Mission Implausible

Serving in the Middle East, then Writing About It (with Ilana Berry)

Award-winning author Ilana Berry explores the gap between how espionage is portrayed and how it actually works. Drawing on her experience in the CIA, the Department of Defense, and er firsthand view of the Arab Spring in Bahrain. She explains why secrecy fuels conspiracy theories, and why even insiders often struggle to separate truth from manipulation. Watch Mission Implausible on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod

Modern Conspiracy Culture: How Real Scandals Fueled False Narratives (with Kathryn Olmsted)

Real government secrecy, intelligence failures, and historic scandals created the conditions for today’s conspiracy culture. Pearl Harbor, The Red Scare, JFK, 9/11, QAnon - a small truth can explode into a dangerous paranoid belief in hidden power and control. Genuine conspiracies often make it harder—not easier—to separate fact from fiction. How do democracies survive when citizens no longer agree on what’s real? Watch Mission Implausible on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod

The Terrible Thing People Say When They Think No One Is Listening (with Ben Palmer)

Comedian Ben Palmer (Palmer Trolls) does sort-of-pranks that have evolved from satire to social experiment. Using aliases, fake websites and a “deportation hotline,” Palmer reveals how easily ordinary people are drawn into exposing their own bad behavior and unabashed racism (he would make a terrific CIA case officer). Watch his video about pretending to be the social media person for three months for Republican Congressman Ted Yoho. Palmer’s work reveals truths about human behavior and predatory systems, exposing the parallels of American’s current experience to that of authoritarian regimes. Watch Mission Implausible on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod

What the Steele Dossier Got Right—and Why It Still Matters (with Christopher Steele)

In 2016, former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele produced a series of intelligence memos that were leaked and widely called “The Steel Dossier” containing allegations about Russia's interference in the US election and links between Trumpworld and the Kremlin. In a highly unique conversation, Steele and John & Jerry look into the many hot-button conspiracy theories and real conspiracies that Steele has intelligence on — going all the way back to the death of Princess Diana and through Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement with Russian espionage. And how Trump’s behavior has made America so untrustworthy that it can no longer function effectively at worldwide intelligence gathering.  Watch Mission Implausible on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod

Havana Syndrome Is Real - and They Tried to Bury It (with Michael Weiss) - Part Two

We continue to look at Havana Syndrome and Russian intelligence operations. Investigative journalist Michael Weiss expands on evidence suggesting that a covert unit within Russian military intelligence may have targeted Western operatives, particularly those involved in countering Russian activities in Ukraine and other strategic regions. We discuss geopolitical miscalculations, including U.S. responses to Russian aggression, the war in Ukraine, and election interference. The greatest victories for adversaries like Russia often come not from their own capabilities, but from America’s tendency to overreact, politicize, and fracture from within. Watch Mission Implausible on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod