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Scott is joined by Richard Booth and Ken Silva to discuss the Oklahoma City Bombing. Specifically, they talk about Jesse Trentadue’s effort to use the Freedom of Information Act to declassify FBI documents about people with links to the bombing. In this discussion, the three review who Jesse Trentadue is and his link to the case, the CIA asset who funded the bombing, the battle over security tapes of the Ryder truck and more.

Discussed on the show:

• “Attorney Sues FBI for Records about CIA Asset Who Funded OKC Bombing” (HeadlineUSA)
• Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed–and Why It Still Matters by Andrew Gumbel and Roger G. Charles 
• In Bad Company: America’s Terrorist Underground by Mark Hamm 
• Oklahoma City Bombing Archive
• Aberration in the Heartland of the Real: The Secret Lives of Timothy McVeigh by Wendy S. Painting

Richard Booth is the Glenn D. Wilburn Fellow at the Libertarian Institute and an independent citizen journalist and member of the Constitution First Amendment Press Association (CFAPA). You can find Richard’s journalism at The Libertarian Institute, and on his Substack. Follow him on Twitter @booth_okc

Ken Silva has been a reporter for more than 10 years, working in places such as the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and the United States. Follow him on Twitter @JD_Cashless

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

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Journalist and author Daniel Lazare returns to the show to discuss his latest article for Consortium News, “Israel’s Alarm over Syrian Debacle.” Lazare explains that while ISIS and al-Qaeda are on the verge of being defeated in Syria, there are new conflicts brewing over Israel’s concern about Hezbollah’s power on the Syrian border, which has led them to provide different aid for the anti-Assad Syrian rebels. Lazare believes that Israel has made a major miscalculation in Syria that has empowered its Muslim opponents. Lazare and Scott then detail how the U.S. has flirted with Islamic jihad as a tool against the greater enemy going all the way back to the Eisenhower presidency and the elephant in the room, which Lazare says has driven policy in Washington: oil. Lazare believes that the U.S. sees its imperial future tied directly to control over the Persian Gulf, which helps explain many of their awful alliances with brutal dictatorships such as Saudi Arabia—and that the great fear of the U.S. is that either Russia or China could someday control the Arabian peninsula and the oil flow. Lazare bangs the drum for War Machine, which he says everyone should watch. Finally, Lazare details what he would tell Donald Trump if he were the named the new National Security Advisor.

Daniel Lazare is the author of The Frozen Republic: How the constitution is Paralyzing Democracy and a regular contributor at Consortium News. Follow him on Twitter @dhlazare.

Discussed on the show:

• “Trump Ends Covert Aid to Syrian Rebels Trying to Topple Assad,” (New York Times)
• Likud 
• Hezbollah
• “How Hezbollah Defeated Israel,” by Alastair Crooke and Mark Perry (CounterPunch)
• “Israel Struck Hezbollah Targets in Syria Dozens of Times, Netanyahu Reveals in Hot-mic Remarks” (Haaretz)
• “Obama to Iran and Israel: ‘As President of the United States, I Don’t Bluff’,” by Jeffrey Goldberg (The Atlantic)
• “How CIA and Allies Trapped Obama in the Syrian Arms Debacle,” by Gareth Porter (The American Conservative)
• Michael Oren & Jeffrey Goldberg: “Sunnis vs. Shiites and the Lesser of Two Evils” (YouTube)
• “The Burden of Fighting in Afghanistan Will Fall on Trump’s Supporters” (Breitbart)
• Robert Gates
• David Petraeus
• Daniel Drezner: “I’ll believe that Trump is growing into the presidency when his staff stops talking about him like a toddler.” (Twitter)
• “At CIA, a watchful eye on Mike Pompeo, the president’s ardent ally” (Washington Post)
• “Saudi Arabia facts and figures” (OPEC)
• “A Question For the Obama Administration” (Time)
• “Do We Need to Go to War For Oil?” by David Henderson (CATO Institute)
• Rex Tillerson
• War Machine
• The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan, by Michael Hastings
• Resource Curse
• “The Secret Saudi Ties to Terrorism,” by Daniel Lazare (Consortium News)

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Eric Margolis returns to the show to discuss his recent heroic trip to the Middle East where he helped save starving zoo animals from Aleppo with Four Paws International. Margolis recounted his trip and the incredible rescue he helped bring about in his latest article “Escape from the Aleppo Zoo.” After filling Scott in on his role in the rescue, Margolis discusses the current situation in Syria, Israel’s role in the Syrian war, and whether there’s any merit to the rumor that the Russians are funding the Taliban against the United States in Afghanistan. Finally Margolis explains what the U.S. is really trying to accomplish in Afghanistan by training the Afghan army and why India makes Pakistan is an unreliable ally in Afghanistan.

