Despite US Defense Secretary James Mattis’ promises that North and South Korean talks today would be about only one subject, the Olympics, the North and South ended up after 12 hours of talks opening the door quite a bit wider between the two countries. In addition to the North sending a team to participate in the South Korean Winter Olympic games next month, the two countries agreed to continue meeting bilaterally in attempt to find ways to reduce military tension on the peninsula. President Trump has taken credit for the breakthrough talks taking place…does he have a point? Join us for today’s Liberty Report:

Protests have broken out in Iran against the Iranian government. Other protests have broken out in favor of the Iranian government. Almost uniquely in the Middle East, Iran holds elections contested by parties representing different political philosophies. Yet US neocons insist that the mere presence of protests means the Iranian government is illegitimate and therefore must be overthrown. How do they get that? Do protests in the US mean that the US government must be overthrown? More in today’s Liberty Report:

In the last several days, North and South Korea have agreed to hold high-level talks, to re-establish a direct communication link, and to participate in the coming winter Olympic games. Taken together it appears a significant step toward reducing tensions on the peninsula and reducing the risk of catastrophic war. You would think the US would be pleased at the developments and hopeful that diplomacy might take over from saber-rattling. But you would be wrong. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has poured cold water on the developments, screeching that North Korea must first give up its nuclear program before talks can even take place. For more, tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

What a coincidence that just when news leaks out of a coordinated US, Saudi, and Israeli plan to undermine the Iranian government we see the largest protests in Iran since 2009! We are told that thousands of people carefully coordinated protests in multiple cities throughout the country over a hike in the price of eggs and that there were absolutely no foreign fingerprints on the unrest. Do you believe it? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

Last week President Trump signed an Executive Order providing for the seizure of assets of any person or corporation — American or foreign — determined to be abusing human rights or engaging in corruption. In theory, this means if a Chinese employee of Apple bribes a Chinese official, the US government claims the right to freeze all of Apple’s US assets. How’s that going to work out? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

US spy satellites have detected Chinese oil sales to North Korean ships in violation of UN Security Council sanctions. Will the US demand to board Chinese ships in international waters? Escalation? And why these sanctions in the first place? Does the US and UN really think that freezing the civilian population in North Korea will help them overthrow their leader? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report…

Dr. Paul and I would like to share a brief Christmas message with all our viewers. What does Dr. Paul remember about the Christmases of his youth? What about the Prince of Peace and how so many self-professed Christians seem to prefer worshipping the dark gods of war. Merry Christmas from the Ron Paul Liberty Report and thank you for continuing to watch the program!

After opposing escalation with Russia over Ukraine as a candidate, President Trump made the surprising decision to begin supplying Ukraine with lethal arms this week. The neocons are pleased but urge him to allow even more weapons. What’s the reason for the flip-flop? Join today’s Liberty Report for our take…

US Ambassador to the UN made a big show of holding a press conference to demonstrate an “Iranian” missile that the Houthis in Yemen fired onto Saudi territory as an example of Iran’s violation of the JPCOA agreement. It was a scene reminiscent of then-Secretary of State Colin Powell’s “mobile Iraqi chemical weapons labs” demonstration at the UN. And about as truthful. Will President Trump re-purpose US troops in Syria to confront Iran and thereby grant the neocons their number one desire? We discuss in today’s Liberty Report:

President Trump has been on record demanding that the Europeans pay for their own defense. At a recent rally he condemned countries in Europe that “get frisky” with Russia and then expect the US to defend them. So why is there an extra $5 billion slipped in the 2018 military spending bill to defend Europe? We’ll tell you all about it in today’s Liberty Report:

On Monday, President Trump is expected to release the new National Security Strategy for the United States. Will it rein in some of the global adventurism of the Bush and Obama presidencies? Will it correct the gaping disconnect between what the White House says about places like North Korea and what the Secretary of State says? Will the neocons successfully parlay the document into a road-map for more wars? Today’s Liberty Report is joined by veteran foreign affairs analyst and former US diplomat Jim Jatras to discuss our hopes and fears for this important document:

Yesterday, Russian president Vladimir Putin paid a surprise visit to Russian troops fighting ISIS in Syria. He announced that since the battle against the extremists was essentially won, he was ordering the bulk of Russian military forces to return to Russia. The US, on the other hand, is claiming that its troops would continue to occupy some 14 military bases on Syrian territory “as long as ISIS wants to fight,” in the words of US Defense Secretary James Mattis. So the Russians, who were invited there, are leaving while the Americans, who occupy Syrian territory illegally, are staying. The Iranians are understandably not too pleased with US military bases located so close to their own troops, which are also legally in Syria at the request of the Syrian government. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but in today’s Liberty Report we have an idea of how to dial down the tensions…