Bombs Away in Syria: Podcast
How will Trump and new national security adviser John Bolton respond to a reported chemical attack in a war-ravaged country?
"Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria," President Donald Trump tweeted over the weekend. "Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price…to pay." So what will that mean, precisely?
The president said this morning that he would make a decision on responding to the "heinous attack" within the next 24-48 hours, adding that such a "barbaric attack…can't be allowed to happen." As he was making that announcement, the Reason Podcast, featuring Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, Peter Suderman, and me, was wrapping up its Monday episode. In addition to wargaming Syria, assessing new National Security Adviser John Bolton, and wondering what this all does to Trump's favored policy of troop withdrawal, the editorial quartet discussed refugee policy, the president's deployment of National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, our burgeoning trade war with China, and Facebook honcho Mark Zuckerberg's coming perp walk on Capitol Hill.
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Audio production by Ian Keyser.
Relevant links from the show:
"Hawks Cheer and Doves Cry as Trump Fails to Follow Through on Syrian Withdrawal," by Christian Britschgi
"The Trump Administration Is Pursuing Regime Change in Syria Under the Guise of Fighting Terrorism," by Daniel DePetris
"5 Things About John Bolton That Are Worse Than His Mustache," by Jacob Sullum
"As World Refugee Population Hits All-Time High, U.S. on Pace to Welcome Third-Lowest Percentage in Recorded History," by Matt Welch
"Wait: Why Do We Need MORE Troops To Stop FEWER Illegals?" by Nick Gillespie
"Trump's National Guard Deployment to the Border Is Political Theater, Just Like Obama's and Bush's," by Matt Welch
"How Congress Could Stop Trump's Trade War, and Why It Might Not," by Eric Boehm
"Trump's Trade War Will Crush American Farmers, Fuel Soy Boys," by Eric Boehm
"Trump, the Anti-Business President," by Steve Chapman
"'Free-Market' Conservatives Welcome Their New Protectionist Overlord," by Matt Welch
"Beware Censorship by Proxy," by Jesse Walker
"Apple Wants Washington to Fix Facebook," by Ira Stoll
"Don't Look to the State to Keep Social Media Companies From Imposing Ideological Conformity," by J.D. Tuccille
"Obama Harvested Data from Facebook and Bragged About It. Why Are We Only Freaking Out About This Now?," by Declan McCullagh
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What are we consuming this week?
Matt Welch
- Interview between Nick Gillespie and Justin Amash at Reason Weekend
Katherine Mangu-Ward
Nick Gillespie
Peter Suderman