The DSR Network

Donald Trump is more concerned with a UFC fight at the White House than he is with the well-being of Americans. Surprised? The administration that is so focused on money and power is stripping civil rights and throwing away any concerns about the economic tolls millions of Americans are currently facing. Your favorite political heavyweights Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss this lunacy. Tune in here. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is all over the place on Iran. After insisting a deal was imminent, he’s now threatening more full-scale bombing. He just claimed that “I love the inflation” caused by the war. And in several rants, he insisted that the United States has secretly smuggled 100 million barrels of oil out of Iran and on to the world market (the whole thing appears mostly invented). In an extraordinary exchange, Representative Emilia Sykes sharply confronted Energy Secretary Chris Wright over Trump’s “love” of inflation. Wright finally blurted out: “I would prefer lower inflation.” And Wright stammered before admitting that “um, I’m unaware” of Trump’s oil smuggling scheme. We talked to former Defense Department official Ariane Tabatabai, who’s now at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She parses through what we know now, explains why Wright’s public meltdown captures the very worst of the Trump administration, and charts what’s next. (After we recorded, Trump resumed bombing.) Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the US and Iran striking one another, the victory of Graham Platner in Maine’s primary, Bill Gates’s upcoming testimony in a congressional Epstein investigation, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can AI help deliver access to reliable, affordable energy in emerging economies? The team at ZOLA Intelligence believes the answer to that question is yes. According to the company's website, ZOLA's platform "is engineered to solve energy inequality for billions of people by asserting that true energy access requires intelligence, not just hardware." Join host David Sandalow as he talks with Bill Lenihan, CEO and founder of ZOLA Intelligence, about the challenge of providing reliable, affordable energy and the company's innovative work around the world. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the weekend, Donald Trump exploded during an on-air interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker. He called her “crooked” and “stupid” and abruptly ended the interview in a fury. This was ostensibly because she questioned his claims that California’s ongoing vote counting is rigged against GOP candidates. But we think the real reason is darker. As the votes are being counted, those candidates—Spencer Pratt for Los Angeles Mayor and Steve Hilton for Governor—are looking weaker than advertised. In real time, Trump is witnessing the failure of MAGA’s online disinformation apparatus to invent reality whole cloth and inflate the strength of his candidates into something it isn’t. In today’s episode, tech writer Gil Duran, author of the forthcoming The Nerd Reich, a book about techno-authoritarianism, puts this in perspective. He explains the California contests, why it’s so infuriating for Trump to watch real votes coming in, why this saga represents a larger failure of Trump-MAGA online propaganda, and why that has heartening deeper implications. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is desperately trying to salvage his gala commemorating the United States’s 250th anniversary after many celebrities pulled out. He let out a weird tirade insisting that he is telling them not to come, and also announced a paltry set of acts that’s downright humiliating. This comes after he seethed that he didn’t need other musical acts because he himself will be performing. Also, he’s bigger than Elvis! Trump’s plans drew savage mockery from MAGA influencer Matt Walsh, who ridiculed organizers for inviting “washed up geriatric one hit wonders,” and then turning it into a rally where “Trump will talk about himself for 90 minutes.” We talked to New Republic senior editor Alex Shephard, who writes well about Trumpism and the American zeitgeist. We discuss how Trump/MAGA had their cultural moment in 2024, how they pissed it away to inflict mass suffering on the people they hate, and the deeper reasons MAGA is so toxic within the culture. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time to get serious about the effects of AI on how we work. Like every technological revolution, the advent of AI is causing tectonic shifts in labor. But this time, it’s entry-level and white color jobs that are feeling the effects. Georgios Petropoulos join David Rothkopf to discuss his recent article in MIT Technology Review and share how young professionals can prepare themselves for this new reality and why a new social contract is necessary. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the House voted to direct Donald Trump to end the Iran war, he exploded at the four Republicans who turned against him, terming them “grandstanders” who “should be ashamed of themselves.” This comes as The New York Times reports that extensive internal war games among military officials established that Iran would react to an attack by closing the Strait of Hormuz—which Trump ignored. And incredibly, officials just leaked to The Atlantic that Trump is privately “irritated” by commentary casting his emerging framework as weaker than Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal. Trump also wants a way to argue that Iran “accepted terms from him that Obama never managed to extract.” We talked to former National Security Council veteran Emily Horne, author of the Spin Class Substack. We discuss how all those leaks themselves signal Trump’s growing weakness, why his demand for a “better” deal than Obama’s may be hopeless, and whether that leaves us any way out of this fiasco. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the House finally passing a war powers resolution, an impending nomination of Todd Blanche as Attorney General, a damning report on the National Guard presence in DC, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The political landscape is heating up as we approach the midterm elections. Key issues like our economy are at the forefront of most voters’ minds, and the Democrats need to take advantage during the coming political showdown. It is becoming clear that Dems might need to shift their focus onto the younger generations of Gen Z’ers and Millennials who are growing dissatisfied with the current establishment. How do the Dems appeal to the younger generation? Simon Rosenberg and E.J. Dionne join Ed Luce and David Rothkopf for an in-depth discussion looking at how the Democrats should be approaching these pivotal midterms. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump just named William Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence, replacing the outgoing Tulsi Gabbard. Pulte is best known for abusing his administration position to ransack the mortages of Trump’s enemies for fake pretexts to get them prosecuted and jailed. In today’s episode, University of Michigan law professor Leah Litman argues that the office of DNI could be put to even more nefarious and “terrifying” use. Indeed, GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested it may produce a “weaponized” DNI, a striking admission of serious danger ahead. Senator Tom Cotton curtly refused to share his opinion of the choice. And other GOP Senators said Pulte is unqualified for the job. Given the DNI’s power, these objections reveal visible consternation. Indeed, MAGA figures fully expect Pulte to be turned loose on the left. Litman discusses what a “weaponized” national security state under Pulte could look like and ponders whether the rule of law will survive this presidency. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Leo sent some strong messages about AI in his 42,000-word essay last week. Is the Pope anti-AI? What risks and benefits of AI does the Pope highlight? What impact will the Pope's essay have, including with big tech companies? Join host David Sandalow as he explores these questions and more with Paolo Carroza, a Professor of Law at Notre Dame and Co-Chair of the Meta Oversight Board. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices