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Daniel Davis returns to the show to talk about Netanyahu’s address to Congress. He and Scott pick over some of the most egregious absurdities, exaggerations and outright lies in the speech.

Discussed on the show:

• Netanyahu’s address to Congress

Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He is a Senior Fellow at Defense Priorities and is the author of the reports “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort” and “Go Big or Go Deep: An Analysis of Strategy Options on Afghanistan.” Find him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1and subscribe to his YouTube Channel.

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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Jason Ditz talks about President Trump’s announcement that he wants American oil companies to take control of the oil fields in eastern Syria, which, beyond the troubling legality of such a move, implies that the U.S. might have to leave troops in Syria indefinitely. This is a rather dramatic turnaround from Trump’s apparent desire to get out of the war in Syria, as seemed to be the point behind the recent withdrawal from the northeast. Ditz also talks about the protests against Prime Minister al Mahdi in Iraq,the latest in the war in Yemen and efforts at home to end it.

Discussed on the show:

• “Trump’s Oil Claims Complicate and Prolong US War in Syria” (News From Antiwar.com)

Jason Ditz is the news editor of Antiwar.com. Read all of his work at news.antiwar.com and follow him on Twitter @jasonditz.

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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Dan Cohen discusses what he calls one of the greatest scandals in modern American history, America’s role in helping start the Syrian civil war. Under President Obama, says Cohen, the CIA started funding and arming the “moderate rebels,” who actually were mostly members of Al-Qaeda and its  offshoots. Cohen explains the various name changes that these jihadist groups have undergone, which have allowed the media and the public to pretend that America’s new alliance with these extremists wasn’t what it clearly was: nothing short of treason.

Discussed on the show:

• “By protecting Syria’s Idlib, the US created a safe haven for Baghdadi and ISIS | The Grayzone” (The Grayzone)
• “ISIS Leader Paid Rival for Protection but Was Betrayed by His Own” (The New York Times)
• “Presenting The Syria Deception: Al Qaeda Goes to Hollywood (VIDEO)” (The Grayzone)
• “The Redirection” (The New Yorker)

Dan Cohen is a journalist and co-producer of the award-winning documentary, Killing Gaza. His website is dancohenmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @dancohen3000.

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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Jon Schwarz gives us a brief history of America’s many betrayals of the Kurds since the end of World War I. In a recent article for The Intercept he describes at least eight separate times the U.S. government has used Kurdish fighters to its own advantage and then later allowed, or even encouraged, other countries to turn on them while America pulls its support. Although he thinks President Trump’s betrayal of our Kurdish allies this time around is bad, just like all the other times, he reminds us that this is a necessary consequence of running a world empire. We should direct our anger where it truly belongs—at American military hegemony itself.

Discussed on the show:

• “Eight Times the U.S. Has Betrayed the Kurds” (The Intercept)
• “Red Dawn (1984)” (IMDb)
• “Rambo III (1988)” (IMDb)
• Foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration
• “The Redirection” (The New Yorker)
• Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States
• A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide
• “Three Kings (1999)” (IMDb)
• “Preparing the Battlefield” (The New Yorker)
• Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies (CBC Massey Lecture)
• “Comprehensive Report of the Special Advisor to the DCI on Iraq’s WMD” (Central Intelligence Agency)
• “Democrats Still Can’t Level With Voters About the U.S. Empire” (The Intercept)

Jon Schwarz is a writer for The Intercept, and has written for the New Yorker, the New York Times, The Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, “Saturday Night Live,” and many others. Find him on his blog, A Tiny Revolution, or on Twitter @schwarz.

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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Kieren McCarthy discusses the recent revelation that the FBI has access to the NSA’s national security database, and has queried it tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of times. The database, gathered under special surveillance powers by the NSA and CIA, is not supposed to be accessible by other law enforcement agencies, except under special cases of investigating foreigners for purposes of national security. But it turns out that regular FBI agents have in fact been using it to gather information on American crimes by American citizens. McCarthy points out that even after this kind of scandal breaks, people just seem to forget about it, allowing these agencies to continue abusing their power.

Discussed on the show:

• “Remember the FBI’s promise it wasn’t abusing the NSA’s data on US citizens? Well, guess what…” (The Register)
• Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
• Three Felonies A Day

Kieren McCarthy is an Internet author and consultant who has written for The Guardian, The Independent, Techworld and many more. He is the author of Sex.com: One Domain, Two Men, Twelve Years and the Brutal Battle for the Jewel in the Internet’s Crown. Find him on Twitter @kierenmccarthy.

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.

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Trevor Aaronson discusses some of the FBI’s egregious abuses of its power over American citizens, most recently brought to light by their use of an informant to investigate a law-abiding militia group in California for years. Although the FBI claims to be concerned with acts of violence alone, and not ideology, cases like this are clear examples of their willingness to go after people only for their views, and despite the absence of any wrongdoing whatsoever. Most of the supposedly foiled terrorist plots of recent years, in fact, are FBI entrapments to begin with, as Aaronson documents in his book, The Terror Factory.

Discussed on the show:

• “Informant Reveals FBI’s Already Vast Powers to Investigate Right-wing Extremists” (The Intercept)
• “In Search of John Doe No. 2: The Story the Feds Never Told About the Oklahoma City Bombing” (Mother Jones)
• ATF gunwalking scandal

Trevor Aaronson is a contributing writer for The Intercept and executive director of the nonprofit Florida Center for Investigative Reporting. He is the author of The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism. Find him on Twitter @trevoraaronson.

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 Charles Glass about America’s long involvement in Syria, starting with the Obama administration’s support for the insurgent side in the country’s civil war in 2011. This move, made partly with the intent to limit the influence of Iran and Russia in the Middle East, has actually ended up strengthening them, as their positions have been vindicated by the failure to overthrow the Assad regime. Glass outlines the many times the U.S. has used the Kurds for their own devices and then betrayed them when it became convenient.

Discussed on the show:

• “Tell Me How This Ends” (Harper’s Magazine)
• Going to Tehran: Why America Must Accept the Islamic Republic of Iran
• Operation Timber Sycamore
• The Northern Front: A Wartime Diary

Charles Glass was Chief Middle East Correspondent for ABC News from 1983 to 1993. He is a regular contributor to TIME magazine, the Guardian, Rolling Stone, the Intercept, and many others. His most recent book is called They Fought Alone: The True Story of the Starr Brothers, British Secret Agents in Nazi-Occupied France.

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 Patrick Cockburn about the situation with the Kurds in Syria. Scott calls Syria a win-win-win-win: The Kurds have negotiated a deal with Assad that will give them some autonomy and protection from Turkey, Turkey gets a roughly 30-mile border buffer with Syria, the American people get a partial withdrawal from an unnecessary theater of war, and the Russians see their support for Assad more or less affirmed. The only real losers are those who want to see a perpetual American presence in the region and an ouster of Assad—though Cockburn is quick to remind us about the many tragic deaths and displacements that have arisen from the war as a whole. Scott and Cockburn go on to briefly discuss U.S. policy in the rest of the Middle East.

Discussed on the show:

• “Turkey’s Syria invasion rapidly backfiring for Ankara amid unexpected international condemnation” (Independent)
• The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)

Patrick Cockburn is the Middle East correspondent for The Independent and the author of The Age of Jihad and Chaos & Caliphate.

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 Peter Van Buren about his recent article in The American Conservative, “Finding a Vaccine for the Impeachment Derangement Virus.” Van Buren argues that whatever President Trump’s real crimes might be—most notably continuing to help the Saudis prosecute a war of genocide in Yemen—nothing that the Democrats have tried to nail him with is actually convincing at all. Of course, if Trump’s political opponents were serious about holding him accountable to the law, they would also be forced to indict Obama (and just about every other modern president) for the same war crimes and abuses of executive power. Instead, says Van Buren, they will play political theater, pretending to be outraged about things that most voters simply don’t care about. He worries about what this kind of standard will mean for America’s political future once Trump leaves office.

Discussed on the show:

• “Finding a Vaccine for the Impeachment Derangement Virus” (The American Conservative)
• “Opinion | Our Republic Is Under Attack From the President” (The New York Times)

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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