The DSR Network

All over the globe, the world is on fire. Ukraine and Russia, Chinese vessels ramming Filipino vessels, Israel at war with seemingly everybody. With all this divided geopolitical attention, what is going on in North Korea? Jenny Town, senior fellow at the Stimson Center and director of 38 North, joins Jon and Heather to discuss all things North Korea, examine its current security relationships, and show that maybe King Jong-Un isn’t as lonely as he might seem.

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Can artificial intelligence be a better CEO than a person? With an unprecedented ability to process information, artificial intelligence has the capacity to strategize and adapt faster than any human. Author and technologist David Weinberger joins David Rothkopf to consider how advancing AI can change not only the world of business, but the way we think. 

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On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the Harris & Walz interview with Dana Bash on CNN, Israel pausing fighting for polio vaccines, Democrats leading in Senate races in Arizona and Nevada, and more.

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By now you’ve heard that Donald Trump’s campaign aides had a physical confrontation with an official at Arlington National Cemetery who tried to prevent them from filming in a restricted area, which apparently violated the law. This scandal worsened Thursday when the Army sharply rebuked his campaign. Democratic Senators are getting involved, which could bring a fuller accounting. We talked to political scientist Jonathan Bernstein—author of a good new piece about this saga—who details how Team Trump’s actions are now signaling a larger deterioration of the rule of law and democracy.

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From independents to ex-Republicans, the Harris camp is building a truly massive coalition to stop Trump from taking back the White House. So far, it’s been a resounding success. President of JointheUnion.us Reed Galen joins David Rothkopf to discuss the Democrats’ big tent strategy heading into the election and why former Republicans are ready to fight for Kamala. 

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Harris' growing lead, the Supreme Court blocking Biden's student debt plan, controversy over Trump's visit to Arlington Cemetery, and more.

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Kamala Harris’s campaign just released a harsh new ad attacking Donald Trump, Project 2025, and his threat to prosecute enemies for “revenge.” Notably, the ad frontally goes after Trump’s naked corruption with real force. Which raises a question: Why aren’t we seeing more discussion of Trump’s corruption in this campaign? We talked to David Sirota, editor-in-chief of The Lever and narrator of Master Plan, an ambitious new podcast about 50 years of corruption in Washington. Sirota explains how Trump and Project 2025 represent the culmination of that long and sordid history.

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Foreign policy and national security featured heavily in the final day of the DNC. So how much of a role can we really expect them to play in the final stretch of the election. Rosa Brooks, Ed Luce, and David Sanger join David Rothkopf to break down how Harris can distinguish herself from Biden’s track record and whether or not voters will care about foreign policy this time around.

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On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Special Counsel Jack Smith filing a revised indictment against former President Donald Trump in the election interference case, Farhan Al-Qadi being rescued alive from Hamas' tunnel network in Gaza, Ukrainian President saying current incursion into Russia is part of plan to end war, and more.

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It’s often said that Kamala Harris’s entry into the race has transformed this campaign. But does this also mean that Harris has a real chance at changing the composition of the electorate, by bringing more low-propensity Democratic voters into the process? A new analysis finds striking surges in voter registration among Dem-leaning voter groups during the week of July 21st, after President Biden left the race and endorsed Harris. We talked to the author of that analysis’ author, Tom Bonier of the Democratic firm TargetSmart, about why he’s optimistic—but also realistic—about Harris’s chances.

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From historic fundraising to rising polls, the DNC was a resounding success for the Harris campaign. So how can we turn the high of the convention into a blue wave in November? Simon Rosenberg and Tara McGowan join David Rothkopf to give a first hand account of the convention and what we need to do next. 

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On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Trump and Harris' upcoming debate, special counsel Jack Smith asking the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the dismissal of Donald Trump's classified-documents case, Russia launching a series of missile and drone attacks across multiple regions of Ukraine, and more.

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Donald Trump keeps throwing his own advisers under the bus. The latest example: The battle between the campaigns over the upcoming debate. First Trump’s campaign insisted mics must be muted for the candidate who isn’t speaking. Then Trump himself said he’s just fine with unmuted mics throughout. We think this gets at a larger dynamic: With Trump still struggling with Kamala Harris’s surge, Trump clearly doubts that his own advisers have any idea how to fight back. We talked to veteran Democratic strategist James Carville, who explained how all signs indicate Trump thinks he’s in trouble—and what could still go wrong for Harris.

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National security journalist @michaeldweiss joins Marc to discuss how Kamala Harris found her inner Reagan, the Ukrainian raid that turned out to be an invasion, and the blob starts the parlor game of who staffs a future Harris White House. Plus, the folly of the Ukrainian doomers never ceases to amaze, even when Ukraine is, dare say…succeeding? 

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On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Trump complaining about falling polling numbers, a safety adviser for Reuters being killed in a missile strike on the Hotel Sapphire, RFK dropping out of the presidential race, and more.

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Over the weekend, Politico reported that Donald Trump has privately suggested to advisers that he knows he’s in danger of losing without dramatic changes to his campaign. Trump also raged over reports that he called in to Fox News during Kamala Harris’s convention speech to deliver an on-air response, whining that Fox had called him instead. We think Trump is rattled because the aura of his inevitable victory has been shattered. We talked to global affairs expert Asha Rangappa—author of a good new piece on her Substack about the sources of Harris’s momentum—who explains why the puncturing of that aura is critical to defeating authoritarians like Trump. Listen to this episode here.

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Original air date: June 19, 2023

Michael’s guest this week is Pekka Kallioniemi, a postdoctoral researcher working in the field of human-computer interaction at Tampere University. He is the creator and author of Vatnik Soup, a Twitter thread series (and a hashtag!) where he introduces pro-Russian actors and propagandists from around the world, be they so-called "independent journalists", politicians, military personnel or just regular grifters looking to make some easy money. As is typical with Michael’s guests, Pekka brings perspectives that you won’t hear anywhere else. Tune In!

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Original air date: June 22, 2023

Few people have offered the kind of insight into Donald Trump than has his niece, psychologist

Mary Trump. On this special episode of DSR, we speak to Mary about how she thinks the former president

is responding to the legal walls closing in on him, how he would react were he sentenced to prison and

how his very first years growing up in Queens may have scarred him and put the country at risk.

Don't miss this fascinating, wide-ranging conversation.

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Nuclear expert and author Jeffrey Lewis joins Jon to discuss proposals by former Trump officials to restart nuclear testing and how to manage the growing reliance on nuclear weapons in the world.

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the last night of speeches at the Democratic National Convention, the Supreme Court's recent decision on voting in Arizona, India's position in the Russia/Ukraine war, and more.

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We’re in the midst of a new technological revolution. Much like the Industrial Revolution, the AI era will challenge all aspects of society. David Leslie, Director of Ethics and Responsible Innovation at the Alan Turing Institute, joins David Rothkopf for a discussion on the ways in which artificial intelligence will challenge the framework of society and how to ensure that AI serves the public good. 

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At the Democratic convention in Chicago, many of the speakers—from Barack and Michelle Obama to Tim Walz—have warned Democrats not to get complacent about a Kamala Harris victory. Yet something subtle is also going on here. Democrats are keeping complacency at bay—without letting Donald Trump balloon into a psychologically frightening figure in their minds. Democrats are going into this election with the correct level of guarded confidence. We talked to Brian Beutler, who has a good piece on all this coming out Friday on his Substack, about the careful balance Democrats are striking—and why it may be the key to shrinking Trump into a diminished figure. 

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With Kavita in attendance at the DNC, David Rothkopf joins Norm to discuss to the highs of the convention in Chicago. What steps are next for Harris in the final push towards Election Day? How can the party capitalize on its electrifying convention and drive up voter turnout? Find out right here.

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the third night of speeches at the Democratic National Convention, the Supreme Court's upcoming docket, RFK's campaign, and more.

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After Barack and Michelle Obama ripped into Donald Trump at the Democratic convention, it unleashed a flood responses from the former president. He ranted that the Obamas had called him names, blamed his advisers for constraining him, and vowed to unleash more personal attacks on Kamala Harris. We think Trump is rattled by the likelihood that the convention is currently uniting the anti-MAGA coalition. We talked to data analyst Lakshya Jain—co-author of a good Politico Magazine piece about new numbers showing a shift toward Harris among many disparate voter groups—who explains what all this says about that coalition’s prospects for success.

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On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the second night of speeches at the Democratic National Convention, Matt Gaetz securing a win in the Republican primary in Florida, peace talks halting in the Middle East, and more.

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According to a new report in The Hill, GOP aides and strategists fear that Donald Trump’s inability to adjust to Kamala Harris’s surge is shifting the Senate map against them. That’s striking, given how heavily the Senate map is tilted towards Republicans. So we checked in with Justin Barasky, a veteran Democratic operative who has worked on many Senate races over the years and is now involved in contests in Ohio and Arizona. He helps us break down the map, and assesses how realistic these GOP fears are, as well as what all this says about the true nature of Harris’s surge and Trump’s struggles. 

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There is no mistaking it now: this is Kamala Harris’s Democratic Party. The first day of the DNC was a passing of the torch to the Harris/Walz campaign and a celebration of the ticket. Maryland delegate Julie Zebrak and Washington Post reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb join David Rothkopf from the DNC to share a firsthand look at the historic convention. 

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On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the first night of the Democratic National Convention, new rules that could create certification delays in Georgia, Iran hacking into Trump's campaign, and more.

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Some of the biggest far right figures on the internet are deeply worried that Donald Trump is in danger of losing the election to Kamala Harris—perhaps by a large margin. The Washington Post reports that these extremists are now turning on the Trump campaign, which could fracture the MAGA movement in the race’s final stretch. We talked to Jared Holt, a senior researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue who closely tracks the far right, about what this moment reveals about the MAGA right when it faces extreme pressure—and what these far-right personalities really fear most about a Trump loss.

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The Washington Examiner’s Tom Rogan joins Marc to discuss the lightening Ukrainian offensive in Russia, the Israel/Gaza impasse, the inability of many US administrations to get Iran right, plus Europe taking a more aggressive stance on the world stage... plus a bonus special speed dating segment on leading personalities in the foreign policy arena!

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On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the upcoming Democratic National Convention, a bomb going off in Tel Aviv, mpox George Santos being due in court, and more.

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Two major new polls of the presidential race released over the weekend show fresh gains for Kamala Harris—and illustrate how she is now putting the Sun Belt states fully in play. That gives her multiple routes to an electoral college victory over Donald Trump. So is Harris on her way to reversing Trump’s gains among Latinos and young voters? What does a winning Harris coalition look like, anyway? We talked to Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run for Something, which recruits young candidates for state and local office, including many in the Sun Belt. Litman explains how the region’s evolution opens up new possibilities for Democrats—and is helping to transform our politics.

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Original air date: March 10, 2023

From the media and books to drag shows and voting, states is in the South have been trying to turn back the clock. Kavita and Norm talk about these updates, what they mean for the country as a whole, and what we can do about it. Members get a bonus conversation about Walgreens.

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Original air date: July 20, 2023

Miles Taylor joins to discuss his just-released book, “Blowback: A Warning to Save Democracy from the Next Trump.” Taylor, who served as Chief of Staff of the Department of Homeland Security in the Trump administration, wrote The New York Times op-ed in 2018 under the pen-name "Anonymous" that was entitled, "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration" that drew widespread attention for its criticism of Trump. Several months after quitting the administration, again under the pen name "Anonymous," he published a book in November 2019 entitled, A Warning. Host David Rothkopf and Miles discuss the book, Taylor's struggles after coming forward and the grave consequences to our democracy should Trump or somebody like him take office again. Don't miss this insightful discussion.

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With the Democratic National Convention right around the corner, it feels like happy days are finally here. With the gathering momentum of the Harris campaign and a floundering Trump/Vance ticket, times are good. Veteran political journalists E.J. Dionne and David Corn join David Rothkopf to discuss.

