Pod Save the World Folgen

Tommy and Ben discuss reports that Israel sent thousands of explosive pagers to members of Hezbollah and whether this signals the beginning of a larger Israeli military operation in Lebanon, what people who have been in national security meetings with Kamala Harris say about her leadership style and new polling about the politics of foreign policy in this election, and the growing pressure on the US and UK to allow the Ukrainian military to use western weapons to hit targets inside Russia. They also discuss why the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia has become a major issue in Georgia’s upcoming election, the new Prime Minister of France, Iran hiring Hells Angels and other criminal networks to target critics abroad, and why Americans were sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo for a coup attempt. Finally, they touch on the trial against Manchester City for financial breaches in the Premier League, the NSA’s new podcast, and whether Pokémon GO was a western intelligence tool. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Tommy is joined by Colin Kahl, Biden’s former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, to discuss multiple conflicts and hot spots around the world including the ongoing efforts against ISIS in Iraq, the hard lessons being learned in the war in Ukraine, Republican attempts to blame Kamala Harris for the Afghanistan withdrawal, extremist attacks in western Africa, and the futility of trying to defeat Hamas militarily in Gaza. Then, Tommy is joined by Vera Bergengruen, Senior correspondent for TIME Magazine, to discuss her cover stories on President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador and President Javier Milei of Argentina, why they’re popular at home and with Republicans in the US, the DOJ indictment that disclosed the Russian government paid huge sums to American right-wing influencers, and why Russian influence operations work best in smaller countries. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. 

Tommy and Ben discuss the discovery of six Israeli hostages killed by Hamas, protests in Israel demanding Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu agree to a ceasefire and hostage release deal, how Biden’s rhetoric about Gaza gives Netanyahu political cover, and the challenges of the UN’s Polio vaccination rollout in Gaza. They also talk about what an election win for Germany’s far-right AfD party means for the country’s political future, why a former aide to NY Governor Kathy Hochul is being charged with working as a foreign agent for China, why X (Twitter) was blocked in Brazil, a controversial effort to reform Mexico’s judicial system, the shooting of Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine, and the Taliban’s ban on women speaking in public in Afghanistan. Then, Ben speaks to Tom Perriello, the US Special Envoy to Sudan about the negotiations he led to address the world’s worst hunger crisis.  For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.