Over 1,100 Congregations Have Agreed to Provide Sanctuary to Migrants

Friday, August 30, 2019 [| Final day! Truthout needs your help |]( [Over 1,100 Congregations Have Agreed to Provide Sanctuary to Migrants]( Eleanor J. Bader, Truthout Thousands of people of faith throughout the U.S. are supporting asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants by providing long- and short-term sanctuary to those at risk of deportation. While some are getting trained in immigration law and accompanying people to check-ins and court hearings, others are using their voices, keyboards and feet to oppose Trump's anti-immigrant policies. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Probe of Missing Georgia Votes Finds Extreme Irregularities in Black Districts]( Andrew O'Hehir, Salon Over 15,000 pages of documents turned over in a congressional probe of missing votes in Georgia's lieutenant governor race -- and the voter suppression issues that plagued the 2018 state elections -- suggest that the extreme drop-off in votes for Black districts could not have been a coincidence. The documents indicate that the decline in votes on electronic voting machines in 101 of the state's 159 counties was most pronounced in precincts with large African American populations. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [I Didn't Kill Anyone, But I'm Sentenced to Die in Prison]( Raul Dorado, Truthout I wake up each morning with the burden of having to serve another day of a life sentence in prison, though I did not kill anyone. Under Illinois's "accountability laws," I am guilty for having been present when the crime was committed. It's high time the statute was amended to prevent overzealous law enforcement officials from using it as a dragnet to disappear people like me into the criminal legal system. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- It's the last day of our fundraising campaign and we're still $17,000 short of what we need. Can you help us get there by chipping in a few bucks right now? As attacks on democracy, human rights and the very planet itself continue to escalate, accurate and up-to-date reporting is needed more than ever -- so please give what you can! [Donate Now →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Jazz Is a Music of Perseverance Against Racism and Capitalism]( Gerald Horne, Monthly Review Press Perhaps no artistic vocation in the 20th century was more dangerous than that of a jazz musician. The story of "one of the few art forms developed in North America and done so primarily by African Americans" -- including the struggles of its practitioners to survive Jim Crow, mobsters and ruthless exploitation by the music industry -- is told in Gerald Horne's new book, Jazz and Justice: Racism and the Political Economy of the Music. [Read the Excerpt →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [House Democrats Demand Access to Migrant Jails]( Julia Conley, Common Dreams The House Oversight Committee has demanded access to migrant jails after the Trump administration abruptly canceled planned tours of 11 such jails. The Department of Homeland Security denied access to the facilities shortly after committee staffers returned from a preliminary visit, where they reported serious abuse and neglect of migrants. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Indigenous Organizations Demand Action to Halt the Destruction of the Amazon]( Devin Beaulieu, Intercontinental Cry While fires rage on in the Brazilian Amazon, equally devastating wildfires have destroyed nearly 1 million hectares of forest in Bolivia during the past three weeks. Not content to wait for change from the political system, Indigenous organizations have called for direct action to halt the destruction of the Amazon and demand accountability from both Bolivian President Evo Morales and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for their roles in stoking the fires in the Amazon. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Public Charge Rule Is an Attempt to Impose a White Nationalist Vision of America]( Janine Jackson, FAIR The "public charge" rule recently passed by the Trump administration allows the state to deny visas to or consider deportation for immigrants deemed likely to become reliant on government aid. That people who are legally entitled to food, housing or health benefits will nevertheless lose access to them is a feature -- not a bug -- of these changes. Janine Jackson interviews Truthout contributor Sasha Abramsky, who has been tracking the issue. [Listen to the Audio →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Trump's Anti-Immigrant Policies Target Children, Cancer Patients, Servicemembers]( Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! The Trump administration recently ended its "medical deferred action" program and announced that some children born to U.S. servicemembers and government employees stationed overseas will no longer automatically receive citizenship. The policy changes come days after the administration sought to ban most migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. and as border wall construction began this week on federally protected lands in Arizona. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In Case You Missed It --------------------------------------------------------------- [Sanders and Warren Back Legalization of Injection Sites for Drug Users]( Mike Ludwig, Truthout Last week, Democrats Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren came out in support of legalizing safe drug consumption sites. Research shows the sites are highly effective at preventing overdose deaths and the spread of disease, while increasing entry into addiction treatment. Advocates say the sites are a real public health solution to the opioid crisis, but the Trump administration is actively working to prevent cities from establishing them. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Amazon Fires Will Have Global Consequences. The UN Must Act.]( Marjorie Cohn, Truthout We must act internationally to save the precious Amazon rainforest. The UN Security Council should find that the fires in the Amazon pose a "threat to the peace" and order member states to refrain from entering into trade agreements with Brazil until it accepts international economic and physical assistance in extinguishing the fires. The future of our planet is at stake. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- We still need 13 people to make a sustaining, monthly donation to Truthout. Can we count on you to be one? It takes just 30 seconds to set up, and any amount helps! 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