Gaslit Nation

As Trump declares a  highly illegal "war on drug cartels" to distract from the Epstein Files, let's turn instead to a much-needed source of inspiration: Harriet Tubman. Described by her first biographer and friend Sarah Hopkins Bradford as "clairvoyant," Tubman offers timeless lessons in resilience, strategy, and hope under brutal oppression. If you're looking for concrete ways to resist life unde...

Trump once said he wanted generals like the Nazis. Today, at his limp MAGA rally, he made his pitch. Photos show military leaders looking stunned, confused, and struggling not to laugh. His approval ratings are collapsing, especially in swing states, as he flails in an Epstein cover-up implicating Mike Johnson, who's blocking the swearing-in of Arizona's new Democratic representative–the vote that...

One Battle After Another isn't just a film: it's a manifesto. Paul Thomas Anderson's cinematic masterpiece–a three hour long adventure that flies by thanks to dark humor and insane action set pieces–reimagines Harriet Tubman's legacy in a near future, turning Trump's "bad hombre" slur into a rallying cry. It dives into the raw debates: violence versus resistance, the power of holding space inside...

What's worse than a conspiracy theory? When the actual conspiracy is even worse than the theory. Jeffrey Epstein carried out a kompromat operation for years, capturing American elite, unleashing a national security nightmare, and destroying the lives of children. In this special episode with Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman, we examine Epstein, Trump, and Russia–and the threats that still remain...

Listen, we heard Trump today at the U.N. talking crazy, but also saying Ukraine can get its territories back, and then some. As in, occupy Russia? We'll get into all that in this week's bonus show out later this week for our Patreon members. We'll also break down the crime cabal of Epstein, Trump, and Russia. More soon. For now, Happy New Year! 5786, to be precise. As Jewish families dip apples in...

A quick reminder to our community of supporters that the Zoom link for today's salon at 4pm ET was posted on Friday. You can find that here .  Wannabe Trump and eager student of Steve Bannon's dark arts, Jair Bolsonaro, was sentenced this month to 27 years in prison for inciting his supporters to violently overthrow democracy in Brazil. And where was Bolsonaro during the coup attempt? Florida, of...

A Gaslit Nation listener once asked me: What's the canary in the coal mine for American democracy? My answer: when they come for the comedians. Because when authoritarians kill the jokes, they kill the dissent. Look at Russia. In Putin's early years, Kukly, a wildly popular political satire by smack-talking puppets, mocked him mercilessly. One of his first moves? Force media consolidation. Suddenl...

This September marks eight years since Donald Trump cozied up to pariah dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt on the sidelines of the United Nations—a secret meeting that reportedly triggered a highly secretive Mueller investigation into whether Trump accepted a $10 million bribe from el-Sisi when his 2016 campaign was desperate for cash. Last summer, Gaslit Nation ran a special episode unpacking...

Charlie Kirk is dead—taken out by an extremely skilled sniper in deep-red Utah. The MAGA Nazi built an empire scapegoating Black people, trans folks, and women, and cheered on Trump's authoritarian destruction. Get ready for the martyrdom of this incel king and the coming retribution against democracy defenders. Let's look at what really happened. Back in July, Kirk had demanded transparency from...

America has always had a sadistic streak. From the very beginning, this so-called land of liberty was built on slavery and genocide. Yes, the Founding Fathers were less "philosopher kings" and more "sweaty men in wigs who owned human beings and thought democracy was something best kept away from women, the poor, and anyone who wasn't them." Fast-forward 250 years, and the far-right is still runnin...

What do theme parties, abortion rights, and feminist rebellion have in common? Historian Jennifer Wright unearths women who, in their own subtle and not so subtle ways, defied the patriarchy, mocking original incel Anthony Comstock whose 19th-century repressive tactics are being used today in the far-right's war on women.  In her dazzlingly researched books about Gilded Age legends like Mamie Fish...

Our opening clip was the 1989 trailer for  Roger & Me , the breakthrough Michael Moore documentary and a favorite of Erica Smiley, Executive Director of Jobs With Justice and one of the most powerful voices in today's labor movement. Smiley is reshaping how we think about power, not just at work, but across our democracy. She co-authored The Future We Need: Organizing for a Better Democracy in the...

The fight for democracy in America didn't begin, or end, at the ballot box. As labor organizer Erica Smiley, executive director of Jobs With Justice and co-author of The Future We Need: Organizing for a Better Democracy in the Twenty-First Century , reminds us, our democracy has always been "in training," a work in progress shaped as much by picket lines as polling places. "Unions are schools for...

"I have friends everywhere." In this special episode, we're joined by Tony Gilroy, the creative force behind the electrifying Star Wars series Andor. Critics and activists on the frontlines in America have praised Andor for its powerful portrayal of resistance, and with Season 2 up for 14 Emmy Awards, it's clear this is no ordinary space opera. Gilroy's vision grounds the story in centuries of his...

Hello Gaslit Nation listeners! This conversation was recorded before war criminal Putin and convicted felon Trump staged their grotesque spectacle on the blood-red carpet in Alaska. For our analysis of that hellscape—and what it means for Ukraine and democracy defenders everywhere—be sure to check out the recording of the August 18th salon, coming soon to Patreon.com/Gaslit. Thank you for listenin...

Our opening clip featured the poet June Jordan reciting her powerful piece A Menace to My Enemies. Jordan is a sheroe of this week's guest, the unstoppable Mona Eltahawy: journalist, feminist firebrand, and global truth-teller whose voice cuts through the noise like no one else. Mona is the author of Headscarves and Hymens , The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls , and her latest, Bloody Hel...

If you're still waiting for someone to save democracy, Mona Eltahawy has news for you: you are the one you've been waiting for. A fearless Egyptian-American journalist and author of The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls and her latest book Bloody Hell!: Adventures in Menopause From Around the World , Eltahawy is no stranger to authoritarianism. While covering Arab Spring protests in Cairo,...

Our show opens with Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, a favorite of philosopher Kate Manne, one of the sharpest minds dissecting power, privilege, and the politics of gender. Kate is a professor at Cornell University and the author of groundbreaking books like Down Girl , Entitled , and her latest, Unshrinking , which takes on fatphobia with the same fearless clarity she brings to misogyny and moral p...

Courage often starts with saying the obvious out loud, unapologetically. Philosopher and author Kate Manne brings that rare, dangerous clarity, taking on the everyday cruelties of structural misogyny and the moral contortions America performs to pretend everything's fine. Manne, author of Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny, Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women, and Unshrinking: How to Face Fat P...

Welcome to the opening discussion of this past week's thought-provoking salon on The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Though often labeled a children's book, The Little Prince, translated into over 500 languages and dialects, second only to the Bible, sparked a wide-ranging discussion that revealed its deeper, more political dimensions. In our discussion, Gaslit Nation listeners drew con...

We opened with the trailer from Andor, a series that's earned a top spot on the watch list of this week's guest: the fearless Erin Reed, a real-life member of the Rebel Alliance and one of the most essential journalists working today. Erin is the creator of Erin In The Morning , the go-to source for breaking news on LGBTQ+ rights, trans healthcare, and the rising tide of attacks on civil liberties...

In a world awash with disinformation and fear-based politics, what cuts through the noise isn't perfection; it's authenticity. As  Erin Reed , a trailblazing journalist and trans rights advocate, puts it: the most effective leaders and allies are the ones who show up with sincerity, values, and courage. Reed knows this from experience. Alongside her wife, Montana state legislator Zooey Zephyr, the...

We opened with "Papaoutai" by Belgian artist Stromae , a powerful performer who inspires this week's guest, Jamila Raqib. She once saw him live in an unforgettable setting: the ancient Roman ruins of Carthage, Tunisia. Jamila Raqib is a powerhouse for peace and democracy. As Executive Director of the Albert Einstein Institution, she has spent years training people across the globe in militant nonv...

They want us to believe that silence is strength. That if we keep our heads down, the storm will pass. But we are the storm. And our storm doesn't need fists. It needs strategy, courage, and the fire of militant nonviolence. In the latest episode of Gaslit Nation, Jamila Raqib, the executive director of the Albert Einstein Institution , delivers a masterclass in radical defiance without a single w...

We opened with the legendary James Baldwin, because this week, we're passing the mic to someone walking boldly in Baldwin's footsteps: Amber Wallin, Executive Director of the State Revenue Alliance and a fearless fighter for tax justice, equity, and economic power from the ground up. Whether she's calling out lawmakers, organizing communities, or reshaping policy, Amber is part of a new generation...