CAFE Studios announced on July 15, 2020, the launch of the United Security podcast, co-hosted by former top White House advisers Ken Wainstein and Lisa Monaco. Ken is the current secretary of NAFUSA. CAFE Studios is a media venture “dedicated to better informing the public about the most critical issues of our time by exploring how law and justice intersect with politics, security, technology and ultimately, every aspect of our society.” It was co-founded by NAFUSA member Preet Bharara.

The announcement describes how United Security will operate:

Every two weeks, Lisa and Ken will break down politically-charged national security issues making the headlines and give listeners a window into the debates and the decision-making in the Oval Office. 

 

Lisa and Ken, who served at the highest levels of government throughout their distinguished careers, have followed a strikingly similar path. Most recently, they were Homeland Security advisers to Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, respectively.  They both led the Justice Department’s National Security Division, served as Chief of Staff to Robert Mueller at the FBI, and spent their early career at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

 

In the inaugural episode, “Bounties, Bolton, and COVID-19,” Lisa and Ken make sense of reports of a Russian bounty program targeting American troops in Afghanistan, the questions and concerns raised by the publication of John Bolton’s book, and the latest on the resurgence of the Coronavirus. The second episode will be broadcast on Friday, July 24, 2020.