The DSR Network
The DSR Network
The official home of Deep State Radio, Need to Know, Words Matter, The DSR Daily, The Daily Blast, Siliconsciousness, and more. If you are enjoying this podcast, please consider becoming a member by visiting https://dsrnetwork.substack.com/
Recent Episodes
20 episodesDSR Daily Live August 28: Special Guest Jen Welch
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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Trump Accidentally Wrecks GOP Midterm Message in Dumbest Self-Own Ever
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. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Words Matter: The New Acronym to Remember the Great Lakes is S-H-A-M-E
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. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DSR Daily August 27: ICE Detentions Soar as Administration Ramps Up Targeting of Non-Criminals
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Trump Unravels as Leaks Reveal How Aides Feed Him Crackpot Poll Hopium
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. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Siliconsciousness: The Unabomber, Replacement Theory and the Crazy Evolving Politics of AI
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DSR Daily August 26: Trump Admin Pauses Visa Appointments Worldwide
On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover the administration pausing all visa appointments, the Canada announcing retaliatory tariffs, Darline Graham’s victory in the South Carolina GOP runoff, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Trump’s Fury at Canada Takes Unhinged Turn—and Backfires Badly for Him
Donald Trump’s rage at Canada is growing more unhinged. He just posted a deranged threat to rename Lake Ontario with the phrase “Lake America.” But it gets worse: He also intimated that the U.S. won’t be “doing much business with Ontario any longer.” That would be seismic, but here’s the thing: Trump appears to actually want this outcome. That’s why he’s plunged us into a trade war with our ally. But it’s backfiring: Canada just released its list of American products that will face retaliatory tariffs, and it appears aimed at harming local economies in ways that will hurt GOP incumbents and candidates. We previously reported this would create problems for Republicans. Now that it’s happening, we recorded an episode about it with Democratic strategist Christina Reynolds, a veteran of midterms. We discuss why the trade war could have outsized impact in the Midwest, how this might badly hurt GOP chances, what the Midwest’s political transformation reveals about the decline of Trumpism, and how Democrats can seize this moment going forward. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DSR Daily August 25: Supreme Court Gives Trump a Win with Trump on Mail-In Voting
On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss the Supreme Court’s new ruling on mail-in voting, the administration’s plans for the largest visa revocation in history, Trump’s ridiculous threats to rename Lake Ontario, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Krugman: Trump Just Revealed Extraordinary Contempt for MAGA Voters
The other day, Donald Trump unveiled a new “plan” to curb beef prices by suspending tariffs on huge amounts of beef imports, while claiming the beef will be sold to the U.S. at a big discount. But he wouldn’t say which countries will be importing the beef or how he secured that commitment. In this, Trump accidentally revealed that his tariffs actually do raise consumer prices, debunking his own claim that other countries pay the tariffs. This, even as he just escalated his tariffs on another front by expanding his trade war with Canada, which will hit Trump country hard. We think all this shows new levels of contempt for his own voters. So we talked to Paul Krugman, whose Substack is excellent at demystifying such matters. He explains why Trump’s beef plan is a scam, what it reveals about Trump’s disdain for MAGA, and why this trade war with Canada is such a terrible idea. Krugman also discusses how it all discredits MAGA economics and whether liberals can use Trump’s world-historical failures to shift the economic argument more fundamentally. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What Comes After Pentagon Pete Wrecks the Defense Department?
The Defense Department is in a crisis unlike we’ve ever seen before. America’s munitions stocks have been decimated and our military competence has been wrecked by the Trump administration. Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth will leave the Pentagon in a state of rubble when all is said and done - will that give us an opportunity for real, transformative change in our defense policy? What would a competent DoD look like in the future? Sharon Weinberger joins David Rothkopf and Rosa Brooks to discuss the state of US defense policy, how big tech is redefining war, and where we go from here. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DSR Daily August 24: Canada and US Negotiations Implode as Trade War Looms
On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down the collapse of US/Canada trade negotiations, the DOJ’s appeal of a Supreme Court decision, Trump’s puzzling appeal to voters, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Trump’s Fury Worsens at Natalie Harp Mess as Leaks Grow More Unnerving
Donald Trump’s handling of the Natalie Harp mess has backfired big time. The Atlantic reports that Trump’s own anger is why Trumpworld exploded so vehemently after Senator Jon Ossoff highighted their closeness. As the media focused on Harp, Trump grew “furious,” which led aides to “take their cues” from him, leading to more lashing out, but this “backfired spectacularly,” prompting more attention—and more leaks. The New York Times reported that some advisers think her sway is “poisonous,” and even that she's provided him with the ugliest social media content that he posts, such as the image of the Obamas as apes. We talked to Democratic operative Greg Greene, who held this job under Obama and wrote about it for The New Republic. We discuss the deeper problems with this arrangement, why the latest disclosures are so unnerving, and what it all says about the Cult of Trump—and about Trumpworld’s profound contempt for our constitutional order. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DSR Daily Live August 21: Special Guest Wajahat Ali
On the DSR Daily Live for August 21, Wajahat Ali of the Left Hook Substack joins us to discuss Trump’s enshitification of DC, Angie Nixon’s shocking win in Florida, the curious case of Natalie Harp, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Need to Know: Waking Up to America’s National Defense Crisis
Donald Trump and his allies have made American defense weak. From the disastrous handling of the war with Iran to the abandonment of staunch allies in favor of despots, it’s clearer by the day that security is not the priority of this administration. Former Navy pilot Ken Harbaugh joins David Rothkopf to analyze what makes this national defense crisis so startling and why America needs to prepare for future crises. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Trump Tirade Goes Nuclear as MTG Issues Midterm Warning: GOP Is Toast
Donald Trump just issued a crazed, rambling tirade, vowing to hit Iran with the “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN” while threatening “TREMENDOUS” economic consequences to any country that helps Iran. News organizations are struggling to divine what he means and what it’s supposed to accomplish. Regardless, it shows just how stuck Trump is in this quagmire. Meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor Greene offered her own extended prediction that the GOP is facing a brutal midterm because Trump’s broken promises on Iran have effectively shattered the MAGA coalition. Greene’s statement is a remarkable moment, so we talked to New Republic contributing editor Virginia Heffernan, who’s been writing well about MAGA’s crackup. We discuss the deeper meaning of Greene’s stand, the hidden fissures splintering MAGA, why this threatens the GOP’s midterm hopes, and why even a crushing Democratic victory won’t get us out of the woods just yet. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Words Matter: No, No, Norm, It’s Much Worse Than That
The “Big Beautiful Bill” is certainly big, but it is the opposite of beautiful. The bill includes a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid, which have been postponed until after the midterm elections. Take these social service cuts alongside skyrocketing national debt, looming bond market issues, and a potential ballooning defense budget - and yet the situation is still somehow worse than that. Join Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf as they discuss the chilling implications of Medicaid cuts and the broader impact on healthcare and the economy. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DSR Daily August 20: Trump’s Latest Fixation: Granite
On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss Trump’s latest threats against Iran, the ballooning national debt, Trump’s fixation on the White House helipad, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Trump Hits Brutal New Polling Low as Dems Win Stunner in MAGA Country
Donald Trump’s approval rating just hit an abysmal low of 33-64 in Reuters polling. That’s only one survey, but Trump also just hit a new low of 37-59 in New York Times polling averages, which suggests he’s likely in the mid-30s and may be trending toward the Reuters number. This comes as Democrats appear to have flipped a state legislative district in western Pennsylvania that Trump won in 2024 by 18 points. Though that race hasn’t been called yet, either way it’s an 18-point shift, a very good omen. Meanwhile, a CNN analysis finds Trump badly bleeding Hispanic men, a demographic he carried in 2024, another sign his coalition is imploding. We talked about all of it with Michael Cohen, author of a new piece on GOP extremism for his Substack, Truth and Consequences. We discuss what the Pennsylvania swing portends, why a Democratic Senate majority is now at least possible, why Trump losing Latinos is a huge deal, and what it means that Democrats are voting as if Trump is on the ballot this fall. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DSR Daily August 19: Another Shocking Progressive Victory in Florida
On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss Angie Nixon’s shocking primary win in Florida, Trump pausing new tariffs on Canada, Israeli strikes on a Syrian air base, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices