Did the CIA conspire to undermine President Trump’s National Security Advisor, Gen. Michael Flynn, by leaking information about a phone call Gen. Flynn had with the Russian ambassador after Trump was the president-elect? The phone call was intercepted by the intelligence community and illegally leaked to the press. Why? Who benefits? What can we expect of President Trump’s stated policy of better relations with Russia now that Flynn, who supported the policy, has been forced to resign? We look at the winners and losers of this early shake up in the Trump Administration in today’s Liberty Report:

Gen. John Kelly, Director of the Department of Homeland Security, told Congress yesterday that the Administration is considering even more “extreme” vetting measures, to possibly include demands for passwords and information about web browsing habits. For now, these measures would only apply to those coming from the seven countries included in the temporary visa ban, but does anyone believe these requirements will not be expanded to include others…possibly even including Americans? More in today’s Liberty Report:

Hardline neocon Elliott Abrams is rumored to be under consideration for Deputy Secretary of State in the Trump Administration. He is meeting President Trump today. Abrams has never seen a war, intervention, or regime change that he hasn’t enthusiastically endorsed. Each of the policies he has endorsed has ended up in disaster. Libya? Afghanistan? Iraq? Syria? Ukraine? How could anyone so wrong be so right for a senior position? More in today’s Liberty Report:

Does President Trump’s National Security Advisor, Gen. Michael Flynn, realize that both his reasons for putting Iran “on notice” are completely bogus? Iran’s test firing a ballistic missile is not a violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or the related UN resolution. And the Yemeni Houthi attack on a Saudi naval vessel had nothing to do with Iran. Does he realize his rationale is fabricated and presents it anyway? Or is he that ill-informed that he has no idea? With either case there is reason to be alarmed. Does Trump mean to start a war with Iran? How will Russia react? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

Should “settled” science allow dissident research? Or must all scientists conform to conventional wisdom? Today’s Liberty Report is not so much a debate about climate change, but rather about attempts to silence one scientist whose research led her to draw different conclusions. One could easily be in favor of the prevailing notion that climate change is human-caused and still be concerned about the tendency to silence dissenters. We speak with climatologist Dr. Judith Curry about what it’s like to deviate from the scientific orthodoxy:

Why is President Trump continuing the failed Middle East policy of President Obama? Last weekend’s drone strike on Yemen was supposedly aimed at al-Qaeda operatives, but it also killed a significant number of innocent women and children. And al-Qaeda? They are the greatest beneficiaries of the US-backed Saudi war against Yemen. We are supposedly fighting al-Qaeda while backing those who are helping al-Qaeda? Does it make sense? We discuss in today’s Liberty Report:

President Trump’s recent Executive Order banning entry to citizens of seven mostly-Muslim countries for 90 days has sparked protest and outrage. Lost in the din created by the protests is the fact that these seven countries have something in common: they have been targeted by the US for bombs or regime change. Where Iraq and Syria are now considered terrorist threats, for example, before US regime change and invasion there was no terrorist problem. Iran has never attacked or threatened the United States, but it is on the list of banned countries. Saudi Arabia was complicit in the 9/11 attacks on the US and 15 of the 19 attackers were Saudi citizens, however somehow the Saudis escaped President Trump’s notice. Is this really about protecting us from terrorism, or is it about politics? We discuss today in the Liberty Report:

How did the US empire begin? In his important new book, The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire, Stephen Kinzer tells the story of the nationwide debate in 1898 over whether the US should attempt to intervene in the affairs of the rest of the world. Is that debate over? Mr. Kinzer joins us to discuss in today’s Liberty Report:

Washington is talking about military spending reform…again. Much of the noise emanating from the think tanks on this subject is intended to maintain the policy status quo at all costs while giving the impression that money is being spent more carefully. But the issue is not whether the practice of charging $800 for hammer can be eliminated, but rather whether the United States really needs to maintain 800 military bases overseas. Real reform versus phony reform in today’s Liberty Report:

Over the weekend, President Trump indicated that he would continue in his predecessor’s foreign policy. The US conducted some 31 airstrikes in Syria and Iraq and two drone strikes in Yemen. Will we achieve different results doing the same thing over and over? More in today’s Liberty Report:

When authorities found out that Shona Banda treated her severe Crohn’s Disease with cannabis after all other treatments (and multiple surgeries) had failed, they took away her child and are trying to send her to prison for 30 years. But she is fighting back! We speak with Ms. Banda about her struggle for health freedom in today’s Liberty report…

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) wants to spend five trillion dollars over the next five years in a massive build-up of the US military. Dozens of ships will be be built, as well as more than a hundred new fighter jets — including the problem-plagued F-35. The Army and Marines will greatly expand. McCain’s goal is to be able to fight a conventional war in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It’s as if we are back in 1950! How much do McCain’s donors in the military-industrial complex love this budget? We can only imagine. But will Trump bite? Is this the kind of spending that would really “make America great again”? As Alibaba gazillionaire Jack Ma put it so well recently in Davos, the US has wasted $14 trillion on wars over the past 30 years. More on this today in the Liberty Report: