Ann Jones, author of They Were Soldiers: How the Wounded Return from America's Wars, discusses the ongoing yet already-forgotten war in Afghanistan; a history of US intervention in Afghanistan since the 1950s; repeating the mistakes of Soviet occupation; and the factions jockeying for power in anticipation of President Hamid Karzai's departure from office.

Alan Butler, host of the talk radio show Butler on Business, discusses the debt ceiling debate circus in Congress; the cruelty of the inflation tax; why the real unemployment rate isn't represented by official BLS numbers; evidence that the economy continues to get worse despite talk of recovery; and why GDP isn't a good measure of a nation's economic health.

Blogger Marcy Wheeler discusses the New York Times article verifying the claims of NSA whistleblower William Binney; how the NSA achieved Total Information Awareness through multi-sourced metadata; the tightly-woven webs of information that get ordinary Americans caught up in foreign intelligence investigations; why the NSA can't or won't tell Senator Ron Wyden how many Americans have been spied on; and the good and bad aspects of Obamacare.

M.J. Rosenberg, Special Correspondent for The Washington Spectator, discusses AIPAC's attempt to stop Obama from making a deal with Iran; the Democratic Party's heavy reliance on pro-Israel contributors; Israel's tone-deaf public relations strategies; why Republicans are too distracted to thwart an Iran deal; and the recently revealed evidence that Nixon and Kissinger aided genocide in Pakistan/Bangladesh.

Nima Shirazi, a contributing writer for Mondoweiss, discusses the surprisingly rapid progress toward a US-Iran deal; why the US must recognize Iran's inalienable right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy; Obama's precedent-setting phone call to Rouhani - the first direct presidential contact since 1979; and why US airstrikes on Syria appear to be off the table.

John Knefel, co-host of Radio Dispatch and freelance writer, discusses the FBI's out-of-control domestic spying; the "Domain Management" mapping software used to find all the Muslim communities in America; and how the FBI manufactures terrorist plots and entraps stooges to justify their budget.

Joe Lauria, a New York-based independent foreign affairs correspondent, discusses Iranian President Rouhani's press conference at the UN; the nearly-completed agreement on destroying Syria's chemical weapons stocks; Iran's eagerness to make a deal on their nuclear program to remedy the crippling effects of sanctions on their economy; and the Saudi and Israeli opposition to US-Iran rapprochement.

John Glaser, a writer for Antiwar.com and The Huffington Post, discusses why Obama shouldn't delay making a deal with Iran; the US's clear support for Al Qaeda in Syria - no matter how much John Kerry claims otherwise; John McCain's brain-damaged lunacy; Israel's latest house-demolishing war crimes in the occupied territories; and why no Israel-Palestine peace talks can end illegal Jewish settlements or find a two-state solution.

Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi discusses why the mainstream media won't cover the NSA's habit of passing raw intelligence on Americans to Israel; a cost-benefit analysis of the US-Israel "special relationship;" the few barriers to making a deal on Iran's nuclear program; and why Rand Paul is just an empty suit.