The RPI Challenge

This week marks 16 years since the US attacked an Iraq that had neither attacked nor threatened us. Claims that Iraq had WMDs were lies and the Bush Administration knew they were lies. So 16 years later who is coming out on top after the US attack? Here’s a hint: the most unintended of consequences. Today on the Liberty Report:

Less than a month after Brazil made it clear that it wants no part in a military invasion of neighboring Venezuela, its president, Jair Bolsonaro, is in Washington this week to be feted by Trump and his neocon advisors. First stop was an unprecedented visit to the CIA for a “briefing” on Venezuela. Then it was off to a visit with Trump, where the US president promised at the least a path to NATO membership for the South American country. Are the neocons turning Bolsonaro in favor of an attack on Venezuela? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

The Trump Administration has requested a huge increase in the US spy budget, including a whopping $23 billion for the “black” budget. The reasons given are the increasing threats from Russia and China. Does all this spy spending really protect us…or is it just welfare for the Beltway bandits and scaremongers? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

Over the weekend the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump Administration had decided to keep 1,000 US military personnel stationed (illegally) in Syria, even though just three months ago the president said he would be bringing home all US troops in the country. That was followed by an announcement that 200, then 400, would remain. What’s the point of the US occupation of part of Syria – especially now that al-Qaeda/ISIS is defeated? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

The Senate has passed “war powers” legislation ordering the president to cease and desist his cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the destruction of Yemen. A House vote is expected soon, which would throw the issue to the president who has promised a veto. Will there be political fallout for a president failing to accede to the will of Congress on matters of war and peace? Tune in to the Liberty Report:

Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar (MN) has stirred up both political parties with her comments on the Israel Lobby, has infuriated the Republicans with her aggressive line of questioning for Trump’s “regime change” expert Elliott Abrams, and has driven the Democrats mad with her criticisms of Barack Obama. Is she on the right track, or off the rails? Today on the Liberty Report:

Secretary of State Pompeo has ordered all US diplomats to return from Venezuela. Their presence in country is “constraining” US foreign policy, he says. Is this the pre-cursor to a US attack? What about the power outages in Venezuela? A US cyber-attack? Are the neocons about to pull the trigger? Former US Diplomat and Senior Advisor to Senate Republicans Jim Jatras joins today’s Liberty Report:

Former Trump campaign official Paul Manafort has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for acting as an unregistered agent for Ukraine. But looking at the media coverage of the case one would never know that “taking down” Manafort was not all about Russia collusion. Reporting…or propaganda? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

A surprise revelation from a staffer in House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) office has everyone talking about whether the NSA has really ended its metadata collection of our phone calls and texts, which was authorized by the 2015 USA FREEDOM Act. They say they no longer need the data collection allowed by the Act. Is it true…or have they developed something else? Tune in to the Liberty Report…

President George W. Bush’s vice president, Dick Cheney, is widely seen as the “real” president when it came to implementing an aggressive, neocon-approved foreign policy. Bush was seen as incurious putty in Cheney’s hands. Has Trump’s National Security Advisor John Bolton taken on that role in this Administration? Is Bolton the new Cheney? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

US neocons Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Vice President Pence, and National Security Advisor John Bolton were all itching to see the Maduro government arrest US-appointed “president” of Venezuela Juan Guaido when he returned from his tour of US-friendly Latin American countries. They had all sprung a trap and it all depended on the Venezuelan government arresting Guaido. But Maduro did not fall for the bait. This is the second US coup attempt that has failed in the last month. What will be the neocons’ V-Coup 3.0? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

The last enclave of ISIS is being defeated in eastern Syria, yet the US reportedly dropped white phosphorus which killed a number of civilians. Are we making it worse? Plus – what’s John Bolton’s role in all this? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report: