(2019-12-19). US Hardliners Want Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning Crucified. globalresearch.ca Mass incarceration in the US is a national disgrace, a crime against humanity, including countless numbers of political prisoners — pesecuted behind bars for their beliefs and activism, for resisting the dirty system, judged guilty by accusation. | Julian Assange and …
(2019-12-19). Julian Assange lawyers will challenge the 'political' framing of charges against him. thecanary.co WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's legal team will argue he should not be extradited to the US because his alleged offences are being framed as "political" in nature, a court heard. | His lawyers believe that a 2007 extradition treaty agreed between the UK and US offers the 48-year-old protection. | Assange appeared via video-link at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 19 November for a case management hearing to set the timetable leading up to a full extradition hearing in February. | He's being…
(2019-12-19). Growing demands for Australian government to intervene in defence of Assange. wsws.org Labor and the Coalition have not responded to calls that they defend Assange, in keeping with their nine-year involvement in his persecution.
(2019-12-19). Queen's Speech unveils Boris Johnson's hardline plans to curtail Britain's democracy. thecanary.co Boris Johnson has unveiled a Queen's Speech with measures to toughen up criminal justice, limit parliamentary democracy and potentially weaken the scrutiny of government. | The government will look at whether the Official Secrets Act needs overhauling, which determines what protections and punishments whistleblowers are given. Whistleblowers are a critical check on power. It will also consider whether there is a case for updating the treason laws. | Work will be taken forward to repeal the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act — a move which would enable the prime minister to call an election without the consent of pa…
(2019-12-19). Court finds Catalan president guilty of disobedience. yenisafak.com The Catalan president was found guilty of disobedience on Thursday by the Catalan High Court and disqualified from holding public office for a year and a half. Quim Torra will not be ejected from office immediately, as the separatist leader of the northeastern region of Spain can still appeal to the Spanish Supreme Court. The ruling does however stop him from running for office again in the case of fresh regional elections.He was found guilty of disobedience for his refusal to take down yellow ribbons and unofficial Catalan flags from public buildings in the run-up to Catalan elections in March 2019. The ribbons…
(2019-12-19). FBI Surveillance of Trump Aide Reflects Flaws in Secretive FISA System That Mostly Targets Muslims. democracynow.org 
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said Wednesday the FBI should have considered halting its surveillance of Trump's campaign aide Carter Page months before it did, after it was revealed that accusations against him may not be credible. Horowitz made the comments while testifying to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, saying the FBI used false information to obtain approval to wiretap Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and raising wider concerns about the agency's use of surveillance. He testified a day after the highly secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Co…
(2019-12-19). FSB shooting: Man opens fire near HQ of Russian intelligence in central Moscow, one FSB staff killed. rt.com 
Gunfire has broken out near central Moscow's Lubyanka Square in the immediate vicinity of the Federal Security Service building. The authorities said the gunman was neutralized and two FSB officers seriously injured. | The shooting occurred around 6pm local time right at the heart of Russia's capital on a street leading to the square and the iconic FSB building and some 10 minutes on foot from the Kremlin. | | Gunfire can be heard in several videos from the scene circulating on social media. The footage also shows multiple law enforcement officers in full gear and ambulances. | –í–∏&n…
(2019-12-19). 10 LGBTQ Moments that Defined 2019. aclu.org 
1. Aimee Stephens goes to the Supreme Court: | In October, the Supreme Court heard its first trans civil rights case ever. The case was brought by our client Aimee Stephens, who was fired from her job at a funeral home solely for being transgender. That's sex discrimination and it violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. , | We have yet to see whether the Supreme Court will uphold the civil rights of trans people. But no matter what, history has already been made. , | "I'll never forget the feeling of coming out of the Supreme Court and seeing a crowd of trans people and allies chanting to…
(2019-12-19). On the picket line. workers.org 
New Illinois labor law seeks to counter Janus decision The Dec. 2 Labor Tribune reported that a bill to uphold rights of public sector unions, which are threatened by the Supreme Court's 2018 Janus decision, was passed by the Illinois Legislature on Nov. 13. Ill. Gov. Pritzker promises to sign . . . | Continue reading On the picket line at Workers.org
(2019-12-18). Whistleblower Chelsea Manning Spends Her Birthday Imprisoned. mintpressnews.com Military whistleblower Chelsea Manning spent her 32nd birthday behind bars yesterday for continuing to refuse to testify against Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange. She has been in prison since May after a U.S. District Judge ordered her incarceration for not recognizing the legitimacy of the grand jury. She tweeted that she was grateful for t…
(2019-12-18). Misery for Venezuelans continues ahead of 2020 elections: UN rights chief Bachelet. news.un.org Demonstrations in Venezuela must be allowed to take place ahead of elections in 2020, the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday, citing continued reports of harassment, threats, and detention by intelligence services and security forces.
(2019-12-18). Trump COULD pardon him now: Manafort mortgage fraud case tossed by New York judge over double jeopardy. rt.com 
A New York state mortgage fraud case against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort — already serving seven-and-a-half years on federal charges of fraud and undisclosed lobbying — has been thrown out under double jeopardy. | The 16-count indictment was tossed because the overlap with the federal case against Manafort "is extensive — if not total," lawyer Todd Blanche wrote in his motion to have the case thrown out. State Supreme Court Judge Maxwell Wiley agreed on Wednesday after a hearing that lasted just a few minutes, noting that New York law prohibits prosecuting an individual multipl…
(2019-12-18). Impeachment Day? House Votes on Charging Trump with Abuse of Power & Obstruction of Justice. democracynow.org 
As thousands of protesters rally to impeach President Trump in cities across the country ahead of a vote today on impeachment by the full Democrat-controlled House, we hold a roundtable discussion with Rep. Al Green of Texas, who became the first member of Congress to call for impeachment from the floor of the House of Representatives in 2017; Dahlia Lithwick, senior legal correspondent and Supreme Court reporter for Slate, host of the "Amicus" podcast; and Mark Green, co-author of "Fake President: Decoding Trump's Gaslighting, Corruption, and General Bullsh*t."
(2019-12-18). Headlines for December 18, 2019. democracynow.org House to Hold Historic Impeachment Vote Today, Top U.S. Diplomat to Ukraine William Taylor to Step Down, Rick Gates Sentenced to 45 Days in Jail and $20,000 Fine, FISA Court Orders FBI to Change National Security Wiretaps After DOJ Report, Democratic Primary Debate to Go Forward After Labor Dispute Resolved, Senate Approves One of the Most Expensive Military Spending Bills in U.S. History, Trump Meets with Outgoing Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, Indian Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Controversial Citizenship Law, Strikes Continue Nationwide in France over Pension Overhaul, Bolivia's Evo Morales Names Two…
(2019-12-18). India's highest court greenlights repression of protests against discriminatory citizenship law. wsws.org India's Supreme Court has refused to order a probe into brutal police assaults on students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
(2019-12-18). Snowden has to hand book profits over to US govt, judge rules. rt.com 
Whatever profits Edward Snowden's book "Permanent Record" has earned since its September release will need to be handed over to the US government, thanks to a new ruling from a federal judge. | Profits from Edward Snowden's memoir, 'Permanent Record,' must be handed over to the US government, a federal judge has ruled, all because the whistleblower didn't let intelligence agencies vet the work before its publication. | Judge Liam O'Grady ruled in federal court in Virginia this week that because Snowden did not first submit his book to the NSA or CIA for approval — something government employees with high…
(2019-12-17). Federal surveillance judge orders FBI to answer for 'misleading' courts & omitting key evidence in effort to spy on Trump campaign. rt.com 
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has issued a rare and scathing rebuke to the FBI, accusing the bureau of manipulating the court with lies and omissions in its quest to surveil a member of the 2016 Trump campaign. | The searing four-page order, authored by presiding FISA Judge Rosemary Collyer and released on Tuesday, castigates the FBI for providing "false information" — also known as 'lying' — to the Department of Justice's National Security Division (NSD) and withholding important evidence in requesting surveillance authorities over Trump campaign aide Carter Page. | When FBI personnel…
(2019-12-17). Mormon Church hiding $100bn from the IRS as contingency plan for End of Days, whistleblower claims. rt.com 
The Mormon Church has $100 billion socked away in a secret cash stash for the Second Coming, its former money manager has told the IRS. He claims that the massive nest-egg, unknown even to rank-and-file Mormons, is illegal. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), as it is officially called, is sitting on an eye-popping sum of money that was donated with the expectation it would be used for charitable works, David Nielsen claimed in a whistleblower complaint to the Internal Revenue Service last month. The 41-year-old is the former senior portfolio manager of the Church's investment firm, Ensign…
(2019-12-15). US Threatens To Attack Iran Over Rockets Fired In Iraq & Assange Blocked From Seeing Key Evidence. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/14/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
(2019-12-12). Latin America says 'No to neoliberalism': Ecuador's ex-foreign minister talks uprisings and Assange. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone premieres its new show Red Lines with Anya Parampil with an interview with the former foreign minister of…
(2019-12-11). The Washington Post's 'Afghanistan Papers' Examines the Root Failures of the Longest Armed Conflict in US History. therealnews.com 
Reporting from the Washington Post confirms what many have known for years: Much of what top officials told the public about the United States' 18-year war in Afghanistan was false, wildly exaggerated to portray success, and concealed a very different reality than what Afghan civilians and U.S. troops experienced on the ground. | The multi-part report is titled "The Afghanistan Papers," and was written by Craig Whitlock. Released Monday, it is based on 2,000 unpublished pages of notes from interviews conducted by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which was tasked…
(2019-12-07). US Claims "Fresh Intelligence" Of Iran Attacks Yet Provides Zero Evidence — MSM Blindly Regurgitates. thelastamericanvagabond.com Here we go again with "fresh intelligence" to justify the continued sanctions and destabilization of Iran. It's a plan that has been well documented even by their own writings (See Which Path to Persia? — 2009). Of course, complicating U.S. foreign policy is the involvement of Israel. The Last American Vagabond covers the latest political posturing, distortion, and general …
(2019-12-05). CNN Says US Has "Fresh Intelligence" Of Iran Prepping Attack But Can't Show It & More NYT Propaganda. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/4/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
(2019-12-04). TIAR Countries Blacklist Top Venezuelan Officials as US Slaps New Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Venezuela of "hijacking" mass anti-neoliberal protests in "our own backyard."
(2019-12-03). Pompeo Says US Will "Help Prevent" Protests For "Legitimate" Governments & US Bombs Afghan Family. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/2/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
(2019-12-02). Civil Rights Are on the Chopping Block in New Supreme Court Term. zcomm.org Hello, A very small proportion of ZNet content is available only to Sustainers. You can become a sustainer for a small repeating donation – monthly or yearly via the links for Sustaining, or Donating, available on the top page of ZNet.
(2019-11-16). Weekend Read: The importance of documenting racism in the White House. splcenter.org Earlier this week, the SPLC's Intelligence Project released the first two installments of an explosive four-part series examining more than 900 leaked emails between White House senior adviser Stephen Miller and an editor at the Breitbart News Network, a far-right website that its co-founder once dubbed the "platform for the alt-right."
(2019-10-24). Julian Assange's Extradition Case is a Show Trial. zcomm.org Interview on the lack of mainstream media coverage of Julian's persecution, his health and conditions in Belmarsh prison, CIA spying on Julian Assange and more…