NORAD's Santa tracker is just propaganda with sleigh bells

by Hayes Brown

For over 60 years, every Christmas Eve has seen the U.S. military "track" Santa's sleigh across American airspace. It's a cute enough tradition — but it's hard to buy into the bit when faced with the latest evidence that the Pentagon doesn't hold itself accountable for civilian casualties, Hayes Brown writes.

"That’s quite the juxtaposition with the outward face of humble, cornfed Americana that the military assumes." Brown writes. "Would you really think an organization that delivers toys to Micronesia and keeps the airspace clear for Santa Claus could be capable of malice or neglect? The answer is, of course, yes. But that’s not what the Pentagon would like you to believe, as it spends roughly $600 million per year on public relations contracts."

Read Hayes Brown's full analysis on your Friday MSNBC Daily.

Tonight at 8pm ET, watch a special edition of All In with Chris Hayes, as Chris brings his podcast, “Why Is This Happening?,” on-screen. In this crossover episode, Chris is joined by two guests to discuss what he sees as American democracy on the knife-edge: “Atlantic” writer Barton Gellman on the aftermath of the January 6th Capitol attack and the future of the Republican party; and lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill about the state of civil rights, voting rights, and the nature of American democracy.

Tomorrow, MSNBC Films presents a holiday marathon of documentaries. Starting at 3pm Eastern, watch a collection of shorts from the Meet the Press Film Festival, followed by encore presentations of “Four Seasons Total Documentary,” “Civil War,” “Stone Ghosts in the South,” the award-winning film “Paper & Glue,” and “Stories We Tell: The Fertility Secret.” Round out Christmas evening with “Dateline” at midnight.

Then, join MSNBC for another day of films on Sunday, kicking off with “In the Dark of the Valley” and “The Facility.”