Sunday, April 30, 2017

The Existential Question of Who to Trust

Special Report: An existential question facing humankind is who can be trusted to describe the world and its conflicts, especially since mainstream experts have surrendered to careerism, writes Robert Parry. By Robert Parry The looming threat of World War III,…

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Team Trump Lines Up with Israel

Israel’s abuse of the Palestinians remains an open sore in the Middle East even as Israel and Team Trump try to turn everyone’s attention to the red herring of Iran, as ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar explains. By Paul R.…

Risk of Baiting Trump on His 100 Days

As President Trump reaches the 100-day mark, the liberal and mainstream criticism is that he hasn’t accomplished much, but that baiting only makes Trump likely to wage more wars and push a more right-wing agenda, says Sam Husseini. By Sam…

Friday, April 28, 2017

More NYT ‘Spin’ on the Syria-Sarin Case

Exclusive: The New York Times is at it again with another slanted report on the April 4 chemical weapons incident in Syria, applying ridicule rather than reason to prevent a real evaluation of this war-or-peace moment, reports Robert Parry. By…

Learning the Health Benefits of Cannabis

State-by-state legalization of marijuana is opening eyes to the possible health benefits from parts of the cannabis plant, but the federal government remains an obstacle, as Martin A. Lee explained to Dennis J Bernstein by Dennis J Bernstein Despite breakthroughs…

Comparing Tweeting Trump and Silent Cal

President Trump’s tax-cut plan charts a bonanza for himself, his friends and his family, getting rid of taxes that bite the rich and leaving debts behind for future American generations to pay, say Bill Moyers and Michael Winship. By Bill…

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Wrapping Up Spring Fund Drive

From Editor Robert Parry: Thanks to the generosity of our readers, we have gotten to within about $5,000 of our spring fund-drive goal of $30,000, an important target so we can continue this important independent news Web site. If you…

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Intel Vets Voice Doubts on Syrian Crisis

Two dozen former U.S. intelligence professionals are urging the American people to demand clear evidence that the Syrian government was behind the April 4 chemical incident before President Trump dives deeper into another war. AN OPEN MEMORANDUM FOR THE AMERICAN…

Updating the ‘About’ Page

Some new readers have noted that our “About” page is a bit dated — and indeed we haven’t changed it for about five years. So, for those readers interested in how we got started and how we see today’s challenges,…

France Circles Back to Status Quo

Though the names are different, the French election is playing out much like the last one when a candidate who might have brought change was brought down by scandal, opening the way for the same-ol’ policies, writes Gilbert Doctorow. By…

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Donald Trump’s Failing Presidency

Special Report: After his election, Donald Trump had a narrow path to a transformational presidency, but it required breaking the neocon grip on U.S. foreign policy and telling truth to U.S. citizens. Already, Trump has failed, says Robert Parry. By…

The Risk of Brushing Aside Intelligence

The mainstream U.S. media, which knows President Trump disdains facts, accepted his claims about the April 4 Syrian chemical incident without question and ignored doubts of intelligence analysts, a dilemma that Lawrence Davidson addresses. By Lawrence Davidson Government intelligence agencies,…

Giving Peace a Chance in Korea

Vice President Mike Pence has declared that “all options are on the table” regarding North Korea and “the era of strategic patience is over.” But peaceful negotiations may be the only option that makes sense, reports Dennis J Bernstein. By…

Monday, April 24, 2017

Behind Trump’s Anti-Iran Tough Talk

Appeasing the Saudi-Israel axis in the Mideast, President Trump is talking tough against Iran and bringing his administration even more into line with neocon orthodoxy, as ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar explains. By Paul R. Pillar The Trump administration is…

The Pro-War Twist of the ‘Resistance’

Exclusive: The anti-Trump “#Resistance” has become a movement to defend the Democratic establishment’s pro-war policies, to purge anti-war Democrats, and even to embrace Donald Trump’s attack on Syria, reports James W Carden. By James W Carden The Resistance, a self-aggrandizing…

Sunday, April 23, 2017

In Case You Missed…

Some of our special stories in March focused on Donald Trump’s early troubles as President, the Russia-gate controversy, and the deepening crises in North Korea and Syria. “How the Press Serves the Deep State” by Daniel Lazare, Mar. 1, 2016…

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Coal Miners’ Futures in Renewable Energy

Exclusive: President Trump has scored political points by touting coal-mining jobs, but he could create more real jobs in coal country by recognizing the potential for renewable-energy jobs, says Jonathan Marshall. By Jonathan Marshall If President Trump wants to earn…

The Bait-and-Switch ‘War on Terror’

The U.S. “war on terror” has always been a bait-and-switch scam on the American people, with Washington putting the desires of its Mideast allies ahead of defeating Al Qaeda and ISIS, Gareth Porter reports for Middle East Eye. By Gareth…

How US Race Laws Inspired Nazism

As much as Americans like to think of Germany’s Nazism as a foreign evil, Adolf Hitler and his henchmen drew inspiration and guidance from U.S. race laws, as documented in a new book, reviewed by David Swanson. By David Swanson…

Friday, April 21, 2017

Populism v. Elites in French Election

Exclusive: Popular resistance to neoliberal economic policies gets its next test in Sunday’s election in France with two populists from the Right and Left challenging two mainstream candidates, explains Andrew Spannaus. By Andrew Spannaus French voters will head to the…

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Why Not a Probe of ‘Israel-gate’?

Special Report: As Official Washington fumes about Russia-gate, Israel’s far more significant political-influence-and-propaganda campaigns are ignored. No one dares suggest a probe of Israel-gate, says Robert Parry. By Robert Parry The other day, I asked a longtime Democratic Party insider…

Russia-Bashing Helps Wall Street Democrats

National Democrats have used hyperbolic Russia-bashing to shield themselves from blame for Hillary Clinton’s defeat and to block progressives from pulling the party away from Wall Street, writes Norman Solomon. By Norman Solomon After Hillary Clinton’s devastating loss nearly six…

Trump Sends the World Muddled Messages

Moving from Tweets to Tomahawk missiles, President Trump enjoys sending messages with exclamation points, but those messages often are muddled and thus dangerous, says ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. By Paul R. Pillar The Trump administration’s miscommunication about the whereabouts…

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Why Hillary Clinton Really Lost

Exclusive: An insider book on Campaign 2016 reveals a paranoid Hillary Clinton who spied on staff emails after losing in 2008 and carried her political dysfunction into her loss to Donald Trump, writes Robert Parry. By Robert Parry An early…

Erdogan’s Neo-Fascist Turkish Allies

Exclusive: Turkish President Erdogan’s push toward nationalistic authoritarianism has an important ally in the political arm of the neo-fascist Grey Wolves, reports Jonathan Marshall. By Jonathan Marshall All but one of Turkey’s major opposition parties denounced Sunday’s referendum to create…

Farm Workers Resist Trump’s Policies

President Trump is touting his aggressive approach toward removing undocumented workers from the U.S. as one of his first-100-days achievements, but resistance is growing, too, reports Dennis J Bernstein. By Dennis J Bernstein President Trump’s promised purge of undocumented people…

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

NYT Mocks Skepticism on Syria-Sarin Claims

Exclusive: The New York Times and other major media have ruled out any further skepticism toward the U.S. government’s claim that Syrian President Assad dropped a sarin bomb on a town in Idlib province, reports Robert Parry. By Robert Parry…

Dropping the (Non-Nuclear) Big One

After pounding “war on terror” targets for 15-plus years, the U.S. military dropped its “mother of all bombs” on some caves in Afghanistan, a show-off of its terrifying weapon, peace activist Kathy Kelly told Dennis J Bernstein. By Dennis J…

Monday, April 17, 2017

Through the ‘War on Terror’ Looking Glass

Exclusive: The U.S. government’s 15-year-long “global war on terror” has spread death and chaos across entire regions – while also imposing propaganda narratives on Americans – with no end in sight, says Nicolas J S Davies. By Nicolas J S…

A Personal Look Inside Modern Islam

There is a vicious cycle, rotating from Western fear and hatred of Islam to violent Islamic extremism targeting the West and around again, as a new book — reviewed by Arnold R. Isaacs — quietly explains. Arnold R. Isaacs For…

Sunday, April 16, 2017

What Russia-gate Has Wrought

Exclusive: For five months, there was a daily drumbeat on Russia-gate, the sprawling conspiracy theory that Russia had somehow put Donald Trump in the White House, but suddenly the “scandal” disappeared, notes Robert Parry. By Robert Parry Democrats, liberals and…

Trump Uses Tiny Nation to Insult Russia

In another affront to Russia, President Trump has signed onto Montenegro’s entrance into NATO, as the neocon/liberal-hawk strategy of encircling Russia resumes, writes Ted Snider. By Ted Snider Donald Trump has just approved Montenegro’s accession into NATO, the latest sign…

Obama/Trump: Contrasting Deceivers

On the surface, Donald Trump and Barack Obama may seem like polar opposites but they are alike in one fundamental way: both promised to challenge a corrupt and brutal establishment but promptly caved in, writes Sam Husseini. By Sam Husseini…

Saturday, April 15, 2017

You Protect Our Independence

From Editor Robert Parry: At Consortiumnews, we’ve never had some billionaire who pays our bills and pulls our strings. From our start in 1995, we’ve relied on readers to support our work and to protect our independence. We also operate…

Neocons Point Housebroken Trump at Iran

Exclusive: Now that the neocons have housebroken President Trump, they are ready for a resumption of their “regime change” agenda, with Iran next in their crosshairs, reports Jonathan Marshall. By Jonathan Marshall The Trump administration’s growing use of military force…

Handing Killer Drones to Donald Trump

When President Obama expanded use of lethal drones, many Americans trusted him to act judiciously, but now those exceptional powers have passed to the hot-headed Donald Trump, notes Jesselyn Radack. By Jesselyn Radack The news is rife with President Trump’s…

Friday, April 14, 2017

Did Al Qaeda Fool the White House Again?

Exclusive: Despite evidence that Al Qaeda and its allies have staged fake chemical attacks in Syria before, Official Washington asserts with “high confidence” that it’s not being fooled again, reports Robert Parry. By Robert Parry In Official Washington, words rarely…

Trump Lurches into Chaos and Conflict

President Trump lurched into the attack on Syria in much the same chaotic way that he has lurched from side to side on domestic policy and foreign affairs, notes ex-British diplomat Alastair Crooke. By Alastair Crooke It seems clear –…

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Tillerson’s Bad Hand in Kremlin Showdown

President Trump’s hasty decision to attack a Syrian airfield may have relieved political pressure on him at home but the Russian retaliation – suspending an important “deconfliction agreement” – left Secretary of State Tillerson as supplicant in his Kremlin meetings,…

Roots of Trump’s ‘Economic Nationalism’

President Trump’s platform of “economic nationalism” appears to be crumbling as he seeks to survive his early-term thrashing from the Establishment, but there is a more positive history to his ideas, writes Andrew Spannaus. By Andrew Spannaus With most of…

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Pushing Australia into War with China

The U.S. establishment is so disturbed by the erosion of its “uni-polar world” domination that it is pushing compliant allies like Australia into potentially devastating conflicts, writes John Pilger. By John Pilger Australia is sleep-walking into a confrontation with China,…

Trump Finds His Groove with Warmaking

The U.S. establishment disdained Donald Trump because he didn’t know how to do the war-making thing, so he had to go through some tough boot camp training to learn the ropes, as filmmaker John Pilger told Dennis J Bernstein. By…

Trump Withholds Syria-Sarin Evidence

Exclusive: Despite President Trump’s well-known trouble with the truth, his White House now says “trust us” on its Syrian-sarin charges while withholding the proof that it claims to have, reports Robert Parry. By Robert Parry After making the provocative and…

To Russia with More Russia-Bashing

Now that President Trump is bashing Russia, not resetting relations, the mainstream U.S. media has gone from pushing “Russia-gate” conspiracies to decrying doubts about U.S. government anti-Russia claims, notes Nat Parry. By Nat Parry After several months of pushing the…

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Russia’s Disdain for Tillerson and Trump

With Russia’s last hopes for détente with President Trump dashed by his missile strike on Syria, the Kremlin looks askance at visiting Secretary of State Tillerson who it feels just played the Colin Powell role for his boss, says Gilbert…

Trump’s Syria Attack Trampled Many Laws

Exclusive: As the U.S. mainstream media hails President Trump’s missile strike on Syria, there has been almost no attention to either the truth about its justification or the myriad of laws violated in its execution, writes Marjorie Cohn. By Marjorie…

Trump Should Rethink Syria Escalation

A group of ex-U.S. intelligence officials urge President Trump to rethink his claims blaming the Syrian government for the chemical deaths in Idlib and to pull back from his dangerous escalation of tensions with Russia. MEMORANDUM FOR: The President FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals…

Monday, April 10, 2017

Neocons Have Trump on His Knees

Exclusive: The Democrats’ Russia-made-Hillary-lose hysteria has pushed a weakened President Trump into the arms of the neocons who now have a long list of endless-war ideas for him to implement, reports Robert Parry. By Robert Parry After slapping Donald Trump…

How Media Bias Fuels Syrian Escalation

Exclusive: The mainstream U.S. media now reports as “flat-fact” the Syrian government’s guilt in the April 4 chemical weapons incident, but the real facts are less clear and some point in the opposite direction, says Rick Sterling. By Rick Sterling…

The Scary Temptation of War in Syria

The incoherence of President Trump’s foreign policy – and his reliance on “the shows” to get his military advice – have made Syria a dangerous temptation, explains ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. By Paul R. Pillar After the Soviet Union…

Trump Plunges Toward World War III

Months of Democratic Russia-bashing and Trump-baiting achieved their predictable result as the thin-skinned and rash President is now proving his “toughness” by firing off missiles and risking World War III, warns Norman Solomon. By Norman Solomon Vast efforts to portray…

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Bill Maher’s Muddled Attacks on Islam

As an edgy comedian, Bill Maher prides himself on his “politically incorrect” religion-bashing, but his excessive attacks on Islam more aptly reflect a “politically correct” bigotry, as JP Sottile explains. By JP Sottile Bill Maher thinks he knows exactly why…

Saturday, April 8, 2017

Where Was CIA’s Pompeo on Syria?

Exclusive: As President Trump was launching his missile strike against Syria, CIA Director Pompeo and other intelligence officials weren’t at the table, suggesting their doubts about Bashar al-Assad’s guilt, reports Robert Parry. By Robert Parry There is a dark mystery…

Luring Trump into Mideast Wars

Exclusive: After launching a missile strike on Syria, President Trump is basking in praise from his former critics – neocons, Democrats and mainstream media – who want to lure him into more Mideast wars, reports Daniel Lazare. By Daniel Lazare…

Trump’s 59-Tomahawk ‘Tweet’

In what amounted to a 59-Tomahawk middle-of-the-night “tweet,” an impulsive President Trump reacted emotionally, not rationally, in attacking Syria, says ex-British diplomat Alastair Crooke. By Alastair Crooke Before President Trump’s “retaliatory” strike against Syria on Thursday, I had written: “This,…

Trampling the US Constitution for War

Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to attack Syria under a preposterous claim of protecting a “vital national security interest” of the U.S. was another case of a President violating the U.S. Constitution, as Daniel C. Maguire explains. By Daniel C. Maguire…

Friday, April 7, 2017

Trump’s ‘Wag the Dog’ Moment

Exclusive: President Trump earned neocon applause for his hasty decision to attack Syria and kill about a dozen Syrians, but his rash act has all the earmarks of a “wag the dog” moment, reports Robert Parry. By Robert Parry Just…

Dashed Hopes for Trump’s Foreign Policy

President Trump’s missile attack on Syria – without waiting for an investigation of Syria’s alleged role in a poison-gas attack – has dashed hopes that he might take U.S. foreign policy in a less warlike direction, writes Gilbert Doctorow. By Gilbert…

Thursday, April 6, 2017

NYT Retreats on 2013 Syria-Sarin Claims

Exclusive: Even as The New York Times leads the charge against the Syrian government for this week’s alleged chemical attack, it is quietly retreating on its earlier certainty about the 2013 Syria-sarin case, reports Robert Parry. By Robert Parry The…

The Ugly Underbelly of Russia-gate

Exclusive: The dangerous demonization of Russia has spilled over into the creepy behavior of U.S. pundits spinning ugly conspiracy theories when tragedy strikes Russians, writes James W Carden. By James W Carden The reaction among a number of high-profile media…

How to Ease North Korea’s Fears

North Korea fears that it might end up like Iraq or Libya if it surrenders its nuclear program. China has offered an idea to calm those fears but President Trump says no, reports Ivan Eland. By Ivan Eland During his…

The Riches on the Right

A surprise from the financial disclosure forms of the Trump White House was how many of the players got rich from working in the right-wing world of anti-government activism, says Michael Winship. By Michael Winship Some of the latest hooey…

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Another Dangerous Rush to Judgment in Syria

Exclusive: The U.S. government and the mainstream media rushed to judgment again, blaming the Syrian government for a new poison-gas attack and ignoring other possibilities, reports Robert Parry. By Robert Parry With the latest hasty judgment about Tuesday’s poison-gas deaths…

Team Trump Ponders Climate ‘Engineering’

Exclusive: Rather than take prudent steps to reduce the release of global-warming gases, some Trump advisers are pondering risky gambles to re-engineer the Earth’s climate, as Jonathan Marshall explains. By Jonathan Marshall While President Trump floors the accelerator to speed…

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Mainstream Media as Arbiters of Truth

Exclusive: An angry mainstream U.S. media is shaking its fist at anyone who won’t clamber onboard the Russia-gate groupthink bandwagon, reports Robert Parry. By Robert Parry The mainstream U.S. media is never more unctuous and unprofessional as when it asserts…

Russians Take Terror Attack in Stride

Russians responded with relative calm to the lethal terror attack on St. Petersburg’s metro but stressed that the incident underscored the need for counter-terror cooperation despite other disagreements, writes Gilbert Doctorow. By Gilbert Doctorow Russia’s reaction to Monday’s terror attacks…

MLK’s Warning of America’s Spiritual Death

From the Archive: A half century ago, The New York Times accused Martin Luther King Jr. of “slander” for decrying the Vietnam War and The Washington Post detected “unsupported fantasies” in his speech, recalled more favorably by Gary G. Kohls.…

Monday, April 3, 2017

Trump’s Foreign Policy Incoherence

Exclusive: Powerful forces are arrayed against any significant changes that President Trump may try to make in foreign policy, a dilemma made worse by his own ineptness and staffing troubles, writes Robert Parry. By Robert Parry President Trump’s emerging foreign…

Protecting Rights of the Undocumented

While the U.S. has well-established legal protections for criminal defendants, the rights of undocumented immigrants are often murkier, an urgent problem in the Age of Trump, reports Dennis J Bernstein. By Dennis J Bernstein President Trump’s plans for tougher immigration…

Spring Fund Drive Begins

From Editor Robert Parry: We are setting our spring fundraising goal at $30,000, so we can continue publishing this independent-minded news site, which produces journalism that demands real facts from all sides in important public debates while rejecting Washington’s groupthinks.…

Sunday, April 2, 2017

This is what persecution looks like. All decent Americans should be infuriated.

This is what political persecution looks like. This, right here. Look no further. David Daleiden, Sandra Merritt, and the Center For Medical Progress are now facing 15 felony charges for committing the crime of exposing Planned Parenthood’s crimes.

As you may recall, the Center For Medical Progress released a series of videos in 2015 exposing Planned Parenthood’s baby trafficking operation. Hours and hours of undercover footage captured various high ranking Planned Parenthood officials as they confessed to selling the severed limbs and disemboweled organs of dead children, and on several occasions it showed them actually in the act of negotiating over fees. In one particularly ghoulish episode, an abortionist worried that she was getting “low balled” on the price of a murdered child’s body part, exclaiming, “I want a Lamborghini!”

Keep reading

The post This is what persecution looks like. All decent Americans should be infuriated. appeared first on The Matt Walsh Blog.

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Dana Loesch leaves George Takei in warp-drive dust after he mocks Pence’s marriage stance

Outspoken liberal George Takei — he of the original “Star Trek” cast — isn’t shy about sharing his left-wing views on social media.

Not surprisingly, Takei took to Twitter on Friday to join what’s become the popular mockery talking point of the week — making fun of Republican Vice President Mike Pence for his marriage stance of not eating meals alone with other women.

Keep reading

The post Dana Loesch leaves George Takei in warp-drive dust after he mocks Pence’s marriage stance appeared first on The Matt Walsh Blog.

Democrats’ Blind Obsession on Russia-gate

Exclusive: Instead of focusing on President Trump’s poor policies – or fixing their own shortcomings – Democrats obsess over Russia-gate, though the case is flimsy and reeks of McCarthyism, as Daniel Lazare explains. By Daniel Lazare Democrats are jubilant now…

Excusing Bahrain’s Human Rights Abuses

Team Trump remains under the Saudi-Israeli spell that Iran is the region’s strategic threat, which explains the policy incoherence of supporting Bahrain’s repression of Shiites, a dilemma addressed by ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. By Paul R. Pillar The Trump…