We speak to award-winning journalist Jonathan Katz about his new book "Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire." The book follows the life of the Marines officer Smedley Butler and the trail of U.S. imperialism from Cuba and the Philippines to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Panama. The book also describes an effort by banking and business leaders to topple Franklin D. Roosevelt's government in 1934 in order to establish a fascist dictatorship. The plot was exposed by Butler, who famously declared, "War is a racket." The far-right conspiracy to overthrow liberal democracy has historical parallels to the recent January 6 insurrection, says Katz.

#DemocracyNow

Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9AM ET: https://democracynow.org

Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today: https://democracynow.org/donate

FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE:
YouTube:    / democracynow  
Facebook:   / democracynow  
Twitter:   / democracynow  
Instagram:   / democracynow  
SoundCloud:   / democracynow  
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/demo...
Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe