Gaslit Nation
"I have friends everywhere." In this special episode, we’re joined by Tony Gilroy, the creative force behind the electrifying Star Wars series Andor. Critics and activists on the frontlines in America have praised Andor for its powerful portrayal of resistance, and with Season 2 up for 14 Emmy Awards, it’s clear this is no ordinary space opera. Gilroy’s vision grounds the story in centuries of history, showing us what it means to resist empire in all its brutality. Andor is an urgent guide for Americans today. For more than three decades, Gilroy has been shaping modern cinema with...
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Hello Gaslit Nation listeners! This conversation was recorded before war criminal Putin and convicted felon Trump staged their grotesque spectacle on the blood-red carpet in Alaska. For our analysis of that hellscape—and what it means for Ukraine and democracy defenders everywhere—be sure to check out the recording of the August 18th salon, coming soon to Patreon.com/Gaslit. Thank you for listening and supporting the show! * In Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity, we find a roadmap for fighting oligarchy, injustice, and despair. Historian Marci Shore, author of , reminds us that...
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Our opening clip featured the poet June Jordan reciting her powerful piece A Menace to My Enemies. Jordan is a sheroe of this week’s guest, the unstoppable Mona Eltahawy: journalist, feminist firebrand, and global truth-teller whose voice cuts through the noise like no one else. Mona is the author of , , and her latest, Bloody Hell!: Adventures in Menopause From Around the World. Her work spans continents and revolutions, from the frontlines of Egypt’s Arab Spring to the ongoing fight against patriarchy, white supremacy, and fascism everywhere. She’s here to inspire rebellion,...
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If you're still waiting for someone to save democracy, Mona Eltahawy has news for you: you are the one you’ve been waiting for. A fearless Egyptian-American journalist and author of and her latest book , Eltahawy is no stranger to authoritarianism. While covering Arab Spring protests in Cairo, she was seized by Egyptian security forces and sexually assaulted and beaten, her arm and hand broken. Now, she warns, America is slipping toward the same strongman rule in Egypt. And too many are sleepwalking through it. Eltahawy's prescription is feminism that terrifies, carried out by both women...
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Our show opens with Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, a favorite of philosopher Kate Manne, one of the sharpest minds dissecting power, privilege, and the politics of gender. Kate is a professor at Cornell University and the author of groundbreaking books like , , and her latest, , which takes on fatphobia with the same fearless clarity she brings to misogyny and moral philosophy. Her work is a lifeline for understanding how injustice is baked into our culture, and how we can start dismantling it. If you’ve ever felt the weight of double standards, moral policing, or body shame, Kate Manne has...
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Courage often starts with saying the obvious out loud, unapologetically. Philosopher and author Kate Manne brings that rare, dangerous clarity, taking on the everyday cruelties of structural misogyny and the moral contortions America performs to pretend everything’s fine. Manne, author of Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny, Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women, and Unshrinking: How to Face Fat Phobia, challenges how we understand injustice. It’s not just “out there.” It’s built into our systems, our norms, even our language. We don’t need to wait for sweeping reforms to act with...
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Welcome to the opening discussion of this past week’s thought-provoking salon on by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Though often labeled a children’s book, The Little Prince, translated into over 500 languages and dialects, second only to the Bible, sparked a wide-ranging discussion that revealed its deeper, more political dimensions. In our discussion, Gaslit Nation listeners drew connections between the book’s themes and the current tragedy and disinformation war on Gaza, while others reflected on the absurdity of adulthood depicted in the story. Our conversation touched on the divine...
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We opened with the trailer from Andor, a series that’s earned a top spot on the watch list of this week’s guest: the fearless Erin Reed, a real-life member of the Rebel Alliance and one of the most essential journalists working today. Erin is the creator of , the go-to source for breaking news on LGBTQ+ rights, trans healthcare, and the rising tide of attacks on civil liberties across the country. Her reporting has exposed the truth behind anti-trans legislation, tracked authoritarian policies in real time, and armed millions with the facts they need to fight back. Her courage, clarity,...
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In a world awash with disinformation and fear-based politics, what cuts through the noise isn’t perfection; it’s authenticity. As , a trailblazing journalist and trans rights advocate, puts it: the most effective leaders and allies are the ones who show up with sincerity, values, and courage. Reed knows this from experience. Alongside her wife, Montana state legislator Zooey Zephyr, they’ve faced the harshest forms of political repression, from being silenced in state chambers to watching harmful laws passed in the name of "protecting" sports or children. And yet, their fight...
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We opened with , a powerful performer who inspires this week’s guest, Jamila Raqib. She once saw him live in an unforgettable setting: the ancient Roman ruins of Carthage, Tunisia. Jamila Raqib is a powerhouse for peace and democracy. As Executive Director of the Albert Einstein Institution, she has spent years training people across the globe in militant nonviolent resistance. Her work fuels the kind of courage that topples dictators and changes the course of history. She trained under legendary activist Gene Sharp whose book the Gaslit Nation Book Club read back in March, brought the...
info_outlineWelcome to the skeptic’s guide to impeachment. Why is a third impeachment effort of Trump necessary? Because demanding impeachment puts every member of Congress on trial, revealing who we can trust and who is bought off.
Meet unanimous consent: the Senate’s dirty little secret, and the power Democrats refuse to use. Imagine if all it took to stop the Senate in its tracks was one simple word: No. Unanimous consent is a very real procedural quirk that gives every single senator, regardless of party or seniority, enormous power. All they have to do is deny consent. Just say no, and legislative business slows to a crawl.
Now here’s the catch: Republicans use this tool constantly. Democrats? Almost never.
And that’s not because they can’t; it’s because they choose not to.
How does unanimous consent work?
In the Senate, many of the chamber’s archaic rules can be bypassed if no one objects. This process is called unanimous consent. It’s used for everything from skipping quorum calls to fast-tracking nominations. The idea is to keep things moving. But here’s the shocking part: any senator, at any time, for any reason, can halt this entire process by simply saying, “I object.”
Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville famously abused this mechanism to block military promotions for nearly a year. And he paid no price for it. Why? Because it’s perfectly within Senate rules.
And yet, while authoritarianism rises, civil liberties are under siege, and people are being literally kidnapped off American streets, not a single Democratic senator has used this tool to slow the machinery down.
By mid-April, according to Keira Havens, an organizer of Citizens Impeachment, along with former Congressional staffer for Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota, there were already around 500 recorded unanimous consent agreements in the 2025 Congressional Record. That’s around 500 times every single senator, including vocal Democrats like Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, gave the green light to fast-track Senate business. They could have slowed things down. They didn’t.
In fact, shortly after Cory Booker gave an impassioned speech in a historic filibuster marathon, the Senate used unanimous consent to speed-track a nominee: Jared Kushner’s father, convicted felon Charles Kushner, to become the Ambassador to France. (Poor France!)
Unanimous consent isn't some obscure loophole. It’s an incredibly accessible and completely legal form of leverage: a filibuster on easy mode. You don’t need to prepare a speech. You don’t need to command the floor. Senate Dems just say one word: No.
So why aren’t Democrats using it? The excuses vary: wait for the midterms, preserve decorum, respect procedure. But these excuses fail a democracy in crisis. There won’t be a midterm rescue if authoritarianism cements itself into place now.
Senators like Elizabeth Warren and Chris Murphy speak out against abuses of power, but actions speak louder than works, especially under the watchful eye of history. It's time to hold Trump and his lawless administration accountable.
What Can You Do?
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Start using the hashtag: #DemsJustSayNo
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Tweet at your senators: @SenWarren, @CoryBooker, @ChrisMurphyCT — Why do you keep consenting 500+ times?
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Educate others. “Unanimous consent” = silent agreement. Break the silence.
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Join or support organizing efforts like Citizens Impeachment that are pushing for real accountability.
The Senate is designed to give each senator power. But power unused is power surrendered. Republicans understand that. Democrats need to learn fast actions speak louder than words.
They can say no.
They should say no.
And if they won’t, we the people must demand accountability now.
The video of Part II of our discussion will publish on Patreon Monday morning along with the Zoom link for our next Gaslit Nation salon later that day at 4pm ET. See you there!
Show Notes:
CitizensImpeachment.com: https://citizensimpeachment.com/
Opening Clip of Rep. Melissa Hortman: Hortman Files House Protest Over Legislature's Treatment Of Women https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1B7kashnD0&t=1s
Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman Calls Out White Male Colleagues https://www.teenvogue.com/story/melissa-hortman-calls-out-white-male-colleagues-minnesota
Clip of Brad Lander: https://bsky.app/profile/hellgatenyc.com/post/3lrtdzsz4ps2q
The two Michael Wolff interviews referenced towards the end of the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z21Tj19JYag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRjGoZQShB0
The lawmakers using taxpayer money to pay for ads https://citizensimpeachment.com/
Charles Kushner Senate Vote Confirmation: https://www.congress.gov/nomination/119th-congress/24/4
ICE agents storm Irvine couple's home in search for answers about posters placed around LA https://abc7.com/post/ice-agents-storm-michael-changs-parents-irvine-home-search-answers-posters-placed-around-la/16298909/
EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:
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NEW! We now have a Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other. Join on Patreon.
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NEW! We now have a Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other. Join on Patreon.
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June 30 4pm ET – America has been here before. Book club discussion of Lillian Faderman’s The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle
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NEW! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.
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Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.
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Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.
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Have you taken Gaslit Nation’s HyperNormalization Survey Yet?
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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
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