The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

Journalist Justin Elliott comes on the show to talk about casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who has become one of President Trump's biggest donors. Although Trump derided him early in his campaign, the two have formed a close partnership with Adelson providing tens of millions in funding so long as Trump continues the correct policies with respect to Israel, Palestine, and Iran. Elliott and others have also speculated that Trump is trying to get Adelson approval to open a casino in Japan, helping him to expand his gambling empire in Asia.

Discussed on the show:

"Trump's Patron-in-Chief" (ProPublica)

Trump: Rubio a 'perfect little puppet'

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

Zionist Organization of America

"Adelson expresses support for ZOA efforts to depose McMaster" (Times of Israel)

Justin Elliott is a reporter for ProPublica. He has produced stories for The New York Times and National Public Radio, and his reporting with NPR on the Red Cross’ troubled post-earthquake reconstruction efforts in Haiti won a 2015 Investigative Reporters and Editors award. Follow him on Twitter @JustinElliott.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Ben Freeman explains why and how Saudi Arabia has so much influence in U.S. politics. Even though it's illegal for foreigners to donate to American political campaigns, he explains that it is perfectly legal for them to hire a lobbying firm in Washington, which can then turn around and immediately donate on their behalf. This type of payoff—which also extends to members of the press and even to some professors—puts Saudi influence on par with Israel's. Freeman and Scott also discuss the disappearance and probable murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and what that will mean for American relations with Saudi Arabia.

Discussed on the show:

"Tomgram: Ben Freeman, The Saudi Lobby Juggernaut" (TomDispatch.com)

Jamal Khashoggi

"The Washington Post, as It Shames Others, Continues to Pay and Publish Undisclosed Saudi Lobbyists and Other Regime Propagandists" (The Intercept)

"Will you work for a murderer? That’s the question a host of ex-generals, diplomats and spies may soon face." (Washington Post)

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Ben Freeman is director of the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative with the Center for International Policy. Read his work at AntiWar.com and follow him on Twitter @BenFreemanDC.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Attorney Joseph Margulies comes on the show to discuss his recent article about his client, Abu Zubaydah, who is currently being held by the CIA without charges. Zubaydah was one of the first men caught up in the chaos after 9/11, in this case mistakenly identified as a high ranking member of Al-Qaeda. Zubaydah is a former Mujahideen fighter but has no affiliation to Al-Qaeda or 9/11, maintaining that they, along with ISIS, are violating the teachings of Islam. He has been tortured extensively and has never gotten a trial.

Discussed on the show:

"The Innocence of Abu Zubaydah" (New York Review of Books)

Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Joseph Margulies is an attorney and law professor. He is the author of Guantanamo and the Abuse of Presidential Power and What Changed When Everything Changed: 9/11 and the Making of National Identity. Follow him on Twitter @JoeMargulies.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Gareth Porter's latest article, The Shaky Case That Russia Manipulated Social Media to Tip the 2016 Election, takes on a recent New York Times piece claiming to outline how exactly Russian actors sought to undermine the 2016 presidential election. Porter explains that the Times implies a very misleading conclusion from the data, namely that the Russian government must have been involved just because Russian social media accounts were active during the election. In fact, since Russia is a primary source of for-sale "bot" accounts, both sides had significant engagement from such accounts. Porter also points out that most of the activity from fake accounts actually happened after the election, and that their overall share of political discourse was miniscule.

Discussed on the show:

"The Shaky Case That Russia Manipulated Social Media to Tip the 2016 Election" (Consortium News)

"The Plot to Subvert an Election" (New York Times)

Facebook congress testimony

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter and listen to Gareth’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Attorney Joseph Margulies comes on the show to discuss his recent article about his client, Abu Zabaydah, who is currently being held by the CIA without charges. Zabaydah was one of the first men caught up in the chaos after 9/11, in this case mistakenly identified as a high ranking member of Al-Qaeda. Zabaydah is a former Mujahideen fighter but has no affiliation to Al-Qaeda or 9/11, maintaining that they, along with ISIS, are violating the teachings of Islam. He has been tortured extensively and has never gotten a trial.

Discussed on the show:

"The Innocence of Abu Zubaydah" (New York Review of Books)

Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Joseph Margulies is an attorney and law professor. He is the author of Guantanamo and the Abuse of Presidential Power and What Changed When Everything Changed: 9/11 and the Making of National Identity. Follow him on Twitter @JoeMargulies.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Ted Snider explains the "Periphery Doctrine", a foreign policy strategy by which a nation, in this case Israel, can either ally itself with its immediate neighbors against its more distant ones, or "leapfrog" its neighbors to be friends with those on the periphery instead. The history of Israel's foreign policy has been characterized by one of these two options, until now. Netanyahu, Snider explains, has created a new doctrine by which he tries to turn Palestinians and Arabs against each other at home, and uses alliances with countries like Egypt to help enforce "peace" with the Palestinians.

Discussed on the show:

"Outside In: The Trump administration’s plan to remake the Middle East" (Mondoweiss)

Alliance of the periphery

Yitzhak Rabin

Shimon Peres

"The U.S. Is Sidelining Itself in the Middle East" (The Atlantic)

Ted Snider has a graduate degree in philosophy and writes on analyzing patterns in U.S. foreign policy and history. He is a regular writer for AntiWar.com and ConsortiumNews.com.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Scott talks to Eric Eikenberry about the war in Yemen and the various efforts to stop it. A small cadre in the House of Representatives has been trying to introduce resolutions that would invoke the War Powers Act, but so far have met with little success. Eikenberry thinks that popular opinion is beginning to turn sharply against the war, thanks in part to the American media beginning to focus on it. If this shift continues, he thinks the resolutions have a chance at success.

Discussed on the show:

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S.J.Res.54

Jamal Khashoggi

Mohammad bin Salman

Friends Committee on National Legislation

Win Without War

CODEPINK

Mwatana

Eric Eikenberry is the Director of Policy & Advocacy at the Yemen Peace Project and an advocacy associate at Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain. Follow him on Twitter @eric_eikenberry.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Sheldon Richman returns to the show to talk about his latest TGIF article, "Trump’s Middle East Delusions Persist." He and Scott discuss the state of negotiations between Israel and Palestine and what can be done to make Americans see the truth of Israel's many abuses of the Palestinian people.

Discussed on the show:

"Trump’s Middle East Delusions Persist" (Libertarian Institute)

Jason Greenblatt

Mahmoud Abbas

"It's not a lie... if you believe it..." (YouTube)

Palestine Liberation Organization

Hamas

"2006 Audio Emerges of Hillary Clinton Proposing Rigging Palestine Election" (Observer)

"Outside In: The Trump administration’s plan to remake the Middle East" (Mondoweiss)

Sheldon Richman is the executive editor of the Libertarian Institute and the author of America’s Counter-Revolution: The Constitution Revisited. Follow him on Twitter @SheldonRichman.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Daniel Lazare comes back on the show to talk about Saudi Arabia, Trump, and the future Middle East politics. He explains an extremely common pattern in kingdoms and empires where after about three generations of family rule, massive upheaval or incompetence forces a total political collapse. Saudi Arabia is perched on this precipice, and their third-generation Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, seems unstable enough to provide the spark. Scott and Lazare talk about what this will mean for the region and for the United States' influence there.

Discussed on the show:

"Is Saudi Arabia the Middle East’s Next Failed State?" (Consortium News)

Ibn Khaldun

Mohammad bin Salman

"Saudi Arabia forcibly detained Lebanon’s prime minister, sources say" (Washington Post)

"A $2 Trillion Saudi Aramco IPO Keeps Getting Less Realistic" (Bloomberg)

Jamal Khashoggi

Iran–Contra affair

Fall of Saigon

Daniel Lazare is the author of The Frozen Republic: How the constitution is Paralyzing Democracy and a regular contributor at Consortium News. Find all of his work at his website and follow him on Twitter @dhlazare.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and TheBumperSticker.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Scott interviews Patrick Martin on his new article series, "The CIA Democrats," in which he outlines the disturbing trend of dozens of former military commanders, State Department war planners, and outright CIA, FBI, and Military Intelligence agents seeking nomination from the Democratic Party in congressional elections. Their victories would create a strong pro-war faction within the party, since by Martin's reckoning, only a single one of these candidates has come out with an anti-war position. In some cases it may even technically be illegal for these men and women to seek political office. Unfortunately, Martin explains, most American liberals actually think President Trump isn't hostile enough to foreign countries, citing his 'willingness to cozy up to dictators' in the form of peace talks and aversion to war.

Discussed on the show:

"The CIA Democrats: Part one" (The World Socialist Web Site)

Elissa Slotkin

"A new wave of military vets set sights on Congress" (NBC)

Church Committee

"US Nato envoy's threat to Russia: stop developing missile or we'll 'take it out'" (The Guardian)

"Pelosi: Bush Impeachment `Off the Table’" (New York Times)

"Wall Street Is Booming Under Trump. But Many of Its Donors Are Embracing Democrats." (New York Times)

Seth Moulton

Patrick Martin is the senior national political writer for the World Socialist Web Site, where he is the author of numerous articles.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and TheBumperSticker.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.