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Scott is joined by Ted Postol of MIT to discuss the danger of recent Ukrainian strikes on parts of Russia’s early warning system. Postol explains why satellite limitations make Russia dependent on ground radar systems to detect incoming nuclear-armed missiles. He and Scott then discuss the stupidity of helping Ukraine damage the one thing that can help the Russians confirm they are not under nuclear attack.

Discussed on the show:

• “Russia’s Antiquated Nuclear Warning System Jeopardizes Us All” (Washington Monthly)

Ted Postol is a professor emeritus of Science, Technology, and International Security at MIT. He has written about nuclear weapons issues and the chemical attacks in Syria.

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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Greg Palast explains the situation in Venezuela, where the Trump administration has recently been signaling for U.S.-backed regime change. Although the claim is that it’s the U.S.’s duty to support “democracy,” says Palast, the concern is really for Venezuelan oil. Major players like the Koch brothers need reliable access to Venezuela’s particular form of heavy crude oil, and the Maduro government doesn’t play ball the way the Saudis, for example, do. Now Maduro’s political opponent, Juan Guiado, is openly calling for outside military support in his attempt to overthrow Maduro. Palast is adamant that that would be an utter catastrophe both for the U.S. and for the Venezuelan people.

Discussed on the show:

• “U.S. Push to Oust Venezuela’s Maduro Marks First Shot in Plan to Reshape Latin America” (WSJ)
• Colour revolution
• “Amanpour’s full interview with Juan Guaido” (CNN Video)
• Bay of Pigs Invasion

Investigative reporter Greg Palast covered Venezuela for BBC Television and The Guardian during Hugo Chavez’s presidency. He is the author of several York Times bestsellers including The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, now a movie available on Amazon Prime. A documentary of Palast’s work for BBC-TV, The Assassination of Hugo Chavez, is available as a free download at Palast’s site, GregPalast.com.

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; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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Bonnie Kristian talks about her latest piece, “If Trump Isn’t Planning to Draw Down U.S. Intervention in Somalia, He Should Be.” She and Scott point out how President Trump often has good instincts on foreign policy, at times questioning what the U.S. is even doing in countries like Somalia, and yet other times he has no problem getting talked into more war by his generals and advisers. The hawks around him love to use the excuse that “we fight the terrorists over there so we don’t have to fight them over here,” but in reality, says Kristian, that’s pretty much the only way we could provoke an attack somewhere in the U.S., by inciting an American into retaliation because of our military’s crimes abroad.

Discussed on the show:

• “If Trump Isn’t Planning to Draw Down U.S. Intervention in Somalia, He Should Be” (Reason.com)
• Al-Shabaab (militant group)
• “Trump’s favorite general: Can Mattis check an impulsive president and still retain his trust?” (The Washington Post)
• Somali Civil War (2006–2009)
• “US forces should leave Afghanistan, even if a deal with the Taliban fails” (Defense News)

Bonnie Kristian is a fellow at Defense Priorities, and weekend editor at The Week. Her writing has appeared at TIME, CNN, Politico, The American Conservative, and many others. Follow her at her website or on Twitter @bonniekristian.

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; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; 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 for an update us on the Korean peace talks. President Trump recently claimed that North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat, whereupon the mainstream media was quick to point out that Kim’s regime has not in fact agreed to denuclearize. But, as Shorrock explains, that’s not what Trump said at all—he was merely pointing out that the negotiations appear to be going in the direction of peace and diplomacy, such that the North is not a threat to the South or to the U.S. The centrist establishment can’t tolerate this idea because they despise Trump so much. Shorrock also points out the promising progress in dismantling the DMZ, including the mingling of North and South Korean soldiers for the first time.

Discussed on the show:

• “US-North Korea Talks Are Moving Decisively to the Diplomatic Phase” (The Nation)
• “Naomi Klein: Disaster Capitalism” (YouTube)
• “Remarks on DPRK at Stanford University” (www.state.gov)

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; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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Mandy Smithberger talks about the revolving door between politics and arms manufacturers, most recently manifested in President Trump’s appointment of Patrick Shanahan as acting secretary of defense. Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, has recused himself from issues directly involving Boeing, but as Smithberger points out, that doesn’t prevent him from promoting the interests of his former company, since he still has huge influence over the industry in general. His history with Boeing can also make it hard to know when his decisions are legitimate and when he might be biased against a former competitor, as in the case of the new F-35 fighter jets.

Discussed on the show:

• “Our Man From Boeing” (Project on Government Oversight)
• Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
• House Resolution 1

Mandy Smithberger is the director of the Strauss Military Reform Project at POGO. Previously she was a national security policy adviser to U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-California). Follow her work on Twitter @StrausReform.

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; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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Sheldon Richman talks about his latest piece for the Libertarian Institute, TGIF: The FDA’s Assault on Tobacco Consumers, where he explores the latest government efforts to regulate every aspect of nicotine products. In addition to its control over products containing actual tobacco, the FDA is now claiming jurisdiction over e-cigarettes—which contain nicotine but not tobacco—and tobacco pipes themselves. Just like alcohol prohibition or the war on drugs, Richman says, making a substance illegal or difficult to get only makes people turn to more potent and more dangerous forms. If the government really cared about fewer people smoking, it would look favorably on the smokeless alternatives. But of course, it does just the opposite.

Discussed on the show:

• “TGIF: The FDA’s Assault on Tobacco Consumers” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act” (FDA)
• A Hobby, Not A Habit – Meditations on Pipe Smoking
• “Scott Gottlieb’s FDA Is Moving Toward a Stealth Ban on Cigarettes and Cigars” (Reason.com)
• Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use
• The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct
• Ceremonial Chemistry: The Ritual Persecution of Drugs, Addicts, and Pushers, Revised Edition

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; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; 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 John V. Walsh about nuclear disarmament and Daniel Ellsberg’s book, The Doomsday Machine. Walsh explains that we don’t actually have to completely abandon all nuclear weapons—the important thing is that they be taken off of the hair-trigger alerts that could so easily bring about global catastrophe. He admits that there is some value in having deterrents against regime change and aggressive war, but we should try to abolish first strike capabilities. Despite the potential for genocide, the political and media establishment, as well as the military-industrial complex, seem totally unwilling to discuss this issue.

Discussed on the show:

• “Dismantling the Doomsday Machines” (Antiwar.com Original)
• The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner
• Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
• Nuclear Freeze campaign
• Global Zero

John V. Walsh is a writer and former medical school professor. He contributes regularly at Antiwar.com, Consortium News, DissidentVoice.org, and The Unz Review.

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; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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Daniel McAdams discusses Venezuela’s recent political upheaval, which he fears may prompt direct U.S. intervention. Lots of Americans, particularly on the political right, are decrying Venezuela’s socialism and claiming that it’s America’s duty as a champion of capitalism to intervene. But the reality is that Venezuela has had some form of socialism for a lot longer than it’s had Maduro, and it would probably still be socialist if he were removed, only things would be even worse. Not to mention how socialized the supposedly free market United States is. Scott and McAdams also fear the moral hazard created by America threatening to intervene, since opposition groups may now have incentive toward more chaos and violence.

Discussed on the show:

• “Call U.S. Move on Venezuela What It Is: Regime Change” (Bloomberg)
• Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
• Colour revolution
• “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (2003)” (IMDb)

Daniel McAdams is the executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and the co-host of the Ron Paul Liberty Report. Follow him on Twitter @DanielLMcAdams and read all of his work over at Antiwar.com.

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; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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Retired Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis tells Scott why it would be better for everyone involved if the U.S. simply pulls its troops out of Syria now. If we had gotten out when President Trump initially called for withdrawal in December, he explains, the soldiers who died there recently wouldn’t have been around to get killed. And the longer America remains, the more soldiers are exposed to that kind of danger going forward. As for the problem of Iran that is so often used as the excuse for staying in Syria, Davis is adamant that they pose no real threat to the U.S., or even to Israel. With a military budget 1/40th the size of America’s, they aren’t anything but a nuisance that could easily be defeated if they ever posed a real threat to American security.

Discussed on the show:

• “Americans killed in Syria show cost in delaying Trump’s directive” (USA Today)
• National Defense Authorization Act

Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He writes a weekly column for National Interest 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 @DanielLDavis1.

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; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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