VIPS to Trump: Intelligence on Iran Fails the Smell Test

As drums beat again for war — this time on Iran—-the VIPS’ warning is again being disregarded as it was before the Iraq debacle and this time VIPS fear the consequences will be all-caps CATASTROPHIC.  August 1, 2018 MEMORANDUM FOR: The President FROM: Veteran…

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Virginia State Senator in Rare Support by Politician for Assange

Julian Assange’s lawyers fear his extradition to the U.S. where they believe a sealed indictment in the state of Virginia is waiting for him.  In a rare move by an American politician, a state senator in Virginia has come out…

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In Shielding US from Legal Obligations, Kavanaugh Conflates International Law with Foreign Laws

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has nothing but contempt for international law. But he has shown uncritical deference to executive power, particularly in the so-called war on terror cases, argues Marjorie Cohn. By Marjorie Cohn The two primary sources of…

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Gaza Flotilla Ship Al Awda Violently Seized by Israelis

Israeli forces have violently boarded a ship, being followed by Consortium News, that was headed to Gaza bringing humanitarian aid.  By Joe Lauria Special to Consortium News Israeli soldiers in international waters boarded the Al Awda ship headed to Gaza to…

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Ahed Tamimi and Her Mother are Free

Ahed Tamimi and her mother were freed from prison on Sunday and Ray McGovern looks back on when he met the Tamimi family last year in their West Bank village and reflects on the spirit that drives them. By Ray…

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Living in a World Bereft of Privacy

As Edward Snowden confirmed beyond doubt, we live in a world where our most intimate moments can be seen by would-be extortioners and, more alarmingly, by our governments, says Annie Machon. By Annie Machon in Brussels Special to Consortium News…

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Letter from Britain—Lost in a Brexit Maze: a Baffled Political Class Dreads the Prospect of Jeremy Corbyn

The British Establishment wants to protect the expanded privileges it inherited from Margaret Thatcher’s neoliberal legacy but appears clueless about how to deal with an increasingly rebellious British public, as Alexander Mercouris explains. By Alexander Mercouris in London Special to…

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GOP and Corporate Dems Gain When Democrats Run Against Putin

Hammering on Russia is a losing strategy for progressives as most Americans care about economic issues and it is the Republicans and corporate Democrats who stand to gain, argues Norman Solomon. By Norman Solomon Progressives should figure it out. Amplifying…

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The Gray Lady Thinks Twice About Assange’s Prosecution

Though The New York Times itself has not reported it, it’s No. 2 lawyer told a group of judges that the prosecution of Julian Assange could have dire consequences for the Times itself, explains Ray McGovern. By Ray McGovern Special…

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The Case for Stripping Former Officials of their Security Clearances

COMMENTARY: Former CIA agent John Kiriakou argues that no former intelligence official should be allowed to keep their security clearances when they leave government, especially if they work in the media. By John Kiriakou Special to Consortium News Libertarian senator…

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Catalonian Quest for Independence is Undeterred

In an interview with Consortium News, an independence leader and member of the Spanish parliament tells Attilio Moro that Catalonians are not finished seeking separation from Madrid. By Attilio Moro in Barcelona Special to Consortium News “Freedom for the political…

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The World According to Ben Rhodes: Hypocrisy in Obama’s Foreign Policy

In a new book Obama’s deputy national security advisers opens up about Pentagon interference in policy, Obama’s political calculations and his own ignorance of the Middle East, as As’ad AbuKhalil explains in this review. By As`ad AbuKhalil Special to Consortium…

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Moon-Strzok No More, Lisa Page Spills the Beans

The meaning of a crucial text message between two FBI officials appears to have been finally explained, and it’s not good news for the Russia-gate faithful, as Ray McGovern explains. By Ray McGovern Special to Consortium News Former FBI attorney…

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The ‘White Helmets’ Controversy

FROM THE ARCHIVES: As Israel in the past few days helped evacuate 800 “White Helmets” from Syria, en route to Britain and other Wester countries, we look back at an article published by Consortium News in Oct. 2016. By Rick…

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Guardians of the Magnitsky Myth

FROM THE ARCHIVES: In pursuit of Russia-gate, U.S. mainstream media embraces any attack on Russia and works to ensure Americans don’t hear the other side of the story, as with the Magnitsky myth, reported Robert Parry on Oct. 28, 2017. By Robert…

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Meanwhile, About Those Other Issues at the Summit

They actually held a Russian-American summit in Helsinki on Monday to talk about life and death issues, though you wouldn’t know it from the corporate media. Alexander Mercouris explores some of those other issues. By Alexander Mercouris The summit meeting…

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Working with the Publisher that Changed the World

Italian journalist Stefania Maurizi has worked with WikiLeaks for nine years on the Podesta emails and other revelations. Here’s an insider’s view of the publisher that has incensed rulers around the world, desperate to hide their corruption. By Stefania Maurizi…

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When the US Invaded Russia

Amidst the backdrop of increased U.S.-Russian tensions and even talk of war, long forgotten is the time the U.S. actually invaded, explains Jeff Klein. By Jeff Klein Special to Consortium News Amid the bi-partisan mania over the Trump-Putin Summit in…

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Climb Down From the Summit of Hostile Propaganda

Public reactions to an open letter from academics, journalists and politicians asking for co-existence with Russia show many Americans don’t buy the media’s bellicose spin, as Norman Solomon explains. By Norman Solomon Throughout the day before the summit in Helsinki,…

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US Media is Losing Its Mind Over Trump-Putin Press Conference

The media’s mania over Trump’s Helsinki performance and the so-called Russia-gate scandal reached new depths on Monday, says Joe Lauria By Joe Lauria Special to Consortium News The reaction of the U.S. establishment media and several political leaders to President…

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Memo to the President Ahead of Monday’s Summit

Ray McGovern and Bill Binney have written an open letter to President Trump ahead of Monday’s summit.  With Friday’s indictments of Russian intelligence officers, Ray McGovern and Bill Binney have written an open letter to President Trump making clear that…

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Evidence Will Probably Never Be Produced in Indictments of ‘Russian Agents’

The indictment of 12 Russian ‘agents,’ which included no collusion with Trump’s team, is essentially a political and not legal document because it is almost certain the U.S. government will never have to present any evidence in court, reports Joe Lauria. …

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Ray McGovern: Strzok Hoisted on His Own Petard

FBI agent Peter Strzok may be soon “thrown under the bus” in the ongoing investigation into Clinton’s emails and his alleged role in the Russia-gate investigation, comments Ray McGovern.  By Ray McGovern Special to Consortium News If FBI agent Peter…

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The Media’s Brazen Dishonesty About North Korean Nuclear Violations

In its reporting of supposed North Korean “violations”, the corporate media is once again found to be pushing a political agenda, as Gareth Porter explains. By Gareth Porter In late June and early July, NBC News, CNN, and The Wall Street…

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Trump’s Criticism of NATO Ignores the Real Questions

Donald Trump’s bluster at the NATO summit only has to do with money, not whether the alliance serves any genuine security purpose, says Jonathan Marshall. By Jonathan Marshall Special to Consortium News The usual NATO summit begins and ends with…

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A Call to Ease Tensions Between the Nuclear Superpowers

With Donald Trump about to meet Vladimir Putin in their first summit on July 16, prominent academics, journalists, politicians and activists call for a lessening of dangerous tensions between the two nuclear powers.  An Open Letter Many Americans remain deeply…

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Europe Shows a Polarized Supreme Court is Not Inevitable

The U.S. Supreme Court is riven by political division and the nomination process riddled by partisan battles, unlike Europe’s highest courts, argues David Orentlicher.  By David Orentlicher United States President Donald Trump has nominated Brett Kavanaugh to replace retiring Supreme…

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How Trump is Reshaping US Foreign Policy

Trump’s policies are shaping America’s relationship with the world in major ways even if those policies don’t exhibit a consistent strategy, observes Paul Pillar. By Paul Pillar The urge within the commentariat to describe every president’s foreign policy in terms…

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Israel Bulldozes Khan Al Ahmar and Buries the Two-State Solution

In the midst of tepid Western criticism, Israel is finally realizing its decades-old goal of splitting the West Bank in two, while putting an end to the fiction of a two-state solution, observes Jonathan Cook. By Jonathan Cook in Nazareth…

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USS Liberty Survivor Named US Delegate on Gaza Flotilla

A survivor of the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty that killed 34 U.S. sailors has joined the Freedom Flotilla headed towards Gaza, as Joe Lauria reports. By Joe Lauria Special to Consortium News Joe Meadors, a survivor of the…

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The Hidden History of the Women Who Rose Up

John Pilger asks where the spirit of rebellion has gone that once led to numerous uprisings at a female prison factory in Australia where his great-great grandmother was once interned. By John Pilger  Like all colonial societies, Australia has secrets.…

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Supreme Court Ignored International Law in Upholding Muslim Ban

The Supreme Court majority ignored two treaties and customary law in upholding Donald Trump’s latest travel ban, which the president himself said targeted Muslims, reports Marjorie Cohn. By Marjorie Cohn The Supreme Court’s opinion last month in Trump v. Hawaii, affirming Donald…

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Corporate Media’s About-Face on Ukraine’s Neo-Nazis

U.S. corporate media spent years dismissing the role of neo-Nazis in Ukraine’s 2014 coup but it is suddenly going through a conversion, as Daniel Lazare reports. By Daniel Lazare Special to Consortium News Last month a freelance journalist named Joshua…

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America Celebrates Lateral Move From Monarchy To Corporate Rule

America celebrates its independence 242 years ago today from Britain with little thought it seems about who rules them now, comments Caitlin Johnstone By Caitlin Johnstone Today America celebrates its liberation from the shackles of the British Crown and the…

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Former US Envoy in Moscow Calls Intelligence Report on Alleged Russian Interference ‘Politically Motivated’

Prominent journalists and politicians seized upon a shabby, politically motivated, “intelligence” report as proof of “Russian interference” in the U.S. election without the pretense of due diligence, argues Jack Matlock, a former U.S. ambassador in Moscow. By Jack Matlock Did…

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Obrador Hopes to Restore Mexican Sovereignty

For decades, the specter of Andrés Manuel López Obrador has haunted Mexico’s ruling elites. His triumph on Sunday could change the country’s domestic, regional, and international outlook, says Dan Steinbock. By Dan Steinbock International media touted the neoliberal reforms of…

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