American Prestige

Latest Episodes:

AP x NonZero - Trump’s Iran War Merry-Go-Round w/ Robert Wright May 29, 2026

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The bi-monthly podcasting crossover to end all bi-monthly podcasting crossovers is back! Danny, Derek, and Robert Wright of the ⁠⁠NonZero Newsletter⁠⁠⁠ once again set the record straight.

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Part One Video

0:00 Is NonZero or American Prestige the better podcast? AI weighs in
4:14 The state of the US-Iran war. Or is it peace?
17:52 Has Trump already lost the midterms? Does he care?
24:16 The Russia-Ukraine war (and Eric Schmidt)
29:23 What the latest Iran war strikes signal
31:04 Overtime preview: Nuland’s “monsters,” zombie blobsters, Barak Ravid, Bari Weiss, “killzones,” and the Pope vs AI

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E250 - The Christian Right Weaponizing Scripture w/ John Fugelsang May 26, 2026

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Don’t forget about our weekly livestreams on our YouTube channel, every Wednesday at 8pm ET.

Danny and Derek welcome to the show John Fugelsang, host of Tell Me Everything and author of Separation of Church and Hate, to talk about the rise and influence of right-wing Christianity in the United States. They discuss Christian nationalism; the political weaponization of scripture; Jesus’s teachings vs authoritarian Christianity; the apostle Paul’s role in shaping the faith; issues like abortion, immigration, and sexuality; white supremacy; Donald Trump; and arguing with conservative Christians.

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Bonus - The Fallout From Ending USAID w/ Caitlin Tulloch (Preview) May 24, 2026

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Danny and Derek speak with Caitlin Tulloch, a former USAID economist and GiveDirectly’s head of research, about the destruction of USAID and the future of humanitarian aid. They talk about her work as an economist, USAID’s relationship to American power, the agency’s internal dynamics, the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID, the legal and institutional consequences, the impact on global health and humanitarian programs, the loss of response capacity, transactional aid policy, GiveDirectly, and Project Resource Optimization.

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News - Iran Talks Stall, Hezbollah Drones Limit IDF, Cuba Pretexts Build May 22, 2026

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Danny and Derek have reconciled with their disappointment in the new Star Wars film and can now bring you the news roundup. This week: in Iran, talks stall as Trump weighs continuing the war (2:00), the Islamic Republic attempts to institutionalize control over the Strait of Hormuz (8:49), and fuel protests spread around the world (13:09); the IDF continues daily bombardments in Lebanon while Hezbollah drones restrict IDF ground operations (15:10); Trump considers a call with Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te (18:32); Xi and Putin stage an uneventful summit in Beijing (21:47);Sudanese forces gain ground in Blue Nile State (23:23); a U.S.-Nigerian operation kills an Islamic State leader (25:26); Ebola spreads from northeastern DRC (27:45); in NATO news, the U.S. reduces its forces in Europe (30:25); Labour challengers emerge against Keir Starmer (33:36); Peru confirms a Fujimori-Sanchez runoff in its presidential election (35:23); Washington manufactures new pretexts against Cuba (36:49); Trump seeks a permanent U.S. presence in Greenland (41:15); and “Golden Dome” costs are estimated to reach $1.2 trillion (43:55).

Note: After the time of recording, Donald Trump ⁠walked back his decision to reduce US troops in Poland⁠. Additionally, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz has changed due to Oman's interest in collecting "tolls."

Don’t forget to ⁠subscribe to our YouTube channel⁠, now featuring livestreams with Danny and Derek every Wednesday at 8pm ET.

Join the Discord (paid subscribers get access to all channels).

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E249 - Extraction Behind the Green Transition w/ Thea Riofrancos May 19, 2026

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Danny and Derek welcome back to the show political scientist Thea Riofrancos to talk about the politics of extraction in the global energy transition. They explore the contradictions of green capitalism, the debate over degrowth and abundance, China’s role in lithium battery production, the history of lithium batteries, green industrial policy, U.S. oil and gas power, popular resistance to data centers and mining, where the Global South falls in renewable supply chains, and the environmental costs of green development.

Be sure to grab a copy of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism.

Don't forget that our weekly livestream is ⁠on our YouTube channe⁠l tomorrow, Wednesday, at 8pm ET!

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Bonus - The China Consensus and Trump’s Xi Meeting w/ Jake Werner (Preview) May 17, 2026

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Danny and Derek are once again joined by Jake Werner, director of the East Asia Program at ⁠the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft⁠, this time to talk about the development of the U.S. consensus on China. They delve into the neoliberal engagement with China, the 2008 financial crisis, Xi Jinping’s response, Trump’s first-term China policy, and the Biden administration’s approach. They then analyze Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping, tariffs, rare earths, Taiwan, Iran, and the prospects for stabilizing U.S.-China relations.

Read Jake’s piece “An Opening for a New US–China Economic Relationship.”

Follow Quincy on YouTube.

And, of course, subscribe to our YouTube channel!

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News - Trump-Xi Summit, Iran Ceasefire Breakdown, CIA Mexico Strike May 15, 2026

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Danny and Derek fight fake news as they fight their allergies. This week: Trump and Xi meet; Trump rejects Iran’s ceasefire terms (3:09); Gulf states continue strikes against Iran-linked targets (5:53); U.S. intelligence estimates show Iran retains most missiles (8:48); Asian economies cut energy use with fertilizer shortages threatening crops (10:24); Gaza ceasefire plans appear to proceed without Hamas disarmament (12:58), Israel moves toward an early election (15:47), and Netanyahu publicizes a UAE visit as Abu Dhabi denies it (17:40); Lebanon and Israel pursue talks as Israeli attacks continue (20:03); jihadist attacks intensify in Mali (24:37); Russia and Ukraine resume attacks after a brief ceasefire (27:45); Wes Streeting quits while Labour pressure builds on Starmer (30:09); CNN reports the CIA’s involvement in cartel killings in Mexico (32:20); and U.S. military activity raises fears of a Cuba operation (34:02).

Don’t forget to listen to our latest miniseries, Marx Prestige.

And join us for our livestream every Wednesday at 8pm ET. Enjoy the replay of this week’s.

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E248 - Journalism in the Age of Oligarchy w/ David Sirota May 12, 2026

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Danny and Derek speak with David Sirota, founder and EIC of The Lever, about journalism, independent media, and the consolidation of presidential power. They discuss the difference between journalism and media, the attention economy, capitalist media, audience capture, the decline of local news, the Powell Memo, the unitary executive theory, war powers, and Donald Trump’s use of executive power.

Be sure to listen to The Kingmakers, the second season of David’s investigative podcast Master Plan.

Don’t forget that AP’s new, weekly livestream is back this Wednesday at 8pm ET on our YouTube channel.

And keep your eyes peeled for Season 2 of Welcome to the Crusades.

Recorded 4/27/26

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Bonus - Eleanor of Aquitaine, Mother of Failsons and Success Daughters w/ Eleanor Janega and Luke Waters (Preview) May 10, 2026

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Keep your eyes peeled for Season 2 of Welcome to the Crusades, our crossover series with Eleanor and Luke, coming soon. For now, enjoy Season 1.

Happy Mother’s Day! Danny and Derek reunite with Eleanor and Luke of We’re Not So Different to talk about the life and legacy of Eleanor of Aquitaine. They discuss Eleanor’s power and wealth, her marriage to Louis VII, the Second Crusade, her relationship with Henry II, failsons Richard and John, her several success daughters, political influence, patronage of troubadours, courtly love, and Eleanor’s place in medieval and popular memory.

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Re-Post - Mother Mary’s Day w/ Eleanor Janega May 09, 2026

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In the first part of our Mother’s Day festivities, we’re unlocking our Mother’s Day episode from 2023 with Eleanor Janega. A new one on Eleanor of Aquitaine is out tomorrow for subscribers, so subscribe now. Enjoy!

Happy Mother’s Day! Danny and Derek welcome Eleanor Janega, co-host of the We’re Not So Different podcast and author of The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society, to talk about one of the great mothers of history: The Virgin Mary. They discuss what actually makes Mary the ultimate medieval mother (despite being from ancient times), how her story is fan fiction for the Middle Ages, conceptions and the reality of motherhood in the medieval era across different classes, the sexualization of Mary, her treatment in different Christian sects, and more.

Look out for the second season of our Welcome to the Crusades series with Eleanor and Luke of We're Not so Different. In the meantime, get season 1 here.

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