DSR Daily April 15: Iran Blockade Underway as Peace Remains Out of Reach

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Thank you and enjoy the show. Hello and welcome to the DSR daily. I'm David Rothkuff. I'm joined by Riley Fessler and Minna Stein. We're here to talk a little bit about what we're seeing in the news today.

And even more about what it may mean for tomorrow and beyond. So, Minna, what do you see yet?

“Well, we'll start with the story that I think we've started with for what”

feels like our whole lives.

We've been to Trump, right? Is Trump involved? Unfortunately. Yeah. And that story is unfortunately that the US says its blockade has halted nearly all of Iran's

sea base trade, specifically six merchant ships within 36 hours using global naval and surveillance powers to intercept ships far beyond the region. Reports that there are also reports that the US may send thousands more troops to the middle east, which obviously would be a signal of further escalation of the war that I thought we were getting out of. And the US is warning that the conflict could cause a prolonged energy shock.

Don't you worry, don't you worry about a thing? Okay, the sending of thousands of troops is an negotiating tactic. Trump wants out. Okay. He wants to be done with this.

“He didn't interview this morning with Maria Barra Romo and he's like, "Oh, this will be over.”

We're going to have good news in a couple of days." And he's been saying that kind of bullshit for a while. But here's the reality. It can't go on. You know, the oil prices can't stay high.

Food prices can't go up. The thing is hugely unpopular. It's disaster for Republicans. Republicans don't like him anyway these days because Jesus and you know, blasphemy and all that other stuff. And he's feeling the heat.

And I got to feel it. What he's going to do is send his boy, JD over there and say, "Hey, cut a deal. Any deal." And we'll just lie about what the deal is. And that's what I expect.

You're going to get worse than the JCPOA from 2015. But they'll say it's better than the JCPOA that Iran will end up in control of the straight. But they'll say they're not blocking ships. They'll say, "Hey, the Iranians are going to control their nuclear program,

but the restraints and the program will be less than they used to be." And in exchange for Iran, essentially turning things back to February 27th of this year, don't give them a whole lot of money in sanctions really. And say there's new leaders there that are going to make it a new country, everything's going to be great.

Nobody's saying this. I'm saying this. Okay, so write it down. David says this. Go to Calshy, spend your family fortune, mortgage your house.

Okay, don't do that. It's probably illegal for me to have said that.

“But my point is I think that's where things are going.”

And I think all the parties to this thing expect that's where things are going. And you can tell that yesterday when the Wall Street Journal had this article saying, "The Saudis said, "Please don't blockade." You know, it's just nobody is supporting what the president is doing. So, Mina, don't worry.

I don't think you're going to have to be talking about because Iran's story, it definitely.

Although the problems will never go wet.

And so periodically they will flash flash. That's what I was going to say. It's like, you say all of that. And I'm sure you're right. But it's like, and yet here we are.

Still talking about it. Well, yeah, I'm good. Yeah, no. What will we be talking about in two weeks? Well, I think Trump has thought.

And this is what over day 50 of this kind of, I think Trump has kind of thought.

I can do this thing. I'm going to, this is the art of the deal. What room am I in? Can I have so far catch up? I mean, you know, I think he's demanded.

But I think he has thought there were moves. I don't think he thinks he's got any more moves. That's what I'm getting at here. Okay, Riley, I've, I've relieved menace concerns. Let me help you.

Well, I've got good news, David. Because of that's peace is coming. Well, that's what I'm going to say. And that's not really here. And that's a Riley guarantee.

Because Lebanon and Israel are holding their first direct talks since 1993.

Isn't that great, David? Well, it is actually a great thing. But I, having said that, you know, Israel still run by BB net. Yeah, who is broken like the Iranians. Every agreement that he's been part of that.

And also that Hezbollah has said they don't really care about these talks. And that they don't recognize them.

“Which, you know, they seem to be kind of the major player that you should maybe have.”

In the loop on these kind of decisions. And that's who Israel is in Lebanon supposedly to eliminate. So. Yeah, but, you know, that's the, that's the thing. Why would the Israeli stop doing what they're doing?

They, they don't listen to anybody. And, and I think one answer is they won't. But I think the other answer is they're going to try to make it look like they're styling it back.

Because that's the only way to get Iran into a deal.

Trump wants the Iran deal. And BB wants Trump's support when he runs in his elections later this year. And frankly, you know, I was talking to our friend Alon Pinkis and Israel or ex-swapping text. And the only place in the whole world that Donald Trump is super popular. The whole world, not even in the United States.

The only place is popular is Israel. So he actually has some leverage over BB. So, you know, I don't know if the piece is going to break out because I think the Israelis. They're kind of looking at this going. Yeah, maybe we could own this piece of a Lebanon.

“But again, I think it's going to be posturing and lie.”

Those are the two keys here. Not they don't lead you to real peace. They lead you to the illusion of peace. And the illusion of peace is what Trump is seeking at the moment. Have you feel better?

No, so much better.

Yeah, no, I know I could make you feel better.

We all had a staff meeting yesterday and we said we're going to try to set up a kind of self-help show in the time of Trump. And those of you are out there listening can say, well, I have this problem with this family member. I have this problem with Trump or I'm losing sleep or whatever. And we'll give you advice to help you feel better. We won't charge you for the advice.

We will give you absolutely free advice. And then you'll feel better. And here are two examples of this and Riley feeling better. What do we got next, Mina? Nothing makes me feel better than the illusion of peace.

And I think that our seconds will be similar. We'll give the illusion of advice. Yeah, we'll give the illusion of... Much like these peace talks. Of cures.

Well, exactly. That's where we are. That's where we are. That's where we are. But this is like news therapy.

That's our new thing. It'd be like news therapy. So give me some news and I'll give you some therapy. Okay. Well, Republicans are pushing a shockingly partisan plan

“doing it quote unquote the hard way to fund key home land security agencies.”

Like ice using a simple majority budget process. So glad we're doing things the hard way. And they're focusing on immigration enforcement funding. Obviously. Well, you know, immigration is the thing.

Trump is doing best in the polls right now. He's got a fully 41% of Americans according to the most recent NBC poll support of my immigration, which is about 10% more than support among the economy, which means the majority of people don't like his immigration policies. But, you know, they don't have any other cards to put.

The problem with the Republican Party, even though Donald Trump is over. Okay. Mag is falling apart. You know, they will try to struggle through this next election. But they don't have a plan B.

You know, they don't, they don't, you know, I won a one Republican Tom Amherr was on TV yesterday and he said, well, you know, don't worry about things in April. We'll do a nice big tax cut. Everybody will get a tax cut in the fall and then we'll win.

You know, they didn't realize that the American people realize the tax cuts are fake. The tax cuts are small. And the biggest portion of the tax cuts go to billionaires who don't need the tax cuts. And they're, they're going to get their asses handed to them. Because they don't, they don't actually have anything substantive to do.

You know, what they're doing here is creating the illusion of legislation.

“The illusion of action, the illusion of doing something.”

When actually all they're doing is saying, yeah, we support Trump. I guess even though, you know, he's a blasphemer and a liar and, you know, And nothing he said that he was going to do is he doing and, you know, so far. But, you know, the good news hidden inside of this is that them not having a plan, a legislative agenda, a way to actually get anything done except for this marginal bullshit,

which actually supports things that the majority of people in the United States don't like. Is that they're going to lose in November? By a lot, and they may lose the Senate as well as the House. So, what is that? That's good news.

So, Mina, feeling better yet? I'm feeling the illusion of better. Well, okay, okay, look, I'll take that. You know, I have to deal with you all day. I'd rather you felt the illusion of better.

Okay, Riley, I'm going to keep the feel good, train going because we get to laugh at our favorite loser. You know, who's, by the way, he speaks about, you know, the feel good train and whatever. It reminds me of the language of Guy Fieri and I saw a thing on on social media this morning that Guy Fieri was just devastated that there was a picture of him talking to the take brothers at the UFC match. And it was just that he felt terrible.

You know, that he was talking to these known rapists and sex abusers. And I thought to myself, really? It's so, and it's so in character. Guy Fieri is, it looks to me like a disease that infects kitchens. You know, if like Guy Fieri enters a kitchen, shouldn't the health board immediately shut it down.

To seem, anyway, you were saying train, he always says flavor train, flavor town, whatever, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, please go on. Well, our favorite person to make fun of Chady Vance. Some more else yesterday, including at a TPU I say event where he was heckled and in his and there was nobody there. Yeah, I mean, a few people there were apparently there just a heckled Chady Vance. Getting heckled at a TPU, I say, event is kind of like a new low for him.

Yeah, I mean, he shows us that the floor can get lower. Yeah, well, and that's that is inspiring in its own way. But, but you're missing the big story here. Did you see that Jady Vance yesterday?

“By the way, Jady Vance converted the Catholicism like three years, all right?”

Did you see everything else Jady Vance has, well, he just does his change his name. It's converted a lot of things three years ago. Right. He changed his name. He changed where he's from.

He's just he's like a shapeshifter, right? But anyway, so yesterday, here is Jady Vance, three year calf, like who's just right in the book. A Catholicism who lectures the Pope on theology and literally said the words that the Pope ought to be more careful when he talks about theology. And it was like, holy, macro, holy, holy, macro, you know, it used to be that the old definition in sort of Jewish humor world of Hutspa was burying your wife. You're burying your husband in a rented suit.

That was considered to be Hutspa.

But this is a new level of Hutspa that you have a convert to a religion, lecturing that of that religion of a billion people on that religion.

I can say, and I was like, well, what's the word for that? And because I'm like, you know, round you guys and I'm and you're the yellows and I'm a lot of be like you in every way. What you could call Hutspa Maxing. I was going to say it's stupid, but that works too. Yeah, well, it also.

It's it's also a stupid. But Jady is just on a losing streak. They're going to send him to the slomobot and he's going to come out and declare victory there. No matter what happens.

“And, but I think there's a general consensus.”

Jady can't get it done. Jady is not the candidate for the future of the Republican party. In fact, I have a solution. You want you want. I've already predicted.

This war is going to be. Overset.

And I predicted that their Republicans are going to lose big and never ever.

So we've got a lot of predictions going here. You want me to give you another another good prediction. I think the candidates for the Democrats and Republicans in 28 are not going to be the people we're talking about. I think it's going to be a different group of people. And my current fantasy, and I'm not predicting this.

But this is my current fantasy. Want to hear? Or no. Go on.

We'll do our deal with Calshy just like AP and all these others are doing.

And our or polymarket next.

“So people can bet on our predictions here.”

And I'm not really saying this as much as a prediction as as an indicator of where things could go. Okay. I think one of the people who's going to win in November is going to be Senator John Assov in Georgia. I think Senator John Assov gives off a vibe that almost no other Democrat does being about the future. A kind of mom Donnie who could win in a red state, right?

Young, clear talking, you know, actually, you know, really kind of strong, right? And I also think the Republican right now is kind of closest to the vibe of where I think the Republicans will go as the Republican sort of mega movement collapses. Governor Brian Camp of Georgia. So how about that? How about an all Georgia presidential election in 2028? The governor of Georgia versus the Senator from Joe. What do you think?

I don't know about camp. He's kind of like a wet blanket. This is the Republican party. Do you know what an improvement a wet blanket would be?

I'm not disagreeing with you, but like as much as I don't like Trump.

His whole thing is that he like says funny stuff. You can define funny however you want. But like that's his draw and. No, he's compelling, but I think they're going to have a strong appetite for boring. And this is, this is the party that ran Mitt Romney.

“Do you remember Mitt Romney? Do you even know who's left?”

I have changed. I want to show you your own partnership with Choppy Fein and Business. You're right, the check-out with the world by best. The legendary check-out from Choppy Fein is just looking for your website. It's a bit too social media and everything is over.

That's the music for your ears. This is the music for your ears. The check-out with the world by best.

The legendary check-out from Choppy Fein is just looking for your website.

This is his social media and on top of that. And that's the music for your ears. Videos are based on vendors with Choppy Fein. Can't say to a real hip band. Let's show it.

Let's show it. But Mitt Romney, what was the only exciting thing he read? It left his dog and top of his car, right? Is that hot dogs or his favorite food? Hot dogs are really good.

Hot dogs are really good.

“Your favorite musical artist, Leve, did a bit yesterday on Apple.”

Hot dogs. I want that too. Yeah, exactly. And we're folks. We are so cool and up to the moment with popular culture.

And we just weave it in. I'm in the news therapy. That's what we do here. Leve had a very good set at over the weekend. And at Coachella.

And she's got a new music video app, right? Which is a plus music video. Shit. We just do the news here. And we enter the--

That's in celebrities eating hot dogs. Yeah, exactly. And Riley would contribute to this conversation. But he's usually in his basement playing. Um, you know, some shoot him up video game, right?

You pretty much, yeah. In your apartment basement? Yeah, in the basement. Well, you know, he used to go in the basement if that apartment. But then the rats came.

True, no, I can't go down there. Yeah, it's a whole long story. If you haven't been following this podcast for the past 12 years, like many of you have, then you would know about Riley's rats. Anyway, Riley, you get the opportunity to offer something else

here, don't you? Hi. I've got no-- You do. Don't try to steal it.

I've spent it all my stories. Oh, sorry. Okay. Riley's done for the day. Okay, nap time for Riley.

Now I get to go play more video games. Yeah. What is it? Do you play video games? Yeah.

Like, what do you play? Just random stuff. Usually with my friends that I do have. But like, what the haters say? Yeah, exactly.

Please stop writing in here saying Riley must have no friends.

It hurts his feelings. Okay? Don't stop it. Stop, stop doing that. Oh, sorry.

“There's somebody, didn't somebody write in yesterday and say that,”

you know, I shouldn't be talking to you guys because you're babies. Yeah. We get quite a few of those. No, it's not just yesterday. Not just yesterday.

We apparently look young for our age. Yeah, yeah. Me too, right? Right? Yes.

Right? Three children talking about a news. Yeah. Well, we're about the future. We're young.

The future is what we're about. We're happy. And frankly, if you don't want to hear the opinions of Riley and men,

kind of incredible suggestion for you.

Right? Go listen to somebody else. That's a prediction. That somebody will do that. Some, you know, old, who just can handle the future.

Well, but you know, I got to tell you something. I'm going to give you a little bit of political analysis on this, too. I get a lot of feedback from people where if they're over a certain age, they're talking about something like it's a policy issue. Recently, I've seen this a lot on the Israel issue.

And I'll be like, well, we can't have these house on papers and we can't have these people who are out there offering these views, which are anti Israel or anti the traditional view or whatever. You know, and we need to do the following for the following policies. And I don't think they understand that if you're under 35 at the United States,

this is not a deposit. It's a generation on the bay. If you're under 35, if you're under 40, you do not remember Israel that is not run by BBNet, yeah. It's not even a debate.

It has been a malevolent force in the region throughout that period. So for that group, you're not going to win the debate by saying, "Oh, I don't like Hassan Piker's language." Okay? The way you're going to win the debate is by recognizing which way the wins are

blowing generationally in the United States and plugging into that. I'm sorry if you don't get it. Because, you know, what's going to happen is election results, polling results,

are going to ultimately deliver the message to you.

Things are changing. Okay? We do not live in Chuck Schumer's American anymore.

“Sorry, am I going to start now a few with Chuck Schumer?”

Yes. What? Is he going to get the fake family to stop listening to us? The bay leaves. The bay leaves.

Yeah, the fake bay leaves are actually our number one supporters. Yeah, we should make the fake bay leaves. All right. Do we have anything else? Do you have anything else?

Well, yeah. We've been making a lot of predictions, which was a great warm-up. Now that we've got our second legs because our last story is all conjecture. And that story is that, as we all know, we discussed yesterday, Eric Swallwell left the California governor's race after sexual assault allegations.

And now there's no leader. So his departure gives other Democrats like Tom Stier and Katie Porter a chance to gain support or split the vote or who knows what's going to happen. And so this story is all about what is the future of California governor? So what is it?

Who is going to win? I like Katie Porter, but I don't know if that's going to happen. Well, she's your kind of politician. You like her. You like Hillary.

You know, you like a smart, strong woman who's perfectly going to lecture everybody else. What's wrong with the lecture every now and then? No, it's, well, I mean, baby. I mean, JD is like string the Pope.

I mean, never, you know, all for it.

There's a lot of that. There's a lot of that going right. Okay, Katie Porter, I could live with Katie Porter. Who else is like in the mix? Stier.

Tom Stier. Tom Stier is a pretty good guy. I mean, he's a billionaire, but he's a good billionaire. He's not a bad billionaire. He's one of these ones.

He's pro-environmentalist. He's really worked a lot of his life to try to make things better.

“I get either one of those, but can't the Republicans win?”

Isn't this a kind of like free form saying? And then you could have two Republican candidates win the primary. And it could be Republican versus Republican. Is it, is it's kind of with it? What's called a jungle primary?

How are the Republicans doing? That's why we're conjecturing. Because we don't know what's going to happen. We're guessing. Yeah, okay.

Well, my guess is that, you know, you'll probably end up with a Republican versus Democrat. You'll probably won't, you know, people will call a last around one of the Democrats.

Katie Porter is really good.

She has an extreme, but she was extremely effective member of Congress. But she's also, you know, she's alienated some people in the California establishment. I don't know. I think you're right. It's going to be one of those two people.

And, you know, it's not, you know, it's neither one would be a particularly bad outcome.

“I think both of them would be pretty good.”

And, you know, this is the fourth or fifth largest economy in the world. So, this is an election that matters. It matters in several ways, by the way. States provide a counterbalance to the federal government. So, like, for example, when the federal government doesn't come up with good environmental regulations,

states lead the way. California has done that. When the federal government says we're not going to regulate AI, states lead the way. California has done that.

But Riley, I just want to ask since we're on the topic.

Your favorite politician Gavin Newsom is leaving his governor. Don't you feel that he's got a lot to contribute in the his future political career? No. I think he has almost nothing to contribute. I mean, obviously he's going to run for president.

And he probably has a pretty good chance because the establishment likes him a lot. But I don't think anybody else really does. I mean, is there anybody who's really energized by Gavin Newsom out there? That may. I don't know.

If you are call us, we'd love to talk. We want to hear from you that the Gavin Newsom fans. Oh, yeah. You're using the truck. The clever Trump slur.

Sometimes Trump nicknames just hit. Yeah. Drink eye co because he thinks it kills cancer. But he can make a nickname. Not look.

Can't. Let's be forget meatball on the greatest of all the nicknames. Yeah. Well, or tie. What is it?

Little Marco. I mean, the fact that Rhonda Santas faded from, you know, the public consciousness is good, but it also sucks because Trump really had some of the best nicknames for Rhonda Santas. Rhonda Santas. Rhonda Santas was done in by the white boots.

And he wore those white boots. It was awesome. And also by his life, it looks like a batman villain. I mean, you know, it's not wearing lifts publicly. And constantly is not good for your political career.

Well, there's a weird learning. We're learning a lot here. Evil person is also bad.

“I mean, that's kind of immaterial though, isn't it, Menna?”

No, well, it can help you get in. He's still as a bad person. But I think, but look, look at this way. Remember, like, a couple years ago. And for all of those who say, oh, no, it's definitely going to be gabbing this.

No, for sure, it's going to be JD. But a couple years ago, for sure, it was Rhonda Santas. He was Trump's heir apparent. And frankly, Florida's turning bluish right now. You know, please alienated his Florida bits.

So, you know, just reminder of how things can change. Well, let's not forget the Gavin Newsome Rhonda Santas debate. That was on Fox. Oh, that galvanizing galvanizing. It was a good time.

Yeah, well, let's forget the Gavin Newsome marriage to Kimberly Gilfuel, our ambassador to Grace. That's another highlight. Anyway, okay, folks, you know, we'd like your feedback. Please respond.

We'd like this to be more of a dialogue. Come at us in the comments in the YouTube section. I think that's the easiest way to do it. You can do it on, you know, if you're a member of their other ways, you can do it. But just, if you go subscribe on YouTube, then you can put comments in there.

And then when you say things like, you know, Riley should play this video game.

Or, you know, there's no way you could possibly be critical of men.

But, you know, David really needs to, you know, do something to perhaps have a facelift.

“So, he doesn't look like I'm willing to do that if that's what you guys demand of me.”

Just, we're, we're nothing if not responsive to all of you out there. So, go in the opera comments. And we will be back with you tomorrow, because today's, what is it? Like, write it or something? No, what is it like the weekend?

It's only Wednesday. It's Saturday. It's Saturday. How is that even possible? Kind of this week these weeks or something.

Okay. It's Wednesday, which means later today, we have deep state radio. Our flagship pod with our special guest Tom Nichols. Many of you like Tom Nichols at the Atlantic. Dr. Mitch and Rosa Brooks.

And then we've words matter tomorrow.

We've got, you know, the TNR thing.

Every single day we've got.

We've got a ton of stuff for you.

“So, come and join us for all that ton of stuff.”

And then give your comments.

And we'll make it better stuff. I promise, you know, we're evolving. We're growing super rapidly. There's obviously something working here.

“And I think it's that you give us input.”

We try to respond. Anyway, more soon. Until then. Thanks. Bye-bye.