April, 23 2009, 02:50pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Mandy Simon, ACLU, (202) 675-2312; media@dcaclu.org; David Swanson, Democrats.com, (202) 329-7847 cell, david@davidswanson.org;
Doug Gordon, MoveOn.org Political Action, (202) 822-5200; Trevor
Fitzgibbon, Fitzgibbon Media for Firedoglake.com, (202) 506-7162; Jen
Nessel, Center for Constitutional Rights, (212) 614-6449,jnessel@ccrjustice.org
A Quarter Million Americans Demand Torture Prosecutions
Broad Coalition Of Advocacy Groups Present Attorney General With Petition
WASHINGTON
A
broad coalition of advocacy groups today will deliver petitions
containing a quarter million signatures to Attorney General Eric Holder
demanding that he appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate the
Bush administration's use of torture on terrorism suspects. The
petitions were gathered by the American Civil Liberties Union,
MoveOn.org Political Action, the Center for Constitutional Rights,
Firedoglake.com, Democrats.com and other advocacy groups. The petitions
will be delivered during Holder's testimony before a House
Appropriations Subcommittee.
Last
week, through its Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the ACLU obtained
four memos produced by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel
(OLC) outlining the Bush administration's legal framework for its
torture policies. This week, a watershed congressional report was
released by the Senate Armed Services Committee reaffirming the
coordination among the Bush White House and other high level government
officials in the creation and implementation of torture policies.
week, through its Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the ACLU obtained
four memos produced by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel
(OLC) outlining the Bush administration's legal framework for its
torture policies. This week, a watershed congressional report was
released by the Senate Armed Services Committee reaffirming the
coordination among the Bush White House and other high level government
officials in the creation and implementation of torture policies.
Given
the substantial amount of new torture evidence presented to Americans
over the past week, the Justice Department is obligated to appoint an
independent prosecutor to investigate these crimes. The fact that
crimes were committed in the interrogation of detainees can no longer
be doubted or debated, nor can the need for an independent prosecutor
be ignored by any Justice Department committed to restoring the rule of
law. The idea that our laws should be enforced should not be
controversial in a democracy.
the substantial amount of new torture evidence presented to Americans
over the past week, the Justice Department is obligated to appoint an
independent prosecutor to investigate these crimes. The fact that
crimes were committed in the interrogation of detainees can no longer
be doubted or debated, nor can the need for an independent prosecutor
be ignored by any Justice Department committed to restoring the rule of
law. The idea that our laws should be enforced should not be
controversial in a democracy.
In fact, a recent poll from USA Today and Gallup
shows that two thirds of Americans support investigations into the use
of torture by the Bush administration and 40 percent support criminal
prosecutions.
shows that two thirds of Americans support investigations into the use
of torture by the Bush administration and 40 percent support criminal
prosecutions.
"Torture
is a crime. It is the attorney general's job to make sure
investigations occur to determine exactly who authorized, sanctioned
and carried it out so those people can be held accountable," said
Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative
Office. "We're urging Attorney General Holder to promptly appoint an
independent prosecutor so our country can move towards restoring the
rule of law."
is a crime. It is the attorney general's job to make sure
investigations occur to determine exactly who authorized, sanctioned
and carried it out so those people can be held accountable," said
Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative
Office. "We're urging Attorney General Holder to promptly appoint an
independent prosecutor so our country can move towards restoring the
rule of law."
"Torture
is illegal under the laws of our nation--this is not a question of left
or right; it's a question of America's moral leadership," said Justin
Ruben, Executive Director of MoveOn.org Political Action. "This week
our members joined the growing chorus of voices asking the Attorney
General to investigate and prosecute those responsible for these
abuses. By showing these actions have real consequences, we can we make
sure nothing like this ever happens again."
is illegal under the laws of our nation--this is not a question of left
or right; it's a question of America's moral leadership," said Justin
Ruben, Executive Director of MoveOn.org Political Action. "This week
our members joined the growing chorus of voices asking the Attorney
General to investigate and prosecute those responsible for these
abuses. By showing these actions have real consequences, we can we make
sure nothing like this ever happens again."
"It
is the Attorney General's duty to uphold the law, not to decide which
laws to uphold based on the president's political calculus. The Bush
administration compromised the independence of the Department of
Justice, turning it into a political arm of the White House," said
Center for Constitutional Rights Executive Director Vincent Warren.
"Let us hope Eric Holder understands that what the president desires
and the law requires is not always the same thing."
is the Attorney General's duty to uphold the law, not to decide which
laws to uphold based on the president's political calculus. The Bush
administration compromised the independence of the Department of
Justice, turning it into a political arm of the White House," said
Center for Constitutional Rights Executive Director Vincent Warren.
"Let us hope Eric Holder understands that what the president desires
and the law requires is not always the same thing."
Jane Hamsher, founder, firedoglake.com:
"The release of the torture memos demonstrates how critical it is that
Attorney General Holder appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the
use of torture. We cannot move forward and fulfill President Obama's
commitment to restore the nation's moral standing until we clean up the
legacy of our past."
"The release of the torture memos demonstrates how critical it is that
Attorney General Holder appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the
use of torture. We cannot move forward and fulfill President Obama's
commitment to restore the nation's moral standing until we clean up the
legacy of our past."
David
Swanson, Washington Director of Democrats.com: "Torturing people to
compel agreement with fictional justifications for war suggests that we
have not advanced greatly during the past millennium. And yet I know
that we have, and that we can prove it by enforcing our laws in the
face of fear and misunderstanding. A delay cannot be justified by a
lack of evidence (the evidence is overwhelming) or by a political
calculation. Appointing an independent special counsel to enforce our
laws would give a new basis for progress in our relations with the
world, a rationale for improving our criminal code moving forward, and
the necessary space for congress to properly pursue accountability and
prevention of future abuses of power."
Swanson, Washington Director of Democrats.com: "Torturing people to
compel agreement with fictional justifications for war suggests that we
have not advanced greatly during the past millennium. And yet I know
that we have, and that we can prove it by enforcing our laws in the
face of fear and misunderstanding. A delay cannot be justified by a
lack of evidence (the evidence is overwhelming) or by a political
calculation. Appointing an independent special counsel to enforce our
laws would give a new basis for progress in our relations with the
world, a rationale for improving our criminal code moving forward, and
the necessary space for congress to properly pursue accountability and
prevention of future abuses of power."
LATEST NEWS
Rick Scott Pushes Amendment to GOP Budget Bill That Could Kick Millions More Off Medicaid
Scott's proposal for more draconian cuts has renewed scrutiny regarding his past as a hospital executive, where he oversaw the "largest government fraud settlement ever," which included stealing from Medicaid.
Jun 30, 2025
Sen. Rick Scott has introduced an amendment to the Republican budget bill that would slash another $313 million from Medicaid and kick off millions more recipients.
The latest analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that 17 million people could lose their health insurance by 2034 as the result of the bill as it already exists.
According to a preliminary estimate by the Democrats on the Joint Congressional Economic Committee, that number could balloon up to anywhere from 20 to 29 million if Scott's (R-Fla.) amendment passes.
The amendment will be voted on as part of the Senate's vote-a-rama, which is expected to run deep into Monday night and possibly into Tuesday morning.
"If Sen. Rick Scott's amendment gets put forward, this would be a self-inflicted healthcare crisis," said Tahra Hoops, director of economic analysis at Chamber of Progress.
The existing GOP reconciliation package contains onerous new restrictions, including new work requirements and administrative hurdles, that will make it harder for poor recipients to claim Medicaid benefits.
Scott's amendment targets funding for the program by ending the federal government's 90% cost sharing for recipients who join Medicaid after 2030. Those who enroll after that date would have their medical care reimbursed by the federal government at a lower rate of 50%.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) introduced the increased rate in 2010 to incentivize states to expand Medicaid, allowing more people to be covered.
Scott has said his program would "grandfather" in those who had already been receiving the 90% reimbursement rate.
However, Medicaid is run through the states, which will have to spend more money to keep covering those who need the program after 2030.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated that this provision "would shift an additional $93 billion in federal Medicaid funding to states from 2031 through 2034 on top of the cuts already in the Senate bill."
This will almost certainly result in states having to cut back, by introducing their stricter requirements or paperwork hurdles.
Additionally, nine states have "trigger laws" that are set to end the program immediately if the federal matching rate is reduced: Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah, and Virginia.
The Joint Congressional Economic Committee estimated Tuesday that around 2.5 million more people will lose their insurance as a result of those cuts.
If all the states with statutory Medicaid expansion ended it as a result of Scott's cuts, as many as 12.5 million could lose their insurance. Combined with the rest of the bill, that's potentially 29 million people losing health insurance coverage, the committee said.
A chart shows how many people are estimated to lose healthcare coverage with each possible version of the GOP bill.(Chart: Congressional Joint Economic Committee Democrats)
There are enough Republicans in the Senate to pass the bill with Scott's amendment. However, they can afford no more than three defections. According to Politico, Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) have signaled they will vote against the amendment.
Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.V.) also said he'd "have a hard time" voting yes on the bill if Scott's amendment passed. His state of West Virginia has the second-highest rate of people using federal medical assistance of any state in the country, behind only Mississippi.
