Today’s top story – After almost 7 full years since the start of Bush’s so-called war on terror, new reports show that the Taliban is still gaining strength in Afghanistan.  The Paris-based International Council on Security and Development, a think tank that maintains full-time offices in Afghanistan, said that the Taliban have spread across much of the country and are beginning to encircle the capital, Kabul.  In addition, the group now has a full-time presence in at least three-quarters of the country.  This time last year, the Taliban only occupied about half of the country.  This resurgence represents one of the greatest failures of the Bush Administration.  Rather than continuing their efforts to destroy the Taliban, they ended these raids in 2003 to attack Iraq.  During that time, the US had weakened the Taliban to a point where it was almost nonexistent in Afghanistan, but after years of neglect, they have once again become a force to be reckoned with.  President-elect Barack Obama has said that he will deploy tens of thousands of new troops to Afghanistan to help drive the Taliban out of the country for good. In economic news today, a research group in London is predicting that, by spring time, the United States will be losing about 1 million jobs a month, for many months in a row.  According to a report in The Guardian, expenses related to corporate debt, and muddy credit markets consumed by fear, are driving what they call a fast-approaching "hard landing."  During an appearance on Meet The Press this weekend, Obama said that the economic crisis is goi

Terrorist attack within five years (vague enough for you?); Republican Saxby Chambliss wins Georgia Senate seat; Bush prevents federal employees from joining unions; Wal-Mart sued for black friday trampling death.

Tonight:

My take on the news of day, plus just in time for your trip to visit the in-laws this holiday season: Jeffrey Goldberg, Atlantic magazine national correspondent on “The Things He Carried,” his latest article on what he was able to carry onto a plane and what you should really be worrying about, if you’re flying this Thanksgiving weekend. Yeah, we know it's kind of obnoxious to talk about this, but it's because we care. We really do. Goldberg is the author of "Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror" (2007); he blogs at jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com.

And your calls.

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Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Mike Papantonio talk about the Alaskan Independence Party - a shady extremist group that advocates Alaska's secession from the United States, with strong ties to Sarah Palin. For more, check out Bobby's piece "The Last Refuge of a Scoundrel" on Huffington Post.

From Ron Reagan:

Rachel Maddow on her BIG get: Obama!

Plus Sonja Eddings Brown, Rev. Susan Russell, Chris Carlson, on some of the more controversial ballot proposals:

- Prop 8 California Constitutional Amendment to eliminate same-sex couples from marriage.

- Prop 1000 in Washington State "Right to Die"

Plus, linguist George Lakoff & filmmaker Eugene Jarecki on framing talk about war and politics.

And your calls.

866 – 303 – 2270 IS THE NUMBER TO CALL-IN FOR YOU LISTENERS OUT THERE.

Tonight:

- Why we heart Barbara West

- A close-up look at the war with AL Qaeda and the Taliban with producer and correspondent Martin Smith. In his 25 years producing for FRONTLINE, he has covered the world: from revolution in Central America and the fall of communism in Russia, to the rise of al Qaeda and the war in Iraq. His new doc: "The War Briefing," airs tonight at 9 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings), and will be streaming online at www.pbs.org/frontline.

And you calls.

866 – 303 – 2270 IS THE NUMBER TO CALL-IN FOR YOU LISTENERS OUT THERE.

It's Free-for-All Friday and on today's show:

- national security
- domestic policy

Joining the free-for-all will be Laura Flanders on 'What Real National Security Means For American Families'... it's the topic of a panel she's running in Seattle this weekend. Check out www.livefrommainstreet.org for more details. Laura Flanders is the host of GRITtv and RadioNation and the author of "Blue Grit: True Democrats Take Back Politics from the Politicians" and "BUSHWOMEN: Tales of a Cynical Species."

And because it's Friday, it's time for our week-that-was special correspondent, Jonathan Alter, who'll argue the Left needs to play politics in a new, smart, liberal way, now that the ball's on the left side of the court. And this will impact some scared cows, like unions and education, he says. By day, Alter is Senior Editor and Columnist at Newsweek; his latest book is "Between the Lines: A View Inside American Politics, People, and Culture."

And your calls, anything goes.

866 – 303 – 2270 IS THE NUMBER TO CALL-IN FOR YOU LISTENERS OUT THERE.

Mike Papantonio of GoLeft TV and Air America's Ring of Fire talks with award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright about his portrayal of Colin Powell in Oliver Stone's "W."  You can also catch him in the upcoming James Bond film "Quantom of Solace."

From Ron Reagan . . .

On the heels of last week's story broken by ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=5987804&page=1 – we're discussing in greater depth how the NSA has transformed since 9/11.

It's the topic of James Bamford's new book, "THE SHADOW FACTORY: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America" (out this week on Doubleday).

The New York Times bestselling author is an expert on the National Security Agency and this is his third in a trilogy ("Body of Secrets" and "The Puzzle Palace") of books discussing the ultra-secret agency.

Plus, we'll take your calls.

866 – 303 – 2270 IS THE NUMBER TO CALL-IN FOR YOU LISTENERS OUT THERE.