Andor: The Tony Gilroy Interview
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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How to Start a Ukraine-Style Revolution: The Marci Shore Interview
Gaslit Nation
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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“If you can't find the job you want, create it.” – TEASER
Gaslit Nation
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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Smash the Patriarchy with Rage and Risk: Lessons from Mona Eltahawy
Gaslit Nation
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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“Human sacrifice is central to great powers.” – TEASER
Gaslit Nation
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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Naming the Rot: Kate Manne Exposes the Lies Holding Up the Patriarchy
Gaslit Nation
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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The Little Prince - TEASER
Gaslit Nation
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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“Always be learning.” – TEASER
Gaslit Nation
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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Trans Rights Matter: The Erin Reed Interview
Gaslit Nation
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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“Outrage is natural, but it must be paired with quiet thinking.” – TEASER
Gaslit Nation
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_outlineTrump’s “Big Evil Bill” sped through Congress, to sell off public lands, gut healthcare, destroy rural hospitals, outlaw state AI regulation for a decade, make it harder to take out loans to go to college, and unleash an immigration enforcement regime bigger than anything we’ve ever seen. ICE will now have a budget bigger than the FBI, DEA, U.S. Bureau of Prisons combined. This is an oligarchy fever dream that will painfully backfire on everyone.
Trump’s Big Evil Bill is the blueprint of Project 2025 in action: a theocratic, authoritarian takeover of our democracy. This bill will expand presidential powers, weaken the lower courts, and crush humanitarian protections and put our already militized police state on Russian Olympian super steroids. Russell Vought, Trump’s OMB Director and the architect of Project 2025, made sure the money was there to turn July 4th into a funeral for the American Revolution by installing a mad king.
But here’s the truth hiding in the despair: the more pain this bill causes, the more people it radicalizes. Just as past generations rose up during times of injustice, many Americans, especially those who embraced Trump’s con, like those manosphere-brain rotted Gen Z men, will be forced to wake up. They’ll see the betrayal. They’ll feel it. And some will finally fight back.
The far-right had a 40-year plan. We need ours. One model: The Gay Revolution by historian Lillian Faderman. It's the story of how love, courage, and relentless organizing by small groups of determined people, many forced to become activists because of state cruelty like the kind we’re now seeing, and won against impossible odds. The Gay Revolution is our roadmap of hope, and it pays tribute to the countless men and women, many who risked everything, many whose names we may never know, to cast out the darkness with love and defiance.
Go to the Gaslit Nation’s Action Guide and choose action. Choose empathy. Choose to be the liberation this moment demands.
EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:
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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.
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Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.
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Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.
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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
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!
Show Notes:
The song featured in this episode is First They Came for Queers by Mr. Madam Adam. Find more of their music here: https://music.apple.com/us/album/first-they-came-for-queers/1690696748?i=1690696753
How to Protect Your Community from ICE: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ice-watch-programs-immigrants-how-to-start
How Trump’s bill will supercharge mass deportations by funneling $170bn to Ice https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/02/immigration-trump-big-beautiful-bill
Donald Trump’s weapons freeze on Ukraine could bring catastrophe https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/07/02/ukraine-russia-war-trump-weapons-freeze-missiles/
Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Who Threatened Police Joins Justice Dept. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/01/us/politics/justice-department-rioter-weaponization.html
House taking key vote on Trump's "big, beautiful bill," after GOP holdouts threaten final passage https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-vote-big-beautiful-bill-rules-committee/