The DSR Network

It’s Europe week for the Trump administration, and normalcy remains a distant memory. The president’s open disdain for Europe and fondness for Putin remain on full display with visits from key players in the Russia/Ukraine conflict underway. Rosa Brooks and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to make sense of this moment.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover the Ukraine/US minerals deal, the narrow passage of a budget resolution, Republican criticism of DOGE, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At Tuesday’s media briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the White House will now decide who attends briefings, an effort to insulate President Trump from tough scrutiny. She also offered awful spin about the developing Elon Musk fiasco. At key moments, Levitt visibly seethed at the media. And we think we know why: On Tuesday, consumer confidence registered another big drop, and Leavitt was simply unable to defend the glaring Trump-Musk failures we’re seeing. We talked to MSNBC.com columnist James Downie, author of a recent piece detailing how Trump doesn’t want to talk about the economy these days. He explains how Leavitt’s performance illustrated key fault lines in the MAGA coalition and big weaknesses that will bedevil Trump’s presidency.Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss Emmanuel Macron and Trump’s meeting, increasing GOP opposition to Mike Johnnson’s budget resolution, Republicans going after judges critical of Trump, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At a Monday press conference, Donald Trump angrily defended Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Though officials from Trump’s administration are defying Musk’s email instructing federal employees to list their accomplishments, Trump said it was “great,” only spreading more confusion about whether it’s operative. This comes as Trump is getting hit by more polls showing broad disapproval of his performance on prices and deep dissatisfaction with the economy. We talked to writer Susan Milligan, who has a new piece for The New Republic detailing how Republicans have been portraying Trump as a strong “daddy” figure. She explains why the DOGE fiasco and Trump’s rambling presser could undermine perceptions of Trump as a competent, decisive leader.Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the AI, Energy and Climate Podcast! On the inaugural episode of this new series, host David Sandalow is joined by Colin McCormick and Michal Nachmany. We explore the many ways that AI can help in the fight against climate change, from accelerating innovation in clean energy technologies to speeding the deployment of renewables to supporting decision making on climate policy and more. We explore barriers to using AI for these purposes, discuss risks that AI can create and offer recommendations for next steps.AI, Energy and Climate is a special series from the DSR Network sponsored by NEDO and hosted by David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy.AI for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap -- https://www.icef.go.jp/roadmap and transitiondigital.org/ai-climate-roadmap.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we break down the big shake-up at the Pentagon, the AfD making huge gains in Germany, Dan Bongino’s appointment as deputy director of the FBI, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House Republicans are suddenly facing angry voter revolts back at home over Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Some of them are reportedly in a “panic” about DOGE’s increasingly destructive cuts and firings. Meanwhile, Musk just ordered federal employees to list their accomplishments or risk termination. But some senior Trump administration officials defied Musk, telling employees they had no obligation to respond. What if Musk’s DOGE effort is shaping up as a full blown fiasco for President Trump and the GOP? How should Democrats capitalize? We talked to Leah Greenberg, a co-founder of Indivisible, about what she’s seeing on the ground, what the prospects are for mobilizing a sustained opposition, and what comes next.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Friday, we cover new limited on DOGE access to IRS data, the Senate passing a border security bill, Trump ending deportation protection for Haitians, and more. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three new national polls—from CNN, Gallup, and The Washington Post—show that President Donald Trump’s job approval is decidedly underwater. Importantly, the polls also show majorities rejecting Trump’s authoritarian governance. And Elon Musk, who’s carrying out Trump’s most autocratic designs, fares even worse. Are we finally seeing a real public backlash to Trump’s authoritarianism, the one that was supposed to materialize during the election, but didn’t? If so, what does that mean for how Democrats should proceed? We talked to political scientist Julia Azari, who writes on these matters for her “Good Politics, Bad Politics” Substack, about why Democrats have an opening to run harder against Trump-Musk autocratic overreach—and what that might look like. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices