The DSR Network

Donald Trump desperately wants the world to recognize his world-historical defeat of Iran. In an extended tirade, Trump raged wildly at a New York Times reporter, insisting his victory is absolute. He claimed the Times is failing, accusing the journalist of being a “fake guy” and declaring his coverage betrays America: “I actually think it’s treason.” This is revealing: His insistence on having won reveals that Trump doesn’t get that military force alone can’t force open the Strait of Hormuz—meaning he doesn’t grasp the situation at the most fundamental level, perhaps his biggest failing of all. We talked to political scientist David Faris, who’s been writing well on this fiasco. We discuss how Trump got little out of China, why his failures abroad mean more authoritarianism at home, why that combination will do severe long-term damage to America, and how Trump suffers from “dictator envy.”
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On the DSR Weekly Wrap-up for May 15, we discuss Trump’s return from Beijing, the Supreme Court ruling that abortion pills can continue via telehealth, the courtroom showdown between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, and more. 
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Our democracy is failing. As we approach the midterm elections this year, the Republicans are doing all they can to corrupt our electoral process. With the Supreme Court in Trump’s pocket, what does this mean for the Democrats? Will corruption rule the November elections? Tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss the upcoming midterms and the bleak future of US politics.
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NBC News reports that some vulnerable Republicans are privately worried about use of the slogan “MAGA majority” to describe the GOP effort to hold the House. Why? Because the term “MAGA” puts Trump “front and center,” as NBC puts it. That’s quite an admission of Trump’s toxicity. Meanwhile, CNN’s Harry Enten reports on new polling that finds his disapproval on gas prices at 79 percent, higher than under any other president. That disapproval is shared by 85 percent of independents and even 52 percent of Republicans, which Enten describes as “scary” for the GOP. Mona Charen, a writer for The Bulwark, has a good piece arguing that high gas prices are dovetailing with public revelations about Trump’s corruption to produce a particularly toxic combination for him. So we talked to Charen about why that double whammy is so potent, why corruption is a sleeper issue in the midterms, and why the GOP panic is a real moment of poetic justice.

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Presidents Trump and Xi have been all smiles at the first summit in Beijing in nearly nine years. Yet there is something profound happening beneath the politeness and declarations of friendship: the balance of power has tipped dramatically toward China. Rush Doshi, Director of the China Strategy Initiative at the CFR, joins David Rothkopf for a deep dive into the importance of this meeting, arguing that while China holds more cards than ever, cooperation will be the key to both countries’ success.
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