The State of Our Union: A House Divided, Enslaved & Mired in the Mistakes of the Past

“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.”— Abraham Lincoln

John Whitehead
By John Whitehead
A man dressed in red-white-and-blue sits on the curb during a protest against President-elect Donald Trump, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016, in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

History has a funny way of circling back on itself. The facts, figures, faces and technology may change from era to era, but the dangers remain the same. This year is no different, whatever the politicians and talking heads may say to the contrary. Sure, there’s a new guy in charge with a talent for stirring up mayhem and madness, but for the

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In the US it’s “Objectively Reasonable” for Cops to Kill Arrestees with Hands Up

Pressing for hate-crime or federal civil rights violations in the deaths of unarmed black people by police is somewhat of a staple in the arsenal of police-brutality activists. Unfortunately the track record of success is all but nonexistent.

Thandisizwe Chimurenga
By Thandisizwe Chimurenga
Protesters rally against a grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner in Foley Square, Dec. 4, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo)

Erica Garner never stopped fighting for justice for her father Eric, who was killed by an NYPD officer with an illegal chokehold in 2014. The 27-year-old -- who passed away at the end of December last year -- led vigils and protests, spoke at rallies and on panels, and endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential campaign. And this week, she

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Flying Under Radar, GOP Set To Confirm Slew Of ‘Extremist’ Judges

“These nominees’ collective records reveal the disturbing truth that this administration does not just tolerate radical anti-equality views among its judicial nominees, but requires them.”

Jake Johnson
By Jake Johnson
From left, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, work to advance the nomination of President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy left by the late Antonin Scalia, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, April 3, 2017. A weeklong partisan showdown is expected as Democrats are steadily amassing the votes to block Judge Gorsuch and force Republicans to unilaterally change long-standing rules to confirm him. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

In an under-discussed push to "reshape the courts in Donald Trump's image for decades to come," the Senate this week is quietly gearing up to confirm a slew of federal judges who critics say have records littered with "breathtaking hostility toward civil rights and equal justice." The packed week of hearings began on Tuesday, when three Senate

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France’s Counterterrorism Bill Normalizes Abusive Practices

The proposed bill doesn’t prolong France’s two-year-long state of emergency, what it does is rather more unsettling.

Kartik Raj | HRW
By Kartik Raj | HRW
French soldiers patrol by the glass pyramid at the Louvre museum in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. France has been under a state of emergency since November, 2015. (AP/Michel Euler)

France’s draft counterterrorism bill is now in its final stretch before becoming law. The fast-tracked bill is widely expected to pass a vote in an extraordinary session of the National Assembly on October 3 – despite concerns that it encroaches on people’s rights. The bill doesn’t prolong France’s two-year-long state of emergency, which will

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Do Muslim Americans Need A Civil Rights Movement?

In recent years, politicians have increasingly relied on anti-Muslim rhetoric to mobilize voters. What was once considered unacceptable discourse by members of both parties has gradually been normalized, particularly among Republican candidates.

Emily Cury | The Conversation
By Emily Cury | The Conversation
People carry posters during a rally in support of Muslim Americans and protest of President Donald Trump's immigration policies in Times Square, New York, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017. (AP/Andres Kudacki)

The past year has been a difficult one for American Muslims. According to a July 2017 Pew survey, 48 percent of Muslims report experiencing at least one incident of discrimination in the past 12 months. The Council on American-Islamic Relations and other Muslim advocacy organizations found these trends were particularly intense during the 2016

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Donald Trump Snubs NAACP Invitation For Second Time

Unlike his predecessors going back to Reagan, President Donald Trump refuses to attend the NAACP annual gathering.

Jessica Corbett
By Jessica Corbett
President Donald Trump smiles while speaking to a meeting of the National Governors Association, Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, at the White House in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump's decision to decline an invitation to attend the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's 108th annual convention, "underscores the harsh fact: we have lost—we've lost the will of the current Administration to listen to issues facing the Black community," said Leon Russell, the group's board

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