Pod Save the World

By Crooked Media

What's Pod Save the World about?

“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. To get access to extended ad-free Pod Save The World episodes, sign up to be a Friends of the Pod member at crooked.com/friends

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Henry Kissinger’s Complicat...

12.06.2023

Tommy and Ben discuss the latest news from Gaza, including Israeli forces moving into southern Gaza, the Biden administration’s shift from a “hug Bibi” strategy to publicly criticizing Israel, and the ongoing skirmishes between the US military and Iranian proxy ...

Pod Save the World episodes:

12.06.2023 Henry Kissinger’s Complicated Legacy Tommy and Ben discuss the latest news from Gaza, including Israeli forces moving into southern Gaza, the Biden administration’s shift from a “hug Bibi” strategy to publicly criticizing Israel, and the ongoing skirmishes between the US military and Iranian proxy ...
11.29.2023 How Long Will The Ceasefire In Gaza Hold? Ben and Tommy discuss the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and how the US and Qatar helped broker it, Qatar’s unique role in international diplomacy, the debate over conditioning US aid to Israel, what we know about the Palestinians ...
11.22.2023 Climate Special: A Look Ahead At COP28 In a special episode, Tommy and Ben discuss the upcoming COP28 conference in the United Arab Emirates. They speak about the climate summit’s importance, hear from activists from the Pacific Asian community, break down the science behind a 1.5 degree ...
11.15.2023 Hospitals Under Siege In Gaza Tommy and Ben discuss the latest news out of Israel and Gaza, including the legality of targeting hospitals, French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for a ceasefire, the growing divide between the US and Israel on long-term governance of Gaza, efforts ...
11.08.2023 One Month of War Between Israel and Hamas Tommy and Ben talk about where the world stands one month after Hamas’ attack on Israel, including the declaration from Gaza’s health ministry that 10,000 civilians have been killed, Netanyahu’s statement about Israel taking “indefinite” security responsibility in Gaza, Biden’s ...
11.01.2023 The Israeli Ground Invasion Begins Tommy and Ben talk about the latest news out of Israel and Gaza, including the Israeli ground offensive, the death of over 3,000 children in Gaza, a rise in anti-semitic incidents around the world, and what a temporary ceasefire could ...
10.25.2023 America's Warning To Israel Tommy and Ben discuss the latest news from Israel and Gaza including the staggering figures of over 5,000 civilians dead in Gaza, the slow pace of aid arrival, the release of four hostages, and they hear the experiences of a ...
10.18.2023 Biden Heads To Israel Tommy and Ben talk about the breaking news of an airstrike hitting a hospital in Gaza, killing hundreds of staff, patients, and civilians. They also discuss Biden’s upcoming visit to Israel and negotiations around hostage rescue and aid packages, Secretary ...
10.14.2023 Breaking: Israel Tells Civilians In Gaza To Evacuate Tommy and Ben talk about the developing situation in Gaza where 1.1 million people have been told to evacuate northern Gaza in advance of an anticipated ground invasion by Israel. Two people on the ground in Gaza explain the logistical ...
10.11.2023 What’s next for Israel and Gaza? Tommy and Ben talk about the latest from Israel and Gaza, including the Netanyahu government’s policy and intelligence failures, the devastating toll on civilians in Israel and Gaza, questions about hostages and reports that Israel may launch a ground offensive ...
10.08.2023 Hamas Goes To War With Israel In a special episode, Ben and Tommy talk about the deadly terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel, how Israel’s intelligence community failed to detect it, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaration that his country is “at war” and what comes ...
10.04.2023 Will Republicans Kill Support For Ukraine? Tommy and Ben talk about the waning support for financing the war in Ukraine, both in the US Congress and in Europe, Elon Musk’s visit to the southern border, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley responds to Trump’s ...
09.27.2023 Don’t Clap For Nazis Tommy and Ben talk about the foreign policy implications of Senator Menendez’s corruption charges, the Biden administration’s move to grant temporary protected status to Venezuelan migrants and the role of US sanctions in fueling migration, and updates from Ukraine, including ...
09.20.2023 Canada Accuses India of Assassination Tommy and Ben talk about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s accusation that India may have been behind the murder of a Sikh Canadian citizen, the prisoner swap between the U.S. and Iran, the one year anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, ...
09.13.2023 Secretary of State Antony Blinken Tommy and Ben talk about Kim Jong Un’s trip to meet with Vladimir Putin, Viktor Bout’s entrance into local Russian politics, Armenia’s diplomatic shift away from Russia, and a positive development in Nagorno-Kabarakh region. They also dig into an escalation ...
09.06.2023 Kim Jong Un and Putin’s Budding Bromance Ben and guest host Max Fisher talk about the latest headlines on the Russia/Ukraine war, including Putin’s refusal to sign a new grain deal with Turkey’s Erdogan, a rumored visit by Kim Jong Un, more drones in Russian airspace, and ...
08.30.2023 Spain’s #MeToo moment? Ben and Tommy talk about the fallout after Spain’s head soccer official kissed star player Jennifer Hermoso, BRICS announcing the addition of six countries, Donald Trump’s musings on the Panama Canal, and a report that the US was aware of ...
08.24.2023 Wagner Leader Prigozhin Killed? In a special episode, Tommy and Ben talk about the developing story of the alleged deaths of Wagner Group leaders Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin in a plane crash not far from Moscow. All ten people on the private plane ...
08.23.2023 Has Ukraine’s counteroffensive stalled? Tommy and Ben talk about negative headlines surrounding Ukraine’s counteroffensive, Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin’s re-emergence in Africa, a Human Rights Watch Report about Saudi Arabia’s horrendous abuse of Ethiopian migrants, a fun twist in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, and rare ...
08.16.2023 Tripping Balls with Janet Yellen Tommy and Ben talk about a US hostage deal with Iran, a far-right frontrunner in the Argentina presidential election, a presidential candidate murdered in Ecuador, updates on the coup in Niger, and aid to Sudan. They also discuss Vivek Ramaswamy’s ...
08.09.2023 Ukraine Sea Drones and Peace Talks Tommy and Ben talk about the global response to the coup in Niger, Ukraine’s sea drone attacks and peace talks in Saudi Arabia, new polling about approval Biden’s foreign policy and support for Ukraine, a quick look at some foreign ...
08.02.2023 Russian War Crimes and a Coup in Niger Tommy and Ben talk about a coup in Niger, progress on the Ukrainian counteroffensive, drone attacks on Moscow, Yevgeny Prigozhin attends a summit of African leaders in Russia, prospects for a US-Saudi Arabia-Israel diplomatic deal, the eroding democratic process in ...
07.26.2023 Israel’s Judicial Coup, and Samantha Power on Ukraine Tommy and Ben talk about the gutting of Israel’s judicial system, and the (lack of) response from the US. They also discuss good-ish news from the elections in Spain, a US soldier who fled to North Korea, Putin’s crackdown on ...
07.19.2023 Ukraine and the 2024 Presidential Campaign Tommy and Ben talk about Russia pulling out of a vital grain initiative with Ukraine, 2024 Republican primary candidate views on Ukraine, Trump and Taiwan, the culture war amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, John Kerry’s visit to China ...
07.12.2023 NATO Grows on Russia’s Borders Max Fisher joins Ben to discuss the ever-weirder Prigozhin circus, the last-second drama over bringing Sweden into NATO, whether Ukraine should join, the U.S. sending controversial cluster bombs to Ukraine, a seismic shift in European politics and what it means ...
06.28.2023 Trump’s Self-incriminating Audio Ben and Tommy talk about the fallout from Wagner Group’s aborted mutiny in Russia, the status of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, new audio of Trump knowingly leaking classified information, why supporters of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are harassing a White House ...
06.25.2023 A Russian Coup Against Putin? (Bonus Pod!) Ben and Tommy talk about the extraordinary failed coup attempt against Vladimir Putin by Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner mercenary group in Russia. They cover the infighting that got Russia to this point, what it means for Putin’s image and ...
06.21.2023 Tony Blinken goes to China Today’s episode covers: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, Trump’s interview on Fox News about the Mar-a-Lago document indictment, new details about Trump’s real estate deal with the Saudis in Oman, Secretary of State Tony Blinken’s visit ...
06.14.2023 How Trump’s Mar-a-lago Docs Endanger National Security Tommy and Ben talk about the national security implications of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago document indictment, China’s eavesdropping base in Cuba, Ukraine’s military counteroffensive and critics of US policy, USAID’s suspension of food aid to Ethiopia following an investigation into theft, how ...
06.07.2023 Did Ukraine bomb the Nord Stream pipeline? Ben and Tommy talk about a blockbuster report that Ukraine bombed the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines, the bombing of a dam in Ukraine, accountability for the assassination of Haiti’s president, CIA Director Bill Burns goes to China, Saudi Arabia ...
05.31.2023 Lindsey Graham’s Russian Arrest Warrant Tommy and Ben talk about an anti-LGBTQ law in Uganda, violent protests in Kosovo and more reports on Trump’s handling of classified documents. They also discuss US-China relations, Elon Musk’s visit to China, heavy attacks in Kyiv, drone strikes in ...
05.24.2023 The War Goes to Russia Tommy and Ben talk about President Zelensky’s travel to the Arab League and G7 summits, Biden’s policy change on training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s, mysterious attacks inside Russia and outcomes from the G-7 summit. They also discuss the foreign ...
05.17.2023 Zelensky’s Secret War Plan On today’s episode, Max Fisher and Tommy discuss reports that a close Putin ally betrayed the Russian military and that President Zelensky secretly proposed bombing Russia, why elections in Turkey and Thailand could be the most important of this year, ...
05.10.2023 Defining Victory for Ukraine Ben and Tommy talk about Iran using Syrian earthquake aid to smuggle weapons, Syria being readmitted to the Arab League, the drone strikes on the Kremlin, Title 42 and Biden’s immigration policy, the arrest of Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran ...
05.05.2023 Israel on the Brink Ben and Tommy are joined by Max Fisher for a special episode on the roots of the judicial crisis in Israel that has brought millions of protestors out into the streets and still threatens to tear the country apart. They ...
05.03.2023 The Pope’s peace talks Tommy and Ben talk about the ongoing crisis in Sudan, the Pope’s visit to Hungary, the upcoming coronation of King Charles and Prince Harry’s lawsuits against Rupert Murdoch. Then Ben and Tommy discuss the approaching elections in Turkey, the UAE’s ...
04.26.2023 Crisis in Sudan Ben and Tommy talk about the evacuation of American employees from Sudan, expectations for Ukraine’s spring military offensive and Ron DeSantis’s trip abroad. Then they cover new intelligence about Russian influence in Africa and the ISIS threat in Afghanistan, Chile’s ...
04.19.2023 21-year-old Pentagon leaker exposed Tommy and Ben talk about the latest news about the Pentagon leaks and leaker, and what it tells us about the effectiveness of the security clearance process. Then Ben and Tommy discuss Chinese agents harassing dissidents in the US, the ...
04.12.2023 The Pentagon documents leak Tommy and Ben discuss the massive leak of US intelligence documents and the potential global implications, a new White House report on what went wrong with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the potential repeal of the Iraq war authorization for ...
04.05.2023 The world watches Trump’s arrest Tommy and Ben talk about Donald Trump’s historic arrest and arraignment, Finland PM Sanna Marin’s election loss, Taiwan’s president visits America, a potential interim Iran nuclear deal, the Washington Post’s tone deaf op-ed on veterans rights, the arrest of an ...
03.29.2023 Netanyahu backs down Tommy and Ben talk about protests in Israel and Netanyahu’s persistent attack on Israel’s democracy, a drone strike in Syria, reignited fears of a nuclear attack from Putin, a new deal between Biden and Canadian PM Trudeau, VP Harris’ visit ...
03.22.2023 Is prosecuting presidents a good idea? Tommy and Ben are joined by Crooked contributor Max Fisher for a segment to discuss a possible Trump indictment and how common presidential prosecutions are around the world. Then Ben and Tommy cover Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow, ...
03.17.2023 20 years after the invasion of Iraq Ben and Tommy record a bonus episode to mark the 20-year anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq to try and answer the question: how did the Iraq war change America and the world? They’re joined by journalist and Iraq ...
03.15.2023 China’s Iran Deal Tommy and Ben talk about China brokering a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Saudi Arabia’s wish list to “normalize” relations with Israel, protests of Netanyahu’s changes to Israel’s judicial system, the BBC, soccer and free speech, new reports about ...
03.08.2023 Who is poisoning girls in Iran? Tommy and Ben discuss the suspected poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls, new intel on Havana syndrome, the case for dismantling the DHS, potential Chinese election interference in Canada, South Korea’s plan to end their forced labor dispute with Japan, the deadly ...
03.01.2023 Will China arm Putin? Tommy and Ben discuss changes to Mexico’s electoral system, the botched presidential election in Nigeria, Jill Biden’s trip to Africa, new intelligence about the covid lab leak theory, a Brexit breakthrough, more detail on China potentially selling arms to Russia ...
02.24.2023 One year of war in Ukraine Tommy and Ben look back on a year of war in Ukraine and discuss what people got wrong, lessons learned, and where things stand today. Then, Ben and Tommy talk to reporters and Ukrainians about the war including FT reporter ...
02.22.2023 Biden goes to Ukraine Tommy and Ben discuss Biden’s surprise trip to Ukraine, Putin’s decision to suspend participation in the New START treaty, the administration’s warnings against providing military support to Russia, the latest on spy balloons, Scotland’s First Minister resigns, near weapons-grade uranium ...
02.15.2023 Alien Balloon Invasion Ben and Tommy talk about Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu’s attack on Israel’s judicial system, the ongoing US war against Chinese balloons and UFOs, Kim Jong Un’s likely successor, Saudi influence peddling, the latest in Ukraine as we approach the one ...
02.08.2023 InflateGate: Biden vs Balloon Tommy and Ben talk about Balloon-gate, Biden’s State of the Union address, the latest in Ukraine, the deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria and how to help, Pope Francis denouncing anti-gay laws, and gang violence in Haiti. Then, Ben talks ...

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