American Prestige

Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison
  • 4.6 (9)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED DAILY

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

  1. 6 HR AGO

    Bonus - Regime Change in Venezuela w/ Gabriel Hetland (Preview)

    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

    11 min

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    Special - The U.S. Kidnaps Nicolás Maduro w/ Alex Jordan (Preview)

    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

    3 min

  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    Bonus - Fort Bragg and U.S. Special Operations Post-9/11 w/ Seth Harp

    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

    1h 2m

  4. 5 DAYS AGO

    E240 - Manosphere Politics and the Climate Crisis w/ Daniel Waite Penny

    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

    53 min

  5. 28/12/2025

    Bonus - Venezuela, the Drug War, and U.S. Power in the Caribbean w/ Aileen Teague (Preview)

    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

    11 min

  6. 25/12/2025

    Re-Post - The Medievalist's Guide to Christmas w/ Eleanor Janega

    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

    1h 3m

  7. 24/12/2025

    Bonus - The Muppet Christmas Carol w/ Justin Boyd and VJ Boyd (Preview)

    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

    10 min

  8. 23/12/2025

    E239 - Lula and the Rise of the Workers’ Party in Brazil w/ Andre Pagliarini

    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

    1h 7m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
9 Ratings

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. americanprestige.supportingcast.fm

Information

  • Creator
    Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © American Prestige
  • Show Website
    American Prestige

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