Target USA Podcast by WTOP

In this episode, we cover the deadliest escalation between Iran and Israel in years. Beginning June 13, Iran launched up to 350 ballistic missiles and drones in waves that pounded Israeli cities through June 16. Civilian areas were hit hard—28 people killed, including children and a Holocaust survivor, and hundreds injured in Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Rehovot, and Rishon LeZion. This wasn’t routine retal...

In this episode, Estonia’s Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jonatan Vseviov, joins us for a candid conversation on Russia’s failed war objectives, shifting strategies, and the growing threat to Europe’s eastern flank. We explore how Estonia and its allies are countering Kremlin influence—and why the fight for Ukraine is a fight for global stability. See Privacy Policy at https...

Two men. One war. And a war of words that could dictate the terms of a new world order. Trump calls Putin crazy . Putin fires back—calls Trump emotional . Trump warns he’s playing with fire . But behind the insults is a deeper conflict—one that could tip the scales of history. At the center: Ukraine. Not just a battlefield, but a test of resolve, ego, and global power. This is where rhetoric meets...

The world’s most dangerous fleet isn’t on any navy’s registry—it sails in the shadows. Russia’s so-called shadow oil fleet is a rogue armada of unflagged, uninsured, barely seaworthy tankers hauling sanctioned crude across the globe. Estonia’s Undersecretary for Legal and Consular Affairs, Kerli Veski, explains what it is, how it works and why it's a problem. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.co...

The 2025 Lennart Meri Conference in Tallinn wasn’t just another diplomatic gathering—it was a strategic wake-up call. With war raging in Ukraine and hybrid threats escalating across Europe, leaders from NATO, the EU, and beyond converged to confront what they called a new axis of authoritarian aggression—Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. Jonatan Vseviov, Secretary General of the Estonian Minis...

Artis Pabriks is the former Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister for Latvia. He's currently chairman of the “Northern Defence Policy Centre.” He warns that "if somebody will cross our border, we are gonna shoot immediately to kill" and "we will fight to the end." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Dr. Bobo Lo, independent international relations analyst and Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute says China will not likely give in, because if it does, It's President Xi would likely be ousted. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Pipaluk Lynge, Member of Parliament, joins us to make clear her thoughts about the possibility of becoming a part of the U.S. And former National Security Council member Shawn Turner discusses the fallout of the SIGNAL-GATE controversy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Mitchell Miller, Capitol Hill Correspondent at WTOP joins me to discuss all the ways the president's tariffs impact everyone in the U.S. and many people abroad. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

How did a reporter "accidentally" get invited into sensitive government chat group. We hear comments from two people in the chat, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Former White House Chief Information Officer Theresa Payton also addresses how secure communications should be handled. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at...

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, a member of Ukraine's Parliament and former Deputy Prime Minister joins Daniel Fried, former U.S. Ambassador to Poland and current Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Retired Lt. General Ben Hodges, former Commander of U.S. Army Europe discusses the Trump team's choices in this war. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Kristjian Prikk is Estonia's Ambassador to the U.S. He discusses how the turmoil regarding Ukraine is impacting the war against Russia, the U.S. and Europe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Jorn Fleck, senior director with the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council was there and explains why so many people were upset by the remarks. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Margus Tsahkna, Estonia's Foreign Minister discusses Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia severing their connection to Russia's energy grid. It's something many thought was done many years ago. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Paul Whelan, former "hostage" joins us to discuss Fogel's release and how he helped See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Dan Stanton, Director, National Security Program. University of Ottawa, Professional Development Institute and former Canadian government intelligence official discusses deep concerns he and other former and current intelligence officers have about the changes the Trump administration is making to the intelligence community. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy No...

This hack, which has been going on for more than a year, still has not been contained. Millions of Americans phone calls and text messages may no longer be private. Dr. James Lewis, a Senior Vice President and the Director of the Technology and Public Policy Program at the  Center for Strategic and International Studies  joins us to describe just how dangerous this hack is. See Privacy Policy at h...

President Donald Trump has ordered the security detail terminated for one of his former top advisors, who is facing death threats. John Bolton served as Trump's national security advisor in his first term. The government of Iran has sought to have Bolton, Trump and others killed after the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in 2020. Bolton spoke to Target USA about what this means for...

Matt McCool, Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service's Washington Field Office, David Sundberg, Assistant Director of the FBI Washington Field Office and retired Sr. Secret Service Special Agent Don Mihalek break down the concerns and how they'll be addressed. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Don Mihalek, Retired Sr. Secret Service agent and Hans-Jakob Schindler, Sr. Director at the Counter Extremism Project break down the impact of the New Orleans terror attack on U.S. security -especially in Washington, D.C. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Dr. Hans Jacob Schindler, Sr. Director at the Counter Extremism Project, says 2024 signaled a very concerning terrorism trend for 2025. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Media personality Chris Core says his life, like that of millions of others in Florida and North Carolina, has been ruined by the increasingly powerful hurricanes that have been raking the U.S. in recent years. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .