Rational Security

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 the latter’s request for a No-Fly-Zone and other forms of support that they are so far unwilling to extend. What support should the United States and its allies provide to the Ukrainian government? And where is the line they shouldn’t cross?
• “The Crime-Fraud Perception.” A new filing by the Jan. 6 committee points out that it sure looks like President Trump might have committed some crimes in the aftermath of the 2020 election. What does this mean for the future of a possible Justice Department investigation? 

For object lessons, Alan expressed his horniness for the annual antler shed hunt that takes place in Jackson Hole, Wyoming each year. Quinta recommended a New Yorker piece on the possibility that former congressman and Trump chief-of-staff Mark Meadows engaged in a bit of voter fraud. And Scott shared his new favorite way to drink amaro: all shook up. 

Be sure to visit our show page at www.lawfareblog.com and to follow us on Twitter at @RatlSecurity. 

And Rational Security listeners can get a committed ad-free feed by becoming a Lawfare material supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare!

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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 military in the streets, Western nations and their allies have responded by providing the Ukrainians with arms and support while imposing an unprecedented array of sanctions against Russia’s economy. Can these efforts turn the tide in the war? And what other consequences might they have?
• “On the Homefront.” While Americans have overwhelmingly rallied in support of Ukraine, even mainstream Republicans have continued to use the crisis to score points against the Biden administration. Meanwhile, the party’s Trump wing has gone even further in complimenting Putin and defending, if not openly supporting, his actions. What impact will the Ukraine conflict have on our domestic political scene–and vice versa?

For object lessons, Alan passed along a recipe for one of his family's favorite classic Ukrainian dishes, cold borscht. Quinta recommended the 2018 book “Russia Without Putin” by Tony Wood as a good read on Russia in this particular moment. And Scott passed along H.A. Hellyer's recent op-ed on the unfortunate racism that is evident in the different ways the media has covered the Ukraine conflict versus other recent conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Be sure to visit our show page at www.lawfareblog.com and to follow us on Twitter at @RatlSecurity. 

And Rational Security listeners can get a committed ad-free feed by becoming a Lawfare material supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare!

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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 Putin acting rationally? Or are there reasons to be concerned about his mental state?
• “Your Presidential Immunity…Has Just Been REVOKED.” The district court overseeing civil lawsuits against former President Trump and associates for the Jan. 6 insurrection has dismissed claims against several of Trump’s associates, but allowed some suits against Trump to continue, despite his claims of immunity. Does this mean Trump is likely to be held accountable for his actions?
• “Laws Don’t Kill Guns. Lawsuits Kill Guns.” The families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims have secured a settlement from Remington Arms, the company that made and marketed the gun used in the shooting. Meanwhile, California is considering a law that would allow individuals to use private lawsuits to enforce gun restrictions, modeled on Texas’s S.B. 8 anti-abortion law. Are private lawsuits the route to reducing gun violence?

For object lessons, Alan recommended the new Shonda Rhimes show "Inventing Anna," over some dissents from his co-hosts. Quinta passed along Adam Kotsko's recent piece on the fallout surrounding influential philosopher Giorgio Agamben's open criticism of pandemic-related lockdowns. Scott urged D.C. locals to eat out at two of his new favorite restaurants, Etabli and Daru, and also recommended folks check out Etabli's very fun wine club. And Natalie endorsed her new Ember mug for keeping your coffee at that perfect temperature (and exposing yourself to internet of things shenanigans).

Be sure to visit our show page at www.lawfareblog.com and to follow us on Twitter at @RatlSecurity. 

And Rational Security listeners can get a committed ad-free feed by becoming a Lawfare material supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare!

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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 exposing Russian misinformation? 
• “Legitimate Political Discord.” The Republican National Committee’s sanction of Reps. Cheney and Kinzinger for their participation in the Jan. 6 committee has triggered a rare backlash among many Republicans, leading chairperson Ronna McDaniel scrambling to explain the RNC’s assertion that the events of Jan. 6 were “legitimate political discourse.” Is this a sign of the strength of Trumpism’s hold on the Republican party, its limits, or both? 
• “I’ve Got 230 Problems and This Fix Is One.” The Senate Judiciary Committee recently advanced the revived EARN IT Act, a proposal that would limit Section 230 liability protections for online social media platforms in order to combat child sexual abuse material. But does the Act risk infringing on legitimate speech too much, as many advocates maintain?

For object lessons, Alan recommended a rainmaker toy that has been invaluable in soothing his toddler. Quinta celebrated the return of her green thumb, as the cuttings from her deceased tropical plant from several weeks back have found new root. Scott endorsed the book (and forthcoming HBO series) “Circe” by Madeline Miller, expressed his excitement for her new forthcoming book “Persephone,” but urged her not to give up on the novelization of “The Tempest” that she was working on previously. And Dominic celebrated the simple joys of a game of basketball, courtesy of a thoughtful gift from his girlfriend.

Be sure to visit our show page at www.lawfareblog.com and to follow us on Twitter at @RatlSecurity. 

And Rational Security listeners can get a committed ad-free feed by becoming a Lawfare material supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare!

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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 capital city of Ottawa to declare a state of emergency. What does this mean for Canada moving forward? And what lessons might it be able to learn from the U.S.’s January 6th experience (and vice versa)?
• “Just Be Glad Someone Unplugged the Shredder.” The Washington Post released a deep dive this week on the consequences of former President Trump’s habitual tearing up of official records that are supposed to be protected by federal laws, revealing that White House staff spent countless hours piecing some records back together while others are permanently lost. What is the real cost of Trump’s actions here and what can we do to prevent other presidents from doing the same in the future?  
• “The Biggest Beijing Slapback Since Misty Met Dubya.” The Beijing Olympics got off to a controversial start this week, as China selected an athlete from its persecuted Uyghur minority to light the Olympic torch–a choice quickly contextualized by NBC commentators, who correctly noted that the U.S. government has labeled what China is doing to its Uyghur population as a genocide. What does this incident tell us about NBC’s approach to covering this most complicated of Olympics–and the media’s engagement with China more broadly? And will it change China’s calculus in trying to host the games?

Be sure to visit our show page at www.lawfareblog.com and to follow us on Twitter at @RatlSecurity. 

And Rational Security listeners can get a committed ad-free feed by becoming a Lawfare material supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare!

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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 1872 law pardoning members of the Confederacy. What are the odds of his case and what does it tell us about the possibility of future disqualification proceedings?
• “There Never Was a Quiet Part, Was There?” Former President Trump triggered a stir earlier this week when he made statements suggesting not only that former Vice President Mike Pence could have overturned the 2020 election outcome, but that he would pardon participants in the Jan. 6 insurrection if reelected in 2024. What impact will this have on ongoing reform debates–and Trump’s election prospects?
• “He Took Home a Bronze for Dodging the Issue.” The Beijing Olympics get underway later this week, kicking off a multi-week period where Olympians, their governments, sponsoring corporations and sports fans will all have to navigate an array of tricky questions about how they should act in light of China’s questionable conduct, including its human rights record and expected surveillance of attendees. What should we expect from these games around the games?

For object lessons, Alan recommended the recent Vanity Fair portrait, "The Rise and Fall of Jerry Falwell, Jr.," for some casual bedtime reading. Quinta embraced pundit accountability and issued a mea culpa for an earlier misstatement about a notorious terrorist's history with the law. Scott celebrated the end of "Dry January" by sipping on an amaro caldo, and recommended listeners do the same. And Roger made another drink recommendation from his own family history: the hard-to-find (in America, anyway) vin jaune.

Be sure to visit our show page at www.lawfareblog.com and to follow us on Twitter at @RatlSecurity. 

And Rational Security listeners can get a committed ad-free feed by becoming a Lawfare material supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare!

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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 Michigan.” The prosecution of the attempted kidnappers of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has hit a snag, with defense attorneys (and the conservative media) alleging that purported misconduct on the part of the FBI amounts to entrapment. What could a failure here mean for the fight against domestic violent extremism?
• “Urgent Chinese Secrets, Huh?” The Justice Department has dropped charges in a leading case in the China Initiative, a Trump-era program that targets individuals for improper ties to China but has been criticized for encouraging racial discrimination and chilling legitimate research. Is this the end of the program or something else?

For object lessons, Alan drew our attention to the "Just Enough Family" podcast, which features classic tales of things not working out for rich people. Quinta urged Wordle fans to check out its more challenging Bizarro World counterpart, Absurdle. Scott made a passionate plea for reform in relation to one of our country's most systemic procedural injustices: NFL overtime rules. And Jacob endorsed both the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations soccer competition and the optimistically cosmopolitan sci-fi throwback (to 2016), "Arrival." 

Be sure to visit our show page at www.lawfareblog.com and to follow us on Twitter at @RatlSecurity. 

And Rational Security listeners can get a committed ad-free feed by becoming a Lawfare material supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare!

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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 OKstupid.” The Justice Department has indicted leaders of the Oath Keepers movement for seditious conspiracy, based in part on social media communications in which they actively recruited and planned for the violence of Jan. 6. What does the indictment tell us about the risk of domestic violent extremism?
• “Law & Order: DVE.” The Justice Department’s National Security Division just created a new unit committed to prosecuting domestic terrorism. What kind of lasting impact might this move have in preventing another Jan. 6?

For object lessons, Alan drew our attention to a story of rampant abuse of power being investigated by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency's inspector general: allegations that an employee printed off over 100 copies of their wedding program on a government computer. Quinta made the minor suggestion that the FBI should not Tweet about MLK Day, which commemorates the life of a man it unlawfully surveilled and tried to push toward suicide. Scott strongly celebrated the new show "We Are Lady Parts" about a female Muslim punk band in East London, as well as the album of original music its creators have released. And Claudia drew our attention to a story of international significance: the deregulation of French dressing, after a decades-long regulatory fight. 

Be sure to visit our show page at www.lawfareblog.com and to follow us on Twitter at @RatlSecurity. 

And Rational Security listeners can get a committed ad-free feed by becoming a Lawfare material supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare!

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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 week, President Biden commemorated the anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection with some strong words for his predecessor, without ever actually naming him. Does this signal a strategic shift in how Democrats are taking on threats to American democracy—and is it a good one? 
• “Faceboo(galoo).” The sister of a police officer killed by a member of the far-right “boogaloo boys” is suing Meta, the newly renamed parent company of Facebook, for promoting the group’s content and connecting potential members through its content algorithms. Could this represent a way around Section 230 protections? And what would the ramifications be for other social media platforms?

For object lessons, Quinta called out Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch for recently declining to wear a mask at oral arguments. Alan drew the listeners' attention to a recent story of imperfect revenge: a shop owner who is now facing charges of retaliation for dumping 91,500 pennies covered in oil on the driveway of a former employee who claimed not to have received his final paycheck. Scott celebrated the fact that his prayers for a caffeinated cocktail had been answered but pointed towards what he finds to be an even better solution: coffee and Averna. And finally, Natalie noted the new metaphors for climate change that she'd discovered on recently re-reading the children's classic, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs." 

Be sure to visit our show page at www.lawfareblog.com and to follow us on Twitter at @RatlSecurity. 

And Rational Security listeners can get a committed ad-free feed by becoming a Lawfare material supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare!

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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 increasingly authoritarian Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban for re-election. What does this endorsement tell us about Trump—and what may it mean for Orban?
• “It’s a New Extradition, Hot and Fresh Out the Kitchen.” The Justice Department recently secured the extradition of Kremlin insider Vladislav Klyushin, who may have information on a range of Russian intelligence activities, including 2016 election interference. What does this move tell us about how Russian and U.S. law enforcement activities intersect with their intelligence capabilities? 

For object lessons, Quinta recommended Katie Kitamura's new book, “Intimacies.” Scott urged parents of sick children everywhere to try to turn to the back catalog of the original The Muppet Show, now available streaming online. And Ben gave a double-header endorsement of both Ben Macintyre's classic history of the Kim Philby spy saga, “A Spy Among Friends,” and Lawfare's own forthcoming podcast miniseries on accountability for the January 6 insurrection, entitled The Aftermath. 

Be sure to visit our show page at www.lawfareblog.com and to follow us on Twitter at @RatlSecurity. 

And Rational Security listeners can get a committed ad-free feed by becoming a Lawfare material supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.