The DSR Network

Though US efforts to help Ukraine have been stymied by political infighting, thousands of individuals and organizations continue to provide much-needed aid. One such individual is Nate Mook, former CEO of World Central Kitchen and now active in several humanitarian initiatives in Ukraine since 2022. Nate joins David Rothkopf to share his work in Ukraine, the ways in which we can all lend a hand, and why Ukrainian resolve remains unbroken. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the new details from the Baltimore bridge collapse, Secretary Austin’s concerns over civilian casualties in Gaza, the Supreme Court’s seeming inclination to protect mifepristone, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All of a sudden Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene seems to be attacking House Speaker Mike Johnson almost daily over all kinds of things, especially his promise to find a way to pass military aid to Ukraine. Does that mean Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans will successfully thwart that effort? Why is the House GOP in such chaos, anyway? We chatted with GOP lobbyist Liam Donovan, a Twitter virtuoso and shrewd observer of Republican politics, who helped demystify all the crazy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court recently commenced hearings on a case that could restrict access to mifepristone, and the results were surprising. Only Justices Alito and Thomas appeared inclined towards supporting the ban on the drug, raising questions about the court's future direction. Norm and Kavita delve into the nuances of the hearing and the significant influence of women on the case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the NY appeals court reducing Trump’s bond, friction between Biden and Netanyahu after the US allowed a ceasefire vote, a major bridge collapsing in Baltimore, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NBC News is reeling over its decision to hire former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel as a political analyst. McDaniel actively participated in Donald Trump’s effort to steal the 2020 election, pressuring state officials not to certify the outcome, and personalities like Joe Scarborough and Chuck Todd have been harshly critical. We chatted with New York University’s Jay Rosen, one of our most incisive media critics, about whether the uproar will prompt the media to grapple more deeply with its struggle to capture the true threat Trump and MAGA pose to our democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Believe it or not, international intelligence is a lot harder to predict than March Madness. From the attack in Moscow to the issue of emerging technologies, challenges both old and new will play a significant role in the coming years. Intelligence and security expert Amy Zegart joins Marc to break down the recently released Annual Threat Assessment and the challenges on the horizon for US intelligence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the charging of four suspects in connection to the deadly attack in Moscow, the shelving of a key EU climate plan, Trump’s impending payment deadline, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent days, Donald Trump opened the door to cutting Social Security, and he’s also threatened to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would throw millions off health insurance. All this comes as President Biden’s economy is doing quite well by many metrics. Yet Trump is favored on the economy, and his MAGA support remains solid, even though his policies would badly sell out his base. We talked to New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, author of a series of columns about the economies under Trump and Biden, who helps us make sense of all these disconnects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: August 21, 2023 Maintaining alliances isn’t easy; they must be nurtured on a regular basis, which takes skill and acumen. Yet even with challenges both domestically and internationally, the US’s allies are some of its greatest assets. Since World War 2, the true brilliance of US strategy is to build genuine and sturdy alliances, politically, militarily, and in intelligence, with partners across the globe. Marc is joined by former senior CIA operations officer Jerry O’Shea, a four time station chief, to discuss why alliances are so critically important. Don’t miss it. For more like this, follow the Above Average Intelligence feed: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/above-average-intelligence/id1731208065 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: May 25, 2023 Recent election results are giving hope to many thoughtful analysts that Democrats might not just be able to eke out a victory in 2024, they might be able to win by substantial margins in the presidential election and in key Senate and House races. On this episode of DSR Politics, we talk to Missouri Senate Candidate Lucas Kunce and Democratic analyst and advisor Simon Rosenberg about how Kunce can defeat Josh Hawley next year and how that race resonates with other big national trends. Don't miss this insight-rich discussion. For more like this, follow the DSR Politics show feed: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dsr-politics-and-law/id1731231459 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world has lived in the nuclear age for nearly 79 years. In that time, bombs have multiplied and gotten bigger, but has the debate over nuclear weapons, use, arms control and how technology affects security changed? Joe Cirincione joins Jon Wolfsthal for a look at how the US has grappled with nuclear policy and other key issues over time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s an open secret that Congress is broken. Between extremism from House Republicans to an inability to pass a budget, there is something deeply wrong on the Hill. Norm and Kavita discuss the ways in which we can fix our ailing system, and why some solutions even have the ever elusive support of Republicans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover a US draft resolution calling for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza, the DOJ suing Apple for monopolistic practices, Senegal heading to the polls on Sunday, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Donald Trump’s fundraising badly trailing that of President Biden, the RNC’s new “election integrity” lawyer, Christina Bobb, is emerging as an important player in the Trump-MAGA campaign apparatus. Bobb, who was deeply involved in Trump’s Stop-the-Steal efforts, will help reassure the MAGA faithful, perhaps firing up the small-dollar donations that Trump desperately needs. We chatted with Andrew Egger, who has a great new piece for The Bulwark about Bobb’s role, about why she’s so pivotal for Trump and how she’s become the face of the new MAGA establishment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump may have been hit with multiple steep fines from the E. Jean Carroll suits and the NY fraud case, but he’s still managed to avoid accountability in a plethora of legal battles. How does he keep getting away with it? Legal expert Kimberly Atkins Stohr joins David Rothkopf to break down the latest from Trump’s many trials. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Congress’s $1.1 trillion spending package to avert a shutdown, the surprise resignation of Irelands Prime Minister, Secretary Blinken’s impending visit to Israel, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump just announced that he’s likely to campaign for the presidency on a promise of a 15-week abortion ban, even as political commentators are wondering whether reproductive rights will be as salient this fall as they were in 2022 and 2023. An interesting test looms in deep red Alabama, where Marilyn Lands is running for a state House seat in a special election set for March 26th—a campaign that Lands has made about her own agonizing abortion story. We talked to Lands about what she’s hearing on the ground and how voters are reacting to her personal journey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the resignation of the President of Vietnam, the looming famine and horrific reports from the civil war in Sudan, the indictment of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is there any chance that Congress will not abandon Ukraine to the Russians? With Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans determined to cut off military aid to Ukraine, it’s looking grim. Yet there are glimmers of hope. Some Republicans are reportedly pushing a proposal that would offer aid to Ukraine as a loan. And there are signs that House Speaker Mike Johnson does want something to pass. We chatted with Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, who offered a keen understanding of the tortured dynamics surrounding this deeply dispiriting debate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Hong Kong’s contentious new national security law, the Supreme Court indefinitely blocking a Texas law cracking down on immigration, the death of a senior Hamas military leader, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Donald Trump’s lawyers admitted that he’s failed to secure a bond to cover the half-a-billion-dollar penalty he faces in his civil fraud case in New York. As The New York Times delicately noted, “he does not have enough liquidity” to persuade any company to provide that bond. Translation: He doesn’t have the cash. This is humiliating to Trump, relative to his self-mythology. But it also points to his broader, largely-overlooked weaknesses in the 2024 campaign. We discussed this with The New Republic’s Timothy Noah, author of a great new piece on Trump’s financial travails that predicts he will soon declare bankruptcy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marc’s guest this week is Patrick Weninger, a retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service Case Officer with over 28 years of experience in the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. Air Force. He served executive-level headquarters assignments overseeing clandestine operations, tradecraft, and technical operations and served as a Senior Executive Operations Officer and Manager, with senior field assignments in the Near East, South Asia, and Europe, including multiple Chief of Station and war zone assignments. He led and oversaw the CIA’s global program for Russia. Marc and Patrick discuss Ukraine, election meddling and generative AI. Don’t miss this fascinating and wide-ranging conversation with one of the agency’s top former officers, in his national security podcast debut. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russian Election (0:33) - Reuters: Putin wins Russia election in landslide with no serious competition Israel (5:56) - Straits Times: Israeli troops raid Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital Trump (3:03) - Washington Post: Trump is eyeing Paul Manafort for 2024 campaign role The Guardian: Trump predicts ‘bloodbath’ if he loses election and claims ‘Biden beat Obama’ The Daily Blast covers the Trump Ohio Rally with special guest, Susan Glasser. Haiti (11:29) - NPR: First charter flight with U.S. citizens fleeing Haiti lands in Miami Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Ohio over the weekend, Donald Trump delivered one of his most unhinged and dangerous rally speeches yet: He used appallingly dehumanizing language about migrants, saluted the Jan. 6 rioters as patriots and heroes, and predicted a “bloodbath” if he loses the election. We talked to New Yorker staff writer Susan Glasser, the author of an excellent new piece about Trump’s use of violent and authoritarian language at rallies like this one, about why the media urgently needs to do better at conveying the full threat to democracy that Trump poses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: April 14, 2023 On this week’s episode of Words Matter, Norm and Kavita discuss a number of judiciary issues, including reproductive health. In a special extended bonus section, Norm and Kavita tackle Clarence Thomas and Diane Feinstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: April 4, 2023 All friends are not allies and all allies are not friends. Sometimes countries that start out as allies stop behaving in an ally like way. And sometimes allies become annoying because their prime minister is too good looking. We list some of America's most annoying allies...and discuss why we're a pretty annoying ally ourselves. Join Rosa Brooks, Kori Schake, Ed Luce and David Sanger for this lively, timely discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recent reporting has suggested that Russia began preparations for a nuclear strike in Ukraine in 2022. But how close did they actually get to pressing the big red button? Security analyst Michael Kofman joins Heather Williams to get to the heart of why Russia would deploy one or more nuclear weapons, and what's keeping Putin away from the brink. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we discuss Senator Schumer’s surprising speech on Israel, Kamala Harris visiting a Minnesota abortion clinic, the UK’s new policy on extremism, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On March 13, 2020, COVID was declared a national emergency. Four years on, Norm Ornstein and Kavita Patel reflect on fallout of the COVID pandemic, what we learned, and why we're more prepared than ever for the next pandemic. Members get exclusive access to a discussion on the chaos around Representative Ken Buck's surprise early departure from Congress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer gave an extraordinary speech lacerating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel over the horrific civilian toll in Gaza. This is an important moment in U.S. politics: The highest ranking Jewish Democrat stood strongly for Palestinian rights at a time when the war in Gaza is badly dividing the Democratic coalition. To navigate these complexities, we talked to Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers, which is promoting a peace effort called Standing Together, and Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, who writes regularly about intra-coalitional tensions among Democrats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To the surprise of no one, Donald Trump and Joe Biden have officially secured their party's nomination for president. But while President Biden’s campaign is on a roll, Donald Trump’s is self-destructing. Veteran political strategists Simon Rosenberg and Tara McGowan join David Rothkopf to bring us the latest news from the 2024 campaigns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Ken Buck's surprise departure from Congress, Israel saying that it will ‘flood’ Gaza with aid, a report that Trump started a CIA influence operation against China, and more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg has prominently argued that it’s premature to freak out about Donald Trump’s lead in the polls. Rosenberg’s case is partly that the Democratic Party is strong and has been winning lots of elections lately, as readers of his “Hopium Chronicles” well know. But there’s another, less-appreciated side to his analysis: That the people who make ads and run campaigns and do politics for a living know that Trump’s unfathomably high pile-up of negatives is, in the end, probably insurmountable for him. So we chatted with Rosenberg about this side of his theory — and about why the Biden team appears quietly confident of victory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mehdi Hasan, founder of the new media company Zeteo, joins Ed Luce, Kori Schake, and David Rothkopf to break down he ever-present threat of a global authoritarian-right alliance, continued destruction in Gaza and Ukraine, and the disturbingly real possibility of a Trump second term. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Russia’s firing of a top naval commander, Congress considering a potential ban on TikTok, AI regulation in India, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, a group of prominent “Never Trump” Republicans and conservatives announced that they will spend $50 million to defeat Donald Trump this fall. The group, Republican Voters against Trump, hopes to appeal to independents and moderate Republicans who backed him in 2020 and might be persuaded not to in 2024. But how big is this pool of voters, and what’s the best way to reach them? We chatted with strategist Sarah Longwell, who runs the group and regularly conducts focus groups to figure out what really makes these elusive voters tick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The great power competition between the US and China and Russia poses an enormous challenge to US leadership. But this is not the first time the US has been faced with such a task. Jim Sciutto joins David Rothkopf to discuss his new book, “The Return of Great Powers,” and why we’re currently living in a “1939 moment.