Danny and Derek speak with Andrew Hartman about their new miniseries Marx Prestige and the relevance of Marxist thought in this day and age. They talk about Marxist theories of imperialism, state spending on war versus social welfare, financialization and the shift from wages to assets, automation and AI in relation to labor, the decline of American hegemony, and the relationship between capitalism and war. Read Andrew's book Karl Marx in America. 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 Eldar Mamedov, foreign policy expert and non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute, to talk about Europe’s response to the war in Iran. They discuss European support and hesitation toward the US-Israel attack, inconsistencies in international law, shifts in European rhetoric as the war continues, fears over economic fallout and energy disruption, Europe’s loss of leverage after the nuclear deal collapsed, dependence on the United States for security, domestic political pressures in Europe, and the prospects for diplomacy with Iran and Russia. See more of Eldar’s work at the Quincy Institute. Don't forget to download our new miniseries Marx Prestige. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny and Derek speak with Hasan Piker about his recent trip to Cuba and the broader political moment in the United States. They talk about the Democratic Party’s internal crisis and relationship to the media, his role in intra-party debates, left populism and electoral strategy, the Cuba aid flotilla and the effects of U.S. sanctions, the material impact of the blockade on Cuban society, and the prospects for future U.S.-Cuba relations. Don't forget to check out our new series, ⁠Marx Prestige⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek welcome back Eleanor Janega to discuss the history and meaning of Easter in Christianity. They talk about the centrality of the resurrection in Christian belief, how Easter was understood in early Christianity and the Middle Ages, the relationship between Easter and Passover, debates over the nature of Jesus and the Trinity, the origins of common Easter myths about pagan festivals, and the origins of modern traditions like eggs and the Easter bunny. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Derek is monitoring The Situation, so Always at War’s Alex Jordan is back to deliver the news with Danny. This week: Trump extends the Iran war without an exit plan (4:02); the U.S. weighs a commando raid to seize Iranian uranium (10:04); Iran threatens U.S. companies after striking a Kuwaiti tanker (13:17); the Hormuz closure drives shortages and price shocks across the global economy (18:43); Europe sees NATO tensions rise as France blocks U.S. overflights and Trump threatens Ukraine aid (22:20); Israel deepens its occupation of southern Lebanon and kills UN peacekeepers (26:42); in Gaza, the Board of Peace proposes faction disarmament before reconstruction (29:28); Israel passes a race-based death penalty law for Palestinians (32:07); a Russian tanker reaches Cuba with oil despite the U.S. blockade (34:17); the U.S. and China prepare a summit amid wider global tensions (36:39); in Sudan, the RSF seizes Kermuk in Blue Nile state (39:13); South Sudan’s peace process collapses as elections lose credibility (40:14); and the UK cuts aid to Africa to fund higher defense spending (41:55). Don’t forget to check out our new miniseries, Marx Prestige. New episodes out weekly! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This a preview. To hear the full episode, subscribe now! Danny and Derek speak with Hasan Piker about his recent trip to Cuba and the broader political moment in the United States. They talk about the Democratic Party’s internal crisis and relationship to the media, his role in intra-party debates, left populism and electoral strategy, the Cuba aid flotilla and the effects of U.S. sanctions, the material impact of the blockade on Cuban society, and the prospects for future U.S.-Cuba relations. Don't forget to check out our new series, ⁠Marx Prestige⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In lieu of a standard episode today, we are premiering the first episode of Marx Prestige, a series where Danny, Derek, and historian Andrew Hartman discuss Karl Marx and how the philosophy and politics he created shaped and reshaped the United States.  Subscribe now at the annual tier for free access to series like this one! In this first episode of Marx Prestige, Danny, Derek, and Andrew Hartman talk about how Karl Marx understood the United States as a testing ground for capitalism and democratic development in the nineteenth century. They delve into the reception history approach to Marx in America, Marx’s early views on American democracy and capitalism, his writings on the Civil War and slavery, the transition in Marx’s thought from philosophy to political economy, Reconstruction and its limits, early American interpretations of Marx, and the emergence of Marxism in the late nineteenth century. Be sure to check out Andrew's Book ⁠⁠Karl Marx in America⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny and Derek speak with Sina Azodi about the first month of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and why expectations of a rapid Iranian collapse have failed. They talk about the failure of expectations of a quick Iranian surrender, Iran’s asymmetric response strategy, energy and economic choke points, the influence of the IRGC, the historical context of U.S.-Iran relations, domestic political dynamics and public sentiment inside Iran, diaspora politics, and what lies ahead for Iran’s nuclear program.  Be sure to grab a copy of Sina’s book Iran and the Bomb: The United States, Iran, and the Nuclear Question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek speak with writers China Miéville (the forthcoming The Rouse) and Richard Seymour (Disaster Nationalism) about the changing character of the U.S. empire and global politics. They discuss the war with Iran as an expression of imperial decline, the absence of a coherent strategy in U.S. foreign policy, the collapse of ideological justification for war, the shift toward raw power politics, the relationship between the U.S. and Israel in this conflict, the weakening of liberal hegemony, and the broader implications for global capitalism and conflicts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for access to all of our specials and to avoid ads. Derek speaks with journalist Afeef Nessouli about Israel’s war on Lebanon and the political and social consequences. They talk discuss Israeli airstrikes and the ground invasion in southern Lebanon, mass displacement and humanitarian conditions, destruction of infrastructure and barriers to evacuation, Hezbollah’s role as both military and political organization, public opinion toward Hezbollah, the weakness of the Lebanese government, sectarian tensions and external manipulation, and grassroots relief efforts amid the crisis. You can support affected Lebanese people at local organizations like Ahla Fawda, Nation Station and Truth Be Told. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny and Derek join Mark Ames and John Dolan for the first AP–⁠Radio War Nerd⁠ crossover episode discussing, you guessed it, Iran and geopolitics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and for access to all of our episodes. Just a reminder: there was too much Iran news to fit into this episode, so we gave it a standalone special you can find here. Otherwise, this week around the world: in Israel-Palestine, the Gaza Board of Peace negotiates a Hamas disarmament agreement (1:54) while the West Bank sees settler violence surge around Nablus (3:35); Pakistan resumes its war with Afghanistan after the Eid ceasefire expires (7:09); Trump reschedules his China trip for May (8:26); in Sudan’s Blue Nile State, RSF and SPLM-N militants seize Kormuk as Chad boosts its border military presence after Sudan spillover violence (11:19); in Ukraine, Russia launches a massive drone barrage as a new offensive begins (14:14), the United States ties security guarantees for Ukraine to territorial concessions (16:04), and Russia reportedly offers to end support for Iran in exchange for the U.S. ends support for Ukraine (19:00); Denmark’s snap election leaves Mette Frederiksen weakened, but still in contention to govern (21:46); Raul Castro joins Cuba’s talks with the United States (23:55); in Ecuador, a U.S.-backed operation reportedly destroys a dairy farm instead of a drug camp (27:12); the UN General Assembly condemns the transatlantic slave trade, the United States votes no (29:56); Trump pays TotalEnergies to halt East Coast wind projects (31:22). Be sure to check out our new series premiering Tuesday, Marx Prestige. Listen to the trailer here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek give you the latest on the war on Iran. They discuss Trump’s failed peace proposal and shifting threats, mediation attempts involving regional actors, Iran’s strategic position and deterrence problem, US troop deployments and potential military options, Israeli operations in Iran and Lebanon, Trump’s claims about regime change and a mysterious “present,” reports of a possible Diego Garcia attack, sanctions relief on Iranian oil, and global economic effects including disruptions to the helium supply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 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

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 Mirkinson, senior editor at ⁠The Nation⁠, about “A Day for Gaza,” a one-day project where the magazine is devoting its entire website to coverage of Gaza. They discuss the decision to turn over all coverage to this single issue, the decline in mainstream media attention since the October “ceasefire” announcement, and why events in Gaza remain central to media responsibility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our specials. Danny and Derek are joined by Alex Jordan of the Quincy Institute and Always at War to discuss the U.S. seizure of President Nicolás Maduro. They discuss what we know so far about the operation, how it differs from past U.S. interventions in the region, the risks of political fragmentation inside Venezuela, the potential of prolonged U.S. involvement, and the implications about the future of American power in the Western Hemisphere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get access to all of our bonus episodes. Danny and Derek are joined by journalist Seth Harp to discuss his book The Fort Bragg Cartel, which covers murder and drug trafficking around the North Carolina military installation. They talk about the rise and institutionalization of U.S. special operations after 9/11, how JSOC and related units expanded their role, permanent war reshaping military culture, special forces’ role in assassination campaigns, the end of the draft, reporting on drug trafficking networks, and the social effects of special operations culture on the families and communities connected to Fort Bragg. Read Seth’s piece in Harper’s, “Mission Impossible.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip commercials and get all of our episodes. Use the code XMAS2025 for a $45 annual subscription! Danny and Derek speak with journalist and cultural critic Daniel Waite Penny to discuss the relationship between masculinity, the manosphere, and climate politics, as explored in the new season of Non-toxic, Carbon Bros. They talk about the “manosphere,” libertarians promoting techno-fixes, and Silicon Valley elites pushing solutions like space colonization; how gendered ideas about strength, autonomy, and grievance have fused with climate denial and hostility toward environmental regulation; where these dynamics fit within broader shifts in political economy and the interests of fossil capital; and the roots of these alignments, their role in contemporary right-wing politics, and what they mean for efforts to build public support for climate action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Get an annual subscription for $45 with the code XMAS2025. Danny and Derek are joined by historian Aileen Teague to discuss the renewed U.S. focus on Latin America as part of the War on Drugs. They talk about recent U.S. actions in the Caribbean and Venezuela; the return of “narco-terror” rhetoric; political forces driving Washington’s approach to the region; where these developments fit within the longer history of U.S. intervention, sanctions, and militarized security; and what this all means for regional stability, migration, and U.S.–Latin America relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny and Derek welcome back to the podcast Eleanor Janega, medieval historian, author, and broadcaster, to get down to brass tacks: What is Christmas? They discuss its practice in early and medieval Christian societies, mummers’ plays and gambling, Saint Nicholas providing dowries and resurrecting boys killed for their meat, the post-Reformation treatment of Christmas, and more. Grab a copy of Eleanor’s book The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Use discount code XMAS2025 to get an annual subscription for $45! Danny welcomes writer Justin Boyd and writer/producer VJ Boyd to the show to talk about The Muppet Christmas Carol. They discuss Charles Dickens as a transitional figure in 19th-century literature, Victorian ghost stories and Christmas, Jim Henson’s pre-Disney career and the regional TV ecosystem that produced the Muppets, the film’s melancholy as a post-Henson/post–Richard Hunt work, Michael Caine’s performance and Jonathan Rosenbaum’s critique, anti-capitalist themes vs liberal moral reform, chronos versus kairos in Scrooge’s transformation, and why this adaptation endures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Use the code XMAS2025 to get an annual subscription for just $45! Danny and Derek welcome back historian Andre Pagliarini to discuss Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his political project, and its significance for Brazil’s democracy and labor movement. They explore the emergence of “new unionism” in the late 20th century and the founding of the Workers’ Party (PT); how a leader shaped by labor activism ended up governing through institutional politics; what Lula inherited from Brazil’s corporatist past; how he has navigated the constraints of global capital, inflation, and coalition politics; the gains and limits of his social programs; corruption scandals, Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment, and the Bolsonaro’s presidency; and Lula’s return to office and what his trajectory says about the possibilities of left governance. Get a copy of Andre’s book Lula: A People's President and the Fight for Brazil's Future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Get an annual subscription for $45 with our holiday discount code XMAS2025. Danny and Derek are joined once again by Vincent Bevins, this time to talk about the recent wave of so-called “Gen Z protests.” They explore why that framing explains almost nothing; how contemporary mass protests actually form, why they tend to resemble each other, and why their political outcomes rarely meet their original demands; and the crisis of representation, the collapse of ideology, “explosive mobilization,” and why the military generally decides what comes next. The conversation also touches on whether there is still such a thing as a revolutionary subject and what happens when politics become anti-corruption rhetoric and “vibes.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Use the holiday discount code XMAS2025 for a $45 annual subscription (offer valid through 1/1/26)!  Jolly Saint Nick is giving the U.S. government lots of coal this year, a boon to fossil fuel companies. In this week’s news: Thailand–Cambodia fighting resumes despite Trump’s ceasefire claim (1:52); an Israeli airstrike in Gaza threatens what remains of the ceasefire (6:00), and a winter storm devastates Gaza as Israel continues blocking shelter materials and aid (9:10); Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council prepares to declare a new government amid Saudi threats (12:08); the U.S. approves the largest-ever arms package to Taiwan (16:10); China reportedly unveils a prototype advanced chipmaking tool (18:18); the Bondi Beach attack in Australia has possible Islamic State links (19:48); a New America Foundation report documents extensive U.S. airstrikes in Somalia (22:01); M23 announces its withdrawal from Uvira in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (24:49); Ukraine peace talks continue as the war nears its fourth year, including disputes over Kupiansk (27:59); Chile elects far-right president José Antonio Kast (32:23); the U.S. escalates pressure on Venezuela with military deployments and a partial oil blockade (33:27); and Congress passes a $901 billion National Defense Authorization Act, including a repeal of Syria’s Caesar Act and changes to Selective Service registration (41:40). Listen to our special with Annelle Sheline on what’s going on in Yemen. Don’t forget to listen to our Chinese Prestige miniseries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Derek is joined by Annelle Sheline of the Quincy Institute to discuss the Southern Transitional Council’s recent territorial advances in Yemen, what they mean for the country’s already-fractured political order, and why the “internationally recognized government” remains mostly theoretical. They also delve into the history of southern secessionism, the dysfunction of the Presidential Leadership Council, and how Emirati-backed forces have consolidated control over much of former South Yemen. Follow Annelle on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Danny and Derek welcome to the show Julia Gledhill and Van Jackson, co-hosts of the Un-Diplomatic podcast, to talk about the Trump administration’s newly released National Security Strategy. They discuss how the document leans on civilizational framing, portrays competition as existential conflict, omits diplomacy and institutions in favor of coercion and deal-making, and deemphasizes democracy promotion. They also touch on the strategy’s treatment of Europe and Latin America, its assumptions about American power, and what the new NSS suggests about the direction of U.S. foreign policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to ditch the ads. Chag Sameach! Danny and Derek are joined by independent scholar Joseph Scales to talk about the history of Hanukkah. They discuss the rivalry between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires that preceded the conflict; the Maccabean/Hasmonean revolt and the family's ascension to power within Judea; the Judean expansion; and much more. Originally published November 27, 2021 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

⁠Subscribe now⁠ and get access to this episode as well as our series ⁠A Modern History of Palestine ⁠with Dr. Khalidi. Danny and Derek are joined once again by historian Rashid Khalidi to discuss Gaza two months after the announcement of a ceasefire. They begin with Dr. Khalidi's class on Palestine at the People’s Forum after his decision to leave Columbia University, and what that experience says about the state of American higher education. They then turn to Gaza, exploring why Israel continues its assault, how it continues to slow the flow of aid and reconstruction materials, and what life looks like for Palestinians facing winter without adequate shelter, medical care, or infrastructure. They also talk about U.S. and regional diplomacy around a proposed second phase of the ceasefire, including plans for international mandates or technocratic governance, and the political consequences for Gaza and the West Bank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe for the full version! The greatest recurring crossover in the biz, between AP and ⁠NonZero Newsletter⁠, returns. Get your discounted membership to NonZero now! Part One Video 0:00 The incoherence of Trump's foreign policy7:16 The paucity of debate around Chinese chip restrictions19:13 Danny: Is this the stupidest foreign policy establishment ever? 25:27 Should AGI worry us?  34:40 Bob’s Overtime bait Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Listen to our Chinese Prestige miniseries! Danny and Derek will sadly not be doing a CBS News town hall event. This week in the news: the Thailand–Cambodia conflict resumes (1:47); the DRC–M23 conflict also resumes as M23 makes new advances (7:05); in Gaza, questions remain over the “second phase” of the ceasefire as a winter storm hits (10:38); separatists in Yemen gain control of the country’s south (17:18); the RSF takes Sudan’s largest oilfield (21:02); an attempted coup is foiled in Benin (23:31); Trump gives NATO a 2027 ultimatum on defense spending (26:05); Ukraine responds to the U.S. peace plan while Trump expresses frustration (29:46); controversy erupts in Honduras over election ballot-counting snafus (35:56); and in these great United States, Congress removes “right to repair” from the NDAA after contractors lobby against it (38:53). Don’t forget to join out our Discord. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Derek and journalist Mat Nashed assess the state of Sudan’s ongoing civil war, particularly the fall of Al-Fasher and the Rapid Support Forces’ consolidation of control across much of Darfur. They discuss the throughline from the 2003 genocide to today; the wider humanitarian catastrophe; the shifting battlefield in Kordofan; the growing role of drones; the international dimension of the war, including the UAE’s backing of the RSF and the Sudanese army’s search for external patrons; and they examine why accountability remains elusive as Sudan’s rival powers continue a war that hurts civilians above all else. Follow Mat on Twitter and Instagram.  Read Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s WSJ opinion piece. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek welcome back to the show media scholar Andrew deWaard to discuss Netflix’s reported acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and what it says about the economic forces driving contemporary media. They talk about how conglomeration and financialization have reshaped Hollywood; zero interest rates, asset inflation, and Wall Street driving mergers; how intellectual property, streaming platforms, and algorithmic “background TV” are transforming both culture and labor; the decline of cable and mass entertainment to Netflix’s rent-based (and subsequent subscription) business model; the influence of Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon on media strategy; and the global implications of growing U.S. cultural monopolies. Read Andrew’s book Derivative Media (for free!). Check out Danny’s piece “The Life and Death of Hollywood.” Also take a look at this n+1 article on Netflix and how it’s transformed modern film and TV consumption, “Casual Viewing.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for immediate access to all of our bonus episodes. Danny and Derek welcome back Brendan James and Noah Kulwin, of the Blowback podcast, for a tour through their latest season, which takes the show to Angola. They discuss how Angola became one of the largest and least-remembered battlefields of the Cold War, Reagan’s return to proxy wars, Cuba’s decision to send troops without Soviet approval, South Africa’s “total onslaught” ideology, the Reagan era’s fanaticism, its echoes in today’s politics, and what happens when the U.S. exports its wars (and mythology) across continents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content. Don’t forget to download our Chinese Prestige miniseries, currently on sale for $5. Annual subscribers get the series free!  Despite sitting on a large surplus of Labubus, Danny and Derek work hard to bring you the news. This week: in Russia-Ukraine, new US diplomacy goes nowhere (1:08), Ukraine is now attacking Russian commercial ships (5:55), and the EU moves to phase out Russian natural gas (8:35); in the DRC-Rwanda conflict, Trump hosts a peace deal signing as fighting resumes with M23 in the eastern DRC (11:17); new fighting erupts in southern Yemen (14:19); Lebanon and Israel hold ceasefire talks as the IDF resumes strikes (17:08); in Gaza, new clashes leave a gang leader dead (19:45), the ceasefire implementation sees minimal progress (23:48), and Israel reopens the the Rafah checkpoint (26:24); Sudan’s RSF claims a new advance in the Kordofan region (28:40); a bizarre coup unfolds in Guinea-Bissau (30:40); Trump moves closer to military action against Venezuela (36:55); Honduras heads toward a contentious election (40:17); the US pauses entry from 19 countries after the DC National Guard shooting (43:46); and a double-tap strike on a boat in the Caribbean raises new legal questions (45:43). Join the Discord (subscribers get access to all channels). 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 Molly Lambert, creator of the JENNAWORLD podcast, to talk about the rise of the modern porn industry and its roots in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. They discuss the medium’s origins in underground stag films and the porno chic era; the shift to home video and the corporate studio model; breakout stars like Ginger Lynn Allen and Jenna Jameson; porn as an outsider industry mirroring Hollywood; gender, labor, and power in late-20th-century media; the relationship between pornography and evolving feminist politics; porn’s role in the VHS–Betamax war; and how the internet, OnlyFans, and content platforms have affected a formerly professionalized industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to listen to the full episode and get access to all of our Sunday bonuses. Danny and Derek speak to Ilias Alami, assistant professor of political economy at Cambridge, about the global shift from neoliberalism to new forms of state capitalism. They discuss the rebalancing of economic power toward East Asia; sovereign wealth funds, policy banks, and state-owned enterprises; and the role of states in industrial strategy, technology, and supply chains. They also touch on China, AI, and the overlap between economic rivalry and geopolitical confrontation. Check out the book Ilias co-authored, The Spectre of State Capitalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Instead of a news roundup, we are releasing the second episode of our new miniseries ⁠Chinese Prestige⁠. Annual subscribers already have access, while everyone else can get the 8 episodes for $5 for two weeks only. This conversation examines China’s early post-Korean War period and the political and social campaigns that defined the new PRC. The group discusses land reform, the Three-anti and Five-anti campaigns, Soviet-style economic planning centered on heavy industry, and the technocratic overhaul of higher education. They also explore China’s deteriorating relationship with the United States, shifting ties with the Soviet Union after Stalin’s death, early signs of the Sino-Soviet split, and Mao’s tightening control. Theme music by Jake Aron, based on the song “The East is Red.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny speaks with Alex Goldman about his new podcast ⁠Hyperfixed⁠, in which he works to get to the bottom of listeners’ complex problems, or at least enough of an explanation that they’re ok with the annoyance. We have then provided the full episode of “Third Eye Blind,” where one Mitchell finds out he's missing something almost everyone else has, and he wants to know -- who would I be if I had it?  If you like what you hear, why not support Alex and ⁠join Hyperfixed⁠?  Otherwise, have a great holiday, and keep your eyes peeled for the second episode of ⁠Chinese Prestige⁠ on the AP feed tomorrow! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In lieu of a typical Tuesday episode this week, we are releasing the first episode of our new miniseries Chinese Prestige. Annual subscribers already have access, while everyone else can get the 8 episodes for a whopping $5 for two weeks only. Enjoy! In this first episode of Chinese Prestige, Yidi, Danny, and Derek trace the origins of the Chinese Communist Party from the May Fourth Movement to the civil war with the Nationalists. They explore the party’s strategic shift from cities to the countryside, the role of land reform and mass mobilization, the impact of the Japanese invasion and World War II, and the rise of Mao Zedong. The episode follows the party through its victory in 1949, the founding of the People’s Republic of China, early state-building, and China’s entry into the Korean War. The group concludes in 1953 with the launch of the first five-year plan and its push for rapid industrial development. Theme music by Jake Aron, based on the song “The East is Red.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Ames of Radio War Nerd is on the program to tell us a little about the new book penned by his partner in podcast crime, John Dolan, titled They Should Have Been Hanged: War Nerd Essays on the U.S. Civil War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our bonus Danny and Derek speak with writer and editor David Klion about the collapse of the liberal Zionist project and how the moral and political implication of the Gaza genocide have reshaped  American Jewish identity. They discuss how October 7 and Israel’s assault on Gaza forced a reckoning among liberals who once believed in the two-state promise; the fracturing of institutional life and why so many public figures have avoided accountability;  the generational realignment in American Judaism; legacy news organizations managing and obscuring this shift; x and also Bari Weiss’s rise to CBS and what it tells us about the future of American media. Read David’s piece in The Nation, “To Those Who Have Just Awakened to the Horrors in Gaza.” Note: This episode was recorded on October 20, 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to listen to the full episode. Danny and Derek are joined by the writer ⁠Emily Tamkin⁠ to discuss Sarah Hurwitz’s comments on the Holocaust, education, and the Jewish people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Danny and Derek are praying for Kim Kardashian to pass the bar. In this week’s news: Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia visits the White House (1:56); the U.S. pushes a new Ukraine peace deal (8:58); Israel continues killing people in Gaza (12:30), Palestinians’ shelters are failing in heavy rain (13:57), the UN votes on Trump’s Gaza plan (15:22), and Palestinians seeking relief are put on flights to South Africa, raising ethnic cleansing concerns (18:11); Israel continues to bomb and move borders in Lebanon and Syria (21:50); the U.S. and South Korea agree on a nuclear submarine deal (25:21); an attack on a church in Nigeria draws international attention (27:46); the DRC and M23 sign a new peace framework (29:53); an elections update for Chile (31:17) and Ecuador (33:03); Trump reopens a backchannel to Venezuela (34:47); and an update on Operation Southern Spear (38:14).    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 political theorist and author Lea Ypi about her new book Indignity: A Life Reimagined, which explores how personal memory intersects with imperial collapse, nationalism, and the surveillance state. They discuss her grandmother’s journey from Ottoman Salonika to Albania amid the rise of competing political projects; archives and the stories they erase; the challenge for universalist ideals in a capitalist world; the parallels between the 1930s and today’s anti-migrant politics; and whether collective political action remains possible as we’re shaped by platforms, algorithms, and anonymous economic power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny and Derek welcome back historian Nick Mulder, writer at Weltinnenpolitik, to discuss Trump’s new tariff regime. They get into Trump’s focus on taxing goods while leaving finance untouched; how U.S. allies are obediently eating higher economic costs; why this approach resembles a “subscription model” of empire rather than a coherent industrial strategy; early signs of backlash in places like India, Brazil, and Europe; how immigration enforcement and H-1B restrictions now operate as tools of economic coercion; and why sanctions under Trump increasingly fall on partners instead of adversaries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all news specials. Danny and Derek sit down with journalist Murtaza Hussain of ⁠Drop Site News⁠ to talk about his ongoing reporting on Jeffrey Epstein’s extensive political and financial influence. They get into how Epstein operated as a fixer and connector for powerful people and entities around the world; the private meetings and backchannel negotiations he helped facilitate, from Israel to Russia to Côte d'Ivoire; the role he played in brokering surveillance and security agreements; and why this part of his life went unreported or was dismissed for so long. Be sure to check out Murtaza’s reporting in Drop Site’s series “Epstein and Israel.” 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 are vigorously programmed to bring you the news headlines. This week: the Thai-Cambodia ceasefire breaks down as border fire and incidents escalate (0:30); in Gaza, Trump’s framework stalls while governments debate the shape and purpose of an international security force (4:27); Syria’s President Ahmed al-Shara visits the White House (13:49); Iraq’s elections conclude with Prime Minister Sudani claiming victory despite an uncertain coalition (17:37); suicide attacks in Pakistan raise tensions with Afghanistan (20:11) while a constitutional amendment increases military rule (23:00); in Sudan, new reports suggest the RSF is burning bodies and digging mass graves to obscure its actions in al-Fashir (25:30); Russia advances in Ukraine with movement around Kupyansk, Pokrovsk, and Zaporizhia (28:02); Nathaniel Powell returns to the show, this time to delve into the unrest continuing in Cameroon after Paul Biya’s contested reelection (29:56); and the U.S. moves the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier into the Caribbean as international criticism grows over strikes on alleged “drug boats” (50:42). Don’t forget to join our Discord. Subscribers get access to all channels! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to listen to the full episode. Danny talks with Jamie Beran, CEO of Bend the Arc, about the political and generational tension reshaping the American Jewish community. They discuss the fallout from Zoran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign in New York; the role of legacy institutions like the ADL; how debates over Israel-Palestine, antisemitism, and safety are redefining American Jewish political identity; and what these shifts mean for progressive movements and Jewish organizations navigating rising authoritarianism in the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the commercials and get all of our content. Derek is joined by Omar Zahzah, Assistant Professor of Arab Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies at San Francisco State University, to talk about his book Terms of Servitude: Zionism, Silicon Valley, and Digital Settler Colonialism. They discuss the Sheikh Jarrah uprising and the digital front of the Palestinian struggle, the difference between “digital apartheid” and “digital settler colonialism,” Meta’s censorship, the IDF Unit 8200–Silicon Valley pipeline, how AI and tech infrastructure are being weaponized, the legacy of Edward Said’s “Permission to Narrate,” and how Palestinians have used social media to change the narrative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for all of our breaking news specials. Danny and Derek talk with journalist Jasper Nathaniel about his reporting from the West Bank on settler attacks that have become routine and state-backed. They discuss the town of Turmus Aya, the far-right ministers pushing annexation, a mob attack on an American‐Palestinian lawyer’s neighbor, and Jasper’s firsthand account of a violent mob assault during the olive harvest.  Stop demolitions in Umm al-Khair. Help free Mohammed Ibrahim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Danny and Derek speak with historian Tim Shenk of George Washington University about how American liberalism lost its way. They discuss the Cold War purge of the left and the rise of the “vital center,” the Clinton-Obama years and the hollowing of class politics, the Democratic Party’s embrace of the professional-managerial elite, meritocracy, the implications of organized labor’s decline, the financialization of everything, and whether a new populist coalition can still be built. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our content! Air travel might grind to a halt, but our news roundup marches on. After reflections on the Mamdani victory (0:30), Danny and Derek get into this week’s stories: Trump threatens to invade Nigeria (10:10); in Israel-Palestine, a Gaza ceasefire update (19:31) and West Bank olive harvest violence (26:06); Afghanistan and Pakistan resume ceasefire talks (27:10); Sudan’s IPC declares famine as the RSF prepares a new siege and agrees to a ceasefire (29:11); a new report details the UAE’s role as a global gold smuggling hub (33:40); attacks on civilians continue in Ethiopia (36:30); Ukraine braces as Pokrovsk is about to fall (38:53); the Netherlands confirms a centrist election win (40:59); Putin orders plans for nuclear testing in response to Trump (43:23); reports suggest the U.S. may deploy special forces to Mexico (45:25); the U.S. is preparing strikes on Venezuela, though Trump is hesitating (47:45); and new revelations emerge about drug boat operations (51:23). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny and Derek invite Spencer Ackerman to discuss the life and legacy of Dick Cheney. Check out Spencer's newsletter Forever Wars and his book Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny and Derek welcome journalist and author John Lechner to discuss his book, Death is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries in the New Era of Warfare. The conversation cuts through the mainstream narrative of the Wagner Group to explore the true history of Yevgeny Prigozhin, from his start as a product of post-Soviet "gangster capitalism" in 1990s St. Petersburg to his ascent as Vladimir Putin's de facto military entrepreneur. They analyze how Prigozhin leveraged the Russian state’s grand ambitions with limited resources to create a self-funding war machine in Syria and across Africa, ultimately turning his own military success in Bakhmut into a fatal political challenge to the decadent Moscow bureaucracy—a challenge that ended with a suspiciously accidental plane crash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to hear the full episode and get access to all of our Sunday bonuses! Danny speaks with writer and menswear critic Derek Guy about the politics of fashion, exploring how style reflects class, power, and ideology. They explore fashion’s moral economy, how neoliberalism turned personal style into a marker of moral worth, the influence of Savile Row and Brooks Brothers, the evolution of men’s dress from the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the aesthetics of American politics from JFK to Trump (including why Derek contends Reagan was the most stylish modern president), and how taste became a language of power. Read Derek's piece in The Nation, "How Did Republican Fashion Go From Blazers to Belligerence?" Also check out his piece at Die, Workwear!, "The Suit Died, but for Good Reasons." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content! What’s spookier than international relations? This week in the news roundup: Trump tours Asia to talk trade deals (1:28), a Thai-Cambodia accord (7:11), and to meet with Xi (8:45); the RSF captures of Al-Fashir in Sudan with reports of mass killings (12:19); Gaza sees the deadliest day of Israeli bombardments since the ceasefire began (17:19); the PKK makes more concessions in talks with Ankara (21:53); Afghan-Pakistan ceasefire negotiations collapse in Istanbul (24:34); Myanmar rebel groups agree to a Chinese-brokered ceasefire (26:59); elections in Ivory Coast and Cameroon keep longtime incumbents in power (29:44); Nigeria’s military sees a shake-up amid rumors of a coup plot (33:30); Dutch elections sideline Geert Wilders and the far-right (36:26); Trump freezes trade talks with Canada and raises tariffs over an ad (39:50); the UN General Assembly votes to condemn the U.S. embargo on Cuba (42:35); the U.S. expands its boat-bombing campaign in the Pacific and sends a carrier to the Caribbean (44:21); and Trump suggests that the U.S. resume nuclear testing (47:57). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The greatest recurring crossover in the biz, between AP and ⁠NonZero Newsletter⁠, returns. ⁠Subscribe now to AP⁠ and you'll also get the overtime segment as well as a discounted membership to Nonzero! ⁠Part One Video⁠ (0:00) Bob tries to lower American Prestige’s self-esteem  (3:07) The Trump-Xi trade talks  (6:44) Making sense of Trump’s nuclear saber-rattling  (10:34) Signs of a US-China vibe shift  (16:36) Is AI accelerating science?  (23:25) Bill Gates’s climate change of heart  (29:30) This week’s Gaza ceasefire death toll  (34:19) Overtime preview: Bob vs Danny on international law Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get much more content! Alex Aviña is back on the podcast, this time to talk about the evolution of ICE and the U.S. security state. They discuss the convergence of the war on terror, the war on drugs, and the war on migrants; the transformation of the border into a domestic counterinsurgency project; ICE’s roots in settler colonialism; the role of whiteness and assimilation in immigration politics; the use of surveillance and drones in law enforcement; the privatization and grift at the core of Trumpism; the legacy of Latin American death squads; the erosion of constitutional rights; and migration as the consequence of empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our Sunday bonuses! Danny and Derek welcome to the program Andrew Weiss, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin. They discuss the state of the war in Ukraine, the Biden and Trump administrations’ approaches, why U.S. support has faltered, the limits of American power, the moral contradictions of empire, the future of European security, and whether Vladimir Putin still thinks he can outlast everyone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rest assured, no one on the AP team has any undeclared tattoos. In this week’s news roundup: In Israel-Palestine, Gaza’s so-called ceasefire holds after another weekend of Israeli strikes (1:36), the International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders Israel to allow more humanitarian aid (8:16), and reports emerge of a plan to partition Gaza (11:48) as J.D. Vance arrives in Israel and the Knesset advances West Bank annexation votes (14:21); Donald Trump looks set to host Mohammed bin Salman for the Saudi crown prince’s first U.S. visit since the Jamal Khashoggi murder (18:36); Afghanistan and Pakistan agree to a fragile ceasefire after cross-border clashes (21:16); Myanmar’s junta retakes a key commercial town and resumes its offensive (23:47); Japan elects hard-right Takaichi Sanae as its first female prime minister (27:27); in Sudan, drone strikes delay the reopening of Khartoum’s airport (29:59); new data shows jihadist groups tightening their grip across West Africa (31:19); the Trump-Putin-Zelensky saga takes several new turns, with canceled summits and contradictory sanctions (34:52); Rodrigo Paz wins Bolivia’s presidency and pledges to restore ties with Washington (41:28); the U.S. reportedly trades MS-13 informants for access to Nayib Bukele’s mega-prison in El Salvador (43:39); two more U.S. drone attacks hit alleged “drug boats,” one in the Pacific, as the head of Southern Command steps down (45:44); and the U.S. and Australia seal a new minerals deal to counter China (50:28). Subscribe now and check out our series on Silicon Valley with Margaret O’Mara here. 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 Fara Dabhoiwala, author of What Is Free Speech? The History of a Dangerous Idea, about the complex history of one of liberalism’s proudest ideals, and how it largely emerged from hypocrisy and self-interest. They trace its 18th-century birth in the polemics of corrupt British journalists, its exclusion of women and colonized peoples, the U.S. founders’ rejection of France’s more balanced model, and the later reappropriation of the slogan by abolitionists and reformers. The group also traces free speech’s evolution through the Cold War and into the age of Big Tech, revealing how a principle meant to liberate became a tool of power and a license for unaccountable media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our Sunday bonuses! Danny and Derek speak with Joshua Braver, assistant professor of law at the University of Wisconsin, about Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act. They discuss the president’s power to federalize the National Guard, the Posse Comitatus Act, the limits of judicial deference, Trump’s schizophrenic relationship to the law, the weakness of the liberal legal establishment, why the Great Recession didn’t produce a New Deal moment, and what it means when the only thing left to restrain the executive is the executive itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our content. Lead might be in our protein supplements, but Danny and Derek bring you the news free of most heavy metals. This week: the ceasefire in Gaza begins with prisoner exchanges (1:38), but controversy arises over deceased captives (5:30), plus Israeli violations and Hamas clashes with armed factions (9:35), and a summit in Sharm El Sheikh (14:36); a United Nations report shows a record-breaking spike in atmospheric carbon levels and growing evidence that natural feedback loops are worsening climate collapse (17:14); border clashes escalate between Afghanistan and Pakistan following a failed Pakistani airstrike on a Taliban leader (19:39); Japan’s ruling coalition collapses after Komeito breaks with the LDP (23:06); Nathaniel Powell joins Derek to break down the military coup in Madagascar sparked by Gen Z-led protests and a mutiny within the elite CAPSAT unit (25:16); in France, Macron re-appoints PM Lecornu and the government survives no-confidence votes (45:04); Peruvian president Dina Boluarte is impeached amid corruption scandals and rising crime (48:59); Trump authorizes CIA covert action inside Venezuela and bombs another boat in the Caribbean (50:35); the U.S.-China trade war re-escalates as Beijing restricts rare earth exports and Trump responds with tariff threats and diplomatic chaos (54:27); and finally, Trump’s bid for the Nobel Peace Prize fails while the winner dedicates her win to him (59:04). 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 sociologist Charles Derber about how American society is tearing itself apart, as explored in his book Bonfire: American Sociocide, Broken Relations, and the Quest for Democracy. They discuss the decline of civic trust, the rise of atomized “me” culture, the tech-driven Gilded Age, neoliberalism and loneliness, Silicon Valley’s alliance with the national security state, how a country built on expansion and individualism turned those forces inward, and what, if anything, can stop us from destroying the relationships that hold this society together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Producer's note: This is a re-posted episode originally from Columbus Day 2023. Subscribe now to skip the ads and get access to more bonus episodes like this one. Danny and Derek speak with Juan Ponce Vázquez, associate professor history at the University of Alabama, about Christopher Columbus. They explore his Genoese origins, his journeys to the Americas on behalf of the Crown of Castile, the geopolitical situation at the time, what we know about his contact with native peoples, how the modern holiday came to be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Danny and Derek welcome back Brendan James and Noah Kulwin, of the Blowback podcast, for a tour through their latest season, which takes the show to Angola. They discuss how Angola became one of the largest and least-remembered battlefields of the Cold War, Reagan’s return to proxy wars, Cuba’s decision to send troops without Soviet approval, South Africa’s “total onslaught” ideology, the Reagan era’s fanaticism, its echoes in today’s politics, and what happens when the U.S. exports its wars (and mythology) across continents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content! Yes, we will be releasing 25 subtle variations of this news roundup in order to catapult ourselves to the top of the podcast charts, and no, we are not sorry. This week: a ceasefire agreement was reached for Gaza, but there was too much information for us to cover in the news, so please check out our special here. Syria’s interim government handpicks a new “parliament” under tight presidential control (1:01); Iran debates moving its capital from Tehran as drought and other ecological issues worsen (3:24); Myanmar’s junta carries out a deadly airstrike on civilians celebrating a Buddhist festival (6:32); Japan’s ruling LDP turns to hard-right Takahichi to become Japan’s first female prime minister (9:03); Sudan’s RSF shells Al-Fashir’s last functioning hospital amid a deepening siege (12:22); Ethiopia accuses Eritrea and the TPLF of funding militias in the Amhara region, raising fears of another war (14:23); Rwanda-DRC peace efforts stall over mineral deals and a lingering occupation (17:31); Trump muses on sending Tomahawks to Ukraine while cutting a drone-tech swap with Kyiv (20:05); another French prime minister resigns (24:24); the U.S. sinks another “narco-boat” of the coast of Venezuela, then cuts diplomatic ties with Maduro (28:27), and moves to expand the president’s war powers at home and abroad (32:54; and Donald Trump flirts with invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act (35:14).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all breaking new specials. Danny and Derek break down the first stage of the ceasefire deal reached between the U.S., Hamas, and Israel. They talk about the phased releases, Israel’s partial withdrawal, and the question of whether Marwan Barghouti will be freed. They also discuss Trump’s role in pushing the agreement, Gaza’s future under “reconstruction,” Netanyahu’s political calculus, and the shifting U.S. political landscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greetings Everyone, There's just one more day to vote for American Prestige in the 2025 Signal Awards for best News & Politics program (viewer's choice). If you can take a second, please go there now and do so! Jon Stewart is gaining on us! You'll have to confirm the vote via your email, but we promise it's a quick and easy process. It'd be great to show the fat cats what's what! Again, voting is open through tomorrow, Thursday, October 9, and that's it! Thank you as always for your support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get much more content. Don’t forget to vote for AP in the 2025 Signal Awards! In a break from the (overtly) political, Derek and Danny are joined by The Ringer’s Alan Siegel to talk about his new book Stupid TV: Be More Funny, a cultural history of The Simpsons and how it changed American comedy. They discuss how a bunch of Harvard Lampoon alumni turned the show into art, the role of Fox and Rupert Murdoch in promoting a show that mocked them both, how Bart Simpson once terrified America’s parents (and George H.W. Bush), the show’s postmodern worldview, and the moment The Simpsons went from anti-establishment to establishment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Derek speaks with Sami Al-Arian, Public Affairs Professor and Director of the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Zaim University, about the forthcoming Gaza talks and the prospects for a ceasefire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Don’t forget to vote for AP in the 2025 Signal Awards! Derek welcomes back to the show Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation and professor at Johns Hopkins, to talk through the slow demise of the Iran nuclear deal. They delve into Europe’s decision to trigger the UN “snapback” mechanism, factors that lead to this moment, from Trump’s withdrawal and Biden’s hesitation to Europe’s impatience and Iran’s deepening ties with Russia and China, the effects of sanctions being imposed without diplomacy, and why the JCPOA’s collapse is a symptom of a wider breakdown in the international order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Vote for us in the 2025 Signal Awards! Danny and Derek update everyone on what we know about the Gaza ceasefire that Hamas just accepted and where things go from here. Then, for subscribers, they speak with Mohammad Alsaafin, journalist at AJ+, and Dalia Hatuqa, a journalist specializing in Israeli/Palestinian affairs and regional Middle East issues, to unpack the finer details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content. Don’t forget to vote for AP in the 2025 Signal Awards! Danny is back on American soil and joins Derek to bring you the news. This week: Trump circulates a Gaza ceasefire proposal with Hamas’ response pending (2:39), Israel issues its final evacuation notice for Gaza City (9:30), and the Samud flotilla is intercepted (11:04); Trump forces Netanyahu to apologize to Qatar while also giving Doha a NATO-style defense pledge (14:06); the UN reimposes sanctions on Iran (16:55); Trump pushes to retake Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan as the country briefly loses internet access (20:49); starvation worsens in Sudan’s al-Fashir (27:02); “Gen Z protests” erupt in Madagascar and Morocco (29:56); Trump declares Ukraine can retake all lost territory (33:13) while the EU eyes frozen Russian assets (37:04); Argentina’s Milei seeks a U.S. bailout (39:51); Washington considers strikes inside Venezuela (42:51); and Pete Hegseth’s generals’ rally falls flat as Trump muses about using the military in U.S. cities (44:01). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content. Don't forget to vote for American Prestige in the Signal Awards! Danny welcomes to the show journalist and historian Garrett Graff, host of the podcast Long Shadow. They talk about the show’s latest season on the internet, tracing how its promise of democratization and liberation devolved into an engine of polarization and conspiracies. Topics include: Facebook’s cynical algorithmic choices, Watergate’s enduring influence on American political culture, the economic wreckage of deindustrialization and deregulation, the rise of Trumpism as a “burn it down” vote, and the coming AI disruption that threatens white-collar work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Vote for American Prestige in the Signal Awards! Danny and Derek talk with writer Ross Barkan about his new essay collection Fascism or Genocide. They get into the “uncommitted” revolt during the 2024 primary and what that says about the Democratic Party’s failures, the decline of party elites from the Hillary coronation in 2016 to Biden’s cognitive decline, generational change inside the party like Zoran Mamdani, Democrats resistance to their own base, Trump’s enduring but limited appeal, the failures of “woke” politics to build lasting institutions, and the need for a future progressive president to wield executive power as ruthlessly as the right does. Ross’s Substack Political Currents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content. Vote for us now in the Signal Awards. No news today because Derek needs a break! Danny and Derek speak with historian Gretchen Heefner about how the U.S. military (unsuccessfully) set out to conquer extreme environments and what those efforts reveal about empire, climate, and power. They discuss the U.S. Army training for a desert war that turned out to be mud, the Pentagon’s disastrous attempts to master Greenland’s ice, early blueprints for building on the moon, efforts to gather “environmental intelligence” across the globe, and other failed endeavors showing the limits of American military power. Read Gretchen’s book Sand, Snow, and Stardust: How U.S. Military Engineers Conquered Extreme Environments now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to get skip the ads and get more content! Danny and Derek once again speak with historian Greg Grandin about his recent book, America, América: A New History of the New World. In this second part of the conversation, they follow US–Latin American relations from the American Civil War through the present. The discussion covers the Spanish-American War of 1898 and the contradictions of U.S. expansion cloaked in the language of human rights, the Mexican Revolution as a defining challenge to US power, Woodrow Wilson’s and FDR’s occupations and the Good Neighbor Policy, the Cold War, the neoliberal turn, the endurance of social movements in the face of American-backed violence, and why contemporary Latin American politics still display revolutionary undercurrents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Derek welcomes back Gabriel Hetland, associate professor at the University at Albany, and Alex Aviña, associate professor at Arizona State University, to talk about America’s latest moves against Venezuela. They discuss the long US campaign to topple Nicolás Maduro, Washington’s resurrection of the “narco-terrorism” label, the oil politics behind US incoherence in the region, Maduro’s domestic maneuvering, and how Trump’s recent assertions of dominance risk sparking a wider regional crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content! Derek is joined once again by guest co-host Alex Jordan to bring you the news. This week: in Israel-Palestine, Israel commences its ground operation in Gaza City (1:50), a UN commission rules that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza (8:14), and Netanyahu touts a “Sparta” model for Israel while Smotrich talks Gaza real estate (9:39); fallout from Israel’s strike in Qatar continues (15:04); nuclear talks between Iran and European nations make little progress (20:39); India’s Maoist rebels suspend their insurgency (23:28); Nepal elects a new interim prime minister via Discord (25:52); the US and China produce a “framework” for the TikTok sale (28:32); Australia commits billions to its AUKUS submarine investment (30:58); the RSF in Sudan advances on Al-Fashir (34:04); Libya’s Tripoli-based government cuts a deal with a hostile faction (37:30); the US and EU clash over Russia sanctions (40:49); the US admits to blowing up at least one more Venezuelan boat (47:32); Trump decertifies Colombia as a drug war partner (52:04); and Trump deploys the National Guard to Memphis while also pushing international changes to asylum rules (55:31). Check out our big, beautiful website, featuring a searchable, categorized archive. Watch Alex with Courtney Rawlings on Always at War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny and Derek welcome back historian Greg Grandin to talk about his recent book, America, América: A New History of the New World. In this first part of the discussion, they explore how the Spanish conquest produced unprecedented violence while also starting discussions about human rights, the role of Bartolomé de las Casas and the Salamanca School, how English settlers dealt with their own brutality, and the emergence of social democracy in Latin America. They also discuss the Monroe Doctrine, the Panama Congress, and the Mexican-American War as early flashpoints in US–Latin American relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s a preview from a podcast you might enjoy, Fiasco: Slow Burn co-creator Leon Neyfakh transports listeners into the reality of America’s most pivotal historical events, bringing life to the forgotten twists and turns of the past while shedding light on the present. In his new season, Leon looks at the 2012 Benghazi attack that left four Americans dead—and the ensuing political storm, which raised questions about America’s role in the world, established a playbook to weaponize attention in the social media age, and ultimately changed the course of U.S. history. Find Fiasco: Benghazi wherever you get podcasts and binge the entire season with a Pushkin plus subscription – sign up on the Fiasco Apple Podcasts show page or at pushkin.fm/plus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Derek is joined by Giorgio Cafiero of Gulf State Analytics and Annelle Sheline of the Quincy Institute to take a closer look at Israel’s bombing of Doha, Qatar, this week. They discuss how the strike undermines Qatar’s role as mediator in Israel-Hamas negotiations, US complicity, and why Gulf leaders now view Israel, not Iran, as the region’s chief destabilizer. They further explore Qatar’s hosting of Hamas at America’s request, the GCC’s tenuous unity in the face of Israeli aggression, the domestic politics driving Netanyahu, and the risks of Israel crossing new red lines. Follow Annelle and Giorgio on Twitter/X. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content! While Danny remains in talks with Russia, Alex Jordan again helps Derek bring you the headlines. This week: Israel targets Hamas negotiators in a Doha strike (3:30), effectively ending ceasefire talks (8:43); the IDF orders the evacuation of Gaza City (13:11) while reports emerge that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation hired an anti-Islam biker gang for “security” (15:42); in Russia-Ukraine, Russian drones entered Polish airspace, prompting an Article 4 NATO meeting (18:36); Iran and the IAEA announce a tentative deal to resume inspections (22:41); Nepal sees mass protests over a social media ban, leading to the resignation and disappearance of its prime minister and the army being deployed in Kathmandu (25:42); Donald Trump suggests he will repair ties with India amid tariff disputes and fallout over a Russian oil deal (30:15); Japan’s prime minister Ishiba resigns after electoral losses (33:23); ICE raids a Hyunda-LG plant in Georgia, detaining hundreds of South Korean workers (36:41); In Mali, JNIM militants blockade fuel routes to Bamako (42:22); France ousts yet another prime minister over austerity, with Macron appointing Sébastien Lecornu and facing mass protests (44:38); Brazil awaits a Supreme Court verdict on former president Jair Bolsonaro’s coup case, and Trump threatens retaliation if he’s convicted (49:26); and in these United States, the Department of Defense changes its name to the Deaprtment of War (53:34), a New York Times report reveals covert attacks on fishermen in a failed North Korea operation in 2019 (56:16), and new details emerge about last week’s strike on a Venezuelan boat (62:12).  