Blogger Marcy Wheeler discusses the NSA "reform" bills making the rounds through Congress; how the once-promising USA Freedom Act was ruined; renewing the PATRIOT Act through 2017; the FBI's unfettered surveillance of Americans; and the NGOs embracing the lesser-evilism of crappy reform legislation (hey, it's better than nothing...).

Jeff Stein, a Newsweek contributing editor in Washington, discusses why Israel won't stop spying on the U.S. and why Congress can't clear all the obstacles to a visa waiver program for Israelis.

Jeff Tucker, publisher of Laissez Faire Books, discusses his new Liberty.me website that provides a place for libertarians to gather for friendship, publishing and learning.

Jonathan Landay, a national security and intelligence reporter for McClatchy Newspapers, discusses the surge in terror attacks by aggressive al Qaida affiliate groups; why a global Islamic caliphate still isn't a realistic threat to the West; and how Iran and Hezbollah helped the Syrian government stave off defeat last year.

Eric Margolis, an award-winning syndicated columnist, discusses the Ukrainian military's attempt to take back territory won by pro-Russian protesters; conflict between neo-Nazis and Communists, reminiscent of WWII; and why you should seek a bomb shelter when a politician invokes national "prestige."

Ramzy Baroud, an internationally syndicated columnist and author; discusses the unification of disparate Palestinian factions into the PLO; healing the rifts between Hamas and Fatah; and how Israel maintains the pretense of pursuing a two-state solution while systematically undermining it.

Gareth Porter, an award-winning independent journalist and historian, continues yesterday's discussion of the August 2013 sarin gas attack in Syria and parses the conflicting opinions of bloggers and experts on who was responsible for the attack and what really happened.

Anand Gopal, author of No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes, discusses his article "How the U.S. Created the Afghan War - and Then Lost It;" the squandered chance to ally with Jalaluddin Haqqani in 2001 and avoid spreading the war into Pakistan; and why the Afghan government would fall immediately without continued US support.

Gareth Porter, an award-winning independent journalist and historian, discusses the new evidence that casts doubt on the official story of the August 2013 sarin gas attack in Syria.

John Feffer, co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus, discusses the Obama administration's troubled Asia-Pacific Pivot plan; the new military agreement on US bases and troops in the Philippines; and why the US is backing Japan in a controversial island dispute with China.

Sheldon Richman, vice president of The Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses his (sort of) defense of John Kerry's statement on securing a two-state solution to prevent an apartheid Israel; the oft-repeated historical myth of "a land without a people for a people without a land;" and the facts on the ground that show Israel is already an apartheid state.

Karen Greenberg, editor of The Torture Papers: The Road to Abu Ghraib, discusses the 10-year anniversary of the Abu Ghraib torture scandal and why the Bush administration got away with it; and how the Senate Intelligence Committee report threatens to undermine all the legal and practical justifications for Bush-era torture programs.

David Rohde, an investigative reporter for Reuters and a contributing editor for The Atlantic, discusses his article "How America Lost Vladimir Putin;" rifts in the US-Russia relationship since Putin's offer of assistance after 9/11; Putin's fear that his government was targeted for the next pro-democracy NGO-backed color-coded revolution; and why it's hard to differentiate between the "will of the people" and foreign agitators in Ukraine's civil strife.

Sheldon Richman, vice president of The Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses how libertarians can win friends and influence people (to the cause of peace and liberty); popular myths on economics and the role of government; the bureaucratic roadblocks to operating a small business and earning a living; and whether Rand Paul is a true champion of liberty.

Ray McGovern, a retired CIA officer turned political activist, discusses former State Department think-tank director Anne-Marie Slaughter's op-ed advising bombing Syria to intimidate Russia; John Kerry's poor performance compared to his Russian counterpart; how US aggression is pushing China and Russia closer together; and the widespread confusion on who is responsible for the chemical attacks in Syria.