Join us May 23rd Tuesday 1:30pm EST for a live taping of Gaslit Nation and audience Q&A! If you're subscribed on Patreon at the Truth-teller level or higher, you'll receive a guest link the morning of the event to join us. Thank you to everyone who supports the show! 

What rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches toward CNN to be born? Well, I think we all know the answer to that. This week we describe the foot-soldiers of criminal impunity that have arisen in the wake of the Trump presidency and the unpunished attempted coup. We start with Daniel Penny, who murdered homeless man Jordan Neely on the subway and was coddled and protected by politicians and the media. We go on to discuss domestic terrorist Mauricio Garcia, who murdered eight people in Texas after immersing himself in neo-nazi movements. 

We also discuss the horrific fact that snuff videos and extremely graphic images are circulating online, distributed with intent to desensitize the population to violence. We examine the root causes of the crisis – lax gun laws, institutional apathy toward suffering (especially throughout the mass death of covid), failure of federal officials to respond to a right-wing, white supremacist movement that has been building since 2008 and accelerated dramatically during the Trump era, and a media/political system that wants you to accept violent extremism as normal. Do not accept it!

Andrea concludes with the latest on Russia’s war on Ukraine, a dramatic week which included drones launched at the Kremlin, and at its historical precedents as “Victory Day” comes around at a time when Putin is feeding his own population into a Stalinesque meat grinder.

We have switched the day of our bonus episode, available to Patreon subscribers at the Truth-Teller level and above, to Friday! This gives us time to discuss news stories that break after we record, so for the latest on Trump being held liable in court and more, listen in. We will also answer questions from Patreon subscribers at the Democracy Defender level or higher.

We know times are tough – that’s why every other media company is going out of business! But that’s also why independent news is all the more important. Gaslit Nation is funded entirely by its Patreon subscribers, which is how we are able to speak our minds without fear. Please support us and keep independent journalism going!

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With political violence on the rise in America, along with disinformation, mainstream propaganda and the consolidation of media under conservative ownership, the scapegoating of LGBTQ+ people, women, and nonwhite people, and the weaponization of government in several Republican-led states, are we headed towards a civil war?

In this week's episode, Andrea interviews Jeff Sharlet, the author of the new book Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War. Sharlet is also the author of  The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, that launched the must-watch Netflix series of the same name, that takes viewers into the dark heart of corruption known as the National Prayer Breakfast, and how it's used as a tool for the extreme religious right to consolidate power. In Undertow, Sharlet takes readers on a cross-country roadtrip to show how we're in a slow-motion civil war, and provides ways to confront this dangerous crossroads, including lessons from Civil Rights leader and artist Harry Belafonte.

Sharlet is the New York Times best-selling author or editor of eight books. His writing and photography have appeared in many publications, including Vanity Fair, for which he is a contributing editor; the New York Times Magazine; GQ; Esquire; Harper’s; and VQR, for which he is an editor at large. He currently teaches the art of writing as a professor at Dartmouth College. In our bonus episode, out later this week for Patreon subscribers at the Truth-teller level or higher, Sharlet takes the Gaslit Nation Self-Care Q&A to share what art, music, books, and documentaries and other cultural resources that he recommends to help process the times we live in. We will share a free excerpt of that for all listeners wherever you get your podcasts.

We'll be back with an all new Gaslit Nation episode next week, along with our regular Q&A bonus episode for Patreon subscribers. For supporters at the Democracy Defender level and higher, submit your questions to be answered in an upcoming bonus episode. Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation and keeps our show going! To join our community of listeners, sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit

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This week we take a look at the slate for 2024, including recently declared candidate President Biden, career criminal seditionist Donald Trump, Marianne Williamson, Robert Kennedy Jr, and possibly two more Republicans – the faltering Ron DeSantis, and the demonic Tucker Carlson, who recently was set free from his Fox News hellscape to possibly run for office. We contemplate a Carlson run, examine the Fox News lawsuit, and discuss the gutting of investigative reporting and the demise of cable news in general. At the end of the show, we debate about how Biden is doing and what he should be doing – not to win, but to fulfill his campaign promises and serve the American people, which is his job!

We also discuss the Kremlin’s latest moves into Sudan and the operations of the Wagner Group: the brutal band of professional mercenaries that has been active in Ukraine, Syria, and other regions the Kremlin seeks to drag into their sphere of influence. We discuss the history of Russia’s efforts in Africa and how Obama official Susan Rice helped paved the road for the current disaster. We also discuss what it means that Rice is finally leaving the Biden administration.

Every week we do a bonus episode for our Patreon subscribers. We’ve decided to start releasing them later in the week because we often have extra topics we don’t get to in the main show. So this week, stay tuned for some extra Gaslit Nation as well as the answers to our listener Q&A! To submit a question, join at the Democracy Defender level or higher. To listen to the bonus episode, join at the Truth-Teller level or higher.

Gaslit Nation is one of few podcasts that is free to all and that keeps all of our episodes archived online in transcript form. This is important as news websites continue to go under or paywall their content. We are under no corporate control and are funded entirely by our listeners. Help keep Gaslit Nation going by joining us on Patreon!

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Another week, another set of traitors that somehow our (compromised) national security institutions were not able to catch in time! This week we take a look at Jake Teixeira, a traitor who leaked classified intelligence documents on Discord and became the new mascot of the far-right, and “Donbass Devushka”, the pathetic online persona of a former Naval official and all-around asshole from New Jersey named Sarah Bils. These two are just the latest iteration of a broader online propaganda initiative, ongoing for over a decade, to weaponize intelligence against Ukraine on behalf of the Kremlin and its American right-wing backers.

We look at the long history of intelligence failures that have led us to the point that a bunch of randos in a Discord forum are more in tune with intelligence than our politicians, who behave like characters in a reality TV show. We discuss the lack of accountability from the FBI and DOJ and the complicity of seditionists like Marjorie Taylor Green who recite their little lines in tandem with their task masters. We discuss Wagner Group and other terrorist outlets attacking Ukraine, as well as the slow-moving war itself, and Andrea again implores the US government to give Ukraine the military equipment that it needs so the war will actually end – and the only way it can end with a chance of peace for the world is with a Ukraine win.

For our bonus episode, available to Patreon subscribers at the Truth-Teller level and higher, we answer questions from our subscribers about AI and fascism, why Americans don't protest like the French, the Tennessee legislature and the protests, Clarence Thomas, NC Dem turncoat Tricia Cotham, who should primary Biden, the fading career of DeSantis, and more! And if you join at the Democracy Defender level or higher, you can join us at our live show for our upcoming graphic novel Dictatorship – It’s Easier Than You Think, which will be out June 13! The live show will be May 23 at 1:30 EST.

Gaslit Nation is an independent podcast made possible entirely by our Patreon community, so please consider joining and getting extra features and more!

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We're doing a live taping of Gaslit Nation on May 23 at 1:30pm EST. Make sure you're subscribed to the show at the Truth-teller level or higher to get access to that special live event to celebrate the launch of our book Dictatorship: It's Easier Than You Think!  

It’s been a busy week for nazis, neo-confederates, and crimelords – and for the people fighting them! We start out this week by discussing the ProPublica article on corrupt SCOTUS justice Clarence Thomas and his Hitler swag loving backer, Harlan Crow. Sarah gives a lot of background into their relationship, including 1) allegations of sex trafficking by Crow’s brother and his ties to a client of Jeffrey Epstein 2) Thomas’s ties to GOP sex trafficking and blackmail cases in the 1980s including the Franklin Scandal 3) the combination of bribes and blackmail GOP elites use to keep their judges and reps in line 4) and how the media exposed Thomas’s corrupt relationships long ago, but officials refused to act!

Then we discuss the heartening news out of Tennessee, where representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson refused to accept their expulsion on baseless grounds, shone a light into the Tennessee legislature’s corruption, gave fuel to a national protest movement, and got reinstated into office with a global platform. We discuss the protests and large voter turnouts in gerrymandered hostage states like Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Michigan, and how this may indicate a bigger anti-authoritarian movement in America to come.

Then Andrea details what was in those classified documents found on a Minecraft Discord server (seriously), what they mean for Russia’s war on Ukraine, and what Ukraine still needs to win the war: the global democratic alliance must make up its mind if it wants Ukraine to win the war, then give Ukraine what it keeps asking for to win the war: ATACMS (long range missiles) and F-16s.

We released our weekly Patreon bonus episode -- a special on violent feuds among the Kremlin’s elites -- earlier than usual so if you are a subscriber at the Truth-Teller level or higher, be sure to check that out. We will be back next week with our usual Q&A, so keep your questions coming! Gaslit Nation is 100% listener supported, so please consider signing up on Patreon to keep this show possible!

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Fifty years after he was first investigated by the Department of Justice, Donald Trump has finally been indicted…for a crime for which the statute of limitations may have run out. On Tuesday, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg announced 34 charges of falsifying business records in 2017. It is possible there are extenuating circumstances that make the case still timely – we will have to see. Regardless of what transpires, it does not change the big picture: Trump is guilty of a multitude of atrocities against the American people and he and his backers pose a clear and present danger.

We review the details of the Stormy Daniels case and the other crimes for which he should be charged, among them, sedition, abuse of the pardon power, obstruction of justice, rape, election interference, racketeering, and much, much more – and we note the terrible precedent it sets that crimes affecting national security and public safety (like, say, fomenting a violent coup!) go unpunished, opening the door for a successor to commit them. We discuss the media’s continued role as a PR outlet for Trump and the loss of publicly available archives that make it easier for the public to forget his other crimes. We also break down why Bragg was the first prosecutor to finally indict him when so many others – Mueller, Garland, Comey, Vance, etc – have failed, and speculate on what will happen in other state and local investigations. There is a LOT to unpack in this episode so be sure to tune in!

For our bonus episode, available to subscribers at the Truth-Teller level and higher, we answer questions from our Patreon subscribers on secessionist movements, the media outlets stoking civil war, whether Trump poses a flight risk, how 1980s militias and crime cults shape today’s politics, and much more! We have another bonus dropping later this week so make sure to sign up. Patreon members now have the opportunity to win a free copy of our upcoming graphic novel Dictatorship – It’s Easier Than You Think! We will be giving away one copy each month to a subscriber selected at random.

Gaslit Nation is a 100% independent podcast made possible by listener support. If you like us, please spread the word, as we are shadowbanned on Musk’s Twitter and often cannot even post links to our own show! Happy indictment day!

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In a classic American road trip tale, Sarah went on vacation hearing that indictments for Trump were imminent, turned off the news for a week, and came back to the very unindicted Trump holding a fascist rally in Waco. Why, it’s almost like the legal pundit class lying to the American people for eight years was lying yet again! This is accountability theater, nothing more. And it’s profoundly dangerous.

This week, we discuss the lack of indictments for Trump, the many crimes that he should be indicted for, the idiocy that the Stormy Daniels case of all things is where officials are focused, and the DOJ’s failure to combat domestic terrorism and transnational organized crime. Sarah gives a long history lesson about the Oklahoma City bombings and predecessor cases like the Fort Smith Sedition Trial of 1988, and Andrea discusses gun violence and the organized political oppression of LGBTQ communities that has been on the rise for the last few years. We also discuss Trump’s confessional flaunting about his relationship with the IRS, which backs up reporting Sarah did in HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT four years ago, and the Trump camp’s use of political violence to intimidate Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. And of course we detail Merrick Garland’s failure to address any of these ongoing crises.

In our bonus episode, available to subscribers at the Truth-teller level and higher, we answer questions submitted by our listeners at the Democracy Defender level and higher. This week’s Q&A includes the pressing question and its many implications: Does Putin have a body double? For more and to support the show, sign up on Patreon to join our community of listeners and support independent journalism.

We also have an exciting announcement – we co-wrote a book! And it’s a graphic novel! About dictators! Currently listed in the humor section of Amazon! DICTATORSHIP – IT’S EASIER THAN YOU THINK will be published on June 13 and it is available for preorder now. We take you on a world historical tour of dictators, how they got in power, how they stayed in power, and how to get them out. This is the first Gaslit Nation book and we will be giving more information on special signed copies for Patreon subscribers. Stay tuned!

Our featured song for March 2023 is “Nickel and Dime” by Sofia Echegaray. You can find more of Sofia's music on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/sofia-echegaray

If you would like your music featured on Gaslit Nation, submit a song here.

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Dictators and aspiring tyrants want us to be demoralized, to be bullied psychologically into submission. Bullies are always surprised when people resist and fight back. The 2022 Midterms were a historic time of fighting back: the first major elections since the violent attempted overthrow of our democracy. People showed up and organized in record numbers, denying Trump's Big Lie and the America First fascist movement the victories they needed to steal the electoral college in 2024. Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are all protected by elected public servants who believe in democracy, and that's thanks to voters and organizers who refused to be intimidated. In this week's special episode, we highlight four Gaslit Nation listeners who worked hard to protect our democracy in the midterms, some volunteering as far as Ukraine. 

In this inspiring conversation, you'll meet Dr. Nicole Speer, a recently elected member of the Boulder City Council who manages a brain imaging research facility at the University of Colorado. She shares her story of running for office and how others can do the same. You'll also hear from Hugh Stempfley of Illinois who trained as an election judge alongside his grandson, and shares their story of two generations on the frontlines of protecting our democracy. Jed Holtzman of San Francisco is active in his community advocating for policies and other actions to urgently protect our civilization from man-made climate change and his advice on why text-banking is a great way to pitch in, even if you only have an hour to spare. And finally, you'll meet entrepreneur Isaac Flanagan who left his comfortable home in Colorado to bring desperately needed humanitarian supplies to the frontlines of Russia's genocidal invasion of Ukraine, even while helping get out the vote in the U.S. midterm by calling voters in a California swing House district. We thank everyone who helped get out the vote in these and all elections. Our democracy depends on you, even though it shouldn't. Thank you to everyone who works hard to protect our democracy and shows why we always say: grassroots power is the most reliable power we have left. 

In our bonus episode, available to subscribers at the Truth-teller level and higher, we cover the International Criminal Court at The Hague that just indicted war criminal Putin -- an arrest notice that makes Putin a wanted man in well over 100 countries. We also touch on the potential Trump indictment which noticeably isn't coming from the DOJ. We also answer questions submitted by our listeners at the Democracy Defender level and higher. Thank you to everyone who supports the show and keeps our civic-action community and independent journalism going. We couldn't make this show without you!

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It looks like the Libertarians of Silicon Valley suddenly love government when they need the government to bail them out. Socialism for the mega-rich, taxes and fascism for the rest of us. In this week’s episode, we delve into the fantasy hellscape of Peter Thiel, his investments in surveillance tech and A.I. that would give aspiring autocrats like him unstoppable power; Dictator Xi of China as a warning of what could happen to the United States if the Silicon Valley Libertarian Fascist Brigade usher in Big Brother 2.0, why Democrats aren’t doing more to stop them (because some are cashing in!).

Thiel’s instigated bank collapse comes at an opportune time: rattling the economy when the 2024 presidential elections are around the corner. Economic anxiety and uncertainty will rattle the Democrats' ability to hold onto the White House. This will pave the way for a wannabe fascist dictator like Ron DeSantis, the Viktor Orban of Florida, who is using the same kind of anti-gay laws Putin used to consolidate power in Russia. DeSantis just gave an interview to Walter Duranty of Fox News, telling Tucker Carlson that supporting Ukraine in the face of an existential genocide from a modern day Hitler is not in U.S. interests, which means DeSantis has secured Russia’s help in the upcoming election.

In our bonus episode, we answer questions from our listeners at the Democracy Defender level and higher. This week’s discussion includes why we should keep an eye on Russia’s threat of invading Moldova (again!) to open up a new front to seize Ukraine; how to hold onto hope and push back against corruption; and how to organize your life to be creative and productive despite the hellscape we find ourselves in, and a fun story about a recent run-in with Hillary Clinton -- possible Gaslit Nation listener? If you want to keep Gaslit Nation going and support the show, join our community of listeners on Patreon to get access to weekly bonus episodes, to ask us anything in our frequent Q&As, and join our live events. We couldn’t produce the journalism the world needs without you!

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This week Gaslit Nation is running an audiobook excerpt from Sarah’s book THEY KNEW: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent. We are running this excerpt now because we are appalled by the pundits and politicians proposing “national divorce”. We want you to understand the conspiracy of kleptocrats behind it. Theirs is not a grassroots initiative, it’s an organized attempt of plutocrats to shake you down by pushing civil war and hardening facile definitions of “red” and “blue” states. Sarah wrote THEY KNEW in 2021 and it is horrifying to see the plots described years ago attempt to come to fruition. This does NOT mean that the victory of the treasonous plutocrats is inevitable. It means we the people must fight back, and the best way to fight back is with the truth. We do not want Americans to fall for opportunistic and destructive rhetoric, and therefore we are warning you of what they are trying to accomplish and what will happen if they succeed.

Our message is coming to you from the state of New York and from the state of Missouri – two states that are purple, purple like a bruise.

Gaslit Nation will return next week will our usual breakdown of current events. For our thoughts on ongoing issues like Russia and China’s alliance, the war on Ukraine, and the lack of accountability from the DOJ and other agencies, listen to our Patreon bonus episode. Every week we do a Q & A with our listeners and additional commentary. You can access this episode and an archive of hundreds of past episodes by joining at the Truth-Teller level or higher.

Gaslit Nation is made possible solely by our listeners and Patreon subscribers. If you like the show, tell a friend or leave a review. If you’d like to ensure we can keep the show going, join us on Patreon! We thank you for your support.

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Every now and again you need to step back and look at the big picture, and then you see that the big picture is a mirror reflecting a void with a mirror reflecting a void with a mirror…hey, welcome to the Gaslit Nation AI Apocalypse Special!

We have a lot of things to get out of our system, apparently, before The System claims us as its own, and they include: artificial intelligence, the death of the news industry, the struggle to survive multiple collective traumas at once, Sigmund Freud and his nephew Edward Bernays and their dual creation of psychological warfare and public reactions, “the death eaters that prop up the dancing clown of Trump”, child labor and the bipartisan leaders that defend it, the brutal backlash to the social movements of the last decade, nepo babies and purchased merit, weird facts about Hitler, how Trump’s pardons tell you everything you need to know about who really controls America, and the ceaseless desire of our officials to crush progressive policies that help people.

We will cover Fox News and the origins of covid and all the other breaking news stories next week, don’t worry. That slow-moving soap opera of corruption will still be there! What we tried to figure out in this episode is how to find truth in an era of digital media manipulation, informational voids, and shattered community. Because we’re living this life, not just writing about it. It is tough to break news when the news breaks us!

For our Patreon bonus episode, available to subscribers at the Truth-Teller level or higher, we answer questions from our beloved listeners! Topics include: DOJ corruption; environmental disasters; Saudi Arabia, Russia, and transnational crime; Matt Gaetz; Kamala Harris; Seymour Hersh, Ukraine, and much more! Sign up at the Democracy Defender level or higher to send in questions and at the Truth-Teller level to listen to the show and get access to hundreds of past bonus episodes.

Gaslit Nation survives solely because of our listeners! We are shadowbanned in the current Twitter era and could use help spreading the word about our show. If you like it, tell a friend and leave a review! And consider joining our Patreon to keep us going. Thank you for your support!

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Every now and again you need to step back and look at the big picture, and then you see that the big picture is a mirror reflecting a void with a mirror reflecting a void with a mirror…hey, welcome to the Gaslit Nation AI Apocalypse Special!

We have a lot of things to get out of our system, apparently, before The System claims us as its own, and they include: artificial intelligence, the death of the news industry, the struggle to survive multiple collective traumas at once, Sigmund Freud and his nephew Edward Bernays and their dual creation of psychological warfare and public reactions, “the death eaters that prop up the dancing clown of Trump”, child labor and the bipartisan leaders that defend it, the brutal backlash to the social movements of the last decade, nepo babies and purchased merit, weird facts about Hitler, how Trump’s pardons tell you everything you need to know about who really controls America, and the ceaseless desire of our officials to crush progressive policies that help people.

We will cover Fox News and the origins of covid and all the other breaking news stories next week, don’t worry. That slow-moving soap opera of corruption will still be there! What we tried to figure out in this episode is how to find truth in an era of digital media manipulation, informational voids, and shattered community. Because we’re living this life, not just writing about it. It is tough to break news when the news breaks us!

For our Patreon bonus episode, available to subscribers at the Truth-Teller level or higher, we answer questions from our beloved listeners! Topics include: DOJ corruption; environmental disasters; Saudi Arabia, Russia, and transnational crime; Matt Gaetz; Kamala Harris; Seymour Hersh, Ukraine, and much more! Sign up at the Democracy Defender level or higher to send in questions and at the Truth-Teller level to listen to the show and get access to hundreds of past bonus episodes.

Gaslit Nation survives solely because of our listeners! We are shadowbanned in the current Twitter era and could use help spreading the word about our show. If you like it, tell a friend and leave a review! And consider joining our Patreon to keep us going. Thank you for your support!

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This week’s episode is dedicated to the environmental disaster in East Palestine, Ohio and its political causes and ramifications. As you have heard – or possibly have not heard, since there was an attempt to bury this story early on – on February 3, a massive derailment of a freight train containing hazardous chemicals led to the release of toxic chemicals in the Ohio town of East Palestine, in the surrounding region in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and perhaps even further afield. We do not know, because state and federal officials have refused to give forthright information about this preventable disaster. Our hearts go out to the people of the region and to the country as a whole, for we are all held hostage to this plutocracy and the broken political system it props up.

We discuss the Trump administration’s destruction of railroad regulations and the Biden administrations’ refusal to reinstate them – which led to Biden union-busting in December as railroad workers begged futilely for sick days and safer conditions. Many workers warned of this precise disaster. The American people can see what’s happening – left, right, and center – and unfortunately, with few exceptions, officials on the left, right, and center are keeping the truth about the extent of the disaster from the public. We discuss the ramifications of gutted local media, social media networks that hide information with algorithms, and cable networks that look the other way. We also review the decades of corporate greed and horrific labor policies that led to the Chernobyl of Ohio.

On a related note, we discuss the appointment of Jeffrey Zients, an investment banker with a history of Medicare and Medicaid fraud, as Biden’s new chief of staff. The appointment of Zients, who was responsible to a large extent for Biden’s disastrous covid policies in 2020 and 2021, could not have come at a worse time. Zients joins a team of eugenicist advisors who believe that one’s worth is solely determined by how much you contribute to the economy – and who believe that if you are elderly or disabled, your life lacks utility to the point of worthlessness. (We wish we were exaggerating, but they say this openly.) This is a terrifying time to be surrounded by, as the Ukrainians say, “oligarchs who see the people as the shit they grow their money in”. We are REFUSING to be ruled by them and believe the first step is to speak truth to power and document the crimes.

Our bonus episode, available to Patreon subscribers at the Truth-Teller level or higher, is on UFOs! You know, those objects in the sky that the US government is giving us the play-by-play on while they dodge the tragedy in Ohio. We discuss China spy balloons, Project Blue Beam, and much more! We then do our weekly Q&A, answering questions sent in by our Patreon subscribers at the Democracy Defender level or higher. Topics include Erik Prince, threats to poll workers, why the Democrats choose snark over serious prosecution, and much more.

Gaslit Nation is a 100% independent podcast – our Patreon subscribers keep us going! Your support allows us to continue taking on these topics and we appreciate your support and our community of listeners!

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We at Gaslit Nation like to think big picture, so like a pair of melting clocks in a desert wasteland we shall force your memory to persist! This week, we look back at the last two years and come to a terrible realization: Trump lost, but the coup won.

Among the points of evidence for this claim: 1) The seditionists and insurrectionists who plotted the coup now control the House of Representatives 2) Trump remains free and running for POTUS 3) Radical right-wing SCOTUS made possible by Trump is tossing out fundamental rights and overruling the public will 4) The US is the first country to not prosecute its own coup plotters, thanks to Merrick Garland’s DOJ 5) Other coup abettor officials, like Christopher Wray and Louis DeJoy, remain in office despite their betrayal 6) We still don’t know key details about the 1/6 attacks – like who that lady planting bombs was -- and neither the DOJ nor the Jan 6 committee members are in any hurry to provide them 7) The GOP launched an attack on civil rights, called it a “culture war”, and liberal officials surrendered in advance.

And there’s more where that came from! We ask and answer key questions, like “What the actual ****?” and “What can be done?” Tune in and find out!

Our Patreon bonus this week will be an analysis of Biden’s State of the Union address followed by Q & A with our Patreon subscribers. We are recording on Wednesday and will release the episode later in the week. To send us a question and get an in-depth answer, subscribe at the Democracy Defender level or higher; to get a weekly bonus episode and other perks, subscribe at the Truth-Teller level or higher. Gaslit Nation is a 100% independent podcast, and the only reason we have that freedom is because of supporters like you. If you appreciate what we’re doing and would like to keep it going, please consider subscribing on Patreon!

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Hey DOJ – quit writing and start indicting! This week we discuss the ongoing grotesque trend of former officials writing books about all the crimes they didn’t solve instead of actually protecting our country while in office. This is a long-brewing crisis going back to the days of John Bolton and James Comey, and its latest iteration is Mark Pomerantz, another lawyer lackey timing his “tell-all” for maximum profits and minimum democracy. We discuss how NDAs block the public from vital info and how the publishing industry has created an incentive for officials to remain silent about – or even participate in -- state crimes.

We continue to discuss the case of Charlie McGonigal – the indicted FBI official who was secretly working for sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska –  in the context of a broader look at corruption in the so-called “department of justice.” We examine the factors that contribute to this crisis including insularity, elitism, and nepotistic networks. We also destroy the myth that authoritarianism and law are two separate categories and that expertise on one negates knowledge of the other. Mafia states are in fact dependent on the judiciary, which functions as the cage bars of autocracy. If you understand how the judicial system works in a typical kleptocracy, the Biden and Trump DOJs will strike you as familiar. This is why the “legal pundits” polluting our airways with savior syndrome myths are not only vapid, but, over time, dangerous, as they destroy public expectations of good governance.

We also discuss the difficulty of parenting during this era of flagrant injustice. It’s Merrick Garland’s DOJ, but our children will have to live in its aftermath.

For our bonus episode, available to Patreon subscribers at the Truth-Teller lever or higher, we answer questions from our listeners. Among the topics covered are Fani Willis and the Georgia investigation, what happens if Trump is indicted, Ron DeSantis lackey Christina Pushaw, and the debt ceiling crisis. We will answer ANYTHING so please join on Patreon and send us your questions! Gaslit Nation is 100% independent. Our independence is what makes it possible to address topics most media outlets avoid. We thank you for your support and for keeping us going!

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Gaslit Nation has been studying Russian oligarch-aiding FBI traitors since our podcast launched in 2018, and what did we get for our diligent efforts? Yet another traitor! This week we discuss the indictment of Charlie McGonigal, the former top counterintelligence official in the New York field office who was secretly working for mega-oligarch Oleg Deripaska while pretending to investigate him. (You may remember Deripaska from our classic T-shirt slogan “You can’t make a deal with the guy who won the aluminum wars in the car bomb 1990s in Russia, you just can’t.” Rolls right off the tongue!)

We analyze the McGonigal case in the context of familiar Gaslit Nation topics – the top heads of the FBI who went on to work for the Russian mafia, how James Comey betrayed America to serve Semyon Mogilevich, the strange behavior of the FBI and the media during the 2016 election, the partnership between Deripaska and Paul Manafort, the partnership between Deripaska and Mitch McConnell, the desire of McConnell to make Merrick Garland head of the FBI as all this illegal activity was transpiring, and how the McGonigal case and general FBI treason affects Russia’s war on Ukraine. This episode was recorded during our second ever Gaslit Nation Live Event and we thank everyone who showed up for this historic occasion!

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For a month, we at Gaslit Nation have been pulling together disparate strands in the saga of Biden and Trump and the classified records found in each of their homes in order to weave you the tapestry of horrors we present on today’s program! At heart, this is not a story about Biden or Trump, but about the DOJ enabling elite criminal impunity in order to protect the secrets of broken institutions…like the DOJ itself. We break down the Biden documents and the new special counsel, the differences between Biden’s case and Trump’s, how the House GOP plans to weaponize the case and how the DOJ seeks to equivocate in order to weasel out of enforcing accountability, what a Biden impeachment trial would look like, whether Biden will pull a Nixon and resign, and what various successors should look like if he quits or decides not to run again in 2024. We remain in dangerous times and it is critical to look at the big picture threats.

Many of those threats coalesce around one state – Florida! For our special weekly bonus episode, available to Patreon subscribers at the Truth-Teller level or higher, Andrea breaks down the history of Florida’s political corruption. (Don’t worry, Kathy Hochul watchers – she’s planning a New York sequel soon.) We also answer questions sent in from our subscribers at the Democracy Defender level or higher. If you are subscribing at that level, you are invited to a live Gaslit Nation taping on Tuesday January 24 at noon EST! We give more information about how that will work in today’s show, and we will post more online, so stay tuned.

Gaslit Nation remains an entirely independent show, which is why we’re able to do deep dives on topics other outlets are not allowed to touch. (Or are too afraid to touch!) We are extremely grateful to you for making this possible. If you appreciate what we do, please consider subscribing on Patreon to get bonus features and to keep Gaslit Nation going. Thank you!

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America has a new leading export – sedition! Globe-trotting unpunished coup-plotter Steve Bannon and his elite operatives have moved their operation to Brazil, attempting to violently unseat democratically elected president Lula. Meanwhile, ousted dictator Jair Bolsonaro has taken up residence in Florida, the home base of unpunished mafiosos from around the world! We discuss the events in Brazil, how much more effective Lula’s response was to their attacks than the Biden administration has been to 1/6, and how the DOJ’s refusal to hold criminal elites accountable has created a global national security crisis.

We also discuss the continuing downfall of Congress, which has become less of a governing body than a gathering place for social media addicts attempting to build political personality cults. These reality TV show wannabes exist not to pass policy or protect the American people but to follow the path of the departed Donald Trump, a celebrity/criminal/politician hybrid cheered on by an army of “people” indistinguishable from bots. We also discuss the cliquish and cultish behavior in the Democratic party that has served only to strengthen the GOP’s fascist agenda. We also praise the rare officials who are exceptions to this behavior – new California Senate candidate Katie Porter, for one. Never forget that congresspeople are public servants and they work for you, not the other way around!

For our bonus episode, available on Patreon, we talk more about Brazil and about the contrived chaos in the House last week, in which Kevin McCarthy staged a feud with the Seditious Caucus in order to frame himself as a “moderate”, which he is not! We also answer questions from our listeners about covid lies and buried statistics, the failures of the DOJ and the January 6 committee, and much more. You can listen to this bonus by joining at the Truth-Teller level, and send us questions to answer in depth by joining at the Democracy Defender level or higher. Democracy Defenders are also invited to participate in our special live taping of Gaslit Nation on January 24! So sign up today, and we will see you soon – we could not make this show without you!

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Welcome back to the fifth year of Gaslit Nation and the fiftieth year of the quest for Donald Trump’s tax returns!

This week we discuss a panoply of government criminals and their dirty donors, ranging from newly minted oligarch cash receptacle “George Santos” (or whatever his name really is) to fellow recipients of mafia money in Congress (sadly it’s nearly everyone) to Trump’s half-century free ride from the IRS (because, again, they’re all in on it!) to the backers of Putin and Netanyahu’s wars (again it’s the same network enabling the crimes!) We also discuss the chaos and corruption that will ensue under a GOP House, the disturbing rhetoric of new Democratic House Minority Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, and give an update into Putin’s war on Ukraine.

We come fully armed with receipts and discuss what this entrenched corruption means for American democracy in the year 2023, a year in which Congress may have lost its illusions but has not found its soul. We discuss the lackluster release of Trump’s tax returns and stress the urgent need for release of his returns going back to the 1970s, which is when he allegedly made a pact with the US government to not pay taxes for thirty years in return for unnamed favors. (Read about it in Sarah’s book HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT which is having a $2.99 Kindle sale.)

We are recording our weekly bonus episode, available to Patreon subscribers at the Truth-Teller level or higher, on Wednesday to mark the second anniversary of the January 6 attack on the Capitol and the continued inaction of Merrick Garland’s DOJ to hold the organizers accountable. We will also be answering your questions so please keep them coming! If you subscribe to Gaslit Nation at the Democracy Defender level or higher, you can ask us anything you want and we will answer it in depth! Subscribers at that level are also invited to a live Gaslit Nation taping on January 24! Stay tuned for more details and thank you for your continued support of the show – we could not make it without you.

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The 1930s are back! But this time, we're fighting dictators, wannabe dictators, and their propagandists on cable TV and social media platforms. Since the 1930s have returned, super-charged with new tech weapons, we should bring some of the heroes of the 1930s back, too. Enter historian Deborah Cohen, the author of Last Call at the Hotel Imperial, a riveting look at the generation of leading journalists who risked everything to rage against the machine. 

Some of the journalists she highlights in her book are sadly not as remembered as they should be today given that they helped win the war against the Nazis on American soil. One of the journalists in particular is Dorothy Thompson, a one-woman crusade against Hitler who she originally laughed off in her 1931 interview. Hitler never forgot it and suspended her Twitter account, we mean, kicked her out of Germany, once he took over. Thompson went on to confront the Republican isolationist Congress, Charles Lindbergh, Henry Ford, and the rest of the America First KKKlown Kar with her fierce independent journalism and moral clarity, even getting kicked out of the Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden. We bring back these heroes to see what inspiration and other lessons we need for today. 

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