Bhutan is a small country sitting in the heart of the Himalayas.
Best known for its stunning location and its connection to Buddhism, Bhutan was one of the most isolated and undeveloped countries in the world.
However, over the last 20 years, it has experienced rapid development and has taken steps to integrate itself into the global community. In the process, they have introduced several policies that are not found anywhere else.
Learn about the history and development of Bhutan on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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To seek asylum, people often have to cross borders undocumented, embarking on perilous trajectories. Due to the war in Afghanistan, the rule of the Taliban, and severe human rights violations, over the past decades thousands of people have risked their lives to seek safety. By what means do they make these journeys, especially when they lack money and passports? Over the course of three years, Hannah Pool accompanied a group of Afghan friends and families as they attempted "The Game" - Game zadan: the route to Europe to seek asylum. The resulting ethnography follows them across their entire trajectories: through Iran, Turkey, Greece, and along the so-called Balkan route. In each place, Pool details the economic interactions and social relationships essential for acquiring, saving, borrowing, spending, and exchanging money to facilitate their undocumented migration routes. The Game: The Economy of Undocumented Migration from Afghanistan to Europe (Oxford UP, 2025) bridges economic sociology and migration studies to illustrate how migrants decide to trust people to facilitate their movement along these routes, focusing particularly on debt, special monies, bribes, donations, and gift-giving. Throughout the migration trajectory, relationships with family, fellow migrants, smugglers, humanitarian actors, and border control officials shape and are shaped by access to financial resources. Ultimately, the book highlights the dangers in undocumented border-crossing and delves into the core of what it means to flee: Who has the means to escape dangerous conditions to seek asylum?
Hannah Pool is a Senior Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
We’re marking two years since the Hamas terror attack on Israel—and the start of the deadly war in Gaza.
Also, we’ll tell you why lawmakers are not negotiating a deal to end the government shutdown as of this morning.
And the newest city set to receive military troops, despite legal pushback.
Plus: the impact of fewer international students in America’s colleges, another massive AI investment giving the world’s most valuable company a run for its money, and what to expect during this week’s Prime “Big Deal Days” from Amazon.
Those stories and even more news to know in about 10 minutes!
Join us every Mon-Fri for more daily news roundups!
For the past four months, President Donald Trump has been sending the National Guard into cities that protest his policies. First, it was Los Angeles. Then, it was Washington D.C. And now, it’s Portland, Oregon and Chicago. An Oregon federal judge blocked Trump’s deployment of the state’s National Guard on Saturday — and then also stopped the Trump administration from sending California’s National Guard troops to Portland on Sunday night. But not all of these cities are getting help from the courts. On Monday, a federal judge declined to stop the Trump administration from deploying members of the Texas National Guard to Chicago – over the express objections of Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker, who called the move an “unconstitutional invasion.”So to talk more about the legality and context for sending U.S. military into our own cities, we spoke to Elizabeth Goitein. She’s the senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law.
And in headlines, the shutdown continues with no end in sight, President Trump says he’s going to “take a look” at a pardon for convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, and the Social Security Administration Commissioner will also take on the brand new role of CEO of the IRS.
Donald Trump orders National Guard troops to Chicago and Portland, making good on his promise to generals to use American cities as "training grounds." Jon, Tommy, and Lovett discuss the court order—issued by a Trump-appointed judge—that blocked the deployment in Portland, the military-style immigration raids that rocked Chicago last week, and the signals that Stephen Miller and the rest of the Trump administration are sending about what's next for blue America. Then, the guys check in on the ongoing government shutdown, react to Trump's unexpected hint that he may be willing to negotiate with Democrats on healthcare subsidies, and discuss what it'll take for Prop 50—California's redistricting response act—to pass in November. Then, Ben Smith, Editor-in-Chief of Semafor and host of the Mixed Signals podcast, joins Tommy to talk about Bari Weiss taking over CBS News, the right's attack on free speech and Jimmy Kimmel, and the future of network media.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
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An independent space company from New Zealand is looking to take on industry giants like SpaceX and Blue Origin in the rocket launch business. WSJ space business reporter Micah Maidenberg tells us about Rocket Lab and its founder. Plus, President Trump has been sharing AI-generated video memes on his social-media pages, particularly in response to the current government shutdown. WSJ reporter Amrith Ramkumar explains the controversy behind the president sharing this kind of content. Julie Chang hosts.
It’s been two years since Hamas attacked Israel and set off a devastating war. Since then, talks have fallen apart over and over again. Trump says – this time is different. But should anyone believe him?
Guest: Yair Rosenberg, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Deep Shtetl, a newsletter about the intersection of politics, culture, and religion.
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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.
