Podcasts about authoritarian

From banners of his face hanging outside a federal building to the military parade that just so happens to fall on his birthday, why we all need to pay attention to the authoritarian window dressings that are increasingly appearing around President Trump; plus a first-hand account of how Trump's tariffs are hurting America's small businesses.

Over the next few days we're gonna do a deep dive on the various ways, we as individuals, can actually resist this coup. Remember, it's easier to resist tyranny today, than it will be in a month. Today, we're starting with the internal work of learning to trust ourselves (and each other) with intention. Our distrust is manufactured, it's time to push back against that belief.We've got more in common than we're led to believe."Authoritarian power is derived from fear of repression, isolation from each other and exhaustion at the utter chaos. We're already feeling it. Thus, for us to be of any use in a [chaotic] world, we have to pay grave attention to our inner states, so we don't perpetuate the autocrat's goals of fear, isolation, exhaustion or constant disorientation." - Daniel HunterThe sources: What can I do to resist the coup? https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/Grounding yourself in a chaotic time: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/?utm_source=Climate+Advocacy+Lab+Members&utm_campaign=8cf646d623-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_01_22_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8cf646d623-547145900Donate to Palestinian Children's Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the next few days we're gonna do a deep dive on the various ways, we as individuals, can actually resist this coup. Remember, it's easier to resist tyranny today, than it will be in a month. Today, we're starting with the internal work of learning to trust ourselves (and each other) with intention. Our distrust is manufactured, it's time to push back against that belief. We've got more in common than we're led to believe. "Authoritarian power is derived from fear of repression, isolation from each other and exhaustion at the utter chaos. We're already feeling it. Thus, for us to be of any use in a [chaotic] world, we have to pay grave attention to our inner states, so we don't perpetuate the autocrat's goals of fear, isolation, exhaustion or constant disorientation." - Daniel Hunter The sources: What can I do to resist the coup? https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/Grounding yourself in a chaotic time: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/?utm_source=Climate+Advocacy+Lab+Members&utm_campaign=8cf646d623-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_01_22_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8cf646d623-547145900Donate to Palestinian Children's Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 16, 2025 - Join us for a discussion with Dr. Joan E. Cho, Associate Professor of East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University on her 2024 book Seeds of Mobilization: The Authoritarian Roots of South Korea's Democracy, which explores the nonlinear nature of South Korea's democratization. Using oral interviews, original protest datasets, and publications by student and labor activists, Cho illustrates how modernization structures such as industrial complexes and tertiary education initially bolstered authoritarian regimes before facilitating protests by various social movement groups, which ultimately succeeded in ushering in the country's democratization. During the discussion, Cho also describes how this historical legacy continues to impact Korean politics, including the generational divide and the recent Martial Law and impeachment episodes. This program is moderated by Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado.  This program is made possible by the generous support of our individual and corporate members and the Korea Foundation. This program is co-hosted by The Center for Korean Research at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1993-seeds-of-mobilization-the-authoritarian-roots-of-south-korea-s-democracy

What can Star Wars teach us about resistance, resilience, and leadership in today's world?In honor of May the 4th, this episode examines timeless quotes from Rogue One, Andor, Rebels, and the broader Star Wars universe—not just as cinematic moments, but as blueprints for navigating struggle, fighting for justice, and holding onto hope.Drawing from the article “It always felt like Rogue One: Quotes for galactic rebels”, we analyze what these quotes reveal about courage, defiance, and leading with purpose—offering inspiration for anyone pushing back against broken systems or seeking meaning during uncertain times.What You'll Learn in This Episode:

If you want to overthrow a dictator, resist an authoritarian regime, or create a movement that can change the national status quo, you don't need half the country, you only need 3.5 percent of the population to join – but there are some caveats, and Erica Chenoweth whose research led to the discovery of the 3.5 Percent Rule, explains them to us in this episode.Previous EpisodesErica Chenoweth's WebsiteWhy Civil Resistance Works (the paper)Why Civil Resistance Works (the book)The TED TalkThe Q&AHow Minds ChangeDavid McRaney's TwitterDavid McRaney's BlueSkyYANSS TwitterYANSS FacebookNewsletterPatreon

History is easy in the rearview. When you look back things are a lot neater and tidier - you can say this is authoritarianism, this is fascism, this is the obvious threshold or signpost for crossing into it. History though may not be as obvious when you are living it. Has the United States crossed the threshold into authoritarianism? Or fascism? The Atlantic's Tom Nichols weighs in. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Ultimate Assist, John Stockton and Ken Ruettgers welcome back constitutional attorney and FDA “Dragon Slayer” Jonathan Emord for a high-powered takedown of the bureaucratic machine. Emord pulls no punches, exposing the unconstitutional rise of the administrative state, Big Pharma collusion, Fauci's alleged betrayal, and the disturbing ideological agenda behind modern regulatory overreach. From COVID censorship to energy policy to education warfare, Emord lays out how America's founding principles are under assault—and why restoring individual liberty is the ultimate act of resistance.

Brett Harper - Exposing Agape Boarding SchoolDec 12, 2022Brett Harper is a survivor of the Agape Boarding School system. The story he tells Ed Opperman is as unbelievable as it is cruel. But he is not alone to cast allegations at this establishment. Such is his fury at his and others' treatment at the school, he has written a book, not only detailing his own experience, but those of his peers.Spare the Rod is a troubling look into the abusive and terribly under-regulated troubled teen industry; a shadowy network of private juvenile prisons, therapeutic boarding schools, group homes, wilderness camps, boot camps, conversion therapy centers, boarding schools, rehabs, etc. Thousands of kids are abused each year and many of them suffer in silence. Some sustain life-long injuries and struggle with things like trauma, PTSD, CPTSD, depression, anxiety, abandonment, nightly night terrors, chronic pain and more! Their ability to form healthy relationships is forever impacted and often their connection to the family that sent them away completely severed. You might think this can't happen in the U.S.! Oh yes it can! Oh yes it does! Authoritarian fascists who believe in tough love and forcing teens to assimilate to their culture and morals is nothing new. It's been going on for hundreds of years!Book: Spare the RodBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

Some political experts warn the U.S. is swiftly moving toward authoritarianism — or that we're already there.

Some political experts warn the U.S. is swiftly moving toward authoritarianism — or that we're already there.

In this explosive monologue, Tara critiques NBC's Kristen Welker for what she calls absurd, biased questioning of Donald Trump — including comparisons to Nazi Germany and authoritarian regimes. She highlights the legal requirement to carry ID while driving in South Carolina and slams the mainstream media for ignoring real government overreach, such as the Biden administration's alleged censorship programs and debanking of political opponents. A fiery defense of civil liberties, Trump's record, and a takedown of selective media narratives.

In this explosive monologue, Tara critiques NBC's Kristen Welker for what she calls absurd, biased questioning of Donald Trump — including comparisons to Nazi Germany and authoritarian regimes. She highlights the legal requirement to carry ID while driving in South Carolina and slams the mainstream media for ignoring real government overreach, such as the Biden administration's alleged censorship programs and debanking of political opponents. A fiery defense of civil liberties, Trump's record, and a takedown of selective media narratives.

The first 100 days of Trump's second term have come to an end… so, what comes next? Overseas, Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has transformed his country into electoral autocracy using tactics that bear a striking resemblance to those currently playing out in Trump's America. To close out the Trumpland series, MSNBC's Alex Wagner travels to Hungary and speaks with lawyers, journalists, politicians, and advocates on the ground who offer important lessons for America while they continue to fight for democracy in their own country. Sign up for MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this episode ad-free, plus get an upcoming exclusive bonus episode of Trumpland!

After 100 days of Trump's second term, questions have arisen about birthright citizenship, the arrests of judges and deportations without due process.On Today's Show:David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, offers his assessment of Trump's second term so far, and the opposition that is beginning to form.

Few analysts are more familiar with the politics of both contemporary Turkey and the United States than my old friend , the distinguished Turkish political scientist Soli Ozel. Drawing on his decades of experience in both countries, Ozel, currently a senior fellow at the Institut Montaigne, explains how democratic institutions are similarly being challenged in Trump's America and Erdogan's Turkey. He discusses the imprisonment of Istanbul's popular mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, restrictive speech in American universities, and how economic decline eventually undermines authoritarian regimes. Ozel emphasizes that effective opposition requires both public discontent and compelling leadership alternatives, which Turkey has developed but America currently sorely lacks. Most intriguingly, he suggests that Harvard's legal battle against Trump could be as significant as the 1925 Scopes trial which marked the end of another bout of anti-scientific hysteria in America. 5 Key Takeaways* Populist authoritarianism follows a similar pattern regardless of left/right ideology - controlling judiciary, media, and institutions while claiming to represent "the people" against elites.* Academic freedom in America has declined significantly, with Ozel noting he experienced more classroom freedom in Turkey than at Yale in 2019.* Economic pain combined with a crisis of legitimacy is crucial for challenging authoritarian regimes, but requires credible opposition leadership to succeed.* Istanbul mayor Imamoglu has emerged as a powerful opposition figure in Turkey by appealing across political divides and demonstrating practical governance skills.* Turkey's strategic importance has increased due to its position between war zones (Syria and Ukraine) and Europe's growing need for security partners as American support becomes less certain. Full TranscriptAndrew Keen: Hello, everybody. It's not great news these days that the U.S. Brand has been, so to speak, tarnished as a headline today on CNN. I'm quoting them. CNN, of course, is not Donald Trump's biggest fan. Trump tarnishes the U S brand as a rock of stability in the global economy. I'm not sure if the US was ever really a rock of stability for anything except itself. But we on the show as. As loyal viewers and listeners know, we've been going around the world, taking stock of the US brand, how it's viewed around the word. We did a show last week with Simon Cooper, the Dutch-based Paris writer of the Financial Times, who believes it's time for all Americans to come and live in Europe. And then with Jemima Kelly, another London-based correspondent. And I thought we would broaden. I asked european perspective by visiting my old friend very old friend Soli Ozel. iVve known him for almost forty years he's a. Senior fellow of international relations and turkey at the montane institute he's talking to us from vienna but he is a man who is born and spends a lot of his time thinking about. Turkey, he has an interesting new piece out in the Institute Montaigne. Turkey, a crisis of legitimacy and massive social mobilization in a regional power. I want to talk to Soli later in this conversation about his take on what's happening in Turkey. But first of all, Soli, before we went live, you noted that you first came to America in September 1977. You were educated here, undergraduate, graduate, both at uh, sized in Washington DC and then at UC Berkeley, where you and I studied together at the graduate program. Um, how do you feel almost 50 years, sorry, we're dating ourselves, but how did you feel taking off your political science cap, your analyst cap, how did you feel about what's happening in America as, as a man who invested your life in some ways in the promise of America, and particularly American education universities.Soli Ozel: Yeah, I mean, I, yes, I came to the States or I went to the States in September of 1977. It was a very different America, post Vietnam. And I went through an avant garde college liberal arts college.Andrew Keen: Bennington wasn'tSoli Ozel: Bennington College, and I've spent about 11 years there. And you and I met in 1983 in Berkeley. And then I also taught at American universities. I taught at UC Santa Cruz, Northwestern, SAIS itself, University of Washington, Yale, and had fellowships in different parts. Now, of course, in those years, a lot has changed in the US. The US has changed. In fact, I'm writing a piece now on Christopher Lash. And reading Christopher Lasch work from the 60s and the 1970s, in a way, you wonder why Trumpism has not really emerged a bit earlier than when it did. So, a lot of the... Dynamics that have brought Donald Trump to power, not once, but twice, and in spite of the fact that, you know, he was tried and found guilty and all that. Many of those elements have been there definitely since the 1980s, but Lascch identified especially this divergence between educated people and less educated people between brainies and or the managerial class and the working class in the United States. So, in a way, it looks like the Trumpism's triumph came even a bit late, although there were a couple of attempts perhaps in the early 1990s. One was Pat Buchanan and the other one, Ross Perot, which we forget that Ross Perot got 19% of the vote against in the contest when Bill Clinton. Won the election against George H.W. Bush. So underground, if you will, a lot was happening in the United States.Andrew Keen: All right. And it's interesting you bring up Lash, there's that sort of whole school Lasch Daniel Bell, of course, we had Daniel Bell's son, David Bell, on the show recently. And there's a lot of discussion, as I'm sure you know, about the nativism of Trump, whether it's uniquely American, whether it was somehow inevitable. We've done last week, we did a show about comparing what's happening now in America to what happened after the First World War. Being less analytical, Solé, my question was more an emotional one to you as someone who has built their life around freedom of expression in American universities. You were at Bennington, you were at SICE, you're at UC Berkeley, as you know, you taught at UC Santa Cruz and Yale and many other places. You come in and out of this country giving lectures. How do you personally feel about what's happening?Soli Ozel: Yeah, okay. I mean, in that sense, again, the United States, by the way, I mean the United States has been changing independently of Mr. Trump's presidency. It was much more difficult to be, I mean when I went to college in Bennington College, you really did not bite your tongue when you were going to speak either as a student or a professor. And increasingly, and especially in my last bout at Yale in 2019, I felt that, you know, there were a lot of constraints on what you could say or how you could say it, whether you would call it walkism, political correctness, whatever it was. It was a much, the atmosphere at the university was much more constrained in terms of what transpired in the classroom and that I mean, in Turkey, I had more freedom in terms of how we debated things in class that I felt that...Andrew Keen: That is astonishing. So you had more freedom in...Soli Ozel: As well, you did in Yale in 1990. I'm talking about not the political aspect of things, but how you debate something, okay, whether or not, I mean, there would be lots of views and you could you could present them without insulting anyone, however you presented them was fine, and this is how what the dynamics of the classroom had been when I was a student. So, in that sense, I guess it wasn't just the right that constrained speech, but also the left that constrained the speech, because new values were added or new norms were invented to define what can and cannot be said. And of course, that goes against the grain of what a university education ought to be. I mean, I had colleagues. In major universities who told me that they really were biting their tongue when they were giving their lectures. And that is not my understanding of education or college education and that certainly has not been my experience when I came to the States and for my long education here for 11 years.Andrew Keen: Solit, you and I have a long history of thinking about the Middle East, where back in the early 80s, we TA'd a class on the Arab-Israeli conflict with Yaya Sadowski, who at that time was a very independent thinker. I know he was a close friend of yours. I was always very influenced by his thinking. You're from Izmir, from a Jewish family in Turkey. So you're all too familiar with the complexity of anti-Semitism, Israel, the Middle East, Turkey. What do you personally make of this hysteria now on campus about anti-semitism and throwing out anyone, it seems, at least from the Trump point of view, who are pro-Palestinian? Is this again, I mean, you went back to Christopher Lasch and his thinking on populism and the dangers of populism in America. Or is this something that... Comes out of the peculiarities of American history. We have predicted this 40 years ago when you and I were TAing Sadowski's class on Arab-Israeli conflict at Berkeley.Soli Ozel: The Arab-Israeli conflict always raises passions, if you will. And it's no different. To put it mildly, Salvador, I think. Yeah, it is a bit different now. I mean, of course, my hunch is that anti-Semitism is always present. There is no doubt. And although I followed the developments very closely after October 7. I was not in there physically present. I had some friends, daughters and sons who were students who have reported to me because I'm supposed to know something about those matters. So yeah, antisemitism is there. On the other hand, there is also some exaggeration. We know that a lot of the protesters, for instance, were Jews themselves. But my hunch is that the Trump administration, especially in their attack against elite universities, are using this for political purposes. I'm sure there were other ways of handling this. I don't find it very sincere. And a real problem is being dealt with in a very manipulative political way, I think. Other and moreover So long as there was no violence and I know there were instances of violence that should be punished that I don't have any complaints about, but partially if this is only related to what you say, I'm not sure that this is how a university or relations between students at the university ought to be conducted. If you're not going to be able to say what you think at the university, then what else are you going to say? Are you going be able say it? So this is a much more complicated matter than it is being presented. And as I said, my view or based on what I follow that is happening at colleges, this is being used as an excuse. As somebody I think Peter Beinhart wrote today in the New York Times. He says, No, no, no. It is not really about protecting Jewish students, but it is protecting a certain... Type of Jewish students, and that means it's a political decision, the complaints, legitimate complaints, perhaps, of some students to use those against university administrations or universities themselves that the Trump administration seems to be targeting.Andrew Keen: Yeah, it's interesting you bring up Beinart. He was on the show a year or two ago. I think he notes that, I mean, I don't want to put words into his mouth, but he seems to be suggesting that Jews now have a responsibility almost to speak out, not just obviously about what's happening in the U.S., but certainly about what is happening in Gaza. I'm not sure what you think on.Soli Ozel: He just published a book, he just published the book being Jewish in the US after Gaza or something along those lines. He represents a certain way of thinking about what had happened in Gaza, I mean what had happened to Israel with the attack of Hamas and what had happened afterwards, whether or not he represents the majority. Do you agree with him? I happen to be. I happen to be sympathetic to his views. And especially when you read the book at the beginning, it says, look, he's a believer. Believer meaning he is a practicing Jew. So this is not really a question about his own Jewishness, but how he understands what being a Jew actually means. And from that perspective, putting a lot of accent to the moral aspects of Jewish history and Jewish theological and secular thinking, He is rebelling, if you will, against this way of manipulative use. On the part of some Jewish organizations as well of what had gone on and this is this he sees as a along with others actually he also sees this as a threat to Jewish presence in the United States. You know there is a simultaneous increase in in anti-semitism. And some people argue that this has begun even before October 7. Let us not forget Charlottesville when the crowds that were deemed to be nice people were chanting, Jews will not replace us, and those people are still around. Yeah, a lot of them went to jail.Andrew Keen: Yeah, I mean Trump seemed to have pardoned some of them. And Solly, what do you make of quote-unquote the resistance to Trump in the U.S.? You're a longtime observer of authoritarianism, both personally and in political science terms. One of the headlines the last few days is about the elite universities forming a private collective to resist the Trump administration. Is this for real and is it new? Should we admire the universities or have they been forced into this position?Soli Ozel: Well, I mean, look, you started your talk with the CNN title. Yeah, about the brand, the tarnishing of the U.S. Whatever the CNN stands for. The thing is, there is no question that what is happening today and what has been happening in my judgment over the last two years, particularly on the issue of Gaza, I would not... Exonerate the Biden administration and the way it actually managed its policy vis-a-vis that conflict. There is, of course, a reflection on American policy vis a vis that particular problem and with the Trump administration and 100 days of storm, if you will, around the world, there is a shift in the way people look at the United States. I think it is not a very favorable shift in terms of how people view and understand the United States. Now, that particular thing, the colleges coming together, institutions in the United States where the Americans are very proud of their Madisonian institutions, they believe that that was there. Uh, if you will, insurance policy against an authoritarian drift in their system. Those institutions, both public institutions and private institutions actually proved to be paper tigers. I mean, look at corporations that caved in, look at law firms that arcade that have caved in, Look at Columbia university being, if you will the most egregious example of caving in and plus still not getting the money or not actually stopping the demands that are made on it. So Harvard after equivocating on this finally came up with a response and decided to take the risk of losing massive sums of grants from the federal government. And in fact, it's even suing. The Trump administration for withholding the money that was supposed to go to them. And I guess there is an awakening and the other colleges in order to protect freedom of expression, in order, to protect the independence of higher education in this country, which has been sacrosanct, which is why a lot of people from all around the world, students... Including you and I, right? I mean, that's why we... Yeah, exactly. By the way, it's anywhere between $44 and $50 billion worth of business as well. Then it is there finally coming together, because if you don't hang together, you'll hang separately, is a good American expression that I like. And then trying to defend themselves. And I think this Harvard slope suit, the case of Harvard, is going to be like the Stokes trial of the 1920s on evolution. It's going to be a very similar case, I believe, and it may determine how American democracy goes from now.Andrew Keen: Interesting. You introduced me to Ece Temelkuren, another of your friends from someone who no longer lives in Turkey. She's a very influential Turkish columnist, polemicist. She wrote a famous book, How to Lose a Country. She and you have often compared Turkey. With the rest of the world suggesting that what you're going through in Turkey is the kind of canary in the coal mine for the rest the world. You just came out with a piece, Turkey, a crisis of legitimacy, a massive social mobilization and regional power. I want to get to the details of what's happening in Turkey first. But like Ece, do you see Turkey as the kind of canary and the coalmine that you got into this first? You're kind of leading the narrative of how to address authoritarianism in the 25th century.Soli Ozel: I don't think Turkey was the first one. I think the first one was Hugo Chavez. And then others followed. Turkey certainly is a prominent one. But you know, you and I did other programs and in an earlier era, about 15 years ago. Turkey was actually doing fine. I mean, it was a candidate for membership, still presumably, formally, a candidate for membership in the European Union, but at the time when that thing was alive. Turkey did, I mean, the AKP government or Erdogan as prime minister did a lot of things that were going in the right direction. They certainly demilitarized Turkish politics, but increasingly as they consolidated themselves in power, they moved in a more authoritarian path. And of course, after the coup attempt in 2016 on the 15th of July, that trend towards authoritarianism had been exacerbated and but with the help of a very sui generis if you will unaccountable presidential system we are we find ourselves where we are but The thing is what has been missed out by many abroad was that there was also a very strong resistance that had remained actually unbowing for a long time. And Istanbul, which is, of course, almost a fifth of Turkey's population, 32 percent of its economy, and that's where the pulse of the country actually beats, since 2017 did not vote for Mr Erdogan. I mean, referendum, general election, municipal election. It hasn't, it hasn't. And that is that really, it really represents the future. And today, the disenchantment or discontent has now become much broader, much more broadly based because conservative Anatolia is also now feeling the biting of the economy. And this sense of justice in the country has been severely damaged. And That's what I think explains. The kinds of reaction we had throughout the country to the first arrest and then incarceration of the very popular mayor of Istanbul who is a national figure and who was seen as the main contender for the presidency in the elections that are scheduled to take place in.Andrew Keen: Yeah, and I want to talk more about Turkey's opposition and an interesting New York Times editorial. But before we get there, Soli, you mentioned that the original model was Chavez in Venezuela, of course, who's always considered a leftist populist, whereas Erdogan, Trump, etc., and maybe Netanyahu are considered populists of the right. Is that a useful? Bifurcation in ideological terms or a populist populism that the idea of Chavez being different from Trump because one's on the left and right is really a 20th century mistake or a way of thinking about the 21st century using 20th-century terms.Soli Ozel: Okay, I mean the ideological proclivities do make a difference perhaps, but at the end of the day, what all these populist movements represent is the coming of age or is the coming to power of country elites. Suggests claiming to represent the popular classes whom they say and who are deprived of. Uh, benefits of holding power economically or politically, but once they get established in power and with the authoritarian tilt doesn't really make a distinction in terms of right or wrong. I mean, is Maduro the successor to Chavez a rightist or a leftist? I mean does it really make a difference whether he calls himself a leftists or a rightists? I is unaccountable, is authoritarian. He loses elections and then he claims that he wins these elections and so the ideology that purportedly brought them to power becomes a fig leaf, if you will, justification and maybe the language that they use in order to justify the existing authoritarianism. In that sense, I don't think it makes a difference. Maybe initially it could have made a difference, We have seen populist leaders. Different type of populism perhaps in Latin America. For instance, the Peruvian military was supposed to be very leftist, whereas the Chilean or the Brazilian or the Argentinian or the Uruguayan militaries were very right-wing supported by the church itself. Nicaragua was supposed to be very Leftist, right? They had a revolution, the Sandinista revolution. And look at Daniel Ortega today, does it really matter that he claims himself to be a man of the left? I mean, He runs a family business in Nicaragua. And so all those people who were so very excited about the Nicaraguan Revolution some 45 years ago must be extraordinarily disappointed. I mean, of course, I was also there as a student and wondering what was going to happen in Nicaragua, feeling good about it and all that. And that turned out to be an awful dictatorship itself.Andrew Keen: Yeah, and on this sense, I think you're on the same page as our mutual friend, Moises Naim, who wrote a very influential book a couple of years ago. He's been on the show many times about learning all this from the Latin American playbook because of his experience in Venezuela. He has a front row on this. Solly, is there one? On this, I mean, as I said, you just come out with a piece on the current situation in Turkey and talk a little bit more detail, but is America a few stops behind Turkey? I mean you mentioned that in Turkey now everyone, not just the urban elites in Istanbul, but everyone in the country is beginning to experience the economic decline and consequences of failed policies. A lot of people are predicting the same of Trump's America in the next year or two. Is there just one route in this journey? Is there's just one rail line?Soli Ozel: Like by what the root of established wow a root in the sense of youAndrew Keen: Erdogan or Trump, they come in, they tell lots of lies, they promise a lot of stuff, and then ultimately they can't deliver. Whatever they're promising, the reverse often happens. The people they're supposed to be representing are actually victims of their policies. We're seeing it in America with the consequences of the tariff stuff, of inflation and rise of unemployment and the consequences higher prices. It has something similar. I think of it as the Liz Truss effect, in the sense that the markets ultimately are the truth. And Erdogan, I know, fought the markets and lost a few years ago in Turkey too.Soli Ozel: There was an article last week in Financial Times Weekend Edition, Mr. Trump versus Mr. Market. Trump versus, Mr. Market. Look, first of all, I mean, in establishing a system, the Orban's or Modi's, they all follow, and it's all in Ece's book, of course. You have to control the judiciary, you have to control the media, and then all the institutions. Gradually become under your thumb. And then the way out of it is for first of all, of course, economic problems, economic pain, obviously makes people uncomfortable, but it will have to be combined with the lack of legitimacy, if you will. And that is, I don't think it's right, it's there for in the United States as of yet, but the shock has been so. Robust, if you will, that the reaction to Trump is also rising in a very short period, in a lot shorter period of time than it did in other parts of the world. But economic conditions, the fact that they worsen, is an important matter. But there are other conditions that need to be fulfilled. One of those I would think is absolutely the presence of a political leader that defies the ones in power. And I think when I look at the American scene today, one of the problems that may, one of problems that the political system seems to have, which of course, no matter how economically damaging the Trump administration may be, may not lead to an objection to it. To a loss of power in the midterms to begin with, is lack of leadership in the Democratic Party and lack of a clear perspective that they can share or program that they present to the public at large. Without that, the ones that are in power hold a lot of cards. I mean, it took Turkey about... 18 years after the AKP came to power to finally have potential leaders, and only in 2024 did it become very apparent that now Turkey had more than one leader that could actually challenge Erdogan, and that they also had, if not to support the belief in the public, that they could also run the country. Because if the public does not believe that you are competent enough to manage the affairs of the state or to run the country, they will not vote for you. And leadership truly is an extraordinarily important factor in having democratic change in such systems, what we call electoral authoritarian.Andrew Keen: So what's happened in Turkey in terms of the opposition? The mayor of Istanbul has emerged as a leader. There's an attempt to put him in jail. You talk about the need for an opposition. Is he an ideological figure or just simply younger, more charismatic? More attractive on the media. What do you need and what is missing in the US and what do you have in Turkey? Why are you a couple of chapters ahead on this?Soli Ozel: Well, it was a couple of chapters ahead because we have had the same government or the same ruler for 22 years now.Andrew Keen: And Imamo, I wanted you to pronounce it, Sali, because my Turkish is dreadful. It's worse than most of the other.Soli Ozel: He is the mayor of Istanbul who is now in jail and whose diploma was annulled by the university which actually gave him the diploma and the reason why that is important is if you want to run for president in Turkey, you've got to have a college degree. So that's how it all started. And then he was charged with corruption and terrorism. And he's put in zero. Oh, it's terrorism. There was.Andrew Keen: It's terrorism, they always throw the terrorist bit in, don't they, Simon?Soli Ozel: Yeah, but that dossier is, for the moment, pending. It has not been closed, but it is pending. Anyway, he is young, but his major power is that he can touch all segments of society, conservative, nationalist, leftist. And that's what makes people compare him also with Erdogan who also had a touch of appealing to different segments of the population. But of course, he's secular. He's not ideological, he's a practical man. And Istanbul's population is about anywhere between 16 and 18 million people. It's larger than many countries in Europe. And to manage a city like Istanbul requires really good managerial skills. And Imamoglu managed this in spite of the fact that central government cut its resources, made sure that there was obstruction in every step that he wanted to take, and did not help him a bit. And that still was continuing. Still, he won once. Then there was a repeat election. He won again. And this time around, he one with a landslide, 54% against 44% of his opponent, which had all theAndrew Keen: So