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May 13, 2025
‘Timestamp on our minds’: Philadelphia marks 1985 Move bombing that killed 11
Police bombing targeting Black liberation group ignited fire that killed 11, including five children, and burned 61 houses
Ed Pilkington
Tue 13 May 2025 07.00 EDT
Philadelphia is holding an official day of remembrance on Tuesday marking the moment 40 years earlier when the city’s police department dropped a bomb on the headquarters of a Black liberation organisation, sparking an inferno that killed 11 people – including five children.
The police bombing of the home of the Move organization on 13 May 1985 was one of the worst atrocities carried out during the era of the 1970s and 1980s Black liberation struggle. It followed a prolonged siege in which the notoriously brutal Philadelphia police attempted to drive the group out of its premises at 6221 Osage Avenue.
Officers pummeled the house with more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition over a 90-minute period, even though children were known to be inside. When that failed to dislodge the Move activists, authorities ordered a police helicopter to drop an incendiary bomb made from C4 plastic explosives on to the roof of the house.
A fire was ignited and allowed to rage, killing all 11 people and turning to cinder 61 houses in the mainly Black neighborhood. About 250 people were left homeless.
Five children aged seven to 13 died in the inferno. They were named Tree, Netta, Deleisha, Little Phil and Tomasa.
… more …
'Timestamp on our minds': Philadelphia marks 1985 Move bombing that killed 11
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/13/philadelphia-1985-move-bombing‘Timestamp on our minds’: Philadelphia marks 1985 Move bombing that killed 11
Police bombing targeting Black liberation group ignited fire that killed 11, including five children, and burned 61 houses
Ed Pilkington
Tue 13 May 2025 07.00 EDT
Philadelphia is holding an official day of remembrance on Tuesday marking the moment 40 years earlier when the city’s police department dropped a bomb on the headquarters of a Black liberation organisation, sparking an inferno that killed 11 people – including five children.
The police bombing of the home of the Move organization on 13 May 1985 was one of the worst atrocities carried out during the era of the 1970s and 1980s Black liberation struggle. It followed a prolonged siege in which the notoriously brutal Philadelphia police attempted to drive the group out of its premises at 6221 Osage Avenue.
Officers pummeled the house with more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition over a 90-minute period, even though children were known to be inside. When that failed to dislodge the Move activists, authorities ordered a police helicopter to drop an incendiary bomb made from C4 plastic explosives on to the roof of the house.
A fire was ignited and allowed to rage, killing all 11 people and turning to cinder 61 houses in the mainly Black neighborhood. About 250 people were left homeless.
Five children aged seven to 13 died in the inferno. They were named Tree, Netta, Deleisha, Little Phil and Tomasa.
… more …
May 11, 2025
Begum TV, a school for Afghan women banned from accessing education
Journalists broadcasting from Paris are sidestepping Taliban restrictions to connect girls in their home country to learning, health advice and entertainment
MARÍA D. VALDERRAMA
Paris - MAY 11, 2025 - 00:12 EDT
Wajiha Wahidi, a 25-year-old Afghan journalist, retouches her makeup before recording her first broadcast from the Begum TV studio in Paris. The premises, located in a northern neighborhood of the French capital, include a small newsroom, a recording studio and a meeting room, currently being fitted out with a green screen so that two programs can be filmed simultaneously. This expansion reflects the growth the Afghan television station-in-exile is experiencing, one year after its creation. Like the rest of her fellow journalists, Wahidi does not wear a veil and appears on-screen in street clothes, her face uncovered. She looks quite different from her audience of Afghan women. They watch her broadcasts via satellite television, which reaches one in two households in Afghanistan, a country ravaged by poverty where more than half of its 42 million inhabitants depend on humanitarian aid for their survival.
Wahidi worked as a journalist on national TV and radio stations before leaving Afghanistan in 2022, nine months after the Taliban regained power. After passing through Pakistan, she arrived as a refugee in Paris at the end of 2023 with support from Reporters Without Borders. Every one of the dozen journalists who work at Begum TV today are refugees. Their mission is crucial so that the 1.4 million girls who, according to UNESCO statistics, have been forced to stop attending school at the order of the fundamentalist regime, can continue to have some kind of access to education. It’s also important to the millions of women who have been expelled from universities and public-facing professions. Begum supplies them with information, psychological support and entertainment.
…
“In Begum TV, I’ve found family again and I feel that I’m doing something useful for Afghan women,” says the journalist. Her work is bringing her out of the depressive episode of her exile, though it is also putting her loved ones in danger. Her father has been detained by the Taliban on various occasions and interrogated over his daughter’s unveiled appearances on the foreign TV channel.
Begum TV was launched in Paris by Afghan journalist Hamida Aman in March 2024, with economic support by the French Foreign Ministry, the United Nations and other public and private donations. It has become an escape route for millions of women in Afghanistan.
… more …
Begum TV, a school for Afghan women banned from accessing education
https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-12/begum-tv-a-school-for-afghan-women-banned-from-accessing-education.htmlBegum TV, a school for Afghan women banned from accessing education
Journalists broadcasting from Paris are sidestepping Taliban restrictions to connect girls in their home country to learning, health advice and entertainment
MARÍA D. VALDERRAMA
Paris - MAY 11, 2025 - 00:12 EDT
Wajiha Wahidi, a 25-year-old Afghan journalist, retouches her makeup before recording her first broadcast from the Begum TV studio in Paris. The premises, located in a northern neighborhood of the French capital, include a small newsroom, a recording studio and a meeting room, currently being fitted out with a green screen so that two programs can be filmed simultaneously. This expansion reflects the growth the Afghan television station-in-exile is experiencing, one year after its creation. Like the rest of her fellow journalists, Wahidi does not wear a veil and appears on-screen in street clothes, her face uncovered. She looks quite different from her audience of Afghan women. They watch her broadcasts via satellite television, which reaches one in two households in Afghanistan, a country ravaged by poverty where more than half of its 42 million inhabitants depend on humanitarian aid for their survival.
Wahidi worked as a journalist on national TV and radio stations before leaving Afghanistan in 2022, nine months after the Taliban regained power. After passing through Pakistan, she arrived as a refugee in Paris at the end of 2023 with support from Reporters Without Borders. Every one of the dozen journalists who work at Begum TV today are refugees. Their mission is crucial so that the 1.4 million girls who, according to UNESCO statistics, have been forced to stop attending school at the order of the fundamentalist regime, can continue to have some kind of access to education. It’s also important to the millions of women who have been expelled from universities and public-facing professions. Begum supplies them with information, psychological support and entertainment.
…
“In Begum TV, I’ve found family again and I feel that I’m doing something useful for Afghan women,” says the journalist. Her work is bringing her out of the depressive episode of her exile, though it is also putting her loved ones in danger. Her father has been detained by the Taliban on various occasions and interrogated over his daughter’s unveiled appearances on the foreign TV channel.
Begum TV was launched in Paris by Afghan journalist Hamida Aman in March 2024, with economic support by the French Foreign Ministry, the United Nations and other public and private donations. It has become an escape route for millions of women in Afghanistan.
… more …
May 11, 2025
Thanks to all who helped. Brother found the song for me! 'You gotta feel aloha'
https://m.
May 10, 2025
Mask bans are growing in popularity. Critics call the trend a 'dog whistle' to quell protest.
July 8, 2024, 7:00 AM PDT
By Marquise Francis
Once seen as a symbol of protection against the spread of a deadly virus, masks are now being blamed for emboldening some people to commit acts of violence amid a rise in clashes at protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
Elected officials in New York City and Los Angeles have signaled recently that they’re open to reinstating decades-old mask bans after several tense pro-Palestinian demonstrations, where local officials say masked protesters aimed to conceal their identity. Republicans in North Carolina recently signed a controversial mask restriction into law, sparking an intense debate between supporters who cite safety concerns and critics who argue it could affect protesting and free speech rights. In January, Philadelphia banned ski masks in public spaces in an effort to reduce crime, citing several incidents of violence involving masked gunmen.
…
Proponents of mask restrictions, however, say they will go a long way in keeping people safe by helping law enforcement identify criminals.
“We will not tolerate individuals using masks to evade responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior,” Hochul said last month at a press conference on public safety.
Adams invoked Martin Luther King Jr.’s activism to dispel the need for masks while protesting.
“Dr. King did not hide his face when he marched and for the things he thought were wrong in the country,” he said. “Those civil rights leaders did not hide their faces. They stood up. In contrast to that, the Klan hid their faces.”
… more …
(Criminals to Covid to protesters to magas and ice: What are the laws where you live?)
Mask bans are growing in popularity. Critics call the trend a 'dog whistle' to quell protest.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mask-bans-are-growing-popularity-critics-call-trend-dog-whistle-quell-rcna160218Mask bans are growing in popularity. Critics call the trend a 'dog whistle' to quell protest.
July 8, 2024, 7:00 AM PDT
By Marquise Francis
Once seen as a symbol of protection against the spread of a deadly virus, masks are now being blamed for emboldening some people to commit acts of violence amid a rise in clashes at protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
Elected officials in New York City and Los Angeles have signaled recently that they’re open to reinstating decades-old mask bans after several tense pro-Palestinian demonstrations, where local officials say masked protesters aimed to conceal their identity. Republicans in North Carolina recently signed a controversial mask restriction into law, sparking an intense debate between supporters who cite safety concerns and critics who argue it could affect protesting and free speech rights. In January, Philadelphia banned ski masks in public spaces in an effort to reduce crime, citing several incidents of violence involving masked gunmen.
…
Proponents of mask restrictions, however, say they will go a long way in keeping people safe by helping law enforcement identify criminals.
“We will not tolerate individuals using masks to evade responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior,” Hochul said last month at a press conference on public safety.
Adams invoked Martin Luther King Jr.’s activism to dispel the need for masks while protesting.
“Dr. King did not hide his face when he marched and for the things he thought were wrong in the country,” he said. “Those civil rights leaders did not hide their faces. They stood up. In contrast to that, the Klan hid their faces.”
… more …
(Criminals to Covid to protesters to magas and ice: What are the laws where you live?)
May 10, 2025
Federal Judge Halts Trump and Musk's Illegal Overhaul of US Government
The second Trump administration "has thrown agencies into chaos, disrupting critical services provided across our nation," the coalition behind the lawsuit said, welcoming the temporary restraining order.
JESSICA CORBETT
May 10, 2025
A federal judge in California on Friday temporarily blocked what at coalition of labor unions, local governments, and nonprofits argued was "the unconstitutional dismantling of the federal government by the president of the United States on a scale unprecedented in this country’s history and in clear excess of his authority."
Since returning to office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump—aided by his so-callled Department of Government Efficiency and its de facto leader, billionaire Elon Musk—has worked to quickly overhaul the bureaucracy, even though "the president does not possess authority to reorganize, downsize, or otherwise transform the agencies of the federal government, unless and until Congress authorizes such action," as the coalition's complaint notes.
District Judge Susan Illston agreed with the groups and governments, which include the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Alliance for Retired Americans, Main Street Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, the city and county of San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, and more.
"The president has the authority to seek changes to executive branch agencies, but he must do so in lawful ways and, in the case of large-scale reorganizations, with the cooperation of the legislative branch," wrote Illston in a 42-page decision. "Many presidents have sought this cooperation before; many iterations of Congress have provided it. Nothing prevents the president from requesting this cooperation—as he did in his prior term of office."
"Indeed, the court holds the president likely must request congressional cooperation to order the changes he seeks, and thus issues a temporary restraining order to pause large-scale reductions in force in the meantime," said the judge, appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by former President Bill Clinton.
… more …
Federal Judge Halts Trump and Musk's Illegal Overhaul of US Government
https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-muskFederal Judge Halts Trump and Musk's Illegal Overhaul of US Government
The second Trump administration "has thrown agencies into chaos, disrupting critical services provided across our nation," the coalition behind the lawsuit said, welcoming the temporary restraining order.
JESSICA CORBETT
May 10, 2025
A federal judge in California on Friday temporarily blocked what at coalition of labor unions, local governments, and nonprofits argued was "the unconstitutional dismantling of the federal government by the president of the United States on a scale unprecedented in this country’s history and in clear excess of his authority."
Since returning to office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump—aided by his so-callled Department of Government Efficiency and its de facto leader, billionaire Elon Musk—has worked to quickly overhaul the bureaucracy, even though "the president does not possess authority to reorganize, downsize, or otherwise transform the agencies of the federal government, unless and until Congress authorizes such action," as the coalition's complaint notes.
District Judge Susan Illston agreed with the groups and governments, which include the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Alliance for Retired Americans, Main Street Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, the city and county of San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, and more.
"The president has the authority to seek changes to executive branch agencies, but he must do so in lawful ways and, in the case of large-scale reorganizations, with the cooperation of the legislative branch," wrote Illston in a 42-page decision. "Many presidents have sought this cooperation before; many iterations of Congress have provided it. Nothing prevents the president from requesting this cooperation—as he did in his prior term of office."
"Indeed, the court holds the president likely must request congressional cooperation to order the changes he seeks, and thus issues a temporary restraining order to pause large-scale reductions in force in the meantime," said the judge, appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by former President Bill Clinton.
… more …
May 10, 2025
Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk freed from immigration detention
UPDATED MAY 9, 20258:53 PM ET
Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University doctoral student and Turkish national, was released from federal custody on Friday, hours after a judge in Vermont ordered the Trump administration to free her. Accompanied by her lawyer, Öztürk walked out of the immigration detention center in rural Louisiana where she's been detained for more than six weeks, since masked federal agents picked her up on a suburban Boston street as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on pro-Palestinian student activists.
At a bail hearing earlier in the day, Judge William K. Sessions of the U.S. District Court for Vermont said that her arrest and detention appeared likely to have been carried out solely in retaliation for an op-ed she wrote in a campus newspaper criticizing her school leaders' response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
"I suggested to the government that they produce any additional information which would suggest that she posed a substantial risk," Sessions said. "And that was three weeks ago, and there has been no evidence introduced by the government other than the op-ed. That literally is the case. There is no evidence here."
Sessions added: "The court finds that Ms. Öztürk has raised a substantial claim of a constitutional violation."
… more…
Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk freed from immigration detention
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/09/nx-s1-5393055/tufts-student-rumeysa-ozturk-ordered-freed-from-immigration-detentionTufts student Rümeysa Öztürk freed from immigration detention
UPDATED MAY 9, 20258:53 PM ET
Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University doctoral student and Turkish national, was released from federal custody on Friday, hours after a judge in Vermont ordered the Trump administration to free her. Accompanied by her lawyer, Öztürk walked out of the immigration detention center in rural Louisiana where she's been detained for more than six weeks, since masked federal agents picked her up on a suburban Boston street as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on pro-Palestinian student activists.
At a bail hearing earlier in the day, Judge William K. Sessions of the U.S. District Court for Vermont said that her arrest and detention appeared likely to have been carried out solely in retaliation for an op-ed she wrote in a campus newspaper criticizing her school leaders' response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
"I suggested to the government that they produce any additional information which would suggest that she posed a substantial risk," Sessions said. "And that was three weeks ago, and there has been no evidence introduced by the government other than the op-ed. That literally is the case. There is no evidence here."
Sessions added: "The court finds that Ms. Öztürk has raised a substantial claim of a constitutional violation."
… more…
May 9, 2025
'Her detention cannot stand': Judge orders release of student arrested by Trump admin
Travis Gettys
May 9, 2025 1:54PM ET
A federal judge has ordered the immediate release Turkish doctoral student who has been held at an immigration detention center for more than six weeks.
Tufts University scholar Rümeysa Öztürk was arrested by masked, plainclothes federal agents outside her Boston apartment in March and held since then as part of president Donald Trump's mass deportation program, but CBS News reported that an appeals court judge on Friday found that her First Amendment and due process rights had been violated.
"There is absolutely no evidence that she has engaged in violence or advocated violence," said U.S. District judge William Sessions. "She has no criminal record. She has done nothing other than essentially attend her university and expand her contacts within the community in such a supportive way."
"Her continued detention cannot stand," the judge added.
… more …
'Her detention cannot stand': Judge orders release of student arrested by Trump admin
https://www.rawstory.com/rumeysa-ozturk-release/'Her detention cannot stand': Judge orders release of student arrested by Trump admin
Travis Gettys
May 9, 2025 1:54PM ET
A federal judge has ordered the immediate release Turkish doctoral student who has been held at an immigration detention center for more than six weeks.
Tufts University scholar Rümeysa Öztürk was arrested by masked, plainclothes federal agents outside her Boston apartment in March and held since then as part of president Donald Trump's mass deportation program, but CBS News reported that an appeals court judge on Friday found that her First Amendment and due process rights had been violated.
"There is absolutely no evidence that she has engaged in violence or advocated violence," said U.S. District judge William Sessions. "She has no criminal record. She has done nothing other than essentially attend her university and expand her contacts within the community in such a supportive way."
"Her continued detention cannot stand," the judge added.
… more …
May 9, 2025
Pope Leo XIV has Creole lineage, New Orleans genealogist says
By
Taylor Romine, Matthew Rehbein
…
Both of Leo’s maternal grandparents, Joseph and Louise Martinez, are listed as Black in a Census record from 1900. Joseph is recorded as a cigar maker who was born in “Hayti.” The Census record shows the couple as living in New Orlean’s Seventh Ward, historically a melting pot of cultures in the Crescent City.
“The family were free people of color prior to the Civil War. When they move to Chicago between 1910 and 1912, they ‘passed’ into the White world,” Honora told CNN.
… more …
Let's talk about the first black pope: Pope Leo XIV has Creole lineage, New Orleans genealogist says
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/09/us/pope-leo-creole-lineage-hnkPope Leo XIV has Creole lineage, New Orleans genealogist says
By
Taylor Romine, Matthew Rehbein
…
Both of Leo’s maternal grandparents, Joseph and Louise Martinez, are listed as Black in a Census record from 1900. Joseph is recorded as a cigar maker who was born in “Hayti.” The Census record shows the couple as living in New Orlean’s Seventh Ward, historically a melting pot of cultures in the Crescent City.
“The family were free people of color prior to the Civil War. When they move to Chicago between 1910 and 1912, they ‘passed’ into the White world,” Honora told CNN.
… more …
May 9, 2025
POLITICS
President Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden
BY SEUNG MIN KIM, ZEKE MILLER AND LISA MASCARO
Updated 5:27 AM PDT, May 9, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump abruptly fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden as the White House continues to purge the federal government of those perceived to oppose the president and his agenda.
Hayden was notified in an email late Thursday from the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office, according to an email obtained by The Associated Press. Confirmed by the Senate to the job in 2016, Hayden was the first woman and the first African American to be librarian of Congress.
“Carla,” the email began. “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.” A spokesperson for the Library of Congress confirmed that the White House told Hayden she was dismissed.
Hayden, whose 10-year term was set to expire next year, had come under backlash from a conservative advocacy group that had vowed to root out those standing in the way of Trump’s agenda. The group, American Accountability Foundation, accused her and other library leaders of promoting children’s books with “radical” content and literary material authored by Trump opponents.
…
photographs, as well as troves of music and valuable artifacts — like a flute owned by President James Madison, which the singer and rapper Lizzo played in a 2022 performance arranged by Hayden.
… more …
( notified in an email… called by her first name… the disrespect and belittling of a black woman is palpable)
President Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-library-of-congress-carla-hayden-20a1862ce6d2e0d51a84a37b264ce2efPOLITICS
President Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden
BY SEUNG MIN KIM, ZEKE MILLER AND LISA MASCARO
Updated 5:27 AM PDT, May 9, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump abruptly fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden as the White House continues to purge the federal government of those perceived to oppose the president and his agenda.
Hayden was notified in an email late Thursday from the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office, according to an email obtained by The Associated Press. Confirmed by the Senate to the job in 2016, Hayden was the first woman and the first African American to be librarian of Congress.
“Carla,” the email began. “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.” A spokesperson for the Library of Congress confirmed that the White House told Hayden she was dismissed.
Hayden, whose 10-year term was set to expire next year, had come under backlash from a conservative advocacy group that had vowed to root out those standing in the way of Trump’s agenda. The group, American Accountability Foundation, accused her and other library leaders of promoting children’s books with “radical” content and literary material authored by Trump opponents.
…
photographs, as well as troves of music and valuable artifacts — like a flute owned by President James Madison, which the singer and rapper Lizzo played in a 2022 performance arranged by Hayden.
… more …
( notified in an email… called by her first name… the disrespect and belittling of a black woman is palpable)
May 8, 2025
'You haven't read the Constitution?' Dem pummels Kash Patel for ignoring due process law
David Edwards
May 8, 2025 12:41PM ET
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) pressed FBI Director Kash Patel about why he refused to investigate agencies violating the U.S. Constitution by denying due process to migrants.
During a Thursday Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Merkley asked Patel if he was familiar with the Fifth Amendment.
"And you're familiar that that applies to all persons in the United States?" the senator said. "So there's been a lot of concern about the several hundred immigrants who were swept off the streets of America and sent to El Salvador without due process."
Patel, however, said he wasn't "in a position" to judge the treatment of migrants.
"Senator, I don't know that I agree with your characterization," Patel replied.
"Well, that was my first question, whether or not you agree with the Fifth Amendment and are prepared to defend it," the Democratic lawmaker noted.
… weasel weasel weasel… more …
(Audio at link)
'You haven't read the Constitution?' Dem pummels Kash Patel for ignoring due process law
https://www.rawstory.com/you-haven-t-read-the-constitution-dem-pummels-kash-patel-for-ignoring-due-process-law/'You haven't read the Constitution?' Dem pummels Kash Patel for ignoring due process law
David Edwards
May 8, 2025 12:41PM ET
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) pressed FBI Director Kash Patel about why he refused to investigate agencies violating the U.S. Constitution by denying due process to migrants.
During a Thursday Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Merkley asked Patel if he was familiar with the Fifth Amendment.
"And you're familiar that that applies to all persons in the United States?" the senator said. "So there's been a lot of concern about the several hundred immigrants who were swept off the streets of America and sent to El Salvador without due process."
Patel, however, said he wasn't "in a position" to judge the treatment of migrants.
"Senator, I don't know that I agree with your characterization," Patel replied.
"Well, that was my first question, whether or not you agree with the Fifth Amendment and are prepared to defend it," the Democratic lawmaker noted.
… weasel weasel weasel… more …
(Audio at link)
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