Drycleanercast: Espionage, Terrorism & Geopolitics

On this episode of Espresso Martini, Chris, Matt and Oliver the cat discuss a little more Jack Teixeira the man arrested over Pentagon files leak. Then we will look at a former FBI Special Agent arrested for his role in the January 6th attack. Then we look at an interesting spy story involving a retired Iranian government member accused of being a spy for MI6. In the last section of the show, we discuss some of the new information on the Nord Stream pipeline attack and look ahead at the Presidential elections in Turkey this weekend. Links to articles discussed: War, Weapons and Conspiracy Theories: Inside Airman Teixeira’s Online World https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/06/us/politics/jack-teixeira-leaks-discord-messages.html Ex-FBI agent who feds say urged Jan. 6, rioters to kill police worked terrorism task force https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/ex-fbi-agent-feds-say-urged-jan-6-rioters-kill-police-worked-terrorism-rcna82775 Iranian Insider and British Spy: How a Double Life Ended on the

On this episode of Espresso Martini we discuss the recent Pentagon leaks, a Russian pro-war blogger who is not actually Russian, business men taking money from Chinese spies and Spy Ships off the coast of Scotland. Links to articles discussed: Who is Jack Teixeira, the man arrested over Pentagon files leak? By Peter Beaumont reporting for The Guardian Newspaper https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/13/who-is-jack-teixeira-the-man-arrested-over-pentagon-files-leak What the leaked Pentagon documents reveal - key takeaways By Paul Adams, Jean Mackenzie and Antoinette Radford reporting for the BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65238951 Pentagon Leaks: Russian Su-27 Nearly Shot Down British Rivet Joint Last Year By David Cenciotti reporting for The Aviationist https://theaviationist.com/2023/04/11/russian-su-27-nearly-shot-down-british-rivet-joint-last-year/ Social-Media Account Overseen by Former Navy Noncommissioned Officer Helped Spread Secrets By Yaroslav Trofimov for the Wall Street

On todays podcast Chris is joined by Eldad Ben Aharon who is a researcher of Israeli intelligence and geopolitical history. We discuss the challenges of researching intelligence history in Israel and the importance of first person interviews with intelligence community members. You can connect with Eldad on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/EldadBenAharon You can read the following papers by Eldad via the links below Interview with Efraim Halevy https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02684527.2022.2095600 'Doing Oral History with the Israeli Elite': https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00940798.2019.1702467 (free ungated access to the content).  Research project bout Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: https://www.hsfk.de/en/publications/publication-search/publication/between-geopolitics-and-identitiy-struggle-why-israel-took-sides-with-azerbaijan-in-the-nagorno-karabakh-conflict You can read more from Eldad via his website here: https://hsfk.academia.edu/EldadBenAharon For more information ab

On this episode, Matt sits down with his friend and fellow indie spy writer Stephen England. They talk about Stephen's decade-long career as a novelist, the history and development of his 'Shadow Warriors' series, their inspirations, and the ethics of writing in the spy genre For more information about Stephen and his books, check out his Amazon page: shorturl.at/elFI0 For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/  Connect with us on social media  TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/secretsandspies/ SPOUTIBLE   https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Support Secrets and Spies:    * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Find out more about Matt and his

On this episode of Espresso Martini, Chris & Matt take a look at President Xi’s trip to China, Chinese espionage against the west and the revelations of a recent Russian defector who paints a less than flattering picture of President Putin and his mental state. Links to articles discussed on this episode “China portrays Xi’s Russia trip as bid for leadership of non-Western world” – by Lily Kuo for the Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/21/china-xi-russia-world-leadership/ “China waging decades-long spy war” by Calder Walton for Foreign Policy https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/03/28/china-has-been-waging-a-decades-long-all-out-spy-war/ “Russian defector sheds light on Putin paranoia and his secret train network” by Andrew Roth and Pjotr Sauer for The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/05/russian-defector-sheds-light-on-putin-paranoia-including-secret-train For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/ Conn

Hi everyone, we just wanted to share a quick update about the podcast. We will now be producing two Espresso Martinis a month. Chris & Matt will also be splitting interviews between them. So exciting times ahead for the show! We will have an "Ask us anything" section on the next Espresso Martini. Email or Tweet at us your questions before 6th April.  You can email us here: secretsandspiespodcast&gmail.com and Tweet at us here:  www.twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies Support Secrets and Spies:    * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Connect with us on social media  TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies SPOUTIBLE   https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Check out our short spy film “THE DRY CLEANER” which is now available to buy on Apple

We are joined by Matthew Orr, a Eurasian analyst at RANE, Risk Assistance Network & Exchange in this episode. We discuss the first anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine and what to expect over the next few months. You can find out more about RANE here: https://www.ranenetwork.com/ Music on this podcast is provided by Andrew R. Bird (Andy Bird) You can check out his work here: https://soundcloud.com/andrewbirduk For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/ Support Secrets and Spies    Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg  Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies  You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Connect with us on social media TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies SPOUTIBLE   https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Check out our short spy film “THE DRY

Matt Fulton interviews Shane Harris from the Washington Post on today's podcast. Shane has written about intelligence, security and foreign policy for over two decades. He is a staff writer with The Washington Post, covering U.S. intelligence agencies and national security. Shane takes us through his research on the Nord Stream attack and how it is not as straightforward as previously believed. These are Shane’s articles discussed in the episode: No conclusive evidence Russia is behind Nord Stream attack https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/12/21/russia-nord-stream-explosions/ Intelligence Suggests Pro-Ukrainian Group Sabotaged Pipelines, U.S. Officials Say https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/07/us/politics/nord-stream-pipeline-sabotage-ukraine.html Intelligence officials suspect Ukraine partisans behind Nord Stream bombings, rattling Kyiv’s allies https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/03/07/intelligence-officials-suspect-ukraine-partisans-behind-nord-stream-bombings-rattling

On this episode of Espresso Martini, Chris & Matt look at President Joe Biden’s historic trip to Ukraine, leaked documents showing how Russia plans to take over Belarus, and CIA director William Burns's secret trip to Libya and more! Links to articles discussed in this episode “Biden’s Surreal and Secretive Journey Into a War Zone” By Peter Baker and Michael D. Shear for the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/20/us/politics/biden-kyiv-ukraine.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare “Revealed: Leaked document shows how Russia plans to take over Belarus” By Michael Weiss and Holger Roonemaa for Yahoo News https://news.yahoo.com/russia-belarus-strategy-document-230035184.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma “Russian state news accidentally publishes article saying Russia has defeated Ukraine and restored its 'historical borders” By Yelena Dzhanova for Yahoo News & Business Insider https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-state-news-accidentally-publishes-181749627.html “

On today's podcast, I am joined by journalist John Sweeney, the author of “Killer in the Kremlin”. John joins me from Kyiv, and we reflect on the first anniversary of Russia’s war against Ukraine. You can get a copy of “Killer in the Kremlin” and find out more about John and his work here: https://www.johnsweeney.co.uk/ You can support his freelance work in Ukraine here: https://www.patreon.com/JohnSweeneyRoar You can follow John on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/johnsweeneyroar For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/  Music on this podcast is provided by Andrew R. Bird (Andy Bird) You can check out his work here: https://soundcloud.com/andrewbirduk You can support Secrets and Spies in a few ways:    * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/

On today podcast I am joined by Dr Taras Kuzio and we reflect on the first anniversary of Russia’s war against Ukraine and we discuss what to expect in the months ahead.  You can also visit Dr Kuzio’s website here: http://www.betweeneuropeandrussia.com/ You can connect with Dr.Kuzio on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/TarasKuzio For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/  Music on this podcast is provided by Andrew R. Bird (Andy Bird) You can check out his work here: https://soundcloud.com/andrewbirduk You can support Secrets and Spies in a few ways:    * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Connect with us on social media  TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies  FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies  SPOUTIBLE https:

On todays Super Bowl Special, we are joined by author Kevin Bryant to discuss his book “Spies on the sidelines” which looks at espionage within the NFL.  Kevin’s book “Spies on the Sidelines” is available here: https://www.spiesonthesidelines.com/  Connect with Kevin via social media: Facebook: @kevinbryant.author  Instagram: @kevinbryant.author  Twitter: @kevbryantauthor  Linkedin: @kevinbryantauthor Music on this podcast is provided by Andrew R. Bird (Andy Bird) You can check out his work here: https://soundcloud.com/andrewbirduk For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/  Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network. Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/  You can support Secrets and Spies in a few ways:    * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You

On today's episode of Espresso Martini, Chris & Matt take a look at the Chinese “weather balloon” (Spy Balloon), Israel's drone strike on an Iranian missile facility and a Russian spy in the ranks of the BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence service Topics covered Chinese Spy Balloon & Chinese electronic espionage in the west https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/chinas-spy-balloon-over-montana-is-part-of-a-larger-more-troubling-pattern https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/our-first-look-chinese-spy-balloon-debris-being-recovered https://inews.co.uk/news/hidden-chinese-tracking-device-government-car-national-security-2070152 https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/22/tiktok-bytedance-workers-fired-data-access-journalists Iran Drone strike https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/29/world/middleeast/iran-drone-strike-israel.html Russian Spy in the BND German BND officer caught spying for Russia named https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-spy-arrest-germany-foreign-intelligence-agency-treason/ h

