Topic: Border Wars

MSNBC host Joy Reid compared the participants of the "Take Our Border Back" convoy to the individuals present at the January 6th Capitol riot. Reid argued that the movement is an attempt by culturally marginalized groups to spark a civil war or secede from the United States. The commentary focused on the geographic and cultural divide between rural protesters and urban power centers.

Texas Representative Dan Crenshaw has introduced legislation to "declare war" on Mexican drug cartels in response to the fentanyl crisis and border security issues. Crenshaw released a video in Spanish and English specifically naming cartel leaders and threatening to seize their assets and mansions. Critics of the congressman, sometimes referred to as "Eyepatch McCain," remain skeptical of his legislative motives.

The hosts discuss the suspension of the Schengen Agreement and the return of border controls within the European Union as evidence that the "no nations" project is failing. They draw parallels to the era before World War I, when borders were relatively open and passports were not required, suggesting that such systems often lead to cultural clashes and conflict. They argue that distinct national cultures require borders for protection and stability.

An investigation into the U.S. airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, highlights potential war crimes. Cockpit recordings from the AC-130 gunship suggest the crew questioned the legality of the strike. MSF President Joanne Liu called for an independent international fact-finding commission to investigate the incident.

The history of passport controls is discussed, noting that they were largely absent during the era of global trade leading up to World War I. The modern requirement for identification and travel documents is presented as a relatively recent development in international relations.

The current instability in the Middle East is traced back to the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, where Britain and France drew arbitrary borders following World War I. These "fictional borders" forced disparate cultures and religious sects into single nation-states like Iraq. The discussion suggests that the current conflict is less about religion and more about the geopolitical control of oil resources and the dismantling of these historical boundaries.

Mortar shells from Syria have landed in Turkey, leading to retaliatory fire and fears of a regional war. The hosts point out that some of the shells found in Turkey are NATO-standard munitions, which the Syrian regime does not use. They suggest the attacks may be "false flags" intended to draw NATO into the conflict.

The hosts comment on Dan Rather's current work for Mark Cuban's HDNet. They praise his expensive, old-fashioned style of investigative reporting on topics like the U.S.-Mexico border drug trade, but lament that such content has little impact because it is not picked up by the 24-hour news cycle of major networks.