Operation Baton: Colombia's most epic military corruption probe in history?
Adriaan Alsema | colombiareports.com | 2020-05-17
Colombia's army is so corrupt, one general was even selling classified information to guerrillas, a counterintelligence operation discovered before its findings mysteriously disappeared. Operation Baton was meant to purge the…
colombiareports.com/operation-baton-colombias-most-epic-military-corruption-probe-in-history/

DHS & FBI fear more attacks on 5G infrastructure fueled by Covid-19 conspiracies
rt.com | 2020-05-17
The Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies are worried that conspiracy theories, bizarrely linking the Covid-19 pandemic to the 5G technology rollout, could inspire more vandalism and violence in the US. | The DHS, FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center issued a joint warning to US law enforcement officials about the growing threat this week, while a separate DHS intelligence report, obtained by ABC News, noted that the widening online "misinformation…
rt.com/usa/488881-dhs-fbi-5g-attacks-coronavirus/

Harry Dunn's mother says UK is on 'road to ruin' if 'bully' US wins extradition row
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-05-17
The mother of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn has said Britain will be on the "road to ruin" if it backs down in its diplomatic row with the "bully" US government.Charlotte Charles said "we have to stand up to them" as it emerged the UK has agreed to extradite two fugitives to the United States, which refuses to hand over suspect Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US intelligence official.Washington officials are reportedly "furious" that UK police have issued an international wanted notice for Sacoolas, who was charged with causing the 19-year-old's death by dangerous driving in December.Dunn was killed when his motor…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/05/17/harry-dunns-mother-says-uk-is-on-road-to-ruin-if-bully-us-wins-extradition-row/

Afghanistan: Rivals Ghani and Abdullah Sign Power-Sharing Deal
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-17
Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah signed Sunday a power-sharing deal, ending months of political deadlock since the September 2019 polls. | RELATED: | Pompeo Arrives in Afghanistan to Revive Faltering Peace Talks | "We will share the burden and our shoulders, God willing, will be lighter," Ghani said at the signing ceremony, adding the day is "historic" as the agreement was reached without any international mediation. | With the deal, Abdullah…
telesurenglish.net/news/Afghanistan-Rivals-Ghani-and-Abdullah-Sign-Power-Sharing-Deal-20200517-0005.html

Techno-Tyranny: How the U.S. National Security State is Using Coronavirus to Fulfill an Orwellian Vision
Andrey Areshev | strategic-culture.org | 2020-05-16
Whitney WEBB | LAST YEAR, A GOVERNMENT COMMISSION CALLED FOR THE US TO ADOPT AN AI-DRIVEN MASS SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM FAR BEYOND THAT USED IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN ORDER TO ENSURE AMERICAN HEGEMONY IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. NOW, MANY OF THE "OBSTACLES" THEY HAD CITED AS PREVENTING ITS IMPLEMENTATION ARE RAPIDLY BEING REMOVED UNDER THE GUISE OF COMBATING THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS. | Last year, a U.S. government body dedicated to examining how artificial intelligence can "address the national security and defense needs of the United States" discussed in detail the "structural" changes that the American economy and socie…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/05/16/techno-tyranny-how-the-us-national-security-state-is-using-coronavirus-to-fulfill-an-orwellian-vision/

US threatens ICC with 'consequences' if it acts on war crimes complaint against Israel filed by 'fake' Palestinian state
rt.com | 2020-05-16
Arguing that Palestine doesn't "qualify as a sovereign state" and that the International Criminal Court lacks jurisdiction over Israel, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has threatened "consequences" for any "illegitimate" probes. | Following his trip to Israel this week, Pompeo issued a brief statement, denouncing the ongoing efforts by the ICC to investigate allegations of war crimes against Palestinians, including the use of live ammunition against protesters, the demolition and shellin…
rt.com/news/488880-pompeo-israel-icc-war-crimes/

'incompetent' Trump-Pompeo-Hook triangle is only a source of threat: Shamkhani
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

'Unreliable for allies, dangerous for rivals': Tehran blasts 'mindless' trio of Trump, Pompeo & US Iran envoy
rt.com | 2020-05-16
A high-ranking Iranian politician has unloaded on three of the top US officials, saying their "mindless" behavior paints the US government as being dangerous for rivals, unreliable for allies and incompetent for the people. | Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council took aim at US President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook in a series of tweets on Friday. | "The rule of the incompetent and mindless is only a source of danger," Shamkhani said before proceeding to call the Americans by name. | The Trump-Pompeo-Hook triangl…
rt.com/news/488855-iran-trump-pompeo-incompetent-triangle/

Whistleblower Says Systemic Mortgage Fraud Has Returned to Wall Street
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-16
Among the toxic contributors to the financial crisis of 2008, few caused as much havoc as mortgages with dodgy numbers and inflated values. Huge quantities of them were assembled into securities that crashed and burned, damaging homeowners and investors alike. Afterward, reforms were promised. Never again, regulators vowed, would real estate financiers be able to fudge numbers and threaten the entire economy. | Twelve yea…
truthout.org/articles/whistleblower-says-systemic-mortgage-fraud-has-returned-to-wall-street/

Whistleblower Says Systemic Mortgage Fraud Has Returned to Wall Street
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-16
Among the toxic contributors to the financial crisis of 2008, few caused as much havoc as mortgages with dodgy numbers and inflated values. Huge quantities of them were assembled into securities that crashed and burned, damaging homeowners and investors alike. Afterward, reforms were promised. Never again, regulators vowed, would real estate financiers be able to fudge numbers and threaten the entire economy. | Twelve yea…
truthout.org/articles/whistleblower-says-systemic-mortgage-fraud-has-returned-to-wall-street/

'The American friends': New court files expose Sheldon Adelson's security team in US spy operation against Julian Assange
Max Blumenthal | thegrayzone.com | 2020-05-15
An exclusive investigation by The Grayzone reveals new details on the critical role Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Sands played in…
thegrayzone.com/2020/05/14/american-sheldon-adelsons-us-spy-julian-assange/

Israel Perfecting Surveillance Tech
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-15
Israel's external spy organization Mossad and its internal espionage equivalent Shin Bet have reputations that are much larger than their actual successes, but the one area where they have excelled is electronic intelligence gathering. Recent electronic spying around the White …
globalresearch.ca/israel-perfecting-surveillance-tech/5712987

"My Job Is to Make Syria a Quagmire for the Russians": CIA Doctrine Made Official Policy
Zero Hedge | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-15
Like with the disastrous Iraq quagmire years before the US war machine came to Syria under Obama, Washington's rationale and justification for occupying the Syrian Arab Republic has shifted and changed drastically multiple times over. | When ultimately what started …
globalresearch.ca/make-syria-quagmire-russians-cia-doctrine-made-official-policy/5712991

US Senator Richard Burr steps down as intelligence chairman amid investigation into pre-pandemic stock dump
wsws.org | 2020-05-15
As part of an ongoing Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission's probe into insider trading, FBI agents have seized the North Carolina senator's personal cell phone.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/15/burr-m15.html

In Defence of Conspiracy Theories (And Why the Term Is a Misnomer)
David Coady | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-15
Before 2012, if you had voiced suspicions that the Australian government had been anything but open and honourable in dealing with East Timor

Declassified Mueller investigation transcripts confirm no evidence WikiLeaks colluded with Russia
wsws.org | 2020-05-15
The "Russian connection" was baldly asserted by the Democratic Party, US intelligence officials and the corporate media…
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/15/assa-m15.html

Colombia's opposition filing criminal charges against 9 generals and Duque ally over illegal spying
Adriaan Alsema | colombiareports.com | 2020-05-15
Colombia's opposition announced criminal charges against nine army generals and an ideologue of President Ivan Duque's far-right political party, which again found itself accused of having ties to the mafia….
colombiareports.com/colombias-opposition-filing-criminal-charges-against-9-generals-and-duque-ally-over-illegal-spying/

Whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright testifies winter could be 'darkest in modern history'
John Wojcik | peoplesworld.org | 2020-05-15
Dr. Rick Bright, the top Health and Human Services official dumped by Trump for blowing the whistle on the administration's disastrous response to the coronavirus pandemic, testified to Congress Thursday that essentially everything the president is saying about his administration's response to the pandemic is a lie. One of the most damaging of those lies, …
peoplesworld.org/article/whistleblower-dr-rick-bright-testifies-winter-could-be-darkest-in-modern-history/

US whistleblower warns premature return to work will bring "unprecedented illness and fatalities"
wsws.org | 2020-05-15
Dr. Rick Bright warned yesterday that the pandemic "has the potential to eclipse the devastation wrought by the 1918 influenza, which globally claimed over 50 million lives."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/15/covi-m15.html

Whistleblower: Wall Street Has Engaged in Widespread Manipulation of Mortgage Funds
Heather Vogell, ProPublica | commondreams.org | 2020-05-15
Securities that contain loans for properties like hotels and office buildings have inflated profits, the whistleblower claims. As the pandemic hammers the economy, that could increase the chances of another mortgage collapse. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/whistleblower-mortgage-funds-propublica.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/15/whistleblower-wall-street-has-engaged-widespread-manipulation-mortgage-funds?cd-origin=rss

Roaming Charges: Unmasked and Anonymous
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
I'm hyped for some ObamaGate action, as long as its about things that matter: health care plan designed by Heritage Foundation, bailing out Wall Street, failing to close Gitmo, droning US citizens, Afghan surge, the jailing of whistleblowers and legal harassment of journalists, the Libyan and Honduran coups, mass surveillance, the funding and arming of proxy wars in Yemen and Syria, record deportations, Deepwater Horizon, new nukes (both power plants and weapons), etc…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/roaming-charges-unmasked-and-anonymous/

The sad story of Colombia's Supreme Court judge who only accidentally gets people in legal trouble
Adriaan Alsema | colombiareports.com | 2020-05-17
Colombia's Supreme Court magistrate Cristina Lombana seems to have a special gift to accidentally get her allegedly criminal former army buddies in legal trouble. Since President Ivan Duque swore in…
colombiareports.com/the-sad-story-of-colombias-supreme-court-judge-who-only-accidentally-gets-people-in-legal-trouble/

As Gerry Adams' internment conviction is 'quashed', Britain's shameful past in Ireland comes back to haunt it
Peadar O'Cearnaigh | thecanary.co | 2020-05-16
On 13 May, the Supreme Court quashed the 1973 and 1975 convictions of former leader of Sinn Féin ( SF) Gerry Adams. The court held that because Adams "was not detained lawfully" it "follows that he was wrongfully convicted of the offences of attempting to escape from lawful custody". This means "his convictions for those offences must be quashed". | The floodgates of similar cases could…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2020/05/16/as-gerry-adams-internment-conviction-is-quashed-britains-shameful-past-in-ireland-comes-back-to-haunt-it/

Democracy At Stake: "Faithless Electors" SCOTUS Case Tests If Electoral College Members Can Go Rogue
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-15
The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday in a case that could shape the outcome of future presidential elections. The question at hand was whether Electoral College members can "go rogue" and support candidates who did not win the state's popular vote. In 2016, one of Colorado's nine electors, Michael Baca, attempted to cast his Electoral College ballot for Republican John Kasich instead of Democrat Hillary Clinton. The Colorado secretary of state at the time

Supreme Court considers blanket immunity for Trump
wsws.org | 2020-05-15
The Supreme Court on Tuesday held oral arguments on whether to give Donald Trump immunity from congressional and grand jury investigations.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/15/cour-m15.html

"Faithless Electors" SCOTUS Case Tests If Electoral College Members Can Go Rogue
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-15
The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday in a case that could shape the outcome of future presidential elections. The question at hand was whether Electoral College members can "go rogue" and support candidates who did not win the state's popular vote. In 2016, one of Colorado's nine electors, Michael Baca, attempted to cast his Electoral College ballot for Republican John Kasich instead of Democrat Hillary Clinton. The Colorado secretary of state at the time

'Matarife': Colombia's narconovela of the decade?
Adriaan Alsema | colombiareports.com | 2020-05-15
Colombia's former President Alvaro Uribe is finally getting his own "narconovela," courtesy of the journalist who got the Supreme Court to investigate his alleged rigging of the 2018 elections.
colombiareports.com/matarife-colombias-narconovela-of-the-decade/

'Tyrannical' Wisconsin court ruling puts lives in danger amid pandemic
John Bachtell | peoplesworld.org | 2020-05-14
In a ruthless display of power, the right-wing-dominated Wisconsin Supreme Court threw the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic into "chaos," putting the lives of millions of residents in danger. The ruling, termed "tyrannical" by one dissenting justice, struck down Democratic Gov. Tony Evers's administration's ability to issue statewide emergency safer-at-home orders during the pandemic, …
peoplesworld.org/article/tyrannical-wisconsin-court-ruling-puts-lives-in-danger-amid-pandemic/

Hell No, You Can't be Safer at Home
Ruth Conniff | progressive.org | 2020-05-14
Wisconsin Supreme Court, in act of 'blatant . . . judicial activism,' strikes down state rules meant to curb spread of COVID-19.
progressive.org/dispatches/hell-no-you-cant-be-safer-at-home-conniff-200514/

The Supreme Court Has Given Its Blessing to Public Corruption
Elie Mystal | thenation.com | 2020-05-14
The Supreme Court Has Given Its Blessing to Public Corruption…
thenation.com/article/society/bridgegate-supreme-court/

'Unlawful & invalid': Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down state's stay-at-home order
rt.com | 2020-05-14
Measures purportedly enacted to stop the spread of coronavirus in Wisconsin have been overturned by the state's Supreme Court, which ruled that the orders violate the law and cannot be enforced. | The state's highest court issued a 4-3 ruling describing the restrictions as "unlawful, invalid, and unenforceable." The decision comes after Republican lawmakers sued Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm, after she unilaterally extended the state's "Safer at Home" emergency order in mid-April. The measures were first implemented in March and were set to expire on May 26. | Wisconsin has alrea…
rt.com/usa/488600-wisconsin-supreme-court-lockdown-unlawful/

Surveillance Tech: Leave It to the Mossad and Shin Bet to Profit Militarily and Financially from Coronavirus
ahtribune.com | 2020-05-14
Israel's external spy organization Mossad and its internal espionage equivalent Shin Bet have reputations that are much larger than their actual successes, but the one area where they have excelled is electronic intelligence gathering. Recent electronic spying around the White House and other federal buildings in Washington carried out by the Israeli Embassy demonstrates that Israel does not differentiate much between friends and enemies when it conducts espionage. In fact, spying targeting the U.S. is probably its number one priority due to the fact that the Jewish state is so heavily dependent on American su…
ahtribune.com/world/north-africa-south-west-asia/palestine/4149-surveillance-mossad-shin-bet.html

Richard Burr to step down as Senate intel chair during FBI's probe into suspicious stock dumps before Covid-19 market crash
rt.com | 2020-05-14
Republican Senator Richard Burr will step down from his post as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee pending a probe into suspicious stock trades he made before the Covid-19 crisis hit US markets. | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that Burr had contacted him to say he would not remain in the role "during the pendency of the investigation." | McConnell said it had been agreed that the decision was "in the best interests of the committee" and would be effective from the end of the day on Friday. | The decision comes hours after FBI agents seized the North Carolina senator's private…
rt.com/usa/488673-burr-steps-down-intel/

How dare you… use CHINESE drones!? US lawmakers 'grill' feds over spying on lockdown-violating Americans
rt.com | 2020-05-14
A group of House Republicans has called on federal agencies to shed light on drones used by police across the country to surveil and enforce Covid-19 lockdowns, arguing that Chinese devices could compromise "sensitive US data." | The 14 GOP representatives, all on the House Judiciary Committee, penned two letters to the Departments of Homeland…
rt.com/usa/488593-lawmakers-chinese-drones-spying/

Truth in America R.I.P
Paul Craig Roberts | thealtworld.com | 2020-05-14
In "freedom and democracy" America there is only official truth, and it is a lie. A person or website that speaks real truth is shunted aside as a "conspiracy theorist," "Russian agent," "racist," "anti-semite," or other such name with the purpose of discrediting the message and the messenger. | For example, when I told the truth that Russiagate was a hoax, which it has proved to be, an anonymous website, possibly a CIA or NATO operation called "PropOrNot," included this website among its fake list of 200 "Russian agents/dupes." The Washington Post, a believed long-time CIA asset, hyped the PropOrNot revelation a…
thealtworld.com/paul_craig_roberts/truth-in-america-r-i-p

'We're in deep s**t': Ousted 'whistleblower' Dr. Bright becomes new anti-Trump hero pinning blame on White House
rt.com | 2020-05-14
Mainstream media has elevated National Institutes of Health whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright to heroic status after his congressional testimony denounced Trump's Covid-19 response as borderline criminally negligent. | Bright, the director of the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) until he was unceremoniously dismissed last month, painted a disturbing picture of a government flying blindly into disaster on Thursday during his testimony on the administration's Covid-19 response before a subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. | "We're in deep shit"

Why is Mike Pompeo risking a One-day Trip to Israel Amid the Pandemic?
Jonathan Cook | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-13
As part of its battle against Covid-19, Israel has closed it borders to foreigners and imposed a two-week quarantine on anyone entering the country. There are also strict requirements to wear masks in public places. Israel, however, has thrown the rules

Senate votes down anti-surveillance amendment, as both parties back warrantless spying on Americans' browser history
rt.com | 2020-05-13
The US Senate has voted down an amendment that would limit surveillance of Americans' internet records. Apparently, the true divide in Washington is not between Democrat and Republican, but those for or against the police state. | The US Senate met on Wednesday to debate the reauthorization of some provisions of the USA Freedom Act, an expansive domestic surveillance bill that expired in March. As Majority Leader Mitch McConnell brought the Act to the floor, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced an amendment that would explicitly bar law enforcement from snooping on Americans' internet browsing and search…
rt.com/usa/488586-senate-blocks-surveillance-amendment/

Flynn 'unmasking' documents show involvement of senior Obama administration officials, including Joe Biden
rt.com | 2020-05-13
A newly published list of US officials who were interested in National Security Agency (NSA) records on Trump adviser Michael Flynn includes President Barack Obama's chief of staff, as well as Vice President Joe Biden. | Biden is listed as requesting the unmasking on January 12, 2017, the same day the Washington Post published a story claiming that Flynn had misreported his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, based on leaked NSA information. | Flynn unmasking documents f… by
rt.com/usa/488579-flynn-unmasking-obama-administration/

Stir Crazy! Episode #31: Cancel Corporate Media
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-05-08
On today's show: TRNN climate reporter Aman Azhar, The Progressive Army founder Ben Dixon, and TRNN Executive Producer Lisa Snowden-McCray. Hosted by Kim Brown.
therealnews.com/stories/stir-crazy-episode-31-cancel-corporate-media

UK Supreme Court Reverses BDS Ban
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-05-07
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the largest British Palestinian solidarity group, successfully petitioned to reverse a 2016 ban preventing local governments divesting from companies involved in the Israeli occupation.
therealnews.com/stories/uk-supreme-court-reverses-bds-ban-palestine-solidarity-campaign

FBI Finds Evidence Of Israeli Intervention In Trump's 2016 Campaign
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-05-07
An Israeli minister met with Roger Stone to provide information that may have benefited the Trump campaign. The discovery implicates Netanyahu in an attempt to distort the 2016 US election result.
therealnews.com/stories/fbi-evidence-israel-netanyahu-roger-stone-intelligence-meeting-2016-campaign

Exclusive: OPCW chief made false claims to denigrate Douma whistleblower, documents reveal
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-05-06
The Grayzone has obtained documents exposing numerous falsehoods and misleading claims by OPCW Director General Fernando Arias to degrade the…
thegrayzone.com/2020/05/06/opcw-douma-whistleblower/