Archiv: checks and balances


27.10.2020 - 07:06 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption calls coronavirus curbs tyrannical and a ‚breathtaking‘ infringement of democratic rights

He is to say the methods used by ministers will undo the unity of society and will lead to long-term authoritarian government.

Lord Sumption will say that ministers avoided Parliament through the Public Health Act which let them introduce lockdowns and other measures without the same level of scrutiny by the House of Commons or Lords.

Giving the Cambridge Freshfields annual law lecture, he will accuse the Government of ‚tendentiously‘ presenting guidance as if it was law – such as the two-metre social distancing rule.

18.10.2020 - 11:34 [ Liz Hicks / Twitter ]

Curfew on restaurants and bars in Berlin from 11pm found to lack proportionality by Berlin Admin Court: no evidence infection more likely after 11pm; evidence restaurants & bars were sites of lower transmission.

Berlin Senate is appealing #covid19 #berlin

17.10.2020 - 23:28 [ Fox News ]

Federal judge says Cuomo coronavirus restrictions may turn NYC ‘desolate,’ but allows them

Brooklyn U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan said safety restrictions and guidelines may even “turn New York City into a very different, even desolate, place compared to how it was before the pandemic,” but he declined to grant a preliminary injunction against rules that prohibit restaurants from serving food after midnight. Indoor dining is also restricted to 25% capacity as of Sept. 30.

17.10.2020 - 23:07 [ NBC New York ]

Judge Refuses to Block Cuomo’s COVID Restrictions After Brooklyn Catholic Diocese Files Lawsuit

Ruling in a lawsuit brought by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas Garaufis said in an order Friday that even though the rules harm religious groups, it is not in the public interest to block them if they are helping prevent a wave of new infections.

14.10.2020 - 12:37 [ ukcolumn.org ]

Covid-19: The Data Exposing the Deception

Without a functioning mainstream media, and with government scientific advisors seemingly bought and paid for by pharmaceutical corporations, it has been left to independent journalists and researchers to question the Covid-19 narrative that we are all supposed to accept without hesitation. Few have worked harder than Mark Oakford.

Mark has sent 1,392 freedom of information requests to local authorities, Clinical Commissioning Groups, NHS trusts, Police Forces, Education Authorities, Ministerial departments and more.

While a few requests remain unanswered, he has gathered data on more than 1.6 million public sector workers across the UK…

(…)

We are told that lockdowns are essential to avert a so-called second wave. Yet Mark found, for public sector workers who regularly interact with the public in the community, such as police officers, fire officers, park attendants and so forth, mortality was zero.

Our entire way of life is being irrevocably changed because of the claims made about Covid-19. We should insists that those claims be rigorously scrutinised.

13.10.2020 - 15:19 [ BournemouthEcho.co.uk ]

LIVE: updates after new three-tier Covid system is announced

– A new three-tier strategy of local lockdown measures for England has been announced by Boris Johnson in efforts to curb rising Covid-19 rates
– Different areas of England will be split up into medium, high and very high alert levels
– These areas will be subject to the same national measures which currently apply across the country including a 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants and the ‚rule of six‘

13.10.2020 - 15:16 [ theGuardian.com ]

Three-tier Covid plan for England: what it means and how it may work

Any details of the plan are based solely on leaks to the media over the last week, including a document dated 30 September that was seen by the Guardian.

The draft traffic-light-style plan is designed to simplify the current patchwork of localised restrictions, which apply to about a quarter of the UK.

10.10.2020 - 13:48 [ Detroit News ]

Opinion: Gov. Whitmer’s emergency powers ended immediately with ruling

(today)

In response to the Court’s ruling, the governor incorrectly stated that the decision is not effective for another 21 days: Under Michigan Court Rule 7.315(C)(4), “unless otherwise ordered by the Court, an order or judgment is effective when it is issued…” Not 21 days later. Immediately. Her emergency powers are over, and either the Court or the attorney general should publicly clarify that Whitmer’s executive orders no longer have any force of law.

10.10.2020 - 13:21 [ Detroit News ]

Whitmer slams Supreme Court ruling, warns orders could continue

(02.10.2020)

She warned the court order doesn’t take effect for another 21 days and some of the measures put in place to control the virus can continue under „alternative sources of authority not at issue in today’s ruling.“

10.10.2020 - 13:19 [ DailyWire.com ]

Michigan Supreme Court Rules Whitmer’s Shutdown Order ‘In Violation’ Of State Constitution

(03.10.2020)

The court ruled that Whitmer lacked authority under each of the two laws that govern states of emergency in Michigan to extend the state of emergency passed April 30, when her first state of emergency declaration expired, according to Mlive.com. Those two laws are the 1976 Emergency Management Act (EMA) and the 1945 Emergency Powers of the Governor Act (EPGA).

10.10.2020 - 13:14 [ statenews.com ]

Michigan Supreme Court rules against Gov. Whitmer’s COVID-19 orders

(02.10.2020)

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lacked the authority after April 30 to declare a state of emergency under the 1976 Emergency Management Act.

The court also ruled that the 1945 Emergency Powers of the Governor Act (EPGA) was unconstitutional, and that it did not provide a basis for Gov. Whitmer to exercise emergency powers.

05.10.2020 - 11:42 [ Carolina Landsmann / Haaretz ]

Fascism Is Dead, Long Live Dictatorship

It’s important for me to be precise, because I know the mechanisms of thought enforcement in my political camp, which will want to turn my words into support for Netanyahu. I firmly oppose the lockdown, but the fact that Israel is enforcing it by using the army doesn’t make the paratroopers’ presence at checkpoints proof that “the dictatorship is already here.” Certainly no more than the curfew in Spain and the soldiers patrolling the streets there were proof of Franco’s return.

26.09.2020 - 13:15 [ CNN / Twitter ]

„I think that there’s a lot of covering up,“ says Lonita Baker, an attorney for Breonna Taylor’s family, of the investigation into Taylor’s death. „We’re not giving up on state-level manslaughter or murder charges in the case… There’s sufficient probable cause here.“

26.09.2020 - 13:10 [ Ben Crump, Trial Lawyer for Justice / Twitter ]

12 of Breonna Taylor’s neighbors NEVER heard police announce themselves before breaking down her door. Did they get a voice at the Grand Jury proceedings? @KYOAG , if you have nothing to hide, release the transcripts so we know the FULL TRUTH of what was presented!

26.09.2020 - 12:55 [ Guardian News / Youtube ]

Family of Breonna Taylor hold press conference in Louisville – watch live

(25.09.2020)

Attorney Ben Crump, co-counsels Sam Aguiar and Lonita Baker, and the family of Breonna Taylor hold a press conference at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville, Kentucky

26.09.2020 - 12:55 [ Attorney General Daniel Cameron / Twitter ]

Read the press release from today’s announcement regarding the completion of the investigation into the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor, and the Grand Jury’s decision:

(24.09.2020)

26.09.2020 - 12:48 [ courier-journal.com ]

Breonna Taylor’s family, lawyers blast Daniel Cameron over lack of charges in her death

Palmer’s attorneys, Ben Crump, Lonita Baker and Sam Aguiar, specifically called on Cameron to release the grand jury transcript and recording to show what evidence and recommendations he presented.

„What we also want is for you to quit dodging the question. You were asked at the press conference (Wednesday): Did you make a recommendation“ to the grand jury, Baker asked. „You refused to answer. Answer the question: Did you even present any charges regarding Breonna Taylor to the grand jury?“

26.09.2020 - 12:44 [ wach.com ]

USC Law professor, students react to Breonna Taylor indictment

(24.09.2020)

Jasmine Caruthers is one of the two students helping Miller and said she had mixed emotions on the decision.

„Part of me was happy that the Taylor family was going to get compensated because they have been through so much. Another part of me was extremely sad because at the end of the day you can’t put a price tag on someone’s life,“ said Caruthers.

12.09.2020 - 18:06 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu’s Deceitful Lockdown

Netanyahu is pursuing two tracks simultaneously. The first is that of the attorney general. It involves ceaselessly attacking Avichai Mendelblit to get him to break and resign, thereby enabling Netanyahu to appoint an attorney general after his own heart who will cancel his trial due to “lack of public interest.”

The second track is the general lockdown he intends to impose later this month to stop the demonstrations outside his official residence on Jerusalem’s Balfour Street.

12.09.2020 - 17:56 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu’s Cynical Crusade Against Law Enforcement Will Cost Israel Dearly

Senior police officers have been charged with sex crimes against their subordinates. They have consorted with famous rabbis, ministers and mafia bosses. One was offered a bribe that he did not report. Another served as a mole for a tycoon who was the target of a police intelligence operation.

One officer, considered a rising star, worked with a famous lawyer to trade sensitive information from undercover investigations for cash-filled envelopes. …

10.09.2020 - 09:28 [ Haaretz ]

Israel’s AG Holding Consultations Whether Netanyahu Should Step Aside Over Abuse of Office for Personal Benefit

Israel’s Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit is holding consultations on Wednesday whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be disqualified from serving as premier, because of what Mendelblit sees as Netanyahu’s use of the office for his personal benefit as a defendant in three corruption cases.

01.09.2020 - 09:31 [ Haaretz ]

Resigning Budget Chief Is Latest Victim of Netanyahu’s Advancing Revolution Against Democracy

And third, Benjamin Netanyahu has utilized the paralysis and confusion he has imposed on Israel’s body politic over the past two years to dismantle the checks and balances that stand in the way of his efforts to avoid criminal trial. It is one of many battles in the total war that Netanyahu is waging against the very foundations of Israeli democracy, which, in his distress and incessant self-victimization, he has come to despise.

29.08.2020 - 05:55 [ theHill.com ]

Democrat asks intel agencies if they’re surveilling members of Congress

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, asked two intelligence agencies on Friday if surveillance has been conducted on members of Congress in the last decade.

In a letter to the heads of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Eshoo raised alarm over allegations in a book published earlier this year by journalist Barton Gellman.

22.08.2020 - 06:22 [ Haaretz ]

F-35 Sale to UAE: ‚Netanyahu Knew… It’s an Outrage‘

“The whole system is being upended by this. It’s security recklessness. Netanyahu knew where Trump was going with the arms deal and didn’t tell us a thing,” an Israeli defense source told Haaretz on Thursday.

“Both the Ben Shabbat-Norkin conversation and the Netanyahu-Gantz meeting were part of the prime minister’s feelers without him showing his cards. We suspect that Netanyahu gave Trump a wink. The result will be that if the United States wishes, it will sell those planes, and with them offensive drones and other advanced weapons. It will happen without any prior professional discussion in Israel.

21.08.2020 - 16:58 [ Jimmy Dore / Twitter ]

FYI: Constitution was „Shredded“ on 9-11, U now live in a 100% surveillance state, U have no right to privacy, U have no 4th Amendment protections, & the Democrats voted for it, and Obama/Biden renewed it! & then repealed Habeas Corpus!

21.08.2020 - 03:57 [ Haaretz ]

What Defendant Netanyahu Really Wants

So we must take seriously the report in Israel Hayom, the Netanyahu family’s private journal, saying that the prime minister is willing to give up the one-year budget – and consequently an election – in exchange for appointing the police commissioner and attorney general of his choice.

17.08.2020 - 19:22 [ Jonathan Turley / theHill.com ]

Virtual democracy means Congress and the courts should go online now

(21.03.2020)

Both Congress and the Supreme Court have stopped meeting out of fear of physical contact, even though the technology exists to allow officials to continue working in virtual spaces. Legal barriers could be removed to allow such a shift to a type of virtual democracy, but the main barrier seems to be conceptual and cultural.

We must not allow a constitutional system to wither like a starving man staring at an apple tree but incapable of imagining a stick.

16.08.2020 - 07:09 [ Cory Doctorow / Wired ]

The Age of Mass Surveillance Will Not Last Forever – The power to end it is in your hands.

(28.07.2020)

What I showed those journalists was proof, in the form of the government’s own classified documents, that the self-described “Five Eyes”—the state security organs of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada—had together conspired to weaken their laws. They had forced clandestine access to the networks of their largest telecommunications and internet titans (some of whom hadn’t needed much in the way of arm-twisting) in pursuit of a single goal: the transformation of the free and fragmented internet into history’s first centralized means of global mass surveillance.

14.08.2020 - 23:20 [ Haaretz ]

The Netanyahu Crime Syndicate’s Open Season on the Legal System

To understand what the crime syndicate that has taken over this country is after, one must first understand the goals of the man who leads it. The criminal defendant bunkered down in Balfour Street has three goals: to remain prime minister, to cancel his trial and to prevent the truth from coming out about the so-called steel shares and submarines affairs (which could result in charges that are much more serious than those in his current trial).

11.08.2020 - 21:40 [ i24news.tv ]

Netanyahu demanding changes to coalition deal to prevent elections: report

The Israeli premier reportedly wants immediate elections in case the High Court of Justice disqualifies him from serving as alternate prime minister, after his rotation with Gantz commences in November 2021, due to the indictments filed against him.

His second demand is to dissolve a public committee slated to appoint the state prosecutor and police commissioner and transfer the procedure to the government instead.

The report suggested that Gantz’s Blue and White party will find it „difficult“ to approve Netanyahu’s first request.

26.07.2020 - 20:35 [ 24News.tv ]

Israel: Gyms reopen under parliamentary panel ruling defying gov’t

Most sports facilities were ordered shut on July 17 following a government vote on a package of measures aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

However, on Thursday, the Knesset panel supervising the country’s coronavirus response voted to strike this restriction down

23.07.2020 - 19:22 [ New York Times ]

How Powerful Is the President?

Powers like these have been deployed sparingly: A few days after the Sept. 11 attacks, a proclamation declaring a national emergency, followed by an executive order days later, invoked some presidential powers, including the use of National Guard and U.S. military forces.

What little we know about these secret powers comes from the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University Law School, but we believe they may include suspension of habeas corpus, surveillance, home intrusion, arrest without a judicial warrant, collective if not mass arrests and more; some could violate constitutional protections.

