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Scott interviews Matt Orfalea on the work he’s doing to expose the lies and hypocrisy of those in the media and in power more generally. Scott starts by running through some of his favorite videos made by Orfalea. That leads to a broader discussion about how awful the media is, the scope of the censorship complex and more. 

Discussed on the show:

• Sharp as a tack video
• Russia stole the election video
• Biden brain fry video
• Orfalea’s thread on Rob Flaherty

Matt Orfalea is a journalist and video producer. Sign up for his Substack, subscribe to his YouTube Channel and follow him on Twitter @0rf

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

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Scott interviews Dave DeCamp about the latest news in the OPCW whistleblower saga, in which yet another whistleblower has now come forward, bringing the total to four. The employees, mostly anonymous, have claimed that their assessments of the alleged chemical attack in Douma in 2018 pointed to a false flag designed to incur U.S. intervention, rather than to a real attack by Assad on his own people—but these findings were ultimately disregarded. The mainstream media continues to devote almost no coverage to this topic, despite what should be obvious interest and very high stakes.

Discussed on the show:

• “Exclusive: New OPCW whistleblower slams ‘abhorrent mistreatment’ of Douma investigators” (The Grayzone)
• “Douma Whistleblowers Respond to OPCW’s Attacks” (Antiwar.com Original)
• OPCW Douma Docs
• “Breaking: Chelsea Manning Ordered Released From Prison” (The American Conservative)

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Stephen Zunes talks about Joe Biden’s shameful history helping to advocate for the invasion of Iraq in 2002 and 2003. These days he claims he was caught up in the aftermath of 9/11 and was simply mistaken about the intelligence, like everyone else who voted for the war. But Zunes reminds us that Biden was chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at that time, with a Democratic-majority congress. With his influence, he probably could have stopped the war singlehandedly. If that weren’t enough, Zunes says that Biden was actually advocating “boots on the ground” to depose Saddam Hussein before 9/11. On this issue alone, Biden should be disqualified from the presidency, and Zunes and Scott expect a poor showing in the general election, should he end up with the Democratic nomination.

Discussed on the show:

• WORTH THE PRICE? Joe Biden and the Launch of the Iraq War
• “4/26/19 Stephen Zunes on the Other Reason Biden Shouldn’t Be President” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “2/21/20 Matthew Hoh on Biden’s Pro-War Past” (The Libertarian Institute)
• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
• “War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death (2007)” (IMDb)
• The Burn Pits: The Poisoning of America’s Soldiers

Stephen Zunes is a professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco. He is the author of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution and Civil Resistance Against Coups: A Comparative and Historical Perspective. Find him on Twitter @SZunes.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Scott interviews Andrew Cockburn about Russia’s supposed new hypersonic missiles, which are said to have the ability to elude conventional missile defense systems, potentially making the U.S. a target for a nuclear strike with little that could be done to defend ourselves. The problem? These missiles almost certainly can’t exist. Cockburn explains all the problems that American engineers have faced in trying to design hypersonic weapons, inferring that the Russians must have come up against the same problems. Instead, he says, programs like this serve two purposes. First, they are good for Putin’s domestic popularity, since he will be perceived as standing up to the Americans. Second, they are a great way to funnel money from the Russian taxpayers to Putin’s friends in the arms industry, just like American politicians do. The good news, says Cockburn, is that the world isn’t under a greater threat than before due to these weapons. The bad news is that the people of America and Russia will continue to get exploited by their governments for the benefit of special interest groups.

Discussed on the show:

• “Andrew Cockburn · Like a Ball of Fire · LRB 23 February 2020” (London Review of Books)
• “Putin Flaunted Five Powerful Weapons. Are They a Threat?” (The New York Times)

Andrew Cockburn is the Washington editor of Harper’s Magazine and the author of Kill Chain: The Rise of the High-Tech Assassins. Follow him on Twitter @andrewmcockburn.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Dave DeCamp discusses a brand new MIT study into the Bolivian presidential election of November 2019 that resulted in the ouster of Evo Morales over claims of election fraud. The new study finds no such evidence, claiming that all the supposed red flags were perfectly consistent with what should be expected from the country’s elections. It’s true that Morales was defying the term limits outlined in the Bolivian constitution, but a court had ruled before the election that his bid was legitimate, and the MIT study purports to show that he won a majority in a fair democratic election. Of course this isn’t good enough for the U.S. government, who will use the thinnest pretext to support regime change in a country that won’t go along with its agenda. Morales is currently in exile in Argentina, and it isn’t clear if he will ever be able to return to Bolivia. Scott and DeCamp also talk briefly about the latest in the OPCW Douma cover-up saga.

Discussed on the show:

• “MIT Study Finds No Evidence of Fraud in Bolivian Election that Resulted in a Coup” (Centre for Research on Globalization)
• “Top Bolivian coup plotters trained by US military’s School of the Americas, served as attachés in FBI police programs” (The Grayzone)
• State Department Cables
• “11/29/19 Jeb Sprague on the Latest Latin American Deep State Coup” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “Exclusive: OPCW whistleblowers confront leadership’s attacks, cover-up of Douma deception” (The Grayzone)

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Scott interviews Branko Marcetic about his new book, Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden, which explores the arc of Biden’s decades-long political career. Marcetic explains that Biden has never really had serious ideological commitments, and instead has simply wanted power and prestige since he was a kid. This has led to a life of switching positions on major issues when he perceived that it would be to his benefit, as he has done on the wars in the Middle East, the drug wars at home, welfare-state economic policies, and “humanitarian” interventions abroad. All of this, Marcetic asserts, makes Biden the wrong candidate for today’s Democratic party. He has already faced some scrutiny from his more progressive colleagues, but Scott and Marcetic know this will only intensify if he has to face President Trump in the general election.

Discussed on the show:

• Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden (Amazon)
• Glass-Steagall Act
• “Law enforcement took more stuff from people than burglars did last year” (Washington Post)
• “Mike Bloomberg Exploited Prison Labor to Make 2020 Presidential Campaign Phone Calls” (The Intercept)
• Plan Colombia
• “‘Bully’ Remark Earns Biden a Lesson in Wartime Rhetoric” (The Washington Post)
• “Karl Rove says Biden is only 2020 Democrat who can defeat Trump” (Washington Examiner)

Branko Marcetic is a writer for Jacobin Magazine, a fellow at In These Times, and host of the 1/200 podcast. He is the author of Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden. Follow him on Twitter @BMarchetich.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Dan McKnight of BringOurTroopsHome.us talks about the “Defend the Guard” movement popping up in state legislatures around the country. The legislation on which the movement is based calls for an end to the calling up of states’ national guard troops to federal service without an explicit declaration by congress. McKnight also explains the way conservatives of all stripes are starting to unite around the idea that America cannot keep fighting these endless wars, a growing consensus which is forcing the conversation into mainstream political discourse.

Discussed on the show:

• “Veterans Group Praises Trump Peace Agreement, Chides ‘Chicken Hawk Cheney’” (Antiwar.com Blog)
• “Stop forcing U.S. troops to prop up pedophile culture” (Idaho State Journal)

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: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Trita Parsi comes back on the show to recap the Quincy Institute’s recent conference in Washington D.C., which put pro-restraint and pro-interventionist figures on panels together to debate the merits of America’s foreign policy status quo. Some from the antiwar movement have been critical of Parsi’s organization for not being radical enough, but Parsi reiterates that an “inside game” is going to look different from an “outside game”, and that while the absolutely pure antiwar position is valuable to the movement, it’s also important to engage with those on the inside of American policymaking in a way that actually allows the ideas from both sides to be openly debated. Parsi and Scott consider the conference a success, and look forward to more events of the same type in the future.

Discussed on the show:

• “2¾ Cheers for the New Quincy Institute” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “David Petraeus And The Art Of Staying The Same” (The American Conservative)
• “Anti-Interventionist Think Tank’s Debut is a Dud” (Consortium News)
• “After ‘Advocating Killing Iranians’ for Years, Neocon Bill Kristol Called Out for Faux Concern” (Common Dreams)

Trita Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council and the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Danny Sjursen discusses the recent deal to withdraw most of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan. He begins by describing the reactions of his military friends to the idea that this deal represents “surrender” to the Taliban, which some on the right would have you believe. On the contrary, says Sjursen, most veterans, including all of his friends, support ending the war, and many say that we should do so as soon as possible. If anything, Sjursen is critical of this deal because it doesn’t go far enough, since it allows some “non-combat” troops (a notoriously fuzzy definition) to stay behind, along with CIA-backed militias and intelligence and bombing capabilities. All in all, Sjursen is skeptical that this deal really spells the end of America’s involvement in Afghanistan, and instead may be nothing more than an election stunt that could fall apart at the slightest hiccup, giving the U.S. government an excuse to stay even longer.

Discussed on the show:

• “Happy Afghanistan Surrender Day!” (Antiwar.com Original)
• “Majorities of US veterans say Iraq, Afghanistan wars weren’t worth fighting” (Pew Research Center)
• “Opinion | On Afghanistan, Trump Gets Taken” (The New York Times)
• “Distant lives come together on 9/11’s front lines” (Reuters)
• An Enemy We Created: The Myth of the Taliban-Al Qaeda Merger in Afghanistan

Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. army major and former history instructor at West Point. He writes regularly for TomDispatch.com and he’s the author of “Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge.” Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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