Worldly

Latest Episodes:

Introducing Reset Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

Apple removed an app that had been used by pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong. Turns out that has broad implications for democracy globally. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Reset for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts, or your favorite podcast app to get new episodes every week.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arab Spring 2.0? Nov 07, 2019

Show notes

Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about the massive protests in Iraq and what connection, if any, they might have with similar uprisings in Lebanon and Egypt. While there are major differences, they all share one thing in common: people just want their own functioning government.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow Us:

Vox.com

Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take the oil Oct 31, 2019

Show notes

Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about Trump’s new Syria policy — sending US troops to protect oil fields and potentially selling the oil to the highest bidder. It’s a really bad idea!

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow Us:

Vox.com

Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brexit, forever? Oct 24, 2019

Show notes

Zack and Alex are joined by Vox Brexit expert Jen Kirby to talk the latest on what’s going on in London. Due to some parliamentary “shenanigans” (Jen’s word choice), Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s drive to crash out of the EU by October 31 looks like it’s going to fail. The Worldly team breaks down exactly what happened and what could happen next — ranging from long-lasting limbo to another fateful election. Alex analogizes Brexit to a divorce, and Zack gives a heartfelt goodbye to their producer Byrd Pinkerton — who makes a little cameo at the end!

Links to resources discussed:

What to know about Boris’s new Brexit deal

Parliamentary shenanigans, part 1 and part 2

The EU’s expected Brexit extension decision

On Boris Johnson’s decent election outlook -- and Jeremy Corbyn’s dismal one

Zack referenced a tweet by Nick Cohen

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

Jen Kirby (@j_kirby1), foreign and national security reporter,, Vox

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow Us:

Vox.com

Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The four words that will decide impeachment Oct 19, 2019

Show notes

This was the week of confessions. Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney admitted to a Trump administration quid quo pro with Ukraine, with cameras rolling. EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland confirmed that President Trump made Rudy Giuliani the hinge of America’s Ukraine policy. And then the administration announced that the location for the upcoming G7 summit: Trump’s own resort in Doral, Florida. We break down the three stories that mattered most in impeachment this week.

And then we dig into the four words that will shape the entire impeachment fight: “High Crimes and Misdemeanors.” What did they mean when they were added to the Constitution? How have they been interpreted through American history? And do Trump’s acts qualify?

Welcome to Impeachment, Explained. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Impeachment, Explained on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts, or your favorite podcast app to get stay updated on this story every week.

References:

"Indispensable Remedy: The Broad Scope of the Constitution’s Impeachment Power" by Gene Healy

"The case for normalizing impeachment" by Ezra Klein

Credits:

Producer and Editor - Jeff Geld

Researcher - Roge Karma

Engineers - Malachi Broadus & Jeremey Dalmas

Theme music composed by Jon Natchez

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sen. Chris Murphy on why America's Syria failure goes beyond Trump Oct 17, 2019

Show notes

Worldly continues its series on progressive foreign policy with one of its leading proponents, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT). A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Murphy has strongly criticized the way both Republicans and Democrats have conducted world affairs for decades and proposes a completely new path. In his chat with Alex, Murphy also blasts Trump's Syria policy, but he notes that America's failures there extend far beyond the president himself. Oh, and a 1988 Ford Taurus comes up.

Links to resources discussed:

A piece that provides more background on the Syrian situation

Senator Murphy’s Atlantic article

Senator Murphy speaking at CFR

Guest:

US Senator Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT)

Host:

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow us:

Vox.com

Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rep. Ro Khanna’s vision for a new, “progressive” foreign policy Oct 10, 2019

Show notes

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), one of the leading minds advocating for a radical rethinking of US foreign policy, sits down with Jenn for a conversation about what a “progressive” foreign policy would look like and how it would actually be applied in tough conflicts from Yemen to Iran to China.

Links to resources discussed:

We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here.

Rep. Khanna referenced

Alexis De Tocqueville’s Democracy in America Francis Fukuyama’s The End of History?John Quincy Adams’ Warning Against the Search for “Monsters to Destroy”Adam Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments And the writings of Katrina vanden Heuvel

Here are two pieces that provide more background on Yemen

More on Kissinger and realpolitik

The NYT op-ed by Masuda Sultan that Khanna referenced

Guest:

US Congressman Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna), representing Silicon Valley's CA17

Host:Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

More to explore:Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow us:Vox.com Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Italy, Australia, and Britain got dragged into the Ukraine scandal Oct 03, 2019

Show notes

Zack, Jenn, and Alex break down the latest news in the Trump-Ukraine scandal — the emergence of related allegations about inappropriate administration requests to the governments of Britain, Italy, and Australia. They explain what happened in each case, look at the bizarre conspiracy theories behind all of this, and draw out the implications of a world in which US foreign policy is being increasingly enlisted in both the pursuit of falsehoods and the president’s reelection campaign.

Links to resources discussed:

If you want to listen to our last episode on the Trump-Ukraine scandal as a refresher, please do so.

We mentioned Alex’s two pieces: one on Pompeo and another on how these four countries got embroiled in Trump’s conspiracy mess

Zack wrote about how Trump’s Ukraine scandal is part of the president’s attack on democracy

Here’s the Politico piece on a potential scandal whereby even a foreign government buys hotel rooms at Trump properties but has no one stay in them

Trump is hoping his more politically allied leaders abroad will help him in the conspiracy investigations

Here’s the Times of London piece about Trump and Boris Johnson discussing inquiries into the Mueller probe

Zack mentioned George Conway’s piece in the Atlantic on why Trump is “unfit for office”

MORE LINKS HERE

We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here.

Hosts:Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

More to explore: Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox: Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow Us: Vox.com

Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The whistleblower complaint: a close read Sep 26, 2019

Show notes

Zack, Jenn, and Alex dive into the just-released whistleblower report about Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. They explain what exactly it alleges about Trump and his administration — and the wider coverup operation it reveals. Bottom line? It sure looks like the president deliberately abused his powers of office for political gain — and then the White House engaged in a systematic, corrupt effort to hide his misconduct from the world.

Links to resources discussed:

The full text of the whistleblower complaint, with some context

More background on the Ukraine scandal

We read some key passages from the complaint that Alex highlighted on Twitter, namely this one, this one, this one, and this one.

Zack’s close read of the “transcript”

We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here.

Hosts:Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), Senior Foreign Editor, VoxZack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), Senior Correspondent, VoxAlex Ward (@AlexWardVox), National security reporter, Vox

More to explore:Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow Us:Vox.com Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

War for Oil Sep 19, 2019

Show notes

Zack and Jenn are joined by Matt Yglesias to talk about the worrying fallout of an attack on Saudi oil facilities this weekend. The United States has blamed Iran for the attack, and President Trump tweeted that America is “locked and loaded” to retaliate — but so far, there hasn’t been a military response. The Worldly team talks through the debate over what the US should do, what Trump might be thinking, and the very real chance that escalation could trigger a recession. Jenn busts out some Arabic, Matt comes up with a new CSI spinoff, and Zack brings it back to the original Gulf War.

Links to resources discussed:

Jen Kirby’s explainer on the Saudi Arabia oil attacks.

President Trump’s “locked and loaded” tweet

Matt’s piece, “Trump’s weird ideas on the US-Saudi relationship, sort of explained.” He mentions the Washington Post article about Saudi visits to Trump hotels.

The team discussed Lindsey Graham’s tweets about the situation.

Jenn mentioned that Martin Indyk at Brookings also weighed in.

There are broader reasons to be concerned about a recession, but also reasons tied to these events in Saudi Arabia.

Politifact added nuance to the idea that the US is energy independent.

Matt shouted out some oil price graphs. You can find them here.

It’s been a busy week for foreign news! Zack mentioned articles about a promise made to a foreign leader, Justin Trudeau’s brownface scandal, and Trump’s pick for national security adviser. He also mentioned Today, Explained’s episode about the Israeli election.

Hosts:Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), Senior Foreign Editor, VoxZack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), Senior Correspondent, VoxMatt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Senior Correspondent, Vox

About Vox:Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow Us:Vox.com Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices