American Prestige

American Prestige

A podcast from Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison that provides listeners with everything they need to know about what’s going on in the world. americanprestige.supportingcast.fm

Episodes

February 10, 2026 57 mins
Subscribe 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 ...
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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...
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Subscribe now to skip the ads and hear all of our episodes! Join the Discord (subscribers get more channels). 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 “sl...
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Subscribe 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, ...
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Derek 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. ...
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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 a...
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Subscribe 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 ...
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Subscribe 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, leverag...
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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 revea...
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The 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...
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Subscribe 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 h...
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Subscribe 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 photograp...
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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 dest...
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Subscribe 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-Zubai...
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Subscribe 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, C...
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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 catast...
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Subscribe 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 Sou...
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Originally 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 in...
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Subscribe 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 i...
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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 ...
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