By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has suffered “psychological torture” from a defamation campaign against him by the media, judges and senior political figures, a United Nations human rights investigator said on Friday. Nils Melzer, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture who visited Assange in a high-security London prison on May 9, voiced concern at fresh U.S. criminal charges laid against Assange and reiterated a call for him not to be extradited. Assange was too ill on Thursday to appear via video link from a British prison in a hearing on an extradition request from the United States, his lawyer Gareth Peirce told Reuters. He is in a health ward. “Mr. Assange has been deliberately exposed, for a period of several years, to progressively severe forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the cumulative effects of which can only be described as psychological torture,” Melzer said in a statement. … [Read more...] about WikiLeaks’ Assange suffering from ‘psychological torture’
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Sarah Huckabee Sanders denies CBS report she’s quitting White House job
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has denied a CBS report that she is planning to quit her job by the end of 2018. “Does @CBSNews know something I don’t about my plans and my future? I was at my daughter’s year-end Kindergarten event and they ran a story about my “plans to leave the WH” without even talking to me” Sanders tweeted Wednesday night. “I love my job and am honored to work for @POTUS.”Does @CBSNews know something I don’t about my plans and my future? I was at my daughter’s year-end Kindergarten event and they ran a story about my “plans to leave the WH” without even talking to me. I love my job and am honored to work for @POTUS— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) June 14, 2018Earlier Wednesday, CBS reported that according to unnamed sources, Sanders has told friends she is thinking of leaving her job at the end of the year. The report also says that principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah … [Read more...] about Sarah Huckabee Sanders denies CBS report she’s quitting White House job
Historic New Deal Art Mural Painted Over at NYC High School
A mural of constellations in the night sky adorned a third-floor ceiling at DeWitt Clinton High School for more than 75 years, one of thousands of artworks in New York City and around the country supported by New Deal programs to employ artists and beautify public spaces. But Scorpio, Taurus and the rest are now hidden under bright blue paint, slathered on during a repair project, and preservationists say the painting-over of the mural "Constellations" by German-born artist Alfred Floegel was a travesty. "That was an amazing act of vandalism that they had no right to do," said Gray Brechin, the founder of a project called the Living New Deal that catalogs public works funded by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration. The mural cover-up was first reported in the Daily News, which said it happened last November. Doug Cohen, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Education, said the mural was painted over during roof repairs at the 89-year-old Bronx school. He said … [Read more...] about Historic New Deal Art Mural Painted Over at NYC High School
Dave Martinez returns to Tampa Bay as a rookie manager and All-Star Game coach
Chelsea Janes, The Washington Post Published 7:41 am, Tuesday, June 26, 2018 Photo: Washington Post Photo By Jonathan Newton Image 1of/1 CaptionClose Image 1 of 1 Dave Martinez is settling in in his first season as Nationals manager. Dave Martinez is settling in in his first season as Nationals manager. Photo: Washington Post Photo By Jonathan Newton Dave Martinez returns to Tampa Bay as a rookie manager and All-Star Game coach 1 / 1 Back to Gallery ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Dave Martinez has returned to Tropicana Field many times since he followed Joe Maddon to Chicago in 2014. He is almost used to heading to the visitors' clubhouse now. He checks in with everyone from the old days. And though the Rays' roster is nearly unrecognizable from the ones he knew as bench coach here, the staff around the club has not … [Read more...] about Dave Martinez returns to Tampa Bay as a rookie manager and All-Star Game coach
Ten-term Rep. Capuano upset by City Councilor Ayanna Pressley in Boston primary
In the latest blow to establishment Democrats, Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley defeated Rep. Michael Capuano for the nomination in Massachusetts’ 7th District.Pressley will become the first black woman to represent Massachusetts in Congress, after serving as the first black woman to serve on the city council. Capuano was a 10-term incumbent, representing a district covering an area stretching southwest from Boston. Capuano conceded Tuesday evening.The race was compared to the Democratic primary in New York’s Fourteenth District, which also featured a woman of color, endorsed by the Justice Democrats, running against an older, white, male incumbent. But there were clear differences. New Yorker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was a first-time candidate while Pressley has served on the City Council since her election in 2009. Although she was endorsed by progressive groups, Pressley, who has worked for Sen. John Kerry and supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, is not … [Read more...] about Ten-term Rep. Capuano upset by City Councilor Ayanna Pressley in Boston primary