ALL ARTICLES, History They Don't Want You To Know, Media Hits & Misses, Trumpenstan December 19, 2019

Think Trump Is Bad? Reporter Jane Mayer Exposes The Koch-Brother Puppet Masters Behind Mike Pence

  By Jeremy Scahill Intercepted Podcast (10/25/17) The great investigative journalist Jane Mayer has a fascinating exposé on Pence in the recent issue of The New Yorker magazine. The title of it is, “The Danger of President Mike Pence.” Jane is one of the best journalists of our time and she was one of the first reporters to crack open the CIA torture and extraordinary rendition program under Bush and Cheney. She has written a number of books. Her latest work has focused on investigating the Koch brothers and other shady right-wing or Republican financiers. Her most recent book is…

ALL ARTICLES, Democrats December 19, 2019

Cringeworthy: Bernie’s Blundering Betrayal Of Progressive Candidate Cenk Uygur Reveals Weaknesses Of The Left

  [Editor’s Note: Good Lord, does even Bernie need a spinal transplant? Usually so clear, steadfast and fearless, in this case Bernie blinked and betrayed a steadfast progressive who has helped him immeasurably tarred by Democratic National Committee and corporate media smears and old — resolved — news. If he wins, he better be better prepared for such sabotage because this was just one small  example of what he will face. — Mark L. Taylor] Rising (12/16/19) Saagar Enjeti argues about the fakeness behind Left Twitter’s outrage over Senator Sanders endorsing Cenk Uygur. Link To 8+-Minute Video ***** Cenk Uygur…

ALL ARTICLES, Health Care December 19, 2019

While Billionaires Profit, The Hidden Mental Health Crisis Across Rural America Worsens

  The Atlantic (12/6/19) It’s prohibitively difficult to access mental health services in rural America. That’s because, relative to urban areas, rural counties have so few mental health professionals. The majority of non-metropolitan counties in the U.S. don’t have a psychiatrist, and almost half lack a psychologist. The paucity has resulted in a veritable public-health crisis—rural Americans suffering from a psychiatric condition are more likely to encounter police than receive treatment. Each year, 2 million mentally ill Americans, most of whom aren’t violent criminals, end up in jail. Read more: https://www.theatlantic.com/video/ind… “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” was directed by…

ALL ARTICLES, Climate Change, Right Wing Religion December 19, 2019

Right Wing Religion Round-Up: ‘Kill the gays’ Pastor Claims Young Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Is Demonically Possessed & ‘needs Jesus’

By Kyle Mantyla The New Civil Rights Movement (12/17/19) Radical right-wing pastor Kevin Swanson declared on his radio program yesterday that Time magazine’s decision to name climate change activist Greta Thunberg as 2019’s Person of the Year is a sign of “the unraveling of the Western world.” Swanson, who normally uses his radio program to declare that the proper biblical punishment for homosexuality is death, seized on the fact that Thunberg has Asperger’s syndrome, and suggested that she is demonically possessed and in need of Jesus. “She’s psychologically disturbed,” Swanson said, likening her to the young boy in Mark 9 who was healed by Jesus after being possessed by a demonic spirit. “I have to say…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, Economic Injustice, History They Don't Want You To Know, One Percenters December 19, 2019

Billionaire Nick Hannauer Reveals The Dirty Secret Of Capitalism — And A New Way Forward

`Modern neoliberal economic policy is built on lies and false assumptions. TED Talk (10/18/19) Rising inequality and growing political instability are the direct result of decades of bad economic theory, says entrepreneur Nick Hanauer. In a visionary talk, he dismantles the mantra that “greed is good” — an idea he describes as not only morally corrosive, but also scientifically wrong — and lays out a new theory of economics powered by reciprocity and cooperation. Link To 17-Minute Video

ALL ARTICLES, American Socialist Tradition, FEATURE, History They Don't Want You To Know December 19, 2019

America’s Rich Socialist Tradition Is As American As Apple Pie — Especially In Wisconsin!

  By Nathan Robinson The Guardian (12/10/19) It is often claimed that the United States differs from Europe in that it lacks a socialist tradition. The title question of Werner Sombart’s 1906 book Why Is There No Socialism in the United States? was answered nearly a century later by Seymour Martin Lipset and Gary Wolfe Marks’ It Didn’t Happen Here: Why Socialism Failed in the United States. It is common to say that socialism “failed” here; this is true insofar as socialists never became a substantial force in American politics. But it overlooks the fact that we did, for a short time, have…

ALL ARTICLES, Quotes December 19, 2019

Notably Quotable: “But Trump’s more recent obsession with the idea of prosecuting Schiff — and the idea that it would be better if we had a “tougher” system like Guatemala — shows …”

“But Trump’s more recent obsession with the idea of prosecuting Schiff — and the idea that it would be better if we had a “tougher” system like Guatemala — shows that the president’s desire to weaponize law enforcement extends beyond interfering in elections and retribution for people who challenge him at the ballot box. He’s fixated on the idea that he should be able to use his power as president to go after anyone who challenges him politically. It’s an unambiguously authoritarian impulse and more proof that he urgently needs to be removed from office.” — Cody Fenwick, Trump’s disturbing obsession…

ALL ARTICLES, Economic Injustice, Worker Notes by Tom Crofton December 16, 2019

‘Injury Mills’ — Amazon’s Internal Warehouse Injury Records Expose The True Toll Of Its Relentless Drive For Speed

When disaster struck at one Indiana warehouse, Amazon’s economic might may have helped the company evade accountability.  By Will Evans Reveal / Center For Investigative Reporting (11/25/19) When Candice Dixon showed up for her first day of work at an Amazon warehouse in Eastvale, California, she stepped into a wonder of automation, efficiency and speed. Inside the sprawling four-story building in Southern California’s Inland Empire, hundreds of squat orange robots whizzed across the floor, carrying tall yellow racks. As a stower, her job was to stand in a spot on the floor, like hundreds of others in that million-square-foot warehouse,…

ALL ARTICLES, Democrats December 16, 2019

The Real Lesson Dems Need To Learn From UK Election: It Was A Disaster For Centrists

Will Democrats offer a vision to voters for change and a credible shot at handily beating Trump? By Kate Aronoff The Guardian (12/15/19) Britain’s Conservative party won big last on Thursday, and its Labour party –under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn – lost handily, giving Boris Johnson’s Tories their biggest majority since Margaret Thatcher. Not long after exit poll results came in, pundits across the pond started making bold claims: if Corbyn – what with his leftwing manifesto and socialist politics – could lose so badly against Johnson, surely this spells doom for any allied efforts in the United States, namely the…

ALL ARTICLES, Climate Change December 16, 2019

Dr. Peter Carter: The Burying Of Scientific Data & Deadly Denial Of The Risk To The World At COP25 Climate Conference

  By Debbie Dudek Special To The Commoner Call (12/16/19) I had hope this year that a plan by world leaders was going to be put in place to avert the climate crisis or — at the very least — lessen its impact. Yes, that sounds like some fairy tale dream, but after the worldwide lineup of environmental activists and groups that showed up since last November, I felt it could be possible. Heavyweights like Greta Thunberg from Sweden, Extinction Rebellion from the UK, the Sunrise Movement in the US, and the global student strikes were all beyond belief. All…

ALL ARTICLES, Russia Monitor December 16, 2019

Russia Monitor: At Long Last, Trump On Trial

“Nobody is Above the Law” — Impeach and Remove Events on Tuesday 12/17/19. ***** “You can vote against impeachment but still disagree with some of the policies and some of the behavior.” — Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) By Dan Peak Commoner Call (12/16/19) The House Judiciary Committee passed two Articles of Impeachment on Friday morning, December 13. A vote on the Articles by the full House is anticipated for Wednesday. The two articles are for abuse of power and obstruction of justice. The Resolution to impeach can be found here. If the full House votes to impeach this week a Senate…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, War State America December 16, 2019

American Service Members & Vets Are Down Range Of Russian Online Lies & Manipulation

  By Jasper Craven National Review (9/18/19) The post popped up in select Instagram feeds shortly before the election in 2016. Its photo depicted an anonymous black-clad woman on an airport tarmac, crying over a metal casket covered in an American flag. “Killary Clinton will never understand what it feels like to lose the person you love for the sake of your country,” the caption began. “Honoring the high cost paid by so many families to protect our freedom. Buy a T-shirt—help a veteran.” A little money and deviousness goes a long way for foreign actors in propagandizing veterans, who…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, Economic Injustice, One Percenters, Trumpenstan December 16, 2019

For Growing Numbers, America Is Regressing Into A Brutal Developing Nation

The U.S. is no longer one country, but splitting into two separate economic and political worlds. By Lynn Parramore Institute For New Economic Thinking (4/20/17) You’ve probably heard the news that the celebrated post-WW II beating heart of America known as the middle class has gone from “burdened,” to “squeezed” to “dying.”  But you might have heard less about what exactly is emerging in its place. In a new book, The Vanishing Middle Class: Prejudice and Power in a Dual Economy, Peter Temin, Professor Emeritus of Economics at MIT, draws a portrait of the new reality in a way that is frighteningly, indelibly…

ALL ARTICLES, Media Hits & Misses December 16, 2019

Renowned Journalist Amy Goodman Reflects On The Build Up To War & The Role Of The Corporate Media

  Amy Goodman tells of the day — with a gun to her head — her life was on the line reporting on a US-supported massacre of innocents. By Jeremy Scahill Intercepted Podcast (6/19/19) Amy Goodman is one of the finest journalists this country has ever produced. With the Trump administration attempting to drive the U.S. into war against Iran, it’s impossible to ignore the historical record of how the U.S. lies its way into war, the role of powerful corporate journalists in those campaigns and the lessons we must embrace if we want to stop this insanity. I also…

ALL ARTICLES, Media Hits & Misses, War State America December 16, 2019

The U.S. Government Lied About The Afghanistan War. They Couldn’t Have Gotten By With It Without Lapdogs Like The Washington Post

Whenever there is a foreign policy “crisis,” you will never read or hear or see someone completely opposed to U.S. involvement given a voice in the media. Certainly not in the Post. By Ted Rall Common Dreams (12/11/19) “In ten years or so, we’ll leak the truth,” the Dead Kennedys sang. “But by then it’s only so much paper.” But it might just score you a Pulitzer Prize. Award bait and bragging rights are no doubt the principal goals of The Washington Post’s self-congratulatory data dump, “The Afghanistan Papers.” As the headline implies, the 2000 pages that a court ordered the Office…

ALL ARTICLES, War State America December 16, 2019

‘Destruction Born Of U.S. Conceit’ — The Real Outrage Of The Afghan War Papers No One Wants To Address

They didn’t count the Afghans because the Afghans didn’t count. By Sophia A. McClennen Salon (12/14/19) On Monday, December 9, The Washington Post released a confidential trove of 2,000 pages of government documents that revealed that senior U.S. officials repeatedly failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan. They document in detail a practice of lying, deception and whitewashing that covered up unmistakable evidence that the war had no grand plan, no end in sight and no consistent leadership. The series of articles published by Craig Whitlock in the Post, along with the original documents themselves, detail a horrifying pattern of deception and…

ALL ARTICLES, Economic Injustice, History They Don't Want You To Know, One Percenters December 16, 2019

Billionaires Profit Directly Off The Suffering Of Children

  “A tax that took about 1% of that wealth each year would yield about $4tn over the next decade. To put that amount in perspective, $4tn is more than the federal government will spend over the next decade on foster care, school lunch, school breakfast, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, food stamps, unemployment compensation, supplemental security income for the elderly, blind people and those with disabilities, and all the tax credits for working families combined.” — Michael Linden, What could the US afford if it raised billionaires’ taxes? We do the math.

ALL ARTICLES, Economic Injustice December 16, 2019

Strong Employment Numbers Don’t Tell The Whole Story: 44% Of Fully Employed Make $18,000 A Year … Or Less

  Real News (12/10/19) Beneath the rosy employment report lives a reality of low-paying part-time and temporary work with no benefits or security. Link To 12-Minute Video ***** Working People Podcast: Commercial Diver Gives Front-Row Seat To The Devastation We Are Causing Our Oceans & Coastlines. In These Times Podcast (12/10/19) In this episode—the first released in partnership with In These Times—we chat with new father Clarke, a contract commercial diver who works on different jobs for different companies throughout the year, completing tasks from underwater welding to removing shoreline debris. Clarke is a navy veteran and a member of the…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, War State America December 12, 2019

Endless War Without Strategy: Bipartisan History Of Secrecy & Lies About The Afghan War Revealed

“The documents show the American people were lied to.” The Washington Post (12/9/19) For nearly two decades of fighting in Afghanistan, U.S. leaders have sounded a constant refrain: We are making progress. Government interview records obtained by The Washington Post after a three-year legal battle show otherwise. [The Washington Post also produced the excellent video below to go with this story. — Ed.] Read more: At War With The Truth Link To 17-Minute Video (Commoner Call cartoon by Mark L. Taylor, 2019. Open source and free for non-derivative use with link to www.thecommonercall.org ) ***** ‘Read Every Word Of This’: Washington…

ALL ARTICLES, Russia Monitor December 12, 2019

Russia Monitor: In Trumpworld All Long & Twisting Roads Lead To Putin, And Impeachment

Republicans Muster Their Best Against Trump Impeachment. ***** “Thank God no one is accusing us of interfering in the U.S. elections anymore; now they’re accusing Ukraine.” — Russian President Vladimir Putin (12/4/19) ****** “All roads lead to Putin.” — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (12/6/19) By Dan Peak The Commoner Call (12/12/19) Dear Fellow Readers, THE BIG LIE When considering Trump-Ukraine, who benefits, who wins? Russia keeps Crimea and Donbas in exchange for ending a war of aggression against Ukraine. Putin benefits and Trump is once again his useful idiot, the Russian asset. Who says this you wonder? Russian President Vladimir…

ALL ARTICLES, War State America December 12, 2019

David Harvey Talks About The Fatal Fallacies & Militarized Crimes Of Capitalism

    By Jeremy Scahill Intercepted Podcast (1/17/18) For the past year, we’ve all experienced an intense sort of political or news vertigo. It’s making us dumber by the day. Of course, part of this is due to the fact that Donald Trump is president and he constantly scoops the story of the latest outrage about himself by performing yet another outrage just as we start discussing the previous one. It’s exhausting and brain melting. But this is also because major media organizations have all chosen to constantly chase the rabbit. In a way, all of us in media are…

ALL ARTICLES, Trumpenstan December 12, 2019

‘Commander In Cheat’ — Former Sports Illustrated Columnist Rick Reilly Says ‘Donald Trump will cheat you on the golf course and then buy you lunch’

“He’s the biggest loser I’ve ever met.” By Donald McRae The Guardian (12/10/19) “Donald Trump is the worst cheat ever and he doesn’t care who knows,” Rick Reilly says as he describes a man he has known for 30 years. “I always say golf is like bicycle shorts. It reveals a lot about a man. And golf reveals a lot of ugliness in this president.” Reilly, the former Sports Illustrated columnist, has written a book called Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump. It’s rattling good fun which also depicts the startling duplicity of the president as a golfer. “You’re mostly…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, Economic Injustice, History They Don't Want You To Know, One Percenters, Police State America December 12, 2019

Trump Is ‘A Problem’ But Impeachment Doesn’t Address ‘The Problem’ That Created Him

Impeaching Trump without addressing America’s deeper structural problems, says Hedges, will only make things worse. By Chauncey Devega Salon (12/9/19) The United States is sick with income and other forms of social inequality. It suffers from cruelty, loneliness, greed, gangster capitalism, white supremacy, violence, sexism and a culture of ignorance and distraction. Our broken political system does not encourage critical thinking or nurture a capacity for responsible, engaged citizenship.President Donald Trump is the human embodiment of almost everything wrong with American society. He is both the symptom and the disease. Trump and the Republican Party’s fascist movement and its news…

ALL ARTICLES, Economic Injustice December 12, 2019

Education Sec. Betsy DeVos Overruled Education Dept. Findings On Defrauded Student Borrowers

  [Editor’s Note: Now keep in mind Besty DeVos inherited millions from her family’s Amway fortune. She’s never had to work a day in her life and certainly never had to worry about coming up with tuition for herself or her children. — Mark L. Taylor] By Cory Turner Morning Edition / NPR (12/11/19) Documents obtained by NPR shed new light on a bitter fight between defrauded student borrowers and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. These borrowers — more than 200,000 of them — say some for-profit colleges lied to them about their job prospects and the transferability of credits….

ALL ARTICLES December 12, 2019

Moscow Is About To Install Surveillance System To Rival The Dystopian Chinese Nightmare Controlling Uigharss

Plans to create one of the world’s biggest facial recognition surveillance systems, with more than 200,000 CCTV cameras. By David Gilbert VICE News (11/7/19) For years the Kremlin has been taking steps to implement a dystopian Chinese-style surveillance system that can track its citizens wherever they go. Now, a court ruling has paved the way for Moscow to build just such a system. On Wednesday, a Moscow court dismissed a lawsuit brought by Alena Popova, an activist and founder of digital rights group Ethics and Technology, after she was arrested in 2018 while holding a peaceful anti-sexual harassment protest outside…

ALL ARTICLES, Economic Injustice, History They Don't Want You To Know, One Percenters December 12, 2019

Heist: Where Has All Our Money & Security Gone?

“From the late 1940’s until the late 70’s, income in the US grew at about the same rate for every sector of the population. In fact, the bottom 50 percent gained a bit more than the upper echelons of the economy. “Back in 1980, the share of national income going to the top 1 percent was just a bit over 10 percent and the bottom 50 percent’s share of all income was about 20 percent. By 2015, that situation had reversed, with the top 1 percent getting about 20 percent of the national income pie, and the bottom 50 percent getting…

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ALL ARTICLES December 12, 2019

New California & National Polls Show Sanders Crushing 2020 Rivals Among Voters Under 45

“It’s clear where the future of the Democratic Party is.” By Julia Conley Common Dreams (12/11/19) New polling out of California reveals that Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid is garnering the most support from young voters in the state and elicits the most enthusiasm from Californians as a whole. Among respondents under the age of 45 who answered the CNN poll, 32% said they were most likely to support the Vermont Democrat. Just 13% said they currently back former Vice President Joe Biden, while 18% expressed support for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), giving Sanders a 13-point lead with potential voters in that age bracket. Biden has…

ALL ARTICLES, Quotes December 12, 2019

Notably Quotable: “Go after your enemies. I mean, they’re after you. Go after your enemies. …”

“Go after your enemies. I mean, they’re after you. Go after your enemies. I think that Clinton probably is too nice a guy in a certain respect. I don’t think he’s going after people the way he should and I really believe his thing is to be liked and I don’t think that’s a very good position to be in right now.” — Donald Trump on Impeachment of Pres. Bill Clinton in 1998, Trump revealed his impeachment strategy 21 years ago — when he defended Bill Clinton. ***** “I’m not against the impeachment. Donald Trump should have been impeached the first…

ALL ARTICLES, Trumpenstan December 9, 2019

Just Another Day In Trump’s White House: Rambling Rant About Flushing Toilets ’10 times, 15 times’

Too often the media reports snippets of Donald Trump’s rambling craziness; plucking a sentence or two that make some sense, but taken out of the context of the crazed narrative rant. To get a full sense of the extent of Trump’s cognitive muddle one needs to see the whole of Trump’s recent ‘toilet’ rant. The implications that the future of our nation is in the hands of such a mentally crippled man is really quite stunning. *****  “The light bulb — they got rid of the light bulb that people got used to. The new bulb is many times more…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, Police State America, Trumpenstan, War State America December 9, 2019

Trump Trots Out Recently Pardoned War Criminals At Secretive Florida Fundraiser

“Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause… for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country.” — George Washington, orders to the Northern Expeditionary Force, Sept. 14, 1775 By Tom Boggioni Raw Story (12/7/19) According to a report from the Miami…

ALL ARTICLES, Trumpenstan December 9, 2019

Bare-Faced Tomfoolery: Standing Stark Naked & Unprepared On The World Stage

By Richard Wolfe The Guardian (12/5/19) You know that classic nightmare where you’re at work and everyone is talking but none of them say the obvious: you’re stark naked. Donald Trump is living that hellacious dream every time he steps in front of the women and men who make up the world’s leaders. Stripped of his usual protections inside the White House, Trump exposes himself on the world stage at every conceivable opportunity. This week’s Nato summit in London was no exception, adding itself to the long list of denuded nonsense that erupts in front of every international figure. “I don’t want to…

ALL ARTICLES, American Socialist Tradition December 9, 2019

Bernie Sanders Tells Of His Early Vermont Campaigns & Formation Of His Political Principles

  The Daily Podcast / New York Times (12/6/19) Today: Part 2 of our series on pivotal moments in the lives of the 2020 Democratic presidential contenders. Michael Barbaro speaks with Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist senator from Vermont. Mr. Sanders reflected on his early schooling in politics and how he galvanized grass-roots support to evolve from outraged outsider to mainstream candidate with little shift in his message. Guest: Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator and candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. We also speak with Alexander Burns, who covers national politics for The New York Times. For more information on…

ALL ARTICLES, Economic Injustice December 9, 2019

Broke, Not Poor: The Steep Slide To Downwardly Mobile

50% of Americans born in the 1980s are set to end up worse off than their parents. By Lynn Steger Strong The Guardian (12/3/19) A couple of months ago, I told a friend I’d not been to a doctor in five years. She was aghast, concerned. My friend wanted to talk to me about all the ways I need to take better care of myself, and I mostly let her talk. I vaguely mentioned money, but how broke my husband and I are is something I usually avoid talking about. The truth is, we only have sporadic health insurance. I have…

ALL ARTICLES, Russia Monitor December 9, 2019

Russia Monitor: Trump’s ‘Gang Of Putin’ Is Standing Down For What Is Best For Nation

  “The party’s transformation into a Russian lickspittle makes me sick; “GOP” might as well stand for “Gang of Putin.”” — Columnist and Never-Trumper Max Boot, The Republicans have become the party of Russia. This makes me sick. By Dan Peak The Commoner Call (12/9/19) Dear Fellow Readers, Trumpsters are now inventing their own reality. Let’s be clear, Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit Trump. Special counsel Robert Mueller called Russian interference information warfare. Trump has never been a fan of this history and so sought to write his own. By extorting the Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky Trump planned…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, CIA, Police State America December 9, 2019

Talk About Impeachment? Dick Cheney, George Bush, Barack Obama And The CIA’s Lies & Torture Cover-up

  By Jeremy Scahill Intercepted (12/4/19) NO STORY IN recent U.S. history illustrates the brutal fallacy of American exceptionalism than the CIA torture program and its cover-up. This week on Intercepted: As Washington D.C. remains focused on the Trump impeachment, Daniel Jones, the former top Senate Intelligence Committee investigator into the CIA torture program discusses the years-long battle with the Bush and Obama administrations to make public the findings of his still-classified 7,000 page report. Jones is the subject of the new feature film, The Report, starring Adam Driver and Annette Bening, and the host of its companion podcast, The Report Podcast,…

ALL ARTICLES December 9, 2019

Pete ‘Mayor Wall Street’ Buttigieg Voter Quiz

Last Friday MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell did a hell of takedown on South Bend, Indiana ‘Mayor Wall Street” Buttigieg launching of a cheap — lying — Republican smear against Democrats, including several fellow primary candidates. Funny how this didn’t get much attention from the rest of the corporate media. When given a chance to correct his statement a few hours later, Mayor Wall Street didn’t. In fact he doubled down on the smear. So one must wonder what was going on with Buttigieg’s lying smear. Mayor Wall Street is one — or more — of the following: A) Woefully ignorant. B)…

ALL ARTICLES December 9, 2019

Biden Brags He Gets Things Done … And That’s The Problem

Biden keeps trying to wriggle out of culpability for the Iraq war. But he won’t be able to elude scrutiny so easily. By Norman Solomon Reader Supported News (12/ On Thursday [12/5] afternoon, The Washington Post sent out a news alert headlined “John Kerry Endorses Biden in 2020 Race, Saying He Has the Character and Experience to Beat Trump, Confront the Nation’s Challenges.” Meanwhile, in Iowa, Joe Biden was also touting his experience. “Look,” Biden said as he angrily lectured an 83-year-old farmer at a campaign stop, “the reason I’m running is because I’ve been around a long time and I know…

ALL ARTICLES, War State America December 9, 2019

‘New York Times’ Investigation Shows That In Addition To Killing Innocent Civilians Cluster Bombs Are Deadly For U.S. Troops

All Thing Considered / NPR (1/6/19) NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly speaks with New York Times reporter John Ismay about his investigation into the deadly history of unexploded cluster bombs accidentally killing U.S. troops that handle them. Link To 4-Minute Audio (Commoner Call cartoon by Mark L. Taylor, 2017. Open source and free for non-derivative use with link to www.thecommonercall.org )

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, Police State America December 9, 2019

Shocking! Tasers Often Put Public & Police In Needless Danger, There Are Safer Alternatives

  Reveal / Center For Investigative Reporting (12/7/19) Tasers are on the duty belt of nearly every American police officer. Their manufacturer, Axon Enterprise Inc., has long promoted the device as extremely effective at helping police resolve dangerous situations without using their guns. But a yearlong investigation by APM Reports shows Tasers often are less effective than the company has claimed. And just as Tasers can save lives when they subdue suspects, when they don’t, the outcome can be deadly. In Vermont, we explore what happened when police using Tasers failed to subdue a mentally ill man. We trace the…

ALL ARTICLES, Trumpenstan December 9, 2019

Does Donald Trump Have The #Testestotestify?

TYT (12/6/19) “Fox News senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano on Thursday predicted that President Trump will testify on behalf of himself at an impeachment trial in the Senate, saying it would be “the most dramatic legal political event” in modern history. “ If you go to a Senate trial, who testifies on behalf of the president?” Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer asked Napolitano on the network’s “America’s Newsroom.” “Himself,” Napolitano quickly responded. “You believe that could happen?” Hemmer pressed. “I do,” replied Napolitano, a former New Jersey Superior Court judge. “I think it will be the most dramatic legal political…