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Gaslit Nation

Gaslit Nation

By: Andrea Chalupa
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 Gaslit Nation provides a deep dive on the news, skipping outrage to deliver analysis, history, context, and sharp insight on global affairs. Hosted by journalist and filmmaker Andrea Chalupa, an expert on authoritarian states who warned America about Russia and election hacking before the 2016 election. Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • KPop Demon Hunters Antifa

    KPop Demon Hunters Antifa
    Sep 19 2025
    A Gaslit Nation listener once asked me: What’s the canary in the coal mine for American democracy? My answer: when they come for the comedians. Because when authoritarians kill the jokes, they kill the dissent. Look at Russia. In Putin’s early years, Kukly, a wildly popular political satire by smack-talking puppets, mocked him mercilessly. One of his first moves? Force media consolidation. Suddenly, the show vanished. Fast forward 25 years to today, you can’t hold an anti-war sign in Moscow without being arrested. As The New York Times reported back in 2000: “‘Kukly’ is political satire. But that is like calling an ermine a rodent. By turns vicious, obscene, hilarious and knowing, it has long been the most popular television show in Russia. At 10 p.m. on any given Sunday, more than half the nation’s sets are riveted on the program.” [Emphasis mine]. Now it’s happening here. Trump and the far-right are consolidating media ownership, especially local stations, while evangelicals push their “Seven Mountains Mandate” to seize control of religion, family, government, business, education, arts, and, of course, media. Trump is their “God’s imperfect vessel"–like many strongmen featured in the Old Testament, bulldozing what’s left of democracy in a white-rage backlash to the Civil Rights movement. Formerly “woke” Disney CEO Bob Iger, who previously denounced Trump’s Muslim ban and Florida’s anti-gay laws, is now in the crosshairs, pressured by Nexstar and Sinclair, Republican-aligned networks with monopoly-level reach. But Disney did this to itself, and the country, by giving a convicted felon a $15 million “charitable contribution” to his “presidential library” to settle a defamation suit. That surrender paved the way for the widespread mainstream media capitulation helping Trump consolidate power. Jimmy Kimmel has now been silenced for saying what Gaslit Nation also pointed out: Charlie Kirk’s killer came from the same white, male, MAGA gun culture that empowered Trump. That truth cost Kimmel his platform, so far, but thanks to you, our listeners, we can keep saying it. So who rescues us as Trump tries to turn America into Russia? Enter KPop Demon Hunters. Netflix’s massive hit–its most watched film–is a reminder that the free market still caters to the people. America’s greatest export isn’t oil or weapons. It’s culture, humor, art. Our comedians are resistance fighters with punchlines. Which means one of the best ways to fight fascism is simple: dictators hate truth and humor. Every single one of us pointing out the truth, and having a damn good time while doing it, will break the fever of this dystopian feverdream. Because pay attention to Kimmel’s monologue that got him pulled from air: he goes into length on Trump’s Epstein cover-up. Listen here for yourself or in the end of this week’s bonus show. Like Gaslit Nation warned, Charlie Kirk’s murder is being used as part of the larger Epstein cover-up. For our Patreon members, this week’s lively salon has already been posted, along with the Zoom link for next week’s salon. You can find that here. See you Monday at 4pm ET. If you would like to join our weekly hang outs and help support our independent journalism, get all episodes add free, bonus shows and more, be sure to join our community of listeners at Patreon.com/Gaslit. Thank you to everyone who supports the show–we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! Show Notes: ABC agrees to give $15 million to Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle defamation lawsuit https://apnews.com/article/abc-trump-lawsuit-defamation-stephanopoulos-04aea8663310af39ae2a85f4c1a56d68 Trump Celebrates Kimmel Suspension As Right Rages Over Charlie Kirk Killing: Live Updates https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-king-charles-live-updates_n_68c80c2be4b0642964ce9b92 Seven Questions with Perry Sook https://rbr.com/seven-questions-with-perry-sook/ TV's Impious Puppets: On Kremlin's Hit List? https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/18/world/tv-s-impious-puppets-on-kremlin-s-hit-list.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare What is the ‘Seven Mountains Mandate’ and how is it linked to political extremism in the US? https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/07/10/what-is-the-seven-mountains-mandate-and-how-is-it-linked-to-political-extremism-in-the-us/ 1990 report: Ivana Trump told her lawyer Donald Trump kept Hitler speeches beside bed https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/12/18/donald-trump-campaign-rhetoric-cnc-vpx.cnn Clip: https://bsky.app/profile/rbreich.bsky.social/post/3lz5hoh3dip23 Clip: https://bsky.app/profile/jamellebouie.net/post/3lz5faps5tk2g Jimmy Kimmel Surprised That Bombshell Jeffrey Epstein Tapes About Trump Friendship Aren’t Getting More Attention https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/jimmy-kimmel-jeffrey-epstein-tapes-trump-friendship-1236200783/ Jimmy Kimmel’s Epstein monologue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...
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    27 mins
  • Power, Profits, and Protest: Trump, Russia, and the Middle

    Power, Profits, and Protest: Trump, Russia, and the Middle
    Sep 17 2025
    This September marks eight years since Donald Trump cozied up to pariah dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt on the sidelines of the United Nations—a secret meeting that reportedly triggered a highly secretive Mueller investigation into whether Trump accepted a $10 million bribe from el-Sisi when his 2016 campaign was desperate for cash. Last summer, Gaslit Nation ran a special episode unpacking this sweeping corruption scandal; you can read a summary here and listen to the episode here. Fast forward to Trump’s Middle East tour this past spring, where he once again explicitly told the world that American foreign policy under his influence isn’t about democracy or the rule of law: it’s about making deals that just so happen to enrich him and his family. Joining Gaslit Nation to explain what Trump’s fire sale of influence to the highest bidder means for the Middle East and us here at home is Ahmed Gatnash, co-founder and Executive Director of the Kawaakibi Foundation, a powerhouse MENA human rights organization, and co-author of The Middle East Crisis Factory. Gatnash brings a razor-sharp analysis of Russia’s expanding grip on the Middle East, the unbreakable spirit of the Syrian people fighting for freedom, and the surprising ways bitcoin is being used as a lifeline for human rights activists who know how to navigate its pitfalls. He also tears into the so-called “two-state solution”—overwhelmingly voted on by the United Nations last week—as nothing more than political theater, and shares his vision of what Palestinians and Israelis truly need to secure real, lasting peace. This week’s bonus show dives into MAGA’s latest wave of threats against the opposition and what a full-scale crackdown could look like–what’s likely, what’s unlikely, and what’s already happening that we need to pay attention to. Catch the full discussion this Friday morning by joining our Patreon community. Thank you to everyone who makes Gaslit Nation possible–we could not make our show without you! EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: September 29 4pm ET – Join the Gaslit Nation Book Club for a discussion of Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People by Sarah Bradford. Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: join here. Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: join here. Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available here. Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available here. Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available here. 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 for our community Show Notes: Qatar, Russia sign agreement to jointly invest 2 billion euros into sovereign wealth funds https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250423-qatar-russia-sign-agreement-to-jointly-invest-2-billion-euros-into-sovereign-wealth-funds/ Michael Flynn, Russia and a Grand Scheme to Build Nuclear Power Plants in Saudi Arabia and the Arab World https://www.newsweek.com/2017/06/23/flynn-russia-nuclear-energy-middle-east-iran-saudi-arabia-qatar-israel-donald-623396.html Why Qatar is Bribing Trump https://open.substack.com/pub/popularinformation/p/why-qatar-is-bribing-trump?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2mrjsl House Democrats ask Trump for proof he did not take $10 million 'cash bribe' from Egypt https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/03/trump-egypt-democrats-letter.html Trump touts Saudi relationship as "bedrock of security and prosperity" amid $600 billion investment deal https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trump-speaking-us-saudi-investment-summit-riyadh/ 2 Trump-aligned GOP operatives face foreign agent charges for helping Qatar https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/02/trump-gop-qatar-00133567 Trump Jr. and Other Aides Met With Gulf Emissary Offering Help to Win Election https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/19/us/politics/trump-jr-saudi-uae-nader-prince-zamel.html?unlocked_article_code=1.G08.dUBd.YVKXSVfgqo8i&smid=url-share The Qatar bribery allegations featuring Trump, Michael Cohen, Michael Flynn, and the Steele dossier, explained https://theweek.com/speedreads/773479/qatar-bribery-allegations-featuring-trump-michael-cohen-michael-flynn-steele-dossier-explained Qatar pursues US-Iranian nuclear steps after detainee swap https://www.reuters.com/world/qatar-pursues-us-iranian-nuclear-steps-after-detainee-swap-2023-09-20/ Exclusive: Qatar held separate talks with US, Iran touching on nuclear, drones https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/qatar-held-separate-talks-with-us-iran-touching-nuclear-drones-2023-09-20/ Iran seeks Russia’s support for its nuclear talks with US https://apnews.com/article/iran-russia-us-nuclear-negotiations-...
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    58 mins
  • Who Killed Charlie Kirk? Follow the Epstein Trail.

    Who Killed Charlie Kirk? Follow the Epstein Trail.
    Sep 11 2025
    Charlie Kirk is dead—taken out by an extremely skilled sniper in deep-red Utah. The MAGA Nazi built an empire scapegoating Black people, trans folks, and women, and cheered on Trump’s authoritarian destruction. Get ready for the martyrdom of this incel king and the coming retribution against democracy defenders. Let’s look at what really happened. Back in July, Kirk had demanded transparency from the Trump White House over Trump’s longtime friend: the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein who ran the real life QAnon–we play Kirk’s own words at the end of this episode. Instead, Trump turned the FBI and DOJ into personal security forces, relying on them and Mike Johnson in Congress to continue his Epstein cover-up. Now Kirk’s dead. And the shooter? Nowhere to be found. The killer obviously blended in with the predominantly white and male crowd. Was he a professional sniper? Was this a Russian op, or another case of terrorism by an active duty soldier? Kirk’s death looks less like a random act and more like a message: Shut up about Epstein. And it’s working. Trump is already using Kirk’s murder to stir up his base, threatening political opponents, and fueling his full-blown authoritarian crusade. But don’t be fooled—this isn’t about “leftist violence.” The data is clear: political violence in America overwhelmingly comes from the far right. Refuse to be silenced. Demand the full Epstein files. Demand justice for the victims. Because the real danger to MAGA isn’t those who enjoy what’s left of their Constitutionally protected rights—it’s the MAGA base waking up to the truth: Trump is at the center of the Epstein cover-up, because he, like Epstein, is a pedophile. Release the Epstein files. Show Notes: First-of-its-kind Look at Left, Right, and Islamist Extremists Explores Similarities, Differences. According to the University of Maryland’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice: Far-right extremist violence is significantly worse than far-left violence – there’s no comparison. The data shows that American society should take right-wing violence far more seriously, like it takes Islamist extremism. Anyone both-sidesing political violence in America is gaslighting you. https://ccjs.umd.edu/feature/umd-led-study-shows-disparities-violence-among-extremist-groups Top Democrat Calls for Congressional Probe Into Ties Between Jeffrey Epstein and Peter Thiel: Thiel was one of many whose financial ties to the dead financier should be probed, a prominent senator believes. https://gizmodo.com/democrats-call-for-congressional-probe-into-ties-between-jeffrey-epstein-and-peter-thiel-2000657058 Charlie Kirk talks Epstein, urges Trump administration to act https://www.axios.com/2025/07/15/trump-epstein-maga-charlie-kirk Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service by Carol Leonnig https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/543941/zero-fail-by-carol-leonnig/ See Epstein’s full ‘birthday book,’ with alleged personal messages from Trump, Clinton and others https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/see-epsteins-full-birthday-book-with-alleged-personal-messages-from-trump-clinton-and-others House Oversight receives Epstein estate files, including 'birthday book' : Democrats have posted a photo of the provocative message the president allegedly wrote. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/08/house-oversight-receives-epstein-estate-files-00550721 MSNBC: Witness Describes Charlie Kirk Shooting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGxsn3FNJsU Nazi Martyr Horst Wessel: Beware the mobilizing martyrdom by American fascists https://www.bettedangerous.com/p/nazi-martyr-horst-wessel?fbclid=IwY2xjawMvxm5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHjDVF7jdpNZA03IKR09k7rR2GPT50u9UjV2glvSRXDMzCsGlk1_7BXB7FH_C_aem_U-EXiDdVgWMAOfMMny3OYA U.S. Military Service is the Strongest Predictor of Carrying Out Extremist Violence https://theintercept.com/2025/01/02/military-veterans-extremism-attack-new-orleans-vegas/
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    20 mins
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