This week on Middle Theory, President Trump has the spotlight as he withdrew the United States from the Iranian nuclear deal, and the long-awaited meeting with North Korea looms near. What does this spell for US Foreign Policy going forward, and how will it impact peace in the Middle East and Korean Penninsula?

Before getting to the crux of the matter though, we tackle a number of pressing issues, including McNON’s dog vomiting all over the bed right at the start of the show, and some alleged ridiculous teenage fad called “The Deodorant Challenge.” Hint: It doesn’t challenge the smellier members of society to start taking care of their B.O. Side note: McNON and the Doctor both like Old Spice. What’s your odor-killing paste preference?

Things start to get a bit more serious as we transition away from teen fads and into the latest battle against the free press, as internet news giant Matt Drudge gets leery of President Trump’s issues with journalism. Drudge fears that the crusade against Fake News may eventually lead to a licensing requirement for journalists. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that the President has battled against journalists. The U.S.A.’s World Press Freedom Index dropped in rank from 20th in the world to 49th in the world during the Obama administration. The Bush Administration all but declared war against the free press. President Franklin Roosevelt’s relationship with the press was also strained, calling working newspapermen the evil of journalism.

There was lighter, more inspiring content in the first half of the show though - while there is an ongoing struggle between press freedom and politics, there’s also an ongoing struggle between iconoclasts and societal norms that perpetuate the world we live in today. We take a look at the so-called Intellectual Dark Web, recently profiled in the New York Times. This group of individuals ranging from Ben Shapiro to Bret Weinstein to Christina Hoff Sommers features political affiliations across the entire spectrum, but have the common ground of having been ostracized from their communities for speaking against the things they find to be wrong with conventional ideology. Their agreement is to disagree with each other, but to do so with grace and engage in a dialogue that opens up the possibility of new ideas.

Getting to the MEAT CUBE of the show, we discuss President Trump’s withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal agreed to in 2015. What are the implications this has on the upcoming sit-down with North Korean Supreme Leader, Marshal of the Republic, First Secretary of the Workers Party, Chairman of the National Defense Commission, and overall Shining Sun, Kim Jong-Un? We’ll find out soon, as they’re set to meet next month in Singapore.

We conclude the show with another piece of President Trump’s foreign policy: Trying to influence the World Cup. Did he inadvertently torpedo the three-way bid to host the 2...