Target USA Podcast by WTOP

On the previous episode, retired U.S. spy John Sipher told Target USA that Russia possibly has as many as 225 spies inside the U.S. -- even after 60 were kicked out in March. Bitterly complaining about it, Russia's ambassador grumbled that no U.S. officials would meet with him. One congressman tells us why. And we hear why the U.S. gets the short end of the stick when it comes to tit-for-tat expul...

Russia has more spies in the U.S. than it did during the Cold War. The man who knows all about Russian espionage joins Target USA to break down exactly what the spies are doing and how many are likely at work inside the U.S. during this very tense and dangerous time. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In the wake of the poisoning of a former Russian double agent in the United Kingdom, Hermitage Capital Management CEO Bill Browder tells Target USA, "The Russians are doing everything they can try to get me, to try to kill me, to try to stop me, to try to intimidate me." Browder, the architect of the Magnitsky Act, says "there are probably 250 people working full time inside the Russian government...

A new and bitter schism between Russia and the west over the poisoning of a former double agent has opened up, and it could have lethal consequences. On this episode, British Prime Minister Theresa May, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and former weapons inspector Dr. David Kay put the potentially deadly situation into context. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...

Terrorism is shifting into a new phase. U.S. Department of State Counterterrorism Coordinator Nathan Sales says terrorists are getting smarter -- using previous attacks as blueprints. But with the Islamic State group waning, al-Qaida- and Iran-backed terrorism are in resurgent trajectories. Sales says military efforts to fight terrorism are going to wind down, and sophisticated law enforcement and...

On this episode, we hear the survival stories from the day in 1993 when "the earth shook" and thick black smoke filled New York's iconic World Trade Center. Six people died and more than a thousand were injured during an attack that many believe set the stage for an even more disastrous attack in 2001. Survivors' audio was provided by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. See Privacy Po...

What's Russian President Vladimir Putin’s motivation for interfering in U.S. elections? U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., a senior member of the Senate foreign relations committee, tells Target USA that Putin is, perhaps, the richest man in the world and corruption is his business model. And that, according to Cardin, is driving his obsession to sow seeds of chaos in the U. See Privacy Policy at https:...

Former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers tells Target USA that in the 1960s Russian intelligence used leaflets and pamphlets to try to interfere in U.S. affairs. But in 2016, the internet, bots, trolls and Americans' anger toward each other made it a lot easier. And in 2018, Rogers says, we should prepare for an even more advanced attack that’s based on the same simple principle. S...

Having served as a four-star Air Force General and as director of the National Security Agency and the CIA , very few people know more about how Russia's new Cold War-like behavior will impact the U.S. Former CIA director Mike Hayden shares deep insight with Target USA about what to expect in 2018 and beyond. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://...

Two things keep David Pekoske, head of the Transportation Security Administration, awake at night. Worrying about the 60,000-plus men and women on the front lines of the TSA is one. The other, Pekoske says, is "people that we don’t know about " -- meaning terrorists and other criminals who pose a threat to aviation and other modes of transportation security. He talks exclusively to Target USA abou...

Grace Jo escaped from North Korea in 2006, but not before her grandmother, father and four siblings died of starvation or simply disappeared while out searching for food. Now with the start of the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea coming up on Feb. 9, Jo says she is suspicious of North Korea's interest in participating and cozying up to South Korea and she tells Target USA that we may soon...

This is a continuation of what we started in episode 100 of Target USA. In a rare interview, retired CIA officer Mark Kelton reveals details about his days behind the Iron Curtain and why Russia is a foe that is just as dangerous today as it was at the height of the Cold War. In this episode, Kelton tells us about his work helping Pakistan track down Osama bin Laden and how he contracted a mysteri...

On our 100th episode of Target USA, we bring you a very special interview with a retired CIA officer. Mark Kelton reveals the details of a remarkable career, including a harrowing day behind the Iron Curtain in the former Czechoslovakia, the devastating impact of a CIA turncoat, and why he says Edward Snowden is "a liar and traitor." His story is robust, incisive, revealing and timely. See Privacy...

Nine months after the historic investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections, Target USA speaks with Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Among the stunning developments he shares are that Russia has not stopped trying to interfere in U.S. affairs, that the Steve Bannon revelations in the book "Fire and Fury" contributed to several new threads...

During a stream of New Year's Day tweets, President Donald Trump insulted Pakistan leaders, calling them liars and deceitful while taking billions in U.S. aid over a 15-year period. Target USA spoke with Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S., who called the allegations "hurtful and disappointing." Also boiling over right now are longstanding trust issues between the U.S. and Paki...

North Korea, attacks on US diplomats in Cuba, terror attacks in the U.S. and Europe were among the biggest stories of the year, but the undisputed top story of the year was Russia's meddling in the 2016 election. Target USA takes a look back. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

As of Dec. 20, the very same instructions that Akayed Ullah used to learn how to build the bomb he detonated in the New York subway attack on Dec. 11 allegedly remains online and available to clever terrorists able to find them. That, along with numerous other clearly stated threats from terror groups to U.S. aviation, rail and other surface transportation systems, commands a growing amount of pre...

On Monday, Dec. 11, a 27-year-old man triggered a strapped-on suicide vest inside a crowded pedestrian tunnel under New York's Port Authority. He was allegedly upset about Christmas posters and other geopolitical issues inside the corridor he targeted. For some reason, the bomb didn't work the way Akayed Ullah, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, had intended it to. It granted everyone ar...

Many think that it's just a matter of time before North Korea is an existential threat to the U. S. "As Kim Jong Un said a few months ago, North Korea's determined to build on their nuclear and missile capabilities," Joeseph DeTrani, former director of the National Counterproliferation Center, says on this episode of Target USA. He says the U.S. and its allies have to stop it from happening. But,...

On the heels of the announcement that the Islamic State group had essentially been ousted from Iraq in September 2017, the Iraqi military along with Iranian-backed militias launched an incursion into Kirkuk in northern Iraq. Almost 200,000 people have been displaced, hundreds have been killed and Kurdish officials say "ethnic cleansing" is taking place. Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the representative...

Four and a half years after contractor Edward Snowden abruptly left the U.S. with a trove of highly classified secrets, the National Security Agency and its counterparts in the U.S. intelligence community continue to struggle under the crushing impact of his actions. Terrorists, spies and other NSA targets have retreated to the safety of encrypted apps and the deep web. While it's made progress, i...

If you've followed the Target USA podcast, you are familiar with our series of reports called the Anatomy of a Russian Attack. In episodes 83 through 86, we unveiled a nearly yearlong investigation into Russia's meddling, and its attack on the U.S. election in 2016 and American democracy. On this week's episode, we continue the investigation by digging deeper into Russia's operation, why it appear...

Six months prior to the attack on a New York City bike path, top intelligence officials had an idea something like it was coming. In this episode of Target USA, we revisit a conversation with Nick Rasmussen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, who talks about it. Also, the alleged New York attacker said Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was his inspiration. Lt. Gen. Paul Funk...

In the wake of the New York City bike path terror incident on Halloween, many are asking how authorities can stop extremists like the man who ran over innocent people with a truck in the name of IS. One way is an undercover FBI agent -- or more specifically, an undercover Muslim agent like Tamer Elnoury. Still active in the FBI, Elnoury disguises his voice to tell us a vivid story about his book "...

Leaks in Washington, terrorism, Russian meddling in the 2016 election, cyber threats to the electric grid and the opioid crisis all are serious concerns for the No. 2 official at the Department of Justice. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein discusses them all in an exclusive interview with Target USA. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art1...