Power, Profits, and Protest: Trump, Russia, and the Middle East
Release Date: 09/17/2025
Bolsonaro Blitz (Zoom Link for Today’s Salon - 4pm ET!)
Gaslit Nation
A quick reminder to our community of supporters that the Zoom link for today’s salon at 4pm ET was posted on Friday. . Wannabe Trump and eager student of Steve Bannon’s dark arts, Jair Bolsonaro, was sentenced this month to 27 years in prison for inciting his supporters to violently overthrow democracy in Brazil. And where was Bolsonaro during the coup attempt? Florida, of course: a state otherwise known as the Republican National Committee. There, his close allies, including his son, met with Bannon after losing the 2022 election, in the lead up to their January 8, 2023...
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KPop Demon Hunters Antifa
Gaslit Nation
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...
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Power, Profits, and Protest: Trump, Russia, and the Middle East
Gaslit Nation
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; and 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...
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Who Killed Charlie Kirk? Follow the Epstein Trail.
Gaslit Nation
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...
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Time for a New American Revolution
Gaslit Nation
America has always had a sadistic streak. From the very beginning, this so-called land of liberty was built on slavery and genocide. Yes, the Founding Fathers were less “philosopher kings” and more “sweaty men in wigs who owned human beings and thought democracy was something best kept away from women, the poor, and anyone who wasn’t them.” Fast-forward 250 years, and the far-right is still running the same playbook: cruelty as ideology. Immigrants? Cage them. LGBTQ+ kids? Target them. Women? Control them. The planet? Burn it. What Republicans call “policy” is really just sadism...
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Rebel Women of the Gilded Age
Gaslit Nation
What do theme parties, abortion rights, and feminist rebellion have in common? Historian Jennifer Wright unearths women who, in their own subtle and not so subtle ways, defied the patriarchy, mocking original incel Anthony Comstock whose 19th-century repressive tactics are being used today in the far-right’s war on women. In her dazzlingly researched books about Gilded Age legends like Mamie Fish, a character on the HBO series The Gilded Age, and innovative abortionist Madame Restell, Wright shows us that women have always found ways to wield power, even in times of deep inequality and...
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“Pace yourself.” – TEASER
Gaslit Nation
Our opening clip was the 1989 trailer for , the breakthrough Michael Moore documentary and a favorite of Erica Smiley, Executive Director of Jobs With Justice and one of the most powerful voices in today’s labor movement. Smiley is reshaping how we think about power, not just at work, but across our democracy. She co-authored , making the case that collective bargaining isn’t only about wages. It’s about people reclaiming control over the decisions that define their lives. From Amazon warehouses to grassroots coalitions, her work connects the dots between economic justice and...
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Building Real Democracy Starts on the Shop Floor
Gaslit Nation
The fight for democracy in America didn’t begin, or end, at the ballot box. As labor organizer Erica Smiley, executive director of and co-author of , reminds us, our democracy has always been "in training," a work in progress shaped as much by picket lines as polling places. "Unions are schools for democracy," Smiley explains. In workplaces where people of all backgrounds must build consensus and fight for fair contracts, we learn the skills that sustain a pluralistic society. It's no surprise, then, that authoritarian movements often begin by attacking labor rights and education, because...
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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...
info_outlineThis 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:
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September 29 4pm ET – Join the Gaslit Nation Book Club for a discussion of Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People by Sarah Bradford.
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Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: join here.
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Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available here.
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Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available here.
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Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available here.
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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 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-2bae3b073bcac464ad9b44a8d5a4c581