Ron Paul Liberty Report

The last time negotiations were planned between Venezuelan government and opposition forces, opposition leader (and US puppet) Guaido launched his ill-fated coup and the talks were scuttled. Today a new effort, brokered by Norway, is being launched to solve the conflict without further bloodshed. What kind of monkey wrench will the neocons throw into the mix this time?

The ducks are lining up for the warhawks aiming for Iran. Today the State Department announced that all non-essential personnel should leave the US Embassy in Baghdad. US allies are wondering where are these "increased threats"? Are the neocons about to get their Iran war?

US warships and B-52s moved to Iran's borders to counter an "unspecified threat" to US interests. President Trump warns of massive destruction should Iran make a wrong move. Are neocons about to get their war on Iran? Former CIA officer and political analyst Phil Giraldi joins to discuss.

Retired New York Police Department undercover drug detective John Baeza spent years in the drug war trenches. He tells the Liberty Report how he came to believe that the drug war was doing more harm than good. Baeza will be a featured speaker at the Ron Paul Institute's May 18th Conference, Winning the War on the War on Drugs. For info: RonPaulInstitute.org/conference

Trillions of dollars in Pentagon spending have just disappeared into thin air. The Pentagon failed its first ever audit last year. There is so much off-the-books spending that no one has a clue where it's going. US troops show up in Niger and Congress has no idea how they got there. Is the Pentagon and the military-industrial complex a government unto itself?

According to a new Washington Post article, President Trump is frustrated with his national security advisor, John Bolton for promising the Venezuela regime change would be a cakewalk. He's concerned about being boxed into a corner, says an anonymous source. We know the president loves Fox...but is he also watching the Liberty Report?

Pompeo and Bolton are hoping that one of two false pretexts will push Trump to war on Iran. First the bogus intel report from Israel that Iran was poised to attack and second the disinformation that Iran is pulling out of the JCPOA treaty. Will the neocons hoodwink Trump into another US war based on lies?

President Trump is threatening additional billions in tariffs against Chinese imports while sending warships up to China's declared territory in the South China Sea. Is this another big bluff? Will talks continue? What do the markets have to say about it?

Bolton announced yesterday that the US was deploying a carrier strike force to the Middle East to convey the message to Iran that the US doesn't want war. Makes perfect sense...

Authoritarians are forever trying to surveil and manipulate humanity to their desired ends. Advances in technology have surely made it easier in many respects. A very big goal, from the point of view of any true authoritarian, would be the abolition of cash. All economic transactions monitored. No privacy whatsoever. The accomplishment of such a goal is far from a done deal. We should stand against it at every turn.

After designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, will the US make a physical attempt to shut down any oil export by citing the oil business's relationship with the Iranian Guard? Will Iran make good on its threat to shut down the Hormuz Straits, which would take out 20 percent of the oil from the world market? Clearly Trump's sights are set on Iran. How far will he go?

At dawn, US-backed and self-proclaimed president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido, announced the "final phase" of his coup against the Maduro government. While defections from the military are minor at this point, it is unknown whether the coup will reach critical mass. In the US, both Republicans and Democrats - who not long ago were furious over claims that the Russians have interfered in our elections - are cheering this US interference in Venezuelan elections. US neocons have joined the battle from the safety of their keyboards.

Maria Butina got caught up in the insanity of US partisan politics. That shouldn't land her in prison.

Saudi Arabia recently executed 37, most of them Shiites, for, among other minor crimes participating in a political protest. At least two victims were under 18 at the time of their "crimes." President Trump has spoken of our "shared values" with the Saudis. Is this what he means?

The economy is booming, we are told. Unemployment is nearly non-existent! Jobs for everyone! But at the same time homelessness is on the rise, leading several major US cities to declare an emergency over the problem. Why the discrepancy? Are government stats wrong?