How Intelligence Agencies Would Operate in an Authoritarian America | EYES ON GEOPOLITICS

dee takos

12 November 2025

Former CIA officers Mick Mulroy, Marc Polymeropoulos, and Jason Lyons join Dee to explore a chilling hypothetical — what if the U.S. turned authoritarian? The panel breaks down how allies and adversaries might react, how intelligence operations would shift, and what it means for democracy at home and abroad. A rare, insider look at the intersection of espionage and authoritarianism. Check out Marc P's podcast here https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-crisis-room/id1815989479 Support the show on Patreon:⬇️ https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse Subscribe to our new newsletter!!!! https://teamhousepodcast.kit.com/join New merch, patches, and stickers! ⬇️ https://theteamhouse-shop.fourthwall.com Check out Mick's new podcast here:⬇️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/pub-and-porch-applied-stoicism/id1836955475 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1k3QPmkAMwnGJxMLDwUSSd?si=n6piIu8XRcag1Z0K43A3bQ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@PubPorch⁩   Find Mick Mulroy here:  Fogbow ⬇️ https://fogbow.com/ Lobo Institute ⬇️ https://www.loboinstitute.org/ Twitter ⬇️ https://x.com/mickmulroy?s=21&t=-Ze3F_Ix2vlJ18KFvORTCA LinkedIn ⬇️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-patrick-mulroy-31198b52/ Bluesky ⬇️ https://bsky.app/profile/mickmulroy.bsky.social Mick’s publications ⬇️ https://www.loboinstitute.org/publications/publications-of-michael-mick-patrick-mulroy/ Find Andy Milburn here:  Twitter ⬇️ https://twitter.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fandymilburn8 LinkedIn ⬇️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmilburn2023 Substack ⬇️ https://amilburn.substack.com/ Andy’s book ⬇️ https://www.amazon.com/When-Tempest-Gathers-Mogadishu-Operations Bluesky ⬇️ https://bsky.app/profile/andy-milburn.bsky.social Find Jason Lyons here:  LinkedIn ⬇️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-lyons-666873316?u Bluesky ⬇️ https://bsky.app/profile/bgsilverback73.bsky.social "Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio" 00:01 — Start 03:48 — Thought experiment: U.S. turns authoritarian 05:29 — Global authoritarianism by the numbers 12:19 — Autocracies’ intel edge (disinfo/social media) 15:23 — Russia 2016 playbook & U.S. CI gaps 28:38 — Allies spying on America as norms erode 42:54 — What Canada/Mexico would do next 53:51 — Freedom House checklist: signs of backsliding Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support.