Today, Jess, Les, John, and Andrew cover a busy news cycle spanning the skies over Moscow to the streets of America. Ukrainian drones — produced domestically and flying hundreds of miles — are hammering Russian energy infrastructure and forcing Putin to publicly acknowledge fuel shortages across the country for the first time, as air defenses are redeployed from Crimea to protect the capital.

Can Ukraine's drone campaign sustain enough pressure to meaningfully shift the strategic calculus for Putin? What does Russia's fuel crisis reveal about the durability of its war machine? ⁨Can the U.S. men’s soccer teams advance to the round of 16 by defeating World War instigators Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

@nottvjessjones

@lestermunson

@johnclipsey

@andrewborene

Like what we're doing here?

Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.

And don't forget to follow @faultlines_pod and @masonnatsec on Twitter!

We are also on YouTube; watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/-SZp5rCIkAc

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Les, John, Andrew, and Andy examine the devastating earthquake that has killed more than 1,500 people in Venezuela, a number expected to climb, and what the U.S. response reveals about American humanitarian leadership in the Trump era. Washington has committed $150 million in aid flowing through UN agencies and NGOs, with DART teams and fire and rescue units from across the country, including Los Angeles and Fairfax County, already on the ground.

But the response raises harder questions than it answers. With USAID largely dismantled, who actually leads American disaster response now, and what does that mean for U.S. soft power on the world stage? Now that the U.S. has removed Maduro and installed a friendly government in Caracas, the response carries an unavoidable optic: is Washington showing up for Venezuela because lives are at stake, or because this is now its ally? And if the U.S. is only willing to show up for countries already in its corner, what does that say about the credibility of American humanitarian commitments when the next crisis hits in less friendly territory?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

@lestermunson

@andykeiser

@johnclipsey

@andrewborene

Like what we're doing here?

Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.

And don't forget to follow @faultlines_pod and @masonnatsec on Twitter!

We are also on YouTube; watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/2_k_PBIlp48

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Jess, Algene, John, and Andrew discuss reports that the Trump administration is considering major defense sales to Turkey, despite bipartisan opposition in Congress. Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing Russia's S-400 air defense system, but as alliance leaders gather in Turkey next month for the NATO Summit, supporters cite its strategic importance to the alliance and recent efforts to distance itself from Moscow.

Does Turkey's recent westward drift justify relaxing the restrictions imposed after the S-400 purchase? What are real security risks if Russian-made air defense systems and F-35 engines end up in the same arsenal? Can the administration move forward with major defense sales to Turkey on its own, or does Congress have the authority to block the deal?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

@nottvjessjones

@algenesajery

@johnclipsey

@andrewborene

Like what we're doing here?

Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.

And don't forget to follow @faultlines_pod and @masonnatsec on Twitter!

We are also on YouTube; watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/f3ux1hHjHFE

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Jess, Les, Algene, and John dig into two closely contested elections that could reshape Latin American politics. In Colombia, right-wing candidate Abelardo De La Espriella holds a narrow lead in the presidential runoff, and in Peru, Keiko Fujimori also maintains a razor-thin advantage over leftist Roberto Sánchez as electoral authorities continue reviewing disputed ballots. The team examines what these elections say about security, anti-incumbent sentiment, and the region's broader political trajectory. Plus, John provides an update on the NBA Draft and what it could mean for the Washington Wizards - and the world.

Is Latin America's rightward shift a reaction to failed incumbents or a true ideological realignment? How does the Trump administration's Monroe Doctrine revival affect the sovereignty and democratic health of these nations? Will the Wizards’ draft of a star player mean a new era of DC sports?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

@nottvjessjones

@lestermunson

@algenesajery

@johnclipsey

Like what we're doing here?

Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.

And don't forget to follow @faultlines_pod and @masonnatsec on Twitter!

We are also on YouTube; watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/cYQ23Sbe7HU

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Les, John, Andrew, Matt, and Amy dig into the ongoing U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations playing out in Switzerland, where a publicly snubbed Vice President and a shifting cast of regional brokers — Qatar and Pakistan prominent among them — signal just how little control Washington holds over the process. The Strait of Hormuz remains a pressure point, with the southern half open only under U.S. military escort and proxy attacks continuing even as diplomats talk. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer's resignation in the UK and a contentious Colombian election add to an already turbulent international backdrop.

Does the current negotiating posture amount to the U.S. practically begging Iran for a deal, and what does that say about American leverage? With the MOU still existing in multiple competing versions and Iran pressing for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as a condition, what would a deal the President can actually enforce even look like? If last July's strikes on Iran's nuclear program were meant to be decisive, why does the situation feel like it hasn't moved at all?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

@lestermunson

@amykmitchell

@andrewborene

@JohnCLipsey

@wmatthayden

Like what we're doing here?

Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.

And don't forget to follow @faultlines_pod and @masonnatsec on Twitter!

We are also on YouTube; watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/WzLCd6MsFHk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Les, Amy, John, and Andrew dig into the alleged 14-point memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran. The deal's broad outlines would have Iran maintain the status quo of its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief and unblocking the Strait of Hormuz, with a 300-billion-dollar economic development commitment and a 60-day window to negotiate a final agreement. Critics see it as an economic lifeline for a weakened regime — not a genuine constraint on Iranian ambitions or its network of proxies.

Can the IRGC be trusted to honor its commitments, or is this a foil to buy time? How does this MOU compare to the JCPOA, and does the changed regional landscape, including Arab mediation and a diminished Iranian military, alter the calculus? Does the deal represent a national security win, or is it a politically convenient off-ramp that trades away American leverage for optics?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

@lestermunson

@amykmitchell

@andrewborene

@JohnCLipsey

Like what we're doing here?

Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.

And don't forget to follow @faultlines_pod and @masonnatsec on Twitter!

We are also on YouTube; watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/MHxgZ8L3rOI

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Les, Jamil, Jess, and John break down the emerging agreement between Washington and Tehran, set to be signed Friday in Geneva under Pakistani auspices. The framework would open 60 days of formal negotiations, with the U.S. lifting its naval blockade in exchange for limitations on Iranian uranium enrichment — though the full text of the MOU has yet to be released. Trump personally called New York Times reporter David Sanger to declare the deal superior to Obama's JCPOA, while praising Xi and Putin for holding the blockade line and publicly pressuring Netanyahu to ease off.

Can an agreement that reportedly allows limited enrichment after an initial freeze actually improve on the JCPOA's fatal flaw? With JD Vance heading to the signing and figures like Rubio potentially skeptical, how united is the administration behind this deal? Will Iran follow through on opening the Strait of Hormuz when it refused to do so in previous negotiations? And does American willingness to strike Iranian nuclear facilities change the strategic calculus enough to make this deal stick?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

@lestermunson

@jamil_n_jaffer

@nottvjessjones

@JohnCLipsey

Like what we're doing here?

Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.

And don't forget to follow @faultlines_pod and @masonnatsec on Twitter!

We are also on YouTube; watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/xzs49CVDZy0

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Jess, John, Les, and Amy examine the fate of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) as it tumbles towards its’ first lapse since 2008. Both chambers have stalled on reauthorization amid disputes over acting DNI Bill Pulte's nomination and a broader debate over whether existing reforms are sufficient to prevent the authority from being turned against American citizens.

Are the reforms currently on the books enough to protect civil liberties while preserving the counterterrorism capabilities that 702 provides? Is this standoff really about surveillance reform, or is it a proxy fight over personnel and political trust? What do our hosts make of Team USA’s chances in the group stage of the World Cup?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

@nottvjessjones

@johnclipsey

@lestermunson

@amykmitchell

Be sure to check out NSI Founder and Executive Director Jamil Jaffer’s coauthored Op-Ed discussing Section 702 here: https://rollcall.com/2026/06/11/turning-down-the-lights-on-us-surveillance-authorities-at-a-time-of-peril/

Like what we're doing here?

Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.

And don't forget to follow @faultlines_pod and @masonnatsec on Twitter!

We are also on YouTube; watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/LR_imrA7nfM

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.