A rival to Biden promises to release Assange

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has declared that the US "actively persecutes journalists and whistleblowers" instead of championing free speech. He has vowed to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is facing a lifetime sentence for his role in the leaks by Chelsea Manning. Kennedy is among three people to have formally announced their bids for the Democratic nomination, and is polling at 19%, with author Marianne Williamson trailing at 9%.