2020-02-16: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-16). Queen Elizabeth won't get involved in Julian Assange case because it's a POLITICAL matter — Buckingham Palace. rt.com A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman has said the Queen will not intervene to release Julian Assange, vowing to remain "non-political." The statement seemingly confirms that Assange's detention is a political, not criminal, matter. | With WikiLeaks founder Assange holed up in HM Prison Belmarsh awaiting extradition to the US, activist Chris Lonsdale penned a

orion the elder (2020-02-16). Gracias Chelsea Manning & Julian Assange for Exposing Bush's War Crimes. indybay.org Fruitvale and MacArthur oakland 94602…

Manlio Dinucci (2020-02-16). Greece — The Clearance Sale of Greek Military Bases to the United States. globalresearch.ca On 5 October 2019, in Athens, Greek Minister for Defence Nikólaos Panayotópoulos, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed a "Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement". | The Greek Parliament ratified the Agreement, which grants the United States the use of …

The Canary (2020-02-15). Johnson under pressure from key allies over Huawei access to UK 5G network. thecanary.co Boris Johnson is coming under renewed pressure from key British allies over his controversial decision to give Chinese tech giant Huawei a role in building the UK's 5G network.A delegation of senior US officials — including Donald Trump's acting chief of staff — are set to fly to London to raise their concerns directly with the Prime Minister, according to the Daily Telegraph.Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that MPs on Australia's intelligence and security committee have pulled out of a visit to the UK next month following a diplomatic row with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.Mick Mulvaney,…

WSWS (2020-02-15). Alleged WikiLeaks whistleblower Joshua Schulte on trial in New York. wsws.org The court hearings, over the Vault 7 leaks exposing mass CIA spying and hacking operations, have been subjected to a near total media blackout.

teleSUR (2020-02-15). 'The West Is Winning' Pompeo Says at the Munich Conference. telesurenglish.net During the Munich Security Conference (MSC), the RELATED: | "The West is winning, we are collectively winning, we are doing it together," Pompeo said and added that th…

WSWS (2020-02-15). Trump administration's national counterintelligence strategy focuses on "hacktivists, leaktivists and public disclosure organizations" wsws.org A major assault on First Amendment rights of free speech and freedom of the press is being prepared.

teleSUR (2020-02-15). Canada: The Wetsuweten Keep Resisting Amid Police Violence. telesurenglish.net Canadian Police's snipers and armored vehicles entered the territory of the Wetsuweten to suppress their protests against the construction of a pipeline harmful to the environment. | RELATED: | The Indigenous authorities did not give their consent for a project that will have a significant impact on the environment and the way of life of their people. | Nevertheless, the Canadian Supreme Court decided that the TransCanada company pipeline must be bu…

Staff (2020-02-15). Big Money Will Dominate High Court Elections in 2020. truthout.org Ten years ago, Justice John Paul Stevens warned that the U.S. Supreme Court's

RT (2020-02-14). Barr assigns outside prosecutor to review Russiagate's Michael Flynn's case — report. rt.com General Michael Flynn seems to be getting a lifeline from the attorney general following his claim that prosecutors in the Mueller investigation "concocted the alleged false statements" he was accused of making. | Attorney General William Barr has assigned an outside prosecutor to examine the criminal case against US President Donald Trump's former national security advisor, according to a report from the New York Times. | St. Louis prosecutor Jeff Jenson is heading the team reexamining the Justice Department's case against Flynn. The second look at Flynn's case is part of a larger probe by Barr to go over pol…

Whitney Webb (2020-02-14). NYC Taxpayers Spending Millions on Cyber Center with Controversial Ties to Israeli Intelligence. mintpressnews.com New York City taxpayers are on the hook for a multi-million dollar cyber center in the heart of Manhattan with deep ties to Israel's high-tech intelligence apparatus.

Media Lens (2020-02-14). 'Burned at the Stake' — The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Demolishes the Fake Claims Targeting Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca On the face of it, the task seems almost hopeless. As Tolstoy wrote: | 'The power of the government is maintained by public opinion, and with this power the government, by means of its organs — its officials, law courts, schools, …

WSWS (2020-02-14). SEP builds support for Free Assange and Manning rallies in Australia. wsws.org Members and supporters of the SEP and its youth movement, the IYSSE, have been campaigning in working-class suburbs, at workplaces and university campuses.

Media Lens (2020-02-14). UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Demolishes Fake Claims Targeting Julian Assange. dissidentvoice.org On the face of it, the task seems almost hopeless. As Tolstoy wrote: 'The power of the government is maintained by public opinion, and with this power the government, by means of its organs — its officials, law courts, schools, churches, even the press — can always maintain the public opinion which they need.' (Leo …

Aaron Mate (2020-02-14). New Leaks Shatter OPCW's Attacks on Douma Whistleblowers. globalresearch.ca Facing accusations that it issued a doctored report alleging a chemical attack in Syria, the OPCW has released an inquiry attacking two whistleblowers as rogue actors. Leaked documents obtained by The Grayzone reveal serious distortions in the OPCW inquiry as …

Telesur (2020-02-14). US Rejects UN List of Firms with Ties to Israeli Settlements. globalresearch.ca United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday the U.S. government would not give any information for The list was released Wednesday by the United Nations' human rights …

Neema Singh Guliani (2020-02-12). Deadline Looming, Strongest Surveillance Reform Bill Yet Emerges. aclu.org Congress has just five weeks to decide the fate of key foreign | intelligence surveillance powers — forcing a showdown between surveillance | reformers and defenders. And now, a group of Republicans and Democrats have | unveiled the strongest comprehensive reform proposal that we have seen | yet. | The Safeguarding Americans' Private Records Act of 2020, introduced by a

Aaron Maté (2020-02-11). Exclusive: New leaks shatter OPCW's attacks on Douma whistleblowers. thegrayzone.com Facing accusations that it issued a doctored report alleging a chemical attack in Syria, the OPCW has released an inquiry…

Alexander Rubinstein (2020-02-08). Media darling Pete Buttigieg was in unit that worked with the CIA in Afghanistan. thegrayzone.com While Buttigieg's campaign denies allegations he was a CIA asset, military records reveal Mayor Pete was in a unit that…

Ashley Gorski (2020-02-05). The Government is Using its Foreign Intelligence Spying Powers for Routine Domestic Investigations. aclu.org More than forty years ago, Congress | gave the executive branch a set of exceptional surveillance powers to pursue | foreign spies on U.S. soil. Now, the government is increasingly relying on those | powers to advance ordinary domestic criminal investigations. | In United States v. | Osseily, a fraud prosecution in California, the government appears to have used | this surveillance — which is conducted under the Foreign Intelligence | Surveillance Act (FISA) — to a longtime perm…

CounterSpin (2020-01-17). Chip Gibbons on FBI vs. 1st Amendment. fair.org Media…