The DSR Network
The DSR Network
The official home of Deep State Radio, Need to Know, Words Matter, The DSR Daily, The Daily Blast, Siliconsciousness, and more. If you are enjoying this podcast, please consider becoming a member by visiting https://dsrnetwork.substack.com/
The official home of Deep State Radio, Need to Know, Words Matter, The DSR Daily, The Daily Blast, Siliconsciousness, and more. If you are enjoying this podcast, please consider becoming a member by visiting https://dsrnetwork.substack.com/
The Daily Blast: Epic Rebuke to Trump as Blue Tsunami Wrecks MAGA in Midwest and South
Épisodes
In a stunning series of outcomes, Democrats won control of the House and Senate on Tuesday. They’re projected to take control of at least 244 House seats, per NBC, and as of now, they’ve flipped Senate seats in South Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Iowa, Kansas, and North Carolina, with Maine likely following. That means they’ll control at least 53 seats. But what also makes these results stunning is how Democrats captured a lot of new territory in places they’ve long struggled to reach. They made huge inroads into the South, won a Senate seat in the Great Plains, and reached deep into the parts of the Midwest that we all thought Trump had turned permanently red. We talked to New Republic editor Michael Tomasky about all of it. We discuss how Trump brought his party to this disastrous moment, how these Democratic gains will alter our political geography, what this all portends for JD Vance, how a new Democratic Party may be coming into being, and how it will handle a severely diminished Trump next year. 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 Tuesday, we break down the main stories from Election Day including final polls spelling doom for Trump, the Supreme Court rejecting a DOJ effort to segregate Californian ballots, Trump claiming the US will stop funding Israel, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Charlie Cook has been doing election forecasting since Ronald Reagan’s 1984 reelection campaign. The founder of the Cook Political Report, an institution in D.C., he recently retired from his life’s work and now writes an informative newsletter called “Charlie Cook Politics.” And he’s been declaring that he hasn’t ever seen an election quite like this one. So, now that Election Day is finally upon us, we talked to Cook about all of it. He explains why he largely believes those astounding New York Times polls showing Democrats leading in seven key Senate races, how many Senate and House seats he expects them to win, and why the election will be partly decided by disaffected GOP voters. We also discuss how Trump’s unpopularity is making this midterm so unique, probe Cook’s concept of a “red undertow” in this election, and dig into whether Democrats have a new opportunity to repair relations with rural and small-town America. Cook also details why he expects the GOP to get an “ass-whupping.” 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 Monday, we discuss Haley Stevens’s shocking betrayal of Abdul El-Sayed, Sen. Chris Murphy’s recovery after a stroke, Democrats holding their lead across numerous battleground states, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Donald Trump erupted in a deranged rant at a reporter who dared to ask why he’d cancelled several of his rallies (which he then reinstated). Trump sputtered at being pressed on his fitness and viciously insulted the reporter’s appearance. “You are disgusting,” Trump snapped. “You look like hell.” This comes as Republicans are leaking word that his rallies hurt more than help in swing areas, meaning he’s totally toxic in non-deep-red America. Meanwhile, other Republicans are letting it be known that they’re looking ahead to a post-Trump world, with some bracing for Trump to blame them if they lose big. Still others are leaking word that the election could be “brutal.” That’s all pretty embarrassing given his frequent claim his rallies are saving them. We talked to Salon’s Amanda Marcotte about why Republicans seem to think his rallies have lost their juice. We also discuss what his ebbing powers portend for a post-Trump GOP, why the Senate is still on a knife’s edge, and how MAGA seems disoriented these days in the culture wars over gender. 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 Live for Friday, Norm Ornstein and Miles Taylor join us to break down the latest news around the midterms, the disgusting smears against Democratic candidates, the likelihood of election interference, the Senate race controversy in Alaska, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The midterms are almost here, and you’ll forgive us for being a little emotional. It’s looking more and more like Democrats can expect huge wins on November 3rd, yet we can’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Democratic analysts Tara McGowan and Simon Rosenberg join David Rothkopf to remind everyone that now is the time to put the pedal to the metal and get out and vote. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Donald Trump is in a dark mood about the midterms, reports The New York Times in an epic piece. Numerous administration insiders confide that he’s raging at at naysayers and negative press. And they’re also leaking that he’s “increasingly cloistered” with “acolytes” like Natalie Harp, as the Times puts it, adding this: "As the elections approach, Mr. Trump is feasting on a media diet of fawning press coverage, disparaging clips about his perceived enemies, and helpings of flattering photos and 'A.I. slop,' as one official put it." That extraordinary passage shows how his aides are placating his anger. Yet new CNN polls show Democrats with leads in the key Senate races that will determine control. So we talked to political scientist Tom Schaller, author of a good piece for the Public Notice Substack on MAGA culture. We discuss whether those CNN polls are right, why Trump is convinced his influence over GOP voters will save the party, how a big Democratic night could break Trump-MAGA cultural power, and how that could allow Democrats to expand their coalition in coming years. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tech companies would love nothing more than to regulate themselves. The Standards Authority for Frontier AI (SAFA) is just the latest attempt for AI companies to take safety into their own hands, yet it’s hardly a substitute for real government oversight. Tech Counsel at Protect Democracy Mackenzie Austin joins David Rothkopf to explain why the public needs to be involved in AI governance and why the next year will be pivotal in deciding who controls AI development. 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
The midterm elections are five days away and all signs indicate an impending Democratic tsunami. But don’t get distracted by trans athletes and the Cheesecake Factory, folks - Donald Trump is going to try to steal this election. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf examine what to expect in the coming days and why these midterms matter more than ever. 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 Pete Hegseth firing the Pentagon’s top military planner, the Alaska governor ordering an investigation into Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign, Trump floating Ted Cruz as a Supreme Court nominee, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After Vivek Ramaswamy ran that vile ad attacking Amy Acton in the Ohio gubernatorial race, Donald Trump aggressively defended it. That sent out a command to MAGA to get behind the ad. But now Republicans just leaked an internal poll to Axios showing that the ad is backfiring in humiliating fashion: It is making voters more likely to pick Acton over Ramaswamy rather than less. On top of that, Republicans fear this could hurt the party in the Ohio Senate race, too. That’s striking, because if Democrats win that contest, they’re a lot more likely to win the Senate. We talked to New Republic senior editor Alex Shephard, author of a good piece on the ad fiasco. We discuss how the backlash to the ad caught Trump-MAGA off guard, how this saga shows Trumpian politics to be running out of gas, and why the Senate map looks very promising for Democrats. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Benjamin Netanyahu did not suffer the setback that many may have expected going into Israel’s recent election. How exactly does the leader of a genocide in Gaza retain power? What is the future of the Arab opposition in Israel? And what do these elections signal to the rest of the world? Alon Pinkas and Ilan Goldenberg join David Rothkopf and Ed Luce to discuss the recent election results and the geopolitical future in the Middle East. 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 cover the lack of a clear winner in Israel’s election, Flavio Bolsonaro and his family receiving US visas after leaving Brazil, the DOJ refusing to unseal the warrant for the search of Ilhan Omar’s house, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In a remarkable move, Fox News just shifted numerous House races toward Democrats. Fox finds them pulling even or favored in really Trumpy places like Kentucky’s 6th district and North Carolina’s 11th district. Fox also shifted the Ohio Senate race to “Lean Democratic.” In both cases Fox cited recent polling—including its own—as the justification. These bombshell incursions into deep red territory made Trump’s tirade at a Texas rally Tuesday look truly delusional. Trump bizarrely suggested his Iran war is a stupendous success that’s making our country “an absolute fortune.” He even weirdly implied his juvenile changing of geographic names—like “Lake America” and the “Gulf of America”—shows genuine American success and dominance. Trump really believes these things have broad appeal! We talked to Michael Cohen, who wrote well on the ongoing GOP retreat for his Truth and Consequences Substack. We discuss how these tirades explain the GOP’s struggles, the deeper reasons Democrats are able to contest such red territory, and what to expect in the final stretch. 