Author: nick

Today, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation (CCD) are publishing a joint analytical report examining how Russian Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) targets Ukraine’s path towards European Union membership. The report documents a coordinated effort to undermine support for Ukraine’s accession among both Ukrainian and European audiences. While the narratives vary depending on the target audience, their strategic objective is to weaken political and public support for Ukraine’s European future. Ukraine’s European integration has become one of the Kremlin’s key information targets since the country was granted EU candidate status in June 2022…

Former U.S. Army recruiter Jane Crosby pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft after using seven prospective Army recruits’ personal information to steal $266,000. Prosecutors said Crosby used Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses, and other documents she obtained through her recruiting job to open bank accounts, apply for loans and credit cards, deposit fraudulent checks, and withdraw money for her own use. Investigators eventually used phone records to link the fraud to her recruiting station. The post Brickbat: Sign Here appeared first on Reason.com. Source link

Columbia Class Ballistic Missile Submarine. Image: U.S. Naval Systems Command. U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed a $1.5 trillion military budget for the fiscal year 2027, which would increase by 44 percent the acknowledged budget for 2026. While a roughly $500 billion increase would be unprecedented in modern U.S. history, the idea that the military budget only recently hit $1 trillion is incorrect. U.S. military spending has exceeded $1 trillion for many years. Adding $500 billion (and potentially $200 billionmore to fund war in Iran), as the president has proposed, would take the total military budget up to $2 trillion…

Keir Starmer at Number 10 Downing Street upon his appointment. Picture by Kirsty O’Connor/ No 10 Downing Street. OGL 3 But what we’re really seeing is a grotesque blend of the worst of Thatcherism with the worst of Blairism: bad aspects of “neoliberalism” coexisting with bad aspects of bureaucratic statism. The result combines top-down statist nitpicking with Thatcherite ownership models; corporate, Whitehall and town hall management structures amalgamating into a public-private-partnership blob…. – Political commentator Jonny Ball After Labour’s disastrous performance in local elections in England and parliamentary elections in Wales and Scotland in May, it became highly likely that…

After a day’s talks with the Iran, J.D. Vance’s claims to progress seem flimsy even by the slack standards the U.S. sets for itself these days in its diplomatic endeavors.  U.S. President Donald Trump signing a memorandum of understanding with Iran at the Palace of Versailles on June 17. French President Emmanuel Macron on right, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on left, standing. (White House / Daniel Torok) By Patrick LawrenceSpecial to Consortium News Well, J.D. Vance had his first talks with the Iranians — 18 hours of them Sunday tipping into Monday — since the American and Iranian presidents…

Sarah Swift of the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign in Britain says: “Now is the time to call for Independence From America.” What prompted this call? You can see it in this video clip about the U.S. spy base Menwith Hill in North Yorkshire. Featuring the chair of Yorkshire CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament), Quakers and others, it’s a scene filmed by Jane of Bradford City of Climate Culture. It explains how the base connects to military oppression in Gaza and in Iran. Declaration Day Demonstration Yorkshire CND and the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign will meet at 3 pm on 4…

OK, it’s patriot time; let’s unfurl the flags and get out the trumpets. Two-hundred fifty years and all that, and I’ll begin with my favorite American, Thomas Jefferson. Did he really believe that all men are created equal? Being the gentleman that he was, of course he would say so, but as you and I know, some are created more equal than others. Some have better brains, others have better physiques, there are even those who have more moola to begin with. My, my, the latter gets people very angry, so we won’t mention it any more.  A classic, if…

Larry Krasner 'Finds Out' Source link

Against all odds, President Donald Trump may secure a comprehensive deal with Iran to address its nuclear program and ease bilateral tensions. The memorandum of understanding (MOU), already signed by both sides, allows for 60 days to finalize the details. Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to Switzerland this weekend for talks with Iranian officials and regional mediators, and news outlets report “constructive progress.” Ultimately, the success of the negotiations hinges on two factors: Israel’s conduct in Lebanon and Washington’s willingness to drop its maximalist demands on Iran’s nuclear program. Regarding the latter, Washington seeks a moratorium on Iran’s nuclear enrichment…

The neoconservative pundit Mark Levin posted on X on Thursday, “Here’s a novel idea: stop bullying our ally and cozying up to our enemy.” Megyn Kelly, the influential conservative podcaster, replied, “To which politician could he be talking? I guess we’ll just have to wonder.” Kelly was being tongue-in-cheek. There was no wondering. Levin was talking about J.D. Vance. He just didn’t want to name names. The vice president rocked Washington last Thursday—and infuriated neoconservatives—when he defended the Trump administration’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) deal with Iran at a press briefing. “This does bother me,” Vance said. “You’ve seen people…