the unbalanced evolution of homo sapiens

globinfo freexchange   We had plenty of evidence so far about the decline of the US imperialist empire, but this one is perhaps the most depicting at a symbolic level.   We don't need to say much, see it for yourself and you'll get it. We just picked the two most stupid moments of the debate , according to our view, one for each clown:                           BIDEN: The fact is that Putin is a war criminal. He’s killed thousands and thousands of people. And he has made one thing clear: He wants to re-establish what was part of the Soviet Empire. Not just a piece, he wants all of Ukraine. That’s what he wants. And then do you think he’ll stop there? Do you think he’ll stop when he – if he takes Ukraine? What do you think happens to Poland? What do you think of Belarus? What do you think happens to those NATO countries?   "Putin is a war criminal." Sai...

BreakThrough News   Julian Assange has finally been freed after over a decade of persecution by the US government for exposing its war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.    Following a plea deal with the US Department of Justice, the WikiLeaks founder was freed from the super-max Belmarsh Prison on Monday, where he was held for over five years battling impending extradition to the US.    Kevin Gosztola, the curator of TheDissenter.org newsletter & author of Guilty of Journalism: The Political Case Against Julian Assange , discusses the global movement to free Assange and why his release is a “major defeat” for the CIA, FBI and Justice Department.  

The slide of the "extreme center" towards fascism becomes increasingly visible throughout the West   by system failure   Part 3 - The Assange case   WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is being held at the Belmarsh high security prison in London for nearly five years now. The events prior to his arrest consist perhaps one of the most blatant proofs of the slide of the extreme center towards fascism.   The unimaginable invasion of the British police in the Ecuadorian embassy took place under Trump presidency and with the blessing of the government of traitor Lenin Moreno. Yet, the wild persecution of Assange had already begun under the Obama presidency.   And while it is certain that the US imperialists wanted Assange's head because he exposed some of their most horrific war crimes through WikiLeaks, especially the Democrats got furious mostly because WilkiLeaks published Hilllary Clinton's emails.   And that's because the emails revealed a dirty war ...

BreakThrough News   Newly released treaty negotiation documents show that Ukraine and Russia were very close to ending the war—more than two years ago, in April 2022. But U.S. imperialists and NATO have worked with and strengthened the right-wing in Ukraine to achieve their long-term goals in the region, including endless war, no matter how many people die. Brian Becker is joined by Eugene Puryear, co-host of The Freedom Side , to discuss the newly revealed documents showing how the Ukraine war nearly ended two years ago but were sabotaged by the intervention of the White House and the Ukrainian far-right. They discuss how Ukraine’s economy has been totally mortgaged to U.S. and European interests. 

The U.S. military launched a clandestine program amid the COVID crisis to discredit China’s Sinovac inoculation – payback for Beijing’s efforts to blame Washington for the pandemic. One target: the Filipino public. Health experts say the gambit was indefensible and put innocent lives at risk. by Chris Bing and Joel Schectman  Part 2 - ‘We were desperate’ Together, the phony accounts used by the military had tens of thousands of followers during the program. Reuters could not determine how widely the anti-vax material and other Pentagon-planted disinformation was viewed, or to what extent the posts may have caused COVID deaths by dissuading people from getting vaccinated. In the wake of the U.S. propaganda efforts, however, then-Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte had grown so dismayed by how few Filipinos were willing to be inoculated that he threatened to arrest people who refused vaccinations. “ You choose, vaccine or I will have you jailed, ” a masked Duterte said in a televi...

Democracy Now!   Julian Assange has landed in Australia a free man, reuniting with his family Wednesday after pleading guilty to one charge of violating the U.S. Espionage Act as part of a deal with the Justice Department.    The WikiLeaks publisher entered his plea on the Pacific island of Saipan, part of the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands, which lets him avoid further prison time following five years behind bars in the U.K. awaiting possible extradition to the U.S.    He had been facing a possible 175 years in U.S. prison if convicted on charges related to his publication of classified documents in 2010 that revealed U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.    “ This case is an attack on journalism, it’s an attack on the public’s right to know, and it should never have been brought, ” the WikiLeaks founder’s wife, Stella Assange, said at a press conference Wednesday. “ Julian should never have spent a single day in prison. But today w...

As the Gaza war rages, Israeli funds target US college campuses and push to redefine antisemitism in US law   by Lee Fang and Jack Poulson   Part 1 - Redefining antisemitism   Last November, just weeks into the war in Gaza, Amichai Chikli, a brash, 42-year-old Likud minister in the Israeli government, was called into the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, to brief lawmakers on what could be done about rising anti-war protests from young people across the United States, especially at elite universities. “ I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again now, that I think we should, especially in the United States, be on the offensive,” argued Chikli. Chikli has since led a targeted push to counter critics of Israel. The Guardian has uncovered evidence showing how Israel has relaunched a controversial entity as part of a broader public relations campaign to target US college campuses and redefine antisemitism in US law. Seconds after a smoke alarm subsided during the hearing, Chikli...

Owen Jones  Julian Assange has been finally freed after years of incarceration for exposing US crimes. But what about the crimes he helped expose - and will the perpetrators ever face justice?

Geopolitical Economy Report Countries around the world are seeking alternatives to the US dollar. IMF economists say de-dollarization is "broad-based". The Federal Reserve reluctantly admits that it is happening. Ben Norton analyzes the latest research.

JULIAN ASSANGE IS FREE Julian Assange is free. He left Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and was released at Stansted airport during the afternoon, where he boarded a… — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) June 24, 2024 Rejoice! Julian is free. Fighting for what is right against the worst odds is never futile. This is the moment to redouble our efforts to free every political prisoner, everywhere. https://t.co/Gx5lXHIKFN — Yanis Varoufakis (@yanisvaroufakis) June 25, 2024

 by Alan Macleod   “America should WANT a Cold War with China”.   “Time to Increase Defense Spending”.   “How America Can Prepare For War in The Middle East, Russia and China.”   What do all these stories have in common? They are all written by prominent members of arms industry-sponsored think tanks (although these affiliations are rarely mentioned in corporate media). Think tanks are organizations of “experts” that work to influence public opinion and government policy on all manner of issues. They produce reports, talk to the media, write articles, and lobby politicians. They are usually funded by the rich and powerful, and this has become a crucial way in which the 1% launder their ideas and outlooks into public consciousness. Big corporations pay these groups to advocate for positions that will increase their influence and power. And when it comes to foreign policy, it is no different. It is in weapons companies’ direct interest that we go to war. When we d...

Al Jazeera English   A video has emerged showing an injured Palestinian tied to the front of an Israeli military vehicle after a raid in Jenin. It appears he's being used as a human shield. In a statement to Al Jazeera, the Israeli army says the suspect was apprehended in violation of orders, and standard operating procedures.  Anthony Loewenstein, an independent journalist and author of "The Palestine Laboratory," spoke to Al Jazeera , emphasising the historical context of brutality and abuse of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli military. He noted that such actions have been ongoing for decades, inspired initially by British tactics in the 1920s and 30s.   

The Jimmy Dore Show  

Geopolitical Economy Report   The United Nations Human Rights Council published a report that concluded that Israel has committed war crimes and "the crimes against humanity of extermination" in Gaza. Ben Norton analyzes the statements by UN legal experts.

failed evolution   On 11 April 2019, the Ecuadorian government of traitor Lenin Moreno, invited the Metropolitan Police into the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and they arrested Julian Assange . Since then, Assange is kept in Belmarsh high security prison in London, without actual charges.   The real reason world's number one political prisoner is still kept in this high security prison, is because he exposed horrendous war crimes carried out by the US imperialists and their allies.   The ruthless Western imperialist regime wants to punish the No1 real journalist in the world and make him an example for any Whistleblower or real journalist who will attempt to expose its big crimes in the future.   And the Anglo-American axis has now become officially a fascist coalition , framed by the rest of its Western pets. UK's Home Secretary Priti Patel, one of the most ruthless ever, decided to extradite Julian Assange to US. No surprise of course. The only question we had...

Double Down News   Join legendary music legends Roger Waters (Pink Floyd), Yusuf Cat Stevens (Father and Son) and iconic rapper Lowkey (Long Live Palestine) plus special guests for a one-off concert in aid of peace, freedom and justice for Palestine.  

Over 25,000 NGOs are active in Georgia, and most rely on funding from Europe and the US. A new bill aiming to reign in Western meddling has sparked furious anti-government protests explicitly encouraged by Washington. by Kit Klarenberg   Part 4 - Georgian Legion war criminals plan coup   Saakashvili ostensibly runs the UNM from prison in Tbilisi. Having fled Georgia and taken up residence in Ukraine as governor of Odesa at Petro Poroshenko’s invitation post-Maidan after losing power in 2012, he returned in October 2021. Upon arrival, he was jailed for ordering violent attacks on political rivals, and helping one of his ministers cover up a hideous murder they personally directed. President Zourabichvili has pledged she will “never” pardon the former leader. Recent polls place the party’s public support at just 9.6% – significantly lower than Georgian Dream’s 31.4%. Despite his fading popularity, Saakashvili’s supporters appear determined to bust him out of prison, by hook or b...

The U.S. military launched a clandestine program amid the COVID crisis to discredit China’s Sinovac inoculation – payback for Beijing’s efforts to blame Washington for the pandemic. One target: the Filipino public. Health experts say the gambit was indefensible and put innocent lives at risk. by Chris Bing and Joel Schectman  Part 1 At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. military launched a secret campaign to counter what it perceived as China’s growing influence in the Philippines, a nation hit especially hard by the deadly virus. The clandestine operation has not been previously reported. It aimed to sow doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and other life-saving aid that was being supplied by China, a Reuters investigation found. Through phony internet accounts meant to impersonate Filipinos, the military’s propaganda efforts morphed into an anti-vax campaign. Social media posts decried the quality of face masks, test kits and the first vaccine that would be...

Geopolitical Economy Report   The vast majority of the world population, in the Global South, rebuked the West's pro-war so-called "Summit on Peace in Ukraine", which was held in Switzerland in June. Russia was not even invited. Ben Norton discusses NATO's hypocrisy and explains why only 78 countries (mostly in Europe) endorsed the "Bürgenstock declaration", while China and Brazil propose genuine peace talks. 

Breaking Points   Krystal and Saagar discuss bombshell reporting that Israel knew about Hamas' plan to attack weeks before October 7th. 

Al Jazeera English  Hezbollah has released a video of what it says is undetected drone footage of sensitive military sites in Israel. The group says it shows various locations including the Israeli city of Haifa and its vital civilian and military installations.

... για να γλιτώσει η χώρα μια και καλή από τη Μητσοτακική λαίλαπα   failed evolution   Η διάσπαση του κεντροαριστερού χώρου καλά κρατεί, όπως ακριβώς ήθελε η ντόπια ολιγαρχία.   Ο στόχος όμως της στρατηγικής ήττας ΣΥΡΙΖΑ και η επαναφορά ΠΑΣΟΚ στη θέση της αξιωματικής αντιπολίτευσης, απέτυχε και πάλι.  Απέτυχε και η απομάκρυνση Μητσοτάκη από την ηγεσία της ΝΔ και ύστερα από αυτό το Βατερλό στις ευρωεκλογές, οι ολιγάρχες θα πρέπει να είναι στα κάγκελα και να κάθονται σε αναμμένα κάρβουνα. Οπότε χρειάζονται νέα εναλλακτική. Επιχειρήθηκε άλλο σχέδιο, την τελευταία στιγμή και στο πόδι, με βάση το οποίο οι αποστάτες της ΝΕΑΡ θα πήγαιναν στο ΠΑΣΟΚ, έτσι ώστε το ΠΑΣΟΚ με τις έδρες τους, να έκλεβε και τη θέση της αξιωματικής αντιπολίτευσης από τον ΣΥΡΙΖΑ. Απλά, γρήγορα και εύκολα. Το σενάριο διαδόθηκε από καθεστωτικά φερέφωνα που προσπάθησαν να δημιουργήσουν το κατάλληλο κλίμα. Φαίνεται ότι, τουλάχιστον προς το παρόν, κάηκε γρήγορα. Επιχειρείται τώρα νέο σχέδιο με σύνθεση...

BreakThrough News   Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced the country will be suspending its coal exports to Israel over the genocide in Gaza. Israel gets nearly half of its coal from Colombia, and Petro emphasized it will continue to pressure Israel’s economy "until the genocide stops."    Zoe Alexandra, co-editor of Peoples Dispatch , joins the show to discuss how left-wing Latin American leaders cutting ties with Israel represents an era of unprecedented economic isolation for Israel.  

Despite historic levels of forced displacement due to armed conflict, Group of Seven member countries have increased their military expenditures to record highs while they slash spending on humanitarian aid for people affected by wars that these powerful nations often started or stoked , an analysis published Friday revealed. According to Birmingham, England-based Islamic Relief Worldwide, military spending by G7 members Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States—which wrapped up Friday in Puglia, Italy—rose to $1.2 trillion last year, the overwhelming bulk of that amount attributable to the U.S.' $886.3 billion Pentagon budget.  That's a 7.3% increase over 2022 levels, and 62 times what those countries spent on all humanitarian aid in response to wars and disasters .  [...] It's not just the G7. According to this year's Stockholm International Peace Research Institute annual analysis, global military spending increased 6.8% to a re...

We Love Africa   Here comes another challenge to the US dollar from BRICS: over $70 billion in trade will no longer be conducted in US dollars. But does the US have any defence against these efforts? The US seems unprepared, as the new Brics agreement has caught it off guard. This agreement is also attracting attention from other nations, many of which are aiming to join BRICS. But again, does the US have no way to protect its dollar? How strong is the Brics plan that the US is simply watching its dollar face potential decline?  

Geopolitical Economy Report   Western governments invited billionaire BlackRock CEO Larry Fink to the G7 summit in Italy to speak about "public-private partnerships" and why oligarchs should buy up global infrastructure (to compete with China's state-led Belt and Road Initiative). Ben Norton discusses how capitalism is becoming so extremely monopolized and unequal that it is devolving into neo-feudalism.  

The slide of the "extreme center" towards fascism becomes increasingly visible throughout the West   by system failure   Part 2 - Examples of the slide of the extreme center towards fascism   Just a few examples of the slide of the extreme center towards fascism are: - The financial coup orchestrated against Greece during the period of the economic crisis by some key figures of the extreme center inside and outside the country. - The construction of the theory of the two extremes, as well as a blatant historical distortion through the equation of Nazism with Communism, resulting in an outrageous revision of history. - The instigation of the 2014 coup in Ukraine by supporting the Azov Brigade, Svoboda and Right Sector Nazis. -  The unimaginable, for the "liberal" West, imposition of extreme censorship that went as far as blocking not only the major Russian TV channels (such as Russia Today ), but also the corresponding websites within the Western countries. - The blo...

Over 25,000 NGOs are active in Georgia, and most rely on funding from Europe and the US. A new bill aiming to reign in Western meddling has sparked furious anti-government protests explicitly encouraged by Washington. by Kit Klarenberg   Part 3 - Shaping the color revolution theater   Longtime Georgian leader and former Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze opened the floodgates for NGOs seeking a toehold in his country by allowing foreign-financed civil society organizations to operate in the country without much if any oversight. At the time a Western darling, with this act he signed his own political death warrant. As a since-deleted article on USAID’s website once noted, Western-backed NGOs went on to “ promote democratic and liberal values, ” which gravely undermined his government. “ For example, in 1999 US funding helped Georgians draw up and build support for a Freedom of Information Law, which the government adopted. That law allowed the media and NGOs to invest...

Owen Jones Why isn't there more discussion about the huge strategic defeats suffered by the Israeli state? No better to discuss this with than Dr. Alonso Gurmendi, a brilliant expert in international relations. 

Cyrus Janssen   Saudi Arabia just changed the entire future of the US dollar when it decided to end it's 50 year agreement with the US and the Petrodollar. Saudi Arabia is now looking to BRICS and China for their future in this new multipolar world. What happens next for the US dollar and BRICS?      Related:   Exploiting Khashoggi's assassination: the neoliberal predators hang over Saudi Arabia

Secular Talk    

Owen Jones   This is a confession. 

🇷🇺 Russia's Moscow Stock Exchange Halts All Trading in US Dollars, Euros https://t.co/GEGNntpU1R — BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) June 12, 2024

Danny Haiphong   Journalist and geopolitical analyst Pepe Escobar  joins to discuss his attendance at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and the huge developments shaking the multipolar world.  

The Grayzone   Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate discuss the US role in Israel's blood soaked rescue of 4 hostages in Gaza, which killed close to 300, and its subsequent denials. They also cover the Washington Post 's McCarthyite smear of The Grayzone , The Hill 's firing of Brianna Joy Gray, and more.  

The slide of the "extreme center" towards fascism becomes increasingly visible throughout the West   by system failure   Part 1 - The rise and transformation of the extreme center   The starting point of the political component of what is considered "extreme center" today, could be placed in the early 80s. The political dominance of neoliberalism begins with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher in the US and UK respectively. It is perhaps impressive that this first wave of political dominance of the neoliberal ideology came with the help of the most conservative part of both American and British societies. It is characteristic that Reagan's rise to power became possible with the help of the Christian Right, which mobilized millions of conservative Americans, who until then had abstained from the electoral process. The political dominance of neoliberal ideology concluded about a decade later, in the early 90s, with the total ideological transformation of the Democ...

Glenn Greenwald / Novara Media / Marc Lamont Hill

Owen Jones   That this isn't at the centre of mainstream media coverage tells us all we need to know.  

Over 25,000 NGOs are active in Georgia, and most rely on funding from Europe and the US. A new bill aiming to reign in Western meddling has sparked furious anti-government protests explicitly encouraged by Washington. by Kit Klarenberg   Part 2 - Western-financed NGO-industrial-complex   Many foreign-funded NGOs are explicitly concerned with integrating Georgia into the EU, NATO, and other “Euro-Atlantic” structures. Among them is the Shame Movement, which has been at the forefront of the recent unrest in Tbilisi. NED grant records indicate that it received just shy of $80,000 in 2021 for “ engaging regional youth activists, ” helping young Georgians address political “ challenges ” and advocate “ for governmental accountability. ” Oddly, an NED entry indicating the Shame Movement also received over $90,000 that year “ to promote democratic accountability and effective oversight of the Georgian parliament ” has been removed. It noted that the organization was charged with trac...

The Jimmy Dore Show    

Double Down News   EXPOSED: Britain's Secret Role in Gaza  

Geopolitical Economy Report  In Mexico, a new independent left-wing movement has defeated the country's elites. Following current President AMLO, President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum and their Morena party won the 2024 elections in a landslide. Ben Norton is joined by journalist José Luis Granados Ceja to discuss what their "Fourth Transformation" (4T) means for the US, China, Russia, Latin America, and the global economy.

Behind The Headlines   Shocking anyone that's paid any attention to the onslaught, The New York Times has just been handed the Pulitzer Prize for its Gaza reporting. This is the same New York Times who instructed its reporters not to use words like "refugee camp", "occupied territories" or even "Palestine" in its reporting on the Israeli attack on Gaza. As Alan MacLeod demonstrates, the New York Times has consistently delivered biased, inaccurate reporting on Palestine, and deserves a mountain of criticism, not an award. 

BreakThrough News   After eight months of relentless massacres on Palestinians, Israel has yet to achieve its main objective of destroying the Palestinian resistance. Despite suffering considerable losses, the armed factions’ main infrastructure and leaders appear to be intact, allowing them to recruit and strike back even in areas that the occupation long ago it had “cleared.” Jon Elmer, a contributing editor at The Electronic Intifada , discusses the strength of the Palestinian resistance and why Israel can continue to massacre, but can’t win. 

The Grayzone   Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate discuss Donald Trump's felony conviction and what it means for Trump's re-election hopes and a potential second Trump term. They will also Israel's rejection of Biden's call for a ceasefire in Gaza, the atrocities in Rafah, and likely US escalation of the Ukraine proxy war.