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.

Disneyland: Cold War Factory w/ Roland Betancourt / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek speak with Roland Betancourt, Chancellor's Professor of Art History at UC Irvine, about Disneyland and the rise of automation in the US. They talk about Walt Disney’s move from animation to theme parks, the relationship between amusement parks and industrial production, Cold War technology and Southern California, Disney’s use of automation and control, labor in the theme park, Disney World and Epcot, and more.

Grab your copy of Roland’s book Disneyland and the Rise of Automation: How Technology Created the Happiest Place on Earth.

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

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

A woman wears a “Trump Was Right ”hat as people pray and sing during the PrayVoteStand Summit at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington, DC.

The Christian Right Is Weaponizing Scripture—With John Fugelsang  The Christian Right Is Weaponizing Scripture—With John Fugelsang 

Danny and Derek welcome to the show John Fugelsang, author of Separation of Church and Hate, to talk about the rise and influence of right-wing Christianity in the Unite...

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

CIA Director John Ratcliffe and President Trump at the White House on April 6, 2026.

The CIA’s Assassination Campaign in Mexico The CIA’s Assassination Campaign in Mexico

Alexander Aviña on Trump’s new imperialism in Latin America.

Jeet Heer

Trump-Xi Summit, Iran Ceasefire Breakdown, CIA Mexico Strike

Trump-Xi Summit, Iran Ceasefire Breakdown, CIA Mexico Strike Trump-Xi Summit, Iran Ceasefire Breakdown, CIA Mexico Strike

Danny and Derek fight fake news as they fight their allergies. 

Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner

A motorcyclist rides past a monument in Bamako in support of the Malian Army after surprise attacks by Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) coalition and the jihadist Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) targeted several areas in the vast arid country, on April 26, 2026.

Iran Talks Collapse, UAE Leaves OPEC, Mali Rebels Seize Kidal  Iran Talks Collapse, UAE Leaves OPEC, Mali Rebels Seize Kidal 

King Charles paid his respects at AP HQ, but was put off by Danny’s pet ferrets.

Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner

x