Here are 17 recent government expenditures, ranked from smallest to largest, that some of you may resent your taxes going to. (Not all of these programs expend all their money in one calendar year—but again, money is fungible.) Their costs are calculated in terms of how many citizens with a given taxable income (according to this handy 2017 tax table, which you should bookmark if you just started trying to deal with your 1040 this morning) it takes to pay for the expenditure. For those with taxable incomes higher than $100,000, where the tax table cuts off, the average tax burden for folk within a given range of adjusted gross income is derived from this IRS data (from 2015, the most recent year they offer).

Tesla Motors has halted production of its troubled Model 3 electric car as the company looks for a way to use fewer machines — and more humans — in their assembly.

Presidents, Prime Ministers, Congressmen, Generals, Spooks, Soldiers and Police ADMIT to False Flag Terror
In the following instances, officials in the government which carried out the attack (or seriously proposed an attack) admit to it, either orally, in writing, or through photographs or videos:

Theresa May has said it was "legally and morally right" for the UK to join air strikes against the Syrian regime to prevent "further human suffering".

The US, UK and France have drafted their own resolution on Syria condemning the alleged chemical attack in Douma after the Russian-drafted initiative was rejected. Sputnik discussed the West's actions in Syria from the perspective of international law with Dr. Jan Oberg, director of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research.

China finally launched last month its yuan-denominated crude oil futures that have been in the works for years, after several delays.

The start of the new contract trading was successful, attracting interest from institutional and retail investors, and major commodity trading houses Glencore and Trafigura.

Yet, it’s too soon to call the less-than-a-month-old contract a total success, because it still faces a long road toward building reputation and history, analysts say. They have also identified the single biggest risk factor for western investors—the extent to which China could meddle with government regulation in the yuan crude futures, as Beijing is known for little tolerance toward wild price swings in its markets and has a history of intervening.

Israel will not accept any limitations to its operations in Syrian airspace against 'Iranian threat', the defense minister said, expressing hope that "communication" lines with Moscow will help avoid any "friction" in the air.

On Tuesday morning, a series of missile strikes once again targeted Syrian military infrastructure. The Pentagon, which led the coordinated April 14 assault against Syrian targets with its British and French allies, denied its involvement in attacking a new set of targets. Israel, which struck Syria's Tiyas (T-4) airfield in Homs province on April 9, also failed to acknowledge bombing its neighbor.

Yet the new attack against Syria comes just hours after Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman vowed to protect the country's national interests through breaching Syrian airspace if necessary.

A senior Iranian official says the recent US-led missile attack against Syria proved the political bankruptcy of Washington and its allies.

The strikes against Syria were carried out under a pretext similar to that used by former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, which led to Washington's invasion of Iraq in 2003, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, told reporters on Monday.

During his presentation to the United Nations Security Council in February 2003, Powell claimed that Iraq might have tried to buy uranium from Niger in order to use it for non-peaceful purposes; however, after two years, it was proved that his documents were fake, Salehi added.

He noted that false US claims have made people all over the world vigilant and made them familiar with the "real nature of the aggressive countries."

It has become clear to people what an "unwise, cruel and savage policy" the US statesmen have applied to Syria, he emphasized.

Barely a week after Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned easing barriers for foreign automotive firms during a widely publicized speech, China's National Development and Reform Commission said Tuesday that it would phase out requirements that foreign auto makers must share factory ownership and earnings with local Chinese firms by 2022 - a step toward market liberalization that President Donald Trump will likely tout as evidence his aggressive trade policies are working.

The phase-out will unfurl in stages: Limits on foreign investment for companies building new energy vehicles, a term covering electric cars powered by batteries or fuel cells, will be removed this year. Limits on those building commercial vehicles and passenger cars will be lifted in 2020 and 2022, respectively.

In five years, the commission says, no foreign car company will need to have a joint venture with a Chinese firm, which would sunset a restriction on the industry that has been in place since 1994.

In the best of times, people might think you are crazy for getting a second passport, or foreign citizenship.

But what about on the brink of World War 3? Perhaps now is the time to give yourself some options.

If you are American or British, the last thing you want is to be trapped. Imagine if a U.S. passport–arguably the most cherished passport in the world–suddenly couldn’t get you across borders. This could happen if a foreign coalition raises international pressure to stop the U.S. from aggressive action in the Middle East.

But the U.S. government itself could revoke your permission to travel for any number of reasons. They can cancel an individual’s passport without explanation. And as we inch towards more intense nationalism, it is unfortunately not so far-fetched that the U.S. would limit their own citizens travel opportunities wholesale.

Write down: I, Uri Avnery, soldier number 44410 of the Israel army, hereby dissociate myself from the army sharpshooters who murder unarmed demonstrators along the Gaza Strip, and from their commanders, who give them the orders, up to the commander in chief.

We don’t belong to the same army, or to the same state. We hardly belong to the same human race.

Is my government committing "war crimes" along the border of the Gaza Strip?

I don’t know. I am not a jurist.

It seems that officials of the International Criminal Court believe that the acts of our soldiers do constitute war crimes. They demand an international investigation.

To prevent that, our army command proposes an Israeli military investigation. That is manifestly ridiculous – an army investigating itself about acts committed on direct orders of the Chief of Staff.

ustice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz expects his wide-ranging report on the FBI and DOJ’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe to be finished next month and has been asked to testify before the House oversight committee on May 8, according to letters reviewed by Fox News.

Horowitz addressed the timing in a letter to Senator Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

He wrote that the report, which began in January 2017 with bipartisan support, has been extended due to “potentially important additional information and documents that recently came to our attention, and the interviews they have required us to conduct.” Horowitz continued, “my expectation is that we will issue our report in May, absent any new developments.”

A former member of the House oversight committee said the release of an IG report typically is followed by public testimony.

The Islamic State (ISIS) resumed their assault in the southeastern countryside of Homs this morning, striking the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) positions near the town of Muhasah.

ISIS began their attack by heavily shelling Syrian Arab Army’s positions near Muhasah, prompting the latter to respond with a barrage of missiles and artillery.

Intense clashes would breakout between the Syrian Army and ISIS terrorists shortly after the exchange of missiles and artillery, with the latter taking the offensive in a bid to capture the 16th Air Defense Regiment.

House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy has requested the appearance of DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz on May 8th, 2018:

Iranian Army Ground Forces commander Brig.-Gen. Kiumars Heidari has warned that Israel can no longer threaten the Islamic Republic.

As tensions continue to rise along Israel’s northern border, Heidari said Iran’s armed forces “are much more powerful than before” and that “the date has been set” for Israel’s destruction, according to official news agency Mehr. He was speaking in Tehran ahead of Iran’s Army Day.

Israeli officials have repeatedly voiced concerns over the growing Iranian entrenchment on its borders and the smuggling of sophisticated weaponry to Hezbollah, from Tehran to Lebanon via Syria, stressing that both are redlines for the Jewish state.

Israel will not accept limitations on its "actions" in Syria from Russia or any other country, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Monday, a week after a deadly raid attributed to the Jewish state.

"We will maintain total freedom of action. We will not accept any limitation when it comes to the defence of our security interests," Lieberman said in a video interview with the Walla news site in response to a question on Russia's criticism of the recent strike.

"But we do not want to provoke the Russians. We have an open line of communication at the level of senior officers. The Russians understand us and the fact is that for years we have managed to avoid friction with them" in Syria.

Lieberman again accused Israel's main enemy Iran of seeking to entrench itself militarily in neighbouring Syria and threaten his country.

James Comey, call your former office — or better yet, don’t — because some of your ex-colleagues may want to have a word with you. A new report says several FBI insiders are none too pleased with the fired bureau Director’s interview on ABC.

Joe DiGenova: America’s dirty cop has destroyed the integrity, the reputation and the legitimacy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation single-handedly by his outrageous performance last night on ABC. It is inconceivable to me that anyone can now think that he performed a legitimate law enforcement function during the investigation of Hillary Clinton. And it is quite obvious that the dossier was a fake document. That it was absolutely purposely used illegitimately by senior officials at the FBI and the Department of Justice. Mr. Comey lied repeatedly last night. And regrettably, he lied to the FISA Court. He encouraged others to lie to the FISA Court. And regrettably, I think Mr. Comey has to be charged with crimes for falsely presenting information to a FISA Court and for apparently lying regularly to Congress.

Earlier, Rep Lee Zeldin (R-NY) announced he would be leading a Special Order on the House Floor Monday night detailing a case for a second Special Counsel to be appointed to investigate Obama’s FISA abuse.

Zeldin also wants to know how/why the Clinton probe ended and how/why the Trump-Russia investigation began.

James Comey told Stephanopoulos in a Sunday evening interview there were hundreds of thousands of Hillary’s emails found on Weiner’s laptop.

The DOJ IG’s report released on Friday was a bombshell. Now we know hidden in it were pieces of information that when put into context with information released at that time indicate unimaginable corruption!

The DOJ IG’s report related to the many lies made by former FBI Head Andrew McCabe is 39 pages in length. (See report here) We reported on Friday our summary of the report. One key item that was included in the IG’s report was related to Anthony Weiner’s emails.

A broadband advisor selected by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to run a federal advisory committee was arrested last week on claims she tricked investors into pouring money into a multi-million dollar investment fraud scheme, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The advisor, Elizabeth Pierce, is the former chief executive of Quintillion, an Alaska-based fiber optic cable provider operating out of Anchorage. In her capacity as CEO, Pierce allegedly raised more than $250 million from two New York-based investment companies using forged contracts with other companies guaranteeing hundreds of millions of dollars in future revenue. Pierce resigned from Quintillion in August of last year, and she stepped down from her role in Pai’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC) the following month.

The Astute-class submarine is believed to have spent several days trying to evade detection in a tense and dangerous contest. REUTERS A British attack submarine has been locked in a “cat-and-mouse” pursuit by Russian submarines and warships, military sources revealed. While British PM Theresa May was deciding last week whether to launch strikes against Syria, a drama began beneath the surface of the eastern Mediterranean, according to The Times.

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same..." This is the oath of enlistment that every American military service member or federal employee takes upon entry into government service (with slight variation for commissioned officers).

With the largest joint U.S.-Israeli air defense exercise ever conducted having recently concluded, which involved over 2,500 American service personnel, and in the midst of heightened Israeli involvement in the Syrian war, we find ourselves asking...

Are US troops ready to fight an

Seoul and Pyongyang are reportedly set to make a huge step in the peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula, as officials from the two states are negotiating a joint statement outlining a formal end to hostilities.

A group of Israeli settlers, on Monday, stormed a historic archaeological site in the town of Sebastia, near Nablus, northern West Bank, under heavy protection by the Israeli army.

The mayor of Sebastia Mohammed Azem, told WAFA that a number of settlers, broke into the site amid the protection by the army, who closed the area for any other visitors.

He added that confrontations broke out in the area, following the visit, while Israeli soldiers fired teargas towards the protesters.

Azem pointed out that the town is constantly attacked by the occupation and settlers, especially with the approach of a national festival in the town that will be organized by the municipality next Friday, and will be held in the archaeological area.

In a separate incident, two Israeli settlers, in the early Monday morning hours, have reportedly damaged a grave in Bab Al-Rahma historic Islamic cemetery, adjacent to the eastern wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, defiling it.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) issued a statement marking the “Palestinians Prisoners’ Day,” on April 17th, and said that Israel is holding captive 6500 detainees, including 1928 who were abducted since the beginning of this year.

In its report, the PPS said that Israel is holding captive 6500 Palestinians, including 350 children, 62 women, and six democratically-elected legislators. Among the imprisoned women are 21 mothers, and eight children.

It added that 48 of the Palestinians detainees have been held since more than 20 years, 25 since more than 25 years, and 12 since more than 30 years.

Israeli soldiers abducted, on Tuesday at dawn, thirteen Palestinians, including a senior political leader of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), during extensive and violent searches of homes in several parts of the occupied West Bank.

The soldiers also distributed leaflets in the al-Am’ari refugee camp, in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, warning “further restrictions and ongoing invasions,” if the Palestinians continue their protests.

In addition, the army said some of its military jeeps were attacked with stones and Molotov Cocktails in the al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, and claimed to locate a pistol during searches in the West Bank.

In response to reports that the US is ramping up the "third front" in its trade spat with China by authorizing another investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 - this time, aimed at obstacles that prevent US tech firms from competing in cloud computing and other high-tech industries - China has, as we anticipated, retaliated by slapping tariffs on US sorghum imports.

Yesterday, the US also revealed that it would stop US tech firms from selling components to Chinese telecom giant ZTE after accusing the company of lying during settlement negotiations - eliciting an angry response from Chinese officials, who urged US lawmakers to create a "fair, just and stable legal and policy environment" for Chinese companies, according to Xinhua.

Like Chinese tariffs on US pork products that were imposed earlier this month, the sorghum tariffs aren't merely a threat: Rather, China says they will take effect on Wednesday, per Bloomberg.

Alex Randall was on his way to work last year on his motorcycle when he was assaulted with a deadly weapon by King County Sheriff’s Department detective Richard Rowe. The detective was in the midst of a power trip mixed with road rage when he held an innocent man at gunpoint. And, no one would’ve have known about it had Randall not been filming.

Now, after the department “investigated” themselves, the officer responsible for assaulting an innocent motorist with a deadly weapon will not be fired. Instead, Rowe will get a five day vacation.

What’s more, the “punishment” of five days suspension is not for pulling the gun, according to Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht. It is for the detective’s lack of courtesy and unbecoming conduct. Apparently, holding innocent motorists at gunpoint during a fit of rage is entirely acceptable but you just can’t swear while doing it.

French President Emmanuel Macron is feverishly backpedaling Monday on his claims only a day prior that he had personally convinced President Trump to keep US troops in Syria. The White House has already denied this claim.

Now Macron is claiming he never meant to suggest he’d changed US policy, but rather that he and President Trump had seen eye-to-eye on Syria all along. He added that they both agree that US troops need to stay in Syria for “the long term.”

This isn’t a good story either. President Trump is still reported to want to withdraw the troops from Syria, even if he’s become resigned to keeping them in the country for the time being. Trump is said to have only agreed because of intense Pentagon pressure.

In a first-of-its-kind admission of responsibility, unnamed IDF source confirms to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman strike on drone base was carried out by Israel, 'first time live Iranian targets' were hit; Friedman reveals one of strike's casualties was commander of Quds Force's drone unit.

A BRITISH businessman told yesterday of his plans to revive our hard-pressed fishing industry by launching a new multi-million pound battle of the South Atlantic.

DONALD Trump is looking to end US engagement in Syria by forming an Arab military force to replace the US presence in the region and to help stabilise the north-eastern part of the country following the defeat of so-called Islamic State, it has been reported.

A new propaganda poster uploaded to the messaging platform of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) has threatened to bomb the New York City subway.
The poster shows a man dressed as a tourist wearing a rucksack inside New York’s High Street-Brooklyn Bridge subway station. A bomb with a timer is placed on the ground behind him. “You will not expect where we will attack,” the poster reads.

In recent weeks, the terrorist group has promised to target the World Cup finals in Russia, as well as locations in Paris. The poster is part of the group’s “lone-wolf strikes” campaign as it loses its foothold in the Middle Eastern countries where it is operating.

Researchers in the UK and the U.S. have inadvertently engineered an enzyme that eats up plastic.

The enzyme is able to digest PET (polyethylene terephthalate)—the same material used in the ubiquitousplastic bottle that's clogging up landfills, coastlines and oceans around the world.

Amazingly, this discovery only happened by chance. Scientists from the University of Portsmouth in the UK and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) were examining the structure of a natural enzyme, Ideonella sakaiensis, found in 2016 at a Japanese waste recycling center. This enzyme could already break down PET plastic—it just doesn't do it very quickly.

To understand how Ideonella sakaiensis evolved, the research team "tweaked" the structure of the enzyme by adding some amino acids, according to John McGeehan, a Portsmouth professor who co-led the work. They ended up creating an enzyme that worked even faster than the natural one.

In a letter to Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, 55 cybersecurity professionals from around the country are calling for a veto for S.B. 315, a state bill that would give prosecutors new power to target independent security researchers.

This isn’t just a matter of solidarity among those in the profession. Georgia represents our nation’s third largest information security sector. The signers have clients, partners, and offices in Georgia. They attend conferences in Georgia. They teach and study in Georgia or recruit students from Georgia. And they all agree that S.B. 315, which would create a new crime of "unauthorized access," would do more harm than good.

Read the letter from the 55 information security specialists in opposition to S.B. 315.

It’s one of the most unbelievable energy stories of the year.

A Chinese oil company was sitting on what might be a major oil discovery - a 182-million-barrel probable reserve, with great potential to grow.

They spent hundreds of millions of dollars and sunk 13 wells, shot or acquired 6,700 km of 2D seismic, and shot over 1,000 km of 3D seismic. Then - thanks to a weird quirk of Sudanese geology - they gave away the entire African mother lode for free.

They literally abandoned their whole investment in the Al-Rawat Basin.

Now, a tiny Canadian explorer - Stamper Oil & Gas (TSX.V: STMP; OTC: STMGF) - stands to reap a petroleum opportunity unlike anything we’ve seen in years.

And, they’re doing it with an energy industry legend - the one man with a nearly perfect 40-year record of striking oil in the tricky rock of Sudan.

In his first overseas trip as president, Donald Trump sealed an arms deal with Saudi Arabia worth $350 billion over 10 years, with nearly $110 billion to take effect immediately. The agreement is said to bolster security “in the face of Iranian threats.”

"This package of defense equipment and services supports the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in the face of malign Iranian influence and Iranian related threats. Additionally, it bolsters the Kingdom's ability to provide for its own security and continue contributing to counterterrorism operations across the region, reducing the burden on US military forces," the US Department of State said in a statement on Saturday.

Hundreds of Yemenis have become victims of reckless arms sales by the US and its allies to Saudi Arabia, whose coalition has indiscriminately used Western weapons in its 3-year bombing campaign, Amnesty International has warned.

The rights group has analyzed numerous instances in which Yemeni civilians, including women and children, were killed or injured by the Saudi-led coalition’s aircraft. In all known cases, US-made ammunition has been used against civilian targets, which potentially amounted to war crimes, the NGO advised.

“There is extensive evidence that irresponsible arms flows to the Saudi Arabia-led coalition have resulted in enormous harm to Yemeni civilians,” said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Director of Research for the Middle East. This, she posited, “has not deterred the USA, the UK and other states, including France, Spain and Italy, from continuing transfers of billions of dollars’ worth of such arms.”

It’s just a matter of time before it’s coming, false flag pretexts easy to stage, more virtually certain to come. They’re a longstanding US tradition.

Washington and its imperial allies have been waging naked aggression on Syria for over seven years, terror-bombing for four years this September – the rape and destruction of Raqqa the most heinous example, massacring countless thousands of civilians.

Overnight Friday, Trump escalated things further, dangerously pushing the envelope, based on a Big Lie, likely a warmup for more of the same to come.

Trump’s tweet about U.S. missiles blasting past Russian defenses in Syria left many Russians thinking the Motherland might be next. Plus: oligarch sanctions and military exercises.

Yemeni human rights activists have charged Mohammad bin Salman, accusing him of aiding in “acts of torture” during the campaign in Yemen. Paris is being put under pressure, due to the fact that French weaponry is used in the conflict by the coalition. Tony Fortin, member of the board of the Observatory for Arms told Sputnik how this happened.

Fortin said that one of the most controversial deals is the selling of French arms on the DONAS contract. According to it, Saudi Arabia paid for weapons that must have been delivered to Lebanon.

US missiles raining down on Syria last Friday night were fired in violation of not only international legal precedents, but also in flagrant disregard for the United States’ own constitution, a Harvard-trained lawyer and renowned professor of international law told Radio Sputnik Monday.

The Syrian military announced at approximately 1:10 A.M. (Damascus Time), the Israeli Air Force fired several missiles towards the Shay’rat Airbase and its surrounding area in the Homs Governorate.

According to the statement, the Syrian Air Defense managed to intercept several of the missiles, but there was no mention as to whether or not the Israelis scored any direct hits.

This attack by Israel tonight marks the second time in seven days that they have targeted the eastern countryside of the Homs Governorate.

Israeli intelligence officials have concluded that the US, UK, and France's missile strikes on Syria's suspected chemical weapons sites were a failure.

Multiple Israeli government and military sources criticized the strikes effectiveness in hurting Syria's ability to conduct chemical attacks.

These officials also criticized President Donald Trump talking about the strikes beforehand.

The US and allies' strikes on Syria likely didn't change anything on the battlefield, and it's hard to know how much of the chemical weapons stockpile was hit.

Russian soldiers have found a chemical weapons storage facility in the Syrian city of Duma, a Star TV channel said.

"Found substances, such as thiodihlycol, diethanolamine, are necessary for the production of sulphur and nitrogen iperite. A chlorine balloon was found in the warehouse, the same as the one used by terrorists for directing a high-profile fake story, "the statement said.

The TV channel stated that the warehouse was built in the basement of the residential building. According to the experts of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Units of Alexander Rodionov, the laboratory was used by terrorist organizations controlled by this city.

Last week, Sana agency announced that the Syrian army in Aftris settlement in Eastern Guta had found a warehouse with the equipment necessary for the preparation of toxic substances.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), the “internet and e-mail rumors and at least one book have suggested that bras cause breast cancer by obstructing lymph flow. There is no good scientific or clinical basis for this claim, and a 2014 study of more than 1,500 women found no association between wearing a bra and breast cancer risk.”

That book they are referring to … no doubt, has everything to do with my special guest – who will expose the true connection between bras and breast cancer.

ANGELA Merkel’s joint eurozone reforms with Emmanuel Macron are being restricted by German conservatives in a major blow to the European powers, documents have revealed.

The People’s Liberation Army of China is building an ‘Underwater Great Wall’ in the South China Sea in a bid to gain substantial undersea warfare advantage in the region. If reports are to be believed, PLA is laying a network of ships and subsurface sensors in the South China Sea.

Apart from the undersea warfare advantage that China claims it is eyeing, its move will also help the PLA in spying the movement of foreign ships in the disputed region ensuring better monitoring of submarine activities.

Commenting earlier on a massive Western missile attack on Syria, which had been conducted in response to an alleged chemical attack in the city of Douma, Iran slammed the US, UK and France, calling the countries' heads "criminals."

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Iranian parliament's foreign policy and national security commission, will arrive Tuesday in Syria to discuss the recent western attack on the country, a parliamentary source told Sputnik on Sunday.

As US President Donald Trump decides whether to reauthorize the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which he has long wanted to exit or renegotiate, Iranian authorities have announced they will be getting help with their nuclear program from China.

"Some negotiations have been held on mutual cooperation and building small nuclear power plants in Iran by China," Iranian MP Mojtaba Zonnou said Sunday, Fars news agency reported. Zonnou is the chairman of the Nuclear Committee in the Iranian Parliament.

Since his election campaign in 2016, the US President Donald Trump has been scrutinizing US trade partners over their alleged dumping practices and calling for the renegotiation of trade agreements with many countries to tackle the loss of manufacturing jobs in the United States.

The US Head of the Government on his "Twitter" has made the statement that China and Russia allegedly play a role in the devaluation of currencies and this is "not acceptable."

I'm old enough to remember the Cuban missile crisis. For those few days in 1962, the family dinner table was tense and the air - the attitude - in the country was surreal. People lived and went to work, as before, but hanging over every waking moment was the full conscious realization, of every second of every day during the crisis, of the possibility that civilization could go up in mushroom clouds of radioactivity. Years later, as the full story of the Cuban missile crisis was finally known and told, it became clear that the world had made it through the crisis largely because two men - Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev and American President John F Kennedy - had stood down their countries' respective "war hawks." The real life scenario had come uncomfortably close to Stanley Kubrick's black comedy, Dr. Strangelove.

With the very real prospect or war hanging over the world, the media has a special role to play in getting to the truth.

A properly functioning free press is there to speak that truth and be the backbone of a strong democracy.

But what happens when a partisan media stops holding power to account – can it still claim to serve the people or does it become a weapon of mass distraction?