This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott shook off their post-Halloween sugar comas to hash through some of the week's big national security news stories, including:

• “A Home Invasion in the House.” A man connected to various online conspiracies broke into the San Francisco home of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and violently assaulted her husband, all as part of a plot to kidnap and torture her. What is to blame for this type of violence? Are we taking it seriously enough?
• “First (R)use?” The Biden administration’s recently released Nuclear Posture Review has taken many progressives by surprise, as it appears to walk back candidate Biden’s commitment to a policy against first use. Is this criticism fair? What should we make of the Biden administration’s nuclear strategy?
• “Trust and the Fourth Estate.” The Justice Department has codified new guidelines putting significant restrictions on when and how prosecutors can subpoena and arrest journalists. Are these restrictions well-founded or do they go too far? 

For object lessons, Alan recommended his favorite recent audiobook, Daniel Immerwahr's "How to Hide an Empire." Quinta threw her support behind the season of Fall, and shared a photo of some of its lovely colors (see our show page). And Scott recommended a cocktail named after the only way worth living: Naked and Famous.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.