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Danny and Derek are joined by historian Andrew Shankman to talk about the road to U.S. independence from Great Britain. They discuss differences between Spanish and British colonization strategies, the intellectual and philosophical origins of the American Revolution, the Stamp Act crisis, distinctions in racial conceptions between the American colonies and the West Indies, key revolutionary figures, the early American republic, the unique economic situation of Boston and Massachusetts, and post-revolution relations with Britain and indigenous peoples.  

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Sina Azodi, assistant professor of Middle East politics and director of the Middle East Studies program at George Washington University, returns to the show to talk about Iran’s nuclear program. The group discusses the Shah’s nuclear agenda, Atoms for Peace, Iran’s signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, how the Iran-Iraq War influenced Iran’s nuclear policy, missed opportunities for diplomacy after 9/11, Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and why Biden didn’t revive the deal, and the recent war with Iran.

Grab a copy of Sina’s book Iran and the Bomb: The United States, Iran, and the Nuclear Question.

And contribute to GiveDirectly's campaign to help survivors of the earthquake in Venezuela.

Note: In lieu of a news episode this week, we will be posting an interview about the holiday.

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Aziz Rana, J. Donald Monin SJ University Professor of Law and Government at Boston College, is back on the podcast to talk about Trumpism, American political stagnation, and the future of U.S. power. They discuss the (presumed) end of the Trump era, the importance of supermajorities and why we haven’t seen them in recent years, what the left got right and wrong in its analysis of Trump, the “Trump Doctrine” as an extension of existing U.S. politics, multipolarity, and the possibility of a more democratic international order.

Read Aziz’s piece with Aslı Ü. Bâli in Boston Review, “The Path to the Trump Doctrine,” plus his piece in Dissent, “The American Revolution in Global Retreat.”

Also, please contribute to GiveDirectly’s Venezuela earthquake campaign.

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Danny and Derek’s promise ring ceremony regrettably must be relocated from MSG due to a scheduling conflict. In this week’s news: The Iran negotiations show signs of progress (1:26) despite disputes over the agreement (5:20), plus conflicting reports over the status of the Strait of Hormuz* (9:24); Lebanon sees a reduction in fighting and another round of talks (12:31); in Gaza, Israel is targeting children (15:38), plus a Board of Peace update (16:48); Keir Starmer resigns as PM of the UK (18:40); the DPRK/North Korea appears to be back on Trump’s radar (21:18); a battle over El Obeid, Sudan, still looms (22:53); Trump is again angry with NATO and has a spat with Italian PM Meloni (25:07); in Russia-Ukraine, an update on the war (27:40), Poland strips Zelenskyy of an award (30:21), and the Russians are again displeased with Trump (32:40); election updates in Colombia (34:25), Peru (36:08), and Ethiopia (37:27); and Trump unveils the new Air Force One (39:23).

*After the time of recording, the initiative to rescue stranded ships in the Strait of Hormuz was paused due to a vessel being attacked. 

Check out the replay of Wednesday’s livestream. 

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Omer Bartov, Dean’s Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University, joins the program to talk about Zionism’s transformation from an emancipation movement into a form of ethno-nationalism. They delve into Zionism’s formation alongside European colonialism, how settler encroachment influenced Palestinian nationalism, comparisons with European settler colonialism, whether Zionism’s “wrong turn” was in the formation of the State of Israel itself, the meaning of “never again,” how the historical memory of the Holocaust is used to justify Israeli expansion, Israel’s lack of a constitution, and liberal Zionism in the United States.

Be sure to get a copy of Omer’s book Israel: What Went Wrong? 

Don't forget to tune into our weekly livestream, Wednesday night at 8pm ET on our YouTube channel.

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Danny and Derek speak with Jasper Craven, a reporter covering the military and veterans' issues, about masculinity and the military. They talk about Trump’s time in military school, how his relationship with masculinity has affected his approach to business and politics, Pete Hegseth and his military identity, soldiers’ “honor codes” and subverting the rules, how notions of masculinity change between Trump and Hegseth’s generations, Graham Platner and how his military service affected him, the emergence of the “warrior ethos,” how the liberal left’s denunciations of Platner relate to the military, and the White House UFC fight.

Be sure to grab a copy of Jasper’s book ⁠God Forgives, Brothers Don't: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood⁠.

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Danny and Derek are in backchannel talks with the reflecting pool algae. In this week’s news: the United States and Iran sign a Memorandum of Understanding (1:26), which addresses sanctions, the Strait of Hormuz, reconstruction, sovereignty, and the nuclear program (6:46); Israel continues its attacks on and occupation of Lebanon despite the MoU dictating otherwise (26:12); Gaza is excluded from the MoU (30:25) as West Bank annexation continues (31:46); in Sudan, RSF forces appear to be preparing for a major battle (34:27); in Ukraine, Russia makes advances (35:58) while Crimea is hit hard (37:26); the G7 is relatively uneventful, but does express support for Ukraine (39:24); the U.S. announces plans for a military drawdown in Europe (41:21); in Peru, Keiko Fujimori leads the vote count in the presidential election (42:57); and a UNAIDS report shows the dire effect of DOGE cuts (44:37).

A reminder: we are changing our release schedule! The bonus will now drop on Monday, the public feed interview on Wednesday, and the news will remain on Friday. 

Check out our episode with Caitlin Tulloch on the fallout from ending USAID.

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Historian Patrick Wyman returns to the show to talk about the deep history of human societies and how they can inform the current moment. The group discusses 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.

Don’t forget the AP livestream, this Wednesday at 8pm ET on ⁠our YouTube channel⁠.

⁠Join our Discord⁠!

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Danny and Derek give us the latest on today’s ceasefire deal.

Note: Iran has since confirmed the deal.

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David Roth and Tom Ley of Defector join the program for a discussion on the World Cup and the politics around the tournament. They get into FIFA corruption; Trump’s FIFA Peace Prize; the administration’s petty moves like denying a Somali referee entry to the U.S. and similar restrictions on Iran’s team; sportswashing; the burden on host cities; the growth of soccer in the United States; the explosion of youth sports as an industry; and much more.

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The World Cup is upon us, so Danny and Derek are showering visiting players with crocheted NATO flags. In this week’s news: Israel and Iran exchange fire (0:59), with Netanyahu possibly defying Trump (3:16); Iran and the U.S. also trade blows as the ceasefire comes into question (6:11); the IDF is preparing a new Gaza offensive (14:56); Afghanistan and Pakistan engage in more border clashes (17:11); Mali’s junta is pressured by a jihadist-rebel alliance (18:36); Ukraine uses a new cruise missile, targeting infrastructure in and around Crimea (21:50); Germany kills Europe’s Future Combat Air System program (24:40); Bolivia’s anti-austerity protests approach a turning point (27:25); Armenia elects Pashinyan’s party and Peru sees a tight presidential runoff count (29:03); the U.S. considers buying the Chagos Islands (33:19); Trump threatens the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal (36:27); the American president also looks to downsize the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (37:53); and the Pentagon raises its Israel counterintelligence threat level (40:26).

Note: After recording, Trump backed out of further Iran strikes.

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