The Sudan Army Advances, the IDF Remains in Lebanon, the US Freezes Foreign Aid
On this episode of American Prestige, headlines from around the globe.

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.
This week: in Israel-Palestine, detainees were exchanged on Thursday (0:31), the IDF continues its operation in the West Bank (6:05), an update on the humanitarian situation in Gaza (7:40), and Trump proposes the idea of ethnically cleansing the Strip (10:34); in Lebanon, the IDF ignores its withdrawal deadline (15:02); in Syria, the political transition continues (17:00), the IDF remains in the country’s south (19:04), and negotiations with Russia are underway over its bases in Syria as well as the fate of Bashar al-Assad (20:32); the rollout of China’s DeepSeek AI roils tech stocks (23:00); the Sudanese army sees a string of military successes around Khartoum (25:24); in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the M23 military group takes Goma while advancing south (27:59); Putin comments on peace talks regarding Ukraine (32:43); Colombia and the US get into a spat regarding deportation flights (34:12); and in US news, arms sales hit a new record in 2024 (37:16), Donald Trump vows to build a migrant detention facility at Guantánamo (38:20), and some details on the effects of his foreign aid freeze (39:35).Â
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Displaced Palestinians making their way back on foot from the southern regions to their homes in the north via Al Rashid Road after the ceasefire agreement in Gaza Strip on January 28, 2025.
(Ali Jadallah / Anadolu via Getty Images)On this week’s episode of American Prestige: In Israel-Palestine, detainees were exchanged on Thursday (0:31), the IDF continues its operation in the West Bank (6:05), we have an update on the humanitarian situation in Gaza (7:40), and Trump proposes the idea of ethnically cleansing the Strip (10:34); in Lebanon, the IDF ignores its withdrawal deadline (15:02); in Syria, the political transition continues (17:00), the IDF remains in the country’s south (19:04), and negotiations with Russia are underway over its bases in Syria as well as the fate of Bashar al-Assad (20:32); China rolls out DeepSeek AI, roiling tech stocks (23:00); the Sudanese army sees a string of military successes around Khartoum (25:24); in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the M23 military group takes Goma while advancing south (27:59); Putin comments on peace talks regarding Ukraine (32:43); Colombia and the US get into a spat regarding deportation flights (34:12); US arms sales hit a new record in 2024 (37:16), Donald Trump vows to build a migrant detention facility at Guantánamo (38:20), and we have some details on the effects of his foreign aid freeze (39:35).

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