President interrupted by Code Pink co-founder, pressed on Guantanamo prison
Washington, DC – On May 23, U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a speech at the National Defense University, supposedly outlining changes to the ‘counter-terrorism’ policy of the U.S. While the U.S. media hailed the speech as a significant change from the War on Terror policies of the Bush administration that carried into Obama’s first term, the president’s speech mostly doubled-down on the drone strikes and military actions that have brought death and destruction to people in the Middle East.
Washington, DC – On May 16 the U.S. Treasury Department added Syria’s privately held Al-Dunya Television to the sanctions list, effectively banning it from cable TV in the U.S. A statement from the Treasury Department indicated that it was unhappy with the stations coverage of the Western-backed war on Syria.
Washington, DC – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said on May 17 that it plans to file a complaint against a Minnesota judge who inappropriately questioned defendants on their religious beliefs and equated mainstream Islamic principles with terrorism.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. The statement was delivered by Sue Udry, of Defending Dissent Foundation at a March 8 press conference, at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. The purpose of the press conference was urge support two women political prisoners, Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and attorney Lynne Stewart.
Protesters demand President Obama stop the Keystone XL pipeline
Washington, DC – According to protest organizers, more than 50,000 people joined the massive “Forward on Climate” rally here Feb. 17. Organized by 350.org, the Sierra Club, Hip Hop Caucus and the Natural Resources Defense Council, the rally was the largest protest in U.S. history addressing the issue of climate change. Many participants were students.
Washington, D.C – A leaked Justice Department white paper titled the “Lawfulness of a Lethal Operation Directed Against a U.S. Citizen who is a Senior Operational Leader of Al Qa’ida or An Associated Force,” was published Feb. 5 by NBC News. The once secret document gives the legal justification the White House is using for the assassination of U.S. citizens living in other countries.
Washington, DC – State Department head Hillary Clinton announced Jan. 17 that the U.S. was extending formal recognition to the government of Somalia. The announcement took place during a visit of the Western-backed Somali president, Hassan Sheikh, to Washington D.C.
Washington, D.C. – Reeling from their loss in the presidential election, in which Latinos overwhelmingly voted against Mitt Romney in no small part due to Republicans’ extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric, the Republicans have begun to introduce immigration-related bills in the lame duck congressional session. This is a sudden and dramatic shift after congressional Republicans have systematically shut down any attempt at federal immigration reform legislation over the past four years. Instead they have focused on implementing highly repressive anti-immigrant laws modeled on Arizona’s SB1070 in as many states as possible.
Washington, DC – The U.S. Supreme Court entered an order declining the appeal of the Holy Land Five, Oct. 29. This rejection comes with no explanation. The judicial appeal process ends here, but the struggle to free the Holy Land Five continues.
