In the first hour Paul Wright of the Human Rights Defense Center and Prison Legal News joins me to discuss prisoner rights. We talk about the current state of America’s 2.5 million incarcerated individuals and the tremendous hardships they face. Paul talks about the legacy of Prison Legal News and how it represents one of the only truly independent media outlets talking about the prison system. Paul discusses PLN’s fight against the Florida Department of Corrections bogus attempts to censor and ban PLN from their jails and prisons. We also discuss the reality of the private prison system, life threatening conditions due to the recent heat wave, and actions by ICE. Paul also touches on the police state we are currently in that criminalizes poverty.
In the second hour Kevin Gosztola of Shadow Proof joins me once again to discuss the Reality Winner case. Kevin breaks down Winner’s recent plea agreement which will have her serving over 5 years in federal prison. We talk about the extremely harsh sentence and what this means for whistleblowers in the future. Kevin and I talk about the media’s complete lack of coverage of Winner’s plea agreement. Kevin also talks about the governments purist of whistleblowers James Wolfe and Terry Albury. Kevin explains how Trump could build upon tools laid out by Obama, like National Insider Threat Policy, to pursue whistleblowers. We finish off by discussing why Democrats and the left are so hesitant to defend Reality Winner.
Show Notes:
Litigation Heats Up Over Extreme Temperatures in Prisons, Jails
NSA Whistleblower Reality Winner Will Likely Be Sentenced To Five-Plus Years In Prison
The FBI’s Race Problems Are Getting Worse. The Prosecution of Terry Albury Is Proof
Former security chief for Senate Intelligence Committee indicted
Porkins Policy Review 