Blogger Marcy Wheeler discusses new details on the DOJ "white paper" justifying the extrajudicial assassination of American citizens abroad; judge Colleen McMahon's below-the-radar observation that Anwar al-Awlaki's killing was illegal; problems with "laws of war" justifications when the CIA is doing the killing; the spotty evidence al-Awlaki was directly involved with the underwear-bomb plot or the Ft. Hood shooting; and why the Obama administration had to know al-Awlaki's son was a minor...

Steve Breyman, former William C. Foster Visiting Scholar Fellow at the US State Department, discusses his article "Why the War on Terror Endures;" how the neoconservatives remain prominent media figures despite being wrong about everything; our culture of government impunity and failing upwards; how the deck is stacked in favor of the MSM's conventional (wrong) wisdom; the huge increase in terrorist attacks since the War on Terror's inception; the political climate that breeds religious...

Lew Rockwell, founder and chairman of the Mises Institute, discusses the Federal Reserve System's disastrous 100-year history; the rising popularity of Austrian economics thanks in large part to Ron Paul; achieving a brighter future by eschewing Keynes and taking away the government's control of the money supply; the problem with artificially low interest rates; and why central banking is nearly the worst thing to ever happen to mankind.

Max Blumenthal, author of the upcoming book Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel, discusses his article "How Law Enforcement and Media Covered Up the Plan to Burn Christopher Dorner Alive;" the online police scanner recordings that prove the cops (using "burners") were intent on extrajudicial assassination, not capture and arrest; the media's failure to provide coverage and ask important questions; and how Dorner exposed the deep animosity many Americans feel toward cops.

Stephen Zunes, professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco, discusses the French military offensive in Mali and the potential for blowback; Africa's past and present neocolonial domination; and the evidence that knowledgeable, competent government officials aren't calling the shots on US foreign policy.

Ira Chernus, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, discusses Secretary of State John Kerry's frank admission that "foreign policy is economic policy;" how the US came to dominate and "impose order" in the global marketplace; how the government manufactures the consent of Americans to start wars; individualism versus global citizenship and responsibility; and why antiwar activists waste energy when they try divining the government's "true motive" for waging war.

Ray McGovern, co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, discusses CIA Director-to-be John Brennan's "Tenet-Like Testimony" about Iran's nuclear program to the Senate Intelligence Committee; Brennan's apparent willingness to "fit the facts around the policy" and lie Americans into yet another war; why Brennan knows much more about CIA torture, rendition, and black sites than he admits; and the spectacle of Obama and Brennan casually giving a thumbs-up or thumbs-down - like...

Adil Shamoo, senior analyst for Foreign Policy in Focus, discusses why Iraq is heading toward civil war; how nationalist Iraqis fought both the American occupation and Al-Qaeda's foreign fighters; Prime Minister al-Maliki's near-dictatorial powers; how Western oil companies create conflict by cutting out Iraq's national government and making deals directly with the Kurds; and how the formation of a Kurdish nation would ignite a regional war involving Turkey, Iran, and Syria.

Amrit Singh, senior legal officer with Open Society Foundations, discusses OSF's report "Globalizing Torture: CIA Secret Detention and Extraordinary Rendition;" the dozens of countries that broke international law to cooperate with US kidnapping and torture after 9/11; the disgraceful history of the CIA's black site in Poland; the 6000 page Senate report that supposedly proves torture doesn't work; and why it's time to follow Italy's lead and start prosecuting government officials.

Ann Jones, author of Kabul in Winter and War Is Not Over When It's Over, discusses the end game for Afghanistan as the US prepares to withdraw in 2014; what Ann learned during her several years volunteering with NGOs; how the US squandered a "fresh start" for Afghans by allowing warlords to fill the power vacuum after the Taliban's ouster; the flood of people and money fleeing Afghanistan for greener pastures abroad; and the epidemic of crimes against Afghan women (and the impunity of their...

John Knefel, freelance writer and co-host of Radio Dispatch, discusses his article "Meet the Contractors Turning America's Police Into a Paramilitary Force;" how L3 Communications, Harris Corporation, and BI2 Technologies are turning "public safety" into private profits; and the biometric identification and surveillance technologies that are taking the US by storm.

David Enders, a journalist with McClatchy Newspapers, discusses Syrian opposition leader Sheik Mouaz al Khatib's half-serious offer to negotiate with the government; the large gap between Khatib's moderate-sounding talk and the frightening extremism of some opposition fighters; the tens of thousands of estimated casualties; the myriad regional militias joining in the fight; and why voting has been substantially delayed in Iraq's Kurdistan region.  

Rob Warden, executive director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law, discusses the catalog of exonerated Americans who (cumulatively) served more than 10,000 years in prison; how DNA testing has helped overturn wrongful convictions and reveal flaws in the US justice system; ignorant jurists who have no idea what "reasonable doubt" or "presumption of innocence" mean; the big problems with eyewitness testimony, police investigation practices, jailhouse...

Blogger Marcy Wheeler discusses why the DOJ white paper doesn't adequately explain the OLC memos or the Obama administration's legal justification for targeted killings; how the AUMF is used as a fallback when the government is painted into a legal corner; why John Brennan is probably the "senior official" signing off on kill lists; the media's silence on the drone strike that killed Anwar al-Awlaki's son; why the drones operating in Yemen are based in Saudi Arabia; why the white paper leak...

The Other Scott Horton, Columbia law professor and Harper's Magazine journalist, discusses the DOJ's abbreviated explanation to Congress why the Obama administration has the right to assassinate US citizens; Constitutional protections against secret government interpretation of the law; the Open Society Foundations report on international cooperation with the CIA's extraordinary rendition program; and how the government is redefining terms to fit their dubious legal arguments....