The DSR Network - The DSR Network

Latest Episodes:

Best of Need to Know: How Much Worse Can Trump’s Iran War Get? Don’t Ask. Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Original air date: March 20, 2026

The war in Iran is off to a terrible start — and it looks like it’s going to get even worse. The only person that really seems to be happy about all this is Benjamin Netanyahu, who was finally achieved the regional conflagration he’s been dreaming of. Alon Pinkas joins David Rothkopf to examine what got us to this point, why Netanyahu has wanted this for so long, and what could be coming next.

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Best of the Daily Blast: Krugman: Trump Screwed Himself Badly on Iran—and May Not Even Know It Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Original air date: April 29, 2026

In today’s episode, economist Paul Krugman lays out an expansive case that Donald Trump holds a losing hand in the war with Iran. Krugman argues that Trump can’t seem to admit that the Strait of Hormuz problem has cornered him. Krugman also details why the situation could get worse, if Iran continues holding out and constraints on oil supply drive the global economy into recession. As Krugman puts it, this will keep getting uglier for Trump until he “swallows his pride” and accepts that he doesn’t hold the cards. This builds on the ⁠piece Krugman posted on his Substack⁠ arguing that time is on Iran’s side. Gas prices just ⁠hit a new high⁠, and Republicans ⁠quietly fear⁠ their midterm prospects are darkening due to what Trump has unleashed. Krugman takes us through these dynamics, notes that Trump is obsessing over his ballroom in search of a win, and explains why this all could tailspin further for the GOP.

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Best of Words Matter: Trump’s Mental Meltdown (feat. Mary Trump) Aug 31, 2026

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Original air date: March 6, 2026

Donald Trump is clearly declining – mentally, physically, and at the polls – and he knows it. What does this mean for the rest of Trump 2.0? What does the dismissal of Kristi Noem and appointment of Markwayne Mullin tell us about loyalty and competence within the administration? Mary Trump joins David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein to discuss our sunsetting president’s personal and political downfall. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio

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Best of the Daily Blast: Trump Secret Plane Swap Suddenly Looks Darker as Damning New Leaks Hit Aug 31, 2026

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Original air date: August 13, 2026

By now you’ve heard that when Donald Trump left the NATO summit in Turkey last month, he was clandestinely transferred from Air Force One to an alternative plane to avert a credible Iranian threat. It appears many of his cabinet members were left on Air Force One. Now new leaks make the story look darker: It turns out Trump brought several of the aides who are personally closest to him on the safe alternative flight. This, even as he left numerous journalists on the original plane, which effectively turned them into a decoy that might have been targeted. None were informed of the operation. It all perfectly captures Trump’s contempt for the media, so we talked to Margaret Sullivan, author of the excellent press-critiquing Substack “American Crisis.” She explains why this saga is so irregular, why the media faces a moment of uncommon challenges, and why journalists often won’t directly confront authoritarianism, even when it gravely threatens their own institution.

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DSR Daily Live August 28: Special Guest Jen Welch Aug 30, 2026

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On the DSR Daily Live for August 28, Jen Welch of I've Had It podcast joins us to discuss the lies coming out of the White House, the DeSantis administration misappropriating funds, Trump renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America," and more

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The Daily Blast: Trump Accidentally Wrecks GOP Midterm Message in Dumbest Self-Own Ever Aug 28, 2026

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This week, Donald Trump aggressively highlighted a long screed from a MAGA influencer that sharply criticized the GOP for failing in all kinds of ways. This is aimed like a laser at depressing the Trump base. Making this matter more, Trump keeps saying stuff like this himself: He recently declared that his voters are not angry at him, they are angry at Republicans. Translation: Trump voters should hold the GOP accountable for failing him. This directly undercuts the GOP midterm strategy of campaigning on...the achievements of the GOP Congress. Note that Mike Johnson keeps attempting that strategy, only to see Trump undercut it again and again. We think this could actually matter, and to parse out why, we talked to Jennifer Rubin, editor-in-chief of The Contrarian. We discuss why Trump’s attacks on the GOP really could make a huge difference in hard demographic terms, why Trump’s political project requires him to keep doing this, and what Democrats must do now to avoid overconfidence and close out strong.

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Words Matter: The New Acronym to Remember the Great Lakes is S-H-A-M-E Aug 27, 2026

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Donald Trump just signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America. This, of course, gives us a fitting new acronym to remember the names of the Great Lakes: S-H-A-M-E. But it also comes amidst an intensifying, nonsensical trade war with Canada that will have serious economic consequences for millions of Americans. And all this for what? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the administration’s trade war with Canada, the current situation with Iran, and the political landscape as we inch closer to the midterm elections.

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DSR Daily August 27: ICE Detentions Soar as Administration Ramps Up Targeting of Non-Criminals Aug 27, 2026

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On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the soaring number of ICE detentions, a federal judge lifts all blocks on Trump’s mail-in ballot executive order, disastrous flooding in Nepal-Tibet, and more.

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The Daily Blast: Trump Unravels as Leaks Reveal How Aides Feed Him Crackpot Poll Hopium Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Donald Trump is reportedly instructing advisers to spend big on midterm ads...about himself. Sources leak to The Atlantic that Trump advisers are telling him the real reason the polls look so bad is that voters are unaware of his many stupendous successes. He is apparently so unwilling to accept the reality facing Republicans that he’s nixing their efforts to make their races more local—and less about him. All this comes as Republicans openly fear Trump’s trade war with Canada will hurt their chances. That Trump is going haywire with his anti-Canada mania—even as the GOP begs him not to, and even as he plans new ads about himself—all constitutes a new level of unraveling. We talked to Mona Charen, who’s been arguing at The Bulwark that Republicans badly need Trump to stay away from them. We discuss how Trump’s autocratic nature bars advisers from telling him the truth, why Republicans aren’t permitted to seek distance from him, and what some remarkable new polling reveals about Trump-MAGA weakness.

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Siliconsciousness: The Unabomber, Replacement Theory and the Crazy Evolving Politics of AI Aug 26, 2026

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Politics makes strange bedfellows, and AI is making things stranger still. AI data centers are just one of the many ways that artificial intelligence and its by products are taking an increasingly large role in American politics at every level and creating new and bizarre alliances even among traditionally opposing factions. WIRED’s Molly Taft joins David Rothkopf to examine the rapid evolution of our politics — and why things are only getting weirder.

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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