American Prestige

By Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison

What's American Prestige about?

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.

www.americanprestigepod.com

Download our free app to listen on your phone

American Prestige episodes:

04.24.2024
Special - A Russia-Ukraine War Update w/ Mark Ames
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek once again speak with Mark Ames, co-host of Radio War Nerd, about the state of affairs in Russia and Ukraine. Topics include: the latest...
04.23.2024
E145 - Did it Happen Here? w/ Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins
Danny and Derek welcome back Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins, assistant professor in the College of Social Studies at Wesleyan University, to talk about his edited volume Did It Happen Here? Perspectives on Fascism and America. The group explores the utility of the...
04.22.2024
Special - Iran's Red Line With Israel w/ Sina Toossi
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Derek sits down with resident AP Iran expert Sina Toossi, senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, to discuss the recent escalations between Israel and...
04.21.2024
Bonus - Christian Zionism, Ep. 4 w/ Daniel Hummel
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek once more speak with Daniel Hummel, director of the Lumen Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Upper House, to finish our series on Christian Zionism...
04.19.2024
Special - Israel Attacks Iran
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek update you with what we know so far about Israel’s strikes on Iran last night. Recorded late morning Eastern Time, Friday, April 19, 2024.
04.19.2024
News - Israel Prepares Retaliation on Iran and Rafah Invasion, Mass Coral Bleaching, US Allegedly Refuses to Leave Niger
Producer’s note: This was recorded on Thursday, April 18, before Israel’s strike on Iran, hence us releasing this earlier than usual. It’s the world news roundup with the ever loyal Danny and Derek. This week: Israel plans...
04.16.2024
E144 - Patriots on Broadway w/ Michael Stuhlbarg
Danny and Derek welcome to the podcast actor Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man, Call Me By Your Name, “Boardwalk Empire”) to discuss his role in the new play Patriots, which portrays billionaire Boris Berezovsky’s (Stuhlbarg) relationship with Vladimir Putin (Will...
04.14.2024
Special - Iran Strikes Israel, Ep. 2
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek are back with updates on the situation after last night’s bombardment on Israel, including international reactions, the potential Israeli response, and more. ...
04.14.2024
Bonus - The TikTok "Ban" w/ Tianyu Fang
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek speak with Tianyu Fang, MacArthur tech and democracy fellow at New America and contributing editor at Reboot, about the current discourse and legislation around...
04.14.2024
Special - Iran Strikes Israel
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek give an update on what we know about Iran’s attack against Israel in response to Israel’s April 1 strike on an Iranian embassy in...
04.12.2024
News - US and Israel Await Iran Response, Mexican Embassy Raid in Ecuador, New Cold War Update
Danny and Derek bring you stories from around the globe. This week: Iran warns of an imminent response to Israel bombing the IR’s embassy in Syria (0:31); Gaza ceasefire talks remain tenuous (6:15) while the IDF’s “withdrawal” has not yet...
04.09.2024
E143 - The Cold War's Afterlife, Pt. 2 w/ Penny Von Eschen
Danny and Derek again chat with Penny Von Eschen, William R. Kennan Jr. professor of American studies and professor of history at UVA, about her book Paradoxes of Nostalgia: Cold War Triumphalism and Global Disorder since 1989. This second part...
04.07.2024
Bonus - Biden in a Box w/ Jonathan Guyer
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek speak with Jonathan Guyer, contributing editor at The American Prospect, about the eponymous piece he recently wrote for the magazine on Biden’s ideological commitment...
04.06.2024
Special - Havana Syndrome Update w/ Natalie Shure
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek welcome back Natalie Shure, writer and researcher whose work focuses on history, health, and politics, for an update on where we stand with Havana...
04.05.2024
AP x Nonzero - Biden’s Israel Problem w/ Robert Wright
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Welcome the fourth episode of the collaboration between AP and Nonzero Newsletter! Paid subscribers get a discounted membership to Nonzero— just scroll below the paywall near the...
04.05.2024
News - IDF Kills More Aid Workers, IRGC Hit in Damascus, Moscow Terror Attack
Derek and Danny return with the news. This week: In Gaza, the IDF kills members of the World Central Kitchen organization (0:31), Biden follows up with Netanyahu (6:18), more reports on the IDF’s AI targeting systems (10:35), and more; Israeli...
04.04.2024
Special - Resigning from the State Department w/ Annelle Sheline
Danny and Derek welcome back Annelle Sheline, former foreign affairs officer at the State Department, to discuss her resignation over the Biden Administration’s handling of Israel and Gaza. They discuss her role at State, what changed there after October 7,...
04.02.2024
E142 - The Cold War's Afterlife, Pt. 1 w/ Penny Von Eschen
Danny and Derek chat with Penny Von Eschen, William R. Kennan Jr. professor of American studies and professor of history at UVA, about her book Paradoxes of Nostalgia: Cold War Triumphalism and Global Disorder since 1989. In this first part...
03.31.2024
Bonus - The History of Brazil, Ep. 1 w/ Bryan Pitts
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Believe it or not, Brazil’s story didn’t start with Lula and Macron’s iconic photo shoot, and Bryan Pitts, assistant director of the Latin American Institute at UCLA,...
03.29.2024
Free Bonus - Rethinking U.S. World Power w/ Michael Brenes and Stephen Wertheim
Since Derek is out of town, an unsupervised Danny welcomes back AP friends Michael Brenes, co-director of the Brady-Johnson program in grand strategy at Yale University and publisher of Warfare and Welfare, and Stephen Wertheim, senior fellow in the American...
03.26.2024
E141 - Prabowo and the 2024 Indonesia General Election w/ Michael G. Vann
Danny and Derek speak with Michael G. Vann, professor of history at California State University, Sacramento, about Indonesia, which recently held an election resulting in Prabowo Subianto as president-elect. They discuss the country’s era of reform (Reformasi) since the end...
03.25.2024
UNLOCKED - Nakba in the Age of Catastrophe w/ Sherene Seikaly
By popular demand, we’re unlocking this episode that was originally released January 28, 2024. Thank you to subscribers who gave feedback! Danny and Derek speak with Sherene Seikaly, associate professor of history at UC Santa Barbara and historian of Palestine,...
03.24.2024
Bonus - Ian Fleming, Frantz Fanon, and Decolonization w/ Daniel Immerwahr
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Daniel Immerwahr, Bergen Evans Professor in the Humanities at Northwestern University, is back on the pod to discuss his recent piece for The New Yorker, “What Frantz...
03.22.2024
News - Famine in Gaza and Sudan, Niger Kicks Out US Forces, Pakistan Airstrikes
Antony Blinken plays the blues while Danny and Derek bring you the news. This week: in Gaza, famine sets in (0:29), U.S.-Israel tensions rise over a potential Rafah invasion (3:52), and more; Pakistan conducts airstrikes in Afghanistan (12:11); Indonesia’s general...
03.19.2024
E140 - Ariel Henry and Foreign Intervention in Haiti w/ Jemima Pierre
Danny and Derek speak with Jemima Pierre, professor of global race in the Institute of Race, Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice (GRSJ) at the University of British Columbia, about foreign intervention in Haiti—namely instances led by the U.S. and European...
03.17.2024
Bonus - Christian Zionism, Ep. 3 w/ Daniel Hummel
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Daniel Hummel, director of the Lumen Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Upper House, is back to discuss Christian Zionism in the United States since 1948. This episode...
03.15.2024
News - Biden's "Red Lines" for Gaza, Ukraine Hits Oil Facilities, US Leads Global Arms Sales
Derek and Danny are back, the latter without any rubles. This week: Russian kicks off its presidential election (1:47); a Gaza humanitarian update (4:29) and Biden speaks on a Rafah invasion (11:24); more Israeli strikes in Lebanon (15:30); U.S. policy...
03.12.2024
E139 - Masters of the Air w/ John Orloff
Danny and Derek welcome writer and co-executive producer John Orloff to the pod to discuss Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air miniseries. They go into John’s background, his work on HBO’s seminal Band of Brothers, the distinct horror of WWII...
03.10.2024
Bonus - The New York Times' October 7 Exposé w/ Ryan Grim
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek speak with Ryan Grim of The Intercept about the piece he co-authored with Jeremy Scahill and Daniel Boguslaw about The New York Times’ exposé...
03.08.2024
News - Haiti Gang Offensive, Sudan Crisis, Gaza
Danny and Derek bring you the world. This week: in Gaza, the U.S. makes airdrops while Biden announces a temporary port (0:30), some countries restore UNRWA funding (4:02), and more; a cargo ship is sunk and data cables cut in...
03.05.2024
Special - The Humanitarian Situation in Gaza w/ Omar Shakir
Derek welcomes back Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), to discuss the humanitarian situation Gaza since the International Court of Justice’s rulings at the end of January in South Africa’s case against Israel. They get...
03.05.2024
UNLOCKED - Duned if You Do, Duned if You Don't w/ Daniel Immerwahr
This episode originally aired October 29, 2021 Danny and Derek speak with Daniel Immerwahr, professor of history at Northwestern University, about all things Dune. They discuss the importance of culture to understanding U.S. empire, the history of imperial U.S. fiction,...
03.05.2024
E138 - Democracy and the Left Turn in Latin America w/ Gabriel Hetland
Danny and Derek speak with Gabriel Hetland, associate professor of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latina/o Studies and Sociology at the University at Albany, about his book Democracy on the Ground: Local Politics in Latin America’s Left Turn. They discuss the...
03.03.2024
Bonus - Nazis in Video Games w/ Trevor Strunk
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek speak with Trevor Strunk of No Cartridge Audio podcast about the Third Reich in the gaming world, from action blockbusters like Medal of Honor...
03.01.2024
Special - The Self-Immolation of Aaron Bushnell w/ Lyle Jeremy Rubin
Danny and Derek welcome back Lyle Jeremy Rubin, veteran of the war in Afghanistan and author of the memoir Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body: A Marine’s Unbecoming, to discuss his new piece in The Nation, “Taking Aaron Bushnell at...
03.01.2024
News - Gaza City Massacre, Darfur Aid Crisis, Sweden Joins NATO
Danny and Derek work on leap days. This week: in Gaza, a massacre in Gaza City (0:29), ceasefire talks (5:20), and Netanyahu’s postwar plan (8:35); the U.S. and U.K. launch more joint airstrikes against Yemen (10:25); North Korea trades arms...
02.29.2024
Special - Arab Americans and the Michigan Primary w/ Malak Silmi
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek speak with Malak Silmi, a freelance journalist based in Michigan, about the state’s Arab American community, its relationship to the Democratic Party, organizing efforts...
02.27.2024
E137 - Christian Zionism, Ep. 2 w/ Daniel Hummel
Daniel Hummel, director for university engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Upper House, returns to continue the discussion on Christian Zionism in the United States since 1948. In this episode, the group picks up with the rise of the new Christian...
02.25.2024
Bonus - The State of Affairs in Russia and Ukraine w/ Mark Ames
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek welcome returning champion Mark Ames, co-host of Radio War Nerd, to give us a update on Russia and Ukraine. The get into the death...
02.23.2024
Special - The 2024 Pakistani General Election w/ Umair Javed
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek speak to Umair Javed, assistant professor of politics and sociology at Lahore University of Management Sciences, about this month’s general election in Pakistan. They...
02.23.2024
News - Gaza War, Ansar Allah (Houthi) Attacks, Russia Advances in Ukraine
Danny and Derek are just the messengers. This week: in Gaza, ceasefire talks may be heating up again, America assesses the UNRWA allegations, and more (0:42); Yemen’s Ansar Allah (Houthi) militants potentially sink a cargo ship, damage another ship, and...
02.20.2024
E136 - UFO Mythology w/ David Halperin
Danny and Derek speak with David Halperin, retired professor of Jewish studies at UNC Chapel Hill, about his book Intimate Alien: The Hidden Story of the UFO. The group looks at the phenomenon of UFO encounters as part of a...
02.18.2024
Bonus - Gerontocracy in U.S. Politics w/ Samuel Moyn
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com In the second half of a double header, Samuel Moyn, Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale, speaks with Danny and Derek about our aged...
02.16.2024
News - Gaza War, Pakistan Election, Venezuela-Guyana Tensions
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays Danny and Derek from the headlines. This week: Global military spending reached new heights in 2023 (0:31); a Gaza update (3:51); a major exchange of fire between Israel and...
02.15.2024
Special - The Imminent Israeli Offensive in Rafah w/ Mohammad Alsaafin
Mohammad Alsaafin, journalist at AJ+, speaks with Danny and Derek about Israel’s imminent attack on Rafah in southern Gaza, the state of the Palestinian diaspora four months into this war, the prospect of a lasting ceasefire, and more. Mohammad’s latest...
02.13.2024
E135 - US Security Assistance to Africa w/ Elizabeth Shackelford
Derek speaks with Elizabeth Shackelford, former U.S. diplomat and current foreign affairs columnist for The Chicago Tribune, about U.S. involvement across Africa. They talk about Elizabeth’s own history in Somalia and South Sudan, America’s understanding of the places in which...
02.11.2024
Bonus - Liberalism vs. Liberalism w/ Samuel Moyn
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Samuel Moyn, Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale, makes his return to the pod to discuss his book Liberalism Against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals...
02.09.2024
News - US Strikes in Iraq and Syria, Sudan Humanitarian Disaster, Zelensky Fires Top General
Danny and Derek are just the messengers. This week: the U.S. hits targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for the American troops killed in Jordan (0:30); Israel refuses Hamas’ terms for a ceasefire as IDF troops enter Rafah (6:06);...
02.07.2024
Special - US Base "Tower 22" in Jordan w/ Ken Klippenstein
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com Danny and Derek welcome back Ken Klippenstein, investigative reporter for The Intercept, to discuss his recent piece detailing the situation at Tower 22, a U.S. garrison in...
02.06.2024
E134 - The Queer State w/ Samuel Huneke
Danny and Derek welcome back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to talk about his new book, A Queer Theory of the State. The group discusses the various notions of queer theory and the state, how...

What's American Prestige about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

American Prestige episodes:

Special - A Russia-Ukraine War Update w/ Mark Ames

E145 - Did it Happen Here? w/ Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Special - Iran's Red Line With Israel w/ Sina Toossi

Bonus - Christian Zionism, Ep. 4 w/ Daniel Hummel

Special - Israel Attacks Iran

News - Israel Prepares Retaliation on Iran and Rafah Invasion, Mass Coral Bleaching, US Allegedly Refuses to Leave Niger

E144 - Patriots on Broadway w/ Michael Stuhlbarg

Special - Iran Strikes Israel, Ep. 2

Bonus - The TikTok "Ban" w/ Tianyu Fang

Special - Iran Strikes Israel

News - US and Israel Await Iran Response, Mexican Embassy Raid in Ecuador, New Cold War Update

E143 - The Cold War's Afterlife, Pt. 2 w/ Penny Von Eschen

Bonus - Biden in a Box w/ Jonathan Guyer

Special - Havana Syndrome Update w/ Natalie Shure

AP x Nonzero - Biden’s Israel Problem w/ Robert Wright

News - IDF Kills More Aid Workers, IRGC Hit in Damascus, Moscow Terror Attack

Special - Resigning from the State Department w/ Annelle Sheline

E142 - The Cold War's Afterlife, Pt. 1 w/ Penny Von Eschen

Bonus - The History of Brazil, Ep. 1 w/ Bryan Pitts

Free Bonus - Rethinking U.S. World Power w/ Michael Brenes and Stephen Wertheim

E141 - Prabowo and the 2024 Indonesia General Election w/ Michael G. Vann

UNLOCKED - Nakba in the Age of Catastrophe w/ Sherene Seikaly

Bonus - Ian Fleming, Frantz Fanon, and Decolonization w/ Daniel Immerwahr

News - Famine in Gaza and Sudan, Niger Kicks Out US Forces, Pakistan Airstrikes

E140 - Ariel Henry and Foreign Intervention in Haiti w/ Jemima Pierre

Bonus - Christian Zionism, Ep. 3 w/ Daniel Hummel

News - Biden's "Red Lines" for Gaza, Ukraine Hits Oil Facilities, US Leads Global Arms Sales

E139 - Masters of the Air w/ John Orloff

Bonus - The New York Times' October 7 Exposé w/ Ryan Grim

News - Haiti Gang Offensive, Sudan Crisis, Gaza

Special - The Humanitarian Situation in Gaza w/ Omar Shakir

UNLOCKED - Duned if You Do, Duned if You Don't w/ Daniel Immerwahr

E138 - Democracy and the Left Turn in Latin America w/ Gabriel Hetland

Bonus - Nazis in Video Games w/ Trevor Strunk

Special - The Self-Immolation of Aaron Bushnell w/ Lyle Jeremy Rubin

News - Gaza City Massacre, Darfur Aid Crisis, Sweden Joins NATO

Special - Arab Americans and the Michigan Primary w/ Malak Silmi

E137 - Christian Zionism, Ep. 2 w/ Daniel Hummel

Bonus - The State of Affairs in Russia and Ukraine w/ Mark Ames

Special - The 2024 Pakistani General Election w/ Umair Javed

News - Gaza War, Ansar Allah (Houthi) Attacks, Russia Advances in Ukraine

E136 - UFO Mythology w/ David Halperin

Bonus - Gerontocracy in U.S. Politics w/ Samuel Moyn

News - Gaza War, Pakistan Election, Venezuela-Guyana Tensions

Special - The Imminent Israeli Offensive in Rafah w/ Mohammad Alsaafin

E135 - US Security Assistance to Africa w/ Elizabeth Shackelford

Bonus - Liberalism vs. Liberalism w/ Samuel Moyn

News - US Strikes in Iraq and Syria, Sudan Humanitarian Disaster, Zelensky Fires Top General

Special - US Base "Tower 22" in Jordan w/ Ken Klippenstein

E134 - The Queer State w/ Samuel Huneke