Caitlin Johnstone (2020-05-21). How To Understand All This China Stuff. thealtworld.com pretending to be offended because a Chinese tabloid published the accusation that our nation is a "giant kangaroo that serves as a dog of the US", even though we all know that's completely true and we should be flattered that at least they said "giant". Before that we were getting indignant over Paul Craig Roberts (2020-05-20). The Case of General Michael Flynn: The Use of Law as a Political Weapon. thealtworld.com The audacious corruption of the FBI and the US Department of Justice (sic) is demonstrated by their frame-up of the three-star general, former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and National Security Adviser to President Donald Trump. | US Department of Justice (DOJ) documents that the department was forced to turn over to General Michael Flynn's attorney reveal that the FBI found no wrongdoing by Flynn in its investigation of him and recommended the investigation be closed. Corrupt FBI official Peter Strzok, a leader of the anti-Trump cabal in the FBI, intervened. Strzok convinced the official managing…

Max Blumenthal (2020-05-19). 'Les amis américains' : de nouveaux documents révèlent l'étendue de l'opération d'espionnage sur Julian Assange. thegrayzone.com Une enquête exclusive de The Grayzone révèle de nouveaux détails sur le rà¥le clé joué par le milliardaire Sheldon Adelson…

Bruce Lerro (2020-05-19). Left Gatekeepers Through the New Left: Monitored Rebellion. dissidentvoice.org The Cultural Cold War: The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters by Frances Stonor Saunders Cultural containment meant "ring around the pinkos" Leftist Patron Saints What do the following people have in common: Noam Chomsky, Cornel West, Naomi Klein, Robert Reich, Michael Albert, Howard Zinn, Amy Goodman, Medea Benjamin, Norman Solomon, Chris Hedges, …

Staff (2020-05-19). Stir Crazy! Episode #37: Hydroxyholdafuqup. therealnews.com On today's show: Sociologist Taure Brown, TRNN executive producer Lisa Snowden-McCray, and TRNN managing editor Marc Steiner. Hosted by Kim Brown.

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-05-20). Lavish Taxpayer-Funded Dinners Hosted by Pompeo Spark Concern Over Real Purpose. commondreams.org "The CEO of Chick-fil-A is not someone I would say is involved in foreign policy." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pompeo_9.jpg …

Zero Hedge (2020-05-21). Regime Change Back In Focus: Pompeo Targets Iran, Cuba & Venezuela In Epic Tweet Thread. iranian.com Given the very noticeable rise in threatening rhetoric focused on Iran over the past week, it seems thoughts of regime change in Tehran are once again top of the agenda. Or perhaps simultaneously the administration needs a significant distraction of sorts amid the coronavirus pandemic, and the persistent national reopening question and agenda. On Wednesday, Secretary …

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-19). Turn Out the Lights, Russiagate Is Over. strategic-culture.org The possibility that Trump will not chicken out this time, and rather will challenge the Security State looms large since he felt personally under attack. | Ray McGOVERN | Seldom mentioned among the motives behind the persistent drumming on alleged Russian interference was an over-arching need to help the Security State hide their tracks. | The need for a scapegoat to blame for Hillary Clinton's snatching defeat out of the jaws victory also played a role; as did the need for the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank complex (MICIMATT) to keep front and center in the minds of Ame…

CFPDDJ (2020-05-21). Defend DACA: A Supreme Court Briefing w/ Rep. Jayapal & others. indybay.org Online…

Staff (2020-05-20). Trump's Assaults on Government Watchdogs Expose His Authoritarian Ambitions. truthout.org It has nearly reached the point of being a parlor game: Which government watchdog will Donald Trump Before this past Friday, Trump had already sacked three of them. Intelligence community inspector general Michael Atkinson, who handled the Ukraine whistleblower complaint that led to the impeachment, got bounced on April 3. | Glenn Fine, the Defense Department's acting inspector genera…

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-20). Podcast: Britain's brains, COVID-19 at the GP, and a green economic recovery. imperial.ac.uk In this edition: Britain's intelligence and mental health, COVID-19's impact on primary care, and a sustainable economic recovery after the pandemic.

RT (2020-05-21). Palestinians 'suspend contacts with CIA' after ending security coordination with US and Israel. rt.com The Palestinians have suspended communications with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) after announcing an end to security coordination with Israel and the United States, a Palestinian official said on Thursday. The move comes in protest at Israeli proposals to annex territory in the West Bank, according to Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization. | The official said Washington had been informed of the decision after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday his administration was no longer committed to agreements with Israel and the US, including on security coo…

RT (2020-05-21). Beijing accuses Pompeo of using 'democracy' bill to blackmail Hong Kong govt. rt.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is using self-described human rights legislation to put pressure on the Hong Kong government and threaten China's sovereignty, Beijing has claimed. | Pompeo is "blackmailing" the semi-autonomous city with the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Office of the Commissioner to Hong Kong said on Thursday. He added that China was not intimidated by Washington's political maneuvering and that Beijing would protect its national interests from all foreign threats. | Signed into law in November 2019, the act requires the State Depart…

RT (2020-05-20). Pompeo denies firing of State Department IG was retaliation for probe into 'emergency' arms sales to Saudi Arabia. rt.com The US secretary of state has confirmed he asked the president to sack Inspector General Steve Linick, but denied it was in retaliation for reported probes into arms sales to the Saudis and the use of an aide for personal errands.

RT (2020-05-19). COMEY urged probe into Flynn by misrepresenting Russian contacts, declassified memo shows. rt.com Ex-FBI director James Comey pushed to investigate Trump's incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn despite lacking any evidence Flynn had shared classified info with Russian officials, a newly-declassified memo reveals. | It was Comey who told President Barack Obama and other administration officials that "incoming NSA Flynn is speaking frequently with Russian Ambassador Kislyak" in a meeting documented in the January 2017 memo by National Security Advisor Susan Rice, the unredacted first page of which was obtained by CBS on Tuesday. | The FBI director admits he "has no indication thus far that Flynn h…

Marshall Auerback (2020-05-21). How Germany's Courts Might Destroy the Euro. counterpunch.org Germany's highest court issued a ruling that could threaten the existence of the euro with a constitutional court decision that said the European Central Bank's bond-buying operations exceeded the ECB's legal remit, and violated German constitutional law. The U.S. equivalent of this would be a state Supreme Court limiting the ability of the U.S. Federal

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts (2020-05-20). The Case of General Michael Flynn: The Use of Law as a Political Weapon. globalresearch.ca The audacious corruption of the FBI and the US Department of Justice (sic) is demonstrated by their frame-up of the three-star general, former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and National Security Adviser to President Donald Trump. | US Department of …

Bruce Lerro (2020-05-19). Left Gatekeepers Through the New Left: Monitored Rebellion. dissidentvoice.org The Cultural Cold War: The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters by Frances Stonor Saunders Cultural containment meant "ring around the pinkos" Leftist Patron Saints What do the following people have in common: Noam Chomsky, Cornel West, Naomi Klein, Robert Reich, Michael Albert, Howard Zinn, Amy Goodman, Medea Benjamin, Norman Solomon, Chris Hedges, …

Staff (2020-05-19). Stir Crazy! Episode #37: Hydroxyholdafuqup. therealnews.com On today's show: Sociologist Taure Brown, TRNN executive producer Lisa Snowden-McCray, and TRNN managing editor Marc Steiner. Hosted by Kim Brown.

Max Blumenthal (2020-05-19). 'Les amis américains' : de nouveaux documents révèlent l'étendue de l'opération d'espionnage sur Julian Assange. thegrayzone.com Une enquête exclusive de The Grayzone révèle de nouveaux détails sur le rà¥le clé joué par le milliardaire Sheldon Adelson…

Melvin Goodman (2020-05-19). How the New York Times Enhances Trump's Propaganda. counterpunch.org The mendacity of Donald Trump is without parallel in the history of American presidential politics. His lies, as tabulated by the Washington Post's fact checker, number in the thousands. U.S. truth tellers have become Trump's favorite targets as Inspectors General, federal judges, intelligence officers, and the nation's media face constant punishment and harassment from the White

Elizabeth Shackelford (2020-05-19). Trump's Inspector General Purge and the Death of Dissent. commondreams.org Last Friday, Trump notified Congress of the removal of Steve Linick, the State Department's inspector general. This was reportedly done at Secretary Mike Pompeo's urging to ensure a friendlier IG was at the helm so Pompeo could avoid accountability in at least two investigations Linick was pursuing into his actions. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/mike_0.jpg …

Aaron Maté (2020-05-18). Exposed: CIA used Sheldon Adelson's firm to spy on Julian Assange. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal reveals explosive new details on the CIA spying and sabotage operation against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange….

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

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

Whitney Webb (2020-04-28). Douglas Valentine Interview — How The COVID-19 Police State Was Born In Vietnam. thelastamericanvagabond.com Interview Transcript: Whitney: Today I am joined by the legendary author and researcher Doug Valentine, whose books, including "The CIA as Organized Crime," among several others, are essential reading for understanding how covert and illegal intelligence operations have shaped, and continue to shape, conflict and policy in the U.S. and beyond. In this interview, we …

Jason Ditz (2020-02-17). DOJ Investigating Former CIA Director's Role in Russiagate. theantimedia.com The Justice Department is investigating the role of John Brennan in the assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-05-19). Think Trump and Republicans Wouldn't Try to Cancel an Election? Look at What GOP in Georgia Just Pulled Off. commondreams.org Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will be permitted to select the state's next Supreme Court Justiceafter canceling the special election that was set to take place Tuesday, the state's high court ruled. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-05-19_at_5.26.38_pm.png …

Zero Hedge (2020-05-14). "My Job Is To Make Syria A Quagmire For The Russians": CIA Doctrine Made Official Policy. iranian.com 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 as US covert regime change efforts targeting Assad failed (based ostensibly in "protecting civilians"), the official mission then …

Staff (2020-05-18). How Will COVID-19 Change the World? Historian Frank Snowden on Epidemics From the Black Death to Now. democracynow.org Pandemics, like revolution, war and economic crises, are key determinants of historic change. We look at the history of epidemics, from Black Death to smallpox to COVID-19, and discuss how the coronavirus will reshape the world with leading medical historian Frank Snowden, author of "Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present." He is a professor emeritus at Yale University who has been in Italy since the pandemic began, and himself survived a COVID-19 infection.

Staff (2020-05-15). Democracy At Stake: "Faithless Electors" SCOTUS Case Tests If Electoral College Members Can Go Rogue. democracynow.org 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 — a Republican — removed Baca as an elector. Colorado is one of 31 other states that has a law requiring presidential electors to vote for…

Staff (2020-05-15). Headlines for May 15, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Whistleblower Says U.S. Unprepared for Second Wave of Infections, The Lancet Assails Trump's "Inconsistent and Incoherent" COVID-19 Response, Trump Says Mass Coronavirus Testing May Be "Overrated", FDA Warns of Inaccurate Results from Rapid Coronavirus Test Used by White House | , Michigan Cancels Legislative Session as Armed Protesters Gather at State Capitol, California to Slash Billions from State Budget as Coronavirus Hammers Tax Revenues, Amazon to End $2-an-Hour Hazard Pay as CEO Jeff Bezos Gains $30 Billion During Pandemic, New York Police Tackle and Arrest Mother for Allegedly Wearing a Mask I…

Staff (2020-05-14). Headlines for May 14, 2020. democracynow.org World Health Organization Says Novel Coronavirus "May Never Go Away", Whistleblower Warns U.S. Faces "Darkest Winter" Without Urgent Action on COVID-19, Trump Calls Dr. Anthony Fauci's Warning on COVID-19 and Schools "Not an Acceptable Answer", Wisconsin Stay-at-Home Orders Struck Down, Threatening New Wave of COVID-19 Deaths, Fed Reserve Chair Warns of Long Recession as Unemployment Claims Hit 36 Million, Trump Calls Democrats' Coronavirus Relief Bill "Dead on Arrival", Native Americans Make Up Half of New Mexico Coronavirus Deaths; New Orleans Sanitation Workers Strike, China to Test 11 Million Wuhan Residents…

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-19). Turn Out the Lights, Russiagate Is Over. strategic-culture.org The possibility that Trump will not chicken out this time, and rather will challenge the Security State looms large since he felt personally under attack. | Ray McGOVERN | Seldom mentioned among the motives behind the persistent drumming on alleged Russian interference was an over-arching need to help the Security State hide their tracks. | The need for a scapegoat to blame for Hillary Clinton's snatching defeat out of the jaws victory also played a role; as did the need for the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank complex (MICIMATT) to keep front and center in the minds of Ame…

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-18). Wisconsin Defeats COVID-19 Tyranny as the State Supreme Court Tosses Out Lockdown Order. strategic-culture.org On May 13th the Wisconsin

CFPDDJ (2020-05-20). Defend DACA: A Supreme Court Briefing w/ Rep. Jayapal & others. indybay.org Online…

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-20). Podcast: Britain's brains, COVID-19 at the GP, and a green economic recovery. imperial.ac.uk In this edition: Britain's intelligence and mental health, COVID-19's impact on primary care, and a sustainable economic recovery after the pandemic.

RT (2020-05-19). COMEY urged probe into Flynn by misrepresenting Russian contacts, declassified memo shows. rt.com Ex-FBI director James Comey pushed to investigate Trump's incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn despite lacking any evidence Flynn had shared classified info with Russian officials, a newly-declassified memo reveals. | It was Comey who told President Barack Obama and other administration officials that "incoming NSA Flynn is speaking frequently with Russian Ambassador Kislyak" in a meeting documented in the January 2017 memo by National Security Advisor Susan Rice, the unredacted first page of which was obtained by CBS on Tuesday. | The FBI director admits he "has no indication thus far that Flynn h…

RT (2020-05-17). DHS & FBI fear more attacks on 5G infrastructure fueled by Covid-19 conspiracies. rt.com 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,

sputniknews (2020-05-20). 'Wiretapping Entire Populations': Whistleblower Slams Apple's 'Lack of Action' on Privacy Issues. sputniknews.com Exposés on Apple's sharing of users' Siri recordings with third parties in 2019 prompted the tech giant to pledge changes to how data obtained from the devices is used and stored, underscoring that "privacy is a fundamental human right."

Fight Back (2020-05-16). Wisconsin FRSO condemns state Supreme Court ruling that ends 'safer-at-home'. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – Ryan Hamann, a Wisconsin Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) leader stated, "The Wisconsin Supreme Court – meeting virtually, I might add – voted 4-3 to strike down the 'safer-at-home' order. While this is disappointing, it is not a surprise. The judicial system, much like the government, is intricately tied to the wealthy business owners and their anti-people agenda. What it proves is that the ruling class in this state is willing to sacrifice the lives of the working class just to maintain a higher rate of profit." | Hamann continued, "Governor Evers' order itself was fairl…

ACLU (2020-05-15). DeRay McKesson on the Threat to Protesters' Rights. aclu.org Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, protests have erupted across the country. Some are related to the virus: Protestors in Ohio and Michigan took to the streets and state capitols to call for an end to their governors' stay-at-home orders. Others are calling out an ongoing injustice: the killing, often at the hands of the state, of Black Americans. Now, the rights of participants in protests across the spectrum could be at stake unless the Supreme Court weighs in on an important decision., , In this episode of At Liberty, we speak with DeRay McKesson, an activist at the center of an important ACLU…

Ruth Conniff (2020-05-14). Hell No, You Can't be Safer at Home. progressive.org Wisconsin Supreme Court, in act of 'blatant . . . judicial activism,' strikes down state rules meant to curb spread of COVID-19.