3/18/18 Mark Perry on Rex Tillerson’s firing and the political workings behind it

Reporter Mark Perry returns to the show to discuss his latest article for The American Conservative, “The Political Forces Behind Rex Tillerson’s Firing.” Perry begins by breaking down what he calls the “Qatar Fiasco” and the role that Israel and its friendly American think tanks played in the increasing tensions between Qatar and the other Arab states. Perry then explains why he thinks the real investigation by Robert Mueller that will bear fruit is Jared Kushner’s potential “Pay For Play”...

3/19/18 John Kiriakou on Gina Haspel’s nomination for CIA Director

John Kiriakou returns to the show to discuss Trump’s nomination of Gina Haspel as the new head of the CIA. Kiriakou begins by clarifying what’s fact from fiction about Abu Zubaydah and Haspel’s role in the CIA torture program. Scott and Kiriakou then re-live the propaganda and lies that led to the Iraq War and the role that torture played in the grand deception. Finally Scott and Kiriakou discuss whether Haspel will face any real opposition in her confirmation process. John Kiriakou is a...

3/16/18 Eli Clifton on Mike Pompeo’s and Trump’s neocons ties

Eli Clifton joins Scott to discuss his latest piece with Jim Lobe, “Pompeo: Springtime For Irano/Islamophobes.” Clifton describes how the neocons have direct access to the Trump presidency and how they’ve whipped up a consistent stream of Islamaphobia in the United States. Clifton then details how Mike Pompeo has framed Middle East conflict in the terms of a Christian holy war and why his appointment to Secretary of State is foreboding. Eli Clifton is a reporting fellow with The Investigative...

3/16/18 Chris Smiley on Veterans for Peace’s new documentary on Ahed Tamimi and Palestinian oppression

Associate member of Veterans for Peace Chris Smiley joins Scott to discuss his new documentary “U.S. Veterans Witness Brutal Reality for Ahed Tamimi and Palestinians.” Smiley details the scope of the documentary, which shows what life is like for the people of the town of Nabi Salih, which borders an Israeli settlement. Scott and Smiley begin by discussing the details of Ahed Tamimi. Scott then makes the case for Palestinian property rights and Smiley juxtaposes the right of return in Israel...

3/9/18 Tim Shorrock on Negotiating with North Korea

Tim Shorrock returns to the show to discuss Trump’s decision to negotiate with North Korea. According to Shorrock the media has largely completely ignored the role South Korean Moon Jae-in has played in making diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea possible. Shorrock then describes the threats North Korea has faced from the United States since the Korean War, and why ending U.S. hostilities is a necessary precondition for real diplomacy. Finally Shorrock discusses the militaristic streak...

War Without a Rationale

The myth of the Afghan safe haven just won't die. This article was originally published in the January/February edition of The American Conservative magazine. In 2001, after the 9/11 attacks, the United States invaded Afghanistan and quickly smashed the Taliban government. It also killed hundreds of members of the al Qaeda group that had launched the attacks, although leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri escaped to Pakistan, along with about 200 followers. Ever since, we have been...

3/9/18 Sheldon Richman on Trump’s Tariffs

Executive editor of the Libertarian Institute Sheldon Richman returns to the show to discuss Trump’s new tariffs on steel and aluminum. According to Richman the major damage of Trump’s tariffs will be felt by downstream producers and the disruption to the price system. Richman details how, contrary to popular belief, technology has increased factory output in the United States while reducing factory jobs—and that the Chinese, the Mexicans, etc. are scapegoats for useful idiots. Richman then...

3/8/18 Peter Van Buren on Trump’s decision to meet with Kim Jung-Un

Peter Van Buren returns to the show to discuss Donald Trump’s decision to meet with Kim Jung-Un to open relations between the United States and North Korea. Van Buren explains why he thinks this is a monumental decision and why there’s real reason for (cautious) optimism and wonders whether this could be Trump’s Nixon-goes-to-China moment. Van Buren then addresses the number one issue on the table: is North Korea actually willing to discuss giving up their nuclear weapons? Van Buren gives a...

3/9/18 Eric Eikenberry on the Senate Joint Resolution to end American support for the War in Yemen

Eric Eikenberry of the Yemen Peace Project joins Scott to discuss Senate Joint Resolution 54, which invokes the War Powers Resolution of 1973 to end U.S. aid and support the bombardment of Yemen by coalition forces. Eikenberry explains why, in addition to ending the catastrophic bombardment of Yemen, the invocation of the War Powers Resolution is so significant—it's never happened before. Eikenberry then explains why the AUMF gets tied up in the language of Joint Senate Resolution 54 and has...

3/7/18 Aaron Maté on Year 1 of Russiagate and its consequences

Aaron Maté of The Real News joins Scott to discuss two of his latest pieces for The Nation, “Hyping the Mueller Indictment” and “What We’ve Learned in Year 1 of Russiagate.” Maté explains why he thinks the Trump-Russia collusion case is much ado about nothing and how Trump’s pre-election attempts to de-escalate tensions with Russia have been misconstrued as collusion. Scott and Maté then discuss how the centrist left, with the help of Facebook and corporate media, is using the Russiagate...

3/7/18 Grant Smith discusses the best moments from the Israel Lobby and American Policy conference

Grant F. Smith returns to the show to review the Israel Lobby and American Policy conference which was held last weekend in Washington, D.C. Smith begins by explaining who Ha’aretz columnist Gideon Levy is and the challenge that antiwar writers have in the Israeli media. Scott and Smith then run through the different speakers from the conference, highlighting the best moments from all of their speeches, all of which can be watched in full at the Israel Lobby and American Policy conference...

3/7/18 Rose Massett previews her upcoming documentary “Refugee Is Not My Name”

Rose Massett is the director, producer and director of photography of a new documentary, “Refugee Is Not My Name.” In her discussion with Scott, Massett explains the scope of the project, the goal of which was to put a face and a story to the millions of displaced people who have been singularly identified with the refugee crisis. Massett worked with a pair of teams who went to Greece to help NGOs and make “Refugee Is Not My Name” by telling the stories of refugees and volunteers. Massett then...

3/6/18 Ray McGovern: Russia’s Latest Nuclear Weapons

Ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern returns to the show to follow up on Russia-United States relations in the aftermath of Vladimir Putin’s recent speech in which he unveiled new nuclear weapons. McGovern details the history of Russian-American relations, dating back to the days of the USSR from World War II to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the lead up to the Vladimir Putin years of the present. McGovern draws parallels between the Cuban Missile Crisis and the current escalation of tensions and...

3/8/18 Peter Van Buren on Trump’s decision to meet with Kim Jung-Un

Peter Van Buren returns to the show to discuss Donald Trump’s decision to meet with Kim Jung-Un to open relations between the United States and North Korea. Van Buren explains why he thinks this is a monumental decision and why there’s real reason for (cautious) optimism and wonders whether this could be Trump’s Nixon-goes-to-China moment. Van Buren then addresses the number one issue on the table: is North Korea actually willing to discuss giving up their nuclear weapons? Van Buren gives a...

2/28/18 Ray McGovern on U.S.-Russia relations and the Deep State

Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern returns to the show to discuss the merits of Russian interference in American democracy, explaining what he thinks prompted the Russia scandal and why he’s convinced the supposed hack was in fact a leak. McGovern does what he can to analyze the U.S.-Russia tensions from the perspective of Vladimir Putin. McGovern then explains what he means when he says “Deep State” and why he thinks the Carter Page memo is revelatory. Why does this all matter? According to...