The DSR Network

After weeks of speculation, the unprecedented has finally happened. With Joe Biden officially stepping aside to endorse Kamala Harris for President, an entirely new campaign is now underway. In a special two-part episode, Tara McGowan and Simon Rosenberg join David Rothkopf to break down the dynamics of this new race, while members gain access to more insight from Rosa Brooks, Ed Luce, and David....

On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover President Biden's decision to drop out of the presidential race, a spike in Democrat support for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party's nominee, Netanyahu's upcoming visit to the White House, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At a rally in Michigan over the weekend, Donald Trump uncorked one of his longest rants ever in praise of the world’s autocrats, strongmen and dictators. He hailed Xi Jinping of China as “brilliant” for controlling 1.4 billion people “with an iron fist,” and described Xi, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Hungary’s Viktor Orban as “tough” and “smart.” We talked to Rick Wilson, the prominent Never Trumpe...

Original air date: August 4, 2023 If you've been watching as much coverage of the indictment as we have, then you're probably more confused than ever. Norm and Kavita are here to make sense of it all, discussing what the indictment really means, how we got to this point, and what it will mean for Trump and the Republicans moving into 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...

Original air date: July 23, 2023 They say you should write what you know. After over thirty years in the intelligence community, Alma Katsu certainly knows a lot. Alma joins Marc and David to share her experiences working in intelligence, tapping her experiences as an author, and the blurring line between fact and fiction in the world of AI. Don’t miss it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

The threat of WMDs already keeps us up at night. But what happens when AI makes the development of WMDs faster, easier, and more accessible? Assistant Secretary for the DHS’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office Mary Ellen Callahan joins David Rothkopf to discuss this unique, and growing, threat. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the Un...

On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Trump's closing RNC speech, a drone strike by Yemen's Houthi, a widespread tech meltdown, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s pod tackles a subject of profound importance: The sheer, inexplicable weirdness of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. There’s Representative Matt Gaetz’s bizarre speech, in which his face was so taut that one Republican derided him as an “AI sex doll.” There are all the ugly “Mass Deportations Now!” signs, the cultish rituals in which attendees treated Trump as their MAGA God...

As the Republican National Convention approaches its end, more calls for Joe Biden to step down from the election have sprung up in the media. What possibilities are there for replacing Biden? And how is the RNC shaping the Trump campaign? Pete Dominick and Nell Scovell join David Rothkopf to talk potential Democratic heroes and MAGA celebrities - from Kamala Harris and JD Vance to Hulk Hogan and...

On the Thursday edition of the DSR daily, we cover Biden's changing reception to calls for him to step down, European leaders discussing migration and Ukraine at a UK Summit, Jack Smith's formal appeal of Trump's classified documents case dismissal, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Surprise, surprise: The Republican convention is turning into a festival of media bashing. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene did something that deserves special attention: After fielding a question about J.D. Vance that displeased her, Greene erupted, repeatedly dressing down the reporter in strikingly vicious terms. Arizona senate candidate Kari Lake, meanwhile, used her convention speech to ...

With the Republican National Convention in full-swing, all eyes are on Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance. What do the decadent celebrations of the RNC tell us about Trump’s appeal? How will a pro-Putin running mate in JD Vance affect Trump’s foreign policy? David Rothkopf is joined by Rosa Brooks, Ed Luce, and Tom Nichols to analyze the current state of the Trump campaign and more. Learn more...

On the DSR daily for July 17, we cover President Biden’s consideration of Supreme Court reform, the guilty verdict in Senator Menendez’s corruption trial, an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, and more. We also welcome our new co-host, Minnah Stein! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that Ohio Senator J.D. Vance is Donald Trump’s running mate, everyone is combing through his old quotes, and a striking one has surfaced: in 2016, Vance warned that Trump threatened to take the white working class to a “very dark place.” In short, Vance once understood that MAGA ideology, at its core, is really, really toxic. And that’s a big political vulnerability. We talked to Sarah Longwel...

From an attempted assassination to the Republican National Convention, much has changed the direction of Trump’s campaign in the past few days. Norm and Kavita are back to discuss the shooting in Pennsylvania, the announcement of JD Vance as Trump’s running mate, and Trump’s ongoing legal issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

November’s election is an existential threat to our justice system. With Judge Cannon’s decision to dismiss Trump’s documents case and the Supreme Court's ruling on immunity, the power of the Presidency has grown to an unsustainable level. The Trump-Vance administration would be certain to put that power to the test. Barb McQuade joins David Rothkopf to break down the latest news and why the stake...

On the Tuesday edition of the DSR daily, we cover the announcement of J.D. Vance as Trump’s VP candidate, Israel allowing in more UN equipment, the defection of a high-ranking North Korean diplomat, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the days after the horrific effort to assassinate Donald Trump, MAGA figures have widely sought to exploit this moment of national crisis, by arguing that Democrats invited or even encouraged the shooting. The leading proponent of this absurd claim is Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, and on Tuesday, Trump announced that Vance will be his running mate. We talked to Alex Shephard, a senior editor at The...

Original air date: April 22, 2024 With conflicts raging in Ukraine, Gaza, and beyond, the job of covering conflict and national security is more important than ever. But how do journalists provide accurate and reliable coverage? CNN national security correspondent Kylie Atwood joins Marc Polymeropoulos to discuss the unique challenges of our current national security climate and more. Learn more a...

Mollie Katzen, of Moosewood fame, is this week’s guest. Marissa and Mollie discuss the political situation and future of democracy in the U.S., but, as you might expect, the conversation turns to the power of food, more specifically how to make ourselves feel better these days. If you’ve found yourself struggling with the news, this episode is a must-listen. Bread and butter, anyone? Learn more ab...

On the Monday edition of the DSR daily, we discuss Biden’s calls for unity after an assassination attempt of Donald Trump, Israel’s latest strikes on Gaza, French struggles to form a government, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the time of this recording, we know little about the attempt to assassinate Donald Trump. He was hit in the ear, but thankfully doesn’t appear seriously injured. The 20-year-old gunman has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was registered as a Republican but donated $15 to a progressive group in January 2021, and we know nothing of his motive. Political violence is absolutely unaccept...

Original Air Date: July 27, 2023 It’s hot here in DC, but we’re not alone. Norm and Kavita talk climate change and what the administration can do to combat disinformation to change the conversation around climate. Additionally, we discuss what the Democrats can and should be doing to stop Governor Abbott’s abhorrent policies at the border. For all this and more, tune in! Learn more about your ad...

Original Air Date: July 26, 2023 The United States and Israel have long had a “special relationship.” Yet with the Netanyahu government’s latest assault on Israeli democracy, that relationship is under more strain than ever. Former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas and independent journalist and author Emily Tamkin join David Rothkopf to break down the future of US-Israel relations and how the Biden ad...

Is there a silver lining to the AI cloud? With so much talk of the doom and gloom of the AI age, we’ve lost sight of the potential benefits of such a tectonic shift in technology. Michael Strain joins David Rothkopf to share why he’s an AI optimist and why its benefits have been minimized in the mainstream discourse. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embas...