(2020-10-02). Truth Is The First Casualty In Cold War: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com ~ | No institutional changes were made to ensure that the evils of the Iraq invasion wouldn't be repeated. It's one of those big, glaring problems people just decided to pretend is resolved, like racism. | ~ | Whenever someone says "I oppose Assange's extradition, but," everything before the "but" is a lie, and it's a safe bet that everything after it will be too. | ~ | Truth is the first casualty in war. This adage is especially true of cold war, where the absence of hot firepower makes an emphasis on mass-scale psychological operations necessary. | ~ | People who tell you that now is not the time for truthful c…
(2020-10-02). Your Man in the Public Gallery: Assange Hearing Day 21. globalresearch.ca I really do not know how to report Wednesday's events. Stunning evidence, of extreme quality and interest, was banged out in precis by the lawyers as unnoticed as bags of frozen chips coming off a production line. | The court that …
(2020-10-02). Assange on Trial: Abuse of Power, Breaching Attorney-Client Privilege and Adjournment. counterpunch.org October 1, 2020. Central Criminal Court, London. The Old Bailey has been the venue for a trial that should never have taken place. But during the course of these extradition proceedings against Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder accused by the US Department of Justice for violating the US Espionage Act (17 charges) and one under
(2020-10-02). Assange's Eighteenth Day at the Old Bailey: Abuse of Power, Breaching Attorney-Client Privilege and Adjournment. globalresearch.ca The Old Bailey has been the venue for a trial that should never have taken place. But during the course of these extradition proceedings against Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder accused by the US Department of Justice for violating the …
(2020-10-02). Assange Trial: US And UK Militaries Back Key Prosecution Witness. popularresistance.org Dr Nigel Blackwood, a Reader in forensic psychiatry at King's College London (KCL), told the extradition hearing in London last week that Julian Assange was suffering only "moderate" depression. | Giving evidence as an expert witness for the US prosecution, Dr Blackwood rebutted other experts' findings on the seriousness of Assange's condition, adding his suicide risk was "manageable". He told the court: "Mr Assange has proved himself to be a very resilient and very resourceful man and he has underplayed that".
(2020-10-02). Embassy Espionage, Contemplated Poisoning And Proposed Kidnapping. popularresistance.org Today will be remembered as a grand expose. It was a direct, pointed accusation at the intentions of the US imperium which long for the scalp of the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. For WikiLeaks, it was a smouldering triumph, showing that the entire mission against Assange, from the start, has been a political one. The Australian publisher faces the incalculably dangerous prospect of 17 charges under the US Espionage Act and one under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Stripped to its elements, the indictment is merely violence kitted out in the vestment of sham legality. The rest is politics.
(2020-10-02). U.S. Intelligence Sources Discussed Poisoning Julian Assange. strategic-culture.org Robert WENZEL | At Julian Assange's extradition hearing, bombshell allegations involving US private citizen Sheldon Adelson are being made in conjunction with activities of US intelligence agencies. | Plans to poison or kidnap Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy were discussed between sources in US intelligence and a private security firm that spied extensively on the WikiLeaks co-founder, a court has been told,
(2020-10-02). John Pilger: Eyewitness to the Agony of Julian Assange. mintpressnews.com John Pilger has watched Julian Assange's extradition trial from the public gallery at London's Old Bailey. He spoke with Timothy Erik Strà∂m of Arena magazine, Australia: | Q: Having watched Julian Assange's trial firsthand, can you describe the prevailing atmosphere in the court? | The prevailing atmosphere has been shocking. I say that without hesitation; I have sat in many courts and seldom known such a corruption of due process; this is due revenge. Putting aside the ritual associated with 'British justice', at times it has been evocative of a Stalinist show trial. One difference is that in the show tria…
(2020-10-02). Eyewitness to the Agony of Julian Assange. counterpunch.org 
John Pilger has watched Julian Assange's extradition trial from the public gallery at London's Old Bailey. He spoke with Timothy Erik Strà∂m of Arena, Australia: Q: Having watched Julian Assange's trial firsthand, can you describe the prevailing atmosphere in the court? The prevailing atmosphere has been shocking. I say that without hesitation; I have sat in many
(2020-10-02). Andrew Wilkie on Julian Assange extradition trial: 'It should put all Australians on notice'. greenleft.org.au …
(2020-10-02). Noam Chomsky tells court that Julian Assange has 'exposed power to sunlight'. thecanary.co On 30 September, distinguished academic and public intellectual Extraterritorial reach: | Chomsky had previously appeared on Democracy Now! to denounce: the extraterritorial reach of the United States, which is shocking. Why should the United States… have the power to control what others are doing elsewhere in the world?… It's [an] outlandish situation. It goes on all the time. | "We have to silence this voice" — Chomsky on the obvious, prima…
(2020-10-02). Two Years After Khashoggi's Murder, Why is America Still An Accomplice to MBS's Crimes? counterpunch.org 
Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered on October 2, 2018 by agents of Saudi Arabia's despotic government, and the CIA concluded they killed him on direct orders from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Eight Saudi men have been convicted of Khashoggi's murder by a Saudi court in what the Washington Post
(2020-10-02). Mossad chief holds talks with Bahrain as ties with Israel deepen. middleeasteye.net 
Mossad chief holds talks with Bahrain as ties with Israel deepen | Yossi Cohen reported to have discussed 'mutual interests' with his Bahraini counterparts following normalisation deal | Fri, 10/02/2020 – 11: 16 | Mossad chief Yossi Cohen pictured in 2017 (AFP) | Israel's top spy chief Yossi Cohen has held talks with Bahrain's intelligence services following the two countries recent normal…
(2020-10-02). Parkland shooting victim's parents reanimate son's image via AI urging viewers to vote for gun control – 'because he can't'. rt.com 
The parents of Parkland school shooting victim Joaquin Oliver have reanimated their son on video using AI to urge people to vote for pro-gun-control politicians, but many viewers have disputed the ethics behind such move. | The 17-year-old Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victim was brought back to life digitally via artificial-intelligence software on Friday to promote voting for politicians who support gun control legislation, with the help of his parents – a reincarnation some felt was in questionable taste. | In 2018, Joaquin Oliver was shot and killed in the Parkland school shooting. | His pa…
(2020-10-02). What does justice for Jamal Khashoggi look like? middleeasteye.net 
What does justice for Jamal Khashoggi look like? | The UN's Agnes Callamard talks to Middle East Eye about the push for justice for Jamal Khashoggi | Fri, 10/02/2020 – 18: 34 | If elected, Joe Biden should release the US intelligence community's findings on Khashoggi's murder, said Callamard (AFP) | Two years after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, justice for the slain journalist remains elusive with geopolitical i…
(2020-10-02). Scheer Intelligence: In A Time Of Mortal Crisis. popularresistance.org There's no denying there's been a renewed wave of interest in socialism in the United States, thanks in large part to Bernie Sanders. While the Vermont senator gained support across the country for his rallying cry against inequality and for promoting equitable policies like Medicare for All, Rabbi Michael Lerner, a lifelong progressive and author of the new book Revolutionary Love: A Political Manifesto to Heal and Transform the World, believes there was something missing from Sanders' socialist message.
(2020-10-02). The Law That Sent a Man to Prison for Life for Stealing a Pair of Hedge Clippers — and What Prosecutors Can do About It. aclu.org Last month, the Louisiana Supreme Court
(2020-10-02). US Supreme Court nominee Barrett tests negative for COVID: White House official. yenisafak.com President Donald Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett has tested negative for the deadly coronavirus and is following government guidance on social distancing and best practices after Trump tested positive, a White House official said on Friday.Barrett was last with Trump on Saturday. This week she visited leaders in the U.S. Senate accompanied by Vice President Mike Pence, who has also tested negative for the disease.
(2020-10-02). The Supreme Court Rulings You're Not Hearing About. aclu.org This past June, many breathed a sigh of relief when the U.S. Supreme Court rose above partisanship in controversial cases involving abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, the rights of DREAMERS, and the president's tax returns. In those cases, conservative justices relied on legal reasoning, rather than party loyalty, to guide their decisions., , But lurking in the shadows is a concerning new trend in the Supreme Court to grant an unprecedented number of emergency orders with little transparency and no opportunity for recourse. These cases comprise the court's aptly named "shadow docket." And under the Trump administration,…
(2020-10-02). The Hysteria of Identity Politics is Devolving Into Violence. dissidentvoice.org If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. — Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Colonel Charles Yancey, January 6th, 1816 As the tech monopolies, the military industrial complex, the medical industrial complex, and other powerful corporate entities accumulate unprecedented …
(2020-10-02). Two Years After Khashoggi's Murder. popularresistance.org Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered on October 2, 2018 by agents of Saudi Arabia's despotic government, and the CIA concluded they killed him on direct orders from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Eight Saudi men have been convicted of Khashoggi's murder by a Saudi court in what the Washington Post characterized as sham trials with no transparency. The higher ups who ordered the murder, including MBS, continue to escape responsibility.
(2020-10-02). Will COVID Knock Out Trump's Campaign? truthout.org F. Scott Fitzgerald said, "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." The entirety of the Trump administration to date has been the unceasing experience of being simultaneously astonished and not at all surprised. | These two phenomena, like twirling planes in the air show of the mind, finally clipped wings in midair early this morning and went pinwheeling to the ground in a ball of fire and dus…
(2020-10-01). Assange's Seventeenth Day at the Old Bailey: Embassy Espionage, Contemplated Poisoning and Proposed Kidnapping. dissidentvoice.org September 30. Central Criminal Court, London. Today will be remembered as a grand expose. It was a direct, pointed accusation at the intentions of the US imperium which long for the scalp of the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. For WikiLeaks, it was a smouldering triumph, showing that the entire mission against Assange, from the start, …
(2020-10-01). Lawyers, Politicians and Diplomats for Assange. globalresearch.ca Since brutally dragged from Ecuador's London embassy in April last year, confined to maximum security imprisonment, and subjected to guilt by accusation extradition hearings, establishment media have been largely silent about his state-sponsored crucifixion for the "crime" of truth-telling journalism….
(2020-10-01). Assange on Trial: Embassy Espionage, Contemplated Poisoning and Proposed Kidnapping. counterpunch.org September 30. Central Criminal Court, London. Today will be remembered as a grand expose. It was a direct, pointed accusation at the intentions of the US imperium which long for the scalp of the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. For WikiLeaks, it was a smouldering triumph, showing that the entire mission against Assange, from the start,
(2020-10-01). Evidence of war crimes, torture, surveillance and assassination plots: Assange hearing nears final day. wsws.org The CIA's surveillance was targeted against Assange's communication with his legal representatives, considered "priority targets."
(2020-10-01). Letter from London: The Surreal US Case Against Assange. globalresearch.ca The fox is guarding the henhouse and Washington is prosecuting a publisher for exposing its own war crimes. Alexander Mercouris diagnoses the incoherence of the U.S. case for extradition. | *** | Following the Julian Assange case as it has progressed through …
(2020-10-01). Extradition trial concludes, Assange to remain in prison until verdict in January. peoplesdispatch.org The trial concluded after 18 days of extensive submissions from experts and witnesses over a range of aspects concerning the persecution of Wikileaks in the US…
(2020-10-01). Reportback: Julian Assange Hearing On Tuesday September 29. popularresistance.org Tuesday has been another day on which the testimony focused on the extreme inhumane conditions in which Julian Assange would be kept imprisoned in the USA if extradited. The prosecution's continued tactic of extraordinary aggression towards witnesses who are patently well informed played less well, and there were distinct signs that Judge Baraitser was becoming irritated by this approach. The totality of defence witnesses and the sheer extent of mutual corroboration they provided could not simply be dismissed by the prosecution attempting to characterise all of them as uninformed on a particular detail, still les…
(2020-10-01). UC Global Employee Thwarted Plan To Spy On Assange. popularresistance.org An IT expert who worked for UC Global, the Spanish security company which engaged in an espionage operation against Julian Assange while he was in the Ecuador embassy, refused to install numerous microphones and camera systems with "streaming capabilities" because they believed it was illegal. | UC Global director David Morales was told Assange would discover the cameras were streaming in order to "restrain Morales." | "I did not want to collaborate in an illegal act of this magnitude," the IT expert referred to as "Witness #2" told a British magistrates' court during Assange's extradition trial.
(2020-10-01). National Security Journalism Is On Trial. popularresistance.org Few American media organizations seem to have noticed, but the U.S. Justice Department has spent the past few weeks trying to persuade the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales to extradite Julian Assange to the United States to face charges under the 1917 Espionage Act. The hearing is scheduled to wind down at the end of this week. At this point Assange has alienated pretty much everyone, including many erstwhile supporters, and few people on this side of the Atlantic seem troubled by his indictment or by the possibility that he will be extradited, tried, convicted, and imprisoned.
(2020-10-01). Assange Update; California Wildfires Rage On. sputniknews.com Does America need a civility check-up?
(2020-10-01). Judge To Rule on January Whether Assange Should Be Extradited. telesurenglish.net British judge Vanessa Baraitser will rule on January 4, 2021, whether she authorizes the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States, where the Australian journalist is accused of 18 crimes of espionage that could sentence him up to 175 years in prison. | RELATED: | The magistrate set the date for her ruling at the end of a four-week trial in the London Old Bailey court, in which numerous witnesses for the Wik…
(2020-10-01). Serious questions remain about mysterious 'PeaceData' website blamed on Russian trolls. thegrayzone.com As political censorship escalates on social media, American spy agencies accuse Russia of running a fake left-wing news website called PeaceData. But there is no evidence for the FBI's claims, and many questions remain unanswered. By Ben Norton US government intelligence agencies have initiated a series of smear campaigns relying on false innuendo to suggest that independent left-wing American media outlets are connected to Russia. The broad-based, longstanding operation to imply links between foreign governments and alternative news websites through …
(2020-10-01). Serious questions remain about shady 'PeaceData' website blamed on Russian trolls. thegrayzone.com As political censorship escalates on social media, American spy agencies accuse Russia of running a fake left-wing news website called PeaceData. But there is no evidence for the FBI's claims, and many questions remain unanswered. By Ben Norton US government intelligence agencies have initiated a series of smear campaigns relying on false innuendo to suggest that independent left-wing American media outlets are connected to Russia. The broad-based, longstanding operation to imply links between foreign governments and alternative news websites through …
(2020-10-01). Twitter removes 130 Iran-linked accounts during US presidential debate. middleeasteye.net 
Twitter removes 130 Iran-linked accounts during US presidential debate | Social media giant says accounts all appeared to originate in Iran and were identified based on FBI intelligence | Thu, 10/01/2020 – 17: 06 | Last year, Twitter removed almost 5,000 accounts it said were linked to Iranian government (AFP/File photo) | Twitter says it removed 130 accounts linked to Iran that were "attempting to disrupt the…
(2020-10-01). FBI warns gullible clearance-holders of Chinese spies in self-produced propaganda flick 'Nevernight Connection'. rt.com 
The FBI has warned Americans with security clearances that Chinese agents are scheming to dupe them into turning over classified information, releasing a half-hour propaganda film fictionalizing one such case. | The film, called 'The Nevernight Connection,' was produced by the FBI in collaboration with the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) and released on Wednesday, along with some helpful hints for clearance-holders who think they might be targeted by nefarious foreign agents. | The narrative follows an unlucky and naive former naval intelligence officer who is lured to Shanghai by a…
(2020-10-01). Covid-19 infecting our DREAMS, says study — and researchers claim it hints at 'some form of SHARED MINDSCAPE'. rt.com 
Many of us consider it a living nightmare and, now, new research proves the Covid-19 pandemic is invading our dreams too. Moreover, it concludes that the similar themes of its test subjects' dreams point to a "shared" mindscape. | Researchers in Finland used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze the recent dreams of several hundred people, details of which had been recorded on a database. They found that Covid-19 had 'infected' over half the dreams that the participants described as 'bad'. The resulting
(2020-10-01). Navalny 'is working with CIA': Kremlin makes explosive allegation after opposition figure blames Putin for alleged poisoning. rt.com 
Western intelligence agencies — in particular, agents from the American CIA — are working with Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin's spokesman alleged on Thursday. | "Probably, it is not the patient [Navalny] who works for the Western special services, but that the Western intelligence services work with him, this would be more correct (to say)" Dmitry Peskov explained. "I can even be specific – these days, specialists from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States of America are working with him." | The bombshell allegation comes just hours after Navalny claim…
(2020-10-01). 'Put the proof on prime time TV, you have my permission': Navalny to sue Putin's spokesman over CIA allegation. rt.com 
A dramatic day of verbal hostility has led to Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny announcing his intent to sue President Vladimir Putin's spokesman. The threat came after the Kremlin accused Navalny of working with the CIA. | Germany's Der Spiegel magazine published a sensational interview with Navalny on Thursday, in which the anti-corruption activist, who is recovering in Berlin from a suspected poisoning, says "I assert that Putin is behind [the crime], I don't see any other explanation." | In response to these comments, Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov dropped a bombshell, telling reporters the M…
(2020-10-01). UK govt report claims Huawei security failings pose long-term risk, but company says defects not linked to 'China interference'. rt.com 
UK security officials were not convinced by China's Huawei Technologies that the security risks of using its products in Britain can be adequately managed in the long term, a government report said. | The Chinese company could only give "limited assurance" that risks to UK networks could be sufficiently mitigated from a long-term perspective, the report released on Thursday said. It cited "continued problems" with engineering and security practices at Huawei. | A government-led board, which includes officials from Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), signaled that the intelligence agency st…
(2020-10-01). The ultra-right background of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. wsws.org Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, a protegée of arch-reactionary Antonin Scalia, would significantly shift the court in the direction of religious obscurantism and political repression.
(2020-10-01). Mexico: Court Backs Referendum on Prosecution of Ex-Presidents. telesurenglish.net Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice on Thursday declared constitutional a referendum to prosecute former presidents. | RELATED: | "The spirit of the consultation is to channel public opinion, without intermediaries," said the Court's president Arturo Zaldívar as the debate unfolded, and the referendum was approved with eight votes in favor. | On the other hand, the official statement points out that the decision "is aimed,…
(2020-10-01). Fortress On A Hill: Understanding The War Industry. popularresistance.org Christian Sorenson stops by the podcast to discuss his new book "Understanding the War Industry", a detailed look at contracting within the U.S. military industrial complex and how its giant war chest gets funneled to an endless list of contractors, without question to its necessity or what could have been purchased in its place. | Everyone from libertarians to mainstream liberals to anarchists utters the words "military-industrial complex," often as a catchall for murky forces that press the U.S. government into war. But what is this complex?
(2020-10-01). Kremlin: Russia Has Information CIA Works With Alexei Navalny, Sends Instructions to Him. sputniknews.com Moscow has repeatedly stressed that Berlin lacks evidence to back up its allegations that Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent from the Novichok group.
(2020-09-30). Assange's Sixteenth Day at the Old Bailey: Special Administrative Measures, Unreliable Assurances and Espionage. dissidentvoice.org September 29. Central Criminal Court, London. Julian Assange's defence team spent the day going over, reemphasising and sharpening the focus on what awaited their client should he, with the blessing of Her Majesty's Government, make his way to the United States. Not only will he confront 17 charges under the US Espionage Act and one …
(2020-09-30). Your Man in the Public Gallery: Assange Hearing Day 20. globalresearch.ca Tuesday has been another day on which the testimony focused on the extreme inhumane conditions in which Julian Assange would be kept imprisoned in the USA if extradited. The prosecution's continued tactic of extraordinary aggression towards witnesses who are patently …
(2020-09-30). Assange on Trial: Special Administrative Measures, Unreliable Assurances and Espionage. counterpunch.org 
September 29. Central Criminal Court, London. Julian Assange's defence team spent the day going over, reemphasising and sharpening the focus on what awaited their client should he, with the blessing of Her Majesty's Government, make his way to the United States. Not only will he confront 17 charges under the US Espionage Act and one
(2020-09-30). Witnesses in Assange trial say complete isolation very likely in US. peoplesdispatch.org As the final week of the extradition trial of Julian Assange continues, expert witnesses presented by the witness have focused on the treatment Assange is likely to get once extradited. Maureen Baird, who worked in the US Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for two decades, and Lindsay Lewis, a lawyer who represented Abu Hamza, told the court on September 29, that Assange is very likely to be put under effective solitary confinement, once he is extradited. | Baird's and Lewis' testimonies challenge the claims made by the prosecution witness, US attorney Gordon Kromberg. In a submission made to the court yesterday, Kromberg a…
(2020-09-30). Assange Performed Enormous Service to World by Revealing US Government Secrets, Witness Says. sputniknews.com LONDON (Sputnik) – US linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky on Wednesday told the UK court deciding on the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States that the whistleblower has performed an enormous service to the people by revealing information the US government wanted to keep secret.
