Ukraine Talks Collapse, India Threatens Pakistan’s Water Supply, IDF Operation Gideon’s Chariots
On this episode of American Prestige, headlines from around the globe.
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Trump’s Gulf Tour & Deals, Gaza Updates, US Habeas Corpus | American Prestige
Alex Jordan rejoins the show to see if he can impersonate Danny as well as he impersonated Derek a couple of weeks ago. He and Derek 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 or not the US is still 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 detente.
29:13 PKK announces 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.
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Palestinians struggle to get their food rations outside a crowded distribution centre in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on May 15, 2025.
(Bashar Taleb / AFP via Getty Images)On this week’s American Prestige news roundup: the Ukraine peace talks collapse (3:30) as Trump stuns European allies with his sudden pivot back to positions beneficial to Russia (7:21); in EU elections, a Romanian centrist wins the presidency (11:06), a Polish centrist wins the first round of the presidential election leading to a runoff (13:27), and the Portuguese center-right wins that country’s parliamentary election (14:46); India continues to threaten Pakistani water levels (17:05); South African president Ramaphosa’s visit to the White House goes awry (20:04); in Israel-Palestine, the IDF begins Operation Gideon’s Chariots (23:58), the Israelis allow “minimal” aid into Gaza, but no distribution (27:13), and a European backlash follows the IDF’s operation and a West Bank shooting incident involving diplomats (31:18); Israel again appears to be preparing to strike Iran (35:17); Evo Morales is excluded from the presidential ballot in Bolivia (38:23); a New Cold War update featuring China pledging additional money to the WHO after a pandemic agreement (40:57); and Trump announces the Golden Dome project (43:47).
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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.
Tracking Think Tanks w/ Ben Freeman and Nick Cleveland-Stout | American Prestige
Ben Freeman and Nick Cleveland-Stout from the Quincy Institute join the program to talk about their Think Tank Funding Tracker, a repository that tracks funding from foreign governments, the U.S. government, and Pentagon contractors to the top 50 think tanks in the United States over the past five years. The group discusses think tanks’ role in the “military-intellectual” complex, what specific foreign funders like the UAE and UK might be looking to influence, why certain governments like Ukraine and China gave little to no money, the lack of transparency among individuals working in sectors like journalism and government who also work with think tanks, the utilization (and under-utilization) of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, how to restructure the order so that expertise isn’t limited to these kinds of institutions, and how to make think tanks more democratically accountable in the meantime.
Read the Quincy Institute's brief on their project, “Big Ideas and Big Money: Think Tank Funding in America.”
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