Democratic Rights in the US
Trump orders indefinite jailing of detained immigrant families, attacks birthright citizenship
By Eric London, 22 August 2019
Democrats have largely backed Trump’s attacks on immigrants, with the New York Times describing his concentration camps as “family detention centers.”
Voices from Ferguson, Missouri five years after the police murder of Michael Brown
By Zac Corrigan, 22 August 2019
Residents spoke about life in a country where the police kill with impunity to defend a capitalist social order based on historic levels of inequality.
Trump administration calls for permanent restoration of bulk phone communications surveillance
By Kevin Reed, 19 August 2019
The outgoing director of National Intelligence appealed to Congress for the restoration of the surveillance program that was exposed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
Facial recognition technology and identity politics
By Kevin Reed, 17 August 2019
The Democrats are seeking to channel mass opposition to the wholesale invasion of privacy into a campaign to regulate and “equalize” facial recognition technology.
Protesters pepper-sprayed outside Rhode Island ICE facility after officer drives truck into crowd
By Trévon Austin, 16 August 2019
At least one demonstrator was seriously injured in the attack, suffering a broken leg, internal bleeding, and a back injury.
San Francisco school board proposes “compromise” in move to suppress historic Depression-era murals
By Toby Reese, 15 August 2019
School board officials in San Francisco continue their attempt to censor the left-wing murals painted by Victor Arnautoff at George Washington High School despite broad popular opposition.
Trump imposes new class-based immigration restrictions
By Eric London, 13 August 2019
The draconian regulation change means immigrants will be denied permanent residency if they have a low credit score, for example.
“Some kids are hiding in their house, Anne Frank-style”
Residents compare trauma of Mississippi ICE Raid to Hurricane Katrina
By Norisa Diaz, 13 August 2019
Children are afraid to attend school or leave their parents’ side. Families are hiding in their homes.
FBI presses for social media surveillance “early alerting tool” in aftermath of mass shootings
By Kevin Reed, 12 August 2019
The FBI is stepping up its campaign for a real-time social media alert tool to allow continuous surveillance of all social media activity across platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Australian investigative journalist exposes Guardian/New York Times betrayal of Assange
By Oscar Grenfell, 10 August 2019
Mark Davis made clear that the corporate media cynically exploited WikiLeaks, before ruthlessly turning on its founder Julian Assange and joining the state campaign against him.
New York judge orders Fordham University to recognize Students for Justice in Palestine club
By Fred Mazelis, 10 August 2019
The decision is a small but significant blow against the campaign to equate anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism.
The Mississippi raid: Trump’s attack on immigrants and his Democratic enablers
By Patrick Martin, 9 August 2019
Hundreds of children have been traumatized by having their parents ripped away from them and, in many cases, shipped to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement prison 150 miles away.
Chelsea Manning faces $441,000 in fines and another year in jail for refusing to testify against WikiLeaks
By Niles Niemuth, 9 August 2019
A federal judge rejected Manning’s motion to reconsider daily fines, which will bankrupt her as she refuses to testify before a grand jury impaneled to bring frame-up charges against WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange.
Capital One hack compromises personal data of 106 million credit card applicants
By Kevin Reed, 9 August 2019
The hack of customer information at Capital One revealed on July 29 has exposed millions to identity theft and added a further pretext for corporate and state attacks on democratic rights under the guise of fighting cyber-crime.
US military testing domestic wide-area surveillance with high-altitude balloons
By Kevin Reed, 8 August 2019
The balloons also have high-resolution cameras capable of recording panoramic images that are then stitched together to provide a wide-area view of entire cities.
Trump: The political enabler of fascist violence
By Patrick Martin, 5 August 2019
The president is the moral and political author of the bloody violence in El Paso, Gilroy and Dayton.
Media silent on dismissal of DNC suit against Julian Assange
By Oscar Grenfell, 2 August 2019
Having trumpeted the slander that Assange is a “Russian agent” for the past three years, the New York Times, the Washington Post and other corporate outlets have blacked out a court decision refuting their lies.
Julian Assange’s lawyer briefs Australian parliamentarians on his persecution
By Oscar Grenfell, 1 August 2019
The event reflected concerns within the ruling elite over popular opposition to the Trump administration’s bid to prosecute the WikiLeaks founder.
Video shows Dallas, Texas police joking as a 32-year-old man dies in their custody
By Benjamin Mateus, 1 August 2019
Disturbing body camera footage was only released after all charges were dropped and the three officers who killed Tony Timpa in 2016 returned to active duty earlier this year.
More than 900 children taken from their families in the last year
Trump administration continuing family separations at US-Mexico border despite court order
By Julian James, 1 August 2019
Just over a year after a district court ordered Customs and Border Protection to cease its policy of family separations at the Mexico-US border, the ACLU reports that children continue to be wrenched from their families.
The fascist attack in Gilroy and the US epidemic of mass shootings
By Patrick Martin, 31 July 2019
Two processes are intersecting in the explosion of violence in America: the long-term impact of social decay and militarism, and the deliberate incitement of fascistic sentiments by President Trump.
Judge dismisses DNC lawsuit
US federal court exposes Democratic Party conspiracy against Assange and WikiLeaks
By Eric London, 31 July 2019
The decision exposes the Democratic Party in a conspiracy to attack free speech and cover up the crimes of US imperialism and the two parties of Wall Street.
30 July 2019
Trump threatens to declare Antifa a terrorist group
By Patrick Martin, 29 July 2019
The action would set a precedent for criminalizing left-wing opposition to attacks on immigrants and the policies of the Trump administration more generally.
US, Sweden and Britain dismiss UN finding that they tortured Assange
By Oscar Grenfell, 29 July 2019
The responses to the detailed indictment issued by UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer are the latest demonstration of the illegal character of the campaign against the WikiLeaks founder.
FTC imposes $5 billion fine on Facebook for “deceiving users” about data privacy
By Kevin Reed, 27 July 2019
The settlement is part of a concerted effort by the US government to implement regulations and control over social media platforms.
Florida police officer charged with planting drugs during traffic stops
By Matthew Taylor, 23 July 2019
Eight Floridians serving prison sentences have been released and had their cases dismissed due to the charges against a Jackson County, Florida sheriff’s deputy.
Consortium News website taken down by a malware attack after streaming program defending Julian Assange
By Kevin Reed, 20 July 2019
The independent investigative journalism website Consortium News was brought down on Monday by a malware attack following the inaugural episode of CN Live!
US Justice Department will not bring charges in 2014 police murder of Eric Garner
By Erik Schreiber and Fred Mazelis, 18 July 2019
The failure to charge Daniel Pantaleo in Garner’s death is an endorsement of lethal police violence against the working class, under conditions of growing social unrest.
Donald Trump’s fascist strategy
By Eric London, 17 July 2019
Trump is proceeding according to a deliberate political strategy worked out with the White House’s fascist brain trust.
Trump abolishes right to asylum on US southern border
By Bill Van Auken, 16 July 2019
The White House order condemns many thousands of Central American men, women and children to be summarily returned to conditions of murderous violence.
The fascists in the White House
By Patrick Martin, 16 July 2019
Trump speaks openly as a fascist, demonizing people of different races and national origins, vilifying socialism, and declaring that those who oppose his administration’s policies are disloyal to the country and should leave it.
As auto talks begin, UAW and companies conspire to enforce new wave of concessions on workers
By Jerry White, 16 July 2019
The conflict is not between the auto companies and their servants in the UAW, but between rank-and-file workers, on the one side, and the corporate-UAW alliance, on the other.
Thousands march in Chicago to demand end to US immigrant detention camps, raids and deportations
By Kristina Betinis, 15 July 2019
The event was aimed at containing the enormous social opposition to the extreme-right policies of the Trump administration and the Republicans, within the confines of the Democratic Party,
Voices from the protests against Trump’s attack on immigrants
By our reporters, 15 July 2019
The WSWS spoke with hundreds across the country, including Kare, a paralegal in New York City, who said, “Change certainly won’t be coming from the top. This has been going on too long, and now that people are aware of it, we have to stand up.”
Trump’s raids and the stench of fascism
By Eric London, 12 July 2019
Beginning Sunday, the Trump administration plans to launch the largest immigration raids in US history, targeting 2,000 families for arrest and deportation.
House Democrats back facial recognition technology in Washington hearing
By Kevin Reed, 12 July 2019
The plans by the federal police organizations to press forward with facial recognition and biometric identification regardless of any public concerns were made explicit by the panel of those testifying at the hearing.
11 July 2019
11 July 2019
A mounting attack on democratic rights
FBI and ICE scanning driver’s license photos with facial recognition technology
By Kevin Reed, 10 July 2019
Behind the backs of the public, integrated networks, databases and artificial intelligence technologies are being used to build up information in the form of digital profiles on every citizen.
Trump aide threatens one million immigrants with deportation
By Patrick Martin, 8 July 2019
While the White House escalates its attacks on immigrants, congressional Democrats are deepening their collaboration with Trump.
Hack of Department of Homeland Security contractor exposes government surveillance of drivers on US roads and border crossings
By Kevin Reed, 8 July 2019
A group of transparency advocates hacked and published the extensive infrastructure of government surveillance of drivers on roadways and at border crossings.
070 Supreme Court gerrymandering decision
8 July 2019
“We can definitely unite with Central American workers!”
Detroiters oppose Trump’s war on immigrants at Fourth of July protest
By Zac Corrigan, 5 July 2019
Over 150 people gathered in front of the ICE Enforcement & Removal Operations Field Office in downtown Detroit Thursday to register their opposition to the most recent wave of horrific attacks on immigrants by the Trump administration.
Facebook planning to ban ads which discourage voting in US elections
By Kevin Reed, 5 July 2019
The new policy is a further expansion of Facebook’s censorship of left-wing and oppositional political views on its platforms.
Australian workers and youth speak out in defence of Assange at SEP rally
By our reporters, 3 July 2019
“No other political party, none of the human rights groups are acting. Amnesty is doing nothing! Getup is doing nothing!”
US Border Patrol agents joke about immigrant deaths in secret Facebook group with 9,500 members
By George Marlowe, 2 July 2019
A report by ProPublica revealed that Border Patrol agents used a secret Facebook group to make sadistic and violent jokes about immigrants as well as members of Congress.
When They See Us: A powerful dramatization of the case of the Central Park Five
By Kate Randall, 1 July 2019
The Netflix series dramatizes the case of five black and Latino young men who were wrongfully convicted in the 1989 Central Park Jogger rape case.
House Democrats give $4.6 billion for Trump’s concentration camps
Ocasio-Cortez plays critical role in ensuring passage
By Eric London, 28 June 2019
House Democrats voted for a Senate bill that exposes the critical role of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other “progressive” Democrats in facilitating Trump’s crackdown on immigrants.
016 Profile of US attorney who defended denying children soap
28 June 2019
US Supreme Court halts Trump plan for citizenship question in 2020 census
By Fred Mazelis, 28 June 2019
The delay may only be temporary, as the high court remanded the issue to a lower court, giving the administration a further opportunity to revive its effort to lower the official count of immigrants residing in the United States.
Watch the Sydney rally to free Assange live!
28 June 2019
The SEP rally is among the first events to be held since the WSWS International Editorial Board called for the formation of a Global Defence Committee to demand freedom for Assange and Manning.
San Francisco School Board votes to destroy left-wing murals they claim are “racist” and “white supremacist”
By Toby Reese, 28 June 2019
On Tuesday evening, the San Francisco Unified School Board voted unanimously to destroy or cover over the historic 1936 “Life of George Washington Murals” at a district high school. The vote is a reactionary decision that marks a new stage in the censorship drive that began last December.
”We can’t erase history to suit people’s feelings”
San Francisco residents voice opposition to censorship of George Washington High School murals
By Evan Blake and Alex Gonzalez, 28 June 2019
Numerous residents spoke out against the destruction of art and the need to contextualize the murals for a younger audience.
28 June 2019
As Democrats give Trump billions more for border war
Image of drowned father and daughter sparks global outrage against US anti-immigrant rampage
By Barry Grey, 27 June 2019
The Democratic Party has voted overwhelmingly to grant another $4.5 billion dollars for Trump’s Gestapo-like anti-immigrant agencies.
US House votes down amendment to block NSA collection of the personal communications of American citizens
By Kevin Reed, 26 June 2019
The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to reject a bipartisan proposal to halt warrantless collection of the personal communications of citizens under provisions of Section 702 of the FISA Act.
No to concentration camps in America!
By Eric London, 26 June 2019
Hundreds of millions of people around the world are sickened by Trump’s sadistic crimes against immigrants, which have exposed the rot at the core of American capitalism.
US schools erecting a massive digital surveillance infrastructure, choking dissent and free speech
By Doug Martin, 25 June 2019
Millions of young people across the US are facing intrusive surveillance of their social media use, emails and online searches from their schools, increasingly trampling upon their civil liberties, freedom of speech and rights to privacy.
Why is the US government using social media to monitor the public?
By Kevin Reed, 24 June 2019
The lawsuit filed by New Sanctuary Coalition and other groups, says that ICE specifically targeted individuals for deportation, to suppress their political speech.
Punitive fines threaten whistleblower Chelsea Manning with bankruptcy
By Oscar Grenfell, 24 June 2019
Manning is being held in contempt and fined $500 a day for her refusal to testify before a grand jury aimed at concocting charges against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.
025 AOC attacked for commment on "concentration camps"
21 June 2019
Trump announces operation to deport “millions” of immigrants from the US
By Niles Niemuth, 19 June 2019
The arrest of millions would require effective martial law in every major city, in a military-style mobilization without precedent in American history.
WikiLeaks publisher Assange faces US extradition trial next February
By Robert Stevens, 15 June 2019
The UK government has made clear that it will do everything possible to expedite Washington’s vindictive attempt to render the courageous journalist to face imprisonment, torture, and execution in the US.
Police murder in Memphis
By Barry Grey, 15 June 2019
The conditions in Memphis exemplify the economic and social conditions behind the reign of police violence in working class communities.
Activist Lauri Love and others speak out in defence of Assange
By our reporters, 15 June 2019
Members of the Julian Assange Defence Committee and the SEP were joined by people from across London and further afield, including two “Yellow Vest” protestors from France.
NYPD disciplinary trial of cop who killed Eric Garner concludes
By Sandy English, 15 June 2019
Final briefs were submitted in the NYPD’s trial of Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who choked Eric Garner to death in Staten Island in 2014.
UK home secretary signs US extradition request for Julian Assange
By Mike Head, 14 June 2019
The move, coming just one day before Assange’s first extradition hearing, makes clear the British government’s intent to hand the journalist over to his persecutors in Washington.
US Supreme Court refuses to hear Guantanamo detainee’s habeas corpus appeal
By Trévon Austin, 14 June 2019
The court’s refusal to hear the case of a man who has been imprisoned and tortured for nearly two decades without ever being convicted of a crime corresponds to the inexorable lurch by the entire political establishment towards dictatorship and barbarism.
Alabama governor signs chemical castration bill into law
By Jessica Goldstein, 12 June 2019
The mandate, ostensibly to protect children from rape, follows the recent enactment of an Alabama law that prohibits abortion in the vast majority of sexual assault and incest cases.
US issues formal request for Assange’s extradition
By Oscar Grenfell, 11 June 2019
The Trump administration is pressing ahead with its attempt to prosecute the WikiLeaks founder over his role in the exposure of US war crimes and diplomatic conspiracies.
Trump expands network of immigrant concentration camps
By Eric London, 11 June 2019
The Democratic Party is facilitating Trump’s escalation of attacks on immigrant workers as well as his moves toward unchecked presidential power.
Three immigrants die in US custody in three days
By Niles Niemuth, 6 June 2019
Immigrants are being subjected to inhumane treatment all along the line, guaranteeing that there will be more deaths in federal detention centers across the US.
Lutheran student pastor Betty Rendón deported back to Colombia less than a month after being detained by ICE
By Jacob Crosse, 6 June 2019
Pleas from community members and family fell on deaf ears as the Trump administration escalates its war on immigrants.
UN Special Rapporteur on Torture warns Julian Assange could die in prison
By Kevin Reed, 6 June 2019
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture said in an Australian radio interview on June 1 that Julian Assange could die in jail if his persecution is not ended here and now.
New Hampshire legislature abolishes death penalty, overriding governor’s veto
By Kate Randall, 5 June 2019
Half of all US states, plus the District of Columbia, have now abolished the death penalty or imposed a moratorium on executions.
US requiring visa applicants to reveal social media information
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 5 June 2019
The implementation of the new “extreme vetting” policy is another step in the Trump administration’s war against immigrants.
Democratic governor signs Louisiana fetal “heartbeat” abortion ban
By Kate Randall, 31 May 2019
Louisiana is the fifth state to pass bans on abortions based on detection of a fetal heartbeat, following Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio.
Why is the Democratic Socialists of America silent on the persecution of Julian Assange?
By Andre Damon, 29 May 2019
The DSA and its affiliated publication Jacobin have maintained a complicit silence on Assange’s indictment under the Espionage Act.
Chicago police kill bipolar man inside his home
By Andy Thompson, 28 May 2019
Myles Frazier was shot and killed after he barricaded himself in his home in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the city’s south side.
Australian government, Labor opposition silent on espionage charges against Assange
By Oscar Grenfell, 28 May 2019
Labor and the Coalition are signalling their support for the US-led persecution of Assange, for his exposure of war crimes and diplomatic conspiracies.
New charges against Julian Assange under the Espionage Act criminalize journalism
By Andre Damon, 24 May 2019
The Trump administration’s persecution of Assange is a historic attack on the First Amendment of the US constitution, for which the media and the Democratic Party share responsibility.
Thousands rally across the US to defend abortion rights
By our reporters, 22 May 2019
The number of demonstrations reflect the broad popular support for the right of women to choose and in defense of democratic rights more generally.
Protests erupt across US over barbaric anti-abortion ban in Alabama
By Valery Tsekov, 21 May 2019
The most significant of theses protests took place in Alabama and in Kansas City, Missouri, where a similar bill has been passed.
Trump administration shipping immigrants to sanctuary cities as fifth child dies in ICE custody
By Norisa Diaz, 21 May 2019
Trump is seeking to further inundate processing centers and jails to justify the border wall as the fifth Guatemalan child has died in ICE custody since December.
060 US neo-Nazi update
21 May 2019
Mobilize the working class in defense of abortion rights
By the WSWS editorial board, 21 May 2019
The Socialist Equality Party and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality are distributing this statement at demonstrations across the US on Tuesday to defend the right to an abortion.
010 Media silence on Manning
20 May 2019
Missouri becomes the latest state to pass punitive anti-abortion legislation
By Kate Randall, 20 May 2019
Trump's appointment of two anti-abortion justices to the high court has emboldened anti-abortion zealots, who hope this action will shift the court in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade.
Supreme Court justices battle over execution delays
By John Burton, 20 May 2019
In opinions last week, the three most extreme right-wing Supreme Court justices lashed out at two fellow members of the five-vote right-wing bloc.
The assault on the Venezuelan embassy
By Bill Van Auken, 18 May 2019
The violent police seizure of the Venezuelan embassy in Washington expressed in microcosm the criminality of US imperialism the world over.
“I would rather starve to death than change my opinion”
Chelsea Manning jailed again after refusing to testify against WikiLeaks
By Niles Niemuth, 17 May 2019
Manning has courageously insisted on principle that she will never testify before any grand jury about her possible contacts with Assange and WikiLeaks or anything else.
030 Death penalty conflict on US Supreme Court
17 May 2019
Students for Justice in Palestine at New York University smeared as anti-Semitic
By Isaac Finn, 17 May 2019
The attack on the Students for Justice in Palestine is part of an international campaign to slander left-wing organizations that criticize the Israeli state.
Alabama abortion ban: Back to barbarism
By Patrick Martin, 16 May 2019
The purpose of the law is to give the new right-wing majority on the US Supreme Court the opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Trump planning nationwide military round-up of 10,000 immigrants
By Eric London, 15 May 2019
The unprecedented scope of the raid would require de facto martial law and serve as a test run for the mass arrest and detention of political dissidents.
Illinois passes bill criminalizing infrastructure-related protests
By Benjamin Mateus and Kristina Betinis, 13 May 2019
15 such bills, driven largely by oil and energy corporations through the pro-business think-tank ALEC, have already been enacted nationally, while 26 are pending.
US indicts whistleblower who exposed Obama’s drone assassination program
By Kevin Reed, 11 May 2019
Former US intelligence officer Daniel Hale was indicted and arrested on Thursday on charges of violating the Espionage Act.
Trump floats proposal to cancel 2020 elections
By Eric London, 8 May 2019
Bourgeois politics has degenerated to such a degree that political and legal norms considered fundamental since the American Revolution are now challenged by presidential tweet.
“We want him to come to graduation!”
Arizona students demand release of classmate detained by immigration agents
By Norisa Diaz, 8 May 2019
Over 200 high school students in Tucson, Arizona walked out of school Monday to protest the detention and deportation of their classmate, Thomas Torres.
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