The documentary links imperialism, war, and environmental collapse, showing how crises from Iraq to Gaza and Sudan are interconnected by U.S. global power.
Martin warns, “The status quo is death… they are barreling us off a cliff and destroying the habitability of our future.”
There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you.
— George W. Bush
The nationwide general strike that spread across Italy came to an end last Friday evening, marked by demonstrations, marches, and sit-ins in dozens of cities.
The strike had been called by USB, Cobas, and other grassroots labor unions, reviving the slogan “Blocchiamo Tutto” (“Shut Everything Down”), the same one that characterized September’s protests against Israel’s war on Gaza and had halted ports, transportation, and logistical hubs across the country.
The goal of the mobilization was to contest the Budget Law and the government’s decision to further increase military spending while cutting or freezing public investment in healthcare, education, universities, transport, and other essential public services.
Once again, the situation in Palestine was central to the demonstrations. Banners, chants, and public statements denounced Italy’s role in supplying weapons to Israel and the government’s political and material support for what many protesters and trade union organizations described as an ongoing genocide.
Mobilization continued on Saturday, when Rome hosted a national demonstration focused specifically on Palestine.
The strike had been announced weeks earlier and quickly gained support from social movements, student collectives, dockworkers, environmental groups, and organizations engaged in political and economic boycotts of Israel. CGIL, CISL, and UIL — Italy’s largest unions — chose not to take part and instead announced separate actions in the coming weeks.
The strike affected multiple sectors and caused significant disruption, particularly in transport. Rail service, halted the previous night, remained suspended throughout the day except for legally required time slots. Delays and interruptions were also reported in local and regional public transit across much of the country.
Schools, universities, and hospitals participated to varying degrees; in the health sector, only essential services remained operational. Alongside the general strike, journalists also walked off the job over the failure to renew their national contract — expired eight years ago — although their action remained separate from the demands of the grassroots unions.
Thousands of people marched through Berlin on Saturday in a major pro-Palestine demonstration marking the UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The rally was part of a coordinated global mobilisation across Europe, Africa, and the Americas, calling for an end to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Protesters carried Palestinian flags and signs demanding accountability, including messages such as “Netanyahu to trial” and “Why is Germany anti-Palestinian?” Demonstrators accused the German government of enabling the war through continued weapons exports and political support for Israel. Many participants urged Berlin to impose sanctions, halt arms deliveries, and listen to public opinion.
In 1968, with the whole world watching, democracy refused to back down.
What was intended to be a peaceful protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention turned into a violent clash instigated by the FBI, police and the National Guard.
The organizers of the protest—including Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, Dave Dellenger and Bobby Seale were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot and the trial that followed was one of the most notorious in history.
You can watch this excellent film on Netflix here
🚨France is entering a period of political paralysis and economic stress, with 5 prime ministers in under two years and a fractured parliament unable to pass a national budget after Macron’s failed 2024 snap election.
Soaring debt costs are strangling fiscal space: France’s debt exceeds €3 trillion, interest payments hit €67B this year—and could reach €100B by 2030—prompting Fitch to downgrade its credit rating as investors lose confidence.
Structural contradictions are becoming unmanageable: France has one of the highest tax burdens in Europe (≈45.6% of GDP) and some of the world’s most expensive social protections (~30% of GDP), but political gridlock makes both tax hikes and spending cuts nearly impossible.
Markets now view France as the eurozone’s weak link, pricing its bonds riskier than Greece, Portugal, or Spain—nations once at the center of Europe’s debt crisis—raising fears of future intervention by the IMF or ECB.
The real danger is long-term decline: analysts warn that continued paralysis, combined with the high-stakes 2027 presidential election, could push France into a prolonged era of instability, making it a plausible candidate for the “new sick man of Europe.”
The Wall Street Journal leaks details of the "secret" German plan for war with Russia
The plan has been developed by a group of high-ranking German officers since 2023 and reflects aspects of the deployment of 800,000 servicemen from Germany and other NATO countries to the front line in the east.
The 1200-page document outlines deployment routes, key ports, rivers, bridges, highways, and railways, as well as methods of supply and protection of military convoys during transportation.
The authors propose implementing the concept of "erasing the boundary between civilian and military spheres" – all infrastructure in Europe should also have a military purpose.
In addition, the need to simplify bureaucratic obstacles for war preparation is highlighted – from drone flight regulations over populated areas and transportation of military equipment to speeding up state defense orders and introducing new equipment models.
To implement the plan, the military want to bring specialists out of retirement, likely referring to former servicemen and civilians previously working in the defense sector.
The reason for such an urgent restructuring of life in Europe towards a military footing is stated as "Russia's readiness to attack NATO by 2029 or earlier".
✨Who is really preparing for war is NATO itself, especially its European members. It is obvious that even without this "secret" plan, European countries are militarizing at an accelerated pace, trying to prepare to attack Russia while it 'exhausts its forces' in the conflict in Ukraine.
'The forever wars gang'
Pepe Escobar tells RT's Rick Sanchez why the Wall Street Journal is reportedly sitting on proof Yermak 'skimmed 100s of millions of US taxpayers dollars' [in Ukraine].
'Neocons control the editorial pages of the WSJ and we know the Murdoch family wants this war to go on'.
The vicious former Shah of Iran did tell the truth about the Zionist lobby in the US
(Orlov does a fascinating historical and current reporting on things related to the US-NATO Ukraine proxy war on Russia. Plus he has an ironic sense of humor which I enjoyed.)
Bruce
Ukraine inches closer to defeat in Huliaipole - Russian missiles drop paper surrender instructions for those who wish to live. (Video)
The [Russian] Vostok Group of Forces has already taken over much of the eastern outskirts of Huliaipole, and after capturing Dobropillya, Russian troops are already advancing in Varvarivka, the last settlement along the Haichur before the northern outskirts of the city.
Just a day earlier, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov announced that President Vladimir Putin was informed during a visit to a frontline command center on November 30 that the operation to “liberate” Huliaipole had begun, with street fighting already underway inside the city.
It’s worth noting that during the same meeting Putin was informed that the cities of Pokrovsk in Donetsk and Vovchansk had been captured by the Russian military.
The fate of Huliaipole will not likely be very different. The Vostok Group of Forces has already begun dropping leaflets over the city calling on Ukrainian troops there to surrender, according to footage shared by the Russian MoD.
Ukrainian defenses to the north and east of Huliaipole were very well-built. Their collapse within a few weeks indicate that Kiev forces are suffering from serious problems related to resources, logistics and even command, on both lower and higher levels. The chances of Ukraine repelling the Russian attack on the city, or even prolonging the battle there for months are extremely low.
Mingo County, West Virginia, was once thriving, but the coal industry’s decline left it one of the poorest counties in the US.
Now, multiple data centers could be built in the region.
Are data centers a new extractive industry, or will they provide a much-needed economic lifeline?
This story was produced by More Perfect Union in partnership with 100 Days in Appalachia, an independent, non-profit digital news publication.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was a “smokescreen” created to pave the way for the takeover of Gaza, former volunteer Anthony Aguilar has told RT.
The US- and Israel-backed aid group began operating in Gaza in mid-2025, with food sites run by US private security contractors inside Israeli military zones. Soon after, however, reports emerged of deadly incidents near GHF sites. The UN, which said hundreds of Palestinians had been killed while trying to reach food near GHF locations under Israeli fire, refused to work with the group, accusing it of “exploiting” humanitarian relief “for covert military and geopolitical agendas.”
In an interview with RT aired on Tuesday, Aguilar, a retired Green Beret who joined the GHF in mid-2025 but resigned two months later, said the group was a cover for killing Palestinians and gathering intelligence for the Israeli Defense Forces.
“The GHF’s mission was never intended to feed or provide aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. That was the facade of the mission, the fake smoke screen,” he claimed. “Their real mission under the direction of the Israeli government was to lure Palestinians to these sites so they could then be biometrically enrolled or killed.”
He also claimed the group, though formally established in February 2025, was designed back in 2021 as part of a plan to redevelop Gaza and “remove all Palestinians” from the enclave by one Boston Consulting Group, which he said is closely tied to the US government. He accused President Donald Trump of being aware of the project, which echoed Trump’s proposal to relocate Gazans and turn the enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Aguilar said Trump was likely unaware of the methods the GHF used in Gaza but insisted he must “do his part” to hold the GHF accountable.
Earlier this week, the GHF said it was ending operations because of the “successful completion” of its mission. The group denied accusations of intentionally endangering civilians and accused critics of relying on “false and misleading” statistics.
