Deep State Radio

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss Antony Blinken heading back to the Middle East, a leaked US assessment of Israeli strike plans, Trump’s flip-flopping on election interference, and more. 

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The other day, Donald Trump playacted as a worker at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. But he ran into trouble, evading a question about whether he would support a minimum wage hike, producing scalding headlines. Which gets at a larger scam: Trump enjoys public approval on the economy, even though his agenda for working people is borderline nonexistent, whereas Harris has a detailed economic agenda for working and middle class people alike. We talked to HuffPost senior reporter Jonathan Cohn, author of a good new piece on the McDonald’s saga, who explains how this stunt captures the fraudulence of Trump’s economic plans—and the authenticity of Harris’s middle class biography. 

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On the DSR Daily for Monday, we cover ‘unprecedented interference’ in Moldova’s election and referendum, the House’s report on the Secret Service failures, Elon Musk’s new and probably illegal election giveaway, and more. 

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At a rally in Nevada, Barack Obama offered a blistering new warning: Trump’s vows to persecute the “enemy within” should be taken with deadly seriousness. Trump’s displays are deeply dangerous in someone who would be president with no guardrails left. Yet even now, a sizable subset of voters just doesn’t take his threats seriously. We talked to veteran analyst Michael Podhorzer, author of a good new piece warning that we’re “sleepwalking our way to fascism.” He explains how this election could come down to whether those voters grasp the threat Trump poses—exactly what Obama seemed to be saying—and criticizes the media for failing to sound the alarm. 

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Original air date: October 27, 2023

With Russia conducting an unprecedented nuclear strike drill, China significantly expanding its arsenal, and the US unveiling a new nuclear weapon, we might just be witnessing the beginnings of a modern nuclear arms race. Heather Williams and Jeffrey Lewis join Jon Wolfsthal and David Rothkopf to dissect the intricacies of the changing landscape of nuclear weapons.

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Original air date: October 20, 2023

Senator Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee subcommittee on the Middle East. In this exclusive one-on-one conversation, he discusses the President's funding request for Ukraine and Israel, the recent trip of President Biden to Israel, the risks associated with the conflict between Israel and Hamas including the risk of escalation and the broader issue of what America's role and priorities in the region ought to be. It's a must-listen podcast. Join us.

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Eliana Johns, Senior Research Associate with the Federation of American Scientists, joins Jon to discuss China’s latest ICBM tests and her recent geolocation project to locate them. What is the significance of these recent ICBM launches? What goes into open-source investigation projects? And how can one use mere images of bushes, dirt and blades of grass halfway across the world to pinpoint critical missile test sites? Find out all this and more here.

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Former CIA paramilitary officer, station chief, and senior DoD official Mick Mulroy joins Marc to discuss the demise of Hamas leader Yayah Sinwar. Responsible for the death of 46 Americans, Sinwar’s death will be celebrated by the US counterterrorism community. Will this energize the now stalled hostage negotiations? And bonus content on a string of US intelligence community analytic failures, and what to do to rectify both shortfalls in analysis and collection. Must listen to episode on this dramatic day.  

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On the DSR Daily for Friday, we breakdown the killing of Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, the US charging an ex-Indian intelligence official for involvement in an assassination plot, North Korea sending troops to aid Russia, and more. 

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On Thursday, Donald Trump erupted with rage at Fox News over its election coverage, explicitly slamming Fox for making a Kamala Harris presidency more likely. Meanwhile, CNN reports that among Trump allies, plans for another fake electors scheme are in full swing. Which raises a question: What sort of chaos could erupt, if the voting is close and Fox and other right wing media start amplifying Trump’s inevitable lies about fraud in the election? We talked to election law expert Matthew Seligman, author of How to Steal a Presidential Election, who walks us through the potential nightmare scenarios that lie ahead, and what we can do about them.

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Early voting has started, and there are already great signs for the Harris camp. From early voting data to new voter registration to youth engagement, it looks like Kamala has the momentum. Tom Bonier, Tara McGowan, and Simon Rosenberg join David Rothkopf to provide a state of the race and share why things are still looking rock solid for the democrats as Election Day draws near. 

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One way or another, we’re getting a new administration come January. In the age of AI, the first 100 days of either administration will need bold policies to regulate this rapidly expanding industry. Executive Director of Data & Society Janet Haven joins David Rothkopf to share the key points that the next administration must hit in order to keep the US on top of AI regulation. 

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.

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On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss a judge striking down election rules in Georgia, Israel no longer processing commercial food shipments into Gaza, JD Vance claiming the 2020 election was not legitimate, and more. 

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The word “fascist” has fully penetrated the presidential race. We just learned that a top general under President Donald Trump described Trump as “fascist to the core.” Trump has been threatening to unleash the military on the enemy within, which numerous observers describe as fascist politics. And at a Fox News event on Wednesday, Trump uncorked an unhinged, rambling response to all this, insisting that the real fascists are Democrats. We talked to David Austin Walsh, a historian and author of Taking America Back, who explains how the American right has overlapped with fascist movements throughout our history—and what that says about our MAGA moment.

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It’s nearly impossible to tell what’s true in the deluge of election coverage. Every day brings a new story or opinion piece that seems to contradict what came before. Ed Luce joins David Rothkopf to navigate the maze of polls and pundits to share predictions for the 2024 election and why we still feel pretty good going into November. 

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On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover the Biden administration’s demands for more aid in Gaza, Elon Musk’s super PAC, incredible early voting in Georgia, and more. 

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Is the media finally figuring out how to cover Donald Trump’s mental unfitness for the presidency? First, CNN’s Jake Tapper dressed down a Trump surrogate for whitewashing Trump’s threat to unleash the military on his enemies. Then Trump held a strange town hall at which he abruptly stopped answering questions, which generated aggressive media coverage. And Kamala Harris has directly engaged on Trump’s mental state in a new way, drawing media attention to it. We talked to Brian Beutler, who often criticizes the media on his Off Message Substack, about the increasing signs that the press is treating Trump’s mental decline as a big story. Listen to this episode here.

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On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we cover Netanyahu’s promise that Israel will strike Iranian military targets, Canada and India expelling diplomats, threats of violence against FEMA, and more.

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Over the weekend, J.D. Vance tried to argue that Donald Trump will not target his political enemies if he’s reelected president. Yet at around the same time, Trump was confirming the opposite point with several new rants on Fox News, declaring flatly that he’ll use the military to target the “enemy within.” Indeed, Trump regularly says openly at his rallies that in a second term, he will persecute unnamed enemies of MAGA. We talked to Politico reporter Myah Ward, author of a great new piece on what he’s been saying at these rallies, about how blatant he is now being about his second-term intention to grotesquely abuse presidential power. 

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Original Air Date: November 27, 2023

Israeli officials have predicted two more months of fighting. With such a lengthy campaign ahead, is the IDF pursuing the best strategy? Former deputy director of the CIA Counterterrorism Center Darrell Blocker joins Marc Polymeropoulos and David Rothkopf to assess Israel’s approach so far and what could be on the horizon for the region.

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Original air date: March 15, 2023

There is never a dull period for the Middle East. David and Rosa are joined by Alon Pinkus of Haaretz to discuss Iran and Saudi Arabia resuming diplomatic ties and the ongoing crisis in Israel. Do we anticipate big changes in the Middle East following this announcement? What does this say about America's role in the region? Is Israel in an (unwritten) constitutional crisis? All of this and more during this thoughtful discussion. Members get a bonus segment where David and Kim Ghattas, author of Black Wave, continue the conversation about the Saudi-Iran relationship.

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It’s been a whirlwind of a week, and Norm and Kavita are back to discuss it all: Hurricane Milton in Florida, Republican FEMA hypocrisy, the public health disinformation spewing from the RFK Jr-Trump alliance, Trump’s mental deterioration, and more. Members will also get to hear exclusive insider content on Kamala Harris’ healthcare plans. 

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We’ve all played around with AI, generating pictures our audio to send to our friends. But when happens when someone uses AI to generate images of you? Renée DiResta, an expert on how adversaries exploit digital platforms, joins David Rothkopf to share how the accessibility of AI has blown the door wide open for disinformation and exploitation, and the ways we can protect ourselves. We also ask the most important question of all: what’s the deal with Shrimp Jesus?

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As the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates, so does concern over the current state of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Is Israel likely to target nuclear facilities? How close is Iran actually to having a bomb? What role does the United States play in all this? Kelsey Davenport, Director of Non-Proliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, and Eric Brewer, Deputy Vice President at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, join Jon to talk all things Iran, nuclear policy, and more.

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On the DSR Daily for Friday, we break down the Israeli strikes on Beirut, the impact of Hurricane Milton, Obama rallying voters for Kamala in Pennsylvania, and more. 

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In recent days, Donald Trump has escalated his attacks on CBS News, raging at the network over something they supposedly did involving Kamala Harris’s interview on “60 minutes.” He has now stated repeatedly that CBS should lose its broadcasting license. We think this is a clear warning about what a second Trump term would look like. We talked to Michael Sozan, author of a new report for the Center for American Progress Action Fund on Project 2025. He gets specific about how an authoritarian Trump presidency could use government power to bring independent media to heel.

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Could the 2024 election be decided by Gen Z voters? The Harris campaign seems to think so. With so much effort placed on turning out young voters, expert John Della Volpe joins Riley Fessler and Minnah Stein to explain what makes this group the key to victory in November. 

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Former USG Intel analyst and current Washington Institute for Near East Policy senior official Matthew Levitt (@Levitt_Matt) joins Marc to discuss an extraordinary several weeks in the region. From Israel conducting “open heart surgery” on Hizballah, a Gaza with a significantly reduced Hamas but no “day after” plan, to what to do about the burgeoning Iranian nuclear program, Matt’s views are essential to assessing the CT landscape in the Middle East and ultimately unpacking the policy challenges for both the US and Israel.

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On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss Hurricane Milton’s impact on Florida, a Russian strike on a Ukrainian port, the latest polling from Reuters/Ipsos, and more. 

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It’s a big question in the presidential race: Will Republican and independent voters who backed Nikki Haley in GOP primaries support Donald Trump at the levels he needs? New data suggests the answer may be No. The Bulwark reports that a new poll taken by a Democratic firm finds a surprisingly large percentage of voters who backed Haley defecting to Kamala Harris. And a New York Times national poll finds her making new inroads among GOP voters. How real is all this? We talked to the Bulwark’s Marc Caputo, who’s well sourced among Republicans, about the perils this poses to Trump and what top Republicans think about the race. 

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Elon Musk isn’t taking disinformation seriously. The owner of X has made the platform a cesspool of fake news, bots, and trolls — seemingly by design. Kori Schake, Rosa Brooks, and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to discuss the grave consequences of disinformation for the election in November and beyond. 

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On the DSR daily for Wednesday, we cover FEMA’s warning on disaster relief disinformation, Hezbollah clashes with IDF forces, a lawsuit alleging Virginia is purging legitimate voters, and more. 

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In a new book, Bob Woodward reports that Donald Trump sent covid tests to Vladimir Putin at the height of the pandemic, and that after leaving office, Trump had up to seven private phone calls with Putin. This drew a harsh response from Kamala Harris, who pointed out that Trump kowtows to Putin because he aspires to be a dictator himself. Which highlights something important: The direct connection between Trump’s authoritarian aspirations at home and the axis of global autocrats rooting for him to prevail. We talked to international relations professor Nicholas Grossman, who writes on these issues, about all these shadowy links, and whether Harris can highlight all this in the home stretch. 

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On the DSR daily for Tuesday, we cover the Florida governor ignoring calls from VP Harris, the Supreme Court dealing another blow to abortion rights in Texas, Russia charging a US citizen for fighting in Ukraine, and more.

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In a new interview, Donald Trump unleashed an ugly, crazed rant about Kamala Harris, calling her “low IQ” and “stupid.” And almost no leading journalists took it seriously. Which points to a larger story: Trump regularly targets Harris with vile attacks that are unapologetically misogynist, yet it barely attracts notice anymore. We talked to writer Susan Milligan—who does good work for The New Republic on Trump’s misogyny—about how overtly anti-woman Trump’s strategy has become, and what Harris can do to exploit this in the race’s final days. 

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National security correspondent and HUMINT Substack author Sasha Ingber @SashaIngber joins Marc to cover today’s foreign policy challenges from the Middle East to Europe. Additionally, Sasha discusses her entry into journalism and pivot towards the national security beat, as well as her experiences and pressures as a reporter covering conflict zones. Members will also get to hear an after action report from Sasha’s trip to Ukraine as well as a deeply moving story of veteran suicide after the fall of Kabul. Must listen to episode with a rising star in the national security beat

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On the DSR daily for Monday, we discuss the new Hurricane coming for Florida, the Supreme Court’s upcoming term, new barriers to voting for college students, and more. 

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On Sunday, The New York Times published an extraordinary piece detailing Donald Trump’s deteriorating mental state, singling out his deranged fabrications and outright fabulism as central to its expose. Meanwhile, Trump held a weekend rally in Pennsylvania where he lied angrily in ugly new ways about the federal response to Hurricane Helene. Can Democrats capitalize on all this in the home stretch? We talked to Democratic strategist Maria Cardona, who suggests new ways to close out this race by highlighting Trump’s profound mental unfitness for the presidency—and depicting his lying about disaster response as fundamentally disqualifying. Listen to this episode here.

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Original air date: August 11, 2023

With the sound defeat of Issue 1 in Ohio, Norm and Kavita discuss whether Democrats can apply the lessons learned to 2024. Also on the agenda are the latest developments with Trump’s documents case in Florida, and whether or not the myriad legal woes will actually help Trump in the next election. Don’t miss it.

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Original air date: October 10, 2023

Saturday, October 7 will likely go down as one of, if not the worst day, in Israel’s history. While Israel was focused on the West Bank and moving toward normalization with Saudi Arabia, Hamas was planning and plotting this attack right under Benjamin Netanyahu’s nose. We discuss the extraordinary events with our experts, Rula Jebreal and Alon Pinkas. Will Bibi survive this attack politically? And how should the United State respond? Tune in to find out the answers to these questions and more on this special episode of Deep State Radio.

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AI development will soon be a major component of the global economy. So how can emerging economies keep up with the US and China? AI governance and ethics expert Dr. Chinasa Okolo joins David Rothkopf to discuss why this issue is so critical and how to avoid a global AI gap. 

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Special Counsel Jack Smith’s 180-page report, filed on Wednesday, provides damning evidence against Donald Trump which could carry serious legal implications - why is this not the banner headline of every major media outlet? What does this report show, and what ramifications could it have on the election and beyond? Norm and Kavita are back to discuss this and more. Members will also get a discussion of the Harris campaign’s strategy and the VP debate.

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On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we discuss emails from the early days of Israel’s Gaza operations, Melania Trump’s pro-choice stance in her memoir, a deal being struck in the port workers strike, and more.

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Donald Trump keeps pushing the vile claim that federal officials are withholding disaster aid from GOP areas devastated by Hurricane Helene. This has now backfired, focusing media attention on Trump’s own hyper-politicization of disaster relief as president. To wit: Two former Trump officials told Politico that Trump initially refused to approve disaster aid for California after wildfires in 2018 due to the state’s Democratic lean. We talked to one of those officials—Olivia Troye, a senior homeland security official in the Trump administration and now a leading critic of the former president—about Trump’s disastrous tenure, and what she told is is not pretty. 

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It’s the final countdown for the 2024 Election, and that means it’s time for a check in with our favorite experts to analyze the state of the race. Tom Bonier, Simon Rosenberg, and Tara McGowan join David Rothkopf to clue us in on the Harris campaign’s strategy, what the polls are saying, and how we can help Kamala win it all. 

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At the vice-presidential debate, the CBS News moderators fact-checked one of JD Vance’s lies—and that was all it took to trigger an epic attack on CBS from Donald Trump and his MAGA allies. Which highlights a larger story: The degree to which Trump’s campaign is built on an immense superstructure of endless, shameless lying. Bullying the media into not fact checking Trump and Vance is essential to that project. We talked to Jamison Foser, who writes about the media and the right on his Finding Gravity Substack, about the ways our institutions are capitulating to authoritarian attacks and threats—and what can be done in response.

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The Middle East is at its most dangerous point in decades. With an Israeli retaliation against Iran imminent, what can the US do to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control? Noga Tarnopolsky, Barbara Slavin, and Rosa Brooks join David Rothkopf to assess the administration and what comes next for Israel and the region. 

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On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we give our thoughts on the VP debate including the highlights, lowlights, and everything in-between.

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With five weeks until Election Day, Donald Trump has decided to win over swing voters by rhapsodizing about police violence, threatening to prosecute anyone who displeases him, and unleashing disgusting insults toward his opponents. His latest? Raging that Tim Walz is a “moron” and “sick.” We talked to A.B. Stoddard, columnist at The Bulwark and author of a new piece suggesting a closing strategy for Kamala Harris, about how Democrats can use Trump’s angry, unhinged eruptions to fashion a winning endgame against him.

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On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we cover Israel’s ground operations in Lebanon, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum taking office, Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday, and more. 

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Western North Carolina is enduring full-blown catastrophe. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, towns have been destroyed, roads have been washed out, people are frantically trying to locate loved ones, and dozens have died. Enter Donald Trump, who just declared that the federal government—and Democratic governor Roy Cooper—are deliberately neglecting MAGA parts of the state, and charged that the Biden administration is consciously letting Americans drown. We talked to state Democratic Party chair Anderson Clayton about the horrors that the state is suffering, and about Trump’s ugly reaction to them. 

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On today’s episode of Above Average Intelligence, Marc is joined by longtime friend, award-winning national security journalist, and current justice and intelligence correspondent for NBC News Ken Dilanian. Ken offers insight into both his former roles on the intelligence beat as well as his current experiences covering the DOJ, in addition to his analysis of navigating the fine lines between the media, the government, and foreign interference.

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On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss Israel’s latest strikes in Yemen, the devastation and political implications of Hurricane Helene, the far-right’s victory in Austria, and more. 

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At a rally in Wisconsin over the weekend, Donald Trump really cranked up the rage and hate speech about immigrants, and viciously savaged Kamala Harris as “mentally impaired.” But this deserves special attention: Trump also attacked Fox News for the mere act of carrying a recent Harris speech about immigration on the network, seething that Fox shouldn’t be “allowed” to do that. We talked to Salon columnist Amanda Marcotte, a skillful interpreter of Trump’s violent threats, about the clear signals that this and other recent Trump utterances are sending about his intention to suppress dissent and persecute MAGA’s enemies during a second term.

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Original air date: August 21, 2023

Maintaining alliances isn’t easy; they must be nurtured on a regular basis, which takes skill and acumen. Yet even with challenges both domestically and internationally, the US’s allies are some of its greatest assets. Since World War 2, the true brilliance of US strategy is to build genuine and sturdy alliances, politically, militarily, and in intelligence, with partners across the globe. Marc is joined by former senior CIA operations officer Jerry O’Shea, a four time station chief, to discuss why alliances are so critically important. Don’t miss it.

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Original air date: August 16, 2023

With yet another indictment against Donald Trump, his 2024 chances have taken another serious blow. David is joined by the host of the Amicus podcast Dahlia Lithwick and political strategist Simon Rosenberg to analyze how the deluge of legal drama will impact the 2024 race and why the Republicans' problems go beyond Trump. Join us.

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Media coverage of the election hasn’t been the best. Time and time again, the traditional news outlets have failed to provide the necessary information to voters, resulting in a race that seems to be too close for comfort. Journalists and media critics Jeff Jarvis and Dan Froomkin join David Rothkopf to explain where the mainstream media has gone wrong, and what it can do to get back on track. 

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On the DSR Daily for Friday, we cover Netanyahu’s flip-flopping on a Lebanon ceasefire, the details of the Eric Adams indictment, Melania Trump’s new interview, and more.

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Donald Trump has been quiet about January 6th lately. But this week, he suddenly unleashed an epic rant on social media about Special Counsel Jack Smith, raging about false new claims on the right that the “deep state” deliberately allowed the insurrection to go forward—against Trump’s will. The real cause of Trump’s fury? Smith is set to submit a court filing detailing his evidence of Trump’s alleged January 6th related crimes—some of which may become public. We talked to Politico reporter Kyle Cheney, author of a new report on these machinations, who helps illuminate what new revelations we may soon learn about—and why Trump should worry about them. 

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On the DSR daily for Thursday, we cover the indictment of New York mayor Eric Adams, Israel rejecting calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon, Congress passing a funding bill, and more. 

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If Kamala Harris can defeat Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, she almost certainly will win the presidency. It’s must-win for him. Yet the state remains a coin-flip—which is why both candidates campaigned in the state this week. So what is Harris’s path to victory? We talked to Governor Josh Shapiro, who explained why the race is so close—and why he thinks she’s “on her way” to winning there, in part due to concerted communications with non-college voters. Shapiro also responded at length to Trump’s lies about Haitian immigrants living in Pennsylvania, pronouncing them “utter bullshit.”

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Escalating to de-escalate might not be Israel’s goal in Lebanon after all. But as strikes between Israel and Hezbollah continue to intensify, we have to wonder — what is Israel’s goal? Rosa Brooks, Kori Schake, and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to examine the situation in the Middle East, discuss the results from UNGA, predict the outcome of the Vice Presidential debate, and more.

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The UN’s advisory body on AI released their comprehensive report detailing recommendations to address AI-related risks. Dr. Alondra Nelson, a member of the body, joins David Rothkopf to detail the key takeaways from the report, why international action on artificial intelligence is so critical, and what needs to happen next. 

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On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover the Senate report on the Secret Service, escalating attacks between Hezbollah and Israel, the controversial execution in Missouri, and more. 

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Donald Trump and his allies have been pushing Nebraska’s GOP-controlled State legislature to change how the state’s electoral votes are allotted, to prevent Kamala Harris from winning the election with just the blue wall states. But Nebraska’s GOP governor just announced that he will not hold a special session to change the rules, dashing Trump’s hopes. How did this happen? We talked to Joe Perticone, who has been covering all this as national political reporter at The Bulwark. He unpacks why Trump couldn’t get this done, what the impact of this will be, and what it all says about the GOP in the age of MAGA.

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Norm and Kavita are back to discuss the past week of events in each presidential campaign. Kamala Harris continues to outpace the GOP and previous Democratic candidates in fundraising, while the Trump campaign continues to make outrageous statements about women and abortion rights. What are the polls telling us about the state of these campaigns as we inch closer to Election Day? And, in the members-only section, what the hell is going on with Mark Robinson? Listen to all this and more here:

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On the DSR daily for Tuesday, we cover the latest deadly strikes in Lebanon, the new funding bill in the House, a CrowdStrike hearing in Congress, and more. 

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The scandals are getting worse for Mark Robinson, the GOP candidate for governor in North Carolina. After CNN broke the news of his incendiary comments on a pornography message board—including describing himself as a “black Nazi”—much of his staff quit. Now the national GOP has stopped funding his ads. You’ve heard talk about how Robinson’s collapse could help doom Trump in must-win North Carolina. But how exactly would that happen? What would it look like? We talked to Morgan Jackson—chief strategist for Attorney General Josh Stein, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate—about the state’s deeply interesting demographics, how Kamala Harris can win there, and what could still go wrong.

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On today’s episode of Above Average Intelligence, David Gioe @GioeINT, former CIA officer and current British Academy Global Professor of Intelligence and International Security at King’s College London, joins Marc to discuss the field of intelligence studies and the importance of passing the torch to the next generation. Additionally, David and Marc dive into the growing Russian spy hub in Mexico, the behind-the-scenes of the Anglo-American special intelligence relationship, and how to heal the growing and unfortunate US public distrust of the intelligence community. Listen to all this, and more, here:

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On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss the resignations of several key Mark Robinson campaign staffers, the DeSantis administration’s efforts to curb abortion access, Trump stating that he would not run again in 2028, and more. 

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In two bizarre rants over the weekend, Donald Trump openly fumed about female voters, lecturing them about why they should be supporting him and dismissing concerns about GOP abortion bans and all they’ve wrought. Meanwhile, a new NBC News poll shows Kamala Harris leading Trump by 21 points among women. Is Trump even trying to speak to them effectively anymore? We talked to Joan Walsh, national affairs correspondent at The Nation who writes well about the politics of abortion. She explains how Harris’s appeals to female voters really work—and why Trump is alienating them so badly. 

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Original air date: September 25, 2023

As technology rapidly evolves, America’s intelligence community needs to get smarter. David and Marc are joined by the former deputy director of the CIA Michael Morell to break down the shortcomings of our intelligence services and what must be done to meet the security challenges of both today and tomorrow.

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Original air date: October 13, 2023

The escalation in Israel’s war with Hamas would have profound effects on the region and the global community. Kim Ghattas joins Jon and David to predict what could come next in the conflict, what role the rest of the region will play, and how the rest of the world will feel the effects.

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Madelyn Creedon joins Jon to talk about the global nuclear landscape and her role as chairperson of the 2023 the Strategic Posture Commission. How will America’s security be affected in this new age of nuclear uncertainty and global competition. What steps and systems are China and Russia building and what are they trying to do. And most importantly, what combination of capabilities and national policy are needed to ensure American security. We consider all of these below:

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On the Friday edition of the DSR daily, we discuss the bonkers Mark Robinson story, Zelensky’s upcoming meeting with Biden and Harris, Trump’s bizarre statements about Jews, and more. 

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Donald Trump is a crummy candidate, but he’s certainly not the only example of rot in the Republican Party. With so much of the Trump campaign focused on hate and division, we have to ask: how low can the Republican Party really go? The Washington Post’s Jen Rubin and Words Matter host Norm Ornstein join David Rothkopf for an examination of how far the Republican Party has fallen.

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If Donald Trump loses Pennsylvania, he almost certainly will lose the presidential election. Now, all of a sudden, we have four new high-quality polls showing Kamala Harris ahead, though some others show it tied. Why the heck is Pennsylvania so close? What is really going on there? Should we believe the polls? Or not? We chatted with Democratic strategist Rebecca Katz, who is from Pennsylvania herself, worked on Senator John Fetterman’s victorious 2022 campaign, and knows something about winning there. Katz explained what Harris’s path to victory in the state looks like—and the looming obstacles that still keep her awake at night. Listen to this episode here.

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As Israel conducts one of the most impressive kinetic intelligence operations of our time, former DoD official Alex Plitsas joins Marc to discuss the technical aspects of the operation, and what may come next as Israel “escalate to de-escalate." Also, Alex and Marc review a recent CT conference that discussed the threat landscape, both from external and internal groups. And great bonus content on Alex and his team's incredible story of saving an American life in Gaza. Listen here:

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On the DSR daily for Thursday, we cover the latest developments from Lebanon, the uncovering of a Chinese-run tech spying network, House Republicans killing their own funding bill, and more. 

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At a rally in Michigan this week, Donald Trump unleashed a strange monologue about how we should only build gas-powered cars in the future, because we have lots of gasoline and China doesn’t. Translation: China has a huge lead in electric vehicles, so we shouldn’t even try to compete. Why isn’t all this more central in the presidential race? We chatted with Princeton professor Jesse Jenkins, a sharp observer of the energy transition and host of the weekly Shift Key podcast. He explained how Trump’s bizarre comments are essentially an admission that he’d surrender the future to China.

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The pager explosions throughout Lebanon shocked the region and the world. As more details come to light, it’s clear that the attack was the result of an extensive and unprecedented Israeli intelligence operation. So how did they do it, and what comes next? Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos and regional expert Kim Ghattas join Kori Schake, Ed Luce, and David Rothkopf to answer these questions and more. 

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On the DSR daily for Wednesday, we cover Israel’s pager attack in Lebanon, suspicious packages being sent to election workers across the country, the Federal Reserve preparing to cut interest rates, and more. 

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For the first time, Kamala Harris’ favorability rating has crossed into positive territory in FiveThirtyEight’s latest polling averages. That’s a crucial threshold, as Harris is introducing herself to votes within a highly compressed timetable. But there’s still work to do: Harris has not yet fully rebuilt the coalition that ousted Donald Trump in 2020. We talked to Nick Ahamed, deputy executive director of the Democratic Super PAC Priorities USA, who walks us through the group’s own interesting new polling in the swing states—and explains what now must be done for Harris to finish the job. 

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The core ideals of America are in peril, and the problem goes beyond just this election cycle. Despite all the doom and gloom, there is a path forward to get the country back on track. PoliticsGirl Leigh McGowan joins David Rothkopf to discuss her new book, A Return to Common Sense, and outline the ways to fix America before we really blow it. 

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From Charlottesville to Springfield, Donald Trump has been spewing language and misinformation that has incited real world violence. How have the candidates been using or abusing language in their campaigns? Norm and Kavita are back to break down this flurry of language in the media and show that words really do matter. Bonus content for members also includes a conversation on the recent assassination attempt and gun violence.

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On the DSR daily for Tuesday, we cover a Russian order to expand the military, a potential major shift in the Israeli government, the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Sudan, and more. 

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In a reference to the apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump over the weekend, the former president unleashed a long rant on social media blaming it all on Democrats. He insisted that because of Democratic rhetoric about Trump, the “bullets are flying, and it will only get worse.” Trump is systematically recasting any and all criticism of his attacks on democracy as incitement to violence—and in this, he’s fully backed up by other Republicans. We talked to Corey Brettschneider, a political scientist and author of The Presidents and the People, about how Trump is echoing Richard Nixon—and why we can’t let him get away with it. Listen to this episode here.

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On the DSR daily for September 16, we cover the FBI’s investigation into a possible assassination attempt on Donald Trump and threats in Springfield, a key Biden adviser’s trip to Israel, TikTok’s upcoming court defense, and more. 

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Over the weekend, Donald Trump’s rage over his debate fiasco appeared to get darker. In one splenetic social media post after another, he fumed he actually won the debate, while erupting repeatedly at ABC News’ moderation of it. All this comes as a whole bunch of new polling shows that Kamala Harris has made some surprising post-debate gains against Trump. We talked to veteran Democratic pollster Celinda Lake about the deeper causes for optimism inside the new data, what Harris still needs to do to win, and the deeper theory of the case driving all the successful baiting of Trump. Listen to this episode here.

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Veteran national security analyst and nuclear policy expert Joe Cirincione joins Jon to discuss the changing global nuclear landscape. Is there still arms control in this new and modernizing nuclear age? What do these large investments into nuclear weapons systems mean for our national security? And where are Russia and China in this conversation? Find out more here:

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On the Friday edition of the DSR daily, we break down the dismissal of two charges against Donald Trump, the possibility of lifting restrictions on Ukraine, blatant racism in MAGA, and more.

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At this week’s debate, Donald Trump spread the deranged lie that immigrants are eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio. Tensions are escalating and terror is spreading: Haitian immigrants living there say they fear for their safety, and on Thursday, Springfield’s City Hall was evacuated due to a bomb threat. What if these searing tensions are exactly what Trump and his MAGA allies want? Not that they want violence, but rather that they see supercharged social rifts as desirable? We talked to Andrew Egger, a writer for The Bulwark who has a good new piece on Springfield, about how this saga opens a window on the darkness and malevolence of the MAGA movement. Listen to this episode here.

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We’re on a Hopium high after Kamala Harris’s stellar debate performance. With a deluge of new polls on the horizon, political gurus Tara McGowan, Simon Rosenberg, and Tom Bonier join David Rothkopf to explain how to cut through the bad data and misleading stats to determine who’s really ahead. Spoiler: the news is so good, it has us dancing. 

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Election misinformation reached a new low with Donald Trump peddling a fake story that immigrants are eating pets in Ohio on the debate stage. But how does this kind of fake news come about? How much can we attribute to foreign interference, and how much is homegrown bullshit? Social media disinformation expert Renée DiResta joins David Rothkopf and Rosa Brooks to discuss where these lies come from, how they spread, and what you can do to separate fact from fiction. 

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On the DSR Daily for September 12, we cover the fallout from the presidential debate and Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris, a Ground Zero ceremony to commemorate 9/11, hawkish rhetoric from a prominent Russian foreign policy figure, and more. 

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After Kamala Harris’s shellacking of Donald Trump at the debate, Trump ventured on to Fox News, where he attacked the moderators as deeply biased against him. Incredibly, he even said their network, ABC News, should have its broadcasting license revoked. This is really a show of weakness: what enraged him is that real scrutiny was applied to the lies he can air unchallenged on right wing media. We talked to Media Matters senior fellow Matt Gertz—author of a new piece on Trump’s debate struggles—about Trump’s retreat into the MAGA media bubble, why that’s so politically perilous for him, and what it all says about today’s GOP. Listen to this episode here.

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On the DSR Daily for September 11 we discuss the biggest takeaways from the first debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump share our reactions to Harris’s dominant performance. 

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In recent days, the Trump campaign, J.D. Vance and other prominent MAGA figures have pushed a repulsive falsehood: That Haitian immigrants are eating people’s pets. Though this was decisively debunked, Vance issued a long, twisted rant on social media calling on supprters to keep pushing versions of the lie. This saga exposes something disturbing about MAGA dehumanization campaigns. We talked to Matthew Sheffield, a writer and podcaster at Flux and former member of the conservative movement who is now an illuminating critic of the right. He explains how this vile trope illustrates how MAGA propaganda really functions. Listen to this episode here.

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Ronald Reagan is a near mythological figure in American politics — so how do we separate fact from fiction and reckon with his controversial legacy? Max Boot joins David Rothkopf to discuss his new book, Reagan: His Life and Legend, and how the 40th president’s journey from New Deal Democrat to conservative avatar paved the way for Donald Trump. 

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With the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump looming, Norm and Kavita are back to break down the campaign and analyze each of their strategies, as well as discuss the Trump ticket’s ever-increasing craziness.

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On the DSR Daily for September 10, we break down the impending presidential debate, Ukraine’s large-scale drone attack on Russia, the latest scandal surrounding Justice Clarence Thomas, and more. 

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On Tuesday night, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will face off in their first debate. It goes without saying that the stakes are very high, as polls now show the two of them effectively tied, with perhaps a slight edge to Harris. Yet some analysts out there have made good arguments holding that the pieces really are in place for her to win this thing. We talked to Lakshya Jain of the data firm Split Ticket, who digs into what Harris has to accomplish at the debate—and why he’s cautiously optimistic that she will ultimately prevail. Listen to this episode here.

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Former Counterintelligence czar William Evanina joins Marc to discuss our nation’s greatest CI challenges, to include the staggering threat from an aggressive Chinese communist party, what motivates Americans to betray their country and how to defend against traitors in our midst, and his leadership growth, from SWAT team member, the JTTF post 9/11, a unique rotation to CIA, and then leading the USG’s entire CI efforts.

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On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover what Republican endorsements mean for the Harris campaign, gun violence in America, growing support for Harris among certain demographics, and more.

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In an unhinged weekend rant on social media, Donald Trump made his most expansive threats yet to prosecute his enemies if he wins. He also flatly threatened at a rally to unleash “bloody” mass removals of migrants. Meanwhile, new polls show a very tight race. So why isn’t Trump paying a political price for running on explicit threats of authoritarian rule? We talked to A.B. Stoddard—a columnist for The Bulwark and a clear-eyed Trump critic—who explains how he is priming his supporters for violence after the election, and why the Trump threat is so hard to communicate to voters.

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Original air date: January 27, 2023

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita talk about the never ending cycle of gun violence in the United States and what communities should do since the government is incapable of making progress on this issue. Members get a bonus conversation about the continuing kerfuffle about classified documents.

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Original air date: September 7, 2023

It's hard to separate what is important from what is spin and posturing in the many legal cases involving the disgraced former president of the United States. Fortunately, we sat down with commentator Kimberly Atkins Stohr of the Boston Globe and the Sisters-in-Law Podcast to help make sense of the latest developments. Don't miss our conversation.

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Heather and Jon talked to Sarah Mineiro, one of the world's leading experts on space, military operations and nuclear command and control. The former Republican staff Director for the House Armed Services Subcommittee on strategic affairs let us have it with both barrels as we discuss the United States' vulnerabilities and what we should be doing about it to ensure the security of the United States and its allies.

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With the advent of AI and advanced data collection technology, we’re in uncharted waters of data privacy. How can we protect our own data, and what role should companies and governments play in regulating data collection? Data privacy expert Dr. Micah Altman joins David Rothkopf to discuss this pressing issue. 

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.

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On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the father of Georgia school shooter being arrested, Hunter Biden's guilty plea, a high job report, and more.

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During an event billed as a speech about the economy, Donald Trump was addled and confused, rambled incoherently, and launched into strange non sequiturs. Yet The New York Times’s initial news story made the event sound far more normal than it was. Is the press doing an adequate job of analyzing Trump’s deteriorating mental state? We think the answer is an emphatic “no.” We talked to former reporter Meredith Shiner—author of a recent piece for The New Republic about the successes of GOP media ref-working—who explained why the press largely fails to scrutinize Trump’s mental unfitness for the presidency.

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In the wake of another horrific school shooting, we have to ask ourselves — When will we finally do more to stop gun violence? Gun control advocate David Hogg and writer Nell Scovell join David Rothkopf to discuss the gun violence epidemic in America and why it’s past time for a real cure. 

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Russian interference in US elections, a recent mass shooting in Georgia, Trump's town hall, and more.

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In a rant on Sean Hannity’s radio show, Donald Trump floated a new absurdity about his campaign’s use of Arlington National Cemetery as a political setting. He declared that there had been no conflict whatsoever there, even though the Army flatly confirmed that an employee had been shoved aside by Trump’s campaign goons. We think this turn in the story exposes something dark about MAGA. So we talked to David Kurtz, the executive editor of Talking Points memo and author of several good pieces on the scandal, who explains what it reveals about the role of bullying and violence in MAGA politics.

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To put it plainly, the Biden administration’s Israel policy hasn’t been bold. As we near the anniversary of the October 7th attacks, Israel continues to pound Gaza with little pushback from the administration. Alon Pinkas, Kori Schake, and Rosa Brooks join David Rothkopf for a discussion on how the administration can take a stronger stance with Israel — and why it’s necessary. 

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On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the Democrats and their investments in down-ballot candidates, Judicial reform in Mexico, an arrest of a critical journalist in Iran, and more.

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In a striking piece, Politico reports that many GOP operatives are alarmed about a new dynamic in the presidential race. It’s that the surge in enthusiasm among Democrats for Kamala Harris’s candidacy is driving a big disparity in fundraising between the parties, leaving GOP Senate and House candidates underfunded and in danger. As Politico puts it: “Panic is starting to set in.” To gauge how serious this is, we talked to veteran organizer Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the progressive group Indivisible, about whether on-the-ground enthusiasm and organizing strength constitute a hidden advantage for Democrats that the media is missing.

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Why does our democracy work the way it does? While each founding father was critical to the story of American democracy, John Adams was fundamental to establishing many of the precedents we think of as law today. Presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky joins David Rothkopf to discuss her new book, “Making the Presidency,” and how we’ve overcome challenges to democracy before.

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Ben Macintyre, bestselling author of non-fiction intelligence classics such as Rogue Heroes and The Spy and The Traitor, joins Marc to discuss his new book The Siege: A Six-Day Hostage Crisis and the Daring Special-Forces Operation That Shocked the World. Ben discusses his experiences researching the work, the timeline of the 1980 London Hostage Crisis, why it mattered in geo-politics, and the often remarkable personal stories of bravery and heroism among the participants. Plus bonus content why the intelligence business still matters, particularly in Ukraine. Listen to all this and more here:

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On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Harris and Biden campaigning in battleground states, Venezuela issuing an arrest warrant for opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, Putin visiting Mongolia, and more.

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Over the weekend, Donald Trump did a long, bizarre Fox News interview, flatly declaring he had a “right” to interfere in the last presidential election. He also mused that “God” may have chosen Trump to fix our “sick” country,” and seethed about an “enemy within” that’s out to get him. It’s unhinged stuff that gets at a bigger story: Trump’s feeding of his MAGA audience’s various pathologies has been getting darker and uglier. We talked to writer Anne Lutz Fernandez—author of a good new piece at The Unpopulist website about MAGA—who helps us decode how Trump is communicating to the increasingly radicalized elements of the MAGA movement these days.

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Original air date: September 29, 2023

The Republican Party is falling apart before our very eyes. Between the anarchic second presidential debate and the impending threat of a destructive government shutdown, it’s clear that the party is not going quietly. David Rothkopf and Norm discuss all this and more.

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Original air date: September 28, 2023

The Democrats just keep winning. But why aren’t more people talking about it? Tara McGowan and Simon Rosenberg join us to remind everyone that while Biden’s Democratic Party is on a hot streak, it’s going to take some work to keep the momentum going into 2024.

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All over the globe, the world is on fire. Ukraine and Russia, Chinese vessels ramming Filipino vessels, Israel at war with seemingly everybody. With all this divided geopolitical attention, what is going on in North Korea? Jenny Town, senior fellow at the Stimson Center and director of 38 North, joins Jon and Heather to discuss all things North Korea, examine its current security relationships, and show that maybe King Jong-Un isn’t as lonely as he might seem.

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Can artificial intelligence be a better CEO than a person? With an unprecedented ability to process information, artificial intelligence has the capacity to strategize and adapt faster than any human. Author and technologist David Weinberger joins David Rothkopf to consider how advancing AI can change not only the world of business, but the way we think. 

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.

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On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the Harris & Walz interview with Dana Bash on CNN, Israel pausing fighting for polio vaccines, Democrats leading in Senate races in Arizona and Nevada, and more.

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By now you’ve heard that Donald Trump’s campaign aides had a physical confrontation with an official at Arlington National Cemetery who tried to prevent them from filming in a restricted area, which apparently violated the law. This scandal worsened Thursday when the Army sharply rebuked his campaign. Democratic Senators are getting involved, which could bring a fuller accounting. We talked to political scientist Jonathan Bernstein—author of a good new piece about this saga—who details how Team Trump’s actions are now signaling a larger deterioration of the rule of law and democracy.

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From independents to ex-Republicans, the Harris camp is building a truly massive coalition to stop Trump from taking back the White House. So far, it’s been a resounding success. President of JointheUnion.us Reed Galen joins David Rothkopf to discuss the Democrats’ big tent strategy heading into the election and why former Republicans are ready to fight for Kamala. 

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Harris' growing lead, the Supreme Court blocking Biden's student debt plan, controversy over Trump's visit to Arlington Cemetery, and more.

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Kamala Harris’s campaign just released a harsh new ad attacking Donald Trump, Project 2025, and his threat to prosecute enemies for “revenge.” Notably, the ad frontally goes after Trump’s naked corruption with real force. Which raises a question: Why aren’t we seeing more discussion of Trump’s corruption in this campaign? We talked to David Sirota, editor-in-chief of The Lever and narrator of Master Plan, an ambitious new podcast about 50 years of corruption in Washington. Sirota explains how Trump and Project 2025 represent the culmination of that long and sordid history.

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Foreign policy and national security featured heavily in the final day of the DNC. So how much of a role can we really expect them to play in the final stretch of the election. Rosa Brooks, Ed Luce, and David Sanger join David Rothkopf to break down how Harris can distinguish herself from Biden’s track record and whether or not voters will care about foreign policy this time around.

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On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Special Counsel Jack Smith filing a revised indictment against former President Donald Trump in the election interference case, Farhan Al-Qadi being rescued alive from Hamas' tunnel network in Gaza, Ukrainian President saying current incursion into Russia is part of plan to end war, and more.

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It’s often said that Kamala Harris’s entry into the race has transformed this campaign. But does this also mean that Harris has a real chance at changing the composition of the electorate, by bringing more low-propensity Democratic voters into the process? A new analysis finds striking surges in voter registration among Dem-leaning voter groups during the week of July 21st, after President Biden left the race and endorsed Harris. We talked to the author of that analysis’ author, Tom Bonier of the Democratic firm TargetSmart, about why he’s optimistic—but also realistic—about Harris’s chances.

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From historic fundraising to rising polls, the DNC was a resounding success for the Harris campaign. So how can we turn the high of the convention into a blue wave in November? Simon Rosenberg and Tara McGowan join David Rothkopf to give a first hand account of the convention and what we need to do next. 

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On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Trump and Harris' upcoming debate, special counsel Jack Smith asking the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the dismissal of Donald Trump's classified-documents case, Russia launching a series of missile and drone attacks across multiple regions of Ukraine, and more.

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Donald Trump keeps throwing his own advisers under the bus. The latest example: The battle between the campaigns over the upcoming debate. First Trump’s campaign insisted mics must be muted for the candidate who isn’t speaking. Then Trump himself said he’s just fine with unmuted mics throughout. We think this gets at a larger dynamic: With Trump still struggling with Kamala Harris’s surge, Trump clearly doubts that his own advisers have any idea how to fight back. We talked to veteran Democratic strategist James Carville, who explained how all signs indicate Trump thinks he’s in trouble—and what could still go wrong for Harris.

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National security journalist @michaeldweiss joins Marc to discuss how Kamala Harris found her inner Reagan, the Ukrainian raid that turned out to be an invasion, and the blob starts the parlor game of who staffs a future Harris White House. Plus, the folly of the Ukrainian doomers never ceases to amaze, even when Ukraine is, dare say…succeeding? 

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On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Trump complaining about falling polling numbers, a safety adviser for Reuters being killed in a missile strike on the Hotel Sapphire, RFK dropping out of the presidential race, and more.

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Over the weekend, Politico reported that Donald Trump has privately suggested to advisers that he knows he’s in danger of losing without dramatic changes to his campaign. Trump also raged over reports that he called in to Fox News during Kamala Harris’s convention speech to deliver an on-air response, whining that Fox had called him instead. We think Trump is rattled because the aura of his inevitable victory has been shattered. We talked to global affairs expert Asha Rangappa—author of a good new piece on her Substack about the sources of Harris’s momentum—who explains why the puncturing of that aura is critical to defeating authoritarians like Trump. Listen to this episode here.

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Original air date: June 19, 2023

Michael’s guest this week is Pekka Kallioniemi, a postdoctoral researcher working in the field of human-computer interaction at Tampere University. He is the creator and author of Vatnik Soup, a Twitter thread series (and a hashtag!) where he introduces pro-Russian actors and propagandists from around the world, be they so-called "independent journalists", politicians, military personnel or just regular grifters looking to make some easy money. As is typical with Michael’s guests, Pekka brings perspectives that you won’t hear anywhere else. Tune In!

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Original air date: June 22, 2023

Few people have offered the kind of insight into Donald Trump than has his niece, psychologist

Mary Trump. On this special episode of DSR, we speak to Mary about how she thinks the former president

is responding to the legal walls closing in on him, how he would react were he sentenced to prison and

how his very first years growing up in Queens may have scarred him and put the country at risk.

Don't miss this fascinating, wide-ranging conversation.

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Nuclear expert and author Jeffrey Lewis joins Jon to discuss proposals by former Trump officials to restart nuclear testing and how to manage the growing reliance on nuclear weapons in the world.

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the last night of speeches at the Democratic National Convention, the Supreme Court's recent decision on voting in Arizona, India's position in the Russia/Ukraine war, and more.

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We’re in the midst of a new technological revolution. Much like the Industrial Revolution, the AI era will challenge all aspects of society. David Leslie, Director of Ethics and Responsible Innovation at the Alan Turing Institute, joins David Rothkopf for a discussion on the ways in which artificial intelligence will challenge the framework of society and how to ensure that AI serves the public good. 

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.

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At the Democratic convention in Chicago, many of the speakers—from Barack and Michelle Obama to Tim Walz—have warned Democrats not to get complacent about a Kamala Harris victory. Yet something subtle is also going on here. Democrats are keeping complacency at bay—without letting Donald Trump balloon into a psychologically frightening figure in their minds. Democrats are going into this election with the correct level of guarded confidence. We talked to Brian Beutler, who has a good piece on all this coming out Friday on his Substack, about the careful balance Democrats are striking—and why it may be the key to shrinking Trump into a diminished figure. 

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With Kavita in attendance at the DNC, David Rothkopf joins Norm to discuss to the highs of the convention in Chicago. What steps are next for Harris in the final push towards Election Day? How can the party capitalize on its electrifying convention and drive up voter turnout? Find out right here.

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the third night of speeches at the Democratic National Convention, the Supreme Court's upcoming docket, RFK's campaign, and more.

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After Barack and Michelle Obama ripped into Donald Trump at the Democratic convention, it unleashed a flood responses from the former president. He ranted that the Obamas had called him names, blamed his advisers for constraining him, and vowed to unleash more personal attacks on Kamala Harris. We think Trump is rattled by the likelihood that the convention is currently uniting the anti-MAGA coalition. We talked to data analyst Lakshya Jain—co-author of a good Politico Magazine piece about new numbers showing a shift toward Harris among many disparate voter groups—who explains what all this says about that coalition’s prospects for success.

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On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the second night of speeches at the Democratic National Convention, Matt Gaetz securing a win in the Republican primary in Florida, peace talks halting in the Middle East, and more.

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According to a new report in The Hill, GOP aides and strategists fear that Donald Trump’s inability to adjust to Kamala Harris’s surge is shifting the Senate map against them. That’s striking, given how heavily the Senate map is tilted towards Republicans. So we checked in with Justin Barasky, a veteran Democratic operative who has worked on many Senate races over the years and is now involved in contests in Ohio and Arizona. He helps us break down the map, and assesses how realistic these GOP fears are, as well as what all this says about the true nature of Harris’s surge and Trump’s struggles. 

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There is no mistaking it now: this is Kamala Harris’s Democratic Party. The first day of the DNC was a passing of the torch to the Harris/Walz campaign and a celebration of the ticket. Maryland delegate Julie Zebrak and Washington Post reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb join David Rothkopf from the DNC to share a firsthand look at the historic convention. 

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On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the first night of the Democratic National Convention, new rules that could create certification delays in Georgia, Iran hacking into Trump's campaign, and more.

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Some of the biggest far right figures on the internet are deeply worried that Donald Trump is in danger of losing the election to Kamala Harris—perhaps by a large margin. The Washington Post reports that these extremists are now turning on the Trump campaign, which could fracture the MAGA movement in the race’s final stretch. We talked to Jared Holt, a senior researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue who closely tracks the far right, about what this moment reveals about the MAGA right when it faces extreme pressure—and what these far-right personalities really fear most about a Trump loss.

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The Washington Examiner’s Tom Rogan joins Marc to discuss the lightening Ukrainian offensive in Russia, the Israel/Gaza impasse, the inability of many US administrations to get Iran right, plus Europe taking a more aggressive stance on the world stage... plus a bonus special speed dating segment on leading personalities in the foreign policy arena!

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On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the upcoming Democratic National Convention, a bomb going off in Tel Aviv, mpox George Santos being due in court, and more.

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Two major new polls of the presidential race released over the weekend show fresh gains for Kamala Harris—and illustrate how she is now putting the Sun Belt states fully in play. That gives her multiple routes to an electoral college victory over Donald Trump. So is Harris on her way to reversing Trump’s gains among Latinos and young voters? What does a winning Harris coalition look like, anyway? We talked to Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run for Something, which recruits young candidates for state and local office, including many in the Sun Belt. Litman explains how the region’s evolution opens up new possibilities for Democrats—and is helping to transform our politics.

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Original air date: March 10, 2023

From the media and books to drag shows and voting, states is in the South have been trying to turn back the clock. Kavita and Norm talk about these updates, what they mean for the country as a whole, and what we can do about it. Members get a bonus conversation about Walgreens.

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Original air date: July 20, 2023

Miles Taylor joins to discuss his just-released book, “Blowback: A Warning to Save Democracy from the Next Trump.” Taylor, who served as Chief of Staff of the Department of Homeland Security in the Trump administration, wrote The New York Times op-ed in 2018 under the pen-name "Anonymous" that was entitled, "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration" that drew widespread attention for its criticism of Trump. Several months after quitting the administration, again under the pen name "Anonymous," he published a book in November 2019 entitled, A Warning. Host David Rothkopf and Miles discuss the book, Taylor's struggles after coming forward and the grave consequences to our democracy should Trump or somebody like him take office again. Don't miss this insightful discussion.

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With the Democratic National Convention right around the corner, it feels like happy days are finally here. With the gathering momentum of the Harris campaign and a floundering Trump/Vance ticket, times are good. Veteran political journalists E.J. Dionne and David Corn join David Rothkopf to discuss.

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Heather and Jon are back once again to pore over all things nuclear as well as Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russia. How can the US position itself against Russian and Chinese nuclear buildup? Can diplomacy be effective given the context of the War in Ukraine?

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Much has been made of the concerns of AI in the future. But what about the very real problems in the present? Deputy Director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project Esha Bhandari joins David Rothkopf to discuss the very real civil liberties and privacy concerns of AI, and what can be done to curb the danger.

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On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Harris' proposal for a federal ban on corporate price-gouging in food and groceries, violence in the West Bank, mpox in Sweden, and more.

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Because Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign is under a month old, Democrats see next week’s nominating convention as a unique opening to do more than usual to define her in the minds of swing voters. But there’s another opportunity here as well: A successful convention will deeply rattle Trump, and when he fears he’s losing, he does himself tremendous additional harm. We talked to veteran journalist Ronald Brownstein, who has a new piece for The Atlantic on the task ahead for Harris in Chicago, about what she might be able to accomplish—and how it could frustrate future Trump attacks. 

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On today’s episode of Words Matter, Norm and Kavita are back to discuss the latest events in the media, from Kavita’s personal experiences at the Paris Olympics to the shifting election dynamics ahead of the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago. How will the DNC affect Trump’s campaign planning? What’s next for Tim Walz and JD Vance? Listen here:

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover RFK Jr's request for a position in Harris' cabinet, a break-in to a Trump election office in Virginia, mpox becoming a global health emergency and more.

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In some good findings for Kamala Harris, the Cook Political Report’s new polls find her leading Donald Trump or tied with him in six of the seven key swing states. Other polls show her doing surprisingly well among key demographics like noncollege whites and Latinos. So far, despite GOP attacks on Harris as a crazy leftist, she appears to be widely perceived as broadly acceptable. We talked to Reed Galen, a veteran former Republican strategist working to win over centrist voters to Harris for the group Join the Union, about why Harris seems to be withstanding the GOP attack machine—and whether it will last. 

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All eyes have been on Iran as the world waits a potential retaliatory strike on Israel. But what form will the strike take, and will it even happen? Regional experts Aaron David Miller and Barbara Slavin join Kori Schake and David Rothkopf to analyze the potential fallout of an Israeli/Iranian conflict and what the future holds for the region.

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On this Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the UAW accusing Trump and Musk of trying to intimidate workers, Nikki Haley's criticism of the Trump campaign, Netanyahu's conditions for a cease-fire, and more. 

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In recent days, Fox News personalities have begun urging Donald Trump to get more “disciplined.” Many seem to fear Trump is in trouble, as evidence mounts that his sleazy, racist attacks on Kamala Harris are backfiring. Yet Trump’s Fox allies aren’t telling him to stop smearing Harris with falsehoods; they’re just telling him to adopt a more civil tone in doing so. We talked to Steve Benen, author of a new book about the GOP called Ministry of Truth, who explains how the Fox News panic shows the limits of Republican propaganda—and why the Trump-MAGA-GOP addiction to lying is pushing our system to the breaking point.

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On this Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Elon Musk's interview with Donald Trump, the U.S. resuming sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the discovery of liquid water on Mars, and more. 

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To defeat Donald Trump, Kamala Harris must do far better among young voters than President Biden did. Guess what: An important new poll of young voters finds that Harris’ entry has dramatically shifted their preferences in her favor and against Trump. Which confirms a larger story: The Democratic-leaning constituencies who had drifted toward Trump now may be swinging to Harris, exposing a weakness in his previous support. We talked to John Della Volpe, an expert in the youth vote who conducted this poll, abut what’s driving all these shifts—and why they might enable Harris to triumph. 

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Author and terrorism expert Samuel Katz joins Marc to discuss the latest events in the Middle East, to include the potential for Iran and/or Hizballah to badly miscalculate and invite a devastating Israeli response, the threat to US interests particularly within the US, and the extraordinary legacy of legendary spy master Meir Dagan. 

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On this Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Trump's lying spree over the weekend, Hamas's refusal to sit down for a ceasefire agreement, JD Vance's backing of presidential decision-making on Fed policies, and more. 

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Over the weekend, The New York Times reported that Donald Trump is deeply unsettled about Kamala Harris’s successful launch, even as polls show her edging into a small lead. His anger has led him to escalate the private conspiracy-mongering about Democrats supposedly cheating in the election. We talked to Amanda Carpenter—a leading Never Trump conservative and an editor at Protect Democracy—about why it’s so disturbing that Trump is already laying the groundwork to overturn a loss, a novel way he might try to pull this off, and whether the GOP will ever move beyond MAGA. 

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On this Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Trump and Harris' ABC debate, new pandas at the San Diego Zoo, conversations over a cease-fire in Gaza, and more. 

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On today’s episode, renowned journalist and nuclear expert Eric Schlosser joins Jon and Heather to discuss the past, present and future of nuclear command and control, building off his experiences researching and authoring his acclaimed work on the subject. What is shaping the current nuclear climate today? Is there any hope for future generations?

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We’re on a hopium high we haven’t felt in a long time. The Harris/Walz campaign has enjoyed success after success, with so sign of slowing down. US political gurus Simon Rosenberg and Tara McGowan are back with David Rothkopf to share why they’re so optimistic about the Harris campaign and how to keep the pressure on to crush the MAGA cult in November. 

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On this Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover how the majority of US adults say democracy is on the ballot but they differ on the threat, Trump wanting to debate Harris, a planned attack at a Taylor Swift concert, and more. 

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Now that Governor Walz has joined the Democratic ticket, the race for the White House is set. What does the inclusion of Walz foretell about the policies of a Harris administration? Rosa Brooks and Kori Schake are joined by a former Homeland Security Advisor to VP Pence and current Republicans for Harris member, Olivia Troye, to discuss all this and more. 

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On this Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Tim Walz going the Harris ticket, Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush losing her primary race in Missouri to St. Louis prosecutor Wesley Bell, Hamas appointing Yahya Sinwar as its new leader in Gaza, and more.

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Modern day dictators a far cry from the autocracies of old. Modern day strongmen are backed by an elaborate network of financial structures, surveillance, propaganda, and crucially, other autocrats. Anne Applebaum joins David Rothkopf to discuss her newest book Autocracy, Inc., and share how democracies must reconfigure their foreign policy to combat this new threat.

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On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover new conservative polls showing Vice President Harris pulling ahead of Former President Trump, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas continuing to not disclose flights on a GOP megadonor's private jet, speculation over the Harris campaign VP pick, and more.

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Following the killing of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran last week, the Middle East has been bracing itself for possible escalation between Israel and Iran (plus Hezbollah) as well as the potential ramifications on the conflict in Gaza. On today’s episode, former Israeli intelligence officer Nadav Pollack joins Marc to discuss these events in the Middle East and offer an Israeli perspective on the widening conflict.

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On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover a Musk-backed PAC that is under investigation for potential violations of Michigan laws, a Mexican journalist who was murdered, RFK Jr's social media rant about dumping a bear carcass in Central Park, and more.

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Original air date: August 22, 2023

Next in Foreign Policy: Zoe and Natalya are joined this week by Joey Arora, partner at the Outpost, where he supports companies in securing government contracts in defense, and a former co-founder of AFWERX. They talk about Joey's path from the Air Force to entrepreneurship, trends in defense tech investing, and what every founder should know before trying to secure a government contract.

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Original air date: August 23, 2023

Michael’s guest this week is Australian Retired General Mick Ryan. Mick is a military analyst who served in the ADF for more than 35 years and was commander of the Australia Defence College. He is the author of War Transformed and an adjunct fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. Michael and Mick discuss the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war and what could be in store for the coming months. Don’t miss it.

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On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Chuck Schumer's "No Kings Act," the IDF failures that led to aid workers' deaths, a New York state appeals court upholding a gag order against Donald Trump, and more.

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With Republicans running from Donald Trump’s ugly attack on Kamala Harris’ blackness, new reports paint a picture of a party that is deeply worried about Trump’s chances. Meanwhile, Trump is raging about another piece of bad news for him: that reporter Evan Gershkovich is getting released from Russian captivity. We talked to Stuart Stevens, an operative with extensive experience in Republican politics who has forcefully renounced his former party, about why the GOP is suddenly hitting the panic button, and what has really happened to his former party as it fully embraces Trump.

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The Harris campaign has come out of the gate with unprecedented success. Polls have swung dramatically away from Trump, and the Republican camp is reeling. Veteran political strategist Maria Cardona joins David Rothkopf to look at what has made the campaign such a success and why we should all feel energized heading into the election. 

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Kamala Harris's response to Trump's recent racist remarks, the release of Gershkovich and Whelan from Russia in a prisoner swap deal, the accused main plotter of the 9/11 attacks pleading guilty, and more.

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Donald Trump’s public statements about Kamala Harris are getting weirder. After Harris had a huge showing at a Georgia rally, he erupted, claiming that “Crazy Kamala Harris” had relied on a concert to draw the crowd. Then, speaking to black journalists, Trump melted down spectacularly while suggesting that Harris had long disavowed her black identity. The connecting thread here: the Trump-MAGA worldview doesn’t allow for any real grasp of how Harris is viewed by the American mainstream. We talked to Professor Nicholas Grossman, author of a new piece for The Bulwark about the MAGA right, who explains how these eruptions show that MAGA assumes it has a broad based appeal that it just doesn’t really have.

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While the presidential race has changed dramatically in recent weeks, it still pays to be prepared for the worst. Rosa Brooks, Pete Strzok, Kori Schake, and Ed Luce join the show to discuss recent simulations hosted by The Brennan Center that gamed out the havoc an authoritarian presidency would create for our democracy, and what could be done to stop it. 

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On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Kamala Harris's upcoming rally where she will announce her Vice President, a Hamas leader killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran, Paul Dans stepping down as director of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, and more.

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Donald Trump’ campaign just rolled out a new multimillion dollar ad campaign that blasts Kamala Harris on immigration. Oddly, it does so in part by mocking her dancing. That might seem like typical MAGA buffoonery. But underlying the link that the ad draws between Harris’s dancing and her handling of immigration is a bigger argument that demands a serious Democratic response. We talked to Douglas Rivlin, a senior official at the advocacy group America’s Voice who has deep experience on the immigration issue, about the darker subtext of Trump’s messaging—and how to counter it.

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With any technology, new opportunities come with new perils. AI presents the possibility for both low-probability, high-risk events and more probable, less extreme threats. RAND President and CEO Jason Matheny joins David Rothkopf to discuss the full gamut of AI-based dangers and what can be done to protect us. 

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On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Gov. Roy Cooper dropping out of the race for Vice President, military aid being sent to the Philippines, the White Dudes for Harris event, and more.

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According to a new report, many allies of Donald Trump and other Republicans are now sharply second guessing his choice of J.D. Vance as running mate—and Vance’s bizarre public moments are driving the panic. Will Vance enable Democrats to make a strong case against MAGA-style culture-warring – one built on demonstrating just how deranged and offputting to most Americans it has truly become? We chatted with veteran reporter Jill Lawrence, who has a new piece for The Bulwark on Vance’s terrible rollout, about how the sheer, unchecked weirdness of the Trump-Vance ticket has suddenly become a big campaign issue—and how Democrats can exploit it.

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Former CIA case officer and operational manager Ed Bogan returns to the show to discuss the 20-year Global War on Terrorism, including the camaraderie and dedication of CTC personnel, the painful withdrawal from Afghanistan, what keeps him up at night regarding today’s terrorist threats, and the power of working with liaison. 

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On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Kama Harris's incredible fundraising, the election in Venezuela, Trump's declaration that when he is president again no one will have to vote, and more.

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Donald Trump took his authoritarian threats in a dark new direction during two new public appearances. He suggested our next election might be our last, reiterated in advance that the election will be rigged against him, and admitted all the post-assassination “unity” talk was nonsense, openly declaring: “Maybe I’ve gotten worse.” We talked to Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of the “Lucid” newsletter and the book “Strongmen,” who helps illuminate how Trump’s form of politics requires keeping his followers in a frenzy of excitement about what the authoritarian leader plans to inflict on their imagined enemies. Listen to this episode here.

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Original Air Date: July 24, 2023

The Republican party is not sending their best. With the 2024 election cycle ramping up, Norm and guest host Mary Trump break down the lackluster field of Republican candidates and the issues propelling their narratives. Also on the table are Trump’s latest legal woes. What effect could they have in 2024, and why are people upset about the January 6th indictment? Join us and find out.

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Original Air Date: July 12, 2023

As the NATO summit in Vilnius comes to a close, the United States, France, UK, and Turkey have all taken bold stances with regards to expanding NATO membership and the war in Ukraine. Rosa Brooks fills in for David this week as Kori Schake and Edward Luce break down the latest revelations from the summit, dive into Biden’s performance in the UK and post-summit remarks, and discuss Ed’s recent piece on the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action decision.

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The current nuclear landscape is, in a word, dire. From Russian nuclear rattling in Ukraine to China’s expanding arsenal, nuclear proliferation could spell disaster for today’s security environment. Today, Amy Nelson, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, joins Heather to discuss arms control, nuclear futures, and a recent piece she authored in Foreign Affairs covering China's nuclear arsenal. 

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On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover President Joe Biden's meeting with Netanyahu, Gavin Newsom and his handling of the homelessness crisis in California, attacks on transportation at the start of the Paris Olympics, and more.

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In recent days, Donald Trump and MAGA media figures have ramped up the attacks on Kamala Harris’s laugh, her personality, and her temperament. That’s vile stuff, but MAGA’s strategy also suggests an inability to entertain a remarkable possibility: What if Harris’s laugh and energy are actually well suited to this moment in American politics? Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, co-founder of the progressive strategy group Way to Win, has been advising Democrats to respond aggressively to racist and sexist attacks on Harris. We talked to Ancona about whether Harris’s temperament might prove to be kryptonite to MAGA’s negativity and hate.

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Kamala Harris’s campaign has been an adrenaline shot in the arms of Democrats. With astonishing amounts of money being raised and a wave of enthusiasm that has been sorely lacking, the Dems are ready to take the fight to Trump in November. EJ Dionne and Jennifer Rubin join David Rothkopf to break down Harris’s incredible momentum and more. 

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover President Joe Biden's address from the Oval Office amidst his decision to not seek reelection, Netanyahu's address to Congress, Robert Kennedy Jr.'s fizzling campaign for president, relations between Russia and India, and more.

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A vile quote from J.D. Vance just surfaced in which he described Kamala Harris and other Democratic leaders as “childless cat ladies,” and spun out a whole theory based on this absurdity. Then Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sharply dressed down Vance for poking his nose into other people’s family decisions. With this response, Buttigieg showed that Vance has invited a much larger national conversation—one that won’t help Vance and Donald Trump. We talked to Melissa Gira Grant, a staff writer at The New Republic who closely tracks Vance’s ideas, for help in illuminating what this saga tells us about the New Right’s tortured views on gender, natalism and nationalism. Listen to this episode here.

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Netanyahu’s much dreaded speech before Congress has come and gone. So what happened? Rosa Brooks, Alon Pinkas, David Sanger, and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to discuss the key takeaways from the speech and why a Harris presidency could shake-up the US/Israel relationship.

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Just days after Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Kamala Harris for president, we are beginning to see the first signs of a new and reinvigorated Democratic campaign. On today's episode, Norm and Kavita are back to discuss the Harris v. Trump presidential race and more.

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On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the Trump campaign's increasing regret over their VP pick, Republican leaders urging colleagues to steer clear of racist and sexist attacks on Harris, Palestinian groups ending divisions by signing an agreement in China, and more.

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This week we learned that Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance repeatedly suggested in 2016 that he believed Trump committed sexual assault. Vance has since softened his views, but this saga captures the essential Vance: He knows exactly what he has now attached himself to, but sees Trump as a vehicle to accomplish some truly radical societal transformations. We talked to tech writer Gil Duran, author of a good piece in The New Republic tracing the “techno-authoritarian” worldview driving Vance, about what his evolution from clear-eyed Trump critic to full MAGA devotee says about today’s red-pilled right—and about our politics more broadly. Listen to this episode here.

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On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Vice President Harris securing enough delegates for party nomination, the House's hearing of Secret Service Director Cheatle, the EU addressing consumer fears over Meta's new security policy, and more.

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Ever since President Biden suspended his campaign, Fox News and right wing media have been scrambling madly for an effective attack on Vice President Kamala Harris. They’ve ridiculed her laugh. They’ve mocked her as a product of DEI. They’ve attacked her as too soft on crime and too tough on crime. All of which gets at a larger story: Kamala Harris is very hard for the right to pigeonhole. We talked to Elaina Plott Calabro, a staff writer for The Atlantic who reports trenchantly on Harris’ political career, about why the right’s contortions could prove a major dynamic in the presidential race, and how Harris’s own struggle to find her political identity could now loom large. Listen to this episode here.

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After weeks of speculation, the unprecedented has finally happened. With Joe Biden officially stepping aside to endorse Kamala Harris for President, an entirely new campaign is now underway. In a special two-part episode, Tara McGowan and Simon Rosenberg join David Rothkopf to break down the dynamics of this new race, while members gain access to more insight from Rosa Brooks, Ed Luce, and David. You won’t want to miss it.

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On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover President Biden's decision to drop out of the presidential race, a spike in Democrat support for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party's nominee, Netanyahu's upcoming visit to the White House, and more.

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At a rally in Michigan over the weekend, Donald Trump uncorked one of his longest rants ever in praise of the world’s autocrats, strongmen and dictators. He hailed Xi Jinping of China as “brilliant” for controlling 1.4 billion people “with an iron fist,” and described Xi, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Hungary’s Viktor Orban as “tough” and “smart.” We talked to Rick Wilson, the prominent Never Trumper and Substacker, about Trump’s explicit campaign promise of authoritarian rule, the GOP’s enthusiastic embrace of it, and the media’s utter failure to alert voters to what’s coming. Listen to this episode here.

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Original air date: August 4, 2023

If you've been watching as much coverage of the indictment as we have, then you're probably more confused than ever. Norm and Kavita are here to make sense of it all, discussing what the indictment really means, how we got to this point, and what it will mean for Trump and the Republicans moving into 2024.

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Original air date: July 23, 2023

They say you should write what you know. After over thirty years in the intelligence community, Alma Katsu certainly knows a lot. Alma joins Marc and David to share her experiences working in intelligence, tapping her experiences as an author, and the blurring line between fact and fiction in the world of AI. Don’t miss it.

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The threat of WMDs already keeps us up at night. But what happens when AI makes the development of WMDs faster, easier, and more accessible? Assistant Secretary for the DHS’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office Mary Ellen Callahan joins David Rothkopf to discuss this unique, and growing, threat.

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On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Trump's closing RNC speech, a drone strike by Yemen's Houthi, a widespread tech meltdown, and more.

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Today’s pod tackles a subject of profound importance: The sheer, inexplicable weirdness of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. There’s Representative Matt Gaetz’s bizarre speech, in which his face was so taut that one Republican derided him as an “AI sex doll.” There are all the ugly “Mass Deportations Now!” signs, the cultish rituals in which attendees treated Trump as their MAGA God King, and much, much more. We talked to Ron Filipkowski, who closely tracks the right wing as the head of Meidas Touch News. He helped us find meaning underneath all the ugliness and insanity. Listen to this episode here.

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As the Republican National Convention approaches its end, more calls for Joe Biden to step down from the election have sprung up in the media. What possibilities are there for replacing Biden? And how is the RNC shaping the Trump campaign?

Pete Dominick and Nell Scovell join David Rothkopf to talk potential Democratic heroes and MAGA celebrities - from Kamala Harris and JD Vance to Hulk Hogan and Jon Stewart - and much, much more.

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR daily, we cover Biden's changing reception to calls for him to step down, European leaders discussing migration and Ukraine at a UK Summit, Jack Smith's formal appeal of Trump's classified documents case dismissal, and more.

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Surprise, surprise: The Republican convention is turning into a festival of media bashing. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene did something that deserves special attention: After fielding a question about J.D. Vance that displeased her, Greene erupted, repeatedly dressing down the reporter in strikingly vicious terms. Arizona senate candidate Kari Lake, meanwhile, used her convention speech to similarly smear the press. All this is a bad omen: If Donald Trump wins the election, the assault on the press is going to shift into authoritarian overdrive. We talked to Media Matters senior fellow Matt Gertz, who explains why a Trump crackdown on the press could get alarmingly far. Listen to this episode here.

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With the Republican National Convention in full-swing, all eyes are on Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance. What do the decadent celebrations of the RNC tell us about Trump’s appeal? How will a pro-Putin running mate in JD Vance affect Trump’s foreign policy? David Rothkopf is joined by Rosa Brooks, Ed Luce, and Tom Nichols to analyze the current state of the Trump campaign and more.

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On the DSR daily for July 17, we cover President Biden’s consideration of Supreme Court reform, the guilty verdict in Senator Menendez’s corruption trial, an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, and more. We also welcome our new co-host, Minnah Stein!

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Now that Ohio Senator J.D. Vance is Donald Trump’s running mate, everyone is combing through his old quotes, and a striking one has surfaced: in 2016, Vance warned that Trump threatened to take the white working class to a “very dark place.” In short, Vance once understood that MAGA ideology, at its core, is really, really toxic. And that’s a big political vulnerability. We talked to Sarah Longwell, the pollster and prominent Never Trumper, about how the Vance pick will showcase the worst aspects of MAGA throughout this race and how Democrats can try to use that to win swing voters. Listen to this episode here.

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From an attempted assassination to the Republican National Convention, much has changed the direction of Trump’s campaign in the past few days. Norm and Kavita are back to discuss the shooting in Pennsylvania, the announcement of JD Vance as Trump’s running mate, and Trump’s ongoing legal issues.

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November’s election is an existential threat to our justice system. With Judge Cannon’s decision to dismiss Trump’s documents case and the Supreme Court's ruling on immunity, the power of the Presidency has grown to an unsustainable level. The Trump-Vance administration would be certain to put that power to the test. Barb McQuade joins David Rothkopf to break down the latest news and why the stakes could not be higher.

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On the Tuesday edition of the DSR daily, we cover the announcement of J.D. Vance as Trump’s VP candidate, Israel allowing in more UN equipment, the defection of a high-ranking North Korean diplomat, and more. 

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In the days after the horrific effort to assassinate Donald Trump, MAGA figures have widely sought to exploit this moment of national crisis, by arguing that Democrats invited or even encouraged the shooting. The leading proponent of this absurd claim is Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, and on Tuesday, Trump announced that Vance will be his running mate. We talked to Alex Shephard, a senior editor at The New Republic and author of a great new piece on this new MAGA agitprop, about why the Vance pick—and other assorted signs—suggest that the politics around the shooting are going to get a lot more poisonous. Listen to this episode here.

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Original air date: April 22, 2024

With conflicts raging in Ukraine, Gaza, and beyond, the job of covering conflict and national security is more important than ever. But how do journalists provide accurate and reliable coverage? CNN national security correspondent Kylie Atwood joins Marc Polymeropoulos to discuss the unique challenges of our current national security climate and more.

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Mollie Katzen, of Moosewood fame, is this week’s guest. Marissa and Mollie discuss the political situation and future of democracy in the U.S., but, as you might expect, the conversation turns to the power of food, more specifically how to make ourselves feel better these days. If you’ve found yourself struggling with the news, this episode is a must-listen. Bread and butter, anyone?

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On the Monday edition of the DSR daily, we discuss Biden’s calls for unity after an assassination attempt of Donald Trump, Israel’s latest strikes on Gaza, French struggles to form a government, and more.

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At the time of this recording, we know little about the attempt to assassinate Donald Trump. He was hit in the ear, but thankfully doesn’t appear seriously injured. The 20-year-old gunman has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was registered as a Republican but donated $15 to a progressive group in January 2021, and we know nothing of his motive. Political violence is absolutely unacceptable no matter who is targeted. So for now we will focus on the bigger picture: We talked to Zack Beauchamp, author of a new book called The Reactionary Spirit and a piece for Vox called: “America is not ready for what comes next,” about whether this horror will lead to an escalation and what it says that American society is again at this point.

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Original Air Date: July 27, 2023

It’s hot here in DC, but we’re not alone. Norm and Kavita talk climate change and what the administration can do to combat disinformation to change the conversation around climate. Additionally, we discuss what the Democrats can and should be doing to stop Governor Abbott’s abhorrent policies at the border. For all this and more, tune in!

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Original Air Date: July 26, 2023

The United States and Israel have long had a “special relationship.” Yet with the Netanyahu government’s latest assault on Israeli democracy, that relationship is under more strain than ever. Former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas and independent journalist and author Emily Tamkin join David Rothkopf to break down the future of US-Israel relations and how the Biden administration can maintain a long-time partnership while protecting democratic values. 

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Is there a silver lining to the AI cloud? With so much talk of the doom and gloom of the AI age, we’ve lost sight of the potential benefits of such a tectonic shift in technology. Michael Strain joins David Rothkopf to share why he’s an AI optimist and why its benefits have been minimized in the mainstream discourse.

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On the DSR daily for Friday, we cover the main takeaways from President Biden’s news conference, Orban’s visit with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, 500 pound bombs being sent to Israel, and more. 

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Iran has a new President, but will it avert a nuclear standoff with the west and Israel? The election of a “reformist" president long seemed a far-fetched possibility. However, the death of conservative President Ebrahim Raisi in May and the election of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian this month has shifted the political landscape and now presents numerous questions for the future of Iranian foreign policy. Ali Baez joins Heather Williams and Jon Wolfsthal to discuss the results of the election, pathways for reform, and the implications of a new government on the global stage.

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In recent days, Donald Trump has angrily claimed he knows nothing about Project 2025, the blueprint his allies are drawing up for an authoritarian second term presidency. But CNN is now reporting that at least 140 people from the Trump administration have a hand in the Project 2025 plan. And NBC News has unearthed video showing that Trump expressly praised the plan’s creators for their work in 2022. We talked to Amanda Becker—a reporter for The 19th News and author of a forthcoming piece on Project 2025’s minutiae—who explains why Trump keeps running from Project 2025 and what its darker designs really have in store for us. Listen to this episode here.

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Growing concerns over President Biden’s ability to remain in the election has created a divisive conversation that has rocketed to the forefront of major media coverage. How are these discontents taking shape in Washington? Norm and Kavita are back to discuss Biden’s commitment to remaining in the race, growing concerns within the Democratic Party, and the behind-the-scenes debates taking place in Washington.

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The current situation around the Biden campaign is unprecedented. With so many voices calling for Biden to step aside and conflict within the Democratic Party, what can we do? More importantly, how can we keep the momentum to defeat Trump in November? Tara McGowan and Simon Rosenberg are back with David Rothkopf to discuss all this and more. 

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On the DSR daily for Thursday, we share the latest news on a new poll that shows a majority of Dems want Biden to drop out, an announcement that Russia will counter the deployment of long-range missiles in Germany, a new report on growing anti-semitism in Europe, and more. 

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With President Biden forcefully declaring that he isn’t leaving the presidential race, the latest polling looks frightening. The Cook Political Report just released new polling averages showing Donald Trump leading Biden nationally by three points. FiveThirtyEight’s averages also look grim. New swing state polls show Trump dominating. But Ron Klain, the former White House chief of staff to Biden, nonetheless maintains that Biden is still the Democrat with the best shot against Trump. We invited Klain on the show, and he fielded some hard questions while making an expansive case that Biden still has a path. 

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All eyes are on the NATO summit in Washington DC. What decisions will the alliance make with regards to Ukraine? How will President Biden perform? Former NATO ambassadors Ivo Daalder and Gen. Doug Lute join Kori Schake, Ed Luce, Rosa Brooks, and David Rothkopf to analyze what NATO’s leaders are looking to achieve — and what’s at stake. 

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On the DSR daily for Wednesday, we discuss NATO’s pledge to supply Ukraine with air defense systems, an Israeli air strike on a camp in Gaza, a Russian arrest warrant for Alexei Navalny’s widow, and more. 

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Although the Democratic Party remains mired in infighting over President Biden’s disastrous debate performance, congressional Democrats now appear increasingly convinced that he will survive as the nominee. They seem resigned to this even as many appear convinced he will lose to Donald Trump in November. What happened here, exactly? We talked to The American Prospect’s David Dayen, who has a good new piece called “Why the Bid to Push Out Biden is Losing,” about how Biden seems to have shut down the opposition, what it says about the Democratic Party, and why there’s still grounds for deep anxiety about what comes next. Listen to this episode here.

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On the DSR daily for Tuesday, we cover President Biden’s condemnation of a Russian missile attack, Israel’s latest assault on Gaza City, Keir Starmer’s pledge to improve on an EU trade deal, and more. 

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On Monday, we learned that the committee for the 2024 Republican convention is debating a new platform, proposed by Donald Trump, that purports to soften the party’s positions on abortion and same sex marriage. This will be widely interpreted as a savvy effort to woo swing voters and suburban women. But what if it’s really an expression of fear that the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the horrors it has unleashed will remain a major problem for Trump and the GOP this fall? We talked to Jess McIntosh, a Democratic strategist and longtime defender of reproductive rights, about what’s driving this shift, why it’s a scam, and how Democrats can make sure voters know it. Listen to this episode here.

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With the intense focus on Gaza, other critical issues in Israel have slipped into the background. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mark Mazzetti joins Marc Polymeropoulos to discuss the lack of coverage on settler violence in the West Bank and how Israel's rightward shift poses significant challenges both domestically and internationally.

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On the DSR daily for Monday, we cover the stunning results from the French election, a horrifying missile attack on Ukraine, protests in Israel, and more.

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On Sunday, Donald Trump erupted at The New York Times, slamming it in crazed and bizarre terms for its supposed unfair treatment of him. Yet if anything, in recent days the Times has crusaded relentlessly against his opponent, President Biden. Which is why this moment helps explain how Trump games the media—and how the media lets Trump game them. We talked with Will Stancil, an active social media presence who has prominently skewered the press for an immense double standard toward Trump and Biden. He explains why the Times and the media often seem to crusade more aggressively against Biden’s age than against Trump’s obvious mental unfitness for the presidency.

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Original Air Date: June 16, 2023

The lies and deflections from Republicans defending Trump have spun up the ire of "Words Matter" co-host Norm Ornstein. So in this episode he not only explains why but guest co-host David Rothkopf tries unsuccessfully to defuse his anger. Instead, both recount the facts surrounding the case for which Trump was arraigned this week and the likely cases to come and frankly, the outrage only grows. Join them to understand why it is fully justified.

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It was only Tuesday when the Supreme Court upheld a decision by North Carolina’s top court that struck down a congressional districting plan as excessively partisan under state law. Since then, the court has ruled against affirmative action in the college admissions process, struck down Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan and ruled in favor of a web designer who said she had a First Amendment right to refuse to design wedding websites for same-sex couples despite a state law that forbids discrimination against gay people. What does this mean for the future of our democracy and how might it impact the 2024 election? Host David Rothkopf breaks it all down with Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick. Don’t miss this important discussion.

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After more than two years, the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine grinds on. Yet the Ukrainian spirit remains as unshakeable as ever. Illia Ponomarenko joins David Rothkopf to discuss his book, “I Will Show You How It Was,” and share how Ukrainians and the world can draw inspiration from the earliest days of the conflict.

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This Supreme Court’s series of bad decisions will go down in history. Norm and Kavita are back to break down the latest legendarily awful decisions from the Roberts court and why we’ll be dealing with the fallout for years to come.

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Donald Trump is an existential threat to our democracy, and the Dems need to put their best foot forward to defeat him. So what needs to be done? Ed Luce, Kori Schake, and Rosa Brooks join David Rothkopf to break down the Joe Biden dilemma, and why the party needs to seriously consider alternative options before it’s too late. 

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With the Chevron deference and presidential immunity rulings, the Supreme Court has put our democracy in even greater danger. So what happens next? Dahlia Lithwick joins David Rothkopf to analyze the impact of the court’s latest disastrous decisions and what can be done to stop the bleeding. 

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On the DSR daily for Wednesday, we break down the massive land seizures in the West Bank, $2.3 billion in new aid for Ukraine, Rudy Giuliani being disbarred in New York, and more.

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This week, Donald Trump shared some deranged images on social media that called for the jailing of Liz Cheney. Taking his rage in a new direction, one image even called for her to face a military tribunal. Meanwhile, new reports suggest Trump is preparing an unexpectedly vicious wave of persecution if he wins. So what can Trump actually do to his political opponents if he unleashes all the powers of the presidency on them? We talked to Kristy Parker, former federal prosecutor and counsel at Protect Democracy, who explained why Trump’s coming crackdown on his enemies could be more disturbing than we expect—and how to fight back against it. 

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On the DSR daily for Tuesday, we break down the Court’s disaster ruling on immunity, Orban’s visit to Kyiv, the French effort to block the far-right, and more. 

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Yesterday the Supreme Court released its shocking new ruling in the case involving Donald Trump’s demand for absolute immunity from prosecution for insurrection-related crimes. The court gave Trump much of what he wanted, notably ensuring that his trial for the insurrection will be delayed indefinitely. But what’s really worrying is what this ruling could allow Trump to get away with if he wins back the White House. We talked to legal expert Richard Hasen, who just published A Real Right to Vote and regularly writes about Trump’s attacks on democracy, about why the case for alarmism is real and serious. 

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European governments watched the US presidential debate with shock and resignation, as fears skyrocket over Trump’s return to power. Meanwhile, Russia employs hybrid warfare, sowing mayhem across the continent. Michael Weiss joins Marc to discuss his recent trip, and how Russian intel follows the ISIS playbook.

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On the DSR daily for Monday, we discuss the Supreme Court’s impending rulings, France’s first round election results, the debate around President Biden’s candidacy, and more.

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At last week’s debate, Donald Trump ranted that the January 6 defendants are “so innocent,” raging that President Biden is “destroying their lives.” Then at a rally, Trump called for their immediate release, while proclaiming victory over a big Supreme Court ruling that seemingly weakens the cases against the attackers. Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann just co-authored a good new piece explaining that the ruling will only impact a small percentage of those cases. Still, if Trump wins, he’ll pardon untold numbers of those convicted. So we talked to Weissmann, who went deep on that ruling and on why Trump’s pardon threats endanger the rule of law at its foundations. 

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Original Air Date: October 21, 2022

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita talk about the recent debates in races across the country including Marco Rubio v. Val Demings, Tim Ryan v. JD Vance, and Raphael Warnock v. Herschel Walker.

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