Topic: Military Tactics

Media commentators repeatedly use the phrase "Russian playbook" to describe Vladimir Putin's military tactics and political strategies. The segment notes that the term is also being applied to the Republican Party, with critics claiming they have adopted an "authoritarian playbook." The montage highlights the use of this rhetorical device to frame both international conflict and domestic political opposition.

The hosts criticize the media's new practice of broadcasting live, unencrypted police scanner audio during active manhunts. They note discrepancies between scanner reports of IEDs and what was shown on CNN. Additionally, they highlight a news clip where a reporter accidentally refers to police officers as "soldiers" before correcting himself, pointing to the increasing militarization of domestic law enforcement.

The military's Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) released a tactical reference guide to help leaders identify signs of radicalization into violent extremism. Adam Curry reviews the guide's flowchart, which flags behaviors such as complaining about bias, visiting "extremist" blogs, or establishing websites to display unconventional views. The hosts jokingly apply these criteria to themselves, noting that the broad definitions could classify almost anyone as a potential threat.

Military analysts suggest that civilians in active combat zones often fail to follow safety protocols, such as signaling to aircraft, which leads to tragic misidentifications. In the case of the Baghdad air strike, the lack of visible "Press" markings and the presence of armed individuals in the vicinity contributed to the pilots' decision to engage. The segment concludes that such incidents are an inherent, albeit grim, reality of urban warfare rather than unique evidence of war crimes.