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Heather and Jon are back once again to pore over all things nuclear as well as Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russia. How can the US position itself against Russian and Chinese nuclear buildup? Can diplomacy be effective given the context of the War in Ukraine?

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Much has been made of the concerns of AI in the future. But what about the very real problems in the present? Deputy Director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project Esha Bhandari joins David Rothkopf to discuss the very real civil liberties and privacy concerns of AI, and what can be done to curb the danger.

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On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Harris' proposal for a federal ban on corporate price-gouging in food and groceries, violence in the West Bank, mpox in Sweden, and more.

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Because Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign is under a month old, Democrats see next week’s nominating convention as a unique opening to do more than usual to define her in the minds of swing voters. But there’s another opportunity here as well: A successful convention will deeply rattle Trump, and when he fears he’s losing, he does himself tremendous additional harm. We talked to veteran journalist Ronald Brownstein, who has a new piece for The Atlantic on the task ahead for Harris in Chicago, about what she might be able to accomplish—and how it could frustrate future Trump attacks. 

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On today’s episode of Words Matter, Norm and Kavita are back to discuss the latest events in the media, from Kavita’s personal experiences at the Paris Olympics to the shifting election dynamics ahead of the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago. How will the DNC affect Trump’s campaign planning? What’s next for Tim Walz and JD Vance? Listen here:

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover RFK Jr's request for a position in Harris' cabinet, a break-in to a Trump election office in Virginia, mpox becoming a global health emergency and more.

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In some good findings for Kamala Harris, the Cook Political Report’s new polls find her leading Donald Trump or tied with him in six of the seven key swing states. Other polls show her doing surprisingly well among key demographics like noncollege whites and Latinos. So far, despite GOP attacks on Harris as a crazy leftist, she appears to be widely perceived as broadly acceptable. We talked to Reed Galen, a veteran former Republican strategist working to win over centrist voters to Harris for the group Join the Union, about why Harris seems to be withstanding the GOP attack machine—and whether it will last. 

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All eyes have been on Iran as the world waits a potential retaliatory strike on Israel. But what form will the strike take, and will it even happen? Regional experts Aaron David Miller and Barbara Slavin join Kori Schake and David Rothkopf to analyze the potential fallout of an Israeli/Iranian conflict and what the future holds for the region.

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On this Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the UAW accusing Trump and Musk of trying to intimidate workers, Nikki Haley's criticism of the Trump campaign, Netanyahu's conditions for a cease-fire, and more. 

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In recent days, Fox News personalities have begun urging Donald Trump to get more “disciplined.” Many seem to fear Trump is in trouble, as evidence mounts that his sleazy, racist attacks on Kamala Harris are backfiring. Yet Trump’s Fox allies aren’t telling him to stop smearing Harris with falsehoods; they’re just telling him to adopt a more civil tone in doing so. We talked to Steve Benen, author of a new book about the GOP called Ministry of Truth, who explains how the Fox News panic shows the limits of Republican propaganda—and why the Trump-MAGA-GOP addiction to lying is pushing our system to the breaking point.

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On this Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Elon Musk's interview with Donald Trump, the U.S. resuming sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the discovery of liquid water on Mars, and more. 

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To defeat Donald Trump, Kamala Harris must do far better among young voters than President Biden did. Guess what: An important new poll of young voters finds that Harris’ entry has dramatically shifted their preferences in her favor and against Trump. Which confirms a larger story: The Democratic-leaning constituencies who had drifted toward Trump now may be swinging to Harris, exposing a weakness in his previous support. We talked to John Della Volpe, an expert in the youth vote who conducted this poll, abut what’s driving all these shifts—and why they might enable Harris to triumph. 

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Author and terrorism expert Samuel Katz joins Marc to discuss the latest events in the Middle East, to include the potential for Iran and/or Hizballah to badly miscalculate and invite a devastating Israeli response, the threat to US interests particularly within the US, and the extraordinary legacy of legendary spy master Meir Dagan. 

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On this Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Trump's lying spree over the weekend, Hamas's refusal to sit down for a ceasefire agreement, JD Vance's backing of presidential decision-making on Fed policies, and more. 

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