The DSR Network

Following on the heels of a Manhattan jury convicting twice-impeached disgraced former president Donald Trump on 34 felony counts, we sit down with the Washington Post's Jen Rubin and Mike Tomasky of the New Republic and try to figure out what to make of these recent events. One conclusion: Apparently we would be better off if everyone actually read some news every day. We discuss that and much mo...

This week, Heather and Jon talk to James Acton, the Jessica T. Mathews Chair and is co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. They delve into the escalating nuclear risks arising from recent events in Ukraine and their potential impact on global security. They also explore the intersection of American interests, European alliances, and the strateg...

The conversation covers the criminal conviction of former President Donald Trump, the implications of the conviction on the upcoming election, the decision to authorize Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons, the rare direct talks between the US and China, the controversy surrounding Supreme Court justices, and a humorous incident involving a Michigan man during a court hearing. Learn more about your...

On this special edition of Siliconsciousness, we have an in-depth conversation with Arati Prabhakar, the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. We discuss the current state of the administration-wide effort to adapt to the complex realities of age of Artificial Intelligence. Prabhakar also details evolving objectives and challenges for the effort. A must-listen on a w...

Award-winning journalist and author, Liza Mundy, discusses her latest book 'The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA' and delves into the experiences of women at the CIA, their challenges, and their contributions to the agency. The conversation also explores the complexities of the CIA as an institution and the unique experiences of women within it. Learn more about your ad choices....

Earlier this week, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito refused to recuse himself from hearing Jan. 6-related cases amid controversy over an upside-down U.S. flag outside Alito’s home that’s associated with Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” effort. Then, on Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts denied Democrats’ demand for a meeting, adding to the imperiousness around the conservative justices and maki...

The conversation covers a range of topics including the Trump trial, Supreme Court Justice Alito's refusal to recuse himself, the US-built pier in Gaza, Ukrainian drone strikes, and the South African elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump recently said he’s “looking at” imposing restrictions on contraception if he is elected president, and even promised a concrete policy. Then he quickly walked it back. But certain constituencies on the right have not given up—far from it. We chatted with Politico reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein, co-author of a great new piece detailing the blueprint that Trump’s MAGA allies are develo...

The war in Gaza is horrifying. It is also a war being conducted without a strategy and without a clear end goal in mind by an ally that opposes most core American objectives. Are these people we should be sending more weapons to? If so, on what conditions? What should we be doing differently. Israeli journalist Noga Tarnopolsky, former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas, Georgetown Law Professor Rosa Br...

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz has just produced an important new book, "The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society" that explores not just the merits but the urgent need to embrace progressive economics as an alternative to the distortionary, inequality-driving and freedom-limiting consequences of neo-liberalism. Ed Luce of the Financial Times and host David Rothkopf en...

On this edition of the DSR Daily Brief, we cover the Israeli airstrike in Rafah, South Africa's upcoming election, North Korea's balloon incident, the criminal trial of Donald Trump, and the controversy surrounding the upside-down American flag at Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's home.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday, Judge Aileen Cannon temporarily denied special counsel Jack Smith’s latest request for a gag order on Donald Trump’s lie that the FBI was set to use lethal force on Trump at Mar-a-Lago. In keeping with a shady pattern of favoritism to Trump, Cannon said No, but she may feel pressure to grant the gag order later, lest Smith seek her removal. We talked to legal scholar Matthew Seligman,...

On this episode of the DSR Daily Brief, we cover the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the situation in Ukraine, Donald Trump's legal issues, and a natural disaster in Papua New Guinea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump and his media propagandists have been preposterously suggesting the FBI under President Biden was set to use “lethal force” against Trump when it searched Mar-a-Lago. This fabrication was summoned into existence by Fox News and the right wing media. We talked with media reporter Brian Stelter, author of a great new piece on Trump in The New Republic’s “American Fascism” issue, who put...

Original Air Date: June 23, 2023 Norm and Kavita are back this week to discuss the 8-1 ruling in favor of the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement guidelines. From there, they turn their attention to Justice Alito, who earlier in the week wrote a preemptive opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal addressing the ProPublica investigative piece which disclosed his fishing trips with a Bil...

Original Air Date: June 26, 2023 The dust is still settling from Yevgeny Prigozhin's march on Moscow that gripped the world and rocked the Kremlin. Many questions remain but one thing is certain. In the wake of Prigozhin's bold if seemingly ill-fated challenge to the authority of Russia's Ministry of Defense, Vladimir Putin is weaker today in the eyes of Russians, Ukrainians and the world. We disc...

Two satellites snuggling doesn’t sound so bad, right? The new space race with China, Russia, and the US has led to some interesting new tech with scarier implications than you might expect. David Sanger and Victoria Samson join Jon and Heather to break down the far-reaching consequences of space defense. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Friday edition of the DSR daily, we discuss China staging mock missile strikes on Taiwan, the US announcing new military aid for Ukraine, the dispute over President Biden on the ballot in Ohio, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday, Donald Trump tweeted that Vladimir Putin will release Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia, after the election—“for me,” meaning for Trump. In other words, elect Trump president, and Putin will release him. We think this saga gets at a larger story about Trump’s approach to politics and foreign policy. So we talked to Nicholas Grossman, a professor of...

Original Air Date: June 1, 2023 Every day it seems new revelations suggest Donald Trump is in greater legal jeopardy. And, with each new revelation, comes a chorus of accusations and threats from the GOP led by Trump himself that it is time to shut down the Department of Justice and the FBI, time to fire those who are involved in investigating him, time to purge the government of everyone disloyal...

Jess McHugh joins Marissa to share the compelling true life story of two people who fell in love--one Jewish and one German-- and made it their life’s work to bring Nazis to justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Thursday edition of the DSR daily, we cover Nikki Haley’s statement that she will vote for Trump, Israel’s intention to reprimand Irish, Norwegian, and Spanish ambassadors, the Pentagon’s report of a Russian space weapon, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump and MAGA Republicans are floating the crackpot idea that President Biden’s FBI was ready to target Trump with lethal force when it searched Mar-a-Lago. This is based on a wildly absurd reading of FBI policy, but beyond this, we think this saga says something larger about the fascistic politics of Trump and his MAGA allies. We talked to Federico Finchelstein, an expert on fascist movements an...

Original Air Date: May 31, 2023 America did not choose to blow up the world economy. The lunatic caucus in Congress did not prevail. An experienced president helped strike a deal that preserved critical U.S. programs and priorities. The world can stop thinking we've lost our minds. Or can they? With 2024 looming we discuss whether the trends are encouraging or discouraging or downright frightening...

On the Wednesday edition of the DSR daily we cover Ireland, Norway, and Spain’s recognition of a Palestinian state, the US signaling towards ICC sanctions, Rudy Giuliani and Trump allies pleading not guilty, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices