Gaslit Nation

Latest Episodes:

Weapons of Mass Distraction [TEASER] Dec 09, 2023

Show notes

This experiment brings to mind more recent ones in Russia, where there were deliberate efforts to breed both aggressive and docile rats. One Gaslit Nation listener wondered if Russian botfarms are deliberately "engineering" (inciting) aggressive Americans and also docile ones in their disinformation warfare to further divide us. The theory suggests that docile and distracted Americans would be less likely to resist against the aggressive ones. Research into hybrid warfare points to distraction as a powerful tool of disinformation waged by foreign adversaries. (The West has its own history of this, using CIA-funded art and culture to directly challenge Soviet ideology. There's a great book that captures that time called The Cultural Cold War: The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters.)

All that and more, including Venezuela's threats to annex an oil-rich region of Guyana, which would worsen the refugee crisis on our southern border, is discussed in this week's bonus episode. If you didn't hear your question answered this week, look out for it next week as the Gaslit Nation Q&A continues! Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!

Under Stalin, in their quest to build a Soviet utopia, the Bolsheviks turned to eugenics. With the goal of breeding humans with apes, they aimed to successfully prove Darwin was right and that religion was indeed the "opium of the masses." Their human-ape hybrids would be engineered to be a super species—communally driven, designed with positive traits to build a flourishing communist society. Needless to say, the experiment failed, and many chimpanzees kidnapped from Africa died in the process.

Join the conversation by signing up at Patreon.com/Gaslit

Show Notes:

Get your 'Tis the Season to Prosecute Treason T-shirt featuring an original design by Hamish Smyth! http://tee.pub/lic/_vLBHBoWkeg

Nice Rats, Nasty Rats: Maybe It's All in the Genes https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/25/health/nice-rats-nasty-rats-maybe-its-all-in-the-genes.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Israel and Palestine: A Political Solution https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2023/10/18/israel-palestine-political-solution

Kremlin says Putin is healthy, laughs off body double rumours https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/kremlin-rejects-speculation-that-putin-is-ill-uses-body-doubles-2023-10-24/

The Russian Government Once Funded a Scientist's Quest To Make an Ape-Human Hybrid In 1926, a famed Russian biologist was "hell-bent" on creating an ape-human hybrid https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-russian-government-once-funded-a-scientists-quest-to-make-an-ape-human-hybrid-5043859/

Venezuela's threats to annex most of Guyana draw international concern https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/07/venezuela-guyana-esequibo-map-border-dispute/

Distraction Helps Misinformation Spread. Thinking About Accuracy Can Reduce it. https://medium.com/jigsaw/distraction-helps-misinformation-spread-thinking-about-accuracy-can-reduce-it-a4e5d8371a85

Weapons of Mass Distraction https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Weapons-of-Mass-Distraction-Foreign-State-Sponsored-Disinformation-in-the-Digital-Age.pdf

Who Will Protect Us From the Supreme Court? Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

The Supreme Court is at it again! This current season of the American Hunger Games, also known as a Supreme Court session, could be as disastrous for the American people and great for the far-right donor class since Citizens United.

Here to help us make sense of the firehose of corruption coming out of the nation's highest court is Jesse Eisinger, a senior editor and investigative reporter for ProPublica and author of "The Chickenshit Club: Why the Justice Department Fails to Prosecute Executives." Eisinger edited and led the team of journalists who produced several investigations exposing the massive bribes— we mean, the totally unethical and impeachable financial entanglements of Republican-appointed justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

The discussion includes why Republicans build war chests to capture our courts for generations and why Democrats continue to have no strategy in response; why the DOJ let Wall Street off the hook for tanking our global economy and what that means for whether Trump and his co-conspirators will also get away with their crimes and corruption, and how to push back against elite criminal impunity in a time of historic income inequality—worse than the Gilded Age.

This week's bonus episode will answer questions from listeners at the Democracy Defender level and higher on Patreon. Andrea will also share some colorful insights from someone who had to work with Russian oligarchs back in the car bomb 1990s in Russia. For our Patreon community, Mark your calendar for the January 18th, 8 pm ET social media workshop to help us get in gear for raising our voices as we head into another make-it-or-break-it election year for our democracy and, therefore, the world

Want to join the conversation? Subscribe to join our community of listeners at Patreon.com/Gaslit

Show Notes:

Urgent call-to-action from Razom for Ukraine: Call your representative and ask them to pass supplemental funding for Ukraine. More info for taking quick action here: https://www.votervoice.net/RAZOMFORUKRAINE/Campaigns/107413/Respond

How to Volunteer in Ukraine https://www.volunteeringukraine.com/

How to Visit Ukraine https://visitukraine.today/

Make a tax deductible donation to the Berliner Odessa Express https://www.we-aid.org/en/initiatives/berlinodessaexpress/

Short film by Rick Minnich on the Berliner Odessa Express: "We Are Here" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjzAsCG--6I

Clarence Thomas' 38 Vacations: The Other Billionaires Who Have Treated the Supreme Court Justice to Luxury Travel https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-other-billionaires-sokol-huizenga-novelly-supreme-court

Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-secretly-attended-koch-brothers-donor-events-scotus

We Don't Talk About Leonard: The Man Behind the Right's Supreme Court Supermajority https://www.propublica.org/article/we-dont-talk-about-leonard-leo-supreme-court-supermajority

The Parallax View (Journalistic thriller recommended by Jesse Eisinger)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Parallax_View

Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court

https://www.propublica.org/article/samuel-alito-luxury-fishing-trip-paul-singer-scotus-supreme-court

It's Not Personal: Why Clarence Thomas' Trip to the Koch Summit Undermines His Ethics Defense

https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-koch-network-trips-disclosure-law-scotus

Citizens for Ethics: "Republicans are promising to unleash a whirlwind of 150 subpoenas on allies of Democrats if Senator Durbin moves forward with a subpoena of Harlan Crow in his Supreme Court ethics investigation. That threat just shows how powerful Harlan Crow really is."

https://twitter.com/CREWcrew/status/1730195116663394757?t=-epurOECtmwyOyu6rjyEgQ&s=19

New Supreme Court Ethics Code Is Designed to Fail

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-supreme-court-ethics-code-designed-fail

Supreme Court conservatives seem likely to axe SEC enforcement powers

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/29/1215931171/supreme-court-heard-arguments-in-a-challenge-to-the-secs-ability-to-fight-fraud

Behind the Scenes of Justice Alito's Unprecedented Wall Street Journal Pre-buttal The Journal editorial page accused ProPublica of misleading readers in a story that hadn't yet been published.

https://www.propublica.org/article/behind-scenes-alito-wall-street-journal-prebuttal-editorial

Supreme Court's SEC case ruling could 'upend government as we know it'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYooyPcRNVc

Supreme Court Skeptical of Argument That Could Hobble Consumer Watchdog The justices heard a challenge to the way Congress funded the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau but seemed persuaded that it was constitutional.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/03/us/supreme-court-cfpb.html

Billionaires had a surprisingly bad day in the Supreme Court today

https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/12/5/23989306/supreme-court-wealth-tax-billionaires-moore-united-states-elizabeth-warren

Kissinger Kaput: A Gaslit Nation Celebration [TEASER] Dec 02, 2023

Show notes

Putin lost a longtime friend and confidant, the only American statesman he respected and admired. Why might these two have hit if off? War criminal Henry Kissinger, like Putin, was responsible for millions of deaths and backing some of the most brutal regimes in the world. The foreign policy establishment here in the U.S. and in Europe have blood on their hands for normalizing Kissinger, like Putin, for far too long.

For a refresher on Kissinger's legacy, which was revealed to be even worse than previously known, listen to the Gaslit Nation spring 2023 interview with investigative journalist Nick Turse on his reporting for The Intercept into the generational trauma of Kissinger in Cambodia. Not content to prolong the Vietnam war, Kissinger spread the conflict to formally neutral Cambodia, helping bring to power the repressive Khmer Rouge. Add to that his enabling of genocides in East Timor and Bangladesh, as well as backing dictators and murder squads in Latin America. It's obvious why he was also a fan of Trump. All this is to say, where were you when you first heard the news that Kissinger will no longer be advising other war criminals, and how did you celebrate?

Andrea shares a story of spotting Kissinger at a party while holding a throwable glass of wine in her hand, and why it's important to celebrate the demise of war criminals–that's how you build a culture to prevent future war criminals. The Patreon-only portion of this week's bonus episode features comments and questions from our listeners at the Democracy Defender level and higher. Topics range from turning our current rollercoaster of living history into the next Nineteen Eighty-Four, celebrating our acts of civil resistance, books to read to find your voice in the world, and more! To join the conversation, sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit.

Show Notes:

Henry Kissinger, responsible for millions of deaths, dies at 100 https://theintercept.com/2023/11/29/henry-kissinger-death/

Henry Kissinger: 'If it were not for the accident of my birth, I would be antisemitic.' https://forward.com/culture/470300/kissinger-at-100-if-it-were-not-for-the-accident-of-my-birth-i-would-be/

Alex Gibney Documentary: The Trials of Henry Kissinger https://www.amazon.com/Trials-Henry-Kissinger-Eugene-Jarecki/dp/B00A9IFSBY

Kissinger on the Nixon tapes https://youtu.be/OKoqIqQ0E08?si=vV7uM8nNwyPiHoMI

Kissinger, a longtime Putin confidant, sidles up to Trump https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-kissinger-russia-putin-232925

Andrea's celebratory tweet: What is the first thing Satan said to Kissinger? https://twitter.com/AndreaChalupa/status/1730055040985874722?t=UftX3tgzsaT9HQzlkzYbMw&s=19

Monty Python song "Henry Kissinger": https://youtu.be/ABeGhyAD_DM?si=3t1FR3jsar78sqKv

Israel Knew Hamas's Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago A blueprint reviewed by The Times laid out the attack in detail. Israeli officials dismissed it as aspirational and ignored specific warnings. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-attack-intelligence.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Ck0.uBQX.Rdb-cCaQzu18&hpgrp=k-abar&smid=url-share

American Civil War: Then and Now Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

Trump and McConnell, turbo-charged by the war chest of the Federalist Society, packed the Supreme Court, and put in place far-right idealogues across 28-percent of our federal courts, reshaping our judiciary for decades to come. In a short time, Trump's Mullahs on the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, killed Affirmative Action, and made gay marriage easier to challenge. (We'll report more on their latest horrors, and how to protect ourselves, in upcoming episodes). States with elected governments that work to protect the public with sensible gun laws, environmental regulations, reproductive freedom, and other essential quality of life issues are all fair game to this Fox News Supreme Court. Will the Mullah Supremes drive the nation apart, and how will our union survive that along with an unchecked NRA, the Republican war on women/reproductive health care/LGBTQ+ people especially trans people/refugees/our environment, and democracy itself?

Heather Cox Richardson, America's sweetheart, historian, and author of the new bestselling book Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, provides historical context for our political crisis of today compared to the last time Americans seemed this divided. How close are we to falling apart as a nation, and what can or should be done to avoid this fate? Our discussion took place on September 19, and was not aired sooner due to the Israel-Hamas War. But the warnings and insights remain urgent.

Our opening introduction looks at the New York Times once again protecting Jared and Ivanka Kushner, the crime lords of the Trump White House, including the cash-grab pardon operation they ran especially in the final months as Trump plotted a coup to stay in power. One of the reporters on the story is unsurprisingly Maggie Haberman, whose mother Nancy Haberman works at Rubenstein PR, founded by the longtime publicist for Jared Kushner and his father Charles Kushner, a convicted con and disbarred attorney who also got a pardon from Trump, and was instrumental in helping other unsavory criminals get their own so they could go on crim-ing. This may sound incredible. But it's all true. Check the show notes.

This week's bonus episode will look at the latest developments in the Isarel-Hamas war including famous anti-semite Elon Musk's visit to Israel, Russia's ongoing genocide in Ukraine and what must be done to stop it, and more. To support our show and get access to bonus episodes like our Make Art workshop, live virtual events like our January 18th social media workshop and wake for Old Twitter, and more, support the show at the Truth-teller level or higher. Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! ,

Want to join the conversation? Subscribe to join our community of listeners at Patreon.com/Gaslit

Song feature for November is 'First They Came for the Queers' by Mr. Madam Adam. You can find more of Mr. Madam Adam's music on Apple Music, on Twitter @senorhettler, on Instagram @AdamEvansWest, and on TikTok @Iamadamadam. To all our artists out there, submit your song to be featured on Gaslit Nation here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-d_DWNnDQFYUMXueYcX5ZVsA5t2RN09N8PYUQQ8koq0/edit?ts=5fee07f6&gxids=7628

Show Notes

Get your 'Tis the Season to Prosecute Treason T-shirt featuring an original design by Hamish Smyth and support the show! http://tee.pub/lic/_vLBHBoWkeg

Make Art workshop: https://www.patreon.com/posts/make-art-video-93450936?cid=123025949

Heather Cox Richardson's Book: Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America https://bookshop.org/p/books/democracy-awakening-notes-on-the-state-of-america-heather-cox-richardson/19685160?ean=9780593652961

Part I of the Interview with Heather Cox Richardson: https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2023/10/04/kremlin-kaos-kaucus-heather-cox-richardson

A Troubling Trump Pardon and a Link to the Kushners A commutation for a drug smuggler named Jonathan Braun had broader implications than previously known. It puts new focus on how Donald Trump would use his clemency powers in a second term. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/26/us/politics/trump-pardon-braun.html

Trump fundraiser, Kushner lawyer involved in effort to get pardon for tax evader The New York Times reported that to get a pardon for a California man, a real estate developer would make a "substantial" political contribution. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/trump-fundraiser-kushner-lawyer-involved-effort-get-pardon-tax-evader-n1250006

Report: Jared Kushner's Lawyer Was Recruited to Help With a Suspected Bribe-for-Pardon Scheme https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/12/jared-kushner-lawyer-pardon-investigation

Trump pardoned his son-in-law's dad. Here's what Charles Kushner did. https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-nw-charlie-kushner-pardoned-20201224-6dlgp6ukkzggznmlj7ah3mkg44-story.html

Before Giving Billions to Jared Kushner, Saudi Investment Fund Had Big Doubts Before committing $2 billion to Mr. Kushner's fledgling firm, officials at a fund led by the Saudi crown prince questioned taking such a big risk. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/10/us/jared-kushner-saudi-investment-fund.html

SAUDI CROWN PRINCE BOASTED THAT JARED KUSHNER WAS "IN HIS POCKET" Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told confidants that Kushner discussed the names of royal family members opposed to his power grab. https://theintercept.com/2018/03/21/jared-kushner-saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman/

Joaquin Castro Calls for Investigation Into Whether Jared Kushner Shared Intelligence That Led to Khashoggi Killing https://www.newsweek.com/jared-kushner-jamal-khashoggi-saudi-arabia-mbs-killing-consulate-donald-trump-1179255

Jared Kushner advised Saudi prince on how to 'weather' Khashoggi slaying, report says https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/12/09/jared-kushner-advised-saudi-prince-after-khashoggi-murder-report-says/2257098002/

How Trump, Kushner covered up Kashoggi's murder and got rewarded - opinion https://www.jpost.com/opinion/how-trump-kushner-covered-up-kashoggis-murder-and-got-rewarded-opinion-685289

Jared and Ivanka made up to $640 million in the White House https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/jared-and-ivanka-made-up-to-640-million-in-the-white-house/#:~:text=Jared%20Kushner%20and%20Ivanka%20Trump,of%20financial%20disclosures%20by%20CREW.

The Legacy (Jared and Charles Kushner repped by Howard Rubenstein) https://nymag.com/news/features/57891/

Nancy Haberman works at Rubenstein PR: https://rubenstein.com/who-we-are/

"Donald Trump leaves the White House having appointed more than 200 judges to the federal bench, including nearly as many powerful federal appeals court judges in four years as Barack Obama appointed in eight. Trump, the nation's 45th president, worked closely with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans to reshape the federal judiciary – particularly the appeals courts – for decades to come. Federal judges have lifetime tenure and typically remain on the bench long after the presidents who nominated them have left office." https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/01/13/how-trump-compares-with-other-recent-presidents-in-appointing-federal-judges/

MAKE ART Workshop [TEASER] Nov 25, 2023

Show notes

As a special THANK YOU to our Patreon community that keeps the showing going through these tough times, Andrea shares her "hot sauce" for making art. The core spice is this: Don't be afraid to be interesting. Sometimes there might be a temptation to self-censor, to play it safe, to adhere to external pressures real or imagined. Instead, go within and create based on what's true for you. That's what the world needs from you now.

To use this guide, watch the video of the workshop, then read through the worksheet that outlines the step-by-step process: for Patreon subscribers you can find that worksheet linked here. Or you can listen to the guide as you would any podcast. Whatever works for you is what works!

As a follow-up to this workshop, we'll gather in the new year for a live virtual event to talk through our projects, share ideas and insights, and support each other in our creative process. The goal is to protect our mental hygiene, enhance our intuition, and stay creative in a time of rampant gaslighting by idiotic destructive forces determined to demoralize us. We obviously won't let that happen.

For any questions or to share notes on your own process, leave a comment below or write to Andrea at GaslitNation@gmail.com. To check out the first ever Gaslit Nation Make Art workshop, subscribe to the show at the Truth-teller level or higher on Patreon by signing up at Patreon.com/Gaslit. You'll receive all episodes ad free, special invites, and more!

Show Notes:

The Modern Myths: Adventures in the Machinery of the Popular Imagination https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-modern-myths-adventures-in-the-machinery-of-the-popular-imagination-philip-ball/18335535?ean=9780226823843

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma [Includes insights on art therapy] https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-body-keeps-the-score-brain-mind-and-body-in-the-healing-of-trauma-bessel-van-der-kolk/6679040?ean=9780143127741

Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling https://bookshop.org/p/books/storyworthy-engage-teach-persuade-and-change-your-life-through-the-power-of-storytelling-matthew-dicks/10952996?ean=9781608685486

Making Movies https://bookshop.org/p/books/making-movies-sidney-lumet/6730532?ean=9780679756606

The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-anatomy-of-story-22-steps-to-becoming-a-master-storyteller-john-truby/8050558?ean=9780865479937

101 Things to Learn in Art School https://bookshop.org/p/books/101-things-to-learn-in-art-school-kit-white/10523037?ean=9780262016216

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You about Being Creative https://bookshop.org/p/books/steal-like-an-artist-10-things-nobody-told-you-about-being-creative-austin-kleon/6862462?ean=9780761169253

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art https://bookshop.org/p/books/understanding-comics-the-invisible-art-scott-mccloud/228758?ean=9780060976255

A Map for Wild Hearts: How to Make Art Even When You're Lost https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-map-for-wild-hearts-how-to-make-art-even-when-you-re-lost-andrea-hannah/12045947?ean=9780578521725

Watch the documentary "Brooklyn Boheme" made by Gaslit Nation guest and Andrea's mentor Nelson George: https://www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-Boheme-Spike-Branford-Marsalis/dp/B007JRTVH0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=13DQ10MMZPBVU&keywords=brooklyn+boheme&qid=1700830612&s=instant-video&sprefix=brooklyn+boh%2Cinstant-video%2C336&sr=1-1

10 Must-Read Native American Authors https://bookriot.com/must-read-native-american-authors/

What Comes After Putin? Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum is back on Gaslit Nation in Part II of a discussion that spans what comes after Putin, why it seems like Russia is behind so much destabilization around the world, and why the Holodomor, Stalin's 1933 genocide famine in Ukraine, matters today. Applebaum is the author of Gulag, Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism, and Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine, which cites survivor testimony that Andrea's grandfather provided the U.S. Congressional investigation of the famine. That interview begins at 32:16 of this week's episode.

While the Israeli government reportedly approved a deal for a limited hostage exchange with Hamas and a temporary pause, the opening commentary includes a look at Russia's nodes in its war against the democratic alliance, including Musk and Thiel, Netanyahu's extreme far-right coalition, and Hamas, and shares solutions on how to strengthen our national security against these 21st century threats. The opening discussion celebrates the Mother of Thanksgiving: poet, novelist, journalist, abolitionist Sarah Josepha Hale, and women on the frontlines everywhere campaigning for human rights. We see you, and we're grateful for you. Thank you to everyone who does whatever they can, wherever they are, to strengthen our democracy.

This week's bonus episode will be a special thank you to our Gaslit Nation community that keeps our show going through these difficult times, with another make-it-or-break-it year around the corner. To help sustain us, look out for the first-ever Make Art workshop publishing Saturday with a simple guide to follow at your leisure. We'll follow up this workshop with a live virtual event in the new year for our community to gather together and share notes, ask questions, and sharpen our ideas. Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!

To check out the first ever Gaslit Nation Make Art workshop, subscribe to the show at the Truth-teller level or higher on Patreon by signing up at Patreon.com/Gaslit. You'll receive all episodes ad free, special invites, and more!

Show Notes:

Get your 'Tis the Season to Prosecute Treason T-shirt featuring an original design by Hamish Smyth here: http://tee.pub/lic/_vLBHBoWkeg

Meet the "Mother of Thanksgiving:" Sarah Josepha Hale https://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/meet-the-mother-of-thanksgiving-sarah-josepha-hale/

FINLAND: Anne Applebaum on Twitter: "Russia is throwing everything it has - bribery, propaganda, migrants, energy blackmail, hackers - at Europe and the US - with the clear (and often stated) intent of destabilizing Western democracies. When will we begin to take this challenge seriously?" https://twitter.com/anneapplebaum/status/1726527444532994342

Ukraine's Foreign Minister on an Important Thread: "To those who have missed the previous 30 years, here is a short list of the results of negotiations with Russia that it never respected:" https://twitter.com/DmytroKuleba/status/1724427557016043668

Anne Applebaum: "A year ago, Ukraine liberated Kherson. Since then, the Russians have not stopped attacking civilians there. If they can't own Kherson, they will destroy it. That's their attitude to all of Ukraine." https://twitter.com/anneapplebaum/status/1723647754860147144

The West Must Defeat Russia Putin hasn't given up his plans. He thinks Ukraine's allies will lose interest. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/us-ukraine-support-putin-defeat/675953/

Anne Applebaum on Twitter: "Ukraine and its allies' record, so far is one of extraordinary success: Russia has left 50% of the territory it occupied early in the war, has 250k casualties, and lost billions in weapons. But that success is not permanent until Russia understands that it has lost." https://twitter.com/anneapplebaum/status/1722972111184986398

Anne Applebaum on Twitter: "The accounts given by Ukrainians who have fled the occupied territories sound like accounts of people who escaped Stalin's Soviet Union" https://twitter.com/anneapplebaum/status/1725441272129654887

Timothy Snyder on Twitter: "A group of Russian nationals were able to donate to newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson's campaign in 2018 by funneling the money through a U.S. company." – Ewan Palmer, Newsweek" https://twitter.com/TimothyDSnyder/status/1725655210117202090

Fania Oz-Salzberger on Twitter: "Do you know what Israelis are fuming about tonight?

#Hamas, #Hizbollah, @BBC, @GretaThunberg, for sure. But there's more.

It was disclosed today that in secretive haste, our government gave 56 million shekels to the Prime Minister's bureau, 30 million of which are for renovating #Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem.

30 million shekels can suffice to build two brand new luxury villas.

The country is at war, 239 hostages in Gaza, 125,000 Israeli evacuees from both the south and the north are squatting in hotels and relatives' homes, myriads have lost their living, and massacre survivors cannot afford psychological treatment.

But our Ceaușescus are renovating.

This beggars belief." https://twitter.com/faniaoz/status/1724856880487407884

I Have Never Been to This Israel Before https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/opinion/israel-hamas-war.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Ruth Ben-Ghiat on Twitter: "Well Fascists and Communists often confined dissidents or inconvenient people in psychiatric hospitals, so here Trump goes again with his authoritarian threats." https://twitter.com/ruthbenghiat/status/1725367194714849650

Jake Tapper on Twitter: "Elon Musk pushing unvarnished anti semitism at a time of rising antisemitism and violence against Jews" https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1724922127206273338

The White House May Condemn Musk, but the Government Is Addicted to Him Rarely has the U.S. government so depended on the technology provided by a single technologist with views that it has so publicly declared repugnant. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/19/us/politics/elon-musk-white-house-pentagon.html?smid=tw-share

Peter Thiel Reveals His Contrarian Take on Energy and Climate The Trump adviser and Facebook investor strays outside the norm—including in cleantech. https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/peter-thiel-reveals-his-contrarian-leanings-on-energy-climate

Professor Michael E. Mann: "Thiel, Russia, Saudi Arabia all conspired in Musk's twitter takeover. An alliance of authoritarians/fascists and petrostates whose aim is no less than to destabilize democratic governance" https://twitter.com/MichaelEMann/status/1634931469499117570

Ben Collins on Twitter: "Media Matters suit filed by Musk's X Corp here. He single out a staffer, @ehananoki , when filing it." https://twitter.com/oneunderscore__/status/1726761801168162825?t=aA7AES3t5cwGkFxjoNAPCA&s=19

Global warming to far exceed Paris targets without urgent action: new report https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/video/global-warming-far-exceed-paris-targets-without-urgent-action-new-report

Argentina set for sharp right turn as Trump-like radical wins presidency https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/19/argentina-presidential-election-results-javier-milei/

Univision, the Spanish-language news giant, shifts its approach to Trump The presence of corporate executives at Mar-a-Lago raises alarm among Democrats, who are used to Latino media criticism of the former president's policies https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/14/trump-univision-biden-election/

Opening clip: https://twitter.com/AnandWrites/status/1725225486882587118

Young voters in Michigan call for a ceasefire: https://twitter.com/jadeegray1/status/1726804481156030750?t=QNbP1pyq_ObLSSCH_Xp6IQ&s=19

Carl Sagan lecture on climate change in 1990: https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/s/GEyMxn0X0u

Elon Musk on Russia's invasion of Ukraine https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1723324517177561374

CNN's Jake Tapper on Israel's extreme far-right ruling coalition: https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1724955462775251270

Missing in Brooks County Nov 21, 2023

Show notes

This important interview features Lisa Molomot and Jeff Bemiss, the filmmakers behind the extraordinary must-watch Peabody Award-winning film Missing in Brooks County about the immigration crisis in America deliberately engineered for maximum cruelty by both Republican and Democratic leaders over the years, creating the world's deadliest border crossing. It does not have to be this way. In this discussion, you'll hear common sense solutions, unmasking an entrenched genocidal culture that has gone unchecked for far too long. Learn more about this must-see film here: https://www.missinginbrookscounty.com/

We're running this interview again at the request of a Gaslit Nation listener who would like to share this interview and film with their Congressional representative, to demand an end to the "silent genocide" deliberately engineered on the U.S. southern border. We strongly urge you to talk to your representatives wherever you live to help build a culture of change.

An all new episode of Gaslit Nation will be out this evening, as usual. Thank you to everyone in our community of listeners who work to build a better world and sustainable future for everyone.

Len Blavatnik's Dangerous A.I. Film [TEASER] Nov 18, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to the George Santos Tribute Episode, lasting as long as his tenure in Congress.The Russian-linked Ponzi Scheme is on his way out. He lavishly spent campaign cash on his honeymoon in Las Vegas, spa treatments, luxury shopping sprees, Botox (he's 35!), and the naughty fun time site OnlyFans. We have questions, mostly: Did his Russian-linked backers get their money's worth by having major American embarrassment Santos in Congress? The answer is yes.

On an oddly related note, super mogul Len Blavatnik, whom you're not allowed to call a Russian oligarch (or else he might sue you), owns Warner Music Group. The industry giant is developing a creepy and dangerous A.I.-generated Edith Piaf biopic. Blavatnik, whose cousin Andrea got into a screaming match with at the start of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, throws his money around, including to the Democratic Party and the Council on Foreign Relations. As explained in this episode, this is reputation laundering and influence peddling, given Blavatnik's well-documented ties to Putin's court of oligarchs.

Are you ready for this? Blavatnik is a longtime friend and business partner of notorious sanctioned "Putin wallet" Viktor Vekselberg in various oligarchy-type ventures like Rusal, Russia's largest aluminum company owned by Oleg Deripaska, that thug who won the aluminum wars during the car bomb 1990s in Russia. (Paul Manafort was on the hook to Deripaska for a bunch of money in a media venture gone wrong, and made it up to him by running Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016…for free). Blavatnik's friend/business partner Vekselberg has a seemingly unlucky cousin named Andrew Intrater, a financier who gave George Soros $625,000 to invest in a Florida based fund that turned out to be a Ponzi scheme. Despite losing all that money, Intrater went on to put his full trust in Santos by pumping his Congressional campaign full of cash. A campaign that turned out to be…you guessed it, a Ponzi scheme. It should be noted that longtime friends and associates Intrater, Vekselberg, and Blavatnik all gave heavily to Trump's inaugural committee–otherwise known as a Russian victory lap.

This week's bonus episode includes questions from listeners on topics ranging from white rage extremism and who's tracking it, to how to stay hopeful during these dark times. If you didn't hear your question answered this week, look out for it soon! Next week's bonus episode will be the Make Art Workshop–a thank you to our community and a way for us to build up our resilience and fight back with joy. Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!

Show Notes:

Get your 'Tis the Season to Prosecute Treason T-shirt featuring an original design by Hamish Smyth here: http://tee.pub/lic/_vLBHBoWkeg

68-percent of Americans support a ceasefire in Gaza https://www.reuters.com/world/us-public-support-israel-drops-majority-backs-ceasefire-reutersipsos-2023-11-15/

Israeli opposition leader says time has come to replace Netanyahu https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-opposition-leader-says-time-has-come-replace-netanyahu-2023-11-16/

Hamas leader being grilled on live TV and lying https://twitter.com/arash_tehran/status/1715354932595847322

Santos Won't Seek Re-election After House Panel Finds Evidence of Crimes The findings, which were referred to prosecutors, are likely to prompt another attempt to expel the embattled congressman from the House. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/16/nyregion/george-santos-ethics-committee.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20231116&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta&regi_id=48614702&segment_id=150214&user_id=097a378032011d6e8be1570cdce0a176

A Soviet-Born Billionaire Is Buying Influence at US Institutions. Anti-Corruption Activists Are Worried. The Council on Foreign Relations is under fire for accepting Len Blavatnik's gifts thanks to his tie to oligarchs and Russian corruption. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/10/council-on-foreign-relations-leonard-blavatnik-russia/

Music's Mystery Mogul: Len Blavatnik, Trump and Their Russian Friends Len Blavatnik is not only a backer of films and potential buyer of a Hollywood studio but also reportedly on the fringe of the Russia probe thanks to GOP giving and links to oligarchs with ties to Putin. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/why-is-warner-music-group-owner-len-blavatnik-russia-probe-1150550/

How an Investor Lost $625,000 and His Faith in George Santos Andrew Intrater, a wealthy businessman, has been in touch with the S.E.C. about Mr. Santos's dealings on behalf of a company accused in a Ponzi scheme. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/nyregion/george-santos-sec-intrater.html

NY Fund Manager Linked to Russian Oligarch Invested Big With Santos. Now He Claims He Was Conned. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/01/george-santos-andrew-intrater/

A Putin-Friendly Oligarch's Top US Executive Donated $285,000 to Trump The head of Viktor Vekselberg's American affiliate helped finance Trump's inauguration. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/08/a-putin-friendly-oligarchs-top-us-executive-donated-285000-to-trump/

'It's shameful': Russian-linked billionaires have given enormous sums of money to the West's leading educational and cultural institutions https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/11/us/russian-oligarchs-philanthropy-ukraine-war-invs/index.html

Oleg Deripaska: Putin 'favourite' with strong ties to UK politics https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/10/oleg-deripaska-profile-putin-britain

The Authoritarian Voter Next Door Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

Authoritarian voters cosplay Rambo on the U.S. Southern border, literally hunting refugees and denying them basic human rights. Our interview this week features Lisa Molomot and Jeff Bemiss, the filmmakers behind the extraordinary must-watch Peabody Award-winning film Missing in Brooks County about the immigration crisis in America deliberately engineered for maximum cruelty by both Republican and Democratic leaders over the years, creating the world's deadliest border crossing. It does not have to be this way. In this discussion, you'll hear common sense solutions, unmasking an entrenched genocidal culture that has gone unchecked for far too long.

Who was first in line to carry out the Holocaust? The authoritarian voter next door. Survivors described how their neighbors turned on them, throwing rocks through their windows. That's who Trump is appealing to, driving out people who have existed throughout history: longing for a strongman to crush their enemies, and put mouthy women, smug nonwhite people, those pesky gays, and don't forget entitled refugees in their place. These are the "vermin" Trump scapegoats as he travels the country, amplifying Russian disinformation, and consolidating his base: the authoritarian voter next door.

Reality Winner, the patriotic whistleblower who confirmed extensive Russian hacking of our election systems after government officials tried to downplay it, has faced far harsher punishment than violent coup plotter Trump with his 91 criminal indictments. The American people see the threat to our democracy clearly, which is why they've built resilient grassroots power that ushered in yet another historic Blue Wave. The latest victory in a long list: Dauphin County, PA flipped to Democratic control for the first time in 100 years. We the People have done significantly more to protect our democracy than Merrick Garland's DOJ.

Given the immense power we've shown, it's time to abolish the Electoral College, a monument to slavery, and agitate for other reforms to modernize the United States government. Gaslit Nation is working on a special series on how to Trump-proof our democracy, protecting us and future generations from his massive cult that ensures succession is guaranteed. Even after Trump is gone, another cultist will take his place. So it's time to expand our historic Blue Wave energy into overdue government reform. The nonsense press release from the Supreme Court pretending to care about ethics is not what we're talking about.

As a thank you to our Gaslit Nation community on Patreon, look out the weekend after Thanksgiving for a special MAKE ART workshop in the form of a podcast that you can download and try at your own leisure. We're all natural born artists, and this act of self-care and meaningful therapy reminds us that our voices matter and that we're needed now more than ever. In his brilliant resistance pocket guide On Tyranny, historian Timothy Snyder urges us to be visible, and that visibility comes through creativity, as we use our voice for our collective good. The model of this has always been embedded in this show that has featured interviews with extraordinary artists like Nelson George, a writer of the hip-hop movement and Andrea's longtime mentor, and filmmaker Oleg Sentsov who survived a Siberian prison by writing a novel, stories, and directing a film.

Yes, art matters. Art is survival. And each of us, to navigate these civilization-making-or-breaking years ahead, can embrace our inner artist to create a sustainable, livable future together. Artists imagine and show that another world is possible. As Sentsov said on our show: Dictators die. Art is forever. Look out for that special MAKE ART workshop next week! To get access to that, bonus shows, all episodes ad free, and more, subscribe to join our community of listeners at Patreon.com/Gaslit

This week's bonus show will look at the latest in the Israel-Hamas war, troubling jumps in A.I., and answer questions from listeners at the Democracy Defender level and higher. Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!

If you're in NYC, stop by 42 Second Avenue, between 2nd & 3rd Streets, to see a giant photograph of a "car cemetery" in Irpin, Ukraine, an area that suffered greatly during the early days of Russia's total war genocide. The photographer is Phil Buehler, and more of his work can be seen here: https://modern-ruins.com/irpin-ukraine-please-dont-forget-us/

You can also join Andrea this Thursday at NYU to check out a talk by Terrell Starr of the Black Diplomats podcast. Details here: https://twitter.com/terrelljstarr/status/1724146505001422925

Andrea joined Jennifer Taub, author of Big Dirty Money: Making White Collar Criminals Pay, on her podcast Booked Up. Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/andrea-chalupa-on-dictatorship-is-easy/id1651929984?i=1000634521344

SHOW NOTES:

MUST WATCH: Missing in Brooks County by Lisa Molomot and Jeff Bemiss https://www.missinginbrookscounty.com/

MUST WATCH: John Oliver on the Israel-Palestine Conflict https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ9PKQbkJv8

Opening Clip: Trump in New Hampshire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE3S2_zWEIc

Supreme Court Announces Ethics Code for Justices The decision comes after revelations about undisclosed property deals and gifts have intensified pressure on the court to adopt such a code. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/13/us/politics/supreme-court-ethics-code.html

Supreme Court approval ratings at record lows, new Gallup poll shows https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/02/politics/supreme-court-record-lows-gallup/index.html

In a Historic First, the Supreme Court Has Adopted a Code of Ethics The code, which does not include any enforcement mechanism, comes after ProPublica and other outlets disclosed that justices had repeatedly failed to disclose gifts and travel from wealthy donors. https://www.propublica.org/article/supreme-court-adopts-ethics-code-scotus-thomas-alito-crow

FROM AXIOS: "Driving the news: In a Veterans Day speech in New Hampshire on Saturday, Trump vowed to "root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections." He then posted the same message on Truth Social, including the word "vermin" often used by Hitler and Mussolini to denigrate Jews and their political enemies. Trump went on to say that "the threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous and grave than the threat from within." The big picture: Trump's increasingly violent rhetoric — calling for a U.S. military leader to be executed, mocking a near-fatal assault on a congressional spouse, urging police to shoot potential shoplifters — has become a staple of his brand as he faces the threat of conviction in four different criminal cases." https://www.axios.com/2023/11/13/trump-vermin-fascist-language-speech

"The institutional right is screening a "pro-Trump army of up to 54,000 loyalists" that, if elected, Trump plans to use to unleash DOJ on his political enemies, create deportation camps for millions of immigrants, and generally turn his whim into law." https://twitter.com/MattGertz/status/1724037010183123157

We encourage you to check out the sponsor of this week's episode:

Our listeners can go to HelloFresh.com/gaslitfree and use code "gaslitfree" for FREE breakfast for life! One breakfast item per box while subscription is active. Thank you so much for our sponsor, HelloFresh, America's #1 Meal Kit

Election 2023 Super Special [TEASER] Nov 12, 2023

Show notes

This Election 2023 Super Special opens with a discussion on building unions, because the big takeaway is grassroots power is the most reliable power we have left. In a time of historic income inequality, which furthers the flames of fascism, we need to extend the Big Blue Wave energy into the growing rebirth of unions. Political and economic justice go hand-in-hand. For our Patreon community, there's a deep dive on the election, and a special call to action for those who support the show and make Gaslit Nation possible. Thank you all so much! If you would like to hear the full episode, get all episodes ad free, join our community of listeners, and so much more, subscribe to support our independent journalism at Patreon.com/Gaslit.

With all the important races this year, we strategically set our sights on one goal: denying Youngkin a Republican majority in Virginia. Together we exceeded our expectations: we held the Senate, flipped the House, and helped elect the first trans woman to the Virginia state senate, and put Youngkin's political future in doubt. There were headlines like this one from Politico following his major election night losses: "Glenn Youngkin's white knight era is over."

We supported grassroots infrastructure that could lead to Virginia being called early again on election night like it was in 2020. Sister District, the grassroots group we partnered with, made 43-percent of its candidates phone calls, and our Gaslit Nation phone bank with them was their largest to date of this election. Thank you to everyone who did whatever you could wherever you are. We're going to get through this dangerous crossroads together.

What's clear is that the grassroots communities that formed in the original 2018 Blue Wave are still active. Now we need to help expand that energy into economic justice. That's why this Election 2023 Special opens with an interview featuring longtime Gaslit Nation listener Brock Madden speaking with Jasmine Leli, the Buffalo, N.Y.-based Starbucks barista and member of Starbucks Workers United. Based in Seattle, Brock is looking to organize other restaurant workers like him to unionize. If you want to start a union and don't know how or where to start, this discussion will inspire you to take action, no matter how small at first.

Thank you to Jasmine and Brock for this important conversation. If you're in the Seattle area and would like to build with Brock, email him at huckleberry_98226@yahoo.com

SHOW NOTES:

CLIP: "Fraud Family!" Ivanka Kushner greeted by protesters at a New York courthouse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5LMNFfEmLo

Nikki Haley Praises Ivanka Kushner https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1049681209553547266?t=ziSGT40B4wIDx0mtDVEMWg&s=19

Trump and Allies Forge Plans to Increase Presidential Power in 2025 The former president and his backers aim to strengthen the power of the White House and limit the independence of federal agencies. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/17/us/politics/trump-plans-2025.html

"After GOP donors threatened to stop funding him for being unmarried, Tim Scott is now appearing publicly with who he says is his girlfriend named Mindy. He says they have been dating for 'about a year or so.'" https://twitter.com/NoLieWithBTC/status/1722466341838369122

"NEW from @CAPAction 's @citizenwillis : Since Sunday, cable networks are airing 10x more coverage of Biden's polling than this story detailing Trump's MAGA plot to weaponize the government against his political enemies. @CNN : 29x as much @FoxNews : 38x as much @MSNBC : 3x as much" https://twitter.com/CMSeeberger/status/1722380856520491467

"This may be the most important result tonight that most people have no idea about: solidifies D majority on the court that decided more Trump 2020 lawsuits than any other in the country, and that is very likely to hear major cases in 2024 related to voting rights and elections." https://twitter.com/alex_burness/status/1722107803920204047

"Exit polling on Ohio issue 1 is showing broad support for abortion rights across demographics. More from @nbcnews here: https://nbcnews.com/politics/2023-elections/ohio-ballot-measures#exit-polls" https://twitter.com/Mike_Hixenbaugh/status/1722054516399395073

Mitch McConnell Will Not Go Gently Into the Senate Goodnight Even if the senator wanted to retire, there's no way he'll let Kentucky's Democratic governor choose his replacement, even temporarily. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/why-mitch-mcconnell-wont-retire/

"The anti-trans stuff is unpopular even in large swaths of Trump country (let alone purple and blue states). The fact popularists wanted to compromise on this is further evidence of their preference to follow their own political preferences rather than attend to the evidence." https://twitter.com/HeerJeet/status/1722050682700566942

"Glenn Youngkin's white knight era is over. What will the next one be? Republicans want to see him become a proud dispenser of vetos. Others say it might be wise to chart a more conciliatory path." https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/10/youngkin-political-future-virginia-election-losses-00126481

Brock Madden – Call to Action: https://www.tiktok.com/@broccoli618/video/7288050878915824938?_r=1&_t=8gP1kSODd8A

Email Brock: huckleberry_98226@yahoo.com

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