The DSR Network

Columbia University Senior Research Scholar Richard Nephew joins Jon Wolfsthal on the first 2025 episode of We're All Going To Die Radio. They discuss Richard latest article in Foreign Affairs where he argues the case against a military solution to Iran’s nuclear potential is getting weaker, why diplomacy is still the best option to end Iran’s nuclear potential, and whether a military strike would be successful. They conclude that there are no easy or perfect solutions, only versions of complex and discuss many of them in a lively discussion. They even get in a little NY sports talk at the same time.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Friday, we break down the Supreme Court denying Trump’s appeal to halt his sentencing, false narratives spreading around the L.A. fires, a federal judge blocking the Biden admin’s new Title IX rule, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we learned that Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito spoke privately with Donald Trump to recommend a former clerk for a job. Jamie Raskin just tore into this news, urging Alito to recuse himself from Trump-related matters. This comes as Trump asked the high court to block a New York judge from sentencing him for his hush money conviction. What Raskin got right is to zero in on the corruption embedded in Trump’s relationship with the Supreme Court. After all, between this and Judge Aileen Cannon ordering Special Counsel Jack Smith not to release his report on the evidence he’s collected against Trump, the courts face a legitimacy crisis. We talked to Politico’s Kyle Cheney, who untangles all these stories and explains what’s coming next. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Zuckerberg announced major changes in Meta’s policies on fact-checking, hate speech, and more. Are these sweeping changes an indication of Zuck bending the knee to Trump and the MAGA movement, or is there more to it? Renee DiResta joins David Rothkopf to break down these changes, consider the challenges of content moderation, and discuss the crisis of trust in information platforms.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss the ongoing fires in Los Angeles, Lebanon electing a new president after years of political paralysis, Trump-induced turmoil in Europe, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With wildfires raging in Los Angeles, Donald Trump unleashed some ugly and hateful tirades on Truth Social. He attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom with a vile slur, blamed the fires on him and President Biden, and even scapegoated environmental protections, which Newsom’s office dismissed as pure fiction. We think this is best seen as another example of how the MAGA right wing seeks to thoroughly degrade public life at every conceivable opportunity. We talked to Nicole Hemmer, a leading historian of the conservative movement and the right wing media. She explains how today’s MAGA derangement traces its lineage back many decades, and discusses how we should respond. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If Donald Trump’s recent statements are anything to go by, we’re about to enter a new age of American imperialism. But how much stock should we really put into Trump’s desires to acquire the Panama Canal, Greenland, and even Canada? Rosa Brooks, Kori Schake, and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to break it all down.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss Donald Trump requesting the Supreme Court block sentencing in his hush money case, a spreading wildfire in Los Angeles, France’s response to Trump’s Greenland threats, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At a press conference on Tuesday, Donald Trump signaled that things are about to get very, very ugly. He wouldn’t rule out using military force to annex Greenland and the Panama Canal. He celebrated the idea that his threats to jail Mark Zuckerberg might have caused Zuckerberg to surrender to him. And Trump vowed to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. We talked to Jennifer Mercieca, a professor of rhetoric who writes about fascist tropes. She explains how Trump is attempting to acclimate Americans to expansionist nationalism and naked threats to jail people without cause to force them into line, and why that bodes so badly about what’s coming. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If Donald Trump’s press conference at Mar-a-Lago was any indication, we’re in for a wild 2025. From threatening military action against US allies to fueling FBI Jan 6 conspiracies the conference ran the gamut of bad news. Norm and Kavita are back in the new year to break it all down, discuss the rising influence of Elon Musk, the need for robust counter-media networks, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices