Deep State Radio

Look around. Count the good and great political leaders in the world today. That didn't take long did it? Why not? What has happened? Where have all the leaders gone? Is that a sign of progress or decline? And where does it lead? To messy, ineffective governments--mere cattywampusness--or to something much, much worse? Kori Schake of IISS, Ed Luce of the FT and Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law discuss and you do not want to miss their sweeping, penetrating, sobering conclusions. A must listen episode of DSR! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Once, when presented with an argument that the Pope would appreciate it if he laid off persecuting Russian Catholics, Stalin responded, "The Pope? How many divisions does he have?" It may be that Trump-Barr-McConnell soulless brain's trust have muttered something similar about Democratic efforts to stop the lawless president. So long as Barr is unwilling to prosecute and views the Department of Justice as the private attorney's for Trump, they might as well be saying, "Pelosi? How many prosecutors does she have?" We discuss their strategy and how the House vote to proceed with impeachment changes the equation with two great experts, our regular co-host, Ryan Goodman, co-editor of "Just Security" and professor at NYU Law School and Barbara McQuade, former U.S. Attorney and professor at the University of Michigan Law School. It's just the kind of expertise you need to make sense of a crazy news week. Tune in. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt

Donald Trump has promoted a foreign policy that seeks to reverse or undermine many of the lasting tenets of post WWII U.S. foreign policy. He wants to retreat into a gated community nationalism that eschews international institutions, alliances, engagement, diplomacy and even the basics of sound coordinated foreign and national security policy at home. The risks are becoming clearer every day: in Syria, via trade wars and in the gains Trump has won...for our rivals, notably the Russians. We discuss how long it may take to recover and how we may get there with Tony Blinken, former Deputy Secretary of State under President Barack Obama and currently an advisor to the presidential campaign of Joe Biden. It is an important, thought-provoking conversation 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 not-so-secret secret of Trump foreign policy is that there is no policy. But the better kept secret is that we have one seeming policy from the President himself and then another, which is the effort of professionals in the government to keep the President from getting us all killed. It's not really the Deep State conspiracy whack jobs would have you believe in. It's the hidden check of our system: patriotic pros in our government who won't be corrupted by the corrupt or dumbed down by the dumb. Case in point: Syria. Another case in point: Ukraine. Join the great Rosa Brooks, the irreplaceable Kori Schake and the brilliant Ed Luce for another great, timely discussion on urgent issues--but maybe, just maybe this one won't leave you curled up under your bed. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This was the week the cracks began to show in Republican defenses of the indefensible. Oh sure, there were more distractions, shenanigans and lies. But between the abortive attempt to hold the G7 Meeting at Trump's not-so-nice, faltering Doral golf resort, new testimony in House impeachment inquiry that made the president's crimes clearer than ever before and the shocking case made by the president's lawyers that even if the president murdered someone he could not be indicted or even investigated, the Constitutional crisis deepened and Trump became harder to defend. Join our great guests Susan Hennessey of Lawfare, Ed Luce of the Financial Times and co-host Ryan Goodman of "Just Security" and NYU Law School for an absolutely essential and chilling discussion of precisely where we are amid the cascading scandals of the Trump Era. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From describing Trump's violations of the Constitution's foreign and domestic emoluments clauses as the Trump Administration's "original sin" to grappling with a Manhattan phone book-length list of presidential crimes, Representative Jamie Raskin of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees presents us with the current state of the impeachment efforts in the U.S. Congress. Raskin is one of Trump's most effective and thoughtful critics and his impassioned discussion of the president's serial abuses is must-listening. The second half of this episode is then the first in the series of behind-the-scenes powers in the Democratic Party and their views on how to achieve victory in 2020. Our guest is our friend and founding partner, Bernard Schwartz, a leading Dem donor and thought leader who brings to bear his decades of experience to frame the race ahead. Join us for two wide-ranging and illuminating conversations. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy an

What if the problem is not Trump. Or Boris Johnson. Or the rest of the current occupants of the global leadership clown car? What if the problem runs deeper? What if something about our societies is fundamentally broken? What if that is democracy? What if each election to come takes us further from old ideals and toward deeper dysfunction? Ok, so maybe it's not what you want to hear about when you're driving home or  working out or doing whatever you do when you're listening to Deep State Radio. But it's what you NEED to hear. A sobering and thought-provoking conversation with Georgetown University's Rosa Brooks and the Financial Times' Ed Luce. Tune in.  This episode is brought to you by "The New Yorker." For a limited time, Deep State Radio listeners can subscribe to The New Yorker and receive access to all exclusive online content, home delivery of the magazine, access to crossword puzzles and a New Yorker tote bag! Visit newyorker.com/deepstate to save 50% off the regular subscription price (just $6 for 1

It has been a few days of staggering incompetence, ignorance, corruption and betrayal from the Trump Administration. The Kurds were betrayed not once but twice, most recently by a sham deal that facilitates Turkish ethnic cleansing. The White House Chief of Staff admitting a quid pro quo in the Ukraine scandal while, at the same time, announcing that the US would host the next G7 meeting at a Trump resort in Florida. Trump senior officials were taking turns throwing each other under the bus. And momentum to remove the president from office was gaining momentum. It takes a great group to sort this all out and we have them: Ryan Goodman of "Just Security" and NYU Law, Rosa Brooks, of Georgetown Law (and, maybe, president of the Deep State) and Ed Luce of the Financial Times analyze, explicate, lament and commiserate with you our dear listeners. Tune in!  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As every day brings new testimony from former members of the Trump Administration that confirms there was widespread acknowledgment that what the President and his agents were doing in Ukraine was wrong, new questions emerge. How much more testimony will be required before an impeachment vote will take place? What will be the scope of the charges brought? How will the Congress deal with the refusal of central players in this drama--like Rudy Giuliani--to comply with subpoenas? How is this all impacting our standing in the world? Join us for a one-on-one conversation with Congressman Jim Himes of Connectictut, one of the most thoughtful and prominent voices on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. It is on the news and you won't want to miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Donald Trump gave the greenlight to a Turkish invasion of Syria that has already led to manifold calamities. We betrayed our Kurdish allies. They are already suffering atrocities and worse is likely ahead. We have thrown a lifeline to ISIS. We have strengthened Assad, Iran and Russia. And we are just a few days into this fiasco of failed foreign policy. Huge questions are raised by these events and we have an extraordinary panel to discuss them including Gen. Mark Hertling, former Commander of the US Army in Europe, Harvard Professor Stephen Walt, columnist and professor Joyce Karam and DSR regular David Sanger of the New York Times. It is essential listening. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You've been waiting for it. You've been talking about it. You've been listening to our Rosa Brooks say we weren't there yet for a year now. But, finally, thanks to the really extraordinary rejection of basic Constitutional principles like separation of powers and the idea that Congress and the Executive are co-equal branches of government, we're there! We know because Rosa Brooks, of Georgetown Law School, and Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School and "Just Security" say so on this special edition of Deep State Radio. Except perhaps it's not really a "baby" crisis. It's a big one and we discuss where it might go next on this pod. Don't miss it! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Donald Trump has given the blessing of the U.S. to a Turkish invasion of Northern Syria that could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe for the Kurds, the alienation of an important ally, greater distrust among our other allies, and benefits for the Assad Regime, Iran and Russia. It has triggered a rare, bi-partisan chorus of condemnation of the president...and, within hours, military action on the Turkish-Syrian border. We are joined by a former U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Michele Flournoy, Georgetown University's Rosa Brooks, Kori Schake of the IISS, and Ed Luce of the Financial Times to discuss this latest calamitous decision by Trump and its likely consequences. Don't miss this essential conversation. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With new scandals and controversies emerging every hour on the hour, it is hard to know which are serious, which are distractions and which are just hallucinations in the mind of a punch drunk nation. What does it mean? Where will it lead? We offer the expert and incisive perspectives of an extraordinary discussion between former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman, former FBI agent Asha Rangappa and our regular co-hosts, Ryan Goodman, co-editor of Just Security and professor at NYU Law School and David Rothkopf. You won't want to miss this discussion which seeks to untangle the web Trump & Co. have woven...and then explores just how much lasting damage it may do to our institutions. Please join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The die is cast. Impeachment hearings are underway. The Trump presidency is in great (and well-deserved) peril. But, getting from where we are to an impeachment vote in the House and a conviction in the Senate will require a completely different tone and conduct from the Democratic leadership. And forestalling the end of the Trump presidency will require a change of pace from the White House. Edward Luce of the Financial Times and Mieke Eoyang, Vice President for National Security at the Third Way discuss and consider what is likely to happen next. Essential listening. Join us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A week ago a substantial majority of Americans opposed even an impeachment inquiry. Today, a majority of all Americans support such an inquiry and fully half support impeaching Trump outright. That's a massive swing that makes the support for impeaching Trump vastly greater than what it was at comparable moments for either Richard Nixon or Bill Clinton. How did we get here? Ed Luce of the Financial Times, Evelyn Farkas of the German Marshall Fund and Joe Cirincione of the Ploughshares Fund discuss, breaking down the latest developments and offering perspective you can find nowhere else. Tune in. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's not just you. We're all lying beneath the rubble of substantial portions of American democracy trying to figure out what hit us. Fortunately, you have us. So, climb on the treadmill or save this for the drive home or a long walk tonight...and join former U.S. Attorney Mimi Rocah and Ryan Goodman of Just Security and NYU Law School as we explore the revelations from the Ukraine Whistleblower case, the hearings with Acting Director of National Intelligence Maguire, and the president's latest threats against patriots just trying to do their job. It is essential listening for a very troubling and complicated time. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The answer of course to the question posed in the title of this podcast is Greta Thunberg, the extraordinary young Scandinavian leader who has delivered the message that the climate crisis is real and urgent better than any world leader. America's president is a source of particular contempt for her as their recent passing encounter at the UN revealed. We discuss her impact, his impact, and the other big issues likely to be discussed in and around the UN General Assembly meetings this week in New York. Join Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law School, Kori Schake of IISS and Max Bergmann of the Center for American Progress for a scintillating and timely discussion. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Few Americans in our history have had such wide-ranging and distinguished careers as Leon Panetta. A former Secretary of Defense, Director of Central Intelligence and White House Chief of Staff as well as a long-time Congressman from California, Panetta is one of the most respected, thoughtful and experienced observers of U.S. national security and foreign policy. Panetta presents his views on the threats we face and the need to take them seriously. In this extraordinary interview he discusses the Ukraine Whistleblower case and why now is the time for an impeachment investigation, Trump undermining of Americans standing in the world and the risks associated with his allergy to advice or to drawing up on the professional national resources at his disposal. Don't miss this urgent, pointed interview. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Every few weeks Trump does something that leads everyone to exclaim, "Now he really has done it! This will be the end of him." And every few weeks after people can hardly remember what the last surefire last straw was. Will the Ukraine whistleblower story be an exception or just further proof that our system is broken and Trump has carte blanche to do whatever he feels like doing? We discuss with Kori Schake of IISS, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law School and Max Bergmann of the Center for American Progress. Tune in! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our political system has built into it a kind of immune system to protect it from abuse and abusers. But just as how in life, bacteria develop that are resistant to drugs, so too in our system we have seen the emergence of a kind of threat that resists oversight, checks and balances and processes designed to keep us safe from corruption and tyranny. Donald Trump is just such a threat and recent revelations regarding how Trump's team sought to kill an investigation into suspect conversations he had with foreign leaders and further illustrations of Trumpworld's efforts to place the president above the law prove it. We discuss with the Washington Post's Greg Sargent, Amb. Ivo Daalder of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Ryan Goodman, co-editor of "Just Security" and a professor at NYU Law School. It is an essential conversation. Don't miss it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.