New York isn’t just the cultural and media capital of the United States — it’s also the host city to the United Nations. Since 1962, City Hall has maintained a special office dedicated to liaising with the UN. Anjali and Mark discuss the history of this office and how municipal elections in New York are actually quite consequential for the United Nations.

Also discussed this week: a new development in the race to replace António Guterres as UN Secretary-General; how the UN is responding to the unfolding disaster in Sudan; and whether the Security Council will approve a U.S.-drafted resolution to deploy an international security force to Gaza.

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The ceasefire in Gaza is hanging by a thread. One idea on the table: an International Stabilization Force made up of troops from around the world. The Security Council is deep in negotiations over a resolution to authorize it — but even if it passes, will the mission ever deploy? Mark and Anjali have their doubts.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration just blew up a global deal to put a price on carbon in international shipping — a move that would have pushed the industry toward zero emissions. Mark and Anjali break down this latest clash between Washington and the U.N.

Those conversations are behind the paywall for our subscribers. Up first, they sit down with Heba Aly, director of a new coalition called Article 109, which is taking on a bold mission: reforming the U.N. Charter itself.

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UNGA is over. But its legacy lives on. We recorded this episode as news broke of a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and so we look back at UNGA80 to trace the ways in which the world’s largest diplomatic gathering may have provided some key momentum for a breakthrough on Gaza. Mark and Anjali also go deep on a new Gang Suppression Force that the Security Council just authorized for Haiti. But can this international intervention in Haiti succeed when so many before it have failed? Finally, Mark and Anjali make their Nobel Peace Prize picks. Spoiler alert — it ain’t Donald Trump.

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It was Donald Trump’s fifth speech before the United Nations General Assembly.

It was also his most rambling.

For 55 minutes, the President of the United States riffed: on migration, windmills, hot air, London’s mayor, offshore oil in Aberdeen, even the flooring and décor of UN headquarters. At one point, Trump told the assembled world leaders: “Your countries are going to hell!”

But was there a method to this madness? What can we discern about U.S. foreign policy and Trump’s approach to the United Nations from this speech? Joining me for a timely conversation on these questions and more are Anjali Dayal and Maya Ungar—two seasoned UN watchers. Anjali Dayal, of course, is my To Save Us From Hell co-host and a professor of international relations at Fordham University. Maya Ungar is a UN analyst at the International Crisis Group.

We spoke just moments after Trump’s speech concluded, beginning with our knee-jerk reactions to a very odd address before turning to a longer conversation about what Trump’s UNGA remarks reveal about American foreign policy and its approach to the UN.

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Hundreds of presidents and prime ministers are coming to the UN for the annual opening of the General Assembly. UNGA officially kicked off on September 9, but the big events—including the parade of speeches from world leaders—begin on September 22.

In this special episode of To Save Us From Hell, Mark and Anjali preview the key storylines, speeches, events, and encounters that will shape the agenda at this, the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. This is always one of our most popular episodes because we bring you a true insider’s account of what to watch for at UNGA80. And this year, we’re offering a special 40% discount off our regular subscription price so that as many of you as possible can access one of our most anticipated episodes of the year.

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The United States this week pulled the plug on UNIFIL, the decades-old UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon. Every other member of the Security Council—and Lebanon itself—wanted it to stay. But Israel has long bristled at the mission, and Washington was happy to do its regional ally a favor. At another Council meeting, the U.S. stood completely alone — literally — in denying that famine is underway in Gaza. And in the Guardian, former top UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths blasted a lack of “courage” at the UN. Was that a veiled jab at his old boss, António Guterres?

Mark and Anjali break it all down and more in this episode of the smash hit podcast To Save Us From Hell — which really does have a cult following at the UN these days!

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Trump’s latest UN pick is not a diplomat. He’s tapped conservative firebrand Tammy Bruce — a Fox News personality–turned–State Department spokesperson — as Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN. We break down what this shock appointment could mean for US diplomacy.

Plus, in our subscriber-only deep dive: a diplomatic earthquake looms. Several Western countries, including two UN Security Council heavyweights, plan to recognize Palestinian statehood at next month’s General Assembly. We explain the path to UN membership — and why the politics are shifting now.

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We have a special (and timely) conversation today with Grazyna Baranowska, Vice Chair of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. Anjali Dayal and Dr. Baranowska discuss the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the kinds of investigations the Working Group has undertaken — in particular, the Working Group’s critical efforts to uncover details about the detention of Venezuelan migrants by the United States in a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.

Trump’s pick for UN Ambassador, Mike Waltz, faced questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week. You may recall he previously served as National Security Advisor before being sidelined by Trump after “Signalgate.” But Waltz was never officially fired — he was banished to the United Nations instead. For over two hours, he fielded questi…

The major Financing for Development Conference wrapped up in Seville last week with the so-called Compromiso de Sevilla, which commits countries to accelerating efforts to fund the Sustainable Development Goals and support economic and social development in lower-income countries. In our first segment, we are joined by Michael Sheldrick, co-founder of G…