Topic: Turkey Coup

During the failed coup in Turkey, NBC News reported that President Erdogan was seeking asylum in Germany, citing a U.S. military source. This report is now viewed as a potential psychological operation to aid the coup's success by suggesting the government had collapsed. The ongoing tension at Incirlik Air Base, which houses U.S. nuclear weapons, remains a high-alert situation.

Mainstream media year-end reviews are criticized for omitting major 2016 events such as the Panama Papers leak and the resulting resignation of Iceland's Prime Minister. Other overlooked stories include the attempted coup in Turkey and the ousting of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

The hosts discussed the physical toll of producing long-form episodes during a heavy news cycle, including the coup in Turkey and the terror attack in Nice. Recent reports from Germany detailed a machete attack in Reutlingen near Stuttgart. A donor working at a Facebook data center in North Carolina requested more three-hour shows, despite the hosts' concerns about "running out of steam."

A failed military coup in Turkey resulted in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's consolidation of power and the arrest of thousands. John Bolton and other analysts discuss the secular nature of the Turkish military as a historical check against Islamism. Erdogan has demanded the extradition of cleric Fethullah Gulen from Pennsylvania, accusing him of orchestrating the uprising.

General Wesley Clark appeared on CNN to analyze the tactical failures of the Turkish coup executors, noting they failed to arrest the president or shut down the internet. Clark compares the situation to the 1989 move against Manuel Noriega in Panama, suggesting that for a coup to succeed, the perpetrators must be willing to use lethal force immediately.

The removal of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is debated as either a military coup or a "revolution by civilized people." While Morsi believed he had tamed the military, the Egyptian armed forces intervened following massive public protests. The situation is compared to the 1930s "Business Plot" in the United States and current political tensions in Turkey under Erdogan.