Last week, around five million Indian women formed the “Women’s Wall” in the southern state of Kerala to draw attention to their continued fight to have equal access to religious sites. The five million woman wall stretched 620 kilometers or 385 miles across Kerala, India.
Government Shut Down Stretches In To 19th Day With No End In Sight
The government shutdown, which began December 22nd 2018, persists into its 19th day as President Trump continues to rebuff any spending bill that does not allocate $5.7 billion to fund a wall on the border of Mexico and the United States. Congressional leaders are expected to return to the White House today to resume negotiations, though an immediate resolution seems unlikely.
Child Sex-Trafficking Survivor Cyntoia Brown To Be Released From Prison
On Monday morning Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam granted executive clemency to 30-year-old Cyntoia Brown—a survivor of child sex trafficking who was convicted in 2004 of first degree murder after killing a 43-year-old man who had purchased her for sex. Brown, who at 16-years-old was sentenced to life in prison, is now scheduled to be released on August 7, 2019.
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Ex-Felons in Florida can now Register to Vote
Today, over a million people are eligible to register to vote in Florida after voters passed Florida Amendment 4 in the November midterms, allowing ex-felons the right to vote. In the 2018 midterms, Florida voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of Amendment 4, which re-instated voting rights to convicted felons as long as they have completed […]
Saudi Woman Desperately Seeking Asylum in Australia, Trapped in Thailand
This weekend, 18-year old Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun was fleeing to Australia to seek asylum when she was stopped from boarding her connecting flight in Bangkok by Thai Police. Thai Police claim she did not have a proper return ticket from Australia, though she did have a 3-month tourist visa.
Afghanistan’s Art Industry Experiencing a Revival
Recently, Afghanistan hosted the Mehrgan International Film Festival in Kabul, where films were screened at the Academy of Arts and Cinema Sciences of the Afghan Film. At the international film festival, 48 short films from Afghanistan and other countries were selected, 24 of which were produced by Afghans.
Record Number of Women Sworn into Congress
History is made today – an all-time record breaking number of women were sworn in to the US Congress. Out of the total number of 127 women elected to the Senate and House, a majority of the women are Democrats and include firsts from various minorities. They include the former Teacher of the Year, small business owners, former military helicopter pilots, activists, former CIA officers, and public servants.
Would Peace in Afghanistan Be Possible Without Women’s Rights and Participation?
The Afghan government and other parties involved in the peace efforts in Afghanistan have shown optimism to a possible peace deal in the near future. The negotiations, led by US representative to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has been held in various locations with the Taliban, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the Afghan government.
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American University Student Body President Won Settlement against Online Harasser
This week Taylor Dumpson secured a settlement against a white supremacist internet troll who was part of an online harassment campaign targeting her for being the first female African American student body president at American University.
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Trump Administration Rescinds Anti-discriminatory School Discipline Policies
Today the Trump Administration announced it would rescind parts of the Obama administration’s “Rethink Discipline” school policies, policies that ensured that minority students were not unfairly targeted for harsher punishments or disciplinary practices.
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HUD Denies DACA Recipients Government-Insured Housing Loans
Recently, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the Trump Administration has been directing lenders to deny Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients government-insured home loans. While an official policy has not been issued, lenders and borrowers have reported that Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and HUD officials verbally tell lenders to deny […]
Michigan House Renews Telemedicine Abortion Ban
Early Thursday morning, the Michigan statehouse passed a bill renewing the 2012 “telemedicine ban,” which is set to expire at the end of December. Governor Snyder is expected to sign the bill into law before the New Year when newly-elected Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer takes office. The “telemedicine ban” prevents doctors from prescribing an abortion-inducing […]
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Federal Judge in Texas Rules ACA Unconstitutional
Friday, a federal judge in Texas ruled the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional. While the law will not be overturned yet and is still in effect, the decision will be appealed and may go before the Supreme Court. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled the ACA unconstitutional after 18 Republican state attorneys general and two […]
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Katherine Spillar Presented with Honorary Doctorate from TCU
Katherine Spillar, the executive director and co-founder of the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) and executive editor of Ms. magazine, was presented with the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, from Texas Christian University (TCU) at the Winter 2018 Commencement last week.
7 Year Old Child Died from Dehydration While in ICE Custody
8 hours after 7-year-old Guatemalan girl Jakelin Caal and her father were taken into US Border Patrol custody, the young child died from dehydration after having seizures and her body temperature rose to 105.7 degrees. Emergency responders rushed her to a hospital in El Paso but she died within 24 hours. The hospital’s initial report […]
Congress Finally Passes Updated Sexual Harassment Policy
Yesterday, Congress finally passed a deal to update its sexual harassment policy; the new policy now requires lawmakers to use their own money, not taxpayer funds, to settle suits for workplace sexual harassment. The new policy no longer allows members of Congress to use tax dollars to pay for sexual harassment settlements. Provisions such as […]
Ohio Lawmakers Pass Two Anti-Abortion Bills
This week, Ohio lawmakers passed and sent two anti-abortion bills that would restrict abortion access to Governor John Kasich’s office. Opponents of the two bills, the Heartbeat Bill and the Dilation and Evacuation Ban, stated that both bills are unconstitutional and would have a detrimental impact on the state’s health care system. Neither bill includes […]
Nancy Pelosi Secures Speakership, Promises to Step Down by 2022
Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi announced that she will step down as the House Democratic leader by 2022 in order to secure the votes she needs to become the Speaker of the House in January. Pelosi’s support of leadership term limits won the votes of several Democrats and ensured she would have the 218 votes necessary to […]
Chicago Charter School Teachers Strike
Charter school teachers in Chicago are on strike this week, the first formal strike against a charter-school operator, after the Acero Schools charter network failed to re-negotiate their contract with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) on December 4th. Teachers are fighting against low wages, overcrowded classrooms, short lunch and recess breaks, insufficient resources and support […]
Reproductive Justice and Immigrant Rights Activist to be Deported
Reproductive justice and immigrant rights activist Alejandra Pablos has been denied asylum and ordered to be deported by an immigration judge in Tucson, Arizona. Alejandra has lived in the United States almost her entire life and has been fighting deportation for eight years. Advocates are now calling on Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to pardon Alejandra. […]