SpyTalk

Investigative reporter John Dinges tells how Henry Kissinger failed to prevent Chile’s 1976 murder of Orlando Letelier in downtown D.C. More from John Dinges When Terrorists Struck in the Heart of Washington, D.C. | SpyTalk Books by author John Dinges Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sharon Weinberger on how Big Tech is fueling the future of war. Sharon Weinberger talks about her latest book Valley of Death How Big Tech Is Fueling the Future of War. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A greater array of better-armed threats confronts the US than on 9/11. Terrorism and insurgency expert Bruce Hoffman joins the podcast to discuss the current state of Al-Qaeda and its affiliates in the world Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Peter Bergen on the triumphs and tragedies wrought by 9/11. More from our guest: https://www.peterbergen.com/ His latest book: All the Presidents' Wars Twenty-Five Years of America's War on Terror - Bookshop.org US Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter | https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow SpyTalk on Twitter | https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack | https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former CIA operations officer and member of CIA's Senior Intelligence Service (SIS-3) turned author, Jim Lawler joins Micheal to discuss real world espionage, spy recruitment, and his latest spy novel. The Traitor’s Tale by Jim Lawler Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter | https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow SpyTalk on Twitter | https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack | https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former CIA Chief Learning Officer Steve Hirsch tells how Russia, China, and Iran exploit the cracks in US intelligence. More From Stephen Hirsch | https://stephenhirsch.com/ Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter | https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow SpyTalk on Twitter | https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack | https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Joby Warrick joined SpyTalk to talk about “The Jackal: The Rise and Fall of Carlos, the World’s First Super-Terrorist.” Check out the book: The Jackal The Rise and Fall of Carlos, the World's First More from Joby Warrick Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Political pressure on the spy agency is forcing people out, says former senior analyst Julia Curlee. More From Julia Curlee at | https://www.lawfaremedia.org/contributors/jcurlee Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter | https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow SpyTalk on Twitter | https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack | https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former FBI executive Lauren Anderson on the Director’s China, Russia outreaches. Lauren C. Anderson | https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurencandersonintl/ https://laurencanderson.substack.com/ Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter | https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow SpyTalk on Twitter | https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack | https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Wall Street Journal reporter Bojan Pancevski unveils the astounding story of Ukraine’s sabotage of the Russian pipeline. Plus, Jeff and Michael discuss Jay Clayton, Todd Blanche, and more. Read Bojan’s book The Nord Stream Conspiracy Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter | https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow SpyTalk on Twitter | https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack | https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Atlantic staff writer Shane Harris drills down on the changes roiling the ODNI and CIA. Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter | https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow SpyTalk on Twitter | https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack | https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Terrorism expert Colin Clarke fact-checks the administration’s claims on leftwing extremism and election security. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tom LoBianco answered an ad for a writer and then things went south. Tom LoBianco is a veteran national politics reporter and editor of 24sight News, the independent news site on Substack. 24sight's scoops have been featured in The New York Times, CNN, ABC News, the Reddit front page, the Columbia Journalism Review and many other outlets. Tom LoBianco https://www.24sight.news/ Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow SpyTalk on Twitter https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Seeing-eye bombs were supposed to limit civilian casualties. Jeffrey Stern, author of “The Warhead,” explains why they didn’t. Jeffrey Stern The Warhead https://www.jeffreyestern.com/books Follow Michael Isikoff | https://x.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://x.com/SpyTalker Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack | https://www.spytalk.co/ Jeffrey E. Stern is an award-winning journalist and the author of five books, including his newest book The Warhead, The 15:17 to Paris, which was adapted as a major motion picture by Clint Eastwood and Warner Brothers, and The Last Thousand: One School’s Promise in a Nation at War, an honorable mention for best book of the year by Library Journal. Stern co-wrote and produced the award-winning independent film Yasmeen’s Element, which premiered at the SXSW film festival and was named a “best of the fest.” He has been named a graduate fellow at the Stanford Center for International Conflict and…

New York Times Intelligence Reporter Julian Barnes on the Rise of Bill Pulte. More from Julian Julian E. Barnes Writes about the American intelligence community, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and other spy agencies, as well as broader national and international security issues. His stories seek to break news about what intelligence officials are thinking, and occasionally doing, and to explain the U.S. perspective on security matters. X: @julianbarnes Threads: @julianbarnes LinkedIn: Julian E. Barnes Signal: julianbarnes.99 Anonymous tips: nytimes.com/tips Follow Michael Isikoff | https://x.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://x.com/SpyTalker Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack | https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former senior CIA analyst David Kanin on the crises in US intelligence. David Kanin is a retired CIA senior analyst and member of the Senior Intelligence Service. https://commonsensecoalition.net/about-csc/ Follow Michael Isikoff | https://x.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://x.com/SpyTalker Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack | https://www.spytalk.co Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former Gitmo prosecutor Michael Lebowitz takes us inside the nuclear plot that never was. Mike Lebowitz is one of America’s few war-crimes prosecutors with front-line counterterrorism experience. A former senior attorney at the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, he spent nearly a decade prosecuting cases at Guantanamo Bay, including the 9/11, USS Cole, and top Al Qaeda commander trials. A US Army combat veteran and former Pathfinder unit paratrooper officer, Lebowitz also served as a senior legal advisor to US Army Cyber Command. He has been featured or quoted by the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Associated Press, and the Atlantic. He lives in Washington, DC. Second Wave by Michael Lebowitz In 2003, US intelligence uncovered evidence that al Qaeda had acquired nuclear materials, plotting to smuggle them into American ports. The “Second Wave” threat triggered one of the most urgent and secretive manhunts in US history. With the cinematic intensity of Zero Dark Thirty and the…

Former Obama speechwriter Tommy Vietor talks about energizing Dems on vital US foreign policy issues. Tommy Vietor | https://x.com/TVietor08 | https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-the-world/ Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter | https://x.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://x.com/SpyTalker Follow SpyTalk on Twitter | https://x.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack | https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Cuba intervention expert Peter Kornbluh joins SpyTalk to discuss Trump’s pressure campaign. Peter Kornbluh | National Security Archive Peter Kornbluh, Senior Analyst, has worked at the Archive since April 1986. He currently directs the Archive's Cuba and Chile Documentation Projects. He was co-director of the Iran-Contra documentation project and director of the Archive's project on U.S. policy toward Nicaragua. From 1990-1999, he taught at Columbia University as an adjunct assistant professor of international and public affairs. Cuba: Declassified Records on the Brothers to the Rescue Shootdown | National Security Archive Check out National Security Archive on Facebook and Bluesky https://www.facebook.com/NSArchive https://bsky.app/profile/nsarchive.bsky.social Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter |https://x.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://x.com/SpyTalker Follow SpyTalk on Twitter | https://x.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk…

Ex-CIA operative Jerry Watson and journalist Bob Drogin tell the disastrous story of Curveball and its relevance to today’s war against Iran. The US invaded Iraq after the based on bogus intel. Much of that intel was fabricated by Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi an Iraqi defector codenamed "Curveball." More from our guests: Bob Drogin | Los Angeles Times A CIA Officer Returns to Iraq and Uncovers Embarrassing Details of the Spy Agency’s WMD Debacle Curveball Jerry Watson | https://www.criticalanswers.net/ Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter |https://x.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://x.com/SpyTalker Follow SpyTalk on Twitter | https://x.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack | https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former CIA Russia hand Sean Wiswesser assesses Putin’s grip on his security services amid rumors of coups. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Veteran journalist Jack Cheevers takes another look at President Kennedy’s ambivalent role in the overthrow and assassination of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem. Check out Kennedy’ Coup by Jack Cheevers Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter https://x.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter https://x.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow SpyTalk on Twitter https://x.com/talk_spy Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A former Pakistani ambassador to the US says the more Trump bashes Iran, the more it will dig in. Husain Haqqani joins SpyTalk to discuss the state of diplomacy between Iran and the US. Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow SpyTalk on Twitter https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former CIA Iran spy recruiter Mark Fowler says the “peace deal” is not the end of the war. He shares his analysis of the recent peace talks based on his understanding of how Iranians negotiate. For more of Mark Fowler's analysis follow him on Substack | https://substack.com/@malfow5 Mark also writes espionage fiction | https://markafowler-author.com/ Michael Isikoff on Twitter | https://twitter.com/isikoff Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://twitter.com/SpyTalker SpyTalk on Twitter | https://twitter.com/talk_spy Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former CENTCOM commander Gen. Joseph Votel says military leaders should refuse a Trump order to bomb Iran "back to the Stone Ages" Joseph Leonard Votel is a retired four-star general in the United States Army who was commander of United States Central Command from March 2016 to March 2019. Before that, he served as commander of the United States Special Operations Command. Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter | https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter | https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter | https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow SpyTalk on Twitter | https://twitter.com/talk_spy Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Trump and Netanyahu finger others for Iran war problems. SpyTalk speaks with Yossi Melman, an investigative journalist with The Jerusalem Post about issues USA and Israel have with the methods and objectives of the war. More from Yossi Melman | Yossi Melman | The Jerusalem Post | www.yossimelman.com | (@yossi_melman) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former CIA operative and Senior DOD Official Mick Mulroy Details Trump’s Bad Options on Iran. https://www.loboinstitute.org/ Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter: https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Acclaimed Iranian American writer Hooman Majd talks about the likely future of the Islamic Republic. Hooman Majd is an Iranian-born American journalist, author, and political commentator focused on Iranian affairs. https://x.com/hmajd Minister without Portfolio: Memoir of a Reluctant Exile Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter: https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ex-CIA op sees no end in sight for Iran conflict. "What you're now looking at is perpetual war," says Reuel Gerecht, former Iran target officer in SpyTalk interview. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former top intel operative David Shedd says it's now "50-50" Xi will invade next year. David Shedd The Great Heist China’s Epic Campaign to Steal America’s Secrets Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Trump, Iran at fateful crossroads, top Middle East expert Jon Alterman says on the SpyTalk podcast. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Congressmember Mary Gay Scanlon speaks with SpyTalk's Michael Isikoff about the secretive government list of “domestic terrorist groups” Attorney General all but confirmed the existence of in her recent trip to The Hill. Then Karen Greenberg and Michael Isikoff talk with writer and retired American FBI agent, Mike German about the implications and consequences of the NSPM7 memo and the FISA court. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former senior CIA official Larry Pfeiffer discusses the DNI’s strange behavior with SpyTalk hosts Jeff Stein, Michael Isikoff and Karen Greenberg. Larry Pfeiffer | https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrypfeiffer/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

How A.I. is revolutionizing the spies’—and spy catchers’—toolkits. With ex-CIA officer Aaron Brown. Aaron Brown | https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-brown-lumbra/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

ISIS and other Afghan-based terror groups are growing stronger, a new UN report says. Expert Colin Clarke explains why. Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former senior Danish intelligence officer Jacob Kaarsbo talks about Trump’s murky designs on Greenland and NATO. https://jacobkaarsbo.substack.com/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Will the Iranian regime survive? Two prominent Iranian-American journalists, Jason Rezaian of the Washington Post and Hooman Majd of NBC News, say the regime may be losing its grip. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

CIA in Venezuela, Cuba and Beyond Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Christine Kuehn talks about her shocking discovery in “Family of Spies" Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tom Blanton talks about 40 years of unearthing CIA plots at the National Security Archive. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Top former national security official Josh Geltzer separates fake from real threats. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ace investigative reporter Carol Leonnig talks about her latest scoop and new book on Trump’s DoJ, “Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America's Justice Department” Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Investigative reporter Ron Kessler and retired former senior CIA officer John Sipher on the GOP plan to give Tulsi Gabbard control of neutralizing spies and terrorists. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Top Democrat Sen. Jack Reed calls Trump threats “off the wall...” Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback. http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Intelligence historians James Risen and Peter Kornbluh on Trump policies and Cold War excesses. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Veteran war reporter and Latin America expert Doug Farah throws cold water on Trump’s campaign against Nicholas Maduro. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

After spending years tracking Al Qaeda, former analyst Gina Bennett talks to SpyTalk about her storied career, her new spy novel and the rising threat of "politicized misogyny." Gina Bennett If Two of Them Are Dead Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ken Vogel talks about his new book, Devils’ Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the Payrolls of Corrupt Foreign Interests. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former White House Situation Room Director Larry Pfeiffer Talks Fear and Facts with SpyTalk. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In a new book the CNN anchor unspools the inside story of a unique terrorism case. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy