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Rolling Stone/Blue Rider Press/Penguin

Reporter Who Brought Down the ‘Runaway General’ Dead at 33

Michael Hastings is best known as the Rolling Stone contributor whose reporting ended the military career of Gen. Stanley McChrystal but more important, he was a fearless reporter who did not suffer bullshit answers. He died Tuesday at the age of 33 in a car crash.
AP/Google/Connie Zhou

The Terror Con

The name of the game is threat inflation, and no one has been better at it than the folks at Booz Allen Hamilton, the inventors of the new boondoggle called cyberwarfare.
Radius TWC

The Joy of Singing Out of the Spotlight

"20 Feet From Stardom" is a joyous documentary about the lives and careers of backup singers. It has been a long time since I’ve had so much fun at a movie.
 
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Illustration by Mr. Fish

The Death of Truth

By Chris Hedges—The use of vast global resources against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks presages a dystopian world where anyone who exposes corruption, lies and crimes of power will be branded a terrorist.

 
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The Last Letter

A Message to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney From a Dying Veteran

 
 

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During debate Monday on a House bill that would ban virtually all abortions starting 20 weeks after conception, Rep. Michael Burgess, a Republican from Texas, made what likely amounts to be the most absurd argument ever for why the country should outlaw the medical procedure.

WATCH & LISTEN  |  1475 READS
 
 
 
Greenland’s Great Melt Is Pinned on Climate Change

The forensic search for the mysterious agent that almost melted Greenland goes on. The latest suspect to be rounded up for questioning is the jet stream, scientists in the U.K. say.

Posted on Jun 19, 2013 READ MORE  |  626 READS
The U.S. Military and the Unraveling of Africa

A careful examination of the security situation in Africa suggests that it is in the process of becoming Ground Zero for a veritable terror diaspora set in motion in the wake of 9/11 that has only accelerated in the Obama years. U.S. “stability” operations in Africa have increased, militancy has spread, insurgent groups have proliferated and the continent has become more unsettled.

Posted on Jun 19, 2013 READ MORE  |  564 READS
Google Fights for Transparency in FISA Court

The Internet giant says its free speech rights have been violated because it is legally prohibited from discussing even the vaguest details of government surveillance requests.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  257 READS
Nate Silver vs. Politico: It’s on Again

The war of words between the site and the statistician appears to be escalating yet again after Politico co-founder Jim VandeHei accused Silver of getting “up on his high horse quite a lot” in an interview in New Republic.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  827 READS
Reporter Who Brought Down the ‘Runaway General’ Dead at 33

Michael Hastings is best known as the Rolling Stone contributor whose reporting ended the military career of Gen. Stanley McChrystal but more important, he was a fearless reporter who did not suffer bullshit answers. He died Tuesday at the age of 33 in a car crash.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  3292 READS
U.S. and Taliban Announce Direct Negotiations

After more than 11 years of war in Afghanistan, a country known as “the graveyard of empires” for its inability to be conquered and held, the White House announced Tuesday that it will sit down with the Taliban and try to work things out with words instead of bombs.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  304 READS
IRS Conspiracy Theory Debunked, Rand Paul Answers Cheney Criticism, and More

A look at the day’s political happenings, including Sen. John McCain’s hypocrisy on “secret emails” and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s revelation about the scary way a GOP-controlled Senate would act.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  891 READS
Bill Ayers: Try Obama, Bush for War Crimes

“Every president in this century should be put on trial,” the professor and former Weather Underground member said. “Every one of them goes into an office dripping with blood and then adds to it. And, yes, I think that these are war crimes. I think that they’re acts of terror.”

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  1216 READS
GOP Congressman: Abortions Should Be Banned Because Male Fetuses Masturbate

During debate Monday on a House bill that would ban virtually all abortions starting 20 weeks after conception, Rep. Michael Burgess, a Republican from Texas, made what likely amounts to be the most absurd argument ever for why the country should outlaw the medical procedure.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  1475 READS
Bank of America Lied to Homeowners and Rewarded Foreclosures, Ex-Employees Say

Bank of America employees regularly lied to homeowners seeking loan modifications, denied their applications for made-up reasons, and were rewarded for sending homeowners to foreclosure, according to sworn statements by former bank employees.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  824 READS
Experts Don’t Buy Claim Syria Used Chemical Weapons

Late last week, some leading chemical weapons experts voiced skepticism about U.S. claims that the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used sarin gas against rebels on at least four occasions this spring. Months of investigation have failed to uncover the telltale signs of an attack, they say.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  811 READS
Ernest Hemingway: Dud KGB Spy?

A new book, “Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America,” reveals that the beloved American novelist was a spy in the service of the KGB—but failed miserably at the job.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  710 READS
The Campaign to Ignore Sarah Palin

The former half-term Alaska governor/reality television star/famed quitter’s return Monday to Fox News (on the equally ridiculous “Fox & Friends” no less) gave interim “Daily Show” host John Oliver a great idea.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  1064 READS
Brazil Erupts in Protest Over Services and Soccer Costs (Video)

A few-cent rise in public transportation prices led to protests Monday across Brazil involving more than 100,000 people angered over heavy-handed policing, poor public services and high costs for the World Cup.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  312 READS
Did Progress Leave Christians Behind?

Christians opposed to same-sex marriage are being persecuted for their homophobia and bigotry, preacher and radio host Matt Slick told “The Daily Show” on Monday. Todd Clayton (pictured above), a gay Christian and student at Union Theological Seminary in New York and a leader on the upcoming Truthdig Trek, says, “That’s insane.”

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  789 READS
The Making of a Global Security State

The Edward Snowden revelations about NSA spying and just how far we’ve come in the building of a surveillance state have swept over us 24/7. When a flood sweeps you away, it’s always hard to find a little dry land to survey the extent and nature of the damage. Here’s my attempt to identify five urges essential to understanding the world Snowden has helped us glimpse.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  2098 READS
Climate Change Puts Lake Life at Risk

Lakes are warming on both sides of the Atlantic—and this is bad news both for water quality and the fish.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  313 READS
The Terror Con

The name of the game is threat inflation, and no one has been better at it than the folks at Booz Allen Hamilton, the inventors of the new boondoggle called cyberwarfare.

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 READ MORE  |  5679 READS
This Will Not End Well

In Syria, the Obama administration seems to be stumbling back to the future: An old-fashioned proxy war, complete with the usual shadowy CIA arms-running operation, the traditional plan to prop up ostensible “moderates” whose prospects are doubtful and, of course, the customary shaky grasp of what the fighting is really about.

Posted on Jun 17, 2013 READ MORE  |  1626 READS
The Joy of Singing Out of the Spotlight

“20 Feet From Stardom” is a joyous documentary about the lives and careers of backup singers. It has been a long time since I’ve had so much fun at a movie.

Posted on Jun 17, 2013 READ MORE  |  1025 READS

Some of you may have recently received malware warnings when attempting to access Truthdig through the Chrome browser. We would like to assure you that Truthdig is safe to visit, as described on Google’s diagnostic page for our site. More inside.

Posted on Jun 17, 2013 READ MORE  |  375 READS
New Iranian President Wants to Heal ‘Old Wound’ With U.S.

During his first news conference since winning Iran’s presidential election, Hasan Rowhani promised to improve relations with the West and be more forthcoming about his country’s nuclear program, although he maintained that it would not give up its nuclear rights.

Posted on Jun 17, 2013 READ MORE  |  641 READS
Controversial Voting Law Struck Down, Snowden ‘Honored’ by Cheney, and More

A look at the day’s political happenings, including President Obama’s poll numbers take a dive amid controversies plaguing his administration and a new report says Virginia’s Republican governor is using taxpayer dollars for personal expenses.

Posted on Jun 17, 2013 READ MORE  |  1414 READS
The FBI May Have Finally Found Jimmy Hoffa

The former Teamsters boss, father of that union’s current boss, is buried in a field 20 miles from his last known location, according to an octogenarian reputed mobster who tipped off the FBI.

Posted on Jun 17, 2013 READ MORE  |  8595 READS
Say Hello to the ‘Super Rich’

The 0.001% of the world comprise a class all of their own, spanning several nations and holding 40% of global wealth; some activists are turning away from industrial agriculture and back to the Native Americans’ approach to harvesting; meanwhile, in an age flooded with tweets, videos and blogs, how are readers expected to wade through the news? These discoveries and more after the jump.

Posted on Jun 17, 2013 READ MORE  |  2772 READS
 





 
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