Interview: The CIA At Risk - Domestic Politics, Foreign Enemies

Few institutions are as secretive, controversial, and consequential as the CIA. From covert Cold War operations to the war on terror, America’s spy agency has been both praised for keeping the country safe and condemned for its failures and abuses.

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and historian Tim Weiner joins us to unpack that complicated history and discuss his new book, The Mission, which traces how the CIA has struggled to adapt espionage in the 21st century. Weiner is also the author of the National Book Award–winning Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, Enemies: A History of the FBI. 

In this conversation, we explore the agency’s origins, its Cold War and post-9/11 record, and the lessons of Iraq, torture, and Afghanistan. We discuss the biggest threats facing the U.S. today—including China’s massive intelligence apparatus, estimated to be 20 times the size of the CIA, and how Beijing’s ambitions differ from Russia’s. We discuss whether intelligence leaders believe the biggest threat to US national security is internal or external. And, Weiner breaks down the concerns over President Trump’s approach to the agency—and what happens when intelligence is shaped, or warped, by politics. 

🐝 This podcast was recorded from the Mo News office at ⁠Industrious at Midtown on 50th St.⁠

Mosheh Oinounou (⁠@mosheh⁠) is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning journalist. He has 20 years of experience at networks including Fox News, Bloomberg Television and CBS News, where he was the executive producer of the CBS Evening News and launched the network's 24 hour news channel. He founded the @mosheh Instagram news account in 2020 and the Mo News podcast and newsletter in 2022.