Download Episode.

Scott talks with Trita Parsi about the hollowness of Biden’s efforts to improve things in Gaza. They start with the Administration’s ridiculous framing, which seeks to admit that there are distasteful aspects of Israel’s Gaza campaign, but then to blame those aspects solely on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They also talk about how the war is affecting Democratic voters and the risk that this war will expand to southern Lebanon.

Discussed on the show:

• “The US is trying to force the Israeli government’s collapse” (Al Jazeera)
• “Israel Abandons Its Tortured Soldiers Too” (Substack)
• “U.S. Support for Israel’s War Has Become Indefensible” (The Atlantic)

Trita Parsi is the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Roberts and Robers Brokerage Incorporated; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; Libertas Bella; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Get Scott’s interviews before anyone else! Subscribe to the Substack.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjY

Sharmine Narwani, writer and journalist, is interviewed on her article for The American Conservative Magazine, “Are al-Qaeda Affiliates Fighting Alongside U.S. Rebels in Syria’s South?“. The history of the United State’s support for rebels in Syria is explored, as well as the developments since the beginning of the Trump administration.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Investigative columnist Jim Bovard joins the show to discuss the latest news from the FBI, as well as its history of meddling in American politics. Lots of people have been shocked by the revelations in the recent Inspector General report about the bias of top FBI officials in the 2016 election, but few are aware of the Bureau’s long tradition of underhandedness. Bovard explains how J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI deliberately leaked on the Truman administration, spread rumors that Adlai Stevenson was gay, investigated the Goldwater presidential campaign, conspired against Martin Luther King’s plans to hold a demonstration at the 1964 Democratic Convention, and worked against President Nixon, culminating in his resignation—and that’s just the stuff we already know. Bovard is optimistic about what has come out from 2016 so far, and hopes that more will emerge as scrutiny continues. One positive sign, he notes, is that although the mainstream media seems perfectly willing to shill for the FBI, juries are becoming less and less likely to believe them.

Discussed on the show:

• Frederic Whitehurst
• “State ignored 17 FOIA requests for Clinton’s emails before 2014” (Washington Examiner)
• “Emails Reveal Hillary Clinton Knew About Ethnic Cleansing In Libya” (shadowproof.com)
• “State Dept.: 75-year wait for Clinton aide emails” (CNN)
• “How an Affair Between a Reporter and a Security Aide Has Rattled Washington Media” (New York Times)
• “A politically weaponized FBI is nothing new, but plenty dangerous” (The Hill)
• “Inspector general’s report on FBI and Clinton’s emails shows secrecy threatens democracy” (USA Today)

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: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Brent Skorup from the Mercatur Institute and George Mason University is interviewed on both the Capenter v United States ruling and his article in the Washington Times with Melodoy Calkins from June 27th, 2017 titled “A Supreme Court Call: On the Third Party Doctrine the Fourth Amendment Should Apply to Phone Data“. The ruling is discussed in detail, and whether or not this is good news for liberty and civil libertarians.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Bruce Fein is interviewed on his new article for The American Conservative Magazine, “American Empire Demands a Caesar“. The evolution of the Republic to the Empire is discussed, and where and when the Republic went wrong is debated.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Jacob Hornberger joins Scott to talk about U.S. foreign and domestic policy. In particular, he wonders why, with so much outrage about family separation at the border, few seem to care about the impact U.S. sanctions have on foreign children. Hornberger says this highlights a difference between liberals and leftists—principled leftists have opposed Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump for their foreign policy, and didn’t support Hillary Clinton for the same reasons. Most American Democrats, however, protest Republican policies but have nothing to say about the same from their side of the aisle. They go on to discuss America as a national security state, with Hornberger claiming that this “fourth branch of government,” comprising the CIA, NSA, FBI and the like, is actually the most powerful of all.

Discussed on the show:

• “Do You Hate The State?” (Mises Institute)
• “Madeleine Albright: ‘The price is worth it’” (YouTube)
• “Secret War: The U.S. Has Conducted More Than 550 Drone Strikes in Libya Since 2011” (The Intercept)
• “Tillerson: Evidence sanctions ‘really starting to hurt’ North Korea” (Reuters)
• “In Gaza, lives shaped by drones” (Washington Post)
• “Why No Outrage Over U.S. Killing Of Children?” (Future of Freedom Foundation)
• Bert Sacks
• “11% Say U.S. Should Be World’s Policeman” (Rasmussen)

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Kathy Kelly joins Scott to talk about everyday life in Afghanistan for the civilians affected by the war. She explains the damage a continuing U.S. military presence has had on an already troubled country, where harsh winters and arid summers can make bare survival a challenge. Thanks to United States occupation Kabul, once the safest and wealthiest part of Afghanistan, is now one of the most dangerous. All over the country, clean rain water and snow melt have become tainted with sewage, and basic commodities like food and fuel are hard to come by. So why have American forces stayed there? Some argue that military presence will help ensure American interest in Afghanistan’s vast natural resources, but Kelly is more cynical. The harsh reality is that there isn’t enough political security or infrastructure to make that kind of endeavor possible, so pipe dreams of valuable ores and rare earth metals are more likely the cover used by military officials who want to keep bases close to Russia and China.

Discussed on the Show:

• Fools Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan
• Afghan Peace March
• Bacha Khan
• “On Purpose, in Kabul” (VCNV.org)
• “A Mile in Their Shoes” (VCNV.org)

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Michael Maharrey, National Communications Coordinator for the Tenth Amendment Center, is interviewed on his lawsuit with the City of Lexington, Kentucky, which refused to detail in an open records request the manner and methods of their secret surveillance at skate parks in Lexington. The outcome of the lawsuit, why Mr. Maherrey was sued by the city, and the efforts of the Tenth Amendment center nationwide are discussed in detail.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Gareth Porter comes back on the show to give his thoughts on the recent Singapore summit. The center left and center right establishments, according to Porter, hysterically oppose efforts at diplomacy, in part because they’ve tied themselves to opposing everything President Trump does. The mainstream media continues to push the narrative that the U.S. gains nothing from these negotiations, even though Kim agreed before the talks took place to halt his country’s testing of nuclear weapons and ICBMs. They also claim that cancelling military exercises threatens our relationship with South Korea, completely overlooking the fact that the negotiations have been led in large part by South Korean president Moon Jae-in from the start. Porter provides evidence that North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons has been a strategic move to bring South Korea and the U.S. to the table, going all the way back to Kim Il-sung, but fears opponents of Trump may sabotage any efforts at peace.

Discussed on the show:

• “An Elite Coalition Emerges Against a Trump-Kim Agreement” (Consortium News)
• “Thank Goodness for a Villain” (Newsweek)
• South Korea NDAA Amendment
• “How Cheney and His Allies Created the North Korea Nuclear Missile Crisis” (Truthout)

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: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download