-
6 days ago | 
juancole.com | William Astore |Juan Cole
( Tomdispatch.com ) – Forty years ago this month, I was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. I would be part of America’s all-volunteer force (AVF) for 20 years, hitting my marks and retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2005. In my two decades of service, I met a lot of fine and dedicated officers, enlisted members, and civilians.
-
1 month ago | 
original.antiwar.com | William Astore |Tom Engelhardt
Originally appeared at TomDispatch. In September 2007, retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and historian William Astore emailed me out of the blue. He’d been reading articles at TomDispatch, the website I set up soon after the 9/11 attacks to deal with this country’s Global War on Terror, especially the invasions of, and then never-ending conflicts in Afghanistan and later Iraq.
-
1 month ago | 
juancole.com | William Astore |Juan Cole
( Tomdispatch.com ) – I read the news today, oh boy. About a lucky man named Elon Musk. But he lost out on one thing: he didn’t get a top secret briefing on Pentagon war plans for China. And the news people breathed a sigh of relief. With apologies to John Lennon and The Beatles, a day in the life is getting increasingly tough to take here in the land of the free.
-
2 months ago | 
countercurrents.org | Kim Scipes |Joshua Frank |Phil Pasquini |William Astore
Donald Trump has hit the ground running, asserting himself and his will to power to the maximum, starting before his second presidency began but accelerating upon his assumption of the Office of the Presidency, barely three weeks ago.
-
2 months ago | 
countercurrents.org | Joshua Frank |Phil Pasquini |William Astore |Chris Hedges
In early January, Donald Trump Jr.’s private plane landed on a snowy airfield in Greenland. There was little fanfare upon his arrival, but his 14 million social-media fans were certainly tagging along. “Greenland coming in hot…well, actually really really cold!!!” President Trump’s eldest son captioned a video he posted on X.
-
2 months ago | 
countercurrents.org | Phil Pasquini |William Astore |Chris Hedges |Medea Benjamin
Answering the Clarion Call for action, protesters across the country on February 17 demonstrated at City Halls and State Capitols in a nationwide “Not My President Day” by calling for people power in stopping the illegal and unconstitutional power grab of the U.S. government that Trump and “second president” Musk have orchestrated.
-
2 months ago | 
countercurrents.org | Aftab Alam |Ramzy Baroud |Phil Pasquini |William Astore
A Supreme Court (SC) bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan is set to hear the batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 (POWA), on February 17, 2025.
-
2 months ago | 
juancole.com | William Astore |Juan Cole
( Tomdispatch.com ) – A few years ago, I came across an old book at an estate sale. Its title caught my eye: “Our New Possessions.” Its cover featured the Statue of Liberty against stylized stars and stripes. What were those “new possessions”? The cover made it quite clear: Cuba, Hawaii, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico.
-
2 months ago | 
countercurrents.org | William Astore |Phil Pasquini |Chris Hedges |Medea Benjamin
A few years ago, I came across an old book at an estate sale. Its title caught my eye: “Our New Possessions.” Its cover featured the Statue of Liberty against stylized stars and stripes. What were those “new possessions”? The cover made it quite clear: Cuba, Hawaii, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico.
-
Jan 14, 2025 | 
counterpunch.org | William Astore
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take America back (again!) to greatness, there’s been much talk of Elon Musk’s new DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency, and whether it will dare tackle Pentagon spending in useful ways. Could it curb rampant fraud, waste, and abuse within military contracting? Will the Pentagon finally pass a financial audit after seven consecutive failed attempts?
