Gaslit Nation

Olga Lautman, a Russian mafia expert who researches transnational organized crime and trafficking. She discusses the Epstein files, transnational trafficking networks, and how elite protection lets abuse persist. Short, urgent takes on congressional confrontations, Wall Street influence, and grassroots pressure to force accountability.

Christopher Mathias, investigative reporter and author of To Catch a Fascist, explains anti-fascist history and modern tactics. He describes decentralized, hyper-local organizing made up of queer, working-class, and everyday people. The conversation covers OSINT, infiltration, doxxing, exposing white supremacists and links to GOP circles, and why community self-defense matters now.

Olga Lautman, Russian mafia expert who studies kleptocracy and intelligence tradecraft, breaks down the newly released Epstein files. She discusses possible torture videos and redactions, intelligence ties and kompromat, transnational corruption linking elites and autocratic regimes. The conversation urges transparency, accountability, and attention to survivors' demands.

They dig into the Epstein files and the idea of an elite sex trafficking network. A tense social encounter becomes a wider conversation about fascist rhetoric and who embraces authoritarian tactics. Reflections on Dorothy Thompson's 'Who Goes Nazi?' and how to spot dangerous political shifts. Plus cultural notes on filmmaking and crafting heroic narratives.

In the 1970s, Senator Frank Church, a Democrat from Idaho, stuck his neck out–unlike members of Congress today–to take on the real deep state–the FBI and CIA carrying out LSD mind-control experiments on Americans, terrorizing activists, and committing assassinations with the mafia, including against witnesses. The Church Committee Report, based on real Congressional investigations, not just performative show trials, shows us how to confront and dismantle the lawless, mass-murdering MAGA regime. Historians Matthew Guariglia, a senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Brian Hochman, the Hubert J. Cloke Endowed Director of the American Studies Program at Georgetown University, are out with the definitive account, The Church Committee Report: Revelations from the Bombshell 1970s Investigation into the National Security State. They walk us through the decades of U.S. presidents of both major parties allowing a surveillance state to expand, running dangerous operations against the American people. The most chilling legacy is not the cartoonish villainy of poison darts and imperial assassinations, but the insidious cruelty of undermining activists. So pay attention. Don't let anyone–even a well-meaning ally–weaponize purity tests to gatekeep the Fourth American Revolution. Stopping the MAGA threat requires all of us building together in coalition. Based on the Church Committee's own findings, we know exactly what tools the FBI and CIA use to dismantle movements. They have very specific, terrifyingly effective strategies to divide and conquer We the People. Here is what they do when they want to destroy a movement from the inside out: Snitch Jacketing: This is psychological warfare. They plant false information–maybe they leave a map or a weapon in an activist's car–specifically to make you think your friend is a police informant. They leverage paranoia to make us eat our own. Fabricated Dissent: They create fake zines, fake newsletters, and fake correspondence to manufacture feuds between groups. They want the anti-war movement fighting the labor movement so neither fights the state. The "Friendly" Infiltrator: Watch out for the guy who shows up out of nowhere with coffee and too many questions. They send plainclothes agents into our resilience communities to map our networks and identify leaders and how they operate. Entrapment: They find an "easy mark" in a group, push them toward violence, then arrest everyone for a plot the FBI invented. They manufacture terrorism. The "Suicide" Strategy: J. Edgar Hoover's FBI sent a letter to Martin Luther King Jr., threatening to expose his private life and pressuring him to kill himself. They try to break you psychologically so that you back down and disappear. According to historians Guariglia and Hochman, activists under siege were aware of the threats long before the Church Committee exposed them, and developed resilience strategies we can learn from today: Reject the "All-Powerful" Myth: Don't give a lawless regime a bigger shadow than it actually has–that is what they want: to live inside your head. When you start believing the government is an all-knowing, all-powerful shadow monster, you are doing their work for them. Paranoia is a tool of the oppressor. Build a Culture of Care: The only way snitch-jacketing works is if we don't know each other. Build deep, resilient relationships. When we take care of each other, their wedges don't work. Sousveillance (Watch from Below): Do not rely on police body cams; those tapes have a magical habit of being turned off when they're needed. Film everything. Control the narrative with your own evidence, eyes, and ears. Divest from Big Tech: Google, Amazon, and Apple are regime collaborators. We need to build our own infrastructure from high-tech mesh networks to low-tech zines. If you rely on the master's tools, they will shut you down, as we're seeing now with TikTok's mass-censorship under the new owners–MAGA donors, the Ellisons. Get Educated: Practice tech hygiene. Go to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and use their Surveillance Self-Defense guide. Learn how to encrypt, what to carry, and how to stay safe. We're fighting a generational struggle, but we outnumber them. As Andrea's film Mr. Jones reminds us: The truth cannot be killed. Stay safe, vigilant, and united–that is how we win. Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: join on Patreon. Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: join on Patreon. Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: join on Patreon. Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect: join on Patreon. Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join: join on Patreon. Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group: join on Patreon. Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

Annie, a Minneapolis listener who recorded a firsthand message about local grief and organizing. She describes standing strong after the police/ICE killing, calls for collective grieving as political work, and highlights community resistance and actions like strikes and divestment. Short, urgent reflections on grief, accountability, and building a movement together.

A fiery call for a Fourth American Revolution to reclaim democracy and resist creeping authoritarianism. Traces coup dynamics back to 2016 and beyond. Proposes bold structural reforms like abolishing the Senate and Electoral College, term limits for the Supreme Court, and ending gerrymandering. Connects corporate power to the rise of repression and outlines community organizing and direct actions to build resilience.

The discussion dives into the psychology behind fascism, questioning whether fascists can feel joy. Drawing on Orwell, it contrasts the appeal of endless conflict with the concept of joy found in community and creation. Erich Fromm's insights reveal how authoritarianism can stem from childhood conditioning. Walter Benjamin's chilling observations highlight the destructive pleasure fascists derive from collective chaos. The episode argues that while fascism feeds on conflict, true joy is a sustainable form of resistance.

Colleen Dulle, Vatican correspondent for America magazine and host of Inside the Vatican, delves into the intersection of MAGA politics and the Catholic Church. They discuss the influence of Christian nationalism on the Vatican, the rise of far-right factions like Opus Dei, and how wealthy American Catholics resist Pope Francis's reforms. Colleen highlights the historical roots of American Catholic conservatism and the challenges posed by figures like J.D. Vance. The conversation also touches on women's leadership, the handling of abuse scandals, and Pope Leo's cautious approach moving forward.

Discover a vibrant community fighting against authoritarianism and corporate influence. Hear personal stories of grief and resilience that inspire action. Engage in discussions about the flaws of the U.S. political system and the need for a radical transformation. Explore the potential for regional realignments and the role of nonviolent resistance. Delve into China’s green tech investments and their global implications. Join a movement that emphasizes solidarity and strategizing against the rising tide of oppression.