DSR's Words Matter

Updated: 03 Jul 2025 • 409 episodes

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.

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Before we grab a hotdog and head out to the 4th of July fireworks, we have to reflect on the current state of our country and ask ourselves, "is this really what the Founding Fathers would have wanted?" David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss the significance of Independence Day, reflecting on the founding fathers and

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Donald Trump’s actions regarding Iran are raising important questions for America: how reliable is our intelligence? How is disinformation warping public reality? Here in the US, Zohran Mamdani’s victory in NYC is a glimmer of hope for the Democrats, but the party needs to unite against our biggest challenges… or else.

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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

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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

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05 Jun 2025 • EN

They Are Monsters

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 f

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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

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