Ralph Goff is a 35-year veteran of the CIA and a 6-time station chief who served in Europe, the Middle East, and Central and South Asia. He gives an inside look into how the CIA manages their agents and assets in some of the most dangerous regions on earth. We discuss the state of play with Russia, the Middle East, and Mexico. We cover fact vs fiction in Hollywood and the real skillsets that make for a good spy. And we look at how the Trump Administration will restore public trust in the intelligence community and strengthen our capabilities to counter adversaries like Russia and Iran.

Ralph Goff also served as Chief of CIA’s National Resources Division, working extensively with “C Suite” level US private sector executives in the financial, banking, and security sectors. Today he is a risk management consultant and contributor for The Cipher Brief.

On the latest Situation Report, Rep. Crenshaw covers what was learned from this week’s House Intel Committee hearing on Worldwide Threats, his push for congressional leadership to start taking the Mexican drug cartel threat seriously, Secretary Kennedy’s action to change America’s tap water, and much more. All the real news and clear analysis you need to know in less than 20 minutes.

The Signal chat leak

Why we need a Select Committee to Defeat the Mexican Drug Cartels

Israel-Hamas ceasefire breaks down

The IRS Hunter Biden whistleblowers get their due

The long overdue dismantling of the Department of Education

The fluoride rebellion

A stem cell breakthrough for damaged corneas

The F-47 stealth fighter

SpaceX brings the NASA astronauts back home

Recommended reading: Dreaming the Dream of a Free Lebanon

How did a small offshoot of Al Qaeda overthrow a major country in the Middle East and establish a diplomatic dialogue with the United States? Dr. Aaron Zelin is one of the foremost experts on jihadist movements past and present. He joined Rep. Crenshaw to discuss the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the rise of its vanquisher – the jihadist group known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Dr. Zelin analyzes the conditions that led to the shocking revolution in Syria, its geopolitical implications, and the “pragmatic” jihadism of HTS. A comprehensive overview of Sunni extremism, the complex motives of HTS leadership, and how it all fits on the global chessboard.

Dr. Aaron Zelin is the Gloria and Ken Levy Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he also directs the Islamic State Worldwide Activity Map project. He is the founder of jihadology.net, where you can find translations and analysis of jihadi source materials. Follow him on X at @azelin.

Dr. Eithan Haim is the surgeon who blew the whistle on a Texas hospital’s use of trans treatments on minors - and subsequently faced an intense, years-long criminal investigation from the Biden DOJ. Chloe Cole is a former trans kid and Patient Advocate for the nonprofit Do No Harm, which fights to protect minors from gender transition procedures.

They joined Rep. Crenshaw on March 12th for DeTrans Awareness Day and the reintroduction of Rep. Crenshaw’s bill to ban federal funding for children’s hospitals that perform gender transition procedures on minors. Dr. Haim tells the story of his persecution by the Biden DOJ and the medical malpractice being committed by some pro-trans doctors and hospitals. Chloe exposes the dark reality of how kids are manipulated by social media and unethical doctors into undergoing irreversible procedures. They also discuss the impact of President Trump’s executive orders and the upcoming legal/legislative battles to protect minors from these harmful procedures.

Follow Chloe on X at @ChoooCole and Dr. Haim at @EithanHaim.

Andrew Wheeler, former EPA Administrator under President Trump, joined Rep. Crenshaw to discuss some of the most promising reforms to fix American’s broken environmental bureaucracy. They discuss the flaws in permitting processes, the inefficiency of federal agencies, and why transparency is the key to faster approvals. They tackle media narratives, climate change policies, and ending the U.S. reliance on China for critical minerals. And Mr. Wheeler shares feasible solutions to cut red tape, improve environmental policy, and put America back in charge of its energy future.

The Honorable Andrew Wheeler served as President Trump’s EPA Administrator during his 45th term. In 2022, Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed Mr. Wheeler to serve as the director of Virginia’s Office of Regulatory Management, where he implemented process reforms which significantly reduced regulatory requirements. Follow him on X at @AndrewRWheeler.

On the latest Situation Report, Rep. Crenshaw analyzes President Trump’s first State of the Union address as 47. He covers the latest developments in the Trump’s peace negotiations over Ukraine and Europe’s acceleration of military spending. And he looks at the latest developments in the U.S. crackdown on illegal immigrants and cartel operations. All the real news and clear analysis you need to know in less than 20 minutes.

Did the cartels just threaten Dan Crenshaw?

Trump’s broad, unapologetic display of his agenda at SOTU

Trump’s key demands to Ukraine

“Europeans should be able to defend their own continent.”

