House Democrats call for DOJ to drop Assange charges

Misty Severi

April 11, 07:12 PM April 11, 07:12 PM

A group of Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday asking him to drop the 18 charges against Australian Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

The Democratic House members argued that the charges against Assange “pose a grave and unprecedented threat” to press freedom and the First Amendment.

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“Press freedom, civil liberty, and human rights groups have been emphatic that the charges against Mr. Assange pose a grave and unprecedented threat to everyday, constitutionally protected journalistic activity, and that a conviction would represent a landmark setback for the First Amendment,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.

Assange, who was arrested in London in 2019 on a warrant issued by the United States, faces 17 counts under the Espionage Act and one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. Assange's charges are related to his publication of classified and sensitive U.S. documents, which were leaked by former Army soldier Chelsea Manning.

“The prosecution of Mr. Assange marks the first time in U.S. history that a publisher of truthful information has been indicted under the Espionage Act,” the lawmakers said. “The prosecution of Mr. Assange, if successful, not only sets a legal precedent whereby journalists or publishers can be prosecuted, but a political one as well.”

The Democrats urging Garland to drop the charges include Reps. Rashida Tlaib (MI), Jamaal Bowman (NY), Cori Bush (MO), Greg Casar (TX), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Ilhan Omar (MN), and Ayanna Pressley (MA).

The lawmakers claimed that prosecuting Assange for carrying out "journalistic activities ... greatly diminishes America’s credibility as a defender of these values, and undermines the United States’ moral standing on the world stage."

Global and national news organizations have also urged the Department of Justice to drop the charges, among them the New York Times, the Guardian, El Pais, Le Monde, and Der Spiegel. Other freedom groups, including Amnesty International and the International Federation of Journalists, have also called for an end to the charges.

Assange is currently being held by the British government in a London prison. He has been there since 2019. He hid at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London from 2012 to 2019 before his arrest.

Hazard at Guess: Banksy encourages shoplifting at this retailer

Misty Severi

November 18, 08:48 PM November 18, 08:48 PM

British street artist Banksy encouraged shoplifters on social media Friday to target a Guess store in London after claiming the store used his designs without permission.

The street artist posted an image of the Guess storefront on Instagram. The Regent Street location displayed his "Flower Thrower" graffiti along with clothes bearing some of his famous works, according to his social media post.

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"Attention all shoplifters," Banksy posted on Instagram. "Please go to GUESS on Regent Street. They've helped themselves to my artwork without asking, how can it be wrong for you to do the same to their clothes?"

The store has since closed to shoppers, increased security, and covered up its windows display, according to the BBC.

The artist is currently in Ukraine, and he showcased seven new art pieces in the war-torn country. Included in the new pieces are a woman in rollers and a gas mask holding a fire extinguisher and a man resembling Russian President Vladimir Putin being thrown to the floor by a child in a judo match.

Another one, located on the side of a residential building in the suburb of Irpin, showcased a gymnast wearing a neck brace and performing with a ribbon. The gymnast was balanced on a hole in the wall.

The artist also interviewed a mother and her child outside the remains of a school.

"It was a bomb here and many people died," the mother explained. "My child used to go to this kindergarten. ... We don't have any tears left."

Banksy first rose to prominence in the 1990s but returned to mainstream attention in 2018 when footage of one of his art pieces shredding itself at an auction went viral.

Banksy has gained fame in part because of his anonymity. The artist recently won a trademark court case that has allowed him to remain anonymous after a judge ruled in 2020 that he could not hold a copyright while remaining anonymous.

Watch: Queen Elizabeth II's funeral at Westminister Abbey in London

Washington Examiner Staff

September 19, 03:27 AM September 19, 04:35 AM

The late Queen Elizabeth II is currently being honored by spouse and children, the Church of England, and top environment dignitaries at her funeral Monday morning.

The funeral, which envisioned to have upwards of 4 billion viewers globally, will be an elaborate service in Westminster Abbey. In addition to these watching at household, as a lot of as 750,000 individuals are considered to have traveled to London to pay their respects as her majesty was lying in state in Westminster Hall forward of the funeral. Several of those mourners have lined the streets to enjoy as her casket was transported to the church.

Practically 100 heads of condition — such as President Joe Biden, Canadian Key Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine’s 1st Woman Olena Zelenska, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as perfectly as the presidents of Austria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Eire, Italy and Poland — are in attendance for the ceremony, which commenced at 6 a.m. EST (11 a.m. GMT neighborhood time).

The assistance will be led by leading Church of England leaders, together with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Right after the Westminster ceremony, the queen's casket will be introduced to Windsor Castle for a committal company in St. George's Chapel before she is buried following to her late husband.

Initially edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone headed to auction

Luke Gentile

June 05, 07:00 AM June 05, 07:00 AM

A signed 1st edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is set to strike the London auction block.

The uncommon version of J.K. Rowling's 1997 function will aspect in the Christie's auction titled "The Artwork of Literature."

A mere 500 copies of the first novel in the Harry Potter collection were printed through the book's initial run, according to a report. At minimum 300 went to libraries, and the rest have been sold.

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What helps make the initially edition so scarce are its problems, in accordance to the report. "Philosopher" is spelled incorrectly on the again deal with, and a wand is stated 2 times on a Hogwarts student's provide listing, the report pointed out.

Having said that, an additional critical aspect is the work's title.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was the book's original title in the United Kingdom, but American publisher Scholastic adjusted the title to Sorcerer's Stone.

Scholastic reportedly believed the term "philosopher" would prevent younger folks from acquiring the guide.

The exceptional edition will hit the auction block July 14, and bidding is slated to begin at $250,000.