mintpressnews--2020-05-01--Experts Warn of New Nuclear Arms Race After Trump Signals US Withdrawal from START Treaty

After pulling out of multiple international treaties designed to limit the global threat of atomic weapons , the Trump administration is now strongly indicating that it will also let the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty ( START ) expire in February 2021 .
START is commonly described as “ the last remaining arms control agreement constraining the arsenals of the two major nuclear weapons powers , ” the United States and Russia .
While the Trump administration ’ s actions have been largely overlooked in corporate media , they are causing panic among diplomats and specialists in the area .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ journal Foreign Affairs published an extraordinary article from the two diplomats who led the American and Russian negotiating teams that extended the START treaty in 2010 .
Rose Gottemoeller , the American ex-Deputy Secretary-General of NATO and Anatoly Antonov , former Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia , wrote that Trump ’ s recklessness should be a wakeup call to the planet and is “ a chilling sign of how dangerous the world has become.
” The two warned that , without a binding treaty , the nuclear arms race will immediately recommence , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While much of the corporate press pins the blame squarely on Moscow or Beijing for the diplomatic failure , both chief negotiators are adamant that there is only one barrier to a safer world , and he resides in the White House .
“ Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that the Russian side is ready to extend New START without any preconditions .
There is nothing stopping U.S. President Donald Trump from immediately announcing the same , ” they wrote .
Gottemoeller and Antonov describe the fast expiring New Start treaty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal instrument that keeps a new strategic nuclear arms race at bay.
” Last February , Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces ( INF ) treaty , stating that he would “ move forward with developing our own military response options.
” Earlier that week the United States had received the first batch of low-yield nuclear warheads the president had previously ordered .
Experts agree that these so-called mini nukes are far more likely to be used in battle and blur the lines between a conventional and nuclear conflict , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latter far more likely .
The Trump administration also recently pulled out of the Open Skies treaty , an agreement that allowed the world ’ s major players to freely observe each other from the air , increasing knowledge and understanding of everyone ’ s capabilities .
In January , Trump directly threatened Iran with genocide , a key advisor of his , Sheldon Adelson , long pushing Washington to drop a nuclear bomb on a less inhabited area of the Islamic Republic as a powerplay .
The U.S. remains the only country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , doing so against Japan twice in 1945 .
It also used depleted uranium shells in Iraq , Afghanistan , and Yugoslavia , causing spikes in cancer rates and birth defects .
Washington ’ s ire , however , has moved away from the Middle East and is pointed squarely at China and Russia , as the new Pentagon budget for 2021 makes clear .
The Pentagon is looking to spend some $ 705 billion on opposing the two states , including funding for , in its own words , “ more advanced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standoff , enhanced lethality and autonomous targeting for employment against near-peer threats in a more contested environment.
” In January , the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved their famous “ Doomsday Clock ” – a measure of how close we are to the end of the world , to 100 seconds to midnight , the most dangerous moment in human history , citing the “ dangerous rivalry and hostility among the superpowers increases the likelihood of nuclear blunder.
” The fact that world experts believe that we are closer to annihilation than even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moderate public attention .
In his newest book , The Doomsday Machine : Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner , Daniel Ellsberg noted that 50 years ago his team calculated that , in the event of a perfectly executed U.S. nuclear attack on the U.S.S.R. , with zero Soviet retaliation whatsoever , around 99.9 percent of the American population would likely die from the vast amounts of smoke generated from the fires over Russia that would eventually engulf the entire planet .
Ellsberg now believes that 99.9 percent was an underestimate because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understood at the time .
Gottemoeller and Antonov ended their article with a plea to the United States to come to its senses : “ The novel coronavirus pandemic should serve as a powerful reminder of the fragility of the international system .
This is exactly the wrong moment to undermine or weaken other key components of that system , especially in the nuclear realm , ” they wrote , “ Now more than ever , it is essential to ensure that a nuclear war that can not be won will never be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , center , with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley , behind him at right , addresses members of the military during a visit at Bagram Air Field , Afghanistan , Nov. 28 , 2019 .
Alex Brandon | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

After pulling out of multiple international treaties designed to limit the global threat of atomic weapons, the Trump administration is now strongly indicating that it will also let the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) expire in February 2021. START is commonly described as “the last remaining arms control agreement constraining the arsenals of the two major nuclear weapons powers,” the United States and Russia.
While the Trump administration’s actions have been largely overlooked in corporate media, they are causing panic among diplomats and specialists in the area. On Wednesday, the U.S. foreign policy journal Foreign Affairs published an extraordinary article from the two diplomats who led the American and Russian negotiating teams that extended the START treaty in 2010. Rose Gottemoeller, the American ex-Deputy Secretary-General of NATO and Anatoly Antonov, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, wrote that Trump’s recklessness should be a wakeup call to the planet and is “a chilling sign of how dangerous the world has become.” The two warned that, without a binding treaty, the nuclear arms race will immediately recommence, and Armageddon will not be far away.
While much of the corporate press pins the blame squarely on Moscow or Beijing for the diplomatic failure, both chief negotiators are adamant that there is only one barrier to a safer world, and he resides in the White House. “Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that the Russian side is ready to extend New START without any preconditions. There is nothing stopping U.S. President Donald Trump from immediately announcing the same,” they wrote.
Gottemoeller and Antonov describe the fast expiring New Start treaty as “the sole [remaining] legal instrument that keeps a new strategic nuclear arms race at bay.” Last February, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, stating that he would “move forward with developing our own military response options.” Earlier that week the United States had received the first batch of low-yield nuclear warheads the president had previously ordered. Experts agree that these so-called mini nukes are far more likely to be used in battle and blur the lines between a conventional and nuclear conflict, making an all out example of the latter far more likely.
The Trump administration also recently pulled out of the Open Skies treaty, an agreement that allowed the world’s major players to freely observe each other from the air, increasing knowledge and understanding of everyone’s capabilities.
In January, Trump directly threatened Iran with genocide, a key advisor of his, Sheldon Adelson, long pushing Washington to drop a nuclear bomb on a less inhabited area of the Islamic Republic as a powerplay. The U.S. remains the only country to use an atom bomb during war, doing so against Japan twice in 1945. It also used depleted uranium shells in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yugoslavia, causing spikes in cancer rates and birth defects.
Washington’s ire, however, has moved away from the Middle East and is pointed squarely at China and Russia, as the new Pentagon budget for 2021 makes clear. The Pentagon is looking to spend some $705 billion on opposing the two states, including funding for, in its own words, “more advanced high-end weapon systems, which provide increased standoff, enhanced lethality and autonomous targeting for employment against near-peer threats in a more contested environment.”
In January, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved their famous “Doomsday Clock” – a measure of how close we are to the end of the world, to 100 seconds to midnight, the most dangerous moment in human history, citing the “dangerous rivalry and hostility among the superpowers increases the likelihood of nuclear blunder.” The fact that world experts believe that we are closer to annihilation than even during the Cuban Missile Crisis gained only moderate public attention.
In his newest book, The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner, Daniel Ellsberg noted that 50 years ago his team calculated that, in the event of a perfectly executed U.S. nuclear attack on the U.S.S.R., with zero Soviet retaliation whatsoever, around 99.9 percent of the American population would likely die from the vast amounts of smoke generated from the fires over Russia that would eventually engulf the entire planet. Ellsberg now believes that 99.9 percent was an underestimate because the concept of nuclear winter was not fully understood at the time.
Gottemoeller and Antonov ended their article with a plea to the United States to come to its senses: “The novel coronavirus pandemic should serve as a powerful reminder of the fragility of the international system. This is exactly the wrong moment to undermine or weaken other key components of that system, especially in the nuclear realm,” they wrote, “Now more than ever, it is essential to ensure that a nuclear war that cannot be won will never be fought.”
Feature photo | President Donald Trump, center, with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, behind him at right, addresses members of the military during a visit at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Nov. 28, 2019. Alex Brandon | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-05-01--Podcast: Dan Kovalik on How Sanctions and Humanitarian Interventions are Used to Plunder Nations

Welcome to MintCast , the official MintPress News podcast hosted by Mnar Muhawesh .
MintCast is an interview podcast featuring dissenting voices , independent researchers and journalists the establishment would rather silence .
In this episode , we are joined by human rights lawyer , journalist and author Dan Kovalik .
Kovalik is an expert on U.S. empire , foreign policy and international human rights .
He has shared his expertise in a long chain of books including , “ The Plot to Attack Iran , ” “ The Plot to Attack Venezuela , ” “ The Plot to Control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ book , “ No More War : How the West Violates International Law by Using ‘ Humanitarian ’ Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests.
” Today , the Trump administration is capitalizing on the global coronavirus pandemic to increasing pressure against sanctioned nations including Venezuela , Cuba , Iran and Syria ; adding to a long list of nations — including Russia , China , Nicaragua and North Korea — that now represent the quarter of the world ’ s population living under the boot of U.S. economic warfare .
The continuation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has revealed the true nature of the maximum pressure campaign that is not only hurting economies but killing millions of people .
Despite being on the receiving end of this deadly policy – which includes decades of crippling sanctions , threats of war , and attempted coups through the funding of extremist opposition groups – victims of Washington ’ s heavy-handed foreign policy are rising above the challenge to cope with the coronavirus .
Eight of these targeted nations have made an appeal to the international community , penning a letter to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s High Commissioner on Human Rights and the Director-General of the World Health Organization calling for an end to the unilateral American economic blockade , calling U.S. sanctions “ illegal ” and a blatant violation of international law and the charter of the United Nations .
Dan Kovalik joins us to take a deep dive into the history of Washington ’ s policy of sanctions and humanitarian intervention , a policy that provides the framework for the mass pillaging of foreign nations on behalf of the U.S. establishment .
Kovalik also discusses the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and some of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in human history that this policy has left in its wake .
This program is 100 percent listener supported !
You can join the hundreds of financial sponsors who make this show possible by becoming a member on our Patreon page .
Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes , Spotify and SoundCloud .
Please leave us a review and share this segment .
Mnar Muhawesh is founder , CEO and editor in chief of MintPress News , and is also a regular speaker on responsible journalism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and journalism start-ups .

Welcome to MintCast, the official MintPress News podcast hosted by Mnar Muhawesh. MintCast is an interview podcast featuring dissenting voices, independent researchers and journalists the establishment would rather silence.
In this episode, we are joined by human rights lawyer, journalist and author Dan Kovalik. Kovalik is an expert on U.S. empire, foreign policy and international human rights.
He has shared his expertise in a long chain of books including, “The Plot to Attack Iran,” “The Plot to Attack Venezuela,” “The Plot to Control the World” and his most recent book, “No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using ‘Humanitarian’ Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests.”
Today, the Trump administration is capitalizing on the global coronavirus pandemic to increasing pressure against sanctioned nations including Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and Syria; adding to a long list of nations — including Russia, China, Nicaragua and North Korea — that now represent the quarter of the world’s population living under the boot of U.S. economic warfare.
The continuation of these sanctions during a deadly pandemic has revealed the true nature of the maximum pressure campaign that is not only hurting economies but killing millions of people.
Despite being on the receiving end of this deadly policy – which includes decades of crippling sanctions, threats of war, and attempted coups through the funding of extremist opposition groups – victims of Washington’s heavy-handed foreign policy are rising above the challenge to cope with the coronavirus.
Eight of these targeted nations have made an appeal to the international community, penning a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN’s High Commissioner on Human Rights and the Director-General of the World Health Organization calling for an end to the unilateral American economic blockade, calling U.S. sanctions “illegal” and a blatant violation of international law and the charter of the United Nations.
Dan Kovalik joins us to take a deep dive into the history of Washington’s policy of sanctions and humanitarian intervention, a policy that provides the framework for the mass pillaging of foreign nations on behalf of the U.S. establishment. Kovalik also discusses the trail of genocide, civil wars, and some of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in human history that this policy has left in its wake.
This program is 100 percent listener supported! You can join the hundreds of financial sponsors who make this show possible by becoming a member on our Patreon page.
Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify and SoundCloud. Please leave us a review and share this segment.
Mnar Muhawesh is founder, CEO and editor in chief of MintPress News, and is also a regular speaker on responsible journalism, sexism, neoconservativism within the media and journalism start-ups.


mintpressnews--2020-05-01--Coronavirus: How Are European Countries Treating Refugees Amid the Pandemic?

As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading its tentacles throughout China and eventually to the rest of the world , the World Health Organization ( WHO ) , along with other international groups , sounded the alarm that refugees and migrants are particularly vulnerable to the deadly disease .
“ We strongly emphasize the need for inclusive national public health measures to ensure migrants and refugees have the same access to services as the resident population , in a culturally sensitive way , ” Dr. Santino Severoni , Special Adviser on Health and Migration at WHO/Europe implored governments throughout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ irregular ’ migrants and refugees have landed on European shores in 2019 alone , a large percentage from war-torn Syria .
Having hundreds of thousands of people navigate dangerous terrains or held under inhumane conditions in various camps and detention centers without proper medical care is already bad enough .
It is far worse , however , that these vulnerable groups are now enduring the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic without much government attention , a centralized strategy or even safe shelters .
Euronews reported last month on the story of 56 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , coming mostly from Afghanistan and various African countries .
Just as the coronavirus was peaking in Europe , these unfortunate escapees of war and poverty arrived to find that they have no protection , no assistance , and no prospect of any help arriving any time soon .
One Afghan refugee said that the group was left fending for itself , for fourteen days without any support , not even gloves or masks .
But not all European countries neglected the refugees , partially or entirely .
Although one of the poorest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legalize all of its undocumented refugees and migrants , therefore , providing them with the same medical attention and support as its own citizens .
Below , is a quick look at how European countries treated refugees and migrants since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic .
Spain , Belgium , the Netherlands , the United Kingdom , and other Council of Europe member states suspended the deportation of refugees to their own countries .
For its part , Spain has finally emptied its Centros de Enternamiento de Extranjeros ( CIE ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been criticized by various human rights groups in the past .
59 % of all refugees and migrants to Spain were reportedly held in the CIE. By early April , however , that percentage had gone down to zero , according to the Italian newspaper , Corriere della Sera .
It remains unclear , however , if and when CIE will resume their activities or if Spain will review the status of refugees and migrants who have been slated for deportation prior to the outbreak of the virus .
Spain ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its neighbor , Portugal .
The latter will treat all refugees and migrants , who have pending applications as permanent residents , starting July 1 .
The government decision was meant to secure refugees ’ and migrants ’ access to public services during the coronavirus outbreak .
“ Applicants including asylum seekers need only provide evidence of an ongoing request to qualify – granting them access to the national health service , welfare benefits , bank accounts , and work and rental contracts , ” Reuters reported .
A spokesman for Portugal ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Veloso , summed up the logic behind her government ’ s decision in a language that is , sadly , quite alien to the pervading European political discourse on refugees : One of the countries that has suffered most as a result of the coronavirus pandemic , Italy has a significant population of refugees and asylum seekers , numbering 300,000 by the end of 2018 .
On March 12 , due to the closure of courts across the country , the Italian government suspended all hearings and appeals relevant to asylum seekers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of refugees will be reviewed , considering the high death toll and the degree of economic devastation that has afflicted Italy in recent months .
Although , by law , all foreigners in Italy have access to the country ’ s healthcare system , “ many asylum seekers fear going to hospitals if undocumented , or face discrimination or language barriers , ” Refugees International said last March .
“ All this will make it harder to detect the virus in a highly vulnerable population , ” the refugee advocacy organization added .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and undocumented migrants has worsened , not only because of the spread of the coronavirus but also because of the government ’ s haphazard and uncaring response .
A sizable number of France ’ s refugee and migrant communities are minors who arrived to the country without being accompanied by adults .
The French government has been criticized repeatedly in the past for failing to address the issue of child refugees and migrants .
Shockingly , the government ’ s behavior was hardly altered by the spread of the coronavirus , leaving children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s worst healthcare crisis since the Spanish flu in 1918 .
“ The treatment of these children by the authorities was already unacceptable before the epidemic , and today it is not only intolerable but also dangerous , ” Benedicte Jeannerod , France director at Human Rights Watch warned in March .
“ The authorities should urgently address this and provide these children with shelter and access to essential services to stop the spread of coronavirus in this already vulnerable group , ” he added .
In the Ellwangen camp in Southwest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ nearly half of the roughly 600 people at ( the ) refugee camp … have tested positive for Covid-19 , but are being forced to share facilities with everyone else.
” “ We stayed in the same building and flat as people who had been tested positive for two days .
We used the same kitchens and had meals with them .
Because of this neglect , we will also get corona , ” a refugee at the camp told The Guardian .
The refugees ’ biggest concern in Germany is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deportation , but to medical neglect as well , as detention camps are overcrowded and refugees are getting infected with the virus in droves .
While some European governments speak of human solidarity , and , as in the case of Portugal , back their words with actions , others remain as unbenevolent and as unkind as ever .
That said , neglecting the refugees while fighting to halt the spread of the coronavirus is as foolish as it is inhumane .
The last few months have taught us that provisional and self-centered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of global healthcare crises .
The mistreatment of refugees by some European countries , however , should not come as a complete surprise , for vulnerable refugees have suffered immense hardship while seeking a safe haven on the continent for many years .
In fact , Europe seems to have run out of solidarity for its own so-called ‘ European community ’ , leaving poor EU members , such as Italy and Spain battling the deadly virus alone , without extending a helping hand or , at times , even mere words of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Cameroon detained by Greek authorities sits in a room in the village of Marasia , Greece , March 2 , 2020 .
Giannis Papanikos | AP Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle .
He is the author of five books .
His latest is “ These Chains Will Be Broken : Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons ” ( Clarity Press , Atlanta ) .
Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs ( CIGA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
His website is www.ramzybaroud.net Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and the managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle .
Her articles appeared in many online newspapers and academic journals .
She holds a Master ’ s Degree in Foreign Languages and Literature , and specializes in audio-visual and journalism translation .

As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading its tentacles throughout China and eventually to the rest of the world, the World Health Organization (WHO), along with other international groups, sounded the alarm that refugees and migrants are particularly vulnerable to the deadly disease.
“We strongly emphasize the need for inclusive national public health measures to ensure migrants and refugees have the same access to services as the resident population, in a culturally sensitive way,” Dr. Santino Severoni, Special Adviser on Health and Migration at WHO/Europe implored governments throughout the continent.
More than 120,000 ‘irregular’ migrants and refugees have landed on European shores in 2019 alone, a large percentage from war-torn Syria.
Having hundreds of thousands of people navigate dangerous terrains or held under inhumane conditions in various camps and detention centers without proper medical care is already bad enough. It is far worse, however, that these vulnerable groups are now enduring the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic without much government attention, a centralized strategy or even safe shelters.
Euronews reported last month on the story of 56 people arriving on the Greek island of Lesbos, coming mostly from Afghanistan and various African countries.
Just as the coronavirus was peaking in Europe, these unfortunate escapees of war and poverty arrived to find that they have no protection, no assistance, and no prospect of any help arriving any time soon.
One Afghan refugee said that the group was left fending for itself, for fourteen days without any support, not even gloves or masks.
But not all European countries neglected the refugees, partially or entirely. Although one of the poorest European countries, Portugal has decided to legalize all of its undocumented refugees and migrants, therefore, providing them with the same medical attention and support as its own citizens.
Below, is a quick look at how European countries treated refugees and migrants since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Spain
Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and other Council of Europe member states suspended the deportation of refugees to their own countries.
For its part, Spain has finally emptied its Centros de Enternamiento de Extranjeros (CIE), the notorious detention and deportation centers that have been criticized by various human rights groups in the past.
59% of all refugees and migrants to Spain were reportedly held in the CIE. By early April, however, that percentage had gone down to zero, according to the Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera.
It remains unclear, however, if and when CIE will resume their activities or if Spain will review the status of refugees and migrants who have been slated for deportation prior to the outbreak of the virus.
Portugal
Spain’s precautionary measures are different from those of its neighbor, Portugal. The latter will treat all refugees and migrants, who have pending applications as permanent residents, starting July 1.
The government decision was meant to secure refugees’ and migrants’ access to public services during the coronavirus outbreak.
“Applicants including asylum seekers need only provide evidence of an ongoing request to qualify – granting them access to the national health service, welfare benefits, bank accounts, and work and rental contracts,” Reuters reported.
A spokesman for Portugal’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, Claudia Veloso, summed up the logic behind her government’s decision in a language that is, sadly, quite alien to the pervading European political discourse on refugees:
People should not be deprived of their rights to health and public service just because their application has not yet been processed. In these exceptional times, the rights of migrants must be guaranteed.”
Italy
One of the countries that has suffered most as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Italy has a significant population of refugees and asylum seekers, numbering 300,000 by the end of 2018.
On March 12, due to the closure of courts across the country, the Italian government suspended all hearings and appeals relevant to asylum seekers. It remains unclear when the pending status of refugees will be reviewed, considering the high death toll and the degree of economic devastation that has afflicted Italy in recent months.
Although, by law, all foreigners in Italy have access to the country’s healthcare system, “many asylum seekers fear going to hospitals if undocumented, or face discrimination or language barriers,” Refugees International said last March.
“All this will make it harder to detect the virus in a highly vulnerable population,” the refugee advocacy organization added.
France
The fate of France’s refugees and undocumented migrants has worsened, not only because of the spread of the coronavirus but also because of the government’s haphazard and uncaring response.
A sizable number of France’s refugee and migrant communities are minors who arrived to the country without being accompanied by adults. The French government has been criticized repeatedly in the past for failing to address the issue of child refugees and migrants. Shockingly, the government’s behavior was hardly altered by the spread of the coronavirus, leaving children in a legal limbo during the world’s worst healthcare crisis since the Spanish flu in 1918.
“The treatment of these children by the authorities was already unacceptable before the epidemic, and today it is not only intolerable but also dangerous,” Benedicte Jeannerod, France director at Human Rights Watch warned in March.
“The authorities should urgently address this and provide these children with shelter and access to essential services to stop the spread of coronavirus in this already vulnerable group,” he added.
Germany
In the Ellwangen camp in Southwest Germany, the EU Observer reported that “nearly half of the roughly 600 people at (the) refugee camp … have tested positive for Covid-19, but are being forced to share facilities with everyone else.”
“We stayed in the same building and flat as people who had been tested positive for two days. We used the same kitchens and had meals with them. Because of this neglect, we will also get corona,” a refugee at the camp told The Guardian.
The refugees’ biggest concern in Germany is not pertaining to their legal status and potential deportation, but to medical neglect as well, as detention camps are overcrowded and refugees are getting infected with the virus in droves.
While some European governments speak of human solidarity, and, as in the case of Portugal, back their words with actions, others remain as unbenevolent and as unkind as ever.
That said, neglecting the refugees while fighting to halt the spread of the coronavirus is as foolish as it is inhumane. The last few months have taught us that provisional and self-centered strategies do not apply in the cases of global healthcare crises.
The mistreatment of refugees by some European countries, however, should not come as a complete surprise, for vulnerable refugees have suffered immense hardship while seeking a safe haven on the continent for many years.
In fact, Europe seems to have run out of solidarity for its own so-called ‘European community’, leaving poor EU members, such as Italy and Spain battling the deadly virus alone, without extending a helping hand or, at times, even mere words of sympathy.
Feature photo | A refugee from Cameroon detained by Greek authorities sits in a room in the village of Marasia, Greece, March 2, 2020. Giannis Papanikos | AP
Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of five books. His latest is “These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons” (Clarity Press, Atlanta). Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA), Istanbul Zaim University (IZU). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net
Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and the managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle. Her articles appeared in many online newspapers and academic journals. She holds a Master’s Degree in Foreign Languages and Literature, and specializes in audio-visual and journalism translation.


mintpressnews--2020-05-04--US Government Fears China will Give Away COVID-19 Vaccine for Free

The number of official global coronavirus mortalities surpassed a quarter of a million people today , including over 69,000 in the U.S. ( although this is very likely an undercount ) .
Polls show that the American people are extremely worried about contracting the virus .
However , the government has a much bigger concern : that if they find a COVID-19 vaccine , China will copy it and distribute it for free .
To many , it will not be immediately clear why it would be a problem for a manufacturing superpower , home to 1.4 billion people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the White House , this would be “ stealing ” a potential American innovation .
“ Biomedical research has long been a focus of theft , especially by the Chinese government , and vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus are today ’ s holy grail , ” said John C. Demers , the Assistant Attorney General for National Security , adding that , “ Putting aside the commercial value , there would be great geopolitical significance to being the first to develop a treatment or vaccine .
We will use all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The fact that intellectual property and the profits of multinational pharmaceutical corporations are officially being put before saving lives , even during a pandemic threatening the entirety of humanity , was not mentioned by The New York Times , who covered Demers ’ s remarks .
Dean Baker , Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Utah and Senior Economist at the Center for Economic Policy Research in Washington , D.C. , offered an alternative view , claiming that he would be delighted if China “ stole ” vaccine technology and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telling MintPress News that : The coronavirus pandemic is a clear instance in which the whole world shares a common interest in developing and distributing a vaccine .
This should mean that we have open research , where all findings are posted on the web as quickly as possible , so that they can build on them .
Once a vaccine is developed we should want it spread throughout the world as quickly as possible at the lowest possible cost .
Trump ’ s concern that China would somehow “ steal ” a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about protecting someone ’ s profits here , as well as possibly an ego trip ( we ’ re number one ) than possibly saving hundreds of thousands of lives .
Baker has previously advocated for replacing the system of private medical research with a publicly-funded open source system that he believes will not only save lives but will save money .
That the U.S. government is accusing other nations of hypothetical theft during the pandemic is particularly noteworthy , seeing as it leads the world in the confiscation and detention of medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries .
Barbados , for example , has accused the Trump administration of “ modern piracy ” after it blocked a shipment of 20 ventilators to the island , instead , keeping them for itself .
U.S. officials also hijacked a plane full of 60 million masks bound for France while on the runway of a Chinese airport .
Meanwhile , at the height of the pandemic , an American military plane mysteriously managed to fly back to Tennessee with half a million test kits from Lombardy , Italy .
American pharmaceutical corporations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Chinese COVID-19 patients , hoping to better understand what works as an effective treatment .
In March , the Trump administration attempted to compel a German pharmaceutical corporation to move production to the U.S. in order to make sure that America alone had access to and control of any coronavirus vaccine it might produce .
The president reportedly wished to ensure that it would only be available on a for-profit basis .
“ Germany is not for sale , ” the country ’ s outraged economy minister replied , rejecting the profit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American scientist Jonas Salk pioneered a world-changing vaccine against polio , a deadly disease that tens of thousands of Americans contracted annually .
Instead of patenting it and making a fortune , he insisted that his invention belonged to all of humanity .
By 1994 , polio was eradicated in North America .
Yet 70 years later , the logic of capitalism dictates that where there is great utility , there are enormous profits to be made , and anyone acting outside that system to reproduce a vaccine is not acting responsibly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington wants to limit those who can drink from any “ holy grail ” it might find to those who can pay for it shows how far we have come from Salk ’ s days .
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

The number of official global coronavirus mortalities surpassed a quarter of a million people today, including over 69,000 in the U.S. (although this is very likely an undercount). Polls show that the American people are extremely worried about contracting the virus. However, the government has a much bigger concern: that if they find a COVID-19 vaccine, China will copy it and distribute it for free.
To many, it will not be immediately clear why it would be a problem for a manufacturing superpower, home to 1.4 billion people, to inoculate itself and others. But to the White House, this would be “stealing” a potential American innovation. “Biomedical research has long been a focus of theft, especially by the Chinese government, and vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus are today’s holy grail,” said John C. Demers, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, adding that, “Putting aside the commercial value, there would be great geopolitical significance to being the first to develop a treatment or vaccine. We will use all the tools we have to safeguard American research.” The fact that intellectual property and the profits of multinational pharmaceutical corporations are officially being put before saving lives, even during a pandemic threatening the entirety of humanity, was not mentioned by The New York Times, who covered Demers’s remarks.
Dean Baker, Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Utah and Senior Economist at the Center for Economic Policy Research in Washington, D.C., offered an alternative view, claiming that he would be delighted if China “stole” vaccine technology and gave it to billions of people, telling MintPress News that:
The coronavirus pandemic is a clear instance in which the whole world shares a common interest in developing and distributing a vaccine. This should mean that we have open research, where all findings are posted on the web as quickly as possible, so that they can build on them. Once a vaccine is developed we should want it spread throughout the world as quickly as possible at the lowest possible cost. Trump’s concern that China would somehow “steal” a vaccine means that he is more concerned about protecting someone’s profits here, as well as possibly an ego trip (we’re number one) than possibly saving hundreds of thousands of lives.
Baker has previously advocated for replacing the system of private medical research with a publicly-funded open source system that he believes will not only save lives but will save money.
That the U.S. government is accusing other nations of hypothetical theft during the pandemic is particularly noteworthy, seeing as it leads the world in the confiscation and detention of medical supplies paid for and bound for other countries. Barbados, for example, has accused the Trump administration of “modern piracy” after it blocked a shipment of 20 ventilators to the island, instead, keeping them for itself. U.S. officials also hijacked a plane full of 60 million masks bound for France while on the runway of a Chinese airport. Meanwhile, at the height of the pandemic, an American military plane mysteriously managed to fly back to Tennessee with half a million test kits from Lombardy, Italy.
American pharmaceutical corporations have also been testing out their products on Chinese COVID-19 patients, hoping to better understand what works as an effective treatment. In March, the Trump administration attempted to compel a German pharmaceutical corporation to move production to the U.S. in order to make sure that America alone had access to and control of any coronavirus vaccine it might produce. The president reportedly wished to ensure that it would only be available on a for-profit basis. “Germany is not for sale,” the country’s outraged economy minister replied, rejecting the profit motive.
In the early 1950s, American scientist Jonas Salk pioneered a world-changing vaccine against polio, a deadly disease that tens of thousands of Americans contracted annually. Instead of patenting it and making a fortune, he insisted that his invention belonged to all of humanity. By 1994, polio was eradicated in North America. Yet 70 years later, the logic of capitalism dictates that where there is great utility, there are enormous profits to be made, and anyone acting outside that system to reproduce a vaccine is not acting responsibly, but “stealing.” The fact that Washington wants to limit those who can drink from any “holy grail” it might find to those who can pay for it shows how far we have come from Salk’s days.
Feature photo | A Chinese scientist observing experimental SARS vaccine living in a culture medium. Photo | Xinhua via AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-05-04--New Details Emerge Linking US to Latest Coup Attempt in Venezuela

The government of Venezuela is celebrating after thwarting another foreign-backed coup attempt Sunday , just two days after self-declared another coup attempt by “ Interim President ” Juan Guaidó ended in total failure .
A flotilla of small speed boats filled with up to 300 paramilitary units , sailed from their training ground in Colombia heading for a port near the country ’ s capital Caracas , from where they were aiming to kickstart an insurrection .
They confidently predicted they would be in the Miraflores presidential palace within 96 hours .
However , the mission went spectacularly wrong almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Venezuelan Navy , who reportedly killed at least eight in the fighting at sea , capturing many others .
Interior Minister Nestor Reverol appeared on television to inform the public that in the early hours of Sunday , “ A maritime invasion was attempted by a group of terrorist mercenaries coming from Colombia with the intent of committing acts of terrorism in the country , assassinating leaders of the revolutionary government , increase the spiral of violence , generate chaos and confusion among the public , and from that , spark a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ etat.
” Reverol praised the quick response of the armed forces and police in repelling the invasion .
“ It would seem that the foiled imperialists ’ attempts to overthrow the legitimately constituted government led by Nicolas Maduro has pushed them to formulate excessive actions that , without any doubt , deserve the forceful repudiation of our people and the international community , ” he concluded .
Both Guaidó and the U.S. State Department denied any involvement in the embarrassing affair , the latter releasing a statement reading “ The Maduro regime has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in order to shift focus from its mismanagement of Venezuela.
” On Friday , Guaidó attempted his own coup d ’ etat , apparently with U.S. input , but it went so poorly that few , even inside Venezuela , noticed .
However , there is extremely strong evidence to suggest that both Guaidó and the U.S. government were intimately involved in the botched insurrection from the start , and it is not clear that Friday ’ s attempt was distinct from Sunday ’ s .
Firstly , Jordan Goudreau , an ex-Green @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private mercenary organization in Florida came forward to reveal that he organized the coup attempt – and he had the receipts to prove it .
Goudreau produced a signed $ 212 million contract drawn up between him and Guaidó , where the Venezuelan would pay his company nearly a quarter-billion dollars for “ strategic planning ” and “ project execution ” services .
Goudreau said he had also been in contact with the U.S. government .
Furthermore , in an interview , one of the captured coup-plotters confirmed that two American citizens have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connected to President Trump ’ s security team .
It should also be understood that Goudreau is not a whistleblower .
Far from it ; he is proud of his actions , despite their failure .
“ Nothing I ’ m doing is illegal , ” he dubiously asserted , “ There are other people in the country who are ready to flip .
They just need a catalyst , ” he added , just as questionably .
His social media accounts show him to be a strong supporter of President Trump and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Movement .
The only reason he produced the documents , he revealed , is that Guaidó stiffed him for the money , refusing to pay even a $ 1.5 million retainer fee .
“ They kept promising to pay , week after week , ” he revealed in an interview with a Spanish-language TV station .
This sort of behavior is perhaps not unexpected coming from a politician who promised Mike Pence that he controlled half the Venezuelan military and is widely accused of embezzling over $ 90 million of U.S. public money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a favorability rating of 10 percent and an unfavorability rating of 69 percent .
That was before he was removed by his allies from his role of head of the Venezuelan National Assembly and even removed as a member of his own party .
Goudreau ’ s company , Silvercorp , is a private entity , but could not do what it does across Latin America without the aid of the United States .
In recent decades , the practice of regime change has been outsourced from the government itself to semi-private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form of plausible deniability to its operations .
National Endowment for Democracy founder Allen Weinstein helpfully explained to The Washington Post what his organization ’ s role was : “ A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA , ” he said .
However , when it comes to Venezuela , the U.S. has been far from successful .
The weekend ’ s coup attempts were the latest in a long line of botched U.S.-backed regime change attempts .
In 2019 , Juan Guaidó tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and twice in November – to overthrow Maduro and force his way into power , despite never having even run for the nation ’ s top office .
The attempt in April consisted mostly of him posing on a bridge above a military base , insisting to the nation that he had captured it and the armed forces were rebelling against Maduro .
The charade became increasingly hard to sustain after state TV began broadcasting from inside the base , revealing how small his group of supporters were .
The November coups went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even realize they had happened .
Meanwhile , his co-conspirators from the January event fled to the U.S. , where they thought they would be treated as heroes .
Instead , they were arrested and incarcerated in an ICE concentration camp for illegally crossing the border , and have remained there ever since .
In 2018 , the opposition attempted to assassinate Maduro using a drone bomb while he was giving a public speech .
In 2014 and 2017 it unleashed a deadly wave of terror , bombing subway stations , buses , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and lynching and burning Afro-Venezuelans in the street .
This was largely presented as a peaceful protest in Western media .
Meanwhile , in 2013 and 2018 they refused to accept their electoral defeats , instead urging their supporters to “ vent their anger ” on the streets , leading to many deaths .
Going further back , in 2001 , they attempted to have former President Hugo Chavez sectioned under the mental health clause in the new constitution , claiming he was insane .
Throughout this , the United States has provided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of dollars funding any group opposing the socialists .
In recent years it has also inflicted deadly sanctions on the country , responsible for economic collapse and over 100,000 deaths , according to an American UN Special Rapporteur who visited the country .
All this in the name of democracy promotion .
“ What do you want us to do ?
” asked one of Sunday ’ s coup leaders .
“ It may take five , even ten failed attempts , but we will get rid of this government.
” What a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-democracy activists can wage decade-long campaigns of terrorism , assassinations and coups , free to travel the country and the world promoting their cause with virtually no consequences from the tyrannical government .
Feature photo | Security forces patrol near the shore in the port city of La Guaira , Venezuela , May 3 , 2020 .
Matias Delacroix | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

The government of Venezuela is celebrating after thwarting another foreign-backed coup attempt Sunday, just two days after self-declared another coup attempt by “Interim President” Juan Guaidó ended in total failure. A flotilla of small speed boats filled with up to 300 paramilitary units, sailed from their training ground in Colombia heading for a port near the country’s capital Caracas, from where they were aiming to kickstart an insurrection. They confidently predicted they would be in the Miraflores presidential palace within 96 hours. However, the mission went spectacularly wrong almost immediately, as they were intercepted by the Venezuelan Navy, who reportedly killed at least eight in the fighting at sea, capturing many others.
Interior Minister Nestor Reverol appeared on television to inform the public that in the early hours of Sunday, “A maritime invasion was attempted by a group of terrorist mercenaries coming from Colombia with the intent of committing acts of terrorism in the country, assassinating leaders of the revolutionary government, increase the spiral of violence, generate chaos and confusion among the public, and from that, spark a new attempt at a coup d’etat.” Reverol praised the quick response of the armed forces and police in repelling the invasion. “It would seem that the foiled imperialists’ attempts to overthrow the legitimately constituted government led by Nicolas Maduro has pushed them to formulate excessive actions that, without any doubt, deserve the forceful repudiation of our people and the international community,” he concluded.
[English subtitles] Statements by Venezuela's Minister of Interior @NestorLReverol on this morning's foiled mercenary terrorist incursion on the coast of La Guaira (via @camilateleSUR) https://t.co/BfW9QrHqey pic.twitter.com/bxhlNkguT1 — Hands Off Venezuela (@HOVcampaign) May 3, 2020
The American connection
Both Guaidó and the U.S. State Department denied any involvement in the embarrassing affair, the latter releasing a statement reading “The Maduro regime has been consistent in its use of misinformation in order to shift focus from its mismanagement of Venezuela.” On Friday, Guaidó attempted his own coup d’etat, apparently with U.S. input, but it went so poorly that few, even inside Venezuela, noticed.
However, there is extremely strong evidence to suggest that both Guaidó and the U.S. government were intimately involved in the botched insurrection from the start, and it is not clear that Friday’s attempt was distinct from Sunday’s. Firstly, Jordan Goudreau, an ex-Green Beret and the owner of a large private mercenary organization in Florida came forward to reveal that he organized the coup attempt – and he had the receipts to prove it. Goudreau produced a signed $212 million contract drawn up between him and Guaidó, where the Venezuelan would pay his company nearly a quarter-billion dollars for “strategic planning” and “project execution” services. Goudreau said he had also been in contact with the U.S. government. Furthermore, in an interview, one of the captured coup-plotters confirmed that two American citizens have also been detained and that they are connected to President Trump’s security team.
It should also be understood that Goudreau is not a whistleblower. Far from it; he is proud of his actions, despite their failure. “Nothing I’m doing is illegal,” he dubiously asserted, “There are other people in the country who are ready to flip. They just need a catalyst,” he added, just as questionably. His social media accounts show him to be a strong supporter of President Trump and the “Make America Great Again” Movement. The only reason he produced the documents, he revealed, is that Guaidó stiffed him for the money, refusing to pay even a $1.5 million retainer fee. “They kept promising to pay, week after week,” he revealed in an interview with a Spanish-language TV station. This sort of behavior is perhaps not unexpected coming from a politician who promised Mike Pence that he controlled half the Venezuelan military and is widely accused of embezzling over $90 million of U.S. public money. A December poll found him to have a favorability rating of 10 percent and an unfavorability rating of 69 percent. That was before he was removed by his allies from his role of head of the Venezuelan National Assembly and even removed as a member of his own party.
Goudreau’s company, Silvercorp, is a private entity, but could not do what it does across Latin America without the aid of the United States. In recent decades, the practice of regime change has been outsourced from the government itself to semi-private corporations, giving the White House some form of plausible deniability to its operations. National Endowment for Democracy founder Allen Weinstein helpfully explained to The Washington Post what his organization’s role was: “A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA,” he said. However, when it comes to Venezuela, the U.S. has been far from successful.
A timeline of incompetence
The weekend’s coup attempts were the latest in a long line of botched U.S.-backed regime change attempts. In 2019, Juan Guaidó tried four times – in January, April and twice in November – to overthrow Maduro and force his way into power, despite never having even run for the nation’s top office. The attempt in April consisted mostly of him posing on a bridge above a military base, insisting to the nation that he had captured it and the armed forces were rebelling against Maduro. The charade became increasingly hard to sustain after state TV began broadcasting from inside the base, revealing how small his group of supporters were. The November coups went so poorly that most Venezuelans did not even realize they had happened. Meanwhile, his co-conspirators from the January event fled to the U.S., where they thought they would be treated as heroes. Instead, they were arrested and incarcerated in an ICE concentration camp for illegally crossing the border, and have remained there ever since.
In 2018, the opposition attempted to assassinate Maduro using a drone bomb while he was giving a public speech. In 2014 and 2017 it unleashed a deadly wave of terror, bombing subway stations, buses, grain stores, pre-schools and universities, and lynching and burning Afro-Venezuelans in the street. This was largely presented as a peaceful protest in Western media. Meanwhile, in 2013 and 2018 they refused to accept their electoral defeats, instead urging their supporters to “vent their anger” on the streets, leading to many deaths. Going further back, in 2001, they attempted to have former President Hugo Chavez sectioned under the mental health clause in the new constitution, claiming he was insane. Throughout this, the United States has provided crucial help, spending hundreds of millions of dollars funding any group opposing the socialists. In recent years it has also inflicted deadly sanctions on the country, responsible for economic collapse and over 100,000 deaths, according to an American UN Special Rapporteur who visited the country. All this in the name of democracy promotion.
“What do you want us to do?” asked one of Sunday’s coup leaders. “It may take five, even ten failed attempts, but we will get rid of this government.” What a strange dictatorship Venezuela is, where world-renowned pro-democracy activists can wage decade-long campaigns of terrorism, assassinations and coups, free to travel the country and the world promoting their cause with virtually no consequences from the tyrannical government.
Feature photo | Security forces patrol near the shore in the port city of La Guaira, Venezuela, May 3, 2020. Matias Delacroix | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-05-04--FBI Documents Hint at Israeli Collusion with 2016 Trump Campaign

Menifee , CA ( IAK ) — Newly released FBI documents suggest that Israeli government officials were in contact with the 2016 Trump presidential campaign and offered “ critical intel.
” In one of the extensively redacted documents , an official who appears to be an Israeli minister warns that Trump was “ going to be defeated unless we intervene.
” He goes on to tell a Trump campaign official : “ The key is in your hands.
” The previously classified documents were released in response to a lawsuit brought by the Associated Press , CNN , the New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington Post .
The unsealed documents suggest that rather than Russia , it was Israel that covertly interfered in the election .
While all these media companies except one seem to have ignored the apparent Israeli connection revealed in the FBI documents , Israeli media have been quick to jump on it .
The Times of Israel ( TOI ) the first to report on this , states : TOI points out : “ Benjamin Netanyahu was Israel ’ s prime minister in 2016 , ” and reports circumstantial evidence that the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Netanyahu : TOI also notes that “ the Israeli government included a minister without portfolio , Tzachi Hanegbi , appointed in May with responsibility for defense and foreign affairs.
” Ha ’ aretz also names Hanebi as the likely contact , and confirms that he “ was in the United States on the dates mentioned , attending , among other things , a roll out of the first Israeli F-35 jet at a Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth , Texas.
” The previously classified FBI affidavit says : “ On or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name redacted ] messaged STONE , “ Roger , hello from Jerusalem .
Any progress ?
He is going to be defeated unless we intervene .
We have critical intell .
The key is in your hands !
Back in the US next week.
” Another section of the affidavit states : “ On August 20 , 2016 , CORSI told STONE that they needed to meet with [ name redacted ] to determine “ what if anything Israel plans to do in Oct. ” ( Corsi refers to Jerome Corsi , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statements . )
Roger Stone , a longtime confidant of President Trump who worked on the 2016 campaign , was convicted last year in the Robert Mueller investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign .
Stone has denied wrongdoing , consistently criticizing the accusations against him as politically motivated .
Numerous analysts have found the “ Russiagate ” theory unconvincing , and the American Bar Association reported that Mueller ’ s investigation “ did not find sufficient evidence that President Donald Trump ’ s campaign coordinated with Russia to influence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There have been previous suggestions that it was Israel that had most worked to influence the election .
Among others , MIT Professor emeritus Noam Chomsky discussed Israeli electoral interference on the news program Democracy Now ) : “ If you ’ re interested in foreign interference in our elections , whatever the Russians may have done barely counts or weighs in the balance as compared with what another state does , openly , brazenly and with enormous support.
” The Mueller investigation similarly revealed indications of Israeli interference in the election , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was largely hidden .
The Israeli newspaper reports : “ References to some sort of Israeli involvement in Trump ’ s 2016 campaign cropped up during Robert Mueller ’ s official investigation of the so-called Russia collusion affair , but were thoroughly redacted.
” Ha ’ aretz continues : “ A disproportionately large number of people investigated or questioned in the Mueller probe – oligarchs , advisers and cyber specialists – also had ties to the Israeli establishment.
” The article goes on to report : “ Perhaps it ’ s worth mentioning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manager Paul Manafort were close collaborators with Netanyahu ’ s legendary strategist and world-class dirty campaigner , the late Arthur Finkelstein .
They and others were known as ‘ Arthur ’ s boys.
’ ” The Justice Department originally tried to keep the FBI documents classified .
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Zelinsky claimed that releasing them would threaten ongoing investigations and the “ privacy of third parties.
” The unsealed document now suggests that one of the third parties being protected was Israel .
Zelinsky is a longtime Israel advocate who had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He previously lived in Israel and served as a law clerk for the Israeli Supreme Court .
He is currently active in a Baltimore synagogue that has close connections to Israel .
While such direct ties to the Israeli government have rarely been proven , pro-Israel lobbyists have long been known to play an important role in U.S. Middle East policies .
Megadonor Sheldon Adelson is widely credited with driving Trump ’ s Mideast policies .
( Adelson once said that he regretted serving in the U.S. Army instead of the Israeli military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pro-Israel billionaires funding Republicans .
The same situation has long occurred with the Democratic party .
The Clintons ’ policies were similarly influenced by Israeli megadonor Haim Saban .
Many of the recent Democratic candidates were reliant on campaign donations from Israel partisans .
Pete Buttigieg , for example , had 18 pro-Israel billionaires supporting him .
Sometimes Democratic and Republican donors have worked together on behalf of Israel .
Adelson and Saban , for example , joined forces in a 2015 summit in Las Vegas to raise money for Israel activism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would pledge at least a million dollars .
In 2018 Saban and Republican donor Paul singer co-hosted a dinner for the Trump peace team .
Americans have the right to the full facts Former CIA and military intelligence officer Philip Giraldi says that the Justice Department should un-redact the portions regarding Israel .
Giraldi , who is executive director of the Council for the National Interest , says : The intelligence referred to is assumed to be the various emails and memos that were then published later that year by Wikileaks , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the FBI documents .
These Wikileaks documents revealed the Democratic Party establishment ’ s manipulations to defeat Bernie Sanders and nominate Hillary Clinton , how the Clinton Foundation was used for personal enrichment , CNN commentator and DNC Chair Donna Brazile giving Hillary ’ s campaign the questions ahead of the debates , Hillary ’ s politically embarrassing , paid speeches to Wall Street donors , etc .
Wikileaks revelations in later years also ended up exposing Israeli actions .
Among other things , Wikileaks revealed Israeli plans to keep Gaza on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence against Palestinian nonviolence , and to make war upon civilians .
Wikileaks exposed a memo that “ helped kill a half million people in Syria .
The memo , by U.S. diplomat James Rubin , said that “ bringing down Assad ” would be a “ massive boon to Israel ’ s security.
” Wikileaks also exposed the fraudulence of “ Russiagate.
” In his years running Wikileaks , founder Julian Assange published information that exposed corruption and malfeasance by a wide variety of actors , including the U.S. government .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this “ crime , ” his health steadily deteriorating under conditions that have been called torture .
It is unclear to what degree Wikileaks ’ revelations played a role in Trump ’ s win .
The U.S. media largely avoided the information Wikileaks exposed , and instead focused on allegations of a supposed Russian connection .
The fact is that Hillary had grown increasingly unpopular , failed to connect with many working Americans , and voters have become increasingly anti-establishment and displeased with the extremely costly and tragic military actions she favored .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ minor factor , there is no doubt that its exposés were unfavorable for the Clintons and the Democratic establishment .
Therefore , it is interesting to see that even with Republican Donald Trump in office , the U.S. government continues to pursue Assange .
Perhaps future leaks will clarify what or who is driving this .
Feature photo | President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House , Jan. 27 , 2020 , in Washington .
Evan Vucci | AP Alison Weir is executive director of If Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the National Interest , and author of Against Our Better Judgment : The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel .

Menifee, CA (IAK) — Newly released FBI documents suggest that Israeli government officials were in contact with the 2016 Trump presidential campaign and offered “critical intel.”
In one of the extensively redacted documents, an official who appears to be an Israeli minister warns that Trump was “going to be defeated unless we intervene.” He goes on to tell a Trump campaign official: “The key is in your hands.”
The previously classified documents were released in response to a lawsuit brought by the Associated Press, CNN, the New York Times, Politico, and the Washington Post. The unsealed documents suggest that rather than Russia, it was Israel that covertly interfered in the election.
While all these media companies except one seem to have ignored the apparent Israeli connection revealed in the FBI documents, Israeli media have been quick to jump on it.
Israel’s i24 News reports:
Newly released documents from the FBI suggest that Roger Stone, a senior aide in the 2016 Trump campaign, had one or more high-ranking contacts in the Israeli government willing to help the then-Republican Party nominee win the presidential election.”
Israel’s Ha’aretz newspaper reports:
Tantalizing hints” of “alleged clandestine contacts came to light in recent publication of redacted FBI documents.”
The Times of Israel (TOI) the first to report on this, states:
The FBI material, which is heavily redacted, includes one explicit reference to Israel and one to Jerusalem, and a series of references to a minister, a cabinet minister, a minister without portfolio in the cabinet dealing with issues concerning defense and foreign affairs,’ the PM, and the Prime Minister.”
TOI points out: “Benjamin Netanyahu was Israel’s prime minister in 2016,” and reports circumstantial evidence that the “PM” mentioned in the document refers to Netanyahu:
One reference to the unnamed PM in the material reads as follows: ‘On or about June 28, 2016, [NAME REDACTED] messaged STONE, “RETURNING TO DC AFTER URGENT CONSULTATIONS WITH PM IN ROME.MUST MEET WITH YOU WED. EVE AND WITH DJ TRUMP THURSDAY IN NYC.’ Netanyahu made a state visit to Italy at the end of June 2016.”
TOI also notes that “the Israeli government included a minister without portfolio, Tzachi Hanegbi, appointed in May with responsibility for defense and foreign affairs.”
Ha’aretz also names Hanebi as the likely contact, and confirms that he “was in the United States on the dates mentioned, attending, among other things, a roll out of the first Israeli F-35 jet at a Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, Texas.”
The previously classified FBI affidavit says: “On or about August 12, 2016, [name redacted] messaged STONE, “Roger, hello from Jerusalem. Any progress? He is going to be defeated unless we intervene. We have critical intell. The key is in your hands! Back in the US next week.”
Another section of the affidavit states: “On August 20, 2016, CORSI told STONE that they needed to meet with [name redacted] to determine “what if anything Israel plans to do in Oct.” (Corsi refers to Jerome Corsi, a pro-Israel commentator and author known for extremist statements.)
Roger Stone, a longtime confidant of President Trump who worked on the 2016 campaign, was convicted last year in the Robert Mueller investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.
Stone has denied wrongdoing, consistently criticizing the accusations against him as politically motivated. Numerous analysts have found the “Russiagate” theory unconvincing, and the American Bar Association reported that Mueller’s investigation “did not find sufficient evidence that President Donald Trump’s campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the United States’ 2016 election.”
There have been previous suggestions that it was Israel that had most worked to influence the election.
Among others, MIT Professor emeritus Noam Chomsky discussed Israeli electoral interference on the news program Democracy Now):
“If you’re interested in foreign interference in our elections, whatever the Russians may have done barely counts or weighs in the balance as compared with what another state does, openly, brazenly and with enormous support.”
Mueller investigation redacted Israeli involvement
The Mueller investigation similarly revealed indications of Israeli interference in the election, but Ha’aretz reports that this was largely hidden.
The Israeli newspaper reports: “References to some sort of Israeli involvement in Trump’s 2016 campaign cropped up during Robert Mueller’s official investigation of the so-called Russia collusion affair, but were thoroughly redacted.”
Ha’aretz continues: “A disproportionately large number of people investigated or questioned in the Mueller probe – oligarchs, advisers and cyber specialists – also had ties to the Israeli establishment.”
The article goes on to report: “Perhaps it’s worth mentioning that both Stone and convicted Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort were close collaborators with Netanyahu’s legendary strategist and world-class dirty campaigner, the late Arthur Finkelstein. They and others were known as ‘Arthur’s boys.’”
The Justice Department originally tried to keep the FBI documents classified. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Zelinsky claimed that releasing them would threaten ongoing investigations and the “privacy of third parties.” The unsealed document now suggests that one of the third parties being protected was Israel.
Zelinsky is a longtime Israel advocate who had been part of Mueller’s team. He previously lived in Israel and served as a law clerk for the Israeli Supreme Court. He is currently active in a Baltimore synagogue that has close connections to Israel.
Israel partisans are major campaign donors
While such direct ties to the Israeli government have rarely been proven, pro-Israel lobbyists have long been known to play an important role in U.S. Middle East policies.
Megadonor Sheldon Adelson is widely credited with driving Trump’s Mideast policies. (Adelson once said that he regretted serving in the U.S. Army instead of the Israeli military.) Adelson is just one of the pro-Israel billionaires funding Republicans.
The same situation has long occurred with the Democratic party. The Clintons’ policies were similarly influenced by Israeli megadonor Haim Saban. Many of the recent Democratic candidates were reliant on campaign donations from Israel partisans. Pete Buttigieg, for example, had 18 pro-Israel billionaires supporting him.
Sometimes Democratic and Republican donors have worked together on behalf of Israel. Adelson and Saban, for example, joined forces in a 2015 summit in Las Vegas to raise money for Israel activism. Participation was limited to individuals who would pledge at least a million dollars. In 2018 Saban and Republican donor Paul singer co-hosted a dinner for the Trump peace team.
Americans have the right to the full facts
Former CIA and military intelligence officer Philip Giraldi says that the Justice Department should un-redact the portions regarding Israel.
Giraldi, who is executive director of the Council for the National Interest, says:
We already know that Israel interceded by way of Jared Kushner and Michael Flynn to interfere with a U.N. vote while Barack Obama was still in office. Americans need the full facts on outside interference in our elections and our foreign policy. We give Israel over $10 million per day and have the right to know to what degree Israel was guilty of corrupting our elected officials and manipulating our political process.”
Wikileaks, Hillary Clinton, Julian Assange
The intelligence referred to is assumed to be the various emails and memos that were then published later that year by Wikileaks, and this is borne out by other sections of the FBI documents.
These Wikileaks documents revealed the Democratic Party establishment’s manipulations to defeat Bernie Sanders and nominate Hillary Clinton, how the Clinton Foundation was used for personal enrichment, CNN commentator and DNC Chair Donna Brazile giving Hillary’s campaign the questions ahead of the debates, Hillary’s politically embarrassing, paid speeches to Wall Street donors, etc.
Wikileaks revelations in later years also ended up exposing Israeli actions. Among other things, Wikileaks revealed Israeli plans to keep Gaza on the brink of collapse, to use violence against Palestinian nonviolence, and to make war upon civilians.
Wikileaks exposed a memo that “helped kill a half million people in Syria. The memo, by U.S. diplomat James Rubin, said that “bringing down Assad” would be a “massive boon to Israel’s security.”
Wikileaks also exposed the fraudulence of “Russiagate.”
In his years running Wikileaks, founder Julian Assange published information that exposed corruption and malfeasance by a wide variety of actors, including the U.S. government. He is now in prison in Britain for this “crime,” his health steadily deteriorating under conditions that have been called torture.
It is unclear to what degree Wikileaks’ revelations played a role in Trump’s win.
The U.S. media largely avoided the information Wikileaks exposed, and instead focused on allegations of a supposed Russian connection.
The fact is that Hillary had grown increasingly unpopular, failed to connect with many working Americans, and voters have become increasingly anti-establishment and displeased with the extremely costly and tragic military actions she favored.
However, even if Wikileaks was a minor factor, there is no doubt that its exposés were unfavorable for the Clintons and the Democratic establishment. Therefore, it is interesting to see that even with Republican Donald Trump in office, the U.S. government continues to pursue Assange. Perhaps future leaks will clarify what or who is driving this.
Feature photo | President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, Jan. 27, 2020, in Washington. Evan Vucci | AP
Alison Weir is executive director of If Americans Knew, president of the Council for the National Interest, and author of Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel.