Ep. 09 Congressional Oversight Limited, Caribbean Motives, & City Security

Congressional oversight under pressure. Stablecoins meet statecraft. Caribbean motives, city security, and the homefront of national resilience.

In this episode of Understandable Insights, Sue and Eric draw a through-line on oversight: from the Trump family’s WLFI stablecoin push, to a U.S. buildup and lethal strike off Venezuela—and whether “counter-narcotics” masks regime pressure—to an NGA visit by Sen. Mark Warner derailed by online agitation, raising real costs for mission and workforce trust. Finally, continuing last week’s agriculture theme, they analyze how security is felt first in cities—where talent pipelines and civic trust turn resilience into national security at home. Finally, continuing last week’s agriculture theme, they argue that security is felt first in cities, where talent pipelines and civic trust turn local resilience into national security at home.

The Role Of Cities In National Security by Lauren Buitta

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction to Understandable Insights

01:03 Spotlight on UTEP and Diversity in Education

04:53 Crypto and National Security

09:35 US Forces in the Southern Caribbean

17:28 Congressional Oversight and Social Media Influence

23:41 Diluting National Security

28:32 The Importance of University Research

36:42 Diversity of Opinion in Higher Education

41:14 Gender Safety and Civic Participation

51:12 What We’re Watching

About the show:

Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon is the national security podcast that provides you an elemental understanding of the world as it is, not how you prefer it to be.

Each week, Eric Koepp — a former Marine, father, and entrepreneur — sits down with the Honorable Sue Gordon, the nation’s former top career intelligence officer. Together, they break down the headlines shaping our world and ask what they really mean for citizens, leaders, and institutions.

From armed conflict to emerging tech, foreign interference to the resilience of democracy — this is where raw information becomes real intelligence. Unfiltered. Candid. Unapologetically clear.

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