The episode kicks off with a sponsorship read for the Obama Foundation, emphasizing its mission to train the next generation of leaders and strengthen democracy. Tommy Vietor delivers the read and hints that he may be visiting the Obama Presidential Library as listeners tune in, setting a slightly nostalgic, politically engaged tone before the news segments begin.

A standard mid-roll ad for OnDeck, a small business lender offering loans up to $400,000 for equipment purchases, team expansion, and cash flow gaps. The read highlights OnDeck's A+ Better Business Bureau rating and thousands of 5-star Trustpilot reviews before directing listeners to apply at ondeck.com/podcast.

The show kicks off with genuine excitement: Ben is nursing a Knicks championship hangover, and both hosts gush about Jalen Brunson — a 33rd overall pick who scored 45 points in the clincher and took $100 million less to play with his friends. Ben plugs his book 'All We Say' (now a New York Times bestseller) and lists upcoming tour stops in Houston, Chicago, and St. Louis. Tommy then previews the full episode: the leaked Iran deal terms, the Bibi Netanyahu wildcard in Lebanon, Democratic messaging on diplomacy, the Makerfield by-election and Andy Burnham's potential challenge to Keir Starmer, Europe's far-right surge, the withdrawal of Bill Pulte's DNI nomination, the devastating consequences of USAID's dismantling, World Cup highlights, and the closing interview with CNN's Frederik Pleitgen fresh from Iran.

Tommy methodically walks through everything that has leaked about the US-Iran deal, noting that the Trump administration has refused to release the actual text even to Bibi Netanyahu and John Thune. The deal includes a 60-day ceasefire covering Lebanon, reopening the Strait of Hormuz (though mine clearance could take six weeks), US naval blockade lifted, Iran's oil sales resuming under waived sanctions, and a staggering $300 billion reconstruction fund ^{[1] — Tommy Vietor "Iran gets a $300 billion reconstruction fund, sanctions relief, oil exports, and tolling rights on the Strait of Hormuz — and hasn't yet ma…" 07:10 Play} . The nuclear file — the entire stated rationale for the war — is punted to a follow-on 60-day negotiation with no agreed terms on Iran's highly enriched uranium or enrichment activities. Tommy is clear: the best deal was the one that ended the war fastest, but objectively Iran made almost no concessions given it was simply reopening a waterway that was open before the war.

Ben's analysis is bracingly blunt. Under the JCPOA, Iran had to ship out its uranium stockpile, destroy its plutonium reactor, remove most centrifuges, and accept intrusive inspections before receiving roughly $55 billion ^{[2] — Ben Rhodes "JCPOA Iran revenue ~$55B vs $300B+ now: Under the JCPOA, Iran received an estimated $55 billion after meeting extensive verification condit…" 12:10 Play} . The $300 billion reconstruction fund alone is nearly 6x that — before counting oil sales, asset unfreezing, or Strait tolls ^{[1] — Ben Rhodes "Under the JCPOA, Iran got roughly $55 billion only after destroying its plutonium reactor, shipping out its uranium, removing centrifuges, …" 10:23 Play} . He invokes the war's human cost: Iranian civilians killed, Lebanese displaced, unknown damage to US bases. Tommy adds that Trump achieved perhaps 1 of 4 stated war goals. Both hosts push back against the left's instinct to not criticize the deal — the moment to set the narrative is now, and the goal isn't just messaging this deal but killing forever the idea that America can bomb its way to peace in the Middle East ^{[3] — Ben Rhodes "The instinct to not attack Trump for fear of sounding hawkish is wrong. Democrats need to permanently discredit the neocon FDD worldview th…" 13:10 Play} . Ben closes with the sharpest line: what this deal looks like are the terms dictated to the losing party.

The episode shifts to a media-criticism segment as Tommy and Ben play a striking juxtaposition: Trump calling Iranian leaders 'rational, strong, smart people' and JD Vance enthusing about the 'cool' friendships built with IRGC officials during the deal process, cut against Ben Shapiro and Mark Levin describing the Iranian government as 'millenarian psychotics.' Ben Rhodes notes the first group is simply rediscovering what the Obama administration proved in 2015 — that you can negotiate with Iran — but only after launching an unnecessary war to get there. He argues both framings are wrong: Iran is neither irrational fanatics nor warm partners, but sophisticated strategic actors who need to be handled with a mixture of strength and diplomacy. He also criticizes a compliant media that amplified JCPOA lies without fact-checking, and Congress for being aggressive toward diplomatic agreements but passive about authorizing wars. The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act — which passed 98-1 — made deals harder while Congress stood aside as the president launched an illegal war.

Israel is still occupying a strip of southern Lebanon at least 6 miles deep, and an Israeli airstrike in Beirut nearly blew up the Iran deal at the last minute. At the G7, Trump publicly called Lebanon the 'minor war,' described Hezbollah as a 'little pinprick,' and suggested Syria should deal with the group if Israel can't do it without 'killing everyone else' ^{[1] — Tommy Vietor "Just 75,000 voters in a single UK constituency could decide the future of British politics. If Andy Burnham wins the Makerfield seat, he wi…" 39:40 Play} . The hosts note this is a calculated humiliation of Netanyahu, who is now losing support even inside Israel — Trump's approval in the country has dropped 20 points since May to 38% ^{[2] — Tommy Vietor "Trump approval in Israel: 38% approve: A Kantor poll found Trump's approval rating in Israel dropped 20 points since May 25th to just 38% a…" 36:16 Play} . Ben argues that Netanyahu's bet on Republicans and abandonment of the Democratic Party has left Israel without a political backstop anywhere: the Democratic Party is gone, and now Trump is turning hostile. The Israeli right-wing media calling Jared Kushner a 'Jew boy bought by Qatar' and J.D. Vance a 'scumbag' on Channel 14 is self-defeating noise, but it signals how rapidly the political ground is shifting.

This chapter is a forensic accounting of Netanyahu's strategic miscalculations. Starting around 2009 and accelerating in 2015, he aligned exclusively with Republicans, attacked a popular Democratic president, invited himself to Congress without telling the administration, and leveraged AIPAC to undercut the JCPOA. The result: Democrats now despise him, and he pushed all his chips to Trump — who is now publicly embarrassing him ^{[1] — Tommy Vietor "Netanyahu went all-in with Republicans, attacked Obama, torpedoed the JCPOA, and now Democrats despise him. With the Iran war a catastrophe…" 34:40 Play} . Ben draws the broader arc: every voter who re-elected Netanyahu shares responsibility for the current crisis, and the only path to a healthier US-Israel relationship runs through the Israeli ballot box. Both hosts agree Netanyahu likely won't leave southern Lebanon and will try to play out a frozen conflict in Lebanon while nuclear talks grind on, but the risk of overplaying his hand grows daily.

A brief commercial break features reads for two sponsors. Quince is pitched as high-quality, ethically sourced summer essentials — European linen pants from $34 — at 50-80% below luxury brand prices, available at quince.com/world. BetterHelp, the world's largest online therapy platform with over 30,000 therapists and 6 million users served, offers 10% off a first month at betterhelp.com/crookedworld. Tommy uses the BetterHelp read to riff on hot dog-related summer anxiety.

One constituency. 75,000 voters. The potential to reshape British politics ^{[1] — Tommy Vietor "Makerfield by-election: 75,000 voters: Only about 75,000 people will vote in the Makerfield by-election, yet the result could reshape UK po…" 40:15 Play} . Tommy explains the mechanics: Burnham — a charismatic former cabinet minister who pivoted to Manchester politics and built a reputation for hands-on community engagement — needs a seat in the House of Commons to challenge Starmer. He sits to Starmer's left, which gives him a broader base. Ben notes this speaks to the dysfunction in Westminster: nobody in parliament could muster the coalition to remove Starmer internally. The complicating factor is the far right — a new party called Restore, further right than Reform UK, now claims 130,000 members and could peel votes from the Reform candidate, inadvertently helping Burnham. Elon Musk has already tweeted his support for Restore, calling it the only thing that can save Britain.

The defense picture for the UK is stark: the BBC's comparison of British military capabilities shows the army has been cut roughly in half from 153,000 troops in 1990, and major combat ships have fallen from 48 to just 13 ^{[1] — Tommy Vietor "UK defense: army halved since 1990: The UK's army has been cut from 153,000 soldiers in 1990 to roughly half that today, and major combat s…" 43:28 Play} . Defense minister John Healey's resignation over a missed 3% GDP spending target underscores the budget squeeze. Ben notes that NATO's headline percentage targets are largely fantasy — no country is hitting them, and talking about capabilities would be more honest than arbitrary numbers. On the far right, a pattern is emerging across Europe: Reform UK faces Restore; Meloni faces National Future in Italy; Le Pen and Bardella are in an internal power struggle in France; and 45% of Swiss voters wanted to cap immigration by capping the entire national population. Ben's thesis: as far-right parties approach actual power, they fracture — because winning is harder than protesting.

Two sponsor reads bookend a brief interlude. Haya children's vitamins — zero sugar, 12 organic fruits and vegetables, 15 essential vitamins — are pitched for kids 2 and up, with a new Kids Daily Greens product described as 'chocolate milk stuffed with veggies.' Tommy jokes that producer John's son Charlie has been turbo-charged by Haya, finishing calculus and benching 225 pounds. SelectQuote, a 40-year insurance broker, is pitched for its free comparison of term life policies from top-rated carriers in as little as 15 minutes, with savings of over 50%.

The hosts deliver a dose of rare good news: after weeks of alarm about Bill Pulte — a housing finance official who was reportedly using confidential mortgage data to manufacture prosecutions of Trump's enemies — bipartisan pressure forced Trump to withdraw the nomination. The replacement is Jake Clayton, a more credentialed choice with counterterrorism experience. But the broader debate has been reopened: should Democrats block reauthorization of FISA Section 702 to deprive Trump of intelligence collection authorities? Ben says yes — even defensible programs shouldn't get renewed if they might be abused by a bad-faith administration. And should the DNI position itself be abolished? Ben argues no — the role of coordinating the intelligence community and producing the presidential daily brief is essential; the problem is presidents who don't take it seriously. He cites Avril Haines's declassification campaign before Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a model for what good DNI leadership looks like.

The segment opens with a Council on Foreign Relations report by Sam Vickersky detailing the systematic mismanagement of Food for Peace since it was transferred from USAID to the Agriculture Department. Two of the seven recipient countries — El Salvador and Rwanda — meet no emergency humanitarian standard and appear to have received aid as political favors. Sudan, facing the world's worst hunger crisis with 21 million people needing food and 40% of community kitchens now closed ^{[2] — Tommy Vietor "USAID gutted: 40% of Sudan kitchens closed: Since USAID was dismantled, 40% of Sudan's community kitchens have closed, worsening what the W…" 57:21 Play} , is receiving nothing ^{[1] — Tommy Vietor "Sudan: 21M people need food: The WHO reported at the start of 2025 that over 20 million people in Sudan required health assistance and 21 m…" 57:35 Play} . Tommy calls it evil, plain and simple. Ben draws the sharpest contrast in the episode: Elon Musk became a trillionaire while USAID was being dismantled. He argues Democrats cannot forget the responsibility to build a better development agency post-Trump, and floats a wealth tax specifically on Musk's fortune as a mechanism to fund it, noting that USAID's entire annual budget is a rounding error of one person's wealth.

A deliberate mood shift. Tommy has been watching games all day at the office (Ben has been catching them between Knicks victory content). Tommy attended the USA-Paraguay game at LA and describes it as one of the best sports experiences of his life. The hosts play a supercut of fan moments: Norwegian fans pretending to row on escalators, Scottish supporters flooding Fenway Park and hanging from the rafters at 6:30 AM with bagpipes, Korean fans accidentally bringing tequila to a stadium and deciding to share shots with Mexican fans instead, and Nigerian fans who flew from England to Mexico solely to watch South Africa eliminated ^{[1] — Tommy Vietor "Nigerian fans flew to Mexico just to watch South Africa lose. Korean fans shared tequila shots with Mexicans outside the stadium. Scottish …" 59:48 Play} . Tommy uses the moment to make a broader political argument: progressives should reclaim patriotism. The US team is diverse and excellent, and a player who scored two goals would be called an 'anchor baby' by right-wing commentators. Ben adds that just as he doesn't hold Iranian soccer players responsible for their government's conduct, US players shouldn't be punished for Trump's politics.

Tommy delivers the Fast Growing Trees read with an extended riff on the Little Shop of Horrors musical, casting 'Audrey 2' as a plant ordered from the nursery. The actual pitch covers the nursery's climate-matched plant recommendations, Alive and Thrive guarantee, expert plant specialists, and deals of up to 50% off select plants for spring planting. Listeners get an additional 20% off their first purchase with code WORLD at fastgrowingtrees.com.

A short commercial block features ThirdLove, which designs bras in over 60 sizes including half-cup sizes, with $15 off using code PODCAST15 at thirdlove.com. This is followed by a cross-promo for Hysteria, a Crooked Media podcast hosted by Erin Ryan and Alyssa Mastromonaco, pitched as sharp political analysis for women who care about democracy — available on all podcast platforms and on YouTube.

The episode closes with an extended, riveting interview with CNN's Senior International Correspondent Frederik Pleitgen, who entered Iran during the bombing campaign by flying to Armenia and driving 14 hours to Tehran as industrial areas burned along the route ^{[1] — Frederik Pleitgen "Pleitgen flew into Armenia, drove nine hours to the Iranian border, then drove another 14 hours to Tehran as bombs fell on industrial areas…" 1:15:30 Play} . He describes the human impact: no bomb shelters in a city being hit by 2,000-pound bombs, businesses destroyed, an entire steel industry wiped out, a local baker killed by the blast that took out a nearby police station. Ordinary Iranians largely wanted the war over and hoped for economic relief; frozen asset release was the key demand from officials up to Supreme Leader advisors. The government's support was weakened by the protest crackdown but increased during the bombing as rallying-around-the-flag dynamics kicked in. At an IRGC ceremony, Pleitgen found morale high and the organization emboldened ^{[2] — Frederik Pleitgen "Senior IRGC leaders were killed in the early stages of the war, but the organization reconstituted itself, struck back, and projected power…" 1:21:30 Play} — having reconstituted after major leadership losses, struck back effectively, and projected power into the Gulf. The single most striking moment he witnessed: Iran striking Israel's Dimona nuclear facility within hours of Natanz being hit, proving command-and-control was never broken. He closes with the counterintuitive observation that Iran, nominally a theocracy with one supreme authority, required institutional sign-off from multiple bodies for every decision — while the US, nominally a democracy, effectively had one man calling the shots.

Tommy wraps the interview by expressing hope for restored Iranian-American diplomatic relations and perhaps reciprocal correspondent access in Washington. He thanks Ben and signs off, noting they'll see each other in Chicago. The production credits roll, citing producers Alonim, Michael Goldsmith, and Nimesha Banerjee, and a team that is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East. Post-roll ads repeat the Hysteria cross-promo and an OnDeck business loan spot.