- US Pres. Joe Biden on Wednesday said he's "considering" an Australian call for his government to drop its prosecution of the WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange. Sky News
- Assange, an Australian citizen who has fought against extradition to the US from a British prison, faces a total of 18 charges in the US if British judges ultimately decide he can be sent to the country. Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- Last month, British High Court judges put his extradition on hold and gave the US until April 16 to offer him fresh assurances over his First Amendment rights and protection against the death penalty. New York Times (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- Biden made Wednesday's remarks as he hosted Japanese PM Fumio Kishida for an official White House visit. In response to a question from a reporter about Australia's calls to drop Assange charges, Biden said: "We're considering it." BBC News (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- Meanwhile, Australian PM Anthony Albanese said Biden's comments were "certainly encouraging." He added that despite legal complexities, the Australian government would "continue to use all avenues at our disposal" to seek Assange's release. Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- On Thursday, Assange marked five years of incarceration at HMP Belmarsh in southeast London. His wife, Stella Assange, said that it was a "good sign" that Biden was considering dropping the charges before the next UK court date, currently scheduled for May 20. Evening Standard
Establishment-critical narrative:
- If sincere, these remarks are a positive sign from Biden. The case against Assange should have long been dropped, as it sets a dangerous precedent for the government to violate the First Amendment, persecute journalists globally, and criminalize the publishing of information of public importance.
REASON.COM
Pro-establishment narrative:
- Though America's criminal prosecution against Assange has some flaws, it's wrong to claim that his potential extradition would set a precedent for the government to persecute journalists. It's neither his journalistic malpractice nor his hostility to the West that's the subject of this case, but rather his law-breaking hacking activities.
ECONOMIST (LR: 2 CP: 5)
Nerd narrative:
- There's a 50% chance that Assange will be extradited to the US before Jan. 1, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)