Investigative journalist Dahr Jamail discusses the perpetual low-grade war that is daily life in Iraq; the destabilizing effect of Syria's civil war; and the massive "last chance" Friday protests against Prime Minister al-Maliki's government.

Philip Giraldi, executive director of the Council for the National Interest, discusses the backlash against Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan for daring to lump Zionism together with fascism and anti-Semitism in the 'odious ideology' category; how Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's monocultural, irreligious nationalism continues to guide Turkish identity and the state; the Bush administration's opportunity to take custody of Osama bin Laden's son-in-law (who now faces charges in a federal court) ten years...

Peter Van Buren, author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People, discusses how the US empire overreacted and self-destructed after 9/11; why the Iraq War was the biggest foreign policy blunder in US history; rewarding failure and incompetence in government officials, while whistleblowers are fired and prosecuted; losing the opportunity to partner with Saddam Hussein against Al-Qaeda; and why the Iraq War seems like ancient history to many...

John Feffer, co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus, discusses North Korea's threat to preemptively nuke the US in response to new UN Security Council-imposed sanctions; the capabilities and limitations of North Korea's nuclear weapons program; and why the State Department should learn a thing or two about diplomatic outreach from ex-basketball player Dennis Rodman.

Thomas C. Mountain, an independent journalist based in Eritrea, discusses the French military incursion in Mali; why the Saudi royal family finances radical Wahabi movements in Africa; the Tuareg's legitimate claim to an independent homeland in the Sahel region; and why 60,000 foreign troops in Somalia can't defeat Al-Shabaab.

Blogger Marcy Wheeler discusses Attorney General Eric Holder's claim that the president can kill Americans on US soil with a drone if he so chooses - and Congress can't stop him; Rand Paul's filibuster of John Brennan's CIA director nomination; the Bush administration's deliberation on sending the military to arrest/kill the "Lackawanna 6" in 2002; and how drone assassinations in Yemen are turning entire villages against the US. Transcript: SCOTT HORTON: All right, y'all. Welcome back to the...

M.J. Rosenberg, former Senior Foreign Policy Fellow with Media Matters Action Network, discusses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attempt to form a coalition government; the conflict between Israel's secular nationalist and ultra-orthodox parties; Joe Biden's shameless pandering to AIPAC; and Obama's missed opportunity to impose terms on Israel's settlements and treatment of Palestinians.

Anthony Gregory, Research Fellow at The Independent Institute, discusses the worst aspects of the Left and the Right in America, and why we should aspire to liberty, peace, and freedom instead of the depredations of government. Transcript (page all the way down for the audio): SCOTT HORTON:  All right, y’all, welcome back to the show. Scott Horton Show, I’m him. Website is scotthorton.org. You can find all my interview archives there going back to 2003, more than 2700 of them going back to...

Alexander Abdo, Staff Attorney for the ACLU National Security Project, discusses the Supreme Court's dismissal of the ACLU's challenge to the FISA Amendments Act and warrantless wiretaps; how the "standing doctrine" is used by courts to immunize the government from lawsuits; the evisceration of checks and balances on "national security" issues since 9/11; the government's secret legal interpretation of the PATRIOT Act; and why it's not too late to prevent a total surveillance-police state in...

Laurence M. Vance, author of The War on Drugs Is a War on Freedom, discusses his criticism of the War on Drugs from a conservative libertarian Christian perspective; how prohibitionists use state power to enforce morality and stamp out vice; why drug warriors are evil people; and the victims of the War on Drugs - from "disappeared" Mexicans to the millions of Americans arrested for drug crimes.

Chase Madar, author of The Passion of Bradley Manning: The Story of the Suspect Behind the Largest Security Breach in U.S. History, discusses Manning's admission of guilt for 10 of the 22 charges against him; the smear campaign waged by the government and media; how the Manning-WikiLeaks documents revealed the crimes of governments the world over; and how Manning's tortuous detention brought attention to the "cruel and unusual" solitary confinement in US prisons.

Chris Hellman, Senior Research Analyst at the National Priorities Project, discusses his article "The Shadowy Boondoggle That Is 'Homeland Security;'" the totalitarian and un-American nature of the word "homeland;" the bureaucratic nightmare of our national security apparatus; and the difficulty of auditing the government's vast expenditures.

Jacob Hornberger, founder and president of the Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses his weekly The Libertarian Angle webcast with co-host Sheldon Richman; the palty "sequestration" mandatory spending cuts; how Americans are kept in constant fear about one existential threat after another, forever deferring authority to the government; dismantling the Cold War military machine; and plans to contain China from US military bases in Vietnam.

Tim Johnson, Mexico City bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers, discusses the huge numbers of "disappeared" and dead Mexicans during former President Felipe Calderon's six years in office; Calderon's use of the army to fight domestic crime and drug cartels; and the Latin American leaders having second thoughts about the war on drugs - especially after marijuana legalization in Washington and Colorado.

Lawyer and activist Kevin Zeese discusses Bradley Manning's statement to the military court at Fort Meade, in which he accepted responsibility for his actions and defended his whistleblowing motives; Manning's guilty plea to a limited number of the charges against him; and why the government's case against WikiLeaks looks weaker than ever.