Podcast / American Prestige / May 16, 2025

Trump’s Gulf Tour & Deals, Gaza Updates, US Habeas Corpus

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

U.S. President Donald Trump attends the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council in the capital Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on May 16, 2025.

(Waleed Zein / Anadolu via Getty Images)

Alex Jordan rejoins the show to see if he can impersonate Danny as well as he impersonated Derek a couple of weeks ago. We discuss the India-Pakistan ceasefire, Donald Trump’s big Persian Gulf tour (filled with deals, bribes, and announcements about Syrian sanctions and Iranian nuclear talks), the latest developments in Gaza, the US-China tariff pause, the PKK’s major disarmament announcement, a new round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks, major clashes between militias in Libya, the arrival of the first group of Afrikaner refugees to the US, Luis Arce’s decision to quit the Bolivian presidential race, the sacking of US National Intelligence Council staff for daring to contradict President Trump, and whether the US is going to have habeas corpus for much longer.

You can watch Alex Jordan on the Quincy Institute’s inaugural episode of the YouTube program “Always at War,” which he co-hosted with Courtney Rawlings.

Topics:

01:23 India-Pakistan ceasefire announcement.

04:18 Trump’s Persian Gulf tour and deals.

07:49 Trump’s announcement regarding Syria sanctions.

10:40 Efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal.

15:28 Israeli efforts to displace Palestinians in Gaza.

17:24 New US-led humanitarian foundation for Gaza.

21:27 Release of American-Israeli hostage by Hamas.

26:46 US-China trade war détente.

29:13 PKK’s announcement of major disarmament.

32:19 Diplomatic efforts to end Russia-Ukraine war.

35:45 Major clashes between militias in Libya.

39:33 Arrival of the first group of Afrikaner refugees to the US.

41:17 Luis Arce’s decision to quit the Bolivian presidential race.

43:09 Sacking of US National Intelligence Council staff for contradicting President Trump.

46:04 Potential suspension of habeas corpus in the US.

48:47 Habeas corpus suspension and executive power.

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.

Tensions Rise with Iran, Sudan-Libya Border Clashes, Trump Creating Office of Remigration | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

NOTE: This episode was recorded before Israel's attack on Iran.

Danny and Derek are everyday people who still believe in you. This week: the AUKUS security partnership is under review at the Pentagon (1:47); the IAEA rebukes Iran, nuclear negotiations are going nowhere, and Trump is evacuating nonessential personnel from the Middle East (5:14); in Israel-Palestine, Israeli soldiers continue to gun down people at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites as Hamas kills several GHF workers (10:24), the IDF appears to be shielding at least one ISIS-linked gang in the Strip (13:21), the IDF intercepts the “Freedom Flotilla” (15:39), and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee declares the “two-state solution” dead (17:43); the UK and several states sanction far-right Israeli politicians Ben-Gvir and Smotrich (19:00); South Korea ceases propaganda broadcasts across the DMZ with North Korea (21:06); Sudan’s military loses border outposts after an alleged attack by Libyan forces (22:55); the Russian military advances into another Ukrainian province (25:15); the Polish government survives a no-confidence vote (26:40); member states of NATO strive to hit Trump’s 5% defense spending demand (27:28); the Trump administration is creating an “Office of Remigration” at the State Department (29:08); and in a New Cold War update, the US and China appear to have reached a trade deal (31:30).

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

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.

More from The Nation

x