Trump's Attacks on Census Go Well Beyond Citizenship Question

Thursday, April 25, 2019 [| LAST DAY: Help Truthout tell stories of struggle |]( [Trump's Attacks on Census Go Well Beyond Citizenship Question]( Sasha Abramsky, Truthout While the citizenship question on the 2020 Census is currently in the spotlight, the Trump administration and the GOP have been working behind the scenes to undermine the Census and the reliability of its findings. They have done this by slashing the Census budget even as the U.S. population grew in size and complexity, so that the Census Bureau's reach in non-urban, non-white areas is severely curtailed. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Allowing People in Prison to Vote Shouldn't Be Controversial]( Maya Schenwar, Truthout Bernie Sanders's statement this week that people should be able to vote while in prison has sparked self-righteous outrage, including from "progressive" Democrats, some of whom are strongly opposed to enfranchising those convicted of violent crime. But denying the vote to people convicted of violent crimes does nothing to address violence itself; in fact, it perpetuates violence. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Impeaching Trump Shouldn't Mean Abandoning Other Key Battles]( William Rivers Pitt, Truthout If the Democrats are incapable of forming a winning coalition out of voters concerned about climate disruption, racism, immigration policy, institutional Islamophobia, LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights and the crimes described in detail by the Mueller report, not to mention issues like student debt, gun violence and workers' rights, they will join the Whigs in the dustbin of history, and they will deserve it. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- It's crunch time: Today is our LAST CHANCE to raise the $11,175 Truthout still needs. It takes just seconds to support our independent journalism, so give what you can right now! [Donate Now →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [14 States Still Have Laws Meant to Limit Poor Families' Sizes]( Bryce Covert, Truthout Massachusetts just repealed its cap on aid for children born to parents on welfare, but similar laws persist in 14 other states. Republican lawmakers pushed these caps through in the 1990s using racist and classist scaremongering. There has been no evidence that these caps reduce the sizes of families on welfare. What they do is increase poverty. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Joe Biden's Legislative History Under Scrutiny as He Enters 2020 Race]( Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh, Democracy Now! Former Vice President Joe Biden has entered the 2020 race for the White House, becoming the 20th Democrat to seek the nomination. Biden will face scrutiny for his long and checkered record in the coming weeks, including his close ties to the financial industry and his vote to authorize the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. [Watch the Video and Read the Transcript →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [U.S.-Led Bombing Campaign in Syria Killed 1,600 Civilians, Leaving Raqqa Destroyed]( Julia Conley, Common Dreams A new study reveals that the U.S.-led bombing campaign on Raqqa, Syria, in 2017 killed an estimated 1,600 innocent civilians while leveling the city on a scale unparalleled in recent decades. The findings confirm that the U.S.-led coalition has admitted to just a fraction of the civilian carnage it has caused in Syria, even as it has boasted of the care it's taken in avoiding such casualties and the precision of the Raqqa offensive. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Trump Administration Forces U.N. to Water Down Anti-Rape Resolution]( Sophia Tesfaye, Salon The United Nations was forced to water down a resolution on combating rape in conflict-torn nations after the Trump administration threatened to veto the measure over language referring to reproductive health. The United Nations Security Council was also forced to withdraw the creation of a new monitoring body to report atrocities because of opposition by the United States, Russia and China. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Netanyahu Is Not a "Savior" and Israel Is Not at Risk of Annihilation]( Zak Witus, Truthout Lacking a robust, long-term vision for Israel's future, Netanyahu has built his political career by stoking fears about Israel's imminent destruction. In reality, with the unstinting support of the U.S. and its military might, Israel has achieved a commanding position of strength in the region -- strength that under more enlightened leadership might be translated into sustainable diplomatic gains for long-term security in the region. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Criminalizing Sex Workers Drives Rape and Gender-Based Police Violence]( Juno Mac and Molly Smith, Verso Books When talking about sex workers and their occupation, even some self-proclaimed feminists look to the police as a way to "serve and protect" those who may be vulnerable. In this excerpt of Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers' Rights, we learn where and how sex work is criminalized and how it keeps marginalized people vulnerable to those in power. [Read the Excerpt →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [In 10 Years, Half of Elders Won't Be Able to Afford Housing and Medical Care]( Victoria Knight, Kaiser Health News In 10 years, more than half of middle-income Americans age 75 or older will not be able to afford to pay rent for assisted living or their medical expenses, according to a new study. The researchers estimated that the number of middle-income elders in the U.S. will nearly double in that time span, and things aren't looking good for the seniors of the future. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [The World Is Burning and Those in Power Are Stoking the Flames]( Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch As was true with Notre Dame, when it comes to the planet, there were fire alarms before an actual blaze was fully noted. For example, scientists reporting to President Lyndon Johnson predicted with remarkable accuracy how our world was going to change due to global warming back in 1965. Now, politicians like Trump are making this disastrous situation worse. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In Case You Missed It --------------------------------------------------------------- [Without Impeachment, We're Lowering Standards for All Future Presidents]( William Rivers Pitt, Truthout If impeachment proceedings are not undertaken against Donald Trump in the face of such overwhelming criminal evidence, a partisan attorney general and a partisan Republican majority in the Senate will have set the standard of conduct for all presidents to come so low as to be utterly unrecognizable and thoroughly unenforceable. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Warren's Plan to Abolish Student Debt Came From Grassroots Pressure]( Alexis Goldstein, Truthout Elizabeth Warren's new public higher education proposal, which calls for the cancellation of student loan debt for 95 percent of Americans, taps into the movement that gained momentum during Occupy Wall Street. Supported by Bernie Sanders and other presidential candidates, the proposal is the result of tireless work by activists whose demands for loan abolition were mocked not long ago. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- We still need 43 people to sign up for a sustaining, monthly donation to Truthout. Will you be one? Just choose "monthly" when you make your gift. [Donate Now →]( Connect With Us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Donate]( Truthout is a reader-supported, nonprofit organization; donations are tax-deductible. 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