Iran, Turkey, Russia, Israel, and the US already working to secure their interests in Syria while the future of the country hangs in the balance. Marc Polymeropoulos and Charles Lister join David Rothkopf to break down what this new “great game” means for the new Syrian government and why this flashpoint is so pivotal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 12, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ever since the election, the lead-up to Donald Trump’s second presidential term has been fraught with nonsensical politics, inane cabinet picks, and a sense of both confusion and worry. Norm and Kavita are back to help guide us through this uncertainty, analyze the situations surrounding figures like Kari Lake and Christopher Wray, and more. The members-only section also features an intimate conversation on the health insurance industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...
Dec 12, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss FBI Director Chris Wray’s decision to step down, Biden commuting 1,500 sentences, Trump inviting Xi Jinping to his inauguration, and more. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 12, 2024•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Eric Trump has stepped into the international limelight as the face of the new Trump oligarchy. At a conference this week, he told an audience that he and father Donald Trump will work together once Trump is president to push crypto, which the Trump family is invested in. Eric, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, has also been prominently negotiating the ethics policy—or lack thereof—that Trump will submit to as president. We talked to Casey Michel, the author of several book...
Dec 12, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast With Bashar Al Assad’s regime at an end, Syria’s future is bright but uncertain. What comes next for the war-ravaged country, and how will the rest of the world respond? Regional expert Steven Heydemann joins Kori Schake, Rosa Brooks, and David Rothkopf to break down this pivotal moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 11, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the Syrian government’s plans to rebuild, Senator Cotton blocking a bill to protect journalists, a federal judge blocking the sale of Infowars to the Onion, and more. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 11, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast In recent days, Donald Trump and his advisers have left no doubt: He will deport as many of the 11 million undocumented people in this country as possible. But on Fox News, Alina Habba, who’s set to be a top White House lawyer, offered some new spin on the coming plan that revealed a lot about how Trump’s propagandists will try to defend the indefensible. We talked to Vanessa Cardenas, the executive director of America’s Voice, who grapples with the hardships that immigrants will soon face, why ...
Dec 11, 2024•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we cover the numerous strikes on Syria, the charging of Luigi Mangione, Netanyahu taking the stand in his corruption trial, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 10, 2024•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast These are heady times for MAGA. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Elon Musk are teaming up to slash the government to ribbons as part of Musk’s new Department of Government Efficiency. What could give MAGA a bigger thrill than that high-wattage duo? But Politico reports that some Republicans quietly fear that Greene’s involvement could become a major distraction from the Trump/GOP agenda. We talked to tech writer Gil Duran, a close observer of Musk’s machinations, who explains why the right-wing “techb...
Dec 10, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Marc sits down with former Green Beret Jack Murphy, author of the brand-new book, "We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History," to talk about the book and why telling these stories not only honors the greats who served our nation, but also allows the American people to have transparency on how our tax dollars are very wisely spent. Plus, a chat on the evolution of Jack’s “Teamhouse” podcast, his time at Columbia University and his subsequent writing career, and his pending deep on Hava...
Dec 09, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down the shocking news out of Syria, the latest news from South Korea, Trump’s worrying interview on NBC, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 09, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast The New York Times reports that Donald Trump is telling advisers that his biggest regret from his first term was that he appointed “traitors.” As a result, his transition team is grilling prospective nominees to gauge their loyalty to Trump. Is there some way for Democrats to drive home how dangerous all this is? We chatted with Brian Beutler, author of the excellent Substack Off Message. He argues that even as Trump’s second-term plans are getting more overtly dangerous to the rule of law, Demo...
Dec 09, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump’s cabinet picks make one thing clear: this administration will be out for revenge. So what can we do? How can the targets of the Trump admin defend themselves? Legal experts Mark Zaid and Rosa Brooks join David Rothkopf to share the ways that the new administration may weaponize the justice system and the ways that we can fight back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 06, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast From Elon Musk to Peter Thiel, there are big names in the field of AI in Trump’s orbit. But what does the presence of these members of the ‘broligarchy’ tell us about how the new administration might approach AI? Nina Jankowicz joins David Rothkopf to try and predict what Trump’s AI policy might look like, and if there are any reasons to be optimistic about what comes next. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S....
Dec 06, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the DSR Daily for Friday, we discuss the latest revelations from the shocking events in South Korea, Syrian rebels capturing a key city, the manhunt underway in New York, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 06, 2024•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Points for candor to Senator Tommy Tuberville. On Thursday, he admitted he thinks Trump should vet his own nominees, suggesting the Senate GOP should forget about playing its advice and consent role. That’s a stark admission about what MAGA actually expects from Senate Republicans. Yet revelations about Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, are so damning that Republicans are finding him impossible to rubber-stamp, and he’s hanging in the balance. We chatted with Salon’s Amanda Marco...
Dec 06, 2024•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kash Patel’s selection for FBI director is troubling to say the least. With the choice of yet another sycophant to a key position, we’re beginning to get a clear picture of Trump’s vision for our intelligence communities. Former FBI Assistant Director Frank Figliuzzi joins David Rothkopf to break down what Patel and Tulsi Gabbard’s selections mean for the future of US intelligence and security. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 05, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast On today’s episode of Words Matter, Norm and Kavita are back to break down everything related to the upcoming presidential transition. Which of Trump’s current nominees will make it through to the next administration? What can and should the Democrats do now in the House and the Senate? Additionally, members will receive a bonus discussion on presidential pardons, both past and present. Tune in here: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 05, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss the Trump Organization allowing foreign deals during Trump’s new administration, the Biden White House weighing preemptive pardon’s for Trump’s opponents, a major election influence campaign in Romania, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 05, 2024•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump’s choice for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, is hanging by a thread. GOP senators are clearly signaling that he’s in deep trouble. Yet powerful right wing influencers are now angrily rushing to Hegseth’s defense, urging those senators to stand behind him. We chatted with Matt Gertz of Media Matters, who has a good new piece reporting on Fox News’s efforts to save Hegseth. Gertz explains how MAGA is turning this into a test for GOP Senators: Will they surrender to the “liberal media...
Dec 05, 2024•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the short-lived martial law declaration in South Korea, Trump weighing Ron DeSantis for Defense Secretary, new pro-EU protests in Georgia, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 04, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump’s administration is already shaping up as a Murderer’s Row of Billionaires. By one count, he’s already picked eight billionaires for top positions. He has now chosen a ninth billionaire to serve as Deputy Defense Secretary, and this one enjoys lucrative contracts with the Pentagon. We talked to Noah Bookbinder, the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, about how unprecedented it is to have so many billionaires in the government—and whether there...
Dec 04, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we cover the exchanges of fire threatening the Lebanon ceasefire, Jamie Raskin’s bid to oust Jerry Nadler for key position, China’s new export ban of key minerals, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 03, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast In an extraordinary expose, The New Yorker has revealed the “secret history” of Pete Hegseth, who’s Donald Trump’s nominee for Defense Secretary. This includes allegations of extreme drunkenness and financial mismanagement of a nonprofit he ran. Along with other highly unqualified nominees, this fiasco raises a question: Do Senate Democrats have what it takes to make revelations like these stick in confirmation hearings? We talked to Tara McGowan, a progressive media executive who often urges De...
Dec 03, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Atlantic’s Shane Harris (X @ shaneharris , Bluesky @shaneharris.bsky.social) joins Marc to discuss Trump’s national security picks, the view from our European intelligence partners of America at a crossroads, and Shane’s top moments over his esteemed two decade career covering national security and intelligence. Plus, Marc reveals his four commandments (hint: stop doom scrolling) of making it through this unique time period in US history! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...
Dec 02, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss Joe Biden pardoning Hunter, Trump tapping Kash Patel for FBI director, an upcoming Supreme Court case that could shape trans rights, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 02, 2024•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump just announced that his FBI director will be Kash Patel. We know why: Because Patel himself has already suggested that in a second Trump term, law enforcement should pursue Trump’s enemies, and as a result, Trump’s pick already has leading MAGA figures in a frenzy of excitement about the persecution that’s coming. It’s all a reminder that Trump feels zero constraints of any kind, again raising the question: Are the guardrails gone? We talked to Michael Sozan, a senior fellow for the...
Dec 02, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Original air date: December 21, 2023 2023 is finally almost over. Yet many of the most significant issues of the year are still unresolved. Thankfully, the DSR gang is here to share their predictions for what lies ahead in the new year. David Sanger, Rosa Brooks, and Kori Schake join David Rothkopf to give us the hard truth about the challenges for 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 01, 2024•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Original air date: December 13, 2023 It goes without saying that 2023 has been an eventful year. Thankfully, the holiday season means the return of a DSR Network tradition: the year in review! David, Kori, Ed, and Rosa join to look at the most significant events of the year, the big headlines that might not have a lasting impact, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 30, 2024•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Now that Donald Trump has threatened huge tariffs on Mexico, some MAGA figures are suddenly consumed with a dark new fantasy about Trump inflicting all manner of punishment on that country. One top MAGA ally claims Mexico should prepare for a U.S. military invasion. Another says that if Mexico doesn’t do Trump’s bidding, “pain and suffering will ensue.” Trump’s propagandists are laying the groundwork to cast Mexico as a major scapegoat for U.S. social problems. We talked to Douglas Rivlin of Ame...
Nov 29, 2024•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast