Patrick Cockburn, a Middle East correspondent for The Independent, discusses the Arab Spring's hopeful beginning and disastrous outcome in every country (except Tunisia) where a democratic uprising threatened the established autocracy.

Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, discusses Iran's progress at fulfilling its obligations of the nuclear deal, which should get the crippling economic sanctions lifted; and how Saudi Arabia is trying to prevent US-Iranian relations from improving.

Rick Shenkman, founder of the History News Network and author of Political Animals, discusses how the human brain's evolutionary development has made us suckers for politicians, like Ted Cruz, who use "bluster and bigotry" to gain popularity.

Mike Swanson, author of The War State and founder of Wall Street Window, discusses how the Fed helped blow a huge bubble in corporate bonds, and why debt-financed stock buybacks can't possibly continue at the rate they've been going.

Trevor Timm, founder of the Freedom of the Press Foundation and a columnist for The Guardian, discusses the Making A Murderer Netflix documentary series, and why this miscarriage of justice is the rule, rather than the exception, in the American criminal justice system.

Eli Clifton, a writer on politics and US foreign policy, discusses his Lobelog article "Washington's Multi-Million-Dollar Saudi PR Machine."

Najam Haider, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religion at Barnard College, discusses the theological differences between and within Sunni and Shia Muslims, and the motivation of Islamic terrorists.

Daniel McAdams, Executive Director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, discusses his article "Neocons at National Review: ‘Stop Calling Us Neocons!'"