Kevin Gosztola Profile picture
Feb 18, 2022 7 tweets 3 min read Read on X
President Joe Biden says Russia President Putin is going to invade Ukraine. Reporter asks, "What reason do you have to believe he's considering that option at all?" Biden replies, "We have significant intelligence capability." Again, no evidence. Just trust us.
Biden says "Russia has falsely asserted" shelling of Ukrainian kindergarten was carried out by Ukraine forces. Russia tried to create "false justification" for invasion. But school was in Ukraine-controlled territory, not Russia-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine.
What Biden is saying would make sense if a school in territory controlled by Russia-backed separatists was shelled by their forces, and then blamed on Ukraine. Then US-NATO could say that's ludicrous and argue Russia was creating a pretext for troubling escalation.
Russia saying the gas pipeline in Luhansk was allegedly sabotaged and Ukraine forces are responsible for explosion *could be*—if verified—a false flag by Russia. That fits way better than the school incident.

Problem is, what reliable source is going to verify any of this?
CNN update says Biden did not plan before February 18 speech to state definitively that Putin made the decision to invade Ukraine. Also again apparent the so-called bleak intel assessments are entirely based on Russian forces deployed for military drills, which end February 20.
The US Commander-in-Chief spoke and now they can't allow it to look like an error. So Pentagon Secretary repeated it to make it seem this is some kind of consensus—Russia "uncoiling and poised to strike" Ukraine
France is mostly refraining from hyperbole. Keeping talk about Russia invading Ukraine limited to an elevated "risk."

"We're not in the head of President Putin."

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More from @kgosztola

Feb 20
Today is Day 1 of extradition appeal hearing for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the British High Court of Justice.

His legal team has requested that the court grant Assange a full appeal hearing.

Thread with articles on what Assange's team considers grounds for appeal.
The CIA allegedly plotted to kidnap, poison, or kill Assange. To extradite Assange would undermine his right to life & right to be free from “torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” under European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
thedissenter.org/countdown-day-…
Since the Espionage Act has never been used by US to prosecute a publisher, Assange's attorneys argue extradition is barred. Publishing info was not a “criminal offense under national or international law at the time when it was committed.”
thedissenter.org/countdown-to-d…
Read 12 tweets
Jun 22, 2023
The media delusion that Daniel Ellsberg blew the whistle 'the right way' thedissenter.org/media-delusion…
Video version that includes the clip of David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart erroneously arguing that what Ellsberg did was somehow different from Snowden's whistleblowing. Or that Ellsberg did it the "right way."
Incredibly, while contending that Snowden was an egomaniac, Brooks and Capehart spend the part of the show that is supposed to be a tribute to Daniel Ellsberg focusing on themselves. They make it about their views on Snowden—views they know Ellsberg absolutely didn't share.
Read 6 tweets
Dec 31, 2022
Not only was 2022 yet another year with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in prison, but it also was another year in which Committee to Protect Journalists (@pressfreedom) refused to include Assange in their annual jailed journalists index
The United Kingdom, which has kept Assange in Belmarsh prison for over 3.5 years at the behest of the US government, should be light red on this map - just like Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Philippines, Turkmenistan, etc. But CPJ’s leadership can’t bring their organization to do that
The Committee to Protect Journalists’ own methodology suggests Assange qualifies, and should have qualified long ago.

Assange frequently commented on “public affairs” for print, radio, TV, and online.

So why doesn’t CPJ include Assange in their index?
Read 7 tweets
Dec 25, 2022
Bah humbug from @SouthwestAir to far too many passengers flying their airline.

This is Midway airport in Chicago, where families with crying children had to deal with the fact that they were lied to by this airline. Because their flights were never going to leave Chicago. ImageImageImage
I was booked on an 8:10 PM flight to Denver to visit family for Christmas. The plane was there at the gate, but @SouthwestAir had no pilot. They must’ve known, yet they waited til 15 min before boarding time to cancel the flight.
Apparently, @SouthwestAir is in the middle of major crisis in Denver. They are dealing with a staff shortage that’s so bad that at least one flight from Tampa was turned around and sent back to where it took off.

How many flights to Denver were canceled today due to this crisis? Image
Read 17 tweets
Nov 16, 2022
US Senate investigation confirmed that dozens of women at the Irwin County Detention Center were medically abused by a single ICE doctor, who was hired even though the Justice Department and state of Georgia had sued him thedissenter.org/senate-investi…
Here is Karina Cisneros Preciado at the Senate permanent subcommittee hearing on ICE's medical mistreatment of women. She courageously shared her incarceration story, including when OB-GYN contracted by ICE subjected her to treatment without her consent.
Sen. Ossoff grilled the ICE official who is in charge of oversight for doctors contracted by the agency. His negligence allowed Dr. Mahendra Amin to treat and abuse dozens if not hundreds of women who were in ICE custody at Irwin County Detention Center between 2017-2020.
Read 6 tweets
Oct 8, 2022
Rallies in Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle, Tulsa, San Francisco Bay Area, & Washington DC, to support Stella Assange & supporters who formed human chain around UK Parliament to free Assange.

All part of global day of action that has been underway. I'm speaking at the DC rally.
LIVE: Hands Off Assange rally in DC at 12pm ET

thedissenter.org/livestream-han…
DC Free Assange rally at DOJ about to begin
Read 10 tweets

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