American Prestige

Subscribe now to hear the full episode. Derek welcomes back to the show Khalid Medani, professor at McGill University, to talk about the ongoing war in Sudan. They discuss the fighting in Blue Nile and Kordofan, the humanitarian toll of drone warfare, the crisis in Darfur, foreign intervention, American peace initiatives, prospects for a civilian transition, and Sudan's tense relationship with Egypt. Catch Danny in-person, along with friend of the pod Nando Vila, at Stories Books & Cafe in LA, Friday Nov 6th at 6:30 PM. 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. Journalist Ken Klippenstein returns to the program to talk about the national security state’s role in the upcoming midterm elections. Topics include: foreign election interference and disinformation, the military's “election security,” attacks on Abdul El-Sayed, potential Trump administration intervention in election disputes, Democrats' relationship with national security institutions, and expanding domestic terrorism investigations. Listen to our full special on the election in Brazil with Andre Pagliarini. Don't forget to subscribe to ⁠Welcome to the Crusades: The Second Crusade⁠! 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 considered helping Flavio Bolsonaro mount a political comeback here in the States, but cut ties on the advice of Danny's psychic. In this week’s news: Israel's election leaves Netanyahu without a parliamentary majority (1:41); Lula wins Brazil's presidential runoff and Flávio Bolsonaro flees Brazil for the United States after his defeat (8:53); Serbia's student-led opposition topples the ruling party (14:33); the United States and Gulf states pursue a new peace initiative with Iran as the United States prepares for another military campaignafter the midterms (18:35); a Sudanese military drone strike kills more than 100 people in Nyala (23:55); Turkey hosts talks between Libya's rival governments looking toward reunification (26:01); in the Russia-Ukraine war, Zelenskyy announces peace talks in Abu Dhabi for November (28:50), the two countries observe a local ceasefire near Oleshky to allow humanitarian aid (29:56), and the Trump administration considers major sanctions relief for Russia (32:21); Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returns to the country (34:50); and apparent cyberattacks disrupt refrigeration systems at U.S. military bases (37:41). Listen to our full special on the election in Brazil with Andre Pagliarini. Don't forget to subscribe to ⁠Welcome to the Crusades: The Second Crusade⁠! Watch last night’s livestream. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Eleanor Janega and Luke Waters, co-hosts of the We’re Not So Different podcast and our collaborators on Welcome to the Crusades (Season 2 out now!) are on the show to help tell the story of Halloween. They explore Halloween's Christian (and possibly pagan) origins, medieval beliefs about death and purgatory, ghosts and the Protestant Reformation, the origins of costumes and jack-o'-lanterns, its commercialization and global spread, and the rise of sexy Halloween costumes. Don't forget to subscribe to ⁠Welcome to the Crusades: The Second Crusade⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Please enjoy the first two episodes of the second season of Welcome to the Crusades, our collaboration with We're Not So Different⁠. Purchase both seasons now! Jerusalem, 1144 The Second Crusade begins in the Levant with Raymond of Poitiers and others calling out to Rome and the Catholic Church for a new crusade to avenge the loss of the County of Edessa to the Muslim forces of Zengi. We will discuss how all the major Christian players in the region, including the Crusader States, Byzantines, and Catholic Church have fared in the four decades since the end of the First Crusade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Please enjoy the first two episodes of the second season of⁠ ⁠Welcome to the Crusades⁠⁠, our collaboration with⁠ ⁠We're Not So Different⁠⁠⁠.⁠ ⁠Purchase both seasons now⁠⁠. Episode 2: Mosul, 1146 Two years later, as the Crusaders build up power and alliances in Europe, the Zengid Dynasty of Mosul suffers a massive setback when Zengi, its founder, is assassinated. We take a deep look at how the Muslim forces in the region responded to their loss during the First Crusade, the centralization efforts of Zengi and his son and successor, Nur al-Din, the continued deterioration of the Fatimids, and the state of the Second Crusade’s ultimate destination: Damascus. 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 speak with historian Andre Pagliarini about Lula's surprise reelection in Brazil. They talk about Lula's campaign comeback, the Bolsonaro family's political future, the incoming right-wing Congress, Brazil and Latin American politics, its relations with the United States and China, the Amazon rainforest, and the future of the Brazilian left. Read Andre’s books Claiming the Nation: The Politics of Nationalism in Modern Brazil and Lula: A People's President and the Fight for Brazil's Future. Don't forget to pre-order the second season of our collaboration with Eleanor Janega and Luke Waters, ⁠Welcome to the Crusades: The Second Crusade⁠, premiering Tuesday, October 27! Use promo code CRUSADES15 for 15% off of the second season. (Offer valid through TOMORROW, 10/27.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek welcome back to the program ⁠Anatol Lieven⁠, director of the Eurasia Program and Andrew Bacevich Chair in American Diplomatic History at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, for a discussion about the status of the war in Ukraine and the evolving nature of modern warfare. They talk about the military situation in Ukraine, Ukrainian and Russian public opinion, Trump's approach to the conflict, obstacles to a negotiated peace, frozen Russian assets, the impact of drones and missiles on warfare, military spending and the defense industry, and the implications for American military power and a potential conflict over Taiwan. Don't forget to pre-order the second season of our collaboration with Eleanor Janega and Luke Waters, ⁠Welcome to the Crusades: The Second Crusade⁠, premiering Tuesday, October 27! Use promo code CRUSADES15 for 15% off of the second season. (Offer valid through 10/27.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Neera Tanden has not yet posted a tirade about AP, and we’re starting to take it personally. In this week’s news: the U.S. and Israel prepare for renewed strikes against Iran after the midterms (1:07); an Ansar Allah/Houthi missile strike kills at least 73 people at a military camp in Yemen, while continued attacks force Saudi Arabia to cancel a major investment conference and Pakistan, Britain, Egypt, and France offer defensive support to the kingdom (8:00); Israeli settlers assault an American journalist and attack European diplomats, while Israeli forces detain dozens of volunteers in the West Bank (15:13); North Korea announces the resumption of anti-South Korean loudspeaker broadcasts amid unverified rumors that Kim Jong Un has died (19:14); drone strikes kill hundreds in Sudan (22:31); Ethiopia establishes a new interim administration in Tigray (25:05); the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to spread (27:10); Ukraine resumes attacks on Russian oil refineries, angering Trump (29:43); Steve Witkoff meets with Zelenskyy and Putin as the U.S. restores intelligence support for Ukraine (30:51); Russia signals a possible return to peace talks (32:38); massive protests over the high cost of living sweep France (37:39); and Haitian armed groups abduct four Salvadoran soldiers, prompting El Salvador to threaten military action (41:08). Catch a replay of last night’s livestream. Don't forget to pre-order the second season of our collaboration with Eleanor Janega and Luke Waters, ⁠Welcome to the Crusades: The Second Crusade⁠, premiering Tuesday, October 27! Use promo code CRUSADES15 for 15% off of the second season. (Offer valid through 10/27.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. It’s Tech Day here at AP, so Danny and Derek speak with Quinn Slobodian, professor of international history at Boston University, and writer Ben Tarnoff, co-authors of Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed, about Elon Musk's role in contemporary capitalism. They discuss Fordism and Muskism; the influence of apartheid South Africa on Musk's approach to production; his vision of AI and human-machine integration; the political significance of his acquisition of Twitter; DOGE's expansion of government data collection and immigration enforcement; and the potential for regulating or replacing Big Tech. Don't forget to pre-order the second season of our collaboration with Eleanor Janega and Luke Waters, ⁠Welcome to the Crusades: The Second Crusade⁠, premiering Tuesday, October 27! Use promo code CRUSADES15 for 15% off of the second season. (Offer valid through 10/27.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Derek welcomes back to the program Horn of Africa political analyst Mohamed Kheir Omer for a conversation about renewed fighting in Ethiopia and the risk of a wider regional war. They talk about the collapse of the Pretoria Agreement, the TPLF's new rebel alliance, the Ethiopian military's advance in Tigray, Eritrea's involvement in the conflict, Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed's pursuit of access to the Red Sea, Ethiopia's role in Sudan's war, and the influence of Egypt, the UAE, and the United States. Read Mohamed’s piece for Al Jazeera, “Ethiopia’s new rebel alliance faces an old problem.” Don't forget to pre-order the second season of our collaboration with Eleanor Janega and Luke Waters, ⁠Welcome to the Crusades: The Second Crusade⁠, premiering Tuesday, October 27! Use promo code CRUSADES15 for 15% off of the second season. (Offer valid through 10/27.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Metallica says they stay out of politics, so Danny and Derek are reassessing their approach to the show. In this week’s news: Navi Pillay wins the Nobel Peace Prize, angering Trump (3:51); Ansar Allah strikes Saudi airports and oil facilities (7:58) while fighting continues on multiple fronts in Yemen (11:35); attacks on commercial ships escalate near the Strait of Hormuz (13:45), and the U.S. prepares a new bombing campaign against Iran (15:59); Israeli forces kill at least eight people in Gaza on the first anniversary of the “ceasefire” as the Palestinian Authority postpones elections until at least September 2027 (19:12); in southern Lebanon, Israeli forces demolish dozens of towns and villages (22:22); China’s trade surplus grows at a record pace (24:04); Egyptian drone strikes kill at least 72 gold miners in Sudan (25:43); Ethiopian forces advance toward the Eritrean border (28:20); former Congolese president Joseph Kabila forms a new rebel coalition with M23 (31:38) as the country’s Ebola outbreak surpasses 9,000 confirmed cases (33:27); Trump suspends sanctions on Russian diesel exports and clashes with Zelensky (34:24); Trump declares a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire that fails to take hold as Ukraine reports several days without Western intelligence on Russian airstrikes (37:40); Ukrainian forces report temporary restrictions on Starlink service (38:52); and the U.S. seeks control of frozen Russian assets held in Europe (43:07). Don’t forget to pre-order Welcome to the Crusades: The Second Crusade with promo code CRUSADES15 for 15% off. Offer is valid through October 27! More of Danny’s work at Imperialist Realism. More of Derek’s work at Foreign Exchanges. Catch a replay of last night’s livestream. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pre-order now!!! Nearly 50 years after the First Crusade made major gains in the Levant, the Crusader states found that they might have bitten off more than they could chew. Danny and Derek, along with Eleanor Janega and Luke Waters of the We're Not So Different pod, return to bring you the story of the Second Crusade. Season premiere Tuesday, October 27! Pre-order now with promo code CRUSADES15 to get season 2 for 15% off! Welcometothecrusades.com 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 Stuart Schrader about the history and political power of police unions in the U.S. They discuss the rise of police unions in the 1960s, their relationship with organized labor, resistance to the civil rights movement and affirmative action, the role of race in policing, bipartisan support for policing and the 1990s crime bills, the growing political influence of the Border Patrol union, and the future of police reform and abolition. Get your copy of Stuart’s book Blue Power: How Police Organize to Protect and Serve Themselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek speak with Norman Finkelstein about his intellectual and political journey, in part one of a conversation about his new book, Gaza's Gravediggers. They discuss his years as a Maoist, graduate school at Princeton, how Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon led him to study Zionism, exposing Joan Peters's From Time Immemorial, being blacklisted and his years as an adjunct at Brooklyn College, Mao and the Chinese revolution, the Marxist tradition and Noam Chomsky's influence, his parents' experience in the Warsaw Ghetto and his rejection of nationalism, and why he argues that what's happening in Gaza is a genocide, not a war. Read Norman Finkelstein's book, Gaza's Gravediggers: An Inquiry into Corruption in High Places. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Derek has returned, but he keeps trying to get Danny to go to some seminar led by a charismatic “mentor” he encountered in his travels. In this week’s news: war breaks out in Ethiopia’s Tigray region (0:43); Flavio Bolsonaro wins the first round of Brazil’s presidential election as the right makes major gains (6:46); in Yemen, the government’s counteroffensive against Ansar Allah stalls (9:51), the group attacks airports in Saudi Arabia and Yemen (12:40), and Saudi Arabia seeks outside military support (13:42); the U.S. prepares to resume its war against Iran as the Islamic Republic intensifies attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz (17:44); in Japan, a U.S. Marine’s arrest for alleged murder sparks protests against the American military presence on Okinawa (22:18); Sudan’s military advances in North Kordofan (25:20) and Sudanese military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan rejects peace talks (28:06); in Mali, Tuareg rebels withdraw from Kidal as government forces retake the town (29:54); the U.S. and the WHO seek information about suspected plague cases at a Russian lab (29:54); Russian attacks across Ukraine kill at least 25 (32:57); Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calls a snap election (35:00); the U.S. bombs another alleged drug boat in the Caribbean (37:12); and Trump creates a new AI task force called the Super Intelligence Force (38:12). Note: Since recording, Trump has said that the U.S. will not attack Iran before the November midterm elections. Watch a replay of last night’s livestream with journalist Michael Fox about Brazil’s elections. Subscribe and check out our History of Modern Palestine series with Rashid Khalidi. 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 welcome back to the show Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor Emeritus of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University and author of Palestine: A Primer, to talk about changes in the regional and political landscape of Palestine since October 7. They discuss adapting The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine for a younger audience, the devastation of Gaza, Hamas’s October 7 strategy and its miscalculations, the Biden administration’s support for Israel, changes in the Middle East after the war with Iran, shifting American attitudes toward Israel and Palestine, the prospects for Palestinian resistance, and the destruction of Gaza’s cultural and historical heritage. Be sure to grab a copy of Palestine: A Primer, an adaptation of The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine aimed toward a younger audience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny speaks with Eli Clifton, senior advisor at the Quincy Institute, and Ian Lustick, professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, about how the Israel lobby helps shape American politics and foreign policy. They discuss the changing nature of the Israel lobby, billionaire donors and campaign finance, Christian Zionism and declining evangelical support for Israel, U.S. support for Israel after October 7, suppression of criticism of Israel, shifting generational attitudes toward Israel, antisemitism and right-wing opposition to Israel, and Donald Trump’s relationship with pro-Israel megadonors. Grab your copy of Eli and Ian’s book Israel’s Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. As Derek completes the final phase of his vision quest, Alex Jordan of the Always at War podcast fills in once more. In this week’s news: U.S.-Iran talks stall over the order of concessions (1:28); Gulf oil exports return to prewar levels (4:34); Netanyahu uses an attempted seizure of a FlyDubai flight to reinforce his agenda as an election approaches (11:15); in Iraq, the U.S. ends its counter-ISIS mission (16:06); Pete Hegseth launches Project Meridian to study the “future of warfare” (21:35); Trump hosts tech leaders who pledge “tremendous” self-regulation (24:49); British police arrest five men near RAF Fairford amid claims of Iranian involvement (27:23); U.S. intelligence says Saudi Arabia is keeping a nuclear weapons option open (30:06); Russia warns NATO of a nuclear response if Kaliningrad faces a blockade (33:09); Germany’s foreign minister meets Russia’s foreign minister as Russian attacks hit Ukraine’s energy grid (37:27); and Brazil prepares for a presidential election between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro (41:13). 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 welcome Simon Ball, professor of international history and politics at the University of Leeds, to the show for a discussion about the history of political assassination in the modern era. They talk about the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, political killing as a tool of statecraft, assassination and British imperial rule, its use by Western powers during World War II, the CIA and Cold War assassination programs, the JFK assassination and its surrounding conspiracies, the investigations of the 1970s and Gerald Ford’s ban on the practice, the rise of counter-assassination security, and the strategic limits of assassination. Be sure to grab a copy of Simon’s book Death to Order: A Modern History of Assassination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Derek speaks with Wolfram Lacher, a senior associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs and author of Libya’s Fragmentation, about Libya’s political and military breakdown since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. They discuss Khalifa Haftar and the power dynamics in eastern Libya, militia power and political fragmentation in Tripoli and western Libya, control of Libya’s oil, Turkish and Russian involvement, the spillover of Libya’s conflicts into Mali, Chad, Sudan, and the Sahel, migrant smuggling and detention, Massad Boulos’s power-sharing plan, and the prospects for elections and a political settlement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. Don’t forget that AP puts out a YouTube exclusive episode and a video version of our Wednesday episode every week! Studio 54 and Palladium are long gone, so the UN General Assembly is the biggest party New York currently has to offer. Meanwhile, Danny and guest host Alex Jordan bring you the news: Trump welcomes Xi as the U.S. and China extend the Busan trade truce (01:22); at the UNGA, Trump threatens Iran and gloats about U.S. control of Venezuelan oil (5:18); Iran offers to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with conditions (7:58); Trump and Zelenskyy discuss an energy ceasefire (12:53); the U.S. denies Mahmoud Abbas a visa as Benjamin Netanyahu gives his UN address (15:20); the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland sign an Arctic security deal (18:41); Venezuela pledges elections as Trump secures oil access (20:41); the U.S. seeks a Sudan ceasefire (25:19); the Houthis/Ansar Allah consolidate coastal gains and strike Saudi Arabia (28:03); drones are spotted near NATO military sites in Germany and Poland (31:11); Germany sees the AfD gain ground (34:32); and United Russia wins Russia’s first parliamentary election since the Ukraine invasion (38:21). Watch Alex and Courtney Rawlings on Quincy’s Always at War. And check out the new mockumentary Lords of War.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. Danny and Derek talk with Noam Scheiber, New York Times reporter and author, about the radicalization of American college graduates. They discuss a Starbucks union campaign, underemployment among recent grads, the Taylorization of white-collar jobs, AI, corporate fixation on labor costs, the “con” of college for millennials, and the collapse of meritocracy. Buy your copy of Noam’s book on the subject, Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek speak with journalist ⁠David Wallace-Wells⁠ about the decline of the liberal order before Trump 2.0 and the current political moment. They discuss the post-2024 vibe shift, Trump's falling popularity, the erosion of institutional trust, the new generation of Democratic Party leaders, the lack of oversight of AI, and China's leadership in green technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for all of our episodes. Spencer Ackerman, writer of the Forever Wars newsletter and author of Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America, returns to the program to talk about his upcoming political comic book No One Escapes the Dialectic and the state of the comic book industry. The discussion covers labor in comic publishing, the direct market and consignment system, independent publishers like Image and Boom Studios, the plot and characters of the book, the purge of the military under Pete Hegseth, and ICE and CBP’s role in immigration enforcement.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. Derek has journeyed to Bolivia seeking contact with the newly discovered cat species, so Alex Jordan of Always at War steps in to bring you the headlines. This week: in New Delhi, BRICS member states issue a fractured joint statement on restraint in the Middle East (1:12); Iran strikes a U.S.-contracted vessel near the Strait of Hormuz (5:42); a cyberattack disables Texas-bound tankers (8:30); a new Pentagon report puts the Iran war’s cost at $33.4 billion (9:59); the Houthis/Ansar Allah advance in Taiz and hit Saudi Arabia (14:46); Yemeni government forces strike back while the U.S. rules out direct involvement (19:00); China pushes Iran to restrain the Houthis (22:37); an Israeli strike collapses a building in Gaza City, killing at least 21 people (25:12); the U.S. approves a $2.8 billion weapons sale to Israel (27:34); Russia and Ukraine strike each other’s energy infrastructure (30:57); the House passes a Russia sanctions bill named in honor of Lindsey Graham (33:37); a banking scandal roils Brazil’s presidential race (37:53); and in Sweden, a left-wing bloc narrowly wins an election (41:12).     Don’t forget to grab your copy of Danny’s new book Imperialist Realism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The AP-NonZero collaboration returns! Subscribe now to AP to get a discounted membership to NonZero. The group talks about the recent vibe shift in discourse around AI. What's really going on here? 0:00 Teaser0:46 This episode's surprise vibe shift2:30 Middle East update: Houthis vs. Saudis15:21 What’s really driving Dario (et al.)?25:14 Debating effective altruism’s effectiveness30:18 The trouble with big-tech Kremlinology34:08 Was “learn to code” just sleight of hand?  40:25 Bob’s Fukuyama name drop42:11 Heading to Overtime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. Danny and Derek welcome back Akbar Shahid Ahmed, Diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Sun and author of Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel’s War on Gaza, to talk about the Biden administration’s role in enabling the genocide in Gaza. They discuss the conditions in the Strip as of the current day; Biden’s small inner circle of Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, and Brett McGurk; Jack Lew’s role of ambassador and the dubious war crime review process he implemented; the Rafah red line and its immediate collapse after Israel invaded; and the Democratic Party’s domestic political miscalculations heading into 2024 and 2028.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Spencer Ackerman, writer of the Forever Wars newsletter and author of Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America, returns to the program to talk about his upcoming political comic book No One Escapes the Dialectic and the state of the comic book industry. The discussion covers labor in comic publishing, the direct market and consignment system, independent publishers like Image and Boom Studios, the plot and characters of the book, the purge of the military under Pete Hegseth, and ICE and CBP’s role in immigration enforcement.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. *This episode was originally recorded and released in September 2021* This is a special episode for the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Danny and Derek begin the episode with some reflections on their 9/11 experience, and are then joined by Jim Lobe, director of LobeLog and contributing editor at the Quincy Institute’s Responsible Statecraft, to talk about the intellectual origins of the coalition that after 9/11 pursued endless war. The episode then moves to a discussion with Laila Ujayli, associate editor at Inkstick Media, about growing up as a young Muslim in post-9/11 America, the attacks' effects on the American Muslim community, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords. In this week’s news: the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirms last month was tied for the hottest ever recorded (0:52); the Houthis/Ansar Allah take the port city of Mokha (1:45); the U.S. and Iran exchange ship attacks as oil prices rise (5:25); the IAEA refers Iran to the United Nations (7:32); Trump predicts an end to the Iran war immediately after the midterms (8:59); 12 countries ban products made in Israeli settlements (10:52); a new report alleges that Netanyahu ignored October 7 warnings and a chance to recover hostages (13:49); the IDF takes a strategic ridge in Lebanon, then escalates strikes (18:30); an arbitration court rules against India on the Indus Waters Treaty (20:49); new claims of famine emerge in Sudan’s Darfur region (23:05); the Nigerian government and Boko Haram maintain a ceasefire (24:59); the Trump administration phases out U.S. support for anti-AIDS programs in Namibia (27:21); American envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visit Russia and Ukraine (29:22); Ukraine tries to close Russian airspace (31:20); and in a trade war update, Canadian tariffs on U.S. goods take effect (32:50).          Don't forget Derek's Substack, Foreign Exchanges. Enjoy Danny's new Substack, Imperialist Realism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. Danny and Derek speak with David Griscom, co-host of Left Reckoning and author of The Myth of Red Texas: Cowboys, Populism, and Class War in the Radical South, to talk about the all-but-ignored history of leftwing politics in Texas. Topics include: the current state of Texas politics, the Farmers’ Alliance and the People’s Party, the Texas Socialist Party and its newspaper The Rebel, the role of religion in Texas socialism, and the prospects for socialism in modern-day Texas.    Along with the book and podcast, be sure to also check out David’s Substack The Rattler. Register now for Danny’s ⁠Quincy webinar⁠ and his ⁠live Elliott Bay Book Company appearance⁠ talking about ⁠Imperialist Realism⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek speak with Lee Jones, co-host of the Bungacast podcast, about Donald Trump’s foreign policy and the decay of the neoliberal order. Topics include: the unraveling of Fukuyama’s end of history thesis, the erosion of representative democracies, how MAGA and European rightwing populism differ from historical fascism, interpretations of Trump’s National Security Strategy, U.S. spheres of influence, fallout from the Iran war, and whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan. Register now for Danny’s Quincy webinar and his live Elliott Bay Book Company appearance talking about Imperialist Realism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. The AP Labor Day barbecue seeks more bouncy castle security personnel. In this week’s news: a grim climate update (3:27); the Trump administration is trying to avoid Iran escalation until the midterms pass (6:22); the Iran war appears to resume (6:40); settler violence escalates in the West Bank (12:07); a leaked Pentagon document shows that generals object to extended deployments in Iran (13:44); Israel's defense minister backs Gaza ethnic cleansing (17:20); Libya's rival governments sign an election agreement (21:26); Somali piracy is on the rise (23:01); Russia uses more advanced drones to pummel Ukraine (24:24); German authorities accuse Russia of an attempted drone attack (25:48); Trump threatens a Falklands policy reversal (27:47); Iceland voters reject EU accession talks (29:39); the US takes ownership of Venezuela’s oil (31:15); and Operation Southern Spear turns one (36:53). Don't forget Derek's Substack, Foreign Exchanges. Enjoy Danny's new Substack, Imperialist Realism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. Danny and Derek welcome political theorist and historian Hugo Drochon to the show for a discussion about the tension between democracies and the elites who actually run them. They talk about elites taking turns in power, the 80/20 rule, the iron law of oligarchy, “dynamic democracy” and social change, and how these ideas apply to Trump, foreign policy, and the future of the EU and NATO. Grab a copy of Hugo’s book Elites and Democracy.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny and Derek speak with Matt McManus about his book, The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism. They discuss the core definitions of liberalism and socialism, how liberalism differs from classical republican thought, John Stuart Mill as the first liberal socialist, Karl Marx's relationship to the liberal tradition, and John Rawls's place in liberal socialism. Read Matt’s book, ⁠The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now⁠ for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. American Prestige brand MREs use Argentinian beef, but don't worry, it's the good kind. In this week’s news: the US launches a new sanctions campaign against Iran (1:36); Iran and Oman negotiate the management of the Strait of Hormuz (5:50); a Haitian gang killing (9:28); the Israeli government takes bids for its E1 settlement (12:00); the US removes Syria from the terrorism sponsors list (14:38); the Syrian Democratic Forces announces its dissolution (15:51); Trump submits the Saudi nuclear deal to Congress (18:39); progress is made in negotiations between the DRC and M23 (23:46); the Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues to expand (26:33); the CIA director visits Russia (28:14); US-Canada trade talks collapse (31:17); and the United States prepares a deep sea mining auction around overseas territories (35:42). Catch a replay of last night's livestream. Don't forget Derek's Substack, ⁠Foreign Exchanges⁠. Enjoy Danny's new Substack, I⁠mperialist Realism⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. Danny and Derek speak with Jonathan Cheng, China bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, about the Christian origins of North Korea’s founding ideology and the subsequent personality cult. The discussion explores missionary Samuel Moffat’s work in Pyongyang, the conversion of Kim Il-sung’s family to Christianity, Christian nationalism during Japanese colonial rule, the turn toward socialism, Kim’s postwar personality cult, and how Christianity informs the Kim family’s rule today.   Be sure to grab a copy of Jonathan’s book Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek speak with economist Christopher Hartwell about how wealthy elites who strike bargains with authoritarians often come to regret it. They discuss oligarchs in post-Soviet Russia, authoritarian state capitalism, Hungary’s break from Orbán, Trump courting tech billionaires, asset-price inflation and financialization, and the durability of state capitalism in China.  Read Christopher’s piece for Foreign Affairs, co-written with Tricia Olsen: “The Disposable Oligarchs.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. Danny and Derek must disclose that they have had Hasan Piker on this program. They are listening and learning from him. In this week’s news: Israel bombs a Syrian airbase, potentially moving closer to a conflict with Turkey (1:22); Jared Kushner and Benjamin Netanyahu agree to scrap the Gaza Board of Peace's Hamas disarmament plan (7:09); the Iran MOU expires as Trump escalates the economic war (9:20); the Islamic Republic might restart the shooting war (13:36); the Pentagon and Arab governments rethink America’s military presence in the Gulf (15:58); Trump curtails military exercises with South Korea, possibly moving toward diplomacy with North Korea/DPRK (18:53); the Sudanese military concludes a new cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia (24:47); the Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues to expand (27:39); in Ukraine, Zelenskyy faces calls for new elections (30:06); Trump suspends new tariffs on Canada (33:01); the U.S. moves Operation Southern Spear onto land (34:50); and a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report details the cost of the new “Trump class” battleships (36:45). Watch a replay of last night's livestream with Séamus Malekafzali. Don't forget Derek's Substack, Foreign Exchanges. Enjoy Danny's new Substack, Imperialist Realism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and to get all of our episodes. Danny and Derek welcome historian Lisandro Claudio back to the program to talk about how austerity, first imposed by the U.S. during its colonial rule of the Philippines, continues to influence the Filipino political economy. They discuss the colonial gold standard, dollar diplomacy, Miguel Cuaderno and the Central Bank of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos being forced to depreciate the peso, the Filipino Left’s anti-debt stance, and the country’s dependency on exported labor. Grab your copy of Lisandro’s book The Profligate Colonial: How the US Exported Austerity to the Philippines. Listen to our "History of the Philippines" series with Lisandro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny welcomes political science professor Corey Robin to the show to discuss his review of Sven Beckert's Capitalism: A Global History and the "new history of capitalism" field. They talk about Beckert's take that capitalism originated among 12th-century Muslim merchant traders in Aden, the decentering of Europe and the US in his narrative, enslaved labor in his "capitalist utopias," the near-absence of class conflict in the book's story of capitalism's early years, and why capitalism, not ideology, is the better lens for the US-China rivalry today. Read Corey’s piece for The Nation, “The Long Revolution.” And check out Danny’s recent “Power Without Ideology” piece. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. Danny and Derek bring you the headlines against their better judgment. In this week’s news: Western Europe and the U.S. set new temperature records (2:05); in Iran, the Islamic Republic demands reparations and sanctions relief before reopening the Strait of Hormuz (4:22), Trump declares that the U.S. will keep control of the Strait (8:20), and Iran makes a wave of hardline appointments (10:25); in Yemen, Houthi forces strike a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait (13:02); Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey form a new defense alliance (15:00); Netanyahu rejects Hamas's disarmament plan as the Board of Peace agreement collapses (18:11), plus Israeli settlers besiege a Palestinian American family's home in a West Bank village (19:48); a Syrian court sentences Bashar al-Assad to death (in absentia) for war crimes (22:19); a new UN report finds that violence against civilians rises in Myanmar (23:43); in Darfur, the Sudanese military and allied militias make key territorial gains against the RSF (25:49); Ukraine bombs the Russian port of Novorossiysk as tensions in the Black Sea push global food prices higher (28:23); Abelardo de la Espriella takes office as Colombia's new far-right president and joins the U.S.-backed Shield of the Americas (31:58); Trump secretly flees Turkey on a decoy aircraft amid reports of an Iranian assassination plot (34:06); and the Pentagon claims its Yemen strikes caused the only U.S.-inflicted civilian casualties of 2025 (37:31). Watch yesterday’s livestream here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek speak with artist and writer Molly Crabapple about her book on the history of the Jewish Labor Bund, Here Where We Live Is Our Country. They discuss Molly's personal connection to the story, the Pale of Settlement and Jewish emancipation, the founding of the Bund in 1897, the Bund's armed self-defense against pogroms, its fraught relationship with Lenin and the Bolsheviks, the Bund's rivalry with Zionism, the flourishing of Bundist culture in interwar Poland, and the lessons of the Bund’s story for the Jewish left today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to get the full episode. Danny and Derek welcome Matt Duss, Executive Vice President at the Center for International Policy, back to the show for a conversation on the fractured foreign policy consensus in the Democratic Party. They talk about Rahm Emanuel's recent Tel Aviv speech, the primacist versus restraint divide in the party, accountability for Blinken and Sullivan's Gaza policy, the Iran war and the collapse of the JCPOA, China and Taiwan, and the contradiction of supporting Ukraine while enabling the Gaza genocide. Read Matt’s piece for The Nation, “Rahm Emanuel’s Speech in Tel Aviv Breaks With a ‘No Daylight’ Approach.” 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 always use their good side when posing for a Flock cam. In this week’s news: Trump backs off of his latest threat against Iran amid a potential Hormuz deal (2:01); in Gaza, the Board of Peace’s Hamas disarmament deal collapses within a day (13:22); Red Sea shipping falls after new Houthi attacks (18:16); in Sudan, the RSF mobilizes tribal levies to make up for lost troops (20:26); the TPLF and federal forces clash again in Tigray (24:45); Ukraine runs out of Patriot missile interceptors (27:39); a migrant influx kills dozens in the Spanish exclave Ceuta (31:33); the U.S. suspends the Brazilian ambassador’s visa due to a diplomatic dispute (38:25); and America’s Operation Southern Spear kills 221 people but fails to curb the drug trade (41:52). Order your copy of Danny’s new book, Imperialist Realism, now.  Watch the replay⁠ of last night's livestream with Becca Lewis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Derek welcomes back to the show his very own co-host, Danny Bessner, to talk about his new book, ⁠Imperialist Realism: Politics and Culture at the End of the American Century⁠, and how we see imperialist realism in American foreign policy and popular culture. They talk about the concept’s inspiration from the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the end of mass politics, the decline of grand ideology in U.S. foreign policy, the core features of imperialist realism, the Protestant missionary roots of American foreign policy, and a democratic socialist alternative to current U.S. foreign policy. Order your copy of the book now.  Read the new piece from Danny’s Imperialist Realism Substack, “Empire of Grunge.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Derek once again speaks with Mark Ames, co-host of Radio War Nerd, this time to talk about the state of the war in Ukraine and the current upheaval in Zelenskyy’s government.  They discuss Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries and infrastructure, the PR campaign behind the "turning the tide" narrative, the situation in the Donbas and the fall of Kostyantynivka, the firing of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, corruption and factional fighting within Ukraine's drone industry, the Ukrainian strike on an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea, and the attempts to isolate and pressure Crimea. Be sure to order your copy of Danny’s new book, Imperialist Realism: Politics and Culture at the End of the American Century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. AP headquarters is seriously considering upgrading the video content to IMAX. In this week’s news: the U.S. and Iran resume strikes after a brief pause (3:25); Gaza talks are close to an agreement on Hamas disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal (10:59); Saudi-Ansar Allah/Houthi attacks escalate (13:37); the U.S. and Saudi Arabia strike Iraqi militia sites (17:10); a drone strike hits two gas ships at Egypt’s Damietta port (21:01); Ukraine attacks an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea (22:58); the Sudanese army seizes the Omdurman–El Obeid highway (25:46); China expands its satellite and asteroid-defense programs (29:21); wildfires force mass evacuations across Spain and France (32:45); Keiko Fujimori takes office as president of Peru (35:53); and U.S. pressure drives Venezuela and Chad to quit the International Criminal Court (37:35). Note: After recording, a Hamas disarmament deal was announced. Be sure to order your copy of Danny’s new book, Imperialist Realism: Politics and Culture at the End of the American Century.  Be sure to watch a replay of last night’s livestream with journalist Jasper Nathaniel about his latest trip to the West Bank. 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 Brad Simpson about the history and evolving meaning of self-determination in international politics and law. They talk about the Wilson-Lenin debate, the Atlantic Charter, the Nazi appropriation of ethno-nationalist self-determination, the decolonization movements of the mid-20th century, the failure of the new international economic order, and the idea's continuing relevance to places like Palestine and Greenland. Get Brad’s book The First Right: Self-Determination and the Transformation of International Order, 1941–2000. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Joel Christensen, professor of classics at the CUNY Graduate Center, joins Danny and Derek for a discussion about Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey. They talk about the scholarly debate over Homer as an idea rather than an individual; the mythic Trojan War; guilt and moral responsibility in Homer's Odysseus vs. Nolan's; the roles of Penelope, Telemachus, and Agamemnon; the film's monsters, casting choices, and depictions of the gods; and how Nolan's ending departs from that of the original.  Be sure to check out Joel’s book Why Odysseus? Survivor, Scoundrel, Anti-Hero. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all episodes. American Prestige HQ continues to roll the dice on iceberg lettuce. In this week’s news: Iranian strikes kill four U.S. service members in Jordan and Iraq, and the Pentagon conceals dozens of additional casualties (2:09); Trump threatens to hit an Iranian nuclear facility and warns of attacks on civilian infrastructure (6:32); the Houthis blockade Saudi Arabia and strike two oil tankers in the Red Sea (14:20); the U.S. and Saudi Arabia announce a civilian nuclear deal (18:23); in Lebanon, the IDF begins a “pilot” withdrawal from three southern villages (23:48); Hamas elects Khalil al-Hayya as its new political leader (25:48); Ebola deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo top 1,000 (27:44); the Trump administration considers military action against jihadists in Mali (30:09); Volodymyr Zelenskyy fires Ukraine's top general, Oleksandr Syrskyi (32:29); Andy Burnham becomes prime minister of the United Kingdom (35:17); Trump imposes new tariffs on Brazil and Canada (36:53); and the State Department releases a report that names Cuba a top security threat (40:46). Don’t forget to watch a replay of last night’s livestream with special guest Alex Aviña. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more episodes. Danny and Derek speak with historian Andrew Preston about the origins and development of the American national security state as we know it. They discuss the original meaning of “national security” in the early days of the republic; the idea of free security; the New Deal and the relationship between social security and national security; World War II, the Cold War, and the expansion of the security state; liberalism and American empire; and what national security looks like moving forward. Be sure to grab a copy of Andrew’s book on the subject, Total Defense: The New Deal and the Invention of National Security. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny speaks with writer Ann Manov about the right’s attempts to reshape the humanities and the crisis facing American higher education. They discuss Republican-backed civics programs, the Great Books model, falling academic standards, campus culture wars, the bleak prospects for students, the economics of higher education, and AI’s impact on the future of universities. Read Ann's piece for Harper's, ⁠"Republican Machines."⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Canada’s wildfires rage on, so Danny and Derek are here to be your breath of fresh air. This week’s news: In Iran, the U.S. reimposes its blockade and intensifies strikes (2:04), Trump announces and then backs off a Hormuz toll (5:44), and the White House issues threats of further escalation (9:17); in Yemen, the Houthis/Ansar Allah and Saudi Arabia trade strikes (13:37) as the former might become involved in the Iran war (16:28); Lebanese-Israeli talks talks wrap up, but progress is uncertain (17:45); in Israel, a date is set for an election (19:18), plus the ethnic cleansing in Gaza is given a new euphemism (21:15); Southeast Asian countries appear to normalize relations with Myanmar (22:23); the U.S. touts a “new” peace plan for Sudan (24:13); the Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues and may be much larger than official figures suggest (26:35); Zelenskyy replaces Ukraine’s prime minister and defense minister (29:43); Andy Burnham is to become the UK’s PM (33:32), plus a UK-EU deal on Gibraltar is reached (35:22); Marco Rubio is reportedly running Venezuela as a U.S. viceroy (36:34); the U.S. is attempting to destroy the ICC (38:35) as it also takes aim at “left-wing terrorism” (41:23); and a Pew poll finds China more popular than the U.S. for the first time (43:01). ⁠Watch last night’s weekly livestream⁠ if you missed it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek welcome to the show journalist and author Robert Wright to talk about the potential and pitfalls of the AI revolution. They discuss how neural networks learn, the differences between predictive and generative AI, machine consciousness, job displacement, the environmental costs of data centers, how capitalism is shaping the AI race, and the need for international regulation. Read Robert’s new book The God Test: Artificial Intelligence and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek welcome to the show historian Matt Avery Sutton to talk about evangelical support for Donald Trump and the power of the religious right in U.S. politics. They discuss Trump as a religious figure, the religious right’s ascendance, race and abortion in Republican politics, Christian apocalypticism, fears of the Antichrist, conservative Catholic converts, Christian Zionism, and whether an alliance with Trump will weaken the evangelical movement. Read Matt’s book Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity. Note: This episode was recorded May 15, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek’s FIFA officiating careers have been tragically cut short since Javier Milei’s checks started bouncing. In this week’s news: the NATO summit ends on a high note (4:46); in Iran, new fighting erupts as Trump declares the end of the ceasefire (12:01), plus estimates of the war’s cost increase (16:49); in Gaza, Hamas dissolves its government (18:22) as the Board of Peace prepares a “humanitarian zone” (20:37); Trump appears ready to sell Turkey F-35s (23:47); Syria is officially removed from the state sponsors of terrorism list (28:17); in Sudan, civilians flee fighting in El Obeid (29:32); rebels coordinate a new joint offensive in Mali (33:00); the U.S. licenses domestic Patriot missile production in Ukraine (34:18); Roberto Sanchez concedes the Peruvian presidential election (38:15); Colombia’s presidential transition breaks down (39:09); and the U.S. drops the “Indo-Pacific” construct (40:14), prompting strategic discussions on the future of America’s position in the Pacific (45:23). Join the Discord. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The AP-NonZero collaboration continues! Subscribe now to AP to get a discounted membership to NonZero! 0:00 Sneak peek: Danny finds flaw in Bob’s AI book 1:18 Is the Iran war fully back on? 5:59 What the war means for the future of US power 18:52 The problem with blaming Bibi 23:09 The push to intertwine the US and Israeli militaries 35:09 What’s Israel’s endgame for the Palestinians? 39:27 The Gulf States’ new reality 45:20 Iran’s plans for the Strait of Hormuz 51:54 Bob’s pitch to Derek—and his other pitch to listeners ⁠Watch it on YouTube⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek are joined by Jake Nabel, Tombros early career professor of classical studies and assistant professor of classics and ancient Mediterranean studies at Penn State, to talk about Roman-Parthian relations in antiquity. The group discusses the geopolitical landscape of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, the rise of the Parthian Empire and the Arsacid dynasty following the fall of the Achaemenids and Alexander the Great, and the inherent challenges of relying on Greco-Roman historiography. They also delve into how Iranian and Armenian sources reshape our understanding of the period, the deep cultural misunderstanding between Roman hostage-taking and Parthian cliental fosterage, the cultural barriers preventing intermarriage, and the modern Iranian reception of pre-Islamic empires, including contemporary parallels to Reza Pahlavi. Read Jake’s book The Arsacids of Rome: Misunderstanding in Roman-Parthian Relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek are joined by Curt Mills, executive director of the American Conservative, and Andrew Day, senior editor of the American Conservative, to talk about the potential for a left-right anti-war alliance. The group discusses the ongoing war with Iran and its impact on U.S.-China relations, the future of the MAGA movement and whether Donald Trump might take an off-ramp to end the conflict, and structural realities surrounding capitalism, financialization, and the AI-driven deindustrialization of white-collar work. They also touch on the Israel lobby's influence on American foreign policy, the rhetoric of right-wing figures like Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes, culture war divides surrounding the COVID-19 response, and whether a cross-partisan coalition against the foreign policy establishment is actually viable in Congress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek are joined by historian Andrew Shankman to talk about the road to U.S. independence from Great Britain. They discuss differences between Spanish and British colonization strategies, the intellectual and philosophical origins of the American Revolution, the Stamp Act crisis, distinctions in racial conceptions between the American colonies and the West Indies, key revolutionary figures, the early American republic, the unique economic situation of Boston and Massachusetts, and post-revolution relations with Britain and indigenous peoples.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Sina Azodi, assistant professor of Middle East politics and director of the Middle East Studies program at George Washington University, returns to the show to talk about Iran’s nuclear program. The group discusses the Shah’s nuclear agenda, Atoms for Peace, Iran’s signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, how the Iran-Iraq War influenced Iran’s nuclear policy, missed opportunities for diplomacy after 9/11, Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and why Biden didn’t revive the deal, and the recent war with Iran. Grab a copy of Sina’s book Iran and the Bomb: The United States, Iran, and the Nuclear Question. And contribute to GiveDirectly's campaign to help survivors of the earthquake in Venezuela. Note: In lieu of a news episode this week, we will be posting an interview about the holiday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Aziz Rana, J. Donald Monin SJ University Professor of Law and Government at Boston College, is back on the podcast to talk about Trumpism, American political stagnation, and the future of U.S. power. They discuss the (presumed) end of the Trump era, the importance of supermajorities and why we haven’t seen them in recent years, what the left got right and wrong in its analysis of Trump, the “Trump Doctrine” as an extension of existing U.S. politics, multipolarity, and the possibility of a more democratic international order. Read Aziz’s piece with Aslı Ü. Bâli in Boston Review, “The Path to the Trump Doctrine,” plus his piece in Dissent, “The American Revolution in Global Retreat.” Also, please contribute to GiveDirectly’s Venezuela earthquake campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek’s promise ring ceremony regrettably must be relocated from MSG due to a scheduling conflict. In this week’s news: The Iran negotiations show signs of progress (1:26) despite disputes over the agreement (5:20), plus conflicting reports over the status of the Strait of Hormuz* (9:24); Lebanon sees a reduction in fighting and another round of talks (12:31); in Gaza, Israel is targeting children (15:38), plus a Board of Peace update (16:48); Keir Starmer resigns as PM of the UK (18:40); the DPRK/North Korea appears to be back on Trump’s radar (21:18); a battle over El Obeid, Sudan, still looms (22:53); Trump is again angry with NATO and has a spat with Italian PM Meloni (25:07); in Russia-Ukraine, an update on the war (27:40), Poland strips Zelenskyy of an award (30:21), and the Russians are again displeased with Trump (32:40); election updates in Colombia (34:25), Peru (36:08), and Ethiopia (37:27); and Trump unveils the new Air Force One (39:23). *After the time of recording, the initiative to rescue stranded ships in the Strait of Hormuz was paused due to a vessel being attacked.  Check out the replay of Wednesday’s livestream.  Join the Discord. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Omer Bartov, Dean’s Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University, joins the program to talk about Zionism’s transformation from an emancipation movement into a form of ethno-nationalism. They delve into Zionism’s formation alongside European colonialism, how settler encroachment influenced Palestinian nationalism, comparisons with European settler colonialism, whether Zionism’s “wrong turn” was in the formation of the State of Israel itself, the meaning of “never again,” how the historical memory of the Holocaust is used to justify Israeli expansion, Israel’s lack of a constitution, and liberal Zionism in the United States. Be sure to get a copy of Omer’s book Israel: What Went Wrong?  Don't forget to tune into our weekly livestream, Wednesday night at 8pm ET on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny 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

Subscribe 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

Subscribe 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

Subscribe 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

Subscribe 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

Subscribe 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

Subscribe 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

Subscribe 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

Subscribe 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

Subscribe 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

We unlocked this episode so that everyone could hear this great interview with Jake Werner on China. To get more AP discussions like this, subscribe now! Danny and Derek are once again joined by Jake Werner, director of the East Asia Program at ⁠the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft⁠, this time to talk about the development of the U.S. consensus on China. They delve into the neoliberal engagement with China, the 2008 financial crisis, Xi Jinping’s response, Trump’s first-term China policy, and the Biden administration’s approach. They then analyze Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping, tariffs, rare earths, Taiwan, Iran, and the prospects for stabilizing U.S.-China relations. Read Jake’s piece “An Opening for a New US–China Economic Relationship.” Follow Quincy on YouTube. And, of course, subscribe to our YouTube channel! Originally released May 17, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now⁠ for the full episode. Danny and Derek speak with Roland Betancourt, Chancellor's Professor of Art History at UC Irvine, about Disneyland and the rise of automation in the U.S. They talk about Walt Disney’s move from animation to theme parks, the relationship between amusement parks and industrial production, Cold War technology and Southern California, Disney’s use of automation and control, labor in the theme park, Disney World and Epcot, and more. Grab your copy of Roland’s book Disneyland and the Rise of Automation: How Technology Created the Happiest Place on Earth. Don't forget about our weekly livestream, tomorrow night at 8pm ET over on our YouTube channel! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

⁠Subscribe now⁠ for the full episode. Danny and Derek welcome back to the show Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, to talk about U.S.-Iran negotiations and the status of the war. They delve into ceasefire talks, Israel’s attack on Lebanon, Iranian concerns about U.S. reliability, sanctions relief, the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s regional position, the Abraham Accords, and Tom Barrack’s newly expanded role in Syria and Iraq. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny speaks with Anusar Farooqui about the finer points of the emerging multipolar world. They discuss the idea of Iran as a great power, spheres of influence, China and the future of East Asia, the role of India and the European Union in global politics, and more. Follow Anusar’s work at ⁠Policy Tensor⁠. Read Danny’s piece that they debated, ⁠“Power Without Ideology.”⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now⁠ to skip the ads and get more content. The AP UFC dome is regrettably being held up by Producer Jake’s HOA. In this week’s news: an update on the U.S.-Iran talks and U.S. airstrikes near Bandar Abbas (1:11); Trump demands new Abraham Accords signatures and threatens Oman over Strait of Hormuz fees (4:46); Israel escalates attacks and pushes displacement further north in Lebanon (11:39); Israel kills Hamas commander Mohammed Odeh (14:38); Gaza’s Board of Peace lacks pledged funds (15:31); Trump pauses a Taiwan arms sale due to the Iran war depleting stockpiles (16:43); the RSF prepares an offensive in North Darfur, plus Sudan’s military prepares an offensive in Blue Nile (18:37); U.S. airstrikes kill civilians in Somalia (20:28); Russia threatens new strikes on Kyiv (22:03); Bolivia faces a protest crackdown (24:18 ); Tulsi Gabbard resigns as director of national intelligence (26:12); and Derek speaks to Anthea Gordon, GiveDirectly’s country director for the Democratic Republic of Congo, about the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo and the challenges complicating the response (28:56). ⁠Help Ebola-affected families in the DRC⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The bi-monthly podcasting crossover to end all bi-monthly podcasting crossovers is back! Danny, Derek, and Robert Wright of the ⁠⁠NonZero Newsletter⁠⁠⁠ once again set the record straight. Subscribe now to AP to get a discounted membership to NonZero! Part One Video 0:00 Is NonZero or American Prestige the better podcast? AI weighs in4:14 The state of the US-Iran war. Or is it peace?17:52 Has Trump already lost the midterms? Does he care?24:16 The Russia-Ukraine war (and Eric Schmidt)29:23 What the latest Iran war strikes signal31:04  Overtime preview: Nuland’s “monsters,” zombie blobsters, Barak Ravid, Bari Weiss, “killzones,” and the Pope vs AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to get an ad-free experience and more episodes. Don’t forget about our weekly livestreams on our YouTube channel, every Wednesday at 8pm ET.  Danny and Derek welcome to the show John Fugelsang, host of Tell Me Everything and author of Separation of Church and Hate, to talk about the rise and influence of right-wing Christianity in the United States. They discuss Christian nationalism; the political weaponization of scripture; Jesus’s teachings vs authoritarian Christianity; the apostle Paul’s role in shaping the faith; issues like abortion, immigration, and sexuality; white supremacy; Donald Trump; and arguing with conservative Christians. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek speak with Caitlin Tulloch, a former USAID economist and GiveDirectly’s head of research, about the destruction of USAID and the future of humanitarian aid. They talk about her work as an economist, USAID’s relationship to American power, the agency’s internal dynamics, the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID, the legal and institutional consequences, the impact on global health and humanitarian programs, the loss of response capacity, transactional aid policy, GiveDirectly, and Project Resource Optimization. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for all episodes and no ads! Danny and Derek have reconciled with their disappointment in the new Star Wars film and can now bring you the news roundup. This week: in Iran, talks stall as Trump weighs continuing the war (2:00), the Islamic Republic attempts to institutionalize control over the Strait of Hormuz (8:49), and fuel protests spread around the world (13:09); the IDF continues daily bombardments in Lebanon while Hezbollah drones restrict IDF ground operations (15:10); Trump considers a call with Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te (18:32); Xi and Putin stage an uneventful summit in Beijing (21:47);Sudanese forces gain ground in Blue Nile State (23:23); a U.S.-Nigerian operation kills an Islamic State leader (25:26); Ebola spreads from northeastern DRC (27:45); in NATO news, the U.S. reduces its forces in Europe (30:25); Labour challengers emerge against Keir Starmer (33:36); Peru confirms a Fujimori-Sanchez runoff in its presidential election (35:23); Washington manufactures new pretexts against Cuba (36:49); Trump seeks a permanent U.S. presence in Greenland (41:15); and “Golden Dome” costs are estimated to reach $1.2 trillion (43:55). Note: After the time of recording, Donald Trump ⁠walked back his decision to reduce US troops in Poland⁠. Additionally, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz has changed due to Oman's interest in collecting "tolls." Don’t forget to ⁠subscribe to our YouTube channel⁠, now featuring livestreams with Danny and Derek every Wednesday at 8pm ET. Join the Discord (paid subscribers get access to all channels). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads. Danny and Derek welcome back to the show political scientist Thea Riofrancos to talk about the politics of extraction in the global energy transition. They explore the contradictions of green capitalism, the debate over degrowth and abundance, China’s role in lithium battery production, the history of lithium batteries, green industrial policy, U.S. oil and gas power, popular resistance to data centers and mining, where the Global South falls in renewable supply chains, and the environmental costs of green development. Be sure to grab a copy of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism. Don't forget that our weekly livestream is ⁠on our YouTube channe⁠l tomorrow, Wednesday, at 8pm ET! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek are once again joined by Jake Werner, director of the East Asia Program at ⁠the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft⁠, this time to talk about the development of the U.S. consensus on China. They delve into the neoliberal engagement with China, the 2008 financial crisis, Xi Jinping’s response, Trump’s first-term China policy, and the Biden administration’s approach. They then analyze Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping, tariffs, rare earths, Taiwan, Iran, and the prospects for stabilizing U.S.-China relations. Read Jake’s piece “An Opening for a New US–China Economic Relationship.” Follow Quincy on YouTube. And, of course, subscribe to our YouTube channel! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and more episodes. Danny and Derek fight fake news as they fight their allergies. This week: Trump and Xi meet; Trump rejects Iran’s ceasefire terms (3:09); Gulf states continue strikes against Iran-linked targets (5:53); U.S. intelligence estimates show Iran retains most missiles (8:48); Asian economies cut energy use with fertilizer shortages threatening crops (10:24); Gaza ceasefire plans appear to proceed without Hamas disarmament (12:58), Israel moves toward an early election (15:47), and Netanyahu publicizes a UAE visit as Abu Dhabi denies it (17:40); Lebanon and Israel pursue talks as Israeli attacks continue (20:03); jihadist attacks intensify in Mali (24:37); Russia and Ukraine resume attacks after a brief ceasefire (27:45); Wes Streeting quits while Labour pressure builds on Starmer (30:09); CNN reports the CIA’s involvement in cartel killings in Mexico (32:20); and U.S. military activity raises fears of a Cuba operation (34:02). Don’t forget to listen to our latest miniseries, Marx Prestige. And join us for our livestream every Wednesday at 8pm ET. Enjoy the replay of this week’s. 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 David Sirota, founder and EIC of The Lever, about journalism, independent media, and the consolidation of presidential power. They discuss the difference between journalism and media, the attention economy, capitalist media, audience capture, the decline of local news, the Powell Memo, the unitary executive theory, war powers, and Donald Trump’s use of executive power. Be sure to listen to The Kingmakers, the second season of David’s investigative podcast Master Plan. Don’t forget that AP’s new, weekly livestream is back this Wednesday at 8pm ET on our YouTube channel. And keep your eyes peeled for Season 2 of Welcome to the Crusades. Recorded 4/27/26 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Keep your eyes peeled for Season 2 of Welcome to the Crusades, our crossover series with Eleanor and Luke, coming soon. For now, enjoy Season 1. Happy Mother’s Day! Danny and Derek reunite with Eleanor and Luke of We’re Not So Different to talk about the life and legacy of Eleanor of Aquitaine. They discuss Eleanor’s power and wealth, her marriage to Louis VII, the Second Crusade, her relationship with Henry II, failsons Richard and John, her several success daughters, political influence, patronage of troubadours, courtly love, and Eleanor’s place in medieval and popular memory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first part of our Mother’s Day festivities, we’re unlocking our Mother’s Day episode from 2023 with Eleanor Janega. A new one on Eleanor of Aquitaine is out tomorrow for subscribers, so subscribe now. Enjoy! Happy Mother’s Day! Danny and Derek welcome Eleanor Janega, co-host of the We’re Not So Different podcast and author of The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society, to talk about one of the great mothers of history: The Virgin Mary. They discuss what actually makes Mary the ultimate medieval mother (despite being from ancient times), how her story is fan fiction for the Middle Ages, conceptions and the reality of motherhood in the medieval era across different classes, the sexualization of Mary, her treatment in different Christian sects, and more.  Look out for the second season of our Welcome to the Crusades series with Eleanor and Luke of We're Not so Different. In the meantime, get season 1 here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Producer Jake regrettably had his pet rat confiscated after an ill-fated cruise. In this week’s news: Iran considers a U.S. peace proposal (1:37), Project Freedom fails in the Strait of Hormuz (7:45), and new details emerge about damage by Iranian strikes on U.S. military sites (11:25); Israel kills civilians in Lebanon (14:53) and targets Gaza police (16:24); U.S.-China tensions rise before Trump’s summit (18:10); Sudan accuses Ethiopia of drone strikes while Ethiopia accuses Sudan of arming Tigray rebels (23:19), plus Tigray’s ruling party reinstates the regional legislature (25:39); the United States prepares to lift sanctions on Eritrea (27:08); JNIM besieges Bamako, Mali as Mali’s junta leader appoints himself defense minister (28:41); Trump pulls U.S. soldiers from Germany (30:24); Russia and Ukraine reject rival ceasefires (31:38); Trump expands sanctions on Cuba (33:53); and the White House broadens its counterterrorism strategy (35:29). Follow us on YouTube and join our livestreams every Wednesday at 8pm ET! And don’t forget to listen to our Marx Prestige miniseries. 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 welcome to the show Alex Zakaras, professor of political science at the University of Vermont, to talk about the history and future of radical liberalism. They discuss liberalism’s relationship to republicanism, the American liberal tradition, equal freedom, defensive liberalism after 2016, neoliberalism, Cold War liberalism, socialism, racial hierarchy, labor power, democratic crisis, and whether liberalism can still offer a politics of freedom and equality. Be sure to grab a copy of Alex’s book Freedom for All: What a Liberal Society Could Be. Don't miss our livestream this Wednesday, May 6, at 8 pm ET on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek speak with Judah Grunstein, World Politics Review’s editor-at-large, about American power and what a post-unipolar future might look like. They discuss the meaning of the liberal international order, U.S. empire and legitimacy, Trump challenging American primacy, the role of middle powers, China and the European Union, climate change and development, strategic autonomy, and the possibility of Washington not ushering in a new order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes.  King Charles paid his respects at AP HQ, but was put off by Danny’s pet ferrets. In this week’s news: Iran talks collapse as Trump weighs a blockade and strikes (1:56); the UAE leaves OPEC (7:45); Mali rebels and jihadists seize Kidal (16:49); Derek interviews Alex Thurston about Mali’s escalating rebel offensive and the implications for the junta government (18:08); Israel kills civilians and expands evacuation zones in Lebanon (33:43) as the U.S. and Israel demand a Hezbollah disarmament plan from Lebanon (35:25); Israel adds an orange line to its Gaza map (37:08); Afghanistan and Pakistan exchange border fire (38:59); China blocks the sale of AI startup Manus to Meta (40:46); Sudan’s Blue Nile faces a humanitarian crisis (44:23); King Charles visits the United States and addresses Congress (46:27); Trump and Putin discuss a Ukraine ceasefire (48:53), plus Ukraine accuses Israel of procuring stolen grain (48:53); and the United States charges Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha (52:18). Don’t forget to download our latest miniseries Marx Prestige. All episodes out now! And paid subscribers will get access to the full interview with Alex Thurston. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices