4 chapters across the catalog
Hollywood Female President Programming, Chris Matthews Commentary
Pundit Chris Matthews noted a trend in Hollywood television shows, such as *Madam Secretary* and *State of Affairs*, featuring strong female leads in high government positions. The hosts interpret this as "predictive programming" intended to prepare the American public for a Hillary Clinton presidency.
State of Affairs, Katherine Heigl and North Korea Human Rights
The hosts critique the NBC series *State of Affairs*, starring Katherine Heigl, as a "gloss" for government propaganda regarding Russia and North Korea. They transition to real-world news about a UN commission finding that North Korea's human rights abuses "exceed all others in horror," suggesting the media uses fictional shows to reinforce these narratives.
US Visa Database Glitch, Consular Consolidated Database Outage
A major software glitch in the U.S. State Department's Consular Consolidated Database has halted visa processing for hundreds of thousands of travelers globally. The outage, which began around July 20, 2014, followed a software update to the Oracle-based system. Passports remain stuck at embassies, affecting students, athletes, and business professionals.
Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland delivers a speech calling for a "transatlantic renaissance" and increased military readiness in Europe's periphery. The hosts highlight her marriage to Robert Kagan and mock her effusive public thanks to him, where she refers to him as her "Mars, Venus, and Planet Earth." They question the mental state of officials managing Eurasian affairs.
