The Steady State Sentinel

Inside the risks of reporting on intelligence in an era of political pressure and weakening institutional guardrails
John Sipher sits down with The Atlantic’s Shane Harris for a wide-ranging conversation on intelligence reporting, the unraveling of trust in American institutions, threats to press freedom, and what U.S. allies now fear most about Washington. Harris also reflects on one of the most extraordinary source relationships of his career and what it reveals about journalism, secrecy, and risk.
Shane Harris is a staff writer at The Atlantic covering national security and intelligence. He has written about intelligence, security, and foreign policy for more than two decades, including as a staff writer for The Washington Post, where he was part of the team that won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. In 2023, he co-reported the documentary The Discord Leaks with PBS Frontline, which was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding investigative news coverage. He is the author of two books, The Watchers and @War.
Full episode summary.

Former CIA deputy director Michael Morell joins former senior CIA operations officers Jim Lawler and John Sipher to reflect on post 9/11 overcorrection towards counterterrorism. They assess the current “might makes right” approach to foreign policy, and weigh the arguments for and against efforts for regime change in Iran.
Mr. Morell also explores how we can strengthen U.S. intelligence, public trust, and future decision-making in an era of great power competition and complex global threats.
This episode was recorded 12 hours before the US launched attacks against Iran.
Watch on YouTube and view the transcript.

Host Lauren Anderson leads a candid conversation with retired FBI officials Mark Ferbrache, Nikki Rutman, and Mae Syed. Their discussion covers successfully resolved cases, the value of the FBI to civil society, and the reputational damage caused by politicization of law enforcement.

National Security reporter and author Tim Weiner and host Jim Lawler discuss how the Trump Administration’s politicization of our national security institutions, attacks on our constitution and rule of law, and betrayal of our allies are putting us in danger of losing our civil liberties at home and increasing our national security threats abroad.

Host Peter Mina interviews Bill Braniff and Dexter Ingram, two renowned experts on countering extremism who issue a red alert on the executive branch’s shameless reliance on white supremacist symbolism and arguments to defend its actions. (recorded 1-16-26)