Deep State Radio

On Wednesday, Donald Trump declared that he won’t sign a national abortion ban if elected president, a clear sign he recognizes the issue poses a severe threat to his prospects. But this week, the Arizona State Supreme Court upheld an 1864 law banning almost all abortions, demonstrating that Trump will be forced to answer for every extremist lurch in the states from now until the election. We chatted with Elvia Diaz, the editorial page editor of The Arizona Republic, who explains how deeply personal this issue is for millions of women and why that’s a serious problem for Trump and the GOP in Arizona and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump presents an existential threat to the US. And Ukraine. And NATO. Should we go on? It’s time to get serious about defeating Trump in November, and there are a million reasons why. Ed Luce and Rosa Brooks join David Rothkopf to share a few of those reasons and the ways we can send MAGA packing come Election Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the early release of some January 6th defendants, the sentencing of a Michigan gunman’s parents, new claims from a Boeing whistleblower, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At a recent fundraiser, Donald Trump promised big tax cuts to some of the richest donors in the country. He also suggested he wants more immigrants from countries like Norway—hint, hint—while blasting Latin American migrants as criminals and worse. This corrupt bargain—offer huge giveaways to wealthy elites so they embrace far right governance—is an old story. In today’s episode, Harvard professor Daniel Ziblatt—who studies what happens when conservative elites ally with authoritarian movements—explains why it’s extraordinarily reckless for corporate leaders to calculate they can work with Trump despite his promise of a lawless second term. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A year ago, our biggest fear was the next Trump. Now that our candidates are locked in for the 2024 election, our biggest fear is Trump himself. Miles Taylor joins David Rothkopf to discuss his book “Blowback: A Warning to Save Democracy from Trump’s Revenge” and why the threat Trump poses is even greater than ever — whether he wins or loses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Investigative journalism is difficult enough, but studying Russia and the intelligence community is on another level. Michael Weiss is one of the journalists up to the task. Michael joins Marc Polymeropoulos to break down his latest reporting on Havana Syndrome and takes us on a tour of his investigation and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we discuss Netanyahu’s announcement that a date has been set for the invasion of Rafah, Haiti’s plan for a transitional government, a landmark climate ruling in Europe, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mike Johnson finally appears set to decide whether to hold a House vote on funding military aid to Ukraine. If so, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has threatened to try to oust him as Speaker. Yet something funny has happened: A lot of House Republicans want to vote on Ukraine aid. Is there any chance it might pass? How will Donald Trump react? We talked to Julia Ioffe, a journalist for Puck and a leading voice on Russia-U.S. relations, who shed light on the brutal road ahead for Ukraine and explained how the MAGA-Putin alliance really works. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the reduction of Israeli troops in Gaza, the pro-Russian president-elect in Slovakia, a Brazilian investigation into Elon Musk, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a new trend: GOP legislatures are advancing bills that place onerous new kinds of restrictions on public and school libraries in states like Idaho, Alabama, Georgia and others. On the front lines of taking on this trend is Emily Drabinski, the president of the American Library Association, who also grew up in Idaho and is openly gay. So we invited Drabinski on to the show to shed light on what it takes to battle the book banners targeting LGBTQ materials in states like her own, and what sort of toll this is taking on communities across the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: April 5, 2023 Note: this podcast was taped prior to the announced indictments of Donald Trump. The absence of real indictments against Donald Trump allows him to set the narrative. That's not a good thing. So maybe prosecutors should consider drinking a little more Red Bull, having a few more cups of coffee. This is getting ridiculous. We discuss with Dr. Kavita Patel, Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf. We also discuss who will be the GOP candidate for president when Trump and DeSantis flame out. And we consider the imponderable: Why is George Santos still a member of Congress. Join us for answers to all the most pressing political questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: March 21, 2023 America's politicians have become more hawkish on China but is that the only path forward? David Rothkopf debates this issue with Dmitri Alperovitch of the Silverado Policy Accelerator and Josh Rogin of the Washington Post. Is China willing to compete and cooperate? How does Taiwan play into all of this? Can America not tilt completely into a militaristic framing of the competition? Find out during this argumentative conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pulitzer-prize finalist and New York Times best selling Author Annie Jacobsen joins Jon and Heather to discuss her ground-breaking and compelling new book “Nuclear War: A Scenario” The volume looks at how dangerous our nuclear world has become, and how a nuclear war would actually be conducted, including its terrifyingly short time scale. Based on exhaustive research with the nuclear operators, leaders and scientists, it is an episode and a publication not to be missed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Investigative journalists Christo Grozev, Roman Dobrokhotov and Michael Weiss have been looking into the Havana Syndrome since 2020. They initially approached the topic skeptically, questioning the capability of any government to carry out such a mass global attack. However, they discovered a document linking a Russian military unit to the Havana weapon, which sparked their investigation. They have been gathering evidence of overlaps between the travel of members of this unit and incidents related to the Havana Syndrome. The journalists have presented a prosecution case, highlighting motive, means, and opportunity, and are calling for the U.S. government to act as a defense attorney for the accused criminals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration’s policy towards Israel has been controversial to say the least. As the conflict grinds on and the election approaches, it is clear that the conflict will loom large in the voting booth. Norm and Kavita break down the key issues that Biden faces, and why the administration desperately needs a new strategy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Israel’s new concessions after a call with Biden, No Labels abandoning its efforts to field a presidential candidate, rescue efforts underway in Taiwan, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, The New York Times reported that Donald Trump recently spoke privately with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Trump’s team won’t say word boo about what was discussed, and we can guess why: His private business dealings with the Saudis are going gangbusters even as he’s locking up the GOP presidential nomination, creating all kinds of opportunities for corruption. We talked to Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who explained why the Trump-Saudi relationship is absolutely crying out for serious scrutiny. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s latest schemes are some of his shadiest yet, and that’s saying something. Between the rejection of his bond in the NY civil fraud case and the greatly inflated value of Truth Social, Trump is coming up with all sorts of schemes to pay his dues. Allison Gill joins David Rothkopf to give a run-down on his various cases, and what Jack Smith and others can do to ensure that Trump faces justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we discuss the rejection of Trump’s request to delay his hush-money trial, aid groups halting their work in Gaza, Russia blaming Ukraine and the West for a deadly terrorist attack, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, special counsel Jack Smith made a surprise move in his prosecution of Donald Trump for stealing classified documents. He called on Judge Aileen Cannon to make a quick decision on a key matter, flaunting his frustration with her over numerous rulings putting the thumb on the scale for Trump. We chatted with Philip Rotner, a veteran lawyer who has written a series of pieces for The Bulwark arguing that Cannon is killing the case against Trump right in broad daylight. Rotner explains in unsettling terms why her interventions for Trump are likely to get uglier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices