The Chauncey DeVega Show

From Salon.com politics and culture writer Chauncey DeVega. "The Chauncey DeVega Show" is a relaxed and long-form conversation with the best and most insightful experts on politics, the color line, human rights, philosophy, history, the arts, and the world of popular culture and entertainment.

Ep. 422: The Black Working Class are the Beating Heart of American Democracy 12/19/2024

Ep. 422: The Black Working Class are the Beating Heart of American Democracy Blair Kelley is an award-winning author, historian, and scholar of the African American experience. She is currently the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and the incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South, the first Black woman to serve in that role in the center’s thirty-year history. Her new book is Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class. Blair Kelly discusses the relationship of the Black working class to the American story of striving, struggle, hope, endurance, tragedy, and triumph along the color line. She also intervenes against a dominant narrative that erases the Black working class from how the country’s news media and other elites and general public conceptualizes what it means to be a “real American” and member of the “working class” in the Age of Trump and this era of authoritarian populist backlash and rage. Chauncey and Blair also reflect on their own experiences as proud members of the Black working class, and how they navigate being in elite spaces where that identity and experience makes many people uncomfortable and uncertain. Chauncey DeVega continues to work through our collective emotions and the public mood in the aftermath of the 2024 Election, this time of growing dread, and Trump’s imminent return to the White House. Chauncey also shares two powerful recent essays on Trump’s return to power and this time of and . And Chauncey DeVega travels to the local cineplex and proceeds to share his reviews of the new movies Queer, Werewolves, Day of the Fight, and The Order. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via PayPal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/34528210

Ep. 421: Author Willy Vlautin Reflects on Being a Voice for the Working Class 11/29/2024

Ep. 420: The Corporate Democrats and the Mainstream News Media were the Midwives For Donald Trump's MAGA Victory in the 2024 Election 11/18/2024

Ep. 420: The Corporate Democrats and the Mainstream News Media were the Midwives For Donald Trump's MAGA Victory in the 2024 Election There are two guests on this week’s special post-Election 2024 episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. is an Emmy-award winning investigative reporter, filmmaker, and bestselling author. Her Substack newsletter is Bette Dangerous. She is the co-host and producer of RADICALIZED Truth Survives podcast. Heidi Cuda reflects on her emotions and feelings of rage, betrayal, demoralization and the dangerous allure of too much “hopium” following Donald Trump’s defeat of Kamala Harris. Heidi Cuda also shares her thoughts on the role that white privilege, white rage, racism and sexism played in the defeat of Kamala Harris and the ascendance of Trump and the MAGA movement (and the likely end of multiracial democracy in America for the foreseeable future). Henry A. Giroux is a leading social theorist and cultural critic. He is the author of many dozens of books. His most recent books include The Terror of the Unforeseen; Race, Politics, and Pandemic Pedagogy: Education in a Time of Crisis; Pedagogy of Resistance: Against Manufactured Ignorance; and Insurrections: Education in the Age of Counter-Revolutionary Politics. His forthcoming book (co-authored with Anthony DiMaggio) is Fascism on Trial: Education and the Possibility of Democracy. Henry Giroux counsels that the American people are in for a nightmare with Trump’s second rise to power and the regime of cruelty and trauma that he will unleash upon the country and the world. Giroux is very critical of the corporate Democrats and a mainstream news media that minimized and mocked the rage and pain of the tens of millions of Americans (and the millions of others who did not even bother to vote) who elevated Donald Trump as a savior in a moment of collective destruction. Chauncey DeVega journeys to Trump Tower on Election night 2024 and shares his thoughts on the defeat of Kamala Harris and the rise of MAGA fascist America in real time. Chauncey also reflects on his exhaustion, sadness, frustration, and feelings of futility and anger at his years of (mostly) ignored attempts to warn the American people and their elites about the growing dangers of Trumpism and how Donald Trump was easily going to defeat Kamala Harris and President Biden. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via PayPal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/33969957

Ep. 419: Election Day 2024 is Finally Here. Harris or Trump? What Comes Next? 11/05/2024

Ep. 419: Election Day 2024 is Finally Here. Harris or Trump? What Comes Next? There are four guests on this week’s special Election Day 2024 episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. Joe Walsh was a Republican congressman and a leading Tea Party conservative. He is now a prominent conservative voice against Donald Trump and the host of the podcast The Social Contract with Joe Walsh. is the former Managing Editor at Stars and Stripes and the author of Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump’s Very Important Letters. His Substack newsletter is Enough, Already! is a journalist and author of several books, including The Gunman and His Mother. His Substack newsletter is America, America. His essays and other work have been featured in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New Republic, Smithsonian and The Economist Intelligence Unit, among many others. is an Emmy-award winning investigative reporter, filmmaker, and bestselling author. Her Substack newsletter is Bette Dangerous. She is the co-host and producer of RADICALIZED Truth Survives podcast. These four guests share their reasoning behind and predictions about the outcome of the 2024 presidential election and if Vice President Harris will win and American democracy will continue or if Dictator Trump will take power and unleash a reign of terror, revenge, and destruction on his personal and political enemies. This week’s guests also offer their expert insights about what happens after the 2024 Election, the necessity of democratic renewal, the likelihood of political violence and unrest, and how deeply broken the American people and their institutions and culture are for Donald Trump to even be the Republican Party’s nominee and so very close, again, to victory. Chauncey DeVega offers counsel that the American people and the pro-democracy movement need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best -- and do the necessary hard work -- to ensure the future of their multiracial pluralistic democracy and the American project. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via PayPal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/33790752

Ep. 419: The Truth Report -- The Lincoln Project’s Stuart Stevens Predicts That Kamala Harris Will Win the 2024 Presidential Election 11/04/2024

Ep. 418: AEW Professional Wrestler Eddie Kingston Reflects on His Emotional and Mental Health Wellness Journey 10/31/2024

Ep. 418: AEW Professional Wrestler Eddie Kingston Reflects on His Emotional and Mental Health Wellness Journey Eddie Kingston is an American professional wrestler currently signed with . Kingston is a twenty-year veteran who has wrestled for and held championships in leading promotions all around the world including New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Ring of Honor (ROH). Eddie Kingston reflects on his life journey and decision to be open and vulnerable about his struggles to be a more mentally and emotionally healthy man as shown by his widely-read and viewed , social media posts, and videos in support of . Chauncey DeVega and Eddie the “Mad King” Kingston also talk about the lost art of “kayfabe”, promos and authenticity, and the importance of storytelling and the human dimension in the drama that is professional wrestling. Chauncey DeVega continues to sound the alarm that Kamala Harris is likely going to be defeated by Donald Trump and feels a deep disturbance in The Force from Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden hate festival. Chauncey is also very exhausted from doing battle with local slumlords and other life travails and is blessed to encounter a real-life superhero. Hal Brown is the guest on a special bonus segment for this week’s podcast. He is a clinical social worker and was one of the first members of the Duty to Warn group. Hal Brown has extensive expertise in working with multiple personality disorder (now called dissociative identity disorder). His daily essays on American politics and society can be read at his eponymous blog . Hal Brown reflects on his four decades of experience as a clinician and shares some advice and insights about managing our emotions, trying to be healthy, and doing the things that make us happy as a way of fighting back against despair and surrender when our society (and personal lives) often feel so dark and dire. Hal Brown was in transit, and we spoke via phone. The bonus segment can be listened to at the end of the podcast. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via PayPal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/33701207

Ep. 417: The Polls Show That Kamala Harris Will Likely Lose the 2024 Election to Donald Trump – Here is What She Must Do To Win 10/23/2024

Ep. 416: "Trump Fatigue Syndrome" and the 2024 Election 10/14/2024

Ep. 415: Ukraine, the Middle East, and How the Future of Warfare is Here Right Now 10/01/2024

Ep. 415: Ukraine, the Middle East, and How the Future of Warfare is Here Right Now Elliot Ackerman is both a former White House Fellow and Marine. He served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart. Ackerman is also an ex–CIA paramilitary officer. Ackerman in the author of numerous books, including the New York Times bestseller 2034: A Novel of the Next World War. His new book is 2054: A Novel. Ackerman explains how the war in Ukraine, and the escalating conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, are a frightening vision of the future right out of science fiction where increasingly lethal drones and other new technologies are rewriting the rules of warfare – and reminding us of very old lessons that will need to be relearned again (at a deadly cost). Ackerman reflects on America’s combustible domestic politics and the attempt on Trump’s life in Pennsylvania, the dangers of conspiracy theories, and how the country's politics and culture are increasingly toxic and what that means long-term for the democracy crisis and the struggle against neofascism and authoritarianism. Chauncey DeVega ponders the question of time and how the next 30 or so days until Election Day will feel like an eternity that will simultaneously go by very quickly. He also shares the lessons he learned in his neighborhood travels about human dignity, poverty, and economic precarity. Chauncey also offers a public health lesson and warning about the dangers of nose spray, hand sanitizer, incense and cheap lighters. And Chauncey DeVega attempts to save you from the new movie “The Substance”, a movie that is more proof of payola and the herd mentality of movie critics and other influentials and cultural tastemakers. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/33291057

Ep. 414: Kamala Harris Destroyed Donald Trump During Their First and Now Only Debate -- What Happens Next? 09/18/2024

Ep. 414: Kamala Harris Destroyed Donald Trump During Their First and Now Only Debate -- What Happens Next? There are two guests on this week’s episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. is the former Managing Editor at Stars and Stripes and the author of Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump’s Very Important Letters. Stephens returns to the podcast and shares his thoughts and emotions about Kamala Harris’ rout of Donald Trump during the debate last week. Stephens also discusses his ongoing frustration with the mainstream corporate news media and how it is more interested in profits and normalizing Donald Trump’s aberrant behavior and existential danger to democracy than in highlight how he is the greatest internal threat to America since the civil war – and doing what is necessary to stop him from taking power as the country’s first dictator. is a professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley. His new book is Comeback: Routing Trumpism, Reclaiming the Nation, and Restoring Democracy's Edge. Professor Fish returns to the podcast and reflects on how Kamala Harris used what he describes as high-dominance leadership style to so thoroughly defeat Donald Trump in their first and only debate. During the debate it appeared that Harris was literally working from Professor Fish’s book in how she systematically dismantled the corrupt ex-president. Chauncey and Professor Fish discuss what they know and suspect about Harris’ strategy and preparation for the debate. Professor Fish shares his hopes and predictions about how Harris and the Democrats will win the 2024 Election if current trends continue. Chauncey DeVega begs whoever is running this infernal simulation to please stop and reboot it as a second reported assassination attempt against Donald Trump took place, literally, as he was recording his segment of this week’s podcast. Chauncey reacts in real-time to this event, and shares his thoughts on America’s boiling political cauldron, conspiracism, and the role of malign actors such as Donald Trump and his anti-democracy agents and forces in stoking those flames. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/33103562

Ep. 413: Dr. Mary Trump on Escaping the Nightmare Black Hole That is the Age of Trump and the MAGAverse 09/10/2024

Ep. 412: Kamala Harris Needs to Use a High Dominance Leadership Style To Defeat and Vanquish Donald Trump and the MAGA Movement 08/11/2024

Ep. 412: Kamala Harris Needs to Use a High Dominance Leadership Style To Defeat and Vanquish Donald Trump and the MAGA Movement There are three guests on this week’s episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. is a professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley. His new book is Comeback: Routing Trumpism, Reclaiming the Nation, and Restoring Democracy's Edge. Professor Fish explains how against the Democrats and liberals and progressives, and why to this point they have been unable to effectively defeat it. Fish also explains why “when they go low, we go high” is such a horrible strategy against authoritarians and fascists such as Donald Trump and the other members of today’s right wing. Professor Fish counsels Vice President Kamala Harris and her advisors about how she can best counter Trump’s leadership style (and then defeat him and the MAGA movement) by adopting her own high dominance leadership style that is inspired by such Democratic and liberal-progressive titans as President Johnson, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Lance Dodes is a former clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a training and supervising analyst emeritus at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. He explains how Donald Trump’s obviously unwell mind and personality are appealing to his cultists and why they see him as a type of god and savior. In addition, he shares his advice about emotional health and well-being in these troubled times and why people succumb to addiction and other unhealthy coping mechanisms. Dr. Dodes also evaluates if Chauncey DeVega’s habit of going to Trump Tower several times a week (as a way of confronting Dictator Donald Trump by proxy) is a healthy or unhealthy coping mechanism. is the former Managing Editor at Stars and Stripes and the author of Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump’s Very Important Letters. He returns to the podcast to reflect on his feelings about the whiplash effect of these last few weeks and how President Biden’s stepping aside and passing the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris may impact the 2024 Election and our chances of saving American democracy from Donald Trump and the neofascist MAGA movement and their forces. Chauncey DeVega reflects on how time has been broken during these last few crazy weeks here in America and the Age of Trump and the importance of remaining grounded. Chauncey also shares some new polling data about the whiplash effect and Kamala Harris’s lead over Donald Trump in the 2024. And Chauncey shares his thoughts about this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay per view and the art of storytelling, why he is even more concerned about his beloved New England Patriots, and offers some reviews about the new movies Longlegs, Deadpool and Wolverine, and Sing Sing. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/32536087

Ep. 411: American Madness -- An Attempt on Donald Trump's Life and President Biden and the Democrats are in Disarray 07/17/2024

Ep. 411: American Madness -- An Attempt on Donald Trump's Life and President Biden and the Democrats are in Disarray There are three guests on this week’s episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. is a media critic and a former Metro Editor at the Chicago Tribune and Sunday Editor at the Chicago Sun-Times. He explains why the mainstream news media is obsessively focusing on President Biden’s health and aging and has, to this point, mostly refused to pay similar attention to the much greater dangers of Donald Trump’s emotional and mental health and the extreme threat he represents to American democracy and society. Mark also warns that the mainstream news media is desperately muckraking about President Biden instead of focusing on the democracy crisis because the former is a much easier story to tell. Dr. Justin Frank is a former professor of psychiatry at George Washington University. He is the author of several books including Trump on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President. Dr. Frank shares his thoughts about President Biden’s horrible performance during the debate against Donald Trump and why he self-destructed. Dr. Frank also explains how President Biden’s mortality was fully revealed by the debate and how that has caused great pain for the many Americans who view him as a stable and responsible, if not great leader, who protects them from the extreme dangers and abuse of Donald Trump and his forces. Dr. Frank also shares his thoughts about the mind of Donald Trump and our rapidly worsening national calamity. Dr. Frank was in transit, and we spoke via cell phone. is the former Managing Editor at Stars and Stripes and the author of Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump’s Very Important Letters. He shares his great frustration with how the mainstream news media continues to normalize Donald Trump and the neofascist MAGA movement and has mostly failed in its responsibilities during the country’s worsening democracy crisis. Stephens warns the news media and others who are in denial that Donald Trump and his agents are deadly serious in their threats to end free speech, and punish in the most extreme fashion any voices who oppose them when/if they take power in 2025. These three conversations took place several days prior to Saturday’s horrific events in Butler, Pennsylvania. Chauncey DeVega reflects on the attempt on Donald Trump’s life and how matters are now much worse in America where the spiral of violence and ascendant neofascism, and , have greatly accelerated. Chauncey also reflects on our collective emotions in this moment of extreme crisis and how it impacted his trip home to see his mother along with all the regular stress and emotional labor about aging, money, and life that entails. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/32189847

Ep. 410: The Force is Not Very Strong with Star Wars: The Acolyte 06/27/2024

Ep. 410: The Force is Not Very Strong with Star Wars: The Acolyte On this heat dome episode of the podcast, Chauncey DeVega previews (and warns about) the first debate between President Joe Biden and the Jan. 6 coup plotter and convicted felon Donald Trump. In an (unsuccessful) attempt to escape the hellish heat, Chauncey then declares a political sanctuary and reads some kind emails from the good people who appreciate the podcast and his essays, is joyful as he recounts a story about a miracle in his neighborhood, reads part of a wonderful short story from Walter Mosley’s award-winning collection The Awkward Black Man, and honors the great recently departed titans and . Heroes and greatness are everywhere: In that spirit, Chauncey DeVega also honors Colonel Edward Thomas Ryan, a closeted gay man and decorated US Army Veteran, who recently transitioned to the next plane of existence. Col. Ryan was the subject of a series of stories at , , and other leading publications. On this episode of the podcast, Chauncey’s fellow Star Wars traveler and expert Mr. Bill makes an appearance. They discuss the new TV show The Acolyte, its many problems and failures of storytelling, why “representation” is not a substitute for good writing and a coherent and compelling narrative, what it means to be a real Star Wars fan, and how the Star Wars universe has gone so very wrong and if it can be salvaged. Chauncey DeVega also shares several Star Wars TV series pitches that are much better than The Acolyte and the other recent shows and films set in that universe. There is also a special bonus segment at the end of this week's episode of the podcast about Star Wars: The Acolyte and the anticlimactic reveal of the Sith Lord and the fifth episode of the show. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/31910617

Ep. 409: The Truth Report -- Felon Donald Trump and The Mainstream News Media's Dangerous Obsession With "The Vibes" 06/18/2024

Ep. 408: Introducing Convicted Criminal Felon Donald Trump/Deborah “Big Red” Cotton and the American Tragedy of Race, Guns, and Violence 06/04/2024

Ep. 408: Introducing Convicted Criminal Felon Donald Trump/Deborah “Big Red” Cotton and the American Tragedy of Race, Guns, and Violence Mark Hertsgaard is the author of seven nonfiction books, including Hot: Living through The Next Fifty Years on Earth. Hertsgaard’s reporting, essays, and other writing have appeared in such publications as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, TIME, The Nation, The Guardian, and Scientific American. He is the co-founder and executive director of . His new book is Big Red's Mercy: The Shooting of Deborah Cotton and a Story of Race in America. Mark explains how the mainstream news media’s institutional culture and failings helped to birth the Age of Trump and American neofascism and the global climate emergency. He also shares how he keeps his hope tank full and the importance of being a marathon runner and not a sprinter in these times of great challenge and peril. And Mark reflects on America’s tragic relationship with guns, violence, the color line, and the moral courage and witnessing of his blood sister Deborah “Big Red” Cotton and how they are forever tied together after being shot at the same in New Orleans, in what was the worst mass shooting in that great city’s modern history. Chauncey DeVega is compelled to walk to Trump Tower aka Trump’s Obelisk of Evil here in Chicago during a rainstorm on Saturday where he reflects on the aspiring fascist dictator and now felon being found “guilty” in his historic hush-money election interference trial, and what that may mean or not for the present and future of American democracy and society. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/31594862

Ep. 407: The Truth Report -- Donald Trump's Hush-Money and Other Criminal Trials Are Like a Blackhole or Bottomless Maw 05/28/2024

Ep. 406: The Truth Report -- President Biden and the Democrats Need to Learn That Being Boring and Nice Will Not Defeat Donald Trump and the MAGA Movement 05/24/2024

Ep. 405: The Truth Report -- From The Walking Dead to Hannibal Lecter: You Have Been Warned About Donald Trump’s Neofascist Horror Politics 05/22/2024

Ep. 404: From O.J. Simpson to George Floyd -- Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Baden Reflects on his Decades-Long Fight for Justice in a Broken Legal System 05/14/2024

Ep. 404: From O.J. Simpson to George Floyd -- Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Baden Reflects on his Decades-Long Fight for Justice in a Broken Legal System is the former Chief Medical Examiner of New York City. He has been a medical examiner for forty-five years and has performed more than 20,000 autopsies. He was the host of the HBO “Autopsy” series for thirteen years and is the author of several books including his most recent “American Autopsy: One Medical Examiner's Decades-Long Fight for Racial Justice in a Broken Legal System”. Dr. Baden reflects on his vocation and decades of work as a medical examiner, and how he has tried to use science and medicine to find the truth and advance the cause of justice. He also shares insights about the Michael Brown, George Floyd, and other tragic examples of police killings and murders. And Dr. Baden explains what it was like to be at the center of the media maelstrom that was the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial. Chauncey DeVega convenes The Chauncey DeVega Show Secular Church Family and engages in some critical self-reflection as he shares what he has been up to these last few very long weeks, being tired from being an only child and member of the striving working class, and how Trump Trial Time (TTT) is draining all of us who are paying attention. And Chauncey DeVega continues to warn about how to further radicalize his cult members during his hush-money and other criminal trials and the 2024 presidential election. Chauncey also explains how, like other fascists, Donald Trump is expert at using scatological politics and that – yes, real diapers – to the Dear and Great Leader’s cult meeting-rallies as a way of demonstrating their loyalty to him and the movement. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/31297867

Ep. 403: Glenn Kirschner Warns That Donald Trump and the Republican Party MAGA Fascists Are Trying to Murder American Democracy 04/11/2024

Ep. 403: Glenn Kirschner Warns That Donald Trump and the Republican Party MAGA Fascists Are Trying to Murder American Democracy Glenn Kirschner is an NBC News/MSNBC on-air legal analyst and teaches criminal justice at George Washington University. He has a YouTube channel and Podcast, “Justice Matters with Glenn Kirschner.” Kirschner is also a former federal prosecutor with 30 years of trial experience. He served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia for 24 years, rising to the position of Chief of the Homicide Section. In that capacity, Kirschner supervised 30 homicide prosecutors and oversaw all homicide grand jury investigations and prosecutions in Washington, DC. He explains why and how Donald Trump (and his confederates) have been able to evade serious accountability for their public crime spree against American democracy and society, including the Jan. 6 coup attempt and lethal terrorist attack on the Capitol. Kirschner cautions that contrary to the mainstream media’s narrative that the “walls are closing in” on Donald Trump given his multiple criminal and civil trials where he may face hundreds of years in prison and hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and judgements, the reality of the situation is much more perilous and uncertain. He warns that Donald Trump and the Republican fascists and the larger “conservative” movement are trying to kill American democracy and will not stop until they achieve their goal of unlimited power and putting Dictator Trump in the White House. Chauncey DeVega missed all of you good members of The Chauncey DeVega Show Secular Church Family and shares a pathetic and frustrating tale of how he has been under attack by a severe case of cooties (likely some type of targeted assault by a customized biological weapon) these last two or so months that caused the podcast to be delayed. Chauncey honors and celebrates on March 29 and attends a special screening of his iconic film An Officer and a Gentlemen, during which he sheds some tears and engages in some deep reflective thinking about very important things. And Chauncey DeVega reviews the new films Asphalt City, Love Lies Bleeding, and Late Night With The Devil. In the interest of public health and safety – and protecting your sanity -- Chauncey also survives the movies Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire so you don’t have to. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/30777238

Ep. 402: Heather Cox Richardson Warns That We Can Still Stop Dictator Trump and the American Fascist Movement – If We Have the Will and Fortitude to Do That Hard Work 03/07/2024

Ep. 402: Heather Cox Richardson Warns That We Can Still Stop Dictator Trump and the American Fascist Movement – If We Have the Will and Fortitude to Do That Hard Work There are two guests on this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. is a journalist and author of "American Fascism: How the GOP is Subverting Democracy." Her essays and other writing have been featured at the New York Times, The Huffington Post, and The New Republic. Brynn reflects on doing the frustrating and challenging work of continuing to sound the alarm about Dictator Trump, American neofascism, and the existential threat that movement represents to the LGBTQ community and others deemed to be the enemy. She also shares her insights on why so many Americans – especially in the news media and political class – continue to be in a state of denial about the Trumpocene nightmare and the hellscape that awaits the American people when/if The Dear Leader and his cabal take power in 2025. Heather Cox Richardson is Professor of History at Boston College. She is the author of numerous books including her most recent, “Democracy Awakening”. Richardson’s Substack newsletter is essential reading and is subscribed to by 1,400,000 people. She explains how the study of American history and peoples’ movements to expand real democracy are critical for defeating Trumpism, American neofascism and global illiberalism today. Heather also reflects on how her background as a working-class person helped to prepare her for the intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and physically demanding work of defending American democracy in her role and responsibility as someone who thinks and writes publicly for a living. Chauncey DeVega summons the power of the Sincerity Prayer and shares his thoughts on our collective exhaustion from the Trumpocene and other life struggles and burdens -- and the importance of not surrendering to them. Chauncey also ponders the perfect film “Perfect Days” and the life lessons he learned from the people he encountered during his travels in his neighborhood. And Chauncey DeVega honors the career of the professional wrestling legend Sting. He is also very upset at the superfans and who are denying the world the epic WrestleMania 40 battle between The Rock and The Head of the Table Roman Reigns. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/30267913

Ep. 401: The Vince McMahon Sex Scandal Allegations Are About So Much More Than Professional Wrestling 02/13/2024

Ep. 401: The Vince McMahon Sex Scandal Allegations Are About So Much More Than Professional Wrestling is one of America’s leading sports writers and investigative journalists. His essays and other writing have appeared in Sports Illustrated, People, The Washington Monthly, and the Sunday magazines of the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of the books Chris & Nancy; Wrestling Babylon; Concussion Inc., Without Helmets or Shoulder Pads: The American Way of Death in Football Conditioning; and Underwater: The Greed-Soaked Tale of Sexual Abuse in USA Swimming and Around the Globe. Irv Muchnick reflects on why the recent “revelations” about Vince McMahon’s alleged Caligula-like sexual exploitation of an employee, harassment, and of creating a larger environment of sexual predation at the WWE/WWF should in no way be a surprise given what has been publicly known for decades. Irv also offers some context from his long history of reporting on the subculture(s) of professional wrestling and other sports such as swimming and gymnastics about how and why sexual harassment and abuse are unfortunately all too common both in those spaces and across American society. And Irv connects the dots between Donald Trump and Vince McMahon and what he describes as the “Trumpification” of American politics and life. Chauncey reflects on nostalgia, innocence, joy, pleasure, fan culture, and how to reconcile loving professional wrestling (and other things) with knowing about the real-life drama and human cost that it brings to its participants and others in that world. Ultimately, is innocence bliss? And Chauncey shares a story about being a hero in your own neighborhood (even when sick), thanks everyone for their support during his battle with the cooties, and in that spirit makes a public health announcement about At the end of this episode of the podcast, there is also an “Easter egg” bonus segment from the archives with writer, movie producer, and director . WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/29928963

Ep. 400: What Would America Be Like If Donald Trump's Jan. 6 Coup Had Succeeded? 01/23/2024

Ep. 400: What Would America Be Like If Donald Trump's Jan. 6 Coup Had Succeeded? Alan Jenkins is a Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School where he teaches courses on Race and the Law, Communication, Law, and Social Justice, and Supreme Court Jurisprudence. Prior to joining the Harvard faculty, he co-founded and led The Opportunity Agenda. Jenkins has also been a frequent guest columnist in The Hollywood Reporter. He has also appeared frequently as a commentator on CBS and MSNBC. Alan reflects on what America would be like if Trump’s MAGA coup attempt had succeeded and how he (and Gan Golan) used that premise and thought exercise to create He also shares his worries and concerns about the present state and future of American democracy and the long Black Freedom Struggle in this time of white rage and neofascist assault, and reflects on what President Obama (who Alan casually knows from their time together at law school) must be thinking about his legacy. Chauncey and Alan also reflect on the early days of comic book conventions and how they found their love for graphic novels and other such visual storytelling. On this landmark 400th episode of the podcast, Chauncey DeVega reflects on the journey, the perils and allure of being broken and exhausted by the Trumpocene (and how too many of his fellow travelers in the pro-democracy movement are quitting), and how the hope peddlers and other happy pill sellers will be amplifying their siren song voices as the reality of Dictator Trump becomes more real and imminent. Chauncey also shares some heartwarming animal friend and good human stories, is concerned about the future of his beloved New England Patriots in a post-Belichick era, and is embarrassed that he was defeated again by the Fog Monster and then by Sub Zero here in Chicago. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/29608368

Ep. 399: The Truth Report -- Dr. Bandy Lee Warns That Trumpism Is a Public Health Emergency Which is Reaching Terminal Levels For American Democracy and Society 01/12/2024

Ep. 399: The Truth Report -- Dr. Bandy Lee Warns That Trumpism Is a Public Health Emergency Which is Reaching Terminal Levels For American Democracy and Society This is a sneak preview of this week's installment of The Truth Report: is a forensic psychiatrist and a leading expert on violence who taught at Yale School of Medicine and Yale Law School for 17 years before transferring her activities to Columbia and Harvard. Dr. Lee is also the editor of the New York Times bestseller, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President. She is currently president of the World Mental Health Coalition, the largest professional organization to address the problem of dangerous leadership and its contribution to a “mental health pandemic.” Dr. Lee continues to warn that Trump and his MAGA movement and American neofascism constitute a public health emergency, which as seen on Jan. 6 and with Trump’s escalating threats of massive violence and destruction is only continuing to get worse. She also warns that Trump’s megalomania and the enduring power of the MAGA cult reflects how American society is sick with malignant normality and how that collective state of evil and pathological behavior can only lead to doom and destruction. Dr. Lee reflects on where the country would now be if the news media, political class, and other elites had responded properly to the warnings issued by mental health professionals more than seven years ago that Donald Trump represented an extreme threat to American society and that his obvious unwellness would spread and infect the nation if he were to become president – and if he wins the 2024 Election Dictator for Life will become a terminal disease for American democracy and society. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/29457058

Ep. 398: The Fog Monster -- A Very Special Christmas Story Episode 12/25/2023

Ep. 397: On Jan. 6 Capitol Hill Police Officer Sgt. Aquilino Gonell Went to Work and Did His Job By Defending American Democracy 12/13/2023

Ep. 397: On Jan. 6 Capitol Hill Police Officer Sgt. Aquilino Gonell Went to Work and Did His Job By Defending American Democracy There are two guests on this week’s episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. Dr. Justin Frank is a former clinical professor of psychiatry at the George Washington University Medical Center and the author of Trump on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President. He warns that Donald Trump appears to be a megalomaniac, who as demonstrated by his recent comments at a rally in Iowa, truly does believe that he is some type of Chosen One who has been selected by “god” and “Jesus” to be America’s first dictator. Dr. Frank also explains how Trump’s obviously diseased mind and severe mental unwellness is rooted in a need to protect himself from reality – and how the pro-democracy forces can perhaps pierce Trump’s defense shield as they try to stop his fascist movement and takeover of the country. Sgt. Aquilino Gonell is a Dominican immigrant, former U.S. Army Soldier, and Iraq War veteran. He’s been a Capitol Hill Police Officer for the past 17 years and was one of four police officers who testified before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th Insurrection. He’s been recently featured in The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, NPR, CBS Mornings, NBC News, Fox-TV, MSNBC, The Daily Beast, The Hill, and Rolling Stone. He is the recipient of the Carnegie Immigrant Award. Sgt. Gonell’s new book (with co-author Susan Shapiro) is American Shield: The Immigrant Sergeant Who Defended Democracy. Sgt. Gonell shares what it was like on the ground as he and his fellow officers tried to defend the Capitol on Jan. 6 against Trump’s MAGA terrorist mob and attack force who were trying to end American democracy as part of the coup attempt. Sgt. Gonell also reflects on his personal trauma, healing, questions of character, and how he became the type of man he is as shown by his service to the country when it would have been much easier to not have shown up to work on that historic Jan. 6. Chauncey DeVega shares his thoughts on the growing sense of dread in our collective consciousness and that something even more horrible has happened these last few days and weeks as Trump and the MAGA movement are growing in power and their victory in next year’s presidential election -- which will mean the end of American democracy -- appears even more likely. Chauncey also reflects on where he is in his journey on the two-year anniversary of the Event. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: [email protected] HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow /episode/index/show/thechaunceydevegashow/id/29062223

Ep. 396: A Reflective, Somewhat Serious, Funny, Titillating and Advice-Filled Special Thanksgiving Weekend Episode 11/24/2023

Ep. 395: Life Lessons, Reflections on Coming of Age in the 1980s, and "When the Game Was War" 11/07/2023

Ep. 394: 35 Years Later John Carpenter's Film "They Live" Came True -- And We Are The Ghouls 10/10/2023

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