Author Jack Carr spent 20 years in Naval Special Warfare. In the first half, he discussed US' plans to pull out of Afghanistan, updates on Iraq, and what it's like to option his stories for Hollywood productions. He was critical of the strategy and goals behind America's placement of troops in Afghanistan. "They confused commitment with victory," he said, and failed to look at past conflicts when various countries and leaders got into problematic entanglements there. While America was successful for the most part in disrupting and destroying al Qaeda operations in Afghanistan, other goals like nation-building and countering corruption have no end in sight, he added. Regarding the conflict in Iraq, America had leaders that made some "egregious strategic decisions" by disbanding the Iraqi army, which eventually created an insurgency, he commented.
Speaking of the 9-11 Commission Report, which he researched for one of his books, he noted they strongly recommended looking into possible Iranian involvement in the attacks. The protagonist in Carr's thriller novels, James Reece, will be portrayed by Chris Pratt in the forthcoming Amazon Prime TV series, "The Terminal List" (likely debuting in 2022). Carr said he had Pratt in mind for the role when he was writing the books, as he was looking for an actor to stretch into a more dark and violent character than they'd ever played before. Reece is a veteran who becomes an insurgent like the ones he was fighting against after he learns that the American government was behind the death of his team members.
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Retired government attorney James P. Lough specialized in first amendment issues, election law, and appellate practices. In the latter half, he talked about his lifelong fascination with UFOs, beginning in childhood with several close-range sightings. He has written a new book geared for Congress to help evaluate potential UFO/UAP threats when intelligence reports are presented to them (currently scheduled for June 25, 2021). Lough thinks the report's revelations could be like peeling back the layers of an onion, and there will be classified material that the public won't get to see. However, if there isn't bipartisan agreement to broach this issue, it will probably disappear like it's done in the past, he cautioned. With his background in governmental legal matters, he believes his book could help elected officials understand the different possibilities involved, and give them a perspective on the questions that need to be asked.
Countries like Peru and Belgium have been more open about UFO encounters, but most nations may be waiting to see how the United States handles the matter, he remarked. Lough is particularly concerned about military personnel who witness and report seeing anomalous aerial activity. They need to be trained on how to handle these situations and not be treated with contempt by their superiors, he advised. Regarding who is piloting the unknown craft, he has adopted the term "non-terrestrial," as the beings may be from other dimensions rather than other planets. Some of Lough's personal sightings hint at this possibility. One craft "appeared out of reality and then it slowly...went back into wherever it came from and then just disappeared," he recalled.
News segment guests: John M. Curtis, Charles Coppes