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PODCAST

The Rest Is Classified

Enter the secretive world of spies, espionage, and covert operations. Hosted by former CIA analyst turned spy novelist, David McCloskey, and veteran security correspondent, Gordon Corera, this podcast unravels real-life spy stories, intelligence secrets, and the hidden power struggles shaping global events. From Cold War espionage to modern-day intelligence agencies like the CIA, MI6, and Mossad, explore the world of double agents, classified missions, and the shadowy figures who operate in them

history

All Episodes

59:55

146. How the CIA Rescued a Pilot Inside Iran (Ep 1)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/04/12

How involved were the CIA in the operation to rescue a US pilot stranded inside Iran? What does it take to "destroy" a nuclear programme? And what could Iran learn from North Korea?Listen as David and Gordon discuss the intricacies of the recent mission to extract a downed US Weapons Officer inside Iran and delve into how this operation might help the US and Israel launch an attack on Iran's nuclear programme. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy

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51:01

145. Black Hawk Down: What Osama bin Laden Learnt...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/04/07

What was the legacy of the Battle of Mogadishu? How did the fallout change the US presence in Somalia forever? And how did the experience in Somalia inspire Osama bin Laden’s acts of terror? Listen as David and Gordon conclude their four-part series on the extraordinary events of Black Hawk Down. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets ⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠ to see David and Gordon live on stage at London’s Southbank Centre on 4

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45:29

144. Black Hawk Down: The Bloodiest US Battle Since...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/04/05

How long will the Battle of Mogadishu last? Can the soldiers survive until daylight? And will the Rescue Team come in time to save the soldiers? Listen as David and Gordon reach the climax of the story of Black Hawk Down. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠ to see David and Gordon live on stage at London’s Southbank Centre on 4 September. ------------------- Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki takes you

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52:39

143. Black Hawk Down: Chaos in Mogadishu (Ep 2)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/03/31

One Black Hawk is down. Americans are taking fire left, right and centre. And it feels like there’s no way out. This is the true story of Black Hawk Down. Listen as David and Gordon continue the story of the Battle of Mogadishu as it escalates beyond the plans of the generals back at the US base. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠ to see David and Gordon live on stage at London’s Southbank Centre on 4

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54:06

142. Black Hawk Down: The True Story (Ep 1)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/03/29

What really happened at the Battle of Mogadishu? How did an operation that should have taken an hour end up taking almost twenty-four? And what brought US troops into the conflict in the first place? Listen as David and Gordon embark on telling the true story of one of the deadliest US operations since the Vietnam War. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠ to see David and Gordon live on stage at London’s Southbank Centre on 4

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53:02

141. Trump’s Latin America Playbook: How the CIA...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/03/25

How did the CIA mastermind one of the most audacious coups in world history? What does it take to remove a world leader? And what does the future hold for Latin America with Donald Trump now at the helm of US foreign policy?Listen as David and Gordon recount the story of the 1954 Guatemalan coup and delve into whether Cuba will be the next state on Donald Trump's hit list. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets ⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠ to see David and

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52:04

140. Trump’s Latin America Playbook: Before...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/03/23

Is Cuba next on Trump's hit list? Why are the US so concerned by what's happening in their "backyard"? And what can we learn from the history of regime change in Latin America to help us understand the "Donroe Doctrine"?Listen as David and Gordon delve inside the Guatemalan coup of 1954 and examine what Donald Trump has learnt from how the CIA plotted regime change in the agency's early years. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets

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55:52

139. Trump vs Iran: Saddam Hussein and the Nuclear...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/03/18

After 9/11 it looked as though a new path of diplomacy could be forged between Iran and the US, and then George Bush referred to the nation as part of the Axis of Evil. The years that followed were characterised by Iran-backed terror attacks, regional instability and an uncertain future. But how did we get here? Listen as David and Gordon are once again joined by historian and author Arash Azizi to discuss the role of Saddam Hussein and Iran’s nuclear programme in the long conflict between

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55:41

138. Trump vs Iran: The Road to Operation Epic Fury...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/03/16

Why did the US and Israel launch strikes on Iran on 28 February? What is the secret history behind the conflict? And how did Ayatollah Khamenei seize power in 1979? Listen as David and Gordon are joined by historian and author Arash Azizi to discuss the road to Operation Epic Fury and the long history that brought us to this point. ------------------- Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki takes you behind the scenes of the show:

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66:56

137. How Russia Made Trump: MAGA Take The White House...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/03/11

Was Putin behind the election of Trump in 2016? And were Hillary Clinton's emails really as “crooked” as they seemed?As David and Gordon conclude their series on how Russia made Trump, they ask what the legacy of the active measures campaign has been and whether the aftermath has changed the world, forever. ------------------- Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki takes you behind the scenes of the show: https://mailchi.mp/goalhanger.com/tric-free-newsletter-sign-up

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47:17

136. How Russia Made Trump: Putin’s Troll Factory (Ep 5)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/03/08

Russian trolls are trying to influence the 2016 US election, but did Putin's keyboard warriors really propel Donald Trump into the White House?In the penultimate episode in their series on how the Russians hacked the 2016 US presidential election, David and Gordon return to the sordid tale of Yevgeny Prigozhin: restaurateur and Russian troll farmer. ------------------- Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki takes you behind the scenes of the show:

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38:54

135. Is The CIA Arming Kurdish Militias In Iran?

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/03/07

Former CIA analyst, David McCloskey, is joined by CNN's Chief International Correspondent, Clarissa Ward, live from the ground in northern Iraq as she breaks the story of a reported CIA operation to arm Kurdish militias to sow dissent in Iran. Listen as David and Clarissa discuss what it's currently like operating in Iraq amidst the escalating conflict, what the US serves to gain from toppling the Iranian regime and sowing unrest, and how this conflict compares to ones Clarissa has reported from

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50:42

134. How Russia Made Trump: Was The Vote Rigged? (Ep 4)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/03/04

Foreign spies are messing with the 2016 election. Private emails are being leaked. But what will Donald Trump say about it? In their latest episode on the Russian active measures campaign to hijack the 2016 US presidential election, David and Gordon go deep into the story of how the Obama campaign reacted to a series of leaked emails, and why the Republicans chose not to get involved. ------------------- Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki takes you behind the scenes of the

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43:56

133. How Russia Made Trump: Romanian Hackers,...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/03/03

The Russians have hacked into the Democrats' servers and WikiLeaks are threatening to expose Hillary Clinton's emails. Is this the moment that triggers the downfall of the 2016 Clinton campaign? Listen as David and Gordon explore how Julian Assange and his WikiLeaks team helped the Russian GRU and SVR expose the secrets of the Clinton campaign. ------------------- Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki takes you behind the scenes of the show:

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60:21

132. What's Next For Iran?

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/03/01

Israel and the US have launched missiles at Iran and killed Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But what is actually happening on the ground? How did we get here? And what happens next? Listen as David and Gordon shared the intelligence perspective on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, live on Sunday 1 March. ------------------- Later today, we will also be sending out a round up with perspectives from across our shows on the situation in Iran. You'll hear from Gordon, Alastair

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48:31

131. How Russia Made Trump: Stealing Washington’s...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/02/25

Donald Trump is gaining ground in the 2016 presidential race, but what does his rise mean for Russian hackers desperate to take down Hillary Clinton?In the second episode of our series on Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, David and Gordon delve inside the Russian active measures campaign to hack the campaigns of the Democratic and Republican candidates. ------------------- Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki takes you behind the scenes of the show:

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48:13

130. How Russia Made Trump: Putin Hacks The 2016...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/02/23

Did Russia really interfere in the 2016 US presidential election? Did the election of Donald Trump benefit Vladimir Putin? And how did the scandal begin? Listen as David and Gordon begin their exploration of the role of the Russians in the 2016 election and the dramatic rise of Donald Trump. ------------------- Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki takes you behind the scenes of the show: https://mailchi.mp/goalhanger.com/tric-free-newsletter-sign-up

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41:14

129. Al Qaeda’s Deadliest Plot: Why You Can’t Bring...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/02/18

Time is of the essence to stop the Al Qaeda plotters from taking down multiple airliners and MI5 are rushing to make arrests. But is there enough evidence to charge them with terror offences?In the final episode of our series on the Liquid Bomb Plot, David and Gordon unpack the suspenseful moments before the plotters are arrested and how everything nearly went so wrong. ------------------- Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews

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45:19

128. Al Qaeda’s Deadliest Plot: CIA vs Pakistan (Ep 3)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/02/16

The “Special Relationship” is under strain as MI5 and the CIA butt heads over how to stop an Al Qaeda cell in East London from committing the next 9/11. With the Americans visiting Pakistan and making risky unauthorised decisions, will the intelligence alliance survive? Listen as David and Gordon take us to Islamabad in the latest episode of their series on the Liquid Bomb Plot, and try to understand why a lone agent acted so impulsively. ------------------- Join the Declassified Club to go

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60:17

127. Was Epstein A Russian Spy?

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/02/13

Was convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein working undercover for the Kremlin? Did Putin recruit Epstein to harvest kompromat on his enemies? And what does this mean for global security going forward?Listen as David McCloskey spoke LIVE to former CIA officer and foreign policy, intelligence, and national security expert John Sipher to discuss the ongoing intelligence developments coming out of the Epstein Files. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member this year – go

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161 results

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