Monthly Archives: February 2020

2020-02-29: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-29). Police complaint in India targets Wall Street Journal for stoking 'communal tension' & 'defaming' Hindus amid fatal Delhi riots. rt.com A police complaint has been filed in India accusing the Wall Street Journal of fueling sectarian hostility during recent unrest in Delhi and falsely reporting that a mob had shouted a Hindu slogan before stabbing a man to death. | The complaint was filed on Friday over a February 26 report in the Journal, which stated a gang of attackers chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' — a Sanskrit expression meaning 'Glory to Lord Rama', sometimes used by Hindus as a greeting — as they murdered intelligence officer Ankit Sharma during days of riots in India's capital city. The formal protest, filed with police in Delhi and M…

WSWS (2020-02-29). Slovenian journalist Blaž Zgaga: If Assange is extradited "the same can happen to any of us" wsws.org "If journalists cannot write about war crimes allegedly committed by Western armed forces, what is the legitimacy of these democratic countries?"

Alan MacLeod (2020-02-29). Supreme Court ruling hands U.S. Border Patrol a license to kill with impunity. mronline.org The Supreme Court set a dangerous precedent yesterday when it ruled in favor of the U.S. Border Patrol in the cross-border murder of a young teenage boy who was shot in the face by an overzealous agent. |

RT (2020-02-28). 'Not noble to cheer human suffering': Tehran shreds US offer of 'help' with coronavirus as Pompeo vows to 'sustain' sanctions. rt.com Washington's offer to assist Tehran with its Covid-19 outbreak is pure hypocrisy, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, condemning the top US diplomat after he promised to keep up crippling sanctions on Iran while vowing to send aid. | While US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers on Friday that the administration had extended an offer to help Tehran beat back the lethal virus, he couldn't help but take jabs at "the regime," insisting Washington would "sustain [its] pressure" through a devastating sanctions campaign — at one point going as far as to say that Iranians were "thankful" to suffer under…

RT (2020-02-28). Second time's a charm? Trump nominates Texas Congressman Ratcliffe as DNI chief again. rt.com US President Donald Trump has tapped Representative John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) to be the new Director of National Intelligence, pending Senate confirmation. Ratcliffe withdrew his nomination last summer. | The surprise announcement, praising Ratcliffe as "an outstanding man of great talent," came on Friday afternoon as Trump departed Washington for a campaign rally in South Carolina. | I am pleased to announce the nomination of

Staff (2020-02-28). Headlines for February 28, 2020. democracynow.org California Monitoring 8,400 People for Coronavirus as Fears of Pandemic Grow, Syrian Airstrike Kills 33 Turkish Soldiers in Idlib, Escalating Tensions, New Justice Department Task Force Seeks to Strip Naturalized Immigrants of Citizenship, Joe Biden's Campaign Walks Back False Claims of Arrest in 1970s South Africa, Democratic Superdelegates Overwhelmingly Oppose Bernie Sanders Campaign, Mike Bloomberg Refuses to Apologize for Spying on Muslims, As NYC Mayor, Mike Bloomberg Called for Cuts to Social Security "Ponzi Scheme", ProPublica: Mike Bloomberg Advised Billionaire Sackler Family on Opioid Crisis, Emails Sho…

Pepe Escobar (2020-02-28). Assange Extradition: Can a French Touch Pierce a Neo-Orwellian Farce? globalresearch.ca It's quite fitting that the — imperially pre-determined — judicial fate of Julian Assange is being played out in Britain, the home of George Orwell. | As chronicled by the painful, searing

Kevin Gosztola (2020-02-28). Judge Orders Assange Held in Glass Box During Extradition Trial. mintpressnews.com In the United Kingdom, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces extradition to the U.S., a magistrate court judge decided he must remain isolated in a glass box at the back of the courtroom.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-28). Julian Assange, the Glass Cage and Heaven in a Rage: Day Four of Extradition Hearings. globalresearch.ca Thursday, February 27, Woolwich Crown Court. The first round of extradition hearings regarding Julian Assange's case concluded a day early, to recommence on May 18th. It ended on an insensible note very much in keeping with the …

WSWS (2020-02-28). Judge rules Assange cannot sit with lawyers during extradition hearing. wsws.org The first week of the extradition hearing in USA v Julian Assange ended yesterday at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court with Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejecting a submission from Assange's lawyers that he be allowed to sit with them in court.

Derek Royden (2020-02-28). Cruel and unusual: Julian Assange's extradition hearing begins. nationofchange.org It's a slippery slope and in a world of so-called 'fake news' could have negative consequences for journalists and whistle-blowers trying to speak truth to power far into the future.

Thomas Knapp (2020-02-28). Election 2020: Those Meddling Kids … counterpunch.org According to selected members of the "US intelligence community" ("selected" for their loyalty to, and willingness to promote the line of, the Democratic Party establishment) Vladimir Putin and the Russian government just love them some Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Can't get enough of 'em. If November is a Trump/Sanders shoot-out, the Kremlin wins either

Renee Parsons (2020-02-28). Further Erosion of American Civil Liberties. Why Renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. globalresearch.ca As a mid March deadline approaches, the mad scramble is on for Congress to rubber stamp a 'clean' renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ( At every opportunity since 2001, Congress has used the re-authorization …

Jacob Hornberger (2020-02-28). Immunity for Killings by Immigration Police. counterpunch.org The American immigration police state continues to grow more tyrannical with each passing day. The latest example involves the U.S. Supreme Court, which has just issued a ruling in a case that effectively gives the Border Patrol a license to kill Mexican citizens. And guess which two magic words the Court used to justify its

Judge Andrew P. Napolitano (2020-02-28). Punishing the Free Speech of Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca "Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech." — First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution | In the oral argument of the famous U.S. Supreme Court cases known collectively as the Pentagon Papers Case, the late Justice William O. …

Elie Mystal (2020-02-28). Sonia Sotomayor Just Issued a Serious Warning About the Supreme Court. thenation.com Sonia Sotomayor Just Issued a Serious Warning About the Supreme Court…

Elie Mystal (2020-02-28). If We Don't Reform the Supreme Court, Nothing Else Will Matter. thenation.com If We Don't Reform the Supreme Court, Nothing Else Will Matter…

Susan Price (2020-02-28). Relentless campaign to smear Assange. greenleft.org.au

pip.hinman (2020-02-28). Protesters demand Julian Assange be set free. greenleft.org.au The Febr…

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-02-28). "I Don't Think That You are Telling Us the Truth": House Democrats Grill Pompeo on Iran and Coronavirus. commondreams.org "You can't hide behind classification on this one because you can't classify something that doesn't exist." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1203951459.jpg

RT (2020-02-27). Whistleblower cops accuse DC police of downgrading crimes to look better on stats. rt.com Crime rates in Washington DC may be much worse than official reports indicate, as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) routinely miss-classifies felonies as misdemeanors, skewing results, two whistle-blowing cops allege. | In at least two cases, internal police The first reportedly happened in August last year. A woman asked a man outside a liquor store to buy her some water, and h…

John Pilger (2020-02-27). John Pilger: Llegó el momento para que Julian Assange sea liberado, no traicionado. thegrayzone.com La verdad es que Australia podía haber rescatado a Julian Assange, y todavía puede. Los líderes de su tierra natal…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-27). Julian Assange, Political Offences and Legal Restraints: Day Three of Extradition Hearings. dissidentvoice.org Wednesday, February 26, Woolwich Crown Court. Today, the focus shifted to the protagonist himself and the nature of the US-UK Extradition Treaty of 2003, a contentious document that shines all too favourably for US citizens. Julian Assange, whose deteriorating condition has been noted for months by psychologists, doctors and UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Nils …

Eva Lopez (2020-02-27). Defending Immigrants' Rights and Reproductive Freedom in the U.S. Supreme Court. aclu.org The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a number of cases this term that will have a crucial impact on civil rights and civil liberties — from LGBTQ equality to reproductive freedom and immigrants' rights. Earlier in the term, the ACLU had two cases asking whether workers can be fired for being LGBTQ. On March 2, we will be arguing a case on immigrants' rights, and we have filed or will file friend-of-the-court briefs in major cases involving reproductive freedom, contraceptive access, and religious freedom. | We sat down with David | Cole, the ACLU's national legal director, to discuss what's in store for the…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-26). Julian Assange Against the Imperium: Day Two of Extradition Hearings. dissidentvoice.org The second day of extradition hearings against Julian Assange and by virtue of that, WikiLeaks, saw Mark Summers QC deliver a formidable serve for the defence at Woolwich Crown Court. "It's difficult to conceive of a clearer example of an extradition request that boldly and blatantly misstates the facts as they are known to be …

Ben Norton (2020-02-26). Vanderbilt oligarch heir Anderson Cooper worked at CIA in college. thegrayzone.com CNN and 60 Minutes host Anderson Cooper, who red-baited Bernie Sanders over old comments praising Fidel Castro's literacy program, worked…

Staff (2020-02-26). Headlines for February 26, 2020. democracynow.org CDC Warns of "Severe" Disruption to Daily Life in U.S. as Coronavirus Spreads, DHS Secretary Grilled over Coronavirus Preparedness as Trump Downplays Risks, Two Billionaires Join Democratic Debate in SC as Rivals Target Bernie Sanders, At Least 24 Killed in India After Hindu Nationalists Attack Muslim Demonstrators, President Trump Wraps India Trip with Praise for $3.5 Billion Weapons Deal, 20 Civilians Killed in Syria's Idlib as the Red Cross Pleads for a Ceasefire, Airwars Reports U.S.-Led Strikes Killed Up to 139 Somali Civilians Since 2007, Supreme Court Rules Border Patrol Agents Who Shoot into Mexico Can't…

Kevin Gosztola (2020-02-25). As Assange's trial begins, his lawyers highlight risk of extradition with CIA spying operation's 'extreme measures'. thegrayzone.com Assange's lawyers pointed to CIA surveillance by a Sheldon Adelson-backed private contractor and the Trump administration's public contempt for the…

Staff (2020-02-25). Headlines for February 25, 2020. democracynow.org Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty of Rape, 2020 Democratic Candidates Gear Up for Debate as More Damning Comments by Bloomberg Surface, Bernie Sanders Defends Praise for Fidel Castro's Literacy Program, Protests in India Kill At Least 7 as Trump Continues Visit, Former Egyptian Dictator Hosni Mubarak Dies, U.K. Court Opens Deliberations on Julian Assange's Extradition Case, As Coronavirus Spreads Around the Globe, White House Requests Emergency Funding, China Sentences Bookseller Critical of Chinese Government to 10 Years in Prison, Clashes Between Haitian Police and Soldiers Leave One Dead as Anti-Gov't Protests Rag…

Nozomi Hayase (2020-02-25). Assange's Extradition Hearing Reveals Trump's War on Free Press Is Targeting WikiLeaks Publisher. dissidentvoice.org On Monday, WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange's one-week extradition hearing began at Woolwich Crown Court in South East London. The judge heard the opening arguments for the prosecution and defense. The prosecution began, accusing the journalist, who exposed the US government's war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, of espionage charges that would carry 175 years in …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-25). Julian Assange and the Imperium's Face: Day One of the Extradition Hearings. dissidentvoice.org If we are to believe it, Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, the man behind showing the ugliness of power, is the one responsible for having abused it. It is a running theme in the US case against this Australian publisher, who has been given the coating of common criminality hiding the obvious point: that the mission …

Aaron Maté (2020-02-24). Julian Assange extradition hearing sees US attack bravery, press freedom. thegrayzone.com As Julian Assange's US extradition hearing begins in London, Randy Credico on the targeting and demonization of the Wikileaks publisher….

Ashoka Mukpo (2020-02-24). From Being Tortured in Sri Lanka to the U.S. Supreme Court. aclu.org On a frigid day in early February, Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam | stands under an awning on a street corner in lower Manhattan along with one of | his attorneys, Celso Perez of the ACLU. Both are bundled in heavy winter | jackets. Perez is holding his phone up and squinting as he concentrates on the | tinny voice of a translator emanating from its speaker. | "I want them to be aware that you're traveling," Perez says | into the phone. | The voice on the other line translates what Perez said into | Tamil, the native language of Sri Lanka's largest ethnic minority. Thuraissigiam, | heavyset in his late 40s with a…

