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 talks with writer Sarah Posner about Mike Johnson, the new Speaker of the House, third in line to the presidency and Christian Nationalist who spent around a decade as a lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom (sic), the organization behind the recent wave of state level anti-abortion legislation, the 303 Creative SCOTUS case, and on the wrong side of many other battles.
Read Sarah's book UNHOLY: How White Christian Nationalists Powered the Trump Presidency, And the Devastating Legacy They Left Behind, get her latest commentary on MSNBC, and follow her on sarahposner.com.
Mentioned in this episode:
Mike Johnson’s Christian nationalist track record isn’t a mystery — it’s a tragedy by Sarah Posner on MSNBC
Mike Johnson, theocrat: the House speaker and a plot against America by Marci A. Hamilton in The Guardian
White Christian Nationalism, Now with a Gavel in a Tailored Suit by Robert P. Jones
How to help the show? Rate and review wherever you get your podcasts; share with your friends! Get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky. Plus! Sam just joined TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
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:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Related episodes:
The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War with Jeff Sharlet
The Insurrectionist House of Representatives with Thomas Zimmer
The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism --And What Comes Next with Bradley Onishi
Sam talks with Mark Tinkleman, co-producer of the podcast, about the genocide in Gaza and the dangerous unity between imperialist “democracy” and fascism, plus what’s happening in the House of Representatives and more. Views expressed in this episode are the opinions of Sam and Mark themselves. Follow Mark on Instagram at @marknoodler.
Recommended Signs of Hope
If Not Now
American Jews organizing our community to end U.S. support for Israel's apartheid system and demand equality, justice, and a thriving future for all.
Join the protest in DC on Wednesday October 25 calling for a ceasefire or find an event near you:
https://www.ifnotnowmovement.org/upcoming-events
On Wednesday afternoon, thousands of American Jews and allies showed up to Capitol Hill to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israeli genocide of Palestinians.
Hyerpallergic: Art Organizations Around the World Go on Strike in Support of Gaza
Artists, galleries, and museums are closing their doors to demand a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israeli strikes have killed upwards of 4,200 Palestinian people.
Open letter to President Biden: we call for a ceasefire now
from Judith Butler, Masha Gessen, Rachel Kushner, Ben Lerner, V (formerly Eve Ensler) and others
Artists Call for Ceasefire Now
from Dua Lipa, James Schamus, Mark Ruffalo, Quinta Brunson, Rosario Dawson, Shailene Woodley and many others
An Open Letter From the Art Community to Cultural Organizations
Bassem Youssef on Piers Morgan's Show
History and Analysis
When the Devil Is Your Own: The horrifying continuity between 9/11 and 10/7
by Sarah Kendzior
Revcom.us on the history of Palestine in Israel and imperialism
The RNL — Revolution, Nothing Less! — Show episode 169:
No to Israel/U.S.! No to Hamas! Humanity Needs Revolution & the New Communism!
US right heats up inflammatory rhetoric on Palestine as Muslim groups worry
Professor Ilan Pappé: Israel Has Chosen to be a “Racist Apartheid State” with U.S. Support
As Gaza war rages, West Bank faces violent collective punishment
Gaza’s Last Stand? The Dangers of a Second Nakba
by Jamie Stern-Weiner
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No show next week - we'll be back November 5.
How to help the show? Rate and review wherever you get your podcasts; share with your friends! Get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky. Plus! Sam just joined TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
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:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Sam talks with Dahlia Lithwick about how the SCOTUS and this term fit into the growing fascist threat and the stakes of the cases they will potentially be hearing and deciding this year. Dahlia Lithwick writes about the courts and the law for Slate and hosts the podcast Amicus. She is the author of Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America.
Mentioned in this episode:
A Monumental SCOTUS Term Begins: Our Reluctant Curtain-Raiser
This Supreme Court Term’s Grimmest Cases Share One Thing in Common
5-4 Podcast 2023-2024 Term Preview with Chris Geidner
ProPublica: We Don’t Talk About Leonard Podcast
Related Episodes:
The Court is Wrong; Colorblindness Serving White Supremacy
SCOTUS Openly Advances Fascism
SCOTUS, The Shadow Docket, and The Fascist Assault on the Environment
How to help the show? Rate and review wherever you get your podcasts; share with your friends! Get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky.
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:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Sam talks with writer and historian Paul Street (also on the RefuseFascism.org Editorial Board) about recent events including the fascist attempts to shut down the government, the ouster of Kevin McCarthy from the Speaker of the House, and the increasingly violent threats and promises of vengeance from current frontline candidate for president and as-yet unconvicted coup plotter Donald Trump. Follow Paul on his Substack and read his latest article, Nether the Fascist Trump Nor Imperialist Biden
Mentioned in this episode:
America needs to talk about the right’s ‘Red Caesar’ plan for U.S. dictatorship by Will Bunch
Trump’s Bloody Campaign Promises by David Remnick
Related episodes:
Fascism In America: Past and Present
Trump Indicted and Media Complicity in the Rise of Fascism
The Fantasy of the Reasonable Republican
How to help the show? Rate and review wherever you get your podcasts; share with your friends! Get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky.
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:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Sam talks with Roxy Szal, Austin-based feminist writer and Digital Editor of Ms. Magazine about the state of emergency for abortion access in many parts of the U.S. and much more. For more from Roxy and Ms Magazine visit https://msmagazine.com/ and listen to the On The Issues podcast hosted by Michelle Godwin here. Check out the Fifty Years of Ms. book here.
Plus commentary from Coco Das (@Coco_Das) about GOP front-runner Donald Trump's attacks on the U.S. military, a basis for optimism for the future, and more.
How to help the show? Rate and review wherever you get your podcasts; share with your friends! Get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky.
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:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Sam talks with Gavriel D. Rosenfeld and Janet Ward, the two editors of a new book titled Fascism in America. Gavriel D. Rosenfeld is President of the Center for Jewish History and Professor of History at Fairfield University. He is the author or editor of eight books on the Nazi era, including The Fourth Reich: The Specter of Nazism since World War II (2019) and Hi Hitler! How the Nazi Past Is Being Normalized in Contemporary Culture (2014). Janet Ward is an American Council on Education Fellow at Yale University, and Brammer Presidential Professor of History and Faculty Fellow for Strategic Initiatives (DFCAS) at the University of Oklahoma. Past President of the German Studies Association, she is the author or co-editor of seven books, including Post-Wall Berlin: Borders, Space and Identity (2014) and the forthcoming Sites of Holocaust Memory. Find Dr. Rosenfeld on Twitter at @gavrieldrosenfe. His website is https://www.gavrielrosenfeld.com/
Federico Finchelstein, author of From Fascism to Populism in History, writes "This book is an essential contribution to debates on the history of fascism in the US and its relationship to the present. It is a must read for all those interested in the issues facing democracy today."
Mentioned in this episode:
Fighting Fascism: A Symposium on Jewish Responses From the Interwar Period to the Present Day
How to help the show? Rate and review wherever you get your podcasts; share with your friends! Get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky.
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:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Sam talks with Keyanna Michelle Jones, an organizer with Community Movement Builders. They discuss the ominous and illegitimate RICO indictments "Cop City" opponents face and the fascist assault on the right to protest there. Follow her at @kmichelle_atl and learn more about Community Movement Builders here: https://communitymovementbuilders.org.
Note this episode was recorded on September 12. On Sunday September 17 Stacey Abrams said that she thinks Cop City should be put up for a referendum vote after the mayor put her on the spot, saying that he consulted with her before trying to obstruct the vote.
Mentioned in this episode:
Atlanta Solidarity Fund https://atlsolidarity.org
Block Cop City mass nonviolent direct action Nov 10-13 in Atlanta:
Previous episode about the uprising in Iran: Women, Life, Freedom
For more background on this topic:
Atlanta Community Press Collective: Georgia Attorney General brings RICO indictments against 61 activists
The Nation: How Georgia Indicted a Movement
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/cop-city-indictment-atlanta/
Revolution: RICO Indictment Against Cop City Protesters:
An Ominous and Illegitimate Fascist Assault on Legitimate and Righteous Protest
How to help the show? Rate and review wherever you get your podcasts; share with your friends! Get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky.
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:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Sam talks with Will Carless, national correspondent for USA Today on extremism, about his recent investigation: The military ordered big steps to stop extremism. Two years later, it shows no results. Follow him on Twitter @WillCarless and read his work at USA Today.
Mentioned in the episode:
Georgia Attorney General brings RICO indictments against 61 activists
RICO indictments for 61 people alleged to be part of the Stop Cop City Movement
Proud Boys Didn't Just Crash An Election. They Upended The Next One Too.
Trump plans to become a dictator — denial will not save you
Related Episodes:
Proud Boys and a New Era of American Fascism
The Flag and the Cross and the Little Blue Bird
How to help the show? Rate and review wherever you get your podcasts; share with your friends! Get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky.
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:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Sam talks with Dr. Marvin Dunn, historian and activist with The Miami Center for Racial Justice about their educational tours of Florida covering sites of lynchings and other oppression (prime example: Rosewood) — the knowledge of which is being suppressed by the Desantis fascist offensive against public education. Learn more, get involved and support Teach the Truth projects at https://miamicenterforracialjustice.org/. Follow Dr. Dunn on the site formerly known as Twitter @MarvinDunn4.
Mentioned in this episode:
It's Not Just Florida: Four New 'Don't Say Gay' Laws Passed in 2023
Check out this call to protest!
Oppose the lynch-mob celebrating Jason Aldean concert in Tinley Park, IL (suburb of Chicago) on Saturday Sept 9. Learn more from Revolution Club Chicago (revclub.chi on Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cwni9h_J1WZ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Related Episodes:
The GOP Embrace of Fascist "Moms for Liberty"
The Fascist State of Florida and Student Resistance
Foundation 451: Defying DeSantis' Book Bans
The Nazification of American Education
Refuse Fascism is more than a podcast! You can get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky.
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:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Sam talks with Mike Rothschild, author of the forthcoming book Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories (preorder now!).
From Terry Matalas:
"Like Mike Rothschild’s incredible deconstruction of QAnon in The Storm Is Upon Us, Jewish Space Lasers takes a thoroughly engrossing deep dive into the absurd conspiracy theories surrounding Judaism’s ‘royal family.’ It unpacks that age-old stereotype ‘the Jews control everything’ and brilliantly examines the mysterious dynasty credited for being at the center of it all. It’s a globe-trotting breakdown of antisemitism throughout history to the very chilling moment we are in now. Absorbing, entertaining, and exhaustively researched—a must-read.”
Find out more about the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/733925/jewish-space-lasers-by-mike-rothschild/
Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rothschildmd
Plus: commentary on the fascist murders that took place this month from coast to coast, the GOP debate, Trump’s arraignment in the Georgia case & more!
Mentioned in this episode:
Beyond Wishful Thinking and Wrong Conviction by Paul Street
https://paulstreet.substack.com/p/beyond-wishful-thinking-and-wrong
Related episodes:
Mia Bloom: Inside the Mind of Qanon
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5zY6UO57M6CtU6hIOVYACg
Fascist Lies with Federico Finchelstein
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6ELkgDtqzhqzbyagTtjKKw
Teddy Wilson: Fascist Violence Accelerated
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2BjVPdGlluT7zeBuHwLsQG
Carol Anderson: White Supremacy & the Second Amendment
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4YFYpNanTHgCwPQS9Bpx6p
Refuse Fascism is more than a podcast! You can get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads and Mastodon.
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:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
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