The Libertarian Institute

I watched the Caleb Flynn trial and was shocked by how little physical evidence there was. Although I think the jurors got it right, could innocent people be convicted?

A single phrase can change the whole global chessboard: nuclear first use. We start by reacting to speculation about a US nuclear strike in Iran and lay out why even “unlikely” decisions matter when escalation could pull in Russia, China, and every other nuclear-armed state. Deterrence is supposed to prevent war, but it also creates […]

Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen has dragged on for years, but one detail should stop you in your tracks: the New York Times reports Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reached out to Donald Trump three times asking for US military help against Ansar Allah and each time Trump declines. That raises a bigger question […]

 Download Audio. Scott interviews the Quincy Institute’s Eli Clifton and Ian Lustick about their new book Israel’s Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power. Discussed on the show: Israel’s Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power by Eli Clifton and Ian Lustick Naza (IMDb) Eli Clifton is a senior advisor […]

 Download Audio. Scott interviews Rich Baris about his new book and the broader political trends he’s uncovered through his work as a pollster. Baris shares some unique insights into the dramatic shifts happening on both the left and right—especially with younger Americans—that are going mostly unnoticed thanks to antiquated polling conventions. Discussed on the […]

 Download Audio. Scott interviews Ben Aris about the war in Ukraine. Aris uses his deep expertise of Russian society and the ongoing war to give us a window into the evolving nature of the conflict and the barriers to peace facing both sides. Discussed on the show: Radio Moskva IntelliNews Ben Aris is the […]

A miracle survival story can be true and still be used as propaganda, and that tension is exactly what we can’t ignore. We bring back Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski to react to the long-awaited 60 Minutes appearance by the rescued Iran shootdown survivor known as “Bravo” and to explain why the interview lands as flat, scripted, […]

Sixty thousand bombs is not a headline you just scroll past, especially when the bill is picked up by U.S. taxpayers. We start by unpacking reports that Washington has agreed to provide Israel a huge package of heavy munitions, including 2,000-pound bombs and penetrator “bunker buster” style weapons. We talk through what that amount of […]

 Download Audio. Charles Goyette returns to the show to talk about the terrible, unsustainable and outright destructive economic situation the US government has gotten us in and the many ways the Trump administration is making everything even worse. Discussed on the show: Empire of Lies by Charles Goyette “Beware: Monetary Geniuses At Work” (Libertarian […]

 Download Audio. Scott interviews Brian McGlinchey about an article he wrote recently telling the story of Ameneh Abbasi, a 23-year-old Iranian woman who died while waiting for a lifesaving medical procedure that was delayed by the “crippling sanctions” the US government has put on the country. McGlinchey and Scott dig into what happened and […]

 Download Audio. Scott interviews Kyle Anzalone about the latest news in foreign policy. They discuss the escalation between the Houthis and Saudis, the differences between this round of fighting in Yemen and the last, how the Iran war is impacting domestic politics in the US and more. Discussed on the show: “More U.S. troops […]

 Download Audio. Scott interviews writer and analyst Elfadil Ibrahim about the current state of Iraqi politics. The US-backed Iraqi government sits in a strange, awkward and concerningly unstable place between Washington and Tehran amid this ongoing war. Ibrahim breaks it all down and also provides some clarity on the recent escalation between the Houthis […]

We continue reading and commentary of Ordinary Men.

One comment from Donald Trump cuts through the usual talking points: Ukraine should stop hitting Russian diesel refineries. We dig into why that matters, what it says about U.S. intelligence support for Ukrainian strikes, and how energy infrastructure attacks ripple into global diesel supply and American prices. If you’ve wondered why fuel feels expensive in […]

 Download Audio. Eric Margolis returns to the show to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East. They cover the Iran war, Netanyahu’s advance knowledge of the October 7 attack, the relevance of the Epstein files to American foreign policy and more. Discussed on the show: American Raj by Eric Margolis War at the […]

 Download Audio. Scott interviews John Dudlicek, a civil engineer from Indiana, about the critical state of America’s water mains, dams and other crucial components of the infrastructure we rely on every day. John Dudlicek is a civil engineer and VP of a construction firm based in Northwest Indiana.  Sign up for the Scott Horton […]

World War II is the one war we’re still not allowed to talk about like history, and that’s exactly why we should. I’m joined by Darryl Cooper to dig into what happens when a past conflict becomes a civic religion, complete with taboos, approved villains, and moral shortcuts that shape how Americans see today’s wars. […]

Bush says America didn’t overreact after 9/11. We don’t let that pass. Kyle Anzalone sits down with Scott Horton to walk through what Washington knew before the attacks, what it chose to ignore, and how a moment that demanded focused justice became an open-ended Global War on Terror. If you’ve ever wondered whether there was […]

Dave Smith joins Kyle Anzalone for a wide-ranging conversation about Trump’s failures, the changing American political landscape, and what Dave sees as the rise of “Woke 2.0.” After years of backlash against progressive politics, is the pendulum beginning to swing back? Dave and Kyle discuss whether the Trump administration’s record is breathing new life into […]

The loudest voices keep insisting the U.S. is “winning” against Iran, but winning should be measurable and explainable, not just repeated until it feels true. We sit down with Matt Hoh to test the claims against what’s happening in the Persian Gulf, where the Strait of Hormuz remains a pressure point and U.S. forces are […]

John and I finish reading Rules for Radicals.

Col Chris Wyatt joined me to discuss South Africa and the refugees from South Africa entering the US. Col Chris Wyatt YouTube Tommysalmons.com YouTube @YearZeroPod

The Fourth of July is supposed to feel like a reset, but it hits differently when people look around and see a country that can fund anything abroad while families cut back at home. We start with a viral political message about America’s contradictions, then challenge the instinct to turn Independence Day into a scolding […]

Putin says Russia is in a “challenging period,” but the more revealing question is what comes next when a war stops feeling like a crisis and starts running on autopilot. We unpack why Russia can look simultaneously steady and stuck: not prone to emotional swings, yet still locked into a slow, costly grind where drone […]

 Download Audio. Scott interviews Michael Boldin of the Tenth Amendment Center about his new book about how the efforts and accomplishments of the American revolutionaries have been betrayed, bringing about a system of government that is effectively identical to the one they fought a war to overthrow. Discussed on the show: The Revolution Betrayed […]