Cut the Defense Budget: Rep. Khanna on Bloated Pentagon Spending, Ending War in Yemen, UAE Arms Deal
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

Cut the Defense Budget: Rep. Khanna on Bloated Pentagon Spending, Ending War in Yemen, UAE Arms Deal

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.AMY GOODMAN: You tweeted Tuesday Congress should reject President Biden’s Pentagon spending hike, at the same time he’s talking about pulling out of Afghanistan. You wrote, “Instead of continuing to increase the bloated Pentagon budgets or defense contractors, we should invest in keeping us safe from pandemics and climate change. We need a 21st century national security strategy.” And you signed, along with 50 House Democrats, a letter to Biden from the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus that read in part, “Hundreds of billions of dollars now directed to the military would have greater return if invested…

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15 April 2021
“A Courageous Decision”: Rep. Ro Khanna Praises Biden’s Plan to End the “Forever War” in Afghanistan
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

“A Courageous Decision”: Rep. Ro Khanna Praises Biden’s Plan to End the “Forever War” in Afghanistan

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.AMY GOODMAN: President Biden has vowed to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Biden spoke Wednesday from the Treaty Room at the White House, the same room where President George W. Bush announced the start of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan nearly 20 years ago, beginning what’s become the longest war in U.S. history. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdrawal and expecting a different result. I’m now the…

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15 April 2021
Afghanistan: Biden Vows to End Nation’s Longest War by 9/11 After Decades of Bloodshed & Destruction
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

Afghanistan: Biden Vows to End Nation’s Longest War by 9/11 After Decades of Bloodshed & Destruction

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.AMY GOODMAN: The Biden administration has unveiled plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11th, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Biden will formally outline his plan today during a speech in the Treaty Room at the White House — the same room where President George W. Bush announced the start of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan nearly 20 years ago, beginning what’s become the longest war in U.S. history. The war killed more than 100,000 Afghan civilians and over 2,300 U.S. servicemembers. It also cost the U.S. trillions of dollars. NATO forces…

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14 April 2021
Ethiopia Accused of Using Rape as a Weapon of War in Tigray as New Evidence Emerges of Massacres
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

Ethiopia Accused of Using Rape as a Weapon of War in Tigray as New Evidence Emerges of Massacres

We get an update on how the Ethiopian government has announced Eritrean forces are withdrawing from the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, where harrowing witness accounts have emerged of Eritrean soldiers killing Tigrayan men and boys and rape being used as weapon of war by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers. Eritrea entered the Tigray region to support Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s military offensive in November targeting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. The true death toll from the conflict remains unknown, but researchers recently identified almost 2,000 people killed in 150 massacres by warring factions. CNN senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir, who just returned from reporting on the region,…

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5 April 2021
Yemen Enters 7th Year of U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led War That Caused the World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

Yemen Enters 7th Year of U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led War That Caused the World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis

As the world’s worst humanitarian crisis enters its seventh year in Yemen, we look at the toll of the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led air war. A new report by the Yemen Data Project summarizing the impact of air raids over the past six years finds the bombing campaign has killed almost 1,500 civilians every year on average, a quarter of them children. Journalist Iona Craig, who heads up the Yemen Data Project, says there have been almost 23,000 air raids since the war began in 2015. “We’re still seeing mass civilian casualty events,” says Craig. “We’re still seeing a large number of airstrikes on residential areas and, of course, on…

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25 March 2021
Vijay Prashad Warns Biden Is “Doubling Down” on Trump’s Anti-China Cold War Policy
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

Vijay Prashad Warns Biden Is “Doubling Down” on Trump’s Anti-China Cold War Policy

Beijing has accused the U.S. of perpetuating a Cold War mentality as President Joe Biden and senior administration officials shore up alliances in the Pacific region to counter China’s growing influence and increasingly describe the country as a geopolitical threat. Vijay Prashad, director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, says the “bellicose” tone out of Washington is not because the U.S. sees China as a military threat, but because China threatens U.S. dominance in the scientific, technological and diplomatic spheres. “It’s very chilling what the U.S. government is doing in ramping up this cold war,” says Prashad. Source link

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16 March 2021
Masters of War: Labour pledges commitment to NATO and Trident as Biden drops first bombs
The Canary UK

Masters of War: Labour pledges commitment to NATO and Trident as Biden drops first bombs

It’s back to business as usual for British and American centrists. As Keir Starmer’s Labour prepared to announce its commitment to NATO and Trident (with newspapers inaccurately claiming that commitment had been abandoned during the Corbyn-era), US president Joe Biden launched his first airstrikes to the glee of US liberals. Trident According to a Labour press release, shadow defence lead John Healey is set to announce the party’s commitment in a speech. Healey is expected to say that the party is determined to see “defence spending produce jobs, growth and innovation in this country”: He will say that the foundations for the Government’s long-delayed Integrated Review have been…

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27 February 2021
Now Keir Starmer thinks beating the war drum will win votes
The Canary UK

Now Keir Starmer thinks beating the war drum will win votes

Yet again, Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is aping the Tories. And once more it’s shifted the rhetoric away from both the current leader’s previous stance and Jeremy Corbyn’s position. Beating the drums of war Shadow defence secretary John Healey gave a speech to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) on Friday 26 February. It was for RUSI members only. According to its website, Healey’s speech was about: his views on recent developments, set out the fundamentals of Labour’s defence and security policy and outline how Labour will judge the outcome of the Integrated Review. In a press release, Healey states that: First, Labour’s commitment to NATO is unshakeable.…

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26 February 2021
“No Hate! No Fear!” Democracy Now! Co-Host Nermeen Shaikh Celebrates 10 Years Covering War & Peace
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

“No Hate! No Fear!” Democracy Now! Co-Host Nermeen Shaikh Celebrates 10 Years Covering War & Peace

This month, Democracy Now! turns 25—that’s 25 years of bringing you the voices and stories you won’t hear in the corporate media. Democracy Now! has always refused to take government or corporate funding, because nothing is more important to us than our editorial independence. Nothing is more important to us than telling you the truth. But that means we rely on you, our audience, for support. Please make your contribution of $25 or more in honor of our 25th anniversary and help us stay on air for another 25 years. Right now, a generous donor will even DOUBLE your gift, which means it’ll go twice as far! This…

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18 February 2021
ICC’s “Landmark Decision” Could Open Door to Prosecuting Israel for War Crimes in Palestine
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

ICC’s “Landmark Decision” Could Open Door to Prosecuting Israel for War Crimes in Palestine

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman. The International Criminal Court has ruled it has the authority to investigate alleged Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian territories. Israel and the United States criticized the decision. Israel is not a member of the ICC, but the Palestinians joined the court in 2015. Israel has argued the court has no jurisdiction over the Occupied Territories because Palestine is not an independent state. But the ICC judges rejected that argument. The ruling comes two years after the ICC’s chief prosecutor found that, quote,…

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8 February 2021