The DSR Network

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss the Supreme Court striking down an immigration crackdown in Florida, the US sanctioning a UN human rights abuses investigator, Trump’s 50% tariff for Brazil, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Juli 18min

It appears to be dawning on President Trump that he will not be ending the Russia-Ukraine war in one day, as he promised during the campaign. Trump’s frustration at Vladimir Putin is rising: This week he accused Putin of hitting him with “bullshit,” and even admitted Putin’s word to him is “meaningless.” This comes as it’s now being reported that Putin is escalating the war against Ukraine, and that he’s brushing aside Trump’s anger about it. Add it all up and Trump is plainly humiliated, realizing that Putin is laughing off his demand for “peace.” We talked to Mona Charen, policy editor at The Bulwark, who writes well about the Trumpified GOP’s embrace of Putin. She explains how Putin has long played Trump, why Putin feels free to humiliate him, and what the various scenarios ahead look like. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Juli 27min

The only consistent theme of Trump’s foreign policy has been inconsistency. As baffling choices continue without rhyme or reason, we have to ask—who benefits? Max Boot, Rosa Brooks, and Ed Luce join David Rothkopf to explore why China is the biggest winner in Trump’s second term and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Juli 45min

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we discuss the Supreme Court decision allowing for mass federal layoffs, the IRS allowing churches to endorse political candidate, stalling ceasefire talks in Gaza, and more.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Juli 23min

At least 109 people have died amid devastating flooding in Texas. Distressingly, 27 deaths occurred at a summer camp for girls, and the toll continues to rise.  This week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt angrily lashed out at the news media and Democrats for asking whether Trump administration policies bear any blame for the disaster’s impact. What struck us, though, is her demand that we all treat this as a “national” tragedy. She’s right that we should do this. But that solicitude is precisely what Donald Trump and MAGA deny to non-MAGA America at other urgent moments. And that’s the true MAGA ethic at its ugliest. We talked to New Republic staff writer Kate Aronoff, who has a new piece on all this fallout. We discuss why Leavitt is wrong to silence hard questions, why Democrats should talk about GOP priorities at times like these, and why MAGA’s approach to solidarity is so deeply twisted.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Juli 22min

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, the resumption of weapons shipments to Ukraine, the latest from the deadly Texas floods, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Juli 14min

At a rally, President Trump declared that he now may suspending deportations for farmworkers and other migrant workers. Trump openly admitted this will anger the “radical right,” by which he likely meant Stephen Miller and others who want every last undocumented immigrant in this country removed—or else. Indeed, leading MAGA influencers sharply attacked the move: One declared that it will “break” the MAGA coalition. The other flatly demanded that Trump keep on deporting “grandmothers.” We think all this should be understood as a display of weakness: Trump badly wants the public to think he’s considering relaxing his mass deportation regime precisely when Congress has given him tens of billions of additional dollars for it. We talked to journalist, historian, and podcaster Garrett Graff, who has a new piece on his Substack about what’s coming. He explains why rapidly expansion of Trump’s paramilitary force is so dangerous, how his effort to pseudo-moderate on deportations has exposed serious political vulnerabilities, and why he has no easy way out of them. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Juli 21min

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss Musk’s announcement of his new political party, the extension of tariff deadlines, the horrific aftermath of flooding in Texas, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 Juli 17min