Podcast / American Prestige / Feb 28, 2025

PKK Disarmament, US/Ukraine Mineral Deal, German Election

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

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.

PKK Disarmament, US/Ukraine Mineral Deal, German Election | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek, the greatest news anchors since Lennon/McCartney. This week's American Prestige News Roundup: Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan calls for the group’s disarmament (0:32); Syria hosts a “National Dialogue” conference to work through the country’s transition (6:34); Israel and Hamas salvage a hostage deal, but the end looms on Saturday (10:07); Yoon’s impeachment trial concludes in South Korea (20:46); in Sudan, increased fighting rages around Al-Fashir (23:27), the military makes gains in the country’s south (25:13), and the RSF and military set up dueling governments (26:43); Ukraine and the US potentially agree on a minerals deal (29:42); the results of the German election (34:41); Austria’s government attempts to form a coalition (38:17); Trump ends a sanctions waiver for Venezuela (40:35); the Trump admin muses kicking Canada out of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network (42:29); the US announces tariffs on the EU, potentially Canada, and maybe even Mexico (44:20); Trump announces the “gold card” visa plan (46:45); and Trump’s attempts at a humanitarian aid blockade continue (48:45).

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com
* Check out BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/THENATION

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

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

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky gives a press conference in Kyiv on February 26, 2025.

(Tetiana Dzhafarova / AFP via Getty Images)

On this week’s news roundup from American Prestige: Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan calls for the group’s disarmament (0:32); Syria hosts a “National Dialogue” conference to work through the country’s transition (6:34); Israel and Hamas salvage a hostage deal, but the end looms on Saturday (10:07); Yoon’s impeachment trial concludes in South Korea (20:46); in Sudan, increased fighting rages around Al-Fashir (23:27), the military makes gains in the country’s south (25:13), and the RSF and military set up dueling governments (26:43); Ukraine and the US potentially agree on a minerals deal (29:42); we examine the results of the German election (34:41); Austria’s government attempts to form a coalition (38:17); Trump ends a sanctions waiver for Venezuela (40:35); the Trump admin muses kicking Canada out of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network (42:29); the US announces tariffs on the EU, potentially Canada, and maybe even Mexico (44:20); Trump announces the “gold card” visa plan (46:45); and Trump’s attempts at a humanitarian aid blockade continue (48:45).

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.

Silicon Valley and the Israeli Occupation w/ Omar Zahzah | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Derek is joined by Omar Zahzah, Assistant Professor of Arab Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies at San Francisco State University, to talk about his book Terms of Servitude: Zionism, Silicon Valley, and Digital Settler Colonialism. They discuss the Sheikh Jarrah uprising and the digital front of the Palestinian struggle, the difference between “digital apartheid” and “digital settler colonialism,” Meta’s censorship, the IDF Unit 8200Silicon Valley pipeline, how AI and tech infrastructure are being weaponized, the legacy of Edward Said’s “Permission to Narrate,” and how Palestinians have used social media to change the narrative.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com
* Check out BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/THENATION

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

Visitors watch Magnus Carlsen and Nihal Sarin at the Esports World Cup 2025 online chess event on July 31, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia Is Using Games to Improve Its Image Saudi Arabia Is Using Games to Improve Its Image

Podcast / Tech Won’t Save Us / Feb 28, 2025 PKK Disarmament, US/Ukraine Mineral Deal, German Election On this episode of Tech Won’t Save Us: Nathan Grayson discus…

Podcast / Tech Won't Save Us

Zohran Mamdani, center, joined by members of his transition team, from left, Elana Leopold, Melanie Hartzog, Maria Torres-Springer, Grace Bonilla, and Lina Khan, in Queens, New York, on November 5, 2025.

Mamdani’s Momentum, Plus “The Radical Fund” Mamdani’s Momentum, Plus “The Radical Fund”

On Start Making Sense: Bhaskar Sunkara comments on the tasks facing New York City’s new socialist mayor, and historian John Fabian Witt talks about left politics in the 1920s.

Jon Wiener

Protesters passing by the Google building during a rally for Palestine on October 4, 2025, in New York City.

Silicon Valley and the Israeli Occupation Silicon Valley and the Israeli Occupation

On this episode of American Prestige: Omar Zahzah on the consolidation of Big Tech with Israeli colonialism and genocide.

Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner

The American Right’s Civil War Over Israel

The American Right’s Civil War Over Israel The American Right’s Civil War Over Israel

On this episode of The Time of Monsters: David Austin Walsh on the deep roots of the Zionism debate among Republicans.

Jeet Heer

Seeds of Resistance, With Vivien Sansour

Seeds of Resistance, With Vivien Sansour Seeds of Resistance, With Vivien Sansour

On A People's Climate: “If you want to support Palestine, get free.”

Shilpi Chhotray

Jeff Teat #7 of the New York Atlas in action during the Premier Lacrosse League Championship game between the New York Atlas and the Denver Outlaws at Sports Illustrated Stadium on September 14, 2025, in Harrison, New Jersey.

How Lacrosse and Boxing Explain the USA How Lacrosse and Boxing Explain the USA

On the latest episode of Edge of Sports.

Dave Zirin

x