Eric Margolis is a foreign affairs correspondent and author of “War at the Top of the World” and “American Raj.” Follow him on Twitter @EricMargolis and visit his website, ericmargolis.com.

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Whistleblower Daniel Davis returns to the show to discuss his latest article, “Trump Wants You To Write Him A Blank Check For War in Afghanistan. Don’t.” Davis explains why military victory in Afghanistan is impossible, and how current U.S. presence in Afghanistan appears to be indefinite. Danny discusses the differences during his two tours of duty in Afghanistan 2005 and 2010-11 and how much worse the situation is today than it was a decade ago. Davis goes back down memory lane and explains the process of his decision to blow the whistle on David Petraeus’s lies. Scott and Danny slam Donald Trump’s rhetoric about why the U.S. is remaining in Afghanistan and how candidate Trump has been betrayed by president Trump. Davis makes it clear that no matter when the U.S. finally pulls out of Afghanistan the work being done there will be nullified. Scott and Danny discuss why there hasn’t been more blowback from the Afghan war; Davis warns that there’s an incubation period and that we’ll still be suffering from the consequences for the next decade-plus.

Retired lieutenant colonel 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.” Follow Davis on Twitter @DanielLDavis1. His website is www.daniel-l-davis.com.

Discussed on the show:

• “Trump’s challenge: A wall of public skepticism on Afghanistan War” (Politico)
• Helmand Province
• Nangahar Province
• Green Berets
• Afghan National Army (ANA)
• Camp Leatherneck
• Abdullah Abdullah
• Jalaluddin Haqqani
• Abdul Rashid Dotsum
• Mazar-i-Sharif
• Tajiks
• Uzbeks
• Hazaras
• “Truth, lies and Afghanistan,” by Daniel Davis (Armed Forces Journal)
• H.R. McMaster
• Karl Eikenberry
• “Trump’s National Security Advisor Challenged Over Human Rights Record” (Libertarian Institute)
• “The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual” (University of Chicago)
• Joseph Dunford
• Erik Prince: “The Taliban are operating inside our decision loop” (YouTube)

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Gareth Porter returns to KPFK radio to discuss Trump’s recent announcement that the United States will extend and escalate the war in Afghanistan. Porter explains that the permanent war state in the United States grinds on and claims another victory with Trump’s decision, which overturns his strong rhetoric in opposition to the Afghan war in the past.

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.

Find all of Gareth Porter’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show and buy Scott’s new book “Fool’s Errand: Time To End the War in Afghanistan.”

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Sheldon Richman, the executive editor of the Libertarian Institute, joins Scott to discuss his article, “TGIF: Trump’s ‘Fire and Fury’ Wouldn’t Be the First for North Korea.” Richman details how Americans’ understanding of the Korean War has been utterly distorted and the atrocities the United States carried out upon the North Koreans have been whitewashed. Scott and Sheldon discuss how the United States pushed the North Korean regime into aggressive posturing through continued intervention and simulated aggression and wonder how the U.S. can now come up with a realistic solution to the problem. Richman explains that history shows that you need nuclear weapons to deter the United States from seeking regime change and why it’s ultimately a good thing that no one (outside of Lindsey Graham and John McCain) believe there’s a legitimate military option. Finally Richman details why there’s good reason to doubt that the missiles North Korea has could successfully deliver the nuclear bombs.

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.

Discussed on the show:

• M*A*S*H
• Napalm
• “Americans once carpet-bombed North Korea. It’s time to remember that past,” by Bruce Cumings (The Guardian)
• “Truman refuses to rule out atomic weapons” (History.com)
• Battle of Inchon
• 38th Parallel (Korea)
• “Why Did Truman Really Fire MacArthur? … The Obscure History of Nuclear Weapons and the Korean War Provides the Answer,” by Bruce Cumings (History News Network)
• Korean Armistice Agreement
• “The Korean War, A History. With Bruce Cumings – Part 1” (YouTube)
• Mao Zedong
• Kim Il-sung
• Syngman Rhee
• “This Is What’s Really Behind North Korea’s Nuclear Provocations,” by Bruce Cumings (The Nation)
• Shinzō Abe
• Kim Jong-un
• Anthony Gregory
• Nobusuke Kishi
• “U.S., South Korea start annual war games that infuriate North Korea” (CBS News)
• Doug Bandow
• “North Korea: US not seeking regime change, says Rex Tillerson” (BBC)
• “How the miserable death of Moammar Gadhafi factors into Kim Jong Un’s nuclear ambitions” (CNBC)
• “Chronology of U.S.-North Korean Nuclear and Missile Diplomacy” (Arms Control Association)
• Axis of Evil (David Frum)
• Non-Proliferation Treaty
• Peter Lee (@ChinaHand)
• “Trump: ‘China is stealing from us’” (Forbes)
• “North Korea now making missile-ready nuclear weapons, U.S. analysts say” (Washington Post)
• “Will Ripley: ‘[Nuclear weapons] are an insurance policy to keep the current government in power [in Pyongyang] and to prevent outside attack’” (CNN Transcript)
• “Krauthammer: Public missing point of Trump threats” (YouTube)
• RayMcGovern.com
• Leonid Breshnev
• Seoul
• Dennis Rodman
• United States Forces Korea
• Theodore Postol

