Podcast
American Prestige
Hosted by Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison · EN
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
77episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Bonus - Military Masculinity w/ Jasper Craven (Preview)
2d ago00:11:05Tap to summarizeDanny and Derek speak with Jasper Craven, a reporter covering the military and veterans' issues, about masculinity and the military. They talk about Trump’s time in military school, how his relationship with masculinity has affected his approach to business and politics, Pete Hegseth and his military identity, soldiers’ “honor codes” and subverting the rules, how notions of masculinity change between Trump and Hegseth’s generations, Graham Platner and how his military service affected him, the emergence of the “warrior ethos,” how the liberal left’s denunciations of Platner relate to the military, and the White House UFC fight. Be sure to grab a copy of Jasper’s book God Forgives, Brothers Don't: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →News - U.S.-Iran MoU Takes Effect, West Bank Settlement Expansion, Fujimori Leads Peru Election Count
5d ago00:50:56Tap to summarizeSubscribe now for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek are in backchannel talks with the reflecting pool algae. In this week’s news: the United States and Iran sign a Memorandum of Understanding (1:26), which addresses sanctions, the Strait of Hormuz, reconstruction, sovereignty, and the nuclear program (6:46); Israel continues its attacks on and occupation of Lebanon despite the MoU dictating otherwise (26:12); Gaza is excluded from the MoU (30:25) as West Bank annexation continues (31:46); in Sudan, RSF forces appear to be preparing for a major battle (34:27); in Ukraine, Russia makes advances (35:58) while Crimea is hit hard (37:26); the G7 is relatively uneventful, but does express support for Ukraine (39:24); the U.S. announces plans for a military drawdown in Europe (41:21); in Peru, Keiko Fujimori leads the vote count in the presidential election (42:57); and a UNAIDS report shows the dire effect of DOGE cuts (44:37). A reminder: we are changing our release schedule! The bonus will now drop on Monday, the public feed interview on Wednesday, and the news will remain on Friday. Check out our episode with Caitlin Tulloch on the fallout from ending USAID. Join the Discord. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →E253 - Human Prehistory and How Societies Rise and Fall w/ Patrick Wyman
1w ago01:11:53Tap to summarizeSubscribe now for all episodes and no ads. Historian Patrick Wyman returns to the show to talk about the deep history of human societies and how they can inform the current moment. The group discusses new ways of studying prehistory, the origins of agriculture, climate adaptation, the Clovis people, the long Neolithic, early farming societies, states and security, the Bronze Age collapse, and more. Listen to Patrick’s Past Lives podcast. And grab a copy of his new book Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World. Don’t forget the AP livestream, this Wednesday at 8pm ET on our YouTube channel. Join our Discord! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Special - The Iran Ceasefire (June 2026) (Preview)
1w ago00:03:35Tap to summarizeSubscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek give us the latest on today’s ceasefire deal. Note: Iran has since confirmed the deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Bonus - The World Cup in 2026 America w/ David Roth and Tom Ley
1w ago00:08:25Tap to summarizeSubscribe now for the full episode David Roth and Tom Ley of Defector join the program for a discussion on the World Cup and the politics around the tournament. They get into FIFA corruption; Trump’s FIFA Peace Prize; the administration’s petty moves like denying a Somali referee entry to the U.S. and similar restrictions on Iran’s team; sportswashing; the burden on host cities; the growth of soccer in the United States; the explosion of youth sports as an industry; and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →News - U.S. and Iran Exchange Fire, Pentagon Raises Israeli Spy Threat, Jihadist-Rebel Alliance Pressures Mali
2w ago00:45:48Tap to summarizeSubscribe now for the ad-free experience. The World Cup is upon us, so Danny and Derek are showering visiting players with crocheted NATO flags. In this week’s news: Israel and Iran exchange fire (0:59), with Netanyahu possibly defying Trump (3:16); Iran and the U.S. also trade blows as the ceasefire comes into question (6:11); the IDF is preparing a new Gaza offensive (14:56); Afghanistan and Pakistan engage in more border clashes (17:11); Mali’s junta is pressured by a jihadist-rebel alliance (18:36); Ukraine uses a new cruise missile, targeting infrastructure in and around Crimea (21:50); Germany kills Europe’s Future Combat Air System program (24:40); Bolivia’s anti-austerity protests approach a turning point (27:25); Armenia elects Pashinyan’s party and Peru sees a tight presidential runoff count (29:03); the U.S. considers buying the Chagos Islands (33:19); Trump threatens the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal (36:27); the American president also looks to downsize the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (37:53); and the Pentagon raises its Israel counterintelligence threat level (40:26). Note: After recording, Trump backed out of further Iran strikes. Don’t forget to join our Discord. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →E252 - Hondurasgate and U.S. Power in Latin America w/ José Luis Granados Ceja
2w ago01:09:18Tap to summarizeSubscribe now for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek welcome to the show José Luis Granados Ceja, head of the Latin America desk at DropSite News, for a conversation about the Hondurasgate scandal and U.S. policy in Latin America. They talk about the leaked audio files of the scandal, Juan Orlando Hernandez’s pardon, Marco Rubio’s influence, Cuba, Israel’s role in the region, Honduras’s place in U.S. empire, the Latin American right, and more. Read José’s piece “Hondurasgate: Key Leaked Audio Files, Revealing U.S. Intervention in Honduras, Found Authentic "With Moderate Confidence." Don't forget about our weekly livestreams over on our YouTube channel, every Wednesday at 8pm ET. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Special - Iran Retaliates as Israel Escalates in Lebanon (Preview)
2w ago00:03:33Tap to summarizeSubscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek talk about Iran’s strike on Israel and the risk of a wider regional war, covering Israel’s bombing of Beirut, Iran’s retaliation, Trump’s effort to prevent Israeli escalation, the U.S.-Iran negotiations, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Bonus - Political Capitalism and Trumpism w/ Dylan John Riley (Preview)
2w ago00:10:39Tap to summarizeSubscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek welcome to the podcast sociologist Dylan Riley for a conversation about political capitalism, Trumpism, and the crisis of American capitalism. They talk about debates over the falling rate of profit and the long downturn; what shapes the capitalist crisis; the rise of asset price inflation, monopolization, and financialization; whether AI and data center investment represent a new bubble; corruption in the second Trump administration and how it fits into political capitalism; and more. Read Dylan’s piece co-authored with Robert Brenner in New Left Review, “The Long Downturn and Its Political Results.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →News - U.S.-Iran Escalation, Israel Expands Lebanon Campaign, CIA Feuds With Intelligence Chief w/ Kate Mackenzie and Tim Sahay
3w ago01:07:44Tap to summarizeSubscribe now for an ad-free experience. There’s too much Knickerbocker news to fit here, but we do have other stories to report. This week: Iran and the U.S. exchange fire in the Gulf (2:00), plus peace talks stall after Trump adds new demands (4:29); Israel escalates its Lebanon campaign despite ceasefire talks (08:33); Cambodia takes a Thailand maritime dispute to the UN (15:19); in Sudan, tribal clashes kill dozens in South Darfur (17:38); Ukraine strikes St. Petersburg during the city’s International Economic Forum (20:13); Germany loses a UN Security Council vote (21:54); Colombia’s first-round election results see the right gain momentum (24:04); U.S. sanctions hit Cuba-linked hotels (26:36); and Tulsi Gabbard resigns as the DNI faces a CIA feud (29:11). Then, Kate Mackenzie and Tim Sahay , co-editors of The Polycrisis, join the show to explain how the climate crisis, Chinese clean-tech, U.S. policy, and the Iran war are accelerating a global shift away from fossil fuels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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