The DSR Network

Original air date: November 14, 2025

President Trump is ⁠angrily urging⁠ Republicans not to join Democrats in pushing for release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. But all of a sudden, with the discharge petition set to force a House vote, things are rapidly going in the wrong direction for Trump. In a surprise, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene ⁠now predicts that the number⁠ of Republicans who will vote to release the files will be “a lot higher” than anyone expects. If the GOP defectors hit truly sizable numbers, as suddenly looks likely, it will be a bombshell with terrible implications for Trump, ramping up the pressure across the board in any number of ways. But the process that’s about to unfold is complex. So we talked to Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, a high profile voice throughout this saga. She explains what it’s like to talk personally with Epstein’s victims, why Republicans are finding it harder to resist pressure, what Democrats will do next to keep the story alive, and why this will keep getting worse for Trump until the truth comes out in the end.

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Original Air Date: 3/5/25

Trump is in a very generous mood, at least if you’re Vladimir Putin. Between the public dragging of President Zelensky culminating in Tuesday night’s address to congress, it’s clear that Trump favors his man in Moscow. Mission Implausible host John Sipher joins Rosa Brooks and David Rothkopf to break down why the US is getting a raw deal. 

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Original air date: August 28, 2025

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. 

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Original Air Date: 3/3/25

What happens when the United States effectively switches sides on the global stage? When allying with Russia upends decades of foreign policy around the world? And what dangers does the Trump-Hegseth administration pose for global nuclear security? Joe Cirincione and Jon Wolfsthal join David Rothkopf for a tough conversation about the future of the established international order and the significant nuclear security risks posed by the Trump Administration. 

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Original air date: July 29, 2025

President Trump just offered some ⁠bizarre new ramblings⁠ about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. But he undermined himself: He claimed to know about elite Democrats and liberals who had visited Epstein. But that just raises the question that won’t go away: If this is what the Epstein files would reveal, then why isn’t Trump ordering their release? Every time Trump says such things, he wrecks his own Big Lie: That the Epstein scandal is a Democratic hoax that actually implicates Democrats even as he won’t release the files. Meanwhile, Elon Musk ⁠just endorsed the idea⁠ that Trump might try to pardon Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange for exoneration. Musk knows Trump’s machinations here are a major point of weakness. We talked to Jennifer Rubin, editor-in-chief of ⁠The Contrarian⁠, who has ⁠a good new piece laying out⁠ why Trump should be panicking over this scandal. We discuss the absurdity of Trump’s biggest Epstein deceptions, why they’re unsustainable for Trump, and why it all underscores the urgency of a Democratic victory in 2026.

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Original Air Date: 6/22/25

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. 

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Let’s face the facts: we’re in a period of sheer insanity. Far-right politics is becoming increasingly normalized by our radical administration. Corporations are cozying up to the far-right and consolidating around Trump. Our president is in clear cognitive decline. But we can end the madness. Author of The Left Hook Substack Wajahat Ali joins David Rothkopf to explore the turmoil of this moment and look for the lights at the end of the tunnel.

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Original Air Date: 2/28/25

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.

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Public perception of the US-Israel relationship has swung wildly in recent years. With a growing number of Americans more critical of the Israeli government than ever, it’s high time for Democrats to have an open and honest debate about the future of US policy in the region. Amb. Daniel Shapiro joins David Rothkopf to break down this thorny issue and what difficult choices lie ahead. 

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It’s been a disastrous year in American politics. Donald Trump is going around naming everything after himself and proclaiming everything is great while the economic realities for millions of Americans continue to sour. Is there anything to be optimistic about as we approach 2026? David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein take stock of our current situation and look forward to the new year.

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