Shows
Midweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0024 — Midweek Sitrep: A Look InsideThis is a quieter episode of Midweek Sitrep.
This episode is a look inside the thinking behind the show—why it exists, how it’s shaped, and where it’s headed next.
Jerry talks about what Everything Is National Security actually means, how his background in government, the military, and advising companies on national security risk shaped the way he sees the world, and why clarity matters in an age where we’re constantly pushed to form opinions before we understand the facts.
This isn’t a breaking news episode.
It’s about slow...
2025-12-2411 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0023 — From Santa's Sleigh to Shipping Lanes: Supply Chains Under FireThis December, the real story isn’t just what’s under the tree, it’s how it got there.
In this episode, Jerry Fowler unpacks the hidden world of global supply chains; the arteries of the modern economy that move everything from Christmas toys to fighter jet components. When droughts, tariffs, or cyberattacks hit those arteries, the shockwaves don’t just hit companies, they hit consumers, militaries, and entire governments.
You’ll learn:
Why supply chains are now treated as national security assets.
How chokepoints like the Panama and Suez Canals can ripple...
2025-12-1020 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0022 — Turkey Day, TSA, and Tankers: When Travel Becomes National SecurityEvery Thanksgiving, fifty-five million Americans hit the road, board planes, and pack the rails. But behind the family reunions and airport chaos lies a national stress test. One that quietly measures the resilience of America’s infrastructure.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, Jerry Fowler breaks down how a single week of travel reveals the fragility of the systems that keep the country moving. From airline cybersecurity and fuel pipelines to trucker shortages and rail strikes, Thanksgiving exposes the hidden links between convenience, commerce, and national security.
What you’ll learn:
Why Thanksgiving is t...
2025-11-2625 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0021 — Chips, Checks, and Chokepoints: Export Controls in ActionExport controls don’t end at America’s borders — they travel with the technology.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, host Jerry Fowler breaks down how the U.S. enforces its export control laws overseas through end-user checks — real-world inspections by Commerce Department officials who verify where U.S.-origin tech actually ends up.
From high-performance chips in Malaysia to front companies caught diverting dual-use gear to Russia, we explore how Washington turns regulations into global enforcement.
You’ll learn:
What end-user checks are and how they work.
Which products t...
2025-11-1216 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0020 — From Privacy to National Security: The Bulk Data CrackdownWhen we first covered the Bulk Data Rule back in Episode 0002 in early 2025, it was still new—a proposal with sweeping implications for data privacy and national security.
Now, six months later, it’s real.
The Department of Justice’s rule is live, the grace period is over, and October marks the first true enforcement wave.
In this update, Jerry Fowler revisits the policy that started it all to explain:
How the Bulk Data Rule has evolved since April 2025.
What ended on July 8 and what October’s enforcement phase really m...
2025-10-2918 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0019 —The Hidden Tech Regulator: How ICTS Shapes What America Can TrustWho decides which technologies Americans can trust?
When the U.S. banned Kaspersky antivirus in 2024, the decision didn’t come from Congress, the Pentagon, or even the White House. It came from a small office inside the Commerce Department — the ICTS office.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, Jerry Fowler breaks down how ICTS went from a little-known authority on paper to a powerful regulator shaping the U.S. tech market. From banning software, to scrutinizing connected cars, to reviewing apps, clouds, and undersea cables, ICTS is becoming one of the most important — and least unders...
2025-10-1518 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0018 — CFIUS on the Ground: How Real Estate Became a Security ReviewIt looks like empty farmland. Or a patch of desert in New Mexico. But if it sits next to a missile range, a radar site, or a nuclear base, that land isn’t just real estate anymore—it’s national security.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, Jerry Fowler breaks down how CFIUS now reviews foreign purchases of U.S. land under FIRRMA, why Chinese farmland and crypto mines triggered alarms, and what the latest rules mean for investors, sellers, and local communities.
We’ll cover:
The rules that make land a “covered real estat...
2025-10-0115 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0017 — When Cartels Become Foreign Terrorist organizations: The Tren de Aragua StrikeOn September 2, 2025, U.S. forces struck a small vessel in the southern Caribbean, killing eleven alleged members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua. But this wasn’t just another counternarcotics operation.
It was the first military strike carried out under a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation against a cartel.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, Jerry Fowler breaks down:
What an FTO designation is and where the authority comes from.
How cartels like Tren de Aragua evolved from transnational criminals to being treated as terrorists.
Why the Trump administration expa...
2025-09-1717 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0016 —Seeds of Control: Espionage, Ownership, and the Future of Food SecurityForeign spies in Iowa cornfields. A Chinese conglomerate buying America’s biggest pork producer. Forty-plus million acres of U.S. farmland now in foreign hands.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, Jerry Fowler takes you from the FBI’s famous “Cornfield Sting” case—where agents caught operatives digging up hybrid seed corn—to the billion-dollar Smithfield Foods sale and what it really means when foreign companies own pieces of America’s food supply chain.
Food isn’t just what’s on your plate. It’s leverage in global politics, influence in supply chains, and a target for espionage...
2025-09-0311 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0015 — Seeds of Control: How Land and Fertilizer Became Weapons of PowerForeign companies are quietly buying American farmland. Fertilizer markets are controlled by Russia, Belarus, and China. And the price of your groceries is tied to global conflicts thousands of miles away.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, Jerry Fowler breaks down why food is more than farming—it’s national security. From the Chinese land deal near a U.S. Air Force base in North Dakota, to sanctions on Belarus that sent fertilizer prices skyrocketing, to why a carton of eggs in your fridge can trace back to geopolitics—this is the hidden battlefield shaping the future.
2025-08-2021 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerBrief 0007 — Location Data Is National Security: From Fitness Apps to Foreign IntelYour phone is tracking you—and that data is worth more than you think. In this week’s Brief, we uncover how everyday location data, from fitness apps to weather trackers, can become a national security risk.
Foreign governments and intelligence services don’t need your name—they just need your patterns. Learn how the DOJ’s new data enforcement measures are drawing the line, why companies are scrambling to comply, and what you can do to protect yourself.
If you missed MS0014, we showed how Strava revealed troop locations. This episode takes the next step: how...
2025-08-1309 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0014 — Weaponized Data: How Everyday Info Becomes IntelligenceYour data isn’t just personal—it’s powerful.
From fitness apps to smart speakers, the digital footprints we leave behind are turning into weapons. In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, Jerry Fowler uncovers how everyday information becomes battlefield intelligence—and why foreign adversaries don’t need to hack you when you’re giving them the data for free.
Hear the real-world cases that changed national security:
The Strava heatmap that exposed U.S. troop locations
TikTok and Grindr as tools for surveillance and blackmail
How AI and data brokers are...
2025-08-0614 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerBrief 0006 — The Sky Is Watching: Spy Balloons, Blimps, and the New Age of Overhead SurveillanceYou lock your doors. You turn off tracking. But have you looked up?
From Chinese spy balloons to high-altitude blimps and unmarked drones, the sky is getting crowded — and most people don’t even notice. In this Brief companion to Midweek Sitrep Episode 0013: Surveillance Nation: What the Spy Balloon Didn’t Show You, we investigate the rise of aerial surveillance across the U.S., who’s operating these platforms, and why so many of them fly just under the radar, literally and legally.
It’s not just foreign adversaries. It’s private companies. Research labs. Even local c...
2025-07-3009 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0013 – Surveillance Nation: What the Spy Balloon Didn’t Show YouIn early 2023, a Chinese balloon drifted across the United States—visible, slow, and shockingly unchallenged. But while the world stared at the sky, the real surveillance system was already inside your home.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, host Jerry Fowler breaks down what the balloon really was, how surveillance has evolved, and why the biggest national security risks today come from everyday tech—your phone, your car, your apps.
You’ll learn:
What the spy balloon exposed about U.S. vulnerability
Why surveillance today is cheap, commercial, and everywhere
How...
2025-07-2314 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerBrief 0005 – The Satellite Advantage: Why Control of Orbit Is Now Control of EarthSatellites aren’t just orbiting tech—they’re the invisible infrastructure holding modern life together.
GPS, banking, secure communications, battlefield coordination… it all runs through systems most people never think about. And that’s exactly what makes them vulnerable.
In this Brief, Jerry unpacks how satellites have become high-value targets in global conflict—and why control of orbit increasingly means control of Earth. From quiet disruptions to dual-use technologies, we explore what happens when space stops being neutral.
You’ll learn:
Why satellites are now part of modern war planning
How commerc...
2025-07-1609 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0012 – Eyes in the Sky: The Silent Battle OverheadSatellites are shadowing satellites. Private companies are controlling battlefield communications. Drones built for delivery are now dropping grenades.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, host Jerry Fowler breaks down how space has become the newest—and quietest—domain of modern warfare. From China’s orbital maneuvers and robotic satellite grabs to Starlink’s role in Ukraine and the dual-use drone dilemma, this is a briefing on the new rules of engagement above our heads.
You’ll learn:
What China’s been doing in orbit—and why the U.S. is paying attention
How Starlin...
2025-07-0915 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerBrief 0004 – She’s Not Your Girlfriend, Bro: How AI Companions Became the Perfect SpyAI companions aren’t just a novelty—they’re a national security risk hiding in plain sight.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep: Brief, Jerry Fowler breaks down how apps like Replika and Fanvue are training people to confide in synthetic partners—and leaking far more than they realize. These bots aren’t just listening. They’re collecting emotional data, tracking behavior, and building profiles that can be exploited.
Who’s behind these companies? Where does the data go? And why are military personnel, contractors, and executives vulnerable to this emerging form of digital influence?
This is...
2025-07-0210 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0011 – Faking It: How AI Girls, Rage Bait, and Synthetic Content Are Rewiring Your BrainAI isn’t just creating art or writing code anymore—it’s generating fake protest videos, deepfake news anchors, and synthetic influencers that never sleep.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, host Jerry Fowler breaks down how artificial intelligence is being used to shape your emotions, manipulate public opinion, and blur the line between influence and reality. From AI girlfriends to rage-bait memes, this is more than just tech—it’s emotional engineering at scale.
You’ll learn:
How synthetic influencers are changing online relationships and attention spans
Why rage-driven content dominates yo...
2025-06-2516 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerBrief 0003 – The AI Illusion: Hype, Headlines, and Why So Much “AI” Isn’t Really AIFrom cashierless stores to code-generating assistants, AI is everywhere—or so we’re told.
In this Brief episode, host Jerry Fowler pulls back the curtain on the illusion of intelligence in today’s tech.
We break down how Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” system relied on 1,000 human reviewers, how Builder.ai raised $250 million while quietly outsourcing its “AI assistant,” and why Devin—the so-called autonomous software engineer—is impressive, but still far from replacing your dev team.
This isn’t just a tech industry problem. It’s a trust issue, a compliance risk, and yes—a national secur...
2025-06-1809 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0010 – What AI Really Means for National Security: Power, Risk, and the Race to LeadAI isn’t just writing emails or suggesting your next playlist—it’s being used to generate propaganda, disrupt elections, and quietly shift the balance of global power.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, host Jerry Fowler breaks down what artificial intelligence really is, what it isn’t, and why it matters for national security. From everyday tools to high-stakes policy, AI is already shaping how we live, lead, and compete—and in 2025, it’s become a key pillar of U.S. national power.
You’ll learn:
What AI actually is—and what it’s not
2025-06-1116 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerBrief 0002 – See? It Can Happen to Anyone: AI, Deepfakes, and How to Protect YourselfSomeone deepfaked the White House Chief of Staff—cloning her voice to target members of Congress.
This isn’t fiction. It happened last week.
In this episode of Brief, host Jerry Fowler breaks down what this headline means for you. Because in 2025, the scam isn’t always aimed at you—it might use you to get to someone else.
Learn how your voice, number, and identity can be exploited by AI—and what you can do about it right now.
What’s inside:
-The real story behind the AI voice clone...
2025-06-0409 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0009 – You’re the Target: How Scam Calls and Phishing Put You on the Front LineScam calls. Phishing texts. Fake job offers.
They’re not just annoying—they’re cyberweapons used by foreign adversaries and criminal networks to steal your data, your money, and your trust.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, we expose how everyday digital scams are tied to global cybercrime and national security threats—and why you’re now the frontline.
You’ll learn:
How phone scams and phishing attacks actually work
Why answering unknown numbers makes you a more valuable target
What happened in the 2016 DNC hack—and how a single fake email changed U.S. h...
2025-05-2815 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerBrief 0001 – Take It Down: Deepfakes, Blackmail, and the New Federal CrimeDeepfake abuse just became a federal crime.
Welcome to Brief—an off-week intel drop from Midweek Sitrep. Short, sharp, and mission-focused.
In Brief 0001, we break down the new law Congress passed—and President Trump signed—that makes it illegal to post or threaten to post intimate images, real or AI-generated, without consent. Known as the TAKE IT DOWN Act, the law targets one of the most disturbing threats emerging from generative AI: non-consensual digital exploitation.
We cover:
•What behavior is now prohibited
•How the law protects both minors and adults...
2025-05-2107 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0008 – Two Lives, One Mission: Understanding America’s Reserve and National Guard ForcesThey’re your coworkers, neighbors, and classmates—until they vanish for a weekend, or months, to answer the call.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, host Jerry Fowler breaks down the role of the Reserve Component in U.S. national security—and why the U.S. military can’t function without it.
Who are the Guard and Reserve? What do they actually do? And what happens to our national readiness if this system breaks?
From weekend drills to overseas deployments, this episode unpacks the dual life of America’s citizen-soldiers—and why friends, families, em...
2025-05-1415 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0007 – The Hidden Cost of Service: USERRA and Veterans DiscriminationPicture this: you mention your upcoming military training to a colleague in the breakroom—and suddenly, you’re being treated like a liability instead of an asset. You thought your service mattered. You thought the law had your back. You were right—but only if employers follow it.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, host Jerry Fowler breaks down one of the most overlooked threats to U.S. national security: discouraging military service by failing to protect those who serve.
He unpacks USERRA—the federal law designed to protect servicemembers from losing their civilian jobs—and expose...
2025-04-3016 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerSpecial Update: New Cadence, Same MissionBig changes are coming to Midweek Sitrep. In this special update, host Jerry Fowler delivers the sitrep… on Midweek Sitrep itself.
We’re shifting to a biweekly release schedule, expanding features, bringing in expert guests, and digging even deeper into the national security issues that matter most. Whether you’re in government, business, compliance, or simply someone who wants to stay informed—this is your go-to national security briefing.
Plus, if you’re the kind of person who checks for new episodes before finishing your first cup of coffee… it might be time to grab your officia...
2025-04-0905 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0006 – Classified: Signal, Secrets, and How America Protects Its InformationPicture this: America’s top national security officials are coordinating a high-stakes military operation… over Signal. Encrypted, yes—but also outside official systems. And in the chaos, a journalist is accidentally added to the group chat.
It sounds like fiction. But it happened.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, host Jerry Fowler uses the Signal chat controversy as a launchpad to explain how America classifies secrets, who gets clearances, and why secure communication is more important (and fragile) than ever.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
What “classified” really means—and the 3 levels of classi...
2025-04-0219 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0005 – Sanctioned: The Hidden Economy of Sanctions EvasionImagine a shadowy fleet of oil tankers sailing through the night—GPS disabled, ownership disguised, cargo concealed. Not pirates—but sanctioned states like Russia, Iran, and North Korea, evading U.S. sanctions to fund war, weapons, and influence.
That’s not a conspiracy theory. It’s happening now.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, host Jerry Fowler breaks down how sanctioned regimes are getting around U.S. and allied restrictions, what enforcement really looks like, and why private companies are increasingly caught in the crossfire.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
How sanctions wo...
2025-03-2617 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0004 – The AI Arms Race: Can the U.S. Keep Its Tech Out of the Wrong Hands?Imagine the world’s most advanced AI chips—designed to power cutting-edge innovations—quietly slipping past U.S. export controls, ending up in places they were never supposed to go. Not through high-tech hacking or espionage, but through a network of shell companies, supply chain loopholes, and international black markets.
That’s exactly what’s happening.
In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, host Jerry Fowler unpacks how fraudsters orchestrated a $390 million scheme to smuggle AI hardware, why U.S. export controls aren’t airtight, and what this means for businesses, national security, and the future of AI domina...
2025-03-1917 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0003 – Cyberwarfare: Welcome to the FightImagine a cyberattack that doesn’t crash your systems or announce itself with red flashing alerts. Instead, it’s quiet—like a slow, invisible bleed. Hackers steal credentials, monitor networks, and compromise entire supply chains without anyone noticing until it’s too late. Now, imagine that these hackers aren’t just criminals working for profit, but state-sponsored operatives, executing cyberwarfare on behalf of foreign governments.
That’s exactly what’s happening. In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, host Jerry Fowler unpacks the DOJ’s explosive indictment of I-Soon, a Chinese hacking-for-hire firm that spent a decade infiltrating U.S. agencies, p...
2025-03-1219 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0002 – Bulk Sensitive Data Rule: How the U.S. is Locking Down Your DataImagine someone quietly copying everything inside your personal safe—your financial records, medical history, even your biometric data—and selling it to the highest bidder. Now, imagine that foreign adversaries are doing the same thing, but at scale, using bulk data for espionage, AI-driven cyber attacks, and blackmail.
That’s why the U.S. Department of Justice has rolled out the Bulk Sensitive Data Rule, a sweeping new rule set to take effect this April. In this episode of Midweek Sitrep, host Jerry Fowler breaks it all down:
What this rule actually does and why it’s differ...
2025-03-0518 minMidweek Sitrep with Jerry FowlerEpisode 0001 – America First Investment PolicyIn this episode of Midweek Sitrep, Jerry Fowler breaks down President Trump’s America First Investment Policy, a major shift in how the U.S. handles foreign investment and national security risks.
This new directive aims to fast-track investments from allied nations while tightening restrictions on adversarial countries—especially China. Jerry explores:
How the current Trump administration’s approach differs from Biden’s and Trump’s first term.
The expanded role of CFIUS in blocking high-risk investments.
Why outbound U.S. investments in China could face new restrictions.
What these changes mean for businesses, compliance professionals, and invest...
2025-02-2616 min