News Items

  • Affidavit by Daniel Ellsberg for Plowshare Activists Being Allowed a Defense of Necessity

    In 1971 I gave the U.S. Senate, the New York Times and the Washington Post copies of what have come to be known as The Pentagon Papers. I was arrested on twelve felony counts. My trial was dismissed because of government misconduct which figured in the impeachment proceedings against President Nixon…These considerations bear on two other elements of the necessity defense, the “lack of legal alternatives” and the “imminence” of the harms to be averted. Again, I speak from my own experience, but not only mine, in saying that it is the perceived insufficiency of other means, by themselves not…

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  • A Long List of Democratic Candidates Requires a Large Catalog of Their Funders

    By Sam Haut: As the first debates for the Democratic primary begin, and the list of candidates has grown to 24, it can be difficult to contextualize where each candidate has received funding from over the course of their time in office. What follows is a list of the Democratic candidates and the top sources for how much money they’ve made and where those top sources come from.

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  • NATO and US Foreign Policy: Dangers Ahead

    RootsAction.org held a news conference Thursday on “NATO and U.S. Foreign Policy: Dangers Ahead” hosted by the Institute for Public Accuracy. Speakers include former State Department officials Matthew Hoh, Ann Wright, as well as Martin Fleck. The event was moderated by Norman Solomon.

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  • Media Advisory: “NATO and U.S. Foreign Policy: Dangers Ahead”

    At 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at the National Press Club: On the same day that President Trump is scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House, this news conference will focus on the U.S.-NATO relationship. Speakers include former State Department officials Matthew Hoh and Ann Wright.

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  • Statement by Floyd Abrams in response to Attorney General nominee William Barr’s remarks on the First Amendment

    “It’s one thing to say that there could be circumstances in which a journalist’s need to protect her sources could lead to a potential finding of contempt of court if she refused to obey a court order requiring such disclosure. But the notion that a journalist could properly be jailed for publishing material that the government thinks could ‘hurt the country’ is something else entirely and would be deeply threatening to First Amendment norms in general and journalistic freedom in particular.”

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  • Statement on NAFTA’s “Kafkaesque” Turn

    The supposedly concluded renegotiation of NAFTA has reached a Kafkaesque stage. As the United States Trade Representative has stated: “The United States and Mexico have reached a preliminary agreement in principle, subject to finalization and implementation.” Not only the negotiations have not been finalized, and without Canada, but the texts remain hidden from the public.

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  • What’s the Cost of Medicare for All?

    Even a Koch-backed think tank finds Medicare for all would cut health care spending. In a report released by the Mercatus Center, a single-payer health care system would offset costs with even greater savings. The Intercept and other media reporting on this are citing the work of Drs. David Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler. They are distinguished professors of health policy at the City University of New York at Hunter College and lecturers in medicine at Harvard Medical School. They have written an analysis of the work of the Koch-backed think tank, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, which is…

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  • Trump Team Hired Israeli Spy Firm Used by Harvey Weinstein to Attack Obama Officials on Iran Deal

    “Aides to Donald Trump, the U.S. president, hired an Israeli private intelligence agency to orchestrate a ‘dirty ops’ campaign against key individuals from the Obama administration who helped negotiate the Iran nuclear deal, the Observer can reveal. People in the Trump camp contacted private investigators in May last year to ‘get dirt’ on Ben Rhodes, who had been one of Barack Obama’s top national security advisers, and Colin Kahl, deputy assistant to Obama, as part of an elaborate attempt to discredit the deal.”

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  • From the desk of Noam Chomsky

    From the desk of Noam Chomsky

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  • 15 Years Later: The Whistleblower Who Almost Blocked the Iraq War

    Media Advisory: Press Conference to Mark 15th Anniversary Of Leak by GCHQ Translator Katharine Gun Revealing US “Dirty Tricks” at UN for Iraq War When:  Thursday, 1 March 2018 at 11:00 a.m. Where:  Head office, National Union of Journalists Headland House, 72 Acton Street, London, WC1X 9NB Who:  Katharine Gun, Thomas Drake, Matthew Hoh, Jesselyn Radack This press conference will take place the day before the 15th anniversary of the Observer’s publication of the explosive March 2, 2003 story “US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war” — based on a leak by GCHQ translator Katharine Gun — revealing the US National Security Agency’s UN surveillance memo that aimed to grease the way for the…

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  • Climate Talks Agreement a “Roadmap to Disaster”

    Video stream of protests at the Climate talks from today. The Guardian is providing live coverage. MICHAEL DORSEY, michael.dorsey at dartmouth.edu, Professor at the Environmental Studies Program at Dartmouth College, Dorsey said this afternoon: “This current draft text in circulation is a death sentence for Africa. Countries may not even examine progress until 2015. The…

  • * Iran Drone * Russia Protests * Nobel Prize Betrayal

    he following analysts are available for a limited number of interviews: REESE ERLICH, rerlich at pacbell.net Foreign correspondent Erlich’s books include The Iran Agenda: The Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Middle East Crisis and Conversations with Terrorists: Middle East Leaders on Politics, Violence, and Empire. He said: “The CIA has now acknowledged that…

  • Climate Disruption Talks and the Global 99%

    Global climate talks in Durban, South Africa are now in their final week. ANDREW BUTLER, campaigner at riseup.net Butler is executive producer of the new film “Carbon Markets, Trading Our Future”. He said today: “The same financial institutions who have brought the global economy to its knees, whilst at the same time personally profiting from…

  • Analyst Blasts U.S. Negotiator at Climate Talks: Warns of “Eco-Apartheid”

    MICHAEL DORSEY, michael.dorsey at dartmouth.edu, “The arrival of lead U.S. negotiator for the United States, Todd Stern, in Durban South Africa spells doom for Africa and the planet,” said Dartmouth College Professor Michael Dorsey, after leaving a closed briefing with U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Stern and the U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Climate…

  • Climate Talks: “Africa vs the 1%”

    Reuters reports: “Global carbon dioxide emissions from industry rose about three percent in a weak global economy this year, a study released on Monday showed, adding fresh urgency to efforts to control planet-warming gases at U.N. climate talks in South Africa.” Large protests took place over the weekend outside the global climate talks in Durban,…

  • Activists Found Guilty in Drone Trial

    The New York Times is reporting that President Obama will not apologize for the recent drone strike that killed over 20 Pakistani soldiers earlier this week. The Syracuse Post-Standard is reporting: “DeWitt Town Justice David Gideon ruled Thursday night that 31 protesters were guilty on two charges of disorderly conduct. But, Gideon said, he spent…

  • * Egypt * Burma * Eurozone

    SHERIF GABER, sgaber at gmail.com Gaber recently graduated from law school at the University of Texas at Austin and, back in his native Egypt, has been active with the group No Military Trials for Civilians. He said today: “Tomorrow [Friday] is going to be an important day, a symbolic funeral for the 56 people who…

  • Police Strong-Arm, Evict Occupy LA and Philly

    Information, including contacts for different occupation cites, is at and video from various cites is featured at. JODY DODD, jdodd6 at gmail.com Dodd is part of the Occupy Philly legal collective. The webpage features more information including a video “Eviction – What the Mainstream Media Failed to Show the World.”

  • Biggest Strike in Decades in Britain Against Austerity

    The New York Times reports today: “Britons Strike as Government Extends Austerity Measures.” The British Independent is reporting “The biggest strike for over 30 years got under way today with schools, hospitals, courts, transport and government hit by a walkout involving up to two million workers.” See live coverage.

  • British Embassy: Iranian Response to Assassinations and Explosions?

    ERVAND ABRAHAMIAN, ervand_abrahamian at baruch.cuny.edu Abrahamian, who was born in Iran, is a distinguished professor of history at City University of New York. His books include A History of Modern Iran. He said today: “Some sectors of the Iranian government — especially the Revolutionary Guards — would have known about the impending attack on the embassy…

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