The book called "The Plot to Scapegoat Russia: How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Putin" has been published in the United States, author Dan Kovalik told Sputnik. The book was published in June by Skyhorse Publishing. The author is a US journalist, human, labor rights lawyer and peace activist, as well as Adjunct Professor of Law at the Pitt Law faculty of the Univer [...]

An annual gathering of mayors from around the country is calling on Congress to reverse course by moving funding out of the military budget and into human and environmental needs. The U.S. Conference of Mayors on Monday unanimously passed three resolutions opposing deep cuts in social and environmental programs to increase funding for the military. [...]

The Ukrainian Embassy in the UK has issued a sharp criticism of the Daily Mail, which ran a story effectively recognizing the city of Sevastopol and the Crimean Peninsula as Russian territory. On Monday, the Daily Mail ran a small piece about a WWII-era German parachute mine that was discovered in the port city of Sevastopol, and taken to the open sea for safe disposal. [...]

The US Defense Intelligence Agency has published a glossy new 100 page+ declassified intelligence report called 'Russia Military Power', a rehash of reports which were released during the 1980s called 'Soviet Military Power'. Like its predecessors, 'Russia Military Power' seems designed to ensure a bigger defense budget for the Pentagon. [...]

Thom talks with Dr. Richard Wolff about how the GOP health bill could kill 29,000 Americans in the next decade if implemented. He then talks with Sam Sacks and Bryan Pruitt to get their take on the healthcare bill as members of the GOP oppose it, causing a voting delay in congress, the return of camera-shy Sean Spicer to the visual press scene, and the White House’s plan to defund an counter-whi [...]

America is often referred to as the "Land of the Free," but as citizens prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July, their satisfaction with the country's freedom is significantly lower than it was a decade ago, according to a newly released Gallup poll. The survey found that although 91 percent of Americans were satisfied with the freedom in their lives in 2006, only 75 percent feel the same way t [...]

The Republican healthcare proposal amounts to a tax cut for the rich, and the US economy would benefit far more from establishing single-payer healthcare, according to Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in America. The 86-year-old Nebraskan is the chief executive of investing house Berkshire Hathaway and has a net worth of $75.6 billion, according to Forbes. He is the world’s second-riche [...]

The US statement on Syrian plans to use chemical weapons is to see how far they could push before Iran reacts. Then we will have a war against Iran which the administration in Washington seems to want, says former CIA officer Philip Giraldi. [...]

The US has “a very active deconfliction line” with Russia in order to not “get drawn into a fight” in Syria, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said. Mattis touched upon the ongoing operation in Syria at a press briefing on Tuesday. [...]

Moscow has warned the US against taking unilateral action in Syria, as there is no threat from the Syrian military, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said. The statement comes after the US accused Syria of preparing for a chemical attack, without giving any evidence.   [...]

Montenegro is facing the necessity of breaking its ties with Russia; this will serve as a kind of payment for entering NATO, Russian political analyst Vladimir Kireyev told Sputnik. In an interview with Sputnik, Russian political analyst Vladimir Kireyev said that Montenegro is paying the price for its NATO entry. [...]

The member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs claims that Brussels needs to restore strong dialogue and cooperation with Moscow as the anti-Russia sanctions lost any economic reasoning and turned into a mere political instrument. [...]

Qatar has signed a deal to buy $12 billion-worth of McDonnell Douglas F-15QA Eagle air superiority fighters from the United States. Speaking to Radio Sputnik, Birol Baskan, an assistant professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, said that the deal clears Doha's reputation as a terror state. [...]

France has found no traces of Russian hackers in a cyberattack on President Emmanuel Macron's campaign, the head of the French National Agency of Information Systems Security (ANSSI) told AP. [...]

The White House's statement regarding Damascus' alleged "preparations" for the use of chemical weapons in Syria has prompted concerns that it could be followed by a series of US strikes on Syrian government forces. Sputnik contributor Andrei Kots explained why these fears are not unfounded. [...]

The F-35’s dismal performance record is driving up operating costs for the fighters, according to a recent government report. The F-35’s unreliability and slow repair time contribute to its tendency to be something of a black hole for US taxpayer dollars. [...]

The CNN news channel has never had any "big proof" to back their stories about the Trump campaign's alleged ties with Russia. Finally, you can hear it from a CNN employee: caught on a hidden camera CNN producer John Bonifield admitted that the news channel had been circulating the "Russia story" not because it's true but because it sells. CNN Producer 'Fesses Up: Russia Narrative 'Bullsh* [...]

Poland is drifting away from the EU, which demands that Warsaw accept refugees from the Middle East and North Africa, former Polish member of the European Parliament, Joannа Senyszyn, told Sputnik. “The EU has repeatedly warned Poland over its refusal to take in refugees and [the changes to the country’s constitutional court, which Brussels believes pose a serious challenge to the rul [...]

Over the past weekend, the Israeli military carried out several attacks on positions of the Syrian Army at the Golan Heights. On Sunday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacked Syrian Army positions and an ammunition truck "in response to several Syrian projectiles" launched from Syrian territory. [...]

Russia has slammed Washington’s threats against the Syrian government following a recent White House statement alleging that President Bashar Assad’s forces are preparing to use chemical weapons. “I am not aware of any information or threat of using chemical weapons,” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday. [...]

Donald Trump’s popularity as POTUS has been in question since he took office and it appears he’s taken his country’s reputation down with him, according to a new global survey. The Pew Research Center surveyed 40,000 participants from 37 countries about their opinions of both the US president and their overall favorability towards the US. [...]

How would Western media have responded if it was reported that it was 'highly likely’ that US air strikes had killed the head of ISIS?  We’d have been told, of course, how it proved that the US was the ’greatest nation on earth.' [...]