Former president of Mexico calls for a North American Union
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox pushed Tuesday for forming a union between Canada, Mexico and the United States. Fox was the keynote speaker at Kennesaw State University's inaugural summit on the Commission of North American Prosperity, or North America 2050.
80% of Medical Bills Have Errors
Read those bills from doctors and hospitals carefully! According to a report cited by Consumer Reports Health, up to 80% of all such bills contain errors. CRH recommends insisting on an itemized bill — and reading it carefully.
CIA denies Cheney request to declassify memos
The CIA says it has denied a request by former Vice President Dick Cheney to declassify secret internal government memos that detail whether valuable intelligence was gained from the use of harsh interrogation techniques under the Bush administration.
Trillions in Financial Bailouts: After 2 years, the major Beneficiaries are Banks and Wall Street. What other Proof do you need that we are Focusing on Bailing out the Banking Oligarchy? Foreclosure Filings at All-Time Record High
Banks, take the blue pill. Public, please take the red pill. If I had to characterize the current economic environment, it would have to consist of two completely different sets of beliefs. On one hand, you have banks and Wall Street receiving massive bailouts from the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve, bailouts of the magnitude that would gear up for a Great Depression and imply that the banking system of our country is insolvent. Then on the other hand, you have Wall Street and the crony banks trying to convince the public that this is a minor recession and all will be well in Q3 and Q4 of 2009. The problem of course is that this is not your typical recession yet the public is being led to believe that all is well while bailouts are being dolled out by the truckload to the wrong locations. The actions we are taking keeps in place the banking oligarchy and sacrifices the public under the guise that this is good medicine for the general economy.
Hacking the Economy
The economy we live in is a rigged game, established around the time of the Renaissance in order to promote the welfare of early-chartered corporations and the monarchs who gave them license to monopolize world business. Until that time, there were many kinds of money in use simultaneously. People used centralized currency to conduct long-distance transactions, and local currency to transact on a more day-to-day basis.
House Passes War Bill Amid Criticism of Obama Policy
The U.S. House passed a $96.7 billion war spending bill that includes money for President Barack Obama’s troop buildup in Afghanistan, a strategy some Democrats said they doubted would work.
New Hampshire man jailed for legally photographing courthouse lobby
Dodson, a professional videographer, independent journalist, and member of the libertarian Free State Project, was at the Keene District Court on April 13, 2009, to cover the arraignment, ironically enough, of Dave Ridley, another Free Stater, for video recording at court.
Who Rules America?
By Paul Craig Roberts
What do you suppose it is like to be elected president of the United States only to find that your power is restricted to the service of powerful interest groups?
Unions vs. Taxpayers
The real power of the public sector is showing through in this economic crisis. Some five million private-sector workers have lost their jobs in the last year alone, and their unemployment rate is above 9% according to the BLS. By contrast, public-sector employment has grown in virtually every month of the recession, and the jobless rate for government workers is a mere 2.8%. For anyone who thinks such low unemployment numbers are good news, remember that the bulging public sector must be paid for with revenues that most governments don't currently have.
The Torture Enablers
By Robert Scheer
Should the members of the 9/11 Presidential Commission not have been informed that two of the "key witnesses" upon whom their report was based had provided the information critical to the report's conclusions only after being waterboarded a total of 266 times? On Page 146 of that report, there appears a boxed disclaimer that even the commissioners, possessed of high security clearances, were not allowed to meet, let alone cross-examine, the witnesses or even talk with those who did the interrogations.
As the presidential commissioners conceded in their report, "We submitted questions for use in the interrogations, but had no control over whether, when or how questions of particular interest would be asked. Nor were we allowed to talk to the interrogators so that we could better judge the credibility of the detainees and clarify ambiguities in the reporting."
In short, the basic narrative of the origins and conduct of the 9/11 attack that so fundamentally perverted American politics relied on cherry-picked information that the White House and its operative in the field chose to release to the commission. As a result, we the public still know nothing of certainty about the financing of the terrorist organization emanating from Saudi Arabia and the UAE or the logistical support supplied to the Taliban and Al Qaeda by agencies of the government of Pakistan.
Inside Guantánamo Bay: Desperate prisoners ask ‘where is freedom?’
The man’s bearded face appeared at the narrow cell window, eyes dark and raging, his arms gesticulating wildly. From the confines of the 12ft by 8ft cell at Guantánamo Bay’s Camp V — the maximum security unit for the “least compliant” inmates — he made violent slashing motions across his wrists, pounded the side of his head, and jammed imaginary feeding tubes up his nose. “Alpha-3,” he kept mouthing as he tried to tell us that the inmate in Alpha-3 cell was suicidal and on hunger strike.
CIA chief in secret Israel talks on Iran
CIA chief Leon Panetta has held secret talks in Israel with top officials who assured him the Jewish state would not launch a surprise strike on Iran, a report said.
Reviewing Ellen Brown's "Web of Debt:" Part III
By Stephen Lendman
This is the third in a series of articles on Ellen Brown's superb 2007 book titled "Web of Debt," now updated in a December 2008 third edition. It tells "the shocking truth about our money system, (how it) trapped us in debt, and how we can break free." This article focuses on global debt entrapment.
FDIC Planning For Huge Bank Failure?
Late reports this evening are citing an anonymous source that says the FDIC is preparing some sort of superfund that could handle the failure of a large “systemically important financial institution.”
Christians to disrupt 'Demons' screenings
The Christian media watchdog group The Resistance says it plans to have members disrupt screenings of the film "Angels & Demons" at U.S. theaters.
Training Explorer Scouts To Fight Terrorism
Many law enforcement officials, particularly those who work for the rapidly growing Border Patrol, part of the Homeland Security Department, have helped shape the program’s focus and see it as preparing the Explorers as potential employees.
Bildenberg club meeting starts in Athens
During the following three days (May 14-16), the Athenian hotel “Aster Palace” will be e “forbidden zone.” An unusual coincidence is the fact that the premiere of the movie “Illuminati – the enlightened” (AKA Angels & Demons) coincides with the meeting of the “heirs of … the Enlightened.”
America's growing surveillance state
By Matthew Harwood
Yes, there is a paranoid style in American politics, but sometimes that helps protect civil liberties rather than hinder them. Sometimes paranoia promotes the common good.
California formally asks Geithner for TARP assistance
California Treasurer Bill Lockyer asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Wednesday to authorize assistance for his state from the federal Troubled Asset Relief Program, warning that depressed tax revenues may cut into basic services and halt the building of infrastructure.
Chinese imports could bring GM political troubles
As thousands of General Motors workers await word on more U.S. plant closures, reports that the company plans to import Chinese-made vehicles to the U.S. have created a political problem for the automaker and the White House.
US 'sham' bank bail-outs enrich speculators, says buy-out chief Mark Patterson
The US Treasury’s effort to stabilise the banking system through the TARP programme is a hopelessly ill-conceived policy that enriches speculators at public expense, according to the buy-out firm supposed to be pioneering the joint public-private bank rescues.
Hyperinflation And Deflation Of Non-dollar Assets
Deflation isn't limited to paper money (dollar, pound, etc...). In fact, deflation has nothing to do with paper money: it is about the destruction of credit money. Below is an extract from the Wikipedia's explanation of the history of money which explains what credit money is.
How human genes become patented
Here's a little-known fact: Under current law, it's possible to hold a patent on a piece of human DNA, otherwise known as a gene.
A Summary of Q1 Bank Earnings: World, You Just Got Hustled
On March 10, a Citigroup (C) memo from CEO Vikram Pandit “leaked” and its content– about Citi’s “capital strength and earnings power”– sparked a massive rally in financials that carried over six weeks.
Forty-five authors call for a global referendum on democratic world government
An NGO called Vote World Government has released the names of 45 authors who have published books or articles on the issue of globalizing democracy and who have agreed to set aside their philosophical differences in order to encourage the holding of a global referendum on the general goal of democratic world government.
Bush's 'Smoking Gun' Witness Found Dead
A prisoner who was horribly tortured in 2002 until he agreed - at the demand of Bush torturers - to say that al-Qaeda was linked to Saddam Hussein is suddenly dead. Several weeks ago, Human Rights Watch investigators discovered the missing inmate and talked to him. He had been secretly transferred by the administration to a prison in Libya after having been held by the CIA both in secret “black hole prisons” and in Egypt.
A Short History of the Gold Cartel
Governments want a low gold price to make national currencies look good. Gold is recognizable the world over as the ‘canary in the coalmine’ when it comes to money. A rising gold price blurts the unpleasant truth that a national currency is being poorly managed and that its purchasing power is being inflated.
WHO says no evidence virus was a lab creation
There is no evidence to support a theory that the new influenza A(H1N1) virus was created in a laboratory, a World Health Organization official said Thursday.
Schumer on torture 2004: 'Do what you have to do'
New audio unearthed of Sen. Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) comments at a 2004 Senate Judiciary hearing is likely to cause to heartburn for the New York Democrat.
Now Pelosi says CIA misled her
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused CIA officials Thursday of misleading her in 2002 on the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” such as waterboarding, which simulates drowning and has been described by critics as torture.
S&P: Banking Crisis Could Go Until 2013
A day after saying big U.S. banks probably needed to raise only one-fourth the capital demanded by the government, Standard & Poor's said the nation's banking crisis has "merely entered a new phase" and might not end before 2013.
How U.S. Officials Circumvented the Bill of Rights
By Jacob G. Hornberger
In another embrace of President Bush’s war-on-terrorism policies, President Obama has announced that he might retain the Pentagon’s military-commission system to try people accused of terrorism. Apparently, the president, like the U.S. military, lacks confidence in the federal judicial system established by the Framers to handle criminal cases involving terrorism.
U.N. rights chief urges Obama to prosecute torturers
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights on Thursday welcomed the election of the United States to the top United Nations rights forum and urged it to prosecute those accused of torture and other abuses.
We wouldn't want to inflame anti-American sentiment
By Glenn Greenwald
If we're actually worried about inflaming anti-American sentiment and endangering our troops, we might want to re-consider whether we should keep doing the things that actually spawn "anti-American sentiment" and put American soldiers in danger.
The significance of the successfully developed GM food vaccine
A string of news articles on vaccines contained in GM food have hit the media over the last few days. The articles talked about research being carried out to see if it would work. But that is exactly what it is, re-search.
ESA en route to the origins of the Universe
Two of the most ambitious missions ever attempted to unveil the secrets of the darkest, coldest and oldest parts of the Universe got off to a successful start this afternoon with the dual launch of ESA’s far infrared space telescope Herschel and cosmic background mapper Planck on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.
Schwarzenegger wants to sell L.A. Coliseum, San Quentin
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to sell the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, San Quentin State Prison, the Orange County Fairgrounds and other state property to raise cash amid the state's growing fiscal crisis, according to a copy of a proposal reviewed by The Times.
NYPD Cop Charged in Drug Money Scheme
A veteran NYPD patrolman has been arrested on charges he plotted to steal a small fortune hidden in a former drug den.
Obama's latest effort to conceal evidence of Bush era crimes
By Glenn Greenwald
Slowly but surely, Obama is owning the cover-up of his predecessors' war crimes. But covering up war crimes, refusing to prosecute them, promoting those associated with them, and suppressing evidence of them are themselves violations of Geneva and the UN Convention.
Bilderberg Group Meets In Athens Amid Tight Security
Some of the world's top business and political leaders started annual secret talks with the Bilderberg group Thursday in a suburb of Athens, under tight security control.
Obama Considers Detaining Terror Suspects Indefinitely
The Obama administration is weighing plans to detain some terror suspects on U.S. soil -- indefinitely and without trial -- as part of a plan to retool military commission trials that were conducted for prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Fewer than a third in US would get swine flu jab
Fewer than a third of U.S. adults would get a shot especially made to protect against the new H1N1 swine flu virus, according to a poll released on Thursday.
One of the largest fleets of ships ever gathered idles here just outside one of the world’s busiest ports, marooned by the receding tide of global trade. There may be tentative signs of economic recovery in spots around the globe, but few here.
Obama warns Netanyahu: Don't surprise me with Iran strike
U.S. President Barack Obama has sent a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding that Israel not surprise the U.S. with an Israeli military operation against Iran.
Chrysler Seeks to Reject 789 Dealership Agreements
Chrysler LLC is seeking to reject 789 automotive dealership agreements, many located in the suburbs of major U.S. cities, according to court papers filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan.
Sony makes first loss in 14 years
Electronics giant Sony has reported its first annual loss in 14 years, after being hit by a big drop in sales.
U.S. Producer Prices Rose in April, Led by Food
Prices paid to U.S. producers rose in April as food costs surged, pushing back risks that extended price declines may take root in the economy.
New jobless claims show surprise jump to 637,000
New jobless claims by American workers rose to 637,000 in the past week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, in a sign of continued caution by US business in the face of a weak economy.
Christians for Torture
By Laurence M. Vance
The most ardent atheist would be rendered speechless should he hear of Christians for abortion, profanity, adultery, or drunkenness. Of all people in the world, it is certainly Christians – and especially the conservative, evangelical, and fundamentalist kind – that atheists, agnostics, and infidels expect to be opposed to these things.
Cheney's Role Deepens
By Robert Windrem
An extensive analysis I conducted as a reporter for NBC News of the 9/11 Commission's Final Report and its monograph on terrorist travel showed that much of what was reported about the planning and execution of the terror attacks on New York and Washington was based on the CIA's interrogations of high-ranking al Qaeda operatives who had been subjected to "enhanced interrogation techniques."
Chimpanzee Was On Anti-Anxiety Drug Xanax
Travis the chimpanzee — whose presence in a Stamford home had been called an "accident waiting to happen" months before he attacked Charla Nash — had the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in his system, according to the state's attorney's office.
Paulson gave banks no choice on government stakes: memos
Documents made public on Wednesday confirm former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson gave nine major banks no choice but to allow the government to take equity stakes in them as the Bush administration moved to address turmoil in the financial industry.
Lucifer Rising
During my investigations into the Illuminati Brotherhood and their diabolical machinations to cull and enslave mankind, I had until quite recently been oblivious to an aspect of the Global Conspiracy which in it's breadth, depth and scope is like no other. I am speaking about the New Age Movement and it's plan to introduce a World Religion.
Free Speech: Citizens United (Hillary: the Movie) v. Federal Election Commission
The so-called Citizens United case offers the Supreme Court a chance to severely curtail the free speech abuses of the Federal Election Commission. John Samples, Director of the Cato Institute's Center for Representative Government, Institute for Justice Senior Attorney Steve Simpson and George Mason University law professor Allison Hayward weigh in.
Man arrested for taking picture of ATM
Their whole reason for freaking out at me is that they didn’t know who I am or what I planned on doing with that picture.
Roche steps up production of Tamiflu
The Swiss pharmaceutical company said it would be able to produce 36m packs a month by the end of this year as governments add to stockpiles and begin using it for treatment, raising the prospect that it will again become a $1bn-a-year blockbuster drug after a recent drop in demand.
Big Increases for Intelligence and Pentagon "Black" Programs in 2010
By Tom Burghardt
Continuing along the dark path marked out by his predecessors in the Oval Office, President Barack Obama's Defense and Intelligence budget for Fiscal Year 2010 will greatly expand the reach of unaccountable agencies--and the corporate grifters whom they serve.
Geithner Urges Electronic OTC Derivatives Trading
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner proposed requiring increased transparency in the over-the- counter derivatives market by making prices available on centralized computer platforms.
Gerald Celente Trends Alert - The "Bailout Bubble" - The Bubble to End All Bubbles
The biggest financial bubble in history is being inflated in plain sight, said Gerald Celente, Director of The Trends Research Institute. "This is the Mother of All Bubbles, and when it explodes," Celente warns, "it will signal the end to the boom/bust cycle that has characterized economic activity throughout the developed world."
Microchip Man Named as Pentagon’s New Geek-in-Chief
For years, Zachary Lemnios helped spearhead the military’s advanced research into turbo-powered microelectronics, labs-on-chips, and learning machines. Now, the electrical engineer is set to become the Pentagon’s geek-in-chief.
Torture debate prompts evangelical soul-searching
A number of evangelical leaders have made opposition to torture without exceptions a moral cause over the past three years, part of a broadening of the movement's agenda beyond traditional culture war issues. Others in the movement, including many Christian right leaders, have largely resisted or stayed silent.
Woman is forcefully arrested for trespassing on her own property
Dawn Welsh thought her house was paid off. She received paperwork from her bank showing it was paid off, but through a series of her mortgage being bought and sold, Wachovia Bank was the final owner of the mortgage and claimed Welsh was still owed on her home despite papers showing otherwise.
Karl Rove: Nancy Pelosi was an accomplice to 'torture.'
Someone important appears not to be telling the truth about her knowledge of the CIA's use of enhanced interrogation techniques (EITs). That someone is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The political persecution of Bush administration officials she has been pushing may now ensnare her.
Greece bans Google Street View
Google's controversial Street View mapping service has been banned in Greece until the company comes up with extra privacy guarantees.
China deploys secure computer operating system
China has installed a secure operating system known as "Kylin" on government and military computers designed to be impenetrable to US military and intelligence agencies, The Washington Times reported on Tuesday.
Eurozone industrial output plunges
Euro zone industrial production plummeted by more than a fifth year-on-year in March, data showed, setting a record and indicating first-quarter economic output could have contracted more than expected.
U.S. credit rating at risk: former agency chief
The United States is at risk of losing its triple-A credit rating unless it starts putting its finances in order, a former head of the agency in charge of fiscal accountability said in the Financial Times on Wednesday.
Get Rid of The Fed And Purge The System
By Bob Chapman
The Secrets of the Federal Reserve: The Federal Reserve Act was legislated in 1913 to end recessions, panics and depression. Over that almost 100-year period they have been eminently no more successful then their predecessors.
Freddie Mac Loses $10 Billion for Quarter
Freddie Mac yesterday reported that it lost $10 billion in the first three months of the year, as investments in mortgages continued to fall in value at the federally run housing finance giant.
Gene Revolution: Big Brother is Watching
We are beginning a genetic revolution. Babies are tested and families can learn their health risks. But what are the risks of taking the test? Could your employer ask you to take one? What about your health insurer? Could it be the next form of discrimination? Who is looking at your DNA?
"Happy Talk" Can NOT Fix the Economy
Many people in government, the media and the general public believe that if there is enough "happy talk" about the economy, and enough people believe the economy is improving, it will improve.
West looked the other way as Afghan drug trade exploded
Locals call them "poppy palaces," the three- or four-story marble homes with fake Roman columns perched behind razor wire and guard shacks in Afghanistan's capital.
Most are owned by Afghan officials or people connected to them, men who make a few hundred dollars a month as government employees but are driven around in small convoys of armored SUVs that cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Entitlement Lifespans Get the Axe
In just seven years (2016), the Social Security trust will enter deficit. Eight years at the current pace and Medicare will be totally wiped out. When do you think we’ll start worrying about it… 2015? What a mess.
‘90% of the last million years, the normal state of the Earth’s climate has been an ice age’
We have heard much of the dangers of global warming due to carbon dioxide. But the potential danger of any potential anthropogenic warming is trivial compared to the risk of entering a new ice age. Public policy decisions should be based on a realistic appraisal that takes both climate scenarios into consideration.
Criminalizing Citizen Activism: The Chris Pentico Case
By William N. Grigg
Chris Pentico, a quiet, self-possessed 42-year-old resident of Mountain Home, Idaho, has a disposition as mild as tapioca. Yet the description offered by a state prosecutor at his sentencing hearing today (May 11) would lead you to believe that beneath his docile exterior, Mr. Pentico -- who looks a bit like a younger, clean-shaven, presentable version of Hank Willams, Jr. -- is a churning urn of burning rage.
U.S. to reopen TARP to small banks: Geithner
The U.S. Treasury Department plans to reopen a $700 billion bailout fund to small banks once larger ones repay some of the government money they received, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday.
McChrystal Choice Suggests Special Ops Strikes to Continue
The choice of Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal to become the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan has been hailed by Defence Secretary Robert Gates and national news media as ushering in a new unconventional approach to counterinsurgency.
Ex-FBI interrogator says harsh methods didn't work
A former FBI man who interrogated an al-Qaida leader said Wednesday extreme techniques used by the Bush administration were "ineffective, slow and unreliable" and caused the prisoner to stop talking.
Scientist arrested for smuggling vials used in Ebola research into US
A Canadian scientist has been arrested for smuggling 22 vials stolen from Canada's National Microbiology Lab, used in Ebola and HIV research, into the United States, Canadian and US officials said Wednesday.
Cheney to Mainstream Media: Terrorists Blew Up WTC
Former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld each have made curious 9-11 statements on camera that are well worth pondering. Two particular video clips (see links at bottom) have some observers saying that these comments constitute 9-11 “blurt outs” suggesting inside knowledge of what actually happened on 9-11—Freudian slips, if you will.
Pipelineistan goes Af-Pak
By Pepe Escobar
As United States President Barack Obama heads into his second 100 days in office, let's head for the big picture ourselves, the ultimate global plot line, the tumultuous rush towards a new, polycentric world order.
Krauthammer: I will say things in my column even if I don’t believe what I’m saying
On May 1, Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer conceded in a column that waterboarding is torture. Krauthammer argued that torture is justifiable “under two circumstances” and that in those cases “you do what you have to do. And that includes waterboarding.” But in an interview on Dennis Miller’s radio show today, Krauthammer said that he didn’t mean it when he wrote that waterboarding is torture.
Governments Will Need to Issue $15-33 Trillion in Bonds
I need to put the $33 trillion into perspective, because it is so big that it is almost incomprehensible. According to Wikipedia..., total private wealth across the world today is about $37 trillion less the losses incurred in 2007-09, so the real number is probably closer to $30 trillion now.
Afghan official: 95 kids died in U.S.-Taliban clash
Ninety-five Afghan children are among the 140 people said to have died in a recent U.S.-Taliban battle in western Afghanistan, a lawmaker involved in the investigation into the deaths said today. The U.S. military disputed the claim saying the graves they saw looked too small to contain so many victims.
Fed-up states see explosion in sovereignty movement
A movement to reclaim for states all rights not specifically designated to the federal government in the U.S. Constitution is exploding across the nation, with 35 states already acting or at least considering such proposals – and one state lawmaker estimating the nation as a whole could save $11 trillion in coming years if it would succeed.
Billions Withdrawn Before Madoff Arrest: Records
About $12 billion was pulled out of accounts at Bernard L. Madoff’s firm in 2008, according to several people briefed on an analysis of Mr. Madoff’s business records.
Galloway sues Canada over entry ban
British anti-war lawmaker George Galloway is taking legal action against Canada because he was prevented from entering the country in March.
Pentagon official charged with plotting to spy for China
A Pentagon official has been charged with conspiracy to communicate classified information to a person he believed represented China's government, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday.
Only one in eight terror arrests result in conviction
The figures, released by the Home Office for the first time show that only 23 per cent of those arrested since September 2001 were charged with terrorist-related offences and only 13 per cent convicted.
Welcome to the New Total Security State
The U.S. government has at its disposal a technological arsenal so sophisticated and invasive as to render any constitutional protections null and void. Yet all is not lost. In this week’s vodcast, John Whitehead points the way toward resisting the government’s insidious slide towards totalitarianism.
Obama administration threatens Britain to keep torture evidence concealed
Ever since he was released from Guantanamo in February after six years of due-process-less detention and brutal torture, Binyam Mohamed has been attempting to obtain justice for what was done to him. But his torturers have been continuously protected, and Mohamed's quest for a day in court repeatedly thwarted, by one individual: Barack Obama.
Actual Bailout May Exceed $10 Trillion
The current block of taxpayer money that has been pledged by the US government and the Federal Reserve to prevent the system from collapsing, according to an analysis by Bloomberg News, is roughly $12.8 trillion as of March 31. This money has been lent, spent or guaranteed to prevent a systemic collapse.
