Podcast appearances and mentions of Mark T Esper

In this episode, the NCO Journal participates in a media round table discussion with the Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark T. Esper. Among the topics discussed were talent management, Army Family initiatives, and modernization. The event took place at the Pentagon, April 24, 2019.

Bill Maher and his guests answer viewer questions after the show. (Originally aired 3/29/24) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bill's guests are Jonathan Haidt, Fareed Zakaria, Dr. Mark T. Esper (Originally aired 3/29/24) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Mark T. Esper, 29th U.S. Secretary of Defense, wrote “A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times” to chronicle his experiences at the Pentagon during the tumultuous term of Donald J. Trump. The pages capture his own life of service in and out of uniform, the old threats, the new Cold War, and the challenges of staying true to your oath. Mark shares his assessment of the country's current adversaries and his work at West Point's Modern War Institute and at Red Cell Partners, his VC firm investing in the next generation of tactical and information technology.   Inside the ICE House: https://www.theice.com/insights/conversations/inside-the-ice-house

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, we are joined by two incredible guests: former Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, and Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska's 2nd District.-Dr. Mark T. Esper became the 27th Secretary of Defense in July 2019 when he was confirmed in an overwhelming 90-8 vote by the U.S. Senate in rare bipartisan fashion. Esper went on to successfully lead the Defense Department through an unprecedented time in the nation's history: from conflict with Iran, an ongoing military campaign in Afghanistan, and counter-terrorism operations in the Middle East; to open competition with China and Russia amidst a fundamental shift in the geo-strategic environment; and from the greatest civil unrest and political turmoil America has seen in decades, to a major recession and the spread of a global pandemic the world had not experienced in over 100 years, all while dealing with an unpredictable White House.As Defense Secretary, Esper was responsible for ensuring the United States' national security, protecting the American people at home and abroad, and advancing the country's interests globally. In this capacity, he led the largest and most complex organization in the world given its nearly three million service members and defense civilians, $740 billion annual budget, and trillions of dollars of weapons, equipment, and infrastructure located at 4,800 sites in over 160 countries. Esper's broad scope of responsibilities ranged from organizing, manning, training, and equipping the joint force, to the research and development of future weapons, concepts, and equipment; and from defense trade, diplomacy, and cybersecurity, to healthcare, hospitals, housing, and schools.Dr. Esper made major strides in shaping and implementing the National Defense Strategy, which called for a return to preparing for high intensity conflict in a new era of great power competition principally against China and Russia. To this end, Esper established the Space Force and Space Command, proposed a dramatic change in the size and composition of the U.S. Navy, enhanced the resourcing and operations of Cyber Command, and led a major reform effort that reorganized the department and freed up billions of dollars for higher priorities. He worked hard to strengthen alliances and grow new partners, especially in the Indo-Pacific and Europe, and helped drive a major increase in the readiness and capability of NATO members, all while advancing new warfighting, operational, and readiness concepts in the U.S. military.Esper also oversaw the largest R&D budget in the department's history, drove spending on cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, directed energy, advanced networking, robotics, and hypersonics, and launched the biggest initiative in decades to improve diversity and inclusion in the armed forces.Prior to becoming Defense Secretary, Dr. Esper served as the 23rd Secretary of the Army from November 2017 until June 2019. In this capacity, he was responsible for over 1.5 million active, Guard, and Reserve Soldiers and Army civilians, a budget of $180 billion annually, and all aspects of leading the world's most capable ground combat force. During his tenure, Esper launched a renaissance in how the Service organized, manned, trained, and equipped the force as it shifted its focus back toward large-scale combat operations against great power competitors.Dr. Esper was a reformer who spearheaded an extensive review process dubbed “night court” that reduced organizational inefficiencies and eliminated scores of programs to free up funding for critical modernization initiatives. He also established a new U.S. Army Futures Command designed to improve the Army's acquisition process and bolster its broader effort to field a modern force capable of fighting in all domains. Finally, he directed an overhaul of Army recruiting standards and processes, the lengthening and toughening of Infantry Basic Combat Training, and the development of a new Talent Management system for the service, all while advancing important initiatives for Army spouses and families.-Growing up and working on a farm in Illinois, Congressman Don Bacon learned first-hand how the value of hard work and commitment contributes to the success of a small business. He moved from the family farm to attend Northern Illinois University, from which he graduated with a Bachelors of Political Science in 1984, the same year he married Angie, the love of his life. They have three sons, one daughter, and six grandchildren. One year later, he began his military career by joining the U.S. Air Force and serving nearly 30 years, ultimately retiring as a Brigadier General.During his career in the Air Force, Congressman Bacon specialized in electronic warfare, intelligence and reconnaissance. His career highlights include two tours as a Wing Commander, at Ramstein Airbase in Germany and Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska; group command at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona; squadron command in Arizona, and expeditionary squadron command in Iraq.  In total, Rep. Bacon served 16 assignments including four deployments in the Middle East to include Iraq in 2007 to 2008 during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.Congressman Bacon's military decorations include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, two Bronze Stars, two Legion of Merits, five Meritorious Service Medals, and the Aerial Achievement Medal. Additionally, he was selected as Europe's top Air Force Wing Commander for his time at Ramstein Airbase, as well as recognized as a distinguished graduate of the Air Command and Staff College, Navigator-Electronic Warfare School, and Officer Intelligence School. Further, Congressman Bacon has earned two Masters Degrees, from the University of Phoenix in Arizona and the National War College in Washington D.C.Upon his retirement from the Air Force in 2014, Congressman Bacon served as the military advisor to Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (NE-01), where he specialized in military affairs focusing on Offutt Air Force Base and the Nebraska National Guard. He also was an Assistant Professor at Bellevue University where he taught Undergraduate Leadership along with American Vision and Values (The Kirkpatrick Signature Series), until his 2016 election to Congress, representing Nebraska's Second Congressional District. Presently, Congressman Bacon serves on two committees within the House of Representatives:  the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Agricultural Committee.-Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegrounds This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com

Todays' episode: Biden's Summit Fizzles-outCo-Host & Guest: Leonardo Flores, CODEPINK Latin America Policy ExpertA series of events has been unraveling since early May in advance of US President Joe Biden's Summit of the America's schedule to take place in Los Angeles June 6-10A few of those events include: The publication of Trump's Secretary of Defense, Mark T. Esper, book A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times. The President of Mexico announced he would not attend Biden's Summit The appearance of easing US sanctions policy against Cuba and Venezuela23 visas denied to a Cuban civilian delegation hoping to attend the alternative People's SummitUS Summit of the Americas delegation, led by Christopher Dodd, traveled to Mexico City to meet with the Mexican government with no results.Additional LinksAMLO's 24 July 2021 DiscourseVI CELAC Summit, September 18, 2021 Mexico CityIn partnership with Friends of Latin America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas, original broadcasts of WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean can be viewed every Wednesday at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET on CODEPINK YouTube Live

Washington Post associate editor and columnist David Ignatius speaks with former defense secretary Mark T. Esper about his new book, “A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times.” Recorded on Thursday, May 19, 2022.

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Mark Esper, author of A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times. Mark T. Esper served as secretary of defense from 2019 to 2020 and as secretary of the Army from 2017 to 2019. A distinguished graduate of West Point, he spent twenty-one years in uniform, including a combat tour in the 1991 Gulf War. Esper earned a Ph.D. from George Washington University while working on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon as a political appointee. He was also a senior executive at a prestigious think tank, at various business associations and commission, and at a Fortune 100 technology company. Esper is the recipient of multiple civilian and military awards, and currently sits on several public policy and business boards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is an abbreviated version of The Michael Medved Show. To get the full program, plus premium content, become a subscriber at MichaelMedved.com

Former Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper discusses his book A SACRED OATH: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times.

In recent months, the Biden Administration has sustained and deepened the U.S. relationship with its most important ally in the Hemisphere, the Republic of Colombia. Just last month, Secretary Blinken chose Colombia as his first trip to South America as Secretary of State. To further the conversation on this issue, the McCain Institute seeks to convene experts to discuss related to the United States' hemispheric security partnerships and how they address some of the most pressing challenges of our time – a rising China, increasing international authoritarianism, the global plague of disinformation, etc. This event is the fourth of a new public conversation series between Dr. Mark T. Esper, the John McCain Distinguished Fellow and former U.S. Secretary of Defense, and experts on various issues related to challenges and threats to U.S. national security.

Photo: Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper and President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani speak at the U.S.-Afghanistan Joint Declaration Announcement at the Dilkusha Mansion Garden, Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 29, 2020. (DoD photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nicole Mejia). CBS Eyes on the World with John Batchelor CBS Audio Network @Batchelorshow Two weeks before the tragedy: #ClassicLongWarJournal: @BillRoggio and @ThomasJoscelyn #UNBOUND the complete forty minute interview, August 2, 2021. @LongWarJournal. https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2021/08/taliban-afghan-forces-battle-for-control-of-helmands-capital.php Permissions: 29 February 2020, 08:42 Source | 200229-D-AP390-1129 Author | U.S. Secretary of Defense https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:200229-D-AP390-1129_(49603995457).jpg

Following President Biden's first overseas trip to Europe in early June, many are hoping that it represents the United States' returning to a more traditional approach to its transatlantic alliances where Britain plays a key role. To continue the critical work of Senator McCain on this issue, the McCain Institute seeks to convene experts for a series of conversations related to the future of NATO and how it positions itself to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time – a rising China, increasing international authoritarianism, the global plague of disinformation, etc. This event is the second of a public conversation series between Dr. Mark T. Esper, the John McCain distinguished fellow and former U.S. secretary of defense, and experts on various issues related to challenges and threats to U.S. national security.

Join the McCain Institute for International Leadeship as it premieres a new series of one-on-one conversations with Former Secretary of Defense and the Army and John McCain Distinguished Fellow Mark T. Esper. In this first intstallment, Sec. Esper sits down with Former Prime Minister & Foreign Minster of Sweden and Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations Carl Bildt as they discuss President Joe Biden's trip to Europe.

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop TODAY'S HEADLINES: Big pharma megacorp Pfizer claims that it has a working coronavirus vaccine that’s effective 90 percent of the time, according to early data the company released today. Meanwhile, turmoil at the White House as Trump fires the Secretary of Defense, more close officials catch coronavirus, and tabloids report that staffers are burning scented candles to cover up the smell of Trump and his cronies’ fast food deliveries. And lastly, a shocking peace deal appears to have ended, at least on paper, the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also sparked massive protests in Armenia’s capitol. THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW: Pfizer, one of the biggest drug companies in the world, announced on Monday that an early analysis of its coronavirus vaccine showed that it works pretty well. How well? Pfizer says that in clinical trials, early data suggests that their vaccine was 90 percent effective in keeping uninfected patients free from the virus after exposure. That puts it on roughly the same level as something like the measles vaccine. You don’t hear much about measles anymore, except in extreme anti-vaxx cases, so that’s a promising sign! But we’re still hedging all of this. Pfizer is only claiming this is early data. They clearly need to gather more information -- particularly on the long-term safety and efficacy of the vaccine. So that 90 percent figure could change. But they are confident enough to have asked the FDA for an emergency authorization of the vaccine, and hope to have between 15-20 million doses produced by the end of the year. Then, the big hurdle is distribution. Pfizer’s vaccine uses a temperamental protein called mRNA which has to be kept extremely cold, which makes shipping the doses pretty tricky. Fortunately, there are at least 11 other companies also working on cures, some of which will have early results in later this month, so all our eggs aren’t in one big pharma basket here. White House Is A Smelly Plague Den And now, let’s check in with the White House. Things are not going so well. President Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper on Monday, a move which doesn’t exactly bode well for general stability in the coming months. Esper and Trump had clashed in the past because Esper opposed sending in troops to crack down on Black Lives Matter protests this summer. For Esper’s part, though, he’s probably glad he’s gone, because once again the coronavirus is spreading among Trump’s inner circle. Three people who were at the President’s election party last week, including Trump’s chief of staff and housing secretary Ben Carson, have now tested positive. The third case is David Bossie, the advisor who Trump recently tapped to spearhead the legal challenges against Biden’s wins in battleground states like Georgia and Nevada. Probably not a great time for him to get sick! The funniest detail, however, comes via the Daily Mail -- so all the caveats about that paper apply. The Mail reports that some staffers have been lighting rose-scented candles to cover up the incessant smell of fast food delivered to Trump and his inner circle. Clearly the big guy isn’t handling things too well. But back in the real world: one troubling sign in all this is that Mitch McConnell hasn’t fully cut Trump loose yet, arguing on Monday that the President was quote “100 percent within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options.” endquote. That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of Trump’s claims, but it’s not an overt acceptance of Biden either. The Biden camp, meanwhile, is continuing to remind everyone that they won’t mess all this up when they eventually take over, announcing a roster of actual scientists and experts to form their incoming coronavirus task force. Meanwhile, on CNN earlier today, Dr. Anthony Fauci said he hasn’t spoken to Trump since the president was in Walter Reed hospital with the disease himself. Sounds about right. Armenia Peace Deal Provokes Chaos The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan may be coming to a dramatic and controversial end, after Armenia’s president announced that he had signed a peace treaty with Russia and Azerbaijan. The deal comes in the wake of several key victories by Azerbaijan’s military, which recently captured a major town in the contested region of Nagorno Karabakh [NA GOR NO CAR AH BAK]. The region is largely recognized to be part of Azerbaijan, although its residents are mostly ethnically Armenian and consider themselves citizens of an autonomous Republic of Artsakh [ART SAKH]. The deal, signed by Armenia president Nikol Pashinyan [NIK PASH IN YAN], appears to have effectively surrendered most of the region to Azerbaijan and Russia, and has been met with immediately widespread protests in Armenia’s capitol of Yerevan. The protests are not at all peaceful, either -- early videos coming out of the city show protesters breaking into government buildings. It’s pretty unclear what will happen next, as these protests just flared up late on Monday night. It looks like when the dust settles there will be a new balance of power in the region, which is a mess of conflicting interests between Turkey, Russia, and the warring powers themselves. AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES: One last White House tidbit we couldn’t squeeze in: CNN reports that John McEntee, director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, is telling the administration’s staffers that if he catches them looking for another job they’ll be fired outright. That’s probably not looking like much of a punishment at this point! In New York City, the NYPD announced that the streets around Trump tower would be quote “periodically” shut down to pedestrians. In other words, they don’t want protesters anywhere near the president’s precious apartment building. After the disappointing showing downballot, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee head Cheri Bustos is stepping down from her job. We now wait with baited breath to see if her replacement will be any more competent. And finally, what could be a significant storyline this week: Attorney General Bill Barr authorized the Department of Justice to probe quote “'substantial allegations” of voter fraud. Basically, saying that he’s more than willing to go out doing Trump’s bidding till the end and weaponizing his supposedly nonpartisan agency at the same time. Nov 10, 2020 - AM QUICKIE HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner WRITER - Jack Crosbie PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn

American security interests are challenged by worrisome developments across the globe, ranging from China’s rapid military buildup to Russian adventurism to North Korean nuclear programs. COVID-19 has had an effect on all of America and the U.S. military has not been spared. To counter these threats and more the Defense Department developed and executes today the 2018 National Defense Strategy. The first line of effort in that strategy calls upon the DOD to “rebuild military readiness as it builds a more lethal joint force.”How is that effort going? Has the Department of Defense been successful in rebuilding military readiness? What successes have occurred and what challenges remain? How has COVID-19 impacted the execution of the strategy?Please join Heritage for his prepared remarks followed by a question and answer session with the man responsible for implementing the strategy, Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

En marge de sa visite au Maroc, le secrétaire américain à la Défense, M. Mark T. Esper a signé ce matin la feuille de route de la coopération en matière de défense. La feuille de route décrit la coopération entre les deux pays jusqu'en 2030. La cérémonie de siganture s'est déroulée en présence notamment d'Abdellatif Loudiyi, ministre délégué chargé de l'Administration de la Défense nationale et du ministre des Affaires étrangères, de la Coopération africaine et des Marocains résidant à l'étranger, Nasser Bourita. «Aujourd'hui plus que jamais, nos deux Nations travaillent en étroite collaboration pour relever les défis sécuritaires dans un environnement de plus en plus complexe allant de la lutte contre le terrorisme et d'autres menaces pour l'instabilité régionale », a déclaré M. Esper. « Nous œuvrons ensemble pour promouvoir la sécurité, la stabilité et la prospérité pour nos peuples », a-t-il ajouté L'objectif est de renforcer continuellement l'engagement de longue date entre les deux pays, et, par extension, envers l'Afrique, a déclaré le responsable américain. En visite de travail au Royaume du 01 au 3 octobre, Le secrétaire américain à la Défense, M. Mark Esper, a été également reçu par le ministre délégué auprès du Chef du gouvernement chargé de l'Administration de la Défense Nationale et le Général de Corps d'Armée, Inspecteur Général des Forces armées royales (FAR) sur Hautes instructions Royales. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/aziz-mustaphi/message

Wyatt Reed, journalist and producer for By Any Means Necessary radio show, has been covering the latest tensions and protests between demonstrators and federal law enforcement officers. As many agents begin to leave Portland today some will stay behind vowing to protect the courthouse, a backdrop for much of the unrest.Chris Garaffa, web developer and technologist, gives an overview of the House top anti-trust subcommittee hearing involving leaders of four major US technology companies: Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook. The hearing began with a suggestion that these four companies are not only threats to competition, but to democracy. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Sundar Pichai fielded questions about alleged anti-conservative bias, anti-conservative bias, anti-conservative bias, oh, and collecting too much data, using that data illegally and being too cozy with China. Mark Sleboda, international affairs and security analyst, talks about the US cutting back its troop deployments in Germany. Nearly 12,000 US troops will be pulled from the country, with some shifted around the continent, including sending some units to Belgium and Italy, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper confirmed. He said the change will begin within weeks, but overall the shifts will take months or even years. What about the argument some German politicians have made, that this will cost German jobs and German workers “didn’t deserve this”? Mitt Romney called the move a “grave error” and “a slap in the face at a friend and ally when we should instead be drawing closer in our mutual commitment to deter Russian and Chinese aggression.” Is China now going to invade Germany?Steve Grumbine, founder and CEO of the nonprofits Real Progressives and Real Progress in action, takes a look a the jobs report and breaks down the bleak economic forecast. The US GDP fell 9.5 percent during the second quarter of the year - and in the standard and annualized method of reporting quarterly data, that equals a 32.9 percent drop. That’s the biggest, swiftest drop since modern record keeping began, with the only true comparisons in this country’s history being the Great Depression and the demobilization after World War II, both of which occurred before the advent of modern economic statistics. This drop, of course, was deliberately undertaken by shutting down the economy. But the fear seems to be that we didn’t shut down thoroughly enough or long enough, and so what might have been, if we’d gotten lucky, a steep drop and then a steep and rapid recovery, it looks like we’re instead in for a long period of both health and economic uncertainty, which doesn’t bode well for the recovery. Dr. Yolandra Hancock, medical director of the CRC Wellness Center and founder of Delta Health & Wellness Consulting, explains why Americans have fewer children isn't a good thing for the economy. The American story, from Bloomberg, focuses on the US birthrate and the current crisis, and cites two studies showing that Americans are, in fact, not stuck at home fueling another baby boom, but much the opposite. A Guttmacher Institute survey of about 2,000 American women in late April and early May found that 34% wanted to delay pregnancy or have fewer children as a result of the pandemic - more than the 17% who said they wanted children sooner or more of them. And in June, it says, the Brookings Institution released a study predicting the U.S. is headed for “a large, lasting baby bust”, citing research predicting 300,000 to 500,000 fewer children will be born in the U.S. in 2021 than there would have been absent the crisis, which amounts to a decrease of roughly 10% from 2019. Why is there a decline and what is the impact on us all?

In an era of global technological competition and diffusion of innovation, the United States must uphold the twin pillars of national security and national innovation. There is a clear need for greater cooperation and engagement on the challenge set within government; between federal, state, and local levels; between governments; and between the public and private sectors. By recognizing its comparative strengths and weaknesses, the United States federal government can take measured steps that increase its chances of success and guard against risks.  CSIS’s Global Security Forum focuses on the challenges that emerging technologies pose to U.S. security and the policy priorities needed. The event will feature a keynote address from Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and the launch of a new report highlighting insights from the 2019 GSF Experts’ Workshop and actionable recommendations to inform a more effective U.S. federal government approach to emerging technologies.    Event Agenda 8:30 AM: Registration Check-In 9:00 AM: Opening Remarks 9:10 AM: Keynote Address on "Maintaining the U.S. National Security Innovation Base"Hon. Mark T. Esper Secretary of Defense Followed by a moderated discussion with  Dr. Kathleen H. Hicks Senior Vice President; Henry A. Kissinger Chair; and Director, International Security Program Center for Strategic and International Studies 9:50 AM: Presentation of Report FindingsSamuel Brannen Director, Risk and Foresight Group Center for Strategic and International Studies 10:00 AM: Panel Discussion on "Emerging Technologies Governance"Gabrielle Burrell Minister Counsellor Defense Policy Embassy of Australia Mr. Andrew P. Hunter Director, Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group Center for Strategic and International Studies Dr. Jason G. Matheny Founding Director, Center for Security and Emerging Technology and former Director, Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity Ms. Suzanne Spaulding Senior Advisor, Homeland Security, International Security Program Center for Strategic and International Studies  Brigadier General Benjamin Watson Vice Chief of Naval Research; Commanding General, Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory U.S. Marine Corps 11:00 AM: Adjourn This event is made possible through support from Leonardo DRS.

In Taiwan's Saturday elections, President Tsai Ing Wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won a second term in a landslide victory over her opponent, Han Kuo Yu of the Kuomintang (KMT), and her party maintained its majority in the legislature. What's the impact of this election going forward?"Senior administration officials declined Sunday to confirm President Trump's assertion that four US embassies had been targeted for attack by Iran, while saying that Trump's 'interpretation' of the threat was consistent with overall intelligence that justified the killing of a senior Iranian general," the Washington Post reported. “'I didn't see one with regard to four embassies,' Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said of intelligence reports. 'What I'm saying is I share the president's view that probably — my expectation was they were going to go after our embassies,' Esper told CBS's 'Face the Nation,'" the Post report continued. I thought the intelligence said the attack was imminent, as in ready to take place, happening soon. As all of this is happening, "Protesters denouncing Iran's clerical rulers took to the streets and riot police deployed to face them on Monday, in a third day of demonstrations after authorities acknowledged shooting down a passenger plane by accident," Reuters reported."A social media disinformation expert studied 60,000 tweets from nearly 10,000 accounts using the hashtag #IraniansDetestSoleimani and found that the most common phrases in those users' biographies were 'Make America Great Again' and 'Trump,'" MintPress News' Alan MacLeod reported Friday. What does this mean going forward?"For bucking a key arm of the Democratic Party establishment that has stood in the way of attracting and supporting progressive candidates, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) received applause over the weekend after she announced the launch of a new political action committee designed to directly challenge the power of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee by helping insurgent, left-leaning challengers like herself take on both Republican incumbents and centrist Democrats," Common Dreams reported Monday. What does this mean going forward?GUESTS:Bob Schlehuber — Sputnik News analyst. Kathy Kelly — Co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence. Alan MacLeod — Academic and journalist. He is a staff writer at MintPress News and a contributor to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), as well as the author of "Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting."Eugene Craig III — Republican strategist, former vice-chair of the Maryland Republican Party and grassroots activists.

With the nation's attention focused on U.S. Senate confirmation hearings for Secretary of State nominee and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, one of Mr. Pompeo's classmates from the Military Academy at West Point is Father Matthew Pawlikowski, CH (COL), USA. Father Pawlikowsi, who was also a classmate of U.S. Army Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper, joins us in the latest edition of Catholic Military Life, the official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. While expressing pride in his associations with former classmates, Father Pawlikowski focuses on the rewards and challenges of his current role as Command Chaplain at his alma mater, ministering to some of the nation's future leaders. Father Pawlikowski addresses what some Catholics and others view as the apparent conflict between Christ's message of peace and the Army's commitment to the military defense of our Nation and its values. Regularly seen praying the rosary on the sidelines of Army football games, Father Pawlikowski also explores the meaning of prayer in all its different forms.