Yesterday’s tragedy at a Manchester, UK music concert reminds us that the threat of terrorism remains with us. ISIS claimed responsibility and governments will no doubt respond. But will their response make future attacks more or less likely? Also, we must look at the attack in the context of the emerging larger US/UK/allied war on Iran, Syria, and ultimately Russia. That is precisely what we do…in today’s Liberty Report.

President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia was perhaps one of the most bizarre spectacles of our time. Just months ago he accused the Saudi government of being behind the 9/11 attack on the US, yet over the weekend he stood on Saudi soil and discussed the virtues of religious diversity (something illegal in Saudi Arabia). Was it all about ” the art of the deal” — inking a hugely lucrative (for some) mega weapons deal? Or was it about calling for war on Iran and Syria (and maybe Russia)? We pick apart the trip and the speech in today’s Liberty Report:

Neocons and the pro-war mainstream media have nothing to lose when the wars they promote go terribly wrong. This is unique in history. After the predictable disaster, they return to their air conditioned Washington and New York offices while millions suffer and die. That is why why they are able to continue. In the words of today’s Liberty Report guest Nassim Nicholas Taleb, they have no “skin in the game.” The famous author of The Black Swan also lets us in on his thinking about the current state of the US economy and the actions of the Federal Reserve. Tune in to this very special Liberty Report:

In a surprise move, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as Special Counsel to look into whether the Russian government interfered in the 2016 US presidential election and whether the Trump election team colluded with the Russians. Mueller is also granted sweeping and unspecified power to look into many related issues around the general topic. Many questions have arisen over the move. How will this affect President Trump’s foreign policy, particularly as the timing is suspiciously close to the recent successful meeting between Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. What does it mean for the rest of Trump’s agenda? Have the chances risen for his removal from office? If so, how and by whom? We take a look at all the disparate threads on the issue in today’s Liberty Report:

Ron Paul shocked the GOP at the May 15, 2007 South Carolina presidential debate. Our foreign policy of interventionism is the reason people overseas are angry with us and would like to attack us — and why they attacked us on 9/11. Frontrunner Rudy Giuliani exploded at Paul, demanding he take back his words. Paul stood firm. People expected it to be the end of the Paul candidacy, but a funny thing happened: the post-debate polls began to favor him. It was the beginning of the end of Giuliani…and the beginning of the beginning of Ron Paul’s worldwide peace movement. In today’s Liberty Report, Dr. Paul tells us how he felt at the time…and what can be done to continue the momentum:

The latest “Russiagate” breathless revelation is that President Trump revealed secret information to the Russians in the Oval office. The Washington Post cites unnamed “former and current” intelligence sources for the leaked information. The leakers were obviously not in the room, but National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster who was in the room and refuted the claims was buried in the eighth paragraph. What’s behind frenzy? Differences in policy? Do the Democrats and their new neocon allies oppose Trump’s plans for military escalation in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere? Or is it really about power? We pick it apart in today’s Liberty Report:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent a memo to Federal Prosecutors on Friday to reverse his predecessor’s directive to, when appropriate, seek less severe sentences for some drug offenses. This return to much more robust prosecution of drug offenses will lead to many more and much longer prison sentences. We already spend some $40 billion per year to prosecute and house the approximately 300,000 drug offenders in the US, many of whom non-violent. The one trillion dollar, nearly half-century war on drugs has bee an utter failure and a return to harsher penalties will do nothing to solve the problem. Why will it fail? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

The Turks are not at all happy about President Trump’s plan to provide heavy weapons to the Kurds fighting as US proxies against ISIS in Syria. The Turks bombed some 20 Kurdish fighters in Syria just weeks ago but with US advanced weapons in Kurdish hands, future such missions may be risky. Would the Kurds use American weapons to attack the Turks? And why does President Trump believe that digging up President Obama’s already-failed strategy for eastern Syria will work this time? We take a look in today’s Liberty Report:

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) published an op-ed in the New York Times yesterday taking Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to task for Tillerson’s recent comment that our national security goals overseas may on some occasions preclude the export of our human rights values. In McCain’s view, it is our duty always and everywhere to export American values and help “liberate” oppressed masses overseas. But what about McCain’s own record? How are the people doing in those countries “liberated” by the policies he has endorsed? Is the average Iraqi, or Libyan, or Syrian better off now, after US military intervention to “promote our values”? Most likely McCain’s article is meant to scuttle tomorrow’s meeting between Tillerson and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Will McCain succeed? We discuss in today’s Liberty Report:

President Trump is off to Saudi Arabia and Israel later this month, with stops at the Vatican and at a NATO summit. Since the election, a once-critical Trump has flip-flopped on Saudi Arabia, now he’s expected to provide further US assistance to the ongoing Saudi war on Yemen. But much of the Saudi visit will no-doubt focus on something Trump shares with the Saudi leadership: violent antipathy toward Iran. We preview the President’s trip in today’s Liberty Report:

“We have to fight them over there, so we won’t have to fight them here.” Was it George W. Bush? Nope. The statement goes all the way back to President Truman, who warned that if we didn’t fight the Korean war we’d have to fight commies in Wichita. The whole idea of pre-emptive war is nothing more than false propaganda. Today’s Liberty Report takes on the myths that lead us to war:

This morning an agreement was reached at the Syria talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, to set up four “de-escalation” or “safe” zones inside Syria, where moderate rebels would be tolerated but extremists like al-Qaeda and ISIS and their various offshoots would not be tolerated. The Syrian and Russian governments would not conduct military action in such zones. The aim is to reduce the fighting and allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. Will the “moderates” really be able to separate from the extremists and terrorists? That remains to be seen. What will be the US reaction, especially from the neocons? We’ll soon see. Our take on this breaking story in today’s Liberty Report: