The DSR Network

Original air date: July 30, 2025 You’ve probably heard that President Trump and the European Union have reached a ⁠big trade deal⁠. This is being widely portrayed as a “win” for Trump and a big humiliation for the EU. But it’s not at all clear what we gain as a country from this deal. Surely the phrase “Trump won” has to mean more than, “Trump gets to claim a personal victory and the media is required to play along,” right? We talked to economist Paul Krugman, who has a ⁠great new piece⁠ on ⁠his Substack⁠ casting a lot of much-needed skepticism on the deal. Krugman explains in extensive detail what a sham it is: He argues that Europe’s concessions are fake, that the deal won’t spur a lot more manufacturing in the U.S., and that its burden will fall heavily on MAGA, making it a “scam on his voters.” Krugman also discusses why the media seems incapable of reporting clearly and accurately on the magnitude of Trump’s incompetence and delusions.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: 6/25/25 When it comes to foreign policy news this week, our cup runneth over. Between the confusing narratives surround the US strikes on Iran and a strangely successful NATO summit in The Hague, the administration has had its hands full. Thankfully, David Rothkopf is joined by Gen. Doug Lute, Marc Polymeropoulos, Kori Schake, and Rosa Brooks to make sense of the news and help us understand what comes next.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: September 17, 2025 President Trump seems even more angry at the media than usual. His lawyers ⁠just filed a lawsuit⁠ against The New York Times that First Amendment lawyers are ⁠dismissing⁠ as a total joke. The suit, however, is also chock full of angry rants that appeared dictated by Trump himself. And he announced it with a ⁠Truth Social tirade⁠ that boiled with fury. Meanwhile, Trump himself snapped directly at reporters in strange ways, ⁠hitting one with a bizarre threat⁠ and engaging in a ⁠bizarre dominance display⁠ over the other. This comes as a ⁠new poll⁠ from the Economist reveals shockingly low support for Trump among independents, a key metric for gauging political strength—or weakness. We talked to Paul Waldman, who ⁠recently argued⁠ on his Substack, ⁠The Cross Section⁠, that Trump’s powers of persuasion are failing him. We discuss how Trump both despises and relies on the media, the real reasons for his mounting anger, and how it’s all revealing big cracks in his authoritarian project.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date 4/2/25 It’s Liberation Day in America according to the administration, but what exactly are we being liberated from? The police state is growing, democratic institutions are being eroded, and we’re about to enter a destructive era of tariffs. What’s not to love? Rosa Brooks and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to break down the latest.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: October 14, 2025 President Trump’s allies are suddenly raging over the October 18th “No Kings” protests. MAGA Mike Johnson and ⁠MAGA-fied⁠ Representative Steve Scalise are ⁠angrily sliming expected attendees⁠ as ⁠America-haters⁠, antifa, Marxists, and terrorists. Other GOP figures have ⁠done the same⁠, with ⁠one hinting⁠ that the National Guard should crack down on them. This unanimity of messaging about terrorists means it’s all almost certainly being coordinated by Stephen Miller. Yet it’s backfiring: Democrats and rally organizers are ⁠using it to galvanize attendance⁠, which will likely succeed. Robert De Niro ⁠amplified⁠ the call to turn out, inspiring ⁠more anger⁠ on Fox News. Indeed, the GOP demonization of legitimate protests itself ratifies the “No Kings” message. We talked to Jill Lawrence, who ⁠writes well for The Bulwark⁠ on Trump’s hatred of blue America. We discuss why large legitimate protests infuriate Trump-MAGA, why the correct response to their smears is to turn out in force, and why that’s likely to happen.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices