America Is Not The Arsenal of Democracy—The Weekly Roundup

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This week, we discuss President Biden carrying out the largest single-day act of clemency in American history and the controversial commutations of sentences for corrupt public officials.

Then, we talk about the rash of reported drone sightings in New Jersey and the confirmed UAV sightings around military bases, and how we can sort fact from fiction to make sure we address real security concerns.  

Later, we talk about Mitch McConnell’s call to reject isolationism and the Atlantic’s deep reporting on how our crumbling military manufacturing infrastructure makes us vulnerable in a turbulent world.

Finally, we head to Politicology+ where we discuss CNN admitting that the person they showed being freed from a Syrian prison last week was actually an intelligence officer in the Assad regime and the growth of mediated media. 

Joining host Ron Steslow on this week’s panel: 

Liam Donovan (Principal at Bracewell LLP)

Olivier Knox (Senior National Political Correspondent at U.S. News & World Report)

Segments this week:

(04:31) Biden’s pardons and commutations 

(26:13) Drones

(41:04) The precarious state of our military manufacturing infrastructure 

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Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter):

https://x.com/RonSteslow

https://x.com/LPDonovan

https://x.com/OKnox

Related reading:

Segment 1: 

WSJ - Mystery Drones Swarmed a U.S. Military Base for 17 Days. The Pentagon Is Stumped. - WSJ

CNN - Key US Air Force base closes airspace amid drone sightings | CNN

Segment 2: 

AP - Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency

CNN - Victims ‘shocked’ after Biden grants clemency to ‘kids-for-cash’ judge and $54 million embezzler | CNN Politics

Segment 3: 

Foreign Affairs - Mitch McConnell: The Price of American Retreat

The Atlantic - The Crumbling Foundation of America’s Military - The Atlantic

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