Senior Humanitarian advisor at OxFam America Scott Paul returns to the show to discuss the latest developments in the U.S.-Saudi war in Yemen. Paul explains that the situation has gone from bad to gruesome with the latest Saudi blockade following the Houthi attempted missile strike of the Saudi airport at Ridyah. According to Paul seven million people are attempting to survive on one meal a day while cholera cases continue to soar. Paul says that aid is the first major step, but that a...
11/15/17 Grant Smith on Americans’ waning patience for military spending
Grant Smith, director of the Institute for Research Middle Eastern Policy returns to the show to discuss his latest article for Antiwar.com "Poll: Americans Would Cut Middle East War Spending." Smith promotes the IRMEP's upcoming 2018 conference and explains why he believes the organized Israel lobbying groups are, contrary to their claims, unrepresentative of American Jewish communities. Scott and Smith then discuss whether Israel needs the United States' continual aid and why...
11/7/17 Congressman Walter Jones on his fight for H.Con.Res.81 and against the War Party
Congressman Walter Jones of North Carolina joins Scott to discuss his co-sponsorship of H.Con.Res.81, the United States's never-ending wars, and how Congress can take back its mantle. Jones explains why he blames Paul Ryan for the lack of a vote on H.Con.Res.81, how Congress has abdicated its responsibility on matters of war, and why issues of war and peace are the most pressing that are facing the U.S. Discussed on the show: Authorized for Use of Military Force (AUMF) "Al-Qaeda claims it is...
10/6/17 Alex Kane on the rise of American police training in Israel
Journalist Alex Kane joins the show to talk about his latest article "Ending Deadly Collusion between U.S. and Israeli Police." Kane describes how American police regularly travel to Israel to train, and how the Jewish Voice for Peace Chapter decided to bring light to the issue through their new "Deadly Exchange." According to Kane, hundreds of American police officers have travelled to Israel and trained with Israeli commanders. Kane then details the multifaceted cooperation between Israeli...
11/6/17 Reese Erlich on the political turmoil in Iraqi-Kurdistan and Saudi Arabia
Reese Erlich returns to the show to discuss his latest article for Antiwar.com, "US Sells Out the Kurds—Again" Erlich discusses the history of the Kurds in Iraq, America's yo-yoing approach to first supporting then betraying the Kurds, and how it all relates back to today. Scott then brings the discussion to the political turmoil in Saudi Arabia, and what the apparent coup means for the U.S.-Saudi relations and the Middle East generally. Reese Erlich is a nationally syndicated columnist and...
11/6/17 Elijah Magnier on the mayhem in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia
Middle East correspondent Elijah Magnier returns to the show to discuss the latest turmoil in the Middle East and his recent article "ISIS into History’s rubbish bin and Iraq neither Iranian nor American." Magnier shares what he knows about the resignation of Saad Hariri in Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia's role in the latest Middle Eastern mess. Magnier then discusses the history of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the distinction between the terrorist group and the parliamentary party, which has considerable...
11/6/17 John Feffer on Donald Trump’s escalation of North Korea
John Feffer returns to the show following his trip to South Korea and Japan where Donald Trump is visiting to continue his escalation against North Korea. Feffer details China's role in curtailing North Korea, why the effort has fallen short, and how the Trump administration continues to pressure countries in the region. Scott wonders whether Donald Trump is really as dangerous on North Korea as everyone portrays him—and why neither the United States or North Korea has motivation to start a...
10/31/17 Mark Thornton explains why ending heroin prohibition will solve America’s opiate crisis
Mark Thornton returns to the show to discuss his latest articles for the Mises Institute "The Real Cause of America's Opioid Epidemic" and "Big Pharma Makes Drugs that Please Regulators, Not Customers." Thornton makes the case for why legalizing heroin—and all drugs—would be a major step towards solving the opioid crisis. Instead, because of FDA regulations, doctors and pharmaceutical companies are not held liable for the awful consequences of their use. According to Thornton, and counter to...
10/30/17 Trevor Thrall on ending the war on terror
Cato Institute senior fellow Trevor Thrall joins Scott to discuss his article for War On The Rocks, "Time to Step Back from the War on Terror." Thrall's piece details how the U.S. war on terror has been a failure and raises the question "what if we abolish the war on terror?" Thrall's solution begins by, in the first place, stopping the constant interventions in the first place. Thrall believes that, at the root of the problem, is the fact that America believes it needs to control everything,...
10/27/17 Gareth Porter deconstructs Trump’s decision to decertify the Iran Deal
Gareth Porter returns to the show to discuss his latest article for The American Conservative "Trump Trashes Iran Deal to Satisfy Netanyahu." Porter discusses Trump's goal to convince Congress to pass new sanctions against Iran and explains why, even if the United States breaks the deal, Iran may have incentives to remain in the deal. Porter and Scott then take a trip back down memory road to the outset of the Iraq War and the role Iran played in helping push the U.S. gears into war. The two...
10/27/17 Patrick Cockburn on Iraqi Kurdistan and the liberation of Raqqa
Patrick Cockburn joins Scott from Baghdad to discuss the liberation of Raqqa from ISIS and the battle in Kirkurk between the Iraqi army and Peshmerga. Cockburn describes how ISIS is still in business as a guerrilla force, but the caliphate has been destroyed. Cockburn further details which powers in the region have gained in influence and power and who faces even more pressure—in particular the Kurds, who have seen major losses since the referendum for independence, which Cockburn believes was...
10/27/17 Matthew Hoh reflects on Afghanistan then and now
Whistleblower Matthew Hoh returns to the show to discuss the Afghanistan War, what's changed and what's stayed the same. Hoh recalls how he challenged the U.S. war party by speaking out against the Afghan War during Obama's surge, why Obama's—and every other president's—Afghan policy has failed, and how the failings were obvious from the outset. Hoh then touches on the reportedly expanded role of the CIA in tracking the Taliban and the United States's disastrous partnership with the Afghan...
10/26/17 Kate Kizer on H.Con.Res.81 and how to end the war in Yemen
Kate Kizer, the Director of Policy and Advocacy at The Yemen Peace Project joins Scott to discuss H.Con.Res.81 which is attempting to "remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen." The resolution may be voted on as soon as Friday, November 3rd despite the efforts of some members, including Paul Ryan, to prevent the bill from coming to the floor. Kizer explains why she's optimistic that the bill will pass as momentum continues to grow as it's been delayed—but that every...
10/26/17 Trita Parsi on the recently decertified Iran Deal
Trita Parsi returns to the show to discuss the Trump administration's decision to decertify the Iran Deal and what comes next. Parsi outlines how the Trump administration is going to follow the path of the Iraq War by cooking intelligence and making claims of ties between the Iranians and al Qaeda. Ultimately Parsi believes this will come down to whether the American people believe the lies the White House is peddling. Trita Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council and...
10/25/17 Nasser Arrabyee updates the U.S.-Saudi War in Yemen
Nasser Arrabyee returns to the show and updates the fighting in Yemen where Saudi airstrikes continue throughout the country, including in Sana'a. Arrabyee explains how Yemen has devolved into a mess of conflicting tribal and national interests. Scott introduces H.Con.Res.81 and explains what you can do to help stop the U.S. war in Yemen, which has, among other things led to nearly a million cases of cholera infections in the country. There are two different kinds of people being killed every...
