Happy Do Nothing Day. By Edward Curtin edwardcurtin.com In a country with Mount Rushmore that celebrates ruthless and frenetic westward expansion, it might be a bit naïve to suggest a Do Nothing Day. National holidays are great – so many…Read more →
Author: ConsortiumNews.com
From the Late Founder and Editor Robert Parry: When we founded Consortiumnews.com in 1995 – as the first investigative news magazine based on the Internet – there was already a crisis building in the U.S. news media.
The mainstream media was falling into a pattern of groupthink on issue after issue, often ignoring important factual information because it didn’t fit with what all the Important People knew to be true.
A Modest Proposal for a Labor Day Every Month
Happy Do Nothing Day. By Edward Curtin edwardcurtin.com In a country with Mount Rushmore that celebrates ruthless and frenetic westward expansion, it might be a bit naïve to suggest a Do Nothing Day. National holidays are great – so many…Read more →
Amazon Burns Amid Brazil’s Incendiary Politics
Fires rage in the Amazon as Brazilian President Bolsonaro becomes a target of global indignation, writes Pepe Escobar. By Pepe Escobar in Curitiba, Brazil Asia Times Brazil has always been a land of superlatives. Yet nothing beats the current, perverse…Read more →
BRICS was Created as a Tool of Attack, Says an Imprisoned Lula
Former Brazilian leader wishes emerging economies were closer; recalls Obama ‘crashing’ Copenhagen climate meeting, writes Pepe Escobar. By Pepe Escobar in Curitiba, Brazil Asia Times In a wide-ranging, two-hour-plus, exclusive interview from a prison room in Curitiba in southern Brazil…Read more →
THE ANGRY ARAB: Israel Bombs the Middle East, Yet Again
As`ad AbuKhalil analyzes the calculations behind the recent attacks, which the Western press covered with the usual lack of realism. By As`ad AbuKhalil Special to Consortium News There are two realities about Israel in the world: one projected by Western…Read more →
WATCH: CN Live! Episode 7—Pepe Escobar on His Prison Interview with Lula; New Whitney Webb Interview on Epstein and the Clintons and a Scandal Rocking Australia
CN Live! is back in prime time tonight with Pepe Escobar, Whitney Webb, John Shipton and Quentin Dempster. Watch it tonight at 8 pm Eastern Daylight Time right here on Consortium News. CN Live! returns in prime time tonight with…Read more →
Film ‘Official Secrets’ is the Tip of a Mammoth Iceberg
A new film depicting the whistleblower Katherine Gun, who tried to stop the Iraq invasion, is largely accurate, but the story is not over, says Sam Husseini. By Sam Husseini Special to Consortium News Two-time Oscar nominee Keira Knightley is…Read more →
The Real Big Brother
It’s a billionaire’s world and the biggest of them all is in the thick of it, as Eric Zuesse explains. By Eric Zuesse Strategic Culture Jeff Bezos is the owner of The Washington Post, which leads America’s news-media in their…Read more →
JOHN KIRIAKOU: In Search of a Russiagate Scalp: The Entrapment of Maria Butina
In need of a “collusion” connection, top FBI officials have now been shown to be behind the false portrayal of an unregistered agent as a spy. By John Kiriakou Special to Consortium News Much has been written about Maria Butina,…Read more →
Behind Israel’s Bombing in Iraq’s Heartland
It is difficult to imagine how the Trump administration could have not given Israel the green light to carry out these attacks as part of the U.S. maximum campaign against Iran, writes Giorgio Cafiero. By Giorgio Cafiero Special to Consortium…Read more →
Debating How Much Time We Have to Avert Climate Disaster is a Waste of Time
The UN’s warnings are dire, but they are still likely overestimating the time we have to act, writes Arn Menconi. By Arn Menconi Special to Consortium News The U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, released a report earlier…Read more →
The Misguided Attacks on ‘This Land Is Your Land’
Woody Guthrie might not have been perfect, but we don’t need to “cancel” him, writes Will Kaufman. Woody Guthrie. (Al Aumuller/Library of Congress) By Will Kaufman The Conversation In recent years, Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” has become…Read more →
Brexit & the Madness of the ‘Sovereign Individual’
Daniel Lazare analyzes the Trump-Bojo attacks on democracy and equality. By Daniel Lazare Special to Consortium News It’s tempting to describe President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and their ilk as the new Vandals. But that would be unfair…Read more →
Long Before Epstein: Sex Traffickers & Spy Agencies
Elizabeth Vos reviews the unsavory history of intelligence agencies providing protection to child sex-trafficking rings. By Elizabeth Vos Special to Consortium News The alleged use of sexual blackmail by spy agencies is hardly unique to the case of Jeffrey…Read more →
CN Live! is Going Prime Time!
CN Live!, the webcast of Consortium News, is moving to a new time slot. Consortium News‘ weekly webcast, CN Live! is moving to prime time. Beginning on Friday, Aug. 30 it will be aired at 8 pm U.S. Eastern Daylight…Read more →
The Missing Howls of Denunciation Over Major Sex Trafficking
Michael Brenner considers the dearth of #MeToo outrage at the foul activities of the 25-year-long Epstein-Maxwell operation. By Michael Brenner Why have the howls of outrage not echoed through the media? Why has the trumpet’s call to action been silent? Why haven’t the halls of Congress…Read more →
US Revives Clause That Kept Nazi-Era Refugees Out of the Country
A clause in U.S. immigration law that restricted those “likely to become a public charge” has made a disturbing comeback, reports Laurel Leff. AP Photo/Seth Wenig By Laurel Leff The Conversation During the Nazi era, roughly 300,000 additional Jewish refugees…Read more →
The Oligarchy’s Plans for Our Future Keep Getting Dumber
Caitlin Johnstone discards the high-flown dogma around space colonization and challenges readers to accept themselves and life on planet Earth. By Caitlin Johnstone CaitlinJohnstone.com It’s rare to get a billionaire to share their grand plans for the future, which is…Read more →
Talk of Moving UK’s Embassy in Israel
As things stand, the EU prohibition on relocating embassies to Jerusalem will fall on Nov. 1, writes Craig Murray. By Craig Murray CraigMurray.org.uk Following U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton’s talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his ministers in…Read more →
As Afghan Carnage Continues, US Presidential Candidates Face Key Question
Marjorie Cohn says Democratic contenders should commit to immediate troop withdrawal and to cooperate with international investigations of U.S. war crimes. By Marjorie Cohn Truthout On July 30, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported that the Afghan government and international military forces, primarily the…Read more →
The Pseudo Debate Over Jeffrey Epstein’s Suicide
Death, sex, power, intrigue, murder, suicide — these are the staples of the 19th century penny press, mass media and the CIA, writes Edward Curtin. By Edward Curtin edwardcurtin.com When phrases such as “the deep state” and “conspiracy theory” become staples of…Read more →
US Backs Xenophobia & Mob Violence in Hong Kong
The ferociously anti-Chinese network behind the demonstrations has been cultivated with the help of U.S. funding and a Washington-linked local media tycoon, reports Ben Norton. By Dan Cohen The Grayzone President Donald Trump tweeted on August 13 that he “can’t…Read more →
Hong Kong in Crosshairs of Global Power Struggle
The U.S. and other Western powers are working to preserve a capitalist dystopia and manufacture consensus for long-term conflict with China, write Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers. By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers PopularResistance.org Hong Kong is one of the most extreme examples…Read more →
Trump’s Persian-Gulf Car Crash
Trump has taken an insane U.S. policy towards Iran and make it even crazier, writes Daniel Lazare. By Daniel Lazare Special to Consortium News Traffic accidents normally take just a second or two. But the coming collision in the Persian…Read more →
PATRICK LAWRENCE: Hong Kong’s Inevitable Showdown
This reckoning with Beijing’s authority was baked into the cake 22 years ago when the Union Jack came down over Government House. By Patrick Lawrence Special to Consortium News It is impossible not to admire the bravery and commitment pro-democracy…Read more →
WATCH CN LIVE!: Webb on Epstein and the Guardian, the NYT and WikiLeaks: Episode 6 at 2pm EDT
Watch Episode 6 of CN Live! today at 2pm EDT. Whitney Webb’s powerful interview on Epstein and Mark Davis on The Guardian, the NYT, WikiLeaks and the publication of the Afghan War Logs.Read more →
History Runs in Zig-Zags: Crisis in Kashmir, Hope in Argentina
As one door bangs shut in Kashmir, another opens in Argentina, writes Vijay Prashad. By Vijay Prashad Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research As one door sharply bangs shut in Kashmir, another opens in Argentina. That is the nature of our struggles.…Read more →
Blaming Each Other for Backing Terrorism
The two sides of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’s Qatar rift are far from reconciling as both accuse the other of supporting terrorism, reports Giorgio Cafiero. By Giorgio Cafiero Special to Consortium News The Gulf Crisis between Qatar and its…Read more →
THE ANGRY ARAB: Armies & Politics in the Middle East
As`ad AbuKhalil reviews Middle East rulers’ reasons for distrusting their own militaries. By As`ad AbuKhalil Special to Consortium News A close association between armies and politics has pertained in the Middle East for a long while. Army leaders have…Read more →
Mass Shootings in the White Noise of Anywhere USA
Phil Rockstroh muses on how the impulse to possess an unlimited number of firearms fits into the late-imperium scheme of things. By Phil Rockstroh Special to Consortium News The U.S. is less of a nation than a collective, psychotic episode.…Read more →
JOHN KIRIAKOU: How a Suicide Watch Really Works
If Jeffrey Epstein’s death turns out to have been self-inflicted, it would represent a complete breakdown in the system that was supposed to protect him. By John Kiriakou Special to Consortium News A cottage industry has been spawned over the…Read more →
Epstein’s Death & the Investigation of Powerful Networks
Craig Murray delves into allegations against Jeffrey Epstein and another suspicious death that the case recalls. By Craig Murray CraigMurray.org.uk There are a number of royal palaces and grand residences of former presidents and prime ministers where the inhabitants have a little…Read more →
The Epstein Case: Everyone’s a Conspiracy Theorist
The only problem with the term is the meaningless use of it as a pejorative, writes Caitlin Johnstone. By Caitlin Johnstone CaitlinJohnstone.com Plutocratic propaganda outlet MSNBC has run a spin segment about the medical examiner’s determination of the cause of Jeffrey Epstein’s death…Read more →
US Agriculture Needs 21st-Century New Deal
Three scholars look at what can be done for U.S. farms, where bankruptcies were already at a 10-year high before the floods this past spring. Jeff Jorgenson looks over a partially flooded field he farms near Shenandoah, Iowa, May 29,…Read more →
The 9% Lie: Industrial Food & Climate Change
Ronnie Cummins challenges the widely used official estimate of greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. agriculture. By Ronnie Cummins Independent Science News for Food and Agriculture The Climate Emergency is finally getting the attention of the media and the U.S. (and…Read more →
RAY McGOVERN: Rich’s Ghost Haunts the Courts
It is verboten to utter his name, but a lawsuit and possible declassification of NSA documents could get to the bottom of the Seth Rich controversy, says Ray McGovern. By Ray McGovern Special to Consortium News As if it weren’t…Read more →
Labor and Environment Movement’s Complex Stance on Green New Deal
Aviva Chomsky reports on the complexities of labor’s response to the Green New Deal and little-known divisions over the plan within the environmental movement. By Aviva Chomsky TomDispatch.com When it comes to heat, extreme weather, wildfires, and melting glaciers, the planet is now in what…Read more →
How Holmes Would Work the Epstein Case
Given the roll call of high and mighty involved, Michael Brenner inspects the many dead ends investigators are likely to hit. By Michael Brenner Jeffrey Epstein is dead. An alleged suicide who was found strangled in his prison cell Saturday morning…Read more →
Russiagate is Dead, but for the Political Establishment, it is Still the New 42
Craig Murray offers a guide to a judge’s conclusion that claims made as the basis of Russiagate are insufficient to even warrant a hearing. By Craig Murray CraigMurray.org.uk Douglas Adams famously suggested that the answer to life, the universe and…Read more →
More Second Amendment Madness
The late Robert Parry, founder of this site, exposed in this Jan. 2013 article the dangerous and false notion that the Framers of the U.S. Constitution incorporated the 2nd Amendment so an armed population could fight the government the Framers…Read more →
WATCH: CN LIVE! The Latest on Assange; Plus America and Guns; Episode 5
The fifth episode of CN Live! discussed the latest on Julian Assange and the problem of guns in America. John Pilger saw Assange at Belmarsh prison on Tuesday and reports a troubling deterioration in his health. We discussed Assange and governments’…Read more →
WATCH: CN LIVE! The Latest on Assange; Plus America and Guns; Episode 5, Today 2pm EDT Live!
Join us today at 2 pm EDT for the fifth episode of CN Live! to discuss the latest on Julian Assange and the problem of guns in America. John Pilger saw Assange at Belmarsh prison on Tuesday and reports a…Read more →
Hijacking the Second Amendment
The American Right and the gun lobby have hijacked the original intent of the Second Amendment, which was designed for a system of citizen militias to provide for domestic “security” without the need for a standing army. But the amendment…Read more →
For Cliff May, War Pays
About the only thing the Defense of Democracies’ founder does not love about war is fighting it himself, writes Daniel McAdams. By Daniel McAdams Ron Paul Institute To say that Clifford May, founder of the Foundation for the Defense of…Read more →
A Letter to President Trump
“First, I would advise you against using the words ‘win’ and ‘winning’ to describe war, especially from a U.S. perspective,” begins Habib Ahmadzadeh. By Habib Ahmadzadeh Mint Press News Dear President Trump, In a recent Tweet, you claimed that “Iranians never won…Read more →
New Fears for Julian Assange
Legendary journalist John Pilger has been to see Assange in Belmarsh Prison in London and his report is not encouraging. Journalist John Pilger has recently visited imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and has raised an alarm about Assange’s “deteriorated” health.…Read more →
A Year Closer to Medicare for ‘All’
The closer we get to victory, the more politicians in the service of profiteering industries will pitch marketing scams, write Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers. By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers PopularResistance.org In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Medicare Act. Within a…Read more →
Hold the Teddy Bears & Candles
In a nation afflicted by fads, crazes, manias and rages, mass murder is the jackpot for nihilists, writes James Howard Kunstler. By James Howard Kunstler Clusterfuck Nation In a nation afflicted by fads, crazes, manias and rages, mass murder is…Read more →
Beware Calls in US for Domestic ‘Terrorism’ Laws
Mass shootings by white supremacists should not be exploited to further militarize the police and lose more civil liberties, says Caitlin Johnstone. By Caitlin Johnstone CaitlinJohnstone.com Two mass shootings have rocked the United States in less than 24 hours, leaving dozens…Read more →
PATRICK LAWRENCE: Finally Time for DNC Email Evidence
The crumbling of Russiagate focuses attention on the considerable evidence that Russian intelligence agencies charged with intrusion into DNC servers had nothing to do with it. By Patrick Lawrence Special to Consortium News Three years after the narrative we call…Read more →