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national security commentator and analyst
Former national security analyst for Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney and also a former nuclear missile officer
PROFILE
John Noonan
Guest
FROM John Noonan
To the Point
The candidates, up close and personal but light on policy Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were in the same place, but not at the same time. Even so, it's being called a preview of the formal debates to come. The topic was National Security, but NBC's Matt Lauer is taking heat for dwelling on Clinton's e-mails and failing to call Trump on misrepresentations. That's renewed debate about coverage of the campaign, with reporters accused of giving minor issues "false equivalence" with major ones. We hear what the candidates said that was new about national security. Did anything happen that might change voters' minds one way or the other?
To the Point
Barack Obama's nuclear legacy In 1945, the US became the first nation to use a nuclear weapon when it dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since then, no other country has followed suit. But the threat of nuclear catastrophe hangs over the world as others build up their arsenals. In the early months of his first term as President Obama promised, "The United States will take concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons. To put an end to Cold War thinking, we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and urge others to do the same." That speech earned him the Nobel Peace Prize. But, in the last days of his second term, he's continuing to modernize America's arsenal — and approving a so-called "smart bomb" — potentially more usable than ever. Isn't it reasonable to ask, why?"
To the Point
Donald Trump and the Russian connection The embarrassing leak of thousands of Democratic National Committee emails came from WikiLeaks, but there's some evidence that it originated with Russian hackers. Vladimir Putin has already been injected into the presidential campaign because of Donald Trump's public comments. The Republican presidential nominee has criticized NATO and the sanctions imposed against Russia after it annexed Crimea. He's praised Vladimir Putin. His campaign manager and other advisors have deep ties to the Kremlin — and Trump's son says there's Russian money in the family business. Russian state media are bullish on Trump's campaign, and Trump has said that, if Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee, it should do the same to Hillary Clinton. Is Trump calling for another "re-set with Russia?" Does Putin want Trump to win?
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To the Point
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
Left, Right & Center
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.