The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

Journalist Christina Goldbaum gives an update on the U.S. drone bombings in Somalia, which have increased over the last year under President Trump. Godbaum explains that President Obama enforced relatively strict rules for drone strikes in Somalia, but Trump has now relaxed them, leading to more strikes and more civilian casualties. Of course, as with America's many other drone wars, the bombing does little to increase stability or dissuade the rebel groups, and may even embolden them and increase their numbers.

Discussed on the show:

"A Trumpian War on Terror That Just Keeps Getting Bigger" (The Atlantic)

Ethiopian invasion of somalia

"Cameroon: Killings, Destruction in Anglophone Regions" (Human Rights Watch)

Christina Goldbaum is a freelance journalist based in east Africa. Follow her on Twitter @cegoldbaum.

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.

Jason Ditz comes on the show to give an update about the war in Afghanistan in light of the recent peace talks in Qatar. Involving the Afghan government in the negotiations will be critical to success, he explains, and since they were not involved in these talks, they're unlikely to amount to anything. Scott adds that since the Taliban has already essentially won the war, there's nothing to negotiate anyway. They also discuss the real reasons for American military presence in Afghanistan, admitted by some officials, which is to prevent China from occupying the country and building trade routes that they control.

Discussed on the show:

"Taliban Prepares Delegation for New Peace Talks With US" (Antiwar.com)

Tet Offensive

Jason Ditz is the news editor of Antiwar.com. Read all of his work at news.antiwar.com and follow him on Twitter @jasonditz.

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.

Sheldon Richman is interviewed for his new article for the Libertarian Institute,"TGIF: Trump, Spinoza, and the Palestinian Refugees." Richman talks about the Trump Administration's action to end aid to the Palestinians, close offices, and put the squeeze on the PLO. The situation of the Palestinians is discussed, including the Israeli blockade and how the aid cuts affect the Palestinians. This tactic is because the Trump Administration wants the Palestinians to agree to their "Deal of the Century", which is a bad deal for the Palestinians.

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 TheBumperSticker.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Grant F Smith Institute for Research Middle East Policy and author of Big Israel, about the Israel lobby in Washington DC, is interviewed on the results of his FOIA request of the Treasury Department. The office of Terrorism Finance and Development, a relatively new office, and has leveled sanctions for the Israeli government.

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.

Jacob Hornberger is on the show to talk about his article "Legalize Drugs, All Drugs" for the Future of Freedom Foundation. The history of the war on drugs is discussed, as well as efforts back to Milton Friedmann, who tried to get drugs legalized, are detailed.

 

Jacob Hornberger is the founder and president of the Future of Freedom Foundation. He’s written numerous books on freedom, peace, and the JFK assassination. Follow him on Twitter @JacobHornberger.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Journalist Alice Speri explains what the Israeli justice system is like for Palestinians who resist Israel's soldiers and protest its illegal settlements. Instead of the usual court system, Palestinians are tried in what amount to military courts, often after grueling interrogations to extract confessions. Defendants, including hundreds of minors, are frequently convicted on the basis of these confessions alone, which can turn out to have been fabricated under duress. Unfortunately, American support for Israel only makes the problem worse, since the Israeli government knows there will be little pushback if the U.S. doesn't lead the charge.

Discussed on the show:

"The Homecoming: How Ahed Tamimi Became the Symbol of Palestinian Resistance to Israeli Oppression" (The Intercept)

"A Palestinian Bedouin Village Braces For Forcible Transfer As Israel Seeks To Split The West Bank In Half" (The Intercept)

Khan al-Ahmar

Ahed Tamimi

Oslo Accords

Alice Speri writes about justice, immigration, and civil rights for the Intercept. Follow her on Twitter @alicesperi.

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.

Cato's Doug Bandow discusses the recent anonymous op-ed in the New York Times, which claims that a devoted resistance movement inside the White House works to undermine President Trump's agenda at every turn. Bandow explains how troubling it is to have an unelected cabal within our government that wields this much power, especially one that opposes all the aspects of Trump's presidency we should actually be applauding, namely his willingness to negotiate with Russia and North Korea.

Discussed on the show:

"I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration" (New York Times)

Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a regular contributor at Forbes Magazine, the National Interest, and elsewhere. He’s on Twitter @Doug_Bandow.

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.

Gareth Porter rejoins the show for an update on the Russian election hacking allegations. He reviews the evidence as presented by various media outlets and intelligence agencies, explaining why each story doesn't amount to much of anything on its own, and thus we shouldn't conclude, simply because there are a lot of different stories, that there's something to the overall narrative of Russian meddling. If anything, in fact, it's the intelligence community itself that is trying to call the 2016 election results into question.

Discussed on the show:

"How the Department of Homeland Security Created a Deceptive Tale of Russia Hacking US Voter Sites" (Consortium News)

"Hackers Target Election Systems in 20 States" (NBC)

"Former DNI Clapper: Intelligence assessment 'cast doubt' on Trump's victory" (CNN)

Fancy Bear

"Russian Hackers Appear to Shift Focus to U.S. Power Grid" (New York Times)

Guccifer 2.0

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 TheBumperSticker.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Daniel Ellsberg is on the show to talk about his experiences working in the RAND corporation in the early 1960s, specifically on the casualties numbers estimated from a nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union and China. Ellsberg talks about how the casualties were underestimated by billions, and this wasn't known until the 1980s. Ellsberg also explains how, during the original atomic bomb testing, nuclear scientists weren't 100% certain that the test wouldn't destroy all life on the planet by burning up the entire atmosphere.

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.

Sheldon Richman comes back on the show to discuss the latest in his article series on anti-semitism in America. He explains the ways in which pro-Israel groups conflate any criticism of Israel's policies with genuine anti-semitism in order to make those views unpopular. Although often led by conservative groups, this attitude enjoys support from the left both in politics and on college campuses.

Discussed on the show:

"TGIF: Anti-Israelism and Anti-Semitism: The Invidious Conflation" (Libertarian Institute)

S.2940 - Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2018

International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance

Office for Civil Rights

Kenneth Marcus

Canary Mission

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 TheBumperSticker.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.