Assange Indictment: A Threat to the Foundation of US Democracy?

A panel discussion between FAIR's Jeff Cohen and Jacqueline Luqman, with host Marc Steiner examines whether this is the beginning of an attempt to stop investigative journalists from working with whistleblowers and exposing corruption

Paul Craig Roberts Interview on Julian Assange Arrest, Brexit, Venezuela

My talk with Paul Craig Roberts, secretary to the treasury with Ronald Reagan, about the brutal arrest of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange at the Equadorian Embassy today, we also discuss the suppression of freedom of speech, the Washington coup in Venezuela, and the Brexit façade.

Italy: Steve Bannon's Populist Academy in the Trisulti Monastery | Focus on Europe

Former advisor to US President Donald Trump, Steve Bannon and British right-wing founder of the Dignitatis Humanae Institute have transformed the medieval Trisulti monastery into an academy for nationalist and identitarian populism. Are they lookng to find a right-wing answer to George Soros' Open Society Foundation by emulating it?

Democracy Now! US Trying to Make Assange “Suffer” for Publishing Secrets, His Former Lawyer Says

British human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, who formerly represented Julian Assange, says the WikiLeaks founder has made many enemies, including the governments of Ecuador, Australia, the UK and US."

At the end of the day, you come down to the question of free speech, whether it’s right that a publisher who has received information from sources who want it published ... should be jailed and punished for the efforts he’s made on behalf of free speech," says Robertson.

Marlene Dietrich - No Angel - A Life of Marlene Dietrich

No Angel - A Life of Marlene Dietrich - Documentary

What Does Julian Face in the US? Chris Hedges Explains

Will Julian Assange Be Extradited? | Inside Story

WikiLeaks founder faces an uncertain future after being kicked out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London. For 2,487 days, Julian Assange was within touching distance of the British police, but was always untouchable.

Assange was an unintended guest of the Ecuadorian embassy in London, as he tried to avoid angry governments and accusations of sexual assault and hacking. But on Thursday that all changed, as Ecuador revoked his political asylum, and then allowed police into the embassy, where he was arrested on the spot.

It's a complicated story because there are many allegations across multiple countries. Some have been dropped on technicalities. This first arrest, dramatically played out in front of the media, was for breaching bail and could mean 12 months in prison. But then later Assange was arrested again at the request of the United States, which wants him extradited.

Is this all about freedom of speech? Or about a man hiding from charges against him?

Presenter: Kamahl Santamaria | Guests: Michael Patchett-Joyce, barrister in International and European law; Claire Finkelstein, Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School; Vaughan Smith, freelance journalist and personal friend of Julian Assange

John Pilger: Julian Assange Exposed US' 'Kill Them All' Mentality!

We speak to legendary journalist and film-maker John Pilger who discusses the arrest of Julian Assange after his asylum status was revoked by Lenin Moreno of Ecuador and subsequent removal from the Ecuadorian Embassy. He discusses the importance of Wikileaks’ work, why it is a threat to the United States, the danger the arrest poses to journalists everywhere and the possibility of extradition to the US.

Amerika und Julian Assange: Aktivist, Journalist, Hochverräter?

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Seit Julian Assanges Festnahme ist in den Vereinigten Staaten die Diskussion über die Grenzen der Pressefreiheit neu entbrannt. Donald Trumps Haltung in der Sache ist eindeutig uneindeutig.

Heldenhafter Freiheitskämpfer oder terroristischer Hochverräter? Mit der Festnahme von Julian Assange, die aller Voraussicht nach in seine Auslieferung an die Vereinigten Staaten münden wird, ist in Amerika abermals eine heftige Diskussion um den Wikileaks-Gründer entbrannt. Ob Assange als Held oder Verräter gilt, hängt ganz davon ab, ob die Veröffentlichungen des Australiers als Journalismus eingestuft werden – wie er und seine Befürworter es stets für Wikileaks reklamiert haben. » von Nina Rehfeld, Phoenix | Samstag, 13. April 2019

Steve Bannon ‘Told Italy’s Populist Leader: Pope Francis Is the Enemy’

THE GUARDIAN: Trump’s ex-strategist advised Matteo Salvini ‘to target pontiff’s stance on plight of refugees’

Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon advised Italy’s interior minister Matteo Salvini to attack the pope over the issue of migration, according to sources close to the Italian far right.

During a meeting in Washington in April 2016, Bannon – who would within a few months take up his role as head of Trump’s presidential campaign – suggested the leader of Italy’s anti-immigration League party should start openly targeting Pope Francis, who has made the plight of refugees a cornerstone of his papacy.

“Bannon advised Salvini himself that the actual pope is a sort of enemy. He suggested for sure to attack, frontally,” said a senior League insider with knowledge of the meeting in an interview with the website SourceMaterial. » | Mark Townsend, Home affairs editor | Saturday, April 13, 2019

1944: Language Does Not Lie

Under arrest: The Future of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks | The Listening Post (Full)

Hillary Clinton: Julian Assange Must 'Answer for What He Has Done'

Hillary Clinton told an event in New York that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's arrest was not about 'punishing journalism', and that he should be held to account for the charges against him. WikiLeaks released a cache of hacked Democratic Party emails that embarrassed Clinton's campaign during the 2016 presidential election.

Chomsky: Arrest of Assange Is “Scandalous” and Highlights Shocking Extra-territorial Reach of US

Attorneys for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange are vowing to fight his possible extradition to the United States following his arrest in London, when British police forcibly removed Assange from the Ecuadorean Embassy, where he had taken asylum for almost seven years. On Thursday night, Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman spoke to Noam Chomsky about Assange's arrest, WikiLeaks and American power.

Robert Reich: Closing the Border to Mexico Is "Insane"

$1.5 billion dollars per day cross the US-Mexico border and closing it, as Trump has proposed would be "cataclysmic," says former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, whom Laura Carlsen interviewed in Mexico

Tatchell: "Why Is Assange Being Pursued & Not NYT or The Guardian? It Smacks of Double Standards"

"Why is Julian Assange being pursued and not the The New York Times or The Guardian? It smacks of double standards" says Peter Tatchell after Assange is arrested after spending almost 7 years inside Embassy of Ecuador, London.

Craig Murray on Julian Assange: "This Is a Very Important Fight, One We Absolutely Must Win"

"This is a very important fight and it's a fight we absolutely must win" says former British ambassador Craig Murray who believes a 'dishonest game is being played with the courts' over Julian Assange's arrest.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — April 12, 2019

Sandhurst and Cranwell Included in Training of Saudi Arabian Officers

It's been revealed that over 40 Saudi officers have been trained at RAF Cranwell and The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Anti-arms trade activist Tom Franklin believes 'all we're doing is training them to increase the blockade in Yemen'.

Julian Assange's Mother Accuses Theresa May of Using Son to Distract from 'Dog's Breakfast Brexit'

THE TELEGRAPH: Julian Assange's mother has accused Theresa May of using her son's "thuggish" arrest to divert attention from "her Brexit dog's breakfast".

Christine Assange launched her attack on the Prime Minister after Mrs May welcomed the the WikiLeaks founder's arrest after almost seven years of self-confinement inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

Mrs Assange, who pledged to "fight like hell" to clear her son's name, tweeted: "Theresa May trying to divert attention away from her Brexit dog's breakfast by cheering on the thuggish, brutal, unlawful arrest of my courageous, tortured multi-award winning journalist son Julian!"

Speaking in the Commons yesterday, Mrs May declared Assange's arrest showed "no one is above the law" in Britain. » | Telegraph Reporters | Friday, April 12, 2019

Daniel Ellsberg On Assange Arrest: The Beginning of the End For Press Freedom

"This is the first indictment of a journalist and editor or publisher...And if it's successful it will not be the last."

Neil Clark: "Julian Assange Has Been Besmirched"

"He has been besmirched" says Neil Clark after Julian Assange shouts 'UK, resist' as he's dragged out of Embassy of Ecuador, London by MET Police officers.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — April 11, 2019

Science and Islam - Islamic Knowledge | Science Documentary | Reel Truth Science

Physicist Jim Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to explore the relationship between science and Islam. Throughout his journey he will tell the story of the leap in scientific knowledge that happened in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries and explain how this knowledge helped establish modern science.

Julian Assange Arrested: What Now for the WikiLeaks Founder?

The Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is in custody tonight after being arrested for allegedly breaching his bail conditions.

WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Arrested

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested by British police in the Ecuadorian embassy where he had been living since 2012 after the Ecuadorian government withdrew his asylum.

Former MI5 Agent on Assange’s Arrest

“His mission has always been very clear, to expose and impose transparency”, says Annie Machon, Former MI5 Agent, following Julian Assange’s arrest.

Julian Assange of WikiLeaks Arrested in London; Faces US Charge Related to Chelsea Manning Leaks

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested in London. Earlier today, British police forcibly removed Assange from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he has been living since 2012. London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement that Assange was arrested on behalf of the United States authorities. The U.S. has charged Assange with helping Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning hack a government computer. The indictment was unsealed shortly after his arrest. We speak to Renata Ávila, a member of Assange’s legal team, as well as British human rights attorney Geoffrey Robertson, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald and former Justice Department attorney Jesselyn Radack.

Glenn Greenwald Calls Julian Assange’s Arrest "A Grave Threat to Press Freedoms"

“It’s the criminalization of journalism by the Trump Justice Department and the gravest threat to press freedom, by far, under the Trump presidency,” says Glenn Greenwald responding to the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. “Every journalist in the world should be raising their voice as loudly as possible to protest and denounce this.”

India | The Land of Jambu Trees

Julian Assange, WikiLeaks Founder, Is Arrested in London

THE NEW YORK TIMES: LONDON — Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who released reams of secret documents that embarrassed the United States government, was arrested by the British police on Thursday at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he had lived since 2012, after Ecuador withdrew the asylum it had granted him.

President Lenín Moreno of Ecuador said on Twitter that his country had decided to stop sheltering Mr. Assange after “his repeated violations to international conventions and daily-life protocols,” a decision that cleared the way for the British authorities to detain him.

The relationship between Mr. Assange and Ecuador has been a rocky one, even as it offered him refuge, and WikiLeaks said last Friday that Ecuador “already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest” and predicted that Mr. Assange would be expelled from the embassy “within ‘hours to days.’ ”

Video footage showed a bearded Mr. Assange being taken down the steps of the red brick embassy in the wealthy area of Knightsbridge in central London by several plainclothes police officers and put into a gray police truck that was waiting to take him away. » | Richard Pérez-Peña | Thursday, April 11, 2019

Kim Jong-un Vows to Deliver 'Serious Blow' over Sanctions

THE GUARDIAN: North Korean leader says ‘hostile forces’ are determined to bring country to its knees

Kim Jong-un has vowed to deliver a “serious blow” to hostile countries he accused of using sanctions to bring the regime “to its knees”, according to the country’s state media.

The North Korean leader’s broadside against measures imposed in response to missile and nuclear programmes comes weeks after his second summit with Donald Trump ended in failure after they disagreed on how to match sanctions relief with progress on denuclearisation.

“We must deal a serious blow to the hostile forces who are mistakenly determined to bring us to our knees with sanctions by advancing the socialist construction to a high level of self-reliance that fits our circumstances and state, based on our own power, technology and resources,” Kim said, according to the state news agency KCNA. » | Justin McCurry and agencies | Thursday, April 11, 2019

Pence Asks UN to Recognize Guaidó in Venezuela

At a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York City, US Vice President Mike Pence called on the UN to recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as president and revoke the credentials of Venezuela’s ambassador. RT’s Dan Cohen has more.

What Kind of Government Will Take Power in Israel? | Inside Story

There is no doubting Benjamin Netanyahu is a political survivor. The Israeli Prime Minister first took office back in 1996, and now in Israel's 2019 election, he's once again in prime position to bring together a ruling coalition.

That's not to say Israel's elections weren't close. They definitely were. But in Israel, politics is all about partnerships, and the way Netanyahu positioned himself before the vote has meant finding support after it, will be far easier for him and his Likud party. So what will it all mean for Israel... and the region?

Presenter: Kamahl Santamaria Guests Akiva Eldar, columnist for Al-Monitor's Israel Pulse... Yossi Mekelberg, Professor in International Relations at Regent's University Mitchell Barak, CEO of Keevoon Global Research, and an adviser to the former Israeli President Shimon Peres.

'Brexit May Be Worse for EU Than UK' Timothy Garton Ash Interview

In an interview with DW, British historian Timothy Garton Ash argued for a long Brexit extension or a soft Brexit, saying a no-deal Brexit could poison relations between the EU and the UK for decades and would be a boon for Europe's populist movements.

Will EU Members Approve Theresa May's Brexit Extension Request?

EU leaders are meeting for a crisis summit in Brussels today to discuss British Prime Minister Theresa May's request for a delay to Brexit. Diplomats say London could be offered a flexible extension of up to a year. If there is no agreement, Britain could crash out of the block on Friday night. Ahead of the meeting, May visited Berlin and Paris to plead her case. But she'll need the support of all 27 EU members to obtain the delay. It seems likely leaders will demand May accept a longer extension than the one she has proposed.

Europäische Union: Ungarn ist verloren

ZEIT ONLINE: Unter Viktor Orbán wird Ungarns Demokratie systematisch zerstört. Hass, Rassismus und das anmaßende Ganoventum der Rechten sind Staatsräson. Die EU ist daran mit schuld.

Beda Magyar ist ein ungarischer Wissenschaftler, der in Budapest an der Zentraleuropäischen Universität (CEU) gearbeitet hat. Diese Hochschule wurde von der ungarischen Regierung mit neuen Anforderungen im Hochschulgesetz unter Druck gesetzt, bis sie sich Ende 2018 gezwungen sah, teilweise nach Wien umzuziehen. Beda Magyar schreibt hier unter Pseudonym, um sich und sein privates und berufliches Umfeld zu schützen. Seine Identität ist der Redaktion bekannt.

Ungarn hat Selbstmord begangen – mit ungeschickter Hilfe der EU und vor den Augen der übrigen, hilflosen EU-Mitglieder. Der Totentanz der Demokratie hat begonnen, wie schon einmal im 20. Jahrhundert: Menschenrechte, Pressefreiheit, die Unabhängigkeit von Justiz, Wissenschaft und Kunst sind wieder zum Spielball der Politik geworden; Fakten und Realitäten werden umgedeutet zu Angriffen auf die nationale Identität; Hass und Gesetzesbruch werden zum moralischen Imperativ erklärt. Dies alles geschieht nicht nur in der EU, sondern die EU hat selbst dazu beigetragen, den Wahngebilden der Rechtsextremen Leben einzuhauchen. Denn um nichts anderes handelt es sich bei der fixen Idee, die Brüsseler Bürokratie stelle eine Bedrohung für Ungarns kulturelle Identität dar. » | Ein Essay von Beda Magyar, Budapest | Dienstag, 09. April 2019

In English: Hungary Is Lost »

Why Is the US Calling Iran's Revolutionary Guard 'Terrorists'? | Inside Story

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard in Iran is both revered and feared. The 150,000 strong élite army answers directly to the Supreme Leader, and controls major businesses in Iran as well. However, it's been accused of destabilising the Middle East.

The United States has designated the force as a terrorist organisation in an unprecedented move. Iran responded by calling US troops in the Middle East terrorists, and threatened to produce more advanced nuclear centrifuges. So what's the objective? And what will be the impact of these unprecedented declarations?

Presenter: Martine Dennis | Guests: Mohammad Marandi - Dean of Faculty of World Studies at the University of Tehran; Trita Parsi - Professor at Georgetown University; Ellie Geranmayeh - Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa programme and Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations

Iran's MPs Don Uniform of Revolutionary Guard in Protest at US

THE GUARDIAN: Tehran responds fiercely to US’s reclassification of its military wing as a terrorist organisation

Politicians in Iran wore Revolutionary Guard uniforms in parliament on Tuesday in protest at the US decision to classify the nation’s military wing as a foreign terrorist organisation.

There were chants of “Death to America” as the president, Hassan Rouhani, declared the guard was “dearer than ever in the hearts of the Iranian nation” and announced countermeasures against the US.

Donald Trump’s move on Monday marked the first time Washington has declared another nation’s military wing a terrorist organisation – in the same category as non-state groups such as Isis or al-Qaida.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, met members of the Revolutionary Guard on Tuesday, telling them: “Americans imagine they are designing and making trouble against the guard – in fact against the revolution and Iran – but their evil designs will not harm [the force]”. » | Bethan McKernan and agencies | Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Has Trump Locked US and Iran into a “Permanent State of Enmity” by Listing IRGC as Terror Group?

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — April 9, 2019

Who Are the Real Terrorists? Trump Intensifies Economic War Against Iran – Wilkerson & Jay

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization on Monday, upping the economic war against Iran, the rift with Europe and China, and preparing conditions for a “military option” - Col. Larry Wilkerson joins Paul Jay

Trump Hires New Legal Team To Protect His Tax Returns

A major fight is brewing between House Democrats and Donald Trump over the president’s tax returns. But Trump isn’t going to sit idly by while Democrats consider subpoenaing these records, and he’s hired a new legal team whose only purpose is to protect those returns and fight off the Democrats. The man is clearly hiding something, we just don’t know what. Is it evidence of criminal activity, or simply embarrassing info that he doesn’t want us to see regarding his REAL net worth? Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.

IS Targets the Philippines | DW Documentary

Is the so-called "Islamic State" aiming to use the Philippines as its bridgehead in Asia? IS took control of the predominantly Muslim city of Marawi in 2017, and it took the Philippine army five months to take it back.

We report from a country that the so-called "Islamic State" apparently wants to use as a bridgehead to spread its ideology in Asia. Marawi's total destruction made the Philippine state look weak and incapable of defending its own territory. The IS fighters may have been defeated, but the grueling house-to-house fighting against a well-equipped army supported by the USA was a propaganda coup for the Caliphate. Martial law still applies on Mindanao, the second largest island in the south of the Philippines where Marawi is located. More than 60,000 of the city’s inhabitants are still living in refugee camps or other emergency shelters, and reconstruction could take years. The terrorist group’s capture of Marawi was the climax to an old, religiously charged conflict that IS did not cause but was able to exploit. A feud between local Muslim inhabitants and Christian colonial rulers and settlers from the north of the archipelago has been smoldering in the south of the Philippines for more than 400 years. Many Muslims still complain about the discrimination they face from a mainly Catholic society, which is an ideal environment for the recruitment of new fighters for jihad. The fact that the Islamists' black flag flew over Marawi for 154 days could boost radical forces throughout the entire region. IS terrorists are also targeting neighboring Indonesia. And Rodrigo Duterte, a president better known for his toughness than his talent for peace making, is pouring fuel on the flames.

US Labels Iran's Élite Revolutionary Guard Corps a 'Terror Group' | Al Jazeera English

The United States designated Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a foreign "terrorist organisation", President Donald Trump said on Monday, marking the first time Washington has formally labelled another country's military a "terrorist" group. Iranian officials have threatened to respond to the move in kind, with legislators reportedly preparing legislation that would label the US military as a "terrorist group", according to Iran's state-run media. Critics have warned that the move could open US military and intelligence officials to similar actions by unfriendly governments. Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett and Rosiland Jordan have more from Washington.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — April 8, 2019

Trump Designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a Foreign Terrorist Group

THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — President Trump said on Monday that he was designating a powerful arm of the Iranian military as a foreign terrorist organization, the first time that the United States had named a part of another nation’s government as such a threat and raising the risk of retaliation against American troops and intelligence officers.

The move, which has been debated at the highest levels within the administration, was imposed on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The military unit has carried out operations across the Middle East, trained Arab Shiite militias and taken part in a wide range of businesses in Iran.

The designation “underscores the fact that Iran’s actions are fundamentally different from those of other governments,” Mr. Trump said in a statement. “This action will significantly expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime. It makes crystal clear the risks of conducting business with, or providing support to, the I.R.G.C.”

The action imposes wide-ranging economic and travel sanctions on the military unit as well as the organizations, companies or individuals that have ties to it — including officials in Iraq, an American ally. Officials in the United States said the broad terrorist designation covers 11 million members of the Iranian group and units in its hierarchy. » | Edward Wong and Eric Schmitt | Monday, April 8, 2019