The Critical Hour

Day Two of Assange Hearing: The US Case Gets Weaker, but Will That Matter?

On this episode of The Critical Hour, Dr. Wilmer Leon is joined by Walter Smolarek, producer for Loud & Clear on Sputnik News Radio.
Sputnik

There are two conflicting portraits of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange being presented at his extradition hearing. The US, which wants to try Assange on espionage charges, says that he’s a criminal whose publication of hundreds of thousands of secret military documents beginning in 2010 put lives at risk. Assange's lawyer contends that the "lawless" US government wants to make an example of his client, the Associated Press reported.

"Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign plans to unleash its cash-flush media operation against Bernie Sanders in the wake of the Vermont senator’s resounding victory in the Nevada caucuses," CNBC reported Monday. With Bloomberg making this move and US mainstream outlets like MSNBC and CNN engaging in misinformation campaigns of their own, Sanders has quite a challenge ahead of him.

"The Pentagon recently announced its fiscal year 2021 budget request," MintPress News reported Monday. "At $705 billion, it indicates a shifting focus from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a greater emphasis on the types of weapons that could be used to confront nuclear giants like Russia and China." What signals does this send going forward?

GUESTS:

Walter Smolarek — Producer for Loud & Clear on Sputnik News Radio.

David Schultz — Professor of political science at Hamline University.  

Mark Sleboda — International affairs and security analyst.    

We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com

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