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Julian Assange extradition hearing sees US attack bravery, press freedom

The Grayzone A hearing on the US effort to extradite Julian Assange for charges brought under the Espionage Act has begun in London. Satirist and broadcaster Randy Credico, a friend of Assange, discusses the stakes involved: an unprecedented assault on press freedom and a media publisher who has exposed the crimes and secrets of the US establishment. 

REVEALED: Chief magistrate in Assange case received financial benefits from secretive partner organisations of UK Foreign Office

The senior judge overseeing the extradition proceedings of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange received financial benefits from two partner organisations of the British Foreign Office before her appointment, it can be revealed. by Matt Kennard and Mark Curtis  Part 2 - The Arbuthnots and Liz Truss Tertulias’ annual meetings between the UK and Spain have been held since 1989 but the organisation has no public presence and provides no record of events. Declassified found that its current president is Jose de Areilza, a Spanish law professor who is also a board member of the Spanish Ministry of Defence. Lord Arbuthnot records that he became the unpaid chair of Tertulias in 2012, at which time he was also chair of parliament’s Defence Committee. Arbuthnot was then also a member of the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy and chair of Conservative Friends of Israel. In October 2014, Liz Truss, who was then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (

US imperialism in Nicaragua and the making of Sandino

Part 2 - US' “Good Men” in Nicaragua By the nineteenth century, the U.S. was prepping itself to become the new dominant empire in the world. A newfound power that was especially felt in Latin America, a region the North Americans consider theirs by belief in the manifest destiny, which in turn was materialized in the Monroe Doctrine (1823). This way the U.S. assumed their role of self-declared caretakers of the American continent. But it wasn’t until President Theodore Roosevelt (1901 - 1909) that the reach of U.S. imperialism, in Central America specifically, would take its most modern configuration.  With the new imperialist sense, the U.S. reaffirmed its foreign policy through Roosevelt’s 1904 Corollary, which was was an addition and interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine presented after the European naval blockade to Venezuela in 1902–1903. The corollary states that the U.S. will intervene in Latin American if the rights or property of U.S. citizens or businesses are th

The British government’s covert propaganda campaign in Syria

Documents obtained by MEE reveal how British contractors recruited Syrian citizen journalists - often without their knowledge - to promote 'moderate opposition' by Ian Cobain, Alice Ross Part 2 - Three-pronged campaign The British government’s citizen journalism project was part of a three-pronged propaganda initiative that was developed in London and was, according to the documents, intended to “ have a synergistic effect ”. The first strand, named Syrian Identity, sought to “ unite Syrians through positive affirmation of common cultures and practices and to restore trust between neighbours, while illustrating Syrians’ strength in numbers, ” according to the blueprint. The documents explain that the second strand, called Free Syria, “ seeks to build confidence in a future Syria free from extremist rule ". It " amplifies the work of the ‘free’ police, civil defence teams and wider public service provision and broader developments in civil soc

Assange extradition hearing starts at Woolwich court in London

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Sanders' victory in Nevada is a wake up moment for the American power establishment

In an appearance on MSNBC Sunday morning just hours after Sen. Bernie Sanders' decisive victory in the Nevada Democratic presidential caucus, author and political commentator Anand Giridharadas said the senator's win could represent the dawn of " a new era in American life " and called out establishment forces—including MSNBC—for reacting like " out-of-touch aristocrats in a dying aristocracy. " " Last night was a historic win that I think a lot of us are still struggling to understand, " said Giridharadas. " Something is happening in America right now that actually does not fit our mental models. It certainly doesn't fit the mental models of a lot of people on TV. " MSNBC's Nicole Wallace admitted as much Saturday evening, lamenting that she has " no idea what voters think about anything anymore " following Sanders' overwhelming caucus victory, powered by the mobilization of a diverse coalition of voters ac

MSNBC in 'full-blown freakout' mode as Bernie Sanders cements status as Democratic frontrunner

As it became clear Saturday evening that Sen. Bernie Sanders would run away with the Nevada caucus and secure his position as the frontrunner in the Democratic presidential primary, MSNBC anchors and contributors lashed out at the senator and his supporters in bizarre and sometimes hysterical fashion, descending into what one observer could only describe as a " full-blown freakout. " Earlier in the Democratic primary process, the Comcast-owned network was notorious for ignoring the senator from Vermont, and covering him negatively when it covered him at all. But Saturday marked a clear escalation in hostility from MSNBC's on-air personalities as Sanders' diverse coalition of supporters propelled him to a landslide victory in Nevada, the third consecutive state in which the senator has won the popular vote. Nicole Wallace, former communications director for the George W. Bush White House, described Sanders' multi-racial, multi-generational coalition as

Roger Waters: Washington DC have decided they want Julian Assange killed!

Going Underground on RT Legendary former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters speaks to Afshin Rattansi about the persecution of Julian Assange, ahead of Julian's upcoming extradition trial. He discusses why he believes Washington DC is seeking to imprison Julian Assange for 175 years.

Turkey, US protect Al Qaeda in Idlib and worsen Syria's suffering

The Grayzone Idlib is facing a humanitarian disaster as hundreds of thousands flee a Syrian and Russian military campaign to retake the province from militant rule. Overlooked in Western coverage of the crisis is that Idlib is mostly controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a rebranded affiliate of Al-Qaeda -- and that Turkey, with U.S. backing, has intervened to keep the extremist group in place.

REVEALED: Chief magistrate in Assange case received financial benefits from secretive partner organisations of UK Foreign Office

The senior judge overseeing the extradition proceedings of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange received financial benefits from two partner organisations of the British Foreign Office before her appointment, it can be revealed. by Matt Kennard and Mark Curtis  Part 1 It can further be revealed that Lady Emma Arbuthnot was appointed Chief Magistrate in Westminster on the advice of a Conservative government minister with whom she had attended a secretive meeting organised by one of these Foreign Office partner organisations two years before. Liz Truss, then Justice Secretary, “advised” the Queen to appoint Lady Arbuthnot in October 2016. Two years before, Truss — who is now Trade Secretary — and Lady Arbuthnot both attended an off-the-record two-day meeting in Bilbao, Spain.  The expenses were covered by an organisation called Tertulias, chaired by Lady Arbuthnot’s husband — Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom, a former Conservative defence minister with extensive links to the Br