Billionaire Jeff Yass linked to $16m in donations to anti-Muslim and pro-Israel groups

The TikTok investor is also linked to funding challenges to progressive politicians and against Obama’s Iran nuclear deal Top Republican donor and TikTok investor Jeff Yass is connected to over $16m in funding to anti-Muslim and pro-Israel groups…

Donors to Bob Menendez Legal Defense Linked to Ex-Terror Group

Sen. Robert Mendendez, D-N.J., is fighting charges that he accepted money in exchange for assisting foreign governments. That legal defense is being paid in part by donors with links to a former terrorist organization, a sign of the senator’s need…

Did Biden just escalate the Gaza War?

On Thursday night, President Joe Biden - acting without congressional approval - ordered airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, an escalation in the regional spillover from Israel’s war in Gaza that now directly involves US military personnel. Biden…

‘Buying influence’: top US nuclear board advisers are tied to arms business

Nine of 12 members of the commission charged with avoiding nuclear conflict have financial ties to defense contractors Nine of the 12 members of a high-level congressional commission charged with advising on the US’s nuclear weapons strategy have…

US nuke panel packed with weapons industry interests

Nov 10, 2023 This article was co-published with the Guardian. Nine of the 12 members of a high-level congressional committee charged with advising on the U.S.’s nuclear weapons strategy have direct financial ties to contractors that would benefit…

‘Hamas has created additional demand’: Wall Street eyes big profits from war

Morgan Stanley and TD Bank hope for aerospace and weapons boon after a 7% value increase from start of Israel-Hamas conflict The United Nations has warned that there was “clear evidence” that war crimes may have been committed in “the explosion of…

US-China war is not inevitable (Video)

Washington is increasingly abuzz with talk of “strategic clarity,” which is code for committing American troops to defend Taiwan, marking a major shift in policy that fundamentally goes against U.S. commitments about how it will respond to a Chinese…

Why the US “Rules-Based Order” Needs Rethinking

(John Minchillo / AP Photo) Over the past decade, the geopolitical landscape shifted beneath the feet of the United States. The end of the Cold War, the unipolar moment in which the US was the unquestioned hegemon of the world, is over. Thirty years…

Ukraine in NATO? War Inc. knows a great deal when it sees one

The upcoming NATO Summit on July 11 is emerging as an opportunity for Ukraine to press its case for membership in the alliance and expand on the military aid it has received from alliance members. On July 5, Politico published a letter “by 46 foreign…

Weapons firm CEO celebrates defense increase in debt ceiling deal

The debt ceiling showdown appears to be on the verge of resolution, pending a vote in the Senate, with a deal between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to suspend the debt ceiling in exchange for a cap on some federal spending. The…

Jamie Raskin and Rachel Maddow, Brought to You by Peter Thiel and Lockheed Martin

Progressives Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow are outspoken critics of the bloated defense budget and the MAGA wing of the Republican Party. Next month, though, both Raskin and Maddow will headline an event sponsored by defense…

Jamie Raskin and Rachel Maddow, brought to you by Peter Thiel and Lockheed Martin

This story was co-published with The Intercept. Progressives Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow are outspoken critics of the bloated defense budget and the MAGA wing of the Republican Party. Next month, though, both Raskin and…

Dedollarization is here, like it or not

Dedollarization appears to be an unstoppable trend as countries around the world look to reduce their dependence on U.S. currency. Countries, particularly those in the Global South, are reducing their U.S. dollar reserves, settling cross border…

Arms industry titan poised to sit on Council on Foreign Relations board

Members of the Council on Foreign Relations are currently voting on a slate of ten board candidates put forth by the “Nominating and Governance Committee.” That slate includes what is arguably the world’s largest arms dealer, the chairman and CEO of…

Bloomberg didn’t disclose potential conflicts in defense columns

Opinion writer Ret. Adm. James Stavridis pushed for increased cyber funding without saying he works for firms standing to benefit. A prominent regular columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, Ret. Adm. James Stavridis, has published multiple columns over the…

AIPAC, FDD websites erase all evidence of their Iraq War cheerleading

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies aren’t responding to requests for comment about the role their institutions played in making the case for war in Iraq. Moreover, it appears they’ve taken steps…

House hearing showcases UAE and Bahrain funding at the witness table

At 2pm today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on “Expanding the Abraham Accords.” All of the witnesses appearing before the committee work at organizations with institutional and/or financial ties to the United Arab Emirates…

They’re lobbying for Ukraine pro bono – and making millions from arms firms

Some of Washington’s most powerful lobbyists are providing their services to Ukraine for free, but they also have financial incentives for aiding the country This article was co-published with Responsible Statecraft. Some of Washington’s most…

Pro-bono Ukraine lobbyists quietly profit from defense contractor clients

This article was co-published with The Guardian Some of Washington’s most powerful lobbyists are giving their services to Ukraine for free and also benefiting from millions in fees from Pentagon contractors who stand to benefit from the country’s…

War is great for the portfolio, as defense stocks enjoy a banner year

In January 2022, Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes told investors that global instability presented a profit opportunity for his weapons firm. “[W]e are seeing, I would say, opportunities for international sales,” said Hayes, citing, among other global events,…