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‘We Won Today… and We’ll Keep Winning’: Assange Extradition Trial Postponed Until September

If extradited and convicted, he could face up to 175 years for the “crime” of publishing information that the US did not want the public to know.

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The Julian Assange extradition trial has been postponed until at least September due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 4, British District Judge Vanessa Baraitser agreed to postpone the trial and move it from Belmarsh Magistrates’ Court to another court.

“It’s going to take some negotiation to find a crown court that is open in September, in the current climate, and willing and available to take this hearing,’ Baraitser said.

She said that she will notify all parties when a court that can hear the case is determined. It is scheduled to take place over the course of three weeks. The judge warned that there may not be a court that can accommodate the trial during that time frame in London, and that it may end up being in another jurisdiction outside the city.

The trial was originally scheduled to take place in May, but has been delayed due to the coronavirus lockdown. Lawyers for Assange had complained that they have been unable to see him and prepare. Additionally, Assange would not be able to attend the hearing in person, which would make them unable to consult with their client during the proceedings.

Judge Baraitser, during a hearing on April 27, agreed that “remote attendance by the parties will not be appropriate.”

John Shipton, Assange’s father, called the postponed trial a victory, telling Sputnik News that “we won today. And, I guess, from now on we’ll keep on winning.”

“The September date suits us, suits me and suits the family so we can all come and attended the hearing. It’s a continuous hearing, so that’s much more suitable to the defence. So yeah, it’s a relief actually to have the date September 7th onwards,” Shipton added.

In February, Assange’s legal team alleged that the US government was involved in a plot to kill the WikiLeaks founder and make it look like an accident.

Assange’s attorney, Edward Fitzgerald, said that “there were conversations about whether there should be more extreme measures contemplated, such as kidnapping or poisoning Julian Assange in the embassy.”

The legal team explained that American spies were working with UC Global, the Spanish company that had been contracted by Ecuador to do the surveillance in the embassy under the guise of protecting Assange.

US Global’s owner, David Morales, had told his employees that he was going to work “for the dark side,” according to whistleblowers within the company.

“In fact, Mr Morales had indeed made a side agreement to provide information gathered about Mr Assange to the dark side – in other words, US intelligence agencies,” Fitzgerald told the court.

The “dark side,” it turned out, involved billionaire Republican donor Sheldon Adelson, who is also believed by many to be behind the hiring of John Bolton in the White House.

“Former employees who have been granted witness protection have testified that Morales traveled to the U.S. once or twice a month, carrying with him hard disks containing the recordings from inside the Ecuadoran embassy. According to these former employees, he repeatedly told them not to talk to Ecuadoran officials about the trips. Prosecutors, according to the NYT, contend that Morales passed the disks to security officials at Adelson’s casino, which served as a go-between for the CIA,” the American Conservative reports.

Morales has since been arrested in Spain for the scheme.

Assange’s legal team explained that he was so concerned about the constant surveillance that he began sleeping inside a tent in his bedroom.

According to the whistleblower who exposed the UC Global plot, “David (Morales) said the Americans were desperate and had even suggested more extreme measures could be applied against the guest to put an end to the situation,” Fitzgerald told the court. He added that they discussed that the embassy door could be left open to make a kidnapping look like it could have been “an accident”, adding “even the possibility of poisoning had been discussed,” the Daily Mail reports.

Assange is facing charges under the Espionage Act in the United States for his publication of the Iraq and Afghan War Logs. If extradited and convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 175 years for the “crime” of publishing material that the US government did not want the public to know.

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Culture

Black Lives Matter Extremists Cover Former Home of Chauvin Defense Witness With Animal Blood, Leave Severed Pig Head on Doorstep

The former home of Barry Brodd, who testified as a witness for Derek Chauvin’s defense, was covered with animal blood and a severed pig’s head was left on their front porch on Saturday morning.

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The former home of Barry Brodd, who testified as a witness for Derek Chauvin’s defense, was covered with animal blood and a severed pig’s head was left on their front porch on Saturday morning.

Brodd no longer lives at the Santa Rose home that was attacked.

Brodd testified last week that police were justified in keeping George Floyd pinned because he kept struggling.

The new family that lives there called the police when they were awakened by the group of black clad individuals outside their home shortly after 3 a.m.

Law enforcement believes that the individuals thought that Brodd still lived there.

“Because Mr. Brodd no longer lives in the city of Santa Rosa, it appears the victim was falsely targeted,” police said in a news release.

Santa Rosa Police Chief Rainer Navarro through Brodd under the bus on April 13, issuing a statement saying “Mr. Brodd’s comments do not reflect the values and beliefs of the Santa Rosa Police Department.”

Approximatey 45 minutes after the home was vandalized, a hand statue in front of the Santa Rosa Plaza mall was also splattered with animal blood. The vandals, who match the description of the people who attacked the home, left a sign with a pig on it that read “oink oink.” The statue has no apparent message related to the trial, as it is dedicated to immigrant agricultural workers.

Damage to the residence exceeded $400, making the attack a felony, according to a report from KPIX.

Anyone who witnessed or has information about the attack is encouraged to contact SRPD through their online Tip Line: http://www.srcity.org/CrimeTips.

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MUST WATCH: California Restaurant Owner Blocks Health Inspector’s Car, ‘If We Can’t Work, You Can’t Work’

A GoFundMe campaign to support the restaurant has raised over $20,000.

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A heroic California restaurant owner blocked in a Los Angeles County health inspector’s car after he attempted to shut his business down for allowing outdoor dining, asserting that “if we can’t work, you can’t work.”

Carlos Roman, the owner of Bread & Barley in Covina, did not back down even after police arrived.

“He wants to come in here and say that no one can work, so he can’t work either,” Roman told the officer. “He decided to come today and take photos of the people outside and say that he was going to fine us,” he explained.

https://twitter.com/hollandcourtney/status/1343623418910973953

Roman refused to move his truck, telling the officer to go ahead and get her supervisor.

“This is what happens when people get desperate. I’m desperate. Who is going to pay her car payment? Who is going to pay my cook’s rent?” Roman asked the officer. “I want it to be hard on everyone. I want everyone to see how hard this sh-t is.”

The outraged owner demanded to know if the inspector and the officer got paychecks last week, asserting that his employees haven’t.

“You’re just doing your job right, we’re all in this together?” Roman asked the inspector. “When I go to the bank, can I tell the bank the health department said it’s ok and that I don’t have to pay you?”

“What do I tell my employees?” Roman shouted.

Roman is now facing two $500 fines for failure to comply and interfering with the health officer.

A GoFundMe campaign to support the restaurant has raised over $20,000.

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Hunter Biden’s Ex-Wife, Kathleen, Tells Him He is a Better Father Than Joe Biden Was

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In an email to her ex-husband Hunter Biden, Kathleen Biden told her troubled former spouse that he is a better father than Joe Biden was.

The cryptic email was found in a trove of documents currently being reviewed in a joint effort by District Herald and the Nationalist Review, provided to us on Friday by a source who obtained them from former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

 

“I want you to know that you are a great father – a better father than your dad. Your girls love you because you love them for who they are. You haven’t judged them, you have loved them for who they are. You listen and you make them and their problems important to you. You make them great because you allow them to be who they are without unfair expectations. You are patient, caring, and loving,” Kathleen Biden wrote. “I know you and I have struggled but your love for the girls hasn’t waivered. Remember how we use to joke that the girls didn’t have anything to survive to make them strong and interesting? Well, we gave it to them! They did survive it and they are stronger. Through it all they never questioned your love or commitment.”

Kathleen Biden asserted that the former Vice President “wasn’t perfect” as a father.

“I know you love your dad and I do too but he wasn’t perfect,” the mother of Hunter’s children continued. “No one is perfect. At your core, you taught our girls what was important. They are kind, thoughtful, open, curious, funny, compassionate and hard working. You were as much a part of that as I was in helping them grow. Don’t ever question whether you were as good a father as your dad. You were better, in every way.”

In response, Hunter wrote that he worries he has failed them. “Thank you for this it means everything to me. I worry so much that I have failed you all in so many ways,” he said.

Hunter also acknowledged that he will need to earn his children’s trust and respect back, though the reason is unclear.

“I know the girls love me- but I often wonder if they trust and respect me. I know it’s something I have to earn back. And I know that you are the best mother I have ever known. You have raised three incredible young women. We are so lucky to have them, and I am so lucky to have met you 23 years ago. Thank you,” he wrote.

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