<![CDATA[The Steady State Sentinel]]> https://thesteadystate.org/ The Steady State Sentinel is produced by The Steady State, a community of former national security professionals who spent their careers safeguarding the United States at home and abroad. Today, we continue that mission by staying true to our oaths to defend the Constitution, uphold democracy, and protect national security. Each episode features expert hosts in conversation with accomplished guests whose experience sheds light on the crises and challenges facing the nation.

]]> RSS.com 2026.302.153022 Tue, 03 Mar 2026 05:05:11 GMT en 9b8bfe73-f111-58a7-9e99-2bb8230ea59b https://media.rss.com/the-steady-state-sentinel/20260104_040107_01c26922c58f7914214377cb41ca643e.png The Steady State Sentinel https://thesteadystate.org/ yes © 2026 The Steady State. All rights reserved. The Steady State The Steady State false episodic 370089f0-e990-11f0-ae24-39ec09bec177 podcast New York, New York, New York, 10007, USA false <![CDATA[Might Makes Right? Michael Morell on U.S. Power, Allies, and Adversaries]]> 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.

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2594204 4388c953-d51d-4404-9dec-f540e138d498 2356 full 15 15 false Tue, 03 Mar 2026 05:01:00 GMT false <![CDATA[An Apolitical FBI is Vital to National Security]]> 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.

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2571197 8a231390-87d3-472a-acbb-d0b4ba6ad2be 2265 full 14 14 false Tue, 24 Feb 2026 05:01:00 GMT false <![CDATA[America’s “Strategic Self-Immolation”]]> 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.

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2561036 8194704e-0f05-48ad-a6bb-95d36decf1ae 1932 full 13 13 false Fri, 20 Feb 2026 05:01:00 GMT false <![CDATA[Chilling Racial Cleansing]]> 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)

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2552953 1e86baa9-eaf1-459b-9fb2-3bb677d191ef 3252 full 12 12 false Tue, 17 Feb 2026 05:01:00 GMT false <![CDATA[No Rules of Engagement]]> 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)

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2543271 3fe37cbb-efc2-438c-85a3-9891de036153 2566 full 11 11 true Fri, 13 Feb 2026 05:01:00 GMT false <![CDATA[We are Living Through a Giant Civics Lesson]]> 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)

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2534485 5c8eff65-92e6-4bea-b2c4-fbd122cd889b 2136 full 10 10 false Tue, 10 Feb 2026 05:01:00 GMT false <![CDATA[Rubicon Moments]]> 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)

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2525271 5caf4293-c08d-485d-808b-3171000a80c7 2088 full 9 9 true Fri, 06 Feb 2026 05:01:00 GMT false <![CDATA[The Most Perilous Time]]> 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)

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2512840 81542f61-d20d-44e8-bbd9-c702a1a93c66 2307 full 8 8 false Tue, 03 Feb 2026 05:01:00 GMT false <![CDATA[We’re Sitting on a Powder Keg]]> 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)

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2502337 499550ae-3b46-45e9-9c7f-68cc04be7fe4 2274 full 7 7 true Fri, 30 Jan 2026 05:04:26 GMT false <![CDATA[A Terrible Way to Govern]]> 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)

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2489896 6685027f-3c5d-4c89-94ba-b0a592cca04a 3072 full 6 6 false Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:01:00 GMT false <![CDATA[The Country is Suffering]]> 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.

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2476762 6443c0b2-ae5c-4dcc-9fe5-6d50b3410146 2472 full 5 5 true Fri, 23 Jan 2026 05:01:00 GMT false <![CDATA[America's Soul: Adam Kinzinger on Courage and Country]]> 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)

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2468499 a4d49e80-0ad3-432d-9963-41f7b1d40378 2016 full 4 4 false Tue, 20 Jan 2026 05:01:00 GMT false <![CDATA[No One Is Protected: Immigration, Institutional Trust, and Arbitrary Enforcement]]> 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.

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2461423 6eb1ff66-7735-4382-99cc-118f94cbdfd7 2677 full 3 3 false Fri, 16 Jan 2026 05:01:00 GMT false <![CDATA[An Existential Threat to the Republic]]> 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.

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2454409 f748861f-50f6-4a74-9341-1b95eab58e17 1968 full 2 2 false Tue, 13 Jan 2026 05:01:00 GMT false <![CDATA[Too Many Of Our Leaders Are No Longer Accountable]]> 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.

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2419166 4df556f9-23dd-478c-afa7-9788aef446cd 2148 full 1 1 false Tue, 06 Jan 2026 05:03:49 GMT false <![CDATA[Too Many Of Our Leaders Are No Longer Accountable (Teaser)]]> 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.

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-steady-state-sentinel/2419349 010b0be4-2822-4dd0-9d4f-d5c04b3636e6 243 full false Mon, 29 Dec 2025 23:45:47 GMT false