2020-03-15: News Headlines

RT (2020-03-15). Trump 'strongly considering' Michael Flynn pardon, points at FBI 'conveniently losing' his records. rt.com President Donald Trump said on Twitter that he is "strongly considering" pardoning former adviser Michael Flynn after the FBI and Justice Department "destroyed" his life, seemingly confirming the long-standing rumors. | The Mueller investigation may be in the past for many, but Trump put the two-plus year probe back into the spotlight on Sunday by directly answering reports he would pardon Flynn, one of a handful of advisers to face criminal charges from Robert Mueller. | After saying the FBI and Justice Department were "destroying" the lives of Flynn and his "wonderful" family, the president claimed the depar…

RT (2020-03-13). Chelsea Manning showed 'moral strength' by choosing imprisonment over collaboration with US govt — Snowden. rt.com Chelsea Manning's decision to sit in jail rather than cooperate with the US government's prosecution of WikiLeaks is a testament to her character and unwavering principles, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has said. | Commenting on Manning's newly-won freedom, Snowden noted that the former Army analyst-turned-whistleblower had been "cast into a dungeon" by the United States for refusing to work with the government to criminalize the publication of classified materials. | They offered to let her out in exchange for collaboration, but she chose her principles instead. | For Snowden, Manning's unwillingness to ex…

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2020-03-13). Chelsea Manning Is Free From Jail, Faces Exorbitant Fines. dissidentvoice.org Manning speaking outside of the grand jury in Alexandria VA before being incarcerated Alexandria — Today, March 12, prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia ended the grand jury of Julian Assange and Wikileaks in which Chelsea Manning refused to testify. As a result, US District Court Judge Anthony Trenga ordered the immediate release of Chelsea …

Whitney Webb (2020-03-13). US Intel Agencies Played Unsettling Role in Classified and "9/11-like" Coronavirus Response Plan. mintpressnews.com As coronavirus panic grips the world, concern over government overreach is growing given the involvement of US intelligence agencies in classified meetings for planning the U.S.' coronavirus response.

Shane Quinn (2020-03-13). Coronavirus Scaremongering, US-China Economic Rivalry. The Geopolitics of an Unfolding Global Crisis. globalresearch.ca An underlying theme behind the Western political and media focus on the coronavirus, is to damage and undermine China's international standing, the country where this disease is commonly purported to have spread forth from. Prominent American politicians like Mike Pompeo…

Kevin Gosztola (2020-03-13). Judge Orders Release of Whistleblower Chelsea Manning Following Suicide Attempt. mintpressnews.com Manning was confined for 365 days or one year after being held in civil contempt because she refused to testify before a grand jury empaneled to investigate WikiLeaks.

teleSUR (2020-03-13). Colombia: Supreme Court Accuses Uribe of Vote Buying. telesurenglish.net Colombian Supreme Justice Court started a preliminary investigation march 12 against the South American nation ex-president due vote-buying accusations. | RELATED: | Uribe will be investigated because of evidence linking him to the late José Guillermo Hernández, better known as àëeñe, who is suspect of buying votes on current leader Ivan Duque's behalf. These audios mention illicit payments to obtain votes in the northern Colombian state of La Guajir…

Ben Hillier (2020-03-12). Julian Assange must be supported. mronline.org If the U.S. government succeeds in extraditing Julian Assange, it will be a major victory for U.S. imperialism—a promise that anyone getting in its way will ultimately pay the price. |

RT (2020-03-12). What is Being Done to Chelsea Manning is "Revolting" — Lee Camp. dissidentvoice.org US Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning is recovering in a Virginia hospital after a suicide attempt, according to her lawyers. Manning was found in contempt of court in recent months for refusing to testify against WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, in the government's case to extradite him from London. Penalty fees have been mounting over her months …

Aaron Maté (2020-03-12). Exclusive: New OPCW whistleblower slams 'abhorrent mistreatment' of Douma investigators. thegrayzone.com A fourth OPCW whistleblower has emerged to defend the two veteran inspectors who challenged a cover-up of the chemical weapons…

Dania Akkad (2020-03-12). Top Saudi Intelligence Official 'Chased' to Canada by Crown Prince MBS. globalresearch.ca The Canadian government gave refuge to a powerful former Saudi intelligence official deemed a threat to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's rule, three sources familiar with the matter have told Middle East Eye. | Saad al-Jabri, once a trusted …