Russia to charge NASA $51 mln for seats on Soyuz spacecraft
Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and NASA have agreed on a new price for ferrying U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) after 2012, a Russian space official said on Wednesday.
Letting the ‘too big to fail’ fail and why
By Jerry Mazza
Let me outline Martin D. Weiss’s vigorous market analysis, The Next Mammoth Failures, because it identifies the big bad idea at the root of our current financial vortex: the so-called “too big to fail” corporations, whether they are banks, car companies, or mega-insurance companies.
If you can't trust a Cheerios box...
Those toasted Os may be crunchy. They may go great with milk. You could go so far as to say they're part of a nutritious breakfast. But perhaps promoting them as a drug that can lower cholesterol is going too far.
Tillman's parents want general's record reviewed
The parents of slain NFL star Pat Tillman say senators should scrutinize a general's role in mischaracterizing their son's death before putting him in charge of military operations in Afghanistan.
U.S. retail sales fall again in April
Sales at U.S. retailers fell for a second straight month in April, pulled down by sluggish gasoline and electronic goods purchases, government data showed on Wednesday.
Foreclosures: 'April was a shocker'
Foreclosures in April exceeded even March's blistering pace with a record 342,000 homes receiving notices of default, auction notices or undergoing bank repossessions, according to a regular industry report.
Smokers, drinkers to carry tax burden?
If you make big bucks — or enjoy alcohol, cigarettes and Coke — the government might hit you up to pay for fixing the nation’s health care system.
The Bomb Iran Faction
By Gary Leupp
There is clearly a faction of the power elite that is, and has for some years been pressing, for a U.S. military attack on Iran. It is not advocating a war, at least openly, or an occupation of that vast nation; rather, it is advocating an operation similar in concept to the Israeli attack on Iraq’s French-built Osiraq nuclear reactor in 1981. In a word, it is both advocating an Israeli-like action and justifying it explicitly as one on behalf of Israel.
Swine Flu May Be Human Error; WHO Investigates Claim
The World Health Organization is investigating a claim by an Australian researcher that the swine flu virus circling the globe may have been created as a result of human error.
Hersh: 'You can't authorise murder'
I don't fault the men but the leadership, the president who thinks that "war on terror" means he can call for anyone's death based on what I think is often fraudulent evidence.
McChrystal Wrong Man for the Job
According to Seymour Hersh, McChrystal was the guy who was running Cheney’s assassination squads. From 2003-2008, McChrystal headed the Joint Special Operations Command, which Hersh called “an executive assassination wing” that reported directly to Cheney’s office.
Vatican plays down pope’s Hitler Youth past
The Vatican played down Pope Benedict's teenage membership of the Hitler Youth on Tuesday after it was highlighted by Jewish critics of remarks he made about the Holocaust during his continuing visit to Israel.
Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi's allegation that Iraqi agents trained al Qaeda operatives in the use of chemical and biological weapons was "pivotal" to the Bush administration's case for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, said Stacy Sullivan, a counterterrorism adviser for the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch.
U.S. Gets Seat on UN Rights Council That Bush Opposed
The U.S. was elected for the first time to the three-year-old United Nations Human Rights Council after abandoning former President George W. Bush’s opposition to the Geneva-based body.
Israel arrests journalist critical of Gaza war
Israeli police have arrested a journalist upon her arrival from the Gaza Strip over charges of entry into and residence in an "enemy state".
Government Caused Financial Crash
Central banks created a monetary bubble that fed an asset price boom and distorted the pricing of risk
Electronic Police State
An electronic police state is characterized by this: State use of electronic technologies to record, organize, search and distribute forensic evidence against its citizens.
Hospitals Begin to Move Into Supermarkets
As walk-in clinics at stores like CVS and Wal-Mart offer convenient alternatives to doctors’ offices and hospital emergency rooms, some hospitals are fighting back with walk-in clinics at some of those same retailers.
Social Security May Be Running Out Of Cash Fast
The financial health of Social Security and Medicare, the government's two biggest benefit programs, have worsened because of the severe recession, and Medicare is now paying out more than it receives.
Slippery Green Words
By Alan Caruba
They have spent several decades indoctrinating and frightening the newest generations of Americans in the nation’s schools and via the print and broadcast media.
Are We Being Conditioned To Accept a Pre-emptive Attack on Iran?
Publically, Obama and Biden believe that it was reckless for Congress to give George Bush any justification to extend the Iraq War or to attack Iran but President-Elect Obama didn’t wait for his inauguration to appoint "saber-rattling" Hillary Clinton Secretary of State and retained Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense.
Pope Benedict 'never in the Hitler Youth', says Vatican
The wartime past of Pope Benedict XVI threatened to overwhelm his peace mission to the Holy Land as the Vatican issued a denial that the pontiff had served in the Hitler Youth.
Senator Reid Pushes Loophole That Would Increase Tarp Bailout Price Tag Above $700 Billion
"If you look at the law, it's pretty clear any money returned from these banks goes into the general fund of the United States and not a revolving bank bailout fund," said Sherman in an interview with the Huffington Post. The law is clear that revenues from the sale of troubled assets should go back to the taxpayer, but it's silent on repaid principal...
Five guilty in Chicago bomb plot
Five men have been convicted in Miami of plotting to blow up the Sears tower in Chicago and carry out attacks on FBI offices across the United States.
Russia Stockpiles Diamonds, Awaiting the Return of Demand
The global recession sapped demand for all kinds of commodities — like steel and grain — yet small burlap bags are still arriving by the planeload at Russia’s state-owned diamond company.
Some GIs Forced To Steal Water In Iraq
Soldiers Reduced To Desperate Measures To Survive Desert Heat; Say They Found Plenty In Hands Of Private Contractors
Tea party 'extremists' rock and reload July 4
"Our goal is simply to keep the grassroots organizations mobilized," said Michael DePrimo, special counsel to AFA President Tim Wildmon. "We don't want people to think of it as a one-time event and then have it fall by the wayside."
Money launderers wash billions through international trade
Imported plain cotton pillow cases from France that cost more than $900 apiece and new bulldozers exported to Venezuela that cost $387 each. Such prices seem highly suspect -- and could be examples of someone using international trade to launder money.
Pakistan expanding its nuclear capability
On the dusty plain 110 miles southwest of Islamabad, not far from an area controlled by the Taliban, two large new structures are rising, structures that in light of Pakistan’s internal troubles must be considered ominous for the stability of South Asia and, for that matter, the world.
Torture and Cover-ups: Obama's New Man in Afghanistan
McChrystal also played along with the cover-up of Pat Tillman’s death in Afghanistan by “friendly fire,” but he distinguished himself among all the other players by warning everybody that it could all go wrong.
CIA and ISI together created Taliban, says Zardari
In a new revelation, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the CIA of the United States and his country's ISI together created the Taliban.
NSA Wages Cyberwar Against US Armed Forces Teams
"A team of Army cadets spent four days at West Point last week struggling around the clock to keep a computer network operating while hackers from the National Security Agency tried to infiltrate it with methods that an enemy might use.
Swine flu rivals 1957 Asian flu pandemic
While the world races to control the new strain of H1N1 flu virus, researchers recall a rival to the 1957 Asian flu that killed 2 million people globally.
Trade deficit widens in March to $27.6 billion
The U.S. trade deficit rose in March for the first time since last July as the global recession cut sharply into sales of American exports. The politically sensitive deficit with China increased.
Home Prices in U.S. Drop Most on Record in Quarter
Home prices in the U.S. dropped the most on record in the first quarter from a year earlier as banks sold seized homes and foreclosures in California and Florida dominated sales.
Ventura tells Coleman: Quit, you hypocrite
Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura told the nation that Norm Coleman is a hypocrite who has lost the election for U.S. senator and should give up his fight against Al Franken for a second term.
Federal judge in sex case gets nearly 3 years
A federal judge was sentenced Monday to nearly three years in prison for lying to investigators about sexually abusing two female employees, who said they feared him so much they hid from him in the courthouse.
William K. Black: How Deregulation Happened (Video)
Deregulation is a dirty word today. But who and what allowed it to happen? William K. Black, former senior regulator during the savings and loan crisis tells us what he thinks happened and why the bailout is flawed. Black has argued recently that Wall Street's crisis could not have happened if not for illegal fraud and that triple A ratings given to bad loans amount to a criminal cover up.
It Is Getting Very Serious Now
By Chuck Baldwin
First, it was a Missouri Analysis and Information Center (MIAC) report; then it was a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report; now it is a New York congressman's bill. Each of these items, taken on their own, is problematic enough; taken together they portend "a clear and present danger" to the liberties of the American people. It is getting very serious now.
Multiple attacks hit Afghan city
Six people have been killed in simultaneous attacks on government buildings in the city of Khost in eastern Afghanistan, officials say.
FBI Whistleblower Testimony: Gonzales Imposed Brutal Interrogation Tactics
As President Bush's top lawyer, Alberto Gonzales pressed counterterror officials to use brutal interrogation techniques on terror suspect Abu Zubaydah in 2002, even when those techniques hindered Zubaydah's cooperation, a former FBI agent who was present is expected to testify Wednesday before Congress.
The rich, shadowy Bilderberg group
The Bilderberg group consists of about 140 wealthy and powerful people who meet annually to discuss key global issues. Named after the Bilderberg hotel in Oosterbeek, the Netherlands, where it held its first meeting in 1954, the group is highly secretive, doesn't let journalists attend unless they agree beforehand not to report on the proceedings, and won't even say who is a member.
Iran deploys missiles in Persian Gulf
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps has deployed mobile ground-to-air and ground-to-sea missile batteries in the Strait of Hormuz and other areas in the Persian Gulf, a senior Iranian official was quoted by Al Watan as saying on Tuesday.
New virus could still mutate, spark pandemic: WHO
The new H1N1 flu virus could still mutate into a more virulent form and spark an influenza pandemic that could be expected to circle the globe up to three times, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.
Brave New World of Governmental Finance
By Eric Fry
Last fall, without so much as a grunt from an elected official, the former Treasury Secretary of the United States doled out $170 billion dollars to the incompetents at AIG. Yesterday, the current President of the United States announced triumphantly that his new budget would “save” $17 billion, thanks to the elimination of 121 federal programs.
Blind interpreter detained at Philly airport says he has nightmares from arrest
A BLIND INTERNATIONAL interpreter who says he was dragged off a Belgium-bound flight, arrested and held in custody in Philadelphia for hours without food or water faces an arraignment Thursday.A BLIND INTERNATIONAL interpreter who says he was dragged off a Belgium-bound flight, arrested and held in custody in Philadelphia for hours without food or water faces an arraignment Thursday.
Brain scanning may be used in security checks
Distinctive brain patterns could become the latest subject of biometric scanning after EU researchers successfully tested technology to verify identities for security checks.
Iraq Violence Up As Target Date Nears for Troop Pullout From Cities
Six weeks before the target date for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraqi cities – and amid a recent spike in violence -- it remains unclear how many troops will stay on, but Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Sunday that a “responsible” redeployment would not affect security.
GM CEO: Bankruptcy Likely; Firm May Leave Detroit
General Motors is open to considering moving its headquarters from Detroit, selling off U.S. plants and even renegotiating parts of its restructuring plan with its major union, the new chief executive said Monday.
NO Economic Recovery, Multiple Raging Economic Storms
By Martin Weiss
Any economist fixated on so-called “signs of a recovery” needs to have his head examined. As I’ll prove to you in a moment, the hard-nosed reality is that five major economic cyclones are in progress at this very moment.
Your Govt. at Work (Video)
Outrage over the possibility that President Obama could allow mining on America’s protected lands. Conservationists say this may be a new administration, but it’s continuing what they say are the ’same old policies’.
Vaccine: Coming to a farm stand near you
How about a little vaccine with your corn on the cob? I’m wondering if there is going to be any room left for actual corn in corn once scientists get done adding pesticides, fertilizers and now possibly vaccines to the genetic makeup of corn.
THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION MYTH.
Netanyahu is biding his time waiting and manoeuvring behind the scenes for an opportunity to strike Zionism’s enemies.
Is America about to go broke?
Government obligations for Social Security and Medicare may soon exceed the combined net worth of every household and nonprofit organization in the country.
Obama wins business support for health care reform
President Obama will announce Monday that he has secured the commitment of several industry groups to do their part to rein in the growth in health care costs.
‘Stellar Wind’ routinely eavesdropped on journalists and public officials
By Wayne Madsen
The warrantless National Security Agency (NSA) electronic eavesdropping program known to only a handful of Bush administration officials by its code name, Stellar Wind, and by a few other Justice Department officials only as “The Program,” routinely intercepted the communications and transactional data, including credit card usage, of journalists and public officials, according to sources familiar with the program.
Al Gore's Endgame: "Deniers" are now the majority
The global warming "deniers" and "skeptics" are now the majority. The public is waking up! Only 34% still believe the myth that "humans cause global warming."The Easter Bunny will soon be polling higher
Mother arrested for failing to take child to dentist
A US mother has been arrested on a charge of child neglect after authorities say she did not seek dental care for her child who showed advanced tooth decay.
Judge: Amish couples must leave their homes
Cambria County Judge Norman Krumenacker today ordered two Amish couples to leave their homes by 10 a.m. Monday or face eviction by the sheriff because they’ve not complied with sewage and building code regulations.
Hate Crime Legislation - Back Door to Censorship
An extension of the Hate Crimes law recently passed the House of Representatives which will essentially codify into national law the "speech codes" that are smothering academic freedom on college campuses today. This law is the back door method Obama and his fellow socialists will use to stifle free speech in this country, as explained in an informative article by Jerry Kane at American Daughter.
News You Missed
Maybe, Even, Were Supposed To Miss
By William E. Merritt
In this post-9/11 world, the takeover of a United States embassy by foreign nationals is the kind of thing you’d think you’d hear about – even of a not-very-important embassy in a minor African country. You’d think.
Somali pirates guided by London intelligence team, report says
The Somali pirates attacking shipping in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean are directed to their targets by a "consultant" team in London, according to a European military intelligence document obtained by a Spanish radio station.
On Afghanistan-Pakistan: Stop "Helping"
By Ron Paul
While much of the country’s attention is on other issues, a serious situation is developing in Pakistan that threatens to plunge us into another fruitless and bloody war. It is very frustrating to see that many who were so vehemently against the wars of the last administration have suddenly lost interest in foreign policy simply because we were promised change.