The rationale behind the Critical Minerals Deal

Zelensky’s mea culpa following his disastrous White House visit

Trump demands Europe accelerate its military spending

Drone warfare in Ukraine

Next steps in the budget reconciliation process

Trump’s gold card immigration visa

Trump’s golden dome – a new missile defense system for America

Gov. Abbott launches a major crackdown on Colony Ridge

Cartel IEDs at the southern border

Microsoft’s quantum computing breakthrough

Yuval Levin returns to discuss the institutional failures plaguing Congress, the rise of performative politics, and the art of leadership. They explore the incentives that lead modern politicians to focus more on viral tweets than actual governance, how the Constitution holds the key to unity, and political reforms that could put Congress back on the path to solving America’s biggest challenges.

Yuval Levin is the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. His most recent book is American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation – And Could Again.

The federal budgeting process can be hard for the average American to comprehend - until now. Economist Dr. Paul Winfree walks us step by step through how Congress passes a budget and all the legislative/political hurdles that get in its way. We cover the historical evolution of the budget process leading up to the word you’ve been hearing every day in the news – reconciliation. We look at how presidents from Nixon to Trump influenced the budget process to pass their agendas. We examine some of the most controversial reconciliation bills over the past decade and how they impacted the economy. And we discuss much needed Medicaid reforms, overhauling the tax system with consumption-based taxation and universal savings accounts, and much more.  

Dr. Paul Winfree is President of the Economic Policy Innovation Center. During the 1st Trump Administration, he was Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council, and Chair of the Deputies Committee that managed policy implementation across federal agencies. He is the author of "The History (and Future) of the Budget Process in the United States." Follow him on X at @paulwinfree.

The Situation Report for February 6 – 12. Rep. Crenshaw breaks down the latest developments in U.S. – Mexico relations. He covers President Trump’s most important moves in domestic and foreign policy. He analyzes the blitz of stays issued by federal judges against Trump’s executive orders – and whether they have any constitutional merit. And he explains why Elon Musk and Sam Altman’s battle over OpenAI could have long term implications for the United States. All the real news and clear analysis you need to know in less than 30 minutes.

The Mexican Senate approves additional U.S. Special Forces to train the Mexican Marines.

It’s officially the GULF OF AMERICA!

Trump halts penny production, saving the U.S. hundreds of millions of dollars.

Reviewing the constitutional merit of federal district judges putting stays on Trump’s executive orders.

Hamas delays the hostage deal and Trump strikes back.

The Kingdom of Jordan offers to take in Palestinian children.

Turmoil among the tech tycoons: Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and the battle for control over American AI.

Trump and DOGE close the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Trump opens negotiations with Putin over Ukraine.

Following this week’s major reforms at USAID, the Trump Administration has signaled that the Department of Education (DoEd) is next on the chopping block. Education expert Dr. Beth Akers joined Rep. Crenshaw to discuss the implications of eliminating DoEd, some much needed reforms to student loan programs, and the pathway to empowering parents and local communities to revamp K-12 education.

Dr. Beth Akers is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where she focuses on the economics of higher education. She is the author of Making College Pay: An Economist Explains How to Make a Smart Bet on Higher Education. Follow her on X at @DrBethAkers.

The layman’s explanation of what the DoEd does

Would eliminating the DoEd end education grants?

What happens if the DoEd is eliminated?

Stats on student loan debt

Who benefits from student loan forgiveness?

The correlation between student loans and rising tuition

Should university endowment programs be taxed?

Streamlining student loan programs

Opening PELL grants to trade schools and other pathways to a successful career

The debate over school choice

Rethinking K-12 education and turning state education curriculums into labs of democracy

How the USAID reforms are paving the way for broader changes

The Situation Report for January 24 – February 5th. Rep. Crenshaw analyzes the recent tariff battles with Colombia, Mexico, and Canada. He covers the U.S. interest in the Panama Canal and how China became a major player in the region. And he explains everything you need to know about what DOGE exposed at USAID and President Trump’s huge announcement about his vision for the future of Gaza and the Middle East. All the real news and clear analysis you need to know in less than 30 minutes.

How the tariff battles with Colombia, Mexico, and Canada played out

Hope on the horizon for Mexico’s cooperation in fighting the cartels

Why the Panama Canal matters to us

China’s influence over the Panama Canal

DOGE and USAID: The good, bad, and ugly sides of U.S. foreign aid

Trump makes moves to dismantle the Department of Education

The implications of Trump’s major announcement about Gaza

The rationale for redeveloping Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East”

The latest on Trump’s cabinet nominations

The HALT Fentanyl Act

Recommended reading: The US Looks South