Pod Save the World

Tommy talks with Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef about his improbable path to comedy, fame, and becoming an enemy of the Egyptian state.

Two part show today! First, Tommy talks with Ambassador Michael McFaul about Vladimir Putin's request to interrogate him and Trump's shocking refusal to immediately rule it out. Then Tommy talks with the Washington Post's Jason Rezaian about Trump's late-night rage tweet at Iran and the future of US/Iranian relations. 

Tommy talks with Julianne Smith, a former Pentagon official and advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, about Donald Trump’s truly awful trip to Europe, and why his terrifying press conference with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki is only a piece of the lasting damage it might cause to some of America’s most critical relationships.

Today's episode is two parts. First, Tommy talks with Politico's Nahal Toosi about North Korea, NATO and Trump's Putin meeting. Then, Roger Bennett from Men in Blazers joins to talk about the agony, ecstasy and politics of the World Cup.

Tommy talks with Abdi Nor Iftin, the author of “Call Me American,” about his incredible story of survival in war-ravaged Somalia and literally winning the lottery to make it to America. 

Tommy talks with New York Times reporter David Sanger about the new world of cyber warfare. From North Korea's attack on Sony to targeting of Iran's nuclear program and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, cyber attacks are increasingly used first in war even though there's no rules of engagement and little public debate.

Tommy talks with the outgoing National Counterterrorism Center chief Nick Rasmussen. Nick worked in senior counterterrorism roles for Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump, and they discussed how weird the transition from Obama to Trump was, how you hunt terrorists, how you fight ISIS propaganda, Trump's North Korea summit and more. 

Tommy talks with defense and Asia policy expert Kelly Magsamen about Trump's just-completed summit with North Korea's Kim Jong-un. What did they accomplish? Are we safer? Should we worry about the optics of meeting with a dictator? 

Tommy talks with Ben Rhodes, author of the new book "The World as It Is", which documents Ben's eight years working in the White House. They talk about Ben's criticisms of Obama, leading talks with Cuba and going to dinner with Raul Castro, becoming a target of right-wing attacks and more.

Tommy talks with journalist Mehdi Hasan about a troubling series of hires on Trump's National Security Council staff of individuals with far-right, paranoid, Islamaphobic views. Then they talk about the situation in Gaza now that the protests have ended and TV cameras have left.