Shows / The DSR Network
The DSR Network
The official home of Deep State Radio, Need to Know, Words Matter, The DSR Daily, The Daily Blast, Siliconsciousness, and more. If you are enjoying this podcast, please consider becoming a member by visiting https://dsrnetwork.substack.com/
Episodes
- The DSR Network
Are We About to Build Back Better? Are We About to Get Serious About January 6th Accountability?
The President and Democratic leaders announced that they are on the verge of transformative legislation that will help children, elders, the environment, our…
- The DSR Network
Only the Rich Can Play: A Conversation with David Wessel
Opportunity Zones sounded like a great idea, provide tax benefits for wealthy Americans to invest in 8,000 areas in the United States that don't receive enough…
- The DSR Network
Managing Mega-Threats: From China to Facebook...and a Biden Foreign Policy Report Card
As the Biden Administration shifts the focus of U.S. foreign policy to emerging issues and how America can lead in the century ahead, certain megapowers loom…
- The DSR Network
America is Just Going to Have to Learn to Accept Good News
The Biden Administration, it seems, is on the verge of winning approval for its Build Back Better Package. If the deal is roughly as reported it will be…
The DSR NetworkSpy World Frenemies
Mossad’s got a killer new boss and the US is buying China-made drones. Jeff Stein and Jeanne Meserve drill down on both. Support this show…
- The DSR Network
There is Nothing for You Here: A Conversation with Fiona Hill
Fiona Hill may have risen to public prominence during Donald Trump's first impeachment but there is much more to her story than just her time in the White…
- The DSR Network
How Many Times Over Must We Be Able to Destroy the World to Prove We are Not Wimps?
America's nuclear weapons submarine fleet has the capability to produce something like 40,000 Hiroshimas. But it is just one leg in our nuclear forces. What…
- The DSR Network
How Many Commissions, Presidents and Senators Does It Take to Change a Supreme Court?
The first report from the commission looking at ways to change the Supreme Court is out and its conclusions are...well, they seem to be thoughtful but unlikely…
The DSR NetworkThe Peanut Butter Spies, CIA’s China Initiative & Secret Service Burnout
Washington Post intelligence reporter Shane Harris discusses odd happenings in the spook world with Jeff Stein, and former Secret Service Special Agent…
- The DSR Network
Everything is Peachy Keen
President Biden is on the verge of a transformational victory... or is he. We discuss the state of the negotiations around his Build Back Better agenda and how…
The DSR NetworkFor Your Eyes Only
Legendary ‘Condor’ author James Grady discusses James Bond’s evolving cinematic villains with Jeff Stein, and Jeanne Meserve digs into the massive hack of a…
- The DSR Network
Voter, Heal Thyself: A Conversation with Tom Nichols
Tom Nichols has become an essential voice for audiences trying to make sense of current trends in American politics. His book "The Death of Expertise" was a…
- The DSR Network
Biden's Multi-Tiered China Policy is a Far Cry from Trump's
Trump China policy architect Peter Navarro was described by one of his colleagues as a "fucking sociopath." Trump China policy included looking the other way…
- The DSR Network
When Did Old People Being Able to Hear or Chew Their Food Become Marxism?
The Washington debate over whether and how much to invest in our infrastructure and our people has reached a telling and pivotal moment. We discuss the moment…
The DSR NetworkHead Case
From Vietnam to Vienna, reported cases of Havana Syndrome are on the rise. Diplomats, intelligence officials and their families are experiencing debilitating…
- The DSR Network
Europe and the Atlantic Alliance After Merkel: What Next?
Most Americans don't give much thought to German politics--and that's a good thing given that when we once did it was because those politics were a disaster…
- The DSR Network
Is Now a Time for Hope or Preparing for the Worst with the Pandemic?
Time after time, COVID has delivered worst case scenarios. So why, now, would we rely on our hope that those scenarios--new variants, failures of leadership…
The DSR NetworkAccidents Will Happen
Chinese espionage expert Matthew Brazil and Jeff Stein break down the controversy about Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley’s backchannel contact with his…
- The DSR Network
"8 Year-Old Assholes Cannot be Shamed": The Big National Security Scandal Nobody is Talking About
After 9/11, investigators concluded one of the factors that put America at risk was that only 57 percent of nominees for top national security positions had…
- The DSR Network
Sometimes the unthinkable happens: A conversation with Rebecca Frankel
“Into the Forest” by Rebecca Frankel is more than just one of the best books of the year, it is a revealing journey into what makes us human…the good, the bad…
- The DSR Network
When the President is a Madman How Patriotism and Service are Redefined
In the news recently, reports that General Mark Milley sought to counsel Chinese leaders in way that might avoid accidental conflict have caused controversy…
The DSR NetworkGirding for New and Old Threats
Extremism expert Kathleen Belew talks with Jeanne Meserve about new factors raising the potential for violence at Sept.18 Capitol protests, while former senior…
- The DSR Network
How Do You Feel About the Urge to Surge?
While Congress holds hearings questioning the Secretary of State about the conduct of America's exit from Afghanistan, it probably should also turn its…
- The DSR Network
The Talibanization of the Supreme Court
The midnight decision of the Supreme Court that basically allowed a technicality to sweep aside the constitutional right to an abortion that has been a fact of…
The DSR NetworkThe Man Who Loved Spying
In a riveting new memoir, former senior CIA officer Doug London celebrates a career in espionage, but in a lengthy conversation with host Jeff Stein, he offer…
- The DSR Network
Here, Right Matters...or Does It?: A Conversation with Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman
Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman knew when he went into the Trump White House to work on the National Security Council that he may be asked to do things that were…
- The DSR Network
America's 2000 Yard Stare: Coping With Crises Closing in on All Sides
COVID. Wildfires in the west. Hurricanes in the Gulf and storms in the East. A women's right to choose under siege. A corrupted justice system. Economic…
The DSR NetworkKabul’s loss and a new 9/11 terror warning
Author Craig Whitlock talks with Jeff Stein about US intelligence’s place in 20 years of lies and deception in Afghanistan, and Jeanne Meserve interviews Coast…
- The DSR Network
I Alone Can Fix It: A Conversation with Carol Leonnig
A lot of books have been written about Donald Trump and the Trump years president. Few have evoked the almost surreal atmosphere of those years as well as "I…
- The DSR Network
As We Approach the Afghanistan Deadline: Looking Back and Looking Ahead
It has been difficult to have a serious, balanced conversation about what the U.S. and this administration has done right in managing the exit from Afghanistan…
- The DSR Network
Why Did Trump Turn Away Our Afghan Allies?
The reason the crowds thronging the outskirts of the airport in Kabul were so large was in part due to a concerted effort--against the advice of many in his…
The DSR NetworkThe Human Factor
Top former CIA operations official William Murray talks with Jeanne Meserve about the loss of the agency's spy base in Kabul, while Africa expert Jacob Zenn…
- The DSR Network
Rothkopf vs. the Washington Hivemind (a Reasonable Debate)
An episode in which we bring to life the debate that even the best of friends can have over the conduct of recent events in Afghanistan, their likely origins…
The DSR NetworkImplications for the Kabul Catastrophe
Counterterrorism expert and Georgetown University Professor, Bruce Hoffman explains the drastic implications of the Taliban triumph, and journalist Toby…
The DSR NetworkAli Soufan on the Taliban’s Global Plans
The celebrated former FBI special agent and counterterrorism specialist says the Taliban aspire to undermining the West’s “Roman Empire.” Support this show…
- The DSR Network
Afghanistan Special Report: Where Do We Go from Here and What Lessons Can We Draw?
The heart-rending scenes from Kabul Airport are now seared into our collective consciousness. The 20 year war in Afghanistan has clearly come to a disastrous…
- The DSR Network
America in a Moment of Grave Peril: A Conversation with Heather Cox Richardson
We are at a watershed in our history. Some days it feels like justice and accountability are gaining ground and the outcome of this turning point may be a good…
The DSR NetworkSPYING ON MISSILES
Jeanne Meserve talks with Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, about how the world learned of…
- The DSR Network
Public Health is Far More Than Just COVID: A Conversation with Dr. Leana Wen
The vast majority of gains in life expectancy during the past century have been due not to miracle cures but to public health measures like sanitation. The key…
- The DSR Network
The World is on Fire. Will We Have to Wait for a New Generation to Address the Crisis?
The UN has put out a climate report that is devastating in its conclusions. They call it a "code red for humanity." Inaction, greed and ignorance have already…
- The DSR Network
There's a Mountain of Evidence Against Trump & His Coup Coconspirators. But Will DoJ Do Anything About It?
Slowly, thanks to Congressional information requests and court cases, hard evidence is emerging about the way the former president and those close to him…
The DSR NetworkSpies vs. Spies
An expert on Congressional probes tells Jeff Stein why investigators on the House Select Committee on Jan. 5 have to develop confidential sources deep inside…
- The DSR Network
We're Clueless Until We Overreact: America's Foreign Policy History in a Nutshell
Face it, since George Washington, for all the glamor and intrigue the rest of the world may hold, Americans would pretty much like to be left out of it. Over…
- The DSR Network
What Next for the 1/6 Commission...and for the Resurgent COVID Epidemic
On this special super-sized (hour-long) edition of Deep State Radio we review the auspicious launch of the January 6th Commission with former US Attorney Barb…
The DSR NetworkGoing Deep
The FBI is still coming up short on dealing with white violent extremists, former undercover special agent Mike German tells Jeff Stein. And Jeanne Meserve…
- The DSR Network
The End of an Era in US Foreign Policy: Is that a Good Thing?
With the decision by the Biden Administration to pull the last troops out of Afghanistan and the last combat troops out of Iraq, it marks the end to two…
- The DSR Network
Is the Vaccinated vs. the Unvaccinated the Next Civil War?
The science shows that GOP-led resistance to the vaccine is fueling a resurgence of COVID in the US. Anger against the unvaccinated is understandably growing…
The DSR NetworkFamilies of Spies
A father & daughter have a monster TikTok hit talkIng about his intelligence career. Former CIA analyst Frank Snepp describes the heartbreak of Saigon and the…
- The DSR Network
Another Lost Decade for Latin America?
It is a paradox of international relations that U.S. neighbors in the Western Hemisphere have two primary complaints about U.S. relations with the region. The…
The DSR NetworkBattling on All Fronts
Former CIA counterintelligence chief James Olson tells Jeff Stein the CIA and FBI need to “resuscitate” double agent ops to penetrate enemy spy services, and…
- The DSR Network
"Dying is Easy, Democracy is Hard"
It is said that an old actor on his deathbed once said, "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard." Whether that actually happened or not, the foreign policy equivalent…
- The DSR Network
What Grade Does the Country Get on Holding the Trumpists Accountable for the January 6th Coup Attempt?
Congressman Eric Swalwell has been one of the leading voices in the US Congress demanding that the former president and those around him be held accountable…
- The DSR Network
Nightmare Scenario: A Stark Behind the Scenes Look at How Trump Mishandled the Pandemic
Estimates now say 900,000 Americans died as a consequence of the COVID pandemic. But estimates suggest 40-90 percent of those deaths could have been avoided if…
The DSR NetworkEnemies Within and Without
Former senior CIA officer Doug London talks with Jeff Stein about the present and future intelligence picture in chaotic Afghanistan. And Jeanne Meserve has a…
- The DSR Network
Are We on the Road to Political Apartheid in the US
The most recent Supreme Court decisions remind us that on our current path voter suppression and more power be given to the richest members of our society are…
The DSR NetworkSpies that Bind
Nicholas Eftimiades, a top expert on Chinese espionage, tells Jeff Stein he doubts reports that Beijing’s top counterspy defected to the US—but that Beijing…
- The DSR Network
A Rhyme of History
The U.S. was questioning its ability to lead the world. The structures of the global economy seemed outdated. There were deep tensions between those who sought…
- The DSR Network
Is the Secret Objective of US Foreign Policy to be Just Tough Enough Not to Have to Do Anything?
There are many rumblings of a new Cold War brewing between the US and China. But the governments in Washington and Beijing both seem to be most focused on…
- The DSR Network
On the Cusp of Autocracy
The threats to democracy in the US are building. The response is to call for new laws that first will require changes in the rules of the Senate. If we can get…
The DSR NetworkCold War Capers
Yes, there’s a real James Bond, and Jeanne Meserve chatted him up on the curses and blessings of having such a legendary moniker. And historian Audra Wolfe…