The DSR Network - The DSR Network

Latest Episodes:

DSR Daily April 7: Trump Threatens the End of Iran in Horrifying Ultimatum Apr 07, 2026

Show notes

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down Trump’s horrifying threat to Iran, JD Vance traveling to Budapest to campaign for Viktor Orban, the Supreme Court bailing out Steve Bannon, and more.

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The Daily Blast: Angry Trump Erupts at Media as GOPers Quietly Start to Break over War Apr 07, 2026

Show notes

Donald Trump is now facing tough questions about his threats to bomb Iranian power plants and bridges, which are growing more and more unhinged. On Monday he seethed at a reporter who asked pointed questions about this, attacking his news outlet and ranting that his colleagues seem to want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, Punchbowl News reports that Republicans may be at a “breaking point” with Trump over the war. All of which raises a question: If Trump seems ready to go through with massive war crimes, will Republicans be willing to rein him in at that point? We talked to Columbia political scientist Elizabeth Saunders, who had a hair-raising thread on Bluesky about where we are. She explains why Trump’s lashing out at the media should be taken seriously and why she sees this moment as uniquely dangerous. She also discusses how Trump boxed himself into a position of maximum destructiveness, what to expect from Republicans in response, and how to think about what’s next.

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DSR Daily April 6: Trump’s Easter Crashout Apr 06, 2026

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On the DSR Daily for Monday, we cover Trump’s Easter threats against Iran, the US mission to rescue an airman in Iran, California ringing the alarm over rejected ballots, and more.

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The Daily Blast: Trump Fury Rattles Aides as Midterm Woes Take Worse Turn: “He’s Angry” Apr 06, 2026

Show notes

A frustrated Donald Trump is mulling more personnel changes, Politico reports, potentially targeting his Commerce and Labor secretaries. As one official confides: “He’s very angry and he’s going to be moving people.” The Politico piece depicts unnerved aides parsing his fury like tea leaves and disconcertedly leaking to reporters about who’s on “thin ice.” Crucially, Trump is mulling changes that would make him look better on the economy—where a new poll is absolutely brutal—and in hopes of getting them through before a midterm loss makes them harder. Indeed, Time reports that his advisers delivered bad news about internal polling showing that his midterm problems have taken a worse turn due to the war. We talked to New Republic staff writer Kate Aronoff, who writes well about the crises Trump is losing control over. We discuss why real-world complexities are so elusive to Trump and the real meaning of his ongoing collision with the limits of his magical thinking.

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NTK: Lunacy! Corruption! War Crimes! Incompetence! (But shhhhhh. Don’t say it too loud.) Apr 05, 2026

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Corruption and madness have hit a new high-watermark with the Trump administration. From the firing of Pam Bondi to blatant war crimes, it’s a good thing we have a robust free press to report on it all. Right? Dan Froomkin and Jeff Jarvis join David Rothkopf to explore why traditional media is failing miserably during this fraught moment and why high quality journalism is needed now more than ever.

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DSR Weekly Wrap-up: Pam Bondi FIRED Apr 05, 2026

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On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for April 3rd, we break down the firing of Pam Bondi, Pete Hegseth firing the Army Chief of Staff, Trump announcing more tariffs on drug companies, and more.

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Siliconsciousness: The Epidemic in Deepfake Financial Scams and Potential Cures Apr 03, 2026

Show notes

Nobody wants to get scammed, yet everyone has a story about it happening to them or someone they know. In the age of AI, scams are more elaborate and devious than ever. So what can you do about it? Anya Schiffrin and Alice Marwick join David Rothkopf to discuss their recent policy brief about the scourge of AI scams, what governments can do to stem the growing tide of scams, and how individuals can protect themselves.

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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The Daily Blast: Trump Blurts Out Damning War Admission as GOP Panics: “What the Hell?” Apr 03, 2026

Show notes

During Donald Trump’s speech on Iran this week, he revealed too much. In a line that sounded partly ad-libbed, he declared that the Strait of Hormuz “will open up naturally. It will just open up naturally.” This should be read as a straight-up admission that Trump has no idea how to fix the colossal mess he’s made, and that he’s just washing his hands of it entirely. That’s utterly damning. Meanwhile, Politico reports that Republicans privately fear the speech did nothing to help them politically; as one put it: “What the hell did he just say?” Those things are related: The worse this war gets, the more it will hurt Republicans in the midterms. We talked to foreign policy writer and podcaster David Rothkopf, author of a good piece about the speech. We discuss Trump’s implicit admission of failure, the deeper reasons this is developing into such a fiasco, why it’s a trap for Republicans, and what the post-Trump Democratic Party should look like.

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Words Matter: Depravity as Far as the Eye Can See Apr 02, 2026

Show notes

Pam Bondi is out as attorney general. Todd Blanche is set to replace her, at least according to Trump. Why did Bondi’s firing come now? Was it the result of her mismanagement of the DOJ, or did this decision have more to do with Donald Trump and the Epstein Files? And what does her supposed processor Todd Blanche have in store for our justice system? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the state of the DOJ, Bondi’s firing, and more.

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AI, Energy and Climate: Nuclear security in Iran, energy innovation and AI: Ernest Moniz Apr 02, 2026

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What impact is the war in Iran having on nuclear security? If President Trump ever follows through on his threat to "obliterate" Iran's largest power plants, what risks would that create at the Iranian nuclear power plant at Bushehr? What impact does AI have on nuclear security, as well as on energy innovation more broadly? Join host David Sandalow as he discusses these issues and more with former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, in a special episode of the AI, Energy and Climate Podcast recorded at CERAWeek.

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