News and Commentary

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.

By Kathleen McClellan - Jesselyn Radack: Salon.com It happened under Trump — and under Obama: The U.S. is using bad law to crack down on investigative journalism

Deutsche Welle: DW.com German Chancellor Scholz voices opposition to the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the US, stressing the importance of fair treatment. He calls on UK courts to ensure Assange's rights are protected.

Kevin Gosztola: The Dissenter Drone whistleblower Daniel Hale was released from prison in February after spending 33 months in some of the harshest confinement conditions ever imposed on a person for disclosing classified information to the press. Hale remains in federal custody but is living in home confinement until July. Though President Donald Trump’s Justice Department indicted Hale, his case became the first major Espionage Act conviction secured by prosecutors under President Joe Biden.

U.S. Press Freedom Tracker Florida-based independent journalist Tim Burke was charged by the Justice Department with 14 felony counts alleging conspiracy, wiretapping and violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, in an indictment unsealed on Feb. 21, 2024. FBI agents raided Burke’s home and office in May 2023 in connection to a criminal probe […]

By Chip Gibbons: Jacobin.com In Julian Assange’s ongoing extradition battle in the UK, the United States is asserting its right to track down any journalist anywhere in the world, seize them, haul them to the US, and throw them into a US prison.

By Jeffrey Sterling: ProgressiveHub.net Much like prison visiting rules, use of the Espionage Act is arbitrary and punitive. Justice or security have nothing to do with it.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Center Spying has been a practice of the U.S. government since its inception. Gathering intelligence is justified because it helps uncover malicious actions that could endanger the safety of Americans and people around the world. However, in many instances intelligence is gathered unlawfully on individuals who have no harmful intentions and in violation of Americans’ Fourth Amendment right to privacy. This explainer breaks down the various illegal spying practices the U.S. conducts and the reforms needed to ensure constitutional integrity.

DavidSwanson.org This week on Talk World Radio, we’re discussing whistleblowers and Julian Assange and Iran and Palestine with RootsAction Whistleblower Advocate Jeffrey Sterling.