A recap and analysis of Obama's speech, Chicago case involving the banning of assault rifles will not be heard by the high court and the former White House Deputy Chief of Staff joins us to talk about an important past presidential election.
Foreign policy experts debate utility, efficacy of the President’s primetime speech on terror
President Barack Obama addressed the nation from the Oval Office last night calling the San Bernardino shootings an act of terrorism.
He reiterated the current U.S. strategy for combating the so-called Islamic State militants, including airstrikes in Syria and Iraq; training and equipment for Syrians and Iraqis; intelligence sharing with allies and Muslim communities; and a political resolution to Syrian war. President Obama also pronounced what the U.S. should not do.
“We should not be drawn once more into a long and costly ground war in Iraq or Syria. That’s what groups like ISIL want. They know they can’t defeat us on the battlefield. ISIL fighters were part of the insurgency that we faced in Iraq. But they also know that if we occupy foreign lands, they can maintain insurgencies for years, killing thousands of our troops, draining our resources, and using our presence to draw new recruits.”
He continued,
“We cannot turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between America and Islam. That, too, is what groups like ISIL want. ISIL does not speak for Islam. They are thugs and killers, part of a cult of death, and they account for a tiny fraction of more than a billion Muslims around the world -- including millions of patriotic Muslim Americans who reject their hateful ideology. Moreover, the vast majority of terrorist victims around the world are Muslim. If we’re to succeed in defeating terrorism we must enlist Muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate.”
Critics say his tone lacked outrage, specific policy changes, specific military strategies, and no timelines. Supporters say Obama’s measured tone was chosen carefully. One senior administration official, who asked for anonymity to discuss strategy, said the speech was primarily aimed at explaining the president's current plan to ordinary Americans who've been rattled by the rash of attacks in Paris, the Sinai Peninsula and, most recently, San Bernardino.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Max Boot, senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations
Hardin Lang, Senior fellow at the Center for American Progress with an expertise in the middle east, political Islam and peacekeeping
Tracing the genesis of ISIS
How would the man who helped foment the so-called Islamic State insurgency react to President Obama's address last night?
Now deceased, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi is profiled in a new book by Joby Warrick, the national security reporter for “The Washington Post.” In "Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS," Warrick chronicles Al-Zarqawi's turn from a common street criminal in Jordan to waging "jihad" in Afghanistan in the late 1980s to being named (mistakenly) by the U.S. as the link between the 9/11 hijackers and Iraq's Saddam Hussein.
Warrick joins AirTalk to discuss why Al-Zarqawi proved so influential among militants in the Middle East.
Guest:
Joby Warrick, Author, “Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS,” National Security Reporter, The Washington Post. He tweets from
Debating SCOTUS denying hearing to local ban on assault rifles in Chicago
The Supreme Court has voted to not take up the case involving a ban on assault weapons enacted by a Chicago suburb.
The city of Highland Park banned the sale of or possession of assault rifles like the AR-15 and large capacity magazines.
The justices voted 7-2 to not take up the case. Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia were the dissenters.
The challenge to the ban was brought forth the Illinois State Rifle Association and Dr. Arie Friedman, a Highland Park resident who used to own semi-automatic weapons for self-defense.
The High Court’s action today to not take up the Second Amendment case is in keeping with a recent string of similar decisions.
Guests:
Michael Hammond, legislative counsel at the group, Gun Owners of America based in Virginia
Mike McLively, staff attorney and a Second Amendment expert at the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence based in San Francisco
Karl Rove weighs in on what presidential candidates can learn from the election of 1896
During the election of 1896, Republican Presidential Nominee William McKinley found a radical new way to campaign in a changing political climate.
The nation’s so-called “little guy” demanded political inclusion, and called for a government that would address the economic needs of its growing agrarian society, as well as social issues such as black voting rights.
McKinley took a surprising approach to his campaign. He focused on the needs of immigrants and diverse ethnic groups. He also advocated for black voting rights and gained the endorsements of Catholic leaders.
McKinley won the election against his Democratic opponent, William Jennings Bryan, and became the nation’s 25th president. The demand for inclusion during that election is not unfamiliar. So what can today’s presidential candidates learn from the election of 1896?
Political Analyst Karl Rove joins Larry Mantle today to discuss his new book on the subject, “The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters,” how history has represented McKinley, how he addressed the needs of the public and what our current presidential candidates can glean from his campaign.
Karl Rove will hold a lecture and book signing at 6 p.m., Jan. 7 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley and at 1 p.m., Jan 9 at the Richard Nixon Library and Museum in Yorba Linda.
Guest:
Karl Rove, political analyst and author of “The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters,” (Simon & Schuster, 2015). He tweets from
FBI latest update on San Bernardino shooting
AirTalk will speak with KPCC Reporter Erika Aguilar about the FBI's news conference happening Monday afternoon.
Guest:
Erika Aguilar, KPCC reporter
The unique bond of friendship between gay men and straight women
The love shared between gay men and straight women is immortalized in many television shows, but the story doesn’t end with “Will and Grace.”
Exploring the magnetic draw between straight women and gay men is the subject of a new study out of The University of Texas at Arlington -- the researchers say it’s the first of its kind.
The bond sure makes intuitive sense. Women have a man with whom they share sexual orientation, with whom they can easily talk about what’s going on in bed. They get a willing man sharing his male perspective. For gay men, straight women might offer a compatibility not immediately or easily found in straight men.
Guests:
Eric Russell, Ph.D. student in experimental psychology, University of Texas at Arlington
Robert Hopcke, Author of “A Couple of Friends: The Remarkable Bond between Gay Men and Straight Women”