Rational Security

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined once again by Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett! They sat down to discuss:

• “A Mess in Texas”: Texas’s Republican governor has appointed one of President Trump’s former election lawyers as Secretary of State. Are Trump’s supporters planning to steal the next election, or are Democrats’ concerns overblown?
• “In Mother Russia, Bear Poke You”: A Russian spy agency is still trying to penetrate U.S. networks, despite clear warnings of repercussions from the United States. Is the Biden administration’s strategy failing? And what should it do instead?
• “Chain of Fools”: The worst of the global pandemic may be behind us, but the disruptions to the global supply chain are still piling up. Has the drive for an integrated global economy hit its high water mark?

For object lessons, Quinta urged listeners to get their flu shot; Alan celebrated his favorite kitchen unitasker, the spaetzle maker; Scott recommended rewatching the first season of Saturday Night Live for a phenomenal snapshot into mid-1970s culture; and Natalie put on her tourism board hat to sing the virtues of her home city of Chicago.

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

And Rational Security listeners can now 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 cyber fellow Alvaro Marañon! They sat down to discuss:

• “Some Professional News”: LinkedIn is leaving China over the challenges of complying with its strict regulations on social media. Will other companies follow—and should they? 
• “Diamond Joe’s Decryption Key Party”: Last week the White House hosted a summit on combating ransomware—but Russia wasn’t invited. What does it tell us about international efforts to combat cybercrime?
• “How Do You Stop a Schoolyard Brawl?”: What should the Department of Justice do about violent threats against school principals and other public employees responsible for enforcing masking policies?

For object lessons, Quinta celebrated the return of Succession; Alan rejoiced at the long foretold coming of Mel Brooks's History of the World Part II; Scott recommended listeners binge the very podcast-oriented new show Only Murders in the Building; and Alvaro drew our attention to the recent purchase of soccer team Newcastle United by Saudi Arabia's public investment fund, and its apparent widespread acceptance just two years after that country's involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

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

And Rational Security listeners can now 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 Rational Security forefather and Washington Post reporter Shane Harris to discuss:

• “The Hunt for Bread October”: Which country did a U.S. Navy employee and his wife attempt to smuggle nuclear secrets to inside a peanut butter sandwich? And why did that country turn them over to FBI instead?
• “Turn After Leaving”: Is the intelligence community executing its own pivot to Asia—and will the post-withdrawal collapse of Afghanistan stymie its effort?
• “You Got Served”: Will the January 6 committee get the testimony and documents it is demanding, over former President Trump’s open direction not to cooperate?

For object lessons, Alan steered listeners to do some self-guided learning via the Great Courses Plus program; Quinta brought some attention to the unique items former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham chose to put in her background during her recent appearance on Meet the Press; Scott encouraged D.C. residents to run and get the cocomotion, rum distillery Cotton & Reed's incredibly delicious rendition of a fermented piña colada, before temperatures get too chilly; and Shane doubled down on the Queen's endorsement of her new favorite show, Line of Duty. 

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

And Rational Security listeners can now 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 special guest and Lawfare associate editor Bryce Klehm to discuss:

• "The Problem with Nosy Neighbors": How concerned should we be about the Chinese military getting up in Taiwan’s business—and airspace—over the weekend?
• "If You Want to be Popular, Don't Go to Law School": Does the Supreme Court’s declining popularity mean it is headed for a legitimacy crisis? And finally:
• "Now That's Outside-the-Box Financial Planning": What do the recently unleashed Pandora Papers tell us about the world’s wealthy elites—and the people leaking information about them? 

For object lessons, Quinta encouraged listeners to check out pictures and other remembrances of the COVID memorial exhibit on the National Mall that ended this past weekend; Scott endorsed the YouTube channel of his favorite online bartender as well as his new favorite drink, the Trinidad Sour; Alan sang the praises of his favorite open source operating system, Linux, and urged others to convert; and Bryce spoke of his love for Ken Burns and his latest documentary on Muhammad Ali.

And if you have questions for our forthcoming mailbag segment, be sure to send them to us!

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

And Rational Security listeners can now 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 special guest (and our first-ever undisputed Generation Z guest) Lawfare managing editor Jacob Schulz! They discussed:

• From the Department of the End of the Republic: Should a recently revealed plan to manipulate the counting of the 2020 electoral votes in President Trump’s favor have us worried about 2024?
• A Prisoner Dilemma: What should we make of China’s use of hostage diplomacy to secure the release of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou? And,
• Hitting “Unfriend”: Is a federal court correct that Facebook has an obligation to share information on atrocities with international tribunals?

For object lessons, Quinta endorsed "The Other Two" for some wholesome entertainment; Alan sang the praises of the newest pasta shape on the block; Scott dismissed Alan's pasta shape as a thing of nightmares, while endorsing the Tuscan classic "priest-strangler"  (and saying hello to some RatSec listeners in the family); and Jacob brought our attention to the trend of French presidents being abused by their constituents, exemplified most recently by the (unsuccessful) egging of French President Emmanuel Macron. 

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

And Rational Security listeners can now 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 special guest Lawfare executive editor (and first-time podcaster) Natalie Orpett! They sat down to discuss:

• The AUKUS Awkwardness: Why does a new U.S.-U.K.-Australia agreement over submarines have France (and China) up in arms?
• Not Like on J6: What does the "Justice for J6 Rally" flop tell us about the state of right-wing extremism here in the United States and how the media covers it?
• Milley's Crossing: Did the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff step out of line in trying to assuage Chinese concerns over President Trump's intentions?

For Object Lessons, Alan shared his Midwest pride in his wife's (vegetarian) hot dish (recipe here). Quinta celebrated the tearing down of the monument to inefficiency at the center of D.C.'s Dave Thomas Circle. Scott shared a scandalous discovery he recently made at a family wedding. And Natalie urged listeners to both visit the touching monument to Americans who died as a result of the COVID pandemic on the National Mall and celebrated the French language's special way with outrage, as embodied in the French national anthem. 

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

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

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On this week’s episode, Alan, Quinta, and Scott are joined by the fourth member of their Lawfare senior editor quartet, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow (and first-time Rational Security guest) Molly Reynolds!

They sit down to discuss: the legacy of 9/11 and whether we’ve really done everything wrong since (including in Congress); the last tragic drone strike in Kabul that now appears to have killed an Afghan aid worker and his family, and what it tells us about the future of the U.S. drone program; and what the fences going up around the Capitol in advance of the right-wing “Justice for J6” rally this weekend mean for the state of our democracy.

For object lessons, Alan mentioned this article in The Atlantic on "How Hollywood Sold Out to China"; Quinta highlighted Kim Kardashian's striking outfit at the 2021 Met Gala; Scott bore first-hand witness to the return of bald eagles to our nation's capital; and Molly recommended the new podcast "Bad Blood: The Final Chapter" on the Theranos trial.

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

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

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On this premiere episode of Rational Security 2.0, new hosts Alan Rozenshtein, Quinta Jurecic, and Scott R. Anderson are joined by special guest Benjamin Wittes to discuss: the Taliban's new government and the brutal way it seems to be governing (especially in relation to women); the Biden administration's border policies, and why they're facing trouble in the courts; and our summer from hell: are recent heat waves, wildfires, and floods now a permanent part of the American experience, and will this change the political calculus on climate change?

For object lessons, Alan testified to the charms of Duluth, Minnesota; Ben talked about his efforts to shrink his carbon footprint, including by building Lawfare a new conference table; Quinta discussed an exciting new line of action figures taking toy stores by storm (pictured below); and Scott explained why the end of the global pandemic may just taste like pumpkin beer. 

Rational Security is a product of Lawfare. Be sure to visit Rational Security's show page and support Lawfare on Patreon to gain access to ad-free podcast feeds and other benefits.

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Rational Security 2.0 returns after Labor Day…

You can get the rest of this bonus episode, “The ‘Dry-Runs Are for Cowards’ Edition,” by becoming a Lawfare supporter at http://www.patreon.com/lawfare/. And help us plan for our next phase by filling out this survey: https://forms.gle/ga7rUz6QfNSE6NST9.Weekly episodes of Rational Security 2.0 will start returning to this podcast feed after Labor Day…

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