On today’s Espresso Martini and season seven finale, Matt & Chris look at the puzzlingly short tenure of the Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang; they unpack some hot gossip surrounding last month’s Wagner mutiny and discuss updates on the war in Ukraine, both at sea and on land. In the last story, they look at AI's potential threat in the 2024 US Elections and the 2025 UK general election. On Extra Shot, immediately following this show on Patreon, Matt & Chris ask Is it time to most expeditiously take a hammer to your smart watch? They also discuss friend of the pod Dan Kaszeta’s legal victory over Downing Street, have a spoiler-free-ish chat about Christopher Nolan’s new Oppenheimer biopic, and then indulge in some flagrantly irresponsible speculation about the next Bond movie. — Extra Shot — To listen to Extra Shot, you must be a Patreon subscriber. Go to the Secrets & Spies Patreon page and subscribe there to get access: www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies We want to wish listeners a happy Summer and hope you have a great time. The podcast will return on Saturday, 9th September, unless world events force our hand. Links to articles discussed in Espresso Martini Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang removed from post after only 7 months https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/25/china-foreign-minister-qin-gang/ Russia’s Spies Say Putin Faces More Coups https://theins.ru/en/politics/263596 US Navy Backs Away From Ukraine’s Proposal To Protect Grain In NATO Waters https://gcaptain.com/us-navy-backs-away-from-ukraines-proposal-to-protect-grain-ships-nato-waters/ West must focus on preparing Ukraine’s troops – or we will all pay the price https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/23/west-must-focus-on-preparing-ukraines-troops-or-we-will-all-pay-the-price Intelligence nominee warns generative AI poses threat to 2024 elections https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/20/intelligence-chief-nominee-warns-of-threats-from-ai-to-2024-elections-00107375 —Alphabet Boys Podcast — Alphabet Boys reveals the secret investigations of the FBI, DEA, ATF, and other alphabet agencies. Hosted by journalist Trevor Aaronson, Alphabet Boys exposes secret undercover recordings that the government never wanted the public to hear. We explore dangerous and absurd cases to ask this question: Are America’s top cops catching criminals or creating them? Find out more here: https://link.chtbl.com/secretsandspies —Surfshark offer— Get an exclusive Surfshark deal! Enter promo code SECRETS for an extra 3 months free at https://surfshark.deals/SECRETS Find out more about Matt and his book “Active Measures” https://mattfulton.net/ Check out Chris’s short spy film “THE DRY CLEANER” which is now available to buy on Apple TV & Amazon Prime. Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/j_KFTJenrz4 For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/ Support Secrets and Spies:   * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Connect with us on social media.  TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies THREADS: https://www.threads.net/@secretsandspies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/secretsandspies/ SPOUTIBLE   https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network. Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/