A congressional task force in the U.S. has found that the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) manipulated intelligence to paint a rosier picture of efforts to defeat Daesh. This comes as British special forces have been photographed on the ground in Syria, assisting a rebel group calling itself the New Syrian Army. Why would top level U.S. officials lie about the reality on the ground? Is Daesh actually far stronger than presented by CENTCOM?
This week, tensions escalated between Russia and Ukraine over Crimea as Moscow hit the reset button with Turkey. How do these developments affect the rocky relationship between NATO and Russia? Are prospects for mending differences feasible? Becker is joined by Michael Klare, professor and defense correspondent for The Nation.
The Philippines and China are on course to mend their relationship. The two countries have been fiercely at odds over the South China Sea since 2012, but new Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has heralded a new day in relations. How will the United States view the thaw? Eric Draitser, political analyst and founder of StopImperialism.org, joins Becker.
