Unbiasable

On the record · Updated October 1, 2026

Ben Norton quotes

85 things Ben Norton said, verbatim, from July 24, 2026 to October 1, 2026, each linked to where it ran. Grouped by the story each one belongs to.

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85statements
Oct 1latest entry

Ben Norton on The Middle East8

Posted it themselves

“The fascist Israeli regime plans a "final solution" for Gaza: Israel's "Defense" Minister Israel Katz admitted the regime plans to soon restart its "war" (ie, genocide), in order to "finish the job" and expel all 2 million Palestinians from Gaza. He boasted that Israel has already ethnically cleansed 70% of the territory of Gaza.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Photos obtained by CBS News show that Iran has done significantly more damage to US military bases than has previously been admitted. Trump has claimed dozens of times that the US is "winning" its war of aggression. These photos prove otherwise. https:// cbsnews.com/news/new-photo s-damage-u-s-kuwait-saudi-arabia-iran-drone-missile-attacks/ …”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The far-right drug cartel-linked US citizen now governing Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, has only been president for 3 days, and he already re-established diplomatic relations with the genocidal Israeli regime and recognized its illegal occupation of Syria's Golan Heights.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The Israeli media reports that Mossad's director removed the head of the spy agency’s intelligence directorate and its Iran division, because their regime-change attempts failed. Their plan was to kick off protests in Iran among minority ethnic groups, especially the Kurds.”

on Mossad leadership changes after failed Iran regime-change efforts

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“In its war of aggression against Iran, the US Army has used up "virtually all" of its stockpile of long-range precision missiles, Reuters reports. And the US still lost. The US is also running out of interceptors needed for its air defense. Source: https:// reuters.com/world/us-has-u sed-virtually-all-its-long-range-precision-missiles-during-iran-war-2026-08-04/ …”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Not satire: The fascist Israeli regime wants to make a medieval moat with crocodiles to surround Palestinian political prisoners. But the barbaric, 12th-century plan was delayed because... an animal rights group complained. Israelis care more about crocodiles than Palestinians.”

on Israel's plan for a crocodile moat around Palestinian prisoners

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The imperialist gangsters who run the US and Israeli regimes are preparing massive attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure. They plan to destroy power plants and refineries, in a terrorist plot to leave Iranians in the dark. This is a huge escalation, and Iran will retaliate.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“We live in an absolutely insane world where this genocidal war criminal who has slaughtered tens of thousands of Palestinian women, mutilating their bodies, openly boasts of how the US & Israeli regimes ousted the prosecutor of the ICC, and cynically claims it's justice for women”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Ben Norton on China & the Pacific8

Posted it themselves

“At its 19th National Congress in 2017, the Communist Party of China officially changed its analysis of the "principal contradiction of Chinese society". Since the Reform and Opening Up era initiated by Deng Xiaoping, it had been the need to developing the productive forces and promote high levels of economic growth. Since 2017, the top goal is now to rectify "unbalanced development" and promote "balanced urban and rural development and equitable income distribution". In other words, the CPC's chief priority is to reduce inequality. And that is exactly what it is doing, in many ways. One of those is by forcing the rich and large corporations to pay significant taxes. https:// za.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng//zt/19thCP Cnationalcongress/201711/t20171101_7633990.htm …”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“In this article, I explain the real reason for Trump's summit with China's President Xi Jinping in Washington. The trade war backfired, and there is a temporary truce. Now US corporations want to access the Chinese market. That’s why Trump invited them:”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Donald Trump invited a who's who of top CEOs to his White House dinner with China's President Xi Jinping. This info comes from the official White House guest list. These US corporations are desperate to access to the huge Chinese market. This is why Trump organized the summit.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“An ex White House staffer proposed US military attacks on China to prevent it from developing advanced AI tech. This warmongering insanity is bipartisan in Washington. It's not just Trump/Rubio/Hegseth. This is a neoconservative Democrat who worked for Biden in the Obama admin.”

on a former White House staffer's proposal for US strikes on China's AI

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Of course the biased Western media tries to make this sound bad, but it's actually awesome: The Communist Party of China runs mass service centers that are open to the public and offer free internet, cheap food, work desks, training and classes, plus sometimes child care & gyms.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The Communist Party of China also runs many community service centers for the elderly, offering free cultural activities, medical attention, classes, and gyms, as well as canteens with subsidized food. I took these photos during a visit to a service center in Shanghai.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Cold War Two: The new US ambassador to Colombia declared in his confirmation hearing, "I think all nations have to make a decision, that it's either the United States or China". He boasted that Colombia's incoming far-right, pro-Trump President Abelardo de la Espriella (a dual US citizen) will limit ties with China and withdraw from the Belt and Road Initiative.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Poll after poll shows that China is much more popular than the US around the globe. The US empire has nothing positive to offer the world, only war & genocide. So the US government is spending more and more money to demonize China. That's all it can do. https:// pbs.org/newshour/world /u-s-looks-to-boost-anti-china-spending-worldwide-by-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-documents-say …”

on US spending to counter China's global popularity

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Ben Norton on Foreign policy & the world32

Posted it themselves

“The US ambassador to Greece openly threatened to organize a coup if its government didn't do what Washington wanted. US ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle is a top Trump ally who was previously engaged to Donald Trump Jr. Guilfoyle had a fight with Greece's energy minister, and she referenced the collapse of the Romanian government, saying: “We can do that to any country we want. We can do that here”. This quote is from a Wall Street Journal report: https:// wsj.com/articles/kimbe rly-guilfoyle-mystery-man-energy-5adeb541 … This is reminiscent of what was said by Elon Musk, the world's richest oligarch, following a US-backed coup against Bolivia's left-wing President Evo Morales in 2019: "We will coup whoever we want! Deal with it".”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Saudi Arabia has clearly chosen a side: Riyadh withdrew from mBridge, a project connecting central banks with blockchain technology in order to avoid the dollar and potential US sanctions. Saudi also refused to accept the invitation to join BRICS. Meanwhile, CNN reported that the US military is preparing a massive attack on Yemen in order to prop up the reactionary Saudi monarchy. These were likely concessions that the US demanded in order to protect the Saudi crown.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The US empire is in its decadent fascistic phase where the head of the newly named Department of War openly cites the Bible and declares that the US military is waging a holy war against "communists" and "Islamists".”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The US government has taken $11 billion of Venezuela's oil revenue since January. Only $3.5 billion has gone to Venezuela. $7.5 billion is unaccounted for. Good summary of the imperial pillage here: The US took Venezuela's "primary revenue stream at gunpoint, routed it through a bank in Qatar, then a Citibank account, handed the sales to two Swiss traders with federal bribery cases, put the Pentagon in business with a man the Justice Department once named in a $1.2 billion PDVSA laundering case, and declared the whole thing immune from American courts by decree".”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“If this is not an empire, nothing is. The US military literally says it must be able to attack anyone, anywhere on Earth, at any time. It's a globe-spanning imperial war machine. Imagine how the US would feel if China vowed to develop the capacity to "strike anywhere on the globe, at the time and place of our choosing". (Fortunately, China has no interest in this, as it has not fought a war since 1979 and has a non-interventionist foreign policy.)”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Corporate colonialism: The US empire is suffocating Cuba with an oil blockade and brutal sanctions, trying to overthrow its revolutionary government. US corporate vultures are already trying to take control of Cuba's assets. Billionaire oligarchs who funded Marco Rubio and other Miami politicians are salivating at possible regime change. US mining, shipping, and real estate companies want to take over Cuba's publicly owned assets. This is an important report: https:// theguardian.com/us-news/2026/s ep/17/trump-marco-rubio-cuba …”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Trump's extreme unilateralism and tariffs have done a great job in pushing China, Russia, and India closer together. Xi, Putin, and Modi are currently meeting at the BRICS summit in New Delhi. China and India obviously still have many differences, but they are improving ties.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The US rogue state was the only country on Earth to oppose a UN resolution that replaces a colonial world map from year 1569, which misrepresents the size of Africa. I explain here how this is part of the Trump admin’s overt attempt to revive colonialism:”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“It must be emphasized how insane this is: Trump is openly threatening to colonize and annex Mexico, Canada, Greenland, Cuba, and several other Caribbean countries. This is not just an empty threat. He's already at war with Iran. The fascistic US empire is a mad dog with rabies.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The new right-wing, oligarch-backed, US puppet president of Costa Rica, Laura Fernández, is giving the US military the green light to intervene in her country. Costa Rica has no armed forces of its own, so it is becoming a de facto US colony.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The US is a crazy rogue regime that opposed the entire world at the UN, in a vote of 164 to 1. Everyone else supports adopting a more accurate world map, showing the true size of Africa. The US rogue regime wants to keep the colonial Mercator map, which makes it look bigger.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The central bank of the Netherlands has moved its gold reserves out of New York, citing “increasing geopolitical unrest”. In other words, European countries now fear that their US "ally" (ie, imperial overlord) may seize their gold. This is a wise move. https:// ft.com/content/1749e7 53-9c90-4ff5-91ec-8df764f3b26d?syn-25a6b1a6=1 …”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The new far-right US puppet regime in Peru has cut off diplomatic relations with Iran, obediently following US orders. Peru's new far-right leader Keiko Fujimori is the daughter of a fascist US-backed dictator who committed genocide. The US blatantly meddled in Peru's election.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Peru's foreign minister was the US embassy's director of communications for 15 years. The US empire totally controls Peru's government. It is naked neocolonialism.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Ecuador under US imperial rule has become a failed state run by drug cartels. The Ecuadorian journalist who helped expose how police are working closely with organized crime has just been murdered. Any Ecuadorian journalist who exposes the crimes of the drug-trafficking oligarch family of the country's right-wing narco-dictator Daniel Noboa (a US citizen and close Trump ally) is killed. Any Ecuadorian journalist who investigates the Noboa narco-regime's collaboration with the US military is killed.”

on the killing of an Ecuadorian journalist who exposed police-cartel collusion

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Neoconservative propagandist Gordon G. Chang has been wrong about China for his entire career, but he always fails up and is published in the corporate media because he's a loyal imperialist. Chang is now calling for the US to prevent Cuba from importing food and solar panels -- in addition to cutting off its oil supply, as Washington has already been doing. This is sociopathic sadism. US imperialists are trying to kill as many Cubans as possible, to cause societal collapse, so they can recolonize the country and make it into a new Epstein island.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Bombshell: a former electoral counselor in Honduras has published leaked recordings proving his country's 2025 election was stolen. The US helped put in power far-right politician Nasry "Tito" Asfura, who is closely linked to drug trafficking. Trump personally interfered in Honduras' election, and he pardoned and released from prison the country's former US-backed dictator, Juan Orlando Hernández (JOH), who was imprisoned for trafficking tons of cocaine and machine guns. JOH is from the same right-wing National Party of Asfura. His drug cartel buddies are now running Honduras once again, with Washington's full support. The fraud in Honduras was overseen by a US-backed far-right Argentine specialist in election meddling, Fernando Cerimedo, who was recently arrested in Bolivia for hiring hitmen to try to assassinate his pregnant ex girlfriend (although they failed). This close US ally is also being investigated for drug trafficking. I repeat: the US empire's most obedient allies/puppets in Latin America are drug traffickers and criminals.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The US empire continues to accelerate the global transition away from the dollar system: By weaponizing the dollar, the US empire is telling all countries that they must seek an alternative financial architecture, because they could be the next target of US economic terrorism.”

on US dollar sanctions pushing other countries toward alternative financial systems

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“How USA & Israel put drug cartel-linked US citizen in power in Colombia Colombia's ex President Gustavo Petro accused USA and Israel of meddling in the election to put in power a far-right, Trump-backed, pro-Israel US citizen and ally of drug traffickers.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Colombia has a new far-right multimillionaire president, Abelardo de la Espriella. He is a US citizen who voted for Trump. He wants Colombia to adopt the US dollar. He worked for years as a lawyer in Miami, defending drug traffickers. He also loves Israel. Neocolonialism.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“In the past year alone, the US empire: - stole the elections in Colombia (with help from Israel), putting a far-right US citizen in power; - meddled in the elections in Honduras, after releasing narco-dictator Juan Orlando Hernández from prison, to put in power another right-wing US puppet from the same political party of that drug trafficker; - meddled in the elections in Peru to put in power the daughter of fascist US-backed dictator Alberto Fujimori, who committed genocide against Indigenous peoples; - supported the right-wing narco-dictator in Ecuador (another US citizen), from the Noboa oligarch dynasty, as he banned the main left-wing Correísta opposition party from participating in elections; - meddled in Argentina's elections by offering tens of billions of dollars to fund the right-wing party of US puppet Javier Milei; - and is now meddling in Brazil's upcoming elections to put the son of far-right coup-plotter Bolsonaro in power. Nicaragua's constitutional reform is aimed at preventing the US empire from repeating this in its country. Nicaragua is defending its sovereignty. Imperialism is the real threat to democracy.”

on alleged US election interference across Colombia, Honduras, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, and Brazil

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Colombia's new far-right, drug cartel-linked US puppet president, Abelardo de la Espriella, has only been in power for 5 days, but he has already given the US and Israeli militaries permission to enter Colombian territory. The cynical reason he gave for inviting US/Israeli intervention is supposedly to fight "drug cartels". This is deeply ironic, because when de la Espriella spent years living in Florida (he is a dual US citizen), he worked as a lawyer defending... drug traffickers. He is a best friend of narcos. The situation is similar in Ecuador, which is now a dictatorship run by another far-right US citizen, Daniel Noboa, whose billionaire oligarch family is deeply involved in drug trafficking. Noboa, a literal narco-dictator, also allowed the US military to intervene in Ecuador, in the name of fighting "drug traffickers". The US empire's closest allies in Latin America are the worst drug traffickers. But they claim they need the US military to intervene to fight "drug trafficking". It's a neocolonial farce.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The far-right narcos now governing Colombia have surrendered their sovereignty to Washington. Their foreign policy is dictated by the US. Colombia now supports Morocco's illegal occupation of Western Sahara, and it has cut off relations with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.”

on Colombia's new government aligning foreign policy with the US and Morocco on Western Sahara

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Colombia was just hit by a massive 7.4-magnitude earthquake, and hundreds of people are losing their lives... But the new government, led by far-right narcos and US puppets, is busy publishing press releases about how it supports Israel's illegal occupation of foreign land.”

on Colombia's government response to a deadly earthquake amid its Israel stance

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The far-right US citizen whom the Trump admin installed to govern Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, started his new presidential term by: -meeting Israel's FM, praising the genocidal regime -recognizing Morocco's occupation of Western Sahara -vowing to reduce ties with China”

on Colombia's new president meeting Israel's FM and other early moves

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Colombia's outgoing left-wing President Gustavo Petro cut diplomatic ties with Israel, condemning its genocide in Gaza. The US regime demonized Petro as a "Marxist terrorist" and imposed sanctions on him. The US blatantly meddled in Colombia's election in order to put in power the new, incoming far-right US puppet President Abelardo de la Espriella, a multimillionaire dual US citizen who is closely linked to drug trafficking and organized crime. De la Espriella is extremely pro-Israel. He is already holding meetings hugging genocidal Israeli officials.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“While the US empire tries to kill as many Cubans as possible with a barbaric medieval-style blockade of the island, the CIA has set up a coup-plotting "task force" aimed at overthrowing the revolutionary government. It is reminiscent of the CIA task force that oversaw the Bay of Pigs terrorist invasion in 1961. The Trump administration has designated Cuba as "priority 1" (for regime change), alongside China, Iran, and Russia.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Peru's far-right US puppet leader was just inaugurated as president, and immediately, in her 1st speech, she announced a state of emergency to deploy the military locally to maintain "order". Keiko Fujimori is the daughter of a US-backed fascist dictator who committed genocide.”

on Keiko Fujimori declaring a state of emergency and deploying troops after her Peru inauguration

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The far-right US puppet leader in Peru, Keiko Fujimori (the daughter of a fascist dictator), has only been in power for 3 days, but she has already: -used a state of emergency to deploy the military locally -ordered the arrest of social movement leaders”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“When Colombia's incoming far-right US puppet president Abelardo de la Espriella lived in Miami, he worked with "white powder lawyers", defending Latin American drug traffickers. The US empire loves drug lords: they have no problem selling off their countries to US corporations.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The celebration of the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution this year in Nicaragua featured something unique: a large military parade. It was a clear message to the US empire: The Sandinistas will fight to defend their country against constant US attacks.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“This is the president and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a CIA cutout that destabilizes countries for the US empire. He lies about Nicaragua and vows to continue funding its right-wing, anti-Sandinista opposition. The NED helped fund the 2018 coup attempt.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Ben Norton on National security & surveillance1

Posted it themselves

“The US Department of War has created a new military command, using AI and robots to wage even more wars. It's called Autowarcom: Autonomous Warfare Command. We saw an example of the kind of horrific atrocities the US military will carry out using AI, when the US carried out a triple-tap strike on an elementary school in Minab in southern Iran this February, massacring 120 children and 35 adults, all civilians.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Ben Norton on Trade & tariffs7

Posted it themselves

“Why is Trump meeting with President Xi, after constantly demonizing China, waging a trade war, and scapegoating it? Because Trump's trade war and tariffs backfired, and US corporations desperately want access to the massive Chinese market. The White House invited the following US corporate executives to join the dinner with Trump and Xi in Washington: Microsoft's Satya Nadella Nvidia’s Jensen Huang OpenAI’s Sam Altman Google’s Sundar Pichai Tesla and SpaceX’s Elon Musk Citigroup’s Jane Fraser Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Apple’s Tim Cook Dell’s Michael Dell These oligarchs are the US government's real constituents. Source: https:// cnbc.com/2026/09/22/her es-who-we-know-is-going-to-the-trump-xi-dinner-so-far.html …”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“This says everything: Germany's multimillionaire Chancellor Merz (the former head of the German arm of BlackRock) constantly complains about "productivity". He is telling workers to work more and restricting sick leave. Germany accuses China of supposedly engaging in "unfair" competition. So what are German companies doing? Are they investing in R&D, experimenting with new technologies, and opening more factories to better compete with China? No, they're closing down factories, because crazy German policy has made energy insanely expensive (by shutting down carbon-free nuclear power plants, boycotting cheap Russian gas, and importing expensive LNG from the US). Meanwhile, the same German companies that complain about China's so-called "overcapacity" and that are begging the government for protection are... spending billions buying back their own stock, to further enrich wealthy shareholders. If you truly want to be more productive, it should be the corporate executives and rich shareholders that take the haircut and tighten their belts. But they always insist that the burden should be put on workers.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“What's ironic about this bad-faith US propaganda (which is aimed at undermining China's economy) is that the same argument -- that their currency is intentionally undervalued to boost exports -- could also be used to criticize the US allies in South Korea, Japan, India, and Taiwan province. In fact, their currencies are even more undervalued than the Chinese mainland's yuan, according to the Big Mac index that is maintained by the neoliberal spokesmen of billionaire oligarchs at The Economist. The other important point to make here is that it's actually not just that East Asian currencies are undervalued, but that the US dollar is chronically *overvalued*, as a product of the financialization of the US economy and the enormous bubbles in the stock market and real estate, which have de facto backing from the government, and which encourage wealthy foreigners to hold their savings in USD assets.”

on US claims that China undervalues its currency to boost exports

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The Wall Street Journal and US government officials want to set the same economic trap for China that they set for Japan. The US was very concerned about Japan's industrial might and technological progress in the late 1970s and '80s. Ezra Vogel's book "Japan as Number One" was a”[post continues]

on US trade pressure on China compared to its 1980s pressure on Japan

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The White House published an insane screed falsely claiming that Canada is "ripping off the United States". The first supposed example it cites is... Canada DEFENDING ITSELF against Trump's economic attacks. The White House complains that only two countries have responded to Trump's aggressive tariffs by actually fighting back: China and Canada. This is why Canada deserves some credit here. Unlike the US vassals in, say, the EU and Japan, which immediately surrendered and accepted completely unfair trade deals, Canada is actually defending its sovereignty. This is why the White House is furious. The US empire literally claims a country defending itself against US abuse is "abuse".”

on Canada fighting back against Trump's tariffs while other allies capitulated

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Trump restarted his trade war with Canada. PM Carney revealed the US made last-minute demands that violated his country’s sovereignty. I explained why this will blow back on the US and exacerbate the energy crisis, as the US depends on Canadian crude oil:”

on Trump's renewed Canada trade war and Carney's sovereignty complaint

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“When China produces superior cars at a lower price, and people around the world want to buy them, economists who worked for the US government claim it is an "assault" on the market. But when US allies Germany and Japan dominated the market, they thought it was good and natural.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Ben Norton on Economy, jobs & inflation10

Posted it themselves

“This is a very interesting policy idea: As he campaigns for re-election, Brazil's President Lula da Silva has offered a debt relief program for low-income families. The idea is that the government will buy defaulted debts of up to 10,000 reais (c. $1900 USD) of working-class families. Banks know they probably won't get back most of this debt, because it's in default, so the government will buy it for big discounts of 90+%. Some cynical critics are portraying this as a supposed bailout of banks, but that's not true at all. The government will not pay the face value of the debt, which is of course what the bank would want. (This is what the US government often does in its bailouts, which benefit creditors, not debtors.) Instead, in this proposal, the Brazilian government will hold auctions where creditors sell the defaulted debt with a huge haircut of 90+%. Then, after buying the debt, the Brazilian government will forgive it. At the same time, Lula has also proposed a ban on online gambling websites, which aims to further reduce the growing levels of debt among working-class families.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The US government is extremely concerned that the enormous bubble in the stock market could pop soon, so the White House is pressuring parents to open investment accounts for their *children*. This is a desperate, eleventh-hour attempt to keep inflating the bubble.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Dedollarization: China has been steadily reducing its holdings of US Treasury securities (US government debt). They are now at the lowest level since 2008. And they continue to decline on a steady basis. The US has weaponized its currency. The world is creating alternatives. Source: https:// ft.com/content/69f02a bc-e0dc-46e5-aa6c-61d209e095d9?syn-25a6b1a6=1 …”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The manager of Norway's $2.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund has proposed significantly cutting its exposure to US Treasury securities (US government debt). This comes at a very bad moment for the US, given that the yields on Treasuries have been rising significantly, and US debt issuance is growing rapidly at a time when foreign demand is shrinking. Over the past decade, China has significantly reduced its holdings of US Treasuries (out of fear of US sanctions and asset seizures). And Japan, the largest foreign holder, has been selling Treasuries to try to stabilize its currency, which has fallen markedly against the US dollar. Norway reducing its Treasury holdings will only further increase the upward pressure on US yields. https:// reuters.com/business/norwa ys-2-trillion-sovereign-fund-proposes-deep-cuts-us-treasury-holdings-2026-09-04/ …”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Of course crypto influencers based in the UAE are going to come to the conclusion that "working harder is a scam"... But this chart is very important, because it shows that the real lesson is that neoliberal capitalism is a scam. The US economy financialized in the 1990s, and ever since it has been based on inflating huge bubbles in the stock market. 50% of stocks in the US are owned by the richest 1% of the population, and nearly 90% are owned by the richest 10%. They have gotten exponentially richer in the past three decades, not by working hard, but simply through asset-price inflation. They earn capital gains in their sleep, not by working. But they then tell workers to work harder, and scapegoat immigrants for all the problems. They then try to convince people that the only way out is by investing in crypto scams and gambling in "prediction markets".”

on stock ownership concentration among the wealthy driving gains blamed on financialized capitalism

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“It is ridiculous seeing neoliberal pundits like @Noahpinion still using nominal GDP at market exchange rates. No wonder they're so confused; they really do not understand how exchange rates affect the measurement. When you use purchasing power parity (PPP), suddenly the anomaly disappears. What happened in 2015? The answer is simple: the global price of oil crashed in 2014-2015. Canada's economy was much more dependent on oil exports, which caused the Canadian dollar to depreciate 30-40% against the US dollar, and the Canadian dollar has not appreciated since. There's a big debate in the responses to @Noahpinion 's ignorant post, with many culture warriors blaming the supposed Canadian divergence on immigration. None of them understands exchange rates. It's embarrassing. (I would respond directly to Noah, but he blocked me, as he has blocked half of the people on this website.)”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The dollar system is in crisis: In this article, I explain how the US intervention to prop up the yen was not just about Japan, but a crisis in the US-dominated financial system. Washington fears higher borrowing costs, as global dedollarization grows.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Instead of a wealth tax, Silicon Valley venture capitalist oligarchs propose that the US system should be like... *checks notes* Saudi Arabia and the UAE, literal feudal absolute monarchies. Saying the quiet part loud. Btw, Jason Calacanis called Jeffrey Epstein his "pal".”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Media outlets often claim Americans are wealthier than Europeans, but it's simply not true. US average wealth looks high, but is skewed by extreme inequality. US median wealth is quite low. I analyzed the data to show how awful US living standards are:”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“In China, I pay 18.8 yuan ($2.78 US dollars) per MONTH to use a rental bike as many times as I want, for up to 120 minutes each session, with no limit on sessions. There are bikes everywhere, on every corner. Keep this in mind when you see absurdly inflated US GDP statistics.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Ben Norton on Housing & rent1

Posted it themselves

“The US housing bubble popped in 2008-09... but then the US just reinflated the bubble. In fact, the US housing bubble is even bigger today -- and houses are even less affordable for average working people.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Ben Norton on Climate & energy2

Posted it themselves

“There are so many charts like this, where, if you remove China from the global data, the change is no longer significant. China is responsible for: - half of the world's solar/wind energy capacity, - all of the decline in global pollution, - 3/4ths of extreme poverty reduction”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Unlike the US, China takes its international climate commitments very seriously, and its CO2 emissions have peaked for two years now (way ahead of its goal of 2030). What is incredible is that China has cut its CO2 emissions even as it is using more coal, because it so dramatically reduced its dependence on imports of oil -- in response to the US war of aggression on Iran (and after the US used its neocolonial control over Venezuela to cut off its oil exports to China). Moreover, China has invested so rapidly in the build-out of clean energy that electric vehicles (EVs) in China have replaced oil use equivalent to the demand of the entire UK. https:// carbonbrief.org/analysis-china s-co2-emissions-fall-in-q2-2026-due-to-plummeting-oil-use …”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Ben Norton on Tech & AI3

Posted it themselves

“I'm deeply skeptical of Anthropic's rhetoric about its AI posing "existential risks to humanity". It seems to be part of its marketing scheme, as it prepares for its IPO. It wants people to think they are investing in a revolutionary technology, and not holding the bag. Because in reality, Anthropic is a certifiable cash incinerator. It had a net loss of $42 billion in 2025, with just $4.6 billion of revenue. And a quarter of its revenue came from just two customers, which were not locked into long-term contracts. So how do you convince gullible people to serve as your exit liquidity and invest in your company when it's losing insane amounts of money? Scare them. Make them think your product is so amazing it could literally end human civilization.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Peter Thiel, the far-right billionaire venture capitalist oligarch from Silicon Valley, is a real-life cartoon villain. He literally argues that being evil is good, and when asked in another interview if humanity deserved to survive, he hesitated for a long time and wasn't sure.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Firstly, there is no evidence that this is a Chinese op -- but this narrative helps Silicon Valley oligarchs demonize US protesters and scapegoat China. Secondly, it's an objective fact that US "AI data centers are driving up household electricity prices and straining the grid".”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Ben Norton on Democracy & voting rights5

Posted it themselves

“Huge scandal: Far-right election meddling specialist Fernando Cerimedo was arrested for trying to kill his pregnant ex-girlfriend. Using bots, disinfo, and fraud, he oversaw campaigns of Latin America’s pro-US presidents, with deep links to Trump admin.”

on the arrest of a right-wing election consultant tied to Trump-aligned leaders

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“This is ridiculous disinformation. Nicaragua is not "ending" elections. Nicaragua will still have elections, but it passed constitutional reforms so coup-plotting extremists who are funded by the US government are not allowed to participate in elections, because they would undermine Nicaragua's sovereign electoral process and take over the country on behalf of a foreign power (which is exactly what happened in 1990, when the US government funded and created an electoral campaign to put in power a right-wing puppet from the most powerful oligarch family in the country). The OAS, with its headquarters in Washington, is an instrument of US imperialism that constantly supports coups against left-wing governments, including a violent, failed coup attempt in Nicaragua in 2018 and a successful coup in Bolivia in 2019. That's the real reason why the OAS is angry: Nicaragua's Sandinista government is defending its sovereignty and preventing the US/OAS from putting a puppet in power to rule the country on behalf of US corporations.”

on Nicaragua's election law changes and criticism of the OAS

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Because the US regime is not actually a democracy. It's an authoritarian capitalist oligarchy that maintains a bloody, anti-democratic global empire. The fact that so many people still believe the US is a democracy is a testament to the success of the extreme brainwashing.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Nicaragua's Co-President Rosario Murillo gave a speech in which she emphasized that, YES, Nicaragua will still hold elections. The reports in the corporate media claiming otherwise, echoing US government propaganda, are fake news. This is what Co-President Murillo said: "The”

on Nicaragua's commitment to elections despite corporate media propaganda claims

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Ben Norton on Corruption & scandal4

Posted it themselves

“US politicians are promoting crypto rug pull scams, exploiting their own supporters. Trump and his wife Melania launched meme coins that enriched insiders. Now Hunter Biden did, too. His Laptop token immediately crashed 99%. I explain the schemes here:”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Of course I think Hunter Biden should be heavily criticized for launching a useless meme coin that immediately crashed by 99%. But seeing the Trump family criticize this is peak hypocrisy. They also launched shit coin scams that collapsed. Melania coin is down 99%. Trump coin is down 95%. The Trump family made $2.3 billion in crypto income from November 2024 to April 2026, while their "investors" lost $2.25 billion. It was an upward transfer of wealth. Former New York City mayor Eric Adams did the same thing with his NYC Token scheme. The US ruling class is insanely corrupt. US politicians are fleecing their own supporters, while pointing the finger at the other side. It's all a farce.”

on the Trump and Biden families profiting from failed crypto ventures

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Many people have praised Hunter Biden, because he has rightfully criticized Trump's extreme corruption (although he refuses to criticize his war criminal father for supporting a genocide). But now he is launching his own shady meme coin, like Trump. No principles, just greed.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“Ecuador's right-wing dictator Daniel Noboa banned his political opposition. He's a US citizen and close Trump ally. Noboa is the son of the country's richest billionaire oligarch. His family company traffics drugs. Noboa now has blocked access to all information on his assets.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Ben Norton on Courts & the law2

Posted it themselves

“US kangaroo courts are trying children who don't have lawyers. The US government is the dystopian regime you were warned about in science fiction movies.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Posted it themselves

“The US is a barbaric capitalist dystopia. A court just ruled that people do NOT have a right to clean water, or to truthful information from the government. This came after the city of Jackson, Mississippi misled residents into drinking what it knew was lead-contaminated water.”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Ben Norton on The presidency & national symbols1

Posted it themselves

“The utterly demented imperialist in the White House just claimed the moon as the territory of the US empire. Now he also wants to change the name of New Mexico to "New America". (New Mexico and neighboring states were stolen from Mexico in a US war of aggression in 1846-48.)”

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

Ben Norton on Extremism & political violence1

Posted it themselves

“Huge scandal unfolding in Latin America: Far-right operative Fernando Cerimedo tried to assassinate his ex-girlfriend. He oversaw election meddling and disinfo campaigns for many right-wing presidents. He's closely linked to Trump admin. I explained it:”

on a right-wing operative tied to Trump allies accused of attempted murder

@BenjaminNorton @BenjaminNorton on X ›

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