The Daily Blast: “Sham”: Trump Just Made Epstein Fiasco Even More Humiliating for MAGA
President Trump is now suggesting he may pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, the accomplice to Jeffrey Epstein who’s serving time for sex trafficking. Trump told reporters: “I’m allowed to do it.” He dispatched Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to solicit testimony from Maxwell, ostensibly to gain new insight into Epstein’s activities. But in today’s episode, lawyer Philip Rotner, author of a new piece for The Bulwark on the Maxwell angle, suggests that the move by Blanche—previously Trump’s personal lawyer—is itself extremely dodgy and appears motivated by a desire to protect Trump. Rotner explains why it’s plausible Blanche hopes to get Maxwell to exonerate Trump, which Trump could then reward with a pardon. It’s hard to overstate how humiliating all this is for MAGA: After demanding the “Epstein files” for years, they got their people in at the Justice Department—and now they’re taking new steps to cover it all up. While some in MAGA are telling themselves that Maxwell will finally reveal the whole truth, that only makes them look even more absurd. Rotner unpacks the latest developments and explains why it’s all a “sham.” Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 Jul 23min
The DSR Weekly Wrap-Up: France to Recognize Palestinian State
On the DSR Weekly Wrap-Up for July 25, we discuss President Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state, Tulsi Gabbard’s public accusations against Obama-era officials, conflict in Thailand and Cambodia, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
27 Jul 23min
The Daily Blast: Trump Hit by Harsh Takedown on “The View,” Igniting White House Fury
A new Gallup poll finds that President Trump’s approval has dropped to 37 percent. But the White House has figured out how to get those numbers back up: By picking a huge fight with “The View.” This week, Joy Behar unleashed a striking takedown of Trump, mocking him mercilessly for being jealous of Barack Obama. This enraged the White House, which responded with name calling—and a veiled threat. Which got us thinking: Doesn’t the logic of the situation dictate that Trump’s authoritarian threats will of necessity escalate? We talked about all this with Salon’s Amanda Marcotte, a skilled decoder of MAGA’s cultural hatreds. We discuss why Behar’s broadside was so perfectly aimed at Trump’s soft underbelly, why Trump’s only way forward may be more arrests, and how this whole saga shows that Trump thought the culture was moving his way—but it’s not, driving him into a fury. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
25 Jul 25min
Words Matter: What Do the Kids from South Park Know About America Today That the Rest of Us Need to Learn?
South Park is back, and they don’t care about pissing off Donald Trump… unlike Columbia University. While Trump fumes about his disastrous PR and anybody who dares to even joke about him, the sinister undercurrents of his regime continue to flow. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the challenges facing universities, the complete erosion of legal norms under Trump, and the latest episode of South Park. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
24 Jul 37min
The DSR Daily for July 24: Protests Breakout Across Ukraine
On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we cover protests over a controversial new law in Ukraine, calls for Pam Bondi to testify, another court blocking Trump’s birthright citizenship order, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
24 Jul 17min
The Daily Blast: “Furious” Trump Vents at Epstein Mess as Allies Admit He’s Vulnerable
President Donald Trump is “furious” about his inability to make the Jeffrey Epstein scandal go away, Politico reports. He’s frustrated with his staff’s failure to tamp down the uproar, which continues to consume his base, and his allies are admitting this has become major problem, with one telling Politico that Trump understands that “this is a vulnerability.” This comes amid new reports that Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy privately informed Trump earlier this year that his name appears numerous times in the Epstein files, suggesting this story will get worse. We talked to media strategist Tara McGowan, the publisher of the pro-democracy Courier Newsroom. We discuss why this scandal is dispelling the myth of Trump’s superhuman control over media narratives, how Democrats must seize this moment, and why they should treat this scandal as a genuinely important story that really matters to many Americans. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
24 Jul 26min
Our Ship of State is a Ship of Fools...and That's Not a Good Thing
Let’s be honest, Donald Trump is the captain of a ship of fools. Nowhere is this more clear than in the realms of foreign policy and defense, where folks like Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard run rampant. What does this descent into madness mean for our country? Ed Luce, Rosa Brooks, and Kori Schake join David Rothkopf to answer this critical question and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
23 Jul 29min
The DSR Daily for July 23: US and Japan Reach Trade Deal
On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the new trade deal between the US and Japan, Pam Bondi firing a New Jersey prosecutor, a landmark new UN ICJ ruling on climate change, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
23 Jul 24min