The Catalan push for independence from Spain appears to be part of a larger European -- and possibly worldwide -- movement away from larger, more distant governance and toward more local control. Elsewhere in Europe, the old order is slowly breaking down. New parties find success in German elections, Hungary continues to defy Brussels on immigration, talk of secession on all levels increases. Will the referendum in Catalonia take place as scheduled, or will the central government successfully crack down? Will a crack-down eliminate the growing demand for independence? What's the US position? More in today's Liberty Report... read on...
The US was strongly opposed to Monday's independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, as were the countries in the region. The US wanted to manage the Kurds' relationship with Baghdad, but it did not work out the way Washington's planners hoped. How did we get to the point? To a large degree due to the US invasion of Iraq. Will the vote result in smaller government and more freedom for Kurds in the region? Or will it mean war? And what about oil flow? More in today's Liberty Report... read on...
Defense Secretary Mattis is worried about the military budget. No, he's not worried that spending a total of more than a trillion dollars a year on the military might bankrupt the country and thus make us more vulnerable to outside forces with ill intent. He's worried that our very survival depends on even more money for the military and no more yearly budget "fights" on funding the military. Even though Congress gave him even more than he requested, he's worried. But what about the policy? What is the proper US role in the world a quarter of a century after the end of the Cold War? Some "realists" are longing for the days of the Cold War, where America ruled the roost. Today in the Liberty Report... read on...
President Trump's speech yesterday at the United Nations got rave reviews from neocons like John Bolton and Elliot Abrams. The US president threatened North Korea, Venezuela, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. At the same time he claimed that the US is the one country to lead by example rather than by violating the sovereignty of others. Are the neocons on a roll as they push for more war? Have they "won" Trump? read on...
It's not only "the generals" that President Trump defers to when it comes to war overseas. He's also planning to defer to Mike Pompeo and the CIA when it comes to operating killer drones in the "theaters" of military operations. Where President Obama toward the end of his term was phasing out the CIA drone program -- partly because of the high civilian casualties -- President Trump is seeking to ramp up the program and loosen the terms of engagement. Count on many more civilian casualties, which creates many more terrorists, which fuels the perceived need for US military action abroad, and so on... read on...
Why is the Pentagon spending billions of dollars purchasing Soviet and east European weapons to ship to Syrian rebels? A blockbuster Bulgarian investigative report exposes the lies and illegality of the purchases and shipments; several mainstream investigations corroborate the Bulgarian report. Investigative Reporter Dilyana Gaytandzhieva joins the Liberty Report to explain her findings -- and why they got her interrogated and fired... read on...
Why does President Trump listen to Nikki Haley and the neocons when it comes to Iran? Doesn't he know they are always wrong? Trump has been consistent in his animosity toward Iran and especially the Iran deal, but why? Haley claims that Iran gave up nothing for the deal, but that is just not true. Does Trump think the rest of the world is going to follow the US if the US pulls out of the agreement? Or if the US attacks Iran? Tune in to today's Liberty Report... read on...
Sen. Rand Paul has forced a vote on his amendment to repeal the 2001 Afghanistan war authorization and the 2002 Iraq war authorization. The vote is not on the amendment, but whether they can even have a vote on the repeal. This is the debate that terrifies both the House and Senate, as they don't want the American people to stop and wonder why we are still in these endless no-win wars. Our take on Sen. Paul's effort in today's Liberty Report... read on...
President Trump's Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, told the UN Security Council today that North Korea was "begging" for a war with the US. Apparently to Haley and the rest of the neocons, if you don't do exactly what Washington demands you are "begging for war." Will the president be manipulated into a catastrophic war in Asia by the generals and neocons surrounding him? We look at the disturbing factors in today's Liberty Report... read on...
On Monday, President Trump announced he was issuing an executive order to reinstate the transfer of military weapons and equipment to local police forces. A partial ban had been put in place late in the Obama Administration. The weapons transfer program has a long history in the drug war but even 25 years later it has failed to make a difference in that war. It has been successful, however, in further undermining our civil liberties. A militarized police force is all about control, not safety... read on...
