Israel Bombs Damascus, Militant Violence Erupts in Haiti, France Withdraws Troops From Senegal
On this episode of American Prestige, all the news that’s fit to hear.

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Derek is in the shop for maintenance, so Danny presents the news with the Quincy Institute’s Alex Jordan. This week: Israel bombs the Syrian Defense Ministry in Damascus (0:39) as Netanyahu’s corruption trial carries on (7:05), plus US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemns settlers killing a US citizen (10:24), and the Hague Group coalition meets in Bogota to decide how to hold Israel accountable for its crimes (16:02); the saga of Trump’s flip-flopping on Ukraine military aid continues (20:29); Trump announces more tariffs while affected countries struggle to make a deal with the US (28:30); the US Navy is constructing facilities to repair and maintain Philippine military vessels (33:35); the UN releases a report detailing how militant violence in Haiti has killed 5,000 people in the last 9 months (37:48); and the French army has withdrawn its last troops from Senegal (42:48).
Be sure to watch and listen to Alex and Courtney Rawlings on the Quincy Institute’s Always at War podcast.
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A view of damage at the Syrian General Staff headquarters and nearby buildings following Israeli airstrikes targeting the capital Damascus, Syria on July 17, 2025.
(Izettin Kasim / Anadolu via Getty Images)Derek is in the shop for maintenance, so Danny presents the news with the Quincy Institute’s Alex Jordan. This week: Israel bombs the Syrian Defense Ministry in Damascus (0:39) as Netanyahu’s corruption trial carries on (7:05), and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemns settlers’ killing a US citizen (10:24), while the Hague Group coalition meets in Bogota to decide how to hold Israel accountable for its crimes (16:02); the saga of Trump’s flip-flopping on Ukraine military aid continues (20:29); Trump announces more tariffs while affected countries struggle to make a deal with the US (28:30); the US Navy is constructing facilities to repair and maintain Philippine military vessels (33:35); the UN releases a report detailing how militant violence in Haiti has killed 5,000 people in the last nine months (37:48); and the French army has withdrawn its last troops from Senegal (42:48).
Be sure to watch and listen to Alex and Courtney Rawlings on the Quincy Institute’s Always at War podcast.
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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.
Historian Patrick Wyman returns to the show to talk about the deep history of human societies and how they can inform the current moment. They explore new ways of studying prehistory, the origins of agriculture, climate adaptation, the Clovis people, the long Neolithic, early farming societies, states and security, the Bronze Age collapse, and more.
Listen to Patrick’s Past Lives podcast.
And grab a copy of his new book Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World.
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