From the New York Times, I'm Caitlin Dickerson. This is the day today. The battle for muscle is entering its final and most challenging faced as the EU, sleeves airstrikes on muscles old city. It's iraqi forces better on the ground. There engaged in the most intensive urban warfare since world war to the time, embeds with one iraqi unit and the Supreme Court. Makes a rare decision to get involved in politics it's Tuesday June twentieth were entered busloads both knew for yeah. Ok, Ben Solomon, we ve been reporting on the battle for most for months, and usually we talk about air strikes that are led by the United States, military,

You recently embedded with the iraqi army. So what's their role in this battle with the iraqi Army is leading the fight right now. So much of the past was more of the Americans kind of leading a fight and trying to make the Iraqis better Army does and bolster them mostly. The battle there has been a real test for the iraqi army in both running our own combat missions and also kind of what it means for the Americans to support them without actually having a force on the ground and who are these soldiers are regular young kids? I mean, I kind of think most people expect these guys to be very devout. Reality is a lot of them, have tattoos a lot of them smoke and drink? A lot of them are just young, twentysomething, kids and it's a really easy career for them to kind of jump in, because a lot of the Araki needs is just young men to fight and in a rock for the past thirty forty years, the biggest constant has been war.

And the biggest thing that a lot of these kids sea and the biggest path they see to success is kind of being a part of that and the reality is the mechanism for trying to teach these guys to turn into soldiers as quickly as possible is probably not up to the standards that Americans my how did you encounter this one unit within the iraqi army? so when we first came upon this unit, they were at the fort operating based outside of Mosul, where they had set up camp and abandoned farmhouse. And they were making dinner, and it's this iraqi discord must Guph, which is basically grilled carp, its awesome and delicious. It's his whole carp just like burned to Chris and like doubtless, spices and lemon, and you know I asked the major asked the commander of the unit. You know: where did you get this? Where did you get the carpet. How could you possibly get carp right now? You know we just throw some grenades in the in the Tigres and efficient with some nuts and do his just like so cool

it s a really. I knew that here immediately. I knew he was like a guy that I think it was very comfortable, Miss Zone and very interesting. Tell me more about him. His name is major suggests. A whore he's thirty three year old maid and his kind of mean jobs to coordinate between the higher up decision making, that goes on come at the generals, deciding where to push where D like tat and take that information to the soldiers on the ground who are doing the attacking have not at all So following him in the kind of seeing his life is really important to me and understanding how he lives his life. How he understands his country was kind of the main objective to understanding how and Araki soldier candle I want to understand where soldiers like major such I'd come from, and I wonder, is it possible that both ice and the iraqi Army are recruiting from the same places. So in other words, soldiers could

fighting against people they grew up with absolutely I mean I think, one of the most interesting things and understanding a man like Major said, John and understanding young soldiers is understanding the paths that led them to that point. The reality is one person that they met differently, one way of that kind of interacted with Iraq differently, and they could have easily been an icy soldier instead of being an iraqi army soldier. I think a lot of it depends on which sect of Islam you're in Iraq is historically split, really kind of starkly with sheer and sunni Muslims. But on top of that I think it's just about rear socio economic status where you live in the country who you kind of associate with ice,

is assuming movement. So I think a lot about the people to join ISIS join it because they want to empower sunni Muslims. You know there's plenty of in Iraq who are joining ISIS and who do want to support the government. Muscle is a majority sunni City, which is a big reason that it fell so quickly and fell so powerfully to ices, but the reality is: is that that divide really defines a lot of the differences in this turn ism that happens in between this country. So tell me about the journey of major Sajjad. So may just a job as eight kids with two different wives, which is legal and even encouraged and Iraq and he's devised a nice he's got to us all at the same time, yea having so a major said. Job has been fighting. Wars in Iraq for his entire life. His father was a soldier in the Iraq. Iran were in the nineteen eightys, which was a ten year long brutal battle between those two countries. He graduated high school the day after you sign up for military academy cause he said

You really wanted to be a soldier right away right as soon as he could and that led to him being a soldier during the american invasion, two thousand and four to twenty eleven and a train with Americans. So you really had a good rapport with Americans really like them really like being around them, and that's why? I think why he Show me that's. Why thank you. Let me come to be around. He said he had never given an interview before I met him agenda and we spend three weeks together kind of attached the who, while and one question I can't help it ask- is in a way Does he make the sacrifice? What why does he put himself in harm's way? He's got a family? Presumably had other opportunities. I think the merest job as a good example of the kind of man that only kind of understands the world through war and went to his home outside of Baghdad

from the fine Moses was comfortable with this kid's allow nice house he's got a man, he loves growing flowers and one of the most interesting things that he said he was that, when he's with his family he's less comfortable his his second family, which is as soldiers and the people in the fight, those are the people that he feels most comfortable with a margin of the people that he feels needs in those he's most kind of understanding of the world When he's fighting has been muzzle, death does an, or in a lot of ways, is very simple it

who's down the world into just one thing, which is: I need to take them out of there. I need to go and I need to kill those guys and push forward and take their spot when he was with his manning when he was fighting, that's when he seems the most at home and at peace, and I think that's hard for a lot of people understand. But for someone like him who is experienced so much war, and so much of his life has been just caught up in this fight. It's almost kind of wanting to see this to see him so dedicated to this fight, but it's also a big. Why Iraq is the way that it is democratic, does yeah. But of course, he's not say if he's in danger, when he's at war right yeah, do you know when we're together I mean regularly, we would have very close cause. I've been covering conflict for maybe six years, and I've had in just two weeks that I was with them three of them very closely cause of my life as

order for him and for his men they see like casualties, one particular night at his men want in a routine night before I think they just walk the neighborhood and as they were walking without the right gear without the night vision goggles, but would help them kind of see around which surely they probably can't afford they, the men and there was about fourteen or fifteen and total set up a tripwire walked over and id, and ten of them were instantly killed in a blast and think that was really hard for major who's really hard for the unit, and it was hard for me as reporter to kind of to kind of make sense of that kind of see that happen to these guys. That I was with a lot of them were guys that I was working with a new really well and just a kind of experience than just kind of see that happen really put the war in a much more personal perspective. For me, how often does that kind of thing happening

Are the men deal with it? It happens. Pretty often I mean the reality is that this war has been really really hard on the rocket defense forces, so many Araki soldiers are dying so much so that they aren't publicly releasing the numbers. So we can't even know major Sajjad, probably is the one talking to these families, helping to kind of coordinate, sending the bodies back to their homes. It's a big part of the and a big part of what it means to be the commander. So what's happening right now, for these men were hearing that were in the final stages of this battle for mobile, and what does that mean for these men in the iraqi Army around the iraqi Army is pushed finally into the old city, so Moses old City is the most condensed and most tightly packed part of the city. If you think about like a city like New York and be like going to fight inside Chinatown, witches be different places and it so tightly packed in some places too high,

places to hide places to like move around without the other side. Knowing and the reality is, is this is going to be probably the hardest part of a fight, which is what we knew from the beginning. But now ISIS is kind of like using that as their last stronghold ISIS. The way that they fight is very simple. They expect to die every one of them is on a suicide mission. There's nobody that expect to get out of there, so these guys see it as their kind of final place to make the most damage and they're also holding civilians hostage, basically inside the city, to use as human shields. It's brutal and it's terrible- and this is going to be like the next month to two months of just pushing that kind of reclaim

Tori, and this will be the most intense urban fighting since world war. Two well, then, what do you feel, like you understand about this war that you didn't before you bet it with the iraqi army? I think the thing that I learn more was just how these young men can a function and how they justify their lives. Aside from major suggested, I would spend a lot of time with the younger guys in his unit. Some of them spoke English on them group. The Americans are in the few that did speak English would all like the same things: Instagram Snapchat, you know like looking at girls on Facebook, same things that the rest, the world's eighteen year old men, think about and do all day, that cars is the backdrops on their phone and they had leg Bmw's that they were trying to show me that they wanted to buy

Are you guys doing the fighting? These? Are the people dying for this country? These differences that we make between us are really kind of our own making. Thank you so much man, that's ravening, we'll be right back. Support for the daily comes from tee in tee. Presenting the alien is angle of darkness. The all new season of the acclaimed Emmi Award winning television series at the turn of the twentieth century uncover a dark and sinister trail of death and deceit as an intrepid team of crime. Solvers reunite to hunt and elusive killer Daniel, brutal Luke, Evans and Dakota Fanning STAR in the alien is angel of darkness. The honest in Premier, Sunday July, nineteen that nine eight central anti anti go to the aliens dot com for more Adam look TAT. Thank you. So much for talking with us, it's great to be here so out of

the Supreme Court decided Monday to hear a case that has the potential to reshape american politics in a really significant way. What is this case the case? an appeal from Wisconsin decision which struck there Wisconsin State Assembly Map, the boundaries that divide Wisconsin's, legislative districts and election map that a federal court says is unfair to voters, on the grounds that it was a partisan gerrymander that had violated the constitution, because the lines voting districts were drawn in a way to favour. Republicans Republicans returned the maps and twenty ten that something that's required. Every ten years Republicans argued be redrawn. Maps reflect whiskey. And turning more republican, that decision was the first in about thirty years to strike down a legislative as a partisan gerrymander, and this importers never struck down. A legislative district is a partisan gerrymander, so this the opportunity for the court if it wants to do

something very big in the area of political party. They control state governments to redraw voting district awaited favour their parties so help me understand how the federal court decide. That there was evidence of partisan gerrymandering will it relied and poured a clever method cooked up on a couple of law, professors and researchers who tried to count, what they called wasted votes- and they say you can waste votes in one of two ways, if you pack a lot of Democrats into a district, every vote after fifty percent is a wasted vote. If you spread a lot of Democrats ass. Many districts where Republicans have a slight majority. All of those democratic votes are wasted, votes and, of course, vice versa. So you count up all of those it's? U divided by the total number of votes and you take a ratio between rob look into Democrats

it sounds a little bit confusing, but there's there's a logic to it. In twenty twelve in Wisconsin Republicans one forty eight point: six percent of the state wide vote so you would think they get a little less than half of the seats in the general assembly. In fact, they got sixty of the ninety nine seats they got. Approximately sixty none of the seeds, although they only had about forty nine percent of the votes and that, to give you a sense of how this math might work. Why is it so rare that the Supreme Court takes on a gerrymandering case that looks at political parties in particular, rather than other factors? The poor evenly divided with Justice Kennedy, as in so many things in the middle. There are some justice is who say we're happy or these says, will look at whether it violates the constitution Others say no. This is a political questions, not for judges. The constitution is designed to let lawmakers make these judgments, and just Kennedy he said well, I do

No, that I'd rule it out in every case, but I can't figure out what this method would be to decide which will we humming? Partisan gerrymandering is too much partisan gerrymandering, in this case the p bringing the challenge think they found the way they found. The mathematical formula to determine when gerrymandering, partisan gerrymandering is too much and this has people excited about- maybe the Supreme Court finding way to bring the constitution to bear on what many many people say is a significant problem where your voters are effectively disenfranchised by the way district Linzer drawn. How can suggest to be clear? The law Berlin injustices tend to oppose partisan gerrymander, whereas the conservatives tend to support it. Yes, role, Speaking that's right, but I'm not sure anyone's in favour of partisan gerrymandering. They would describe what happened in Wisconsin differently. They would say that it's not for the courts and the sign. Ok, I would say that the reason

is pulled. Partisan gerrymandering is because it's about politics and the constitution committed political decisions to the political branches, including state legislatures, and it's not for judges to mock about in what is fundamentally a political process. I dont think anybody thinks political gerrymandering, as is a positive good. The question is what to do about it. So what are the potential implications of this case? If the court were to agree that the constitution applies to partisan gerrymandering, it could truly reshape american politics. It could exert a force on state law makers who draw these maps that would require them to be fairer. And to try to even out electoral representation of the two parties and will be a fundamental change in the american political system. Is there a way to think of gerrymandering as sort of the worst kept secret of law makers in the United States? And if what happened

Wisconsin is found by the Supreme Court to be illegal. Does that sort of bring that secret out, bringing to light and and potentially change it- if all they do is shine a light on the practice, I'm not sure the breakfast changes. This is our politics engaged by both parties to make your maximize their own advantage, and I'm not are they gonna be shamed into not knowing it just because lots of people know about it, but maybe more important- and this is a big if, because it requires five justices to agree and it's hard to know where Justice Kennedy is. If the court, where it is lawsuits can be brought on these grounds and successful ones that could really change things Is there any way to anticipate at this point? What you expect might might happen, We got a hint Monday morning nine thirty in the morning. They agreed to hear the case and that order said though the lower court had found it is in Germany where go

stay that decision working to freeze it. We're not gonna do anything about that. Lower court decision while consider the case so that stay not so unusual Vienna. You don't want to make a big change until the Supreme Court has any chance to consider the case, but this day was issued on a five to four vote before this. And injustices with a liberal justices, Ginsburg Briar King instead of my or just Kennedy was in the majority and, if that's the lineup eventually see where you see I've only the for liberal justices standing up for the idea that Partisan Jerry Manders are a problem or can be adjudicated. Then we go back to the status quo. It's a tiny, tiny here but it's a perfectly possible outcome that we have a big important case, gets the gourd and by a five to four vote. Nothing changes, ok

Finally Adam. I want to ask you about a separate story out of the Supreme Court on Monday. This was another case having to do with trademarks. What decision did they make their? This is a big first amendment decision, the court drop down. A federal law then barred federal trademark, registration of disparaging trademarks and offensive trademarks, case before the court involved in Asian Rock Dance ban called the slants the trademark office. I did. The many asian Americans would be offended by hearing the term the slants. Now, as it happens, the ban thinks that trying to reclaim the words trend have some fun with the word there trying to do what many gay people do when they call themselves quite are used to be disparaging. You try to reclaim. It it's a side issue. In that case, the larger issue in the cases can govern

decide what is and is not disparaging and make judgements about whether trademark protection will extend to those names on other prominent case? This will almost certainly affect is the Washington Redskins who have been denied federal trademark protection and I think, will almost certainly get it back and in general this is a strong pro first amendment decision from a strong pro first amendment court: the court led by chief Justice Roberts, that is not going to allow the government to, as one of the opinion said, sensor speech about these volatile matters, including things might offend many people Adam you ve had a busy day. Will let you get back to your writing. Thank you so much for talking with us. If exclusions here's. What else you need to know today this morning our country to news of another

terrorist attack on the streets of our capital city, the second this month and every bit as sickening as those which have come before on Monday. Just after midnight, London experienced another terror attack this one time Muslims avail driven by a forty seven year old man from Wales rammed into a crowd of worshippers outside a mosque and North London killing one person and injuring at least ten. The city has seen a dramatic increase in cases of Islamophobia. After the recent series of terror attacks in England, which have been claimed by his extremists. There has been far too much tolerance of extremism in our country over many years, and that means extremism of any kind, including Islamophobia, and in Virginia a twenty two year old man has been charged with murder in the death of a muslim teenager was found dead in a pond hours after she disappeared from outside a mosque. The pool

are not investigating the young woman staff as a hate crime, but the prosecutor says he has not ruled out adding hate crime charges as he continues to review evidence. Finally, rush is threatening to target. U S, warplanes that are flown over Syria and suspending a military hotline used to avoid collisions and syrian airspace. The announced came in response to the american military shooting down a syrian warplanes over the weekend. The first time that's happened since the civil war began in two thousand eleven, that's it for the daily. I'm Caitlin Dickerson, see tomorrow, do you avoid tough problems and shy away from a debate? Do you think uncertainty limits potential? Neither do we have a university of Chicago Booth, school of business. We believe in asking questions and questioning answers with campuses in Chicago London and Hong Kong. The booth NBA is for people who see challenges

opportunities and what the skills to make positive change in any market anywhere in the world, ready to find your community search Chicago booth, dot, Eddie you today to learn more