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Dave DeCamp was back on Antiwar Radio this week to go over all the latest news coming out of the Middle East. He and Scott discuss Rafah, the US-constructed pier debacle, Mossad threatening an ICC prosecutor and more.

Discussed on the show:

• “Israel Used US-Made Bombs in Rafah Tent Camp Massacre” (Antiwar.com)
• “Nikki Haley Visits Israel, Writes ‘Finish Them’ on Israeli Artillery Shell” (Antiwar.com)
• “Israeli Official Says Gaza Slaughter Will Continue for at Least Another 7 Months” (Antiwar.com)
• “US-Constructed Pier Off Gaza Breaks Apart” (Antiwar.com)
• “Israeli spy chief ‘threatened’ ICC prosecutor over war crimes inquiry” (The Guardian)

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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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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Nasser Arrabyee comes back on the show with the latest on the U.S.-backed Suadi war in Yemen. He explains that although the ceasefire in Hodeidah has been going on over a month, negotiations have otherwise stalled. The sides were supposed to swap prisoners last week for example, but now the deadline for the trade has come and gone. Because of the lack of reliable data, Arrabyee and his colleagues have put together their own casualty figures, estimating that 100,000 civilians have been killed and injured, which does not include starvation and deprivation. The UN still pegs the civilian casualties at 5,000.

Discussed on the show:

• “Full text of the Stockholm Agreement” (OSESGY)
• “S.J.Res.54” (Library of Congress)
• “Congress Can End US Involvement in the War on Yemen” (Antiwar.com Blog)
• “Fatalities in the Yemen Conflict” (Acled Data)
• Save the Children
• “Yemen – Alert: Wed, 2018-10-24” (Famine Early Warning Systems Network)
• “12/20/18 Mark Perry on Trump’s Decision to Withdraw from Syria” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “In Strategic Shift, U.S. Draws Closer to Yemeni Rebels” (WSJ)
• “The U.S. Is On the Side of Terrorists and War Criminals in Yemen” (Yemen Press)

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: 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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Jim Bovard talks about President Trump’s appointee for Attorney General, William Barr, and his support for the Marshals and FBI agents who killed members of the Weaver family in 1992. Barr was Attorney General during the Bush Sr. administration, and helped get the sniper who killed Vicki Weaver acquitted after the deadly standoff at Weaver’s home. Scott and Bovard talk about police violence in general, wondering why white victims and groups like Black Lives Matter seem unwilling to unite after incidents like this or the Bundy standoff in Oregon. Scott sees them as opportunities to present a united front against the real enemy, an all-powerful government that abuses its citizens everyday, even if it isn’t always so well publicized.

Discussed on the show:

• “William Barr’s Connection to Ruby Ridge, Defending FBI Snipers” (The American Conservative)
• Ambush at Ruby Ridge
• Waco siege
• “Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America” (Cato Institute)
• “Osborne Brothers – Rocky Top 1967” (YouTube)
• “Feds Cliven Bundy trial debacle shows why prosecutors must be leashed” (USA Today)
• Montana Freemen
• “The Untold Story of the Texas Biker Gang Shoot-Out” (GQ)
• “Seymour M. Hersh · The Vice President’s Men” (London Review of Books)
• Reporter: A Memoir
• “Seymour Hersh and the Disappearing Iconoclast” (The American Conservative)

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: 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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