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Scott interviewed Andrew Cockburn about some recent articles he’s written. They start with a piece digging into the actual national security budget, which is much higher than people typically think. They also talk about the consequences of the war on terror, Julian Assange, the threat of government censorship and more.

Discussed on the show:

• “Our Real National Security Budget” (Substack)
• “The Pentagon’s Silicon Valley Problem” (Harper’s)

Andrew Cockburn is the Washington editor of Harper’s Magazine and the author of The Spoils of War: Power, Profit and the American War Machine and Kill Chain: The Rise of the High-Tech Assassins. Follow him on Twitter @andrewmcockburn.

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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Veteran journalist and UN correspondent Joe Lauria updates Scott on the latest from Syria and Iraq. The attack on Mosul is likely to begin in mid October, and Islamic state may have deserted large portions of the city. If true, it could mean less civilian casualties due to US aerial bombardment of the city during the Iraqi and Peshmerga operation. Lauria discusses the possibility that the ISIL fighters from Mosul may have left and gone to Syria, where they are fighting the Assad regime. Russia and the Assad regime are increasingly frustrated with and at odds with the Americans and their allies, and they’ve begun to attack Aleppo without restraint after the collapse of the cease fire. The Americans have responded by charging that the Russians are committing war crimes at the UN.  Get all of the updates in this interview.

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Daniel Lazare at consortiumnews.com and author of “The Frozen Republic” talks about Hillary Clinton’s new ISIS fighting scheme with Scott. Daniel talks about Clinton’s nondescript and undefined “intelligence surge” and her desire to kill al-Baghdadi in the new plan.  Daniel talks about what could happen to ISIS and it’s organizational direction after al-Baghdadi’s death, including a renewed focus on Persian Gulf terrorism, especially with regard to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi role in Syria and in Middle Eastern instability is also discussed at length.

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David Noriega, reporter for Buzzfeed News, talks about Act for America and Brigitte Gabriel, and his new article: “Meet the Charming, Terrifying Face of the the Anti-Islam Lobby”. David talks about Gabriel and Act for America’s organization efforts in communities to spread Islamophobia. Brigitte Gabriel’s biography as a refugee from the Lebanese Civil War is also discussed, as well as her efforts to paint that war as a Holy War against Christianity by Islam, which is patently false . David also talks about the sincerity of “The Anti Islam Lobby”, and Frank Gaffney’s links between Cold War paranoia and conspiracy and American Islamophobia. Is the American Republic about to fall to the Muslim Brotherhood? Find out in today’s interview.

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“The Washington Post is Wrong”, but Scott asks: about what this time? Trevor Timm, The Guardian writer, lawyer, and Executive Director of Freedom.press, talks about his new article subtitled “Edward Snowden Should be Pardoned”. PardonSnowden.org, Snowden’s exaggerated leaks, what he really exposed, why he’s stuck in Russia, how a foreign government got everything from the NSA’s spying on the American people, and how this info is used to kill human beings is all deconstructed along with all of the government lies along the way on another great episode of the Scott Horton Show.

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Raeford Davis, a former police officer in South Carolina and member of LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), discusses the murder of Levonia Riggins by a Tampa, Florida SWAT team armed to the teeth for a drug raid that ultimately uncovered 2 grams of marijuana – enough for one joint.

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Eric Margolis, journalist and author of American Raj, discusses the recent border clash in Kashmir where militants killed 17 Indian soldiers, increasing tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.

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Grant F. Smith, director of research at the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy and author of Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America, discusses the poll showing Americans think the US’s $38 billion military aid package to Israel would be better spent elsewhere, and IRMEP’s lawsuit claiming aid to Israel is downright illegal.

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Nasser Arrabyee, a Yemeni journalist based in Sanaa, discusses the US Senate’s rejection of Rand Paul’s joint resolution to block a billion dollar arms deal to Saudi Arabia, and why the US feels the need to placate the Saudis over the Iran nuclear deal – even though the destruction of Yemen helps Al Qaeda and ISIS gain power.

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