Critical Hour Discussion of Assange Extradition, Military Budget, End of Unipolarity (6/17/2022)

My discussion with Wilmer Leon. Garland Nixon and Steve Poikonen on the Critical Hour weekly panel on Friday, discussing Priti Patel’s disgraceful decision to extradite Julian Assange, the lingering, delusional US assumption of superiority that is running into the wall of reality, the self-sacrifice of poodle European counties tagging along with it, and other delights.

Critical_Hour_997_Seg_4 (17 Jun 2022)

Critical Hour Discussion of Assange Case in Historical Context (7/6/2021)

 Russia Nuclear Negotiator says US Must "Stop Hitting 3 Birds With 1 Stone."

My segment starts at ~56:47

Listen to "Russia Nuclear Negotiator says US Must "Stop Hitting 3 Birds With 1 Stone."" on Spreaker.

[My related articles: Avoiding Assange and Swedish Sex Pistol Aimed at Assange]

Michael Springmann, former American diplomat and political analyst, joins us to discuss the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the fact that some parties want to "hit three birds with one stone." The Russian ambassador to international organizations in Vienna tweeted, “In the context of #ViennaTalks some analysts and officials advocate for addressing new topics such as regional security and missiles. An attempt to hit 3 birds with 1 stone. Unrealistic and counterproductive. The agreed goal of the talks is just to restore the original #JCPOA.”

Julie Varughese, solidarity network coordinator for Black Alliance for Peace, joins us to discuss Afghanistan. Over 1,000 Afghan soldiers fled into Tajikistan yesterday as Taliban insurgents marched into northern Afghanistan.

Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss the US Air Force awarding a $2 billion contract to develop the Pentagon's new air-launched nuclear cruise missile. The missile, named the Long Range Stand Off weapon (LRSO), is expected to be completed in February 2027.

Karen Spring, a Honduras-based human rights defender, researcher and coordinator for the Honduras Solidarity Network, joins us to discuss the Berta Caceres murder trial. According to a report in The Guardian, the Tegucigalpa high court found David Castillo Mejia, a Honduran businessman and former military intelligence officer, guilty for the March 2016 murder of indigenous environmental activist Berta Caceres.

Jim Kavanagh, writer at thepolemicist.com and CounterPunch, joins us to talk about Julian Assange. Today, Consortium News began a six-part series on Julian Assange and the Espionage Act, prefacing that "the United States has found ways to deny the rights of a free press when it is politically expedient to do so."

Critical Hour Discussion of DOJ Leak Investigations and Ongoing Plight of Julian Assange (6/17/2021)

Biden and Putin say Talks Went Well; Senate to Vote on AUMF; Russia and China Work on Space Program

Jim Kavanagh joins us to discuss Julian Assange. Trevor Timm, the executive director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, has penned an article on Consortium News in which he discusses the attempt by the Biden administration to criminalize news gathering in the case against Julian Assange. Also, Boris Johnson has been railing about the free media while he supports the persecution of Assange.

My segment begins at ~86:50

Listen to "Biden and Putin say Talks Went Well; Senate to Vote on AUMF; Russia and China Work on Space Program" on Spreaker.

[My related articles: Avoiding Assange and Swedish Sex Pistol Aimed at Assange]

The Critical Hour is a daily 60-minute hard-hitting news analysis and talk radio program hosted by Dr. Wilmer Leon & Garland Nixon.

Critical Hour Discussion of Reality Winner, Julian Assange, & Press Freedom (6/15/2021)

Biden/Putin Agenda Set; Biden Reveals Plans for "Domestic Extremism"; VP Flops in South America

Jim Kavanagh, author of "The American Farce Unravels: Shreds of January 6th," and writer at thepolemicist.net and Counter Punch, joins us to discuss Reality Winner. News reports say that Winner has been transferred to a halfway house and may soon have the option of home detention. Winner was arrested in 2017 and convicted of releasing classified material.

My segment begins ~89:00

Listen to "Biden/Putin Agenda Set; Biden Reveals Plans for "Domestic Extremism"; VP Flops in South America" on Spreaker.

[My related articles: Avoiding Assange and Swedish Sex Pistol Aimed at Assange] 

The Critical Hour is a daily 60-minute hard-hitting news analysis and talk radio program hosted by Dr. Wilmer Leon & Garland Nixon.

Speaking at NYC Free Assange Demo in Washington Square (9/7/2020)

From Jordan Chariton of Status Coup, who covered the demo live. I speak at 20:48 & 40:11.

Julian Assange Extradition Hearing--Jordan LIVE From NYC Rally https://t.co/nBDmW7n1WG

— Status Coup (@StatusCoup) September 7, 2020

[My related articles: Avoiding Assange and Swedish Sex Pistol Aimed at Assange] 

Interview with Newsdive Radio on Assange Extradtion Hearing (9/8/2020)

Journalism On Trial

Sam Carliner interviews political writer and press freedom activist Jim Kavanagh about how the extradition hearing of Julian Assange came to be and why it poses a threat for journalists.

[My related articles: Avoiding Assange and Swedish Sex Pistol Aimed at Assange]

The world of journalism is in a nosedive of monopolization and propaganda! Newsdive with Sam Carliner seeks to correct this by covering under-reported stories in the news cycle, platforming independent journalists and perspectives you won't see in mainstream media, and dunking on talking heads who give reporters a bad name.

Week in Review Discussion on The Critical Hour (11/22/2019)

As Dems' Impeachment Marathon Wraps Up, the Counterattack Begins

On Thursday, House Democrats concluded their 72-hour impeachathon with testimony from two witnesses: Fiona Hill, a former National Security Council adviser on Russia, and David Holmes, a counselor in the US Embassy in Ukraine, who backed up the allegations that US President Donald Trump conditioned military aid and a White House meeting for Ukraine on Kiev opening an investigation into former US Vice President Joe Biden, who may face Trump in the 2020 US presidential election, and his son Hunter. Have the Democrats been able to present a case to the American people that will impact how they vote in 2020? Has the needle been moved, or without a conviction in the Senate, will they have shot themselves in the foot? Does Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani need to look both ways twice before crossing the street so he can avoid being hit by the bus they are trying to throw him under? Is it possible that when this gets to the Senate that former National Security Adviser John Bolton will flip on the president and spill the beans?
[Related articles: The Empire Steps Back: Trump Withdraws From Syria – Impeachment Now Possible; Dead Man’s Hand: The Impeachment Gambit]

Week in Review Discussion on The Critical Hour (6/14/19)

Assange Extradition Trial Scheduled For February, Will Justice Be Served?

A London court will decide in February whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be extradited to the US to face 18 criminal charges in connection with the leak of thousands of classified documents relating to US military activity in Iraq and Afghanistan. Assange appeared at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court Friday by video link from Belmarsh Prison, where he is currently serving a 50-week sentence for skipping bail and fleeing to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012. It’s interesting to me that Assange told the London court he had not seen the latest indictment containing 18 US allegations against him.
[My related articles: Avoiding Assange and Swedish Sex Pistol Aimed at Assange]

Week in Review Discussion on The Critical Hour (5/31/19)

Vault 7 Charges Not Pursued For Assange, But He Still Faces Life For Espionage

On this episode of The Critical Hour, Dr. Wilmer Leon is joined by Lee Stranahan, co-host of Fault Lines on Sputnik Radio; Daniel Lazare, journalist and author of "The Frozen Republic," "The Velvet Coup" and "America's Undeclared War"; and Jim Kavanagh, editor of The Polemicist. 

The Justice Department has decided not to charge Julian Assange for his role in exposing some of the CIA’s most secret spying tools, according to a US official and two other people familiar with the case. So instead, the Justice Department will go after Assange on the one count for allegedly assisting Chelsea Manning and the 17-count Espionage Act indictment. According to Politico, there are no plans to bring any additional indictments prior to his extradition. Is this as big a concession as many believe? 

[My related articles: Avoiding Assange and Swedish Sex Pistol Aimed at Assange]

Swedish Sex Pistol Aimed at Assange

ExtremeTech

In my article, Avoiding Assange, a month ago, right after the first US indictment was issued, I addressed two diversionary arguments that I knew would be used by those who want to hide their complicity with American imperialism under leftish cover—that is, those who don't want to be seen as endorsing the United States government’s prosecution of Assange for, and intimidation of every journalist in the world from, reporting the embarrassing truth about American war crimes, but who also don't really want to stand in the way of Assange’s extradition to the United States.

Week in Review Discussion on The Critical Hour (5/24/19)

Federal Judge Writes “Here We Go Again” as He Blocks Mississippi Abortion Law

It’s Friday, so that means it's panel time. 

A federal judge today issued a preliminary injunction blocking Mississippi's fetal heartbeat anti-abortion law from going into effect, saying it infringes on women's health care rights. “Here we go again. Mississippi has passed another law banning abortions prior to viability,” Judge Carlton Reeves wrote in his order. "By banning abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, SB 226 prevents a woman’s free choice, which is central to personal dignity and autonomy.” The Mississippi ban prohibited abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, or around six weeks into pregnancy. Governor Phil Bryant signed the bill into law in March. The lawsuit leading to the injunction was filed by the Jackson Women's Health Organization against Thomas Dobbs, the state health officer of Mississippi.

After defying political gravity for three years, Theresa May brought her tortured tenure as UK prime minister to a close Friday. "I will shortly leave the job that it has been the honor of my life to hold," she said outside Downing Street, her voice quivering in the morning sunshine. And with that, she's off - or at least she will be later in the summer, once a new Conservative leader is elected. We knew it was imminent, but to me, it is still a surprise.
[My related article: For What It’s Worth: The Yellow Vests and the Left]

The US government is stressing that Julian Assange is no journalist after bringing an 18-count indictment against the co-founder of WikiLeaks. Federal prosecutors are accusing Assange of violating the Espionage Act in working with a former Army intelligence analyst to obtain and distribute classified information. That worries some professional journalists because it's close to what they do. Assange remains in jail in London after being evicted from the Ecuadorian Embassy there. 
[My related article: Avoiding Assange]

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notified lawmakers Friday that US President Donald Trump is invoking his emergency authority to sidestep Congress and complete 22 arms deals that would benefit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries, despite lawmakers’ objections to the transactions. Both Republicans and Democrats urged the Trump administration this week not to take the rare step of exploiting a legal window to push through deals - worth about $8 billion, according to congressional aides - that lawmakers have blocked from being finalized. You know, it was Wall Street who was happy and well cared for during the Obama administration. Now it seems like the war machine, the military industrial complex and the arms manufacturers are being so well cared Saufor.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Thursday acknowledged that the growing tensions with Iran “may involve sending additional troops” to the region. Shanahan's comments marked the first public confirmation that the Trump administration is considering sending additional US forces to curtail what it claims are “troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Iran. The Pentagon has already deployed a carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East, and news reports emerged this week that Shanahan on Thursday was set to present the White House with a request to deploy 10,000 troops to the Middle East. An earlier report said that the US could send upwards of 120,000 additional troops.

GUESTS: 

Dr. Jack Rasmus — Professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of "Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression."

Jim Kavanagh — Political analyst and commentator and editor of The Polemicist.

Caleb Maupin — Journalist and political analyst who focuses his coverage on US foreign policy and the global system of monopoly capitalism and imperialism.

Listen to "Federal Judge Writes “Here We Go Again” as He Blocks Mississippi Abortion Law" on Spreaker.

The Critical Hour is a daily 60-minute news analysis and talk radio program on Radio Sputnik hosted by Dr. Wilmer Leon. Introduction above is theirs, with related articles of mine referenced in brackets.

Discussion of Julian Assange Extradition Hearing on The Critical Hour (5/2/2019)

Dems Run Out Of Steam, Accuse AG William Barr Of Lying And Hiding

On this episode of The Critical Hour, Dr. Wilmer Leon is joined by Daniel Lazare, journalist and author of three books: "The Frozen Republic," "The Velvet Coup" and "America's Undeclared War."

Loud & Clear Discussion on Day of Assange Extradtion Hearing (5/2/2019)

Will the UK Extradite Assange?

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net.

Julian Assange today appeared in a London court by videolink for a preliminary hearing to fight his extradition to the United States. A judge asked Assange if he was prepared to surrender himself for extradition. He replied, “I do not wish to surrender myself for extradition for doing journalism that’s won many, many awards and affected many people.” An attorney representing the US government then asked for a formal extradition hearing on June 12.
[My related article: Avoiding Assange]

Listen to "Will the UK Extradite Assange?" on Spreaker.

Loud & Clear is a daily program of news, commentary, and political analysis on Radio Sputnik, hosted by Brian Becker and John Kiriakou, featuring independent experts, activists, and political writers. (Introduction above is theirs, with related articles of mine referenced in brackets.)

Week in Review Discussion on The Critical Hour (4/26/2019)

On this episode of The Critical Hour, Dr. Wilmer Leon is joined by Jon Jeter, author, two-time Pulitzer Prize, former Washington Post bureau chief and award-winning foreign correspondent; and Jim Kavanagh, political analyst and commentator and editor of The Polemicist.

The United States government is seeking to extradite and prosecute Julian Assange for one reason: to punish him for publishing true and embarrassing information about US crimes and intimidate every journalist in the world from doing so again. If the US government succeeds in doing this, it will strike a devastating blow to the fundamental elements of democracy throughout the world — the freedom of the press and the related ability of citizens to know what their governments are doing. 
[My related article: Avoiding Assange]

Avoiding Assange

The United States government is seeking to extradite and prosecute Julian Assange for one reason: to punish him for publishing true and embarrassing information about US crimes and intimidate every journalist in the world from doing so again.

If the US government succeeds in doing this, it will strike a devastating blow to the fundamental elements of democracy throughout the world—the freedom of the press and the related ability of citizens to know what their governments are doing.

I say “throughout the world” because It's important to understand that the US government in this case is asserting its prosecutorial authority over someone who is not an American and whose journalistic activity took place outside the United States. The United States is demonstrating its ability to get a foreign government to arrest and extradite journalists who are neither Americans nor citizens of its own country and send them off to the United States to face charges under American law. It's not only a brazen attempt to quash press freedoms; it's a further extension of the United States’ arrogant assertion of extra-territorial—indeed, universal—jurisdiction of its laws.

As Jonathan Cook says, those who accept this have “signed off on the right of the US authorities to seize any foreign journalist, anywhere in the world, and lock him or her out of sight. They opened the door to a new, special form of rendition for journalists.”

Week in Review Discussion on The Critical Hour (4/19/2019)

Mueller Report Reveals Trump's Lies And Deception, But Not Collusion

Attorney General William Barr on Thursday released a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report, entitled “Report on The Investigation Into Russian interference in the 2016 election,” to Congress and the public. Before the report was released, Barr held a press conference or what appeared to be more of a spin session with reporters. "The report did not exonerate the president" – here I think it’s important for people to understand the difference between the criminal side of this investigation and the impeachment side of this investigation. Mueller whiffed on a crucial legal question. The special counsel’s report spans more than 400 pages. However, only 12 pages are dedicated to a critical question: Can the federal obstruction of justice statute apply to the president? Mueller treated this question—which is separate from whether a sitting president can be indicted—in an underwhelming fashion. He had simply concluded that the obstruction statute does not apply to the president. There is no reason to detail whether the president violated federal law, if the federal law does not apply to the president.

[My related article: Investigation Nation: Mueller, Russiagate, and Fake Politics] 

The rector for Notre Dame Cathedral says a "computer glitch" may have been the cause of the massive fire on Monday. Rector Patrick Chauvet did not elaborate on the glitch but added that investigators may find out what happened in two or three months. On Thursday, investigators said they think an electrical short-circuit most likely caused the fire. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to set out reconstruction ideas Friday while meeting with officials from the United Nations' cultural agency. 

Week in Review Discussion on The Critical Hour (4/5/2019)

Rumors Abound: Will WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Be Extradited to the US?

It’s Friday, so that means it’s panel time.