Deep State Radio

Original air date: September 20, 2024 Donald Trump is a crummy candidate, but he's certainly not the only example of rot in the Republican Party. With so much of the Trump campaign focused on hate and division, we have to ask: how low can the Republican Party really go? The Washington Post's Jen Rubin and Words Matter host Norm Ornstein join David Rothkopf for an examination of how far the Republican Party has fallen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker delivered an extraordinary takedown of President Trump over his deployment of the military in U.S. cities. Trump then exploded about Pritzker's impudence, calling the governor names and instructing him to bow down and beg for his “HELP” in fighting crime. Trump has threatened twice to occupy Chicago no matter what the city's residents and their elected representatives think about it, another window into his seething anger. In this standoff, Pritzker did something unusual: He communicated with his constituents from the heart, vowing to use all his power to protect them from Trump's authoritarian takeover. Rather than let Trump pretend he cares about crime, Pritzker cast Trump as the primary threat to his state's people. We talked to Brian Beutler, who has a great new piece on his substack, Off Message, taking stock of Pritzker's response. We discuss how Pritzker is shrewdly reading the moment in a way many Democrats are not, why Trump is vulnerable on crime, and what the punditry is getting so wrong about all of it. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration has expressed a desire for “truthful” and “unbiased” AI, yet the reality seems to be a crusade on “woke” AI. Yet the results of such a crusade would go far beyond eliminating DEI from artificial intelligence. The Brennan Center's Amos Toh joins David Rothkopf to explore the effects the administration's AI regulations and how AI is playing a larger role in militaries around the world.  This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: November 7, 2024 The election is over, and we lost. Now it's time to get up off the mat and get back to work. Simon Rosenberg and Tara McGowan join David Rothkopf to break down what went wrong this time, and share the key lessons that Democrats have to learn in order to bounce back and keep up the fight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanks to President Trump's big budget bill, funding has been canceled for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This is cutting funding to hundreds of radio stations in rural areas that rely on them for critical information. Speaking to The New York Times, GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski, who opposed the bill, sounded absolutely shocked that Trump and the GOP would harm their own voters so cavalierly. She said this is driven by a “blind allegiance to the president's desires,” adding that fear of Trump's anger overrode GOP lawmakers' concerns for their own constituents. Yet this has been the story on many other fronts, too. Will Democrats ever be able to capitalize? We talked to Lynlee Thorne, a Democratic organizer in rural areas as the political director of RuralGroundGame.org. She explains why rural radio is a lifeline, how Trump's agenda is shafting those areas particularly hard, what rural voters think about him right now, and how Democrats can repair the party's deep problems with them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: June 22, 2025 The moment has finally arrived: America has bombed Iran. As the dust settles, we're left with more questions than answers about what the attack achieved and what comes next. Thankfully, Jon Wolfsthal, Gen. Mark Hertling, and Steven Cook join David Rothkopf to provide clarity on what this unprecedented moment means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent days, President Trump has reached new levels of emboldenment when it comes to his ongoing authoritarian takeover. He's vowing retribution at news organizations that displease him with greater audacity. He's responded to Democrats and others who criticized him by threatening to send troops to their cities or unleash state power against them in other ways. In recent days, something plainly has changed, and many observers are taking note. We talked to journalist and historian Garrett Graff, who has a great new piece on his Doomsday Scenario Substack arguing that we really are seeing the advent of “American fascism” right before our eyes. He explains that transformations like this are incremental and often hard to recognize, but that Trump's escalating brazenness strongly suggests we've crossed over into something new. The pile-up of new offenses Trump is committing daily, Graff says, amounts to “insanity.”  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: February 28, 2025 There's no way to sugarcoat it — the Trump/Zelensky meeting was a disaster. The betrayal of Ukraine is confirmed, and the administration is past the point of no return. Doug Lute, Rosa Brooks, and Marc Polymeropoulos join David Rothkopf to break down this train wreck of a meeting and what it means for the future of US foreign policy. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Governor Gavin Newsom is breaking through like no other Democrat. This is partly because he's forging ahead with a state gerrymander to add five Democratic House seats, countering President Trump's rigging of Texas. But we think there are deeper reasons Newsom is cutting through the noise. These were on display when Newsom recently issued a stark warning about Trump's long term intentions. Newsom connected numerous dots to offer a takedown of Trump that laid bare the full scope of his ongoing authoritarian takeover in a way other Democrats rarely do. We talked to Will Stancil, a policy researcher and attorney who has developed an interesting analysis of the Democratic Party on social media. We discussed what makes Newsom's approach different, how he's attempting to solve the party's struggles in the information wars, and why it offers the beginnings of an approach for the party to adopt amid Trump's imposition of authoritarian rule. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-Up for August 22, we cover the FBI raid of John Bolton's house, a declaration of famine in Gaza City, the administration reviewing 55 million visa holders, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: August 26, 2024 National security journalist Michael Weiss joins Marc to discuss how Kamala Harris found her inner Reagan, the Ukrainian raid that turned out to be an invasion, and the blob starts the parlor game of who staffs a future Harris White House.  Plus, the folly of the Ukrainian doomers never ceases to amaze, even when Ukraine is, dare say…succeeding? Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday, JD Vance delivered a speech designed to reset the political battle over President Trump's abysmally unpopular budget bill. But Vance's speech devolved into a series of rants that seemed to ape Trump's style. Vance lied about the bill's health care cuts and dissembled wildly about its expected impact on rural hospitals—both times smearing undocumented immigrants with vile Trumpian dishonesty. He also baselessly attacked a nonpartisan agency whose analysis displeased him. All this comes as news outlets in many states are showing that people deep in MAGA country know they're set to get royally screwed. Vance's scamming of Trump voters here was extraordinary. But Democrats have work to do. We talked to Michael Linden, an economist and Democratic strategist organizing against the bill. He dissects Vance's lies about it, explains how badly it will shaft Trump voters and the working class, and discusses how Democrats can keep the focus on it through Election Day 2026. 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 Thursday, we discuss the Texas House passing its controversial redistricting plan, the US and EU's recent trade framework, a ridiculous plan to paint the border wall, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Miller exploded in a long, unhinged rant about demonstrators who are protesting President Trump's military occupation of Washington, D.C. It was classic authoritarian agitprop, attacking demonstrators as “communists” who are secretly trying to make the city more dangerous to its salt-of-the-earth working class residents. Ominously flanked by the Defense Secretary and members of the military, he threatened to respond with more troops. But we think this is really an expression of weakness. Trump and Miller were certain that a latent majority is prepared to rally to authoritarian rule. But poll after poll shows voters rebelling. Miller's hubris has become a major weakness. We talked to New Republic staff writer Monica Potts, author of a great new piece analyzing Trump's long-term game plan. She explains how Trump is consolidating power right before eyes, why Democrats need to stop calling this a “distraction,” and how the opposition should proceed, secure in the knowledge that the public is not with Trump. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There has been a diplomatic flurry around Ukraine in recent days, yet the theme of progress has been hollow words and flip-flopping. Is the White House serious about peace, or is this all just a photo op? Amb. Doug Lute, Max Boot, Andrea Kendall-Taylor, and Rosa Brooks join David Rothkopf to get to the bottom of this diplomacy blitz and put the kibosh on hopes for real peace anytime soon.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the US and NATO considering security options for Ukraine, Israeli approval of a new settlement project in the West Bank, GOP-imposed surveillance on Texas Democrats, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt seethed at the media for well over a minute for not acknowledging President Trump's world historical peacemaking efforts or his smashing successes in the Russia-Ukraine talks, even though there haven't been any such successes. And she offered a wildly absurd explanation for why European leaders rushed to Washington, D.C. (to prevent the U.S. from selling out Ukraine to Vladimir Putin). This comes as a snew Reuters poll finds Trump's approval rating down to a new low of 40 percent. That's fueled partly by Russia-Ukraine: A striking 54 percent of Americans say Trump is too aligned with Putin. We talked to international relations expert Nicholas Grossman. He explains how Leavitt's spin and European angst show that incredibly high stakes matters are now being dictated by an unnerving combination of Trumpian megalomania, his genuine desire for a future world marked by a weak western alliance and strong autocracies, and his utter indifference to the U.S. public's apparent rejection of that vision.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump met with Vladimir Putin and listened to him warn against mail-in voting. Then, Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders visited the White House as a united front in an attempt to gauge their transatlantic ally and secure peace. Meanwhile, the National Guard continues to loiter around D.C.'s tourist areas, not to stop crime but to display a show of force and distract American voters. What is the root of Trump's admiration for Putin? Why is D.C. at the center of national media coverage? And how is this administration attacking election integrity beneath the surface? Tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss all of this 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

Well Volodymyr Zelensky may have worn a suit to the White House this time around, but he still didn't quite get the results he wanted. The US President had little to offer beyond empty promises, even with the presence of numerous European leaders. Professor Angela Stent and General Mark Hertling join David Rothkopf to share why, despite appearances, this meeting might have been even worse than the last for Ukraine.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss the meeting between Zelensky and Trump in Washington, Texas Democrats ending their walkout protest, discussions for the government to take 10% stake in Intel, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Member Air Date: August 12, 2025 The world's view on Israel has shifted dramatically in the aftermath of October 7th and the invasion of Gaza. There are stark disconnects between the government and average Israelis, and the American Jewish community is undergoing profound changes. J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami and Senior Vice President Ilan Goldenberg join David Rothkopf to explore these complex relationships and what they can tell us about the future of Israel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, President Trump unleashed a tortured Truth Social rant that lied relentlessly about vote-by-mail—and announced a forthcoming executive order that would end mail voting entirely. That's not legal, of course. But nothing, no matter how absurd, can be ruled out these days. Trump's eruption also revealed a bigger set of intentions: To abuse presidential power in every conceivable way he can to swing the midterm elections against Democrats. This comes as Trump's scheme to get Texas to gerrymander five extra GOP seats is gaining steam. We talked to David Daley, the great analyst of right-wing election subversion, whose latest book is called “Antidemocratic: Inside the Far Right's 50-Year Plot to Control American Elections.” He explains how Trump will try to help the GOP cheat its way through the midterms, why it might work, and what Democrats must do in response—in this election cycle and, importantly, beyond. 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 Monday, we cover the imminent White House Ukraine meeting, mass protests in Israel, Trump's targeting of mail-in ballots ahead of the midterm elections, and more.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With President Trump's crackdown intensifying in Washington, D.C., he lashed out angrily at the media for describing him as a “dictator.” In this same rant, he did not reassure D.C. residents and exaggerated wildly about crime there, suggesting people should thank him for his efforts. As observers noted, Trump clearly meant people should mute criticism of his militarization of cities simply because he claims they're needed to reassert control. We talked to legal commentator Joyce Vance, who writes well about this on her Civil Discourse Substack and is author of the new book Giving Up Is Unforgiveable. She explains how Trump's use of manufactured pretexts is worsening on many fronts, why this itself is an alarming threat to self rule, and how the opposition should respond, noting it's imperative for disengaged voters to “wake up.” This episode was recorded before Trump and D.C. reached an agreement limiting his control over the D.C. police, but the specifics remain unresolved, his use of the National Guard continues, and his broader threat to other cities has darkened.  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 Weekly Wrap-Up for August 15, we discuss the HHS reviving a vaccine skeptical task force, Gavin Newsom's controversial plan to redraw congressional maps, the appointment of DEA head Terry Cole as DC's emergency police commissioner, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration is trying to rewrite history, again, on the 2106 elections. After numerous investigations into election interference, the political narratives have completely distorted reality. Renee DiResta joins David Rothkopf to cut through the bullshit and give an honest appraisal of 2016 and why an election from over 8 years ago is still so important.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: July 25, 2025 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 good 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

As if Trump's authoritarian transgressions weren't already blatant, the President has now deployed National Guard troops to “protect” our nation's capital - but we know these actions are politically motivated. Why haven't media pundits treated this actions as existential threats to our democracy? Why is a Subway sandwich-wielding protestor treated more harshly than January 6th protestors? And what is going on with Laura Loomer and Arby's? Tune in to this week's edition of Words Matter as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein tackle all of this 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

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we break down Israel's new settlement plans, Trump's intentions to extend federal control over DC, a ruling allowing the administration to continue withholding foreign aid, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: July 23, 2025 In the last few days, we seem to have crossed a threshold. President Trump is ratcheting up the authoritarianism and threatening to prosecute his enemies in a new kind of way. In a series of angry new rants, Trump accused Barack Obama and other members of Obama's administration of serious crimes. He's also calling for Senator Adam Schiff to be put in “prison.” Critically, all this has been accompanied by unabashedly corrupt manipulation of the bureaucracy that's designed to manufacture pretexts for the prosecutions of those enemies. Ryan Enos, a professor of government at Harvard, put it very starkly on Bluesky, saying that authoritarianism is “right here in front of us.” So we invited Enos on the show. He explains why “we're in real trouble in the short term,” how Trump compares to other authoritarians around the globe, and why our only choices now are to fight the takeover or “accept that this is our future.” Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump and President Putin's Alaska summit is on the horizon and we couldn't be less excited. Without a spot for Ukraine at the table and a 1-on-1 meeting between the two presidents on the docket, there's not really much to be hopeful for. Amb. Ivo Daalder, Professor Rosa Brooks, and Professor Angela Stent join David Rothkopf to forecast the storm clouds ahead for the meeting and why we shouldn't count on a blockbuster peace deal any time soon.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we cover the upcoming Trump-Putin summit, Israel's potential resettlement of Palestinians to South Sudan, the White House calls for a review of Smithsonian museums, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: July 15, 2025 The MAGA movement has been in full meltdown ever since President Trump's Department of Justice concluded they have no evidence that sex offender Jeffrey Epstein kept a client list or was murdered in jail. This contradicted a major MAGA conspiracy theory, and MAGA influencers are screaming cover-up. Tucker Carlson just ratcheted this all up by attacking Trump: He faulted Trump's government for failing to take questions about the matter seriously. In another heresy, Carlson even criticized Trump himself for brushing off MAGA's anger over it. Carlson's broadside has some Republicans quietly grappling with why he is so successfully capturing MAGA anger about the Epstein fiasco. We talked to historian Nicole Hemmer, author of several major books about the right and its media networks. She expertly decodes the MAGA pathologies animating the Epstein drama, digs into their deeper sources on the right, and explains what it all says about today's Trumpified political world. 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 break down Trump's takeover of Washington, the US and China extending their tariff truce another 90 days, Trump's new conservative Bureau of Labor Statistics nominee, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: July 11, 2025 Stephen Miller recently berated ICE officials in a private meeting, demanding that they hit supercharged new arrest quotas and steamrolling anyone who balked, reports The Atlantic. Yet in a surprise twist, the report also details that Miller's demands for maximum arrests are driving morale at ICE into the crapper. Importantly, what's irking ICE agents is precisely that the mission of arresting as many low-level offenders as possible is pulling them away from pursuing serious criminals. This brutally unmasks one of Trump's biggest scams: It demonstrates clearly that his mass deportations are not at all about public safety and are only about getting as many peaceful and noncriminal immigrants out of the country as possible. We talked to one of our favorite observers on this issue, FWD.us president Todd Schulte. He explains how all this reveals the soft underbelly of Trump's political strength, why MAGA is now addicted vile memes about shackling immigrants, and what ordinary people can do to effectively resist the coming horrors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: July 10, 2025 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss President Trump threatening to deploy the National Guard to DC, a strange deal between the government and NVIDIA and AMD, a deadly strike on journalists in Gaza, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-Up for August 8, we discuss Israeli plans to take Gaza City, the Trump admin requiring universities submit data on students' race, a US plan to disarm Hezbollah, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 United States; 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.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Thank God for South Park.” Words Matter is back for another weekly edition of political therapy with Dr. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf. Tune in as Norm and David discuss the current administration's attacks on education, their ever-increasing political abuses, and how South Park is doing a better job than the Democratic party at laying bare the horrors of this administration. 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 Thursday, we discuss the new 100% tariff on imported computer chips, Tulsi Gabbard declassifying documents despite CIA objections, Trump's threats to send the National Guard to DC, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: June 2, 2025 Ming Li Hui, who goes by the name of “Carol,” has lived for 20 years in the town of Kennett, Missouri, after coming here from Hong Kong. She has been raising a family there and works as a waitress—and as The New York Times reports in a piece featuring quotes from Carol and many locals, she's well-liked in the community. But Carol was recently arrested and now faces potential deportation. This has shocked and dismayed many of the town's residents, even though the area went overwhelmingly for Trump. Carol talked to us on the podcast straight from jail, where she is awaiting her fate. At times the conversation was difficult: She broke down in tears about her ordeal, was emotionally overwhelmed at the support she's received from the Trump-backing town, and offers wrenching thoughts about Trump's effort to deport countless others just like her. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump is turning up the heat on Russia — or is he? Trump has had some harsh words and severe threats for Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine, but we don't know what the President will really do when push comes to shove. Max Boot and Kori Schake join David Rothkopf to cut through the bluster to see what this new rhetoric really means for Ukraine.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down Steve Witkoff's meeting with Vladimir Putin, Gov. Abbott's attempt to expel the House Democratic leader in Texas, a Trump admin strategy meeting to discuss strategy around the Epstein files, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we cover Netanyahu's plans to fully occupy Gaza, the State Department's program to require bonds for some visa applicants, the ongoing showdown in Texas, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Monday we discuss the showdown over redistricting in Texas, the White House firing the BLS commissioner, Trump's India threats, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Weekly Wrap-Up for August 1, we break down Trump's new slate of tariffs, turmoil in Gaza, the administration's waffling on Russia, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered one of her most obsequious, fawning tirades about President Trump yet. She credited him with single-handedly resolving a half dozen major geopolitical conflicts around the world, and angrily asserted that it's high time Trump is granted the Nobel Peace Prize. It's no accident that this came amid new polling evidence that Trump's coalition is falling apart in a freshly dangerous way for him, as documented in a great new piece by New Republic senior editor Alex Shephard. In today's episode, Shephard explains how the numbers show key constituencies getting away from him. We discuss all the ways Leavitt's North Korea-style propaganda actually works against Trump by reinforcing the emperor-has-no-clothes vibe around him, why the press is reluctant to tell the truth about his unpopularity, how Democrats need to stop treating him as if he's invincible, and what that should look like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss Canada joining the UK and France in a push to recognize a Palestinian state, a so-called trade deal with South Korea, Kamala Harris choosing not to run for governor of California, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump has been raging at Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell for weeks, demanding that he cut interest rates. But on Wednesday, the Fed declined—and worse for Trump, Powell delivered a blunt assessment of his tariffs, claiming they are “pushing up prices,” and that “near-term measures of inflation expectations have moved up.” Given that this comes right when more of Trump's tariffs are set to take effect on August 1, and given that Powell is directly defying Trump's fury, that amounts to a harsh blow for the president. Indeed, Trump is also venting his fury at various GOP senators for not doing his bidding. On top of all that, two new polls show his approval rating down to an abysmal 40 percent, with one finding his approval on the economy even lower. We talked to MSNBC.com columnist James Downie, author of a new piece on Democrats and the midterm elections. We discuss why Trump is weaker politically than he looks, why various dynamics look poised to make that worse, and why it's high time for Democrats to start acting like it. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The conditions in Gaza are hellish, and they are about to get much worse. Thousands more Palestinians are at risk of dying from famine all while the Israeli government makes plans to annex more of the territory. Refugees International President Jeremy Konyndyk joins Rosa Brooks, Ed Luce, Kori Schake, and David Rothkopf to shine a light on the horrifying crisis underway in Gaza.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices