(2018-12-24). VIDEO: Pilger Says Assange Denies Meeting Manafort. consortiumnews.com The Guardian has claimed Paul Manafort visited Julian Assange at the Ecuador embassy. John Pilger visited Assange and tells CN's Joe Lauria Assange strongly denied any such meeting. Pilger: 'Julian is a touchstone for opposition' By Joe Lauria Special to… Read more →
(2018-12-24). Austerity Is Stupid, and Why the Powerful Don't Like to Admit It. commondreams.org The poet Fernando Pessoa taught us that no stupid idea can gain general acceptance unless some intelligence is mixed in with it. So how can it be that austerity appears to have been generally accepted? Objectively it is a bankrupt policy — the data is clear on this — and yet it continues to be part and parcel of our daily lives.
(2018-12-24). The World According to the 'Adults in the Room'. commondreams.org Leave it to liberals to pin their hopes on the oddest things. In particular, they seemed to find post-Trump solace in the strange combination of the two-year-old Mueller investigation and the good judgment of certain Trump appointees, the proverbial "adults in the room."…
(2018-12-24). Cold War Radar System a Trillion Dollar Fraud — Lester Ernest on RAI (1/4). therealnews.com 
Profit and deception drove cold-war militarization, says Lester Ernest, founder of the Artificial Intelligence Lab at Stanford; Ernest says the anti-nuclear bomber SAGE radar system never worked and carried on for 25 years — Lester Ernest on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay
(2018-12-24). Our Poor, Defenseless Military Industrial Complex. theantimedia.com 
(FAIR) — It is a sign of our times that our media attempt to decipher future government policy by analyzing the president's tweets, like some bizarre game of telephone. Throughout November, there was speculation of a coming reduction in military spending, and when Donald Trump took to Twitter (12/3/18) to describe the $716 billion budget as "crazy," media took …
(2018-12-24). Trump administration in question as political warfare in Washington intensifies. wsws.org In Trump's foreign policy shifts, the Democrats, speaking for the military and intelligence apparatus, see an abandonment of what they consider to be the fundamental premise of American geostrategy.
(2018-12-23). US Envoy Quits Post Syria Pullout, Trump Says 'I Don't Know' Him. telesurenglish.net A top United States envoy leading the global coalition fighting Islamic State Group has quit over President Donald Trump's decision this week to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, a source familiar with the matter said Saturday. | RELATED: | France Counters US: Troops To Stay in Syria, IS 'Not Wiped Out' | Brett McGurk, U.S. special presidential envoy for the global coalition to defeat the IS group, submitted his resignation effective Dec. 31 to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Friday, a…
(2018-12-23). Indigenous Nation Blocks TransCanada Pipeline with New Checkpoint. therealnews.com 
When TransCanada attempts to deliver a Canadian court injunction against a decade-old Wet'suwet'en checkpoint, they run into a second checkpoint instead. The Wet'suwet'en people have never signed treaties with Canada or sold their lands, a fact confirmed by Canada's Supreme Court in 1997 in a landmark case known as Delgamuukw.
(2018-12-23). My Daughter Reality Winner Faced Severe Punishment, but Key Figures in the Trump-Russia Scandal Are Getting Off Easy. theintercept.com 
Those implicated in the Trump-Russia probe do not appear to be paying nearly the price that Russia hacking whistleblower Reality Winner is.
(2018-12-22). Top US spy says Russia, China & Iran ran 'influence activities' during midterms. rt.com 
No US election systems were compromised, but Russia and other countries did run influence and messaging campaigns on social media during the 2018 midterms, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats reported to the White House.
(2018-12-22). Keep Your Eyes on the Narcissist: Donald Trump's Latest Antics Are Driven by Fear of Robert Mueller. theintercept.com 
Trump is a psychopathic criminal who feels cornered by the special counsel, so he is lashing out in every direction.
(2018-12-21). Watch the 9th Vigil for Julian Assange with John Pilger, John Kiriakou and Ray McGovern. consortiumnews.com Consortium News broadcast the 9th Online Vigil for Julian Assange Friday night. Among the special guests were journalist and filmmaker John Pilger, who visited Assange at the Ecuador embassy in London. Watch the replay here. The Unity4J vigil in support… Read more →
(2018-12-21). Headlines for December 21, 2018. democracynow.org Secretary of Defense Mattis Resigns in Rebuke of Trump Foreign Policy, Trump & Senate at Impasse over Border Wall Funding as Shutdown Looms, Acting AG Whitaker Rejected Advice of DOJ to Recuse Himself from Mueller Probe, U.S. Plans to Send Asylum Seekers Back to Mexico While Awaiting Claims Processing, Treasury Dept. Lifts Sanctions on Russian Oligarch's Business Empire, DOJ Charges 2 Chinese Nationals over Massive Hacking Campaign, Yemeni Mother Reunites with Dying Son After Travel Ban Waiver, Egypt: Court Acquits 40 NGO Workers over 2013 Illegal Funding Charges, Pope Francis: Catholic Church Will "Never Again"
(2018-12-21). SPLC statement on Supreme Court's denial of Trump administration's request to immediately enforce asylum ban. splcenter.org …
(2018-12-21). United Arab Emirates: Further Information: Possible Verdict For Human Rights Defender: Ahmed Mansoor. amnesty.org On 24 December 2018 the Federal Supreme Court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to hear the appeal of prominent human rights defender and prisoner of conscience, Ahmed Mansoor. The court may issue a final verdict. On 29 May 2018, Ahmed Mansoor was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges including "insulting the UAE and its symbols".
(2018-12-21). 'Terrorism exists when foreign powers occupy': US better off out of Syria, Ron Paul tells RT. rt.com 
If you contrast the money the US spends to support its military industrial complex with what the other countries spend, Americans shouldn't be afraid to be attacked, it is unrealistic, former US congressman Ron Paul said.
(2018-12-21). Twitterstorm as bombshell Russiagate report suggests SEX TOYS penetrate US democracy. rt.com 
How deep does Russiagate go? According to an NSA-linked research firm, Russian trolls penetrated American democracy by promoting dildos on Instagram. The Pearl Harbor-like attack on the US homeland has left Twitter shaking.
(2018-12-20). Headlines for December 20, 2018. democracynow.org Trump Announces Withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Syria, Senates Passes Stopgap Spending Measure in Hopes of Averting Shutdown, WSJ: AG Nominee Barr Sent Memo to Justice Dept. Critical of Mueller Probe, Trump Signed "Trump Tower Moscow" Letter of Intent, Contradicting Giuliani Claim, Blackwater Guard Found Guilty of Murder in 2007 Nisoor Sq. Massacre, D.C. Attorney General Sues Facebook over User Privacy Violations, U.K. and EU Leaders Prepare for Possible "No-Deal Brexit", Mexico: 2 Honduran Teenagers Who Traveled with Migrant Caravan Killed, Five-Month-Old Girl Who Traveled with Migrant Caravan Hospitalized in Cal…
(2018-12-19). Michael Isikoff Cuts His Losses at 'Russian Roulette'. consortiumnews.com Michael Isikoff, one of the biggest proponents of the Russia-gate story now says that Robert Mueller's investigation is "not where a lot of people would like it to be," says Ray McGovern. By Ray McGovern Special to Consortium News Last… Read more →
(2018-12-17). Will the Supreme Court Overturn Roe v. Wade After All? aclu.org Reading the tea leaves on abortion rights. | This piece was originally published in The New York Times. | When the Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear cases brought by Louisiana and Kansas attempting to exclude Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from their Medicaid programs, legal soothsayers were out in full force opining about what it means for the future of abortion rights un…
(2018-12-14). Watch New Julian Assange Vigil Featuring Whistleblower Dan Ellsberg and Former US Senator Mike Gravel. consortiumnews.com An online vigil for WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange was broadcast live on Consortium News on Friday night. If you missed it, watch the replay here. Among the featured guests were famed whistleblower Dan Ellsberg, former U.S. Senator Mike Gravel, CIA whistleblower… Read more →
(2018-12-13). SCOTUS Just Voted in Favor of Planned Parenthood. But Roe Is Far From Safe. progressive.org This is a moment anti-choice politicians and activists have been working toward for years. With Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, state-level activism will be front-and-center for protecting reproductive rights in 2019.
(2018-12-11). Unequal Justice: Will the Supreme Court Change the Rules of Double Jeopardy to Benefit Trump and Manafort? progressive.org "No person shall be…subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb…"—the Fifth Amendment.
(2018-12-08). How George HW Bush's 1989 invasion of Panama set the stage for US wars to come. greenleft.org.au 
The death of George H.W. Bush has dominated the U.S. news for days, but little attention has been paid to the defining event of Bush's first year in office: the invasion of Panama. On December 19, 1989, Bush Sr. sent tens of thousands of troops into Panama, ostensibly to execute an arrest warrant against its leader, Manuel Noriega, on charges of drug trafficking. General Noriega was once a close ally to Washington and on the CIA payroll. | In a nationally televised address, Bush claimed the invasion was needed to defend democracy in Panama. During the attack, the U.S. unleashed a force of 24,000 troops equipped w…
(2018-12-07). Jury fails to agree on verdict in trial of Kurdish journalist. greenleft.org.au 
NSW Supreme Court judge Lucy McCallum discharged the jury on December 6 after it failed to agree on a verdict in the trial of Kurdish journalist Renas Lelikan on "foreign fighter" charges under Australia's draconian "anti-terrorism" laws. | Lelikan denied this charge, insisting he was not a combatant but a journalist reporting on the Kurdish liberation struggle. | A February 15 hearing will be told if the prosecution intends to ask for a re-trial. Lelikan remains free on bail, with relaxed conditions. | The case had been going on for nine weeks, four of which have been taken up with the jury's deliberation. | Phi…
(2018-12-04). With INF Ultimatum, Trump's Maximalist Approach Strikes Again. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — December 4, 2018 — In response to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's announcement that the U.S. will formally announce its intention to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 60 days if Russia does not come into compliance with the treaty by then, Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy […]
(2018-11-29). On Julian Assange and the Political Economy & future of Europe. zcomm.org Interview on the socio-economic transformations taking place within the core of the European Union and how much time is left until it disintegrates…
(2018-11-26). Crucifying Julian Assange. zcomm.org Chris Hedges and Joe Lauria, journalist and editor-in-chief, Consortium, discuss efforts to force #WikiLeaks publisher, #JulianAssange, out of the Ecuador Embassy in London and extradite him to the USA to stand trial.