Stay ConnectedThe Refuse Fascism podcast is an independent and all-volunteer show that produces weekly episodes that expose, analyze, and oppose the very real danger and threat of fascism coming to power in the United States.
Hosted by Sam Goldman, produced by volunteers with Refuse Fascism.
Copyright: © Refuse Fascism
Sam recaps recent events including the lynch mob atmosphere being whipped up against immigrants in general and Black Haitian immigrants in particular after white supremacists in Ohio started vicious lies against Haitians. These lies have been further amplified by J.D. Vance and Donald Trump including from the national debate stage with Kamala Harris this past week.
Unfortunately these recent events couldn’t be more timely alongside this week’s discussion with Sasha Abramsky, author of the new book Chaos Comes Calling: The Battle Against the Far-Right Takeover of Small-Town America. From Eric Klinenberg :“In this chilling report from the American West, Abramsky shows how the extreme right has mobilized to upend local democratic institutions and warns of a fascist threat that’s alarmingly close and widespread. A disturbing, necessary book.”
Follow Sasha on X-Twitter at @abramskysasha and learn more about his work at sashaabramsky.com and thenation.com
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Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Find us on all the socials: @RefuseFascism. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf. Support the show at patreon.com/RefuseFascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Sam recaps recent events and then talks with Paul Street about the GOP's unfolding plans to suppress the vote, intimidate their opposition (including by raiding extremely mainstream activists in Texas with LULAC [The League of Latin American Citizens] and sending police to the homes of people signing pro-abortion rights petitions in Florida), and unleash violence at multiple levels should Trump be declared the loser in November. In response to all this the Democrats are celebrating... the addition of Dick Cheney to their "big tent."
Paul writes, "The nation is careening to some kind of constitutional crisis and potential major civil conflict after the next election. Anarchic US capitalism-imperialism has hatched a two-party system whose right-/Reich-most wing no longer accepts defeat through mere elections, no matter how tilted to the right the nation’s electoral rules are... [and yet] There is liberating opportunity as well as eliminationist and authoritarian menace in the current perilous moment."
Follow Paul Street's writings at paulstreet.substack.com.
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Mentioned In This Episode:
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Find us on all the socials: @RefuseFascism. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf. Support the show at patreon.com/RefuseFascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Sam talks with returning guest Annika Brockschmidt about the ideology that binds Trump's GOP. Brockschmidt is a trained historian, author and journalist. She wrote two bestselling books on the history of the US religious right and the Republican Party. Follow Annika on BlueSky. German-speaking audiences can read her latest book Die Brandstifter: Wie Extremisten die Republikanische Partei übernahmen and listen to her on the two podcasts she hosts Kreuz und Flagge and Feminist Shelf Control.
Mentioned In The Interview:
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By popular demand! Get your Refuse Fascism T-Shirt here: bonfire.com/refuse-fascism-pod-shirt
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Find us on all the socials: @RefuseFascism. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf. Support the show at patreon.com/RefuseFascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Photo copyright for Annika Brockshchmidt is Frederike Wetzels
Sam discusses the joy fest during the DNC and the growing gulf between those who think you can stop fascism in the US while still enabling a genocide in Gaza, and those who think that is completely incompatible. Cheers to all the protesters at the DNC for telling the truth this past week. Follow @uncommittedmvmt on TikTok for the voices clipped in today's episode.
Then, she talks with Stephen Eisenman, Professor Emeritus of Art History at Northwestern University. He has a forthcoming book out with artist collaborator Sue Coe titled The Young Person’s Illustrated Guide to American Fascism (available in October; preorder now). Eisenman is also the author of numerous articles and nine books including The Abu Ghraib Effect and The Ecology of Impressionism. Eisenman is also a curator, critic, activist and co-founder of the environmental non-profit, Anthropocene Alliance. He is a regular contributor to the online publication CounterPunch. View Sue Coe's artwork at suecoe.com and follow her on Instagram at @suecoeart.
Mentioned in this episode:
By popular demand! Get your Refuse Fascism T-Shirt here: bonfire.com/refuse-fascism-pod-shirt
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Find us on all the socials: @RefuseFascism. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf. Support the show at patreon.com/RefuseFascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
This week, Sam discusses recent developments including Project 2025 Phase 2, the efforts of Republi-Fascists to subvert elections and the Democratic National Convention's approach to combating fascism (is it weird or is it fascism?).
She then welcomes Sian Norris back on the show to discuss the fascist riots in the UK that targeted asylum seekers and Muslims following a lethal mass stabbing in Southport England. Sian Norris is a senior investigative reporter at openDemocracy (read her work here) and author of Bodies Under Siege: How the Far-Right Attack on Reproductive Rights Went Global. You can follow Sian on X @sianunshka.
Mentioned In This Episode:
More Resources:
By popular demand! Get your Refuse Fascism T-Shirt here: bonfire.com/refuse-fascism-pod-shirt
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Find us on all the socials: @RefuseFascism. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf. Support the show at patreon.com/RefuseFascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Biden's out of the race and many people are feeling more optimistic about Kamala Harris beating Trump in the election... Sam comments about the new situation, what dangers lie ahead and what we can rely on to stop fascism and build a better world.
Then, Sam talks with Graie Hagans, Chief Vision Officer with Bend the Arc: Jewish Action about the roots and origins of antisemitism, the current dangers and complex dynamics of the moment in the US and how Jewish communities and individuals can truly be kept safe in an era of rising antisemitism. Check out their guide on how to talk about antisemitism "like we believe we can end it together" at dismantlingantisemitism.org.
Extra relevant this week as the fascist president of Israel addressed a joint session of Congress this week, read the open letter to Biden:
Cheers to Jewish Voice for Peace and everyone who mobilized to protest Netanyahu this week! Read:
“Not in Our Name”: 400 Jewish Activists Arrested Protesting Netanyahu Address
A guide to the Jewish and Israeli groups that protested Netanyahu’s DC visit
*Note, there will be no new episodes for a couple weeks, but we will be back! Tune in August 18.
By popular demand! Get your Refuse Fascism T-Shirt here: bonfire.com/refuse-fascism-pod-shirt
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Find us on all the socials: @RefuseFascism. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
You can send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support at patreon.com/RefuseFascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
This week Sam shares commentary on the fascist spectacle that was the RNC along with other recent developments and how and why we must resolutely oppose fascism. Then, Sam talks with Karl Folk, a researcher of authoritarianism and radicalization and the founder of the Institute of Unreality. He writes for Splinter News on their authoritarianism and American politics team. Read his latest: The Nefarious Figures Behind the Far-Right Who Predate Trump. You can find him on X and Bluesky @brainnotonyet.
Mentioned in this episode:
Five things to know about J.D. Vance’s ties to tech billionaires by Bobby Allyn (NPR)
This Land Is Mein Land by John Ganz
Breaking News Re-Release: "Hillbilly Elegy" - If Books Could Kill podcast
JD Vance on Abortion by Jessica Valenti
By popular demand! Get your Refuse Fascism T-Shirt here: bonfire.com/refuse-fascism-pod-shirt
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Find us on all the socials: @RefuseFascism. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
You can send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support at patreon.com/RefuseFascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
This episode features interviews from the past two intense weeks... first Sam discusses recent events and updates from the intensifying situation in the US.
Then, we share two interviews: first with Aziza Ahmed to discuss the implications of two years without Roe and recent SCOTUS rulings on abortion rights. Aziza is a professor of law at Boston University where she also serves as the Co-Founder and Director of the BU Program on Reproductive Justice. Follow Aziza's work at bu.edu/law/profile/aziza-ahmed.
Then, Sam talks with returning guest and prolific commentator Wajahat Ali about Trump, the recent vile slate of SCOTUS decisions including the declaration that the president is a king, and the deteriorating situation in Gaza as the US-backed Israeli siege drags on with no end in sight. Follow Wajahat at thelefthook.substack.com and @wajahatali.
TOMORROW: The Coalition to March on the RNC is planning a major march and rally on the first day of the RNC in Milwaukee, WI on July 15, 2024. Rally at 11 AM CST in Red Arrow Park: marchonrnc2024.org
Recommended:
The breaking news consumer's handbook from On the Media
Abortion, Every Day by Jessica Valenti
Experts: Georgia GOP officials lay groundwork to "obstruct" and "subvert" election certification by Tatyana Tandanpolie
Trump v. United States episode of the 5-4 podcast
Special Coverage on NATCON 2024 by Annika Brockschmidt and Ben Lorber for Religion Dispatches
Inside Ziklag, the Secret Organization of Wealthy Christians Trying to Sway the Election and Change the Country by Andy Kroll, for ProPublica, and Nick Surgey, for Documented
By popular demand! Get your Refuse Fascism T-Shirt here: bonfire.com/refuse-fascism-pod-shirt
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Find us on all the socials: @RefuseFascism. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
You can send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support at patreon.com/RefuseFascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Sam discusses the pivotal decision from the fascist-dominated Supreme Court to grant Trump permission to commit crimes through the immunity ruling this past year with historian Paul Street, along with the slew of other terrible rulings. Of course while this ruling would seem to green-light the current president to act as a king unbound by any rule over his “official acts,” the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats did not announce any action in response to this chilling marker on the slide towards fascism. Read and listen to more from Paul Street at https://paulstreet.substack.com/
Then, she talks with HuffPost reporter Matt Shuham about his latest article, “Schedule F: The 'Chilling' Trump Plan That Could Pave The Way For Authoritarianism.” Schedule F is the mechanism referenced in Project 2025 that will allow the widescale replacement of civll servants with Trump loyalists throughout government. Follow Matt on Twitter/Threads/BlueSky/Mastodon at @mattshuham and read more of his work at https://www.huffpost.com/author/matt-shuham and https://gatheringstring.substack.com/
*This episode was recorded and uploaded prior to the second round of French elections.
By popular demand! Get your Refuse Fascism T-Shirt here: https://www.bonfire.com/refuse-fascism-pod-shirt/
Mentioned In this episode:
The Supreme Court Puts Trump Above the Law by Adam Serwer
American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis
Illiberal America: A History by Steven Hahn
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Find us on all the socials: @RefuseFascism. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
You can also send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support at patreon.com/RefuseFascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Sam Goldman recaps the events of this past week including the totally illegitimate "debate" debacle between Trump and Biden, plus the slew of despotic rulings from the Trump's unelected "Supreme" Court.
Then, Sam interviews legal scholar and author Aziz Rana to take a deeper look at U.S. Constitution and its veneration to understand how it has supported the rise and preservation of Trump. He currently serves as Provost’s Distinguished Fellow and J. Donald Monan, S.J., University Professor of Law and Government at Boston College Law School. His latest book, The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document that Fails Them, explores the modern emergence of constitutional veneration in the twentieth century. You can connect with Aziz and find more of his work at azizrana.com.
Mentioned in this episode:
March on the RNC in Milwaukee, WI July 15
The Constitution Won’t Save Us From Trump by Aziz Rana
The Supreme Court Chooses to Throw January 6 Rioters a Bone by Madiba K. Dennie
The Supreme Court just lit a match and tossed it into dozens of federal agencies by Ian Millhiser
Why the Leaked SCOTUS Ruling Isn't a Victory by Jessica Valenti
The Originalism Trap With Madiba K. Dennie
The Freedom to Dominate with Jefferson Cowie
The Draft Proposal Constitution For The New Socialist Republic In North America
We Are Witnessing the Biggest Judicial Power Grab Since 1803 by Elie Mystal
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Find us on all the socials: @RefuseFascism. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
You can also send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support at patreon.com/RefuseFascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
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