News Roundup

Activists put a bust of Edward Snowden on top a revolutionary war memorial in Brooklyn, New York (click on photo for a better view.)

Hours after police removed the Snowden bust artists replaced it with a hologram.
They say the action was a message of defiance aimed at the authorities who "censored" the piece.

• I did an hour long radio interview this morning on a show hosted by long-time Vermont peace activist Joseph Gainza.  We talked about Ukraine and the US goal for regime change in Russia.  During the interview we also talked about the Obama 'pivot' of 60% of US military forces into the Asia-Pacific.  Joseph alerted radio listeners to an important story reported this morning on Democracy Now.  That story begins with:  We turn now to the major increase in U.S. arms exports under President Obama. As Saudi Arabia continues U.S.-backed strikes in Yemen and Washington lifts its freeze on military aid to Egypt, new figures show the majority of U.S. weapons exports under Obama have gone to the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia tops the list at $46 billion in new agreements. William Hartung writes that even after adjusting for inflation, "the volume of major deals concluded by the Obama administration in its first five years exceeds the amount approved by the Bush administration in its full eight years in office by nearly $30 billion." That also means the Obama administration has approved more arms sales than any other U.S. administration since World War II. You can listen to this entire segment here
• Politico reports:  Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer (New York), one of Capitol Hill’s most influential voices in the Iran nuclear debate, is strongly endorsing passage of a law opposed by  Obama that would give Congress an avenue to reject the White House-brokered framework with Iran unveiled last week.  Sen. Schumer is an agent of the Israeli political action committee AIPAC and is expected to be chosen as the new leader of the Democratic Party in the Senate next year when the current leader Sen. Harry Reid retires.  This story is a clear indication of the control that Israel now has over the US government.  Not good news for anyone.
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel is losing control of the EU's members on the issue of Russian sanctions that have hurt the European economy.  Finland, Greece, Hungary, Spain, Italy, Slovakia, Cyprus and Austria are expressing discontent about the anti-Russian sanctions under which they suffer more than other EU countries.
• The US and EU are not happy that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. Greece could ask Moscow to bankroll a bailout or Russian gas company Gazprom could agree to a gas discount for the beleaguered Greek economy.  Either way the unipolar US capitalist financial empire is showing serious cracks in the wall as Russia and China begin to create alternative banking and international lending mechanisms for nations that are tired of being hollowed out by IMF demanded austerity measures and privatization sell-offs of national assets.
• My radio interview on a program called Earthwise in New Zealand is now available online.  We discussed concerns that the US via NATO is preparing for war with nuclear-armed Russia, hoping to impose a 'regime change' that would benefit GMO corporates, like Monsanto, and oil corporations.  Find it here