The DSR Network
The DSR Network
This podcast will take you on a smart, direct, sometimes scary, sometimes profane, sometimes hilarious tour of the inner workings of American power and of the impact of our leaders and their policies on our standing in the world. Hosted by noted author and commentator David Rothkopf and featuring regulars Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law School, Kori Schake of AEI, and Ed Luce of the Financial Times, the program will be the lively, smart dinner table conversation on the big issues of the day that you wish you were having...without the calories. Sometimes special guests will join the conversation and always the emphasis will be on providing the unvarnished perspectives others shy away from. Deep State Radio is the insider perspective on American national security and foreign policy that you can't find anywhere else. If you are enjoying this podcast, please consider becoming a member by visiting thedsrnetwork.com.
Recent Episodes
20 episodesSiliconsciousness: Why We Need Whole-of-Planet AI Solutions: A Look at AI in Africa
Conversations on AI typically deal with impacts in the US, Asia, and Europe. Yet the impact of AI on Africa, and Africa on AI, is immense. Professor and Director of the MIND Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand Benjamin Rosman joins David Rothkopf to explore the unique perspectives coming from Africa in the tech space, why grassroots movements drive innovation, and how unique resource constraints are forcing a creative departure from the “bigger is better” obsession in Silicon Valley. 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 March 12: Oil Prices Soar as Iran Conflict Grinds On
On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down the soaring oil prices as a result of the Iran war, House Republicans’ attempt to pace a second major spending package, investigations into claims of DOGE misuse of Social Security data, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Trump’s Iran Blunders Suddenly Look Darker as Damning New Leaks Hit
For Donald Trump, the news is getting worse on his war against Iran. The New York Times reports that the Trump team badly miscalculated Iran’s response to the American invasion, leading to a developing energy fiasco. The Times also reports that some officials are pessimistic about the lack of any real strategy to end the war, adding this: “They have been careful not to express that directly to the president, who has repeatedly declared that the military operation is a complete success.” Their fear of telling Trump the truth about our fix is highly unnerving. We’re also learning that the United States was likely responsible for bombing the Iranian elementary school. We talked to Columbia political scientist Elizabeth Saunders, author of a new piece on this whole mess. We discuss Iran’s closing of the Strait of Hormuz, why Trump can’t easily end the war even if he wants to, what it means that officials are leaking dismay about the war’s direction, and what likely lies ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Post-Iran War Prognosis Is Deeply Unsettling
Trump’s war against Iran is shifting the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East - but how much has really changed in US foreign policy? What is different about this conflict compared to previous decades? What does this mean for our allies, and what role does Israel play in Trump’s decision-making? Max Boot, Aaron David Miller, and Holly Dagres join David Rothkopf to take stock of America’s war in Iran. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DSR Daily March 11: US Destroys 16 Iranian Vessels
On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover the US military destroying 16 Iranian vessels, the results of a Georgia special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, a shockingly high death toll for immigration detention, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Trump Humiliated as Viral Exchange with Journo on Iran Backfires Badly
Donald Trump claims Iran is responsible for the bombing of an elementary school that killed scores of children, even though the evidence continues to mount that the United States is responsible. In a striking exchange with a reporter, Trump was asked point blank why no other government official will confirm what he’s saying. He said straight out: “Because I don’t know enough about it.” But in saying this, Trump admitted that he'd made an incendiary factual claim about an extraordinarily serious matter without having the foggiest idea what the facts actually are. Trump’s assertions about the school bombing also forced White House Karoline Leavitt to undertake a clumsy clean-up effort. We talked to Paul Waldman, author of a piece at his Substack, The Cross Section, discussing a new analysis showing that Trump’s war is the most unpopular U.S. war in modern history. We discuss why that exchange was so humiliating to Trump, what it revealed about the White House’s indefensible war and his inability to sell it, and the deeper reasons why Americans are not reflexively rallying behind the “commander in chief.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
AI, Energy and Climate: Economic Growth, Climate Change and AI: Lord Nicholas Stern and Dr. Mattia Romani
Lord Nicholas Stern, author of the landmark Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, recently released his new book The Growth Story of the 21st Century: The Economics and Opportunity of Climate Action. Along with Dr. Mattia Romani and other colleagues, he also published a paper in Nature last year on the role of AI in the climate transition. Join host David Sandalow as he talks with Stern and Romani about economic growth, climate change, AI and the energy transition. 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 March 10: Trump Unsure When Iran War Will End
On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down Trump’s conflicting messaging on the Iran war, a special election in Georgia, Democrats vowing to shut down the Senate over Iran, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DSR Daily March 10: Trump Unsure When Iran War Will End
On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down Trump’s conflicting messaging on the Iran war, a special election in Georgia, Democrats vowing to shut down the Senate over Iran, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Trump Accidentally Sabotages GOP’s 2026 Strategy in Two Crazed Tirades
In recent days, President Trump has angrily demanded that Republicans pass the SAVE Act, a massive voter suppression measure that already passed the House but almost certainly can’t pass the Senate. In one tirade on Truth Social, he threatened not to sign anything else until Senate Republicans get it done. That echoed a second rant demanding the same. After we recorded this episode, Trump gave a speech doubling down on this demand. But a funny thing is happening: This is trampling all over the midterm messaging of Republicans, who badly want to appear focused on the economy. We talked to veteran Congressional scholar Norman Ornstein. He explains why the SAVE ACT is such a heinous piece of voter suppression, why it’s probably doomed in the Senate despite Trump's pressure, and how his demand has trapped Republicans, given their cultlike thrall to him. Ornstein also walks us through the nightmare scenarios in which Trump and/or Republicans could conceivably steal the midterms. 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 March 9: Iran Names New Supreme Leader
On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss the naming of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader of Iran, Trump warning of imminent action against Cuba, Trump claiming he won’t sign any new bills until the SAVE America Act passes, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Trump Press Sec Goes Full Cult in Odd Rants as Polls Take Brutal Turn
We’ve noticed that whenever the news is bad for Donald Trump, Karoline Leavitt dials up the cultlike obsequiousness to 11. She just let out a strange rant basically declaring that Iran will have entered into “unconditional surrender,” as Trump wants, whenever he says it has. In another odd moment, she dismissed widespread MAGA criticism of Trump’s war by essentially declaring that MAGA is whatever Trump says it is. The two displays really went full North Korea in other ways, too. And that’s no accident: an average of high quality surveys now shows that support for his Iran war is at an abysmal 38 percent, perhaps the lowest initial support for a war ever. Another analysis finds that Trump’s net approval on immigration has dropped by 20 points since last year. And his economic numbers are awful. We talked to Salon’s Amanda Marcotte, a skilled decoder of MAGA. We discuss how this presidency is in trouble on multiple fronts and the role of cultlike praise in managing the base at such difficult moments. We also ponder how his physical decline, and the prospect of a world without Trump, is hovering in the background of all of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DSR Weekly Wrap-up: Kristi Noem FIRED from DHS
On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for March 6, we cover the firing of Kristi Noem from DHS, an investigation pointing to US responsibility for a horrific strike in Iran, a troubling jobs report for February, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Words Matter: Trump’s Mental Meltdown (feat. Mary Trump)
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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Trump Press Sec Tirade Takes Truly Weird Turn as GOP Iran Angst Spikes
This week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt lashed out at a reporter and accused the media of trying to make Donald Trump “look bad.” The occasion was a question about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had previously accused the media of the same. What’s truly strange is how Leavitt flatly denied Hegseth had said what everyone heard him say, followed by an unhinged, extended tirade at reporters. Why the rage? Well, Republicans are growing anxious: Punchbowl News reports that they expressly don’t want to vote on the war to keep their distance from it, and many of them are straining to avoid even using the word “war.” We talked to New Republic deputy editor Tori Otten, who co-wrote a good piece with TNR’s Grace Segers dissecting White House social media strategy. We discuss the real sources of Leavitt’s anger, the importance of fantasy and unreality to MAGA politics, and why it's all actually working against Republicans. 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 March 5: Senate REFUSES to Reign in Trump’s War Powers
On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss the Senate rejecting a measure to require congressional authorization for the war in Iran, Trump considering firing Kristi Noem, Minnesota suing the administration over Medicaid funding, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Trump Explodes in Wild 2026 Panic as Texas Senate Results Rattle GOP
In this week’s Texas Senate primaries, Democrat James Talarico triumphed, while GOP Senator John Cornyn and MAGA extremist Ken Paxton are headed for a runoff. Talarico, who speaks openly about his religious commitments and about the need to win over MAGA voters, might have a shot, especially against Paxton. That caused Donald Trump to explode in an agitated, panicky tirade on Truth Social, where he warned that the GOP primary could cost Republicans the seat and “MUST STOP NOW!” He vowed to endorse soon and insisted that the other candidate will have to “DROP OUT OF THE RACE!” This comes as other Republicans are publicly airing their fears of a Talarico-Paxton matchup. We talked to Democratic operative Sawyer Hackett, a veteran of Texas races. He explains Talarico’s unique appeal, why Texas is so hard for Democrats, what has to happen for them to win, and why they could fall short of this dream yet again. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Preparing for the Horrific Unintended Consequences of the Iran War
In case you haven’t heard, Trump decided we need to go to war with Iran. What is the strategy here? Does our President even have one, or are we at the mercy of an idiot guided solely by ridiculous impulses? Joe Cirincione, Jon Wolfsthal and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to discuss the current situation in Iran, what this means for the US, and why we’re even there in the first place. 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 March 4: US Sinks Iranian Warship as Conflict Spreads
On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the state of the war with Iran, results from the first primaries of the 2026 midterms, the US launching military operations in Ecuador, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Daily Blast: Trump Blurts Out Damning Iran Admission as MAGA Turns Harshly on Him
Speaking Tuesday about his war on Iran, Donald Trump got too candid. He declared that the worst-case scenario could involve people running Iran who are just as bad as those he’s deposing. He also admitted that most of the people the United States hoped will take over are now “dead,” and visibly had no idea what will happen next. All this accidentally reveals just how little thought he’s given to what will happen as this continues to unfold. It comes as MAGA is turning against Trump over the war: Personalities like Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, Matt Walsh and many more are sharply questioning Trump’s stated rationales and Israel’s role in dictating our war policy. We talked to Zeteo’s Asawin Suebsaeng, who closely covers Trumpworld. We discuss how Trump is recklessly miring us in a horrifying quagmire, the real reasons MAGA is turning on Trump, whether MAGA angst could cause Trump to rethink, and what it means that MAGA opposes war in Iran while thrilling to savage brutality at home. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices