Rational Security

President-elect Biden continues building his Cabinet, but his pick for defense secretary leaves some supporters cold. Administration officials drag their feet on the transition as Trump’s lawyers mount increasingly absurd and dangerous efforts to overturn the election. And the White House tries to rally support for a controversial weapons sale to the United Arab Emirates as the Gulf Arab states look ahead to a Biden administration that may be more skeptical of close ties. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A top Iranian nuclear scientist is assassinated. Everyone gets pardons this Christmas! And the attorney general takes steps to ensure the investigation of the Russia probe continues in the Biden administration. Plus, the gang welcomes special guest Noah Efron of "The Promised Podcast." See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're off this week for Thanksgiving, but we're bringing you back four years ago to reflect on the day after the 2016 election. What national security themes drove Donald Trump's supporters? What challenges did we anticipate Trump would face in forming a government? And what did we get right? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

President Trump fires the country’s top election security official because he won’t go along with his lies about a stolen election. Promising news about coronavirus vaccines raises important questions about who should get it first, and where. And President Trump prepares to draw down troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Joe Biden is elected president, but Donald Trump refuses to concede, and the transition to a new administration is rocky. Attorney General Bill Barr authorizes federal prosecutors to investigate potential voter fraud. And the gang takes questions from our live audience! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

President Trump falsely declares victory and asserts the election was fraudulent. What havoc could he raise as states continue to count ballots? Some of the most dreaded threats of foreign interference didn’t materialize, but other danger may lie ahead. And Trump may be defeated, but Trumpism may be alive and kicking. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Americans head to the polls in the face of a virus and potential disruptions at polling places and beyond. Whoever wins next Tuesday, the period between Election Day and the inauguration is bound to be rocky. And we’ll take a big picture look at the national security challenges that the next president will face, whoever he is. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rudy Giuliani finds himself at the center of a misbegotten effort to interfere in the 2020 election. American diplomats and intelligence officers complain they’re being left in the cold after mysterious attacks. And the Trump administration sends an unusual envoy to Syria to discuss U.S. hostages. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A Justice Department investigation into whether Obama-era officials improperly requested the identities of individuals from intelligence reports ends with a whimper. An investigation into the shooting of a protestor in Portland raises questions about the federal government’s use of force. And CyberCommand takes down a Russian botnet. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

President Trump tests positive for the coronavirus and the White House becomes a hot zone. Justice Department officials were “a driving force” behind an immigration policy that separated families at the border with Mexico. And two ISIS militants are charged in the murder of American hostages. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Trump tells a white nationalist group to “stand by” as he further tries to erode confidence in the November elections, this time from the presidential debate stage. Election officials are bracing for a wave of litigation and shenanigans when Americans head for the polls. And new information about Trump’s taxes reveal he’s massively in debt, adding to long-standing fears that his finances make him vulnerable to manipulation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A top member of the Mueller team says the special counsel “could have done more” to hold Trump accountable. A career government official accuses the White House of improperly trying to stop John Bolton from publishing his memoir. And the CIA is clamping down on intelligence about Russia, according to a new report. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A Trump-aligned political organization is accused of running a troll farm. The No. 2 on the team investigating the origins of the Russia probe quits, reportedly over concerns that the investigation is being politicized. And Israel signs an historic accord with two Arab states, as a fight over weapons sales to the UAE looms. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Multiple news organizations report that Trump has disparaged combat veterans, calling them “losers” and “suckers.” A senior Homeland Security official says he was told to stand down on the threat of Russian election interference. And the legal battle continues over whether a former White House counsel must testify before Congress. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Shootings in Kenosha and Portland raise new concerns about violent protests in the U.S. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn is not yet free of the justice system. And a prominent Russian opposition leader has been poisoned with a nerve agent.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Senate Intelligence Committee issues its long-awaited—and very long—report on Russian electoral interference in 2016 and the counterintelligence risks in the Trump campaign. The GAO determines that the leadership is serving illegally. And Belarussians have taken to the streets in protest against another stolen election by long-time strongman Alexander Lukashenko. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Russia wants to “denigrate” Joe Biden and China would prefer Trump lose in November, viewing him as “unpredictable,” the nation’s top election security official says. An investigation by The New York Times raises questions about whether intelligence officials are softening their views on Russia to avoid upsetting Trump. And Biden picks Kamala Harris as his running mate. We look at her national security positions and how those issues will or won’t influence the 2020 campaign. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Homeland Security Department compiles “intelligence reports” on protestors and journalists—including the tweets of our own Ben Wittes. Massive explosions in Beirut compound that country’s political and economic crises. And officials are increasingly warning about foreign interference in November’s election. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Attorney General Bill Barr testifies before Congress—about a lot. State and federal officials negotiate how to remove federal forces from Portland amid continuing protests. And Secretary of State Mike Pompeo faces his own day on the Hill after a blistering report on State Department dysfunction. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Federal officers descend on protestors in Portland, over the objections of state and local officials. Why did Trump choose this city, and what does he hope to gain from this expanding campaign of federal authority? And the U.S. hits back at Chinese spies, indicting two hackers and shuttering a consulate in Houston. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.