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They want us to believe that silence is strength. That if we keep our heads down, the storm will pass. But we are the storm. And our storm doesn't need fists. It needs strategy, courage, and the fire of militant nonviolence. In the latest episode of Gaslit Nation, Jamila Raqib, the executive director of the Albert Einstein Institution, delivers a masterclass in radical defiance without a single weapon raised. Raqib doesn't just talk resistance. She teaches the art of war, the nonviolent kind, built on discipline, planning, and unshakeable conviction. She carries forward the torch of Gene Sharp, the quiet revolutionary whose writings, like From Dictatorship to Democracy, which the Gaslit Nation Book Club read in March, have armed movements from Serbia to Syria. His ideas are dangerous, not because they incite chaos, but because they illuminate how to take power back without bloodshed. And dictators fear that more than any rifle. This is militant nonviolence. It's strategic. It's disruptive. And when practiced with precision, it brings regimes to their knees. Blueprint for the Battle Ahead Raqib outlines a crucial truth: power is not monolithic. It comes from the obedience of people, workers, civil servants, police, students. Withdraw that obedience, and even the strongest tyrant collapses. Take Serbia. Take Bangladesh. The world keeps giving us proof that nonviolent action isn't weak; it's lethal to authoritarianism when wielded with discipline. These movements succeeded not because they were polite, but because they were strategic. Organized. Defiant. This is how repression backfires. Every crackdown becomes fuel. Every jail cell, every bullet, every propaganda campaign becomes a rallying cry, if activists know how to use it. Weapons of the Peaceful Warrior Raqib reminds us that art is a weapon. Culture is armor. Community is infrastructure. And technology is a battlefield. Whether it empowers or undermines you depends on how well you understand it. Movements rise and fall on logistics, not just slogans. Fear will always be there. That's normal. But as Raqib insists, fear doesn't mean stop. It means go smart. Fear is a compass, if it scares the regime, you're probably doing something right. Nonviolence is Not Passive. It's Precision. This conversation isn't about kumbaya. It's about battle-readiness. It's about studying the terrain of power, exploiting the cracks, and toppling giants with the slow, grinding force of disciplined resistance. Nonviolence doesn't mean surrender. It means refusing to give your enemy the war they want. It means winning on your terms. And in a time of rising fascism, digital surveillance, and global despair, we must turn to the tools that have worked, again and again. So study Gene Sharp. Listen to Raqib. Organize like your life depends on it, because it does. This is not the time for feel-good hashtags. This is the time for public education, mass mobilization, and strategic action. Nonviolent resistance is not soft. It's the hardest fight there is. But it's the one that wins. EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: NEW DATE! Thursday July 31 4pm ET – the Gaslit Nation Book Club discusses Antoine de Saint Exupéry's The Little Prince written in the U.S. during America First. Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon. Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon. Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon. Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon. Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon. Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!
Send Wilk a text with your feedback!Can community service heal what politics has broken?This week, Wilk sits down with Chip Webster, founder of Unity in Service, for a powerful conversation about bridging divides through action, not outrage. From the rise of cancel culture to the erosion of trust in democracy, Chip offers a bold vision for rebuilding unity—one citizen at a time.
Belgian police this week questioned two Israelis who had served in Gaza during the war and were attending a music festival in Belgium. They were questioned over allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law but released after a few hours. The case was hailed as a “turning point in the global pursuit of accountability” by a Belgium-based group called the Hind Rajab Foundation, which has campaigned for the arrest of Israeli troops it accuses of war crimes and crimes against humanity. This wasn’t the first case when Israelis travelling abroad have been targeted. KAN's Mark Weiss spoke with Dr Eran Shamir-Borer, Director of the Israel Democracy Institute’s Center for Security and Democracy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Headlines for July 22, 2025; ICE Detained 6-Year-Old with Cancer for Over a Month: “He and His Sister Cried Every Night”; Trump Revokes Bond for Asylum Seekers, Forcing Immigrants to Fight Their Cases “Behind Bars”; “You Feel Like Your Life Is Over”: HRW Report Exposes Abuses in Trump’s Immigration Jails in Florida; “Life After”: Film Exposes How Medicaid Cuts, Assisted Dying Laws May Bring Disabled to Early Graves
Democracy Now! is a daily independent award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. The post Democracy Now 6am – July 22, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.
Headlines for July 21, 2025; “Precisely Designed Mass Starvation”: Aid Access as Weapon in Israel’s War on Gaza, Researchers Find; “Like a Video Game”: How Israel Deploys Grenade-Firing Drones in Gaza to Kill, Threaten and Displace; Former EPA Official on Trump Gutting Science Research Office: “People Are Not Going to Be Protected”; “I Do Solemnly Swear”: Audio Series Highlights Federal Workers’ Voices on Trump’s Unraveling of Gov’t
In Bulgaria and throughout the Balkans it seems that political experiments are coming to an end. Democracy is ending in Yugoslavia, Agrarianism is being steadily killed off, and moderates are under pressure from all sides. As the 1920s and season 10 come to a close, the Lyapchev government faces its toughest challenges yet. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypodcast to see the great perks you can get for supporting us. You can find images for this episode at: www.bghistorypodcast.com/post/236-twilight-experiment
The Authentically Detroit Podcast Network in collaboration with Detroit One Million presents: The Black Detroit Democracy Podcast, hosted by Donna Givens Davidson and Sam Robinson!Together, Donna and Sam illuminate the complexities of Detroit's unique political landscape and give residents a resource for navigating civic engagement and election season.On this episode they discuss the significant issues around gender bias in candidate coverage and how a troubling generational gap in voter participation skews elections toward older residents' interests.For more episodes of the Black Detroit Democracy Podcast, click here.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Hello to you listening in Thornton, Colorado!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Evildoing, like coercive power, depends on the cooperation, obedience, support, assent or at least passive tolerance of many people. If you passively tolerate evildoing - or turn your face away - you are as much involved in it as the ones who perpetrate it. When you tolerate evildoing without protesting, you are cooperating, you are an accomplice.One who chose not to cooperate was Daniel Ellsberg, American military analyst and whistleblower, who saw clearly what had been going on with the 40 years of war in Vietnam. He chose to copy and then release over 7,000 pages of what became known as The Pentagon Papers. He exposed the long-running scandalous history of the United States' political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1968 and secretly expanding its involvement with the bombing of Cambodia and Laos.In 1971 then President Nixon filed suit to stop the NY Times and the Los Angeles Times from publishing the papers. He failed. The papers were published. Ellsberg himself was criminally indicted but charges were later dismissed. “As Judge Byrne in Los Angles was issuing his dismissal of the indictment against Daniel Ellsberg, Nixon expressed his outrage and sense of betrayal: “ ..., on this national security thing, we have the rocky situation where the sonofabitch thief is made a national hero and is going to get off on a mistrial. And the New York Times gets a Pulitzer Prize for stealing documents ....They're trying to get at us with thieves. What in the name of God have we come to?” [SECRETS - A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers by Daniel Ellsberg, pub. 2002, pp. 456 to 457] What we had come back to was a democratic republic - not an elected monarchy - a government under law, with Congress, the courts, and the press functioning to curtail executive abuses, as our Constitution envisioned. Moreover, for the first time in this or any country the legislature was casting its whole vote against an ongoing presidential war. It was reclaiming, through its control of the purse, the war power it had fecklessly delegated nine years earlier. Congress was stopping the bombing, and the war was going to end.” [SECRETS - A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers by Daniel Ellsberg, pub. 2002, pp. 456 to 457] 40 years of war ends - and Watergate is not far behind - scuttling Nixon's presidency.Individuals who choose to call evildoing what it is, who choose to withdraw their cooperation, ignite organized non-cooperation. That is where we are. We the People - an Army of Ordinary People - have ignited organized non-cooperation. We the People are fighting back and we're bringing our friends to topple the evildoing in the White House. Thank you for listening and fighting alongside us for democracy! Click HERE to access a pdf copy of Secrets - A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon PapersClick HERE to access VOICES: UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Daniel Ellsberg & SECRETS - Vietnam & the Pentagon Papers (October 25, 2002) You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Story Services I offer, arrange a free, no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.
Democracy Now! titulares en español de 21 de julio de 2025
On Today's Show: “Precisely Designed Mass Starvation”: Aid Access as Weapon in Israel's War on Gaza, Researchers Find “Like a Video Game”: How Israel Deploys Grenade-Firing Drones in Gaza to Kill, Threaten and Displace Former EPA Official on Trump Gutting Science Research Office: “People Are Not Going to Be Protected” “I Do Solemnly Swear”: Audio Series Highlights Federal Workers' Voices on Trump's Unraveling of Gov't Democracy Now! is a daily national independent award-winning news program, hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. The post Democracy Now 6am – July 21, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.
Bill Siemering, NPR's first program director and the author of its inspiring mission statement, recounts the network's early goal of honoring diversity by including a variety of American voices. Also, we hear how America's 18th century founders emphasized the importance of a free press and an educated citizenry to the success of their experiment in democracy. Features Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Gordon Wood (Brown University) and Annette Gordon-Reed (Harvard University).
Did Obama Commit Treason? Hawk Dismantles Tulsi Gabbard's Claim In this podcast episode, Hawk focuses on the latest controversy involving Tulsi Gabbard's declassified report accusing former President Barack Obama of treason during the 2016 election. The report claims that top Obama officials coordinated efforts to sabotage Donald Trump's campaign—an accusation that Hawk thoroughly challenges using facts already established by bipartisan Senate investigations, the Mueller report, and multiple intelligence community assessments.Hawk discusses how the report misrepresents the facts by focusing narrowly on election infrastructure while ignoring Russia's proven influence operations, including the DNC and Podesta email hacks, fake social media campaigns, and other efforts aimed at boosting Trump and damaging Hillary Clinton. Drawing from official records and long-standing investigations, Hawk highlights how Tulsi Gabbard's conclusions collapse under scrutiny and explains why, even if her claims were true, the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity would still shield Obama from prosecution.Throughout the video, Hawk brings a sharp, informed, and often humorous take on current political events, cutting through misinformation with clarity and confidence. If you're looking for a no-nonsense review of what really happened in 2016—and what didn't—this is the episode to watch. 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
Another day in the resistance against Republican fascism. Author Charles Derber joins Tara to discuss his book, " Bonfire: American Sociocide, Broken Relations, and the Quest for Democracy" and more! __________________________________________________ Check out "The Tara Show" with Tara Devlin and Tara Dublin every Thursday 2PM EST on the Political Voices Network! www.youtube.com/@PoliticalVoicesNetwork Head on with Robyn Kincaid is on 5 nights a week! headon.live/ Tarabuster is among the independent media voices at APSRadioNews.com BECOME A "TARABUSTER" PATRON: www.patreon.com/taradevlin Subscribe to the Political Voices Substack: https://www.politicalvoicesnetwork.com/ Join the Tarabuster community on Discord too!! discord.gg/PRYDBx8 Buy some Resistance Merch and help support our progressive work! tarabustermerch.com/ Contact Tarabuster: tarabustershow@maskedfort.com Keep the REAL liberal media going and growing! Support Tarabuster: www.paypal.com/paypalme/taradacktyl
Headlines for July 18, 2025; “Stunning Reversal”: Trump Stonewalls on Epstein Files After Campaigning on Full Transparency; Epstein Survivor Calls for Accountability: Release the Files, End Impunity for Rich & Powerful Abusers; Rep. Ro Khanna Pushes to Release All Epstein Files, Calls Gutting of Public Media “Devastating Blow”; Trump Cuts to Public Media Threaten Native Stations That Protect Culture & Public Health, Issue Alerts
This is a preview of The Weekender edition of the Muckrake Podcast. Please go to our Patreon to gain access to the regular Weekender episodes on Fridays. Jared Yates Sexton is unavailable, so on this episode, Nick Hauselman is joined by Political Science Professor Jason Neidleman. They dive into the political firestorm erupting around Jeffrey Epstein — from Pam Bondi's disastrous Fox News appearance to MAGA influencers turning on Trump over his ties to the case. They cover the brutal deportation of innocent people under current policy, including a chilling Stephen Miller sound bite defending the practice. And they examine the drastic cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (NPR, PBS) and how that plays into Right's desire to control educational propaganda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Everyone believes they know the answer... but what does the Constitution actually say? As we approach America's 250th birthday it's important we understand what form of government America actually is. Thankfully we have our team and special guest Dr. W.B. Allen to share their thoughts and guide us through these questions. So let's pick up a Constitution and share this episode with a friend today. Topic: Rediscovering American History The Public Square® Long Format with hosts Wayne Shepherd and Dave Zanotti. thepublicsquare.com Release Date: Friday, July 18th, 2025
Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, Founder and President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, and former Republican congressional candidate for Arizona's 4th District, on the Red-Green Axis and socialist Democratic nominee for mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani. “Iran Is Out to Assassinate Trump” from The Wall Street Journal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Democracy Now! titulares en español de 18 de julio de 2025
I spoke to Josh Shepperd about his book, Shadow of the New Deal. In his book, Shepperd analyzed the history of how public media developed in the United States. You can find his book at bookshop here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/shadow-of-the-new-deal-the-victory-of-public-broadcasting-josh-shepperd/18826284?ean=9780252087257&next=t
Democracy Now! is a daily independent award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. The post Democracy Now 6am – July 18, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.
***CORRECTED EPISODE*** INCLUDES A CHUNK OF THE EPISODE THAT WAS NOT UPLOADED ORIGINALLY.On this new episode of THE POLITICRAT daily podcast just over a year after he warned about it, Omar Moore talks about the U.S. corporate news media remaining a threat to democracy. Receipts are laid out on the table. Recorded July 18, 2025.SUBSCRIBE: https://mooreo.substack.comSUBSCRIBE: https://politicrat.substack.comRECOMMENDED READSOmar's latest Substack entry (July 18, 2025):Omar's latest experience with racism in San Francisco: https://mooreo.substack.com/p/if-its-summer-its-book-reading-time?r=275tyr&triedRedirect=trueABC News agrees to pay $16 million to Donald Trump (December 2024) : WARNING - NEWS STORY CONTAINS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC AND TRIGGERING CONTENT REGARDING RAPEhttps://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/abc-news-trump-library-15-million-dollars-defamation-settlementParamount agrees to pay $16 million to Donald Trump:(July 2, 2025)https://www.huffpost.com/entry/paramount-trump-settle-lawsuit_n_6841c504e4b0daf9137c7d0eSenator Ron Wyden of Oregon on Trump/Epstein (July 17, 2025):https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/business/epstein-banks-wyden-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XU8.OZOU.QDXE1knDgR5O&smid=url-shareTrump draws photos of naked women for Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday bash (July 17, 2025) - may be paywalled:https://www.wsj.com/politics/trump-jeffrey-epstein-birthday-letter-we-have-certain-things-in-common-f918d796?st=7QLYW3&reflink=article_copyURL_share THE POLITICRAT SUMMER 2025 BOOK READING LIST: https://substack.com/@politicrat/note/c-133449058?r=judrw&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-actionPRESSURE DEMOCRATS to keep reminding the American public about the damage the Big BS Bill will do. Call 202-224-3121 and ask to speak to a Democratic congressperson.READThe Big BS Bill in full: https://www.budget.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/the_one_big_beautiful_bill_act.pdf If you would like to contribute financially to The Politicrat: please send money via Zelle to omooresf@gmail.comSocial media:https://fanbase.app/popcornreel(Invest in Fanbase now! https://startengine.com/fanbase)https://spoutible.com/popcornreelhttps://popcornreel.bsky.socialAnd spill.com (@popcornreel)Black-owned media matters: (Watch Roland Martin Unfiltered daily M-F 6-8pm Eastern)https://youtube.com/rolandsmartin Download the Black Star Network app
Today I have your news and clips show plus 2 guests. My talk with David Litt is at 41 minutes and David Daley is at 1:14 Stand Up is a daily podcast that I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 750 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Check out StandUpwithPete.com to learn more Buy David Litt's new book! "It's Only Drowning A True Story of Learning to Surf and the Search for Common Ground" David Litt entered the White House as a speechwriter in 2011, and left in 2016 as a senior presidential speechwriter and special assistant to the president. In addition to writing remarks for President Barack Obama on a wide range of domestic policy issues, David served as the lead joke writer for several White House Correspondents' Dinner monologues. Since leaving government, David's work has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Boston Globe, among others. From 2016-2018 he was the head writer and producer for Funny Or Die D.C., and he has developed TV pilots for Comedy Central and ABC. David's New York Times bestselling memoir, Thanks, Obama: My Hopey Changey White House Years, was published in 2017. His second book, Democracy in One Book Or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn't, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think, was published in June 2020. David Daley is a senior fellow at FairVote. He is the author of the national best-seller Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count, which has been credited with sparking the modern drive to reform redistricting and end partisan gerrymandering, and the basis for the award-winning documentary Slay The Dragon. His second book, Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy, chronicles the victories and defeats in state efforts to reform elections and uphold voting rights. A frequent lecturer and media source about gerrymandering, he is the former editor-in-chief of Salon.com, and the former CEO and publisher of the Connecticut News Project. David's journalism has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times. the Washington Post, the Atlantic, Slate and many other publications, and he has been a guest on CNN, MSNBC, NPR's Fresh Air and Comedy Central. He has taught political science and journalism as a visiting fellow at Wesleyan University, Boston College and the University of Georgia. Join us Monday's and Thursday's at 8EST for our Bi Weekly Happy Hour Hangout's ! Pete on Blue Sky Pete on Threads Pete on Tik Tok Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page All things Jon Carroll Follow and Support Pete Coe Buy Ava's Art Hire DJ Monzyk to build your website or help you with Marketing Gift a Subscription https://www.patreon.com/PeteDominick/gift
Headlines for July 17, 2025; “I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It”: Prof. Omer Bartov on the Growing Consensus on Gaza; Writer Adam Shatz on How Oct. 7 & Israel’s Brutality in Gaza Reshaped the World
Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cx9UiI7PmaQDon't forget to follow/subscribe to your favourite podcasting platform!Join our Patreon community to get access to bonus episodes, discounts on merch and more: https://bit.ly/UnholyPatreon As the war in Gaza passes its 650th day, Yonit and Jonathan delve into the political and personal forces keeping the conflict going—from ceasefire talks that lead nowhere, to new revelations about Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to heed warnings ahead of October 7. Plus: new cracks in Israel's ruling coalition, how criticism of the country is now coming from the American MAGA right, what's behind the latest IDF strikes on Syria—and the return of one of Unholy's favourite guests, the legendary Israeli journalist Ilana Dayan.
Guest: Naomi Oreskes is professor of the history of science at Harvard University. Her books include, The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View from the Future, Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming, and her latest with historian of science and technology Erik Conway, The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market. The post The Century Long PR Campaign Linking Capitalism to Democracy appeared first on KPFA.
We discuss the main goals of copaganda: narrowing our conception of safety and threat, constantly warning us that those harms are increasing, and telling us that the solution to our fears is more investment in the punishment bureaucracy. Alec's civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1) Educate yourself on how copaganda works 2) Read the Copaganda book in a group! Alec Karakatsanis is the founder and executive director of Civil Rights Corps and author of Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News. Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/ Discover new ways to #BetheSpark: https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark Follow Mila on X: https://x.com/milaatmos Follow Alec on X: https://x.com/equalityalec/ Read Copaganda: https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight Sponsor: Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful. Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight Credits: Host: Mila Atmos Guests: Alec Karakatsanis Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis
Synopsis: Fifty years ago, factory floor workers at Lucas Aerospace challenged their company's focus on war machines with an innovative plan for socially useful production - and it could be just as relevant today.Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters.Description: Military budgets are skyrocketing across the globe, while funding for social needs—housing, healthcare, education—is being slashed. Politicians often justify this skewed spending by claiming it creates jobs. But what if the people doing those jobs had a say in how public money was used?Fifty years ago, workers at Lucas Aerospace, a U.K. military contractor, designed a visionary proposal known as the Lucas Plan: a worker-led alternative focused on socially useful production rather than weapons of war.In our special report, The Lucas Plan at 50: A Radical Investment in Society, Not the War Machine, Laura spoke with Hilary Wainwright, Co-Author of The Lucas Plan: A New Trade Unionism in the Making? And Co-Editor of Red Pepper magazine. Hilary is one of the voices behind that groundbreaking effort.What follows is the full, uncut conversation with Hilary—rich with lessons for today's movements for climate justice, peace, and economic democracy.Guest: Hilary Wainwright: Co-Author, The Lucas Plan: A New Trade Unionism in the Making?; Co-Editor Red Pepper magazine SPECIAL THANKS: Karen Bell, Joe Guinan, Steve Schofield ADDITIONAL CREW: Stanley Arlidge - Episode Producer, Clementine Malpas, Tiger Nest Films This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate RESOURCES:- Watch the episode released on YouTube July 11th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel July 13th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode) and airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast July 16th.- Additional Uncut Conversation featuring Brian Salisbury: Former Lucas Aerospace Shop Steward from Season 6, Episode 215 - The Lucas Plan at 50: A Radical Investment in Society, Not the War MachineFull Episode Notes are located HERE. Recommended book:• “The Lucas Plan: A New Trade Unionism in the Making?” by Hilary Wainwright and Dave Elliott, Learn More Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes:Democracy & Capitalism: A Failed Experiment?: Watch / Listen: Uncut Conversation - EpisodeCommunity Wealth Building: An Economic Reset: Watch / Listen: Uncut Conversation - EpisodeDollars and Democracy: Participatory Budgeting: Watch / Listen: EpisodeFrom Cleveland, OH to Preston, UK. Community Wealth Building, Watch / Listen: Episode Related Articles and Resources:• A Lucas Plan For the Twenty First Century From Asset Manager Arsenal to Green Industrial Strategy, by Khern Rogsly, October 2024 - Common Welath• The Lucas Plan the Way to an Alternative Security Strategy, by Khem Royally, December 11, 2024, Rethinking Security• UK to cut green levies on businesses in bid to reduce energy costs and boost manufacturing, by Jessica Elgot and Rob Davies, June 22, 2025, The Guardian•. Decarbonising and diversifying defense in the US and the UK: A workers' enquiry for a Just Transition, Decarbonising-Defence.co.uk• Wortley Hall, the Worker's Stately home, a member of the co-operative union•. US Defense Secretary Called Europe ‘Pathetic.” Two BU Experts on Whether the Alliance Is Damaged, by Rich Barlow, March 27, 2025, Boston University Today• ‘I will not protect you': Trump Threatens to Abandon Nato Allies, Kaitlan Collins, October 11, 2024, CNN Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O'Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel
Can disinformation really take down a democracy from the inside? This week's guest, Barbara McQuade, thinks so — and she's here to show us exactly how it's happening and what we can do about it.Barbara is a former U.S. Attorney, a law professor, an MSNBC legal analyst and the author of Attack From Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America, now out in paperback.We begin with breaking news that could directly affect our political landscape. A big chunk of the MAGA faithful are suddenly side-eyeing Trump over his failure to drop the long-promised Epstein file (does the public have a right to see it? Barbara has thoughts). She breaks down how our American system relies on the good faith of three branches — and what happens when any one of them stops playing by the rules.Barbara explains the Squid Strategy: imagine a squid firing ink at a predator to obfuscate and slip away: that's Trump making wild statements to change the subject when the heat is on. We talk about the liar's dividend, that neat trick where so much fake news is swirling that important facts get waved away.She pulls back the curtain on how Trump built the coalition that resulted in the Big Harmful Bill. It consists of: a working-class MAGA base, the evangelical right, and billionaires. Trump does the bidding of big business while kissing up to Christian Extremists and feeding his base conspiracy theories that keep them eating their rage right out of his hand.Barbara does find hope in history: other countries have seen strongmen rise and fall when the promises ran dry and the citizens remained vigilant. She gives us her best advice for cracking Trump's hold on friends and family (it involves empathetic listening, not doomscrolling).We also get into Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act — mend it, don't end it — and why unregulated social media is the Wild West. We talk spon-con, paywalls, knowledge gaps, and how your news feed might be failing you.A cautionary tale, a civics lesson, and a pep talk all rolled into one, strap in, there's still time to fight the ink cloud!In recommendations--Weezy: The series Outrageous on BritboxFritz: Apple TV+ Documentary, Bono: Stories of Surrender Path Points of Interest:Barbara McQuadeAttack From Within by Barbara McQuadeSisters-In-Law Podcastwith Barbara McQuade, Jill Wine Banks, Joyce Vance and Kimberly Atkins StohrBarbara McQuade on WikipediaBarbara McQuade on InstagramBarbara McQuade on XOutrageous on BritboxBono: Stories of Surrender on Apple TV+
The word "democratic" is supposed to soften the blow of socialism, with Zohran Mamdani's campaign being the latest to fool the voters. In reality, there is no softening real socialism, as it depends upon coercion, violence, and ultimately becomes totalitarian.Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/democratic-socialism-totalitarianism
Emma Brown, executive director of Giffords, joins the podcast to talk about the rise of political violence in America and stemming the spread of gun violence. Colin and Muggs also discuss MAGA's meltdown over the Jeffrey Epstein files and Donald Trump's flip-flopping on Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine.
It has been 10 years since the Paris Agreements of 2015 and – despite the initial enthusiasm – global investment in fossil fuels has increased and we seem to be on course to overshoot the limit of 1.5 degrees warming. Why is this happening? In this episode Licia Cianetti talks with Wim Carton about his book (co-authored with Andreas Malm) Overshoot: How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown (Verso 2024), which provides some of the answers. In this conversation, we bust a few myths: that we are gradually (if slowly) moving in the right direction, that climate denialism is the only obstacle to change, that we are at the cusp of a green capitalist revolution, and that carbon capture technologies will save the day. We also try to imagine a way forward. Wim Carton is a Senior Lecturer at Lund University's Centre for Sustainability Studies. Licia Cianetti is Lecturer in Political Science and International Studies at the University of Birmingham and Deputy Founding Director of CEDAR. The People, Power, Politics podcast brings you the latest insights into the factors that are shaping and re-shaping our political world. It is brought to you by the Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability and Representation (CEDAR) based at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Join us to better understand the factors that promote and undermine democratic government around the world. 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
Ep. 191 (Part 1 of 2) | Professor Mark Fischler, constitutional law expert and co-host of the Integral Justice Warrior podcast, helps us make sense of what's happening to our democracy, providing context—historical, legal, ethical—for the plethora of disturbing and destructive acts occurring on a daily basis in our political arena. The rule of law is under direct attack at this time, he explains, and an assault on democracy is essentially an assault on our most fundamental values—the principles this country was founded on: inclusivity, equality, and dignity for all. Mark clarifies President Trump's political actions in the context of developmental stages, unpacks Project 2025, and discusses the assault on higher education and critical thinking and what it portends. The trajectory of where we are headed, Mark points out, is regressing into values we have already transcended. We need our democratic foundation to move to deeper, post-democratic levels that are reflective of greater levels of interconnection and inclusivity—not the opposite, he says. What will it take to change the regressive trajectory? Courage! And involvement. Thank you, Mark, for bringing a rare depth and much-needed clarity to the subject of the evolving democratic crisis occurring in our nation today and its implications for our future. Recorded June 12, 2025.“The rule of law is a hard-earned process… and it's under direct attack at this time in our country.”Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing constitutional law expert, professor of Ethics, Constitutional Law, and Criminal Procedure, and co-host of the Integral Justice Warrior podcast, Mark Fischler (00:39)Trump, tribalism, and the zero-sum game: there are winners & losers; the losers deserve to lose (01:31)The rule of law is under direct attack in the U.S. at this time (11:34)Dehumanization and Trump's pre-conventional ethic of retribution (14:41)Our nation is built on ethics of higher purpose; our founding fathers specifically banned gifts to the President in the Constitution (17:30)Where is Congress in all of this? (21:13)Treason and bribery are the two legal grounds for impeachment (21:55)What is Project 2025, and the over-rulings of judicial rulings by the executive (25:33)The Heritage Foundation, responsible for developing the central ideas of Project 2025 (29:41)Project 2025's pre-conventional position on abortion and family (32:49)Why does democracy matter? (36:22)What we are experiencing is a direct attack on the principles of inclusivity (37:53)How does slashing Medicare and Medicaid square with Christian values? (40:21)The trajectory of where we are headed: regressing into values we have already transcended (43:14)The left has made it easy for the far right (43:48)The assault on higher education and critical thinking (44:17)Resources & References – Part 1The Integral Justice Warrior series, co-hosted by Mark Fischler and Corey deVos (Integral Life website)J. Michael Luttig,
The word "democratic" is supposed to soften the blow of socialism, with Zohran Mamdani's campaign being the latest to fool the voters. In reality, there is no softening real socialism, as it depends upon coercion, violence, and ultimately becomes totalitarian.Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/democratic-socialism-totalitarianism
Israel's military victories have brought little comfort to Israelis who are focused on the fate of those hostages still in Gaza. Sasha Polakow-Suransky, FT executive opinion editor, talks with Dahlia Scheindlin, Israeli pollster and author of The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel: Promise Unfulfilled about what Israelis want. Why has widespread opposition to many of the Netanyahu government's policies so far failed to translate into political change? And why do Israelis seem unable to sympathise with the plight of the Palestinians who are also caught up in the conflict? Clips: Reuters; France 24Free links to read more on this topic:Israel strikes Syrian military headquarters in DamascusBenjamin Netanyahu's government teeters as ultra-Orthodox party quits coalitionEU weighs sanctions on Israel as concerns mount over Gaza aid dealInside Gaza's ‘death traps'Israel's quiet war in the West BankSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Sasha Polakow-Suransky. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It was a story that moved like wildfire and showed no signs of slowing down. The more Hillary Clinton denied it, downplayed it, and attempted to pivot away from it, the more it was just too salacious to leave alone. And so it will go with the Epstein Files. The Epstein Files are giving me flashbacks. I find myself, as a former “vote blue no matter who” Democrat, wanting to say, Are you all insane? Chasing this non-story when Trump's presidency is at an all-time high? Don't you know what this will do? Don't you know how long the Democrats have been waiting for something like this to finally end MAGA and destroy Trump?The Democrats have been given a gift. They didn't have to lift a finger. MAGA did it all on their own. Trump is stuck in an impossible situation. He can release the so-called “files,” which probably amount to a lot of names, perhaps some being blackmailed, but no crimes, no convictions, just an angry mob with pitchforks and a story that will never die.In the post-Me Too America, it is once accused, forever guilty. There is no such thing as due process or the presumption of innocence. Releasing those names with no real crimes attached will ruin their lives. This is class warfare via social media mobs. It's the heads of the wealthy elites they want. They care less about how they get them. On the one hand, no president should talk to the people or his supporters like that. After all, his own son, Don Jr. was out there just as caught up in The Epstein Files as everyone else. But Trump wasn't. He didn't campaign on it and never talked about it at rallies. On the other hand, Trump deserved some credit for his monumental last couple of weeks, not to mention having been shot in the head just one year ago. How many of his supporters actually care about this if he never campaigned on it?The Democrats aren't quite celebrating but I can tell, as a former Democrat, that they know a good thing when they see it, just as the Trump side knew the Hillary Clinton email story was a winner to eat up oxygen, drive the media narrative even if, in the end, it came to nothing more than salacious gossip. “But her Emails” was meant to convey the ironic message that the email story was more important than our impending climate apocalypse. For me, that was the crisis, and thus, everything else had to be put aside.I find myself now looking at “Gender Affirming Care” and feeling like this is the crisis that demands everyone put everything aside for, even if I know it won't play out like that because I remember how nothing could slow down the email story and nothing could help Hillary Clinton win, no amount of fear or threats could change people's minds about their vote.Trump isn't heading into an election, but the Democrats want their power back, and they don't think they should have to do anything for it except attack Trump. And attack they will. MSNBC posting on TikTok from Turning Point:Nothing will slow it down because influencers on the Right are less invested in electing candidates and stopping them, and more invested in being the anti-establishment voices that draw the clicks and views.Now that they sloppily affixed the whole scandal to Israel, they have the “Free Palestine” crowd driving up their traffic and making them money. Why would they stop now? Burn it all down, who cares? They are Watergating themselves.Years ago, when I was a Democrat making this same argument about Bernie Sanders and his challenge to the Clinton presidency, I would say they're ratf*cking themselves. They are doing what the opposition would do to fracture and break up a coalition, thereby guaranteeing Hillary's loss, which is partly how I won $100 by predicting Trump would win.However, I later felt bad about that. That's not Democracy. Let Bernie run, let him build a movement, let the chips fall where they may, and I still believe that. But man, it's hard to watch this go down and not think, Are you seriously going to throw it all away on this? But this isn't the first time these so-called MAGA influencers have been busting up the coalition. From the Tariffs to the bombing of Iran to the One Big Beautiful Bill, it seems not a week goes by that I'm not out there on X sounding like Han Solo in Star Wars begging the Millennium Falcon, “Can you hear me, baby, hold together?”I understand MAGA is not a cult. I learned that when I watched them boo Trump for asking them to take the vaccine. No self-respecting cult leader would allow for that. Do you think Jim Jones would have allowed any one of his members to say, “That's okay - I don't need to drink the Flavor-Aid, I'm good.” I also know that the Epstein story runs deep within the movement and that they all believed Trump would release the files and the truth would come out. But the truth was something they had already decided before it was found in evidence, and now they're left feeling angry and betrayed. To make matters worse, Trump's messaging seems to indicate that something is in that file that would be damaging to him; otherwise, he would not keep saying it's a hoax by the same people who cooked up Russiagate, etc.Michael Wolff is out there talking about seeing photos of Trump with Epstein:Here is Victor Davis Hanson telling Glenn Beck he thinks Epstein was blackmailing influential people with photos just like that, which would then force them to invest in his properties, making him very rich. You don't have to be a genius here to put two and two together.Meanwhile, Alan Dershowitz notes that the Democrats are weaponizing the story, as they would, of course. Turnabout is fair play.A Legacy Press that Became PropagandaI understand why journalists like Megyn Kelly and others don't want to be CNN for Trump 2.0 and thus, will chase the story regardless of their own personal preference for political leadership. I get that. They have to be a trusted voice because once they lose that, they're done. She has never backed off of a story, no matter who it might hurt politically. It should not have been the media's job to pivot away from the email story to help one candidate win the election, but that was the message they took from 2016. They felt overwhelming guilt for helping to elect a “fascist,” and from then on, would never hold a single Democrat to account for anything. That decision would doom the Democrats to an even greater fate, nothing less than the rise and fall of a once-mighty empire.MAGA isn't an empire, but it is the rare grassroots populist movement that, for once, put the working class at the front of the line and, for once, beat the administrative state and the deep pockets of the lobbyists. Winning was practically a miracle. The whole thing seemed to be held together by duct tape, glue, and a lot of hard-working people who wanted to make change and did so by organizing, with their small donations and, yes, with Trump—a once-in-a-generation political talent who could withstand almost anything.Almost anything.So you can understand Trump's frustration now that he's just seen the best two weeks of his or any presidency in my lifetime, and those who are now fueling another “But her emails” story aren't the legacy media at all, but his own base.But if it's a pedophile ring they're waiting to see exposed, they will be disappointed. For one thing, none of the alleged thousands of child victims have come forward in this, the era of Me Too, where they could be famous and rich overnight for doing so?They could be hugely popular on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, telling their story, blowing the case wide open. They would be all over social media by now. But all we really have are women, some of them underage at the time, suing for massive payouts. All this will do ultimately is put power back in the hands of the worst people imaginable, people who don't think children can consent to sex crimes but have no problem talking them into slicing off body parts and sterilizing them.It will be power back to the people who want to open the border and who think booing JD Vance at Disneyland is the right thing to do. The Left used to be the side that didn't care about married men cavorting on an island with barely legal sex workers. How could we, with Bill Clinton ogling Monica Lewinsky while she snapped her thong in front of him? No, we had no choice but to excuse his peccadillos. We wanted to win, hold power, and change the world. That mattered so much more than who Bill Clinton was having sex with this week. But the Right, they've been consistent where infidelity and sex were concerned. They were Me Too before we were Me Too. That's why they defended those who accused Bill Clinton of rape and harassment. They traded all of that for a chance to win with Trump, too. The Epstein case, however, because it looms so large in their collective imaginations, might be what the Democrats hope for: that moment when Trump's whole coalition implodes. It runs so deep with so many of them that it defines everything they are and everything they believe. You might as well ask them to give up religion. Who knows, maybe they'll get lucky and the whole thing will magically appear. Bill Gates, Bill Clinton - all of those rich and powerful elites caught as part of a massive pedophile ring that leaves Pizzagate in the dust. Or not. The thing about conspiracy theories, as everyone knows, is that the more people you have to add to them, the less likely they are to be true. Dr Grande explains how the very thing that made Trump popular might be the very thing that brings him down.No, this is only the beginning, and everyone knows it. The Left knows it most of all, and if you can't see that now, someday you will. Someday, you will be saying, “But the Epstein Files.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sashastone.substack.com/subscribe
Democracy Now! Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion and democracy activist, plus host of The Atlantic podcast "Autocracy in America," chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative and a vice president of the World Liberty Congress, offers his take on how the United States of America can avoid backsliding into autocracy, plus discusses President Trump's change of tune toward Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues.
Democracy Now! Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Crazy Alert! Matt Gaetz has been suggested to lead a Jeffery Epstein Special Council - Wow. Also is the forecast calling for extinction? What if this is the last generation that gets to ask "what if"? Looks like Trump is taking a "Knife to a gunfight" with Russia. So sad. Plus - What happened to that "traditional family" who emigrated to Russia? You will be shocked....maybe. Could Trump be trying to encourage World War to distract from Epstein? Pentagon will start using Musk's "Hitler loving" Grok - What could go wrong?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
If we want a country that looks more like Norway and less like the feudal state Trump and his bought-off justices envision, we must fight for it…See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The U.S. Supreme Court allowed Trump's evisceration of the Department of Education this week through mass layoffs. Fellowships and sponsorships to fund student research are getting cut while student debt is growing. Professor Richard Wolff breaks down the potential impacts on the U.S. economy and society, the history of the federal education system in the U.S., and the root causes of Trump's attacks on education.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.Join the The Socialist Program community at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature | Bioneers Radio Series
From local communities and states to federal policy, antitrust movements to dismantle monopolies are challenging the system that can be summed up as: Make Feudalism Great Again. Although breaking up is hard to do, we've broken up monopolies before. In this second of our two-part program, we join Thom Hartmann, Stacy Mitchell and Maurice BP-Weeks to survey the landscape of rising antitrust movements to break the stranglehold of corporate power and level the playing field for a democratized economy. Featuring Thom Hartmann, the top progressive talk show host in America for over a decade, a four-time Project Censored Award-winning journalist, and bestselling author. Learn more at his website. Stacy Mitchell, Co-Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, which produces research and develops policy to counter corporate control and build thriving, equitable communities. Maurice BP-Weeks, Co-Executive Director of ACRE (Action Center on Race and the Economy) where he works on campaigns to create equitable communities by dismantling systems of wealth extraction in Black and Brown communities. The Hidden History of Monopolies by Thom Hartmann Fighting Monopoly Power | Institute for Local Self-Reliance All Life Is Organized Around Democracy | Thom Hartmann's keynote address to the Bioneers 2020 Conference Democracy vs. Plutocracy panel discussion (video) | Bioneers 2020 Conference Our Economic Future | Bioneers Reader eBook This is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the radio and podcast homepage to learn more.
English philosopher Thomas Hobbes believed that life would be "nasty, brutish and short" without a strong government. IDEAS explores how a new take on Hobbes that includes his writing on the topic of anxiety offers a surprising perspective on the recent American election and democracy. *This episode originally aired on Jan. 13, 2025.
Headlines for July 15, 2025; Beaten to Death: Eyewitnesses Describe Brutal Killing of U.S. Citizen by Israeli Settlers in West Bank; “Gator Grift”: Hundreds Caged in Inhumane Conditions with No Due Process at Florida Immigrant Jail; “Purge Palantir”: Day of Action Protests Firm’s Role in Gov’t Surveillance, ICE & Genocide in Gaza
Democracy Now! Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Supreme Court's latest double standard 'couldn't be more disturbing': expert The right-wing bubble and Epstein - Will Trump be able to crush his Epstein crisis? This is what always happens when a Republican is president - but with Trump - it's going to be worse. We all need to be preparing for a recession plus or a depression.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
We must call this what it is: a full-scale assault on our economy, our democracy, and the peaceful world order that's prevented a third world war for nearly 80 years…See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Each escalation — from ICE kidnappings to threats against critics — is a measure of how much authoritarianism we'll tolerate before we push back.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Headlines for July 14, 2025; “War on Children”: Doctor in Gaza on Massacres, Starvation and Israel’s Plan for Concentration Camps; Netanyahu Had Ceasefire Deal in April 2024 But Kept Gaza War Going to Stay in Power: NY Times; ICE Rounds Up 300 California Farmworkers, One Dies: Eyewitness and Oxnard Mayor Respond