Intelligence & OSINT
Open-source intelligence, espionage, surveillance, and information warfare
39 episodes
#2225: The Physics of Eavesdropping: Nation-State Listening in 2026
From laser microphones to keystroke acoustics to the Great Seal Bug, what remote listening actually looks like when physics becomes the bottleneck—...
#2223: Ten Cults Nobody Made a Documentary About
From a Scientology splinter with four deities to a drug rehab that became a paramilitary religion, these high-control groups shaped history while s...
#2215: How Spies Publish Secrets
Sherman Kent built a field around classified information—then published it. How intelligence studies became a rigorous academic discipline while ke...
#2210: How Instagram Reveals Your Missile Stockpile
When Iran launches 574 ballistic missiles, the interceptors Israel fires back tell a story—and adversaries are listening. How open-source intellige...
#2197: Who Controls the Press Pool?
How the traveling press pool evolved from FDR's train to Air Force One—and what happens when governments decide who gets to cover them.
#2156: Think Tank Funding and the Art of Academic Laundering
Foreign governments are funding U.S. think tanks through complex financial networks to shape policy, often bypassing transparency laws.
#2151: The Minefield of Information
The Strait of Hormuz is "open," but Iran can’t find its mines. We explore how this fog of war is a deliberate tactic.
#2143: AI Forecast: Iran Ceasefire Won't Last
A two-stage AI pipeline predicted a 4% chance the Iran-Israel ceasefire would survive a month, using Monte Carlo simulations and an LLM council.
#2131: In-Q-Tel's Open-Source Wargames
In-Q-Tel is on GitHub. Explore the IC's strategic investment arm and its use of open-source AI for wargaming.
#2098: The Invisible War for the Radio Spectrum
Modern wars are won by controlling invisible waves, not just physical ground. Discover how electronic and cyber warfare merge to rewrite reality.
#2077: The Tip of the Spear: How Special Forces Actually Work
From WWII's fish oil raids to modern Green Beret teams, discover the real mechanics of elite military units.
#2072: Downed Pilot Turns Hideout Into Strike Base
A downed WSO in Iran directed Reaper strikes from a mountain crevice while awaiting rescue—here's the tech and tactics that made it possible.
#2058: How Stuxnet's Code Physically Broke Iran's Centrifuges
Stuxnet didn't just infect computers—it rewrote PLC logic to spin uranium centrifuges into self-destruction while faking normal readings.
#2031: The Jerusalem Falafel Conspiracy
Is the high density of falafel stands in Jerusalem a sign of a secret, centuries-old monopoly?
#2000: Why Intelligence Agencies Slice the World into Desks
How the CIA and State Dept slice 195 countries into bureaucratic boxes—and why that creates dangerous seams.
#1984: Fluent in Arabic, Suspected as a Spy
Why fluency in Arabic can make you a suspect in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
#1980: Why Ancient History Is So Violent: The "Juicy Bits" Bias
We think the ancient world was a non-stop slasher flick, but is that because the boring, peaceful parts just didn’t survive?
#1973: The Canaanites: The Ancient Alphabet Inventors
Forget Sunday school villains—Canaanites invented the alphabet and built the foundation of the modern world.
#1966: News Analysis: US intelligence assessment of Iran missile launcher survivab
A month of bombing, but half of Iran’s launchers remain. Why the US and Israel disagree on battle damage.
#1897: The Pentagon Pizza Index: Predicting War with Pepperoni
Forget satellites and spies—the most reliable indicator of imminent military action might be the Google Maps 'busy' meter at a Domino's.
#1892: Crypto-Hawala: Ghost Money for Sleeper Cells
How hawala networks and crypto merge to fund covert operations, and why intelligence agencies are struggling to track the money.
#1891: From Phone Number to Spiderweb: The Power of OSINT Graphs
See how a single phone number can unravel a web of 200+ entities in seconds using OSINT graph tools.
#1889: When Spies and Cops Share a Target
How the FBI and CIA share secrets without burning sources, and why "parallel construction" keeps classified intel out of court.
#1888: The Undercover’s Paradox: Admitting Evidence
Why can’t a prosecutor use a mountain of evidence gathered by an undercover cop? The gap between intelligence gathering and courtroom admissibility.
#1887: The Lone Wolf Is a Myth
The Las Vegas 2025 incident wasn't a lone wolf—it was the terrifying new face of digital radicalization.
#1886: Spies Are Middle Managers, Not Action Heroes
Forget Bond and Bourne—real espionage is a logistical nightmare of spreadsheets, coffee, and psychological manipulation.
#1885: How Spies Hand Off Intel to Cops
Mossad intercepts a terror plot in Berlin. They can't act. Here's how they pass the lead to German police without burning their sources.
#1884: How Sleeper Cells Actually Work (and How They're Caught)
From compartmentalized networks to AI surveillance, discover the hidden mechanics of sleeper cells and the intelligence game to find them.
#1866: How Leaders See War in Real-Time
Leaders see live drone feeds while you see yesterday's news. Here's how wartime intelligence actually reaches the top.
#1865: The Emergency That Never Ends
Emergency powers from 2022 are still active in 2026. Here's how wartime measures become permanent state furniture.
#1864: The Diplomat Who Wears Two Masks
Iran's top diplomat speaks of peace before attacks, then justifies violence. This is linguistic camouflage at its most dangerous.
#1859: Anteaters Are Russian Spies
A sloth explains why his anteater cousins are actually Russian psyops agents scanning for brain waves.
#1844: How Amateurs Track Spy Satellites with Laptops
Forget Langley—these hobbyists spot classified satellites from their backyards using math, cheap cameras, and public data.
#1823: The NSA Is a Corporate Campus
The NSA isn’t a Bond villain lair—it’s a corporate campus with a Starbucks, hoodies, and a massive workforce.
#1785: The FBI's Dual Identity: Cop and Spy
The FBI is unique among global intelligence agencies, blending high-stakes spy work with federal law enforcement in a single hybrid model.
#1761: Missiles as Sensors: Iran's Live-Fire Intel Probe
Why is Iran firing the same missiles at empty desert every night? It's not a failure—it's a live-fire diagnostic on Israel's defenses.
#1722: The Dark Web Is Smaller Than You Think
Forget the iceberg myth—the dark web is more like a tiny shed behind a skyscraper, with only 3 million users and 100k sites.
#1706: Hollywood Hacking vs. Real Airgap Sabotage
Why the "lone operative" trope breaks down when you look at the physical reality of nuclear facility security.
#1699: Does Killing Terror Leaders Actually Work?
Decapitation strikes or whack-a-mole? We unpack the data on whether eliminating leaders degrades terrorist networks or just creates martyrs.