The Radicals Were Always Right: Now Is the Time to Decriminalize All Drugs

[t]   Tuesday, July 25, 2017 [t r u t h o u t] [View Recent Newsletters]( [Tell a friend about Truthout!]( [Donate Today!](   Truthout is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization; donations are tax deductible.   BuzzFlash Trump Doesn't Know the Difference Between Health Insurance and Life Insurance Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: Donald Trump appears not to have the most basic understanding of how health insurance works. [Read the BuzzFlash Commentary](   Attacking Black Lives Matter and Selling Fear: Guns and Racism on NRATV [Read the Article at BuzzFlash](   Senate Republicans Vote to Debate Obamacare Repeal [Read the Article at Reuters](   Kushner and Ex-Trump Campaign Manager Manafort Meet With Congressional Investigators [Read the Article at The Associated Press](   A New Environmental Movement Wants to Eliminate Plastic Straw Use [Read the EcoWatch Article at BuzzFlash](   Texas Republicans Are Subverting Democracy in Their Rush to Pass Anti-Transgender, Anti-Abortion Laws [Read the Article at Rewire](   Vatican Turns Off Fountains as Rome Gasps in Drought [Read the Article at Reuters](   "I Won't Stop": Jailed Activist Blasts US Crackdown on Anti-Trump Protesters [Read the Article at the Guardian US](     There are only two days left to raise the remaining $18,000 we need to continue reporting on today's most pressing issues. As a grassroots, not-for-profit publication, Truthout's very existence depends on donations from readers. Can you take a moment to help us out? [Click here to donate.]( [Click here to donate.]( (Truthout is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN: 20-0031641) [The Radicals Were Always Right: Now Is the Time to Decriminalize All Drugs]( Mike Ludwig, Truthout: Treating drug users as whole people with human rights used to be considered a radical act, but that is changing. Mass incarceration and a far-reaching opioid crisis are forcing even former anti-drug crusaders to consider tackling addiction as a health issue rather than a criminal one. Despite a repressive administration, could the fight for decriminalization make real strides in the near future? [Read the Article]( [Ten Ways Your Tax Dollars Pay for War -- Past, Present and Future]( William D. Hartung, TomDispatch: The final annual tally of nearly $1.1 trillion to pay for past wars, fund current wars and prepare for possible future conflicts is roughly double the already staggering $575 billion the Trump administration has proposed as the Pentagon's regular budget for 2018. [Read the Article]( [In Chicago and Beyond, Bail Reformers Win Big in Fight to End Money Bail]( Sharlyn Grace, Truthout: Cook County, which includes Chicago, is poised to become the largest jurisdiction in the country to stop incarcerating people pretrial just because they cannot pay bail. The victory is the result of a sustained campaign by activists to end the incarceration of people for poverty. This movement is making its way across the nation. [Read the Article]( [Taking Care of the Most Vulnerable: Sister Simone Campbell on Catholic Sisters Resisting Assaults on Health Care]( Sarah Jaffe, Truthout: "The senators need to know that there is a groundswell of 'we the people' saying we will take care of the vulnerable people in our nation!" says Sister Simone Campbell. Campbell has been involved in activism for many years, and explains how Catholic women have fought -- and continue to fight -- to protect health care. [Read the Interview and Listen to the Audio]( [Rallying Cry: Youth Must Stand Up to Defend Democracy]( Henry Giroux, The Conversation: It's time for academics to develop a culture of questioning that enables young people and others to talk back to injustice. Youth must be encouraged to be visionary, brave, willing to make trouble and to think dangerously. Ideas have consequences, and when they're employed to nurture and sustain a flourishing democracy in which people struggle for justice together, history will be made. [Read the Article and Watch the Video]( [Death of 10 Migrants in San Antonio Spotlights Humanitarian Crisis Unfolding on the Border]( Amy Goodman and Juan González, Democracy Now!: Ten immigrants have died and 29 remain hospitalized in San Antonio, Texas, where dozens of undocumented immigrants were discovered packed in the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer. Survivors say as many as 200 people were sandwiched into the back of the truck at times during the deadly journey. [Watch the Video and Read the Transcript]( [Big Tobacco and Right-Wing US Billionaires Fund Anti-Regulation Hardliners in the EU]( Staff, Corporate Europe Observatory: Since the start of this year, two new groups have been set up in Brussels: The Consumer Choice Center and an EU branch of the Freedom Organization for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco. They claim to represent consumers, but a closer look shows no links to those they allege to speak for. [Read the Article]( [Going to College Hurts: Women of Color Bear Disproportionate Share of Student Debt Burden]( Jessicah Pierre, OtherWords: A recent report found that on average, Black women that graduated from a four-year university in 2012 carried more than $29,000 in student loans -- nearly $10,000 more than the average man. Worse still, Black women only make 63 cents to every dollar a white man makes, and Latina women make 54 cents to the dollar. Graduates of color start out deeper in debt and then have a much harder time getting out. [Read the Article]( [In Supporting Offshore Drilling, Virginia's Governor Now Stands Alone in the Southeast]( Sue Sturgis, Facing South: When Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina announced last week that his administration would submit formal comments against offshore seismic testing for oil and gas, Terry McAuliffe of Virginia became the last governor along the Southeast coast who's continuing to press for offshore drilling. These dramatic political shifts provide renewed hope for activists and residents of coastal communities. [Read the Article]( [ALEC Is Like a Swamp Inhabited by Creatures of the Past]( Rep. Chris Taylor, PR Watch: The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is working diligently with the Balance Budget Amendment Taskforce and the Convention of States to corral 34 states to call for an Article V Constitutional Convention. ALEC's goal is to prevent the federal government from providing basic things like health care. [Read the Article]( [This Week's Progressive Pick: I Am Not Your Negro (DVD)]( James {NAME}'s original words come to life in this acclaimed documentary film by director Raoul Peck. From the civil rights movement to #BlackLivesMatter, I Am Not Your Negro is an up-to-the-minute examination of race in America. [Get the DVD With a Donation to Truthout]( [Support Truthout with a tax-deductible donation ]( Please add messenger@truthout.org to ensure you receive our messages Truthout is a proud member of the Newspaper Guild/CWA, Local 36047 [Subscribe]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy](   [The Newspaper Guild]