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On our Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the resignation of Haiti’s Prime Minister, a aid ship carrying 200 tons of food to Gaza, Robert Hur’s impending testimony in front of Congress, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the weekend, The New York Times published a news analysis entitled, “The Biden-Trump rerun: A nation craving change gets more of the same.” This has become a constant refrain in the press: One of the candidates is running on an explicit set of promises to destroy American democracy, yet the press keeps calling this a “rerun” of 2020, almost as if it’s all a sporting event. We chatted with Mark Jacob, a former veteran journalist who writes the “Stop the Presses” newsletter, about all the insidious ways that press coverage is sanitizing the threat posed by Donald Trump and MAGA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With such a heavy focus on the situations in Gaza and Ukraine, other foreign policy priorities have taken a back seat. Syria is one priority that is likely to get worse before it gets better. Director of the Middle East Institute’s Syria program Charles Lister joins Marc Polymeropoulos to outline the need for a coherent strategy to deal with Syria, and how the country is primed to explode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we discuss Donald Trump’s meeting with Viktor Orban, the US evacuating nonessential personnel amid escalating violence in Haiti, Joe Biden’s new budget proposal, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you heard of Bridget Ziegler? A co-founder of the far right Moms for Liberty, she is embroiled in a three-way sex scandal involving her husband, Florida GOP chair Christian Ziegler. Now some Florida parents are running brutal ads attacking her, even as the Moms for Liberty movement is unexpectedly losing ground everywhere. We chatted with journalist Jennifer Berkshire, the author of a forthcoming book on our cultural battles over education, who explained the bigger, deeper story here: The right are the ones now on the defensive in the school wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: March 22, 2021 Johns Hopkins scholar and “Active Measures” author Thomas Rid on the DNI report on Russian meddling and how 2020 is different from 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: February 4, 2019 This week our leader will, as the Constitution mandates, let us know the state of our union. We won't believe a word he says. And we already know the answer. Just look at the week's other events from political chaos in Virginia to brewing wars overseas to upcoming testimony from the president's lawyer that probably won't be good for the occupant of the Oval Office. (Who's not really orange, he just has "good genes." Join us for a discussion with attorney Katie Phang, law professor Rosa Brooks and law-abiding columnist, Ed Luce as we prepare you for the week ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How many nukes does Putin have, and what are they for? This is just one of the questions that Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda’s team at the Federation of American Scientists tries to answer in their Nuclear Notebook. Hans and Matt join Jon Wolfsthal this week to discuss their report and the challenges of collecting intel on the largest nuclear arsenals in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a special episode of the DSR Daily, David Rothkopf, Chris Cotnoir, and Riley Fessler share their thoughts on the State of the Union and why President Biden was in peak form, sending the Republicans into a tailspin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. triggered an online explosion with a very weird defense of himself for spending time with Jeffrey Epstein. Everyone laughed, but we think this saga is revealing: It opens a window on his underappreciated appeal to disaffected young men. So we chatted with Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, a New School professor who specializes in politics and culture and has dissected the Kennedy phenomenon in surprising ways. Petrzela helped us uncover the darker undercurrents driving Kennedy’s popularity and the ugly truths it reveals about our politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Biden’s State of the Union address has been a source of speculation, anticipation, and a little bit of dread. The address presents Biden with an opportunity to shape the narrative around the election now that he and Trump have officially secured their nominations. The Washington Post’s Jen Rubin joins David Rothkopf on the day of the address to forecast the President’s message and, crucially, what to look for to make the Oscars less disappointing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the first civilian deaths from a Houthi attack on a ship in the Read sea, the rapidly deteriorating situation in Haiti, reports of Israel blocking aid into Gaza, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices