Rational Security: The “Exit, Pursued by a Bear Cub” Edition
The Lawfare Podcast
The Lawfare Institute
4.7 • 6.4K Ratings
🗓️ 8 August 2024
⏱️ 72 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by co-host emeritus Benjamin Wittes to talk through the week's very big national security news stories, including:
- “The Waiting Game.” The Middle East is on edge this week as it awaits a possible attack by Iran or Hezbollah on Israel in response to the suspected assassination of senior Hezbollah and Hamas leaders last week, including the chairman of Hamas’s political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed while visiting Tehran for the swearing in of its new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. What might a response look like, if there is one? And what does it mean for the region, including the prospects of a Gaza ceasefire?
- “Stay Weird, Austin.” Just days after the announcement of a long-negotiated plea deal for three of the four remaining defendants in the military commission trial relating to the 9/11 attacks, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin took the surprising and still largely unexplained move of intervening to rescind that deal and remove the convening authority that had approved it. What can explain Austin’s actions? What will they mean for the future of the military commissions?
- “A Favorable Exchange Rate.” In a surprise move, the Biden administration and several European allies concluded a massive prisoner exchange with Russia, which resulted in the release of 16 detained U.S. and European nationals and Russian dissidents, among them Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. In exchange, Russia received eight Russian agents, including convicted assassin Vadim Krasikov. Is this a win for the Biden administration? What does it tell us about the state of hostage politics—and its future?
For object lessons, Alan expressed his new passion for pottery. Quinta endorsed synchronized/artistic swimming as her favorite Olympic event, thanks in part to a surprise cameo from Jason Momoa. Scott recommended the movie Thelma for a funny and compassionate take on aging. And Ben shared how a recent near-death experience led him to dump chalk dust outside the Russian Embassy.
Promotion: Use code RATIONALSECURITY at the link here to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: https://incogni.com/rationalsecurity.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The following podcast contains advertising. |
| 0:04.0 | To access an ad-free version of the Lawfair Podcast, |
| 0:08.0 | become a material supporter of Lawfair at Patreon.com slash Lawfair. That's Patreon.com |
| 0:16.4 | slash Lawfair. Also check out Lawfair's other podcast offerings, rational security, chatter, lawfare no bull, and the aftermath. |
| 0:30.0 | You've stopped someone carrying a large amount of drugs. He's just a teenager. He's |
| 0:39.2 | exhausted, scared, not giving you his name, where he's from or where he's going. |
| 0:46.2 | He's broken the law, but maybe he really needs your help. |
| 0:50.9 | So how'd you get him talking? |
| 0:56.0 | If you think you could be a regular or volunteer police constable, such Met careers. |
| 0:58.0 | Change needs empathy. |
| 1:00.0 | Change needs you. |
| 1:15.3 | So Scott, I hear that you have thoughts on a story about our future president, R.F.K. Jr. and a bear. But I have purposefully not clicked on any of the links because I kind of don't want to know. But tell me what is happening here? |
| 1:20.8 | It's been a tumultuous couple weeks in politics. |
| 1:24.0 | A pretty entertaining one if you really appreciate political theater, but there really is nothing |
| 1:28.4 | I've ever seen quite like the amazing video RFK released where he is explaining for some reason to |
| 1:34.4 | Roseanne Barr the fact that he once took a dead bear cub got a little |
| 1:39.5 | hammered in New York and drop I guess his friends got a little hammered in |
| 1:42.3 | New York or not him guess his friends got a little hammered in New York |
| 1:42.6 | according to him not him and then dropped it in Central Park. |
| 1:45.1 | He swears he was entirely sober. |
| 1:47.4 | Certainly that's what the photo of him jamming his hand in the dead bear cubs |
| 1:50.7 | mouth certainly suggests. It is the wildest thing I ever I have ever heard. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Lawfare Institute, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Lawfare Institute and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.