RealClear Defense presents Hot Wash: Recent Episodes
RealClear Defense
A "real clear" discussion of contemporary issues in defense featuring the writers and editors of RealClear Defense.
On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with true crime reporter extraordinaire Valerie Bauerlein of the Wall Street Journal about her recent coverage of the Nancy Guthrie abduction, her book on the Alex Murdaugh murder case and her podcast on another South Carolina homicide, “Camp Swamp Road.”
On the news round-up, Zane and Varney discuss the Washington Post’s investigation into fraud and abuse at the Veterans Administration and two articles – one from the New York Times on China, the other from the Washington Post on the U.S. – that look at the continuing rise of the surveillance state.
Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
- Valerie Bauerlein/WSJ: How Savannah Guthrie Lost Her Mom and Cops Lost the Case
- Valerie Bauerlein/WSJ: Camp Swamp Road Podcast: Listen to the Full Season - WSJ
- Valerie Bauerlein: The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty
- Washington Post: How Predatory Trade Schools Cheat Veterans
- Washington Post: How Some Veterans Exploit $193 Billion VA Program
- New York Times: How China Keeps Tabs on Foreigners
- Washington Post: Rogue Officers Used Camera Network for Stalking
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Aaron Shuster about his Tablet article “Entryism Comes to America,” which argues that the U.S. should follow France’s lead and have a serious inquiry into and discussion of what the rise of Islamism means for the nation’s prevailing culture and politics.
On the news round-up, Zane and Varney discuss a trio of articles – two from the New York Times, one from Politico – reporting that President Trump appears to be rewarding states that voted for him and punishing those that did not as his administration dispenses disaster relief and other monies approved by Congress. While praising the legacy media for shining a light on the Trump administration, Zane and Varney also discuss how a New York Times article on Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recent testimony before Congress and a Washington Post article about how Joe Biden’s post-presidential career has been hobbled by health issues (including Stage 4 prostate cancer) reveal the ways legacy media outlets often protect people and parties they support.
00:00 Introduction to Entryism and Political Context
11:23 The Role of Media in Political Reporting
12:20 Understanding Entryism: A Deep Dive
22:50 Cultural Integration vs. Subjugation
30:44 The Future of American Values and Politics
31:43 The Core Values of Civilization
34:57 Immigration and National Identity
36:05 The Influence of Academia on Culture
39:16 The Alliance of Radical Left and Islamic Thought
41:11 Challenges of Immigration in Europe
43:00 Cultural Resistance and the Fight for Identity
45:29 The Need for a Cultural Revival
47:48 Historical Context of Immigration and Assimilation
51:49 Shared Values and Cultural Integration
54:21 Potential Solutions for Immigration Issues
Books & Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
- Aaron Shuster/Tablet: Entryism Comes to America
- New York Times: Trump Sitting on Billions Approved for Transit
- Politico: Trump Overrode Agencies To Deny Dem Disaster Requests
- New York Times: Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him
- New York Times: Fauci's Diary Reflections on COVID’s Origins and Fame
- Washington Post: Illness Has Transformed Biden's Post-Presidential Life
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speaks with author James Rasenberger about his new work of history, “A Perfect Coincidence: The Extraordinary Friendship and Astonishing Deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.”
On the news round-up, J. Peder Zane joins Varney to discuss a reported editorial from the Wall Street Journal and a news article from the New York Times that detail how legislation that aimed to protect patients from surprise medical bills has become a cash cow for health care providers. They also use John Murawski’s 2020 article about the Mott & Bailey switcheroo to discuss a Free Press article reporting on the differences between the warm and fuzzy descriptions of the Democratic Socialists of America advanced by the party’s adherents and many arms of the legacy media and the aggressive goals the DSA’s platform and position papers say it want to achieve.
Books & Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
· Jim Rasenberger Book Excerpt: A Perfect Coincidence
· Wall Street Journal: The ‘Surprise Billing’ Racket
· New York Times: Trump Administration Says Surprise Billing Law Is Being ‘Gamed’ by Doctors
· New York Times: $22,000 Per Hour: Assistants Use a Legislative Loophole to Outearn Surgeons
· Free Press: I Was in the DSA. Here’s What They Really Believe.
· RCI: The 'Motte & Bailey': Political Jousting's Deceptive New Medieval Weapon |
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, J. Peder Zane and James Varney speak with Tablet writer and RCI contributor Lee Smith about conservative media in the Trump era with a special focus on X.
On the news round-up, Zane and Varney discuss how a ProPublica investigation reporting on the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration efforts, which includes a remake of the courts, is targeting a once protected class for deportation: unaccompanied minors who crossed the border. They also looks at a new report from the White House that assails the leadership of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for “explicitly adopt[ing] an ideological framework that no longer treats the American story as a shared national inheritance to be taught or celebrated, but as a political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens.”
00:00 Introduction and Overview of Current Events
02:01 Immigration and Deportation Policies
07:01 American History and Political Narratives
13:03 The State of Conservative Media
20:13 Challenges in Modern Journalism
30:03 The Role of Social Media in News Consumption
32:44 Navigating Information Overload
36:27 Censorship and Free Speech Dynamics
40:03 The Role of Propaganda in Media
44:21 The Responsibility of Media Platforms
48:31 Distinguishing Free Speech from Press Freedom
50:10 Acknowledging the Current Media Landscape
55:24 The Importance of Accountability in Media
Books & Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
- Lee Smith: Is the EU’s Spat with Elon Musk Really About Free Speech?
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/eu-spat-elon-musk-free-speech - Lee Smith: The Man Setting Fire to the GOP
- ProPublica: Trump Surges Deportation of Minors
- White House: Saving America’s Story
- https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/07/saving-americas-story/
- New York Times: Inside Trump’s Ideological Fight With the Smithsonian
- https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/us/politics/trump-smithsonian-ideological-fight.html
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, J. Peder Zane speaks with Noah Rothman of the National Review about his insightful new book “Blood & Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence in America.”
On the news round-up, Zane and RCI contributor Ben Weingarten discuss the vast wealth President Trump and his family have accumulated since he began his second term, with a special focus on a New York Times article detail how the president’s sons stand to benefit from a lucrative mining deal his administration struck with Kazakhstan. They also look at articles in the left-leaning Atlantic and right-leaning City Journal detailing the Democratic Socialists of America’s takeover of the Democratic party.
Books & Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
- Noah Rothman: Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence in America
- New York Times: Trump's Sons To Profit from His Mining Deal
- Atlantic: There’s Nothing Democratic About These Socialists
- City Journal: Actually, a Lot of DSA Members Are Communists
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, J. Peder Zane speaks with Duke Professor Adrian Bejan about his new book, “Diversity through Freedom” about the physics of politics.
On the news round-up, Zane and RCI Reporter & Editor Vince Bielski discuss an Associated Press investigation detailing how and why the DEA allowed hundreds of thousands of potentially lethal fentanyl pills to enter the US from Mexico; a powerfully reported and illustrated piece by the New York Times explaining why the popularity of S.U.V.s and other large vehicles has led to an increase in pedestrian deaths; and a Washington Post analysis that found left-leaning bias in the information provided by all the major AI chatbots.
00:00 Introduction and Overview of the Podcast
01:00 The DEA's Controversial Fentanyl Policy
05:49 The Rise of SUVs and Pedestrian Safety
11:00 Bias in AI and Chatbots
15:40 Interview with Dr. Adrian Bejan on Design in Nature
37:51 The Challenge of Existence
38:52 Constructal Law and Freedom in Nature
47:40 Diversity and Its Origins
52:04 Natural Diversity vs. Artificial Diversity
58:32 Critique of DEI and Meritocracy
Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
- Adrian Bejan Links: Duke Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
- Adrian Bejan Video: How Cooling Laptops Led to Constructal Theory
- Constructal Law Links: Umit Gunes on the Constructal Law
- J. Peder Zane: The Physics of Politics | RealClearPolitics
- Associated Press: DEA Stood by as Fentanyl Hit Streets
- New York Times: The Deadly Rise of Giant Trucks and S.U.V.s
- Washington Post: Yes, AI Chatbots Skew Left - Even Musk's
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, J. Peder Zane and James Varney speak with Dr. Kendall Conger who lost his job after challenging a 2021 statement issued by his employer – Duke Health – declaring racism a “public health crisis.”
On the news round-up, Zane and Varney discuss the challenges of reporting on the Iran war – and peace deal – when the government seems loath to share details; the Reform Party’s withering report on the Rape Gang controversy in the UK; and the popular support for Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City in 2024.
00:00 Introduction and Overview of Current Events
05:04 The Grooming Gangs Report and Its Implications
10:02 Media Bias and the Impact on Society
15:11 Dr. Kendall Conger's Experience with DEI at Duke Health
24:12 The Impact of George Floyd's Death on Institutional Policies
30:04 The Debate Over Racism as a Public Health Crisis
36:02 Personal Experiences and Consequences of Speaking Out
39:58 The Shift in Institutional Values at Duke University
Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
- Kendall Conger/RCI: I Challenged Duke’s DEI Dogma – and Paid With My Job
- Axios: U.S.-Iran deal: Read the full text
- Reform Party: UK: The Rape Gang Inquiry
- NPR: Public Support Growing for Accused Killer Luigi Mangione
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, J. Peder Zane and James Varney speak with Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, about the national civics education he has spearheaded and how to have conversations across the political divide.
On the news round-up, Zane and Varney discuss a range of articles responding to the violence that erupted in England and Belfast following racially charged incidents.
00:00 Introduction and Personal Anecdote
01:30 Current Events and Political Climate
03:52 Racial Inequality and Public Response
06:16 Media Framing and Public Perception
09:44 Civics Education and Its Importance
13:01 Interview with Robert George on Civics Education
20:32 The Shift in Academic Focus
24:25 Conservative Perspectives in Academia
31:17 The Pursuit of Truth and Intellectual Humility
32:04 The Role of Academic Freedom in Education
33:25 Bridging the Gap: Intellectual Honesty in Discourse
37:34 Navigating the Age of Feeling and Humility
48:44 The Machinery of Dispute Resolution in Democracy
56:35 Hope vs. Optimism: The Future of American Democracy
Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
Robert P. George Official Website
https://robertpgeorge.com/
Robert P. George X Account
https://x.com/McCormickProf
Video: Robert P. George in Conversation with Cornel West
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwBxVjkOeV0
New York Times: In the U.K., a Violent Cycle: Hateful Attacks, Right-Wing Agitation and Riots
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/11/world/europe/northern-ireland-stabbing-immigration.html
Atlantic: How Britain Became as Poor as Mississippi
https://archive.is/6q9Gp
Telegraph: Erect Sea Barrier Off Belgium To Halt Migrant ‘Taxi Boats,’
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/belgians-propose-sea-barrier-halt-151307951.html
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, J. Peder Zane and James Varney speak with Joel Kotkin about his recent article for RCI exploring how and why fascism has become a buzzword of American politics.
On the news round-up, Zane and Varney use a City Journal piece suggesting why fraud in Medicaid and Medicare seems an unsolvable problem to discuss a Wall Street Journal article detailing how autism therapy has become a hotbed of billing abuse and a Daily Caller story on rampant fraud in Obamacare. They also discuss John R. Lott Jr.’s recent RCI article on data showing that violent crime is declining even as more Americans – especially women, blacks and Hispanics – are carrying firearms and an article in the Free Press reporting on policies that have helped significantly lower the murder rate in Baltimore.
00:00 Introduction and News Roundup
07:04 Fraud in Government Spending
12:07 Rising Gun Ownership and Crime Rates
18:27 Understanding Fascism: A Historical Perspective with Joel Kotkin
25:53 The Role of Religion in Fascism
26:22 The Fascism Debate: Trump and Historical Context
30:04 Nationalism and Patriotism: A Shift in Perception
32:44 Weaponization of Language in Political Discourse
36:24 Democratic Socialism: Ideals vs. Reality
41:19 The Ascendancy of the Left in the Democratic Party
48:53 Anti-Semitism and Political Extremism: A Dual Concern
Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
- Joel Kotkin/RCI: The Strange Afterlife of Fascism | RealClearInvestigations
- City Journal: Why Medicare and Medicaid Fraud Won’t Go Away
- Wall Street Journal: Autism Therapy Hotbed of Billing Abuse
- Daily Caller: Obamacare Enrollment Fraud May Cost Taxpayers Billions In 2026
- RCI: Gun Safety: Violent Crime Drops as More Americans Pack Heat
- Free Press: Why Did the Murders Stop in Baltimore?
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with author Andrew G. Bostom about the rise of Shariah law in the U.S. and the EU and challenges it poses to those western laws, customs and society.
On the news round-up, Zane and Varney use a Tablet article saying the U.S. has few good options in Iran to discuss some lessons we have learned so far from the ongoing conflict. They also discuss what sky-high tickets prices to see the New York Knicks play in the NBA finals say about America’s wealth gap and what two stories about Sweden – one in Europe Today, the other in the Wall Street Journal – tell us about mass immigration and social cohesion.
00:00 Introduction
04:52 Trump Cutting Bait in Iran?08:00 NBA Championships and the High Cost of Tickets
09:43 WSJ World’s Most Surprising Capitalist Makeover
11:00 Sharia Law and Its Implications
15:53 Interview with Andrew Bostom on Islam and Sharia
32:44 Global Perspectives on Sharia Law
39:03 Theological Roots of Anti-Semitism in Islam
51:50 Islamic Theology and Historical Context
54:40 Challenges of Discussing Islamic Anti-Semitism
01:03:11 The Future of Pluralism and Freedom
Books & Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
- Paul; Sperry/RCI: GOP Battles Sharia: Is Islamic Law a Threat or Dog Whistle?
- Paul Sperry/RCI: Sharia’s Growing Influence on U.S. Finance
- Andrew G. Bostom: The Legacy of Jihad
- Andrew G. Bostom: The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism
- Andrew G. Bostom: A Modern Qur’anic Kampf Against the Jews
- Tablet: Trump Tries to Cut Bait in Iran
- New York Times: Knicks Fans Are Stunned by Four-Figure Ticket Prices
- Europe Today: Sweden Approves Law Banning Cousin Marriages and Close Relative Unions
- Wall Street Journal: The World’s Most Surprising Capitalist Makeover Is Under Way in Sweden
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Patrick Steel, the former CEO of Politico who is now a Senior Advisor to Antenna Group, about the changing landscape of the media business.
On the news round-up, Zane and Varney discuss articles published by Reuters and the Washington Post that detail Iran’s confounding stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz as well as a piece in the Atlantic that raises questions about the US government’s official narrative regarding the deadly collision of two American refueling planes over Iraq. They also examine how two articles – the National Review’s analysis of the explosion in autism diagnoses and the City Journal’s report on the transplants driving Los Angeles’ homeless problems – illustrate how the wrong incentives can exacerbate social problems and social spending.
00:00 Introduction and Overview of the Podcast
08:21 Iran's Influence on International Shipping
16:07 The Evolving Media Landscape
31:14 The Future of Legacy Media
31:55 The Evolution of Regional Journalism
34:00 The Impact of Billionaire Backers on Media
37:31 The Tension Between Audience and Ownership
42:35 The Rise of Authenticity in Journalism
49:23 Transparency and Trust in Modern Media
56:45 Investing in the Future of Journalism
Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
- Patrick Steel Bio: Patrick Steel - NYU Stern
- Reuters: Iran Consolidating Control of Strait of Hormuz
- Washington Post: Ship’s Crew Risked the Strait, Met Hail of Bullets
- Atlantic: What the Pentagon Didn’t Say About a Deadly Crash
- National Review: Autism Overdiagnosis Is a National Scandal
- City Journal: LA a Magnet for Nation's Homeless
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Leighton Woodhouse about his RCI article on the surprising partnership between left-leaning activists and MAGA influencers to oppose a farm that breeds beagles for scientific experiments.
The New York Times is the focus on this week’s news roundup. Zane and Varney discuss a Times article reporting that the Trump administration has vastly exaggerated the war’s impact on Iran’s military; a controversial piece by Times columnist Nicholas Kristof claiming Israeli soldiers, security forces and their dogs raped Palestinian men and women, and a look at the multiple articles the Times has run on Trump administration’s $13 million no-bid contract to fix the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. even as the paper has paid little attention to the massive government fraud scandals unfolding across the country.
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
14:29 Animal Testing and Ridgeland Farms
20:54 Activism and the Beagle Rescue Efforts
30:35 Bipartisan Support for Animal Rights
35:50 Journalistic Integrity in Activism Reporting
Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
- Leighton Woodhouse/RCI: How Opposition to Animal Testing Is Bridging the Political Divide
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/05/12/how_opposition_to_animal_testing_is_bridging_the_political_divide_1182121.html - New York Times: U.S. Intelligence Shows Iran Retains Strong Missile Capabilities
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/politics/iran-missiles-us-intelligence.html?emc=edit_na_20260512 - Nicholas Kristof/NYT: Opinion | The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/opinion/israel-palestinians-sexual-violence.html
- New York Times: Trump Says He’s Renovating ‘Filthy’ Reflecting Pool on the National Mall
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/us/politics/trump-reflecting-pool-renovation.html?searchResultPosition=5 - New York Times: Trump Gave Out a No-Bid Contract to Turn D.C.’s Reflecting Pool Blue
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/us/politics/reflecting-pool-trump-contract.html?searchResultPosition=1 - New York Times: See How Trump Is Renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/politics/trump-reflecting-pool-renovation.html?searchResultPosition=2 - New York Times: Reflecting Pool Repairs Appear Uneven and Behind Schedule, Officials Say
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/politics/lincoln-memorial-pool-repairs.html?searchResultPosition=3 - New York Times: Reflecting Pool Repairs to Cost $13.1 Million. Trump Had Promised $1.8 Million.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/us/politics/reflecting-pool-paint-contract-trump.html?searchResultPosition=4
Daily Wire: Ohio's Massive Medicaid Fraud Loophole
https://www.dailywire.com/news/ohio-says-safeguards-exist-to-stop-medicaid-fraud-but-admits-massive-loophole?row=0
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Gary Saul Morson, a professor of Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University and a scholar of Russian literature about what Dostoevsky can teach us about modern progressives.
In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss a Wall Street Journal article about China’s stranglehold on drone production, Roger Pielke Jr.’s Substack piece on a dramatic change in climate change forecasts, and a Daily Wire story on the Los Angeles arsonists who drew inspiration from the assassin Luigi Mangione.
00:00 Introduction and Overview of Current Events
03:13 The Impact of Chinese Supply Chains on U.S. Defense
05:58 Climate Change Narratives and Scientific Realities
09:10 The Ideological Underpinnings of Violence in Society
12:07 Interview with Professor Gary Saul Morrison on Communism and Ideology
14:45 Dostoevsky's Insights on Modern Progressivism
17:53 The Role of the Intelligentsia in Revolutionary Movements
20:59 The Normalization of Violence in Political Discourse
24:09 Comparisons Between Historical and Modern Revolutionary Movements
32:44 The Role of Liberals in Political Change
34:00 The Dangers of Labeling Political Opponents
38:21 Lessons from History: The Power of the Majority
41:13 The Importance of Literature and Universal Values
47:16 The Psychology of Political Identity
51:32 The Challenge of Compromise in Democracy
55:22 The Role of Science in Political Ideology
01:01:04 The Transformative Power of Literature
Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
- Gary Saul Morson: Re-Possessed – Commentary Magazine
- Gary Saul Morson: Solzhenitsyn Warned Us – Commentary Magazine
- Gary Saul Morson: The Return of the ‘Useful Idiot’ – Commentary Magazine
- Gary Saul Morson: The Red Star Returns - The New Criterion
- Gary Saul Morson: Marxism Is a Gulag of the Mind - WSJ
- Wall Street Journal: U.S. Targets China's Stranglehold on Drone Production
- Roger Pielke Jr. Substack: New Climate Report Eliminates Most Extreme Scenarios
- Daily Wire: LA Arson Suspect Obsessed Over Luigi Mangione
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Paul D. Thacker about his RCI article which details the central yet largely hidden role played University of North Carolina virologist Ralph Baric in both the risky scientific work that may have created the virus that causes COVID-19 and the subsequent campaign to suppress public debate about its origins.
In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss a Wall Street Journal article about the sources of political violence, a Washington Post story on the Trump administration’s effort to bring a venture capital mindset to the Pentagon, and a wide range of reports from PJ Media, the Federalist, the National Review and Fox News on the Trump administration efforts to highlight alleged wrongdoing by the Biden administration.
00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview
02:55 Political Violence and Media Responsibility
05:58 Pentagon's Venture into Silicon Valley
08:59 COVID Cover-Up and Indictments
12:00 Ralph Baric and the Origins of COVID
15:09 Gain of Function Research and Its Implications
25:38 The Personnel Matter and Media Response
26:30 The Start of the Cover-Up
27:41 Gain of Function Research Explained
29:39 The Role of Media in Scientific Discourse
31:15 Intel Briefings and Lab Accident Possibilities
33:00 The Science Community's Response to COVID
36:09 Financial Motivations Behind the Cover-Up
39:35 The Implications of Scientific Research Funding
42:10 The Future of Gain of Function Research
44:10 The Need for Accountability in Science and Politics
Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
Paul D. Thacker/RCI: COVID Cover-Up: Hiding Star Researcher Ralph Baric’s Ties to Global Pandemic
Wall Street Journal: Anti-Government Violence Hits 30-Year High
Washington Post: Turning the Pentagon into a Venture Capital Firm
New York Review of Books: Rebooting the Pentagon
PJ Media: Top Fauci Aide Indicted for Concealing COVID Records
Federalist: Did Politicized DOJ Scuttle Clinton Foundation Probe?
Federalist: Did Biden Agency Try To Hide Planned Parenthood Loans?
National Review: DOJ: Biden Admin Persecuted Conservative Christians
Fox News: Claim: 'Mother Lode' of Russiagate Files in FBI Burn Bags
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with RealClearPolitics reporter Susan Crabtree about her new book (co-authored with Jed McFatter) “Fool’s Gold: The Radicals, Con Artists, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All.”
In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss articles in the Washington Free Beacon and USA today on the federal indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center stemming from its payment of some $3 million from 2014 to 2023 to members of the KKK, Aryan Nations, National Alliance, and other "violent extremist" groups who allegedly served as informants and a New York Times article about people who lost their jobs when the Trump administration shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development.
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
01:07 Indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center
06:08 Critique of USAID and Its Impact
11:11 Introduction to Susan Crabtree and Her Book
13:59 California's Failed Policies and Their Consequences
20:01 Media's Role in California's Issues
22:49 California's Infrastructure and Union Influence
24:30 Transforming Transportation in California
26:20 The Homelessness Crisis: A Deep Dive
29:10 The Role of NGOs and Nonprofits
32:33 Corruption and Accountability in California
36:26 Gavin Newsom's Ties to China
42:25 The Future of California Politics
Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
- Susan Crabtree & Jed McFatter: “Fool’s Gold: The Radicals, Con Artists, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All.”
- Washington Free Beacon: Southern Poverty Law Center's Off-Shore Riches
- USA Today: FBI: SPLC Paid Informants Without Donors Knowing. Feds Pay Them Too
- Data Republican: How the Charlottesville Rally and SPLC Birthed Billion-Dollar-Plus ‘Democracy’ Ecosystem
- New York Times: A Year After U.S.A.I.D.’s Death, Fired Workers Find Few Jobs and Much Loss
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Roger Pielke Jr., a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, about his article detailing how Al Gore’s seminal 2006 book and film on climate change, “An Inconvenient Truth,” helped politicize science.
In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss Paul Sperry’s article for RCI on newly declassified documents showing how a top government official fast-tracked a politically compromised whistleblower complaint in 2019 that ultimately triggered the first impeachment of President Trump. They also discuss the sexual accusation that forced Rep. Eric Swalwell to resign from Congress – and why this evidently widely-known questions about his conduct had not been reported until now.
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
01:00 Impeachment Insights and Partisan Politics
07:05 The Eric Swalwell Controversy
16:05 Legacy of Al Gore's Climate Advocacy
17:01 The Evolution of Climate Change Discourse
22:08 Current Understanding of Climate Science
28:00 Global Perspectives on Climate Change
29:14 Decarbonization and Energy Sources
31:28 The Politicization of Science
38:35 Millenarianism in Climate Science
42:47 Finding Common Ground in Climate Policy
46:38 The Impact of COVID on Public Trust
50:39 The Future of Academia and Climate Policy
Articles Discussed in This Podcast:
- Roger Pielke Jr.: The Legacy of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" 20 Years Later
- Paul Sperry, CI: BREAKING: Newly Declassified Docs Reveal Bias of Impeachment 'Whistleblower'
- Paul Sperry, RCI: The Beltway's 'Whistleblower' Furor Obsesses Over One Name
- Washington Post: How Eric Swalwell Rose Despite Disturbing Reputation
- American Prospect: Eric Swalwell and the Death of Accountability
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Jan Jekielek, a senior editor at The Epoch Times, about his bestselling new book, “Killed To Order: China’s Organ Harvesting Industry and the True Nature of America’s Biggest Adversary".
On the news roundup, Zane and Varney discuss a CBS News investigation of potential hospice care fraud in California, a Wired article on how a top ranking DOJ official misled a judge regarding voter rolls, a New York Times story reporting that federal prosecutors failed to watch the video connected to a high-profile shooting in Minneapolis before charging the wounded man, and Roger Pielke Jr. Substack piece on the legacy of Al Gore’s influential 2006 book (and film) on climate change, “An Inconvenient Truth.”
Articles & Books Discussed in this Episode
- Jan Jekielek Book Excerpt: Killed To Order: China’s Organ Harvesting Industry and the True Nature of America’s Biggest Adversary
- CBS News: The Most Connected Hospice Doctor in California
- Wired: DOJ Misled Judge About How It’s Using Voter Roll Data
- New York Times: Video of Minneapolis Shooting Undermines ICE Account
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/us/minnesota-ice-shooting-video.html
- Roger Piekle Jr. Substack: The Legacy of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" 20 Years Later
https://rogerpielkejr.substack.com/p/the-legacy-of-al-gores-an-inconvenient
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Walter Curt – a podcaster and investigative journalist who operates The W.C. Dispatch - about how the Trump administration's push to open source some government payment systems and the rise of artificial intelligence are empowering citizen sleuths to track down fraud, waste and abuse.
In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss Peter Schweizer’s reporting from his new book, “The Invisible Coup,” about how China is exploiting America’s tradition of granting birthright citizenship, recent articles in the Washington Post, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal that indicate the legacy media is finally acknowledging some successes in the Iran War, and a ProPublica story and how Trump’s pardons of convicted swindlers throws into question his commitment to combatting fraud.
YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/4Xh9mvq32D0
Articles discussed in this podcast:
The W.C. Dispatch, https://wcdispatch.com/
Peter Schweizer: The Invisible Coup
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/03/31/book_excerpt_-_the_invisible_coup_how_american_elites_and_foreign_powers_use_immigration_as_a_weapon_1173586.html
Washington Post: Iran’s Missile Infrastructure Severely Strained
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/2026/03/30/irans_missile_infrastructure_severely_strained_1173364.html
New York Times: Iran’s Fractured Leadership Is Struggling to Coordinate
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/us/politics/iran-leaders-trump-war.html
Wall Street Journal: Trump’s Foreign Policy Targets Rusia’s Allies
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/why-russia-is-stepping-up-its-support-for-an-embattled-iran/ar-AA1ZFsGW?ocid=BingNewsSerp
ProPublica: Trump’s War On Fraud Doesn’t Include Swindlers He’s Pardoned
https://www.propublica.org/article/joseph-schwartz-trump-pardon-skyline-nursing-home-patients
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Jacob Siegel about his masterful new book, “The Information State: Politics in the Age of Total Control,” which details how technology and progressivism have helped give rise to mass censorship, surveillance and propaganda.
In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss a California Post article on the ongoing epidemic of sexual abuse at public schools, pieces in Reason and the Daily Caller that look at how government subsidies and illegal immigration are beleaguering the trucking industry and making America’s roads less safe, and a Politico story on Russia’s efforts to make sure its soldiers and citizen can only communicate through government-controlled channels.
YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/Tgvz63kdZiw
|
Articles discussed in this podcast:
- California Post: California School District Allegedly Buried Teacher Sex Abuse
https://nypost.com/2026/03/20/us-news/el-monte-school-district-buried-teacher-sex-abuse-reports-probe/ - Reason: The Truth About the Supposed Truck Driver Shortage
https://reason.com/2026/03/24/welfare-on-wheels/ - Daily Caller: The 'Mess' Lying Under Hood of the Illegal Trucker Crisis
https://dailycaller.com/2026/03/26/exclusive-derek-barrs-fmcsa-illegal-trucking-crisis/ - Politico: The Race To Cut Off Russia From the Global Internet
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/14/russias-self-inflicted-communication-crisis-00827197 - Jacob Siegel: Book Excerpt: The Information State - Politics in the Age of Total Control
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/03/27/book_excerpt_the_information_state_-_politics_in_the_age_of_total_control_1172464.html
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Nancy Rommelmann about her recent RCI article about a man who became a MeToo scapegoat thanks to the New York Times.
On the News Roundup, Zane and Varney discuss Paul Sperry’s RCI exclusive report detailing new evidence of bias and misconduct in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of President Trump. They also dig into a Semafor piece on Trump’s penchant for answering his own phone, Fox News’ report on Swedish parents who lost their child because they were too Christian and a New York Times story reporting that the revered civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez, allegedly molested and raped girls as young as 12.
YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/odoRXB4Ittc
Articles and Documentaries Discussed in this Episode:
- RCI/Nancy Rommelmann: The Scapegoat: How One Man’s Career Was Ended by MeToo
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/03/17/the_scapegoat_how_one_mans_career_was_ended_by_metoo_1170856.html - RCI/Paul Sperry: FBI Misled Court To Spy on Second Trump Campaign Adviser
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/03/20/fbi_misled_court_to_spy_on_second_trump_campaign_adviser_1171646.html - Semafor: Why (and How) Everyone's Cold-Calling the President
https://www.semafor.com/article/03/15/2026/why-and-how-everyone-is-cold-calling-the-president - Fox News: Swedish Parents Lose Child for Being Too Christian
https://www.foxnews.com/media/christian-parents-lose-final-appeal-after-swedish-state-took-daughters-following-false-abuse-claim - New York Times: Cesar Chavez Accused of Abusing Girls
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-ufw.html
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney use the new Netflix documentary “Cover-Up,” on investigative reporting legend Seymour Hersh as a springboard for a wide-ranging discussion with RCI contributor Aaron Maté about the decline of skepticism and rise of propaganda in the legacy media.
On this week’s News Roundup, Zane and Varney discuss a Washington Post article about Trump’s effort to remake the federal bureaucracy by firing and then hiring workers; two Wall Street Journal investigations of Medicaid and Medicare that suggest that in addition to fraud, waste and abuse, a near criminal lack of oversight costs taxpayers billions and a City Journal article on the politicization of sports reporting.
YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/-ZyNWgiL4z4
00:00 Intro
00:31 News Roundup: Trump Administration's Impact on Federal Workforce
05:29 Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in Federal Government
10:02 Politicization of Sports Writing
16:16 Interview with Aaron Mate on Netflix Seymour Hersh Documentary “Cover-Up”
29:04 Russiagate and Media Accountability
50:15 Conclusion and Upcoming Work
Articles and Documentaries Discussed in this Episode:
Washington Post: After Firing, Trump Admin Now Hiring
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/after-slashing-federal-jobs-trump-administration-ramps-up-hiring/ar-AA1XOlP3?ocid=BingNewsSerp
Wall Street Journal: Seniors Pay for Medicare Overpayments
https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/seniors-paid-billions-in-extra-premiums-due-to-alleged-medicare-overpayments-d41f5d79?mod=RSSMSN
Wall Street Journal: Autism Therapy Is Medicaid’s Fastest-Growing Jackpot
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/the-boom-in-autism-therapy-is-medicaid-s-fastest-growing-jackpot/ar-AA1XWJa7?ocid=BingNewsSerp
City Journal: How Sports Journalism Lurched Leftward
https://www.city-journal.org/article/sports-journalism-writers-media-politics
Seymour Hersh Trailer: “Cover-Up”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CxEnECKs9U&t=3s
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with RCI contributor John Murawski about his article detailing the backlash against policies adopted by thousands of public schools that aim to conceal the gender identity of trans students from their parents.
In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss an NBC News report about Iran’s reliance on cheap and simple to make drones, a CNN article on the high-tech wizardry Israel has deployed to track and kill Iranian scientists and leaders, a Tablet piece reporting that China may not be as strong as commonly portrayed and an Atlantic report that Cuba may be Trump’s next target. They also discuss Ana Kasparian’s recent article for RCI about chronic fraud and mismanagement in California’s Medi-Cal system and the “billionaire’s tax” leaders are pitching to fund but not reform the $200 billion system.
Chapters
00:00 Intro: News Roundup with Peder Zane and James Varney
01:00 Global Military Dynamics and Drone Warfare
06:15 China's Influence and Economic Challenges
08:11 Cuba's Political Landscape and U.S. Relations
11:30 California's Medi-Cal System and Government Fraud
15:12 Interview with John Murawski
16:30 Backlash Against School Policies on Gender Identity
19:00 Legal Challenges and Parental Rights in Education
23:48 Cultural Shifts and the Role of Parents
31:19 The Impact of Social Media on Gender Identity
37:18 The Cultural Revolution and Identity PoliticsYOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/P3aFw3rjT6U
Articles mentioned in this Podcast:
John Murawski/RCI: Transparency: Suing Schools That Hide Trans Kids’ Identities From Parents
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/03/05/transparency_suing_schools_that_hide_trans_kids_identities_from_parents_1168501.html
Ana Kasparian/RCI: Can Billionaire Tax Cure California’s Healthcare Woes? https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/03/03/can_billionaire_tax_cure_californias_healthcare_woes_1167959.html
NBC News: Cheap, Effective and Battle-Tested by Russia: Iran Leans on Shahed Drones to Penetrate U.S. Defenses
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/shahed-drones-iran-us-war-ukraine-russia-rcna261285
CNN: Hacked Traffic Cameras and US Intelligence: How a Plot To Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Came Together
https://archive.is/NnZiX#selection-3417.13-3429.11
Tablet: Paper Dragon: Behind the Chinese illusion of strength
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/paper-dragon-china
Atlantic: Cuba Is Next
https://archive.is/g0qSn
Subscribe to RCI’s and other RealClear Newsletters here.
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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Jeremy Portnoy, a researcher for OpentheBooks.com who writes RCI’s Waste of the Day feature, about rampant fraud, waste and abuse in government spending.
In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss the Daily Caller’s report on Chinese researchers working on US defense projects, the Daily Mail’s article on a Chinese spy’s effort to recruit American figure skater Alysa Liu and the New York Times piece on Russia’s campaign to create mayhem across Europe.YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/UbbcWrjKLYA
0:00 Intro
01:33 Daily Caller: US Funded Defense Projects Riddled with Chinese Researchers
05:15 Daily Mail: Chinese Spies Tried to Turn Skater Aylsa Liu
07:04 New York Times: Ex-Cabbie Driving Russia’s Shadow War
10:30 RealClearInvestigations: Bad Bets: Massive EV Subsidies Not Paying Off
13:18 Jeremy Portnoy, OpentheBooks.com, RCI’s Waste of the Day feature
Articles mentioned in this Podcast:
- RealClearInvestigations: Bad Bets: Massive EV Subsidies Not Paying Off
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/02/26/bad_bets_federal_and_state_ev_subsidies_are_not_paying_off_1167122.html - Daily Caller: US Funded Defense Projects Riddled with Chinese Researchers
https://dailycaller.com/2026/02/23/exclusive-us-intel-defense-grants-chinese-researchers/ - Daily Mail: Chinese Spies Tried to Turn Skater Aylsa Liu
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/winterolympics/article-15591857/olympics-alysa-liu-father-china-spy-truth.html - New York Times: Ex-Cabbie Driving Russia’s Shadow War
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/22/world/europe/russia-sabotage-europe.html - RealClearInvestigations: Waste of the Day Archive
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/stream/?topic=waste_of_the_day
Subscribe to RCI’s and other RealClear Newsletters here.
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YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/2YcAFTe3L_A
Articles discussed in this podcast:
Paul D. Thacker for RCI: Deporting Censorship: US Targets UK
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/02/18/deporting_censorship_us_targets_key_ally_of_british_government_over_free_speech_1165667.html
New York Times: Obama Took On Recession, Health Care and Iraq. What He Didn’t See Coming Was Trump
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/us/politics/obama-trump-oral-history.html
RCI: Obama’s Fingerprints All Over Investigations of Trump And Clinton | RealClearInvestigations
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/01/22/obamas_fingerprints_all_over_investigations_of_trump_and_clinton_1160121.html
Reason: Report: The FBI bent its own rules to spy on 1,100 'sensitive' targets
https://reason.com/2026/02/16/the-fbi-bent-its-own-rules-to-spy-on-1100-sensitive-targets/
Guardian: No water or electricity, and children begging in streets filled with rubbish – but this is why I won’t leave Cuba | Cuba | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/13/no-water-or-electricity-and-children-begging-in-streets-filled-with-rubbish-but-this-is-why-i-wont-leave-cuba
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YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/W939iZBA-VU
RealClearInvestigations: Caring for Mom Is an Education in Scams and Fraud
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/02/10/caring_for_mom_is_an_education_in_scams_and_fraud_1163842.html
Wall Street Journal: Trump Admin Nepo Babies Love Their Crypto
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/one-generation-runs-the-country-the-next-cashed-in-on-crypto/ar-AA1VTTn1?ocid=BingNewsSerp
New York Times: Ghislaine Maxwell’s Key Role in the Clinton Global Initiative
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/08/us/politics/epstein-clintons-maxwell.html
New York Magazine: YouTubers Weaponized FOIA to Embarrass Young Women
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/body-cam-youtube-foia-abuse.html
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YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/j5MoleO39Kw
Read the articles discussed in this episode:
Mark Hemingway article for RealClearInvestigations: Model City: Portland’s Journey From Symbol of Chic to Shabby | RealClearInvestigations
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/02/05/model_city_portlands_journey_from_symbol_of_chic_to_shabby_1162950.html
Washington Free Beacon: Democrat Stacey Plaskett Called Epstein Her Friend, Gave Disgraced Pedophile Exclusive Information About Her Legislative Work
https://freebeacon.com/democrats/democrat-stacey-plaskett-called-epstein-her-friend-gave-disgraced-pedophile-exclusive-information-about-her-legislative-work-text-messages/
RealClearInvestigations: Paradise Lost: Jeffrey Epstein’s Legacy Still Clouds the U.S. Virgin Islands
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2025/05/21/paradise_lost_jeffrey_epsteins_legacy_still_clouds_the_us_virgin_islands_1111523.html
RealClearInvestigations: Power On: What PA’s Battle Over Climate Change Can Teach the Nation
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/02/03/power_on_what_pas_battle_over_climate_change_can_teach_the_nation_1162501.html
Washington Post: Homeland Security Targeting Americans with Secretive Legal Weapon
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/homeland-security-is-targeting-americans-with-this-secretive-legal-weapon/ar-AA1VyFoP?ocid=BingNewsSerp
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For more, check out: https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/01/07/one_fell_swoop_lawsuit_eyes_death_blow_to_racial_preferences_1157201.html
YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/XSAaTiGdHPI
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January 30, 2026—On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney discuss our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting. 00:00 Zane and Varney discuss articles that report on President Obama’s efforts to protect Hillary Clinton from legal problems while advancing the Russiagate hoax against Donald Trump; the rising death toll in Russia’s war against Ukraine and how anti-ICE protestors are using sophisticated communication techniques to organize their resistance.19:19 RCI Editor J. Peder Zane speaks with RCI Senior Contributor Ben Weingarten about the DOJ’s efforts to redirect the FACE Act, a law used primarily against pro-life demonstrators, against anti-ICE protestors in Minneapolis. Sign up for the RealClearInvestigations Newsletter. Watch each episode on the RealClearPolitics YouTube ChannelContact us with your thoughts and feedback:jpederzane@realclearinvestigations.com
On the first episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Ryan Thorpe of the Manhattan Institute, who helped uncover massive Somali fraud in Minnesota’s social welfare programs.In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss articles that report on the aggressive resistance percolating in Minneapolis, China’s growing dominance of global technology and the communist nation may be exploiting America’s tradition of birthright citizenship to subvert democracy.00:00 RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney discuss the stories of the week.11:55 RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Ryan Thorpe of the Manhattan Institute. Sign up for the RealClearInvestigations Newsletter. Watch each episode on the RealClearPolitics YouTube ChannelContact us with your thoughts and feedback:jpederzane@realclearinvestigations.com
Welcome to the new RealClearInvestigations Podcast on this feed! Each week J. Peder Zane, Editor of RealClearInvestigations, and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney discuss the week’s best investigative reporting and speak with journalists about cracking challenging stories. Whether it’s culture, politics, or the markets, RealClearIInvestigations should be your source for in-depth reporting from a wide range of perspectives. From the publishers of RealClearPolitics.com. Sign up for the RealClearInvestigations Newsletter. Watch each episode on the RealClearPolitics YouTube ChannelContact us with your thoughts and feedback:jpederzane@realclearinvestigations.com
In August of this year, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks announced the “Replicator Initiative” a new program to field thousands of less costly autonomous weapon systems. Aimed directly at offsetting China’s growing advantages in the Pacific, the ambitious program is set to deliver all within the next 18-24 months. Replicator is part of a growing concern that, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Charles Q. Brown framed the issue while still Chief of the Air Force, the Pentagon must, "Accelerate, change or lose."
But is the defense industry able to deliver on that promise? With new defense programs taking sometimes a decade or more to reach the battlefield, what is needed to transform the way the pentagon develops new technology? Can it keep up with the accelerating pace of change especially drones and AI?
To answer these questions and more, host John Sorensen speaks with:
Mike Brown who served as the Director of the Defense Innovation Unit at the Department of Defense. He also led the DoD-sponsored investment group, National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC) to fund dual-use technology companies. Prior to working in government, Brown served as the CEO of Symantec, Quantum, and Chairman of EqualLogic. He is currently a partner at the dual-use venture capital firm, Shield Capital and a visiting scholar at Stanford University.
Retired Rear Admiral Lorin Selby, who until this year was the Navy’s Chief of Naval Research. He has also served as a submarine officer, in acquisitions, as a nuclear engineer, and as Deputy Director in the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs, for the House.
And Steve Blank, adjunct professor at Stanford and a co-founder of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. He is an entrepreneur and founder of multiple startups in Silicon Valley, the author of “The Four Steps to the Epiphany” credited with launching the Lean Startup movement, and most recently, “The Startup Owner’s Manual.”
"Follow Hot Wash on Twitter @hotwashrcd
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On today’s episode we return to an interview with Jonathan Schanzer, Senior Vice President for Research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and the author of “Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel and Eleven Days of War”. Host John Sorensen and RealClearDefense editor David Craig spoke with Schanzer in November of 2021 about an attack from earlier that year when Hamas launched more than four thousand rockets and mortars toward Israel killing 12 and injuring more than 100. Retaliatory Israeli air strikes resulted in the deaths of more than 200, including at least 129 civilians, and nearly 2000 injured, according to the United Nations. Schanzer details how the media covered the 2021 conflict, Iran's critical support for Hamas, and what Hamas’ strategy in Gaza means for the region.
As China’s military capabilities grow, discussions about the US posture in the Pacific often return to the question how large a force does the US need to deter or possibly confront the Chinese Navy? If China were to launch an attack on Taiwan, how do the US and Chinese navies match up?
To find out, “Hot Wash” host John Sorensen speaks with Tom Shugart an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. During his twenty-five years in the US Navy, Shugart served as a submarine warfare officer on both fast attack and ballistic missile submarines, including as commander of the attack submarine USS Olympia from 2013 to 2016. He also served on the Joint Staff as the principal officer responsible for nuclear strike planning, as well as in the Defense Department’s Office of Net Assessment.
"Follow Hot Wash on Twitter @hotwashrcd
Email comments and story suggestions to editors@realcleardefense.com
Subscribe to the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash"
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Note this episode contains explicit language and discussion of self-harm.
On the RealClearDefense podcast “Hot Wash” John Sorensen and RCD contributor John Waters speak with Miles Lagoze, the documentary filmmaker behind “Combat Obscura” a gripping unfiltered look at the war in Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012 during his time as an eighteen year-old Combat Camera with the 1st Battalion 6th Marines. Most recently he is the author of a new book about his experiences in Afghanistan and returning home. It’s called, “Whistles From the Graveyard: My Time Behind the Camera on War, Rage, and Restless Youth in Afghanistan”
"Whistles From the Graveyard" is available for pre-order.
Look for RCD Contributor John Waters’ new novel “River City One” published this fall.
"Follow Hot Wash on Twitter @hotwashrcd
Email comments and story suggestions to editors@realcleardefense.com
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On the RealClearDefense podcast “Hot Wash,” host John Sorensen speaks with Dr. Peter Feaver, a long-time researcher of civil-military affairs about his new book, a comprehensive study of public attitudes towards the military called, “Thanks for Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the US Military.” He is also a professor of political science and public policy at Duke University, has served twice on the National Security Council staff, and as an intelligence officer in the Navy Reserves.
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John Waters speaks with entrepreneur, Army veteran, and author Mike Erwin about applying lessons from the military to positive leadership off the battlefield. Erwin is a graduate of West Point and served as an Intelligence officer in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning two Bronze Stars. After studying positive psychology and leadership at the University of Michigan he founded “Team Red, White, and Blue” a nonprofit connecting veterans through physical and social activity. He is also the author of two books on leadership, “Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leaders Through Solitude” and most recently, “Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital Age.”
Team Red, White, and Blue
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As Republican candidates prepare for the debate in Ohio, does the GOP have a China strategy? In a recent piece for the Wall Street Journal, Republican Congressman from Wisconsin, Mike Gallagher challenges the candidates and the party to confront as he puts it, “America’s greatest geopolitical threat.” RealClearDefense contributor John Waters, and guest columnist Stephen Young, speak with Gallagher about developing a clearer strategy to deter China.
Read Rep. Mike Gallagher's article in the Wall Street Journal, "GOP Presidential Candidates Need to Talk About China"
Read Stephen Young's opinion piece on RealClearDefense.com, "How Xi Jinping Thinks"
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The war in Ukraine has rapidly reshaped how strategists think about the modern battlefield, especially the use of drones, cyber, social media, and the importance of electronic warfare. Looking at a potential conflict with China, what would a military confrontation over Taiwan look like in this new technological era?
On this episode of “Hot Wash,” host John Sorensen speaks with Retired Australian Major Gen Mick Ryan. Ryan is a frequent commentor on the transformation of warfare, and is a 35-year veteran of the Australian Army, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a graduate of the US Marine Corps Command and Staff College, the USMC School of Advanced Warfare, and is an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.. He is also the author of the nonfiction book “War Transformed,” and most recently the author of a new fiction book, “White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan”
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On today’s “Hot Wash,” CNN’s Jake Tapper talks about his new fiction thriller “All the Demons Are Here” about an AWOL US Marine back from the Vietnam War and lost in the chaos of the 1970’s. We also discuss his nonfiction book, “The Outpost” about the heroism and tragedy of one of the deadliest battles in the Afghanistan War, and the coverage of the current Russian war against Ukraine.
Subscribe to the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash"Ukraine for in depth conversations about military, defense, and national security.
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Welcome to the first episode of BLUF: Bottom Line Up Front, presented by Real Clear Defense, in which we ask a member of Congress 7 questions that cut to the chase of what they’re doing and why they’re doing it.
Today we hear from Republican Congressman Mark Green of Tennessee, who graduated from West Point, served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army, and later became an army physician serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, he chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security and sits on the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated film “Oppenheimer” opens this weekend. For the story behind one of America’s most consequential and controversial scientific minds in his own words, listen to a mini-audio documentary about Robert Oppenheimer: his connections to the Communist party, his troubled relationship with President Truman, and the legacy of his work on the most devastating invention of the 20th century.
This episode of the RealClearDefense podcast "Hot Wash" is sponsored by Pratt & Whitney. Pratt & Whitney’s F135 Engine Core Upgrade leverages the expertise and capabilities of RTX while saving taxpayers $40B—it’s the smart decision for the F-35.
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On Friday June 23rd Yevgeny Prighozin, the leader of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group, took to Telegram to announce that he would, “march for justice” to stop the Russian defense ministry “evil”. By Saturday morning Wagner forces had claimed control of Rostov-on-Don, the Russian military headquarters near the Ukrainian border. His forces proceeded in a convoy into Russia toward Moscow, getting to within 200 km of the capital. Putin declared him a traitor and seemed destined for a bloody showdown. Then in a dizzying turn it was announced that Prighozin would be allowed to retire to Belarus and his troops disbanded.
To try and understand what happened and what it means for Putin’s hold on power in Russia, "Hot Wash" host John Sorensen speaks with Kathryn Stoner, the Mosbacher Director at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at the Hoover Institution. Her most recent book is "Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order."
Read Kathryn Stoner's article in the Atlantic, "Why Putin Let Prigozhin Go"
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RealClearDefense contributor John Waters speaks with Wall Street Journal National Security reporter Brett Forrest about his new bestselling book, "Lost Son: An American Family Trapped Inside the FBI’s Secret Wars.” Expanding on his investigation for the Journal, Forrest explores the disappearance of Billy Reilly, a gifted civilian who volunteered as an undercover FBI source inside Russia. When their son went missing, Reilly’s parents were shut out of the investigation by the FBI and turned to Forrest to uncover what happened.
Brett Forrest is a national security reporter for The Wall Street Journal where his work often focuses on the former Soviet Union. He has covered the war in Ukraine and was the first reporter to into the Kiev suburb of Bucha following the Russian military’s withdrawal, where he broke the news of alleged atrocities.
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Did the Cold War really end? As recently as this week, the New York Times confirmed that in 2020 Russian intelligence attempted to assassinate a defector on US soil, crossing a major red line even during the height of the Cold War. On today’s episode of the RealClearDefense podcast “Hot Wash” host John Sorensen and RCD contributor John Waters speak with Calder Walton, the historian who uncovered that attempted assassination and the author of a new book, “SPIES: The Epic Intelligence War Between the East and West.” Using archival evidence only declassified as recently as 2022, Walton looks at the 100 year espionage competition between the Soviet, American and British intelligence services. By comparing each side’s internal secrets the book reveals double agents, the tactics of disinformation, covert action, and assassinations. How did espionage shape the Cold War?
Walton is the Assistant Director of the Harvard Belfer Center for Applied History and Intelligence Project. He is also the author of the three-volume Cambridge History of Espionage and Intelligence and Empire of Secrets: British Intelligence, the Cold War, and the Twilight of Empire.
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On today's "Hot Wash," RCD contributor John Waters talks to the authors of a new book, “Unwavering: The Wives Who Fought to Ensure No Man is Left Behind.” It is the story of how the wives of Prisoners of War and those Missing In Action during the Vietnam War compelled the military and the US government to change policy and focused a nation on the unfinished business of a war it would rather forget. Symbolized by the rapidly ubiquitous black POW/MIA flags around the nation, the movement fundamentally changed how America thought about those lost in combat, and its obligation to those they left behind.
Taylor Kiland is a former naval officer, the third generation in her family to serve in the Navy, and is also the author of two other books about our nation’s POWs. And Judy Gray is a former correspondent for The Tampa Tribune who has published five books on military topics. A retired Coast Guard chief petty officer, she is the third generation in her family to serve in the military.
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On today's "Hot Wash," RCD contributor John Waters talks to the authors of one the site's most popular recent articles, “The Navy SEAL Who Went to Ukraine Because He Couldn’t Stop Fighting.” The tortured story of Daniel Swift, a decorated Navy SEAL who went AWOL, only to end up on the frontlines of Ukraine's war with Russia. It's a story about the complicated relationship some of America's most experienced veterans have with combat, the challenges of returning home, the desire to make a difference, and the pull to return to the fight. Brett Forest and Ian Lovett are journalists for the Wall Street Journal who cover Ukraine.
Read the article here, “The Navy SEAL Who Went to Ukraine Because He Couldn’t Stop Fighting.”
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Visit RealClearPublishing for more information on“Kissinger’s Betrayal: How America Lost the Vietnam War”
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Read the article on RealClearDefense Why America Loses Wars
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On this episode of "Hot Wash" we look at the US military’s peer adversaries from a “Free Markets” perspective. Are defense budgets bloated by threat inflation? RCD contributor John Waters and I speak with John Tamny, a frequent commentator on financial markets and the economy and the Editor at RealClearMarkets, the Vice President at the small government advocacy group FreedomWorks, and the author most recently of “The Money Confusion: How Illiteracy About Currencies and Inflation Sets the Stage for the Crypto Revolution.”
Read John Water's full interview with John Tamny, Big and Brassy Defense Budgets
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On today's episode of the RealClearDefense podcast “Hot Wash,” we look at the context behind Putin's catastrophic decision to invade Ukraine. What does the history of Russia's post-Soviet wars tell us about the current conflict? Is Putin really playing 3-dimensional chess? Or has he blundered into a disaster of his own making, victim of an increasingly small information bubble?
Host, John Sorensen speaks with Mark Galeotti, a prolific longtime observer of Russian history, defense and security issues. He is a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Institute of International Relations Prague, a Senior Assoc Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, and the principle director at Mayak Intelligence, a consultancy firm specializing in Russia. And most recently he is the author of a new book, “Putin’s Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine.”
On today’s episode of the RealClearDefense podcast “Hot Wash,” host John Sorensen, and RCD contributor John Waters speak with journalist and combat veteran Ben Kesling about his new book, “Bravo Company: An Afghanistan Deployment and Its Aftermath”.
It is the story of one unit of the famed 82nd Airborne, their tour in Kandahar’s notorious Arghandab Valley and the impact on their lives in the years after. By the end of their deployment, three soldiers had been killed in action, a dozen more grievously injured, and nearly half the company awarded Purple Hearts. In the decade since, two more have died by suicide, with a dozen others attempting, and still more admitting they had considered it. It is a story about the lasting price of war and how to help those who have paid it.
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On today’s episode of the RealClearDefense podcast “Hot Wash,” RCD contributor John Waters speaks with Bill Bee and Wills Robinson the authors of “The Shot: The Harrowing Journey of a Marine in the War On Terror.”
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On the RealClearDefense podcast "Hot Wash", host John Sorensen and RCD Contributor John Waters speak with Stephanie Savell, the Co-Director of the Costs of War project at the Watson Institute for International Relations at Brown University. Savell is an anthropologist, who researches militarism, security, and civic engagement in relation to the United States post-9/11 wars. The Costs of War project takes an interdisciplinary approach to ask what are the real total costs of war? Have the post-9/11 conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan improved those nations or left them worse off for the American interventions? What are the combined costs of using the military when you include financing the "military industrial complex," the costs of financing that borrowing, the long term medical care of veterans, the impact on communities, and all the ripples that 20 years of war sends through a society?
To read more about the Costs of War project
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On today's episode of the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash" host John Sorensen and RCD contributor Todd Carney, speak with Jason Kander, veteran, politician and most recently author of “Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD”
In 2006, Kander served as a military intelligence officer in Afghanistan for the Army Reserve. After returning to civilian life, Kander entered politics serving in his home state of Missouri’s House of Representatives in 2008, and then in 2012 as the Missouri Secretary of State. In 2016 he ran for Missouri’s Senate seat, narrowly losing to Republican Roy Blunt by a small margin in a state where President Trump beat Hillary Clinton by more than 18 points. He became a rising star in the Democratic party with speculation about a presidential run. In 2018 he ran for mayor of Kansas City, but in a dramatic turn dropped out of the race citing symptoms of PTSD and depression.
Currently, he co-Hosts with Ravi Gupta the progressive political podcast Majority 54. And is the president of national expansion at Veterans Community Project, a non-profit supporting homeless veterans.
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On today's RealClearDefense podcast "Hot Wash," host John Sorensen and RCD Editor David Craig, talk with Jamie Roberts, the director of a new documentary on HBO/Max “Escape From Kabul” about the chaotic evacuation of civilians from Afghanistan in August of last year. The documentary uses never before seen archival footage and interviews with participants and eyewitnesses from the Marines on the ground to the Taliban forces who took over the city. Roberts is also the director of “Four Hours at the Capitol” about the January 6 riot.
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Today on the RealClearDefense podcast “Hot Wash” RCD editor David Craig, contributor John Waters, and host John Sorensen speak with retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller, about holding the political and military leadership accountable for the chaotic withdrawal and ultimate Taliban victory in Afghanistan. Scheller, an infantry officer who in part became well known for viral videos on Facebook in which he criticized command for the pull out, is now the author of a new memoir looking at his 17 years in the corps, Crisis of Command: How We Lost Trust and Confidence in America’s Generals and Politicians. Can there be accountability for the failures in Afghanistan?
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On this edition of the RealClear Defense podcast Hotwash, John Sorensen hosts retired Marine Colonel Andrew Milburn, Founder and CEO of the Mozart Group, an organization that is training Ukrainian frontline units in the war against Russian occupation. Milburn retired from the Marine Corps as a colonel in 2019. His last position in uniform was as deputy commander of Special Operations Command Central, and prior to that, commanding officer of the Marine Raider Regiment and Combined Special Operations Task Force–Iraq.
Writer/Director Abi Damaris Corbin discusses her new film, "Breaking," based on the real-life story of the late Brian Brown-Easley, a former Marine Corps veteran who robbed a Wells Fargo Bank with a bomb threat in 2017.
RealClearDefense Contributor John Waters and "Hot Wash" host John Sorensen speak with Michael Gordon national security correspondent at the Wall Street Journal, about his new book “Degrade and Destroy: The Inside Story of the War Against the Islamic State, From Barack Obama to Donald Trump.”
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This week a look at the documentary, “Who Killed Lt. VanDorn?”
In a January 2014 training exercise off the coast of Virginia, pilot Lt. Wes VanDorn, his co-pilot Lt. Sean Snyder, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Collins died when VanDorn’s MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter caught fire and crashed into the frigid Atlantic. The MH-53E is the Navy’s largest, oldest, and most deadly aircraft.
Today, we speak with Zach Stauffer, director of the feature documentary, “Who Killed Lt. VanDorn?” which explores Wes’s story and the investigation into why this aging aircraft with a known deadly track record continues to fly.
We are also joined by Wes’ widow Nicole VanDorn whose efforts helped spur the inquiry into the institutional failings that led to her husband’s death, and by Chris Humme, Navy mechanic and aircraft maintainer on the MH-53E.
"Who Killed Lt. Van Dorn?" Currently available on Amazon
Also available on iTunes
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Today on the RealClearDefense podcast "Hot Wash", host John Sorensen and RCD contributor John Waters talk to Retired Marine Major Fred Galvin about his new book, “A Few Bad Men: The True Story of US Marines Ambushed in Afghanistan and Betrayed in America.”
Galvin enlisted in the Marine Corps as a 17-year-old and quickly deployed to combat in the Persian Gulf. A few years later, he commissioned as a Marine officer and served with elite infantry, reconnaissance, and force reconnaissance units. In early 2007, Maj. Galvin deployed to eastern Afghanistan to lead the first Marine Special Operations (MARSOC) task force in combat. Shortly after deploying, Galvin and his men found themselves in an ambush along Highway 1 in Bati Kot. Before they had even returned to their base, accusations of killing civilians rocketed through the media. Galvin was removed from command and faced a Court of Inquiry, the first for the Marines in 65 years. Ultimately cleared of all accusations, Galvin’s story touches on the complicated and sometimes adversarial relationship between the Marine Corps and its special operations units.
Read John Waters' article in RealClearDefense Bullets Flying', Soldiers Lyin'
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On today’s RealClearDefense podcast "Hot Wash", RCD Editor David Craig and Contributor John Waters speak with retired four-star Admiral James Stavridis about his new book, “To Risk It all: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision.” It's a gripping collection of stories of Naval heroes demonstrating how to make decisions under pressure. As much a book about leadership as it is naval history, Stavridis' profiles demonstrate key elements of successful decision making regardless of the arena.
During his more than 30 years in the US Navy, Stavridis served as Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, as well as commander of a destroyer squadron, and an aircraft carrier battle group in combat. He also holds a PhD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he recently served as dean. He is currently the Vice Chair for Global Affairs at the Carlyle Group and the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Rockefeller Foundation.
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Today on the RealClearDefense podcast "Hot Wash", RCD Editor David Craig looks at competing with China’s military on the technology front. The US military has long enjoyed dominance in its ability to leverage connected communications and data for its warfighters, but peer competitors like China could challenge the US in crucial areas like advanced computing and Artificial Intelligence. The Defense Department’sJoint All-Domain Command and Control project, or JADC2 is an ambitious attempt to integrate data, sensors, weapon platforms, and communication across all services and domains. The number of unique devices and protocols that need to be connected is staggering. What will it take to create a “Network of Networks?” And will it help win the Tech War with China?
To find out we are joined by Daniel Goure, Senior Vice President with the Lexington Institute. He served as the director of the Office of Strategic Competitiveness in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and most recently is the author of an article for 1945, “The Undeclared US-China Technology War.”
Daniel Goure's article The Undeclared US China Technology War
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On the RealClearDefense podcast “Hot Wash”, RealClearDefense editor David Craig speaks with retired Army Colonel and former General Counsel at US Cyber Command about Cyber and the Russian war in Ukraine. Corn is also a professor at the American University Washington College of Law's Tech, Law and Security program. What are the implications for the law of war, and how cyber might provoke larger NATO involvement in the war?
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Today on the RealClearDefense podcast "Hot Wash," host John Sorensen and RCD contributor John Waters speak with Matthew Cole about his new book, “Code Over Country: The Tragedy and Corruption of SEAL Team 6." Cole is an investigative journalist at ‘The Intercept’ and has covered national security since 2005, traveling extensively in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East to cover American conflicts and U.S. intelligence operations.
In the book Cole details a long history of alleged wrongdoing including war crimes by members of the Navy’s SEAL Team Six and efforts to cover-up that behavior demonstrating a fundamental flaw in the Unit’s culture.
Officially designated Naval Special Warfare Development Group or DEVGRU, everyone knows them as SEAL Team 6, and they are far from secret, spawning a whole genre of tell all books by former members, and fictionalized accounts of dramatic missions portrayed in films and television. Has public hero worship and the military’s extensive reliance on these highly skilled operators over the past two decades allowed them to be largely immune to oversight, obeying a different set of rules? Is there a problem with SEAL team culture?
Code Over Country: The Tragedy and Corruption of SEAL Team Six at Amazon.com
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Today on the RealClearDefense podcast "Hot Wash", host John Sorensen and RCD Editor David Craig continue coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine by speaking to David Lasseter, former Deputy Assitant Secretary of Defense for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction and a visiting Fellow at the National Security Institute. He is also recently the author of an article on RealClearDefense, “Putin’s Disinformation & Opportunity: Weapons of Mass Destruction.”
Putin has put Russia's nuclear forces on alert, but are chemical and biological weapons more likely threats in Ukraine? How does Putin’s history of using disinformation affect calculations calculations of possible escalations?
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Read David Lasseter's article in RealClearDefense, “Putin’s Disinformation & Opportunity: Weapons of Mass Destruction”
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On the RealClearDefense podcast “Hot Wash”, in light of what appears to be a full scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the largest conventional conflict in Europe since WWII, we’ve asked Ben Connable to return to update us on his views of this rapidly evolving situation, and to discuss his recent commentary on RealClearDefense “Will the Ukrainians Fight?”
RealClearDefense editor David Craig speaks with Dr. Ben Connable, a retired Marine Corps intelligence officer, a senior nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, and adjunct professor of security studies at Georgetown University.
Read Ben Connable's article "Will the Ukrainians Fight?" on RealClearDefense.com
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On the RealClearDefense podcast “Hot Wash”, host John Sorensen and RealClearDefense contributor John Waters speak with Dr. Ben Connable, a retired Marine Corps intelligence officer, a senior nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, adjunct professor of security studies at Georgetown University. And author of an article for RealClearDefense, “Troop-to-Task: A Russian Invasion of Ukraine.” What would it actually take for Putin to invade and occupy Ukraine and what are the risks for Russia?
Read Ben Connable's article“Troop-to-Task: A Russian Invasion of Ukraine”
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In this episode of the RealClearDefense podcast “Hot Wash”, host John Sorensen and RCD contributor John Waters speak with journalist and author Toby Harnden about his new book, “First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11.”
Based on original interviews with CIA officers, paramilitary and special forces members of the small team inserted into Afghanistan after 9/11, Harnden tells the riveting story of the amazing individuals who allied with the Northern Alliance to take Mazar-i-Sharif and ultimately topple the Taliban in the early days of the war. It is also the story of the death of Mike Spann, the CIA officer who would become the first American casualty of a 20 year war.
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Although the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act funding the military passed with bipartisan support, the appropriations bill has not. This puts the entire military and much of the intelligence community under a Continuing Resolution since October 1, freezing new spending, stalling dozens of major programs, and holding spending military-wide to 2021 levels. In a time of rising inflation, the effect is actually a major cut. Now, some members of Congress are proposing extending the Continuing Resolution for up to a year.
What would that mean for defense? Is there a way through the impasse?
To find out we are joined by, Retired Marine Major General Arnold Punaro, CEO at the Punaro Group, a firm specializing in federal budget and market analysis. He is Formerly the Chairman of the National Defense Industrial Associationa member of the Reserve Forces Policy Board, director of National Security Affairs for Senator Sam Nunn, as well as Staff Director of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Before rising to Major General, he served as an Infantry Platoon Commander in Vietnam where he was awarded the Bronze Star for valor and the Purple Heart.
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Subscribe to the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash"
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletterfor a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security.
Subscribe to the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash"
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletterfor a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security.
Subscribe to the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash"
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletterfor a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security.
Subscribe to the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash"
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletterfor a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security.
"Congress must untie Biden's hands on Taiwan" by Rep. Elaine Luria
Subscribe to the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash"
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletterfor a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security.
Subscribe to the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash"
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletterfor a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security.
Subscribe to the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash"
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletterfor a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security.
"Detainee 001" Available on Showtime
Subscribe to the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash"
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletterfor a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security.
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletterfor a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security.
Subscribe to the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash"
Rep. Elaine Luria's Op Ed: Congress Must Untie Biden's Hands on Taiwan
Subscribe to the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash"
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletterfor a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security,
“The Consequences of Failure: The Politics of Saigon and Kabul” Commentary by Andrew Busch on RealClearDefense
Read the RealClear Opinion Research survey on US attitudes toward the military.
Subscribe to the RealClearDefense Podcast "Hot Wash"
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletter for a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security,
RealClearPolitics Podcast "The Takeaway"
RCP Poll: How a Divided U.S. Views Its Armed Forces and Their Role
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/realclear-defense-presents-hot-wash/id1575373700
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletter at https://www.realcleardefense.com/daily_newsletters/ for a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security.
Be sure to subscribe to Hot Wash on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/realclear-defense-presents-hot-wash/id1575373700
Today on "Hot Wash," host John Sorensen and RealClearDefense Editor David Craig speak with Kamal Alam, a nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center and advisor to Ahmad Massoud who is opposing the Taliban from the Panjshir valley.
In 1992, following the defeat of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, a loose alliance of mujahideen militias assaulted Kabul, toppling the Communist government. One of those militias was led by the charismatic commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, the “lion of the Panjshir.” Massoud’s Tajik forces joined with Uzbek and Hazara factions to form the Northern Alliance. Massoud’s home and nearly impenetrable fortress was the Panjshir valley, roughly 70 miles north of Kabul, from which he defied repeated assaults by the Soviets and then later the Taliban in the Civil War that followed the Communist collapse.
During the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s, Massoud became the eyes and ears for western intelligence, prophetically warning about the rise of foreign fighters that became Al Qaeda. Ultimately, he was assassinated by Al Qaeda just two days before the September 11 attacks on the US. But, Massoud’s Northern Alliance proved essential in early US victories over the Taliban.
20 years later, in the wake of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the rapid collapse of the Afghan National Army, some Afghans are still resisting the Taliban takeover. One of those groups is led by Massoud’s 32-year old son Ahmed Massoud, who has returned to the Panjshir valley that proved so defensible for his father. Calling themselves the National Resistance Front or NRF, the small group of Tajiks and former ANA commandos, have vowed to oppose the Taliban and even claim to have recently secured three districts neighboring the Panjshir.
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletter at https://www.realcleardefense.com/daily_newsletters/ for a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security.
Be sure to subscribe to Hot Wash on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/realclear-defense-presents-hot-wash/id1575373700
Today on "Hot Wash," host John Sorensen and RealClearDefense Editor David Craig speak with Craig Whitlock, Investigative Journalist at the Washington Post and author of "The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War." Based in part on confidential Pentagon interviews obtained through two Freedom of Information lawsuits, the book reveals the doubts policymakers and military leaders were sharing in private throughout the war in stark contrast to their optimistic assessments in public.
We are also joined by Steve Liewer, who covers the military for the Omaha World-Herald, and previously wrote for Stars and Stripes. Most recently he has been reporting on how Gold Star families and veterans are dealing with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. What can we learn from looking back over the past 20 years to the internal criticisms expressed by those fighting the war? And how is that affecting today’s veterans?
Subscribe to the Morning Recon newsletter at https://www.realcleardefense.com/daily_newsletters/ for a daily roundup of news and opinion on the issues that matter for military, defense, veteran affairs, and national security.
Be sure to subscribe to Hot Wash on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/realclear-defense-presents-hot-wash/id1575373700
Today on the RealClearDefense podcast, "Hot Wash," host John Sorensen and RealClearDefense Editor David Craig speak with Elliot Ackerman: retired Marine, journalist, and novelist, most recently co-author with Ret. Admiral James Stavridas of “2034: A Novel of the Next World War”. Elliot served eight years as a Marine in both the infantry and special operations, including multiple tours in Afghanistan. He is also as a graduate of the Fletcher School of Diplomacy. He brings a unique perspective to both the experience of combat on the ground in Afghanistan, as well as the strategic issues surrounding America’s use of force in the world. Our discussion looks at common misconceptions about the nature of the war in Afghanistan and the people fighting it, as well as an attempt to make sense of the catastrophic collapse in the wake of the US withdrawal.
Be sure to subscribe to Hot Wash on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/realclear-defense-presents-hot-wash/id1575373700
RealClearDefense hosts Josh Rogin, foreign policy columnist for the Global Opinions section of The Washington Post and political analyst for CNN, to discuss Rogin's new book, "Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century."
“For most of human history, freedom had to be at least suffered for, if not died for, and that raised its value to something almost sacred.” – Sebastian Junger
David Craig, editor for RealClearDefense speaks with Sebastian Junger, author of "Restrepo" and "Tribe," about his new book "Freedom." and David Richardson, fmr. Deputy Undersecretary for Homeland Security for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Kash Patel came to the Department of Justice during the Obama administration, then became the Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States, President Donald Trump, Senior Director for Counterterrorism, Principal Deputy to the Acting Director of National Intelligence and finally the Chief of Staff for the Acting Secretary of Defense. Kash joins RealClearDefense to talk about his unusual rise in the Federal Government and the issues relating to National Security that arose during his tenure.
RealClearDefense Managing Editor John Waters and Editor David Craig talk with retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel David Richardson, former Undersecretary for the office of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction at the Department of Homeland Security. They discuss his life as a marine, artist and his path to DHS, as well as as emerging national security threats.