Topic: Yemen Strikes

CBC reports that despite U.S. and UK air strikes, Houthi forces in Yemen remain capable of carrying out missile attacks on commercial vessels. The U.S. maintains that its military response is focused on protecting the global economy rather than seeking a wider war. Analysts suggest the missing Navy SEALs may have been killed in action, with the "missing" status used to avoid immediate escalation with Iran.

Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq refinery and Khurais oil field were targeted by drone strikes, disrupting 10% of global oil production. While Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the ten-drone swarm, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged Iranian involvement, citing a lack of evidence that the launch originated from Yemen. Reports from sources in the region suggest the projectiles may have been cruise missiles rather than standard drones due to the 500-mile range required for the mission.

One America News reports that the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch was previously linked to radicalization, citing two men killed in a 2013 U.S. drone strike in Yemen. The report claims a speaker from Indonesia had visited the mosque to preach violent ideology. The hosts express skepticism regarding the framing of the news report and the likelihood of such overt radicalization occurring unnoticed.

While the domestic media focused on the Chicago rally disturbances, President Obama signed orders for drone strikes in Yemen that reportedly killed over 100 people. The lack of mainstream coverage regarding these military actions and potential civilian casualties is contrasted with the wall-to-wall coverage of campaign protests.

President Obama issued a memorandum delegating authority to John Kerry to waive the Child Soldiers Prevention Act for Yemen. This allows the U.S. to continue providing military assistance to the country despite its use of child soldiers. The waiver coincides with a deadly air strike on a wedding reception in Yemen, which killed over 130 people.

Official reports state that the 33-year-old Prince of Dubai, Rashid bin Muhammad, died of a heart attack. However, alternative reports from the "Angry Arab News Service" claim the prince was actually killed by a rocket strike while stationed in Yemen, suggesting a potential cover-up of the true cause of death.

New Snowden documents published by The New York Times reveal a joint U.S., British, and Australian program called "Overhead" that supported a 2012 drone strike in Yemen. The strike targeted a doctor believed to be surgically implanting explosives into al-Qaida operatives. The hosts compare the "explosive implant" narrative to the plot of the movie Kingsman.

RT and Fox News' Catherine Herridge revisit the history of Anwar al-Awlaki, noting he was once invited to speak at the Pentagon as a "moderate" imam after 9/11. The narrative regarding the drone strike that killed his 16-year-old son has reportedly shifted from a cafe setting to a "barbecue" in an obscure region, a change suggested to make the use of lethal force appear more justifiable.

A 41-page Department of Justice memo, written 14 months before the 2011 drone strike on Anwar al-Awlaki, provides the legal justification for killing a U.S. citizen overseas. The document argues that public safety justifications and the laws of war allow the executive branch to target citizens if capture is unfeasible and the threat is imminent. Legal experts note the memo relies on broad interpretations of "battlefields" extending beyond traditional war zones.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un executes his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, for alleged treason. The hosts compare the media's "power grab" narrative in North Korea to U.S. actions, including a drone strike in Yemen that reportedly hit a wedding party and the continued detention of hunger strikers at Guantanamo Bay.

A new theory is proposed suggesting that US drone strikes in Yemen are related to controlling the "khat" (Qat) drug trade rather than just counter-terrorism. Khat is a mild stimulant leaf chewed extensively in the region. Adam Curry's source claims the trade is massive in San Francisco and that the US is targeting specific tribes to monopolize or disrupt the drug routes.

A U.S. drone strike in Yemen reportedly killed eight suspected Al-Qaeda operatives, including a senior leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The strike targeted a farmhouse and a vehicle in southern Yemen. The segment features a new "Daily Drone Report" jingle by Kevin Reeves, set to the melody of Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again (Naturally)."

Recent drone strikes in Yemen's Sabawa province and Pakistan's North Waziristan region resulted in the deaths of several suspected Al-Qaeda members and civilians. The hosts track these events via the "Kill List" website, noting the frequency of strikes during the Obama presidency. They highlight the strategic location of these strikes near planned pipeline routes in the Shawwal Valley.

Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill appeared on MSNBC to label President Obama's drone policy in Yemen as "mass murder." Scahill cited a specific strike in Al-Majalah that killed 21 women and 14 children, which the U.S. initially attempted to cover up. The segment highlights growing disillusionment among the political left regarding the administration's expansion of Bush-era military programs.

Abdulrahman Al-Awlaki, the 16-year-old son of Al Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki, was killed in a US drone strike in Yemen two weeks after his father's death. While the US suggests he may have been a militant, his family denies these claims. Some theorists suggest the elder Al-Awlaki was a CIA asset who was extracted, and the son was a "loose end" that had to be eliminated to close the story.

The history of Anwar al-Awlaki is examined, highlighting a 2001 op-ed he wrote for the Washington Post while serving as a chaplain at George Washington University. Despite his past as a mainstream academic and religious figure, he is now a primary target on the U.S. drone strike "hit list" in Yemen.

The escalation of US drone strikes in Northwest Pakistan and Yemen is reported, with five strikes occurring in a single week. The hosts describe the physical characteristics of the drones and the "Hellfire" missiles used, noting the lack of public outcry over the ongoing aerial warfare.