Trump Recalls Retired Officers to Active Service
The New Confederate Monuments ; US Putting Nuclear Bombers Back on 24-Hour Alert ; Growing Opioid Crisis ...and More Picks
US Preparing to Put Nuclear Bombers Back on 24-Hour Alert (Jimmy)
The author writes, “The U.S. Air Force is preparing to put nuclear-armed bombers back on 24-hour ready alert, a status not seen since the Cold War ended in 1991.”
The New Confederate Monuments (Reader Steve)
Unsurprisingly, the reasoning for these new monuments sounds a lot like why the older Confederate monuments were built.
Little Change, Big Expansion in China (Dan)
China’s current leader Xi Jinping has been speaking globally at the Communist Party congress. He has discussed China’s global ambitions, including appearing as a stable negotiator in world affairs relative to the US. Xi’s optimistic view of the Chinese state bodes well for Wednesday’s vote on his leadership, which he appears certain to win.
America’s Forever Wars (Jimmy)
The NYT Editorial Board writes, “Senators who balk at paying for health care and the basic diplomatic missions of the State Department approved a $700 billion defense budget for 2017-18, far more than Mr. Trump even requested. Whether this largess will continue is unclear. But the larger question involves the American public and how many new military adventures, if any, it is prepared to tolerate.”
The Crisis to Stop the Opioid Crisis (Dan)
The US opioid crisis has been growing over the last few years, creating havoc in rural America as well as inner cities. Trump’s recent executive order seeks to address the issue, but administration officials have no idea how to carry out the President’s vague plan — or where they’ll get the money.
