This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott sat down—2/3 in a new studio space! (sorry, not sorry, Alan)—to discuss the week's big national security news, including: “A Sense of Doom in Khartoum.” An armed conflict between two rival military factions has broken out in Sudan. The United States and other major powers have evacuated their embassies, but numerous foreign nationals remain trapped on the ground, along with Sudanese civilians. How should the international community respond? “Tuck Around and Fin...
Apr 27, 2023•59 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by law professor extraordinaire Jed Shugerman to talk over his controversial take on the New York district attorney's case against former President Trump, among other items in the week's national security news, including: “If You Come at the King, You Best Not Whiff.” Former President Trump’s indictment on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree under New York state law earlier this month has triggered a firestorm of controversy...
Apr 20, 2023•1 hr 3 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were reunited to discuss the perils of Nazi paraphernalia collecting, among other hot national security news stories from the week, including: “TrickyLeaks.” A tranche of what appear to be genuine classified Defense Department documents has shown up on the internet, after being leaked to a conservative Discord channel and having spread through a number of other online fora for discussing video games and other issues. Who seems to be responsible? And how strateg...
Apr 13, 2023•1 hr 12 min
This week, Quinta and Scott were joined by Lawfare Managing Editor Tyler McBrien to celebrate the return of the complete media madhouse and talk through the week’s big stories, including: I’m So Indicted and I Just Can’t Fight It.” Donald Trump became the first former president to be indicted this past week—and he celebrated with a speech from his Mar-a-Lago estate that painted the charges against him as a partisan witch-hunt. How big a step is this? And where is it likely to lead? “(Re)Press Pa...
Apr 06, 2023•1 hr 6 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined once again by co-host emeritus and Lawfare Editor-in-Chief Benjamin Wittes to talk through national security news stories from the Holy Land to the Lone Star State, including: “Rebel Aviv.” Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s efforts to dramatically reform Israel’s legal system hit a roadblock this past week in the form of widespread popular protests. After sacking his defense minister for suggesting that the reforms should be delayed, Netanyahu did jus...
Mar 30, 2023•1 hr 16 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott waited for a big shoe to drop by talking over the week's big national security news, including: “What Else Can I Get Away With on Fifth Avenue...” Donald Trump is expected to become the first former president to be indicted on criminal charges this week—if, that is, local authorities are not deterred by the public protests Trump’s supporters are preparing to hold in New York City at his request. What will this move mean for the country? And how might it end? “T...
Mar 23, 2023•1 hr 5 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined for a special episode by the most glamorous of RatSec co-hosts emeritus, Shane Harris, to hand out some Academy Awards for events in national security over the past year. The nominees include: For “Best Make-Up” (i.e., what was the year’s most memorable apology?): The Biden administration’s confession that its balloon bombardment was a bust ; Kevin McCarthy’s ongoing Mar-a-Lago mea culpa ; Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss’s resignation over h...
Mar 16, 2023•1 hr 11 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by Naval Academy professor and cyberlaw expert Jeff "Two Effs" Kosseff to work through the week's big national security news stories, including: “Dox Populi.” Florida’s state legislature is the latest of several to propose laws requiring individuals involved in certain online activities to reveal their identities to the state. Are these requirements consistent with the First Amendment? What would they mean for civil society where they apply? “Recomm...
Mar 09, 2023•1 hr 7 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by favorite guest Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett to talk through the week's news, including: “Low Confidence Games.” A Department of Energy intelligence report concluded with “low confidence” that COVID-19 may have begun with a lab leak in Wuhan, China, further fracturing views within the U.S. government and giving added fuel to those seeking to put blame for the pandemic on China. What should we make of the report—and the strong reactions ...
Mar 02, 2023•1 hr 3 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott sat through literally hours of oral arguments to prepare to discuss all the national security developments in the news, including: “The HIMAR Anniversary.” The war in Ukraine is one year old this week. The Biden administration marked the occasion with a presidential visit to Kyiv and a finding of crimes against humanity, while Vladimir Putin celebrated by moving the Doomsday Clock a bit closer to midnight. What should we make of where the war stands one year in...
Feb 23, 2023•1 hr 12 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott talked over some of the various natsec stories blowing up headlines, including: “The Truth is Up There…And We Shot It Down.” Last week’s controversy over a Chinese spy balloon has blown up, as the United States and Canada have shot down a number of similar unidentified flying objects over their airspace in the past few days. But why is the Biden administration being so close-lipped about what these things are? Is there reason for concern? “Now I Know How Joan o...
Feb 16, 2023•1 hr 1 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined once again by host emeritus Benjamin Wittes to talk through the week's various freak-outs, including: “We Found the 100th Luftballon.” Last week, a Chinese spy balloon floated over the United States, triggering a national freak-out that led to the cancellation of a major high-level summit between U.S. and Chinese leaders. Was this freak-out warranted? What does it tell us about U.S.-China relations? “SotFU.” President Biden delivered his second Stat...
Feb 09, 2023•1 hr 12 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by Lawfare special Georgia correspondent Anna Bower to talk through the week's big national security news stories, including: “You Gotta Know When to Fulton.” Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has wrapped up her work with a special purpose grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump and his associates for potential 2020 election interference, and has said that charging decisions will be forthcoming. But why did she oppose the pu...
Feb 02, 2023•1 hr 11 min
This week, Quinta and Scott were joined by special guest Michel Paradis to talk over the week's big national security news, including: “Don’t Tank my Chain.” Western allies of Ukraine have finally agreed to a way forward on providing the country with tanks , an issue which has proven surprisingly contentious in recent weeks. Germany will now allow its Leopard tanks to be used in the near-term while the United States will send Ukraine a series of M1 Abrams in the future, meeting the German demand...
Jan 26, 2023•1 hr 5 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott reunited on our new recording day to talk through the week’s big national security news, including: “Blocked and Muted.” Earlier this week, the Washington Post published a draft report by the Jan. 6 committee detailing how the far right used social media to organize and mobilize in the lead-up to the insurrection—the very same analysis that was reportedly kept out of the committee’s final report, over the objections of staffers . How substantial are these revel...
Jan 19, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Hey there, Rational Security listeners! We have a quick programming note for you: Due to some scheduling conflicts both among us co-hosts and with Lawfare ’s broader podcast production schedule, we are moving Rational Security ’s release date from Wednesday to Thursday from this week moving forward. This does unfortunately mean you will have to wait an extra day for this week’s episode. But it also means that we’ll be able to bring you new episodes that are meatier, newsier, and more B-roll-y th...
Jan 17, 2023•33 sec
This week, a Quinta-less Alan and Scott were joined by their Lawfare colleagues senior editor Molly Reynolds and managing editor Tyler McBrien to talk over some copycat-ing that's been taking place in the national security space, including: “Hoppin’ the Fence at Lulapalooza.” In a clear echo of the Jan. 6 insurrection, followers of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro sacked the country’s parliament this past week, just days after his successor Lula da Silva was sworn in—and while Bolsonaro...
Jan 11, 2023•1 hr 17 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by co-host emeritus Benjamin Wittes to talk through the big natsec news stories starting off the new year, including: “Watch Out, You Might Get What You’re After.” As we recorded, the Freedom Caucus was in the midst of burning down the House, denying the Republican majority the ability to appoint Kevin McCarthy as Speaker through three consecutive ballots. Where might this lead? And what more should we expect from the 118th Congress? “Title and … Re...
Jan 04, 2023•1 hr 9 min
For their end-of-the-year episode, Alan, Quinta, and Scott took on a number of hard-hitting questions posed by you, the listeners, including: What did Quinta mean when she referenced "the radical political statement" of the Star Wars series Andor? How should we grade Biden as a foreign policy president? Has he made America credible again? Will recent mass shootings make Congress more open to any sort of "domestic terrorism" legislation? What delay tactics did former President Trump use in the co...
Dec 28, 2022•1 hr 6 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were once again joined by Congress maven Molly Reynolds to hash through some of the week's big natsec news, including: “Don’t Fear the Referr(als).” As its presumed end draws nigh with the new Congress, the Jan. 6 committee is racing to bring its work to a close. Yesterday it voted to make four sets of criminal referrals, including for former President Trump. It also released a 100-page draft executive summary for its forthcoming report. What more should we exp...
Dec 21, 2022•1 hr 7 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by serial guest Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett to talk through the week's big national security news, including: “Surly Intervention.” Desperate circumstances in the island nation of Haiti have both Haitians and the international community thinking seriously about another international intervention. But no one seems excited about the prospect, or eager to lead it. How should the international community be approaching this situation? “What’s...
Dec 14, 2022•1 hr 13 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were reunited after a few weeks apart to talk through the week's big national security news, including: “In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is Still Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy.” The jury in the Oath Keepers trial came back last week, convicting every defendant of at least one criminal offense—including the controversial charge of seditious conspiracy. What might this mean for other Jan. 6 investigations moving forward? “Morality? Puh-leeze.” Weeks o...
Dec 07, 2022•1 hr 10 min
This week, Quinta and Scott co-hosted sans Alan, but were joined by the co-hosts of the Carnegie Council's The Doorstep Podcast , Nikolas Gvosdev and Tatiania Serafin! They talked through the week's big national security news, including: “Paper Rocks Censors.” China has erupted in protests against Xi Jinping’s draconian zero-COVID policies, with thousands of Chinese citizens holding up a blank white sheet of paper as a sign of their discontent. Will these “white paper” protests make a difference...
Nov 30, 2022•1 hr 9 min
This week, a Quinta-less Alan and Scott welcomed Lawfare 's dynamic associate editor duo, Katherine Pompilio and Hyemin Han, on to the show to talk through the week's big national security news stories, including: “Going Full Cleve.” Last week, former President Donald Trump announced his intention to once again run for president —in spite of the Republicans’ weak showing in the midterm elections and his own impending legal troubles. What does Trump’s announcement mean for 2024 and after? “A Muel...
Nov 23, 2022•1 hr 17 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott talked through a big week of national security news, including: “Red Dead Redemption.” Expectations of a “red wave” in the 2022 midterm elections came up short this week, as Democrats retained control of the Senate and expanded their control in the states while Republicans only appear to gain control of the House by the slimmest of margins. How will these election results impact the security of our democracy moving forward? “Negotiating a Peace Entreaty.” Even ...
Nov 16, 2022•1 hr 5 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by Brookings Institution Middle East expert Natan Sachs to talk over the week's big (non-U.S. election) national security news, including: “Bibi Got Back.” Last week, an unprecedented fifth national election in the last four years returned controversial former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power , at the head of a coalition including several far-right nationalist parties. What does his return to office mean for the future of Israel and the re...
Nov 09, 2022•1 hr 10 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott shook off their post-Halloween sugar comas to hash through some of the week's big national security news stories, including: “A Home Invasion in the House.” A man connected to various online conspiracies broke into the San Francisco home of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and violently assaulted her husband, all as part of a plot to kidnap and torture her . What is to blame for this type of violence? Are we taking it seriously enough? “First (R)use?” The Bide...
Nov 02, 2022•1 hr 10 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by China expert and law professor Julian Ku to talk through some of the week's big national security news, including: “Xi Loves Me, Xi Loves Me Not.” At the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th National Congress this past weekend, Chinese President Xi Jinping was able to not only secure his leadership over the party and country for a third consecutive five-year term but successfully staff the party apparatus with his hand-picked loyalists. What does the C...
Oct 26, 2022•1 hr 4 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott flew solo to talk through some of the week's big national security news stories, including: “Jake, Mr. Sullivan if You’re NSSty.” The Biden administration finally unveiled its long awaited (and overdue) National Security Strategy last week, through a high-profile event at Georgetown University featuring National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Does it hit the mark? Does it even matter? “Big Subpoena Energy.” The Jan. 6 committee confidently closed its last live...
Oct 19, 2022•1 hr 4 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by beloved Lawfare contributor and UVA Law professor Ashley Deeks, fresh from her latest stint at the White House. They hashed through some of the week's big national security news, including: “The Bridge and Pummel Crowd.” Ukraine’s destruction of a symbolic bridge linking Russia to Crimea has observers worried about a new round of escalation, as Russia responded with missile strikes on a range of civilian targets across the country, including a Ge...
Oct 12, 2022•1 hr 9 min
