BhTV (video)

On Rational Actors, Kevin and Francesca discuss voter ID and the Justice Department's lawsuit to overturn Texas's recently implemented law. Are left and right having an honest conversation about the benefits and drawbacks of voter ID? Is the GOP shooting itself in the foot by pursuing these laws? Francesca outlines President Obama's proposals to make college more affordable. But will anything actually get done? And are too many people going to college in the first place?

The CIA's newest contractor: Amazon ... Will Bezos editorially interfere with the Washington Post? ... Simon: The Post can be profitable again ... Is Bezos remaking the world? ... Why Bill's position on the NSA is changing ... Life under surveillance ...

Is Manning's 35-year sentence justified? ... The crisis of military discipline ... How war fatigue weakened military leadership ... The perils of overclassification ... The useful debate Manning and Snowden started ... Manning's gender transition and the trouble with pronouns ...

On The DMZ, Matt and guest host Justin discuss Ted Cruz: The College Years (and the prequel Ted Cruz: The Canadian Years.) Matt argues that Cruz's abrasive political style could hurt him—politicians are wise to placate their foes. Justin makes the case for Chris Christie in 2016. Is Christie to Obama as Clinton was to Reagan? They discuss the political prospects of libertarian populism. Do Republicans secretly fear that Obamacare will succeed? Plus: Is Al Jazeera America doomed?

Background on the crisis in Egypt ... Do most Egyptians support the military crackdown? ... Was Morsi an autocrat? ... Ali: The US has a responsibility to cut off military aid ... Hussein: Preserve the US-Egypt strategic relationship ... What could cause Hussein to change his mind? ...

On Foreign Entanglements, Matt and Michael discuss the Egyptian military's crackdown, which Michael contends is aimed at dissolving the Muslim Brotherhood. Who is responsible for killing Egyptian security officers in the Sinai? Are neoconservatives turning into realists over Egypt? Should the US suspend aid? Is Egypt still the center of the Arab world? Has the military completely alienated political Islam? Is there any constructive role the US can play in influencing Egyptian politics? And how have these developments affected Iran?

On The Glenn Show, Glenn and Larry debate who should be the next Federal Reserve Chair, Larry Summers or Janet Yellen. Larry lays out his case against Summers. Does Summers have relevant experience in high finance, or is he in bed with Wall Street? Why does President Obama seem to be favoring Summers? Larry explains what the next Fed chief should do to fix the financial system. Plus: Maybe Larry Summers just isn't as smart as he thinks.

Russia's law against "gay propaganda" ... Is Russia just old-fashioned and religious? ... Gay '90s followed the fall of Communism ... Liberal pressure from the West ... Homophobic neo-Nazis go viral ... How's Edward Snowden doing? ...

On The DMZ, Bill and guest-host Justin discuss Republican attempts to defund Obamacare. Justin thinks large parts of the GOP base exist in a misinformation bubble. Justin critiques the Affordable Care Act, but wants conservatives to accept that the law will be enacted. Bill and Justin debate whether the Justice Department erred by suing to block the US Airways–American Airlines merger. Reviewing the recent economic growth in Europe, Justin comes out as a conservative Keynesian. Plus: Should Larry Summers be the next Fed Chief?

On Foreign Entanglements, Rob speaks with Dmitry about US-Russian relations. Dmitry suggests that the causes of the summit cancellation go beyond Snowden, and Rob wonders whether the United States and Russia are stuck in an unproductive paradigm with respect to Syria. How has the Russian public responded to Snowden? Rob and Dmitry talk about the potential for an Olympic boycott in response to Russia's "gay propaganda" law, then discuss recent changes in how the Russian military conducts readiness exercises.

On Rational Actors, Kevin and Jim start off by discussing President Obama's proposal to reform the housing market. Kevin notes that by praising renting, Obama is rejecting Bush's vision of an "ownership society," which many conservatives came to reject as well. They discuss how the popular view of the financial crisis as a morality tale prevented government action on behalf of irresponsible homeowners. What are the political prospects for reform? Kevin wonders whether predictions that the sequester would tank the economy have been proven false. If we take Republicans' goal of reducing the long-term deficit seriously, what are politically feasible alternatives to sequestration?

On The Score, Daniel and Michael discuss what to do when your favorite sports team is terrible. They link the rise of the stathead and the decline of old media. Turning to politics, Daniel talks about the strange way Chris Christie has set himself against the rising tide of libertarianism in the GOP. Michael distinguishes between a broad trend of libertarianism in American society versus a more narrow and ideological one in politics. Michael brings up his new love for fringe political bloggers and how they've preserved an earlier blogging culture. They examine the Jack Hunter/Southern Avenger imbroglio as an example of the Internet's power to punish those with fringe opinions. Should we fear the glare of the Internet spotlight more than Obama's NSA?

Tali explains optimism bias ... The optimal level of optimism ... Optimism's neurology ... Are animals also overly optimistic? ... The act of choosing is hard to master ... How to turn optimism bias to your advantage ...

On Foreign Entanglements, Matt and Yousef discuss the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which Yousef believes leave foundational problems unaddressed. Can the US serve as an effective broker? Yousef offers a cynical take on the negotiations, arguing that the process is set up to fail. They discuss the current Palestinian leadership's problematic lack of legitimacy. Finally, if the talks do fail, what should the Palestinians do next?

Back-to-school anxiety and stage fright ... Useful life lessons from psychopaths ... How Jane Austen was like a scientist ... Tao Lin's druggy, revelatory new novel ... Susan Sontag and cancer ... Cancer as a consequence of entropy ...