The Steady State Sentinel

A deep dive into FISA, modern surveillance authorities, and the growing tension between intelligence collection and civil liberties in the digital age.Former CIA Senior Officer Jim Petrila joins Peter Mina to break down the evolution of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the controversies surrounding Section 702, and the growing tension between national security surveillance and civil liberties. Petrilla explains how technological shifts after the Cold War and 9/11 transformed intelligence collection, leading to major legal and policy battles over government access to communications data.The conversation explores incidental collection of Americans’ communications,debate over tfhe need to obtain warrants, oversight concerns, and the expanding role of third-party data brokers that collect and sell personal information outside many traditional safeguards. Petrilla also warns how surveillance authorities and emergency powers can become vulnerable to abuse when accountability and public trust erode.View the transcript.About the guest: James Petrila spent over thirty years as a lawyer in the Intelligence Community, working at the National Security Agency and, for most of his career, at the Central Intelligence Agency with the Office of the General Counsel. He has taught courses on counterterrorism law and legal issues at the CIA at the George Washington University School of Law. He is currently a senior advisor to the Institute for the Study of States of Exception and is a member of The Steady State.

The Spoils System Returns, the Foreign Service Professional Association Is Crushed, and Why the Next President Will Be HandicappedIn the latest episode of the Sentinel, Peter Mina interviews Ambassador Eric Rubin, a 38‑year Foreign Service veteran, former president of American Foreign Service Association and current Steady State board member. Rubin describes how the Trump administration has dismantled the nonpartisan career foreign service, destroyed employee associations and affinity groups, and replaced them with a loyalty‑based “spoils system.”He reveals that membership in the Benjamin Franklin Fellowship, a Heritage Foundation project, has become the equivalent of membership in the Soviet Communist Party for State Department officers seeking promotions. Rubin also discusses the catastrophic war with Iran, noting that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff (both staunch Netanyahu supporters) are the actual negotiators, while career Iran experts have been purged. He offers a sobering look at how allies will never fully trust the U.S. again, and why young people should still join the Foreign Service, because America will need diplomats long after Trump.The episode ends with a powerful call to action: international engagement is the basis of our prosperity and security, and Americans must recognize that we are less safe today than on January 19, 2025.View the transcriptAmbassador Eric Rubin is a senior fellow with the Democratic Resilience Program at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and a member of the board of directors of The Steady State. A career Foreign Service officer for 38 years, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria (2016‑2019) and was elected president of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) from 2019 to 2023. He has held key assignments in Ukraine, Russia, Thailand, and Honduras. You can follow his writing and speaking engagements on LinkedIn

Government Transparency, Security Clearance Battles, and the Future of American DemocracyFormer CIA officer Jim Lawler and former FBI senior executive Lauren C. Anderson host Mark Zaid, a renowned national security attorney who has represented whistleblowers, been personally targeted by a presidential clearance revocation, and fought for government transparency for nearly three decades.They discuss the real difference between a whistleblower and a leaker (using Edward Snowden as a cautionary example), the erosion of democratic norms under the second Trump administration, and why the rule of law has become “water soluble.”Zaid predicts that the loss of seasoned diplomats, intelligence officers, and FBI agents will take a generation to rebuild, and explains why, despite everything, the judiciary remains his beacon of hope. The conversation also covers FOIA in the digital age, his representation of clients across the political spectrum, and practical advice for law students entering national security law.View the transcript.Mark S. Zaid is a nationally recognized Washington, D.C. attorney specializing in national security, First Amendment, government accountability, and whistleblower representation. He founded the James Madison Project in 1998 and co‑founded Whistleblower Aid in 2017. He represented the whistleblower whose complaint triggered the first impeachment of President Trump, sued Libya on behalf of Pan Am 103 victims, and taught security clearance law as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University. You can follow his work through the James Madison Project (www.jamesmadisonproject.org) and on X (formerly Twitter) at @MarkSZaidEsq.

Conspiracy Narratives, Media Challenges, and the Long Shadow of Russian InfluenceFormer CIA officer John Sipher sits down for the latest Sentinel podcast with David Corn, Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones and one of the nation’s most respected political journalists. They dive deep into the explosive schisms within MAGA world triggered by the Iran war, from Tucker Carlson accusing Trump of being the anti‑Christ to escalating feuds between figures like Megyn Kelly and Mark Levin.Corn explains why the FBI under Kash Patel has been gutted of counterterrorism expertise, how a reportedly Kremlin‑connected propagandist gave Patel $25,000, and why career national security officials are now terrified to speak with reporters. The conversation also covers RFK Jr.’s dangerous tenure at HHS, Tulsi Gabbard’s politicization of intelligence, and the media’s struggle to cover an administration that lies as a strategy. Corn offers a sobering assessment of American democracy’s fragility—and where he still finds hope.David Corn is the Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones and a longtime national security and political journalist. He has covered presidents, scandals, and the rise of the modern right for more than three decades. He is the author of several books, including Russian Roulette (with Michael Isikoff) and the forthcoming How Russia Won. His newsletter, R‑Land, is available at davidcorn.com. You can find him on Bluesky at @davidcorn and on Signal at DavidCorn99.View the transcript.

How a former Chief of the Office of Civil Liberties, Privacy and Transparency at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence thinks about privacy, protest, and the power of government data.In the latest episode of the Sentinel, American University Adjunct professor and Scholar‑in‑Residence, Alex Joel, joins host Peter Mina to unpack how democracies can fight real threats without becoming one themselves, exploring the post‑9/11 “connect the dots” mindset, the Privacy Act’s enduring role, and how data, protest, and transparency collide.Alex Joel is a Scholar‑in‑Residence and Adjunct Professor at American University’s Washington College of Law, where he leads the Privacy Across Borders initiative and focuses on the intersection of national security, technology, privacy, and civil liberties. He previously served as the longtime Chief of the Office of Civil Liberties, Privacy and Transparency at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, acting as the Intelligence Community’s Civil Liberties Protection Officer and later its Chief Transparency Officer after earlier service as an attorney at the CIA.View the episode transcript.

Soft Power, Hard Choices, and the Hollowing Out of U.S. DiplomacyIn this edition of the Sentinel podcast, host Lauren Anderson, former senior FBI executive, sits down with Ambassador Tom Shannon, one of the most experienced diplomats of his generation. They discuss what Shannon describes as a "counterrevolution" in U.S. foreign policy – a shift away from the post-WWII alliance-based system toward a more unilateral "America First" approach. Shannon warns that the erosion of institutional expertise at agencies like the State Department and FBI, and across the national security enterprise, will have long-term consequences for U.S. effectiveness abroad. He also emphasizes the enduring importance of soft power, including programs like the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), in shaping global relations. The conversation closes with a look at how Gen Z students, including those Shannon teaches at Princeton, view America’s role in a chaotic world.Thomas A Shannon Jr. is one of the United States’ most experienced career diplomats, with more than 35 years in the Foreign Service. He served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, the State Department’s top career diplomat, and held senior roles across multiple administrations, including as U.S. Ambassador to Brazil and Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. He also led the department through the transition between the Obama and Trump administrations. Now teaching at Princeton University, Shannon brings deep expertise in diplomacy, U.S. foreign policy, and America’s role in a rapidly changing world.View the episode transcript.

A conversation on identity, disinformation, and the path out of political extremismIn this week's episode of the Sentinel podcast, John Sipher speaks with Rich Logis, founder of Leaving MAGA, about his journey into—and out of—the movement. They explore how identity, belonging, and media ecosystems shape political belief, why leaving can be so difficult, and what ultimately breaks the cycle. Logis also shares insights on disinformation, “anger addiction,” and how families can support loved ones questioning deeply held views.Watch and listen to new Sentinel episodes each Tuesday. Subscribe and review us on your favorite podcast platform.Guest Info: Rich Logis is the founder and executive director of Leaving MAGA, an organization that supports people who are leaving or questioning the MAGA movement and helps families navigate reconciliation.https://leavingmaga.org/memoir/Read the full transcript here.

Strategic Failures, Intelligence Erosion, and the New Global Threat LandscapeIn the latest episode of the Sentinel podcast, Jim Lawler hosts investigative journalist Seth Hettena to discuss the U.S. war with Iran, domestic security, and global policy challenges. Domestically, they discuss the weakened state of our institutions, loss of expertise, and politicization of decision-making. Globally, they highlight strained credibility, particularly regarding Ukraine, and the declining trust in the U.S. of our allies. The conversation also raises concerns about expanding government surveillance capabilities enabled by modern technology.About: Seth Hettena is a veteran national security reporter covering intelligence and special operations. He is currently writing “The IceMan,” a book about a 2003 incident in Iraq in which a Navy SEAL Platoon was blamed for the death of a CIA detainee under torture. The victim, Manadel Aljamadi, was referred to as “The Iceman.” You can find Seth on Substack.View the full transcript. Join us each Tuesday for the latest episode everywhere you get podcasts and in video on YouTube.

In this week's episode, Lauren Anderson and Phil Gurski discuss the Five Eyes partnership, the FBI’s challenges, and why politicized intelligence endangers everyone.Summary: Former FBI executive Lauren Anderson sits down with Canadian intelligence veteran Phil Gurski, the first international guest on the Steady State Sentinel, to explore how America looks from the perspective of a close ally. Together they unpack the history and purpose of the Five Eyes partnership, the vital but often invisible fabric of liaison relationships, and the indispensable teamwork between analysts, case agents, and linguists in counterterrorism work. Gurski warns about the politicization of intelligence and the hollowing out of expertise in agencies like the FBI and CIA, and explains how these trends threaten not just U.S. security but Canada’s safety and the resilience of shared democratic values.About: Phil Gurski is a former senior strategic analyst with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Canada’s civilian security intelligence agency. Before joining CSIS, he spent 17 and a half years at the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), Canada’s signals intelligence organization and functional counterpart to the NSA, working as a multilingual foreign intelligence analyst and cryptanalyst in roughly ten languages. Over a 32-plus-year career in intelligence, Gurski specialized in Iran, Arabic-language targets, and jihadi terrorism, regularly supporting source debriefings, operational teams, and joint work with partners across the Five Eyes alliance. He is the president of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting, host of the podcast “Spies Like Us,” and the author of multiple books on terrorism and intelligence, including a forthcoming volume marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11. You can find Phil’s work through Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting and his “Spies Like Us” podcast, where he examines intelligence, terrorism, and security issues for a wider public audience.International Centre or Counter-TerrorismFull transcript.

Inside the risks of reporting on intelligence in an era of political pressure and weakening institutional guardrailsJohn 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)

Lieutenant General (Retired) Ben Hodges speaks out on the improper use of the U.S. military, its impact on U.S. defense and our allies’ growing distrust. (Recorded 12-4-2025)

In this episode, Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an NYU professor and expert in fascism and authoritarian leaders speaks with host Jim Lawler about the threats from authoritarianism in the United States and what can be done to push back on this rising tide. (Recorded 1-27-2026)

What are the consequences for national security when experienced professionals face personal and professional costs for telling truth to power? Co-hosts Lauren Anderson, James Lawler, Peter Mina, and John Sipher discuss the personal costs of professional integrity and how those pressures, when repeated across institutions, can weaken the systems responsible for protecting national security. (recorded 2-6-2026)

What happens when an astronaut who’s seen Earth from 250 miles up—and an Air Force fighter pilot who’s defended it from the ground—decides that American democracy is now in more danger than at any point in his lifetime? In this conversation, Terry Virts makes a blunt, urgent case for why he’s running for Congress, why service still matters, and why the country needs leaders willing to put truth over tribe before it’s too late.(recorded 11-14-25)

Political analyst Jack Hopkins shares three red flags with The Steady State Sentinel guest host Margaret Henoch, warning that Iran, attacks on the judiciary, and targeting of U.S. citizens by the government are potentially incendiary threats to U.S. democracy and national security. (recorded 01-14-2026)

The Steady State Chair and seasoned diplomat Jim O’Brien denounces one-man rule and transactional foreign policy decisions in conversations with host Peter Mina, criticizing the Trump-created environment of cruelty that shadows our nation. (recorded 01-15-2026)

Denver Riggleman, a former Republican member of Congress, reveals the soul-killing costs of trying to uphold the Constitution in a party that upholds Trump first. From affordability to foreign policy, he tells co-hosts Jim Lawler and John Sipher, the consequences for America are profound.

Former Congressmember Adam Kinzinger shares the human toll of standing up to the cult of Donald Trump and putting country before party. Speaking with co-hosts and former CIA experts Jim Lawler and John Sipher, Kinzinger bares all about what 10 years of Donald Trump has done to America’s soul. (recorded 12-15-2025)

What happens when the rules stop protecting those who follow them? Immigration attorney Amy Peck and former FBI executive Lauren Anderson examine how unpredictable enforcement erodes trust, legitimacy, and the rule of law—and why the consequences extend far beyond immigration.

The Steady State Executive Director Steven Cash draws on decades of experience watching foreign democracies fail to highlight the existential risks the United States faces under President Donald Trump. Award-winning CIA operative James Lawler conducts this provocative discussion about encroaching dictatorship in the United States.

On the anniversary of the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, veteran national-security leaders and Steady State Sentinel hosts Lauren Anderson, James Lawler, Peter Mina and John Sipher break their silence. Drawing on decades of service in the CIA, FBI, and Homeland Security (DHS), they share where they were that day, what they understood immediately, and how the events signaled accelerating democratic decline. They’ve spent their careers defending the guardrails of American democracy at home and around the world. Now they’re sharing their expertise to explain what happens when those guardrails erode, institutions are politicized, and public servants become targets.

On the anniversary of the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, veteran national-security leaders and Steady State Sentinel hosts Lauren Anderson, James Lawler, Peter Mina and John Sipher break their silence. Drawing on decades of service in the CIA, FBI, and Homeland Security (DHS), they share where they were that day, what they understood immediately, and how the events signaled accelerating democratic decline. They’ve spent their careers defending the guardrails of American democracy at home and around the world. Now they’re sharing their expertise to explain what happens when those guardrails erode, institutions are politicized, and public servants become targets.