The DSR Network

How many nukes does Putin have, and what are they for? This is just one of the questions that Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda’s team at the Federation of American Scientists tries to answer in their Nuclear Notebook. Hans and Matt join Jon Wolfsthal this week to discuss their report and the challenges of collecting intel on the largest nuclear arsenals in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a special episode of the DSR Daily, David Rothkopf, Chris Cotnoir, and Riley Fessler share their thoughts on the State of the Union and why President Biden was in peak form, sending the Republicans into a tailspin.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. triggered an online explosion with a very weird defense of himself for spending time with Jeffrey Epstein. Everyone laughed, but we think this saga is revealing: It opens a window on his underappreciated appeal to disaffected young men. So we chatted with Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, a New School professor who specializes in politics and culture and has dissected the Kennedy phenomenon in surprising ways. Petrzela helped us uncover the darker undercurrents driving Kennedy’s popularity and the ugly truths it reveals about our politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Biden’s State of the Union address has been a source of speculation, anticipation, and a little bit of dread. The address presents Biden with an opportunity to shape the narrative around the election now that he and Trump have officially secured their nominations. The Washington Post’s Jen Rubin joins David Rothkopf on the day of the address to forecast the President’s message and, crucially, what to look for to make the Oscars less disappointing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Thursday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the first civilian deaths from a Houthi attack on a ship in the Read sea, the rapidly deteriorating situation in Haiti, reports of Israel blocking aid into Gaza, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Texas is a state that keeps breaking the hearts of Democrats everywhere. But hopes are rising again this week, after Representative Colin Allred, a former NFL player and civil rights lawyer, captured the Democratic nomination to unseat Senator Ted Cruz. Six years after Beto O’Rourke fell three points short of beating Cruz, what will be different this time? We chatted with Allred about his path forward, how Democrats can compete in rural America, and why Republicans have turned the border into a fantasy zone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the state of the union is ordinarily focused on domestic policy, nothing about this year has been ordinary. On the eve of the State of the Union address, Kori Schake, Ed Luce, and Alon Pinkas join David Rothkopf to predict how large of a role that foreign policy will play in President Biden’s speech.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Wednesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the big results from Super Tuesday, faltering ceasefire talks in Cairo, the hunger crisis in Sudan, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this week, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico signed a handful of gun control bills in the face of a terrible spate of gun violence in her state that has drawn national attention. Lujan Grisham is smack in the middle of some big trends in our politics right now: The transformation of the southwest, the success of Democrats in border states, and the rise of the female Democratic governor in the era of Donald Trump. We chatted with Lujan Grisham about all these things—and a whole lot more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Tuesday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the continuing Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo, the Supreme Court’s decision to keep Trump on the ballot, Germany’s response to an intelligence leak, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices