Sam talks with three experts on widespread local fascist organizing around the country including the so-called Constitutional Sheriffs movement, the embrace by local governments of right wing militias and fascist efforts to modify the constitution itself. Devin Burghart (@dburghart) is the Executive Director, at the Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights . Carolyn Gallaher is a professor at American University. She has written about rightwing paramilitaries in the U.S. and Northe...
Apr 21, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 5Ep. 15
Sam talks with Merle Hoffman, long-time abortion rights activist and founder of one of the largest abortion clinics in the country, who has just written a memoir chronicling her decades of experience fighting for abortion rights. Get the book here: Choices: A Post Roe Abortion Rights Manifesto merlehoffman.com and choicesmedical.com or on Twitter: @MerleHoffman. For those looking for abortion care visit abortionfinder.org and prochoice.org For funding abortion agencies nationally visit abortionf...
Apr 14, 2024•52 min•Season 5Ep. 14
Sam welcomes back onto the show Anthony DiMaggio and Henry Giroux to discuss their latest book Fascism on Trial: Education and the Possibility of Democracy. Dr. Henry A. Giroux is a renowned educator and author of multiple books on fascism and pedagogy. He holds the Chair for Scholarship in the Public Interest in English and Cultural Studies at McMaster University, Canada. Follow Dr. Giroux on Twitter at @HenryGiroux and visit his website at henryagiroux.com . Dr. Anthony R. DiMaggio is a Profes...
Mar 31, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 13
Sam speaks to the Supreme Court facilitating the further erosion of civil rights & foreboding upcoming elections outside of the U.S. Then, frequent guest and guest host of the show, Coco Das shares reflections on SB4 (Texas' "Show Me Your Papers" law) and talks with award-winning Turkish writer and political thinker Ece Temelkuran discussing her essay in Prospect Magazine, Fascism isn’t just a German problem . Follow Ece on Twitter @ETemelkuran. She'll be speaking at Ways Forward in a Divide...
Mar 24, 2024•35 min•Season 5Ep. 12
Sam comments on the downward spiral of the legal cases against Trump and the further consolidation of the RNC and “conservative movement” around MAGA fascism. Then, we share two interviews with people who have been actively resisting the escalating genocide in Gaza. First, a conversation with Dr. Nicole Erin Morse, Associate Professor of Media Studies and former Director of the Center for Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies at Florida Atlantic University. They are a scholar of queer and trans ...
Mar 17, 2024•1 hr•Season 5Ep. 11
Sam talks with historian Rick Perlstein, author of multiple books about the US conservative movement including Nixonland , about his latest work on the contemporary era and the nexus between the fascists, the media, and the Democratic Party; what he calls "the infernal triangle." Subscribe to his newsletter at prospect.org and follow him on Twitter at @rickperlstein . Then, Sam talks to journalist Jennifer Cohn about the full Christian Nationalist theocratic program. Follow her on Twitter at @je...
Mar 11, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Sam comments on SCOTUS hearing Trump's presidential immunity claim and Trump and Biden visits to the Texas-Mexico border. Then, she talks with Dr. Clarence Lusane to discuss the catastrophe for humanity of a second Trump presidency & lessons from the international rise of fascism. Dr. Lusane is a professor and Director of the International Affairs program at Howard University. He is an independent expert to the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance. His latest book is Twenty Dol...
Mar 03, 2024•58 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Sam talks with Dr. Lee McIntyre, philosopher and author of numerous books including How to Talk to A Science Denier and his latest, On Disinformation : "Drawing on his twenty years of experience as a scholar of science denial, McIntyre explains how autocrats wield disinformation to manipulate a populace and deny obvious realities, why the best way to combat disinformation is to disrupt its spread, and most importantly, how we can win the war on truth." Follow his work at leemcintyrebooks.com and...
Feb 26, 2024•58 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Sam speaks to developments in Trump's trials, the "pendulum swing" of political power, Gaza and the 2024 election, and more. Then, she talks with Jared Holt, Senior Research Analyst with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue . His writing can be found in various outlets including: The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Columbia Journalism Review, HuffPost and GEN Magazine and his Substack is postthroughit.substack.com . Read his recent piece Election 2024: A rematch for the fate of US democracy Me...
Feb 19, 2024•48 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Sam talks with historian, activist and RefuseFascism.org editorial board member Paul Street about the coming year and his take on all the wild things happening as well as to come. Follow Paul's work on Substack at paulstreet.substack.com . Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky. Plus! Sam recently joined TikTok, check out ...
Feb 11, 2024•48 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Sam talks with Dr. Manisha Sinha, historian of the US Civil War and Reconstruction and one of 25 historians who signed onto the amicus brief supporting Colorado's decision to remove Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot according to the 14th amendment (which bars insurrectionists from public office). Read the brief here: https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-719/298895/20240126151819211_23-719%20Brief.pdf Learn more about Dr. Sinha's work at manishasinha.com and read her book, Th...
