Fordham Law Professor John Pfaff joins the show to discuss his article for TheAppeal.org “The Perverse Incentives of Punishment.” Pfaff begins by sharing the story of a sheriff in Alabama who kept the remaining funds from feeding prisoners in the county jail for himself—and used the money to buy himself a beach house. Scott then discusses the true problem with private prison systems, and why even libertarians should be against private prisons. Pfaff then explains why prosecutors have...

Ray McGovern returns to the show to discuss his latest article, “Bolton Flunky Fleitz Raises Stakes for Iran.” McGovern explains why the role of the NSC and the cabinet play a vital role in national security and foreign policy decisions and gives the background on Fred Fleitz, John Bolton’s new chief of staff. McGovern then shares his memories of working with Colin Powell and how a “smart saluter” was tricked into spreading George W. Bush and the neocons’ lies. McGovern then delves into the...

Daniel Lazare returns to the show to discuss his latest article for Consortium News, “Spooks Spooking Themselves.” Lazare begins by expressing his disbelief in the consensus view that the DNC was in fact hacked. He makes the case instead, by reviewing the timeline of the claims that Russia colluded with the Trump administration to secure the election for Donald Trump, that the whole thing has been an intelligence operation from the beginning, citing much from Jane Mayer’s piece about the...

Journalists Max Blumenthal and Dan Cohen join the show to discuss their new documentary “Killing Gaza.” Blumenthal and Cohen describe how they each came to identify as Jewish anti-Zionists, the radical rightward shift in Israeli domestic politics, and the pro-Zionist and anti-Semitic views of the American evangelical Christian community. Then they transition to their new documentary “Killing Gaza” and how they set about documenting the hell they witnessed in the wake of the 51-day war in 2014....

Michael Bell returns to the show to discuss the latest developments in his pursuit for truth and justice for his son who was killed by the police in 2004. Bell relives the details of his son’s death and the events that led up to his killing. Bell then talks about his secretly-recorded conversation with the cop who pulled the trigger, which is included in Free Thought Project’s article, “Dad Confronts The Cop Who Killed His Unarmed Sun, Secretly Records It.” Michael Bell is a retired U.S. air...

Philip Weiss returns to the show to discuss his recent trip to Israel and Palestine, where he attempted to see the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem and get as close to the Gaza border as possible. Weiss and Scott discuss the tragedy of the Israeli massacre of unarmed Palestinians, the history of Israel-Palestine diplomacy, whether there can be any sliver-lining found in Trump’s overt support for Israel. Weiss then discusses the changes he’s seen in the American Jewish community’s...

British journalist Nadine Dahan joins Scott to discuss her article for Middle East Eye, “Haftar forces launch fresh attack on besieged Libyan city of Derna.” Dahan discusses the factional politics and power struggle within Libya, and the power grab by the American-Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar. Scott then asks, “Will Libya ever be truly unified again?” In response Dahan details the many pitfalls in unifying the country, chief among which is the fact that everyone in the country is armed. Dahan...

Foreign correspondent Eric Margolis joins Scott to discuss Israel-Palestine, the history of Palestinian suffering, how the future of the conflict might be resolved or exaggerated. Margolis recalls his mother’s reporting on Israel-Palestine, and the consequences and threats she endured, takes up the possibility that Trump’s overwhelming support for Israel could turn it into a bipartisan issue, and discusses the close relationship between Israel’s right wing and American Evangelists. Finally...

Peter van Buren returns to the show to discuss his recent trip to Iran during which Trump pulled the United States out of the Iran Deal and the United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Van Buren wrote about his experience in a commentary piece for Reuters, “I just visited Iran. Here’s what I heard about the U.S.” Van Buren discusses his experience in Iran and the conversations he had, the consequences of withdrawing from the Iran Deal, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech...

Richard Garfield, author of “Morbidity and Mortality among IraqiChildren from 1990 through 1998” joins Scott to set the record straight about the true consequences of American economic warfare in Iraq during the Clinton-era sanctions. Garfield describes the different methodologies of determining mortality rates and their respective limitations. He then addresses the shortcomings and major criticisms of UNICEF’s findings that the sanctions led to half-a-million excess deaths. Finally Scott and...

Elijah Magnier returns to the show to discuss the results of the recent Iraqi parliamentary election and the possible coalitions that could form in order to determine who will be the next Iraqi prime minister. Magnier discusses how the Iraqi civil war has affected voting turnout, who really holds the key to power, and why sectarianism in Iraq is receding into the background. Elijah Magnier is the chief international correspondent at Al Rai and a political and terrorism/counterterrorism...

Trita Parsi returns to the show to discuss his experience as the target of a Black Cube investigation into the grounds of the JCPOA or Iran Nuclear Deal. Parsi sets the scene of the fishing phone call he received and what he found most disturbing about the entire experience. Scott and Parsi then discuss the consequences of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran Deal. According to Parsi, no one can fully appreciate the true importance of the deal and the expert diplomacy required to make...

Brett Wilkins, the editor-at-large for U.S. news at Digital Journal joins Scott to discuss his latest articles, “The Dark Side of Israeli Independence,” and “To Understand Iran, Try History, Not Hysteria.” Scott and Wilkins discuss the history of U.S.-Iranian relations, the Iran-Iraq War, and the utter ignorance most Americans, fed by media manipulations, have towards Iran. Wilkins then runs through the many acts of aggression the United States has taken against Iran, including the release of...

Nasser Arrabyee returns to the show to discuss the most recent developments in the ongoing U.S.-Saudi war in Yemen. Arrabyee discusses the latest fighting along the coast of Hodeidah, the assassination of Houthi president Saleh al-Samad and its fallout, the UAE’s power grab to annex the island of Socotra, the presence of green berets in southern Yemen, and how the United States’ efforts have primarily helped Iran and al Qaeda. Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He...

Sheldon Richman returns to the show to discuss his latest article, “TGIF: Shabbos with Zaide” about his relationship with his grandfather, originally published in 1989. Richman describes his childhood growing up in conservative/orthodox community in Philadelphia and how his grandfather influenced his religious and political views. Richman then describes the history of the creation of Israel and the debate within the Jewish community over the legitimacy or expediency of the creation of a Jewish...