Podcast / American Prestige / Jan 16, 2024

The White House, Gaza, and the NSC’s Lies with Akbar Shahid Ahmed

On this special episode of American Prestige, a discussion of the post-Gaza plans of a Biden official to rebuild the Palestinian territory through a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

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.

The White House, Gaza, and the NSC’s Lies with Akbar Shahid Ahmed | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Recorded Monday, January 15, 2024:

Akbar Shahid Ahmed, senior foreign affairs reporter at HuffPost, returns to the American Prestige podcast to discuss his recent pieces covering the post-Gaza plans of top White House official Brett McGurk and the imminent departure of the White House’s special Middle East envoy on humanitarian issues.

Then, for American Prestige subscribers, the group gets into the NSC’s attempts to discredit Akbar’s reporting, the media backlash, how this compares to treatment of reporters under Trump, and more.

Subscribe to American Prestige for the full interview!

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

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

Brett McGurk, US National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, and Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, Saudi ambassador to the US, look on during an investment agreement signing ceremony between the US and Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on July 16, 2022.

(Amer Hilabi / AFP via Getty Images)

On this episode of American Prestige, Akbar Shahid Ahmed, senior foreign affairs reporter at HuffPost, returns to the podcast to discuss his recent pieces covering the post-Gaza plans of top White House official Brett McGurk and the imminent departure of the White House’s special Middle East envoy on humanitarian issues.

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.

US Resumes Iran War, DRC Ebola Outbreak Surges, Burnham Becomes UK PM / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Canada’s wildfires rage on, so Danny and Derek are here to be your breath of fresh air. This week’s news: In Iran, the US reimposes its blockade and intensifies strikes (2:04), Trump announces and then backs off a Hormuz toll (5:44), and the White House issues threats of further escalation (9:17); in Yemen, the Houthis/Ansar Allah and Saudi Arabia trade strikes (13:37) as the former might become involved in the Iran war (16:28); Lebanese-Israeli talks talks wrap up, but progress is uncertain (17:45); in Israel, a date is set for an election (19:18), plus the ethnic cleansing in Gaza is given a new euphemism (21:15); Southeast Asian countries appear to normalize relations with Myanmar (22:23); the US touts a “new” peace plan for Sudan (24:13); the Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues and may be much larger than official figures suggest (26:35); Zelenskyy replaces Ukraine’s prime minister and defense minister (29:43); Andy Burnham is to become the UK’s PM (33:32), plus a UK-EU deal on Gibraltar is reached (35:22); Marco Rubio is reportedly running Venezuela as a US viceroy (36:34); the US is attempting to destroy the ICC (38:35) as it also takes aim at “left-wing terrorism” (41:23); and a Pew poll finds China more popular than the US for the first time (43:01).

⁠Watch last night’s weekly livestream⁠ if you missed it.

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

The US Resumes the Iran War, the Ebola Outbreak Surges in the DRC, Andy Burnham Becomes the UK’s PM

The US Resumes the Iran War, the Ebola Outbreak Surges in the DRC, Andy Burnham Becomes the UK’s PM The US Resumes the Iran War, the Ebola Outbreak Surges in the DRC, Andy Burnham Becomes the UK’s PM

Danny and Derek round up the week’s global news, from Iran, Gaza, and Yemen to Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar, the ICC, and shifting US-China influence.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

US President Donald Trump poses with other heads of state prior to the North Atlantic Council meeting held at the 36th NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026.

The US-Iran Ceasefire Collapses, Hamas Dissolves Gaza’s Government, Sudan’s El-Obeid Braces for an RSF Assault The US-Iran Ceasefire Collapses, Hamas Dissolves Gaza’s Government, Sudan’s El-Obeid Braces for an RSF Assault

Danny and Derek break down the week’s global headlines, from NATO, Iran, and Gaza to Syria, Sudan, Ukraine, Latin America, and US strategy in the Pacific.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a news conference in Jerusalem on June 15, 2026.

How Zionism Failed—With Omer Bartov How Zionism Failed—With Omer Bartov

Omer Bartov joins the program to talk about Zionism’s transformation from an emancipation movement into a form of ethnonationalism.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

Former president of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernandez is escorted by Members of the Police Special Forces to be extradited to US to face charges of taking bribes from drug traffickers.

HondurasGate and US Power in Latin America—With José Luis Granados Ceja HondurasGate and US Power in Latin America—With José Luis Granados Ceja

Danny and Derek talk to José Luis Granados Ceja, head of the Latin America desk at Drop Site News, about the HondurasGate scandal and US policy in Latin America.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

An oil tanker is loaded at the Westridge Marine Terminal at the end point of the Trans Mountain Pipeline System in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

Why Big Oil Wants to Splinter Canada Why Big Oil Wants to Splinter Canada

Nora Loreto on the politics of Alberta separatism.

Jeet Heer

Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre as Israeli forces continued to expand their invasion in south Lebanon.

Israel Escalates Lebanon Strikes, Taiwan Arms Sale Stalls, US Stockpiles Run Low Israel Escalates Lebanon Strikes, Taiwan Arms Sale Stalls, US Stockpiles Run Low

The AP UFC dome is regrettably being held up by producer Jake’s HOA

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

x