Feb 05, 2024•49 min•Season 5Ep. 5
It's been quite the week! Sam recaps some of the stories we're watching most closely: the Texas + other fascist controlled states v. federal government confrontation in the wake of a SCOTUS decision the fascists actually don't like (shockingly, Roberts and Coney Barrett agreed that the federal government has the authority to remove the murder wire that the state of Texas is strewing all over the border and in the Rio Grande), the latest on Trump's legal troubles (which, spoiler alert: do not por...
Jan 29, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 5Ep. 4
We want to hear from listeners! What are some of your most urgent questions keeping you up at night as 2024 begins? Let us know via this survey: https://bit.ly/rf-pod-survey On this episode, we share Jessica Valenti’s testimony before Senate Democrats on the state of abortion rights ahead of the Roe v. Wade anniversary. Sam provides commentary highlighting the Supreme Court's efforts to expand their power & destroy the "administrative state" (aka upend functioning federal government), Trump...
Jan 21, 2024•59 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Sam talks with Faisal Al-Juburi from RAICES Texas to get an update on what has changed (and what hasn't) for our siblings seeking refuge as of January 2024 at the deadly US border. Follow their work and get involved at https://www.raicestexas.org/ . We want to hear from listeners! What are some of your most urgent questions keeping you up at night as 2024 begins? Let us know via this survey: https://bit.ly/rf-pod-survey Related listening: Fascist “Operation Lone Star” + Trump Indictment Mentione...
Jan 14, 2024•47 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Paul Street, member of the RefuseFascism.org Editorial Board shares reflections on January 6, three years later. Read his reflections: On January 6 Three Years Later: T he Trump Republi-Fascist Menace is Alive and Well . Subscribe to the Paul Street Report to read and hear more from Paul. Then, Sam talks with Ian Millhiser, senior correspondent at Vox, about just some of the Trump trials, some attempts for accountability through the legal system and Trump's strategy to dodge it. He is the author...
Jan 07, 2024•55 min•Season 5Ep. 1
As we close out 2023 and head into 2024 many of us are feeling a sense of deja vu - but with higher stakes. Take a trip through the events of 2023 with an eye to the future with some guests from this past year. THANK YOU to all the patrons and supporters who help make this show possible in 2023. Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky....
Dec 31, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Season 4Ep. 42
As we close out the year and look towards 2024, members of the RefuseFascism.org Editorial Board answer questions submitted by supporters of the pod. You can become one of those supporters at patreon.com/refusefascism . Follow Coco Das at @Coco_Das , Paul Street at paulstreet.substack.com and Sam at @SamBGoldman on Twitter or @samgoldmanrf on TikTok. Mentioned in the Episode: The Supreme Court Just Took on Abortion Again. It Won’t End Well. Jason Stanle...
Dec 17, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 41
Sam talks with scholar Matthew D. Taylor about House Speaker Mike Johnson and the significance and danger exemplified in Johnson's ascent to power. Taylor documents Johnson's links to leading voices in the Christian Charismatic movement (which were early adopters of the Trump cult, and unlike mainstream Evangelical leaders, have never split in their support for Trump). This movement also played a key role in mobilizing for the Jan 6 coup and continue to support Trump's quest for power in 2024. W...
Dec 10, 2023•46 min•Season 4Ep. 40
Sam talks with Dr. Susan Neiman, Director of the Einstein Forum in Germany about the US-backed war Israel is waging against Gaza. Her latest book is Left Is Not Woke . Her first work of fiction, Nine Stories: A Berlin Novel , will be published in 2024. She has written two recent thought provoking essays for the The New York Review of Books : Historical Reckoning Gone Haywire Germans’ efforts to confront their country's criminal history and to root out antisemitism have shifted from vigilance to ...
Dec 04, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 39
Sam talks with Wendy Via, Co-Founder and President at The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, about their analysis of the publicly announced plan for "day one" of the next presidential administration (presumably headed by leading Republifascist candidate Donald Trump). Their report The Far-Right Playbook for American Authoritarianism: Project 2023 states in part, "Their aims include “bringing together conservative allies with a common goal: to take back our country from the radical Left b...
Nov 20, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 38
Sam talks with Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read Program Director at PEN America. Their new report America's Censored Classrooms 2023 states, "Over the past three years, state legislators have launched an onslaught of educational gag orders—state legislative and policy efforts to restrict teaching about topics such as race, gender, American history, and LGBTQ+ identities in educational settings." For more, visit pen.org . Also see: Banned in the USA: The Mounting Pressure to Censor and Educational I...
Nov 13, 2023•46 min•Season 4Ep. 37
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 Le...
Nov 05, 2023•46 min•Season 4Ep. 36
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...
Oct 22, 2023•34 min•Season 4Ep. 35
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 Co...
Oct 15, 2023•52 min•Season 4Ep. 34
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 ...
Oct 08, 2023•48 min•Season 4Ep. 33
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 ...
Oct 01, 2023•50 min•Season 4Ep. 32
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...
Sep 24, 2023•41 min•Season 4Ep. 31
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 vo...
Sep 17, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 30
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 T...
Sep 10, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 29
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 . Mentio...
Sep 03, 2023•36 min•Season 4Ep. 28
