(2021-01-11). What Assange's Victory Really Means. counterpunch.org 
The 10-year campaign by the US government to criminalise reporting critical of its actions has failed in rather peculiar circumstances, with the unexpected decision by the court in London to reject the US demand for Julian Assange's extradition. Judge Vanessa Baraitser gave as the reason for her decision Assange's mental health and possible suicide risk,
(2021-01-11). As 'Dark Stain' of Guant√°namo Begins 20th Year, Groups Demand Biden Close Offshore Prison. commondreams.org "Biden must reaffirm his commitment to closure and take the necessary action to accomplish it before we have to mark the 20th anniversary next year," says the Center for Constitutional Rights. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/huovu_ou.jpg …
(2021-01-11). Guant√°namo Advocates Condemn 19th Anniversary of Indefinite Detention. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-01-10). UN torture expert on Julian Assange's persecution and the lies behind it. thegrayzone.com As a UK judge rejects Julian Assange's extradition but keeps him caged in Belmarsh prison, UN Special Rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer discusses Assange's persecution and the lies used to wage it. A UK judge has rejected a US attempt to extradite Julian Assange, citing the Wikileaks founder's risk of suicide and the poor conditions of US prisons. But Judge Vanessa Baraitser accepted the basis for the US government's espionage case against Assange and ruled against releasing him on bail. …
(2021-01-10). Letter: The demonisation of Assange paves the way for more rape and murder by the State. thecanary.co We are relieved the court ruled not to extradite Julian Assange to the US. His immediate release from Belmarsh, classified as torture by the UN Special Rapporteur, especially under coronavirus, must follow. The refusal of bail must be reversed immediately. | As an anti-rape organisation, we resent the original use of alleged sex offences to facilitate Assange's extradition to the US via Sweden. Knowing the evidence, that case was never viable, but it initiated and fuelled a witch-hunt against Assange and diverted from the real target: his Wikileaks reporting. | Assange and Chelsea Manning exposed rape, torture, a…
(2021-01-10). Assange Ruling Is A Blow Against A Free Press — A Closer Look. popularresistance.org Judge Vanessa Baraitser's decision to prevent Julian Assange's extradition to the United States to face trial on espionage-related criminal charges is a partial victory for Assange, his family, and his supporters. Baraitser was not satisfied that US prison authorities would be able to prevent the award-winning journalist from taking his life, given the conditions of solitary confinement and isolation that he would likely face during pre-trial detention and in the event of his conviction. | However, in her ruling, the judge made clear that Assange would have been extradited, if it weren't for his "substantial risk…
(2021-01-10). Snowden Warns Against Trump Social Media Ban. popularresistance.org NSA whistleblower and internet freedom advocate Edward Snowden has cautioned the public against celebrating President Trump's recent social media ban. "I know a lot of folks in the comments [who] read this are like 'YAAAAS,' which, like — I get it. But imagine for a moment a world that exists for more than the next 13 days, and this becomes a milestone that will endure," he wrote on Twitter. Both Facebook and Twitter announced they would prevent the president from using their services in the light of his incitement of the storming of the Capitol Building on Wednesday. Twitter has since reversed its decision…
(2021-01-09). Judge's ruling in Assange's extradition case could be seen as a declaration of war on journalists. thecanary.co On 4 January 2021, judge Vanessa Baraitser
(2021-01-08). COVID Scientist Rebekah Jones Condemns Armed Police Raid on Her Home & Florida's Pandemic Response. democracynow.org 
As Florida sets new records for daily coronavirus cases, we speak with a whistleblower who was fired in May from the Florida Department of Health after she refused to censor information about the state's COVID-19 outbreak. Rebekah Jones is a data scientist who helped build Florida's coronavirus tracking dashboard, and she says her termination came after she refused to manipulate data to support the state's reopening. In December, police raided Jones's home in Tallahassee, seizing her computer and phone and holding her family at gunpoint, as part of an alleged investigation into a hacking of the Florida Health Dep…
(2021-01-08). Battleground Baltimore, Jan. 8. therealnews.com 
Local leaders react to the insurrection that happened just 45 minutes away in Washington. D.C.; why a move to end home detention fees might not go far enough; and a "spy plane" that has been flying in Baltimore (ostensibly to solve crime) is headed for St. Louis.