2020-09-13: News Headlines

Kevin Gosztola (2020-09-13). Trump's 'War on Journalism' Takes Center Stage at Julian Assange's Extradition Hearing. globalresearch.ca In the last half-century, journalists James Bamford, Ben Bradlee, Seymour Hersh, and Neil Sheehan were each threatened with prosecution under the Espionage Act. But the U.S. government never followed through with Espionage Act charges against a journalist until 2019, when …

_____ (2020-09-13). US Demands Hinder Spanish Probe Into Security Firm That Spied On Assange. popularresistance.org There will be no judicial cooperation forthcoming from the United States unless a Spanish judge reveals his information sources in an investigation into alleged espionage against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange while he was living in the Ecuadorean embassy in London. | Judge José de la Mata of Spain's High Court (Audiencia Nacional) has sent a request for judicial cooperation to US authorities as part of his probe into a Spanish private security company named UC Global S.L. and its owner David Morales, on allegations that this firm secretly recorded Assange's private meetings with lawyers, politicians, relatives…

Sarah Cords (2020-09-13). How a US Army Whistleblower Revealed 'the Apparatus of a Police State'. commondreams.org Soldiers with the Mississippi National Guard watch a crowd of protesters at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on June 6, 2020. (Photo: The National Guard/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/army_whistleblower.jpg

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-09-12). The Assange Trial, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com ~ | "Assange isn't a journalist! He has an agenda!" | Every journalist in the world has an agenda. It just happens that most journalists have fame, wealth and esteem as their agenda while Assange's agenda is, in his own words, "crushing bastards". | It's crazy how there are still people who try to claim Assange isn't a journalist. He is, and it's not even debatable. Publishing information that informs the public about what's going on in the world is exactly the thing that journalism is. | ~ | The mainstream press have been far, far less critical of immensely powerful world-dominating government agencies than they…

RT (2020-09-12). Julian Assange: The Trial of the Century. dissidentvoice.org George Galloway makes cystal clear what is a no-brainer: Julian Assange revealing war crimes is the real reason for extradition. Unable to be convicted for journalism, he stands accused of trumped-up charges in what is the trial of the century.

_____ (2020-09-12). Rubberhose Cryptography and the Idea Behind Wikileaks: Julian Assange as a Physics Student. strategic-culture.org Niraj LAL | The last dinner that Julian Assange had in relative freedom, 18 June 2012, was takeaway pizza and cheap red wine with a couple of the Wikileaks team and myself in a small flat in London, discussing possible trajectories of American politics for the coming decade. The next morning he walked into the Ecuadorian Embassy to claim political asylum; he hasn't seen sunlight unguarded since. | I first met Julian in the Redmond Barry Physics Lecture Theatre ten years earlier, in 2002, on our first day at the University of Melbourne. The lecturer, the affable Professor Geoff Opat with curly hair and thick-rimme…

Tom Coburg (2020-09-12). Assange extradition hearings see the defence expose the real reasons for his prosecution. thecanary.co Formal hearings for the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange commenced on Monday 7 September 2020. Over three days, the defence fielded witnesses and … | By | Formal hearings for the extradition of

_____ (2020-09-12). DHS Official: Department Wanted To Down Play Far-Right Violence. popularresistance.org On September 9, the news came out that a whistleblower within the Department of Homeland Security had filed a complaint about the department's Trump-appointed leadership instructing him to downplay the threat represented by white supremacists and play up the dangers posed by anarchists and anti-fascists. Yet it has largely escaped notice how Joe Biden and other Democrats have embraced Donald Trump's talking points about anarchists and anti-fascists.

Sarah Cords (2020-09-12). How a U.S. Army Whistleblower Revealed 'the Apparatus of a Police State'. progressive.org In the 1960s, the military had been illegally spying on protesters until Christopher Pyle, a former Army intelligence officer, spoke out.

sputniknews (2020-09-12). Snowden Responds to POTUS' 'Pardon' Comment, Urges to End 'War on Whistleblowers'. sputniknews.com Edward Snowden is accused of espionage and leaking secret National Security Agency documents, exposing to the world a domestic surveillance program in the United States that collected telephone and Internet data from citizens.

Anya Parampil (2020-09-11). Challenging pro-war Pelosi: candidate Shahid Buttar on Assange, Latin America, & Palestine. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with House candidate Shahid Buttar, who is Nancy Pelosion issues of war and whistleblowers. They discuss Buttar's position on Julian Assange, Latin America, Israel, and more.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-11). Assange's Fourth Day at the Old Bailey: COVID in the Courtroom. counterpunch.org As James Lewis QC for the prosecution, representing the US government, revealed, "I'm just saying about my charger. It's in court and I'm going to run out of battery." It was one of those moments that said much about the fourth day of proceedings at the Old Bailey regarding one Julian Assange, publisher, Australian national

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-11). Brazilian leaders Lula and Dilma express solidarity with Julian Assange, reject extradition. peoplesdispatch.org Ex-president of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defended the innocence of Australian journalist Lula said that the activist should have transformed into a global hero due to the work that he did to expose the war crimes committed by the US army. | "Assange should have been treated like a hero for having denounced to the world the lies of the US State Department, investigating the world, investigating the government. All of the democratic countries should cry for his freedom," declare…

Kevin Gosztola, Shadowproof (2020-09-11). Trump's 'War On Journalism' Takes Centerstage At Julian Assange's Extradition Hearing. commondreams.org Demonstrators protest outside of the Old Bailey court in central London on September 7, 2020, as the extradition hearing for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange resumes again. (Photo: Tolga Akmen / AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/journalismisnotacrime.jpg

CP Editor (2020-09-11). 175 Years in a U.S. Prison? Extradition Trial of WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Begins in London. counterpunch.org

T.J. Coles (2020-09-11). The War on Your Mind: A Brief History of the U.S. Surveillance-Intelligence Complex. globalresearch.ca The recent U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vindicated the contractor-turned-whistleblower, Edward Snowden, by ruling that the National Security Agency's blanket data collection was unlawful and likely After Snowden alerted the world, t…

Kenn Orphan (2020-09-11). Fascism and the Quickening of History. counterpunch.org Over the last few months I have been revisiting research I did a long time ago on fascism. Pinochet's Chile, Sukarno's Indonesia, Montt's Guatemala, Hitler's Germany and beyond. I've spent time poring over the accounts of the survivors, the details of the crimes, the descriptions of the torture, of the camps, the ghettos, the dehumanization,

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-11). Iran's Army Air Defense intercepts one US plane, two drones. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 11 (MNA) — During the Zolfaghar-99 military exercise on Fri., one US plane and two drones, that had violated the law and entered Iranian Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) illegally, were intercepted by homemade Karrar drone.

sputniknews (2020-09-11). US Senate Intelligence Committee Requests DHS Data After Whistleblower Complaint. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The US Senate Intelligence Committee on Friday sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requesting that it submits all intelligence assessments related to a whistleblower's complaint that the Trump administration allegedly mishandled data.

Linda Greenhouse (2020-09-11). A Court Just Slammed the Guant√°namo Gate Shut. commondreams.org "The federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., has just slammed the Guant√°namo gate shut," writes Greenhouse. (Photo: Alex Brandon/AP) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gitmo_3_0.jpeg

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-09-11). NYT's Krugman Pilloried on 9/11 Anniversary for Claiming No 'Mass Outbreak of Anti-Muslim Sentiment' in US After 2001 Attacks. commondreams.org Anti-Muslim hate crimes soared after 9/11, and thousands of Muslims in the U.S. were detained—and some tortured—in George W. Bush's futile anti-terror dragnet. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/hate_0.jpg

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-09-10). Assange Trial Exposes False Partisan Narratives With Focus On Trump's War On Journalism. thealtworld.com scandalously opaque and A new article about the proceedings in The Evening Standard titled "

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-10). Assange's Third Day at the Old Bailey: Bias, Politics and Wars on Journalism. counterpunch.org The third day of extradition proceedings against Julian Assange at the Old Bailey resumed on the point of politics. Assange as a figure of political beliefs; Assange as a target of the Trump administration precisely for having them. The man sketching the portrait was Paul Rogers, Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies at Bradford University. It

_____ (2020-09-10). Expert Tells Court, Charges Against Assange Are Unconstitutional. popularresistance.org It is immaterial whether one considers Julian Assange to be a reporter because he was engaged in "journalistic activity" when obtaining and publishing classified US documents, the director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation told the court on day three of the WikiLeaks publisher's extradition hearing. | The US indictment against WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange represents an "unconstitutional" threat to the First Amendment of the United States constitution and to press freedom more generally, Professor Trevor Timm told the Old Bailey on Wednesday.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-10). Assange's trial postponed after suspected COVID-19 exposure. peoplesdispatch.org The brief halt in the trial proceedings was prompted after it was revealed that a member of the prosecution team may have been exposed to COVID-19, posing risks to everyone attending…

Craig Murray (2020-09-10). Your Man in the Public Gallery — Assange Hearing Day 8. globalresearch.ca The great question after yesterday's hearing was whether prosecution counsel James Lewis QC would continue to charge at defence witnesses like a deranged berserker (spoiler — he would), and more importantly, why? | QC's representing governments usually seek to radiate calm …

_____ (2020-09-10). The Ongoing And Unjustifiable Persecution Of Julian Assange. popularresistance.org A hugely important struggle for press freedom is currently taking place in the Old Bailey in London, where, on Monday, three weeks of hearings began regarding the proposed extradition to the US of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. In 2010 and 2011, WikiLeaks published documents leaked by a serving member of the US military — Bradley, now Chelsea Manning — that exposed evidence of war crimes committed by the US and, in the case of my particular area of expertise, Guantánamo.

Eds. (2020-09-10). Wikileaks helped end secret U.S. killings, Assange extradition hearing is told. mronline.org REVELATIONS published by Wikileaks helped to end a secret U.S. assassination programme and freed unlawfully detained prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, the Julian Assange extradition hearing was told today.

WSWS (2020-09-10). Assange targeted for political views in "terrifying threat to First Amendment," expert witnesses tell hearing. wsws.org WikiLeaks' exposure of civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan had played "possibly the most important role" in catalysing public opposition to both wars.

Editor (2020-09-10). Assange Extradition and the War on Journalism. scheerpost.com Event starts at 5-minute point — drag cursor to start. A webinar/press conference organized by the late Kevin Zeese for PopularResistance.org streamed live today, Sept. 9, 2020. The attempt to extradite Julian Assange to the United States for prosecution is a war against freedom of the press and our right to know. If the prosecution of Assange under the Espionage Act occurs… |

The Canary (2020-09-10). Fear of 'Covid in the courtroom' halts Julian Assange case. thecanary.co The extradition case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been brought to a halt at the Old Bailey over fear of "Covid in the courtroom".District Judge Vanessa Baraitser stopped proceedings on the fourth day of hearings, as it emerged that a lawyer for the US Government may have been exposed to the virus and was being tested.Speaking in court, Edward Fitzgerald QC, for Assange, told the judge: "We respectfully submit we have to go with the assumption (the lawyer) has Covid."If that is the correct assumption it has consequences — firstly we should not be here today because Covid will be in the courtro…

Media Lens (2020-09-10). "Absolute And Arbitrary Power": Killing Extinction Rebellion And Julian Assange. dissidentvoice.org The use and misuse of George Orwell's truth-telling is so widespread that we can easily miss his intended meaning. For example, with perfect (Orwellian) irony, the BBC has a statue of Orwell outside Broadcasting House, bearing the inscription: 'If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not …

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-10). Reprieve's Clive Stafford Smith on US Judicial Unfairness, Assange's Show Trial. globalresearch.ca British/American human rights lawyer Smith founded UK-based Reprieve in 1999 — "an organization of courageous and committed human rights defenders." | It provides pro bono legal and investigative work services for "some of the world's most vulnerable people." | They include individuals …

pip.hinman (2020-09-10). Amnesty calls on US, Britain to drop the charges against Assange. greenleft.org.au

Charles Pierson (2020-09-10). Looters and Losers and Trump, Oh My! counterpunch.org If you want to avoid Trumpian condemnation, don't fight for your country like a chump. Fight for money. Are you an ambitious young psychopath searching for a hot career? You can earn $22,500 per month (much of it tax-free) as a private military contractor, vulgarly known as "mercenaries." That's more than four times a US army captain's measly monthly pay of around $4952. Ka-ching!

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-09). On Day 3 of Assange's trial, defense builds case to prove political nature of US indictment. peoplesdispatch.org The defense presented two witnesses to point out how politically motivated the ongoing prosecution against Assange is and the threat it poses on press freedoms.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-09). Assange's Second Day at the Old Bailey. dissidentvoice.org The highlights of the second day of Julian Assange's extradition proceedings at the Central Criminal Court in London yielded an interesting bounty. The first was the broader public purpose behind the WikiLeaks disclosures, their utility in legal proceedings, and their importance in disclosing instances of US extrajudicial killings, torture and rendition. The second involved a …

John Pilger (2020-09-09). Video: Outside the London Show-trial of Julian Assange: John Pilger's Speech. globalresearch.ca Veteran investigative journalist and filmmaker John Pilger delivered the following speech outside London's Old Bailey Central Criminal Court on Monday, the first day of resumed show-trial proceedings for the extradition of Julian Assange to the US. Pilger, along with a …

sputniknews (2020-09-09). Assange Extradition Hearing Seems to Focus on His Political Motivations, Not Legality of His Actions. sputniknews.com On this edition of The Critical Hour, co-hosts Dr. Wilmer Leon and Garland Nixon talk to Steve Poikonen about day three of the resumption of WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange's extradition hearing in London.

Staff (2020-09-09). WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange May Face Up to 175 Years in Prison. truthout.org Image Credit: Julia Quenzler | As the long-awaited extradition hearing for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gets underway in London, his legal adviser, Jennifer Robinson, says the case could set a chilling precedent for press freedoms around the world. "He faces 175 years in prison for doing his job as a journalist and a publisher. That's why this case is so dangerous," says Robinson. Assange faces numerous charges, including under the U.S. Espionage Act, related to the release of diplomatic cables pu…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-09). Protests follow yet another custodial death in Egypt. peoplesdispatch.org 26-year-old Islam Al-Ostraly was arrested after an an argument with a police officer last week. While the police claim that he fell ill in prison and died of a 'circulatory attack, signs of extreme torture were reportedly found on his body…