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

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 podcastchoices.com/adchoices