Human rights and civil liberties

Throngs cheer new president’s triumphant return to Gambia

By CARLEY PETESCH President Adama Barrow returned triumphantly to Gambia on Thursday, nearly two months after winning an election disputed by the country’s longtime dictator, to the cheers of hundreds of thousands who jammed the roads in welcome. “That’s my president!” the crowds cried, eager to see Barrow fulfill the promise of democratic reforms and […]

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Trump unleashes Twitter attack against civil rights legend

By STEVE PEOPLES Donald Trump tore into civil rights legend John Lewis for questioning the legitimacy of the Republican billionaire’s White House victory, intensifying a feud with the black congressman days before the national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and as the first African-American president prepares to leave office. Trump tweeted on Saturday that

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Philippines seizes huge haul of suspected meth, arrests 6

By AARON FAVILA Philippine authorities seized more than half a metric ton of suspected methamphetamine Friday in suburban Manila and arrested six people in what could be one of the largest drug seizures under President Rodrigo Duterte. National Bureau of Investigation agents initially seized about 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of the substance, locally known as

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White nationalists raise millions with tax-exempt charities

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN The federal government has allowed four groups at the forefront of the white nationalist movement to register as charities and raise more than $7.8 million in tax-deductible donations over the past decade, according to an Associated Press review. Already emboldened by Donald Trump’s popularity, group leaders say they hope the president-elect’s victory

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North Carolina lawmakers meeting to consider HB2 repeal

By GARY D. ROBERTSON and JONATHAN DREW North Carolina’s legislature is reconvening to see if enough lawmakers are willing to repeal a 9-month-old law that limited LGBT rights, including which bathrooms transgender people can use in public schools and government buildings. House and Senate members met in the capital Wednesday for a special session two

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Trump action on health care could cost Planned Parenthood

By ANDREW TAYLOR One of President-elect Donald Trump’s first, and defining, acts next year could come on Republican legislation to cut off taxpayer money from Planned Parenthood. Trump sent mixed signals during the campaign about the 100-year-old organization, which provides birth control, abortions and various women’s health services. He said “millions of women are helped

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Democrat to try solving Chicago gun violence with sentencing

By IVAN MORENO The refrain is heard almost as often as the fatal gunshots: The way to reduce Chicago’s gun violence is tougher prison sentences for repeat gun offenders, keeping them off the streets and decreasing the city’s mounting death toll. That idea, pushed by the mayor, police superintendent and others, shifts pressure from patrol

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