On FPF #527, Will Porter returns to the show to explain why it doesn't matter to Boeing CEO who wins in November. Will and Kyle how the US will continue to wage wars throughout the world and spend hundreds of billions of tax dollars on unnecessary weapons and wars. The bipartisan consensus continues to give the president a nearly blank check for waging war.

On FPF #525, I discuss Trump's decision to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany. Washington hawks dusted off the worn-out Russiagate narrative to try to drum up fear that Trump was sacrificing the country's security to his master Putin. Trump's move is minor as the US will continue to deploy 24,000 troops to Germany and 10,000s of others in countries surrounding Russia. Only about 6,400 troops will be coming home; the rest will redeploy to Europe. While Trump likely decided to withdraw troops over his issues with Germany's leader Angela Merkle. Trump bringing any number of American troops home is an improvement and may open a diplomatic window with Russia.

On FPF #524, I discuss Trump's announcement to make retired Col. Douglas Macgregor the US Ambassador to Germany. Macgregor has been a long time advocate for foreign policy restraint. His name has been floated for prominent positions in the administration for years. While it is great that Trump finally added Macgregor to his administration; however, it is not an important enough position, and Trump is nearly out of time with his first term.

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Mark Perry - USS Bonhomme Richard

On FPF #523, Will Porter returns to the show to discuss the deteriorating relationship with China. Last week, the US forced China out of a consulate in Houston. China responded by evicting the US from a consulate in China. The breakdown in the relationship between the US and China - and the US maximum pressure campaign against Iran - is forcing Iran to rely more on China. The two countries are expected to sign a $400 billion agreement soon.

On FPF #522, I discuss the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. The House has passed its version of the bill. The NDAA gives the Pentagon $740 billion and a black check for more war. One small victory is Tulsi’s requirement to study sanctions. The Senate also passed its version of the NDAA; however, after the recording of this podcast. Both the House and Senate rejected amendments that would have cut the war budget by 10%.

On FPF #521, I update the ongoing conflict in Libya. In 2011, Obama aligned with NATO to help al-Qaeda linked militants overthrow the government of Gaddafi. After the long time dictator was murdered, the country predictably fell into chaos. Now, a multi-faction civil war rages as ISIS and other Islamist groups try to carve out room for themselves. As the civil war has escalated, outside countries have provided increasing military support to the warring factions. It appears Turkey and Egypt could quickly come to blows inside Libya.

Will Porter returns to FPF to discuss Trump's deployment of well-armed federal agents to Portland. The feds are carrying out mass abuses of protesters, including arresting people for an unnamed reason and throwing the detainees into unmarked minivans. Several journalists have been targeted. Police have disabled at least one man by shooting him in the head with a rubber bullet. City and state officials want the feds gone; however, Trump says they are deployed as part of his order to protest statues.

On FPF #502, Will Porter returns to the show to discuss ongoing George Floyd protests. Will and Kyle break down some of the worst examples of police brutality. Will explains that the protests are now in 100s of American cities and have even spread to Europe. The protest movement is generally about Black Likes Matter, and a popular call is to defund the police.

In Minneapolis, the protests demanded the mayor disband the police department. The mayor refused, but now a veto-proof majority of the city council has a plan to eliminate the police department. Will and Kyle talk about why the people are demanding the plan and how it can be beneficial.

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Trevor Timm - Police abuse journalists Over 400 example of police brutality

On FPF #499, Will Porter returns to the show to cover the ongoing protests, riots, and police brutality. The protests started after a police officer slowly murdered George Floyd, while three other helped and watched. The protesters demanded charges for the officers. Police responded to the protests by cracking down on the protests. Some of the protesters started looting and setting buildings on fire. Police have become even more violent, often directing their rage towards small, female peaceful protesters. Will and Kyle discuss the actions of everyone and the need for real criminal justice reform.

On FPF #497, I discuss the developing story of a Ukrainian judge ruling Joe Biden is to be named in a criminal probe from his time as Vice President. The criminal probe is looking into the firing of former-Ukrainian Prosecutor General Victor Shokin. Biden has publically bragged about leveraging a $1 billion IMF Loan to get Ukraine to fire Shokin. At the time of Shokin's firing, he was investigating a Ukrainian gas company that had his son, Hunter Biden, on their board.

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Joe Lauria - Biden to be named in a criminal probe

On FPF #495, I discuss the US leaving the Open Skies Treaty. The treaty allows for member states to conduct surveillance flights over each other. The treaty is key to keeping countries informed about each other's military capabilities. Without the treaty in place, war hawks will likely exploit the lack of intelligence and claim Russia is building up its military capabilities. Those hawks will then argue for more weapons to be built bu companies that pay them and their think tanks.

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Pensacola terror attack Pompeo's case for cold war

On FPF #494, I discuss Trump's decision to fire the State Department Inspector General. At the time the IG was fired, the office was looking into State Department head Mike Pompeo. Pompeo a target because the State Dept continued to push to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia, even against the will of Congress and the laws of the US. Saudi has used several US-made bombs to commit war crimes in Yemen. American bombs have been found in the bombing of weddings, funerals, and one was used to kill 44 Yemeni children on a school bus.

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Gareth Porter on the Iran-Al Qaeda alliance

Will Porter returns to Foreign Policy Focus to explain a rare move the judge made in Mike Flynn's case. The Justice Department has recommended that charges be dropped against Flynn. However, the judge has now appointed a 'third party' to come argue the case against Fylnn. The 'third party' is not unbiased and has already written an oped arguing Flynn should continue to face criminal charges. Will breaks down what this means and how it fits into the Russiagate conspiracy theory.

Dan Wright and Joanne Leon return to Foreign Policy Focus to discuss the origins of Russiagate. For three years, we have been fighting to debunk the fake news created about the imagined Russian conspiracy to help Trump beat Hillary. Now, the fake news and false allegation have run dry, and some of the faces behind the fake news are being exposed. We discuss who is being unmasked and why it is so important.

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FPF debunking Russiagate series #211 #212 #213

Will Porter returns to Foreign Policy Focus to discuss the seeming reappearance of Kim Jong-un. Will breaks down the evidence that shows Kim's recent public visit to a new factory, after being absent from public view for three weeks. During his absence, the world outside of North Korea speculated about the North Korean chain of succession if the Supreme Leader would die. However, it looks like Kim is alive and well.

On FPF #483, I discuss Trump's lastest foolish threat to Iran. Trump tweeted that he is instructing the Navy to 'shoot down' Iranian ships that harass American Navy ships. If Trump's orders are followed it could provoke a shooting war between the US and Iran. Thankfully, senior Pentagon officials signaled they plan to keep the same rules of engagement in the Persian Gulf.

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The Intercept - 3 states spy on prison calls

On FPF #482, I discuss how the US government is seizing more of our rights and money in the name of fighting pandemic. In Wisconsin, a police officer forced a young girl to delete her social media posts under threat of arrest. Now, the Pentagon is prepping to get bailouts for its preferred weapons makers in the next stimulus. Government, at all levels, is growing in the name of fighting a "war" against Covid.

On FPF #476, I discuss the US government is buying more weapons and giving financial support to the weapons markers. The finical assistance was approved through the $2 trillion bailout. The Navy announced it was buying an additional $2 billion in torpedos and missiles to prop up companies who make parts for weapons. The defense industry has been deemed essential, and employees are allowed to violate social distancing to make weapons. While the coronavirus should be revealing to the American people and the US government, we spend too much money on warfare. However, the pandemic is being exploited by the government to expand the war machine.

Peter Quinones returns to Foreign Policy Focus to discuss the state's right to murder and the lack of accountability. Pete first explains how the flawed US justice systems has put innocent people to death. He discusses how police are able to kill people and avoid all accountability. Pete and Kyle look at the issue of war and how the government gets to slaughter people in mass.

Peter R. Quinones is managing editor of the Libertarian Institute and hosts the Free Man Beyond the Wall podcast. He released his first book, Freedom Through Memedom – The 31-day Guide to Waking Up to Liberty in November 2017. It reached #4 in the Libertarian Section on Amazon. He is currently co-producing a documentary entitled, “The Monopoly on Violence,” which is scheduled for a 2020 release.

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Danny Sjursen on the failure of empires

Will Porter returns to the show to talk about the chaos in Iraq. Over the weekend, the US bombed several positions claiming to be striking back against the "Iranian-backed" Shia group that killed two Americans and a British soldier. However, the Iraqi government reports the US only killed Iraqi soldiers, police, and civilians. Will explains what the US is trying to do in Iraq and how Trump's policy is failing.

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Vault 7 Trial

On FPF #461, I discuss Congress pushing for war more than Trump. A new bill in the House looks to prevent the US from drawing down troops in Africa. Throughout the Trump presidency, Congress has a history of attempting to prevent Trump from drawing down forces or removing sanctions. At the same time, Congress is almost completely ignoring Trump deploying troops and fighting undeclared wars.

On FPF #460, I discuss the chaotic and dangerous situation unfolding in Idlib, Syria. Turkey is backing the al-Qaeda linked rebels who remain in opposition to the Syrian government. The Syrian Army - along with its Russian ally - are attempting to retake the Idlib Province of Syria. Turkey is invading Syria in an attempt to prevent this from happening. Turkey has asked the US and European allies to get involved and establish a no-fly zone over Idlib. The no-fly zone would result in the US shooting down Russian planes. NATO rejected Turkey's demands. Now Turkey is allowing some of the 3 million refugees - who settled in Turkey during the Syrian War - to cross into Europe. Turkey hopes this will pressure the European powers to act in Syria.

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Afghan "Peace Deal" has rough start created by US

On FPF #443, I discuss the fallout of the Soleimani assassination and the lies the Trump administration is telling. Trump and his team have had to walk back all their claims that Soleimani was an imminent threat. Now, Pompeo has claimed the decision was made to establish real deterrence over Iran. The Iraqi government is now pushing the American forces to leave, but the US is refusing to listen. Protesters have taken to the street in Iran to protest their government after a Ukrainian flight was shot down by the Iranian military.

Will Porter returns to Foreign Policy Focus to talk about Trump's 'maximum pressure' strategy. Will covers the recent news that Iran shot down the Ukrainian civilian flight, killing 176 people. Will and Kyle explain how Trump's maximum pressure against Iran created the tensions leading to the deadly event. Will and Kyle breakdown their recent article Maximum Failure: Trump’s Convulsive North Korea Strategy Can’t Bring Kim to the Table. The article explains how Trump squandered his opportunity to bring peace to North Korea with maximum pressure and poor staffing decisions.

Will Porter is a staff writer at RT. He publishes articles at Consortium News, Antiwar.com, and the Libertarian Institute.

On FPF #432, I explain my view that the Democrats' case for impeaching Trump is very weak. The House passed two articles of impeachment this week, although House leadership is now preventing those from going to the Senate. While everyone is distracted with these potential minor crimes committed by Trump, there are major news stories breaking around the world. I cover several of those stories in the second half of the show. Many of those stories are about actual serious crimes Trump is committing.

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NDAA

The 2020 NDAA requires the DNI to release a report on who is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. [Link] The Senate passes the 2020 NDAA. [Link] Germany believes sanctions passed in the 2020 NDAA could impact their work on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. However, the sanctions include a 30 day “cool down” period, and Germany may be able to complete the pipeline during that time. [Link] The US national debt increased by $1.2 trillion in 2019. [Link] Both houses of Congress introduce bills to push Trump towards renewing New Start. [Link] Korea

South Korean and the US were unable to make a deal about South Korea’s payment for US troops deployed to South Korea. South Korea is willing to pay $1 billion a year, the US is demanding $5 billion. [Link] DefSec Esper says the US expects North Korea to carry out more weapons tests. [Link] Russia and China call for some sanctions to be lifted on North Korea. The US says now is not the time to lift sanctions. [Link] South America

Venezuelan children are facing increasingly worse malnutrition. [Link] The Trump administration is considering ramping up the pressure on Venezuela. This could include an oil blockade. [Link] Trump voices support for the coup government in Bolivia. [Link] Bolivia’s coup government issues an arrest warrant for the former president Morales. Morales is now a refugee in Argentina. [Link] Europe

NATO receives its second of five Global Hawk spy drones. It ..