Sirens: A Bombshell production
This is Sirens, a new podcast from the hosts of Bombshell. This week Loren, Erin, and Radha recast military movies with Muppets and kick off "it's a drill" - cocktail chatters on recent events like the commissioning of tech leaders and stalling of the big beautiful bill. Diving deeper with "Dumpster Fires," they talk concerns on domestic use of military forces and promise and perils of AI in public sector. With "Warning Signs" they dig into slow burn crises and long term hazards, with this week (no surprise) on Iran. How did we get here and is it a big deal? Closing out, a Gong Show...
info_outlineSirens: A Bombshell production
This is Sirens, a new podcast from the hosts of bombshell. This week Loren, Erin, and Radha are experimenting with shorter form content to dive deep on matters large and small in between thelonger shows. Our first one explores summer reading philosophy, and you'll come away with a dozen ideas for your beach library. Come for the cozy or delicious novels, stay for the new series you should try. There's also some nonfiction if that's you thing!
info_outlineSirens: A Bombshell production
This is Sirens, a new series, brought to you by the Ladies of Bombshell - Loren DeJonge Schulman, Radha Iyengar Plumb, and Erin Simpson. In this episode, our hosts talk about why they are launching a new podcast, reveal what horrible things they have discovered at the bottom of their work bags, and talk about issues that may lure men to their death (but in a good way!). They discuss what's stuck in their craw from the big beautiful bill to changes in foreign student rules to drama in the national security council. Then, they deep dive on key issues like why is there a race on AI,...
info_outlineSirens: A Bombshell production
Loren, Erin, and Radha reunite for a special 90 minute episode to break down the biggest and messiest issues from the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. Come for the new (AI!) ice breakers, stay serious analysis (and gossipy intrigue) of tariffs-ahem-TRADE TAXES, a whole new world of foreign relations, and general government mayhem. And of course pop culture from spicy dragon books to Star Wars to our old favorite Thomas Cromwell. (An independent production)
info_outlineSirens: A Bombshell production
In the tradition of British dramas, Erin, Loren, and Radha reunite for a special holiday episode. The ladies flip the script, answering a range of questions from the first ever Manniversary guest Kai Ryssdal. They then return to some of their greatest hits including transition process, civ-mil issues, and personnel policy replete with process details and holiday movie analogies. Stay through the end to hear pop culture recommendations and special appearances from many former guests with answers to their favorite Bombshell questions.
info_outlineSirens: A Bombshell production
For their 100th episode, Erin, Loren and Radha discuss new issues, like the escalating conflict at the Ethiopia-Eritrea border, old issues, like HVT targeting of al-Qaeda leadership, and, of course, continuing trade issues with China. They then turn to a discussion of all the White House mayhem (Ok, not all! No one has that kind of time), including lack of legal authority for Department of Homeland Security leadership to make decisions about DACA, the Defense Department “purge,” and the complicated, not-quite-yet-started transition of the Biden administration. The team ties a bow on this...
info_outlineSirens: A Bombshell production
Loren, Erin, and Radha are joined by their most frequent guest (Kori Schake) and a new guest (Katrina Mulligan) to discuss foreign policy issues we'll need to worry about regardless of the election outcome! After a lively discussion, the ladies go over foreign policy issues that have been over-discussed, under-discussed, and the processes that will always be their valentines. They wrap up with pop culture, self-care, and indulgences to help get you through election day and beyond!
info_outlineSirens: A Bombshell production
Loren, Radha, and Erin reconvene to explore many of Bombshell's greatest hits - Brexit, troop levels in Afghanistan, and arms control. With a dash of ethnic conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh thrown in for flavor. The ladies then drop a Bombshell of their own: this fair podcast will be wrapping up in 2020. It's the final countdown!
info_outlineSirens: A Bombshell production
Erin, Radha and Loren use COVID-19 as a frame to ask what this crazy time has brought to our attention, what it’s distracted is from, what it’s possibly helped, and how it’s shaped our own skills and interests. And shopping. Links “,” Reuters, October 01, 2020 “,” The Guardian, October 05, 2020 Todd Lopez, “,” US Department of Defense, September 29, 2020
info_outlineSirens: A Bombshell production
This week, Mira Rapp-Hooper and Rebecca Lissner return to the show to discuss American grand strategy, female partnerships, and their fabulous new book, . The ladies then revisit the administration’s foreign policy in the Middle East - with notes on the UAE-Israel accord and Iran sanctions drama. Also, Tiktok! Soothing pop-culture ties a bow on it.
info_outlineThis week Erin and Radha regroup while Loren takes a much-deserved vacation. They do a quick review on COVID-19 with the good (100 days no new cases in New Zealand), the bad (cases in Brazil, India, and the United States continue to grow), and the ugly (long-term economic consequences in the United States, India, and Brazil). They also dig into the recent explosion and protests in Lebanon and then go deep on the recent executive order impacting TikTok and WeChat. After reminding us that Afghanistan is still a thing, they talk about the lack of accurate and comprehensive briefings for POTUS and the mayhem that ensues, including quotes (and misquotes) by Robert O'brien (yes, he's the national security advisor!). To calm us all down, they then talk about pop culture from baseball movies (The Rookie, Bull Durham) to Arthurian legend-ish TV shows (Cursed).
Links
- Abbie Cheeseman, “Protesters in Beirut, Still Reeling from Massive Explosion, Cash with Police,” NBC News, August 09, 2020
- Elian Peltier, “How to Help Lebanon After Beirut Explosion,” New York Times, August 05, 2020
- Dennis Wagner and George Petras, “Massive Explosion Rocks Beirut: Before and After Images Show Extensive Damage,” USA Today, August 06, 2020
- Nick Perry, “New Zealand Marks 100th Day with No New Reported Cases of Coronavirus,” ABC7NY, August 09, 2020
- Derek Hawkins, Marisa Iati, and Jacqueline Dupree, “US Coronavirus Infections Surpass 5 Million,” Washington Post, August 09, 2020
- “Coronavirus: Brazil Passes 100,000 Deaths as Outbreak Shows No Sign of Easing,” BBC, August 09, 2020
- “Record 64,399 New Covid-19 Cases; 861 Deaths in India,” Times of India, August 09, 2020
- Elaine Chen, “Drugmakers Race to Build Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Chains,” Wall Street Journal, July 30, 2020
- Michael Crescione, “Europe Sees Rise in Covid-19 After Reopening,” Healthline, August 06, 2020
- Swati Bhat, “India to Halt 101 Military Imports in Push for Defense Self-Reliance: Minister,” Reuters, August 09, 2020
- Ryan Browne and Jamie Crawford, “Esper Says US Troop Levels in Afghanistan to Go Below 5,000 by End of November,” CNN, August 09, 2020
- Brad Heath, “Esper: US Will Cut Troop Levels in Afghanistan to Less Than 5,000,” Reuters, August 08, 2020
- Jim Sciutto, “Trump Advisers Hesitated to Give Military Options and Warned Adversaries Over Fears He Might Start a War,” CNN, August 06, 2020
- Justine Coleman, “Trump Advisers Were Wary of Talking Military Options Over Fears He’d Accidentally Start War,” The Hill, August 06, 2020
- Philip Bump, “Trump Actually Doesn’t Appear to Understand How Bad the Pandemic Is,” Washington Post, August 04, 2020
- Geoffrey Gertz, “Why is the Trump Administration Banning TikTok and WeChat?” Brookings, August 07, 2020
- Robert Chesney, “Banning TikTok and WeChat: Another Primer,” Lawfare, August 07, 2020
- Chaim Gartenberg, “Apple’s Chinese Business Could be Devastated by Trump’s WeChat Ban,” The Verge, August 08, 2020
- “Trump Targets WeChat and TikTok, in Sharp Escalation with China,” New York Times, August 06, 2020