Episodios

  • E237 - Inside the American War Machine w/ Ben Freeman and William Hartung

    E237 - Inside the American War Machine w/ Ben Freeman and William Hartung
    Feb 17 2026
    Subscribe now to skip the ads. Derek and Danny are joined by Bill Hartung and Ben Freeman to discuss the system that drives permanent war for the United States. They talk about the growth of the Pentagon budget and the bipartisan politics of defense spending; the U.S. dominating the global arms trade and the prevalence of U.S. weapons around the world; the rise of defense tech companies and the relationship between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon; the structure of defense lobbying, foreign government lobbying for arms sales, and how contractors benefit; think tank funding, Pentagon involvement in Hollywood and gaming; and public opinion, the national debt, and whether structural change is possible. Read their book The Trillion Dollar War Machine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h
  • Bonus - Homeland Empire and Trump 2.0 w/ Nikhil Pal Singh (Preview)

    Bonus - Homeland Empire and Trump 2.0 w/ Nikhil Pal Singh (Preview)
    Feb 15 2026
    Subscribe now for the full episode. Nikhil Pal Singh joins Danny and Derek to discuss Trump’s second term and the consolidation of executive power. They talk about how Trump’s second term differs from the first; revenge politics and the liberal “lawfare” frame; mass deportation and the war on migrants; “domains of rightlessness” and undocumented people as a lever to expand state power; the imperial presidency and unitary executive theory; how the carceral state and the war on terror laid the groundwork for Trump 2.0; the breakdown of postwar liberal anti-fascist constraints and the collapse of the Nazi taboo; and China and spheres of influence. Read Nikhil’s essay “Homeland Empire.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    10 m
  • News - U.S.-Iran Talks, West Bank Rule Changes, Cuba Fuel Crisis

    News - U.S.-Iran Talks, West Bank Rule Changes, Cuba Fuel Crisis
    Feb 13 2026
    Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our content. Danny and Derek feel that their ice dance routine was strong, but ultimately respect the IOC judges. In this week’s news: the first round of indirect U.S.-Iran talks begin in Oman (0:31); new Israeli security cabinet measures move forward de facto annexation in the West Bank (4:26); Indonesia is prepared to send troops for a proposed Gaza stabilization force (7:23); Israel uses its 2023 law to revoke the citizenship of Palestinian Israelis for the first time (9:07); RSF forces launch drone strikes in Sudan’s Kordofan region and open a new offensive in Blue Nile state (11:08); fighting resumes around Uvira in the eastern DRC (14:43); elections are held in Bangladesh (17:57), Thailand (19:58), Japan (22:08), and Portugal (23:26); the new START deal with Russia expires (25:24); the Trump administration sets a June deadline to end the Ukraine war (27:47); Keir Starmer faces political fallout over his connection to Jeffrey Epstein (29:43); Haiti’s transitional council dissolves without organizing elections (31:52); Cuba approaches collapse as fuel shortages worsen (33:54); organizers prepare for the inaugural “Board of Peace” meeting (37:40); Trump orders the Pentagon to purchase coal-based electricity (39:17); and the FAA briefly shuts down airspace over El Paso after a misidentified party balloon (41:08). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 m
  • E235 - The Decline of Newsrooms w/ Borzou Daragahi

    E235 - The Decline of Newsrooms w/ Borzou Daragahi
    Feb 10 2026
    Subscribe now to skip the ads. Journalist Borzou Daragahi joins Danny and Derek to talk about the end of international journalism as we know it. They talk about how podcasting and alternative media both depend on and undermine legacy reporting, the economic pressures on foreign desks, the shift to commentary and “quick takes”, the limits of newsletters and Substack as newsroom replacements; the role of tech in accelerating these changes, and more. Read Borzou’s piece “Your Podcast Leaches Off My News Outlet.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    57 m
  • Bonus - Gaza’s “Ceasefire” and the Kushner Plan w/ Tariq Kenney-Shawa (Preview)

    Bonus - Gaza’s “Ceasefire” and the Kushner Plan w/ Tariq Kenney-Shawa (Preview)
    Feb 8 2026
    Subscribe now for the full episode! Derek and Danny are joined by Tariq Kenney-Shawa from Al-Shabaka for an update on conditions in Gaza and a discussion of Jared Kushner’s proposed “reconstruction” plan. They talk about the current phase of the so-called ceasefire; ongoing Israeli military actions; population displacement; humanitarian access; the expansion of Israeli control inside Gaza; Israel’s long-term objectives; population management; Kushner’s vision for Gaza requiring mass displacement, surveillance, and the end of Palestinian political life; and Palestinian-led alternatives for reconstruction. Read Tariq’s piece for The Nation, “Jared Kushner’s “Plan” for Gaza Is an Abomination.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    11 m
  • News - Iran Strike Delayed, Biden Suppressed Gaza Aid, Nigeria Militant Attack

    News - Iran Strike Delayed, Biden Suppressed Gaza Aid, Nigeria Militant Attack
    Feb 6 2026
    Subscribe now to skip the ads and hear all of our episodes! Join the Discord (subscribers get more channels). Danny and Derek are still in talks with The Muppets' people about an appearance, so we'll keep things buttoned up for now. This week: The U.S. and Iran hold talks in Oman, averting an U.S. strike for the moment (0:31); in Gaza, Israeli strikes kill dozens while Rafah reopens under tight restrictions amid concerns over “slow motion” displacement (5:58); the Trump administration’s Gaza “reconstruction” effort raises more red flags (8:48); Reuters reports that the Biden administration suppressed a USAID memo on Gaza’s humanitarian conditions with potential legal implications (12:07); Syria’s government and the SDF announce a new agreement to integrate SDF forces and administrators into the Syrian state (14:39); Sudan’s military claims it has opened a road into besieged Kadugli as militants make gains elsewhere (17:44); Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is assassinated in Zintan, Libya (20:57); in Nigeria’s Kwara State, gunmen kill roughly 170 people in an allegedly jihadist-linked attack (23:44); U.S.-Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi yield little on ending the war, but Washington and Moscow agree to keep honoring New START’s terms (25:29); Pakistan launches a massive counterinsurgency campaign in Balochistan with the death toll approaching 300 (28:21); Trump touts a major U.S.-India trade framework, but key details remain unclear (30:12); Trump signs a new Cuba executive order increasing pressure around oil supplies (33:16); the U.S. president also hosts Colombia’s Gustavo Petro after recent threats (35:33); and the State Department holds a critical minerals conference as Trump announces “Project Vault” and Japan tests environmentally risky deep-sea mining (37:15). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    43 m
  • E234 - The End of the Postwar Consensus w/ Paul Starr

    E234 - The End of the Postwar Consensus w/ Paul Starr
    Feb 3 2026
    Subscribe now to skip the ads and access all of our episodes. Danny and Derek are joined by sociologist Paul Starr to talk about the transformation of American politics from the postwar period to the present. They discuss the idea of a foundational American contradiction, how the civil rights movement helped break the midcentury political consensus, why economic inequality and labor decline reshaped party coalitions, immigration, the expansion of presidential power, the decline of institutional legitimacy, and how these changes contributed to the rise of both Obama and Trump. Read Paul’s book American Contradiction: Revolution and Revenge from the 1950s to Now. Recorded in December 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h y 6 m
  • The Nation’s “A Day for Gaza” w/ Jack Mirkinson

    The Nation’s “A Day for Gaza” w/ Jack Mirkinson
    Feb 3 2026
    Derek speaks with Jack Mirkinson, senior editor at ⁠The Nation⁠, about “A Day for Gaza,” a one-day project where the magazine is devoting its entire website to coverage of Gaza. They discuss the decision to turn over all coverage to this single issue, the decline in mainstream media attention since the October “ceasefire” announcement, and why events in Gaza remain central to media responsibility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    13 m