Greg Palast's Blog, page 27

Fact Injection: Donziger v. Chevron

This is the first time in history that a private corporation has criminally prosecuted a U.S. citizen. In an unprecedented move, a judge asked Chevron's lawyers to prosecute Donziger for criminal contempt — after the Department of Justice had refused to do so. No jury would convict Donziger, so the judge refused him a jury trial and found him guilty. On October 1 this judge is going to sentence Donziger. He could get six months in jail—on top of the two years he's already served under house arrest—so I want you to... READ MORE

The Cheese Smelled Funny So We Threw It in the JungleVultures' Picnic: Chapter 5

I ended up out here in the rain forest half by accident. I had some confidential papers from the World Bank I intended to give to Ecuador’s President. But, going through the documents, it was clear that there was no way to understand Ecuador, which had just rejoined OPEC, without first following the oil. And following the oil meant going into the oil fields in the jungle and grilling the Natives about their claims of illnesses and deaths ... READ MORE

Few Show Up For “Justice” at Rally in Support of Jan 6 Rioters

[Sept 18, 2021: Washington, D.C.] It was a spectacular fizzle.  While Washington’s Capitol Police had prepared for a massive, potentially violent gathering of supporters of the imprisoned January 6 rioters, only a few dozen showed up—outnumbered five to one by... READ MORE

Why We OccupyOccupy Wall Street: Protecting the People from the Powerful for 10 years!

Why We Occupy, my talk for Pacifica Radio, is my detailed J’accuse against the 1%. It’s as fresh and relevant today as 10 years ago — a summary of eight of my most crucial investigations into the war between Them and Us. And to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the start of Occupy Wall Street’s occupation of Zuccotti Park, in New York’s financial district, we’re offering ... READ MORE

D.C. prepares for another far right assault on the Capitol

Fences are going back up around the US Capitol in anticipation of yet another MAGA rally in D.C. this weekend. This time around Trump will not be in attendance, but many of his current and former supporters will be there. The organizer of the planned September 18, 2021 rally, Matt Braynard, is a former data director for the 2020 Trump campaign, and has organized ... READ MORE

Background Briefing: Freedom to Vote ActIt has improvements, it has detriments, and there's an awful lot that's missing. An awful lot.

The Freedom to Vote Act has been put together by a group of Democratic Senators and Joe Manchin, who is now trying to sell it to his Republican colleagues before a vote, which is supposed to take place as early as next week according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. In this edition of the Background Briefing, we discuss what is in the bill as well as what is not. Given that it is highly unlikely that... READ MORE

My own Forever War: Afghanistan and 9-11

Last week, Fawad Andarabi, a well-known folk singer in Afghanistan, invited the new Taliban leaders to his home to show his compliance and respect.  Taliban don’t approve of folk singing. But they enjoyed his luncheon, then took him out and shot him in the head. The same day I heard of Fawad’s execution, I got an email from... READ MORE

Anti-vaccine protests are the new MAGA rallyA Delusional 'Worldwide Rally For Freedom' in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Across the country, Trump supporters are still showing up at state capitols to spread conspiracy theories and demand the 2020 election results be overturned. But with little hope of reinstating the former guy, the Make America Great Again crowd has found a new reason to gather in public places with firearms and red baseball caps ... READ MORE

Louisiana Black-out: Not an Act of God, an Act of Entergy

The darkness, the misery and death you are witnessing in Louisiana is not an act of God, it’s an act of Entergy Inc. I was hired by the City of New Orleans to investigate why their power company, Entergy, simply can’t keep the lights on while citizens’ electric bills soar. That was in 1986. In 35 years, nothing has changed my official conclusion: Entergy is a racketeering enterprise parading as a... READ MORE

Socialize Power

What’s the solution for the endless electricity disasters from Louisiana to California? Socialism.As I and other experts hired by the city of New Orleans told the politicians, put Entergy out of business. Create a publicly owned system that wouldn’t have wires that ... READ MORE