America in Perpetual War, Freeing Chelsea Manning, A First Lady’s Farewell

Coming up on today’s show:

• How has President Obama changed the makeup of the armed forces? Rosa Brooks, a law professor at Georgetown University and author of “How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything,” argues that his administration has effectively solidified the transition into perpetual war.

• On Tuesday, President Obama announced that he would be commuting the sentence of army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, along with the sentences of more than 200 other inmates. He also pardoned 64 individuals, including retired Marine General James Cartwright. Mark Osler, a former federal prosecutor and a law professor at the University of St. Thomas, has the details. 

• Barack Obama’s term in office is quickly coming to an end, but people are still hoping he can change their lives with a presidential pardon. Ravi Ragbir is one of those people. He weighs in along with Alina Das, law professor and co-director the Immigrants Rights Clinic at New York University.

• On Wednesday, the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Ziglar v. Abbasi, a civil rights lawsuit filed in 2002 on behalf of Muslim, South Asian, and Arab citizens who were swept up by the FBI during investigations into 9/11. Stephen Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law, unpacks the case. 

• There are a handful of major confirmation hearings on Wednesday, including Tom Price, the president-elect’s choice for secretary of health and human services, Nikki Haley for U.N. ambassador and Scott Pruitt as administrator of the EPA. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich explains what to expect from the hearings. 

• Michelle Obama is leaving the office of first lady with favorability ratings that are even higher than her husband’s. We look back at her time in office with Veronica Chambers, writer and author of “The Meaning of Michelle: 16 Writers on the Iconic First Lady and How Her Journey Inspires Our Own.”

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