On today's podcast, I am joined by former CIA analyst Yaya J Fanusie. Yaya was my third guest on the podcast back in 2016, and he returns today to tell us about his exciting new podcast called “The Jabbari Lincoln Files”. “The Jabarri Lincoln Files” is a CIA-based espionage thriller that partly takes a look at the world of Financial intelligence. Yaya and I talk about the real-world inspiration for his podcast, and we also discuss his writing process and artistic influences. You can listen to “The Jabarri Lincoln Files” here: https://podfollow.com/the-jabbari-lincoln-files And you can read The Jabbari Lincoln blog here: https://www.jabbarilincoln.com The podcast is available via the following links: On Apple Podcasts: (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jabbari-lincoln-files/id1663688674) On Amazon/Audible: (https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Jabbari-Lincoln-Files-Podcast/B0BQWH3Q1S?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp), On Google Podcasts:(https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know this month's Espresso Martini has been delayed by a week. It will return on Saturday 11th Feb. See you then.

Malcolm Nance joins us on our first special podcast looking at Ukraine as we get close to the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion. Malcolm visited Ukraine before the war, joined the Ukrainian army and fought on the front line against Russian forces. Malcolm is an American author and media commentator on terrorism, intelligence, insurgency, and torture. He is a former United States Navy senior chief petty officer specializing in naval cryptology. He is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller “The Plot to Hack America” and his latest book “They Want To Kill Americans”. “They Want To Kill Americans” You can purchase it here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250279002/theywanttokillamericans TAPSTRI Malcolm mentions TAPSTRI, in which you can directly donate to the international legion fighting in Ukraine here: https://tapstri.org/ Malcolm’s Substack Subscribe here: https://malcolmnance.substack.com/ Malcolm’s Twitter https://twitter.com/MalcolmNance Music  Andre

On today's podcast, I am joined by Sam Lichtenstein.  Sam is a Director of Analysis at RANE, which stands for Risk Assistance Network and Exchange.  In this episode, we will look at world events for the year ahead with RANE’s annual Global forecast for 2023. 2023 looks to be another challenging year, and I think you will want to check it out. It’s a deep episode, so pour yourself your favourite drink, sit back, and I hope you find it informative. To find out more about RANE and its annual global forecast, please visit their website here: https://www.ranenetwork.com/ Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network.  Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/ Music  Andrew R. Bird (Andy Bird) provides music on this podcast. You can check out his work here:  https://www.monsteromnibus.com/?fbclid=IwAR0%E2%80%A6BdNQbuCvt9KWU You can support Secrets and Spies in a few ways: - [ ] Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3

On today's podcast, I am joined by Bernd von Koska, who is the curator of the Allied Museum in Berlin and co-author of the excellent book Capital of Spies. In this episode, we discuss Capital of Spies which takes a look at the history of Cold War Berlin.  You can get a copy of Capital of Spies here: https://www.casematepublishing.co.uk/capital-of-spies.html And you can find out more about the Allied Museum here: https://www.alliiertenmuseum.de/en/ Music on this podcast is provided by Andrew R. Bird (Andy Bird) You can check out his work here: https://soundcloud.com/andrewbirduk For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/  Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network. Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/  You can support Secrets and Spies in a few ways:  Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon f

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to Espresso Martini episode Four, which is our first podcast of 2023. On todays episode of Espresso Martini, Chris & Matt take a look at a coup plot in Germany that was discovered by the German authorities and they also take a look at the rising Covid numbers in China and the official denials coming from the ruling Communist Party. Related articles to the discussion: German Coup Plot: Germany arrests 25 accused of plotting coup https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-63885028 The Motley Crew that Wanted to Topple the German Government https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/prince-putsch-and-his-gang-the-motley-crew-that-wanted-to-topple-the-german-government-a-07a32d7c-96e6-4b61-a282-9e9ab2ffa288 Is a far-right coup possible in Germany? https://www.dw.com/en/is-a-far-right-coup-possible-in-germany/a-64041643 Rise of Covid in China: China Covid: experts estimate 9,000 deaths a day as US says it may sample wastewater from planes https://www.theguardian.com/

On this episode of Espresso Martini, Chris and Matt take a look at the key stories from November in the world of espionage, geopolitics and intrigue.  They discuss the Crimean Bridge Attack, infighting among Putin’s allies, a Russian GRU officer who defected to Estonia, a spy trial at the Old Bailey and the hit Star Wars espionage series Andor. Links to articles discussed are below How Ukraine blew up the bridge - By James Glanz and Marco Hernandez – New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/17/world/europe/crimea-bridge-collapse.html The BBC on October 9th published an article By Paul Adamstitled “Crimean Bridge; Who or what caused the explosion” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-63192757 Civil War among Putin Allies – Isabel Van Brugen - Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/leaked-fsb-letters-civial-war-putin-allies-prigozhin-kadyrov-1760455 Russian Spy Defects – Michael Weiss – Yahoo News https://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-ex-russian-spy-flees-to-the-nato-country-that-captured-him-d