American Prestige

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more episodes. Danny and Derek welcome back to the show historian Udi Greenberg to talk about Israeli public opinion, politics, and its strategy vis-à-vis the war with Iran. They discuss the overwhelming public support for military operations, the underlying strategic consensus across Israeli politics prioritizing military dominance over negotiation, the absence of meaningful debate over a two-state solution or Palestinian sovereignty, the stability of Israeli domestic political divisions despite the war, how media and military messaging shapes public perception, and the relationship between Israeli strategy and continued U.S. support. Don't forget to mark your calendars for our series Marx Prestige, coming March 31. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coming March 31: Marx Prestige, a series where Danny and historian Andrew Hartman discuss how Karl Marx and how the philosophy and politics he created shaped and reshaped the United States. Annual subscribers will get free access, so be on the lookout for an email with instructions! Be sure to check out Andrew's book ⁠Karl Marx in America⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek speak with Sam Biddle of The Intercept about the role of AI in modern warfare, including the current Iran conflict. They talk about Palantir's Maven system, LLMs in target selection, the use of Claude in airstrike planning, the integration of drone, satellite, and intelligence data, the acceleration of targeting and strike decisions, large-scale target lists, risks from outdated or misinterpreted intelligence, the limits of human review in the kill chain, and the absence of meaningful guardrails on this technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our specials. Danny and Derek give an update on the conflict in Iran. They talk about the overall state of the war, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, casualty figures across multiple countries, the prospect of a ground invasion, the state of Iran's leadership, the strike on South Pars and its effects on Gulf energy infrastructure, Iran's attacks on Israel, Israeli public support for the war, and polling on American support for the intervention. Watch our video exclusive with Samuel Moyn about Jürgen Habermas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Derek wore his Fitbit to a CIA black site, both exposing the security state and meeting his daily step goal. This week's news: in the Iran war, Israel assassinates Ali Larijani and other senior Iranian officials (1:15), U.S. allies refuse Trump's demand that they help reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force (5:41), and the Pentagon seeks roughly $200 billion for the war (8:32) as it considers new deployments to the region (13:27); in southern Lebanon, the IDF begins its ground invasion (14:41); Israel continues killing people in Gaza during the supposed ceasefire while Rafah reopens for medical evacuations after pressure from Hamas (17:31); Afghanistan and Pakistan agree to a five-day Eid ceasefire (21:30) as the two countries dispute the circumstances Pakistani airstrike in Kabul (22:57); Trump postpones his planned trip to China as the Iran war consumes Washington's attention (25:22); in Sudan, the RSF retakes the strategic town of Bara (27:39); the Trump administration reportedly threatens to cut PEPFAR and other health aid to Zambia unless it gets favorable mineral concessions (29:37); Russia increases its support for Tehran with drone tactics, technology, and possible intelligence sharing (33:45); the United States reopens its embassy in Venezuela as normalization moves ahead (37:11), plus Delcy Rodríguez replaces Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino with intelligence chief Gustavo González López (38:21); and Trump pressures Cuba's leadership amid a grid collapse and reports of U.S. talks about political change (40:24).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to get all of our special episodes and skip the ads. Danny and Derek welcome back to the show Annelle Sheline to discuss the impact of the US–Israel war on Iran on the Gulf states. They talk about how the conflict developed and why Gulf governments anticipated Iranian retaliation, the limits of US security guarantees, the risks to energy and desalination infrastructure, the vulnerability of the Gulf's economic model relying on stability and foreign investment, and the potential postwar regional order if Iran survives weakened but intact. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes! Writer and former U.S. Army intelligence officer Harrison Mann joins the show to talk about the U.S–Iran war and what a ground invasion could actually look like. They discuss Harrison's resignation from the Defense Intelligence Agency over U.S. support for the Gaza genocide, his assessment of the first weeks of the conflict with Iran, internal divisions within the military and intelligence community, and the risks of shifting the rules of engagement and permissive attitudes toward civilian casualties. They then explore potential ground invasion scenarios, including special raids on nuclear facilities, the proposal to seize Kharg Island, the feasibility of occupying territory along the Strait of Hormuz, and the broader trajectory of the conflict. Read Harrison's piece “I Was a US Intelligence Analyst. Here's What a Ground Invasion of Iran Could Look Like.” Sign Win Without War's petition to Congress against spending more taxpayer dollars on the Iran war via an upcoming supplemental funding bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our specials. Danny and Derek discuss the latest developments in the war in Iran, including the U.S. bombing military targets on Kharg Island; Iran's retaliation in the UAE and strategy around the Strait of Hormuz; the status of Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei after reportedly sustaining wounds; Israel's possible plan to occupy southern Lebanon and reports of interceptor shortages; China's muted response to the war; and the U.S. deploying Marines to the region. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode and all of our bonus content. Danny and Derek welcome to the podcast political scientist Robert Pape to talk about the theory and history of air power. They discuss how ideas of air superiority shaped modern military doctrine and the belief that air power alone can coerce or topple regimes. They then focus on the war with Iran, including the U.S. strategy falling into the “smart bomb trap,” Iran's strategy of horizontal escalation, the use of precision drones, the risks surrounding dispersed nuclear material, and the potential economic and geopolitical shocks as the conflict expands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to get access to all of our special episodes. Danny and Derek speak with Spencer Ackerman, writer of ⁠Forever Wars⁠ newsletter and author of ⁠Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America⁠ about the war in Iran, how it emerges from recent history, its military aspects, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our breaking news specials. We're putting out, what, an episode a day at this point? But the news roundup must go on. This week: In the Iran war, casualty and displacement figures rise across Iran and Lebanon (1:20), Iran mines and threatens to close the Strait of Hormuz (4:31), Iranian officials threaten to expand the war by targeting financial institutions across the Gulf (7:47), and new supreme leader Mustafa Khomeini delivers his first address (10:27); in Gaza, aid shortages deepen as food supplies run low (16:01); escalating drone warfare hits markets, towns, and civilian targets in Sudan (17:19); in Mali, the U.S. moves to restore counterterrorism cooperation and reconnaissance flights with the ruling junta (22:20); new warnings of conflict emerge in Ethiopia's Tigray region (24:51); Nepal's Rastriya Swatantra Party secures a landslide victory in the latest elections (28:26); in Ukraine, the UN accuses Russia of committing a crime against humanity through the forced transfer of Ukrainian children (30:07); far-right politician José Antonio Kast takes office as president of Chile following the end of Gabriel Boric's term (31:31); in Haiti, human rights groups warn about civilian harm from an expanding drone campaign targeting gangs in Port-au-Prince (34:05); and in these United States, investigations into the Minab elementary school strike raise questions about the use of AI-assisted targeting in U.S. military operations (35:41), plus Donald Trump hosts the first “Shield of the Americas” summit at his Doral resort (39:44). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny and Derek speak with Spencer Ackerman, writer of ⁠Forever Wars⁠ newsletter and author of ⁠Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America⁠ about the war in Iran, how it emerges from recent history, its military aspects, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to get all of our breaking news specials. Derek welcomes back legal scholar Maryam Jamshidi to discuss the legal aspect of the U.S.–Israel war on Iran. They talk about the administration's shifting legal justifications, why the administration's claims about Iranian threats and nuclear weapons fail under international law, the legal limits of self-defense, how the conflict fits within the laws of war, and the broader humanitarian and political consequences of the war for Iranian civilians and the country's future.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our breaking news specials. Danny and Derek give an update on the war in Iran and the region. They discuss Israeli strikes on fuel depots outside Tehran and the growing civilian toll, the pace of Iranian missile and drone retaliation against Israel, the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new supreme leader, and the regional expansion of the conflict including ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Note: After the time of recording, ⁠CNN confirmed⁠ that Iran is placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Danny and Derek speak with historian Alfred McCoy about how the Cold War operated as a global conflict influenced by decolonization, covert action, and geopolitical strategy. They discuss the role of individual intelligence operatives as “men on the spot”; Cold War rivalry and the collapse of European empires; how conflicts across Asia, Africa, and Latin America produced much of the war's violence; the development of U.S. containment strategy and covert action institutions; and Iran as flashpoint in Cold War and post-Cold War geopolitics, and how Alfred interprets these conflicts through a lens of imperial decline and strategic chokepoints like the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz. Buy Alfred's book Cold War on Five Continents! Reading recommendation: The Cold War's Killing Fields: Rethinking the Long Peace by Paul Thomas Chamberlin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek welcome back historian Djene Bajalan to talk about the Iran War and whether the U.S. and Israel are attempting to destabilize the Iranian state by opening a Kurdish front. They discuss debates over Israeli strategy being aimed at regime collapse, whether the United States and Israel are pursuing different objectives in the conflict, and the strategy behind attempts to destabilize Iran through peripheral pressure. They also get into reporting about a potential Kurdish front, including the roles of Iraqi Kurdish authorities, Iranian Kurdish militias in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the limits of Kurdish military capacity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now⁠ to skip the ads and get all of our breaking news specials.  Derek welcomes back Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder and CEO of the Bourse and Bazaar Foundation and professor at Johns Hopkins University, to discuss the economic consequences of the Iran war and its implications for the Gulf and the global economy. They discuss Iran's strikes on Gulf infrastructure, disruptions to shipping and energy routes through the Strait of Hormuz, risks to logistics hubs like Dubai and Doha, rising oil prices, the vulnerability of global supply chains, and the potential long-term economic impact of the conflict on the Gulf. Read Esfandyar's article in Foreign Policy, “The Iran War Is Jeopardizing the Entire Global Economy.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for access to all of our breaking news specials. Danny and Derek discuss the escalating war with Iran, including the expanding U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign, the reported U.S. strike on an Iranian school, America sinking the Iranian ship IRIS Dena, Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting oil shock, Israel's attacks in Lebanon, and the Trump administration's demand for Iran's unconditional surrender as the conflict shows signs of lasting for months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We don't have whatever they were giving JFK to power through the Cuban Missile Crisis, but we're keeping up here. This week's news: in the Iran War, the U.S. prepares to use Kurdish proxy forces against the Islamic Republic (1:26) while offering shifting timelines and contradictory explanations for the war (6:32), plus Iran searches for a new supreme leader (11:54); Hezbollah launches rockets into Israel after months of being bombarded, so Israel escalates its strikes across Lebanon (16:24); Afghanistan and Pakistan exchange airstrikes and artillery fire as fighting along their border displaces tens of thousands (19:26); Turkey considers reentering the F-35 program as part of new energy negotiations with the U.S. (22:56); Nepal holds a major election following last year's protests (26:40); fighting intensifies in Sudan's Kordofan and Blue Nile regions (28:05); M23 launches drone strikes deeper into the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the United States sanctions Rwandan military officials (31:56); a Russian LNG tanker is sunk in the Mediterranean amid suspicions of Ukrainian involvement (34:40); France proposes expanding its nuclear umbrella over Europe (38:01); the U.S. launches a new military operation targeting drug cartels in Ecuador (40:20); Congress strikes down legislation that would halt the Iran war (41:46); and the Trump administration moves ahead with new global tariffs while the courts order billions in refunds for the last batch that were struck down (44:41). Grab a copy of Danny and Michael Brenes' edited volume Cold War Liberalism: Power in a Time of Emergency. Use the discount code BESSNER26. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The greatest crossover in the Lower 48 between AP and⁠ ⁠NonZero Newsletter⁠⁠ is back! And subscribe to AP to also get a discounted membership to NonZero for heaven's sake. Part One Video  0:00 Teaser 1:50 Marco Rubio's Israel faux pas 05:00 What are Trump's new goalposts? 11:55 The regime after Khamenei 16:08 Can a regime be changed by air strikes alone? 22:21 Will Turkey be drawn in? 26:50 The logic of Iran's response 33:04 The pathetic European (and Canadian) response 36:30 Heading into Overtime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now⁠ to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Danny and Derek are back with a two-part episode on the war with Iran. First, they speak with ⁠Trita Parsi⁠ of the Quincy Institute about the Trump administration's decision to go to war, the belief that assassinating Ayatollah Khamenei would cause the regime to implode, the structure and failure of pre-war negotiations, the influence of Israeli officials and hawks, the potential for sending in ground troops, and the impact on Iranian society. They then speak with ⁠Akbar Shahid Ahmed⁠, Senior Diplomatic Correspondent at HuffPost, about the erosion of rules of engagement, the alignment of U.S. and Israeli military strategy, congressional inaction, compliant allies, and whether any realistic off-ramps remain. Read Akbar's piece ⁠“Trump Says He Brought 'Justice' To Iran. His War Boosts Fears The U.S. Has Gone Rogue.”⁠ Keep up with Quincy's work at ⁠Responsible Statecraft⁠ and ⁠Always at War⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to hear the full episode and all of our breaking news specials. Danny and Derek give an update on the escalating regional conflict. They discuss the reported downing of three American F-15s over Kuwait, Israeli and U.S. operations inside Iran and Tehran's missile retaliation, Hezbollah's rocket fire and Israel's strikes in Lebanon, attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump's shifting timeline and openness to ground troops, and the regional and domestic political fallout of the war so far. Note: Iran denies that they attacked Saudi oilfields. Recorded early mid afternoon, March 2, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our breaking news specials. Danny and Derek welcome back to the show Séamus Malekafzali to talk about the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's temporary leadership council and uncertainty around succession, continued U.S.–Israeli escalation and Iranian counterstrikes, the absence of a coherent American endgame beyond capitulation and regime change, and Israel's use of the war to intensify restrictions and violence in Gaza and the West Bank. Recorded early Sunday afternoon, March 1, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek discuss the U.S. and Israeli bombing of Iran today, the goal of regime change, mass civilian casualties including a strike on a girls' elementary school, Iran's retaliation and threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, the status of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the risk of a widening regional war. Recorded midday, Saturday, February 28, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Warner Brothers shamefully won't consider Danny and Derek's aggressive offer. In this week's news: U.S.-Iran nuclear talks resume in Geneva amid reports that the White House is weighing strike options (0:54), plus Trump claims in his State of the Union that Iran is building nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (9:58); on the fourth anniversary of the Ukraine invasion, the EU fails to advance new Russia sanctions and a Ukraine loan package due to Hungarian interference (12:28); fighting again intensifies in the eastern DRC (15:53); Mexican authorities kill alleged cartel leader El Mencho, triggering widespread violence (18:49); the Committee to Protect Journalists reports a record number of media workers killed in 2025, mostly killed by Israel (22:07); the UAE backs construction of Israeli-controlled camps in Rafah (23:25); the U.S. extends consular services to West Bank settlements (25:34); the so-called Islamic State declares a “new phase” of operations in Syria (27:37); Pakistan launches cross-border strikes into Afghanistan amid renewed tensions (29:16); the RSF massacres civilians in North Darfur (31:44); a diplomatic spat erupts between Washington and Paris over rhetoric on left-wing violence (33:22); Cuba faces a firefight off its coast and limited U.S. easing of fuel restrictions for private firms (35:44); Trump proposes sending a hospital ship to Greenland (38:51); and the Supreme Court overturns Trump's tariffs as the administration moves to reimpose duties via alternative means (41:14). Grab a copy of Danny and Michael Brenes' edited volume Cold War Liberalism: Power in a Time of Emergency. Use the discount code BESSNER26. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Derek and Danny are joined by Dalia Dassa Kaye to talk about the decades-long hostility between the U.S. and Iran and the current escalation between the two countries. They talk about the odds of war and the absence of clear objectives; talk of “regime change”; the legacy of the hostage crisis and the Iran-Contra hangover; the domestic incentives that make diplomacy “too costly”; the post-9/11 opportunity to mend relations and how it collapsed after the “Axis of Evil” speech; how U.S. leaders frame Iran as uniquely fanatical and unchangeable; and how Israel's interests and domestic U.S. politics constrain policy change. Read Dalia's book Enduring Hostility: The Making of America's Iran Policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Derek speaks with Alexander McKeever, publisher of This Week in Northern Syria, about the defeat of the Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) autonomous project and its integration into the new Syrian state. They discuss the fall of the Assad regime, the March 2025 integration agreement between Damascus and the SDF, the breakdown of negotiations and January fighting in Aleppo, the rapid collapse of SDF control in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, tribal defections and grievances against the autonomous administration, and the uncertain future for Kurdish rights under the centralized Syrian government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads. Join our Discord. Danny and Derek have been disqualified from the Games for incessant podium crashing. In this week's news: tensions rise between the United States and Iran with reports of likely military strikes by the U.S. (1:32 ); Trump announces Gaza “Board of Peace” funding and troop details (11:39), Hamas refuses to disarm absent Palestinian statehood (15:31), and the UN Human Rights Office says that Israel is committing ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank (17:12); the Wall Street Journal reports the United States withdraws from Syria (21:00), Cambodia's prime minister accuses Thailand's military of occupying Cambodian territory (23:54); a UN investigation finds evidence of genocide in Sudan by the RSF (26:51); the U.S. deploys military personnel to Nigeria (28:38); another round of Ukraine peace talks makes little progress (31:01); British police arrest Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, former prince, on suspicion of misconduct in public office tied to Jeffrey Epstein (34:00); Peru's congress removes President José Heri amid ongoing instability (36:20); Cuba's fuel crisis worsens as the U.S. blockade restricts oil supplies (39:09); Marco Rubio and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez deliver Munich Security Conference speeches (41:26); and the EPA rescinds the 2009 endangerment finding as the administration rolls back more U.S. climate regulation (44:51). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads. Derek and Danny are joined by Bill Hartung and Ben Freeman to discuss the system that drives permanent war for the United States. They talk about the growth of the Pentagon budget and the bipartisan politics of defense spending; the U.S. dominating the global arms trade and the prevalence of U.S. weapons around the world; the rise of defense tech companies and the relationship between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon; the structure of defense lobbying, foreign government lobbying for arms sales, and how contractors benefit; think tank funding, Pentagon involvement in Hollywood and gaming; and public opinion, the national debt, and whether structural change is possible. Read their book The Trillion Dollar War Machine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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; and China and spheres of influence. Read Nikhil's essay “Homeland Empire.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe 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 open a new offensive in Blue Nile state (11:08); fighting resumes around Uvira in the eastern DRC (14:43); elections are held in Bangladesh (17:57), Thailand (19:58), Japan (22:08), and Portugal (23:26); the new START deal with Russia expires (25:24); the Trump administration sets a June deadline to end the Ukraine war (27:47); Keir Starmer faces political fallout over his connection to Jeffrey Epstein (29:43); Haiti's transitional council dissolves without organizing elections (31:52); Cuba approaches collapse as fuel shortages worsen (33:54); organizers prepare for the inaugural “Board of Peace” meeting (37:40); Trump orders the Pentagon to purchase coal-based electricity (39:17); and the FAA briefly shuts down airspace over El Paso after a misidentified party balloon (41:08). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 changes, and more. Read Borzou's piece “Your Podcast Leaches Off My News Outlet.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 an Abomination.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 “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 a USAID memo on Gaza's humanitarian conditions with potential legal implications (12:07); Syria's government and the SDF announce a new agreement to integrate SDF forces and administrators into the Syrian state (14:39); Sudan's military claims it has opened a road into besieged Kadugli as militants make gains elsewhere (17:44); Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is assassinated in Zintan, Libya (20:57); in Nigeria's Kwara State, gunmen kill roughly 170 people in an allegedly jihadist-linked attack (23:44); U.S.-Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi yield little on ending the war, but Washington and Moscow agree to keep honoring New START's terms (25:29); Pakistan launches a massive counterinsurgency campaign in Balochistan with the death toll approaching 300 (28:21); Trump touts a major U.S.-India trade framework, but key details remain unclear (30:12); Trump signs a new Cuba executive order increasing pressure around oil supplies (33:16); the U.S. president also hosts Colombia's Gustavo Petro after recent threats (35:33); and the State Department holds a critical minerals conference as Trump announces “Project Vault” and Japan tests environmentally risky deep-sea mining (37:15). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Derek speaks with Jack Merkinson, 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

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, 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: Revolution and Revenge from the 1950s to Now. Recorded in December 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 of Progressive Era faith in expertise. Read Alex's piece for Foreign Exchanges, “The Decline and Fall of Area Studies.” Statement from SSRC on ending its International Dissertation Research Fellowship program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 (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 Phase One of the ceasefire, partially reopens the Rafah crossing, and advances plans for large camps in Rafah (16:28); Myanmar's military completes a staged election delivering the expected victory for the junta-backed party (27:24); China faces fresh turbulence in its military leadership as a senior PLA figure is investigated (30:07); Sudan sees reported new fighting in Blue Nile and claimed gains in Kordofan (34:28); the government of South Sudan launches a campaign against rebels (38:04); there are reports of clashes between government and Tigrayan forces in Ethiopia (40:53); talks involving the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine fail to produce progress (44:02); the EU and India announce a major free trade agreement (47:00); Trump threatens sweeping tariffs against Canada over trade and China policy, amid diplomatic friction and reports of contacts with Alberta separatists (49:32); the U.S. moves toward reopening its embassy in Venezuela as reporting points to CIA interest in establishing a permanent presence (54:07); and a new U.S. National Defense Strategy emphasizes dominance in the Western Hemisphere while maintaining preparations for potential conflict with China (58:20). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, 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 Shareholder Value and the Splintering of the American Economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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 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 choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 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 dissolving parliament and calling a snap election to capitalize on high approval ratings (19:45); heavy fighting breaks out in Sudan's North Kordofan as the RSF seeks to block a government offensive toward Darfur (22:17); Somalia reaches a new defense cooperation agreement with Qatar (24:18); the EU is reportedly offering Ukraine a rapid partial membership as part of postwar security guarantees (26:27); attendees at Davos discuss a Ukraine reconstruction plan (28:44); Portugal's far-right Chega candidate reaches the presidential runoff (31:10); the Trump administration is exploring a Maduro-style operation in Cuba (32:47); Trump threatens and then backs off tariffs over Greenland after talks with NATO (35:22); Mark Carney's Davos speech on the collapse of the rules-based order gains attention (41:01); there is renewed speculation about Havana syndrome following reports the U.S. acquired a suspected energy weapon (43:00); and Trump formally launches his “Board of Peace,” with an unclear mandate and membership (45:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 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 Alice's book Tales of Militant Chemistry: The Film Factory in a Century of War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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-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 Yemeni separatist leaders through Somali territory (12:05); the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire begins as Israel continues to restrict humanitarian aid (14:27); UK Palestine Action prisoners conduct hunger strikes as part of a broader campaign against repression and arms manufacturing, with Matt relaying a statement from the group (18:11); Sudan's military government announces its return to Khartoum while preparing a major operation against the Rapid Support Forces in Darfur and Kordofan (21:22); China records a $1.2 trillion trade surplus despite U.S. tariffs (24:09); Japan's prime minister moves toward snap elections amid high approval ratings and ongoing political instability (26:30); the UN reports 2025 as the deadliest year for Ukrainian civilians since 2022 (28:40); American, Danish, and Greenlandic officials meet in Washington as Trump continues to press claims over Greenland (31:06); the Trump administration halts immigrant visa processing for 75 countries (33:15); and the New York Times reports on possible U.S. war crimes involving the use of disguised military aircraft in “anti-smuggling” operations (34:23). Derek then speaks with Negar Mortazavi, journalist and host of The Iran Podcast, about the causes, trajectory, and implications of Iran's recent nationwide protests (37:11). Find more of Matt's work over at Left Reckoning, The Majority Report, and The Jacobin Show.   Here is the complete statement from UK Palestine Action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 and media ecosystems; prediction markets in the context of financialization and declining democratic legitimacy; and the normalization of openly ghoulish profit-seeking, with violence becoming a tradable asset. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 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 advances the E-1 settlement project in the West Bank (17:49); protests spread across Iran amid currency collapse and renewed sanctions (21:05); Thailand and Cambodia's December ceasefire largely holds despite a reported accidental mortar incident (25:33); U.S. airstrikes in northwestern Nigeria raise questions about targets and objectives (27:52); Israel becomes the first country to recognize Somaliland, prompting regional backlash and speculation about military basing and Gaza resettlement plans (30:44); European leaders discuss security guarantees for Ukraine as part of potential peace negotiations with Russia (36:00); Trump escalates rhetoric and planning around annexing or purchasing Greenland (37:54); the Trump administration pushes for a $1.5 trillion U.S. military budget (42:12); and Trump orders a U.S. withdrawal from dozens of UN and international institutions, particularly those related to climate governance (44:30). Don't miss ⁠our re-posted episode on American policing with Stuart Schrader⁠. Also check out ⁠our episode on Venezuela with Greg Grandin⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 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 more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 interventions in the region; and the weakening of regional resistance to U.S. dominance. The group also looks at Venezuela amid a shifting global order with declining hegemony, rising multipolarity, and limited state capacity for the U.S. Producer's note: This episode is out a day early given how fluid the situation is around Venezuela. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 pretense of restraint. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices