Katherine Hawkins, the National Security Fellow at OpenTheGovernment.org, discusses the lies hidden inside the Senate report on CIA torture; the Office of Legal Council's memos authorizing the program; and the CIA's lies to the credulous Department of Justice.

Grant F. Smith, director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy, discusses the IRmep commissioned poll showing Americans believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be investigated for nuclear weapons tech smuggling before he is allowed to visit the US.

Giorgio Cafiero, founder of Gulf State Analytics, discusses how Sunni-Shia sectarian tensions could be inflamed across the Middle East if Saudi Arabia carries out its death sentence on popular Shi'ite cleric and political dissident Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr.

Muhammad Sahimi, professor of chemical engineering at USC, discusses his article "Washington's Hawks Provide Ammunition for Tehran's Hawks;" and why a failed Iran nuclear deal would probably cause Iran's moderate President Rouhani to be replaced by an Ahmadinejad clone.  

Blogger Marcy Wheeler discusses the government's persecution of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling, who faces 80 years in prison on unproven, circumstantial evidence under the Espionage Act, related to his communication with journalist James Risen about the CIA's Merlin operation against Iran.

Mitchell Prothero, a McClatchy Foreign Staff journalist, discusses the Islamic State's apparent overreach in Kobani (Syria) where Kurdish fighters backed by US airstrikes forced their retreat.

Gareth Porter, an award-winning independent journalist and historian, discusses the Obama administration's change of heart on Syria policy, where they are no longer entertaining the fantasy that "moderates" will depose President Assad and defeat the radical Islamists also.

Gabriel Schivone, a writer and humanitarian volunteer in Tucson, discusses his article "Gaza in Arizona: How Israeli High-Tech Firms Will Up-Armor the U.S.-Mexican Border."

Adam Morrow, a Cairo-based journalist with IPS News, discusses the Egyptian government's violent crackdown on protests commemorating the 2011 uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak; and the beginnings of another revolution against Egypt's new military dictatorship.

Eric Margolis, journalist and author of American Raj, discusses Charlie Hebdo and the free speech double standard; French President Hollande's popularity-gaining (and blowback-generating) invasions all over the Muslim world; and what comes after the death of Saudi King Abdullah.

Jim Lobe, chief of the Washington bureau of IPS News, discusses Republican House Speaker John Boehner's protocol-breaching invitation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress - conveniently timed to bolster Netanyahu's reelection chances and sabotage an Iranian nuclear deal.

Kathy Kelly, coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, discusses her impending 3-month prison sentence for carrying a loaf of bread across a line while protesting the US drone war at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

Douglas Lucas, a writer at WhoWhatWhy.org, discusses "hacktivist" journalist Barrett Brown's sentencing hearing, that could get him 8 1/2 years in prison for violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act among other questionable charges. Transcript: SH: Hey Douglas how are you doing? DL: Hey I'm fine. The Government has claimed - I mean prosecutor Heath has claimed quote 'The Government did not prosecute Mr Brown for political purposes', the judge has stated quote, 'What took place is not going...

Peter Van Buren, author of We Meant Well and a frequent TomDispatch contributor, discusses how the US military-industrial complex profits from resupplying Iraq's army with equipment that is too expensive to maintain and of little operational utility - essentially corporate welfare for General Dynamics, producer of M1 tanks.

Nebojsa Malic, a regular columnist for Antiwar.com, discusses President Obama's claim that the US is upholding "the principle that bigger nations can't bully the small" regarding Russia and Ukraine; and why Ukraine might be deliberately losing military offenses in a bid to gain more US aid and intervention.