The roots of that lobby’s rise to prominence in Washington lie in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. As you may remember, with 15 of those 19 suicidal hijackers being citizens of Saudi Arabia, it was hardly surprising that American public opinion had soured on the Kingdom. In response, the worried … Read more
As always, if you appreciate my work and want to contribute to independent media, consider becoming a monthly Patron, or visit the Support Page. Top Links Turks Tell U.S. Officials They Have Audio and Video Recordings That Support Conclusion Khashoggi Was Killed (The Washington Post) The Saudi Lobby Juggernaut (Must read article on Saudi bribery in the U.S., TomDispatch) Jamie … Read more
The deal those bankers cooked up was to save the banks from capitalism. – From Matt Taibbi’s recent piece: Ten Years After the Crash, We’ve Learned Nothing While Google executives still attempt to portray themselves as scrappy, enlightened, countercultural tech luminaries, their reaction to Donald Trump’s victory in a recently leaked internal video leaves you wondering … Read more
As always, if you appreciate my work and want to contribute to independent media, consider becoming a monthly Patron, or visit the Support Page. Top Links Google and Mastercard Cut a Secret Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales (Bloomberg) CIA and Saudi Arabia Conspired to Keep 9/11 Details Secret, New Book Says (Newsweek) Statement of Principles on Access to Evidence … Read more
If you appreciate my work and want to contribute to independent media, consider becoming a monthly Patron, or visit the Support Page. Top Links Intercontinental Exchange Announces Bakkt, a Global Platform and Ecosystem for Digital Assets (This is a big deal, Intercontinental Exchange) ‘We Are Not Bots’: Facebook Censors U.S. Activists After Falsely Claiming They ‘Unwittingly’ Planned Protest(Facebook is … Read more
Within Google, knowledge about Dragonfly has been restricted to just a few hundred members of the internet giant’s 88,000-strong workforce, said a source with knowledge of the project. The source spoke to The Intercept on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to contact the media. The source said that they had moral and … Read more
It’s a common refrain these days to hear people lament a decline of the so-called “center” in American politics. We’re supposed to look on in horror as “moderate” Republicans and Democrats become an engaged species of liberty-fighting patriots steamrolled by frothing, insane hordes of populist barbarians on their left and right flanks. They’re the voice … Read more
“My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.” – Barack Obama to bank CEOs in 2009 (he sure protected them) I’m only half kidding with the title here. No, I don’t think establishment Democrats are actually trying to lose, but I agree with the sentiment that they’d rather continue to lose to … Read more
As the Snowden documents and David Sanger’s great new book and other books make plain, and as U.S. officials are wont to brag, the U.S. intelligence services break into computers and computer networks abroad at an astounding rate, certainly on a greater scale than any other intelligence service in the world. Every one of these intrusions in … Read more
“We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.” Your average mass media pundit regularly decries the fact Americans no longer have trust in the country’s institutions, yet simultaneously refuse to take any sort of responsibility for the situation. Government bureaucrats and other assorted supporters of our decrepit status quo tend … Read more