America's oligarchs are selling the country for parts. What happens when the people finally reach a breaking point? This week, Gaslit Nation is joined by Casey Michel, author of the new book United States of Oligarchy, for a chilling, and ultimately empowering, look at how extreme wealth, floods of money from our foreign adversaries, and decades of dismantled anti-corruption laws brought American democracy to the brink. Michel is a longtime investigator of kleptocracy and authoritarian influence sanctioned by Russia. His new book examines how America's wealthiest people have allied themselves with dictators while weakening democracy at home as major law firms and media jump aboard the gravy train.  At the center of our conversation is oligarchy poster child Jared Kushner and his extraordinary record of failing upward: from buying and hollowing out the once-revered New York Observer, to the disastrous $1.8 billion purchase of the ominous 666 Fifth Avenue, to the billions in foreign sovereign wealth invested in his private-equity firm after his years shaping American foreign policy–a grift he continues today as our shadow Secretary of State.  Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund invested $2 billion in Kushner's Affinity Partners shortly after he left the White House, even after the fund's own advisers reportedly raised serious concerns about the firm. Kushner had cultivated a close relationship with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who killed dissident and Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi. Kushner even reportedly passed on sensitive intel about Khashoggi to MBS.  Casey explains how corporations accumulated political power, how post-Watergate anti-corruption reforms were dismantled, and why today's concentration of wealth makes the original Gilded Age look quaint. Most importantly, we discuss the reforms that could break oligarchic power and how ordinary people can take back the country from the Epstein Class. Listen or watch now for a clear-eyed guide to who bought America, how they did it, and how we take it back. In this week's bonus show, our conversation continues with the practical question: How do we smash an oligarchy? Casey examines the pressure building beneath America's kleptocratic system, the reforms still available to us, and what history tells us happens when ruling elites refuse to change. Despair is what oligarchs want. Build your resilience, find your voice, find your power with Andrea's upcoming book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire, out November 10. Join Gaslit Nation on Patreon or Substack for the complete bonus conversation, ad-free episodes, invitations to our Monday Salons, and more. Thank you to everyone who makes our independent journalism possible. We could not make Gaslit Nation without you. EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world. 

Wear your Sunday best and hang out at the U.S. Capitol building for your chance to chat with a member of Congress. It's a realistic way to meet the people who owe their jobs to our tax dollars, as Andrea explains–based on her own experience–in this week's bonus show. But beware of the sociopathically ambitious, dead-inside Congressional staffers enabling Mitch McConnell, and, before him, Dianne Feinstein, to cling to power long after it was time to step down.  The rest of this week's bonus show, available in full to our Patreon, Substack, and YouTube members who power Gaslit Nation, is the recording of Monday's salon. The discussion includes Andrea meeting up with Tori Amos after her show on her tour for her new powerful album In Times of Dragons, with songs like "Shush" about MeToo thanking Courtney Love for being early warning the world about Harvey Weinstein; why the DNC may be running out of money and going into debt–even though blue wave elections have ripped through the country since Trump returned to power. And we also discuss how to tell fact from fiction in the disinformation war driven by Russia in its war on Ukraine and all democracies.  We look forward to bringing you important discussions in the coming weeks, including Casey Michel, a kleptocracy expert sanctioned by Russia and author of the new book the United States of Oligarchy: How America's Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy and Maya Wiley, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the largest civil rights coalition in America, on how we expand the power of the vote–before it's too late.  Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation–we could not make this show without you. To join our community of listeners, get bonus shows, invites to exclusive events like our Monday salons, and more, sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com–discounted annual memberships are available and you can give the gift of membership. See you at Monday's salon over zoom at 4pm ET.  Show Notes: Want a plan to build a dream project from scratch in a world of chaos? Get Andrea's new book A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Watch this clip of Mr. Jones featuring two journalists in Stalin's Moscow debating–what is truth? https://www.instagram.com/p/DbdQlUrSvZ-/

Are we sleepwalking into autocracy? Dr. Mary Trump joins Gaslit Nation to discuss the terrifying psychology of her convicted-felon, traitor uncle and why "numbing out" is what the fascists want you to do. So listen up—don't check out—find your community, and mock the thin-skinned monsters into oblivion. That's how we win. What kind of childhood produces a Donald Trump? The same kind of childhood that produced Adolf Hitler: a tyrant father, proudly cold and demeaning. Where does the Trump family's misogyny come from? According to Mary Trump, Fred Trump was a sociopath who passed his misogyny and racism to his children, except for Mary's father, Fred Jr. She says that the women in the Trump family were largely ignored, demeaned, and treated like second-class citizens. Trump himself grew up a terror toward his mother. Brash, blond, and handsome by 1980s, coked-up, yuppie New York City standards, the young Donald Trump was Fred Trump's ticket to the ruling elite. Like Trump's mentor, the notorious power-hungry lawyer Roy Cohn, Fred Trump saw potential in young Trump to unlock doors to the halls of media and political power. Over the years, Fred gave his nepo trust-fund baby $400 million, which Trump would go on to squander in six bankruptcies and never-ending lawsuits for fraud. So, what is the skill that propelled him to the top—with Russia's very illegal help? Shamelessness. Mary Trump helps us get under the skin of the thin-skinned wannabe dictator, and, as both an insider and a therapist, provides us with the antidote on how to stand up to the Trumps' crime-spree madness. Demand accountability and relentlessly ridicule Trump with humor and joy. Mocking the aspiring dictator is an important reminder to him and the world that—as the journalist Dorothy Thompson famously said of Hitler—they're just little men. Our bonus shows are now included in our Tuesday episodes, exclusively for the Patreon, Substack, and YouTube communities that make Gaslit Nation possible. To hear the full episode, subscribe at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com, or become a Gaslit Nation member on YouTube. Discounted annual memberships are available, and you can give the gift of Gaslit Nation, including full access to our archive going back to the start of the show. Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation's independent journalism. We could not say what needs to be said and make this show without you. Show Notes: Order Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women, today: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Order Mary Trump's books, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Too-Much-and-Never-Enough/Mary-L-Trump/9781982141479 and The Reckoning: Our Nation's Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250864635/thereckoning/ Listen to our episode on Dorothy Thompson, the journalist who famously, openly mocked the Nazis, helping defeat America First in the rise to World War II: https://gaslitnation.libsyn.com/american-cassandra-the-life-of-dorothy-thompson   EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world.   

In this week's bonus show, exclusive for our Patreon and Substack subscribers, we take a second look at the sudden death of Lindsey Graham. But first: what's the real story behind Laura Loomer's apology tour of Ukraine?  Why is Loomer, a creepy MAGA influencer – more botoxed than Putin –  long rumored to be one of Trump's mistresses, suddenly sitting down with President Zelensky and apologizing for spouting Russian disinformation? Follow the money. The Kremlin is broke; Russia is on the verge of collapse. Meanwhile, Ukraine is experiencing a massive tech gold rush thanks to its innovative drone technology. Who's side do the opportunists want to be on? The side at the very start of a disruptive and lucrative tech revolution.  Laura Loomer sees dollar signs in Ukraine. The economic advantage has switched sides from Russia to Ukraine – thanks to Ukraine's renowned tech ingenuity, which Gaslit Nation predicted would be their secret weapon.  This week's bonus show includes a second look at Lindsey Graham's sudden death after his important and urgent trip to Ukraine, as well as our full salon discussion. Want to hear it all? Join our community of listeners on Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com – get access to bonus shows, invites to our exclusive events like our Monday salons, and more. Discounted annual memberships are available, and you can give the gift of membership. Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you.  See you at Monday's Gaslit Nation Salon  Show Notes: A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Keystone Kash's Girlfriend Posts Bonkers Claim She's Target of 'Foreign' Op https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/keystone-kash-girlfriend-posts-bonkers-093956129.html   Kremlin Says No News on Patel's October Trip to Russia https://www.kyivpost.com/post/80762   Alexis Wilkins, girlfriend of Kash Patel, sues over 'honeypot' rumors https://www.newsnationnow.com/entertainment-news/alexis-wilkins-girlfriend-kash-patel-sues-honeypot-rumors/   From 2022: Gaslit Nation's prediction Ukraine's innovation would be its secret weapon https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes/dispatch-from-ukraine-malcolm-nance-and-terrell-starr-on-putins-war/  

Sending FBI Director Kash Patel to Moscow right before the Midterms is like sending a coked-up frat boy into a whorehouse in hell, and the FSB will eat him alive. As Trump pushes the SAVE Act to disenfranchise millions, is he calling in Russian reinforcements to steal Congress?  Can we overcome a gutted Voting Rights Act, MAGA poll taxes, and Russian cyber warfare and disinformation brainrotting? Yes. By treating our vote as sacred and doing the unglamorous, powerful grassroots work that wins elections–and ensured Zohran Mamdani defeated Andrew Cuomo not once, but twice. We deserve nice things–but we must work for them. That's how progress gets made. Our heroes who came before us felt demoralized and tired, too. Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire, shares some of their stories and insights. We can put an end to Trump and Putin's dreams of turning America into a Russian-style oligarchy by remembering our power.  On this week's show, we're joined by comedian and activist Pete Dominick of the Stand Up with Pete Dominick podcast. We break down the Epstein files, media intimidation, and the growing resistance to authoritarianism. In our bonus show, available exclusively for our Patreon and Substack supporters, we name names of who in the media enabled Trump's rise, and Pete shares what it was like trolling Trump to his face on The Apprentice.  We refuse to let them steal our future and our children's futures. Come discuss this and more at the Gaslit Nation Salon this Monday at 4pm ET. We could not produce this independent journalism or build this resilience community without you. Join us, get access to the Salons, and hear Part II of our interview with Pete Dominick by subscribing at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com today. EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world.  Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit Show Notes: Pre-order Andrea's new book today! A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Listen to Stand Up! With Pete Dominick https://standupwithpete.com/ Murkowski: SAVE Act Could Require $1,000 Trips to Register to Vote https://www.newsweek.com/murkowski-save-act-could-require-1000-trips-to-register-to-vote-12214305 Trump says he spoke with Sen. Lindsey Graham hours before his death President Donald Trump said Graham called him to discuss the SAVE America Act on Saturday. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trump-phone-call-lindsey-graham-death-save-act-rcna552732  FBI Director Kash Patel plans Russia trip The plans come as the U.S. and Russia have failed to come to terms on ending the war in Ukraine. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/20/kash-patel-fbi-russia-trip-01005078  US, Russian teams met in Florida and discussed 'variety of topics,' Witkoff says https://www.reuters.com/world/us-russian-teams-met-florida-discussed-variety-topics-witkoff-says-2026-03-12/

Instead of watching Trump's speech tonight, watch Monday's Gaslit Nation Salon on July 14 - Bastille Day! Here's an excerpt. You can watch the full recording by joining our community of listeners on Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com. We had a lively discussion of Lindsey Graham's sudden death, how Russians see themselves as meat for the meatgrinder, and more. Trump's North Korean propaganda speech tonight is meant to strongarm Republicans into passing the Trad Wife Act -- (a.k.a. the Save Act), suppressing the votes of millions of people, especially married women who will be forced to show their birth certificates to vote if they changed their last names for marriage. It would also of course target anyone who changed their names, including trans people. It's bad all around, so bad that even many Republicans can't bring themselves to support it. They know the ripple effect will be a last straw for the powder keg that is the United States during this time of political violence in a slow-moving Civil War. Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com

Legendary filmmaker Robert Greenwald joins Gaslit Nation to talk about his powerful documentary from Brave New Films, Gaza: Journalists Under Fire. We break down the horrifying media consolidation driven by Netanyahu-ally , billionaire Larry Ellison, who is actively dismantling beloved institutions like CBS to enforce a McCarthyist, pro-Netanyahu chill on American journalism. We also expose how Trump and Jared Kushner have dragged the US into an illegal, unconstitutional war with Iran, draining vital air defense systems for Ukraine, while Trump's ICE agents go on a killing spree, openly executing parents in front of their children, and expanding their network of concentration camps at home and abroad. As always, Gaslit Nation also provides ways to fight back and plant powerful seeds of hope and change—because we will ultimately build a better world. This week's bonus show, for our listeners on Patreon and Substack who make Gaslit Nation possible, explores who is actually running the new kleptocratic new world order. To hear the full exclusive bonus show at the end of this episode join our community on Patreon or Substack today at the Truth-teller ($5/month) or higher. Discounted annual memberships are available, and you can give the gift of membership. Plus you'll get the show ad free, all bonus shows including our archive of bonus shows, invites to exclusive events, and more. Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit or on Substack. Thank you to everyone who supports the show -- we could not make Gaslit Nation without you.    EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world.  Show Notes: WATCH: Gaza: Journalists Under Fire https://www.bravenewfilms.org/palestinianjournalists Protect yourself and your community from ICE: https://www.patreon.com/gaslit/posts/free-prairieland-162794130?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Meet Josh Gruenbaum and Aryeh Lightstone of the Board of Peace: https://boardofpeace.org/members Fight back with the Gaslit Nation Action Guide on GaslitNationPod.com and the Media and Democracy Project (https://www.mediaanddemocracyproject.org/) and also Rise and Resist (https://www.riseandresist.org/)  Famine confirmed for first time in Gaza https://www.who.int/news/item/22-08-2025-famine-confirmed-for-first-time-in-gaza 209 Journalists and Media Workers Killed in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory https://cpj.org/2026/06/cpj-undertakes-review-of-its-documentation-of-journalists-killed-in-israel-gaza-war-since-2023/ Amnesty UK draws criticism for arguing journalist death toll in Gaza higher than in any other war https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-864300 ICE Ordered to Cease Most Vehicle Stops After 2 Killings in a Week: Agents fatally shot a man in Houston and another in coastal Maine, both in their vehicles. The killings were the latest in a string of ICE shootings during President Trump's second term. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/14/us/ice-agents-traffic-stops.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xlA.K8PG.HyO51Npt7m7m&smid=url-share  E. Jean Carroll Receives Trump's $5 Million Judgment Plus Interest https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ E Jean Carroll receives $5.6m owed by Trump after court releases damages https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/14/e-jean-carroll-trump-payment ICE Suspends Vehicle Stops After Fatal Shootings in Maine and Texas https://www.reuters.com/world/ice-suspends-vehicle-stops-us-immigration-enforcement-sources-say-2026-07-14/ ICE Officer Fatally Shoots Driver in Biddeford, Maine  https://www.reuters.com/world/us/person-killed-ice-involved-shooting-maine-media-reports-2026-07-13/ What to Know About ICE's Fatal Shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston https://apnews.com/article/7f8b3218b97c63388fc016b3da9718ee Trump Abandons Proposed 20-Percent Strait of Hormuz Fee https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-us-will-take-investment-deals-with-gulf-states-instead-fee-using-2026-07-14/ Trump Announces U.S. Control and Proposed Toll on the Strait of Hormuz  https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-says-us-will-control-strait-hormuz-get-paid-it-2026-07-13/ Associated Press Fact Check: Competing U.S. and Iranian Claims Over the Strait of Hormuz https://apnews.com/article/8df557699c900b29fb33172e6da7f3e9 Lindsey Graham's Final Mission to Support Ukraine https://www.wsj.com/world/lindsey-graham-death-ukraine-russia-81ccfe7f Committee to Protect Journalists: Journalists Killed in the Israel–Gaza War https://cpj.org/2026/ Record Number of Journalists and Media Workers Killed in 2025  https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/record-129-journalists-media-workers-killed-2025-mostly-by-israel-says-cpj-2026-02-25/ Israel Schedules National Election for October 27, 2026  https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israels-election-will-be-held-october-27-coalition-head-says-2026-07-12/ Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan - On "Regime Change" & Inside The Trump Presidency | The Daily Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdmdGTrJ2nI How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran: In a series of Situation Room meetings, President Trump weighed his instincts against the deep concerns of his vice president and a pessimistic intelligence assessment. Here's the inside story of how he made the fateful decision. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/us/politics/trump-iran-war.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xlA.RnIs.VnaiNfmBkDie&smid=url-share Iran Strikes U.S. Military Facilities Across Gulf Region: A Times analysis of satellite imagery and verified videos shows Iran found vulnerabilities in U.S. locations in the region.  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/world/middleeast/iran-strikes-us-military-facilities.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xlA.W64r.SKCZ8fldvUxu&smid=url-share What's Trump's 'Board of Peace' really about? https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/209-front-burner/episode/16193683-whats-trumps-board-of-peace-really-about 32 Palestinians killed trying to reach food distribution hubs, Gaza authorities say https://www.npr.org/2025/07/19/g-s1-78420/palestinians-food-aid-deaths Trump notifies Congress of new war against Iran President Donald Trump's notification that the U.S. is again at war with Iran gives the administration another 60-day clock for military action. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/13/trump-notifies-congress-of-new-war-against-iran-00995170 Iraq journalist deaths match number killed during Vietnam War https://cpj.org/2006/05/iraq-journalist-deaths-match-number-killed-during/ Andrea's interview with Alex Gibney and Alexis Bloom of the must-watch documentary The Bibi Files https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes/hitler-youth/ Trump's Crypto Scheme to Sell Ukraine to Russia https://www.patreon.com/gaslit/posts/trumps-crypto-to-144034868?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link New book reveals how Trump compared himself to Mao, Stalin, Attila the Hun https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/18/politics/new-book-reveals-how-trump-compared-himself-to-mao-stalin-atilla-the-hun Marco Rubio: "Actually, the Board of Peace was chartered and set up by the UN Security Council through a vote at the UN Security Council as to deliberations, so it's an international organism recognized by the Security Council of the United Nations, which is something I think many of you should be supportive of..." https://x.com/StateDept/status/2016582608377749629?lang=en What the UN Security Council vote means for Trump's Gaza peace plan https://abcnews.com/International/security-council-vote-means-trumps-gaza-peace-plan/story?id=127623162  

Dictatorship doesn't always look like tanks and troops in your city. It's the everyday lawlessness and looting spree in the White House, the draconian persecution of activists exercising their Constitutionally protected rights in Republican-hostage states like Texas and Tennessee. It's routine executions by the police.  None of this is normal, which is why we must reject it, and learn how we resist succumbing to a freeze or fawning response, and instead take action, keeping ourselves and our communities safe.  For more insights on ways to resist, listen to our summer 2025 interview with Jamila Raqib of the Albert Einstein Institute founded by Gene Sharp, author of From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Guide to Nonviolent Resistance. Listen here to her advice on concrete steps to take for non-violent resistance, including how to prepare to be brave.  ICE is ramping up kidnappings again. So be sure to stay grounded in the concrete steps you can take to protect against ICE and know your rights. Join a community self-defense. If you don't have one, start one. More here:  ICE Watch Programs Can Protect Immigrants in Your Neighborhood — Here's What to Know https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ice-watch-programs-immigrants-how-to-start Know Your Rights: If You Encounter ICE https://immigrantjustice.org/for-immigrants/know-your-rights/ice-encounter/ What to do if you see ICE in your neighborhood https://pix11.com/news/local-news/what-to-do-if-you-see-ice-in-your-neighborhood/ A Group of Organizers Is Building an Anti-ICE Movement Rooted in Jewish Values https://truthout.org/articles/a-group-of-organizers-is-building-an-anti-ice-movement-rooted-in-jewish-values/ Millions of small decisions become sand in their gears. We are not powerless. We are the leaders we've been waiting for.  Never forget the power of your voice. We're publishing now on Thursdays an excerpt from Monday's salon, and our full recording of the salon for our Patreon donors at the $10/month tier and higher (anyone who was receiving this perk before will continue to receive it at any tier, as long as your membership is currently active). Not yet signed up? Become a member on Patreon.com/Gaslit, GaslitNation.Substack.com, or as a YouTube member; discounted annual memberships are available, and you can give the gift of membership. Thank you to everyone who supports the show–we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!

Happy birthday, America! Our democracy has been hijacked by a convicted criminal, sexual predator, Russian mafia goon. We are fighting back like Ukrainians: by rebuilding from the wreckage. That means forcing every single 2028 Democratic presidential hopeful to publicly commit to appointing a mob-busting Attorney General who will actually take on the mafia instead of emboldening it. This week, Allison Gill of MSW Media joins Andrea to discuss the catastrophic failures of Merrick Garland. We break down how to demand an AG who meets this moment, strategies to Trump-and-Putin-proof our democracy, and how to protect ourselves from the Christian nationalist terrorists on the Supreme Court. This week's bonus show is a special segment called All the President's Criminals, featuring Todd Blanche. Trump's personal defense attorney faces a confirmation hearing, to officially become Attorney General, before a pliant Republican Senate. To keep up with the Trump Family's' looting spree, we're now running our bonus shows as extended Tuesday shows, available in full to our listeners on Patreon, Substack, and YouTube members who make Gaslit Nation possible. It's because of you that we can continue to be a reality check, stay grounded in the truth, and deliver independent journalism that helps us rebuild and imagine the world we want to live in. Join our community of listeners and ad free listening, get bonus shows, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit or Substack! EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world.  Show Notes: 1,200+ Former DOJ Employees Oppose Todd Blanche's Nomination https://www.thejusticeconnection.org/1200-former-doj-employees-oppose-todd-blanches-nomination/ Jack Smith testimony: Full opening statement on Trump probes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuewjQuaWF0 Jack Smith, in his first interview since resigning as Special Counsel: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WxaXkDfZkpw The World Must Stand Up to Trump's America: The Elie Mystal Interview  https://gaslitnation.libsyn.com/the-world-must-stand-up-to-trumps-america Exclusive: Woman who dated Graham Platner says he sexually assaulted her https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-00987737 To date, the DOJ has published around half of the Epstein files: https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-acting-attorney-general-todd-blanche-tries-to-dodge-further-release-of-jeffrey-epstein-files/ DOJ alums call on senators to reject Blanche nomination as attorney general https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5956374-blanche-nomination-faces-opposition/ Trump Installs Top Justice Dept. Official at Library of Congress, Prompting a Standoff: The president named Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, as the acting librarian. But staff members refused access to two department officials he chose for key roles at Congress's main research arm. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/politics/trump-library-of-congress.html Immigrant Arrests Surge to 10,000 in 5 Days as ICE Clamps Down: The agency has doubled its daily arrest numbers without the fanfare of last year's large urban operations, sowing fear in immigrant communities: "Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary, pledged to mount a quieter enforcement campaign following the chaos of a monthlong operation in Minnesota, where federal officers killed two U.S. citizens." https://archive.ph/wFIYV#selection-4627.0-4631.144 Tennessee national guard troops shoot man dead in Memphis: Authorities claim Tyrin Johnson, 20, pulled gun on officers controversially deployed at instigation of Trump https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/06/memphis-national-guard-troops-shoot-man Todd Blanche is a surprisingly competent lawyer. And he's on track to keep his client out of jail until the election. https://web.archive.org/web/20260413020342/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-trial-lawyer-todd-blanche-defense.html US justice department halts funding for human-trafficking survivors https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/22/justice-department-human-trafficking-survivors-support-funding Thousands of agents diverted to Trump immigration crackdown https://www.reuters.com/world/us/thousands-agents-diverted-trump-immigration-crackdown-2025-03-22/ Who is Boris Epshteyn, the controversial aide by Trump's side in court https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/3936390-who-is-boris-epshteyn-the-controversial-aide-by-trumps-side-in-court/ How Todd Blanche Climbed the Ranks in Trumpworld to Acting Attorney General https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/how-todd-blanche-climbed-the-ranks-in-trumpworld-to-acting-attorney-general-pam-bondi Todd Blanche Is About to Face the Senate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B9uLK_32To Library of Congress official Trump tried to fire can keep her job for now, Supreme Court says https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/30/politics/supreme-court-allows-library-of-congress-official-trump-tried-to-fire-to-keep-her-job John Solly Is the DOGE Operative Accused of Planning to Take Social Security Data to His New Job https://www.wired.com/story/john-solly-doge-operative-accused-social-security-data-leidos/ Alex Karp Has Money and Power. So What Does He Want? https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/17/style/alex-karp-palantir.html?smid=url-share

Benjamin "Champagne" Song, a U.S. marine reservist, got 100 years in prison in Texas–no air-conditioning, sweltering heat–for saving a protester's life. So why are Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries busy battling social democrats rather than unifying resistance to Trump behind this urgent cause for freedom and the U.S. Constitution?   In Texas, eight political prisoners recently received a combined 450 years for a July 4th, 2025 demonstration outside an ICE concentration camp. Song got a century behind bars for firing a warning shot to stop a cop from shooting a fleeing, unarmed protester. Other defendants got decades simply for being in a book club or transporting a box of their own zines.  This is illegal collective punishment designed to destroy our trust networks and terrorize the resistance–no matter where you live. We are sliding into a fascist fever dream, and any politician who wants our support in the 2028 Democratic Party primary must publicly commit to pardoning these political prisoners.  Trump's Soviet-style war on antifa endangers us all, because America's progress, what makes this country great, like the U.S. helping liberate Europe from Nazis, was built by the anti-fascists. Anyone who is anti-antifa is clearly a fascist. It's as simple as that.  We refuse to let them normalize this terror. Support our independent journalism by subscribing to Gaslit Nation on Patreon and Substack today so we can keep fighting back. Thank you to everyone who supports the show–we could not make Gaslit Nation without you.  A quick correction: An earlier version got the timeline wrong and said the Prairieland protests happened after the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, when they happened before. We've fixed it, and we're sorry for the error. Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com.  Show Notes: Post-Sentencing Statement from Benjamin "Champagne" Song https://prairielanddefendants.com/defendant-writings/statement-by-benjamin-champagne-song/ The Guardian clip: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaMfR_lu-3v/ Opening clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUxP9enCBaQ How to Help the Prairieland Defendants: Donate, write letters to them in prison, amplify their story on social media, if you're a media outlet – tell their story: https://prairielanddefendants.com/ Texas anti-ICE protesters convicted of terrorism charges sentenced to at least 50 years in prison https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/23/prairieland-ice-protesters-texas-sentenced Federal trial over air conditioning in Texas prisons set to start Monday https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/criminal-justice/2026/03/30/547466/texas-prison-air-conditioning-lawsuit/