(2020-03-17). 'Russian troll firm' says it has a $50bn grudge to settle with US after indictment dropped by DoJ. rt.com 
A Russian firm that the DoJ failed to prosecute for "sowing discord" during the 2016 election aims to take its pound of flesh — or at least a hefty compensation for its tarnished reputation. | The February 2018 indictment of Concord Management & Consulting LLC, one of several issued by the team of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, was praised by the Russiagate crowds as a crucial step in uncovering the holy grail of Trump-Russia collusion. The case was dropped just weeks before going to trial, with prosecutors claiming that the firm's defense strategy — demanding evidence that the company had waged 'i…
(2020-03-17). DOJ drops charges against 'Russian trolls' after they dared demand evidence in US court. rt.com 
The US is dropping the much-hyped indictment for 'election meddling' against a company supposedly behind the so-called Russian troll farm, closing the opening chapter of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russiagate investigation. | Further pursuing the case against Concord Management & Consulting LLC "promotes neither the interests of justice nor the nation's security," the Department of Justice wrote to the federal judge overseeing the case on Monday in a
(2020-03-17). U.S. Intel Agencies played unsettling role in classified and "9/11-like" Coronavirus response plan. mronline.org 
As the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis comes to dominate headlines, little media attention has been given to the federal government's decision to classify top-level meetings on domestic coronavirus response and lean heavily "behind the scenes" on U.S. intelligence and the Pentagon in planning for an allegedly imminent explosion of cases. |
(2020-03-17). US threatens military escalation as Iraq confronts COVID-19 and oil price shock. wsws.org Speaking with all the arrogance of a colonial occupier, Secretary of State Pompeo made it clear that Washington has no intention of withdrawing its troops as Iraq has demanded.
(2020-03-17). Brazil: Bolsonaro to Be Denounced for Risking the Population. telesurenglish.net The Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) lawmaker Marcelo Freixo will denounce Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro before the World Health Organization (WHO) for putting the population at risk by promoting the concentration of people in a political act against of the National Congress and the Federal Supreme Court held in Brasilia on March 15. | RELATED: | At an event called by those who long for the return to a military regime, Bolso…
(2020-03-16). Pompeo tells China to quit spreading 'outlandish rumors' and blaming US for Covid-19 pandemic. rt.com 
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned China not to spread "outlandish rumors" about the Covid-19 virus and accused China of trying to shift the blame for the pandemic onto the US. | In a phone call with China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi, Pompeo relayed "strong US objections" to China's recent suggestion that the virus could have been brought into the country by the US military. | Pompeo stressed to Jiechi that "this is not the time to spread disinformation and outlandish rumors," a State Department spokesperson said. | Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lijian Zhao said last week that it mi…
(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). 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). 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). US Intel Agencies Played Unsettling Role in Classified Coronavirus Response Plan. globalresearch.ca 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. | *** | As the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis comes to dominate headlines, little …
(2020-03-16). Senate Leadership Stifles Growing Bipartisan Opposition in Push to Reauthorize Dangerous Spying Powers. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-03-16). With Nation Focused on Coronavirus, Rights Groups Warn Senate Against Handing Trump 'Terrifying' Spy Powers. commondreams.org Ahead of a vote that could take place in the Senate as soon as Monday evening, civil liberties groups and federal lawmakers critical of mass surveillance spoke out against House-approved legislation that would reauthorize "abusive" and "dangerous" U.S. government spying powers that expired Sunday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/eff_215_0.jpg …
(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). 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). 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). 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…