The DSR Network

With COVID spiking we will pass over 450,000 dead of the pandemic within months. Hospitals and morgues are being stretched past capacity. The White House has given up doing anything about the crisis and is not helping the incoming administration prepare. Holiday plans for many Americans will no longer be able to include family gatherings or travel. The economic crisis lingers and the Trump Administration is engaged in an extraordinary and worrisome campaign of attacking our government from within. We discuss with Pulitzer Prize-winner Laurie Garrett, former senior Trump White House official Oliva Troye, and NYU Law School's Ryan Goodman as part of a special session that included live questions from our listeners. Don't miss this special episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump's defeat is a watershed in modern U.S. history and a relief for so many of us that it may do permanent damage to the sales of Tums and headache medications. Which is a good thing. But, having said that, huge challenges remain for the US and the world. We discuss with Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law Center, Ed Luce of the Financial Times, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and Ben Ehrenreich, award-winning author whose most recent article is "How Do You Know When Society is About to Fall Apart?" (Ben, by the way, is Rosa's brother!). Don't miss our celebration...Deep State-style. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As of the posting of this latest edition of Deep State Radio, no victor had been called in the presidential race. But it seems likely Joe Biden is the next president of the United States. Will we be able to appreciate and celebrate that or will challenges to the results, a rapidly deepening COVID crisis, election irregularities, and the possibility of divided government yuck our collective yum? We discuss with Greg Sargent of the Washington Post, former Obama WH official Dr. Kavita Patel, election integrity advocate Jennifer Cohn and Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Someday soon Tuesday November 3 will end. It may not be for a few weeks. Our president seems to want to make sure it never ends...because when it does, likely, he will too. But someday it'll happen and we'll have to figure out what hit us and what's going to happen next. To tackle that big job, we have a special broadcast that will include an extraordinary array of commentators. During our first half we are joined by Max Boot of the Washington Post, David Sanger of the New York Times and Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute. In our second half, we are joined by author Mary Trump, the FT's Ed Luce, former Hillary Clinton campaign spokesperson Karen Finney and the Third Way's Mieke Eoyang. They offer insights you won't hear anywhere else. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Election Day looming this year, Americans began to shutter their windows, put up plywood on the storefronts and they watched National Guard troops rumble into their cities. What should be a celebration of democracy and possibilities is has gained an air of dread we've never seen in most of our lifetimes. That suggests that regardless of the election's outcome, we face much deeper problems in our society. How do we address those? We discuss with Nils Gilman of the Berggruen Institute, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law and Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute. Perhaps it is a time to ask some very fundamental questions. Please join us for this thought-provoking discussion. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all remember Russia's interference in the last election and we know they are back this time, joined, it seems, by the Iranians. But foreign threats are not the only challenges to election security or the reliability of our results next week. We have the potential for domestic hacking, the possibility of voter suppression, the absence of verifiable audits in 47 out of 50 states, the unreliability of some systems, the track record of some election oversight officials for fiddling the results (we're looking at you Georgia), stacked courts, and the public posture of the President and his team that are calling results into question even before they have occured. How do we know the results are real? How do we protect the process? We discuss with three people who have been actively considering these issues, election security analyst and lawyer, Jennifer Cohn, David Sanger of the New York Times, and Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University Law Center. It's a discussion you should not miss. Correction: Jennifer mentioned Vermont as one of the states conducting risk limiting election audits but she meant to say Virginia. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Democratic victory in the 2020 elections is not a sure thing. As we have discussed on other episodes, the elections are fraught with risks. Further, once an election takes place, there are many ways that the President or his allies can try to cling to power. Only after there is a smooth transition and new leadership however, can the US turn to the business of effectively confronting our looming challenges associated with the pandemic, economic recovery and the climate crisis. Rising to those challenges could be a moment of great hope, even of rebirth, for the United States. We discuss how we get there from here with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland), one of the very smartest members of the U.S. Congress, and with our regulars, Dr. Kavita Patel, former senior official in the Obama White House and Ryan Goodman, professor at NYU Law School and co-editor of "Just Security." Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a special webinar edition of Deep State Radio, the Financial Times Edward Luce hosts a conversation with David Rothkopf, author of "Traitor: A History of American Betrayal from Benedict Arnold to Donald Trump" about the book, Trump's place in history, how to hold Trump and Co. accountable for any crimes they may have committed and how to restore America's standing in the world. Questions were taken from participants around the world in a lively 45 minute conversation that covered a wide range of topics as well as the thinking behind Rothkopf's book. Don't miss this special episode of Deep State Radio. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We know, we know. This is no time for complacency. This is no time to minimize the challenges we face. This is no time to assume anything about the election or its aftermath. We must work hard and be on guard against abuses. But...what if things turn out as the polls suggest they might? What if Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and a Democratic Senate and Congress win? Might government, dare we say it, become boring again? Might competency make us turn away from it all out of indifference? And might the experience of the Trump years and resistance to the threat he and the Trumpists have posed to democracy in America have positive consequences, have reminded us what we value in government and our leaders? Might it all have brought some of us closer together? We dare to discuss our guarded optimism in this moment with Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law Center, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and Joe Cirincione of the Quincy Institute. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special episode we discuss "The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III," the landmark biography of one of the real titans of the Washington scene over the past half century, with its authors, New Yorker staff writer Susan Glasser and NY Times Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker. The book is not only a compelling life story, it is also a lens via which to see the shift from the old Washington of "wise men" and deal-makers who knew how to compromise and valued competence to the manic, dysfunctional world of Donald Trump and scorched earth Republicans like Mitch McConnell. Join us for a deep dive into an important, large and complex life and how it impacts us all to this very day. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of the most hard-hitting and shocking criticisms of Donald Trump have come from insiders in his administration. From Rex Tillerson’s calling his former boss a “fucking moron” to his former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats saying that having watched Trump up close the only conclusion he could draw was that the Russian’s had something on the president. Miles Taylor, former chief of staff in the Department of Homeland Security, and Olivia Troye, a former top national security aide to Vice President Mike Pence are among the most vocal former insiders turned critic. On this edition of Deep State Radio join them, NYU Law School Professor Ryan Goodman and former White House senior health advisor Dr. Kavita Patel to get a glimpse of the dysfunction up close. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russia has been trying to weaken the United States since the first days of the Cold War. But in that entire span of three-quarters of a century, even with the success of its spies and counter-espionage measures, it has never had a series of successes such as those it has enjoyed since 2016. As Tim Weiner, author of an important new book on Russia, "The Folly and the Glory," says, the reason for that is due to the fact that Russia has been actively and continuously aided and abetted by the occupant of the Oval Office, the president of the United States. On this special podcast, we discuss Tim's new book with General James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence, and Laura Rosenberger, former Obama NSC and State Department official who now heads the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund. No punches are pulled. This is a powerfully unsettling discussion and our experts predictions for the immediate future demand the attention of all of us. Tune in. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of our regulars, Ed Luce of the Financial Times, had an article in the Weekend FT called "Will America tear itself apart: The Supreme Court, 2020 elections and a looming constitutional crisis." It is an incisive look into a profoundly important set of challenges America faces in fixing elements of our constitutional system that are currently malfunctioning or a source of tension. Government by a super-empowered minority or "malaportionment" is one. The related problem of the electoral college is another. The politicization of our judiciary is a third. For this special deep dive into the ideas related to the article we are joined by Ed, governance expert Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute and, also from AEI, Kori Schake, the head of their foreign policy and national security programs. Join us for this important conversation. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Game of Thrones leadership decisions were made with the help of dragons and Moon Doors and Valyrian steel daggers. In America today, people play just as rough but their tools are cyber warfare, disinformation, mobilized extremist groups and court orders that suppress the vote. It is so sordid it makes you wish there were still a dragon or two available. But absent that, understanding and preparing for the threats democracy faces is our best option. That's on this episode we speak to former FBI Agent and cyber specialist Clint Watts, former White House official Dr. Kavita Patel and "Just Security" co-editor and NYU law professor Ryan Goodman. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has unleashed resources of his government to support his campaign against Joe Biden in a way that America would condemn were it the behavior of any foreign government. In fact, as David Sanger pointed out in a recent NY Times article, he has crossed lines that may damage America's standing for years to come. We discuss that article and a host of recent foreign policy developments with David as well as Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University Law Center and Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute. Then, we get an exclusive preview with David of the upcoming HBO documentary based on his best-selling book "The Perfect Weapon." It's deeply relevant to politics today as well as to critical strategic choices any new president will have to make. Don't miss this wide-ranging and fascinating discussion. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The increasingly erratic president was pretty erratic to begin with. Which has made the past week all the more unnerving. Throw in revelations about the unusual layers of secrecy and the cover ups surrounding the president's health and new revelations about one of the most disturbing policies of the Trump Era, the decision to tear families apart at the border and prosecute tiny children and this has been one of the disturbing weeks of the most disturbing presidency in US history. We discuss with Michael Schmidt of the New York Times, Dr. Kavita Patel, a former senior White House staffer, and Ryan Goodman, co-editor of "Just Security" and professor of law at NYU. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The biggest national security story in America today is the biggest domestic story and the biggest political story and the biggest economic story and the biggest public health story. The COVID outbreak at the White House might have resulted in greater empathy for those who have suffered so due to the pandemic but the opposite seems to be happening. It seems to be leading to an effort by the president and his supporters to double down on disastrous policy choice and to put more Americans at risk. We discuss with Pultizer Prize Winner Laurie Garrett, Dr. Kavita Patel, former WH staffer, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law Center. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The debate this week was a trainwreck inside a dog's breakfast wrapped in bad acid trip. It was, despite the best efforts of Joe Biden to discuss the issues, chaotic. But that's what President Trump wanted. Because it distracts from 200,000 dead from COVID, tens of millions unemployed and revelations about his taxes and his manifold failures as a business leader. We discuss those taxes, failings and the debate to get to core issues he was trying to avoid with our guests, NYU Law Professor Daniel Shaviro, journalist David Corn of Mother Jones and former senior Obama White House official, Dr. Kavita Patel. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Constitutional rot of the past four years has set the stage for the corruption of our institutions and, equally importantly, for growing delegitimization of our government. This plays into the hands of a president who is ever more desperate to cling to power lest he lose his fortune and his freedom. This in turn has experts who are studying the preparations for the November 3 election to express deep concern that we may be heading into a period of profound crisis for our system, one that, should Trump prevail in undermining the will of the people could mean the collapse of our system and a the onset of a period of national chaos. This is not abstract. Critical, dangerous steps confirming this is the direction we are headed are already taking place. We discuss with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Barton Gellman, Rosa Brooks of the Georgetown Law Center and Ed Luce of the Financial Times. It is essential listening. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The President of the United States has deliberately raised questions about whether our democratic system will work properly while actively working to ensure it does not. From voting to the courts to the enforcement of our laws, our institutions seem more fragile and at risk than at any moment since the civil war. What does this mean for the remainder of this political campaign and its aftermath? We discuss with three of the smartest political observers we know, Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, Karen Finney, former spokesperson for Hillary Clinton, and David Frum of the Atlantic. Don't miss their wide-ranging and incisive conversation. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is a resurgent COVID the October Surprise? Is it the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Will it be the nomination and approval of a replacement for her prior to the election? Will it be the announcement of a vaccine? Or is it tied to the president's reluctance to guarantee a peaceful hand-over of power if he loses. We discuss these options and others with Mimi Rocah, candidate for Westchester, NY, District Attorney, Katie Barlow, attorney and journalist, and Dr. Kavita Patel, practicing physician and former senior Obama White House aide. Co-hosts Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School and David Rothkopf of The DSR Network explore the implications of this week's developments on all these issues with our guests and the discussion is riveting. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cecile Richards is the CEO and founder of Supermajority, a new organization for "women's activism, training and the mobilization of a multiracial, intergenerational community to fight for gender equality." She was previously president of Planned Parenthood and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and has been hailed as one of the foremost women's rights leaders in the country. We discussed with her the impact of the death of feminist leader and icon, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the consequences of the confirmation of a third Trump appointee to the Court, the vital importance of the November elections and the potential agenda for a Biden-Harris Administration should they win. It was a timely, inspiring conversation about the promise of change for the better in America even as well-organized forces seek to turn back the clock. Tune in and then visit supermajority.com to learn more about Cecile's work and that of her organization. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a rarity in Washington, a true hero, one of those voices who would not be silenced by conventional wisdom or the zeitgeist or politics or the pushback of the powerful. Her loss therefore is not simply the loss of a dependably progressive viewpoint on America's highest court, it is of a true leader and individual of integrity at a moment when those are a rarity in Washington. The entire US government is, at this moment, suffering from a crisis of legitimacy from which it cannot recover without a new generation--and an army--of RBGs. We discuss with Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law Center, Mieke Eoyang of the Third Way and Edward Luce of the Financial Times. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Schmidt's new book "Donald Trump v. The United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop a President" is one of the required reads of this moment in our history. It gets deep inside the effort to protect the president as the Russia investigation closed in around him. But it also underscores what that investigation did not uncover. Indeed the central question remains: What explains Trump's behavior toward Russia during the campaign in 2016 and ever since. We discuss the book and this question with Michael in a riveting one-on-one that you will not want to miss. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Strzok is one of America's most respected, experienced counterintelligence specialists. His career at the FBI reads like a thriller and as a consequence, so does his new book "Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump." At the center of course, is Strzok's role in the investigation of Trump, the controversy that led to his departure from the FBI and, most importantly, what he and his colleagues uncovered about Trump. In our conversation with Strzok, Ryan Goodman of "Just Security" and David Rothkopf, explore the facts of the counterintel case against Trump and what threats loom for the US from Russian interference in this November's election. From Barr's abuses to the failings of Senate and IG investigations, this candid discussion should not be missed. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The divide between the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and centrists has dogged the party for years and hurt Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016. Thanks to equal parts good planning, good will and the urgency of the threat America faces, that divide has been minimized this year with Biden working closely with progressive leaders like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and AOC. The question is: What will happen to progressive concerns should Biden become president? And how does the progressive agenda on defense, climate and other issues fit with the views of Americans of both parties. We discuss with former co-chair of the Bernie Sanders campaign, Representative Ro Khanna of California, Ed Luce of the Financial Times and Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute. Join us for this wide ranging, thought provoking discussion. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Republican Party not only produced the corrupt, failed presidency of Donald Trump, but it has supported Trump at every turn. What is to be done with a party that embraces a president who is a traitor, a con man, a racist, a serial abuser of women? We sat down with two notable former Republicans, Washington Post columnist Max Boot and political scientist and commentator Tom Nichols to discuss what comes next for the GOP. Their answers suggest that a defeat of Donald Trump will not be enough to fix what is broken within the party. Indeed, one suggests it essential to vote against Republicans on every level on every ballot whereas the other warns it might require decades of defeats of this dysfunctional, dangerous incarnation of what was once the party of Lincoln. Join us for this thought-provoking conversation. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The two defining crises of the past 40 years in the US have been the 9/11 attacks and the COVID crisis. In both cases, government lies and bad government policies made matters much worse. In both cases, hundreds of thousands died as a result. The wars that resulted from 9/11 still fester. And as for the COVID crisis, we could see the number of dead in the US double before the end of the year...because the president is so resistant to doing what's right. With the publication of Bob Woodward's new book, all this is reframed and we discuss with two of America's leading experts, Pulitzer Prize-winner Laurie Garrett and former Obama WH senior health official Dr. Kavita Patel. Join co-hosts Ryan Goodman of "Just Security" and NYU Law School and David Rothkopf for this vitally important episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump doesn't think much of America's military and he thinks even less of its members who sacrificed their lives or freedom for the country. And, now he wants another four years as commander-in-chief of that military. And he's got a shot at getting re-upped for another tour. Because...what the fuck, America? We discuss the latest outrages with Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law School, Ed Luce of the Financial Times and David Sanger of the New York Times. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As former U.S. Under Secretary of State Richard Stengel says during this special podcast, when he interviewed Putin several years ago, the Russian president cited the collapse of the USSR as the greatest tragedy of the past century. And, as Richard notes, Putin has been on the attack against what he perceives as those that brought Russia down ever since. This led to his support for Donald Trump in 2016 and once again, it leads him to support Trump again in 2020. And Trump is returning the favor, making it harder for Congress and the American people to know what Russia is up to, harder to defend against them and even spreading disinformation to minimize the Russian threat. We discuss the latest developments in this, one of the great stories of our time, with Stengel, a former managing editor of Time Magazine, Natasha Bertrand of Politico and Graham Brookie, Director and Managing Editor of the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab. Join co-hosts Ryan Goodman of Just Security and NYU Law School and David Rothkopf of the DSR Network, for this important, insight-rich episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the lawlessness and lies of the GOP convention it is clearer than ever that another term in office for Donald Trump would be devastating for democracy in America. And given the willingness of the GOP to violate the law and the fragility of political leads in times like these, you would have to be, in the words of our regular Rosa Brooks, deranged to think Trump might not achieve victory in November. We discuss that possibility, the conventions, yet another instance of police barbarism, further mishandling of the coronavirus crisis and more with Rosa, with former Obama White House official Dr. Kavita Patel and with NYU Law School's Ryan Goodman. Don't miss this thought-provoking if disturbing episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every four years a heated debate occurs among foreign policy and national security nerds about why foreign policy and national security just don't seem to be so important in our presidential campaigns. But 2020 will be different right? After all, Russia attacked our last elections, a global pandemic and economic crisis has paralyzed the country, China is a rising threat...wherever you look there are big international issues of central concern. Everywhere you look, that is, except the political conventions last week and this week. Then...crickets. We discuss why with David Sanger of the New York Times and Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute. Don't miss this episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is one and only one major hoax associated with the relationship between Donald Trump and the Russian government during the 2016 elections. That's the hoax hoax, Trump's denials that he worked with Russian intelligence to get elected. This week's report from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence should finally set that hoax to rest. The bipartisan report not only documents in detail how closely Team Trump worked with the GRU, it also detailed many of the ways they sought to obstruct justice, hide evidence and impede investigators. We discuss the report with four experts: Natasha Bertrand of Politico, Michael Weiss of The Daily Beast, Josh Campbell of CNN and Susan Hennessey of Lawfare. And then, while we're at it, we discuss what the Russians are up to now since 2016 was such a big success for them. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As many US observers watched brave Belarussians take to the streets to protest the rigged election engineered by their autocratic president, they wondered aloud on social media whether the US would soon be going through the same thing. We too have an autocratic president. He too depends on the support of Vladimir Putin. He too has no respect for democracy and is working to rig our upcoming elections. Anger is building among Americans, as well, and many worry that the next step after an unfair election will be taking to the streets. Ed Luce of the Financial Times, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law Center and Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute discuss. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the president making even more outrageous remarks about his desire to impede voting by mail and the GOP mobilizing more efforts to spread disinformation, it is clear the weeks before the election will be contentious and American democracy is at risk. But who are you gonna call if the guys who are supposed to be protecting that democracy are the greatest threats to it? We discuss this and the week's other big developments--including why the Kamala Harris VP announcement was such a resounding success--with Washington Post columnist Max Boot, former Obama White House staffer Dr. Kavita Patel and co-editor of Just Security Ryan Goodman. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We summarize a busy and disturbing week of world events with a bit of free-association between Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law Center, Kori Schake of AEI and David Sanger of the New York Times. It takes us from Bill Barr suggesting Democrats were adherents of French enlightenment philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau to the reality that Barr is much more a Hobbesian to other Hobbesians from Minsk to Hong Kong to a president who can't handle the truth and an intelligence community and White House staff that seems scared to give it to him. And then from there we go to why as bad as COVID has been we're grateful for the opportunity to wear gym clothes most of the time. You won't want to miss any of it. Tune in now. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special Agenda 2021 episode, we bring together three of America's top expert commentators on the COVID crisis to discuss where we are in the crisis, what may impact it between now and the election and then what the first 100 days health policy priorities for a Joe Biden Administration ought to be. Pulitzer Prize Winner Laurie Garrett, former Baltimore Health Commissioner and practicing ER physician Dr. Leana Wen and former senior Obama health advisor and practicing physician Dr. Kavita Patel join for a hard-hitting assessment of why things are so bad, why they may get worse and why a Biden Administration will have to be bold in its response to undoing the damage their predecessors have done. Don't miss this crucial discussion. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America has had disputed election results in the past. 2016 comes to mind. So does 2000. So does 1876. But, in all these cases and with all the instances of trying to fiddle with democracy that have marked our history, there has never been a case where the President of the United States and his entire executive branch seemed so committed to rigging the election in their favor or, short of that, to throwing the election results into doubt. Whether it is seeking foreign intervention (again) or threatening to postpone the vote, creating false doubts around mail in ballots or working with the postal service to ensure as many ballots arrive too late to be counted as possible, via disinformation or voter suppression, our democratic processes are likely to be under siege this November. The questions we must grapple with are what might that look like and what is to be done about it. We are joined by a group that has recently participated in scenario exercises on just this subject. Our own Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University was one of the organizers and DSR regular Ed Luce of the FT was a participant. In addition to them, guests include Bill Kristol, editor-at-large of The Bulwark and Col. Lawrence Wilkerson of the College of William & Mary. It's a vital discussion. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Russia, they refer to Trump as being "theirs." In France, the president muses about how Europe should prepare for an America that is no longer an ally. In China, they know they are gaining with every setback the U.S. faces. But what if Trump is re-elected? What will it mean for the rule of law in America? Will Bill Barr be a kind of Prime Minister of a Trump Junta? Will it be the end for NATO and the international order? Might it mean the end for our domestic institutions? For the American experiment? The answer, in the eyes of our experts, is yes. Join Kori Schake of AEI, Ed Luce of the FT and Tom Nichols of the Naval War College and the Harvard Extension School for a discussion of the unthinkable tomorrow that could very well be right around the corner. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a remarkable 50 year career in government that has seen him as Secretary of Defense, Director of the CIA, White House Chief of Staff, Director of the Office of Management and Budget and in Congressional leadership, Leon Panetta has seen it all. But, he tells us in an exclusive Agenda 2021 interview, he has never seen anything like the situation we're in now. We discuss Trump's COVID leadership failure, his kowtowing to Putin, his ignoring the threat posed by Russian bounties on US troops, and his weakening of NATO. Then we turn to the vital national security priorities that a Biden Administration must address come January--and they go far beyond merely undoing the damage Trump has done. This is a masterclass in government and policy from one of the great master public servants of our time. Do not miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanks to his trusty personal defense attorney Bill Barr and his defender in the Senate Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump has gotten away with betraying his country, enriching himself at the expense of the public, sidestepping national security rules, quashing his opponents and rewarding enemies of the US around the world. But, for now, we have to view that as water under the bridge. An election is coming up and everything Trump and Barr have said or done this week and over the past few weeks makes it clear that they will stop at nothing to win or to discredit a loss should it occur. They will suppress votes, make it harder to vote, send federal forces into Democratic cities, undermine the Post Office, issue reports targeting the Obama Administration, seek dirt from Ukraine on Joe Biden...and much, much more. We discuss where all this may lead with an amazing panel including former US Attorney Barb McQuade, counsel to House Impeachment Committee Norm Eisen, former US Attorney and creator and host of The Talking Feds podcast, Harry Litman and Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School and co-editor of "Just Security." Don't miss this vital discussion. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Commentator and political pro Zerlina Maxwell's book "The End of White Politics" could not be better timed. It comes in the summer of BLM and COVID when America's racial inequities and their costs could not be clearer. But it also comes as America begins a 25 year transition to becoming a society in which whites are in the minority for the first time in our history. The GOP is seeking to play on the fear those changes instill in white America. Will Democrats step up to seize the moment and become the party that produces the transformational changes America's emerging majority demands? We discuss with Maxwell, one of the smartest observers of American politics and a woman with a vision for the future of American politics that must not be ignored. Don't miss it. (And buy her excellent book.) Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one has provided the insight into the pathologies that define Donald Trump and his presidency like Trump's niece, Mary L. Trump. Her book, "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man" is a brilliantly written, harrowing tale of familial dysfunction and how it produced the most corrupt president in U.S. history. Join David Sanger of the New York Times and Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law Center as they explore with Mary how we got where we are, why the president is so easily manipulated by foreign despots and how much worse things can yet become. From denying the election outcome to a second term in which he so unfettered that as Mary warns, it may well lead to the end of the American experiment. Essential listening. Download this episode now. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Viruses occur in nature. So do epidemics. But where most of the world's leading economies managed the COVID crisis well enough to control it? America under Trump made error after error. What went wrong? Who's to blame other than Trump? Where will this all lead? We discuss with experts Dr. Kavita Patel, former top Obama health advisor, Jeremy Konyndyk, also a former advisor on epidemics to the Obama Administration, David Sanger of the New York Times and co-host Ryan Goodman of "Just Security" and NYU Law School. Don't miss this troubling analysis of how we got where we are and why it may get worse from here. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Any Democratic president would immediately work to reverse the damage that the Trump Administration has done to climate and environmental policies in the U.S. But there are signs that a Biden Administration may represent a major change on these policies even when contrasted with its Democratic predecessors. The climate crisis has worsened, a rising generation sees climate as a top priority, Biden has begun to listen carefully to green leaders from the progressive wing of the party and major, essential progress seems possible. We discuss the damage Trump has done and what that progress might look like in the latest edition of our Agenda 2021 series of conversations with two of the foremost climate, environmental and energy policy leaders in the Democratic Party, Carol Browner, who served as head of the EPA in the Clinton Administration and head of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Policy during the Obama Administration and David Sandalow who has served in top energy and environment related posts in the White House and at the State and Energy Departments. Don't miss this important conversation. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some national governments are clusterfucks. Others are omnishambles. But a rare few are both. Is Donald Trump's America the capital of omnishambolic clusterfuckery? Boris Johnson's UK? Jair Bolsonaro's Brazil? Do really bad leaders like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi have a shot at topping this league table? And from what part of the world will come the big international story that shocks everyone in the run up to the US elections in November? Will the Russians make a move against Ukraine? Will tension rise in the Straits of Taiwan? Will Trump invade New York City. We discuss with Ed Luce of the Financial Times, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law Center, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and our old friend, recent Congressional candidate, Evelyn Farkas. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump Administration and its allies in key statehouses are suppressing vital data about the spread of COVID. Without that data, tens of thousands of more Americans will die. Crimes are being committed. Who will be held responsible? And who, if anyone has a plan to get us out of this rapidly worsening situation? We discuss with Pultizer Prize-winning author Laurie Garrett and former Obama Administration White House advisor on health issues, Dr. Kavita Patel. The chilling implications of this discussion are important to understand for you, your family and for the entire U.S. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rep. Anthony Brown, (D-Maryland), Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, with a distinguished military career behind him, joins our regulars to discuss how the military is responding to major challenges before it, from its need to address major diversity problems in its ranks to the current movement to rename military bases currently bearing the names of the Confederate leaders to the expanding Russian bounty scandal in Afghanistan. Brown has led the way on helping the military address its diversity needs--including promoting more women and people of color to being generals or admirals and reducing discrimination and mistreatment in the military justice system. He also states clearly on this podcast that if Trump were a military leader his dereliction of duty on the Afghan bounty matter would lead to his court-martial. Don't miss this discussion also featuring our regulars Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law Center and Edward Luce of the Financial Times. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court rulings on Trump's taxes put a stake through the heart of the absurd idea that U.S. presidents had absolute immunity and underscored the right of states to prosecute a sitting president. While they left some avenues for further delay for Trump and his battery of lawyers, it is now clear that sooner or later prosecutors will have the chance to review the president's financial records and indictments seem very likely to follow. As for Barr, not only did he lose the immunity argument that has been central to his fallacious and dangerous notion of a unitary presidency, he also was called out for lying and thuggish tactics by former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman, a Trump appointee to the post. We discuss the meaning of all these developments with Mimi Rocah, a 16 year veteran of the SDNY and the presumptive Democratic nominee to be the next district attorney in Westchester, NY and Ryan Goodman, co-editor of "Just Security" and a professor at NYU Law School. Please join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of our Agenda 2021 series is a one-on-one conversation with General James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence and prior to that Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. We discuss President Trump's pattern of placing Russian interests ahead of our own, his attacks on the foundations of our national security, why a second Trump term will be "like the first one on steroids," what a President Biden should do to repair the damage done by Trump and how to draw a new generation into service of our national security despite the damage done by "truth decay" in Washington. It is an absolutely riveting, essential podcast. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices