News
DemocracyNow!
|
Iraqis Tortured at Abu Ghraib Win $42 Million Judgment Against U.S. Military Contractor CACI
A federal jury in Virginia has ordered the U.S. military contractor CACI Premier Technology to pay a total of $42 million to three Iraqi men who were tortured at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison. The landmark verdict comes after 16 years of litigation and marks the first time a civilian contractor has been found legally responsible for the gruesome abuses at Abu Ghraib. We discuss the case and its significance for human rights with Baher Azmy, the legal director for the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represented the Abu Ghraib survivors. “This lawsuit has been about justice and accountability for three Iraqi men — our clients, Salah, Suhail and Asa’ad — who exhibited just awe-inspiring courage and resilience,” he says. |
|
Report from Gaza: Palestinians Feel They Are Being "Slowly Exterminated" in Israel's Genocide
We go to Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, where we get an update from Arwa Damon of the humanitarian organization INARA on “deteriorating conditions” as Palestinians are “slowly exterminated” by disease and starvation caused by Israel’s brutal siege. A special U.N. committee has found that Israel’s actions in Gaza are “consistent with the characteristics of genocide.” Palestinians in Gaza feel that “they are living through their own annihilation,” says Damon. “There is actually a real sense that the worst is yet to come.” |
|
Trump Picks Far-Right Loyalist Matt Gaetz to Be AG as He Moves to Weaponize DOJ Against "Enemies"
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated far-right Florida Congressmember Matt Gaetz to serve as his attorney general. The selection of Gaetz, a staunch Trump loyalist, appears to signify Trump’s intent to weaponize the Department of Justice to target political enemies. Gaetz has “no appreciable law enforcement experience,” says Noah Bookbinder, the president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which has sued the federal government for access to a DOJ investigation into allegations that Gaetz was involved in the sex trafficking of an underage girl. That investigation was not made public, and no federal charges were filed, but the House Ethics Committee launched its own inquiry into Gaetz, the status of which is now up in the air after Gaetz resigned on Wednesday. If approved as attorney general, Gaetz is likely to “take an ax to the nonpartisan functioning of the Justice Department,” warns Zack Beauchamp, a senior correspondent at Vox. “His chief qualification … is his willingness to do whatever Donald Trump needs to be done.” We also discuss the status of various other legal issues swirling around Trump and his supporters, including the Justice Department probes into Trump, the potential pardoning of January 6 insurrectionists and if Trump will abuse the presidential power of recess appointments when he takes office. |
|
Headlines for November 14, 2024
|
Columbian Newspaper
|
Grammy Awards’ snubs, surprises
LOS ANGELES — This year’s Grammy field is dominated by queens of pop — Taylor, Beyoncé and Billie, and now Chappell and Sabrina too. But with a recent deep changing of the guard in the academy’s voting ranks, the Grammys’ shifting tastes are reflected in who they rewarded — and left out. Here are a few of the notable surprises and snubs of this year’s crop. |
|
Acclaimed Beatles photos up for grabs
DALLAS — In 1968, Tom Murray was a young photographer at The Sunday Times when history landed in his lap. |
|
Quincy Jones ‘WAS love,’ Rashida Jones says
Actor Rashida Jones, the daughter of composer Quincy Jones, commemorated her late father on Thursday with a bounty of descriptors, calling him a giant, icon, culture shifter and genius. |
|
Jason Kelce, Stevie Nicks release holiday duet
Jason Kelce has a new teammate in Stevie Nicks, as the unlikely pair has released a Christmas duet. |
