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Scott brought Dan McKnight back on the show to discuss the ongoing effort to pass Defend The Guard bills in state legislatures across the country. McKnight explains what the legislation is, gives an update on where progress is being made in different states and details the increasingly desperate moves the Defense Department has been making to stop it.

Discussed on the show:

• DefendTheGuard.us
• BringOurTroopsHome.us

Dan McKnight is the founder and Chairman of Idahoans to Bring Our Troops Home. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, three years active duty with the U.S. Army and ten years with the Idaho Army National Guard, including a one-year deployment to Afghanistan in 2006.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Incorporated; Moon Does Artisan Coffee; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; Libertas Bella; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

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Scott talks to Hans Kristensen about nuclear proliferation. Ever since the U.S. government backed the coup in Ukraine in 2014, he says, we’ve been flying bombers near Russia and the Baltic states in what are ostensibly “training exercises,” but which in reality are meant to intimidate America’s enemies. Kristensen explains that even though these bombers don’t have nuclear capabilities, they are a demonstration of U.S. reach into Eastern Europe. Of course the obvious danger with this kind of saber-rattling is that actual war breaks out—and nuclear war between America and Russia is something the human race cannot afford.

Discussed on the show:

• “Ukraine crisis: Transcript of leaked Nuland-Pyatt call” (BBC News)
• Audio of the Nuland-Pyatt call (YouTube)

Hans M. Kristensen is an Associate Senior Fellow with the SIPRI Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-proliferation Programme and Director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists. Follow him on Twitter @nukestrat.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

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Max Blumenthal begins by discussing the immense power imbalance between Israel and Palestine, which has led to enormously one-sided violence by the Israelis. The Palestinians, to be sure, have fought back, but Blumenthal says there’s a crucial difference between people defending their own territory, even when it sometimes results in civilian casualties, and an aggressor who moves in on other people’s land and deliberately targets families. Of course, with international support overwhelmingly behind the state of Israel, it’s very hard to get the real story out. If there’s one silver lining, explains Blumenthal, it’s that Netanyahu’s stranglehold on power makes it increasingly hard for so-called liberal zionists in the U.S. to back what Israel is doing. Blumenthal also discusses an investigation by his organization, the Grayzone, into the extensive effort by the British Foreign Office to coordinate pro-western media narratives in Russian-speaking countries and push pro-NATO candidates in Eastern European elections. Hundreds of documents obtained by the Grayzone reveal the extent of the corrupt relationship between the British government and supposedly unbiased media organizations like Reuters and the BBC. Blumenthal and Scott agree that this real scandal is much worse than even the most scurrilous “Russiagate” allegations, nearly all of which have turned out to be false. Of course, if the tables were turned, we would hear no end of outcry about this in the mainstream media—as it is, Twitter has done everything they can to silence the story.

Discussed on the show:

• “Reuters, BBC, and Bellingcat participated in covert UK Foreign Office-funded programs to “weaken Russia,” leaked docs reveal” (The Grayzone)

Director and writer of “Killing Gaza,” Max Blumenthal is a senior editor of the Grayzone Project and the author Goliath, Republican Gomorrah, and The 51 Day War. Follow Max on Twitter @MaxBlumenthal.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

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Scott talks to Ryan McMaken about nuclear proliferation. McMaken describes two lessons that other countries have learned from the U.S. about nukes: (1) America will use the threat of an emerging nuclear program as an excuse for invasion, as it did in Iraq and threatens to do in Iran, and (2) America has so far been unwilling to make serious threats against any nuclear-armed country. Although the first trend seems like it would be an obstacle for any country wishing to protect itself from the threat of war with the U.S., North Korea provides a recent example of a country that chose to pursue a deterrent nuclear program. But although it greatly lessens the possibility of war, this isn’t necessarily a good thing. A nuclear-armed world may make us safer in some immediate respects, but overall, only greatly increases the possibility of disastrous global conflict.

Discussed on the show:

• “”Weapons of Mass Destruction”: The Last Refuge of the Global Interventionist” (Mises Institute)

Ryan McMaken is a senior editor at the Mises Institute. He has degrees in economics and political science from the University of Colorado, and was the economist for the Colorado Division of Housing from 2009 to 2014. He is the author of Commie Cowboys: The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in the Western Genre.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

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Eli Clifton discusses the Biden Administration’s Afghanistan study group, a panel of national security experts and former officers giving recommendations on whether the U.S. should get out of Afghanistan on the Trump administration’s withdrawal timeline. Some of these experts have recommended that we pull troops out soon, but the majority have counseled against a hasty withdrawal—which of course in practice could very well mean staying indefinitely. Clifton points out the obvious problem with this group: most of its members have current or former financial ties to the arms industry. Even if these experts aren’t giving recommendations solely on the basis of personal financial interest, their backgrounds at least indicate that they are the type of people who associate professionally with weapons manufacturers, and are therefore likely to hold views that are favorable to the those who plan and benefit from war.

Discussed on the show:

• “Weapons biz bankrolls experts pushing to extend Afghan War” (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft)
• “Sheldon Adelson’s legacy of underwriting American militarism” (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft)
• “Twins (1988)” (IMDb)

Eli Clifton is a reporting fellow with The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute and a contributing editor for Lobe Log. Follow him on Twitter @EliClifton.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

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Ray McGovern talks with Scott about the lies and malfeasance of the national security state during the “Russiagate” fiasco. McGovern begins by rehashing the FBI’s lies that first led to a FISA warrant on Carter Page, who they failed to disclose to the court was already a CIA asset who was delivering them information about the Russians. McGovern also reminds us that Comey himself lied about the reliability of the evidence in the Steele dossier, which in private he revealed that he knew to be dubious. But of course the real target was always Donald Trump and his campaign all along, who could be easily spied on thanks to the “two hops” principle, by which almost anyone can become the target of “legitimate” surveillance according to the convoluted and malicious system of the national security apparatus.

Discussed on the show:

• “Will Comey’s Words Come Back To Haunt Him?” (Antiwar.com Original)
• “The Shaky Case That Russia Manipulated Social Media to Tip the 2016 Election” (Consortium News)
• Hate Inc.: Why Today’s Media Makes Us Despise One Another
  
• “James Comey, Whistleblower” (CounterPunch.org)
• The Complex (American Empire Project)
  
• Mary’s Mosaic: The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John F. Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer, and Their Vision for World Peace: Third Edition
  

Ray McGovern is the co-creator of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity and the former chief of the CIA’s Soviet analysts division. Read all of his work at his website: raymcgovern.com.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

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Scott interviews Gareth Porter about his coverage of the recent and widespread claims of a Chinese genocide of the Uyghurs. Many of these accusations have relied on the work of one man, Adrian Zenz, whose research Porter calls into question. Porter wrote a piece with Grayzone collaborator Max Blumenthal covering the many instances of data manipulation on Zenz’s part, all of which undermine the case that the Chinese government is perpetrating a genocide. To be clear, says Porter, China is an authoritarian regime with many instances of mistreatment of all its citizens. And the Uyghurs have, in some cases, borne a disproportionate amount of that abuse. But we have to be very careful in distinguishing truth from exaggerated claims by partisans and ideologues, who may have reasons for deliberately inflaming tensions between China and the U.S. Peace between these two countries, he reminds us, is absolutely vital for global security.

Discussed on the show:

• “US State Department accusation of China ‘genocide’ relied on data abuse and baseless claims by far-right ideologue” (The Grayzone)

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state. He is the author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare and, with John Kiriakou, The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis. Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter and listen to Gareth’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

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Scott talks to Ben Wizner of the ACLU about the ongoing Julian Assange saga. Assange’s attempted prosecution under the Espionage Act is practically unprecedented, says Wizner. While it’s true that many leakers of government secrets have been charged for violations of secrecy agreements, no journalist or publisher has ever been successfully prosecuted for putting those secrets out to the public. The Obama administration considered going after Assange, but realized that to do so would set a precedent that would also encapsulate the New York Times, the Washington Post and any other outlet that claims to conduct national security journalism. The Trump administration, on the other hand, apparently wasn’t concerned with that problem, and went after Assange anyway. Wizner and Scott just hope that mainstream journalists will realize what a problem it would be if Assange were convicted, not just for their livelihoods, but for American liberal democracy as we know it.

Discussed on the show:

• “Baghdad War Diary” (WikiLeaks)
• “Kabul War Diary” (WikiLeaks)
• “State Department Cables” (WikiLeaks)

Ben Wizner is an American lawyer, writer, and civil liberties advocate with the American Civil Liberties Union. Follow him on Twitter @benwizner.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

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Nathan Robinson shares his story of being fired from the Guardian after posting a sarcastic tweet about Israel. After joking about the amount of military aid the U.S. government sends to Israel, Robinson was immediately labeled an anti-semite and swiftly fired from his position as a columnist at the Guardian. He is hardly the first to endure such treatment. Robinson points out how ironic the favorable treatment of the state of Israel is by world governments and the mainstream media, all while it is guilty of serious and ongoing abuses against the Palestinians. Criticism of Israel, on the other hand, even on the grounds of its human rights abuses, is quickly silenced.

Discussed on the show:

• “How the Media Cracks Down on Critics of Israel” (Current Affairs)

Nathan J. Robinson is Editor-in-Chief of Current Affairs and a former columnist for the Guardian. Follow him on Twitter @NathanJRobinson.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

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