CNN's Peter Bergen on TDS

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

Peter Bergen on TDS

CNN's Peter Bergen made an appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Monday. Bergen's new book is The Longest War was reviewed by The New York Times in its Sunday Book Review recently.

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

Peter Bergen to host special on Osama bin Laden

Peter Bergen will be hosting a new documentary on International Discovery channel next month:

New ID Doc Spotlights Osama Bin Laden
By Kristin Brzoznowski
Published: August 18, 2010

Coinciding with the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Investigation Discovery is to air a new documentary, ID Investigates: Why is Bin Laden Alive?, which looks at how it is possible that no one has been able to capture or kill the al-Qaeda leader.

Hosted by CNN's national security analyst, Peter Bergen, ID Investigates: Why is Osama Bin Laden Alive?, will spotlight the popular conspiracy theories surrounding the disappearance of the world's most notorious villain. The doc also focuses on the continued threat from al-Qaeda. The controversial program is to air on September 12 at 10 p.m. on Investigation Discovery.

“Given the United States’ sophisticated surveillance technology and capabilities, ID will explore the reasons why international forces have not been able to capture a man who killed so many Americans, let alone one who remains an ongoing threat to our safety,” said Henry Schleiff, the president and general manager at Investigation Discovery. “ID is proud to partner with the world-class news unit at the BBC, and world-renowned journalist Peter Bergen, to offer viewers an in-depth examination into the theories surrounding his disappearance, and provide some possible answers—something we’re all looking for.”

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

Ch-ch-ch-changes ... to the CNN schedule

Rick Sanchez tweeted this morning that starting in January he will now have two hours M-F, from 3-5pmET. Not to be outdone by that modern technology, Wolf Blitzer tweeted that TheSitRoom will air from 5-7pmET, giving them a tighter focus. "Less becomes more."

BTW, Ali Velshi is filling in for Rick's 3pm shift today, and will be interviewing Peter Bergen. (Gotta love the CNN TweetVerse!)

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

What's next for Afghanistan?

One of the best panels on Afghanistan was hosted by Anderson Cooper Monday night -- Peter Bergen, Rory Stewart, and Michael Ware:

An additional report that Michael Ware prepared in Afghanistan aired Tuesday on NewsRoom, exploring the idea of bringing the warlords on board to prevent a resurgence of the Taliban and al Qaeda:

Ivan Watson reported on an incredible archeological find in Istanbul. Hard to believe that anything of this scope had been 'overlooked' for all these years! Naturally, it is causing problems:

That's it for this week -- see you Monday!


All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

Iranian election protests continue

Friday, Reza Sayah reported on the latest protests in Iran, as a government-sanctioned rally was hijacked by election protesters:

Sunday, Atia Abawi reported on an internet message from Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar:

And Nic Robertson was in Rome, where the bodies of six Italian paratroopers killed in Afghanistan were returned home to a heroes' welcome:

With terrorist arrests in New York and Colorado making headlines, Betty Nguyen spoke with Peter Bergen about the seriousness of the situation and whether it is now contained:

(And although it's becoming a more common error as time passes, Peter Bergen did not "conduct" the bin Laden interview, he produced it. The reporter who conducted it was Peter Arnett.)

Last week I posted some of Cal Perry's reports about the release of the 'shoe-thrower' after almost a year in an Iraqi prison. Friday Michael Holmes showed the BackStory of how Cal got the story despite having the flu:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Where in the World...?

MONDAY: Tom Foreman was in New Haven, Connecticut. TJ Holmes was in for Rick Sanchez.

TUESDAY: Chris Lawrence was in Baghdad (with Vice President Biden); Lou Dobbs was in Washington; Campbell Brown was in Carlsbad, California.

WEDNESDAY: Arwa Damon was back in Jakarta (per her tweet). Fredricka Whitfield was in for Kyra Phillips; Rick Sanchez was in New York City and also in for Campbell.

THURSDAY: Anderson Cooper was in Los Angeles. TJ was in for John Roberts; Fredricka was in for Kyra.

FRIDAY: Anderson was in Los Angeles; John King was at the White House to interview President Obama. TJ was in for John Roberts; Betty Nguyen was in for Kyra; Dr. Phil McGraw was in for Larry King.

SATURDAY: Nic Robertson was in Rome (above).

SUNDAY: Soledad O'Brien was in Havana, Cuba.

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

Abawi, Bergen, Ware on Afghanistan

Atia Abawi was on yesterday with a look at General Stanley McChrystal and Ambassador Karl Eikenberry touring sites in Eastern Afghanistan to check on the progress in hearts-and-mind-winning projects there:

Peter Bergen (in Kabul) spoke with Erica Hill Friday about the NATO airstrike on Friday that killed scores of civilians:

Michael Ware was on The Situation Room this afternoon and discussed the election situation (still a mess) and the devolving situation with the Kabul-Kandahar roadway, which had been such a success for the American mission:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nic Robertson reported from Tripoli about the possible deal between Libya and Great Britain to release the Lockerbie bomber:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Phil Black had a recorded report about corruption in the Iraqi government:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On Friday's BackStory clip for NewsRoom, Michael Holmes showcases the work Sara Sidner did in order to get an interview with the Dalai Lama:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Where in the World...?

I missed last week's WITW because I was moving, but I tried to fill in the blanks by looking through the transcripts for the days I was not able to record the programming...

MONDAY 8/24: Phil Black was in Penteli, Greece; Dr. Sanjay Gupta was in Dublin; Richard Quest was in New York City. Suzanne Malveaux was in for Wolf Blitzer; Lisa Sylvester was in for Lou Dobbs.

TUESDAY 8/25: Ed Henry was in Santa Barbara, California (but phoned in to discuss Ted Kennedy's death); John King was in Oklahoma City. Suzanne was in for Wolf; Lisa was in for Lou. At 1:20amET Domestic took the International feed to cover Ted Kennedy's death; John Roberts went on the air at 2:12amET; Kiran Chetry was on at 3:53amET.

WEDNESDAY 8/26: John King was in Boston; Christiane Amanpour was in Washington. Wolf was on with Heidi Collins. Lisa was in for Lou. The HBO documentary "Teddy: In His Own Words" aired from 7-9pmET.

THURSDAY 8/27: Anderson Cooper was in New Orleans. Lisa was in for Lou.

FRIDAY 8/28: Rob Marciano was in Mystic, Connecticut; Cal Perry was in Islamabad. Carol Costello was in for Kiran; Wolf and Anderson were both in New York City.

SATURDAY 8/29: coverage pre-empted for Ted Kennedy funeral.

SUNDAY 8/30 (per transcripts): Phil Black was in London. Brianna Keilar was in for Don Lemon at 6 & 7pmET, Don was on at 10pmET.

MONDAY 8/31 (per transcripts): Suzanne was in for Wolf; Lisa in for Lou.

TUESDAY 9/1 (per transcripts): Suzanne was in for Wolf; Lisa in for Lou.

WEDNESDAY 9/2: Sean Callebs was in Brunswick, Georgia; Rob was in Sunland, California; Reynolds Wolf was in Lake View Terrace, California; Betty Nguyen was in Cabo San Lucas; Ali Velshi was in Chicago; Cal Perry was in Baghdad; Michael Ware was in an unspecified location in southern Afghanistan. Suzanne was in for Wolf; John Roberts was in for Campbell Brown.

THURSDAY 9/3: Betty was in Constitucion, Mexico; Ali was in Madison, Wisconsin. Fredricka Whitfield was in for Heidi; Suzanne was in for Wolf; Lisa was in for Lou; John Roberts was in for Campbell. AC360 went to two hours to cover the Michael Jackson funeral.

FRIDAY 9/4: Rob was in Auburn, California; Nic Robertson was in Tripoli (above); Peter Bergen was in Kabul. Fredricka was in for Heidi; Suzanne was in for Wolf; Lisa was in for Lou; Rick Sanchez was in for Campbell; Erica Hill was in for Anderson (who was en route to Afghanistan).

SATURDAY 9/5: Brooke Baldwin was in for Betty; Richard Liu was in for Don.

SUNDAY 9/6: John King broadcast State of the Union from the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul. Brooke was in for Betty; Richard was in for Don.

*phew!* Well, that was a whole lot of moving around! Hopefully this week will be somewhat quieter. Don't forget AC360 is in Afghanistan all week, with Anderson Cooper, Michael Ware, Sanjay Gupta, and Peter Bergen all reporting on the situation on the ground there.

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

Anderson Cooper to Broadcast from Afghanistan

CNN has released more information on Anderson Cooper's upcoming trip to Afghanistan:

“Live from the Battle Zone” offers first-hand look at fight against the Taliban Reports to air on AC 360 Throughout the Week of September 7; with a Special Hour to Air on Saturday, September 12

Anderson Cooper will anchor Anderson Cooper 360° from Afghanistan the week of September 7th to mark the eighth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Cooper will be embedded with US troops fighting on the front lines of the war in Afghanistan. Cooper will be joined by CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who will be embedded with the US military and covering battle field trauma surgery. Terrorism expert and CNN’s national security analyst Peter Bergen will join Cooper in Afghanistan and CNN correspondent Michael Ware will also file reports from the field. Anderson Cooper 360° airs weeknights at 10pm ET on CNN and CNN International.

Pieces from throughout the week will culminate in an hour special premiering on Saturday at 8pmET and re-airing at 11pm and on Sunday at 2amET on CNN. Additionally, www.AC360.com will feature a multimedia look at Anderson Cooper 360° Afghanistan trip.

Photo credit: CNN.com

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

"Forgotten" Wars: New and Old

Monday on The Situation Room, Wolf Blitzer ran a piece by ITN reporter Nick Paton-Walsh, who recently spent time with American troops at a remote outpost near the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. While returning from a patrol with Afghan and Latvian (NATO) forces, they were hit by an ambush but kept the cameras rolling:

(I love how honest the soldiers are about why they are there.)

Wednesday, Ivan Watson followed a truckload of ballot boxes into Bamiayn province, considered one of the safer regions in the country... but they still needed a heavily armed escort:

Rick Sanchez spoke with Atia Abawi about what it was like to attend a political rally in such dangerous conditions. Yes, he really does call her a "tough cookie":

Wednesday morning, Kiran Chetry spoke with Peter Bergen Tuesday about the tactics the Taliban were expected to utilize to keep Afghans from voting. Peter points out that violence in Iraq is still four times worse than that in Afghanistan -- Iraq has now become "the forgotten war" as the world media turns its attention back to the country we should have been dealing with all along:

And Wednesday evening, Campbell Brown spoke with Michael Ware about Afghanistan and Iraq and the problems in both countries:

So what's going on in Iraq? Arwa Damon shows us the aftermath of the deadliest day of the year:

And in case anyone's forgotten how bad it was, Arwa tours one of al Qaeda in Iraq's old bunkers, filled with evedince of torture and execution. Very grim stuff and very hard to watch:

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

Af/Pak update

Atia Abawi is back in Afghanistan and this morning reported on the current situation there as well as General McChrystal's comments about needing more troops:

Peter Bergen is also in Kabul, and this morning John Roberts spoke with him regarding the long-term outlook:

Over the weekend, Stan Grant profiled a reporter who was taken hostage by the Taliban in Pakistan:

Cal Perry is also in Islamabad, and has been trying since last week to get confirmation on whether an American drone airstrike has killed the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud; there is still no compelling confirmation, although there have reportedly been succession meetings that have turned violent with in-fighting and US government officials are saying they are sure he was killed:

And Michael Ware continues to report from Mexico this week and spoke with Don Lemon about his profile of the drug cartel known as Los Zetas:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Where in the World...?

MONDAY: Alina Cho was in for Kiran Chetry; TJ Holmes was in for Tony Harris; Suzanne Malveaux was in for Wolf Blitzer; Erica Hill was in for Anderson Cooper.

TUESDAY: TJ was in for Tony; Suzanne was in for Wolf; Erica was in for Anderson.

WEDNESDAY: Michael Ware was in Mexico City; Ed Henry was in Elkhart, Indiana. Don Lemon was in for Tony; Suzanne was in for Wolf; Erica was in for Anderson.

THURSDAY: David McKenzie reported on SecState Clinton's visit to Nairobi (above); Atia Abawi was back in Kabul; Peter Bergen was in Islamabad; John King was in Eugene, Oregon; Wolf was in New York City for the "200 Days" report card special;. Joe Johns was in for John Roberts; Don was in for Tony; Fredericka Whitfield was in for Kyra Phillips; Erica was in for Anderson.

FRIDAY: Cal Perry was in Islamabad; Rob Marciano was in Dunlap, Tennessee for the world's longest yard sale. Joe was in for John Roberts; Betty Nguyen was in for Tony; Fredericka was in for Kyra; Erica was in for Anderson.

SATURDAY: Rob was in for TJ.

SUNDAY: Michael and Suzanne were both in Guadalajara, Mexico to cover President Obama's summit; Morgan Neill reported from Tokyo. Rob was in for TJ.

That's a wrap for me; see you back here on Thursday!

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

War and ... Peace?

Last week, Peter Bergen appeared on American Morning to discuss the Taliban's proof-of-life tape of PFC Bowe Bergdahl, as well as the overall status of the war in Afghanistan:

Friday, John Roberts spoke with The New York Times' Roger Cohen, who did such remarkable reporting during the Iran protests immediately following the election:

Monday, Arwa Damon had a report about the new ways that American troops are working with the Iraqi forces:

Nic Robertson reports from London on the status of British forces in Afghanistan and the possibilities of talking with the more moderate Taliban leaders:

Another report from Ivan Watson, with the Marines in Helmand Province in Afghanistan -- how to avoid the IEDs that have now become common in this war:

Friday, Cal Perry reported from Beirut on the latest in shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East:

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

The Reach of al Qaeda

Dan Rivers has gone to Jakarta to cover the terrorist bombings there, and Friday he reported on the latest developments for The Situation Room, followed by Tom Foreman using Google Earth on the Magic Wall to show where the hotels are situated :

Peter Bergen also appeared on TSR to discuss the group believed to be behind the bombings as well as the hunt for OBL:

Sunday morning, Dan updated new information from Jakarta:

By the way, congratulations to Dan for being nominated for a news Emmy for his coverage of the Myanmar cyclone last year -- if you recall his work, it was not only dangerous because of the desperate situation of all the flooding and injured people but also because the local government was hunting him down to arrest/expel him.

Also on Sunday, Ivan Watson reported from Afghanistan on the crash of a helicopter, and also showed some amazing footage of his travels with the Marines in Helmand province:

Arwa Damon is doing the current rotation in Baghdad, and had this report about how Iraqis now feel about Saddam Hussein:

Wolf Blitzer talked to Bob Woodward about the political implications of the wars, especially the new focus on Afghanistan:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Where in the World...?

MONDAY: Sanjay Gupta was in Port au Prince, Haiti; David Mattingly was still in Pensecola, Florida. Wolf Blitzer hosted coverage of the Sotomayor hearings, Tony Harris was not on at all.

TUESDAY: Ed Henry was in Warren, Michigan. Wolf hosting the hearings, neither Heidi Collins nor Rick Sanchez were on at all.

WEDNESDAY: Stan Grant is in Islamabad. Wolf hosted the hearings, Fredericka Whitfield was in for Rick, who was in Miami.

THURSDAY: Arwa Damon is in Baghdad (above). Carol Costello was in for Kiran Chetry. AC360 was two hours long.

FRIDAY: Dan Rivers is in Jakarta. Carol was in for Kiran; TJ Holmes was in for Tony; Kitty Pilgrim was in for Lou Dobbs; John King was in for both Larry King and Anderson Cooper.

SATURDAY: Ivan Watson is in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

A Slow-moving Military Coup

Events in the Iranian election certainly caught everyone off-guard this week, and in fact devolved so quickly that it was hard to keep up with them. Here, Reza Aslan talks to John Roberts on Thursday's American Morning, before the bottom fell out:

Friday, Reza spoke with Rick Sanchez about what was clearly coming into focus as massive election fraud:

(Reza has a column posted today on The Daily Beast that is the source of the post title.)

Here also are the clips from Sunday's Fareed Zakaria GPS of Christiane Amanpour's report from Tehran and the panel discussion:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Also, a look at the latest move for al Qaeda, reported by Barbara Starr, with an appearance from Peter Bergen:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Where in the World...?

MONDAY: Joy Behar was in for Larry King.

TUESDAY: Christiane Amanpour was in Tehran to cover the election; Nic Robertson was in London; Ted Rowlands was still in Wichita, Kansas.

WEDNESDAY: Allan Chernoff was in Miami; John King was in Orlando; Ed Lavendera was in Mexico City; Karl Penhaul was on Fernando de Noronha Island, Brazil; Anderson Cooper was in Los Angeles.

THURSDAY: Don Lemon was in Hamilton, Bermuda; Anderson was still in Los Angeles. Kitty Pilgrim was in for Lou Dobbs.

FRIDAY: Gary Tuchman was in Chicago. Kitty was in for Lou. AC360 was a special report, "American Radical: The Lone Wolf" (above).

SATURDAY: no events

SUNDAY: no events

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

Extreme Challenges ... and Reza Aslan

There will be another program in the "Extreme Challenges" series airing tonight at 11pmET. This looks like another terrific hour of intelligent, thought-provoking viewing:

AC360 is running a special hour, “Extreme Challenges: The Next 100 Days”, on Thursday night. Anderson is the host of a compelling hour of panel discussion with some of the brightest minds at CNN who examine the crucial issues facing President Obama over his next 100 days in office. Topics include The Wars (Afghanistan and Iraq), Foreign Policy (mainly Iran and the Middle East), The Economy, America’s Health (Reforming Healthcare), The Supreme Court, and Change in America (governance). The panelists are David Gergen, Christiane Amanpour, Michael Ware, Fareed Zakaria, Candy Crowley, Ali Velshi, Sanjay Gupta, Jeffrey Toobin and Joe Johns.

(Guess which part of that paragraph makes me very, very happy? Hint: check the photo I chose for the top of the post!)

Another preview clip is available on CNN.com:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Monday, Fareed Zakaria was a guest on The Situation Room, where he discussed the meeting between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Resolving the Palestinian crisis will be a major challenge but is crucial in resolving so many issues in the Middle East:

Also on Monday, Tony Harris had a very interesting three-way discussion with Ivan Watson (in Islamabad) and Stan Grant (in Kabul) regarding the Pakistan/Afghanistan border issue:

Tuesday, Anderson Cooper focused on the fight against the Taliban and the refugee crisis -- now the largest mass-movement of people since the one that occurred during the genocide in Rwanda. First he spoke with Ivan Watson:

That was immediately followed by a discussion with Fareed Zakaria and Peter Bergen:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tuesday night, I was fortunate enough to be able attend a book-signing event with Reza Aslan. As you know from his appearances on CNN, he is absolutely brilliant at explaining the complexities of how the Muslim world views the West and our actions (especially of late!). His first book, No god but God, is essential reading for anyone who is looking for a primer on Islam, and his new book, How to Win a Cosmic War, details the thought processes of those who are fighting not for land or freedom, but for other-worldly objectives. It's one thing to someday be able to sit down with Hamas and talk about negotiating land boundaries and peace treaties, but how do you ever sit down with al Qaeda and discuss the removal of all borders in order to create a Muslim caliphate? "Cosmic" warriors are not interested in events in this world, they are focused on the world to come, which is why they find it easy to martyr themselves and anyone who gets in their way.

(One of the things that I find extremely interesting is the concept of apostasy, which is what allows Islamic extremists to slaughter so indiscriminately, despite Mohammed's explicit teachings that to kill innocents is a violation of Islamic law. But if you decide your neighbor is misguided in how he worships, if you declare him an apostate, then you rationalize a way to excuse it; in fact, it is now essential that you kill him, he is worse than an unbeliever because he sullies your one true religion. This is why Sunnis kill Shias, as we have witnessed for so many tragic years in Iraq. But in his book, Reza lays out the concept as it is used by Jewish and Christian "warriors" as well. It is an easy and effective tool whenever a cosmic war is waged.)

At any rate, yesterday Ms. Sapphire listed the remaining dates from this month's book tour; next month he spends a week in the UK and then is back here for a few more dates... keep an eye on his schedule and by all means go see him speak if you can. He has a wonderful way of cutting through the fog and of puncturing so many of the misguided precepts that were applied to this "war on terror." (Unfortunately, we usually only get to see the very serious, buttoned-down Reza when he appears on CNN; in person he is very, very funny and mocks what so desperately needs to be mocked. We have given more power to these groups by acting as if we are all cowering under our beds because of them.)

Also, for what it's worth, he's a really nice guy. He appreciates "the greatest book store in America." (It really is.) And he started his talk with a swine flu joke ... you gotta love that!

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

Still Fighting the Cosmic War

So Reza Aslan has a new (amazing) book out, and has been doing the rounds of TV talk shows. Saturday on The Situation Room, an interview he taped last Tuesday aired. (If you follow Reza on Twitter, you know he was psyched that he was going to be in DC and would finally get to meet Wolf Blitzer after years of speaking to him only via satellite. Well, "psych" was right -- Wolf was in NYC that day in preparation for the 100 Days coverage.) Anyway... another great interview:

Heidi Collins introduces a piece from Ivan Watson about an anti-Taliban protest in Islamabad:

Saturday, Fredricka Whitfield showed Ivan's piece again and then spoke with Peter Bergen about the most effective ways to fight the Taliban:

A couple of television reminders: Anderson Cooper in on The Tonight Show tonight; Tuesday Fareed Zakaria is on The Colbert Report, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta is on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Quiet week so far... see you all on Thursday!

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

Taliban Takeover

It's been quite a week in Pakistan, with Taliban forces accepting a "peace" deal with the government in which they would surrender their weapons in return for keeping control of the Swat Valley region, and then the Taliban doing what they always have done in the past: saying thank-you-very-much and continuing to advance.

Tuesday Reza Aslan was on American Morning to discuss the situation with John Roberts and the possibility of the Pakistani government collapsing:

(I'm currently reading Reza's new book -- it is excellent, of course!)

Wednesday John spoke with Ivan Watson in Islamabad, who reported on the overnight move that brought the Taliban within 60 miles of Islamabad:

Later that day, Ivan had a piece on The Situation Room that showed how Islamabad's residents were reacting to the advance:

An interesting piece from International's Jim Clancy that shows how the Taliban really advances -- by using Sharia law to intimidate their way to power:

Friday, Roland Martin spoke with Ivan about the situation on the ground, and with Peter Bergen about the long-term possibility of the Pakistani government collapsing. Ali Velshi and Erica Hill also take part in the conversation:

So, time for a reality check -- just how close to Islamabad are the Taliban forces? Thursday on International's BackStory, Michael Holmes used Google Earth to show just how far that 60 miles "as the crow flies" is -- and a look at the mountainous terrain is quite reassuring. (Well, maybe not if you live there, but...)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Where in the World...?

SATURDAY: Suzanne Malveaux was in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago with President Obama.

MONDAY: John Roberts co-hosted American Morning from Atlanta, where he emceed a fundraiser for the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children. TJ Holmes was in for Heidi Collins.

TUESDAY: Randi Kaye was in Boston to cover the "Craigslist Killer." TJ was again in for Heidi.

WEDNESDAY: Jeffrey Toobin was in San Francisco; Ivan Watson was reporting from Islamabad; Frederik Pleitgen (above) traveled from Baghdad to Kandahar with an Army unit that specializes in clearing bombs from roads... legendary producer Tommy Evans also traveled with him (clips in Monday's post.)

THURSDAY: Cal Perry is back in Baghdad.

FRIDAY: Nic Robertson is back in Islamabad. TJ was in for Rick Sanchez; Dr. Drew was in for Larry King.

That's it for me today... have a great weekend!

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.