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Scott brought Kyle Anzalone on Antiwar Radio to discuss what’s happening in Syria. The two explain who just took power in Syria, outline the historical context of these developments and speculate over what this means for US policy in the region. They finish with a discussion about Gaza and the possibility of a terrorist attack on Americans.

Discussed on the show:

• Scott’s debate with General Wesley Clark

Kyle Anzalone is news editor of the Libertarian Institute, opinion editor of Antiwar.com and co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Will Porter and Connor Freeman. Follow him on Twitter @KyleAnzalone_

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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Mike Swanson discusses the recent announcement that the Federal Reserve will begin cutting interest rates again. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has said this is a precautionary measure against a possible recession, of which there have been early signs over the last few months. The dangerous thing, says Swanson, is what happens if there is a recession even after this move—with rates already so close to zero percent, what more can the Fed do? Unfortunately it would probably mean huge inflationary measures that could wipe out the savings of average Americans.

Discussed on the show:

• “Today’s Federal Reserve Rate Cut Marks The Start Of A New Financial Era” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “Paradigm Shifts” (LinkedIn)
• Secrets of the Temple: How the Federal Reserve Runs the Country

Mike Swanson provides investment advice at wallstreetwindow.com and is the author of The War State: The Cold War Origins Of The Military-Industrial Complex And The Power Elite. He also works with the Neopolis Media Group, a group of historians, educators, authors, researchers, and free speech advocates who endeavor to provide original and engaging content, including The Ochelli Effect, and The Lone Gunman Podcast.

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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David Stockman reminds us how flimsy the “Russiagate” case has been from the very beginning, and that we should really be focusing on how the investigation even got started in the first place. Stockman claims that President Trump’s idea that it would be better to cooperate with Russia rather than continue a new Cold War with them was intolerable to the ruling class, who want America to remain undisputed atop the world geopolitical hierarchy, which means policing the globe and flexing our military might at every opportunity. The Russiagate investigation has been nothing but an elaborate attempt to bring Trump down for other reasons. Stockman dismantles each pillar of the phony case one by one.

Discussed on the show:

• “Not Mueller Time – At Last!” (Antiwar.com Original)
• “5/10/19 Ray McGovern and Bill Binney on the Supposed Russian Hack of the DNC” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “12/13/16 Craig Murray: DNC, Podesta emails leaked by Americans, not hacked by Russia” (The Libertarian Institute)

David Stockman is the ultimate Washington insider turned iconoclast. He began his career in Washington as a young man and quickly rose through the ranks of the Republican Party to become the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan. After leaving the White House, Stockman had a 20-year career on Wall Street. He is the author of Trumped!, The Triumph of Politics, and his history of the financial crisis, The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America.

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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Danny Sjursen explains why President Trump could end the war in Afghanistan if he wanted to. When it comes to foreign policy, the president is basically a dictator, and Trump in particular is pugnacious enough to cover his right flank at all times, just like Nixon was able to meet with Mao in the 1970s. Negotiations with the Taliban have also continued without falling apart, which is a good sign for the possibility of ending the war on agreeable terms. By the same token, Hillary Clinton felt that because she was a woman and a democrat, she had to be extra hawkish, and Scott and Sjursen agree that as president she would not have accomplished what Trump has with respect to negotiations in Afghanistan and Korea.

Discussed on the show:

• “Could Donald Trump Actually End the Afghan War?” (The Nation)
• “A Majority of Military Veterans Think the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq Were a Mistake – Mother Jones” (Mother Jones)

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: 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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Tim Shorrock joins the show to discuss U.S. negotiations with Korea and the status of the relations between North and South. Lately soldiers from the North and South have begun patrolling together, one of several important symbolic gestures in the process of reconciliation between the two nations. Recently Donald Trump became the first president to visit the North, and Shorrock thinks his willingness to participate in negotiations, which previous presidents have not, has been hugely important. Unfortunately the democrats have almost unanimously condemned President Trump’s willingness to meet with Kim Jong-un as a personal liking for dictators.

Discussed on the show:

• “Most Dem Presidential Candidates Are Attacking Trump’s Korea Policy—From the Right” (The Nation)
• “The U.S.-North Korean Agreed Framework at a Glance” (Arms Control Association)
• Rumsfeld: His Rise, Fall, and Catastrophic Legacy

Tim Shorrock is the author of Spies For Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing and a regular contributor to The Nation and the Korea Center for Investigative Reporting. Follow him on Twitter @TimothyS.

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 Gareth Porter about John Bolton’s most recent efforts to raise tensions with Iran. He and Scott speculate about Iran’s ability to disrupt international trade in the region by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, and the likelihood that they would do so given the risks of inciting more serious conflict as a result.

Discussed on the show:

• “Did John Bolton Light the Fuse of the UK-Iranian Tanker Crisis?” (The American Conservative)
• “Britain Rejects Iran’s Offer to Swap Seized Tankers” (News From Antiwar.com)
• Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent
• “What is the law of the sea?” (NOAA)

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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Dave DeCamp discusses the latest in the Trump-Russia collusion conspiracy, which at this point has all but completely fallen apart. Democrats continue to cling to anything that will keep the narrative alive, and the mainstream media has fallen in line by putting out extremely misleading headlines. DeCamp explains one by one why the stories are incorrect.

Discussed on the show:

• “MSM Coverage of Senate Intelligence Report Is Misleading” (Antiwar.com Original)”Senate Intelligence report: “extensive” Russia 2016 election meddling” (Vox)
• “Russia Hacks All 50 States” (Young Turks)
• “Russia’s propaganda machine discovers 2020 Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard” (NBC News)
• Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign

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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Hassan El-Tayyab summarizes the efforts in congress to end America’s various wars in the Middle East, led mostly by democrats, but also with the support of some liberty-oriented republicans. Democrats have been accused of slashing the military because their proposed NDAA budget is smaller than the republicans’. But the critics leave out the fact that it too would mean an increase from last year, and is almost as large as the republican proposal. Scott theorizes that this multi-pronged campaign in congress may have been partly responsible for the recent announcement that the UAE will be withdrawing most of its soldiers from Yemen, signaling a possible end to the war.

Discussed on the show:

• National Defense Authorization Act
• “RELEASE: Rep. Khanna and Rep. Gaetz Introduce Bipartisan Amendment to Prohibit Funds from Being Used with a War Against Iran” (Congressman Ro Khanna)
• “Congresswoman Barbara Lee Passes Defense Amendment That Would Repeal 2001 Endless War Authorization” (Congresswoman Barbara Lee)
• “UAE Not Withdrawing From Yemen, FM Reiterates” (News From Antiwar.com)

Hassan El-Tayyab is a musician and peace activist based in Chicago. Find his work at justforeignpolicy.org.

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 Pat Buchanan about his life in politics and the lessons we can apply to today. Buchanan was a committed cold warrior during the 1980s, but then advocated withdrawal of the U.S. from Europe after the Soviet Union collapsed, and urged that NATO not expand up to Russia’s border. Much of his advice has been ignored, and the consequences have been America’s catastrophic and endless wars. Today, he is optimistic that we will not have a war with Iran, since he believes that President Trump knows what a bad idea that is, and because Iran does not want, and has never wanted, nuclear weapons. This takes the main excuse for war off the table.

Discussed on the show:

• “Averting a Middle East Holocaust” (C-SPAN.org)
• “Whose War?” (The American Conservative)
• “Russiagate Is No Watergate” (Antiwar.com Original)
• “Trump: War President or Anti-Interventionist?” (Antiwar.com Original)
• “Is a New US Mideast War Inevitable?” (Antiwar.com Original)

Pat Buchanan is a former Republican presidential candidate and political analyst who advised Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Reagan. He is the author of Churchill, Hitler, and “The Unnecessary War”: How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World and A Republic, Not an Empire: Reclaiming America’s Destiny. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickBuchanan.

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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