Blogger Philip Weiss discusses why there can be no two-state solution for Israel-Palestine; how a further rightward turn in Israel's Knesset could push Netanyahu to annex the West Bank - and possibly incur the wrath of Europe; and the neoconservatives' so-far unsuccessful campaign to derail Chuck Hagel's nomination for Secretary of Defense.

Jacob Hornberger, founder and president of the Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses "the fascinating case" of New York attorney Lynne Stewart, who is serving ten years in prison for supporting terrorism; how advocating for the overthrow of tyrannical governments became a federal crime; why the rotten-to-the-core national security state needs dismantling, not revision; and the extent Democrats can push gun control without being crushed at the polls.

Globetrotting Asia Times journalist Pepe Escobar discusses how Obama's nomination of John Kerry and Chuck Hagel for Secretary of State and Defense could effect Israel relations; why new CIA director John Brennan won't shy away from covert actions in Syria; Ben [Affleck's] dishonest portrayal of the Iran hostage crisis in his movie Argo; Libya's disappearance from the news; and AFRICOM's never-ending mission of chasing Al-Qaeda terrorists/freedom fighters (depending on the country) around the...

Trevor Aaronson, author of The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI's Manufactured War on Terrorism, discusses how the FBI became a department of pre-crime after 9/11; using informants to entrap unsavory characters who have no means or opportunity to commit terrorism on their own; the lack of media skepticism on sting operations; and how the FBI uses blackmail and immigration threats to recruit and motivate Muslim informants.

Muhammad Sahimi, political columnist and professor of chemical engineering, discusses the War Party and the Israel Lobby's push for war with Iran in 2013; the lies and half truths about Iran's Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty rights and obligations; how the US uses Iran's nuclear program as a pretext for regime change; and Muhammad's new Iran News & Middle East Reports website.

The Other Scott Horton, Contributing Editor for Harper's Magazine, discusses the European Court of Human Rights' condemnation of Bush-era CIA torture practices within the rendition program; the former CIA officer (now a senior Obama counterterrorism official) responsible for Khalid El-Masri's torture in the "Salt Pit" prison; the US justice system's failure to make federal government officials accountable for crimes; and the still-secret 6000-page Senate Intelligence Committee report on torture.

Conn Hallinan, columnist for Foreign Policy in Focus, discusses his article "Four More Years: The Asia Pivot;" the serious conflicts brewing between Japan, Russia, Korea and China - all while the US military greatly expands its presence in the Pacific; China's role as economic competitor and essential trading partner for the US (and the world); and the regional trade organizations that threaten US global hegemony.