(2020-03-16). US will act in 'self-defense' if attacked in Iraq — Pompeo. rt.com 
Washington will act in "self-defense" in Iraq if its military comes under attack, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. US bases in Iraq have been repeatedly shelled recently and several servicemen have been killed and injured. | Pompeo told Iraqi PM Adil Abd al-Mahdi that Baghdad "must defend Coalition personnel supporting the Iraqi government's efforts to defeat ISIS," the US Department of State said in a statement on Monday. | Those "responsible for the attacks must be held accountable," the official warned, adding that Washington "will not tolerate attacks and threats to American lives" and will take "actio…
(2020-03-16). US Health and Human Services faces cyber attack during coronavirus response — reports. rt.com 
The US Health and Human Services Department's computer system was reportedly hacked on Sunday night, with the National Security Council needing to step in and warn that news of a mass quarantine was fake news. | Three people "familiar with the matter" briefed Bloomberg on the hack and said the breach was meant to slow the department's system down in the middle of the coronavirus response. Though no major damage was done, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Donald Trump have been informed of the attack, which is said to have included several incidents. The National Security Council tweeted in response…
(2020-03-16). I Reject Using My Unjust Conviction Against Julian Assange. counterpunch.org 
In 2015 I was wrongfully convicted of, and imprisoned for, violating the U.S. Espionage Act. Now, while there is no question that I stand in solidarity with WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange in a British court as he fights extradition, little did I know that my presence is also there as fodder to support extradition. If
(2020-03-16). Julian in the Dock. "A Secret Trial" globalresearch.ca Julian Assange's extradition hearing has had very little media coverage. Even The Guardian and The New York Times barely mentioned it, though these newspapers made a fortune publishing Assange-provided cables. Unless you had been looking for it, you wouldn't …
(2020-03-16). Fund drive to pay Chelsea Manning's court fines raises $267,000 in two days. wsws.org Within two days of Manning's release from jail, a GoFundMe campaign organized by her supporters raised more than enough to pay the punitive fines imposed on her for refusing to testify against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
(2020-03-16). Senate Leadership Stifles Growing Bipartisan Opposition in Push to Reauthorize Dangerous Spying Powers. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-03-16). Source Reveals Why NATO Warships in Black Sea Can't Collect Intelligence Against Russian Fleet. sputniknews.com The US and its Western European allies regularly send warships to the Black Sea, with other NATO countries bordering the body of water including Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey maintaining a sizable permanent presence in the region.
(2020-03-16). Pakistan's Intelligence Agency Honey-Trapping Jammu and Kashmir Youth – Indian Police. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): 'Honey trapping' is one of the methods used by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and terror groups to woo youths and security personnel in Indian-administered Kashmir. After several such incidents came to light, Indian armed forces advised its personnel to be cautious.
(2020-03-16). Chelsea Manning supporters raise a Quarter Million dollars in two days. mronline.org 
In the likely event that you need some news to give you a bit of faith in humanity today, you should know that supporters of whistleblower Chelsea Manning have raised over a quarter million dollars to pay the cruel, draconian fine that was heaped upon her for her principled stand against testifying at corrupt secret […] |
(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…
(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…
(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 …
(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.
(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.
(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 …
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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.
(2020-01-17). Chip Gibbons on FBI vs. 1st Amendment. fair.org 
Media…