Name: Ex-CIA Director Reflects on the Bin Laden Raid and More
Uploaded: 2026-04-06T03:10:12.000Z
Description: Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, national security, and the moments that shaped modern American history.

Steve is an investigative reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Steve Ispas

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Steve Ispas is an investigative journalist with The Epoch Times and the host of Epoch TV’s “Bay Area Innovators” program. Steve grew up in Eastern Europe, and lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 35 years. He worked in the tech industry for 15 years at LSI Logic and Rambus, and has been with The Epoch Times in various positions since 2003. His recent coverage includes an in-depth exclusive investigation of the secret Chinese biolab discovered in Reedley, Calif., in 2022.

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Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, national security, and the moments that shaped modern American history.

Panetta reflects on his upbringing as the son of Italian immigrants in Monterey, his path into public service, and the values that guided his decades in government. He offers a firsthand account of the 2011 operation that led to the death of Osama bin Laden, describing the intelligence work, risks involved, and weight of decision-making at the highest level.

The conversation also explores global threats, including those posed by China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, as well as Panetta’s concerns about disinformation, social media, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in shaping information and society.

“Democracy depends on truth,” Panetta says, warning that technology without accountability poses one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.

Watch the full interview for rare insight from one of America’s most experienced national security leaders.

<em>Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of  NTD.</em>

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