Washington Post
Alex Horton is a reporter for the Washington Post. He formerly served as a senior advisor for VoteVets.org, a nonpartisan group looking after the rights of active and retired duty officers. Horton is a former specialist with the Army's 3rd Stryker Brigade, where he wrote the blog, Army of Dude.
More than 1000 migrants trek from Central American to U.S. President Trump tweeted today, “Mexico has the absolute power stop these Caravans.” He went on to blame Congress and Democrats for scuttling a deal on DACA, and other things. The president’s Twitter feed isn’t the most reliable source, but there truly is a caravan of migrants headed for the U.S. border.
Air Force oversight allowed Texas mass shooter to buy guns The killer of 26 people in a Texas church on Sunday was court martialed by the Air Force for domestic violence. Federal law might have prevented him from buying an assault weapon and two pistols, but the Air Force failed to enter his record into a data base. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told Andrew Ross Sorkin of CNBC’s Squawk Box that the Air Force is checking all of its databases to confirm that all court martial convictions for violent offenses have been reported to civilian databases. "We've taken responsibility and we're going to find out what happened and fix it." Alex Horton is covering the mass shooting for the Washington Post .
Bowe Bergdahl gets dishonorable discharge but avoids prison At Fort Bragg, North Carolina today, a shocked courtroom heard a military judge sentence Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who pled guilty to deserting his post in Afghanistan and faced life behind bars. The prosecution asked for 14 months. Instead, Bergdahl received a dishonorable discharge, a fine of $10,000 and no jail time at all. During last year's campaign, candidate Donald Trump accused him of "treason." About his chances of getting justice, Bergdahl said, "We may as well go back to kangaroo courts and lynch mobs that got what they wanted." Alex Horton, who covered his trial for the Washington Post , says many – including Bergdahl -- were shocked that he did not receive jail sentence.
Origins of Memorial Day; Honoring Our Fallen Soldiers Memorial Day began after the Civil War, which killed 600,000 Americans, North and South. But the first day of remembrance wasn't really about them. It was started by southern women, mourning what they called the Lost Cause: the Confederacy. When the northern states got into the act, it was all about commemorating the soldiers who died for the Union. We bring the history up to the present holiday—which is also about barbeques, three-day weekends and the beginning of summer. Does America do a good job of remembering war dead? What about grieving families and living veterans?
Veterans' Day: Just Another Day to Go Shopping? In the aftermath of September 11, President Bush told Americans to return to business as usual and go shopping. Today Americans have the day off to honor the veterans of past wars and those that are being fought now in Iraq and Afghanistan. But since establishment of the all-volunteer service, there’s a disconnect so great that, on Veterans' Day, many civilians don’t even know one. We talk to veterans about why they fight and what it’s like to come home. Should the dead and the wounded be treated as "victims" or heroes who suffered the consequences of their own choices? Is Veterans' Day more than another day to go shopping?
A Santa Barbara doctor learns to treat his own pain At the peak of his career as a palliative care doctor in Santa Barbara, Michael Kearney found himself burned out and in a state of personal suffering. Even though he had become an expert in treating the pain of others, he couldn’t treat his own. That changed when he had a revelatory experience that provided him with a path forward. Meanwhile, the November election is just days away, a look at what could happen to the Central Coast if California voters pass Proposition 10.
Two Voters Talk it Out The issues motivating voters in this election are wide-ranging and personal. It’s easy to forget that when we spend so much time talking about the horse race. So we asked two listeners to talk about the issues that divide us.
Regulars at Borderline Bar & Grill reflect on the shooting This year there has been a mass shooting in America on average almost once per day. As you know, the most recent was the mass shooting in Thousand Oaks where 12 people were killed when a gunman opened fire inside a local bar. It was called Borderline Bar & Grill. KCRW’s David Weinberg talked to some of the bar’s regulars about what made the place special.
Midterm Elections and the Divider in Chief During a visit to Pittsburgh to honor the victims of an anti-Semitic attack, President Trump was met with protests. The president has ridiculed Democrats targeted with pipe bombs and deployed troops against Central American asylum seekers. By defying the tradition of ‘President as Unifier,’ can Trump help maintain Republican dominance in Washington?