Deep State Radio

If the current political climate wasn’t bleak enough, Donald Trump is now calling for his political enemies to be executed. The transgression of these military and CIA veterans? Calling on their military colleagues to uphold the Constitution. The president is calling for unprecedented levels of political violence and his administration cronies are supporting him. David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein are back to discuss the terrifying implications for our democracy. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss tomorrow’s meeting between Mamdani and Trump, US military officials in Kyiv, Trump signing off on the release of the Epstein files, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump is cratering in two new polls. A Marist survey has his overall approval rating at 39 percent, and a Marquette poll has his approval plunging on the economy (36-64), tariffs (37-63), and inflation (28-72). Yet Trump and his advisers don’t have much of an answer to this problem. Trump just unleashed a long, rambling tirade angrily insisting that prices are really going down, not up. And he ranted bizarrely about Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, saying of the latter, “I’d love to fire his ass,” another sign of his anger over inflation. So what happens if the economy really dips? We talked to New Republic staff writer Timothy Noah, who has been writing well on this question. He explains what’s going on with the gathering economic storm clouds, why Trump is uniquely ill-suited to handle a worsening economic crisis, and what things might look like for Trump if the bottom falls out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump shrugged off the murder of Jamal Khashoggi this week by saying "things happen." The casual acceptance of cold-blooded murder should strike a chill in the hearts of all, not just because of its callousness, but because of its implications for our country. Rosa Brooks and David Rothkopf discuss and look for answers and insights in our history, starting with the American Revolution. Don't miss it. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a growing use of artificial intelligence in law, will we soon have robots defending us in court? Not exactly. Firms are increasingly using AI to take care of the more mundane aspects of law, but the effects will be profound. General Counsel at Luminance Harry Borovick joins David Rothkopf to explore the fundamental ways that AI is evolving the field of law and more.  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

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the nearly unanimous vote to release the Epstein files, Trump’s meeting with MBS, the administration’s dismantling of the Education Department, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Suddenly, President Trump’s effort to rig the 2026 midterms with corrupt gerrymanders appears in trouble. A panel of judges just blocked the GOP gerrymander in Texas, which had added five seats. In Indiana, Republicans currently lack the votes to redraw their congressional map. Trump is angry about all this. He lashed out at Indiana Republicans, threatening primaries and calling one opponent “weak” and “pathetic.” So is the scheme dead? No Several aspects of it still remain unresolved. The Texas seats are in doubt, but that’s being appealed, and Republicans have added four other seats. Meanwhile, Democrats are adding 5 in California and one in Utah. Now what? We talked to Heather Williams, who’s been fighting against the GOP schemes as president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. She explains the hurdles that lie ahead, how it could all turn out relatively well for Democrats, and why rank-and-file voters need to take state-level contests way more seriously.  Looking for More from the DSR Netwo

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss Mohammed bin Salman’s White House visit, the UN Security Council backing Trump’s Middle East peace plan, the resignation of acting FEMA admin David Richardson, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A civil war is unfolding inside the MAGA movement over Nick Fuentes, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist, and President Donald Trump just made it worse. In an interview, Trump defended Fuentes in a way that will boost his standing inside MAGA in a big way. As it turns out, however, this will create a surprising and unwelcome problem for JD Vance. The vice president has tried to avoid taking sides on Fuentes. But it’s now clear that Fuentes represents a constituency inside MAGA that’s too big to exile. That means Vance, who’s hoping to harness MAGA for his 2028 presidential run, will have to tread carefully, and Trump’s intervention has only made that harder for him. We talked to Vox’s Zack Beauchamp, who has a great new piece digging into all this. He explains Fuentes’s growing influence inside MAGA, why Vance will struggle to navigate all these complexities, and what all this says about today’s right more broadly.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss Trump now supporting a House vote on the release of the Epstein files, the intensifying fight between Marjorie Taylor Greene and the President, hundreds of National Guard troops withdrawing from Chicago and Portland, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anxiety is rising among President Trump’s staunchest allies that he’s politically lost his way. The New York Times reports that his advisers fear he’s alienating key voters in his own coalition. And CNN reports that some Republicans are openly warning the White  House that the GOP is in trouble in the midterm elections. Meanwhile, Trump just erupted in a furious new tirade about the Jeffrey Epstein fiasco. In it, he ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Epstein’s ties to Democrats. Bondi immediately did his bidding. That Trump has now formally turned the Justice Department loose in this way shows his anger over Epstein has hit new highs. Some Republicans say all these things are related: Trump is so consumed with Epstein that he’s letting everything else go to hell. So we talked to analyst Michael Cohen, who has a good new piece on Trump’s doldrums on his Truth and Consequences Substack. He explains why Epstein is undoing Trump, how the MAGA coalition is fracturing, how deeper structural factors a

Original air date: November 26, 2024 On today’s podcast, CIA veteran Ed Bogan joins Marc Polymeropoulos to ponder the US intelligence community in a Trump 2.0. How do we separate signal vs noise on the national security cabinet picks, and a potential bloodletting in the US IC?  Will GOP national security-minded Senators drill down on DNI nominee Tulsi Gabbard’s controversial past?  Will the Senate insist on FBI background checks?  Will the CIA have trouble if Gabbard is confirmed to run both unilateral and liaison operations against tough targets like Russia and Syria?  Does the IC need reform?  Lots of questions, no answers just yet, but a plea from Ed to keep calm and carry as we see how the chips fall.  A must-listen to episode with a true hero in the US intelligence community. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: November 14, 2024 Trump’s cabinet picks reach new heights of awfulness. From Matt Gaetz to Elise Stefanik, it’s a veritable who’s who of MAGA sycophants. In a special episode, Rosa Brooks, David Sanger, and EJ Dionne join David Rothkopf to break down these awful choices and what they tell us about the upcoming Trump administration. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump is angrily urging Republicans not to join Democrats in pushing for release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. But all of a sudden, with the discharge petition set to force a House vote, things are rapidly going in the wrong direction for Trump. In a surprise, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene now predicts that the number of Republicans who will vote to release the files will be “a lot higher” than anyone expects. If the GOP defectors hit truly sizable numbers, as suddenly looks likely, it will be a bombshell with terrible implications for Trump, ramping up the pressure across the board in any number of ways. But the process that’s about to unfold is complex. So we talked to Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, a high profile voice throughout this saga. She explains what it’s like to talk personally with Epstein’s victims, why Republicans are finding it harder to resist pressure, what Democrats will do next to keep the story alive, and why this will keep getting worse for Trump

As deeply disturbing as our current political situation is, the consequences of dysfunction in Washington on average Americans is what really matters. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the devastating impact on real people of everything from DC corruption to MAGA efforts to gut essential healthcare and social services upon which tens of millions of us depend. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss the upcoming House vote on the release of the Epstein files, the official end of the government shutdown, shocking settler violence in the West Bank, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Suddenly, the Jeffrey Epstein files are back. Democrats released new emails raising fresh questions about the relationship between the sex trafficker and President Trump. It’s gotten so bad that the White House is now privately pressuring Republicans to stop trying to get the Epstein files released, a clear sign Trump is deeply rattled by the emerging info. Indeed, now that it looks like the discharge petition calling for release of the files will get 218 votes, Trump angrily warned Republicans not to join it, another indication of his mounting anxiety. The big MAGA reckoning over all this is coming. So we talked to Nicole Hemmer, author of several excellent books about the right wing. She explains the deep tensions inside MAGA all this is unleashing, how some prominent figures are positioning themselves for a post-Trump MAGA future, where this scandal is heading next, and what all this means for our politics. The discussion gets dark. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deep

Every day is Epstein-Files Day and the latest release of emails indicting Trump confirms what we’ve already known for years - our president is a vile human being. How did our country elect Donald Trump not just once, but twice? Will these email leaks have any effect within a MAGA movement that has for years called on the release of the Epstein files? David Rothkopf, Rosa Brooks, and Ed Luce are back to discuss the potential implications of these emails and the future of the MAGA movement. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the huge new Epstein revelations, Trump’s intentions to send $2,000 dividends to Americans, the Supreme Court’s ruling on SNAP benefits, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Signs are mounting that the Supreme Court might invalidate President Trump’s tariffs, and he’s clearly on edge about it. Trump just vented wildly about the case on Truth Social, but he made a mess of it: In one rant, he claimed his tariffs have pulled in $2 trillion in revenues. In a second rant only hours later, that number suddenly ballooned to $3 trillion. We think this badly undermines Trump’s case: It shows how reckless and blundering the tariffs truly are, while vividly demonstrating how uncontrollably he lies about their impact and implementation. To unravel all this, we talked to Alex Jacquez of the Groundwork Collaborative, who served as a trade adviser under President Joe Biden. He explains the deeper incoherence underlying Trump’s self-defeating tirades, digs into why even some conservative justices are looking askance at his tariffs—though with this court you never know—and outlines the looming fiascos we face no matter which way the court rules.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here