Special Report: During Hurricane Harvey, a story questioning the wisdom of putting a biocontainment lab on vulnerable Galveston island revealed not only that public hazard but the failure of today’s corporate media, reports Joe Lauria.
Trump’s Hurt Feelings over Puerto Rico
President Trump bristled at criticism of his administration’s slow response to the disaster that Hurricane Maria inflicted on Puerto Rico, lashing out on Twitter against San Juan’s frontline mayor, report Dennis J Bernstein and Randy Credico.
A ‘Challenge’ or Matching Grant
From Editor Robert Parry: A medium-sized foundation, which is considering a $20,000 grant to Consortiumnews.com, has first challenged us to see if we can match that amount from reader donations. So, if you are thinking about contributing to our unique news…
Russians Battle Western Sanctions
Given Russia’s imbalanced economy — heavily dependent on energy income — it seemed an easy target for Western sanctions, but instead Russians have responded by creating new industries, big and small, writes Gilbert Doctorow.
Foreign Policy, Human Rights, Lost History, Obama Administration, The Bush-43 Administration, Trump Administration
How Syria’s Victory Reshapes Mideast
The failure of the U.S.-Israeli-Saudi “regime change” project in Syria changes the future of the Mideast, possibly ushering in an era of greater secularism and tolerance, writes ex-British diplomat Alastair Crooke.
Campaign 2016, Foreign Policy, Intelligence, Media, Obama Administration, Politics, Trump Administration
Russia-gate’s Shaky Foundation
Special Report: The Russia-gate hysteria now routinely includes rhetoric about the U.S. being at “war” with nuclear-armed Russia, but the shaky factual foundation continues to show more cracks, as historian Daniel Herman describes.
Trump’s Irrational ‘Travel Ban’
President Trump has used the three iterations of his “travel ban” as a dog whistle to his “base,” which he thinks harbors hatred toward Muslims, but there is no logic behind the policy, as ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar observes.
Campaign 2016, Foreign Policy, Intelligence, Lost History, Media, Obama Administration, Politics, Trump Administration
The Slimy Business of Russia-gate
Special Report: As the U.S. government doles out tens of millions of dollars to “combat Russian propaganda,” one result is a slew of new “studies” by “scholars” and “researchers” auditioning for the loot, reports Robert Parry.
Consortiumnews.com, Constitution, Environment, Foreign Policy, Health Reform, Human Rights, Intelligence, Media, Obama Administration, Politics, Religion, Right Wing, Secrecy, Trump Administration
In Case You Missed…
Some of our special stories in August focused on Official Washington’s growing hostility toward dissent, the Trump administration’s drift toward more endless warfare, and the worsening crises in Korea and Mideast.
The MSM’s Anti-Russia Bias
The U.S. mainstream media (MSM) presents itself as the arbiter of truth-telling and journalistic professionalism – the global gold standard – but its deep-seated biases, especially on Russia, belie that self-image, notes William Blum.
Trump’s Generals Fatten the Pentagon
President Trump’s troika of generals may ease public fears about his irascible unpredictability, but they also are busy padding the U.S. military budget and fattening up friendly arms manufacturers, JP Sottile writes.
Campaign 2016, Constitution, Foreign Policy, Human Rights, Media, Politics, The Bush-43 Administration, Trump Administration
The Rise of the New McCarthyism
Special Report: As the New McCarthyism takes hold in America, the neocon Washington Post makes Russia the villain in virtually every bad thing that happens, with U.S. dissidents treated as “fellow-travelers,” writes Robert Parry.
New Earthquake Leaves Mexico on Edge
Mexico continues to struggle with recovery after another earthquake over the weekend left some people still trapped inside collapsed buildings and many Mexicans on edge, as Molly Kate Goss described to Dennis J Bernstein.
Foreign Policy, Human Rights, Obama Administration, The Bush-43 Administration, Trump Administration
North Korea’s Rational Nuclear Strategy
A favorite tactic of U.S. propaganda is to label a foreign adversary “crazy” to justify a military attack — as is now happening with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un although his nuclear program really makes logical sense, observes Ted Snider.
Campaign 2016, Constitution, Foreign Policy, Human Rights, Intelligence, Media, Obama Administration, Politics, Trump Administration
WPost Pushes More Dubious Russia-bashing
Special Report: The Washington Post has published another front-page story about Russia maybe placing some ads on Facebook, but the article violates a host of journalistic principles in hyping its case, reports Robert Parry.
What We Do — and Why
From Editor Robert Parry: Honest journalism is vital to a genuine democracy. But what we’ve seen from the U.S. mainstream media – of which I was a part for many years – is something dangerously far from honest. It has become…
Foreign Policy, Human Rights, Obama Administration, The Bush-43 Administration, Trump Administration
Vote by Iraqi Kurds Adds to Tensions
The Kurds, a long-suffering ethnic group in the Mideast, have long sought an independent state – and Iraqi Kurdish areas will vote in a referendum that is adding to the region’s tensions, as Joe Lauria reports from Erbil, Iraq.
Foreign Policy, Human Rights, Intelligence, Media, Obama Administration, Secrecy, Trump Administration
Hersh Receives Adams Award for Integrity
Journalist Seymour Hersh, whose career includes exposing U.S. intelligence abuses, received an award for integrity from an organization of former U.S. and Western intelligence officials who share Hersh’s ethical concerns about such abuses.
Israel’s Stall-Forever ‘Peace’ Plan
Despite boosting the idea of Mideast peace, President Trump shields Israel in its resistance to a workable agreement with the Palestinians, as ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar explained in a Sept. 19 speech.
Trump Threatens a Genocide
As President Trump taunts North Korea’s leader with schoolyard insults, the terrifying possibility is that his threat to “totally destroy” a country of 25 million people could involve the U.S. in another genocide, warns David Marks.