Deep State Radio

Rep. Eric Swalwell of California has emerged as one of the most important voices in the Democratic Party. From his presidential campaign to his work during last year's impeachment hearings, he has stood out for both tough-mindedness and clarity. As the son and brother of police officers, he has strong views on how we need to reform policing in America in the wake of the abuses we have seen, especially in communities of color. This ties to his activism on the issue of gun control. We discuss both as well as his views on the Matt Gaetz scandal, the GOP's race to the bottom, the best strategy for a Democratic Party that must expand its margins in the Senate and House in 2022 and accountability for the Trump administration. Don't miss this insight-rich conversation.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The ancient Aztecs referred to the headache and misery following drunken debauchery as the "curse of 400 rabbits." Presidents need to try to avoid policies that produce similar reactions. So far the Biden Administration has been deft at doing so. Where might they go wrong? And what domestic policy priorities should they pursue to strengthen the US internationally? We discuss with Ed Luce of the Financial Times, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University Law School. Don't miss the conversation...which includes a special report from the parking lot of a Wal-Mart in Billings, Montana. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

By this time during the presidency of the former guy, his national security advisor had been booted, the Muslim ban had been tried and Comey was days from getting fired. We also knew that the GOP was simply not going to do anything about even the worst things Trump was doing. So it's not too early to make some prognostications about about the political weather we can expect in the Biden Era. The bad news is, we already know the GOP is still Trump's GOP, obstructionist at best, anti-democratic, racist, corrupt and traitorous at worst. The good news is that so far, Joe Biden has managed to by-pass the Beltway and win bi-partisan support by listening to the American people and giving them the kind of programs and change the majority of them have long supported. Will this continue? What could result in a course change? We discuss with Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Washington Post, Dr. Kavita Patel, former Obama White House official and practicing physician and Ryan Goodman, NYU Law professo

The US is making great progress on vaccine distribution and national death tolls are falling. But new variants are spreading and some states are seeing disturbing spikes in infection. The world is itching to re-open post pandemic but the very of "post-pandemic" may be illusory with out of control COVID in many parts of the world and unsatisfactory government responses in many others. What should we make of this welter of contradictory facts? We discuss with Dr. Kavita Patel, practicing physician and former senior Obama White House health policy official, and Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, noted epidemiologist. Don't miss this discussion which was enhanced by the ability of DSR members to pose questions. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It is a matter of conventional wisdom nearly everywhere that the Biden Administration is off to a strong start. Which, life on this planet being what it is, leads us to ask, what could go wrong? Will Russia's saber-rattling in Ukraine turn into something worse? What about China's regarding Taiwan? Are there any good options in either case for Biden & Co. What about the pandemic? We're doing better in the US but the rest of the world is being rocked by new problems. Could that drag us backward? Our regulars, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute, Ed Luce of the Financial Times and David Sanger of the New York Times join us to discuss. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Too much of world history is written by men about men for men. The result is that cultural biases of a male-centric world are reinforced. But another consequence is that the vitally important stories about heroic women who are shaping our communities an our futures go unnoticed. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, author of the Daughters of Kobani, is addressing this shortcoming with powerful books telling the story of remarkable women across the greater Middle East. We discuss with her the future of the US in the region, the future of women in the region and how average American can make a difference in resetting our priorities. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As anti-Asian hate crimes continue across America, California Congressman Ted Lieu has become one of the foremost voices demanding action to stop the violence. He also has not been shy about calling to account the former president and his administration for fueling the violence with their hateful references to the spread of the COVID pandemic. We speak to Rep. Lieu about the crisis and the steps the Biden Administration is taken to stop it. We also discuss the president's upcoming major infrastructure initiative, the climate crisis and what must be done to hold the former administration accountable for its abuses including inciting the insurrection on January 6th. Don't miss this wide ranging conversation. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Introducing a new show from the DSR Network called “Spy Talk.” SpyTalk lives at the intersection of intelligence operations, foreign policy, homeland security and military strategy. Co-hosted by veteran national security journalist Jeff Stein and former star CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve, the podcast will feature exclusives by SpyTalk’s roster of longtime reporters, news and profiles of US and foreign spymasters and interviews with policymakers and expert authors. There’s nothing quite like it—a place for experts and lay persons alike, who enjoy national security scoops and insights by SpyTalk’s subject matter experts. Coming this Spring. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also subscribe to the Spy Talk Newsletter on Substack and learn more about Spy Talk’s contributors. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While we are only two months into the new administration (and it is getting good marks for those two months) it is never too early to start kibbitzing about how to do better. Can we go too far in direct our economic attention inward? What old policy positions can we let go of? How do we fix our defense planning and spending? Is there anything we can teach Europe to help them with their troubled vaccination roll outs? Ed Luce of the Financial Times, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law School offer their thoughts on areas we can do even better...and then they turn their attention to the great American infrastructure songbook. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Few decisions a government can make are more consequential than deciding when the use of force is warranted. In the US a debate has raged for decades about how much latitude a president should have in making such decisions and what role Congress should play. Legal contortionism has turned congressional authorizations for the use of force in one circumstance into blank permissions slips still cited by president decades later. This week, the Congress has begun to reconsider these profoundly important issues and we are joined by experts Steve Pomper, formerly of the Obama NSC, and Oona Hathaway, professor at Yale Law School, as well as regular co-host Ryan Goodman, co-editor of Just Security and professor at NYU Law School for a discussion on what changes are needed and which are possible. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After four years of policy by Tweet that sometimes felt as if it were driven more by the indigestion of the Tweeter than by any connection to US interests, the Biden Administration has ushered in a striking change. Last week's US-China meetings in Anchorage, were acrimonious at times but appropriately so for a complex relationship and there seemed to be a clear method to the US approach. That was born out early this week when the US imposed meaningful sanctions on China for its abuses of the Uyghurs...in conjunction with our closest allies. We discuss where this and other recent developments lead with Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute, Ed Luce of the Financial Times and David Sanger of the New York Times. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Never in the history of shocking revelations about US government lies and scandal has there been such a protracted period of shocking revelations nor one with so few consequences for those in power at the center of the scandals. Now, as the Biden Administration, reveals more truth about Trumpist lies there is again shock...and precious little action or accountability? What next? What does it say about us and our system? We discuss with former FBI counterintelligence official and best-selling author Peter Strzok along with our regulars NYU Law School's Ryan Goodman and former Obama WH official Dr. Kavita Patel. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mitch McConnell has become so effective as an obstructionist force and the GOP has been so disciplined in their support of him, that he has left the Democrats with no alternative but to consider some form of filibuster reform. Even those who have opposed such steps in the past are now showing some signs of warming to some form of the idea. We discuss in a Q&A with American Enterprise Institute emeritus scholar and one of the leading experts on this issue, Norm Ornstein. Join us for this important conversation. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There are encouraging signs that the US will slowly begin to return to post-COVID normalcy by this summer or fall. Wall Street predictions for the economy for the third and fourth quarters of 2021 are rosy. What if that actually happens? What priorities will be next for the Biden Administration? What challenges may emerge worldwide that may draw its attention? We discuss with David Sanger of the NY Times, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law and author of the new book, Tangled Up in Blue. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Yes, you heard that right. We've come to 50 days into the Biden presidency and things are actually working, getting better, Spring is in the air, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Admittedly, there's plenty of ways that despite the best efforts of the president and despite passage of the massive American Rescue Plan that we can screw this up. But who knows, we might not. Right? We discuss with Dr. Kavita Patel, former top official in the Obama White House and practicing physician, and with Ryan Goodman, professor at NYU Law School and co-editor of the Just Security website. Join us. It's not all bad news for a change. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There is good news in America--from progress in getting relief to Americans wracked by COVID and its economic aftershocks to slowly getting a new government in place including, finally, the confirmation of Attorney General Merrick Garland. Where do we go from here though in securing the country and fixing our broken politics. We speak with two veterans of the Trump Administration who broke away to challenge it, former Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Neumann and former Mike Pence senior staffer Olivia Troye. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last week Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered a speech outlining the priorities of Biden-Harris Administration foreign policy. It differed from past such speeches in focus, tone and objectives. It described an approach in which, in the words of Blinken, the distinctions between foreign and domestic policy have "fallen away." It was also showed more humility and awareness that America had much work to do to repair our own democracy, immigration policies, and relationships around the world if we are to be successful. We discuss the speech and its implications with Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University Law School and Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations. We also begin with some observations on International Women's Day. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Weren't we supposed to get a break from being angry at DC? At the political inanity? The recklessness? The law breaking with impunity? Sure its the same old people being inane and reckless and breaking the law but even with Democrats in charge in the White House and in both houses of Congress, progress is painfully hard to come by, setbacks are frequent, Republicans seem disciplined and Democrats can't get together around core ideas. Or can they? Are there glimmers of hope? Patterns or opportunities that should trigger a little more optimism? We discuss with Greg Sargent of the Washington Post, Dr. Kavita Patel, of the Brookings Institution and formerly of the Obama White House and Ryan Goodman, professor at NYU Law School and co-editor of "Just Security." Join us. You might feel better. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Deep State Radio listeners know Rosa Brooks as one of our founding regulars, a scholar on constitutional and international law and a national security expert. But for the past few years she has served as a police officer in Washington, DC and has written about her experiences and the lessons we can all draw from them in a new book, "Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City." It is an extraordinarily well-observed story that raises urgently important questions. Rosa joins us on this podcast to discuss the book and answer listener questions. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

ISIS was as unstoppable as their beliefs and actions were unconscionable when they arrived in Kobani. But there they were defeated by a force that not only outfought them on the battlefield but simultaneously obliterated their eleventh century ideology of the suppression and abuse of women. It was an army led in part by women, featuring fierce, capable women fighters many of whom just months earlier could hardly have imagined the circumstances that led to their triumph. Subsequently, the women of the Kurdish Women's Protection Units went on to many other victories and to win the admiration of military leaders and advocates of women's empowerment worldwide. Their story has been captured by best-selling author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon in a new book, "The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage and Justice." It is an inspiring book, an important book and hopefully a book that will help change America's woefully bad policies toward the Kurds. We discuss it and those policies with Lemmon in a special editio