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Dave DeCamp was back on Antiwar Radio this week to talk about Gaza, the possible Iranian retaliation and more. He and Scott go through a series of news stories DeCamp recently published and discuss whether or not the region is about to plunge into a wider war, as many in the media are fearing this week. 

Discussed on the show:

• “Israel Considering ‘Preemptive Strike’ Against Iran” (Antiwar.com)
• “Smotrich: It May Be ‘Moral and Justified’ for Israel To Starve 2 Million Palestinians to Death in Gaza” (Antiwar.com)
• “Majority of Americans Oppose Using US Troops To Defend Israel” (Antiwar.com)

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com and the host of Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp. Follow him on Twitter @decampdave

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 John Kiriakou about the history of the CIA’s secret torture program. Kiriakou was involved in the 2002 capture of Abu Zubaydah, who was initially interrogated with some success by the FBI, before his interrogation was eventually taken over by the CIA. Zubaydah was the first victim of the CIA’s torture regime, which, Kiriakou says, completely failed to produce any actionable intelligence. Kiriakou eventually blew the whistle on the program and served time in prison as part of a plea deal.

Discussed on the show:

• “JOHN KIRIAKOU: Those Torture Drawings in the NYT” (Consortium News)
• “Secret world of US jails” (The Guardian)
• “The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis” (Skyhorse Publishing)
• Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare
• Murder at Camp Delta: A Staff Sergeant’s Pursuit of the Truth About Guantanamo Bay
• “The Report (2019)” (IMDb)
• “Marty Gottesfeld: Another Whistleblower in Solitary Confinement” (MintPress News)

John Kiriakou is a former CIA officer and author of The Convenient Terrorist: Two Whistleblowers’ Stories of Torture, Terror, Secret Wars, and CIA Lies and Doing Time Like A Spy. He is the host of Loud and Clear on Sputnik Radio. Follow him on Twitter @JohnKiriakou.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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Jim Bovard talks about America’s lack of faith in the FBI, as represented by both the film Richard Jewell and also the Inspector General’s report about the Bureau’s failures in conducting the “Russiagate” probe. The FBI’s history of incompetence and outright malice goes back much further than that though, says Bovard, who remembers the malfeasance of the Nixon administration and the deliberate sabotage of the civil rights movement. Bovard and Scott find reason for hope, however, in the fact that many of the nation’s conservatives, who often support the very worst of America’s policies, seem to be taking a firm and principled stand against proposals for gun confiscation. Bovard reminds us that even many members of the police and military still believe in the personal liberties guaranteed by our Bill of Rights.

Discussed on the show:

• “Richard Jewell, Carter Page And The Illusion Of The FBI’s Power And Competence” (The Daily Caller)
• “Richard Jewell (2019)” (IMDb)
• “Banning Guns Will Not Make Schools Safe” (The Future of Freedom Foundation)
• “It begins: Virginia forms active militia to protect sheriffs, citizens from unconstitutional laws” (Law Enforcement Today)

Jim Bovard is a columnist for USA Today and the author of Public Policy Hooligan: Rollicking and Wrangling from Helltown to Washington. Find all of his books and read his work on his website and follow him on Twitter @JimBovard.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; 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 the latest leaks related to the alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma in 2018, which continue to point to the fact that it was staged. The most recent leaker dissents from the conclusions of the OPCW investigators that the supposed chlorine gas canisters were dropped into the apartment building from planes or helicopters. He claims instead that they were planted to make the scene look like a chemical attack. Other dissenters have cast doubt on medical reports from the victims, and on the evidence of supposed chemical weapons byproducts found on the scene. Despite its many holes, the official narrative continues to get used as an excuse to keep fighting the Assad regime, and to prevent U.S. troops from ever pulling out of Syria.

Discussed on the show:

• “New Leaks Provide Further Evidence Into OPCW Douma Cover Up” (Antiwar.com Original)
• “WikiLeaks” (OPCW Douma Docs)
• “5/26/19 Ted Postol on the Proof that the Douma Attack was Staged” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “Postol: Newly Revealed Documents Show Syrian Chemical “Attacks Were Staged”” (Accuracy.Org)
• “How the OPCW’s investigation of the Douma incident was nobbled” (Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media)

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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Sheldon Richman discusses America’s relationship to Israel in the wake of President Trump’s speech to Sheldon Adelson’s Israeli-American Council. Trump has received criticism as being anti-semitic for saying that American Jews, particularly democrats, do not “love Israel enough.” This is odd, says Richman, since usually allegations of anti-semitism are based on people claiming that American Jews might have a special loyalty to Israel. He laments the fact that nobody cares about consistent principle anymore, happy instead to resort to sophistry and persecution if they think it will be convenient to their side’s interests in the short term.

Discussed on the show:

• “But Mr. Trump, Is Israel Lovable?” (Antiwar.com Original)
• 116th Congress (2019-2020): Ant-Semitism Awareness Act of 2019
• “The Stolen Life of Christopher Tapp” (The Libertarian Institute)

Sheldon Richman is the executive editor of the Libertarian Institute and the author of Coming to Palestine and America’s Counter-Revolution: The Constitution Revisited. Follow him on Twitter @SheldonRichman.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; 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 Nasser Arrabyee about Yemen, where the U.S. continues to back Suadi Arabia in waging a war of starvation against the people of Yemen. Scott calls this the very worst thing our government is doing, and yet by and large the American people don’t much care about it. Arrabyee says that Houthi leaders are beginning to talk with the Saudis through backchannels, which could be the first step toward a deescalation of the bombing and a reopening of airports, which would allow desperately needed foreign aid to get to the Yemenis.

Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He is the owner and director of yemen-now.com. You can follow him on Twitter @narrabyee.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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Peter Van Buren discusses the details of the Horowitz Report and gives a retrospective of the whole Russia conspiracy investigation into President Trump. Van Buren stresses that the Steele dossier—opposition research paid for by the democrats—was the only evidence presented by the FBI to the FISA courts in order to get warrants to surveil Carter Page. The FBI knew the research was questionable at the very least, but did not disclose that fact, and also misled the courts into thinking that their was corroborating evidence, which in reality was also based on the Steele dossier. And worst of all, the FBI knew Carter Page was actually working with the CIA, but didn’t disclose that either. Van Buren thinks it comical that Horowitz found 17 cases of FBI “mistakes”, all of which favored their agency to the detriment of Trump, but still concluded no political bias.

Discussed on the show:

• “Can We Impeach The FBI Now?” (The American Conservative)
• Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane Investigation 120919-examination

Peter Van Buren worked for 24 years at the Department of State including a year in Iraq. He is the author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People and the novel Hooper’s War. He is now a contributing editor at The American Conservative magazine.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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Scott talks to Jerrod Laber about the status of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan following the Washington Post’s release of their “Afghanistan Papers” last week. Laber thinks that if and when American troops leave, things are sure to get worse in the short term. The Afghan government is likely to collapse, and the Taliban will be able to consolidate power in many regions of the country. As things begin to stabilize, however, he and Scott think it will start to get better for the Afghan people, who will no longer be caught in America’s senseless war. In any case, the sooner we can withdraw, the sooner the country can begin to progress, slowly, on its own—likely the only way to see any kind of positive and sustainable change.

Discussed on the show:

• “Don’t Buy the Pentagon’s Statements on Afghanistan” (Real Clear Defense)
• “The Afghanistan Papers” (Washington Post)
• Defense Planning Guidance, FY 1994-1999
• “Survey of the Afghan People” (The Asia Foundation)

Jerrod A. Laber is a Washington-based foreign policy writer and journalist who focuses on the Afghanistan War, national security and the post-9/11 world. His work has been published in The Independent UK, Defense One, Washington Examiner, The National Interest, and The American Conservative, among other outlets. Follow him on Twitter @JerrodALaber.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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Adam Wunische discusses the fact that Afghans overwhelmingly want U.S. troops out of their country—and they are also optimistic about the chances for a peaceful resolution to the resultant power vacuum. Scott has always said there’s a strong chance that the civil strife that has plagued the country for years will just continue in America’s absence, but that that is no reason to stay. Still, it is possible that the various factions vying for control will be able to reasonably negotiate a peace.

Discussed on the show:

• “Survey Finds Afghans Want U.S. Troops to Leave” (Responsible Statecraft)
• “U.S. officials misled the public about the war in Afghanistan, confidential documents reveal” (Washington Post)
• An Enemy We Created: The Myth of the Taliban-Al Qaeda Merger in Afghanistan
• “The Real Lesson from the Afghanistan Papers: Pull the U.S. Military Out of the Statebuilding Business” (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft)

Adam Wunische is a researcher for the Quincy Institute, an instructor at George Washington University’s Security Policy Studies program, and a PhD candidate at Boston College. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, completing two deployments to Afghanistan. Follow him on Twitter @AdamWunische.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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