Podcast / American Prestige / Jun 20, 2025

Israel-Iran War, Russia Strikes Kyiv, Trump Expands Travel Ban

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

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Israel-Iran War, Russia Strikes Kyiv, Trump Expands Travel Ban | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

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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An Iranian cameraman working with international media captures videos of the headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) located in Iran's state television compound, which is destroyed in Israeli strikes during the war with Iran in northern Tehran, Iran, on June 19, 2025.

An Iranian cameraman working with international media captures videos of the headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) located in Iran’s state television compound, which is destroyed in Israeli strikes during the war with Iran in northern Tehran, Iran, on June 19, 2025.

(Morteza Nikoubazl / NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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.

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.

DRC Ebola Outbreak Surpasses 11,000 Cases, Nvidia CEO Resigns Amid Spy Allegations, Paraguay Impeaches President Peña / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek are taking tango lessons in preparation for the White House Ballroom launch. In this week’s news roundup: a climate update and the opening of COP31 in Turkey (1:04); Trump adopts a “forever war” posture on Iran (3:33); the U.S. plans to extend its blockade of Iran to land routes (7:59); winter storms kill displaced Palestinians in Gaza as Israel blocks shelter materials and continues its attacks (11:01); Israeli President Isaac Herzog selects Gadi Eizenkot to form a government (13:52); China extends its suspension of tariffs on U.S. goods (17:31); Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns amid Chinese espionage allegations and revelations of extramarital affairs (18:51); Sudan's military makes major gains in West Kordofan (22:00); the DRC's Ebola outbreak surpasses 11,000 confirmed cases (23:27), but Kenya discharges its last Ebola patient and begins the countdown to an Ebola-free declaration (25:44); U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian officials hold talks on a European security framework (26:41); hoax bomb threats disrupt flights and schools across Europe while French and U.S. authorities accuse Iranian hackers of cyberattacks on refrigeration systems (29:52); Paraguay's Senate removes President Santiago Peña from office (32:48); Salvadoran troops destroy the headquarters of Haiti's 400 Mawozo armed group (32:59); the U.S. military moves aircraft from a British airbase as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent relocates to a military base, both in response to alleged Iranian threats (37:39).

Watch last night's livestream⁠ with Sam Biddle on the Nvidia story.

Don't forget to subscribe to ⁠Welcome to the Crusades: The Second Crusade⁠!

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Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Daniel Bessner

Daniel Bessner is a historian of US foreign relations and is the author of, among other books, Imperialist Realism.

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.

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