“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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Tommy and Ben grapple with the fallout from Trump and Netanyahu’s war with Iran. They talk about how America’s massive bunker buster bombs didn't solve the problem of Iran’s nuclear program, why the strikes were illegal under international law, and how the drumbeat for regime change will never go away. They also discuss the short-term thinking and triumphalism running rampant in DC and the media and Israel’s own under-the-radar nuclear program. Additionally, they cover this week’s NATO summit an...
Tommy and Ben react to Trump’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. They break down the many horrifying ways Iran could retaliate in the short and long term, how the conflict could snowball across the Middle East, and why the US can’t just bomb its way back to the negotiating table. They also get into the administration’s baffling, bad-faith messaging on the attacks, how the Democrats should meet this moment, and the global reaction. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here . ...
Tommy and Ben tackle the big question: will Trump be stupid enough to drag the United States into another war in the Middle East? They dig into the various right-wing forces arguing for and against US involvement, discuss why following Benjamin Netanyahu into yet another regime change war in the region is insane, and how this conflict has ballooned from strikes on nuclear infrastructure to a full-on push for regime change. They also talk about the DC blob and media’s cheerleading for these disas...
Tommy and Ben discuss Israel’s ongoing military assault on Iran–breaking down who and what got hit, why the timing was a surprise, and what the Trump administration knew ahead of time. They also talk about how the attacks could impact Iran’s nuclear program and current regime, what retaliation could look like, and how Democrats should respond.
Tommy and Ben unpack Trump’s cruel and incoherent travel bans, the administration’s callous stranding of migrants and ICE agents in Djibouti, the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the US and his immediate prosecution, and the revival of the plan to send thousands of migrants to Guantánamo. They also discuss Trump’s upcoming North Korea-style military (and birthday) extravaganza and Trump’s abuse of the military for his personal interests. Also covered: Israel’s interception of Greta Thunberg’s F...
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 ...
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 admin...
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 a...
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 administra...
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 r...
Ben and Tommy discuss the Liberal Party’s shocking come-from-behind victory in the Canadian election and why it was a rebuke of Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump’s meeting at the Vatican and why Trump’s peace talks with Russia have failed, and the never-ending chaos swirling around Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. They also talk about the escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan after a terrorist attack in the Kashmir region, the horrifying, deteriorating sit...
Tommy and Ben discuss the latest scandal engulfing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and why even his defenders say the Pentagon is in chaos, a report about the FBI Director’s jet-setting lifestyle, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s mindless reorganization of the State Department. They also talk about Pope Francis’ moral leadership on global affairs, how China is winning the trade war and concern that the impact of Trump’s tariffs might be irreversible, why US airstrikes on the Houthi rebels ...
Tommy and Ben discuss El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele’s White House meeting with Trump and their coordinated assault on due process in America, the terrifying prospect of Trump sending American citizens to foreign prisons, Daniel Noboa’s re-election in Ecuador, and disgraced military contractor Erik Prince’s attempts to privatize and profit from right-wing autocracy. They also talk about Trump’s failures to end the war in Ukraine, the administration's talks with Iran about its nuclear prog...
Tommy and Ben discuss the disastrous impact of Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, how a fringe right-wing conspiracy theorist got Trump to fire top national security officials, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington and the upcoming talks between the Trump administration and Iran. Then they explain why South Sudan is teetering on the edge of civil war, and the dramatic end of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s time in power. Finally, Tommy speaks to Noah Bullock, Executive Direct...
Tommy and Ben discuss French far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s embezzlement conviction and what it could mean for France’s political future, reactions from world leaders to Trump’s promised “Liberation Day” when US tariffs on global imports will supposedly go into effect, and a spate of incompetent national security staffing stories from Elise Stefanik losing the UN nomination to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth bringing his wife to meetings. They also talk about the chilling effects of deportation...
Tommy and Ben discuss the fallout from Trump's national security team accidentally sending top secret war plans to a journalist, Turkey's backsliding democracy as a result of Erdoğan arresting his top political opponent, and Bibi Netanyahu's continuing efforts to remove internal critics while Israel gears up for potential annexation of Gaza. They also discuss a violent settler attack on the Oscar winning co-director of No Other Land , Russia's maximalist terms for the new maritime ceasefire with...
Tommy and Ben discuss Bibi Netanyahu restarting the war in Gaza as he creates a new domestic political crisis, why Trump's airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen are likely to fail, and the gutting of Voice of America. They also cover the latest in Trump's efforts to harness the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged gang members to El Salvador, how Putin continues to play Trump in negotiations over Ukraine, Serbia's wave of student-led protests over government corruption, and why patrons at...
Today we're excited to bring you the first episode of Shadow Kingdom: God's Banker. In the summer of 1982, the Vatican’s top money man was found dead. Roberto Calvi was at the center of a prolific money laundering scheme that put him in the crosshairs of the Sicilian mafia, a secret far-right chapter of the Freemasons, and the Catholic Church. Forty years after his death was ruled a suicide, Shadow Kingdom host Nicolo Majnoni got a tip that there was more to the story. So who killed God’s banker...
Tommy and Ben discuss late-breaking news that Russia and Ukraine may agree to a 30-day ceasefire, Canada’s new Prime Minister and the rapidly escalating trade war with the United States that he’ll inherit, and the final death knell for USAID. They also talk about the irrational anger at the Trump administration’s direct talks with Hamas, and the Anti-Defamation League’s ludicrous support of the arrest of a Columbia university student for his role in pro-Palestine protests. Then they cover the re...
Tommy and Ben discuss the continued fallout from President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s disastrous White House meeting, including Europe’s attempt to come up with an alternative peace plan, Trump casually talking about regime change in Ukraine, and the giddy response from the Kremlin. They also discuss the potentially devastating economic consequences of Trump’s trade war with Canada, China, and Mexico, the grim death toll from DOGE destroying USAID, why the Trump administr...
Tommy and Ben react to the disastrous Trump-Zelensky meeting, highlighting the insults, Kremlin talking points, and perceived setup. They analyze JD Vance's role, Trump's bullying tactics, and the implications for US-Ukraine relations. The discussion explores Zelensky's options and the need for Europe to develop an independent position, as well as the broader shift in US foreign policy under Trump.
Tommy and Ben discuss the increasing divide between the US and Europe on the issue of the war in Ukraine just as the world marks the three year anniversary, including a mineral reserves deal and America’s vote against a UN resolution calling for an end to Russian aggression. They also talk about Germany’s election results and the likely new Chancellor Freidrich Merz, the right wing podcaster who is Trump’s new Deputy FBI Director, firings at the Pentagon, an update on migrants sent to Guantanamo...
Tommy and Ben discuss the seismic shift in US foreign policy that happened this past week after Trump announced that the US and Russia would directly negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine through talks that exclude Ukraine and Europe. They also explain how JD Vance’s first foreign trip insulted nearly every leader in Europe while boosting Germany’s far-right AfD party ahead of Germany’s election this Sunday, how support for a crypto scam has become a major political liability for the president ...
Tommy and Ben discuss how Trump’s insane plan to ethnically cleanse and “own” the Gaza strip is destabilizing governments in Egypt and Jordan, and why Trump keeps undermining the Gaza ceasefire deal he helped broker. They also discuss new whistleblower allegations about Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, how the Department of Justice is making it harder to combat foreign election interference and corruption, JD Vance’s speech scolding Europe for AI safety regulations, Trump’s Executive Order cutting ...
Tommy and Ben discuss the assault on USAID by Trump and Elon Musk, how Democrats can best make the argument to support it, and why putting it under the purview of the State Department is a bad idea. They also discuss a purge at the FBI, Marco Rubio’s first overseas trip as Secretary of State, the moral and logistical stupidity of both sending US prisoners to El Salvador and undocumented migrants to Guantanamo Bay, Trump launching air strikes in Somalia, and Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump at the ...
Tommy and Ben discuss Trump’s freeze on foreign aid and the deadly consequences of stopping programs like clearing unexploded bombing and HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, Trump’s move to revoke security details for former officials like Anthony Fauci, Mike Pompeo, and John Bolton. They also talk about Trump’s tariff threats and foreign policy bullying with the leaders of Colombia and Denmark, his call for “clearing out Gaza” and sending Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt, troubling developments ...
Tommy and Ben discuss Trump’s inauguration, the tech oligarchy that was on display, foreign leaders in attendance, some of the most damaging and far-reaching executive orders from pulling out of the Paris Climate agreement to designating Mexican cartels terrorist organizations, and nomination updates on Tulsi Gabbard and Pete Hegseth. They also talk about the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and the debate over who gets credit for it in Washington DC, the continued agony of uncertainty fo...
Tommy and Ben discuss Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing for Secretary of Defense, President Biden’s final foreign policy speech, and the many global challenges Donald Trump will be inheriting on his first day in office. They also talk about the potential for a last minute ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Lebanon’s new president, far-right parties and candidates that are ascendant in Croatia, Austria, and Germany, Paul Manafort’s international comeback attempt, and the politics of namin...
Tommy and Ben discuss Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation, South Korea’s growing political crisis after President Yoon Suk Yeol barricaded himself in his home and refused arrest, and why we should take seriously Donald Trump’s threats to use “military or economic coercion” to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal. They also talk about why Elon Musk is boosting far-right parties in Germany, Canada and the UK, the Biden administration’s determination that the RSF rebel gr...
The Pod Save The Word team is off this week, but we're excited to bring you an episode of Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams. In this episode, Stacey speaks to Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious disease specialist, epidemiologist and editor at large for public health at KFF Health News, about the threats to public health with the incoming Trump Administration. They talk through Trump’s appointees for the nation’s top health and science agencies like RFK Jr., how to bring scientific thinking bac...