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Andrew Bacevich, author of “America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History” joins Scott to discuss his article for The American Conservative “Yes Congress, Afghanistan is Your Vietnam.” Bacevich explains that the division between Trump’s advisors on how to proceed in Afghanistan has created a stalemate in the Oval Office. It’s noteworthy, Bacevich says, that there hasn’t been a comprehensive report from the Trump administration outlining the United States’s foreign policy mission. On the one hand it seems like Trump has handed the reigns over to the military in certain conflicts and has been controlling in others, which has created disarray Bacevich says. Bacevich contrasts Donald Trump with his predecessors George W. Bush and Barack Obama who, by comparison, are intellectual stalwarts. Bacevich says the one possible benefit of Trump’s erraticism is that he has, so far, rejected U.S. foreign policy of the past 25 years. But while Trump may have noninterventionist tendencies, his lack of a coherent, principled plan means that he often veers off course into violent conflicts all the same.

Andrew Bacevich is a Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History at Boston University. He is the author of a number of books including “America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History” and is a regular contributor at The American Conservative and TomDispatch.com.

Don’t forget to check out Scott’s new book Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan.

Discussed on the show:

• “Thousands More Troops Needed To Break Afghanistan ‘Stalemate,’ General Warns” (NPR)
• Erik Prince
• “Bannon & Kushner Want to Outsource Afghanistan to Mercenaries,” by Mark Perry (The American Conservative)
• James Mattis
• H.R. McMaster
• “The Knives Are Out for Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster” (Foreign Policy)
• “I agree with Pres. Obama on Afghanistan. We should have a speedy withdrawal. Why should we keep wasting our money — rebuild the U.S.!” (Donald Trump, via Twitter)
• John Bolton

Quote of the show: “In comparison to Trump, George W. Bush looks like Bismark.” —Andrew Bacevich

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Executive director of the Council for the National Interest and former CIA officer Phil Giraldi returns to the show to discuss his latest article for The American Conservative, “Hack or Leak: Who Really Stole the DNC Files?” While there isn’t conclusive evidence for any of the potential explanations for how the information got from the DNC computer to WikiLeaks, Giraldi explains that no one seems to be particularly interested in investigating who was responsible. Did the Russians hack the DNC? Giraldi believes that the U.S. has no chain of evidence leading them to the conclusion that Russia is responsible. However, Giraldi cautions that, even if the information was leaked rather than hacked, it wouldn’t remove Russia as a suspect. What about the Seth Rich theory? Giraldi believes Rich is at the top of a short list of potential leakers, but that there’s still plenty of unscrutinized evidence. Giraldi then discusses the upcoming Ron Paul Institute’s Peace and Prosperity Conference where he will be speaking on September 9th. Finally, Giraldi touches on his article for The Unz Review, “Israel’s Chorus Sings Again” about U.S.-Israeli relations and the outrage against Rex Tillerson and H.R. McMaster’s relatively cool approach to Israel.

Phil Giraldi is the executive director of the Council for the National Interest a former CIA case officer and Army intelligence officer. He has been a contributing editor at The American Conservative for nine years and writes regularly for Antiwar.com.

Oh, and buy Scott’s new book, Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan!

Discussed on the show:

• “The FBI Never Asked For Access To Hacked Computer Servers” (BuzzFeed News)
• “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections” (Office of the Director of National Intelligence)
• “U.S. Spy Report Blames Putin for Hacks, But Doesn’t Back It Up” (The Daily Beast)
• “WikiLeaks: CIA hacking group ‘UMBRAGE’ stockpiled techniques from other hackers” (USA Today)
• Iron Felix
• “12/13/16 Craig Murray: DNC, Podesta emails leaked by Americans, not hacked by Russia” (The Scott Horton Show)
• Mossad
• Stuxnet
• “Leaked Seymour Hersh Audio: FBI File Proves Seth Rich Was Wikileaks Source” (YouTube)
• “‘Lack of hope’ drives Palestinians to carry out terrorist attacks, State Department says” (Mondweiss.com)

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You are listening to the Scott Horton Show. 8/8/17 Ramzy Baroud on the Palestinian response to the Jerusalem Attack

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