CIA clandestine services veteran and longtime Middle East hand Marc Polymeropoulos tells Jeff Stein that the CIA no longer prizes regional expertise, instead opting for spy corps “generalists” who can be shifted from region to region. In this Special Edition of the SpyTalk podcast, Polymeropoulos laments the passing of Charlie Seidel, who he calls the CIA’s “last great Arabist.”
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Has the CIA Lost Its Grip on the Middle East?

Twice a week, this podcast will take you on a smart, direct, sometimes scary, sometimes profane, sometimes hilarious tour of the inner workings of American power and of the impact of our leaders and their policies on our standing in the world. Hosted by noted author and commentator David Rothkopf and featuring regulars Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law School, Kori Schake of Stanford University and David Sanger of the New York Times, the program will be the lively, smart dinner table conversation on the big issues of the day that you wish you were having...without the calories. Sometimes special guests will join the conversation and always the emphasis will be on providing the unvarnished perspectives others shy away from. Deep State Radio is the insider perspective on American national security and foreign policy that you can't find anywhere else.

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Government

On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we discuss Israeli troops amassing near the Gaza Strip, new accusations from prosecutors in Trump’s hush money trial, mass arrests in US campus protests, and more. 
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The DSR Daily for April 23: Israel Poised for Escalation in Gaza, New Accusations in Trump Trial

Now that Mike Johnson allowed Ukraine aid to pass the House on a broad bipartisan basis, an enraged Marjorie Taylor Greene is ramping up her threats to oust the Speaker. But a funny thing has happened: For many reasons, Greene’s efforts could end up accomplishing little for the MAGA right, even as they do more to endanger GOP control of the House. We chatted with Democratic Representative Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, a shrewd observer of all these dynamics, about the possibilities of more coalition governing, the future of MAGA in the House, and the threat posed by the ticking time bomb otherwise known as MTG.
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The Daily Blast: Why Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Fury Is About to Get Worse for the GOP

With conflicts raging in Ukraine, Gaza, and beyond, the job of covering conflict and national security is more important than ever. But how do journalists provide accurate and reliable coverage? CNN national security correspondent Kylie Atwood joins Marc Polymeropoulos to discuss the unique challenges our current national security climate and more.
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AAI: National Security Journalism is Even Harder than it Looks

On the Monday edition of the DSR Daily, we cover the House finally passing an aid bill for Ukraine, the head of the IDF’s intelligence department’s resignation, the Supreme Court reviewing anti-camping laws, and more.
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The DSR Daily for April 22: House Passes Aid Bill, Israeli IDF Intelligence Head Resigns

This week, arguments begin in Donald Trump’s hush money trial in Manhattan, and he’s raging over the unfairness of it all. Amazingly, some are rushing to insist the trial won’t pose a serious problem for his presidential chances. But progressive political strategist Anat Shenker-Osorio disagrees: She writes in a new piece for Slate that due to some hidden public opinion dynamics, the case is already damaging him. So we chatted with Shenker-Osorio about why the trial and Trump’s impulsive conduct at it is so alienating to voters outside the MAGA bubble—and why this dynamic will only get worse.
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Has the CIA Lost Its Grip on the Middle East?

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