The DSR Network

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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Israel’s shocking strike on World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza has amplified calls for the Biden administration to step in. Yet a big question remains: What can President Biden actually do to stop the bloodshed? Noga Tarnopolsky, Rosa Brooks, and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to analyze what the Biden administration has done so far and how it needs to respond at this critical point.

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On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we discuss the 7.2 magnitude quake in Taiwan, Biden and Xi holding their first talks since November, NATO considering a plan for long-term Ukraine aid, and more.

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One of Donald Trump’s central campaign promises has been to pardon untold numbers of rioters who attacked the Capitol—people he’s described as martyrs, victims and “hostages.” Now, an important new analysis finds that many of the inmates Trump has referred to are ones who violently attacked law enforcement officers. We talked to Tom Joscelyn, lead author of that analysis and a former senior Jan. 6 committee staffer, who explains how his findings blow apart a lot of Trump-MAGA propaganda about that dark and terrible day.

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Some elements of US intelligence and special operations are so secretive, we don’t even know their names. Adam Gamal lived that life and his new book “The Unit” pulls back the curtain on America’s most secret military unit. Adam joins Marc Polymeropoulos to discuss what is a true American Dream story from Alexandria, Egypt to the pinnacle of the special operations world, and why diversity is a necessary component in defense and intelligence.

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On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the Israeli strike that killed World Central Kitchen workers, Trump posting his $175 million bond, Ukrainian drone attacks deep in Russian territory, and more.

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GOP members of Congress facing tough races are suddenly worried that having Donald Trump at the top of the ticket might present them with a problem, according to new reports. They fear having to answer for Trump’s degeneracy and extremism, even as the GOP’s small donor base is not delivering at the very moment as Trump is siphoning off party money for legal fees. What explains this sudden GOP epiphany about Trump? How likely is it that these fears will materialize? We chatted with Tim Persico, a top Democratic operative involved in House races in 2022, who provided insights into how this Trump effect really works.

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On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we discuss the massive protests against the Netanyahu government in Israel, the stunning performance of Turkey’s main opposition party, massive political rallies in India, and more.

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Donald Trump’s announcement that he is now peddling something called the “God Bless the USA Bible” drew outrage from some religious figures, but one group that’s been conspicuously quiet about it are evangelical leaders. Why? Perhaps because Trump is making subtle promises to give them what they want. We talked with Katherine Stewart, a journalist who covers the religious right, about all the ways Trump is signaling a second term shaped around ideals of Christian Nationalism.

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Original Air Date: March 17, 2023

Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in spectacular fashion last week but the Biden administration stepped in to save its depositors. Was that the right thing to do and what can prevent things like this happening in the future? Norm and Kavita discuss during this thoughtful conversation. Members get a bonus conversation about Ron DeSantis and his views about the war in Ukraine.

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Original Air Date: March 27, 2023

On this special edition of DSR, former diplomat and advisor to Israeli leaders Alon Pinkas provides an insight from Israel into that country's current democracy crisis. He provides insights into the state of affairs at the moment and why the crisis that has brought hundreds of thousands of Israelis into the streets is far from over. He also discusses why this unprecedented Israeli drama is so directly relevant to the United States. Join Pinkas and host David Rothkopf for this in-depth and timely conversation.

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Why travel the world when you can get all the existential dread you could want on WAGD Radio? Jon Wolfsthal and Heather Williams are here to give us a world tour of the biggest news in nuclear weapons this week and a breakdown of just what Putin and Kim Jong Un’s coalition of cronies is up to now. 

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On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the Ukrainian foreign minister’s visit to India, Sam Bankman-Fried’s 25 year sentence, the ICJ ordering Israel to allow aid into Gaza, and more.

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You’ve probably heard someone say we’re in the midst of a “racial realignment.” The idea is that Donald Trump is surprisingly strong among nonwhite voters, helping explain why head-to-head polling looks rough for President Biden. But political analyst Ron Brownstein has written an important new piece that adds sorely needed nuance, finding that the flipside to Trump’s strength among nonwhites is Biden’s unexpected support among white voters. We chatted with Brownstein about why his thesis shows that Trump’s position is more precarious than it seems.

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Donald Trump isn’t the only threat that Joe Biden and the Democrats are fighting ahead of the election. Fox News continues to be a thorn in the side of our democracy, despite the networks stumbles in recent years. Journalist Nina Burleigh joins David Rothkopf to explain how Rupert Murdoch’s network still plagues the airwaves.

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we discuss Ireland’s intentions to intervene in Israel’s genocide case at the ICJ, the passing of Joseph Lieberman, Sam Bankman-Fried’s impending sentencing, and more.

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Two days after a major bridge collapsed in Baltimore when a cargo ship rammed into it, we still know little about six bridge workers who are presumed dead after an intensive search. Little by little, we’re learning that police were just about to alert the workers about the crash but were a hair too late, and that they were immigrants who were supporting children and families. Who were these workers? Could they have been saved? We talked to Maximillian Alvarez, editor in chief of the Baltimore-based Real News Network, about what this horror tells us about immigrant life in America.

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Though US efforts to help Ukraine have been stymied by political infighting, thousands of individuals and organizations continue to provide much-needed aid. One such individual is Nate Mook, former CEO of World Central Kitchen and now active in several humanitarian initiatives in Ukraine since 2022. Nate joins David Rothkopf to share his work in Ukraine, the ways in which we can all lend a hand, and why Ukrainian resolve remains unbroken.

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On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the new details from the Baltimore bridge collapse, Secretary Austin’s concerns over civilian casualties in Gaza, the Supreme Court’s seeming inclination to protect mifepristone, and more.

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All of a sudden Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene seems to be attacking House Speaker Mike Johnson almost daily over all kinds of things, especially his promise to find a way to pass military aid to Ukraine. Does that mean Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans will successfully thwart that effort? Why is the House GOP in such chaos, anyway? We chatted with GOP lobbyist Liam Donovan, a Twitter virtuoso and shrewd observer of Republican politics, who helped demystify all the crazy.

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The Supreme Court recently commenced hearings on a case that could restrict access to mifepristone, and the results were surprising. Only Justices Alito and Thomas appeared inclined towards supporting the ban on the drug, raising questions about the court's future direction. Norm and Kavita delve into the nuances of the hearing and the significant influence of women on the case.

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On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the NY appeals court reducing Trump’s bond, friction between Biden and Netanyahu after the US allowed a ceasefire vote, a major bridge collapsing in Baltimore, and more.

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NBC News is reeling over its decision to hire former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel as a political analyst. McDaniel actively participated in Donald Trump’s effort to steal the 2020 election, pressuring state officials not to certify the outcome, and personalities like Joe Scarborough and Chuck Todd have been harshly critical. We chatted with New York University’s Jay Rosen, one of our most incisive media critics, about whether the uproar will prompt the media to grapple more deeply with its struggle to capture the true threat Trump and MAGA pose to our democracy.

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Believe it or not, international intelligence is a lot harder to predict than March Madness. From the attack in Moscow to the issue of emerging technologies, challenges both old and new will play a significant role in the coming years. Intelligence and security expert Amy Zegart joins Marc to break down the recently released Annual Threat Assessment and the challenges on the horizon for US intelligence. 

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On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the charging of four suspects in connection to the deadly attack in Moscow, the shelving of a key EU climate plan, Trump’s impending payment deadline, and more.

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In recent days, Donald Trump opened the door to cutting Social Security, and he’s also threatened to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would throw millions off health insurance. All this comes as President Biden’s economy is doing quite well by many metrics. Yet Trump is favored on the economy, and his MAGA support remains solid, even though his policies would badly sell out his base. We talked to New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, author of a series of columns about the economies under Trump and Biden, who helps us make sense of all these disconnects.

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Original Air Date: August 21, 2023

Maintaining alliances isn’t easy; they must be nurtured on a regular basis, which takes skill and acumen. Yet even with challenges both domestically and internationally, the US’s allies are some of its greatest assets. Since World War 2, the true brilliance of US strategy is to build genuine and sturdy alliances, politically, militarily, and in intelligence, with partners across the globe. Marc is joined by former senior CIA operations officer Jerry O’Shea, a four time station chief, to discuss why alliances are so critically important. Don’t miss it.

For more like this, follow the Above Average Intelligence feed: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/above-average-intelligence/id1731208065

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Original Air Date: May 25, 2023

Recent election results are giving hope to many thoughtful analysts that Democrats might not just be able to eke out a victory in 2024, they might be able to win by substantial margins in the presidential election and in key Senate and House races. On this episode of DSR Politics, we talk to Missouri Senate Candidate Lucas Kunce and Democratic analyst and advisor Simon Rosenberg about how Kunce can defeat Josh Hawley next year and how that race resonates with other big national trends. Don't miss this insight-rich discussion.

For more like this, follow the DSR Politics show feed: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dsr-politics-and-law/id1731231459

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The world has lived in the nuclear age for nearly 79 years. In that time, bombs have multiplied and gotten bigger, but has the debate over nuclear weapons, use, arms control and how technology affects security changed? Joe Cirincione joins Jon Wolfsthal for a look at how the US has grappled with nuclear policy and other key issues over time.

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It’s an open secret that Congress is broken. Between extremism from House Republicans to an inability to pass a budget, there is something deeply wrong on the Hill. Norm and Kavita discuss the ways in which we can fix our ailing system, and why some solutions even have the ever elusive support of Republicans. 

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On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover a US draft resolution calling for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza, the DOJ suing Apple for monopolistic practices, Senegal heading to the polls on Sunday, and more.

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With Donald Trump’s fundraising badly trailing that of President Biden, the RNC’s new “election integrity” lawyer, Christina Bobb, is emerging as an important player in the Trump-MAGA campaign apparatus. Bobb, who was deeply involved in Trump’s Stop-the-Steal efforts, will help reassure the MAGA faithful, perhaps firing up the small-dollar donations that Trump desperately needs. We chatted with Andrew Egger, who has a great new piece for The Bulwark about Bobb’s role, about why she’s so pivotal for Trump and how she’s become the face of the new MAGA establishment.

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Donald Trump may have been hit with multiple steep fines from the E. Jean Carroll suits and the NY fraud case, but he’s still managed to avoid accountability in a plethora of legal battles. How does he keep getting away with it? Legal expert Kimberly Atkins Stohr joins David Rothkopf to break down the latest from Trump’s many trials.

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On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Congress’s $1.1 trillion spending package to avert a shutdown, the surprise resignation of Irelands Prime Minister, Secretary Blinken’s impending visit to Israel, and more.

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Donald Trump just announced that he’s likely to campaign for the presidency on a promise of a 15-week abortion ban, even as political commentators are wondering whether reproductive rights will be as salient this fall as they were in 2022 and 2023. An interesting test looms in deep red Alabama, where Marilyn Lands is running for a state House seat in a special election set for March 26th—a campaign that Lands has made about her own agonizing abortion story. We talked to Lands about what she’s hearing on the ground and how voters are reacting to her personal journey.

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On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the resignation of the President of Vietnam, the looming famine and horrific reports from the civil war in Sudan, the indictment of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, and more.

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Is there any chance that Congress will not abandon Ukraine to the Russians? With Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans determined to cut off military aid to Ukraine, it’s looking grim. Yet there are glimmers of hope. Some Republicans are reportedly pushing a proposal that would offer aid to Ukraine as a loan. And there are signs that House Speaker Mike Johnson does want something to pass. We chatted with Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, who offered a keen understanding of the tortured dynamics surrounding this deeply dispiriting debate.

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On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover Hong Kong’s contentious new national security law, the Supreme Court indefinitely blocking a Texas law cracking down on immigration, the death of a senior Hamas military leader, and more.

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This week, Donald Trump’s lawyers admitted that he’s failed to secure a bond to cover the half-a-billion-dollar penalty he faces in his civil fraud case in New York. As The New York Times delicately noted, “he does not have enough liquidity” to persuade any company to provide that bond. Translation: He doesn’t have the cash. This is humiliating to Trump, relative to his self-mythology. But it also points to his broader, largely-overlooked weaknesses in the 2024 campaign. We discussed this with The New Republic’s Timothy Noah, author of a great new piece on Trump’s financial travails that predicts he will soon declare bankruptcy.

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Marc’s guest this week is Patrick Weninger, a retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service Case Officer with over 28 years of experience in the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. Air Force. He served executive-level headquarters assignments overseeing clandestine operations, tradecraft, and technical operations and served as a Senior Executive Operations Officer and Manager, with senior field assignments in the Near East, South Asia, and Europe, including multiple Chief of Station and war zone assignments. He led and oversaw the CIA’s global program for Russia. Marc and Patrick discuss Ukraine, election meddling and generative AI. Don’t miss this fascinating and wide-ranging conversation with one of the agency’s top former officers, in his national security podcast debut. 

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Russian Election

(0:33) - Reuters: Putin wins Russia election in landslide with no serious competition

Israel

(5:56) - Straits Times: Israeli troops raid Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital

Trump 

(3:03) - Washington Post: Trump is eyeing Paul Manafort for 2024 campaign role

The Guardian: Trump predicts ‘bloodbath’ if he loses election and claims ‘Biden beat Obama’

The Daily Blast covers the Trump Ohio Rally with special guest, Susan Glasser.

Haiti

(11:29) - NPR: First charter flight with U.S. citizens fleeing Haiti lands in Miami

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In Ohio over the weekend, Donald Trump delivered one of his most unhinged and dangerous rally speeches yet: He used appallingly dehumanizing language about migrants, saluted the Jan. 6 rioters as patriots and heroes, and predicted a “bloodbath” if he loses the election. We talked to New Yorker staff writer Susan Glasser, the author of an excellent new piece about Trump’s use of violent and authoritarian language at rallies like this one, about why the media urgently needs to do better at conveying the full threat to democracy that Trump poses.

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Original Air Date: April 14, 2023

On this week’s episode of Words Matter, Norm and Kavita discuss a number of judiciary issues, including reproductive health. In a special extended bonus section, Norm and Kavita tackle Clarence Thomas and Diane Feinstein.

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