Claim OwnershipTarget USA Podcast by WTOP
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Whether its terrorists, anarchists, cyber criminals or nation states, America has a target on its back. WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green investigates the threats facing the U.S., the people behind them, the agencies fighting them and their impact on Americans.
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An Afghan national shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. Counterterrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler says this may be more than a mental health case. He warns extremist networks in Taliban-run Afghanistan now reach directly into Afghan diaspora communities online. The attacker’s travel, target selection, and ambush tactics match modern lone-actor terror patterns. Schindler says social media platforms—not law enforcement—hold the real early-warning data. A close look at a threat environment turning darker in the U.S.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today on Target USA, a story that cuts straight to the core of military culture, extremism, and truth. The U.S. Coast Guard, under intense public pressure, has reversed course on a deeply controversial policy shift. A draft manual, first uncovered by The Washington Post, appeared to downgrade the swastika and the noose, two of the most violent, hate-laden symbols in American and world history, from outright banned imagery to merely “potentially divisive.”The backlash from veterans, lawmakers, and civil-rights groups was immediate and fierce. Now the Coast Guard says it never changed its stance. But the documents tell a different story. Coast Guard and Navy veteran Lene Mees De Tricht joins us on this. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Grenada is facing one of the most consequential national security decisions in its modern history, after the United States quietly requested permission to install a radar system and station military personnel on the island as it pursues action against Venezuela. Veteran Grenadian journalist Linda Straker breaks down the mystery behind the U.S. request, the growing anxiety on the island, and the high-stakes diplomatic trap Grenada now finds itself in. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to send troops or cut aid to Nigeria has triggered a diplomatic and security storm across Africa. In this episode, we speak with humanitarian journalist Usman Abba Zanna from Maiduguri, who explains how Trump’s words could inflame tensions, embolden extremists, and reshape Nigeria’s ties to the West.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this gripping conversation, Belarusian legal expert and exiled journalist Natalia Belikova explains how disinformation in Belarus isn’t just a tactic; it’s the regime’s operating system.She describes how the Lukashenko government has built an alternative reality, where familiar words like “democracy,” “elections,” and “human rights” are redefined to serve state power. In a sometimes emotional interview, Natalia shares what it’s like to be exiled from your home, to lose colleagues to prison, and to raise children abroad while fighting to preserve your national identity. She also issues a warning to Western democracies. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
When President Trump agreed to meet Vladimir Putin in Budapest, it looked like a potential breakthrough. Instead, it became a masterclass in manipulation. Within 24 hours, the Kremlin pulled the plug — and the world saw how quickly leverage can shift. In this episode, Ambassador Kurt Volker, former US Special Envoy to Ukraine and current Distinguished Fellow at the Center for European Policy analysis unpacks how Putin’s “summit offer” was never about peace talks, but about power, humiliation, and control — and what it reveals about the fragile state of U.S.–Russia diplomacy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
After twenty years of covering the U.S. military, I turned in my Pentagon press credential today. But that’s all that changes; My commitment to covering the men and women of the U.S. military and the institution they serve remains exactly the same. Let me explain.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
We go deep inside the mind of one of Ukraine’s most unflinching voices—two-time former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. The man who stood at the helm during the nation’s darkest hour after Russia’s first invasion in 2014 returns with a stark warning and a message of resilience. In this powerful conversation, Yatsenyuk, now Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum, dissects Vladimir Putin’s endgame, the limits of Western resolve, and what it truly means to fight for democracy when your nation’s survival hangs in the balance. From the corridors of Kyiv to the frontlines of the disinformation war, his words cut through the noise—revealing what Ukraine needs most and what the world stands to lose if it turns away.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Investigative journalist Andrei Soldatov has tracked the rise of Putin’s propaganda machine from the inside; and paid the price in exile. In this gripping conversation, he connects the dots between Russia’s early media crackdowns and the chilling parallels unfolding in the United States today. From late-night comedy to Pentagon press restrictions, Soldatov explains how free speech erodes step by step; and what Americans must do to fight back. This episode is both a history lesson and a warning: freedom of expression isn’t lost overnight; it’s chipped away until silence becomes the norm.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Russia is turning up the pressure on NATO’s doorstep. Estonia says three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets stormed into its airspace over the Gulf of Finland, lingering for twelve minutes in what Tallinn calls a “brazen and deliberate” violation. It’s the fourth breach this year, but the first involving multiple high-performance fighters—and NATO isn’t brushing it off, especially not Estonia. Krisjan Prikk, Estonia's ambassador to the U.S., explains what happened and the consequences.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode we look at how Immigration and Customs Enforcement is believed to have access to Graphite—powerful spyware capable of silently hacking smartphones and reading encrypted apps like WhatsApp and Signal. At issue is what Graphite can do, the legal red lines it risks crossing, and what it means for civil liberties inside the U.S. if you carry a phone. Joining us are Eric O'Neill, a former FBI counterintelligence operative, author, and current national security strategist with Nexasure, and Theresa Payton, CEO of Fortalice Solutions and former White House Chief Information Officer.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
1Are two headline-grabbing incidents—the overnight Russian drone incursion into Poland and the explosion of eight Polish gas tankers on a train in Lithuania—part of the same campaign? Dr. Artis Pabriks thinks so. The former Latvian Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister, now chairman of the Northern Defence Policy Centre, joins us to explain why he believes the events are connected and why he holds Russia responsible. He also lays out what NATO can do next.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
On this episode we’ve got two big stories.First, we continue our Greenland story. Denmark says covert influence operations aren’t just the work of Russia or China anymore—they’re happening inside the Western alliance. Investigators there allege Americans tied to Donald Trump tried to stir separatist sentiment in Greenland. Now we're hearing there are people from another country involved in this. Greenland MP Pipaluk Lynge joins us.And second, BUT a really big story as well, a cyber campaign with global reach; it’s called Salt Typhoon. A sweeping Chinese operation that pierced America’s telecommunications backbone, siphoning off call records, texts, and even audio from high-level officials, political campaigns, journalists—and ordinary citizens. Emily Odom, Cyber Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the FBI's Washington field office, explains.Two different fronts, one common thread: covert operations shaking the foundations of trust and security.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Denmark has done something almost unheard of: it hauled in the top U.S. diplomat in Copenhagen to demand answers—after uncovering evidence that people tied directly to Donald Trump have been running secret influence operations in Greenland. The allegation? That these operatives tried to stir up a movement in Greenland—a territory of Denmark—to break away and open the door to U.S. control. Danish officials call it “completely unacceptable,” likening it to planting a fifth column inside an allied nation. Niels Fastrup, who broke the story for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, joins us. And we hear from Pipaluk Lynge, a Member of Parliament in Greenland.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode, the Trump–Putin summit in Alaska—three hours of high-stakes talks that produced no ceasefire, no sanctions relief, and no concrete deal. We hear President Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in their own words. Then break down the much-talked-about event with members of Parliament from Ukraine Ivanna Kympush-Tsintsadse and Halyna Yanchenko. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A major geopolitical summit is coming up in Alaska this week between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with top European leaders to send a strong message to them—Ukraine's map will not be redrawn at a meeting that doesn't include them. On this episode, Trump explains his thinking, experts discuss Putin's objective, and a Ukrainian tells us exactly what Ukrainians are thinking.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Former Latvian Defense Minister Dr. Artis Pabriks joins us with a stark warning: the West still misunderstands Russia’s long-term ambitions—and its slow, fragmented response to the war in Ukraine is already reshaping Europe’s future. From Belarus’s silent absorption to NATO’s fragile cohesion, Pabriks argues the stakes couldn’t be higher.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In a seismic allegation, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard claims former President Barack Obama “led a coup attempt” against Donald Trump—accusing him of directing the intelligence community to fabricate the Russia collusion narrative to overturn the 2016 election. In this episode, we scrutinize Gabbard’s charge against the historical record, including testimony from former DNI James Clapper and findings from years of bipartisan investigations. Is this a long-suppressed truth coming to light—or a dangerous rewriting of history? We dig deep into the evidence.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this explosive episode, we dive into Chinese Espionage: Operations and Tactics—a chilling exposé by Nicholas Eftimiades, a 35-year veteran of the CIA, DIA, and State Department. Eftimiades pulls back the curtain on China’s massive, evolving spy machine—revealing how Beijing is quietly infiltrating America’s power grids, research labs and even targeting young U.S. military personnel online. It’s espionage without borders—covert, relentless, and already inside. If you think the threat is far away, this episode proves it’s already knocking at the door.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A high-ranking Ukrainian intelligence officer is assassinated in broad daylight—five shots, close range, in the middle of Kyiv. Within hours, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) launches a manhunt. Days later, they kill two suspects tied not only to Russia’s FSB but also to a U.S.-founded extremist group now operating from inside Russia.In this episode, Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Sr. Director at the Counter Extremism Project, navigates us through the shadow war playing out across Eastern Europe, where the lines between war, terrorism, espionage, and state power are blurring.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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this is 90% a good podcast. be aware Jay is a lefty and trump hater to the core. He will at any chance throw miss with/WITHOUT FACTS. OTHER than that it's informative