Afraid to Speak, Afraid for Democracy: New Poll Finds Widespread Concern About Authoritarianism

The Bob Mueller Standard: Justice, Integrity, and Public Service

Two former federal prosecutors on what the job is supposed to represent at its best, why Bob Mueller was the model, and the prosecutor’s unique duty to serve and protect the system itself. What does it mean to be a federal prosecutor when the client is the United States and the measure of success is not simply winning, but doing justice and doing it the right way? In the latest Steady State Sentinel podcast, former federal prosecutor and Steady State member Steve Bunnell interviews former federal prosecutor Ken Wainstein, who, among many senior positions, served as U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, General Counsel and Chief of Staff to Bob Mueller, and Homeland Security Advisor for President George W. Bush. Together, they explore best practices of their prosecutorial craft, using the legendary career of the late Bob Mueller as their North Star. They focus on Mueller's journey from Assistant Attorney General to line homicide prosecutor in Washington, D.C., during one of the city’s most violent periods, earning the admiration of detectives, judges, and colleagues alike. The conversation unpacks the unwritten values of the ideal prosecutor: integrity over showmanship, public service over personal glory, protecting the rights of the accused while pursuing righteous convictions, parking politics outside the door, and leaving the institution stronger than you found it. With an appearance by homicide Lieutenant Guy Middleton, this episode is both a tribute to Mueller and a reminder that rule of law depends not only on laws and procedures, but on public servants with the character, humility, and integrity to uphold them. The episode includes a special appearance by Guy Middleton, a homicide lieutenant from the period when Bob Mueller served as a prosecutor in Washington, D.C. Episode Transcript [https://thesteadystate.org/transcript-e31/] Guest info: Kenneth Wainstein, is a former federal prosecutor who served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York and the District of Columbia, including in the homicide section. He later served as General Counsel and Chief of Staff to FBI Director Bob Mueller, then as a U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and the first Assistant Attorney General for National Security. His career at DOJ spanned approximately 18 years. Ken also served as DHS Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis from June 2022 through January 2025. Host info: Steve Bunnell, a Steady State member, is a former federal prosecutor who served more than 17 years at DOJ, including as Chief of the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., and at Main Justice. He now practices law as senior counsel at a small firm in D.C.

Inside the Situation Room: Larry Pfeiffer on the Politicization of Intelligence, Professional Integrity, and the Cost of Truth

A former CIA chief of staff and White House Situation Room senior director warns that politicized intelligence can weaken national security by chilling truth telling, hollowing out institutions, and discouraging young talent from entering public service. Former senior CIA operations officer Jim Lawler sits down with Larry Pfeiffer, former senior director of the White House Situation Room and chief of staff to CIA Director Michael Hayden, who describes the rigors of working in the Situation Room, crisis decision-making, and what it takes to deliver accurate information when seconds matter. He describes advising Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite, [https://www.netflix.com/title/81744537] helping portray the White House Situation Room with realism and showing audiences what crisis decision-making feels like on “a pretty bad day.” Other discussions center on the dangers of politicizing intelligence, the professional duty to speak truth to power, and the institutional costs of loyalty tests and political pressure. Drawing on decades of experience across the CIA, NSA, ODNI, and the White House, Pfeiffer explains how fear can chill analysis, drive experienced officers out, discourage young talent from serving, and weaken the systems that protect national security. He recounts a late‑Friday meeting with CIA Director Michael Hayden before a highly sensitive operation, when he urged Hayden to confirm he had the president's backing before giving the go order. Episode Transcript [https://thesteadystate.org/transcript-e30/] Guest info: Larry Pfeiffer is the director of George Mason University’s Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security [https://haydencenter.gmu.edu/people/director/], where he oversees the center’s operations and public programming. A veteran of the U.S. Intelligence Community, he previously served as senior director of the White House Situation Room, chief of staff to CIA Director Michael Hayden, and in senior roles at the CIA, ODNI, and NSA. He also advised Kathryn Bigelow’s film A House of Dynamite [https://www.netflix.com/title/81744537] on the realistic portrayal of the White House Situation Room.

Common Sense for a Democracy in Crisis

The fight to repair public service, Congress, and democratic accountability In this episode of The Steady State Sentinel, John Sipher speaks with veteran intelligence and counterterrorism official Russ Travers about the state of American democracy, the national security system, and his forthcoming book, Common Sense Take Two [https://www.amazon.com/COMMON-SENSE-TAKE-Renew-Democracy-ebook/dp/B0H3CL9NGB]. Travers reflects on his 45-year career across the intelligence community, from warning about systemic intelligence failures before 9/11 to helping build the post-9/11 counterterrorism architecture. The conversation explores how America’s institutions were built for an earlier era and now struggle to address today’s interconnected threats, from terrorism and transnational crime to AI, privacy, and political polarization. Travers argues that defeating Trumpism is necessary but not sufficient, because the deeper crisis lies in weakened institutions, civic disengagement, declining trust, and a Congress unable to solve the problems Americans care about most. At the center of Travers’s argument is a call for the “exhausted majority” of Americans to reengage in democratic life and help rebuild a government capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century. Guest info: Russ Travers [https://www.linkedin.com/in/russ-travers-6b625b104/] is a veteran intelligence and counterterrorism official with roughly 45 years of service across the U.S. national security community. His career included senior roles at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Joint Staff, the National Intelligence Council, the National Security Council, and the National Counterterrorism Center, where he later served as acting director. He also served in the Biden administration as deputy homeland security advisor. Travers helped shape the post-9/11 counterterrorism architecture and has written extensively on intelligence reform, national security dysfunction, and democratic governance. His forthcoming book, Common Sense Take Two, argues that America’s democratic crisis requires not only defeating authoritarian politics, but also confronting the deeper institutional failures that have weakened public trust and civic life. Episode Transcript [https://thesteadystate.org/transcript-e29/]

Hunting Weapons of Mass Destruction (with Andy Weber)

This special joint episode of the Steady State Sentinel and Mission Implausible brings together two podcasts focused on separating fact from manipulation, defending democratic institutions, and understanding real-world national security threats. Hosted by former CIA officers John Sipher and Jerry O’Shea, Mission Implausible examines the line between conspiracy theory and actual conspiracy, making it a natural partner for this conversation with national security expert Andy Weber on weapons of mass destruction, Iran, and the evolving dangers of biological threats. Nuclear weapons-usable uranium, biolabs for biological warfare, secret chemical facilities -- In Operation Sapphire, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Andy Weber found and disposed of them. Where are the current threats? What does Iran still have? Biological threats may ultimately prove even more dangerous than nuclear ones. How do we control them? Guest info: Andrew “Andy” Weber [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-weber-0b6a4ab6] is a national security expert who has spent decades working to reduce nuclear, chemical, and biological threats. He served as Assistant Secretary of Defense [https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AS/AS29/20140408/102090/HHRG-113-AS29-Bio-WeberA-20140408.pdf] for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs, where he advised senior Pentagon leadership, oversaw the Defense Threat Reduction Agency [https://www.dtra.mil], and helped lead Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction work. Weber also played a key role in operations to remove weapons-grade uranium from Kazakhstan and Georgia and helped develop the Department of Defense’s Biological Threat Reduction Program. He is currently a Senior Fellow [https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/experts/andrew-weber/] at the Council on Strategic Risks [https://councilonstrategicrisks.org] and serves on the Board of the James Martin Center for Non-proliferation Studies International Advisory Council [https://nonproliferation.org/international-advisory-council/]. He has also worked on global health security, including service as Deputy Coordinator for Ebola Response at the State Department. You can find Andy on X @AndyWeberNCB. Watch Mission Implausible on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod [https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod] Episode Transcript [https://thesteadystate.org/transcript-e28/]

Afraid to Speak, Afraid for Democracy: New Poll Finds Widespread Concern About Authoritarianism

A top pollster and an award-winning journalist break down who is self‑censoring, why Gen Z sees democracy differently, and whether the U.S. can reverse its authoritarian slide. Host Lauren C. Anderson, former senior FBI executive, sits down with pollster Stefan Hankin of Lincoln Park Strategies and journalist Joel Anderson of The Ringer and Slate) to unpack a national poll released in March 2026. Key findings: 54% of Americans say they hesitate to express political views at work or online, or in their communities because they worry about the consequences, and 76% express some level of concern that the U.S. is moving toward a more authoritarian form of government. The conversation explores political self-censorship, pressure on First Amendment norms, erosion of the rule of law, and the silencing of critics and journalists. They discuss generational divides, including Gen Z’s higher confidence in democracy compared with Boomers the mainstreaming of slurs and hateful speech; and why rebuilding democratic guardrails will take years. Stefan shares how his mother’s memories of 1930’s Berlin shape his view of today’s warning signs, while Joel offers practical advice on rebuilding community through schools, churches, volunteer organizations, and local elections. Episode Transcript [https://thesteadystate.org/transcript-e27/]