On May 15, President Trump announced Operation Warp Speed, an unprecedented effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine as quickly as possible. With a number of vaccines already in Phase 3 clinical trials, the administration is hoping for results by January 2021.

Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the director of Operation Warp Speed, joined Dany and Marc to explain how the US is working with the public and private sector to accelerate vaccine development at a speed never before seen. He also discusses the likely efficacy, timeline, and distribution challenges of a future vaccine.

Following the killing of George Floyd and subsequent protests, Sen. Tim Scott introduced the JUSTICE Act, which aimed to address police abuses and systemic issues affecting at risk communities. Despite Republicans’ offer to allow votes on as many amendments as Democrats wanted, Senate Democrats voted to block the bill.

Sen. Scott joined Dany and Marc to discuss the JUSTICE Act and partisan delays in meaningful police reform. The three also talk about Sen. Scott’s conversation on race with President Trump and the challenge of growing violence in America’s cities.

During an Oval Office interview with Marc last week, President Trump acknowledged for the first time that, in 2018, he authorized a covert cyberattack against Russia’s Internet Research Agency, the troll farm that spearheaded Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and was doing the same in the 2018 midterm elections.

Ellen Nakashima, the reporter who first broke the story, joined the show to walk us through the details of the cyberattack and America’s offensive cyber capabilities. They also debrief on Marc’s interview and discuss Trump’s stance toward Russia and the likelihood for interference in the 2020 presidential election.

The New York Times reported that the Russian government was paying Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan. As the story unfolded, questions about the veracity of the intelligence, Putin’s motives, and the Trump administration’s knowledge of the incident muddied the waters.

Fred Kagan joined the show to explain how the Russian government is using Afghanistan and other conflict zones to undermine American leadership abroad. He also discusses the validity of the intelligence and how the US should respond, if the reporting is true.

Protesters are tearing down statues across America in the wake of George Floyd’s killing and ongoing Black Lives Matter demonstrations. While some statues, such as those dedicated to Confederate soldiers, deserve reconsideration, statues of Union general Ulysses S. Grant, President Abraham Lincoln, and founding father George Washington have also come under fire.

Jonathan Horn, Robert E. Lee’s biographer, joined Dany and Marc to talk about the current backlash against American statues and how to draw the line when considering which statues to keep. They also discuss ‘cancel culture’ and the dangerous practice of judging history retroactively.

The May US jobs report blockbuster was a shock to many who expected more bad news. But there’s additional data that shows positive signs, indicating that the economy might rebound from the coronavirus lockdown faster than initially expected.

Michael Strain joined the show to explain why America is likely to see rapid economic growth over the summer, but a slower recovery thereafter. He also judges the effectiveness of the government’s economic relief packages and discusses how the economy will affect President Trump’s reelection prospects.

Is the United States going to defund the police? As protests against the murder of George Floyd continued this week, demonstrators took to the streets to demand that politicians address systemic racism by defunding America’s police forces.

Rep. Will Hurd joined the show to explain why, rather than defunding, a combination of police reform, promoting best practices, and giving police chiefs the power to fire bad cops is the best way to address police abuse. He also discussed diversity within the Republican Party and the role of race in the 2020 election.

What should Congress be doing to push back on China in the wake of the coronavirus? And what will the pandemic, widespread protests for racial equality, and growing political polarization mean for 2020 elections?

Sen. Cory Gardner joined the show to talk about the need for a bipartisan consensus on China, and explain why the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act provides the best framework for US policy in the region. He also discusses 2020 elections, recent protests, and Colorado politics.

Edward Snowden leaked thousands of classified NSA documents to three journalists in 2013, exposing innumerable national security secrets, including information about a surveillance program with the ability to track metadata from calls within the United States.

Barton Gellman, one of the journalists to whom Snowden leaked, joined Dany and Marc to talk about his relationship with Snowden and his new book, “Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the Surveillance State.” They also debate the merit of Snowden’s intelligence leaks and the role of individual privacy in national security.

The United States was overwhelmed by protests this week, as thousands took to the streets to demonstrate against the unjust killing of George Floyd. Unfortunately, some protests turned violent, with organized groups such as Antifa exploiting outrage over racism and police brutality to sow further unrest.

Sen. Ted Cruz joined the show to discuss protests, riots and how US adversaries are taking advantage of American discord. He also address important next steps in confronting Communist China, the Trump administration’s
Iran policy, and the 2020 election.

How does the Trump administration plan to counter China’s growing aggression? Following Beijing’s announcement that it would impose a new national security law threatening Hong Kong’s freedom, the administration said it would begin the process of rolling back America’s special relationship with the city.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined Dany and Marc to explain the administration’s strategies toward China, Iran, and Venezuela. He also touches on the International Criminal Court’s investigation into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan as well as partisan attacks on his office.

The Justice Department recently dropped its charges against Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security advisor. The decision has reignited the debate over Flynn’s alleged collusion with the Russian government, the Obama administration’s role, and whether, in light of new evidence, Flynn has been exonerated.

Journalist and former prosecutor David French joined the show to explain that while the FBI mishandled the Flynn case, he isn’t exonerated. French also discusses new revelations about Flynn’s unmasking, the US justice system, and the case’s likely outcome.