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Download Audio. Scott interviews Grant F. Smith about what he’s learned from his years of studying and collecting documents related to the Israeli government’s operations and activities within the US. They also talk about how terrible Donald Trump has been as president. Discussed on the show: “FBI Files Reveal the History Behind Israel’s US Influence Networks” (Military.com) Israeli Intelligence Service Espionage – Israeli “ISINT” FBI File 65-58700 Grant F. Smith is the author of a number of books including Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America, Divert!, and most recently The Israel Lobby Enters State Government: Rise of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board. He is the director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C. Sign up for the Scott Horton Academy of Foreign Policy and Freedom at scotthortonacademy.com 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/43D82oY (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/4eMQblu Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan https://amzn.to/4a5fKvx 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: Tax Attorney Matt Sercely https://agoristtaxadvice.com; 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; and Crowdhealth https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/ (use promocode Horton) You can also support Scott’s work by making a one-time or recurring donation at https://scotthorton.org/donate/ or https://patreon.com/scotthortonshow 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!

The midterms didn’t just bruise Republicans, they humiliated them, and I think the clearest explanation isn’t a sudden national conversion to Democratic ideology. The vote looks like a blunt punishment of Donald Trump’s second-term priorities, with one issue towering over the rest: the war with Iran and the real, immediate costs Americans feel at home. I walk through why the “Iran is a 4% issue” talking point collapses when gas prices and cost of living spike right after escalation. We listen to Trump himself concede Iran played a role, then compare that to JD Vance’s blunt postmortem about MAGA voters staying home or even voting Democratic to send a message. Exit-poll numbers back up what many pundits still deny: majorities calling the war wrong and huge shares saying it was a crucial factor in their vote. That’s a major shift in how foreign policy, war powers, and intervention politics show up in US elections. From there, I dig into the harder questions: what a Democratic Congress might do with this mandate, why Ukraine policy could get messier, and why oversight could focus on controversies like alleged extrajudicial strikes in drug interdiction operations or the administration’s handling of the Epstein files. We end on the most alarming angle of all: escalating rhetoric around breaking the “final taboo” with a tactical nuclear weapon, and what that says about where this conflict could go next. Subscribe on YouTube or your podcast app, share this with a friend who thinks foreign policy never matters, and leave a rating or comment with your take: did the Iran war decide these midterms?

Election night coverage is usually sold as a scoreboard, but we treat it like a stress test for the whole system. While results roll in, we argue about what a “blue wave” actually means if it’s powered by disappointment, low enthusiasm, and voters choosing to sit out rather than buy another round of party promises. We dig into the real drivers people feel in daily life: prices, budgets, missed vacations, and the sense that both parties keep feeding the same donor ecosystem. Then we go where most election shows won’t: third party lockouts, ballot access barriers, winner-take-all incentives, and the growing anger over election integrity. We talk early voting, mail-in ballots, ballot harvesting, chain of custody, and the uneasy reality that much of the vote counting relies on proprietary software that the public can’t inspect. Foreign policy never stays off the table. We connect domestic politics to the war in Iran, Israel aid narratives, AIPAC incentives, and the bipartisan reflex to keep Ukraine funding flowing. We also ask what a Democratic Congress could do to hem in Trump, from investigations to impeachment, and whether any of that actually restrains escalation overseas. If you’re tired of performative politics and want candid analysis across the ideological spectrum, hit subscribe, share this with a friend who’s watching the returns, and leave a review telling us what you think is really happening in your state.

In this episode, I sketch the life and exploits of one of my three Peak Guerrillas from the beginning of the 20th century, German GEN Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck. I want to explore what I consider the next step in guerrilla evolution employing age-old techniques and strategies harnessed to modern technology and employment within the new age of mechanized warfare and not so mechanized warfare as the Allies would discover during their four year campaign against the poorly supported but brilliant innovations and TTP of Lettow-Vorbeck and his Schutztruppe (German for “Protection Force”) . References: Edward Paice World War I: The African Front: An Imperial War on the Dark Continent Edwin P. Hoyt Guerrilla: COL Lettow-Vorbeck and Germany’s East African Empire Isabel Hull Absolute Destruction: Military Culture And The Practices Of War In Imperial Germany Bruce Gilley In Defense of German Colonialism: And How Its Critics Empowered Nazis, Communists, and the Enemies of the West Tim Pat Coogan Michael Collins James Gleeson Bloody Sunday Tom Barry Guerrilla Days in Ireland Peter Hart Michael Collins Scott Anderson Lawrence of Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East James J. Schneider Guerrilla Leader: TE Lawrence and the Arab Revolt My Substack Email me at [email protected]

Download Audio. Scott interviews Emily Jashinsky about the recent report detailing Trump’s activities with Jeffrey Epstein and his circles. They also talk about the likely consequences of next week’s midterm elections. Discussed on the show: SHOCK REPORT: Trump “Active Participant” In Epstein RING By Way of Deception: The Making and Unmaking of a Mossad Officer by Victor Ostrovsky and Claire Hoy Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network by Ari Ben-Menashe Emily Jashinsky is an American journalist, commentator, and media critic known for her work in conservative media and political analysis. She is a co-host on Breaking Points and the host of After Party with Emily Jashinsky. Follow her on X @emilyjashinsky Sign up for the Scott Horton Academy of Foreign Policy and Freedom at scotthortonacademy.com 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/43D82oY (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/4eMQblu Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan https://amzn.to/4a5fKvx 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: Tax Attorney Matt Sercely https://agoristtaxadvice.com; 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; and Crowdhealth https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/ (use promocode Horton) You can also support Scott’s work by making a one-time or recurring donation at https://scotthorton.org/donate/ or https://patreon.com/scotthortonshow 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!

Download Audio. Journalist Kevin Gosztola returns to the show to discuss yet another story of the US government using the Espionage Act to protect its own aims and interests from the American people. Discussed on the show: “Judge Grants Bail To CIA Contractor Accused Of Violating Espionage Act” by Kevin Gosztola (The Dissenter) Naza (IMDb) Kevin Gosztola is the managing editor of Shadowproof. He also produces and co-hosts the weekly podcast, “Unauthorized Disclosure.” He is the author of Guilty of Journalism: The Political Case Against Julian Assange. Follow him on Twitter @kgosztola.    Sign up for the Scott Horton Academy of Foreign Policy and Freedom at scotthortonacademy.com 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/43D82oY (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/4eMQblu Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan https://amzn.to/4a5fKvx 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: Tax Attorney Matt Sercely https://agoristtaxadvice.com; 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; and Crowdhealth https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/ (use promocode Horton) You can also support Scott’s work by making a one-time or recurring donation at https://scotthorton.org/donate/ or https://patreon.com/scotthortonshow 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!

Preemptive pardons used to sound like a fringe fear. Now they’re getting floated like standard operating procedure, and we dig into what that says about the health of the American system. We talk through why “blanket” or “preemptive” pardons feel like an admission of guilt, why they short-circuit the rule of law, and why the public is so fed up with a political class that seems to treat accountability as optional. Then the conversation swings to a bigger, more dangerous arena: war with Iran. We break down Axios reporting on a tense Trump-Netanyahu call and the push for strikes right after the midterm elections, including how media framing can function as leverage. We also lay out the three big policy tracks being debated in Washington: a negotiated nuclear deal, continued sanctions and economic warfare, or a military option that could spiral into regional conflict. Finally, we get blunt about nuclear risk and nuclear deterrence. We discuss how threats can encourage proliferation, what the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is supposed to do, and why becoming a nuclear-armed state is not just a technical feat but a long-term economic and political burden. If you care about US foreign policy, Israel-Iran tensions, midterm election pressure, and the real costs of empire, this one is for you.

