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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.

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Tommy and Ben break down another chaotic and consequential week in global affairs. Trump blinks and extends the ceasefire with Iran, but the Strait of Hormuz remains closed as US-Iran negotiations stall. Meanwhile, an internal power struggle between Iran's elected leaders and military is complicating talks, and the human cost for ordinary Iranians continues to mount. In Lebanon, Trump stunned Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu by publicly ordering Israel to stop bombing, but the IDF continues to occupy southern Lebanon, and an explosive image of an IDF soldier desecrating a statue of Jesus Christ threatens to erode evangelical support for Israel. The guys also dig into the sprawling conflicts of interest and corruption plaguing Trump's foreign policy team: Jared Kushner's billion-dollar Gulf slush fund, Don Jr. and Eric Trump’s drone grift, and the Trump family’s foray into the crypto and fusion energy business. Finally, they talk about the historic election results in Hungary and Bulgaria, Trump’s slow-rolling regime change efforts in Cuba, and reports that FBI Director Kash Patel is such a sloppy drunk that he’s become a threat to national security. Then Tommy is joined by former USAID official Nicholas Enrich to talk about his new book, Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower’s Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID.

Preorder Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches and subscribe to his Substack here.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

All the President’s (Corrupt) Men

Tommy and Ben walk through a week of epic failures for the Trump administration, from peace talks with Iran to Viktor Orbán’s historic loss in Hungary.

They break down everything that was wrong with the US-Iran peace talks, like both sides coming in with maximalist positions, Vice President JD Vance walking out in a huff, and the lack of American expertise at the table. Then they unpack what we know about Trump’s risky plan to also blockade the Strait of Hormuz, the growing economic fallout from the war, the heated AI-powered, LEGO-themed propaganda war happening on social media, the attack on free speech in many Gulf countries, including the arrest of American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, and the latest on Israel’s bombing, invasion, and occupation of Lebanon. Then they cover some rare good news in Viktor Orbán’s stunning defeat after 16 years in power, and what we can learn from Hungarian activists about fighting corrupt autocrats, and discuss what other world leaders can learn from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s continued electoral success from punching back at Trump. At the end of the show, Ben speaks to Anand Gopal about his new book about Syria, Days of Love and Rage: A Story of Ordinary People Forging a Revolution.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

For Friends of the Pod, the guys answer questions about diplomatic approaches to Cuba, and just how frank diplomatic conversations get behind closed doors.

Preorder Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches and subscribe to his Substack here.

JD Vance’s Global Humiliation

Tommy and Ben try to make sense of a dark and dizzying day in American history, from President Trump's genocidal threat to destroy the 'whole civilization' of Iran, to the announcement of a two-week ceasefire.

They break down what Trump's threats to bomb every power plant and bridge in Iran would actually mean — legally, morally, and for the 92 million Iranians who would be left without power, water, or functioning hospitals. They unpack a new New York Times report on how Trump decided to go to war, including Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's influential role in the push to war, the Mossad's catastrophically wrong assumptions about how Iran would respond, and which Cabinet officials were cut out of the deliberations entirely. They examine the domestic political fallout — including why Trump is getting none of the usual wartime polling boost — as well as Tucker Carlson's stunning break with his old friend over Iran, including Carlson's fear that the escalation ladder could lead Trump to using a nuclear weapon. They also walk through the diplomatic off-ramps that could bring a permanent end to the conflict. Finally, they turn to Hungary, where Viktor Orbán faces the most serious threat to his 16-year grip on power from challenger Péter Magyar, and where JD Vance showed up today to campaign for MAGA's favorite foreign strongman just five days before a potentially historic election.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
 

Preorder Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches and subscribe to his Substack here.

Trump Threatens Genocide

Ben and guest cohost Alyona Minkovski, PSTW's senior producer, try to make sense of the many contradictions and threats coming from President Trump and his administration on Iran, like reports that he wants to make the Strait of Hormuz everyone else’s problem to solve, and claims that regime change has already happened. Then they juxtapose the incoherence with the very real consequences of the war on people's lives, from American troops being deployed to the Middle East, to the normalization of targeting civilian infrastructure. They also defend spring breakers featured in a Fox News segment, call out Pete Hegseth for personally interfering in the military promotions of women and Black soldiers, ask how the increasingly spotty internet connection in Moscow could affect support for Putin, question the US policy towards Cuba, and do a special reading from former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

At the end of the show, Ben speaks with Nika Kovač, Slovenian activist and founding director of My Voice My Choice, about private intelligence agency Blackcube’s interference in Slovenia’s election, the outlook for the government following very close results, and what she’s learned from years of opposing authoritarianism.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Preorder Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches and subscribe to his Substack here. (edited)

Trump Begs Allies to Clean Up Iran Mess

In the past few days, Donald Trump went from threatening to obliterate Iran's power plants to announcing a surprise diplomatic reprieve and declaring that the war has been won. This episode breaks down the whiplash: what actually happened, whether the talks are real, why an agreement between the US and Iran will be extraordinarily hard to reach, and why $580 million worth of energy trades just minutes before Trump's announcement reek of insider trading and corruption. Ben and Tommy also cover: the US allowing Iran to sell $14 billion worth of oil, Iran firing missiles at a joint US-UK military base, Israel's creeping occupation of southern Lebanon, signs that Trump is actually harming far-right parties in Europe, and how a workout app put a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at risk. Then Tommy talks with Edward Fishman, the author of Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare, about the ballooning economic cost of war with Iran and how it’s revealing America’s economic vulnerabilities.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Preorder Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches (Barnes & Noble, Bookshop) and subscribe to his Substack here.

Trump Goes from Obliteration to Negotiation on Iran

A MAGA civil war erupts over Trump’s war with Iran, JD Vance tries to distance himself, and Megyn Kelly accuses her former Fox News colleague of having a micropenis. Seriously!

On today’s show, Tommy and Ben cover the many ways Trump’s war with Iran is going off the rails. The death toll and economic costs keep increasing, America’s closest allies are refusing pleas to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and a resignation letter from a former top Trump administration official suggests that Trump lied when he claimed Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States. Then they dig into the conservative media battle over Iran, US support for Israel, and the future of MAGA; a New York Post report claiming the new Supreme Leader of Iran is gay, Trump’s imperialist fantasy about “taking Cuba” and the pathetic exit of Trump’s least diplomatic former diplomat, Ric Grenell. Finally, Ben speaks to Middle East analyst and author Kim Ghattas about Israel’s war against Lebanon and the displacement of over 1 million people in the country.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Preorder Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches and subscribe to his Substack here.

MAGA’s Iran War Meltdown (and Micropenis)

Tommy and Ben unpack the latest twists in Donald Trump’s chaotic regime-change war with Iran, which eleven days in is still plagued by shifting goals, contradictory messaging, and rising regional consequences. They break down the White House’s confusing claims of victory despite unresolved threats—from the hundreds of pounds of highly enriched uranium still loose inside Iran to signs that Tehran may be mining the Strait of Hormuz. The guys discuss the war’s mounting casualties, environmental devastation from Israeli strikes on Iranian fuel depots, and the dangerous escalation of attacks on desalination plants across the Gulf. They also dig into what we know about Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, explain why sending troops into Iran to secure its nuclear materials—or seize the oil hub of Kharg Island—would be a massive and risky military mission, and why Democrats in Congress must refuse to authorize more funding for the war. Plus: Israel’s widening war in Lebanon, the U.S. military’s new role in Ecuador’s fight against drug cartels, and the election of a GenZ rapper-turned-politician in Nepal. Then Tommy speaks to Michael C. Horowitz, Senior Fellow for Tech & Innovation at the Council on Foreign Relations, about the Pentagon’s fight with Anthropic and how AI is being used by the military.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

For Friends of the Pod the guys answer questions about whether assassination-as-foreign-policy is making a comeback, which US military interventions were actually successful in the post-WWII era, and, like…dude, what the fuck.

Preorder Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches and subscribe to his Substack here.

Why Trump Might Send Ground Troops to Iran

Tommy and Ben discuss the ways in which the war in Iran seems to be spiraling out of control, from American service member deaths and devastating civilian casualties to Iranian drone strikes on embassies and the mounting global economic fallout. Meanwhile, the White House’s explanation for why the war started keeps getting more absurd. The guys unpack the claim that an impending Israeli strike somehow forced Trump’s hand, JD Vance’s reported push to “go big,” and the deep uncertainty around who might fill the leadership vacuum in Iran. Finally, they discuss the latest from Cuba and Lindsey Graham’s open call for regime change, and do a special deep dive on FBI Director Kash Patel’s extremely online girlfriend. Then, Ben speaks with Rep. Yassamin Ansari, who is Iranian-American, about the mixed emotions of the diaspora and what Congress can do about a war they weren’t consulted on.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Preorder Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches and subscribe to his Substack here.

Did Israel Push Trump into War with Iran?

Trump’s war with Iran is escalating fast and the consequences are spreading across the Middle East. Tommy and Ben break down the latest military operations, Iran’s decision to attack countries and sow chaos across the region, and the growing regional fallout as missiles and drones hit targets from Israel to the Gulf. Then they play clips from Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chaotic press conference and unpack their lies and incoherence, shifting war aims, and refusal to rule out boots on the ground. They explain Iran’s strategy, the costly missile defense math, the risks of wider escalation — and what Democrats should be saying right now.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Update: Trump Breaks Silence About Iran War

Tommy and Ben discuss the breaking news that Israel and America launched hundreds of joint strikes against Iran, throwing the region into chaos. They talk about reports that the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is dead, Iran’s retaliation against Israel, US bases in the region and civilian targets in Gulf nations, how Democrats should respond, the international reaction, and the uncertainty that lies ahead.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

All the President’s (Corrupt) Men

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