Gaslit Nation
415 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 days ago - ★★★★★ - 3.7K ratingsGaslit Nation provides a deep dive on the news, skipping outrage to deliver analysis, history, context, and sharp insight on global affairs. Hosted by journalist and filmmaker Andrea Chalupa, an expert on authoritarian states who warned America about Russia and election hacking before the 2016 election.
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Episodes
The Sociopath Network
October 06, 2021 03:11 - 51 minutes - 117 MBThe US government may have avoided a shutdown, but Facebook did not! On Monday everyone’s least favorite data-mining, genocide-abetting tech behemoth had the longest shutdown in its history, less than a day after an explosive interview with a Facebook whistleblower aired on “60 Minutes.” We speculate on what Zuckerberg and his dirty partners were doing in their offline interim period and discuss what should be done about this mass surveillance and propaganda system posing as a social media s...
Morally AND Literally Bankrupt!
September 29, 2021 03:11 - 57 minutes - 132 MBThe government may be shutting down – again! Thanks to fatuous GOP concern about the debt ceiling, the government may be shutting down and the Treasury may be out of money by October 18. This is part of a long and destructive pattern.
Parliamentarian Fu*kadelic
September 22, 2021 02:10 - 1 hour - 151 MBToday we examine the most powerful person in the United States -- Elizabeth MacDonough! Who, you might ask? Why, the Senate Parliamentarian, of course! You know, that person who you stood outside for hours in line in a plague waiting to vote for, the person whose policies you studied and advocated and critiqued…oh wait, that’s Joe Biden, the helpless inhabitant of the White House! Once again, the Biden administration agenda is being held up by the thumbs down recommendation of the Parliament...
Quid Pro Joe
September 15, 2021 02:10 - 58 minutes - 134 MBRemember back in April when we described Joe Manchin as a “an enigma wrapped in a riddle wrapped in a lot of money”? Well, the Dem’s most annoying kleptocrat obstructionist isn’t so mysterious anymore! We discuss who’s funding him and why, the illicit and evil business activity in which his daughter is engaged, the attempt to buy off his wife with a government position, and his cavalier attitude toward the destruction of US democracy, infrastructure, and voting rights.
FURY
September 08, 2021 03:11 - 53 minutes - 122 MBThis week’s episode is devoted to the Texas state attack on reproductive rights and civil rights and its ramifications – not just for Texans, but for all Americans. This authoritarian attack codifies violent vigilantism, will inspire baseless reporting of citizens for political reasons, cultivates an atmosphere of vengeance and paranoia, and is backed by a Supreme Court packed with multiple corrupt justices installed by a career criminal Kremlin asset president. The Texas attack on reproduct...
The Chance for Peace
September 01, 2021 03:11 - 58 minutes - 134 MBOn August 31, the War in Afghanistan – a war that has been going on for nearly our entire adult lives – came to an end, at least officially. We discuss the ramifications of twenty years of war and how different political entities worldwide are exploiting the situation. We situate Afghanistan in the history of other quagmire wars – Vietnam, Iraq – and revising Eisenhower’s 1953 speech on the military-industrial complex, “A Chance for Peace”, a prescient warning which would today be reviled as...
Merkel Betrays Navalny, the Congress Steps Up, and More!
August 25, 2021 03:10 - 1 hour - 142 MBThis week we discuss Angela Merkel’s recent trips to Russia and Ukraine while getting played by Putin and his merry band of Western blood money lobbyists, finally some hope in the Congress for democracy-saving legislation (it's going to be a make-it-or-break-it fall!), and the latest with the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the US evacuation. We detail why we need a comprehensive investigation of the entire twenty years of war instead of letting Republicans politicize the humanitarian cr...
Hold Onto Your Humanity
August 18, 2021 03:00 - 1 hour - 157 MBWe break down myths about “the unvaccinated” vs the anti-vaxxer propagandists and discuss the institutional distrust that have made a diverse crowd of Americans hesitant about the vaccine. We go through twenty years of horrific policy decisions that enabled a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan, wasted trillions of tax dollars, and led to war crimes and tens of thousands of Afghan civilian casualties. And we end with hopeful words from our December 2019 interview with Congresswoman Barba...
Run for Something: The Amanda Litman Interview
August 11, 2021 02:11 - 53 minutes - 123 MBThe corruption in our broken and abusive systems won't change until we change them ourselves. That's why we need you -- yes, you -- to serioiusly consider running for something. Don't know where to start? Meet Amanda Litman, author of the essential roadmap to running for office Run For Something: A Real-Talk Guide to Fixing the System Yourself, a book that will hold your hand and help you through the entire process.
Red Notice: The Full Bill Browder Interview
July 21, 2021 02:11 - 55 minutes - 128 MBIn this eye-opening discussion to kick off the Gaslit Nation Summer Reading Series: Essential Conversations with Leading Experts on How to Protect Our Democracy, running mid-July to mid-August, Bill Browder discusses the ongoing threat of Putin’s aggression and what to do about it. We ran an excerpt of our interview with Browder in May. This is the full interview.
Prince of Darkness
July 14, 2021 12:14 - 52 minutes - 120 MBAfter examining the latest voter suppression situation in the United States, we do a deep dive into mercenary Erik Prince. After committing war crimes in Iraq, this Blackwater founder has been building up his "blood money" business, including teaming up with Russia and Gulf States to make dirty deals involving the 2016 election and now attempting to build a private army in Ukraine.
The United States of Exxon
July 07, 2021 03:21 - 53 minutes - 122 MBWelcome to a Gaslit Nation blazing with the fury of an ocean oil spill fire! In today’s episode, we discuss the corrupt politicians selling what’s left of our country’s soul and sovereignty to Exxon, the complicit officials who refuse to tackle the mafia state apparatus that makes the aforementioned collaboration possible, and who exactly stands to benefit from the melting of the Arctic and other disastrous effects of climate change.
Why Are the Democrats Keeping Louis DeJoy?
June 30, 2021 02:42 - 1 hour - 148 MBOf the many mysteries surrounding the failure of the Democrats to enforce accountability, none is more confounding than the continued tenure of mail-destroyer and 2020 attempted election saboteur Louis DeJoy. DeJoy launched his USPS crime spree under Trump and remains postmaster-general under Biden, despite Biden rearranging the USPS Board of Governors so that they could finally fire him. But there remains an obstacle on the board, and his name is Ron Bloom, and unsurprisingly he is yet anot...
Voter Suppression Emergency: The Ari Berman Interview
June 23, 2021 02:11 - 55 minutes - 126 MBAri Berman, senior reporter for Mother Jones, closely documents the voter suppression emergency fueled by dark money as Republicans pass state laws based on the Big Lie. This is legal warfare to hijack our democracy and help ensure the next Trump steals the election and stays in power. We must all listen to Stacey Abrams and call our Senators to demand they support the For the People Act. Make sure to call your Senator today, and every week, until the For the People Act is passed.
Stop Trying to Make the Russian Reset Happen
June 16, 2021 03:00 - 57 minutes - 132 MBThis week we take a look at Joe Biden’s world tour which culminates in the long-dreaded “summit” with mass-murdering dictator Vladimir Putin. For our instant take on that, please join us on Patreon; we’ll be giving our analysis on Wednesday after the summit occurs!
Red State Resistance: The Lindsey Simmons Interview
June 11, 2021 15:52 - 56 minutes - 77.4 MBWelcome to the “red state” resistance! This week Sarah interviews fellow Missourian Lindsey Simmons, a former Democratic nominee for Missouri’s gerrymandered 4th congressional district and an excellent analyst of Missouri as the bellwether of national decline.
Merrick Garland's Eyes Wide Shut
June 09, 2021 02:40 - 55 minutes - 126 MBGuess what everybody? It’s still a transnational crime syndicate masquerading as a government! This week we discuss the unprosecuted crimes of the Trump admin and the man who is protecting the criminals, Merrick Garland! We give a rundown of other terrible decisions Garland has made, delve into his background, and discuss how the DOJ itself is a corrupt and broken institution full of Trump lackeys and arrogant institutionalists who refuse to protect the American people from real threats.
GOP to America: “You Don’t Live in a Democracy”
June 02, 2021 03:30 - 1 hour - 146 MBWelcome back to another newscast of the apocalypse – maybe literally! This week we discuss the multitude of fanatics and kleptocrats descending upon Israel from the US as Rapture fiend Mike Pompeo appears to do dirty deals with the Mossad, and seditionists Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham arrive to rally around soon-to-be replaced (maybe?) prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We praise the brave Texas House Democrats who staged a walk-out to prevent a voter suppression measure from passing, and won...
Putin’s Number One Enemy: The Bill Browder Interview (Preview)
May 27, 2021 16:13 - 30 minutes - 70.8 MBIn this eye-opening discussion, a preview of the Gaslit Nation Summer Reading Series: Essential Conversations with Leading Experts on How to Protect Our Democracy, running mid-July to mid-August, Bill Browder discusses the ongoing threat of Putin’s aggression and what to do about it.
If You Listen to Fools, The Mob Rules!
May 26, 2021 02:11 - 53 minutes - 123 MBIt’s a fiery week at Gaslit Nation as we have had it with the excuses, lies, and cowardice that is preventing our country from receiving the justice and protection it deserves. We discuss the utter failure of the Democrats, the FBI, and others to investigate the attempted coup – over four months after the Capitol attack! – or to hold seditious Republicans accountable. Remember: if you listen to fools, the mob rules!
Indicted Criminal Netanyahu Starts a War to Cling to Power
May 19, 2021 03:47 - 59 minutes - 137 MBWe review the wag-the-dog war launched by Netanyahu, including attacks on Palestinians at Al Aqsa, violence in ethnically mixed cities in Israel, the Israeli military’s attack on the building holding the Associated Press and Al Jazeera, and the killing of over 200 Palestinians including over 60 children, and the plight of Palestinians trapped in Gaza without resources or anywhere to hide from Israeli military violence. These are war crimes, and the United States government is funding them.
Where Do We Go From Here?: The Isikoff and Klaidman Interview
May 12, 2021 03:11 - 58 minutes - 134 MBMichael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman of Yahoo's Skullduggery Podcast join Gaslit Nation. Isikoff is the author of Uncovering Clinton; Hubris, about the selling of the Iraq War; and Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump, which features Andrea's sister Alexandra Chalupa, the DNC consultant who warned of the Kremlin attack. Klaidman is editor-in-chief of Yahoo News and the author of Kill or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of the Oba...
Save Baby Dima: A Story of Hope from Ukraine
May 07, 2021 17:32 - 29 minutes - 26.2 MBAs Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visits Ukraine, showing American support as Putin continues to ramp up aggression, including 80,000 troops still on the border, we highlight a story of hope from Ukraine. Civic leader Olya Yarychkivska shares what keeps Ukrainian civil society going, how Putin leverages war to hold onto power in Russia, and the inspiring story of unity among Ukrainian activists as they rally together to save baby Dima, the child of one of the country's leading reformers.
Giuliani and The Unholy Trinity
May 05, 2021 03:31 - 50 minutes - 116 MBWe begin the episode by discussing the attempt of Kremlin-linked oligarchs to intimidate Catherine Belton, the author of the critically acclaimed book Putin’s People, into silence through excessive litigation. We delve into the backgrounds of the shady billionaires persecuting her and talk about the broader ramifications of the world’s mafia goliaths stomping on lone journalists who are attempting to expose corruption.
GOP Death Wish
April 28, 2021 03:06 - 58 minutes - 135 MBWe cover the admission by the Department of Homeland Security that there are violent extremists within their ranks, and the new loose gun laws that may be put into effect by the Supreme Court, fulfilling the GOP’s fantasy of transforming the country into a “Death Wish” remake. We then take on Tucker Carlson, his presidential prospects and sick desire to have children stolen from their parents. And we condemn Oklahoma’s new law legalizing murdering protesters by running them down on the road.
Gaslit Nation Self-Care Challenge
April 21, 2021 02:25 - 7 minutes - 16.1 MBSarah is sick so we’re using this week for spring cleaning and self-care. There will be a bonus episode for Patreon supporters at the Truth-teller level and higher later this week so look out for that! Since there’s no public episode, we urge you to watch "Putin's Palace", the documentary by the team of Alexey Navalny, the Russian opposition leader Putin is slowly murdering before the world. You can find the link here or pinned to our Twitter @gaslitnation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip...
Joe Manchin Gaslights America
April 14, 2021 03:11 - 1 hour - 145 MBThis week we take on the new mascot of obstructionism and excuse for legislative inaction -- Joe Manchin! This human barrier to democracy has not received the level of investigation he deserves, so we dove in. We discuss his recommendation that everyone be nice to the seditious Capitol attackers and not upset them with something scary like voting rights, his seemingly self-destructive opposition to the filibuster, and his bizarre voting history and policy proposals, particularly regarding th...
The Middle East Crisis Factory: The Iyad El-Baghdadi Interview
April 07, 2021 03:11 - 1 hour - 147 MBGaslit Nation welcomes a special guest whose incredible life story captures the complex, often misunderstood region of the Middle East, the topic of this week’s discussion. Iyad el-Baghdadi, whom some of you may know from his must-read Twitter account, is a Palestinian activist, writer, and the co-author, with Ahmed Gatnash, of the compelling and important new book The Middle East Crisis Factory: Tyranny, Resilience and Resistance.
Sleeper Cells
March 31, 2021 03:11 - 57 minutes - 130 MBWe describe the uneasy interim period of the early Biden era and what’s to come when the covid crisis ends – and predict that it’s going to look a lot like what happened after the end of the 1918 Spanish Flu: white mob violence, anti-immigrant movements, economic turmoil, rising fascism, and the consolidation of dictator personality cults. Day to day life is slowly improving under the Biden administration, but the US remains as vulnerable to autocracy as before – unless certain policy decisi...
The Siege Revisited: The Rep. Gwen Moore Interview
March 24, 2021 03:11 - 55 minutes - 127 MBThis week Gaslit Nation welcomes Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin) who gives us an inside view on the Capitol attack, what steps need to be taken to hold the perpetrators accountable, how the Biden administration can ensure a more just and fair United States, and much more!
Electoral Autocracy: The Ruth Ben-Ghiat Interview
March 17, 2021 03:11 - 1 hour - 163 MBHistorian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present, explains all the ways Trump and Republican leaders rely on the dictator's playbook to weaken our democracy and consolidate power. A Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, she provides chilling insights into Mussolini, Berlusconi, Trump, and other strongmen that ruled through destructive cults of personlity. This is a discussion not to miss.
Why Does the GOP Vote to Hurt Their Own Base?
March 10, 2021 04:16 - 1 hour - 175 MBWow, something good happened! This week on Gaslit Nation we give credit to (and criticism of!) the American Rescue Plan Act, which begins the process of digging this country out of the giant hellhole we’ve been plunging into for several decades. The stimulus plan, despite being littered with broken promises, nonetheless will make a tangible difference in the lives of many suffering Americans, which is of course why no Republicans voted for it.
Kill the Filibuster: The Adam Jentleson Interview
March 03, 2021 02:40 - 53 minutes - 123 MBThe Democrats have taken the House, the Senate, and the Presidency – yet they are still claiming that they can’t pass the policies Americans desperately need. What’s stopping them? The filibuster – a weapon of white supremacy used by Southern states to block progress on civil rights. Sound familiar? In this interview, Adam Jentleson -- an expert on Senate procedure and the author of the book Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy -- explains what...
Texas Republican Massacre
February 24, 2021 03:36 - 1 hour - 157 MBThis year we've already had a plague, a violent insurrectionist attack, and an unrepentant mafioso president running free. Apparently that wasn’t enough so last week the U.S. got a once-in-a-century Texas storm (but sadly probably not once in *this* century) that turned into a humanitarian catastrophe. We discuss the GOP hostage state of Texas, Merrick Garland, Roger Stone's role in the violent attempted coup, why you shouldn't trust Cy Vance, the power of art and the grassroots, Taylo...
Where's Christopher Wray?
February 17, 2021 03:52 - 1 hour - 145 MBIn this episode, we tackle some of the remaining questions left over from the violent attack on the Capitol and the Senate hearings. Why were Trump’s elite criminal backers – in particular, Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon, Rudy Giuliani and Lin Wood – not mentioned in the hearings even though they served as a bridge between Trump and violent insurrectionist groups? Why is the FBI not giving the public regular updates on its investigation?
TRAITORS
February 10, 2021 03:33 - 1 hour - 143 MBIt’s Impeachment Week on Gaslit Nation – again! We are covering the (second) Senate impeachment trial of ex-president and eternal traitor Donald Trump both in this episode and in upcoming Patreon-only episodes during the week. If you haven’t signed up at the Truth-Teller level to get extra coverage, now is the time!
Fight for the Vulnerable: The Eliza Orlins Interview
February 03, 2021 04:11 - 45 minutes - 105 MBWe look forward to bringing you our coverage of the Second Trump Impeachment Trial which starts next week, including discussing the most vulnerable Republican Senators up for re-election in 2022. This week we highlight the urgent importance of fighting for the most vulnerable in our interview with New York City public defender Eliza Orlins, a staff attorney at The Legal Aid Society taking on Cy Vance for Manhattan District Attorney. Vance betrayed the American people and must go.
Investigations Now!
January 27, 2021 03:26 - 1 hour - 158 MBWelcome to the first Gaslit Nation episode held in the Biden eras! The Trump administration is no longer a transnational crime syndicate masquerading as a government – but unfortunately there is still a transnational crime syndicate at large. While it’s obviously a relief to no longer have a mafia White House, the hostile actors that helped a Kremlin asset to take executive power still remain, and we break down these ongoing threats in this episode.
Moral Courage
January 20, 2021 06:26 - 1 hour - 171 MBWelcome to the final Gaslit Nation episode recorded during the Trump administration! Wow, does that feel good to write. Unfortunately, the conclusion of the most treasonous and sadistic administration in US history is accompanied by a host of other threats which we describe throughout the episode, but take a moment. You voted out an autocrat who employed every mechanism of voter suppression at his disposal. He then enacted a violent coup. Americans have overcome incredible odds – a rare achi...
Clear Intent
January 13, 2021 06:31 - 2 hours - 297 MBThis two-hour special is the longest Gaslit Nation episode we have ever done, and the most serious. We break down the attack on the Capitol by domestic terrorists, showing how this was orchestrated at the highest levels of power and enabled by complicit actors in broken institutions. We lay out probable paths for the United States at this critical juncture, and discuss what we need to do to avoid the fate of the USSR, which is the model for Trump’s crime cult.
Traitors and Patriots
January 06, 2021 06:30 - 1 hour - 202 MBHappy New Year, everyone -- the hellscape of 2020 is finally over and we’ve got a whole new hellscape to explore! We take stock of Trump’s ongoing coup attempt and his recorded shakedown efforts against Georgia Republican officials, the prospect of violence as the GOP Sedition Caucus and the Proud Boys try to destroy democracy from within, the Trump admin’s plans to use Iran for a planned “national emergency” to illegally extend Trump’s power, the ongoing massive Russian cyberattack and much...
All the President’s Crimes: The Jennifer Taub Interview
December 30, 2020 04:11 - 57 minutes - 132 MBIn the second part of this interview with Jennifer Taub, the author of Big Dirty Money, we talk about the legal liability of Trump, Ivanka and Jared, Manafort, Stone, and other walking national security threats from the most corrupt administration of all time. We ask what advice she has for Biden and his administration, and what his new attorney general should do about all these dangerous actors running around with state secrets.
Big Dirty Money: The Jennifer Taub Interview
December 22, 2020 16:11 - 52 minutes - 120 MBIn the first of this two-part interview with Jennifer Taub, author of Big Dirty Money, she breaks down definitions – “dirty money”, “dark money”, “white-collar crime” – and fields questions about why no one in power is doing much to remedy these crises. Taub explains the devastating impact of white-collar crime on ordinary Americans, and discusses the Sacklers and other corporate criminals who have caused mass death.
Barr and Other Hacks
December 16, 2020 04:26 - 1 hour - 166 MBWe are halfway through the attempted coup – formerly known as the presidential transition process – and the United States has not completely collapsed (yet) so, yay? What a way to end 2020! We also discuss the vaccines and Biden’s electoral college win, so it’s not all bad news, we promise.
Donald Trump Is a Terrorist Attack on America
December 09, 2020 05:14 - 1 hour - 162 MBAs Trump continues to threaten public officials and attempt to overturn the election results, he puts at stake not only our nation’s political future, but the literal survival of its citizens. More Americans are projected to die from the Covid-19 pandemic than died during World War II. The majority of those deaths were preventable. Americans are not dying: they are being killed by the malice and failures of their own government.
The Purge, Accelerated
December 02, 2020 04:36 - 1 hour - 173 MBWelcome to attempted coup week four! Trump still refuses to concede and meanwhile he is gutting every department in sight. We discuss the new executive order that aims to fire 88% of civil servants and possibly replace them with Trump lackeys (or lead the positions unfilled altogether) and how this reflects the broader goal of Trump and the GOP to destroy the US government from within.
The Breitbart Senate
November 25, 2020 04:13 - 1 hour - 163 MBWe make the case yet again for all the criminal actors in the Trump camp to be held accountable. We demand thorough and transparent investigations of the crimes that have occurred and indictments where merited. Unity without justice is hollow. Important Note: Hang out with Gaslit Nation at a letter writing party for Georgia hosted by SwiftLeft on Wednesday December 2nd at 6pm. RSVP here: https://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/364425/
Actual Nazis
November 18, 2020 03:37 - 55 minutes - 127 MBWelcome to week two of the attempted Trump coup! As Trump refuses to concede, his cronies are using mafia tactics to attempt an illegal second term, including threatening secretaries of state and other officials with violence, pressuring bureaucrats to deny Biden’s win and thus prevent Americans from getting needed resources, entering drawn-out court battles designed to reach courts packed with Trump lackeys, and if all else fails, war with Iran!
Klown Kar Koup
November 11, 2020 04:56 - 1 hour - 75.6 MBWe have a winner, and it’s Joe Biden! And we have a coup, and it’s ongoing! We break down one of the most tumultuous weeks in US history, including Biden’s electoral college win and the nationwide celebrations that followed; the launch of the long-held plan of the Trump crime cult to stage a coup (which we warned about incessantly for four years only to be dismissed until it began to happen).
The Final Countdown
November 05, 2020 04:41 - 55 minutes - 126 MBOur long national nightmare is finally over – and a brand-new national nightmare has begun! We pick up where we left off after our Election Night Bonus Special, taped on Tuesday night when the initial results were scaring the shit out of us, and discuss the promising developments that had occurred by the time we recorded this episode Wednesday morning.