Is America No Longer the Good Guy?

House Democrats have released Jeffrey Epstein’s “Birthday Book,” and it’s brutal for President Trump. His note to Epstein is real and it appears to bear his distinctive signature. There’s also an image of Epstein holding a big check that discusses selling a “fully depreciated” woman to Trump. On Tuesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, visibly irritated, offered some truly absurd spin about Trump’s signature on the note to Epstein, throwing in obsequious praise to boot. She dodged a question about the check with rank misdirection while curtly brushing off further queries. The upshot: White House spin looked comically awful throughout. Leavitt flashed anger at other points, accusing reporters of ignoring serious crimes and of being dishonest about Trump’s militarization of Washington, DC. We talked to MSNBC’s Steve Benen, author of Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past. We discuss why MAGA deceptions on Epstein are worse than usual, what that says about the evolution of the right-wing disinformation machine, and where this scandal is going next. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Sep 23min

After a pause over the summer, we’re restarting the AI, Energy and Climate Podcast with a conversation between Jennifer Granholm, former U.S. Secretary of Energy and Governor of Michigan, and host David Sandalow. Sec. Granholm explains why she’s an “AI optimist,” sounds several notes of caution on AI and describes where she agrees and disagrees with Trump administration policies.  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

9 Sep 38min

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we break down the evacuation order for Gaza City, the House Oversight Committee releasing more Epstein-related documents, a significant Supreme Court ruling, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Sep 20min

There’s been an amusing turn in the saga involving President Trump’s vile effort to remove Lisa Cook as governor of the Federal Reserve. Trump has relied on his flunkies to cook up allegations of mortgage fraud against Cook—and other foes as well—but now news organizations have blown big holes in the scam. They’ve reported that numerous Trump officials, and even relatives of his top ally in the anti-Cook effort, have done similar things on their mortgages. Meanwhile, a new CBS News poll contains brutal findings for Trump across the board. Crucially, it finds that truly huge majorities oppose Trump’s efforts to interfere with the Fed—yet another way this whole charade is backfiring on him. We talked to New Republic staff writer Matt Ford, who covers legal affairs. He explains why Trump’s use of this tactic is so corrupt, why the stakes in the battle over Cook are larger than they appear, and what might happen when it all lands at the Supreme Court.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Sep 21min

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss Trump’s gestures at war over National Guard deployments, detained Hyundai workers to be flown back to South Korea, the killing of six in a deadly shooting in Jerusalem, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Sep 19min

President Donald Trump’s losses in court are suddenly piling up on many crucial fronts at once. Most of his tariffs were just ruled illegal, prompting him to explode in fury. An appeals court blocked Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act for deportations. And a judge invalidated Trump’s cancellation of grants to Harvard. There’s a big through line here that deserves attention: Judges are taking a very hard line on Trump’s use of pretexts to justify his illegal actions, on many of the issues where his abuses of power are most flagrant. But what happens when all this collides with the highest court in the land? We talked to Michigan University law professor Leah Litman, author of Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes. She explains why Trump’s manufacturing of pretexts is central to his consolidation of authoritarian power, why it’s temporarily heartening that he’s facing many setbacks in these areas, and what it will look like once it all goes to the high court.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Sep 19min

Original air date: September 25, 2024 Escalating to de-escalate might not be Israel’s goal in Lebanon after all. But as strikes between Israel and Hezbollah continue to intensify, we have to wonder — what is Israel’s goal? Rosa Brooks, Kori Schake, and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to examine the situation in the Middle East, discuss the results from UNGA, predict the outcome of the Vice Presidential debate, 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

7 Sep 44min

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-Up for September 5, we discuss Trump’s intentions to rename the Department of Defense, White House plans to expand military action in South America and the Caribbean, the big takeaways from RFK Jr.’s Senate hearing, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 Sep 22min