The Oliver Stone film “Snowden” is predictably being nit-picked by the denizens of the establishment, nevertheless those with a better understanding of what it means to live in a free society are calling it an important opportunity for average Americans to get a look at what living in a surveillance state looks and feels like. Thanks to NSA spying, the government collects virtually every bit of possible information on all of us, storing it for a later date so as to use against us if we run afoul of the powers that be. Today’s Liberty Report is joined by former State Department official and whistleblower Peter Van Buren to consider how dramatically the world has changed since 9/11 and what we can do to work against encroaching tyranny.

US National Security Advisor Susan Rice met with her Israeli counterparts yesterday to sign an historic aid deal that will see $38 billion dollars shipped from US taxpayers to the Israeli military. In a press conference, Rice claimed that, “[t]his MOU is not just good for Israel—it’s good for the United States. Our security is linked…” Today’s Liberty Report is joined by former CIA officer Philip Giraldi to discuss how closely “linked” is US national security with Israeli security. Also, we discuss what a huge boon this will be for US defense contractors, who will supply all the military items to Israel:

The “new” ceasefire in Syria seems a lot like the one from earlier this year. This time, according to John Kerry, the Syrian government has to ask permission from the US before it bombs rebels in the country. In exchange the US has agreed (or not, depending on which official you listen to) to finally demand that the rebels it backs and arms separate themselves from al-Qaeda. While any cessation of hostilities is good, especially for civilians caught up in the tragedy, this agreement does not tackle the real underlying issues in Syria. Can it hold? We consider the possibilities in today’s Liberty Report:

In a very special Liberty Report, today we speak with Benjamin Ahdoot, an Iranian-American of Jewish heritage who just spent three months in Iran. Are the neocons telling us the truth about Iran? Benjamin sets them straight! Don’t miss this interview!

Why should American citizens subsidize the R&D and manufacture of military materials only to have them sold overseas to the profit of the arms manufacturers? And why on earth would we send more weapons to Saudi Arabia with its abysmal human rights record and brutal war on Yemen? Very special guest Senator Rand Paul joins today’s Liberty Report to let us know what he’s doing to stop the arms floodgate:

Yesterday history was made, with the first commercial flight from the US to Cuba in more than 50 years. Here is one real foreign policy achievement of President Obama, but in fact you cannot oppose an idea whose time has come. In today’s Liberty Report we take a look at the benefits and pitfalls of the de facto normalization with Cuba:

The Department of Homeland Security is reportedly ready to announce that US elections are part of the “critical infrastructure” of the United States and thus under the Department’s control. Part of the pretext for this move is news that voting registers in Arizona and Illinois may have been been hacked — and without evidence this hack is being blamed on the Russians. Do we want the people who run the TSA to also run our elections? We discuss in today’s Liberty Report:

Ron Paul and his Liberty Report co-host Daniel McAdams sat down to discuss some of the final preparations for the “Peace and Prosperity 2016” conference to take place on September 10th in Washington, D.C. What’s the latest? Who will be speaking? What to expect? Watch this short update and if you have not already done so, get your tickets today! For a listing of the speakers and topics, click here.

Are alliance sands shifting in the Middle East? Is post-coup attempt Turkey turning increasingly to Russia and away from the US on the Syria issue? It all may be true but we went down the wrong path back in 2011 when Obama announced that “Assad must go” and dedicated the US to his overthrow. We may not be able to correct the mistakes that have been made, but the only solution to not make things worse is to just come home. Get out of the Middle East. No more regime change. Non-intervention. More today in the Liberty Report:

What is $3 billion over budget, two years overdue, and not combat ready? The new USS Gerald Ford “super” aircraft carrier! As the Pentagon together with the military-industrial complex try to justify a trillion dollars in military spending, however, conflicts must be ginned up around the world. That is one reason for the increasingly hostile position of the US against Russia and China. It justifies boondoggles like the USS Gerald Ford. It also essentially pushes Russia and China into each other’s arms and may be making a nuclear war more likely in the future. Is it really worth it just to keep Beltway defense contractors in the money? More on the 13 billion dollar boondoggle and the policies that ensure many more to come in today’s Liberty Report:

Secretary of State John Kerry was in Africa earlier this week. He visited Nigeria and promised more US military aid to the country as it struggles with an increase of activity by the terrorist group Boko Haram. Of course it was the 2011 US attack on Libya that provided a windfall of weapons for Boko Haram and enabled them to dramatically expand. Kerry said he’d look into selling Nigeria some military planes as well. He also promised a few million dollars to Kenya to help them with their elections. As usual, that money will likely help ensure that the “right” people (i.e. US puppets) win the elections. He also discussed the additional UN troops that would be trying to sort out the bloody chaos in South Sudan, another US intervention “success story.” The country was essentially created by the US to try to deny Chinese oil interests in Sudan. The result has been nothing but chaos and mayhem. Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

Just three years after promising the American people that he would not put American boots on the ground in Syria, President Obama has directed the US military to participate in an invasion of northern Syria alongside NATO-ally Turkey. This in addition to establishing de facto US bases in eastern Syria from which US Special Forces are operating. The Syrian territory conquered today and the area around the US bases should be considered “no-fly” zones to Syrian and Russian combat aircraft. From here we can expect areas of US control to expand. Russia’s move? We don’t know. More today in the Liberty Report: