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Scott interviews journalist Cathy Logan and lawyer Eddie Lloyd about David McBride, the Australian whistleblower who revealed war crimes committed by Australian forces during the war in Afghanistan. McBride was just sentenced to prison. Vogan and Lloyd recount McBride’s story and then dig into the technicalities of the case.

Discussed on the show:

• “Whistleblower McBride Sentenced to 5 Yrs., 8 Mos.” (Consortium News)
• “If you’re seeing this, I’m in jail.” — McBride’s latest YouTube video
• Scott’s interview with Braden Chapman
• Scott’s interview with Ben Mckelvey

Cathy Vogan is a journalist with Consortium News. 

Eddie Lloyd is a defense attorney representing David McBride

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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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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Grant Smith talks to Scott about Israel’s nuclear weapons program, which the United States steadfastly pretends does not exist. Four presidential administrations in a row, he explains, have signed letters promising they will not admit the existence of Israel’s nukes, partly because to do so would be to admit that the U.S. is in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. So why doesn’t Israel just own up to its nuclear program and sign the treaty? Smith thinks it’s because that would undermine their hysterical claims about how dangerous other Middle Eastern countries, like Iran, would be if they got nukes.

Discussed on the show:

• “NSC Swears US policy on Israel’s Nukes Is Legit” (antiwar.com)
• Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
• “The President Executive Order 13526” (National Archives)
• 2005 CIA interrogation videotapes destruction
• Arms Export Control Act

Grant F. Smith is the author of a number of books including Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America and Divert!. He is director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C.

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 in the TGIF series, “America’s War Culture.” He brings up the disturbing phenomenon that presidents are praised the most when they bomb another country, and that in lists of America’s supposed greatest presidents, those who presided over major wars usually adorn the top. This is obviously a bad incentive from a humanitarian perspective, because anytime the president gets into hot water he knows he can start or escalate a war and immediately receive praise from the media and a jump in popularity. This has been true so far of President Trump as well, although he seems surprisingly eager to pull the U.S. out of Syria and Afghanistan. In general, Richman says this blind opposition to Trump among democrats has come to totally dominate their party, and may haunt them when one of their own eventually takes power, with republicans then empowered to use the same tactics they deployed against Trump.

Discussed on the show:

• “TGIF: America’s War Culture” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “Paul on Syria: ‘I’m very proud of the president’” (CNN Video)
• “Agonizing over Afghanistan” (Project Syndicate)
• “Democratic Party Voters Are Becoming More Pro-war Than Republicans” (The Intercept)
• “Russia-gate Evidence, Please” (Consortiumnews)
• “The Manafort Revelation Is Not a Smoking Gun” (The Nation)

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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Gareth Porter talks Trump, Syria, and America’s relationship with Israel. Porter says there are quite a few instances so far in Trump’s presidency where he’s made a public announcement about his plans, and then his aides work behind his back to thwart him. In many of those cases the aides are successful. Porter believes that in the case of withdrawal from Syria, however, Trump is serious about making this happen, and despite an initial delay he’s telling his generals to get it done in about six months. Getting out of Syria, explains Porter, is in the interest of the American people, Syrians, Russia, and Turkey. Even the Kurds will be able to make an alliance to preserve their safety. The only player that can’t stand U.S. withdrawal is Israel, basically because it would give Iran a symbolic victory, which they absolutely cannot tolerate.

Discussed on the show:

• “How Trump Thwarted Calculated Israeli Effort to Keep U.S. in Syria” (The American Conservative)
• “Mike Pompeo to Newsmax TV: US Troops ‘Are Coming Out’ of Syria” (Newsmax.com)
• The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
• Jewish Museum of Belgium shooting
• “Seymour M. Hersh · The Vice President’s Men · LRB 24 January 2019” (London Review of Books)
• Iran–Contra affair
• “Vice Squad” (The American Prospect)

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; 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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Dr. Ron Paul joins the show for an assessment of President Trump’s foreign policy so far, about half way into his first term. Paul says that compared with Bush and Obama, Trump doesn’t look too bad. His instincts are better, especially in the way he questions why America even has troops in some of the countries it does, but Paul points out that despite good instincts, most of the bad policies remain in place and there’s been very little troop drawdown so far. President Trump has, however, reiterated in the last several days that he’s serious about withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan, even after some of his Republican allies contradicted the story.

Discussed on the show:

• “Trump’s Neocons Reverse His Syria Withdrawal Plan” (antiwar.com)

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; 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 Lazare comes on the show to talk about Hillary Clinton and her staff’s role in America’s latest wars in the Middle East. He says the story really goes back to Bill Clinton, who broke with Democratic Party tradition by supporting generally right-wing positions on issues like foreign policy, the war on drugs, and Wall Street. Hillary continued to do this, and became one of the most hawkish people in Washington. Where Bill was able to garner centrist popularity, however, Hillary could not, and it may have cost her the presidency in both 2008 and 2016.

Discussed on the show:

• “The Memo That Helped Kill a Half Million People in Syria” (Consortium News)
• Nicaraguan Contras
• “Is Saudi Arabia the Middle East’s Next Failed State?” (Consortium News)

Daniel Lazare is the author of The Frozen Republic: How the constitution is Paralyzing Democracy and a regular contributor at Consortium News. Find all of his work at his website and follow him on Twitter @dhlazare.

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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Hunter DeRensis talks about his recent article on Bill Kristol’s new publication, The Bulwark, which he sees as a direct successor to the Weekly Standard, and a new home for the “Never Trump” movement. The Standard made a name for itself by pushing for the invasion of Iraq, and more recently has supported America’s other wars in the Middle East. Because the publication opposes President Trump on basically every issue, they’ve been on the wrong side of his recent plans to withdraw troops as well.

Discussed on the show:

• “Does The Bulwark Mean the Neocons Are Staging A Comeback?” (The National Interest)
• “Don’t blame Trump for the demise of the Weekly Standard” (Spectator USA)
• Project for the New American Century
• “What The Weekly Standard Has Wrought” (The American Conservative)

Hunter DeRensis, formerly of The American Conservative magazine, is a writer for The National Interest. Find him on his website or on Twitter @HunterDeRensis.

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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