News and Commentary

By Maya Schenwar, Negin Owliaei, Ziggy West Jeffery -- Truthout Trump’s attacks on press freedom aren’t separate from his attacks on oppressed communities. We must resist them all.

Press Release -- ACLU.org BROOKLYN, N.Y. — In a long-awaited ruling in United States v. Hasbajrami, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York last night held that warrantless queries — or searches — conducted under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act violated the Fourth Amendment. The ruling is the first of its kind, and it follows years of public revelations about how Section 702 has been used by the government to conduct warrantless surveillance of Americans, including protesters, members of Congress, and journalists.

Defending Rights and Dissent Newsletter In November, CIA employee Asif Rahman was charged with violating the Espionage Act. The US government alleged that he disclosed two documents revealing American military assessments of Israel’s plan to strike Iran. Rahman has pleaded not guilty.

By Chip Gibbons: thedissenter.org A U.S. magistrate judge rejected the government's request to hold CIA employee Asif Rahman in jail

Institute for Public Accuracy The U.S. government claims that CIA analyst Asif Rahman's alleged disclosure of Israel's reported plans to attack Iran caused it to delay the attack.

By Norman Solomon: TomDispatch While he can no longer speak to the world about the latest developments, Ellsberg will continue to speak directly to hearts and minds about the extreme evils of our time—and the potential for overcoming them with love in action.

Video: Jeffrey Sterling was a CIA whistleblower. He is an attorney and an advocate for other whistleblowers. We discussed his experience, the problem of excessive secrecy, and the importance of whistleblowers to civil society.

By Patrick G. Eddington -- CATO Institute Get ready for another one of those “Congress is trying to pull a fast one” stories … and if you work for or financially support one or more nonprofits, you’ll want to read on. Congressional sources have informed Cato that an extremely controversial tax code bill that could be used to target politically disfavored nonprofits that has already passed the House may get a Senate vote this week. First, some important background information.

By Jeffrey Sterling: Progressive Hub This was to be my first trip abroad in a very long time, certainly the first time since being released from prison.

The Committee to Protect Journalists Dear Attorney General Garland, We, the undersigned coalition of press freedom, civil liberties, and international human rights organizations, write to express acute concern about the Justice Department’s ongoing criminal and extradition proceedings relating to Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, under the Espionage Act and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.