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:

Although the Founders expected the legislative branch of government to be first among equals, especially in the past 20 years the executive branch has consolidated power at the expense of Congress and the Courts. But the two losing branches have been more than complicit in the process. What does this bode for our future? We turned to noted Constitutional scholar, Louis Fisher, who has written more than 500 articles and 24 books on this important issue. You won’t want to miss this episode of the Liberty Report:

Martin Luther King’s 1967 sermons and speeches against the Vietnam war may not be as well-remembered as his famous “I have a Dream” speech, but they demonstrate a commitment to the spirit of the Nobel Peace Prize he won in 1964. Others who have won this award have not pursued a peaceful course, including the outgoing US president. King’s war opposition was strongly opposed by those who championed his work in favor of civil rights, including the LBJ administration. It may also be what got him killed. We look at the antiwar King in today’s Liberty Report:

Watching the Senate hearing for President-elect Trump’s Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, it seemed arch-neocon Bill Kristol might have been hiding somewhere feeding the former Exxon CEO his lines. He’s going to stop China from accessing islands it has constructed in the South China Sea? He endorses the neocon line about Russian “aggression” against Ukraine and Crimea? If America doesn’t “lead” the rest of the world, there will only be chaos and confusion? He wants to give Saudi Arabia a “pass” on its dismal human rights record? Let’s hope Tillerson is just telling the likes of Marco Rubio (R-FL) what he wants to hear, but should we bet on it? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

President-elect Trump’s choice for Secretary of State, former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, has infuriated Senators and the mainstream media by doing business with Russia, doing business with Iran even while sanctions were in place, and having personal investments in China and Russia. We may argue that these “shortcomings” may indicate that he will be more hesitant to endorse counterproductive sanctions on those countries that resist Washington’s will. However, it remains to be seen whether he will “grow” while in office to adopt the prevalent neocon view of the world. Our preview of tomorrow’s confirmation hearing in today’s Liberty Report:

Tomorrow the Senate Judiciary Committee takes up Donald Trump’s nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) to be his Attorney General. Sessions is billed as a “Constitutional conservative” but how is his record on civil liberties? The drug war? Whistleblowers? We hold a pre-hearing hearing in today’s Liberty Report:

President-elect Donald Trump has said he wants to shrink and reform the CIA and much of the US intelligence community, which he has claimed has become very politicized. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) recently warned Trump about crossing the CIA, stating that, “You take on the intelligence community — they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you.” Will Trump try to really take on the destructive policies and actions of the CIA, or will he focus on re-arranging the deck chairs and putting his own people in positions of power? Our take in today’s Liberty Report:

In November the Washington Post printed an article accusing some 200 independent media organizations of being “fake news” sites doing the bidding of the Kremlin. Their evidence? They had none, so very soon they were forced to walk back the story. On Friday they breathlessly reported that the Russians had hacked our energy grid, but it soon turned out they didn’t bother to actually contact the company they reported hacked. It wasn’t hacked. They had to walk back the story. Yes their credibility is shot, but they still churn out a steady stream of propaganda. What to do about their disintegrating credibility? Convince the US government that they should be in charge of vetting what is is fake news versus real news. It can’t happen here? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report: