Gaslit Nation

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Teaser - Is the Secret Service a Ticking Time Bomb? Jun 02, 2023

Show notes

This is an excerpt of a Gaslit Nation bonus episode. To access this and the full back catalogue of bonus episodes, special event invites, and more, subscribe to the show on Patreon by signing up at Patreon.com/Gaslit The Gaslit Nation Q&A is back! But first, some announcements. We're having another live taping of Gaslit Nation with Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman on Tuesday June 27th at 12pm EST. For our Patreon subscribers at the Truth-teller level and higher, on the morning of the event, a link will be sent straight to your inbox from Patreon on how to join -- it's as easy as clicking on the link. We invite you to drop questions in the chat! And as a thank you to our community, running every month, all year long, we're selecting a Patreon subscriber every month to receive a copy of Dictatorship: It's Easier Than You Think! The listener chosen for May 2023 is Joel Farran. Thank you for all of your support for the show, Joel! Thank you to everyone who keeps Gaslit Nation going, especially during these uncertain times. There would be no Gaslit Nation without you! In this Q&A bonus episode, the discussion includes QAnon being a confession by the Republican Party that is riddled with pedophiles and other criminals, why we need to follow the findings of the 1968 Kerner Commission Report, and why the Secret Service is a ticking time bomb. If you didn't hear your question answered this week, look out for it next week, as the Gaslit Nation Q&A continues! And apologies for the late night bleariness heard in this episode, it was a late night recording once the kids were asleep. :) Show Notes:

Secret Service under scrutiny ahead January 6 committee's final report https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKuLOYlJQNk

The dangerous secrets inside the Secret Service, and how the agency has been shortchanged https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO1W4JygWQc

Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service https://bookshop.org/p/books/zero-fail-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-secret-service-carol-leonnig/16898149?ean=9780399589034

The 1968 Kerner Commission Got It Right, But Nobody Listened https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/1968-kerner-commission-got-it-right-nobody-listened-180968318/

Rep. Katie Porter in conversation with Larry Wilmore at Live Talks Los Angeles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8uRg7XqQ-I&t=1601s

Saving Democracy May 31, 2023

Show notes

This conversation was recorded May 24, 2023 as a Gaslit Nation live taping and includes at the end a Q&A of questions dropped in the chat by our audience. Thank you to everyone who joined us! Can Florida, and with it, the rest of our democracy be saved? Or is Florida destined to be an authoritarian cesspool under Brooks Brother Viktor Orbán – Ron DeSantis? In this special solution-rich episode of Gaslit Nation, author David Pepper discusses his latest book Saving Democracy: A User's Manual for Every American. David shares important lessons from the upset of Jacksonville's mayoral race; why Florida's Democratic Party State Chair Nikki Fried could give DeSantis a run for his money, and we discuss how Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota have their acts together while New York's Democratic Party remains stuck under Jay Jacobs who handed the House to Kevin McCarthy, bringing the American and therefore the global economy to the brink. (Elections have consequences, which is why Jay Jacobs must be replaced – join the movement here!) If you're stuck in a so-called blue state like New York that's failing due to machine politics and complacency, or if you live in a fascist-gerrymandered hostage state known as a red state, this discussion has concrete steps you can take to empower your community. Local elections are the frontlines of our democracy, no matter where you live. And none of us are in this battle alone. Thank you to everyone who joined our live taping with David Pepper. Be sure to check out his book Saving Democracy. If you would like to join a future live taping of Gaslit Nation, be sure to support the show at the Truth-teller level or higher. And to submit questions for our regular Q&As, sign up at the Democracy Defender level or higher. We'll be back with an all new Q&A this coming Friday so stay tuned! Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! Show Notes: Our May song feature is "Paper Thin" by Confusions. You can find more of Confusions' music on Bandcamp at confusions.bandcamp.com To submit your song to the Gaslit Nation Make Art Challenge, send us your music here. Thank you!

Live Bonus Q&A Featuring Olga Lautman May 26, 2023

Show notes

Thank you to everyone who joined the live taping with Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman and Polish artist and activist Kasia Babis who illustrated the Gaslit Nation graphic novel Dictatorship: It's Easier Than You Think! Here is the Q&A with Olga where we answered questions dropped in the chat. Before you press play, be sure to first watch this CIA recruitment video for Russians as it's brought up in the Q&A by a member of the audience. Next week we're running an inspiring interview with author David Pepper on his new book Saving Democracy, a guide for every citizen. Look out for an all new Gaslit Nation bonus episode answering questions from our listeners at the Democracy Defender level and higher. And let us know who you would like us to do a live taping with in the future! Thank you to everyone for supporting the show -- we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! To join our community of listeners and get access to bonus episodes, invites to live tapings, and more, subscribe to the show at the Truth-teller level or higher by signing up at Patreon.com/Gaslit

Dictatorship: It's Easier Than You Think! May 24, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to our special live taping of Gaslit Nation! Thank you to everyone who joined us and asked such profound and moving questions in the live Q&A. It was a replenishing joy to hear from you. Thank you so much to the great Kasia Babis, a renowned illustrator and activist in Poland who created the visual world of the Gaslit Nation graphic novel Dictatorship: It's Easier Than You Think! available now on pre-order, and out everywhere starting June 13. If you haven't met the book's rascally narrator yet, Judge Lackey, see him at work by watching the book's fun animated trailer. Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman also joined the live-taping to discuss whether Putin's days are numbered (they are!), who will replace him (someone worse?), and whether the Freedom of Russia Legion liberating Russian towns and villages inside Russia from Putin's dictatorship is real (it appears so!), and what it all means. Will Putin use nukes, especially as Ukraine's spring offensive gets underway? What should the world's response be to Putin going nuclear? We're having another live taping Wednesday May 24 at 2pm EST with David Pepper on his new book Saving Democracy: A User's Manual for Every American. You can get access to that by subscribing to the show at the Truth-teller level or higher -- details will be sent out to those subscribers on how to join the live taping the morning of the event. Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit Our bonus episode this week will be the Q&A of our live taping. We'll be back with an all new Q&A answering questions submitted by our listeners at the Democracy Defender level and higher. To submit your questions or to get access to the bonus episodes, and our full back catalog of bonus episodes, be sure to subscribe to the show on Patreon to keep us going! Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! Show Notes: Ilya Ponomarev clip: https://twitter.com/GwarWorin/status/1660748853111410688 Freedom of Russia Legion Twitter https://twitter.com/legion_svoboda

Teaser - The Truth is Out There May 19, 2023

Show notes

Ralph Blumenthal, the longtime New York Times reporter who got U.F.O.'s on the frontpage of the "Paper of Record" joins Gaslit Nation to discuss the government's secret X-Files. He is the author of several books, including The Believer: Alien Encounters, Hard Science, and the Passion of John Mack, the children's book UFOhs, as well as several books on the mafia and Nazis, making him the ideal Gaslit Nation guest! This is an excerpt of an upcoming special two-part episode with Blumenthal on the nature of U.F.O.'s, what the current and potential findings mean for humanity, and the corporations believed to be monitoring research into U.F.O.'s closely for potential profit opportunities and there doesn't seem much that the shadowy government sectors allowing this will do to protect against that. Look out for more of this interview soon! For now, we couldn't wait to share this excerpt as a bit of fun as we gear up for next week's two live tapings. This coming Tuesday May 23rd at 1:30pm EST, Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman joins Gaslit Nation for a live taping followed by an audience Q&A. The next day Wednesday May 24th at 2pm EST David Pepper, the author of Saving Democracy, joins Gaslit Nation for a live taping to answer questions about how to defeat the fascist threat, especially in so-called "red states." If you're subscribed to the show at the Truth-teller level or higher, check your inbox for details on how to join each event the morning of that event. Joining the live tapings will be as easy as clicking on a link! Gaslit Nation will be back with an all new Q&A next week answering questions from subscribers at the Democracy Defender level and higher. Keep your questions coming! We always enjoy hearing from you! Thank you to everyone who supports the show -- we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! If you would like to join our community of listeners and get access to all bonus episodes, including our back catalogue and event invites, sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit

George Santos, Nikki Haley, the Kushners, Giuliani, and Other Ponzi Schemes May 17, 2023

Show notes

Sports Illustrated cover model George Santos was arrested for fraud! This week's episode processes the shock over that news, and asks the all important question of who in their right mind would post a $500,000 bond to bail out George Santos, and what are they getting in return? Where there's smoke, there's fire, and Santos is the smoke of a larger corruption ushering in fascist kleptocracy. In this week's episode, Andrea is joined by old friend of the show Terrell Starr of the essential podcast Black Diplomats. Sarah is taking a step back from the show to deal with a family situation, as she has shared on Twitter. In this episode, Terrell and Andrea discuss the Durham Report, Nikki Haley and her pals the Kushners clawing their way back to the White House to steal more from the American people, and the inspiring resilience of the Ukrainian people facing off against Russia's genocide. Next week's live taping of Gaslit Nation on Tuesday May 23rd at 1:30pm EST will feature Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman who grew up in Brighton Beach and, instead of becoming a Trump Crime Family accomplice, co-founded an anti-corruption NGO in Europe, Institute for European Integrity. There will be a second *newly added* live taping on Wednesday May 24th at 2pm EST featuring David Pepper to discuss his new book Saving Democracy: A User's Manual for Every American. To join those events, be sure to subscribe to the show at the Truth-teller level or higher, and look out for the details sent to your inbox on the morning of May 23rd then again on May 24th. A new bonus episode comes out this Friday answering questions from our listeners at the Democracy Defender level and higher. Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! Show Notes:

Pre-order our book! Dictatorship: It's Easier Than You Think!
George Santos clip: "I wanna be remembered as somebody who stood up to everybody in the time of adversity...I want people to look and say, look, times might be tough, but there was always George Santos...I think it takes a lot of resilience to go through what I've gone through." https://twitter.com/AccountableGOP/status/1655681052491276290
Craig Harrington of Media Matters for America on Jake Tapper on the Durham Report https://twitter.com/Craigipedia/status/1658207831483465732
Sarah Kendzior on The Saturday/Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart https://twitter.com/weekendcapehart/status/1657373968884547586
NEW AUDIO: Rep. George Santos tells a "joke" about a "room full of Jews." https://twitter.com/TheBeatWithAri/status/1656424125890457603
How an Investor Lost $625,000 and His Faith in George Santos https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/nyregion/george-santos-sec-intrater.html
Sanctioned-Oligarch-Connected Andrew Intrater's GOP Donations Go Beyond Just George Santos https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/01/sanctioned-oligarch-connected-andrew-intraters-gop-donations-go-beyond-just-george-santos/
Private equity investor identified as political contributor allegedly duped by George Santos https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/11/politics/andrew-intrater-private-equity-investor-santos/index.html#:~:text=Intrater%20has%20financially%20supported%20Santos,Federal%20Election%20Commission%20records%20show
New York Attorney Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Commit Money Laundering to Promote Sanctions Violations by Associate of Sanctioned Russian Oligarch https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/new-york-attorney-pleads-guilty-conspiring-commit-money-laundering-promote-sanctions
Associate of Sanctioned Oligarch Indicted for Sanctions Evasion and Money Laundering https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/associate-sanctioned-oligarch-indicted-sanctions-evasion-and-money-laundering
Break the Chain Between Russian Oligarchs and Managers, and You Break Everything https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/21/opinion/russian-oligarchs-wealth-managers.html
"They Think Very Highly of Nikki": The Kushner Family Is Cozying Up to Nikki Haley https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/21/opinion/russian-oligarchs-wealth-managers.html
The Alexandra Chalupa Interview https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2019/6/22/the-alexandra-chalupa-interview

Teaser - CNN's Snuff Film May 13, 2023

Show notes

We discuss the fascist fantasy of CNN's Klan rally, what it means for our democracy, where things are headed, and what to do about it. This is an excerpt of this week's bonus show for our Patreon subscribers. To join our community of listeners and get access to weekly bonus episodes, events, and other fun perks, subscribe at Patreon.com/gaslit to help keep our show going. Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation -- we could not make this show without you.

The Blood-Dimmed Tide May 10, 2023

Show notes

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! Show Notes: Cover-up King Bill Barr's recent C-SPAN interview: https://twitter.com/AccountableGOP/status/1654565277961449473 Historian Timothy Snyder on how Ukraine suffered the greatest casualties from the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union and why that matters today https://twitter.com/Biz_Ukraine_Mag/status/1655639502667276301 Run, Rabbit, Run -- a message from Ukraine to Russia from August 2022 on the eve of liberating large regions from Russian occupation. Is history about to repeat with the coming spring counteroffensive? https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1565037514888560641 The Unemployment Gap Between Black and White New Yorkers Is Widening - The New York Times (nytimes.com) What to know about the Allen mall shooter's reported extremism | The Texas Tribune How do you become "white" in America? - The Correspondent

Teaser - Jeff Sharlet Takes the Gaslit Nation Self-Care Q&A May 05, 2023

Show notes

Jeff Sharlet is the author of the new book Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War, and the New York Times best-selling author or editor of eight books, including The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, which led to the must-watch Netflix docuseries The Family. 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 this week's bonus episode, Sharlet takes the Gaslit Nation Self-Care Q&A to share what art, music, books, and documentaries and other things he recommends to help process the times we live in. We will be back with an all new bonus episode Q&A next week. For subscribers at the Democracy Defender level and higher, submit your questions to be answered in an upcoming episode! Thank you so much for your support of the show -- we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! To join our community on Patreon and help keep the show going, sign up here: Patreon.com/Gaslit

Is America Headed Towards a Civil War? May 03, 2023

Show notes

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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