Pod Save the World

King Trump Welcomes King Charles

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 [https://antiauthoritarian.com/] that provides strategies to defeat autocrats worldwide. 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 [https://bookshop.org/p/books/all-we-say-the-battle-for-american-identity-a-history-in-15-speeches-ben-rhodes/c9d9b22b61e6fd44?ean=9780593595121&next=t]  and subscribe to his Substack here [https://benrhodes1.substack.com/p/notes-on-the-stories-we-tell?r=7jalf&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay&utm_source=ig&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnk2XQpGCmzcvVGkeFlK9dqpiOZOtrjYa6vZNZOGIUYKNGWNuwRdTS-TcWTxc_aem_CO-34uPQ7U7nZXxTI-IbdQ&triedRedirect=true].

All the President’s (Corrupt) Men

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 [https://bookshop.org/p/books/untitled-summit-to-be-confirmed-summit-books/be42e5ef39f27d16?ean=9781668226957&next=t]. Preorder Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches [https://bookshop.org/p/books/all-we-say-the-battle-for-american-identity-a-history-in-15-speeches-ben-rhodes/c9d9b22b61e6fd44?ean=9780593595121&next=t]  and subscribe to his Substack here [https://benrhodes1.substack.com/p/notes-on-the-stories-we-tell?r=7jalf&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay&utm_source=ig&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnk2XQpGCmzcvVGkeFlK9dqpiOZOtrjYa6vZNZOGIUYKNGWNuwRdTS-TcWTxc_aem_CO-34uPQ7U7nZXxTI-IbdQ&triedRedirect=true]. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/2_pkC0lxwvY]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

JD Vance’s Global Humiliation

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 [https://bookshop.org/p/books/days-of-love-and-rage-a-story-of-ordinary-people-forging-a-revolution-anand-gopal/9aa94926a56f13b0]. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/Ae2x_U3WoaY]. 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 [https://bookshop.org/p/books/all-we-say-the-battle-for-american-identity-a-history-in-15-speeches-ben-rhodes/c9d9b22b61e6fd44?ean=9780593595121&next=t]  and subscribe to his Substack here [https://benrhodes1.substack.com/p/notes-on-the-stories-we-tell?r=7jalf&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay&utm_source=ig&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnk2XQpGCmzcvVGkeFlK9dqpiOZOtrjYa6vZNZOGIUYKNGWNuwRdTS-TcWTxc_aem_CO-34uPQ7U7nZXxTI-IbdQ&triedRedirect=true].

Trump Threatens Genocide

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 [https://youtu.be/rrj-VdvhK-w]. 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 [https://bookshop.org/p/books/all-we-say-the-battle-for-american-identity-a-history-in-15-speeches-ben-rhodes/c9d9b22b61e6fd44?ean=9780593595121&next=t] and subscribe to his Substack here [https://benrhodes1.substack.com/p/notes-on-the-stories-we-tell?r=7jalf&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay&utm_source=ig&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnk2XQpGCmzcvVGkeFlK9dqpiOZOtrjYa6vZNZOGIUYKNGWNuwRdTS-TcWTxc_aem_CO-34uPQ7U7nZXxTI-IbdQ&triedRedirect=true].

Trump Begs Allies to Clean Up Iran Mess

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 [https://www.instagram.com/myvoicemychoiceorg/], 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 [https://youtu.be/hzn2-yo7fM8]. 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 [https://bookshop.org/p/books/all-we-say-the-battle-for-american-identity-a-history-in-15-speeches-ben-rhodes/c9d9b22b61e6fd44?ean=9780593595121&next=t] and subscribe to his Substack here [https://benrhodes1.substack.com/p/notes-on-the-stories-we-tell?r=7jalf&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay&utm_source=ig&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnk2XQpGCmzcvVGkeFlK9dqpiOZOtrjYa6vZNZOGIUYKNGWNuwRdTS-TcWTxc_aem_CO-34uPQ7U7nZXxTI-IbdQ&triedRedirect=true]. (edited)