Each week, “Pod Save America” cohost Tommy Vietor and Obama’s former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes break down the biggest developments in foreign policy, national security and global politics. They try to explain which stories matter and why, and what we can all do to understand and shape the world around us. Subscribe to Friends of the Pod! Your subscription makes Crooked’s work possible and gives you access to ad-free episodes of Pod Save America and Pod Save the World, plus exclusive content and a lively Discord community. Learn more and subscribe at crooked.com/friends or on Apple Podcasts.
518 episodes transcribedTommy and Ben discuss a blockbuster Washington Post report alleging that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth personally ordered a “double tap” airstrike tha...
Tommy and Ben unpack Trump’s rapidly changing “peace deal” to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. They explain how the plan has changed since the...
Tommy and Ben discuss Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington, his request for F-35 fighter jets and a NATO-like security guarant...
Tommy and Ben discuss Syrian transitional President Ahmed Al-Shaara’s historic and improbable visit to the White House, Trump’s sanctions waiver and s...
Live from Crooked Con, Tommy and Ben look back at the last year since Trump was re-elected and unpack the worst and most surprising moments of Trump 2...
Ben and Tommy discuss President Trump’s threat to invade Nigeria to stop a (nonexistent) genocide against Christians and the international community’s...
Tommy and Ben discuss President Trump’s visit to Asia: the weird dancing, his meetings with the new prime minister of Japan and Chinese President Xi J...
Being an American right now is a wild ride. Every day brings a new controversy, with breathless media narratives and the same loud voices rushing in t...
Tommy and Ben discuss reports that Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was a disaster, and that his summit in Hungary with Rus...
Tommy & Ben break down the deal between Israel and Hamas–how we got here, who deserves credit (and who doesn’t), why the hell it took so long, and...
Tommy & Ben sound the alarm about how Trump is laying the foundation for war with Venezuela—breaking down the administration’s justifications, wha...
Tommy & Ben react to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump's bizarre and alarming gathering of top military officials, including Trum...
Tommy & Ben grit their teeth and dive into Trump’s rambling, insulting address at the United Nations and fact-check his ridiculous claim that he s...
Tommy & Ben start with Gaza: the UN Human Rights Council’s finding that Israel has committed genocide, and Israel’s ground operation into Gaza Cit...
Tommy & Ben react to Israel’s shocking strike on Hamas leadership in Qatar. They cover how this closes the door on ceasefire negotiations, how the...
Tommy & Ben discuss China’s summit in Tianjin, which brought together leaders from 20 countries, including India, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, a...
Tommy & Ben dig into the FBI’s raid on John Bolton and how Pete Hegseth’s firing of the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency fits into Trump’s...
Tommy & Ben sift through the week’s flurry of meetings on Ukraine, including Putin and Trump’s Alaska summit and Zelensky’s White House visit. The...
Ben and guest co-host Yalda Hakim, Sky News’ Lead World News Presenter, discuss Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s upcoming Alaska summit, previewing w...
Tommy and Ben kick off the show by digging into Trump and Netanyahu’s incompatible visions for the war in Gaza: a comprehensive peace deal vs. more fi...
