2019-05-28: News Headlines

Nozomi Hayase (2019-05-28). We Must Defend Assange to Save Free Press from American Despotism. commondreams.org Through the silencing of Assange, the heart of democracy suffocates. (Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/assange_1.jpeg

Editor (2019-05-28). Free Assange and Manning! workers.org By releasing the information provided by whistleblower Chelsea Manning, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange exposed the war crimes of the imperialist U.S. government. The most dramatic exposé was a July 2007 video of U.S. helicopter pilots shooting at Iraqi civilians, including Iraqi journalists working for Reuters. Those of us who opposed . . . | Continue reading Free Assange and Manning! at Workers.org

Julia Conley, staff writer (2019-05-28). Upholding Indiana's Fetal Remains Law, Supreme Court Sends 'Direct Signal' That Roe May Be In Jeopardy. commondreams.org Pro-choice groups called a U.S. Supreme Court decision on a restrictive abortion law a "mixed ruling" on Tuesday—expressing relief that the court did not rule on whether women should be permitted abortion care in certain situations but decrying the ruling's overall message about women's right to choose abortion. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/5880678247_59510d0bff_o1_1_0.jpg

Staff (2019-05-28). Supreme Court Signals More Openness to State Abortion Rules. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court signaled Tuesday it is more open to state restrictions on abortion, upholding an Indiana law supported by abortion opponents that regulates the disposal of fetal remains. | At the same time, the justices declined to take on an issue closer to the core of abortion rights, rejecting the state's appeal of a lower court ruling that blocked a ban on abortion based on gender, race or disability. | Both provisions were contained in a law signed by Vice President Mike Pence in 2016 when he was Indiana's governor. | Related Articles: …

Tony Murphy (2019-05-28). Pack the court for NYC subway elevators, June 5! workers.org The fight for accessibility in New York's public transportation system is approaching a critical milestone on June 5. That's when New York State Supreme Court Judge Hagler will make a fateful decision on the lawsuit to mandate elevators in the subway. Christine Serdjenian-Yearwood addresses the courthouse rally before the hearing . . . | Continue reading Pack the court for NYC subway elevators, June 5! at Workers.org

Nozomi Hayase (2019-05-28). We Must Defend Assange to Save Democracy from American Despotism. counterpunch.org On Thursday, the Department of Justice made an unprecedented move to file 17 Espionage Act charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. This indictment was what Assange and his legal team have been warning about since 2010 and the risk of extradition was the sole reason why Assange sought and was granted political asylum by Ecuador More

Abolish the Military (2019-05-28). Learn Costs of War & Celebrate Peace Heroes Assange & Manning. indybay.org To counteract the jingoism of all capitalist media in this country in its promotion of the war machine which only exists to maximize the profits of the oil companies and the munitions makers, a few websites are in order to remind us all of the Costs of War and the Peace Heroes Assange & Manning currently jailed by the US war machine.

Amy Goodman (2019-05-28). Chomsky: Arrest of Assange is 'scandalous' and highlights shocking extraterritorial reach of US. nationofchange.org "Why is it acceptable for the United States to have the power to even begin to give even a proposal to extradite somebody whose crime is to expose to the public materials that people in power don't want them to see?"

Bill Blum (2019-05-28). Unequal Justice: Julian Assange is an Enemy in Trump's War on the First Amendment. progressive.org Unless and until Assange's prosecution is dismissed, no publication will be safe from the Administration's vengeance and overreach.

Glenn Greenwald (2019-05-28). The Indictment of Assange Is a Blueprint for Making Journalists Into Felons. commondreams.org Protesters demonstrate in support of Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange outside Southwark Crown Court where he was today sentenced on May 1, 2019 in London, England. Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange, 47, was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for breaching his bail conditions when he took refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sexual assault allegations, charges he denies. The UK will now decide whether to extradite him to US to face conspiracy charges after his whistle-blowing website Wikileaks published classified US documents. (Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images) | www.

BAACFJA (2019-05-28). Emergency Action- Protest Sweden's Attack on Julian Assange! indybay.org In front of: Swedish Consulate, 505 Sansome St., San Francisco, CA 94111…

Consortium News (2019-05-28). Public Opinion is Finally Turning in Assange's Favor. theantimedia.com Corporate media and some politicos who opposed Assange after the 2016 election have radically changed their tune, favorably influencing public opinion after the Espionage Act indictment of the WikiLeaks founder. (CN) — The indictment of Julian Assange under the Espionage Act has profoundly affected press coverage of the WikiLeaks founder, with much of the media turning suddenly and decisively …

Jonathan Cook (2019-05-28). Abuses show Assange Case was Never About Law. dissidentvoice.org It is astonishing how often one still hears well-informed, otherwise reasonable people say about Julian Assange: "But he ran away from Swedish rape charges by hiding in Ecuador's embassy in London." That short sentence includes at least three factual errors. In fact, to repeat it, as so many people do, you would need to have …

WSWS (2019-05-28). Australian government, Labor opposition silent on espionage charges against Assange. wsws.org Labor and the Coalition are signalling their support for the US-led persecution of Assange, for his exposure of war crimes and diplomatic conspiracies.

United Nations (2019-05-28). Eight years in, Syria still embroiled in conflict 'that no longer sparks outrage', Security Council hears. un.org After eight years of deadly air strikes and terrorist attacks that have left hundreds of thousands of Syrians dead and millions of others injured, United Nations Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Ursula Mueller asked the Security Council on Tuesday, the hard-hitting question: "Can't this Council take any concrete action when attacks on schools and hospitals have become a war tactic that no longer sparks outrage"?

United Nations (2019-05-28). Artificial intelligence summit focuses on fighting hunger, climate crisis and transition to 'smart sustainable cities'. un.org Artificial intelligence, or AI, is at the forefront of fighting hunger, mitigating the climate crisis and facilitating "the transition to smart sustainable cities", said the chief of the UN agency which specializes in information and communication technologies, Houlin Zhao, kicking off the third AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-05-28). 'Enormous Victory for Transgender Students' as SCOTUS Declines to Hear Challenge to Inclusive Bathroom Policy. commondreams.org LGBTQ individuals and rights groups celebrated Tuesday as the U.S. Supreme Court left in place a lower court ruling in favor of a Pennsylvania school district's policy to allow trans students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trans_students.png

RT (2019-05-28). It's not spying! MSNBC refuses to use the 'S' word amid FBI-Trump surveillance scandal (VIDEO). rt.com MSNBC analyst and ex-CIA chief John Brennan is furious that Donald Trump thinks that FBI surveillance targeting his inner circle constitutes "spying." Does Brennan know that MSNBC once accused him of "spying" on the Senate?

Michelle Renee Matisons (2019-05-28). Assange's Assault on Toxic Masculinist Militarism. counterpunch.org WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces U.S. extradition on computer hacking conspiracy and seventeen other Espionage Act charges, and no one knows what's next except a series of state maneuvers and mind-numbing debates that say more about U.S. anti- imperialism's stagnation than it does about him. A press freedom hero, a new technologies champion, a bizarre cult leader… you've heard it all. Across the political spectrum he's called a misogynist driven by toxic masculinity. In Donald Trump's Fortress America, Assange is the toxic one! The U.S. can't tolerate WikiLeaks' delivery of the documented cold hard truth:…

Consortiumnews (2019-05-27). Tide of Public Opinion is Turning in Assange's Favor. consortiumnews.com Corporate media & some politicos who opposed Assange after the 2016 election have radically changed their tune, favorably influencing public opinion after the Espionage Act indictment of the WikiLeak's founder, reports Joe Lauria. By Joe Lauria Special to Consortium News… Read more →

Joe Emersberger (2019-05-27). Guillaume Long on Ecuadorian President Moreno's betrayal of Assange and the Citizens Revolution. counterpunch.org Guillaume Long held many posts under the government of Rafael Correa (2007-2017). He was Ecuador's Minister of Foreign Affairs during Correa's last year in office. Months into the administration of Lenin Moreno, Long resigned as Ecuador's representative to the UN citing Moreno's sharp turn to the right. Counterpunch has addressed that right turn in many More

Elizabeth Keyes (2019-05-27). Demonstrating for Assange in NYC or Life on Pluto. counterpunch.org Thursday, mid-afternoon, April 11, 2019 I was sitting in a NYC Starbucks bent over my laptop getting ready to return home to grab some sleep to recover from a late-night work shift. I was delayed due to my processing the fresh horror of the brutish arrest and removal of Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian Embassy More

Democracy Now! (2019-05-27). Chomsky: Arrest of Assange Is "Scandalous" and Highlights Shocking Extraterritorial Reach of U.S. democracynow.org Attorneys for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange are vowing to fight his possible extradition to the United States following his arrest in London, when British police forcibly removed Assange from the Ecuadorean Embassy, where he had taken asylum for almost seven years. In April, Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman spoke to Noam Chomsky about Assange's arrest, WikiLeaks and American power.

Stephen Lendman (2019-05-27). US Policy Toward Iran Is All About Regime Change. globalresearch.ca There's no ambiguity about longstanding US policy toward the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. | Trump, Pompeo, Bolton, and their subordinates are more hostile toward the country than any of their predecessors. Their actions toward Iran speak for themselves. | They're …

CP Editor (2019-05-27). Pentagon Papers Whistleblower on Assange Indictment: "Freedom is at Stake" counterpunch.org

RT (2019-05-26). AG Barr to 'consult' with intelligence over 'Russiagate' declassifications which prompted MSM panic. rt.com US Attorney General William Barr is expected to seek advice from the intelligence community on how best to declassify data regarding what prompted the Russiagate probe — a prospect that has caused some panic among its proponents.

Staff (2019-05-25). As Trump Threatens Iran With War, Espionage Charges Against Assange Threaten Journalists. therealnews.com The Espionage Act removes the possibility of a public interest defense for Julian Assange, and sends a chilling message to journalists and whistleblowers…

RT (2019-05-25). What Assange Indictment Means for Press Freedom. dissidentvoice.org Since the DOJ has indicted WikiLeaks founder and journalist Julian Assange with 17 more charges under the Espionage Act, many activists are worried about what this means for press freedoms. Former Professor of Journalism at Woodbury University Lyle Slack join In Question to discuss what this means.

Consortiumnews (2019-05-25). Professional Assange Smearers Finally Realize His Fate Is Tied To Theirs. consortiumnews.com Rachel effing Maddow, the Queen Mother of all tinfoil pussyhat-wearing Russiagate insanity is suddenly supporting Julian Assange after his Espionage Act indictment, as Caitlin Johnstone explains. By Caitlin Johnstone CaitlinJohnstone.com Rachel Maddow has aired a segment condemning the new indictment against… Read more →

RT (2019-05-25). Bolton & Pompeo 'looking for fight' with Iran, Trump trapped in the middle — Ron Paul. rt.com "Warmongering" hawks on President Donald Trump's team are pushing him towards conflict with Iran as the situation in the region becomes more dangerous by the day, former congressman Ron Paul told RT.

Tom Coburg (2019-05-25). Julian Assange prosecution should be dropped, says specialist extradition lawyer. thecanary.co The latest indictment issued by the US against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange includes 17 new charges. But a lawyer specialising in extradition argues that UK authorities should reject the case against Assange. | Selective prosecution: | The 17 additional charges listed in the indictment relate to the Espionage Act. The Cana…

Democracy Now! (2019-05-24). Jeremy Scahill: New Indictment of Assange Is Part of a Broader War on Journalism & Whistleblowers. democracynow.org The Espionage Act charges filed against Julian Assange mark just the latest attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize journalism and whistleblowers. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning is back in jail for refusing to testify before a grand jury. Two weeks ago, drone whistleblower Daniel Hale was arrested in Tennessee. We air a new video by The Intercept titled "Why You Should Care About Trump's War on Whistleblowers," featuring Jeremy Scahill. We also speak to Scahill and Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg about how the corporate media has failed to stand up for Assange and others.

Democracy Now! (2019-05-24). Daniel Ellsberg: Espionage Charges Against Assange Are Most Significant Attack on Press in Decades. democracynow.org As the Justice Department charges WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act, we speak to Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. In 1971, he was charged with violating the Espionage Act for leaking a top-secret report on U.S. involvement in Vietnam to The New York Times and other publications. At the time, Ellsberg faced over 100 years in prison. He tells Democracy Now!, "There hasn't actually been such a significant attack on the freedom of the press … since my case in 1971."

Kevin Gosztola (2019-05-24). In Charging Assange With 17 Espionage Act Offenses, Prosecutors Claim Power To Decide Who Is And Is Not A Journalist. shadowproof.com To listen to the story, click the above player. In a superseding indictment, the Justice Department charged WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with 17 charges of violating the Espionage Act. The Justice Department has relied upon the Espionage Act to target whistleblowers for unauthorized disclosures of information. It has treated journalists…

Democracy Now! (2019-05-24). Exclusive: Julian Assange's Attorney Decries Espionage Charges as "Grave Threat to Press Freedom" democracynow.org In an unprecedented move, the Justice Department has indicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on 17 charges of violating the Espionage Act for his role in publishing U.S. classified military and diplomatic documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. The documents were leaked by U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning. The Espionage Act of 1917 has never been used to prosecute a journalist or media outlet. The new charges come just over a month after British police forcibly removed Assange from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he took asylum in 2012. Initially the Trump administration indic…

Staff (2019-05-24). Daniel Ellsberg on Julian Assange's Espionage Charges. therealnews.com The US Department of Justice issued an 18-count indictment against Julian Assange for violating the 1917 Espionage Act. We speak to Daniel Ellsberg about the dangerous implications this move has for journalism in the United States…

Akela Lacy (2019-05-24). Sanders, Warren, and Wyden Slam Assange Indictment, a Renegade Use of the Espionage Act to Criminalize Journalism. theintercept.com The Justice Department filed 17 charges against WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange on Thursday, deploying the controversial Espionage Act as a cudgel against First Amendment protections and press freedom. It's the first time the U.S. government has used the Espionage Act to prosecute a publisher, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. | Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, along with Sen. Ron Wyden, who all have been outspoken on civil liberties issues, slammed the indictment. | "Let me be clear: it is a disturbing attack on the First Amendment for the Trump adminis…

Democracy Now! (2019-05-24). Headlines for May 24, 2019. democracynow.org Julian Assange Indicted Under Espionage Act in "Terrifying Threat" to 1st Amendment, British Prime Minister Theresa May to Resign June 7, Trump Preparing to Circumvent Congress on Saudi, UAE Weapons Sales, Trump Grants Attorney General Sweeping Powers to Investigate Mueller Probe Origins, Trump Calls Nancy Pelosi "Crazy" After She Calls Out Trump's "Temper Tantrum", Doctored Video Showing "Drunk" Nancy Pelosi Retweeted by Trump Lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Trump Calls Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "Dumb as a Rock", Banker Accused of Bribing Paul Manafort to Win Trump Administration Post, Trump Pledges $16 Bill…

James Risen (2019-05-24). The Indictment of Julian Assange Under the Espionage Act Is a Threat to the Press and the American People. theintercept.com If the government gets to define journalism, what's to stop it from making similar rulings about any outlet whose coverage it doesn't like?

Consortiumnews (2019-05-24). Assange Indicted Under Espionage Act on 17 New Counts. consortiumnews.com WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was indicted on Thursday under the Espionage Act, the first time a journalist has been charged under the Act for possessing and disseminating classified information. By Joe Lauria Special to Consortium News A journalist was indicted… Read more →

Consortiumnews (2019-05-24). How Many Times Must Assange Be Proven Right? consortiumnews.com The espionage charges against Assange bear out what he's been saying and should open ears to what he's also said about the non-Russian source of the DNC emails, says Caitlin Johnstone. By Caitlin Johnstone CaitlinJohnstone.com And there it is…. Read more →

Lee Camp (2019-05-24). Lee Camp: 18 Ways Julian Assange Changed the World. mintpressnews.com Julian Assange is a dick. It's important you understand that. | Assange and WikiLeaks revealed the American military's war crimes, the American government's corruption and the American corporate media's pathetic servile flattery to the power elite. So, if you're a member of our ruling class, you would view those as textbook examples of dickery. | In a moment I'm going to list all the ways Julian Assange changed the world by being a dick. | In an evolved and fully realized society, the oligarchy would see Assange as a dangerous criminal (which they do), and the average working men and women would view him as justi…

Ben Norton (2019-05-24). Trump's charges against Assange are historic attack on press freedoms. Media and Obama helped set the stage. thegrayzone.com It is not just Trump, but the media, Obama, Bush, mainstream "human rights" organizations, Republicans and Democrats alike that put…

Special To The Black Star News (2019-05-24). Wikileaks Calls Trump Administration's Espionage Indictment On Julian Assange Unprecedented Attack On Free Press. blackstarnews.com Trump said "I love Wikileaks" but his administration has just indicted Julian Assange… | Today, the Trump administration launched an unprecedented attack on the global free press, unsealing 17 Espionage Act charges carrying 175 years in prison against WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. The charges relate to disclosures of war crimes and human rights abuses by the US government, including the groundbreaking Collateral murder video, Iraq War Logs, Afghan War Diaries, Cablegate, and the Guantanamo Bay Detainee Manuals, published in 2010 and 2011. | The US Department of Justice indictment states that "Assange, Man…

Consortiumnews (2019-05-24). Assange Espionage Act Indictment: Watch 31st Vigil. consortiumnews.com Watch the replay of a webcast discussion about Julian Assange's indictment under the Espionage Act and the grave implications for the future of American journalism. See John Kiriakou, Chris Hedges, Margaret Kimberely, Peter B. Collins, and George Samzuely with hosts… Read more →

Ann Garrison (2019-05-24). Muellergate: Who Cooked Up the "Russiagate" Conspiracy? blackstarnews.com We need a bipartisan Muellergate investigation to determine who cooked up the Russiagate conspiracy that has taken over US foreign policy and driven American political discourse from idiotic to imbecilic. However, in the schreechfest that our domestic politics has become, we're no more likely to get a bipartisan Muellergate investigation than we are to get bipartisan agreement on anything but war, austerity, and the "socialist" aspersions now hurled at Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Tulsi Gabbard, and Ilhan Omar. Following Trump's lead, Democrats have begun attacking their own left flank. | | I s…

Gary Leupp (2019-05-24). The Constitutional Crisis, Impeachment and Russophobia. dissidentvoice.org I think this is what you call a constitutional crisis. The president says the Mueller Report exonerates him of Russian collusion and obstruction of justice. Democrats in Congress insist it does show evidence for obstruction, that needs further investigation through hearings. Trump has ordered his officials, lawyers and aides to refuse to testify, citing executive …

Lucas Koerner (2019-05-24). NYT Parrots US Propaganda on Hezbollah in Venezuela. fair.org by Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz The New York Times ( 5/2/19) publishes sensational charges about an official enemy, based on documents only the Times has seen, vouched for by unnamed intelligence agents. What could go wrong? | Judith Miller and Michael Gordon published their now infamous New York Times article o…

Robert Mackey (2019-05-24). Charging Julian Assange With Espionage Could Make His Extradition to the U.S. Less Likely. theintercept.com British authorities will have to decide whether to send the WikiLeaks founder to stand trial in the United States for publishing true information.

Mohamed Elmaazi (2019-05-23). Former CIA director claims US is victim of '40 years of unprovoked aggression' by Iran. Twitter responds accordingly. thecanary.co The current US secretary of state — also an ex-director of the CIA — recently put out a statement regarding Iran. And it was so outrageous that the response on Twitter was overwhelming. | Mike Pompeo claimed — apparently without a hint of irony or shame — that the Iranian government had been engaged in "40 years of unprovoked aggression": | Going to the Hill shortly to have a serious discussion with lawmakers about 40 years of unprovoked aggression from the Iranian regime and to explain the…