Don’t forget to purchase our Welcome to the Crusades: The First Crusade miniseries!Catch Alex and Courtney Rawlings on the Quincy Institute’s Always at War podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny and Derek recently reunited with Eleanor Janega and Luke Waters of ⁠We’re Not So Different⁠ for a special mailbag episode of their cross-pod collaboration, ⁠Welcome to the Crusades: The First Crusade⁠. We have already posted ⁠Episode 1⁠ and ⁠Episode 2 ⁠in the feed, so we figured we’d give everyone the third episode to further entice you to dig into this miniseries. Enjoy! We leave the Crusaders behind temporarily to grapple with conditions in the Near East of the late 11th century. We’ll discuss the emergence and disintegration of the Great Seljuk Empire in Baghdad as well as the rise of the Fatimid Caliphate in Cairo, with additional focus on the situation in Jerusalem as the Crusaders began their journey. 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. Grab the last couple of Robo Washington posters from our store! Danny and Derek break down Israel’s strike on Doha, which targeted a meeting of Hamas’s political leadership. They discuss the possibility of US complicity in the attack, its impact on negotiations, and what it means for Gaza and for what remains of US credibility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get much more content! Danny and Derek welcome actor Morgan Spector (The Gilded Age, The Plot Against America) to the show for a conversation on politics, Hollywood, and capitalism. They trace his political development from the Iraq War and Obama era to Bernie Sanders and democratic socialism, discuss his documentary The Big Scary “S” Word, and reflect on how Hollywood politics skew liberal but not radical (particularly when it comes to Palestine). They also explore Spector’s role as a Gilded Age robber baron, how today’s tech oligarchs compare with the 19th century’s builders, and the need for a new political vision in the age of financialization, AI, and the climate crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to enjoy all of our Sunday bonus episodes. Danny and Derek welcome Washington Post columnist and Wisdom of Crowds co-host Shadi Hamid to the show to discuss the shift in rhetoric and framing around the genocide in Gaza. Shadi explains why he hesitated to use the word “genocide” until this year, reflects on reactions to his Washington Post piece, and explores with Danny and Derek how language shapes mainstream debate. They further discuss the future of the Democratic Party, the absence of left institutions, and whether shifting the discourse can translate into policy given the current structure of American power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads, get more content, and generally support us! Danny is in talks with the Kremlin to unfreeze his accounts, so Derek is joined instead by the Quincy Institute’s Alex Jordan to bring you the news. This week: a new study warns that the Atlantic circulation system could collapse (2:32); Ukraine introduces AI-driven drone swarms, raising the prospect of autonomous killing machines (5:55); in Israel-Palestine, Israel declares Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone” (9:45), The Washington Post details the “Trump Riviera” plan (13:50), more European states move toward recognizing a Palestinian state (18:20), and Israel appears to be building a new nuclear reactor (24:44); the IDF assassinates the Houthi prime minister in Yemen (26:57); Indonesia sees mass protests over egregious political perks (30:25); Russia replaces the Wagner Group with the Africa Corps in the Central African Republic amid pushback (32:47); the Congo River Alliance/M23 accuses the DRC government of violating their ceasefire (36:57); lawyers sound the alarm about five men trafficked from the US to Eswatini (39:12); as Russia-Ukraine peace talks drag on, the focus shifts to “security guarantees,” with Moscow rejecting any foreign military presence in Ukraine (41:43); Donald Trump boasts about “obliterating” a Venezuelan boat that may have carried migrants instead of drugs (47:39); US appeals courts rule against Trump’s tariffs and deportations (51:33); and in a New Cold War update, Xi Jinping makes a statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and V-J Day military parade (54:33). Catch Alex and Courtney Rawlings on Quincy’s “Always at War”!  Grab one of the last few “Robo Washington Crossing the Delaware” posters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads. Danny and Derek welcome back to the program historian Udi Greenberg to discuss his reinterpretation of modern Christianity in The End of the Schism: Catholics, Protestants, and the Remaking of Christian Life in Europe, 1880s–1970s. They explore the alliances Catholics and Protestants forged under the pressures of fascism, the Cold War, and decolonization, and how both Christian Democracy and radical left-Christian movements were shaped as much by expedience as reconciliation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! 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! Danny and Derek get in one last news update before Danny moves to an undisclosed American Prestige satellite campus. This week: In Israel-Palestine, the IPC formally declares a famine in Gaza (3:21), Israel bombs Nasser Hospital (6:34), and Trump hosts a White House “day after” meeting (13:25); Europe moves to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran (16:16); Trump’s 50% tariff on Indian goods goes into effect (12:04); changes to de minimis rules force postal services to suspend US-bound shipments (27:23); South Korea’s Lee Jae-myung visits DC and avoids the Zelensky treatment (29:45); in Sudan, RSF forces advance around Al-Fashir (33:15) as an Anne Applebaum Atlantic article sparks outrage (35:43); peace talks between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and M23 finally resume (38:36); Trump promises Ukraine continued security help, but there is still no end to the war in sight (39:50); the Danish government summons a US diplomat over Greenland (44:23); Trump might be preparing to oust Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro (47:00); and the Pentagon is interested in an AI propaganda tool (50:42). Danny on Hasan Piker’s show Derek and Eleanor Jangea on The Majority Report The AP Discord Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads! Danny and Derek welcome historian Rashid Khalidi back to the program, this time to talk about Columbia University’s agreement with the Trump administration. They discuss the university equating criticism of Israel with antisemitism, the school bringing in outside monitors, bipartisan U.S. support for Israel despite shifting public opinion, and how donor influence and neoliberal management are both reshaping universities and eroding the humanities. They also preview Dr. Khalidi’s upcoming free public lecture series on Palestinian history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek welcome back to the show Charles Kupchan, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, to talk about this week’s summit in Alaska attempting to find an end to the Ukraine war. They examine Trump’s chaotic Ukraine diplomacy, the future of security guarantees, whether Russia will relinquish occupied territory, the US geostrategic interest in Ukraine, America’s declining global dominance, and the failures of US foreign policy expertise.  Read Charles’s piece in Foreign Affairs, “Close NATO’s Door to Ukraine.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and hear the full interview on the Bolivia election. Don’t forget our Welcome to the Crusades and Of This World series! Derek took away Danny’s iPad, so now Danny has to help with the news. This week: the great Trump-Putin summit takes place (1:39) as Zelensky visits the White House (5:44); Hamas accepts the newest ceasefire (9:39), the IDF appears to have begun its Gaza City operation (12:44), and the Israeli government approves the E1 settlement in the West Bank (15:46); Wang Yi of China visits India in a sign of improving relations, as US-India relations are worsening (18:48); the Myanmar junta schedules an election (21:49); the DRC-M23 negotiations continue to falter (23:11); the US sends warships to Venezuela (25:26); and Derek goes into detail with Olivia Arigho-Stiles about the results of the Bolivia election (27:08). Read Olivia’s piece in Jacobin, “Is This the End of MAS?” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Danny and Derek speak with freelance journalist Molly Longman about ⁠her piece for Wired ⁠detailing how the US military makes over $70 million annually from slot machines on overseas bases, and the implications for exploitation, addiction, and security risks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content! Don't forget our new series Of This World and Welcome to the Crusades! Danny and Derek Davison welcome to the program economist Glenn Loury, host of The Glenn Show, to talk about the re-release of his 1994 book Self-Censorship. They discuss the reasons he originally wrote the book, including self-censorship among intellectuals in late 1980s Eastern Europe as well as the response to Glenn’s critiques of US debates on race and civil rights at the time. They then tie these themes to postwar economics, current debates about “wokeness,” discourse around Gaza, and academic freedom.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Danny welcomes back to the show Erik Baker, a lecturer in the history of science at Harvard, to discuss criticisms of economics as a science and touch on nuclear history. They talk about the struggle of early 20th-century economists to formalize their field, the Progressive Era desire to rationally manage society, the postwar effort to quantify economics and the role of the university therein, the paradigms structuring economics that rely too much on “experts,” the actor-network theory critique, the pitfalls of reducing complex issues to quantification and modeling, and whether there’s a better way to aggregate the information economics seeks to interpret. The conversation then turns to Erik’s article on the history of nuclear science. Read Erik’s pieces “The History of Economics as Science Critique: Demystification and Its Limits” and “The History of Nuclear Science.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now⁠ to skip the commercials. Don't forget to check out our series ⁠"Welcome to the Crusades"⁠ and ⁠"Of This World."⁠ Danny and Derek’s The Life of a Go-Go Boy album is shelved indefinitely. Meanwhile, in world news: Armenia and Azerbaijan sign a U.S.-brokered peace deal (1:35); Israel prepares for an operation in Gaza City as it continues its search for countries willing to take in expelled Palestinians (8:36); Australia announces plans to recognize Palestine (12:59); Iran hosts an IAEA representative (14:58) as European states prepare to reimpose sanctions (16:45); the Thai-Cambodian border sees two new incidents (19:34); a Sudanese military leader meets with a Trump envoy (22:08); the president of the unrecognized state of Somaliland will reportedly visit the U.S. (24:12); the DRC-M23 peace talks appear to collapse (26:47); Trump agrees to a summit with Putin, leaving Ukraine and European leaders concerned, and Russia makes a breakthrough in the Ukrainian defensive line (29:19); a preview of the upcoming Bolivian election (34:55); Trump orders military force to be used against Latin American drug cartels (38:27); and the U.S. and China agree to extend their tariff détente (40:09). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Danny and Derek speak with historian Chris Myers Asch about Trump's federal takeover of DC police and the deployment of the National Guard. Be sure to check out Chris's book ⁠Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mohammad Alsaafin, journalist at AJ+, returns to the program to discuss recent events concerning Palestine. He and Derek talk about journalists killed by Israel in Gaza, including Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif; the broad dehumanization of Palestinian journalists by many mainstream outlets; the planned military occupation and potential ethnic cleansing of the Strip; the use of starvation as a weapon; why certain countries are re-recognizing a Palestinian state at this moment; and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In lieu of a typical Tuesday episode this week, we are happy to present the first episode of our new miniseries with Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins, ⁠Of This World.⁠ Subscribe now at the annual tier for access to this series and other AP series going forward. First, Danny Bessner speaks with Daniel about what inspired this series. In the episode itself (6:25), Daniel speaks with Carlo Invernizzi Accetti about his recent book (published in Italian) Twenty Years of Rage: From No-Globals to Trumpism. Topics include the crisis in democracy and liberalism, grievance politics, Peter Sloterdijk's concept of the modern loser, the materialist causes of modern anger, attempted remedies like populism and technocracy, and why anger can be useful. (Recorded in December 2024) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Derek welcomes back historian Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi for a discussion about developments in Syria under the new government, which toppled that of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. They talk about the massacres of Alawites at the beginning of this year, the non-governmental militias still operating in the country, clashes between Druze and Bedouin armed groups in the southern city of Suwayda, Israeli involvement, Syrian Democratic Forces activity in the northeast of the country and Turkey’s role, and whether the government under Ahmed al-Sharaa can make a “Syria for all Syrians.” Check out Aymenn's book The Conquest of al-Andalus: a Translation of Fath al-Andalus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads. Don't forget to purchase our "Welcome to the Crusades" miniseries! The AP team will wear formal Tevas to the new White House ballroom. Otherwise, in this week’s news: Danny and Derek reflect on the 80th anniversary of the US dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima (1:46); in Israel-Palestine, Netanyahu announces his “full occupation” plan (8:24) as the US expands the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (13:58); the Lebanese government moves to disarm Hezbollah (16:48); the US looks to host an Armenia-Azerbaijan peace summit (20:51); Trump punishes India for purchasing Russian oil (24:20); Thailand and Cambodia agree to the deployment of ceasefire monitors (27:49); in Sudan, the RSF carries out a new atrocity (29:50) and the military accuses the United Arab Emirates of hiring mercenaries (32:37); a new report details sexual violence in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia (35:06); in Russia-Ukraine, Steve Witkoff visits Moscow ahead of a Putin-Trump meeting (37:28) as the US nevertheless plans to impose tariffs on Russia (40:34); El Salvador’s legislature removes presidential term limits (41:57); and in US news, America makes a new “third country” trafficking agreement with Rwanada (43:15), the State Department starts a new program forcing travelers to pay bonds to the US government (45:23), and NASA plans to put a nuclear reactor on the Moon (46:50).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads. Michael Albertus, professor of political science at the University of Chicago, joins the program to talk about his book Land Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn’t, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies. The group explores notions of land from archaeological evidence thousands of years ago, the enclosure movement of the medieval era, the European mindset vs those of indigenous peoples in the era of colonization, South Africa land redistribution, gender in Canadian homesteading, how changing notions of land play into larger histories of race, the postwar of concept of “land to the tiller,” and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Jennifer Kavanaugh, senior fellow & director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, and Stephen Wertheim, senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, join the program to talk about their piece, “The Taiwan Fixation: American Strategy Shouldn’t Hinge on an Unwinnable War.” The group delves into the contours of the debate around Taiwan in DC, whether there’s any daylight between the two parties, strategic ambiguity and where it stands in Trump 2.0, how a decline in US hegemony in East Asia affects plans for a Taiwan intervention, and what Jennifer and Stephen recommend instead of America’s current approach.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny invites Alex Aviña and Ahmad Shokr to discuss recent goings on at the American Historical Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The bi-monthly collaboration between AP and NonZero Newsletter returns. Subscribe now to AP and you'll also get a discounted membership to Nonzero! Get that Crusades series now! ⁠Part One Video⁠ 0:00 Derek and Danny plug their new Crusades series 2:55 This week’s shift in Gaza discourse 11:56 The real danger Gaza poses for Israel 21:41 Does the left’s rhetoric on Israel miss the mark? 32:00 Elite media’s think tank problem 36:03 Is American imperialism really the problem? 39:40 Heading to Overtime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads! Don’t forget to purchase our “Welcome to the Crusades” special series! Danny and Derek are monitoring the Liam Neeson-Pamela Anderson situation. Otherwise, in this week’s news: a new study says most countries are exploiting groundwater aquifers at an unsustainable rate (2:26); in Israel-Palestine, another Gaza ceasefire breaks down (4:56), Israel’s “humanitarian pause” has little effect on the starvation in Gaza (7:22), the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is under scrutiny (10:13), West Bank violence is once again on the rise (12:23), and several European leaders float the idea of recognizing a Palestinian state (14:11); Trump threatens to bomb Iran again (17:45); POTUS relaxes sanctions on Myanmar while considering a mineral deal (20:12), plus that country’s military junta lifts the state of emergency (23:55); Thailand and Cambodia agree to a ceasefire for the moment (25:32); the Trump administration cancels interactions with Taiwan (28:32); the Sudan “quartet” meeting is cancelled after a dispute between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (31:56); Trump shortens the deadline for Russia to end its war in Ukraine (35:01); and this week’s trade news includes the US reaching deals with the EU and South Korea (38:09), imposing a 25% tariff plus “penalties” on India (41:16), hitting Brazil with a 50% tariff (43:14), plus Trump suggesting no future deal with Canada (46:01), and a deal with China remaining in limbo (47:32). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads. Great Power Week continues here at American Prestige as historian Michael Brenes joins the show to talk about how prolonged competition with China threatens democracy, peace, and prosperity. They compare Biden and Trump’s respective approaches to China, whether the national security establishment is trying to manufacture an existential threat out of The People’s Republic, whether there is any national interest in a new Cold War, the degradation in American leaders, why rivalry is bad economically, erodes American society’s social fabric, and leads to violence, and alternatives to the great power framework.      Read his book on the matter (co-authored with AP regular Van Jackson), The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy. Don’t miss the companion episode with Stacie Goddard from Sunday, “The Era of Great Power Competition.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices