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"The government gave a diatribe yesterday, and a lot of it was not based in fact," Manning's attorney David Coombs told the court after playing three clips from the "Collateral Murder" video originally leaked by Manning, according to reporter Kevin Gosztola who has been following the trial within the courtroom since its beginning.
Coombs is focusing on what he sees as the blatant holes in the government's case so far--which have created "a fictitious story to fit the charges."
On Thursday the prosecution had attempted to frame Manning as an "anarchist," "hacker," and a "traitor"--the first time, reportedly, the word "traitor" was used in the court proceedings.
"These terms--'anarchist,' 'hacker,' 'traitor'--all were clearly charged terms used to pejoratively with the intent that this would undercut the way the defense has tried to present Manning as a kind of conscientious and idealistic soldier who found it was necessary to blow the whistle and reveal certain documents," writes Gosztola.
The prosecution's closing arguments on Thursday had gone on for five hours in a courtroom rife with armed military police officers patrolling the aisles. The officers "walked behind reporters trying to cover the trial yesterday...leaning over shoulders of reporters to see what was on their screens," said Gosztola. Military Judge Colonel Denise Lind had also ordered a checkpoint at the courtroom entrance to "screen the reporters to ensure that electronic devices that could be used to record proceedings and personal hotspot devices did not enter the media center."
After closing arguments conclude on Friday, Lind will then go into deliberations that could take several days. Sentencing is scheduled to begin July 31 but could be pushed back if Lind's deliberations take longer than that.
Follow live tweets below as well as Kevin Gosztola's live blog for updates throughout the day.
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

"The government gave a diatribe yesterday, and a lot of it was not based in fact," Manning's attorney David Coombs told the court after playing three clips from the "Collateral Murder" video originally leaked by Manning, according to reporter Kevin Gosztola who has been following the trial within the courtroom since its beginning.
Coombs is focusing on what he sees as the blatant holes in the government's case so far--which have created "a fictitious story to fit the charges."
On Thursday the prosecution had attempted to frame Manning as an "anarchist," "hacker," and a "traitor"--the first time, reportedly, the word "traitor" was used in the court proceedings.
"These terms--'anarchist,' 'hacker,' 'traitor'--all were clearly charged terms used to pejoratively with the intent that this would undercut the way the defense has tried to present Manning as a kind of conscientious and idealistic soldier who found it was necessary to blow the whistle and reveal certain documents," writes Gosztola.
The prosecution's closing arguments on Thursday had gone on for five hours in a courtroom rife with armed military police officers patrolling the aisles. The officers "walked behind reporters trying to cover the trial yesterday...leaning over shoulders of reporters to see what was on their screens," said Gosztola. Military Judge Colonel Denise Lind had also ordered a checkpoint at the courtroom entrance to "screen the reporters to ensure that electronic devices that could be used to record proceedings and personal hotspot devices did not enter the media center."
After closing arguments conclude on Friday, Lind will then go into deliberations that could take several days. Sentencing is scheduled to begin July 31 but could be pushed back if Lind's deliberations take longer than that.
Follow live tweets below as well as Kevin Gosztola's live blog for updates throughout the day.
_____________________
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

"The government gave a diatribe yesterday, and a lot of it was not based in fact," Manning's attorney David Coombs told the court after playing three clips from the "Collateral Murder" video originally leaked by Manning, according to reporter Kevin Gosztola who has been following the trial within the courtroom since its beginning.
Coombs is focusing on what he sees as the blatant holes in the government's case so far--which have created "a fictitious story to fit the charges."
On Thursday the prosecution had attempted to frame Manning as an "anarchist," "hacker," and a "traitor"--the first time, reportedly, the word "traitor" was used in the court proceedings.
"These terms--'anarchist,' 'hacker,' 'traitor'--all were clearly charged terms used to pejoratively with the intent that this would undercut the way the defense has tried to present Manning as a kind of conscientious and idealistic soldier who found it was necessary to blow the whistle and reveal certain documents," writes Gosztola.
The prosecution's closing arguments on Thursday had gone on for five hours in a courtroom rife with armed military police officers patrolling the aisles. The officers "walked behind reporters trying to cover the trial yesterday...leaning over shoulders of reporters to see what was on their screens," said Gosztola. Military Judge Colonel Denise Lind had also ordered a checkpoint at the courtroom entrance to "screen the reporters to ensure that electronic devices that could be used to record proceedings and personal hotspot devices did not enter the media center."
After closing arguments conclude on Friday, Lind will then go into deliberations that could take several days. Sentencing is scheduled to begin July 31 but could be pushed back if Lind's deliberations take longer than that.
Follow live tweets below as well as Kevin Gosztola's live blog for updates throughout the day.
_____________________