2021-06-12: News Headlines

Foreign Policy in Focus (2021-06-12). Biden wants to end America's 20-Year War on the Middle East: But Can He? juancole.com By Walden Bello | — ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) — Next September, when the last C-130 cargo aircraft and Chinook transport helicopters take off from the infamous Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan that has doubled as a CIA torture center for suspected jihadists, they will not only be leaving behind the site …

Chris Hedges (2021-06-12). Chris Hedges: Julian Assange and the Collapse of the Rule of Law. mintpressnews.com Chris Hedges gave this talk at a rally Thursday night in New York City in support of Julian Assange. John and Gabriel Shipton, Julian's father and brother, also spoke at the event, which was held at The People's Forum.

_____ (2021-06-12). Chris Hedges: Julian Assange And The Collapse Of The Rule Of Law. popularresistance.org A society that prohibits the capacity to speak in truth extinguishes the capacity to live in justice. | This why we are here tonight. Yes, all of us who know and admire Julian decry his prolonged suffering and the suffering of his family. Yes, we demand that the many wrongs and injustices that have been visited upon him be ended. Yes, we honor him up for his courage and his integrity. But the battle for Julian's liberty has always been much more than the persecution of a publisher. It is the most important battle for press freedom of our era. And if we lose this battle, it will be devastating, not only for Julian…

The Canary (2021-06-12). Jeremy Corbyn among 24 MPs urging Joe Biden to drop Assange extradition bid. thecanary.co A group of British MPs have written to the US president urging him to drop his administration's attempt to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. | An open letter to Joe Biden, who's in the UK for the G7 summit, said dropping the prosecution would be a "clarion call for freedom". | Assange is being detained in Belmarsh prison in London. Meanwhile the US continues an attempt to extradite him over the activities of WikiLeaks. | Joe Biden at the G7 summit (Leon Neal/PA) | Dangerous precedent: | The MPs said they'd hoped Biden's victory might be the occasion to draw a line under the prosecution. | They a…

Jeremy Kuzmarov (2021-06-12). Was January 6th a Dress Rehearsal for Coup d'État in the U.S.? covertactionmagazine.com New Senate report sheds light on failure of intelligence community to "properly analyze, assess and disseminate information" that would have led to an adequate law enforcement response to the Capitol riots. The Army deployed the National Guard three hours after request by chief of Capitol Police. Some officials even claimed rioters were "peaceful" despite extremists' …

WSWS (2021-06-12). Trump's Justice Department seized phone records of Democratic lawmakers during Russia probe. wsws.org Records seized included those of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, Representative Eric Swalwell, their congressional aides, and at least one family member.

Staff (2021-06-12). Boris Yeltsin had entourage of 'hundreds' of CIA agents. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 12 (MNA) — The former chairman of Russia's parliament says the first Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, was surrounded by "hundreds" of CIA agents who told him what to do throughout his tenure as leader…

Edward Hasbrouck (2021-06-11). Supreme Court's refusal to rule on male-only draft registration is bad news. peoplesworld.org The U.S. Supreme Court announced June 7 that it has denied the petition for certiorari in the case of National Coalition For Men v. Selective Service System. The Supreme Court's action today leaves in effect the decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissing the complaint and the District Court judgment. What has happened, …

Fight Back (2021-06-11). Minneapolis building bridges of solidarity to Palestine. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – 30 people held banners and signs across three bridges on Interstate 35W during Minneapolis' rush hour on June 9. They were out raising awareness of the consequences of U.S. aid to Israel. | Demonstrators stood in torrential rain for over an hour waving banners and holding signs and flags on the bridge. Many drivers honked, waved and flashed their brights in solidarity with Palestine. | Israel's Supreme Court announced June 7 that they won't stop the illegal evictions being committed by Israeli settlers in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. This means the attempts by the Israeli government to steal…

Anonymous669 (2021-06-11). U.S. Desperate To Stop Rocket Attacks On Air Base Hosting Its Troops In Iraq (Photos). southfront.org Click to see full-size image. | On June 11, Iraqi security forces thwarted a rocket attack on Balad Air Base, where US troops are known to be deployed. | In a statement, the Security Media Cell said that the Interior Ministry's Intelligence and Federal Investigations Agency had uncovered four Katyusha [107 mm] rockets along with their launchers in the area of al-Zanbur in the northern Iraqi province of Diyala. | "The rockets were prepared to target Balad Air Base," the statement reads. "They have been dismantled by explosives…

A Guest Author (2021-06-11). Julian Assange's father and brother to headline #HomeRun4Julian. workers.org Philadelphia #HomeRun4Julian issued the following news release June 9. John and Gabriel Shipton, the father and brother of award-winning publisher Julian Assange, will visit Philadelphia June 11 to headline a #HomeRun4Julian event near the Liberty Bell. The Shiptons will be joined by Dr. Marc Lamont Hill and representatives of local . . . |

Anonymous007 (2021-06-11). Iranian Warships Enter The Atlantic, Final Destination Still Unknown. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | The Iranian Navy's new domestically built destroyer Sahand and the intelligence-gathering vessel Makran are sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. | The US maintains that the ships are sailing towards Venezuela, while Tehran hasn't confirmed its final destination. | Iranian state TV released a short clip of the destroyer cruising through the Atlantic's seas. The video likely was shot from the Makran, a converted commercial oil tanker with a mobile launch platform for helicopters.

Staff (2021-06-11). "Julian Is Suffering": Family of WikiLeaks Founder Assange in U.S. to Demand His Release from Prison. democracynow.org The U.S. State Department is pushing to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from Britain, where Biden is now meeting with leaders during the G7 summit. A U.K. judge blocked Assange's extradition in January, citing serious mental health concerns. Assange faces up to 175 years in prison if brought to the U.S., where he was indicted for violations of the Espionage Act related to the publication of classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes. We speak with Assange's father and half-brother, who are on a tour of the United States to advocate for his release. "The G7 meeting is based upon values, and yet they…

Moderator (2021-06-11). Chris Hedges: Julian Assange and the Collapse of the Rule of Law. scheerpost.com By Chris Hedges / Original to ScheerPost A society that prohibits the capacity to speak in truth extinguishes the capacity to live in justice. This why we are here tonight. Yes, all of us who know and admire Julian decry his prolonged suffering and the suffering of his family. Yes, we demand that the many wrongs and injustices that have been visited upon him be ended. Yes, we honor him up for his… |

Staff (2021-06-11). Supreme Court Case Could Set Back Fight for LGBTQ+ Anti-Discrimination Laws. truthout.org A relatively obscure Supreme Court case heard last year could fundamentally alter the landscape of LGBTQ+ rights and anti-discrimination law — and given the court's current conservative supermajority, many community advocates fear the worst. The case,

WSWS (2021-06-11). Craig Murray contempt of court appeal refused by Scottish High Court. wsws.org Craig Murray has been refused leave to appeal his conviction for contempt of court to the UK Supreme Court. Murray was found in contempt for his reporting of the trial former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond during a bitter factional feud in the Scottish National Party.

_____ (2021-06-11). Scheer Intelligence: Has Silicon Valley Made It Impossible For Us To Listen? popularresistance.org At a time in which distractions seem to multiply by the second thanks to the omnipresence of screens and social media, and COVID-19 pandemic has isolated us further, we're all having a hard time truly listening to one another and connecting. Silicon Valley veteran Ximena Vengoechea wants to change that with her new book "Listen Like You Mean It." On this week's installment of "Scheer Intelligence," host Robert Scheer speaks to the User Experience designer about her work at Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, and the role tech companies have had on our ability to listen to one another. | "I think some of how we lost…

Jennifer Stisa Granick (2021-06-11). No More Spying on Journalists. aclu.org The trove of revealing data held by phone and email providers is proving too great a temptation for the Justice Department, even when the government's spying threatens the freedom of the press. The department's existing rules, which were supposed to prevent abuse, have failed and it's time for new, robust limits that will adequately protect journalists — and the free press on which our democracy depends. In a welcome step, the Biden administration and Justice Department

WSWS (2021-06-11). Australian PM uses police "sting" operation to demand expanded surveillance powers. wsws.org At a media conference announcing the massive police round-up, Morrison demanded the immediate passage of three bills to expand even further the surveillance and other powers of the police and intelligence agencies.

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