US suggest reclaiming control of Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base
The World
PRX
4.6 • 943 Ratings
🗓️ 19 September 2025
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
During his state visit to the UK, President Donald Trump expressed interest in the US reclaiming Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, which is now in the hands of the Taliban and would likely require negotiations to retake. Also, a look at the status of democracy in Turkey as opposition mayors remain in jail. And, the US has now destroyed three ships off the coast of Venezuela, claiming they were tied to drug cartels; we look at the legal arguments around the airstrikes. Plus, new data from the World Meteorological Organization finds that the hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica is continuing to heal, and is expected to close entirely by mid-century.
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| 1:42.5 | President Trump has spent the week in the U.K., but it's another spot on the map that came into sharp focus yesterday. |
| 1:49.0 | When Trump expressed interest in restoring a U.S. presence in Afghanistan by reclaiming the Bagram Air Base. |
| 1:51.3 | Trump made note of the base's location. |
| 1:57.0 | One of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons. |
| 1:59.2 | That's a detail we'll revisit. We start today's show with the strategic value of Bagram Air Base. For that, we're joined by Dennis Wilder. He's been a top expert on China for the CIA and the U.S. National Security Council. |
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