U.S. counterterrorism has undergone multiple transformations since 9/11. Al Qaeda has lost its footing as an existential threat to American society. Targeted assassinations of Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki demonstrate significant changes in the security establishment since the initial “war on terror.” Thom Shanker, Pentagon correspondent for the New York Times and a former foreign editor for the Chicago Tribune, has lived in this world for the past decade. He talks about his new book with Eric Schmitt, Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda. Later, we sit down with Aaron Freeman, local humorist and former host of WBEZ’s Metropolis, who’s posting YouTube videos from “Occupy Chicago.” He gives us the latest on what’s happening downtown.