Beyond The Lede

Follow us on Twitter: @PatrickFO & @mikeskinnner On this week’s Beyond the Lede, Patrick goes solo. He covers the scandal, or pseudo-scandal, that is Uranium One and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He then muses upon an opinion piece that he really liked this weekend by The New York Times columnist Ross Douthat titled “the Misery Filter.” In the “Backpages” he recommends a book called Sex Object by Jessica Valenti. Resources and recommendations: “Unpacking Uranium One: Hype and Law,” by Paul Rosenzweig, Lawfareblog.com (October 27, 2017). “Foreign Investment and U.S. National Security,” by Jonathan Masters, and James McBride, CFR.org (December 14, 2016). “The Misery Filter,” by Ross Douthat, NYTimes.com (October 28, 2017). Sex Object: A Memoir (2016) by Jessica Valenti Image Credit:

Follow us on Twitter: @mikeskinnner & @PatrickFO In this week's episode, we explain why we are even in Niger in the first place. We also give you some updates on Middle East politics after Isis has been demolished and new groups are rising to power. Also, we explain the discovery of the collision of neutron stars and why this matters. In our Beyond The Lede, Mike explains the psychological affects of disasters and tragedies and Patrick talks about a recent talk he attended about Russia. Backpages: The Fog of War (2003)Documentary Welcome To The Universe (2016) by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael Strauss, and J. Richard Gott Image Credit: MRO Space

Follow us on Twitter: @mikeskinnner @PatrickFO In this episode of Beyond the Lede, in “the Lede,” we discuss President Trump’s disavowal of the JCPOA, the nuclear agreement between Iran and the West. We discuss the political implications; the possible paths forward from here on out; and we detail a bit of the confusion regarding the details of theagreement, including its “sunset clauses.” Then, we cover Trump’s tweets regarding wanting to revoke the licenses of the networks, such as NBC. That is not how these things work, Mr. President. In our “Beyond the Lede” segments, where we get into individual topics and also a joint-segment, we discuss free speech, and how, in recent polls, Americans on both sides of the aisle are responding with authoritarian tendencies. Mike looks at the pernicious and troubling effects of media and screen consumption on the developing mind. All this and more! References: "Mr. President, Decertify the Iran Deal and Then Walk Away" by Andrew McCarthy, National Review (October 5). “People Literally Do Not Understand What Laws Are or How They Work.” By Oren Nimni, and Nathan J. Robinson. CurrentAffairs.com (October 10). “Why Are Millenials Wary of Freedom?” by Clay Routledge, The New York Times (October 14). Recommendations: On Liberty (1859), by John Stuart Mill The audiobook version of The Martian (2011) by Andy Weir Image Credit: The Daily Beast

Follow us on Twitter: @mikeskinnner & @PatrickFO In “the Lede,” we get into the recent mass shooting in America. This time it was on Las Vegas. We get into the politics and policy of gun control and the 2nd Amendment. Then, we have a conversation about Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico. We get into the rebuilding of the island and President Trump’s response and handling of the situation. Finally, we briefly muse about rather or not Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will leave anytime soon. In “Beyond The Lede,” we do a joint segment on a recent conversation held by the great Jordan Peterson and the brilliant Camile Paglia. In “the Backpages, we get into our weekly recommendations. References and recommendations: “A Deathly Silence.” TheEconomist.com (October 5, 2017). YouTube channel: Jordan B. Peterson, “Modern Times: Camile Paglia and Jordan Peterson” (October 2, 2017). Underoath – Define the Great Line (2006) Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution (2014), by John Paul Stevens Image Credit: The Federalist

Follow each of us on Twitter: @mikeskinnner & @PatrickFO In the “Lede” this week, we discuss the recent stories regarding President Trump’s then-campaign manager Paul Manafort possibly being indicted. Plus, President Trump delivers his first speech at the United Nations General Assembly and he vows to “totally destroy North Korea,” if Kim Jung Un keeps up his pariah behavior. In “Beyond the Lede,” we discuss a The Atlantic article on education in the Middle East called “Boys Aren’t Defective.” Mike’s gives his take on a modern version of the Trolley Problem. Patrick’s gives an update on campus sexual assault policy, which we covered last week. Stories we referenced: “Manafort Responds to the FBI: ‘Release the Tapes’,” by Emily Zanotti, DailyWire.com (September 20). Check out the Wikipedia entry on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). “Mueller Scorches the Earth,” by Andrew C. McCarthy, NationalReview.com (September 23). “Think Paul Manafort is About to sink the White House? Hold your horses,” by Walter Shapiro, TheGuardian.com (September 23). “Full Text: Trumps 2017 U.N. speech transcript,” by Politico staff, Politico.com (September 19). “The Social Dilemma of Autonomous Vehicles,” by Bonnefon et al, ResearchGate.net (June 2016). “Betsy Devos scraps Obama-era guidelines on campus sexual assault.” Economist.com (September 25). Recommendations: The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell (book) The Killers-Wonderful Wonderful (album) Circa Survive-The Amulet (album) Image Credit: Google Images

Follow each of us on Twitter: @mikeskinnner & @PatrickFO In this week’s episode, we get into the recent deals made between President Trump and Congressional Democrats. Plus, we revisit U.S.-North Korean relations, and Senator Bernie Sander’s Medicare for All plan. In “the Lede”, we get into the recent deals made between President Trump and Congressional Democrats. Plus, we revisit U.S.-North Korean relations, and Senator Bernie Sander’s Medicare-for-All plan. In “Beyond The Lede,” we do a joint segment on Emily Yoffe’s “The Uncomfortable Truth About Campus Rape Policy,” from The Atlantic. This is about the Obama’s Department of Education’s push for universities to do more about campus assault. We get into unintended consequences, and the importance of due process. In Mike’s individual segment, he discusses why we watch horror movies, according to psychological research. And in Patrick’s individual segment, he reads from random pages from The Way of the Knife by Mark Mazzetti to illustrate how intense, and interesting that book is on every page. References: “Why Medicare for All Would Damage our Republic.” By Jay Cost, NationalReview.com (September 18). “Trump sides with Democrats on debt in rare bipartisan deal.” By Richard Cowan, Roberta Rampton, Reuters.com (September 6). “Can Donald Trump work with Democrats.” Economist.com (September 14, 2017). “Trump Sides With Democrats on Government Funding, Debt Ceiling Hike.” By Amanda Terkel, and Philip Lewis, HuffingtonPost.com (September 6, 2017). “Democrats Follow Bernie Sanders Off the Cliff.” By Matthew Continetti, NationalReview.com (September 16). The Way of the Knife: The CIA, A Secret Army, and A War at the Ends of the Earth (2013)by Mark Mazzetti This Week's "Backpages" (Movie Recommendations): The Hills Run Red (2009) Funny Games (2007) Image Credit: Associated Press

This week, Mike (@mikeskinnner) & Patrick (@PatrickFO) cover the week(s) of devastating storms, Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. They get into what climate change says about storms; but also they talk about the silver lining of people coming together afterwards to rebuild cities. Plus, a look at DACA, Jordan Peterson, Camile Paglia, “The Iraq Sanctions Myth,” and more! Stories, and references: “Hurricane Harvey: Facts, FAQs, and How To Help.” WorldVision.org (September 8). Shear, Michael D., and Julia Hirschfeld Davis. 2017. “Trump Moves to End DACA and Calls on Congress to Act.” NYtimes.com (September 5). Shapiro, Ben. 2017. “6 Things You Need To Know About Trump’s Decision To End Obama’s Executive Amnesty...Six Months From Now.” DailyWire.com (September 4). Joshi, Hrishikesh. 2017. “The Unfairness of DACA.” NationalReview.com (September 8). McCarthy, Andrew C. “Trump Has Not Ended DACA." NationalReview.com (September 6). Bandler, Aaron. 2017. “Flashback: Hillary Clinton Once Opposed Amnesty for Illegal Immigrant Children.” DailyWire.com (September 8) “The likelihood of floods is changing with the climate.” Economist.com (August 31). Williamson, Kevin D. 2017. “The hope in Houston.” NationalReview.com (September 3). Editorial Board. 2017. “Making Sure Your Help Gets to Hurricane Harvey’s Victims.” Nytimes.com (August 30). Spagat, Michael. 2013. “The Iraq Sanctions Myth.” PSmag.com (April 26). McGoey, Linsey. 2015. “The Philanthropy Hustle.” Jacobinmag.com (November 10). Julian Borger, and Justin McCurry. 2017. “North Korea sanctions: UN security council unanimously agrees new measures.” TheGuardian.com (September 11). Clips: Youtube.com: Channel: Channel: VexZeez: “END WAR: Madeleine Albright Says Deaths of 500,000 Iraqi Children is Worth It.” YouTube.com: Channel: PowerfulJRE: The Joe Rogan Experience, Episode #1006, clips begins around the 50:12 minute mark. Recommendations: Book: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (2011), by Stephen Pinker Book: Free Women, Free Men: Sex, Gender, Feminism (2017), by Camile Paglia Image Credit: CNN

Due to an untimely illness, we took the week off and have instead given you a recent The Moral Trigger podcast episode as well as an audio essay written and read by Patrick. Check it out and let us know what you think! Follow each of us on Twitter: @mikeskinnner & @PatrickFO Websites: www.mikeskinnermedia.com www.icriticaltheory.wordpress.com Image Credit: Foreign Policy Blogs

In ‘The Lede’ Mike (@mikeskinnner) and Patrick (@PatrickFO) talk about President Trump’s national address on his Afghanistan strategy. Plus a discussion on Politico’s article highlighting 5 things Trump did while you weren’t looking. In ‘Beyond the Lede,’ Mike discusses why politics and sports should be separated – for the benefit of our country. Patrick discusses what we know about who becomes terrorists. And we both discuss the #blacklivesmatter demands from last week. Stuff we reference during our conversation: “Five Questions For Trump on Afghanistan,” by Daniel Depetris, National Review (August 27, 2017). “In Afghanistan, End the Obama-Trump Taliban Fantasy,” by Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review (August 26, 2017). “Remarks By President Trump on the Strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia,” WhiteHouse.gov (August 21, 2017). “A Historical Timeline of Afghanistan,” by admin, PBS.org (May 4, 2011). “In Terror Attacks in Spain, a Global Community of Victims,” by Stephen Castle et al, The New York Times (August 18, 2017). “BBC POLL: U.S. Continues to Get Low Marks,” Globescan.com Books referenced and recommendations that we make in ‘The Backpages:’ Cutting the Fuse: The Explosion of Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It (2010), by James K. Feldman and Robert Pape Vortex of Conflict: U.S. Policy Toward Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq (2011), Dan Caldwell “Politics and the English Language,” by George Orwell Restrepo (2010), documentary series on Afghanistan, produced by Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger Image Credit: Google Images

In this episode, Mike (@mikeskinnner) and Patrick (@PatrickFO) sift through the chaos of the prior week. This entails issues concerning the firing of Steve Bannon, the uproar of President Trump's response to Charlottesville, the debate of confederate statues, the CIA's use of torture, and Patrick debuts a new segment called "History Matters". Check it out! References: "New PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist Poll Finds Majority Believe Trump Response to Charlottesville ‘Weak,’ Fatal Car Rampage Act of ‘Domestic Terror’," PBS News Hour (August 16, 2017). "On Charlottesville, Trump, and Anti-Americanism," Andrew McCarthy, National Review (August 19, 2017). "Payback Time," Keegan Hamilton, Vice News (August 18, 2017). "Steve Bannon, Unrepentant," Robert Kuttner, The American Prospect (August 16, 2017). "War in the Arab world has devastated the region’s heritage," (August 19, 2017). Our Recommendations: "The Butterfly Effect," Jon Ronson, Audible (2017). "Entanglements Part 1," Daniel Kaufman and Crispin Sartwell, Meaning of Live TV (July 16, 2017). Image Credit: Breitbart News

*This is the last episode to be released on The Moral Trigger feed. All new episodes will be uploaded to Beyond The Lede's own stream.* In “the Lede”, Mike (@mikeskinnner) and Patrick (@PatrickFO) cover three important news stories that encapsulate a lot of what’s going on in our country, in general. We cover the increased bellicosity between President Trump and the North Korean regime under Kim Jong Un. Second, we give our opinion about the Google memo, produced by James Damore, which caused a lot of varying outrage, both from the left and right. Is Google silencing diverse opinions that happen to be a bit conservative? Is his science correct? Should he have been fired? Finally, we cover the chaotic mess that was the Charlottesville protests, on Saturday August 12. We have neo-Nazis on the scene. We had antifascists protestors, BlackLivesMatter proponents. All of this happening just seven months into the new presidency. In “beyond the lede,” Mike discusses the traditional debate format and how its internally problematic to facilitate ideas and discussion. Patrick brings up a jaw-dropping Atlantic article called “Innocence is Irrelevant.” Stuff we referenced: “North Korea’s ‘not quite’ ICBM can’t hit the lower 48 states,” Theodore A. Postol, Markus Schiller, Robert Schmucker, TheBulletin.org (August 11, 2017). “Read the Google Diversity Memo that everyone is freaking out about,” Sean Davis, TheFederalist.com (August 8). “White Nationalist Protest Leads To Deadly Violence,” Sheryl Gay Stolberg, and Brian M. Rosenthal, The New York Times (August 13, 2017). “Nork Agonistes,” Jonah Goldberg, National Review (August 11, 2017). “Over half of Google employees polled say the web giant shouldn't have fired the engineer behind the controversial memo,” Julie Bort, Business Insider (August 9th, 2017). Recommendations: Pat’s rec: “Innocence is Irrelevant,” Emily Yoffe, The Atlantic (September 2017). Mike’s rec: Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast. Specifically, episode 59 “The Destroyer of Worlds” about the Cold War. Image Credit: Reuters

This episode is entirely devoted to discussing the New Atheists, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, and Richard Dawkins. Recently in publications as varied as the leftist Salon.com, and the assuredly right, National Review, there have been pieces calling the New Atheists dead, and also asking why has the left abandoned them? For the listener who isn’t schooled in the New Atheists debate, we explain who these people are, and we summarize their main arguments and why they are controversial. However, we hope that we opened up the discussion enough to of interest to most people who are listening. We will return to the regularly scheduled program next week. Thanks for listening! Stuff we mentioned during our conversation: “What Ever Happened to the New Atheists?” Elliot Kaufman, NationalReview.com, July 28, 2017. “From the Enlightenment to the New Dark Ages: How ‘new atheism’ slid into the alt-right,” by Phil Torres, Salon.com, July 29, 2017 “Islamism and the Left,” by Michael Walzer, Dissent.com, Winter 2015. “Steve Pinker Demolishes John Horgan’s View of War,” WhyEvolutionIsTrue.com, May 22, 2016. Recommendations: Consciousness Explained (1991), Daniel Dennett Daniel Dennett’s Science of the Soul (2017), Joshua Rothman The Selfish Gene (1976), Richard Dawkins The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution (2009), Richard Dawkins Hitch 22: A Memoir (2010), Christopher Hitchens The Missionary Position: Mother Theresa in Theory and Practice (1995) Christopher Hitchens “The Riddle of the Gun,” SamHarris.org, Jan 2, 2013. Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion (2014), Sam Harris Image Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfNgCaqLIR0

In this episode, Mike (@mikeskinnner) and Patrick (@PatrickFO) breakdown the disastrous week that was in the Trump White House. In “The Lede,” we get into President Trump’s tweets regarding transgender military service members. We give a tiny update on healthcare reform, too. In “Beyond the Lede,” we have a shared segment where we discuss the Vice documentary "A World in Disarray" that is loosely extrapolated from Richard Haass’ book of the same name. Haass is the president of the Council on Foreign Relations and has served in three different U.S. presidential administrations. It’s a great book and a great documentary. Also, Mike breaks down an NFL study regarding folks who decided to watch fewer games. Patrick debuts a segment called “This Idea Must Die,” in which he argues that not all international agreements are a race to the bottom. In “The Backpages,” Mike and Patrick both recommend a separate short story to read. Enjoy! What follows below is a list of stuff we referenced. On Trump’s White House Debacle “Death of a F***ing Salesman,” Kevin D. Williamson, NationalReview.com (July 30, 2017). “My Call from Scaramucci,” Ryan Lizza, NewYorker.com (July 27, 2017). On LGBT and Trump “How a few tweets undid one of the biggest transgender rights victories under Obama,” German Lopez, Vox.com (July 27, 2017). “How might allowing transgender personnel to serve openly affect the military,” Agnes Gereben Schaefer, Radha Iyengar, Srikanth Kadiyala, Jennifer Kavanagh, Charles C. Engel, Kayla M. Williams, Amii Kress , RAND.org (2016). “Trump’s Transgender Tweets Resonate with Americans,” Bethany Mandel, NationalReview.com (July 31, 2017). NFL Survey on Why Fans Watched Fewer Games “Anthem protests led poll of reasons viewers tuned out,” Darren Rovell, ESPN.com (July 27, 2017). A World in Disarray The book: A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order (2017), by Richard Haass. HBO’s VICE’s: A World in Disarray (2017). The Backpages: “Death of a Pig,” E. B. White, TheAtlantic.com, January 1948. “The Last Question,” Isaac Asimov, multivax.com, 1956. Image Credit: NY Daily News

In this episode, Mike (@mikeskinnner) and Patrick (@PatrickFO) discuss Net Neutrality, give an update on U.S.-North Korean relations, and we dive into the “can speech be violence?” debate. All this and more! Links to articles we mentioned and also our recommendations of the week. On net neutrality: “5 Arguments Against Net Neutrality,” by Todd Wasserman, Mashable.com (May 16, 2014). “7 Reasons Net Neutrality Is Idiotic,” by Aaron Bandler, dailywire.com (July 14, 2017). “These are the arguments against net neutrality – and why they’re wrong,” by Devin Coldewey, Techcrunch.com (May 19). “Neutrality Revisited,” The Economist, eiu.com, (May 24, 2017). On North Korea: “North Korea Faces Famine As Kim Jong Un Builds Nuclear Missiles To Attack The U.S.” by Jason Le Miere, Newsweek.com (July 24, 2017). “Russia, Not North Korea, Greatest Threat to U.S., Says Pentagon’s Top Military Officer,” by Sofia Lotto Persio, Newsweek.com (July 24). On free speech on campus: “Why It’s Bad to Tell Students Words Are Violence,” by Jonathan Haidt, and Greg Lukianoff, The Atlantic, July 18, 2017. "Alt-Right Troll Milo Yiannopoulos Uses Campus Visit to Openly Mock a Transgender Student," by Claire Landsbaum, thecut.com (December 15, 2016). Recommendations: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided By Politics and Religion (2013), by Jonathan Haidt The Goldfinch (2013), by Donna Tart Thumbnail credit: ZDNet

In this episode, Mike (@mikeskinnner) and Patrick (PatrickFO) go beyond the headlines and into the substance of the big news stories of the past week. Our “Lede” section is on Don Trump Jr’s emails and the political, moral, and legal fallout. Then: we argue about the new Senate healthcare bill, and healthcare in general. In our “Beyond the Lede,” Mike has a bone to pick with Bill Nye, and Patrick reviews scholarly literature on lobbying in D.C. All this plus music recommendations! Links to stories we discuss, and supplemental material we read to prepare, as well. Articles “Trump Team Met With Lawyer Linked to Kremlin During Campaign,” Jo Becker, Matt Apuzzo, and Adam Goldman, NYTimes.com, July 8, 2017. “The Benefit of the Doubt is Gone,” Jonah Goldberg, Nationalreview.com, July 14, 2017. “Week in Politics, Trump in Paris, Russia, Health Care,” interview by Steve Inskeep with Jonah Goldberg, NPR.org, July 14, 2017. “Trump Jr’s Meeting Might Not Rise to Treason,” David Harsanyi, Nationalreview.com, July 14, 2017. “If Donald Trump is a Crook, What Kind is He?” Susan Hennessey, and Benjamin Wittes, ForeignPolicy.com, July 6, 2017. “Is BCRA Better than Obamacare?” Chris Pope, Nationalreview.com, July 13, 2017. “DOJ announces charges against 400 people for $1.3 billion in health-care fraud,” Sari Horwitz and Renae Merle, WashingtonPost.com, July 13, 2017. “Ted Cruz’s Giant Leap Into the Known,” Paul Krugman, NYTimes.com, July 15, 2017. “NHS Chiefs Warn that Hospitals in England are on the Brink of Collapse,” Denis Campbell, TheGuardian.com, September 16, 2016. “We Started With 14 Possible Paths For Trump’s Presidency. Which Are Most Likely Now?” A FiveThirtyEight Chat, FiveThirtyEight.com, May 24, 2017. “Bill Nye Just Gave the Stupidest Definition of ‘Science,’” Hank Berrien, Dailywire.com, July 12, 2017. Study “Mirror, Mirror 2017: International Comparison Reflects Flaws and Opportunities for Better U.S. Health Care,” Eric C. Schneider, Dana O. Sarnak, David Squires, Arnav Shah, and Michelle M. Doty, The Commonwealth Fund, July 2017. Music Strawberry Girls Italian Ghosts (2017) Tinariwen Elwan (2017) Vince Staples Big Fish Theory (2017) Laura Marling Semper Femina (2017) Kendrick Lamar DAMN. (2017) Before Their Eyes Midwest Modesty (2015) Jason Richardson I (2016) Image Credit: thesource.com/2017/07/12/trump-s…ite-email-scandal/