The DSR Network

Stephen Miller recently erupted in rage in a private meeting with ICE officials, demanding that they hit supercharged new arrest quotas, reports The Atlantic. Yet in a surprise twist, the report also details that Miller’s demands for maximum arrests are driving morale at ICE into the crapper. Importantly, what’s irking ICE agents is precisely that the mission of arresting as many low-level offenders as possible is pulling them away from pursuing serious criminals. This brutally unmasks one of Trump’s biggest scams: It demonstrates clearly that his mass deportations are not at all about public safety and are only about getting as many peaceful and non-criminal immigrants out of the country as possible. We talked to one of our favorite observers on this issue, FWD.us president Todd Schulte. He explains how all this reveals the soft underbelly of Trump’s political strength, why MAGA is now making vile memes about shackling immigrants, and and what ordinary people can do to effectively resist the coming horrors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States is a country in need of saving. From the blatant illegality of numerous White House decisions to the fecklessness of Congress, wide-ranging changes are clearly needed. David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein break down the erosion of democratic norms, the complicity of the main stream media, and the desperate need for Democrats to be a real opposition party again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss the Supreme Court striking down an immigration crackdown in Florida, the US sanctioning a UN human rights abuses investigator, Trump’s 50% tariff for Brazil, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It appears to be dawning on President Trump that he will not be ending the Russia-Ukraine war in one day, as he promised during the campaign. Trump’s frustration at Vladimir Putin is rising: This week he accused Putin of hitting him with “bullshit,” and even admitted Putin’s word to him is “meaningless.” This comes as it’s now being reported that Putin is escalating the war against Ukraine, and that he’s brushing aside Trump’s anger about it. Add it all up and Trump is plainly humiliated, realizing that Putin is laughing off his demand for “peace.” We talked to Mona Charen, policy editor at The Bulwark, who writes well about the Trumpified GOP’s embrace of Putin. She explains how Putin has long played Trump, why Putin feels free to humiliate him, and what the various scenarios ahead look like. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The only consistent theme of Trump’s foreign policy has been inconsistency. As baffling choices continue without rhyme or reason, we have to ask—who benefits? Max Boot, Rosa Brooks, and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to explore why China is the biggest winner in Trump’s second term and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss the Supreme Court decision allowing for mass federal layoffs, the IRS allowing churches to endorse political candidate, stalling ceasefire talks in Gaza, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At least 109 people have died amid devastating flooding in Texas. Distressingly, 27 deaths occurred at a summer camp for girls, and the toll continues to rise. This week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt angrily lashed out at the news media and Democrats for asking whether Trump administration policies bear any blame for the disaster’s impact. What struck us, though, is her demand that we all treat this as a “national” tragedy. She’s right that we should do this. But that solicitude is precisely what Donald Trump and MAGA deny to non-MAGA America at other urgent moments. And that’s the true MAGA ethic at its ugliest. We talked to New Republic staff writer Kate Aronoff, who has a new piece on all this fallout. We discuss why Leavitt is wrong to silence hard questions, why Democrats should talk about GOP priorities at times like these, and why MAGA’s approach to solidarity is so deeply twisted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, the resumption of weapons shipments to Ukraine, the latest from the deadly Texas floods, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At a rally, President Trump declared that he now may suspending deportations for farmworkers and other migrant workers. Trump openly admitted this will anger the “radical right,” by which he likely meant Stephen Miller and others who want every last undocumented immigrant in this country removed—or else. Indeed, leading MAGA influencers sharply attacked the move: One declared that it will “break” the MAGA coalition. The other flatly demanded that Trump keep on deporting “grandmothers.” We think all this should be understood as a display of weakness: Trump badly wants the public to think he’s considering relaxing his mass deportation regime precisely when Congress has given him tens of billions of additional dollars for it. We talked to journalist, historian, and podcaster Garrett Graff, who has a new piece on his Substack about what’s coming. He explains why rapidly expansion of Trump’s paramilitary force is so dangerous, how his effort to pseudo-moderate on deportations has exposed serious political vulnerabilities, and why he has no easy way out of them. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss Musk’s announcement of his new political party, the extension of tariff deadlines, the horrific aftermath of flooding in Texas, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode, Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg makes a crucial point: During months of debate about President Trump’s now-signed budget bill, there was very little public debate about what its explosion in Immigration and Customs Enforcement funding will inflict on America. Rosenberg chalks this up in part to Democrats’ failure to engage on the matter. We discuss the bill’s extraordinarily large health care cuts and its massive upward redistribution of wealth—and how Democrats should attack that. But now that it has passed, it’s also sinking in that the tens of billion of dollars the bill pours into expanding Trump’s detention complex will supercharge those masked, unidentified “secret police” that keep snatching migrants and legally-present immigrants off the streets. The whole project just got much darker. Rosenberg also discusses the intense civil conflict that this is already starting to unleash, and why it will get much worse. He reflects on how Democrats can campaign against the “shocking” darkness that Trump is inflicting on 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

