Shows / Pod Save the World
Pod Save the World
“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…
Episodes
Pod Save the WorldBreaking Down Trump's Gaza Deal
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 then dig…
Pod Save the WorldTrump Barrels Towards War with Venezuela
Tommy & Ben sound the alarm about how Trump is laying the foundation for war with Venezuela—breaking down the administration’s justifications, what escalation…
Pod Save the WorldTrump's Fascist Military Jamboree
Tommy & Ben react to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump's bizarre and alarming gathering of top military officials, including Trump's fascistic…
Pod Save the WorldHas Trump Ended 7 Wars? (No)
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 solved seven…
Pod Save the WorldCan the FBI Survive Trump & Kash Patel?
Tommy & Ben start with Gaza: the UN Human Rights Council’s finding that Israel has committed genocide, and Israel’s ground operation into Gaza City. They…
Pod Save the WorldIsrael Bombs Hamas Leaders in Qatar
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 attacks…
Pod Save the WorldTrump Is Humiliated by China
Tommy & Ben discuss China’s summit in Tianjin, which brought together leaders from 20 countries, including India, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, and how it…
- Pod Save the World
Trump Humiliated by China
Tommy & Ben discuss China’s summit in Tianjin, which brought together leaders from 20 countries, including India, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, and how it…
Pod Save the WorldTrump's Military and Intelligence Purge
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 ongoing…
Pod Save the WorldHow Putin Dominated Trump, and Can Ukraine Survive
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. They discuss how…
Pod Save the WorldTrump's Strongman Summit Is a Gift to Putin
Ben and guest co-host Yalda Hakim, Sky News’ Lead World News Presenter, discuss Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s upcoming Alaska summit, previewing what might…
Pod Save the WorldTrump Torches Every Ally
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 fighting…
Pod Save the WorldNetanyahu Gaslights While Gaza Starves
Tommy and Ben start by breaking down the devastating scale of the famine in Gaza, how Israeli policy drove Gaza to this point, and how the world is responding…
Pod Save the WorldTrump Accuses Obama of Treason
Tommy and Ben respond to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s baseless accusation that the Obama administration masterminded a “treasonous…
Pod Save the WorldWas Jeffrey Epstein an Israeli Asset?
Tommy and Ben discuss Trump’s Ukraine policy announcement and try to unpack how much of it is style vs. substance. They also talk about the massive layoffs at…
Pod Save the WorldTrump’s Shocking Ukraine Reversal
Tommy and Ben take a break from impersonating Marco Rubio to cover Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington to kiss Trump’s ass, the ceasefire…
Pod Save the WorldTrump’s Peace Prize Pipe Dream
Tommy and Ben lament Trump’s travesty of a spending bill and the death of USAID, and how both will cost lives and further tank America’s global reputation…
Pod Save the WorldTrump Fails To Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Program
Tommy and Ben grapple with the fallout from Trump and Netanyahu’s war with Iran. They talk about how America’s massive bunker buster bombs didn't solve the…
Pod Save the WorldTrump Goes to War With Iran
Tommy and Ben react to Trump’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. They break down the many horrifying ways Iran could retaliate in the short and long term…
Pod Save the WorldWill Trump Drag Us Into War With Iran?
Tommy and Ben tackle the big question: will Trump be stupid enough to drag the United States into another war in the Middle East? They dig into the various…
Pod Save the WorldIsrael Launches Massive Strike on Iran
Tommy and Ben discuss Israel’s ongoing military assault on Iran–breaking down who and what got hit, why the timing was a surprise, and what the Trump…
Pod Save the WorldTrump’s MAGA Militia
Tommy and Ben unpack Trump’s cruel and incoherent travel bans, the administration’s callous stranding of migrants and ICE agents in Djibouti, the return of…
Pod Save the WorldUkraine's Surprise Attack on Russia
Ben and guest co-host Ali Velshi kick off the show with a conversation about how Trump’s policies are accelerating US brain drain, Tulsi Gabbard’s Fox…
Pod Save the WorldTracking Trump's Global Grift
Tommy and Ben are on the Trump corruption beat, including Vietnam’s fast-tracking of a Trump golf project for favorable treatment, the administration pushing…
Pod Save the WorldA Trauma Surgeon's Story From Gaza
Tommy and Ben discuss President Trump’s policy changes on Syria and his man-crush on its president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, what lifting sanctions on Syria could (and…
Pod Save the WorldCon Man Air: Trump’s Middle East Cash Grab
Tommy and Ben discuss how President Trump’s first official foreign trip is a blatant extraction of money from the Middle East, his announcement that the US…
Pod Save the WorldIsrael’s Plan to Flatten and Occupy Gaza
Tommy and Ben discuss President Trump’s firing of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and the dangers that come along with consolidating responsibilities into…
Pod Save the WorldCanada Elects the Anti-Trump
Ben and Tommy discuss the Liberal Party’s shocking come-from-behind victory in the Canadian election and why it was a rebuke of Donald Trump, Ukrainian…
Pod Save the WorldChaos at the Pentagon
Tommy and Ben discuss the latest scandal engulfing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and why even his defenders say the Pentagon is in chaos, a report about…
Pod Save the WorldWorld’s Lamest Dictator Goes to Washington
Tommy and Ben discuss El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele’s White House meeting with Trump and their coordinated assault on due process in America, the…
Pod Save the WorldTrump Tariffs Create Global Chaos
Tommy and Ben discuss the disastrous impact of Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, how a fringe right-wing conspiracy theorist got Trump to fire top national…
Pod Save the WorldHappy "Liberation Day" to All Who Celebrate
Tommy and Ben discuss French far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s embezzlement conviction and what it could mean for France’s political future, reactions from…
Pod Save the WorldCall of Duty: Dumbass Group Chat
Tommy and Ben discuss the fallout from Trump's national security team accidentally sending top secret war plans to a journalist, Turkey's backsliding democracy…
Pod Save the WorldTrump Reignites the Forever Wars
Tommy and Ben discuss Bibi Netanyahu restarting the war in Gaza as he creates a new domestic political crisis, why Trump's airstrikes against the Houthi rebels…
Pod Save the WorldA true story of money, Mafia & the Vatican (Shadow Kingdom Episode 1)
Today we're excited to bring you the first episode of Shadow Kingdom: God's Banker. In the summer of 1982, the Vatican’s top money man was found dead. Roberto…
Pod Save the WorldCeasefire in Ukraine?
Tommy and Ben discuss late-breaking news that Russia and Ukraine may agree to a 30-day ceasefire, Canada’s new Prime Minister and the rapidly escalating trade…
Pod Save the WorldCan Ukraine Survive Trump?
Tommy and Ben discuss the continued fallout from President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s disastrous White House meeting, including…
Pod Save the WorldTrump and Zelensky's Disastrous Meeting
Tommy and Ben discuss Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s disastrous meeting at the White House that erupted in a yelling match and…
Pod Save the WorldThe US and Europe’s Conscious Uncoupling
Tommy and Ben discuss the increasing divide between the US and Europe on the issue of the war in Ukraine just as the world marks the three year anniversary…
Pod Save the WorldPutin’s Wildest Dreams Come True
Tommy and Ben discuss the seismic shift in US foreign policy that happened this past week after Trump announced that the US and Russia would directly negotiate…
Pod Save the WorldTrump’s Insane Plan To “Own” Gaza
Tommy and Ben discuss how Trump’s insane plan to ethnically cleanse and “own” the Gaza strip is destabilizing governments in Egypt and Jordan, and why Trump…
Pod Save the WorldElon Musk’s DOGE Dorks Gut USAID
Tommy and Ben discuss the assault on USAID by Trump and Elon Musk, how Democrats can best make the argument to support it, and why putting it under the purview…
Pod Save the WorldTrump's New MAGA Deep State
Tommy and Ben discuss Trump’s freeze on foreign aid and the deadly consequences of stopping programs like clearing unexploded bombing and HIV/AIDS treatment…
Pod Save the WorldTrump the “Peacemaker”
Tommy and Ben discuss Trump’s inauguration, the tech oligarchy that was on display, foreign leaders in attendance, some of the most damaging and far-reaching…
Pod Save the WorldBiden’s Foreign Policy Farewell
Tommy and Ben discuss Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing for Secretary of Defense, President Biden’s final foreign policy speech, and the many global…
Pod Save the WorldElon Musk’s Quest For Global Domination
Tommy and Ben discuss Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation, South Korea’s growing political crisis after President Yoon Suk Yeol barricaded…
Pod Save the WorldIntroducing: Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams
The Pod Save The Word team is off this week, but we're excited to bring you an episode of Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams. In this episode, Stacey speaks…
Pod Save the WorldAssad Spins His Surrender From Moscow
Tommy and Ben discuss the latest developments out of Syria, including the rebel leadership’s promises to disband and focus on building the state, international…
Pod Save the WorldWhat’s Next for Syria?
Tommy and Ben discuss the latest developments in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime, including the debate in Washington and European capitals about…
Pod Save the WorldBreaking: Assad Regime Falls
Tommy and Ben discuss the breaking news that Bashar al-Assad has fled Syria after rebel factions took over Damascus in a stunning sweep after 13 years of Civil…
Pod Save the WorldSouth Korean President Declares Martial Law
Tommy and Ben discuss President Yoon Suk Yeol’s sudden declaration of martial law in South Korea, how Trump and his team will approach the Syrian civil war…
Pod Save the WorldIsrael and Hezbollah Reach Ceasefire Deal
Tommy and Ben discuss the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the latest additions to Trump’s national security team, and his threat to…
Pod Save the WorldTrump’s Looming MAGA Military Purge
Tommy and Ben discuss how Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard could reshape and politicize the US military and intelligence community, and how…
Pod Save the WorldTrump’s National Security Team Takes Shape
Tommy and Ben process Trump’s reelection and the role foreign policy played in the outcome, highlight some awkward reactions from global leaders, and walk…
Pod Save the WorldRussian Interference Won’t Stop After Election Day
Tommy and Ben discuss the normalization of foreign interference in US elections, the Chinese hack of US telecoms that could be putting millions of Americans’…
Pod Save the WorldElection 2024: The Stark Choice on Climate Change?
In this special episode of Pod Save the World, Ben looks at the most existential issue of our time, and one that gets little attention on the campaign trail…
Pod Save the WorldNorth Korean “Storm Corps” Deploys to Russia
Tommy and Ben discuss why North Korea deployed 10,000 special forces troops to Russia, reports that Elon Musk likes to chat on the phone with Vladimir Putin…
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Election 2024: Cooperation, Competition, or War with China?
In this special episode of Pod Save the World, Ben looks at the most important bilateral relationship in the world today: the new era of competition between…
Pod Save the WorldTrump Blames Zelensky for War, Sucks Up to Saudis
Tommy and Ben discuss the biggest foreign policy debates on the 2024 campaign trail, like Trump blaming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the war in…
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Election 2024: Israel, Gaza, and the Future of the Middle East
In this special episode of Pod Save the World, Ben looks at the expanding conflict in the Middle East and how either a Harris or Trump electoral victory could…