Israel and Iran, Mass Coral Bleaching, and the US Allegedly Refusing to Leave Niger
On this week’s News episode of American Prestige, a look into global headlines.
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Israel and Iran, Mass Coral Bleaching, and US Allegedly Refusing to Leave Niger | American Prestige
Producer’s note: This was recorded on Thursday, April 18, before Israel’s strike on Iran, hence us releasing this earlier than usual. Overnight, Israel did launch a strike on Iran.
On this week's news episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek bring you another world news roundup. This week: Israel's retaliation for Iran’s strike last week, Iran floats the possibility of developing nuclear weapons in response (0:31), and plans for an IDF Rafah operation in Gaza are underway (8:09); the US is still pursuing Saudi normalization with Israel (10:40) and vetoes a Palestinian statehood resolution at the UN (13:38); the US is trying to create an “independent” sanctions monitor for the DPRK/North Korea (15:11); in climate news, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is suffering the “worst” bleaching event ever (17:19); in Sudan, the fighting expands into North Darfur (19:46); the UN’s Libya envoy quits in frustration (21:18); a whistleblower says that the US is ignoring the order to withdraw from Niger (23:44); the US pushes back over oil refinery attacks in Ukraine (26:41) while the House of Representatives will take up military aid bills (30:01); and the US will reinstate sanctions on Venezuela’s energy sector (32:12).
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Holding Iranian flags, worshippers chant slogans during an anti-Israeli gathering after their Friday prayer in Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 19, 2024.
(Vahid Salemi / AP Photo)Note: This podcast was recorded on Thursday, April 18, before Israel’s strike on Iran.
On this week’s news episode of American Prestige, we bring you another world news roundup. This week: Israel retaliates for Iran’s strike last week, and Iran’s floats the possibility of developing nuclear weapons in response (0:31), while the IDF makes plans to assault Rafah in Gaza (8:09); the US continues to pursue Saudi normalization with Israel (10:40) and vetoes a Palestinian statehood resolution at the UN (13:38); the US tries to create an “independent” sanctions monitor for the DPRK/North Korea (15:11); in climate news, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef suffers the “worst” bleaching event ever (17:19); the fighting in Sudan expands into North Darfur (19:46); the UN’s Libya envoy quits in frustration (21:18); a whistleblower says the US is ignoring the order to withdraw from Niger (23:44); the US pushes back over oil refinery attacks in Ukraine (26:41), while the House of Representatives prepares to take up military aid bills (30:01); and the US decides to reinstate sanctions on Venezuela’s energy sector (32:12).
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.
Israel-Iran War, Russia Strikes Kyiv, Trump Expands Travel Ban | American Prestige
No ChatGPT here—our em dashes are organic. This week: in the Iran-Israel war, an update on the casualties and targets (1:52), US involvement remains in question (7:45), Ayatollah Khamenei refuses to surrender (14:47), and US and Israeli intelligence agencies disagree over “evidence” of Iran pursuing a nuclear weapon (18:14); Trump quits the G7 summit early, possibly due to Israel-Iran, and later insults French president Emmanuel Macron (20:59); the IDF is still killing dozens per day in Gaza, mostly near aid sites (24:23); the US military is withdrawing from most of its bases in Syria (27:11); the Thai government might be on the verge of a collapse (29:56); the DRC and Rwanda approve a “draft” peace agreement (33:57); in Russia-Ukraine, Trump cancels a normalization meeting while shutting down a sanctions working group (36:39), and Russia carries out its deadliest strike of the year on Kyiv (37:55); Trump decides to expand his travel ban (40:14); and in a New Cold War update, a new trade détente with China does not include critical minerals for military use (42:43).
Listen to Derek’s special with Akbar Shahid Ahmed on US involvement in the Israel-Iran war.
Also be sure to download our miniseries with the crew from We’re Not So Different, Welcome to the Crusades. We have posted E1 and E2 on our feed as a free preview.
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