(2020-02-07). 'Of course we are not alone': Russian scientist says we're using wrong tools to hunt for aliens. rt.com 
A Russian scientist believes that the only way we can finally discover extraterrestrial life is for experts and researchers from different branches to work together. | Alexander Panov, a leading researcher at Moscow State University's Research Institute of Nuclear Physics, has spent many years working on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) at the Scientific Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Radio Astronomy. | In a recent
(2020-02-07). OPCW responds to Douma leaks… by arguing whistleblowers are not credible & calling for tighter internal security measures. rt.com 
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has said in a report that whistleblowers who raised concerns about the group's Douma probe are not credible, and called for new measures to prevent further leaks. | The international chemical weapons watchdog released its 'Independent Investigation into Possible Breaches of Confidentiality Report' on Thursday, in response to leaks from two former OPCW inspectors which put in question the organization's findings regarding an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018. | The OPCW claimed that the two individuals, identified as Ins…
(2020-02-07). Interview with international model Andreja Pejic: "I think standing behind Assange and Manning is where we should all be" wsws.org The WSWS spoke with Andreja Pejic about the campaign to free Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning and broader political issues.
(2020-02-07). Assange's Case Represents 'Failure of Western Law' — Says UN's Nils Melzer. globalresearch.ca An interview was recently given by UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, to
(2020-02-07). Pilger, Burchett and Assange: Three Extraordinary Australian Journalists That Spoke Truth to Power. mintpressnews.com Australia, writes Rick Sterling, should be proud of its three native sons that were willing to speak truth to power no matter the consequences.
(2020-02-07). Targeting Gender Nonconforming Youth. counterpunch.org 
The U.S. has been a battlefield over cultural values for nearly 50 years. In states throughout the country, the religious right — together with local Republicans — have built an influential political movement to impose their moral values. Donald Trump's appointment of two conservatives to the Supreme Court has emboldened the religious right to press
(2020-02-07). Genetically Modified Bt Cotton: Cultivating Farmer Distress in India. globalresearch.ca Later this month, India's Supreme Court will hold a lengthy hearing on the commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) mustard, which would be the country's first GM food crop. The court has asked the chair of the Technical Expert Committee to …
(2020-02-07). The Census Is Not Safe From Donald Trump. truthdig.com When the Supreme Court ruled in June that the Trump administration could not place a citizenship question on the 2020 census, civil rights advocates breathed a sigh of relief. | Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, called the outcome "a victory for democracy." | "The administration deliberately sought to increase the political power of whites at the expense of already underrepresented communities," Johnson said in a Trump administration officials h…
(2020-02-06). 'All Journalists at Risk' if Assange Handed to US Jailers. globalresearch.ca All journalists will be at risk if Julian Assange is extradited to the US and jailed for publishing classified information, a packed debate at London's Frontline Club heard today. | Mr Assange faces up to 175 years behind bars if convicted …
(2020-02-06). Selected Articles: 'All Journalists at Risk' if Assange Handed to US Jailers. globalresearch.ca 
By All journalists will be at risk if Julian Assange is extradited to the US and jailed for publishing classified information, a packed debate …
(2020-02-05). Unleash the meme war! Pompeo mocks Pelosi's speech-tearing stunt with 'Simpsons' screenshot. rt.com 
The grandstanding between President Trump and Speaker Pelosi during the State of the Union address has triggered an avalanche of memes online, with Mike Pompeo taking part among others. | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo posted a 'Simpsons' meme showing a tearful Lisa Simpson tearing papers into shreds in season 3 of the popular series. | The obvious dig at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who tore in half her…
(2020-02-05). The Government is Using its Foreign Intelligence Spying Powers for Routine Domestic Investigations. aclu.org More than forty years ago, Congress | gave the executive branch a set of exceptional surveillance powers to pursue | foreign spies on U.S. soil. Now, the government is increasingly relying on those | powers to advance ordinary domestic criminal investigations. | In United States v. | Osseily, a fraud prosecution in California, the government appears to have used | this surveillance — which is conducted under the Foreign Intelligence | Surveillance Act (FISA) — to a longtime perm…
(2020-02-04). 'Traitor': Rand Paul blows up liberal minds by 'identifying' whistleblower on Senate floor with clever stunt. rt.com 
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul made waves with both Republicans and Democrats when he named the whistleblower who originally accused US President Donald Trump of quid pro quo with Ukraine. | Speaking on the Senate floor on Tuesday, Paul made it clear he was still upset over Chief Justice Roberts refusing to ask a question from him last week regarding the whistleblower whose report kicked off the current impeachment trial. | "The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted," Roberts told Paul after reading the question to himself. | Paul took his time speaking on Tuesday as his opportunity to final…
(2020-02-04). In Interview with Randy Credico, Investigative Journalist Stefania Maurizi Talks Assange, Source Protection and the Rise of Fascism. mintpressnews.com In a wide-ranging interview with Randy Credico, Stefania Maurizi recounts the important lessons she learned while working extensively with WikiLeaks for over a decade after receiving an unexpected phone call in the summer of 2009.
(2020-01-30). "Coded Bias": New Film Looks at Fight Against Racial Bias in Facial Recognition & AI Technology. democracynow.org 
A new documentary looks at the dangers of artificial intelligence and its increasing omnipresence in daily life, as new research shows that it often reflects racist biases. Earlier this month, Cambridge, Massachusetts, became the latest major city to ban facial recognition technology, joining a growing number of cities, including San Francisco, to ban the artificial intelligence, citing flawed technology and racial and gender bias. A recent study also found that facial recognition identified African-American and Asian faces incorrectly 10 to 100 times more than white faces. The film "Coded Bias" begins with Joy B…
(2020-01-17). Chip Gibbons on FBI vs. 1st Amendment. fair.org 
Media…