Pod Save the World

Tommy and Ben talk about the historic protests in Iran and reports of the regime’s brutal crackdown with potentially tens of thousands dead, President Trump’s threats of military intervention (and why they’re a bad idea), and Iranian exiles vying for power as regime replacements from the safety of Washington, DC. They also talk about the next steps in Venezuela, including opposition leader María Corina Machado’s tricky positioning, why ramping up Venezuelan oil production might be extremely difficult, expensive and take years, and how oil factors into Russia’s reaction. Then they talk about Trump’s ongoing threats of military intervention in Mexico, the chances of political and economic collapse in Cuba, and the G7 being shifted to accommodate Trump’s UFC themed birthday bash. At the end of the show, Tommy speaks to Jason Rezaian, Director of Press Freedom Initiatives at the Washington Post, former political prisoner in Iran, and host of the podcast 544 Days about the anniversary of his imprisonment and what would come next if Iran’s regime fell.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tommy and Ben discuss: the fallout from the Trump administration’s strikes on Venezuela and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, why President Trump chose Maduro’s VP Delcy Rodríguez to run the country instead of opposition leader María Corina Machado, how the DOJ’s new indictment of Maduro shows that the administration has been lying about him being the head of a drug cartel, and the comparisons between the Venezuela operation and the 1989 invasion of Panama to arrest Manuel Noriega. Then they dig into the (unfortunately named) “Donroe Doctrine” and what Trump’s embrace of regime change means for the world, including how seriously we should take his threats against Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, and Greenland. Finally, they explain why Iranians have been protesting in huge numbers for over a week, how serious of a threat the protests pose to the regime, and debate whether we should take seriously Trump’s threat to respond militarily if the regime kills protesters. Then Ben speaks to Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX) about President Trump’s lack of transparency to Congress about the attack on Venezuela, how much it’s costing American taxpayers, and how Democrats are trying to stop him from future invasions.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tommy and Ben respond to the breaking news that the Trump administration launched strikes on Venezuela and arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a special forces raid. They talk about President Trump’s claims that the US will now “run” the country, the illegality of this regime change operation, the plan to let American oil companies cash in, and the many other global implications of this shocking move.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tommy and Ben discuss the horrific Bondi Beach terror attack, the rise of antisemitism in Australia, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bad-faith attempt to connect Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state to this violence, and the perpetrators potentially training in the Philippines. They also talk about the US seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker and how it fits into President Trump’s creep towards regime change, Chile’s election of the most right-wing President since Pinochet and Trump gleefully taking credit, questions about why US troops are still in Syria after the death of two US soldiers, pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai’s conviction in Hong Kong, a proposed policy to check the social media accounts of visitors to the US, the death of Jared Kushner’s corrupt hotel deal in Serbia, and highlights from episode 2 of The Liz Truss Show. Then, Ben speaks to Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, about global shifts to watch for in 2026.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tommy and Ben explain how President Trump forfeited our advantage in the artificial intelligence race by allowing Nvidia to sell advanced AI chips to China, break down the new White House National Security Strategy document and debate whether it matters, and explain how fighting between Thailand and Cambodia and between the DRC and Rwanda has exposed Trump's “peacemaker” image as a sham. They also talk about the lack of progress on a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, the bizarre story of a fake coup in Guinea Bissau, an attempted coup in Benin, troubling reports from Yemen’s civil war, and former British Prime Minister Liz Truss’s hilariously bad podcast debut. Then Tommy speaks to Anika Wells, Australia’s Minister for Communications and Sport, about the country’s social media ban for kids under 16.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.