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Why do presidents authorize risky covert operations given the potential negative impact failure could have on their administrations? I utilize a case study analysis of President Barack Obama's decision to approve Operation Neptune Spear, the raid on the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan to capture or kill al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. By developing the concept of the specter of failure, I assess the options and potential outcomes presented to the president prior to the operation. While it was ultimately a success, I argue the possibility of failure drove the president to maintain a robust decision-making process. This research provides further evidence that Obama acted as his own honest broker in the realm of national security. Additionally, evidence suggests the president and his advisors were influenced by history, especially Operation Eagle Claw, the failed attempt to rescue hostages from the U.S. embassy in Iran approved by President Jimmy Carter three decades prior. Additionally, while Vice President Joe Biden advised against the mission, his participation throughout the process improved Obama's assessment as well as informed his own choices upon entering the Oval Office as president a decade later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 2016 election of President Donald Trump, conspiracy theories have become more salient among Americans. Using the deep state conspiracy theory QAnon as a case study, we argue three types of conspiracy theory adherents exist due to cognitive dissonance experienced in the face of key theory milestone failures: Hardliners, who do not face cognitive dissonance in response to failed conspiracy theory predictions; Moderates, committed members who experience cognitive dissonance and must adapt in order to maintain belief in the conspiracy theory, and Bandwagoners, casual members with shallow beliefs who experience cognitive dissonance and abandon the conspiracy theory. From these types, we put forth the bandwagoner acceleration hypothesis: by emphasizing the disconnect between complex deep state conspiracy theory beliefs and reality that demonstrates the falsehoods perpetrated by the movement, relevant stakeholders exogenous to the conspiracy theory can activate Bandwagoners to stimulate conspiratorial belief abandonment. This is important as Bandwagoners represent the peril of latent power which can be coopted and used to threaten democratic legitimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circadian rhythms follow a 24 h day and night cycle, regulate vital physiological processes, and are especially relevant to cardiovascular growth, renewal, repair, and remodeling. A recent flurry of clinical and experimental studies reveals a profound circadian influence on immune responses in cardiovascular disease. The first section of this review summarizes the importance of circadian rhythms for cardiovascular health and disease. The second section introduces the circadian nature of inflammatory responses. The third section combines these to elucidate a new role for the circadian system, influencing inflammation in heart disease, especially myocardial infarction. Particular focus is on circadian regulation of the NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains–containing protein 3 inflammasome, neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, and T cells involved in cardiac repair. A role for biological sex is noted. The final section explores circadian influences on inflammation in other major cardiovascular conditions. Circadian regulation of inflammation has profound implications for benefitting the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of patients with cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.S. Congress established the foundation of today's surveillance state nearly a half century ago as it sought to regulate and prevent criminal activity: the Banking Secrecy Act to target tax evasion by individuals and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to create oversight of wiretapping activities by law enforcement. Over time, additional functions were layered onto the existing institutional infrastructure, such as combating illicit drugs. September 11th, 2001 served as a critical juncture, reorienting the regime yet again to support the counter terror mission, despite persistent inefficiency and simultaneous risks to the civil liberties of Americans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why did President John F. Kennedy call on the nation to send Americans to the moon? And why did his successors see the expensive and risky Apollo program to completion even after his death? Drawing from the literature on presidential decision-making, I argue Kennedy's announcement was both ordinary and epiphenomenal. Using archival materials spanning the Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations, this article augments existing research and contends the 35th president constrained his own options by criticizing the outgoing Eisenhower administration for allowing a "missile gap" during the 1960 presidential campaign. After learning it did not exist, JFK's own crisis rhetoric set expectations and forced him to compete with the Soviets in a new arena at the height of the Cold War. His assassination made it politically risky for his successors to alter the lunar program, relegating both Johnson and Nixon to claim residual credit and avoid blame for diminishing the American crewed space exploration program. Reevaluating the historical role of the president in achieving one of the most significant government-led endeavors in history reveals how Kennedy's past actions inadvertently drove the development of space policy at mid-century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]