In this week's bar chat (ok, the bar is virtual but the beer is real and Al is enjoying a "Juicy Ass" - please don't pursue why!) the lads look at various aspects of the war ("Don't mention the war" - classic John Cleese in Fawlty Towers!), why the Persian Gulf is more of a swamp, and why President Trump may not want to distort his face with anger. Join us and hoist a pint!

This week the boys weigh in on a new report on transnational repression (TNR) in Canada, co-authored by one of us (hint: not Neil and not Al), why it is so hard to use intelligence in court cases, and ask whether the Hells Angels owned a shipping line. Three spies, three beers (well two since Al was drinking something called 'water'), and a virtual bar - what more can one ask for?

In yet another chat in a virtual bar, the boys look into why a couple of Western University students were arrested on possible national security charges, why Canadians make great targets for Cuban spies, and why hiding behind a snowman is a great way to spy on someone (and so Canadian!).

The boys in the virtual bar celebrate Friday with a variety of real beers and have reason to cheer! Canada's Public Safety Minister Gary "the recuser" Anandasangaree finally announces a head of the soon-to-be-created Foreign Influence Transparency Registry! It may have been a long time in coming, but they needed to choose a wall colour first (enquiring minds want to know: was it Pantone's colour for 2026 - Cloud Dancer?). And will the new office have the US at the top of its list? One thing that never lists is Spies Like Us!

After a short hiatus, the boys are back...and they have a guest! Andrew Kirsch is a former CSIS intelligence officer, an author and willing to talk to us! This is so cool, more people to listen to!

Happy New Year fans!! Like many sites Spies Like Us can have a look ahead episode. Here the lads prognosticate on what we can expect to happen in 2026. Oh, and advice from the Hardy Boys on how to use a cut out operative if you are a foreign state sowing mayhem in another country.

As 2025 draws to a close, Al, Phil and Neil look back at what made national security headlines this year, wonder why Gary Anandasangaree is still Canada's Public Safety Minister, and figure out why Neil can't be host of the podcast. Despite a lack of good news, we end with a note of holiday cheer!

The boys are back - with Al having returned from a Top Secret mission to Casablanca where he ate and drank too much - and just in time to weigh in on a whole bunch of foiled and successful terrorist attacks! With Grizzly Bear's reappearance Phil no longer has to ?sing? the musical intro but he does get to mark a special birthday!

While Al is AWOL - didn't he just get back from vacation? - Neil and Phil fill (!) in ably and are joined by former FBI Agent Lauren Anderson to talk about what the heck if happening at the FBI.  No fake guns or challenge coins were harmed in this recording by the way.

An Al-less trio - which makes Neil and Phil a dynamic duo! - weighs in on CSIS Director Dan Rogers first ?annual? threat overview speech and what Canadians should take away from it. From terrorism to foreign interference to transnational repression to the Canadian Arctic, we look at the landscape but refrain from singing Celine Dion's 'My heart will go on' for obvious reasons.