Alexander Rubinstein

Alexander Rubinstein is a former staff writer for MintPress News based in Washington, DC. He writes about police, prisons, and protests in the United States. He previously reported for RT and Sputnik News.

How One of America’s Premier Data Monarchs is Funding a Global Information War and Shaping the Media Landscape

Through his purchase of influence over the daily flow of information to American media consumers, a dizzying array of connections to the national security state, and a media empire that shields him from critical scrutiny, Pierre Omidyar has become one of the world’s most politically sophisticated data monarchs.

Alexander Rubinstein
Max Blumenthal
By Alexander Rubinstein
And Max Blumenthal
Pierre Omidyar | Banner

A select group of national news “stakeholders” gathered at an undisclosed location for what was described as a “semi-secret” workshop somewhere in Canada on January 26. The meeting had been convened to determine how and to whom a “news industry bailout” of $645 million in Canadian government subsidies to private and supposedly independent media

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The Lawlessness of William Barr, America’s New Top Law Enforcement Official

The relatively small amount of scrutiny William Barr fell under from Congress and Beltway thought leaders speaks to a conformity of their ideologies. But to understand what America’s new top law enforcement official really signifies as a veteran swamp creature, it is necessary to revisit Cold War history.

Alexander Rubinstein
By Alexander Rubinstein
Attorney General | William Bar

WASHINGTON -- Congress’ confirmation of William Barr as Attorney General for the United States on Thursday has come and gone with comparatively little commotion compared to that attending his predecessor, Jeff Sessions, or Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Most media attention fixated on the potential for Barr to undermine the work of his

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Need an Election Meddled With or an Activist Doxxed? Call on These Israeli Spies

Israel’s special relationship with the United States has given it a free pass for atrocities in Gaza. But, beyond this, in an era of legal gray zones in the area of online disinformation operations, the country’s private spy community has been given carte blanche to covertly meddle in a host of nations.

Alexander Rubinstein
By Alexander Rubinstein
Israel | Hackers

Private Israeli spy companies have been meddling in other countries, including their elections, at previously unknown levels. The private intelligence firm Psy-Group went to great lengths to pitch the Trump presidential campaign on its services and nakedly meddled in a small-town California election, according to a new report published in the

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Ilhan Omar is Right: AIPAC Influences Congress To the Tune of $4 Million Annually

Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has been the subject of bipartisan bullying that has reached a fever pitch since the lawmaker explicitly called out the number one Israeli lobby group in the U.S. — the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Alexander Rubinstein
By Alexander Rubinstein
Ilhan Omar

WASHINGTON -- What unites Republicans and Democrats, a former Jewish terrorist, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, Nikki Haley, Chelsea Clinton and Liz Cheney? A Muslim lady with a mouth and some opinions, apparently. Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has been the subject of bipartisan bullying that has reached a fever pitch since

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Amazon Facial Rekognition App Sets Off Alarm Bells

Jeff Bezos’ ties to the national security state through Amazon Web Services are formidable, but the triple-digit billionaire’s furnishing of surveillance tools to the police state are no less disturbing.

Alexander Rubinstein
By Alexander Rubinstein
Amazon | Rekognition

SEATTLE -- Amazon is lobbying the public with proposed guidelines for lawmakers to adopt when crafting legislation around the use of facial-recognition technology. Amazon’s own software, Rekognition, has been put to the test by rights groups such as the ACLU, who have come to troubling conclusions about racial bias and threats to civil

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Afghan Civilians Fear CIA-Backed Death Squads that Can Call In Airstrikes

While the U.S. continues to conduct its mission of nation-building and “democracy promotion” in Afghanistan, bombing the country at unprecedented levels and being associated with de facto death squads on the ground could fuel distrust of Americans.

Alexander Rubinstein
By Alexander Rubinstein

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN -- Elite CIA-backed special forces in Afghanistan are leaving a trail of carnage in the country. As such units do not operate under the umbrella of the Department of Defense, they have been given near-impunity despite standing accused of war crimes. Last month, the New York Times cited “senior Afghan and

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Tulsi Gabbard Interview Turns Ugly as MSNBC Hosts Assail Her Anti-War Positions

Instead of allowing Gabbard to relay her vision, MSNBC and company hounded her, opting to shoot the messenger for advocating against the designation of a foreign leader as an “enemy” of the U.S.

Alexander Rubinstein
By Alexander Rubinstein
Tulsi Gabbard

WASHINGTON -- Congresswoman and Democratic 2020 candidate for president Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) sat down for an interview on MSNBC on Wednesday morning. It had all the right ingredients for a thoughtful discourse following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address and Gabbard’s first campaign speech over the weekend, but partisan talking

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