Tag: Follow the Money

USA

US Foreign Policy Is a Scam Built on Corruption – ScheerPost

It is the urgent task of the American people to overhaul a foreign policy that is so broken, corrupted, and deceitful that it is burying the government in debt while pushing the world closer to nuclear Armageddon. This overhaul should start in 2024 by rejecting any more funding for the disastrous Ukraine War and Israel’s war crimes in Gaza. Peacemaking, and diplomacy, not military spending, is the path to a US foreign policy in the public interest.

Source: US Foreign Policy Is a Scam Built on Corruption – ScheerPost

Israel

US Sent Israel 15,000 Bombs Since October 7 – scheerpost.com

The Wall Street Journal published details about the White House’s secretive arms transfers to Israel since October 7. The US has provided Israel with 57,000 artillery shells and 15,000 bombs, including over 5,000 with 2,000-pound warheads.

Source: US Sent Israel 15,000 Bombs Since October 7 – scheerpost.com

Israel

Intercepted: Prisoners, Propaganda, and Battle Over Gaza War Narrative

intercepted-prisoner-swap

Despite a temporary pause in Israel’s massive bombardment and ground operations in Gaza, the humanitarian catastrophe continues to worsen. With more than 15,000 dead Palestinians and whole neighborhoods and towns left in ruin, Israel’s defense minister has defiantly vowed to dramatically escalate the attacks inside Gaza the moment the truce ends. This week on Intercepted, Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain discuss the state of the war as well as the propaganda campaigns being waged by each side. Then Roy Yellin, head of public outreach at Israel’s leading human rights organization B’Tselem, discusses recent developments on the hostage and prisoner exchanges, how the crisis has impacted Israeli society, and describes the conditions faced by Palestinians when they are thrown into Israel’s military justice system. Yellin also explains the state sponsorship of violent Israeli settlers, the mass detentions underway of Palestinians in the West Bank, and the dangerous nature of Israel’s far-right Interior Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Source: Intercepted: Prisoners, Propaganda, and Battle Over Gaza War Narrative

Trump

Trump thinks he can MAGA his way out of jail | Salon.com

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Waco Regional Airport on March 25, 2023 in Waco, Texas. The day in Waco also marked the 30-year anniversary of the week's deadly standoff involving Branch Davidians and federal law enforcement. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

American Politics PACS and money. Trump’s ransacking the cookie jar,

That Trump uses other people’s money to pay his legal bills is well-established. The Republican National Committee, for instance, footed the legal bills accured as Trump fought off New York investigations into his company’s extensive tax fraud and other economic crimes. Last year, CNN found that over 60% of Trump’s leadership PAC spending was paying his legal bills. Earlier this year, the New York Times reported that Trump spent $16 million of his campaign donations on paying legal fees to fend off accountability for his various crimes.

This goes a long way towards explaining why Trump’s lawyers are going along with his preferred strategy of publicly bullying prosecutors, judges, and juries, usually by leveling false accusations. From a legal perspective, that’s just a bad idea, because it tends to make those people less inclined to show mercy. But it is a good way to raise money.  Trump’s lawyers very much want to get paid. Trump’s big mouth may land him in jail, but as long as the donor wallets are open, his legal team will make a fortune in the process. 

Source: Trump thinks he can MAGA his way out of jail | Salon.com

Informed Comment

Empire-funded think tanks are not valid sources: notes from The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix – Pearls and Irritations

Dr Tobias Feakin, Director ASPI-ICPCLaunch of the ASPI International Cyber Policy Centre, 1 August 2013.

It is never, ever acceptable, under any circumstances, to cite think tanks funded by governments and the military industrial complex as sources of information or expertise on matters of national security or foreign affairs.

Source: Empire-funded think tanks are not valid sources: notes from The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix – Pearls and Irritations

Media

Red Alert? Follow the money instead: ASPI is a front for US propaganda – Pearls and Irritations

United States and Australia extending their hands for a handshake.

Costello’s Media wants part of that money and is competing with Murdoch for it.

Two foreign governments, those of the U.S. in particular, but also the U.K., have significant financial inputs into ASPI. ASPI also has extensive links with arms manufacturers, of which just a few are listed on its own site.

Source: Red Alert? Follow the money instead: ASPI is a front for US propaganda – Pearls and Irritations

Scott Morrison

A Royal Commission into Scott Morrison? He sold off the farm, in secret – Michael West

Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison approved tens of billions in foreign takeover deals after secretly being appointed Treasurer last year, compromising Australia’s national interest. Sydney Airport, electricity giants AusNet and Spark Infrastructure. All gone. Michael West reports.

Source: A Royal Commission into Scott Morrison? He sold off the farm, in secret – Michael West

Uncategorized

Election Denier Groups Accused of Profiting Without Results
Crowds of people gather as US President Donald Trump speaks to supporters from The Ellipse near the White House on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC.

Widespread voter fraud is a fake problem, but some conservative donors say they’re getting scammed out of real money.

Election Denier Groups Accused of Profiting Without Results
Election 2019, Uncategorized

Election 2019: how good is plutocracy! – Michael West

Election 2019: how good is plutocracy!

This all goes to the inexorable transition of power from citizens to multinational corporate interests, from voters to those who don’t vote. It is a global trend but given that Australia is a relatively small market, the concentration of corporate power via monopolies and duopolies is marked.

To borrow from the parlance of the Prime Minister, the big corporations are definitely “having a go to get a go”. Citizens however, briefly, had their go the other day. And, having made their decision in favour of the Coalition, have given a really good go to multinationals.

Large corporations and some wealthy business people, unlike ordinary people, make political donations. They don’t give money to political parties on the expectation of zero return. They have paid their dues, now it’s payback time. The only way to extract this cancer from the body politic is to ban money in politics. Australia is a long way from doing that, and until it comes, public confidence in the system will continue to erode.

via Election 2019: how good is plutocracy! – Michael West

Election 2019, Uncategorized

One Nation, Greens set for millions in election windfall but Clive Palmer’s party misses out – Australia Votes – Federal Election 2019 – Politics – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

One Nation Senators drink champagne outside Parliament House

via One Nation, Greens set for millions in election windfall but Clive Palmer’s party misses out – Australia Votes – Federal Election 2019 – Politics – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

One Nation

One Nation sting confirms voters’ concerns over our political donation system – Analysis & Opinion – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Pauline Hanson, wearing a red jacket with a silver brooch, looks past a camera in the foreground.

via One Nation sting confirms voters’ concerns over our political donation system – Analysis & Opinion – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

$4billion, Money

Trump Campaign Paid Millions to Trump Businesses During Midterms – Mother Jones

Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign raised and spent an unprecedented sum of money during the midterm elections. But much of that cash wasn’t used to help endangered Republicans in Congress—it was used to help Donald Trump.

Source: Trump Campaign Paid Millions to Trump Businesses During Midterms – Mother Jones

UK

Here are Nigel Farage’s British values: rubbishing London for money on Fox News | Marina Hyde | Opinion | The Guardian

He talks about ‘respect’, but the rightwing blowhard’s response to the Westminster attack has been tall tales he can only get away with on US TV

Source: Here are Nigel Farage’s British values: rubbishing London for money on Fox News | Marina Hyde | Opinion | The Guardian

Corporate Government

Record-breaking level of corporate donations bankrolls Donald Trump’s inauguration

The group planning the inaugural festivities says it has raised more than $US100 million ($133 million) which would be nearly double the record for an inauguration.

Source: Record-breaking level of corporate donations bankrolls Donald Trump’s inauguration