Gaslit Nation

Benjamin "Champagne" Song, a U.S. marine reservist, got 100 years in prison in Texas–no air-conditioning, sweltering heat–for saving a protester's life. So why are Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries busy battling social democrats rather than unifying resistance to Trump behind this urgent cause for freedom and the U.S. Constitution?   In Texas, eight political prisoners recently received a combined 450 years for a July 4th, 2025 demonstration outside an ICE concentration camp. Song got a century behind bars for firing a warning shot to stop a cop from shooting a fleeing, unarmed protester. Other defendants got decades simply for being in a book club or transporting a box of their own zines.  This is illegal collective punishment designed to destroy our trust networks and terrorize the resistance–no matter where you live. We are sliding into a fascist fever dream, and any politician who wants our support in the 2028 Democratic Party primary must publicly commit to pardoning these political prisoners.  Trump's Soviet-style war on antifa endangers us all, because America's progress, what makes this country great, like the U.S. helping liberate Europe from Nazis, was built by the anti-fascists. Anyone who is anti-antifa is clearly a fascist. It's as simple as that.  We refuse to let them normalize this terror. Support our independent journalism by subscribing to Gaslit Nation on Patreon and Substack today so we can keep fighting back. Thank you to everyone who supports the show–we could not make Gaslit Nation without you.  A quick correction: An earlier version got the timeline wrong and said the Prairieland protests happened after the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, when they happened before. We've fixed it, and we're sorry for the error. Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com.  Show Notes: Post-Sentencing Statement from Benjamin "Champagne" Song https://prairielanddefendants.com/defendant-writings/statement-by-benjamin-champagne-song/ The Guardian clip: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaMfR_lu-3v/ Opening clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUxP9enCBaQ How to Help the Prairieland Defendants: Donate, write letters to them in prison, amplify their story on social media, if you're a media outlet – tell their story: https://prairielanddefendants.com/ Texas anti-ICE protesters convicted of terrorism charges sentenced to at least 50 years in prison https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/23/prairieland-ice-protesters-texas-sentenced Federal trial over air conditioning in Texas prisons set to start Monday https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/criminal-justice/2026/03/30/547466/texas-prison-air-conditioning-lawsuit/  

Today is Orwell's birthday. We're celebrating with the recording of the Mrs. Orwell live-taping – available in full this Sunday, only on Patreon and Substack for our supporters who make Gaslit Nation possible. For now, here's our special primary election recap.  The message from New York's elections is clear: voters want fighters. Brad Lander built trust by showing up at immigration court to protect vulnerable people. Progressive challengers are defeating establishment politicians tied to AIPAC. Across the country, voters are demanding consequences for lawlessness and attacks on democracy–the unholy trinity of strongmen: Trump and his two buddies Netanyahu and Putin.  But our solidarity must be morally consistent. Progressives cannot just rightfully condemn Netanyahu's violations of international law while repeating Kremlin propaganda that blames the United States or NATO for Russia's genocidal invasion of Ukraine. Putin and Netanyahu belong to the same transnational crime syndicate, as Gaslit Nation is here to remind you.  Ukraine is not the reason Americans lack universal healthcare and a functioning social safety net. We can tax the rich, confront corporate greed, invest in our communities, and help Ukraine defeat Russian imperialism.  The struggle against authoritarianism is global. Our solidarity must be, too. Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com Show Notes: NATO - The largest military alliance in the world | DW Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cTFk6MNUHQ Brad Lander New York Primary Night Victory Remarks https://www.c-span.org/program/campaign-2026/brad-lander-new-york-primary-night-victory-remarks/681601 Federal agents track down Syracuse woman, demand she remove Instagram post about ICE https://www.syracuse.com/news/2026/06/federal-agents-track-down-syracuse-woman-demand-she-remove-instagram-post-about-ice.html Darializa Avila Chevalier: pro-Palestinian doctoral student steps into politics with 'faith in the future' https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/24/darializa-avila-chevalier-win-new-york Where AI, pro-Israel and other big-money groups spent millions, won and lost in Tuesday's primaries https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/ai-israel-groups-big-money-spent-millions-won-lost-tuesdays-primaries-rcna351599 The Bibi Files documentary on Gaslit Nation: https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes/hitler-youth/ Mamdani-backed congressional candidate deleted posts calling to seize private property, abolish police, borders, prisons https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/01/politics/kfile-ny-13-darializa-avila-chevalier-deleted-tweets-defund-abolish-police-prisons-deportations Brad Lander found not guilty in trial over immigration court arrest https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/brad-lander-guilty-immigration-court-arrest/ What the Prairieland Prosecutions Reveal About Trump's America https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/06/trump-justice-antifa-texas-january-6/687707/?gift=5sEjti6FimVYKnwaLcONjEJ8wOgaBa9e-kSI9ttDNhI&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share  Glen Greenwald cheers on lack of support for Ukraine among progressives: https://x.com/KareemRifai/status/2069977490765021387

Ten years after the Kremlin helped tip the very close Brexit vote, Nigel Farage is shockingly leading UK polls. The Putin fanboy, bankrolled by a crypto-king in Thailand tied to Putin's propaganda machine, is making false promises like Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Farage and his billionaire backers want to install a Kremlin Trojan horse to dismantle the rule of law, enrich themselves and the transnational pedo-trade, and wage war on marginalized communities. The waves of hate violence plaguing the UK right now will only get worse.  Like Keir Starmer's time as Prime Minister, Putin is a dead man walking. While his puppets try to break the West, Ukraine is turning Crimea into the world's largest Russian prisoner-of-war camp. Supply lines are being cut, and Russians are fleeing the peninsula. Joining Gaslit Nation with a special message from Ukrainians and to discuss his recent trip to Ukraine is American veteran Ken Harbaugh, along with Russian mafia-expert and Gaslit Nation wing-woman extraordinaire, Olga Lautman, of the Trump Tyranny Tracker. We cannot do this alone! Support our independent journalism in these dark times by subscribing to Gaslit Nation on Patreon or Substack today so we can keep bringing you the truth in the fog of gaslighting. Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com! Show Notes: 2019: Brexit and Trump are the Same Crime: The Carole Cadwalladr Interview https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes/brexit-and-trump-are-the-same-crime-the-carole-cadwalladr-interview/ "Emma Briant, an academic expert on disinformation at George Washington University, has unearthed new e-mails that appear to reveal the earliest documented role played by Bannon in Brexit. The e-mails, which date back to October of 2015, show that Bannon, who was then the vice-president of Cambridge Analytica, an American firm largely owned by the U.S. hedge-fund billionaire Robert Mercer, was in the loop on discussions taking place at the time between his company and the leaders of Leave.EU, a far-right nationalist organization. The following month, Leave.EU publicly launched a campaign aimed at convincing British voters to support a referendum in favor of exiting the European Union. The U.K. narrowly voted for the so-called Brexit in June, 2016. The tumultuous fallout has roiled the U.K. ever since" https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/new-evidence-emerges-of-steve-bannon-and-cambridge-analyticas-role-in-brexit Farage confronted over 5 million GBP gift from crypto king https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btQJsxgnON0 Frozen by the challenges of power: how Starmer turned triumph into tragedy https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2026/jun/22/frozen-by-the-challenges-of-power-how-starmer-turned-triumph-into-tragedy Charity to shut months after marking 40th birthday https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj6g7xl6k6eo U.S. Special Counsel Mueller filing shows Manafort drafted Ukraine op-ed despite gag order https://www.reuters.com/article/world/us-special-counsel-mueller-filing-shows-manafort-drafted-ukraine-op-ed-despite-idUSKBN1E3017/ Reform UK's former Wales leader jailed for taking bribes for pro-Russia speeches https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/nov/21/nathan-gill-former-reform-uk-wales-leader-jailed-bribes-pro-russia-statements-mep Ukrainian Author of Manafort Op-ed Says He Sought Input to Avoid Errors  https://www.voanews.com/a/ukrainian-author-manafort-oped-says-he-sought-input-to-avoid-errors/4157176.html When is the next UK general election? https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg0dzrw5rno Nigel Farage's £9m Donor Profits From Putin Propaganda Platform While Holding MoD Stake https://bylinetimes.com/2025/12/16/nigel-farages-9m-donor-profits-from-putin-propaganda-platform-while-holding-mod-stake/ UK voters "taxed" 4-percent over Brexit costs since 2016 vote https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-06-23/eu-looks-forward-as-brussels-marks-brexit-anniversary EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world.   

Americans have been so beaten down by corruption, ramped up since the Reagan Revolution, that many act like they forgot their rights. Gaslit Nation is here to remind you: Trump's UFC cagefight White House party is illegal, and so are likely many of the events of Trump's Freedom 250, his shell company for illegally collecting bribes and selling access to the White House in the name of celebrating America's 250th anniversary.  While a shocking amount of corruption has been illegalized, we are still a nation of laws. It's illegal to use money that Congress appropriated for a different purpose. It is also illegal to mingle corporate money with public tax-payer funds appropriated by the government, without, getting permission from Congress. That is exactly what Trump is doing: he stole tax-payer funds appropriated by Congress from America 250–the bipartisan planning event–and is using that, along with corporate funds/bribes to hold MAGA rallies for his death cult. Dan Friedman, an investigative reporter for Mother Jones, breaks down our path to accountability, to stand up to yet another king–there's no better way to truly honor the American Revolution.   Remember when we all cheered when Trump's name was taken off the Kennedy Center? We can do that again if lawsuits reclaim our stolen funds for Trump's Freedom 250 grift. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty of Ohio brought the Kennedy Center case with Democracy Defenders Action and the Washington Litigation Group. Email her office to demand another case.   Two-hundred and fifty years ago, a group of rebels defeated an empire. We can and must do it again. Gaslit Nation is here to remind you who the true patriots are.  Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com or by becoming a member on YouTube.  Show Notes: Number of National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C. set to double https://www.npr.org/2026/05/25/g-s1-124213/number-of-national-guard-troops-deployed-to-washington-d-c-set-to-double Michelle Obama at the opening of the Obama Library: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZvKNDhEnfj/ Mayor Mamdani at the Knicks parade: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZvFVSJjIlj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Trump's efforts to turn the 250th in a partisan party for himself. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/06/military-parade-army-trump-american250-a250/ Trump's War on History: As America's 250th anniversary approaches, the president wants to control the country's future by bulldozing its past. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/02/america-freedom-task-force-250-trump-anniversary-history-smithsonian-kennedy-center/ Piece on Interior/NPS effort to get rid of National Park signs: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/02/donald-trumps-national-park-signs-francis-newlands-chevy-chase-circle/ Trump's Christian Nationalist rally on the Mall https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/05/trump-maga-freedom250-christian/