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…

2020-02-29: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Slovenian journalist Blaž Zgaga: If Assange is extradited "the same can happen to any of us"
wsws.org | 2020-02-29
"If journalists cannot write about war crimes allegedly committed by Western armed forces, what is the legitimacy of these democratic countries?"
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/29/zgag-f29.html

Police complaint in India targets Wall Street Journal for stoking 'communal tension' & 'defaming' Hindus amid fatal Delhi riots
rt.com | 2020-02-29
A police complaint has been filed in India accusing the Wall Street Journal of fueling sectarian hostility during recent unrest in Delhi and falsely reporting that a mob had shouted a Hindu slogan before stabbing a man to death. | The complaint was filed on Friday over a February 26 report in the Journal, which stated a gang of attackers chanted 'Jai Shri Ram'

Supreme Court ruling hands U.S. Border Patrol a license to kill with impunity
Alan MacLeod | mronline.org | 2020-02-29
The Supreme Court set a dangerous precedent yesterday when it ruled in favor of the U.S. Border Patrol in the cross-border murder of a young teenage boy who was shot in the face by an overzealous agent. | Source…
mronline.org/2020/02/29/supreme-court-ruling-hands-u-s-border-patrol-a-license-to-kill-with-impunity/

Judge Orders Assange Held in Glass Box During Extradition Trial
Kevin Gosztola | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-28
In the United Kingdom, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces extradition to the U.S., a magistrate court judge decided he must remain isolated in a glass box at the back of the courtroom.
mintpressnews.com/judge-orders-julian-assange-glass-box-extradition-trial/265315/

Punishing the Free Speech of Julian Assange
Judge Andrew P. Napolitano | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
"Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech."

Judge rules Assange cannot sit with lawyers during extradition hearing
wsws.org | 2020-02-28
The first week of the extradition hearing in USA v Julian Assange ended yesterday at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court with Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejecting a submission from Assange's lawyers that he be allowed to sit with them in court.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/28/assa-f28.html

Julian Assange, the Glass Cage and Heaven in a Rage: Day Four of Extradition Hearings
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
Thursday, February 27, Woolwich Crown Court. The first round of extradition hearings regarding Julian Assange's case concluded a day early, to recommence on May 18th. It ended on an insensible note very much in keeping with the …
globalresearch.ca/julian-assange-day-four-extradition-hearings/5704984

Assange Extradition: Can a French Touch Pierce a Neo-Orwellian Farce?
Pepe Escobar | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
It's quite fitting that the

Julian Assange, the Glass Cage and Heaven in a Rage: Day Four of Extradition Hearings
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-28
Thursday, February 27, Woolwich Crown Court. The first round of extradition hearings regarding Julian Assange's case concluded a day early, to recommence on May 18th. It ended on an insensible note very much in keeping with the woolly-headed reasoning of Judge Vanessa Baraitser, who is of the view that a WikiLeaks publisher in a cage …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/julian-assange-the-glass-cage-and-heaven-in-a-rage-day-four-of-extradition-hearings/

Cruel and unusual: Julian Assange's extradition hearing begins
Derek Royden | nationofchange.org | 2020-02-28
It's a slippery slope and in a world of so-called 'fake news' could have negative consequences for journalists and whistle-blowers trying to speak truth to power far into the future.
nationofchange.org/2020/02/28/cruel-and-unusual-julian-assanges-extradition-hearing-begins/

Cult-Like Ignorance is Death: Trump and the Coronavirus
Henry Giroux | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-28
Trump's lies, his disparagement of science and scientists, his claim that non-political civil servants are part of the deep state, his lack of credibility, his penchant for political opportunism over the needs of the nation, his pathological embrace of hyperbole, his delight in creating confusion, and his mistaking loyalty for public service puts the nation…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/28/cult-like-ignorance-is-death-trump-and-the-coronavirus/

Election 2020: Those Meddling Kids
Thomas Knapp | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-28
According to selected members of the "US intelligence community" ("selected" for their loyalty to, and willingness to promote the line of, the Democratic Party establishment) Vladimir Putin and the Russian government just love them some Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Can't get enough of 'em. If November is a Trump/Sanders shoot-out, the Kremlin wins either…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/28/election-2020-those-meddling-kids/

'Not noble to cheer human suffering': Tehran shreds US offer of 'help' with coronavirus as Pompeo vows to 'sustain' sanctions
rt.com | 2020-02-28
Washington's offer to assist Tehran with its Covid-19 outbreak is pure hypocrisy, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, condemning the top US diplomat after he promised to keep up crippling sanctions on Iran while vowing to send aid. | While US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers on Friday that the administration had extended an offer to help Tehran beat back the lethal virus, he couldn't help but take jabs at "the regime," insisting Washington would "sustain [its] pressure" through a devastating sanctions campaign

Further Erosion of American Civil Liberties. Why Renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
Renee Parsons | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
As a mid March deadline approaches, the mad scramble is on for Congress to rubber stamp a 'clean' renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ( FISC) without amendment. | At every opportunity since 2001, Congress has used the re-authorization …
globalresearch.ca/why-renew-fisa-court-2/5705005

Second time's a charm? Trump nominates Texas Congressman Ratcliffe as DNI chief again
rt.com | 2020-02-28
US President Donald Trump has tapped Representative John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) to be the new Director of National Intelligence, pending Senate confirmation. Ratcliffe withdrew his nomination last summer. | The surprise announcement, praising Ratcliffe as "an outstanding man of great talent," came on Friday afternoon as Trump departed Washington for a campaign rally in South Carolina. | I am pleased to announce the nomination of @RepRatcliffe (Congressman John Ratcliffe) to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Would have completed process e…
rt.com/usa/481978-ratcliffe-intelligence-chief-nomination/

Immunity for Killings by Immigration Police
Jacob Hornberger | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-28
The American immigration police state continues to grow more tyrannical with each passing day. The latest example involves the U.S. Supreme Court, which has just issued a ruling in a case that effectively gives the Border Patrol a license to kill Mexican citizens. And guess which two magic words the Court used to justify its…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/28/immunity-for-killings-by-immigration-police/

Sonia Sotomayor Just Issued a Serious Warning About the Supreme Court
Elie Mystal | thenation.com | 2020-02-28
Sonia Sotomayor Just Issued a Serious Warning About the Supreme Court…
thenation.com/article/politics/sotomayor-court-bias/

If We Don't Reform the Supreme Court, Nothing Else Will Matter
Elie Mystal | thenation.com | 2020-02-28
If We Don't Reform the Supreme Court, Nothing Else Will Matter…
thenation.com/article/politics/reform-supreme-court/

Protesters demand Julian Assange be set free
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-28
freedom of speech Jim McIlroyIssue 1255 Australia whistleblower war crimesFebruary 28, 2020A protest organised by People for Assange called for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be set free. | The Febr…
greenleft.org.au/content/protesters-demand-julian-assange-be-set-free

Relentless campaign to smear Assange
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-28
democracy Daniel SafiIssue 1255 Australia Wikileaks Julian AssangeFebruary 28, 2020Where would we be today without the relentless campaign against Julian Assange by mainstream media and unscrupulous journalis…
greenleft.org.au/content/relentless-campaign-smear-assange

Don't forget the right-wing extremists in government
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-28
Fighting Fund Peter BoyleIssue 1255 Australia anti-protest laws Extinction RebellionFebruary 28, 2020After Australian Security Intelligence Organisation chief Michael Burgess warned that rig…
greenleft.org.au/content/dont-forget-right-wing-extremists-government

"I Don't Think That You are Telling Us the Truth": House Democrats Grill Pompeo on Iran and Coronavirus
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-02-28
"You can't hide behind classification on this one because you can't classify something that doesn't exist." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1203951459.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2020/02/28/i-dont-think-you-are-telling-us-truth-house-democrats-grill-pompeo-iran-and?cd-origin=rss

John Pilger: Llegó el momento para que Julian Assange sea liberado, no traicionado
John Pilger | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-27
La verdad es que Australia podía haber rescatado a Julian Assange, y todavía puede. Los líderes de su tierra natal…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/26/john-pilger-julian-assange-liberado-traicionado/

Julian Assange, Political Offences and Legal Restraints: Day Three of Extradition Hearings
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-27
Wednesday, February 26, Woolwich Crown Court. Today, the focus shifted to the protagonist himself and the nature of the US-UK Extradition Treaty of 2003, a contentious document that shines all too favourably for US citizens. Julian Assange, whose deteriorating condition has been noted for months by psychologists, doctors and UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Nils …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/julian-assange-political-offences-and-legal-restraints-day-three-of-extradition-hearings/

Whistleblower cops accuse DC police of downgrading crimes to look better on stats
rt.com | 2020-02-27
Crime rates in Washington DC may be much worse than official reports indicate, as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) routinely miss-classifies felonies as misdemeanors, skewing results, two whistle-blowing cops allege. | In at least two cases, internal police documents seem to back the accusations voiced by Sergeant Charlotte Djossou and Officer Tabitha Knight. | The first reportedly happened in August last year. A woman asked a man outside a liquor store to buy her some water, and h…
rt.com/usa/481842-dc-police-downgrading-crime-statistics/

Defending Immigrants' Rights and Reproductive Freedom in the U.S. Supreme Court
Eva Lopez | aclu.org | 2020-02-27
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a number of cases this term that will have a crucial impact on civil rights and civil liberties

Julian Assange Against the Imperium: Day Two of Extradition Hearings
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-26
The second day of extradition hearings against Julian Assange and by virtue of that, WikiLeaks, saw Mark Summers QC deliver a formidable serve for the defence at Woolwich Crown Court. "It's difficult to conceive of a clearer example of an extradition request that boldly and blatantly misstates the facts as they are known to be …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/julian-assange-against-the-imperium-day-two-of-extradition-hearings/

Vanderbilt oligarch heir Anderson Cooper worked at CIA in college
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-26
CNN and 60 Minutes host Anderson Cooper, who red-baited Bernie Sanders over old comments praising Fidel Castro's literacy program, worked…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/25/vanderbilt-anderson-cooper-cia-college/

As Assange's trial begins, his lawyers highlight risk of extradition with CIA spying operation's 'extreme measures'
Kevin Gosztola | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-25
Assange's lawyers pointed to CIA surveillance by a Sheldon Adelson-backed private contractor and the Trump administration's public contempt for the…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/24/assanges-trial-risk-extradition-cia-spying/

Assange's Extradition Hearing Reveals Trump's War on Free Press Is Targeting WikiLeaks Publisher
Nozomi Hayase | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-25
On Monday, WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange's one-week extradition hearing began at Woolwich Crown Court in South East London. The judge heard the opening arguments for the prosecution and defense. The prosecution began, accusing the journalist, who exposed the US government's war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, of espionage charges that would carry 175 years in …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/assanges-extradition-hearing-reveals-trumps-war-on-free-press-is-targeting-wikileaks-publisher/

Julian Assange and the Imperium's Face: Day One of the Extradition Hearings
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-25
If we are to believe it, Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, the man behind showing the ugliness of power, is the one responsible for having abused it. It is a running theme in the US case against this Australian publisher, who has been given the coating of common criminality hiding the obvious point: that the mission …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/julian-assange-and-the-imperiums-face-day-one-of-the-extradition-hearings/

Julian Assange extradition hearing sees US attack bravery, press freedom
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-24
As Julian Assange's US extradition hearing begins in London, Randy Credico on the targeting and demonization of the Wikileaks publisher….
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/24/julian-assange-extradition-hearing-sees-us-attack-bravery-press-freedom/

From Being Tortured in Sri Lanka to the U.S. Supreme Court
Ashoka Mukpo | aclu.org | 2020-02-24
On a frigid day in early February, Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam | stands under an awning on a street corner in lower Manhattan along with one of | his attorneys, Celso Perez of the ACLU. Both are bundled in heavy winter | jackets. Perez is holding his phone up and squinting as he concentrates on the | tinny voice of a translator emanating from its speaker. | "I want them to be aware that you're traveling," Perez says | into the phone. | The voice on the other line translates what Perez said into | Tamil, the native language of Sri Lanka's largest ethnic minority. Thuraissigiam, | heavyset in his late 40s with a…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/from-being-tortured-in-sri-lanka-to-the-u-s-supreme-court

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

DOJ Investigating Former CIA Director’s Role in Russiagate