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Scott brings Eli Clifton of Responsible Statecraft on to discuss the recent revelations about Twitter’s boosting of U.S. military information operations. They go over some of the details outlined in Lee Fang’s thread, which served as part 8 of the ongoing Twitter Files. Fang reveals Twitter’s hypocrisy as the firm publicly exposed and censored disinformation campaigns by foreign governments while it worked to amplify specific fake propaganda accounts at the request of the Pentagon. Scott and Clifton go through what we learned and then zoom out. Although they see a lot of value in these Twitter Files disclosures, the two also voice concern over the lack of action Musk appears to be taking beyond just exposing past behavior. They point out how financially dependent Musk is on the government which serves as a natural ceiling to how much he can expose and upset the military and intelligence agencies. They also talk about the enormous scale and efficacy of foreign lobbying on the government, DC think tanks and America’s largest companies. 

Discussed on the show:

• “How Twitter hid US-military info ops from the public” (Responsible Statecraft)
• “The Twitter Files Part 8: How Twitter Quietly Aided the Pentagon’s Covert Online PsyOp Campaign” (Twitter)
• “DC think tank puts hawkish former Aussie PM on China Center board” (Responsible Statecraft)

Eli Clifton is a senior advisor at the Quincy Institute and Investigative-Journalist-at-Large at Responsible Statecraft. Follow him on Twitter @EliClifton.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.

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Eric Margolis, journalist and author of American Raj, discusses Palestine’s overwhelming victory in its bid for non-member observer state status at the UN (with the US in lonely opposition); how influential pro-Israel lobbies have paralyzed US Mideast policy; Canada’s own religious right movement; the Israeli government’s fear of Palestine’s new-found access to the International Criminal Court; the double standard on terrorist/freedom-fighter bombers in Kabul and Damascus, respectively; and whether Egypt’s President Morsi is eliminating the remnants of Mubarak’s dictatorship – or establishing his own.

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Jeff Paterson of Courage to Resist discusses Bradley Manning’s conditional guilty plea and testimony in his own defense; the bogus justification for Manning’s extended “suicide watch” detention at Quantico; how Manning’s sentence (if the judge finds him guilty) will show if the military is accountable for torturing its own soldiers or not; and Julian Assange’s retrospective on Manning and Cablegate.

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Kevin Zeese, Co-Chair of Come Home America, discusses Bradley Manning’s pretrial hearing at Fort Meade; evidence that Manning’s mistreatment at Quantico was orchestrated by Pentagon brass; lawyer David Coombs’ careful and effective questioning of witnesses; and the news updates at BradleyManning.org.

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Scott McConnell, co-founder of The American Conservative, discusses his article “Why Americans Don’t Understand Palestine;” the mainstream media’s “journalistic malpractice” on Israel/Gaza issues; the UN General Assembly’s overwhelming support for Palestine’s observer state status; why Israel will choose between apartheid and ethnic cleansing when two-state solution talks finally end; and how new American immigrants could turn the tide against empire and militarism.

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Jacob Hornberger, founder and president of the Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses his article “Outrage over Morsi but not over our Dictator;” the prerequisites for a truly free society; the federal courts’ excessive deference to the Pentagon and CIA; Obama’s pre-election concern about his “kill list” falling into Romney’s hands (so much for a nation of laws, not of men); and how arbitrary justice marks the height of tyranny.

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Sheldon Richman of the Future of Freedom Foundation discusses how the Washington and Colorado laws legalizing marijuana could nullify the federal war on drugs; the case for legalizing “hard” drugs; the realities of responsible drug use and addiction; and the creeping government regulation of drugs – starting in the early 20th century.

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Nathan Fuller, an activist with the Bradley Manning Support Network, discusses the progress of Manning’s pretrial hearings; his motion to dismiss the charges based on the denial of a speedy trial per the UCMJ; Manning’s upcoming testimony on his treatment in the Quantico Marine brig; new information about who ordered Bradley’s Prevention of Injury (POI) detainment – against the advice of psychologists; and how Wikileaks helped ignite the Arab Spring.

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Washington, D.C.-based freelance reporter Kelley B. Vlahos discusses her article “Another Thanksgiving in Afghanistan;” why the David Petraeus/Paula Broadwell scandal really matters; the US-trained Afghan thugs who will take over if and when the US ever withdraws; the underwhelming slate of candidates for CIA director; and the racism of the drone war.

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