the attitude with Arnie Arnesen the Wednesday edition noon to 1pm EST Aug 20
Arnie Arnesen
Chloé LaCasse (the best of the attitude)
streaming live at wnhnfm.org noon&7pm EST on the dial-94.7FM Concord NH
Marc Gustafson joined Eurasia Group four months ago He served three presidents at the White House. Most recently, I was the head of the White House Situation Room and the White House Chief of Intelligence.
I am going to share part of a commentary he wrote that I found interesting He was asked What Keeps him up at night...the listed 3 things it was his third that I had not thought of:
The decline of empathy and its hidden threat to national security
Although it doesn’t trigger midnight calls, the erosion of empathy around the world keeps me up at night. Empathy is critical when responding to a crisis. In nearly every crisis I’ve helped manage, from missile strikes to pandemics to terror attacks, the first move is almost always to call your allies. Empathy ensures they answer. Responses are faster, coalitions are tighter, and escalation is much less likely.
Empathy also motivates people to do good work. I’ll never forget the day of the Uvalde school shooting. Within minutes, my team was on the line with field agents and updating West Wing leaders. We tapped into the police dispatch and piped it through the big speakers above the watch floor.
I still get chills writing about it. Children screamed over the sound of sirens. My officers moved with speed and purpose I’d never seen in that room. Nobody wanted to leave work for days. They felt a deep, personal obligation to support all the US agencies responding to the crisis, especially the uniformed heroes carrying children from the scene.
That was empathy in motion, and it made us better at our jobs.
Of course, empathy must be balanced. Too much of it can cloud judgment, but too little, and the consequences are far worse: misjudged adversaries, alienated partners, and a desensitized system that overlooks the human cost of every action. A national security system without empathy is not just colder, it’s weaker.
Part one: Laura Belin is the publisher, editor, and primary reporter for Bleeding Heartland, a community website focused on Iowa politics. She is also the Statehouse reporter for KHOI Radio in Ames and co-host of the station's "Capitol Week" program, as well as a member of the Iowa Writers' Collaborative.
AND AND one of Zoran's biggest supporter is a conservative Jew, NYC Controller Brad Lander
Have you invited him Jonathan??? I doubt it but your vicious anti Muslim attacks are unbecoming of a leader who claims to be concerned with religious bigotry.
Inside Trump world's reaction to the Zelenskyy reset
Here’s what Trump insiders are privately saying about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's cascade of meetings — and what it all means for Ukraine, Russia, Europe and MAGA. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/19/trump-white-house-reaction-zelenskyy-europe-ukraine-russia-00513927?utm_content=politico/magazine/Politics&utm_source=flipboard
D. ARNIE ARNESEN
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Host of "The Attitude with Arnie Arnesen"