After Party with Emily Jashinsky

Episode Title: Trump's Next Iran Move, and Havana Syndrome Cover-Up, with Bryan Dean Wright, PLUS Stephen A. Smith’s Political Future
Air Date: March 10, 2026
Host: Emily Jashinsky
Guest: Bryan Dean Wright (former CIA operations officer, host of The Wright Report)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the latest whirlwind news cycle headlined by President Trump’s new statements on Iran, the intelligence angles surrounding regime change, and breaking developments on “Havana Syndrome” following a major CBS exposé. Emily and ex-CIA officer Bryan Dean Wright examine the intelligence community’s role in high-stakes foreign operations, the perils and controversies of proxy wars, and the ongoing trust crisis in America’s intelligence institutions. The show also covers the fallout from a foiled terror attack in NYC, the border security debate, and wraps up with an analysis of Stephen A. Smith’s flirtation with a presidential run.

Main Segments & Key Insights

1. Trump’s Iran Strategy: Killing the Ayatollah and What Comes Next

(Starts ~09:08)

• Context: Trump holds a press conference at Doral, declares the war in Iran almost over, and claims the regime's Navy and leadership have been “wiped out.”
• Key Trump Quote:

  “The Navy is gone. It's all lying at the bottom of the ocean. 46 ships. Can you believe it?...We will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated.”
  —Donald Trump ([11:12])

Bryan’s Analysis:

• The CIA, with Mossad, tracked and located the Ayatollah and top regime officials by hacking Tehran’s security camera network and mapping bodyguard routines.
• The Israeli airstrike—executed with US intelligence—eliminated not only the Ayatollah but most of the succession pipeline.
• Quote:

  “We killed everybody or the Israelis did in that strike...Now we have the real great change of who comes next, not just for the Ayatollah.”
  —Bryan Dean Wright ([13:26])

• The result is an unpredictable power vacuum. Khamenei’s son, a hardliner from the IRGC, has emerged as a leading successor.
• Proxy Complications: The idea of leveraging Kurdish factions as a US proxy is fraught—Kurds are diverse and historically difficult to control as a “proxy force.”

  “Are they really going to stay true to your tasking or go off reservation?”
  —Bryan Dean Wright ([16:51])

Takeaway:
American attempts to orchestrate regime change in Iran are much riskier than previous efforts (e.g., Venezuela), due to Iran's ethnic complexity and deep history of infighting.

2. Lessons from US Proxy Warfare: Kurds, Syria, and Intelligence Cynicism

(~19:06–21:33)

• The US repeatedly misjudges outcomes and partners in the region (Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya).
• Bryan affirms skepticism:

  “We’ve got about 25+ years of it not going so well. So your cynicism is completely well-placed.”
  ([19:38])

• CIA leadership reportedly advised Trump not to rely on Kurdish groups due to vetting issues and pressure from Turkey and Iraq.
• Trump “wisely did a U-turn” according to Bryan, shifting focus to nuclear nonproliferation, which enjoys broad public support.

3. CIA and Special Operations: On-the-Ground Action in Iran

(~21:33–26:41)

• Small teams of CIA-recruited assets and US Special Forces, rather than large troop deployments, conduct targeted intelligence and sabotage.
• Capabilities: Using “pattern of life” intelligence, assets coordinate with Mossad to identify nuclear materials sites for seizure or destruction.
• Mission challenge: Extracting or neutralizing nuclear material sometimes requires prolonged operations with significant risk.

  “It’s a high-risk situation...you're going to have to keep up this campaign...to create some space in these areas like Isfahan to deploy our guys.”
  —Bryan Dean Wright ([24:50])

4. Intelligence Sharing: Mossad, CIA, and Strategic Manipulation

(~26:41–30:47)

• No uprisings followed Iran’s decapitation strike—Bryan says this wasn't an intelligence failure, as the Iranian regime has long crushed dissent.
• Intelligence sharing is always a game of “inform and influence”—allies (including Israel, Britain, France) will try to maneuver US involvement to suit their own interests.

  “Sometimes when you share intel, it’s not just to inform, it’s also to influence.”
  —Bryan Dean Wright ([29:13])

• Israel’s push may exceed what is in America’s best interest, so discernment remains crucial.

5. The Havana Syndrome Cover-Up: New Unclassified Realities

(Begins ~36:39)

• Background: ‘Havana Syndrome’ refers to unexplained, severe neurological symptoms in US diplomats and intelligence officers, suspected to be caused by directed energy weapons (possibly Russian).
• CBS airs a 60 Minutes exposé exposing new evidence and whistleblower testimony alleging a cover-up.
• Clip Highlight:

  “This is a massive CIA cover-up...I say this with great regret. It’s an organization that I loved. I believe in the mission.”
  —Former CIA officer ([38:13])

• Bryan shares a personal account: a friend and former officer died, believing she was attacked by such a weapon.
• The US dismissed the syndrome at first due to skepticism about the miniaturization and deployment of directed energy weapons.
• Recent intel: US acquired a Russian-made, backpack-sized weapon and confirmed its functionality via reverse engineering.
• Political Dilemma: Revealing the US possesses or has reverse-engineered these weapons could compromise intelligence sources, methods, or “secret weapons” in a potential conflict with powers like China.
• Distrust Problem:

  “A lot of us don’t really trust the CIA anymore. We don’t trust the ODNI. We don’t trust the NSA. We don’t trust the FBI. And for good reason.”
  —Bryan Dean Wright ([46:22])

6. New Age of Disclosures: Leaks, Institutional Distrust, and the Political Class

(~47:36–54:05)

• Referencing a new Matt Taibbi report on FBI secret files, Emily and Bryan discuss the increasing difficulty of keeping state secrets amid partisanship and ubiquitous digital media.
• Bryan recounts Aldrich Ames’s rationale for treason:

  “Because I know what is best for America’s national security and I want to act on it.”

• View: Partisan hires during the 2010s have entrenched political activism in the intelligence community, likely damaging the fidelity and objectivity of intelligence.
• Quote:

  “I think that’s the danger—that the US makes bad decisions because we don’t trust the intel guys anymore. That’s a bad deal.”
  —Bryan Dean Wright ([52:50])

7. New York City Bombing, Domestic Terror, and Immigration

(Begins ~56:08)

• Recent NYC protest: Suspects threw a bomb at police and at protesters, with immediate blame cast on “white supremacy” despite later evidence pointing to ISIS sympathizers.
• Example of media narrative whiplash:

  “We have two New York Times headlines...the revised headline [shifts to focus on] ‘homemade bomb thrown at protest, police say.’”
  —Emily ([57:02])

• Bryan warns of a broader radicalization trend: “It’s everywhere.” Polls suggest 40% of American Muslims justified the October 7th attacks by Hamas.
• New York leadership is criticized for downplaying or misattributing the threat of radical Islamist terror out of fear of appearing “Islamophobic.”

8. The Security/Civil Liberties Dilemma: Policing, Border, and Political Will

(~66:10–70:14)

• Emily raises concerns about Bush-era domestic counterterrorism overreach versus current tendencies toward under-enforcement and “political correctness.”
• Bryan fears that legal protections and liberal asylum policies are being turned against the nation, potentially “importing people who hate this country.”

  “By the time we wake up to that, to wake up to the attacks...I think it’s going to be too late. And that’s what really, really worries me about the current state of our union.”
  ([68:19])

9. Border Battles: From Kristi Noem to Markwayne Mullin

(~70:14–77:31)

• The discussion shifts to US border politics and the replacement of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin.
• Internal White House divides: “worst first” deportations (targeting criminals) vs. advocates of mass deportation.
• Bryan’s Point: Data gaps and undercharging (“downgrading crimes”) make “worst of the worst” deportations almost impossible to execute effectively.

  “It’s really, it’s, it’s impossible to really determine who’s the worst of the worst.”
  —Bryan Dean Wright ([72:30])

• Bryan asserts that foreign intelligence services have exploited the border crisis to infiltrate operatives into the US:

  “I can tell you foreign intel agencies sent in operative saboteurs and others into this country via the southern border, for sure.”
  ([75:38])

10. Stephen A. Smith’s Political Future – Is He Serious?

(Begins ~80:48)

• Clip: Stephen A. Smith, on Hannity’s podcast, rules out a 2028 presidential run because “I gotta give up my money.”

  “Let me put that presidential aspiration [to] bed for me, if I have to give up my money, it’s not happening.”
  —Stephen A. Smith ([81:45])

• Emily’s Analysis:
  Smith’s candidacy would be potent due to his combination of anti-establishment sentiment, media savvy, and ability to surprise with his takes—he’s a “native” to viral media.

  “Generally people believe that he believes what he’s saying, which I continue to think is one of the more important characteristics of anybody running in a new media environment.”
  ([86:17])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Bryan on foreign intelligence partnerships:

  “All nations do it. Is Netanyahu trying to do that with us in this war to try to get more or bigger change out of Iran? I would be shocked if the answer were no.” ([29:13])

• Bryan on directed energy weapons:

  “Directed energy weapons, there’s nothing new about them...about four years ago...there was an offer on the black market of some Russian-affiliated people who said that we can give you...a directed energy weapon...we bought it.” ([39:48])

• Emily on the risk of media manipulation:

  “...I look at the record during the Bush administration...almost looked like, and this would be FBI, but like Whitmer kidnapping plots with random kids at mosques...I look at what [Zoramdani]’s pledged to do in terms of, like, sounds to me, letting off the gas a bit when it comes to investigating...” ([66:10])

Timestamps & Segment Guide

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------| | 09:08 | Begin substantive interview with Bryan | | 11:12 | Trump’s “The Navy is gone” quote | | 13:26 | How the Ayatollah was found & killed | | 15:37 | Succession issues in Iran, Kurds as proxies| | 19:38 | Emily’s CIA cynicism, US history in region | | 21:33 | CIA ops in Iran, comparison to Ukraine | | 24:50 | Risks of nuclear seizure missions | | 26:41 | Intelligence sharing: Mossad & CIA | | 29:13 | “All nations do it”—manipulating allies | | 36:39 | Havana Syndrome: CBS exposé and whistleblower| | 39:48 | Directed energy weapons: black market story| | 46:22 | Crisis of trust in intelligence community | | 52:50 | How partisanship damaged US intelligence | | 56:08 | NYC protest bombing & ISIS angle | | 66:10 | Policing, civil liberties, and backlashes | | 70:14 | Kristi Noem out, border politics | | 75:38 | Foreign governments exploiting open border | | 80:48 | Stephen A. Smith: “I’m not running, not giving up my money”| | 86:17 | Emily on why Smith could be potent |

Recurring Themes & Tone

• Skepticism and Cynicism: Both Emily and Bryan bring a tone of deep skepticism toward US intelligence, politicians, and media narratives. Bryan’s operational experience adds an insider’s wariness to both official stories and proposed reforms.
• Levity and Banter: Despite the heavy topics, the conversation is peppered with stories from Bryan’s CIA career (e.g., honeytraps, Arab diplomats), as well as Emily’s dry humor.
• Pop Culture Crossovers: Emily brings big-picture, media-savvy perspective; the closing segment on Stephen A. Smith explores the real political potential of media personalities in the TikTok age.

Final Thoughts

This episode offers insider analysis at the intersection of intelligence, US foreign policy, and the American psyche. With behind-the-scenes accounts and sharp skepticism, Emily and Bryan reveal just how convoluted, dangerous, and political today’s global and domestic security challenges have become. From regime change in Tehran to power struggles on the southern border and the hunt for trustworthy information, After Party delivers a candid, timely, and thought-provoking conversation.