Skullduggery

Latest Episodes:

Ukrainian Lesson from Marie Yovanovich (w/ Marie Yovanovich) Mar 18, 2022

Show notes

Marie Yovanovitch, former US Ambassador to Ukraine, testified before congress back in November of 2019 about the notorious phone call during which then President Trump trashed her to the new President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. He commented that she would, in Trump's words be "going through some things." It was the moment that the world first heard from Yovanovich, a veteran US Diplomat who had devoted her career to serving the former Soviet Republics, and in the process becoming one the country's leading experts on Ukraine only to be dumped as ambassador because she was not perceived as promoting the corrupt interests of the American President and his cronies. She's now written a book that imparts what she learned about Ukraine and about Vladimir Putin's Russia. Lessons that are all the more important in the wake of Russia's brutal invasion. As Ukraine remains under siege and millions of its citizens flee for safety, we'll talk to Yovanovich about what those lessons were and what Americans should know about them.

GUESTS:

Marie Yovanovitch, Fmr. US Ambassador to Ukraine

HOSTS:

Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo News
Daniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo News
Victoria Bassetti (@VBass), fellow, Brennan Center for Justice (contributing co-host)

RESOURCES:

Yovanovitch's reaction to Trump's Helsinki Press conference - Here.
Putin's dictatorship will end in disaster, recent piece from Yahoo News UK - Here.

Listen and subscribe to "Skullduggery" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us with feedback, questions or tips: SkullduggeryPod@yahoo.com.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Zelensky's Finest Hour (w/ Dan Hoffman) Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

Ukrainian President Zelensky delivered a powerful message to a joint session of U.S. Congress Wednesday morning. Zelensky invoked the memories of America's darkest moments. "Remember Pearl Harbor," he said, "Remember September 11th." Death from sky visited on Americans just as death from the sky is now being visited on the Ukrainian people. He showed a gut wrenching video showing charred bodies, fleeing refugees, and bombs, one after another destroying Ukrainian cities and killing civilians. He praised President Biden for the help he's provided so far but then implored him to do more. If not a "no fly zone" then more air defense systems, more planes, more weapons to fight the Russian aggressors. We discuss the takeaways from Zelensky's speech. We'll also listen to an excerpt from our talk with the former chief of the Ukrainian Air-force about what the Ukrainians really need. And finally, we'll listen to the comments of the former top C.I.A. official about Vladimir Putin's murderous past and what that can mean for the future of Ukraine.

GUESTS:

Dan Hoffman (@danielhoffmanDC), Ret. CIA Station Chief in Moscow

HOSTS:

Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo News
Daniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo News
Victoria Bassetti (@VBass), fellow, Brennan Center for Justice (contributing co-host)

RESOURCES:

Alexander Nazaryan's coverage of Zelensky's message to a joint session of the U.S. Congress - Here.
Zelensky shows the joint session of the U.S. Congress graphic video "This is Murder" - Here.

Listen and subscribe to "Skullduggery" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us with feedback, questions or tips: SkullduggeryPod@yahoo.com.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the Front Lines (w/ AMB Mark Brzezinski) Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Face the Nation last Sunday gave the green light to a Polish proposal to send MiG fighter jets to Ukraine to help that country fight a relentless Russian invasion. But by the end of the week, the deal was off. President Biden vetoed the idea after US intelligence and Pentagon officials raised concerns that, among other factors, the introduction of the planes would provoke the Russians even further and lead to an escalation to the conflict. It was to be sure a bitter disappointment to the Ukrainian government who's president Volodymyr Zelensky has been literally pleading with the west for more firepower to save his country. We are joined by a man in the middle of the controversy and much else involving the Ukraine crisis, the new UN Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski.

GUEST:

Amb. Mark Brzezinski (@AmbassadogTeddy), UN Ambassador to Poland

HOSTS:

Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo News
Daniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo News

RESOURCES:

Photos of Ukrainian Refugees fleeing their home - Here.
Yahoo News' Dylan Stableford's latest piece on President Zelensky - Here.

Listen and subscribe to "Skullduggery" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us with feedback, questions or tips: SkullduggeryPod@yahoo.com.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Special Operation and Peace (w/ Andrei Soshnikov & Maryan Zeblotzkyy) Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

Journalist Andrei Soshnikoff, with the help of insider Lyudmila Savchuk, exposed the Internet Research Agency, a troll farm set up by a Russian Oligarch close to Putin. It was a new disturbing phenomenon in the global information wars. This was the moment American's came to know the concept of fake news and disinformation. This came to forefront thanks to the groundbreaking work of the aforementioned Russian investigative journalist Soshnikoff and whistleblower Savchuk. who was disgusted by the murder of Boris Nemtsov. But the ability of Russian journalists to cover the news has now been challenged as never before. In the wake of Putin's latest and more vicious assault on Ukraine, the Kremlin has launched a harsh new crackdown on the press. Threatening journalists with up to fifteen years in prison for spreading "false information" and banning them from even referring to the events in Ukraine as a war. Soshnikoff joins us to discuss the state of Russian media. And also, Maryan Zeblotskyy, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament joins to discuss the latest from Western Ukraine.

GUEST:

Maryan Zeblotzkyy, Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Andrei Soshnikoff (@Soshnikoff), Current Time TV, former BBC journalist/Transparency International RU analyst

HOSTS:

Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo News
Daniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo News
Victoria Bassetti (@VBass), fellow, Brennan Center for Justice (contributing co-host)

RESOURCES:

Yahoo News' Tom LoBianco's latest piece on Putin - Here.
Yaoo News' Niamh Cavanagh's latest piece on Zelensky - Here.

Listen and subscribe to "Skullduggery" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us with feedback, questions or tips: SkullduggeryPod@yahoo.com.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Berlin Airlift for Kyiv? (w/ Rep. Tom Malinowski) Mar 04, 2022

Show notes

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield declared that, "The international community must be unanimous in demanding Russia's forces stop their dangerous assault." This, after the aftermath of reports that Russian forces bombed a Ukrainian Nuclear Reactor. This was the latest sign of the ferocity of the Russian attack, an invasion that continues unabated including reports of cluster bombs and widespread attacks on civilians. Is there anything the United States and its western allies can actually do to stop the madness? Congressman Tom Malinowski, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a former top State Department Official under President Obama, who spent years trying to punish Russian misbehavior joins to discuss.

GUEST:

Rep. Tom Malinowski (@RepMalinowski), (D-NJ) - member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

HOSTS:

Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo News
Daniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo News

RESOURCES:

Yahoo News' Dylan Stableford's most recent piece along with Photo Staff about Ukraine - Here.
Yahoo News' Jon Ward's most recent piece on hackers and disinformation about Ukraine/Russia war - Here.

Listen and subscribe to "Skullduggery" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us with feedback, questions or tips: SkullduggeryPod@yahoo.com.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Zelensky Stands Tall (w/ Mark Savchuk & Dan Hoffman) Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

President Zelensky is having one powerful performance after another in defense of his country, Ukraine. He's refusing to back down even as Russian troops close in on his Capitol and the city's frightened residents huddle in air-raid shelters to escape the invaders bombs. The Ukrainians from all accounts are putting up a fierce resistance volunteering in droves to wage battle using aging guns, Molotov cocktails and in some cases their very bodies to slow the Russian advance. But how long can the Ukrainians hang on? And how far is Vladimir Putin prepared to go to crush them? Mark Savchuk, a coordinator for Ukrainian journalists joins us from Kyiv to talk about what's going on right now in the heart of the battle. Also, Dan Hoffman, a former CIA station chief in Moscow, joins to discuss what to make of Putin's bizarre erratic but unbelievably brutal behavior.

GUESTS:

Mark Savchuk (@SavchukMark), coordinator for Ukrainian journalists
Dan Hoffman (@danielhoffmanDC), Ret. CIA Station Chief in Moscow

HOSTS:

Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo News
Daniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo News
Victoria Bassetti (@VBass), fellow, Brennan Center for Justice (contributing co-host)

RESOURCES:

The latest from the war in Ukraine - Here.
Ben Adler's latest Yahoo News piece involving Climate Activism and Ukraine/Russia - Here.

Listen and subscribe to "Skullduggery" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us with feedback, questions or tips: SkullduggeryPod@yahoo.com.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Putin's War (w/ Catherine Belton & Nina Khrushcheva) Feb 26, 2022

Show notes

Ukrainian President Zelensky on Saturday posted a video of himself bravely walking in the streets of the besieged capital city of Kyiv standing defiant as Russian forces close in bombarding the city and leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. Zelensky's refusal to back down in the face of Vladimir Putin's aggression is being seen throughout the world as an inspiring David vs. Goliath battle that may yet end tragically for him and his country. But much depends on what is conceivably going on inside the head of Goliath. Why is Putin doing this? What does he really want? And what, if anything, can the west do to stop him. We talk to two renowned experts on Putin's Russia and Zelensky's Ukraine - Catherine Belton, a special correspondent for Reuters and the author of the book, Putin's People - and also Nina Khrushcheva, a professor of international relations at the New School and the great-granddaughter of another Russian leader, the late Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.

GUEST:

Catherine Belton (@CatherineBelton), Special correspondent for @Reuters, author of Putin's People
Nina Khrushcheva (@ninakhrushcheva),

HOSTS:

Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo News
Daniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo News
Victoria Bassetti (@VBass), fellow, Brennan Center for Justice (contributing co-host)

RESOURCES:

Ukrainian President Zelensky's video "This is our land" - Here.
Lastest Yahoo News article on Ukraine/Kyiv - Here.
Pick. up Belton's book Putin's People - Here.

Listen and subscribe to "Skullduggery" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us with feedback, questions or tips: SkullduggeryPod@yahoo.com.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson (w/ Richard Rosenthal) Feb 26, 2022

Show notes

President Biden this past Friday introduced his choice for the Supreme Court. And the nominee, DC Court of Appeals Ketanji Brown Jackson, introduced herself the country. It was a historic pick on multiple grounds. Jackson is the first African-American woman ever nominated for the court. If confirmed, she'll also be the first Supreme Court Justice who worked as a public defender bringing a new sensibility to how the criminal justice system impacts the world of real life defendants. But there is much more to her life story. A stellar student in high school, graduated from Harvard and Harvard Law School, with a family that includes a brother who was a Baltimore city cop and an uncle who was. Miami's Police Chief and yet another uncle who has been wrapped up in the drug trade. We'll talk to one of her oldest friends from High School - appellate lawyer Richard Rosenthal, about what we should know about Ketanji Brown Jackson and what her nomination will bring to the Supreme Court.

GUEST:

Richard Rosenthal, former law clerk to the Honorable Levin H. Campbell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and to the Honorable Edward B. Davis, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

HOSTS:

Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo News
Daniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo News
Victoria Bassetti (@VBass), fellow, Brennan Center for Justice (contributing co-host)

RESOURCES:

Yahoo News' Christopher Wilson's most recent piece about Ketanji Brown Jackson - Here.

Listen and subscribe to "Skullduggery" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us with feedback, questions or tips: SkullduggeryPod@yahoo.com.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The San Francisco Recall Earthquake (w/ Matt Bai) Feb 19, 2022

Show notes

While the Biden White House waits nervously to see if Russia invades Ukraine, perhaps in the next few days, the biggest political story this week that took place was as local as it gets. In San Francisco, where voters, by an overwhelming margin, recalled three school board members. Why? Incompetence and frustration to be sure over the board's decision to keep public schools shut down all last year over Covid even as schools elsewhere were opening. But perhaps even more the recall vote was a rejection of the board members progressive woke agenda. In the name of racial justice the board was looking to rename schools. Even those named after Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. It had ended merit based admission to one of the city's elite high schools because it lead to too many Asian-American students and not enough African-American and Hispanics getting in. That vote has been seen as a wake up call for Democrats when the eyes of some have too often embraced the progressive agenda that has alienated voters across the political spectrum. Washington Post columnist Matt Bai joins us to talk on why the woke agenda has alienated him and what the radical drift of both political parties could mean for the country's future.

GUEST:

Matt Bai (@mattbai), Contributing columnist focusing on politics at @washingtonpost

HOSTS:

Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo News
Daniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo News
Victoria Bassetti (@VBass), fellow, Brennan Center for Justice (contributing co-host)

RESOURCES:

Matt Bai's latest piece for @washingtonpost discussed on pod - Here.
Yahoo News' Alex Nazaryan's piece on the San Francisco School Board situation - Here.

Listen and subscribe to "Skullduggery" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us with feedback, questions or tips: SkullduggeryPod@yahoo.com.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A world waits for Putin's play (w/ Dmitri Alperovitch) Feb 15, 2022

Show notes

Last week, State Department spokesperson Ned Price, fielded tough questions from AP reporter Matt Lee about the US Government's claims that Russian forces were planning to mount a phony false flag attack in order to provide a pre-text for an invasion of Ukraine. It was a classic moment in which a Biden Administrative Official was forced to answer that most fundamental of questions that should always be asked when the government makes bold assertions about the perfidy of a foreign power. What's the evidence? Price declined to do so leaving the press and much of the public leaving to wonder, does US intelligence really have the goods to back up its claims? Or was this just one more front in a much larger information warfare battle in which the Biden Whitehouse is trying to spook the Kremlin to forgo its plans to seize control of a neighboring country? As the world sits on edge of what Putin may or may not do, we talk to cyber security expert Dmitri Alperovitch about what we should expect over the next several weeks.

GUEST:

Dmitri Alperovitch (@DAlperovitch), Chairman, Silverado Policy Accelerator; Co-Founder & Former CTO @CrowdStrike

HOSTS:

Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo News
Daniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo News
Victoria Bassetti (@VBass), fellow, Brennan Center for Justice (contributing co-host)

RESOURCES: