Gaslit Nation

An empowerment book for women and girls shouldn't have to include how to survive sexual assault, domestic violence, and being drugged. But in a society that protects the Epstein class and the Cornell 7, it's an infuriating necessity. In this week's bonus episode, Andrea shares a sobering reading from her upcoming book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women. Alongside chapters on fundraising, marketing, and finding your creative power and voice, she had to write a chapter that should not have to exist: resources for survivors. It's an urgent call-to-action that we must stop excusing predatory behavior as "boys will be boys." This week's bonus show, available in full for our communities on Patreon and Substack that power Gaslit Nation, we get a deep dive on the exciting new leadership of British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, American elections to watch, Russia's tentacles in the Trump regime, and more. Thank you to everyone who makes Gaslit Nation possible – we could not make this show without you! Events at Gaslit Nation: Join our speakeasy benefit for Ukraine October 15 from anywhere! Or come in person. Get your tax deductible ticket, grab a VIP gift bag, enjoy refreshments, inspiring conversations, live French jazz, and a sneak peak of Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women. Your ticket supports Razom for Ukraine, an impactful humanitarian aid organization. Get your ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/people-power-ukraines-unreasonable-women-tickets-2002002955733 Help build the rage wave! Join our Gaslit Nation x Indivisible phonebank for Angie Nixon for US Senate in Florida. Come phonebank, get a quick training, for your chance to win fun prizes and help elect Angie Nixon to the Senate: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/1022879/ Olga Lautman is joining Andrea on her book tour this fall. Come say hi: https://www.andreachalupa.com/unreasonable/ 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 or GaslitNation.Substack.com

Fascism is toxic masculinity, and the cure starts at home. Comedian, recovering Catholic and proud girl dad Pete Dominick, host of Stand Up! with Pete Dominick, turns the mic on Andrea to talk about her new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire, and how her family's Ukrainian immigrant wisdom holds the key for how we overcome a patriarchal nightmare of complicit silence and cover-ups: "when they throw you out the door, climb back in through the window." The Cornell 7 are the Epstein Class–the elite criminal impunity of male dominance destroying our planet. Andrea and Pete discuss what men can actually do, starting with Pete's rule that, "the standard you walk past is the standard you accept." They also discuss the darker truth of the "Cornell 7," the frat rapists accused of drugging and gang-raping a young woman in 2024, an investigation that has been reopened thanks to the survivor bringing a lawsuit. They also discuss why liberal blue cities may be raising the next generation of the Cornell 7/Epstein Class, and how to stop it. They cover the historical context of male dominance culture, including Christian nationalism, how women were founders of the Christian church before being pushed aside, why Mary Magdalene was arguably the first Pope and how her story–for the most part–survived 2,000 years of patriarchal revisions. They also discuss Iceland's general strike by women that ushered in a female-driven revolution, the MAGA threat against the growing psychedelics market being fast-tracked by Trump's FDA, and the divine feminine experiences widely reported at the heart of indigenous medicinal experiences, and much, much more. The world is ending. The world has always been ending. So Gaslit Nation adopts its official policy, coming soon to a t-shirt: STFU and build something. It's a rallying cry to stop doomscrolling and start planting seeds of hope and change. Progress is thanks to our unleashed creativity, defiance, and beautiful imaginations. And if you want to help us build something–a resistance to Putin–get your tax deductible ticket to Gaslit Nation and Razom's Speakeasy Benefit October 15 in New York City – you can join and be part of the festivities from anywhere: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/people-power-ukraines-unreasonable-women-tickets-2002002955733? Gaslit Nation is funded by our listeners. We could not make this show without you. Thank you to everyone who supports our independent journalism in these tough times. If you pre-order Andrea's new book and forward your receipt to [email protected], we will send you a pre-order thank you gift and a signed book plate to easily stick on to your book so that you have a signed copy. A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women shows how to overcome the emotional exhaustion deliberately caused by fascist movements and turn our rage and grief into meaningful projects you and the world need. For your gift, pre-order A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women from bookshop.org Show Notes Join us for a speakeasy benefit for Razom for Ukraine: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/people-power-ukraines-unreasonable-women-tickets-2002002955733? Want a plan to bash the patriarchy? Live your most creative life and help build a better world with Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Stand Up! with Pete Dominick: https://sitdownwithpete.substack.com/ Razom for Ukraine: https://www.razomforukraine.org A good overview of the Cornell 7: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd2tYudlnHl/?img_index=1 Cornell rarely expels students in sex assault cases https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/09/29/cornell-sexual-assault-rape-expelled-data-exclusive/92007157007/ Frat brothers rape 300% more. One in 5 women is sexually assaulted on campus. Should we ban frats? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/24/rape-sexual-assault-ban-frats District attorney reopens case of alleged Cornell University 'gang rape' (ABC News): https://abcnews.com/US/district-attorney-reopens-case-alleged-cornell-university-gang/story?id=136806149 New York prosecutors reopen investigation after student files lawsuit (CNN): https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/28/us/cornell-university-sexual-assault-lawsuit-hnk 50 years ago, the women of Iceland took a day off, and inspired the world (National Geographic): https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/icelandic-womens-strike Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the world's first elected female president (France 24): https://www.france24.com/en/20200731-vigdis-finnbogadottir-the-world-s-first-elected-female-president 36 Bankers, 96 Years In Jail (Reykjavík Grapevine): https://grapevine.is/news/2018/02/07/36-bankers-96-years-in-jail/ Why Only One Top Banker Went to Jail for the Financial Crisis (Better Markets): https://bettermarkets.org/newsroom/why-only-one-top-banker-went-jail-financial-crisis/ The lie that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute persisted for centuries (America Magazine): https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2024/06/28/mary-magdalene-theater-review-gospel-248254/ The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle, by Karen L. King (Polebridge Press): https://www.westarinstitute.org/product/the-gospel-of-mary-of-magdala Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican Reporter, by Colleen Dulle: https://www.amazon.com/Struck-Down-Not-Destroyed-Reporter/dp/0593728424 Trump signs order fast tracking review of psychedelics for mental health (NPR): https://www.npr.org/2026/04/18/nx-s1-5789859/psychedelic-treatments-mental-health Trump orders FDA to fast-track reviews of psychedelic drugs after lobbying podcaster (Fierce Biotech): https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/trump-orders-fda-fast-track-reviews-psychedelic-drugs-after-lobbying-podcaster D. J. Taylor: Orwell's Voice (The Orwell Foundation): https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/articles/d-j-taylor-orwells-voice/ Donald Trump Jr.'s Bahamas Wedding Was Secretly Bankrolled by a Russian Oligarch (ProPublica): https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-jr-wedding-bankrolled-russian-oligarch-umar-kremlev-putin Gospel of Mary Magdalene https://www.theculturium.com/gospel-of-mary-magdalene/ The Forgotten History of Mary's Gospels https://time.com/4083110/marys-gospels/ 'The good of the world partly depends on unhistoric acts' https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/10/the-good-of-the-world-partly-depends-on-unhistoric-acts Psychedelics and the Embodied Feminine https://maps.org/news/bulletin/psychedelics-and-the-embodied-feminine/ EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world.

Congratulations Russiagate skeptics! The US is now on its way to becoming a Russian-style oligarchy, with the help of traitors and useful idiots across the political spectrum. (Not to mention giant evil corporations and complicit politicians, like Gavin Newsom, who let the Ellisons consolidate even more power and disinformation weapons). This week, investigative journalist David Corn of Mother Jones joins Gaslit Nation to discuss his new must-read book How Russia Won: Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and the Fight for America. To those who can't accept facts, like basic history and geography, Russiagate was never a hoax. It was a ten-year covert operation by the Kremlin, using the same active measures used on formerly colonized states, like Georgia and Ukraine. David and Andrea discuss the 966-page bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report, which most people missed, because it came out during the hellscape of the 2020 pandemic and election as Trump laid the groundwork for his violent January 6 coup. In that report, several Republican leaders in Congress, including current Trump/Kushner lapdog Marco Rubio, made clear that the Kremlin did everything in their power to help bring Trump to power, and in turn, Trump did everything in his power to cover-up that crime for Putin. We also discuss the smoking gun of Russiagate: longtime Kremlin operative Paul Manafort, Trump's longtime friend and neighbor in Trump Tower, and the close associate for many years of Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian intelligence officer. Again, to the skeptics: way to go, guys! You got what you wanted: Russia pouring gasoline on our own homegrown crises, making everything worse. Gaslit Nation openly calls on Fox News, Joe Rogan, and even the weird hold-outs at The Intercept to feature David and his new book, How Russia Won. To hear our full conversation, where we go into the very different reasons why people across the political spectrum refused to believe Russiagate or had their own agendas, and a deep dive on the Kremlin's active measures, subscribe on Patreon or Substack to hear the full discussion. Discounted annual memberships are available, and you can give the gift of memberships on Patreon. Thank you to everyone who supports the show–we could not make Gaslit Nation without you. Show Notes: Important event! Razom for Ukraine x Gaslit Nation are holding an exclusive sneak peak of Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women, and live podcast-taping. Every ticket and silent auction item supports Razom's invaluable life-saving humanitarian work in Ukraine. Get your tickets here to be a part of an unforgettable night in NYC -- no matter where you live -- join virtually or in person. Tickets and details here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/people-power-ukraines-unreasonable-women-tickets-2002002955733 Fascists try to emotionally exhaust us. A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire is your playbook for fighting back. Master how to overcome the burnout by turning your grief and rage into meaningful projects you love and the world needs. A Swiss Army knife for women (a favorite target of authoritarians), this inspiring book is for anyone ready to create purpose in chaotic times. Pre-order A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women by November 10th and forward your receipt to [email protected]. We'll send you a thank-you gift and a signed book plate to make your first-edition personally inscribed.

Joining Gaslit Nation this week, Jack Cocchiarella—the Gen Z political commentator, host of The Jack Cocchiarella Show, and future ambassador to Italy under the most progressive White House the world has ever seen—argues that despair, not ideology, is the true driving force behind America's Gen Z vs. nihilism crisis. Andrea and Jack discuss the radicalization of young men who feel they lack a sense of belonging or purpose; the ways New York City Council Member Zohran Mamdani—whom Jack interviewed early in his campaign when he had no chance of winning—embodies the ideal role model for Gen Z men today; the weird and creepy love affair between MAGA cultist Natalie Harp and convicted felon/cult leader Donald Trump; how the Democrats can start being ruthless and stop playing by the book when the book is on fire; why cryptocurrency lobbyists in Congress are the "controlled opposition"; Trump's plan to hole up in a ballroom-bunker to escape the people whose lives he's destroying; and the progressive case for supporting Ukraine against fascist Russia. To listen to the full episode, support Gaslit Nation on Patreon and Substack by joining our community of listeners. We are funded entirely by you, not Larry Ellison, which empowers us to say what needs to be said. Discounted annual memberships are available, and on Patreon, you can give the gift of membership. Thank you to everyone who supports the show. We could not make Gaslit Nation with you. Calling all anti-fascist patriots and democracy defenders: send a powerful message to the media and publishing world by pre-ordering Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire. It will help you build a dream project from the ground up, while helping create a better world. A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women is Steve Bannon's worst nightmare—so grab your copy. Pre-order the book and forward your receipt to [email protected] to receive a special gift and a signed bookplate to stick inside the book. Show Notes: The Jack Cocchiarella Show notes: https://jackcocchiarellashow.com/ Jack Cocchiarella on winning the "vibe war" https://www.americanprogressaction.org/article/jack-cocchiarella-on-winning-the-vibe-war/ Jon Ossoff's 'travel with Natalie' shows how candidates win attention in a culture of clips https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/19/media/jon-ossoff-natalie-harp-viral-clips Trump's ballroom costs are rising. What we know about the secret underground bunker https://www.axios.com/2026/08/12/trumps-ballroom-costs-are-rising-what-we-know-about-the-secret-underground-bunker Trump wants to build an expanded bunker under the White House. A historian weighs in https://www.npr.org/2026/08/17/nx-s1-5931758/trump-wants-to-build-an-expanded-bunker-under-the-white-house-a-historian-weighs-in U.S. War in Iran Leaves Ukraine's Air Defense in Limbo https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/04/us-iran-war-ukraine-patriot-missiles-air-defense-purl/ The soaring demand for Patriot missiles, from the Middle East to Ukraine https://www.npr.org/2026/08/04/g-s1-137287/us-patriot-missiles-ukraine-middle-east-iran-war Mayor Mamdani's First Parents' Night Out Gives NYC Moms And Dads From Harlem To Flatbush A Night Off https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/mayor-mamdanis-first-parents-night-out-gives-nyc-moms-and-dads-from-harlem-to-flatbush-a-night-off/ Mayor Mamdani Advances New York City's First Free Child Care Program Pilot for Municipal Workers: https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/03/mayor-mamdani-advances-new-york-city-s-first-free-child-care-pro Kyrsten Sinema Is The Latest Addition To Crypto's Sellout Dream Team. Who Will Be Next? https://therevolvingdoorproject.org/lobbying-draft-class-of-2025/ Sports betting is part of Gen Z's financial strategy, survey finds https://www.newsnationnow.com/business/your-money/sports-betting-gen-z-survey/ Want a plan to bash the patriarchy? Live your most creative life and help build a better world with Andrea's new book A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world.

Allison Guerriero helped expose a traitor inside the FBI. Now she's dead in Florida, cause unknown. Guerriero tipped off the feds about Charles McGonigal, the traitor inside the New York FBI who ran counterintelligence, pretending to hunt Russian, while being on the payroll of loyal Putin oligarch, Oleg Deripaska. McGonigal got 50 months in prison. Guerriero was found dead, hours after posting about McGonigal, the FBI, and Jim Jordan. This week Gaslit Nation traces the line from Guerriero to McGonigal to Deripaska. We have to hold space and demand accountability for the mysterious deaths of Kremlin critics and whistleblowers. Accountability is what keeps us, and our democracy, safe. To listen to the full episode and support the independent journalism that warned you first that Trump wanted to be a Russian-style dictator, turning America into a Russian-style oligarchy, join our community of listeners on Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com. Discounted annual memberships are available, and on Patreon you can give the gift of membership. Calling all anti-fascist patriots and democracy defenders: send a strong message to the media and publishing industry by pre-ordering A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire. It will help you build a dream project from scratch, aligned with creating a better world. It's Steve Bannon's worst nightmare, so grab your copy. Pre-order, forward your receipt to [email protected], and we'll send you a special gift and mail you a signed book plate. Show Notes Who Is Allison Guerriero? Woman Who Exposed FBI Official for Working With Russians Found Dead Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/allison-guerriero-michael-mcgonigal-fbi-exposed-working-russian-oligarch-dead-12392795 Former Special Agent in Charge of the New York FBI Counterintelligence Division Sentenced to 50 Months U.S. Department of Justice, SDNY https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/former-special-agent-charge-new-york-fbi-counterintelligence-division-sentenced-50 Former FBI spy hunter sentenced to 4 years for taking money from Putin crony in Russia sanctions case NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-fbi-spy-hunter-sentenced-4-years-taking-money-putin-crony-russi-rcna129871 Friends of Kremlin Critic Dan Rapoport Don't Believe He Died by Suicide The Daily Beast https://www.thedailybeast.com/friends-of-kremlin-critic-dan-rapoport-dont-believe-he-died-by-suicide/ Want a plan to bash the patriarchy? Live your most creative life and help build a better world with Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/

Joining us for this week's bonus show is the tenacious genius Michele Hornish, Executive Director of Every State Blue, a Missouri-based organization supporting the overlooked races in rural areas, building progressive infrastructure on the ground, election after election. We discuss the frontline strategies for defeating Republican autocracy. In our exclusive bonus episode, available in full for our Patreon and Substack communities who sustain Gaslit Nation, Andrea shares her insights from living in the belly of the beast–Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia–to expose how America is a corporation and how the sausage actually gets made in the world's most powerful military/budding dictatorship. Ready to fight back? Pre-order Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World On Fire, your mentor on your shelf for overcoming the fascist threat by unleashing the power of your wildest dream. Grab your copy, get one for a friend, and send a message to the media and publishing worlds that we need to get this book into the hands of as many women and girls as possible. Plus support independent journalism and unlock the full episode by subscribing on Patreon or Substack today! Pre-order A Reasonable Guide: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Join Patreon.com/Gaslit -- discounted annual memberships are available, and you can give the gift of membership. Get invites to exclusive events, bonus shows, and more! Join GaslitNation.Substack.com -- discounted annual memberships are available. Get invites to exclusive events, bonus shows, and more!

Gaslit Nation has long warned that the test for our democracy is whether Jared and Ivanka will be investigated, and whether they will face any charges. Instead, they follow a long family tradition of using their immense illicit wealth to live above the law. In this week's bonus show, we respond to reports that New York Congressman and House Speaker hopeful Hakeem Jeffries secretly met with Kushner, the president's son-in-law, himself the son of a convicted felon, and the shadow secretary of state traveling the world while representing both the American taxpayer and his own grift. They claim Kushner doesn't have an official White House role, then why is he in the middle of every major geopolitical conflict, meeting with dictators and other kleptocrats? (It's the money!) News of the Jeffries/Kushner meeting set off a debate in this week's Gaslit Nation Salon over whether Jeffries is the right leader for Democrats in Congress during this dangerous time, who would be better positioned to replace him, and why we must demand accountability if we're ever going to rebuild our democracy. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments. To hear the full discussion, subscribe to Gaslit Nation on Patreon or Substack. Discounted annual memberships are available, and on Patreon, you can give the gift of membership. Thank you to everyone who supports the show. We could not make Gaslit Nation without you! Are you an unreasonable woman or know one? We have the book for you! Pre-order Andrea's new book A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire – today: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Show Notes: Jeffries and Kushner Meet Privately as Midterm Attacks Fly: President Trump's son-in-law and the man in line to be speaker of a Democratic-led House discussed how Democrats and the administration could work together. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/23/us/politics/jeffries-kushner-private-meeting.html?smid=url-share Kim Koval Leaves LSU Rather Than Be Forced to Play with a Russian Player: https://www.instagram.com/p/DceQQ6Xp2fF/ The opening clip: Meidas Defense Ukraine Update with Ken Harbaugh and Olga Lautman https://substack.com/@gaslitnation/note/p-212030410?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2mrjsl Jared Kushner's net worth grew 1,440% since 2009 — 9 times more than the average US household. Here's what drove the gap https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/jared-kushners-net-worth-grew-113000594.html

Donald Trump and Eva Braun Natalie Harp are trying to escape us in his ballroom bunker while Kremlin operative Paul Manafort's former lawyer, Todd Blanche, destroys lives. Blanche's DOJ illegally persecuted the Prairie Land defendants Soviet-style, condemning them to sweltering Texas prisons for protesting ICE, which is their Constitutionally protected right. In this week's bonus show Gaslit Nation provides a step-by-step guide on how to write letters of solidarity to the Prairieland Defendants. Longtime Gaslit Nation listener Bethany McKee provided a handy presentation here and in the show notes on how to do so that you can write letters whenever is convenient for you. The conversation also includes a discussion with Finale Norton and Katherine White of the grassroots powerhouse Network NoVA and their 10th Women's Summit happening this weekend in Tysons Corner, Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC. Andrea will be there Saturday night, speaking about her new book A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire. Come join Andrea and Gaslit Nation listeners, and an exciting program of changemakers. Get your ticket to the summit here. Show Notes: Write letters to the Prairieland Defendants: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XojoEjzPYPVY1D_51ER1Zr210XzXGSt_uhu0mmdvRLI/edit?usp=sharing Join Razom for Ukraine for an evening of LGBTQ solidarity with Ukraine: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/queer-art-as-resistance-pop-up-tickets-1998070757422?aff=oddtdtcreator

The brilliant Wajahat Ali, author of Go Back to Where You Came From, and playwright of The Domestic Crusaders, had me on The LeftHook to share my new book A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire. Watch or listen to the full discussion on how to overcome the very real and urgent threat of fascism. (Side note: In France, Marine Le Pen is campaigning for president wearing an ankle monitor, following in the footsteps of her fellow Russian asset, the convicted felon/Epstein wing-man). Trump is doing to our country what he did to the East Wing of our White House. How do we rebuild from the wreckage? That's what A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women is about. It's for anyone tired of Steve Bannon trying to demoralize us and flood the zone with sh*t. It's about concrete steps to stay grounded and focused in a world of chaos, to align your deepest needs and dreams with a higher purpose, creating world domination for the collective good. My own journey begins with being raised on stories of the government trying to kill you, and blame you for the crime, helped by Western corruption to cover-up the torture and murder. I am of course speaking of my Ukrainian heritage and the Holodomor, Stalin's genocide famine in Ukraine. In all my years of studying my family's history and the two monsters, Hitler and Stalin, who drove that history, I look back on America's own, and see the authoritarianism that established this country. The white supremacy blood lust terrorizing Black Americans, Native Americans, mass discrimination and violence against immigrants, and the list goes on. Trump, Stephen Miller, Peter Thiel, and too many others carry on that violent legacy. That's why they're aligned with the Kremlin, which sees Ukrainians as inferior. In Ukrainian culture, we're taught to fight for our very lives, our voice, our art, our culture, our language, because no one else will. They want to erase us, so we must do the opposite and shine, shine, shine. In Ukrainian culture, art is literally survival. The coded language of poetry preserves historical truth, our shared humanity, our courage and defiance. Life is incredibly stubborn. Creativity is how we fortify our resilience. A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women provides 20 concrete steps for women–who are the favorite target of fascists, because they fear the fight in us–and their allies–to dream big for themselves and the kind of world we want to live in. That is how we reset the culture, overcome their darkness with our light, and gather our people to create a better world. We are the alternative to their dystopian vision for our future, a future that belongs to us. To better get to new my new and most personal book, I put together this Q&A: Empowerment can be a privilege. Many nonwhite women, especially immigrants, are juggling several jobs just to survive. How does this book make space for different lived experiences A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women is based on my own lived experience of being raised in a Ukrainian immigrant family. My grandmothers both worked as maids to survive. So I take nothing for granted when it comes to the diversity of demands on women today. Throughout the book, I share wisdom and insights from women across history. There's also a recommended reading guide in the book, featuring an incredible list of women authors, like Mikki Kendall and trans activist Raquel Willis. I also share a troubling story about a Black mentor telling me to get a white man to join me for my pitch meetings and just sit there. I'm sad to say it did make a difference. Planting seeds of hope and change – whether that's through launching a dream project like a film, book, business, non-profit, or some other ambitious goal – can be a grind. Does this book highlight organizations on the frontlines doing that unglamorous work in the shadows, helping us build that collective power? Yes, absolutely! And I made sure that the blurbs (endorsements) featured at the front of the book included voices from grassroots groups, to promote their efforts to a wider audience. Julie Delaurier of Rise and Resist began as an organizer in ACT UP and helped organize Tesla Takedown and No Kings. She also organizes to track and resist ICE raids in NYC. She read the book and provided a heartfelt endorsement. So did civil rights leader Maya Wiley, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Holley Atkinson of the grassroots group the Media and Democracy Project bringing legal challenges to the existence of Fox News. Isn't self-help ego-driven? A Reasonable Guide is all about collective action. Individual choices produce collective action. Think of A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women as Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way meets Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny. Self-knowledge isn't the end goal here; it's the foundation for knowing where you can make an impact. It cites women across movements and their advice on how to stay creative and build power in a time of mass destruction. But isn't this focus on the self just new age nonsense which is a slippery slope to fascism, given reports of new age online movements being breeding grounds for fascist cult recruitment? This book follows an ancient tradition of taking on an empire with the power of ideas. Ideas cannot be killed. And you cannot stop an idea whose time has come. Know thyself was popularized by the ancient Greeks, most famously by Socrates who was a champion of women for that time. The Greeks were conquered by the sadistic and corrupt Roman Empire. A couple hundred years later, the Greeks conquered them right back through the power of self-knowledge and ideas. Greek became the dominant language of the Roman Empire. Self-knowledge is not ego. The book walks you through steps to think creatively and conquer doubt in order to build meaningful collective action. I had to produce my film Mr. Jones myself because no one wanted it. Mr. Jones was a film to bring historical justice and truth to a massive genocide by the Kremlin, covered up for generations, including with the help of Western corruption. A former Ambassador to Ukraine called Mr. Jones Ukraine's Schindler's List. A screening was shut down in Moscow, and Memorial, Russia's once largest NGO that dared to screen it, was liquidated. There were death threats and harassment during the making of the film, but still the team and I fought on, holding on to the power of our creativity and voices. That is what A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women is about: remembering the power of your voice in a world that wants to silence you and kill you. It's also a damn good time. I hope you will consider checking it out and pre-ordering A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women, which helps build buzz in the industry and gets the word out. Thank you to everyone who has supported my work over the years. It means so much.

America's oligarchs are selling the country for parts. What happens when the people finally reach a breaking point? This week, Gaslit Nation is joined by Casey Michel, author of the new book United States of Oligarchy, for a chilling, and ultimately empowering, look at how extreme wealth, floods of money from our foreign adversaries, and decades of dismantled anti-corruption laws brought American democracy to the brink. Michel is a longtime investigator of kleptocracy and authoritarian influence sanctioned by Russia. His new book examines how America's wealthiest people have allied themselves with dictators while weakening democracy at home as major law firms and media jump aboard the gravy train. At the center of our conversation is oligarchy poster child Jared Kushner and his extraordinary record of failing upward: from buying and hollowing out the once-revered New York Observer, to the disastrous $1.8 billion purchase of the ominous 666 Fifth Avenue, to the billions in foreign sovereign wealth invested in his private-equity firm after his years shaping American foreign policy–a grift he continues today as our shadow Secretary of State. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund invested $2 billion in Kushner's Affinity Partners shortly after he left the White House, even after the fund's own advisers reportedly raised serious concerns about the firm. Kushner had cultivated a close relationship with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who killed dissident and Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi. Kushner even reportedly passed on sensitive intel about Khashoggi to MBS. Casey explains how corporations accumulated political power, how post-Watergate anti-corruption reforms were dismantled, and why today's concentration of wealth makes the original Gilded Age look quaint. Most importantly, we discuss the reforms that could break oligarchic power and how ordinary people can take back the country from the Epstein Class. Listen or watch now for a clear-eyed guide to who bought America, how they did it, and how we take it back. In this week's bonus show, our conversation continues with the practical question: How do we smash an oligarchy? Casey examines the pressure building beneath America's kleptocratic system, the reforms still available to us, and what history tells us happens when ruling elites refuse to change. Despair is what oligarchs want. Build your resilience, find your voice, find your power with Andrea's upcoming book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire, out November 10. Join Gaslit Nation on Patreon or Substack for the complete bonus conversation, ad-free episodes, invitations to our Monday Salons, and more. Thank you to everyone who makes our independent journalism possible. We could not make Gaslit Nation without you. EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world.

Are we sleepwalking into autocracy? Dr. Mary Trump joins Gaslit Nation to discuss the terrifying psychology of her convicted-felon, traitor uncle and why "numbing out" is what the fascists want you to do. So listen up—don't check out—find your community, and mock the thin-skinned monsters into oblivion. That's how we win. What kind of childhood produces a Donald Trump? The same kind of childhood that produced Adolf Hitler: a tyrant father, proudly cold and demeaning. Where does the Trump family's misogyny come from? According to Mary Trump, Fred Trump was a sociopath who passed his misogyny and racism to his children, except for Mary's father, Fred Jr. She says that the women in the Trump family were largely ignored, demeaned, and treated like second-class citizens. Trump himself grew up a terror toward his mother. Brash, blond, and handsome by 1980s, coked-up, yuppie New York City standards, the young Donald Trump was Fred Trump's ticket to the ruling elite. Like Trump's mentor, the notorious power-hungry lawyer Roy Cohn, Fred Trump saw potential in young Trump to unlock doors to the halls of media and political power. Over the years, Fred gave his nepo trust-fund baby $400 million, which Trump would go on to squander in six bankruptcies and never-ending lawsuits for fraud. So, what is the skill that propelled him to the top—with Russia's very illegal help? Shamelessness. Mary Trump helps us get under the skin of the thin-skinned wannabe dictator, and, as both an insider and a therapist, provides us with the antidote on how to stand up to the Trumps' crime-spree madness. Demand accountability and relentlessly ridicule Trump with humor and joy. Mocking the aspiring dictator is an important reminder to him and the world that—as the journalist Dorothy Thompson famously said of Hitler—they're just little men. Our bonus shows are now included in our Tuesday episodes, exclusively for the Patreon, Substack, and YouTube communities that make Gaslit Nation possible. To hear the full episode, subscribe at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com, or become a Gaslit Nation member on YouTube. Discounted annual memberships are available, and you can give the gift of Gaslit Nation, including full access to our archive going back to the start of the show. Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation's independent journalism. We could not say what needs to be said and make this show without you. Show Notes: Order Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women, today: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Order Mary Trump's books, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Too-Much-and-Never-Enough/Mary-L-Trump/9781982141479 and The Reckoning: Our Nation's Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250864635/thereckoning/ Listen to our episode on Dorothy Thompson, the journalist who famously, openly mocked the Nazis, helping defeat America First in the rise to World War II: https://gaslitnation.libsyn.com/american-cassandra-the-life-of-dorothy-thompson EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world.

Sending FBI Director Kash Patel to Moscow right before the Midterms is like sending a coked-up frat boy into a whorehouse in hell, and the FSB will eat him alive. As Trump pushes the SAVE Act to disenfranchise millions, is he calling in Russian reinforcements to steal Congress? Can we overcome a gutted Voting Rights Act, MAGA poll taxes, and Russian cyber warfare and disinformation brainrotting? Yes. By treating our vote as sacred and doing the unglamorous, powerful grassroots work that wins elections–and ensured Zohran Mamdani defeated Andrew Cuomo not once, but twice. We deserve nice things–but we must work for them. That's how progress gets made. Our heroes who came before us felt demoralized and tired, too. Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire, shares some of their stories and insights. We can put an end to Trump and Putin's dreams of turning America into a Russian-style oligarchy by remembering our power. On this week's show, we're joined by comedian and activist Pete Dominick of the Stand Up with Pete Dominick podcast. We break down the Epstein files, media intimidation, and the growing resistance to authoritarianism. In our bonus show, available exclusively for our Patreon and Substack supporters, we name names of who in the media enabled Trump's rise, and Pete shares what it was like trolling Trump to his face on The Apprentice. We refuse to let them steal our future and our children's futures. Come discuss this and more at the Gaslit Nation Salon this Monday at 4pm ET. We could not produce this independent journalism or build this resilience community without you. Join us, get access to the Salons, and hear Part II of our interview with Pete Dominick by subscribing at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com today. EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world. 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 Show Notes: Pre-order Andrea's new book today! A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Listen to Stand Up! With Pete Dominick https://standupwithpete.com/ Murkowski: SAVE Act Could Require $1,000 Trips to Register to Vote https://www.newsweek.com/murkowski-save-act-could-require-1000-trips-to-register-to-vote-12214305 Trump says he spoke with Sen. Lindsey Graham hours before his death President Donald Trump said Graham called him to discuss the SAVE America Act on Saturday. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trump-phone-call-lindsey-graham-death-save-act-rcna552732 FBI Director Kash Patel plans Russia trip The plans come as the U.S. and Russia have failed to come to terms on ending the war in Ukraine. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/20/kash-patel-fbi-russia-trip-01005078 US, Russian teams met in Florida and discussed 'variety of topics,' Witkoff says https://www.reuters.com/world/us-russian-teams-met-florida-discussed-variety-topics-witkoff-says-2026-03-12/