NEW HAVEN, Conn. - For the first time, a federal court has lifted an FBI-imposed gag order on a National Security Letter.

A National Security Letter is an administrative subpoena usually requesting business records. Since the passage of the USA Patriot Act, tens of thousands have been issued to individuals and companies, and most come with a gag order forbidding disclosure of what records were sought, or that the letter was even received.

Dan Barrett, legal director of the ACLU of Connecticut, said the ruling by the district court was a long time coming.

"Those of us who cherish the First Amendment and open government are hoping that district judge's wise decision will be the last word on finally exposing this practice to the public," he said.

The letter was issued in 2004 to Nicholas Merrill, the former owner of an Internet service provider. He has been fighting it in court ever since.

Five years ago, Merrill won the right to disclose that he had received the letter, and last year he won the right to disclose which clients the FBI had targeted. According to Barrett, other information covered by the gag clearly isn't secret.

"Some of the stuff from the ruling appears to be information that's already been disseminated," he said, "and so it's, I think, alarming to those of us in Connecticut who are fans of civil liberties to find the government continues to fight this."

Merrill has been represented by law students and supervising attorneys from Yale Law School. Although the court has ordered the gag to be lifted, the FBI may still appeal that ruling.

The ruling is online at calyxinstitute.org.


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Some Indigenous groups in Michigan want to draw parallels to their own historic struggles and those of Palestinians in Gaza and they are doing it through powerful artwork depicting dance.

One elaborate drawing shows a Native American and Palestinian woman dancing together.

The nonprofit Citizen's Resistance at Fermi Two said the group advocates for environmental causes and safety for all people, including tribal nations.

Jesse Deer in Water, the group's community organizer, said it was important to stand up for what they believe and, in his words, to "stop all forms of oppression."

"And I can identify with it, because it's happened to my people," Deer in Water explained. "The stuff that's happening currently on the West Bank is like what happened to my people in Georgia. We had no rights, and they just came in and, like, the settlers did whatever they want."

He added the group is concerned taxpayer dollars are being used for causes contributing to the struggles of the people of Gaza and those who live around the Fermi Two nuclear plant. Legislation in Congress to send more money to Israel is expected to pass in the U.S. Senate today.

Members of True Earth, a sister organization to Citizen's Resistance at Fermi Two helped select the artwork for the solidarity campaign, including the group's social media person, Nora Berry and graphic designer Maro Beauchamps.

Beauchamps called the pictures "a perfect depiction of beauty while in struggle," and said it is important to understand how the art tells a larger story.

"Two women that are dancing together, seeing the mirror in each other of the struggle, of the shared experiences and the shared traumas," Beauchamps outlined. "We often don't even see the women that are so critical and crucial to movements of resistance."

Shunahsii Rose, also with True Earth, sees another link between the nuclear controversy and the Middle East conflict.

"Both of them are a misuse of our dollars, huge misuse of our dollars," Rose contended. "Taking the money of hard-earned people and pouring it in terrible directions that only bring harm."

A recent report details how great wealth that later made philanthropy possible around the country but most evidently in the District of Columbia, southern Maryland and northern Virginia -- commonly known as the DMV -- came at the expense of the social stability and economic success of Black residents.

Dwayne Proctor, board chair of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, said older foundations likely had the best opportunity to participate in practices that were unfair and unjust to people because of the times they were in, in the social context in which they began.

"I'm hopeful that many folks will look toward their local foundations and want to know more about how they began and if they've done harm and participated in the oppression of others, like it appears to have been the case in the DMV with the foundations that are studied," Proctor said.

Proctor stressed that if readers can connect the overlaps between the social determinants of health and the necessary healing of Black families today, real and transformative conversations about repair can begin.

Katherine Ponce, research manager for special projects for the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, said the report tried to model what the state of California has done for its reparations task force, outlining many categories of how Black people have faced disparities in the region and how that starts.

"We talked about anti-Black media and rhetoric, housing discrimination and segregation, unemployment and hidden opportunity, and then health care, both mental and physical. We have eight case studies of foundations in the region, how their money was createdm" Ponce explained.

Ponce added the report should leave people not just knowing that big systems of oppression impact and harm people of color, but should cause people to start taking measurable actions and fix the disparities and make ties from the eight stories to their reality.

A new report finds some Missouri laws and prospective laws are perceived as discriminatory regardless of their actual intent - and it outlines some big, negative economic implications for the state.

When events are scheduled in places with policies that are considered non-inclusive or discriminatory, that place is often assumed to support these initiatives.

Dr. M. Ray Perryman, founder and CEO of The Perryman Group, who conducted the independent analysis, said some potential visitors will choose to go elsewhere rather than support places they think are less open to diversity and equity. He said this avoidance risks millions for the Missouri economy.

"Travel and tourism losses in Missouri and Kansas could total hundreds of millions of dollars per year," he said, "with an associated loss in revenue to the states and local governments."

Measures now under consideration include Senate Bill 1314, which would limit state funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and SB 980, which would prohibit state agencies from doing business with companies unless they'd agree not to be part of economic boycotts. With these types of policies, the Perryman research says, the state would risk losing nearly $2.6 billion in annual income and almost 24,000 jobs by 2030.

Perryman also pointed out that controversial public policies are discouraging to skilled workers seeking long-term employment and young workers as they consider where to begin their careers. He said it also plays a role for organizations in Missouri that are concerned about retaining employees.

"At a time when the U.S. economy is facing major challenges and uncertainty, the competition for quality corporate locations and expansions, as well as skilled workers, is particularly intense," he said, "and anti-DEI measures can be particularly damaging for future prosperity."

The report warns of similar negative financial consequences for the state of Kansas.


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