Joe Lauria returns to update the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan after the referendum for an independent Kurdish state passed. Lauria describes the escalating tensions, explains why believes the referendum was a mistake, and how despite the vote, the Kurds are no closer to independence than they were before. Lauria details the history of Kurdish suffering throughout the decades and suggests that this referendum could lead … Continue reading 10/2/17 Joe Lauria on the consequences of the Kurdish Referendum »

World affairs editor for the Guardian Julian Borger returns to the show to discuss his latest article “White House ‘pressuring’ intelligence officials to find Iran in violation of nuclear deal.” Borger details the pressure CIA officials are facing from the White House to find or procure evidence of Iran being in noncompliance with the nuclear deal. But while Borger believes there’s hope that the CIA … Continue reading 9/27/17 Julian Borger: White House Pressuring CIA to Find Iran in Noncompliance of Nuclear Deal »

USC professor Muhammad Sahimi returns to the show to discuss his latest article “Deconstructing Neoconservatives’ Manifesto for War With Iran.” Sahimi debunks the misinformation and lies being spread by John Bolton and other neoconservatives about the Iran Deal, explains in detail the steps Iran has taken to ease tensions with the United States, and lists the many hypocrisies of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle … Continue reading 9/27/17 Muhammad Sahimi debunks neoconservative lies about Iran »

Joe Lauria returns to the show to discuss his book on Hillary Clinton, “How I Lost By Hillary Clinton,” Trump’s America, and the hysteria over Russia’s supposed actions in the 2016 elections. Then Lauria pivots to the Kurdish referendum in Iraq and gives an overview of the history of the Kurshish movement for independence and details the Kurdish allies and the longer list of opposition. … Continue reading 9/21/17 Joe Lauria on the 2016 U.S. election and the upcoming Iraqi Kurdish referendum »

President of the National Iranian American Council Trita Parsi returns to the show to discuss the Iran Nuclear Deal and what’s at stake should the Trump administration attempt to nix the deal and why his bellicose approach to Iran could have significant consequences. Parsi explains Congress’s role in the life of the deal, and why even a Republican-controlled Congress might be hesitant to kill the deal. Trita … Continue reading 9/21/17 Trita Parsi on the potential dangers of escalating tensions with Iran »

Gareth Porter returns to the show to discuss his latest story for Alternet, “Have We Been Deceived Over Syrian Sarin Attack?” Porter takes a deep dive into the evidence of the supposed Khan Sheikoun sarin attack and explains why we have good reason to doubt the narrative and evidence presented by the Trump administration, what’s still in dispute, and raises questions that still need answering. … Continue reading 9/20/17 Gareth Porter reviews the evidence of the supposed Syrian sarin attack of 2016 »

Jeff Stein joins the show to discuss his latest article “Vietnam War: New Ken Burns Documentary Dismisses the Origins of the Futile, Disastrous Conflict” critiquing Ken Burns’s latest documentary series “The Vietnam War.” Stein reflects on his time in Vietnam as an army intelligence case officer and reviews and critiques Burns’s documentary series, which he says is well worth watching, but is not without its … Continue reading 9/20/17 Jeff Stein reviews Ken Burns’s “The Vietnam War” »

Scott interviews May Jeong on her featured article “The U.S.-Trained Warlords Committing Atrocities in Afghanistan” for In These Times. Jeong discusses her time reporting in Afghanistan, why the Afghanistan War is really the American War, and details how the same dynamics at work in Iraq exist in Afghanistan. Jeong explains what she thinks might happen when the United States leaves Afghanistan, but why she believes … Continue reading 9/20/17 May Jeong on the atrocities of U.S.-backed warlords in Afghanistan »

Famed whistleblower John Kiriakou, the former chief of counter-terrorism operations in Pakistan, returns to the show to discuss his latest book on Abu Zubaydah “The Convenient Terrorist” which he co-authored with Guantanamo whistleblower Joseph Hickman. Kiriakou retells his history at the CIA and explains why the crux of the Abu Zubaydah saga were Zubaydah’s lies about supposed ties between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, which helped … Continue reading 9/15/17 John Kiriakou on blowing the whistle on the CIA torture network »

Tim Shorrock, author of Spies For Hire, returns to the show to discuss his latest articles for The Nation “Diplomacy With North Korea Has Worked Before, and Can Work Again” and AlterNet “How Sony, Obama, Seth Rogen and the CIA Secretly Planned to Force Regime Change in North Korea.” Shorrock details the 1994 deal with North Korea, which was an important step toward diplomacy between … Continue reading 9/13/17 Tim Shorrock on the failed diplomacy between North Korea and the United States »