Before we grab a hotdog and head out to the 4th of July fireworks, we have to reflect on the current state of our country and ask ourselves, "is this really what the Founding Fathers would have wanted?" David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss the significance of Independence Day, reflecting on the founding fathers and the current political landscape. They explore the challenges facing democracy today, including corruption, the impact of policies on everyday lives, the role of young voters in shaping the future 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 cover the Trump megabill reaching the House, Trump and Zelenskiy to discuss pause of US arms deliveries in call, Kilmar Abrego Garcia describing ‘severe beatings’ and ‘psychological torture’ in Salvadoran prison, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, President Donald Trump issued many angry threats against Zohran Mamdani, the underdog winner of New York Democratic mayoral primary. Trump has been attacking Mamdani, a state Assemblyman, as a “Communist,” threatening to arrest him along with other foes, and questioning Mamdani’s U.S. citizenship, hinting at a possible effort to try to strip his citizenship. What caught our eye is Mamdani’s response: It was sharply worded, illuminated the real stakes in this battle in a novel way, and effectively declared that the threat posed by Trump’s secret police to immigrants actually threatens us all. Democrats can learn from this, because Trump’s threats to denaturalize foes may soon become real. We talked to David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute. He explains what Trump would need to do to denaturalize Mamdani and other political opponents, what liberals and Democrats be preparing for right now, and why basic freedoms are hanging in the balance—for all of us. 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 approach the Fourth of July weekend and as America nears the 250th anniversary of its independence, the current state of the nation is dismal. Recent legislation could have dire healthcare consequences for millions of Americans, corruption is increasingly rampant in this administration, and Donald Trump continues to steer the country into authoritarianism. The future of American governance is uncertain, but one thing is clear - action is necessary. Tune in as David Rothkopf is joined by Ed Luce, Simon Rosenberg, and Michael Tomasky to take stock of the current political climate as we approach this Fourth of July weekend and beyond. 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 Trump megabill passing, 20 states suing the Trump Administration, the University of Pennsylvania agreeing to bar transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Senate just passed its version of President Trump’s big budget bill, which will cut $1 trillion from Medicaid to fund huge tax cuts for the rich. In a series of angry tweets, Vice President JD Vance downplayed the Medicaid cuts while saying what really matters is the bill’s massive funding for ICE and migrant detention. It was a revealing moment: Vance basically told MAGA voters not to think too much about their pending loss of health care via Medicaid cuts; instead they should focus on how many migrants the bill will end up jailing and deporting. That scam is integral to getting the Medicaid cuts passed in the first place. But what will voters think? We talked to Kristen Crowell, who is campaigning against the bill for the advocacy group Fair Share America. She explains how Trump voters and other constituencies are reacting to the bill in many communities with anger and fear; why the public is not receptive right now to typical GOP attacks on the safety net; and whether this can be converted into midterm gains 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

Silicon Valley has long proclaimed that their technologies would change the future. But to tech leaders like OpenAI executive Sam Altman, AI is not just a business; it’s a matter of life and death. But where are the ethics of a company such as an OpenAI as they transition from nonprofit to for-profit? How have AI companies grown to wield such immense power and wealth? Karen Hao, author of Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s AI joins David Rothkopf to discuss her recent book and the modern colonialism of AI tech giants. 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. 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 cover updates on the Trump megabill, Elon Musk's self-interest fueled proclamations, changing environmental laws in California, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump is raging at GOP Senator Thom Tillis for telling the truth about the Senate version of his budget bill, which could knock 10 million people off Medicaid. Trump threatened him with a primary—whereupon he announced his retirement. Tillis has since been sharply criticizing the bill, noting it will bump 600,000 people from Medicaid in North Carolina. This reveals that when Trump vowed not to cut Medicaid, he was lying. But it also shows his much-advertised vow to remake the GOP as working class has proven a sham. By threatening Tillis, Trump has only drawn more attention to Tillis’ truth-telling about his swindle of MAGA voters. And as Trump’s own media allies are warning, this could put the Senate in play for Democrats. We talked to New Republic staff writer Timothy Noah, author of a new piece on GOP lying about the bill. He explains why Trump’s Medicaid cuts are so indefensible, how they expose the core of Trump’s “working class GOP” scam, and what it all means for Democratic hopes of regaining power. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legal expert Dahlia Lithwick joins David Rothkopf to discuss the Supreme Court decisions that capped off this term. How do recent rulings reflect the Supreme Court’s growing political agenda? What concerns remain regarding the shadow docket and due process? Is there any hope for structural judicial reform? Tune in for 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 Monday, we cover Netanyahu shifting priority to rescue the hostages, GOP pushing new legislation to cut even more from Medicaid, Trump's upcoming visit to Alligator Alcatraz, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s becoming clearer that many of President Trump’s supporters are realizing how badly they’re getting shafted by his big budget bill and other leading initiatives. Senator Mitch McConnell just privately admitted that many Republicans are getting major blowback from “people back home” about the bill’s deep Medicaid cuts, adding that “they’ll get over it.” A stunning Fox News poll just found that a majority of white men without a college degree oppose the bill. Crucially, these voters make up “the heart of Trump’s base.” Amazingly, Trump’s own pollster just bluntly suggested that Trump voters are feeling betrayal. On top of all that, Trump supporters again and again have been horrified to learn that his deportations are victimizing immigrants they like. And the tariffs are already hurting Trump country. So how badly are his working class voters getting hit? To find out, we talked to economist Jared Bernstein, who paints a dark picture of the impact they’re feeling from all these policies taken together. Add it all up, Bernstein concludes, and the Trump-GOP lack of concern as their voters learn they’re taking it on the chin is “mind-boggling.” 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 Friday, we break down the five Supreme Court decisions revealed today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump’s big budget bill is in some trouble after the Senate parlimentarian ruled that big chunks of it can’t pass via a simple majority. That enraged MAGA: Marjorie Taylor Greene unleashed a furious rant demanding that Senate Majority Leader John Thune fire the parliamentarian. Other top MAGA figures, like Senator Tommy Tuberville and Representative Greg Steube, angrily demanded the same. Though Thune says he won’t take this plunge, MAGA’s anger could escalate, and the demand threatens to further undermine liberal democracy. All this comes as Trump’s general approval is sliding in many new polls, disapproval of Trump is spiking on many major issues, and the budget measure is absolutely tanking. We talked to journalist Sarah Posner, author of good books on the religious right and its impact on MAGA. She explains what Trump’s sliding numbers mean to MAGA, why MAGA’s anger at the parliamentarian really matters, what’s next for the budget bill, and how MAGA fury is partly rooted in Christian Nationalism. 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 actions regarding Iran are raising important questions for America: how reliable is our intelligence? How is disinformation warping public reality? Here in the US, Zohran Mamdani’s victory in NYC is a glimmer of hope for the Democrats, but the party needs to unite against our biggest challenges… or else. Tune in as David Corn joins Norm Ornstein to tackle all of these issues 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 discuss the White House moving to limit the sharing of classified info with Congress, EU leaders meeting for a post-NATO summit meeting, the Trump administration suing every federal judge in Maryland, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump and his top advisers have worked themselves up into a fury about the leaked intelligence assessment casting doubt on the success of Trump’s bombing of Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unleashed a wild, angry rant about it during a presser with Trump, viciously attacking intelligence officials for leaking the assessment. What Hegseth ended up revealing, however, is that we almost certainly cannot count on this administration to officially tell the truth about the Iran mission, because as Hegseth demonstrated, everything must always must serve the cult of Trump above all else. We talked to veteran national security lawyer Bradley Moss, who explains why this assessment is so important, what likely went into it, how the Hegseth-Trump-MAGA propaganda campaign is taking us to a very dangerous place as a country, and what to expect next. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to foreign policy news this week, our cup runneth over. Between the confusing narratives surround the US strikes on Iran and a strangely successful NATO summit in The Hague, the administration has had its hands full. Thankfully, David Rothkopf is joined by Gen. Doug Lute, Marc Polymeropoulos, Kori Schake, and Rosa Brooks to make sense of the news and help us understand what comes next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover Zohran Mamdani’s big win in the New York mayoral primary, reports that Iran’s nuclear program wasn’t destroyed, RFK Jr.’s disastrous moves as health secretary, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez got into a major online battle over Trump’s bombing of Iran. AOC said Trump had committed impeachable offenses. Trump responded with a wild, lengthy, unhinged rant that dared Democrats to impeach him. And AOC responded by reiterating that the bombing is illegal. What struck us about this is that Trump let himself get spectacularly triggered precisely when his propagandists are blaring forth the message that his Iran saga shows him to be a statesman of world historical stature. Democrats should do more to bait Trump to trample on his own message at key strategic moments. We talked to Salon’s Amanda Marcotte, who regularly decodes the pathologies of Trump and MAGA. She explains the deeper roots of Trump’s fury at AOC, why his narcissism is already undermining his own message on Iran, how all this gives Democrats an opening, and what constrains them from taking advantage 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 Daily for Tuesday, we break down the confusing ceasefire with Iran, the Supreme Court’s disastrous ruling on deportation, a close mayoral primary in New York, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, President Donald Trump exploded in fury at reporters and news outlets for asking hard questions about whether the strikes really destroyed Iran’s nuclear program completely, as he has proclaimed. And the questions are indeed mounting: There was clearly a lack of intelligence indicating that Iran’s nuclear program posed an imminent threat. And reports have highlighted serious uncertainty about the whereabouts of Iran’s enriched uranium. Trump thought he could bluff his way through this saga and count on Republicans to prevent any hard questions from being asked, but his rage at independent truth-seeking on the matter shows he knows he has a problem here. We talked to Democratic Congressman Sean Casten, who has forcefully argued that Trump committed impeachable offenses by bombing without congressional authorization. Casten goes deep on why Trump’s unilateral action is so indefensible, why Trump is vulnerable to what the intelligence really shows, and why Congress has an urgent responsibility to step up. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dust has begun to settle on the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, but the situation isn’t much clearer than before. Iran has retaliated against US bases in the region, so what comes next? Alon Pinkas, David Sanger, and Joe Cirincione join David Rothkopf to break down the current state of the conflict, assess the next moves for the key players, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump is a big problem, but he’s not the only problem America faces. While Trump is the avatar of many of americas woes, it’s critical to remember that many of our biggest challenges go back decades. But the time to fix it is now. Wajahat Ali joins David Rothkopf to diagnose America’s ailments and remind us of the golden rule: don’t be a fascist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss Trump considering regime change in Iran, the NATO summit in The Hague, the Supreme Court nearing the end of its term, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emboldened by a partial court victory over his use of troops amid immigration protests in Los Angeles, President Trump is now threatening to expand deployment to other cities. This is unnerving, given that his manufacturing of fake rationales for “emergency” decisions like these is getting worse. Yet it comes as striking new polling shows that Trump’s use of troops in California is deeply underwater with voters. Importantly, he’s faring even worse on this with independents. In short, Trump recognizes zero constraints at this point, either from the law or, critically, from public opinion. We talked to Brian Beutler, author of the excellent Off Message Substack. He explains why Trump is losing the voters on two issues that pundits foolishly predicted he’d win on—the domestic deployment of troops and immigration—and how Democrats should respond by fighting a better information war than they currently seem capable of waging. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The moment has finally arrived: America has bombed Iran. As the dust settles, we’re left with more questions than answers about what the attack achieved and what comes next. Thankfully, Jon Wolfsthal, Gen. Mark Hertling, and Steven Cook join David Rothkopf to provide clarity on what this unprecedented moment means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Round-Up, we cover the court decision to let Trump keep control of the California National Guard, Trump’s hopes for diplomatic negotiations with Iran, a bipartisan crypto bill passing in the Senate, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The times they are a-changin’ and the world is a-changin’ the way it thinks about AI. As we grapple with this powerful technology, numerous debates over AI’s ethics, impact on labor, impact on the environment, and more have erupted. MIT Technology Review editor in chief Mat Honan joins David Rothkopf to dissect these critical questions surrounding artificial intelligence 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 recent attacks in Minnesota are part of clear and troubling rise in political violence in the U.S. At the same time, President Trump and MAGA continue to normalize violence in political discourse. How do the events of the past week reflect a changing political climate? What does the discourse around political violence tell us? And what is the connection between MAGA and American gun culture? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein address 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

President Trump is furious over a new poll from Fox News, and understandably so. It finds his approval upside down, with 54 percent disapproving. His standing is deeply underwater on many major issues, and remarkably, that includes immigration. So he erupted on Truth Social, fuming that Fox’s pollster is “crooked” and has been “discredited,” and even (gasp!) that “MAGA hates Fox News.” But the surest sign of Trump’s fury is that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rushed to soothe the Audience of One with a ridiculous, gushing tirade designed to create the grotesquely false impression that he has the support of a very large majority of Americans. We talked to former U.S. attorney and podcaster Harry Litman, who has a good piece for The New Republic about Trump’s mounting losses and failures. He digs into the absurd disconnect between suggesting that Trump’s support reaches deep into all corners of American life, as Leavitt did, and waging an all-out war on Blue America—and how that war is only wounding him further. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're in a brave new political world under the Trump administration. Simon Rosenberg and Tara McGowan are back with David Rothkopf to explore the new political landscape including low approval ratings, the art of the distraction, and why now is the time for everyone to be an activist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the US beginning evacuations of personnel from Israel, the State Department’s new policy for screening student visa applicants, the Supreme Court’s ruling against transgender care for minors, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced striking questioning from Democratic Senator Elyssa Slotkin on Wednesday. She grilled him on whether he had given an order allowing members of the military to shoot unarmed protesters if necessary. She also pressed him on whether the military has the authority to arrest protesters. Hegseth stonewalled. What his obfuscation ended up revealing, though, is this: He knows that in response to Democratic questioning, he cannot be seen reassuring the broader public about the military’s intentions toward civilians and especially toward Blue America. Trump would perceive this as weakness and as capitulation. Which itself reveals something deeply unnerving about the Trump-MAGA threat. We talked to Guardian columnist Moira Donegan, author of a great new piece about Trump’s military parade. about Trump’s military parade. She digs into the darker implications of Hegseth’s testimony and explains why the sheer spectacle of authoritarianism is so central to the Trump-MAGA project. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At this point, it’s anyone’s guess as to what the US will do next in Iran. Apparently, not even our President knows what’s coming next. Will we enter the war? More importantly, should we? Esteemed guests Rosa Brooks, Kori Schake, and CSIS’s Max Bergmann join host David Rothkopf to try and answer these questions and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss Trump’s demands for unconditional surrender, the arrest of NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander, doubts over the passage of a GOP-backed megabill, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump appears dead set on joining Israel’s war with Iran. After a period of negotiations, Trump has now tweeted that he wants Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” The New York Times has a deep dive into his deliberations, and the findings are shocking. Trump is ready for war even though our own intelligence assessments don’t support the case for it. And incredibly, the Times reports, Trump was influenced on all this by what he saw on Fox News, which broadcast relentless imagery of Israel’s “genius” bombing of Iran. This led Trump to want “some credit for himself” for the attack, after which he “began hinting that he had played a bigger behind-the-scenes role in the war than people realized.” He then leaned more towards escalation. We talked to veteran national security hand Matt Duss, executive vice president at the Center for International Policy, who has a great piece for Foreign Policy magazine on the situation. He explains why the case for war is so weak, how Trump is getting manipulated into it so easily, and what to expect as all this unfolds. 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 cover the latest from the Iran/Israel conflict, a federal judge ruling against some NIH grant cuts, the Department of Homeland Security restarting raids on farms, hotels, and restaurants, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the horrific assassination of a Democratic state legislator in Minnesota, President Trump at first correctly stressed that such violence is absolutely intolerable. But then he uncorked a long, vile, unhinged tirade on Truth Social, threatening to unleash ICE raids more directly on Democratic cities while denouncing them as radical, dangerous and “sick.” Coming after the assassination, this was almost akin to a call for more targeting of Democrats and liberals. It’s no accident this came right after we saw enormous outpourings of peaceful “No Kings” protests across the country. The contrast between these and Trump’s North Korean-style military parade (not to mention the assassination) amounted to a fiasco for Trump. As Kim Scheppele, a scholar of authoritarianism, noted in a good piece for The Contrarian, a big story about this weekend’s events was the spectacle of peaceful dissent meeting menace from Trump-aligned forces. We talked to Scheppele about how political violence is overwhelmingly aligned in this country with the MAGA right, and why we’re now sliding into what she calls the “danger zone.” Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices