Cecily McMillan, the 25-year-old Occupy Wall Street organizer who was allegedly sexually assaulted and brutalized by a police officer at Zuccotti Park, is facing up to seven years in prison after—in what her supporters say is a cruel twist—she was convicted Monday afternoon of “felony assault” of the very police officer she says is her…
Author: FASHIONISLANDBLOG
Prince Charles: Climate Crisis Demands 'Fundamental Transformation of Capitalism'
Perhaps irrelevant to some—coming from a man who owes both his wealth and prestige to the antiquated (though persistent) privilege of being born into a royal family—Prince Charles of England again waded into quasi-radical polemics on Wednesday as he told a crowd of financiers and global elites that the “current form of capitalism” must come…
'Abuse' and 'Despair' at For-Profit Immigrant Prisons Exposed
Behind closed doors, in the custody of for-profit prisons, non-U.S. citizens face “shocking” neglect, abuse, mistreatment, discrimination, arbitrary solitary confinement, and family separation, according to an American Civil Liberties Union report released Tuesday. The growing “criminalization of immigration,” alongside the rise of mass incarceration, has meant windfall profits for the private corporations that operate the…
NYC Settles over Police Suppression of Occupy Protest
In a clear rebuke of the heavy-handed tactics of the New York Police Department, the City of New York on Tuesday agreed to pay $583,000 in damages for the false arrest of more than a dozen Occupy Wall Street demonstrators on New Years Eve in 2011. The protesters were arrested near midnight in Manhattan for…
Gingrich admits 'boo-boo,' says 'draining the swamp is in'
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said he made a mistake when he suggested President-elect Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE may be leaving behind…
House Moves to Rein in NSA 'Backdoor' Spying on Americans
The House of Representatives on Thursday approved an effort to rein in government surveillance by passing an amendment that attempts to block so-called “backdoor” searches by the NSA. The late night vote on the amendment, whose main sponsor was Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), passed 293-123 with overwhelming bipartisan support and little debate. Click Here: Cardiff…
Behind 'Smokescreen' of Charity, Global Financial Elite Pillage African Nations $60bn Each Year
Click:block production machine Under the “smokescreen” of giving aid or charity, western governments and multinational corporations are pillaging states in sub-Sahara Africa with losses nearing $60 billion each year, according to research published on Tuesday by a coalition of 10 Africa and UK-based NGOs. The report, Honest accounts? The true story of Africa’s billion dollar…
US-Supported "Good Guys" Firing Ballistic Missiles in Ukraine?
One day after the U.S. government accused Russia of betraying a signature treaty by test-firing a medium-range ballistic missile, questions are mounting on Tuesday over whether the Ukrainian Army has actually fired short-range ballistic missiles at rebel-held areas in the east of the country. [A U.S. official] said it is not clear if the United…
Israel and Hamas Agree to New 72 Hour Ceasefire
Update: Israel has followed Hamas in agreeing to the Egypt-brokered 72 hour ceasefire, which comes into affect at 2100 GMT on Sunday evening. Earlier: The Palestinian delegate on Sunday accepted a second 72-hour ceasefire proposal brokered by Egypt, despite the news that airstrikes continued to hammer the closed-off territory. According to reports, attacks by Israeli…
Officials Warn of Possible Second Outbreak as Ebola Confirmed in Fifth Country
Scientists are racing to confirm if an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which officials confirmed on Sunday, is a different strain than that which has killed nearly 1,500 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, potentially raising the specter of the crisis to two deadly outbreaks. At a Sunday press…