Every year, Pew Research Center looks back at the most memorable facts that illustrate important trends shaping our world. From faltering faith in government to the decline of Christians in America and from increased racial tensions to the shrinking American middle-class, here are some of our most striking findings of 2015.
Authored by George Gao via Pew Research,
Regular readers are no doubt familiar with The Pentagon’s ill-fated “train and assist” program for properly “vetted” Syrian rebels.
The program was announced to quite a bit of fanfare - and quite a bit of ridicule due to the burgeoning debate over what counts as a “moderate” fighter - back in May and the idea was to field a group of fighters 5,400 strong by the end of the calendar year. In all, the effort was set to cost US taxpayers some $500 million.
Submitted by James H Kunstler via Kunstler.com,
From Editor Robert Parry: Another way to help Consortiumnews reach its end-of-year fundraising goal is to buy one of my books – Fooling America, Lost History, Secrecy & Privilege or America’s Stolen Narrative – through the Web site and we’ll also send you a copy of Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush for…
John Kerry went to Moscow on Tuesday and was absolutely elated when he stumbled on a Dunkin Donuts:
But America’s top diplomat didn’t travel halfway around the world just to get coffee (we don't think). He also met with Sergei Lavrov and Vladimir Putin to discuss (what else?) Syria. You can get a decent idea of which side prevailed by taking a quick look at the following priceless image captured during a discussion between three of the world’s most powerful government officials: