Gaslit Nation Andrea Chalupa

Russia’s transnational crime syndicate uses our own weaknesses against us, to entrench their weaponized corruption. Take, for instance, the Act 22 tax loophole that lets rich Americans buy up land in Puerto Rico to avoid paying any money in federal taxes. It’s called “trickle down theory,” but the locals call it gentrification and tax dodging. So why is RT (Russia Today) latching on to a grassroots campaign to close the Act 22 tax loophole threatening to turn Puerto Rico into a dangerous money-laundering vipers den, with no affordable housing? Could it be that Russia is trying to stop this movement by discrediting it?
 
Ringing the alarm on how the Act 22 tax loophole jeopardizes Puerto Rico’s sovereignty and U.S. national security are Nomiki Konst, an activist and filmmaker, and Federico de Jesús, a public affairs consultant. They joined forces in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria to launch "Losing Puerto Rico," a documentary-in-progress and movement by the same name against the Act 22 tax loophole. Konst, a longtime ally of Senator Bernie Sanders, chosen by Sanders to work on the unity commission for the DNC following the 2016 election, cut her teeth as an investigative journalist under Wayne Barrett, the first reporter to warn us about Trump. De Jesús, who helped lead Hispanic outreach in campaigns for President Barack Obama and Senator Harry Reid, focuses on human rights issues in Puerto Rico. They explain what’s at stake with the Act 22 tax loophole, why Russia may have taken an interest, and their urgent advice for Biden on how to defeat Trump in the 2024 election, including how to win back Hispanic voters who have been trending Republican. 
 
This week’s bonus show, available to subscribers at the Truth-teller level or higher on Patreon, features the recording of the Gaslit Nation Make Art Workshop: The Business Side of Things, alongside the transcript. To access the workshop, all bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive event invitations, and more, subscribe to the show and join our listener community at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! 
 
Listen to “Pur Sun” by Whose Hat Is This? https://bassmagazine.com/tim-lefebvres-whose-hat-is-this-releases-new-single-pur-sun-listen/ You can find more music by Whose Hat is This? on Bandcamp at whosehatisthis.bandcamp.com or whosehatisthis.com Thank you to Tim Lefebvre and Whose Hat is This? for your music! Got music to share with the world? Submit your song to be featured on Gaslit Nation here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-d_DWNnDQFYUMXueYcX5ZVsA5t2RN09N8PYUQQ8koq0/edit?ts=5fee07f6&gxids=7628
 
Thank you to OneSkine, the sponsor of this week’s episode – be sure to give them a try! Our listeners can receive an exclusive discount code. Tell ‘em Gaslit Nation sent you! 
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code GASLIT at https://www.oneskin.co/ 
 
Show Notes:
 
Losing Puerto Rico – learn more about the movement to protect Puerto Rico, U.S. security interests, and repeal the Act 22 tax loophole and the film-in-progress: https://www.losingpuertorico.com/
 
Losing Homeland - How a Speculators and Tax Cheats are Stealing Puerto Rico https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6K2SxZNxGQ
 
Inside the Oslo accords: a new podcast series marks 30 years since Israel-Palestine secret peace negotiations https://theconversation.com/inside-the-oslo-accords-a-new-podcast-series-marks-30-years-since-israel-palestine-secret-peace-negotiations-212985
 
What is the International Criminal Court and why it has Israeli officials worried https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-international-criminal-court-hague-palestinians-1f683a6e2e150d91c415eb1d0a19a44d
 
Israeli, U.S. Officials Say New Sanctions Due to Conduct of Ben-Gvir, Smotrich A U.S. source said the far-right ministers were considered for sanctions themselves, but the White House feared impacts on bilateral r

With growing campus protests against the U.S. backing Netanyahu’s genocidal war to cling to power and the Democratic National Convention returning to Chicago this summer, it’s hard not to think of 1968. As this week’s guest, Ari Berman of Mother Jones, explains, the Founding Fathers of America set us up for cycles of fascism vs. democracy, cynicism vs. idealism.
 
It’s important to be aware of how social movements can be hijacked and weaponized. For that, read the essential 2017 piece in The Guardian by Micah White, a co-founder of Occupy Wall Street, on how Russia tried to co-opt him. While there’s a long history of the Left being weaponized by foreign adversaries, as the film Mr. Jones reminds us, the magnitude of campus protests across America is a morally clear line, like the Vietnam War and Iraq War protests before them.
 
As we head into the spring of the most important year for America, one where democracy must prevail, it’s important to take time to reflect on radical self-care. As empathy becomes the growing demand of our collective, activism must include self-care, one of the most important acts of resistance, as Angela Davis in our opening clip reminds us. This week’s bonus show reflects on that and urges our listeners to reach out to an old friend to reconnect and re-energize. You will be glad you did, as we get closer to the ticking clock of November 5th. 
 
In this week’s bonus show, Ari Berman of Mother Jones, author of the must-read book Minority Rule, joins the long list of guests to take the Gaslit Nation Self-Care Q&A, producing some surprising answers and a rallying call, for Ari, along the way.  
 
Join the conversation with a community of listeners at Patreon.com/Gaslit and get bonus shows, all episodes ad free, submit questions to our regular Q&As, get exclusive invites to live events, and more!


Show Notes:
Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People--And the Fight to Resist It https://bookshop.org/p/books/minority-rule-ari-berman/19994801?ean=9780374600211
I started Occupy Wall Street. Russia tried to co-opt me | Micah White https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/02/activist-russia-protest-occupy-black-lives-matter 
Opening Clip: Radical Self Care by AfroPunk Featuring Angela Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1cHoL4vaBs

How do we protect ourselves from a corrupt Supreme Court? How can the gerrymandering crisis be stopped? What were the Founding Fathers thinking? Can the American Experiment survive? 
 
Ari Berman of Mother Jones stops by Gaslit Nation to discuss his new book Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People―and the Fight to Resist It. Berman shares insights into the troubling compromises that made the U.S. Constitution, the Koch-funded far-right plan to turn America into a dictatorship, GOP laboratories of autocracy in swing states like Wisconsin, what an American dictatorship would look like, and how to avoid that fate this November and beyond.
 
This week's bonus show includes a look at the growing campus protests over Israel's genocide in Gaza, Republican "free speech" hypocrisy, the need for radical self-care to build movements, and Ari Berman’s take on the Gaslit Nation Self-Care Q&A, leading to some surprising answers. To get access to our bonus shows and invites to exclusive events, receive all episodes ad-free, and more, be sure to subscribe at the Truth-teller level or higher on Patreon.com/Gaslit! Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!
 
To our Patreon community, the Gaslit Nation Make Art Workshop: The Business Side of Things will publish, along with the transcript, the morning of Saturday May 4th! In the meantime, check out our Art is Survival chat group to connect with other artists in our community of listeners!
 
Show Notes:
 
Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People--And the Fight to Resist It by Ari Berman https://bookshop.org/p/books/minority-rule-ari-berman/19994801?ean=9780374600211
 
Opening Clip: Historian Timothy Snyder schools Marjorie Taylor Greene  https://twitter.com/rshereme/status/1781337606808060042
 
Clip: Medhi Hasan to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: "What do you say to a young progressive or an Arab-American who says to you, 'I just can't vote for Biden again after what he's enabled in Gaza.'?” https://twitter.com/mehdirhasan/status/1781120448186462407
 
Havana Syndrome evidence suggests who may be responsible for mysterious brain injuries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdPSD1SUYCY
 
Havana Syndrome mystery continues as a lead military investigator says bar for proof was set impossibly high https://www.cbsnews.com/news/havana-syndrome-culprit-investigation-new-evidence-60-minutes-transcript/
 
Havana syndrome: Report links mystery illness to Russian intelligence unit https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68706317
 
Havana Syndrome: The History Behind the Mystery https://www.fpri.org/article/2024/04/havana-syndrome-the-history-behind-the-mystery/
 
Russia Is Buying Politicians in Europe. Is It Happening Here Too? A former CIA officer explains how a vast, pro-Putin corruption network uncovered in Europe is a warning sign for the U.S. https://newrepublic.com/article/180630/russia-corruption-network-europe-buying-politicians-america
 
Europe—but Not NATO—Should Send Troops to Ukraine To Halt Russia’s Advance, Kyiv Needs More Boots on the Ground https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/europe-not-nato-should-send-troops-ukraine
 
Anne Applebaum: “The pro-Russian caucus inside the GOP was defeated on Saturday, and with it Putin's dream of quickly occupying Ukraine. Now the US and Europe need to seize the moment to win, and end, the war” https://twitter.com/anneapplebaum/status/1782206525144015039
 
Netanyahu Resists U.S. Plan to Cut Off Aid to Israeli Military Unit: After months of inaction, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is poised to bar U.S. aid to an Israeli unit accused of human rights abuses https://www.propublica.org/article/netanyahu-resists-blinken-plan-sanction-against-israeli-military-unit
 
More than 200 bodies found in mass grave at Nasser Hospital in Gaza https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/more-than-200-bodies-found-in-m

House Speaker Mike Johnson, self-proclaimed champion for human rights and freedom, and enemy of dictators everywhere, inched closer to getting Ukraine aid after eight months of successfully delaying it, empowering Russia’s genocide. Kremlin state TV repeatedly praised Johnson for assisting their brutal invasion, which, as discussed in this week’s bonus show, emboldened Iran to unleash a shocking swarm of drones and missiles against Israel.
The Ukraine aid package still faces delays, thanks to MAGA, and will have to go back to the Senate before it reaches President Biden’s desk. The Trump-proposed changes, of structuring some of the aid as a loan, can be forgiven by the President, including partial loan forgiveness by Biden on his way out, should he lose the election. If Trump wins, he could force Ukraine to repay what’s left of the loan and refuse to send ATACMS, the long-range missiles that have made Ukraine effective at blowing up Russian planes and other military targets that slaugher civilians. The compromise in this aid package, far less than what Ukraine actually needs to win the war, adds to the urgency to ensure Trump loses the electoral college. It’s going to be a nailbiter, for America and the world. 
This week’s bonus show includes reports that Paul Manafort is back to help Trump (and Russia) win the 2024 election. Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman and analyst Monique Camarra of the Kremlin File podcast join Andrea to discuss Manafort’s dark arts and how they may help Trump and Russia illegally hijack our democracy once again.
Ari Berman of Mother Jones stops by Gaslit Nation next week to discuss his new must-read book Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It. Ari will share his insights on how we got here and what must be done to save our democracy.
Want to hear the full episode? Join a community of listeners and get bonus shows, all episodes ad free, submit questions to our regular Q&As, get exclusive invites to live events, and more by subscribing at the Truth-teller level or higher on Patreon.com/Gaslit! 
Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! 


Show Notes:
 
Johnson’s plan to send aid to Ukraine moves closer to reality “Democrats will not be responsible for this bill failing,” one Democratic lawmaker pledged on Thursday morning. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/18/johnson-plan-send-aid-ukraine-moves-closer-becoming-reality/
 
Putin Ally Declares Mike Johnson 'Our Johnson' https://www.newsweek.com/putin-ally-declares-mike-johnson-our-johnson-1890071
 
Europe is already planning for what happens if Ukraine loses. It’s ugly A newly energized Russia is already escalating grey-zone operations in Eastern Europe, says Estonia’s defense minister. https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2024/04/europe-already-planning-what-happens-if-ukraine-loses-its-ugly/395715/
 
Why Did U.S. Planes Defend Israel but Not Ukraine? There are lessons for other nations in the events of the past few days. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/04/ukraine-israel-war-comparison/678077/?gift=hVZeG3M9DnxL4CekrWGK3zBTrwyTVOGzmWK5yps1Kck&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
 
U.S., NOT ISRAEL, SHOT DOWN MOST IRAN DRONES AND MISSILES American forces did most of the heavy lifting responding to Iran’s retaliation for the attack on its embassy in Damascus. https://theintercept.com/2024/04/15/iran-attack-israel-drones-missiles/
 
How Israel and allied defenses intercepted more than 300 Iranian missiles and drones https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/04/14/middleeast/israel-air-missile-defense-iran-attack-intl-hnk-ml
 
To be clear, if someone does trigger a motion to vacate -- anyone, MTG or Massie -- it would be incredibly perilous for Johnson. But remember: the first step is a motion to table. And Democrats could vote to table, and that's that. 

Every dictator or wannabe dictator relies on a base of support to stay in power. For Putin, Orban, and Trump, their base is Christian nationalism – claiming God wants white, straight "Christian" men to rule, even if this means violently stripping all others of their human rights. (Nevermind what Jesus actually taught in the Gospels about loving thy neighbor!)
The Republican Party has been taken over by Christian nationalists backed by American and Russian oligarchs, in a death cult commonly known as MAGA. Trump is the strongman they've been searching for over decades of laying the groundwork for turning America into a dictatorship. Here to break it down for us is veteran filmmaker Stephen Ujlaki, who delved into the terrifying game plan of Christian nationalists for his new film, Bad Faith, out April 26 and available for pre-order.
Gaslit Nation listeners who host viewing parties of Bad Faith with their friends and family can send us a photo or email to GaslitNation@gmail.com about the event for their chance to get Gaslit merch and other fun prizes, to help spread the word about this important and urgent film. This week's bonus episode, exclusively for our subscribers at the Truth-teller level and higher on Patreon, will cover Iran's attack on Israel, why Ukraine must receive the same protection as the U.S.-led coalition that defended Israel, especially as MAGA continues to block aid in the House, and reports of Paul Manafort's work for Trump in the 2024 election.
We're also launching today a NEW chat group, inspired by our recent Make Art Workshop: The Business Side of Things, to complement our current general chat group, called Victory. The Art is Survival chat group is for artists in our community to share their works in progress, discover resources, and join with a community of like-minded creatives envisioning a world beyond the dictatorships the fascists want us to believe are inevitable. Thank you to all the artists out there and those who support art for believing that another world is possible! The recording of the Make Art workshop will be published Saturday May 4th, along with the transcript and a list of resources. 
To get access to both chat groups – Victory (the general chat group) and Art is Survival – all bonus shows, all episodes ad-free, exclusive invites to events, and more, be sure to sign up at the Truth-teller level or higher on Patreon.com/Gaslit. Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!
 
Show Notes:
 
Bad Faith documentary: https://www.badfaithdocumentary.com/
 
Meet Stephen Ujlaki, the filmmaker behind Bad Faith: https://sftv.lmu.edu/faculty/?expert=stephen.ujlaki
 
Putin Ally Declares Mike Johnson 'Our Johnson'
https://www.newsweek.com/putin-ally-declares-mike-johnson-our-johnson-1890071
 
Europe is already planning for what happens if Ukraine loses. It’s ugly A newly energized Russia is already escalating grey-zone operations in Eastern Europe, says Estonia’s defense minister.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2024/04/europe-already-planning-what-happens-if-ukraine-loses-its-ugly/395715/
 
Why Did U.S. Planes Defend Israel but Not Ukraine? There are lessons for other nations in the events of the past few days.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/04/ukraine-israel-war-comparison/678077/?gift=hVZeG3M9DnxL4CekrWGK3zBTrwyTVOGzmWK5yps1Kck&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
 
U.S., NOT ISRAEL, SHOT DOWN MOST IRAN DRONES AND MISSILES American forces did most of the heavy lifting responding to Iran’s retaliation for the attack on its embassy in Damascus.
https://theintercept.com/2024/04/15/iran-attack-israel-drones-missiles/
 
How Israel and allied defenses intercepted more than 300 Iranian missiles and drones
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/04/14/middleeast/israel-air-missile-defense-iran-attack-intl-hnk-ml
 

In this week’s bonus show, we dig into Israel and evangelicals, two fellow travelers that shaped U.S. politics and the world together. Many evangelicals believe God will protect Israel, as long as they accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior, or they'll burn in hell with other nonbelievers when Jesus returns. That means the destruction of Israel, a Jewish state. Digging into Speaker Mike Johnson, a staunch evangelical, and the other MAGA Christian nationalists blocking aid to Ukraine in the House, it turns out Ukraine also plays a role in evangelical “end times” prophecy. The path of the destruction of Israel goes through Ukraine, according to Pat Robertson and other evangelical leaders featured in the show notes. Does Johnson believe this? 
 
Johnson proudly proclaimed his worldview is the bible, telling Fox News: "Someone asked me today in the media, they said, 'It's curious, people are curious: What does Mike Johnson think about any issue under the sun?' I said, 'Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That's my worldview.” Johnson was featured in a German documentary about taking his daughter to a purity ball where she signed a pledge to never have sex before marriage. Purity balls are seen as dehumanizing to young girls and women
 
Pat Robertson, one of the most consequential evangelical leaders to build white Christian nationalists into a political force, taking over the GOP, claimed in a video featured in this week’s bonus show, the path to Israel's destruction begins with Russia's destruction of Ukraine. Ray Comfort, another evangelical minister with a large social media following, wrote the book Russia Will Attack Israel, and plays up Russia’s war in Ukraine as “end times” prophecy. David Jeremiah, the evangelical pastor of a megachurch, also promotes this idea in his work. The argument goes: Putin is a tool of God to raise the forces of evil against Ukraine on Russia’s path to waging war against Israel. In their logic, Ukraine must be destroyed so the final battle of good vs. evil can begin, ushering in the return of Jesus. 
 
Obviously Christian nationalists like Johnson and others in the MAGA cult blocking aid to Ukraine are motivated by power and money. They align with strongmen like Trump to consolidate their support and enrich themselves. Both Putin and Orban used Christianian nationalism to entrench their regimes. Johnson was caught taking Kremlin-linked donations in 2018, as discussed in the recent bonus show for Patreon subscribers, The Kremlin Owns Mike Johnson. 
 
Russia does its part to feed into these “end times” fever dreams. The philosopher Aleksandr Dugin, Russia’s Steve Bannon, recently said, "Jerusalem will be a Russian city or it will not exist at all.” As Trump’s white Christian nationalist base cheers on Putin’s genocide in Ukraine and Netanyahu’s genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, Russia oppresses and kills evangelicals in occupied Ukraine, according to a recent PBS Newshour report, and Christians are increasingly harassed and pushed out by ultra-Orthodox Israelis. 
 
The persecution of fellow Christians may likely mean nothing to Johnson if he shares the belief that accelerating global conflicts will ultimately bring back Jesus. What he has made clear through his words and actions is that he takes the bible literally, like many evangelicals. With Ukraine increasingly in the crossfire of “end times” prophecies, spun in megachurches and their disinformation echo chambers, we have to come to terms that we’re up against a doomsday cult, not a political party. Biden cannot shame or reason with these people. He must work around them to save Ukraine. 
 
Contact your rep today through this site by a Gaslit Nation listener and demand they ensure the discharge petitions are signed, successfully forcing a vote on Ukraine aid: https://helpukrainewin.com/
 
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Thank you to everyone who attended the Make Art Workshop: