Deep State Radio

Alyssa Milano is the ultimate hyphenate: actress, producer, entrepreneur, host and activist. It's her role as an activist that is making a difference in our crazy dumpster-fire world. Realizing at a young age that with fame came an opportunity to effect change, Alyssa has always used her voice to help others. As an AIDS activist, a UNICEF Ambassador to #METOO Champion, she has been a fierce advocate for those in need. Alyssa and I talk candidly about #METOO and men's fears (hint: you don't have to fear being accused of rape if you don't rape anyone), why she won't endorse anyone for 2020, women in politics and why Bill Prady called her superwoman.

It's an old joke. And we couldn't resist it. But the punchline of the effort to contain Huawei's burgeoning power over current and next generation telecommunications technologies may be one with profound geopolitical consequences. It may also be one not too many people are in a position to understand...and few of those that do are policymakers. Also in the incomprehensible department: America's emerging "policy" in Afghanistan. Kori Schake of IISS, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law, Ed Luce of the Financial Times and David Sanger of the NY Times all specialize in the incomprehensible and are here to help. Tune in!

Congressman Ted Lieu of California, is one of the smartest, hardest working members of the U.S. Congress. A member of the Democratic Leadership, Lieu, brings an undergraduate degree in computer science from Stanford, a magna cum laude law degree from Georgetown where he edited the law review, a background as an Air Force J.A.G. officer, an on-going role as colonel in the Air Force reserve and extensive legislative experience in California to his current work on the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees. He has been an outspoken critic of President Trump and his enablers in the U.S. Congress and is leading the new Democratic majority’s efforts to uncover the truth about Trump’s ties to the Russians, the Chinese, the Saudis and others who may have responded to the “For Sale” sign the president put up on the front lawn at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He breaks news about the new oversight agenda of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and where he sees the multiple investigations into Team Trump heading. He also outlines the positive agenda the Democrats in the House are advancing and the leadership strengths of both Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Kamala Harris, whose presidential candidacy he recently endorsed. Don’t miss this conversation with one of the rising stars of the U.S. Congress and the Democratic Party.

Roger Stone was very upset the FBI made his dog anxious when they raided his home. He also was unhappy he did not have chance to put on a nice suit before being hauled in court. On the other hand, who cares? He's a big time sleaze and deserves everything he gets. Meanwhile, no one deserves to be abused as the people of Venezuela have been first by Hugo Chavez and then by Nicolas Maduro. So the U.S. is helping to lead a push to oust Maduro. What does that have to do with Stone? Listen in to Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law, Kori Schake of IISS, David Sanger of the NY Times and Ed Luce of the Financial Times to learn the answer (if the title didn't give it away.)

You may know Asha Rangappa as the witty, brilliant legal & national security analyst that graces your television screens on CNN. But, I know her as my tap dancing, french fry loving snark sister. What makes Asha's voice so important in today's political conversation is her trailblazing career and unique experience; she's one of the first Indian Americans to work FBI counterintelligence. She brings a breadth of knowledge and perspective that is so needed in today's dialogue. We discuss Mueller (insert heavenly singing), intelligence careers, our favorite theater roles (cause of course she's a thespian) and we tap dance. Yup, we throw down! So tune in for the espionage & Trump dumpster fire talk, but stay for the tap dancing.

If the shutdown in Washington drags on and with it animosity between the political parties grows, will the remainder of Trump's first term be marked by gridlock in DC...and a president forced to turn overseas to make his mark? What might that mark be? Pulling troops out of S. Korea? Breaking up NATO? War with Iran? Kori Schake of IISS, Ed Luce of the Financial Times and Joe Cirincione of the Ploughshares Fund discuss these and even worse possibilities. This is a good one to listen to from your backyard bunker or silo. Tune in! Good times!

For more than 30 years, John McLaughlin has been one of the most thoughtful and trusted minds in the U.S. Intelligence Community rising to be Acting Director of Central Intelligence and Deputy Director of Central Intelligence. He sees no precedent for the period we are in, the threats we face both internally and externally nor the challenges these present for the intelligence community or the country. From a new National Intelligence Strategy that directly challenges the president and his policies to the sweeping success Putin has had undercutting the West's alliances and our vulnerability to future such attacks, our conversation with him is bracing and essential listening. Join us.

Donald Trump has the figure and muscle tone of a baby whale but he moved through the MLK Memorial in Washington on Monday like Usain Bolt. Traveling with the equally intolerant and odious Mike Pence, the U.S. president was in and out of the memorial in two minutes. But he went. Which our own Kori Schake says speaks to the power of norms in our society and is a good thing. Even better, the rapidly accelerating role for diverse voices in American politics--a trend that gained a big boost with the November elections and another when Cardi B entered the government shutdown debate over the weekend. Join Kori and guest Joe Cirincione for a discussion of these trends plus--next steps with North Korea on the latest DSR.

After 300 rejection letters from local newspapers around the country, Warren Leight decided it was time to ditch his journalistic pursuits, and we're lucky he did. Warren has always had his thumb on America's political pulse merging the most topical issues into his work. While he never found an audience for his feel good hostage musical comedy, he found critical acclaim writing/producing Law & Order SVU. His new "ripped from the headlines" show Law & Order: Hate Crimes is poised to take deeper look into the issue. And most importantly we talked about Ice-T, Emily's rap name, twitter trolls and why people need to stop blaming him for Chris Meloni leaving SVU.

Trump may be a disaster as a person and as a president. But he may also be triggering a rebirth in American political thought and a flowering of new policy ideas. The progressive branch of the Democratic Party is in the lead at the moment, but with so many areas demanding rethinking, the ferment may spread and we may all be the beneficiaries. How? Tune in to our discussion among Georgetown's Rosa Brooks, the Financial Times' Ed Luce, IISS's Kori Schake and the New York Times' David Sanger to discuss new ideas, why they're happening and why their may be a silver lining to the shit storm we are dealing with every day.

We're finally getting there folks. It is not the government shutdown. It is not the hyper-politicization of everything. But thanks to Donald Trump and recent revelations about the Russia probe, we may be getting to a point where even persnickety legal experts like our own Rosa Brooks acknowledge that America is on the verge of a constitutional crisis. A big one. The likes of which we haven't seen in decades. Join Rosa, Kori Schake of IISS, David Sanger of the New York Times and Evelyn Farkas of the German Marshall Fund for a discussion of the latest bombshells that have helped bring the impending crisis into clearer view.

General Mark Hertling served for 37 years in the U.S. military, rising to become Commanding General of the U.S. Army Europe. Since his retirement, he has become well-known as a commentator on television and on social media. He discusses what went wrong between Trump and "his generals", the current level of dysfunction within the U.S. national security establishment, its impact on our allies, our security and morale in the military. He also speculates as to whether or not, it may actually be helpful for the U.S. to have a president like Donald Trump every so often--in much the same way that a heart-attack may help a smoker give up cigarettes. Don't miss this wide-ranging and incisive discussion.

Hillary Clinton's senior advisor Philippe Reines has had a unique career path, to say the least. He never imagined that his job would circle him around the globe as HRC's right hand man or that he would be called on to go "method" and role play as Trump for 2016 presidential debate prep. Philippe peels back the curtain and gets candid about politics, his recent twitter tussle with a FOX commentator, his thoughts about 2020 Democratic candidates and why he owes Emily $1.

In this, our second year in review episode for the year ahead we look at US domestic developments in the next 12 months. The bad news is--they're pretty bleak. The good news is--we tell them to you in advance so you can sleep through the whole year or just settle into a drunken stupor. Join Rosa Brooks, Kori Schake, Ed Luce, David Sanger and Deep State Dog for a great conversation about what will surely be the very worst year in Donald Trump's life.

As we have learned, these days years seem much longer than they used to. So, as a special service to Deep State nation, your favorite podsters are providing you with all of 2019 in two compact 45 minute episodes. The first looks at what is going to happen internationally in the year ahead. And it'll be a full year--with everything from military confrontation between the US and China in the South China Sea to the collapse of Venezuela, the US still in Syria by year end and not a single mile of new wall built on our southern border. Join Kori Schake of IISS, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law, David Sanger of the NY Times and Ed Luce of the Financial Times for a great new episode...and the introduction of...Deep State Dog.