You’ve seen the headlines claiming that Russia hacked the DNC emails, sent them to Wikileaks, and ultimately swayed the vote that determined Donald Trump would be the next U.S. President. Since you’re reading this article, you likely know that this was a lie, as Julian Assange set the record straight by publicly stating that Russia was not responsible for the DNC hacks and revealing that they came from the inside.

Instead of taking responsibility for Clinton and her team’s corrupt actions, government organizations and the media immediately placed the blame elsewhere. However, did you ever stop and think why the U.S. was so quick to wrongly accuse Russia? Why were so many stories published on a claim that was in no way verified, going against the very definition of good journalism? The simple answer: to distract you from what was actually going on within the U.S. government and the world as a whole.

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Here’s What You Missed While Being Distracted by Fake News on Russian Hackers:

The U.S. military is sending another 2,300 soldiers to Afghanistan

As a final goodbye, President Obama signed off on sending another 2,300 U.S. soldiers to Afghanistan. The decision was made as a supposed attempt to halt the Taliban from further territorial gains, as the government claimed the troops will “advise and assist.” The original decision to invade Afghanistan was an act fuelled by false flag terrorism (not that war can ever be justified), so to send even more troops to Afghanistan serves as further proof that the U.S. government does not have the people’s best interests at heart.

Kurdish-led operation to liberate Raqqa saved thousands of people

In a Sputnik Turkey interview with the Commander of the Kurdish YPJ female battalion, Cihan Sekh Ehmed, Ehmed explained that the most recent operation that commenced on December 10 saved thousands of civilians. The first stage of this operation began on November 5 and since then approximately 60 villages have been liberated. It’s interesting that Aleppo gained so much traction, yet this beautiful story of liberation was never heard on mainstream news.

Over 600 people were saved from an extreme terrorist group in Nigeria

Mainstream media seems to love the topic of terrorism, as it’s used to blame many wrongdoings or hide government corruption. So, why didn’t they share the story of 450 children being freed from Boko Haram, an extremist group in Northeastern Nigeria? Between December 7 and 14, the Nigerian army managed to rescue 69 men, 180 women, 227 male children, and 129 female children.

Violence over a pipeline being built in Mexico that affects local Indigenous community

Sounds awfully familiar, right? We’ve been so focused on fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline, and for good reason, but we can’t forget the other pipelines being built that affect other Indigenous groups. A pipeline being constructed in northern Mexico is provoking controversy as it involves a local Yaqui Indigenous community. Crossing directly through their territory, the pipeline unequivocally vioates their rights. The resistance created an uproar amongst pipeline supporters and on October 21, the supporters attacked the Indigenous tribe, killing one, injuring many, and damaging the property.

The Pentagon covered up $125 billion in bureaucratic waste

For a country that holds fairly high taxes, $125 billion seems like a lot of money to use toward administrative waste. The Pentagon actually attempted to bury an internal study that exposed this, fearing that if Congress discovered it, they might choose to decrease the defence budget.

Women in China were “required to send nude pictures as collateral to obtain loans”

Hundreds of photos and videos of naked women were recently leaked online, as these photos were used as collateral for women to obtain loans through online lending platform Jiedaibao, which was launched by JD Capital in 2015. More than 160 young women were affected by this event (source).

The U.S. halted arms sales to Saudi Arabia

The U.S. announced that they would stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia due to the extreme violence and increasing number of deaths in Yemen. This was clearly a PR stunt, as the U.S. plans to continue to support Morocco, Qatar, and the U.A.E., which all play significant roles in the Saudi-led coalition.

Green movement leaders confined in Iran for six years are still waiting for trial

After publicly questioning the result of Iran’s 2009 election, Mehdi Karroubi, former presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Green Movement leader Zahra Rahnavard have been confined for the past six years in extrajudicial house arrest. They are still waiting for their trial.

Millions of children are malnourished in Yemen, seeking urgent help

The United Nations statement reads, “Nearly 2.2 million children in Yemen are acutely malnourished and require urgent care. At least 462,000 children suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), a drastic increase of almost 200 per cent since 2014.” What’s worse, the U.S. is in part to blame for this, as this is as a result of the war fuelled by the Saudis, who purchase arms from the U.S.

Director of the CIA warns Trump about “bringing back waterboarding”

Amongst many of the strange promises Trump made for if he were to become president was that he would bring back the use of torture. CIA Director John Brennan addressed some of these promises in a BBC interview, explaining that CIA officers wouldn’t support this, especially because they “took some body blows” as a result of engaging in this practice in the past. Although the U.S. is no stranger to using violence to achieve their goals, to bring back torture would no doubt be a mistake.

UN General Assembly expressed grave concern on health risks from depleted uranium

151 countries within the UN General Assembly voted in favour of a new resolution on depleted uranium weapons and the associated health risks. The document highlights specific health concerns regarding the states and communities affected by depleted uranium weapons. The document also explains the significant technical and financial barriers imposed as a result of depleted uranium contamination.

Monsanto shareholders approved a $66 billion acquisition by Bayer

The deal to truly monopolize the seed industry: If it closes, it will represent the birth of the largest seed and agriculture chemical company in the world. This company would also control more than a quarter of the combined world market for seeds and pesticides. This raises numerous red flags because it would mean more GMOs and pesticides, leading to further environmental degradation and health risks (source).

A fake U.S. Embassy in Ghana issued travel documents for 10 years

The U.S. State Department recently addressed a fake U.S. Embassy operating in Ghana for a decade. The fake Embassy was supposedly owned by Ghanian and Turkish organized crime rings and sold “fraudulently obtained, legitimate US visas” as well as counterfeit visas and false identification documents including bank records, education records, birth certificates and more.

Why This Is Important

It can be truly difficult to determine what is fake news and what’s not, so it’s crucial that we critically think about what the media is telling us. Learning to discern and FEEL information out for yourself is crucial during this time.

If a media outlet can benefit from publishing certain content, then they could hold a bias. For instance, many news outlets would benefit from blaming Russia for the DNC email hacks because of their ties to Hillary Clinton and the U.S. government. This isn’t the first time mainstream news has lied to us, and it won’t be the last.

Don’t be afraid to challenge mainstream ideas and dig deeper. You have the resources to discover the truth, even if that’s through your own intuition. When you’re reading an article, ask yourself, “Does this information resonate with me?” If not, then that could be a sign that there’s more to the story than what’s being presented.