“American leadership still matters. The reality is the world simply does not organize itself,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken proclaimed at his confirmation hearing. “When we are not engaged, when we are not leading, then one of two things is likely to happen. Either some other country tries to take our place but not in a way that is likely to advance our interests and values, or maybe, just as bad, no one does and then you have chaos.”

Much like President Joe Biden, Blinken is a neoliberal Democrat who believes in the doctrine of “Manifest Destiny.” He thinks if…

The mass incarceration system in the United States is cruel and inhumane, and as a result, the U.S. government had their extradition request against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange denied by a British district judge.

As Judge Vanessa Baraitser declared [PDF], “The detention conditions in which Mr. Assange is likely to be held are relevant to Mr. Assange’s risk of suicide.”

She additionally found there was “a real risk” that Assange would be subject to “restrict special administrative measures” or SAMs if confined in a U.S. prison.

Even more specifically, Baraitser determined Assange would be designated to ADX Florence in Colorado…

Journalist Glenn Greenwald, a co-founder of The Intercept, accused editors at the media organization of censorship and resigned. It involved a story he drafted on Joe Biden and allegations of corruption stemming from his son’s laptop that was purportedly given to the New York Post.

He shared a piece about ending his involvement, announced he was launching a newsletter at Substack, posted the article he claimed was censored, and later posted emails reflecting the sharp disagreement with Intercept editors.

What quickly became the focus was a statement he made about a clause in his contract that prohibited the editing of…

Opponents of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange often hold up Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg as an example of someone who was responsible for a good leak. They insist WikiLeaks is not like the Pentagon Papers because supposedly Assange was reckless with sensitive documents.

On the seventh day of an extradition trial against Assange, Ellsberg dismantled this false narrative and outlined for a British magistrate court why Assange would not receive a fair trial in the United States.

Assange is accused of 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act and one count of conspiracy to commit a computer crime that, as…

The trial portion of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition hearing will unfold from September 7 until at least September 24.

Ahead of the extradition hearing, Shadowproof managing editor Kevin Gosztola interviewed Barry Pollack, who is Assange’s lawyer in the United States.

In the interview, Pollack outlines why the U.S. government’s position in the case is a “very dangerous one.” He describes several aspects that would likely lead one to believe Assange would be denied justice if extradited to the U.S. for a trial and what makes this hearing September so crucial for Assange’s legal team.

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The following is a…

*Note: This is a message for people the Democratic Party does not represent and has not represented for several decades.

The Democratic Party and Joe Biden’s presidential campaign have a plan to beat President Donald Trump in 2020 that does not rely on winning progressive and left-wing voters.

It has offered voters on the left stale bread crumbs for their support and exploited their fear of a second Trump term to hold them captive. Let them try to win without us.

During the 2020 Democratic National Convention, this strategy was on full display. Disgruntled Republicans were welcomed with open arms…

The bipartisan freakout over the mere possibility that President Donald Trump might pardon Edward Snowden is a reflection of the deep-seated prejudice that exists against the National Security Agency whistleblower.

Prejudice formed among elites immediately after Snowden revealed he was behind disclosures that exposed the United States’ global mass surveillance programs, which violated people’s privacy both domestically and abroad. It intensified as he was trapped in a Moscow airport after the State Department revoked his passport and was forced to seek asylum from Russia.

Yet, with Trump, the hostility has grown even more feverish because — although there is no…

On July 30, 2013, United States Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning was convicted of violating the Espionage Act and various other offenses.

It was National Whistleblower Appreciation Day, and though she was not found guilty of “aiding the enemy,” the verdict in her trial crystallized a contradiction among the political establishment. Officials profess a commitment to whistleblowers except when they blow the whistle on abuse, fraud, or corruption that they have a vested interest in defending.

The resolution for this year’s National Whistleblower Appreciation Day, like prior resolutions, stipulates that the United States will encourage whistleblowing but only according to federal…