Squarespace

In the past few days, Donald Trump went from threatening to obliterate Iran's power plants to announcing a surprise diplomatic reprieve and declaring that the war has been won. This episode breaks down the whiplash: what actually happened, whether the talks are real, why an agreement between the US and Iran will be extraordinarily hard to reach, and why $580 million worth of energy trades just minutes before Trump's announcement reek of insider trading and corruption. Ben and Tommy also cover: the US allowing Iran to sell $14 billion worth of oil, Iran firing missiles at a joint US-UK military base, Israel's creeping occupation of southern Lebanon, signs that Trump is actually harming far-right parties in Europe, and how a workout app put a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at risk. Then Tommy talks with Edward Fishman, the author of Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare, about the ballooning economic cost of war with Iran and how it’s revealing America’s economic vulnerabilities. Preorder Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches (Barnes & Noble, Bookshop) and subscribe to his Substack here. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS HIMS: https://www.hims.com/WORLD HELIX: https://www.helixsleep.com/world FACTOR: https://www.factormeals.com/pstw50off Code: pstw50off SQUARESPACE: https://www.squarespace.com/WORLD WISE: https://www.wise.com STRAWBERRY.ME: https://www.strawberry.me/world CHAPTERS 0:00 - Intro 5:15 - Trump filp-flops on Iran 14:46 - Ad break 17:06 - Trump's Iran deal 32:42 - U.S. troops en route 36:13 - Iran missile capabilities 41:17 - Ad break 43:59 - Lebanon updates 49:26 - European far-right political parties 57:37 - Strava hack 1:01:21 - Ad break 1:03:42 - Runaway Country 1:04:39 - Edward Fishman interview Want Pod Save the World ad-free? Subscribe to Friends of the Pod: https://www.crooked.com/friends Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive Crooked Media believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world. That’s it. End of mission. Learn more about us at crooked.com