Listen now (70 mins) | On Trump's Peking pilgrimage, the New York Times's descent into blood libel, and developments in Iran.

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	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more   The Rational Policy Podcast Episode 37 - Summitry Punditry 0:00 1:10:27   Listen now   Episode 37 - Summitry Punditry On Trump's Peking pilgrimage, the New York Times's descent into blood libel, and developments in Iran. Mike Coté May 14   READ IN APP   Episode 37 of the Rational Policy Podcast is live! In this installment, hosts Mike Coté and Art Vandelay dive into the news of the week, touching on global, domestic, and media affairs. We start with an update on the progress (or lack thereof) of the Iran War, exploring how things have changed and what might come next for the conflict. Most of the show, however, is dedicated to a different topic entirely: the Trump-Xi summit in China. We explain what is happening, why it shouldn’t be happening, and our concerns for the outcome of this trip. We discuss what it means for US-China relations and whether this approach is a useful one. Along the way, we touch on various semi-related issues, ranging from the future of the Cuban regime to the economics and geopolitics of tariffs and decoupling from Beijing. Finally, we shift to the media, lambasting a disgraceful antisemitic blood libel published by the New York Times, claiming that Israel uses sexual violence as a tool of state power. These claims not only fly in the face of reality, the timing of their publication - immediately prior to the release of a full report from the Israeli commission investigating the mass Hamas sexual violence of October 7 - speaks to the nefarious intent behind the piece. Share Check it out, follow us on Twitter/X (Mike / Art), and share the podcast with anyone you think might appreciate it. Thanks for listening. We’ll be back next week. Until then, let’s hope that Trump’s Chinese vacation ends with very few souvenirs. Cheers! Pledge your support Rational Policy is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Rational Policy that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments. Pledge your support   Like Comment Restack   © 2026 Mike Coté 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe