inmates at Tora's Istiqbal jail are demanding an end to harsh disciplinary measures, say rights groups | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 10: 47 | A policeman stands guard at the Tora Prison Complex, in southern Cairo (AFP) | Detainees at one of Egypt's most notorious prisons have gone on hunger strike in protest against ill-treatment, several rights group…

Rin Bernhardt (2020-10-15). Kids in tech deserts miss online class, NM sends cops. liberationnews.org Will cops help kids get connected to the internet?

Ali Harb (2020-10-15). Saudi minister defends kingdom over Khashoggi murder, Yemen war. middleeasteye.net Saudi minister defends kingdom over Khashoggi murder, Yemen war | Foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan also accuses jailed women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul of 'serious crimes' during visit to Washington | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 22: 38 | Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan defends incarceration of women's rights activists (File image/AFP) | Less than two weeks after the second anniversary of the mu…

Hajira Asghar (2020-10-14). 81 Days on hunger strike: Movement grows to free Palestinian political prisoner Maher al-Akhras. liberationnews.org A rally gathered in Ramallah this week in solidarity with Maher al-Akhras, a Palestinian political prisoner who after 81 days on hunger strike is now feared to be near death. The 49-year-old father of six was arrested by Israeli forces in July. Al-Akhras' lawyers have put forth several appeals to Israel's High Court for his …

Staff (2020-10-14). TRNN talks to Kentucky lawmaker Attica Scott, who was arrested at a protest for Breonna Taylor. therealnews.com Scott helped author legislation banning no-knock warrants, known as "Breonna's Law."

ACLU (2020-10-14). What You Need to Know About Orleans Parish District Attorney Candidates. aclu.org The election for Orleans Parish district attorney on Nov. 3 is a historic opportunity to shape the city's priorities on racial disparities in sentencing, prosecutorial practices, bail reform and help end mass incarceration. The next DA can create a fairer, more equitable criminal legal system and champion reform., , Make informed decisions. Make sure you know where the candidates are on key civil liberties and civil rights issues. | Orleans Parish District Attorney Candidate Dashboard: | IssuesArthur HunterKeva LandrumJason Williams | Decarceration | Pledges not to prosecute marijuana po…

Joe Piette (2020-10-14). Vietnam refugee leader arrested for protesting ICE crimes. workers.org Nancy just after being released from jail Oct 9. Philadelphia — Nancy Nguyen, Executive Director of VietLead, a Philadelphia-based Vietnamese refugee organization, was handcuffed and arrested Oct. 8 as she was changing her one-year-old baby's diaper in her Philadelphia home. Her arrest involved the cooperation of several federal and . . . |

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-14). Protests intensify in Thailand in response to pre-emptive arrests by police. peoplesdispatch.org 21 individuals were arrested from the Democracy Monument in Bangkok on October 13, Tuesday, as they congregated for demonstrations planned for the next day. The news of the arrests has triggered widespread outrage and protests…

Joseph Massad (2020-10-14). France's 'Crisis' with Islam: A Legacy of 200 Years of Colonial Brutality. globalresearch.ca France is in crisis. | Official and unofficial Christian French radical extremism, legitimising itself under the umbrella of what the French ostentatiously call laicité, continues to increase its attacks on French and non-French Muslims. |

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-14). Protests against police violence in Nigeria continue for the sixth day. peoplesdispatch.org The protesters' main demands are the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the police and an end to police brutality. The government was forced to give in and dissolve SARS…

Christopher D. Cook (2020-10-14). Why the Left Must Choose Biden. commondreams.org It's Biden, or four more years of Trumpian nightmare, death, and brutality. (Photo: Ron Adar / Echoes Wire / Barcroft Media via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Staff (2020-10-13). To Decolonize Indigenous Lands, We Must Also Abolish Police and Prisons. truthout.org The movement to decolonize Indigenous lands is intimately connected to the movement to abolish police and prisons. As the idea of decolonization is discussed among wider circles, we must recognize this interconnectedness, especially in the midst of a resurgent Black Lives Matter movement that calls for the defunding — and, in fact, the dismantling — of police. | Both decolonization and abolition are not simply seeking an end result. Instead they are continuous creative processes: an ima…

Katie Miernicki (2020-10-13). After summer of violent repression, Philadelphia City Council considers banning "crowd control" weapons. liberationnews.org On October 7, Philadelphia City Council held a virtual hearing regarding police brutality in the city and the violent repression of protests over the summer sparked by the murder of George Floyd. In response to public outrage over the Philadelphia Police Department's abhorrent treatment of protestors and residents during the summer's uprisings, councilmember Helen Gym, …

Aranxta Calles (2020-10-13). San Diego protesters stand in solidarity with Denver activists against police repression. liberationnews.org On Oct. 10, members of the San Diego branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation organized a rally in solidarity with the anti-racist organizers arrested under false charges in Denver, Colorado. The organizers are facing decades in prison simply for leading the struggle for justice for Elijah McClain. Different organizations also came out to …

Andrew Lee (2020-10-13). Why Police Body Cameras Haven't Stopped Police Brutality. progressive.org They've so far failed to curb police misconduct; it's time to admit that this reform is not enough.

WSWS (2020-10-13). Questions mount about Trump's ties to Michigan fascist plotters. wsws.org Today, Eric Trump was scheduled to speak at Hudson Valley Guns in New Huron, Michigan, where one of the 13 men arrested last Thursday for plotting to kidnap and murder Gretchen Whitmer was employed.