#national-security
81 episodes · Page 2 of 4
#3138: Countries With No Army: The 23 That Chose Zero
23 UN-recognized countries have no standing army. Here's how they survive — and what happens when the protection fails.
#3061: How Polygraphs Actually Work (And Why They Fail)
The DOE is phasing out polygraphs. Here's why the "lie detector" has never actually worked.
#3060: Air Marshals: The 1.4% Truth
Air marshals are real, but they're on just 1.4% of flights. Here's what the GAO report reveals.
#2946: How a Kahanist Teen Became Israel's Police Chief
The story of Itamar Ben-Gvir's rise from Kach activist to National Security Minister.
#2833: What Police Actually Do All Day
Most officers make one arrest every two weeks. Here's what fills the other 90% of their time.
#2770: Who Gets Denied at the Border for Speech?
Why Israel names its red lines while most democracies keep their political exclusion criteria hidden.
#2724: How Sanctions Actually Trap a Company
How the US Treasury freezes assets, isolates firms, and makes the world enforce its rules.
#2642: Who Takes Notes in the Situation Room?
The invisible people scribbling behind world leaders — and why their records shape history.
#2502: Who Enforces the Law, Who Defies It
From immigration politics to ICE raids, Jan 6 prosecutions, and the legal line on private militias in the US.
#2396: Predicting War: The Science of Geopolitical Forecasting
How do experts predict wars before they happen? Explore the high-stakes world of geopolitical forecasting, from Cold War models to AI-driven simula...
#2387: Why Military Intelligence Needed Its Own Agency
How does the Defense Intelligence Agency support U.S. military operations? Dive into its history, structure, and unique role in global intelligence.
#2380: The Policy Chess Game Behind Your Country's Rainy-Day Fund
What does $15 trillion in global foreign currency reserves mean for fiscal policy and economic stability? We break it down.
#2335: Staking Out the Middle: UK's Post-Brexit AI Strategy
The UK’s £500M Sovereign AI Fund is a bold move to boost domestic AI startups with compute access, visas, and strategic partnerships. How does it s...
#2199: Mining the Strait: Why Clearing Iran's Weapons Takes Months
The US is conducting one of the most technically complex military operations in decades—clearing Iranian mines from the world's most critical oil c...
#2159: When the State Protects Politicians, Not People
A family sheltering from Iranian missiles while their government issues parking tickets and funds sectarian interests raises a brutal question: has...
#2155: Public Affairs vs. Lobbying: Shaping the Battlefield
Lobbying is just one tool. Public affairs shapes the entire regulatory battlefield—from AI laws to supply chains.
#2138: Housing as National Defense in Israel
Why Israel's next election might focus on apartment prices instead of missiles—and how organizers are reframing housing as a security issue.
#2077: Why Big Armies Hate Their Best Soldiers
From WWII's fish oil raids to modern Green Beret teams, discover the real mechanics of elite military units.
#1992: The Sovereign Compute Shift: Owning vs. Renting AI Iron
Israel is building a sovereign AI supercomputer with 4,000 Nvidia B200 GPUs to keep startups local.
#1897: The Pentagon Pizza Index: Predicting War with Pepperoni
Forget satellites and spies—the most reliable indicator of imminent military action might be the Google Maps 'busy' meter at a Domino's.
#1889: When Spies and Cops Share a Target
How the FBI and CIA share secrets without burning sources, and why "parallel construction" keeps classified intel out of court.
#1865: The Emergency That Never Ends
Emergency powers from 2022 are still active in 2026. Here's how wartime measures become permanent state furniture.
#1824: Why Governments Are Building Bunkers for AI
Public clouds can’t handle the security or scale of classified AI. Governments are retreating to fortified bunkers.
#1823: The NSA Is a Corporate Campus
The NSA isn’t a Bond villain lair—it’s a corporate campus with a Starbucks, hoodies, and a massive workforce.