48. CIA, Afghanistan, and The Rest Is Classif...

Has America’s ‘soft power moment’ really just revealed how closed off the country has become? How has Mandami managed to win over so many New Yorkers? And, are Trump’s ‘rigged election’ claims in California a signal of what’s to come? Join Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci as they ...  Show more

Is Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the main obstacle for Trump’s peace deal? Will the Strait of Hormuz ever return to normal? And, what does Trump’s angry NBC interview walkout tell us about his relationship with the US news media? Join Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucc ...  Show more

It has been thirteen years since Bashar al-Assad triggered a civil war which would kill hundreds of thousands of people and devastate Syria. Recent events have shown just how far his rule has shattered the nation. Today Alastair and Rory are joined by former CIA Syria Analyst Dav ...  Show more

America knew Al-Qaeda were behind the 9/11 attacks before the day was out. They knew they were being sheltered by the Taliban in Afghanistan and so the CIA went after them. Small teams were dropped behind enemy lines with bags of cash and very little else, instructed to link up w ...  Show more

They were scenes of utter desperation and chaos: thousands of Afghans crowded outside Kabul’s airport, as American troops withdrew and the Taliban swept the country in August 2021. In a congressional hearing last month, former Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley blamed the ...  Show more

John Kiriakou served 15 years in the CIA as a Case Officer and as CIA's Head of Counterterrorism Operations in Pakistan where he lead the raid that captured Abu Zubaydah. After his CIA career, he blew the whistle on the CIA's Enhanced Interrogation Program.John’s Links:Substack: ...  Show more