President Trump has delivered his military budget request for 2019 that increases spending by 12 percent over 2017 spending. Designed to fully fund a “depleted” military, even Defense Secretary Mattis was surprised at the figures. Many more warships, many more F-22s (even though they don’t work). Half a billion more dollars to continue the US “regime change” operation in Syria. There’s something in it for everybody…except the American people. How this massive spending increase makes us less safe and less free in today’s Liberty Report:

Neocons — and even a few “libertarians” — are furious that North Korea is getting some credit for unleashing a “charm offensive” at the Olympic games. Rather than look to a future without crippling sanctions and the threat of nuclear war, they obsess on the lurid details of reported abuses by the North Korean government. But what’s the big problem with a “charm offensive”? Isn’t it preferable to a military offensive? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

It’s been a couple of weeks of serious escalation in Syria. First, the US attacked and killed some 100 Syrian government-allied troops for launching an operation against a US-funded rebel force that seeks the overthrow of the Syrian government. Then some US-trained rebels shot down a Russian jet fighter. Then Israel began bombing Syria for the 100th or so time. Then Syria shocked the world and shot down an Israeli F-16. Then Israel dropped some more bombs on Syria for what it said was a violation of its sovereignty. Where does it go from here? And why are we still there? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

The release of the “Grassley Memo” earlier this week should have made headlines, but it didn’t. In addition to confirming key details from the earlier Nunes Memo on FISA abuses, the Grassley memo contained even more details on the incredible manipulation of the 2016 US presidential election. Perhaps the media is ignoring the memo because the manipulation it demonstrates is not the manipulation they want to report. There is no evidence of Russian meddling in the memo. Instead, it looks more and more like British intelligence colluded with the Clinton campaign and key elements in the US intelligence community in an attempt to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president. Think the Brits would never do such a thing? Think again. Former CIA officer Phil Giraldi joins today’s Liberty Report to break down this new information…

What’s the connection between the Clinton Global Initiative and the NGOs who continue pushing for a “humanitarian” war on Syria? What’s the truth behind new claims of Assad’s chemical attacks? What about the “White Helmets”? Are they selfless heroes or al-Qaeda PR agents? Veteran journalist Vanessa Beeley joins today’s Liberty Report to break down the latest round of war propaganda:

Responses to the recently-released House Intelligence Committee memo are framed by the mainstream media according to whether viewers are on “Team Democrat” or “Team Republican.” You are supposed to think either that Rep. Nunes is a hero or that the Republicans are trying to destroy everything that is holy and good about the FBI and intelligence community. But what about those of us on “Team Liberty”? We look at the FISA memo and see another in a long line of abuses of our liberties by the National Security State. Author and journalist Jim Bovard joins today’s Liberty Report to give us the real historical context for recent revelations…

Ron Paul Institute Executive Director Daniel McAdams sat down with his old Ron Paul Congressional Office colleague, Mises Institute President Jeff Deist, to discuss the real costs of our massive yearly military spending bill. How does the new nuclear weapons “modernization” program fit in? How big is the US military budget — how does it compare to the budgets of Washington’s rivals? What should the role of the US be in the world?

President Trump called for much more military spending in last night’s State of the Union speech. He also called to keep Guantanamo open and to even add new prisoners. More money for nuclear weapons “modernization.” And he wants $1.5 trillion to spend on infrastructure projects. He takes credit for a booming economy, but will he take blame when the Fed’s bubbles begin to burst? Today’s Liberty Report looks at the policy behind last night’s “feel good” speech…

Tonight’s State of the Union speech will be in equal measure gloating and glumness depending on which political party you ask. As usual there will be plenty of mugging for the cameras with the artificial idea that there really any fundamental differences between the two. The warfare state will get its big boost as will the welfare state. Plenty for everyone in the dreamland that is the US global empire. But what is the real state of the United States? How about our security? Our prosperity? Our liberty? Today’s Liberty Report is completely uninterested in political parties or making bumper-sticker points. We’re digging down to the real state of the union. Please join us…

Neocon-dominated US foreign policy is despised throughout the world, bestselling Scandinavian writer Hanne Herland tells the Liberty Report today. At a time when European and Western values are under attack by cultural Marxists of the Frankfurt School, where can we turn to fight back? And the globalists who control the vast majority of the world’s wealth — what are the dangers? Join today’s very unique Liberty Report:

Though dead-enders can’t let go, the fact is “Russia-gate” is on the wane for lack of any kind of evidence. But what has emerged to take its place looks more like “FBI-gate,” with senior officials seemingly plotting to prevent Donald Trump from taking office and then plotting to depose him once in the White House. RPI’s Daniel McAdams joins RT’s Crosstalk to point out that the FBI has always been a political organization and that the United States would be far better without such a national police force and without agents who do things that would land the rest of us in jail. And wasn’t the Mueller investigation supposed to be all about Russia? Why are we only hearing about “obstruction of justice” and other unrelated avenues of investigation?

The Pentagon has just released its 2018 National Defense Strategy for the United States. After at least 18 years of being told that international terrorism is the number one threat to the United States and that we must spend enormous amounts of money ($11 trillion since 2001) fighting it, we are now told that terrorism is no longer a big threat. The new biggest threat that we must spend more mountains of money defeating? Russia and China! Who benefits from this official return to the Cold War? The military-industrial complex. Who loses? The rest of us. More on the Pentagon’s “Orwell moment” in today’s Liberty Report: