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Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon

Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon

Written by: Sue Gordon & Eric Koepp
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Welcome to “Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon” — 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 — 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.


New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe now.


© 2026 Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon
Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Ep. 30 Trust Can't Be Borrowed: When Authority is Misapplied, It Doesn’t Reassure
    Feb 10 2026

    "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.

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

    Send a text

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

    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
  • Ep. 29 Power Without Permission: Who Decides When Technology Governs Us All
    Feb 3 2026

    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.

    Show More Show Less
    49 mins
  • Ep. 28 Power, Precedent, and Accountability: Why Power Must Explain
    Jan 27 2026

    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.

    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
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