Podcast / American Prestige / May 9, 2025

A US-Houthi Ceasefire, Israel’s Gaza Plans, and Global Trade Tensions

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

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US-Houthi Ceasefire, Israel’s Gaza Plans, and Global Trade Tensions | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Though Jake is absent for the week, Danny and Derek remain steadfast in their dedication to bring you news. They discuss the U.S.-Houthi ceasefire; the Israeli government's plans for Gaza; Trump’s push for a Gaza ceasefire and Saudi deal on his upcoming Middle East trip; new clashes between India and Pakistan as well as more details from Wednesday morning's strikes; the possibility of U.S.-China trade talks; the reality of a U.S.-U.K. trade deal; drone strikes on Port Sudan; peace talks in the DRC; Vladimir Putin's V-E Day ceasefire; Friedrich Merz’s chaotic chancellor election and the AfD’s potential classification as an extremist group; the European Union’s effort to poach U.S. academics; and finally, the Trump administration’s push for countries to adopt Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service.

Then, after the show, Danny and Derek speak with Trevor Beaulieu and Josh Olson about their new podcast, "White Canon."

⁠⁠Check out White Canon here!

Topics:

02:04 The US-Houthi ceasefire.

06:49 Israel's plans for Gaza.

12:46 Donald Trump's planned visit to the Persian Gulf and his goals.

16:34 Tthe new clashes between India and Pakistan.

20:21 Potential US-China trade talks.

22:41 The US-UK trade deal.

23:44 The recent Australian elections.

25:50 The RSF attacking Port Sudan.

27:59 The advancing peace talks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

30:44 Putin's VE Day ceasefire and its effectiveness.

32:51 Friedrich Merz needing a second ballot to become German chancellor.

34:37 The AFD party in Germany.

36:34 The EU's efforts related to academics.

39:17 US pushing countries to adopt Starlink.

42:30 Discussuin w/ Trevor Beaulieu and Josh Olson about their new podcast, "White Canon."

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Military spokesman of Yemen’s Houthi group Yahya Saree addresses a rally in solidarity with Palestinians and the Gaza Strip and in condemnation of Israel and the US, in the capital Sanaa on May 2, 2025.

(Mohammed Huwais / AFP via Getty Images)

Though Jake is absent for the week, we remain steadfast in their dedication to bring you news. On this episode of American Prestige, we discuss the US-Houthi ceasefire; the Israeli government’s plans for Gaza; Trump’s push for a Gaza ceasefire and Saudi deal on his upcoming Middle East trip; new clashes between India and Pakistan as well as more details from Wednesday morning’s strikes; the possibility of US-China trade talks; the reality of a US-UK trade deal; drone strikes on Port Sudan; peace talks in the DRC; Vladimir Putin’s V-E Day ceasefire; Friedrich Merz’s chaotic chancellor election and the AfD’s potential classification as an extremist group; the European Union’s effort to poach US academics; and finally, the Trump administration’s push for countries to adopt Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite Internet service.

Then, after the show, we speak with Trevor Beaulieu and Josh Olson about their new podcast, White Canon.

⁠⁠Check out White Canon here!

Topics

02:04 The US-Houthi ceasefire.

06:49 Israel’s plans for Gaza.

12:46 Donald Trump’s planned visit to the Persian Gulf and his goals.

16:34 Tthe new clashes between India and Pakistan.

20:21 Potential US-China trade talks.

22:41 The US-UK trade deal.

23:44 The recent Australian elections.

25:50 The RSF attacking Port Sudan.

27:59 The advancing peace talks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

30:44 Putin’s VE Day ceasefire and its effectiveness.

32:51 Friedrich Merz needing a second ballot to become German chancellor.

34:37 The AFD party in Germany.

36:34 The EU’s efforts related to academics.

39:17 US pushing countries to adopt Starlink.

42:30 Discussion w/ Trevor Beaulieu and Josh Olson about their new podcast, White Canon.

Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/podcastsubscribe.

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.

News – Iran War Escalation and Hormuz Crisis, U.S. Minab School Bombing Fallout, Sudan Drone Warfare | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

We’re putting out, what, an episode a day at this point? But the news roundup must go on. This week: In the Iran war, casualty and displacement figures rise across Iran and Lebanon (1:20), Iran mines and threatens to close the Strait of Hormuz (4:31), Iranian officials threaten to expand the war by targeting financial institutions across the Gulf (7:47), and new supreme leader Mustafa Khomeini delivers his first address (10:27); in Gaza, aid shortages deepen as food supplies run low (16:01); escalating drone warfare hits markets, towns, and civilian targets in Sudan (17:19); in Mali, the U.S. moves to restore counterterrorism cooperation and reconnaissance flights with the ruling junta (22:20); new warnings of conflict emerge in Ethiopia’s Tigray region (24:51); Nepal’s Rastriya Swatantra Party secures a landslide victory in the latest elections (28:26); in Ukraine, the UN accuses Russia of committing a crime against humanity through the forced transfer of Ukrainian children (30:07); far-right politician José Antonio Kast takes office as president of Chile following the end of Gabriel Boric’s term (31:31); in Haiti, human rights groups warn about civilian harm from an expanding drone campaign targeting gangs in Port-au-Prince (34:05); and in these United States, investigations into the Minab elementary school strike raise questions about the use of AI-assisted targeting in U.S. military operations (35:41), plus Donald Trump hosts the first “Shield of the Americas” summit at his Doral resort (39:44).

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Support independent journalism that does not fall in line

Even before February 28, the reasons for Donald Trump’s imploding approval rating were abundantly clear: untrammeled corruption and personal enrichment to the tune of billions of dollars during an affordability crisis, a foreign policy guided only by his own derelict sense of morality, and the deployment of a murderous campaign of occupation, detention, and deportation on American streets. 

Now an undeclared, unauthorized, unpopular, and unconstitutional war of aggression against Iran has spread like wildfire through the region and into Europe. A new “forever war”—with an ever-increasing likelihood of American troops on the ground—may very well be upon us.  

As we’ve seen over and over, this administration uses lies, misdirection, and attempts to flood the zone to justify its abuses of power at home and abroad. Just as Trump, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth offer erratic and contradictory rationales for the attacks on Iran, the administration is also spreading the lie that the upcoming midterm elections are under threat from noncitizens on voter rolls. When these lies go unchecked, they become the basis for further authoritarian encroachment and war. 

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Daniel Bessner

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

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.

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