The DSR Network

Original air date: May 31, 2024 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. Lo...

Original air date: May 31, 2024 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...

President Donald Trump has been growing angry over the criticism of his decision to accept a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar. He snapped at a reporter who questioned him about it, and erupted over it on Truth Social. Now The Atlantic reports that Trump is privately telling his advisers it’s “humiliating” for a president to fly around in an outdated jet—and has even mused about keeping the gift...

The Supreme Court’s decisions on birthright citizenship and nationwide injunctions could have significant implications for executive power. What does this mean for the future of our nation? How can we rebuild government structures post-Trump? What reforms, such as an expansion of Congress, should Democrats be prioritizing? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein tackle all of this and more: Lo...

The House GOP is forging ahead with its massive domestic policy bill implementing President Donald Trump’s agenda. And it’s becoming clear that it will seriously screw over Trump voters. But don’t take our word for it. Senator Josh Hawley, a staunch ally of Trump, went on CNN and said this in strikingly direct terms. He decried the bill’s massive cuts to Medicaid, and confirmed that they are a bet...

Our very own Ed Luce has a new book out, so Rosa Brooks and David Rothkopf sit down with the man himself to get the inside scoop. “Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America's Great Power Prophet” tells the story of one of the most influential foreign policy minds in American history. Ed explains why now is the right time to examine Brzezinski’s legacy—and what we can learn from his remarkable...

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss the order for the FBI to focus on immigration cases, Trump’s meeting with the interim president of Syria, the House hearings on Republican Medicaid and tax proposals, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House has been boasting that President Trump’s partial pause in the trade war with China is a historic breakthrough. But two new reports, one from The New York Times and the other from the non-liberal Wall Street Journal editorial page, neatly expose what a monstrous scam this notion truly is, in and of itself. As they detail, Trump has put the global economy through major turmoil and un...

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Eric and Don Jr.’s new crypto mining venture, a House plan to limit benefits for SNAP recipients, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the weekend, the news broke that President Donald Trump is accepting a luxury jet from the country of Qatar for presidential travel. This extraordinarily brazen act may well violate the Emoluments Clause, which bars foreign gifts to officials unless expressly authorized by Congress. It comes even as Trump is embarking on a Mideast trip to countries that are the sites of Trump-branded projects...

More than a billion people in the world live in energy poverty, with little or no access to electricity. Can AI help put an end to energy poverty -- or could it make the problem worse? Is there a risk of a new digital divide, with the US, China and Europe integrating AI into their economies while many nations in the Global South fall behind? Join host David Sandalow as he discusses these questions...

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss the US and China reaching a temporary agreement on tariffs, the latest on the India-Pakistan ceasefire, the Trump administration’s threat to suspend habeas corpus, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her most recent media briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt went full North Korea with a number of worshipful monologues about Trump. Yet at around the same time, another journalist’s criticism of Trump caused him to explode in a wild, triggered fury that undercut the image Leavitt tried to project of a leader who is strong, calm, and in command of events. We think this tension...

Has AI hype gone too far? Are companies and their executives hyping up artificial intelligence to drive up their profits and help the rich get richer? Dr. Alex Hanna and Dr. Emily Bender join David Rothkopf to answer these questions and discuss their new book “The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want.” This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on beha...

Right after the news broke that Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the new Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, the internet produced lots of evidence that he has promoted articles critical of JD Vance and Donald Trump, and even expressed sympathy for George Floyd. That prompted MAGA figures to erupt in anger. They attacked the new Pope as anti-Trump pro-open borders, a Marxist, and soft on thugs...

On the DSR Daily for Friday, we discuss the selection of the first American Pope, Trump tapping Jeanine Pirro as interim attorney for DC, Hegseth’s campaign against trans service members, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a new American Pope—one who has been openly critical of the U.S. government. What does this mean for Trump? Meanwhile, in the background of this major news from the Catholic Church, Trump is striking tariff deals with the UK. But is the deal all that Trump says it is? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to break down all the latest—from the Vatican to the White House. Tune in for all...

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss a tariff deal with the UK, the FBI resisting funding cuts, an update on Pope selection, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump erupted on Truth Social this week when it became clear that MAGA loyalist and insurrectionist Ed Martin’s nomination for U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C. is in trouble. Trump even called GOP Senators to demand their support. But then GOP Senator Thom Tillis announced his opposition, leading even staunch Trump loyalists to concede he might not survive. MAGA personalities las...

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover India’s strikes on Pakistan, impending US-China trade talks focused on de-escalation, the Trump administration’s plans to deport immigrants to Libya, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanks to President Trump’s policies, a confluence of events is set to absolutely clobber rural America. First there’s Trump’s trade war. On Tuesday, Trump unleashed a bizarre set of ramblings that indicated he’s fine with letting it drag on forever, our exporters be damned. Meanwhile, there are new signs that farmers in Trump country are already getting hammered. The House GOP’s planned cuts to M...

Health and science are under siege. The attack on long-held principals of science and our healthcare system certainly isn’t new, but they have reached a fevered pitch under this administration. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Laurie Garrett and Dr. Kavita Patel join David Rothkopf to diagnose the problems and examine the severe consequences of this moment.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down Secretary Hegseth cutting 20% of generals, Trump’s new incentive scheme for self-deportation, the administration’s efforts to protect mifepristone, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump is angry at longtime GOP strategist Karl Rove. That’s because Rove delivered Trump a stern on-air warning about his sliding approval ratings. What caught our attention, though, is what Rove said about immigration in particular. Rove suggested that Trump is in trouble on what’s supposed to be his best issue, and offered a striking explanation for it that surely got under Trum...

Arun Majumdar is the inaugural Dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford University and previously served as Founding Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and Chair of the Secretary's Advisory Board at the US Department of Energy. He is one of the United States' top energy experts and an accomplished institutional leader. Join host David Sandalow...