Skullduggery

The guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd brought up a wave of emotions for a beleaguered nation who watched it read live on Tuesday afternoon. For the first time in the history of the state of Minnesota — over 160 years — a white police officer was convicted for killing a Black civilian while on duty. Should this give us hope about the future of police accountability and racial justice in America? Or is this just a lone data point? Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman and Victoria Bassetti are joined by Yahoo News reporter Crystal Hill who covered the trial, and then by Dr. Nakia Gordon, a neuroscientist and psychology professor at Marquette University, who talks about the range of emotional responses to what was at the core of this trial: the denial of a person’s humanity.

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Former FBI special agent, author, and counterterrorism expert Ali Soufan joins Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman and Victoria Bassetti to talk about his organization’s shocking new report about the spread of the Q conspiracy. Soufan talks about the influence of foreign adversaries in the spread of disinformation, the role of the tech platforms and the algorithms that promote and fuel the conspiracy, and about what can be done to counter this dangerous movement, by taking what Soufan calls an “all-citizens” approach to the problem.

GUEST:

• Ali Soufan (@Ali_H_Soufan) former FBI special agent; CEO, Soufan Group; founder, Soufan Center

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President Biden’s announcement that he plans to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11th of this year will mark the end of America’s longest war. But: is it too soon to leave? Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman and Victoria Bassetti are joined by Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism adviser on 9/11 and outspoken critic of the George W. Bush administration. Clarke talks about the original flaws in the Afghanistan campaign, and gives his informed take on what future threats might endanger not only the Afghan government, but the United States, as well. 

Then, eight-year Marine veteran and novelist Elliot Ackerman joins to respond to some of Clarke’s opinions, and to offer his own foreboding predictions about what is to come. The United States might be done with Afghanistan, Ackerman says, but Afghanistan isn’t done with the United States.

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In the aftermath of the 2012 massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) says he experienced an awakening, and was called to fight for meaningful gun reform on behalf of the grieving families in his home state. Murphy joins Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman and Victoria Bassetti on this episode to talk about his renewed push for gun control legislation now, in the wake of recent shootings in Atlanta and Boulder. He talks about his strategy to get things done with — or without — the help of Senate Republicans, and about the Biden administration's announcement to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan later this year.

Our hosts also discuss the federal pause in the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines, and the police shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, as the trial of Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd continues in nearby Minneapolis.

GUEST:

• Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn. (@ChrisMurphyCT)

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Donald Trump may be out of office, but we're going to keep digging into the latest in political trickery, underhandedness, and all manner of unscrupulous behavior, as well as analyzing the news of the day, and hearing from high-ranking members of Congress, journalists, and experts on domestic and foreign policy.

So subscribe to Skullduggery today. You can find Skullduggery on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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The writer/director of the stunning new six-part investigative documentary series Q: Into the Storm, Cullen Hoback, joins Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman and Victoria Bassetti to talk about his amazing project, which spans years and multiple continents in search of the connections between the QAnon movement and a mysterious trio of figures associated with the website 8chan (or, as it was later known, 8kun). They talk about the implications of the documentary’s more fascinating discoveries: including a possible “confession” by Ron Watkins. 

Our hosts also give you the latest on Gaetz-gate, and update you on the backlash to MLB’s fight against Georgia’s restrictive new voting laws, which President Biden has called “Jim Crow on steroids.”

GUEST:

• Cullen Hoback (@CullenHoback), Investigative filmmaker, writer/director of Q: Into the Storm

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In the wake of Georgia's controversial and restrictive new voting laws, Major League Baseball decided to move their All-Star Game out of Atlanta. They weren’t alone in their reaction. Yahoo News’s Jon Ward joins Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman and Victoria Bassetti to talk about the implications of the corporate backlash in Georgia. Then, they are joined by Florida State Attorney Dave Aronberg of Palm Beach County, who lends his insight on a number of Florida stories in the news: the recent allegations that Gov. Ron DeSantis mishandled his state’s vaccine rollout through preferential treatment, the ongoing unravelling of Matt Gaetz, and the possibilities for the future indictment of one auspicious Palm Beach resident.

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In the wake of reporting that there is an ongoing Justice Dept. investigation into him, which involves sex, trafficking a minor across state lines, and possible campaign finance misdeeds, Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman and Victoria Bassetti sit down to untangle the twisted web that is Gaetz-gate (or maybe just “Gaet”?) They are joined by Washington Post Justice Dept. reporter Devlin Barrett, and former federal prosecutor Steven Block, who each lend their insight and expertise to predicting what comes next in this wild story.

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After much waiting and to much fanfare, President Biden gave his first press conference on Thursday, fielding reporters’ questions for a little over an hour. But what, exactly, was revealed? Michael Isikoff, Dan Klaidman, and Victoria Bassetti are joined by National Political Correspondent at the Washington Post Olivier Knox and Yahoo News reporter Caitlin Dickson to break down this presser, discussing the news-breaking moments, the artful (and less artful) dodges, and the state of the White House press corps, post-Trump.

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A horrific massacre; outrage, sadness; calls for reform; and then: nothing. This is our nation’s “doleful ritual” in the wake of yet another mass shooting. In the wake of the mass murder in Atlanta, another community is now in mourning, and an aggrieved and bewildered nation again begins a conversation about possible legislative answers.

In this episode, Mayor Sam Weaver of Boulder speaks with Michael Isikoff, Dan Klaidman, and Victoria Bassetti about what his city has gone through, and how it will be part of the gun control conversation to come. Then, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D, Michigan) joins to talk about the politicization of gun reform, about whether we need new laws or agencies to tackle domestic terrorism, and about a close election in Iowa.

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