With Putin, Trump Bends the Knee (with Tom Nichols)

Stay Tuned with Preet

Vox Media Podcast Network

Society & Culture, Politics, Government, News

4.8 • 32.3K Ratings

🗓️ 21 August 2025

⏱️ 71 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Trump’s recent meetings with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have raised urgent questions about America’s role in global affairs and the future of the war in Ukraine. Atlantic staff writer and national security expert Tom Nichols joins Preet to break down what’s at stake: the fragility of Western unity, the history behind Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and whether Trump can—or even wants to—deliver peace. They also discuss Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent social media tactics and what effective opposition to Trump looks like. Then, Preet answers your questions about Ghislaine Maxwell’s transfer to a minimum-security prison, and asks for your thoughts on Newsom’s posting. In the bonus for Insiders, Nichols discusses the redistricting battles happening around the country. Join the CAFE Insider community to stay informed without hysteria, fear-mongering, or rage-baiting. Head to cafe.com/insider to sign up. Thank you for supporting our work. Show notes and a transcript of the episode are available on our website. You can now watch this episode! Head to CAFE’s Youtube channel and subscribe. Have a question for Preet? Ask @PreetBharara on BlueSky, or Twitter with the hashtag #AskPreet. Email us at [email protected], or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	From Cafe and the Vox Media Podcast Network, welcome to stay tuned.
0:06.0	I'm Preet Bharara.
0:08.0	The American president, in theory, here, says, I'm going to put a stop to this.
0:13.0	I'm going to summon the Russian president to a summit.
0:16.0	We're going to sit down. I'm going to lay out a ceasefire, and he's going to accept it.
0:20.0	Maybe another president might have been able to and he's going to accept it. Maybe another president
0:21.8	might have been able to pull that off. I doubt it. That's Tom Nichols. He's a staff writer
0:30.9	at the Atlantic, where he focuses on national security and foreign policy, specifically Russia,
0:36.3	nuclear weapons, and democratic institutions.
0:39.3	He's a professor emeritus of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College,
0:43.3	where he taught for 25 years.
0:45.3	In recent days, President Trump has emerged at the center of renewed diplomatic efforts
0:49.3	aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
0:52.3	Nichols joins me to discuss the stakes of this moment
0:54.5	and whether a ceasefire is viable.
0:57.0	We also discuss Governor Gavin Newsom's satirical posts on X, mocking Donald Trump.
1:02.1	Then I'll answer a question about Galane Maxwell's transfer to a minimum security prison,
1:06.3	and then I'll have a question for you about Gavin Newsom's controversial social media posts.
1:11.5	That's coming up. Stay tuned. episode is brought to you by Charles Schwab. Decisions made in Washington can affect your
1:27.6	portfolio every day. But what policy changes should investors be watching? Washington Wise is an
1:32.9	original podcast from Charles Schwab that unpacks the stories making news in Washington right now
1:37.9	and how they may affect your finances in portfolio. Listen at Schwab.com slash Washington Wise.
	...

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