The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET.

Brad is first joined by Colonel Cedric Leighton, Founder and President of Cedric Leighton Associates, a strategic risk and leadership consultancy serving global companies and organizations. He founded the company in 2010, after serving in the US Air Force for 26 years as an Intelligence Officer and attaining the rank of Colonel.

Brad and Colonel Leighton analyze the decision that President Biden made to withdraw all U.S. military forces from Afghanistan. They also discuss the news that Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley feared that then President Trump would use the military in a coup attempt after he lost the 2020 election.

Colonel Leighton's website is CedricLeighton.com and his Twitter handle is @CedricLeighton.

During the second half of the show, Brad leads a political roundtable with Edwith Theogene and Mark Grimaldi. The roundtable discusses the large increase in voter turnout among younger Americans in the 2020 election, and analyzes whether that trend can continue in the 2022 midterm elections.
They also discuss cancelling student loan debt, child tax credit checks, and a reported Democratic deal on an infrastructure reconciliation package.

Edwith Theogene is the director of advocacy for Generation Progress, the youth engagement arm of American Progress. In this role, Theogene works to develop and lead efforts that translate the experiences of young adults into concrete actions that advance progressive policies and increase voter turnout. Edwith's Twitter handle is @WhoIsEdwith.

Mark Grimaldi has been a progressive political activist for the past 12 years. He volunteered for the campaigns of President Obama (2008 and 2012), Senator Bernie Sanders (2016), Secretary Hillary Clinton (2016), and President Joe Biden (2020). Mark is also involved in campaign finance reform efforts around the country, and philanthropic efforts for Cancer research. His Twitter handle is @MarkJGrimaldi.

Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles.
You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His Twitter handle is @BradBannon.

You can also watch this episode here on Periscope: https://www.pscp.tv/w/1lPKqXmLMEwxb

Or here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeadlineDCWithBradBannon/videos/1399690157083219

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