American Civil War: Then and Now

Trump and McConnell, turbo-charged by the war chest of the Federalist Society, packed the Supreme Court, and put in place far-right idealogues across 28-percent of our federal courts, reshaping our judiciary for decades to come. In a short time, Trump's Mullahs on the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, killed Affirmative Action, and made gay marriage easier to challenge. (We'll report more on their latest horrors, and how to protect ourselves, in upcoming episodes). States with elected governments that work to protect the public with sensible gun laws, environmental regulations, reproductive freedom, and other essential quality of life issues are all fair game to this Fox News Supreme Court. Will the Mullah Supremes drive the nation apart, and how will our union survive that along with an unchecked NRA, the Republican war on women/reproductive health care/LGBTQ+ people especially trans people/refugees/our environment, and democracy itself?  Heather Cox Richardson, America's sweetheart, historian, and author of the new bestselling book Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, provides historical context for our political crisis of today compared to the last time Americans seemed this divided. How close are we to falling apart as a nation, and what can or should be done to avoid this fate? Our discussion took place on September 19, and was not aired sooner due to the Israel-Hamas War. But the warnings and insights remain urgent.  Our opening introduction looks at the New York Times once again protecting Jared and Ivanka Kushner, the crime lords of the Trump White House, including the cash-grab pardon operation they ran especially in the final months as Trump plotted a coup to stay in power. One of the reporters on the story is unsurprisingly Maggie Haberman, whose mother Nancy Haberman works at Rubenstein PR, founded by the longtime publicist for Jared Kushner and his father Charles Kushner, a convicted con and disbarred attorney who also got a pardon from Trump, and was instrumental in helping other unsavory criminals get their own so they could go on crim-ing. This may sound incredible. But it's all true. Check the show notes. This week's bonus episode will look at the latest developments in the Isarel-Hamas war including famous anti-semite Elon Musk's visit to Israel, Russia's ongoing genocide in Ukraine and what must be done to stop it, and more. To support our show and get access to bonus episodes like our Make Art workshop, live virtual events like our January 18th social media workshop and wake for Old Twitter, and more, support the show at the Truth-teller level or higher. Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! ,  Want to join the conversation? Subscribe to join our community of listeners at Patreon.com/Gaslit  Song feature for November is 'First They Came for the Queers' by Mr. Madam Adam. You can find more of Mr. Madam Adam's music on Apple Music, on Twitter @senorhettler, on Instagram @AdamEvansWest, and on TikTok @Iamadamadam. To all our artists out there, submit your song to be featured on Gaslit Nation here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-d_DWNnDQFYUMXueYcX5ZVsA5t2RN09N8PYUQQ8koq0/edit?ts=5fee07f6&gxids=7628 Show Notes Get your 'Tis the Season to Prosecute Treason T-shirt featuring an original design by Hamish Smyth and support the show! http://tee.pub/lic/_vLBHBoWkeg Make Art workshop: https://www.patreon.com/posts/make-art-video-93450936?cid=123025949 Heather Cox Richardson's Book: Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America https://bookshop.org/p/books/democracy-awakening-notes-on-the-state-of-america-heather-cox-richardson/19685160?ean=9780593652961  Part I of the Interview with Heather Cox Richardson: https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2023/10/04/kremlin-kaos-kaucus-heather-cox-richardson  A Troubling Trump Pardon and a Link to the Kushners A commutation for a drug smuggler named Jonathan Braun had broader implications than previously known. It puts new focus on how Donald Trump would use his clemency powers in a second term. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/26/us/politics/trump-pardon-braun.html Trump fundraiser, Kushner lawyer involved in effort to get pardon for tax evader The New York Times reported that to get a pardon for a California man, a real estate developer would make a "substantial" political contribution. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/trump-fundraiser-kushner-lawyer-involved-effort-get-pardon-tax-evader-n1250006 Report: Jared Kushner's Lawyer Was Recruited to Help With a Suspected Bribe-for-Pardon Scheme https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/12/jared-kushner-lawyer-pardon-investigation Trump pardoned his son-in-law's dad. Here's what Charles Kushner did. https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-nw-charlie-kushner-pardoned-20201224-6dlgp6ukkzggznmlj7ah3mkg44-story.html Before Giving Billions to Jared Kushner, Saudi Investment Fund Had Big Doubts Before committing $2 billion to Mr. Kushner's fledgling firm, officials at a fund led by the Saudi crown prince questioned taking such a big risk. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/10/us/jared-kushner-saudi-investment-fund.html SAUDI CROWN PRINCE BOASTED THAT JARED KUSHNER WAS "IN HIS POCKET" Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told confidants that Kushner discussed the names of royal family members opposed to his power grab. https://theintercept.com/2018/03/21/jared-kushner-saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman/ Joaquin Castro Calls for Investigation Into Whether Jared Kushner Shared Intelligence That Led to Khashoggi Killing https://www.newsweek.com/jared-kushner-jamal-khashoggi-saudi-arabia-mbs-killing-consulate-donald-trump-1179255 Jared Kushner advised Saudi prince on how to 'weather' Khashoggi slaying, report says https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/12/09/jared-kushner-advised-saudi-prince-after-khashoggi-murder-report-says/2257098002/ How Trump, Kushner covered up Kashoggi's murder and got rewarded - opinion https://www.jpost.com/opinion/how-trump-kushner-covered-up-kashoggis-murder-and-got-rewarded-opinion-685289 Jared and Ivanka made up to $640 million in the White House https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/jared-and-ivanka-made-up-to-640-million-in-the-white-house/#:~:text=Jared%20Kushner%20and%20Ivanka%20Trump,of%20financial%20disclosures%20by%20CREW. The Legacy (Jared and Charles Kushner repped by Howard Rubenstein)  https://nymag.com/news/features/57891/ Nancy Haberman works at Rubenstein PR: https://rubenstein.com/who-we-are/ "Donald Trump leaves the White House having appointed more than 200 judges to the federal bench, including nearly as many powerful federal appeals court judges in four years as Barack Obama appointed in eight. Trump, the nation's 45th president, worked closely with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans to reshape the federal judiciary – particularly the appeals courts – for decades to come. Federal judges have lifetime tenure and typically remain on the bench long after the presidents who nominated them have left office."  https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/01/13/how-trump-compares-with-other-recent-presidents-in-appointing-federal-judges/