Podcast / American Prestige / Aug 2, 2024

Israel Assassinations, US-Russia Prisoner Swap, Venezuela’s Election

On this episode of American Prestige, headlines from around the globe.

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US Resumes Iran War, DRC Ebola Outbreak Surges, Burnham Becomes UK PM / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Canada’s wildfires rage on, so Danny and Derek are here to be your breath of fresh air. This week’s news: In Iran, the US reimposes its blockade and intensifies strikes (2:04), Trump announces and then backs off a Hormuz toll (5:44), and the White House issues threats of further escalation (9:17); in Yemen, the Houthis/Ansar Allah and Saudi Arabia trade strikes (13:37) as the former might become involved in the Iran war (16:28); Lebanese-Israeli talks talks wrap up, but progress is uncertain (17:45); in Israel, a date is set for an election (19:18), plus the ethnic cleansing in Gaza is given a new euphemism (21:15); Southeast Asian countries appear to normalize relations with Myanmar (22:23); the US touts a “new” peace plan for Sudan (24:13); the Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues and may be much larger than official figures suggest (26:35); Zelenskyy replaces Ukraine’s prime minister and defense minister (29:43); Andy Burnham is to become the UK’s PM (33:32), plus a UK-EU deal on Gibraltar is reached (35:22); Marco Rubio is reportedly running Venezuela as a US viceroy (36:34); the US is attempting to destroy the ICC (38:35) as it also takes aim at “left-wing terrorism” (41:23); and a Pew poll finds China more popular than the US for the first time (43:01).

⁠Watch last night’s weekly livestream⁠ if you missed it.

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A police officer fires tear gas during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro’s government in Caracas, on July 29, 2024, a day after the Venezuelan presidential election.

(Yuri Cortez / AFP via Getty Images)

This week on the American Prestige news roundup: Israel’s assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and Fuad Shukr of Hezbollah (1:02); a mini New Cold War update featuring Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin in East Asia (9:31); Sudan coming close to engaging in ceasefire talks before collapsing at the last minute (12:30); a ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s conflict with M23 (14:58); a large prisoner swap between Russia and the US (17:10); fallout from this week’s presidential election in Venezuela (19:31); and the US striking a plea deal with three detainees accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks (24:11).

Be sure to also check out our specials on Israel’s assassinations and the Venezuela election.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Borderlands w/ Ken Salazar / Fighting Fascism
byThe Nation Magazine

This one’s a little different. Aaron, Matt, and Jonathan talk with Ken Salazar—former US Senator from Colorado, Secretary of the Interior under Obama, and Ambassador to Mexico under Biden—about why Democrats need to rethink their approach to the US-Mexico border and start treating immigration not as a liability to be managed, but a genuine opportunity to be seized. We also discuss the politics of Mexico and Ken’s experiences with AMLO, Mexico’s former insanely popular populist president, and Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s current insanely popular populist president. Aaron even tries to get a little feisty with Ken about his climate record, but fails spectacularly due to Ken’s kind grandpa demeanor. Oh well.

Check out Ken Salazar’s new book, Borderlands.

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Derek Davison

Derek Davison is a writer and analyst specializing in international affairs and US foreign policy. He is the publisher of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter, cohost of the American Prestige podcast, and former editor of LobeLog.

Daniel Bessner

Daniel Bessner is an historian of US foreign relations, and cohost of American Prestige, a podcast on international affairs.

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