American Prestige

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Danny and Derek give a news update and an analysis of where things stand today. They discuss the new phase of the war, the Israeli public’s response so far, the prospect of a hostage-prisoner swap, Friday’s UN General Assembly vote, the U.S. bombings in Syria, and more.

Catch up with all of the content related to this current war here.

Recorded Saturday, …

The News That’ll Never Make You Snooze™. This week: Israel continues its relentless assault on Gaza with no ceasefire in sight (0:32); collisions between Chinese and Philippine vessels raise tensions in the South China Sea (10:14); China's foreign minister Wang Yi pays a visit to Blinken while the PRC imposes export controls on graphite (found in electric vehicle batteries) (12:19); an update on the war in Sudan, where peace talks are reportedly underway once more (15:23); the U.S. officially suspends aid to Gabon due to the August coup d’état (18:24); an update on the Ukraine War (19:48); Sweden is close to sealing the deal for NATO membership (24:30); the Socialist Party (PSOE) and far-left Sumar coalition of Spain agree to form a coalition government (26:30); the first round of Argentina’s presidential election wraps up without a clear winner, leading to a November runoff (28:21); and Climate Change stays winning, with a study indicating that glacier melting in western Antarctica might be irreversable (31:01).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.americanprestigepod.com

Derek speaks with Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), about the U.S. government’s decision to publicly question the statistics coming from Gaza’s Ministry of Health nearly three weeks into Israel’s bombardment of the enclave. They also discuss the dire humanitarian situation there including the collapse of the hospital system, the inadequate amount of aid being allowed to trickle into the strip, what’s been happening in the West Bank, and more.

You can find Omar’s work and more at HRW’s Israel/Palestine page: https://shorturl.at/ajuDJ.

You can also find all our episodes on the 2023 Gaza War here.

Recorded Wednesday, October 26, 2023

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.americanprestigepod.com

Danny chats with filmmaker Lexi Alexander about what it’s like being Palestinian-American in the industry at this moment. They talk about Hollywood’s relationship with marginalized groups over the past decade, the space Arabs occupy in American films, how U.S. imperialism plays into globally consumed American entertainment, and more.

Check out Jack Shaheen’s 2006 documentary Reel Bad Arabs on Kanopy: https://shorturl.at/irOV2

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.americanprestigepod.com

In the past two weeks, much has been made of Iran’s role in the current war on Gaza. Sina Toossi, senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, returns to the show to help contextualize Iran in the greater regional dynamics around the conflict.

Recorded Thursday, October 19, 2023

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.americanprestigepod.com

The last bits of Derek’s sanity serve Danny’s need for the headlines. This week: Biden visits Israel as it pummels Gaza and an IDF ground invasion looms (0:38); a number of countries hold elections, including New Zealand (8:19), Liberia (9:34), Poland (10:57), and Ecuador (13:28); China holds its annual Belt and Road Forum (14:48) while a U.S. report says the People’s Republic is building its nuclear arsenal faster than previously believed (16:45); an update on the conflict in Sudan (18:02); Mali sees U.N. peacekeepers continue to withdraw from the north of the country, potentially leading to increased fighting (20:10); the State Duma in Russia greenlights the process to pull out of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (21:20); Ukraine hits Russian airfields in the occupied Luhansk Oblast (22:37) while the Russian assault on the Ukrainian city of Avdivka stalls (24:22); Islamist attacks in Belgium and France trigger free movement suspensions (25:59); Argentina prepares for the first round of its presidential election (27:48); the U.S. and Venezuela move forward with a sanctions relief deal (30:05); and the United States hits record oil production numbers (33:25).

Donate to Palestinian Medical Assistance here!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.americanprestigepod.com

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com

Derek sits down with Seraj Assi, a Palestinian writer living in Washington DC, to discuss the ongoing situation in Gaza including more background context on the Gaza Strip, Tuesday’s Ahli Arab Hospital strike, the overall humanitarian situation, looking ahead to the potential ground invasion, and more. Danny and Derek then give a news update for subscri…

Danny and Derek sit down with journalist Lily Lynch to discuss her article for The New Statesman, “The Realists Were Right”, which assesses the state of the Ukraine War 18 months into the conflict. They discuss the shifting perspectives of the war within Ukraine, what exactly happened with the much-hyped Spring counteroffensive, the future of U.S. support, the response to Lily’s piece, the role of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on the international stage, what role the war might play in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, and more.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.americanprestigepod.com

Danny and Derek sit down with Daniel Hummel, director for university engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Upper House, to discuss the emergence and rise of Christian Zionism in the United States since 1948. In this first part, they get into the pre-WWII roots of the movement, Evangelical Christians’ relations with Muslims of the region in the early days of the State of Israel, the theological basis of Christian Zionism, figures like Douglas Young and Billy Graham, the concept of Judeo-Christianity, the effect of the 1967 War on the relationship, and more until the Nixon Administration.

Be sure to grab a copy of Daniel’s book Covenant Brothers: Evangelicals, Jews, and U.S.-Israeli Relations: https://www.danielghummel.com/covenant-brothers

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.americanprestigepod.com

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.com

Danny and Derek give a news update on the Gaza War for subscribers.

We’ve also unlocked our discussion with Rashid Khalidi from our Monday update for everyone in addition to his series A History of Modern Palestine for those looking for an accessible history of the past 100 years of Palestine.

Recorded early afternoon EST, Friday, October 13, 2023