Rational Security

By The Lawfare Institute

What's Rational Security about?

A weekly discussion of national security and foreign policy matters hosted by Shane Harris of the Wall Street Journal and featuring Brookings scholars Tamara Cofman Wittes, Benjamin Wittes, and Susan Hennessey.

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The "Bounty Hunters" Edition

07.01.2020

Trump’s aides say they never briefed him about a Russian plot to kill U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Former aides say the president has been “delusional” in his dealing with foreign leaders. And as the coronavirus continues spreading, some federal workers ...

Rational Security episodes:

07.01.2020 The "Bounty Hunters" Edition Trump’s aides say they never briefed him about a Russian plot to kill U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Former aides say the president has been “delusional” in his dealing with foreign leaders. And as the coronavirus continues spreading, some federal workers ...
06.24.2020 The "Very Low Barr" Edition Bill Barr's Justice Department is accused of politicizing law enforcement across an astonishing array of subject matters. A federal appeals court orders the judge in the Michael Flynn case to dismiss charges against the former national security advisor—at Barr’s request. ...
06.18.2020 "The Stache Strikes Back" Edition John Bolton is finally publishing his tell-all book, and the White House is fighting back. A CIA investigation blames “woefully lax” computer security for the biggest leak in the agency’s history. And experts weigh in on how to change U.S. ...
06.10.2020 The "Day Late and a Dollar Short" Edition Who ordered what and when as police cleared peaceful protestors from Lafayette Park? Those protests and others in every state have sparked a national debate about policing. And former Trump administration officials speak out against the president, after possibly holding ...
06.04.2020 The "America is Hurting" Edition Americans have taken to the streets in dozens of cities to protest the death of George Floyd, police brutality, and systemic racism. Trump has focused his attention on looting and violence, which he calls “domestic terror” and insisted governors “dominate” ...
05.27.2020 The "Blue Exclamation Point" Edition Twitter starts fact-checking President Trump as social media companies face calls to ramp up their election security efforts. China again encroaches on Hong Kong, this time using the pandemic as cover. And the judge in Michael Flynn’s case is told ...
05.21.2020 The "Pompeo in the Dog House" Edition Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in hot water over the firing of an inspector general. A newly declassified email shows that Barack Obama wanted the Russia investigation handled “by the book.” And around the world people are slowly emerging ...
05.14.2020 The "Ask Us Anything—Live!" Edition This week, the Rational Security gang is joined by listeners from around the world for a special live show. Unmasking, China, life after Trump/under Biden—we took listeners' questions and shared stories about how we're spending our time during the pandemic.
05.07.2020 The "You Too Can be the DNI" Edition Congressman John Ratcliffe faces questions from the Senate in his quest to become the next director of national intelligence. Americans are detained in an apparent botched invasion of Venezuela. And former national security adviser Michael Flynn claims he was set ...
04.30.2020 The "Blame it on Beijing" Edition Democrats and Republicans finally have something to agree on: China deserves more scrutiny for how it has handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Kim Jong Un is alive, maybe. And the courts take up the argument on whether Congress can sue the ...
04.23.2020 The “A Little Government is a Dangerous Thing” Edition Protests break out against states’ stay-at-home orders. China is linked to a disinformation campaign about the coronavirus. And Israel forms a unity government.
04.15.2020 The "Contact Tracing" Edition State officials say tracing the contacts of people infected with the coronavirus will help keep it from spreading. The Trump administration withdraws funding from the World Health Organization. And Russia takes advantage of confused U.S. policy on Libya.
04.09.2020 The “Ready, Aim, Fire Everyone!” Edition President Trump removes two independent inspectors general, including the one at the center of his impeachment. The acting Navy Secretary is out after he removed the captain of an aircraft carrier who complained that his sailors were at risk from ...
04.02.2020 The “Don’t Be a Maskhole” Edition State and local governments are on the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus. But there’s a lot the federal government can, and arguably should, be doing. What is the pandemic showing us about the strengths of a democracy versus ...
03.26.2020 The "Flatten the Curve" Edition It took weeks for administration officials to persuade Donald Trump that the coronavirus posed a significant threat to the United States. Did those delays hinder the fight against the virus? The coronavirus may pose a threat to democratic values, as ...
03.18.2020 The "Social Distancing" Edition Much of normal life has ground to a halt. We’ll reflect on the state of the pandemic and how it’s affecting us. What exactly happened to a White House office set up to respond to pandemics? And Congress kicks the ...
03.11.2020 The "My Corona" Edition As the coronavirus spreads, U.S. officials face a public health crisis and the threat of economic recession. The World Health Organization has officially declared coronavirus a pandemic. How are other countries responding, and what can the U.S. learn from them? ...
03.05.2020 "The Second Time’s a Charm" Edition President Trump picks Congressman John Ratcliffe—again—to be the new director of national intelligence. The United States signs a peace deal with the Taliban. And an appeals court rules that former White House Counsel Don McGahn does not have to testify ...
02.27.2020 The "Just Quarantine Everything" Edition Coronavirus is spreading, and the administration’s message has been a jumble. Intelligence reports suggest that Russia has developed a preference for Trump in the election and is trying to help Sanders. And world leaders call for action to halt a ...
02.20.2020 The "Should He Stay or Should He Go" Edition Bill Barr says that Trump’s tweets make his job more difficult, and he has considered resigning over them. But Trump is still tweeting and Barr is still the attorney general, so…? Also, the U.S. charges Chinese telecom giant Huawei with ...
02.12.2020 The "Lessons Learned" Edition Four prosecutors step down from the Roger Stone case after the Justice Department contradicts their sentencing recommendation. The White House purges officials who testified in Trump’s impeachment trial. And the Justice Department is taking a look at Rudy Giuliani’s investigation ...
02.06.2020 The "Impeached Forever" Edition The Senate prepares to acquit Donald Trump on charges that he abused his office and obstructed Congress. We’ll take a look back at the impeachment trial and discuss what comes next. Also, governments around the world scramble to deal with ...
01.29.2020 The "Deus ex Bolton" Edition John Bolton has a story to tell about that Ukraine “drug deal.” The White House unveils its much anticipated Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. And Joe Biden envisions foreign policy after Trump.
01.22.2020 The "Pettifogging" Edition The impeachment trial of Donald Trump begins in earnest, with a marathon session hammering out the rules and procedures. U.N. investigators say there is credible evidence that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia hacked Jeff Bezos’ phone. And you may ...
01.16.2020 The “Quite Common Under American Law” Edition The impeachment trial is about to begin in earnest. We’ll recap the latest. The Trump administration deals with the fallout from the strike that killed Qasem Soleimani. And in the final debate before voting starts, Democratic candidates for president have ...
01.09.2020 The "Back from the Brink" Edition President Trump says Iran is backing down after a missile strike on U.S. bases in retaliation for the killing of Qasem Suleimani. The crisis has calmed, but what did we learn from the administration’s tense and at times bungled handling ...
01.03.2020 The "2020 Vision" Edition Protesters attack the U.S. embassy in Baghdad following an American airstrike. U.S. Cyber Command contemplates information warfare to deter Russian election interference. And we’ll talk about the themes we think will loom large in 2020.
12.19.2019 The "Sad, Somber, and Solemn" Edition The House impeaches President Trump. What will a Senate trial look like? Former U.S. officials helped the United Arab Emirates build a domestic surveillance system. And a federal judge rebukes the FBI for its surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser.
12.11.2019 The "Beast of Burden" Edition The Justice Department Inspector General delivers a detailed report on the origins of the Trump-Russia probe. House lawmakers unveil articles of impeachment against Trump. And The Washington Post reveals that senior officials knew the U.S. wasn’t making progress in Afghanistan, ...
12.04.2019 The "-1" Edition The House Intelligence Committee submits its impeachment report, and the Judiciary Committee takes up the baton. Also, friend of the podcast Sophia Yan gives us an on-the-ground report from China.
11.22.2019 The "Lonely Amigo" Edition The House conducts marathon impeachment hearings with key witnesses. And Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted.
11.15.2019 The Cult-like Atmosphere Edition The first witnesses testify publicly in the impeachment inquiry. A jury deliberates Roger Stone’s fate. And Turkey’s president Erdogan visits Washington.
11.06.2019 The “Wait, Did I say NO Quid Pro Quo?” Edition A key witness in the impeachment investigation changes his testimony. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is under fire for his leadership of U.S. diplomacy. And the House lays out the rules for the public phase of the impeachment process.
10.30.2019 The “There’s No Whimpering in Podcasting” Edition A senior National Security Council official testifies about Trump’s phone call with the president of Ukraine. The U.S. military kills the leader of ISIS. And an investigation into the origins of the Russia probe takes a turn.
10.24.2019 The “Quid, Meet Quo” Edition The top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine delivers devastating testimony about a quid pro quo. The White House chief of staff says that quid pro quo was real—then says it wasn’t. Plus the latest breaking news on the impeachment inquiry, and ...
10.16.2019 The "Hand Grenades and Drug Deals" Edition Testimony on Capitol Hill this week reveals that Rudy Giuliani was running a shadow foreign policy on Ukraine. The White House vows not to cooperate with the impeachment investigation. And Turkish forces move into Syria, sparking a new national security ...
10.09.2019 The “Unmatched Wisdom” Edition Congress releases a series of revealing text messages that show the Trump administration pressuring Ukraine. Trump blocks a key participant in that effort from giving a deposition to Congress. And Trump’s announcement that he will withdraw U.S. troops from Syria ...
10.02.2019 The "Rudy Tooty Fresh and Fruity" Edition Secretary of State Pompeo says he was on the call between Presidents Trump and Zelensky at the center of the House impeachment inquiry. Rudy Giuliani’s contacts with Ukraininian officials and the State Department are under scrutiny. And Attorney General Bill ...
09.25.2019 The "Rubicon: Crossed?" Edition This week, the gang talks about the explosive revelations of a whistleblower regarding a phone call that Trump had with the president of Ukraine. What's the political and legal significance? What does it mean for U.S. national security? And how ...
09.19.2019 The "WhistleSTOP" Edition The Director of National Intelligence refuses to tell Congress about a whistleblower allegation that may involve President Trump. Israelis go to the polls as Benjamin Netanyahu fights to maintain power. And Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski gives defiant testimony to lawmakers ...
09.12.2019 The “You Can’t Fire Me, I Quit!” Edition Donald Trump and John Bolton finally part ways. The CIA had a spy in the upper reaches of the Kremlin, then got him out of Russia. And Trump’s Middle East peace negotiator calls it quits.
09.04.2019 The "'Surprised,' 'Stunned,' and 'Shocked'" Edition A new inspector general report faults former FBI Director Jim Comey for how he handled memos about his meetings with Donald Trump. The CIA isn’t so sure about a White House plan to expand its presence in Afghanistan. And National ...
08.28.2019 The "What’s Past is Prorogue" Edition British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suspends parliament as the Brexit deadline looms. World leaders push back—maybe?—on President Trump at the G7 summit. And Trump tells aides that he’ll pardon them if they have to break the law to build his ...
08.14.2019 The “Skyfall” Edition Susan and Shane are away, so Ben and Tamara are joined by special guests Scott Anderson and Quinta Jurecic. A Russian missile test accident kills scientists and raises questions. Hong Kong and Kashmir are both in crisis, and the United ...
08.07.2019 The “It’s the Terrorism, Stupid” Edition A series of shootings renews the discussion and debate around domestic terrorism. The U.S.-China trade war raises big questions about America’s role as a global power. And the United States faces a make-or-break moment in Syria.
07.31.2019 The “You Too Can Be the DNI!” Edition President Trump said he will nominate a junior congressman and prominent Mueller critic as the next director of national intelligence. CIA Director Gina Haspel has become a bulwark between the White House and the intelligence community. And investigators probe connections ...
07.25.2019 The “I Refer You to the Report” Edition Bob Mueller finally had his close up. Was he ready for it? Did he change any minds? Did we learn anything new about his investigation? We’ll talk about Mueller’s testimony this week before two congressional committees, and ask where do ...
07.23.2019 The Report: Part I: Active Measures We have a special treat for you in the Rational Security feed. Last week, Susan and Ben shared an Object Lesson with you: the podcast The Report, a deep dive narrative look at the contents of the Mueller investigation. We've ...
07.17.2019 The "Back to the Future" Edition Joe Biden lays out his foreign policy agenda. The Trump administration issues new rules for asylum seekers. And Julian Assange reportedly had some curious guests at the Ecuadorian embassy.
07.10.2019 The "Special Relationship" Edition The British ambassador to the U.S. resigns after his candid opinions on President Trump are leaked. Federal prosecutors intensify their investigation of a top Trump fundraiser. And a malicious conspiracy theory about a murdered DNC staffer was planted by Russian ...

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