President Trump has sent Secretary of State Pompeo urgently to Saudi Arabia this morning, hoping to get to the bottom of what happened to Saudi exile journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump has promised “severe punishment” to the Saudis if they are involved in killing the journalist, but the government funded Arabiya newspaper threatens strong retaliation if the US dares strike out against Riyadh. Is a major geopolitical shift brewing? Who killed the journalist? What about the Turk role? We try to untangle this complicated issue in today’s Liberty Report:

Sudden concern in Washington over Saudi behavior is puzzling. But the disappearance of a Washington Post writer and the suspicion that the Saudi government is involved has led Washington and particularly the Senate and House to demand some answers. They didn’t care much about Saudi involvement with terrorists in Syria or the evil Saudi war on Yemen. Should we break with the Saudis? Yes. Why? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

“Clear Sky 2018” was launched yesterday in Ukraine, bringing in hundreds of NATO troops along with US fighter and transport planes. The large show of NATO military force on Russia’s border is meant to send a message to “aggressive” Russia. But the ongoing conflict over eastern Ukraine is a leftover from Obama’s disastrous 2014 coup that overthrew the elected government. President Trump appears to be continuing Obama’s foolish policy. More in today’s Liberty Report:

What happened to Jamal Khashoggi? The Washington Post writer and friend of long-time Saudi intelligence head has been hailed as a “critic” of Saudi policy, but that reputation is not very well-deserved. Was he killed by the Saudis? Kidnapped? What might it mean for US/Saudi relations? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

After the US unilaterally pulled out of the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement and re-applied sanctions early this summer, Iran, citing a Treaty of Amity with the US, took the case to the International Court of Justice seeking among, other things, a ruling against US blocking trade in medical, food, and civil aviation products. The UN court ruled partially in favor of Iran, leading Secretary of State Pompeo to announce it was unilaterally pulling out of the treaty and blaming Iran for politicizing the court. Meanwhile, a newly uncovered US intelligence document from 2011 reveals that the US determination to overthrow Assad in Syria was driven by a desire to hit at Iran. It’s all about Iran! Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

Frustrated by the Saudi refusal to increase oil production by two million barrels per day, President Trump said at a rally yesterday that absent US military protection the Saudi government would not last two weeks. He said the Saudis should “pay up” if they want to remain in charge. Why are oil prices going up? Who’s to blame? The best answer comes from a surprising source. Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

Over just the past two weeks we have seen numerous points of conflict between the US and China, including new US sanctions on China, a skirmish in the South China Sea, new tariffs, Trump’s claim that China is interfering in the US election, and more. Is the heating up of the trade war with China also translating to a heating up of military tensions? Does the Trump Administration understand where this may be going? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

President Trump’s Interior Secretary warned in a recent speech that Russia’s energy sales abroad could be prevented with a US naval blockade. The head of the Russian senate’s foreign affairs committee rightly responded that this would be an act of war. Why is the US so determined to prevent trade and commerce? Why does Washington’s first reaction always seem to be threats of force? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

Three years of Saudis dropping American bombs on Yemeni civilians is starting to get noticed in Congress. A requirement in the defense authorization bill that the Administration certify that the Saudis were at least not trying to kill civilians was put into place and now a new piece of legislation seeks to remove the US military from the conflict. Will it work? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:

How did President Trump do in his UN General Assembly speech? He got some unexpected laughs and did a good deal of bragging, but when it came to foreign policy there were huge disconnects from reality. Everyone must respect each other’s sovereignty…but what about US troops in Syria? What about threats to overthrow Venezuela? Former CIA officer Phil Giraldi joins today’s Liberty Report to chew on Trump’s speech…

Ron Paul returns with another episode of his popular #AskRonPaul program in today’s Liberty Report. Who was the worst president? Military spending out of control? What will more tariffs on China do to our economy? Tune in…

China’s “social credit” system is widely viewed as a kind of “digital dictatorship,” where not only does illegal or anti-social behavior result in lower scores and therefore less privileges, but political dissent also earns one lower “social credit” scores. While the anti-China crowd is busy pointing a finger at Beijing for such an authoritarian approach, a similar system is being put in place in the United States. How? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report: