Pod Save the World

Ben and guest co-host Ali Velshi kick off the show with a conversation about how Trump’s policies are accelerating US brain drain, Tulsi Gabbard’s Fox News-style overhaul of the Presidential Daily Brief, and the eyebrow-raising new press secretary at the Pentagon. They also talk about Ukraine’s massive surprise drone strike on Russia and the stalemate between Putin and Zelensky. Additionally, they cover the horrific attack on Jewish demonstrators in Colorado, Israel and America’s disastrous aid distribution operation in Gaza, the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, and the future of the two-state solution. Also discussed: China’s advantages in the trade war, how trade wars can become real wars, and far-right politics in Poland, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Finally, Ali takes a step back to talk about being a journalist covering Trump 2.0. Ali’s show Velshi airs weekends on MSNBC, and his book is Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy [https://bookshop.org/p/books/small-acts-of-courage-a-legacy-of-endurance-and-the-fight-for-democracy-ali-velshi/20395513?ean=9781250288851&next=t].   For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/MfiZWz72IBA]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Tommy and Ben are on the Trump corruption beat, including Vietnam’s fast-tracking of a Trump golf project for favorable treatment, the administration pushing Elon Musk’s Starlink on foreign countries, the president’s grotesque dinner for buyers of his memecoin, and Cory Booker’s embarrassing vote for Charles Kushner to be ambassador to France. Additionally, they talk about the reduction of National Security Council staff and how its operations are changing for the worse under Trump and the administration’s hostility to international students. Also discussed: the tragic killing of two Israeli embassy workers in Washington, Israel’s widely denounced new method of distributing aid in Gaza, Putin’s ongoing humiliation of Trump, North Korea’s failed battleship launch, Japan’s rice crisis and how a joke cost a government minister his job, and the crucial role a biscuit tin plays in New Zealand politics. Finally, Tommy speaks with Representative Jim Himes, ranking member of the  House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, about the dangers of politicizing intelligence, how the war in Gaza might be fueling terrorism, and more.   For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/M4S4tx_cmiA]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Tommy and Ben discuss President Trump’s policy changes on Syria and his man-crush on its president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, what lifting sanctions on Syria could (and should) look like, more details on how Qatar’s plane bribe came together, and Tulsi Gabbard’s shocking politicization of the intelligence community. They also talk about the continuing crackdown on journalists and human rights activists by Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, the dire–and indefensible–humanitarian situation in Gaza, the lack of any meaningful progress in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and elections in Portugal, Romania and Poland. Then, Ben speaks with Dr. Feroze Sidhwa [https://x.com/FerozeSidhwa], a trauma surgeon who has volunteered twice in Gaza, about his experience treating patients in Khan Younis. Finally, Ben and Tommy are forced to endure some selections from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/98zwmIIKJIE]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Tommy and Ben discuss how President Trump’s first official foreign trip is a blatant extraction of money from the Middle East, his announcement that the US will lift sanctions on Syria, the widening cracks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump and Israel’s increasing isolation, and the different stories the US and Iran are telling about the latest nuclear talks. They also talk about why Trump caved to China on tariffs, India and Pakistan’s ceasefire and the Trump administration’s belated intervention in the conflict, and the latest talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey. Additionally, they talk about the first American Pope and why the Trump administration’s classification of white South Africans as refugees is white supremacy as policy. Finally, Tommy speaks with Senator Chris Murphy about the historic corruption on display during Trump’s Middle East trip and what Democrats can do to fight back.   For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/TZqLNcwsnAM]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Tommy and Ben discuss President Trump’s firing of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and the dangers that come along with consolidating responsibilities into fewer hands, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the White House, and cuts to the CIA, military, and other intelligence agencies while Trump plans a “big, beautiful” military parade on his birthday. They also talk about Israel’s plan to occupy and hold Gaza indefinitely, the anti-Trump effect in the Australian election, but a rightward turn for elections in the UK and Romania. Additionally, they cover the rocky start for Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the Trump administration’s defense of Germany’s far-right AfD party after being designated as an “extremist endeavor”, India’s military response to a terrorist attack in the Kashmir region, and they take bets on the papal conclave. Finally, Ben speaks to Clayton Weimers, Executive Director of Reporters Without Borders in the US about the grim state of global press freedom.   For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/I_QWveYs4Fg]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.