Critics have called out Scott for lying to justify this line of cuts. In a recent Fox News appearance, Scott claimed that his new restrictions were necessary to stop Democrats who want to "give illegal aliens Medicaid benefits," even though they are not eligible for the program.
Scott's proposal has also brought renewed scrutiny to his past as a healthcare executive.
"Ironically enough, some of the claims against Scott's old hospital company revolved around exploiting Medicaid, and billing for services that patients didn't need," wrote Andrew Perez in Rolling Stone Monday.
In 2000, Scott's hospital company, HCA, was forced to pay $840 million in fines, penalties, and damages to resolve claims of unlawful billing practices in what was called the "largest government fraud settlement ever." Among the charges were that during Scott's tenure, the company overbilled Medicare and Medicaid by pretending patients were sicker than they actually were.
The company entered an additional settlement in 2003, paying out another $631 million to compensate for the money stolen from these and other government programs.
Scott himself was never criminally charged, but resigned in 1997 as the Department of Justice began to probe his company's activities. Despite the scandal, Scott not only became a U.S. senator, but is the wealthiest man in Congress, with a net worth of more than half a billion dollars.
The irony of this was not lost on Perez, who wrote: "A few decades later, Scott is now trying to extract a huge amount of money from state Medicaid funds to help finance Trump's latest round of tax cuts for the rich."
Keep ReadingShow Less
As Historic Heatwave Grips Europe, Coalition Says 'No to a Climate Law for Polluters'
"Will the European Commission propose a climate law that ends fossil fuel use and reflects the E.U.'s fair share of climate responsibility? Or will it choose political convenience?"
Jun 30, 2025
As yet another dangerous heatwave pushes temperatures well into the triple digits across much of Europe, climate defenders on Monday renewed calls for stronger action to combat the planetary emergency—including by ensuring that the impending European Climate Law ends fossil fuel use and eschews false solutions including international carbon offsetting.
Croatia, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain are among the countries where near- or record-high temperatures have been recorded. Portugal and Spain both recorded their hottest-ever June days over the weekend. El Granado in southwestern Spain saw the mercury soar to nearly 115°C (46°C) on Saturday. The heatwave is expected to continue into the middle of the week, with authorities warning of elevated wildfire risk and potential severe health impacts.
"Extreme heat is no longer a rare event—it has become the new normal," United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Sunday on social media. "I'm experiencing it firsthand in Spain during the Financing for Development Conference. The planet is getting hotter and more dangerous—no country is immune. We need more ambitious #ClimateAction now."
On Monday, Real Zero Europe—"a campaign calling on the European Union to deliver real emissions reductions and real solutions to the climate crisis, instead of corporate greenwashed 'net zero' targets"—published a call for an E.U. Climate Law that does not contain provisions for international carbon offsetting, in which countries or corporations compensate for their greenhouse gas emissions by funding projects that reduce emissions in other nations.
🔴 OUT NOW📢 69 NGOs call on the EU to deliver a Climate Law that rejects international carbon offsetting & Carbon Dioxide Removals (#CDR), commits to a full fossil fuel phase-out, and reflects Europe’s fair share of climate responsibility!Read the statement👇www.realzeroeurope.org/resources/st...
[image or embed]
— Real Zero Europe (@realzeroeurope.bsky.social) June 30, 2025 at 2:40 AM
A draft proposal of the legislation published Monday by Politico revealed that the European Commission will allow E.U. member states to outsource climate efforts to Global South nations staring in 2036, despite opposition from the 27-nation bloc's independent scientific advisory board. The outsourcing will enable the E.U. to fund emissions-reducing projects in developing nations and apply those reductions to Europe's own 2040 target—which is a 90% net decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels.
The proposal also embraces carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies like carbon capture and storage, whose scalability is unproven. Climate groups call them false solutions that prolong the fossil fuel era.
"E.U. climate policy stands at a crossroads: Will the European Commission propose a climate law that ends fossil fuel use and reflects the E.U.'s fair share of climate responsibility?" the Real Zero Europe letter says. "Or will it choose political convenience—abandoning that goal under pressure from corporate and populist interests, and turning to risky, unjust carbon offsetting and other false solutions?"
"Taking responsibility for the E.U.'s past and present role in causing the climate crisis means doubling down on a just and full fossil fuel phaseout not hiding behind false solutions as currently proposed," the letter continues. "The law as planned will send a dangerous signal far beyond E.U. borders. The climate and biodiversity crises are already harming people, especially vulnerable communities and populations largely in the Global South, who have least contributed to the climate crisis."
The 69 groups stress that international carbon offsetting "is a smokescreen for giving license to fossil fuel use beyond 2050" that diverts critical resources and public funds from real climate solutions and climate finance."
"Given the scale of climate catastrophe, for the E.U. to allow international offsets and technological CDR gives a lifeline to polluting industries such as the fossil fuel, agribusiness, plastics, and petrochemical industries," the letter states.
"We say no to an E.U. Climate Law that puts polluting industries over people and climate by embracing the use of international offsets and CDR approaches," the letter's signers said. "We call on the Commission to deliver an E.U. Climate Law and its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the U.N. climate negotiations that clearly reflects the bloc's responsibility for the climate crisis. That means a full fossil fuel phaseout and a just transition."
This heatwave is brutal. Temperatures above 40°C in June across France, Spain, Italy...We still hear from right-wing politicians that “it’s just summer.” It’s not. This is the climate crisis courtesy of the fossil fuels industry. It’s not normal.
[image or embed]
— European Greens (@europeangreens.eu) June 30, 2025 at 7:01 AM
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk also addressed the European heatwave on Monday, saying that "the climate crisis is a human rights crisis."
"Rising temperatures, rising seas, floods, droughts, and wildfires threaten our rights to life, to health, to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and much more," he continued. "The heatwave we are currently experiencing here shows us the importance of adaptation measures, without which human rights would be severely impacted."
"It is equally clear that our current production and consumption patterns are unsustainable, and that renewables are the energy source of the future," Türk asserted. "Production capacity for renewables increased five-fold between 2011 and 2023. What we need now is a roadmap that shows us how to rethink our societies, economies and politics in ways that are equitable and sustainable. That is, a just transition."
"This shift requires an end to the production and use of fossil fuels and other environmentally destructive activities across all sectors—from energy to farming to finance to construction and beyond," he added. "This will be one of the greatest transformations our world has ever seen."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Hell No,' Say Critics as Trump's Megabill Poised to Drastically Expand ICE's Dragnet
"This is the level of funding where all the possibilities for American politics that have been described as hyperbolic over the past decades—the comparisons to Nazi Germany and other nightmares of the 20th century—become logistically possible and politically likely," wrote one observer.
Jun 30, 2025
Critics are sounding the alarm as congressional Republicans edge closer to passing a sweeping tax and spending bill desired by U.S. President Donald Trump that would inject tens of billions of dollars of funding into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency at the forefront of the president's immigration crackdown.
"Republicans' Big, Bad Betrayal Bill shovels BILLIONS OF DOLLARS more into ICE's budget. Yes, the same ICE that has arrested U.S. citizens, carried out illegal deportations, and denied members of Congress access to detention facilities. HELL NO," wrote Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) on X on Sunday.
On Monday, the Senate kicked off a vote-a-rama process where senators can demand an unlimited number of votes on amendments to the reconciliation package.
While negotiations on the legislation are still ongoing, the version of the reconciliation bill that was narrowly advanced in the Senate on Saturday includes $29.85 billion for ICE to "remain available through September 30, 2029" for personnel recruitment, technology for "enforcement and removal operations," and other priorities. It also includes $45 billion "for single adult alien detention capacity and family residential center capacity," also available through the same period.
The bill text also includes $46.5 billion for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to spend on border infrastructure, to remain available through September 30, 2029.
Journalist Nicolae Viorel Butler, who reports on immigration for the outlet Migrant Insider, reported on Sunday that all told the measure proposes in excess of $175 billion in "direct immigration-related funding for fiscal year 2025."
This, Butler wrote, reflects "a historic expansion of immigration enforcement operations under a Republican-controlled Congress and the Trump administration."
This money would be a big addition on top of what these agencies already receive. For example, a National Immigration Forum explainer focused on the House version of the reconciliation package noted that $45 billion for ICE detention capacity constitutes an 800% increase in detention funding compared to fiscal year 2024.
"This is the level of funding where all the possibilities for American politics that have been described as hyperbolic over the past decades—the comparisons to Nazi Germany and other nightmares of the 20th century—become logistically possible and politically likely," wrote the philosopher Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò on Bluesky, commenting on the infusion of funding.
In every state, immigration arrests carried out by ICE have sharply increased. Also the number of those arrested and detained by ICE who have no criminal record is up more than 1,400% compared to a year ago, according to The Washington Post.
Increased funding for ICE and immigration enforcement is not the only part of the bill drawing scrutiny.
In May, nonpartisan budget scorekeepers said that the U.S. House of Representatives-passed version of the legislation would, if passed, cut household resources for the bottom 10% of Americans while delivering gains to the wealthiest in the form of tax breaks. Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress, called the House version of the legislation the "the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in a single law in U.S. history."
"If the Republican budget passes, a lot of Americans will indeed suffer. But so too will millions of noncitizens who came to the U.S. seeking better lives for themselves and their families," wrotePost columnist Philip Bump of the increase in funding for ICE.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular