The DSR Network

Points for candor to Senator Tommy Tuberville. On Thursday, he admitted he thinks Trump should vet his own nominees, suggesting the Senate GOP should forget about playing its advice and consent role. That’s a stark admission about what MAGA actually expects from Senate Republicans. Yet revelations about Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, are so damning that Republicans are finding him impossible to rubber-stamp, and he’s hanging in the balance. We chatted with Salon’s Amanda Marcotte, author of a new piece about Trump, Hegseth and the GOP. She explains how Tuberville said the quiet part out loud, how Trump is expressly trying to build a cabinet of misogynists, and how that’s backfiring, perhaps forcing Republicans to thwart his worst excesses.

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Kash Patel’s selection for FBI director is troubling to say the least. With the choice of yet another sycophant to a key position, we’re beginning to get a clear picture of Trump’s vision for our intelligence communities. Former FBI Assistant Director Frank Figliuzzi joins David Rothkopf to break down what Patel and Tulsi Gabbard’s selections mean for the future of US intelligence and security. 

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On today’s episode of Words Matter, Norm and Kavita are back to break down everything related to the upcoming presidential transition. Which of Trump’s current nominees will make it through to the next administration? What can and should the Democrats do now in the House and the Senate? Additionally, members will receive a bonus discussion on presidential pardons, both past and present. Tune in here:

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On the DSR Daily for Thursday, we discuss the Trump Organization allowing foreign deals during Trump’s new administration, the Biden White House weighing preemptive pardon’s for Trump’s opponents, a major election influence campaign in Romania, and more. 

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Donald Trump’s choice for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, is hanging by a thread. GOP senators are clearly signaling that he’s in deep trouble. Yet powerful right wing influencers are now angrily rushing to Hegseth’s defense, urging those senators to stand behind him. We chatted with Matt Gertz of Media Matters, who has a good new piece reporting on Fox News’s efforts to save Hegseth. Gertz explains how MAGA is turning this into a test for GOP Senators: Will they surrender to the “liberal media” when it reports facts about Trump, or will they side with Trump and MAGA? If GOP Senators fail now, it bodes badly for what’s coming. 

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On the DSR Daily for Wednesday, we break down the short-lived martial law declaration in South Korea, Trump weighing Ron DeSantis for Defense Secretary, new pro-EU protests in Georgia, and more. 

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Donald Trump’s administration is already shaping up as a Murderer’s Row of Billionaires. By one count, he’s already picked eight billionaires for top positions. He has now chosen a ninth billionaire to serve as Deputy Defense Secretary, and this one enjoys lucrative contracts with the Pentagon. We talked to Noah Bookbinder, the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, about how unprecedented it is to have so many billionaires in the government—and whether there are any post-Watergate safeguards left that can withstand the oligarchic corruption that’s about to hit us.

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On the DSR Daily for Tuesday, we cover the exchanges of fire threatening the Lebanon ceasefire, Jamie Raskin’s bid to oust Jerry Nadler for key position, China’s new export ban of key minerals, and more. 

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In an extraordinary expose, The New Yorker has revealed the “secret history” of Pete Hegseth, who’s Donald Trump’s nominee for Defense Secretary. This includes allegations of extreme drunkenness and financial mismanagement of a nonprofit he ran. Along with other highly unqualified nominees, this fiasco raises a question: Do Senate Democrats have what it takes to make revelations like these stick in confirmation hearings? We talked to Tara McGowan, a progressive media executive who often urges Democrats to go on the offensive. She explains how the party can get more serious about fighting the information wars—and why this will be essential during a second Trump presidency.

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The Atlantic’s Shane Harris (X @ shaneharris , Bluesky @shaneharris.bsky.social) joins Marc to discuss Trump’s national security picks, the view from our European intelligence partners of America at a crossroads, and Shane’s top moments over his esteemed two decade career covering national security and intelligence. Plus, Marc reveals his four commandments (hint: stop doom scrolling) of making it through this unique time period in US history!

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