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.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Democracy Now:
"NERMEEN SHAIKH We begin today’s show looking at the war in Ukraine. On Wednesday, a Russian missile hit an outdoor market in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, killing 17 and injuring 32. It was one of the deadliest attacks in Ukraine in months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the, quote, 'utter inhumanity' of the attack."
https://www.democracynow.org/2023/9/7/hanna_perekhoda_ilya_budraitskis_ukraine_russia
-->Unfortunately, Democracy Now's look at the war in Ukraine, was one of the most distorted I have listened to in recent weeks. Amy refers to her two guests as "activists," but activists for what? Both did nothing more than spout arguments for further US militarism in Ukraine. There was no peace guest, nor anyone even encouraging negotiations. It was like listening to our mainstream media, always cheering on more weapons and billions for a war that could bring down the human race.
There must be great pressure on Democracy Now to toe the line when it comes to this war. Reading between the lines, we can see the intense need of the Pentagon to sell its latest imperialistic gamble. One might wish for our children and grandchildren that our media would take the side of nuclear sanity. But we have to assume that the inner Washington elite has already decided to risk everything on "winning" in Ukraine. We were lucky once, when JFK stood up to the warmongers in his own party. But chances are we won't be so lucky this time around.
I feel sorry for Amy and Nermeen. They must know exactly how this propaganda is forced upon them. But they are merely two people. The nuclear armageddon will engulf us all.
=====
Common Dreams:
"With Funds Opposed by GOP, IRS to Target Ultrawealthy Tax Delinquents. 'This news stands in stark contrast to the approach taken by House Republicans, who want to allow wealthy tax cheats to continue business as usual,' said U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden.
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service on Friday won praise from congressional Democrats and progressive groups for announcing "a sweeping, historic effort to restore fairness in tax compliance by shifting more attention onto high-income earners, partnerships, large corporations, and promoters abusing the nation's tax laws.
The IRS effort is enabled by some of the $80 billion in funding for the agency included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which President Joe Biden signed into law last year. About a quarter of that money is set to be clawed back as part of his recent deal with congressional Republicans to temporarily suspend the nation's debt limit."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/irs-targeting-rich-tax-cheats
-->This is a big win for left. At last the billionaire cheaters will have to pay a little more (or maybe a lot more). It is a step away from government by the very richest. It is puzzling that most of the US media did not cover this story. Perhaps it's because so many rich media owners are in mourning.
=====
The Intercept:
"Last week, Intercept journalists Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain published a bombshell investigation into Pakistan’s political crisis. Grim and Hussain were provided a Pakistani intelligence document by an anonymous source, outlining how the U.S. government pressured the Pakistani government to oust former Prime Minister Imran Khan. This week on Deconstructed, Grim and Hussain discuss their reporting, the leaked cable, and the fallout from the political crisis in Pakistan.
In the past year, widespread demonstrations have rocked Pakistan, as supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan continue to rally in his support. Last year, Khan was ousted after a no-confidence vote in the Pakistani parliament. As people have taken to the streets in support of Khan, the military has engaged in widespread repression, leading to what many are calling the most serious political crisis in Pakistani history. Khan and his supporters have said that the U.S. State Department supported and even encouraged his ousting last year.
Khan has been pointing to a secret Pakistani intelligence document as proof of the U.S.’ role in the crisis. No one had access to it, until now. Ryan and I were provided the document by an anonymous source in the Pakistani military, who said that they had no ties to Imran Khan or Khan’s party."
https://theintercept.com/2023/08/18/deconstructed-leaked-pakistan-cable/
-->Few in the US media dared cover this story. It exposes a CIA attempt to overthrow a popular leader in the Third World. So what's the big story; the CIA has been doing that since the end World War II, and in so many countries. Maybe it is just the shame of it all that made the NYT hide this news.
"NERMEEN SHAIKH We begin today’s show looking at the war in Ukraine. On Wednesday, a Russian missile hit an outdoor market in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, killing 17 and injuring 32. It was one of the deadliest attacks in Ukraine in months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the, quote, 'utter inhumanity' of the attack."
https://www.democracynow.org/2023/9/7/hanna_perekhoda_ilya_budraitskis_ukraine_russia
-->Unfortunately, Democracy Now's look at the war in Ukraine, was one of the most distorted I have listened to in recent weeks. Amy refers to her two guests as "activists," but activists for what? Both did nothing more than spout arguments for further US militarism in Ukraine. There was no peace guest, nor anyone even encouraging negotiations. It was like listening to our mainstream media, always cheering on more weapons and billions for a war that could bring down the human race.
There must be great pressure on Democracy Now to toe the line when it comes to this war. Reading between the lines, we can see the intense need of the Pentagon to sell its latest imperialistic gamble. One might wish for our children and grandchildren that our media would take the side of nuclear sanity. But we have to assume that the inner Washington elite has already decided to risk everything on "winning" in Ukraine. We were lucky once, when JFK stood up to the warmongers in his own party. But chances are we won't be so lucky this time around.
I feel sorry for Amy and Nermeen. They must know exactly how this propaganda is forced upon them. But they are merely two people. The nuclear armageddon will engulf us all.
=====
Common Dreams:
"With Funds Opposed by GOP, IRS to Target Ultrawealthy Tax Delinquents. 'This news stands in stark contrast to the approach taken by House Republicans, who want to allow wealthy tax cheats to continue business as usual,' said U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden.
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service on Friday won praise from congressional Democrats and progressive groups for announcing "a sweeping, historic effort to restore fairness in tax compliance by shifting more attention onto high-income earners, partnerships, large corporations, and promoters abusing the nation's tax laws.
The IRS effort is enabled by some of the $80 billion in funding for the agency included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which President Joe Biden signed into law last year. About a quarter of that money is set to be clawed back as part of his recent deal with congressional Republicans to temporarily suspend the nation's debt limit."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/irs-targeting-rich-tax-cheats
-->This is a big win for left. At last the billionaire cheaters will have to pay a little more (or maybe a lot more). It is a step away from government by the very richest. It is puzzling that most of the US media did not cover this story. Perhaps it's because so many rich media owners are in mourning.
=====
The Intercept:
"Last week, Intercept journalists Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain published a bombshell investigation into Pakistan’s political crisis. Grim and Hussain were provided a Pakistani intelligence document by an anonymous source, outlining how the U.S. government pressured the Pakistani government to oust former Prime Minister Imran Khan. This week on Deconstructed, Grim and Hussain discuss their reporting, the leaked cable, and the fallout from the political crisis in Pakistan.
In the past year, widespread demonstrations have rocked Pakistan, as supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan continue to rally in his support. Last year, Khan was ousted after a no-confidence vote in the Pakistani parliament. As people have taken to the streets in support of Khan, the military has engaged in widespread repression, leading to what many are calling the most serious political crisis in Pakistani history. Khan and his supporters have said that the U.S. State Department supported and even encouraged his ousting last year.
Khan has been pointing to a secret Pakistani intelligence document as proof of the U.S.’ role in the crisis. No one had access to it, until now. Ryan and I were provided the document by an anonymous source in the Pakistani military, who said that they had no ties to Imran Khan or Khan’s party."
https://theintercept.com/2023/08/18/deconstructed-leaked-pakistan-cable/
-->Few in the US media dared cover this story. It exposes a CIA attempt to overthrow a popular leader in the Third World. So what's the big story; the CIA has been doing that since the end World War II, and in so many countries. Maybe it is just the shame of it all that made the NYT hide this news.
Common Dreams:
"Manufacturing (and Massaging) Consent at the New York Times. The editors from the 'paper of record' write as if from a parallel universe in which the United States has had nothing to do with provoking and sustaining the conflict in Ukraine. ...
Evidently, any input that might undermine 'support' (which the editors go on to specify should be understood as 'full support against Russia’s unprovoked invasion') is supposed to be excluded. So, what is allowed in this debate, according to the Times editorial board? First and foremost, an admission that Ukraine is lagging on the battlefield, that polls reveal diminishing support for further U.S. investment in a losing fight, and that how to end the war has become a hot topic prompting 'sometimes nasty' discussion. Or, to put it more bluntly than the Times ever would, measures must be taken lest the public grow disenchanted with the dollar drain required to pay for endless bloodshed, particularly given the obvious failure of Ukraine’s much-hyped counter-offensive. ...
In this universe, the U.S. is not a 'decider' but only a kindly upholder of Ukrainian agency, despite having sabotaged a draft peace agreement that might have ended the war in March-April 2022 with a Russian withdrawal in exchange for a pledge of Ukrainian neutrality; despite having either perpetrated or colluded in the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines; despite having pressured an ill-prepared and reluctant Ukraine to begin its disastrous counter-offensive; and despite being the major funder of this conflict, to the profit of our military-industrial overlords."
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/new-york-times-editorial-ukraine-war
-->It is hard to have much respect for the "Gray Lady" anymore. The Ukraine war has revealed just how closely the NYT follows the Pentagon's talking points. The newspaper is little more than a propaganda instrument for the military-industrial complex.
=====
Information Clearing House:
"According to the U.S. government and the ever-obsequious New York Times, the Ukraine war was 'unprovoked,' the Times’ favorite adjective to describe the war. Putin, allegedly mistaking himself for Peter the Great, invaded Ukraine to recreate the Russian Empire. Yet last week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg committed a Washington gaffe, meaning that he accidentally blurted out the truth.
In testimony to the European Union Parliament, Stoltenberg made clear that it was America’s relentless push to enlarge NATO to Ukraine that was the real cause of the war and why it continues today. Here are Stoltenberg’s revealing words:
'The background was that President Putin declared in the autumn of 2021, and actually sent a draft treaty that they wanted NATO to sign, to promise no more NATO enlargement. That was what he sent us. And was a pre-condition to not invade Ukraine. Of course, we didn’t sign that.' "
https://informationclearinghouse.blog/2023/09/20/nato-chief-admits-nato-expansion-was-key-to-russian-invasion-of-ukraine/
-->How much longer can the administration, and it propaganda arm, The NYT, pretend that Putin provoked this war? Here you have the NATO Secretary-General admitting that the war is all about NATO expansion. Of course, the NYT didn't print this story.
=====
Jacobin:
"Some Democrats Are Trying to Preemptively Outlaw a Billionaire Tax. Sensing its popularity, Obama’s former Supreme Court lawyer and a Louisiana Democrat are using an obscure corporate taxation case to try to make a federal wealth tax illegal before it even exists. ...
Listed on the Katyal-authored amicus brief alongside SAFE is the group’s senior adviser, former Louisiana Democratic senator John Breaux, who also lobbies for ExxonMobil, Norfolk Southern, and Boeing — corporations whose top executives could have a financial interest in the outcome of the case. Breaux also lobbies for billionaire financial magnate and Democratic megadonor James Simons. ...
Breaux, who served in Congress from 1972 to 2005, was a member of the New Democrat Coalition that had backed Bill Clinton’s neoliberal agenda. After leaving Congress, he became a corporate lobbyist — as many corporate Democrats do."
https://jacobin.com/2023/09/wealth-tax-supreme-court-katyal-safe?mc_cid=40bf85b6bd&mc_eid=487355f8cb
-->Are the Democrats in bed with the Billionaires as much as the Republicans are? No, the Republicans are worse. But many powerful Democrats also serve the interests of the filthy rich. The two party, one oligarchy political system.
"Manufacturing (and Massaging) Consent at the New York Times. The editors from the 'paper of record' write as if from a parallel universe in which the United States has had nothing to do with provoking and sustaining the conflict in Ukraine. ...
Evidently, any input that might undermine 'support' (which the editors go on to specify should be understood as 'full support against Russia’s unprovoked invasion') is supposed to be excluded. So, what is allowed in this debate, according to the Times editorial board? First and foremost, an admission that Ukraine is lagging on the battlefield, that polls reveal diminishing support for further U.S. investment in a losing fight, and that how to end the war has become a hot topic prompting 'sometimes nasty' discussion. Or, to put it more bluntly than the Times ever would, measures must be taken lest the public grow disenchanted with the dollar drain required to pay for endless bloodshed, particularly given the obvious failure of Ukraine’s much-hyped counter-offensive. ...
In this universe, the U.S. is not a 'decider' but only a kindly upholder of Ukrainian agency, despite having sabotaged a draft peace agreement that might have ended the war in March-April 2022 with a Russian withdrawal in exchange for a pledge of Ukrainian neutrality; despite having either perpetrated or colluded in the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines; despite having pressured an ill-prepared and reluctant Ukraine to begin its disastrous counter-offensive; and despite being the major funder of this conflict, to the profit of our military-industrial overlords."
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/new-york-times-editorial-ukraine-war
-->It is hard to have much respect for the "Gray Lady" anymore. The Ukraine war has revealed just how closely the NYT follows the Pentagon's talking points. The newspaper is little more than a propaganda instrument for the military-industrial complex.
=====
Information Clearing House:
"According to the U.S. government and the ever-obsequious New York Times, the Ukraine war was 'unprovoked,' the Times’ favorite adjective to describe the war. Putin, allegedly mistaking himself for Peter the Great, invaded Ukraine to recreate the Russian Empire. Yet last week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg committed a Washington gaffe, meaning that he accidentally blurted out the truth.
In testimony to the European Union Parliament, Stoltenberg made clear that it was America’s relentless push to enlarge NATO to Ukraine that was the real cause of the war and why it continues today. Here are Stoltenberg’s revealing words:
'The background was that President Putin declared in the autumn of 2021, and actually sent a draft treaty that they wanted NATO to sign, to promise no more NATO enlargement. That was what he sent us. And was a pre-condition to not invade Ukraine. Of course, we didn’t sign that.' "
https://informationclearinghouse.blog/2023/09/20/nato-chief-admits-nato-expansion-was-key-to-russian-invasion-of-ukraine/
-->How much longer can the administration, and it propaganda arm, The NYT, pretend that Putin provoked this war? Here you have the NATO Secretary-General admitting that the war is all about NATO expansion. Of course, the NYT didn't print this story.
=====
Jacobin:
"Some Democrats Are Trying to Preemptively Outlaw a Billionaire Tax. Sensing its popularity, Obama’s former Supreme Court lawyer and a Louisiana Democrat are using an obscure corporate taxation case to try to make a federal wealth tax illegal before it even exists. ...
Listed on the Katyal-authored amicus brief alongside SAFE is the group’s senior adviser, former Louisiana Democratic senator John Breaux, who also lobbies for ExxonMobil, Norfolk Southern, and Boeing — corporations whose top executives could have a financial interest in the outcome of the case. Breaux also lobbies for billionaire financial magnate and Democratic megadonor James Simons. ...
Breaux, who served in Congress from 1972 to 2005, was a member of the New Democrat Coalition that had backed Bill Clinton’s neoliberal agenda. After leaving Congress, he became a corporate lobbyist — as many corporate Democrats do."
https://jacobin.com/2023/09/wealth-tax-supreme-court-katyal-safe?mc_cid=40bf85b6bd&mc_eid=487355f8cb
-->Are the Democrats in bed with the Billionaires as much as the Republicans are? No, the Republicans are worse. But many powerful Democrats also serve the interests of the filthy rich. The two party, one oligarchy political system.
Wednesday, September 06, 2023
The New York Times:
"Decades After Dictatorship, Chile Mounts Search for Hundreds Who Vanished. President Gabriel Boric authorized a new national search plan ahead of the 50th anniversary of the coup that toppled the government and led to the disappearance and killing of thousands."
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/30/world/americas/chile-military-coup-disappeared-search.html?searchResultPosition=2
-->Well, it was more than thousands killed. It was more like tens of thousands. But that is a mild omission compared to the rest the the NYT article. What was omitted? Well, the fact that the coup was planned and paid for by the CIA. In fact, Kissinger and Nixon spent millions trying to bankrupt Chile its new president, Salvador Alleinde. Worst than that, the US assassinated a Chilean general who supported the president. And as the murders went on, the US press covered it all up, 17 years of brutal dictatorship.
Now I can see covering up the coup. The US likes to preach democracy, of course, but seldom follows its own propaganda. But 17 years covering up Pinochet's crimes? Even praising the military regime? Does US propaganda have no end?
Apparently not, since an article in our sorry "newspaper of record" can't even mention this US involvement in overthrowing the elected president of Chile, destroying its democratic traditions, and hiding its murders of up to 30,000 civilians. Read the NYT article again, so you can get a sense of how our media covers up US war crimes in the rest of the world. And I hope you escaped Scott Simon on NPR this weekend. His bloviating about Chile was particularly revolting, given the fact that he completely omitted any US involvement in the war crimes.
=====
Common Dreams:
"The Biden administration will, for the first time, send controversial armor-piercing munitions containing depleted uranium to Ukraine, according to Reuters. The munition can be fired from US Abrams tanks, which are expected to arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks. ...
"Decades After Dictatorship, Chile Mounts Search for Hundreds Who Vanished. President Gabriel Boric authorized a new national search plan ahead of the 50th anniversary of the coup that toppled the government and led to the disappearance and killing of thousands."
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/30/world/americas/chile-military-coup-disappeared-search.html?searchResultPosition=2
-->Well, it was more than thousands killed. It was more like tens of thousands. But that is a mild omission compared to the rest the the NYT article. What was omitted? Well, the fact that the coup was planned and paid for by the CIA. In fact, Kissinger and Nixon spent millions trying to bankrupt Chile its new president, Salvador Alleinde. Worst than that, the US assassinated a Chilean general who supported the president. And as the murders went on, the US press covered it all up, 17 years of brutal dictatorship.
Now I can see covering up the coup. The US likes to preach democracy, of course, but seldom follows its own propaganda. But 17 years covering up Pinochet's crimes? Even praising the military regime? Does US propaganda have no end?
Apparently not, since an article in our sorry "newspaper of record" can't even mention this US involvement in overthrowing the elected president of Chile, destroying its democratic traditions, and hiding its murders of up to 30,000 civilians. Read the NYT article again, so you can get a sense of how our media covers up US war crimes in the rest of the world. And I hope you escaped Scott Simon on NPR this weekend. His bloviating about Chile was particularly revolting, given the fact that he completely omitted any US involvement in the war crimes.
=====
Common Dreams:
"The Biden administration will, for the first time, send controversial armor-piercing munitions containing depleted uranium to Ukraine, according to Reuters. The munition can be fired from US Abrams tanks, which are expected to arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks. ...
This follows an earlier decision by the Biden administration to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine despite concerns over the dangers such weapons pose to civilians. If the US deploys depleted uranium shells to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to retaliate with DU rounds—which are linked to birth defects, miscarriages, and cancer...
The use of depleted uranium munitions has been fiercely debated, with opponents like the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons saying there are dangerous health risks from ingesting or inhaling depleted uranium dust, including cancers and birth defects."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-to-begin-sending-controversial-depleted-uranium-shells-to-ukraine
-->The NYT covers Ukraine endlessly. But no mention of this dangerous US escalation. The Pentagon calls the shots when it comes to the NYT reporting on our endless wars.
=====
FAIR:
"When wildfires tore across Maui on August 9, devastating the Hawaiian island gem, media covered the disaster extensively. Broadcast news featured dramatic photographs that showed the horrors of the island’s destruction, with online videos shared everywhere from the Weather Channel to Inside Edition. Reporting carried testimonial descriptions like 'war zone' and 'apocalyptic.'...
Most of the corporate press focused on the island’s sensational visual destruction, official responses, body counts and destroyed structures. Meanwhile, news reports largely confused or denied the climate crisis’s contribution to the fire, and ignored the connections between fossil fuel use, increased CO2 levels and planetary heating. ...
More, the Times asserted 'It’s difficult to directly attribute any single hurricane to climate change'—as though there are some weather events that are affected by the climate, and others that are not. This is the discredited language of climate denial and doubt, pushed for decades by Exxon and other mega-fossil fuel corporations. Why include it, when the next sentence acknowledges that bigger storms result from increasing temperatures?"
https://fair.org/home/maui-fire-coverage-ignored-fossil-fuel-responsibility/
-->The nation's media have simply learned to stop worrying and love fossil fuels as well as global warming.
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