the unbalanced evolution of homo sapiens

globinfo freexchange It is no secret anymore. Various anchors, pundits and opinion writers in the corporate media admit that Bernie Sanders has gained a great momentum. Super PAC donors and their DNC proxies are out there in plain sight and full force to stop Bernie, right before the first critical battle in Iowa. Yet, all signs show that dirty tricks won't work this time. The establishment apparatus exhibits an elevated panic as realizes that whatever it tries against Bernie not only doesn't work, but instead, sometimes backfires badly. The most recent and perhaps loudest example, is an attack that has been orchestrated by CNN in co-ordination with the pseudo-progressive candidate, Elizabeth Warren, using the identity-politics weapon. This whole 'political drama' was so poorly directed - by a medium that has already lost its reliability - that it backfired very badly. Independent progressive media immediately recognized the dirty trick, as well as, people...

The Grayzone Red Lines host Anya Parampil talks with Professor Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran. Professor Marandi’s Facebook and Instagram accounts were recently shut down without warning as part of a campaign to remove so-called “pro-Iranian content” from the social media sites.  Anya also discusses Twitter’s recent decision to suspend an account belonging to Venezuelan citizen journalist, Orlenys, and asks Professor Marandi to comment on recent developments in the region including President Trump’s unveiling of the “Deal of the Century” for Israel and Palestine.

Redacted Tonight The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. is misrepresented every year on the US holiday that carries his name and encourages service. This year the FBI even made a tweet for him.  Lee Camp reminds us that MLK didn't just believe in service. He stood against capitalism, militarism, and racism. He died for what he believed and the FBI played a role in his assassination.

French police fired water cannon and tear gas at angry firefighters – some who set themselves on fire during demonstrations.  Fire brigade unions are demanding better pay and conditions and organised the demonstration in the capital’s Place de la Republique to bring attention to their cause today. They want a pay rise of 25% arguing their work is made increasingly difficult due to staff cuts and attacks against them. Paris police said firefighters who tried to break down or scale fencing near the Nation area of the city were dispersed by water cannon.  Firefighters previously demonstrated in October – marked by clashes with the police – calling for better pay, guarantees of their pension benefits and greater respect for their profession. Full report: https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/28/french-firefighters-set-alight-start-fighting-police-12139804/

As the International Criminal Court moved forward this week with its investigation into alleged war crimes committed against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, the White House's new so-called "peace" plan includes a largely unreported provision that would end such efforts to hold the Israeli government to account. The document, released Tuesday, was widely criticized as a " screw the Palestinians over harder non-peace plan " that lets Israel continue its illegal occupation and a " ludicrous " proposal that offers no path towards Palestinian statehood. The plan's architect, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and White House advisor Jared Kushner, suggested Palestinians " take a cold shower " and accept it lest they " screw up, " he said, like with " every other opportunity that they've ever had in their existence. " A portion of the document states that " the parties should conduct them...

With Senator Bernie Sanders surging in the polls, DNC chair Tom Perez has put forward a cartoonishly neoliberal cast of foreign policy hacks and corporate lobbyists to sabotage his nomination. by Kevin Gosztola Part 3 - Apartheid Israel operatives occupy the DNC Bakari Sellers, Dan Shapiro, Meghan Stabler, and Wendy Sherman were also nominated to the Platform Committee. Each has defined themself as a “pro-Israel” Democrat, providing reliable cover to the apartheid state that is increasingly unpopular among younger members of the party.   In 2015, Sellers became a member of National Council of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). He led an effort in 2016 to ensure the DNC’s platform did not adopt language that Sanders supported, which would have acknowledged the Democrats had a responsibility to confront the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians in Gaza. Quoting Clinton, Sellers stated, “ We must repudiate all efforts to malign, isolate, an...

The Trump administration has spent $654 million in “aid” to try to overthrow Venezuela’s government, including $435 million through USAID and $128 million directly to Juan Guaidó and his corrupt coup gang — all while imposing crippling austerity at home. by Ben Norton Part 4 - USAID’s role in coup attempts against Nicaragua and Cuba Venezuela is by no means the only country targeted for regime-change operations in which the US Agency for International Development is deeply complicit. USAID also played a significant role backing the right-wing coup attempt against Nicaragua’s democratically elected leftist government in 2018. The Nicaraguan opposition, which carried out many violent acts targeting supporters of the ruling Sandinista Front, receives tens of millions of dollars from the US government on an annual basis. In 2018, USAID spent $24.5 million in Nicaragua. Its top recipients were the Democratic Leadership Development Program, Municipal Governance Program, and...

Facebook isn’t the only Silicon Valley firm with partisan oversight of what we see: the bipartisan billionaire class and their security state have partnered with tech firms since the dawn of the internet to control the parameters of users’ thinking. by Morgan Artyukhina  Part 10 - News integrity initiative In April 2017, around the same time Facebook was laying out its plans to address the CIA’s claims that Russian bots were spreading election-spoiling disinformation on their platform, Facebook joined up with the Omidyar-backed Democracy Fund, the Ford Foundation, and others to launch News Integrity Initiative, a $14 million consortium rooted in the CUNY School of Journalism that aimed to “ advance news literacy, to increase trust in journalism around the world and to better inform the public conversation. ”  To accomplish this, it would “ combat media manipulation ” through a network of “ journalists, technologists, academic institutions, non-profits, and oth...

In testimony before the United Nations Security Council, former OPCW inspection team leader and engineering expert Ian Henderson stated that their investigation in Douma, Syria suggested no chemical attack took place. But their findings were suppressed. by Ben Norton Part 4 - OPCW whistleblower testimony at UN Security Council meeting on Douma On January 20, 2020, Ian Henderson delivered his first in-person testimony, alleging suppression by OPCW leadership. He spoke at a UN Security Council Arria-Formula meeting on the fact-finding mission report on Douma. China’s mission to the UN invited Ian Henderson to testify in person at the Security Council session. Henderson said in his testimony that he had planned to attend, but was unable to get a visa waiver from the US government. (The Trump administration has repeatedly blocked access to the UN for representatives from countries that do not kowtow to its interests, turning UN visas into a political weapon in blatant viola...

Αλέξανδρος Ζέρβας Μέρος 6ο -  Ποιος φοβάται τελικά τον Σάντερς; Από τη μεριά του, ο Αμερικάνος πρόεδρος δείχνει να είναι αρκετά έξυπνος για να αντιληφθεί ποιος είναι ο πραγματικός κίνδυνος για τον ίδιο από το στρατόπεδο των Δημοκρατικών. Ενδεικτικό είναι το γεγονός ότι τις τελευταίες εβδομάδες το στρατόπεδο Τραμπ έχει εντείνει τις επιθέσεις του εναντίον του Μπέρνι Σάντερς παρουσιάζοντας είτε ως « υποστηρικτή τρομοκρατώ ν» με αφορμή την θέση του για το Ιράν είτε « ως εύπορο πολιτικάντη, που κάνει μαθήματα στους Αμερικάνους για το πώς να ζουν ». Η στόχευσή του είναι σαφής: αφενός μεν να επαναφέρει στο επίκεντρο της πολιτικής αντιπαράθεσης την περίφημη «ασφάλεια των ΗΠΑ» κι αφετέρου να «σπείρει» την αμφιβολία στα κατώτερα στρώματα σχετικά με τον γερουσιαστή του Βερμόντ. Σε κάθε περίπτωση όμως είναι «ηλίου φαεινότερο» ότι ο Ντόναλντ Τραμπ θα προσεύχεται τους επόμενους μήνες η τελική έκβαση των προκριματικών στο Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα να αναδείξει νικητή οποιονδήποτε άλ...

globinfo freexchange In a 2017 released archive of 13 million pages by CIA, we found further evidence proving that CIA was actually directing IMF (International Monetary Fund) policies behind the scenes. A 1984 letter from the National Intelligence Officer for Economics to the then Director of Central Intelligence, briefly suggests a specific strategy to relief IMF from the pressure that was growing as a consequence of IMF's failed policies. More impressively, the letter reveals that, in essence, the IMF policies had failed to recover economies. Yet, the public sector should not be allowed to take action because this would be against " IMF guidelines " and " US Government objectives. " Key parts: [most important highlighted]                     As I indicated in my memo of 26 April 1984, I believe it will be essential to find ways of easing the pressure on the IMF, through supp...

Democracy Now! Retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff from 2002 to 2005, says the escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran today is a continuation of two decades of U.S. policy disasters in the Middle East, starting with the 2003 run-up to war with Iraq under the Bush administration.  “ America exists today to make war. How else do we interpret 19 straight years of war and no end in sight? It’s part of who we are. It’s part of what the American Empire is, ” says Wilkerson. “ We are going to cheat and steal to do whatever it is we have to do to continue this war complex. That’s the truth of it. And that’s the agony of it. ”

New Economic Thinking Nina Eichacker, assistant professor of economics at the University of Rhode Island, explains how the European “troika” enforces austerity, at the expense of ordinary people.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has launched plans for a ‘Scottish visa’ to wrest some control over migration in the country away from Westminster as the rift between Johnson’s government and the SNP grows. Immigration is not currently a devolved area of government and the SNP has long called for Scotland to have greater control over handling its own migration issues, particularly given concerns about the country’s ageing workforce and Brexit.  Current EU freedom of movement rights are expected to expire when the UK leaves the bloc, with the British government saying they’ll introduce a points-based system instead by January 2021. “ Residence in Scotland and maintaining a Scottish tax code would be a requirement for such a visa, ” the Scottish government said in a statement launching the proposals for workers coming into the country. It added that the policy is “ designed to work with devolution ” but could be adapted “ should Scotland become independent in futur...

by Victor Grossman Britain and the USA have had close ties, echoes and parallels from our start, some very good, others nasty. One of the latter may now be threatening. Jeremy Corbyn’s rise in Labour Party leadership offered great hopes for a leftward turn in Britain, away from the worrisome policies of Boris Johnson. But hopes were dashed in the recent elections  by the dirtiest media campaign in many years plus sniping by New Labour phonies like war-loving Tony Blair, who seemed to prefer the Tories to Jeremy. But also in part to denunciations by the Netanyahu wing in Jewish circles, led by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis who, in a key letter to the London “Times”  violated non-partisan traditions by attacking “Labour antisemitism”, saying Corbyn was “ not fit for high office ”,  that “ new poison ” in the party has been “ sanctioned from the top ”. The “ very soul of our nation is at stake ”, he wrote, and called on British Jews to vote for any party except Labour!...

With Senator Bernie Sanders surging in the polls, DNC chair Tom Perez has put forward a cartoonishly neoliberal cast of foreign policy hacks and corporate lobbyists to sabotage his nomination. by Kevin Gosztola Part 2 - Torture cover-ups, Russia fear-mongering, and lobbyist glad-handling Denis McDonough was nominated to chair the Platform Committee. He was Obama’s chief of staff during his second term. McDonough is senior principal for the Markle Foundation and a chair of the Rework America Task Force. In 2018, McDonough partnered with Heidi Capozzi, senior vice president of human resources at Boeing, to form the Rework America Business Network. It included 11 founding members: Aon, Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), Boeing, Duke Energy, Kaiser Permanente, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, Stanley Black & Decker, Walmart, Zurich Insurance, and 21st Century Fox. The network received support from Google. Acting on behalf of the CIA, McDonough pushed for more re...

The Trump administration has spent $654 million in “aid” to try to overthrow Venezuela’s government, including $435 million through USAID and $128 million directly to Juan Guaidó and his corrupt coup gang — all while imposing crippling austerity at home. by Ben Norton Part 3 - USAID funding of Juan Guaidó’s corrupt coup cabal In its December statement, USAID claimed, “ No funds are provided directly to elected National Assembly members, high-level officials of the Guaidó Administration, Ambassadors, or the interim President himself. ” But in the same breath, just one sentence prior, the agency acknowledged, “ USAID is providing compensation, travel costs, and other expenses for some technical advisors to the National Assembly and the interim Guaidó Administration through assistance funds. ” USAID’s denial of direct funding appears to be bald-faced lies. In October, The Grayzone reported that, through USAID, US taxpayers are paying the salaries and expenses of Venezuela...

Facebook isn’t the only Silicon Valley firm with partisan oversight of what we see: the bipartisan billionaire class and their security state have partnered with tech firms since the dawn of the internet to control the parameters of users’ thinking. by Morgan Artyukhina  Part 9 - Facebook’s Expanding Media Empire This clique of far-right figures is really johnny-come-lately to Facebook’s plot to influence your worldview by pruning the information you access on their platform. Casting the initiative as a fulfillment of its responsibility as one of the largest distributors of information on the planet, Facebook began launching in 2017 a slew of ventures that partnered with the world’s leading consent manufacturers to ensure their platform didn’t interfere with the carefully manicured information landscape crafted by billionaire string-pullers like Omidyar and the Saudi Royal family. By May 2018, Columbia Journalism Review was able to hail Facebook and Google for havin...

In testimony before the United Nations Security Council, former OPCW inspection team leader and engineering expert Ian Henderson stated that their investigation in Douma, Syria suggested no chemical attack took place. But their findings were suppressed. by Ben Norton Part 3 - Numerous OPCW whistleblowers and leaks challenge Western government claims In May 2019, an internal OPCW engineering assessment was leaked to the public. The document, authored by Ian Henderson, said the “ dimensions, characteristics and appearance of the cylinders ” in Douma “ were inconsistent with what would have been expected in the case of either cylinder having been delivered from an aircraft, ” adding that there is “ a higher probability that both cylinders were manually placed at those two locations rather than being delivered from aircraft. ” After reviewing the leaked report, MIT professor emeritus of Science, Technology and International Security Theodore Postol told The Grayzone , “ The e...

Αλέξανδρος Ζέρβας Μέρος 5ο -  Η ανάγκη για «ξεκάθαρη επιλογή» έναντι του Τραμπ Όπως επισημαίνει σε ανάλυση του το αμερικάνικο διαδικτυακό περιοδικό Jacobin , o λόγος είναι απλός: ο Σάντερς έχει τη δυνατότητα να προσφέρει τη δυνατότητα ξεκάθαρη πολιτικής επιλογής στους Αμερικάνους, οι οποίοι θα κληθούν να αποφασίσουν αν θέλουν να συνεχίσει μια διακυβέρνηση που επενδύει στις κοινωνικές ανισότητες ή αν θα πάνε σε μια αλλαγή μοντέλου, η οποία θα στοχεύει στην όσο δυνατό μεγαλύτερη άμβλυνσή τους. Στον αντίποδα, οι περισσότεροι από τους υπόλοιπους διεκδικητές του χρίσματος των Δημοκρατικών δείχνουν να κινούνται σε ένα «παραδοσιακό» μοτίβο, αποφεύγοντας τα «ταράξουν» ιδιαίτερα τις ισορροπίες στο οικονομικό κατεστημένο των ΗΠΑ. Είναι χαρακτηριστικό ότι υποψήφιοι όπως ο Τζο Μπάιντεν, ο (δισεκατομμυριούχος) Μάικλ Μπλούμπεργκ, ή ακόμη και η Ελίζαμπεθ Γουόρεν επικεντρώνουν την κριτική τους στον Ντόναλντ Τραμπ στην ακατάσχετη σκανδαλολογία (ουκρανικής, ρώσικης ή οποιασδήποτε άλ...

The Real News Network On the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu asked world leaders to condemn the International Criminal Court for investigating Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Redacted Tonight The US government has taken off its mask of civility and argued that foreign journalists aren't protected by American freedom of the press. This is how they've justified the persecution of Julian Assange. Glenn Greenwald is facing the same pressure in Brazil. 

RT It seems like 2016 all over again. Bernie Sanders is popular and doing well in the polls. And the Democratic establishment along with the donor class are nervous their centrist politics is fraying. Now, throw in identity politics. The problem for Bernie this time around – apparently - he isn’t inclusive enough. Is the Democratic primary being rigged again?

With Senator Bernie Sanders surging in the polls, DNC chair Tom Perez has put forward a cartoonishly neoliberal cast of foreign policy hacks and corporate lobbyists to sabotage his nomination. by Kevin Gosztola Part 1 Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez has nominated dozens of lobbyists, corporate consultants, think tank board members, and former officials linked to Barack Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaigns to serve on the Democratic National Convention (DNC) nominating committee this July.  Many of Perez’s nominees are vocal opponents of Senator Bernie Sanders and spoke out against his campaign when he challenged Hillary Clinton for the nomination in 2016. Just as it did in 2016, the DNC appears determined to sabotage a Sanders nomination, foisting a collection of neoliberal and imperialist hacks onto the convention committee to hold back a popular rebellion against the policies of endless war and corporate free trade they have...

The Trump administration has spent $654 million in “aid” to try to overthrow Venezuela’s government, including $435 million through USAID and $128 million directly to Juan Guaidó and his corrupt coup gang — all while imposing crippling austerity at home. by Ben Norton Part 2 - USAID’s role in US coup attempt against Venezuela USAID has long acted as a front for the CIA and other government agencies, disguising regime-change activities as supposed humanitarian work. Under the administration of Donald Trump, the organization’s role as an arm of US hybrid warfare has become more aggressive than ever. In February 2019, a USAID plan was revealed to train “aid workers” as special operations forces who serve in teams with military and intelligence operatives to advance US “national security” interests. That same month, the ostensible humanitarian agency was activated as the lead element in a plot to overthrow Venezuela’s elected government. USAID collaborated with the Defense ...

 by George Galloway Part 3 - Money controversies But the biggest existential threat to the once iron-clad hegemony of the BBC will not be dispatched as easily as was Mr. Corbyn. Money. Not just the money extorted from the taxpayer to pay for the ever-bloating BBC empire in an era when Netflix, Amazon, Sky and so many more are both demonstrating that other financial models are available and have become for millions of British families an additional expense on top of the once sufficient BBC. I am not alone in currently paying the BBC licence fee whilst virtually never watching it. And I live in hope that my wife will never discover just what Sky Sports, BT Sports, Manchester United TV, Netflix and Amazon are costing us! But the recent money controversies have revealed the taxpayer is being forced to pay second-rate entertainers and ‘personalities’, many of whom earn literally millions, are scarcely wanted, were never endorsed by the public, and who in any sane system shoul...

Brazil’s extreme Bolsonaro government backed an attack on Venezuela in a plot to overthrow its elected president. The shocking terror operation has received no coverage in mainstream US media. by Ben Norton Part 4 - Brazilian media confirms what Venezuelan government said The O Globo report confirms public statements by Venezuelan government officials after the December 22 attack. Venezuela’s communication minister, Jorge Rodríguez, declared that the defectors not only had support from the government of Bolsonaro, but were also trained in paramilitary camps in Colombia. The Venezuelan intelligence services tracked the infiltrators’ movements from Brazil, through Peru, and into the Colombian city of Cali, where they received training. Venezuela’s foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, wrote, “ From Peru they enter Colombia and they receive support also from Brazil. This is a coup-mongering strategy of triangulation by the governments of the Lima Cartel to produce violenc...