Rational Security

Why does senior White House adviser Jared Kushner have a security clearance? President Trump comes back from a summit meeting with Kim Jong Un empty-handed. And the NSA has apparently stopped a controversial surveillance program that collected Americans’ phone records.

President Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen testifies to Congress. Adam Schiff signals he’s coming after all the Russia probe documents. And U.S. Cyber Command hits back at a Russian troll farm.

President Trump says his intelligence director is “not loyal” and may want to fire him. Trump administration officials pushed a plan to sell nuclear power plants to Saudi Arabia. And hackers hit Australian political parties.

Is Robert Mueller nearing the end of his Russia probe? The administration moves to block Chinese telecom giant Huawei. And you too can have your own private Mossad!

President Trump delivers his second State of the Union address. Meanwhile, prosecutors send a subpoena to Trump’s inaugural committee. And the president is feuding with his intelligence chiefs—again.

Roger Stone is indicted in the Mueller probe. Venezuela teeters on the brink of economic and political collapse. And American hackers help the UAE build a cyber army.

BuzzFeed drops a bomb that turns out to be more of a dud. Or is it? The president’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, could be doing more harm than good for his client. And Congress takes aim at the administration’s Russia-friendly policies.

Senators question attorney general-nominee Bill Barr over the Mueller probe. Two new stories shed more light on President Trump’s troubling relationship with Russia. And the president contemplated pulling out of NATO.

President Trump takes his pitch for border security to the American people in an Oval Office address. John Bolton and Mike Pompeo are on the road doing high stakes diplomacy, but do they actually speak for the president? And the latest in L’Affaire Russe—a Russian lawyer gets indicted and Paul Manafort was sharing polling data with his “Russian brain.”

How will a new Cabinet, and a new Congress, face the major national security challenges of 2019? An American businessman is arrested in Russia and charged with espionage. And Sen. Elizabeth Warren is exploring a run for the White House. We’ll take a look at her foreign policy proposals.

The future of Brexit is...anyone’s guess. A sealed subpoena and a courtroom smackdown: The latest on L’Affaire Russe. And the U.S. announces it’s withdrawing troops from Syria.

There have been big moves in the Russia investigation. We'll put this week’s pieces together. U.S. tensions with China escalate following the arrest of a senior Chinese telecom executive. And the Saudi crown prince has duped White House adviser Jared Kushner.

Robert Mueller says that Michael Flynn has cooperated extensively in multiple investigations, including about Russian interference in the election. A new guilty plea from Michael Cohen changes our understanding of Trump’s ties to Russia. And is Israel getting ready for a war or just an election?

Paul Manafort heads to sentencing amid revelations that he has lied to the special counsel, cooperated with Trump’s legal team, and may have met with Julian Assange. The president stands by Saudi Arabia and its crown prince whom the CIA says ordered the murder of a journalist. And President Trump heads off to meet with world leaders at the G20 Summit.

Battle lines are drawn over Matthew Whitaker’s appointment as acting attorney general. President Trump, stung by election losses, picks fights with America’s closest allies. And is North Korea deceiving the U.S. in nuclear weapons negotiations?