How did this happen? How did we spend 20 years, over 2 trillion dollars and over 2,000 American lives to wind up losing Afghanistan to the Taliban in under two weeks? Was the mission doomed from the start? Was it political incompetence? Or was it the fault of the military brass who refused to be honest about what it would take to win?
Today, a frank and wide-ranging conversation with H.R. McMaster, former National Security Advisor and three-star general. We talk about Obama, Trump, Biden; the corruption and incompetence of our elites; rising isolationism; and why he’s still bullish about America.
In the U.S. we’ve been trained to call 911 almost regardless of the circumstances, and who responds to those calls? Police officers. Even when they may not have specialized training for the crisis at hand. But what if it were different? What if police didn’t handle mental health calls? Or property crime? Or paperwork? Could fewer responsibilities lead to better policing? Reset explores those questions for the latest in our series, “Re-Imagine Chicago.”
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For more about Reset, go to wbez.org and follow us on Twitter @WBEZReset
Just weeks after the shock of a presidential assassination, Haiti was hit by a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake on Saturday. The death toll is nearing 2,000 — and still rising — while thousands more are injured and homeless.
Haiti's last major earthquake was in 2010. It killed an estimated 200,000 people and injured 300,000 more. This week's quake struck farther from major population centers, but that's made search and rescue efforts challenging.
NPR's Jason Beaubien reports from Haiti where Tropical Storm Grace has made matters even worse.
And Haiti's ambassador to the U.S. Bocchit Edmond tells NPR's Ailsa Chang what the country needs now.
Corporate dips into decentralized media, starting with Twitter and TikTok
Regulatory difficulties continue for Binance
Crypto on the minds of Congress and the SEC
Big corporations have been seeing crypto not just as a hype machine, but as a technological update opportunity. Twitter, for example, has found a new lead for its decentralized social media group Bluesky. TikTok has similarly dipped into decentralized media as it struck a deal with decentralized music app Audius. Which platforms will take on crypto next?
Binance continues to come under regulatory scrutiny with the Netherlands as the latest country to issue a warning to the company. Even after CEO Brian Brooks left the company citing “differences in strategic direction,” Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao claims to continue to search for regulatory-minded people to join the company’s ranks.
Regulatory focus continues in the U.S. as well, with members of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Congress hosting opposing opinions on how to regulate crypto. The disagreements continued this week, including a statement from the Fed’s Neel Kashkari bashing crypto and a letter from two congressmen requesting clarity from the SEC and CFTC. Will U.S. authorities ultimately come to an agreement on the best path forward?
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“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Adam B. Levine is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsor is “Tidal Wave” by BRASKO. Image credit: Cole Burston/Bloomberg/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk.
The idea of convenient snacks is as old as human civilization itself -- for example, excavations at ancient sites across the planet have recovered evidence of food stalls in markets and community hubs. But the modern age of fast food has taken convenience to unprecedented levels. In the first part of this week's two-part episode, the guys unpack the the history of fast food, along with why some critics seem dead-set against this gigantic global industry.
Today's podcast wonders at the bet Joe Biden has placed on the possibility that the chaos in Afghanistan relating to the exit of Americans will be short-lived and that he will suffer no long-term consequences from it. Is that bet likely to pay off? Give a listen.
The expanding influence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, a decade or more of American government lies about “progress” in the war, and a fast U.S. military exit contributed to the Taliban’s speedy takeover of the country. Justin Logan offers perspective.
Many Afghans are either fleeing or hiding as the Taliban tightens its grip on the country. A close-up view of areas hit hardest by the powerful earthquake in Haiti that has killed nearly 2,000 people. Opening statements are set to begin today in the sex abuse trial of singer R. Kelly. Correspondent Steve Kathan has the CBS World News Roundup for Wednesday, August 18, 2021:
Today, we continue our collaboration with our sister podcast “The Envelope” and its host Yvonne Villarreal. In this episode, she talks with Hannah Waddingham about Waddingham’s Emmy-nominated performance in “Ted Lasso,” the feel-good Apple TV + comedy series that centers on the upbeat, fish-out-of-water American coach of an English soccer team. Waddingham plays the coach’s initially vindictive and cynical boss, Rebecca.
Waddingham also discusses her turn as the “Game of Thrones” nun who infamously yelled “Shame! Shame!” at Cersei Lannister, recounts how doors have opened for her during her career and reflects on her childhood as the daughter and granddaughter of opera singers.
