U.S. officials have filed computer hacking charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in connection with the organizations’ release of classified government cables from former Army private and intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.
The Justice Department announced early Thursday that Assange had been arrested in London in connection with a federal charge of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion of a classified U.S. government computer, which carries a five-year maximum sentence.
Assange had been residing in the Ecuadoran Embassy for seven years for fear of being arrested and possibly extradited to the United States for his crimes.

For almost seven years, Julian Assange has lived in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London. The WikiLeaks founder feared that if he left the diplomatic outpost, located in an apartment building in the post neighborhood of Knightsbridge, he would be arrested by British authorities.
In the end, however, Assange didn’t need to be kicked out for British police to arrest him: Police officers went into the embassy. A video of the arrest showed Assange, grey-bearded and pale after years indoors, being pulled out the embassy and pushed into a waiting police van.
But how were British police officers legally able to enter the building, if it was under the diplomatic control of Ecuador? The answer is simple: Ecuador allowed them to.

Ecuador handed Julian Assange over to British authorities Thursday, ending a standoff that left the controversial WikiLeaks founder holed up in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London for nearly seven years and paving the way for his possible extradition to the United States.
Jennifer Robinson, Assange’s lawyer, confirmed on Twitter that her client was “arrested not just for breach of bail conditions but also in relation to a US extradition request.” Robinson did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.
U.S. authorities have prepared an arrest warrant and extradition papers, according to a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Harvard Law professor emeritus weighs in on Attorney General Bill Barr’s Capitol Hill testimony.
WATCH:

The first-ever national study of Jewish grandparents—commissioned by the Jewish Grandparents Network (JGN), in partnership with 17 national organizations and Jewish Federations—provides detailed information about the demographics, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and needs of this crucial family sector.
Nearly 8,000 individuals (approximately 1,000 of them from a nationally representative sample) participated in the study.

The New Right party, headed by Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, appears to have passed the 3.25% electoral threshold, achieving 3.26%, and will be in the 21st Knesset thanks to the votes of the soldiers, Arutz Sheva reports.
In addition, it appears that Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut party will not pass the threshold. As of the last update, it received 2.76 percent. Read more at Arutz Sheva.
{Matzav.com Israel}

CTech – With the Israeli general elections here, the use of archaic paper ballots in our electoral process seems, on its face, to be anathema to the ethos of the Startup Nation. Their continued use requires that we trust election officials to be honest and procedurally accurate and secure. And, it remains very difficult to determine ballot tampering and other security breaches. So why not use digital technology?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Tuesday that his first international trip in office will be to Israel in May.
“I promised to be the most pro-Israel governor in America, and that the first delegation I would lead would be to the State of Israel,” said the Republican governor. “I’m pleased to report that I’m keeping that promise. Our delegation will bring business, academic and political leaders to help strengthen the bond between Florida and Israel.”
The six-day trip will seek to further economic and other cooperation between the Sunshine State and the Jewish state, where the governor and his cabinet plan to be at the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.

Several 2020 Democrats support Bernie Sanders’ Medicare plan; Peter Doocy reports.
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A passenger on an El Al flight which landed in New York opened the plane’s emergency exit and attempted to jump out of the aircraft Wednesday.
The incident took place on flight LY001 from Tel Aviv to New York after the Boeing 747, which had about 400 passengers, landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport. (JFK) Wednesday morning local time.
El Al stated that “when the plane arrived at the gate and during the descent of the passengers, an American passenger opened one of the rear passenger doors that are not intended for passengers. Two EL AL crew-members who noticed the passenger kept their cool and acted resourcefully in grabbing the passenger as he hung from the door at a great height, and thereby saved his life.”