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A US president casually threatening to cut off trade with Spain is not normal “tough talk” it’s a signal flare for how unstable alliance management can get when policy is driven by impulse. We walk through Trump’s comments from the NATO summit and what a real break with a NATO partner would mean, then zoom out to the deeper issue underneath the drama: the attempt to force allies toward a 5% of GDP defense spending target and the reality that most countries cannot reach it without huge political and economic fallout.

Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson joins us...

Trump goes from ceasefire language to “it’s over” in a matter of hours, and the Strait of Hormuz becomes the pressure point again. Host Kyle Anzalone and guest LtCOL Karen Kwiatkowski walk through the reports of Iranian shots at transiting ships, the follow-on CENTCOM strikes, and what it means when a president talks like a full-scale war is on the table while the Pentagon still faces real constraints in ships, air defense, and weapons stockpiles. If you’re trying to understand Iran, US military posture, and how quickly an MOU can unravel, this conversation lays out the incentives and the...

Ukraine’s air defenses are hitting a wall, and the numbers are terrifying. We walk through Zelensky’s warning that Patriot interceptors are running short, why ballistic missiles are a different problem than drones and cruise missiles, and what it means when Ukraine says it could not stop any of a recent wave of Russian ballistic strikes. The hard question isn’t whether Kyiv “needs more,” it’s whether the US and Europe actually have more to give without leaving themselves exposed elsewhere.

From there, we zoom out to the NATO summit and the politics shaping the...

John and I finish reading Rules for Radicals.

Col Chris Wyatt joined me to discuss South Africa and the refugees from South Africa entering the US.

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The Fourth of July is supposed to feel like a reset, but it hits differently when people look around and see a country that can fund anything abroad while families cut back at home. We start with a viral political message about America’s contradictions, then challenge the instinct to turn Independence Day into a scolding session. For us, the better move is to separate the ideals worth celebrating from the government actions worth opposing and to ask what it would take to return the American empire to a constitutional republic.

From there, we dig in...

Putin says Russia is in a “challenging period,” but the more revealing question is what comes next when a war stops feeling like a crisis and starts running on autopilot. We unpack why Russia can look simultaneously steady and stuck: not prone to emotional swings, yet still locked into a slow, costly grind where drone strikes reach deep targets, NATO proximity raises the stakes, and every month of fighting makes the eventual political settlement harder to swallow.

From there, we zoom in on the Ukraine endgame that rarely gets discussed honestly. If Russia holds territory in t...



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Scott interviews Michael Boldin of the Tenth Amendment Center about his new book about how the efforts and accomplishments of the American revolutionaries have been betrayed, bringing about a system of government that is effectively identical to the one they fought a war to overthrow.

Discussed on the show:

Michael Boldin is the founder and executive director of the Tenth Amendment Center, which advocates state nullification as a means of local resistance to unjust federal laws. Follow him on X @michaelboldin. 



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Scott brings Kyle Anzalone on the show to run through where things stand with the fighting in Lebanon, the talks between the US and Iran, the flare-up between the Houthis and the Saudis, the unending suffering of the people of Gaza and more.

Discussed on the show:

Kyle Anzalone is news editor of the Libertarian Institute, opinion editor of Antiwar.com, co-host of Conflicts of Interest and host of The Kyle Anzalone Show. Follow him on Twitter @KyleAnzalone_ 

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Calling everything “communism” might win a news cycle, but it doesn’t explain why so many Americans feel the ladder to a stable life is disappearing. Kyle sits down with Jim Webb to sort propaganda from incentives, starting with Trump’s warnings about socialist takeover and asking the blunt question: are there even enough communists in the United States to matter? We argue the bigger threat looks more like crony capitalism, captured regulation, and an economy where people who followed the rules still can’t buy a home near where they grew up.

From there, we get spe...

I discuss the possibilities of America relinquishing its global ambition to reduce its footprint to a regional hegemon in the Western hemisphere. The new technologies of AI, UAVs and hypersonics rather easily challenge the spending paradigms and mission architecture of the American armed forces.

There are no near-peer competitors, every nation on Earth is now a peer to modern western war machines.

America boasts a magnificent 20th century war machine is not fit for purpose for 21st century peer warfare.

The crossroads is chock-full of landmines.

References:

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Believe it or not, CJ has been doing the Dangerous History Podcast for 12 years now! Despite many trials & tribulations that have caused him to be slowed down or even knocked down, he has always staggered back up to his feet, wiped the blood out of his eyes, and resumed fighting the good fight of spreading brushfires of freedom via historical samizdat; and, with your help, he intends to keep doing it for at least another dozen (or couple dozen) years more!

To commemorate this anniversary, in this episode, CJ shares & expounds upon a dozen of his many...

John and I continue reading and commentary on Rules for Radicals

A ceasefire memo is supposed to stop wars, not rename them. We start with the weekend’s flashpoint in the Strait of Hormuz and ask a blunt question: if the MOU bans initiating military operations and the threat or use of force, how do we end up with drone attacks, retaliation, and Washington “making rough rules as it goes along”? Larry Johnson walks us through Iran’s claimed legal authority to regulate commercial passage via its Persian Gulf Strait Authority protocols and why enforcement hinges on which ships are tied to Israel.

Then we zoom out to t...



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Scott interviews geopolitical analyst and author Brandon Weichert about the Iran war. They begin by reviewing the various reasons they’re pessimistic about Trump’s ongoing attempt to reach a lasting ceasefire. They then zoom out and reflect on how Trump and Netanyahu’s decision to launch this war is likely to change the geopolitical dynamic in the Middle East going forward.

Discussed on the show:

Brandon J. Weichert is a geopolitical analyst and au...



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Scott interviews attorney Bud Cummins about Bryan Malinowski, a man who was killed by ATF agents in a poorly planned and entirely unnecessary pre-dawn raid in 2024. Two years later, no government officials have been held accountable, or have even adequately explained what happened. Cummins is representing Malinowski’s wife in a lawsuit that seeks to change that.

Bud Cummins is an American attorney, businessman and politician. He served as United States Attorney with five years of service from 2001 to 2006 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. 

Tucker Carlson saying “I’m out” on the Republican Party is not just a headline, it is a stress test for how American voters think about loyalty, war, and who our politics actually serves. I walk through why his break is landing with millions of people, how Israel and Gaza are reshaping old partisan habits, and why the only real leverage in a democracy is the willingness to withhold your vote when neither party represents you.

Then I dig into a major flashpoint in the Middle East: the Strait of Hormuz. We unpack reports of Irania...

Something big is shifting in the Middle East, and you can hear it in the gap between what US officials say publicly and what regional actors are doing quietly. We walk through the latest reporting and remarks around Iran, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and a possible new security framework that could sideline the Abraham Accords model of Gulf-Israel alignment. From our perspective, the key question is simple: after a catastrophic war, are Gulf states concluding that stability comes from de-escalation with Tehran rather than deeper integration with Washington’s military posture?

We then dig in...

Trump says Iran is “being very nice” and “agreeing to everything,” but that sales pitch doesn’t survive contact with the actual reporting. We sit down with Antiwar.com’s Dave DeCamp to sort out what the US Iran memorandum of understanding seems to concede, why both governments are trying to frame the same document as a win, and how the memory of being bombed during earlier negotiations hangs over every new round of talks.

We also dig into the most confusing public talking point: nuclear inspections. JD Vance claims Iran agreed to let IAEA inspectors b...

Netanyahu says Israel will stay in a security zone in South Lebanon as long as it takes. That single line turns out to be a stress test for everything else happening at once: the Trump administration’s Iran talks, the push for a Lebanon ceasefire, and the question of whether Washington can restrain an ally when the price shows up in casualties, oil markets, and diplomatic credibility.

We walk through what Trump can actually threaten behind the scenes, what he chooses to say publicly, and why the gap between those two matters. When Trump posts la...

Fr Emmanuel Joined me to discuss the financial world and Orthodoxy in America.

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Scott interviews William Van Wagenen about what he’s been seeing in southern Lebanon as the fighting between Hezbollah and the IDF drags on. They also discuss the Western-backed bin Ladinite regime in Syria.

Discussed on the show:

William Van Wagenen is the author of Creative Chaos: Inside the CIA’s Covert War to Topple the Syrian Government. He has a BA in German literature From Brigham Young University and an MA in...



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Scott interviews Larry Johnson about the ongoing, frequently broken yet somehow still holding ceasefire between the US and Iran, the Trump administration’s effort to find some way out of the war they started and the Israeli’s muddled attempt to sabotage the process.

Discussed on the show:

Larry C. Johnson is a former CIA officer and intelligence analyst, and a former planner and advisor at the US State Department’s Office of Counter Terr...



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Scott interviews Kit Klarenberg about some reporting he’s done on the looming political shakeup in Bosnia. That leads to a broader discussion about how the foreign policy of the post-Cold War American empire set the conditions for its own decline.

Discussed on the show:

Kit Klarenberg is an investigative journalist exploring the role of intelligence services in shaping politics and perceptions. Subscribe to his Sub...

John and I finish reading the chapter on tactics from Rules for Radicals



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Scott interviews Trita Parsi about the deal Trump has apparently made with the Iranians to end the war. They discuss the panic we’re seeing about it from the Israelis and what Trump must do to rein them in and prevent Tel Aviv from sabotaging the peace process. They also discuss Parsi’s recent appearance on Tucker Carlson’s show and The Free Press story that tried to start a deportation scare about him.

Discussed on the show:



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Scott brings Jason Jones of the Vulnerable Peoples Project back on the show for an update on life for Christians living under the thumb of the IDF and Zionist settlers in the West Bank. Jones cites his personal experience and recent anecdotes from his organization. The two also discuss how the people of Gaza are faring.

Discussed on the show:

Jason Jones is a film producer, author, activist, popular podcast host, and dedicated human rights worker. And he is the founder and president of The Vu...

I give my take of the UFC Whitehouse event and the politics surrounding the even

YouTube @YearZeroPod

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Scott interviews Ben Freeman of the Quincy Institute about Section 224 of the 2027 NDAA, which, if passed, would essentially integrate the entire US military industrial complex with Israel. Scott and Freeman dig into the consequences of such a change and how you can get involved in the ongoing effort to stop it.

Discussed on the show:

The US Navy is lost at sea and in the thrall of exquisite platform that be the maritime tombs of tens of thousands of sailors in the coming wars of the 21st century.

The acquisition system is broken beyond repair, burn it down.

The aircraft carrier has been a signature component of US naval power and prestige for more than a century. The utility has continued to diminish since the end of WWII. The tremendous disadvantage of putting so much manpower and treasure into these single use leviathan systems in the modern world...



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Joe Kent returns to the show to discuss the latest developments with the Iran war. Kent explains why he is pessimistic that a lasting deal can be achieved in the near future. He and Scott also talk about Israel’s spying on the US government, Tulsi Gabbard, the Charlie Kirk assassination, the new regime in Syria and more.

Discussed on the show:



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Scott interviews libertarian activist Eric Fowler about the so-called Flock cameras being put up in cities to illegally surveil Americans. Fowler explains what the cameras are, how they work, what laws they violate and how libertarians in Arizona are fighting back.

Discussed on the show:

Eric Fowler is Chair of the Maricopa County Libertarian Party in Arizona and a Senior Software Developer specializing in big data analysis. 

Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth app...

Here it is — the 2nd installment of CJ’s already-epic mini-series, ‘The Mad Dream of Conquest,’ set in the Peloponnesian War in 5th-century BC Greece.

Join CJ as he shares an overview of some of the events of the first half of the Peloponnesian War, including:

The Iraq War didn’t just “happen” it was sold with a storyline, staffed by specific operators, and justified by a strategy that had been circulating for years. I’m joined by Scott Horton of the Libertarian Institute to unpack the Clean Break doctrine, what it tried to achieve for Israel’s right wing security vision, and how a set of wildly wrong assumptions helped push the US into a war that ended up strengthening Iran instead of containing it.

We walk through the mechanics of how the war case was built: exile sourcing, the Office of...

Trump says he wants a deal with Iran. Netanyahu hints the real goal is regime change anyway. That contradiction is where diplomacy goes to die, and it is also where Americans get dragged into a war they did not vote for. We roll solo and ask the blunt question a lot of people are thinking but few say out loud: is Trump still representing the United States, or is he effectively acting as Israel’s president on the Iran war?

We unpack Netanyahu’s media strategy and why he may be one of the most effe...

Trump didn’t just get “frustrated” with Netanyahu. He confirmed he told him, “Are you effing crazy,” and that single moment raises a bigger question: if the White House is truly fed up, why does the region still look like it’s sliding toward wider war?

Jim Webb joins me to break down what matters beneath the gossip-cycle headlines. We talk about Israel’s expanding operations in Lebanon, Iran’s promise to respond harder than tit-for-tat, and the messy reality behind CENTCOM messaging and casualty reporting after attacks tied to Kuwait and Bahrain. If you’ve been wondering...



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Ken Silva joins Darryl Cooper and Scott Horton on Provoked to discuss his new book on the Trump assassination plots, and more.

Ken Silva has been a reporter for more than 10 years, working in places such as the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and the United States. Follow him on Twitter @JD_Cashless

For more on Scott’s work:

Check out The Libertarian Institute: https://www.libertarianinstitute.org

Check out Scott’s other show, Provoked, with Darryl Cooper https://youtube.com/@Provoked_Show

Read...



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Scott interviews Trita Parsi about the state of negotiations between the US and Iranian governments, as the ceasefire is frequently broken and the Strait remains largely closed. Parsi explains where he thinks the real sticking points lie and the two consider how Israel is complicating the process.

Discussed on the show:

Trita Parsi is the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Resp...

A deal with Iran sounds simple until you read the fine print. We dig into the reports of a memorandum of understanding that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift parts of the pressure campaign, then ask the uncomfortable question: is this “freedom of navigation,” or is it a new normal where Iran and Oman set the rules and the fees at the world’s most important oil chokepoint?

From there, we get specific about the nuclear issue that could make or break everything. What does it actually mean to “destroy” enriched uranium, and what optio...

Congress is hollowing out, and the consequences show up first in foreign policy. Dan McAdams returns to talk with us about what Thomas Massie’s primary loss signals for antiwar oversight, why the Ron Paul era of forcing floor debates through appropriations fights is largely gone, and how that vacuum makes it easier for Washington to slide into the next conflict without friction.

We dig into Iran and the so-called ceasefire: the strikes, the responses, and the familiar pattern of narrative manipulation where the U.S. can provoke, then rebrand escalation as “defense.” We also unpack...