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Kevin Gosztola returns to the show. But this time, it isn’t to provide yet another update on Julian Assange’s long struggle for freedom but to react to, explain and celebrate the plea deal that got him there. Gosztola and Scott review the technicalities of the deal, highlight the significance of the Manning leak it dealt with and reflect on the movement that brought Julian Assange home. 

Discussed on the show:

• “Assange plea came after warning that U.S. would lose extradition fight” (Washington Post)

Kevin Gosztola is the managing editor of Shadowproof. He also produces and co-hosts the weekly podcast, “Unauthorized Disclosure.” He is the author of Guilty of Journalism: The Political Case Against Julian Assange. Follow him on Twitter @kgosztola.

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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Antiwar.com news editor Jason Ditz discusses recent Japanese tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman, which the Trump administration is claiming were perpetrated by Iran. Trump officials say they have solid evidence for this claim, but nothing has been released except for a grainy video supposedly showing Iranians interfering with a tanker after the attack. Ditz points out that the supposed motive for the attack makes little sense, since Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe is visiting Iran right now. It seems more likely that someone might have staged such an attack in order to sabotage the negotiations.

Discussed on the show:

• “US Claims Video Shows Iran Removing Explosive Mine From Tanker” (Antiwar.com)

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

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

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

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Scott talks to the great Patrick Cockburn about war and politics in Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, and the general disaster that has resulted from America’s thinking it could completely remake the Middle East.

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: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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Ron Paul talks about his storied political career and the prospects for liberty under the Trump presidency. Paul is skeptical of Trump’s trade strategies, but holds out hope that his good instincts on certain foreign policy issues will translate into an actual reduction of the American empire. Paul says that although socialism has become fashionable in some parts of the country, many Americans are surprisingly receptive to the libertarian message that what we really need is more liberty, less war, and sound money.

Discussed on the show:

• “Breaking Washington’s Addiction to War” (Eventbrite)
• “Japanese tanker owner contradicts U.S. officials over explosives used in Gulf of Oman attack” (NBC)

Former congressman and American hero Ron Paul is the host of the Ron Paul Liberty Report and director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. Dr. Paul is the author of numerous books, including Swords into Plowshares and The Revolution: A Manifesto. Follow him on Twitter, @RonPaul.

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

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

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Scott interviews Ramzy Baroud about the conundrum Israel finds itself in today. On the one hand, they claim to be the only liberal democratic regime in the middle of a hostile region, and that they are committed to reaching peace with the Palestinians. On the other hand, Netanyahu’s government has no real intentions of a two state solution, or even of a single Israeli state where Palestinians are given full citizenship. Israel is quickly slipping into apartheid, says Baroud, with a clear message that Palestinians just don’t matter.

Discussed on the show:

• “Facing the Facts: Israel Cannot Escape ICC Jurisdiction” (Palestine Chronicle)
• Oslo Accords
• Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History
• The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine

Ramzy Baroud is a US-Arab journalist and is the editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of My Father Was A Freedom Fighter: The Untold Story of Gaza. His new book is The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story. Follow Ramzy on Twitter @RamzyBaroud and read his work at RamzyBaroud.net.

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

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

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Scott and Sheldon Richman announce some of the projects the Libertarian Institute has underway, including the late Will Griggs’ book, No Quarter. They also discuss the “family tree” of libertarianism, and why the popular idea that conservatives and libertarians are natural allies is completely incorrect.

Discussed on the show:

• No Quarter: The Ravings of William Norman Grigg
• USS Liberty incident
• “Libertarian Party Promotes Interventionism and Regime Change in Venezuela” (Liberty Conservative News)
• “Left and Right: The Prospects for Liberty” (Mises Institute)

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

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

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

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Reason’s Jim Epstein joins the show to discuss the Brazilian libertarians who are trying to influence the Bolsonaro government. Brazil has the largest and fastest growing libertarian community in the world, and though this arrangement can be seen as a major political victory, Epstein worries that the alliance could hurt the reputation of libertarians in the country and in the United States.

Discussed on the show:

• “Libertarians Forged an Alliance With Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Was It a Deal With the Devil?” (Reason)
• “Leak Reveals Ethics Failures in Brazil’s Operation Car Wash” (The Intercept)

So and so is…

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

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

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Gareth Porter joins the show to explain the latest event being sold as evidence for the need to attack Iran. Evidenceless as usual, the claim that Iran is behind the sabotage of Saudi ships is based only on the fact that they had motive to do it. Porter’s theory? This could have really been a false flag attack by Israel, hoping it would provoke an American response against Iran.

Discussed on the show:

• “Pentagon’s phony Iran “evidence”: New rationale for U.S. intervention?” (Salon.com)
• “UAE accuses ‘state actor’ for tanker attacks, but stops just short of Iran” (Fox News)

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. 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: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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Scott interviews Patrick Eddington about the surveillance of U.S. citizens and the legislation that allows it. Although the USA Freedom Act ostensibly rolls back the NSA’s metadata program, it really only tweaks a technicality of whom the organization allowed to spy on, and has done nothing to limit the overall amount of data collected. Similar efforts to curtail the surveillance apparatus have met with concerns of increased terrorism. But Eddington reminds us that there’s never been a single proven case where electronic surveillance prevented an attack, so these programs do nothing but infringe on our liberty.

Discussed on the show:

• “The Snowden Effect, Six Years On” (Cato Institute)
• USA Freedom Act
• “Executive Orders” (National Archives)
• “PATRIOT Act” (Electronic Frontier Foundation)
• “Declassified Report Shows Doubts About Value of N.S.A.’s Warrantless Spying” (The New York Times)

Patrick Eddington is a research fellow at the Cato Institute, an ex-CIA analyst, and a former senior staffer in the House of Representatives. Follow him on Twitter @PGEddington.

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

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

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