(2020-03-11). Elusive bipartisan cooperation spotted in House leaders' daring last-minute rescue of controversial warrantless wiretapping powers. rt.com 
Democrat and Republican House leaders have paused their partisan sniping to do the real work of governing: keeping unpopular surveillance programs, including roving NSA wiretaps and access to metadata, alive indefinitely. | With just four days to go before congressional authorization for the controversial provisions expires, a bipartisan contingent has swooped in to save the NSA from experiencing one second of separation anxiety from Americans' private communications. Committee heads from both sides of the aisle wrangled enough votes within their own parties to deliver a reauthorization bill on Tuesday night w…
(2020-03-11). Anger as ex-minister Grayling lined up for key intelligence role. thecanary.co 
Former cabinet minister Chris Grayling is being lined up for a plum job overseeing the work of Britain's intelligence agencies, it has been reported.Boris Johnson sparked anger at Westminster after the Sun reported he wants Grayling to be the new chair of Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC).The cross-party ISC — which scrutinises the work of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ — is made up of nine MPs and peers and places on it are highly coveted among parliamentarians.Members are bound by the Official Secrets Act and have access to highly classified intelligence material. | Senior MPs warned the choic…
(2020-03-11). Julian Assange's mother, doctors warn he is at heightened risk due to coronavirus. wsws.org In comments to the WSWS, Dr Stephen Frost warned that "the UK government is effectively playing Russian roulette with Julian Assange's life" and demanded that he be released from Belmarsh Prison immediately.
(2020-03-11). Supreme Court allows Eritrean refugees to sue Canadian mining company over use of slave labour. wsws.org The court ruling has been met with concern by corporate Canada, which fears that it could set a precedent for plaintiffs to hold Canadian companies to account for their systematic violations of human rights around the world.
(2020-03-11). Abortion and the 2020 Elections. counterpunch.org On March 4th the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in June Medical Services v. Russo (formerly June Medical Services v. Gee), a case challenging Louisiana's Act 620, a law requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. It is an effort to restrict a women's right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. In 2016,
(2020-03-10). 1983 CIA Document Reveals Plan to Destroy Syria, Foreshadows Current Crisis. globalresearch.ca As the Syrian crisis enters its ninth year, the Donald Trump administration is looking more and more like the Obama administration every day. With the Trump regime refusing to open useful dialogue with Russia regarding Syria, it's obvious anti-Iran and …
(2020-03-09). Blackwater Founder Erik Prince Recruited Spies to Infiltrate Progressive Groups with Project Veritas. democracynow.org 
Erik Prince, the founder of the mercenary firm Blackwater and brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, helped recruit former spies to infiltrate and gather intelligence about Democratic campaigns and labor organizations, including the American Federation of Teachers, according to an explosive report by The New York Times. The story exposes previously unreported details about the ties between Prince and Project Veritas, a right-wing group that often sets up sting operations targeting the media and journalists by recording covert videos. According to documents and interviews, one former spy recruited by Erik Pri…
(2020-03-06). Espionage Act Reform Bill Would Protect Journalists Like Julian Assange. mintpressnews.com Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Ro Khanna introduced a bill to reform the Espionage Act, the archaic piece of legislation used to prosecute Julian Assange and other Whistleblowers.
(2020-03-06). "Supreme Inequality": Author Adam Cohen on the Supreme Court's 50-Year Battle Against Justice. democracynow.org 
The makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court has come under intense criticism in recent years after two Trump-nominated justices joined the bench. Senate Republicans confirmed Neil Gorsuch in 2017 after having refused to consider President Barack Obama's nominee in his final year in office, and they confirmed Brett Kavanaugh a year later despite multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against the judge. During the 2020 Democratic presidential contest, several candidates floated the idea of "packing the court" — appointing more than nine justices — in order to counter the court's rightward drift. But while t…
(2020-03-05). Podcast: Kevin Gosztola Discusses the Latest Developments in the Case Against Julian Assange. mintpressnews.com In this episode of MintCast, independent journalist and editor of ShadowProof Kevin Gosztola discusses the intricacies of the Assange hearings where the former editor of Wikileaks stands accused of 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act, an archaic law that has been used to target whistleblowers.
(2020-03-05). Exclusive: OPCW whistleblowers confront leadership's attacks, cover-up of Douma deception. thegrayzone.com OPCW leadership tried to discredit two veteran officials who challenged a cover-up of its chemical weapons investigation in Douma, Syria. They…
(2020-03-05). The New Poll Tax? Long Lines, Closed Polling Stations Hurt Black, Latinx & Student Voters in TX, CA. democracynow.org 
Long wait times plagued polling places in Texas throughout Super Tuesday, especially in districts with high numbers of black and Latinx voters and college students. Many voters reported waiting in line for more than three hours to cast a ballot. At least 750 Texas polling sites have been shuttered since 2013, when the Supreme Court slashed federal oversight of Texas and other Southern states under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. There were long lines, too, in Los Angeles, where many polling places reported problems with a brand-new $300 million voting system. The Sanders campaign sued to keep polling places open a…
(2020-03-03). Inside the Assange courtroom: Kevin Gosztola explains the US-UK assault on press freedom. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with journalist Kevin Gosztola about the trial of Julian Assange. Gosztola was inside the…
(2020-03-03). TRAP Laws are the Threat to Abortion Rights You Don't Know About. aclu.org This week, the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case | that will have wide-reaching consequences for reproductive freedom and abortion | rights in America. It's the first time the Court has weighed those rights since | gaining a new conservative majority with the appointments of Justices Neil | Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. And the stakes are high. | The case that the court will | hear, June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, | is being argued by the Center for Reproductive Rights (CCR), and it involves a | law in Louisiana known as a "TRAP" — Targeted Restriction on Abortion | Providers. The detai…
(2020-03-02). Julian Assange Lawyer: What's at Stake in Extradition Case Is Freedom of the Press. democracynow.org 
British Judge Vanessa Baraitser has suspended the extradition hearing for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange until mid-May. This comes after four days of intense deliberations last week between Assange's legal team and attorneys representing the United States government. Assange faces 18 charges of attempted hacking and breaches of the Espionage Act for his role in publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. He could be sentenced to up to 175 years in prison. Assange has been held in London's Belmarsh prison since last April, when he was removed from the embassy by British poli…
(2020-03-02). Extradition of Assange Would Set a Dangerous Precedent. zcomm.org The Trump administration is seeking extradition of WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, to the United States for trial on charges carrying 175 years in prison…
(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…
(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.
(2020-01-17). Chip Gibbons on FBI vs. 1st Amendment. fair.org 
Media…