Last September the Japanese Diet (parliament) passed legislation “reinterpreting” the nearly 70 year old strictly antiwar constitution to allow for the Japanese military to take part in overseas military operations not directly tied to the defense of Japan. Tens of thousands of Japanese took to the streets this week to protest the enactment of this new law. Will Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s desire to be part of Washington’s “pivot to Asia” lead to a fundamental change in Japan’s position in the region? Watch today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:

The media focuses like a laser on terror attacks like we saw in Brussels last week. The endless news cycle pores over every detail, every angle. But what happens when US-backed Saudi jets bomb a market in Yemen, killing five times as many as died in Brussels? Silence. What about the million people who died directly or indirectly because of the US-led attack on Iraq, which was illegal and based on lies? One million people. Is this the greatest terrorist attack in modern times — and why is it not looked at in this manner? Shouldn’t those responsible for the carnage be brought to justice? More on the media’s selective coverage of terrorism in today’s Liberty Report:

We know for certain that the CIA and other elements of the “deep state” are deeply involved in rigging and influencing elections overseas. Decades of history have shown us this much. But how much might they be involved in our elections at home? And with the US telling the rest of the world how to hold elections, what rules to adopt, how to count the votes, etc., how does our system of Democrat “super-delegates” and secret GOP back-room “rules committee” changes stack up? And the media? They can be counted on to focus on the most banal aspects of elections. More on this — and some Ron Paul stories of the 2012 rules committee rip-off — in today’s Liberty Report:

No sooner had the smoke cleared in Brussels than the security “experts” began telling the Europeans they must sacrifice more of their liberty for the promise that their governments would keep them safe. Never mind that the big lesson from Brussels is that their governments have not kept them safe, the answer is always to do more of what clearly is not working. Those are the “experts” and the Europeans will probably listen to them. But what if there is another way? What if something could be done differently that would not promise a perfect world, but might deliver a better one? We discuss that possibility in today’s Liberty Report:

President Obama’s trip to Cuba is making history: it has been nearly a century since an American president set foot on Cuban soil. But if the trip is to lead to a real normalization in relations, both governments need to back off and let people-to-people diplomacy take over. Today’s Liberty Report on the good news and bad news of Obama’s Cuban visit:

Yesterday’s surprising announcement by Syrian Kurds that they consider themselves in an autonomous region is either a bold move to solidify their self-determination before the fog of war clears, or perhaps it is John Kerry’s “Plan B” to break up Syria if the US cannot overthrow Assad. Or perhaps it is a reaction to US insistence that the Kurds do not deserve a place at the Geneva table where a political solution to the war in Syria is being discussed. Whatever the case, it adds a hugely significant variable to the already complicated situation. For example, how long before Turkish president Erdogan pounces on “autonomous” Kurdish Syria? We try to connect the dots in today’s Liberty Report:

Beltway “conservatives” are a fraud. They pretend to be in favor of smaller government but are unwilling to cut a dime from the trillion dollar budget for the US empire. The current budget battle among Republicans ignores that big elephant in the room. More today in the Liberty Report:

Yesterday’s surprise announcement that Russia was beginning a military withdrawal from Syria caught Washington off guard, as usual. With a political process beginning in Geneva and ISIS and Nusra severely degraded, Russian president Putin announced that Russian military goals have been for the most part achieved. Meanwhile, the US House passed a resolution yesterday accusing Syrian president Assad and Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and infrastructure. The quagmire that Obama promised was awaiting Russia in Syria did not transpire. Why did Washington get it so wrong? And can the US finally leave Syria alone already? Watch today’s Liberty Report:

Violence and the threat of violence let Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to cancel his scheduled rally in Chicago recently. Organized groups, some funded by “regime change” donor George Soros, have vowed to prevent Trump from holding rallies at all. Meanwhile Trump has used inflammatory rhetoric at rallies, urging supporters to use violence against disruptors. The other presidential candidates have blamed all the violence on Trump, but their admonishments ring hypocritical. For example, while Hillary Clinton condemns Trump’s words that may have resulted in a few punches being thrown, her own words — in particular her tireless advocacy for a US attack on Libya — resulted in tens of thousands being killed. Which is worse? Likewise, Ted Cruz condemns Trump’s rhetoric while at the same time he openly speaks of using nuclear weapons against the people of the Middle East. What is worse? The others are no different. We cover this difficult topic in today’s Liberty Report:

Suggesting that hawk politicians are out of touch with the American people, a new non-partisan poll conducted by the University of Maryland showed that Americans would on average like to see the military budget decrease by $12 billion. Democrats and independents wanted even deeper cuts, but not even Republican voters wanted to see more money spent on the military. Could this by why the neocon-favored uberhawk Marco Rubio is going down in flames in the presidential primary? What is the lesson for other politicians? Finally a good news story today in the Liberty Report:

You won’t read in the mainstream media that the US government has been trying for ten years to break Apple’s encryption. You also won’t read that they unsealed the case against the San Bernardino attackers to terrify the American public into supporting FBI demands that Apple be forced to break its own encryption and hand the keys to the US government. The privacy-hating federal government wants Americans to believe this is simply about a benevolent government entity trying to protect us from terrorism. Don’t believe it for a second. It’s about prompting Congress to pass legislation regulating encryption — and taking away our Constitutional right to privacy. Today’s Liberty Report is joined by former State Department official and writer Peter van Buren, who tells us why we should care a lot about this case even if we do not use Apple products:

Neocons like Robert Kagan are having panic attacks over the possibility that their preferred presidential candidate may not end up the nominee. They are writing strong letters and threatening to take their toys and leave the Republican Party if Trump, who they don’t trust, is selected by the American voters. Who are the neocons and why do they continue to have a stranglehold on US foreign policy? Today’s Liberty Report is joined by Philip Giraldi to deconstruct the neocon crack-up: