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Crooked Media

“Pod Save America” cohost Tommy Vietor thought foreign policy was boring and complicated until he got the education of a lifetime working for President Obama’s National Security Council. On “Pod Save the World,” he and former deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes break down the latest global developments and bring you behind the scenes with the people who were there. New episodes every Wednesday. 

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Pod Save the World

Tommy and Ben talk about the historic protests in Iran and reports of the regime’s brutal crackdown with potentially tens of thousands dead, President Trump’s threats of military intervention (and why they’re a bad idea), and Iranian exiles vying for power as regime replacements from the safety of Washington, DC. They also talk about the next steps in Venezuela, including opposition leader María Corina Machado’s tricky positioning, why ramping up Venezuelan oil production might be extremely difficult, expensive and take years, and how oil factors into Russia’s reaction. Then they talk about Trump’s ongoing threats of military intervention in Mexico, the chances of political and economic collapse in Cuba, and the G7 being shifted to accommodate Trump’s UFC themed birthday bash. At the end of the show, Tommy speaks to Jason Rezaian, Director of Press Freedom Initiatives at the Washington Post, former political prisoner in Iran, and host of the podcast 544 Days about the anniversary of his imprisonment and what would come next if Iran’s regime fell.

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.

 

 
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Iranian Regime Massacres Protesters, Will Trump Respond?

Tommy and Ben discuss: the fallout from the Trump administration’s strikes on Venezuela and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, why President Trump chose Maduro’s VP Delcy Rodríguez to run the country instead of opposition leader María Corina Machado, how the DOJ’s new indictment of Maduro shows that the administration has been lying about him being the head of a drug cartel, and the comparisons between the Venezuela operation and the 1989 invasion of Panama to arrest Manuel Noriega. Then they dig into the (unfortunately named) “Donroe Doctrine” and what Trump’s embrace of regime change means for the world, including how seriously we should take his threats against Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, and Greenland. Finally, they explain why Iranians have been protesting in huge numbers for over a week, how serious of a threat the protests pose to the regime, and debate whether we should take seriously Trump’s threat to respond militarily if the regime kills protesters. Then Ben speaks to Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX) about President Trump’s lack of transparency to Congress about the attack on Venezuela, how much it’s costing American taxpayers, and how Democrats are trying to stop him from future invasions.

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.

 
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Where Will Trump Invade Next?

Tommy and Ben respond to the breaking news that the Trump administration launched strikes on Venezuela and arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a special forces raid. They talk about President Trump’s claims that the US will now “run” the country, the illegality of this regime change operation, the plan to let American oil companies cash in, and the many other global implications of this shocking move.

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.

 
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Breaking: Trump Invades Venezuela

Tommy and Ben discuss the horrific Bondi Beach terror attack, the rise of antisemitism in Australia, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bad-faith attempt to connect Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state to this violence, and the perpetrators potentially training in the Philippines. They also talk about the US seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker and how it fits into President Trump’s creep towards regime change, Chile’s election of the most right-wing President since Pinochet and Trump gleefully taking credit, questions about why US troops are still in Syria after the death of two US soldiers, pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai’s conviction in Hong Kong, a proposed policy to check the social media accounts of visitors to the US, the death of Jared Kushner’s corrupt hotel deal in Serbia, and highlights from episode 2 of The Liz Truss Show. Then, Ben speaks to Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, about global shifts to watch for in 2026.

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.

 
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ISIS Terror in Australia

Tommy and Ben explain how President Trump forfeited our advantage in the artificial intelligence race by allowing Nvidia to sell advanced AI chips to China, break down the new White House National Security Strategy document and debate whether it matters, and explain how fighting between Thailand and Cambodia and between the DRC and Rwanda has exposed Trump's “peacemaker” image as a sham. They also talk about the lack of progress on a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, the bizarre story of a fake coup in Guinea Bissau, an attempted coup in Benin, troubling reports from Yemen’s civil war, and former British Prime Minister Liz Truss’s hilariously bad podcast debut. Then Tommy speaks to Anika Wells, Australia’s Minister for Communications and Sport, about the country’s social media ban for kids under 16.

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.

 
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Trump Forfeits AI Race to China

Tommy and Ben discuss a blockbuster Washington Post report alleging that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth personally ordered a “double tap” airstrike that was a textbook example of a war crime, the latest on Trump’s slow-moving regime change policy in Venezuela, Trump’s shocking pardon of Juan Orlando Hernández, the former President of Honduras who was convicted of conspiring to import 400+ tons of cocaine into the United States, and the latest on the Trump administration’s peace talks with Russia. Then they explain how the tragic shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington, DC has led to a massive crackdown on legal immigration, and why the shooter is part of the long and disastrous history of the “Global War on Terror”, how the former president of South Africa’s daughter tricked men into fighting for Russia on the front lines against Ukraine, and the latest PR disaster for FBI Director Kash Patel. Then, Ben speaks to film director Julia Loktev and Russian journalist Ksenia Mironova about the documentary, “My Undesirable Friends”, which documents the experiences of independent journalists in Moscow as Putin cracked down on the press in the months before the invasion of Ukraine.

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.

 

 
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Is Pete Hegseth a War Criminal?

Tommy and Ben unpack Trump’s rapidly changing “peace deal” to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. They explain how the plan has changed since the first draft leaked last week, the confusion over where the plan came from and why many people believe the Russians authored it, what it tells us about which Trump officials are actually driving the policy, and why Russia seems poised to reject Trump’s plan even though it’s wildly tilted in their favor. They also discuss the consequences of the US skipping out on two major global summits at the G20 and COP, explain why former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says a paranoid hallucination led to his arrest, provide an update on whether the US is going to attack Venezuela, unpack Israel’s recent airstrikes in Lebanon and Gaza despite ceasefire agreements, unpack the stakes of a spicy war of words between China and Japan and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call to President Trump over Taiwan, attempt to explain Candace Owens’ latest insane conspiracy theory involving France, and how a new tool on X proves many MAGA influencer accounts aren’t so America First after all.

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.

 
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Unpacking Trump’s Ukraine “Peace Deal”

Tommy and Ben discuss Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington, his request for F-35 fighter jets and a NATO-like security guarantee, the real estate deals the Trump family might get in return, and how corruption is driving US foreign policy, including in the case of a gold-bar bribe from the Swiss. Then they talk about new reports on embattled (and embarrassing) FBI Director Kash Patel, what leaked emails tell us about Jeffrey Epstein’s relationship with Israeli intelligence and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, how Chinese hackers used AI in a game-changing new way, why the former prime minister of Bangladesh was sentenced to death, a massive corruption scandal in Ukraine, an update on civilians fleeing violence in Sudan, and a new documentary about how Adolf Hitler’s teeny tiny secret caused big problems. Then Ben speaks with author and former assistant administrator at USAID, Atul Gawande, whose new documentary “Rovina’s Choice” highlights the staggering rise in preventable malnutrition and deaths after American cuts to foreign aid.

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.

 
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Trump & Saudi Arabia: A Tale of Corruption

Tommy and Ben discuss Syrian transitional President Ahmed Al-Shaara’s historic and improbable visit to the White House, Trump’s sanctions waiver and special favors for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of his election, why the US is boycotting the G20 in South Africa, and how a sham election in Tanzania that’s led to mass protests and potentially thousands dead. Then they talk about how Trump could bring an end to bloodshed in Sudan with one phone call to the United Arab Emirates, a new list of problems undercutting Trump’s case for the Nobel Peace Prize, why Trump is suing the BBC for $1 billion, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s colossal infrastructure failure in the desert. Then Tommy speaks to Josh Paul and Tariq Habash about why they resigned from the Biden administration over Gaza, and how they’re trying to change Democrats' approach to US-Israel policy with their organization, A New Policy.

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.

 

 
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From Al Qaeda to the White House

Live from Crooked Con, Tommy and Ben look back at the last year since Trump was re-elected and unpack the worst and most surprising moments of Trump 2.0 foreign policy, including the president’s bogus claims that he’s a “peacemaker,” the continuing horrors of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the administration’s incoherence on China, and the catastrophic gutting of USAID. Then the guys are joined by Representatives Yassamin Ansari and Ro Khanna to discuss the future of Democratic foreign policy. They talk about how the next generation of Democrats should lead on immigration, Israel, Iran, climate change, Venezuela, and more.

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.

 
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What Should Progressive Foreign Policy Look Like? (Crooked Con)

Tommy and Ben discuss last week’s violent coup attempt and the call for new domestic terrorism laws, how world leaders are reacting to Trump’s Twitter ban, Netanyahu’s announcement of new Israeli settlements and how Biden should handle it, and all the things Mike Pompeo is trying to screw up for the incoming Biden administration. Then former US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power joins to talk about how to restore American credibility at international organizations, Bill Burns as CIA director, last week’s mass arrests in Hong Kong and refugee policy.

 

 
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Samantha Power’s point

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