Episode description

How do we protect ourselves from a corrupt Supreme Court? How can the gerrymandering crisis be stopped? What were the Founding Fathers thinking? Can the American Experiment survive? 

Ari Berman of Mother Jones stops by Gaslit Nation to discuss his new book Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People―and the Fight to Resist It. Berman shares insights into the troubling compromises that made the U.S. Constitution, the Koch-funded far-right plan to turn America into a dictatorship, GOP laboratories of autocracy in swing states like Wisconsin, what an American dictatorship would look like, and how to avoid that fate this November and beyond.

This week's bonus show includes a look at the growing campus protests over Israel's genocide in Gaza, Republican "free speech" hypocrisy, the need for radical self-care to build movements, and Ari Berman’s take on the Gaslit Nation Self-Care Q&A, leading to some surprising answers. To get access to our bonus shows and invites to exclusive events, receive all episodes ad-free, and more, be sure to subscribe at the Truth-teller level or higher on Patreon.com/Gaslit! Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!

To our Patreon community, the Gaslit Nation Make Art Workshop: The Business Side of Things will publish, along with the transcript, the morning of Saturday May 4th! In the meantime, check out our Art is Survival chat group to connect with other artists in our community of listeners!

Show Notes:

Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People--And the Fight to Resist It by Ari Berman https://bookshop.org/p/books/minority-rule-ari-berman/19994801?ean=9780374600211

Opening Clip: Historian Timothy Snyder schools Marjorie Taylor Greene  https://twitter.com/rshereme/status/1781337606808060042

Clip: Medhi Hasan to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: "What do you say to a young progressive or an Arab-American who says to you, 'I just can't vote for Biden again after what he's enabled in Gaza.'?” https://twitter.com/mehdirhasan/status/1781120448186462407

Havana Syndrome evidence suggests who may be responsible for mysterious brain injuries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdPSD1SUYCY

Havana Syndrome mystery continues as a lead military investigator says bar for proof was set impossibly high https://www.cbsnews.com/news/havana-syndrome-culprit-investigation-new-evidence-60-minutes-transcript/

Havana syndrome: Report links mystery illness to Russian intelligence unit https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68706317

Havana Syndrome: The History Behind the Mystery https://www.fpri.org/article/2024/04/havana-syndrome-the-history-behind-the-mystery/

Russia Is Buying Politicians in Europe. Is It Happening Here Too? A former CIA officer explains how a vast, pro-Putin corruption network uncovered in Europe is a warning sign for the U.S. https://newrepublic.com/article/180630/russia-corruption-network-europe-buying-politicians-america

Europe—but Not NATO—Should Send Troops to Ukraine To Halt Russia’s Advance, Kyiv Needs More Boots on the Ground https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/europe-not-nato-should-send-troops-ukraine

Anne Applebaum: “The pro-Russian caucus inside the GOP was defeated on Saturday, and with it Putin's dream of quickly occupying Ukraine. Now the US and Europe need to seize the moment to win, and end, the war” https://twitter.com/anneapplebaum/status/1782206525144015039

Netanyahu Resists U.S. Plan to Cut Off Aid to Israeli Military Unit: After months of inaction, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is poised to bar U.S. aid to an Israeli unit accused of human rights abuses https://www.propublica.org/article/netanyahu-resists-blinken-plan-sanction-against-israeli-military-unit

More than 200 bodies found in mass grave at Nasser Hospital in Gaza https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/more-than-200-bodies-found-in-mass-grave-at-nasser-hospital-in-gaza

With Whom are Many U.S. Police Departments Training? With a Chronic Human Rights Violator – Israel https://www.amnestyusa.org/updates/with-whom-are-many-u-s-police-departments-training-with-a-chronic-human-rights-violator-israel/

What to know about the U.N. vote on whether to admit Palestinians as full members https://www.wpr.org/news/what-to-know-about-the-u-n-vote-on-whether-to-admit-palestinians-as-full-members

David Rothkopf of Deep State Radio: “I'm a Jew-loving Jew. Anti-Semitism is never ok. Here's what is not anti-Semitism: Peaceful protest, criticism of the Israeli government, calling for an independent Palestine, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, using the term apartheid to describe Israel, questioning Zionism.” https://twitter.com/djrothkopf/status/1782406544287482221

How Johnson came to embrace Ukraine aid and defy his right flank https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/21/politics/ukraine-aid-mike-johnson-house-speaker-israel-taiwan/index.html

These 112 House Republicans voted against Ukraine aid https://www.businessinsider.com/which-house-republicans-voted-against-ukraine-russia-aid-2024-4

US House passes $95 billion Ukraine, Israel aid package, sends to Senate https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-vote-long-awaited-95-billion-ukraine-israel-aid-package-2024-04-20/

Congress passes bill that could unlock billions in frozen Russian assets for Ukraine More than $6 billion of the $300 billion in frozen Russian assets are sitting in U.S. banks. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/house-vote-billions-dollars-russian-government-money-sitting-us-banks-rcna148671

Mike Johnson's Campaign Contributions From Company Tied to Russia https://www.newsweek.com/house-speaker-mike-johnson-donations-russia-butina-1838501

CIA chief Pompeo met with sanctioned Russian spies, officials confirm https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/01/politics/pompeo-russian-spies-meeting/index.html#:~:text=CIA%20Director%20Mike%20Pompeo%20did,direct%20knowledge%20of%20the%20meetings.

Pompeo on releasing 5,000 prisoners in Afghanistan in deal with the Taliban https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/567924-pompeo-says-trump-administration-didnt-take-the-words-of-taliban/

Mike Pompeo is a Russia hawk, which could be a problem for his friend Trump https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/editorial/opinion--mike-pompeo-is-a-russia-hawk-which-could-be-a-problem-for-his-friend-trump/2018/03/15/138aae70-288b-11e8-a227-fd2b009466bc_video.html

Father of Koch Brothers Helped Build Nazi Oil Refinery, Book Says https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/us/politics/father-of-koch-brothers-helped-build-nazi-oil-refinery-book-says.html