Trump Threatens Genocide

Tommy and Ben try to make sense of a dark and dizzying day in American history, from President Trump's genocidal threat to destroy the 'whole civilization' of Iran, to the announcement of a two-week ceasefire.

They break down what Trump's threats to bomb every power plant and bridge in Iran would actually mean — legally, morally, and for the 92 million Iranians who would be left without power, water, or functioning hospitals. They unpack a new New York Times report on how Trump decided to go to war, including Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's influential role in the push to war, the Mossad's catastrophically wrong assumptions about how Iran would respond, and which Cabinet officials were cut out of the deliberations entirely. They examine the domestic political fallout — including why Trump is getting none of the usual wartime polling boost — as well as Tucker Carlson's stunning break with his old friend over Iran, including Carlson's fear that the escalation ladder could lead Trump to using a nuclear weapon. They also walk through the diplomatic off-ramps that could bring a permanent end to the conflict. Finally, they turn to Hungary, where Viktor Orbán faces the most serious threat to his 16-year grip on power from challenger Péter Magyar, and where JD Vance showed up today to campaign for MAGA's favorite foreign strongman just five days before a potentially historic election.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Preorder Ben’s book All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches and subscribe to his Substack here.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(554)

Democracy Wins in Brazil and Serbia

Lula pulls off a shocking comeback in Brazil, a leaderless student movement topples Serbia’s autocrat, and Israeli voters go to the polls for the first time since the October 7th attacks.Tommy and Ben...

28 Loka 1h 19min

France Descends Into Chaos

Trump rigs the war in Russia’s favor, France descends into chaos, and we witness another episode of the Trump administration soap opera drama, As the World Burns.Tommy and Ben walk through Trump and Z...

21 Loka 1h 38min

Trump’s Dirty Diesel Deal

Trump cuts a diesel deal with Putin, the Houthis hit Saudi Arabia’s main airport, and Kimberly Guilfoyle resigns after demanding ice at 4am in Mykonos.Tommy and Ben dig into Trump’s announcement of a ...

14 Loka 1h 21min

Russian Plague and Putin's Prisons

Tommy and Ben dig into Brazil's election results, where right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro surged past expectations and is now favored to win the October 25th runoff. In Europe, Spain's Pedro Sanch...

7 Loka 1h 25min

Soccer Scandal & Idiot Ambassadors

The Trump/Xi summit produces two pandas and not much else, violence in Ethiopia could have massive regional consequences, and Manchester City is found guilty of nearly a decade of cheating.Tommy and B...

30 Syys 1h 39min

Xi’s Just Not That Into You

Xi Jinping comes to Washington, the UN struggles for relevancy, and the Russian parliamentary elections turn out exactly as expected.Tommy and Ben break down Chinese President Xi Jinping's first state...

23 Syys 1h 30min

Don Jr.’s Big Fat Russian Wedding

The Houthis seize control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Trump rolls a grenade into Northern Ireland's politics, and a Russian oligarch funds Don Jr.'s wedding.Tommy and Ben break down some of the most ...

16 Syys 1h 33min

Can Germany’s Far Right Be Stopped?

The far right gets a huge win in Germany, Serbia celebrates a war criminal, and Nigel Farage gets caught on camera breaking the law.Tommy and Ben dig into the ultra-right-wing AfD party's historic res...

9 Syys 1h 36min