Podcasts about iran nuclear scare

 Download Episode. Gareth Porter returns to the show to mark episode 6,000. They start with a short discussion of Porter's next book on the Cold War before diving into what's happening in Gaza. They talk about Netanyahu's propaganda strategy after October 7, the risk of a wider war, whether the word genocide is merited and more. Discussed on the show: 6/14/19 Interview #5,000: The Life and Times of Gareth Porter “Who Really Started the Korean War?” (Antiwar.com) “244 US cargo planes, 20 ships deliver over 10,000 tons of military equipment to Israel — report” (Times of Israel) Joe Biden saying the bombing of Yemen will continue, despite not working “I didn't suggest we kill Palestinians” (Jerusalem Post) 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: Moon Does Artisan Coffee; Roberts and Robers Brokerage Incorporated; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; Libertas Bella; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott. Get Scott's interviews before anyone else! Subscribe to the Substack. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjY

Gareth Porter returns to the show to mark episode 6,000. They start with a short discussion of Porter's next book on the Cold War before diving into what's happening in Gaza. They talk about Netanyahu's propaganda strategy after October 7, the risk of a wider war, whether the word genocide is merited and more. Discussed on the show: 6/14/19 Interview #5,000: The Life and Times of Gareth Porter “Who Really Started the Korean War?” (Antiwar.com) “244 US cargo planes, 20 ships deliver over 10,000 tons of military equipment to Israel — report” (Times of Israel) Joe Biden saying the bombing of Yemen will continue, despite not working “I didn't suggest we kill Palestinians” (Jerusalem Post) 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: Moon Does Artisan Coffee; Roberts and Robers Brokerage Incorporated; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; Libertas Bella; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott. Get Scott's interviews before anyone else! Subscribe to the Substack. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gareth Porter returns to the show to discuss the war in Gaza. First, Porter explains the project that has been keeping him from his typical daily journalism. He and Scott then dig into the story that has brought him back—the Israeli propaganda campaign to label al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City as Hamas' headquarters.  Discussed on the show: “Israeli Deceit & the Ongoing Battle of Shifa Hospital” (Consortium News) “IDF Knew Real Hamas HQ While Lying About al-Shifa” (Consortium News) 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: Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott. Get Scott's interviews before anyone else! Subscribe to the Substack. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 Download Episode. Gareth Porter returns to the show to discuss the war in Gaza. First, Porter explains the project that has been keeping him from his typical daily journalism. He and Scott then dig into the story that has brought him back—the Israeli propaganda campaign to label al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City as Hamas' headquarters.  Discussed on the show: “Israeli Deceit & the Ongoing Battle of Shifa Hospital” (Consortium News) “IDF Knew Real Hamas HQ While Lying About al-Shifa” (Consortium News) 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: Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott. Get Scott's interviews before anyone else! Subscribe to the Substack. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjY

The idea that the Jewish people should or would be restored to their homeland is not present in Christianity for its first fifteen hundred years. Both the Catholic and Orthodox churches saw the church itself as being a spiritual Israel, and that Jesus Christ had extended God's covenant with the Jews to all people. This changed after the Reformation, when the Bible was translated and people started interpreting it in all sorts of idiosyncratic ways.    Christian Aid Gaza Appeal: https://www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/emergencies/middle-east-crisis-appeal   Buy me a Coffee page: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/DSConsciousness   To subscribe to the show: https://payhip.com/b/Sq0ZB   Track: Walk it Off - Jae Ren Music provided by Verde Música Studio Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2l-97PH5R8   Notes A Short History of Christian Zionism, by Donald Lewis: https://tinyurl.com/y77zvac4   The Scofield Bible—The Book That Made Zionists of America's Evangelical Christians, by Maidhc Ó Cathail https://www.wrmea.org/2015-october/the-scofield-bible-the-book-that-made-zionists-of-americas-evangelical-christians.html   Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare, by Gareth Porter: https://tinyurl.com/5n8z26m8   The Donald's Latest Iranian Caper – Sh*t-Faced Stupidity, by David Stockman: https://original.antiwar.com/david_stockman/2019/06/25/the-donalds-latest-iranian-caper-sht-faced-stupidity/   GOP Blank Check for War?, by Patrick J. Buchanan: https://original.antiwar.com/buchanan/2010/08/02/gop-blank-check-for-war/   AIPAC Cheers an Anti-Semitic Holocaust Revisionist, by Max Blumenthal: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aipac-cheers-an-antisemit_b_43377

Scott interviews Daniel Larison about his recent article on the Iran Nuclear Deal negotiations. Before getting to that, Scott asks Larison about his reaction to the ceasefire in Yemen. Larison points out that nearly all ceasefires to occur in Yemen so far have actually been excuses for forces to regroup. However, he agrees with Scott that this one appears different. Next Scott and Larison go through the confusing and frustrating lack of progress in the negotiations for the U.S. to reenter the JCPOA. They talk about what's going on and why, even though neither are concerned about Iran developing and using a nuclear weapon, they believe reentering the deal is the right path forward. The two also tie this topic into a broader conversation about Washington's Middle East adventurism and the strange political forces shaping America's Iran policy.   Discussed on the show: “Biden's Last Chance on the Nuclear Deal” (Antiwar.com) Scott's interview with Nasser Arrabyee “Yemeni Civil War Unleashes a Plague of Locusts” (Antiwar.com) Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare by Gareth Porter Daniel Larison is a contributing editor at Antiwar.com, contributor at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and former senior editor at The American Conservative magazine. Follow him on Twitter @DanielLarison or on his blog, Eunomia. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Free Range Feeder; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Download Episode. Scott interviews Daniel Larison about his recent article on the Iran Nuclear Deal negotiations. Before getting to that, Scott asks Larison about his reaction to the ceasefire in Yemen. Larison points out that nearly all ceasefires to occur in Yemen so far have actually been excuses for forces to regroup. However, he agrees with Scott that this one appears different. Next Scott and Larison go through the confusing and frustrating lack of progress in the negotiations for the U.S. to reenter the JCPOA. They talk about what's going on and why, even though neither are concerned about Iran developing and using a nuclear weapon, they believe reentering the deal is the right path forward. The two also tie this topic into a broader conversation about Washington's Middle East adventurism and the strange political forces shaping America's Iran policy.   Discussed on the show: “Biden's Last Chance on the Nuclear Deal” (Antiwar.com) Scott's interview with Nasser Arrabyee “Yemeni Civil War Unleashes a Plague of Locusts” (Antiwar.com) Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare by Gareth Porter Daniel Larison is a contributing editor at Antiwar.com, contributor at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and former senior editor at The American Conservative magazine. Follow him on Twitter @DanielLarison or on his blog, Eunomia. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Free Range Feeder; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Scott celebrates eleven years on the radio by interviewing Gareth Porter about Biden's first year in office. They discuss the negotiations between the Administration and Iran over a return to the JCPOA. Despite many crossovers with the team that reached an agreement with Iran back in the Obama years, Biden's people appear set on squeezing more concessions out of the Iranians. But Porter points out that, as he had predicted, the U.S. reluctance to return to the deal led to hardliner victories in Iran's last elections. But even with a more anti-American regime, Porter sees no evidence they'd actually produce a nuclear bomb. Scott and Porter also talk about Afghanistan and the humanitarian crisis the so-called champions of Afghan freedom seem completely uninterested in helping to relieve. Discussed on the show: “When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes” (Foreign Policy) “The Civilian Casualty Files” (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: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Free Range Feeder; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio.

Scott celebrates eleven years on the radio by interviewing Gareth Porter about Biden's first year in office. They discuss the negotiations between the Administration and Iran over a return to the JCPOA. Despite many crossovers with the team that reached an agreement with Iran back in the Obama years, Biden's people appear set on squeezing more concessions out of the Iranians. But Porter points out that, as he had predicted, the U.S. reluctance to return to the deal led to hardliner victories in Iran's last elections. But even with a more anti-American regime, Porter sees no evidence they'd actually produce a nuclear bomb. Scott and Porter also talk about Afghanistan and the humanitarian crisis the so-called champions of Afghan freedom seem completely uninterested in helping to relieve. Discussed on the show: “When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes” (Foreign Policy) “The Civilian Casualty Files” (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: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Free Range Feeder; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio.

Scott is joined once again by Gareth Porter to discuss a piece he wrote at the beginning of the month for Responsible Statecraft. But before talking about the article, Porter gives a quick update on the developing situation in Lebanon. The article Porter wrote talks about the “self licking ice cream cone,” a saying used to describe the self-perpetuating nature of the military-industrial-congressional complex. Porter explains how these perverse incentives kept us embroiled in war for two full decades.    Discussed on the show: “How the ‘self licking ice cream cone,' prolonged the 20-year war” (Responsible Statecraft) “This Air Force commando called in 688,000 pounds of bombs in one battle” (Task & Purpose) Joe Kent on Fox News 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: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Dröm; Free Range Feeder; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Scott is joined once again by Gareth Porter to discuss a piece he wrote at the beginning of the month for Responsible Statecraft. But before talking about the article, Porter gives a quick update on the developing situation in Lebanon. The article Porter wrote talks about the “self licking ice cream cone,” a saying used to describe the self-perpetuating nature of the military-industrial-congressional complex. Porter explains how these perverse incentives kept us embroiled in war for two full decades.    Discussed on the show: “How the ‘self licking ice cream cone,' prolonged the 20-year war” (Responsible Statecraft) “This Air Force commando called in 688,000 pounds of bombs in one battle” (Task & Purpose) Joe Kent on Fox News 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: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Dröm; Free Range Feeder; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Gareth Porter joined Scott on Antiwar Radio to discuss his recent piece at the Gray Zone about the dishonest ways the media has covered the Taliban. Both Scott and Porter agree that the Taliban are not to be considered the good guys, but that the media has a history of pushing a misleading narrative about them to justify war. Scott and Porter reflect on how this has been happening, to some extent, for the Taliban's entire history, but especially as it relates to the group's connections with Islamic terrorists.  Discussed on the show: “Corporate media stirred global terror hysteria to push postwar hostility toward new Afghan govt” (The Gray Zone) Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa No Good Men Among the Living by Anand Gopal  Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile 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: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Dröm; Free Range Feeder; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Gareth Porter joined Scott on Antiwar Radio to discuss his recent piece at the Gray Zone about the dishonest ways the media has covered the Taliban. Both Scott and Porter agree that the Taliban are not to be considered the good guys, but that the media has a history of pushing a misleading narrative about them to justify war. Scott and Porter reflect on how this has been happening, to some extent, for the Taliban's entire history, but especially as it relates to the group's connections with Islamic terrorists.  Discussed on the show: “Corporate media stirred global terror hysteria to push postwar hostility toward new Afghan govt” (The Gray Zone) Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa No Good Men Among the Living by Anand Gopal  Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile 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: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Dröm; Free Range Feeder; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Gareth Porter joins Scott on Antiwar Radio to discuss his latest piece about the media's reaction to Afghanistan. Porter lays out how virtually the entire media ecosystem is arguing the withdrawal was done prematurely from both a counterterrorism standpoint and in terms of the evacuation of American citizens and allies. However, the media is ignoring the root of the problem was the overconfidence the U.S. Military and Intelligence Community had in the Afghan National Army. Porter argues that that is where the blame ought to lie, rather than squarely on Biden. Now Porter thinks we've reached an inflection point, with historic calls for those responsible for these disastrous wars to be held accountable.  Discussed on the show: Gareth Porter's page at the Grayzone “Afghanistan collapse reveals Beltway media's loyalty to permanent war state” (Grazone) news.antiwar.com — better than CIA briefings according to Chalmers Johnson “Surprise, panic and fateful choices: The day America lost its longest war” (Washington Post) “Top defense firms spend $1B on lobbying during Afghan war, see $2T return” (Responsible Statecraft) Joe Kent on Tucker 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: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Gareth Porter joins Scott on Antiwar Radio to discuss his latest piece about the media's reaction to Afghanistan. Porter lays out how virtually the entire media ecosystem is arguing the withdrawal was done prematurely from both a counterterrorism standpoint and in terms of the evacuation of American citizens and allies. However, the media is ignoring the root of the problem was the overconfidence the U.S. Military and Intelligence Community had in the Afghan National Army. Porter argues that that is where the blame ought to lie, rather than squarely on Biden. Now Porter thinks we've reached an inflection point, with historic calls for those responsible for these disastrous wars to be held accountable.  Discussed on the show: Gareth Porter's page at the Grayzone “Afghanistan collapse reveals Beltway media's loyalty to permanent war state” (Grazone) news.antiwar.com — better than CIA briefings according to Chalmers Johnson “Surprise, panic and fateful choices: The day America lost its longest war” (Washington Post) “Top defense firms spend $1B on lobbying during Afghan war, see $2T return” (Responsible Statecraft) Joe Kent on Tucker 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: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Scott interviews Gareth Porter about the tenuous and secretive relationship between the U.S., China and Taiwan. Since the Nixon administration, Porter explains, America has had an official, but mostly tacit, policy of supporting the "one China" principle—but U.S. officials rarely say so publicly. This has left an ambiguity surrounding Taiwan's status, and during the Obama administration one top Taiwan official in particular suddenly broke with America's longstanding policy of urging the Taiwanese not to push too hard against the mainland Chinese government. This encouragement has helped erode cross-Strait relations in recent years and has made Taiwan a potential hotspot for U.S. involvement in an open conflict with China. Such a conflict between nuclear superpowers, of course, would be utterly disastrous for all mankind. Discussed on the show: "How Washington's top Taiwan specialist embraced separatist party leader and opened new cross-Strait crisis" (The Grayzone) "How a key Pentagon official turned China policy over to arms industry and Taiwan supporters" (The Grayzone) 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: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. https://youtu.be/AjFBA3oBNUg

Scott interviews Gareth Porter about the tenuous and secretive relationship between the U.S., China and Taiwan. Since the Nixon administration, Porter explains, America has had an official, but mostly tacit, policy of supporting the "one China" principle—but U.S. officials rarely say so publicly. This has left an ambiguity surrounding Taiwan's status, and during the Obama administration one top Taiwan official in particular suddenly broke with America's longstanding policy of urging the Taiwanese not to push too hard against the mainland Chinese government. This encouragement has helped erode cross-Strait relations in recent years and has made Taiwan a potential hotspot for U.S. involvement in an open conflict with China. Such a conflict between nuclear superpowers, of course, would be utterly disastrous for all mankind. Discussed on the show: "How Washington's top Taiwan specialist embraced separatist party leader and opened new cross-Strait crisis" (The Grayzone) "How a key Pentagon official turned China policy over to arms industry and Taiwan supporters" (The Grayzone) 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: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. https://youtu.be/AjFBA3oBNUg

Scott interviews Gareth Porter about his coverage of a recently-released document liberated by Daniel Ellsberg when he originally leaked the Pentagon Papers in the 1970s. This document, Porter explains, shows how in 1958 the military wanted to use tactical nuclear weapons against China over the offshore islands crisis. It was only Eisenhower's intervention that stopped the Joint Chiefs from going ahead with the plan, though ironically, it was Eisenhower's own efforts to combat the military-industrial complex by reducing conventional military forces that helped lead to an increased focus on nuclear weapons as a primary military tool in the first place. Ellsberg has released this document because the idea that the U.S. might go to war with China over Taiwan has thrust this issue to the fore once again. Nuclear brinksmanship, he says, remains one of the greatest threats not just to American national security, but to the very survival of the human race. The idea of an all-out war with China as in any way a legitimate possibility must be vehemently opposed before we ever come to the point of using nuclear weapons again. Discussed on the show: "Eisenhower rejected military chiefs' demand for nuclear war on China, classified account of '58 Taiwan Strait crisis reveals" (The Grayzone) The Doomsday Machine "Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops, Intelligence Says" (The New York Times) "Risk of Nuclear War Over Taiwan in 1958 Said to Be Greater Than Publicly Known" (The New York Times) "US military considered using nuclear weapons against China in 1958 Taiwan Strait crisis, leaked documents show" (CNN) National Security Archive 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMXihkF8Z1U

Scott interviews Gareth Porter about his coverage of a recently-released document liberated by Daniel Ellsberg when he originally leaked the Pentagon Papers in the 1970s. This document, Porter explains, shows how in 1958 the military wanted to use tactical nuclear weapons against China over the offshore islands crisis. It was only Eisenhower's intervention that stopped the Joint Chiefs from going ahead with the plan, though ironically, it was Eisenhower's own efforts to combat the military-industrial complex by reducing conventional military forces that helped lead to an increased focus on nuclear weapons as a primary military tool in the first place. Ellsberg has released this document because the idea that the U.S. might go to war with China over Taiwan has thrust this issue to the fore once again. Nuclear brinksmanship, he says, remains one of the greatest threats not just to American national security, but to the very survival of the human race. The idea of an all-out war with China as in any way a legitimate possibility must be vehemently opposed before we ever come to the point of using nuclear weapons again. Discussed on the show: "Eisenhower rejected military chiefs' demand for nuclear war on China, classified account of '58 Taiwan Strait crisis reveals" (The Grayzone) The Doomsday Machine "Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops, Intelligence Says" (The New York Times) "Risk of Nuclear War Over Taiwan in 1958 Said to Be Greater Than Publicly Known" (The New York Times) "US military considered using nuclear weapons against China in 1958 Taiwan Strait crisis, leaked documents show" (CNN) National Security Archive 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMXihkF8Z1U

Scott talks to Gareth Porter about the national political scene in Iran, where, in large part thanks to U.S. intervention, the population is increasingly aligning behind the most conservative forces, and moving away from President Rouhani. Iranians, Porter says, have very little trust that America will negotiate in good faith, and there is now less support than ever for the JCPOA, which the Biden administration is supposedly trying to renegotiate. Discussed on the show: "Leak Exposes Fissures in Iranian Establishment and Power Shift to Hard-Liners" (Consortium News) 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Scott talks to Gareth Porter about the national political scene in Iran, where, in large part thanks to U.S. intervention, the population is increasingly aligning behind the most conservative forces, and moving away from President Rouhani. Iranians, Porter says, have very little trust that America will negotiate in good faith, and there is now less support than ever for the JCPOA, which the Biden administration is supposedly trying to renegotiate. Discussed on the show: "Leak Exposes Fissures in Iranian Establishment and Power Shift to Hard-Liners" (Consortium News) 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A4AkTrPuLg

Gareth Porter discusses the recent announcement that the Biden administration will withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11 of this year. This is obviously a violation of the May 1 withdrawal agreement made under the Trump administration, but Porter is optimistic that Biden and his team are serious about getting out by this fall. Scott and Porter also talk about the latest negotiations in Vienna regarding American sanctions and the Iran nuclear deal. Porter worries that the U.S. is taking too hard a line, thinking they can get away with continued sanctions, and that the negotiations may fall apart as a result. Discussed on the show: “Opinion | Is Leaving Afghanistan the Right Move?” (The New York Times) “Osama’s Prodigal Son” (Rolling Stone) “General: Afghan military will collapse without some US help” (AP News) “Vienna talks reveal Biden team’s attachment to sanctions that would torpedo Iran deal” (The Grayzone) “Israeli officials will object to restoration of Iran deal in D.C. visit” (Axios) 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Interview #5,500! Scott talks to Gareth Porter about a range of U.S. foreign policy issues, beginning with the Biden administration’s announcement that it will withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by September 11. To some extent, this is good news, but it obscures what the headline should be—that Biden has decided to break the Trump administration-brokered peace deal to leave by May 1 of this year. Since the Taliban have promised to start fighting again if that deadline is not met, staying another six months could seriously complicate things. Porter also brings us up to speed on America’s relations with Iran, Vietnam and China. Discussed on the show: “Biden to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021” (The Washington Post) Obama’s Wars “Pentagon campaign to recruit Vietnam as military ally against China exposed delusions of US war strategy” (The Grayzone) 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Interview #5,500! Scott talks to Gareth Porter about a range of U.S. foreign policy issues, beginning with the Biden administration’s announcement that it will withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by September 11. To some extent, this is good news, but it obscures what the headline should be—that Biden has decided to break the Trump administration-brokered peace deal to leave by May 1 of this year. Since the Taliban have promised to start fighting again if that deadline is not met, staying another six months could seriously complicate things. Porter also brings us up to speed on America’s relations with Iran, Vietnam and China. Discussed on the show: “Biden to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021” (The Washington Post) Obama’s Wars “Pentagon campaign to recruit Vietnam as military ally against China exposed delusions of US war strategy” (The Grayzone) 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Gareth Porter talks about the U.S. military's efforts to sabotage any attempt at leaving Afghanistan. The deal negotiated by the Trump administration made both the conditions and deadlines for withdrawal clear—but almost immediately, the military began claiming that the Taliban was somehow in violation of the agreement, and that America had to stay. Sadly very few people in power are willing to drastically change the situation in Afghanistan, and it looks increasingly likely that the Biden administration will simply try to stay the course. Discussed on the show: "How the US military subverted the Afghan peace agreement to prolong an unpopular war" (The Grayzone) "Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops, Intelligence Says" (The New York Times) "A Secret Accord With the Taliban: When and How the U.S. Would Leave Afghanistan" (The New York Times) An Enemy We Created: The Myth of the Taliban-Al Qaeda Merger in Afghanistan 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Guest: Gareth Porter. We discuss Gareth’s new article on the Biden administration’s endorsement of  the Chinahawk narrative on Uychur genocide. Gareth examines the origin, source and credibility of that narrative, the Uyghur people and the Xinjiang province in China. There is also a bonus question about the likelihood of the Biden administration re-entering the JCPOA Iran deal and US military buildup in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf area. There is also a bonus question for patrons where Gareth gives his thoughts about a US return to the Iran deal under the new Biden administration and some further thoughts on Yemen and Saudi Arabia.  Gareth Porter is an independent Investigative historian and journalist on the national security state. He is the author of numerous books including Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam (2005) and Manufactured Crisis: the Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare (2014).and the co-author with John Kiriakou of his latest book The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War. Gareth is the winner of the 2012 Gellhorn Prize for Journalism FOLLOW Gareth on Twitter at @GarethPorter. Find his work at The Grayzone. Read his most recent book authored with John Kirakou: The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War.  Around the Empire is listener supported, independent media. Pitch in at Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire or paypal.me/aroundtheempirepod. Find all links at aroundtheempire.com.  SUBSCRIBE on YouTube. FOLLOW @aroundtheempire and @joanneleon.  SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on iTunes, iHeart, Spotify, Google Play, Facebook or on your preferred podcast app. Reference Links: US State Department accusation of China ‘genocide’ relied on data abuse and baseless claims by far-right ideologue, Gareth Porter at The Grayzone

Scott interviews Gareth Porter about his coverage of the recent and widespread claims of a Chinese genocide of the Uyghurs. Many of these accusations have relied on the work of one man, Adrian Zenz, whose research Porter calls into question. Porter wrote a piece with Grayzone collaborator Max Blumenthal covering the many instances of data manipulation on Zenz’s part, all of which undermine the case that the Chinese government is perpetrating a genocide. To be clear, says Porter, China is an authoritarian regime with many instances of mistreatment of all its citizens. And the Uyghurs have, in some cases, borne a disproportionate amount of that abuse. But we have to be very careful in distinguishing truth from exaggerated claims by partisans and ideologues, who may have reasons for deliberately inflaming tensions between China and the U.S. Peace between these two countries, he reminds us, is absolutely vital for global security. Discussed on the show: “US State Department accusation of China ‘genocide’ relied on data abuse and baseless claims by far-right ideologue” (The Grayzone) 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Gareth Porter discusses U.S. relations with Iran, especially the ways the policies of the Biden administration might differ from those of the Trump administration. Even though the JCPOA was one of the signature accomplishments of the Obama presidency, and even though Trump came under sharp criticism from Obama supporters for pulling out of the agreement, Porter does not consider it at all a sure thing that Biden will simply rejoin the deal as it stands. The narrative that many Obama officials put forward at the time was that Iran was forced to come to the table because of America’s superior negotiating position; in reality, explains Porter, it was Iran’s advancing military technology that forced the U.S. to negotiate with them. He thinks it’s likely that rather than simply repudiate Trump by rejoining the deal, Biden’s team will now seek some new negotiating advantage, likely based on the destructive and unjust sanctions put into place by the Trump administration. Discussed on the show: “Biden admin’s coercive Iran policy threatens serious new regional crisis” (The Grayzone) 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Gareth Porter discusses U.S. relations with Iran, especially the ways the policies of the Biden administration might differ from those of the Trump administration. Even though the JCPOA was one of the signature accomplishments of the Obama presidency, and even though Trump came under sharp criticism from Obama supporters for pulling out of the agreement, Porter does not consider it at all a sure thing that Biden will simply rejoin the deal as it stands. The narrative that many Obama officials put forward at the time was that Iran was forced to come to the table because of America’s superior negotiating position; in reality, explains Porter, it was Iran’s advancing military technology that forced the U.S. to negotiate with them. He thinks it’s likely that rather than simply repudiate Trump by rejoining the deal, Biden’s team will now seek some new negotiating advantage, likely based on the destructive and unjust sanctions put into place by the Trump administration. Discussed on the show: “Biden admin’s coercive Iran policy threatens serious new regional crisis” (The Grayzone) 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Scott interviews Gareth Porter about the competing attitudes toward Iran in American foreign policy. During his presidency, Trump was sometimes the voice of restraint against those who favored a more aggressive stance toward Iran and in some cases even advocated outright war. In particular, says Porter, CENTCOM chief General Kenneth McKenzie was constantly moving to keep troops on the ground in Iraq and American ships in surrounding waters, all to demonstrate U.S. power and increase tensions with Iran. Trump was able to curb some of this, but was ultimately ineffective when it came to defying the intelligence state and the military. It remains to be seen whether President Biden will be able to do so. Discussed on the show: “How CENTCOM Chief McKenzie Manufactured an Iran Crisis to Increase His Power” (Antiwar.com Original) The Plot Against the President: The True Story of How Congressman Devin Nunes Uncovered the Biggest Political Scandal in U.S. History 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Gareth Porter discusses the recent assassination of Iranian defense official Mohsen Fakhrizadeh by the Israeli government, which continues to claim that Fakhrizadeh was a “top nuclear scientist” in Iran. In reality, explains Porter, Fakhrizadeh was not a nuclear scientist, and this assassination is part of a years-long campaign to convince the world that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. No doubt the assassination was intended to provoke some kind of response from the Iranians before President Trump leaves the White House. It will also make it harder, he says, for President Biden to renegotiate the Iran nuclear agreement, a clear goal of Israel and its allies in Washington. Discussed on the show: “How Israel deployed an intelligence deception to justify killing scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh” (The Grayzone) Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States Obstacle to Peace: The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; and Listen and Think Audio. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Gareth Porter is back for a retrospective on Trump’s foreign policy. Despite campaigning on a relatively non-interventionist platform, and indeed despite explicitly denouncing the policies of the Bush and Clinton families along the way, Trump has not been especially effective in delivering on his promises to bring American troops home from the forever-wars. Porter lays the blame for this failure primarily on the fact that Trump surrounded himself with terrible people who worked to actively undermine his wishes. Moreover, he lacks the knowledge and personal conviction to see his policies through in the face of serious opposition. Judging by recent standards, says Porter, Trump’s foreign policy hasn’t been so bad, except on Israel and Palestine, where he has been quite possibly the worst president of all time. Sadly, when it comes to Israel, a Biden administration is likely to continue along similar lines. 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; and Listen and Think Audio. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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.

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by John Ross, a Senior Fellow for the Chongyang Institute at the Renmin University of China and an award-winning columnist, to discuss US President Donald Trump's apparent lies about the severity of the coronavirus, why China's response has left much of the rest of the world in the dust, and Mike Pompeo attempts to isolate China from its regional neighbors at the recent Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Netfa Freeman, a policy analyst with the Institute for Policy Studies and a member of the coordinating committee of the Black Alliance for Peace, to discuss the breakdown in talks between the coup leaders and the civilian government regarding a peaceful transition of power, the involvement of coup leaders in previous US operations in the region, and the role French and German imperialism in laying the groundwork for the conflicts in the country.In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Gareth Porter, historian and journalist covering the national security state and author of "Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare," to talk about the revelation that state voter databases widely reported to have been "targeted" by Russia were in fact publicly available, and how the latest evidence undercuts the foundational myths of the "Russiagate" narrative.Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by journalist and By Any Means Necessary producer Wyatt Reed to discuss Attorney General William Barr's call for protesters to be charged with sedition, Joe Biden's absurd comparison Donald Trump to Fidel Castro, why China's presence on the African continent is fundamentally different from that of the US' imperialist presence, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tour of Latin America and the Caribbean.

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.

In this segment of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie are joined by Gareth Porter, historian and journalist covering the national security state and author of "Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare," to talk about the revelation that state voter databases widely reported to have been "targeted" by Russia were in fact publicly available, and how the latest evidence undercuts the foundational myths of the "Russiagate" narrative.

Gareth Porter discusses President Trump’s foreign policy as we near the end of his first term. The story of Trump’s time in office, as everyone knows, has been that despite his sense for the futility and unpopularity of America’s endless wars, he, like Obama before him, hasn’t been able to resist the pressures of the military-industrial complex and actually follow through with ending them. The news in Afghanistan is somewhat positive, where Trump has put Zalmay Khalilzad in charge of negotiating a U.S. withdrawal. But Porter is concerned that because there are no stipulations about peace between the Afghan government and the Taliban, any conflict between them could easily be used as an excuse for American troops to go back. In the opposite case, Trump has been absolutely horrible when it comes to Yemen, where he has helped Saudi Arabia wage a war of genocide, basically in exchange for weapons sales by American companies. Discussed on the show: An Enemy We Created: The Myth of the Taliban-Al Qaeda Merger in Afghanistan “Yemen: 85,000 Children May Have Died from Starvation Since Start of War” (Save the Children) “Report: Strategies of the Coalition in the Yemen War” (World Peace Foundation) “Quiet Support for Saudis Entangles U.S. in Yemen” (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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2wP0HXcu6s

Gareth Porter debunks a series of bogus incidents in which Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, has accused various Lebanese men over the years of being Hezbollah agents attempting to orchestrate terrorist plots all around the world. In each of the cases that Porter explains, false evidence for the possession of ammonium nitrate was used to sell the idea that these men were trying to make bombs. And in the wake of the recent explosion in Beirut, Israel has been selling the old narrative even harder, citing the accidental explosion as proof that Hezbollah is more active than ever. Discussed on the show: After Beirut Blast, Israel Revives Tales of Hezbollah Ammonium Nitrate Terror Plots (The Grayzone) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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.

Gareth Porter debunks a series of bogus incidents in which Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, has accused various Lebanese men over the years of being Hezbollah agents attempting to orchestrate terrorist plots all around the world. In each of the cases that Porter explains, false evidence for the possession of ammonium nitrate was used to sell the idea that these men were trying to make bombs. And in the wake of the recent explosion in Beirut, Israel has been selling the old narrative even harder, citing the accidental explosion as proof that Hezbollah is more active than ever. Discussed on the show: After Beirut Blast, Israel Revives Tales of Hezbollah Ammonium Nitrate Terror Plots (The Grayzone) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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 and Gareth Porter discuss Charlie Savage’s shameful reporting on the recent Russian bounties story. In this case Savage, whom Scott and Porter actually regard as one of the better journalists at the New York Times, published a story laying out the allegations from the CIA, but without corroborating them. Scott views this as journalistic malpractice of the greatest degree, since the Times story led the way for all the other major outlets to start reporting on it as though the scandal were a well-established fact. In reality, of course, none of America’s intelligence agencies ever really viewed the information as very credible, and the media has slowly been backing off of the story. Discussed on the show: “Matt Taibbi on the Origins of the Russiagate Hoax” (The Libertarian Institute) “Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops, Intelligence Says” (The New York Times) “BOUNTYGATE: Scapegoating Systemic Military Failure in Afghanistan” (Consortium News) “How the Pentagon Failed to Sell Afghan Government’s Bunk ‘Bountygate’ Story to US Intelligence Agencies ” (The Grayzone) “NSA Differed From CIA, Others on Russia Bounty Intelligence” (WSJ) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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 and Gareth Porter discuss Charlie Savage’s shameful reporting on the recent Russian bounties story. In this case Savage, whom Scott and Porter actually regard as one of the better journalists at the New York Times, published a story laying out the allegations from the CIA, but without corroborating them. Scott views this as journalistic malpractice of the greatest degree, since the Times story led the way for all the other major outlets to start reporting on it as though the scandal were a well-established fact. In reality, of course, none of America’s intelligence agencies ever really viewed the information as very credible, and the media has slowly been backing off of the story. Discussed on the show: “Matt Taibbi on the Origins of the Russiagate Hoax” (The Libertarian Institute) “Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops, Intelligence Says” (The New York Times) “BOUNTYGATE: Scapegoating Systemic Military Failure in Afghanistan” (Consortium News) “How the Pentagon Failed to Sell Afghan Government’s Bunk ‘Bountygate’ Story to US Intelligence Agencies ” (The Grayzone) “NSA Differed From CIA, Others on Russia Bounty Intelligence” (WSJ) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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.

Gareth Porter discusses the 1994 Buenos Aires Jewish community center bombing, and in particular the allegation that Hezbollah was behind the attack. Porter has written a piece based on testimony by an Argentinian undercover police officer that paints a different story. Porter’s theory—one that adheres much more closely to historical fact and personal testimony—is that it was really Argentinian neo-Nazis in the police force along with veterans of Argentina’s Dirty War that were responsible for the bombing, exposing anti-semitic trends that had long been simmering in the country. As has often been the case, the story about Iran was simply created in order to deflect blame toward a convenient enemy. Discussed on the show: “How a police spy’s stunning testimony threatens the official US-Israeli AMIA bombing narrative” (The Grayzone) Argentina’s Dirty War Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zR87oPvjXU

Scott talks to Gareth Porter about the idea of a war with Iran. Certain hawkish figures in the U.S. government have been slowly and steadily pushing for such a war for a long time, and have gained even more prominence during the Trump presidency, as he has shown unprecedented support for the Israeli government. Israel’s prominence in the Middle East, says Porter, is of course what the tensions with Iran have always been about; Iran is in no way a threat to the actual interests and safety of Americans—but it is a threat to America and Israel’s aspirations of dominating the Middle East. Discussed on the show: “Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops, Intelligence Says” (The New York Times) “Long-Planned and Bigger Than Thought: Strike on Iran’s Nuclear Program” (The New York Times) “Pompeo and Netanyahu paved a path to war with Iran, and they’re pushing Trump again” (The Grayzone) “When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes” (Foreign Policy) “NATO officials were briefed on Russian bounties on US soldiers” (Business Insider) “Israel hoping for Iran confrontation before November election: sources” (Business Insider) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDNVkGbo-GU

Scott interviews Gareth Porter about the Russian bounties story, or “Bountygate” as it has come to be known. Porter describes attempts by outlets like the New York Times to portray this as a well-sourced story with consensus among America’s intelligence agencies—in reality, he says, the NSA and CIA have rated the intelligence with only low- to medium-confidence, and even the Department of Defense, which thoroughly investigates every U.S. death in Afghanistan, hasn’t found evidence to support the idea that the Russian government is paying bounties to the Taliban. Moreover, says Porter, Russia has very little to gain from such a policy, and a lot to lose. However, the people who would benefit from increased tensions with Russia are the war hawks in the U.S. government and the big players in the arms industry. Just like with the hundreds of other lies told by the U.S. government and sold by the media to benefit powerful military-industrial complex interests, we should be highly skeptical. Discussed on the show: The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War “How the Pentagon failed to sell Afghan government’s bunk ‘Bountygate’ story to US intelligence agencies ” (The Grayzone) “Russian Spy Unit Paid Taliban to Attack Americans, U.S. Intelligence Says” (WSJ) “Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops, Intelligence Says” (The New York Times) “Spies and Commandos Warned Months Ago of Russian Bounties on U.S. Troops” (The New York Times) “The Russian Bounties Hoax” (Antiwar.com) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELMO6idgKyA

Scott interviews Gareth Porter about the Russian bounties story, or “Bountygate” as it has come to be known. Porter describes attempts by outlets like the New York Times to portray this as a well-sourced story with consensus among America’s intelligence agencies—in reality, he says, the NSA and CIA have rated the intelligence with only low- to medium-confidence, and even the Department of Defense, which thoroughly investigates every U.S. death in Afghanistan, hasn’t found evidence to support the idea that the Russian government is paying bounties to the Taliban. Moreover, says Porter, Russia has very little to gain from such a policy, and a lot to lose. However, the people who would benefit from increased tensions with Russia are the war hawks in the U.S. government and the big players in the arms industry. Just like with the hundreds of other lies told by the U.S. government and sold by the media to benefit powerful military-industrial complex interests, we should be highly skeptical. Discussed on the show: The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War “How the Pentagon failed to sell Afghan government’s bunk ‘Bountygate’ story to US intelligence agencies ” (The Grayzone) “Russian Spy Unit Paid Taliban to Attack Americans, U.S. Intelligence Says” (WSJ) “Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops, Intelligence Says” (The New York Times) “Spies and Commandos Warned Months Ago of Russian Bounties on U.S. Troops” (The New York Times) “The Russian Bounties Hoax” (Antiwar.com) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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.

In this segment of By Any Means Necessary hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Gareth Porter, a historian, journalist covering the national security state, and author of "Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare," to talk about the rapidly-crumbling narrative accusing Russia of paying off the Taliban to kill US soldiers, why mainstream media tends to take claims from "anonymous US intelligence officials" at face value, and why it appears the story was planted as part of a concerted strategy to put a stop to the end of the War in Afghanistan.

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Dr. Margaret Flowers, Co-Founder of Popular Resistance Director of the Health Over Profit for Everyone Campaign, to talk about President Trump's decision to follow through on threats to remove the US from the World Health Organization, the vital role played by the WHO in confronting threats to collective human health, and why the governmental non-response to the pandemic demonstrates that the US has become a "failed state."In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Ahmed Kaballo, a UK-based journalist with PressTV and filmmaker whose recent documentary "Venezuela: The Failed Coup" can be found on Facebook and YouTube, to talk about the British government's about-face on its supposed ban on selling weapons to Saudi Arabia, how the CIA, MI6, and Saudi intelligence conspired to pave the way for "blowback" in the form of acts of terrorism by salafist jihadists in the British and American cities, and why the British government continues to faithfully enact US foreign policy.In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Gareth Porter, a historian, journalist covering the national security state, and author of "Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare," to talk about the rapidly-crumbling narrative accusing Russia of paying off the Taliban to kill US soldiers, why mainstream media tends to take claims from "anonymous US intelligence officials" at face value, and why it appears the story was planted as part of a concerted strategy to put a stop to the end of the War in Afghanistan.Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Eugene Puryear, host of Breakthrough News and author of the book Shackled and Chained: Mass Incarceration in Capitalist America, to talk about his recent analysis on the national uprising against police brutality, "From Rebellion to Revolution," why the conspicuous inaction by the US government and ruling class is leading to a wave of radicalization.

Gareth Porter stops by the podcast to discuss his long standing work on the Vietnam war, his thoughts on COVID-19 via the USS Theodore Roosevelt along with his previous work on the 1919 flu epidemic, the terrifying connections between Mike Pompeo and Bibi Netanyahu, and Israel’s secret long standing nuclear stockpile. Gareth Porter is an independent investigative journalist who has covered national security policy for decades, really, and was the recipient of the 2012 Gellhorn Prize for Journalism for his coverage of the U.S. War in Afghanistan.  He is a graduate of the University of Chicago and Cornell, where he earned a Ph.D. in Southeast Asian Studies.  Much of his early work - as scholar and activist - surrounded the American War in Vietnam.  He was, in fact, a chairman of the Committee of Concerned Asian Scholars at Cornell and then a Saigon Bureau Chief in country.  Especially since 2005, he’s regularly reported on political, diplomatic and military developments in the Middle East for a variety of mainstream and alternative publications. His previous books include Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam, and Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare (2014), among many others.  His most recent is The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis co-authored with John Kiriakou.  Currently, he has a column at the GrayZone. Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here. Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com Check out our t-shirt store on Spreadshirt.com Leave us a voicemail at 860-598-0570. Not a contributor on Patreon? You're missing out on amazing bonus content! Sign up to be one of our contributors today! - www.patreon.com/fortressonahill A special thanks to our honorary producers - Will Ahrens, Fahim Shirazee, Henry Szamota, Adam Bellows, Eric Phillips, Paul Appell, Julie Dupris, Thomas Benson, Emma P, Janet Hanson, Lawrence Taylor, and the Statist Quo Podcast.  Without you guys, we couldn't continue our work.  Thank you so much!!! Not up for something recurring like Patreon, but want to give a couple bucks?!  Visit Paypal.me/fortressonahill to contribute!! FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris 'Henri' Henrikson, Danny Sjursen, and Keagan Miller. Intro / outro music "Fortress on a hill" written and performed by Clifton Hicks.  Clifton's Bandcamp page; Clifton's Patreon page Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

Scott talks to Gareth Porter about the decades-long attempt by neoconservative war hawks in the U.S. to link the Iranian government to terrorist activities, most notably those of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. This was the supposed justification for the killing of Qasem Soleimani earlier this year, a claim that Porter says is totally unfounded. Allegations that Iran knew about and supported Al-Qaeda operatives during America’s war on terror have always been tenuous at best, and a recent analysis of documents found in Osama bin Laden’s home prove that clandestine operatives hiding in Iran were doing so without the knowledge of that country’s government, and knowing that they would be captured if discovered. As usual, such claims are simply used by those who want war with Iran for their own purposes. Discussed on the show: “Washington’s tall tale of Iranian-Al Qaeda alliance based on questionably sourced book ‘The Exile’” (The Grayzone) The Exile: The Stunning Inside Story of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda in Flight Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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.

Gareth Porter discusses an investigation by The Grayzone into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s presentation of documents purporting to prove to the Trump government that Iran was developing a nuclear weapons program. The new investigation, however, suggests that this was nothing more than an attempt to trigger U.S. military conflict with Iran using documents that had been entirely fabricated, rather than obtained by Mossad, as claimed. As usual, it is only months or years later that we discover the truth behind plots like this, even while we narrowly avoid large-scale armed conflict in the moment. Discussed on the show: “With Apparently Fabricated Nuclear Documents, Netanyahu Pushed the US Towards War With Iran” (Antiwar.com Original) “To Pressure Iran, Pompeo Turns to the Deal Trump Renounced” (The New York Times) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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.

Gareth Porter discusses an investigation by The Grayzone into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s presentation of documents purporting to prove to the Trump government that Iran was developing a nuclear weapons program. The new investigation, however, suggests that this was nothing more than an attempt to trigger U.S. military conflict with Iran using documents that had been entirely fabricated, rather than obtained by Mossad, as claimed. As usual, it is only months or years later that we discover the truth behind plots like this, even while we narrowly avoid large-scale armed conflict in the moment. Discussed on the show: “With Apparently Fabricated Nuclear Documents, Netanyahu Pushed the US Towards War With Iran” (Antiwar.com Original) “To Pressure Iran, Pompeo Turns to the Deal Trump Renounced” (The New York Times) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eADfZy8-j8A

Gareth Porter discusses the parallels between the 2020 coronavirus pandemic and the 1918 Spanish Flu. Though it’s commonly called “Spanish Flu” Porter reminds us that it really originated in Kansas, where it was first spread to American troops at a training base, and then to Europe via the U.S. Army, before finally coming back to the United States in a much deadlier form. If the U.S. hadn’t entered the war and sent thousands of men overseas in cramped ships and trenches, the flu never would have become what it did. In fact, more American soldiers died from the flu in World War I than from bombs and bullets. Woodrow Wilson’s reckless enabling of the spread of this virus is just one example on his long list of egregious crimes, including lying the U.S. into the war, which tilted what had been a stalemate toward a decisive allied victory, which in turn led to the overly harsh terms of German surrender, ultimately enabling Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s. Without Hitler, of course, we never would have World War II, which is also what allowed Stalin to consolidate the Soviet Union, and probably allowed Mao and the other communist leaders of 20th century Asia to enact their brutal and genocidal regimes. Discussed on the show: “How Generals Fueled 1918 Flu Pandemic To Win Their World War” (The American Conservative) The Zimmermann Telegram Wilson’s War: How Woodrow Wilson’s Great Blunder Led to Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, and World War II Beer Hall Putsch Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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. The following is an automatically generated transcript. Show Transcript Scott Horton 0:10 All right, y'all welcome it's Scott Horton shelf. I am the director of the libertarian Institute editorial director of antiwar.com, author of the book fool's errand, time to end the war in Afghanistan. And I've recorded more than 5000 interviews going back to 2003, all of which are available at Scott horton.org. You can also sign up to the podcast feed. Full archive is also available at youtube.com/ScottHortonShow. my very favorite reporter in the whole wide world, the great Gareth Porter, welcome back to the show, sir. How are you? Gareth Porter 0:48 I'm fine. Thanks, God. Be back again. And thanks for having me. Very happy to have you here. Scott Horton 0:53 Now everybody knows that Woodrow Wilson is the single worst person who ever existed. He's the father of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong. And for that matter, Pol Pot and Harry Truman and George W. Bush, and all of the worst butchers of human history. But one thing that he oftentimes gets away with is the Woodrow Wilson flew. They tried to call it the Spanish flu, even though it originated in Missouri. But the only reason it became a global pandemic at all is because of what you write about here in this great article at the American Conservative magazine, how generals, how Woodrow Wilson and his generals fueled the 1918 flu pandemic, to win, quote unquote, should be ironic quotes win their world war. So tell us just what happened here with this. Massive last, the last real global pandemic that broke out hundred and two years ago. Gareth Porter 2:02 Right? I mean, this is the really the forerunner of the present pandemic, it was far worse in the sense that, you know, many more people died worldwide and presumably in the United States because...

Guest: Gareth Porter. Both in 1918 and 2020 pandemics forced the US military to make changes in their operations but the Pentagon has also revealed a resistance to stand down even when it’s necessary to protect troops. We talk about the similarities and differences between the situations in 1918 during the Spanish Flu pandemic and World War I and today’s Coronavirus pandemic during never ending imperial wars. We also talk about the kinds of movements, changes and consequences that might be catalyzed by this latest crisis. Gareth Porter is an independent Investigative historian and journalist on the national security state. He is the author of numerous books including Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam (2005) and Manufactured Crisis: the Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare (2014).and the co-author with John Kiriakou of his latest book The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War. Gareth is the winner of the 2012 Gellhorn Prize for Journalism  FOLLOW Gareth on Twitter at @GarethPorter. Find his work at The American Conservative, Truthdig, Antiwar.com, Middle East Eye and other media outlets. He’s also now at The Grayzone. Read his new book: The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War.  Around the Empire is listener supported, independent media. Pitch in at Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire or paypal.me/aroundtheempirepod. Find all links at aroundtheempire.com.  SUBSCRIBE on YouTube. FOLLOW @aroundtheempire and @joanneleon.  SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on iTunes, iHeart, Spotify, Google Play, Facebook or on your preferred podcast app. Recorded on April 10, 2020. Music by Fluorescent Grey. Reference Links: How Generals Fueled 1918 Flu Pandemic To Win Their World War, Gareth Porter, The American Conservative 1918 Influenza Epidemic Records, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) Philadelphia, Nurses, and the Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918, US Navy Book (2020): The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War.  Book (2005): Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam Book (2014): Manufactured Crisis: the Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare  

Scott talks to Gareth Porter about the New York Times’ continued efforts to bolster the story that Russia both interfered in the 2016 presidential election and continues to do so in the lead up to the 2020 election. This time around, they allege, Russian actors are working on behalf of both President Trump, and also Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary race. Porter reviews some of the reasons why these claims are spurious, and he and Scott rehash a few of the Times’ other great blunders. Discussed on the show: “The New York Times’ Insidious Ongoing Disinformation Campaign on Russia & Elections” (Consortium News) “The Plot to Subvert an Election: Unraveling the Russia Story So Far” (The New York Times) “Same Goal, Different Playbook: Why Russia Would Support Trump and Sanders” (The New York Times) “Pompeo and Netanyahu paved a path to war with Iran, and they’re pushing Trump again” (The Grayzone) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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 Gareth Porter about the New York Times’ continued efforts to bolster the story that Russia both interfered in the 2016 presidential election and continues to do so in the lead up to the 2020 election. This time around, they allege, Russian actors are working on behalf of both President Trump, and also Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary race. Porter reviews some of the reasons why these claims are spurious, and he and Scott rehash a few of the Times’ other great blunders. Discussed on the show: “The New York Times’ Insidious Ongoing Disinformation Campaign on Russia & Elections” (Consortium News)“The Plot to Subvert an Election: Unraveling the Russia Story So Far” (The New York Times)“Same Goal, Different Playbook: Why Russia Would Support Trump and Sanders” (The New York Times)“Pompeo and Netanyahu paved a path to war with Iran, and they’re pushing Trump again” (The Grayzone) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbf0eKuK2DQ The following is an automatically generated transcript. Show Transcript Scott Horton 0:10 All right y'all welcome in Scott Horton show. I am the director of the libertarian Institute editorial director of anti war.com, author of the book fool's errand, time to end the war in Afghanistan. And I've recorded more than 5000 interviews going back to 2003, all of which are available at Scott horton.org. You can also sign up to the podcast feed full archive is also available@youtube.com. Slash Scott Horton show. All right, you guys on the line I've got Gareth, the great Gareth Porter, of course, investigative historian and journalist author of the perils of dominance about Vietnam manufactured crisis, which is the authoritative source on Iran's nuclear program and then his little latest book with john Kiriakou, of course, is the CIA Insiders Guide to the Iran crisis from CIA coup to the brink of war. And he writes regularly for us at anti war.com. And at truth This and truth at and here he is at consortium news.com. The New York Times insidious, ongoing dis information campaign on Russia and the elections. Welcome back to the show. Gareth. How are you sir? Gareth Porter 1:30 I'm doing well. I hope you're doing well too. It's good. Scott Horton 1:32 I'm hanging in there but appreciate that. Listen up. So here's the point on going I saw people on Twitter the other day, I quit Twitter But okay, I admit sometimes I troll Aaron ma tangling Greenwald's feeds because I love those guys. And I saw where someone was attacking Greenwald and saying I can't believe this guy's still talking about Russia, like the debunkers were the ones who you know, drag this thing on for three Yours is horrible hoax. And now the real point four years, they're not done yet. They're still blaming Russia for intervening in America's democracy. They're trying to disrupt our society. Gareth. I read it in an article by, oh, David Sanger in the New York Times. Well, that must not be right then. Gareth Porter 2:24 That's that's a pretty good generalization. I would say yes. Scott Horton 2:28 Yeah. For people who don't know, David Sanger, he's just one click less bad than Michael Gordon. But he is the third worst reporter while no with Walter drain, probably the fourth worst reporter in the history of the New York Times,

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Henry Williams, executive director of the Gravel Institute and the former co-director of the Mike Gravel for President Committee.Bernie Sanders won the Nevada caucuses convincingly on Saturday, setting himself apart as the candidate to beat for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Sanders finished with 46.8 percent, followed by Joe Biden at 20.4, Pete Buttigieg at 13.9, and Elizabeth Warren at 9.8. They all now move to South Carolina for that state’s primary on Saturday, which will follow a debate mid-week. The blame game continued over the weekend, as CNN, MSNBC, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and other outlets accused Russia of somehow “interfering” in the 2020 election. The accusations came out of a statement that a senior intelligence official apparently made last week in a closed meeting of the House Intelligence Committee, when he said that Intelligence Community analysis indicated that Russia “preferred” Donald Trump. Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, analyst specializing in U.S. national security policy, and the author of “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare,” joins the show. The extradition hearing of Julian Assange begins today in London and is expected to last into July, with a break of about a month. The United States has asked that Assange be sent to Alexandria, VA to face 18 counts of espionage and computer hacking for the revelations that Wikileaks have made over the years. Brian and John speak with Walter Smolarek, a Sputnik News analyst and producer who is in London for the hearing this week. South Korea raised its official virus alert to the highest level as health officials there announced 833 new cases of coronavirus. Health authorities in Iran reported 12 new deaths related to the virus, and Italy reported four, prompting Italian authorities to implement nationwide quarantines and to cancel public events. John Ross, Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations, joins the show. Monday’s segment “Education for Liberation with Bill Ayers” is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. What’s happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book “Demand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,” joins Brian and John. In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the Assange extradition hearing that will be ongoing this week, the Nevada caucus results and where the race is going this week as the South Carolina primary comes up, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.Monday’s regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.

Gareth Porter comes on the show to promote his new book, The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War, cowritten with John Kiriakou. Porter and Scott recap the entire modern history of U.S. relations with Iran, focusing on the inflated threat of their nuclear program. Discussed on the show: The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of WarDevil’s Game1953 Iranian coup d’étatIran Hostage CrisisIran-Contra Affair“When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes” (Foreign Policy)Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States“The Clinton Administration’s Approach to the Middle East” (The Washington Institute for Near East Policy)The U.S. invades Panama“The Mysterious Laptop Documents: “Evidence” of Iran Nuclear Weapons Program May Be Fraudulent – Global ResearchGlobal Research” (Centre for Research on Globalization)Operation Merlin“Burnt Offering” (The American Prospect) Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo-fZZxOdLU

Guest: Gareth Porter. As the news was breaking of Iranian retaliatory strikes on military bases in Iraq where American troops were deployed, Gareth Porter and I were talking about his analysis comparing the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident in Vietnam to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s apparent strategy to “grease the skids” for war with Iran.  Gareth Porter is an independent Investigative historian and journalist on the national security state. He is the author of numerous books including Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam (2005) and Manufactured Crisis: the Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare (2014). He is the winner of the 2012 Gellhorn Prize for Journalism  FOLLOW Gareth on Twitter at @GarethPorter. Find his work at The American Conservative, Truthdig, Antiwar.com, Middle East Eye and other media outlets. Read his new book: The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War.  Around the Empire is listener supported, independent media. Pitch in at Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire or paypal.me/aroundtheempirepod. Find all links at aroundtheempire.com.  SUBSCRIBE on YouTube. FOLLOW @aroundtheempire and @joanneleon.  SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on iTunes, iHeart, Spotify, Google Play, Facebook or on your preferred podcast app. Recorded on Jan 7, 2020. Music by Fluorescent Grey. Reference Links: Pompeo’s Gulf Of Tonkin Incident, Gareth Porter Book: Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam, Gareth Porter Book: Manufactured Crisis: the Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare, Gareth Porter Book: The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War, Gareth Porter, John Kiriakou  

Gareth Porter joins Scott once again to discuss what he calls Mike Pompeo’s “Gulf of Tonkin incident.” In the real Gulf of Tonkin incident, McNamara intentionally misled President Johnson in order to incite war between the U.S. and North Vietnam. Porter says that Pompeo pulled a similar maneuver in deceiving President Trump about the extent to which Soleimani and the Iranians were behind the recent embassy attacks in Iraq in order to persuade him to carry out Soleimani’s assassination. For the time being, at least, it appears that Trump is satisfied to let the Iranians save face with their missile strike and is not interested in further escalation. Discussed on the show: The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War “Pompeo’s Gulf Of Tonkin Incident” (The American Conservative) Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--“The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War.”Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi today gave an official statement on the status of the Democrats’ efforts to impeach President Trump. She pledged to move forward with the process, which is expected to shortly produce formal articles of impeachment. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared on the Howard Stern show and said the Russians backed Bernie Sanders, among other things, including that Bernie “hurt” her campaign. Joe Lauria, editor in chief of Consortium News, and author of the book “How I Lost, by Hillary Clinton,” joins the show. The Trump administration is considering a significant expansion of the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East to counter Iran, including dozens more ships, other military hardware and as many as 14,000 additional troops, U.S. officials said. Brian and John speak with Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, and analyst specializing in U.S. national security policy, and the author of “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare.” Workers in France are staging a massive general strike today against a pension reform plan pushed by the government of President Emmanuel Macron. Unions say that the proposed changes will force workers to stay in the workforce longer and leave retirees struggling to get by. Gilbert Mercier, Editor in Chief of News Junkie Post and the author of “The Orwellian Empire,” joins the show. The House of Representatives yesterday, by a vote of 407-1, approved a bill that would heavily sanction China over allegations that it is forcibly detaining ethnic Uighurs. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. The Chinese government reacted with outrage at this intervention into its domestic affairs, saying that Washington is sullying its counterterrorism and anti-radicalization efforts. Eugene Puryear, the host of By Any Means Necessary, which is on every day, Monday through Friday from 2:00-4:00 PM here on Radio Sputnik, joins Brian and John. Thursday’s weekly series “Criminal Injustice” is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.Usually Wednesday’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is on Thursday this week about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, and the author of “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare.”Today is the 40th anniversary of the Iran Hostage Crisis, where Iranian students seized the American Embassy in Tehran and took 52 embassy officers hostage. That standoff lasted 444 days, and it permanently changed the scope of both US-Iran relations and American politics. And yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the Greensboro Massacre, where Ku Klux Klansmen, led by an FBI agent and an ATF agent, opened fire on a group of American communists in Greensboro, North Carolina, killing five. Nobody was ever brought to justice for the attack. Even as House Democrats on Thursday ratified an impeachment resolution against President Trump, a federal judge has slowed the pace of the inquiry by declining to rule on whether a key witness needed to testify before the House of Representatives. Instead, he gave all relevant parties several weeks to prepare their arguments. That means the hearings will likely last through the Christmas holidays. And how will all of this affect the 2020 election? Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book “The Plot to Overthrow Venezuela: How the US is Orchestrating a Coup for Oil.”, joins the show. Rioting continued over the weekend in Hong Kong, with demonstrators attacking Xinhua, the Chinese state news service. Xinhua then called on authorities to take a tougher line with demonstrators. Meanwhile, protestors are calling on the US to help them. Brian and John speak with John Ross, Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations. Two activists with the organization Veterans for Peace are trapped in Ireland, unable to return home due to criminal charges pending against them for engaging in anti-war protest. A renewed effort is underway to win their freedom. Gerry Condon, national president of Veterans for Peace, joins the show. The hosts take a look at the big stories to watch in the week ahead. Walter Smolarek, Sputnik News analyst and producer, joins Brian and John. The hosts continue the weekly segment Technology Rules with Chris Garaffa—a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the National Surveillance State are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and Patricia Gorky, a software engineer and technology and security analyst, join the show.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, and analyst specializing in U.S. national security policy and the author of “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare.”President Trump said yesterday that he does not want war with Iran, less than 24 hours after tweeting that he was “locked and loaded” and awaiting instructions from Saudi Arabia. Regardless of his public statements, however, the President internationalized the crisis by publicly blaming Iran for the attack, despite the Houthi rebels’ claims of responsibility and a lack of any evidence of direct Iranian involvement. The New York Times editorial page is, once again, mired in controversy. The Times ran an essay in the Sunday Review opinion section by the authors of a new book on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The book was written by two Times journalists who covered Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings and it contains explosive information of an unreported allegation of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh. But the Times editor took out some critical information: that the woman at the center of the controversy declined to be interviewed and did not recall the incident. Sputnik News analyst and producer Nicole Roussell joins the show. Israeli elections are being held today and, while it will be very close, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely expected to be able to cobble together another coalition government that will give him an unprecedented fifth term as Prime Minister. Netanyahu has several felony charges related to corruption hanging over him, as does his wife, but it doesn’t seem to have affected him politically. Netanyahu has vowed to begin annexing parts of the West Bank if he’s reelected. Brian and John speak with Miko Peled, the author of “The General’s Son - A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,” and of "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.” 50,000 General Motors workers are in their second day of a strike against the company for better wages, benefits, and job security. These were concessions that the union offered a decade ago when the economy collapsed and GM was forced into bankruptcy. But now the company is wildly profitable, and it’s not sharing the wealth with the workers who sacrificed for it to survive. Benjamin Franz, the Vice President of the United Auto Workers Union’s Local 652, joins the show. The Presidents of Russia, Turkey, and Iran met in Ankara yesterday to discuss what to do to ease tensions in Syria and particularly along Syria’s border with Turkey. Disagreements between the countries linger. Russian President Putin said that the threat to peace came from a resurgent ISIS. But Turkish President Erdogan countered that the only threat to peace in Syria came from Kurdish groups. Rick Sterling, an investigative journalist and member of the Syria Solidarity Movement, joins Brian and John. Tuesday’s weekly series is False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey. Brian and John speak with financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey.Today’s regular segment that airs every Tuesday is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Women’s Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a women’s magazine; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Gareth Porter, an award-winning journalist whose work has been published at Salon, The Nation, and Consortium News. He is the author of "Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story Of the Iran Nuclear Scare," which was published in 2014. Gareth talks with the hosts about what we know about the incident that allegedly occurred against a tanker in the Gulf of Oman, which President Donald Trump's administration says was attacked by Iran. He outlines what the Trump administration has not proven and some of the many questions that should be answered. He reacts to news of Iran shooting down a U.S. military drone and addresses how Trump seems to be the only prominent official in the White House reluctant to go to war against Iran. And later in the show, Gareth discusses what a war with Iran would look like and why the U.S. military remains extremely reluctant to commit troops and resources to an open-ended conflict.

Joanne Leon and investigative journalist and historian Gareth Porter discuss “The Permanent War Complex” and how it developed in stages to the point where we have defense and intelligence mega-contractors helping to drive perpetual wars around the globe. Eisenhower’s nightmare has now come true. We also talk about recent machinations in the case of Julian Assange and Wikileaks. Gareth Porter specializes in covering issues related to U.S. wars and interventions. He is the winner of the 2012 Gellhorn Prize for Journalism who has covered U.S. policy toward Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Syria for Inter Press Service from 2004 to 2014, and his stories were widely republished on other news sites. Since then he has published stories and columns at Truthdig, American Conservative, Foreign Policy, Consortium News, Truthout, antiwar.com The Nation and Middle East Eye.  He is the author of five books, including three books on Vietnam and the U.S. war in Indochina.  His latest book, Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare, reveals the true story of the Iran nuclear issue that has been hidden and distorted by government propaganda and complete lack of media scrutiny. FOLLOW Gareth on Twitter at @GarethPorter.  Around the Empire is independent media and you can support it at Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire or at aroundtheempire.com. FOLLOW @aroundtheempire. Follow Joanne Leon at @joanneleon. SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on iTunes, iHeart, Spotify, Google Play, YouTube, Facebook. Recorded on December 4, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey. Reference Links: U.K. and Ecuador Conspire to Deliver Julian Assange to U.S. Authorities, Gareth Porter America’s Permanent-War Complex, Gareth Porter

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, and analyst specializing in U.S. national security policy, and the author of “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare.”Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called today for all participants in the Yemen war to begin a ceasefire within 30 days. The two said that within 30 days they wanted all parties to engage in peace talks that would be led by UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths. No venue for talks has yet been announced. Wednesday’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show. President Trump and his advisors are pushing ahead with his theory that he can revoke birthright citizenship by signing an executive order. Most Republican leaders and Constitutional scholars have condemned the president’s position on the basis that it violates the 14th Amendment, but the issue will likely have to be settled in the courts. Brian and John speak with David Gespass, the former President of the National Lawyers Guild. An Israeli airstrike killed three young Palestinian boys on Sunday evening near the fence that separates Israel from Gaza. Israeli authorities say that one of their aircraft rocketed the boys, two aged 13 and one 14, while they were planting explosives. Palestinian authorities, however, said that was nonsense. Dan Cohen, a journalist and a documentary filmmaker with extensive experience in the Middle East, joins the show. The New Zealand government said today that a landmark 11-country trade deal that would slash tariffs and increase trade will come into effect at the end of December after being ratified by New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and Singapore. The Trump Administration withdrew from the Pacific Rim Trade Pact early last year to, in President Trump’s words, prioritize protecting American jobs. Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California, author of “Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression,” and at www.jackrasmus.com, joins Brian and John. Chabahar is an Iranian port on the Indian Ocean, Iran’s only direct access to open ocean. The port was built and developed by Indian companies working with the government of India to expand that country’s ability to trade with the rest of the world, but especially with Afghanistan. The idea was a good one for virtually all the economies of the area. But now US sanctions on Iran threaten the port’s viability. Vijay Prashad, the director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and chief editor of LeftWord Books, joins the show.The Cook Political Report, arguably the most highly-respected political analysis outlet in the country, reported today that Democrats may be on the brink of a major sweep of governors’ mansions in every Great Lakes state with an election this year. Democratic gains would have lasting importance because of the upcoming 2020 census and the resultant mandate to draw new congressional district borders. Brian and John speak with Julie Hurwitz, a Detroit civil rights attorney and partner at the law firm Goodman, Hurwitz and James.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Liz Davis, president of the Washington Teachers Union who has taught in DC public schools for 41 years, and Justin Flores, the vice president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee.Monday is Labor Day, the day set aside to honor the social and economic achievements of American workers. It is a national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the country. But organized labor is facing acute challenges thanks to recent court decisions. Friday is Loud & Clear’s regular segment on the midterms, taking a look at political races around the country in the runup to midterm elections in November. Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, which hosts a livestream every Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. on Facebook and Sputnik News analyst Walter Smolarek, joins the show. President Trump on Wednesday reaffirmed his opposition to routine annual joint US-South Korean military drills, a move that has infuriated South Korean conservatives, but which was supported by President Moon Jae-in. Although the move will make the North Koreans happy, it could created a significant political backlash for Moon. Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, and analyst specializing in U.S. national security policy, and the author of “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare,” joins Brian and John.Bank of America is facing a backlash after freezing the accounts of people who have not proven their US citizenship or permanent resident status. The bank says that it has always asked its customers about their citizenship. But it’s begun unfreezing accounts after admitting that there are no federal law or regulations that require it to do so. Brian and John speak with Richard Becker, the author of “The Myth of Democracy and the Rule of the Banks.” Over the past decade, New York City made steady reductions in the number of children in public housing who tested positive for lead. But that ended when the city stopped inspecting apartments for lead paint. Lead levels are on the rise not just in New York, but in cities across the country, including Washington. Yasmina Mrabet, a housing organizer with Justice First. Yasmina is also an activist with the organization LinkUp, joins the show. Yesterday, the city of El Paso dissolved an injunction, leaving a neighborhood in El Paso up for demolition to make way for an arena. Barrio Duranguito is now under 24-hour watch by Paso Del Sur, a community group, to protect the buildings. Rodriga, Cynthia, and Selfa, all organizers with Paso Del Sur, joins Brian and John.It’s Friday! So it’s time for the week’s worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his blog Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, analyst specializing in U.S. national security policy, and the author of “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare.” President Trump today continued to defend his meeting in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin after criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Trump also continued to walk back his comments that he believed the Russian position that there was no interference in the 2016 presidential election, saying today that he instead sided with the Intelligence Community’s position that there had indeed been interference.Beyond Nuclear with Kevin Kamps is Loud & Clear’s regular Wednesday segment. The hosts and Kevin look at nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Today they focus on the specific oppression of Native nations by the nuclear industry and the Russia-US summit through the nuclear lens. Brian and John speak with Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell. The European Commission yesterday hit technology firm Google with a record $5 billion fine, saying the company had used its mobile operating system to illegally cement its dominant position in searches. Google said it would appeal, even though it’s currently sitting on $103 billion in cash. Brian and John speak with Dr. Robert Epstein, the senior research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology. Maria Butina, the Russian graduate student who was arrested and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent, was arraigned today in federal court in Washington, where she pleaded not guilty. The US government says that Butina was in touch with Russian intelligence officials, an accusation she has denied through her attorney. Alex Rubenstein, a Sputnik news analyst and journalist who attended today’s arraignment and whose work is on twitter at @RealAlexRubi, joins the show. The president of the European Investment Bank said today that the organization would put its global operations at risk by investing in Iran, calling into question European efforts to salvage the Iran nuclear deal that Washington has walked away from. Meanwhile, the Iranian government announced that it has built a new factory that can produce as rotors for as many as 60 new centrifuges per day. Shabbir Razvi, an economist and political analyst and Sputnik News analyst Walter Smolarek, join Brian and John. British Prime Minister Theresa May said today that any Brexit plan must be “workable” as she was criticized from both the right and the left for the bitter divisions within her own Conservative Party that seem to be preventing forward movement in leaving the European Union. May is particularly stuck on the issues of trade and open borders. Alexander Mercouris, the editor-in-chief of The Duran, joins the show.Israel appears to be preparing more and more for direct hostilities with Syria, as control of Syrian territory in the country’s southwest, near the Golan Heights and the border with Israel, shifts from rebels to the government. Brian and John speak with Rick Sterling, an investigative journalist and member of the Syria Solidarity Movement.

Gareth Porter, investigative journalist and author of "Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare," joins the show to talk about the United States' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. Porter addresses recent events involving the backlash to President Donald Trump's decision, as well as Israel's military strikes on Iranian targets in Syria. He outlines the threat of war with Iran and discusses his , "The Latest Act in Israel's Iran Nuclear Disinformation Campaign," which was published at Consortium News.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, an analyst specializing in U.S. national security policy, and the author of “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare.” In dramatic fashion, Donald Trump took to the airwaves to announce that the US was leaving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran Nuclear Arms Deal. Trump had been signaling his decision for many months. The speech was filled with bellicose and threatening language. What comes next? Is the Trump administration gearing up for military conflict and another war in the Middle East? Tuesday’s weekly series “False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey” continues looking at the top economic issues of the day, today focusing what unemployment numbers really mean and how the price of oil is affecting geopolitics. Financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey joins the show. Senate candidate and former mining company CEO Don Blankenship, who spent a year in prison for his role in the deaths of 29 miners, appears to be surging in the West Virginia senate race in light of an overtly racist television ad his campaign has been airing this week. Blankenship says that, if elected, he will create jobs for Americans, not for “China people” and he excoriates Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose wife is Chinese-American, as “Cocaine Mitch.” Brian and John speak with community organizer Frank Ariet and Sputnik news analyst Walter Smolarek. Oliver North, the central figure in the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s, and now a Fox News contributor, was named president of the National Rifle Association yesterday. It was North who illegally arranged for arms sales to Iran during the Iran-Iraq war, and then used the proceeds to illegal purchase weapons for the Contra rebels, who were fighting to overthrow the Nicaraguan government. Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, who broke the Iran-Contra scandal, joins the show. Peace and anti-torture groups have begun arriving on Capitol Hill to protest the nomination of Gina Haspel to be CIA director. Haspel was integral to the CIA’s torture program during the George W. Bush Administration. She headed a secret prison, oversaw torture sessions, and later destroyed videotaped evidence of the torture. Jeremy Varon, a professor at the New School in New York and an anti-torture activist who is helping to lead those protests, joins Brian and John. A new report in the Observer newspaper and New Yorker Magazine says that unidentified people connected to the Trump Administration hired an private Israeli intelligence company last year to dig up embarrassing information—primarily sexual in nature—on Democrats who had supported the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, all in an effort to discredit it. This Israeli firm is the same one allegedly hired by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein to discredit women who accused him of sexual improprieties. Whitney Webb, a journalist and a staff writer for MintPress News, joins the show.President Trump is sending a plan to Congress that calls for cutting $15 billion in previously-approved spending. Almost half the cuts would come from two accounts within the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), while another $800 million would come from a program within Obamacare. Brian and John speak with Mary Gerisch, an organizer and member chair of the Rights & Democracy health care justice team.

Mance is joined by the great Gareth Porter. Gareth is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare.” Gareth explains exactly what the Iran Nuclear Deal of 2015 is, and why the body of Benjamin Netanyahu's presentation detailing Iran nuclear… The post Episode 107: Gareth Porter on Netanyahu's Accusations Against Iran appeared first on Free Man Beyond The Wall.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, and the author of “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare,” and Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran.French President Emmanuel Macron today held meetings with President Trump at the White House. Discussions focused on Iran and Syria. Trump is taking a hard line on the former, and Macron on the latter. The two also will discuss trade and counterterrorism today. Tuesday’s weekly series continues looking at the top economic issues of the day, today focusing on Wells Fargo’s criminal business practices, AT&T and Verizon’s potentially criminal business practices, pay-for-quick-service emergency rooms, and new Facebook and Google privacy regulations that may hinder smaller companies. Financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey joins the show. The US media have taken a tough position against rapprochement with North Korea and the possibility for peace on the peninsula. Is this just a knee-jerk anti-Trump reaction or is there something else behind it? Brian and John speak with Steve Gowans, a journalist and author of “Washington’s Long War on Syria.” Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt today will propose a rule that would establish new standards for what science could be used in writing agency regulations. This is a rule change long sought by conservatives, who argue that only publicly-available information should be considered in EPA deliberations. Fred Magdoff, professor emeritus of plant and soil science at the University of Vermont and the co-author of “What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism” and “Creating an Ecological Society: Toward a Revolutionary Transformation,” joins the show. A group of 109 retired generals and admirals have signed an open letter to the members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, asking them to reject the nomination of Gina Haspel as director of the CIA. The former military leaders say they are “deeply troubled by the prospect of someone who appears to have been intimately involved in torture being elevated to one of the most important positions of leadership in the intelligence community. Brian interviews John, who worked for the CIA for 15 years and has been featured across media networks against Gina Haspel’s nomination due to her management of the CIA’s torture program. A 25-year-old Toronto man drove a rented van through a crowd of people in that city yesterday, killing 10 and injuring at least 14. Canadian authorities have not said what Eric Manassian’s motive was, and police are not using the word terrorism. But that hasn’t stopped social media platforms from exploding over the issue, saying that Manassian is a Muslim and calling for more controls on refugees and immigrants into both Canada and the United States. Chris Black, an international criminal lawyer who is on the List of Counsel before the ICC, joins the show.In a dramatic act of civil disobedience seven peace activists were arrested while protesting at the Kings Bay Naval Base in Georgia, where submarines capable of firing a world-ending barrage of nuclear missiles are stationed. Brian and John speak with Paul Magno, the finance director at Nonviolence International, a decentralized network of resource centers that promote nonviolent action and a culture of peace.