Download Audio. Scott interviews Andrew Day from The American Conservative about what’s happening with the Iran war. They discuss whether Trump will restart the air campaign after the midterms, Israel’s calculated moves that have prevented a lasting negotiated peace from taking hold, how JD Vance plays into all this and more. Discussed on the show: “Iran War Day 244: Vance Proposes Peace Talks in Letter to Iranian Hardliner” by Andrew Day (The American Conservative) “Netanyahu Is Down but Not Out. That’s Dangerous” by Andrew Day (The American Conservative) Andrew Day is the senior editor of The American Conservative. He has a PhD in political science from Northwestern University. You can follow him on X @AKDay89.    Sign up for the Scott Horton Academy of Foreign Policy and Freedom at scotthortonacademy.com 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/43D82oY (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/4eMQblu Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan https://amzn.to/4a5fKvx 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: Tax Attorney Matt Sercely https://agoristtaxadvice.com; 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; and Crowdhealth https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/ (use promocode Horton) You can also support Scott’s work by making a one-time or recurring donation at https://scotthorton.org/donate/ or https://patreon.com/scotthortonshow 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!

Download Audio. Scott brings Daniel Davis back on the show to dig into some of the claims western war hawks are making that the Ukrainians are actually starting to win on the ground in their war against the Russians. Davis explains why these characterizations are misleading and dangerous. 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.    Sign up for the Scott Horton Academy of Foreign Policy and Freedom at scotthortonacademy.com 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/43D82oY (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/4eMQblu Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan https://amzn.to/4a5fKvx 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: Tax Attorney Matt Sercely https://agoristtaxadvice.com; 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; and Crowdhealth https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/ (use promocode Horton) You can also support Scott’s work by making a one-time or recurring donation at https://scotthorton.org/donate/ or https://patreon.com/scotthortonshow 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!

War isn’t distant when it’s priced into every gallon of gas. Dave Benner from Liberty Vault joins us for a blunt end-of-week rundown on the war in Iran, the midterm backlash building around it, and why the administration’s promise that it won’t become a forever war is landing with a thud for a lot of voters. We react to Vice President JD Vance’s messaging and ask the uncomfortable question: if the public doesn’t “vote on foreign policy,” why do the consequences of intervention keep showing up as inflation, debt, and diesel prices that wreck working people’s budgets? We talk about how a war economy gets financed, how the Federal Reserve and deficit spending can mask costs until they hit household expenses, and why broken “no new wars” pledges are now colliding with election-day reality. From there we dig into the argument everyone keeps trying to shut down: the US relationship with Israel, donor influence, and the way mainstream commentators frame criticism as obsession or extremism. We also cover Senator Chris Murphy’s warning about an “insane” war plan, the alarming optics of military mass grave training, and the new “Fortress America” preparedness rhetoric that raises questions about escalation abroad and pressure at home. If you’re trying to make sense of US foreign policy, the Israel lobby debate, the War Powers gray zone, and what all of it means for the midterms, this is the clearest path through the noise. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review with the biggest question you want us to tackle next.

Join CJ as he reads the following Halloween-y poems & short stories: “Halloween” by Madison Julius Cawein “The Erl-King” by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe “The Music of Erich Zann” by H.P. Lovecraft “The Vampire” by Madison Julius Cawein “SOCJ!” — Save Our CJ (& the DHP!) Due to events of the past couple months — […]

(*This episode is mostly comprised of DHP Eps. 171 & 174, which were originally made & published back in 2018.) In this DHP Reissue Two-Fer, CJ-in-2018 turns the DHP Heroes spotlight on one of his favorite filmmakers of all time, John Carpenter, best known for the horror & scifi films he made in the last […]

Download Audio. Scott interviews Patrick Pillow about the series he just started publishing on the regime change in Egypt in 2011. Discussed on the show: “Anatomy of a Regime Change 2011: Egypt, Part One” (Libertarian Overwatch) Patrick Pillow is an independent researcher and writer focused on protest movements, foreign policy, and regime-change case studies. […]

Starlink sounds like a simple story about connectivity, until you ask one question: who gets to decide when a “civilian” network becomes a weapon? We start by digging into Elon Musk’s statement on Ukraine, where he draws a hard boundary around Starlink and offensive drone strikes, and we explain why SpaceX points to Starshield as […]

They’ve spent years telling you an independent vote is a wasted vote. We don’t buy it, and we walk through why the “safe” choice keeps delivering the same disappointment, the same hypocrisy, and the same top-down control. Karen Kotowski sits in for Kyle and talks with producer Chris Leonard about what independent voting actually looks […]