22.07.2020 - 02:13 [ Common Dreams ]

New Local Lawsuit Challenges ‚Violent and Unlawful‘ Attacks on Portland Protesters by Trump’s Secret Police Force

A pair of Oregon state lawmakers joined with a local lawyer, church, and advocacy group on Tuesday to bring yet another lawsuit against federal government agencies over President Donald Trump’s ongoing militarized crackdown on Black Lives Matter protests in Portland.

21.07.2020 - 21:12 [ New York Times ]

Trump Threatens to Send Federal Law Enforcement Forces to More Cities

The president portrayed the nation’s cities as out of control. “Look at what’s going on — all run by Democrats, all run by very liberal Democrats. All run, really, by radical left,” Mr. Trump said. He added: “If Biden got in, that would be true for the country. The whole country would go to hell. And we’re not going to let it go to hell.”

Democrats said the president was the one out of control.

21.07.2020 - 21:10 [ Democracy Now! / Youtube ]

Portland Protests Grow Despite Violent Crackdown from Militarized Federal Agents & Local Police

Heavily armed federal officers without name tags have carried out nightly attacks on antiracist demonstrations in Portland, Oregon, and snatched people off the streets into unmarked vans, sparking widespread outrage. “What we’ve seen is a continuous escalation in violence against our protesters,” says Lilith Sinclair, an Afro-Indigenous local organizer in Portland. They note the federal violence follows many years of “severe police brutality” from local police. “It’s left the people of Portland not only worried about their safety, but, even more so, justified in the fight that we’re engaged in.”

21.07.2020 - 20:57 [ Democracy Now! / Youtube ]

“Camouflaged Goon Squads”: Outrage, Legal Challenges in Portland as Federal Agents Snatch Protesters

The U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon has called for an investigation into the conduct of federal officers deployed to protests in Portland, calling their behavior “unlawful.” Local officials are also mounting legal challenges to remove the agents from city streets. Juan Chavez, project director and attorney at the Oregon Justice Resource Center, says it’s a terrifying situation for Portland residents who face “these camouflaged goon squads” who often refuse to identify themselves or their agencies. “They just appear in the middle of the night next to people who are in and around downtown who then get corralled into these vehicles, not told where or who’s picking them up,” he says.

21.07.2020 - 20:43 [ GOP War Room / Youtube ]

UNHINGED: Dem Rep. Clyburn Compares Federal Law Enforcement To Nazi Germany Gestapo

Democrat Congresswoman Jim Clyburn compared federal law enforcement to Nazi Germany Gestapo, when he appeared on CNN on 7/20/2020.

20.07.2020 - 12:43 [ theHill.com ]

House Democrats ask watchdogs to probe federal crackdown on protests

“The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appear to have increasingly abused emergency authorities to justify the use of force against Americans exercising their right to peaceful assembly,” wrote House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.).

20.07.2020 - 12:01 [ NPR.org ]

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: Federal Officers Are ‚Adding Gasoline To A Fire‘

MARTIN: First of all, would you just give us an update on the situation in Portland today?

BROWN: Obviously, things are very challenging right now. I was very, very clear with the Trump administration and the head of the Homeland Security to take their federal troops off the streets of Portland. The Trump administration needs to stop playing politics with people’s lives. We don’t have a secret police in this country. This is not a dictatorship. And Trump needs to get his officers off the streets.

20.07.2020 - 11:57 [ Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America / Twitter ]

We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!

20.07.2020 - 11:46 [ Mayor Ted Wheeler / Twitter ]

This morning, @jaketapper @CNNSotu asked if I believed the President was breaking the law. Not only do I believe he is breaking the law, but he is also endangering the lives of Portlanders. His actions are unconstitutional.

20.07.2020 - 11:40 [ @CNNSotu / Twitter ]

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler on federal troops descending upon the unrest in his city: „Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism. And it’s not helping the situation at all. They’re not wanted here“

20.07.2020 - 11:21 [ CNN ]

A Navy veteran says he was beaten and pepper sprayed by authorities while attending his first protest in Portland

When contacted by CNN, a spokesperson for the Portland Police Bureau said that their officers were not involved in the incident.

Customs and Border Protection also told CNN that their officers were not involved.

CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and US Marshals for a comment but has not yet heard back.

20.07.2020 - 11:00 [ Chuckle Trickle / Twitter ]

Unmarked Vehicle, unmarked agents, in the dark. This is not an abduction scene in a movie about a totalitarian regime. It’s real happening in Portland, Oregon, USA.

(17.06.2020)

20.07.2020 - 10:45 [ USA Today ]

‚Secret police force‘: Feds reportedly pull Portland protesters into unmarked vehicles, stirring outrage

(17.06.2020)

Federal law enforcement officers have used unmarked vehicles to detain protesters in Portland, according to news reports and at least one protester who spoke to USA TODAY.

