2020-10-01: News Headlines

Binoy Kampmark (2020-10-01). Assange's Seventeenth Day at the Old Bailey: Embassy Espionage, Contemplated Poisoning and Proposed Kidnapping. dissidentvoice.org September 30. Central Criminal Court, London. Today will be remembered as a grand expose. It was a direct, pointed accusation at the intentions of the US imperium which long for the scalp of the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. For WikiLeaks, it was a smouldering triumph, showing that the entire mission against Assange, from the start, …

WSWS (2020-10-01). Evidence of war crimes, torture, surveillance and assassination plots: Assange hearing nears final day. wsws.org The CIA's surveillance was targeted against Assange's communication with his legal representatives, considered "priority targets."

_____ (2020-10-01). Reportback: Julian Assange Hearing On Tuesday September 29. popularresistance.org Tuesday has been another day on which the testimony focused on the extreme inhumane conditions in which Julian Assange would be kept imprisoned in the USA if extradited. The prosecution's continued tactic of extraordinary aggression towards witnesses who are patently well informed played less well, and there were distinct signs that Judge Baraitser was becoming irritated by this approach. The totality of defence witnesses and the sheer extent of mutual corroboration they provided could not simply be dismissed by the prosecution attempting to characterise all of them as uninformed on a particular detail, still les…

RT (2020-10-01). Navalny 'is working with CIA': Kremlin makes explosive allegation after opposition figure blames Putin for alleged poisoning. rt.com Western intelligence agencies — in particular, agents from the American CIA — are working with Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin's spokesman alleged on Thursday. | "Probably, it is not the patient [Navalny] who works for the Western special services, but that the Western intelligence services work with him, this would be more correct (to say)" Dmitry Peskov explained. "I can even be specific – these days, specialists from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States of America are working with him." | The bombshell allegation comes just hours after Navalny claim…

WSWS (2020-10-01). The ultra-right background of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. wsws.org Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, a protegée of arch-reactionary Antonin Scalia, would significantly shift the court in the direction of religious obscurantism and political repression.

sputniknews (2020-10-01). Kremlin: Russia Has Information CIA Works With Alexei Navalny, Sends Instructions to Him. sputniknews.com Moscow has repeatedly stressed that Berlin lacks evidence to back up its allegations that Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent from the Novichok group.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-30). Witnesses in Assange trial say complete isolation very likely in US. peoplesdispatch.org As the final week of the extradition trial of Julian Assange continues, expert witnesses presented by the witness have focused on the treatment Assange is likely to get once extradited. Maureen Baird, who worked in the US Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for two decades, and Lindsay Lewis, a lawyer who represented Abu Hamza, told the court on September 29, that Assange is very likely to be put under effective solitary confinement, once he is extradited. | Baird's and Lewis' testimonies challenge the claims made by the prosecution witness, US attorney Gordon Kromberg. In a submission made to the court yesterday, Kromberg a…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-30). Assange on Trial: Special Administrative Measures, Unreliable Assurances and Espionage. counterpunch.org September 29. Central Criminal Court, London. Julian Assange's defence team spent the day going over, reemphasising and sharpening the focus on what awaited their client should he, with the blessing of Her Majesty's Government, make his way to the United States. Not only will he confront 17 charges under the US Espionage Act and one

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-30). Assange's Sixteenth Day at the Old Bailey: Special Administrative Measures, Unreliable Assurances and Espionage. dissidentvoice.org September 29. Central Criminal Court, London. Julian Assange's defence team spent the day going over, reemphasising and sharpening the focus on what awaited their client should he, with the blessing of Her Majesty's Government, make his way to the United States. Not only will he confront 17 charges under the US Espionage Act and one …

Craig Murray (2020-09-30). Your Man in the Public Gallery: Assange Hearing Day 20. globalresearch.ca Tuesday has been another day on which the testimony focused on the extreme inhumane conditions in which Julian Assange would be kept imprisoned in the USA if extradited. The prosecution's continued tactic of extraordinary aggression towards witnesses who are patently …

sputniknews (2020-09-30). Assange Performed Enormous Service to World by Revealing US Government Secrets, Witness Says. sputniknews.com LONDON (Sputnik) – US linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky on Wednesday told the UK court deciding on the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States that the whistleblower has performed an enormous service to the people by revealing information the US government wanted to keep secret.

Steve Topple (2020-09-30). A damning fact about the BBC's Assange coverage just emerged. thecanary.co If you regularly rely on BBC News, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the extradition hearing of publisher Julian Assange wasn't happening. Because the public service broadcaster has been doing a distinctly unpublic service by But a revelation by another journalist has exposed a damning fact about the BBC's lack of stories on Assange. And moreover, it's home affairs correspondent has also admitted why he thinks his employer is ignoring the case. | Assange: the trial of the century?:…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-09-30). Life in Supermax for the Crime of 'Merely Doing Journalism'? UK Court Told Assange Likely to Be Sent to Notorious US Prison. commondreams.org A former warden at ADX Florence has described doing time in the Colorado prison as "a fate worse than death." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/getty-assange_protestors_0.jpg

John McEvoy (2020-09-30). Julian Assange versus Washington's boot — the hearing so far. thecanary.co To write about the greatest press freedom case in recent history, it has been necessary to rely almost exclusively on the work of

Staff (2020-09-30). 'Notorious RBG' had a mixed climate justice record. therealnews.com Ruth Bader Ginsburg voted on behalf of environmental protections in many Supreme Court cases. But her track record was mixed on climate justice issues, particularly on Indigenous rights and corporate land expropriation.

MEE staff (2020-09-30). US imposes sanctions on 'key enablers' of Syria's Assad government. middleeasteye.net US imposes sanctions on 'key enablers' of Syria's Assad government | Washington blacklists head of Syrian General Intelligence Directorate and governor of Central Bank of Syria | Wed, 09/30/2020 – 15: 56 | US says its main goal is not regime change, but to force Assad government to adhere to international standards (AFP/File photo) | The United States slapped sanctions on several "key enablers" of President Ba…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-09-30). Barrett on the bench: Bad news for workers. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—In her three years as a federal appellate court judge, Amy Coney Barrett, whom GOP Oval Office occupant Donald Trump has nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court, has shown herself to be bad news for workers' rights, legal analysts report. But what may be scarier about the former Notre Dame University law professor is her …

Alan Singer (2020-09-30). Amy Coney Barrett Is Not Qualified to Be a Supreme Court Justice. commondreams.org Amy Coney Barrett (R), U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump listens during an announcement ceremony at the White House on September 26, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chen Mengtong/China News Service via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1276887175.jpg

Manlio Dinucci (2020-09-30). VIDEO — Mike Pompeo a Roma. La Guerra Fredda USA-Cina. globalresearch.ca Tra Stati Uniti e Cina è in corso una guerra fredda che si gioca sul piano politico, commerciale e del controllo delle risorse energetiche. | Mike Pompeo, il segretario di Stato degli Stati Uniti, è a Roma per incontrare il presidente …

Craig Murray (2020-09-29). Your Man in the Public Gallery: Assange Hearing Day 19. globalresearch.ca Today was the worst day for the defence since the start of the trial, as their expert witnesses failed to cope with the sheer aggression of cross-examination by the US Government and found themselves backing away from maintaining propositions they …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-29). Assange's Fifteenth Day at the Old Bailey: Solitary Confinement and Parlous Health Care. dissidentvoice.org September 28. Central Criminal Court, London. Throughout the sham process formally known as the Julian Assange extradition trial, prosecutors representing the United States have been adamant: the carceral conditions awaiting him in freedom's land will be pleasant, accommodating and appropriate. Confronting 17 charges under the US Espionage Act and one under the Computer Fraud and …

WSWS (2020-09-29). Assange faces a fate "worse than death" in US prisons, witnesses tell court. wsws.org No amount of lame denials can hide the fact that if Assange is put in the clutches of these people, he will be disappeared into the darkest corner of the US prison system.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-29). Assange on Trial: Solitary Confinement and Parlous Health Care. counterpunch.org September 28. Central Criminal Court, London. Throughout the sham process formally known as the Julian Assange extradition trial, prosecutors representing the United States have been adamant: the carceral conditions awaiting him in freedom's land will be pleasant, accommodating and appropriate. Confronting 17 charges under the US Espionage Act and one under the Computer Fraud and

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-09-29). History, the Assange Happening: An Interview with Nozomi Hayase. counterpunch.org Nozomi Hayase is the author of WikiLeaks, the Global Fourth Estate: History Is Happening (2018). At her website, she describes herself: Nozomi Hayase, Ph.D is a liberation psychologist whose writing and activism is dedicated to the empowerment of people. Through her journalistic work, she applies psychological lenses to social and political issues and engages the

Max Blumenthal (2020-09-29). Exclusive: Spanish judge seeks Sheldon Adelson security chief in Assange spying case. thegrayzone.com A Spanish judge's request to probe a Las Vegas Sands staffer's apparent role in a criminal spying operation against Julian Assange indicates the investigation is homing in on US intelligence. Tellingly, the Department of Justice is stonewalling the application. By Max Blumenthal The Spanish judge presiding over the trial of a security firm owner apparently hired to spy on jailed Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange has sent a request to the US Department of Justice for an interview with Zohar Lahav, …

_____ (2020-09-29). Assange Faces 'Torturous' Months In Tiny Cell If Extradited. popularresistance.org The 49-year-old is fighting extradition to the US on charges related to leaks of classified documents allegedly exposing war crimes. | Assange's defence have claimed he is a "high" suicide risk, having already spent 16 months in top security Belmarsh jail in south London. | On Monday, the Old Bailey heard from witnesses with experience of the Alexandria Detention Centre in Virginia, Assange's likely pre-trial destination if he was extradited. | The court heard that due to his high profile and his perceived national security risk, he could be placed in an administrative segregation (ad seg) unit.

_____ (2020-09-29). Report: Bad Day For Julian Assange. popularresistance.org Today was the worst day for the defence since the start of the trial, as their expert witnesses failed to cope with the sheer aggression of cross-examination by the US Government and found themselves backing away from maintaining propositions they knew to be true. It was uncomfortable viewing. | It was not that the prosecution had in any way changed their very systematic techniques of denigrating and browbeating; in fact the precise prosecution template was once again followed. It goes like this. | undermine academic credentials as not precisely relevant | humiliate by repeated memory test questions of precise ph…

Staff (2020-09-29). Headlines for September 29, 2020. democracynow.org As COVID-19 Claims Over 1 Million Lives, Reports of Rift Among White House Advisers, Another Immigrant Prisoner Dies from COVID-19; Nurses Union Says U.S. Failed to Protect Medical Workers, Kentucky AG to Release Breonna Taylor Grand Jury Tapes as Juror Calls for Information to Be Made Public, Family of Black Man Shot Dead by Police While Handcuffed in Car Reaches $20 Million Settlement, Trump and Biden to Face Off in 1st Debate as NYT Drops Second Report on Trump's Taxes, Channel 4 Report Says Trump Campaign Sought to Deter Black Voters in 2016, Artist Ai Weiwei Holds Protest in Support of Julian Assange, Press…

WSWS (2020-09-29). Australian journalist Mary Kostakidis: Assange is a "highly principled individual with enormous courage" wsws.org "This war on journalism is an element of the rise in authoritarianism in countries that in the past championed press freedom, but can no longer claim to do so."

Jonathan Cook (2020-09-29). The Guardian's deceit-riddled new statement betrays both Julian Assange and journalism. mronline.org In my recent post on the current hearings at the Old Bailey over Julian Assange's extradition to the United States, where he would almost certainly be locked away for the rest of his life for the crime of doing journalism, I made two main criticisms of the Guardian. A decade ago, remember, the newspaper worked …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-29). The trial of Julian Assange: Week 3. peoplesdispatch.org We take a look at the developments during the third week of the trial portion of the extradition hearings of Julian Assange that is taking place in the United Kingdom…

Staff (2020-09-29). Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor: We Must Rethink Our Society, from Policing to the Supreme Court. democracynow.org As President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden face off in the first presidential debate in Cleveland, we speak to author and academic Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, who says the multiple crises facing the United States are not getting enough attention leading up to the November election. "We're in the midst of a national reckoning about systemic racism in this country, about the way that things are governed, the way that this country functions," says Taylor, historian and contributing writer at The New Yorker. "There is such a myopia with Donald Trump that every sentence, every breath, everything that h…

W.T. Whitney Jr. (2020-09-29). Colombia-U.S. Axis: Hitting at Venezuela. globalresearch.ca Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Colombian President Iván Duque, meeting in Bogotá on Sept. 20, talked about "managing the COVID-19 response … narcotraffickers … and [President] Maduro's illegitimate regime," according to the

David Correia, Matteo MacDermant, and Ernesto Longa (2020-09-29). Albuquerque Police Surveillance Linked to Companies Who Work with Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, CIA, Documents Show. counterpunch.org The Albuquerque Police Department (APD), with the help of private companies, built a large and sophisticated intelligence gathering operation. One company is slowly building a database of every license plate in the United States. Another has clients that include neo-Nazi and white supremacist websites, and more than a half dozen groups listed as terrorist organizations

Staff (2020-09-29). The Real News Network announces new editorial leadership. therealnews.com For Immediate Release | September 29, 2020 | Media contact: Charles Lenchner, charles@therealnews.com | Baltimore, MD The Real News Network (TRNN), an international nonprofit news project headquartered in Baltimore, today announced that Maximillian Alvarez, formerly an associate editor at The Chronicle Review, will serve as the new editor-in-chief for the organization. Additionally, TRNN announced the promotion of Lisa Snowden-McCray to managing editor and Baltimore editor. | TRNN's mission is to center the stories and voices mainstream, for-profit media too often ignores or marginalizes, a mission that both A…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-09-29). Trump court nominee Barrett tied to group advocating criminalization of homosexuality. peoplesworld.org A major national union, the American Federation of Teachers, is exposing Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, for her connections to a hate group espousing criminalization of homosexuality. Barrett has apparently been paid for speeches she delivered to the right-wing hate group, the "Alliance Defending Freedom." In its statement, at www.aft.org/press, AFT President Randi …

Ronald Newman (2020-09-29). How the ACLU is Flexing its Political Muscle in the 2020 Elections. aclu.org This week, the presidential candidates will face off in their first debate of the general election. Voters will hear Donald Trump and Joe Biden talk about their views on the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy, and the Supreme Court vacancy created by the untimely passing of ACLU alumna Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The ACLU and our supporters will be listening closely for how their answers relate to key civil liberties issues, including racial justice and reproductive freedom, just as we have throughout the presidential campaign., , This cycle, the ACLU has gotten involved in the presidential campaign in a serious way for…

Poor People's Campaign (2020-09-29). Tuesday 9/29: Remember Ruth & Breonna: Rise Up & Vote March & Rally at SCOTUS Washington DC w/ PPC. indybay.org In-person march starting at Supreme Court, Washington D.C. & online via livestream…

Staff (2020-09-29). Winner-Take-All Electoral College Could Enable Dreaded Constitutional Crisis. truthout.org Support for abolishing the Electoral College has reached its highest level in nearly 10 years as calls to reform other minoritarian structures, including the composition of the Senate and the Supreme Court, come under increasing scrutiny after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. | A Gallup survey found

yenisafak (2020-09-29). Indian court set to deliver verdict in Babri mosque demolition case. yenisafak.com A special court in India will deliver on Wednesday the verdict in the criminal case related to the Babri mosque demolition, almost 28 years after the structure in the Ayodhya town was pulled down.Last month, the Supreme Court had set Sept. 30 as the deadline to conclude the trial and pronounce the judgment.However, many senior defendants above 90 years of age may not be able to attend the court proceedings on that day due to health concerns although they are legally required to be present in court. It is not clear what arrangements the court would make for them.As many as 32 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders w…

Elijah Magnier (2020-09-29). The USA threatens Iraq: stop the attacks, or else. thealtworld.com The US administration sent an official threat to the Iraqi government requesting it to prevent all insurgency attacks against its forces, especially against the US embassy in Baghdad. Otherwise, the US threatens dire consequences, including the use of military power, economic sanctions and political boycott against Iraq. | According to officials in Baghdad, "US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed the President of the Republic, Barham Salih, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, and Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi of the need to stop all attacks immediately, particularly against the US embassy in Baghdad; otherwise,…

Elijah Magnier (2020-09-29). Les USA menacent l'Irak : Les attaques doivent cesser, sinon… thealtworld.com L'administration américaine a menacé officiellement le gouvernement irakien en le sommant d'empêcher toute attaque d'insurgés contre ses forces, en particulier contre l'ambassade des USA à Bagdad. Sans quoi il s'expose à des conséquences désastreuses, y compris le recours à la force militaire, l'imposition de sanctions économiques et un boycottage politique de l'Irak. | Selon des responsables à Bagdad, ´ le secrétaire d'État des USA Mike Pompeo a informé le président de la République Barham Salih, le premier ministre Mustafa Al-Kazemi et le président du Parlement Muhammad al-Halbousi de la nécessité de stop…

John Whitehead (2020-09-29). Don't Be Fooled: The 2020 Election Has Already Been Decided. mintpressnews.com Voting booths have already been hijacked by a political elite comprised of Republicans and Democrats who are determined to retain power at all costs. The outcome is a foregone conclusion: the Deep State will win and "we the people" will lose.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-29). VIDEO: Protests flared up after Pompeo's trip to Greece. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 30 (MNA) — Holding the "Pompeo Return Home" placards, the Greek protesters took to the streets following the US Foreign Minister's trip to Greece.

sputniknews (2020-09-29). Pompeo to Travel to Japan, South Korea, Mongolia From 4-8 October. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Japan, South Korea and Mongolia from 4 to 8 October, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a press release.

sputniknews (2020-09-29). US DNI Releases Russian Intel Report Rejected by Lawmakers That Claims Clinton Ordered Russiagate. sputniknews.com US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe has released a Russian intelligence report dating to July 2016 that claimed then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton "approved" the spreading of a conspiracy theory linking then-Republican candidate Donald Trump to Moscow, which became the Russiagate scandal.

yenisafak (2020-09-29). US strongly supports dialogue between Greece and Turkey. yenisafak.com The United States strongly supports the dialogue between Greece and Turkey, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday, after meeting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the island of Crete.Pompeo is on a two-day trip to Greece amid increased regional tension over energy resources.NATO allies Greece and Turkey, at loggerheads on a range of issues, have agreed to resume exploratory talks over contested maritime claims following weeks of tensions."We hope that these talks can continue in a serious way," Pompeo said.

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-09-29). 'Serious Dereliction of Duty': Unveiling Unredacted FBI Report, Raskin Raps Trump Administration for Ignoring White Supremacist Threat in Law Enforcement. commondreams.org Previously redacted portions of a 2006 intelligence assessment reveal the FBI predicted violent racists would inflitrate U.S. police departments. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/raskin.jpg

Alan MacLeod (2020-09-28). As his extradition trial drags on, media and rights groups are still ignoring Julian Assange. mronline.org Many mainstream rights groups and media organizations have a mixed history when it comes to opposing Washington's agenda. The case of Julian Assange has been no exception.

WSWS (2020-09-28). More evidence of management spying on Amazon workers' political activities. wsws.org A whistleblower inside Amazon sent a message last week to a number of internal company listservs, warning fellow workers that the company is monitoring opposition on those forums.