DSR's Words Matter
American politics is undergoing seismic changes that will alter the course of history. At Words Matter, we believe that facts, evidence, truth and objective reality are necessary and vital in public discourse. Our hosts and guests have broad experience in government, politics and journalism -- this gives them a unique ability to explain recent events and place them in historic context. Together, with fellow journalists, elected officials, policy-makers and thought-leaders, they will analyze the week's news and get at the real truth behind all the distracting headlines.
Episodes
June 20, 2025 • 52 mins
The recent events in Minnesota, where a gunman assassinated one congresswoman and injured another, is part of clear and troubling rise in political violence in the U.S. At the same time, President Trump and MAGA continue to normalize violence in political discourse. How do the events of the past week reflect a changing political climate? What does the discourse around political violence tell us? And what is the connection between M...
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June 9, 2025 • 37 mins
Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to California is not just about immigration and Los Angeles - it is a damning step in his long-lasting effort to to exploit and deploy the U.S. military to act as his own personal police force. Miles Taylor, former DHS Chief of Staff who endured persecution for his criticisms of the Trump administration, joins Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf to discuss the disastrous implications of Los Ang...
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June 5, 2025 • 54 mins
While Donald Trump and Elon Musk are currently feuding in a King Kong vs. Godzilla battle on social media, the devastating impact of their short-lived union continues to unfold. ICE is picking people off the street like a quasi American Gestapo, while the issue of foreign students is set to hamper US higher education for years - and not just in Ivy League schools, but on the global stage. Where has our fundamental decency gone? Nor...
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On this week’s episode of Words Matter, Leah Litman, legal expert and author of Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes, joins David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein to discuss the current realm of law and lawlessness. What messages are the courts sending by striking down Trump’s tariff policies? How promising is it that these judges are standing up to Trump, and what major concerns s...
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May 22, 2025 • 35 mins
Donald Trump’s Domestic Policy Bill is akin to a murder-suicide pact. Not only could it be political suicide for the Republicans, but it was also have damning effects on the American public. How is this bill going to affect social welfare programs? Will this bill actually present a turning point in the Trump administration? Tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf tackle all of this and more.
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May 15, 2025 • 38 mins
The Supreme Court’s decisions on birthright citizenship and nationwide injunctions could have significant implications for executive power. What does this mean for the future of our nation? How can we rebuild government structures post-Trump? What reforms, such as an expansion of Congress, should Democrats be prioritizing? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein tackle all of this and more:
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May 8, 2025 • 46 mins
There's a new American Pope—one who has been openly critical of the U.S. government. What does this mean for Trump? Meanwhile, in the background of this major news from the Catholic Church, Trump is striking tariff deals with the UK. But is the deal all that Trump says it is? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to break down all the latest—from the Vatican to the White House. Tune in for all this and more.
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May 1, 2025 • 48 mins
On this week’s special DSR-Words Matter mash up episode, Ed Luce and Norm Ornstein join David Rothkopf to talk about all the chaos of the Trump administration. What is going on with Mike Waltz’s “promotion” to the UN, and who is next on the Trump chopping-block? How are leading Democrats responding to this ongoing mess? Tune in for all this and more.
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April 24, 2025 • 56 mins
On this week’s episode of Words Matter, founder of Talking Points Memo Josh Marshall joins Norm Ornstein to discuss everything wrong with the Trump administration. What is so uncanny about Trump’s foreign policy towards Russia and Ukraine? What message are we signaling to our allies? And how much worse could this all become? Tune in for all this and more.
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April 17, 2025 • 43 mins
We’re not three months into this presidency and we’re already witnessing our democracy crumble. Trump’s administration continues to bless Putin with political gifts, our president is trying to hijack the IRS to punish Harvard University, and the administration continues to challenge the courts on the Abrego Garcia case. How can our president subvert the rule of law so flagrantly, and dismantle the institutions at the bedrock of our...
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April 10, 2025 • 37 mins
Donald Trump’s tariffs and economic policies are continuing to eviscerate the American economy. The markets are tanking, the administration is actively destroying our social security system, yet Republicans continue to be confirmed. On top of all this, too, Trump’s police state tactics are snatching people off the street and in a series of illegal deportations. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to breakdown this absolute di...
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April 3, 2025 • 46 mins
There’s no other way around it - Donald Trump’s tariffs reek of idiocy piled high with stupidity with devastating ramifications for 99% of Americans outside of the filthy rich. Democrats are beginning to make waves, both in the Wisconsin election and with Cory Booker’s filibuster. But is it enough? Or do we need to be doing more, and what does that look like? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein tackle all of this and more.
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March 27, 2025 • 38 mins
Signal-gate has dominated the news cycle over the past few days, but it's not the only thing going on in this administration. Trump is issuing executive orders, RFK Jr. is gutting HHS and state health programs, JD Vance is on his way to Greenland, and the White House just pulled Elise Stefanik’s nomination. Is MAGA realizing they are more politically vulnerable than before? Tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss all th...
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March 20, 2025 • 47 mins
On this week’s episode of DSR’s Words Matter, Slate journalist and Supreme Court expert Dahlia Lithwick joins Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf to discuss America’s ongoing legal crisis. Are we actually in a constitutional crisis? Can we count on the courts to protect us when they continue to hand concessions to Trump? What roles do figures such as Justices Roberts and Boasberg play in this authoritarian showdown? Tune in as Dahlia,...
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March 13, 2025 • 54 mins
We are currently on the verge of a government shutdown. It’s clear that Donald Trump and his cronies are trying to get away with something, and the cult in the Republican Party is all for it. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are here to ask: What the hell is going on? Is there any way to avoid a government closure? Are the Democrats showing any signs of resistance? And is there anything at all to be optimistic about? Tune in to hea...
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March 6, 2025 • 41 mins
After years of attacking Democrats for America’s economic woes - and promises that he would turn everything around once in office - Trump is already confronting the possibility of a 2025 depression. At the same time, rather than attack Trump for the current economic downturn or raising awareness amongst the public, Democratic politicians have settled for little more than exclaiming their distaste for the president while wearing pin...
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February 27, 2025 • 36 mins
Will the real opposition party please stand up? Republicans are marching towards political suicide with the passage of Trump’s bad budget bill, but Democrats are nowhere to be found. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf break down why dems need to find their courage before it’s too late.
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February 20, 2025 • 44 mins
Since last week, the United States is now pro-Russia, anti-NATO, and anti-democracy. Kash Patel runs the FBI, Pete Hegseth is slashing the DoD, and the Trump administration is taking the official position that they don’t have to listen to the courts. Everything we feared is real, and it’s only going to get worse. What can we do about all of this? Where do we go from here? David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein tackle all of these pressin...
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February 13, 2025 • 49 mins
What the hell is happening this past week? Between Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, Pete Hegseth’s dismissal of NATO allies in Europe, and Elon Musk’s increasing control within the government - where is the political resistance in Washington? David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein break all of this down and why Washington needs a Democrat who is going to stand up and say “f*ck you.”
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February 6, 2025 • 37 mins
Trump and his DOGE cronies are continuing to upend and disregard traditional government procedure to illegally push their political agenda. All the while, the Democrats in Congress are asleep at the wheel. David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein come together to discuss the real question at heart for the Democrats: what are you going to do to stop it?
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