Free Press (2020-03-12). Congress Tries to Sneak Through Dangerous Spying Bill Under the Cover of the Coronavirus Crisis. globalresearch.ca Leading members of the House of Representatives are rushing a vote on Wednesday to extend abusive government surveillance powers before they're set to expire on March 15. | If approved, the USA Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2020 would reauthorize Section 215 …

Global Research News (2020-03-12). Selected Articles: In a Europe Closed Down by the Coronavirus the EU Opens Its Doors to the US Army. globalresearch.ca By Two whistleblowers that have been speaking out about a scandal within the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have …

RT (2020-03-11). Chelsea Manning attempted suicide while in jail for refusing to testify against WikiLeaks — lawyers. rt.com Former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, jailed a year ago for refusing to testify before a federal jury investigating WikiLeaks, has attempted suicide ahead of a court hearing, her lawyers said. | Manning is in the hospital and recovering, Gizmodo reported on Wednesday citing the imprisoned activist's legal team. The 31-year-old reportedly used a sheet to hang herself inside the Alexandria Detention Center in Virginia, according to the Daily Mail. That report has not been officially confirmed. | Manning has been locked up since March 2019, when she refused to appear before the federal grand jury a…

Staff (2020-03-09). Blackwater Founder Erik Prince Recruited Spies to Infiltrate Progressive Groups with Project Veritas. democracynow.org Erik Prince, the founder of the mercenary firm Blackwater and brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, helped recruit former spies to infiltrate and gather intelligence about Democratic campaigns and labor organizations, including the American Federation of Teachers, according to an explosive report by The New York Times. The story exposes previously unreported details about the ties between Prince and Project Veritas, a right-wing group that often sets up sting operations targeting the media and journalists by recording covert videos. According to documents and interviews, one former spy recruited by Erik Pri…

Staff (2020-03-06). "Supreme Inequality": Author Adam Cohen on the Supreme Court's 50-Year Battle Against Justice. democracynow.org The makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court has come under intense criticism in recent years after two Trump-nominated justices joined the bench. Senate Republicans confirmed Neil Gorsuch in 2017 after having refused to consider President Barack Obama's nominee in his final year in office, and they confirmed Brett Kavanaugh a year later despite multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against the judge. During the 2020 Democratic presidential contest, several candidates floated the idea of "packing the court" — appointing more than nine justices — in order to counter the court's rightward drift. But while t…

Aaron Maté (2020-03-05). Exclusive: OPCW whistleblowers confront leadership's attacks, cover-up of Douma deception. thegrayzone.com OPCW leadership tried to discredit two veteran officials who challenged a cover-up of its chemical weapons investigation in Douma, Syria. They…

Staff (2020-03-05). The New Poll Tax? Long Lines, Closed Polling Stations Hurt Black, Latinx & Student Voters in TX, CA. democracynow.org Long wait times plagued polling places in Texas throughout Super Tuesday, especially in districts with high numbers of black and Latinx voters and college students. Many voters reported waiting in line for more than three hours to cast a ballot. At least 750 Texas polling sites have been shuttered since 2013, when the Supreme Court slashed federal oversight of Texas and other Southern states under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. There were long lines, too, in Los Angeles, where many polling places reported problems with a brand-new $300 million voting system. The Sanders campaign sued to keep polling places open a…

Ashoka Mukpo (2020-03-03). TRAP Laws are the Threat to Abortion Rights You Don't Know About. aclu.org This week, the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case | that will have wide-reaching consequences for reproductive freedom and abortion | rights in America. It's the first time the Court has weighed those rights since | gaining a new conservative majority with the appointments of Justices Neil | Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. And the stakes are high. | The case that the court will | hear, June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, | is being argued by the Center for Reproductive Rights (CCR), and it involves a | law in Louisiana known as a "TRAP" — Targeted Restriction on Abortion | Providers. The detai…

Marjorie Cohn (2020-03-02). Extradition of Assange Would Set a Dangerous Precedent. zcomm.org The Trump administration is seeking extradition of WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, to the United States for trial on charges carrying 175 years in prison…

Jason Ditz (2020-02-17). DOJ Investigating Former CIA Director's Role in Russiagate. theantimedia.com The Justice Department is investigating the role of John Brennan in the assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

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