Phil Weiss joins Scott to discuss Ahed Tamimi’s plea bargain, which will result in eight months in prison. Weiss argues that Israeli culture has gone off the rails and that all the fears that Americans have about the rightward swing in the U.S. are being fully realized in Israel. Weiss then details the shift in American Jews’ views towards Israel and how young people, in particular, have unfavorable views toward Israel. Finally Weiss and Scott talk about the move of the Iran Deal, John Bolton,...

Cato’s Doug Bandow returns to the show to discuss Donald Trump’s decision to negotiate seriously with the North Koreans. Bandow believes that, while much can still go wrong, this is a real opportunity for traction and progress. Bandow raises the Iran Deal and the North Koreans certain interest in what the Trump administration will ultimately decide to do with the existing agreement with Iran. The interview then turns to Iran, and whether Donald Trump could take the same approach to Iran that...

The Intercept’s Jon Schwarz returns to discuss the history of the Iraq War 15 years after one of the most shameful events in U.S. history. Schwarz and Scott run through and debunk the myriad lies and propaganda that were spread before and after the invasion. Schwarz then details through the major players in and out of the government who cheerleaded for war in Iraq and throughout the Middle East. The two then discuss the role Ariel Sharon and the Israeli government pumped the Bush...

NBC News reporter William Arkin returns to the show to discuss Russia’s influence in American democracy and his article “Russians Target Texas Democratic Convention.” Arkin makes the case, based on his research, that Russia is in fact engaging in a broad ranging covert operation against American democracy. Arkin and Scott discuss the extent to which Russiagate mirrors the lead up to the Iraq War. Arkin then goes through the various scattered evidence that’s been collected and argues that the...

Investigative columnist Jim Bovard returns to the show to discuss his latest piece for The Hill, “Time for the US to end democracy promotion flim-flams.” Bovard makes the case for  why cutting spending to “pro-democratic organizations” would be a good thing, and explains what the consequences would be. Bovard and Scott then discuss the rule of Vladimir Putin and his perception in the United States before finishing with a rundown of the latest events in Syria. Jim Bovard is a columnist for USA...

Christian Appy, author of “American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity,” joins Scott to reflect on 50 years since the Mai Lai Massacre. Appy sets the conditions for the My Lai massacre and explains why it shocked the country from its previously steadfast belief in its exceptionalism. Appy further explains how anti-Asian racism played a role both in the My Lai massacre and in the Vietnam War more broadly and in U.S. foreign policy at large. Christian Appy is a professor of...

Reporter Mark Perry returns to the show to discuss his latest article for The American Conservative, “The Political Forces Behind Rex Tillerson’s Firing.” Perry begins by breaking down what he calls the “Qatar Fiasco” and the role that Israel and its friendly American think tanks played in the increasing tensions between Qatar and the other Arab states. Perry then explains why he thinks the real investigation by Robert Mueller that will bear fruit is Jared Kushner’s potential “Pay For Play”...

John Kiriakou returns to the show to discuss Trump’s nomination of Gina Haspel as the new head of the CIA. Kiriakou begins by clarifying what’s fact from fiction about Abu Zubaydah and Haspel’s role in the CIA torture program. Scott and Kiriakou then re-live the propaganda and lies that led to the Iraq War and the role that torture played in the grand deception. Finally Scott and Kiriakou discuss whether Haspel will face any real opposition in her confirmation process. John Kiriakou is a...

Eli Clifton joins Scott to discuss his latest piece with Jim Lobe, “Pompeo: Springtime For Irano/Islamophobes.” Clifton describes how the neocons have direct access to the Trump presidency and how they’ve whipped up a consistent stream of Islamaphobia in the United States. Clifton then details how Mike Pompeo has framed Middle East conflict in the terms of a Christian holy war and why his appointment to Secretary of State is foreboding. Eli Clifton is a reporting fellow with The Investigative...

Associate member of Veterans for Peace Chris Smiley joins Scott to discuss his new documentary “U.S. Veterans Witness Brutal Reality for Ahed Tamimi and Palestinians.” Smiley details the scope of the documentary, which shows what life is like for the people of the town of Nabi Salih, which borders an Israeli settlement. Scott and Smiley begin by discussing the details of Ahed Tamimi. Scott then makes the case for Palestinian property rights and Smiley juxtaposes the right of return in Israel...

Tim Shorrock returns to the show to discuss Trump’s decision to negotiate with North Korea. According to Shorrock the media has largely completely ignored the role South Korean Moon Jae-in has played in making diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea possible. Shorrock then describes the threats North Korea has faced from the United States since the Korean War, and why ending U.S. hostilities is a necessary precondition for real diplomacy. Finally Shorrock discusses the militaristic streak...

Executive editor of the Libertarian Institute Sheldon Richman returns to the show to discuss Trump’s new tariffs on steel and aluminum. According to Richman the major damage of Trump’s tariffs will be felt by downstream producers and the disruption to the price system. Richman details how, contrary to popular belief, technology has increased factory output in the United States while reducing factory jobs—and that the Chinese, the Mexicans, etc. are scapegoats for useful idiots. Richman then...

Peter Van Buren returns to the show to discuss Donald Trump’s decision to meet with Kim Jung-Un to open relations between the United States and North Korea. Van Buren explains why he thinks this is a monumental decision and why there’s real reason for (cautious) optimism and wonders whether this could be Trump’s Nixon-goes-to-China moment. Van Buren then addresses the number one issue on the table: is North Korea actually willing to discuss giving up their nuclear weapons? Van Buren gives a...

Eric Eikenberry of the Yemen Peace Project joins Scott to discuss Senate Joint Resolution 54, which invokes the War Powers Resolution of 1973 to end U.S. aid and support the bombardment of Yemen by coalition forces. Eikenberry explains why, in addition to ending the catastrophic bombardment of Yemen, the invocation of the War Powers Resolution is so significant—it's never happened before. Eikenberry then explains why the AUMF gets tied up in the language of Joint Senate Resolution 54 and has...

Aaron Maté of The Real News joins Scott to discuss two of his latest pieces for The Nation, “Hyping the Mueller Indictment” and “What We’ve Learned in Year 1 of Russiagate.” Maté explains why he thinks the Trump-Russia collusion case is much ado about nothing and how Trump’s pre-election attempts to de-escalate tensions with Russia have been misconstrued as collusion. Scott and Maté then discuss how the centrist left, with the help of Facebook and corporate media, is using the Russiagate...