It's notes from America. I'm Kai Wright and you're listening to our

special podcast only series on the election. We've named it on the call because each

week until election day I'm just calling up people I think are smart about some

aspect of this historic political moment.

But a little curveball for this edition.

A few weeks ago, I saw a new film that left me shook, y'all,

I mean shook.

It's called War Game, and it's a documentary

about far-right radicalization

inside the US Armed Forces.

And what might happen if there's another January 6th style insurrection, but this

time led by active duty troops who had become extremists.

This film is a documentary because it is not an entirely fictional scenario.

A few years ago at the one year anniversary of January 6th, three retired generals published an op-ed in the Washington

Post in which they issued a dire warning. They pointed out that, you know, one in 10 of people

charged with crimes from January 6 had military records and then they

walk through all these other indications that extremism was and is spreading among active duty troops.

They recommended that officialdom begin running war game simulations to prepare for what

might happen in January 2025 if those troops joined the violence.

A veteran's group called the Vet Voice Foundation

heard that recommendation, took it seriously,

and designed just such a simulation gathering up people with

...