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Puerto Rico Declares Bankruptcy
Stephen Lendman
Colonized and exploited by America since 1898, its people, governor and other officials are powerless - ruled by US administrations and Congress.
Islanders have no control over their lives, welfare and destiny, no say over foreign relations, commerce, trade, air space, land and offshore waters, immigration and emigration, nationality and citizenship, currency, maritime laws, military service, US bases on its territory, constitutionality of its laws, jurisdictions and legal procedures, treaties, radio and television, communications, agriculture, natural resources and more.
For nearly 120 years, it’s been victimized by US imperial rapaciousness. Things finally came to head financially. Puerto Rico is bankrupt, though can’t declare it under US law.
It’s a wasteland of high unemployment, poverty and deprivation. Force-fed austerity exacerbates dire economic conditions.
Islanders are US citizens without enfranchisement on the mainland. They pay federal taxes, getting back pathetically little in return.
Obama Endorses Macron
Stephen Lendman
Meddling where he doesn’t belong is one of his many disreputable ways of operating as state and US senator, president and private citizen.
His 2011 Asia pivot prioritized advancing America’s Pacific region military footprint aggressively - challenging China’s growing economic, political and military strength, along with checking Russia, pressuring regional allies to ally with its scheme or face its wrath.
Installing illegitimate putschist governance in Ukraine, along with deploying large numbers of US-led NATO combat troops near Russia’s borders were major provocations on his watch.
Putin earlier said “(i)f someone threatens our territories, it means that we will have to aim our armed forces accordingly at the territories from where the threat is coming. How else could it be? It is NATO that approaches our borders. It’s not like we are moving anywhere.”
During Obama’s tenure, Washington acted more aggressively than any time since the end of the Cold War - in the Asia Pacific and Europe. He continued Bush/Cheney wars on Afghanistan and Iraq, waged his own on Libya, Syria and Yemen.
CODEPINK Activists Face Possible Imprisonment
Stephen Lendman
Free expression and assembly in America are only safe if not sharply critical of its ruthless policies at home and abroad.
On Wednesday, a federal district court found CODEPINK activists Desiree Fairooz, Tighe Barry, and Lenny Bianchi guilty of disorderly conduct for publicly opposing Jeff Sessions at his confirmation hearing.
For exercising their First Amendment rights, they may be fined up to $2,000, imprisoned for 12 months, or both when sentence is pronounced on June 21.
Bianchi and Tighe dressed in KKK white hoods and robes to protest Sessions’ deplorable racist history and contempt for rule of law principles.
Macron Claims He Was Hacked
Stephen Lendman
On the eve of Sunday’s French presidential election runoff, establishment candidate Emmanuel Macron’s campaign claimed he was targeted by a “massive and coordinated” cyberattack - disclosing potentially damaging 11th hour information.
His campaign railed about hackers anonymously releasing emails, documents and other materials “to sow doubt and misinformation,” claiming:
“Intervening in the final hour of the official campaign, this operation is clearly a matter of democratic destabilization, as was seen in the United States during the last presidential campaign.”
Fact: No “democratic destabilization” occurred in America or France. Macron’s campaign lied, claiming damning information about him is fake, wanting nothing changing the likely outcome of Sunday’s election, enabling him to become France’s next president.
Al-Qaeda Allied With US-Backed Forces in Yemen
Stephen Lendman
On May 2, the UK Independent headlined “Al-Qaeda claims it is ‘fighting alongside’ US-backed coalition forces in Yemen,” saying:
Its leader in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Qasim al-Rimi “said his fighters have worked with government-allied factions…toward their common goal of (defeating) the Houthi(s).”
Though he didn’t elaborate on saying “(w)e fight alongside all Muslims in Yemen, together with different Islamic groups,” including “the Muslim Brotherhood and also our brothers among the sons of (Sunni) tribes,” these elements are allied with Yemen’s exiled Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi regime combating Shia Houthis.
America’s Top Scientists Confirm: U.S. Goal Now Is to Conquer Russia
Eric Zuesse
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists published a study, on 1 March 2017, which opened:
The US nuclear forces modernization program has been portrayed to the public as an effort to ensure the reliability and safety of warheads in the US nuclear arsenal, rather than to enhance their military capabilities. In reality, however, that program has implemented revolutionary new technologies that will vastly increase the targeting capability of the US ballistic missile arsenal. This increase in capability is astonishing — boosting the overall killing power of existing US ballistic missile forces by a factor of roughly three — and it creates exactly what one would expect to see, if a nuclear-armed state were planning to have the capacity to fight and win a nuclear war by disarming enemies with a surprise first strike.
NATO Commander Wants More US Forces to Counter Russia
Stephen Lendman
No nations threaten America, not Russia, North Korea or any others. Claims otherwise are Big Lies - a pretext for increased military spending along with fear-mongering to enlist public support.
On Tuesday, NATO commander US General Curtis Scaparrotti said he needs more funding for an increased longterm military buildup in Europe.
He wants an additional combat brigade and support troops to counter a Russian threat - despite none existing, he failed to explain.
In March, he said he needs more ground forces, combat air squadrons and carrier strike groups in areas he commands.
Elusive Conflict Resolution in Syria
Stephen Lendman
Five years of Russian good faith efforts haven’t borne fruition. Conflict in Syria continues raging. Peace remains elusive.
While Putin and Erdogan discussed Syria and other issues in Sochi, Russia, anti-Assad terrorists comprising the Western-sponsored Syrian National Coalition (SNC), an artificial construct, a rogue outlaw gang supporting war, abhorring peace, walked out of the latest round of Astana, Kazakhstan peace talks Its spokesman Ahmad Ramadan said the “delegation…suspend(ed) (participation)…until shelling stops across all Syria” - wrongfully accusing government forces of targeting civilians.
Talks were scheduled to focus on creating “de-escalation zones” in terrorists-held Idlib and Homs provinces, along with Eastern Ghouta near Damascus.
Why Americans Distrust the Press More Than They Distrust Trump
Eric Zuesse
A Morning Consult poll published on April 28th showed that “roughly half (51 percent) of Americans said the national political media ‘is out of touch with everyday Americans,' compared with 28 percent who said it ‘understand the issues everyday Americans are facing’.” Plus: “Thirty-seven percent of Americans said they trusted Trump’s White House to tell the truth, while 29 percent opted for the media.” So: the U.S. ‘news’ media are widely distrusted by the American people.
Among Republicans, 72% trusted “Trump’s White House” over (or more than) “National Political Media,” and 10% trusted the media over Trump, and that’s a ratio of 7.2 to 1 trusting Trump over the media. Among Democrats, however, 54% trusted media over Trump, and 12% trusted Trump over media, and that’s a ratio of 4.5 to 1 trusting media over Trump. So: Democrats there were far more trusting of the media than were Republicans.
Korean Peninsula Tensions Risk Boiling Over
Stephen Lendman
On Wednesday, addressing State Department staff, Rex Tillerson stressed “leaning hard” on China to pressure Pyongyang on denuclearizing the Korean peninsula “backed up by very strong (US) resolve…”
“So it’s a pressure campaign…to lean into people” to go along with Washington’s agenda. “We’ve told them we’re watching what you’re doing.” Punishment will be administered to non-compliers by sanctions and other means, he said. His message was meant mainly for Beijing - on North Korea, trade and South China Sea issues. Friendly bilateral relations depend on playing ball with America was his message.
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