Podcast / American Prestige / Oct 24, 2025

Gaza Ceasefire Tenuous, US Strikes More “Drug Boats,” Saudi State Visit

American Prestige brings you the news.

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.

Gaza Ceasefire Tenuous, US Strikes More “Drug Boats,” Saudi State Visit | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Rest assured, no one on the AP team has any undeclared tattoos. In this week’s news roundup: In Israel-Palestine, Gaza’s so-called ceasefire holds after another weekend of Israeli strikes (1:36), the International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders Israel to allow more humanitarian aid (8:16), and reports emerge of a plan to partition Gaza (11:48) as J.D. Vance arrives in Israel and the Knesset advances West Bank annexation votes (14:21); Donald Trump looks set to host Mohammed bin Salman for the Saudi crown prince’s first U.S. visit since the Jamal Khashoggi murder (18:36); Afghanistan and Pakistan agree to a fragile ceasefire after cross-border clashes (21:16); Myanmar’s junta retakes a key commercial town and resumes its offensive (23:47); Japan elects hard-right Takaichi Sanae as its first female prime minister (27:27); in Sudan, drone strikes delay the reopening of Khartoum’s airport (29:59); new data shows jihadist groups tightening their grip across West Africa (31:19); the Trump-Putin-Zelensky saga takes several new turns, with canceled summits and contradictory sanctions (34:52); Rodrigo Paz wins Bolivia’s presidency and pledges to restore ties with Washington (41:28); the U.S. reportedly trades MS-13 informants for access to Nayib Bukele’s mega-prison in El Salvador (43:39); two more U.S. drone attacks hit alleged “drug boats,” one in the Pacific, as the head of Southern Command steps down (45:44); and the U.S. and Australia seal a new minerals deal to counter China (50:28).

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

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

Bodies of Palestinians killed during Israel's two-year-long attacks on the Gaza Strip and buried in temporary graves around Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City are being exhumed and reburied in family cemeteries, on October 24, 2025.

Bodies of Palestinians killed during Israel’s two-year-long attacks on the Gaza Strip and buried in temporary graves around Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City are being exhumed and reburied in family cemeteries, on October 24, 2025.

(Saeed M. M. T. Jaras / Anadolu via Getty Images)

Rest assured, no one on the AP team has any undeclared tattoos. In this week’s news roundup: In Israel-Palestine, Gaza’s so-called ceasefire holds after another weekend of Israeli strikes (1:36), the International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders Israel to allow more humanitarian aid (8:16), and reports emerge of a plan to partition Gaza (11:48) as J.D. Vance arrives in Israel and the Knesset advances West Bank annexation votes (14:21); Donald Trump looks set to host Mohammed bin Salman for the Saudi crown prince’s first U.S. visit since the Jamal Khashoggi murder (18:36); Afghanistan and Pakistan agree to a fragile ceasefire after cross-border clashes (21:16); Myanmar’s junta retakes a key commercial town and resumes its offensive (23:47); Japan elects hard-right Takaichi Sanae as its first female prime minister (27:27); in Sudan, drone strikes delay the reopening of Khartoum’s airport (29:59); new data shows jihadist groups tightening their grip across West Africa (31:19); the Trump-Putin-Zelensky saga takes several new turns, with canceled summits and contradictory sanctions (34:52); Rodrigo Paz wins Bolivia’s presidency and pledges to restore ties with Washington (41:28); the U.S. reportedly trades MS-13 informants for access to Nayib Bukele’s mega-prison in El Salvador (43:39); two more U.S. drone attacks hit alleged “drug boats,” one in the Pacific, as the head of Southern Command steps down (45:44); and the U.S. and Australia seal a new minerals deal to counter China (50:28).

Subscribe now and check out our series on Silicon Valley with Margaret O’Mara here.

Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/subscribe.

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 Plan for Venezuela’s Oil, Gaza Ceasefire Phase Two, Iran Protests w/ Matt Lech and Negar Mortazavi | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Derek welcomes Matt Lech to the show to bring you the news while a sick Danny convalesces. This week: Trump pushes U.S. oil companies to reenter Venezuela and outlines plans for a long-term U.S. takeover of the Venezuelan oil industry (1:34); opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presents Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal (7:01); Southern Transitional Council leader Aidarus al-Zubaidi flees Yemen as the group fractures amid competing leadership claims (8:50); Somalia cuts ties with the United Arab Emirates following the latter’s support for Somaliland and the evacuation of Yemeni separatist leaders through Somali territory (12:05); the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire begins as Israel continues to restrict humanitarian aid (14:27); UK Palestine Action prisoners conduct hunger strikes as part of a broader campaign against repression and arms manufacturing, with Matt relaying a statement from the group (18:11); Sudan’s military government announces its return to Khartoum while preparing a major operation against the Rapid Support Forces in Darfur and Kordofan (21:22); China records a $1.2 trillion trade surplus despite U.S. tariffs (24:09); Japan’s prime minister moves toward snap elections amid high approval ratings and ongoing political instability (26:30); the UN reports 2025 as the deadliest year for Ukrainian civilians since 2022 (28:40); American, Danish, and Greenlandic officials meet in Washington as Trump continues to press claims over Greenland (31:06); the Trump administration halts immigrant visa processing for 75 countries (33:15); and the New York Times reports on possible U.S. war crimes involving the use of disguised military aircraft in “anti-smuggling” operations (34:23). Derek then speaks with Negar Mortazavi, journalist and host of The Iran Podcast, about the causes, trajectory, and implications of Iran’s recent nationwide protests (37:11). Find more of Matt’s work over at Left Reckoning, The Majority Report, and The Jacobin Show.  Here is the complete statement from UK Palestine Action.

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

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

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

Donald Trump boards Air Force One before departing Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan on January 13, 2026.

Can American Power Be Redeemed? Can American Power Be Redeemed?

On American Prestige: Shadi Hamid on American hegemony and whether it can be a force for good.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed Federal agents as they make their way into an armored car en route to a federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5, 2026 in New York City.

Venezuela, Latin America, and the Future of US Foreign Policy, With Greg Grandin Venezuela, Latin America, and the Future of US Foreign Policy, With Greg Grandin

On the latest American Prestige.

Daniel Bessner, Derek Davison, and Greg Grandin

A security volunteer stands at a roadside checkpoint during the conflict in the Thai province of Buriram, 10 kilometres away from the border with Cambodia.

Thailand–Cambodia Fighting, Venezuela Escalation, Yemen Separatists Thailand–Cambodia Fighting, Venezuela Escalation, Yemen Separatists

The news from American Prestige.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

A boy looks at an iPhone screen displaying various social media apps on December 13, 2025.

How Effective Is Australia’s Social Media Age Limit? How Effective Is Australia’s Social Media Age Limit?

Podcast / Tech Won’t Save Us / Oct 24, 2025 Gaza Ceasefire Tenuous, US Strikes More “Drug Boats,” Saudi State Visit On this episode of Tech Won’t Save Us: Cam Wil…

Podcast / Tech Won't Save Us

Donald Trump speaks during a Mexican Border Defense Medal presentation in the Oval Office on December 15, 2025.

Trump’s National Security Strategy Trump’s National Security Strategy

On this episode of American Prestige: Julia Gledhill and Van Jackson on the Trump administration's National Security Strategy.

Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 30, 2025.

Trump’s Asia Tour and Xi Summit, Massacres in Sudan by the RFK, Bombings of Boats Off the South American Coast by the US Trump’s Asia Tour and Xi Summit, Massacres in Sudan by the RFK, Bombings of Boats Off the South American Coast by the US

The news from American Prestige.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

x