2019-09-30: News Headlines

Jimmysllama (2019-09-30). How the Trump Admin Used a Secret Livestream to Spy on Julian Assange. mintpressnews.com Working directly with Ecuador's corrupt government, the U.S. government abandoned all sense of legality and moral decency by spying on Assange twenty-four hours a day via an illegal livestream surveillance operation set up by a private security firm and approved by Ecuador's president.

Norman Solomon (2019-09-30). MoveOn's Phony New Campaign for 'Protecting Whistleblowers'. commondreams.org Former military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning speaks to the press ahead of a Grand Jury appearance in Alexandria, Virginia on May 16, 2019. (Photo: Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/chelsea_manning.jpg

Norman Solomon (2019-09-30). MoveOn's Phony New Campaign for 'Protecting Whistleblowers'. indybay.org Only some get the nod…

Photos and Text (2019-09-30). SF Action To Free Julian Assange And Chelsea Manning. indybay.org Persecuted Whistleblowers Need Support…

WSWS (2019-09-30). Protesters speak out in defence of Julian Assange. wsws.org Protesters outside Belmarsh Prison in London on Saturday spoke in support of jailed WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange.

WSWS (2019-09-30). London: Hundreds rally for Assange outside Belmarsh Prison. wsws.org SEP National Secretary Chris Marsden emphasised that Assange's persecution was a product of the drive to war and dictatorial rule by the US, British and world imperialism.

WSWS (2019-09-30). Democrats praise CIA whistleblower on Ukraine, persecute Manning, Assange and Snowden. wsws.org While the Democrats declare that "Congress must do all it can to protect… all whistleblowers," they support exile and prison for the men and women who have exposed the crimes of US imperialism.

Staff (2019-09-30). Snowden Reveals How He Secretly Exposed NSA Criminal Wrongdoing. truthout.org | | Edward Snowden talks about his decision to leak documents to journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras rather than WikiLeaks, and the issues with the U.S. government's response to whistleblower disclosures. His recently published memoir, Permanent Record, tells the story of his decision to expose the system of mass surveillance. "I think it's so obvious that no harm to national security has resulted from this process of disclosure. And yet, the same criticisms, the same allegations are made to me…

Staff (2019-09-30). Private Contractors Play Key Role in US Intelligence's Creeping Authoritarianism. truthout.org | | As a whistleblower complaint against President Trump rocks Washington, Democrats begin an impeachment inquiry and Trump threatens "big consequences" for the person who came forward, we continue our conversation with one of the world's most famous whistleblowers: Edward Snowden, now in exile in Russia. Six years ago, he shocked the world when he leaked a trove of secret documents about how the United States had built a massive surveillance apparatus to collect phone calls, text messages…

Kurt Nimmo (2019-09-30). The Relationship between the CIA and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). globalresearch.ca Early last year, the Swiss Propaganda Research center (SPR) published information cementing into place something many of us already know—the "mainstream" corporate media is controlled by the Council on Foreign Relations. | "It is no secret that over the last 4 …

teleSUR (2019-09-30). Colombia Fires Intelligence Chief After UNGA Fake Photo Row. telesurenglish.net The Colombian government dismissed the head of Intelligence and Counterintelligence General Oswaldo Peña Bermeo after President Ivan Duque presented fake photos as "conclusive proof" of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's support of so-called terrorist groups. | RELATED: | President Maduro to Colombia: Take Responsibility for False Dossier | The…

teleSUR (2019-09-30). President Maduro to Colombia: Take Responsibility for False Dossier. telesurenglish.net President Nicolas Maduro on Monday urged the Colombian government of President Iván Duque to assume responsibility of the "false positives" presented at the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations. | RELATED: | Colombian Intelligence Chief Dismissed After President Duque Uses Fake Venezuela Photo in UNGA | "Documents have reached us to alert us that the U.S. government has given the order to mount a false positive at the U.N. to begin an esc…

Staff (2019-09-30). Whistleblower Edward Snowden on Trump, Obama & How He Ended Up in Russia to Avoid U.S. Extradition. democracynow.org We conclude our interview with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who has just published his memoir titled "Permanent Record." In 2013, after quitting his job at the NSA, Snowden attempted to fly from Hong Kong to Latin America in order to avoid being extradited to the United States. But the U.S. revoked his passport when he stopped through Russia, effectively stranding him there. Snowden has lived as an exile in Moscow ever since. He tells us his story.

Staff (2019-09-30). Snowden Reveals How He Secretly Exposed NSA Criminal Wrongdoing Without Getting Arrested. democracynow.org Edward Snowden talks about his decision to leak documents to journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras rather than WikiLeaks, and the issues with the U.S. government's response to whistleblower disclosures. His recently published memoir, "Permanent Record," tells the story of his decision to expose the system of mass surveillance. "I think it's so obvious that no harm to national security has resulted from this process of disclosure. And yet, the same criticisms, the same allegations are made to me as have been every other whistleblower," Snowden says. "What we need to understand here is not my model of publi…

Staff (2019-09-30). Edward Snowden: Private Contractors Play Key Role in U.S. Intelligence's "Creeping Authoritarianism" democracynow.org As a whistleblower complaint against President Trump rocks Washington, Democrats begin an impeachment inquiry and Trump threatens "big consequences" for the person who came forward, we continue our conversation with one of the world's most famous whistleblowers: Edward Snowden, now in exile in Russia. Six years ago, he shocked the world when he leaked a trove of secret documents about how the United States had built a massive surveillance apparatus to collect every single phone call, text message and email, and pry into the private lives of every person on Earth. He has just published a memoir titled "Permanent R…

Staff (2019-09-30). Headlines for September 30, 2019. democracynow.org Facing Threats from Trump, Anonymous Whistleblower to Testify on Capitol Hill, Trump Warns Impeachment Could Lead to Civil War, Calls Critics "Savages", Pompeo Subpoenaed over Ukraine; Trump Envoy for Ukraine Resigns, More Than 2 Million Take Part in Global Climate Strike, Nearly 70 Arrested at New Hampshire Coal Plant Protest, Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration Effort to Indefinitely Detain Migrant Children, Low Turnout Reported on Election Day in Afghanistan, Egyptian Dissident Alaa Abd El-Fattah Arrested Amid Growing Crackdown, Houthis Claim to Have Killed 500 Saudi Soldiers in August Attack, El País: S…

Shawgi Tell (2019-09-30). Florida: Terminate Public Funds for Charter Schools. dissidentvoice.org Nearly 10 county school boards in Florida recently took collective action to pursue a case against privately-operated-owned charter schools in the Florida Supreme Court. These public school systems that serve tens of thousands of students oppose the dreaded HB 7069 legislation, which the neoliberal governor of Florida, Rick Scott, signed into law in 2017. The …

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-09-30). Whistleblower's Lawyers Say Trump Has Endangered Their Client as President Publicly Threatens 'Big Consequences'. commondreams.org "Threats against a whistleblower are not only illegal, but also indicative of a cover-up." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/donald_trump_0.png

Democracy Now! (2019-09-30). Edward Snowden Condemns Trump's Mistreatment of Whistleblower Who Exposed Ukraine Scandal. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-09-30_at_2.51.54_pm.png

RT (2019-09-29). 'I deserve to meet my accuser!' Trump wants both Ukrainegate 'whistleblower' and his SOURCE to face him. rt.com US President Donald Trump has demanded to meet with the whistleblower who accused him of pressuring Kiev for political gain, as well as with the actual alleged source that passed the information presented in the Ukraine complaint. | With the Ukrainegate scandal gathering pace, Trump has launched another scathing attack at one of its main peddlers, House Intel Committee chair Adam Schiff, saying that he wants to see the Democratic senator tried for treason for his parody interpretation of Trump's call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. | Like every American, I deserve to meet my accuser, especially wh…

Tom Coburg (2019-09-29). Julian Assange's lawyers were placed under surveillance. But that's not the whole story. thecanary.co A private security company organised 24/7 surveillance of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during his stay at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. This included confidential meetings between Assange and members of his legal team. The surveillance was provided directly to the CIA. These revelations could possibly jeopardise the viability of the US extradition case. | But within this story there lies another that raises serious ques…

Gary Leupp (2019-09-29). Mike Pompeo on the U.S. Victory in Afghanistan. dissidentvoice.org The U.S. appears about to announce a peace agreement with the Taliban trading the withdrawal of U.S. forces for a Taliban commitment to exclude al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups from the country. (Presumably the Taliban themselves will be removed from the State Department's terror list.) It has been under discussion for at least several years, …

teleSUR (2019-09-29). Palestinian Tortured by Israel's Shin Bet in Critical Condition. telesurenglish.net 44-year-old Palestinian Samir Arbeed was admitted to a hospital in Jerusalem after been interrogated and tortured by Israel's Shin Bet – domestic intelligence service – who is accusing him to be the mastermind behind an alleged attack in an illegal West Bank settlement. | RELATED: | Dozens of Palestinians Forcibly Disappeared in Saudi Arabia: NGO Warns | "He was in good health before he was arrested. My husband was not suffering from any illness, and his health has deterior…

WSWS (2019-09-28). Spanish security firm spied on Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy for US intelligence. wsws.org A defense and security firm based in Spain that was hired to protect the Ecuadorian embassy in London provided secret audio and video recordings of Julian Assange to US intelligence.

Patrick Anderson (2019-09-27). Edward Snowden's Julian Assange is an Unfamiliar Julian Assange. mintpressnews.com NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks' former editor Julian Assange have a complicated relationship. On the one hand, they share important similarities: both are perceived as dangerous enemies by the United States government, and both have been documentary subjects of filmmaker Laura Poitras. On the other hand, they clearly disagree when it comes to the means of achieving government transparency and accountability. After all, if Snowden had agreed with Assange a…

Caitlin Johnstone (2019-09-27). MSM Defends CIA's "Whistleblower" After Ignoring Actual Whistleblowers. theantimedia.com The word "whistleblower" has been trending in news headlines lately, but not for the reasons that any sane person might hope for.

Binoy Kampmark (2019-09-27). Railroaded by the Judges: Boris Johnson fails in the UK Supreme Court. dissidentvoice.org It delighted Labour supporters and party apparatchiks who had been falling over each other in murderous ceremony at the party conference in Brighton: Prime Minister Boris Johnson would come to the unwitting rescue with his own version of a grand cock-up. This involved a now defeated attempt to circumvent parliamentary scrutiny and interference ahead of …

Murderville, GA (2019-09-27). Georgia Supreme Court: "Let Justice Be Done" for Devonia Inman. theintercept.com Subscribe to the Murderville podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Radio Public, iHeart Radio, and other platforms. | In an extraordinary rulin…

Staff (2019-09-27). James Risen: Whistleblower Complaint Shows "Trump Is a Habitual Criminal" Abusing His Office. democracynow.org Democrats are ramping up efforts to impeach President Trump for pressing the president of Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Nearly 90% of House Democrats now support impeachment. On Thursday, a declassified version of a complaint by an anonymous whistleblower was released, detailing his concerns about Trump's July phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky. In the complaint, the unnamed whistleblower — who has been identified as a CIA official — accused the president of "using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 202…

Staff (2019-09-27). Headlines for September 27, 2019. democracynow.org Whistleblower Warned White House Tried to "Lock Down" Ukraine Call Details, Acting DNI Maguire Says Whistleblower "Acted in Good Faith", Trump Suggests Whistleblower Should Get Death Sentence for Treason, Global Youth-Led Strikes Demand Action on Climate Crisis, Study Finds Climate Crisis May Threaten 60% of World's Wheat Crop by 2100, States Challenge Trump's Rollback of Endangered Species Act, Senate Advances Confirmation of Ex-Monsanto Executive to Lead Wildlife Agency, EPA Chief Blames California's Homeless Population for Poor Water Quality, Protesters Defy Security Crackdown in Egypt, Demanding Ouster of Pre…

James Risen (2019-09-26). Donald Trump's Call With Ukrainian Leader, One Day After Robert Mueller's Congressional Testimony, Shows the President Is a Brazen Criminal. theintercept.com Trump has been acting like a bank robber who beat one rap because of a technicality, and so decides to rob every bank in sight.

Mehdi Hasan (2019-09-26). Democrats, Please Don't Mess This Up. Impeach Trump for All His Crimes, Not Just for Ukraine. theintercept.com Impeaching Trump only for Ukraine would give him a clean bill of health on everything else, like his obstruction of the Mueller investigation.

RT (2019-09-26). Schiff's 're-telling' of Trump phone call with Ukraine head gets mocked as 'unhinged Orange-Man-Bad fan fiction'. rt.com With impeachment efforts against President Donald Trump resting on the content of a single phone call, who could blame Congressman Adam Schiff for embellishing the truth a little, all to sell his "Orange Man Bad" narrative. | Though Trump released a transcript of the call in question on Wednesday, the Democrat-controlled House Intelligence Committee pressed ahead with questioning Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire on Thursday, about his handling of the whistleblower complaint that first thrus…

RT (2019-09-26). House Intelligence Committee releases whistleblower report on Trump-Zelensky call. rt.com The whistleblower complaint that led to the impeachment inquiry against US President Donald Trump has been released. In it, the leaker admits he did not actually hear the phone call at the center of the scandal. | Released by the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday, the complaint details the circumstances surrounding Trump's July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Democrats argue that Trump attempted to pressure Zelensky into reopening a corruption inve…

ACLU (2019-09-26). Kentucky's Abortion Law Forces Me to Humiliate My Patients. aclu.org H.B. 2 is cruel, offensive, and the Supreme Court should strike it down. | I'm a doctor at the only abortion clinic in Kentucky. Providing safe, compassionate medical care has been my life's calling, and my patients' well-being is always my first priority. But Kentucky politicians — determined as usual to interfere with access to reproductive healthcare — are trying to force me to harm and humili…

Staff (2019-09-26). Permanent Record: Why NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Risked His Life to Expose Surveillance State. democracynow.org Six years ago, Edward Snowden leaked a trove of secret documents about how the United States had built a massive surveillance apparatus to spy on Americans and people across the globe. Snowden was then charged in the U.S. for violating the Espionage Act and other laws. As he attempted to flee to Latin America, Snowden became stranded in Russia after the U.S. revoked his passport. He has lived in Moscow ever since. Snowden just published his memoir, "Permanent Record," in which he writes about what led him to risk his life to expose the U.S. government's system of mass surveillance. From Moscow, he speaks to Democ…

Staff (2019-09-26). Edward Snowden Condemns Trump's Mistreatment of Whistleblower Who Exposed Ukraine Scandal. democracynow.org Responding to news of a whistleblower's complaint at the center of an impeachment inquiry filed against President Trump this week, famed whistleblower Edward Snowden speaks about his own decision to leak classified documents in 2013. The House Intelligence Committee has released the declassified whistleblower complaint, which details a July phone call between President Trump and the Ukrainian president. The White House is trying "to make the conversation not about the allegations," Snowden told Democracy Now! "They want to talk about the whistleblower rather than the government's own wrongdoing."

Staff (2019-09-26). "Financial Censorship Is Still Censorship": Edward Snowden Slams Justice Dept. Lawsuit Against Him. democracynow.org As a whistleblower complaint filed against President Trump rocks Washington and threatens Trump's presidency, one of the world's most famous whistleblowers, Edward Snowden, joins us from Moscow, Russia. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Snowden alleging that his newly released memoir, "Permanent Record," violates the nondisclosure agreements he signed with the federal government when he was a National Security Agency employee. The Justice Department also argued that they are entitled to all of Snowden's book profits. Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman and Juan González speak with Sno…

Finian Cunningham (2019-09-25). They're Murdering My Son: Father of Julian Assange Tells of Pain and Anguish. mintpressnews.com John Shipton, the father of imprisoned whistleblower Julian Assange, says that if his son is extradited to the US, "They will murder Julian one way or the other."

Staff (2019-09-25). Billy Bragg: What the U.K. Supreme Court's Historic Ruling Against Boris Johnson Means for Brexit. democracynow.org The U.K. Parliament has reconvened after the country's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had unlawfully suspended Parliament in order to push through Brexit with or without a deal. Johnson made the unprecedented move late last month, asking the queen to prorogue Parliament in order to limit debate on leaving the European Union, which the U.K. is scheduled to do by October 31. Calls for Johnson's resignation are mounting since the news broke, with opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn calling for a general election and demanding Johnson apologize to the queen and to the country. For mo…

Staff (2019-09-25). "We've Reached Critical Mass": Rep. Al Green on Pelosi Vow to Impeach Trump for "Dastardly Deeds" democracynow.org Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has launched a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump following allegations from an intelligence community whistleblower that Trump sought help from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a July 25 phone call to investigate Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden and his son Hunter. On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Senate unanimously passed a nonbinding resolution calling for the Trump administration to release the whistleblower complaint to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. We get response and look at next steps with Congressmember Al Gree…

Staff (2019-09-24). Headlines for September 24, 2019. democracynow.org Greta Thunberg and Youth Activists Take On World Leaders at U.N. Climate Action Summit, Trump Admin Tells U.N. to Drop Term "Reproductive Health and Rights", Trump Ordered Hold on Ukrainian Aid Before Call with President Zelensky About Bidens, U.K. Supreme Court: Boris Johnson's Suspension of Parliament Is Unlawful, U.K., France & Germany Say Iran Responsible for Saudi Oil Attacks as Trump Addresses UNGA, Afghanistan: At Least 40 Civilians Killed by U.S.-Afghan Attack, Haiti: Senator Shoots AP Photographer in Face During Anti-Gov't Protests, Video of Blindfolded Prisoners in Xinjiang Adds to Fears of Mass Human R…

ACLU (2019-09-20). The Supreme Court Considers Mandatory Government Funding of Religious Education. aclu.org A case out of Montana could result in the church-state separation being stripped to the bone. | In Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, the Supreme Court will address a question that would have been unthinkable to ask even until quite recently: Can a state be forced to underwrite religious education with taxpayer dollars? Although the court has previously allowed the government to adopt school-voucher programs that provide indirect government aid to religious schools, it has never suggested that the U.S. Cons…

Brett Barrouquere (2019-09-04). Rift Exposed: A Desertion Robbed League of the South of Its Longtime Headquarters and Hints that a Member Chose His Real Estate Holdings over Southern Culture. splcenter.org League of the South (LOS), a neo-Confederate organization that advocates for Southern secession, has been roiled by a key defection that resulted in the group losing its headquarters in Wetumpka, Alabama, about 20 miles north of Montgomery.

Ricardo Vaz (2019-08-14). Venezuela's Maduro Reshuffles Cabinet as Supreme Court Strips Three Opposition Lawmakers of Immunity. venezuelanalysis.com The National Constituent Assembly will also evaluate bringing forward legislative elections.