Pod Save the World Crooked Media

Ben is joined by guest host David Lammy, British MP and Shadow Foreign Secretary. They discuss the upcoming election in the UK on July 4th and how historic a Labour win by Keir Starmer would be, how to read into popular support for Nigel Farage and his far-right party, an election betting scandal from people within Rishi Sunak’s inner circle, and the key domestic and economic issues on the line. They also talk about David’s theory of “progressive realism” and how a Labour foreign policy would continue to advocate for unity on the war in Ukraine, pressure Hamas and Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire, and what it would mean for David to represent his country as Foreign Secretary. Then, Ben touches on the arrival of a Kenyan police force in Haiti, Julian Assange’s release from prison, and speaks to New York Times reporter Edward Wong about his new book, “At the Edge of Empire: A Family's Reckoning with China”.

Democracy or Else is OUT NOW! Buy wherever you get your books: http://crooked.com/books

Ben Rhodes answers questions from the Discord about the British elections, whether or not the world is truly more unstable or if it just seems that way, and if countries like Serbia that have State Department travel warnings are safe to visit.

To unlock these episodes, sign up for Friends of the Pod on Apple. To submit your own questions for the guys, join the Friends of the Pod community at the Friends with Benefits or Best Friends tier. Head to https://crooked.com/friends to learn more.

Tommy and Ben discuss the “Peace Summit” held in Switzerland for the war in Ukraine and the glaring problem of Russia’s absence, Putin’s first visit to North Korea in 24 years and why this growing alliance is a troubling development, and the news that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will stand trial next week in Russia on espionage charges. They also talk about Netanyahu disbanding his war cabinet, analysts warning of increasing terror threats to the United States because of the war in Gaza, devastating polling for Emmanuel Macron ahead of a snap election in France, protests in Argentina in response to reforms pushed through by Javier Milei, and the Pope doing influencer outreach by inviting comedians to the Vatican. Then, Ben speaks with Rep. Ilhan Omar about her letter to President Biden asking for a humanitarian parole program for Sudanese refugees.

Finally, don’t miss Ben and Tommy discussing how they got into careers in politics – something Tommy, Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett suggest others do in their new book, Democracy or Else. Pre-order Democracy or Else, out June 25th: crooked.com/books

Tommy and Ben discuss the success of far-right parties in the European Parliamentary elections and debate whether French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for snap elections in France is bold or disastrous. Then they talk about British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s shocking decision to skip a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the latest developments out of Israel and Gaza, including ceasefire negotiations, Benny Gantz leaving Netanyahu’s war cabinet, and the ethics of an Israeli hostage rescue in Gaza that resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties. They also walk through the horrific state of affairs in the civil war in Sudan, a foreign election interference scandal rocking Canada, a Chinese waterfall getting a little help from the government, and why Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville is still very, very dumb. Then Ben interviews Dr. Rosa Balfour, the Director of Carnegie Europe, about the broader implications of the European Parliamentary election results on issues like climate change.

Tommy and Ben answer questions from Friends of the Pod subscribers on Discord about the political calculations behind snap elections in both the UK and France, as well as comparisons between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in normalizing relations with Israel.

To unlock these episodes, sign up for Friends of the Pod on Apple. To submit your own questions for the guys, join the Friends of the Pod community at the Friends with Benefits or Best Friends tier. Head to https://crooked.com/friends to learn more.

Tommy and Ben discuss Biden’s ceasefire proposal and debate whether going public with the plan will pressure Hamas and Israel to accept it, they also try to understand why Democrats agreed to invite Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress. Then they discuss global reactions to Trump’s guilty verdict, the debate over allowing Ukraine to use American provided weapons against targets on Russian soil, British PM Rishi Sunak’s decision to call early elections on July 4th, shocking election results for Prime Minister Modi in India, an end of a political era for Nelson Mandela’s ANC party in South Africa, and a tit for tat between North and South Korea involving balloons full of trash and K-Pop songs. Then, Tommy covers the historic election of Mexico’s first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, with Dan Restrepo, a founding partner at Dinamica Americas and President Obama’s former principal advisor on issues related to Latin America.