Deep State Radio

Original Air Date: June 5, 2023 Michael’s guest this week is James Rushton, a journalist at Yahoo News who is covering the Ukraine-Russia war from his home in Kyiv. He’s been reporting amidst air raid sirens and other challenges and is extremely well-placed on the front lines of the war to tell you what is happening in the country. His experience and perspective on all things Ukraine is not to be missed. Tune In. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: June 16, 2023 There have been glimmers of sanity from a Supreme Court that seemed hopelessly radicalized. The former president of the United States has begun to be held accountable and America has not rioted in the streets in response. We are far from out of the woods and Donald Trump has promised that the first thing he would do were he to be reelected is to turn the country into a banana republic. But what are we to make of the progress, the good news? And what should we brace for in terms of the next wave of bad news? We discuss with the one and only Dahlia Lithwick of Slate and the Amicus brief. You won't want to miss this conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does someone become a child solider? More importantly, how do they escape? Anthony Opoka joins the podcast with Mick Mulroy and Eric Oehlerich to share his journey from unwilling soldier in Kony’s LRA to crusader for the freedom of child soldiers. Don’t miss his incredible story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can never be too certain about what might happen next in Iran. With the death of President Raisi, the country’s future is more unpredictable than ever. Thankfully, expert Barbara Slavin joins Heather and Jon to analyze what could come next for both Iran and the region. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for June 7, we cover a federal judge ordering Steve Bannon to prison, Joe Biden’s meeting with Zelenskyy in Paris, Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to the US, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A judge just ordered longtime Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon to surrender to prison on July 1st after his conviction for defying the Jan. 6th committee’s subpoena. Not surprisingly, Trump and MAGA have already exploded in rage. Making this worse, Bannon is one of the leading pro-Trump figures calling on Trump to jail Democrats without cause if he wins the White House—and Bannon’s jail time will only fuel that mania. We talked to Eric Columbus, a lawyer who represented the Jan. 6th committee, about the alarming signals this sends about the perils of a second Trump presidency. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for June 6, we cover an Israeli strike on a UN school in Gaza, shifting support towards Biden in the wake of Trump’s conviction, the Houthi rebels’ new missile, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal published a dodgy hit piece about President Biden’s age. Then something unusual happened: Democratic lawmakers went nuclear on the piece, going on record to forcefully undermine its core assertions. This deserves some discussion: Could Dems better “work the refs” the way Republicans do? When liberals do criticize coverage, why do newsroom leaders shrug it off? Why do editors insult our intelligence with phony justifications for the overemphasis on Biden’s age? We chatted with Aaron Rupar, a shrewd media observer and author of the “Public Notice" Substack, about the deeper problems with the press this episode reveals.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Modi has claimed victory in the Indian elections, but the reality isn’t so rosy for the BJP. For the first time in his tenure, Modi has failed to secure the majority. Journalist Rana Ayyub joins David Rothkopf alongside Rosa Brooks, Kori Schake, and Ed Luce to break down why this election could be a turning point for India and how Modi lost his touch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for June 5, we cover President Biden’s new asylum restrictions, the House efforts to sanction ICC officials, an election debate in Britain, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MAGA loyalists have been relentlessly pushing a silly talking point: The American people are in full scale revolt against the criminal conviction of Donald Trump. Guess what? The polls are telling a different story, finding majority support for the verdict. One of these, from the progressive firm Data for Progress, finds that this is also true among swing voters. We chatted with Data for Progress’s executive director, Danielle Deiseroth, about what all these numbers are really telling us, most (though not all) of it good news. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The competitive relationship between the US and China manages to be both novel, and strikingly familiar. With shades of the Cold War, the potential for escalation is a constant threat. Dmitri Alperovitch joins David Rothkopf to discuss his book “World on the Brink” and how the US can win a Cold War with China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump is guilty 34 times over. That’s a big deal. So, what happens now? Norm and Kavita break down the political ramifications of the ruling, how MAGA-world is coping with the news, and the political fallout that is already underway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for June 4, we cover the BJP’s election performance in India, the Biden administration’s expected new asylum restrictions, Dr. Fauci’s public hearing appearance, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts, Republican anger at the verdict is getting darker, with GOP leaders talking about holding hearings and even defunding other prosecutions of Trump. But Democrats are not engaging this debate nearly as intensively, and appear divided over how to proceed. This is puzzling: The furious GOP defense of Trump is deranged and reckless, and would almost certainly be deeply unpopular—if voters are made to understand it. We talked to veteran Democratic strategist Celinda Lake, who suggested ways the party might find a stronger and more unified posture in this battle going forward. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Artificial intelligence has limitless potential and presents a multitude of risks. So how do we manage the positives without the negatives. White House Special Advisor on AI Ben Buchanan joins David Rothkopf to share what the White House has been doing to promote beneficial growth in AI 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 June 3, we discuss Mexico electing it’s first woman president, Georgia signing a contentious bill into law, a Chinese spacecraft landing on the far side of the moon, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The other day on CNN, prominent Never Trump lawyer George Conway did something you rarely see in Washington. He dressed down a GOP commentator for lying his ass off about Donald Trump—and then, right on the air, he asked why CNN was paying this Republican to spread lies on Trump’s behalf. We think this episode illustrates a deep problem with the media’s handling of pro-Trump propaganda. So we chatted with Conway about why he unloaded—and in the process, he revealed some interesting things about the network. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following on the heels of a Manhattan jury convicting twice-impeached disgraced former president Donald Trump on 34 felony counts, we sit down with the Washington Post's Jen Rubin and Mike Tomasky of the New Republic and try to figure out what to make of these recent events. One conclusion: Apparently we would be better off if everyone actually read some news every day. We discuss that and much more in a must listen episode. Join us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Heather and Jon talk to James Acton, the Jessica T. Mathews Chair and is co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. They delve into the escalating nuclear risks arising from recent events in Ukraine and their potential impact on global security. They also explore the intersection of American interests, European alliances, and the strategic risks associated with the Ukraine war. The discussion highlights the need for risk reduction and the challenges of managing nuclear risks without a cooperative partner. It also addresses the debate around the role of the US in supporting Ukraine and the potential consequences of aggressive actions on nuclear stability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices