The Espionage Act charges filed against Julian Assange mark just the latest attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize journalism and whistleblowers. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning is back in jail for refusing to testify before a grand jury. Two weeks ago, drone whistleblower Daniel Hale was arrested in Tennessee. We air a new video by The Intercept titled "Why You Should Care About Trump's War on Whistleblowers," featuring Jeremy Scahill. We also speak to Scahill and Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg about how the corporate media has failed to stand up for Assange and others.

As the Justice Department charges WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act, we speak to Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. In 1971, he was charged with violating the Espionage Act for leaking a top-secret report on U.S. involvement in Vietnam to The New York Times and other publications. At the time, Ellsberg faced over 100 years in prison. He tells Democracy Now!, "There hasn't actually been such a significant attack on the freedom of the press … since my case in 1971."

In an unprecedented move, the Justice Department has indicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on 17 charges of violating the Espionage Act for his role in publishing U.S. classified military and diplomatic documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. The documents were leaked by U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning. The Espionage Act of 1917 has never been used to prosecute a journalist or media outlet. The new charges come just over a month after British police forcibly removed Assange from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he took asylum in 2012. Initially the Trump administration indicted Assange on a single count of helping Manning hack a government computer, but Assange faces up to 170 additional years in prison under the new charges—10 years for each count of violating the Espionage Act. We speak with Jennifer Robinson, an attorney for Julian Assange. "It is a grave threat to press freedom and should be cause for concern for journalists and publishers everywhere," Robinson says.

Julian Assange Indicted Under Espionage Act in "Terrifying Threat" to 1st Amendment, British Prime Minister Theresa May to Resign June 7, Trump Preparing to Circumvent Congress on Saudi, UAE Weapons Sales, Trump Grants Attorney General Sweeping Powers to Investigate Mueller Probe Origins, Trump Calls Nancy Pelosi "Crazy" After She Calls Out Trump's "Temper Tantrum", Doctored Video Showing "Drunk" Nancy Pelosi Retweeted by Trump Lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Trump Calls Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "Dumb as a Rock", Banker Accused of Bribing Paul Manafort to Win Trump Administration Post, Trump Pledges $16 Billion to Aid Farmers Harmed by U.S.-China Trade War, Trump Preparing to Name Ken Cuccinelli Immigration Czar, Family of Migrant Teen Who Died in U.S. Border Patrol Custody Demands Answers, Nicaraguan Opposition Holds General Strike to Demand Prisoner Release, New Campaign Calls on 2020 Candidates to "Put People Over the Pentagon", Sen. Bernie Sanders Proposes Tax on Wall Street Speculation, Harvey Weinstein and Accusers Reach $44 Million Deal over Sex Assault Claims, Record Number of Students Walk Out of Classes in Global Strike for the Climate

Program Date:  05/23/2019 mp3audio:  Full Program

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Program Date:  05/20/2019 mp3audio:  Full Program

FEATURING SAMEER DOSSANI – Election results from the world’s largest democracy show incumbent Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a massive and decisive victory. Modi’s right wing Hindu Nationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party of BJP, has exceeded even its own expectations. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi of the Congress Party conceded defeat. Religious minorities in...

FEATURING STEPHANIE ABRAHAM – Disney’s feature-film reboot of its 1992 animated film Aladdin has hit theaters and critics are oohing and aahing over the stunning visuals, resplendent costumes, and state-of-the-art CGI effects. But while the mega production company may be forgiven for engaging in orientalist fantasy nearly 30 years ago, does a similar-looking reprise make...

A single House Republican from Texas has stalled what was expected to be the near-certain passage of a long-awaited disaster-funding bill. Representative Chip Roy raised an objection to the $19 billion aid package that the Senate passed on Thursday evening with a vote of 85 to 8 and that even President Donald Trump said he...

Dear KPFK listeners, It’s time for KPFK’s Spring Pledge Drive. During Rising Up With Sonali — now between 4-5 pm PT — call (818) 985-5735,  from May 1 until May 31. Your contributions will help KPFK stay alive and support this program. You can also make your pledge online at https://www.kpfk.org/support-kpfk/. There are many ways in which you can show how much...

On today's BradCast, I'm in to give Brad and Des a breather. They're back post-holiday! As I note in the show (audio below) you don't have to agree with NANCY PELOSI's tactics and goals – hell, you don't even have to like her – to still doff your cap to her rhetorical skills. Her press [...]

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Before we get to the "crapshow" in D.C. today and much more related to it on today's BradCast, a few quick, important points. [Audio link to show follows below.] First, the St. Louis Blues, incredibly enough, are going to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 49 years. Okay, that's not all that important [...]