Since the 1990s, politicians have cited the threat of North Korea to demand funding for missile defense programs that became examples of government waste. Republican politicians responded almost reflexively to the North Korean nuclear test on Tuesday by demanding more spending on missile defense programs that have historically proved ineffective at preventing an enemy strike — but are built by [...]

The U.S. military flew a B-52 bomber over South Korea on Sunday, in a Cold War-style show of force that was met with concern by human rights campaigners. American forces made the gesture amid climbing tensions following North Korea's widely-disputed claim that it detonated a hydrogen bomb test on Wednesday. [...]

The brittle insecurity of the Saudi rulers will have been shattered even more this past week, with Washington’s political establishment openly calling into question the historic alliance between the two countries. Saudi Arabia was denounced in the main editorial pages of both the New York Times and the Washington Post – the US’ two leading newspapers – for its “dangerous sectarian pol [...]

America presents itself to the world as “the land of the free” but – for the vast majority – it is a place of enslaving indebtedness, a reality for much of “the 99%” that has deep historical roots hidden or “lost” from our history, as Jada Thacker explains. Since its center-stage debut during the Occupy Wall Street movement, “the 99%” – a term emblematic of extreme economi [...]

The U.S. mainstream media excludes almost all reporting and analysis that challenges the neocon/liberal-interventionist “group think” about the supposed Russian threat, but once in awhile a backhand acknowledgement of reality slips through, as Gilbert Doctorow was surprised to find. [...]

Former US president Bill Clinton said Russian President Vladimir Putin had "enormous potential" in a conversation with former British prime minister Tony Blair, The New York Times reports citing newly-released documents. The documents transcribe phone calls between Clinton and Blair from May 1997 to December 2000. [...]

In its quest for world domination, which the White House has been pursuing for more than a century, it relied on two primary tools: the US dollar and military might. In order to prevent Washington from establishing complete global hegemony, certain countries have recently been revising their positions towards these two elements by developing alternative military alliances and by breaking with t [...]

Washington has long played the role of a "bodyguard" for Saudi Arabia. However, recent events have showed that Riyadh is not supportive of the United States, but rather harming its interests, Ali Al-Ahmed, an expert at the Institute for Gulf Affairs in Washington, said. [...]

Alleged US mercenaries were seen in a night club in the city of Mariupol under Kiev's control, a Donetsk People's Republic military official said. The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic's (DPR) intelligence has detected the presence of alleged US mercenaries in southern Donbass, DPR deputy defense minister said Thursday. [...]

As part of Russia’s anti-terror campaign in Syria, the Kremlin has deployed sophisticated air defense systems to protect its aircraft. According to the Pentagon, those units have effectively grounded US aircraft. [...]

In an attempt to sum up the major accomplishments in the Middle East throughout 2015, Middle East expert Hussein Ibish has come to the conclusion that it is Russia, who gained the most, while the US has abandoned its role as the guarantor of the Middle Eastern political order, perhaps irrevocably. [...]

Corporate media failed to cover the dangers of business-friendly trade deals in 2015, despite growing grassroots opposition to such pacts—and increasing public awareness about their contents. Will 2016 be the year looming toxic trade policies catapult into the mainstream? Sierra Club trade representative Ilana Solomon hopes so. [...]

RT's Anastasia Churkina sits down with a best-selling author, former Governor of Minnesota, former US Navy Seal and professional wrestler -- Jesse Ventura. His latest book "63 Documents the Government Doesn't Want you to Read" hits the shelves in the US this April. Ventura said his book has the spirit of WikiLeaks, the difference is -- they have been available in the public domain, it's ju [...]

In spite of prevailing clichés about corruption in Russia being out of control, the scale of the scourge is of an incomparably larger scale in the United States, according to independent journalist Einar Schlereth. In the journalist's view, nowhere is this more obvious than in the case of the US military industrial complex. [...]

Wishing others a peaceful New Year would seem to be a straightforward greeting for people of goodwill. Not if you’re a top US government official. Peace? Yeah, well, it’s complicated. This week US Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly phoned Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to firm up the forthcoming peace negotiations supposedly aimed at bringing an end to the Syrian conflict. [...]

There are many disturbing signs that the West is creating conditions in the Middle East and Asia that could produce a wider war, most likely a new Cold War, containing, as well, menacing risks of World War III. The reckless confrontation with Russia along its borders, reinforced by provocative weapons deployments in several NATO countries and the promotion of governing regimes hostile to Russia in [...]

If, as he and other true believers think, George W. Bush really does have to meet his Maker someday, and if He (sic) really is just and good, and if the point of the meeting is to decide whether George will spend eternity in Heaven or Hell, then that man should be thanking the alleged divinity every moment of his waking life for making ignorance bliss. [...]

State Department spokesperson John Kirby is raising eyebrows after he released a recap of 2015 "success stories" in which he credits the United States for bringing "peace" and "security" to Syria and "stepping up" to help the country's people at a difficult time. "The United States and many members of the international community have stepped up to aid the Syrian people during their time of need [...]

As the year draws to a close, it's worth noting a handful of progressive gains that people-power made possible: Feelin' the Bern Despite the lack of coverage in corporate media about the Vermont Independent and his presidential bit, Sen. Bernie Sanders and his call for a political revolution have resonated nationwide. [...]