Topic: Cluster Bombs

The U.S. is providing depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine, which the hosts argue will make the region uninhabitable. Reports also surface regarding the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense purchasing summer jackets from Turkey at inflated prices and mislabeling them as winter gear, alongside other embezzlement scandals involving military recruitment officials.

CBS News reporter Deborah Potta provides a report from the eastern front lines near Liman, describing Ukrainian troops under "intense pressure." The segment features the use of controversial cluster munitions, which the artillery commander describes as crucial despite their international ban. The hosts mock the sound effects and dramatic staging of the news report.

The hosts discuss the "value-for-value" model, encouraging listeners to contribute time, talent, or treasure. They review the artwork for episode 1571, titled "Runk," and praise the winning piece by Nestworks, which parodied Milk Duds as "Cluster Duds." The segment highlights the community's creative contributions and the use of modern podcast apps to view dynamic chapter art.

The US decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine has caused a split among NATO allies, with countries like Germany and Canada opposing their use. A theory is proposed that these munitions are being used to create a "dead zone" or permanent DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) filled with unexploded ordnance to prevent Russian advancement. Military experts note that American cluster bombs have high "fail-safe" rates, which ironically leads to more unexploded duds on the battlefield.

The Biden administration announced the shipment of cluster munitions to Ukraine, citing a shortage of standard 155mm unitary artillery rounds. Officials claim the American weapons have a significantly lower dud rate—between 1% and 2.5%—compared to Russian munitions, which reportedly fail at rates of 30% to 40%. Critics highlight that these weapons are banned by over 100 countries due to the long-term risk unexploded bomblets pose to civilian populations.

NPR and other news outlets have been criticized for using hyperbolic propaganda terms such as "pounding" and "carpet bombing" to describe Russian military actions. While cluster bombs have been documented, "carpet bombing" refers to the total flattening of square miles, which has not been observed in the current conflict. The segment noted that reporters often claim intense "pounding" is occurring while standing in quiet, undisturbed locations like Lviv.

The Trump administration waived a ban on older cluster bombs, a move criticized by human rights groups due to the weapons' tendency to leave unexploded "bomblets" that kill civilians. In Yemen, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed by Houthi rebels, potentially escalating the civil war. In Ukraine, former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was briefly arrested before being freed by supporters.

A PBS NewsHour report features a commander from the Free Syrian Army claiming that Russian and Syrian jets are dropping barrel bombs, cluster bombs, and white phosphorus on civilians. John C. Dvorak disputes the technical possibility of jets dropping barrel bombs, which are typically deployed from helicopters. The hosts characterize the report as a "sales call" for more US weapons to be sent to Syrian rebels.

Secretary of State John Kerry has condemned Russia's use of cluster bombs in Syria, yet the U.S. continues to support the Saudi-led coalition's use of U.S.-manufactured cluster bombs in Yemen. Amnesty International has provided evidence of these weapons being used in civilian areas in Sana'a. The hosts highlight the diplomatic inconsistency regarding international war crime standards.

Senator John McCain advocates for providing defensive arms to Ukraine to increase the military cost for Russia. However, reports from Human Rights Watch indicate that the Ukrainian army has used prohibited cluster bombs in civilian areas. McCain argues that if the U.S. had provided better weapons earlier, the use of cluster munitions might have been avoided.

Gazprom and Turkey have finalized plans for the "Turkey Stream" natural gas pipeline, which is intended to bypass Ukraine and deliver gas to Europe via Greece by December 2016. In a separate investigation, Honeywell is identified as a manufacturer of cluster munitions, such as the MK 20, which are at the center of international law controversies.

A report on the December 2009 missile strike in Yemen reveals that the U.S. used cluster bombs on a Bedouin village, killing 46 people, including 14 women and 21 children. WikiLeaks cables showed that General David Petraeus conspired with the Yemeni government to have them take responsibility for the American strike.

Emergency rooms across the U.S. are reporting severe shortages of critical drugs like epinephrine and lidocaine, forcing hospitals to adopt "alternate protocols." Separately, an international treaty banning cluster bombs went into effect, though major powers including the U.S., Russia, Israel, China, and India refused to sign. The hosts note the selective media framing of these issues on programs like Democracy Now!.

Over 100 nations have reached an agreement on a treaty to ban the current design of cluster bombs. While the move is celebrated in European media, the hosts question why cluster bombs are being prioritized over the ongoing global threat of landmines. They observe that such news stories often originate from European Union committee reports and are subsequently disseminated through a "copy-paste" journalism culture.