Missing America is the story of how the United States, under Trump, has abdicated its role as an example for the world. Host and former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama, Ben Rhodes speaks to inspiring leaders and activists who are fighting to take up the slack in America’s absence, in a world where nationalism, authoritarianism, and disinformation have taken hold like never before. Learning from their examples and advice, we’ll discover what the US must do to confront these challenges. Missing America is a 9 part limited podcast series from Crooked Media.
Being an American right now is a wild ride. Every day brings a new controversy, with breathless media narratives and the same loud voices rushing in to score political points. Then another Truth Social post drops and the circus moves on. But all that noise is drowning out the actual story. On Crooked Media’s new podcast Runaway Country, veteran journalist Alex Wagner talks to the voices at the center of the headlines: from the fringes of the resistance, to the marrow of MAGA, to the many people who’ve found themselves smack-dab in the crosshairs of a fight they never asked for. Because if you want to understand our unreal times, you’ve got to talk to the very real people who are experiencing it all first-hand. Join Alex as she brings together the stories of everyday Americans trapped in our national car with no brakes, alongside conversations with some of the smartest thinkers in politics. Buckle up, this road could lead anywhere.
New episodes every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts, and @RunawayCountryWithAlexWagner on YouTube. Make sure to subscribe, so you don’t miss an episode.
12 Oct 2024
Introducing Election 2024: What are the Stakes for Global Democracy?
In this special episode of Pod Save the World, Ben looks at how this November’s election will impact global democracy. From the rise of autocracy and the far right, to U.S. efforts to support (or undermine) democratic values around the world, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump represent a stark choice. He’s joined by Senator Chris Murphy, USAID administrator Samantha Power, Sarah Margon, the US Foreign Policy Director at the Open Society Foundations, and Zack Beauchamp, Vox reporter and author of “The Reactionary Spirit."
If you enjoy this episode and want to hear more, new episodes release every Saturday between now and the election wherever you get your podcasts and on Youtube. Make sure you are subscribed to the Pod Save the World feed so you don’t miss an episode.
11 May 2023
Introducing Pod Save the UK: Protest, Eurovision and Showgirls
While we were busy being dazzled by glittery crowns and golden coaches…did the authorities sneak in and steal away our rights? New laws have given the police wide ranging powers to arrest protestors - scuppering the plans of anti-monarchy protestors to demonstrate against the Coronation. Instead they were arrested, detained and then released without charge - after the event was safely over. Nish and Coco ask barrister and activist Paul Powlesland and ask what happened to the British love of freedom?
Plus find out why a PSUK listener spent 15 hours outside his local polling station; why the Coronation gave Coco ‘Showgirls’ vibes; why Coco can't wait for Eurovision; and why Labour and the Lib Dems are in danger of being ‘vagina adjacent’.
Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.
15 Oct 2022
World Corrupt Episode 1: A Toxic Love Affair between Politics and Sports
This fall, when the eyes of the world turn towards Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, a shadow looms over the tournament, which is one of the most watched events in the world. The sports landscape being co-opted for geo-political and corporate gain is nothing new, but this year's iteration of football's biggest competition may be the most expensive example to date. Pod Save the World’s Tommy Vietor and Roger Bennett of Men in Blazers join forces to unravel the riddle of how to enjoy the game we love while holding the powers that control it accountable for their corruptive policies and practices. On this inaugural episode of World Corrupt, a collaboration from Men in Blazers Media Network and Crooked Media, the two hosts share the memories that helped them first fall in love with soccer, while also looking back into the annals of history at past instances of a phenomenon known as "sportswashing.”
1 Aug 2022
Introducing: Another Russia
In 2015 Putin’s number one public enemy, Boris Nemtsov, was shot and killed in front of the Kremlin. He was a relentless critic of Putin, corruption, and war in Ukraine. Then, he was assassinated. His daughter, journalist Zhanna Nemtsova, and co-host Ben Rhodes tell his story to find out what happened to an entire country – and what happens next. Is another Russia possible?
9 Jun 2022
Introducing: Mother Country Radicals
Zayd Dohrn was born underground - his parents were radicals and counter-culture outlaws, on the run from the FBI. Now Zayd takes us back to the 1970s, when his parents and their young friends in the Weather Underground Organization declared war on the United States government. They brawled with riot cops on the streets of Chicago, bombed the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol, broke comrades out of prison, and teamed up with Black militant groups to rob banks, fight racism - and help build a revolution.
6 Oct 2020
9. Reclaiming America
What would a Biden Administration do to re-establish American leadership?
In a wide-ranging interview, host Ben Rhodes talks to Jake Sullivan, senior policy advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, about how the US can begin the work of restoring our standing and addressing the political plagues discussed in this podcast series.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/missingamerica.
29 Sept 2020
8. Climate Change
Can the biggest threat to the entire world bring the entire world together? In our penultimate episode, we examine the enormous obstacles to confronting climate change, and how we must all work together to overcome them.
Host Ben Rhodes talks to former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd about the roadblocks he faced from Rupert Murdoch and the fossil fuel industry, and activists from the Pacific Islands to Europe to the US about what needs to be done.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/missingamerica.
22 Sept 2020
7. Xenophobia
How can America welcome refugees, embrace a humane approach to migration, and reclaim our identity as a nation of immigrants? With 80 million people displaced worldwide, this is a crisis even if it’s not always in the headlines.
Host Ben Rhodes talks to Zarlasht Halaimzai - a refugee from Afghanistan who has dedicated her life to helping refugees - as well as a mix of activists and political leaders about the rising tide of xenophobia and what we can do about it.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/missingamerica.
15 Sept 2020
6. Endless War
How do we end the state of forever war in the Middle East? We look at how a cycle of authoritarianism, conflict, and U.S. support for autocrats undermines human rights and fuels radicalization in the region.
Host Ben Rhodes talks to activist Mohamed Soltan about his experience being imprisoned and tortured in Egypt. Then he talks to leading progressives in Congress and journalists about a blueprint to end the cycle of war.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/missingamerica.
8 Sept 2020
5. Sectarianism
What happens when tribalism crosses into religion? In America, Donald Trump favors his evangelical Christian base, demonizes Muslim-Americans, and stokes fear of “Radical Islam.” That’s fueled a global trend embraced by other sectarian strongmen - like India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has pursued a Hindu nationalist agenda at the expense of Muslims.
Host Ben Rhodes talks to investigative journalist Rana Ayyub, who went undercover and exposed Modi’s tactics to turn Indians against one another.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/missingamerica.
1 Sept 2020
4. Disinformation
How dangerous is disinformation on the Internet and what can we do about it? We learned in 2016 how viral lies and conspiracy theories can impact our elections, but they can also lead to violence abroad. We look at Myanmar, where hate campaigns on Facebook helped fuel ethnic cleansing.
Host Ben Rhodes talks to the tech watchers in Southeast Asia who spotted disinformation and warned Facebook, and asks leading experts and activists about how to regulate Big Tech.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/missingamerica.
25 Aug 2020
3. Authoritarianism
Are we headed for a new world order where the Chinese model of authoritarianism becomes the norm? China has asserted itself at home and abroad, filling a void left by Trump’s America First retrenchment. China’s growing power can be seen as far away as Africa, even as people closer to home - in Hong Kong - have sounded the alarm.
Host Ben Rhodes talks to experts, human rights activists and Hong Kong protesters about the nature of China’s model, and what America should think - and do - about it.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/missingamerica.
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18 Aug 2020
2. Nationalism
How did a backlash to globalization build into a wave of nationalism that has reshaped politics around the world? In Europe, nationalist leaders have risen by appealing to their supporters’ most primal needs for security and belonging. Host Ben Rhodes talks to David Lammy, a member of the UK Parliament, about the forces that gave rise to Brexit and nationalism across the West. Then we hear from European activists who have had success in pushing back, and from Americans about what the U.S. needs to do differently.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/missingamerica.
11 Aug 2020
1. Trumpism
The life-altering events of this spring illustrate why the world needs leadership to overcome international crises... and what happens when there’s none. COVID-19 exposed the fatal consequences of Trump’s “America First” policies which reject global alliances and cooperation. But then, America’s Black Lives Matter movement led to an international wave of activism that brought the global conversation back to human rights... where we need America to lead once again. Host Ben Rhodes talks to Susan Rice, Samantha Power, and progressive activists abroad, about the successes, failures, and ultimately the necessity of U.S. leadership.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/missingamerica.
24 Jul 2020
Introducing Missing America (coming 8/11)
Missing America is the story of what happens when the United States, under Trump, abdicates our role as an example for the world. Host and former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama Ben Rhodes speaks to inspiring leaders and activists who are fighting to take up the slack in America’s absence, in a world where nationalism, authoritarianism, and disinformation have taken hold like never before.
Missing America is a 9 part limited podcast series from Crooked Media.
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