Pod Save the World 

Tommy and Ben are back with a week of bad deals, high-stakes elections, and World Cup joy.

The US and Iran have agreed to a deal to end the war, but the Trump administration has refused to release the text to anyone — so the guys parse through what we think we know. The short version: it's a pretty good deal for Iran that meets almost none of the goals Trump set out before the war started, and the nuclear issue hasn’t even been touched yet. Then the guys question if Netanyahu will do something to torpedo the whole thing with his continued war against Lebanon. In England, a special election could reshape British politics and set up a direct challenge to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Meanwhile, a spate of developments across England, Italy, France, and Switzerland signal increasing growth for far-right movements in Europe. In Trump world, there’s both good and very bad news: Trump backed down on installing Bill Pulte as Director of National Intelligence after bipartisan pushback, and the dismantling of USAID continues to have devastating real-world consequences. And finally, with the World Cup in full swing, Tommy and Ben take a moment to enjoy the fans, from Scots drinking their way across, to Mexican and Korean fans bonding over tequila, and Nigerian fans flying all the way to Mexico just to root against South Africa. At the end of the show, Tommy speaks to CNN’s Senior International Correspondent Frederik Pleitgen, about what he saw and heard on his latest reporting trip on the ground in Iran.

Buy Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches  and subscribe to his Substack here.

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CHAPTERS
0:00 - A Knicks Hangover
5:27 - Unpacking Iran “Deal”
24:03 - Ad Break
26:26 - How Lebanon Fighting Threatens Deal
36:43 - UK Elections
44:09 - Far Right Struggles In Europe
46:40 - Ad Break
49:44 - Questioning the Role Of DNI
54:20 - USAID Humanitarian Disaster
57:54 - FIFA World Cup Highlights
1:06:18 - Ad Break
1:09:30 - Interview with Fred Pleitgen

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Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive

Crooked Media believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world.

That’s it. End of mission.

Learn more about us at crooked.com

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Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes have opinions.

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Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive

Crooked Media believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world.

That’s it. End of mission.

Learn more about us at crooked.com

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Tommy and Ben are back to discuss a week that includes collapsed ceasefire(s), the World Cup, and Jared and Ivanka pretending to be conquistadors.

The so-called ceasefires between Israel and Lebanon and the US and Iran continue to unravel, while Trump insists he has Iran and Israel under his control and twists reality (and the English language) to fit his narrative. Then, Ivanka Trump claims to have "discovered" a pristine, protected ecological island off the coast of Albania, sparking major protests and a government corruption investigation. The FIFA World Cup kicks off this week across three countries and 16 cities, and the guys dig into the Trump administration's decision to use the biggest sporting event on earth as an opportunity to deny visas to fans, journalists, and even Africa's top referee. Xi Jinping pays his first visit to North Korea in seven years amidst reports about Kim Jong Un's surprising economic turnaround. Former Trump National Security advisor John Bolton pleads guilty to mishandling classified information, while a CIA official is caught with 303 gold bars and a 15-year-old Nigerian congressional candidate is exposed for faking his age on the campaign trail. Then Tommy speaks with the BBC's Mexico, Central America, and Cuba Correspondent, Will Grant, about life on the ground in Cuba, what US intervention on the island could look like, and the vibes in Mexico City ahead of the World Cup. Will’s book is Populista: The Rise of Latin America's 21st Century Strongman.

Buy Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches  and subscribe to his Substack here.

CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS:
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CHAPTERS
0:00 - Trump Booed At Knicks Game
6:57 - On The Cusp Of Full Scare Warfare?
15:59 - Trump’s Vocab Lesson
18:53 - Ad Break
21:18 - Jared and Ivanka Trump’s Albanian Island
28:50 - Previewing the FIFA World Cup
36:37 - The Hottest Soccer Players
37:55 - Ad Break
40:06 - Xi Jinping Visits North Korea
49:19 - CIA Gold Bar Thief
54:03 - 15 Year Old Nigerian Runs For Office
57:45 - Ad Break
1:00:18 - Interview with Will Grant

Want Pod Save the World ad-free? Subscribe to Friends of the Pod: https://www.crooked.com/friends

Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive

Crooked Media believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world.

That’s it. End of mission.

Learn more about us at crooked.com

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Great.

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Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive

Crooked Media believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world.

That’s it. End of mission.

Learn more about us at crooked.com

324 4

Bibi Netanyahu everyone.

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Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive

Crooked Media believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world.

That’s it. End of mission.

Learn more about us at crooked.com

197 3

They just want to seem tough.

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Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive

Crooked Media believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world.

That’s it. End of mission.

Learn more about us at crooked.com

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Ben Rhodes and Tommy Vietor get into Donald Trump losing patience with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu.

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Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive

Crooked Media believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world.

That’s it. End of mission.

Learn more about us at crooked.com

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Only the young??

Want Pod Save the World ad-free? Subscribe to Friends of the Pod: https://www.crooked.com/friends

Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive

Crooked Media believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world.

That’s it. End of mission.

Learn more about us at crooked.com

368 20

Trump says he’s bored with peace talks, American right-wingers flock to Moscow, and the new Director of National Intelligence’s claim to fame is owning an HVAC company. Another fun week!

Tommy and Ben discuss why Trump installing Bill Pulte as the new acting Director of National Intelligence should terrify you given his total lack of experience and focus on revenge. Then it's back to Iran, where breathless coverage about a potential peace deal hasn’t changed the reality 3 months into the war. The guys also dig into the growing divergence between Trump and Netanyahu over Lebanon, including a reported phone call in which Trump allegedly told Netanyahu that he’d “be in prison if it weren't for me.” In Gaza, Netanyahu is openly talking about annexing and occupying more territory, while life on the ground for civilians remains hell on earth. Then Russia launches one of its biggest drone and missile barrages of the war on Ukrainian cities, while a parade of American right-wing influencers like Candace Owens and the Tate brothers descend on the country. Colombia heads to a runoff election, with a left-wing Senator facing off against Trump's preferred candidate, “El Tigre,” who wants to copy El Salvador’s approach to cartel violence. And fresh corruption stories will boggle the mind involving Don Jr. and Pentagon loans, and a Trump golf course and graves in Vietnam. Finally, Ben speaks to Aya Ibrahim, Senior Fellow at the AI Now Institute, about Trump’s new Executive Order on AI and what sensible regulation could look like.

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CHAPTERS
0:00 - New Acting Director Of National Intelligence
16:31 - Ad Break
19:18 - Escalation In Iran War
36:10 - Israel & Hezbollah Fighting In Lebanon
38:18 - Trump Yells At Netanyahu
41:58 - Deterioration In Gaza
47:33 - Ad Break
50:18 - Far-Right Influencers In Russia
56:57 - Colombian Presidential Election
1:02:18 - More MAGA Grift
1:07:45 - Ad Break
1:10:39 - Interview with Aya Ibrahim

Want Pod Save the World ad-free? Subscribe to Friends of the Pod: https://www.crooked.com/friends

Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive

Crooked Media believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world.

That’s it. End of mission.

Learn more about us at crooked.com

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