News and Commentary

by Maximillian Alvarez: The Real News Network Last week, The Real News Network published a bombshell interview with two federal whistleblowers working in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez spoke with Paul Osadebe and Palmer Heenan, two attorneys in HUD’s Office of Fair Housing, about the “chaos” that has upended HUD under the new Trump administration, and the vulnerable Americans who are being systematically abandoned as a result.

By Nikita Mazurov: The Intercept Want to expose wrongdoing in the U.S. government? Take these steps to keep yourself safe.

Committee to Protect Journalists More journalists were killed in 2024 than in any other year since the Committee to Protect Journalists began collecting data more than three decades ago. At least 124 journalists and media workers were killed last year, nearly two-thirds of them Palestinians killed by Israel.

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.