This week Radha, Loren, and Erin drink hot toddies and reluctantly dig into the newest Marine Corps scandal. They also explore growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and Europe with a brief "missiles: big, medium, and small" explainer; debate the wisdom of loosening counter-terrorism policies while gutting American soft power (aka, Is it always a good time to kill bad guys?); and exorcise the bogeyman of the deep state. Stick around for pop culture digestif. Readings: Marine Scandal as Paul Szoldra on the NYT on Hayes Brown on (see also ) Loren Schulman on the (see also ) Erin Simpson and Max Fisher on On On