American Prestige

Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison
  • 4.7 (676)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED DAILY
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

  1. 32 MIN. AGO

    Bonus - The Military and Video Games w/ Jesse Robertson (Preview)

    Jesse Robertson, writer and doctoral student in history at Harvard University, sits down with Danny to talk about the history of video games and their connection with the Pentagon. They explore the history going back to 1962’s Spacewar!, the army’s turn toward creating simulations in the 1970s and SIMNET, the neoliberal turn of more private companies developing military gaming, the Doom series, figures like Michael Zyda leading the connection between the Pentagon and the digital entertainment sector, the Call of Duty series, and more.    Subscribe now for the full episode! Read Jesse’s piece for The Nation, “Call of Duty: Pentagon Ops”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    5 min

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    Special - The Trump and Zelensky Falling-Out

    Danny and Derek talk about yesterday's hostile meeting between Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in front of the media and what that might signal for the two countries' relations going forward. Subscribe now for the full episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    6 min

  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    News - PKK Disarmament, US/Ukraine Mineral Deal, German Election

    Danny and Derek, the greatest news anchors since Lennon/McCartney. This week: Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan calls for the group’s disarmament (0:32); Syria hosts a “National Dialogue” conference to work through the country’s transition (6:34); Israel and Hamas salvage a hostage deal, but the end looms on Saturday (10:07); Yoon’s impeachment trial concludes in South Korea (20:46); in Sudan, increased fighting rages around Al-Fashir (23:27), the military makes gains in the country’s south (25:13), and the RSF and military set up dueling governments (26:43); Ukraine and the US potentially agree on a minerals deal (29:42); the results of the German election (34:41); Austria’s government attempts to form a coalition (38:17); Trump ends a sanctions waiver for Venezuela (40:35); the Trump admin muses kicking Canada out of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network (42:29); the US announces tariffs on the EU, potentially Canada, and maybe even Mexico (44:20); Trump announces the “gold card” visa plan (46:45); and Trump’s attempts at a humanitarian aid blockade continue (48:45). Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and much more content. Join the Discord! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    55 min

  4. 4 DAYS AGO

    E199 - MAGA Defense Cuts? w/ William Hartung

    William Hartung, a senior research fellow focusing on the arms industry and US military budget at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, joins the program to discuss reports that the Trump administration is planning “sweeping budget cuts” for the Pentagon. They talk about these “cuts” being more accurately termed “reinvestments” into other areas, the enormous amount of defense spending and the culture that engendered this, how the defense industry has changed in the past 20 years, actual moves that could meaningfully reduce the military budget like reducing bloated systems (F-35s, aircraft carriers) and overseas bases, whether there exists an influential constituency to support military budget cuts, and more. Read William’s recent piece on this, “Hegseth orders 8% cut to Pentagon budget. Not so fast.”           Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    59 min

  5. FEB 23

    Bonus - Musk and Silicon Valley in the Government w/ Becca Lewis and Eoin Higgins (Preview)

    Derek welcomes to the program Becca Lewis, postdoctoral scholar at the Stanford Department of Communication, and Eoin Higgins, journalist and author of Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left, for a discussion about Elon Musk, his role in the new Trump administration, and how Silicon Valley has interacted with the government since the 1990s. They talk about what exactly Musk seems to be doing, how he is leveraging his new access for business interests, the precedent of unelected positions in the executive branch, the reactionary tech industry showing its true colors, the self-delusion of Silicon Valley oligarchs, the atomization of media allowing for opportunities to shape narratives around tech, and more.  Subscribe now for the full episode! Be sure to read Becca’s piece for The Guardian, “‘Headed for technofascism’: the rightwing roots of Silicon Valley”. Also subscribe to listen to our series with Margaret O’Mara “The Making of Silicon Valley”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    9 min

  6. FEB 21

    News - US-Ukraine Tension, RSF Attempts to Form Government in Sudan, Trump Proposes Defense Budget Cuts

    Danny and Derek are back with the news, but without much of a choice. This week: the US and Russia meet in Riyadh to discuss future bilateral discussions to end the war in Ukraine (0:38); Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump feud in public comments (3:38); The Daily Telegraph reports on a US mineral rights deal that Zelenskyy rejected (8:22); in Israel-Palestine news, Saturday’s hostage exchange was successful (12:55) and Hamas offers an expedited hostage release schedule (15:08); Israel decides to ignore the withdrawal deadline in Lebanon (19:32); the US State Department decides to change the wording on a fact sheet about Taiwan and China responds negatively (22:03); in South Korea, former president Yoon goes on trial (24:48); the RSF militia in Sudan attempts to form a government and controversy ensues (26:40); in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, M23 (supported by Rwanda) takes Bukavu while continuing to advance north and south (31:16); Argentinian president Milei is accused of a rug pull after the cryptocurrency he endorsed collapses (33:40); and in the United States, Trump and Musk fire National Nuclear Security Administration workers without understanding what their jobs meant (35:40), and Trump proposes cutting the defense budget (39:15). Subscribe now for much more content and an ad-free experience! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min

  7. FEB 18

    E198 - A Stable, Post-Unipolar World w/ Trita Parsi and Aslı Bâli

    Danny and Derek are joined by Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, and Aslı Bâli, professor of law at Yale Law School and nonresident fellow at Quincy, to talk about the Institute’s Better Order Project, a collaboration between over 130 people from more than 40 countries creating proposals for a stable, multipolar world. They talk about the vision of moving beyond the current “rules-based” order in favor of an inclusive, global one rooted in international law, the major variables around which the project’s proposals and reforms are organized, how to address great powers prioritizing short-term, political thinking, the atmosphere in the worlds of think tanks, nonprofits, and elite law as we begin Trump 2.0, how these communities have been reckoning with the US policy on Gaza, and more. Subscribe now for much more content and an ad-free experience! Join our Discord (subscribers get more channels)! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 2m

  8. FEB 16

    Bonus - (Mis)understanding the Political Right in 2025 w/ Matthew Ellis (Preview)

    Danny and Derek speak with Matthew Ellis, professor of literature and film at Portland State University, about how to understand the right in this particular moment. They talk about Elon Musk’s infamous Roman salute at Trump’s inauguration, how the right engages with these symbols, media literacy among liberals and the left, the business model around outrage, the end of mass culture, Trump’s rhetorical similarities to fascists, lost opportunities to reform liberalism over the last 20 years, and more. Subscribe now to hear the full episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    10 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.7
out of 5
676 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 - 2025
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © American Prestige
  • Show Website
    American Prestige

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