Democratic Rights in the US
The decomposition of American democracy
By Tom Carter, 20 May 2013
Testimony by a senior Pentagon official before the Senate and Obama’s press conference, both of which occurred on May 16, are stunning expressions of the deeply antidemocratic outlook of the political, military and intelligence establishment and the disintegration of American democracy.
FBI director continues cover-up of contacts with Boston bombing suspects
By Barry Grey, 18 May 2013
Knowing he had nothing to fear from the Senate committee, FBI Director Mueller defended the FBI’s handling of the Tsarnaevs and failure to alert state or local authorities.
House hearing whitewashes US government seizure of AP phone records
By Barry Grey, 16 May 2013
A House committee that heard testimony from Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday initiated a bipartisan whitewash of the virtually unprecedented assault on press freedom carried out by the Obama administration.
Obama Justice Department secretly seized Associated Press telephone records
By Barry Grey, 15 May 2013
In a brazen attack on press freedom, the Obama administration secretly subpoenaed the telephone records of AP editors and journalists.
The criminalization of political dissent in America
By Tom Carter, 14 May 2013
Last week, Massachusetts high school student Cameron D’Ambrosio was arrested and charged under “terrorism” laws merely for posting lyrics on Facebook that make reference to the Boston Marathon bombings.
US Supreme Court attacks right to a speedy trial
By Alan Gilman, 13 May 2013
The Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees all persons accused of criminal wrongdoing the right to a speedy trial.
Massachusetts high school student charged as terrorist for Facebook post
By Tom Carter, 11 May 2013
In a prosecution that has all the hallmarks of a calculated test case, teenager Cameron D’Ambrosio faces up to 20 years in prison on “terror” charges for making reference to the Boston Marathon bombings in a Facebook post.
Seniors face eviction in Detroit gentrification plan
By a WSWS reporting team, 8 May 2013
Retired workers living in a rent-subsidized senior housing building in downtown Detroit are facing eviction.
Mississippi death row prisoner granted reprieve, another executed in Texas
By Kate Randall, 8 May 2013
Mississippi death row prisoner Willie Jerome Manning was given a reprieve Tuesday, while Texas authorities proceeded with the execution of Carroll Joe Parr.
Police buildup in Pittsburgh in lead-up to marathon
By our reporter, 4 May 2013
Pittsburgh officials are using the occasion of the marathon race this Sunday as a pretext for a massive police buildup.
Obama administration appeals ruling on emergency contraceptives
By Matthew MacEgan, 4 May 2013
The Obama administration has filed an appeal against a court ruling which sought to end all age restrictions for access to the Plan B emergency contraceptive pill.
Seventeen arrested at May Day protests in Seattle, Washington
By David Brown, 3 May 2013
Police in Seattle made liberal use of pepper spray and flashbangs in suppressing May Day protests.
California community put on police lockdown
By Julien Kiemle, 3 May 2013
Authorities locked down the small California town of Valley Springs after the murder of a young girl.
Guantanamo hunger strike, force feedings continue
By Bill Van Auken, 2 May 2013
At least 100 detainees at the Guantanamo prison camp remained on hunger strike a day after President Obama claimed he would “re-engage Congress” on closing the facility.
US moves to expand Internet wiretaps
By Andre Damon, 30 April 2013
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking to force companies such as Google, Dropbox and Facebook to create backdoors for wiretapping users’ communications.
New questions on Boston bombing suspects’ ties to US intelligence
By Andrea Peters, 29 April 2013
Information continues to come to light raising questions about the relationship between US intelligence agencies and the Tsarnaev brothers.
Military conducts urban warfare exercises in Chicago area
By Alexander Fangmann and Kristina Betinis, 27 April 2013
The US Department of Defense conducted urban warfare training drills in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Parkon this week, including the use of explosives to train soldiers in the raiding of homes and other structures.
Questions mount about Boston bombers’ links to US intelligence agencies
By Joseph Kishore, 26 April 2013
Both the CIA and FBI investigated Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was placed on at least two separate watch lists in the two years before the April 15 Boston bombings.
The Boston lockdown and the Bill of Rights
By Tom Carter, 25 April 2013
A simple comparison of the words of the Bill of Rights with the recent events in Boston underscores the advanced stage of the historical process that is shattering centuries-old democratic forms of rule.
California defies court-ordered prison population reduction
By Kevin Kearney, 25 April 2013
Federal court judges threatened to hold the governor of California in contempt for ignoring US Supreme Court ruling almost two years ago.
Boston bombing suspect gets death penalty charge
By Bill Van Auken, 23 April 2013
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 19-year-old surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, was formally charged Monday before a federal judge, who was brought to his hospital bed.
Supreme Court bars US lawsuits against overseas human rights abuses
By John Burton, 23 April 2013
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that foreign citizens subjected to human rights abuses outside the US cannot sue corporations or individuals in US courts.
Interview with Paul Hoffman, lawyer for the plaintiffs
By John Burton, 23 April 2013
Paul Hoffman, a partner in the Venice, California law firm of Schonbrun, DeSimone, Seplow, Harris, Hoffman & Harrison, has been representing plaintiffs in cases under the Alien Tort Statute for the last 30 years.
American democracy in shambles
By Barry Grey, 22 April 2013
With the imposition of a state of siege in Boston, a historical threshold has been crossed.
Unanswered questions in Boston bombings
By Bill Van Auken, 22 April 2013
One week after the Boston bombings, much remains unknown, including their motive, whether others were involved, and what connection the FBI and other agencies had to the suspects.
Federal authorities prepare charges against Boston bombings suspect
By Kate Randall, 22 April 2013
A week following the April 15 bombings in Boston, suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remains in serious condition at a Boston hospital.
Obama administration denies Miranda rights to marathon bombing suspect
By Eric London, 22 April 2013
The Obama administration is utilizing last week’s bombings as an opportunity to attack core democratic legal protections, which will set a new precedent for future cases.
Bombing suspect captured after military-police lockdown of Boston
By Alex Lantier and Kate Randall, 20 April 2013
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a suspect in Monday’s bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, was captured yesterday after a massive manhunt by law enforcement agencies.
The US Justice Department brief for the assassination of US citizens
Part two
By Tom Carter and Eric London, 19 April 2013
The Obama administration has accelerated the drive toward dictatorship initiated by the Bush administration.
The US Justice Department brief for the assassination of US citizens
Part one
By Tom Carter and Eric London, 18 April 2013
Since the publication of the white paper, leading figures in the US political establishment have declared that the asserted power to assassinate includes the power to kill US citizens on US soil.
Tens of thousands rally in Washington for immigrant rights
By Bill Van Auken, 12 April 2013
Congress is preparing legislation that ties any path to citizenship to a draconian border crackdown and onerous demands on undocumented workers.
Arkansas Senate approves random drug testing for the unemployed
By Matthew MacEgan, 12 April 2013
The Arkansas Senate approved a measure that would require random drug testing of as many as 85,000 residents who receive state unemployment benefits.
Obama on gun control: An exercise in concealing harsh social truths
By David Walsh, 10 April 2013
President Barack Obama spoke Monday in West Hartford, Connecticut on gun violence, calling on the American people to pressure Congress to pass new federal weapons controls.
Steubenville, Ohio: Portrait of a rust belt city
By Phyllis Scherrer and Samuel Davidson, 8 April 2013
Steubenville recently gained notoriety because of a tragedy last August which resulted in the conviction of two teenage boys for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl.
Kansas anti-abortion bill defines life as beginning “at fertilization”
By Kate Randall, 8 April 2013
Kansas legislation defining life as a beginning “at fertilization” imposes new restrictions on abortion providers and women’s reproductive rights.
Oakland Police Department implicated in systematic abuse
By Gabriel Black, 5 April 2013
A federal monitor found that every reported case of “disproportional” police aggression was indeed in violation of police requirements.
North Dakota enacts most restrictive abortion laws in US
By Naomi Spencer, 29 March 2013
Republican Governor Jack Dalrymple on Tuesday signed a ban on abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy.
Plans to vastly expand drones in US
By Fred Mazelis, 28 March 2013
After a decade of the use of drones as part of its “war on terror” abroad, the US government is preparing the American people for the routine use of drones inside the US.
US authorities detain immigrants in solitary confinement
By Niles Williamson, 27 March 2013
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency routinely subjects a significant number of detainees to conditions that meet the United Nations definition of torture.
Albuquerque police chief resigns amid surge of police violence
By D. Lencho, 27 March 2013
The upswing in incidents of police violence in Albuquerque follows a national trend.
After shooting of Kimani Gray
Police occupy New York City neighborhood
By Sandy English, 25 March 2013
The New York City Police Department has stationed hundreds of officers in the working-class neighborhood of East Flatbush in Brooklyn since protests erupted over the police shooting of 16-year-old Kimani Gray on March 9.
The Steubenville, Ohio rape case
By David Walsh, 20 March 2013
The Steubenville, Ohio rape case is a tragedy, which has been immeasurably worsened by the intervention of the American media, and in particular its so-called left elements.
Plans for military surveillance of Americans’ financial records
By Ed Hightower, 19 March 2013
The Treasury’s proposal represents yet another front in the escalating attack on democratic rights, especially the rights to privacy and freedom of association.
Arizona woman’s murder conviction overturned after 22 years on death row
By Kate Randall, 18 March 2013
Debra Milke was sentenced to death in 1990 on the sole testimony of a Phoenix police detective with a history of egregious misconduct.
The New York Times’ Bill Keller smears Bradley Manning
By Naomi Spencer, 18 March 2013
Attempting to justify the Times’ unprincipled role in the events leading up to Manning’s arrest, the newspaper’s former executive editor wrote a column on March 10, “Bradley Manning’s Confidant.”
Police shooting of 16-year-old provokes protests in New York
By Sandy English, 15 March 2013
For a third night on Wednesday, protesters confronted police in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn following the police killing of 16-year-old Kimani Gray.
Partner of deceased Internet activist Aaron Swartz denounces US attorney general
By Kevin Reed, 15 March 2013
The tragic death of Aaron Swartz, a gifted and courageous technology pioneer and critic of the profit system, was a product of the Obama administration’s assault on democratic rights.
The New York Times defends drone murder
By Patrick Martin, 11 March 2013
A front-page article in the Times detailing the assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki reveals both the criminal character of the killing and the liberal establishment’s contempt for democratic rights.
US Supreme Court hears case on constitutionality of taking DNA samples from arrestees
By Kevin Kearney and Don Knowland, 9 March 2013
The Supreme Court considered whether the US Constitution forbids police from routinely taking DNA samples.
US Senate approves John Brennan, tied to torture and drone assassination, as CIA director
By David Walsh, 8 March 2013
The Senate vote confirming the mastermind of Obama’s drone program followed a revealing quarrel within the establishment about the government’s right to assassinate Americans on US soil.
The Obama administration’s persecution of Bradley Manning
By Naomi Spencer, 8 March 2013
The Obama administration intends to make an example out of the accused whistleblower.
Obama administration claims right to assassinate citizens within the US
By Joseph Kishore, 7 March 2013
The administration claims the power to order extrajudicial assassination of citizens within the US under undefined “extraordinary circumstances.”
Oscar-nominated Palestinian filmmaker detained at Los Angeles airport
By Kevin Martinez, 7 March 2013
Emad Burnat, co-director of 5 Broken Cameras, was detained and threatened with deportation by US immigration officials on arrival in Los Angeles before last week’s Oscar ceremony.
Bradley Manning and the media
By Naomi Spencer, 2 March 2013
At Thursday’s hearing, Bradley Manning revealed this extraordinary fact: before sending files to WikiLeaks, he contacted both the Washington Post and the New York Times, but neither paper responded.
Bradley Manning pleads not guilty to “aiding the enemy” charge
By Naomi Spencer, 1 March 2013
In a statement in military court Thursday, accused whistleblower Bradley Manning admitted leaking government files, but pleaded not guilty to “aiding the enemy.”
US judge orders release of two anarchists held for five months without charges
By David Brown, 1 March 2013
Katherine Olejnik and Matthew Duran spent five months in prison, much of it in solitary confinement, for refusing to testify on the political opinions of their acquaintances.
Scandal-plagued Los Angeles County police head named US “Sheriff of the Year”
By Alan Gilman, 1 March 2013
The Los Angeles Sheriffs Department is notorious for abuse, racism, gang activity, and corruption.
Right-wing Supreme Court justices attack US Voting Rights Act
By Ed Hightower, 28 February 2013
The tenor of the outright reactionaries on the court suggested the existence of a five-vote majority to either overturn or eviscerate the key enforcement provisions of the law.
US Supreme Court dismisses lawsuit challenging secret wiretaps
By John Burton, 28 February 2013
In dismissing the suit, the Supreme Court majority adopted the positions urged by Obama administration lawyers in their briefs and at oral argument last October.
Seattle anarchists imprisoned for refusing to testify before a grand jury
By Michael Stapleton, 25 February 2013
Three witnesses in a grand jury investigation into May Day protests in Seattle last year remain incarcerated for refusing to answer questions about the political activities of people they know.
String of police shootings in San Diego, California
By Juan Verala Luz, 23 February 2013
Since the start of the new year, local San Diego police officers have been involved in four separate shooting incidents.
Obama administration denies Congress drone assassination memos
By Bill Van Auken, 22 February 2013
The administration has worked out a cynical strategy to keep the documents secret while assuring Senate confirmation of its nominee to head the CIA, John Brennan.
The health care crisis in the US prison system
By Gary Joad, 20 February 2013
More than 800,000 incarcerated persons in the US suffer from a chronic health problem needing regular attention, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and HIV.
Oakland, California: FBI foils another fake terror plot
By Karl Eisner, 20 February 2013
Federal authorities have charged a mentally ill man with attempting to blow up an Oakland bank branch, the latest example of the FBI thwarting a terrorist conspiracy that it concocted.
Brennan refuses to rule out drone assassinations within the US
By Tom Carter and Barry Grey, 19 February 2013
As Brennan’s written responses to the Senate Intelligence Committee underscore, behind the threadbare trappings of parliamentary democracy, the scaffolding of an American police state is well advanced.
Inequality and American democracy
By Joseph Kishore, 16 February 2013
The latest figures on inequality in the US expose the vast transfer of wealth that has occurred during the first years of the “economic recovery.”
Los Angeles manhunt ends in shoot-out, inferno
By Joseph Santolan, 13 February 2013
The manhunt for ex-police officer Christopher Dorner ended Tuesday after a fire consumed the cabin he was hiding in.
The Nation magazine and Obama’s assassination program
By David Walsh, 13 February 2013
The liberal-left downplays the threat to basic rights and expresses continued support for the Obama administration and the Democratic Party.
US to expand assassination program to northern Africa
By Joseph Kishore, 11 February 2013
Discussions over extending the “kill list” to northwest Africa are taking place, as the Obama administration and congressional leaders work to institutionalize the global policy of extra-judicial assassination.
US government requests for Internet communications soar
By Don Knowland, 9 February 2013
A Google report released Monday shows a marked increase in government requests for private communications of Internet users.
Senate hearing on John Brennan whitewashes US assassination program
By Bill Van Auken, 8 February 2013
A Senate hearing on the confirmation of John Brennan as CIA director whitewashed the US drone assassination program, largely ignoring its violation of core constitutional and democratic rights.
The police state implications of Obama’s assassination program
By Joseph Kishore, 7 February 2013
The Obama administration’s “white paper” on the assassination of US citizens must be taken as a dire warning to the working class. The American ruling class, steeped in lawlessness and violence, is moving toward dictatorship.
Justice Department memo sanctions state assassinations of US citizens
By Bill Van Auken, 6 February 2013
A Justice Department white paper places unlimited power in the hands of the American president to order the assassination of perceived enemies of the state.
Obama administration claims power to authorize pre-emptive cyberwar strikes
By Joseph Kishore, 5 February 2013
Secret legal arguments prepared by the government are part of an effort to expand cyberwar strikes against other countries, particularly Iran and China.
Obama announces his immigration “reform” plan
By Kate Randall, 30 January 2013
Obama outlined a proposal involving the further militarization of the US-Mexico border and implementation of enhanced verification of immigrants’ status.
US senators unveil draconian immigration “reform”
By Bill Van Auken, 29 January 2013
A bipartisan group of eight senators introduced an “enforcement first” plan for dealing with what they termed a “broken” US immigration system.
Forty years after Roe v. Wade: Abortion rights under sustained attack
By Matthew MacEgan, 28 January 2013
Four decades later, women’s reproductive rights are under severe attack, particularly regarding the affordability and accessibility of services for working class women.
US Army judge rejects motion to dismiss charges in Bradley Manning case
By Naomi Spencer, 10 January 2013
Manning was granted only a 112-day reduction in sentencing on a life term in hearings this week.
Obama signs Pentagon bill maintaining Guantanamo and military detention
By Bill Van Auken, 5 January 2013
The military funding bill allows for the indefinite military detention of American citizens without charges, while barring the shutdown of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.
Judge denies Obama administration attempt to dismiss challenge to “no-fly” list
By Eric London, 4 January 2013
The administration maintains that it has the right to block individuals from flying on commercial flights or entering the country without presenting any evidence either to the targeted people or a court of law.
Texas judge approves ban on Planned Parenthood funding
By Kate Randall, 3 January 2013
A state judge ruled that Texas can cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, forcing thousands of poor women to seek alternative state-approved doctors for annual exams, cancer screenings and contraceptives.
Occupy protests targeted by FBI counterterror units
By Barry Grey, 27 December 2012
The direct attack on Constitutionally protected free-speech rights, begun under Bush, has been expanded by the Obama administration.
Bradley Manning hearing focuses on unlawful pre-trial punishment
By Naomi Spencer, 28 November 2012
The Army’s pre-trial hearing resumed Tuesday against Bradley Manning, who is accused of leaking thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks.
US Supreme Court to consider challenge to 1965 Voting Rights Act
By Tom Carter, 12 November 2012
The 1965 Voting Rights Act ranks among the most significant reforms that emerged from the upheavals of the civil rights period.
Texas police helicopter fires on immigrants, killing two
By Bill Van Auken, 27 October 2012
The killing of two fleeing immigrants by airborne Texas Rangers is only the latest in a growing list of deadly incidents on the US-Mexico border.
US seeks to bar testimony on torture in military trial of alleged 9/11 plotters
By Don Knowland, 26 October 2012
Government motions to preclude the alleged 9/11 plotters from testifying about their detention and torture have been submitted to the military commission that is trying the defendants for war crimes.
FBI entraps Bangladeshi student in fake terror plot
By Bill Van Auken, 19 October 2012
In the latest in a seemingly endless series of “sting” operations, the FBI ensnared a 21-year-old Bangladeshi student in a fabricated plot to blow up the New York Federal Reserve.
Spate of police shootings coincides with deepening social crisis in New York
By Ali Ismail, 13 October 2012
Recent shooting incidents have taken place amid a worsening social crisis in the city, provoking widespread anger towards the NYPD.
Pennsylvania judge postpones enforcement of anti-democratic voter ID law
By Samuel Davidson, 4 October 2012
A Pennsylvania judge on Tuesday ordered a postponement of sections of the state’s new voter ID law, which would have blocked tens of thousands of registered voters from casting ballots in the November elections.
Democratic rights under threat as US Supreme Court opens new term
By Tom Carter, 4 October 2012
In a significant number of cases expected to come before the US Supreme Court this term, democratic rights are in jeopardy.
ACLU Report: Obama administration expands domestic spying
By Eric London, 1 October 2012
Under the Obama administration, there has been a 60 percent increase in warrantless electronic surveillance by the Department of Justice, according to a report Thursday by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Mentally ill double amputee shot to death by Houston police
By Charles Abelard, 26 September 2012
Houston police fatally shot a mentally ill double amputee, a ward of the state of Texas, who was said to be waving a "silver object”—a pen—at a policeman while sitting in his wheelchair at his care facility.
Federal court upholds key provision of Arizona law targeting immigrants
By Ed Hightower, 7 September 2012
A federal court has refused to block enforcement of the most draconian section of Arizona’s anti-immigrant law directing police to determine the status of people they stop while enforcing traffic regulations or other laws.
California Assembly passes resolution defining criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism
By Tom Carter, 4 September 2012
Last month, the California State Assembly passed a resolution urging state educational institutions to limit criticism of the state of Israel on campuses.
US appeals court upholds Texas ban on Medicaid funds for Planned Parenthood
By Ed Hightower, 30 August 2012
In a ruling handed down August 21, the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld a Texas regulation that effectively cuts off funding to clinics operated by Planned Parenthood.
Obama administration to respond to lawsuit challenging assassination program
By Tom Carter, 20 August 2012
The Al-Aulaqi v. Panetta lawsuit highlights the extent to which democratic rights and the rule of law have been eroded under the Obama administration.
Pennsylvania judge upholds anti-democratic “voter ID” law
By Ed Hightower, 17 August 2012
The ruling is the latest victory in a Republican tactic of restricting ballot access for likely Democratic voters before the November 2012 presidential elections.
Hands off anti-Wall Street protesters
By Jerry White and Socialist Equality Party candidate for US president, 14 August 2012
Last month, the FBI launched a series of raids at the homes of anti-Wall Street protesters in Portland, Oregon and Seattle and Olympia, Washington.
FBI raids homes of Occupy protesters in Oregon and Washington
By Tom Carter, 13 August 2012
These raids are only the latest in an emerging pattern of similar “anti-terror” raids conducted by the Obama administration in order to terrorize, suppress and chill political dissent.
Protests, police repression continue in Anaheim, California
By Kimie Saito, 26 July 2012
At least two dozen people were arrested on Tuesday night, as police responded to protests over the shooting of an unarmed man in Anaheim, California with bean bag guns, batons and pepper balls.
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