Donald Trump rages regularly at Fox News. But Axios now reports that there’s more behind this than meets the eye: White House and GOP operatives have privately pressured Fox for months to change how it’s covering Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. The problem? By giving El-Sayed airtime and covering him in a somewhat factual way, it’s made it harder for Trump and the GOP to smear him as a crazy radical jihadist. Translation: Don’t let voters learn the truth about this guy; it’ll make it harder for us to beat him! That is so deeply humiliating. But it also gets at a bigger story about how the manly men of MAGA get so whiny when the electoral going gets tough. We talked to Jennifer Rubin, editor-in-chief of The Contrarian. We discuss her new piece on the flimsiness of MAGA machismo, probe the deeper reasons Trump can’t allow the truth about El-Sayed to be told, and dissect a new Pew poll showing Trump’s approval down to an abysmal 30 percent.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republican crooks across the administration are now trying to distance themselves from Donald Trump ahead of November’s elections. Yet these Republicans like Mike Rogers and Thom Tillis are corrupt to the core themselves, leading to the question: how far will these politicians go to save their reputations despite their own histories of corruption? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf ponder the gathering storm ahead and whether or not the stains left by this administration may ever truly wash away. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down Trump’s pathetic Texas rally, Trump’s $273 million worth of securities transactions, the EPA’s plans to relax methane regulations, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode, nonpartisan political forecaster Kyle Kondik makes some critical points about Donald Trump’s approval rating. First, it may be so low that he’s even underwater in House districts that he carried by double digits. Second, unlike in 2018, his approval is underwater in red states with big Senate races. Indeed, the latest polling averages have him sinking below 35 percent, a key threshold. And Times polling finds him upside down in five Senate-race states he carried by double digits. Taken together, it’s clear his public standing is unraveling. Meanwhile, GOP leaks are growing deafening. One GOP operative said: “If the bottom continues falling out like it has been, this will be worse than 2006.” Worse than the GOP’s epic 2006 losses under George W. Bush! For the straight story on the state of the House map, we talked to Kondik, managing director at Sabato’s Crystal Ball. He explains how Trump’s low approval is expanding the map for Democrats in surprising ways, interprets the latest GOP spending in deep red areas, and why he thinks Democrats might end up with 230 House seats. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for October 7th, we cover Republican nervousness ahead of the midterms, Trump officials ramping up scrutiny of voter registration groups, the Justice Department moving to strip citizenship of 40 naturalized citizens, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump unleashed a long, crazed tirade this week about Dr. Annie Andrews, the Democratic Senate candidate in South Carolina. He attacked her with the vicious slur “tranny” not once but twice. He smeared her with numerous lies about her positions, insisting she is for “Defunding the Police” and “Transgender for Everyone.” The source of Trump’s rage is obvious: He fears the race is unexpectedly competitive. Indeed, two GOP-aligned pollsters—Trafalgar and Inside Advantage—recently found the race to be within one point. This is very bad news for Trump, and worse, Republicans plainly have their own polling showing something similar: A major GOP Super PAC just poured $5 million into the contest. The odds here are very, very long, especially once GOP money starts flowing. But since Trump clearly fears the race, we got a download on it from Jalisa Washington-Price, a veteran South Carolina Democratic operative who runs the pro-Andrews PAC Fresh Start. She explains the demographics of the state, why national Democrats should invest here, why the road ahead is very difficult—but not impossible!—and where this race fits into the recent history of the South. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss Trump’s insane comments at a Nebraska rally, Trump conceding that his super PAC will now start paying for controversial ads, Disney taking the FCC to court, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has been holding rallies in red states, and in a pair of articles, The New York Times reported that his crowd sizes have been diminishing. This triggered an epic tirade from Trump: He raged that his rallies are “PACKED” and claimed they are “HOTTER” than ever. He even accused the media of dishonestly ignoring their “thunderous applause” from “thousands and thousands of people.” This comes as Republicans themselves admit that the rallies actually reveal the weakness of the Trump-GOP position, which is requiring Trump to desperately energize his most loyal supporters to salvage races in deep-red areas. As one Republican told CNN: “This is a five-alarm fire.” We talked to Salon’s Amanda Marcotte, who’s been writing well about Trump’s struggles with his unpopularity. We dig into the latest polling showing red-state Senate races trending Democratic, discuss whether GOP-leaning voters will really be able to support Democrats, and look at how MAGA may be getting deenergized by Trump’s failure to vanquish liberals in the culture wars.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down another aircraft carrier being sent to the Middle East, a critical Supreme Court case on state climate change lawsuits, Trump’s brand new “Super Intelligence Force”, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new Fox poll showing James Talarico ahead in the Texas Senate race unnerved Fox figures. One MAGA guest on Fox exclaimed: “Texans have to wake up!” The poll also has truly terrible news for Trump: His approval is upside down in this reliably red state, he’s cratering with Latinos, and he’s losing the working class, which is his base. He’s even underwater with non-MAGA Republicans, a key demographic that Talarico has worked to win. This comes as Republicans are leaking word that they’re shifting spending out of the North Carolina Senate race, which appears gone. They’re putting more into shoring up the MAGA-GOP candidate in Iowa and even Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, showing serious worry deep in MAGA country. We talked to political theorist Alan Elrod. We discuss how the Texas GOP’s white male supremacy and violent ethnonationalism perfectly represent today’s Republican Party, and how it’s deeply alienating mainstream America. We also dig into how it’s all creating space for a new moral language to emerge among Democrats.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily Live for October 2nd, Norm Ornstein joins us to discuss Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon Office of Religious Affairs, the fallout of Jack Smith’s Senate hearing, a bipartisan effort to block the demolition of the Kennedy Center, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s bad out there. Pete Hegseth’s efforts to conform the military to his shallow definition of masculinity are troubling enough, Trump seems to have his sights set on a more deadly nuclear arsenal at his disposal. Jon Wolfsthal and Joe Cirincione join David Rothkopf to dive into the shocking shortcomings of our defense leadership under the Trump regime and why you might not be worried enough. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As AI systems become more autonomous and are delegated more and more power across industries, we have to ask ourselves: are we walking the dog, or is the dog walking us? Is voluntary self-regulation really enough, or is it high time for legislators to get serious about reigning things in before the problem becomes too big to solve? CEO of CAS Strategies Camille Stewart Gloster joins us to discuss her new book The Insider You Built and explore why sensible regulation is sorely needed and more.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, GOP Senate candidate Ken Paxton privately admitted that Donald Trump’s midterm convention in Texas was a serious problem for the state’s Republican candidates. Asked about this, Trump unleashed a long, tortured monologue, and it was revealing. He kept returning to the number of viewers that he got at the convention, and kept repeating that he won Texas multiple times. He can only see this in terms of how he fared there, with no regard for GOP candidates. We think that Trump’s inability to clearly perceive his own standing with voters is a genuinely serious, far-reaching problem for Republicans. So we talked to Madison Andrus, an official with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee who’s focused on the region. She shares new internal polling showing Democrats leading in key South Texas races, explains the shift away from Trump in the Rio Grande Valley and why it’s important, and discusses how broad the national map has gotten for Democrats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are reasons for optimism as we head into the 2026 midterms. Polling is showing that people are fed up with Trump and his policies, courts are holding firm against the president, and some Republicans are beginning to distance themselves to a greater degree than we have previously seen. Yet winning in November will not mend the cracks in our democracy alone, and real challenges in our political system remain. Author and Historian Timothy Snyder joins David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein to reflect on our democratic system and the need for political resilience against tyranny. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the White House removing CNN from the press pool, new details from the terrifying FlyDubai flight, skyrocketing bond levels, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has been running propaganda ads starring, well, himself as a way to help the GOP in the midterms. The ads are government-funded, and one official even suggested that the payment scheme is partly designed to get media attention to the ads, amplifying them further. It’s appallingly corrupt and potentially illegal. But, amusingly, they’re backfiring: A new Quinnipiac poll shows that Trump is more toxic for the GOP than we thought. It finds his approval at an abysmal 34 percent, and at 31 percent on the economy, a record low for him. Worse, Democrats now lead Republicans on the economy, international conflicts and immigration, three traditional GOP strengths, underscoring just how big a drag he’s become. We talked to David Corn, author of the new book How Russia Won and a New Republic piece on Trumpian propaganda. We discuss how badly Trump is screwing the GOP, why those TV ads are destined to fail, why he’ll grow more dangerous as Election Day approaches, and how to prepare for it. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Time is running out for Donald Trump and he, and the rest of the world, knows it. This is concerning - how much more damage will he wreak knowing the end is near? Will nations like China and Russia see these coming years as a window of opportunity, a way to take advantage of Trump’s imbecility on the global stage to further their own geopolitical agendas? Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations joins David Rothkopf and Rosa Brooks to take a look at foreign relations as we approach the end of Trump 2.0 and how they may ultimately be the most dangerous yet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover Jack Smith’s Senate hearing, damning audio from Ken Paxton, $20 million taxpayer dollars going to Trump ads, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s ban on a range of Canadian imports just went into effect, and The New York Times calls this a sign that the trade war has grown “vicious.” In a rambling tirade this week, Trump upped the ante in a dark way, calling Canada “one of the worst countries in the entire world.” Trump also said almost in passing that we get along with China better than we get along with Canada. We think it shouldn’t pass unnoticed just how casually Trump will toss aside a longtime ally. Trump also unleashed his top trade adviser to say sneeringly nasty things about Canada and Canadians, another sign that MAGA nationalism is growing more malicious. Meanwhile, Republicans tell the Los Angeles Times that the trade war is really bad news for the GOP. In one focus group, almost all swing voters in Michigan opposed it. We talked to New Republic contributing editor Virginia Heffernan, who’s been writing well about the economic roots of GOP midterm woes. She explains why it’s so dumb of Trump to order Americans to hate Canada—and why it’s all tailor made to get MAGA-adjacent “diesel class” voters to turn on Trump.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss Pete Hegseth’s orders for the military to defend the midterms, US bans on Canadian imports taking effect, Alito backing out of a blockbuster Supreme Court case, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans leaking about the midterms are growing more alarmed. One GOP operative in Iowa says this: “It feels like it could be a wipeout.” In story after story, Republicans are confiding about their mounting panic. A GOP pollster who privately told donors that the Senate might hold was mocked by Republicans themselves as “delusional.” Meanwhile, over the last few days, Trump has unraveled in a series of panicky Truth Social posts. In one, he ranted at length about how great the economy is and ordered Americans to “VOTE FOR REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES.” In several other posts, he raged at the media for reporting “Fake Polls” while not reporting all the fabulous economic news. We talked to Melissa Toufanian, managing director at the progressive firm Navigator Research, which has done interesting polling on Trump supporters who now regret their vote. She explains what’s really happening with voters in red states with big races, what focus groups reveal about how Trump-backing constituencies see him now, and why politicians from both parties should listen carefully to what voters are really telling them. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down the results of the Trump/Xi meeting, Trump attempting to cancel $810 million of congressional spending, Trump’s planned meeting with AI leaders, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A few days ago, Donald Trump exploded in an extended tirade at news organizations. Why? Because they had suspended TV pool coverage of him to show solidarity with three news outlets he’d banned from the White House. This resulted in no TV footage of his reception of Xi Jinping at the White House. Trump absurdly raged that news orgs were trying to deny him coverage of a major success. But in saying this, he actually revealed that he badly needs the attention of news outlets. Without this attention, he shrivels. His fury shows that if news orgs collectively join together to resist things like his press ban—which has now been blocked in court—it can actually work. We talked to Paul Waldman, author of a good piece on Trump’s diminishing stature. We discuss the ways Trump’s power is a media creation, why this saga shows we need more collective institutional resistance to him, and what that might look like as he keeps shrinking. (After we recorded, Trump banned just CNN more narrowly, excluding it from Air Force One, but it’s unclear whether that will last.) Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are the United States and China entering a new era? Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington has been all over the news in recent days, and for good reason. Between trade, climate challenges, and the growing role of the tech industry in politics, US-China policy is shaping the geopolitical landscape as we know it. Jessica Chen Weiss, David M. Lampton Professor of China Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, joins David Rothkopf to discuss the current state of US-China relations and the optics behind Donald Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily Live for Friday, Tara McGowan joins us to discuss Trump’s extravagant dinner with Xi Jinping, the White House reinstating access to banned outlets, new polls ahead of the 2026 midterms, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI dread has spread. Even CEOs of major AI companies are forecasting doom and gloom, including the potential end of mankind. But how much of what they say is an honest appraisal, and how much is driven by ulterior motives? NYU’s Paul Barrett joins David Rothkopf to discuss his recent piece for Tech Policy Press and explain why we can’t let doomer CEOs or competition with China distract from sensible AI regulation. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Iowa radio host Steve Deace just unleashed an extraordinary social media screed. He confided that GOP pollsters have informed House Republicans that GOP +15 districts are now straight toss-ups, and GOP +10 districts are now “underwater.” He said he regrets this deeply—he badly wants Donald Trump to succeed—but critically, he also declared bluntly that Trump and his Iran war are fully to blame for this fiasco. In a serious humiliation for Trump, he sharply criticized the war’s rationale and warned that this is “risking what’s left of the Trump presidency.” Ouch! This state of play is confirmed by Trump’s own super PAC, which is sinking money into deep red Iowa districts. So we talked to Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart. She discusses whether the landscape is as bad as Deace says, why Trumpy areas are turning on the president, and how to convert this moment into durable gains in rural America.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump gave Xi Jinping quite the welcome after his arrival in Washington. At the same time Trump is trying to cuddle up to Beijing, he continues his attacks against freedom of the press by banning certain media outlets from the White House. Trump is actively trying to turn the United States into some amalgamation of China, Russia, and North Korea, and he is consistently enabled by his cronies in Congress, including our “Lickspittle of the Week:” Tommy Tuberville. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington, Trump’s admiration for authoritarianism, and those in power responsible for enabling it. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House ban of CNN, MS NOW, and Politico has sent shockwaves through the media. The brazen attempt as silencing dissenting media has resulted in incredible pushback not just through the legal system, but through solidarity from major broadcasters including Fox News. So what makes this latest play by the White House so dangerous, and what can it tell us about Trump’s plans for the future? Journalists and experts Dan Froomkin and Jeff Jarvis join us to answer all these questions and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we cover the White House’s defiance of a court order on their media ban, the US and China extending a trade truce ahead of Xi and Trump’s meeting, Netanyahu’s upcoming speech before the UN, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Out of the three news organizations that Donald Trump has banned from the White House, he reserves special fury for CNN. He erupted at reporter Kaitlan Collins, posting that she’s an “unhappy person” and a “SLEAZEBAG” who suffers from a “TRUMP addiction.” He also tried to humiliate Collins in person at the United Nations. And he posted a video mocking CNN reporters in truly dumb and juvenile terms. This comes as legal experts have picked apart the White House’s case for the ban. It now rests partly on specious claims about national security, and the details are monumentally absurd. We talked to New Republic staff writer Timothy Noah, who has written well on this saga. We discuss why the White House legal case is so weak, how Trump’s ongoing diminishment is encouraging institutional resistance to him, why his decline will worsen, and why people should stop treating him as invincible. (After we recorded, a judge seemed skeptical of the White House’s arguments.) Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday was nothing shocking. Threatening to annihilate Iran, asserting peace between Russia and Ukraine is coming, “to the victor belong the spoils”… this is nothing new from our president. Serious questions remain around the United States’ role on the global stage. And with Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington, issues such as AI regulation and international cooperation are at the forefront. Rosa Brooks, Ed Luce and David Rothkopf discuss Trump’s UN speech, his upcoming meetings with China, and our changing geopolitical landscape in the world of AI. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss President Trump’s UNGA appearance, Trump’s looming meeting with Xi Jinping, the DOJ defending the White House media ban, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The polling just keeps getting worse for the GOP. A new Reuters survey finds Donald Trump’s approval at 32 percent—the worst in Reuters polling of both his terms. He’s at only 73 percent among Republicans, and on cost-of-living he’s at an astonishing 17 percent, both potential disasters for the GOP. This comes as a CNN poll finds voters souring on the war in unheard-of numbers. Meanwhile, panicky GOP leaks are turning into a flood: GOP operatives tell Politico that the races in North Carolina and Georgia are rapidly slipping away. Others privately admit they’re badly on defense in red states and districts. One GOP operative candidly declares: “The bottom is beginning to fall out.” Is it really this bad? We talked to Morgan Jackson, the veteran North Carolina Democratic operative on Roy Cooper’s Senate campaign. He explains why Trump’s collapse with independents is an underappreciated story, why what’s happening in North Carolina and Georgia could have major long-term political consequences, and why he still expects North Carolina to be very, very close. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down the major media networks standing in solidarity against Trump, Trump’s plan for the UNGA, Hegseth’s bizarre stunt with the Logan brothers, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s efforts to ban news organizations from the White House are backfiring. Trump said straight out that he barred them because their coverage displeased him, and when the outlets sued on Monday, they cited his own words as proof that he’d retaliated against their reporting. That’s likely to work. And other news outlets sided with them, suspending pooled coverage and resulting in Trump getting less TV attention. Meanwhile, Axios reports that Trump advisers confide that they fear he’s feeling “powerless” as his losses pile up and a likely midterm defeat approaches. He’s retreating “to his worst impulses” and this “helps explain” his press ban, per Axios: Because Trump feels his power slipping away, he “lashed out” at these organizations and banned them. That’s surely correct, and it’s humiliating. We talked to Kristy Parker, counsel at Protect Democracy. She explains why Trump’s ban probably won’t survive the courts, why his lashing out at moments of feeling powerless makes him so dangerous, and why she’s cautiously optimistic about our system holding.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A striking new poll finds Democrat Mary Peltola leading GOP Senator Dan Sullivan by 46-41 in the Alaska Senate race. This is big news: Because quality polling of Alaska is so rare, it’s a real indicator that a Senate majority is now truly gettable for Democrats. The poll also finds Trump badly underwater and absolutely tanking with independents—in Alaska! The kicker? The survey was done for AARP by Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio, along with Democratic pollster John Anzalone, so Republicans will take it very seriously. Indeed, GOP panic is worsening: Republicans are privately talking about pulling money out of the Georgia Senate race. Other GOP operatives warn that the party is bleeding Latinos. One GOP strategist expressed the state of play by sending a poop emoji to a Huffpost reporter. And GOP Representative Nancy Mace said: “The midterms are going to be a f--king bloodbath.” We talked to John Anzalone, the Democratic pollster on the Alaska survey. He explains what the numbers really show about Trump’s collapse, why he thinks Texas is “real,” and what he still fears could go wrong.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap up for this week, we are joined by special guest Mary Trump to break down Trump threatening to tear down the Kennedy Center, RFK Jr.’s anti-vax promises, Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The primary elections have told us one thing loud and clear: Democratic voters want fighters. Progressive and moderate candidates alike who promise to fight back against this corrupt and anti-democratic administration succeeded across the board. The Contrarian’s Jen Rubin joins David Rothkopf to discuss what Democratic politicians must do in the lead-up to the midterms—and after—to ensure not only the party’s success, but the country’s as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fox News is having profound trouble coping with the spate of terrible stories hitting Donald Trump. Lately the network has been mostly avoiding discussion of the Iran debacle. Fox largely ignored the report of a Russian oligarch funding Don Jr.’s wedding. It didn’t appear to cover Karl Rove’s highly newsworthy warning about racism in the GOP. Meanwhile, a new Fox poll just delivered crushing news to Trump and the GOP: It finds that 63% say Trump made the economy worse; Democrats are substantially leading the GOP on most major issues and in the generic ballot; Democrats are benefiting from a big enthusiasm edge; and much more. Fox often downplays its own polling when it’s bad for Trump, but this time, it seems to be breaking through into the coverage. As Matt Gertz of Media Matters details on this episode, Fox is really in crisis mode amid Trump’s mounting failures and cratering public standing. Gertz takes us inside how Fox deals with bad news for Trump, discusses how Trump-MAGA propaganda functions, and anticipates what’s coming on the right if a big midterm loss badly diminishes him.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we cover a UN report on potential war crimes in Iran, talks between Canada and the EU, a stunning new report on DOGE, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is shutting down the Kennedy Center because he can’t put his name on it. Why? He wants “Donald J. Trump” on the building to steal presidential glory because he’s not getting it on his own. Meanwhile, the Republicans in Congress are silent about his flagrant narcissistic transgressions. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the lunacy surrounding the Kennedy Center, Trump’s obsession with his legacy, and the Trump family’s mafia-esque connections with criminals at home, in Russia, and elsewhere. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has once again stepped up his threats to entirely wipe out Iran, but it somehow isn’t forcing Iran to make the deal he wants. The emptiness of the threats is embarrassing enough. But now, CBS News has published a series of extraordinary photographs of American bases and equipment abroad badly damaged by Iranian attacks. These pictures were leaked by anonymous U.S. service-members who did this because the truth about Trump’s war is being suppressed. As one put it: “This is major damage to our bases that hasn’t been communicated to the American public.” Given the tight controls that Trump and Pete Hegseth have tried to impose on their war propaganda, this is even more humiliating for them. We talked to international relations expert Nicholas Grossman. We discuss all the ways that Trump’s Iran quagmire is deepening, why those photos tell a deeply unnerving story about our nation, what’s wrong with Trump’s conception of “strength,” and why MAGA’s theory of war and power is leading us into catastrophe. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump and the Trump family’s ties with Russia have existed for decades. This deeply-seated corruption would have once been unthinkable from an acting US president, yet Trump has let his admiration for Putin and his fetishistic need for power dictate American foreign and domestic policy under his two terms in office. How did the Oval Office come to bend the knee for the Kremlin? David Corn of Mother Jones joins David Rothkopf and Ed Luce to discuss the Russia-Trump connection and his newly published book, How Russia Won: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and the Fight for America. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss the insane changes to FBI hiring policy, the Kennedy Center board vote to close, the Fed’s plan to raise interest rates, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump exploded in wild fury at the Supreme Court after it blocked his scheme to corrupt vote-by-mail. But in his bizarrely unhinged tirade was a key tell: He called the ruling a “big loss for Republicans.” In effect, he openly admitted he’s angry because he won’t be able to rig the midterms—and because his party is more likely to lose them badly. This comes as a New York Times poll finds Democrats leading by nearly nine points in the generic ballot matchup. This is the gold-standard survey and it shows Democrats with a widening lead. It also shows Democrats suddenly leading on the economy and on immigration and finds his approval lower than any president heading into a midterm since George W. Bush before the 2006 Democratic blowout. As a Times analysis concludes, a “blue wave may be building.” Taken all together, it’s arguably his worst polling news of the cycle. We talked to Democratic strategist Caitlin Legacki, a veteran of midterms. We discuss the Times poll’s hidden findings, why Texas may not be a pipe dream, why the polls might soon start to tighten, and why that shouldn’t freak you out.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Axios CEO and co-founder Jim VandeHei has spent more than a year using AI obsessively, finding it remarkably useful for writing and thinking. Yet he is deeply concerned about AI’s risks and the failure of leaders to prepare for the huge challenges created by AI. Join host David Sandalow as he and VandeHei discuss these topics and VandeHei's new book, Simplify, which offers practical advice on how to clarify priorities in a chaotic time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down the Supreme Court blocking Trump’s efforts to regulate mail-in voting, Mitch McConnell’s return to Congress, a bipartisan event to promote AI regulation, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After AI scientists and executives called for a slowdown in unrestrained AI development, Donald Trump unleashed a series of crazed tirades to the contrary. He raged that the only oversight AI needs is a “STRONG AND SMART PRESIDENT,” which seemed to refer to him. He seethed that all such warnings are a “HOAX” and suggested it’s all a scam being perpetrated by America’s enemies. What’s striking about all this is how it unintentionally sabotages the GOP’s midterm strategy. Vulnerable Republicans have been calling for a vote on restraining AI data-center costs and others have pushed other regulatory ideas. Yet the leader of the Republican Party is saying none of this is needed. We talked to MS NOW’s James Downie, author of a new piece on the GOP’s midterm struggles. We discuss why Trump is badly undermining a core GOP strategic aim, how Trump has revealed himself as a conventional anti-regulatory plutocrat, and why Democrats, for their part, should place him right at the center of the story they’re telling about AI’s future.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top AI researchers seem to be increasingly convinced that AI is about to kill us all, so why isn’t our President more concerned? After an Anthropic researcher quit the company warning that continued AI development could end the world, Trump brushed off worries over AI attributing concerns to a “sick conspiracy.” Alondra Nelson of the Institute of Advanced Study joins David Rothkopf to analyze where the truth really lies and how concerned we should all really be about an AI armageddon.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down Anthropic and OpenAI agreeing to slow down some AI development, oil rising in price once again after a critical pipeline is closed, a potential closure of the Kennedy Center, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump raged at a reporter who asked about his “midterm convention” offer to send $5,000 to voters if the GOP holds Congress. He snapped at her repeatedly, called her “the worst,” and even leaned in and glowered menacingly in her face. What makes this significant is her question: Why, she asked, do you need to pay voters to turn out if your economic policies are the smashing success you claim? This captures the core absurdity of the moment, and Trump has absolutely no answer for it. It’s no accident that this comes as the preliminary ratings for his first-night speech viewership on Fox News were a scant 2.5 million, even less than a Sean Hannity episode. The Times opined: “No Trump bump.” Mediaite called it a “dud.” We talked to New Republic senior editor Alex Shephard, author of a good piece on Trump’s political weakness. We discuss new data that shows the enthusiasm gap favoring Democrats, why those bad convention ratings are so humiliating for Trump in a deeper sense, how Trump-MAGA’s hold on the culture is vanishing, and the profound contradictions at the heart of MAGA’s Trump-worship. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that primary season is over, it’s full steam ahead towards the midterms. The tidal wave of polls from countless outlets have already started, but how many of them are really worth paying attention to? TARA Group CEO Tom Bonier joins David Rothkopf to examine just how much faith we should really be putting in polls, why some are much better than others, and why the signs are pointing to Democratic success in November.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily Live for Friday, we’re joined by special guest Leigh McGowan to break down the aftermath of Trumpapalooza, the President’s drowsy appearance at the Pentagon 9/11 ceremony, new developments ahead of the Midterms, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump just tailspinned again in the polls. In a new Quinnipiac survey, his overall approval is at 33 percent and he plummeted to a record low on the economy. Meanwhile, a CNN analysis finds that on the same issue, Trump is an astounding 52 points underwater with independents. That’s the context for Trump’s fake-promise to send $5,000 to every American if the GOP keeps Congress. Many critics dismantled the idea. But even Fox News is gently mocking it: One anchor pointed out that he’s made empty promises of cash before. Bret Baier noted that it would cost $1.3 trillion. And Laura Ingraham pressed Trump: Why not send people the money now? That gets to the heart of this idiotic effort to use federal money to rig the elections. We talked to political scientist Tom Schaller, author of a good piece for the Public Notice Substack on Trump’s inflation disaster. We discuss why the polls look much worse than in 2018, how Trump’s policies created this disaster for the GOP, and why Trump’s magical reality-bending powers might finally be running out.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trumpapalooza has come and gone, and the whole thing was about as insane as we’d expect. The glorified rally has only cemented the lunacy of this second term and shown the world that the US is a shadow of its former self. Ed Luce and Harvard professor Stephen Walt join David Rothkopf to examine the myriad ways that this administration is undermining the US both at home and abroad and why the midterms will be a flashpoint for our country’s future.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Almost every key official in the US government is currently playing a role to disrupt the upcoming midterms - whether it’s Todd Blanche, Howard Lutnick, or Donald Trump’s promise of $5,000 for US citizens. The 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks should remind us what happens when there’s a danger from terrorists - and that such threats against our democracy and rule of law can also come from within. Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss the legacy of 9/11 and the internal threats facing the United States. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we cover Trump’s promise to pay every American after the midterms, John Fetterman’s video message to the Republican midterm convention, another troubling development in the Iran war, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Canada’s reciprocal tariffs kicked in this week, Donald Trump spiraled on social media. He posted a deranged map suggesting he wants to annex all of Canada. He posted a demented visual of himself domineering over Canada’s prime minister. And he posted an unhinged rant attacking Canada with convoluted threats. Now, Republican strategists tell The Hill in a baffled tone that they’re worried the trade war has become a big liability in the midterms. That comes as Republicans like Susan Collins and Kansas’s two GOP Senators have appeared at a loss to explain Trump’s approach. In short, even Republicans are flummoxed by Trump’s motives here. We talked to Vox’s Zack Beauchamp, who has reported deeply on the roots of Trump’s trade-warring. We discuss how unmoored Trump is from basic trade realities, how Canadians see the situation, what it means that even working people oppose his tariffs, and why it all gives Democrats an opening to restate the case against MAGA nationalism. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss the Iran and US destroying oil tankers, the US banning a new slate of Canadian products, Trump’s fantasies about 9/11, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump unleashed a barrage of angry, unhinged threats over the last few days. He posted a map of all of North America—including Canada and Mexico—under conquest by the United States. He angrily threatened to cut off all U.S. sales of Canadian aerospace company Bombardier, even though it employs many U.S. workers and its supply chains are deeply entangled in U.S. communities. He crossed out the “Mexico” in New Mexico and replaced it with “America.” And he snarled that gas prices will drop below $2 after we “WIN” against Iran, even though he simply cannot get it to do his bidding right now. In all these cases, Trump is threatening things that are never, ever going to happen. The calculation that his voters will be satisfied by this—even as he’s failing them so badly across the board—reveals his seething contempt for them with great clarity. We talked to Salon’s Amanda Marcotte, who writes well about MAGA psychology. We discuss why Trump genuinely thinks this stuff will sate MAGA, how this reveals his profoundly dim view of his supporters, why it was a catastrophe that the media overinterpreted 2024, and what it means that the culture has moved well beyond Trump and MAGA. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Venture capitalists and Silicon Valley have been riding high on the artificial intelligence wave. Yet with this runaway enthusiasm comes the risk for an even more calamitous bubble burst. Newcomer founder Eric Newcomer joins David Rothkopf to discuss why a reality check is much needed. They also explore Silicon Valley’s dramatic political shift, the growing public skepticism towards the tech oligarchs, and more.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down the new Canadian tariffs on US goods, the bizarre Republican midterm convention, Trump’s allusions to renaming New Mexico, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s tailspinning continues. A CNN analysis finds that Trump has a lower approval rating than any of his predecessors going into midterms in this millennium. That’s worse than Joe Biden in 2022, Barack Obama in 2014 and 2010, and even George W. Bush in 2006. Meanwhile, Trump says he’ll campaign heavily this fall, but humiliatingly, Republicans are leaking to Politico that they don’t want him anywhere near them on the trail. And The Washington Post reports that amid GOP fears of his toxicity, he’s running ads about himself and his super PAC may hoard its funds. Why? Because his team fears its fundraising ability may dry up after the midterms—meaning they anticipate a big loss. We talked to veteran political handicapper Charlie Cook about his new piece digging into the GOP “nightmare,” why Trump’s unpopularity may be historically unique, and why that’s making conventional midterm patterns unusually bad for the GOP.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: April 5, 2026 Corruption and madness have hit a new high-watermark with the Trump administration. From the firing of Pam Bondi to blatant war crimes, it’s a good thing we have a robust free press to report on it all. Right? Dan Froomkin and Jeff Jarvis join David Rothkopf to explore why traditional media is failing miserably during this fraught moment and why high-quality journalism is needed now more than ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: April 3, 2026 During Donald Trump’s speech on Iran this week, he revealed too much. In a line that sounded partly ad-libbed, he declared that the Strait of Hormuz “will open up naturally. It will just open up naturally.” This should be read as a straight-up admission that Trump has no idea how to fix the colossal mess he’s made, and that he’s just washing his hands of it entirely. That’s utterly damning. Meanwhile, Politico reports that Republicans privately fear the speech did nothing to help them politically; as one put it: “What the hell did he just say?” Those things are related: The worse this war gets, the more it will hurt Republicans in the midterms. We talked to foreign policy writer and podcaster David Rothkopf, author of a good piece about the speech. We discuss Trump’s implicit admission of failure, the deeper reasons this is developing into such a fiasco, why it’s a trap for Republicans, and what the post-Trump Democratic Party should look like.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: July 22, 2026 As we fall, others rise. Global trust in the United States has fallen significantly while China’s geopolitical standing is rising. We’re not just stuck in a quagmire war with Iran - we’re in the middle of a fundamental identity crisis. Are we the superpower we believe we are or is our stupidity in Iran showing us that conflict has evolved past us? Has Pete Hegseth cracked the code with testosterone testing? Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations joins Ed Luce and David Rothkopf to discuss America’s place in a shifting global landscape. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: April 20, 2026 Donald Trump just erupted at MAGA allies for opposing his war. In one tirade, he attacked Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and others as “FAKE MAGA.” In another, he slammed them as “Low IQ.” Similarly, his pollster, John McLaughlin, claimed the MAGA base “doesn’t consider” those critics “conservative” anymore. So disagreeing with Trump intrinsically makes you non-MAGA? This reveals Trump believes MAGA is whatever he says it is at any given moment—that Trump and his pollster really do view MAGA as a cult. We’ve written about this dynamic before, but decided it was worth a pod episode. So we talked to New Republic staff writer Perry Bacon, author of a great piece on Trump and the global right. We discuss why Trump’s international and domestic allies are deserting him, how his excommunication of top MAGA figures is shrinking the movement, why Trump believes he can control the minds of his voters, and why all this could hurt GOP chances of holding the Senate.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress is broken. Justice is gone. Corruption runs rampant in our government, and our most vile politicians get off scot-free. Meanwhile, many still view the Democrats negatively, and this perception is going to present significant hurdles for the midterms this year and beyond. What is missing within the Democratic party? What is the most effective strategy here to save our democracy? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss why we need scorched earth Democrats and where we go from here. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump and the GOP are in a growing panic over ICE. Trump’s advisers are sinking into recriminations. Republican officials are publicly admitting that his immigration agenda “seems to be not working” and that the GOP is “losing” the political battle over it. Others are suggesting that Alex Pretti’s killing was “murder” and that it’s time to “recalibrate.” Yet MAGA figures are pulling in the other direction. Media Matters has a good roundup: Many are urging Trump to escalate, with white supremacist Nick Fuentes labeling Pretti a “race traitor.” MAGA doesn’t want to let the GOP even appear to moderate. We talked to Jennifer Rubin, editor-in-chief of The Contrarian, who has a new piece urging Democrats to seize this moment. We discuss how MAGA’s white nationalism has landed “moderate” Republicans in a trap, why this provides an opening to divide the Trump coalition, and what Democrats can do to demonstrate that they side with the American people against Trump-MAGA’s violent lawlessness.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: March 4, 2026 In case you haven’t heard, Trump decided we need to go to war with Iran. What is the strategy here? Does our President even have one, or are we at the mercy of an idiot guided solely by ridiculous impulses? Joe Cirincione, Jon Wolfsthal and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to discuss the current situation in Iran, what this means for the US, and why we’re even there in the first place. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: April 17, 2026 In today’s episode, George Conway argues that as improbable as it might seem right now, congressional Republicans will ultimately decide they have no choice but to remove Donald Trump from office before his term ends. Conway, the former GOP lawyer-turned-Trump-critic, is running for Congress as a Democrat. One of his ads is a montage of all the horrors that Trump has unleashed, followed by Conway’s promise to be a different kind of Congressman in response. In our conversation, Conway explains why he thinks Republicans will eventually decide Trump has to go and talks about how he’ll push for impeachment immediately if elected. Conway also lays out an accountability agenda that includes impeaching many cabinet officials, criminal referrals for high-level Trump administration officials, and extensive other reforms designed to prevent anything like this from ever happening again.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: March 20, 2026 The war in Iran is off to a terrible start — and it looks like it’s going to get even worse. The only person that really seems to be happy about all this is Benjamin Netanyahu, who was finally achieved the regional conflagration he’s been dreaming of. Alon Pinkas joins David Rothkopf to examine what got us to this point, why Netanyahu has wanted this for so long, and what could be coming next.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: April 29, 2026 In today’s episode, economist Paul Krugman lays out an expansive case that Donald Trump holds a losing hand in the war with Iran. Krugman argues that Trump can’t seem to admit that the Strait of Hormuz problem has cornered him. Krugman also details why the situation could get worse, if Iran continues holding out and constraints on oil supply drive the global economy into recession. As Krugman puts it, this will keep getting uglier for Trump until he “swallows his pride” and accepts that he doesn’t hold the cards. This builds on the ⁠piece Krugman posted on his Substack⁠ arguing that time is on Iran’s side. Gas prices just ⁠hit a new high⁠, and Republicans ⁠quietly fear⁠ their midterm prospects are darkening due to what Trump has unleashed. Krugman takes us through these dynamics, notes that Trump is obsessing over his ballroom in search of a win, and explains why this all could tailspin further for the GOP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: March 6, 2026 Donald Trump is clearly declining – mentally, physically, and at the polls – and he knows it. What does this mean for the rest of Trump 2.0? What does the dismissal of Kristi Noem and appointment of Markwayne Mullin tell us about loyalty and competence within the administration? Mary Trump joins David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein to discuss our sunsetting president’s personal and political downfall. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: August 13, 2026 By now you’ve heard that when Donald Trump left the NATO summit in Turkey last month, he was clandestinely transferred from Air Force One to an alternative plane to avert a credible Iranian threat. It appears many of his cabinet members were left on Air Force One. Now new leaks make the story look darker: It turns out Trump brought several of the aides who are personally closest to him on the safe alternative flight. This, even as he left numerous journalists on the original plane, which effectively turned them into a decoy that might have been targeted. None were informed of the operation. It all perfectly captures Trump’s contempt for the media, so we talked to Margaret Sullivan, author of the excellent press-critiquing Substack “American Crisis.” She explains why this saga is so irregular, why the media faces a moment of uncommon challenges, and why journalists often won’t directly confront authoritarianism, even when it gravely threatens their own institution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily Live for August 28, Jen Welch of I've Had It podcast joins us to discuss the lies coming out of the White House, the DeSantis administration misappropriating funds, Trump renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America," and more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Donald Trump aggressively highlighted a long screed from a MAGA influencer that sharply criticized the GOP for failing in all kinds of ways. This is aimed like a laser at depressing the Trump base. Making this matter more, Trump keeps saying stuff like this himself: He recently declared that his voters are not angry at him, they are angry at Republicans. Translation: Trump voters should hold the GOP accountable for failing him. This directly undercuts the GOP midterm strategy of campaigning on...the achievements of the GOP Congress. Note that Mike Johnson keeps attempting that strategy, only to see Trump undercut it again and again. We think this could actually matter, and to parse out why, we talked to Jennifer Rubin, editor-in-chief of The Contrarian. We discuss why Trump’s attacks on the GOP really could make a huge difference in hard demographic terms, why Trump’s political project requires him to keep doing this, and what Democrats must do now to avoid overconfidence and close out strong.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump just signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America. This, of course, gives us a fitting new acronym to remember the names of the Great Lakes: S-H-A-M-E. But it also comes amidst an intensifying, nonsensical trade war with Canada that will have serious economic consequences for millions of Americans. And all this for what? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the administration’s trade war with Canada, the current situation with Iran, and the political landscape as we inch closer to the midterm elections. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the soaring number of ICE detentions, a federal judge lifts all blocks on Trump’s mail-in ballot executive order, disastrous flooding in Nepal-Tibet, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is reportedly instructing advisers to spend big on midterm ads...about himself. Sources leak to The Atlantic that Trump advisers are telling him the real reason the polls look so bad is that voters are unaware of his many stupendous successes. He is apparently so unwilling to accept the reality facing Republicans that he’s nixing their efforts to make their races more local—and less about him. All this comes as Republicans openly fear Trump’s trade war with Canada will hurt their chances. That Trump is going haywire with his anti-Canada mania—even as the GOP begs him not to, and even as he plans new ads about himself—all constitutes a new level of unraveling. We talked to Mona Charen, who’s been arguing at The Bulwark that Republicans badly need Trump to stay away from them. We discuss how Trump’s autocratic nature bars advisers from telling him the truth, why Republicans aren’t permitted to seek distance from him, and what some remarkable new polling reveals about Trump-MAGA weakness. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Politics makes strange bedfellows, and AI is making things stranger still. AI data centers are just one of the many ways that artificial intelligence and its by products are taking an increasingly large role in American politics at every level and creating new and bizarre alliances even among traditionally opposing factions. WIRED’s Molly Taft joins David Rothkopf to examine the rapid evolution of our politics — and why things are only getting weirder.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover the administration pausing all visa appointments, the Canada announcing retaliatory tariffs, Darline Graham’s victory in the South Carolina GOP runoff, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s rage at Canada is growing more unhinged. He just posted a deranged threat to rename Lake Ontario with the phrase “Lake America.” But it gets worse: He also intimated that the U.S. won’t be “doing much business with Ontario any longer.” That would be seismic, but here’s the thing: Trump appears to actually want this outcome. That’s why he’s plunged us into a trade war with our ally. But it’s backfiring: Canada just released its list of American products that will face retaliatory tariffs, and it appears aimed at harming local economies in ways that will hurt GOP incumbents and candidates. We previously reported this would create problems for Republicans. Now that it’s happening, we recorded an episode about it with Democratic strategist Christina Reynolds, a veteran of midterms. We discuss why the trade war could have outsized impact in the Midwest, how this might badly hurt GOP chances, what the Midwest’s political transformation reveals about the decline of Trumpism, and how Democrats can seize this moment going forward. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss the Supreme Court’s new ruling on mail-in voting, the administration’s plans for the largest visa revocation in history, Trump’s ridiculous threats to rename Lake Ontario, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The other day, Donald Trump unveiled a new “plan” to curb beef prices by suspending tariffs on huge amounts of beef imports, while claiming the beef will be sold to the U.S. at a big discount. But he wouldn’t say which countries will be importing the beef or how he secured that commitment. In this, Trump accidentally revealed that his tariffs actually do raise consumer prices, debunking his own claim that other countries pay the tariffs. This, even as he just escalated his tariffs on another front by expanding his trade war with Canada, which will hit Trump country hard. We think all this shows new levels of contempt for his own voters. So we talked to Paul Krugman, whose Substack is excellent at demystifying such matters. He explains why Trump’s beef plan is a scam, what it reveals about Trump’s disdain for MAGA, and why this trade war with Canada is such a terrible idea. Krugman also discusses how it all discredits MAGA economics and whether liberals can use Trump’s world-historical failures to shift the economic argument more fundamentally. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Defense Department is in a crisis unlike we’ve ever seen before. America’s munitions stocks have been decimated and our military competence has been wrecked by the Trump administration. Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth will leave the Pentagon in a state of rubble when all is said and done - will that give us an opportunity for real, transformative change in our defense policy? What would a competent DoD look like in the future? Sharon Weinberger joins David Rothkopf and Rosa Brooks to discuss the state of US defense policy, how big tech is redefining war, and where we go from here. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down the collapse of US/Canada trade negotiations, the DOJ’s appeal of a Supreme Court decision, Trump’s puzzling appeal to voters, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s handling of the Natalie Harp mess has backfired big time. The Atlantic reports that Trump’s own anger is why Trumpworld exploded so vehemently after Senator Jon Ossoff highighted their closeness. As the media focused on Harp, Trump grew “furious,” which led aides to “take their cues” from him, leading to more lashing out, but this “backfired spectacularly,” prompting more attention—and more leaks. The New York Times reported that some advisers think her sway is “poisonous,” and even that she's provided him with the ugliest social media content that he posts, such as the image of the Obamas as apes. We talked to Democratic operative Greg Greene, who held this job under Obama and wrote about it for The New Republic. We discuss the deeper problems with this arrangement, why the latest disclosures are so unnerving, and what it all says about the Cult of Trump—and about Trumpworld’s profound contempt for our constitutional order.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily Live for August 21, Wajahat Ali of the Left Hook Substack joins us to discuss Trump’s enshitification of DC, Angie Nixon’s shocking win in Florida, the curious case of Natalie Harp, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump and his allies have made American defense weak. From the disastrous handling of the war with Iran to the abandonment of staunch allies in favor of despots, it’s clearer by the day that security is not the priority of this administration. Former Navy pilot Ken Harbaugh joins David Rothkopf to analyze what makes this national defense crisis so startling and why America needs to prepare for future crises.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump just issued a crazed, rambling tirade, vowing to hit Iran with the “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN” while threatening “TREMENDOUS” economic consequences to any country that helps Iran. News organizations are struggling to divine what he means and what it’s supposed to accomplish. Regardless, it shows just how stuck Trump is in this quagmire. Meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor Greene offered her own extended prediction that the GOP is facing a brutal midterm because Trump’s broken promises on Iran have effectively shattered the MAGA coalition. Greene’s statement is a remarkable moment, so we talked to New Republic contributing editor Virginia Heffernan, who’s been writing well about MAGA’s crackup. We discuss the deeper meaning of Greene’s stand, the hidden fissures splintering MAGA, why this threatens the GOP’s midterm hopes, and why even a crushing Democratic victory won’t get us out of the woods just yet.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The “Big Beautiful Bill” is certainly big, but it is the opposite of beautiful. The bill includes a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid, which have been postponed until after the midterm elections. Take these social service cuts alongside skyrocketing national debt, looming bond market issues, and a potential ballooning defense budget - and yet the situation is still somehow worse than that. Join Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf as they discuss the chilling implications of Medicaid cuts and the broader impact on healthcare and the economy. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss Trump’s latest threats against Iran, the ballooning national debt, Trump’s fixation on the White House helipad, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s approval rating just hit an abysmal low of 33-64 in Reuters polling. That’s only one survey, but Trump also just hit a new low of 37-59 in New York Times polling averages, which suggests he’s likely in the mid-30s and may be trending toward the Reuters number. This comes as Democrats appear to have flipped a state legislative district in western Pennsylvania that Trump won in 2024 by 18 points. Though that race hasn’t been called yet, either way it’s an 18-point shift, a very good omen. Meanwhile, a CNN analysis finds Trump badly bleeding Hispanic men, a demographic he carried in 2024, another sign his coalition is imploding. We talked about all of it with Michael Cohen, author of a new piece on GOP extremism for his Substack, Truth and Consequences. We discuss what the Pennsylvania swing portends, why a Democratic Senate majority is now at least possible, why Trump losing Latinos is a huge deal, and what it means that Democrats are voting as if Trump is on the ballot this fall. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss Angie Nixon’s shocking primary win in Florida, Trump pausing new tariffs on Canada, Israeli strikes on a Syrian air base, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House and MAGA exploded in fury after Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff pointed out during a speech that Donald Trump loves to “travel with Natalie” on the presidential jet. “Natalie,” of course, is Natalie Harp, the young aide whom Trump relies on heavily for emotional support and basically controls information flows to him. Yet despite all the fake MAGA outrage, Semafor reports that in fact, Trump’s own aides are “unnerved” by their closeness. That shows Ossoff is forcing a much-needed conversation over Trump’s sunsetting and the informational bubble he resides in daily. We talked to Paul Waldman, who wrote about this saga on his Substack, The Cross Section. We discuss how Ossoff stripped bare the realities of Trump’s sunsetting, why this is what actually got MAGA so furious, why this shows Democrats should make the midterms about Trump, and what it all says about how Democrats should fight the information wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why can’t the US and China just get along when it comes to artificial intelligence? As the two nations jockey for an edge in AI, President’s Trump and Xi prepare for a consequential summit where the tech race may play a bigger role than ever. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Scott Singer joins David Rothkopf to discuss why in the race for AI dominance between China the US, the best way to win might just be to work together. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down the Disney lawsuit against the Trump administration, Trump’s threats against Oman, the DHS investigating its critics, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 60-day deadline for a deal between Donald Trump and Iran has passed, and he’s in a lather over it. First Trump raged to Fox News of his displeasure with Oman’s negotiations with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s--t out of them,” he fumed nonsensically. Then, under questioning over foreign policy, he erupted at a female journalist, repeatedly instructing her to “be quiet, be quiet, be quiet” in a vile and abusive tone. Meanwhile, officials leaked their pessimism about the war to Politico, saying things like “we never should have started this war” and revealingly admitting they have no idea what “winning” over Iran even means anymore. Translation: He lost. We talked to former Defense Department official Ariane Tabatabi. She explains the current standoff, why Trump’s rage at Oman is so absurd, how his megalomaniacal belief in his own limitless strength and power has backfired, and what might happen if Iran drags this out through the midterms.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down Trump’s decision to reduce joint exercises with South Korea, the DOJ’s efforts to exert more control over voter rolls, Jared Kushner’s new push for a ceasefire in Israel, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At a rally the other day, Donald Trump handed Democrats the perfect soundbite. “For you to pay a tiny little bit more for your gasoline,” Trump seethed, “just remember” it’s to deprive Iran of a nuclear weapon. He said higher prices are “okay,” and that “I will never apologize.” Trump’s angry sneering tone on the words “tiny little bit more” projected deep contempt for all who dare object to hardship imposed on them by his needless war, and the moment produced harsh media coverage. Separately, Trump curtly brushed off concerns among military families over long deployments and bad conditions on the U.S.S. Lincoln. We talked about all this with MS NOW’s Steve Benen, author of an interesting piece on Trump’s refusal to ever admit error. We discuss how Trump’s lifelong penchant for faking expertise is catching up with him, how Democrats can exploit this new self-own, and why political conditions suddenly resemble those that brought down George W. Bush in his second term.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time to change how we think about economics. It’s clear that the economic philosophies we’ve taken as gospel for decades are only helping those at the top while leaving the rest of us further behind in the dust. Entrepreneur and civic activist Nick Hanauer joins David Rothkopf to discuss his new booklet Markets Built for Humans  and why a paradigm shift in how we think about the economy can build a system that serves everyone.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily Live for Friday, August 14th, Norm Ornstein joins us to discuss current vaccine lunacy, Iran’s state media mocking Trump, the Kennedy Center Board putting Trump’s name back on it, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intriguingly, Fox News has lately been hitting Donald Trump with terrible polling news. In recent days, Fox has found Democrats slightly ahead in Senate races in Maine, Texas, and Iowa, and up by a lot in North Carolina. Critically, Trump’s own favorability numbers are very bad in all those states, even though he won three of them, two by double digits. In all four, his numbers among independents are shockingly awful. Meanwhile, on the Iran war—which is central to why his standing is cratering—Trump aides are privately feeding him hopium. The Atlantic reports that they’re showing him data on Iran’s economy, which supposedly illustrates that if he does nothing and bides his time, Iran will surrender any day now. Doing nothing is the smart play, sir! Yet as Democratic strategist Caitlin Legacki argues in this episode, Trump’s inaction on Iran is a big albatross for GOP Senate candidates. Legacki explains why Iran is central to the battle for the Senate, why those Fox polls should give Democrats grounds for cautious optimism, and what could still go wrong for them.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Midterm elections are right around the corner, and things aren’t looking good for MAGA. Democratic enthusiasm is high and Trump’s approval is circling the drain, but it’s clear that MAGA is pulling out all the stops to tip the scales in their favor. Emma Janssen and Michael Tomasky from the New Republic join Rosa Brooks and David Rothkopf and share what Democrats must do to protect democracy and win big in November.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss Karoline Leavitt leaving her position as Press Secretary, ICE getting taser gloves, the UK's special election, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By now you’ve heard that when Donald Trump left the NATO summit in Turkey last month, he was clandestinely transferred from Air Force One to an alternative plane to avert a credible Iranian threat. It appears many of his cabinet members were left on Air Force One. Now new leaks make the story look darker: It turns out Trump brought several of the aides who are personally closest to him on the safe alternative flight. This, even as he left numerous journalists on the original plane, which effectively turned them into a decoy that might have been targeted. None were informed of the operation. It all perfectly captures Trump’s contempt for the media, so we talked to Margaret Sullivan, author of the excellent press-critiquing Substack “American Crisis.” She explains why this saga is so irregular, why the media faces a moment of uncommon challenges, and why journalists often won’t directly confront authoritarianism, even when it gravely threatens their own institution.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The times they are a-changin’. From Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York to Abdul El-Sayed’s primary win in Michigan, it’s clear that progressive politics are more popular than ever and growing by the day. Yet many in the Democratic establishment can’t seem to get with the program. Host of the I’ve Had It podcast Jennifer Welch joins David Rothkopf to examine what makes these victories so meaningful and why it’s time for traditional Democrats to evolve and expand the tent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the results of Tuesday’s primaries, Trump confirming details of his Air Force One caper, a judge blocking a provision of Trump’s executive order targeting mail-in ballots, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While interviewing Donald Trump, a MAGA media personality urged Trump to consider declaring a national emergency to seize control of our elecctions. Trump’s response was ugly. “Let me just say that stranger things have happened,” Trump said. “I’ll leave it at that.” In other words, Trump wants it understood that declaring a national emergency absolutely is being considered. This comes as Politico reports that Republicans are privately bracing to face Trump’s “wrath,” now that the Senate has gone on recess without passing the voter suppression legislation he wants. Republicans fear he’ll erupt at them anew over this in coming days. In short, Trump is intensifying his search for ways to rig the midterms or steal them outright. So we talked to Professor Rick Hasen, the author of the excellent Election Law Blog. He explains what’s wrong with Trump’s “national emergency” threat, how it signals genuine intent to delegitimize our elections, what election-theft options Trump has that really should worry us, and what ordinary voters can do—right now—to prepare for the worst. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are we being too laissez-faire in our approach to artificial intelligence? Rarely has there been a technology so profoundly important, yet so concentrated in the hands of a few private citizens. "National security experts Ivo Daalder and Graham Allison join David Rothkopf to explore the terrifying implications of hands-off policymaking, and why—as with nuclear weapons—we probably shouldn’t leave private companies in charge of such explosive technology." This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss Trump's secret flight from Turkey, more Primary news, RFK Jr's new effort to upend vaccines, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a fascinating new analysis, CNN’s Harry Enten calculates that Donald Trump’s net approval on the economy is 33 points underwater. That’s a shocking 42-point swing from during the 2018 midterms, when Trump was in positive territory. On top of that, Enten notes that in the most recent CNN poll, Trump’s net approval on inflation is 50 points underwater, and that this hasn’t been rivaled by any other president. Meanwhile, Republican pollsters and strategists tell The Wall Street Journal that they fear that under Trump, the GOP has thrown away its traditional advantage on the economy. And they suggest time is running out to turn that around. We talked to New Republic senior editor Alex Shephard, who has been arguing well that Trump’s unpopularity is the story of our politics. We discuss why the bottom fell out so quickly for Trump, what the punditry still gets wrong about 2024, and why Democrats won’t make a big case that on the economy, their party tends to be far better than the GOP ever is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss Obama’s call to Abdul El-Sayed, Iran’s demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the new White House counsel, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an interview with Punchbowl News, Donald Trump said straight out that his voters just might not show up for GOP candidates this fall. That’s a striking admission of one of the thorniest problems the GOP faces. But it gets worse. Trump also declared that “a lot” of his voters are “not angry at me,” but “are very angry at Republicans.” That will likely be read by his supporters as a declaration that Republicans are failing Trump, and as encouragement to stay home. Meanwhile, polling shows MAGA voters turning against his war in large numbers. And MS NOW interviewed Trump voters and found them deeply disappointed with his second term. In short, MAGA is cracking up. We talked to Shripal Shah, who runs ad expenditures for the Dem-aligned House Majority PAC. We discuss whether Trump voters are gettable by Democrats, whether the current Democratic lead in the generic House matchup is enough, and how big a challenge the tattered Dem brand really poses.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily Live for Friday, August 7th, Mary Trump joins us to discuss a troubling new jobs report, AIPAC’s new pivot in the Michigan election, Donald Trump’s new executive orders targeting immigrants, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A striking new Washington Post report reveals that Donald Trump privately raged at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, demanding to know why he’d been caught off guard by depleted munitions stockpiles. Yet these leaks actually reveal his own serious screw-ups: Trump wrongly concluded that the munitions situation had been fixed, showing that the commander in chief utterly failed to keep track of the impact his decision to go to war was having on the U.S. military. Meanwhile, other leaks suggest that Trump is feeling privately humiliated by his failure to defeat Iran, which freshly exposes just how deep his miscalculations have been all along. We talked to Salon’s Amanda Marcotte, a skillful interpreter of MAGA pathologies. She explains why authoritarian regimes rely on slavish loyalists like Hegseth, discusses why voters’ rejection of Trump is so important to salvaging the American experiment, and deciphers a conundrum known as “the MAGA paradox.”  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for August 6, we discuss Chuck Edwards withdrawing from reelection, the confirmation of a new CDC director, yet another rogue AI breach, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats just nominated left-wing populist Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate race. Yet his victory was razor close, suggesting he faces big challenges ahead. What’s his theory of the case? In his victory speech and in remarks to reporters, El-Sayed offered clues. He described Trumpism as a fusion of the “worst” of neoconservatism and of MAGA, an apt description of the horrors Trump has created. He cast his GOP opponent as a Trump bootlicker, essentially saying this is what Trump demands of his party. And he juxtaposed Trumpism with the ethnic diversity of his coalition and with the immigrant heritage of himself and his children, an effective indictment of Trumpian white-nationalism. Is this enough? We talked to Ron Brownstein, senior political analyst at CNN and columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. We discuss El-Sayed’s many challenges in the general, how he absolutely can assemble a winning coalition, and what he's learned from Barack Obama’s understanding of American politics.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Using big bombs make Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth feel like bigger men. But what results from the high-T strategy of ravaging our munitions stocks? Enormous national security risks, skyrocketing military budgets, questionable procurement decisions, and the erosion of longstanding alliances and strategic trust in the US. Former US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall joins David Rothkopf and Rosa Brooks to discuss the current administration’s disastrous foreign policy strategy and how the US could recover from these blunders. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Progressives across America just keep winning. Abdul El-Sayed’s primary win in Michigan is just another sign that Americans are ready for change and prepared to fight for it. The Left Hook’s Wajahat Ali joins David Rothkopf to celebrate these victories and forecast what progressives and Democrats should do to keep the momentum going into November and beyond.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the victory of Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, a judge dismissing January 6th charges against Oath Keepers, the utter failure of the White House UFC event, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has been raging at Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for Washington, DC, because she dropped those high-profile prosecutions for alleged vandalism of his Reflecting Pool renovation. That pressure is corrupt on its own. But new leaks are making it look even worse. CBS News reports that Pirro actually carried a box of evidence to the White House showing that the facts simply didn’t support those prosecutions. The meeting got “heated,” per CBS, seemingly meaning Trump wanted prosecutions in spite of what the facts and the law said. Meanwhile, we just learned this fiasco triggered private “tirades” from Trump, further underscoring his quest for lawless prosecutions. We talked to former federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade, author of The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government. She walks us through just how deeply irregular this presidential conduct truly is, discusses what has been lost at DOJ, and reflects on how a Democratic House and/or Senate can rein in all this madness next year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The tech bros have made their bed, and soon it’s going to be time to lie in it. From Palantir to OpenAI, the figureheads of the major AI companies have endeared themselves to the Trump administration. Financial Times correspondent Joe Miller joins David Rothkopf to discuss how the impending midterms and not too distant presidential election could bring a reckoning to the tech industry.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we cover today’s primaries in Michigan and more, another tragic death in ICE custody, reports that the US’s munitions are drastically depleted, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, CNN analyst Harry Enten flagged a truly surprising finding in a Fox News poll that had eluded our attention: Trump’s approval is nine points underwater in Texas, which he won by 14 points in 2024. That’s not all: The Fox poll, which shows Democrat James Talarico up by three points, finds Trump's approval at an astounding 18 percent among independents in Texas, with 50 percent disapproving strongly. That’s remarkable, especially given how key independents are in the Texas Senate race. All this comes as Trump unleashed a long tirade claiming “my REAL poll numbers” are “the best they have ever been.” Trump also bizarrely listed a long litany of accomplishments that were, well, entirely made up, showing he has zero intention to help his party by recalibrating. We talked to Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett, who knows Texas and has worked on midterms. He explains why Trump’s standing with Texas independents is “absolutely shocking,” what the path to victory there looks like, where Talarico still must improve, and how numbers like these could open up other red states for Democrats. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scandals and controversies abound in the Republican Party. Between serious allegations against Ohio Representative Miller and bitter infighting over Todd Blanche, a political melee is in full swing in the GOP. Join Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf as they dissect the latest GOP turmoil, preview the upcoming Michigan Democratic primary, examine AIPAC’s shifting influence, and unpack what it all means for the country. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down Blanche backing down on the anti-weaponization fund, Trump lashing out over the Reflecting Pool, RFK Jr. telling families to get vaccinated, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump unleashed an epic tirade at Senator John Cornyn for blocking his IRS lawsuit settlement slush fund, which would let Trump reward allies and grants the Trumps a form of tax immunity. Cornyn is holding up the nomination of Todd Blanche as attorney general until it’s killed. Trump gloated that he’d endorsed Cornyn’s victorious primary opponent and seethed that the American people want him to have this corrupt fund. In response, another foe, Senator Thom Tillis, landed a hard blow, asserting that Trump’s rage over the fund is exactly why it must be killed. Humiliatingly, Tillis treated Trump like a toddler who must be told, “no.” Plus, a defeat would show that Trump’s license to corrupt DOJ is not limitless. (Underscoring this humiliation, after we recorded Trump petulantly exploded again, saying he absolutely will have his fund.) We talked to New Republic staff writer Emma Janssen, author of our great new politics newsletter all about Democrats, The TNR Blue Book, which you should subscribe to, folks! We discuss her installment on how Dems are exploiting these splits, the deeper reasons for them, and how they reveal Trump’s diminishing power more broadly.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily Live for Friday, we break down Hamas agreeing to disarm, Trump’s Cabinet meeting at Camp David, the state of the race in Michigan, and take questions from our live audience.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the conflict with Iran drags on, the Trump administration’s approach and growing American public frustration have dominated the news. But how are Iran’s government and citizens navigating this seemingly interminable war? New York Times journalist and co-author of the new book Stolen Revolution Yeganeh Torbati joins David Rothkopf to provide crucial insight into how Iranians view the war—and why the regime may be better equipped to outlast Washington as hostilities grind on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump and his dutiful Federal Communications Commission chair, Brendan Carr, have been targeting a number of ABC’s broadcast licenses, and ABC just challenged this hard in a new filing. In an interesting move, ABC cited Trump’s own social media postings and remarks at speeches to show that he is corruptly trying to censor the network as punishment for its content and viewpoints, in violation of the First Amendment. Amusingly, in those examples, Trump blurted right out in public that he does in fact want the FCC to punish ABC precisely because of its speech. Now this has become a weapon against Trump. We talked to law professor Leah Litman, author of a good book about the Supreme Court. She explains why Trump’s public bullying of ABC should undermine his case, walks us through the legal ins-and-outs here, details why ABC might prevail, and discusses how open, explicit corruption is intrinsic to his political project. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down new reports that the economy is in worse shape than predicted, new Iranian strikes near the Suez Canal, Elon Musk’s attempt to block anti-nudification legislation in Minnesota, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is suddenly bumping up against limits in many areas at once. Top aides just leaked to The Atlantic that he’s “frustrated” with his inability to force Iran’s hand with his increasingly deranged threats. In the case of Trump’s bogus efforts to prosecute James Comey, we just learned that he personally demanded briefings in real time about interrogations of him. That reveals in deeply humiliating fashion his extraordinary personal involvement in the case and makes it more likely it’ll get tossed. His acting DNI chief Bill Pulte is boasting about firing “deep state” denizens even though this may not have actually happened. To make sense of all this, we talked to Talking Points Memo editor-at-large David Kurtz, author of the excellent “Morning Memo” newsletter. We discuss the legal ins-and-outs of these new developments, why there’s some cause for optimism that Trump is being meaningfully constrained, how our institutions are nonetheless on a knife’s edge, and what the endgame of Trump’s attempted authoritarian takeover might look like. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In its bout with Iran, the US is neither floating like a butterfly nor stinging like a bee. Trump’s dual meetings with Netanyahu and Zelensky have laid bare the foreign policy lightweight that our president really is while Iran only gets stronger.  Lieutenant General Douglas Lute joins David Rothkopf and Ed Luce to discuss the war against Iran, Ukraine’s continued defense against Russian aggression, and how each misstep by the administration is leading up to an inevitable knockout.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the US and Saudi Arabia launching strikes in Iraq, Rand Paul’s latest attack on Fauci ahead of a Senate hearing, the confirmation of Jay Clayton as intelligence chief, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Fox News, Donald Trump threatened to bomb all of Iran’s bridges and all of its power plants. Making this worse, Trump declared that his threat could leave all of Iran’s 91 million people without power. That may be the first time Trump has explicitly said this threat could apply to Iran’s entire population, which would constitute an extraordinary atrocity. Though Trump presented this as something he’d be reluctant to do, the key is he still confirmed it’s under consideration. Meanwhile, many MAGA figures are very upset about Trump’s new meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, fearing it portends an escalation: As Steve Bannon put it, this is a “disaster for America First.” MAGA doesn’t care much about Iranians, but Trump’s escalation threats do rattle them for other reasons. We talked to former State Department official Emily Horne, author of the Spin Class Substack. We discuss the humanitarian horrors Trump is actually hinting at, what MAGA pressure on Trump means, and why the logic of the trap ensnaring Trump could lead to a terrible ending. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, the ending of temporary protected status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants, the uncertain future of Todd Blanche’s confirmation, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrew and Tristan Tate, two major “manosphere” influencers, were recently arrested in Miami and now face charges of rape and sex trafficking in Britain. The White House now says Donald Trump will not intervene in their extradition, a turnaround for two top MAGA figures who are close to Trump’s inner circle and helped him win young men in 2024. Worse, many MAGA figures are following Trump and deserting the Tates. Still, MAGA is cracking over this: Tucker Carlson and several other figures are expressing sharp skepticism of the charges, treating the Tates as martyrs and raging at the charges as “politically driven.” As Guardian columnist Moira Donegan and I conclude in this episode, their dissent is significant: It’s clearly speaking to a sizable chunk of MAGA that actively lionizes the violent misogyny that the Tates represent. We discuss the deeper causes of MAGA’s divisions over the Tates, why the MAGA vision of masculinity is imploding, how Democrats got spooked by 2024 into overreading Trump’s successes with young men, and how they can speak to this constituency more effectively. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has hit a trifecta, throwing away the traditional GOP edge on the economy, immigration, and national security. The latest polls show Democrats are leading Republicans on the economy by a comfortable nine points, have hit near-parity with the GOP on immigration, and lead on foreign policy, even as Trump has sunk into the 20s on the Iran war, all shockers. These polls show it’s all driven by Trump’s collapsing approval on all three. Yet Trump just unleashed a huge new wave of tariffs. His GOP allies are leaking their deep dismay to Politico: One suggests this worsens the affordability problem and cannot be spun favorably by GOP candidates. Another says this is a “bad conversation for Republicans.” We talked to Democratic strategist Andrew Bates. He explains what all this looks like on the ground in difficult House races, what obstacles still remain, and why it remains hard for Democrats to win rural voters who are unhappy with Trump.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily Live for Friday, we discuss the DoD changing the official troop death numbers in Iran, a slate of new tariffs from the administration, Iran rejecting a ceasefire proposal from the US, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump exploded at Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Wednesday, demanding that he hurry up and pass the SAVE Act, the horrific voter suppression that Trump thinks will save the GOP. This comes as the House is passing funding to reward states that adopt its provisions. The idea is Senate Republicans can pass those via reconciliation. Thune says the votes aren’t there, but Trump went nuclear on him and the White House joined the fray, so pressure is growing. This comes as a Fox News poll finds the GOP seven points behind in the House ballot matchup, and falling far behind Democrats on the economy, to boot. Other new polls are showing further GOP deterioration. We talked to Ari Berman, the great voting rights reporter for Mother Jones. He walks us through how Trump’s plot would really work, the obstacles it faces, why Trump really might attempt to seize ballot boxes, and what would  happen next. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An OpenAI model has gone rogue. Not only has it gone rogue, but it hacked Hugging Face completely unprompted and without approval. That’s pretty scary. But just how much of this story should legitimately frighten us, and how much is being blown out of proportion? Senior Editor for AI at MIT Technology Review Will Heaven joins David Rothkopf to cut through the bullshit and share why we should be concerned and if we should expect similar incidents in the future.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the skyrocketing prices of oil after Houthi attacks on Saudi oil tankers, the House passing a $95 billion budget reconciliation framework, surprising primary victories in Arizona, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Politico reports that Republicans now think they’re seriously doomed in the midterms. One GOP operative offers this truly astonishing quote about Donald Trump’s effect on the party: “We’re preparing for the bottom to fall out.” Republicans are fretting that Democrats have a real chance of winning Senate and House races in states and districts that Trump won by double digits. Another Trump ally laments that he won’t admit he lost the Iran war and is caught in a “classic escalation trap” with no way out. In short, Republicans think Trump is in collapse. And yet...we don’t think Democrats are close to putting this away. So we talked to Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg. He argues that the GOP panic is in sync with what public polls do show about the Senate races and discusses other problems the GOP faces (like the coming reinstatement of Trump’s tariffs). He also ponders what could still go wrong, urging Democrats to address potential pitfalls—their too-small lead in the generic ballot matchup and their lack of a concrete agenda to close out the home stretch.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we fall, others rise. Global trust in the United States has fallen significantly while China’s geopolitical standing is rising. We’re not just stuck in a quagmire war with Iran - we’re in the middle of a fundamental identity crisis. Are we the superpower we believe we are or is our stupidity in Iran showing us that conflict has evolved past us? Has Pete Hegseth cracked the code with testosterone testing? Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations joins Ed Luce and David Rothkopf to discuss America’s place in a shifting global landscape. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover Pete Hegseth’s Senate hearing, Trump signing off on a 30-year nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, a judge handing another setback to the administration’s immigration crackdown, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump lost his temper with a reporter on Tuesday after she pressed him on why Iran is continuing to fight. In barely-concealed anger, he ripped her organization as “fake” and insisted Iran “desperately” wants to make a deal. But of course, that only revealed the line of questioning to be absolutely correct: Iran is not desperate, and he really does not know how to force Iran’s hand or get out of this disaster. Meanwhile, Politico reports that GOP anxiety is growing about how the Iran war will hurt the party in the midterms. Politico sums up the GOP attitude with the word “bleak,” noting that Republicans are “distressed” about the war’s political impact, with one calling this a “quagmire.” We talked to former State Department official Marie Harf. We discuss the deeper reasons Trump is so stuck, what Iran has come to understand about Trump, how Republicans screwed themselves by giving Trump a blank check, and why only a Democratic Congress might be able to extricate us from this fiasco. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are fast approaching midterm elections which Trump and his cronies will try to corrupt. Pete Hegseth is asking for more money to fund the most unpopular war in American history, and social programs are being cut left and right. It’s not just the quagmire of a war in Iran - Donald Trump is waging a war against the American people. There’s no other way to put it: “We are so f*cked by this guy, it’s hard to imagine.” Listen in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss the never-ending corruption and greed that is literally killing Americans. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss the Houthis declaring a blockade of Saudi Arabia, new 50% tariffs on Canadian imports, disputes over arresting Netanyahu in New York, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is cratering in several new polls: They have his approval at an average of 22 points underwater. That’s just abysmal. Indeed, as CNN’s Harry Enten notes in a striking on-air analysis, it’s a “record” and “the worst this century,” worse than both George W. Bush and Barack Obama at similar points in their second terms, which produced midterm wipeouts. And Enten points out that Trump is 45 points underwater with independents, also a new record. Enten concludes: “These are horrible numbers!” And yet there are numerous signs that Democrats are not converting this into quite the midterm edge they need. So we talked to veteran Democratic strategist Christina Reynolds. We discuss why the Democratic advantage is insufficient as of now, what’s really making that happen, how to turn it around, and why Trump’s awful numbers will likely prove impossible for the GOP to outrun in the end.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NVIDIA, the Silicon Valley-based company SPAN and a major homebuilder recently announced a partnership to deploy mini-data centers at homes around the US. By using existing grid capacity, the companies hope to close the speed-to-power gap by building networks of distributed compute capacity while cutting power costs for homeowners. Join host David Sandalow as he explores this exciting and innovative idea with Arch Rao, founder and CEO of SPAN.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for July 20, we break down the deaths of two more American service members, Maine Democrats consolidating around Troy Jackson, Trump’s strange World Cup antics, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During his prime-time speech dissembling endlessly about our elections, Donald Trump raged at news organizations for refusing to carry him live. Then his Homeland Security secretary also smeared the media, a sign Trump’s fury continues to deepen. We think this means Trump fully expects news organizations to help him amplify his lies about our elections to sow distrust in them. As we discuss in this episode, his speech revealed that he’s plainly mulling an effort to rig the midterms, and sowing that distrust is key to it. A funny thing, though: Fox News explicitly declined to endorse his claims and refrained from carrying his DHS secretary. And according to Fox sources, insiders were dismayed to hear Trump obsessing over our elections, thought it was bad politics for the GOP, and even worried it was bad for business given post-2020 litigation against Fox. We talked to Harvard political scientist Ryan Enos, who explains how Trump is telegraphing an authoritarian plot to corrupt the elections, why the assaults on the media are central to that, and what we must see in response from Democrats and the American people. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for July 17th, we break down Trump’s prime-time address, the dangerous wildfire smoke blanketing parts of the US, the source of the cyclosporiasis breakout, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The landscape of AI policy is changing rapidly. From a one year data center moratorium in New York to sweeping new energy laws in Thailand, it’s clear that governments around the world are exploring radical new approaches to artificial intelligence. AI, Energy and Climate host David Sandalow and Siliconsciousness host David Rothkopf join forces to examine the far-reaching debate over AI policy to examine what’s working and what the future might hold.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: February 2, 2026 With the Daily Blast on break this week, join us as we revisit some of our top episodes of 2026! After The New York Times reported that President Trump has backtracked on a major demand he’d made on Harvard University, he spiraled out of control in three wild tirades. He angrily insisted on a correction from the Times, and levied unhinged new threats against Harvard, demanding a new billion-dollar extortion payment while calling for the university’s criminal prosecution. Harvard officials clearly leaked word of Trump’s backtracking to humiliate him at a moment of political weakness. It worked: Trump appeared panicked and weak as he fired off half-cocked threats. Which raises a question: Why don’t more institutions grasp that standing firm against Trump is the only way? We talked to Ryan Enos, a Harvard political scientist who has long argued for a strong stand. He explains the internal politics at Harvard leading to its current posture, why this fight’s outcome has broader significance amid our slide into authoritarianism, and what the prospects are for Harvard holding firm. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump and his cronies are already laying the groundwork to get involved in this year's elections. As Trump prepares to give a major speech on Thursday night where he will undoubtedly speak on "election fraud", it's clear there is no accountability for their corruption. So the question is - what do we do when Trump tries to steal the next election? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein address what’s at stake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Groundhog Day War with Iran grinds on and though we feel no closer to a conclusion, some kind of resolution to this phase of the conflict is inevitable. So what will such a deal look like? And what does it mean for US relations throughout the Middle East? Former White House Senior Advisor to the President Amos Hochstein joins David Rothkopf to explore the often overlooked factors driving a major regional reshuffling.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss the US launching more strikes on Iran, JD Vance admitting the administration dropped the ball on Epstein, Hegseth implementing testosterone testing in the military, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: April 17, 2026 With the Daily Blast on break this week, join us as we revisit some of our top episodes of 2026! In today’s episode, George Conway argues that as improbable as it might seem right now, congressional Republicans will ultimately decide they have no choice but to remove Donald Trump from office before his term ends. Conway, the former GOP lawyer-turned-Trump-critic, is ⁠running for Congress as a Democrat⁠. One of his ads ⁠is a montage of all the horrors⁠ that Trump has unleashed, followed by Conway’s promise to be a different kind of Congressman in response. In our conversation, Conway explains why he thinks Republicans will eventually decide Trump has to go and talks about how he’ll push for impeachment immediately if elected. Conway also lays out an accountability agenda that includes impeaching many cabinet officials, criminal referrals for high-level Trump administration officials, and extensive other reforms designed to prevent anything like this from ever happening again.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. has found itself in a seemingly endless cycle of conflict with Iran. Each episode brings familiar patterns: threats of military action from the U.S., Iranian responses, and eventually, a return to a tense standoff. The first phase ended in humiliation and defeat - can we lose the same war twice? How do we get ourselves out of this situation? Joe Cirincione and Alon Pinkas join David Rothkopf to discuss this “Groundhog Day” conflict with Iran and more. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover the Senate Democrats blocking a $1 trillion defense bill, Trump’s opposition to the suspension of ICE vehicle stops, scrutiny of Todd Blanche ahead of his hearing, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: June 1, 2026 With the Daily Blast on break this week, join us as we revisit some of our top episodes of 2026! Former attorney general Pam Bondi testified behind closed doors Friday about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. She effectively ⁠let it be known⁠ that Todd Blanche, now acting AG, has been responsible for this debacle, ⁠creating a new inquiry⁠ for Democrats to pursue that will be fraught for Trump. Bondi also ⁠went mum⁠ on how Trump instructed her to handle the Epstein files, basically declining to back Trump’s spin that he was pro-transparency, raising still more questions for Democrats to pursue. Meanwhile, Trump’s sinking approval, Iran debacle, ballroom and slush fund are fracturing Trumpworld and the GOP: One Republican ⁠told⁠ The Atlantic that he has “lame-ducked himself.” We talked to historian Nicole Hemmer, author of ⁠several books⁠ ⁠about the right⁠. We discuss why the Epstein scandal continues to fracture the MAGA movement, the deeper reasons for Trump’s weakening hold on the GOP, and why MAGA will go into deep turmoil once Trump passes from the scene.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The question is when, not if, the AI bubble is going to pop. As tech companies see share values skyrocket, it becomes more clear with each passing day that the value of these companies is built on a house of cards. So just how bad will the fallout be? Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Economic and Policy Research Dean Baker joins David Rothkopf to answer this question and more.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down the escalating violence perpetuated by ICE, Trump’s upcoming primetime speech, the impending confirmation hearings for Todd Blanche, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Daily Blast on break this week, join us as we revisit some of our top episodes of 2026! Original air date: June 22, 2026 Donald Trump’s war with Iran is making it clear this presidency could have much worse long-term consequences than we expected. Yet Trump is spending his nights indulging his crazed obsessions. In one ⁠early-morning tirade⁠, he raged about “fools” who criticize his Iran fiasco, calling them “bad people” and “stupid.” In another, he ⁠fulminated at length⁠ about his ballroom. He’s posting ⁠updates⁠ on the gilding of statues and ⁠images⁠ of himself on international magazine covers. The gap between the gravity of the moment on one side and his trivial megalomania on the other is jarring. We talked to economist Paul Krugman, who has been ⁠writing really well on his Substack⁠ about ⁠both sides⁠ ⁠of this divide⁠. He goes big-picture, detailing the signs that we’re a country in decline, why other countries are looking toward a post-American world, and why it’s shocking that we put up with his worsening megalomania and nonstop desecration of our republic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss the death of Lindsey Graham, Iran expanding strikes throughout the Gulf, Maine Democrats telling Chuck Schumer to back off, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for July 10, we cover Trump’s ousting of key members of the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission, new revelations on the ICE killing of an immigrant, 8 indictments over a planned attack on the White House UFC event, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big developments on the immigration front: First, ICE killed a 52-year-old undocumented immigrant in Texas this week. ICE’s account was already suspect. But now a representative for the man’s family says that the three other men driving with him—who are likely witnesses to the killing—are getting pressured to self-deport in a potential effort to silence them. That’s utterly damning. Second, Politico reports that a key piece of Trump’s deportation agenda—detentions without bond—has now lost in court a staggering 15,000 times. And get this: A majority of Trump-appointed judges who have considered the policy have rejected it. These things are related: The mounting lawlessness on many fronts is alienating even Trump judges. We talked to New Republic staff writer Melissa Gira Grant, author of a good piece on the Texas shooting. We discuss why it’s essential to focus on this one killing, why Trump judges turning against him constitute a vulnerability for his agenda, and why the American people can’t get complacent, now that he’s trying to deport huge numbers a lot more quietly.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court would not be what it is today without Mitch McConnell. We would not have the six-person, ultra-conservative, corrupt majority that we have now without him. As our democracy continues to die in front of our eyes, and as Donald Trump continues to destroy our relationships with our allies, the US is at a crossroads - can we ever recover? Do we have any emerging politicians to lead us out of this mess? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss Mitch McConnell’s tenure, Trump’s geopolitical disasters, and the future of our democracy. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down Trump’s poor showing at the Ankara NATO summit, Graham Platner dropping out of the Maine Senate race, fresh military strikes on Iran, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump and his MAGA allies are more unpopular than ever, but that doesn’t mean November will be a cakewalk for Democrats. Between entrenched leadership that refuses to get with the times and issues like the shocking fall of Graham Platner, it’s clear that Dems have their work cut out for them. Wajahat Ali of The Left Hook Substack joins David Rothkopf to lay out just how Democrats can unite and win big in the midterms and beyond.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the NATO summit on Wednesday, Donald Trump lashed out wildly at, well, everyone in sight. He threatened more war with Iran. He angrily vowed to cut off all trade with Spain. He hinted again at stealing Greenland. There were many other pratfalls. Amid all this, a Danish journalist had an extraordinary confrontation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, asking him point blank: What does sitting next to Trump and praising him while he viciously attacks allies, threatens to take whole countries by conquest, and unleashes wildly destructive trade wars do to your “self-respect”? In an understated way, it was a crushing takedown of Trump, treating him as a ludicrous, sidelined figure while essentially saying: All that matters is how the rest of us react to this lunatic. We talked to foreign policy expert Elizabeth Saunders. She explains how deep and lasting Trump’s damage to the alliance will be, how our NATO allies are quietly managing Trump with flattery until he’s gone, and how they’re even trying to “de-Americanize”—that is, move on into the future without us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NATO allies spent much of the summit in Ankara attempting to manage Donald Trump. Meanwhile, our president’s unpredictable commentary and bizarre statements only deepened the rift between the US and its allies. What does this mean for the future of NATO? Is the core mission of NATO undergoing a fundamental shift? Lieutenant General Mark Hertling and former Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder join David Rothkopf and Ed Luce to discuss the NATO summit in Turkey and the future of the alliance. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss Trump saying that the Iran ceasefire is dead, Trump bringing chaos to the NATO summit, dire forecasts from the IMF, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For weeks, Donald Trump’s fury has been growing at Republicans for failing to pass voter suppression legislation, demanding that they end the filibuster to do so. In a late-night tirade, he urged them to attach the SAVE Act to a must-pass defense spending bill, a dramatic move that reveals his deep frustration with them. As everybody knows, Trump sees restricting voting as the only way to stave off a midterm calamity. Meanwhile, in a striking piece, NBC News reports that Trump’s angry pressure has left Senate Republicans at wit’s end. They privately fear Trump is laying the groundwork to pin a midterm fiasco on their failure to pass something. They also blame Trump for letting this obsession take his focus off costs. One GOP Senator even tells NBC: “He’s a bully, and he’s f------ things up as fast as he can.” We talked to congressional scholar Norm Ornstein. He walks us through the details of the GOP predicament, decodes the real reason Republicans aren’t nixing the filibuster, and explains why it’s premature to rule out passage of the SAVE Act, offering a road map to what’s next.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down Mitch McConnell’s absence from the public eye, damning new allegations against Graham Platner, the start of a critical NATO summit in Turkey, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump ended the tortured saga around his gala for America’s 250th anniversary in typical fashion. Trump claimed 150,000 people attended his final speech, which was humiliatingly contradicted by videos of the event. Then Trump made it worse. During the speech he insisted that 375,000 people had been present before storms and an evacuation caused chaos and turmoil, reducing the crowd to 150,000 (again, a baseless number). But then afterward he posted that the initial total had been 422,000. Somehow the number ballooned by nearly 50,000, delivering still another blow to his credibility. We talked to New Republic senior editor Alex Shephard, who writes really well about MAGA’s dwindling cultural relevance. We discuss the deeper failures of Trump’s extravaganza, why he can’t tell a compelling story about the country anymore, why Barack Obama’s national narrative is far superior, and why the World Cup is acting as a perfect counter-narrative to Trumpism.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday we break down Trump's July 4th disaster, the upcoming NATO summit, Trump’s FIFA interference, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever since the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship in June, MAGA personalities have really gone off the rails. Many angrily started saying it’s time for the U.S. to find new ways to bar women from coming to this country and having babies. Some are talking about pregnancy tests upon arrival. Others are discussing the possibility of unleashing federal law enforcement on women suspected of pregnancy—and unnervingly, this includes the acting Attorney General. And as a Media Matters roundup shows, some are talking about truly crackpot ideas like forced sterilization. Talking Points Memo writer Sarah Posner sums it up well: “Will every woman now have to pee in cups at airports?” We talked to Posner, a scholar of Christian Nationalism and the religious right. We discuss how all this reflects a genuine and ambitious, if vile, vision for the country, why JD Vance may take up this cause in some form when his presidential run begins next year, and what it all says about MAGA’s deeper misogyny and darkening extreme nationalism.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Democratic Party is not totally hopeless! But in this era of rising frustration, economic insecurity, and radically changed media, who actually understands how to meet people where they are and win the future? Tara McGowan and Simon Rosenberg join David Rothkopf to discuss some of the Democratic Party’s internal debates and offer some hope that this midterm election’s diversity and primary-season conflict are signs of a healthy, evolving big-tent coalition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Independence Day, we’re face with a stark reality: the values and ideals that lay the foundation of our democracy are consistently being undermined by a corrupt, authoritarian president. The Supreme Court rulings of the past week have effectively cemented Trump as the most powerful executive in U.S. history - isn’t this exactly what our Founding Fathers fought against? This 250th celebration feels tainted by this regime and brings us as a nation to a crossroads. How do we celebrate our democracy amidst such political turmoil? Grab yourself a hot dog, eat a slice of apple pie, and tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf examine the United States on the eve of its 250th birthday. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down Trump taking a trip on the new Air Force One, the White House proposing cuts to hospital payments for scans, Trump’s America 250 problem, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode, MS NOW’s Steve Benen makes a strong case that Donald Trump has corrupted the process of awarding disaster aid to states. Trump has been rejecting aid requests from blue states at a lopsided rate. But this week, Trump announced that he’s awarding aid to Democratic-run swing states with critical gubernatorial, Senate, and House races in them. But here’s the key: As Benen details, in these announcements, Trump openly linked the awarding of aid right to his preferred candidates, even suggesting voters should reward them for securing the money. Trump blurted out the scheme, which Benen calls “breathtaking” in its “brazenness.” It all comes as New York Times polls find Democrats highly competitive in six key Senate races that no one expected to be close. Trump’s numbers are abysmal across these battlegrounds, particularly on the economy, even though he won five of them in 2024. Benen explains why Trump’s scheme matters, why the new polling is brutal for him, and why both developments neatly capture this moment.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first two years of Trump’s second term have been a full-fledged attack on American democracy. So what can we do to fight back? Julia Angwin and Ami Fields-Meyer join David Rothkopf to provide an answer through their new book On Courage: How to Be a Dissident in an Age of Fear. Drawing on the experiences of hundreds of dissidents and activists from around the world, we can learn how to fight and win.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America’s 250th anniversary is just a few days away, and what should be a proud celebration will be tainted by the corruption of the Trump regime. The Supreme Court seems to disregard our Constitution and the ideals that our country was founded on no longer seem integral to our government. Is democracy in the United States working? What do we have to look back on, and what do we have to look forward to? David Rothkopf, Rosa Brooks, and Ed Luce discuss the current state of America, its past and its future ahead of our 250th anniversary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the Supreme Court’s huge decisions on money in politics and citizenship, big wins for Democratic Socialists in Colorado, Trump’s insane profits from crypto, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the Supreme Court upheld the Constitution’s guarantee of birthright citizenship, Trump and MAGA lost it. Trump threatened to get Congress to end the guarantee, which he can’t do, and he lamely claimed it was a “WIN” for China: The sheer haplessness of his response hinted at how disoriented the ruling left him. But MAGA exploded: One personality called on the masses to “use whatever force is necessary” to repel “invaders,” a clear threat of violence. Another one, flagged by Media Matters, accused the liberal justices of wanting to “burn the country to the ground” and suggested “men of action” must stop them, also a dark, veiled threat. And Stephen Miller absurdly described the ruling as “national self-obliteration,” which would seem to justify anything in response. We talked to Raul Pinto, deputy legal director of the American Immigration Council. We discuss why the ruling was too close for comfort, how that’s inviting MAGA to wage a longer war to overturn birthright citizenship, how that might unfold, and why there’s cause for cautious optimism about what’s next. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss the hilarious travesty of the Great American State Fair, Trump doubling down on the SAVE America Act, impending changes to the federal student loan system, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump lost three big cases at the Supreme Court on Monday. His appeal of E. Jean Carroll’s verdict failed. He was blocked from firing a Federal reserve official. And most important, the court upheld the counting of late-arriving mail ballots. He ranted wildly over these losses. On the last one he exploded in a long and angry tirade, demanding again that Republicans pass onerous voter suppression in response. It’s clear why: This deals a major blow to Trump-GOP hopes of stealing the midterms by invalidating untold numbers of votes. Yet Trump won big at the court, too, securing the power to fire independent regulators at will. We talked to Lisa Graves, a former Senate Judiciary Committee counsel who writes about the Supreme Court. We discuss what the ruling on mail-balloting does, why it will thwart a major piece of the Trump-GOP election-rigging scheme, how Trump and the Supreme Court are teaming up to empower themselves at the expense of Congress, and how a future Democratic Congress can fight back.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we cover a sweeping slate of important Supreme Court decisions, Trump’s ridiculous plans to renovate a DC golf course, tragic updates from the Venezuelan earthquake catastrophe, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has insisted six people have been arrested and many more have been given citations for vandalizing the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. This allegedly includes carving a 350-foot gash in the pool’s sealant, and in a dark and angry tirade, Trump just described these people as akin to enemies of the state. But The New York Times just obtained a new statement from federal prosecutors. While they confirmed some citations, the Times also reports that administration officials and prosecutors are refusing to provide a single detail about what happened, refusing to divulge anything about who’s been targeted or what their offenses were, and refusing to confirm any arrests of any kind. As former prosecutor Ankush Khardori tells us in today’s episode, this is deeply strange. We discuss why it’s unusual for officials to clam up about such a high-profile claim, how this raises unnerving possibilities about the unhinged despot in the Oval Office, and why it all points to a deeper rot of Trumpian corruption.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for June 26th, we cover the horrifying fallout from twin earthquakes in Venezuela, new wrinkles in the US/Iran peace talks, a ridiculous development in the Reflecting Pool saga, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our Supreme Court can’t even pretend to uphold the integrity of the law anymore. We essentially have a lawless court, not a conservative court. Their latest disturbing ruling? A ruling in favor of deporting Haitians and Syrians currently legally residing in the United States. Could this lead to another impeachment of Donald Trump? How could Dems use impeachment as a political tool ahead of the next presidential election? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the Courts and the long road ahead for Dems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After recent primaries, it’s clear that AI is top of mind for many Americans. Whether it’s a mistrust of AI as a whole or just the people at the helms of the companies reaping massive profits, it’s clear that it’s past time for Democrats to have a robust tech and AI strategy. Former Director of the National AI Office Karen Kornbluh joins David Rothkopf to consider what Dems need to do for the midterms and beyond to address this critical issue.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Donald Trump kicked off his personalized celebration of America’s 250th birthday with a rally on the National Mall on Wednesday night, news accounts described the event as very sparsely attended. Trump himself practically begged for more people to show up to the next event set for July 4. Amusingly, this comes after Fox News madly hyped the Wednesday rally in an effort to drum up excitement. But then, as Matt Gertz of Media Matters reports in a good piece on all this, Fox grappled with the bad initial turnout by largely avoiding any discussion of it. We think that’s pretty revealing. So we talked to Gertz about all of it: We discuss why Trump’s whole gala is so important for the broader, more sinister Trump-Fox project that's underway, the real reason Trump-Fox want our the 250th anniversary to be a celebration of Trump’s “personalist” rule, and what it will really mean if it’s all a bust.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss Trump’s refusal to sign a bipartisan housing bill, twin deadly earthquakes in Venezuela, Senate Republicans caving to Trump on a war powers vote, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump was all set to sign a bill passed by Congress that’s designed to reduce housing costs for the American people. But an angry Trump abruptly canceled the signing and blurted out a demand that Republicans pass voter suppression legislation instead. This surprised Trump’s own advisers and shocked Republicans in Congress. Why? They apparently couldn’t fathom that he’d so openly prioritize disenfranchising voters over helping Americans overcome their economic travails. We talked about all of it with Salon’s Amanda Marcotte, author of a new piece on Trump’s narcissism as the through line for many recent follies. We discuss now Trump’s pathological self-regard led right to this moment, why this voter suppression effort would likely backfire on Trump if it were to pass, and what’s likely to come next as Republicans seek to flatter their way out of this latest impasse.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Pulte, Donald Trump’s new acting Director of National Intelligence and someone with zero prior experience, celebrated his new job with a massive purge of staff. The ODNI was created to protect Americans - is it now becoming Trump’s personal detective agency? John Sipher, a former intelligence officer with 28 years of experience in the CIA, joins David Rothkopf to discuss the state of America’s intelligence community and the devastating impacts of Donald Trump. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down big progressive victories in New York, the Senate offering a rare rebuke of President Trump, two key judicial rulings on the administration’s deportation efforts, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s anger at the media over his Iran fiasco is mounting. He snapped at a reporter for noting that Americans might not support spending $80 billion more on the war, as the Pentagon has requested. Trump even dubiously claimed the public would gladly support this. Then, at a rally, Trump seethed at the media for not being worshipful of his handling of the Iran talks. He also nonsensically suggested he’s solved the nuclear issue entirely. Trump is under immense pressure to show results: In a devastating segment, a Fox News anchor pointed to a new poll showing Trump’s approval on the economy at 33 percent. Then the anchor said this is lower than Joe Biden ever was at his absolute worst point, the most cutting piece of news Fox could have delivered. We talked to international relations expert Nicholas Grossman. We discuss his new piece explaining why time is not on Trump’s side in these talks, how all this is breaking up the Trump coalition in new ways, and what a disaster it could prove for JD Vance’s coming presidential run. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss the mass firings at ODNI under Bill Pulte, the US enacting a 60 day lift on Iranian sanctions, friction between MAGA and the Supreme Court, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s renovation of the Reflecting Pool is a major fiasco, and it’s getting him angrier. In Truth Social posts, he raged at a journalist for covering the story. He fulminated that vandals had cut at 250-foot gash in the facade (which is entirely unverified). He hailed multiple arrests at the scene. He even angrily threatened 10 years in jail. Yet these arrests are only growing more questionable. One man detained is a 67-year-old former Olympian who said he just wanted to examine the peeling coating. Another person detained said she was merely pulling a piece of paint out of the water. These explanations, plus the tenuousness of Trump’s claims of vandalism, suggest a darker turn in the story. We talked to New Republic editor Michael Tomasky about his good piece on this whole mess. We discuss why Trump doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt on the arrests, why this story has deeper resonance for many ordinary people, and what it captures about Trump’s effort to destroy republican governance and turn Washington into an imperial capital, with himself in the role of “czar.” Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his new novel Killing Baby Hitler, editor of The New Republic Mike Tomasky uses humor and satire to explore themes of responsibility and evil. But when our President does things like hosting a UFC fight in front of the White House, what is even satire anymore? Mike Tomasky joins David Rothkopf to discuss his new book as well as take stock of our current political climate and the future of political leadership. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss JD Vance announcing Iran has agreed to UN Nuclear inspections, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing his resignation, Jeanine Pirro announcing her office will strictly prosecute anyone caught vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s war with Iran is making it clear this presidency could have much worse long-term consequences than we expected. Yet Trump is spending his nights indulging his crazed obsessions. In one early-morning tirade, he raged about “fools” who criticize his Iran fiasco, calling them “bad people” and “stupid.” In another, he fulminated at length about his ballroom. He’s posting updates on the gilding of statues and images of himself on international magazine covers. The gap between the gravity of the moment on one side and his trivial megalomania on the other is jarring. We talked to economist Paul Krugman, who has been writing really well on his Substack about both sides of this divide. He goes big-picture, detailing the signs that we’re a country in decline, why other countries are looking toward a post-American world, and why it’s shocking that we put up with his worsening megalomania and nonstop desecration of our republic. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for June 19th, we break down Israeli anger over the memorandum of understanding, a huge flu outbreak at a military base in Texas, a signal of the coming end of Keir Starmer’s rule in the UK, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twists of recent history have led to deep distrust of the AI sector and political decisions about AI—and with good reason for both. With expert Dave Karpf, we discuss how we got to this point and how tech barons have reached historic levels of power and influence in Washington.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The indecency and sociopathy of Donald Trump’s presidency is in sharp contrast with the leadership of past presidents. While Clinton, Obama and Bush all had their faults that have led us to our current political situation, they at least maintained some sort of professionalism and decency. Donald Trump, on the other hand, is a psychopath. David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss the implications of this shift in presidential leadership, as well as the rise of democratic socialism and emerging political leaders across the country. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We officially have a peace deal! At least, according to the mainstream media. Traditional outlets are taking the administration at its word, and frankly, that’s never a good idea. Why does the “prestige” media continue to give this administration the benefit of the doubt? Dan Froomkin and Jeff Jarvis join David Rothkopf to examine why the establishment fails us again and again and why we desperately need an insurgent media.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss the opening hours of the US-Iran peace deal, Pete Hegseth announcing a review of US forces in Europe, a billionaire tax reaching enough signatures for the ballot in California, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s ceasefire deal with Iran has now been released, and it confirms what we all expected: He got nothing of any significance. A surprising number of his allies agree. Fox News figures, visibly angry and rattled, are saying the deal “doesn’t feel like a victory,” that “we lost the most,” and that Iran is “better off” than before. Others are already throwing JD Vance under the bus, with one even suggesting the deal is so bad that it let Trump down. We think the story right now is that if anything, the next stage of the negotiations with Iran will be even worse for Trump. We talked to Sina Toossi, an Iran expert at the Center for International Policy. He walks us through the details of the deal, why it falls short of what Barack Obama got, why the criticism from allies creates a tough situation for Trump, and how his failures have created a new geopolitical reality—one that’s worse for America than before.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The US has finally released the terms of its deal with Iran. In short, the United States is essentially suing Iran for peace, giving Iran what Iran wants, and getting very little of what the US has said it wanted. Will this deal survive, or are we headed for an even longer period of conflict and negotiation? How does this deal shift the dynamic with countries like Lebanon? Kim Ghattas joins David Rothkopf, Ed Luce, and Rosa Brooks to look at the implications of Trump’s deal. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We now know the details of Trump’s peace proposal for Iran, and it’s ugly. The Iranians are making out like bandits, getting a dream deal that goes far beyond the JCPOA. Jon Wolfsthal and Joe Cirincione join David Rothkopf to examine this terrible deal and what it means for the future of Iran and the region.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover the details of the peace agreement with Iran, Trump delaying the nomination of Jay Clayton for intel director, the early results of DC’s mayoral race, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sources tell Axios that U.S. intelligence agencies seriously doubt that Iran will make the concessions on its nuclear program that Donald Trump expects it to once talks on it progress in earnest. The leaks are striking: They reflect badly on Trump’s ceasefire with Iran and his claims that he prevailed on Iran to drop its nuclear ambitions. Tellingly, the sources also report that JD Vance was a vocal proponent of the deal during internal discussions. This strongly suggests Vance is getting shivved: He’s getting set up to bear the blame if the deal goes south. There’s lots of other evidence of this, too: Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, is vocally describing Vance as the deal’s “architect.” Graham, an Iran hawk, expects Iran to not comply on nukes and clearly wants Vance to get blamed for it. We talked to New Republic contributing editor Virginia Heffernan, a sharp observer of MAGA turmoil. We discuss why Vance is so vulnerable to being shivved on Iran, why this is likely to tarnish his presidential ambitions, and how MAGA will reckon with all this as Trump’s influence wanes.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Okay we have to say it — we told you so. The “peace deal” that Trump has struck with Iran is a fig leaf for surrender. With massive giveaways to the regime and no mention of Iran’s nuclear material, it’s clear that this is Trump’s attempt to wash his hands of this debacle. Join Jon Wolfsthal, Joe Cirincione, and David Rothkopf as they break down Trump’s latest humiliating defeat.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down Trump’s puzzling comments at the G7 summit, a political firestorm facing Benjamin Netanyahu, a DOJ investigation into Gavin Newsom, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that Donald Trump has reached a ceasefire with Iran, the scrutiny of it has been brutal, making it obvious that he got nothing of significance. In a rambling monologue to reporters, Trump excoriated Barack Obama’s Iran deal for making billions in funding available to the Iranians. But this is actually a self-own: Trump’s own arrangement uses a very similar mechanism, opening up funds as an incentive to get Iran to agree to constraints on its nuclear program later. As Tom Nichols, a staff writer at The Atlantic, says on today’s episode, Trump is “doing it exactly the way Obama did it.” And that’s after Trump also waged a needless war that cost us tens of billions of dollars, depleted our stockpiles, killed some Americans and many Iranians, strained our alliances, and wrecked the global economy. Nichols discusses his new piece arguing that the U.S. capitulated to Iran, explains how Trump left us worse off than before, and walks us through what will happen next, with Trump in a weakened state.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss a tentative deal to tend the Iran war, the upcoming G7 summit, the results of Trump’s UFC event at the White House, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump erupted in fury at Representative Jamie Raskin in a long, rambling Truth Social post. Trump called him a “loser” who suffers from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” But the tirade was unintentionally revealing. Trump raged that if Raskin and Democrats win the House, they will “impeach me” and called on Congress to “EXPEL THE BUM” before it’s too late. In so doing, Trump revealed that he absolutely does fear impeachment. This gives Democrats a good argument: The last thing Trump wants is a Democratic Congress precisely because it will hold him accountable and put a check on his lawlessness. So what would this actually look like? We talked to Andy Craig, senior editor at The Unpopulist, who thinks creatively on this topic. We discuss the deeper reasons Trump fears another impeachment, all the hidden tools that the next Congress could use to constrain him, and why aggressive congressional action against Trump would rebalance our dangerously out-of-whack system.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly wrap-up for June 12, we cover reports of a new peace memorandum in the works, Trump’s new nominee for Director of National Intelligence, Elon Musk preparing to become the first trillionaire, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s polling just crashed to new lows. He’s hit a net approval on inflation of negative 50 points in numerous surveys, something no other president has done—ever. Trump also is at 80 percent disapproval on gas prices. And this is the first time Democrats have led Republicans on inflation since the 1970s. It’s no accident that this comes as sources around Trump tell CNN that he’s “furious” because the media didn’t make his latest Iran bombing look strong and powerful. These stories are linked: His failure to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is causing the very cost spikes that are tanking his approval and his party’s chances in the midterms. We talked to Democratic strategist Christina Reynolds, who has extensive experience in midterms. She explains how Trump’s travails are translating into new pickup opportunities in surprising places, parses a new poll showing Democrats up 10 in the generic House matchup, and explains why 2026 reminds her of Democratic routs in 2006 and 2018. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is more concerned with a UFC fight at the White House than he is with the well-being of Americans. Surprised? The administration that is so focused on money and power is stripping civil rights and throwing away any concerns about the economic tolls millions of Americans are currently facing. Your favorite political heavyweights Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss this lunacy. Tune in here. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down Trump’s promise to seize control of Iran’s oil, his baffling declaration of love for inflation, and this administration’s latest vitriol for immigrants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is all over the place on Iran. After insisting a deal was imminent, he’s now threatening more full-scale bombing. He just claimed that “I love the inflation” caused by the war. And in several rants, he insisted that the United States has secretly smuggled 100 million barrels of oil out of Iran and on to the world market (the whole thing appears mostly invented). In an extraordinary exchange, Representative Emilia Sykes sharply confronted Energy Secretary Chris Wright over Trump’s “love” of inflation. Wright finally blurted out: “I would prefer lower inflation.” And Wright stammered before admitting that “um, I’m unaware” of Trump’s oil smuggling scheme. We talked to former Defense Department official Ariane Tabatabai, who’s now at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She parses through what we know now, explains why Wright’s public meltdown captures the very worst of the Trump administration, and charts what’s next. (After we recorded, Trump resumed bombing.) Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senator Chris Van Hollen and J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami join David Rothkopf to discuss the ongoing seismic shift in the U.S. relationship with Israel and the Middle East. As Americans undergo a fundamental change in how they perceive allies and foes in the region, how must legislators respond? Don’t miss this critical conversation on how we can forge a path toward lasting peace and stability. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the US and Iran striking one another, the victory of Graham Platner in Maine’s primary, Bill Gates’s upcoming testimony in a congressional Epstein investigation, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump faced merciless booing at the Knicks game Monday night, and Fox News figures quickly recognized how perilous this is. As Media Matters details, Fox personalties and on-air chyrons spun madly in response. They absurdly portrayed the reception as much more muddled, as inspired by something other than Trump, and even as meaningfully peppered with cheers for him. This comes as his polls just nosedived again: A new YouGov poll has Trump’s approval on the economy and inflation in the twenties. And fresh data from The Argument shows Trump deeply underwater in numerous red states with competitive Senate races. He contines to slide in the polling averages, too. We talked to Grant Wiles, a data analyst with NextGen America, which just released new research on Trump’s toxicity with young voters. We parse all the new polls, dig into why Trump propagandists fear he's in a downward spiral, and discuss how Democrats can avoid getting too complacent about the midterms.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can AI help deliver access to reliable, affordable energy in emerging economies? The team at ZOLA Intelligence believes the answer to that question is yes. According to the company's website, ZOLA's platform "is engineered to solve energy inequality for billions of people by asserting that true energy access requires intelligence, not just hardware." Join host David Sandalow as he talks with Bill Lenihan, CEO and founder of ZOLA Intelligence, about the challenge of providing reliable, affordable energy and the company's innovative work around the world.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss JD Vance’s comments on the LA mayoral election, a judge striking down Trump’s H-1B visa fee, Trump being greeted by a cacophony of boos at Madison Square Garden, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the weekend, Donald Trump exploded during an on-air interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker. He called her “crooked” and “stupid” and abruptly ended the interview in a fury. This was ostensibly because she questioned his claims that California’s ongoing vote counting is rigged against GOP candidates. But we think the real reason is darker. As the votes are being counted, those candidates—Spencer Pratt for Los Angeles Mayor and Steve Hilton for Governor—are looking weaker than advertised. In real time, Trump is witnessing the failure of MAGA’s online disinformation apparatus to invent reality whole cloth and inflate the strength of his candidates into something it isn’t. In today’s episode, tech writer Gil Duran, author of the forthcoming The Nerd Reich, a book about techno-authoritarianism, puts this in perspective. He explains the California contests, why it’s so infuriating for Trump to watch real votes coming in, why this saga represents a larger failure of Trump-MAGA online propaganda, and why that has heartening deeper implications.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down Iran and Israel striking one another, Trump’s dramatic temper tantrum during an interview, Hegseth’s disgusting D-Day speech, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is desperately trying to salvage his gala commemorating the United States’s 250th anniversary after many celebrities pulled out. He let out a weird tirade insisting that he is telling them not to come, and also announced a paltry set of acts that’s downright humiliating. This comes after he seethed that he didn’t need other musical acts because he himself will be performing. Also, he’s bigger than Elvis! Trump’s plans drew savage mockery from MAGA influencer Matt Walsh, who ridiculed organizers for inviting “washed up geriatric one hit wonders,” and then turning it into a rally where “Trump will talk about himself for 90 minutes.” We talked to New Republic senior editor Alex Shephard, who writes well about Trumpism and the American zeitgeist. We discuss how Trump/MAGA had their cultural moment in 2024, how they pissed it away to inflict mass suffering on the people they hate, and the deeper reasons MAGA is so toxic within the culture.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for June 5th, we discuss the House passing an Ukraine aid package, the Senate passing ICE funding, John Bolton’s guilty plea deal, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time to get serious about the effects of AI on how we work. Like every technological revolution, the advent of AI is causing tectonic shifts in labor. But this time, it’s entry-level and white color jobs that are feeling the effects. Georgios Petropoulos join David Rothkopf to discuss his recent article in MIT Technology Review and share how young professionals can prepare themselves for this new reality and why a new social contract is necessary.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is becoming more and more dangerous as his physical and mental health unravels. This cognitive decline, however, has serious implications for American democracy, far beyond simply falling asleep during meetings. Mary Trump joins David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein to recount her personal experiences with her uncle, his current mental state, and what this all means for America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the House voted to direct Donald Trump to end the Iran war, he exploded at the four Republicans who turned against him, terming them “grandstanders” who “should be ashamed of themselves.” This comes as The New York Times reports that extensive internal war games among military officials established that Iran would react to an attack by closing the Strait of Hormuz—which Trump ignored. And incredibly, officials just leaked to The Atlantic that Trump is privately “irritated” by commentary casting his emerging framework as weaker than Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal. Trump also wants a way to argue that Iran “accepted terms from him that Obama never managed to extract.” We talked to former National Security Council veteran Emily Horne, author of the Spin Class Substack. We discuss how all those leaks themselves signal Trump’s growing weakness, why his demand for a “better” deal than Obama’s may be hopeless, and whether that leaves us any way out of this fiasco. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

American Democracy is more corrupt than ever. Trump and his allies are acting like the mob — making as much money as they can and breaking anything in their way. So what can we do to stop them? Barb McQuade’s new book, The Fix, is here to provide an answer. Barb joins David to explore what makes this administration so odious and how we can restore accountability and balance of power to our ailing republic.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the House finally passing a war powers resolution, an impending nomination of Todd Blanche as Attorney General, a damning report on the National Guard presence in DC, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before a House committee on Wednesday, Representative Ted Lieu questioned him at length about Donald Trump’s mental decline. It was an extraordinary moment. Lieu repeatedly confronted Rubio with damning video of Trump falling asleep and spewing word salad, cornering Rubio into lying about what we can all see with our own eyes. The moment captured something essential about how our politics works today—and shows why Democrats should relentlessly center Trump’s unfitness for the presidency whenever possible. We talked to Brian Beutler, author of the excellent Off Message Substack. We discuss the deeper reasons that Democrats need to pick viral fights like this, ponder how Trump understands politics through a strong-versus-weak frame, and parse through how James Talarico should combat right-wing smears in the Texas Senate race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The political landscape is heating up as we approach the midterm elections. Key issues like our economy are at the forefront of most voters’ minds, and the Democrats need to take advantage during the coming political showdown. It is becoming clear that Dems might need to shift their focus onto the younger generations of Gen Z’ers and Millennials who are growing dissatisfied with the current establishment. How do the Dems appeal to the younger generation? Simon Rosenberg and E.J. Dionne join Ed Luce and David Rothkopf for an in-depth discussion looking at how the Democrats should be approaching these pivotal midterms. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover Todd Blanche confirming Trump and his family will be immune to IRS audits, early results from California’s gubernatorial primary, the Supreme Court’s latest blunder, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump just named William Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence, replacing the outgoing Tulsi Gabbard. Pulte is best known for abusing his administration position to ransack the mortages of Trump’s enemies for fake pretexts to get them prosecuted and jailed. In today’s episode, University of Michigan law professor Leah Litman argues that the office of DNI could be put to even more nefarious and “terrifying” use. Indeed, GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested it may produce a “weaponized” DNI, a striking admission of serious danger ahead. Senator Tom Cotton curtly refused to share his opinion of the choice. And other GOP Senators said Pulte is unqualified for the job. Given the DNI’s power, these objections reveal visible consternation. Indeed, MAGA figures fully expect Pulte to be turned loose on the left. Litman discusses what a “weaponized” national security state under Pulte could look like and ponders whether the rule of law will survive this presidency. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss Marco Rubio’s congressional testimony, Californians heading to the polls, a major Russian attack on Ukraine, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Leo sent some strong messages about AI in his 42,000-word essay last week. Is the Pope anti-AI? What risks and benefits of AI does the Pope highlight? What impact will the Pope's essay have, including with big tech companies? Join host David Sandalow as he explores these questions and more with Paolo Carroza, a Professor of Law at Notre Dame and Co-Chair of the Meta Oversight Board. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is hitting many new difficulties. On Monday, Iran abandoned talks with the U.S., angering Trump. Speaking to CNBC, he raged that he “couldn’t care less” if the negotiations die, threatened again to blow Iran “to kingdom come,” and seethed that NATO’s refusal to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz shows that it's “very weak” and “very sad.” (He then insisted the talks are back on track.) Meanwhile, Senate Republicans’ anxiety over the politics of Trump’s corrupt $1 billion slush fund has grown: As one reporter notes, they are “absolutely screwed.” The fund may be on hold, but this signals broader GOP frustration with Trump. We talked to Molly Jong-Fast, host of the Fast Politics podcast and author of a great TNR piece with editor Michael Tomasky on Trump’s ongoing crackup. We discuss how Trump appears stuck in a mental loop, whether our country can survive two-and-a-half more years of him, and what a final GOP breaking point might look. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down the judicial review of Trump’s anti-weaponization fund, new controversy surrounding Graham Platner, Pam Bondi’s laughable congressional testimony, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former attorney general Pam Bondi testified behind closed doors Friday about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. She effectively let it be known that Todd Blanche, now acting AG, has been responsible for this debacle, creating a new inquiry for Democrats to pursue that will be fraught for Trump. Bondi also went mum on how Trump instructed her to handle the Epstein files, basically declining to back Trump’s spin that he was pro-transparency, raising still more questions for Democrats to pursue. Meanwhile, Trump’s sinking approval, Iran debacle, ballroom and slush fund are fracturing Trumpworld and the GOP: One Republican told The Atlantic that he has “lame-ducked himself.” We talked to historian Nicole Hemmer, author of several books about the right. We discuss why the Epstein scandal continues to fracture the MAGA movement, the deeper reasons for Trump’s weakening hold on the GOP, and why MAGA will go into deep turmoil once Trump passes from the scene.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for May 29th, we break down the new tentative deal to extend the ceasefire with Iran, the explosion of Blue Origin’s latest rocket, a horrific detention of a Ghanian mother, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For days, activists have been protesting terrible conditions at an ICE facility in New Jersey. In response, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is now threatening to pull Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in sanctuary cities, which could halt international flights to them. As even Fox News is pointing out, this would cause massive disruptions. Indeed, it would likely deal another big blow to GOP midterm chances. Yet the whole saga captures how Trump governance seeks to deliberately stoke searing tensions between MAGA and blue America. We talked to Nayna Gupta, policy director for the American Immigration Council, which just released a blueprint for a saner system. We discuss the worsening situation in Newark, why Mullin’s threat is simultaneously deranged and comical, and how the fascist advisers around Trump see violent conflict between MAGA and blue America as a good and desirable outcome. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crime, crime, crime. Donald Trump and his cronies have absolutely zero concept of humility, of decency, or of anything other than corruption. No one is being held accountable while the US is enduring what very well might be the most contemptible administration in its history. What the hell is going on in our country? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back for another weekly therapy session and to take stock of our hideous political situation. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What, exactly, is Trump’s plan in Iran? Does he know? Does anyone? Negotiations are underway over Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but the likelihood that a deal is reached that comes close to the original JCPOA is slim to none. Joe Cirincione and Jon Wolfsthal join David Rothkopf to share why the US under Trump is in a worse spot than ever with Iran and why Iran is succeeding.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we cover a judge paving the way for Trump’s mail-in voting executive order, a Justice Department probe targeting E. Jean Carroll, Jill Biden’s insane admission, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I don’t care about the midterms,” Donald Trump admitted during a monologue about his Iran war. In addition to candidly declaring that he doesn’t care that his policies are badly imperiling his GOP colleagues, Trump also suggested that the GOP nomination of MAGA whackjob Ken Paxton in Texas—which Trump engineered—was a major accomplishment. This accidentally showed that Trump is still under the delusion that he and MAGA are popular. Yet this comes as The New York Times reports that Republicans are freshly “alarmed,” with some admitting that Trump is putting them in severe danger. We talked to New Republic contributing editor Felipe De La Hoz, who’s been arguing that Trump’s historic unpopularity gives Democrats new openings. We discuss how Texas is now winnable for Democrats, why Republicans are accepting Trump’s destruction of their midterm hopes, and what Democrats can do to capitalize on Trump’s travails.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The US is weakening itself in every area of geopolitical strength. Thanks to the total inadequacy of the Trump administration, we have gone from a reliable partner to a country that others, including our allies, have to tip-toe around on the global stage. Where do we stand? How do we “uncrazy” our foreign policy and counter the misinformation that feeds into it? Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations joins David Rothkopf, Rosa Brooks, and Ed Luce to discuss the current foreign policy shift and what this means for the future of global politics. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pope has spoken on AI, and he has some concerns. The Pope’s new encyclical warns of profound dangers associated with artificial intelligence and calls for global action. He’s not the only one concerned with ensuring AI benefits everyone. Professor Alondra Nelson joins David Rothkopf to explain the need for auditing artificial intelligence, the need for responsible regulation, and more.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss the victory of Ken Paxton in Texas, Trump’s latest giveaways to Russia, the US’s role in the disastrous Ebola outbreak, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Donald Trump attended his physical, he proclaimed his health perfect. Then the White House rapid response team—which leads the charge for Trumpworld—unleashed an extraordinary series of angry attacks on journalists. Their transgression? Reporting accurately on Trump’s decline. This comes as Trump’s physical exam has prompted brutal coverage of his deterioration. We’ve seen scalding on-air assessments of his health from doctors, as well as media coverage that meticulously lists out the symptoms of his decline and notes his lack of transparency about exam results. Like good little authoritarians, Trump and his propagandists feel compelled to portray him as a physical superman whose virility is unquestioned—but this just reminds everyone of what they can see with their own eyes. We talked to Michael Cohen, who writes well about Trump’s weakness for his Substack, Truth and Consequences. We discuss why the cult of Trump’s virility is backfiring and what it says about the failings of Trumpworld’s broader totalitarian playbook. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the latest episode, Perry speaks with Professor Meredith Conroy on why Trump is so afraid of The View, Colbert and Kimmel.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down the latest attacks on Iran, the Pope’s bold new encyclical on AI, an important Texas primary battle today, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GOP discomfort with Donald Trump is growing. Republicans have effectively blocked taxpayer money for his ballroom, revolted against his corrupt slush fund for insurrectionists, and turned against his war. GOP panic about the his cratering approval and the midterm elections has reportedly escalated amid the ballroom and slush fund dramas. Amid mounting GOP opposition, Trump let out a strange, self-pitying Truth Social rant about his ballroom. Then at a rally he unleashed a weird tirade about the stock market and another bizarrely manic-sounding one about affordability. The rants only underscored how disconnected he is from the reality of voters’ economic experiences. We talked to New Republic deputy editor Jason Linkins, who’s been writing well about Trump’s corruption as a major political vulnerability. We discuss Trump’s growing mania, why these stories are uniquely difficult for Republicans to defend, and why Americans’ experience of the economy poses a potentially unsolvable political problem for the GOP.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There was a shifting power dynamic during Donald Trump’s recent trip to China. Of course, this administration has been fraught with a foreign policy strategy (or lack thereof) that has only come back to bite the US. What does this meeting with Xi Jinping tell us? And how should the US approach China on the global stage? China expert Jessica Chen Weiss joins David Rothkopf to discuss the state of US-China relations, the future of Taiwan, and why the US might not be viewing China the way that they should. Listen here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap up for this week, we break down Trump's Fed Chair appointment getting sworn in, Trump deploying 5,000 troops to Poland, a judge ordering Trump to continue complying with the Presidential Records Act, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump just got hit with an absolutely crushing poll from Fox News. Disapproval of his handling of the economy is at an all time high. His ratings on inflation are staggeringly awful. Historically friendly voter groups—whites, rural Americans, the working class—are all turning away from him in surprising numbers. It’s no accident that on Thursday, Trump let out a long, rambling diatribe, demanding Republicans pass his onerous voter suppression legislation. Critically, Trump said straight out that if they do, Democrats will “never be elected again.” Trump admitted that the whole point of his bill is to ensure one-party rule in perpetuity, in the GOP’s favor—exactly why he wants it passed before the midterms. We talked to MS NOW opinion editor James Downie, author of a piece on Trump’s deepening unpopularity. We discuss why Trump is losing both his base and the new voters he won in 2024, what opportunities that offers Democrats, whether the bottom is really falling out for good, and why Trump can't cheat his way out this time.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is playing Grand Theft: US Treasury. The corruption is absolutely mind-boggling, and we need to call it like it is - he is stealing our money for his own personal gain. This is CRIME. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to dive into this criminality as we head into Memorial Day weekend. Listen here.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down Trump's doubling down on not caring about American's finances, the progressive win in Pennsylvania, Rubio's remarks on Cuba, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans are starting to break with Donald Trump’s corrupt $1.8 billion slush fund. Vulnerable House GOPer Brian Fitzpatrick announced that he’s pursuing legislation to block the fund. Other Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, are raising serious questions about it. Relatedly, Trump let out a bizarre, angry tirade about Rep. Fitzpatrick. Trump ripped him for disloyalty, snarling that this “doesn’t work out well” for Republicans. Though Trump’s anger might not have been about Fitzpatrick’s opposition to the slush fund, Fitzpatrick also opposes his ballroom. So this shows how Republicans are enraging Trump by running from his corruption. We talked to Salon’s Amanda Marcotte, who argues that Trump’s corruption will be his main legacy. We discuss new polling showing Trump at record economic lows; why the fund is deadly for the GOP; and why Trump’s pathologies don’t permit him to let Republicans get distance from him.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has returned from China. Did his meeting with Xi Jinping actually accomplish anything on the global stage? America’s foreign policy under this administration is rotten and grows more so each day - all the while, China’s increasing influence is being felt all around the globe. David Sanger of the New York Times, who was accused of treason by our president during this recent trip, joins David Rothkopf and Ed Luce to discuss the current state of geopolitics, Trump’s China summit, and more. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the latest insanity from the Justice Department, the defeat of Thomas Massie in the GOP primary, a meeting between Xi and Putin, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump just endorsed MAGA nutjob Ken Paxton in the Texas GOP primary for Senate, potentially killing off establishment incumbent Senator John Cornyn. As GOP Senators absorbed this news, reporters described them as “visibly dismayed” and “stone-faced.” Senator Lisa Murkowski openly declared that Trump has now put the seat “in jeopardy,” asking: “How does that help strengthen the president’s hand when we lose a state like Texas?” Translation: Trump has screwed himself and his party in a big way. This might cost them the seat, and at a minimum it makes it much harder to hold. So is Texas actually gettable for Democrats? We talked to Democratic operative Sawyer Hackett, a veteran of Texas races. He explains why Paxton is much weaker than Cornyn, why a perfect storm of conditions in the state could bring about the unthinkable, what Democrat James Talarico’s path to victory looks like, and what could still go wrong for Democrats. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down Trump claiming he has delayed a massive attack on Iran, a contentious Republican primary in Kentucky, a horrific attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has reached a “settlement” with his Justice Department in a $10 billion lawsuit he brought against the IRS. Under it, DOJ will create a new $1.8 billion fund, controlled by Trump, that will dole out payments to allies who have supposedly been victimized by government “weaponization.” This could include the January 6 rioters. This has shocked legal observers, who called it everything from “horrible” to a “slush fund,” with others describing it as corruption that might be historically unprecedented. What happened here? Is there any recourse? Do Republicans really want to defend this, given that Trump’s economic numbers just cratered again in a brutal New York Times poll? We talked to legal expert Harry Litman, who writes for The New Republic and hosts the Talking Feds podcast. He explains why this is likely illegal but almost impossible to stop; why it’s so damaging to our system more broadly; and how Democrats can ensure that the GOP pays a major price for it this fall.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we cover Trump dropping his lawsuit against the IRS, the White House ballroom losing funding in the Senate, the WHO declaring an Ebola outbreak, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump desperately wants the world to recognize his world-historical defeat of Iran. In an extended tirade, Trump raged wildly at a New York Times reporter, insisting his victory is absolute. He claimed the Times is failing, accusing the journalist of being a “fake guy” and declaring his coverage betrays America: “I actually think it’s treason.” This is revealing: His insistence on having won reveals that Trump doesn’t get that military force alone can’t force open the Strait of Hormuz—meaning he doesn’t grasp the situation at the most fundamental level, perhaps his biggest failing of all. We talked to political scientist David Faris, who’s been writing well on this fiasco. We discuss how Trump got little out of China, why his failures abroad mean more authoritarianism at home, why that combination will do severe long-term damage to America, and how Trump suffers from “dictator envy.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for May 15, we discuss Trump’s return from Beijing, the Supreme Court ruling that abortion pills can continue via telehealth, the courtroom showdown between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our democracy is failing. As we approach the midterm elections this year, the Republicans are doing all they can to corrupt our electoral process. With the Supreme Court in Trump’s pocket, what does this mean for the Democrats? Will corruption rule the November elections? Tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss the upcoming midterms and the bleak future of US politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NBC News reports that some vulnerable Republicans are privately worried about use of the slogan “MAGA majority” to describe the GOP effort to hold the House. Why? Because the term “MAGA” puts Trump “front and center,” as NBC puts it. That’s quite an admission of Trump’s toxicity. Meanwhile, CNN’s Harry Enten reports on new polling that finds his disapproval on gas prices at 79 percent, higher than under any other president. That disapproval is shared by 85 percent of independents and even 52 percent of Republicans, which Enten describes as “scary” for the GOP. Mona Charen, a writer for The Bulwark, has a good piece arguing that high gas prices are dovetailing with public revelations about Trump’s corruption to produce a particularly toxic combination for him. So we talked to Charen about why that double whammy is so potent, why corruption is a sleeper issue in the midterms, and why the GOP panic is a real moment of poetic justice. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Presidents Trump and Xi have been all smiles at the first summit in Beijing in nearly nine years. Yet there is something profound happening beneath the politeness and declarations of friendship: the balance of power has tipped dramatically toward China. Rush Doshi, Director of the China Strategy Initiative at the CFR, joins David Rothkopf for a deep dive into the importance of this meeting, arguing that while China holds more cards than ever, cooperation will be the key to both countries’ success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the friendly start to the China summit, JD Vance’s latest attempt at damage control, the South Carolina governor’s redistricting attempt, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fallout continues from Donald Trump’s startling rant admitting that he isn’t concerned with how the Iran war is impacting Americans’ finances. On Wednesday, JD Vance, Mike Johnson, and numerous other Republicans struggled to spin away the damage, but they appeared visibly flummoxed. Indeed,  the GOP cracks are worsening: Three GOP Senators just voted to end the war. And shocking leaks to The New York Times reveal that Iran still retains substantial military capabilities, directly undercutting Trump’s boasts of success. We talked to international relations expert Nicholas Grossman, who has a good piece on this whole fiasco. We discuss why those leaks are so damning, why the economic and political fallout from the war is only just beginning, and why Trump’s megalomaniacal understanding of the situation has left him fundamentally cornered. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two political scientists weigh in on the high court's support of partisan gain over multiracial democracy as states battle over district-based representation. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is in Beijing. As if tensions between the US and China haven’t already been rising for years, this visit comes during Trump’s war in Iran, rising oil prices, and a serious democratic crisis in America. Does Trump even have a strategy here? What role will the war in Iran play? Ali Wyne of the International Crisis Group joins David Rothkopf and Rosa Brooks to discuss the US-China summit and what we can (or cannot) expect from our president. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover Trump arriving in Beijing, the Pentagon weighing a name change for the war with Iran, Kash Patel’s fiery Senate hearing, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump just got hit by crushing new inflation data: Consumer prices rose at their fastest rate in several years. Importantly, Trump’s war with Iran is a big driver of it, and he can’t find a way out. Meanwhile, a new CNN poll shows his standing on the economy sliding to its lowest point in either term. No wonder Trump erupted angrily at a reporter who quizzed him over prices, deriding her as “stupid.” He also seethed at a journalist who asked about his ballroom, calling her “dumb.” Yet despite all this, there are signs that GOP hopes are rebounding due to gerrymandering and other factors. So we talked to Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg, who’s been arguing that the economic fundamentals won’t change in time for the GOP. We discuss the mixed signals in the polling data, why Trump has long been so strong on the economy, why that’s finally changing, and what Democrats can do to overcome their lingering brand problems. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss the business executives going to China with Trump, the Supreme Court clearing the way for Alabama republicans to pursue a new voting map, the Labour revolt against Keir Starmer, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve noticed a jarring disconnect. Even as Donald Trump’s mental decline visibly worsens, his aides’ cultlike praise for him is proportionately growing. To wit: A top spokesperson offered a bizarre rationalization for his deranged new “proposal” to turn Venezuela into the 51st state. She also attempted to portray him as wielding absolute mastery over Iran, but accidentally exposed his lack of concern over soaring prices. And his propagandists lashed out at a reporter for sharing an image of Trump sleeping through an event. The decline is accelerating, yet the cult-worship is off the charts. Runing through all this is something dark: His sycophants know he’s passing from the scene, and no one is allowed to admit it. We talked to New Republic writer Virginia Heffernan, author of a great piece plumbing MAGA psychology. We discuss fresh signs of Trump’s sunsetting, the huge vacuum his passing will leave at the core of the right wing, and why his supporters are akin to an “end-stage cult.”  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leading the way in artificial intelligence doesn’t just take the most powerful chips and biggest data centers — it takes a cultural shift towards AI literacy. Eric Xing, President of the MBZ University of Artificial Intelligence, joins David Rothkopf to share the unique approach the university takes to training the next generation of leaders in tech. Don’t miss this important conversation covering an array of critical topics in the field of AI, including the incredible potential of “world models,” breakthroughs in bioscience, the need for human agency in the tech space, and more.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down Trump’s rejection of Iran’s peace proposal, Trump’s upcoming China summit, the latest on a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, and more.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With no clear Democratic heir apparent, big-name progressives like AOC and underdog stars like Graham Platner contend for a spot in the most unpredictable presidential race in decades. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the Virginia supreme court blocked the Democratic redistricting plan, which would have netted Democrats four more House seats, Donald Trump celebrated. He called the ruling a “huge win” over a “horrible gerrymander.” But Trump himself has ordered many GOP states to gerrymander maximally. So here Trump openly declared that Republicans reserve the right to rig elections while Democrats do not. His actual position is that he and Republicans should play by their own corrupt rules, and that it's good for the election to be rigged in their favor. This comes as a new Marist poll shows Democrats leading in the generic House matchup by 10 points. Though polling averages have it at 5 points, if Marist is a leading indicator that hints at a blue wave. We talked to Ari Berman of Mother Jones, the great voting rights reporter. We discuss the Virginia ruling, why democracy can’t function when one party serially cheats and rigs elections, why Democrats must respond, and what their long-term strategy should look like. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for May 8th, we discuss even more disputes over the Iran ceasefire, big losses for Keir Starmer in the UK, the US revoking passports for parents who owe child support, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Dayen explains how California’s unique "top-two" primary nearly locked Democrats out of the governor’s mansion—until a strategic endorsement from Donald Trump reshuffled the deck. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Officials have leaked word to The Washington Post that they believe Iran can survive Donald Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for three to four months without experiencing severe economic pain. Also, Iran has kept far more of its missiles and drones than previously known. Those are surely his worst screw-ups yet, given that he’s repeatedly insisted both that the regime is in terminal collapse and that Iran's military has been obliterated. This comes as The Wall Street Journal reports that his advisers are increasingly unnerved by the political price Republicans will pay over the closed strait. Those are related: The new revelations suggest the war could go on longer than expected, which is exactly what his advisers fear will worsen the GOP’s political mess. We talked to New Republic staff writer Tim Noah, who’s been writing well about Trump’s failures. We discuss why the war’s political fallout could last many months, how Trump voters are facing a perfect storm of disastrous policies, and what to expect in the midterms.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Justice Department is unrecognizable. It continuously violates and obstructs true justice. Instead, it effectively serves as Donald Trump’s own private law firm. The blatant corruption and cronyism is sickening across all of DC’s institutions under the Trump administration. Where is Donald Trump and the Supreme Court leading our country? Tune in for this week’s therapy session with Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The midterms are getting close, and Democrats are poised for a huge victory over an incredibly unpopular Republican Party. And yet, nothing is guaranteed in our turbulent political climate. NY Times opinion writer and Georgetown professor E.J. Dionne joins David Rothkopf to share what Democrats need to do to guarantee a massive victory in November and why massive change may be in the future for American politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down Iran’s review of the latest US peace proposal, Tom Homan and Todd Blanche promising more deportations to come, the release of an alleged suicide note from Jeffrey Epstein, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has been raging at Pope Leo’s criticism of the Iran war for weeks, and he just unleashed his most vile attack yet. Trump accused the Pope of “endangering a lot of Catholics” by advocating for peace. Yet a new Washington Post poll finds that Trump is losing this battle very badly. Large majorities react negatively to Trump’s claims about the Pope, and even more strikingly, big majorities approve of the Pope’s message of peace, even though Trump is bombarding America with relentless lies and propaganda about both the Pope and the war. We talked to scholar-of-religion Sarah Posner, who writes for Talking Points Memo and hosts the Reign of Error podcast. We discuss why this polling is encouraging in non-obvious ways, why there’s a schism between white Evangelicals and Catholics over Trump, how MAGA encourages Trump to imagine himself fighting a spiritual war against the Pope, and why that’s a political disaster for him. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump may not be making America great again, but his is making Iran strong again. This fiasco of a war has revealed major American diplomatic and military weaknesses while Iran has flexed its control over the Strait of Hormuz. A major global realignment is coming. Steve Cook, Rosa Brooks, and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to break down why we might be witnessing the beginning of a post-American global order.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover reports that Iran and the US may be close to a memo to end the war, the key takeaways of yesterdays primaries, Howard Lutnick’s upcoming congressional testimony, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump hasn’t thought this one through. Politico reports that Republicans are grappling with rising “anxiety” about the midterms. A key reason: Trump’s obsession with his ballroom and other pet projects is muddying the GOP economic message. That’s bad enough. Worse, Republicans just agreed to seek $1 billion in taxpayer money for the ballroom. Though this is allegedly for security, vulnerable Republicans will hate having to defend this. It’s not just that they themselves are lamenting that the project is distracting from their message. It’s also that the ballroom is already deeply unpopular and they’re now tied more tightly to it. We talked to political scientist Tom Schaller, author of a good piece on Trump’s “vanity presidency.” He explains why the ballroom is so deadly for the GOP, how Trump is creating a uniquely “personalist” form of presidential rule, and why Trump’s megalomania actually matters to the voters who will help decide midterms. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The tech bros could be in for a rude awakening come November. We’ve seen the big names in AI increasingly cozy up with Republicans, but they may have forgotten that there is another party is poised to get back into power. How is Silicon Valley going to respond to a future Democratic administration? Are tech bros hoping to tip the scales to the point where it doesn’t matter who wins? GWU Professor and Tech Policy Press contributor Dave Karpf joins David Rothkopf to consider all this and more.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down the administration trying to convince everyone the war is over, important primaries in Indiana and Ohio, Trump lashing out at the Pope yet again, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the Supreme Court gutted protections against racial gerrymandering, and Donald Trump is already urging Republicans to capitalize on it. We recently wrote that Trump has no idea what this will unleash, and that’s the topic of today’s episode. Indeed, Trump unleashed a Truth Social rant on Monday urging GOP state legislatures to maximize the gerrymandering, insisting this would net an additional 20 congressional seats in the midterms. In short, Trump didn’t bother concealing that this corrupt scheme is only about holding power amid cratering public support—which absolutely requires Democrats to respond. We talked to Max Flugrath of the voting rights group Fair Fight Action. We discuss how Democrats can undertake retaliatory redistrictings of their own, what the roadmap ahead for this looks like, and why it’s absolutely possible for Democrats to neutralize the GOP advantage. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw warns of the "green light" for states to suppress Black representation. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss rising oil prices after Iran claims to strike a US Navy ship, the ongoing spat between Friedrich Merz and Trump, Alabama and Tennessee moving to redraw congressional maps, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has declared the war “terminated,” but he’s still rejecting Iran’s peace proposals while again threatening it with massive war crimes. And in an interview, Trump declared that he would never have approved an offer that was made to Iran by his negotiator, Steve Witkoff. This is a damning admission: He seemed to blurt out that he has no idea what his own representatives are offering—showing deep disengagement from the details of the talks—while demonstrating that anything his negotiators offer should not be believed. Meanwhile, Republicans are beginning to break with Trump: Politico reports that he “could soon face far more resistance.” We talked to MS NOW’s Steve Benen. He explains why Trump’s admission was so self-incriminating, why it reveals something much bigger about our crisis, why we may see more GOP defections soon, and what to look for next. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for May 1st, we discuss Pete Hegseth’s strange argument for a bypassing the War Powers Act, the end to a record-setting DHS shutdown, another roadblock for the Onion’s take over of Infowars, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court is taking away your rights. The ruling gutting the Voting Rights Act isn’t based on sound legal decision-making - it represents strategic moves to reshape the future of our country. How did we let partisan politics overrule constitutional integrity? David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein delve into the ramifications of these rulings, the never-ending destruction of our democracy from the Trump administration, and the potential paths forward. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Public polls are showing that Democrats now have the advantage over Republicans on the economy, a milestone. Strikingly, Politico reports that a newly-leaked memo from a GOP-aligned group actually confirms the same thing. The memo warns that the group’s internal polling and research “show that for the first time, Democrats are more trusted on the economy and inflation.” It also warns that Republicans are in serious danger of losing the Senate, and strongly urges Republicans to overhaul their economic messaging in a big way. That is an absolute fiasco for Trump: It’s his economy that is putting the GOP in such grave danger. Indeed, this comes as inflation just spiked again. We talked to New Republic staff writer Monica Potts, who’s been doing good reporting on how ordinary Americans are experiencing the economy. We discuss why the GOP midterm panic is such a damning indictment of Trump, why Democrats leading on the issue is a sea change, and how they can seize control over our economic debates in a more ambitious way. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Perry Bacon speaks with former NBC News correspondent and editor for the Midcoast Villager in Maine, Alex Seitz-Wald. Right Now with Perry Bacon: a twice-weekly show diving into U.S. politics, democracy, and the authoritarian threats facing America. Each episode, Perry strives to go beyond daily headlines and actually connect the dots to what’s happening in America. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the Supreme Court’s disastrous ruling wearing the Voting Rights Act, the ballooning costs of the Iran war, skyrocketing oil prices, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s use of state power to persecute his enemies is escalating. The Justice Department indicted James Comey for allegedly threatening Trump with a social media post of seashells spelling “86 47.” Officials are also threatening to punish more media companies for angering the despot. The Comey case is already backfiring: Now that the details have been released, legal experts have mercilessly picked it apart from numerous angles. Even Fox News is quoting experts dismantling it. And Trump himself made it look even more absurd by claiming he knows “86” means “kill” because he saw it...in a gangster movie. When these efforts fizzle, the MAGA base will see the mighty Trump failing once again. We talked to former Federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade, author of The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government. She explains the deep flaws in the Comey indictment, how Trump’s prosecutors are committing flagrant violations themselves, and what accountability for Trump’s accomplices could look like later. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

King Charles III delivered a welcoming yet pointed speech during his visit to the US on Monday. Donald Trump was too distracted by his gifts from the king to grasp his harsh criticisms. What does King Charles’ visit mean for our foreign policy? Where are we with the war in Iran? And what does the coming US-China summit mean for our geopolitical future? Tune in as David Rothkopf, Ed Luce, and Rosa Brooks discuss all of this and more. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover King Charles’s speech to Congress, Oil prices skyrocketing yet again, the Senate blocking measures to prevent war with Cuba, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode, economist Paul Krugman lays out an expansive case that Donald Trump holds a losing hand in the war with Iran. Krugman argues that Trump can’t seem to admit that the Strait of Hormuz problem has cornered him. Krugman also details why the situation could get worse, if Iran continues holding out and constraints on oil supply drive the global economy into recession. As Krugman puts it, this will keep getting uglier for Trump until he “swallows his pride” and accepts that he doesn’t hold the cards. This builds on the piece Krugman posted on his Substack arguing that time is on Iran’s side. Gas prices just hit a new high, and Republicans quietly fear their midterm prospects are darkening due to what Trump has unleashed. Krugman takes us through these dynamics, notes that Trump is obsessing over his ballroom in search of a win, and explains why this all could tailspin further for the GOP. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam Altman and Elon Musk are facing off in court, but beyond the high-profile legal drama, a wave of industry-shifting stories is unfolding. Mat Honan, Editor-in-Chief of MIT Technology Review, joins David Rothkopf to explore the week's key headlines—including the era of AI malaise, China’s strategic pivot toward open-source models, and more. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The International Energy Agency just released a new report on energy and AI, updating its landmark report on that topic last year. The new report – called Key Questions on Energy and AI -- provides authoritative information on a wide range of topics including the growth in power demand for AI; the role of natural gas, nuclear power and batteries at AI data centers; the impacts of AI clusters on electric grids; and the future of physical AI such as robots and autonomous vehicles. Join host David Sandalow as he talks with the two lead authors of the report – Thomas Spencer and Siddharth Singh. Show notes: IEA, Key Questions on Energy and AI (April 2026) --https://www.iea.org/reports/key-questions-on-energy-and-ai This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss the charges against the suspected Correspondents’ Dinner attacker, Trump’s displeasure with the latest Iranian peace proposal, a new redistricting fight in Florida, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans are blaming Democratic rhetoric for inciting the alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. To that end, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt unleashed tirades at journalists that were soaked in MAGA derangement. One cultishly lionized Trump as a “fearless president” for standing up to “bullets” while absurdly accusing the media and Democrats of “11 years” of “hateful” and “violent” speech about Trump. The other tore into Democrats and the media for daring to point out that Trump poses an “existential threat to democracy,” as if that’s not rooted in his actual conduct, which it is. Yet if anything, the media has not sufficiently conveyed the threat Trump poses. We talked about this disconnect with Matt Gertz of Media Matters, who’s been writing well about the absurdity of inviting Trump to the press dinner.  We discuss the danger Trump poses for press freedom, why the media struggles to report on the threat despite being a target, why time is running out to get this right, and how Democrats should proceed now. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down the fallout from the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting, King Charles’ upcoming visit to the US, Bernie Sanders’ efforts to limit Super PAC money in the Democratic party, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has been losing like crazy. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. The Supreme Court struck down his tariffs and his birthright citizenship arguments tanked. He's losing the redistricting wars. And the Justice Department dropped its prosecution of Fed chair (and Trump nemesis) Jerome Powell amid cringeworthy circumstances. The latter is humiliating: DOJ insiders are now leaking that they’re really ramping up the prosecution of his enemies now, by golly! But those prosecutions will likely keep failing—as they already have—and all this reveals is desperation to show MAGA that this appalling corruption will ultimately bear fruit. White House spin on this is embarrassingly geared towards lifting the ailing despot’s spirits. We talked to Zeteo reporter Asawin Suebsaeng. We discuss why MAGA-world can’t permit any acknowledgement of Trumpian fallibility, why Trump’s authoritarianism and incompetence go hand in hand, and why Republicans will pay an electoral price for helping sustain the cult of Trump. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for April 24, we discuss reports of planned retaliation against NATO allies, a renewed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, Trump’s harebrained scheme to take over Spirit Airlines, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The series of follies in Iran continue. The usual suspects are gearing up for another round of peace talks in Pakistan, yet a true long term solution for the conflict still seems far out of reach. Is a real long term solution even possible, or is this a quagmire that America can’t escape from? Daniel Benaim, Kenneth Pollack, and Dan Shapiro join David Rothkopf to assess the intractable problems at the center of this conflict and why this administration is out of its depth.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new Fox News poll contains crushing findings for Donald Trump. His approval on the economy is at 34 percent with 66 percent disapproving. On inflation, those numbers are even worse, at 28-72. Importantly, the poll also finds Democrats with the advantage on the economy for the first time in years—a milestone. Meanwhile, Trump advisers are feverishly trying to hatch a new midterm strategy. And top GOP senators tell Politico that Trumpworld is bracing for more purges of senior officials, with one senator confiding about Trump: “He’s in a bad mood, so he’s letting a lot of them go.” We talked to G. Elliott Morris, author of the great Strength in Numbers Substack, who just released his own poll. He explains what all the numbers are really telling us, why Trump has long been weaker than the punditry allows, and what must happen now for Democrats to win the House and Senate.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress is broken. Justice is gone. Corruption runs rampant in our government, and our most vile politicians get off scot-free. Meanwhile, many still view the Democrats negatively, and this perception is going to present significant hurdles for the midterms this year and beyond. What is missing within the Democratic party? What is the most effective strategy here to save our democracy? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss why we need scorched earth Democrats and where we go from here. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the US capturing a second sanctioned tanker, the firing of the Navy Secretary, the Senate passing a budget plan for ICE and DHS, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Democrats narrowly passed a mid-decade redistricting in Virginia, Donald Trump erupted in fury on Truth Social. He slammed the result as rigged (of course), lied about the voting in it, and most important, openly called on the courts to step nullify it. But some Republicans are admitting the truth: This debacle is Trump’s fault. He initiated a redistricting arms race that now backfired spectacularly. Yet there’s a lesson in this madness: Trump-GOP cheating becomes a lot harder when Democrats fight it with scorched earth politics. We talked to Brian Beutler, who has argued well on his Off Message Substack that Democrats must get better at hard-edged politics in coming years. We discuss the deeper reasons that Democrats made a stand this time, how Trump revealed vulnerability to counter-hardball politics, and how this should shape future Democratic efforts at post-Trump accountability and fascism-proofing the system.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is having a hard time in the Middle East. The US administration might think that they have control over the war in Iran, but it is clear that our president cannot find an off-ramp. And the longer this conflict continues, the more the rest of the world grows sympathetic towards Iran and disdainful of the US. What comes next? Steven A. Cook and Elisa Ewers of the Council on Foreign Relations join David Rothkopf and Ed Luce to discuss the situation in the Middle East and Donald Trump’s failures in Iran. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover Trump’s ceasefire extension and the Iranian capture of three boats, Virginia passing a redistricting measure in a win for Democrats, the administration going after the Southern Poverty Law Center, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump keeps boasting that a deal with Iran is at hand. But now officials leaked word to CNN that Trump’s public posturing has hurt the negotiations. One noted that by “negotiating through social media,” Trump implied Iran had agreed to things “they hadn’t yet agreed to,” complicating the talks. That’s humiliating, given Trump’s bragging of success. Meanwhile, in two cult-like tirades, Karoline Leavitt attacked the media for being insufficiently worshipful of Trump, and gushed over his greatness with extraordinary sycophancy. Can any good outcome be envisioned here? We talked to former National Security Council veteran Emily Horne. She explains why Leavitt's spin is so absurd, why this fiasco is so hard for Trump to extricate himself from, why there may be no good options ahead, and what it means that Trump has indefinitely extended the ceasefire, which he announced while we were recording.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss the resignation of the Labor Secretary, JD Vance back en route to Islamabad for ceasefire talks, a critical special election in Virginia, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, Donald Trump exploded in telling tirades. In one, he raged that he (just he) is winning the war “BY A LOT” and bizarrely stressed that “I’m in charge!” In another, he emphasized that he feels “under no pressure whatsoever” to reach a deal with Iran. Why is Trump so fearful of appearing to lose control? Well, The Wall Street Journal has a striking new report relating that gas prices and the war recently had the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis “looming large in his mind. He’s “grappling behind the scenes with just how badly things could go wrong.” In short: He fears looking like Jimmy Carter as the midterms approach. Indeed, Politico reports that prices have some Republicans sounding “alarm bells” about this fall. We talked to The Lever’s David Sirota, narrator of the “Master Plan” podcast, whose new season focuses on the hyper-powerful presidency. We discuss Trump’s growing fears that events are slipping from his grasp, how this is rooted paradoxically in his assertion of an imperial presidency, how decades of failure led to this moment, and how Democrats can run against his imperial rule. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down the latest collapse in peace talks between the US and Iran, the administration rolling out refunds for tariffs, a federal investigation into a supposed conspiracy against Trump, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump just erupted at MAGA allies for opposing his war. In one tirade, he attacked Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and others as “FAKE MAGA.” In another, he slammed them as “Low IQ.” Similarly, his pollster, John McLaughlin, claimed the MAGA base “doesn’t consider” those critics “conservative” anymore. So disagreeing with Trump intrinsically makes you non-MAGA? This reveals Trump believes MAGA is whatever he says it is at any given moment—that Trump and his pollster really do view MAGA as a cult. We’ve written about this dynamic before, but decided it was worth a pod episode. So we talked to New Republic staff writer Perry Bacon, author of a great piece on Trump and the global right. We discuss why Trump’s international and domestic allies are deserting him, how his excommunication of top MAGA figures is shrinking the movement, why Trump believes he can control the minds of his voters, and why all this could hurt GOP chances of holding the Senate.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for April 17, we cover the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, the resignation of the acting director of ICE, a big progressive victory in New Jersey, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump’s numbers are falling rapidly. Every week, headlines highlight Trump and the GOP’s failures, yet polls suggest people are still uneasy about the Democrats. Are the Democrats winning despite themselves? What will the party look like as we head towards the midterm elections? Simon Rosenberg and Tara McGowan join David Rothkopf to take stock of the two parties in 2026 and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode, George Conway argues that as improbable as it might seem right now, congressional Republicans will ultimately decide they have no choice but to remove Donald Trump from office before his term ends. Conway, the former GOP lawyer-turned-Trump-critic, is running for Congress as a Democrat. One of his ads is a montage of all the horrors that Trump has unleashed, followed by Conway’s promise to be a different kind of Congressman in response. In our conversation, Conway explains why he thinks Republicans will eventually decide Trump has to go and talks about how he’ll push for impeachment immediately if elected. Conway also lays out an accountability agenda that includes impeaching many cabinet officials, criminal referrals for high-level Trump administration officials, and extensive other reforms designed to prevent anything like this from ever happening again.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The lunatics are truly running the asylum formerly known as the White House. Sadly, a man who collects raccoon genitalia running the HHS isn’t even the craziest of the bunch. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to try and navigate the insanity of this Trump’s self-imposed Iran quagmire and the levels of nuttiness in Trumpworld.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we cover the latest bizarre story about RFK Jr., the Trump admin moving to erase convictions for January 6 rioters, Hegseth’s threats to restart combat operations in Iran, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s war on Pope Leo is worsening. JD Vance warned that the Pope, who condemned Trump’s war on religious grounds, should “be careful” in his theology. Mike Johnson dismissed the Pope’s criticisms by bizarrely invoking Just War Doctrine, which Trump and Pete Hegseth are serially violating. All this reveals Trump to be demanding that his leading sycophants (even devoutly religious ones) place him above the Pope—and indeed that they recognize no higher allegiance than to the president. Meanwhile, The New York Times has an epic piece on his mental decline, which reports that many ex-allies are sounding the alarm, from Marjorie Taylor Greene to numerous top first-term advisers. We talked to former national security official Olivia Troye, who just announced a run for Congress. She recounts what she witnessed first-hand about Trump’s unfitness, why his enablers are much worse this time around, and how his madness is now impacting Americans’ everyday lives.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has run out of tricks in Iran. The war has not gone the way he had planned, nobody supports it, and now we are basically waiting for him to accept a bad deal and say it’s a good deal. To make a long story short, this war is a catastrophe and nothing is certain. But after Orbán’s defeat in Hungary and Trump’s ever-increasing popularity ahead of the 2026 midterms, could there be hope? Tom Nichols joins Ed Luce, Rosa Brooks, and David Rothkopf to discuss what this war means for our geopolitical future. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily, we discuss the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the many failures of JD Vance, the dynamics of the California governor’s race, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is now raging at a staunch ally, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni. After she sided with the Pope’s criticism of the Iran war, which had infuriated Trump, he unloaded again, ripping her as “unacceptable” and seething that she “doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon.” Trump also called Meloni a coward for refusing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, an analysis by CNN’s Harry Enten finds that Trump’s net approval among noncollege whites—a key part of his base—has nosedived by a shocking 34 points. Trump is also deeply underwater with these voters on something you’d think they would stick with him through: The war and his handling of Iran. It all looks like a new kind of low among this once-loyal constituency. We talked to New Republic senior editor Alex Shephard, who’s been writing well about the politics of this war. We discuss why noncollege whites are abandoning Trump, how Iran is splintering MAGA at home and abroad, and the challenges JD Vance will face as heir to this fracturing movement.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down Trump’s continuing feud with the Pope, the resignations of Tony Gonzales and Eric Swalwell, a potential resumption of Iran peace talks, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is furious at Pope Leo. After the Pope sharply criticized the war on Iran, Trump exploded in a wild Truth Social rant, slamming the Pope as “WEAK on crime” and clueless about the Iranian nuclear threat. Trump then posted an image of himself as Jesus, which he took down after MAGA figures lashed out at him. Trump then angrily insisted he had no idea that image was religious, and seethed some more over the Pope’s criticism. In today’s episode, Robert Jones, the president of the Public Religion Research Institute, makes a fascinating point: The Pope’s criticism of his war appears calibrated in a way that could stir concern about his war in local churches at a grassroots level. That’s a hidden problem for Trump, says Jones, author of several books about religion and the American right. He explains why Trump’s spin will make this worse among religious voters, why all this will resonate more deeply with Catholics than with Trump’s Evangelical base, and why Catholics are a point of real vulnerability for him.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ceasefire with Iran and subsequent peace talks have taken a predictably disastrous turn. JD Vance has utterly failed as a negotiator. Trump has returned to his maximalist aggression and threatens to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. It’s clear that America, and the world, are in danger. Joe Cirincione and Jon Wolfsthal join David Rothkopf to take a look at what makes the President’s latest moves so perilous and why a fundamental change in the way we perceive our democracy is needed to right the ship.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss the promised blockade of Iran beginning today, Trump’s bizarre beef with Pope Leo, a massive defeat for Viktor Orban, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s Truth Social feed can get awfully revealing. He just unleashed numerous posts that open a new window on the man and his presidency: the transactionalism; the amorality; and the utter, buffoonish incompetence. In one, he attacked his MAGA allies in a way that displayed his utter lack of any principles. In several others, he revealed that he simply has no grasp whatsoever of the situation he faces with Iran’s Strait of Hormuz. All of which raises a question: How do we make sense of the fact that this man is president? We talked to political theorist Alan Elrod, who has a good piece arguing that the election of Trump—twice—should prompt deep introspection about what our country has become. We discuss Elrod’s argument that America needs a dose of hard truths about this man and this moment, dissect Trump’s “personalist” presidency, consider whether civic malaise produced our current national crisis, and discuss how to pull out of it. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for April 10th, we cover Melania’s extremely odd Epstein statements, Vance heading to Islamabad for Iran war negotiations, Trump lashing out at MAGA influencers, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI should serve us, yet that’s not always the approach that experts take. There’s been a lot of talk about AI fueling economic displacement, but what about AI that’s a partner instead of a replacement for us? Dr. Angela Aristidou joins David Rothkopf to cut through the theoretical explore why real-world deployment of AI can improve workflow and augment human relationships rather than eliminating them.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has been raging at Marjorie Taylor Greene a lot lately. Why? Because improbably, Greene has emerged as a very effective critic of the president. In a striking CNN interview, Greene unloaded, declaring bluntly that Trump is mentally unfit for the presidency, that the people around Trump should rein him in, and that he’s catastrophically failing. This is a watershed moment: Trump’s disastrous Iran war, and his threat to obliterate Iranian civilization, are pushing some in MAGA to look past him. We talked to Salon’s Amanda Marcotte, author of a good piece arguing that the Iran debacle is a new kind of problem for Trump. We discuss why JD Vance won’t be able to escape its taint, why Trump’s threat of genocide is a breaking point for so many Americans, and why Greene’s criticism of Trump breaks surprising new ground. (After we recorded, Trump exploded in fury yet again at Greene and other critics.)  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Corruption, dark money, and dangerous leadership - three elements that have characterized the Trump administration. We are governed by a maniac and his corrupt cronies, such as Howard Lutnick. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the rampant corruption within the current administration, the degradation of integrity within our public institutions, and the mess of Trump’s war in Iran. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the already tenuous ceasefire with Iran, Trump’s increasingly harsh words for NATO, Pam Bondi’s lack of testimony at an upcoming Epstein Files committee hearing, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fragile ceasefire with Iran is not silencing the mounting questions about Donald Trump’s threat to wipe out Iranian civilization. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt lost her temper under hard questioning on the topic. One reporter sharply grilled her, causing her to dissemble and snap angrily. She then kept ranting, suggesting absurdly that it was “insulting” to be even asked about this matter. This comes as some Trump’s allies are sharply questioning his Iran deal: Laura Loomer lamented that “we didn’t really get anything.” Mark Levin fretted that Iran is “still surviving,” and said: “I don’t trust the enemy...what’s going to be different this time?” Senator Lindsey Graham made his skepticism of the deal very clear. Many other MAGA figures attacked his threat. We talked to Georgetown national security expert Rosa Brooks. She explains why Leavitt’s spin is so vile, why MAGA is right that the deal is a disaster for Trump (but for the wrong reasons), and why we should still fear worse horrors to come. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump’s two-week ceasefire with Iran, reached Tuesday evening after his threats to destroy the entire country over the Strait of Hormuz, has already begun to unravel. Does anybody truly know what Trump’s goals actually are? What does his erratic behavior mean for the US’s geopolitical standing? Lieutenant General Mark Hertling joins David Rothkopf to discuss the ceasefire, America’s actions in the Middle East, and his new book, If I Don't Return: A Father's Wartime Journal, about his experiences during Operation Desert Storm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss the two-week ceasefire with Iran, Democratic victories in Wisconsin and Georgia, Israel continuing to hammer Lebanon, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s deranged threat to obliterate Iranian civilization entirely has prompted powerful pushback from some former MAGA allies. Some are suggesting it’s time to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him, including Alex Jones, Anthony Scaramucci, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who tweeted that “he has gone insane.” Tucker Carlson called on military officials not to follow illegal orders to attack civilian infrastructure. After we recorded, Trump temporarily postponed the assault. But the conversation about his unfitness has been reopened. We talked to Jennifer Rubin, editor-in-chief of The Contrarian and author of a good piece on Trump’s vow of genocide. We discuss the gravity of Trump’s war-crime threats, the cowardice of Republicans who keep enabling this madman, and how we can keep the removal talk alive. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The President grows more reckless in Iran with each day. With the threats to end the “whole civilization” of Iran, Trump’s impulse to commit heinous war crimes seems to be growing. California Representative Ted Lieu, who has been leading the charge to rein in our renegade president, joins David Rothkopf to share what Congress can do to stop the conflict, why more MAGA republicans need to step up, and why what Trump is doing is simply batshit crazy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a rot in our national security agencies. The Department of Defense, Intelligence, State Department, DHS, and DoJ have been either hollowed out or weaponized to serve the interests of this fanatical administration. The disastrous war with Iran is only the first crisis of many that will come as a result. Intelligence veterans Marc Polymeropoulos and John Sipher join David Rothkopf to analyze the existential threats to these critical agencies and why more trouble is on the horizon.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down Trump’s horrifying threat to Iran, JD Vance traveling to Budapest to campaign for Viktor Orban, the Supreme Court bailing out Steve Bannon, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is now facing tough questions about his threats to bomb Iranian power plants and bridges, which are growing more and more unhinged. On Monday he seethed at a reporter who asked pointed questions about this, attacking his news outlet and ranting that his colleagues seem to want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, Punchbowl News reports that Republicans may be at a “breaking point” with Trump over the war. All of which raises a question: If Trump seems ready to go through with massive war crimes, will Republicans be willing to rein him in at that point? We talked to Columbia political scientist Elizabeth Saunders, who had a hair-raising thread on Bluesky about where we are. She explains why Trump’s lashing out at the media should be taken seriously and why she sees this moment as uniquely dangerous. She also discusses how Trump boxed himself into a position of maximum destructiveness, what to expect from Republicans in response, and how to think about what’s next.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we cover Trump’s Easter threats against Iran, the US mission to rescue an airman in Iran, California ringing the alarm over rejected ballots, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A frustrated Donald Trump is mulling more personnel changes, Politico reports, potentially targeting his Commerce and Labor secretaries. As one official confides: “He’s very angry and he’s going to be moving people.” The Politico piece depicts unnerved aides parsing his fury like tea leaves and disconcertedly leaking to reporters about who’s on “thin ice.” Crucially, Trump is mulling changes that would make him look better on the economy—where a new poll is absolutely brutal—and in hopes of getting them through before a midterm loss makes them harder. Indeed, Time reports that his advisers delivered bad news about internal polling showing that his midterm problems have taken a worse turn due to the war. We talked to New Republic staff writer Kate Aronoff, who writes well about the crises Trump is losing control over. We discuss why real-world complexities are so elusive to Trump and the real meaning of his ongoing collision with the limits of his magical thinking.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Corruption and madness have hit a new high-watermark with the Trump administration. From the firing of Pam Bondi to blatant war crimes, it’s a good thing we have a robust free press to report on it all. Right? Dan Froomkin and Jeff Jarvis join David Rothkopf to explore why traditional media is failing miserably during this fraught moment and why high quality journalism is needed now more than ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for April 3rd, we break down the firing of Pam Bondi, Pete Hegseth firing the Army Chief of Staff, Trump announcing more tariffs on drug companies, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nobody wants to get scammed, yet everyone has a story about it happening to them or someone they know. In the age of AI, scams are more elaborate and devious than ever. So what can you do about it? Anya Schiffrin and Alice Marwick join David Rothkopf to discuss their recent policy brief about the scourge of AI scams, what governments can do to stem the growing tide of scams, and how individuals can protect themselves.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During Donald Trump’s speech on Iran this week, he revealed too much. In a line that sounded partly ad-libbed, he declared that the Strait of Hormuz “will open up naturally. It will just open up naturally.” This should be read as a straight-up admission that Trump has no idea how to fix the colossal mess he’s made, and that he’s just washing his hands of it entirely. That’s utterly damning. Meanwhile, Politico reports that Republicans privately fear the speech did nothing to help them politically; as one put it: “What the hell did he just say?” Those things are related: The worse this war gets, the more it will hurt Republicans in the midterms. We talked to foreign policy writer and podcaster David Rothkopf, author of a good piece about the speech. We discuss Trump’s implicit admission of failure, the deeper reasons this is developing into such a fiasco, why it’s a trap for Republicans, and what the post-Trump Democratic Party should look like.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pam Bondi is out as attorney general. Todd Blanche is set to replace her, at least according to Trump. Why did Bondi’s firing come now? Was it the result of her mismanagement of the DOJ, or did this decision have more to do with Donald Trump and the Epstein Files? And what does her supposed processor Todd Blanche have in store for our justice system? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the state of the DOJ, Bondi’s firing, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What impact is the war in Iran having on nuclear security? If President Trump ever follows through on his threat to "obliterate" Iran's largest power plants, what risks would that create at the Iranian nuclear power plant at Bushehr? What impact does AI have on nuclear security, as well as on energy innovation more broadly? Join host David Sandalow as he discusses these issues and more with former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, in a special episode of the AI, Energy and Climate Podcast recorded at CERAWeek.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss Trump’s disastrous televised address, Republicans announcing a plan to end the DHS shutdown, the US lifting sanctions on Venezuela’s acting president, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump seems really mad. He exploded over birthright citizenship after his arguments on it fell flat in the Supreme Court. That came despite his decision to show up at the proceedings, another display of anger designed to bully the justices. He also raged at them over this earlier in the week. Meanwhile, Trump is angrily threatening our NATO allies for failing to bail him out by helping reopen the Strait of Hormuz. On top of all that, Trump just suffered a string of losses in the lower courts. And a new CNN poll finds his economic approval at a crushing 31 percent, with 27 approving of his handling of inflation. We talked to Corey Brettschneider, an expert on the presidency. He explains how all these failures are rooted in delusions of omnipotence, how Trump is coming face-to-face with the limits on his powers, why it matters that lower courts are performing heroically, and why the ultimate check on Trump is really the people.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump’s war against Iran is rearing its ugly head across the world - it is ruining the US relationship with NATO, causing global economic instability, and seems to only benefit our adversaries. Former Ambassador to NATO and Lieutenant General Doug Lute joins Rosa Brooks and David Rothkopf to discuss the terrifying geopolitical situation our president has put us in and more. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover Trump’s mixed signals on an end to the war in Iran, an executive order to create a nationwide list of eligible voters, the first mission to the Moon since 1972, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The other day your faithful podcast host argued that Donald Trump’s presidency is in free fall in terms of public opinion. Now the signs are even clearer: His approval ratings have dropped below 40 percent in The New York Times’s polling averages and in two other sets of averages as well. That’s a critical milestone. Meanwhile, CNN’s Harry Enten powerfully points out that Trump has been on a steady, inexorable decline for months, and is now a net 45 points under water with independents. That’s worse than Richard Nixon during Watergate. And the millions who showed up to protest Trump and No Kings marches last weekend constituted perhaps the largest single-day protest in U.S. history. We talked to Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible, which organized the protests. She explains what surprised her about No Kings turnout in red areas, explores the deeper reasons that Trump is cratering on unlikely issues like immigration and war, and digs into what Democrats must do to sustain this energy through Election Day.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down skyrocketing gas prices, the US organizing a summit to counter Antifa, a draconian new Israeli law targeting Palestinians, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump erupted in angry threats against Iran over the still-closed Strait of Hormuz, vowing to potentially bomb electric and desalination plants. In effect, Trump is threatening war crimes due to his own failure to anticipate closure of the strait. This comes after Pete Hegseth issued a widely-criticized prayer seeking God’s assistance in “overwhelming” violence against Iran, which Pope Leo has now sharply rebuked. That's telling: As scholar-of-religion Sarah Posner explains in today’s episode, the bloodlust drenching this war effort is in many ways the product of extreme theology: In particular, Hegseth’s Christian Reconstructionism. Posner, who hosts the excellent Reign of Error podcast, takes us through those radical theological ideas, explains the deeper roots of Hegseth-Trump-MAGA sadism toward perceived “enemies,” and details the hidden reasons the Pope’s criticism really matters. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss the huge turnout of the latest “No Kings” protests, Iran-launched missile strikes across the Middle East, the growing presence of ICE at airports, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A recent Wall Street Journal report reveals that Donald Trump now sees his mass deportations as a big political problem for him. He’s siding internally with advisers who worry that they’ve become a liability in the midterms. In this, Trump is clearly rebuking Miller and his agenda. New reporting from Politico further illuminates this dynamic, revealing fresh levels of infighting prompted largely by Miller’s unhinged demands. As Politico notes, this turmoil has already gotten Kristi Noem fired from the Department of Homeland Security, and all this leaking plainly reveals deep internal dissatisfaction over Miller’s tenure. We talked to Chris Newman, counsel at the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and a shrewd observer of Miller. He explains persuasively how we can divine Trump is souring on Miller and now sees his agenda as a potential liability, why Miller’s grand ideological project may be in trouble, and what it means that millions of Americans have taken to the streets to protest it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-Up for March 27 we discuss the Senate passing a bill to end the partial government shutdown, Trump adding his signature to paper currency, an extended pause on striking Iranian energy facilities, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s war in Iran is turning into quicksand. With every decision he makes, we sink deeper into this conflict, and our President is nowhere close to achieving his goals. So what will the next phase of the war look like? Representative Adam Smith, ranking Democrat of the House Armed Services Committee, joins David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein to share his perspective from Congress on this war and more. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is panicking about the midterm elections, leading him to unleash a series of rants on Truth Social. He raged at Republicans for failing to pass voter suppression legislation, urging them to “TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER” to do so. He followed with a second all-caps tweet reiterating the demand. And he seethed a third time over the GOP failure. Remarkably, Trump doesn’t hide the fact that he sees this as the only way to save the midterms. You can see why: A Fox News poll finds Trump’s disapproval numbers at their highest ever, including a whopping 75 percent of independents, and a large majority opposing the Iran war. We talked to Ryan O’Donnell, executive director of Data for Progress, which has its own polling on all this. We discuss how the war is dovetailing with costs to create a double-whammy, why Trump’s tanking with independents is critical, what could still go wrong for Democrats, and why the high quality of Democratic candidates this cycle is an important tell.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Trump careening from disaster to disaster in his horrific second term, the Democrats still aren’t doing enough to resist. It’s time to fight back for real. Jennifer Welch from I’ve Had It joins David Rothkopf to discuss why it’s high time that that Dems stop trying to be MAGA-lite and embrace becoming ‘dark woke’ before Trump and his miserable band of misfits take over permanently. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the gulf between Iranian leadership and Trump over a ceasefire, the DOJ paying a $1.25 million settlement to Michael Flynn, huge verdicts against Meta and YouTube, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Officials are leaking to NBC News that Donald Trump gets updates on the Iran war in video compilations of successful strikes. One official describes these sanitized montages as “stuff blowing up,” and Trump allies fear he’s being misled. That’s humiliating. By contrast, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is portraying him as a world-historical statesman: She just laughably claimed that he’s brilliant at uniting our allies behind him (the opposite of reality in this war). She asserted that the truth is whatever Trump says it is. And she obsequiously threatened that Trump will unleash “hell” on Iran, a juvenile and despicable way to inflate him into an imposing figure. We talked to Emily Horne, a veteran of the National Security Council and State Department who writes the Spin Class Substack. She explains why this isn’t how a president and White House should conduct themselves, reminds us what basic leadership should look like, and details why the Trump hagiography has boxed in the White House, making it harder to end the war by declaring victory.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump is looking for a way out of this war, right? It seems as though the President is starting to realize that this war is an unmitigated disaster and is searching for the perfect offramp. But a clean exit might not be possible anymore. Rosa Brooks and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to examine the possible next steps for this administration and why Iran might not be interested in what Trump’s selling.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss a US proposal to end the war with Iran, Democrats flipping a Florida House seat, Senate Dems rejecting a proposal to fund DHS, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s tirades about Iran are getting uglier. He let out one rant that positively relished U.S. military domination of Iran and seethed about the media’s refusal to acknowledge his greatness. He unleashed a second tirade that dripped with bizarre triumphalism, angrily declaring the war “won,” which raises questions about why it’s continuing. And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a rant that was drenched in bloodlust. This comes as a new Strength in Numbers/Verasight poll finds Trump’s approval at 37 percent and underwater on every issue, with majorities questioning the war’s most basic premises. That mirrors other new polls from CBS, Reuters, and NBC showing him in trouble and a recent Quinnipiac poll finding his coalition fracturing over the war. We talked to G. Elliott Morris, who runs the Strength in Numbers Substack. He explains why all the bloodlust is working against Trump, why public support for this war is so historically low, and why Democrats are leading comfortably in the battle for the House.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The political allegiances of Silicon Valley have shifted. Tech bros are becoming more and more aligned with Republicans. So how can Democrats balance the needs of the public interest without alienating the tech industry? Policy expert and White House veteran Rohini Kosoglu joins David Rothkopf to explore how Democrats can address the anxieties over job displacement, the concentration of wealth among tech leaders, and how to build a successful political platform for the future.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we cover Israel’s announcement that they will occupy southern Lebanon, the confirmation of Markwayne Mullin as the next DHS Secretary, the lack of disaster funding for blue states under Trump, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s war on Iran appears to be a fiasco, and speaking to reporters, he made a surprising claim: He insisted no one anticipated that Iran would attack other countries in an effort to widen the war. But this was widely expected, and amusingly, in saying that, Trump revealed that he didn’t anticipate it. That’s a striking admission about his own lack of foresight. Which captures something broader: On many fronts, Trump didn’t prepare for eventualities that most experts fully did anticipate. Now Trump is lurching in all directions: First he threatened to bomb Iranian electric plants, then backtracked while claiming that “very strong talks” were underway, but Iran then flatly denied that. We talked to foreign policy expert Matt Duss, author of a piece on the intellectual failings behind this debacle. He explains why the latest developments are unnerving, how Trump’s personal and ideological shortcomings are working against America, and what he really revealed with that odd admission of failure. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down conflicting claims of negotiations to end the Iran war, a deadly collision at LaGuardia airport, ICE agents being sent to airports to assist the TSA, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is furious over coverage of his Iran war. During a speech, he let out a rambling tirade at the media, and in a revealing turn, he talked about Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr’s latest threats to revoke network licenses. Trump went off script, spewing unhinged falsehoods about the press’s 2024 coverage and strangely declaring Carr’s campaign a great success while urging him to keep it up. This essentially confirmed that Trump does expect Carr to ramp up the use of government power to punish news organizations whose war coverage displeases him—something the MAGA movement fully wants. We talked to New Republic staff writer Matt Ford, author of a great piece on the need for post-Trump accountability. He explains the flimsy legal basis for Carr’s efforts, why they’re mostly failing, what all this shows about Trump-MAGA contempt for the Constitutional order, and the prospects for post-Trump accountability for his subordinates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The war in Iran is off to a terrible start — and it looks like it’s going to get even worse. The only person that really seems to be happy about all this is Benjamin Netanyahu, who was finally achieved the regional conflagration he’s been dreaming of. Alon Pinkas joins David Rothkopf to examine what got us to this point, why Netanyahu has wanted this for so long, and what could be coming next.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for March 20th, we discuss Trump’s disastrous meeting with the Japanese prime minister, the Pentagon considering sending more troops to the Middle East, reports that Trump is breaking with Netanyahu on Iranian energy strikes, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fake news has been turbocharged by AI — and it’s getting worse every day. Now with a massive conflict in the Middle East, there is a flood of fake content designed to misinform. So how do we cut through the bullshit and separate the truth from lies? Open-Source Intelligence Analyst Tal Hagin joins David Rothkopf to explore why ai-generated disinformation has exploded in recent months and the tools you can use to verify the content you consume.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything we’re learning now strongly suggests that Donald Trump’s war is about to get worse. First, officials leaked word to The Washington Post that the Pentagon and the White House are likely to demand $200 billion more from Congress. Trump sort of confirmed this in remarks to reporters while adding some unsettling additional threats of unspecified military action. Second, sources told Reuters that Trump is considering the deployment of thousands of troops on the ground. All this means that when Trump asks Congress for more money, the pressure on lawmakers to do something about this madness will intensify. We interviewed Congressman Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. He illuminatingly explains why Trump’s war is going very badly and why these newly leaked plans are “frightening.” Smith also flatly declares that no Democrats should agree to fund another dime for Trump’s war, and vows that if Democrats win the majority, Trump's handling of the war will face vigorous investigations.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump cannot avert a national embarrassment even if he tried. From alienating our closest European allies, to destabilizing the global economy with his attack on Iran, and now to joking about Pearl Harbor to the face of Japan’s Prime Minister - things are only getting worse. Tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf reflect on our current state of global affairs and Trump’s domestic and foreign policy agenda. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the skyrocketing prices of oil, a strange and contentious confirmation hearing for Markwayne Mullin, an upcoming meeting between Trump and Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If war truly is politics by other means, Donald Trump is failing miserably. His attacks against Iran have alienated our allies even further and destabilized the entire global geopolitical landscape. What is our path out of this nightmare? What is Trump’s endgame? David Sanger of the New York Times joins David Rothkopf, Ed Luce, and Rosa Brooks to discuss the global effects of Trump’s war in Iran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss Iranian strikes on Tel Aviv, TSA officials warning some airports could close in DHS shutdown continues, the first confirmation hearing for Sen. Markwayne Mullin, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s case for invading Iran took a big blow Tuesday when top counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigned. Though Kent is a crazed extremist with vile views, his letter directly undermined the core rationale Trump has offered for his war and made big news in doing so. This comes as MAGA figures are splitting badly over the conflict. Some (Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson) are raging that the United States is doing Israel’s bidding, and others (Ben Shapiro) are denouncing them for blaming Israel for the war, and their battle has grown truly vicious. We talked to Emily Horne, a former National Security Council official under Joe Biden who also worked at the State Department and writes the Spin Class Substack. She explains what Kent might know about the weaknesses of Trump’s case for war, why that case is collapsing, and how the deepening MAGA fractures suggest the bottom is falling out under Trump’s adventure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss the assassination of Ali Larijani, the resignation of a top counterterrorism official, the retirement of Gregory Bovino, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the weekend, Donald Trump unleashed two crazed tirades at the media over Iran. In one, he angrily accused news organizations of rooting for the United States to “lose the war.” In another, he openly urged his Federal Communications Commission chair to employ state power against media outlets that displease him. And in a weird rant to reporters, he angrily rebuked other countries for refusing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. All this comes as a New York Times expose reveals shocking details about Trump’s failings: In internal conversations, he appeared disconnected from basic realities about the strait and unable to grasp why his alienating of our allies is working against him. He also apparently got badly played by Benjamin Netanyahu. We talked to international relations expert Molly McKew, author of a good piece on the stakes of the moment. She explains how Trump’s treatment of allies is backfiring on him, why Trump might attempt a domestic press crackdown, and what to expect next in the war. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we cover the administration’s attempts to build a coalition to address skyrocketing energy prices, the FCC chair threatening broadcast stations covering the Iran war, a lengthy and political Academy Awards ceremony, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans are reportedly “incensed” at Donald Trump for pushing them to pass voter suppression measures when they don’t have the votes for it. Yet he’s raging at them over this almost daily, openly declaring that making voting harder is the only way to salvage the midterms. Republicans want to focus on the economy, but Trump won’t let them, and Politico now reports that worsening GOP losses in state-level races has them very worried about the elections. One operatives says: “I’m ringing the alarm.” We talked to Tara McGowan, a former Democratic strategist and publisher of the progressive news site Courier. She explains why Trump’s demand for voter suppression has the GOP in a trap, why his bad economy, widely hated deportations and war-of-choice in Iran are worsening GOP chances, and why Democratic energy on the ground will likely remain supercharged through the fall.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for March 13, we discuss the administration’s attempts to contain the fallout from the conflict with Iran, the Senate passing a housing affordability bill, two potential terror attacks in the US, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration is a shining example of every terrible -ocracy you can imagine. As global oil prices skyrocket and conflict with Iran rages on, it’s clear that this administration continues to succumb to its worst impulses. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf breakdown the uniquely corrupt dealings of Trump and how the battle for American democracy is about to reach new heights. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The war with Iran has resulted in a lot of chaos and not much good. Civilian casualties are rising, Trump doesn’t seem sure if the war is almost over or just getting started, and Iran has selected a new supreme leader. It looks like more chaos is on the menu. Steven Cook joins David Rothkopf to asses the current state of the conflict and where we go from here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has been all over the place on the global oil shock created by his war amid Iran’s closing of the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier this week he angrily claimed that the price hikes are a small price to pay for world peace, adding: “ONLY FOOLS WOULD DISAGREE!” But on Thursday he offered some bizarre new spin, claiming that the U.S. “is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money.” The idea that “we” all benefit prompted intense criticism and underscores his chaotic approach to this fiasco. Meanwhile, CNN reports that Trump officials have started to “panic” and are in a state of “alarm” about the situation, even as its global impact is rapidly worsening. We talked to international relations expert Nicholas Grossman, who’s been arguing that the Iran saga is catching Trump off guard. We discuss why the oil shock’s consequences are so dramatic, how this all reveals the limits to Trump’s bullying powers, and what it all says about MAGA’s tendency to underestimate resistance to its designs. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conversations on AI typically deal with impacts in the US, Asia, and Europe. Yet the impact of AI on Africa, and Africa on AI, is immense. Professor and Director of the MIND Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand Benjamin Rosman joins David Rothkopf to explore the unique perspectives coming from Africa in the tech space, why grassroots movements drive innovation, and how unique resource constraints are forcing a creative departure from the “bigger is better” obsession in Silicon Valley. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the soaring oil prices as a result of the Iran war, House Republicans’ attempt to pace a second major spending package, investigations into claims of DOGE misuse of Social Security data, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Donald Trump, the news is getting worse on his war against Iran. The New York Times reports that the Trump team badly miscalculated Iran’s response to the American invasion, leading to a developing energy fiasco. The Times also reports that some officials are pessimistic about the lack of any real strategy to end the war, adding this: “They have been careful not to express that directly to the president, who has repeatedly declared that the military operation is a complete success.” Their fear of telling Trump the truth about our fix is highly unnerving. We’re also learning that the United States was likely responsible for bombing the Iranian elementary school. We talked to Columbia political scientist Elizabeth Saunders, author of a new piece on this whole mess. We discuss Iran’s closing of the Strait of Hormuz, why Trump can’t easily end the war even if he wants to, what it means that officials are leaking dismay about the war’s direction, and what likely lies ahead.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump’s war against Iran is shifting the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East - but how much has really changed in US foreign policy? What is different about this conflict compared to previous decades? What does this mean for our allies, and what role does Israel play in Trump’s decision-making? Max Boot, Aaron David Miller, and Holly Dagres join David Rothkopf to take stock of America’s war in Iran. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover the US military destroying 16 Iranian vessels, the results of a Georgia special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, a shockingly high death toll for immigration detention, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump claims Iran is responsible for the bombing of an elementary school that killed scores of children, even though the evidence continues to mount that the United States is responsible. In a striking exchange with a reporter, Trump was asked point blank why no other government official will confirm what he’s saying. He said straight out: “Because I don’t know enough about it.” But in saying this, Trump admitted that he'd made an incendiary factual claim about an extraordinarily serious matter without having the foggiest idea what the facts actually are. Trump’s assertions about the school bombing also forced White House Karoline Leavitt to undertake a clumsy clean-up effort. We talked to Paul Waldman, author of a piece at his Substack, The Cross Section, discussing a new analysis showing that Trump’s war is the most unpopular U.S. war in modern history. We discuss why that exchange was so humiliating to Trump, what it revealed about the White House’s indefensible war and his inability to sell it, and the deeper reasons why Americans are not reflexively rallying behind the “commander in chief.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lord Nicholas Stern, author of the landmark Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, recently released his new book The Growth Story of the 21st Century: The Economics and Opportunity of Climate Action. Along with Dr. Mattia Romani and other colleagues, he also published a paper in Nature last year on the role of AI in the climate transition. Join host David Sandalow as he talks with Stern and Romani about economic growth, climate change, AI and the energy transition. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down Trump’s conflicting messaging on the Iran war, a special election in Georgia, Democrats vowing to shut down the Senate over Iran, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent days, President Trump has angrily demanded that Republicans pass the SAVE Act, a massive voter suppression measure that already passed the House but almost certainly can’t pass the Senate. In one tirade on Truth Social, he threatened not to sign anything else until Senate Republicans get it done. That echoed a second rant demanding the same. After we recorded this episode, Trump gave a speech doubling down on this demand. But a funny thing is happening: This is trampling all over the midterm messaging of Republicans, who badly want to appear focused on the economy. We talked to veteran Congressional scholar Norman Ornstein. He explains why the SAVE ACT is such a heinous piece of voter suppression, why it’s probably doomed in the Senate despite Trump's pressure, and how his demand has trapped Republicans, given their cultlike thrall to him. Ornstein also walks us through the nightmare scenarios in which Trump and/or Republicans could conceivably steal the midterms.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss the naming of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader of Iran, Trump warning of imminent action against Cuba, Trump claiming he won’t sign any new bills until the SAVE America Act passes, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve noticed that whenever the news is bad for Donald Trump, Karoline Leavitt dials up the cultlike obsequiousness to 11. She just let out a strange rant basically declaring that Iran will have entered into “unconditional surrender,” as Trump wants, whenever he says it has. In another odd moment, she dismissed widespread MAGA criticism of Trump’s war by essentially declaring that MAGA is whatever Trump says it is. The two displays really went full North Korea in other ways, too. And that’s no accident:  an average of high quality surveys now shows that support for his Iran war is at an abysmal 38 percent, perhaps the lowest initial support for a war ever. Another analysis finds that Trump’s net approval on immigration has dropped by 20 points since last year. And his economic numbers are awful. We talked to Salon’s Amanda Marcotte, a skilled decoder of MAGA. We discuss how this presidency is in trouble on multiple fronts and the role of cultlike praise in managing the base at such difficult moments. We also ponder how his physical decline, and the prospect of a world without Trump, is hovering in the background of all of it.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for March 6, we cover the firing of Kristi Noem from DHS, an investigation pointing to US responsibility for a horrific strike in Iran, a troubling jobs report for February, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is clearly declining - mentally, physically, and at the polls - and he knows it. What does this mean for the rest of Trump 2.0? What does the dismissal of Kristi Noem and appointment of Markwayne Mullin tell us about loyalty and competence within the administration? Mary Trump joins David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein to discuss our sunsetting president’s personal and political downfall. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt lashed out at a reporter and accused the media of trying to make Donald Trump “look bad.” The occasion was a question about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had previously accused the media of the same. What’s truly strange is how Leavitt flatly denied Hegseth had said what everyone heard him say, followed by an unhinged, extended tirade at reporters. Why the rage? Well, Republicans are growing anxious: Punchbowl News reports that they expressly don’t want to vote on the war to keep their distance from it, and many of them are straining to avoid even using the word “war.” We talked to New Republic deputy editor Tori Otten, who co-wrote a good piece with TNR’s Grace Segers dissecting White House social media strategy. We discuss the real sources of Leavitt’s anger, the importance of fantasy and unreality to MAGA politics, and why it's all actually working against Republicans.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss the Senate rejecting a measure to require congressional authorization for the war in Iran, Trump considering firing Kristi Noem, Minnesota suing the administration over Medicaid funding, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s Texas Senate primaries, Democrat James Talarico triumphed, while GOP Senator John Cornyn and MAGA extremist Ken Paxton are headed for a runoff. Talarico, who speaks openly about his religious commitments and about the need to win over MAGA voters, might have a shot, especially against Paxton. That caused Donald Trump to explode in an agitated, panicky tirade on Truth Social, where he warned that the GOP primary could cost Republicans the seat and “MUST STOP NOW!” He vowed to endorse soon and insisted that the other candidate will have to “DROP OUT OF THE RACE!” This comes as other Republicans are publicly airing their fears of a Talarico-Paxton matchup. We talked to Democratic operative Sawyer Hackett, a veteran of Texas races. He explains Talarico’s unique appeal, why Texas is so hard for Democrats, what has to happen for them to win, and why they could fall short of this dream yet again.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you haven’t heard, Trump decided we need to go to war with Iran. What is the strategy here? Does our President even have one, or are we at the mercy of an idiot guided solely by ridiculous impulses? Joe Cirincione, Jon Wolfsthal and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to discuss the current situation in Iran, what this means for the US, and why we’re even there in the first place. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the state of the war with Iran, results from the first primaries of the 2026 midterms, the US launching military operations in Ecuador, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaking Tuesday about his war on Iran, Donald Trump got too candid. He declared that the worst-case scenario could involve people running Iran who are just as bad as those he’s deposing. He also admitted that most of the people the United States hoped will take over are now “dead,” and visibly had no idea what will happen next. All this accidentally reveals just how little thought he’s given to what will happen as this continues to unfold. It comes as MAGA is turning against Trump over the war: Personalities like Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, Matt Walsh and many more are sharply questioning Trump’s stated rationales and Israel’s role in dictating our war policy. We talked to Zeteo’s Asawin Suebsaeng, who closely covers Trumpworld. We discuss how Trump is recklessly miring us in a horrifying quagmire, the real reasons MAGA is turning on Trump, whether MAGA angst could cause Trump to rethink, and what it means that MAGA opposes war in Iran while thrilling to savage brutality at home. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Trump regime wages war on Iran and geopolitical crises are dominating tabloid headlines, the Pentagon’s relationship with artificial intelligence is slipping under the radar. Alondra Nelson joins David Rothkopf to discuss the DoD’s partnerships with private-sector AI companies, the Pentagon’s push for unrestricted AI, and what this all means for our future.This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 35,000 people attended the recent India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, which featured speeches from more than 20 heads of state and dozens of technology company leaders including Sam Altman of OpenAI, Dario Amodei of Anthropic and Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind. In this episode, host David Sandalow offers his reflections on the Summit and speaks with Arunabha Ghosh, President of CEEW, a leading Delhi-based public policy think tank. Ghosh offers his views on the Summit, data center construction in India and around the world and the role of AI in sustainable development, among other topics.   This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down the deaths of 6 US soldiers in Kuwait, an impending testimony by Kristi Noem, videos of the depositions of Hillary and Bill Clinton, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Donald Trump’s war on Iran getting worse, a new report in The New York Times reveals damning details about the runup to the decision. We learn that Trump’s case rests on lies about the “imminent threat” Iran poses, and that he publicly misrepresented his own top general’s misgivings about the invasion. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arguably misled congressional leaders, and JD Vance privately called for going big, undercutting his “noninterventionist” cred. This comes as a new CNN poll finds a whopping 59 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s war, and a Reuters poll finds support at an abysmal 27 percent. We talked to Mark Jacob, who has a good piece for his “Stop the Presses” Substack on Trump’s lawbreaking. We discuss why public impressions of his violent lawlessness are turning voters against the war, what will happen in the midterms if things get worse, and how Trump is assuming the powers of a mad dictator.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the supposed “success” of Venezuela, President Trump has set his sights on eliminating the nuclear threat of Iran once and for all. What could possibly go wrong? Christine Wormuth, Frank Kendall, and Rosa Brooks join David Rothkopf to break down the illegality and difficulty of the US and Israel’s strikes on Iran, why regime change might be a double edged sword, and just how likely this conflict is to spin out of control. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down the war with Iran spilling over into neighboring countries, a congressional attempt to restrain Trump’s military operations, FBI probing a possible terrorism link to a Texas shooting, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s state of the union speech was the culmination of many months of lies about his economy and his tariffs. Yet in recent days, even Fox News has been admitting to how bad the news is getting. Fox figures have gently tried to tell Trump the truth about tariffs: One hinted Trump should use the Supreme Court ruling against them as an offramp. Another said Republicans are privately celebrating the decision. A third warned the tariffs badly threaten the GOP’s midterm hopes. On Fox Business, one anchor was surprisingly blunt about Friday’s bad inflation data. And a reporter called the recent 1.4 percent growth numbers a “bad miss.” Yet Trump needs his media allies to sugarcoat his economy through the midterms. We talked to Media Matters senior fellow Matthew Gertz. He explains how Trump’s economy is creating serious dissonance for Fox propagandists and viewers alike, how this reveals Trump’s deepening problems with his base, and why all this spells trouble for the GOP this fall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for February 27th, we discuss Hillary Clinton’s testimony before the House oversight committee, Paramount’s victory over Netflix in the Warner Bros. acquisition, Anthropic resisting the Pentagon’s demands, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, The New York Times confirmed the latest revelations in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, reporting on the missing files that appear to involve charges against Donald Trump himself. The Times is treating this as a blockbuster story, digging in hard on the details in a way that will surely cause media scrutiny to intensify further. MAGA is all over the place on this. Fox News has mostly ignored the revelations, as Media Matters shows. One big MAGA influencer is hyping Hillary Clinton’s supposed role in the scandal, but that’s backfiring. Other MAGA types remain split. We talked to New Republic contributing editor Ana Marie Cox, who writes really well about Epstein and right wing elites. We discuss why the Times coverage is so brutal for Trump, why the saga is driving MAGA toward crackup, what all this says about right wing elites, and why the sun may soon set on Trumpism as a movement.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The SAVE Act is the next assault on democracy by this administration — and it might just be the biggest yet. Trump and his cronies are focusing on pulling out all the stops to get this voter suppression bill passed including calls to end the filibuster. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to break down the cataclysmic effects this bill would have on our democracy and the mounting danger that threatens to pass the point of no return.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss a shootout off the coast of Cuba, the White House pausing Medicaid payments to Minnesota, missing Epstein files directly related to Trump, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Wednesday, Donald Trump exploded wildly on Truth Social, ripping into Democrats Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who attacked him during his speech. He called them “Low IQ,” “mentally deranged,” and “LUNATICS,” and even savaged Robert De Niro, who also criticized the speech, as “sick and demented.” Trump hoped appeal to the middle, but he couldn’t help sliding back into full racism at his first opportunity. Meanwhile, even some Republicans found the speech wanting: One strategist said it wouldn’t help the party politically this fall, a second said it didn’t give enough to people who are “hurting,” and a conservative writer opined that it “wasn’t much of a game changer.” We talked to Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg, who had a mixed reaction. We discuss how Trump’s tirade exposes a deep tension in his approach to 2026, why he can’t let go of his tariffs and deportations, and how smarter GOP strategists really view that problem. We also discuss hidden reasons why this could still go badly for Democrats.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pentagon wants less restricted, more dangerous AI—and it seems like they’re getting it. Pete Hegseths’s showdown with Anthropic is just the latest instance of this administration’s pursuit of radical deregulation of artificial intelligence that shows no signs of slowing. The Brennan Center’s Amos Toh joins David Rothkopf to explore the ramifications of deregulation for defense, public safety, and the future of the industry.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

War with Iran is looming. After Trump’s incendiary and lie-fueled State of the Union address, it’s clear that our President, the founder of the Board of Peace, might just be bored of peace. Kim Ghattas, Steven Cook, and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to forecast what the President might do in Iran, what could possibly be going on in Trump’s head, and why conflict might just be inevitable.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the lie-a-palooza that was the State of the Union, the House failing to pass an aviation safety bill, a judge blocking the DOJ from reviewing a reporter’s data, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Jeffrey Epstein scandal has just taken another bad turn for Donald Trump. NPR reports that the Justice Department has withheld key documents from the publicly-released Epstein files. Guess what: They apparently relate to charges that Trump potentially abused a minor. And Congressman Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, also dropped a bombshell, claiming he’s reviewed DOJ materials personally and confirmed that DOJ does appear to have withheld critical FBI interviews. Is this really as bad as it sounds? As University of Michigan law professor Leah Litman explains in this episode, the answer is: Yes, it is. Litman—the author of Lawless, a book about the Supreme Court—demystifies the legal ins and outs of these new revelations, lays out a roadmap to what will happen now, and explains the prospects for achieving genuine accountability.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time to face the facts: Donald Trump’s goose just might be cooked. After the violence of Minneapolis and the shocking revelations of the Epstein Files, it’s clear that a major political shake-up is coming. The Contrarian’s Jennifer Rubin joins David Rothkopf to explore the fall of legacy media, the rise of independent voices, and the tectonic generational shifts happening in American politics.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss reactions to the implementation of Trump’s new tariff, Democrats tapping Abigail Spanberger and Alex Padilla for the SOTU response, shocking texts from Rep. Tony Gonzalez, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new CNN poll finds Donald Trump’s approval at an abysmal 36 percent. And a Washington Post survey finds him absolutely tanking on just about all major issues. But to Trump, this cannot be real: He just issued an angry, rambling tirade about how such polls are "fake." He even declared that his support is “silent,” while insisting he got many millions more votes in 2024 than he actually got. Amusingly, this came even as Fox News aired a striking graphic showing Trump’s approval on tariffs at an abysmal 34-64. This isn’t the first time Fox has admitted how badly things are going: The network’s own recent poll found him deeply underwater on the economy, tariffs, and even immigration. We talked to Marquette University political scientist Julia Azari, author of a good new piece explaining how Trump operates outside the Constitution. We discuss how this extra-Constitutional governing is itself rendering him deeply unpopular, why Trump’s poll denial reflects a refusal to acknowledge legitimate opposition, and what it all tells us about the current state of the American experiment. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down President Trump ignoring the Supreme Court ruling on tariffs, Mexico killing a powerful cartel boss, Kash Patel’s embarrassing celebration with US hockey players, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s tariffs, he detonated. He targeted justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, fuming that the ruling was an “embarrassment to their families.” He doubled down on the idea that he has unilateral tariff power. He tacitly threatened to investigate the high court for foreign influences. He called the ruling a “disgrace to our nation.” Yet this is backfiring: It prompted GOP Representative Don Bacon to declare that this might prompt more GOP votes to constrain him, remarking that Trump “didn’t do himself any favors.” Indeed, after we recorded this episode, Senator Mitch McConnell pointedly noted that Congress is “not an inconvenience to avoid,” suggesting more Congressional action ahead, and other Republicans celebrated the ruling.  We talked to legal scholar Matthew Seligman, a lawyer for some of the businesses looking for tariff refunds. He explains why the ruling was such a major rebuke, why Trump's efforts to revive the tariffs might encounter turbulence, and how his impotent fury—and the GOP response to it—undermine his political mystique in a deeper sense.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for February 20th, we cover the arrest of the former Prince Andrew, President Trump issuing a 10 day timeline on negotiations with Iran, massive new Trump branding on the DOJ headquarters, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court has ruled against Donald Trump’s tariff agenda in a major blow to his economic policy. Are we finally seeing real pushback against this administration? What does this decision mean for our democracy? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf react to this evolving story, discussing the SCOTUS decision, the SAVE Act, and the corruption within the Trump administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After British police arrested the former Prince Andrew in connection with revelations involving Jeffrey Epstein, a reporter asked Donald Trump directly if anyone will face accountability in the United States. Trump rambled and rambled, insisting he had been “totally exonerated.” That’s not true, but regardless, Trump could not explain why accountability is happening in other countries, but not in ours. He also had nothing whatsoever to say about whether his Justice Department will ever seek accountability for any elites implicated in the scandal. Meanwhile, MAGA figures are raging over the latest Epstein-file revelations and demanding exactly the accountability that is not forthcoming from DOJ. We talked to Nicole Hemmer, author of good books about the conservative movement and about the right wing media. She explains why Trump has not been exonerated, how the latest in this scandal is causing MAGA to crack up, what all this reveals about supposed Trump-MAGA hatred of “elites,” and what the prospects are for genuine accountability. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Democratic Party is at a flashpoint. With the naked fascism on the Republican Party under Trump, the time is ripe for the Democrats to become more popular than ever. Yet the leadership has stumbled time and time again. The New Republic Editor Michael Tomasky joins David Rothkopf to outline exactly to the Dems need to do right now to trounce Trump and win back the favor of the American people.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we cover Prince Andrew's arrest, Trump's Board of Peace's first meeting, Pete Hegseth inviting Christian nationalist pastor Doug Wilson to speak at the Pentagon’s monthly worship service, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has the midterms on his mind. A few days ago he erupted in a wild tirade on Truth Social, raging about voter fraud and voter ID while urging Republicans to make them central in the elections. He’s now pinned this rant to the top of his feed. Over the last 24 hours, he’s been on a tear, elevating half a dozen other tweets on these topics. By “warning” that Republicans must centralize voter fraud, he’s actually telling them to engage in mass voter suppression or perish. He has good reason to panic: One new poll has his approval at 38 percent. Another survey puts Democrats ahead in the House ballot matchup by six points. And polling averages find Trump’s approval on immigration, his “good” issue, at abysmal lows. We talked to Lakshya Jain, head of political data for The Argument. He explains why the numbers are even worse for Trump if you dig into the details, particularly on the economy; why it’s so unusual that Trump is tanking on two GOP issues, the economy and immigration; and why that is creating unexpected opportunities for Democrats. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

⁠“Rubio goes to Munich, then goes out for a cup of tea…”⁠ The Munich Security Conference highlighted the unpredictability of US foreign policy. Europe is coming to terms with US unreliability, and the Democratic party is beginning to see its primary candidates emerge. What should we make of the Munich Security Conference? What - or who - is the future of the Democratic party? Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations joins David Rothkopf, Rosa Brooks, and Ed Luce to discuss all this and more. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover politicized sewage spill in Maryland,Kristi Noem's clash with the Coast Guard, the FDA agreeing to review a new mRNA vaccine, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode, we talk to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey about the latest developments in his city. Donald Trump and border czar Tom Homan have said they’re winding down ICE’s occupation, and Frey tells us there are some positive signs in this regard. But Frey also discusses how ICE violence has been directed from the very top, shares new details about the enormous and lasting damage it did to the city, and explains how the extraordinary solidarity between ordinary people there is enabling Minneapolis to emerge from this dark period unbroken and unbowed. “The people here are tough as hell,” Frey tells us, adding that the city feels “pride” at “what we are overcoming.” Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down the death of Rev. Jesse Jackson, ongoing negotiations between Iran and the US, right-wing rage over AOC’s appearance at the Munich Security Conference, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt went full North Korea cult propagandist on Fox News, gushing that the ICE crackdown in Minneapolis has been a “resounding success.” Never mind that two Americans were murdered, violent civil conflict has reigned, and Trump’s approval has cratered. Leavitt also undercut her own spin by describing all arrested by ICE as “criminals” and insisting the operation is “targeted”—revealing she can’t tell the truth about its targeting of noncriminals because it’s so widely hated. She was further undermined by the shocking news that two ICE agents lied about an incident leading to the shooting of an immigrant, a reminder that this entire fiasco has been perpetually awash in lawless horror. We talked to Democratic messaging strategist Anat Shenker-Osorio, who explains how that shooting wrecks White House spin, why Trump’s propaganda narratives are collapsing at a deep level, why he’s in an unusually weak position, and what Democrats can do with their own narratives to seize the moment.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss the DOJ’s ludicrous claims regarding the Epstein Files Transparency Act, DHS attempting to have tech companies unmask anti-ICE accounts, the vacuum of leadership at the NIH, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for February 13th, we discuss the administration reversing a major ruling on greenhouse gases, continued escalating tensions in the Middle East, the impending partial government shutdown, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Concerns about an impending government shutdown are growing, and it is critical that the Democratic Party can adopt strong messaging to voters. There is no oversight for the Republican cult in Washington - Bondi, Bovino, Blanche, the list is endless. If we can still save our democracy, we need to do so now. Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss the looming government shutdown, the threats to voting rights, and the hideousness of Pam Bondi.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday we discuss Pam Bondi’s aggravating House Judiciary Committee hearing, the end of the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota, the House passing the SAVE America Act, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump is tacitly threatening to interfere in the 2026 elections. He’s urged Republicans to “nationalize” them and recently said he regrets not seizing voting machines in 2020. Last month the FBI seized ballot boxes in Fulton County, Georgia as part of some sort of criminal investigation that remains murky. Now it’s being reported that this FBI move originated with claims from a well-known election denier that have been widely debunked. This raises serious worries that Trump could direct the FBI to seize 2026 midterm ballot boxes based on a similarly spurious rationale. We talked to Lauren Groh-Wargo, head of the voting rights group Fair Fight Action. She explains who this election denier is, decodes the latest revelations about the FBI’s action in Georgia, walks through how Trump could attempt to disrupt the 2026 midterm vote count, and lays out ways that local officials—and the rest of us—can start preparing to fight back. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump is weak. From the Epstein Files to nationwide outrage over ICE, it’s safe to say it sucks to be MAGA right now. Now the question is how Democrats can capitalize. Tara McGowan and Simon Rosenberg join David Rothkopf to discuss just how precarious of a moment this is for Republicans, why Trump is more desperate than ever, and how Democrats can build momentum towards total victory in the midterms.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump shows no signs of slowing down his assault on our basic rights in this country. It’s high time we do something about it. DEFIANCE.org’s Miles Taylor and Philadelphia’s District Attorney Lawrence Krasner join David Rothkopf to discuss the Fight Against Federal Overreach project (FAFO) and how this new coalition of district attorneys and prosecutors is fighting back against federal officers who violate the law and disregard our constitutional rights.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has not “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear arms program as his administration would like you to believe, and now he is threatening to send another carrier battle group into the Persian Gulf. As tensions continue to rise in the Middle East, it is clear that the dialogue around nuclear arms control is not just a relic of the Cold War. Joe Cirincione and Jon Wolfsthal join David Rothkopf to discuss the current state of arms control. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss the Congressional hearing on immigration oversight, the FDA rejecting a Moderna flu vaccine, growing calls for the resignation of Howard Lutnick, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s top trade adviser, Peter Navarro, just offered an extraordinary statement on Fox News. He admitted that we should lower our expectations for job creation because of Trump’s success in removing immigrants from the country. In essence, Navarro suggested it was a good thing to have lower jobs numbers provided the (supposed) cause is higher deportations, and confirmed that removing immigrants isn’t creating jobs for Americans. We think this provides an opening to explore what MAGA economics is really trying to accomplish. So we talked to economist Paul Krugman, author of an illuminating piece on his excellent Substack that takes apart Trump’s immigration agenda. He explains how Navarro wrecked a core scam that Trump has long peddled about immigrants, how this undermines the most basic story MAGA tells about the economy, and how Democrats can seize on the failure of that story to tell a better one of their own.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss Democrats rejecting a White House proposal for a DHS deal, lawmakers accusing the DOJ of inappropriately redacting the Epstein files, top immigration officials set to testify before the House, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump was initially angry over the decision to feature Bad Bunny in the Super Bowl halftime show. But then, as he performed, Trump’s rage worsened: In a furious rant, he claimed the show was a “slap in the face” to our country, that Bad Bunny’s use of Spanish means “nobody understands a word this guy is saying,” and that the show was “absolutely terrible.” Other MAGA figures fumed that the show was a betrayal of America. Meanwhile, CNN polling guru Harry Enten details in a new analysis that Trump is hemorrhaging support from his working class base. What if those two developments—Trump-MAGA fury at the show and Trump bleeding his base—are related? We talked to Adrian Carrasquillo, author of The Bulwark’s excellent newsletter “Huddled Masses.” We discuss how Trump-MAGA are in a bubble about Bad Bunny’s show, how most Americans likely viewed it, why Trump’s ICE raids and hostility to immigrants are costing him working class support, and how that wrecks various myths about 2024.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The explosion of artificial intelligence has been a huge boon for leaders in the tech space. But many of us outside of Silicon Valley aren’t fans. So where does this hate for AI moguls come from. MIT Technology Review editor in chief Mat Honan joins David Rothkopf to discuss his recent coverage of Davos, reasons to be optimistic and skeptical about developing trends in AI, and what comes next.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down MAGA outrage over Bad Bunny’s halftime show, Trump keeping Democrat governors out of a White House meeting, the Pentagon cutting ties with ‘woke’ Harvard, and more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Donald Trump posted a viciously racist meme depicting the Obamas as apes, a self-identified three-time Trump voter called in to C-Span and unloaded. He described the meme as an “embarrassment to our country,” apologized for backing Trump, called out his lying and bribe-taking, and ripped him as “rotten” and “pathetic.” This comes after many Republicans condemned the post, leading the White House to take it down and blame an unnamed staffer for it. We think all this captures a newfound Trump-MAGA weakness in the culture. So we talked to New Republic senior editor Alex Shephard, author of a great new piece on the waning of Trump-MAGA’s cultural dominance. We discuss how formidable Trump-MAGA’s cultural relevance looked in 2024, why it has waned, how ICE has turned the culture against MAGA on a deep level, and what it all says about the future of MAGA and our country.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for February 6th, we discuss Iran/US talks in Oman, Senate negotiations over funding DHS, an impending fight over the SAVE America Act, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The release of the Epstein files is the story of the year. Or at least it would be if this administration wasn’t responsible for a new story of the year every week. So how has our intrepid American media responded to each successive crisis? Not well. Dan Froomkin and Jeff Jarvis join David Rothkopf to explore why our media and journalists haven’t risen to the occasion and why they’re letting the First Amendment down.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt lost her temper with a reporter who asked if Donald Trump intends to flood polling places with ICE agents during the midterms. She called the question “silly” and “hypothetical” and “disingenuous,” even though Steve Bannon, who’s influential in the White House, explicitly said this week that this will happen. This comes as Trump himself called for Republicans to “nationalize the voting.” Leavitt also struggled to spin this threat from Trump, suggesting that’s not what he meant, only to have Trump undercut her by reiterating his demand soon after. The White House is all over the place on this. So we talked to legal expert Rick Hasen, author of the excellent Election Law Blog. He separates the real from the fake in Trump’s threats, outlines the nightmare scenarios that Trump actually could attempt to pull off, and explains how we can gear up right now to fight back. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to another week in Trump’s America. The President is “renovating” the Kennedy Center a la the East Wing of the White House, the Washington Post continues it’s descent into darkness, and MAGA cronies are looking for any way to undermine democratic elections this November. What is going on in America? David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss all this and more. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down Trump’s growing campaign funds ahead of the 2026 midterms, ICE facing a setback from a federal judge in Oregon, the Supreme Court unanimously rejecting a GOP challenge to California’s election map, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump just claimed in an interview that the events in Minnesota suggest that ICE needs to use a “softer touch.” He also struggled to create the impression that he’s been working constructively with local officials there. While all this is just spin, it reveals an awareness that these events have put him in a politically weak position. Indeed, this comes as Trump’s plans for vast migrant prison camps are hitting angry opposition in unlikely places: In a deep red, partly rural county in Virginia; among Republican officials in other states; and even in Mississippi, where a GOP Senator has come out against a planned camp there. We talked to Brian Beutler, who’s been arguing on his excellent “Off Message” Substack that Dems need to take charge of debates like these. We dig into the surprisingly robust backlash against Trump on immigration, why the prison camps present a big opportunity for Democrats, and why they must abandon the idea that Trump’s 2024 win showed a big cultural shift against immigrants.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Epstein files aren’t just about one man - they are a mirror reflecting the culture of shamelessness among the elite. Why are the wealthy elites above the law? Will this be the signature scandal of our times? Rosa Brooks, Ed Luce and David Rothkopf discuss the two-tiered justice system that persists in America, the implications of the Epstein files, and more. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a high-profile speech, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently declared "We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition." US government officials and many others interpreted the comment to refer at least in part to the dramatic developments in US-Canada relations in the past year. Meanwhile, the US and Canadian energy systems are deeply interconnected. Join host David Sandalow as he talks with AJ Goulding, a leading power market expert based in Toronto, to discuss power prices, data centers, the future of coal and solar power, and the implications of US-Canadian tensions on the energy systems in both countries.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover a reduction of ICE officers in Minneapolis, Trump signing a bill to end the government shutdown, Israeli strikes killing 20 in Gaza, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After The New York Times reported that President Trump has backtracked on a major demand he’d made on Harvard University, he spiraled out of control in three wild tirades. He angrily insisted on a correction from the Times, and levied unhinged new threats against Harvard, demanding a new billion-dollar extortion payment while calling for the university’s criminal prosecution. Harvard officials clearly leaked word of Trump’s backtracking to humiliate him at a moment of political weakness. It worked: Trump appeared panicked and weak as he fired off half-cocked threats. Which raises a question: Why don’t more institutions grasp that standing firm against Trump is the only way? We talked to Ryan Enos, a Harvard political scientist who has long argued for a strong stand. He explains the internal politics at Harvard leading to its current posture, why this fight’s outcome has broader significance amid our slide into authoritarianism, and what the prospects are for Harvard holding firm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss an impending House vote to end the partial government shutdown, Trump urging Republicans to nationalize elections, the requirement for federal agents in Minneapolis to wear body cams, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is making it explicit. In an angry diatribe to a right-wing podcaster, Trump told his usual lies about vote-cheating by undocumented immigrants, but this time he explicitly called on Republicans to “take over the voting.” He also darkly promised something new out of Georgia, where his FBI is investigating an election center. He singled out supposed fraud in Minnesota, lying that he won it three times. And he said he’s not backing down in the state. Taken all together, the threat is clear: Trump may try to use federal forces to interfere in the midterms, in part by using ICE to intimidate voters and foment crisis. Notably, this comes as MAGA media figures are loudly calling on Trump to escalate the ICE crackdowns, as Media Matters documents. We talked to reporter Gillian Brockell, who regularly scrutinizes ICE and has a new piece detailing how ICE is getting more cruel. We discuss what Trump can do to interfere in the elections, how far his threats can really get, and how MAGA conceives of ICE as an instrument of authoritarian state terror.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down Trump ordering DHS to cease federal intervention in protests, the Kennedy Center closing for two years, reports of Iran and the US moving towards high-level talks in Turkey, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump appears in deep denial about how widely hated his ICE raids have become. He let out a strange, rambling tirade to reporters about how the “silent majority” is still behind what ICE is doing, bizarrely citing approval of the raids among his own White House employees to make the case. In another rant, he lied uncontrollably about the protesters, about crime in Minneapolis, and more. Interestingly, this comes as a poll from none other than Fox News finds Trump deeply under water on immigration. It also finds that very large majorities of independents think ICE is being too aggressive. Incredibly, even majorities of rural whites and non-college whites—loyal base voter groups—think the same. We talked to pro-immigrant organizer Lia Parada, who represents groups losing lawful status under Trump. She recounts what she’s seeing out there, shares details about surprising new signs of opposition to ICE, and explains how Democrats can seize this moment to effect a more durable shift in public opinion.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump and the GOP are in a growing panic over ICE. Trump’s advisers are sinking into recriminations. Republican officials are publicly admitting that his immigration agenda “seems to be not working” and that the GOP is “losing” the political battle over it. Others are suggesting that Alex Pretti’s killing was “murder” and that it’s time to “recalibrate.” Yet MAGA figures are pulling in the other direction. Media Matters has a good roundup: Many are urging Trump to escalate, with white supremacist Nick Fuentes labeling Pretti a “race traitor.” MAGA doesn’t want to let the GOP even appear to moderate. We talked to Jennifer Rubin, editor-in-chief of The Contrarian, who has a new piece urging Democrats to seize this moment. We discuss how MAGA’s white nationalism has landed “moderate” Republicans in a trap, why this provides an opening to divide the Trump coalition, and what Democrats can do to demonstrate that they side with the American people against Trump-MAGA’s violent lawlessness.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Public outcry against Trump’s authoritarian takeover of US cities is growing. As it turns out, Americans oppose a police state. Even a significant number of Republicans are growing discontent with ICE as their thuggish violence increases. What happens now? Can we make this a turning point for safeguarding our democracy? David Corn joins Rosa Brooks and David Rothkopf to discuss the importance of public pushback, local governance, and grassroots organizing in challenging Trump’s authoritarianism. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the U.S.-China AI rivalry a zero-sum game? While the race for technical dominance heats up, both nations are taking radically different paths to the finish line. MIT Technology Review’s Caiwei Chen and the FT’s John Thornhill join host David Rothkopf to explore where China currently holds the edge—and why the "us versus them" framework fails to capture the true complexity of the AI landscape. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we cover President Trump considering military strikes on Iran, Democrats threatening to block DHS funding, an attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GOP Senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski have now called for the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. This angered Donald Trump, who lashed out at them as “losers” and “terrible Senators” and belittled them in other ways. But Noem’s tenure does look shaky. A new government review of the killing of Alex Pretti undercuts Noem’s initial account. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is declining to back Noem. And Stephen Miller undercut her, blaming DHS for a potential breach in protocol by the officers and even suggesting the initial smearing of Pretti was rooted in info supplied by the agency. This whole thing has gotten away from Trump. So we talked to New Republic contributor and Substack author Virginia Heffernan, who’s been documenting the popular backlash against ICE. We discuss why Noem’s standing will likely keep declining, what that tells us about Trump’s own miscalculations, and how ordinary people have taken charge of this story in a manner Trumpworld cannot fathom.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Pretti was murdered by ICE agents in Minneapolis. Where is the accountability? The Republican Party appears more concerned with public relations than addressing the violence and intimidation of MAGA. What path forward do we have? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss all this and more. Tune in here. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Electric utilities are not generally known as hotbeds of innovation. What would it take for electric utilities to become more innovative? What impact would that have on the adoption of AI technologies in the power sector? Can AI tools help control power price increases for households, instead of creating pressures for increased power prices due to data center demand? Join host David Sandalow as he discusses these topics and others with Sandy Grace, Vice President of US Policy and Regulatory Strategy at National Grid. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down Trump’s statement that he will ‘de-escalate’ in Minnesota, Rubio’s warning of potential future military action in Venezuela, a wrongful death lawsuit over US boat strikes, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After we recorded this episode, we noticed that Axios is reporting that anger is rising at Stephen Miller inside Donald Trump’s inner circle. Some White House officials blame Miller for smearing ICE murder victim Alex Pretti. This comes as reports in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times suggest that other top advisers want ICE to change course in a way that is running afoul of Miller’s designs. That all this is leaking out shows internal dissatisfaction with Miller is growing. Meanwhile, a new YouGov poll finds 55 percent of Americans and 67 percent of independents have very little confidence in ICE. Both reflect large recent spikes. We think all this reflects a deeper Miller-MAGA miscalculation. So we’re talking about all this with The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer, who spent time in Minneapolis and wrote a good piece on the outpouring of popular energy there. We discuss what he saw on the ground among ordinary people, why it badly undermines the Miller-MAGA theory of American politics, and how MAGA poses a far bigger threat to social cohesion than immigrants do. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Minnesotans have shown the entire country how to stand up to this administration.  In the wake of two killings by ICE thugs, protesters have exemplified the values that all Americans should embody. Dahlia Lithwick joins David Rothkopf to break down the stunning events in Minnesota, why the administration is on the back foot, how the courts will play a pivotal role in the fight ahead, and why it’s time for all of us to stand up for what’s right.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss leadership changes to ICE in Minneapolis, the DOJ and Congress ‘looking into’ Ilhan Omar, Trump lashing out at South Korea through tariffs, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the country absorbs the shock of Alex Pretti’s murder by federal agents in Minneapolis, President Trump is politically on the defensive. He sent his border czar there and sort of made nice with Minnesota’s Democratic governor. Meanwhile, Republicans and senior ICE officials are panicking about the situation. Democratic Senators are vowing to oppose funding for the Department of Homeland Security absent major restrictions on ICE. Will they hold the line? We talked to Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut. He offers a bracing indictment of Trump-ICE lawlessness, saying bluntly that we’re at a “breaking point” that will decide whether “we condone the federal government murdering our own citizens.” Murphy also lays out how Trump is losing the argument over immigration, what Democrats should demand to restrict ICE and explains why it would be disastrous—for his party and the country—if Democrats cave at such a critical moment.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down the outrage over ICE killings in Minnesota, the remains of the last Israeli hostage being returned, Trump’s new threats against Canada, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court is about to rule on Donald Trump’s tariffs, which lower courts deem illegal. But guess what: Trump himself has badly undermined his own case for them. He’s claimed broad tariff powers by absurdly declaring trade deficits an economic emergency. But he keeps admitting to other rationales for them. In a crazed tirade in Davos, he said he threatened Switzerland with tariffs partly because a female leader’s voice annoyed him. He unleashed a long rant in a letter threatening Brazil with higher tariffs over its treatment of ally Jair Bolsonaro. And in another tirade, he threatened to impose tariffs on European countries opposing his quest to seize Greenland. We talked to MS NOW’s Steve Benen, who identified this pattern in a good piece. We discuss all these threats, the GOP’s complicity with the Mad King’s whims, and what it’ll mean for our country if the high court greenlights such obviously absurd abuses of power.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for January 23, we discuss Trump revoking Canada’s invitation to the Board of Peace, the House passing DHS funding despite ICE controversy, an American ‘armada’ heading to Iran, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump exploded in fury on Thursday at polling and media companies. He raged over “Fake and Fraudulent Polling,” said this should be a “criminal offense,” lashed out at numerous news organizations, and vowed to put a stop to the “Polling SCAM.” He’s plainly talking about The New York Times’s new poll, which finds Trump absolutely flailing on most major issues. He’s 18 points underwater on immigration, a majority of working class voters disapproves of his handling of it, and public opposition to ICE is overwhelming. These are the worst numbers on the issue he’s ever gotten. Trump’s rage is a reminder that he thinks he’s immune to the laws of normal politics. But is he really? We think not. We talked to political theorist Alan Elrod, author of a good piece for Liberal Currents on the extent of Trump’s power. We discuss the meaning of the pro-immigration public backlash, whether normal politics can ever constrain Trump, and how Democrats should prepare for the post-Trump era. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If Donald Trump is right about one thing, it’s that “we’ve never seen anything like this.” From the disastrous alienation of our NATO allies over Greenland, to his actions in Venezuela and Jack Smith’s congressional testimony against Trump, our political situation is at an all-time low. How do we save our country? How do we fight back against the evils of the Trump regime? Tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf address the current political situation and our future. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down Trump reaching a deal on Greenland, Trump’s new “Board of Peace”, an internal ICE memo on entering homes without a warrant, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is anybody keeping score of Trump’s foreign policy? Are we tired of winning yet? The administration has unleashed a blitz of colossal news in recent weeks from Greenland to Iran that has been trick to make heads or tails of. Thankfully, our friend Stephen Walt from Harvard University joins David Rothkopf to make sense of what’s been going on and determine whether Trump has a winning or losing record abroad.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By now you’ve seen President Trump’s big speech at Davos. The slurring, the confusing of Greenland and Iceland, the nonsense about wind power, and the racist smearing of Somalis before the whole world—it was an unmitigated disaster.  But things got worse when Trump’s propagandists spun it all as a world-historical triumph: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt unleashed an extraordinary stream of obsequious praise, absurdly declaring that “America is back” and that Trump played “leader of the free world.” When reporters savagely noted the Greenland-Iceland confusion, she offered a true knee-slapper of buffoonish damage control. We think it all exposed the scam at the core of MAGA in a fresh way. We talked to Mona Charen, a podcast host at The Bulwark and penetrating critic of Trump’s lawless unfitness. We discuss the brutal criticism of the speech, how this may have killed NATO, why other countries can never trust the U.S. to refrain from electing another Trump, and how it all revealed MAGA’s anti-globalism as a sick scam.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos left everyone questioning the future of U.S. foreign policy. Trump’s insane rhetoric on Greenland might finally be driving Europe off a cliff in an almost Wile E. Coyote fashion. How do global leaders respond to Trump’s bullying and threats? Is the U.S.-Europe relationship irreversibly damaged? Rosa Brooks, Ed Luce and David Rothkopf breakdown Trump’s lunacy in Davos and the horrifying implications of his foreign policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Increasing power prices are a hot topic in the United States. Last week the Trump administration, eight Democratic governors and five Republican governors announced a plan to protect households in mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states from paying more for electricity because of electricity demand from data centers. Join host David Sandalow as he talks with Peter Fox-Penner, a leading expert on electricity markets, to discuss the causes of power price increases, the role of data centers, the recent bipartisan agreement in the PJM region, and more.   This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover Trump’s unhinged speech at Davos, the DOJ’s subpoenas of Jacob Frey and Tim Walz, the Supreme Court weighing Trump’s efforts to fire Lisa Cook, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the weekend, President Trump sent a deranged text to Norway’s prime minister linking his failure to win the Nobel Peace prize to the possibility of taking Greenland by military force. That wasn’t a one-off: Trump said something similar in rambling remarks on Tuesday. Trump’s lunacy is prompting a medical expert to sound the alarm: He notes that Trump’s conduct should “trigger a bipartisan congressional inquiry into presidential fitness.” That was amplified by a Danish politician, who called Trump “mad and erratic.” So how is all this madness perceived by the rest of the world right now? We talked to international relations expert Elizabeth Saunders, who has a great new piece for Foreign Affairs magazine about the future of “primitive anarchy” that Trump is leading us into. She explains the deeper reasons Trump is so unconstrained, how his conduct is seen by other foreign leaders, and why there’s reason to fear that Trump’s designs on Greenland are deadly serious. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon’s Neuralink isn’t the only game in town when it comes to neurotechnology. With a rapidly expanding AI industry, more and more companies are finding ways to analyze data straight from your brain. So what can we do in an age where our thoughts have become commodities and privacy is an increasing rare luxury? Nita Farahany, a leading expert on the ethical and legal implications of emerging technologies, joins David Rothkopf to explore these fascinating questions and more.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down the Justice Department’s probe in to protests in Minnesota, President Sheinbaum’s response to concerns over US military movements, the EU bracing for a potential showdown over Greenland, and more.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, President Trump unleashed an angry tirade over anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis, threatening to invoke the “INSURRECTION ACT” against “professional agitators and insurrectionists,” i.e., ordinary people. On Friday, Trump seemed to suggest he might not, but he also left the threat very much dangling out there. Indeed, after we recorded this episode, Trump kept raging, seething about jailing Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, sharing tweets about “anti-ICE anarchists,” and exploding about Minnesota politicians supposedly wanting criminals in their state, showing his fury is on full boil. This comes as a devastating New York Times frame-by-frame analysis of Renee Good’s shooting shows very clearly that the shooting was not remotely justified. Making all this still worse, troops are now reportedly mobilizing for possible deployment to Minnesota. We talked to Mother Jones writer Mark Follman, author of a new piece on Trump’s exploitation of crises. We discuss how the Trump-ICE cover story is collapsing, how dangerous invoking the Insurrection Act would be, and what Trump hopes to accomplish by stoking social antagonisms at moments of national trauma. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for January 16th, we discuss Trump threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy the military to Minneapolis, the Pentagon taking over Stars and Stripes, María Corina Machado giving Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After fielding a perfectly legitimate question about ICE abuses on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt lost her temper. She smeared the reporter as a “left-wing hack.” She then broadened her indictment to the whole “fake” media. She also angrily ridiculed another journalist for asking why Trump recently “joked” that we shouldn’t have midterm elections. That Leavitt was triggered by questions about ICE again shows the White House is refusing to admit error of any kind. This comes as one new poll has Trump’s disapproval on immigration soaring to 61 percent, and another one finds a majority thinks ICE is making our cities less safe. We talked to Aaron Reichlin Melnick of the American Immigration Council, which has a great new report on Trump’s migrant detention system. We discuss the heartening public rejection of Trump, ICE’s coming explosion in recruitment, and why the refusal to change course means ICE is set to wage a Forever War on the American people.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is now threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act to send federal troops to Minneapolis. The public outrage and protests over the killing of Renee Good is testing the limits of Trump’s authoritarianism, yet he continues to double down against his growing negative public perception on both sides of the political spectrum. Would Trump try to suspend elections or declare martial law to maintain power? How do we fight back against this administration’s authoritarian thuggery? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss the events in Minneapolis and what we must do to stop this violence. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss the failure of a war powers resolution in the Senate, Trump threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces in Minnesota, reports of AI errors in ICE recruitment, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s response to growing ICE violence is really something to behold. In one long, rambling answer, he blamed shooting victim Renee Good in every which way, absurdly claiming she’d been “taunting” ICE officers and “impeded” them, while insisting they’d been “very patient.” In another one, he played sleazy little games, claiming the violence represents the “tragic consequences” of ICE facing “too much resistance”—again blaming the victims for violence against them, without a hint of concern about ICE’s conduct. We talked to Sarah Posner, author of several good books on the religious right, who is launching a new podcast next week called “Reign of Error.” We discuss Johnson’s strain of Christianity, how Trump and MAGA fuse religious and secular authoritarianism, and why some leading Evangelicals are now calling on people to pray—not for the victims of Trump-MAGA violence, but rather for Kristi Noem and ICE. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices