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In this live series finale, Bob and Carla discuss the most pressing international news stories with special guest Deborah Amos. President Donald Trump virtually attends the annual Davos summit where he will address corporate and government leaders just three days after his inauguration; the next phase of hostage and prisoner swaps is due as part of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal; a tightly controlled presidential election in Belarus kicks off a new year of consequential elections around the globe; and TikTok is revived in the United States—for now— after President Trump forestalled the app’s initial ban.
This episode was originally produced live on January 21, 2025.
Episode Guests
Show Notes
Looking for nonfiction book recommendations to kick off your summer? In this annual episode, hosts Jim Lindsay and Bob McMahon join Washington Post book critic Carlos Lozada to discuss the books they’re reading, the books they’re looking forward to, and the books they’re packing with their towels for the next trip to the beach.
Bob's Picks
Grant by Ron Chernow
Tailspin by Steven Brill
Lagos Noir edited by Chris Abani
Jim's Picks
The World America Made by Robert Kagan
Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 by Stephen Kotkin
Heat by Bill Buford
Carlos's Picks
A Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantú
The List by Amy Siskind
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
The Death of Truth by Michiko Kakutani
Beautiful Country Burn Again by Ben Fountain
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
The Journalist and the Murderer by Janet Malcolm
The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro
Israel and Hamas reach a cease-fire deal aimed at exchanging hostages and prisoners while seeking a longer-term pause in fighting; the incoming Donald Trump administration weighs ambitious moves on immigration; Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin sign off on a twenty-year partnership agreement; and students in Serbia protest violations of civil rights.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee; the Supreme Court hears arguments over the Joe Biden administration’s imminent banning of TikTok; Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation prompts questions on the future of U.S.-Canada trade relations; and Europe’s eastern states confront energy issues after Ukraine stops the flow of Russian gas through its territory.