Alan Macleod

Alan MacLeod is Senior Staff Writer for MintPress News. He completed his PhD in 2017 and has since authored two acclaimed books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent, as well as a number of academic articles. He has also contributed to FAIR.org, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, and Common Dreams. Follow Alan on Twitter for more of his work and commentary: @AlanRMacLeod.

As Congress Blocks Defunding the Pentagon, Here Are Ten Things We Could Have Spent the Money On

The National Priorities Project has put together a list of ten better uses for the $74 billion than giving it to one of the world’s largest bureaucracies.

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod
Military Spending Feature photo

The majority of House Democrats joined with the Republican colleagues yesterday in voting down progressive legislation that would have cut the Pentagon budget by 10 percent ($74 billion) and used the money to fund healthcare, housing, and education for the poorest Americans. The amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, sponsored by

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Anger Over Israeli Decision to Demolish Palestinian COVID-19 Hospital Ahead of Deadly Second Wave

“This shows clearly that Israel doesn’t care about Palestinian lives…They can’t even give us our basic rights to healthcare so we can treat our people from the coronavirus.” –Tayseer Abu Sneineh, Mayor of Hebron

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod

The Israeli decision to bulldoze a newly built COVID-19 field hospital and testing center in Hebron in the West Bank yesterday has been roundly condemned by activists, rights groups and organizers. “Because demolishing a COVID-19 testing center is totally the best way for Israel to be spending funds right now,” wrote female-led antiwar group

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UK Govt Loaning Troops to Oman to Prop up Dictatorship

91 British operatives, paid for by the Sultan of Oman, wearing Omani uniforms, but still remaining part of the British military, hold key positions, training and leading local forces to help the monarchy stay in power.

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod
Oman UK troops Feature photo

The United Kingdom keeps dozens of army operatives — “respectable mercenaries” in its own words — to help prop up the Omani dictatorship, a new report from the investigative team at Declassified U.K. has found. Rooted in half a century of covert cooperation between the two countries that receives virtually no public attention, 91 British

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Partisan Media Coverage of Epstein Masks His Links to Both Sides of the Political Establishment

A study conducted by MintPress’ Alan Macleod revealed that both MSNBC and Fox News intentionally slanted their coverage to highlight Epstein’s links to either Bill Clinton or Donald Trump.

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod
Trump Epstein Feature

The Jeffrey Epstein saga continues to rumble on. Earlier this month, the deceased sexual predator’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested and charged with luring and grooming children into his sex ring. Epstein, who died in prison in suspicious circumstances last August, was connected to huge swaths of the global elite, counting

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Portland: “Wall of Moms” Mobilizes to Protect Protests From Police Violence

Chanting, “Feds stay clear! Moms are here!,” groups of women congregated at the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse and other locations in Central Portland. They were met with tear gas, flashbangs, and pepper round bullets, injuring many.

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod
Portland Protest Feature photo

Despite a widely-condemned federal crackdown, Portland’s anti-racist police brutality protests show no signs of abating. Last night a group of local moms dressed in white and yellow tried a new tactic; placing themselves between law enforcement and protesters in order to prevent more violence. Chanting, “Feds stay clear! Moms are here!,” groups of

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Aid Groups Call for Worldwide COVID-19 Bailout Amid Fears of Mass Hunger

“As many as 12,000 people could die every day from COVID-linked hunger, which is more than those dying daily from the virus itself,” warns Oxfam America President Abby Maxman.

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod
COVID-19 Hunger Feature photo

The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have already devastated the world. Over 14 million people have tested positive for the virus, and nearly 600,000 have died since it was first identified in December. And cases continue to rise: yesterday saw 248,998 people test positive – an all-time high. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros

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 Portland  Mayor Condemns Masked Federal Agents Abducting Protesters

Human rights groups, activists, and local politicians are decrying what appears to be the Trump administration’s latest tactic to crush nationwide protests that erupted in late May over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police.

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod
Portland protests Feature photo

Anonymous masked federal agents in military uniforms jump out of unmarked minivans, abducting seemingly random people on the street in Portland, frightening new viral videos show. Officers from the U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group and Customs and Border Protection’s BORTAC have been sent to the city to tamp down of 49 days of continuous

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