The DSR Network

Donald Trump took his authoritarian threats in a dark new direction during two new public appearances. He suggested our next election might be our last, reiterated in advance that the election will be rigged against him, and admitted all the post-assassination “unity” talk was nonsense, openly declaring: “Maybe I’ve gotten worse.” We talked to Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of the “Lucid” newsletter and the book “Strongmen,” who helps illuminate how Trump’s form of politics requires keeping his followers in a frenzy of excitement about what the authoritarian leader plans to inflict on their imagined enemies. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: July 24, 2023The Republican party is not sending their best. With the 2024 election cycle ramping up, Norm and guest host Mary Trump break down the lackluster field of Republican candidates and the issues propelling their narratives. Also on the table are Trump’s latest legal woes. What effect could they have in 2024, and why are people upset about the January 6th indictment? Join us and find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: July 12, 2023As the NATO summit in Vilnius comes to a close, the United States, France, UK, and Turkey have all taken bold stances with regards to expanding NATO membership and the war in Ukraine. Rosa Brooks fills in for David this week as Kori Schake and Edward Luce break down the latest revelations from the summit, dive into Biden’s performance in the UK and post-summit remarks, and discuss Ed’s recent piece on the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action decision. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The current nuclear landscape is, in a word, dire. From Russian nuclear rattling in Ukraine to China’s expanding arsenal, nuclear proliferation could spell disaster for today’s security environment. Today, Amy Nelson, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, joins Heather to discuss arms control, nuclear futures, and a recent piece she authored in Foreign Affairs covering China's nuclear arsenal.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Friday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover President Joe Biden's meeting with Netanyahu, Gavin Newsom and his handling of the homelessness crisis in California, attacks on transportation at the start of the Paris Olympics, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent days, Donald Trump and MAGA media figures have ramped up the attacks on Kamala Harris’s laugh, her personality, and her temperament. That’s vile stuff, but MAGA’s strategy also suggests an inability to entertain a remarkable possibility: What if Harris’s laugh and energy are actually well suited to this moment in American politics? Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, co-founder of the progressive strategy group Way to Win, has been advising Democrats to respond aggressively to racist and sexist attacks on Harris. We talked to Ancona about whether Harris’s temperament might prove to be kryptonite to MAGA’s negativity and hate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kamala Harris’s campaign has been an adrenaline shot in the arms of Democrats. With astonishing amounts of money being raised and a wave of enthusiasm that has been sorely lacking, the Dems are ready to take the fight to Trump in November. EJ Dionne and Jennifer Rubin join David Rothkopf to break down Harris’s incredible momentum and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover President Joe Biden's address from the Oval Office amidst his decision to not seek reelection, Netanyahu's address to Congress, Robert Kennedy Jr.'s fizzling campaign for president, relations between Russia and India, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A vile quote from J.D. Vance just surfaced in which he described Kamala Harris and other Democratic leaders as “childless cat ladies,” and spun out a whole theory based on this absurdity. Then Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sharply dressed down Vance for poking his nose into other people’s family decisions. With this response, Buttigieg showed that Vance has invited a much larger national conversation—one that won’t help Vance and Donald Trump. We talked to Melissa Gira Grant, a staff writer at The New Republic who closely tracks Vance’s ideas, for help in illuminating what this saga tells us about the New Right’s tortured views on gender, natalism and nationalism. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Netanyahu’s much dreaded speech before Congress has come and gone. So what happened? Rosa Brooks, Alon Pinkas, David Sanger, and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to discuss the key takeaways from the speech and why a Harris presidency could shake-up the US/Israel relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices