logo
episode-header-image
Oct 1
28m 58s

US war secretary encourages military to ...

Ben Norton
About this episode
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gathered top generals and encouraged the military to commit war crimes and ignore international law. Donald Trump ordered the Department of War to use US cities as "training grounds" to fight the "enemy within". Ben Norton reports on the increasingly authoritarian US empire. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPKiKWkVqdE ... Show More
Up next
Jan 28
'Peace president' Trump has bombed 10 countries. Now he wants a $1.5 TRILLION military budget
So-called "peace president" Donald Trump has bombed 10 countries, more than any other US leader. He attacked 7 countries in 2025 alone. Now he wants to raise the USA's military budget to $1.5 trillion. Ben Norton explains how the self-declared "peacemaker" is waging war around th ... Show More
18m 58s
Jan 20
War is peace: How the Nobel 'Peace' Prize justifies US wars & interventions
When Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gave her Nobel "Peace" Prize to warmonger Donald Trump to thank him for bombing her country, it showed how the prize is a tool of war that serves Western foreign policy interests. The winner is very often a US-funded regime-c ... Show More
39m 30s
Jan 16
US & Israel support protests to destabilize Iran: Trump calls for regime change
The US government is openly backing the violent protests in Iran. An Israeli media outlet admitted foreign powers are arming Iranian rioters with weapons to try to overthrow the government. Ben Norton explains the geopolitical context and why the USA has sought regime change ever ... Show More
34m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2025
Europe’s game plan for handling Trump at G7
The Pentagon has launched a review of the 2021 Aukus submarine deal with the UK and Australia, Donald Trump has said the US and China’s deal to restore their trade war truce is “done”, and US inflation rose less than expected to 2.4 per cent in May. Plus, European governments are ... Show More
10m 31s
Feb 2025
China Seems Unstoppable. Trump Thinks Otherwise.
<p>Over the past week, President Trump avoided a trade war with Canada and Mexico. But he escalated a trade war with China.</p><p>His reasoning? China has become more powerful in domestic manufacturing than the United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea and Britain combined.</p>< ... Show More
27m 21s
Oct 2024
US troops to Israel, campaign promises and Switzerland’s melting glaciers
The United States is to send troops to Israel along with an advanced anti-missile system, in a highly unusual deployment meant to bolster the country's air defenses following missile attacks by Iran. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris scramble to lay out policy promises as the US ele ... Show More
12m 51s
Oct 12
Why is Trump deploying forces to US cities? | The Bottom Line
Arguing that some places in the United States – primarily those governed by Democratic officials – are rampantly crime-infested, President Donald Trump has been deploying military forces to cities from Los Angeles to Washington, DC. Former National Security Council official Kori ... Show More
23m 56s
May 2025
100 days of Trump
Trump’s first 100 days in office have brought chaos to US foreign and domestic policy. From imperial gestures to institutional erosion, Mark Leonard welcomes Jeremy Shapiro to unpack what this means for American democracy—and for Europe. From territorial provocations and budget s ... Show More
28m 32s
Feb 2025
Trump wants to chop up Ukraine for parts
Dr. John Gartner and Dr. Harry Segal review the destruction of NATO, the betrayal of Ukraine, and discuss future elections with Joe Jacobson, founder and executive director of the Democratic SuperPAC Progress Action Fund. Make sure you join us here on Patreon to support our work ... Show More
1h 42m
Mar 2025
Swamp Notes: Trump’s transatlantic divorce
<p>European leaders met twice this week to discuss a plan to protect Ukraine — without US leadership. The rift between Brussels and Washington has grown as US president Donald Trump paused military aid to Ukraine and stopped intelligence sharing. As Germany and the EU discuss a n ... Show More
12m 28s
Oct 3
Friday, October 3rd, 2025 - Trump’s cartel ‘war’; Project 2025 enters the chat; Generic Mifepristone; Yom Kippur attack; Lutnik talks Epstein
Today’s Headlines: President Trump has formally declared the U.S. to be in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, invoking war powers and ordering military strikes on Caribbean boats the administration labels as “terrorist organizations.” Lawmakers in both parties are skeptical o ... Show More
9m 10s
Mar 2025
US defence stocks get left behind
<p>The US is suspending military aid to Ukraine, Chevrolet Silverado’s complex supply chain leaves it particularly vulnerable to a looming trade war, and Eurozone inflation has fallen for the first time in four months to 2.4 per cent. Plus, US defence stocks are being left behind ... Show More
10m 41s
Feb 2025
Swamp Notes: Trump redefines America’s global role
<p>American foreign aid supports everything from arms sales to HIV treatment. But this week, with the stroke of a pen, Donald Trump suspended nearly all of that aid for 90 days. The FT’s Africa editor David Pilling and US defence and security correspondent Felicia Schwartz join t ... Show More
14m 51s