"When trust is no longer institutionalized, we improvise it, and when legitimacy is no longer settled, then it's performed, and when neither is renewed, risk quietly accumulates."

In this episode of Understandable Insights, Sue and Eric start with the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act—a foundational but unglamorous framework that keeps expiring because of congressional sloth, cyber has become partisan, or it "isn't shiny." Then they dig into the DNI's unusual presence at an FBI raid on Georgia's Fulton County election office, where Sue explains the authorities of the DNI. The episode closes with Cuba and Russia, examining how transactional relationships are replacing durable alliances when legitimacy can no longer be assumed. The throughline: trust can't be borrowed—and when authority is misapplied, it doesn't reassure.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Understandable Insights

00:33 Super Bowl Reflections

02:50 About Episode 30

4:00 Cybersecurity and Legislative Instability

11:24 The DNI Went Down To Georgia

18:15 Cuba's Geopolitical and Economic Struggles

26:58 Episode 30 Takeaways

30:22 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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When technology companies operate as economic engines, civic spaces, and geopolitical actors without the obligations that traditionally accompany that level of power, sovereignty itself begins to redistribute. In this episode, Sue and Eric examine the dangerous mismatch between capability and accountability as AI reaches what Anthropic's CEO calls "technological adolescence" and Sue calls powerful but not yet wise. From Russia poisoning AI training data to South Korea pioneering governance frameworks, they trace how decisions made at machine speed by private actors are reshaping markets, speech, security, and even war. The question, they argue, isn't whether technology is good or bad—it's whether the system producing it reflects the values and risks we're willing to accept.

Timestamps:

01:18 Super Bowl Picks

02:42 Previous Episode Updates

06:36 Episode 29 Introduction

08:29 "The Adolescence of Technology"

15:15 AI Poisoning

24:25 GIGO: Garbage In, Garbage Out

26:23 South Korea AI Policy

29:10 Tech Companies and Government Accountability

35:00 Redistribution of Sovereign Authority

39:17 Iran, Starlink, and Foreign Policy

43:03 Episode Walk Away Beliefs

45:45 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.

Website and Feedback:
Remember we’re here for you. Provide us feedback or suggest topics for next time: Feedback

Send us a text

Join us on Youtube, Instagram, and wherever you enjoy your podcasts. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow or subscribe today.

Precedent is set by what we excuse, not what we celebrate.

When power acts first and explains later, accountability erodes—and precedent takes hold. In this episode, Sue and Eric examine recent events in Minnesota, federal enforcement surges, and global reactions from Davos to assess what really matters beyond any single incident. The danger, they argue, isn’t one decision or one tragedy—it’s the pattern forming beneath them: pressure without restraint, authority without explanation, and leadership that mistakes justification for legitimacy.

Looking outward, they explore how allies and adversaries interpret America’s internal signals, why trust cannot be surged in a crisis, and how precedent—once normalized—outlives any administration. The conversation returns to first principles: accountability is not optional, oversight is not political, and power must be defensible regardless of who benefits.

Timestamps:

00:25 Welcome to Understandable Insights

01:44 Navy Women's Basketball

03:46 Episode Introduction

04:46 Minnesota Intelligence Analysis

07:41 Information Operations and Adversaries

10:01 Leadership Failures and Accountability

22:05 Respect for ICE and CBP Individuals

29:03 Combatting Selective Information

34:20 Precedent and 4 Unravelings

42:59 Davos and NATO Reactions

50:57 Episode Walk Away Beliefs

51:43 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.

Website and Feedback:
Remember we’re here for you. Provide us feedback or suggest topics for next time: Feedback

Send us a text

Join us on Youtube, Instagram, and wherever you enjoy your podcasts. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow or subscribe today.