Rational Security

Twitter starts fact-checking President Trump as social media companies face calls to ramp up their election security efforts. China again encroaches on Hong Kong, this time using the pandemic as cover. And the judge in Michael Flynn’s case is told to explain his delay in granting a motion to dismiss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in hot water over the firing of an inspector general. A newly declassified email shows that Barack Obama wanted the Russia investigation handled “by the book.” And around the world people are slowly emerging from lockdowns and quarantines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the Rational Security gang is joined by listeners from around the world for a special live show. Unmasking, China, life after Trump/under Biden—we took listeners' questions and shared stories about how we're spending our time during the pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congressman John Ratcliffe faces questions from the Senate in his quest to become the next director of national intelligence. Americans are detained in an apparent botched invasion of Venezuela. And former national security adviser Michael Flynn claims he was set up by corrupt FBI agents. Don't forget to register to take part in next week's live taping! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Democrats and Republicans finally have something to agree on: China deserves more scrutiny for how it has handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Kim Jong Un is alive, maybe. And the courts take up the argument on whether Congress can sue the executive branch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Protests break out against states’ stay-at-home orders. China is linked to a disinformation campaign about the coronavirus. And Israel forms a unity government.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

State officials say tracing the contacts of people infected with the coronavirus will help keep it from spreading. The Trump administration withdraws funding from the World Health Organization. And Russia takes advantage of confused U.S. policy on Libya. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Trump removes two independent inspectors general, including the one at the center of his impeachment. The acting Navy Secretary is out after he removed the captain of an aircraft carrier who complained that his sailors were at risk from the coronavirus. And despite health concerns, Wisconsin goes ahead with elections, offering a test case for November. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

State and local governments are on the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus. But there’s a lot the federal government can, and arguably should, be doing. What is the pandemic showing us about the strengths of a democracy versus an autocracy? And a new report finds significant problems with applications for FISA surveillance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It took weeks for administration officials to persuade Donald Trump that the coronavirus posed a significant threat to the United States. Did those delays hinder the fight against the virus? The coronavirus may pose a threat to democratic values, as governments deploy aggressive surveillance to combat the pandemic. And there are shakeups in the senior ranks of U.S. counterterrorism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.