December 22, 2016: Hour 1

In hour one of Here & Now's Dec. 22, 2016 full broadcast, we speak with Patrick and Linda Boyle, the parents of Joshua Boyle — who along with his wife Caitlan were kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012 — about a recent video released by the Taliban-linked Haqqani network. Also, we speak with a historian about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's transformation from a "fairly normal, likable" person into one of the Middle East’s most notorious dictators. You can read and hear more at hereandnow.org, follow us on Twitter and join the conversation on Facebook and Tumblr.