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Julian’s Journey of Justice
Plus, saving a friend.
Good morning and Happy Wednesday! Here are the Flag’s Top Five stories that should be on your radar to start the day:
US: US Surgeon General declares gun violence a public health emergency (AP)
World: Israel’s Supreme Court orders conscription for ultra-Orthodox men (Al Jazeera) + Half a million people in Gaza face starvation risk: report (Axios)
Business: Travelers could see higher fares, fewer available seats as Airbus cuts number of planes it expects to make this year (CNN)
Technology: Google brings its Gemini AI to Gmail to help you write and summarize emails (TechCrunch)
Sports: Phillies turn rare 1-3-5 triple play against Tigers, 1st since 1929 (ESPN)
And of course, some good news: When a teenager's heart stopped, his friends jumped into action — and their CPR training saved his life.
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You’ve probably heard from a number of “crypto gurus” about how we’re at the cusp of what could be the greatest crypto bull run in history.
With quotes like that flying around, we’re not surprised that’s the case. But you see… You might not actually want to buy Bitcoin this time around.
That’s because there’s a better way to take advantage of this new bull market… One market expert calls it Crypto’s Hidden Gem
And it’s a new way that has given folks the chance to see bigger and faster moves than the traditional way of buying Bitcoin…
TRENDING
Right: Why We Must Band Together To Fight Soros Prosecutors, Gianno Caldwell, New York Post
Right: CNN Proves anti-Trump Bias Days Before Debate, Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner
Right: Trump Having the Best of Times, Biden the Worst, Kayleigh McEnany, FOX News
Left: Why Trump Is Suddenly Talking Up Biden, Stephen Collinson, CNN
Left: Bring SOTU Biden to the Debate Stage, Aftergut & Sarat, Salon
Left: Biden Supporters Are Anxious About the Debate, Harold Meyerson, American Prospect
JOURNALISM
Julian’s Journey of Justice
Today’s Top Story in One Sentence: On Tuesday, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange accepted a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department that will allow him to return free to his home country of Australia.
Reporting from the Right: Julian Assange, who leaked hundreds of thousands of stolen classified documents, to be freed in plea deal (Washington Examiner)
Reporting from the Left: Assange agrees to plea deal with Biden administration that will allow him to avoid imprisonment in US (CNN)
RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT
Danger to Press Freedoms Remain
The Top Argument From The Right: Assange is released – but there is still a danger to press freedom, Andrew Tettenborn, The Spectator: “Even if one writer is free, the position of investigative journalism in Britain remains worryingly precarious. We have to remember the background. Assange, based [in the United Kingdom] and with no connection whatever to the US, faced extradition and a long American prison sentence for articles published in UK newspapers, on the basis that these articles revealed American military secrets obtained in the US in breach of US law. He had broken no law in this country: our official secrets legislation does not cover information regarded as classified by foreign governments. But that did not matter. Espionage was an extraditable offence, and the State Department had a right to demand his rendition for complicity in it. Assange may have escaped punishment, but other journalists remain much at risk. In essence, the UK, once an unrepentant promoter of press freedom with a habit of telling foreign governments annoyed at their press coverage politely to go fish, is now in the business of helping foreign states use their official secrets laws against anyone here for what they say, quite lawfully, in this country. Moreover, there is very little protection available. Our extradition laws give no discretion to the government to intervene even where rendition would be seen by most people as unacceptable. Not only may a person be forcibly sent to another country to face trial for receiving information obtained in breach of its espionage law: provided the extradition paperwork is in order, they must be.”
Honorable Mention #1: Julian Assange’s Plea Deal Is a Tragedy, Noah Rothman, National Review.
Honorable Mention #2: The Assange compromise leaves a lot to be desired, Mary Dejevsky, The Spectator.
LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT
Not Good for Journalism and Free Speech
The Top Argument From The Left: The Guardian view on the WikiLeaks plea deal: good for Julian Assange, not journalism, Editorial, The Guardian: "Julian Assange should never have been charged with espionage by the US. … This is no triumph for press freedom. Mr Assange’s plea has prevented the setting of a frightening judicial precedent for journalists, avoiding a decision that might bind future courts. Nonetheless, this is the first conviction for basic journalistic efforts under the 1917 [Espionage] act. … Using espionage charges was always a bad and cynical move. The case relates to hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as diplomatic cables, which were made public by WikiLeaks working with the Guardian and other media organisations. They revealed appalling abuses by the US and other governments, which would not otherwise have been exposed – and for which no one has been held liable, despite the pursuit of Mr Assange. National security laws are necessary. But it is also necessary to acknowledge that governments keep secrets for bad reasons as well as good. Alarmingly, the Espionage Act allows no public interest defence, preventing defendants from discussing the material leaked, why they shared it, and why they believe the public should know about it. The Obama administration correctly identified the chilling effect that spying charges could have on investigative journalism, and chose not to bring them on that basis. The Biden administration – which proclaims itself a champion of press freedom globally – should not have pursued them.”
Honorable Mention #1: Sorry, but Julian Assange’s Plea Deal Still Threatens Free Speech, Seth Stern, Daily Beast.
Honorable Mention #2: Julian Assange’s Saga Will Forever Exist in a Legal Gray Area, Noah Feldman, Bloomberg.
FLAG THIS
Most Americans say a free press is highly important to society
A survey published in April revealed that 73% of Americans view press freedom as extremely or very important to society, with an additional 18% considering it somewhat important. While 79% believe the media are somewhat free to report, only 33% think they are entirely free, and 21% say they are not very free or not free at all.
Additionally, a large majority believe U.S. news organizations are somewhat influenced by corporate (84%) and political (83%) interests, with about half stating they are greatly influenced by these factors (Pew Research Center).
Are you more likely to agree or disagree that Assange was justified in releasing classified documents? |
WATERCOOLER
Barcode Beginnings, Stall Selection, Trippy Spices
On This Day in 1974, at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio, a pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum becomes the first grocery item scanned with a Universal Product Code, or UPC.
FinanceBuzz: 15 Subtle Signs That You’re Actually Wealthy
Daily Passport: 5 of Our Favorite Anti-Theft Bags for Traveling
Today I learned nutmeg is a hallucinogen.
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You’ve probably heard from a number of “crypto gurus” about how we’re at the cusp of what could be the greatest crypto bull run in history.
With quotes like that flying around, we’re not surprised that’s the case. But you see… You might not actually want to buy Bitcoin this time around.
That’s because there’s a better way to take advantage of this new bull market… One market expert calls it Crypto’s Hidden Gem
And it’s a new way that has given folks the chance to see bigger and faster moves than the traditional way of buying Bitcoin…
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