PBC News & Comment: Cruel Judge Finally Releases Chelsea Manning

Manning’s courageous refusal to testify in WikiLeaks grand jury led to outrageous one-year imprisonment, suicide attempt this week…
PBC News & Comment, 3.13.20: Cruel Judge Finally Releases Chelsea Manning
 
Manning’s courageous refusal to testify in WikiLeaks grand jury led to outrageous one-year imprisonment, suicide attempt this week…
--Kevin Gosztola broke the story yesterday, and Natasha Lennard at The Intercept offers appropriate outrage
--You can donate to help pay the $256,000 in court fines here
--in effort to cover his willful negligence, Trump finally declares national emergency
--the “travel ban” only makes sense to a petty xenophobe like Trump
--European allies are outraged that Trump offered no notice or consultation with European leaders
--most of the former passengers of Grand Princess are isolated, but have not been tested and are not in real quarantine at Travis AFB
--in House hearing, Rep. Katie Porter grilled CDC boss until he agreed that everyone can be tested for free
--Whitney Webb reveals the cloak of “national security” imposed on Covid-19 response
--grim report from Italy offers preview of US epidemic
--a payroll tax cut would reduce revenue to Social Security and Medicare
--as tourists stay home, monkeys in Thailand roam the streets seeking food
--Bernie Sanders says Medicare for All is the lesson from this episode
--Guardian report captures the attitudes of Sanders supporters who won’t vote for Biden
--WashPost reporter Alexandra Petri offers daily adult dose of irony on “Biden Boys”
--Dow recovers most of yesterday’s losses, and Wall St. whistleblower Nomi Prins says Fed intervention will help banks and markets, not people
--FISA renewal vote and veto threat are uncertain, as Senate cancels next week’s recess after House left town
--acting DNI Grenell launches reviews that suggest he will make changes before new partisan appointee is confirmed
--Aaron Maté at The Grayzone adds 4th whistleblower from OPCW who says report of chemical attack at Douma was false
--also at Grayzone, Ben Norton reports on unanimous House vote for sanctions on Nicaragua that has been blacked out in corporate media
--in retaliatory strike in Iraq, US kills nominal allies
--my radio pal Mal Sharpe got a nice obit in the SF Chronicle