Pod Save the World
Each week, “Pod Save America” cohost Tommy Vietor and Obama’s former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes break down the biggest developments in foreign policy, national security and global politics. They try to explain which stories matter and why, and what we can all do to understand and shape the world around us. Subscribe to Friends of the Pod! Your subscription makes Crooked’s work possible and gives you access to ad-free episodes of Pod Save America and Pod Save the World, plus exclusive content and a lively Discord community. Learn more and subscribe at crooked.com/friends or on Apple Podcasts.
Episodes
Xi Jinping comes to Washington, the UN struggles for relevancy, and the Russian parliamentary elections turn out exactly as expected.
Tommy and Ben break down Chinese President Xi Jinping's first state visit to Washington since 2015, including Trump’s personal airport greeting, and what leverage China has on everything from AI to rare earths to Iran.
Then a new list of disturbing AI headlines: a Bloomberg investigat...
The Houthis seize control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Trump rolls a grenade into Northern Ireland's politics, and a Russian oligarch funds Don Jr.'s wedding.
Tommy and Ben break down some of the most alarming expansions of the Iran war: Houthi rebels have captured roughly 80 miles of Yemen's Red Sea coastline, Iranian-backed militants have blown up a Saudi pipeline in Iraq, and Iran's targeting has improved thanks to Chinese ...
The far right gets a huge win in Germany, Serbia celebrates a war criminal, and Nigel Farage gets caught on camera breaking the law.
Tommy and Ben dig into the ultra-right-wing AfD party's historic results in a regional election, what drove it, what it would mean if they actually form a coalition government, and what it says about the state of European politics more broadly. Trump’s dumb and dumber team of negotiators (J...
The war with Iran reaches six months, Trump’s Pentagon cuts a corrupt oil deal with Venezuela, and Russia makes an (unwelcome) surprise appearance at a G20 meeting.
Tommy and Ben mark six months of the war with Iran, including the death toll, damage to the global economy, and reports that Trump may implement a "mow the grass" forever war strategy. Pete Hegseth is clearly losing the confidence of military leaders as the S...
Trump starts a trade war with Canada, announces “Economic D-Day” against Iran, while Russia deploys AI killer drones in Ukraine.
Tommy and Ben break down the collapse of US-Canada trade negotiations, the politics animating Prime Minister Mark Carney’s tough talk, and why a trade war carries long-term economic risks for Canada. Then the Trump administration threatens an “Economic D-Day” against Ira...
Tommy and Ben walk through a week of leaders making bad decisions. President Trump kneecaps military exercises with South Korea, Vladimir Putin’s paranoia reaches new heights, and British PM Andy Burnham gets pranked.
They start with Trump's decision to scale back joint US-South Korean military exercises, what it means for an ally facing a rapidly modernizing North Korean military, and why Trump’s love for North Ko...
Trump evades Iran via catering truck, Pete Hegseth's Pentagon is a disaster, and Jared pays off a gangster and drug trafficker as part of his Albanian island takeover.
This week Tommy and Ben cover shocking new info on how Trump hid from Iran on his way back from the NATO summit in Turkey, leaving his staff and the press behind as decoys. They shake off their déjà vu to dig into the latest developments in Iran and Israel befor...
Over 70,000 migrants try crossing into Spain, the US is running out of precision missiles, and Jared Kushner's brother almost bought FIFA.
Tommy and Ben break down the mass crossing of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and why right-wing politicians are frothing at the mouth over it. While Trump’s ultimatums and claims of a deal on Iran make us all feel like it's Groundhog Day, reports that the US h...
Trump welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to the White House on the same day as Lindsey Graham’s funeral, a MAGA nut does a wild U-turn on Ukraine, and the freakout over Chinese Artificial Intelligence intensifies.
This week Tommy and Ben cover…Trump hits pause on the Iran war after two weeks of nightly bombing amid concerns about dwindling stockpiles of US air...
More US casualties in the war with Iran, the State Department's new neo-McCarthy Cuba blacklist, and the UK gets a new Prime Minister while CPAC Great Britain flops.
Tommy and Ben discuss reports that the Pentagon has been covering up the full extent of casualties associated with the war with Iran, the impact of the Houthi rebels potentially getting involved in the conflict, and Trump’s threat to bomb a new Iranian nucle...
In this special episode of Pod Save the World, Tommy and Ben speak in front of a live audience at the Aspen Security Forum.
First, Trump delivers a rambling speech on election security that offers no new evidence, overstates the threat from China, and is laying the groundwork for Republicans to question the validity of the midterm elections. Then the guys turn their attention to the foreign policy establishment itself, taking ...
Tommy and Ben are back with a week of war, drama over an international bridge, and an angry Norwegian World Cup fan.
First up, the guys say farewell to the ceasefire between Iran and the US, hello to a new forever war, and analyze how a rushed, sloppily worded agreement negotiated by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff collapsed. The New York Times reveals the details of Israel's embarrassing failed plot to install former Iranian ...
Tommy is joined by guest host Mehdi Hasan to walk through a packed week of World Cup controversy, a NATO summit, and Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral in Iran.
First, they discuss the international reaction to President Trump’s interference in the World Cup to get the US team’s red card suspended and all the ways that corruption is endemic to FIFA. Then Trump heads to Ankara for the NATO summit, and the guys dig i...
Tommy and Ben talk through a week that includes US and Iranian airstrikes, a peace agreement, a Supreme Court double-header, and the French debate about air conditioning.
First up, Israel and Lebanon have signed a 14-point peace agreement in Washington, but people on both sides question whether the deal will ever be implemented, and some in Lebanon fear that it could actually be a recipe for civil war. Meanwhile, the US ceasef...
This week Tommy and Ben catch up on the latest in Iran negotiations, react to Keir Starmer’s resignation, and continue to celebrate World Cup fandom.
First they walk through the text of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding — because now it’s clear why Trump didn't want anyone to see it. The guys break down everything Iran got, including sanctions relief and billions in unfrozen assets, compared to the very...
Tommy and Ben are back with a week of bad deals, high-stakes elections, and World Cup joy.
The US and Iran have agreed to a deal to end the war, but the Trump administration has refused to release the text to anyone — so the guys parse through what we think we know. The short version: it's a pretty good deal for Iran that meets almost none of the goals Trump set out before the war started, and the nuclear issue hasn&rsqu...
Tommy and Ben are back to discuss a week that includes collapsed ceasefire(s), the World Cup, and Jared and Ivanka pretending to be conquistadors.
The so-called ceasefires between Israel and Lebanon and the US and Iran continue to unravel, while Trump insists he has Iran and Israel under his control and twists reality (and the English language) to fit his narrative. Then, Ivanka Trump claims to have "discovered" a pristine, pr...
Trump says he’s bored with peace talks, American right-wingers flock to Moscow, and the new Director of National Intelligence’s claim to fame is owning an HVAC company. Another fun week!
Tommy and Ben discuss why Trump installing Bill Pulte as the new acting Director of National Intelligence should terrify you given his total lack of experience and focus on revenge. Then it's back to Iran, where breathless coverage...
Tommy and Ben dig into a week of an “almost” deal, a sweeping AI warning, and a terrifying Ebola outbreak.
First up, the Iran deal that was supposedly days away somehow produced new US airstrikes instead, and the guys break down why the path to a permanent ceasefire remains littered with obstacles from Netanyahu wanting to escalate in Lebanon, to Trump suggesting Iran join the Abraham Accords. Then they bid a fond ...
Tommy and Ben dig into a week dominated by ominous signs of regime change, nuclear standoffs, and a “historic” summit that left almost everyone disappointed.
First they cover the signs pointing to American intervention in Cuba, including reports of Cuban drones, a possible indictment of 94-year-old Raúl Castro, a visit by CIA director John Ratcliffe, and a full blockade that has left the island in a state of humani...
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