Shows
American PrestigeBonus - Homeland Empire and Trump 2.0 w/ Nikhil Pal Singh (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode.
Nikhil Pal Singh joins Danny and Derek to discuss Trump’s second term and the consolidation of executive power. They talk about how Trump’s second term differs from the first; revenge politics and the liberal “lawfare” frame; mass deportation and the war on migrants; “domains of rightlessness” and undocumented people as a lever to expand state power; the imperial presidency and unitary executive theory; how the carceral state and the war on terror laid the groundwork for Trump 2.0; the breakdown of postwar liberal anti-fascist constraints and the collapse of the Nazi taboo...
2026-02-1510 minAmerican PrestigeNews - U.S.-Iran Talks, West Bank Rule Changes, Cuba Fuel CrisisSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our content.
Danny and Derek feel that their ice dance routine was strong, but ultimately respect the IOC judges. In this week’s news: the first round of indirect U.S.-Iran talks begin in Oman (0:31); new Israeli security cabinet measures move forward de facto annexation in the West Bank (4:26); Indonesia is prepared to send troops for a proposed Gaza stabilization force (7:23); Israel uses its 2023 law to revoke the citizenship of Palestinian Israelis for the first time (9:07); RSF forces launch drone strikes in Sudan’s Kordofan region and...
2026-02-1347 minAmerican PrestigeE236 - The Decline of Newsrooms w/ Borzou DaragahiSubscribe now to skip the ads.
Journalist Borzou Daragahi joins Danny and Derek to talk about the end of international journalism as we know it. They talk about how podcasting and alternative media both depend on and undermine legacy reporting, the economic pressures on foreign desks, the shift to commentary and “quick takes”, the limits of newsletters and Substack as newsroom replacements; the role of tech in accelerating these changes, and more.
Read Borzou’s piece “Your Podcast Leaches Off My News Outlet.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic
2026-02-1057 minAmerican PrestigeBonus - Gaza’s “Ceasefire” and the Kushner Plan w/ Tariq Kenney-Shawa (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode!
Derek and Danny are joined by Tariq Kenney-Shawa from Al-Shabaka for an update on conditions in Gaza and a discussion of Jared Kushner’s proposed “reconstruction” plan. They talk about the current phase of the so-called ceasefire; ongoing Israeli military actions; population displacement; humanitarian access; the expansion of Israeli control inside Gaza; Israel’s long-term objectives; population management; Kushner’s vision for Gaza requiring mass displacement, surveillance, and the end of Palestinian political life; and Palestinian-led alternatives for reconstruction.
Read Tariq’s piece for The Nation, “Jared Kushner’s “Plan” for Gaza Is...
2026-02-0811 minAmerican PrestigeNews - Iran Strike Delayed, Biden Suppressed Gaza Aid, Nigeria Militant AttackSubscribe now to skip the ads and hear all of our episodes!
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Danny and Derek are still in talks with The Muppets' people about an appearance, so we'll keep things buttoned up for now. This week: The U.S. and Iran hold talks in Oman, averting an U.S. strike for the moment (0:31); in Gaza, Israeli strikes kill dozens while Rafah reopens under tight restrictions amid concerns over “slow motion” displacement (5:58); the Trump administration’s Gaza “reconstruction” effort raises more red flags (8:48); Reuters reports that the Biden administration suppressed...
2026-02-0643 minAmerican PrestigeE235 - The End of the Postwar Consensus w/ Paul StarrSubscribe now to skip the ads and access all of our episodes.
Danny and Derek are joined by sociologist Paul Starr to talk about the transformation of American politics from the postwar period to the present. They discuss the idea of a foundational American contradiction, how the civil rights movement helped break the midcentury political consensus, why economic inequality and labor decline reshaped party coalitions, immigration, the expansion of presidential power, the decline of institutional legitimacy, and how these changes contributed to the rise of both Obama and Trump.
Read Paul’s book American Contradiction: Re...
2026-02-031h 05American PrestigeThe Nation’s “A Day for Gaza” w/ Jack MirkinsonDerek speaks with Jack Mirkinson, senior editor at The Nation, about “A Day for Gaza,” a one-day project where the magazine is devoting its entire website to coverage of Gaza. They discuss the decision to turn over all coverage to this single issue, the decline in mainstream media attention since the October “ceasefire” announcement, and why events in Gaza remain central to media responsibility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2026-02-0312 minAmerican PrestigeBonus - The Decline of Area Experts w/ Alex Thurson (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode!
Derek and Danny are joined by historian Alex Thurston to talk about the rise and decline of area studies in the United States. They discuss how regional expertise was once central to the management of American power; why policymakers increasingly ignored that knowledge when it existed; how programs like Fulbright, Title VI, and the Wilson Center fit into a postwar arrangement between the state and the academy; DOGE; the retreat of private foundations; the turn toward technocracy and quantitative approaches; and what the collapse of area studies says about the end...
2026-02-0109 minAmerican PrestigeNews - U.S. Signals Possible Iran Strike, Myanmar Junta Consolidates Power, Syria Ceasefire ExtendedSubscribe now to skip the ads.
While Danny looks after his gold assets, Always at War’s Alex Jordan once again helps Derek bring you headlines from around the globe. This week: the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moves the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight (0:54); the Trump administration renews threats against Iran while demanding a new deal that would eliminate uranium enrichment, missile programs, and regional proxies (3:47); Syria’s government and the SDF agree to a ceasefire extension following more violence in the northeast (12:58); in Gaza, Israel recovers the remains of the final Israeli captive tied to P...
2026-01-301h 07American PrestigeE234 - The Rise of Shareholder Primacy w/ Sean DelehantySubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes!
Danny and Derek speak with historian Sean Delehanty about the invention of shareholder value and the transformation of the American corporation in the late twentieth century. They discuss postwar conglomerates and corporate social responsibility, the crisis of Fordism, the rise of financial economics, and the theory of the firm. They also look at hostile takeovers, leveraged buyouts, private equity, the collapse of the public corporation, and the bipartisan consolidation of shareholder primacy in the 1990s.
Buy Sean’s book Company Men: The Invention of...
2026-01-271h 17American PrestigeBonus - Davos 2026: Trump, Greenland, and the End of the Rules-Based Order w/ Ishaan Tharoor (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode!
Derek is joined by Washington Post columnist Ishaan Tharoor for a roundup of the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos. They discuss Trump’s return to the forum, the Greenland annexation threat and its fallout inside NATO, Mark Carney’s speech declaring the end of the rules-based order, the unveiling of Trump’s “Board of Peace,” Jared Kushner’s Gaza reconstruction presentation, and what Davos revealed about elite attitudes toward the war in Gaza, European rearmament, and more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2026-01-2510 minAmerican PrestigeAP x NonZero - The Trump Foreign Policy Roller Coaster w/ Robert WrightThe legendary recurring crossover between AP and NonZero Newsletter is back. Get your discounted membership to NonZero now!
Subscribe to AP for the full episode!
Part One Video
(0:00) A recap of January’s Trump turbulence
(4:52) Is Trump a cause or symptom of world disorder?
(13:09) Is Trump increasingly unstable?
(15:41) Will we invade Cuba?
(19:43) American politics after Trump
(25:54) The crumbling bedrock of International Law
(35:30) Where are the Democrats?
(38:19) Heading into Overtime: Renee Good, Syria, Worthwhile Canadian Prime Minister Learn more about your ad...
2026-01-2342 minAmerican PrestigeNews - Syria Offensive Against SDF, Israel Moves on Rafah, Trump and GreenlandSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our content.
While much of America endures an Arctic freeze, Danny and Derek bring to you scorching hot headlines. This week: renewed fighting breaks out between the Syrian government and the SDF as Damascus pushes across the Euphrates and ceasefires collapse (1:39); Israel plans to raze Rafah and construct controlled “humanitarian cities” as a template for postwar Gaza (10:32); Trump hints at striking Iran amid U.S. force movements (14:26); a Cambodian NGO accuses the Thai military of demolishing homes in disputed border villages with Cambodia (17:31); Japan’s prime minister is dis...
2026-01-2352 minAmerican PrestigeE233 - Film and Cold War Industrial Power w/ Alice LovejoySubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our content.
Danny and Derek welcome to the show Alice Lovejoy, professor of film and media studies at the University of Minnesota, to talk about the intersections of cinema, corporate power, and the military. They discuss how film production became entangled with military and chemical sectors; how corporate interests and state power shaped the technologies of cinema; the ways photographic film recorded and was shaped by Cold War geopolitics; and cinema as both a cultural expression and an product of industrial and geopolitical forces.
Read...
2026-01-2055 minAmerican PrestigeBonus - Green Energy and Fossil Capital w/ Thea Riofrancos (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode.
Danny and Derek speak with political scientist Thea Riofrancos about extraction, climate politics, and the limits of the green energy transition. They discuss why the advent of renewable energy does not mean a decline in fossil fuel use; how capitalism can generate new green industries while being unable to destroy fossil fuel infrastructure; mining, financialization, and intentional value destruction; political risks posed by dismantling fossil capital; and consumption, organizing under conditions of deindustrialization, and the challenges of building climate politics in the current political climate. Learn more...
2026-01-1811 minAmerican PrestigeNews – U.S. Plan for Venezuela’s Oil, Gaza Ceasefire Phase Two, Iran Protests w/ Matt Lech and Negar MortazaviSubscribe now to skip the ads.
Derek welcomes Matt Lech to the show to bring you the news while an infirmed Danny convalesces. This week: Trump pushes U.S. oil companies to reenter Venezuela and outlines plans for a long-term U.S. takeover of the Venezuelan oil industry (1:34); opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presents Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal (7:01); Southern Transitional Council leader Aidarus al-Zubaidi flees Yemen as the group fractures amid competing leadership claims (8:50); Somalia cuts ties with the United Arab Emirates following the latter’s support for Somaliland and the evacuation of Ye...
2026-01-161h 22American PrestigeE232 - Can American Power Be Redeemed? w/ Shadi HamidSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes.
Danny and Derek are joined by Shadi Hamid, columnist at The Washington Post and author of The Case for American Power, to talk about American hegemony and Hamid’s argument for it as a morally preferable and potentially reformable force in international politics. They discuss Gaza and the crisis of liberal internationalism, democracy and self-correction, American decline, China and Russia, intervention and restraint, the Middle East exception, Libya and “humanitarian war,” and whether it is possible to separate the “good” uses of American power from the bad.
2026-01-131h 09American PrestigeBonus - Prediction Markets and the Financialization of Death w/ Sam Biddle and Jay Caspian Kang (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our bonus content.
Danny and Derek are joined by Jay Caspian Kang of Time to Say Goodbye and Sam Biddle of The Intercept to discuss prediction markets, online gambling, and the effort to financialize politics, war, and social life. They talk about the history of prediction markets leading to their current role in betting on elections, coups, invasions, and humanitarian catastrophes; insider trading as a design feature rather than a bug; the erosion of legal and moral guardrails; the growing integration of gambling platforms into journalism...
2026-01-1110 minAmerican PrestigeNews - U.S. Kidnaps Maduro, Israel Escalation, Yemen Separatist CollapseSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes.
Danny and Derek return from their holiday retreat at Bohemian Grove to bring you news from around the world. This week: Delcy Rodríguez assumes Venezuela’s presidency following Nicolás Maduro’s U.S. rendition (1:31), as questions mount over the indictment (3:51) and Washington moves toward de facto control of Venezuelan oil exports (6:36); Saudi-backed forces push back Southern Transitional Council gains in southern Yemen, with STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi fleeing to the UAE and facing treason charges (11:10); Israel bans 37 humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders (15:33), and ad...
2026-01-0949 minAmerican PrestigeRe-Post - The Global Turn of American Policing w/ Stuart SchraderOriginally published August 31, 2025.
Danny and Derek speak with historian Stuart Schrader about the global
history of American policing and how US police power has been shaped by
struggles both at home and abroad. They discuss police opposition to
oversight in the 1960s, the development of the Border Patrol and ICE,
Joe Biden’s “tough on crime” record, Trump’s plan to outsource
detention, the ways counterterrorism blurred into immigration
enforcement, and the resistance on display in Los Angeles this summer.
Read Stuart’s book Badges without Borders: How Global Counterinsurgency Transformed American Policing. Learn...
2026-01-081h 10American PrestigeE231 - Venezuela, Latin America, and the Future of U.S. Foreign Policy w/ Greg GrandinSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes.
Danny and Derek are joined by historian Greg Grandin to go in depth on the recent U.S. operation in Venezuela. They talk about the removal of Nicolás Maduro while leaving the existing state structure intact, implying America’s preference for coercion over governance; the role of oil in U.S. rhetoric; internal divisions within the Trump administration; comparisons to past interventions in the region; and the weakening of regional resistance to U.S. dominance. The group also looks at Venezuela amid a shifting glo...
2026-01-061h 00American PrestigeBonus - Regime Change in Venezuela w/ Gabriel Hetland (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our bonuses!
Danny and Derek welcome Gabriel Hetland back to the show, this time to talk about the U.S. military operation capturing Nicolás Maduro and what it says about American power in Latin America. They discuss how years of sanctions and economic warfare set the stage for direct intervention, the unresolved contradictions of the so-called Pink Tide, the role of oil and regional politics in America’s policy, the implications for the broader hemisphere, and what it means when the United States abandons even the...
2026-01-0410 minAmerican PrestigeSpecial - The U.S. Kidnaps Nicolás Maduro w/ Alex Jordan (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our specials.
Danny and Derek are joined by Alex Jordan of the Quincy Institute and Always at War to discuss the U.S. seizure of President Nicolás Maduro. They discuss what we know so far about the operation, how it differs from past U.S. interventions in the region, the risks of political fragmentation inside Venezuela, the potential of prolonged U.S. involvement, and the implications about the future of American power in the Western Hemisphere. Learn more about your ad c...
2026-01-0302 minAmerican PrestigeBonus - Fort Bragg and U.S. Special Operations Post-9/11 w/ Seth HarpSubscribe now to skip the ads and get access to all of our bonus episodes.
Danny and Derek are joined by journalist Seth Harp to discuss his book The Fort Bragg Cartel, which covers murder and drug trafficking around the North Carolina military installation. They talk about the rise and institutionalization of U.S. special operations after 9/11, how JSOC and related units expanded their role, permanent war reshaping military culture, special forces’ role in assassination campaigns, the end of the draft, reporting on drug trafficking networks, and the social effects of special operations culture on the families an...
2026-01-021h 02American PrestigeE230 - Manosphere Politics and the Climate Crisis w/ Daniel Waite PennySubscribe now to skip commercials and get all of our episodes.
Use the code XMAS2025 for a $45 annual subscription!
Danny and Derek speak with journalist and cultural critic Daniel Waite Penny to discuss the relationship between masculinity, the manosphere, and climate politics, as explored in the new season of Non-toxic, Carbon Bros. They talk about the “manosphere,” libertarians promoting techno-fixes, and Silicon Valley elites pushing solutions like space colonization; how gendered ideas about strength, autonomy, and grievance have fused with climate denial and hostility toward environmental regulation; where these dynamics fit within broader shifts in poli...
2025-12-3053 minAmerican PrestigeBonus - Venezuela, the Drug War, and U.S. Power in the Caribbean w/ Aileen Teague (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode.
Get an annual subscription for $45 with the code XMAS2025.
Danny and Derek are joined by historian Aileen Teague to discuss the renewed U.S. focus on Latin America as part of the War on Drugs. They talk about recent U.S. actions in the Caribbean and Venezuela; the return of “narco-terror” rhetoric; political forces driving Washington’s approach to the region; where these developments fit within the longer history of U.S. intervention, sanctions, and militarized security; and what this all means for regional stability, migration, and U.S.–Latin Am...
2025-12-2810 minAmerican PrestigeRe-Post - The Medievalist's Guide to Christmas w/ Eleanor JanegaDanny and Derek welcome back to the podcast Eleanor Janega, medieval historian, author, and broadcaster, to get down to brass tacks: What is Christmas? They discuss its practice in early and medieval Christian societies, mummers’ plays and gambling, Saint Nicholas providing dowries and resurrecting boys killed for their meat, the post-Reformation treatment of Christmas, and more.
Grab a copy of Eleanor’s book The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-12-251h 03American PrestigeBonus - The Muppet Christmas Carol w/ Justin Boyd and VJ Boyd (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode.
Use discount code XMAS2025 to get an annual subscription for $45!
Danny welcomes writer Justin Boyd and writer/producer VJ Boyd to the show to talk about The Muppet Christmas Carol. They discuss Charles Dickens as a transitional figure in 19th-century literature, Victorian ghost stories and Christmas, Jim Henson’s pre-Disney career and the regional TV ecosystem that produced the Muppets, the film’s melancholy as a post-Henson/post–Richard Hunt work, Michael Caine’s performance and Jonathan Rosenbaum’s critique, anti-capitalist themes vs liberal moral reform, chronos versus kairos in Scrooge...
2025-12-2410 minAmerican PrestigeE229 - Lula and the Rise of the Workers’ Party in Brazil w/ Andre PagliariniSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes.
Use the code XMAS2025 to get an annual subscription for just $45!
Danny and Derek welcome back historian Andre Pagliarini to discuss Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his political project, and its significance for Brazil’s democracy and labor movement. They explore the emergence of “new unionism” in the late 20th century and the founding of the Workers’ Party (PT); how a leader shaped by labor activism ended up governing through institutional politics; what Lula inherited from Brazil’s corporatist past; how he has navigat...
2025-12-231h 07American PrestigeBonus - Protests Without Politics w/ Vincent Bevins (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode.
Get an annual subscription for $45 with our holiday discount code XMAS2025.
Danny and Derek are joined once again by Vincent Bevins, this time to talk about the recent wave of so-called “Gen Z protests.” They explore why that framing explains almost nothing; how contemporary mass protests actually form, why they tend to resemble each other, and why their political outcomes rarely meet their original demands; and the crisis of representation, the collapse of ideology, “explosive mobilization,” and why the military generally decides what comes next. The conversation also touches on wheth...
2025-12-2110 minAmerican PrestigeNews - Thailand–Cambodia Fighting, Venezuela Escalation, Yemen SeparatistsSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes.
Use the holiday discount code XMAS2025 for a $45 annual subscription (offer valid through 1/1/26)!
Jolly Saint Nick is giving the U.S. government lots of coal this year, a boon to fossil fuel companies. In this week’s news: Thailand–Cambodia fighting resumes despite Trump’s ceasefire claim (1:52); an Israeli airstrike in Gaza threatens what remains of the ceasefire (6:00), and a winter storm devastates Gaza as Israel continues blocking shelter materials and aid (9:10); Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council prepares to declare a new government amid Saud...
2025-12-1950 minAmerican PrestigeSpecial - Who Controls Southern Yemen? w/ Annelle ShelineSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes.
Derek is joined by Annelle Sheline of the Quincy Institute to discuss the Southern Transitional Council’s recent territorial advances in Yemen, what they mean for the country’s already-fractured political order, and why the “internationally recognized government” remains mostly theoretical. They also delve into the history of southern secessionism, the dysfunction of the Presidential Leadership Council, and how Emirati-backed forces have consolidated control over much of former South Yemen.
Follow Annelle on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices...
2025-12-171h 06American PrestigeE228 - Trump’s National Security Strategy w/ Julia Gledhill and Van JacksonSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes.
Danny and Derek welcome to the show Julia Gledhill and Van Jackson, co-hosts of the Un-Diplomatic podcast, to talk about the Trump administration’s newly released National Security Strategy. They discuss how the document leans on civilizational framing, portrays competition as existential conflict, omits diplomacy and institutions in favor of coercion and deal-making, and deemphasizes democracy promotion. They also touch on the strategy’s treatment of Europe and Latin America, its assumptions about American power, and what the new NSS suggests about the direction of U.S...
2025-12-161h 13American PrestigeUNLOCKED - The History of the Maccabees w/ Joseph ScalesSubscribe now to ditch the ads.
Chag Sameach! Danny and Derek are joined by independent scholar Joseph Scales to talk about the history of Hanukkah. They discuss the rivalry between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires that preceded the conflict; the Maccabean/Hasmonean revolt and the family's ascension to power within Judea; the Judean expansion; and much more.
Originally published November 27, 2021 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-12-151h 26American PrestigeBonus - Managing Gaza After the “Ceasefire” w/ Rashid Khalidi (Preview)Subscribe now and get access to this episode as well as our series A Modern History of Palestine with Dr. Khalidi.
Danny and Derek are joined once again by historian Rashid Khalidi to discuss Gaza two months after the announcement of a ceasefire. They begin with Dr. Khalidi's class on Palestine at the People’s Forum after his decision to leave Columbia University, and what that experience says about the state of American higher education. They then turn to Gaza, exploring why Israel continues its assault, how it continues to slow the flow of aid and reconstruction materials...
2025-12-1410 minAmerican PrestigeAP x NonZero - Venezuela, China, and Trump’s IncoherenceSubscribe for the full version!
The greatest recurring crossover in the biz, between AP and NonZero Newsletter, returns. Get your discounted membership to NonZero now!
Part One Video
0:00 The incoherence of Trump's foreign policy7:16 The paucity of debate around Chinese chip restrictions19:13 Danny: Is this the stupidest foreign policy establishment ever? 25:27 Should AGI worry us? 34:40 Bob’s Overtime bait Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-12-1240 minAmerican PrestigeNews - Gaza Aid Blocked Amid Winter Storm, Thailand–Cambodia Conflict Resumes, M23 Advances in DRCSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes.
Listen to our Chinese Prestige miniseries!
Danny and Derek will sadly not be doing a CBS News town hall event. This week in the news: the Thailand–Cambodia conflict resumes (1:47); the DRC–M23 conflict also resumes as M23 makes new advances (7:05); in Gaza, questions remain over the “second phase” of the ceasefire as a winter storm hits (10:38); separatists in Yemen gain control of the country’s south (17:18); the RSF takes Sudan’s largest oilfield (21:02); an attempted coup is foiled in Benin (23:31); Trump gives NATO a 2027...
2025-12-1245 minAmerican PrestigeE227 - Sudan’s Endless War in Darfur and Beyond w/ Mat NashedSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes.
Derek and journalist Mat Nashed assess the state of Sudan’s ongoing civil war, particularly the fall of Al-Fasher and the Rapid Support Forces’ consolidation of control across much of Darfur. They discuss the throughline from the 2003 genocide to today; the wider humanitarian catastrophe; the shifting battlefield in Kordofan; the growing role of drones; the international dimension of the war, including the UAE’s backing of the RSF and the Sudanese army’s search for external patrons; and they examine why accountability remains elusive as Sudan’s...
2025-12-091h 23American PrestigeBonus - The Life and Death of Hollywood w/ Andrew deWaard (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode.
Danny and Derek welcome back to the show media scholar Andrew deWaard to discuss Netflix’s reported acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and what it says about the economic forces driving contemporary media. They talk about how conglomeration and financialization have reshaped Hollywood; zero interest rates, asset inflation, and Wall Street driving mergers; how intellectual property, streaming platforms, and algorithmic “background TV” are transforming both culture and labor; the decline of cable and mass entertainment to Netflix’s rent-based (and subsequent subscription) business model; the influence of Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon on media...
2025-12-0709 minAmerican PrestigeUnlocked - Blowback: The Forgotten Cold War Front in Angola w/ Brendan James and Noah KulwinSubscribe now for immediate access to all of our bonus episodes.
Danny and Derek welcome back Brendan James and Noah Kulwin, of the Blowback podcast, for a tour through their latest season, which takes the show to Angola. They discuss how Angola became one of the largest and least-remembered battlefields of the Cold War, Reagan’s return to proxy wars, Cuba’s decision to send troops without Soviet approval, South Africa’s “total onslaught” ideology, the Reagan era’s fanaticism, its echoes in today’s politics, and what happens when the U.S. exports its wars (and mythology) acros...
2025-12-061h 09American PrestigeNews - U.S. Moves Toward Venezuela Attack, Double-Tap Strike in Caribbean, DRC–Rwanda Peace Deal CollapsesSubscribe now to skip the ads and get more content.
Don’t forget to download our Chinese Prestige miniseries, currently on sale for $5. Annual subscribers get the series free!
Despite sitting on a large surplus of Labubus, Danny and Derek work hard to bring you the news. This week: in Russia-Ukraine, new US diplomacy goes nowhere (1:08), Ukraine is now attacking Russian commercial ships (5:55), and the EU moves to phase out Russian natural gas (8:35); in the DRC-Rwanda conflict, Trump hosts a peace deal signing as fighting resumes with M23 in the eastern DRC (11:17); new fighting erupts in...
2025-12-0552 minAmerican PrestigeE226 - The Political Economy of Porn w/ Molly LambertSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes.
Danny and Derek welcome to the show Molly Lambert, creator of the JENNAWORLD podcast, to talk about the rise of the modern porn industry and its roots in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. They discuss the medium’s origins in underground stag films and the porno chic era; the shift to home video and the corporate studio model; breakout stars like Ginger Lynn Allen and Jenna Jameson; porn as an outsider industry mirroring Hollywood; gender, labor, and power in late-20th-century media; the relationship betw...
2025-12-0258 minAmerican PrestigeBonus - Capitalism After Neoliberalism w/ Ilias Alami (Preview)Subscribe now to listen to the full episode and get access to all of our Sunday bonuses.
Danny and Derek speak to Ilias Alami, assistant professor of political economy at Cambridge, about the global shift from neoliberalism to new forms of state capitalism. They discuss the rebalancing of economic power toward East Asia; sovereign wealth funds, policy banks, and state-owned enterprises; and the role of states in industrial strategy, technology, and supply chains. They also touch on China, AI, and the overlap between economic rivalry and geopolitical confrontation.
Check out the book Ilias co-authored, The...
2025-11-3009 minAmerican PrestigeChinese Prestige: The Making of the PRC w/ Yidi WuInstead of a news roundup, we are releasing the second episode of our new miniseries Chinese Prestige. Annual subscribers already have access, while everyone else can get the 8 episodes for $5 for two weeks only.
This conversation examines China’s early post-Korean War period and the political and social campaigns that defined the new PRC. The group discusses land reform, the Three-anti and Five-anti campaigns, Soviet-style economic planning centered on heavy industry, and the technocratic overhaul of higher education. They also explore China’s deteriorating relationship with the United States, shifting ties with the Soviet Union after Stalin’s death, e...
2025-11-2851 minAmerican PrestigeHyperfixed - Third Eye BlindDanny speaks with Alex Goldman about his new podcast Hyperfixed, in which he works to get to the bottom of listeners’ complex problems, or at least enough of an explanation that they’re ok with the annoyance. We have then provided the full episode of “Third Eye Blind,” where one Mitchell finds out he's missing something almost everyone else has, and he wants to know -- who would I be if I had it?
If you like what you hear, why not support Alex and join Hyperfixed?
Otherwise, have a great holiday, and keep your eyes peeled for th...
2025-11-2741 minAmerican PrestigeChinese Prestige: From May Fourth to Mao w/ Yidi WuIn lieu of a typical Tuesday episode this week, we are releasing the first episode of our new miniseries Chinese Prestige. Annual subscribers already have access, while everyone else can get the 8 episodes for a whopping $5 for two weeks only. Enjoy!
In this first episode of Chinese Prestige, Yidi, Danny, and Derek trace the origins of the Chinese Communist Party from the May Fourth Movement to the civil war with the Nationalists. They explore the party’s strategic shift from cities to the countryside, the role of land reform and mass mobilization, the impact of the Japanese in...
2025-11-2555 minAmerican PrestigeSpecial - Radio War Nerd in Print! w/ Mark AmesMark Ames of Radio War Nerd is on the program to tell us a little about the new book penned by his partner in podcast crime, John Dolan, titled They Should Have Been Hanged: War Nerd Essays on the U.S. Civil War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-11-2420 minAmerican PrestigeBonus - Liberal Zionism After Gaza w/ David Klion (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our bonus
Danny and Derek speak with writer and editor David Klion about the collapse of the liberal Zionist project and how the moral and political implication of the Gaza genocide have reshaped American Jewish identity. They discuss how October 7 and Israel’s assault on Gaza forced a reckoning among liberals who once believed in the two-state promise; the fracturing of institutional life and why so many public figures have avoided accountability; the generational realignment in American Judaism; legacy news organizations managing and obscuring this shift; x an...
2025-11-2310 minAmerican PrestigeSpecial - What Was Sarah Hurwitz Thinking? w/ Emily Tamkin (Preview)Subscribe now to listen to the full episode.
Danny and Derek are joined by the writer Emily Tamkin to discuss Sarah Hurwitz’s comments on the Holocaust, education, and the Jewish people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-11-2205 minAmerican PrestigeNews - MBS White House Visit, US Pushes New Ukraine Deal, UN Votes on GazaSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes.
Danny and Derek are praying for Kim Kardashian to pass the bar. In this week’s news: Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia visits the White House (1:56); the U.S. pushes a new Ukraine peace deal (8:58); Israel continues killing people in Gaza (12:30), Palestinians’ shelters are failing in heavy rain (13:57), the UN votes on Trump’s Gaza plan (15:22), and Palestinians seeking relief are put on flights to South Africa, raising ethnic cleansing concerns (18:11); Israel continues to bomb and move borders in Lebanon and Syria (21:50); the U.S. and...
2025-11-2144 minAmerican PrestigeE225 - Dignity, Memory, and Surveillance w/ Lea YpiSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes.
Danny and Derek speak with political theorist and author Lea Ypi about her new book Indignity: A Life Reimagined, which explores how personal memory intersects with imperial collapse, nationalism, and the surveillance state. They discuss her grandmother’s journey from Ottoman Salonika to Albania amid the rise of competing political projects; archives and the stories they erase; the challenge for universalist ideals in a capitalist world; the parallels between the 1930s and today’s anti-migrant politics; and whether collective political action remains possible as we’re sha...
2025-11-181h 01American PrestigeBonus - The Trump Tariff Order and the Future of U.S. Influence w/ Nicholas MulderDanny and Derek welcome back historian Nick Mulder, writer at Weltinnenpolitik, to discuss Trump’s new tariff regime. They get into Trump’s focus on taxing goods while leaving finance untouched; how U.S. allies are obediently eating higher economic costs; why this approach resembles a “subscription model” of empire rather than a coherent industrial strategy; early signs of backlash in places like India, Brazil, and Europe; how immigration enforcement and H-1B restrictions now operate as tools of economic coercion; and why sanctions under Trump increasingly fall on partners instead of adversaries. Learn more about yo...
2025-11-1610 minAmerican PrestigeSpecial - Jeffrey Epstein and Elite Power w/ Murtaza Hussain (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all news specials.
Danny and Derek sit down with journalist Murtaza Hussain of Drop Site News to talk about his ongoing reporting on Jeffrey Epstein’s extensive political and financial influence. They get into how Epstein operated as a fixer and connector for powerful people and entities around the world; the private meetings and backchannel negotiations he helped facilitate, from Israel to Russia to Côte d'Ivoire; the role he played in brokering surveillance and security agreements; and why this part of his life went unreported or was dismiss...
2025-11-1405 minAmerican PrestigeNews - Thailand–Cambodia Ceasefire Breaks Down, U.S. Escalates Military Presence Around Venezuela, Gaza Ceasefire Framework Stalls w/ Nathaniel PowellSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our content!
Danny and Derek are vigorously programmed to bring you the news headlines. This week: the Thai-Cambodia ceasefire breaks down as border fire and incidents escalate (0:30); in Gaza, Trump’s framework stalls while governments debate the shape and purpose of an international security force (4:27); Syria’s President Ahmed al-Shara visits the White House (13:49); Iraq’s elections conclude with Prime Minister Sudani claiming victory despite an uncertain coalition (17:37); suicide attacks in Pakistan raise tensions with Afghanistan (20:11) while a constitutional amendment increases military rule (23:00); in Sudan, new reports sugges...
2025-11-1457 minAmerican PrestigeSpecial - The American Jewish Divide w/ Jamie Beran (Preview)Subscribe now to listen to the full episode.
Danny talks with Jamie Beran, CEO of Bend the Arc, about the political and generational tension reshaping the American Jewish community. They discuss the fallout from Zoran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign in New York; the role of legacy institutions like the ADL; how debates over Israel-Palestine, antisemitism, and safety are redefining American Jewish political identity; and what these shifts mean for progressive movements and Jewish organizations navigating rising authoritarianism in the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-11-1205 minAmerican PrestigeE224 - Silicon Valley and the Israeli Occupation w/ Omar ZahzahSubscribe now to skip the commercials and get all of our content.
Derek is joined by Omar Zahzah, Assistant Professor of Arab Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies at San Francisco State University, to talk about his book Terms of Servitude: Zionism, Silicon Valley, and Digital Settler Colonialism. They discuss the Sheikh Jarrah uprising and the digital front of the Palestinian struggle, the difference between “digital apartheid” and “digital settler colonialism,” Meta’s censorship, the IDF Unit 8200–Silicon Valley pipeline, how AI and tech infrastructure are being weaponized, the legacy of Edward Said’s “Permission to Narrate,” and how Palestinians h...
2025-11-1152 minAmerican PrestigeSpecial - Escalating Settler Violence in the West Bank w/ Jasper NathanielSubscribe now for all of our breaking news specials.
Danny and Derek talk with journalist Jasper Nathaniel about his reporting from the West Bank on settler attacks that have become routine and state-backed. They discuss the town of Turmus Aya, the far-right ministers pushing annexation, a mob attack on an American‐Palestinian lawyer’s neighbor, and Jasper’s firsthand account of a violent mob assault during the olive harvest.
Stop demolitions in Umm al-Khair.
Help free Mohammed Ibrahim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-11-1154 minAmerican PrestigeBonus - What Happened to Liberal Politics? w/ Tim Shenk (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode!
Danny and Derek speak with historian Tim Shenk of George Washington University about how American liberalism lost its way. They discuss the Cold War purge of the left and the rise of the “vital center,” the Clinton-Obama years and the hollowing of class politics, the Democratic Party’s embrace of the professional-managerial elite, meritocracy, the implications of organized labor’s decline, the financialization of everything, and whether a new populist coalition can still be built. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-11-0910 minAmerican PrestigeNews - Trump Threatens to Invade Nigeria, Sudan Famine and RSF Offensive, Russia To Also Pursue More Nuclear TestingSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our content!
Air travel might grind to a halt, but our news roundup marches on. After reflections on the Mamdani victory (0:30), Danny and Derek get into this week’s stories: Trump threatens to invade Nigeria (10:10); in Israel-Palestine, a Gaza ceasefire update (19:31) and West Bank olive harvest violence (26:06); Afghanistan and Pakistan resume ceasefire talks (27:10); Sudan’s IPC declares famine as the RSF prepares a new siege and agrees to a ceasefire (29:11); a new report details the UAE’s role as a global gold smuggling hub (33:40); attacks on civilians contin...
2025-11-0757 minAmerican PrestigeSpecial - Dick Cheney (Preview)Danny and Derek invite Spencer Ackerman to discuss the life and legacy of Dick Cheney.
Check out Spencer's newsletter Forever Wars and his book Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-11-0510 minAmerican PrestigeE223 - The Wagner Group and the New Era of Private War w/ John LechnerDanny and Derek welcome journalist and author John Lechner to discuss his book, Death is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries in the New Era of Warfare. The conversation cuts through the mainstream narrative of the Wagner Group to explore the true history of Yevgeny Prigozhin, from his start as a product of post-Soviet "gangster capitalism" in 1990s St. Petersburg to his ascent as Vladimir Putin's de facto military entrepreneur. They analyze how Prigozhin leveraged the Russian state’s grand ambitions with limited resources to create a self-funding war machine in Syria and across Africa, ultimately turning his own military success in...
2025-11-041h 06American PrestigeBonus - The Men’s Suit and the Aesthetics of Power w/ Derek Guy (Preview)Subscribe now to hear the full episode and get access to all of our Sunday bonuses!
Danny speaks with writer and menswear critic Derek Guy about the politics of fashion, exploring how style reflects class, power, and ideology. They explore fashion’s moral economy, how neoliberalism turned personal style into a marker of moral worth, the influence of Savile Row and Brooks Brothers, the evolution of men’s dress from the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the aesthetics of American politics from JFK to Trump (including why Derek contends Reagan was the most stylish modern president), and how taste beca...
2025-11-0210 minAmerican PrestigeNews - Trump Asia Tour and Xi Summit, RSF Massacres in Sudan, US Continues Bombing Boats Off South America CoastSubscribe now to skip the ads and get more content!
What’s spookier than international relations? This week in the news roundup: Trump tours Asia to talk trade deals (1:28), a Thai-Cambodia accord (7:11), and to meet with Xi (8:45); the RSF captures of Al-Fashir in Sudan with reports of mass killings (12:19); Gaza sees the deadliest day of Israeli bombardments since the ceasefire began (17:19); the PKK makes more concessions in talks with Ankara (21:53); Afghan-Pakistan ceasefire negotiations collapse in Istanbul (24:34); Myanmar rebel groups agree to a Chinese-brokered ceasefire (26:59); elections in Ivory Coast and Cameroon keep longtime incumbents in power (29:44); Nigeria’s mili...
2025-10-3154 minAmerican PrestigeAP x NonZero - Trump-Xi Truce, Gaza Ceasefire & Other Sketchy DealsThe greatest recurring crossover in the biz, between AP and NonZero Newsletter, returns. Subscribe now to AP and you'll also get the overtime segment as well as a discounted membership to Nonzero!
Part One Video
(0:00) Bob tries to lower American Prestige’s self-esteem
(3:07) The Trump-Xi trade talks
(6:44) Making sense of Trump’s nuclear saber-rattling
(10:34) Signs of a US-China vibe shift
(16:36) Is AI accelerating science?
(23:25) Bill Gates’s climate change of heart
(29:30) This week’s Gaza ceasefire death toll
(34:19) Overtime preview: Bob vs Danny on international l...
2025-10-3141 minAmerican PrestigeE222 - ICE and the Age of Grift w/ Alex AviñaSubscribe now to skip the ads and get much more content!
Alex Aviña is back on the podcast, this time to talk about the evolution of ICE and the U.S. security state. They discuss the convergence of the war on terror, the war on drugs, and the war on migrants; the transformation of the border into a domestic counterinsurgency project; ICE’s roots in settler colonialism; the role of whiteness and assimilation in immigration politics; the use of surveillance and drones in law enforcement; the privatization and grift at the core of Trumpism; the legacy of...
2025-10-281h 01American PrestigeBonus - The Forever War in Ukraine w/ Andrew Weiss (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our Sunday bonuses!
Danny and Derek welcome to the program Andrew Weiss, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin. They discuss the state of the war in Ukraine, the Biden and Trump administrations’ approaches, why U.S. support has faltered, the limits of American power, the moral contradictions of empire, the future of European security, and whether Vladimir Putin still thinks he can outlast everyone. Learn mo...
2025-10-2610 minAmerican PrestigeNews - Gaza Ceasefire Tenuous, US Strikes More “Drug Boats,” Saudi State VisitRest assured, no one on the AP team has any undeclared tattoos. In this week’s news roundup: In Israel-Palestine, Gaza’s so-called ceasefire holds after another weekend of Israeli strikes (1:36), the International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders Israel to allow more humanitarian aid (8:16), and reports emerge of a plan to partition Gaza (11:48) as J.D. Vance arrives in Israel and the Knesset advances West Bank annexation votes (14:21); Donald Trump looks set to host Mohammed bin Salman for the Saudi crown prince’s first U.S. visit since the Jamal Khashoggi murder (18:36); Afghanistan and Pakistan agree to a fragile ceasef...
2025-10-2455 minAmerican PrestigeE221 - The Myth of Free Speech w/ Fara DabhoiwalaSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes!
Danny and Derek speak with historian Fara Dabhoiwala, author of What Is Free Speech? The History of a Dangerous Idea, about the complex history of one of liberalism’s proudest ideals, and how it largely emerged from hypocrisy and self-interest. They trace its 18th-century birth in the polemics of corrupt British journalists, its exclusion of women and colonized peoples, the U.S. founders’ rejection of France’s more balanced model, and the later reappropriation of the slogan by abolitionists and reformers. The group also traces free s...
2025-10-211h 01American PrestigeBonus - The Insurrection Act, Trump, and the Crisis of Civil Authority w/ Joshua Braver (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our Sunday bonuses!
Danny and Derek speak with Joshua Braver, assistant professor of law at the University of Wisconsin, about Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act. They discuss the president’s power to federalize the National Guard, the Posse Comitatus Act, the limits of judicial deference, Trump’s schizophrenic relationship to the law, the weakness of the liberal legal establishment, why the Great Recession didn’t produce a New Deal moment, and what it means when the only thing left to restrain the executive is the e...
2025-10-1911 minAmerican PrestigeNews - Gaza Ceasefire, CIA in Venezuela, Madagascar Coup w/ Nathaniel PowellSubscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our content.
Lead might be in our protein supplements, but Danny and Derek bring you the news free of most heavy metals. This week: the ceasefire in Gaza begins with prisoner exchanges (1:38), but controversy arises over deceased captives (5:30), plus Israeli violations and Hamas clashes with armed factions (9:35), and a summit in Sharm El Sheikh (14:36); a United Nations report shows a record-breaking spike in atmospheric carbon levels and growing evidence that natural feedback loops are worsening climate collapse (17:14); border clashes escalate between Afghanistan and Pakistan following a failed...
2025-10-171h 05American PrestigeE220 - American Sociocide w/ Charles DerberSubscribe now to skip the ads and get more episodes.
Danny and Derek speak with sociologist Charles Derber about how American society is tearing itself apart, as explored in his book Bonfire: American Sociocide, Broken Relations, and the Quest for Democracy. They discuss the decline of civic trust, the rise of atomized “me” culture, the tech-driven Gilded Age, neoliberalism and loneliness, Silicon Valley’s alliance with the national security state, how a country built on expansion and individualism turned those forces inward, and what, if anything, can stop us from destroying the relationships that hold this society togeth...
2025-10-141h 27American PrestigeBonus - The Historical Columbus w/ Juan Ponce VázquezProducer's note: This is a re-posted episode originally from Columbus Day 2023.
Subscribe now to skip the ads and get access to more bonus episodes like this one.
Danny and Derek speak with Juan Ponce Vázquez, associate professor history at the University of Alabama, about Christopher Columbus. They explore his Genoese origins, his journeys to the Americas on behalf of the Crown of Castile, the geopolitical situation at the time, what we know about his contact with native peoples, how the modern holiday came to be. Learn more about your ad c...
2025-10-1355 minAmerican PrestigeBonus - Blowback: The Forgotten Cold War Front in Angola w/ Brendan James and Noah Kulwin (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode!
Danny and Derek welcome back Brendan James and Noah Kulwin, of the Blowback podcast, for a tour through their latest season, which takes the show to Angola. They discuss how Angola became one of the largest and least-remembered battlefields of the Cold War, Reagan’s return to proxy wars, Cuba’s decision to send troops without Soviet approval, South Africa’s “total onslaught” ideology, the Reagan era’s fanaticism, its echoes in today’s politics, and what happens when the U.S. exports its wars (and mythology) across continents. Learn mor...
2025-10-1213 minAmerican PrestigeNews - Venezuela-US Escalation, Myanmar Airstrike, France’s Political CrisisSubscribe now to skip the ads and get more content!
Yes, we will be releasing 25 subtle variations of this news roundup in order to catapult ourselves to the top of the podcast charts, and no, we are not sorry. This week: a ceasefire agreement was reached for Gaza, but there was too much information for us to cover in the news, so please check out our special here. Syria’s interim government handpicks a new “parliament” under tight presidential control (1:01); Iran debates moving its capital from Tehran as drought and other ecological issues worsen (3:24); Myanmar’s junta carries...
2025-10-1041 minAmerican PrestigeSpecial - Hamas Accepts the Ceasefire Deal (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all breaking new specials.
Danny and Derek break down the first stage of the ceasefire deal reached between the U.S., Hamas, and Israel. They talk about the phased releases, Israel’s partial withdrawal, and the question of whether Marwan Barghouti will be freed. They also discuss Trump’s role in pushing the agreement, Gaza’s future under “reconstruction,” Netanyahu’s political calculus, and the shifting U.S. political landscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-10-0905 minAmerican PrestigeLAST CALL: Vote for American Prestige in the 2025 Signal Awards!Greetings Everyone,
There's just one more day to vote for American Prestige in the 2025 Signal Awards for best News & Politics program (viewer's choice). If you can take a second, please go there now and do so! Jon Stewart is gaining on us!
You'll have to confirm the vote via your email, but we promise it's a quick and easy process. It'd be great to show the fat cats what's what!
Again, voting is open through tomorrow, Thursday, October 9, and that's it! Thank you as always for your support. Learn...
2025-10-0800 minAmerican PrestigeE219 - How The Simpsons Reshaped American Comedy w/ Alan SiegelSubscribe now to skip the ads and get much more content.
Don’t forget to vote for AP in the 2025 Signal Awards!
In a break from the (overtly) political, Derek and Danny are joined by The Ringer’s Alan Siegel to talk about his new book Stupid TV: Be More Funny, a cultural history of The Simpsons and how it changed American comedy. They discuss how a bunch of Harvard Lampoon alumni turned the show into art, the role of Fox and Rupert Murdoch in promoting a show that mocked them both, how Bart Simpson once...
2025-10-0757 minAmerican PrestigeSpecial - The Gaza Negotiations w/ Sami Al-Arian (Preview)Derek speaks with Sami Al-Arian, Public Affairs Professor and Director of the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Zaim University, about the forthcoming Gaza talks and the prospects for a ceasefire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-10-0626 minAmerican PrestigeBonus - The Death of the Iran Deal w/ Esfandyar Batmanghelidj (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode.
Don’t forget to vote for AP in the 2025 Signal Awards!
Derek welcomes back to the show Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation and professor at Johns Hopkins, to talk through the slow demise of the Iran nuclear deal. They delve into Europe’s decision to trigger the UN “snapback” mechanism, factors that lead to this moment, from Trump’s withdrawal and Biden’s hesitation to Europe’s impatience and Iran’s deepening ties with Russia and China, the effects of sanctions being imposed without diplomacy, and why the JCPOA’s...
2025-10-0510 minAmerican PrestigeSpecial - The Gaza Ceasefire w/ Mohammad Alsaafin and Dalia HatuqaSubscribe now for the full episode!
Vote for us in the 2025 Signal Awards!
Danny and Derek update everyone on what we know about the Gaza ceasefire that Hamas just accepted and where things go from here. Then, for subscribers, they speak with Mohammad Alsaafin, journalist at AJ+, and Dalia Hatuqa, a journalist specializing in Israeli/Palestinian affairs and regional Middle East issues, to unpack the finer details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-10-0513 minAmerican PrestigeNews - Trump’s Gaza “Peace Plan,” UN Reimposes Sanctions on Iran, "Gen Z Protests" in Madagascar and MoroccoSubscribe now to skip the ads and get more content.
Don’t forget to vote for AP in the 2025 Signal Awards!
Danny is back on American soil and joins Derek to bring you the news. This week: Trump circulates a Gaza ceasefire proposal with Hamas’ response pending (2:39), Israel issues its final evacuation notice for Gaza City (9:30), and the Samud flotilla is intercepted (11:04); Trump forces Netanyahu to apologize to Qatar while also giving Doha a NATO-style defense pledge (14:06); the UN reimposes sanctions on Iran (16:55); Trump pushes to retake Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan as the country brie...
2025-10-0350 minAmerican PrestigeE218 - How The Internet Broke America w/ Garrett GraffSubscribe now to skip the ads and get more content.
Don't forget to vote for American Prestige in the Signal Awards!
Danny welcomes to the show journalist and historian Garrett Graff, host of the podcast Long Shadow. They talk about the show’s latest season on the internet, tracing how its promise of democratization and liberation devolved into an engine of polarization and conspiracies. Topics include: Facebook’s cynical algorithmic choices, Watergate’s enduring influence on American political culture, the economic wreckage of deindustrialization and deregulation, the rise of Trumpism as a “burn it down” vote, and...
2025-09-3041 minAmerican PrestigeBonus - Dead End Democrats w/ Ross Barkan (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode!
Vote for American Prestige in the Signal Awards!
Danny and Derek talk with writer Ross Barkan about his new essay collection Fascism or Genocide. They get into the “uncommitted” revolt during the 2024 primary and what that says about the Democratic Party’s failures, the decline of party elites from the Hillary coronation in 2016 to Biden’s cognitive decline, generational change inside the party like Zoran Mamdani, Democrats resistance to their own base, Trump’s enduring but limited appeal, the failures of “woke” politics to build lasting institutions, and the need for a fut...
2025-09-2810 minAmerican PrestigeBonus - The U.S. Military vs. the Environment w/ Gretchen HeefnerSubscribe now to skip the ads and get more content.
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No news today because Derek needs a break!
Danny and Derek speak with historian Gretchen Heefner about how the U.S. military (unsuccessfully) set out to conquer extreme environments and what those efforts reveal about empire, climate, and power. They discuss the U.S. Army training for a desert war that turned out to be mud, the Pentagon’s disastrous attempts to master Greenland’s ice, early blueprints for building on the moon, efforts to gath...
2025-09-2655 minAmerican PrestigeE217 - A New History of the Americas, Pt. 2 w/ Greg GrandinSubscribe now to get skip the ads and get more content!
Danny and Derek once again speak with historian Greg Grandin about his recent book, America, América: A New History of the New World. In this second part of the conversation, they follow US–Latin American relations from the American Civil War through the present. The discussion covers the Spanish-American War of 1898 and the contradictions of U.S. expansion cloaked in the language of human rights, the Mexican Revolution as a defining challenge to US power, Woodrow Wilson’s and FDR’s occupations and the Good Neighbo...
2025-09-231h 10American PrestigeBonus - Maduro, Trump, and Washington’s Narco-Terrorism Fixation w/ Alex Aviña and Gabriel Hetland (Preview)Derek welcomes back Gabriel Hetland, associate professor at the University at Albany, and Alex Aviña, associate professor at Arizona State University, to talk about America’s latest moves against Venezuela. They discuss the long US campaign to topple Nicolás Maduro, Washington’s resurrection of the “narco-terrorism” label, the oil politics behind US incoherence in the region, Maduro’s domestic maneuvering, and how Trump’s recent assertions of dominance risk sparking a wider regional crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-09-2110 minAmerican PrestigeNews - Gaza City Ground Invasion, US War on “Narco-Terror” in the Caribbean, Russia Sanctions StandoffSubscribe now to skip the ads and get more content!
Derek is joined once again by guest co-host Alex Jordan to bring you the news. This week: in Israel-Palestine, Israel commences its ground operation in Gaza City (1:50), a UN commission rules that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza (8:14), and Netanyahu touts a “Sparta” model for Israel while Smotrich talks Gaza real estate (9:39); fallout from Israel’s strike in Qatar continues (15:04); nuclear talks between Iran and European nations make little progress (20:39); India’s Maoist rebels suspend their insurgency (23:28); Nepal elects a new interim prime minister via Discord (25:52); the US and C...
2025-09-191h 06American PrestigeE216 - A New History of the Americas, Pt. 1 w/ Greg GrandinDanny and Derek welcome back historian Greg Grandin to talk about his recent book, America, América: A New History of the New World. In this first part of the discussion, they explore how the Spanish conquest produced unprecedented violence while also starting discussions about human rights, the role of Bartolomé de las Casas and the Salamanca School, how English settlers dealt with their own brutality, and the emergence of social democracy in Latin America. They also discuss the Monroe Doctrine, the Panama Congress, and the Mexican-American War as early flashpoints in US–Latin American relations. Le...
2025-09-161h 08American PrestigeIntroducing Fiasco: Benghazi — The DictatorHere’s a preview from a podcast you might enjoy, Fiasco:
Slow Burn co-creator Leon Neyfakh transports listeners into the reality of America’s most pivotal historical events, bringing life to the forgotten twists and turns of the past while shedding light on the present. In his new season, Leon looks at the 2012 Benghazi attack that left four Americans dead—and the ensuing political storm, which raised questions about America’s role in the world, established a playbook to weaponize attention in the social media age, and ultimately changed the course of U.S. history. Find Fiasco: Benghazi...
2025-09-1549 minAmerican PrestigeBonus - Gulf Politics after the Doha Strike w/ Giorgio Cafiero and Annelle Sheline (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode!
Derek is joined by Giorgio Cafiero of Gulf State Analytics and Annelle Sheline of the Quincy Institute to take a closer look at Israel’s bombing of Doha, Qatar, this week. They discuss how the strike undermines Qatar’s role as mediator in Israel-Hamas negotiations, US complicity, and why Gulf leaders now view Israel, not Iran, as the region’s chief destabilizer. They further explore Qatar’s hosting of Hamas at America’s request, the GCC’s tenuous unity in the face of Israeli aggression, the domestic politics driving Netanyahu, and the risks of...
2025-09-1410 minAmerican PrestigeNews - Israel Bombs Qatar, Nepal Protests, Russian Drones Enter Polish AirspaceSubscribe now to skip the ads and get more content!
While Danny remains in talks with Russia, Alex Jordan again helps Derek bring you the headlines. This week: Israel targets Hamas negotiators in a Doha strike (3:30), effectively ending ceasefire talks (8:43); the IDF orders the evacuation of Gaza City (13:11) while reports emerge that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation hired an anti-Islam biker gang for “security” (15:42); in Russia-Ukraine, Russian drones entered Polish airspace, prompting an Article 4 NATO meeting (18:36); Iran and the IAEA announce a tentative deal to resume inspections (22:41); Nepal sees mass protests over a social media ban, leading to the...
2025-09-121h 12American PrestigeWelcome to the Crusades, Episode 3: Baghdad and Cairo, 1096Danny and Derek recently reunited with Eleanor Janega and Luke Waters of We’re Not So Different for a special mailbag episode of their cross-pod collaboration, Welcome to the Crusades: The First Crusade. We have already posted Episode 1 and Episode 2 in the feed, so we figured we’d give everyone the third episode to further entice you to dig into this miniseries. Enjoy!
We leave the Crusaders behind temporarily to grapple with conditions in the Near East of the late 11th century. We’ll discuss the emergence and disintegration of the Great Seljuk Empire in Baghdad as well as the rise of th...
2025-09-101h 18American PrestigeSpecial - Israel Bombs Qatar (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our breaking news specials.
Grab the last couple of Robo Washington posters from our store!
Danny and Derek break down Israel’s strike on Doha, which targeted a meeting of Hamas’s political leadership. They discuss the possibility of US complicity in the attack, its impact on negotiations, and what it means for Gaza and for what remains of US credibility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-09-0903 minAmerican PrestigeE215 - From The Gilded Age to American Decline w/ Morgan SpectorSubscribe now to skip the ads and get much more content!
Danny and Derek welcome actor Morgan Spector (The Gilded Age, The Plot Against America) to the show for a conversation on politics, Hollywood, and capitalism. They trace his political development from the Iraq War and Obama era to Bernie Sanders and democratic socialism, discuss his documentary The Big Scary “S” Word, and reflect on how Hollywood politics skew liberal but not radical (particularly when it comes to Palestine). They also explore Spector’s role as a Gilded Age robber baron, how today’s tech oligarchs compare with the...
2025-09-091h 22American PrestigeBonus - Language, Genocide, and American Power w/ Shadi HamidSubscribe now to enjoy all of our Sunday bonus episodes.
Danny and Derek welcome Washington Post columnist and Wisdom of Crowds co-host Shadi Hamid to the show to discuss the shift in rhetoric and framing around the genocide in Gaza. Shadi explains why he hesitated to use the word “genocide” until this year, reflects on reactions to his Washington Post piece, and explores with Danny and Derek how language shapes mainstream debate. They further discuss the future of the Democratic Party, the absence of left institutions, and whether shifting the discourse can translate into policy given the curr...
2025-09-0758 minAmerican PrestigeNews - AI and Drone Warfare in Ukraine, “Trump Riviera” Gaza Plan, US Bombs Venezuelan BoatSubscribe now to skip the ads, get more content, and generally support us!
Danny is in talks with the Kremlin to unfreeze his accounts, so Derek is joined instead by the Quincy Institute’s Alex Jordan to bring you the news. This week: a new study warns that the Atlantic circulation system could collapse (2:32); Ukraine introduces AI-driven drone swarms, raising the prospect of autonomous killing machines (5:55); in Israel-Palestine, Israel declares Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone” (9:45), The Washington Post details the “Trump Riviera” plan (13:50), more European states move toward recognizing a Palestinian state (18:20), and Israel appears to be buildin...
2025-09-051h 06
Unf*cking The RepublicPhone a Friend: Daniel Bessner + Derek Davison of the American Prestige Podcast.Our inaugural edition of Phone a Friend, where we interview luminaries in different fields, features Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison from the American Prestige podcast. The pair answer some easy questions on lighthearted topics like Israel/Palestine, the war in Ukraine, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and whether the United States even has a foreign policy anymore. Chapters Intro: 00:00:43 Israel/Palestine: 00:07:25 U.S. Relations with China: 00:16:51 Russia/Ukraine: 00:28:07 U.S. Foreign Policy: 00:39:16 Lightning Round: 00:44:37 Outro: 00:48:23 Resources ...
2022-06-2049 min
Foreign Exchanges: the PodcastThe Institutions Behind US Foreign Policy, with Daniel BessnerUniversity of Washington professor, Quincy Institute fellow, and (above all) Foreign Exchanges columnist Daniel Bessner joins me for a chat about his first two FX pieces, the development of US foreign policy and the foreign policy establishment in DC, and some of the structural obstacles to overhauling that foreign policy for leftists.There are lots of links for this one:* Daniel’s first two FX pieces are here and here* You can read his piece on the Military-Intellectual Complex at The New Republic* The Center for International Policy’s new study on t...
2020-10-161h 06
Foreign Exchanges: the PodcastThe Dollar's Role in American Empire, with David Adler and Daniel Bessner (PODCAST 2-04-2020)David Adler of the Democracy in Europe Movement and the University of Washington’s Daniel Bessner join me to discuss the US dollar’s global influence and how that it with the more overtly military aspects of Empire USA. Their recent The New Republic piece is called “To End Forever War, End the Dollar’s Global Dominance.” Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe
2020-02-0458 min