Gareth Porter, an independent investigative journalist and historian, discusses the Obama administration's duplicitous and reactionary Iran policy; why even Netanyahu's biggest fans are getting tired of his inflammatory rhetoric; and the great opportunity for US-Iran reconciliation while Rouhani is president.

Jacob Hornberger, the founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses the 40th anniversary of the Chilean military coup; the US military and CIA's role in the coup and execution of two US citizens; why Congress has never bothered to hold hearings; the conservatives who still admire Pinochet and the torture of civilians in the war on communism; and a couple books on his recommended reading list: Michael Swanson's The War State and Stephen Kinzer's The Brothers.

Trita Parsi, founder and president of the National Iranian American Council, discusses Israel's absolute opposition to any US deal with Iran; how Benjamin Netanyahu's rhetoric has limited his diplomatic options; and the apparent removal of Obama's "red line" on intervention in Syria.

Ann Jones, author of They Were Soldiers: How the Wounded Return from America's Wars, discusses the ongoing yet already-forgotten war in Afghanistan; a history of US intervention in Afghanistan since the 1950s; repeating the mistakes of Soviet occupation; and the factions jockeying for power in anticipation of President Hamid Karzai's departure from office.

Blogger Marcy Wheeler discusses the New York Times article verifying the claims of NSA whistleblower William Binney; how the NSA achieved Total Information Awareness through multi-sourced metadata; the tightly-woven webs of information that get ordinary Americans caught up in foreign intelligence investigations; why the NSA can't or won't tell Senator Ron Wyden how many Americans have been spied on; and the good and bad aspects of Obamacare.

Alan Butler, host of the talk radio show Butler on Business, discusses the debt ceiling debate circus in Congress; the cruelty of the inflation tax; why the real unemployment rate isn't represented by official BLS numbers; evidence that the economy continues to get worse despite talk of recovery; and why GDP isn't a good measure of a nation's economic health.

M.J. Rosenberg, Special Correspondent for The Washington Spectator, discusses AIPAC's attempt to stop Obama from making a deal with Iran; the Democratic Party's heavy reliance on pro-Israel contributors; Israel's tone-deaf public relations strategies; why Republicans are too distracted to thwart an Iran deal; and the recently revealed evidence that Nixon and Kissinger aided genocide in Pakistan/Bangladesh.

Nima Shirazi, a contributing writer for Mondoweiss, discusses the surprisingly rapid progress toward a US-Iran deal; why the US must recognize Iran's inalienable right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy; Obama's precedent-setting phone call to Rouhani - the first direct presidential contact since 1979; and why US airstrikes on Syria appear to be off the table.

John Knefel, co-host of Radio Dispatch and freelance writer, discusses the FBI's out-of-control domestic spying; the "Domain Management" mapping software used to find all the Muslim communities in America; and how the FBI manufactures terrorist plots and entraps stooges to justify their budget.

Joe Lauria, a New York-based independent foreign affairs correspondent, discusses Iranian President Rouhani's press conference at the UN; the nearly-completed agreement on destroying Syria's chemical weapons stocks; Iran's eagerness to make a deal on their nuclear program to remedy the crippling effects of sanctions on their economy; and the Saudi and Israeli opposition to US-Iran rapprochement.

Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi discusses why the mainstream media won't cover the NSA's habit of passing raw intelligence on Americans to Israel; a cost-benefit analysis of the US-Israel "special relationship;" the few barriers to making a deal on Iran's nuclear program; and why Rand Paul is just an empty suit.

John Glaser, a writer for Antiwar.com and The Huffington Post, discusses why Obama shouldn't delay making a deal with Iran; the US's clear support for Al Qaeda in Syria - no matter how much John Kerry claims otherwise; John McCain's brain-damaged lunacy; Israel's latest house-demolishing war crimes in the occupied territories; and why no Israel-Palestine peace talks can end illegal Jewish settlements or find a two-state solution.

Ali Gharib, a journalist with Al Jazeera and The Daily Beast, discusses his article "US and Iran: The art of the nuclear deal;" the legitimacy (or not) of UN Security Council resolutions condemning Iran's nuclear program; disagreements about Iran's actual obligations/violations under the NPT; and why Bibi Netanyahu fears good US-Iran relations more than Iranian nukes.

Brendan O'Neill, editor of Spiked Online, discusses how foreign intervention ruined the genuine Syrian popular protests by discouraging a peaceful settlement with the government; the US's double standard on which Middle Eastern governments are repressive; and why the Syrian conflict could become worse and more widespread than Lebanon's 15 year civil war.

Marc Hyden, a coordinator with Conservatives Concerned with the Death Penalty, discusses the 3 main reasons he opposes the death penalty; why the justice system isn't very interested in a person's actual guilt or innocence; problems with eyewitness identification and forensic "experts;" the corruption of juries in capital cases; and the Conservatives Concerned presence at the Conservative Political Action Conference in St. Louis on September 28th.