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 Download Audio. Scott interviews author and researcher Gordon Hahn about the negotiations taking place between the Ukrainian and Russian governments, where things stand on the ground right now, the ambitions of Ukraine’s far right and more. Discussed on the show: Ukraine Over the Edge: Russia, the West and the “New Cold War” by Gordon Hahn “The Rise of Azov’s Gen. Andriy Biletskiy” (Substack) Gordon M. Hahn is an expert for Corr Analytics and a senior researcher for the Center for Terrorism and Intelligence Studies, Akribus Group. He is the author of Ukraine Over the Edge. Subscribe to his Substack.  Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth app: https://podsworth.com Use code HORTON50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings, sound like a pro, and also support the Scott Horton Show! 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 Scott’s books: Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine https://amzn.to/47jMtg7 (The audiobook of Provoked is being published in sections at https://scotthortonshow.com) Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism: https://amzn.to/3tgMCdw Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan https://amzn.to/3HRufs0 Follow Scott on X @scotthortonshow And check out Scott’s full interview archives: https://scotthorton.org/all-interviews This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Incorporated https://rrbi.co Moon Does Artisan Coffee https://scotthorton.org/coffee; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom https://www.libertyclassroom.com/dap/a/?a=1616 and Dissident Media https://dissidentmedia.com You can also support Scott’s work by making a one-time or recurring donation at https://scotthorton.org/donate/https://scotthortonshow.com or https://patreon.com/scotthortonshow

Listen to the article with analysis from the author:  President Donald Trump said that the US was engaging with Cuba, and called for the country to be made “free again.” “We’re starting to talk to Cuba,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday. “It doesn’t have to be a humanitarian crisis. I think they probably would come to us and want to make a deal. So Cuba would be free again.” Trump did not provide details on what the US hoped to achieve in the negotiations or who was leading the American delegation. The White House has been attempting to increase economic pressure on Havana by cutting off Cuba from Mexican and Venezuelan oil.  Mexico City decided to cut oil sales to Havana over fear of reprisals from Washington.  The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the White House is now “searching for Cuban government insiders who can help cut a deal to push out the Communist regime by the end of the year.” Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio is a long-time advocate for American regime change in Cuba. Trump recently posted on Truth Social that Rubio could be the President of Cuba.   

Listen to the article with analysis from the author:  Israel has banned Doctors Without Borders (MSF) from conducting humanitarian missions in Gaza. MSF has helped to keep the battered healthcare system at a minimal functioning level.  On Sunday, Tel Aviv announced that MSF would no longer be allowed to operate in Gaza. Israeli agencies claimed the humanitarian aid organization failed to provide Tel Aviv with sufficient documentation on its staff in the Strip.  MSF said it attempted to negotiate with Israel to share information about its staff, with safeguards to protect them, but those talks were unsuccessful. “Following many months of unsuccessful engagement with Israeli authorities, and in the absence of securing assurances to ensure the safety of our staff or the independent management of our operations,” the group’s statement explained. “MSF has concluded that it will not share a list of its Palestinian and international staff with Israeli authorities in the current circumstances.” MSF supports about a fifth of all hospital beds in Gaza and a third of births. When Israel announced the ban last year, the UN’s human rights chief, Volker Türk, condemned the ban as “outrageous” and explained it was part of an Israeli policy to prevent aid from entering Gaza.   During Israel’s onslaught in Gaza, nearly all of the Strip’s hospitals were damaged or destroyed. Tel Aviv has also barred medical supplies from entering Gaza and injured Palestinians from leaving. The shortage of medical supplies has led to preventable deaths. 

Listen to the article with analysis from the author:  The US is positioning its most advanced missile interceptors in the Middle East to prepare for a major war with Iran.  According to the Wall Street Journal, the US is moving THAAD and Patriot interceptors into the Middle East. The air defenses will be sent to bases where US troops are stationed in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. The White House views the advanced missile defense systems as necessary if President Donald Trump wants to launch a large-scale attack on Iran.  Trump has ordered a significant military buildup in the Middle East, including an aircraft carrier strike group and fighter jets. Many of the warships carry additional interceptors, and fighter jets can shoot down Iranian drones.  The deployments have put thousands of additional American troops within range of Iranian weapons. There are over 5,000 sailors on the aircraft carrier, 300-350 soldiers on each of the eight destroyers in the region, and 100 troops for each THAAD system.  Trump is reportedly considering a range of options for creating regime change in Iran, including an oil blockade and strikes targeting high-level officials in Tehran. According to the WSJ, the President wants a “decisive attack” on Iran.  Drop Stie News reports speaking with US officials who said the White House informed its Arab allies that a war with Iran could begin at any time. Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said on Sunday he does not believe a US attack is imminent, but will happen within two months.  Zamir’s remarks followed a meeting with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine in the Pentagon on Friday.  Trump renewed the threat to attack Iran on Sunday. He told reporters, “We have the biggest and strongest ships there, very close. They’ll be ready within days. I hope we make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll find out.” Trump has threatened to attack Iran over its nuclear and missile programs. Additional he said he may strike Iran for cracking down on demonstrators.  However, a large-scale attack on the Islamic Republic will likely lead to Iran launching retaliatory strikes on US bases in the region and Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Trump against attacking Iran earlier this month because Israel was unprepared for the fallout.  Former CIA officer and torture program whistleblower John Kiriakou said he spoke with multiple, well-paced, Arab princes who explained that Israel was urging Trump to exercise caution in dealing with Iran as Tel Aviv was still in the process of replenishing its stockpile of missile interceptors.  Israel used a significant portion of its Iron Dome and Arrow interceptors during its war with Iran in June. Tel Aviv relied heavily on American interceptors to supplement its missile defenses.

ICE tactics in MN have been heavy handed and the “protesters” are funded by the same people that have funded every color revolution of the 21st century. You don’t have to be on either side.

Greenland on the table, NATO on edge, and an algorithm deciding who gets a knock at the door. We dive into President Trump’s Davos remarks claiming the U.S. will pursue Greenland, then trace the fallout across European capitals as Denmark draws a hard line on sovereignty and lawmakers move to unwind trade ties. If Greenland is already protected by NATO, what problem is “acquisition” solving—and at what cost to U.S. credibility, markets, and the transatlantic alliance? From there, we cut through fuzzy NATO math. The much‑touted jump to 5 percent defense spending looks more like creative accounting than real muscle, with roads and rail counted as deterrence and deadlines pushed years out. Theater might buy applause, but it doesn’t buy readiness. On Ukraine, the rhetoric of nearing peace collides with a harsher map: mass drone and missile strikes, a frayed grid, rare hypersonic shots, and manpower strains that no press conference can paper over. Signing a bilateral pact that Moscow rejects as a red line isn’t a glide path to de‑escalation; it’s a fresh wedge that could harden the war. The most chilling turn lands at home. We reveal how a Palantir‑powered tool helps ICE score neighborhoods and surface targets, while agencies purchase sensitive data from tech brokers to sidestep warrants. When a confidence number can trigger a raid, due process becomes optional and your phone becomes a surveillance beacon. Security doesn’t require pretending algorithms are oracles; it demands laws that protect rights and a strategy that separates signal from noise. If you value clear analysis over spin, tap follow, share this episode with someone who tracks foreign policy and tech, and leave a quick review telling us which topic you want us to dig into next. Your support helps this show reach the people who need it most.

A letter about the Nobel Peace Prize. A claim that America needs “complete and total control of Greenland.” And a war that almost started, then didn’t. We follow the thread from ego-driven spectacle to real-world consequences, unpacking how image-making can bend strategy and endanger lives. We begin with the Greenland fixation and why it fails every basic test of strategy. Greenland is already protected under NATO via Denmark, and the specter of a Chinese or Russian occupation collapses under logistics and alliance math. So what’s left? Legacy. The urge to redraw the map and be remembered becomes a risky compass when it steers policy toward symbolic victories over coherent national interest. From there, the focus shifts to Iran and a night when airspace closed, assets moved, and insiders braced for impact. The order never came. Not because escalation was unthinkable, but because defenses were thin and retaliation looked imminent. Reports point to Netanyahu’s warning and U.S. readiness gaps as decisive. That’s sobering: it implies delay, not de-escalation, while carriers, interceptors, and air wings redeploy. We also dig into Lindsey Graham’s fury at Gulf allies who want to avoid turning their own bases and ports into targets—a reminder that geography and self-preservation shape their decisions more than Washington talking points. Back home, we trace the money and the megaphone. Miriam Adelson’s outsized influence, built on massive checks, highlights how single-issue loyalty can purchase foreign-policy outcomes. Pam Bondi’s boasts about unprecedented DOJ actions on campus “anti-Semitism” expose the dangerous slide from policing threats to policing dissent. When pro-Palestinian protest and criticism of U.S.-Israel policy are rebranded as bigotry, federal power becomes a cudgel against speech rather than a shield for it. We close with a regime change reality check. Dinesh D’Souza’s nostalgia for post-WWII “success” meets Dave Smith’s rebuttal: those outcomes were born of total war, mass death, and decades of occupation—conditions America will not, and should not, reproduce. Swapping in “friendlier thugs” isn’t strategy; it’s a recipe for failed states, insurgency, and endless costs. If this breakdown helps you see the stakes more clearly, subscribe, share the show, and leave a review. What do you think is the biggest risk on the horizon: an Iran strike, a Greenland gambit, or the creeping crackdown on dissent?

I discuss Minneapolis ICE situation and we finish up the last of 3 presidential debates from 1992

 Download Audio. Scott brings Daniel Davis back to run through some of the latest developments related to American foreign policy. They discuss how close the war in Ukraine is to ending, whether US-EU cooperation is starting to fracture, whether Russia has been effectively weakened by NATO since it invaded Ukraine in 2022 and more.  Discussed on the show: Daniel Davis / Deep Dive Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He is a Senior Fellow at Defense Priorities and is the author of the reports “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort” and “Go Big or Go Deep: An Analysis of Strategy Options on Afghanistan.” Find him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1and subscribe to his YouTube Channel. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth app: https://podsworth.com Use code HORTON50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings, sound like a pro, and also support the Scott Horton Show! 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 Scott’s books: Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine https://amzn.to/47jMtg7 (The audiobook of Provoked is being published in sections at https://scotthortonshow.com) Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism: https://amzn.to/3tgMCdw Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan https://amzn.to/3HRufs0 Follow Scott on X @scotthortonshow And check out Scott’s full interview archives: https://scotthorton.org/all-interviews This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Incorporated https://rrbi.co Moon Does Artisan Coffee https://scotthorton.org/coffee; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom https://www.libertyclassroom.com/dap/a/?a=1616 and Dissident Media https://dissidentmedia.com You can also support Scott’s work by making a one-time or recurring donation at https://scotthorton.org/donate/https://scotthortonshow.com or https://patreon.com/scotthortonshow

A president on camera says only his own morality can stop him. That single line sets the tone for a high-stakes hour where we track real-time war signals around Iran, interrogate the Greenland fantasy, and examine how power bends rules when no one close is willing to say no. We connect the dots between rhetoric, logistics, and escalating options—from sanctions and cyber operations to reports of potential strikes on non-military targets in Tehran—while reading the tea leaves of embassy closures, airspace changes, and force posture moves across the region. We also unpack the protest landscape inside Iran: genuine economic anger, contested casualty figures, and the fog of information operations that can turn small fires into regional infernos. If the United States acts without congressional authorization or public persuasion, it won’t just risk a wider war; it will cement a template for executive overreach that future presidents will inherit. That same impulse shows up at home in the response to the ICE shooting in Minnesota, where dissent gets rebranded as disrespect and disrespect is treated like a crime. When loyalty becomes the yardstick for justice, constitutional limits become optional. Finally, we turn to the media arena. Dave Smith’s blunt challenge to Dan Bongino raises a hard question: what happens when those who pledged to expose the “deep state” are accused of shielding it, especially on the Epstein saga? Independent platforms earn trust by pressing for receipts, not rehearsed talking points. Along the way we decode the Greenland push—why NATO already covers the threat it cites, and why chasing cartographic glory would shatter alliances without delivering strategic value. If you care about constitutional guardrails, Middle East stability, media accountability, and honest statecraft, this one’s for you. Listen, share with a friend, and tell us where you draw the line—then hit follow so you don’t miss what comes next.

Listen to the article with analysis from the author:  In an effort to quell concerns that US bombs would soon be falling on Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she received assurance from Washington that there would be no military flights over Mexico. On Monday, Sheinbaum explained she had received “written” assurance from the US that no military flights would take place over Mexico. She added that Washington pledged to inform Mexico City of any military operations before they take place. Sheinbaum’s remarks followed warnings from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to civilian aircraft to watch for military flights over Mexico and parts of Central and South America. The FAA issued a similar advisory before the US attacked Venezuela and kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump has pressed Sheinbaul to allow the US to conduct military operations against cartels in Mexico. She has repeatedly refused to permit any foreign ministry actions inside Mexico. Multiple outlets have reported that the US is preparing to conduct military operations inside of Mexico, including strikes on suspected drug labs and raids targeting cartels. Under Trump, the US has designated several Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The White House justified its strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean by arguing the vessels were operated by cartels designated as a narco-terrorist group. First Published at Antiwar.com

The Greenland debacle is bringing the NATO relationship into better focus on just how bad the EU/SSR has become. America should take a non-interventionist pause and get its internal house in order before standing astride the world again and lighting fires that never go away and continuously make things worse. Stop the madness. Recent episodes on NATO. First part here: Ep 009 “Fixing Fight Club: Just Say No to NATO: Part One” Second part here: Ep 016 “Fixing Fight Club: Just Say No to NATO: Part Two” References: Defense of Greenland: Agreement Between the United States and the Kingdom of Denmark, April 27, 1951 Winning The Salvo Competition: Rebalancing America’s Air And Missile Defenses The Russian Reconnaissance Fire Complex Comes of Age Nyet Means Nyet (William Burns 2008) Pat Buchanan Where Does NATO Enlargement End? DoS Cable: NATO ENLARGEMENT: RUSSIAN ASSERTIONS REGARDING THE TWO-PLUS-FOUR AGREEMENT ON GERMAN UNIFICATION Books: Edward Bernays Propaganda Sevim Dagdelen NATO: A Reckoning with the Atlantic Alliance Matt Kennard The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs The American Empire Daniel Ellsberg The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner Scott Horton Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine Nassim Taleb Incerto: Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, The Bed of Procrustes, Antifragile, Skin in the Game Mark Gunzinger & Bryan Clark Winning the Salvo Competition: Rebalancing America’s Air and Missile Defense Christian Brose The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare My Substack Email at [email protected]

 Download Audio. Scott brought Daniel McAdams back on the show to talk about the prospects of Trump taking over Greenland, the capture of Maduro, protests in Iran and the status of America’s antiwar movement more broadly.   Discussed on the show: “US Surging Military Assets To the Middle East To Prepare for War With Iran After Trump Postpones Attack” (Antiwar.com) The Panama Deception Daniel McAdams is the executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and the co-host of the Ron Paul Liberty Report. Follow him on Twitter @DanielLMcAdams and read all of his work over at Antiwar.com. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth app: https://podsworth.com Use code HORTON50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings, sound like a pro, and also support the Scott Horton Show! 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 Scott’s books: Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine https://amzn.to/47jMtg7 (The audiobook of Provoked is being published in sections at https://scotthortonshow.com) Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism: https://amzn.to/3tgMCdw Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan https://amzn.to/3HRufs0 Follow Scott on X @scotthortonshow And check out Scott’s full interview archives: https://scotthorton.org/all-interviews This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Incorporated https://rrbi.co Moon Does Artisan Coffee https://scotthorton.org/coffee; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom https://www.libertyclassroom.com/dap/a/?a=1616 and Dissident Media https://dissidentmedia.com You can also support Scott’s work by making a one-time or recurring donation at https://scotthorton.org/donate/https://scotthortonshow.com or https://patreon.com/scotthortonshow

Listen to the article with analysis from the author:  A call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convinced President Donald Trump not to order an attack on Iran last week. Netanyahu was concerned that the attack would not be decisive, and Israel would be unable to repel an Iranian counterattack without more American military support. On Wednesday, American diplomats and military officials in the Middle East were convinced they would receive orders from President Trump to strike Iran. Expectations for a US attack on Iran were built over the previous two weeks as Trump threatened the Islamic Republic for cracking down on protesters. Members of his cabinet, including Vice President JD Vance, were pushing Trump to authorize strikes. Vance argued Trump had drawn a red line that Iran had crossed by killing protesters, and the President must enforce it. However, the President received a call from Netanyahu, who warned that the planned strikes would not be decisive and that the US lacked the military equipment in the Middle East to repel an Iranian counterattack. Axios reporter Barak Ravid spoke with several US officials who said Netanyahu’s warning and the potential for Iranian retaliation were significant factors in Trump’s decision not to order an attack. Since the US and Israeli was on Iran in June, two aircraft carrier strike groups and an advanced air defense system have been deployed out of the Middle East. Late last week, Trump dispatched the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the region. An Iranian official said on Sunday that at least 5,000 people had been killed over three weeks of demonstrations. The protests often turned into riots, and over 500 members of the Iranian security forces had also been killed. While the demonstrations in Iran have mostly ceased, US officials say the potential for an attack on the Islamic Republic remains a possibility. First Published at Antiwar.com