The Electronic Intifada:
"Yasmin Porat, a survivor of the bloodshed at Kibbutz Be’eri, near the boundary with Gaza, says many Israeli civilians were killed by Israeli forces. An Israeli woman who survived the Hamas assault on settlements near the Gaza boundary on 7 October says Israeli civilians were 'undoubtedly' killed by their own security forces.
It happened when Israeli forces engaged in fierce gun battles with Palestinian fighters in Kibbutz Be’eri and fired indiscriminately at both the fighters and their Israeli prisoners. 'They eliminated everyone, including the hostages,' she told Israeli radio. 'There was very, very heavy crossfire' and even tank shelling.
The woman, 44-year-old mother of three Yasmin Porat, said that prior to that, she and other civilians had been held by the Palestinians for several hours and treated 'humanely.' She had fled the nearby 'Nova' rave. A recording of her interview, from the radio program Haboker Hazeh ... has been circulating on social media. The interview has been translated by The Electronic Intifada.
https://electronicintifada.net/content/israeli-forces-shot-their-own-civilians-kibbutz-survivor-says/38861
-->First is was Hamas cutting off the heads of babies, which turned out to be completely untrue. Then it was the Hamas slaughter of the Israeli dancers. An Israeli witness has now come forward to say that Hamas was not guilty of this atrocity either. And where is the US media when another wartime lie is being spread world wide? Why it is where you might expect it, in the pocket of our Pentagon war machine.
=====
The Guardian UK
"Widespread attempts to suppress pro-Palestinian views in the US after the Hamas attack on Israel have forced the cancellation of major conferences, prompted demands for the dismissal of workers who express support for Palestinians and led to intimidation campaigns against Arab American voices critical of Israeli policies.
Earlier this week, a leading US Jewish group forced the cancellation of a major Palestinian campaign organisation’s national conference by alleging it was a front for Hamas, which killed more than 1,400 Israelis and abducted about 200 people in its attack from Gaza.
Palestinian American activists say television networks also have censored or cancelled interviews. NPR and the BBC pulled advertising for a widely praised new book about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after a campaign of 'listener complaints'. The Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce has declared a 'victory' after pressuring Hilton hotels into cancelling the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights event in Houston later this month at which the congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was to be the main speaker."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/21/israel-hamas-conflict-palestinian-voices-censored
-->Readers will have to go to the UK to understand the assault on free speech now going on in the US. I blame the apartheid state of Israel for its control over our media, over our colleges, and over our political caste. Israel is a greater threat to our democracy than Hamas ever was.
=====
The Intercept:
"The U.S. government may be complicit under international law in Israel’s unfolding genocide of the Palestinian people, a group of legal scholars warned the Biden administration and the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
Lawyers at the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the dire warning to President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in a 44-page emergency brief on Wednesday, on the heels of Biden’s trip to the Middle East. There, Biden reiterated his administration’s unwavering support for Israel — even as the Israeli government wages an unprecedented bombing campaign on the occupied Gaza Strip in retaliation for a horrific attack by Hamas that killed more than 1,400 Israeli citizens.
'Israel’s mass bombings and denial of food, water, and electricity are calculated to destroy the Palestinian population in Gaza,' Katherine Gallagher, senior attorney with CCR and a legal representative for victims in the pending ICC investigation in Palestine, told The Intercept. 'U.S. officials can be held responsible for their failure to prevent Israel’s unfolding genocide, as well as for their complicity, by encouraging it and materially supporting it.' "
https://theintercept.com/2023/10/19/israel-gaza-biden-genocide-war-crimes/
-->The American Empire doesn't care about international law or war crimes. It makes up its own laws, and decides for the whole world who lives and who dies. Someday, the empire itself may come to an end. And I fervently hope that its leaders face justice for their crimes against humanity.
Thursday, October 19, 2023
Aljazeera:
"When US President Joe Biden publicly expressed his outrage at Hamas militants who invaded southern Israel and beheaded babies they had killed at Kfar Aza kibbutz last weekend, the public shock was both extensive and understandable. The gruesome news spanned the world’s media in hours.
But subsequent reports revealed that no such beheadings have been verified by any Israeli or international source – probably because they never happened. This was just one dramatic incident of false reports spreading in the public sphere of mass media, to denigrate one’s foes and support one’s allies. Thousands of other false reports like this circulate daily in the media – though not necessarily so savage, or spread by such luminaries as the most powerful man on Earth, at the height of an intense conflict in Palestine and Israel that has polarized global opinion.
So, how should we assess the Biden and babies incident? What does it tell us about the dangers of media-disseminated false news and United States government attitudes to this conflict? ... Media around the world quickly picked up the news report, and the Israeli Prime Minister’s spokesman said that babies and toddlers 'with their heads decapitated' had been found at the site. CNN, among others, reported beheadings and 'ISIS-style executions'. When journalists asked a spokesman for the Israeli military about the story, the reply was, 'We cannot confirm but you can assume it happened.'
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/10/13/watching-the-watchdogs-babies-and-truth-die-together-in-israel-palestine
-->Sad say our media didn't do such a good job, either fact checking before printing this story, or apologizing afterwards about false propaganda. Meanwhile, Israel has killed 500 children in its attack on Gaza. Where are the headlines when the murders are real?
=====
HuffPost:
"Stunning State Department Memo Warns Diplomats: No Gaza 'De-Escalation' Talk. ...
As Israel escalates its attacks on Gaza, the State Department is discouraging diplomats working on Middle East issues from making public statements suggesting the U.S. wants to see less violence, according to internal emails viewed by HuffPost.
In messages circulated on Friday, State Department staff wrote that high-level officials do not want press materials to include three specific phrases: “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed” and “restoring calm.”
The revelation provides a stunning signal about the Biden administration’s reluctance to push for Israeli restraint as the close U.S. partner expands the offensive. ... The emails were sent hours after Israel told more than 1.1 million residents of northern Gaza that they should leave their homes and shelters ahead of an expected ground invasion of the region. On Thursday, the United Nations said Israel had given Gazans a 24-hour deadline to move to the south of the strip, and warned that it would be 'impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.' ”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/state-department-internal-emails-gaza-israel_n_65296395e4b0a304ff6ff95d
-->I think Biden, Blinken and the Democratic Party have blood on their hands when it comes to the impending genocide of the Palestinian people. How will anyone vote for that deceitful, bloodthirsty crew of warmongers? Biden will replace President Jackson as the symbol of America's war crimes against indigenous peoples.
=====
FAIR:
"If the commentary that news media outlets offer up is supposed to equip audiences to understand the world, then major US outlets’ coverage of the unfolding horrors in the Middle East are failing spectacularly. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post combined ran seven editorials on Israel/Palestine between October 7–9: one from the Times, four from the Journal and two from the Post.
These three days of coverage begin the day that Hamas fighters broke out of the besieged Gaza Strip to kill and take captive hundreds of Israeli soldiers and civilians, after which Israel launched yet another massive bombing campaign against the Strip, killing hundreds of Palestinian militants and civilians. At no point do these analyses provide readers with the information necessary to comprehend what is happening and why, and they consistently mislead readers about key facts. ...
The closest the Washington Post came was when its first editorial (10/7/23) alluded to 'the legitimate Palestinian grievances that Hamas is exploiting.' Yet the paper gave no indication of what these are. ... The New York Times editorial (10/9/23), on the other hand, didn’t mention that Israel has done any harm to Palestinians at all. ...
The Journal’s editorials went even further than those the Post and Times offered, not only neglecting to situate Palestinian violence but outright denying that Israel oppresses the Palestinians."
https://fair.org/home/papers-that-ignore-causes-of-violence-cant-help-prevent-it/
-->Our media is in a sorry state when it tries to cover up Israel's war crimes. Let's face it: we don't have a peoples' media. Coverage is always slanted to the powers that be. I've linked to FAIR for this story. Read it if you want to enlighten yourself.
"When US President Joe Biden publicly expressed his outrage at Hamas militants who invaded southern Israel and beheaded babies they had killed at Kfar Aza kibbutz last weekend, the public shock was both extensive and understandable. The gruesome news spanned the world’s media in hours.
But subsequent reports revealed that no such beheadings have been verified by any Israeli or international source – probably because they never happened. This was just one dramatic incident of false reports spreading in the public sphere of mass media, to denigrate one’s foes and support one’s allies. Thousands of other false reports like this circulate daily in the media – though not necessarily so savage, or spread by such luminaries as the most powerful man on Earth, at the height of an intense conflict in Palestine and Israel that has polarized global opinion.
So, how should we assess the Biden and babies incident? What does it tell us about the dangers of media-disseminated false news and United States government attitudes to this conflict? ... Media around the world quickly picked up the news report, and the Israeli Prime Minister’s spokesman said that babies and toddlers 'with their heads decapitated' had been found at the site. CNN, among others, reported beheadings and 'ISIS-style executions'. When journalists asked a spokesman for the Israeli military about the story, the reply was, 'We cannot confirm but you can assume it happened.'
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/10/13/watching-the-watchdogs-babies-and-truth-die-together-in-israel-palestine
-->Sad say our media didn't do such a good job, either fact checking before printing this story, or apologizing afterwards about false propaganda. Meanwhile, Israel has killed 500 children in its attack on Gaza. Where are the headlines when the murders are real?
=====
HuffPost:
"Stunning State Department Memo Warns Diplomats: No Gaza 'De-Escalation' Talk. ...
As Israel escalates its attacks on Gaza, the State Department is discouraging diplomats working on Middle East issues from making public statements suggesting the U.S. wants to see less violence, according to internal emails viewed by HuffPost.
In messages circulated on Friday, State Department staff wrote that high-level officials do not want press materials to include three specific phrases: “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed” and “restoring calm.”
The revelation provides a stunning signal about the Biden administration’s reluctance to push for Israeli restraint as the close U.S. partner expands the offensive. ... The emails were sent hours after Israel told more than 1.1 million residents of northern Gaza that they should leave their homes and shelters ahead of an expected ground invasion of the region. On Thursday, the United Nations said Israel had given Gazans a 24-hour deadline to move to the south of the strip, and warned that it would be 'impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.' ”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/state-department-internal-emails-gaza-israel_n_65296395e4b0a304ff6ff95d
-->I think Biden, Blinken and the Democratic Party have blood on their hands when it comes to the impending genocide of the Palestinian people. How will anyone vote for that deceitful, bloodthirsty crew of warmongers? Biden will replace President Jackson as the symbol of America's war crimes against indigenous peoples.
=====
FAIR:
"If the commentary that news media outlets offer up is supposed to equip audiences to understand the world, then major US outlets’ coverage of the unfolding horrors in the Middle East are failing spectacularly. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post combined ran seven editorials on Israel/Palestine between October 7–9: one from the Times, four from the Journal and two from the Post.
These three days of coverage begin the day that Hamas fighters broke out of the besieged Gaza Strip to kill and take captive hundreds of Israeli soldiers and civilians, after which Israel launched yet another massive bombing campaign against the Strip, killing hundreds of Palestinian militants and civilians. At no point do these analyses provide readers with the information necessary to comprehend what is happening and why, and they consistently mislead readers about key facts. ...
The closest the Washington Post came was when its first editorial (10/7/23) alluded to 'the legitimate Palestinian grievances that Hamas is exploiting.' Yet the paper gave no indication of what these are. ... The New York Times editorial (10/9/23), on the other hand, didn’t mention that Israel has done any harm to Palestinians at all. ...
The Journal’s editorials went even further than those the Post and Times offered, not only neglecting to situate Palestinian violence but outright denying that Israel oppresses the Palestinians."
https://fair.org/home/papers-that-ignore-causes-of-violence-cant-help-prevent-it/
-->Our media is in a sorry state when it tries to cover up Israel's war crimes. Let's face it: we don't have a peoples' media. Coverage is always slanted to the powers that be. I've linked to FAIR for this story. Read it if you want to enlighten yourself.
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
FAIR:
"NPR Falsely Claims Its Reporter Is the Only One to Visit Nicaragua. NPR began its report 'A Rare Look Inside Locked-Down Nicaragua' (9/10/23) with the demonstrably false claim that Nicaragua has 'kept all foreign journalists out for more than a year.' This led into a harrowing story of how its reporter arrived in Nicaragua…and reported without incident. [This a little bit of sarcasm, for the NPR reporter had no trouble at all getting into Nicaragua, and getting out]
In 2023 alone, numerous foreign journalists from press outlets from all parts of the world have reported from Nicaragua. Broadcast outlets based in the United States, China, Russia, Iran and around Latin America have regularly filed reports in both English and Spanish. Independent reporters from the United States, Canada and Britain have reported in outlets such as the Morning Star, Rabble and Black Agenda Report.
Most of the international journalists who have reported from Nicaragua in recent years have not been openly biased against Nicaragua’s Sandinista government, which perhaps disqualifies them as reporters in NPR‘s eyes. ... Steve Sweeney, former international editor of Morning Star, was prevented from reporting on the Nicaraguan presidential election in 2021—not by Managua, but by the United States and Mexico."
https://fair.org/home/npr-falsely-claims-its-reporter-is-the-only-one-to-visit-nicaragua/
-->So this is a blatantly false claim by NPR. FAIR goes on to poke holes in other coverage of Nicaragua, from fake sources to obvious bias. NPR simply makes up stories about Nicaragua that follow Pentagon talking points. That's not journalism; it's propaganda.
=====
Common Dreams:
"Climate defenders admonished several rich nations for falling short of the $10 billion fundraising goal set for Thursday's Green Climate Fund Pledging Summit in Bonn, Germany, with the United States singled out for what one campaigner called its 'glaring and inexcusable' failure to contribute this round, even as the climate emergency worsens.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF)—established in 2010 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to finance projects in developing nations to help them adapt to the climate emergency—presented an opportunity for wealthier nations to make new and increased pledges ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, or COP28, which begins November 30 in Dubai.
However, Thursday's summit raised just $9.3 billion, falling short of its $10 billion goal and coming nowhere near the $200-$250 billion the UNFCCC estimates is needed every year until 2030. Twenty-five countries promised to donate to the fund, with Denmark, Ireland, and Liechtenstein doubling their previous pledges."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/green-climate-fund
-->Well, the US has all sorts of money to send to its proxy war in Ukraine. And, of course, we rush additional millions to slaughter more civilians in Gaza. But nothing for the Green Climate Fund. Readers of the NYT won't be ashamed, because our newspaper of record didn't print this story.
=====
Common Dreams:
"A report published Wednesday estimates that privately run, government-funded Medicare Advantage plans are overcharging U.S. taxpayers by up to $140 billion per year, a sum that could be used to completely eliminate Medicare Part B premiums or fully fund Medicare's prescription drug program.
Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), an advocacy group that supports transitioning to a single-payer health insurance system, found that Medicare Advantage (MA) over-bills the federal government by at least $88 billion per year, based on 2022 spending.
That lower-end estimate accounts for common MA practices such as upcoding, whereby diagnoses are piled onto a patient's risk assessment to make them appear sicker than they actually are, resulting in a larger payment from the federal government."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/medicare-advantage-overcharging
-->Why wouldn't the NYT cover this story? Wall Street interest are at stake here, and the newspaper almost always favors the very rich, who have billions to gain through financial fraud.
"NPR Falsely Claims Its Reporter Is the Only One to Visit Nicaragua. NPR began its report 'A Rare Look Inside Locked-Down Nicaragua' (9/10/23) with the demonstrably false claim that Nicaragua has 'kept all foreign journalists out for more than a year.' This led into a harrowing story of how its reporter arrived in Nicaragua…and reported without incident. [This a little bit of sarcasm, for the NPR reporter had no trouble at all getting into Nicaragua, and getting out]
In 2023 alone, numerous foreign journalists from press outlets from all parts of the world have reported from Nicaragua. Broadcast outlets based in the United States, China, Russia, Iran and around Latin America have regularly filed reports in both English and Spanish. Independent reporters from the United States, Canada and Britain have reported in outlets such as the Morning Star, Rabble and Black Agenda Report.
Most of the international journalists who have reported from Nicaragua in recent years have not been openly biased against Nicaragua’s Sandinista government, which perhaps disqualifies them as reporters in NPR‘s eyes. ... Steve Sweeney, former international editor of Morning Star, was prevented from reporting on the Nicaraguan presidential election in 2021—not by Managua, but by the United States and Mexico."
https://fair.org/home/npr-falsely-claims-its-reporter-is-the-only-one-to-visit-nicaragua/
-->So this is a blatantly false claim by NPR. FAIR goes on to poke holes in other coverage of Nicaragua, from fake sources to obvious bias. NPR simply makes up stories about Nicaragua that follow Pentagon talking points. That's not journalism; it's propaganda.
=====
Common Dreams:
"Climate defenders admonished several rich nations for falling short of the $10 billion fundraising goal set for Thursday's Green Climate Fund Pledging Summit in Bonn, Germany, with the United States singled out for what one campaigner called its 'glaring and inexcusable' failure to contribute this round, even as the climate emergency worsens.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF)—established in 2010 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to finance projects in developing nations to help them adapt to the climate emergency—presented an opportunity for wealthier nations to make new and increased pledges ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, or COP28, which begins November 30 in Dubai.
However, Thursday's summit raised just $9.3 billion, falling short of its $10 billion goal and coming nowhere near the $200-$250 billion the UNFCCC estimates is needed every year until 2030. Twenty-five countries promised to donate to the fund, with Denmark, Ireland, and Liechtenstein doubling their previous pledges."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/green-climate-fund
-->Well, the US has all sorts of money to send to its proxy war in Ukraine. And, of course, we rush additional millions to slaughter more civilians in Gaza. But nothing for the Green Climate Fund. Readers of the NYT won't be ashamed, because our newspaper of record didn't print this story.
=====
Common Dreams:
"A report published Wednesday estimates that privately run, government-funded Medicare Advantage plans are overcharging U.S. taxpayers by up to $140 billion per year, a sum that could be used to completely eliminate Medicare Part B premiums or fully fund Medicare's prescription drug program.
Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), an advocacy group that supports transitioning to a single-payer health insurance system, found that Medicare Advantage (MA) over-bills the federal government by at least $88 billion per year, based on 2022 spending.
That lower-end estimate accounts for common MA practices such as upcoding, whereby diagnoses are piled onto a patient's risk assessment to make them appear sicker than they actually are, resulting in a larger payment from the federal government."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/medicare-advantage-overcharging
-->Why wouldn't the NYT cover this story? Wall Street interest are at stake here, and the newspaper almost always favors the very rich, who have billions to gain through financial fraud.
Wednesday, October 04, 2023
Haaretz:
"Pro-Israel Sen. Menendez Corruption Controversy Could Cost Israel Its Key Ally in D.C. Democrat Robert Menendez’s vote on a potential Saudi deal, already crucial given the narrow margins, is all the more significant due to his outsized foreign policy influence among hawkish Democrats and pro-Israel lawmakers from both parties
The developments, which have already led the New Jersey senator to relinquish his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will have dramatic implications on Israel’s standing in Congress (though Israel is not mentioned in the 39-page indictment).
Menendez is perhaps the Democratic Party’s most stalwart supporter of Israel, enjoying a decades-long relationship with AIPAC and the pro-Israel lobby. This positioning, combined with his chairmanship of the crucial committee, have led him to be among the most influential senators concerning Israel policy.
To that end, pro-Israel megadonors from both political parties like Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, Haim Saban, Mortimer Zuckerman and Seth Klarman donated more than $1.5 million dollars to his 2015 defense fund aimed at combatting unrelated corruption charges."
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2023-09-25/ty-article/.premium/pro-israel-sen-menendez-corruption-controversy-could-cost-israel-its-key-ally-in-d-c/0000018a-cd88-da14-a1eb-dd8a4feb0000
-->The big story here is how very little this Israel connection makes it into our national media. Starting with the NYT, it is almost like Israel is carefully removed from the many stories about Menendez's corruption. That is the immense power of the Israel Lobby to control US reporting, even on a member of the United States Senate.
=====
Common Dreams:
"IMF Austerity Measures Are ‘Undermining Rights’ Around the World. ... That's the conclusion of a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report published Monday that looks at 39 loans approved in 38 countries between the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdowns in March 2020 and March 2023. While, at the start of the pandemic, IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva spoke of investing in a recovery that was 'greener, smarter, and fairer,' the majority of the loans reviewed by HRW still included requirements like lower government spending or higher regressive taxes.
'Despite its promises at the beginning of the pandemic to learn from past mistakes, the IMF is pushing policies that have a long track record of exacerbating poverty and inequality and undermining rights,' HRW senior researcher and advocate on economic justice and rights Sarah Saadoun said in a statement.
The loans considered in the HRW report impacted countries home to 1.1 billion people, and 30 of them had at least one requirement that put their rights at risk. Twenty-two of them included limits on public wage bills, 23 included regressive value-added taxes, and 20 decreased or eliminated subsidies for fuel or electricity."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/imf-austerity-undermines-rights
-->IMF misdeeds almost never make their way into The NYT. Few other US media outlets covered this story either. Could it be that neoliberal policies have long distorted the work of the IMF, turning it into a way for first world countries to extract value from developing nations?
=====
Common Dreams:
"Warren Grills Biden Medicare Trustee Pick Over 'Shocking' Ties to Medicare Advantage Firm. Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Thursday grilled President Joe Biden's pick to fill a vacant spot on the boards that oversee Social Security and Medicare's finances, highlighting the nominee's position at a private health insurance company that relies heavily on expensive and fraud-ridden Medicare Advantage plans. ...
'Let's be clear,' the senator added. 'If Mr. Kouzoukas ignores the fraud, he helps Clover. If he focuses on the fraud, he hurts Clover. The conflict of interest here is so big and so pervasive that there is no action that Mr. Kouzoukas can take that doesn't either help or hurt Clover, the company that pays him $100,000 a year to sit on its board and watch out for the company.' ...
'A big factor influencing Medicare solvency today is the growth of Medicare Advantage—a program that allows for-profit insurance companies to sell Medicare coverage that experts say is on target this year to overcharge the government by $75 billion,' said Warren. 'In other words, Medicare Advantage has a lot to do with threatening the solvency of Medicare.' "
https://www.commondreams.org/news/warren-grills-biden-medicare-trustee-pick-over-shocking-ties-to-medicare-advantage-firm
-->No word of this story from our major media. Maybe Warren's accusations hit the Democratic Party where it hurts. While publicly supporting Medicare and Social Security, Biden, much like Obama, is secretly trying to undermine both programs with his appointments to key boards.
"Pro-Israel Sen. Menendez Corruption Controversy Could Cost Israel Its Key Ally in D.C. Democrat Robert Menendez’s vote on a potential Saudi deal, already crucial given the narrow margins, is all the more significant due to his outsized foreign policy influence among hawkish Democrats and pro-Israel lawmakers from both parties
The developments, which have already led the New Jersey senator to relinquish his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will have dramatic implications on Israel’s standing in Congress (though Israel is not mentioned in the 39-page indictment).
Menendez is perhaps the Democratic Party’s most stalwart supporter of Israel, enjoying a decades-long relationship with AIPAC and the pro-Israel lobby. This positioning, combined with his chairmanship of the crucial committee, have led him to be among the most influential senators concerning Israel policy.
To that end, pro-Israel megadonors from both political parties like Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, Haim Saban, Mortimer Zuckerman and Seth Klarman donated more than $1.5 million dollars to his 2015 defense fund aimed at combatting unrelated corruption charges."
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2023-09-25/ty-article/.premium/pro-israel-sen-menendez-corruption-controversy-could-cost-israel-its-key-ally-in-d-c/0000018a-cd88-da14-a1eb-dd8a4feb0000
-->The big story here is how very little this Israel connection makes it into our national media. Starting with the NYT, it is almost like Israel is carefully removed from the many stories about Menendez's corruption. That is the immense power of the Israel Lobby to control US reporting, even on a member of the United States Senate.
=====
Common Dreams:
"IMF Austerity Measures Are ‘Undermining Rights’ Around the World. ... That's the conclusion of a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report published Monday that looks at 39 loans approved in 38 countries between the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdowns in March 2020 and March 2023. While, at the start of the pandemic, IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva spoke of investing in a recovery that was 'greener, smarter, and fairer,' the majority of the loans reviewed by HRW still included requirements like lower government spending or higher regressive taxes.
'Despite its promises at the beginning of the pandemic to learn from past mistakes, the IMF is pushing policies that have a long track record of exacerbating poverty and inequality and undermining rights,' HRW senior researcher and advocate on economic justice and rights Sarah Saadoun said in a statement.
The loans considered in the HRW report impacted countries home to 1.1 billion people, and 30 of them had at least one requirement that put their rights at risk. Twenty-two of them included limits on public wage bills, 23 included regressive value-added taxes, and 20 decreased or eliminated subsidies for fuel or electricity."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/imf-austerity-undermines-rights
-->IMF misdeeds almost never make their way into The NYT. Few other US media outlets covered this story either. Could it be that neoliberal policies have long distorted the work of the IMF, turning it into a way for first world countries to extract value from developing nations?
=====
Common Dreams:
"Warren Grills Biden Medicare Trustee Pick Over 'Shocking' Ties to Medicare Advantage Firm. Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Thursday grilled President Joe Biden's pick to fill a vacant spot on the boards that oversee Social Security and Medicare's finances, highlighting the nominee's position at a private health insurance company that relies heavily on expensive and fraud-ridden Medicare Advantage plans. ...
'Let's be clear,' the senator added. 'If Mr. Kouzoukas ignores the fraud, he helps Clover. If he focuses on the fraud, he hurts Clover. The conflict of interest here is so big and so pervasive that there is no action that Mr. Kouzoukas can take that doesn't either help or hurt Clover, the company that pays him $100,000 a year to sit on its board and watch out for the company.' ...
'A big factor influencing Medicare solvency today is the growth of Medicare Advantage—a program that allows for-profit insurance companies to sell Medicare coverage that experts say is on target this year to overcharge the government by $75 billion,' said Warren. 'In other words, Medicare Advantage has a lot to do with threatening the solvency of Medicare.' "
https://www.commondreams.org/news/warren-grills-biden-medicare-trustee-pick-over-shocking-ties-to-medicare-advantage-firm
-->No word of this story from our major media. Maybe Warren's accusations hit the Democratic Party where it hurts. While publicly supporting Medicare and Social Security, Biden, much like Obama, is secretly trying to undermine both programs with his appointments to key boards.
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