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American Prestige
Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison
96 episodes
1 day ago
A podcast from Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison that provides listeners with everything they need to know about what’s going on in the world. americanprestige.supportingcast.fm
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Politics
History,
News
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All content for American Prestige is the property of Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
A podcast from Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison that provides listeners with everything they need to know about what’s going on in the world. americanprestige.supportingcast.fm
Show more...
Politics
History,
News
Episodes (20/96)
American Prestige
Bonus - Liberal Zionism After Gaza w/ David Klion (Preview)
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 Barry 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.
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1 day ago
10 minutes

American Prestige
Special - What Was Sarah Hurwitz Thinking? w/ Emily Tamkin (Preview)
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.
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3 days ago
5 minutes

American Prestige
News - MBS White House Visit, US Pushes New Ukraine Deal, UN Votes on Gaza
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).   
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3 days ago
44 minutes

American Prestige
E335 - Dignity, Memory, and Surveillance w/ Lea Ypi
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.
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6 days ago
1 hour 1 minute

American Prestige
Bonus - The Trump Tariff Order and the Future of U.S. Influence w/ Nicholas Mulder
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.
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1 week ago
10 minutes

American Prestige
Special - Jeffrey Epstein and Elite Power w/ Murtaza Hussain (Preview)
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.”
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1 week ago
5 minutes

American Prestige
News - Thailand–Cambodia Ceasefire Breaks Down, U.S. Escalates Military Presence Around Venezuela, Gaza Ceasefire Framework Stalls w/ Nathaniel Powell
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!
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1 week ago
57 minutes

American Prestige
Special - The American Jewish Divide w/ Jamie Beran (Preview)
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.
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1 week ago
5 minutes

American Prestige
E334 - Silicon Valley and the Israeli Occupation w/ Omar Zahzah
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.
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2 weeks ago
52 minutes

American Prestige
Special - Escalating Settler Violence in the West Bank w/ Jasper Nathaniel
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.
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2 weeks ago
54 minutes

American Prestige
Bonus - What Happened to Liberal Politics? w/ Tim Shenk (Preview)
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.
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2 weeks ago
10 minutes

American Prestige
News - Trump Threatens to Invade Nigeria, Sudan Famine and RSF Offensive, Russia To Also Pursue More Nuclear Testing
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).
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2 weeks ago
57 minutes

American Prestige
Special - Dick Cheney (Preview)
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.
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2 weeks ago
10 minutes

American Prestige
E333 - The Wagner Group and the New Era of Private War w/ John Lechner
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.
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2 weeks ago
1 hour 6 minutes

American Prestige
Bonus - The Men’s Suit and the Aesthetics of Power w/ Derek Guy (Preview)
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."
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3 weeks ago
10 minutes

American Prestige
News - Trump Asia Tour and Xi Summit, RSF Massacres in Sudan, US Continues Bombing Boats Off South America Coast
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).
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3 weeks ago
54 minutes

American Prestige
AP x NonZero - Trump-Xi Truce, Gaza Ceasefire & Other Sketchy Deals
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
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3 weeks ago
41 minutes

American Prestige
E332 - ICE and the Age of Grift w/ Alex Aviña
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.
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3 weeks ago
1 hour 1 minute

American Prestige
Bonus - The Forever War in Ukraine w/ Andrew Weiss (Preview)
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.
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4 weeks ago
10 minutes

American Prestige
News - Gaza Ceasefire Tenuous, US Strikes More “Drug Boats,” Saudi State Visit
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.
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1 month ago
55 minutes

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