Podcasts about hussein badakhchani

Hussein Badakhchani is the CTO at Noah, a Bitcoin company building what they believe is the money app of the future. Hussein and I spoke about the new products Noah is building, the different mechanics that help people earn, save, spend, and pay money on Noah, and the future of payments on the Lightning Network. → Noah: https://noah.com/ The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke 00:00 - Intro 01:27 - Hussein Badakhchani Intro 04:46 - Why Noah Is Building on Bitcoin 09:21 - Noah's Liquidity Pool 10:56 - Noah Badges 15:29 - Saving and Earning Money on Noah 18:17 - Interest Rates on Noah 21:17 - Why Noah is Non-Custodial 26:44 - How Does Credit Work on Noah? 36:06 - The Challenges of Expanding Globally 38:50 - Political Problems with Bitcoin 40:54 - Second Order Effects of Instant Payments 43:46 - Bitcoin and the Inflationary Economic Environment 51:05 - How Noah Makes Bitcoin Adoption Easier 54:29 - Societal Implications When People Start Saving 01:00:49 - Noah's Competitors 01:02:11 - Interesting Lightning Applications 01:06:03 - The Lightning Round

The great Daniel Ellsberg shares his thoughts on Julian Assange’s extradition hearing, comparing the situation to his own trial in the 1970s. Ellsberg, of course, was acquitted—in part because it was proven that the government spied on confidential conversations with Ellsberg’s psychiatrist. The CIA and its allies have been shown to have done the same thing in Assange’s case, surveilling both his doctors and his lawyers. On these grounds alone, Ellsberg believes the case should be thrown out. But Ellsberg also reminds us that in the analogy between the two cases, Assange is actually more akin to the New York Times, to whom Ellsberg eventually leaked the Pentagon Papers. Back then no one would have even considered going after the Times; this time around, the precedent is clear: going after Assange opens the door to prosecuting just about any news outlet in America. Discussed on the show: “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (2009)” (IMDb) “My Statement on the Prosecution of Julian Assange” (The Libertarian Institute) “The Afghanistan Papers” (Washington Post) Rage “State Department Cables” (WikiLeaks) “Baghdad War Diary” (WikiLeaks) “Kabul War Diary” (WikiLeaks) “Official Secrets (2019)” (IMDb) “UN expert says “collective persecution” of Julian Assange must end now” (OHCHR) “The Silence of the Lambs (1991)” (IMDb) “Daniel Ellsberg Secrets Chapter 1 The Tonkin Gulf: August 1964” (The Scott Horton Show) Daniel Ellsberg is a former Marine Corps company commander and nuclear expert for the Rand Corporation. He is the leaker behind the Pentagon Papers, which revealed the truth behind the Vietnam War. He is the author of Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers and The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

The great Daniel Ellsberg shares his thoughts on Julian Assange’s extradition hearing, comparing the situation to his own trial in the 1970s. Ellsberg, of course, was acquitted—in part because it was proven that the government spied on confidential conversations with Ellsberg’s psychiatrist. The CIA and its allies have been shown to have done the same thing in Assange’s case, surveilling both his doctors and his lawyers. On these grounds alone, Ellsberg believes the case should be thrown out. But Ellsberg also reminds us that in the analogy between the two cases, Assange is actually more akin to the New York Times, to whom Ellsberg eventually leaked the Pentagon Papers. Back then no one would have even considered going after the Times; this time around, the precedent is clear: going after Assange opens the door to prosecuting just about any news outlet in America. Discussed on the show: “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (2009)” (IMDb) “My Statement on the Prosecution of Julian Assange” (The Libertarian Institute) “The Afghanistan Papers” (Washington Post) Rage “State Department Cables” (WikiLeaks) “Baghdad War Diary” (WikiLeaks) “Kabul War Diary” (WikiLeaks) “Official Secrets (2019)” (IMDb) “UN expert says “collective persecution” of Julian Assange must end now” (OHCHR) “The Silence of the Lambs (1991)” (IMDb) “Daniel Ellsberg Secrets Chapter 1 The Tonkin Gulf: August 1964” (The Scott Horton Show) Daniel Ellsberg is a former Marine Corps company commander and nuclear expert for the Rand Corporation. He is the leaker behind the Pentagon Papers, which revealed the truth behind the Vietnam War. He is the author of Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers and The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Andrew Cockburn about the steady growth of unconstitutional powers that the federal government—and the president in particular—can summon during “emergencies.” Some of these powers are well-known, like extraordinary law enforcement and surveillance techniques that have been justified by the war on terror and the war on drugs. Others are more secretive, and the American public has basically no way of finding out about such powers until the government decides to use them. Cockburn points out the ways that unprecedented powers have already been summoned during the covid pandemic, and fears the situation could get even worse if there is a disputed election. Discussed on the show: “The Enemies Briefcase” (Harper’s Magazine) “4/17/20 William Arkin on the Secret Military Task Force Preparing to Secure Washington D.C.” (The Libertarian Institute) Out of control: The story of the Reagan administration’s secret war in Nicaragua, the illegal arms pipeline, and the Contra drug connection Rumsfeld: His Rise, Fall, and Catastrophic Legacy Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself–While the Rest of Us Die “The Problem of Free Speech in an Age of Disinformation” (The New York Times) “Trump could refuse to concede” (The Washington Post) Andrew Cockburn is the Washington editor of Harper’s Magazine and the author of Kill Chain: The Rise of the High-Tech Assassins. Follow him on Twitter @andrewmcockburn. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott talks to Dave DeCamp about a handful of his recent antiwar.com stories, with a focus on President Trump’s efforts to bring troops home from overseas wars. Trump has issued a series of tweets calling for troop reductions, particularly in Afghanistan and Somalia, but DeCamp says that this is mostly just PR—after all, Trump is Commander in Chief, and could bring the troops home if he wanted to. Scott and DeCamp also discuss the Hunter Biden email story and Twitter’s censorship of the New York Post. Discussed on the show: “O’Brien: US Will Reduce Forces in Afghanistan to 2,500 by Early 2021” (News From Antiwar.com) “Tweets Are Not Enough, It’s Time To End Some Wars Already” (Antiwar.com Original) “U.S. Military Seeks Authority to Expand Counterterrorism Drone War to Kenya” (The New York Times) “Twitter Censors NY Post Hunter Biden Story, Says it Contains Hacked Data” (News From Antiwar.com) Dave DeCamp is the assistant news editor of Antiwar.com. Follow him on Twitter @decampdave. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Eric Margolis discusses President Trump’s recent peace deals between Israel and some of the Arab states. First Margolis explains that these aren’t really peace deals; what they do is simply make public the normalization of relations between countries that were already tacitly at peace. More importantly, they help further isolate the Palestinians from their supposed allies, which will most likely make it much easier for Israel to continue annexation in the future. Finally, these deals strengthen relationships between U.S. arms manufacturers and foreign government buyers, something that Trump thinks is great for the American economy, but which in reality only enriches a select group at the expense of the rest of us. Discussed on the show: “07/13/11 – Eric Margolis” (The Scott Horton Show) A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm Coping with Crumbling States “Trump’s Mideast Mirage” (https://ericmargolis.com/2020/09/trumps-mideast-mirage/) Eric Margolis is a foreign affairs correspondent and author of War at the Top of the World and American Raj. Follow him on Twitter @EricMargolis and visit his website, ericmargolis.com. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Aaron Maté about his testimony to the UN Security Council regarding the alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria in 2018. After the Trump administration authorized retaliatory bombing in response to the incident, the OPCW sent investigators to follow up on the claims of chemical weapons use. After a year, they released a report justifying the U.S. response. The trouble, as Maté explains, is that OPCW inspectors then started coming forward claiming that their findings had been altered or suppressed in order to paint a more favorable picture for the U.S. and its allies. In reality, these investigators say, the attack was staged to look like a chemical attack in order to incite American intervention. Maté is working to make sure the truth comes out. He also comments on recent revelations in the “Russiagate” story. Discussed on the show: “The Grayzone’s Aaron Maté testifies at UN on OPCW Syria cover-up” (The Grayzone) “Tell Me How This Ends” (Harper’s Magazine) “07/25/16 – Jeffrey Carr” (The Scott Horton Show) Aaron Maté is a former host and producer at The Real News and writes regularly at The Nation. Follow him on Twitter @AaronJMate. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott talks to Matt Agorist about some recent cases of unlawful police killings and police abuse in this country, both the high-profile incidents and the ones that escape mainstream notice. Agorist reminds us of the details of the Breonna Taylor case, in which police officers who were actually looking for Taylor’s ex-boyfriend fatally shot her in the middle of the night while executing a no-knock warrant. The ex-boyfriend, it turns out, had already been arrested by that point. One officer has been charged for recklessly shooting into neighboring apartments, but the rest of the officers have thus far escaped any consequences. Sadly, this is just one case among many, most of which never receive the kind of attention that Breonna Taylor’s case has. Agorist discusses many other such incidents, along with some of the obstacles to reform. Discussed on the show: “WATCH: ‘We Don’t Have a Crime’, Cops Stop Man Without Probable Cause, Hog Tie, Kneel On Him Until He Dies” (The Free Thought Project) “City Sends Mental Health Experts to 911 Calls Instead of Cops and It’s Worked 100% of the Time” (The Free Thought Project) “‘Please Don’t Let Me Die’: Woman Hog-Tied, Tortured by Sadistic Cop for Over 20 Minutes” (The Free Thought Project) “Cop Sexually Assaults Child During Traffic Stop, Gets Only 14 Days in Jail, Won’t Register as Sex Offender” (The Free Thought Project) “Cop Admits to Sexual Abusing 2 Young Girls, Instead of 30 Years, He Got Just 60 Days in Jail” (The Free Thought Project) Matt Agorist is an independent journalist and Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project. He is also a former marine and NSA intelligence operator. Follow him on Twitter @MattAgorist. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Daniel Davis about his new book, Eleventh Hour in 2020 America, which explores the unhealthy expansion of the U.S. military over the last few decades, to the point that America’s very future as a democratic republic is at risk. Davis begins the interview by detailing how America built up its military into the world’s most efficient and advanced fighting force, epitomized by his experiences in the first Iraq War—a war that Davis calls a “success” by the military’s standards. But the cost of an easy, quick and overwhelming victory, he says, was that America became imprudent, believing that it could act as the world’s police without any repercussion. The wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, of course, have proven that that was untrue. Not to mention, adds Davis, that the constitution gives the government no right to engage in this kind of foreign adventurism. Davis also reminds us that the world doesn’t really need a police force: for the most part, every country only wants to ensure that its own borders are secure from external threats, and is otherwise happy to get along peacefully with everyone else. A true defense force and a passive nuclear deterrent, he says, would be more than enough to ensure this. Discussed on the show: Eleventh Hour in 2020 America: How America’s foreign policy got jacked up – and how the next Administration can fix it Matthew Hoh’s Resignation Letter “Truth, lies and Afghanistan” (Armed Forces Journal) A Foreign Policy Of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, And Honest Friendship The Putin Interviews “10/9/20 William Smith: How Empire is Destroying the American Republic” (The Libertarian Institute) “Debunking the safe haven myth” (Defense Priorities) “Iraqi Pandora, by Justin Raimondo” (Antiwar.com) “Army Colonel Challenges Pentagon’s Afghanistan Reports” (The New York Times) Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He writes a weekly column for National Interest and is the author of the reports “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort” and “Go Big or Go Deep: An Analysis of Strategy Options on Afghanistan.” Find him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Charles Glass about Julian Assange’s extradition hearing. Glass has focused on Assange’s treatment at the hands of the U.S. and British governments and their allies, including his subjection to solitary confinement, the denial of medical treatment going back to Assange’s time in the Ecuadorian embassy and the illegal monitoring of communications with both his lawyers and his doctors. On these grounds alone, says Glass, Assange’s prosecution should be thrown out. But more importantly, Glass reminds us how heroic Assange’s work has been, as it has enabled literally thousands of news stories that exposed crimes by governments around the world. Instead of contributing to his demonization, mainstream news outlets should be flocking to Assange’s side. Discussed on the show: “The Illegal Campaign to Eliminate Julian Assange” (The Intercept) Collateral Murder “DNC Email Leak” (WikiLeaks) Charles Glass was Chief Middle East Correspondent for ABC News from 1983 to 1993. He is a regular contributor to TIME magazine, the Guardian, Rolling Stone, the Intercept, and many others. His most recent book is called They Fought Alone: The True Story of the Starr Brothers, British Secret Agents in Nazi-Occupied France. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott talks to William Smith about the threat to republican government posed by America’s growing world empire. The founders of this country, Smith explains, knew that perpetual war would lead to the uncontrolled growth of government power, and that meddling in foreign affairs would lead to decline and ruin at home. More recently, Eisenhower warned about the same things in his celebrated military-industrial complex speech. In a recent piece, Smith warns about the use in the 2020 presidential campaign of an artificial intelligence tool originally developed for counter-insurgency tactics in Afghanistan. Smith hopes that Americans will demand a return to the principles of restraint codified by our founding documents before it’s too late to reverse the damage that’s already been done. Discussed on the show: “How empire is destroying the American republic” (Quincy Institute) “Randolph Bourne: War is the Health of the State” (Mises Institute) “Foyle’s War (TV Series 2002–2015)” (IMDb) Transcript of President George Washington’s Farewell Address (1796) National Security and Double Government William Smith is a senior research fellow and Managing Director at Catholic University’s Center for the Study of Statesmanship. He received his PhD from Catholic University and has 25 years of experience in government and the corporate sector. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Ray McGovern discusses the lasting impact of the “Russiagate” conspiracy, which Democrats have continued to push throughout President Trump’s entire first term. McGovern reminds us that according to recorded testimony released only this year, CrowdStrike (the technology tasked with investigating the DNC email leak) admitted all the way back in 2017 that they had no evidence for the allegation that Russian agents had perpetrated any sort of hack. That means that a narrative that has continued to dominate the mainstream media and Democratic political discourse for three years was known to have absolutely no basis in fact. McGovern fears that the very same tactics used to rein in Trump could be turned around and used on Biden, were he to defeat Trump later this year. Although McGovern strongly opposes the Trump presidency, he regrets the fact that a Biden victory would most likely mean that this whole scandal gets swept under the rug. Discussed on the show: “Comey’s Amnesia Makes Senate Session Unforgettable” (Antiwar.com Original) “RAY McGOVERN: Trump Orders Russiagate Documents Declassified” (Consortium News) “04/07/17 – Jeffrey Carr on the pushback against CrowdStrike’s claims of Russian election hacking” (The Scott Horton Show) “Shades Of The Cold War: How The DNC Fabricated A Russian Hacker Conspiracy To Deflect Blame For Its Email Scandal” (patricklawrence.us) Fear A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership Ray McGovern is the co-creator of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity and the former chief of the CIA’s Soviet analysts division. Read all of his work at his website: raymcgovern.com. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Charles Glass about Julian Assange’s extradition hearing. Glass has focused on Assange’s treatment at the hands of the U.S. and British governments and their allies, including his subjection to solitary confinement, the denial of medical treatment going back to Assange’s time in the Ecuadorian embassy and the illegal monitoring of communications with both his lawyers and his doctors. On these grounds alone, says Glass, Assange’s prosecution should be thrown out. But more importantly, Glass reminds us how heroic Assange’s work has been, as it has enabled literally thousands of news stories that exposed crimes by governments around the world. Instead of contributing to his demonization, mainstream news outlets should be flocking to Assange’s side. Discussed on the show: “The Illegal Campaign to Eliminate Julian Assange” (The Intercept) Collateral Murder “DNC Email Leak” (WikiLeaks) Charles Glass was Chief Middle East Correspondent for ABC News from 1983 to 1993. He is a regular contributor to TIME magazine, the Guardian, Rolling Stone, the Intercept, and many others. His most recent book is called They Fought Alone: The True Story of the Starr Brothers, British Secret Agents in Nazi-Occupied France. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Reason Magazine’s Matt Welch follows up on Scott’s Jacob Sullum interview with his own case against Donald Trump. The clearest point to hit Trump on, says Welch, is probably his complete abandonment of curtailing government spending, as he has presided over the biggest budgets in American history. Welch also notes that despite Trump’s foreign policy rhetoric—which, he admits, has done a good job moving Republican voters toward the anti-war position—he has done fairly little to actually bring troops home and end America’s endless wars. Finally, Trump’s trade policies have accomplished little other than make goods more expensive for Americans and embolden protectionist policies in other parts of the world. Discussed on the show: “The Case Against Trump: Donald Trump Is an Enemy of Freedom” (Reason) “The Case Against Biden: Joe Biden’s Politics of Panic” (Reason) “10/9/20 Jacob Sullum: The Case Against Joe Biden” (The Libertarian Institute) The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir “10 foreign policy questions that should be asked at the presidential debate (but probably won’t)” (The Quincy Institute) Rage Obama’s Wars Matt Welch is editor at large at Reason Magazine. He is the author of The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What’s Wrong with America and McCain: The Myth of a Maverick. Follow him on Twitter @MattWelch. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enPAZUigeoY

Scott talks to Harry Kazianis about America’s relationship with North Korea. Kazianis argues past much of the noise surrounding the effort to get North Korea to denuclearize, proposing instead that America actually could tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea, just like we do most of the other countries that have them. Kazianis reminds us that nuclear weapons for North Korea are primarily about survival for the Kim family; the U.S. simply does not go to war with nuclear-armed countries. Accepting this fact, he says we should just do everything we can to make peace with the North Koreans and not give into all the neoconservative blustering about the need to rid the world of oppressive dictators. Discussed on the show: “Yes, we can live with a nuclear-armed North Korea” (The Quincy Institute) The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir Harry Kazianis is director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest and executive editor The National Interest. He previously served as editor of The Diplomat, a fellow at CSIS, and on the 2016 Ted Cruz foreign policy team. Follow him on Twitter @GrecianFormula. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icluq-smrhQ

Reason Magazine’s Jacob Sullum discusses the case against Joe Biden, including his record on crime, the war in Iraq and the surveillance state. Sullum focuses on Biden’s history as a “tough on crime” democrat, explaining the ways Biden worked closely with senate Republicans during the 1980s to pass laws creating differential sentencing for crack and powder cocaine, establishing mandatory minimums and abolishing parole. Sullum says that Biden wanted to position himself as a moderate, who could attract conservative voters and even attack Republicans from the right. Any reconsideration of his former positions, Sullum adds, have been very recent changes in the face of a Democratic electorate that has moved much further to the left. Discussed on the show: “The Case Against Biden: Joe Biden’s Politics of Panic” (Reason) Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden “Violent Crime Control Act of 1991 ” (C-SPAN) Jacob Sullum is a senior editor at Reason Magazine. He is the author of Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use and For Your Own Good: The Anti-Smoking Crusade and the Tyranny of Public Health. Follow him on Twitter @jacobsullum. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO-P4JTMtjw

Danny Sjursen explains the complicated situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, a piece of Azerbaijani territory that has been under de facto Armenian control since the 1990s. Nagorno-Karabakh is the result of Stalin’s territorial divisions, which very often failed to conform to ethnic lines, leaving an ethnic Armenian supermajority in what had become a foreign country. Both sides have fought over the territory for years, but an uneasy truce has held ever since the conclusion of a six-year war in the 80s and 90s. In the last few days, however, violence has broken out again, and Sjursen fears that war hawks in the U.S. will call for American intervention. He is adamant that America has no dog in this fight, and as with most conflicts this far from home, we should do the sensible thing and just stay out of it. Discussed on the show: “No Dog in the Fight: Nagorno-Karabakh’s Conflict Isn’t About Us (or Russia)” (Antiwar.com Original) “Born on the Fourth of July (1989)” (IMDb) “The New Cold War With Russia Is All America’s Fault” (Antiwar.com Original) Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. army major and former history instructor at West Point. He is the author of Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge and Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War. Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Andy Worthington about his testimony in Julian Assange’s extradition hearing. Worthington reminds us how important the revelations in Chelsea Manning’s Guantanamo Files leak were, stressing just how much harm has been done to the dozens of men held, and often tortured, there—including the 40 who are still detained today. Assange, says Worthington, is not a hacker or a hostile intelligence actor; he is simply a heroic journalist working to expose government crimes to the people. Discussed on the show: “Rasul v. Bush” (Oyez) “The Guantanamo Files” (WikiLeaks) Andy Worthington is the author of Guantanamo Files and the director of “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantanamo.” Read his work at the Future of Freedom Foundation and AndyWorthington.co.uk and follow him on Twitter @GuantanamoAndy. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Jeffrey Kaye about his bombshell report on U.S. war crimes during the Korean War. For decades, Kaye says, the narrative advanced by America and the UN has been that although Japan, our ally, is known to have conducted experiments in chemical and biological warfare, any claims that the U.S. engaged in such activities are nothing more than communist propaganda. Even today, anyone alleging that America used such weapons in Korea is labeled a conspiracy theorist. But Kaye has now meticulously combed through a trove of recently-released documents from American intelligence that finally provide proof of what some have long suspected: after World War II the U.S. eagerly took advantage of the research by Japan’s Unit 731 and others, and eventually put some of it into practice during the late stages of the Korean War. Kaye calls these actions war crimes of the very highest degree, right up with anything the Nazis did. Much like with nuclear weapons, the disastrous effects of biological warfare linger for generations afterward, and today communities in Southeast Asia continue to suffer outbreaks of diseases like bubonic plague. Kaye hopes his reporting will finally start to change the story of America’s crimes. Discussed on the show: “Communications Intelligence and Charges of U.S. Germ Warfare during the Korean War” (Medium) Unit 731 A Question of Torture: CIA Interrogation, from the Cold War to the War on Terror Baseless: My Search for Secrets in the Ruins of the Freedom of Information Act Rage “Wormwood (TV Mini-Series 2017)” (IMDb) Jeffrey Kaye is the author of Cover-up at Guantanamo: The NCIS Investigation into the “Suicides” of Mohammed Al Hanashi and Abdul Rahman Al Amri. Kaye is a retired psychologist, blogger, and author. Read his blog and follow him on Twitter @jeff_kaye. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Jeffrey Kaye about his bombshell report on U.S. war crimes during the Korean War. For decades, Kaye says, the narrative advanced by America and the UN has been that although Japan, our ally, is known to have conducted experiments in chemical and biological warfare, any claims that the U.S. engaged in such activities are nothing more than communist propaganda. Even today, anyone alleging that America used such weapons in Korea is labeled a conspiracy theorist. But Kaye has now meticulously combed through a trove of recently-released documents from American intelligence that finally provide proof of what some have long suspected: after World War II the U.S. eagerly took advantage of the research by Japan’s Unit 731 and others, and eventually put some of it into practice during the late stages of the Korean War. Kaye calls these actions war crimes of the very highest degree, right up with anything the Nazis did. Much like with nuclear weapons, the disastrous effects of biological warfare linger for generations afterward, and today communities in Southeast Asia continue to suffer outbreaks of diseases like bubonic plague. Kaye hopes his reporting will finally start to change the story of America’s crimes. Discussed on the show: “Communications Intelligence and Charges of U.S. Germ Warfare during the Korean War” (Medium) Unit 731 A Question of Torture: CIA Interrogation, from the Cold War to the War on Terror Baseless: My Search for Secrets in the Ruins of the Freedom of Information Act Rage “Wormwood (TV Mini-Series 2017)” (IMDb) Jeffrey Kaye is the author of Cover-up at Guantanamo: The NCIS Investigation into the “Suicides” of Mohammed Al Hanashi and Abdul Rahman Al Amri. Kaye is a retired psychologist, blogger, and author. Read his blog and follow him on Twitter @jeff_kaye. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott talks to Nicolas Davies about America’s continuing role in the war in Yemen. Although the Trump administration has ended some of the more direct involvement like mid-air refueling of Saudi bombers, Saudi Arabia still very much relies on our help to wage its war against the people of Yemen, not least because of the fact that all of their weapons and equipment come from the U.S. Scott reminds us that Trump could end this war with a single phone call. Davies also describes Congress’ efforts to stop American support for the war, all of which Trump has stymied. Discussed on the show: “Two Years After Khashoggi’s Brutal Murder, Why Is America Still an Accomplice to MBS’s Crimes?” (Antiwar.com Original) “Will Michele Flournoy Be the Angel of Death for the American Empire?” (Antiwar.com Original) The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival Nicolas J.S. Davies is the author of Blood On Our Hands: the American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq. Follow him on Twitter @NicolasJSDavies. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews the great Patrick Cockburn about his written testimony in Julian Assange’s extradition hearing. Cockburn argued, as have many other witnesses for the defense, that Assange’s activities with WikiLeaks amount to the very best kind of journalism: the exposure of government misdeeds to the people. Far more journalists, in fact, should be doing what Assange does. Cockburn also reminds us that the information Chelsea Manning leaked and Assange published was not even all that secret. It was on a server that millions of soldiers and government employees had access to, a far cry from the top secret exposure of informants that the U.S. government would have you believe. The prosecution has even had to admit on record that the leak of this information has not resulted in the endangerment of a single informant. Discussed on the show: “Patrick Cockburn and Andy Worthington’s Testimony in Assange Extradition Hearings” (Antiwar.com Blog) Collateral Murder “Iraq War Diary” (WikiLeaks) “State Department Cables” (WikiLeaks) “The Guantanamo Files” (WikiLeaks) “Afghanistan War Diary” (WikiLeaks) Patrick Cockburn is the Middle East correspondent for The Independent and the author of The Age of Jihad and Chaos & Caliphate. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Kevin Gosztola discusses two major points from the recent round of testimony in the Assange hearing. First, the defense has been trying to emphasize the deplorable conditions Assange would be likely to face in an American supermax prison. This is something a judge must consider under British extradition law. Gosztola also brings up the bizarre story of UC Global, a security firm employed by American billionaire and Republican donor Sheldon Adelson. Two former UC Global employees testified that American intelligence had tasked them with surveilling Assange in the Ecuadorean embassy—this illegal conduct prompted them to testify in Assange’s defense. Read more of Gosztola’s coverage of the hearing at shadowproof.com. Discussed on the show: “The War on Journalism: The Case of Julian Assange” (YouTube) “UC Global Employees Testify On US Spying Operation Against Assange” (Shadowproof) “US intelligence sources discussed poisoning Julian Assange, court told” (The Guardian) “Mainstream US reporters silent about being spied on by apparent CIA contractor that targeted Assange” (The Grayzone) Kevin Gosztola is managing editor of Shadowproof. He also produces and co-hosts the weekly podcast, “Unauthorized Disclosure.” Follow him on Twitter @kgosztola. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Trevor Timm is back with an update on Julian Assange’s extradition hearing. Timm was a witness for the defense, where he argued against the idea that what Assange and WikiLeaks do is categorically different than the activity of other journalists. The prosecution has argued that Assange’s solicitation of classified documents amounts to collaboration in an illegal activity—Timm explained that this is no different whatsoever from what any mainstream journalistic outlet does. Just because some people don’t consider Assange to be a journalist, that has nothing to do with his legal status when it comes to America’s first amendment. Discussed on the show: “Trump’s ‘War On Journalism’ Takes Center Stage At Julian Assange’s Extradition Hearing” (Shadowproof) The Assange Court Report Trevor Timm is a co-founder and the executive director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation. He is a journalist, activist, and lawyer whose writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, USA Today, The Atlantic, and many others. Follow him on Twitter @trevortimm. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Kevin Gosztola is back for another update on Julian Assange’s extradition hearing, where most recently the defense has been debunking the prosecution’s claim that Assange engaged in a hacking scheme with Chelsea Manning. Gosztola says the defense was able to establish the baselessness of this claim, based in part on the fact that WikiLeaks had already published just about everything Manning leaked to them before the supposed hacking would have taken place. Gosztola fears that despite this small victory, the prosecution will simply move on to something else, given that their entire case seems to be politically motivated rather than based on unbiased facts. Discussed on the show: “Password-Cracking Conspiracy Theory Against Assange Unravels At Trial” (Shadowproof) The non linear effects of leaks on unjust systems of governance “State Department Cables” (WikiLeaks) Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World’s Most Dangerous Website “Manafort held secret talks with Assange in Ecuadorian embassy, sources say” (The Guardian) “UK Government Caught Lying Twice at Assange Extradition” (Antiwar.com) Kevin Gosztola is managing editor of Shadowproof. He also produces and co-hosts the weekly podcast, “Unauthorized Disclosure.” Follow him on Twitter @kgosztola. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Gilbert Doctorow discusses the latest aggressive maneuvers being carried out by the U.S. government and its allies toward Russia. Doctorow says that the flying of planes near Russia’s border just for intelligence gathering is quite common and relatively unthreatening—but lately America has been sending bombers to those same areas, which actively engage their weapons systems in a way that Russia can detect. Doctorow says that the only possible motive for doing this is to send the message that America is still in charge, and that our NATO allies, who accompany U.S. planes on many of these flights, are united in opposing Russian interests. These maneuvers, Doctorow reminds us, are just one of the ways America has been posturing against Russia in recent years. Our government has also supported regime change in Ukraine and Belarus, helped expand NATO further eastward, pulled out of nuclear weapons treaties and encouraged a full-scale anti-Russian propaganda campaign in the form of the “Russiagate” conspiracy theory. All things considered, Russia has shown tremendous restraint—Doctorow fears that won’t always be the case. Discussed on the show: “Provocative US Air and Sea Maneuvers at Russia’s Borders” (Antiwar.com Original) Rage “Why autocrats are lining up for Donald Trump” (Financial Times) Gilbert Doctorow is an independent political analyst and was the European Coordinator of The American Committee for East-West Accord. He writes regularly for Consortium News. His latest book is Does the United States Have a Future? This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott talks to Jessica Katzenstein from the Costs of War Project about her recent paper on the effects of America’s foreign wars on police militarization. She and Scott trace police militarization to the escalation of the war on drugs in the 1990s, when SWAT raids became especially prevalent. Today that trend has reached all-time highs, with Katzenstein estimating 60,000 raids per year. With so much military equipment being funneled to police departments from the military and Homeland Security, Scott describes the situation as hardly any different than a foreign army patrolling—and subjugating—an occupied country. Discussed on the show: “The Wars Are Here: How the United States’ Post-9/11 Wars Helped Militarize U.S. Police” (Costs of War) Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces “War Comes Home” (ACLU) “The Wire (TV Series 2002–2008)” (IMDb) Jessica Katzenstein is a PhD candidate at Brown University, whose research interests include the militarization of U.S. policing, whiteness and racism and police reform. Follow her work at the Costs of War Project. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott talks to Jessica Katzenstein from the Costs of War Project about her recent paper on the effects of America’s foreign wars on police militarization. She and Scott trace police militarization to the escalation of the war on drugs in the 1990s, when SWAT raids became especially prevalent. Today that trend has reached all-time highs, with Katzenstein estimating 60,000 raids per year. With so much military equipment being funneled to police departments from the military and Homeland Security, Scott describes the situation as hardly any different than a foreign army patrolling—and subjugating—an occupied country. Discussed on the show: “The Wars Are Here: How the United States’ Post-9/11 Wars Helped Militarize U.S. Police” (Costs of War) Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces “War Comes Home” (ACLU) “The Wire (TV Series 2002–2008)” (IMDb) Jessica Katzenstein is a PhD candidate at Brown University, whose research interests include the militarization of U.S. policing, whiteness and racism and police reform. Follow her work at the Costs of War Project. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Andrea Prasow about the war crimes and human rights violations being perpetrated by all sides in the war in Yemen. She reminds us that although civilians always suffer the most during war, this war has seen a particularly cruel strategy by the Saudis, supported by the U.S., of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and blocking the delivery of food and humanitarian aid. Also unlike most of America’s wars, congress has made several attempts to force an end to U.S. involvement, but so far President Trump has blocked them, claiming that our relationship with Saudi Arabia is good for America’s economy. Discussed on the show: “U.S. War Crimes in Yemen: Stop Looking the Other Way” (Human Rights Watch) “Deadly Consequences – Obstruction of Aid in Yemen During Covid-19” (Human Rights Watch) “War Crime Risk Grows for U.S. Over Saudi Strikes in Yemen” (The New York Times) “Yemen: 900 airstrike and shelling hits on farms in three years” (Norwegian Refugee Council) “Report: Strategies of the Coalition in the Yemen War” (World Peace Foundation) Andrea Prasow is Washington Director at Human Rights Watch. She frequently appears on domestic and international radio and television, and has published in a wide range of print and online media outlets, including Politico, The Hill and Foreign Policy. Follow her on Twitter @andreaprasow. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Trevor Aaronson discusses the FBI’s dubious techniques for luring people into fake terrorist plots, which very often border on entrapment. In this case he takes up the story of two Americans involved in the “boogaloo” movement, who were approached by FBI agents masquerading as members of Hamas. The FBI was able to induce these young men into cooperating with a scheme that supposedly would have involved attacks on Israeli soldiers. Whether or not these two were at all likely to have committed crimes in the absence of FBI persuasion, Aaronson explains that they will almost certainly take some kind of plea deal and face serious time in prison, just because that’s the way the justice system is set up in such cases. Discussed on the show: “Hamas Disavows FBI Sting Against Righ” (The Intercept) “Why the FBI had to pretend Hamas wanted to plot with ‘boogaloo boys'” (Washington Post) The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany Trevor Aaronson is a contributing writer for The Intercept and executive director of the nonprofit Florida Center for Investigative Reporting. He is the author of The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism. Find him on Twitter @trevoraaronson. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott talks to Grant Smith about his ongoing work on the Israel lobby and its influence in America. Scott likens the story of Israel and Palestine to the history of the U.S. government and the Native Americans—for a long time everyone learned a skewed version that obscured American government crimes, but slowly the revisionist account became the widely accepted one. Scott and Smith hope that a similar transformation is on the horizon when it comes to American perception of Israeli treatment of the Palestinians. One area where the extent of Israeli influence is particularly opaque is in state government lobbying. Smith has focused on covering an organization known as the Virginia Israel Advisory Board, which funnels state money into Israeli-owned projects, subsidizing many businesses that would otherwise fail, and which rarely provide the benefit to the Virginia economy that is usually claimed. Discussed on the show: IsraelLobbyCon 2021 Israel’s Armor: The Israel Lobby and the First Generation of the Palestine Conflict How the West was Lost (miniseries) “New York Times corrects The 1619 Project — but it’s still a giant lie” (New York Post) “The New York Times and Nikole Hannah-Jones abandon key claims of the 1619 Project” (World Socialist Web Site) “Zoom, Facebook and YouTube Censor SF State Palestine Class — Palestine Legal” (Palestine Legal) “Google intensifies censorship of left-wing websites” (World Socialist Web Site) “Expropriate, Capture & Marginalize: the Energix business model from Palestine to the US” (YouTube) Grant F. Smith is the author of a number of books including Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America, Divert!, and most recently The Israel Lobby Enters State Government: Rise of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board. He is director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Kevin Gosztola is back for another update on Julian Assange’s extradition hearing. A major focus of the last few days, he says, has been Assange’s mental health, including a brand new diagnosis of Asperger syndrome. The defense has argued that this, combined with serious depression, would make him unfit for high-security imprisonment and for certain kinds of questioning that he would likely have to undergo in the U.S. The defense has also continued to emphasize the insidious and illegal tactics employed by the U.S. government and its allies during Assange’s confinement in the Ecuadorean embassy, demonstrating that all along this has been about the deliberate targeting of a political enemy, not some disinterested quest for justice. Discussed on the show: “Julian Assange Diagnosed With Asperger’s While in Prison” (Shadowproof) “US Prosecution Accuses Assange Of Exaggerating His Depression” (Shadoproof) “9/18/20 Joe Lauria: Day Nine of the Assange Extradition Hearing” (The Libertarian Institute) WikiLeaks World Tomorrow Underground: Tales of Hacking, Madness and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier “Underground: The Julian Assange Story (2012)” (IMDb) “Vault7” (WikiLeaks) “State Department Cables” (WikiLeaks) “JOHN KIRIAKOU: As Assange Faces Extradition, the State of US Prisons Grows Worse” (Consortium News) “Kabul War Diary” (WikiLeaks) “Baghdad War Diary” (WikiLeaks) “Collateral Murder” (WikiLeaks) “Exclusive images from inside British court expose Assange’s un-democratic treatment, physical deterioration” (The Grayzone) Kevin Gosztola is managing editor of Shadowproof. He also produces and co-hosts the weekly podcast, “Unauthorized Disclosure.” Follow him on Twitter @kgosztola. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott inverviews Tom Secker about the immense influence that the police, the military, the intelligence agencies and, especially, the Department of Homeland Security wield in Hollywood. Secker describes the complicated process required for a writer or producer to include any material about the U.S. security state apparatus in a movie or TV show, detailing just how much creative control these agencies demand in exchange for information, shooting locations and special equipment—in other words, all the things that are necessary to complete a project involving one of these organizations at all. The result is that hugely popular shows and movies like Breaking Bad, Homeland and Lone Survivor end up being giant PR projects for the U.S. government. Discussed on the show: “Homeland Security in Hollywood: How the Dept Controls Its Image On Screen” (Spy Culture) The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege…And How We Can Be Safe Again “Homeland (TV Series 2011–2020)” (IMDb) “The Punisher (TV Series 2017–2019)” (IMDb) “The Rookie (TV Series 2018– )” (IMDb) “Full Text of F.B.I. Agent’s Letter to Director Mueller” (The New York Times) “Lone Survivor (2013)” (IMDb) “Patriots Day (2016)” (IMDb) “Deepwater Horizon (2016)” (IMDb) “Dirty Harry (1971)” (IMDb) “The French Connection (1971)” (IMDb) “Dragnet (1987)” (IMDb) “Coyote (TV Series)” (IMDb) “The Shield (TV Series 2002–2008)” (IMDb) “Top Gun: Maverick (2020)” (IMDb) Tom Secker is a British-based journalist, author, and podcaster specializing in the security services, Hollywood, propaganda, censorship and the history of terrorism. He is the author of National Security Cinema: The Shocking New Evidence of Government Control in Hollywood. Find him on Twitter @spyculture. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Peter Van Buren discusses yet another development in the “Russiagate” story, one that he says exposes the whole thing for what it really is. He describes the way “media watchdog” groups will discover small, insignificant websites, come up with an excuse for why they seem to be connected to Russia and then get large platforms like Facebook and Twitter to ban those sites in the name of truth and accuracy. Then mainstream publications like the New York Times will run stories about the bans, and Democrats who want to keep the narrative alive can point to the mainstream media coverage as evidence that Russia is in fact interfering in America’s elections. Van Buren says that all of this nonsense simply reveals how out of touch the party and media elites are these days, since they think stories like this will greatly move regular people. Discussed on the show: “Election Meddlers Find a Scapegoat” (The American Conservative) “2/28/20 Peter Van Buren on Russiagate II and the Coronavirus Panic” (The Libertarian Institute) “9/18/20 Nasser Arrabyee on the Continued Horrors of the War in Yemen” (The Libertarian Institute) “Dark web voter database report casts new doubts on Russian election hack narrative” (The Grayzone) Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden “Wag the Dog (1997)” (IMDb) “Anne Applebaum Interviews Peter Strzok” (The Atlantic) “Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’” (The Atlantic) “U.S. commander: Intel still hasn’t established Russia paid Taliban ‘bounties’ to kill U.S. troops” (NBC News) “Trump’s popularity slips in latest Military Times poll — and more troops say they’ll vote for Biden” (Military Times) “Wholesale Slaughter of Japanese Civilians in WWII Was Evil” (The American Conservative) “Trump Nobel Nomination: End the Peace Prize” (The Atlantic) Peter Van Buren worked for 24 years at the Department of State including a year in Iraq. He is the author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People and the novel Hooper’s War. He is now a contributing editor at The American Conservative magazine. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott inverviews Tom Secker about the immense influence that the police, the military, the intelligence agencies and, especially, the Department of Homeland Security wield in Hollywood. Secker describes the complicated process required for a writer or producer to include any material about the U.S. security state apparatus in a movie or TV show, detailing just how much creative control these agencies demand in exchange for information, shooting locations and special equipment—in other words, all the things that are necessary to complete a project involving one of these organizations at all. The result is that hugely popular shows and movies like Breaking Bad, Homeland and Lone Survivor end up being giant PR projects for the U.S. government. Discussed on the show: “Homeland Security in Hollywood: How the Dept Controls Its Image On Screen” (Spy Culture) The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege…And How We Can Be Safe Again “Homeland (TV Series 2011–2020)” (IMDb) “The Punisher (TV Series 2017–2019)” (IMDb) “The Rookie (TV Series 2018– )” (IMDb) “Full Text of F.B.I. Agent’s Letter to Director Mueller” (The New York Times) “Lone Survivor (2013)” (IMDb) “Patriots Day (2016)” (IMDb) “Deepwater Horizon (2016)” (IMDb) “Dirty Harry (1971)” (IMDb) “The French Connection (1971)” (IMDb) “Dragnet (1987)” (IMDb) “Coyote (TV Series)” (IMDb) “The Shield (TV Series 2002–2008)” (IMDb) “Top Gun: Maverick (2020)” (IMDb) Tom Secker is a British-based journalist, author, and podcaster specializing in the security services, Hollywood, propaganda, censorship and the history of terrorism. He is the author of National Security Cinema: The Shocking New Evidence of Government Control in Hollywood. Find him on Twitter @spyculture. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott talks to Dave Smith about the upcoming election and the role of the Libertarian Party in presidential politics. Both agree that the right move for the Party, given that it has essentially no chance of winning the presidency in the near future, is simply to spread the message of liberty to as many people as possible, just as Ron Paul did during his campaigns. Instead, the LP seems more focused on saying the politically correct thing, not offending too many people and accepting a few percentage points at the ballot box. This strategy is sure fail in waking people up to the radical message of libertarianism that our country so desperately needs. Scott and Smith also discuss the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the likely fallout from the Republicans’ attempts to install a new justice before January 2021. Discussed on the show: “9/11/20 Ford Fischer on the Unified Activism the Media Doesn’t Want You to See” (The Libertarian Institute) “Leaked phone recordings reveal CNN head supported then-candidate Trump during 2016 elections” (One America News Network) Hate Inc.: Why Today’s Media Makes Us Despise One Another “War Crime Risk Grows for U.S. Over Saudi Strikes in Yemen” (The New York Times) “9/18/20 Nasser Arrabyee on the Continued Horrors of the War in Yemen” (The Libertarian Institute) Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War “9/11/20 Ted Snider on the Israel-UAE Normalization Agreement” (The Libertarian Institute) “9/17/20 Ted Snider on the Bahrain ‘Peace’ Agreement” (The Libertarian Institute) Dave Smith is the host of the podcast Part of the Problem and a member of Legion of Skanks. His debut comedy special, Libertas, reached #1 on iTunes. Follow him on Twitter @ComicDaveSmith. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Tana Ganeva about her recent article detailing the death of a woman due to medical neglect in one of America’s worst private jails. Holly Barlow-Austin, an HIV patient, was detained for violating probation starting in April, and within a few short months of brutal neglect, had died. Ganeva hopes to bring attention to this story and others like it through her reporting on private prisons and corrupt police departments. Discussed on the show: “In April, She Was Jailed on a Probation Violation. By June, She Was Dead.” (Reason) Tana Ganeva is a reporter covering criminal justice, drug policy, immigration, and politics. Follow her on Twitter @TanaGaneva. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Tana Ganeva about her recent article detailing the death of a woman due to medical neglect in one of America’s worst private jails. Holly Barlow-Austin, an HIV patient, was detained for violating probation starting in April, and within a few short months of brutal neglect, had died. Ganeva hopes to bring attention to this story and others like it through her reporting on private prisons and corrupt police departments. Discussed on the show: “In April, She Was Jailed on a Probation Violation. By June, She Was Dead.” (Reason) Tana Ganeva is a reporter covering criminal justice, drug policy, immigration, and politics. Follow her on Twitter @TanaGaneva. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3o5ggyltFg

Scott talks to Grant Smith about the role of evangelical Christians in the Zionist movement in America. Grant examines the premise that evangelicals are the most significant driving force behind American support for Israel, a popular notion ever since George Bush Sr. blamed his loss to Bill Clinton on his failure to appease evangelical voters on the issue of Israel. But Smith argues that their influence is overblown. He says that the power wielded by actual lobbying groups like AIPAC are still the overwhelming driving force in shaping U.S. policy toward Israel, pushing for things like weapons sales, anti-BDS legislation and the moving of the American embassy to Jerusalem. Discussed on the show: “Are Christian Zionists the ‘Largest Pro-Israel Lobby’?” (Antiwar.com Original) The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy “The Clinton Administration’s Approach to the Middle East” (The Washington Institute for Near East Policy) “Antisemitism think tank ISGAP got grant from Israel” (The Forward) “Watch the film the Israel lobby didn’t want you to see” (Electronic Intifada) IsraelLobbyCon 2021 Grant F. Smith is the author of a number of books including Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America, Divert!, and most recently The Israel Lobby Enters State Government: Rise of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board. He is director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKQwduN0jQY

Muhammad Sahimi discusses Mike Pompeo’s continual efforts to provoke a war between the U.S. and Iran, or to incite regime change from within. His “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign is part of the quest to attain one of these outcomes, a policy that Sahimi thinks is both doomed to fail and incredibly dangerous for America. The JCPOA, negotiated by the Obama administration, helped to take the excuse for war off the table, easing tensions between the U.S. and Iran. But President Trump withdrew from the deal almost right away, and his administration has been making aggressive moves toward them ever since. Sahimi reminds us just how dangerous such a conflict would be, given the size and military power of Iran. Discussed on the show: “When it comes to Iran, how many failures is enough for Pompeo?” (The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft) “Another Opinion Columnist Pushing War With Iran Who Doesn’t Actually Exist” (The American Conservative) Muhammad Sahimi is a professor of chemical engineering at USC, Iranian expatriate, and expert on Iranian and U.S. foreign policy. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NQMUOfo8zg

Gareth Porter discusses the slow death of the “Russiagate” narrative, which has been allowed to live on mainly because of deliberate obfuscation by democrats and the mainstream media. Rarely do they lie outright about the facts, says Porter—instead they will cherry-pick statements from favorable experts and make vague references to incidents where some website or database was accessed by a computer somewhere in Russia. None of this is enough to prove actual Russian interference in the 2016 election, and probably isn’t meant to be. But for those who already refuse to accept the results of the election, and who will look for any morsel of evidence to sustain their theory, no matter how outlandish, these tactics prove to be effective. Discussed on the show: “Dark web voter database report casts new doubts on Russian election hack narrative” (The Grayzone) “Russia Targeted Election Systems in All 50 States, Report Finds” (The New York Times) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state. He is the author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare and, with John Kiriakou, The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis. Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter and listen to Gareth’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Nassar Arrabyee discusses the war in Yemen, where the Trump administration is now approaching four years of continued support for Saudi Arabia in their war of genocide against the Yemeni population. The UN estimates that close to a quarter of a million civilians have died there since Obama helped start this war, and Arrabyee says that with all the excess deaths from malnutrition and deprivation, there is good reason to believe that that number is much higher. Scott reminds us that the war in Yemen differs from other modern wars in the Middle East in that in most of America’s wars, civilians are just tragic collateral damage—in Yemen, on the other hand, deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure has been the strategy all along. Discussed on the show: “War Crime Risk Grows for U.S. Over Saudi Strikes in Yemen” (The New York Times) “Saudi Arabia announces more than $200 million in UN aid funding to Yemen” (CNN) “Yemen war dead could hit 233,000 by 2020 in what UN calls ‘humanity’s greatest preventable disaster’” (The Independent) Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He is the owner and director of yemen-now.com. You can follow him on Twitter @narrabyee. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBi74K11AsE

Ted Snider comes back for an update on the recent round of “peace deals” conducted by President Trump over the last few weeks. Now Bahrain has joined the normalization agreement between the U.S., Israel and the UAE, a move that Trump and his allies are hailing as unprecedented, but which Snider believes is a great deal of fanfare with very little substance. For one thing, he reminds us that these countries can’t declare peace, since they were not at war; they’ve already been at peace for decades. These deals amount to a public announcement of policies that in practice have been in place for a long time—this is simply an opportunity for the leaders of these countries to get some positive PR. Snider says that on the other hand, we have to consider what this means for the Palestinians, whose cause was long championed by Arab nations that refused to negotiate with Israel until the Palestinian situation had been addressed. These deals also promise a great deal of American weaponry to our allies, which will only serve to ratchet up tensions with Iran, against whom this posturing is obviously directed. Discussed on the show: “Peace Plans That Have Nothing To Do With Peace” (Antiwar.com Original) “What’s in the Israel/UAE Agreement? Here’s Five Things That Aren’t” (Antiwar.com Original) “Israel Asks US for $8 Billion in Warplanes for ‘Qualitative’ Edge” (News From Antiwar.com) Ted Snider has a graduate degree in philosophy and writes on analyzing patterns in U.S. foreign policy and history. He is a regular writer for Truthout, MondoWeiss and antiwar.com. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Joe Lauria comments on the last few days of Julian Assange’s extradition hearing. He notes a movement on the part of the prosecution away from their previous tack, which was to argue that Assange was not really a journalist, but actually engaging in hacking and intelligence himself. By establishing that, they may have been able to avoid the obvious problem that the prosecution of Assange could create a precedent for the prosecution of any news organization that published classified documents. The British prosecution may have realized that this strategy was not working because of the obvious double standard it relied on. Instead, they are continuing to hit Assange with the charge that he deliberately revealed the names of confidential informants. Again, Lauria explains, the reality is that Assange worked very hard to redact such informants before Wikileaks released them—much harder, in fact, than mainstream news outlets did when publishing the same information. Assange even went to the U.S. government for help in knowing what was important to redact in the name of national security, but the government refused to help. To claim wrongdoing on Assange’s part now, says Lauria, is the height of hypocrisy. Discussed on the show: “Daily Video Report on Assange Hearing–Day 9” (Consortium News) Hit & Run “State Department Cables” (WikiLeaks) “Baghdad War Diary” (WikiLeaks) “Kabul War Diary” (WikiLeaks) WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy Iraq Body Count A Political Odyssey “Schenck v. United States” (Oyez) Joe Lauria is the editor-in-chief at Consortium News. He is a former UN correspondent and wrote at the Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal. You can follow him on Twitter @unjoe. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugr52AyKv3c

Kevin Gosztola is back for an update on Julian Assange’s extradition hearing. He describes the great line-up of witnesses being summoned by Assange’s defense team and how easily, for the most part, they’ve been able to dismantle the arguments from the prosecution. It’s unclear, however, how effective any kind of reasoned argument about the facts will be, given that we know this whole hearing has been conducted on political grounds from the beginning. The case the U.S. government wants to bring against Assange is based on the conspiracy theory that he deliberately directed Chelsea Manning to steal classified information, and the attempt to brand Wikileaks not as a journalistic organization, but as a hostile intelligence agency. Gosztola reminds us what kind of a precedent this could set: if the grounds for Assange’s extradition are that he, an Australian citizen living in Britain, revealed U.S. government secrets, then could any country extradite anyone for publishing something their government didn’t like? This, Gosztola and Scott agree, is a truly terrifying prospect. Discussed on the show: “9/11/20 Clive Stafford Smith on Julian Assange’s Political Show Trial” (The Libertarian Institute) War in the Age of Trump Kevin Gosztola is managing editor of Shadowproof. He also produces and co-hosts the weekly podcast, “Unauthorized Disclosure.” Follow him on Twitter @kgosztola. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott and Gareth Porter continue their ongoing conversation about President Trump’s foreign policy so far. Porter focuses first on Iran, which has become the ultimate excuse for just about every foreign policy decision over the last decade. In reality, of course, Iran is basically irrelevant to the security of the United States, and isn’t, says Porter, even much of a threat to America’s allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia. But in the perception of the neocon establishment, Iran is the greatest enemy since Nazi Germany, and must be opposed at every turn no matter how destructive and quixotic the endeavor. Porter and Scott then discuss Trump’s attitude toward China, where, unlike in the Middle East, he really does appear to have bought into all the hawkish propaganda. This hostility toward China has resulted, among other things, in the failure of the peace talks with North Korea, a process that Porter and Scott agree every sane person should have viewed as a good thing. Discussed on the show: “9/5/20 Gareth Porter on Trump’s First Term Foreign Policy Record” (The Libertarian Institute) “The Redirection” (The New Yorker) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state. He is the author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare and, with John Kiriakou, The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis. Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter and listen to Gareth’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott talks to Paul Robinson about yet another round of claims that President Trump colluded with Russia to disingenuously win the 2016 election. This time, what’s at issue is a trove of emails from Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort from his time working as a consultant in Ukraine. Manafort’s ties to Ukraine have long been labeled suspect by the Democrats and the corporate media because they supposedly connect him, by extension, to the Russian government. But Robinson explains that while working with former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Manafort was actually advancing strongly anti-Russian interests by helping to negotiate an Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. As usual, the actual evidence doesn’t matter to those who are already convinced of a narrative, and who will do anything to advance what they see as their own righteous cause. Discussed on the show: “Proof of collusion at last!” (Irrussianality) Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win “07/25/16 – Jeffrey Carr” (The Scott Horton Show) “Rubio Statement on Senate Intel Release of Volume 5 of Bipartisan Russia Report – Press Releases” (U.S. Senator for Florida, Marco Rubio) “Trump’s Troop Withdrawal Is a ‘Disingenuous’ Election Year Ploy, Officials Say” (The Daily Beast) Paul Robinson is a professor at the University of Ottawa who writes about Russian and Soviet history, military history, and military ethics. He is the author of many books, including Russian Conservatism. You can follow Robinson’s work on his blog, Irrussianality. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Trita Parsi discusses President Trump’s recent announcement of a troop withdrawal from Iraq. Parsi is hesitant to fully endorse this move, explaining that while troop reductions are obviously good, such individual tactical moves, in order to be truly effective, must be part of a larger strategy of peace. Trump, instead, has repeatedly escalated tensions in other regions, even as he withdraws troops elsewhere, with the result that his foreign policy often results in, at best, a net wash for detente. Discussed on the show: “What Trump’s troop withdrawal from Iraq means for ending America’s endless wars” (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft) “9/11/20 Ted Snider on the Israel-UAE Normalization Agreement” (The Libertarian Institute) “Commentary: Trump’s ‘ending’ the Iraq War is a gift to Iran” (West Hawaii Today) “Trump’s Troop Withdrawal Is a ‘Disingenuous’ Election Year Ploy, Officials Say” (The Daily Beast) Trita Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council and the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Aaron Maté revisits the many lies on which the ‘Russiagate’ probe into Donald Trump’s campaign and presidency was founded. Maté calls the whole story what it is: a conspiracy theory. The only way someone could find all the far-fetched and flimsy pieces of evidence credible is if they were already convinced beforehand and had to make every new development fit their narrative. In particular, Maté focuses on the way figures like Joseph Mifsud and George Papadopoulos, though initially the entire basis for the FBI’s probe into Trump’s campaign, were quickly abandoned as the allegations became less and less credible. One might think that as the foundation crumbled, so too would the entire investigation, but instead officials like James Comey and Peter Strzok and their cheerleaders in the media simply move on and never talk about these embarrassing exposures. Discussed on the show: Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump “Bombshell: Crowdstrike Admits ‘No Evidence’ Russia Stole Emails From DNC Server” (The Grayzone) Aaron Maté is a former host and producer at The Real News and writes regularly at The Nation. Follow him on Twitter @AaronJMate. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Journalist Ford Fischer discusses his coverage of the various armed factions taking to the streets in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, and amid broader calls for police reform. The mainstream media typically paints a black-and-white narrative: on one side are left-leaning, antiracist, mostly peaceful protestors, and on the other are right-leaning, racist, armed militia groups whose presence only makes things more dangerous. But Fischer has made the rather surprising discovery that there are plenty of left-wing pro-gun activist movements, some of which explicitly call themselves militias. These groups have also been involved in the protests, usually in an effort at peaceful protection of the right to assemble, just like the right-wing groups are. And on the issue of gun control, both sides are largely in agreement. In a few cases, such groups have even held unity rallies, promoting their shared causes rather than focusing on what divides them. The corporate media, unfortunately, doesn’t want people to see this side of America, and so relentlessly ignores it. Ford Fischer is co-founder and Editor in Chief of News2Share, an independent media outlet based in Washington, D.C. Follow his work on Twitter @FordFischer and @N2Sreports. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.