The Steady State Sentinel

A distinguished professor and decorated intelligence officer on 25 years of balancing academia and espionage, the value of scientific credentials in the field, and why diversity makes the CIA stronger.

Host Jim Lawler sits down with his former CIA colleague Dr. Les Paldy, a distinguished service Professor Emeritus at Stony Brook University who spent 25 years balancing two identities: university professor by day and and on contract with the CIA in service to the United States. Paldy shares how he was first recruited — a classic spotting operation by a former Agency officer who approached him after a conference talk.
He explains how his scientific credentials allowed him to "go where others could not," attending conferences in China and Eastern Europe to spot and assess foreign scientists as potential recruitment targets. He describes the cultural differences between academia and the CIA — the openness and shared inquiry of the university versus the compartmentation and top-down directives of the Agency.
He reveals how he kept his secret life hidden from colleagues for decades, with only his wife and two sons knowing he was "doing something with the CIA." He reflects on what people get wrong about the Agency, why diversity is essential to its mission, and why he'd do it all over again. The episode closes with advice for young people considering intelligence careers.
Guest info: Lester Paldy is a distinguished service professor emeritus at Stony Brook University and a decorated former intelligence officer. He served on teams in the CIA's Directorate of Operations and the FBI Counterintelligence Training Center at Quantico, Virginia. He is a former Marine Infantry Officer and the author of No Cloak, No Dagger: A Professor's Secret Life Inside the CIA. He spent 25 years balancing a career in academia with service as with the CIA , using his scientific credentials to spot and assess foreign scientists at conferences around the world.
Episode Transcript

A former Army lieutenant colonel and Lincoln Project executive on why he's running for Congress, the "weight of leadership," and why the costs, chaos, and corruption of this administration are hitting home in Missouri.
Host John Sipher sits down with Fred Wellman, a West Point graduate, former Army Lieutenant Colonel, and current Democratic candidate for Missouri's 2nd Congressional District. Wellman shares his journey from growing up in Kirkwood, Missouri, to flying scout helicopters in Desert Storm, serving three tours in Iraq, and later running a veterans-focused business, working with the Lincoln Project, and now running for Congress.
He reflects on the "weight of leadership" — the lesson that leadership should be keenly felt— and how losing his first wife and unborn child in a car accident taught him the importance of empathetic leadership. He contrasts his approach with his opponent, 13-year incumbent Ann Wagner, who is known as "absent Anne" for refusing to hold town halls, who quadrupled her net worth while in office, and has never once broken with Trump. Wellman outlines his plans for “day one:” banning stock trading by members of Congress, turning back tariffs, restoring healthcare subsidies, and addressing the affordability crisis.
He also warns about the long-term damage of the administration's military purges, noting that these will have negative consequences for generations to come. "When you fire the women who are generals, when you pass over the black men and women who are generals, the message is sent, and this is gonna echo through the United States military for a generation to two generations." The Steady State endorses Wellman for embodying the values of national security professionals.
Guest info: Fred Wellman is a West Point graduate, former Army Lieutenant Colonel, and the Democratic candidate for Missouri's 2nd Congressional District. He flew scout helicopters in Desert Storm and served three tours in Iraq. He earned a master's degree from Harvard's Kennedy School and later founded a business serving veterans and military families. He served as Executive Director of the Lincoln Project and now hosts a podcast on democracy and politics. He is running to replace 13-year incumbent Ann Wagner.
Episode Transcript

Veteran journalist Jeff Stein on the chilling effect of Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) suits, the purge of the intelligence community, and why he's "cautious" about the future.
Host Jim Lawler sits down with Jeff Stein, the founding editor-in-chief of Spy Talk and a veteran journalist who has covered the intelligence community for over 40 years — and who earlier this year beat back a $1 million defamation suit brought by a Trump administration official. Stein shares the visceral reaction to being served on his front porch on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and why he knew from the start his reporting would hold up.
He explains how the Trump administration has weaponized litigation against journalists, and warns that this creates a chilling effect on sources and reporters alike. He expresses concern regarding the "raw mass firings" of intelligence professionals who served under Democratic administrations — a radical departure from past practice — and the counterintelligence nightmare this creates.
He warns that the Iran war is a strategic disaster, that Trump "seems mesmerized by Netanyahu," and that the decimation of CISA and the undermining of NATO are genuine threats. He closes with his view of the upcoming elections: "Trump is a national security threat, and the Democrats... that's our only vehicle for getting rid of this national security threat."
Guest info: Jeff Stein is the founding editor-in-chief of Spy Talk, an independent Substack outlet and podcast covering U.S. intelligence, defense, and foreign policy. Before going independent, he wrote the Spy Talk column at Newsweek and earlier founded the CQ Homeland Security column at Congressional Quarterly. He is the author of three books, including A Murder in Wartime and Saddam's Bomb Maker. From 1968 to 1969, he served as a case officer with the 525th MI Group in Vietnam, running a network of spies against communist forces and was awarded a Bronze Star.
Episode Transcript

Veteran journalist Jeff Stein on the chilling effect of SLAPP suits, the purge of the intelligence community, and why he's "cautious" about the future.
Host Jim Lawler sits down with Jeff Stein, the founding editor-in-chief of Spy Talk and a veteran journalist who has covered the intelligence community for over 40 years — and who earlier this year beat back a $1 million defamation suit brought by a Trump administration official. Stein shares the visceral reaction to being served on his front porch on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and why he knew from the start his reporting would hold up.
He explains how the Trump administration has weaponized litigation against journalists, and warns that this creates a chilling effect on sources and reporters alike, with CBS, ABC, and the BBC all either caving or fighting back.He expresses concern regarding the "raw mass firings" of intelligence professionals who served under Democratic administrations — a radical departure from past practice — and the counterintelligence nightmare this creates.
He warns that the Iran war is a strategic disaster, that Trump "seems mesmerized by Netanyahu," and that the decimation of CISA and the undermining of NATO are genuine threats. He closes with his view of the upcoming elections: "Trump is a national security threat, and the Democrats... that's our only vehicle for getting rid of this national security threat."
Episode Transcript

A former U.S. Ambassador and Los Angeles Deputy Mayor on why local leaders are democracy's front line, how cities can resist authoritarianism, and what you can do to help.
Host Lauren Anderson sits down with Ambassador Nina Hachigian, founder and CEO of the Alliance for Local Leaders International, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and connecting mayors and governors globally to solve shared challenges. Drawing from her recent Foreign Affairs article, "The Autocrats' Worst Enemy," Hachigian explains why mayors are the most trusted level of government (70% trust, held for decades) and how in autocracies around the world, they have served on the front lines to protect democratic freedoms.
She shares harrowing examples: the mayor of Gdańsk assassinated for his support of LGBTQ rights; the mayor of Caracas jailed for leading protests; and Istanbul's mayor thrown in jail and facing 2,000 years of sham charges. She discusses how the current US administration is using classic authoritarian tactics including weaponizing federal funding against states and cities that didn't support the president’s election.
She offers hope through local innovation (participatory budgeting) and civic engagement–volunteering, connecting and communicating with local representatives, and the simple act of getting to know your neighbors. Her message: "Mayors are the canaries in the coal mine," when assessing the health of our democracy. And local democracy is where renewal begins.
Episode Transcript