5/29/18 Michael Bell on his conversation with the cop who killed his son

Michael Bell returns to the show to discuss the latest developments in his pursuit for truth and justice for his son who was killed by the police in 2004. Bell relives the details of his son’s death and the events that led up to his killing. Bell then talks about his secretly-recorded conversation with the cop who pulled the trigger, which is included in Free Thought Project’s article, “Dad Confronts The Cop Who Killed His Unarmed Sun, Secretly Records It.” Michael Bell is a retired U.S. air...

5/25/18 Philip Weiss on the Gaza protests and the relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem

Philip Weiss returns to the show to discuss his recent trip to Israel and Palestine, where he attempted to see the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem and get as close to the Gaza border as possible. Weiss and Scott discuss the tragedy of the Israeli massacre of unarmed Palestinians, the history of Israel-Palestine diplomacy, whether there can be any sliver-lining found in Trump’s overt support for Israel. Weiss then discusses the changes he’s seen in the American Jewish community’s...

5/23/18 Nadine Dahan on the on-going siege of the Libyan city of Derna

British journalist Nadine Dahan joins Scott to discuss her article for Middle East Eye, “Haftar forces launch fresh attack on besieged Libyan city of Derna.” Dahan discusses the factional politics and power struggle within Libya, and the power grab by the American-Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar. Scott then asks, “Will Libya ever be truly unified again?” In response Dahan details the many pitfalls in unifying the country, chief among which is the fact that everyone in the country is armed. Dahan...

5/21/18 Eric Margolis on the latest massacre of Palestinians and the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict

Foreign correspondent Eric Margolis joins Scott to discuss Israel-Palestine, the history of Palestinian suffering, how the future of the conflict might be resolved or exaggerated. Margolis recalls his mother’s reporting on Israel-Palestine, and the consequences and threats she endured, takes up the possibility that Trump’s overwhelming support for Israel could turn it into a bipartisan issue, and discusses the close relationship between Israel’s right wing and American Evangelists. Finally...

5/21/18 Peter van Buren reports on his recent trip to Iran

Peter van Buren returns to the show to discuss his recent trip to Iran during which Trump pulled the United States out of the Iran Deal and the United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Van Buren wrote about his experience in a commentary piece for Reuters, “I just visited Iran. Here’s what I heard about the U.S.” Van Buren discusses his experience in Iran and the conversations he had, the consequences of withdrawing from the Iran Deal, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech...

5/18/18 Richard Garfield on the excess death rate of the 1990s U.S. sanctions in Iraq

Richard Garfield, author of “Morbidity and Mortality among IraqiChildren from 1990 through 1998” joins Scott to set the record straight about the true consequences of American economic warfare in Iraq during the Clinton-era sanctions. Garfield describes the different methodologies of determining mortality rates and their respective limitations. He then addresses the shortcomings and major criticisms of UNICEF’s findings that the sanctions led to half-a-million excess deaths. Finally Scott and...

5/18/18 Elijah Magnier on the Iraqi Parliamentary Election in the Aftermath of Sectarian War

Elijah Magnier returns to the show to discuss the results of the recent Iraqi parliamentary election and the possible coalitions that could form in order to determine who will be the next Iraqi prime minister. Magnier discusses how the Iraqi civil war has affected voting turnout, who really holds the key to power, and why sectarianism in Iraq is receding into the background. Elijah Magnier is the chief international correspondent at Al Rai and a political and terrorism/counterterrorism...

5/18/18 Trita Parsi on the Iran Deal and his Black Cube Ordeal

Trita Parsi returns to the show to discuss his experience as the target of a Black Cube investigation into the grounds of the JCPOA or Iran Nuclear Deal. Parsi sets the scene of the fishing phone call he received and what he found most disturbing about the entire experience. Scott and Parsi then discuss the consequences of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran Deal. According to Parsi, no one can fully appreciate the true importance of the deal and the expert diplomacy required to make...

5/16/18 Brett Wilkins on importance of History, not Hysteria, of U.S.-Iran Relations

Brett Wilkins, the editor-at-large for U.S. news at Digital Journal joins Scott to discuss his latest articles, “The Dark Side of Israeli Independence,” and “To Understand Iran, Try History, Not Hysteria.” Scott and Wilkins discuss the history of U.S.-Iranian relations, the Iran-Iraq War, and the utter ignorance most Americans, fed by media manipulations, have towards Iran. Wilkins then runs through the many acts of aggression the United States has taken against Iran, including the release of...

5/16/18 Nasser Arrabyee on the latest developments in the U.S.-Saudi war in Yemen

Nasser Arrabyee returns to the show to discuss the most recent developments in the ongoing U.S.-Saudi war in Yemen. Arrabyee discusses the latest fighting along the coast of Hodeidah, the assassination of Houthi president Saleh al-Samad and its fallout, the UAE’s power grab to annex the island of Socotra, the presence of green berets in southern Yemen, and how the United States’ efforts have primarily helped Iran and al Qaeda. Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He...

5/16/18 Sheldon Richman on his grandfather, Judaism and the Zionist movement

Sheldon Richman returns to the show to discuss his latest article, “TGIF: Shabbos with Zaide” about his relationship with his grandfather, originally published in 1989. Richman describes his childhood growing up in conservative/orthodox community in Philadelphia and how his grandfather influenced his religious and political views. Richman then describes the history of the creation of Israel and the debate within the Jewish community over the legitimacy or expediency of the creation of a Jewish...

5/14/18 Jason Ditz on the Iraqi parliamentary election, Palestinian protests, and the Iran deal

Antiwar.com’s Jason Ditz returns to the show to discuss the upcoming parliamentary election in Iraq where Moqtada al-Sadr’s bloc is leading, the Israeli’s violent suppression of Palestinian protests, and the history of the international struggle for political control of East Jerusalem. Ditz and Scott talk about the utter cognitive dissonance on the part of both liberals and republicans regarding Syria and Iran. Ditz then gives his best estimates on what he believes Israel’s goals in Syria are....

5/11/18 Grant Smith on Black Cube, the Iran Deal, and who stands to gain

Grant Smith returns to the show to discuss The Black Cube, a private intelligence firm for hire. Smith and Scott discuss who might be behind the Black Cube investigations into prominent supporters of the Iran Deal, including friend of the show Trita Parsi. Smith then shares the details of the Free Trade Agreement and discusses NEWMEC, which began in the 1960s when Israel stole weapon’s-grade uranium from the United States. Finally the two discuss the reality of Israel’s nuclear weapons and...

5/11/18 John Feffer on Trump’s diplomatic approach to North Korea

Editor of FPIF.org John Feffer returns to the show to discuss his latest articles “A Nobel For Donald Trump Over Korea?” and “The Banality of Haspel.” Feffer begins by explaining why, even if Trump negotiates peace in the Korean Peninsula he would not be deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. Feffer and Scott discuss the many different nuances of the peace process in North Korea and what it will take for the various sides to strike a deal. They then turn to Gina Haspel’s likely appointment as the...

5/11/18 Shireen Al-Adeimi on presence of Green Berets fighting in Yemen

Shireen Al-Adeimi joins the show to discuss her article for In These Times, “What the Deployment of Green Berets to the Saudi-Yemen Border Tells Us About America’s Dirty War.” Al-Adeimi speculates on the role that the green berets and the U.S. army are playing in Southern Yemen and in the aerial bombing campaign. The two then discuss the possibility that the new revelation that there are American boots on the ground could bring the question of the War Powers Resolution back to the forefront in...