Tommy talks with new L.A. resident Ben Rhodes about the bizarre Trump NSC memo naming him leader of the Echo Chamber, the state of al Qaeda and the war in Afghanistan, talk of war in Venezuela and weird old John Bolton.

Show Notes: 

Echo Chamber

• The New Yorker: The Conspiracy Memo About Obama Aides That Circulated In The Trump White House

Afghanistan

• Wall Street Journal: Suicide Bomber Kills Dozens of Afghans Protesting Local Official
• Washington Post: Privatizing the U.S. effort in Afghanistan seemed a bad idea. Now it’s even worse.
• Reuters: Afghan Taliban prepare for new peace talks with U.S.: sources
• The Atlantic: No End in Sight

Al Qaeda / Sept. 11

• Los Angeles Times: Seventeen years after Sept. 11, Al Qaeda may be stronger than ever
• Washington Post: On Sept. 11 anniversary, Trump launches fresh attacks on FBI and Justice Department with dubious allegation

Venezuela

• Washington Post: Trump administration met with, but rebuffed, Venezuelan officers who said they were plotting a coup, officials say
• Washington Post: Trump, Venezuela and the prospect of a coup
• BBC: US official: Venezuela government ‘steals from food programme’
• NPR: For Many In Venezuela, Social Media Is A Matter Of Life And Death

International criminal court

• BBC: ICC ‘undeterred’ by US sanctions threat
• ABC News: Bolton: International Criminal Court ‘is already dead to us’
• Slate: Why John Bolton Is So Obsessed With the International Criminal Court