Pod Save the World

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 investigation on how AI-assisted targeting contributed to the US strike on an Iranian elementary school, a CNN report on how AI nearly triggered a war with China, and the Israeli election is being flooded with AI-generated slop. It's also UN General Assembly week in New York, where Trump met with Zohran Mamdani, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and threatened Iran. The Houthis keep expanding their military campaign in Yemen, attacking Riyadh and Saudi oil facilities, and Trump can't seem to decide whether to help the Saudis or not. Russian parliamentary elections are setting Vladimir Putin’s party up for its largest majority ever. The far-right AfD wins again in two more German regional elections, and Ben and Tommy give some thoughts on Trump’s arch and the Pentagon’s height and weight requirements. At the end of the show Ben speaks to Maher Bitar, executive director of National Security Action, about new polling that reveals why foreign policy is on the ballot in the midterms.Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends, on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel.You can request a transcript by emailing [email protected]. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.

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 into what is actually at stake—from Trump's demand that allies spend 5% of GDP on defense to reports to a Wall Street Journal deep dive on European leaders holding a “therapy session” about their strained relationship with America. Then there's Trump's bromance with Turkish President and NATO Summit host Tayyip Erdogan and the push to sell F-35s to Turkey despite a Congressional ban. In Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei's week-long funeral ceremonies are drawing tens of thousands of mourners to the streets of Tehran; in the UK, Nigel Farage resigns from Parliament to trigger a by-election he plans to immediately run in again, and in France, a Paris appeals court has cleared the far right leader Marine Le Pen's run for president.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.

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 vague assurances the US received that Iran won't build a nuclear weapon and will keep the Strait of Hormuz open. Then they go over the latest negotiations in Switzerland, disagreements over what was agreed to, and why the war in Lebanon remains the biggest threat to its success. Across the pond, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced his resignation after Andy Burnham's decisive by-election win, setting up the UK to have its seventh prime minister in ten years. The guys also dive into Israel's increasingly close and diplomatically fraught relationship with Somaliland, and Colombia's razor-thin runoff election, which was won by a right-wing candidate who calls himself “El Tigre.” And finally, the World Cup remains an absolute joy — Ben and Tommy go over some of their favorite moments like underdog Cape Verde holding Spain and Uruguay to draws, Scottish fans taking over Boston and Miami, and Uzbek fans riding into a Houston stadium on horseback. At the end of the show, Ben speaks to Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub about the Cockroach Movement in India, and how the war with Iran has spilled over into the country’s politics.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.Buy Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches and subscribe to his Substack here.

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, protected ecological island off the coast of Albania, sparking major protests and a government corruption investigation. The FIFA World Cup kicks off this week across three countries and 16 cities, and the guys dig into the Trump administration's decision to use the biggest sporting event on earth as an opportunity to deny visas to fans, journalists, and even Africa's top referee. Xi Jinping pays his first visit to North Korea in seven years amidst reports about Kim Jong Un's surprising economic turnaround. Former Trump National Security advisor John Bolton pleads guilty to mishandling classified information, while a CIA official is caught with 303 gold bars and a 15-year-old Nigerian congressional candidate is exposed for faking his age on the campaign trail. Then Tommy speaks with the BBC's Mexico, Central America, and Cuba Correspondent, Will Grant, about life on the ground in Cuba, what US intervention on the island could look like, and the vibes in Mexico City ahead of the World Cup. Will’s book is Populista: The Rise of Latin America's 21st Century Strongman.Buy 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 [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date

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 farewell to Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned as Director of National Intelligence under circumstances that depend entirely on who you ask. Pope Leo XIV dropped a 42,000-word encyclical on artificial intelligence that urges leaders to grapple with the impacts it will have on war, democracy, and the future of humanity. Trump’s Taiwan sellout is now official, with the administration quietly pausing a $14 billion arms sale just in case they need the munitions to fight Iran. The guys also give a sobering update on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and a man raises awareness for prostate cancer and bullying in schools by putting his manhood on the line. And finally, Tommy sits down with Ben about his brand-new book, All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches, out now.Buy 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 [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.

Tommy and Ben survey the wreckage of another week in global politics. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer clings to power after Labour was crushed in local elections. Tommy and Ben debate whether Starmer should step aside or stay and fight. Then they run through the latest with Iran, from the short-lived “Project Freedom” to why Trump says the ceasefire is on “life support.” They recap Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s softball interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes, including Netanyahu’s claim that Israel is ready to wean itself off US military support and that social media is to blame for Israel’s tattered image. They preview Trump’s visit to Beijing for his long-delayed summit with Xi Jinping, mock some recent fawning coverage of Marco Rubio, and recap FBI Director Kash Patel’s grilling about his drinking habits by the US Senate. Finally, Ben talks with journalist Suzy Hansen about her new book, From Life Itself: Turkey, Istanbul, and a Neighborhood in the Age of Erdogan.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.For Friends of the Pod, Tommy and Ben answer questions from Discord about how the US can repair its relationship with Canada, and give insight on their favorite rappers and wines.Preorder Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches, subscribe to his Substack, and reserve a spot for his virtual book launch event on May 18 here.

The US-Iran ceasefire is holding, but the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the global economy is teetering on the edge of disaster, and America's precision weapons stockpile is badly depleted after repeated conflicts with Iran, with experts warning that it could have grave consequences for US readiness in the event of a conflict with China. Meanwhile, King Charles becomes the first British king to address Congress as the UK tries to use a royal charm offensive to paper over major differences on Iran, Mali's military government teeters on collapse after coordinated terrorist attacks rock the country and drive out Russian mercenaries, and the CIA's covert operations in Mexico blow up into a sovereignty crisis for President Sheinbaum. Also covered: more US foreign policy corruption (fun!) after Eric Trump lands a $24 million Pentagon contract and a member of US special forces is arrested for betting on military operations in Venezuela. Then Ben talks with Federica Vinci and Nick Antipov of Democracy Hub about their Anti-Authoritarian Toolkit that provides strategies to defeat autocrats worldwide.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.For Friends of the Pod, the guys answer questions about North Korea’s nukes, what other parts of the world we should be keeping an eye on, and the latest scandal engulfing the New England Patriots.Preorder Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches and subscribe to his Substack here.

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 [email protected] 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.