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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On the DSR Daily for Monday, we discuss Joe Biden pardoning Hunter, Trump tapping Kash Patel for FBI director, an upcoming Supreme Court case that could shape trans rights, and more. 

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Donald Trump just announced that his FBI director will be Kash Patel. We know why: Because Patel himself has already suggested that in a second Trump term, law enforcement should pursue Trump’s enemies, and as a result, Trump’s pick already has leading MAGA figures in a frenzy of excitement about the persecution that’s coming. It’s all a reminder that Trump feels zero constraints of any kind, again raising the question: Are the guardrails gone? We talked to Michael Sozan, a senior fellow for the Center for American Progress and author of a useful report that grapples with this very question. Sozan explains how far Patel will be able to get in carrying out Trump’s campaign of retribution, and why there’s cause for deep alarm. 

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Original air date: December 21, 2023

2023 is finally almost over. Yet many of the most significant issues of the year are still unresolved. Thankfully, the DSR gang is here to share their predictions for what lies ahead in the new year. David Sanger, Rosa Brooks, and Kori Schake join David Rothkopf to give us the hard truth about the challenges for 2024.

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Original air date: December 13, 2023

It goes without saying that 2023 has been an eventful year. Thankfully, the holiday season means the return of a DSR Network tradition: the year in review! David, Kori, Ed, and Rosa join to look at the most significant events of the year, the big headlines that might not have a lasting impact, and more.

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Now that Donald Trump has threatened huge tariffs on Mexico, some MAGA figures are suddenly consumed with a dark new fantasy about Trump inflicting all manner of punishment on that country. One top MAGA ally claims Mexico should prepare for a U.S. military invasion. Another says that if Mexico doesn’t do Trump’s bidding, “pain and suffering will ensue.” Trump’s propagandists are laying the groundwork to cast Mexico as a major scapegoat for U.S. social problems. We talked to Douglas Rivlin of America’s Voice, one of the best immigration and border observers out there, about how misguided Trump’s threats are, why MAGA thrills to them, and what all this could portend about the horrors that are coming. 

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