Podcasts about nodev noops noit

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scott interviews Danny Sjursen about his new book, which chronicles his own story of disillusionment with America’s endless wars, in addition to outlining what he believes should be the new attitude of true American patriotism. He calls this type of patriotism “patriotic dissent,” explaining that when one’s country has become an empire of military adventurism founded on lies, the truly patriotic thing to do is to oppose these trends. Part of the way he does so is by offering historical examples of figures often held up as champions of militarism, like Eisenhower and Grant, and showing that their true opinions were more nuanced. He believes that a multifaceted approach is required in order to build a broad coalition of true patriots who can change America’s military culture for the better. Discussed on the show: Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2003 to 2005 “America’s Expeditionary Kleptocracy: A Banana Republic and Its Banana Wars” (Antiwar.com Original) Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. army major and former history instructor at West Point. He writes regularly for TomDispatch.com and he’s the author of “Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge.” Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews James Carden about his latest article, which explores the recent return of many prominent neocons to the Democratic Party in opposition to Trump. Carden reminds us that during the 1960s a group of hawkish Democrats moved over to side with the Republicans in response to some of the radical social movements in America at that time, thus founding the neoconservative movement. Now, as we near the end of Trump’s first term, many of them are supporting Biden—and it’s easy to see why, says Carden: Biden and Harris represent the exact same establishment foreign policy consensus shared by both Bushes, both Clintons, and Barack Obama. Sadly, even many progressives find themselves siding with the centrist establishment, since they will do anything to oppose Trump. Discussed on the show: “The Rotten Alliance of Liberals and Neocons Will Likely Shape U.S. Foreign Policy for Years to Come” (Public Seminar) “Don’t Look Now, but We May Be Re-Winning the War in Iraq” (National Review) “Baghdad Delenda Est” (National Review) “Israel’s Friends at the RNC: ‘Christian Zionists’ Dictate the Agenda of the Republican Party” (Antiwar.com Original) Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War “Groups didn’t disclose grants from Israeli government” (The Forward) “The Bernie Sanders Doctrine on Foreign Policy” (Jacobin) “Veterans doubt value of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan in new poll” (Military Times) “Transcript: Joe Biden foreign policy adviser Antony Blinken on COVID shortfalls, failures in Syria” (CBS News) “Jake Sullivan leaked Syria email” (WikiLeaks) “Ghislaine Maxwell’s Nephew Worked At Hillary Clinton’s State Department” (Analyzing America) James Carden is the executive editor for the American Committee for East-West Accord and former adviser on Russia policy at the US State Department. He is a contributing writer at The Nation. 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.

Ramzy Baroud shares the heartbreaking story of Ahmed Amarneh, an engineer who decided to build a home for his family in a network of caves near their town after getting repeatedly denied building permits for a real house by the Israeli government. Now that he has moved his family to the caves, Israel is threatening to demolish the entire cave system. The Amarnehs are not alone, says Baroud—if anything, their story is representative of the general trend of the Israeli government using every legal means possible to prevent Palestinians from living on land that is rightfully theirs, and in many cases even trying to force them out altogether. This kind of ethnic cleansing will probably continue until the West comes to its senses and stops defending the worst of Israel’s human rights abuses. Discussed on the show: “‘People of the Cave’: Palestinians Take Their Fight for Justice to the Mountains” (CounterPunch.org) Oslo Accords “8/28/20 Alan MacLeod on the Tight Relationship Between the US and Israel” (The Libertarian Institute) The Israel Project’s Global Language Dictionary “Biden forces try to debunk story that he threatened to cut aid to Israel over settlements– 38 years ago” (Mondoweiss) “Opinion | For Israel and Palestine, Equality in a One-State Solution” (The New York Times) Ramzy Baroud is a US-Arab journalist and is the editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of My Father Was A Freedom Fighter: The Untold Story of Gaza and The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story. His new book is These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons. Follow Ramzy on Twitter @RamzyBaroud and read his work at RamzyBaroud.net. 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 talks to Dan McAdams about the precarious situation in Belarus, where some western agitators are seeking to use the country’s recent presidential elections as an excuse to foment and support a revolution. McAdams reminds us that although Belarus’ president, Alexander Lukashenko, might not be a great guy, it doesn’t justify regime change—most of the time, in fact, when America gets involved in these kinds of conflicts, the people that take over after the revolution end up being much worse than the previous regime. Belarus’ significance in this case, explains McAdams, has a lot to do with its proximity to Russia, and therefore its relevance to Russia-U.S. relations. He says Russia is unlikely to make an aggressive move unless, ironically, they feel forced to do so by continued American-led NATO expansion. Discussed on the show: “War, Inc. (2008)” (IMDb) “Lukashenko rivals unite behind blogger’s wife to fight Belarus election” (Reuters) “‘Regime Change’ in Belarus Looks Like an Objective of Both the Trump Administration and the Biden Campaign” (GEORIVISTA) Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam Daniel McAdams is the executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and the co-host of the Ron Paul Liberty Report. Follow him on Twitter @DanielLMcAdams and read all of his work over at Antiwar.com. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Kingston Reif talks about the imminent lapse of the New START treaty, one of the last remaining nuclear safeguard agreements between the U.S. and Russia. Russia has made some moves to renegotiate the treaty, but the Trump administration has refused to do so, ostensibly in the name of making it much more restrictive, and of including China in the negotiations. These efforts would be admirable, Reif notes, except that there is little reason to believe they are legitimate. Reif suspects that the U.S. and Russia are actually both interested in being able to use the threat of medium range missiles to rein in China, and that Trump’s overtures are mostly an excuse to let the current treaty lapse. When it comes to nuclear issues, Reif and Scott agree that Trump has delivered on his worst promises to increase funding to the arms industry, while failing to follow through on his pledge to get along better with Putin. Discussed on the show: “No Progress Toward Extending New START” (Arms Control Associate) New START Treaty Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty Kingston Reif is the Director for Disarmament and Threat Reduction Policy at the Arms Control Association, where his work focuses on nuclear disarmament, deterrence, and arms control, preventing nuclear terrorism, missile defense, and the defense budget. Find him on Twitter @KingstonAReif. 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.

Daniel Davis talks about the questionable Russian bounties story that is being used as an excuse to stop President Trump from pulling U.S. troops out of Afghanistan. Never mind the fact that America’s intelligence agencies have come out to publicly disavow the story, the internal logic summoned by those opposed to withdrawal is inconsistent—if American troops really are in harm’s way in Afghanistan because of Russian bounties, wouldn’t the natural move be to pull them out even faster? Davis is adamant that the war in Afghanistan has for all intents and purposes already been lost, and the sooner the U.S. can withdraw, the better. Scott and Davis also discuss American troops in Germany and U.S.-China relations. Discussed on the show: “Iran-China deal shows ‘getting tough’ doesn’t solve the US’s problems” (Business Insider) “America’s Military Should Not Be Used as an Auxiliary Force to Defend Berlin” (Military.com) “Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops, Intelligence Says” (The New York Times) SIGAR Quarterly Report July 30 2020 Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He writes a weekly column for National Interest and is the author of the reports “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort” and “Go Big or Go Deep: An Analysis of Strategy Options on Afghanistan.” Find him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott talks to Sheldon Richman about the dawning realization that a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians is never going to happen. Although Prime Minister Netanyahu recently backed down from his official plans for annexation of the West Bank, Richman says that for all practical purposes these territories were annexed years ago. And the current military occupation and subjugation of their Palestinian residents is unlikely to change in any meaningful way. Scott and Richman’s hope, echoed by a growing anti-Zionist movement in America, is that by acknowledging the false promise of the two-state solution, Palestinians might someday simply be granted equal rights under a single state. Discussed on the show: “What Social Animals Owe to Each Other” (The Future of Freedom Foundation) “Opinion | For Israel and Palestine, Equality in a One-State Solution” (The New York Times) “Yavne: A Jewish Case for Equality in Israel-Palestine” (Jewish Currents) Beinart’s Final Solution: End Israel as Nation-State of the Jewish People” (Newsweek) “The Single-state Solution Is Already Here” (Haaretz) “Prophetic Anti-Zionists” (Antiwar.com Original) “Finkelstein: Israel will pretend that illegal annexation is a compromise” (The Grayzone) Oslo Accords Killing Gaza Sheldon Richman is the executive editor of the Libertarian Institute and the author of Coming to Palestine and America’s Counter-Revolution: The Constitution Revisited. Follow him on Twitter @SheldonRichman. 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 Giorgio Cafiero about the devastating catastrophe facing the people of Yemen in the form of the coronavirus pandemic. Cafiero describes the way that a virus—or indeed any natural disaster—has the potential to decimate a country like Yemen, where it’s hard to count on the distribution of even basic necessities like food, water and medicine. To make matters worse, the divided powers in Yemen seem unwilling to temporarily put aside their differences in the name of fighting the pandemic. Scott reminds us that the U.S. has just as much responsibility for this war as Saudi Arabia and the UAE do, and perhaps even more, since the President could end it almost instantly with a phone call. Until the American people decide to make this an important issue, however, things are unlikely to change. Discussed on the show: “COVID-19: Yemen’s ‘unprecedented calamity’” (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft) “The Houthis Are Not Hezbollah” (Foreign Policy) Giorgio Cafiero is the CEO and founder of Gulf State Analytics, a geopolitical risk consultancy based in Washington, DC. He writes regularly for the Middle East Institute, The National Interest, and LobeLog. Find him on Twitter @GiorgioCafiero. 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.

Kelley Vlahos talks about prominent Democratic national security official Michele Flournoy, whom she calls “The Queen of the Blob.” The Blob, explains Vlahos, is the group of politicians, advisors, lobbyists and pundits who advocate for the continuation of America’s foreign policy status quo—often greatly enriching themselves in the process. The ideology behind their position, she and Scott speculate, is probably based on the idea that these policies are actually good for the United States and the rest of the world, and that if they can benefit personally, that’s just an added benefit. But the last 70 years of American foreign policy failures should by now have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the centrist liberal and neoconservative establishment has done little but endanger the U.S. and destroy the lives of millions of innocent foreigners. Discussed on the show: “Michele Flournoy: Queen of the Blob” (The American Conservative) “How Biden’s Foreign-Policy Team Got Rich” (The American Prospect) “The Outpost (2020)” (IMDb) “The Outpost Is a War Movie Libs Like, For their Own Reasons” (The American Conservative) “In Defense of Restraint” (The American Conservative) “Rethinking Restraint: Why It Fails in Practice” (The Washington Quarterly) Empire Has No Clothes The Jungle Grows Back: America and Our Imperiled World “Three Marines, Now Focus of Russian Bounties Investigation, Show the Costs of an Endless War” (The New York Times) “Wiping another Country off the Map: Israel does it to Palestine” (juancole.com) Kelley B. Vlahos is the executive editor of The American Conservative. Follow her on Twitter @KelleyBVlahos. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews 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.

Scott interviews Ramzy Baroud about the Israeli annexation of Palestine, including Trump’s role as perhaps the most acquiescent president in American history in going along with the agenda of the Israeli government. Most recently this has meant acceding to Netanyahu’s plans for massive annexation of the West Bank. Although Israel has appeared to back down slightly from its aggressive annexation plan, Baroud is adamant that this is merely a public posture to deflect international criticism, when in reality these Palestinian territories have always been under de facto Israeli control, and will continue to be so. And although Trump has been unusually indulgent with the Israelis, Baroud suspects that a Biden presidency wouldn’t be any better. Baroud laments the fact that the Palestinian perspective is never portrayed in the mainstream media, and so almost everyone in the U.S. only ever hears a deceptive, pro-Israel narrative. Ramzy Baroud is a US-Arab journalist and is the editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of My Father Was A Freedom Fighter: The Untold Story of Gaza and The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story. His new book is These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons. Follow Ramzy on Twitter @RamzyBaroud and read his work at RamzyBaroud.net. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Trita Parsi discusses John Bolton’s tenure in the Trump administration, during which time he worked tirelessly to sabotage any form of negotiation between the United States and Iran. Bolton is a fierce advocate for America’s alliance with Israel, says Parsi, which often means acting in ways that are actually quite harmful to American interests. Netanyahu, Parsi explains, worries that any peace between the U.S. and Iran would threaten Israel’s position as the dominant superpower in the Middle East, and it would no longer be so easy for them to accomplish the things the Netanyahu government wants to do, like annexing more and more Palestinian territory. Unless you have the warped neocon worldview, however, Scott and Parsi agree that attempted American hegemony in the Middle East can only mean disaster for the true interests of the American people. Discussed on the show: “John Bolton can stomach Kim Jong Un’s North Korea, but not Iran” (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft) The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir Trita Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council and the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Matthew Hoh about the recent claim that the Russian government has been paying bounties to Taliban militants to kill U.S. soldiers. The headlines have made it sound as though this is a confirmed and well-sourced story, when in reality, Hoh explains, it’s all coming from anonymous American intelligence sources without so much as an attempt at independent verification of, say, specific soldiers that this is supposed to have happened to. Moreover, says Hoh, Russia has very little to gain from such a policy, and a lot to lose. 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: “Is Big Media Echoing Accusations to Demonize Russia and Continue Afghan War?” (Institute for Public Accuracy) “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) “Russian Spy Unit Paid Taliban to Attack Americans, U.S. Intelligence Says” (The Wall Street Journal) “Russian operation targeted coalition troops in Afghanistan, intelligence finds” (The Washington Post) Afghanistan Papers “This Russia-Afghanistan Story Is Western Propaganda At Its Most Vile” (Caitlin Johnstone) Matthew Hoh is a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy and formerly worked for the U.S. State Department. Hoh received the Ridenhour Prize Recipient for Truth Telling in 2010. Hoh is a member of the Board of Directors for Council for a Livable World and is an Advisory Board Member for Expose Facts. He writes on issues of war, peace and post-traumatic stress disorder recovery at matthewhoh.com. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Jason Ditz talks about the Turkish attacks on Kurds in northern Iraq, which have taken the form of both land assaults and periodic airstrikes. These incursions began around the time the U.S. invaded Iraq, and have seen little resistance from the Iraqi government. Ditz also discusses the border dispute between India and China, which has long been simmering and recently erupted into hand-to-hand violence that killed several dozen soldiers on both sides. Ditz thinks the killing is over for the time being, but is concerned about the future of the conflict, given both countries’ age-old animosity and their possession of nuclear weapons. Discussed on the show: “Turkey Launches Ground Offensive Against Kurds in Northern Iraq” (Antiwar.com) “6/19/20 Eric Margolis on the World’s Most Dangerous Border Dispute” (The Libertarian Institute) Jason Ditz is the news editor of Antiwar.com. Read all of his work at news.antiwar.com and follow him on Twitter @jasonditz. 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.

Pete Quinones talks about his new project, The Monopoly on Violence, a documentary featuring interviews with many prominent figures in the libertarian and anarchist movements. The film explores the history of both statism and anarchism, explaining the nature of government as the only entity with a monopoly on the legal use of force, and advocates alternatives to this barbaric system. You can watch now on YouTube, and soon the documentary will be available on Amazon and Netflix. Discussed on the show: “The Monopoly On Violence” (YouTube) Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia The Machinery of Freedom: Guide to a Radical Capitalism 2nd edition by David D. Friedman (1989) Paperback Pete Quinones is managing editor of the Libertarian Institute and hosts the Free Man Beyond the Wall podcast. He is the author of Freedom Through Memedom: The 31-Day Guide to Waking Up to Liberty and is co-producing the documentary, The Monopoly On Violence. 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.

Danny Sjursen talks about the Mexican-American War, a seldom-discussed conflict that he maintains holds lessons for America today. Sjursen describes a pattern that by now—with our long experience of the war on terrorism—should be all too familiar: a U.S. president deliberately setting up the conditions for war, forcing another country to react, lying about America’s involvement, and then eventually having to remain in the country as an occupying and rebuilding force for years afterward. At the time, several prominent politicians and generals inveighed against the war as unnecessary and unjust, but to little avail. Despite its relevance, this war has been all but forgotten by Americans today. Discussed on the show: “The Tortured Legacy of the Mexican-American War, Part 1” (The Future of Freedom Foundation) A People’s History of the United States A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. army major and former history instructor at West Point. He writes regularly for TomDispatch.com and he’s the author of “Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge.” Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Danny Sjursen discusses America’s absurd Afghan War strategy for the last nearly two decades. Sjursen served in Afghanistan during the Obama surge, seeing firsthand the utter futility of America’s attempt to conquer and rule a country that for centuries has been the graveyard of empires. Scott and Sjursen are hopeful that President Trump will follow through on some of his rhetoric and instincts and actually try to end this war, though they realize how difficult it will be even for a president who seems ready to leave, given all the entrenched interests that would like to stay forever. Discussed on the show: “SIGAR: The Boys Who Cry About Actual Wolves” (Antiwar.com Original) “Red Dawn (1984)” (IMDb) BringOurTroopsHome.us Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. army major and former history instructor at West Point. He writes regularly for TomDispatch.com and he’s the author of “Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge.” Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews James Bradley about the growing threat of war with China, evinced by political rhetoric, public sentiment, and media coverage. The thing is, Scott and Bradley agree, this threat has no real basis in any bellicosity on China’s part. It is mainly the result of powerful interest groups who stand to gain from hostilities, and the rabble rousers who exploit a natural need in the American people to find a scapegoat for domestic problems. The problem, of course, is that an actual conflict with China would be nothing short of catastrophic for both countries, and likely for the rest of the world as well. Scott insists that there is simply no way to fight conventional wars between nuclear-armed countries. A small consolation is to be found in President Trump, who, despite his belligerent rhetoric, has actually not been as hawkish as his predecessors. Discussed on the show: “War With China?” (Accuracy.Org) Wilson’s War: How Woodrow Wilson’s Great Blunder Led to Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, and World War II “What Happens to Hong Kong Now?” (The New York Times) “From Death Camp to Civilization” (LewRockwell) Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World “The Coming War on China (John Pilger)” (YouTube) The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner “America’s Pacific Century” (Foreign Policy) Agreed Framework James Bradley is the author of Flags of Our Fathers, Flyboys, The China Mirage, and many others. He hosts the podcast, Untold Pacific. Follow him on Twitter @jamesjbradley. 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.

Mike Maharrey of the Tenth Amendment Center discusses a recent U.S. Supreme Court case that overturns a Kansas Supreme Court decision concerning a potentially unconstitutional traffic stop. The police officer in the incident in question pulled a car over because his computer showed that the owner had a suspended driver’s license. This was seen as probable cause, even though it’s obviously quite possible that someone other than the owner was driving the car. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the officer’s actions did not violate the Fourth Amendment, overturning the Kansas court’s decision that the stop had been unconstitutional. Maharrey laments the tendency, even among some libertarians, to turn to the federal government as a safeguard of liberty. The pattern, he says, is clear: the more you centralize power, the more it will erode our rights. Discussed on the show: “Supreme Court Rules Against Fourth Amendment” (The Libertarian Institute) Mike Maharrey is National Communications Coordinator for the Tenth Amendment Center. He is the author of three books on nullification and hosts the Thoughts from Maharrey Head podcast. Find him on Twitter @mmaharrey10th. 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 Aaron Maté about the latest developments in the apparent OPCW cover-up of their investigation into the alleged Douma chemical attack. It is now clear, based on recently leaked documents, that OPCW leadership lied about expert analyst Ian Henderson, who has since become the leading whistleblower in the story of their cover-up. They claim that he was a low-level team member without anything important to say; in reality, he was the leader of the Douma team and one of the organization’s most reliable experts. His findings contradicted what became the official narrative, upon which U.S. retaliation against the Assad government was based. He has been working tirelessly to correct these lies. Scott and Maté also discuss the crumbling “Russiagate” narrative, and the mainstream media’s near-total silence on the scandal. Discussed on the show: “Exclusive: OPCW chief made false claims to denigrate Douma whistleblower, documents reveal” (The Grayzone) “5/1/20 Aaron Maté on the Latest OPCW Scandal | The Libertarian Institute” (The Libertarian Institute) “OPCW investigator testifies at UN that no chemical attack took place in Douma, Syria” (The Grayzone) “Crowdstrike Admits ‘No Evidence Russia Stole Emails From DNC Server” (Antiwar.com Blog) Aaron Maté is a former host and producer at The Real News and writes regularly at The Nation. Follow him on Twitter @AaronJMate. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Pete Quinones discusses the recent killing of Ahmaud Arbery and the response from Americans on both sides of the political aisle. In a recent article at the Libertarian Institute, he discusses the incident from the perspective of the gun-owning community, arguing that the vast majority of serious gun owners view this killing as abhorrent, and that even if Arbery had not been shot, the behavior of his killers leading up to the fatal moment was still wildly irresponsible. Leaving aside the question of whether race played a role in the killing, he and Scott hope that people will see another side to this, and similar incidents: not black vs. white, but police vs. civilians. It has come to light that the man accused of shooting Arbery used to work in law enforcement, and that multiple prosecutors have had to recuse themselves because of conflicts of interest. Everyone should be able to see that in a case of such clear injustice, any normal civilian would have been swiftly arrested, charged, and probably convicted for this crime. In this case, however, as in so many others, affiliation with the police prevents the same justice from working that would apply to anyone else. Discussed on the show: “How Members Of ‘Gun Culture’ View The Ahmaud Arbery Killing” (The Libertarian Institute) The Monopoly On Violence Graham v. Connor “Breonna Taylor Was Always Essential” (Rolling Stone) Pete Quinones is managing editor of the Libertarian Institute and hosts the Free Man Beyond the Wall podcast. He is the author of Freedom Through Memedom: The 31-Day Guide to Waking Up to Liberty and is co-producing the documentary, The Monopoly On Violence. 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.

Patrick Cockburn discusses Iraq’s increasingly desperate economic outlook as oil prices remain at historic lows. Iraq’s economy, like many of those in the Middle East, is hugely reliant on oil, with millions directly on a government payroll that depends almost entirely on the oil market in order to remain solvent. Worsening conditions could endanger an already fraught political environment in a country that continues to battle the remnants of an ISIS insurgency in the western part of the country. Discussed on the show: “Iraq will be hit harder by the oil price drop than by coronavirus or Isis” (Independent) Patrick Cockburn is the Middle East correspondent for The Independent and the author of The Age of Jihad and Chaos & Caliphate. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews reporter Arielle Zionts about her recent story about a pregnant South Dakota woman who died of COVID-19 in federal prison. Andrea Circle Bear, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, was charged under an obscure law in connection with a drug sale in which she herself was likely not a primary participant. She was sentenced to two years in a federal prison hundreds of miles from her home. She later contracted COVID-19, and died in April, though not before delivering her baby via C-section. Zionts continues to search for answers about where Circle Bear contracted the illness, and more importantly why a pregnant woman was treated this way in the first place. Discussed on the show: “Grandmother says Eagle Butte woman should have never been transferred to prison while pregnant” (Rapid City Journal) Arielle Zionts is a criminal justice reporter at the Rapid City Journal. Follow her on Twitter @Ajzionts. 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.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis joins the show to talk about Trump’s apparent interest in getting U.S. troops out of Afghanistan. Trump has signaled that the coronavirus crisis might be an excuse to get out—after all if America is having trouble taking care of things at home, why should it wastefully expend resources abroad? For this fairly logical position, the media is doing everything it can to portray Trump as deranged and reckless. Davis and Scott support leaving Afghanistan by whatever means necessary, since the war has been a fool’s errand from the very beginning. Discussed on the show: The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies “U.S. officials misled the public about the war in Afghanistan, confidential documents reveal” (Washington Post) Obama’s Wars “Secret Annexes Can Khalilzad Deliver Afghan Peace for Trump?” (Time) “Trump tells advisers U.S. should pull troops as Afghanistan COVID-19 outbreak looms” (NBC) Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He writes a weekly column for National Interest and is the author of the reports “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort” and “Go Big or Go Deep: An Analysis of Strategy Options on Afghanistan.” Find him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Mitchell Plitnick talks to Scott about the dizzying state of the Israeli elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has finally formed a government after three rounds of elections that looked to be tilting toward his main rival, Benny Gantz. Plitnick theorizes that Gantz simply is not as savvy a career politician as Netanyahu is, and in part he just got tired of the endless fight. He may even have used the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to call off his campaign. Now his coalition has supposedly entered a power sharing agreement with Netanyahu, in which the latter will serve as prime minister for 18 months with Gantz as his deputy, before the two switch roles. Scott and Plitnick are virtually certain that Netanyahu will find a way to avoid following through on this agreement, all the while avoiding prosecution for his corruption charges. In the meantime, Israel’s brutal subjugation of the Palestinians continues apace. Discussed on the show: “Israel’s unity government protects Netanyahu from prosecution, paves the way for annexation” (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft) Mitchell Plitnick is president of ReThinking Foreign Policy. His writing has appeared in Ha’aretz, the New Republic, the San Francisco Chronicle, and many other outlets, and he has regularly offered commentary in a wide range of radio and television outlets including PBS News Hour and the O’Reilly Factor. Follow him on Twitter @MJPlitnick. 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 Richard Booth about his investigative journalism into the real story behind the Oklahoma City bombing and its subsequent investigation. Booth goes over some of the main holes in the official narrative, which was largely constructed in order depict Timothy McVeigh as a lone actor because his likely co-conspirators—members of a well-known neo-Nazi group—are suspected to have had ties as government informants. This is at best embarrassing, and at worst criminal. All of Booth’s great work is now available at The Libertarian Institute. Discussed on the show: “The Ultimate Okalahoma City Bombing Archive” (LibertarianInstitute.org/okc) “Timothy McVeigh, Suspects, Visit Strip Club in Weeks Before Bombing” (The Libertarian Institute) “The Secret Rulers of the World (TV Mini-Series 2001– )” (IMDb) “Terror from Within (TV Movie 2002)” (IMDb) Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed–and Why It Still Matters The Secret Life of Bill Clinton: The Unreported Stories “Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997)” (IMDb) “In Search of John Doe No. 2: The Story the Feds Never Told About the Oklahoma City Bombing” (Mother Jones) 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 with Ramzy Baroud about the ongoing crisis for Palestinians in the West Bank, and in particular in the Gaza Strip, who face forced confinement and military occupation as parts of their daily lives. Baroud is reminded of the partial quarantine most Americans are facing today because of the coronavirus pandemic, and has been taking the opportunity to tell his story—and the stories of many like him—who spent their childhoods under a kind of quarantine as refugees. While sympathizing deeply with the hardships being faced all over the country, he and Scott hope that some Americans might come to see how inhumane life for the Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli occupiers is, given how strenuous this much smaller taste of quarantine can be. Discussed on the show: "Israeli Forces Demolish Emergency Coronavirus Clinic for Palestinians" (Palestine Chronicle)Israel Settlers Spitting on Palestinian Cars Raises Concern Over Attempt to Spread Coronavirus (Middle East Monitor)"‘They Spit When I Walked in the Street’: The ‘New Anti-Semitism’ in France" (The New York Times)"Edward Said: Permission to Narrate" (Abagond)"A Palestinian Guide to Surviving a Quarantine: On Faith, Humor, and 'Dutch Candy'" (Common Dreams)Killing Gaza"A Terrifying Scenario: Coronavirus in 'Quarantined' Gaza" (Common Dreams)"‘Zionist’ Biden in His Own Words: ‘My Name is Joe Biden, and Everybody Knows I Love Israel’" (Counterpunch) Ramzy Baroud is a US-Arab journalist and is the editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of My Father Was A Freedom Fighter: The Untold Story of Gaza and The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story. His new book is These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons. Follow Ramzy on Twitter @RamzyBaroud and read his work at RamzyBaroud.net. 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=924sShU81gg

Tom Woods gives his thoughts on the government response to the coronavirus and the economic fallout that is likely to come afterward. Scott and Woods discuss the bizarre division along political lines of opinions about the severity of the virus, the proper response, and even the effectiveness of possible treatments. Both agree that Americans need to know the metrics by which they will be allowed to leave their homes and go back to work. Making a new, vague announcement about the shutdown every two weeks simply won’t cut it. Tom Woods is the host of the Tom Woods Show and the author of numerous books including Real Dissent. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEWoods. 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 Ray McGovern about the heroic Julian Assange, who is still languishing in solitary confinement during his extradition trial to the U.S. on charges that he coordinated with Chelsea Manning to steal classified documents from the U.S. government. McGovern reminds us of how many important truths have been exposed to the American people thanks to WikiLeaks, and wonders what calamities could have been avoided had WikiLeaks been around sooner, such as 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq. In both cases—much like in the current coronavirus crisis—there were officials who tried to warn presidential administrations of the coming danger, but were ultimately ignored. WikiLeaks may have been a last resort, as it was for Chelsea Manning. Discussed on the show: “What if Ignored Covid-19 Warnings Had Been Leaked to WikiLeaks?” (Antiwar.com) “Collateral Murder” (WikiLeaks) “Iraq War Logs” (WikiLeaks) “Afghan War Diary” (WikiLeaks) “State Department Cables” (WikiLeaks) “The Guantanamo Files” (WikiLeaks) Ray McGovern is the co-creator of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity and the former chief of the CIA’s Soviet analysts division. Read all of his work at his website: raymcgovern.com. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Jason Ditz talks about escalating tensions in Iraq, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and the murmurings of another attempt by the U.S. to put Juan Guaido in power in Venezuela. Scott and Ditz are stunned that America keeps making the same foreign policy mistakes over and over again. Scott sees a real opportunity for a politician like Bernie Sanders to make these topics a leading issue, given that nobody else talks about them and that the American people, when asked, are mostly on the right side. Voters simply do not want to be spending tax money to kill foreigners and prop up murderous regimes while they have plenty of their own problems at home. Discussed on the show: “US, Iran Prepare for New Escalation in Iraq, With Coronavirus Likely to Play a Role” (Antiwar.com) “Karl Rove’s Prophecy: “We’re an Empire Now, and When We Act, We Create our Own Reality”” (Centre for Research on Globalization) “How To Lose An Army” (The American Conservative) “David Petraeus and Vance Serchuk: Can America Trust the Taliban to Prevent Another 9/11?” (Foreign Affairs) Jason Ditz is the news editor of Antiwar.com. Read all of his work at news.antiwar.com and follow him on Twitter @jasonditz. 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.

Charlie Davis talks about his project, Skate Palestine, which is trying to spread the sport of skateboarding to Palestinians in the West Bank. He says that Palestinians, already perceived by the state of Israel as outsiders in their own homeland, are in some ways perfectly suited to skateboarding culture, which historically has also attracted outsiders and misfits. He even hopes that skateboarding can provide an opportunity for Israeli and Palestinian youth to meet on neutral terms and build friendships over a shared interest. 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 David Stockman about the fate of the economy after the coronavirus-induced shutdown and the multi-trillion dollar bailouts being undertaken by the U.S. government. Stockman is much more concerned about the economic ramifications than about the virus itself, and not because businesses are being forced to close for a few weeks, but primarily because we’ve been living under a crony capitalist regime of corporate welfare and unsound money for decades on end. The only solution any of the central planners understand, he explains, is to pump more money into the financial markets, which provides the illusion of short term relief at the expense of real long term damage. The current stimulus will only inflate asset bubbles even further and eventually bring about an even worse crash. All of this, of course, will be blamed on free market capitalism, which is the system most people think we have. Such a backlash is likely to lead to even greater socialization of our government and economy. Discussed on the show: “The Money Printing Gods Have Failed!” (David Stockman’s Contra Corner) David Stockman is the ultimate Washington insider turned iconoclast. He began his career in Washington as a young man and quickly rose through the ranks of the Republican Party to become the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan. After leaving the White House, Stockman had a 20-year career on Wall Street. He is the author of Trumped!, The Triumph of Politics, and his history of the financial crisis, The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America. 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.

Jim Bovard shares the story of the death of Duncan Lemp, a 21-year-old Maryland man recently killed by police in his home in the middle of the night. The police aren’t releasing their side of the story yet, but it looks as though Lemp hadn’t even been charged with any crimes—police were simply executing a search warrant on what they deemed a “high-risk” target. The SWAT team threw stun grenades into his room, where he and his pregnant girlfriend were sleeping, then shot Lemp to death. Scott suspects that the officers responsible will face few to no repercussions for this crime, as is almost always the case. Discussed on the show: “Did Maryland Police Shoot And Kill A Sleeping Man?” (The American Conservative) “Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997)” (IMDb) “Potomac man killed in police-involved shooting in Maryland” (The Washington Post) “James Bovard Playboy 2000 Flash Bang You’re Dead SWAT Team Abuse” (jimbovard.com) Jim Bovard is a columnist for USA Today and the author of Public Policy Hooligan: Rollicking and Wrangling from Helltown to Washington. Find all of his books and read his work on his website and follow him on Twitter @JimBovard. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Ryan McMaken about the current coronavirus-induced financial slowdown and what it might mean in terms of the next big crash. McMaken explains that with America’s incredibly over-financialized economy, practically the only tool that the government knows how to use is huge injections of liquidity directly into the financial sector. This of course only eases the pain temporarily, delaying (and worsening) the eventual popping of the bubble. One danger Scott and McMaken foresee is that there can now be no principled opposition to those who clamor for government-sponsored, “free” programs like universal health care, free college, and other expensive social packages, since our government continues to demonstrate that it is perfectly willing to create a trillion dollars out of thin air and hand it out to certain people. The only question, at that point, is who gets the money. Discussed on the show: The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America “The US Constitution Needs an Expiration Date” (The Mises Institute) Ryan McMaken is a senior editor at the Mises Institute. He has degrees in economics and political science from the University of Colorado, and was the economist for the Colorado Division of Housing from 2009 to 2014. He is the author of Commie Cowboys: The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in the Western Genre. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Scott interviews Andrew Cockburn about Russia’s supposed new hypersonic missiles, which are said to have the ability to elude conventional missile defense systems, potentially making the U.S. a target for a nuclear strike with little that could be done to defend ourselves. The problem? These missiles almost certainly can’t exist. Cockburn explains all the problems that American engineers have faced in trying to design hypersonic weapons, inferring that the Russians must have come up against the same problems. Instead, he says, programs like this serve two purposes. First, they are good for Putin’s domestic popularity, since he will be perceived as standing up to the Americans. Second, they are a great way to funnel money from the Russian taxpayers to Putin’s friends in the arms industry, just like American politicians do. The good news, says Cockburn, is that the world isn’t under a greater threat than before due to these weapons. The bad news is that the people of America and Russia will continue to get exploited by their governments for the benefit of special interest groups. Discussed on the show: “Andrew Cockburn · Like a Ball of Fire · LRB 23 February 2020” (London Review of Books)“Putin Flaunted Five Powerful Weapons. Are They a Threat?” (The New York Times) Andrew Cockburn is the Washington editor of Harper’s Magazine and the author of Kill Chain: The Rise of the High-Tech Assassins. Follow him on Twitter @andrewmcockburn. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWf9Z9I-N3w

Scott talks to Baltimore lawyer Steven Silverman about a 2009 case involving the alleged illegal cavity search of his client by Baltimore police. Silverman’s client claimed that Officer Shakil Moss stopped him without cause and conducted the cavity search in public in the middle of the day, which was later confirmed through DNA analysis by the department’s internal affairs unit. It was later discovered that a group of officers conducted many such unconstitutional stops, and some of them have faced federal prison for their actions. Discussed on the show: “Police State Keynesianism: Stimulating Tyranny” (The Libertarian Institute) “$210 million suit filed over police team’s strip search” (Baltimore Sun) “Nurse says traffic stop led to strip search” (Baltimore Sun) 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.

Marjorie Cohn discusses the attempted extradition of Julian Assange from Britain to the United States so that he can stand trial for alleged violations of America’s Espionage Act. Cohn outlines the two main grounds on which she believes the British judge should refuse to go along with the extradition: that Assange is being charged with a political crime, and that he is likely to face torture at the hands of the American authorities, much like he has been facing for years now in the form of solitary confinement and the refusal of medical care. Scott and Cohn also talk about Chelsea Manning, who is likewise being held in solitary confinement for heroically refusing to testify against Assange. Discussed on the show: “ASSANGE EXTRADITION: Indictment on Political Offense Runs Counter to Extradition Treaty” (Consortium News)“Baghdad War Diary” (Wikileaks)“The Guantanamo Files” (Wikileaks)Collateral Murder“«A murderous system is being created before our very eyes» – Republik” (Republik)The United States and Torture: Interrogation, Incarceration, and Abuse Marjorie Cohn is a professor emerita at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and the author of numerous books including Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues. Find all of her work at her website marjoriecohn.com. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QsYZGhdLqA

Scott interviews Nasser Arrabyee about the latest on the war in Yemen. The humanitarian situation there is still desperate, with the UN finally updating its estimates to over 200,000 dead—many of these women and young children. But Arrabyee sees reasons for hope. For one thing, the war is very unpopular, both among Americans and for Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, so neither country looks very good for their participation. Arrabyee says that airports may also start to be opened to humanitarian aid soon, helping to alleviate the thousands of deaths from deprivation and preventable disease. Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He is the owner and director of yemen-now.com. You can follow him on Twitter @narrabyee. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com. Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAVUau004Hk

Scott talks to Dave DeCamp about the OPCW’s efforts to discredit a pair of whistleblowers, both of whom are former employees who claim their findings were expunged from the organization’s official reports on the alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma in 2018. The OPCW concluded that there was clear evidence of the Assad government attacking its own civilians with chemical weapons, which was used as justification for the U.S. to launch a retaliatory strike. But these two former employees are adamant that the evidence did not point to such a conclusion—evidence that the OPCW intentionally ignored. Of course the mainstream media has covered basically none of this. Discussed on the show: “OPCW Tries To Discredit Whistleblowers in Response to Douma Leaks” (Antiwar.com Original) “The OPCW and Douma: Chemical Weapons Watchdog Accused of Evidence-Tampering by Its Own Inspectors” (Counterpunch) “Exclusive: New leaks shatter OPCW’s attacks on Douma whistleblowers” (The Grayzone) “How John Bolton Once Threatened an International Official” (The Intercept) 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.

Daniel Lazare discusses the problems facing Turkish President Recep Erdogan, who is dealing with a troubled economy, declining political popularity at home, and failing military excursions abroad. Lazare and Scott also talk about the failure of President Trump to deliver on his foreign policy promises, instead allowing himself to be bought by zionist donors like Sheldon Adelson, just like any other Republican. Trump's presidency has been characterized by the same pro-Israel, pro-Saudi, interventionist policies as the last few administrations. Even if he wins a second term, he's running out of time to change things in the way he pledged he would. Discussed on the show: "Erdogan's Excellent Syrian Adventure" (Antiwar.com Original)"Turkey Kills Over 50 Syrian Troops" (News From Antiwar.com)"Tactical Nukes: Armageddon on the Installment Plan" (Antiwar.com Original) Daniel Lazare is the author of The Frozen Republic: How the constitution is Paralyzing Democracy and a regular contributor at Consortium News. Find all of his work at his website and follow him on Twitter @dhlazare. 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=9k3efVjjZgE