American Prestige

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Danny and Derek speak with historian Stuart Schrader about the history and political power of police unions in the U.S. They discuss the rise of police unions in the 1960s, their relationship with organized labor, resistance to the civil rights movement and affirmative action, the role of race in policing, bipartisan support for policing and the 1990s crime bills, the growing political influence of the Border Patrol union, and the future of police reform and abolition. Get your copy of Stuart’s book Blue Power: How Police Organize to Protect and Serve Themselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek speak with Norman Finkelstein about his intellectual and political journey, in part one of a conversation about his new book, Gaza's Gravediggers. They discuss his years as a Maoist, graduate school at Princeton, how Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon led him to study Zionism, exposing Joan Peters's From Time Immemorial, being blacklisted and his years as an adjunct at Brooklyn College, Mao and the Chinese revolution, the Marxist tradition and Noam Chomsky's influence, his parents' experience in the Warsaw Ghetto and his rejection of nationalism, and why he argues that what's happening in Gaza is a genocide, not a war. Read Norman Finkelstein's book, Gaza's Gravediggers: An Inquiry into Corruption in High Places. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Derek has returned, but he keeps trying to get Danny to go to some seminar led by a charismatic “mentor” he encountered in his travels. In this week’s news: war breaks out in Ethiopia’s Tigray region (0:43); Flavio Bolsonaro wins the first round of Brazil’s presidential election as the right makes major gains (6:46); in Yemen, the government’s counteroffensive against Ansar Allah stalls (9:51), the group attacks airports in Saudi Arabia and Yemen (12:40), and Saudi Arabia seeks outside military support (13:42); the U.S. prepares to resume its war against Iran as the Islamic Republic intensifies attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz (17:44); in Japan, a U.S. Marine’s arrest for alleged murder sparks protests against the American military presence on Okinawa (22:18); Sudan’s military advances in North Kordofan (25:20) and Sudanese military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan rejects peace talks (28:06); in Mali, Tuareg rebels withdraw from Kidal as government forces retake the town (29:54); the U.S. and the WHO seek information about suspected plague cases at a Russian lab (29:54); Russian attacks across Ukraine kill at least 25 (32:57); Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calls a snap election (35:00); the U.S. bombs another alleged drug boat in the Caribbean (37:12); and Trump creates a new AI task force called the Super Intelligence Force (38:12). Note: Since recording, Trump has said that the U.S. will not attack Iran before the November midterm elections. Watch a replay of last night’s livestream with journalist Michael Fox about Brazil’s elections. Subscribe and check out our History of Modern Palestine series with Rashid Khalidi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Danny and Derek welcome back to the show Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor Emeritus of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University and author of Palestine: A Primer, to talk about changes in the regional and political landscape of Palestine since October 7. They discuss adapting The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine for a younger audience, the devastation of Gaza, Hamas’s October 7 strategy and its miscalculations, the Biden administration’s support for Israel, changes in the Middle East after the war with Iran, shifting American attitudes toward Israel and Palestine, the prospects for Palestinian resistance, and the destruction of Gaza’s cultural and historical heritage. Be sure to grab a copy of Palestine: A Primer, an adaptation of The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine aimed toward a younger audience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny speaks with Eli Clifton, senior advisor at the Quincy Institute, and Ian Lustick, professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, about how the Israel lobby helps shape American politics and foreign policy. They discuss the changing nature of the Israel lobby, billionaire donors and campaign finance, Christian Zionism and declining evangelical support for Israel, U.S. support for Israel after October 7, suppression of criticism of Israel, shifting generational attitudes toward Israel, antisemitism and right-wing opposition to Israel, and Donald Trump’s relationship with pro-Israel megadonors. Grab your copy of Eli and Ian’s book Israel’s Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices