The Silver Lining of Trump’s Syria Withdrawal
Reading Time: 5 minutes Trump’s move to pull out of Syria has been called a surrender and a betrayal of allies. Yet it may increase American leverage in an extremely messy situation.
Former Trump Attorney and ‘Consigliere’ Michael Cohen Gets 3 Years in Prison
Reading Time: 26 minutes Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, has been sentenced to three years in prison. Here’s the backstory you need to know.
Who Is Michael Cohen?
Reading Time: 26 minutes Michael Cohen has been in and out of the news, most lately pleading guilty to lying to Congress. Check out his mysterious backstory with the former USSR — which may explain why Trump originally hired him.
Why Italy Arrested and Banished a Famous ‘Pro-Refugee’ Mayor
Reading Time: 12 minutes Italy’s ultra-right government hates Riace, a model town for migrants and asylum seekers. And the country’s strong-man interior minister is doing something about it.
Jamal Khashoggi’s Secret Interview
Reading Time: 13 minutes A conversation with international journalist and screenwriter Rula Jebreal about her final interview with Jamal Khashoggi.
Caravan October Surprise?
Reading Time: 4 minutes With polls tightening ahead of the midterms, is the slow-moving caravan of migrants moving toward the US the “October Surprise” Republicans need to scare their base into turning out?
Trump Escalates America’s Browbeating of World Courts
Reading Time: 5 minutes The Trump administration’s contempt for international courts deepens American unilateralism and emboldens rogue action.
In Libya, EU Supports Returning Migrants to a War Zone
Reading Time: 10 minutes EU migration policy is turning deadly. People seeking to reach Europe are drowning at its doorstep or caught in the crossfire of Libya’s civil war.
US, Turkey Declare Economic War
Reading Time: 4 minutes An obscure case of an American pastor jailed in Turkey and a failed prisoner exchange have spiraled into declarations of economic war between the US and a key NATO ally.
What Trump Was Hinting at in Cohen Tweet
Reading Time: 26 minutes Michael Cohen may have just jeopardized Trump’s presidency. Long before the spotlight was on the president’s most troublesome ex-attorney, WhoWhatWhy was probing this curious character in the Russiagate saga.
Hot Air and a Big Baby — Trump Can Expect Snarky Treatment in the UK
Reading Time: 3 minutes The US president is notoriously thin-skinned. He’s faced considerable protests across America — but it’s about to be turned up to “11” when he touches down in the UK tomorrow.
Afghanistan: 17 Years of Incompetence, Corruption, and Waste
Reading Time: 4 minutes A new government report concludes that the US’s ongoing effort — now in its 17th year — to stabilize and reconstruct Afghanistan has been marred by misspending, corruption, and incompetence.
Turkey’s Strongman Still Vulnerable After Election Victory
Reading Time: 4 minutes Erdogan’s power grab in Turkey has been rubber-stamped by an election described by independent observers as free but not fair. His promises for peace and prosperity ring hollow, experts say.
Child Separation Crisis Background: Who Caused the Misery South of the Border?
Reading Time: 8 minutes Anyone who thinks people just brave the border hazards for the heck of it pays no attention to historical causation — in particular the role the US has played over the decades propping up right-wing dictators throughout South and Central America.
Michael Cohen’s Still-Missing Ukraine Background Info
Reading Time: 27 minutes Everyone’s buzzing about the huge payment Trump pal Michael Cohen took to get the Ukrainian president in with the American president. But there’s more of a Ukraine connection to Michael Cohen than the media is telling us.
Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel: What the Hell Was Going On at Trump Tower?
Reading Time: 6 minutes Wait: Isn’t the main Trump scandal about Russian influence? All of a sudden they’re talking about a bunch of other countries. Don’t worry. We’ll explain.
Will Canadian Court Hand Powerful Tool to the Oppressed?
Reading Time: 7 minutes Can victims of corporate wrongdoing pursue justice in other countries? A Canadian court is dealing with that question this week and its ruling could have sweeping consequences across the globe.
Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen’s Unexplored Russia Connections
Reading Time: 26 minutes With the FBI raid on Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s office, everyone is scrambling for explanations. But as WhoWhatWhy reported last year, Michael Cohen’s background has long demanded close scrutiny. He came out of nowhere, backed by Russia-connected figures, and bought his way into Donald Trump’s heart. Here’s the full story as it appeared on September 18, 2017.
Trump, Kushner, Russia — and the Blackstone Mystery
Reading Time: 8 minutes President Donald Trump’s close friend, billionaire Stephen Schwarzman, and his company, Blackstone, have interesting Russia connections. Thus far, though, they’ve flown beneath the radar.
The Puzzling Putin-Trump Relationship
Reading Time: 4 minutes President Donald Trump once again had people scratching their heads over his (in)actions involving Russia. Why does he so frequently seem to act with Vladimir Putin’s interests in mind — at the expense of the American people?