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“As the world looks to the ongoing U.N. Biodiversity Conference to set the course for nature recovery, we simply cannot afford to fail,” said the head of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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“This isn’t how democracy works,” said Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
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“While others play by the rules, the most powerful nation refuses,” writes George Monbiot. “If this country were a person, we’d call it a psychopath. As it is not a person, we should call it what it is: a rogue state.”
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“It is time for the Biden administration to break from the Trump administration’s decision to indict Assange—a move that was hostile to the media and democracy itself.”
This post was originally published on Common Dreams – Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community.
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“This reckless case out of North Carolina could explode the unifying understanding that power ultimately rests with the people of this country,” one campaigner said of Moore v. Harper.
This post was originally published on Common Dreams – Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community.
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“Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner,” said U.S. President Joe Biden. “She is safe. She is on a plane.”
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Tyler Evans “has dedicated his life to the progressive movement,” says the GoFundMe created for the hospitalized designer. “Now it’s our time to have Tyler’s back when he and his family need it most.”
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“Our collective action is working: Management backed off its attempt to kill our pension and agreed to expand fertility benefits,” the union said of ongoing talks. “But management still barely budged on some of our most important priorities.”
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This story originally appeared in Common Dreams on Dec. 6, 2022. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license.
Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg on Tuesday dared US prosecutors to come after him like they have Julian Assange by revealing in a BBC News interview that the WikiLeaks publisher sent him a backup of leaked materials from former military analyst Chelsea Manning.
Inviting action by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Ellsberg said that “I am now as indictable as Julian Assange and as everyone who put that information out—the papers, everybody who handled it.”
“Let me tell you a secret. I had possession of all the Chelsea Manning information before it came out in the press,” Ellsberg said to BBC‘s Stephen Sackur in the on-camera interview. “I’ve never said that publicly.”
Assange had sent him the materials—which include evidence of US war crimes—in case “they caught him and they got everything,” the 91-year-old explained. “He could rely on me to find some way to get it out.”
Australian-born Assange is currently detained in London and fighting in British and European courts against his extradition to the United States, where he could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted under Espionage Act charges.
Inviting action by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Ellsberg said that “I am now as indictable as Julian Assange and as everyone who put that information out—the papers, everybody who handled it.”
“Yes, I had copies of it and I did not give them to an authorized person. So, if they want to indict me for that, I will be interested to argue that one in the courts—whether that law is constitutional,” he continued, referring to the Espionage Act.
Highlighting that the highest U.S. court has never held that it is constitutional to use the Espionage Act as if it were a British Official Secrets Act, Ellsberg said that “I’d be happy to take that one to the Supreme Court.”
The Espionage Act, “used against whistleblowers, is unconstitutional,” he asserted. “It’s a clear violation of the First Amendment.”
Ellsberg’s public confession comes after editors and publishers at five major media outlets that collaborated with WikiLeaks in 2010 for articles based on diplomatic cables from Manning released a letter late last month arguing that “it is time for the US government to end its prosecution of Julian Assange for publishing secrets.”
“This indictment sets a dangerous precedent, and threatens to undermine America’s First Amendment and the freedom of the press,” the letter states. “Obtaining and disclosing sensitive information when necessary in the public interest is a core part of the daily work of journalists. If that work is criminalized, our public discourse and our democracies are made significantly weaker.”
The new Ellsberg interview also follows the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) confirming earlier this month that 51-year-old Assange has asked the tribunal to block his extradition to the United States.
Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton told Reuters last week that “I would imagine the US wants to avoid” a case going before the ECHR for “trying to extradite a publisher from Europe for publishing US war revelations when the US is asking Europe to make all sort of sacrifices for the war in Ukraine.”
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“Let’s take this to the Supreme Court,” says the Pentagon Papers whistleblower, taking aim at what he argues is an unconstitutional use of the Espionage Act.
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Prosecutors said supporters of the group—who reportedly include a descendant of royalty, a judge, and a Russian citizen—believe Germany is ruled by a so-called “deep state” that should be overthrown “through the use of military means and violence.”
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“This is a loss to ordinary people who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and a win to the ultra-profitable corporations,” said the group’s tax expert for the bloc.
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“No one, especially in the world’s richest nation, should have to choose between forgoing pay or working through severe illness and family emergencies,” says The Lever’s letter.
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“Their ‘solutions’ are carefully crafted in order to not undermine their business models; ultimately they do nothing for the environment,” said one Friends of the Earth campaigner.
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“Local residents, scientists, and the broader public all agree that this is quite simply a bad place for a mine, and it is past time for the EPA to take Pebble off the table permanently,” said one activist in Alaska.
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“Politicians are happy to voice platitudes and heap praise upon us for our heroism throughout the pandemic,” said one rail leader. “Yet when the steel hits the rail, they back the powerful and wealthy Class 1 rail carriers every time.”
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“The right-tilted Supreme Court now holds in the balance relief for millions of hardworking Americans,” said one campaigner. “It would be a giant loss for the economy if justices rule in favor of the special interests.”
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Warning of “mortal danger,” one advocacy group argues extending and redesignating Temporary Protected Status for Haitians “is a matter of life and death.”
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As millions of Americans struggle to afford rent and mortgage rates, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley on Wednesday unveiled legislation intended to stop major Wall Street investors and hedge fund predators from continuing to exacerbate the nation’s housing crisis. “Everyone should have a safe, affordable place to call home,” the Oregon Democrat said in a statement. “In every corner of the country…
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Senate Democrat accuses Wall Street of “pouring fuel on the fire of the affordable housing crisis.”
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While officials said there is no evidence that drinking water was contaminated, the incident generated further local frustration with the closing fuel storage complex.
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“Forcing people into treatment is a failed strategy,” said the head of the NYCLU. “With no real plan for housing, services, or supports, the administration is choosing handcuffs and coercion.”
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“While Congress has taken an important step,” said the head of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, “it is incumbent on all of us to continue to push for passage of the comprehensive Equality Act.”
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As criticism of the president’s position mounts, some members of Congress are speaking out in support of including at least seven days of paid sick leave in any measure they pass.
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Advocacy groups backing Sen. Raphael Warnock call the Democrat a “reproductive rights champion” who is also “fighting to stop the climate crisis and create good jobs in the process.”
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“We have an opportunity to elect a trusted and experienced leader with a history of building coalitions and a vision for a brighter future for all Chicagoans,” said the Democratic congressman.
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“The fashion industry is one of the largest polluting industries globally. We can all do better, but it’s on companies to make this industry better for workers, the planet, and consumers alike.”
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“Congress needs to pass real laws that rein in the abuses of Big Tech and protect everyone’s privacy and human rights rather than using kids as pawns to advance poorly drafted legislation in order to score political points,” said one critic.
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“We will not stop telling the truth about the Thanksgiving story and what happened to our ancestors,” says Kisha James, whose grandfather founded the National Day of Mourning in 1970.
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Applauding African nations that led the new resolution, one activist argued that “shifting power from the OECD is paramount to end the exploitation and plunder of developing countries.”