Felonies, Elections and Human Rights

african american woman smartphone

Overwhelmed by news?

Reading, watching and listening to the news can sometimes feel overwhelming, of that we are aware.

Because how are we to decipher the progress from the sheer decline? As the New Yorker's Jia Tolentino once wrote, "Our ability to change things is not increasing at the same rate as our ability to know about them."

Welcome back to FairPlanet's weekly Roundup, where we aim to show you the good from within the, well, less good. It is up to us to continue searching for hope; looking for new avenues of inspiration because the world today is filled with inspiring people, initiatives, movements and policies.

But most importantly, Read. Debate: Engage.

The good

Trump would have been charged from the Mueller report if he wasn't President

But sadly, and tragically, he is. OK, it might not be the most obvious 'good' news, but as reported by a Guardian live feed on May 6, "Hundreds of former federal prosecutors signed a letter saying Trump would have faced “multiple felony charges of obstruction of justice” if he were not president."

This means that as we edge toward the 2020 election, crucial swing voters could be convinced to vote for a new and forward looking candidate. There is hope at the end of the tunnel.

Mueller Report

The bad

low voter registration still remains a big problem for democracy in the U.S.

You might have heard of the U.S.'s problem of gerrymandering, a practice intended to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group (usually the Republicans) by manipulating district boundaries. But another big issue is the low voter registration and thus turnout.

As we fast approach the monumental 2020 elections in the U.S., HeadCount, a non-profit organisation aims to engage those who have been left behind by politicians' engagement and get people registered and in the polling stations when the big day comes. In order to return democracy to functioning order, it is up to us to engage in the civic duty that is casting our vote.

headcount

Volunteer with HeadCount to promote voting registration through music

by Yair Oded

HeadCount get thousands of music festivals goers to exercise their voting rights in the U.S. and participate in the shaping of their democracy.

Human rights

	Migrant labour - modern day slavery? by Bob Koigi As the world is increasingly becoming globalised, migrant labour markets cannot be ignored, and require support and attention from across public. Read

	Change.org petition pressures Oxford University to rescind honorary degree of Brunei’s leader by Yair Oded Change.org petition calling on Oxford University to rescind the honorary degree of Brunei's sultan. Read

	The inconvenient witnesses of deaths in the Mediterranean Sea by Pablo Pérez Álvarez Óscar Camps is a Spanish lifeguard co-founder of Open Arms, an NGO that has rescued thousands of immigrants in their attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. Last January, after a three-months blockade of the ship at the port of Barcelona, Spain’s authorities have forbidden Open Arms going on with their rescue missions. FairPlanet spoke with him about the consequences. Read

	UN criticises Italian divorce bill by Federica Tedeschi All children of parents who are seeking divorce in Italy, will have to undergo shared parenting plan, almost regardless of their specific family situation. Read

Country focus

USA

Screenshot-2019-05-07-at-20.27.33

The United States of America, spanning from West coast to East coast of North America is the world's strongest economy with the strongest military power. But beyond its grip on political and economic affairs, the U.S. has one, if not the most, powerful culture machines on Earth, spanning across pop-culture, cinema, music and Television.

With a population of 327 million people, across 50 States, the U.S. struggles with its vast inequality despite immense wealth. Public health is still a concept far away from reality for millions of Americans and gross incarceration prevails – it is estimated that more than 2.9 million citizens are currently locked behind bars, the world's highest rate.

2019 marked the 400 year anniversary of the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade, which caused both the immense abuse and suffering of millions of African people, and the unpaid source of America's wealth creation on the back of its slaves.

From the founding of the United States to the abolition of slavery, the Jim Crow laws to the ongoing mass incarceration of Black citizens, racism and structural discrimination prevails and no reparations for slavery have been paid as of today.

With a two-party political system, the left-leaning Democrats and the right-leaning Republicans, and an outdated electoral system, the U.S. is currently battling to preserve its democracy, with extreme right gaining more power and international interference becoming a growing issue.

All stories about USA

We hope that our stories and insights are valuable to you. If so, we kindly ask you to consider sharing the newsletter with your friends, colleagues, families... Referring is the best thing you can do to support our work - and add value for all of them. As always, thanks for reading. We look forward to continuing to deliver the best solution stories straight to your inbox.