American Prestige

David Sirota, founder and editor-in-chief of The Lever and creator of Master Plan, discusses journalism versus media and the attention-economy shift away from investigative reporting. He explores billionaire ownership, audience capture, the collapse of local news, algorithms shaping discourse, and the legal and historical roots of concentrated presidential power.

Eleanor Janega, medieval historian and author, and Luke Waters, historian and co-host of We’re Not So Different, explore Eleanor of Aquitaine’s political life. They cover her marriages and crusade involvement. They discuss her tradecraft in marriage diplomacy, her daughters’ successes, limits on royal parenting, and her governance during Richard’s absence.

Eleanor Janega, historian and author of The Once and Future Sex, explores how the Virgin Mary became the ultimate medieval mother. She traces Mary’s transformation from sparse scripture to medieval fan fiction. Short takes cover theological fixes like the Immaculate Conception, childbirth rituals, class differences in birth and mothering, and how Mary’s image was sexualized and adapted across traditions.

They cover Iran weighing a U.S. peace proposal and fallout from strikes that damaged U.S. bases. They walk through a failed operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and Israel's continuing strikes in Lebanon and Gaza. They discuss rising U.S.-China tensions before a summit, troop withdrawals from Germany, widening sanctions on Cuba, and shifting conflicts across Sudan, Tigray, Mali, Russia, and Ukraine.

Alex Zakaras, political science professor at the University of Vermont and author of Freedom for All, outlines a revived radical liberalism rooted in equal freedom. He traces liberalism’s origins, critiques neoliberalism, and links racial hierarchy and weakened labor to democratic decline. He argues for policies expanding real choice and power while mapping liberalism’s tensions with socialism.

Judah Grunstein, editor-at-large at World Politics Review and analyst of global politics, explores what a post-unipolar world might look like. He questions middle-power coalitions and limits of IR theory. He weighs U.S. decline, China and the EU’s roles, and whether a bottom-up, shallower order driven by development and climate competition could take shape.

Alex Thurston, associate professor and North Africa/Sahel specialist, discusses Mali’s dramatic April offensive and the seizure of Kidal. He outlines why Kidal matters politically. He explains FLA and JNIM cooperation, fuel blockades and pressures on Bamako. He assesses the junta’s weakening position and regional responses.

Michael Brenes, Yale historian of Cold War political economy, and Daniel Bessner, UW scholar of Cold War intellectual history, discuss Cold War liberalism as a durable framework. They trace its roots in New Deal institutions, emergency politics, and military Keynesianism. They explore how liberal universalism enabled U.S. global power, shifted into neoconservatism, and still shapes contemporary foreign policy.

Becca Lewis, researcher of right-wing politics in Silicon Valley and online, explores how tech elites blend countercultural style with libertarian power. She discusses AI as hype and financial bubble, Silicon Valley’s ties to the military and surveillance firms, and how entrepreneurial exceptionalism shapes reactionary politics. The conversation also touches on AI’s impact on white-collar labor and organizing inside tech.

Talks about a renewed Iran ceasefire, a Strait of Hormuz blockade and threats from mines and oil spills. Covers regional economic fallout as the UAE seeks financial support. Discusses Japan lifting its lethal arms export ban and a major ship deal. Reports on CIA operatives killed during Mexican drug raids and allegations of mistreatment after a deadly boat strike.