(2020-01-24). The Greatest Threat to the Prison-Industrial Complex. truthdig.com 
In the U.S., the nation with the largest prison population proportional to population in the world, the idea of rehabilitation long ago went from being a stated goal to a completely ignored concept. A
(2020-01-24). 'So much for special relationship': UK foreign sec roasted online after US rejects extradition request for American agent's wife. rt.com 
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been ridiculed on social media for a weak response to Washington rejecting the extradition request for Anne Sacoolas, a US agent's spouse charged with teenager Harry Dunn's death. | Dunn was killed in a head-on crash with a car in August last year near to RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire, England. Sacoolas, the driver of the vehicle, claimed diplomatic immunity and returned to the US. Her husband is thought to be a US intelligence officer. | Following the US administration's decision, Raab took to Twitter on Friday to reveal that he had been in contact with the US am…
(2020-01-24). 'Spygate' update: At least two FISA warrants to spy on Carter Page were 'not valid,' DOJ says. rt.com 
The top US spy court has revealed that at least two of the four warrants for spying on a Trump campaign adviser are now considered to have been improperly obtained, and all information gained from them is being restricted. | FBI applications under the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) described Carter Page as a foreign agent in order to spy on his communications during and after the 2016 presidential campaign. Thanks to the "two hop" rule for these warrants, the spying could have extended to the entire campaign as well as President Donald Trump himself. | In a January 7 ruling declassified on Thursd…
(2020-01-24). BASTA THANKS CHELSEA MANNING AND JULIAN ASSANGE FOR REVEALING BUSH'S WAR CRIMES. indybay.org MacArthur&Fruitvale…
(2020-01-24). As extradition hearing dates are set, US Department of Justice argues Assange has no First Amendment rights. wsws.org The latest evidence submitted by the US government underscores the fundamental democratic issues at stake in the decade-long illegal persecution and witch-hunting of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.
(2020-01-24). Video: Turkey's Military Industrial Complex. globalresearch.ca Turkey is working to develop its national industry and reequip its armed forces with modern military equipment. The worth of projects in this field is estimated to be around $77 billion. Ankara is paying special attention to the modernization and …
(2020-01-24). The Fight for Our Democracy Is Far From Over. truthdig.com 
Ten years ago, in January 2010, the Supreme Court released its disastrous Citizens United decision. The court, either through remarkable naivety or sheer malevolence, essentially married the terrible idea that "money is speech" to the terrible idea that "corporations are people." | The ruling put a for sale sign on our democracy, opening up a flood of corporate, special interest, and even foreign money into our politics. | Through Citizens United and related decisions, the Court made a bad situation worse. We saw the proliferation of super PACs, which can accept and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence e…
(2020-01-24). Turkey sends passenger appearing to show symptoms of coronavirus back to China. yenisafak.com Turkey has sent a passanger back to China upon her own request after she was suspected of carrying the new coronavirus, the country's health minister said.He added that Turkish authorities do not know whether the passenger was indeed infected by the virus."We are closely following the recent developments and the dissemination of the disease closely in cooperation with international organizations," Fahrettin Koca said.The Wuhan city of Hubei province has been particularly hit hard with hundreds of cases of the mystery virus reported. Authorities are trying to curb its spread with a transport lockdown in place sinc…
(2020-01-23). Extradition Hearing for Julian Assange Will be Split in Two. telesurenglish.net The extradition hearings for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been split in two, with the second taking place in May, according to a ruling made by a judge on Thursday, January 23rd. | RELATED: | The judge ruled that the first extradition hearing for Assange will be scheduled for the week of February 23rd, while the remaining three weeks will be held on May 18. | This move comes after Assange's defense team ar…
(2020-01-23). Next Generation 5G and the US-China "Cellphone War": The Arrest and Trial of Meng Wanzhou. globalresearch.ca The unspoken US policy objective behind the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou on trumped up charges, consists in breaking China's technological lead in wireless telecommunications. What is at stake is a coordinated US intelligence initiative to ban China from playing a strategic role in the 5G global mobile phone network.
(2020-01-23). Deadly Distractions: Laying the Groundwork for the Next Civil War. "Deep State's Plot to Take Over America" globalresearch.ca " —Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet | And so it continues. | This impeachment fiasco is merely the latest in a never-ending series …
(2020-01-23). Headlines for January 23, 2020. democracynow.org Democrats Accuse Trump of Trying to "Cheat" Upcoming Election, Supreme Court Decides Not to Fast-Track Obamacare Case, D.C. Sues Trump's Inaugural Committee over $1M Rental of Trump Hotel Ballroom, ICJ Orders Burma to Protect Rohingya from Genocide, Trump Says He's Planning to Add More Countries to Travel Ban, State Department to Make It More Difficult for Pregnant Women to Receive Visas, Trump Says He May Cut Medicare, Social Security, Trump Plans to Speak at Anti-Choice March for Life Friday, Chinese Authorities Seal Off City of Wudan as Coronavirus Spreads, Tulsi Gabbard Sues Clinton for Defamation, U.N.: Clim…
(2020-01-22). A Torturer Meets His Victims: CIA Psychologist Defends Brutal Methods at Guantánamo Military Hearing. democracynow.org 
On Tuesday, the psychologist identified as the "architect" of the CIA's torture program testified for the first time to the war court at Guantánamo Bay. James Mitchell was in the courtroom for a pretrial hearing for five 9/11 suspects who had been subject to torture, euphemistically called "enhanced interrogation techniques." Mitchell and his partner, Dr. Bruce Jessen, were paid $81 million to help design the CIA's torture methods, including some of the agency's most abusive tactics. The pair had no prior experience in interrogation. At the hearing, Mitchell reportedly told defense lawyers he only came to Guantán…
(2020-01-22). 47 Years Later, We're Fighting to Make Roe a Reality Everywhere. aclu.org Today we commemorate the 47th | anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the | landmark Supreme Court case that recognized a constitutional right to abortion. | In the nearly five decades since, the decision has weathered numerous storms | and faced plenty of erosion, leaving too many without meaningful access to | abortion care. But 2020 could be its most consequential year yet. | This spring, the Supreme Court will hear | arguments in June Medical | Services v. Gee and could uphold state abortion re…
(2020-01-21). A Show Trial? As Trump Impeachment Trial Begins, Mitch McConnell Accused of Staging a Cover-Up. democracynow.org 
The Senate opens the third impeachment trial of a U.S. president in the country's history Tuesday, marking a historic day in Washington. Under proposed rules by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, each side will be given 24 hours over two days for opening arguments, after which senators will have 16 hours for questions and four hours for debate. The Senate will then vote on whether to hear from any new witnesses. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said McConnell is trying to rush the impeachment process, while House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff, who is one of the impeachment managers, has accused the…
(2020-01-17). Chip Gibbons on FBI vs. 1st Amendment. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-01-17). The Supreme Court Takes Up the Issue of Birth Control Coverage — Again. aclu.org The Supreme Court just announced that it will hear | yet another case about the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) birth control coverage | requirement. If you are experiencing déjà vu, you are not alone. Court battles | over the birth control coverage requirement have been raging for almost a | decade. How did we get here? | 2012: | The Birth Control Benefit is Established | Congress passed the Women's Health Amendment to the | ACA to try to close the disparity in health care costs that women have | historically experienced. In 2012, the independent, nonpartisan Institute of | Medicine was tasked with determining wh…
(2020-01-17). Headlines for January 17, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Impeachment Trial Opens as Accountability Office Says Trump Broke Law by Withholding Aid, Pentagon Contradicts Trump and Says 11 U.S. Troops Injured in Iranian Strikes, Senate Votes to Approve USMCA, Report: Six Banks Reaped $18 Billion Last Year from Trump Tax Cuts, Guatemalan Protesters Demand Outgoing President Be Arrested for Corruption, Deported Immigrant Rights Leader Jean Montrevil Sues U.S. Government, FBI Arrests 3 Suspected Neo-Nazis Ahead of Pro-Gun Rally in Richmond, Virginia, Florida Supreme Court Upholds Law Limiting Voting Rights for People with Felony Convictions, Harvard Law Students Prote…
(2020-01-16). Arkansas Legislators' Attack on Abortion is Unconstitutional. aclu.org The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled time and again that | reproductive privacy is "central to personal dignity and autonomy, [which] are | central to the liberty protected by" the Constitution. The Court has made | eminently clear that under the Constitution, the right of a pregnant person to | terminate a pregnancy prior to viability is a right so essential to our freedom | that our government cannot ban or impose an undue burden on its exercise. But | despite the long-standing clarity of this principle, reproductive health and rights | continue to come under blistering, unrelenting attack. | Nowhere is this cl…
(2020-01-14). Tomgram: Rebecca Gordon, One Cheer for the Deep State. tomdispatch.com This seems like a strange moment to be writing about "the deep state" with the country entering a new phase of open and obvious aboveground chaos and instability…
(2019-12-05). Tomgram: Rebecca Gordon, A Historic Crime in the Making. tomdispatch.com On the Thursday of the second week of the House Intelligence Committee's impeachment hearings, former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara had a special guest on his
(2019-12-02). Civil Rights Are on the Chopping Block in New Supreme Court Term. zcomm.org Hello, A very small proportion of ZNet content is available only to Sustainers. You can become a sustainer for a small repeating donation – monthly or yearly via the links for Sustaining, or Donating, available on the top page of ZNet.