The Team House

We break down the renewed fighting with Iran, the Strait of Hormuz crisis, and whether the U.S. has any realistic military or diplomatic path forward. We also get into NATO, Ukraine’s air defense needs, the defense industrial base, and why America keeps spending more while producing less.

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejonathanhackett
Twitter: https://x.com/jonathanhackett
Check out Mick's new podcast here:⬇️
Apple Podcasts:
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Spotify:
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Youtube:
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Find Mick Mulroy here: 
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Whitefish security summit ⬇️
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Find Marc P here:
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Find Andy Milburn here: 
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LinkedIn ⬇️
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https://amilburn.substack.com/
Andy’s book ⬇️
https://www.amazon.com/When-Tempest-Gathers-Mogadishu-Operations
Bluesky ⬇️
https://bsky.app/profile/andy-milburn.bsky.social

00:00 – Remembering Senator Lindsey Graham
04:44 – Iran Escalates Attacks Across the Middle East
07:19 – Is U.S. Deterrence Against Iran Failing?
09:04 – Can Military Force Reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
12:30 – Iran’s Leadership Divide and Nuclear Ambitions
14:10 – What Military Options Does the U.S. Have?
16:19 – The Danger of Targeting Iran’s Leadership
19:09 – Iranian Threats Against President Trump
21:02 – Air Force One, Security Threats, and Intelligence
22:27 – What Happens With Iran After the Midterms?
24:25 – Intelligence Leadership and the New DNI Confirmation Hearing
25:17 – Will America’s Allies Help Against Iran?
31:03 – Building an International Coalition to Pressure Iran
34:06 – How a Maritime Coalition Could Isolate Iran
37:43 – Bears, Bison, Moose, and Surviving Montana
41:35 – Could Ukraine Produce Its Own Patriot Missiles?
42:53 – Why Time May Be Running Out for Putin
45:22 – Is America Running Out of Missiles?
46:28 – The Pentagon’s $1 Trillion Defense Spending Problem
47:52 – Why the U.S. Defense Industry Is So Slow to Innovate
50:47 – Can Congress Pass the Massive Defense Budget?
52:23 – The Pentagon’s “Budget Dust” Problem
53:01 – Final Thoughts and Closing

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We speak with retired FBI agent Wayne Barnes about his career in counterintelligence, from undercover work with the Black Panthers and a hidden Nixon assassination plot to debriefing Cold War defectors and recruiting Soviet intelligence officers. We also dig into his book A Traitor in the FBI, the hunt for a Russian mole inside the Bureau, and the tradecraft, deception, and lucky breaks that shaped the case.
Grab Wayne's book "A Traitor in the FBI: The Hunt for a Russian Mole"
https://a.co/d/06ffYkg0
Find Wayne here:
https://www.waynebarneswriting.com/
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To help support the show and for all bonus content including:
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___________________________________________________
GRAB JACK'S NEW BOOK "THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN" 
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803651/the-most-dangerous-man-by-jack-murphy/paperback/
Subscribe to the new EYES ON podcast here:⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/@EyesOnGeopoliticsPod/featured

Jack Murphy's book "We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History" ⬇️
https://www.amazon.com/We-Defy-Chapters-Special-History-ebook/dp/B0DCGC1N1N/
Or make a one time donation at: ⬇️
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Team House Discord: ⬇️
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"Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio"
00:00 — Start
01:16 — Debriefing Cold War Defectors
02:28 — Wayne Barnes’ Origin Story
07:13 — Penn State, Villanova, and the Road to the FBI
14:08 — Early FBI Career Before Quantico
17:39 — The Undercover Black Panther Operation
26:38 — The Compton Vetting Test
29:52 — Bill Cosby, Backstopping, and the Cover Story
31:23 — George H.W. Bush and the UN Recognition Play
35:59 — The Hidden Nixon Assassination Plot
39:22 — Debriefing Defectors and the CIA-FBI Divide
42:49 — Ion Pacepa and the Romanian Intelligence Collapse
45:33 — Courtship: CIA and FBI Working Together
48:08 — Country Music, Cover Legends, and Recruiting Soviets
53:06 — The FBI Mole Hunt Begins
59:21 — The Mission: Get a Russian to Identify the Mole
01:04:25 — Robert Hanssen, Breach, and What the Movie Missed
01:07:03 — Setting the Stage at the Santa Monica Film Festival
01:11:17 — Hollywood Help, Polly Platt, and Backstopping Ivan
01:20:03 — Staging the First Visual Contact
01:25:43 — Who “Ivan” Was and Why He Mattered
01:28:58 — The Poolside Setup That Made Contact Possible
01:35:35 — Why Cold Pitches Don’t Work
01:42:24 — What Happened After Ivan Pointed Out the Photo
01:48:38 — Brian Kelley, False Leads, and Dead Drop Maps
01:52:52 — Why the Case Almost Disappeared
01:58:23 — Robert Redford, Three Days of the Condor, and Real-World Fallout
02:06:37 — What Spy Movies Get Wrong
02:09:01 — A Traitor in the FBI and Final Thoughts

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Jack Murphy joins us to break down his new High Side investigation into JSOC’s planned mission to recover highly enriched uranium from Iran, a raid some insiders compared to “Eagle Claw 2.0.” He explains why the operation would have required far more than a small special operations team, the risks of fighting in a CBRN environment, and why the mission may have been too dangerous to greenlight.
The High Side:
https://substack.com/@thehighside/note/p-192763347?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=mr77m
Jack's new book:
https://a.co/d/0gywUGvn
00:00 - Inside JSOC’s Planned Iran WMD Raid
01:21 - Why Some Called It “Eagle Claw 2.0”
03:41 - Why Getting Into Iran Was Only Half the Problem
04:46 - Not a Quick Hit: Why This Required 1,000+ Troops
06:40 - Moving Highly Enriched Uranium Out of Iran
07:37 - Fighting Through a CBRN Environment
08:04 - The Libya WMD Plan That Foreshadowed Iran
09:55 - The Limits of Small Special Operations Teams
11:10 - Why JSOC Wanted to Capture the Uranium
12:29 - The Dirty Bomb Risk of Leaving Material Behind
14:56 - Why Trump Did Not Greenlight the Raid
18:14 - JSOC vs. CENTCOM Tensions Over the Mission
20:37 - Iran’s Air Defenses and MQ-9 Reaper Losses
25:20 - JSOC’s Counter-WMD Mission Before 9/11
32:10 - Pakistan’s Fear of a U.S. Nuclear Weapons Raid
"Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio"

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We break down Ukraine’s deep strike campaign inside Russia, the fight over Crimea, and whether Moscow’s war machine is starting to crack under pressure. We also get into the NATO summit, Trump’s unpredictable foreign policy process, Iran’s reconstitution after the ceasefire, and the growing split between the U.S. and Europe.
Support the show on Patreon:⬇️
https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse
Marc's new article:
https://engelsbergideas.com/author/sam-worby-marc-polymeropoulos/
Subscribe to our newsletter!!!!
https://teamhousepodcast.kit.com/join
Jack's news outlet:⬇️
https://thehighside.substack.com/
Find Jon Hackett here:⬇️
Jon's Twitter:
https://x.com/jonathanhackett
Jon's LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejonathanhackett
Jon's books:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0C5L659N5?ccs_id=e11a2062-f8d3-498e-bfd7-7d2f3869caf6
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejonathanhackett
Twitter: https://x.com/jonathanhackett
Check out Mick's new podcast here:⬇️
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/pub-and-porch-applied-stoicism/id1836955475
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/1k3QPmkAMwnGJxMLDwUSSd?si=n6piIu8XRcag1Z0K43A3bQ
Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@UCd0Hq6QFk8CoTu5j-VU0Ong 
Find Mick Mulroy here: 
Fogbow ⬇️
https://fogbow.com/
Lobo Institute ⬇️
https://www.loboinstitute.org/
Twitter ⬇️
https://x.com/mickmulroy?s=21&t=-Ze3F_Ix2vlJ18KFvORTCA
LinkedIn ⬇️
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-patrick-mulroy-31198b52/
Bluesky ⬇️
https://bsky.app/profile/mickmulroy.bsky.social
Mick’s publications ⬇️
https://www.loboinstitute.org/publications/publications-of-michael-mick-patrick-mulroy/
Whitefish security summit ⬇️
https://whitefishsecuritysummit.com
Find Marc P here:
https://x.com/Mpolymer
Find Andy Milburn here: 
Twitter ⬇️
https://twitter.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fandymilburn8
LinkedIn ⬇️
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmilburn2023
Substack ⬇️
https://amilburn.substack.com/
Andy’s book ⬇️
https://www.amazon.com/When-Tempest-Gathers-Mogadishu-Operations
Bluesky ⬇️
https://bsky.app/profile/andy-milburn.bsky.social
Find Jason Lyons here: 
LinkedIn ⬇️
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-lyons-666873316?u
Bluesky ⬇️
https://bsky.app/profile/bgsilverback73.bsky.social
"Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
00:00 — Start
01:22 — Ukraine’s Deep Strikes Inside Russia
04:28 — MAGA’s Shift on Ukraine and Israel
05:13 — Russia’s Fuel Supply Gets Hit
08:38 — Russia’s Grinding War in Donbas
11:51 — The Kerch Bridge and Crimea’s Symbolic Value
15:09 — Ukraine Is Isolating Crimea
17:22 — The Next Major Russian Energy Target
19:18 — Trump’s Calls With Putin and Zelensky
20:26 — Russia’s Political Theory of Victory
21:54 — U.S. Policy Confusion Before the NATO Summit
24:22 — Turkey, the F-35, and the S-400 Problem
26:12 — Europe Braces for U.S. Troop and Asset Cuts
28:17 — European Allies Reading Truth Social for Policy
30:49 — NATO, Ukraine Aid, and the Iran War Fallout
31:43 — U.S. Bases, Europe, and Access for War
34:44 — Iran Exposes the U.S.-Europe Split
37:53 — Access, Basing, and Overflight Problems
40:21 — Iraq, Iran, and Selling a War
46:40 — Intelligence Failures and Political Bias
50:47 — What to Expect From the NATO Summit
54:38 — Iran Rebuilds While Negotiations Drag On
57:09 — Why Sanctions Relief Helps Iran Reconstitute
58:54 — NATO’s Goals: Defense Spending, Ukraine, and Turkey
01:01:44 — Trump’s Unpredictable Foreign Policy Process
01:03:07 — The Broken NSC Process
01:07:14 — Closing Plugs and Final Thoughts

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We speak with journalist Colin Freeman about covering wars from Iraq and Somalia to Ukraine, including his own kidnapping by Somali pirates and the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. We also dig into his book The Mad and the Brave, the foreign volunteers who joined Ukraine’s International Legion, and the chaos, courage, and darker realities they faced on the front lines.
Colin's book: https://a.co/d/0j8oksfv
Today's Sponsors:
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For ad free video and audio and access to live streams...JOIN OUR PATREON! 
https://www.patreon.com/c/TheTeamHouse
To help support the show and for all bonus content including:
-live shows and asking guest questions 
-ad free audio and video
-early access to shows
-Access to ALL bonus segments with our guests
Subscribe to our Patreon! ⬇️
https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse
___________________________________________________
GRAB JACK'S NEW BOOK "THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN" 
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803651/the-most-dangerous-man-by-jack-murphy/paperback/
Subscribe to the new EYES ON podcast here:⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/@EyesOnGeopoliticsPod/featured

Jack Murphy's book "We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History" ⬇️
https://www.amazon.com/We-Defy-Chapters-Special-History-ebook/dp/B0DCGC1N1N/
Or make a one time donation at: ⬇️
https://ko-fi.com/theteamhouse
Social Media: ⬇️
The Team House Instagram:
https://instagram.com/the.team.house?utm_medium=copy_link
The Team House Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TheTeamHousePod
Jack’s Instagram:
https://instagram.com/jackmcmurph?utm_medium=copy_link
Jack’s Twitter:
 https://twitter.com/jackmurphyrgr?s=21
Team House Discord: ⬇️
https://discord.gg/wHFHYM6
"Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio"
00:00 — Start
01:26 — Colin Freeman’s Path Into Journalism
05:28 — Going Freelance to Cover Iraq
08:09 — The Reality of Freelance War Reporting
11:26 — Kidnapped by Pirates in Somalia
17:46 — Covering the Opening Days of the Ukraine War
21:21 — Taking the Train Into Besieged Kyiv
24:14 — Meeting Ukraine’s Foreign Volunteers
32:04 — Fantasists, Screamers, and the Yavoriv Missile Strike
36:36 — Douglas Carter and the Chaos of the Front Line
42:04 — Hugh Lee and the Shock of Ukraine’s Battlefield
49:08 — Pez and the Hunt for a Front Line
55:19 — Pez’s Near Capture on a Dnipro Island
59:30 — Foreign Volunteers Captured by Russia
01:05:22 — Torture in a Russian Black Site
01:14:05 — Mariupol, Azovstal, and John Harding
01:25:45 — The Bizarre POW Release and Roman Abramovich
01:31:40 — Ryan O’Leary, Chosen Company, and Jack Knight
01:37:15 — The Dark Side of the Legion
01:48:47 — Did Ukraine’s Foreign Legion Actually Matter?
01:52:50 — Could the West Have Built a Better Legion?
01:58:40 — The Mad and the Brave and Closing Thoughts
#ukrainewar #ukraineforeignlegion

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support.