Consortium News

Prominent Australian journalists Mary Kostakidis and Andrew Fowler, plus British legal analyst and editor Alexander Mercouris, and reporter Mohamed Elmaazi, will discuss what's at stake beyond Assange's fate; what the prosecution and defense strategies might be; the weakness of the prosecution case; the political nature of the proceedings and how the media has covered Assange.

CN Live! co-host Elizabeth Vos discusses the Epstein & Maxwell cases with investigative journalist Whitney Webb of The Last American Vagabond and former Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe, especially the intelligence angle.

(NOTE CORRECTION: Webb is no longer with Mint Press News)

"By far the best book written about WikiLeaks", according to Joel Deane in the Australian Book Review, Andrew Fowler's 'The Most Dangerous Man in the World' has had three chapters added for its 2020 updated edition, including his probe into the trafficking of UC Global data.

LIVE-TO-AIR and in partnership with Melbourne University Publishing, CNLive! brings you the launch of Andrew Fowler's new book, where he will be in conversation with veteran Australian news anchor, Mary Kostakidis. Andrew then joins us for an exclusive interview with CNLive! hosts Joe Lauria and Elizabeth Vos.

The Most Dangerous Man in the World: Updated Edition Andrew Fowler Julian Assange and WikiLeaks' Fight for Freedom With forensic detail, Andrew Fowler provides a ringside seat at the epic battle that has made Julian Assange the USA's public enemy number one. Since it was first published, 'The Most Dangerous Man in the World' has been translated and distributed in countries from China to Romania and the USA to Russia. Now, through recent interviews and the latest research, Fowler tells the extraordinary story of how a computer hacker with a turbulent childhood became holed up in London's Ecuador Embassy for seven years, and is now battling extradition to the USA from the notorious maximum security Belmarsh prison in London.

With a new introduction and two new chapters, the updated edition picks up from Assange's plea for political asylum at the Ecuador Embassy in 2012 and follows through to the present day, ultimately revealing the extent to which the US and its allies will go to silence dissent.

Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg was called 'The Most Dangerous Man in America' by the Nixon White House. In the Trump era, Ellsberg says Julian Assange, whose new journalism has made him powerful enemies, should be proud to be 'The Most Dangerous Man in the World.'

It has been a time it seems that many have anticipated, but whose timing could never precisely be predicted. After 40 years of economic policies designed to create massive income inequality and after 400 years of oppression of African-Americans, and in the midst of an historic pandemic--the social explosion has occurred.

A protest begun by yet another police killing of an unarmed black man filmed with mobile phones spread in days beyond the United States. One act of police brutality has led to hundreds of horrific incidents of police violence, dramatic exposing what the true nature of the American police appears to be. .

Forget the shield for a moment and what one sees are heavily-armed, black-clad agents of state violence to protect powerful interests from a population, being defrauded and deceived, suddenly no longer accepting it. The very essence of a 30-year program to militarize local police seemed geared towards just this moment, when an abused nation would not not take it anymore.

Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity's Ray McGovern and Bill Binney analyse the evidence, and lack thereof, behind the Russiagate narrative that consumed America for 3 years, and Guccifer 2.0's diverse claims about hacking, Russians & Wikileaks. Bill Binney is a former NSA technical Director.

Ray McGovern is a former CIA analyst (Head of Russia Desk) and former Chair of National Intelligence Estimates. He also prepared the daily brief for two US presidents.

Special thanks to Tim Leonard.

Plenty of people in Europe and the US are wondering why Australia has so far been able to escape the same devastation of the Coronavirus pandemic that they have experienced. While the US moves towards 2 million infections and has surpassed 105,000 dead, Australia has only had 7204 cases, resulting in just 103 deaths. It didn't necessarily come easily to Australia, and the pandemic has seriously undermined relations with its biggest trading partner.

There is still plenty that we don't know about the coronavirus. We don't know for sure where it came from, how it always behaves, whether you get immunity if you've had it, or how to treat or prevent it. What we do know is that communities are being devastated around the world. Frontline and essential workers, and the elderly and some young are getting sick and dying in alarming numbers.

We know that virtually every government in the world was unprepared for this crisis, despite being warned. Many governments, such as the United States, preferred to prepare for wars they can't really fight, against Russia and China, for instance, rather than against a real enemy. Because of governments' lack of preparedness they have had to turn to draconian and even authoritarian measures, such as enforced lockdowns and social isolation—measures that were used during the 14th Century Black Death in Europe.

We also know that these measures are leading to what might well became the Greatest Depression since the Great one of the 1930s. With the disease still raging, nations and regions are itching to get back to a normal economic life, while medical experts warn that might trigger another deadly wave. With us to discuss this critical situation are Jill Stein, a medical doctor and political leader, the former Green Party candidate for president; and the economist Professor Richard Wolff.

It's been said often, and history shows, that before there can be radical change in society, there must first be a collapse of the old order. We are potentially at such a rare moment, when the combination of an historic pandemic and a global economic unravelling has left us contemplating what transformations may lie ahead. We can ask whether the United States will emerge domestically with a better health care system and more equitable economy; with a totalitarian police state; or whether the nation will revert to the status quo ante.

But change may not only be afoot at home for the U.S., but also abroad, an abroad dominated by the United States since the end of the Cold War. Hosts Elizabeth Vos and Joe Lauria lead a discussion of the geopolitical ramifications of the Covid-19 crisis with our guests: Journalists Patrick Lawrence and Gareth Porter, and former Australian ambassador Tony Kevin.

CN walked with the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) through the streets of Paris on their 69th Saturday march. It focuses on imposed changes, via the 49.3 law, to France's social security. The movement calls for the restoration of fiscal and social justice, and for a constitutional system based on citizen-initiated referendum.

Note: The audio of this podcast is in French. For those requiring translation, go to our YouTube channel and watch the sub-titled film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

In the last week before Julian Assange's extradition hearing, people flocked from around the world to London, to defend the imprisoned journalist and call for his release. CN Live! covered a myriad of events and spoke with a number of participants about the significance of this case, which the UK Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell has referred to as the Drefus case of our time.

CONTENTS 00:00:00 Kristinn Hrafnsson "We're dealing with a Dark Force" (22 Feb 2020) 00:01:48 Patrick Henningsen Reads letter (22 Feb 2020) from "ïnternational jurists" to UK PM Boris Johnson (et al) 00:22:18 Craig Murray "Julian refused to give up a source in the hope of securing his own freedom." (22 Feb 2020) 00:25:30 Extradition Special LONDON - to DAY 1 of hearing (24 Feb 2020) 00:26:31 Emmy Butlin & Angie Curran, 00:26:43 John McDonnell outside Belmarsh (20 Feb 2020) 00:28:27 Jennifer Robinson, WL Press Conference (18 Feb 2020) 00:28:46 Andrew Wilkie, George Christiensen (18 Feb 2020) 00:29:44 George Christiensen, WL Press Conference (18 Feb 2020) 00:30:53 Frontline Club Patrick Cockburn & Richard Gizbert (20 Feb 2020) 00:33:29 Mark Davis in Sydney on Afgan War Logs (9 Aug 2019) 00:41:00 Randi Credico, Australia House London (22 Feb 2020) 00:44:20 March to Parliament Sq, London (22 Feb 2020) 00:45:21 John Shipton (22 Feb 2020) 00:46:56 Roger Waters (22 Feb 2020) 00:49:44 Tareq Ali (22 Feb 2020) 00:55:19 Joe Lauria discusses several key issues 00 59:19 Outside the court (24 Feb 2020) 01:01:35 Studio Interview: Catherine Brown Presented jurist open letter (read out above) to 10 Downing Street (23 Feb 2020) 01:12:48 Yanis Varoufakis (22 Feb 2020) 01:19:23 Studio Interview Alexander Mercouris (23 Feb 2020) 01:44:32 Patrick Henningsen with Joe Lauria (22 Feb 2020) 01:50:08 Randi Credico with Joe Lauria re Rohrabacher (22 Feb) 01:56:14 Videolink Interview Ray McGovern - the WL-DOJ "2017 deal" (23 Feb 2020) 02:18:18 Gary Webb Award Joe Lauria presents award to Kristinn Hrafnsson (22 Feb)