Terrorists attack Brussels in a series of bombings. The FBI tells Apple, “Just kidding! We can maybe hack the iPhone after all.” And Donald Trump sits down with the Washington Post editorial board, and no one’s sure what he said.
President Obama nominates Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. An American ISIS defector is in Kurdish custody. And major Web sites have been delivering malware to their readers.
Republican national security experts declare Donald Trump unfit to be president. Who would actually advise a President Trump? And President Obama pulls back the curtain on the inner workings of his foreign policy. Plus, in Object Lessons, Ben and Tamara are on the road again.
A New York magistrate judge says the government can't force Apple to help the FBI extract information from an iPhone. Forty percent of analysts at the U.S. military's Central Command say the “integrity” of their reports is flawed. And Ben and the president of Estonia have a tweet-a-tweet about the going dark problem.
FBI Director Jim Comey bites into Apple. The Obama administration unveils its plan for closing Guantanamo. And the Homeland Security Department will start scouring social media for warning signs of violent extremism.
We join our friends at the Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast and the Lawfare Podcast for a evening of national security discussion, food, alcohol, and live audience questions. We go to town on the news about Apple. We talk about a new movie about Stuxnet on steroids. And we counter some violent extremism.
Could things get worse in Syria? Oh yes! The U.S. brings charges against an ISIS member in the death of an American hostage. And Republicans are divided over who supports waterboarding more.
The administration is revamping its efforts to staunch ISIS recruitment. The NSA makes the line between cyber attacks and defense even blurrier. And Ben has a plan to solve the going dark problem.
The Arab Spring five years later. What have we learned about the future of peace and stability in the region? Who is the mysterious fourth American hostage freed by Iran? And the next wave of surveillance reform is coming for you.
Four Americans are freed in a prisoner swap with Iran. Twitter is facing a lawsuit over jihadist messages posted on the site. And Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is cracking down on...everybody!
Obama delivers his final State of the Union address. And Iran delivers ten sailors back into U.S. custody after briefly detaining them. Plus, in Object Lessons, leadership...what does it smell like?
Kim Jong-un says North Korea tested a hydrogen bomb. The Russians may have caused a blackout in Ukraine with a cyber attack. And President Obama plans to do a lot of foreign travel in his final year in office. Plus, in Object Lessons, why are embassies sending out such crappy holiday gifts?
This week on the podcast, the gang wraps up the year that was 2015. What were the most important stories of the year? And what's the big story we'll all be talking about in 2016?
GOP presidential candidates debate foreign policy and dare each other to carpet bomb the hell out of the Islamic State. And are the Saudis finally ready to get serious and take on ISIS? Special guest Will McCants joins the podcast this week.
Barack Obama tries to reassure the nation that ISIS is not winning. Donald Trump has a different plan to keep America safe. And John Kerry is so over the Middle East peace process.
President Obama is sending 200 more special operations forces to Iraq to combat ISIS. China seems to be hacking the U.S. less. And a Taliban ally is holding an American man hostage.
Turkey shoots down a Russian jet after it allegedly violated Turkish airspace. Brussels goes on lockdown, raising the question of how long it’s rational to shut down a major city to preempt a terrorist attack. And thoughts on the “forever war” by a commander who served in it. Plus, a special Thanksgiving edition of Object Lessons. Lawfare's new managing editor Susan Hennessey joins the gang this week.
What do the ISIS attacks in Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, and now France tell us about the group's evolution and whether it’s changing strategy? The Paris attacks are breathing new life into the crypto wars. And U.S governors say they don't want Syrian refugees in their states.
Two weeks after a Russian airliner fell from the sky in Egypt, will we ever know how the plane crashed? GOP presidential candidates are all over the map with their foreign policy plans. Plus, a modest proposal for closing Guantanamo.
President Obama is sending 50 Special Forces members into Syria. A new book marks the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. And a new Twitter war erupts over drone strikes, and it doesn’t involve Ben!
The European Court of Justice may have just knocked the surveillance state back on its heels. Is Russia a resurgent power in the Middle East? And one think tank fellow/podcaster has a bone to pick with Vladimir Putin.
Quinta Jurecic joins Shane and Ben for the podcast. This week: A new leak shows us more about the inner workings of drones strikes. FBI Director Jim Comey concedes defeat in the encryption wars. And Obama’s moral muse.
Has the Obama administration outplayed China on cyber spying? The Taliban is on the march in Afghanistan. What does this mean for the future of U.S. troops in that country? And the new movie Sicario is one of the sharpest criticisms yet of the war on drugs.
Plus, in Object Lessons—GODZILLA!
Russia launches airstrikes in Syria, changing the political calculus in the Middle East. U.S.-backed rebels in Syria are also coming under attack. Is the U.S. abandoning them? And Edward Snowden is tweeting and Edward Scissorhands is trending.
Russia is about to intervene in Syria. Good luck with that. The U.S. and China are contemplating a “cyber arms treaty.” And the New York Times editorial board has a plan for closing Guantanamo. Plus, in Object Lessons, Edward Snowden has a new look.