This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott got together for another early morning session to hash through the week's big national security news, including: “Stuck in the Middle (East) with You.” As President Biden ends his trip to the Middle East having re-engaged the Gulf countries and recommitted to preventing Iran from securing a nuclear weapon—including by force, if necessary—Russian President Vladimir Putin is kicking off his own visit to deepen ties with Tehran and negotiate with Turkey. What does...
Jul 20, 2022•1 hr 5 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were reunited to hash through the week's national security news, including: “A Thousand and One Arabian Flights.” President Biden is conducting his first official visit to the Middle East this week with the stated goal of building ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, beginning with more direct airline routes. Why this sudden high-profile engagement and what does Biden hope it will yield? “Loose Bannon.” Trump ally Steve Bannon has signaled that he may be willi...
Jul 13, 2022•1 hr 7 min
This week, Quinta and Scott were joined by Lawfare 's new Managing Editor, Tyler McBrien, to hash through the week's national security news, including: “(John) Dean for a Day.” Surprise testimony by former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson has shed unprecedented light on Donald Trump’s actions on Jan. 6th and reinvigorated discussions of possible criminal charges, among other consequences. Was this the smoking gun? What might it change moving forward? “The Prince and the Proffer.” A federal ju...
Jul 06, 2022•1 hr 7 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by star New York Times reporter Katie Benner to talk through some of this week's biggest national security news stories, including: “The Masked Ringer.” We’re about half way through the Jan. 6 committee’s public hearings—and, despite originally planning a weeks-long pause, the committee is now holding a snap hearing with a surprise witness . What should we make of the hearings so far? And what may we continue to learn? “Trouble a- Bruen .” The Supre...
Jun 29, 2022•1 hr 1 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott flew solo to discuss the week's big national security news, including: “Just Dropped in to See What Condition This Extradition is In.” The U.K. government has signed off on the extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange , putting him one step closer to trial in the United States. Are claims that his extradition threatens press freedoms fact or hyperbole? And what do we expect the Biden administration to do if it happens? “Teach Xi How to Dougie.” A recentl...
Jun 22, 2022•1 hr 7 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett to talk through some the week's big national security news, including: “First Act Break.” We are one week into the Jan. 6 committee’s public hearings . What have we learned that we didn’t know already? And how effective are they proving to be? “Not Since the Sultans of Swing.” A dire situation is once again brewing over the straits of Taiwan, as China and the United States rattled sabers at the regional Sha...
Jun 15, 2022•1 hr 15 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by Lawfare senior editor and congressional expert Molly Reynolds to hash through the week's big national security news stories, including: “Disquiet on the Eastern Front.” While Russia has been beaten back in most of the rest of the country, its efforts to hold secessionist eastern Ukraine are proving more resilient and producing what some are calling a war of attrition. What does this tell us about what the next phase of the conflict is likely to l...
Jun 08, 2022•1 hr 8 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott flew solo as they talked through the week's big national security news stories, including: “Our Gun Epidemic.” Last week’s horrifying school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, is only the latest high-profile incident in a wave of gun violence that is sweeping the United States. But most experts maintain that there is almost no chance Congress will pursue any serious substantive response. Why do guns play such a central role in American culture? And how do we make progre...
Jun 01, 2022•1 hr 9 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Rational Security co-host emeritus Shane Harris! Together they talked through the week's big national security news stories, including: “We Want to Believe.” The House recently held a rare public hearing on what the U.S. government knows about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, or UAPs–also commonly called Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs. What did we learn about UAPs and how is U.S. policy towards them changing? “Strategic Incongruity.” President...
May 25, 2022•1 hr 6 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Allies host and Lawfare associate editor Bryce Klehm! Together they talked through the week's big national security news stories, including: "Remember the ‘90s?” Nine months have passed since the Taliban seized power in Kabul, and its promises of a more moderate rule than the harsh theocracy it oversaw in the 1990s are increasingly ringing hollow. Just this past week, the Taliban issued a new edict directing women and girls to cover everything but...
May 18, 2022•1 hr 3 min
This week, Quinta and Scott were joined by RatSec 1.0 host emeritus Benjamin Wittes to talk through the week's big national security news stories, including: “Sharing is Caring.” Earlier this week, an unnamed senior U.S. official indicated that the United States is providing targeting information to Ukrainian forces –only to have other officials walk back that assertion almost immediately. What is actually happening? And why is the Biden administration so paranoid about discussing it openly? “Th...
May 11, 2022•1 hr 9 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Jeffrey Kosseff, cybersecurity law professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, to hash through some of the week's big national security news, including: “One Letter Off KGB, Two Letters Away from DGAF.” The Department of Homeland Security has taken heat this week for creating an internal Disinformation Governance Board , which partisan critics have railed against as a federal “Ministry of Truth” responsible for policing speech. What’s the real story behi...
May 04, 2022•1 hr 6 min
This week, Alan and Scott were joined by Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett and law professor extraordinaire Kate Klonick to hash through some of the week's big national security news, including: “Time to Musk Up.” Prototypical eccentric billionaire Elon Musk has just finalized a deal to purchase Twitter, bring it private and implement a number of changes he claims are intended to expand freedom of speech. What will this mean for the future of Twitter and other social media platforms? “Lviv...
Apr 27, 2022•1 hr 13 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott talked amongst themselves about some of the week's big national security news stories, including: “What’s in a Name?” Observers of the war in Ukraine are increasingly turning to a controversial term to describe the actions of Russian forces: genocide. Why are people suddenly using this word? Is its use appropriate here? “Who’s Afraid of Going Dark?” A recent expose has gone deep into the struggle between big tech companies and NSO Group, the Israeli hacking comp...
Apr 20, 2022•1 hr 12 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Lawfare managing editor Jacob Schulz to hash through some of the week's big national security news, including: “Le Pen 15 Club.” As France enters the final run-off round of its presidential election , incumbent Emmanuel Macron is being closely trailed by extreme right-wing leader Marine Le Pen. What explains Le Pen’s political potency? And what would a President Le Pen mean for the rest of the world? “The Biggest Botnet Takedown Since Geocities De...
Apr 13, 2022•1 hr 2 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by their fellow Lawfare senior editor and Brookings Institution senior fellow Molly Reynolds to hash through some of the week's big national security news, including: “The Butchers of Bucha.” Russian troops who recently retreated from the Kyiv suburb of Bucha appear to have engaged in a weeks-long campaign of violence against the Ukrainian civilians living there, leading some—including President Biden—to call for a war crimes trial. Why would Russia ...
Apr 06, 2022•1 hr 10 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by RatSec 1.0 host and Lawfare editor-in-chief Benjamin Wittes! They hashed through some of the week's big national security news, including: “You’re Changing my Regime, What a Wonderful Way to Say How Much You Hate Me.” In recent remarks in Europe, President Biden appeared to call for the removal of Russian President Vladimir Putin–a statement he later reframed as an expression of “moral outrage,” not a call for regime change. Was this a deliberate ...
Mar 30, 2022•1 hr 8 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by international law expert Chimene Keitner to hash through some of the week's big national security news, including: “Go Straight to Den Haag, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200.” In recent days, Russia’s already illegal war in Ukraine has begun to cross more and more legal lines, as Russian forces seem to clearly be targeting civilians and even removing them from Ukrainian territory. What avenues might there be for holding them accountable for the...
Mar 23, 2022•1 hr 10 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, Scott and guest Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett sat down to discuss several of the week's big national security news stories, including: “The Dragon-Bear Reliance.” Russia is turning to China for help in mitigating some of the more harmful consequences of the measures that the United States and its allies are imposing in response to its invasion of Ukraine. Will China play along? And what will its decision mean for the future of the relationship between the two m...
Mar 16, 2022•1 hr 12 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott sat down sans guest to work through some of the week's big national security news, including: “Like Stalin Without the ‘Stache.” The unpopularity of Russia’s war in Ukraine has led President Vladimir Putin to dramatically constrain what little free media and space for public dissent Russia had left. How will Russia be changed? “The No-No-Fly-Zone.” The United States and Europe are finding themselves at loggerheads with the beleaguered government of Ukraine over ...
Mar 09, 2022•1 hr 6 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott sat down for a special episode committed to discussing a very serious topic: the war in Ukraine. They talked through three aspects of the conflict, namely: “In the Streets of Kyiv.” Over the past week, Ukraine’s fierce resistance has successfully stymied Russian efforts to remove its government. How have the Ukrainians pulled this off? And what does it tell us about the next stage of the conflict? “On the Global Stage.” While Ukrainians fight the Russian militar...
Mar 02, 2022•1 hr 11 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined once again by Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, including: “Maybe He Has Border Recognition Disorder.” Despite reported reservations among his advisors, Putin is moving forward with an at least partial invasion of Ukraine, having recognized the breakaway Ukrainian territories of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent countries and deployed troops to “aid in their defense.” Is P...
Feb 23, 2022•1 hr 13 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by their Lawfare colleague Dominic Bustillos! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, including: “Giving Chicken Kiev New Meaning.” The showdown over Ukraine may be headed to a dangerous climax this week, and it’s not clear who, if anyone, is going to blink. What do we make of the Biden administration’s strategy thus far , which has ruled out military involvement in favor of economic sanctions and has focused on exposin...
Feb 16, 2022•1 hr 9 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Canadian national security expert, Stephanie Carvin! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, both in the U.S. and in our neighbor to the north, including: “Assault on the Capital, Eh? Hold My Labatt Blue.” For the past two weeks, our neighbors to the north have suffered through their own insurrectionary moment , as thousands of protesters have descended on Canadian cities to protest vaccination policies, leading the ...
Feb 09, 2022•1 hr 4 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Lawfare senior editor, Roger Parloff! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, including: “The Turn Heel State.” North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorne has sued to stop a state law inquiry into whether he is disqualified from running for re-election under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment for participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection, not by disputing the facts, but on due process grounds and in reliance on a...
Feb 02, 2022•1 hr 7 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by Lawfare managing editor, Jacob Schulz! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, including: “The Shawshank Detention.” The Islamic State attempted a violent jail break of thousands of their confederates this week in Syria. And while U.S.-backed Kurdish forces appear to have contained the damage thus far, the outcome remains far from certain. What does this tell us about the state of the U.S. strategy in Syria? “Pure M...
Jan 26, 2022•1 hr 3 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Lawfare 's new director of digital media, Claudia Swain! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, including: “It’s Not the Motion in the OSHA, It’s the Size of Your Popular Mandate.” The Supreme Court has invalidated the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccination-or-test mandate for major employers. What will the Court’s decision mean for the Biden administration efforts to combat COVID? “We Met On OK...
Jan 19, 2022•1 hr 11 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by three-peat guest Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, including: “What’s Almaty You, Eh?” Russia recently deployed forces to nearby Kazakhstan to aid an allied government in putting down a popular uprising. Will this have ramifications for the possible conflict over Ukraine ? And what does it say about Russia’s regional strategy? “He’s Talking About Voldemort, Right?” Last ...
Jan 12, 2022•1 hr 7 min
This week, Quinta and Scott were joined by RatSec 1.0 co-host and Lawfare editor-in-chief Benjamin Wittes! They sat down to discuss the week's national security news, including: “Merrick’s Briefing.” This week, Attorney General Merrick Garland is expected to give a speech about the Justice Department’s efforts to hold the perpetrators of the January 6 insurrection accountable. What do we expect him to say—and what should he say? “The Company You Keep.” Former President Trump recently endorsed in...
Jan 05, 2022•1 hr 3 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott celebrated the impending New Year by answering some questions and sharing some object lessons submitted by Rational Security listeners. They discussed: If you could only have one paid news subscription, which would it be? How do you think the U.S. will respond if Israeli policies towards Palestinians continue to deteriorate? Why does former President Trump's direction to his former associates not to cooperate with the January 6 committee not constitute witness t...
Dec 29, 2021•1 hr 9 min
