Shane Harris joins Matt to discuss his latest reporting for The Atlantic on one of the most destabilizing ideas circulating inside the Trump administration: the U.S. acquisition of Greenland. Shane explains how an idea once dismissed as a punchline is now being treated by U.S. and European officials as a real contingency, and why Denmark and Greenland view it as an existential threat. They examine how the proposal took shape inside Trump’s orbit, why political and intelligence pressure campaigns may already be backfiring, and what unilateral action—by force or fiat—would mean for NATO and the future of the transatlantic alliance.

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Read Shane’s reporting on Greenland with Isaac Stanley-Becker and Jonathan Lemire: https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/01/greenland-trump-venezuela-nato/685511/

Read Shane’s other work at The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/shane-harris/

Follow Shane on X and Bluesky:
https://x.com/shaneharris
https://bsky.app/profile/shaneharris.bsky.social

Audio: https://pod.fo/e/37aa41
YouTube: https://youtu.be/E3Szp68dFh0

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Secrets and Spies is produced by F & P LTD.
Music by Andrew R. Bird
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Secrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence, covert action, real-world espionage, and broader geopolitics in a way that is digestible but serious. Hosted by filmmaker Chris Carr and writer Matt Fulton, each episode examines the very topics that real intelligence officers and analysts consider on a daily basis through the lens of global events and geopolitics, featuring expert insights from former spies, authors, and journalists.