Pod Save the World

Tommy talks with foreign policy expert Kelly Magsamen about Trump’s strikes on Syria’s chemical weapons site, his lack of a broader strategy, and her attempt to “red team” the policy options during the Obama administration. Then they talk about CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s trip to North Korea.

Tommy talks with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright about the rise of fascism around the world and her concerns about how it is being enabled (and emulated) by Donald Trump. Then they talk about how Trump should respond in Syria, and Albright’s visit to North Korea in 2000 for meetings with Kim Jong-Il.

Tommy talks with New Yorker writer Robin Wright about Putin’s possible visit to Washington, his relationship with Trump, and what we know about Trump the negotiator vs what’s required for success. Then they discuss Robin's visit to North Korea, the situation in Gaza, Syria and John Bolton.

Tommy talks with Wired editor in chief Nick Thompson about the insane amount of data that Facebook and other tech companies collect on us and what we can do to erase or prevent it. Then they talk about how to use encryption to protect your communications and scary new developments that allow you to make fake videos of real people.

Tommy talks with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the United States and his "reform agenda". Then they discuss Trump’s call with Putin, reports that he ignored his staff’s plea to be tougher, and the risk of North Korea negotiations. 

Tommy giddily discusses Rex Tillerson’s firing by tweet with Politico foreign affairs correspondent Nahal Toosi. Then they discuss suspected assassination of Putin enemies in London and Nahal’s exclusive report about Trump administration attacks on career State Department staffers.

Tommy talks with Asia expert Danny Russel about reports that North Korea is willing to begin negotiations with the US about abandoning its nuclear weapons.

Tommy talks with Jake Sullivan and Ben Rhodes about their new organization to oppose Trump’s foreign policy and promote a progressive vision of American leadership. Then they discuss what it means for Jared Kushner to have his security clearance downgraded, the status of the Iran deal, and the NSA Director’s plea for a directive to combat Russian hacking.

Tommy talks with Nathan Guttman, the Washington bureau chief of The Forward, about the corruption scandals swirling around Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. They walk through the facts, what happens next, and what it means for US/Israeli relations and the Middle East peace process.

Tommy talks with Steve Coll, author of Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, about why the hell we’re still fighting in Afghanistan after 17 years and the destabilizing influence of our nuclear-armed frenemy, Pakistan.

Tommy talks with war photographer Jonathan Alpeyrie about being held hostage by rebel fighters for nearly three months in Syria. 

Tommy talks with New York Times editor and writer Max Fisher about disconcerting signs that the Trump administration is seriously considering a military attack on North Korea. Then they talk about how ambiguous demands about US credibility can lead us to make terrible foreign policy decisions, and the changing expectations in Afghanistan.

Tommy talks with New Yorker staff writer Evan Osnos about China’s frantic post-election efforts to build a relationship with Jared Kushner, and why the “Kushner channel" makes American counterintelligence officials so nervous. They also discuss the shockingly-wide distribution of sensitive intelligence in the Trump White House, and how Evan feels about the threat from North Korea roughly six month...

Tommy talks with Ben Rhodes, Ambassador Samantha Power and Greg Barker about the documentary The Final Year, which follows President Obama’s foreign policy team during the final year of his administration. They discuss Obama’s foreign policy legacy, ruptures over Syria, and how Trump’s election upended everything. The Final Year is in theaters and available on iTunes starting Friday, January 19th....

Tommy talks with former FBI Special Agent Ali Soufan about his work interrogating terrorists and investigating the bombing of the USS Cole and the 9/11 attacks. They discuss the changing threat from al Qaeda and ISIS and what we need to know about these terrorist groups to stop them.

Tommy talks with former top Obama foreign policy advisor Ben Rhodes about the protests sweeping across Iran, Trump’s response, how today compares with the 2009 Green Revolution and Obama’s response, and what it could mean for the Iran deal. Then they vent about how terrible the discussion about Iran is in DC / on Twitter. 

Tommy talks with Republican foreign policy expert Kori Schake about the eery similarity between the Trump administration’s comments about North Korea and the Bush administration’s rhetoric in the run-up to the Iraq war. 

Tommy interviewed undercover FBI agent Tamer Elnoury about his work penetrating and disrupting an al Qaeda cell plotting attacks in Canada and the United States. They discussed what it was like to live with and pretend to become a terrorist, including having to visit the Ground Zero memorial with a man who took pride in the 9/11 attacks and wanted to repeat them. His book, AMERICAN RADICAL, is gre...

Tommy talks with Politico’s foreign affairs correspondent Nahal Toosi about Trump’s controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Then they discussed news reports indicating Rex Tillerson’s disastrous tenure as Secretary of State may be coming to a close. It was lit. 

Tommy talks with Senator Jeff Merkley about his fact-finding mission to Burma and Bangladesh to learn more about the ongoing ethnic cleansing and refugee crisis. They also discussed the Trump administration’s almost non-existent response, how social media has exacerbated the problem, and what Congress is trying to do to help.

Tommy talks with Africa expert Ambassador Johnnie Carson about the coup in Zimbabwe that toppled Robert Mugabe, and the recent political turmoil in Kenya. 

Tommy talks with Middle East and ISIS expert Rob Malley about the resignation of Lebanon’s Prime Minister and how it plays into a broader middle east proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Then they talk about the fight against ISIS and the major NYT magazine story about civilians casualties in Iraq.

Tommy and Asia expert and career diplomat Danny Russel discuss President Trump’s five nation, 13 day trip to Asia. They cover North Korea, Trump’s decision to meet with a mass murderer in the Philippines, and China’s political system. 

Tommy talks with former Senator Majority Leader and US Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell and Alon Sachar about their book A Path to Peace, which details the history of the Middle East peace process and their efforts to forge an agreement during the Obama administration.

Tommy sits down with Michael Morell, the former acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. They discuss his experience as President Bush’s briefer on 9/11, hunting Osama bin Laden, the state of ISIS, North Korea and the impending release of the JFK assassination files. It was sick.