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 Tuesday, we discuss the monumental election in Israel, the DOJ going after James Comey yet again, Bolsonaro conceding the election in Brazil, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Donald Trump is stewing about elections big time. He raged at Senator Lisa Murkowski for opposing his dumb effort to rig the Alaska Senate race, fumed over imagined voter-fraud in the upcoming midterms, and seethed that the right’s huge loss in Brazil was “rigged.” It’s no accident that this unraveling comes as the early-voting data looks so dubious for the GOP that even some MAGA data analysts seem rattled by it. One leading MAGA figure admitted she’s refraining from posting the early-vote numbers because they’ll hurt the right’s “morale.” Another acknowledged that the electorate looks far too nonwhite for the GOP and urged Republicans to “step it up.” A third fretted that Trump’s campaigning is backfiring. We talked to Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg, who closely tracks early voting at his Hopium Chronicles Substack. He walks us through the massively encouraging signs in the data for Democrats, details what we can conclude from it and what we can’t, talks about why the Senate could still stay Republican, and ponders how Democrats should close this out. 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 Monday, we break down the victory of Lula and loss of Vucic, Trump’s shocking racism against El Sayed, a Justice Department lawsuit in Alaska’s Senate race, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Donald Trump seethed wildly at NBC reporter Monica Alba after she asked him tough questions about his support for that vile ad attacking Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton for supposedly lying about her past. Alba pointed out that Acton’s childhood involved “serious sexual abuse allegations,” prompting Trump to bark “quiet!” at Alba, rage that she’s being “fresh,” and belittle her as a “horrible little reporter.” It’s notable that Alba is relatively young given her level of success, because Trump is always most vicious towards young female reporters. This all comes as even Fox News figures are growing very uncomfortable with the ad and Trump’s backing of it, as Media Matters documents. We talked to Nicole Hemmer, historian of the right-wing media and the conservative movement. We discuss how Trump uses young female reporters as foils, how he and MAGA are deploying open misogyny as a Hail Mary in the midterms, how this is rooted in older right-wing formulations, and how he’s still trapped in the cultural moment of 2024. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The midterms are just over a week away and for the first time, artificial intelligence will play a major role in motivating voters. Data centers have become a major point of concern across party and state lines. Jeff Jarvis joins David Rothkopf to ask the question: is AI too quick for our government and media to hold accountable? As oligarchs and major companies move to self-regulate, the answer is sobering. 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
In dense and convoluted remarks, Donald Trump defended that disgusting ad in the Ohio gubernatorial race. The ad from Republican Vivek Ramaswamy featured the mother of Democrat Amy Acton calling her a liar. But it quickly emerged that Acton was apparently raped by her step-father, the mother’s husband. The move backfired spectacularly, as numerous Republicans, including Ohio governor Mike DeWine strongly condemned the ad and GOP panic over the race erupted. Even MAGA appears divided. We talked to Jim Swift, a senior editor at The Bulwark, who wrote a good piece on this fiasco. We discuss the deeper reasons Ramaswamy decided this ad would energize the MAGA base, how it could cost Republicans the Ohio gubernatorial and Senate contests, and what this ugly saga says about the depravity of Late-Stage MAGA and the growing mainstream backlash to it. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The 52nd Harvard Youth Poll makes it clear: America’s young voters demand change. Corruption and political polarization have jaded America’s youth, but there are even more reasons to be optimistic about America’s future in the hands of this massive voting bloc. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf return to break down the poll’s findings and share why the key to winning elections lies in winning over the hearts of youth voters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Harvard Kennedy School just released its 52nd Harvard Youth Poll and the results are striking: Americans are increasingly losing faith in the promise of a better future. America is at a crossroads with its youth, who are grappling with political and economic disillusionment yet still striving for meaningful change. What does this polling tell us about America’s future? John Della Volpe, Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics, joins David Rothkopf to discuss the revelations from their latest poll. 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 reports of a new attack on Iran after the midterms, Meta paying out a historic $25 billion in New Mexico, Trump’s plans to begin construction on his arch soon, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Donald Trump just unleashed a panicky string of posts—see here, here, here, and here—in which he frantically urged Republicans to vote by mail early. Amusingly, this comes after he told Republicans for months that mail-balloting is fraudulent to pass his SAVE America Act. Now that his efforts to nix vote-by-mail have flopped, he’s prodding Republicans to adopt it—effectively admitting his attacks on vote-by-mail were a scam to help him rig the election. Mail voting is an essential piece of pre-election-day voting, so his “fraud” nonsense could be discouraging GOP early voting, too. So what does the data say? To find out, we talked to Michael McDonald, who tracks the early vote at the UF Election Lab and on his Substack. He explains why the data suggests Democrats and independents are far more energized than Republicans, what we can extrapolate from it about the election, and how Trump screwed himself on early-vote-by-mail. We also discuss the latest New York Times poll showing Democrats leading by 11 points and Trump at a new low, which suggests the bottom is falling out for him. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Or is it keep your enemies close and kick your friends to the curb? The Trump administration certainly seems to think the latter when it comes to Ukraine. Between a lifeline deal to buy Russian diesel and Steve Witkoff calling Putin a "humanitarian," it is clear this administration has a fondness for Moscow and contempt for just about everyone else. Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Senior Fellow and Director of the Transatlantic Security Program at CNAS, joins Rosa Brooks and David Rothkopf to discuss why this pivot to Russia is so dangerous—not just for Ukraine, but for the U.S. as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover Steve Witkoff’s praise for Putin, Trump’s approval hitting record lows, Trump’s $8 billion support program for farmers, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With less than two weeks until Election Day, the Michigan Senate race is more or less on a knife’s edge. Amid all this, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has had some hugely viral moments lately, tangling with a MAGA plant over a question about the Muslim Brotherhood and battling with JD Vance over the vice president’s vile attacks on him. We think El-Sayed is developing an interesting way of doing politics that seems attuned to the information wars of the Trump era. Will it work in a swingy state that’s coming down to the wire? We talked to El-Sayed about the state of the race, the affordability crisis, his high-profile viral battles, and how it all reflects his deeper theory of politics in the Trump-MAGA era. 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 Tuesday, we discuss the Justice Department suing California, Trump using an anti-Semitic slur (again), the administration holding up Patriot missiles for Ukraine, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Donald Trump’s approval just sank to an abysmal 33-66 in the new Washington Post poll, a record low in Post polling. The survey also finds Democrats leading in the battle for the House by eight points. Meanwhile, the new NBC poll also finds Trump below 35 percent and puts the Democratic lead at 10 points. The polling averages also suggest a Democratic lead pressing double digits. Small wonder that Republicans are leaking to Politico that they blame this debacle squarely on Trump. One says Trump is clueless about what “voters care about,” adding: “It’s insane.” Others are sharply criticizing Trump’s super PAC operatives, revealing that they’re trying to shift blame onto Republicans and away from Trump himself. That’s deeply embarrassing given Trump’s constant claim that he’s giving Republicans a huge lift. We talked to Madison Andrus of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. She discusses how wide the map is getting, what the role of Trump’s unpopularity is in putting deep red areas in play, and why Democrats are bullish about pulling off a sweep of House districts in South Texas. 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 Monday, we break down the firing of Katie Zacharia, Elon’s pledge to hand out SpaceX shares to kids, the US annual budget gap hitting a five-year high, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In recent days, Donald Trump has exploded over James Talarico’s Senate candidacy in Texas. In a long, tortured tirade, Trump repeatedly called him “James TalaFREAKO” and raged at Karl Rove for supposedly wanting Ken Paxton to lose. He even ordered Fox to stop airing Rove. In another tirade, he fumed that Paxton is the “greatest attorney general” in Texas’s history and angrily wondered why Talarico hasn’t been defeated already. Meanwhile, in a striking exchange, a Fox anchor and a GOP Congressman appeared rattled as they wondered aloud why Texans appear prepared to vote for Talarico despite him obviously being a woke leftist whackjob. Translation: Why, oh why, aren’t MAGA-GOP smears working? We talked to Texas-based Democratic strategist Nancy Zdunkewicz. She explains the deeper reasons why attacks on Talarico aren’t sticking, walks through the state of play in the race’s final days, and grapples with whether the tightening polls amid the GOP’s avalanche of home-stretch spending should worry Democrats. 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 Live for October 16th, founder and CEO of MSW Media Allison Gill joins us to discuss Elon Musk’s huge contributions to Ken Paxton, White House turmoil over disastrous midterm forecasts, the Trump Administration suing California, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We are eighteen days away from truly monumental midterm elections. There is reason for optimism - polling looks good, Republican efforts to cheat have been thwarted in the courts, and Donald Trump is starting to lose control over his own party. But we also know that Donald Trump and his cronies in Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, and the rest of his Cabinet will do anything they can to stay in power. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss the importance of these midterms and how the next two years will be a battle for America’s soul. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The new national poll from Fox is absolutely awful for Donald Trump and the Republican Party. It finds Trump at a record low approval, shows him absolutely cratering with independents and Latinos, and even finds him underwater with noncollege whites and non-MAGA Republicans. It also finds Democrats expanding their lead in the generic ballot matchup to nine points and shows them with commanding leads among many key voter groups. But what if the polls are wrong? Republicans are betting on this, and it’s the topic of a big and serious debate among many observers. So we talked to Natalie Jackson, a polling expert who founded the Centerline firm and wrote well about this debate as a columnist for National Journal. She puts the Fox numbers in historical context, explains why the big question is just how good a night Democrats will have, walks us through the debate over polling accuracy, and details how polling firms are trying to avoid a big miss. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The midterms are only a few weeks away and, with any luck, Democrats will ride a blue wave back into power. While there are a great many issues to grapple with, none are more pressing or existential than artificial intelligence. So what exactly is the Democrats’ plan to effectively legislate AI? Congressman Don Beyer, co-chair of Congress’s bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Caucus, joins David Rothkopf to examine what Democrats in Congress must do to rein in the far-reaching effects of the AI revolution. 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
On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down Trump walking back the live-streaming of the execution of the Fort Hood shooter, new details on the criminal probe into Ilhan Omar, Elon Musk and other donors pouring money into House Republican races, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Earlier this week, Donald Trump made some audacious claims. He insisted at length that his rallies are having a “tremendously positive impact” on Republicans’ chances in the midterms, because it causes their support to “go up.” He also insisted costs are plummeting. But on Wednesday, the new Consumer Price Index report demolished that claim by showing inflation getting worse. Meanwhile, numerous Republicans leaked to Politico that the House is all but lost. And critically, they cited Trump as the main overarching reason for this. As one lamented: “Trump has made this election all about himself.” Another griped that “the biggest problem” is Trump’s “unfavorables.” That wrecks his boast about his rallies, too. We talked to MS NOW’s Steve Benen, author of a good piece about the hollowness of Trump’s bragging. We discuss why Trump’s public standing is uniquely bad, look at how the GOP’s latest money moves show Republicans believe the bad polling news, and dig into the true state of the Senate map. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The President of the United States decided last week to throw a cash lifeline to Vladimir Putin for diesel that only helps Russia’s war in Ukraine. Donald Trump has no morals or foreign policy ideology other than his admiration for dictators who bend the rule of law at their will... but wait, it gets even worse! David Corn, author of the new book How Russia Won: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and the Fight for America, joins David Rothkopf and Rosa Brooks to analyze US-Russia relations, Trump’s foreign policy betrayals, and how everything may only be getting worse. 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 cover the surprise resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle, the disastrous first press briefing by Katie Zacharia, skyrocketing consumer costs, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In a remarkable piece, The Atlantic reports that Donald Trump is privately furious over his inability to force Iran to stop the war. As one adviser notes, he is “used to snapping his fingers” to control Republicans and the media, so he is now “losing his mind that Iran won’t listen” to him. This comes as his new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, turned in a debut performance that’s drawing serious fire from the right. White House officials are sharply criticizing it as “brutal.” One right-wing media personality harshly mocked her as not “serious,” claiming that “she’s auditioning for a job on Fox News.” These stories are connected: They both reveal Trump as an emperor-has-no-clothes figure who can’t fathom why his control over events is deserting him. We talked to Mark Jacob, who skillfully dissects White House follies in his Stop the Presses newsletter. He explains why having someone like Zacharia as White House press secretary is a deadly serious matter for the country, how institutional cowardice persuaded Trump of his omnipotence, how that’s now cracking up under him, and why all this will make him even more dangerous. 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 Tuesday, we discuss the raid of Ilhan Omar’s home by federal officers, Trump’s contentious diesel deal with Russia, the White House’s insane new Press Secretary, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sarah Longwell of The Bulwark recently held a focus group with people who voted for Donald Trump in 2024 that took an extraordinary turn. After being shown Trump’s vile taxpayer-funded ad, in which he rages about expelling “globalists” and “Marxists” and the “fake news media,” they were revolted. They called Trump “despicable” and “power hungry” and a “narcissist” who spews “nothing but lies.” We think this suggests Trump may be alienating right-leaning voters not just over costs, but with his totalitarian-dictator rule as well. So we talked to political theorist Paul Crider about the possibilities this focus group raises. We discuss his new piece arguing for the creation of a broad anti-corruption, anti-authoritarian coalition, dissect new GOP panic about losses in deep red areas, ask whether Trump’s dictator-megalomania is turning even those places against Trump, and examine how Democrats are creating a new politics in response to it all. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There is a lot to question when it comes to the future of AI. But what does the AI boom mean for the future of our democracy? David Rothkopf and political scientist Dave Karpf of George Washington University examine how AI, billionaire media ownership, and campaign finance are concentrating power and weakening democracy. They explore the collapse of shared information, the influence of algorithms and personalized news, why political messaging increasingly fails to reach the public, and what some possible solutions might be to all of this. 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
On the DSR Daily Live for Friday, we’re joined by special guest Wajahat Ali to break down the midterm debates, the protests in France, the blatant racism of the current administration, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We are living through one of the most irrational chapters of US foreign policy in the Middle East. The recent uptick in the conflict between the United States and Iran is only abetted by the fast-approaching midterm elections next month. How did we get here in the first place? And what is the potential for future conflict between the US, Israel, Iran and its proxies? Middle East expert Kim Ghattas joins David Rothkopf, Rosa Brooks, and Ed Luce to discuss the current geopolitical state of the region, as well as her new book The Best Kind of American: A True Story of Murder, War, and America’s Undoing in the Middle East. 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 rages regularly at Fox News. But Axios now reports that there’s more behind this than meets the eye: White House and GOP operatives have privately pressured Fox for months to change how it’s covering Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. The problem? By giving El-Sayed airtime and covering him in a somewhat factual way, it’s made it harder for Trump and the GOP to smear him as a crazy radical jihadist. Translation: Don’t let voters learn the truth about this guy; it’ll make it harder for us to beat him! That is so deeply humiliating. But it also gets at a bigger story about how the manly men of MAGA get so whiny when the electoral going gets tough. We talked to Jennifer Rubin, editor-in-chief of The Contrarian. We discuss her new piece on the flimsiness of MAGA machismo, probe the deeper reasons Trump can’t allow the truth about El-Sayed to be told, and dissect a new Pew poll showing Trump’s approval down to an abysmal 30 percent. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Republican crooks across the administration are now trying to distance themselves from Donald Trump ahead of November’s elections. Yet these Republicans like Mike Rogers and Thom Tillis are corrupt to the core themselves, leading to the question: how far will these politicians go to save their reputations despite their own histories of corruption? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf ponder the gathering storm ahead and whether or not the stains left by this administration may ever truly wash away. 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 Trump’s pathetic Texas rally, Trump’s $273 million worth of securities transactions, the EPA’s plans to relax methane regulations, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In today’s episode, nonpartisan political forecaster Kyle Kondik makes some critical points about Donald Trump’s approval rating. First, it may be so low that he’s even underwater in House districts that he carried by double digits. Second, unlike in 2018, his approval is underwater in red states with big Senate races. Indeed, the latest polling averages have him sinking below 35 percent, a key threshold. And Times polling finds him upside down in five Senate-race states he carried by double digits. Taken together, it’s clear his public standing is unraveling. Meanwhile, GOP leaks are growing deafening. One GOP operative said: “If the bottom continues falling out like it has been, this will be worse than 2006.” Worse than the GOP’s epic 2006 losses under George W. Bush! For the straight story on the state of the House map, we talked to Kondik, managing director at Sabato’s Crystal Ball. He explains how Trump’s low approval is expanding the map for Democrats in surprising ways, interprets the latest GOP spending in deep red areas, and why he thinks Democrats might end up with 230 House seats. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
