Category: Obama Administration

America’s Real-Life ‘Hunger Games’

Congressional Republicans are eager to ladle more subsidies onto agribusinesses while slashing, if not eliminating, food stamps for the poor, a twisted version of America’s own “Hunger Games,” writes Michael Winship.

The Case for a Higher Minimum Wage

The Tea Party claims to represent average Americans but its anti-government zealotry lines up with the interests of big-business elites, such as opposition to an increased minimum wage, a plan that would help millions of average Americans, writes Lawrence S.…

US Veterans in Decline

Veterans Day, which replaced the World War I-era Armistice Day, has become another chance to glorify America’s wars and the soldiers sent to fight them. But another reality is that the number of vets is in decline, notes ex-CIA analyst…

Why France Sank an Iran Nuke Deal

Exclusive: Saudis and Israelis wanted to sink the negotiated deal on Iran’s nuclear program, so the French launched the diplomatic torpedo to take it down. But behind France’s action were Saudi financial muscle and Israel’s political skill, reports Robert Parry.

Will NSA Reforms Protect Citizens?

Exclusive: Common citizens around the world may be alarmed at the NSA’s electronic dragnet prying into their personal lives, but reforms may focus mostly on the privacy of government leaders and corporate executives, writes Andrés Cala.

A Showdown for War or Peace

Exclusive: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Saudi intelligence chief Bandar are going head-to-head against U.S. President Obama and Russian President Putin on resolving crises in Iran and Syria, reports Robert Parry.

Sabotaging an Iran Nuke Deal

Israel’s leadership and America’s neocons are shifting into overdrive to block a plan that would put the brakes on Iran’s nuclear program, seeking confrontation, not conciliation, notes ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar.

Pressing Japan on No-War Pledge

While reducing U.S. forces in the Mideast, President Obama has pivoted toward a more robust presence in the Pacific, including pushing allies like Japan to bolster their militaries, notes Ann Wright.

The Future in a Dazzling Shanghai

The biggest winner from the U.S. government shutdown and near credit default may be China as it pushes for a “de-Americanized” world economy, a future on display in a dazzling Shanghai, writes Beverly Deepe Keever from Shanghai.