The DSR Network

On the eve of the most consequential election of our lifetime, renowned investigative journalist Michael Weiss (@Michaelweiss) joins Marc (@mpolymer) to discuss the national security arena from Ukraine to the Middle East. What are the effects on Ukraine of a Harris or Trump victory? What is Biden’s overall legacy on Ukraine? Is Biden the most pro-Israel president in US history? Plus Michael’s new...

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we cover a round-up of election news from the US and around the world, including the possibility of RFK Jr. in a Trump administration, Viktor Orban’s statements on a Trump victory, and Moldova’s pro-EU president winning reelection.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s allies reportedly fear Trump’s recent hate rally might have badly hurt him, and worry their internal polls aren’t getting it right on how shaky his standing is in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, new polls show surprising movement among women and undecided voters toward Kamala Harris. Trump raged at a rally about the highly regarded Des Moines Register poll showing him down three in Iowa an...

What makes leaders like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin tick? Dr. Ken Dekleva joins Marc Polymeropoulos and David Rothkopf to share his answer. Dr. Dekleva shares his experience helping profile world leaders for the US government, including how different US presidents utilized these leadership profiles in high-stakes summits and negotiations. Dr. Dekleva also discusses the critical role played by Re...

Original air date: November 1, 2023 As the war in Gaza continues, civilians are paying the price. Meanwhile, President Biden's relationship with Israeli PM Netanyahu seems destined to grow more difficult. Rula Jebreal joins David Rothkopf, Ed Luce, and Rosa Brooks to discuss what the Biden administration can do, and how US policy needs to evolve to further humanitarian goals in the region. Learn m...

Steve Kelly, former FBI agent and colleague at the Institute for Security and Technology in California, joins Jon to discuss the intersection between AI and cybersecurity. How has our perceptions of artificial intelligence changed alongside its rapid technological development? What effects does AI have on cybersecurity and how does it affect cyberwarfare? Are these developments not-so-bad in the l...

On the DSR Daily for Friday, we discuss Trump’s strange pledge to protect women “whether they like it or not”, a judge ruling that Musk’s giveaways can continue, historic flooding in Spain, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kamala Harris’s campaign just released a hard-hitting ad featuring Donald Trump’s quotes about the need for a “punishment” for abortion, and tying them powerfully to horrific stories about women suffering and dying under GOP abortion bans. If Harris wins, it’ll probably be due to women who are motivated by messages like this one. We talked to Jennifer Mercieca, a professor of political communicati...

As we approach the election's final days, the entire country has its eyes set on Tuesday. How are the candidates faring in this final stretch? Is Trump’s racist MSG rally a true October Surprise? Do we have any idea at all where we are headed between now and Election Day? Tune in to hear Norm and Kavita discuss all this and more: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s the final countdown, and we’re feeling… optimistic? Nauseous? All of the above? With only a few days left until Election Day, Norm Ornstein and David Corn join David Rothkopf to make their final predictions. From Madison Square Garden to the battleground states, we cover what you need to know before November 5th.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss legal challenges to Musk’s $1 million-a-day giveaways, a Trump supporter threatening Harris supporters with a machete, the Supreme Court allowing Virginia to purge voter rolls, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The presidential race is tied, and Donald Trump very well could win. But he is now scapegoating others for a possible loss: He’s reportedly angry with Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley, he’s raging about supposed voter fraud in Pennsylvania, and his allies are sounding new alarms about his ground game in key states. Meanwhile, new polls show engaged voters tilting to Kamala Harri...

I don’t know if you know this, but there’s an election coming up. In the wake of 2020, we know that election drama doesn’t end when the polls close. Senior Advisor at the Brennan Center Barton Gellman joins Rosa Brooks and David Rothkopf to discuss what we can expect after the election, and what can be done to prevent the worst from coming to pass.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

Creating new policy around a cutting edge issue like AI is tricky. How can we balance the needs of innovation and regulation. More importantly, how do we sure that not person, or country, is left behind? Former White House official Camille Stewart Gloster joins David Rothkopf to discuss these pressing issues and more.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Emb...

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down Kamala’s huge rally in DC, Ukraine’s new mobilization efforts, troubles at the Washington Post, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the backlash to Donald Trump’s hate rally in New York intensifies, he defended the event as a “lovefest” in a rambling monologue on Tuesday. Why? Because the vile “joke” at the rally comparing Puerto Rico to a pile of garbage is infuriating Puerto Rican voters, a surprisingly large constituency in Pennsylvania. We talked to GOP strategist Mike Madrid, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, expert o...

Veteran national security journalist Nancy Youseff (@nancyayouseff) joins Marc to discuss Israel’s strike on Iran, what Iran may do next, the plight of the hostages, and how covering decades of wars in the Middle East shapes one’s views on the current conflict. Plus a discussion of the Arab street, and how the region is changing. With amazing bonus content on Nancy’s journey as an Arab-American fe...

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we cover the fallout of Trump’s follies, Israel targeting UNRWA with new legislation, an election surprise in Japan, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MAGA suddenly seems very, very out of sorts. Donald Trump raged at Fox News on Monday, blasting the network for its supposedly favorable coverage of Democrats. Meanwhile, a number of Trump’s allies suddenly seem very worried about the backlash to his hate rally at Madison Square Garden. We spoke with Democratic strategist Anat Shenker-Osorio, who regularly does research into disaffected voters and...

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss Trump’s racist rally in New York, the blocking of Virginia’s voter purge attempt, a dire climate warning, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the weekend, Michelle Obama delivered an extraordinary speech that reminded us how catastrophic Donald Trump’s presidency was, harshly criticized his debased moral character, and asked why the press expects Kamala Harris to meet basic standards of public conduct that aren’t expected of Trump. Could this closing message win over the undecided voters who will decide the race? We talked to Reed...

Marissa talks with Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, founder of Politifact and author of Beyond the Big Lie: The Epidemic of Political Lying, Why Republicans Do It More, and How It Could Burn Down Our Democracy, about the serious implications misinformation and lies spread by politicians can have on our democracy. Marissa and Bill then take a somewhat soothing digression into the subject of IPAs....

Original air date: September 22, 2023 Norm and David are not happy, and for good reason. The latest judiciary committee hearing reminds us all how far down the rabbit hole the Republican party has gone in the pursuit of scorched-earth politics, but it is not the only example of Republican lunacy this week. Norm and David break down the latest news and more in suitably ranty fashion. Learn more abo...

Original air date: November 29, 2023 As the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas nears its end, we’re left to wonder what a more permanent peace looks like. Rosa Brooks, Kori Schake, and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to examine the possibility of peace and to break down the Biden Administration’s role in the conflict and whether the public perception of the war as a US/Israel joint venture is fa...

As China continues to expand and modernize its nuclear arsenal and policy, the national security risk becomes central to the US-Chinese relationship. But how is China actually changing its nuclear policy? How does the Chinese political leadership see the purpose of a large nuclear arsenal? What threats are both China and the US perceiving? Tong Zhao joins Jon to discuss his recently published repo...