Deep State Radio

There are countries and systems that are managing the COVID-19 crisis comparatively well. South Korea, which invested heavily and early in testing is one. Singapore, in the view of renowned infectious disease expert and Pulitzer Prize-winner Laurie Garrett, may be an even better one. Their testing is almost ubiquitous and trust in the government's handling of the crisis is rock solid. Garrett, Just Security's Ryan Goodman and host David Rothkopf discuss what we can learn from these success and compare them to the still disastrous situation in the U.S. (and the lunatic approach embraced by the government of the U.K.). From how much longer this social and economically disruptive crisis will go on to what the science is telling us right now, this is an essential discussion. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lives are at stake in the coronavirus crisis. And the future of democracy is at stake in the upcoming election. What is disturbing is that both vitally important issues depend on all of us having access to the facts and there are powerful forces working to make that difficult. Foreign governments. Our own government. Politicians and other we an axe to grind. We discuss with disinformation expert and former NSC official, Laura Rosenberger, and Ryan Goodman of Just Security, how to tell truth from lies, who is attacking the truth and who are its champions. You won't want to miss this episode. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a moment that a global pandemic has you self-quarantined and social distancing and a global market collapse has you terrified about the future and bad leadership has you curled up on under your bed, there is only one perfect solution! Listening to a podcast. That's what's called finding the silver lining. Can we find them with the multiple calamities that have befallen us in the past few weeks (and years...well, since the dawn of time if you want to be accurate)? That's one of the things we discuss with Sharon Weinberger, DC bureau chief of Yahoo News, Ed Luce of the Financial Times, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law. Don't miss it (especially when the alternative is interacting with other people who are likely to be teeming with germs). This episode of Deep State Radio is brought to you by The New Yorker. The New Yorker publishes the best writing by the most influential authors in the world, with award-winning reporting, political commentary and cultural c

We don't raise an eyebrow when Trump lies. Most of his early lies were of little consequence, about his wealth or sexual prowess or intellect. But in recent weeks, in the midst of the first major International crisis the president has faced (that he did not himself create), we have seen those lies turned into potential weapons of mass destruction. By minimizing the consequences of a global pandemic, many can die, markets can lose faith in public officials, economies can falter. We discuss this disturbing, dangerous phenomenon with Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations and Ryan Goodman of NYU Law and "Just Security." We also discuss how it is all a part of an effort by Trump to transform the entire US government into an engine of disinformation that is a grave threat to our national security. Don't miss this important episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After 20 years, the US is trying its best to get out of Dodge in Afghanistan. Trouble is the not-quite-a-peace-deal announced over the weekend fell apart on Monday. The US got out of Syria and now that country is on the verge of what may be a new and horrific humanitarian crisis. By the end of the year, it seems, everyone everywhere may have coronavirus and we're only beginning to understand the consequences of that...or the lengths to which the Trump Administration will lie about what's happening. And the Democratic primaries are going through a massive upheaval...but the question is: Is anything becoming more clearer or is it just becoming clear how unclear everything is? We discuss with regulars Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University, Ed Luce of the Financial Times and special guest Lt. Col. Larry Wilkerson of the College of William and Mary and former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell. You really shouldn't miss a word of this. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See

Donald Trump has made narcissism the central organizing principle of his government. It used to be said institutions were the lengthened shadow of one man. In the case of the US government today it is the lengthened shadow of one man's psychopathology. Every decision, every action turns on whether Trump and those close to him feel it is good or bad for him personally. And half of America is cool with him shattering norms of law and good governance because they feel DC is broken and doesn't work for them and maybe shattered norms are the way to fix it. And with 40 years of inequality and increased power to the 1% who can blame them? The question is, did they pick the right norms to shatter? And is Trump really on their side? That's what campaign 2020 is going to come down to--but there's a twist. Some of the Dems want to preserve the norms that have screwed the majority of Americans for the past forty years as well. So...where's this all going to end up? We discuss with the Washington Post's Greg Sargent and R

Donald Trump is remaking the U.S. government in ways that make you less safe, make our justice system less fair, put our democracy at greater risk. This past week we have seen manifold examples of the Trump method for putting down opposition, twisting the facts, suppressing intelligence, culling experts and independent thinkers and doing it all constantly to a devastating cumulative effect. Kori Schake of AEI, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law and Joe Cirincione of the Ploughshares Fund discuss this and why people may be seeing voters response to it in the primaries in the wrong light. Tune in to this timely and important episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Donald Trump is purging his cabinet of expertise and those who place loyalty to the Constitution above that to Trump personally. In the intelligence community, State Department, Justice Department, Department of Defense and the National Security Council we have seen an exodus of talent and a message delivered to all who remain that is positively chilling. Don't raise awareness of threats like Russian election interference because Trump does not want to hear it is just one example. Also: with breaking news out of Afghanistan and the deeply disturbing prognosis from Syria, international crises and potentially unsettling decisions loom as events that may color the 2020 campaign and impact further America's falling standing in the world. We discuss all these issues with one of America's pre-eminent national security thinkers and leaders, Michele Flournoy, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and co-founder and managing partner at WestExec Advisors. Flournoy is a likely leader in an incoming Democratic adm

You may think that all Donald Trump thinks about is himself. Or his latest grift. Or cheeseburgers. But when you look at his recent behavior, it looks like even with impeachment behind him, our president saves most of his bandwidth for the land of Tchaikovsky, Putin and borscht. He shoved aside his acting Director of National Intelligence in a fit of pique over a Congressional briefing from a top IC official saying Russia was planning to interfere in the 2020 elections and do so, again, on Trump's behalf. He put in the DNI's place an acting official with no intelligence background but who might be loyal and help cover Russia's tracks. In a London court this week, lawyers for Julian Assange said Trump, through an intermediary, offered Assange a pardon if he would deny Russian involvement in 2016. Roger Stone got 40 months in prison for, according to the sentencing judge, covering up for Trump--and now, it is suspected, Trump is planning to reward Stone with a pardon. Meanwhile the AG is overseeing an investiga

It would seem like 2020 would be offering a great opportunity for Democrats what with the president being historical unpopular and perhaps the most corrupt and worst president in U.S. history. But still, Democrats will be Democrats and even with urgency and opportunity looming large, they seem dedicated to the idea of blowing their chances sky high. We discuss how they are doing that and speculate as to why and where all this will lead. Is it already Bernie vs. Bloomberg in the main event? Where might that lead come convention time? And how would the world view a Bloomberg or a Sanders presidency? Ed Luce of the Financial Times, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University Law Center and host David Rothkopf discuss, lament and discuss some more. Join them! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Coronavirus has a new name: Covid-19. It has infected over 50,000 people and taken over 1,000 lives. But the crisis may be just beginning. And the response of governments from China to the United States may be only be making its potential toll worse. We speak with Pulitzer Prize winning science writer, Laurie Garrett, one of the world's preeminent experts on global public health issues about just how bad the situation is and about some of the most egregious missteps of our leaders to date. We also discuss the fact that as of right now there are multiple serious epidemics occurring simultaneously placing the global health system under unprecedented stress--a situation we could have prepared for but did not. Essential listening. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 2016, Russia not only helped elect Donald Trump, they also assured Americans would never again be able to look at election results with the same trust they had in the past. If anything, actions by them, the Administration, other bad actors and incompetent administrators have raised unease about what we might expect in this year's election cycle. Beyond that, risks we have focused on in the past, like terrorism, might manifest themselves again--perhaps from dangerous, white supremacist sources. Are we prepared? We discuss with Juliette Kayyem of Harvard's Kennedy School, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law School and David Sanger of the New York Times. Don't miss this episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With each day since Trump's sham acquittal ceremony, it has become clear that the president sees the outcome that was served up on a silver platter by the servile Senate GOP (with one exception) as the license to behave badly. Trump never disappoints those who expect the worst from him. We discuss where this leaves us with three of the great voices of the resistance--Sarah Kendzior and Andrea Chalupa of "Gaslit Nation" and AG from "Mueller She Wrote." They are, as you'd expect, great...and then we all announce the exciting launch of a major Washington event bringing together many of the very best podcasts for a kind DC PodCon. We call it Washington Today Forum but you can call it WTF for short. It will take place on May 21st at the Warner Theater in Washington, DC. Go to www.thedsrnetwork.com for more details and to reserve your tickets. You won't want to miss this. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If you thought Trump's acquittal by the Senate was the worst thing that could happen this week, you seem to be forgetting who you are dealing with. First, the Senate trial had much value and was, by any reasonable assessment, a net benefit for the country even despite the fact that it wasn't really a trial, was rigged and further empowered a bad president. But in rapid succession we had awards for racists, calls for retribution against the president's enemies, an announcement of Bill Barr further pressing his foot down on the throat of Justice and Trump giving one of the most unhinged and disturbing public performance of his presidency. We discuss what all this means and where it can lead with three of the best commentators out there, Maya Wiley of the New School and an MSNBC commentator, Tom Nichols of the Naval War College and author of "The Death of Expertise" and our own Ryan Goodman of Just Security and NYU Law School. You won't want to miss this. Essential listening. Support this show http://supporter.a

If you read Fred Kaplan's new book "The Bomb" you will discover that despite the best efforts of some very qualified, competent presidents and their teams, we've come pretty close to blowing up the world a few times over the years. Now we have a president is none of those things. Indeed he's making the risk of global calamity greater with each passing day. So how come no one on the campaign trail is making this a central issue. We discuss with Kaplan, Kori Schake of AEI and, in Des Moines, Iowa, Ed Luce of the Financial Times. Don't you dare miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The House Managers have done an extraordinary job in the Senate trial, led by the eloquence and brilliance of Adam Schiff. They have compellingly made the case that President Trump violated the law and his oath of office and should be removed from that office. But that's not going to happen. Because this trial was rigged from the outset. But does this story end here? Will the House Managers win their case in the court of public opinion? Will that translate into change and a debacle for the president's defenders in November. We discussed with two of the very best experts around, our own Ryan Goodman of Just Security and Asha Rangappa of the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University. It's a must-listen. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The outbreak of coronavirus in China is rapidly emerging as a major global public health crisis? How bad might it get? How is our government doing in handling it? We talk to President Obama's ebola response czar Ron Klain about where we are and what's next? Then, because Ron is a top figure in the Biden campaign, the former VP's former chief of staff, we discuss with him Iowa, the other early primaries and why he thinks a Biden candidacy is the best way to advance a progressive agenda. It's a great new episode that you won't want to miss. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists recently pushed its Doomsday Clock closer to "midnight" than it has ever been. They did this because nuclear safeguards are disappearing, risks are growing and because they include the risk of climate armageddon in their calculus. And you thought the impeachment and the death of American democracy was worrisome! Nuclear expert Jon Wolfsthal, Georgetown's Rosa Brooks, AEI's Kori Schake and the FT's Ed Luce join to discuss all this and answer the question: Who's the most odious member of the Trump Administration? (Who says we don't deal with the really hard questions?) Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While the outcome of the Senate trial seems a foregone conclusion, even an acquittal might not be good news for President Trump. There are a whole range of long-term consequences of the current drama on the Hill, some with positive implications, some that would be very troubling. On this special impeachment trial episode Ryan Goodman of Just Security, Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations and lawyer and legal commentator Katie Phang offer a different perspective on the trial than you have heard anywhere else. Don't miss it.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're at one of the most fraught moments in American political history. The country is polarized. The president is going to trial. That president is one of the most polarizing figures the world has ever seen. And headlines scream of momentous events in the weeks ahead. Everybody's running a fever and maybe it's time to take two aspirin and call Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and David Sanger of the New York Times. Because they have just what this moment really calls for: perspective, the long view, even wisdom. This episode of Deep State Radio may not cure what ails you but it'll help you know what the problem really is...and in the end, that's the important thing, isn't it? Join us? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.