Spies, Yachts & Kleptocrats: Alex Finley on Russia’s Hidden Money
What bureaucracy, satire, sanctions, and superyachts reveal about intelligence, Russian power, and Western institutions. Episode Summary Former CIA officer, journalist, author, and Russian oligarch yacht tracker Alex Finley joins John Sipher for a wide-ranging conversation about intelligence, Russian influence, kleptocracy, and the strange places a career in national security can lead. Finley explains how her background in journalism shaped her work as a CIA reports officer, where verifying sources,…
143 Day incarceration : A Lawful Permanent Resident, a Bad $25 Check, and the Cost of America's Immigration System
A legal-status hospice care provider detained for 143 days tells her story — the conditions inside, the demand for obscure "magical paperwork," and why she and her husband are now fighting to change the law. Hosts Lauren Anderson and Peter Mina sit down with Donna Hughes-Brown, a British-born lawful permanent resident who has lived in the United States for nearly 50 years, and her husband Jim Brown, a Navy corpsman who served 20 years including Desert Storm. In July 2025, returning from Ireland…
From West Point to Congress: A Veteran Runs on Common Sense and Service
A former Army lieutenant colonel and Lincoln Project executive on why he's running for Congress, the "weight of leadership," and why the costs, chaos, and corruption of this administration are hitting home in Missouri. Host John Sipher sits down with Fred Wellman, a West Point graduate, former Army Lieutenant Colonel, and current Democratic candidate for Missouri's 2nd Congressional District. Wellman shares his journey from growing up in Kirkwood, Missouri, to flying scout helicopters in Desert Storm,…
A Million-Dollar Lawsuit and the State of American Intelligence
Veteran journalist Jeff Stein on the chilling effect of SLAPP suits, the purge of the intelligence community, and why he's "cautious" about the future. Host Jim Lawler sits down with Jeff Stein, the founding editor-in-chief of Spy Talk and a veteran journalist who has covered the intelligence community for over 40 years — and who earlier this year beat back a $1 million defamation suit brought by a Trump administration official. Stein shares the visceral reaction to being served on his front porch on…
The Autocrats' Worst Enemy: Why Despots Fear Mayors
A former U.S. Ambassador and Los Angeles Deputy Mayor on why local leaders are democracy's front line, how cities can resist authoritarianism, and what you can do to help. Host Lauren Anderson sits down with Ambassador Nina Hachigian, founder and CEO of the Alliance for Local Leaders International, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and connecting mayors and governors globally to solve shared challenges. Drawing from her recent Foreign Affairs article, "The Autocrats' Worst Enemy," Hachigian explains…
Cornucopia of Vectors of Theft: How China Is Stealing America's Economic Future
A former CIA officer on China’s espionage successes, America’s IP losses, and the growing threat to the U.S. economy. Host John Sipher sits down with his former CIA colleague Glenn Chafetz, now Director of the 2430 Group, a nonprofit focused on state-sponsored espionage against the economy. Chafetz explains how technology has transformed espionage — from the days of clandestine meetings in parking garages where “if you didn’t get caught red-handed, you didn’t get caught” to a world where…
The Intelligence You Don't See: A Career Analyst Warns about Systemic Weaponization of the Intelligence Community
A former CIA analyst and NSC director on the weaponization of the DNI, the decapitation of the NSC, and why dissent is no longer tolerated. Host Bree Fram, a retired Space Force colonel, sits down with Julia Curlee, a former CIA analyst with 25 years of experience who served as an National Security Council (NSC) director in the Biden and second Trump White Houses and as a presidential daily intelligence briefer to Vice President Pence. Curlee explains how intelligence was designed to work — raw…
The Iran You Don't See: The Regime, the People, and What America Gets Wrong
A 22-year veteran of the CIA and Iran specialist on why the regime survives, the MOU disaster, the lessons of Iraq, and the history and humanity of Iranians. Host Jim Lawler sits down with his former CIA colleague Mark Fowler, a decorated case officer and one of the most experienced Iran operations officers of his generation. Fowler explains what makes Iran such a uniquely demanding target — not because Iranians are hard to recruit, but because the U.S. has no presence inside the country. He shares…
America's Nuclear Guardians: A Conversation on Security, Espionage, and Speaking Truth to Power
A former acting Under Secretary for Nuclear Security on the damage being done to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, and why he "never bets against America." Host Jim Lawler sits down with his former CIA colleague Bruce Held, who served as Chief of Station on three continents, Special Assistant to two National Security Council principals, Director of DOE's Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, and ultimately acting Under Secretary for Nuclear…
Breaking the Cockpit Barrier: One Pilot's Fight to Engineer Inclusion into the Military
A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel on height requirements that excluded 44% of women, the first maternity flight suit, and why "truth isn't afraid of transparency." In her debut as a co-host of the Steady State Sentinel, retired Space Force Colonel Bree Fram joins Lauren Anderson to interview retired Lieutenant Colonel Jessica Ruttenber, a senior pilot with over 3,000 flight hours. Their conversation explores the effects on combat readiness of hidden barriers, the importance of data over…
The Recruiter's Recruiter: Trust, Treason, and the Human Elements of Espionage with Jim Lawler
25-year CIA case officer and author Jim Lawler on the ten qualities of a top recruiter, the A.Q. Khan takedown, the Hanssen case, and why speaking truth to power matters more than ever. In this episode, host Lauren Anderson turns the tables on co-host Jim Lawler, a 25-year veteran of the CIA's clandestine service and the officer who led the takedown of the A.Q. Khan nuclear smuggling network, an operation that former deputy CIA director John McLaughlin called "the closest thing to a perfect…
Phillips O'Brien on America's Strategic Collapse
The acclaimed military historian explains why conflict in Iran, Ukraine and the erosion of alliances point to a deeper crisis in American strategy and details the critical nature of the 2026 midterm elections. In the latest episode of the Steady State Sentinel, Phillips O'Brien, Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St. Andrews and one of the sharpest contemporary writers on war and strategy joins host John Sipher to argue the Iran War revealed two devastating truths: The U.S. government…