#8 | President Trump’s Afghan Strategy, 5 Stories You Missed, George Orwell, and more!

Summary: 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