WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon told Sputnik on Saturday, hours after a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft was downed by militants in Syria, that the United States did not equip partner forces in Syria with surface-to-air weapons. Alongside by, with, and through our partners in Syria, the United States remains focused on the fight against ISIS [Daesh]. [...]

Russian lawmakers have called for a thorough investigation on the origins of the man-portable missile launcher that was likely used by militants in Syria to shoot down a Russian fighter jet before killing the pilot in a firefight. "Certainly, we will investigate, including a great many things: [...]

Congress has authorized $618.7 billion for the 2017 military budget. The bill ups aid to Ukraine by $50 million and allows the transfer of missiles to Syrian rebels. However, it omits controversial provisions about drafting women or religious exemptions for contractors. [...]

The Russian Foreign Ministry has commented on the Nuclear Posture Review, issued by the United States on February 2, naming Russia, North Korea, Iran and China as potential threats to the US national security. "The content of the new nuclear doctrine (the so-called Nuclear Posture Review) released by the United States on February 2 has provoked our deep disappointment. [...]

Imperialism – which today is usually referred to by the euphemism ‘liberal interventionism’ – went on Trial at the Waterside Theatre in Derry, Northern Ireland this week. Five passionate and well-informed speakers, who included the former British Ambassador to Syria Peter Ford, detailed the carnage and chaos that has been unleashed around the globe by the aggressive, warmongering policies [...]

Noted journalist and filmmaker John Pilger’s collection of work has been archived by the British Library, but deep-rooted problems of Western media create an increasingly difficult landscape for ethical journalism, as Pilger explained in an interview with Dennis Bernstein and Randy Credico. Emmy award-winning filmmaker John Pilger is among the most important political filmmakers of the 20th a [...]

Former Scotland Yard detective Charles Shoebridge explains why claims of chlorine attacks in Syria should be treated with caution. The alleged use of chlorine as a weapon in Syria is back in the news in the US and UK, with fresh incidents reported and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson taking the opportunity within the last few days to condemn Syrian President Bashar Assad over the issue. [...]

Anti-Russian sanctions have achieved nothing other than placing a significant burden on the German economy, prime ministers of two German federal states have argued, calling on fellow regional leaders to demand their lifting. [...]

Recently it was discovered that the Nestle corporation had been abusing their water permits in California, essentially stealing millions of gallons of water to bottle and sell to consumers in one of the most drought-ravaged states in the country. But Nestle’s disgusting story goes far beyond water stealing. Attorneys Mike Papantonio and Peter Mougey discuss this. Chocolate Bunnies, Slave [...]

As Ankara and Syrian rebels it backs oppose Kurdish-led opposition forces fighting against Daesh terrorists with the US military support in the country, media reports emerged that US servicemen came under fire from a group of Turkey-backed rebels. [...]

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has stated that the United States should take concrete steps to prove the end of support for Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), rather than rhetoric. [...]

The US must withdraw its troops from Syria’s northern Manbij region and put an end to its support for Kurdish militia in the area, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu demanded Saturday. Cavusoglu told reporters on Saturday that the US needs to immediately withdraw from the region near the city [...]

The roundups are getting worse. The checkpoints are getting worse. The harassment is getting worse. The things we were worried would happen are happening. No one is safe. No one is immune. No one gets spared the anguish, fear and heartache of living under the shadow of an authoritarian police state. [...]

A group of some of the largest hospital chains in the US has had it with Big Pharma price gouging, announcing their intention to form their own nonprofit drug manufacturing company.  A coalition of several of America's largest hospital systems have announced that they will collaborate on the creation of a not-for-profit organization to manufacture and distribute an as-yet-unnamed list of generic [...]

The American delegation at Davos seem to be avoiding any contact with their Russian counterparts. At least that’s the impression Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Arkady Dvorkovich, shared with journalists. [...]

The greenback has touched the lowest level against major global currencies since 2015. This comes after the US treasury secretary announced that Washington favors a weak dollar in trade.  Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Steven Mnuchin said that a weaker dollar “is good for us as it relates to trade and opportunities.” [...]

New York City is suing eight companies that make or distribute prescription opioids for their role in the ongoing opioid crisis. The suits aim to recover $500 million for current and future costs combating the epidemic. Mayor Bill de Blasio said opioids killed more people in the city in recent years than car crashes and homicides. [...]

The latest spat between Washington and Moscow over how reports of chemical weapon attacks in Syria should be investigated seems to be just an episode in which US political necessities trump transparency in policy-making. [...]

The FBI agent who investigated the Trump-Russia collusion claim sent a “jaw-dropping” text message suggesting that there was nothing to it, according to a Wisconsin senator who chairs the Homeland Security Committee. Peter Strzok, formerly the deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterintelligence division, sent a text to his mistress, FBI attorney Lisa Page, on May 19, 2017 – just two [...]