Videos shared online show officers driving up to people, detaining them without explanation, then driving off, Oregon Public Broadcasting first reported. The ACLU filed a lawsuit Friday evening to try and end what it called „lawlessness“ on the streets of Portland.

10.07.2020 - 15:06 [ theHill.com ]

Five takeaways from Supreme Court’s rulings on Trump tax returns

Roberts laid out a list of factors for courts to consider when weighing such subpoenas but stressed that the list was not comprehensive, noting how rarely interbranch disputes have come before the court over the nation’s history.

“Other considerations may be pertinent as well; one case every two centuries does not afford enough experience for an exhaustive list,” the chief justice wrote

10.07.2020 - 01:13 [ Keep Talking Greece ]

Police fires tear-gas at protesters against bill to curtail public gatherings rights

With 187 votes, Greek MPs put the nails on the coffin of Democracy in the country.

PS How many protesters were injured by police and suffered from tear-gas, we will probably never learn.

09.07.2020 - 18:16 [ Haaretz ]

The Dangerous Combination of Netanyahu’s Biggest Obsessions

Netanyahu’s fixation with controlling the media is dangerous enough; controlling law enforcement will be worse

09.07.2020 - 17:51 [ theHill.com ]

Supreme Court grants NY prosecutors access to Trump’s tax returns, rebuffs Congress

The Supreme Court in a split decision on Thursday granted New York state prosecutors access to President Trump’s tax returns, even as it shielded a trove of his financial records from Congress.

The justices upheld a Manhattan district attorney subpoena for eight years of Trump’s financial documents, including his personal and corporate tax returns. But they declined to grant Congress access to records subpoenaed by a trio of Democratic-led House committees.

08.07.2020 - 19:46 [ Haaretz ]

Knesset Votes Down Probe of Judges as Gantz-Netanyahu Crisis Brew

The Knesset on Wednesday voted against forming a commission of inquiry that will probe conflicts of interest of Supreme Court justices.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party said it would back the initiative by far-right lawmaker Bezalel Smotrich of the Yamina faction to establish such a commission.

Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan party called the move „a declaration of war on democracy.

07.07.2020 - 13:17 [ Haaretz ]

Summer’s End Scenario: Netanyahu Usurps Democracy and Assumes Absolute Rule

At the end of summer 2020, Israeli democracy died in broad daylight.

07.07.2020 - 13:14 [ Haaretz ]

Knesset Passes Bill Allowing Gov’t to Bypass Parliament on COVID-19 Regulations

The bill allows the executive branch to sidestep Knesset committees, which the government says cause delays in implementing its decisions. It has been debated by the Knesset and has passed a first vote on Monday night with the support of 47 MKs, while 34 opposed it. It was then approved in its second and third votes, with with 29 lawmakers voting in favor and 24 against.

27.06.2020 - 09:12 [ NPR.org ]

Minneapolis Council Moves To Defund Police, Establish ‚Holistic‘ Public Safety Force

Despite unanimous support Friday, the amendment faces a number of bureaucratic obstacles before voters can vote on it in November.

26.06.2020 - 09:13 [ theHill.com ]

House passes police reform bill that faces dead end in Senate

The House on Thursday passed sweeping criminal justice reforms aimed at curbing the use of excessive force by law enforcement after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed by Minneapolis police one month ago.

The package was crafted exclusively by the majority Democrats — drawing howls of criticism from GOP leaders — and its passage was never in doubt, as Democrats of all stripes united in a 236 to 181 vote to send the measure to the Senate.

21.06.2020 - 15:43 [ CNN ]

Geoffrey Berman is leaving office immediately after standoff with Trump administration

Berman leaves behind a string of high-profile prosecutions and investigations. Since he became US attorney in early 2018, the office has prosecuted Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, is investigating top Trump confidante Rudy Giuliani and indicted the former New York mayor’s associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman.

21.06.2020 - 15:42 [ New York Times ]

Trump Fires U.S. Attorney in New York Who Investigated His Inner Circle

President Trump on Saturday fired the federal prosecutor whose office put his former personal lawyer in prison and is investigating his current one, heightening criticism that the president was carrying out an extraordinary purge to rid his administration of officials whose independence could be a threat to his re-election campaign.

16.06.2020 - 08:34 [ the Daily Pennsylvanian ]

‘A fundamentally broken system’: Why protesters are calling to ‚defund the police‘

Defunding the police is largely understood to mean reallocating funds from police departments to other community resources. Some activists, however, are calling for police departments to be completely dismantled. Regardless, these calls to ‚defund the police‘ — which are supported by about one-third of Americans — involve reimagining the current policing system in the United States.

13.06.2020 - 11:46 [ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Abgeordnete im US Repräsentantenhaus / Twitter ]

This is the issue w/ many “reforms”: yes, you can pass certain laws, but the problem is police *breaking the law.* Murder is already illegal, but the officers who killed Breonna Taylor STILL haven’t been arrested. Taking on that abuse of power often takes major political risk.

13.06.2020 - 11:42 [ Metro.us ]

New York City oversight bill to force police to detail surveillance tools

The Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act already has enough co-sponsors to win the two-thirds support needed to override veto from the mayor, who has opposed the bill.

12.06.2020 - 05:56 [ theAppeal.org ]

Atlanta’s Mayor Wants $13 Million More For Police. Four Officers Were Just Fired For Using Excessive Force.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has asked for the budget increase amid ongoing local and national reports of police violence against protesters.

12.06.2020 - 05:51 [ NPR.org ]

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser: ‚Not At All‘ Reconsidering Police Funding

The budget that you put out last month, in fact, calls for increasing funding for the police … Are you reconsidering your position in any way?

Not at all.

12.06.2020 - 05:38 [ Benjamin Dixon / Twitter ]

Don’t know who needs to hear this, but the police state services the Democratic Party elite just as much as Republicans & this entire charade over “that’s the wrong slogan” is a massive gaslighting campaign being executed by Dem operatives to ensure nothing changes in this moment

12.06.2020 - 04:49 [ The Hill / Youtube ]

Krystal Ball: Biden’s INSANE call for more police funding

Krystal Ball examines Joe Biden’s policy proposals to address racial inequality if elected president.

12.06.2020 - 04:32 [ theIntercept.com ]

As Calls to Defund the Police Grow Louder, Joe Biden Wants to Give Them More Money

As the force of the defund police movement has taken some by surprise, Biden has hardly been the only politician to seek to defend the status quo. Even his one-time rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, indicated in a recent interview that he objected calls to defund the police. “I think we want to redefine what police departments do, give them the support they need to make their jobs better defined,” said Sanders. “So I do believe that we need well-trained, well-educated, and well-paid professionals in police departments.”

That’s what officials have promised for years. P

12.06.2020 - 03:19 [ NBC News / Youtube ]

Troubling Divide Between Police Testimony And Some Incidents Caught On Video | NBC Nightly New

In some cases of police violence, including in the case of George Floyd, there is a disconnect between what officers say happened and what video evidence later shows. As the nation weighs police reform measures, former NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton says it should focus on the importance of telling the truth.

09.06.2020 - 21:43 [ Kendall Taggart, investigative reporter @BuzzFeedNews / Twitter ]

Just now the New York State Senate officially passed the bill to repeal 50a — the 1970s law used to keep police disciplinary records secret. It’s hard to underscore just how unlikely this seemed only a few weeks ago

09.06.2020 - 21:37 [ New York Senate / Twitter ]

#NYSenate Bill S8496, sponsored by Senator @jamaaltbailey , passed 40-22 (unofficial). Relates to the disclosure of law enforcement disciplinary records; and to repeal section 50-a of the civil rights law relating thereto:

06.06.2020 - 22:25 [ Audrey McGlinchy, Austin's @NPR station / Twitter ]

NEW: Austin city council will vote on at least six @Austin_Police policy changes next Thursday including banning tear gas and ‚impact munitions‘ against demonstrators, banning chokeholds & reducing the dept’s military-grade equip:

06.06.2020 - 15:15 [ New York Times ]

Cities Ask if It’s Time to Defund Police and ‘Reimagine’ Public Safety

In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, some cities are asking if the police are being asked to do jobs they were never intended to do. Budgets are being re-evaluated.

06.06.2020 - 15:04 [ theIntercept.com ]

Hundreds of Activists and Elected Officials Call on Mayors and Cops to Decrease Police Power

Non-reformist reforms seek abolition as an end goal, and include defunding and demilitarizing the police — a demand that has long been considered politically impossible but has entered mainstream discourse over the last week and is reflected in the letters sent Friday.

The letter to police chiefs asks them to help curb the power of police unions. “Making sure that unions aren’t as powerful so that you can keep bad apples on the force, and prevent robust oversight and disciplinary action,” Medwed said.

02.06.2020 - 21:33 [ Richard E. Stone, City Univ. BA & MA;Gov't worker / Twitter ]

The NYPD is run by an illegal union, the Police Benevolent Association (PBA). Have the city stop empowering it by refusing to deduct their dues money from cop’s paychecks every pay period. And, ban union delegates from station houses.

27.04.2020 - 22:50 [ the Hill ]

Barr tells prosecutors to watch for pandemic restrictions that violate Constitution

In a two-page memorandum to the country’s 93 U.S. attorneys, Barr cautioned that some state and local directives could be infringing on protected religious, speech and economic rights.

“If a state or local ordinance crosses the line from an appropriate exercise of authority to stop the spread of COVID-19 into an overbearing infringement of constitutional and statutory protections, the Department of Justice may have an obligation to address that overreach in federal court,” Barr wrote.

25.04.2020 - 21:02 [ Ehud Barak / Haaretz ]

Netanyahu-Gantz Deal Might Mean Ordinary Israelis Must Save the Day

Nothing of the like has been seen before – not in Israel or in any other advanced democracy. This political agreement, fundamentally corrupt and rotten, emasculates the Knesset under cover of the coronavirus, undermines the foundations of our system of government and subordinates the Supreme Court to the government.

The obvious reason for its existence is neither the coronavirus nor the crisis, but immunity for the criminal defendant, Benjamin Netanyahu, in any situation and at any price.

17.04.2020 - 16:27 [ NBC News ]

The ‚total authority‘ president punts to state governors

President Trump has moved from stating that he alone can fix it to telling America’s governors that they need to “call your own shots” when it comes to reopening their economies during the nation’s worst health crisis in 100 years.

That’s our top takeaway from Trump’s announcement Thursday on federal guidelines to reopen the country “that put the onus on governors of making decisions about their states‘ economies,” per NBC News.

17.04.2020 - 11:43 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu: Masses Will Take to the Streets if Court Ousts Me

“Let there be no doubt, the High Court will take the opportunity to oust me,” Netanyahu himself says in these conversations. He warns that if the court prevents him from being prime minister, or if a law is enacted banning him from running for the post in the future, a civil rebellion will erupt. “Masses will take to the streets,” he predicts. “There will be a call to boycott the election.”

17.04.2020 - 10:37 [ New York Times ]

Trump Says States Can Start Reopening While Acknowledging the Decision Is Theirs

The guidelines released by the president effectively mean that any restoration of American society will take place on a patchwork basis.

15.04.2020 - 08:48 [ Fox News ]

Lawmakers push back against Trump by introducing resolution saying president’s authority ‘is not total’

A group of House members authored a new one-sentence resolution to remind President Trump of the limits on his power and challenged anyone in the House to vote against it.

15.04.2020 - 08:45 [ theHill.com ]

On The Trail: Governors rebuke Trump for claiming ‚total‘ authority

A looming showdown between President Trump’s eagerness to revive a cratering economy and governors facing a deadly pandemic is leading to what could become the most contentious standoff between state and federal governments since the civil rights era.

For almost 250 years, the competing interests of states and the U.S. government have undergirded the most divisive debates in American history.

14.04.2020 - 18:28 [ Donald J. Trump, President of the United States / Twitter ]

Tell the Democrat Governors that “Mutiny On The Bounty” was one of my all time favorite movies.

A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy!

14.04.2020 - 18:23 [ Real Clear Politics ]

Gov. Cuomo: Trump Does Not Have Total Authority; „We Have A Constitution, We Don’t Have A King“

“ The president doesn’t have total authority. We have a constitution. We don’t have a king. We have an elected president. That’s what our founding fathers did when they wrote the constitution. And the constitution clearly says the powers that are not specifically listed for the federal government are reserved to the states. And the balance between federal and state authority was central to the constitution, it’s one of the great balances of power. „

14.04.2020 - 18:14 [ Fox8.com ]

‘The authority is total’: President Trump says he will decide when the economy reopens, not governors

Trump would not offer specifics about the source of his asserted power, which he claimed, despite constitutional limitations, was absolute.

“When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total,” Trump said Monday at the White House. “The governors know that.”

02.04.2020 - 11:55 [ ABC News ]

In coronavirus pandemic, authoritarians around the world see opportunity to crack down

Leaders with authoritarian instincts may not cede their emergency powers.

02.04.2020 - 11:21 [ Regierung der Niederlande - Government.nl ]

Statement by Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden

In this unprecedented situation, it is legitimate that Member States adopt extraordinary measures to protect their citizens and overcome the crisis. We are however deeply concerned about the risk of violations of the principles of rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights arising from the adoption of certain emergency measures.

Emergency measures should be limited to what is strictly necessary, should be proportionate and temporary in nature, subject to regular scrutiny, and respect the aforementioned principles and international law obligations. They should not restrict the freedom of expression or the freedom of the press.

02.04.2020 - 11:19 [ DutchNews.nl ]

Dutch sign veiled statement condemning Hungary, sidestep outright criticism

The Netherlands is one of 13 EU member states which have signed a joint statement criticising Viktor Orban’s power grab in Hungary but which does not mention the country by name.

In the statement, EU foreign ministers say they are ‘deeply concerned about the risk of violations of the principles of rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights arising from the adoption of certain emergency measures.’

01.04.2020 - 13:34 [ RFI.fr ]

Dismantling democracy? Covid-19 used as excuse to quell dissent in Hungary

Hungary’s parliament endorsed a bill on Monday giving nationalist premier Viktor Orban the sweeping new powers he says he needs to fight the new coronavirus pandemic.

01.04.2020 - 10:19 [ Ansa.it ]

Coronavirus: Salvini defends Orban taking new powers

Nationalist opposition League leader Matteo Salvini said, amid criticism of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban getting full powers Monday, that it had been a democratic choice by the Hungarian parliament.

31.03.2020 - 12:32 [ Spiked ]

The frightening crackdown on Covid ‘fake news’

Most concerning is that this could lead to the censorship of those who disagree with the government’s line on coronavirus – and the extraordinary measures it has put in place to tackle it.

There is a great deal of disagreement among experts on a whole range of questions related to the coronavirus outbreak, such as over the death rate of the virus or the necessity of a society-wide shutdown. Members of the public have every right to weigh in on these debates on social media, too.

31.03.2020 - 12:15 [ Spiked ]

Britain is sliding into dystopia

(26.03.2020)

Derbyshire Police have tweeted a menacing video warning the public to stay away from the Peak District during the coronavirus lockdown.

The video shows police drone footage of unsuspecting members of the public hiking, walking their dogs and watching the sunset. All totally harmless behaviour, which is now deemed ‘non-essential’ – and by implication illegal – by the authorities.

31.03.2020 - 12:08 [ Spiked ]

Coronavirus Bill: the greatest loss of liberty in our history

(25.03.2020)

The Coronavirus Bill, having sailed through the House of Commons, is expected to become law today. The Bill gives the government and the authorities unprecedented new powers, unheard of in a democracy during peacetime.

29.03.2020 - 10:55 [ New York Times ]

Military Force Against Americans

(9. September 2019)

After the Sept. 11 attacks, an American citizen who had been arrested in Chicago and accused of terrorism links was deemed to be an “enemy combatant” and transferred to military custody. He was held in wartime detention without trial for years, then transferred back to the civilian justice system before the Supreme Court could resolve his case. In 2011, an American drone strike targeted and killed an American citizen who had been deemed to be an operational terrorist leader whose capture was infeasible, but who had not been charged or convicted in a trial. In 2019, the executive branch was reported to be considering invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces on domestic soil to enforce immigration laws.

Are any of these examples unlawful? Under what circumstances, if any, may a president use military force within the United States or against Americans?

28.03.2020 - 09:20 [ LawAndCrime.com ]

Trump Axed Congressionally-Mandated Pandemic Recovery Oversight with Stimulus Bill Signing Statement

Trump, by way of a signing statement, noted that his administration would quite simply override a provision in the nearly 900-page stimulus bill that would require the country’s newest inspector general–just created and tasked with overseeing the disbursement of the stimulus funds–to report to Congress any time the administration stonewalled about where or how those funds were being spent.

28.03.2020 - 08:41 [ Wikipedia ]

Signing statement

The Supreme Court has not squarely addressed the limits of signing statements.

28.03.2020 - 08:30 [ Huffington Post ]

Trump Claims Power To Gag Watchdog Overseeing New $500 Billion Bailout

President Donald Trump has issued a signing statement declaring that he can block a watchdog from telling Congress when information is withheld about payouts to businesses in the massive new $2 trillion economic relief law.

Democrats fought hard for provisions in the measure to ensure …

28.03.2020 - 08:19 [ Rand Paul, US Senator / Twitter ]

In times of panic, it is good to have someone with a cool, level MIT head asking the tough questions. Thank you @RepThomasMassie

28.03.2020 - 07:57 [ Thomas Massie, Abgeordneter im US Repräsentantenhaus / Twitter ]

Today I joined the Rush Limbaugh show with guest host @kenmatthews to talk about the unconstitutional attempt by leadership on both sides of the aisle to pass the LARGEST SPENDING BILL EVER without actually voting. Miss the interview? You can listen here:

28.03.2020 - 07:48 [ Mike Lee, US Senator / Twitter ]

I don’t know a member of Congress more principled or dedicated to the Constitution than @RepThomasMassie . @SpeakerPelosi delayed this process repeatedly and sent the House into recess before its job was complete. Big mistake!

28.03.2020 - 07:41 [ theHill.com ]

Massie defiant, criticizes leaders for preventing him from speaking on floor

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) blasted Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Friday for not allowing him to speak on the floor before the House approved a $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package.

Massie had sought to force a roll-call vote on the measure, earning a condemnation from President Trump in the process and criticism from a number of members of Congress.

28.03.2020 - 07:03 [ theHill.com ]

House passes $2 trillion coronavirus package — but not without last-minute drama

“This is a 9/11 moment,” Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) said on the floor. “A time to put partisan differences aside, policy differences aside, and work together as Americans.”