The DSR Network

At a recent fundraiser, Donald Trump promised big tax cuts to some of the richest donors in the country. He also suggested he wants more immigrants from countries like Norway—hint, hint—while blasting Latin American migrants as criminals and worse. This corrupt bargain—offer huge giveaways to wealthy elites so they embrace far right governance—is an old story. In today’s episode, Harvard professor...

A year ago, our biggest fear was the next Trump. Now that our candidates are locked in for the 2024 election, our biggest fear is Trump himself. Miles Taylor joins David Rothkopf to discuss his book “Blowback: A Warning to Save Democracy from Trump’s Revenge” and why the threat Trump poses is even greater than ever — whether he wins or loses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...

Investigative journalism is difficult enough, but studying Russia and the intelligence community is on another level. Michael Weiss is one of the journalists up to the task. Michael joins Marc Polymeropoulos to break down his latest reporting on Havana Syndrome and takes us on a tour of his investigation and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we discuss Netanyahu’s announcement that a date has been set for the invasion of Rafah, Haiti’s plan for a transitional government, a landmark climate ruling in Europe, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mike Johnson finally appears set to decide whether to hold a House vote on funding military aid to Ukraine. If so, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has threatened to try to oust him as Speaker. Yet something funny has happened: A lot of House Republicans want to vote on Ukraine aid. Is there any chance it might pass? How will Donald Trump react? We talked to Julia Ioffe, a journali...

On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the reduction of Israeli troops in Gaza, the pro-Russian president-elect in Slovakia, a Brazilian investigation into Elon Musk, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a new trend: GOP legislatures are advancing bills that place onerous new kinds of restrictions on public and school libraries in states like Idaho, Alabama, Georgia and others. On the front lines of taking on this trend is Emily Drabinski, the president of the American Library Association, who also grew up in Idaho and is openly gay. So we invited Drabinski on to the show to shed light on wha...

Original Air Date: April 5, 2023 Note: this podcast was taped prior to the announced indictments of Donald Trump. The absence of real indictments against Donald Trump allows him to set the narrative. That's not a good thing. So maybe prosecutors should consider drinking a little more Red Bull, having a few more cups of coffee. This is getting ridiculous. We discuss with Dr. Kavita Patel, Norm Orns...

Original Air Date: March 21, 2023 America's politicians have become more hawkish on China but is that the only path forward? David Rothkopf debates this issue with Dmitri Alperovitch of the Silverado Policy Accelerator and Josh Rogin of the Washington Post. Is China willing to compete and cooperate? How does Taiwan play into all of this? Can America not tilt completely into a militaristic framing...

Pulitzer-prize finalist and New York Times best selling Author Annie Jacobsen joins Jon and Heather to discuss her ground-breaking and compelling new book “Nuclear War: A Scenario” The volume looks at how dangerous our nuclear world has become, and how a nuclear war would actually be conducted, including its terrifyingly short time scale. Based on exhaustive research with the nuclear operators, le...

Investigative journalists Christo Grozev, Roman Dobrokhotov and Michael Weiss have been looking into the Havana Syndrome since 2020. They initially approached the topic skeptically, questioning the capability of any government to carry out such a mass global attack. However, they discovered a document linking a Russian military unit to the Havana weapon, which sparked their investigation. They hav...

The Biden administration’s policy towards Israel has been controversial to say the least. As the conflict grinds on and the election approaches, it is clear that the conflict will loom large in the voting booth. Norm and Kavita break down the key issues that Biden faces, and why the administration desperately needs a new strategy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Israel’s new concessions after a call with Biden, No Labels abandoning its efforts to field a presidential candidate, rescue efforts underway in Taiwan, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, The New York Times reported that Donald Trump recently spoke privately with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Trump’s team won’t say word boo about what was discussed, and we can guess why: His private business dealings with the Saudis are going gangbusters even as he’s locking up the GOP presidential nomination, creating all kinds of opportunities for corruption. We talked to Represent...

Donald Trump’s latest schemes are some of his shadiest yet, and that’s saying something. Between the rejection of his bond in the NY civil fraud case and the greatly inflated value of Truth Social, Trump is coming up with all sorts of schemes to pay his dues. Allison Gill joins David Rothkopf to give a run-down on his various cases, and what Jack Smith and others can do to ensure that Trump faces...

On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we discuss the rejection of Trump’s request to delay his hush-money trial, aid groups halting their work in Gaza, Russia blaming Ukraine and the West for a deadly terrorist attack, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, special counsel Jack Smith made a surprise move in his prosecution of Donald Trump for stealing classified documents. He called on Judge Aileen Cannon to make a quick decision on a key matter, flaunting his frustration with her over numerous rulings putting the thumb on the scale for Trump. We chatted with Philip Rotner, a veteran lawyer who has written a series of pieces for The Bulwar...

Israel’s shocking strike on World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza has amplified calls for the Biden administration to step in. Yet a big question remains: What can President Biden actually do to stop the bloodshed? Noga Tarnopolsky, Rosa Brooks, and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to analyze what the Biden administration has done so far and how it needs to respond at this critical point. Learn more ab...

On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we discuss the 7.2 magnitude quake in Taiwan, Biden and Xi holding their first talks since November, NATO considering a plan for long-term Ukraine aid, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of Donald Trump’s central campaign promises has been to pardon untold numbers of rioters who attacked the Capitol—people he’s described as martyrs, victims and “hostages.” Now, an important new analysis finds that many of the inmates Trump has referred to are ones who violently attacked law enforcement officers. We talked to Tom Joscelyn, lead author of that analysis and a former senior Jan. 6...

Some elements of US intelligence and special operations are so secretive, we don’t even know their names. Adam Gamal lived that life and his new book “The Unit” pulls back the curtain on America’s most secret military unit. Adam joins Marc Polymeropoulos to discuss what is a true American Dream story from Alexandria, Egypt to the pinnacle of the special operations world, and why diversity is a nec...

On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the Israeli strike that killed World Central Kitchen workers, Trump posting his $175 million bond, Ukrainian drone attacks deep in Russian territory, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GOP members of Congress facing tough races are suddenly worried that having Donald Trump at the top of the ticket might present them with a problem, according to new reports. They fear having to answer for Trump’s degeneracy and extremism, even as the GOP’s small donor base is not delivering at the very moment as Trump is siphoning off party money for legal fees. What explains this sudden GOP epip...

On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we discuss the massive protests against the Netanyahu government in Israel, the stunning performance of Turkey’s main opposition party, massive political rallies in India, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s announcement that he is now peddling something called the “God Bless the USA Bible” drew outrage from some religious figures, but one group that’s been conspicuously quiet about it are evangelical leaders. Why? Perhaps because Trump is making subtle promises to give them what they want. We talked with Katherine Stewart, a journalist who covers the religious right, about all the ways...