Deep State Radio

In the news recently, reports that General Mark Milley sought to counsel Chinese leaders in way that might avoid accidental conflict have caused controversy. Was Milley doing his duty? Or was he undermining his commander-in-chief? Similarly, it is reported that Vice President Mike Pence sought counsel from former Vice President Dan Quayle about whether he could or should follow through on President Trump's request that he Pence invalidate 2020 election results. Quayle stood up for principle and the law as Pence wavered. What does this tell us about the last administration? About the responsibility of public officials when confronted with an unfit president. We discuss with former Trump White House official Olivia Troye, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations. It's an important, timely and difficult conversation. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Extremism expert Kathleen Belew talks with Jeanne Meserve about new factors raising the potential for violence at Sept.18 Capitol protests, while former senior CIA ops official Dan Hoffman tells Jeff Stein that the Kabul collapse has given Al Qaeda and ISIS new life. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While Congress holds hearings questioning the Secretary of State about the conduct of America's exit from Afghanistan, it probably should also turn its attention to drawing the lessons of the 20 years of warfare, sacrifice and frustration that proceeded that exit. What might those lessons be? And what might come next for the Biden foreign policy team? We discuss with Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University School of Law and Ed Luce of the Financial Times. Join us (if only to hear Kori declare what Kori would do if she had a nuclear weapon).  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The midnight decision of the Supreme Court that basically allowed a technicality to sweep aside the constitutional right to an abortion that has been a fact of American life for half a century bodes very ill for the future of that institution and for the country. When Justice Brett Kavanaugh is the philosophical center of the court, you know we have entered a dark chapter in our history. The majority represent not conservative but religious extremist views and this most recent decision will likely be followed by much worse. We discuss with Slate senior legal editor Dahlia Lithwick, former US attorney Barb McQuade and former senior Obama White House official Dr. Kavita Patel. Join us. Shop Beathe Fum and save 10% with code DEEPSTATE or click https://www.breathefum.com/DEEPSTATE Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a riveting new memoir, former senior CIA officer Doug London celebrates a career in espionage, but in a lengthy conversation with host Jeff Stein, he offer candid, even brutal observations on how 20 years of counterterrorism warped the agency’s priorities and managers. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman knew when he went into the Trump White House to work on the National Security Council that he may be asked to do things that were "awful but lawful." As a serving army officer in those cases he would be obligated to follow the orders of the Commander-in-Chief. But he also knew there was a line that he would not cross. He would not follow an unlawful order, he would not help even the president break the law. As a result of his conscience--which drew directly on his military experience and prior to that on the values inculcated in him by his family--the course of history was altered. Imagine what might have happened had Donald Trump gotten the government of Ukraine to help him smear candidate Joe Biden? Where would we be now? We discuss Vindman's story--told in his excellent new book, "Here, Right Matters"--with him in this special edition of the podcast. It's a compelling, candid conversation. Don't miss it.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.

COVID. Wildfires in the west. Hurricanes in the Gulf and storms in the East. A women's right to choose under siege. A corrupted justice system. Economic inequality. Racial division. Democracy in the ICU. Any one of these crises would be a challenge for a generation. We face them all at once. The result is something like "the 2000 yard stare," the sign of a battle worn soldier unable to fight. But we must fight. The question is how. We discuss all this on a vitally important special edition of the podcast with guests Norm Ornstein of AEI, best-selling author and therapist Mary L. Trump, co-host former Obama White House senior official Dr. Kavita Patel and co-host David Rothkopf. Join us. It's time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Author Craig Whitlock talks with Jeff Stein about US intelligence’s place in 20 years of lies and deception in Afghanistan, and Jeanne Meserve interviews Coast Guard Commandant Karl Schultz about a terror alert for the 9/11 anniversary. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A lot of books have been written about Donald Trump and the Trump years president. Few have evoked the almost surreal atmosphere of those years as well as "I Alone Can Fix It," the history of the last year of the administration from Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker. We sit down with Carol Leonnig to discuss the book and what it has led her to conclude about the former president, those around him, their party and the state of American politics. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It has been difficult to have a serious, balanced conversation about what the U.S. and this administration has done right in managing the exit from Afghanistan and what we have done wrong. That is a problem that has plagued the U.S. for the entire 20 year period we have conducted the war and, in fact, it may be one of the reasons the outcome to that conflict has been so unsatisfactory. Nonetheless, on this episode we try to cover a range of views in a thoughtful and respectful way. Our guests are Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations, Stephen Wertheim of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University Law School. Please join us.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The reason the crowds thronging the outskirts of the airport in Kabul were so large was in part due to a concerted effort--against the advice of many in his administration--by former President Trump and his aide Stephen Miller to block our Afghan allies (like allies in Iraq) from entering the United States. They shut down relevant visa programs. They created obstacle after obstacle. And they did so after being warned that such actions would put interpreters and others who assisted us at risk. That is the shocking fact revealed by former Trump official Olivia Troye in a special episode of Deep State Radio. Troye is joined in this episode by former top Obama White House official Dr. Kavita Patel and by Ryan Goodman of Just Security and NYU Law School. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Top former CIA operations official William Murray talks with Jeanne Meserve about the loss of the agency's spy base in Kabul, while Africa expert Jacob Zenn assesses the impact of the Taliban-Al Qaeda triumph on militants across the continent, with Jeff Stein. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An episode in which we bring to life the debate that even the best of friends can have over the conduct of recent events in Afghanistan, their likely origins, and their likely consequences. Why are so many people so wrong about this when host David Rothkopf is so right? Where does Rothkopf get his courage? And why do the producers let Rothkopf write these podcast summaries when either Ed Luce or Rosa Brooks, who are really the stars of the episode, would have described it so much better and so differently. Listen in and see. Shop Beathe Fum and save 10% with code DEEPSTATE or click https://www.breathefum.com/DEEPSTATE Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Counterterrorism expert and Georgetown University Professor, Bruce Hoffman explains the drastic implications of the Taliban triumph, and journalist Toby Harnden talks about his new book on the first CIA team to enter Afghanistan.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The celebrated former FBI special agent and counterterrorism specialist says the Taliban aspire to undermining the West’s “Roman Empire.” Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The heart-rending scenes from Kabul Airport are now seared into our collective consciousness. The 20 year war in Afghanistan has clearly come to a disastrous end. While that may have been inevitable, the current chaos has nonetheless come as a shock. What should the administration do now? How to help those they can and manage the situation going forward? And what lessons can we draw after a two-decade long, misguided intervention in Afghanistan that will certainly go down as one of the great foreign policy failures in U.S. history? We discuss with Harvard's Stephen Walt, AEI's Kori Schake and Georgetown University's Rosa Brooks. Don't miss this special episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We are at a watershed in our history. Some days it feels like justice and accountability are gaining ground and the outcome of this turning point may be a good one. On other days, the threats to our democracy grow and the very real possibility of a turn to authoritarianism in the US looms. There are echoes of this moment throughout our history. We turn to Boston College history professor and noted commentator Heather Cox Richardson to discuss recent developments and long-term historical perspectives. Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School and Just Security and Dr. Kavita Patel of the Brookings Institution and formerly of the Obama White House lead the questioning and offer key comments of their own. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jeanne Meserve talks with Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, about how the world learned of China’s startling new ICBM silos, and Jeff Stein talks with Asia expert Robert Manning about the challenges of spying on North Korea. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The vast majority of gains in life expectancy during the past century have been due not to miracle cures but to public health measures like sanitation. The key to their success was empowering and trusting our public health officials. We live in a time when an organized minority is this country is seeking to discredit them and when much of our public health mission--like care for addiction or psychosis--is left to the police and other agencies ill suited to the care these problems require. Dr. Leana Wen is a noted physician, commentator and former Public Health Commissioner of Baltimore. She has written an important new book on the role of public health in our society based on her own, inspiring life journey. We discuss that book, "Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health", with her in this special episode of the podcast. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The UN has put out a climate report that is devastating in its conclusions. They call it a "code red for humanity." Inaction, greed and ignorance have already irreparably damaged the planet. What do we do now? Are our leaders even capable of coping with the problem? The same question can be asked regarding their ability to address next generation issues associated with new technologies--from cyber to AI. What must change before we are capable of making informed decisions to address 21st Century problems? We discuss with Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and David Sanger of the New York Times. Don't miss it. Shop Beathe Fum and save 10% with code DEEPSTATE or click https://www.breathefum.com/DEEPSTATE Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.