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...
5/11/18 Ray McGovern on his arrest protesting Gina Haspel’s confirmation hearing
Ray McGovern, co-founder of VIPS, joins Scott on the show to talk about his recent arrest for protesting Gina Haspel's CIA confirmation hearing. McGovern begins by sharing what he got up and said during his protest and what he saw and heard before being removed from Haspel's hearing. McGovern then discusses Haspel's record of torture and how she has escaped any accountability for her actions. McGovern's latest article is "Will A Torturer Become CIA Director?" You can read all of his work at...
5/9/18 Jon Schwarz on the new AUMF, indefinite detention of Americans, and Syria
The Intercept's Jon Schwarz returns to the show to discuss his article latest work for the Intercept about the new AUMF, the Trump administration's strikes on Syria, and indefinite detainment of U.S. citizens. Schwarz makes the case that the new AUMF, meant to cure the ills of the old AUMF, is actually an even graver threat and has codified permanent war. Schwarz then describes the twisted logic used by the Trump administration to apply the AUMF to the strikes against Assad. Schwarz says that...
5/9/18 Karen Greenberg on the history of the U.S. torture program and Gina Haspel’s involvement
Fordham University law professor Karen Greenberg joins Scott to discuss the history of the United States torture program. Greenberg makes the case that Haspel was just one cog in the wheel of the U.S. torture program and that a whole torture network was held completely unaccountable. She describes the earliest days of the U.S. torture program in the aftermath of 9/11 and how it exploded into the spotlight in the wake of the Abu Ghraib scandal. Read her latest article, "The hearings for Trump’s...
5/6/18 Gareth Porter Debunks Netanyahu’s ‘New’ Old Accusations Against Iran
Gareth Porter joins Scott to discuss the recent accusations made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Iran's alleged nuclear program. The accusations purport to show that the Iranians lied about past work towards a nuclear weapons program before 2003; but in fact, the new accusations appear to rest on evidence and documents that had already been made available in the past. Thus, many critics of the Netanyahu's claims said he was just repeating old news. Gareth and Scott take this...
Against the Terror Wars, Scott Horton 5/05/18
4/27/18 Gareth Porter on the Latest Dodgy British Dossier
Gareth Porter returns to the show discuss his latest article for Consortium News, "Another Dodgy British Dossier: the Skripal Case." Porter details the different possible explanations for the supposed poisoning of the ex-Russian spy. Scott the makes the case that Russiagate 2018 is the second coming of the Iraq War. Porter then touches on the developments on the Korean Peninsula and why he's in fact not surprised about the progress towards peace—and teases his upcoming piece about how John...
4/27/18 Joe Lauria on the Failures of the Mainstream Media
Joe Lauria, newly appointed Editor of Consortium News, returns to the show to discuss his new job, the history of Consortium News, and the legacy of Robert Parry. Lauria explains how careerist journalists of the mainstream media and the the frequently-censored news gave rise to alternative news sources, among the first of which was Consortium News. Joe Lauria is a contributing writer at Consortium News. He is a former UN correspondent and wrote at the Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal. You...
4/27/18 Samuel Oakford on the Atrocities Committed in Mosul and Raqqa
Airwars reporter Sam Oakford returns to the show to discuss his latest work, "Raqqa: A City Destroyed Then Forgotten" and "They're Still Pulling Bodies out of ISIS' capital." Scott begins by asking—what do we know about Mosul and the coalition assault to take the city back from ISIS? Oakford then details the challenge of calculating the death toll from the fight for Mosul, the monumental effort that remains to rebuild the devastation, and the atrocities committed by the Islamic State. Samuel...
