Ep. 02 How does change happen?
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Understandable Insights, Sue and Eric unpack the ODNI’s renewed allegations of an Obama administration conspiracy during the 2016 election and what to make of the recently released documents. They explore if the CIA’s race to adopt AI will replace human agents, respond to the SEC Def memo on drones and the potential revolution in military affairs, if rare earth production is the right use case for government subsidies, and why a cybersecurity grant that’s set to expire could quietly leave local governments exposed.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction to Understandable Insights
00:31 Sue's Birthday and Podcast Support
02:50 ODNI Report on 2016 Election Interference
08:43 CIA's Push for AI in Intelligence
21:17 US Drone Production Challenges
27:52 Revolutionary Military Affairs
33:50 US Rare Earth Production Challenges
42:41 State Cybersecurity Funding Issues
47:34 Predictions and Conclusions
Links:
Defense Innovation Board (DIB) Drone Study
RAND Military Revolution Study
Big words Eric had to look up:
Ameliorate - make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better.
Dither- indecisive behavior.
Comeuppance*- a punishment or fate that someone deserves.
Inured- accustom (someone) to something, especially something unpleasant.
Consortia- an association, typically of several business companies.
Articles:
Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). (2025, July). Declassified Evidence of Obama Administration Efforts to Subvert President Trump’s 2016 Victory. https://www.odni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/DIG/DIG-Declassified-Evidence-Obama-Subvert-President-Trump-2016-Victory-Election-July2025.pdf
The Washington Post Editorial Board. (2025, July). The CIA’s AI Challenge: Will the Agency Keep Up or Fall Behind? The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2025/cia-ai-technology-spies/?tid=usw_hrw_signin_magnet
Drone Supply Chain & Defense Innovation
The New York Times. (2025, July). The U.S. Military’s Drone Gap. (Link not provided; assumed print edition or subscriber-only content).
Drone Industry Insights. (2025). Global Drone Supply Chain Disrupted: Crisis or Opportunity? https://droneii.com/global-drone-supply-chain-disrupted-crisis-opportunityh
The White House. (2025, June 6). Executive Order: Unleashing American Drone Dominance. Presidential Actions. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/06/unleashing-american-drone-dominance/
Rare Earths & Industrial Policy
Wall Street Journal. (2025, July). U.S. Rare-Earth Producer Plans Expansion in Texas. https://www.wsj.com/business/us-rare-earth-producer-texas-58796240
Bloomberg News. (2025, July 18). China Lifts Exports of Rare Earth Products After Trade War Curbs. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-18/china-lifts-exports-of-rare-earth-products-after-trade-war-curbs
State & Local Cybersecurity Resilience
StateScoop. (2025, July). SLCGP Cybersecurity Grant Set to Expire, Threatening Local Digital Readiness.https://statescoop.com/slcgp-cyber-funding-state-ai-accessibility-2025/
*Denotes a word Eric actually had to look up.