the way you're presenting him, is he running as a technocrat or is he running as a celebrity?Soli Ozel: No, he's running as a politician. He's running a politician, he is a popular politician. Maybe you can see tinges of populism in him as well, but... He is what, again, what I think his incarceration having prompted such a wide ranging segments of population really kind of rebelling against this incarceration has to do with the fact that he has resonance in Anatolia. Because he does not scare conservative people. He aspires the youth because he speaks to them directly and he actually made promises to them in Istanbul that he kept, he made their lives easier. And he's been very creative in helping the poorer segments of Istanbul with a variety of programs. And he has done this without really being terribly pushing. So, I mean, I think I sense that the country sees him as its next ruler. And so to attack him was basically tampering with the verdict of the ballot box. That's, I, think how the Turkish public interpreted it. And for good historical reasons, the ballot box is really pretty sacred in Turkey. We usually have upwards of 80% of participation in the election.Andrew Keen: And they're relatively, I mean, not just free, but the results are relatively honest. Yeah, there was an interesting New York Times editorial a couple of days ago. I sent it over. I'm sure you'd read it anyway. Turkey's people are resisting autocracy. They deserve more than silence. I mean from Trump, who has very peculiar relations, he has peculiar relations with everyone, but particularly it seems with Turkey does, in your view, does Turkey needs or the resistance or the mayor of Istanbul this issue, need more support from the US? Would it make any difference?Soli Ozel: Well, first of all, the current American administration didn't seem to particularly care that the arrest and incarceration of the mayor of Istanbul was a bit, to say the least, was awkward and certainly not very legal. I mean, Mario Rubio said, Marco Rubio said that he had concerns. But Mr. Witkoff, in the middle of demonstrations that were shaking the country, Mr. Witkof said it to Tucker Carlson's show that there were very wonderful news coming out of Turkey. And of course, President Trump praised Erdogan several times. They've been on the phone, I think, five times. And he praised Erdogan in front of Bibi Netanyahu, which obviously Bibi Netanyah did not particularly appreciate either. So obviously the American administration likes Mr. Erdogans and will support him. And whatever the Turkish public may or may not want, I don't think is of great interest toAndrew Keen: What about the international dimension, sorry, Putin, the Ukrainian war? How does that play out in terms of the narrative unfolding in Turkey?Soli Ozel: Well, first of all, of course, when the Assad regime fell,Andrew Keen: Right, and as that of course. And Syria of course as well posts that.Soli Ozel: Yeah, I mean, look, Turkey is in the middle of two. War zones, no? Syria was one and the Ukraine is the other. And so when the regime fell and it was brought down by groups that were protected by Turkey in Idlib province of Syria. Everybody argued, and I think not wrongly, that Turkey would have a lot of say over the future of Syria. And I think it will. First of all, Turkey has about 600 miles or 911 kilometer border with Syria and the historical relations.Andrew Keen: And lots of Syrian refugees, of course.Soli Ozel: At the peak, there were about 4 million, I think it's now going down. President Erdogan said that about 200,000 already went back since the overthrow of the regime. And then of course, to the north, there is Ukraine, Russia. And of course this elevates Turkey's strategic importance or geopolitical importance. Another issue that raises Turkish geopolitical importance is, of course, the gradual withdrawal of the United States from providing security to Europe under the umbrella of NATO, North Atlantic Alliance. And as the Europeans are being forced to fetch for themselves for their security, non-EU members of NATO such as Britain, Norway, Turkey, their importance becomes more accentuated as well. And so Turkey and the European Union were in the process of at least somewhat normalizing their relations and their dialog. So what happened domestically, therefore, did not get much of a reaction from the EU, which is supposed to be this paragon of rights and liberties and all that. But But it also left Turkey in a game in an awkward situation, I would think, because things could have gone much, much better. The rapprochement with the European Union could have moved a lot more rapidly, I will think. But geopolitical advantages are there. Obviously, the Americans care a lot for it. And whatever it is that they're negotiating with the Turkish government, we will soon find out. It is a... It is a country that would help stabilize Syria. And that's what President Trump also said, that he would adjudicate between Israel and Turkey over Syria, because these two countries which have been politically at odds, but strategically usually in very good terms. Whether or not the, so to avoid a clash between the two in Syria was important for him. So Turkey's international situation will continue to be important, but I think without the developments domestically, Turkey's position and profile would have been much more solid.Andrew Keen: Comparing US and Turkey, the US military has never participated, at least overtly, in politics, whereas the Turkish military, of course, has historically. Where's the Turkish Military on this? What are they thinking about these imprisonments and the increasing unpopularity of the current regime?Soli Ozel: I think the demilitarization of the Turkish political system was accomplished by the end of the 2000s, so I don't think anybody knows what the military thinks and I'm not sure that anybody really wonders what the army thinks. I think Erdogan has certainly on the top echelons of the military, it has full control. Whether or not the cadets in the Turkish military are lower echelons. Do have political views at odds with that of the government that is not visible. And I don't think the Turkish military should be designing or defining our political system. We have an electorate. We do have a fairly, how shall I say, a public that is fairly attuned to its own rights. And believes certainly in the sanctity of the ballot box, it's been resisting for quite some time and it is defying the authorities and we should let that take its course. I don't think we need the military to do it.Andrew Keen: Finally, Soli, you've been very generous with your time from Vienna. It's late afternoon there. Let's end where we began with this supposed tarnishing of the U.S. Brand. As we noted earlier, you and I have invested our lives, if for better or worse, in the U S brand. We've always been critical, but we've also been believers in this. It's also important in this brand.Soli Ozel: It is an important grant.Andrew Keen: So how do we, and I don't like this term, maybe there is a better term, brands suggest marketing, something not real, but there is something real about the US. How do we re-establish, or I don't know what the word is, a polish rather than tarnish the US brand? What needs to happen in the U.S.Soli Ozel: Well, I think we will first have to see the reinvigoration of institutions in the United States that have been assaulted. That's why I think the Harvard case... Yeah, and I love you.Andrew Keen: Yeah, and I love your idea of comparing it to the Scopes trial of 1926. We probably should do a whole show on that, it's fascinating idea.Soli Ozel: Okay, and then the Democratic Party will have to get its act together. I don't know how long it will take for them to get their act together, they have not been very...Andrew Keen: Clever. But some Democrats will say, well, there's more than one party. The Sanders AOC wing has done its job. People like Gavin Newsom are trying to do their job. I mean, you can't have an official party. There's gonna be a debate. There already is a debate within the party between the left and the right.Soli Ozel: The thing is, debates can be endless, and I don't think there is time for that. First of all, I think the decentralized nature of American governance is also an advantage. And I think that the assault has been so forceful that everybody has woken up to it. It could have been the frog method, you know, that is... Yeah, the boiling in the hot water. So, already people have begun to jump and that is good, that's a sign of vitality. And therefore, I think in due time, things will be evolving in a different direction. But, for populist or authoritarian inclined populist regimes, control of the institutions is very important, so you've got to be alert. And what I discovered, studying these things and looking at the practice. Executive power is a lot of power. So separation of powers is fine and good, but the thing is executive power is really very... Prominent and the legislature, especially in this particular case with the Republican party that has become the instrument of President Trump, and the judiciary which resists but its power is limited. I mean, what do you do when a court decision is not abided by the administration? You cannot send the police to the White House.Andrew Keen: Well, you might have to, that's why I asked the military question.Soli Ozel: Well, it's not up to the military to do this, somehow it will have to be resolved within the civilian democratic system, no matter where. Yes, the decks are stacked against the opposition in most of these cases, but then you'll have to fight. And I think a lot hinges on how corporations are going to react from now on. They have bet on Trump, and I suppose that many of them are regretting because of the tariffs. I just was at a conference, and there was a German business person who said that he has a factory in Germany and a factory in Ohio. And he told me that within three months there would not be any of the goods that he produces on the shelves because of tariffs. Once this begins to hit, then you may see a different dynamic in the country as well, unless the administration takes a U-turn. But if it does take a U turn, it will also have weakened itself, both domestically and internationally.Andrew Keen: Yeah, certainly, to put it mildly. Well, as we noted, Soli, what's real is economics. The rest is perhaps froth or lies or propaganda. Soli Ozel: It's a necessary condition. Without that deteriorating, you really cannot get things on values done.Andrew Keen: In other words, Marx was right, but perhaps in a slightly different context. We're not going to get into Marx today, Soli, we're going to get you back on the show. Cause I love that comparison with the current, the Harvard Trump legal thing, comparing it to Scopes. I think I hadn't thought of that. It's a very interesting idea. Keep well, keep safe, keep telling the truth from Central Europe and Turkey. As always, Solia, it's an honor to have you on the show. Thank you so much.Soli Ozel: Thank you, Andrew, for having me.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Hawk discusses El Salvador, its current President Nayib Bukele, and the controversial CECOT prison. Hawk provides historical context about El Salvador from pre-colonial times through its civil war, explaining how gangs like MS-13 and Barrio 18 (which originated in Los Angeles) created severe violence in El Salvador until Bukele's crackdown beginning in 2022. The video details how El Salvador became the murder capital of the world before Bukele implemented a state of exception that suspended constitutional rights.Hawk extensively describes the CECOT terrorism confinement center, a massive prison built in just six months that now holds over 14,500 inmates in inhumane conditions. The prison features 30-foot walls, 24-hour artificial lighting, no windows, and cells where up to 160 prisoners share two toilets and two water buckets. Hawk explains that President Bukele claims no prisoner has ever been released from CECOT except one deportee, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was recently moved to another facility after a U.S. Senator's intervention.The episode also covers the recent arrangement between the Trump administration and El Salvador where the U.S. has deported alleged gang members to CECOT, including many with no criminal record. Hawk notes that Trump has expressed desire to send U.S. citizens to this prison despite legal experts saying this would be impossible under U.S. law. The video concludes with observations about El Salvador's improved safety under Bukele's authoritarian approach and the complex trade-offs between security and human rights. SUPPORT & CONNECT WITH HAWK- Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mdg650hawk- Support Hawk's Merch Store: https://hawkmerchstore.com- Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hawkeyewhackamole- Connect on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mdg650hawk.bsky.social- Connect on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hawkpodcasts ALL HAWK PODCASTS INFO- Additional Podcasts Available Here: https://www.hawkpodcasts.com- Listen to Hawk Podcasts On Your Favorite Platform:Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3RWeJfyApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/422GDuLYouTube: https://youtube.com/@hawkpodcastsiHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/47vVBdPPandora: https://bit.ly/48COaTBSimplecast: https://hawk-droppings.simplecast.com- Hawk Podcasts RSS Feed: https://feeds.simplecast.com/pPVtxSNJ

In this episode of The Gedunk Show, Bobby and Dan sit down with political strategist and democracy defender Trygve Olsen to unpack the seven telltale signs of rising authoritarianism—many of which are already playing out across the U.S. and the world.  From attacking independent media to eroding electoral integrity, Trygve helps us understand the playbook authoritarian leaders use—and more importantly, what everyday citizens can do to push back. This conversation is both a wake-up call and a blueprint for action. Tune in, take notes, and join the resistance to creeping autocracy.

Pratap's bona fides ... How Pratap ran afoul of Modi (and the price he paid) ... Trump vs Modi: compare and contrast ... India's birth as a multi-ethnic state ... Pratap on how we got Trump (and Modi) ... Heading to Overtime ...

Pratap's bona fides ... How Pratap ran afoul of Modi (and the price he paid) ... Trump vs Modi: compare and contrast ... India's birth as a multi-ethnic state ... Pratap on how we got Trump (and Modi) ... Heading to Overtime ...

Jeff Sharlet spends a lot of time going where most people fear to tread: into the heart of militant right-wing movements, where he comes back with unforgettable stories and personal insights about conspiracy theorists and people who want to shatter modern society and remake it in a Christian nationalist image.Sharlet is a professor of writing at Dartmouth College, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and the New York Times bestselling author or editor of eight books. His 2023 book, “The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War,” was a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist for Nonfiction, and his book, “The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power,” was the basis for a 2019 Netflix documentary series,  for which he was narrator and executive producer. Sharlet's writing on current politics can be found on his Substack, Scenes from a Slow Civil War.Sharlet describes his work as “reporting on the intersection of religion and politics.”He no longer characterizes the current state of politics and polarization as a “slow civil war.”“When I talk to young trans people, they're not paranoid when they say their state wants them not to exist. They are correct. That's sped up. The removal of books, the erasure of history, the threat to the universities, which is a hallmark (of) authoritarianism — this is textbook.”“Everything Trump has said he was going to do, he has attempted to do. It's time to lay aside the ‘this is just negotiating tactics.' He's going to negotiate us right down into full fascism.”Sharlet has written about the carefully crafted imagery of authoritarianism that is on display right now. He singled out Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's visit to a notorious prison in El Salvador, where she posed "in tight athleisure" outfit while wearing a $50,000 Rolex watch in front of a backdrop of caged shirtless men who had allegedly been deported from the U.S. "It's very powerful theater," he said. "Authoritarian movements do not make policy recommendations. They put on theatrical productions. They do not persuade with arguments. They bludgeon with images." Sharlet recently returned from reporting trips to Idaho and upstate New York, in Rep. Elise Stefanik's district. I asked how MAGA supporters whom he encountered were feeling about Trump's performance, including the predicted economic impact on red states of tariffs, social security and Medicaid cuts, inflation, government layoffs, and the price of eggs – up 60% compared to a year ago.“There's a lot of people who are pleased with this and there is an increasing radicalization,” he said.“There used to be a Q-Anon slogan called ‘trust the plan,' and that's the ethos of the politics: trust the plan.”MAGA supporters told him that “they're pleased about crackdowns on trans people. A lot of people are really, really happy about crackdowns on colleges.” He described how a member of a church that he visited in Spokane, Washington, “were thrilled. They feel like religious freedom is finally being established.”"I think people are taking false reassurance of saying, 'Well, he's hurting his own base'. Of course, he's hurting his own base. Fascism is not a good deal. It's not a good deal for anybody. But you break government, and then you have your complete control over it. The goal is power, and with power comes the ability to enrich those who are close to you. It comes with the power to satisfy both your own ideological projects and those of your allies."On the left, Sharlet said “there's much more tuning out than the first Trump administration.” He said that people opposed to Trump “have to build coalitions that are not just the people who have the right political ideas. We have to have coalitions with people who don't normally think about politics, who don't even have an opinion on it.”“Whatever we're doing, it's not enough. So good. Let's do more.”

We open with the media saying the Pope did not meet with VP JD Vance, only to find they did meet before the Pope passed away. I am on-call to fill-in on the Erick Erickson Show this Thursday if they sign the Ukraine mineral rights deal. Then we look back to just over a year ago to remind everyone how the Democrats thought of illegals as the “Americans they care most about.” This leads to more about the Democrat Party siding with MS-13, to the point of claiming Donald Trump is the one who wants this story to be kept alive in order to hide how bad the economy is doing. Economist Peter St. Onge says we are starting to enter deflation and sides with Trump on wondering why Fed Chair Jerome Powell won't lower interest rates? Disgruntled and fired leakers from the DoD put out a hit-piece on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that the NYTimes dutifully ran with and got people repeating over the weekend. Once again, seems to be just another fake hit from the usual suspects. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) says the Democrat party will remember those countries who worked with Donald Trump and they will be thought of unkindly. Seems rather ominous and authoritarian. SCOTUS seems to have contradicted itself after putting out an emergency midnight ruling that says the opposite of what the put out just over a week ago regarding the presidency and foreign policy. A judge in New Mexico has resigned after it was discovered he was sheltering an illegal and member of the TdA gang in his home. The NLRB whistleblower who claimed DOGE stole data to sell to the Russians is now being investigated for making up the story. Finally, if you are going to photoshop someone into a picture, at least put some effort into it. Please take a moment to rate and review the show and then share the episode on social media. You can find me on Facebook, X, Instagram, GETTR,  TRUTH Social and YouTube by searching for The Alan Sanders Show. And, consider becoming a sponsor of the show by visiting my Patreon page!!

A big concern since Donald Trump returned to the White House has revolved around his authoritarian style and what it means for the future of US democracy. So when he says he's not joking about the possibility of serving another term as President, which is banned under the US constitution, it's not just seen as a flippant comment. Today Philip Klinkner a professor of government at Hamilton College in Clinton New York on how Trump could actually do it Featured:Philip Klinkner, Professor of Government, Hamilton College, New York

Authoritarian regimes sometimes take power all at once – but other times they chip away at societal norms bit by bit. Aziz Huq teaches law at the University of Chicago, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss specifically how the Nazis rose to power and began to persecute Jews in part because the rest of German society just went about its business without objection. His article published in The Atlantic is “America Is Watching the Rise of a Dual State.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Tristan breaks down how Trump's latest immigration moves are straight-up medieval—think mass detentions, zero due process, and even outsourcing detainees to El Salvador's infamous mega-prison. It's not just a policy debate; it's a full-on challenge to the rule of law, and the Supreme Court is getting dragged into the mess. Tristan is joined by David Pakman—YouTube OG, host, and author of the bestseller The Echo Machine—for a no-BS conversation about the rise of authoritarian vibes, why loyalty is replacing competence in government, and how the left can actually win by ditching purity tests and building a real coalition. They get into why most people aren't glued to political podcasts, how the right is dominating lifestyle content, and what it'll take to reach new audiences (hint: it's not just more political hot takes).

Across Europe, the walls are closing in. In Spain, activist Isabel Peralta is sentenced for speaking the truth about migrant violence. In Germany, the surging AFD is punished for rising in the polls. In Norway, peaceful protesters are investigated like criminals. From the UK's online speech police to Scotland's snitch kiosks, this is not the Europe you knew — it's the EU-SSR. NATO was built to fight the old USSR, but now Brussels is pushing censorship, silencing dissent, and criminalizing patriotism. And the worst part? American elites want to import the same model. This is the battle for the future of the West — and it's only just beginning.

In this episode of War & Peace, Olga and Elissa talk with political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann to unpack how aspiring authoritarian leaders transform democracies into autocratic governments and whether democratic erosion in Western democracies is, in fact, a trend. They discuss how such leaders concentrate power and systematically weaken democratic institutions. They also explore the role of ideology in authoritarian systems and how these regimes differ from totalitarian forms of governance. Finally, they delve into how democratic resilience can be fostered and what can be done to reverse democratic backsliding.For more, check out our Europe and Central Asia regional page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DL and Krispin discuss what it's like when you start to notice your partner's family is dysfunctional, as well as what it's like when you're the one in the enmeshed family — and your partner starts to point it out to you. You can read about religious authoritarian parenting and also find the transcript for this podcast at strongwilled.substack.com. You can join our patreon comamunity or join our substack to support this podcast and join our discord community.  You can follow STRONGWILED on Instagram. You can follow Krispin on Instagram here.

https://youtu.be/vFaDm6eo-mk Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer examine the Trump administration's recent tariff policy and the legal, economic, and political disruptions they create. Among the topics covered: Why tariffs are not a proper foreign policy instrument to deter the threat from China; Why all justifications for tariffs are arbitrary and collectivistic in nature; How the obsession with trade deficits reveals outright ignorance of economic principles; How legal ambiguity has enabled the executive to wield authoritarian power; How Trump's whim-driven rule is pushing the country toward authoritarianism; The economic chaos caused by the tariffs; What hopes exist for reversing the policy. Recommended in this podcast are Ayn Rand's articles “America's Persecuted Minority: Big Business” and “The Moratorium on Brains.” The podcast was recorded on April 9, 2025 and posted on April 10, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

Clara E. Mattei on the relation between austerity, fascism and authoritarian liberalism. Clara's book is out in German! Find it here: Die Ordnung des Kapitals: Wie Ökonomen die Austerität erfanden und dem Faschismus den Weg bereiteten. Brumaire Verlag. https://shop.jacobin.de/bestellen/clara-mattei-die-ordnung-des-kapitals   Shownotes Clara E. Mattei's website: https://www.claramattei.com/ Center for Heterodox Economics (CHE) at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma: https://sites.utulsa.edu/chetu/ CHE's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CHE-tulsa Mattei, C. E. (2022). The Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism. University of Chicago Press. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo181707138.html the german translation: Mattei, C. E. (2025). Die Ordnung des Kapitals: Wie Ökonomen die Austerität erfanden und dem Faschismus den Weg bereiteten. Brumaire Verlag. https://shop.jacobin.de/bestellen/clara-mattei-die-ordnung-des-kapitals on „Derisking“: Amarnath, S., Brusseler, M., Gabor, D., Lala, C., Mason, JW (2023). Varieties of Derisking. Phenomenal World. https://www.phenomenalworld.org/interviews/derisking/ on “DOGE” (Department of Government Efficiency): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Government_Efficiency on the new german “Sondervermögen” to invest in rearmament and infrastructure: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-set-to-spend-big-on-army-and-infrastructure/a-71834527 on the 1920 International Financial Conference in Brussels: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_International_Financial_Conference_(1920) on the 1922 Economic and Financial Conference in Genoa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genoa_Economic_and_Financial_Conference_(1922) on Google's contract with the IDF: https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/22/24349582/google-israel-defense-forces-idf-contract-gaza Benanav, A. (2022). Socialist Investment, Dynamic Planning, and the Politics of Human Need. Rethinking Marxism, 34(2), 193–204. https://doi.org/10.1080/08935696.2022.2051375 Sirianni, C. J. (1980). Workers' Control in the Era of World War I: A Comparative Analysis of the European Experience. Theory and Society, 9(1), 29–88. https://www.jstor.org/stable/656823 on the Landless Workers Movement in Brazil: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landless_Workers%27_Movement Braun, B. (2021) Central Bank Planning for Public Purpose. In: Fassin, D. and Fourcade, M. (eds.) Pandemic Exposures: Economy and Society in the Time of Coronavirus. HAU Books, pp. 105–121. https://benjaminbraun.org/assets/pubs/braun_central-bank-planning-public-purpose.pdf on the “Phillips Curve”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips_curve Arun K. Patnaik. (1988). Gramsci's Concept of Common Sense: Towards a Theory of Subaltern Consciousness in Hegemony Processes. Economic and Political Weekly, 23(5). https://www.jstor.org/stable/4378042 Thomas, P.D. (2015). Gramsci's Marxism: The ‘Philosophy of Praxis'. In: McNally, M. (eds.) Antonio Gramsci. Critical Explorations in Contemporary Political Thought. Palgrave Macmillan. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137334183_6 on the US Solidarity Economy: https://neweconomy.net/solidarity-economy/ the US Solidarity Economy Network: https://ussen.org/ the US Solidarity Economy Map and Directory: https://solidarityeconomy.us/   If you are interested in democratic economic planning, these resources might be of help: Democratic planning – an information website https://www.democratic-planning.com/ Sorg, C. & Groos, J. (eds.)(2025). Rethinking Economic Planning. Competition & Change Special Issue Volume 29 Issue 1. https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/ccha/29/1 Groos, J. & Sorg, C. (2025). Creative Construction - Democratic Planning in the 21st Century and Beyond. Bristol University Press. [for a review copy, please contact: amber.lanfranchi[at]bristol.ac.uk] https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/creative-construction International Network for Democratic Economic Planning https://www.indep.network/ Democratic Planning Research Platform: https://www.planningresearch.net/   Future Histories Episodes on Related Topics S03E24 | Grace Blakeley on Capitalist Planning and its Alternatives https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s03/e24-grace-blakeley-on-capitalist-planning-and-its-alternatives/     Future Histories Contact & Support If you like Future Histories, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/FutureHistories Contact: office@futurehistories.today Twitter: https://twitter.com/FutureHpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurehpodcast/ Mastodon: https://mstdn.social/@FutureHistories English webpage: https://futurehistories-international.com   Episode Keywords #ClaraEMattei, #JanGroos, #Interview, #FutureHistories, #FutureHistoriesInternational, #futurehistoriesinternational, #Austerity, #CentralBanks, #Capitalism, #Fascism, #Economics, #NeoclassicalEconomics, #HeterodoxEconomics, #PluralEconomics, #State, #CapitalistState, #Markets, #History, #SolidarityEconomy, #AntonioGramsci, #Gramsci, #Investment, #DemocraticPlanning, #DemocraticEconomicPlanning, #Derisking, #PoliticalEconomy, #EconomicHistory, #AuthoritarianLiberalism, #EconomicThought, #EconomicDemocracy

Joseph S. Nye Jr. is a Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus, and former Dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He has served as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, as chairman of the National Intelligence Council, and as deputy undersecretary of state for security assistance, science and technology. In a recent survey of international relations scholars, he was ranked as the most influential scholar on American foreign policy, and in 2011, Foreign Policy named him one of the top 100 Global Thinkers. His most recent book, published in 2024, is “A Life in the American Century.” His other books include “The Power to Lead,” “The Future of Power,” “Presidential Leadership and the Creation of the American Era,” and "Is the American Century Over?” He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the British Academy, and the American Academy of Diplomacy. He received his bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Princeton University, won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, and earned a PhD in political science from Harvard. Ralph Ranalli of the HKS Office of Communications and Public Affairs is the host, producer, and editor of HKS PolicyCast. A former journalist, public television producer, and entrepreneur, he holds an BA in political science from UCLA and a master's in journalism from Columbia University.Scheduling and logistical support for PolicyCast is provided by Lilian Wainaina. Design and graphics support is provided by Laura King. Web design and social media promotion support is provided by Catherine Santrock and Natalie Montaner. Editorial support is provided by Nora Delaney and Robert O'Neill. 

Hosts: Adam Gardiner and Taylor Morgan  University of Utah President, Taylor Randall is being accused of being “draconian” and “authoritarian” after he sent out a memo last month calling for a review of all campus policies to make sure they adequately limit the authority of professors. This is part of ongoing tensions between faculty and the president over who has power at a public university. Taylor and Adam discuss some of the steps that led to this accusation. 

Hosts: Adam Gardiner and Taylor Morgan  Trump announces 90-day pause on tariff plan  Earlier today President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on the new tariffs. The stock market roller coaster is over... for now. Taylor and Adam break down whether this was Trump’s plan in the first place, or if it was a reaction to the public outrage.    What’s next for the Trump administration?  Following the 90-day pause on tariffs, what does the Trump administration do next? How do they move forward on these eggshells? Scott Condie, Associate Professor of Economics at BYU, joins the show to discuss some of the steps the Trump administration could take in the next 90 days. Adam and Taylor share their thoughts on what could be on the horizon.    Will the tariffs help Republicans in the midterm elections?  At the National Republican Committee fundraiser Tuesday night, President Donald Trump said that the new tariffs would be good for Republicans in the midterm elections. Taylor and Adam discuss how voters might view the Trump administration’s plan for tariffs and how the 90-day pause could affect what happens.    Judges stop deportation of 5 Venezuelans   Federal judges in New York and Texas took legal action today to block the government from moving five Venezuelans out of the country until they can fight the government's attempt to remove them under a law that gives the president the power to imprison and deport noncitizens in times of war. The Alien Enemies Act has only been used three times in the past: The War of 1812, WWI and WWII. Taylor and Adam look at the processes the Trump administration and the federal courts are going through to for these deportations.    Republican governors on the same page with budget resolution  22 Republican governor’s sent President Trump a letter on Tuesday in support of the Senate’s budget resolution. Utah governor Spencer Cox was among those who signed the letter. The White House hosted a meeting Tuesday afternoon to try and convince House Republicans to flip their votes. Adam and Taylor break down the interactions between the two sides.    University of Utah President accused of being “authoritarian”   University of Utah President, Taylor Randall is being accused of being “draconian” and “authoritarian” after he sent out a memo last month calling for a review of all campus policies to make sure they adequately limit the authority of professors. This is part of ongoing tensions between faculty and the president over who has power at a public university. Taylor and Adam discuss some of the steps that led to this accusation.    How coal executive order is going to affect energy in Utah  Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday to delay closure of some coal-fired power plants and end the federal moratorium on coal leases. Coal remains a component of the U.S. energy portfolio and in Utah, the state derives 46% of its net electricity generation from coal. That is down from 75% in 2015. Brian Somers, President of the Utah Mining Association, joins the Adam and Taylor to discuss what this new executive order means for Utah.    Real ID is FINALLY coming to an airport near you  We're less than one month away from the Real ID deadline (May. 7). That means you have to have a physical ID when you go through the airport. The question remains... are they going to follow through this time? The movement started back in 2005! Taylor and Adam break down some of the pros and cons of this new initiative.   

BrownTown takes on  "La Plataforma 2" (2024) with Alderhomies Rossana Rodriguez (33rd) and Jessie Fuentes (26th) about a vertical prison where those inside are fed off of a descending platform, leaving only the diminishing leftovers for those below. BrownTown and the alderhomies breakdown the second installment noting the commentary on governance systems, resistance factions and social movements, relational ethics, and abolition.--GUESTSAlderwoman Rossana Rodriguez (33rd), now in her second term, is the Chair of the Committee on Health and Human Relations for the Chicago City Council. Rossana was born and raised in Puerto Rico and started organizing at six years old when her community had to fight for access to running water. Organizing soon became a fundamental part of her life and remains her main tool within her work in government. Rossana came to Chicago after austerity and budget cuts forced her to leave her job as a drama teacher in Puerto Rico. She originally moved to Albany Park to work as a theatre director with a youth theatre company 14 years ago and chose to stay and organize around housing, education, immigrant rights, and mental health. She is the chief sponsor for the Treatment Not Trauma legislation and continues to organize with grassroots organizations to transform Chicago. Follow Rossana on Facebook, Instagram, (personal, political) and Twitter (personal, political). Stay up to date with her City Council work and 33rd ward services at Rossanafor33.org.Alderperson Jessie Fuentes (26th) is a queer Latina grassroots organizer, educator, and public policy advocate with over a decade of experience in education, criminal justice reform, affordable housing, community development and sustainability. A lifelong Chicagoan and resident of the Northwest side, Jessie spent most of her formative years growing up and working in Humboldt Park. Through personal resilience, community support and restorative justice, Jessie turned her most traumatic life experiences into tools to uplift others facing similar circumstances. In her previous roles as an educator and Dean of Students at Roberto Clemente Community Academy and as an organizer around issues of violence prevention, housing affordability, and re-entry for returning citizens, she convened and connected community stakeholders to create community-driven solutions to the biggest problems facing Humboldt Park. Jessie recently served as the Director of Policy and Youth Advocacy at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. She Co-chaired the Violence Prevention program of the Illinois Latino Agenda and is also a Founding Member of the Illinois Latino Agenda 2.0, focusing on community development and Latine equity. Follow Jessie on Facebook (personal, political), Instagram (personal, political), and Twitter (personal, political). Stay up to date with her City Council work and 26th ward at Jessiefor26thward.com. Opinions on this episode only reflect David, Caullen, Rossana, and Jessie as individuals, not their organizations or places of work. CREDITS: Intro music Revolución and outro music End Credits by Aitor Etxebarria from the film's soundtrack. Episode photo from La Plataforma 2. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles and Kassandra Borah. Production assistance by Jamie Price.--Bourbon 'n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

Are Trump & the MAGA leadership going full Authoritarian when it comes to solving America's problems?Styxhexenhammer666https://x.com/Styx666Officialhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0rZoXAD5lxgBHMsjrGwWWQCounterpointshttps://x.com/counterconorhttps://www.youtube.com/@CounterpointsLev Polyakovhttps://twitter.com/Levpo--Consider Supporting BTR by:☕ Buying the most delicious coffee ever at https://jamnbean.com w/ Code: BTR10

The Trump administration has moved at breakneck speed to suppress free speech, mass deport hundreds of individuals without due process, and target judges who dare cross him – moves straight out of an authoritarian playbook.If you're not a 5-4 Premium member, you're not hearing every episode! To hear this and other Premium-only episodes, access to our Slack community, and more, join at fivefourpod.com/support.5-4 is presented by Prologue Projects. This episode was produced by Dustin DeSoto. Leon Neyfakh provides editorial support. Our researcher is Jonathan DeBruin, and our website was designed by Peter Murphy. Our artwork is by Teddy Blanks at Chips NY, and our theme song is by Spatial Relations.Follow the show at @fivefourpod on most platforms. On BlueSky, find Peter @notalawyer.bsky.social, Michael @fleerultra.bsky.social, and Rhiannon @aywarhiannon.bsky.social. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Global Media & Communication podcast series, a multimodal project powered by the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC) at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. At CARGC, we produce and promote critical, interdisciplinary, and multimodal research on global media and communication. We aim to bridge academic scholarship and public life, bringing the best scholarship to bear on enduring global questions and pressing contemporary issues. Today, our host Juan Llamas-Rodriguez interviews Martín Echeverría about his book Political Entertainment in a Post Authoritarian Democracy: Humor in the Mexican Media (Routledge, 2024), co-written with Frida Rodelo. In this episode you will hear about: The affordances and limitations of YouTube for the political media ecosystem The role of memes in generating political interest among politically disinterested groups How people's distrust of news organizations impact the communication environment for political news How restrictions on political speech have shifted in Mexico in the last few decades Guest Biography: Martín Echeverría is the Head of the Center for Studies in Political Communication at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico. He holds a PhD in Communication and Culture from the University of Seville, Spain, and serves as Co-Chair of the Political Communication Section of the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). His research, which focuses on the mediatization of politics, media systems, and the reception and political effects of media, has been published in leading journals such as The International Journal of Press/Politics, International Journal of Communication, Journalism Studies, and top Latin American outlets. He is the author and editor of several books, including Media and Politics in Post-Authoritarian Mexico: The Continuing Struggle for Democracy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) and Political Entertainment in a Post-Authoritarian Democracy (Routledge, 2023), the latter receiving the AEJMC 2024 Knudson Award for the best book on Latin American media in the United States. Host Biography: Juan Llamas-Rodriguez is a researcher and educator interested in how media theories allow us to critically analyze social phenomena on a global scale. He works as assistant professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and associate director of the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Border Tunnels: A Media Theory of the US-Mexico Underground (University of Minnesota Press, 2023) and Y Tu Mamá También: A Queer Film Classic (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2025), and editor of Media Travels: Toward an Atlas of Global Media (Amherst College Press, 2025). Credits Interview by: Juan Llamas-Rodriguez Produced by: Juan Llamas-Rodriguez  Edited by: Anna Gamarnik Keywords: authoritarianism, memes, Mexico, political communication, political satire, YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Welcome to the Global Media & Communication podcast series, a multimodal project powered by the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC) at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. At CARGC, we produce and promote critical, interdisciplinary, and multimodal research on global media and communication. We aim to bridge academic scholarship and public life, bringing the best scholarship to bear on enduring global questions and pressing contemporary issues. Today, our host Juan Llamas-Rodriguez interviews Martín Echeverría about his book Political Entertainment in a Post Authoritarian Democracy: Humor in the Mexican Media (Routledge, 2024), co-written with Frida Rodelo. In this episode you will hear about: The affordances and limitations of YouTube for the political media ecosystem The role of memes in generating political interest among politically disinterested groups How people's distrust of news organizations impact the communication environment for political news How restrictions on political speech have shifted in Mexico in the last few decades Guest Biography: Martín Echeverría is the Head of the Center for Studies in Political Communication at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico. He holds a PhD in Communication and Culture from the University of Seville, Spain, and serves as Co-Chair of the Political Communication Section of the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). His research, which focuses on the mediatization of politics, media systems, and the reception and political effects of media, has been published in leading journals such as The International Journal of Press/Politics, International Journal of Communication, Journalism Studies, and top Latin American outlets. He is the author and editor of several books, including Media and Politics in Post-Authoritarian Mexico: The Continuing Struggle for Democracy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) and Political Entertainment in a Post-Authoritarian Democracy (Routledge, 2023), the latter receiving the AEJMC 2024 Knudson Award for the best book on Latin American media in the United States. Host Biography: Juan Llamas-Rodriguez is a researcher and educator interested in how media theories allow us to critically analyze social phenomena on a global scale. He works as assistant professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and associate director of the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Border Tunnels: A Media Theory of the US-Mexico Underground (University of Minnesota Press, 2023) and Y Tu Mamá También: A Queer Film Classic (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2025), and editor of Media Travels: Toward an Atlas of Global Media (Amherst College Press, 2025). Credits Interview by: Juan Llamas-Rodriguez Produced by: Juan Llamas-Rodriguez  Edited by: Anna Gamarnik Keywords: authoritarianism, memes, Mexico, political communication, political satire, YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/latin-american-studies

The year 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of China's Digital Silk Road, which has become an increasingly crucial component of Xi Jinping's flagship foreign policy project: the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past decade, China has massively expanded its digital infrastructure investment across the globe. Accompanying the investment has been the diffusion of China's digital governance norms and standards in recipient states. Countries in the Indo-Pacific have been at the forefront of this stretching Chinese digital influence landscape. The conflation between digital development cooperation and digital governance norms adoption has far-reaching implications that need to be better understood and addressed. To discuss the issue, Michael Caster joins host Bonnie Glaser. Caster is the Head of Global China Programmeat ARTICLE 19, an NGO that advances freedom of opinion and expression. His organization has published two reports examining China's Digital Silk Road. Timestamps[00:00] Start[01:30] Understanding China's Digital Silk Road [05:57] China's Digital Governance Norms[10:16] China's Digital Footprints Abroad[16:07] Attractiveness of Chinese Digital Solutions[18:56] Role of High-Tech Companies in Digital Governance[21:44] Assessing the Effectiveness of China's Digital Governance[23:14] State-Driven Surveillance and Censorship[27:39] China's BeiDou Navigation System [31:09] How should governments respond to these normative shifts? 

Welcome to the Global Media & Communication podcast series, a multimodal project powered by the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC) at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. At CARGC, we produce and promote critical, interdisciplinary, and multimodal research on global media and communication. We aim to bridge academic scholarship and public life, bringing the best scholarship to bear on enduring global questions and pressing contemporary issues. Today, our host Juan Llamas-Rodriguez interviews Martín Echeverría about his book Political Entertainment in a Post Authoritarian Democracy: Humor in the Mexican Media (Routledge, 2024), co-written with Frida Rodelo. In this episode you will hear about: The affordances and limitations of YouTube for the political media ecosystem The role of memes in generating political interest among politically disinterested groups How people's distrust of news organizations impact the communication environment for political news How restrictions on political speech have shifted in Mexico in the last few decades Guest Biography: Martín Echeverría is the Head of the Center for Studies in Political Communication at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico. He holds a PhD in Communication and Culture from the University of Seville, Spain, and serves as Co-Chair of the Political Communication Section of the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). His research, which focuses on the mediatization of politics, media systems, and the reception and political effects of media, has been published in leading journals such as The International Journal of Press/Politics, International Journal of Communication, Journalism Studies, and top Latin American outlets. He is the author and editor of several books, including Media and Politics in Post-Authoritarian Mexico: The Continuing Struggle for Democracy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) and Political Entertainment in a Post-Authoritarian Democracy (Routledge, 2023), the latter receiving the AEJMC 2024 Knudson Award for the best book on Latin American media in the United States. Host Biography: Juan Llamas-Rodriguez is a researcher and educator interested in how media theories allow us to critically analyze social phenomena on a global scale. He works as assistant professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and associate director of the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Border Tunnels: A Media Theory of the US-Mexico Underground (University of Minnesota Press, 2023) and Y Tu Mamá También: A Queer Film Classic (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2025), and editor of Media Travels: Toward an Atlas of Global Media (Amherst College Press, 2025). Credits Interview by: Juan Llamas-Rodriguez Produced by: Juan Llamas-Rodriguez  Edited by: Anna Gamarnik Keywords: authoritarianism, memes, Mexico, political communication, political satire, YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Dan Perry, former chief of The Associated Press in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, said that Benjamin Netanyahu was acting like an authoritarian leader and was waging a full blown war against Israel’s gate keepers like the Shin Bet chief, the attorney general and the judiciary so he can run an unrestrained government. Speaking to reporter Arieh O’Sullivan, Perry said that Israel was still a functioning state, but was approaching a level of dysfunction and civil war. (photo: Miriam Alster/flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, it's just me, Gavin Stephens, diving into a bizarre but growing phenomenon—Canadians who actually want the U.S. to annex Canada. I break down the authoritarian mindset behind this and why some Canadians are in complete denial about Trump's influence (inspired by this article).This is just Part 1—get the full conversation by joining our Patreon. Plus, if you're into deep dives on decolonial thought, politics, and society, join our book club on Fable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bill Gates' AI PredictionsAI Apocalypse Unveiled: Bill Gates Predicts the End of Humanity in a Decade Buckle up for a wild ride as Bill Gates drops a bombshell on Jimmy Fallon's show, claiming artificial intelligence will obliterate jobs, replace doctors and teachers, and leave humans obsolete within 10 years. Is this a visionary forecast or a sinister plot to usher in a technocratic nightmare and establish NEW unchallengeable authority figure? The Future of Jobs in an AI WorldHumans Need Not Apply: Gates' Shocking Vision of an AI-Dominated Workforce Gates boldly declares most jobs will vanish as AI takes over, leaving only three human roles standing: and they all are connected to him. Will you be one of the lucky few, or are you destined to be sidelined by machines? The future of work just got terrifyingly real! AI as the New GodBlasphemy in Binary: Is AI the False Deity Replacing God? Critics scream heresy as AI is poised to become the ultimate authority, replacing human experts and even divine wisdom. From Fauci to chatbots, the text warns of a dystopian shift where technology dictates your life. Is this progress or a rebellion against the Almighty? AI Bias and LiesLiar, Liar, Code on Fire: AI's Dirty Secret of Deception ExposedCambridge virologists catch ChatGPT red-handed, fabricating diseases and confessing its lies! With biases baked in by low-paid programmers, AI's “truth” is a sham. Can we trust this tech, or is it a Pandora's box of misinformation ready to ruin us all? Economic Impacts of AI and Net ZeroSkyrocketing Costs and Empty Skies: AI and Net Zero Ground the MassesQantas spills the beans: air travel's about to become a luxury only the elite can afford, thanks to net zero madness. Cars? Add $12,000 to the price tag, courtesy of Trump's tariffs. The economy's crumbling—will you be left grounded and broke? Trump's Tariffs, Planned Misdirection, and Crypto SchemesTrillion-Dollar Heist: Trump's Tariffs and Stablecoins to Rob You BlindTrump's tariff chaos slaps a $100 billion tax on cars according to White House staff (Trump boasts $300-$600 billion), while his crypto cronies push “stablecoins” that aren't stable, private, or even coins! It's a massive wealth grab disguised as patriotism—will you own nothing while they rake in trillions? War and Bombing CampaignsBlood, Bombs, and Bragging: America's Endless Killing Spree ExposedYemen bleeds as Trump boasts of “successful” airstrikes—US averaging 46 airstrikes PER DAY since 2000!   It's bipartisan disregard for civilian slaughter, hidden behind “national security.” Will the war machine ever stop, or are we all complicit in this carnage? Greenland and Geopolitical GamesGreenland Rejects the Vances: Trump's Arctic Land Grab Sparks OutrageGreenlanders slam the door on JD Vance and Usha's visit as Trump eyes their land for rare earth riches. Denmark cries foul, Putin warns of encroachment, and locals say no to being pawns in America's crony capitalist chess game. Is this a takeover in the making? Surveillance and Facial RecognitionBig Brother's New Gang: AI Face-Scanners Turn Cops into Thugs!London's streets sprout permanent facial recognition cameras, misidentifying innocents and unleashing police brutality. The text warns of a surveillance state where AI flags you as a criminal—guilty or not. Will you be SWAT-ed by the “face-recog” hit list? Propaganda in MediaNetflix's Mind Games: Adolescence Pushes a Sinister Digital ID AgendaThe film Adolescence isn't just entertainment—it's propaganda to lock kids off the internet with digital IDs, backed by UK politicos and Netflix's Bernays bloodline. Is this art or a calculated move to control the next generation? Spiritual ResistanceGod vs. AI: The Ultimate Battle for Your Soul Begins NowAs AI and technocrats play God, the text calls for prayer and discernment to fight back. Gates' error-riddled machines can't match the Almighty's truth. Will faith topple this silicon tower of Babel, or are we doomed to digital slavery?Jack Lawson's Civil Defense Manual Returns with a Vengeance Amid a Nation on the Brink           He's back—Jack Lawson, the fearless voice of survival, storms onto the scene with Civil Defense Manual, a a revamped new website, and a stockpile of three tons of books ready to arm Americans with the knowledge to face the chaos ahead.     After a maddening four-month blackout blamed on DEI disasters at his distributor, Lawson's breaking free from the shackles of Big Tech censorship—Amazon's ‘Communist Commissar' crew axed his account, but they can't stop him now!     With a Substack to rally the troops, Lawson's not just selling books—he's igniting a movement. As he warns of a ‘Fourth Turning' crisis barreling toward 2029, with economic collapse and war looming, he's arming patriots with free resources and a Certified American program to rebuild a civil defense from scratch.If you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-show Or you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Money should have intrinsic value AND transactional privacy: Go to DavidKnight.gold for great deals on physical gold/silverFor 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to TrendsJournal.com and enter the code KNIGHTFor 10% off supplements and books, go to RNCstore.com and enter the code KNIGHTBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-david-knight-show--2653468/support.

Bill Gates' AI PredictionsAI Apocalypse Unveiled: Bill Gates Predicts the End of Humanity in a Decade Buckle up for a wild ride as Bill Gates drops a bombshell on Jimmy Fallon's show, claiming artificial intelligence will obliterate jobs, replace doctors and teachers, and leave humans obsolete within 10 years. Is this a visionary forecast or a sinister plot to usher in a technocratic nightmare and establish NEW unchallengeable authority figure? The Future of Jobs in an AI WorldHumans Need Not Apply: Gates' Shocking Vision of an AI-Dominated Workforce Gates boldly declares most jobs will vanish as AI takes over, leaving only three human roles standing: and they all are connected to him. Will you be one of the lucky few, or are you destined to be sidelined by machines? The future of work just got terrifyingly real! AI as the New GodBlasphemy in Binary: Is AI the False Deity Replacing God? Critics scream heresy as AI is poised to become the ultimate authority, replacing human experts and even divine wisdom. From Fauci to chatbots, the text warns of a dystopian shift where technology dictates your life. Is this progress or a rebellion against the Almighty? AI Bias and LiesLiar, Liar, Code on Fire: AI's Dirty Secret of Deception ExposedCambridge virologists catch ChatGPT red-handed, fabricating diseases and confessing its lies! With biases baked in by low-paid programmers, AI's “truth” is a sham. Can we trust this tech, or is it a Pandora's box of misinformation ready to ruin us all? Economic Impacts of AI and Net ZeroSkyrocketing Costs and Empty Skies: AI and Net Zero Ground the MassesQantas spills the beans: air travel's about to become a luxury only the elite can afford, thanks to net zero madness. Cars? Add $12,000 to the price tag, courtesy of Trump's tariffs. The economy's crumbling—will you be left grounded and broke? Trump's Tariffs, Planned Misdirection, and Crypto SchemesTrillion-Dollar Heist: Trump's Tariffs and Stablecoins to Rob You BlindTrump's tariff chaos slaps a $100 billion tax on cars according to White House staff (Trump boasts $300-$600 billion), while his crypto cronies push “stablecoins” that aren't stable, private, or even coins! It's a massive wealth grab disguised as patriotism—will you own nothing while they rake in trillions? War and Bombing CampaignsBlood, Bombs, and Bragging: America's Endless Killing Spree ExposedYemen bleeds as Trump boasts of “successful” airstrikes—US averaging 46 airstrikes PER DAY since 2000!   It's bipartisan disregard for civilian slaughter, hidden behind “national security.” Will the war machine ever stop, or are we all complicit in this carnage? Greenland and Geopolitical GamesGreenland Rejects the Vances: Trump's Arctic Land Grab Sparks OutrageGreenlanders slam the door on JD Vance and Usha's visit as Trump eyes their land for rare earth riches. Denmark cries foul, Putin warns of encroachment, and locals say no to being pawns in America's crony capitalist chess game. Is this a takeover in the making? Surveillance and Facial RecognitionBig Brother's New Gang: AI Face-Scanners Turn Cops into Thugs!London's streets sprout permanent facial recognition cameras, misidentifying innocents and unleashing police brutality. The text warns of a surveillance state where AI flags you as a criminal—guilty or not. Will you be SWAT-ed by the “face-recog” hit list? Propaganda in MediaNetflix's Mind Games: Adolescence Pushes a Sinister Digital ID AgendaThe film Adolescence isn't just entertainment—it's propaganda to lock kids off the internet with digital IDs, backed by UK politicos and Netflix's Bernays bloodline. Is this art or a calculated move to control the next generation? Spiritual ResistanceGod vs. AI: The Ultimate Battle for Your Soul Begins NowAs AI and technocrats play God, the text calls for prayer and discernment to fight back. Gates' error-riddled machines can't match the Almighty's truth. Will faith topple this silicon tower of Babel, or are we doomed to digital slavery?Jack Lawson's Civil Defense Manual Returns with a Vengeance Amid a Nation on the Brink           He's back—Jack Lawson, the fearless voice of survival, storms onto the scene with Civil Defense Manual, a a revamped new website, and a stockpile of three tons of books ready to arm Americans with the knowledge to face the chaos ahead.     After a maddening four-month blackout blamed on DEI disasters at his distributor, Lawson's breaking free from the shackles of Big Tech censorship—Amazon's ‘Communist Commissar' crew axed his account, but they can't stop him now!     With a Substack to rally the troops, Lawson's not just selling books—he's igniting a movement. As he warns of a ‘Fourth Turning' crisis barreling toward 2029, with economic collapse and war looming, he's arming patriots with free resources and a Certified American program to rebuild a civil defense from scratch.If you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-show Or you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Money should have intrinsic value AND transactional privacy: Go to DavidKnight.gold for great deals on physical gold/silverFor 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to TrendsJournal.com and enter the code KNIGHTFor 10% off supplements and books, go to RNCstore.com and enter the code KNIGHTBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-david-knight-show--5282736/support.

Following up on our June 2021 episode What If We Win? the Dorx ask whether we have won the gender wars yet. While discussing weak arguments, bad journalism, wrong pronouns, diversity of tactics, tolerance, metallurgy, the responsibility of power, and Cori's “boys,” still more questions arise: Why are people who know better still referring to men as women? Who coddles the coddlers? Is a Liberal's true authentic self an Authoritarian? How do you pronounce “Maori”? Listen to this episode for answers, and remember to STAY MARGINAL!Links:What If We Win? Heterodorx June 2021 episode: https://www.heterodorx.com/podcast/episode-21-what-if-we-win/Blocked & reported Zizians episode: https://www.blockedandreported.org/p/episode-247-the-zizians-reign-ofInformed Dissent podcast on Brianna Wu: https://informeddissentpodcast.substack.com/p/episode-12-the-babies-are-in-chargeNina's Tweet about pronouns: https://x.com/ninapaley/status/1893348769053254076Conservative NZ church hakka disrupts Pride parade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOjP-L8acU8&ab_channel=AllBlacksRumspringa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumspringa Get full access to Heterodorx Podcast at heterodorx.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode: Republicans in Tallahassee want to punish the state's chief economist because she refused to bend to political pressure during a debate last year over an abortion-rights ballot measure. Meanwhile, the speaker of the state House calls for a historic tax cut for consumers. It's an idea with a lot of promise — but a lot of peril, too. Show notesThe bills discussed in today's show:House Bill 1205 — Amendments to the State Constitution Senate Bill 7016 — Initiative Petitions Proposing an Amendment to the State ConstitutionState lawmakers could slash sales tax, saving Floridians billionsInstitute on Taxation and Economic Policy: Who Pays? (7th ed.)ITEP: A Revenue Analysis of Worldwide Combined Reporting in the StatesQuestions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

With Trump squaring off against the federal court system, which has attempted to block some of his actions, we look at the state of the judiciary branch.On Today's Show:Heather Cox Richardson, professor of American history at Boston College and author of "Letters from an American" on Substack and several books, including Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America (Viking, 2023), offers a historian's take on the first weeks of the second Trump presidency.

Authoritarian forces around the world are reshaping digital technologies into tools of control. This week, Imara dives into the growing threat of digital authoritarianism in the United States with writer and scholar Katherine Alejandra Cross. Katherine unpacks why social media has become such a radicalizing force in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and development of individualizing algorithms. She and Imara also dig into the techno-authoritarian beliefs behind the "California ideology,” the way that Web 2.0 undermines collective action, and why Elon Musk's power grab is a sign of desperation within Silicon Valley elite. Subscribe to The Mess: Imara's Guide to Our Political Hellscape on Apple Podcasts.Send your trans joy recommendations to translash_podcast @ translash [dot] org Follow TransLash Media @translashmedia on TikTok, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, X, and Facebook.Follow Imara Jones on Instagram (@Imara_jones_), Threads (@imara_jones_), Bluesky (@imarajones.bsky.social), X (@ImaraJones)Follow our guest on social media!Katherine Alejandra Cross: Bluesky (@quinnae.com)TransLash Podcast is produced by TransLash Media.Translash Team: Imara Jones, Oliver-Ash Kleine, Aubrey Calaway. Xander Adams is our senior sound engineer and a contributing producer.Morgan Astbury is our social media coordinator. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From February 21, 2024: The advocacy group Protect Democracy last month issued an updated version of its report entitled, “The Authoritarian Playbook.” The new report is called, “The Authoritarian Playbook for 2025: How an authoritarian president will dismantle our democracy and what we can do to protect it.” It is a fascinating compilation of things that Donald Trump has promised to do and how they could likely be expected to affect American democracy if he is elected to a second term in office. To discuss the report, Lawfare Editor-in-Chief Benjamin Wittes spoke with two of its authors: Genevieve Nadeau and Erica Newland, both of Protect Democracy. They talked about what's new in the report, how much of it is speculation and how much of it is simply taking Donald Trump's words seriously, opportunities to mitigate the most dire consequences of which the report warns, and whether this is just baked into the American presidency when occupied by a truly authoritarian personality. To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.