The Last Billionaires

A conversation with Sanho Tree on the illegal blockade of Cuba, Trump's buzz from Venezuela, and how Trump lit every fuse at once. If you want to understand why the world feels like it's on fire in six different places — and why those fires are not as unrelated as you might think — there no better guide than Sanho Tree. Sanho is a senior fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, a former World War II historian, one of the most consistent voices on drug policy and U.S. foreign policy in the Western hemisphere, and an irreplaceable follow on Bluesky. He's been sounding the alarm on Cuba, Venezuela, and the drug war's role in driving migration for years, long before any of it became unavoidable news. In this conversation, we cover a lot of ground — and it moves fast — but there's a through line connecting all of it: the fentanyl lie. From day one of Trump's second term, the administration used the lie of fentanyl smuggling to justify tariffs on Canada and Mexico, boat strikes in the Caribbean, and ultimately a series of moves — against Venezuela, against Cuba — that have nothing to do with fentanyl and everything to do with seizing resources, toppling governments, and projecting power without any of the institutional guardrails that used to slow these things down. The experts are gone. The interagency process is gone. What's left is whatever the Mad King wants to see when he turns on the TV. We talk about Cuba's collapsing power grid, its oil blockade, and the very real possibility that if the government falls, ten million Cubans will have nothing keeping them from crossing ninety miles of water into Florida — the exact outcome Stephen Miller would hate most. We talk about Venezuela and why seizing its oil could ignite an insurgency using the same fiber-optic drone tactics refined in Ukraine. We talk about Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and why insurance actuaries — not Trump's words — will determine when global shipping returns to normal. And we talk about the deeper history: how drugs built the Western hemisphere through colonization, slavery, and empire — and why the people we criminalize today for growing coca are doing exactly what European empires were celebrated for doing for four hundred years. Thanks for finding this. If you like what you've found, subscribe to THE FARCE newsletter, join the LOLGOP Studios Patreon, or drop a tip. Free or paid, your support helps spread this work.  

It was an extraordinary abuse of power. The FBI showed up in Fulton County, Georgia, and seized 700 boxes of ballots from the 2020 election. And standing nearby, for reasons that may actually be illegal, was Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence. Voting rights expert Ari Berman says this attack on our elections wasn't just about 2020. It is an unignorable sign that Donald Trump and his regime are 1000% serious about trying to swipe the 2026 elections. Trump has already said he wants to "take over the voting" in at least 15 cities. And in Georgia, unlike anywhere else in the country, there's actually a legal mechanism to do it — a MAGA-controlled state election board with the power to sideline local officials, purge voter rolls, close polling places, and hand Georgia's largest county to election deniers hand-picked by Trump. The courts are supposed to stop this. But one judge already didn't. Berman argues this isn't a hypothetical anymore. It's not doomerism. It's not paranoia. It's happening right now, in plain sight — and the question isn't whether Trump is trying to control the outcome of the next election. The question is whether anyone will stop him in time. Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/2_av_bWoF2M 

But the next best time is now. Michael Edison Hayden—author of "STRANGE PEOPLE ON THE HILL" and co-host of "Posting Through It"—gives the backstory of blockbuster stories he wrote while working for the Southern Poverty Law Center,  based on emails Stephen Miller exchanged with Breitbart News. The context he adds to that story, and the connections to his new book about extremists buying a castle in a small West Virginia town, help explain how America got to where we are now. Support this podcast and help change brains by backing LOLGOP Studios on Patreon. 

Spend a minute and a half thinking about what's happening in Minneapolis as an American citizen. We don't know who Woke Hoth Guy is but we share this only out of respect for his words and solidarity.  Found here: https://bsky.app/profile/classhuggle.bsky.social/post/3md7362oo7s25  

Will your vote count in 2026? It may be the most important question we can ask right now. There's no one better to ask than Ari Berman. He's the author of MINORITY RULE and GIVE US THE BALLOT. He is also the National Voting Rights Correspondent for Mother Jones, and he has been covering the "GOP War on Voting" for over a decade.

Read more: Trump Keeps Demanding that You Stop Talking about His Jeffrey Epstein Problem https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/07/26/trump-keeps-demanding-that-you-stop-talking-about-his-jeffrey-epstein-problem/  If Dems Successfully Message on News Outlets Lefty Pundits No Longer Read, Did It Ever Happen? https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/07/27/if-a-dems-successfully-message-on-news-outlets-lefty-pundits-no-longer-read-did-it-ever-happen/ 

Marcy Wheeler looks deeper into news that Trump's former defense attorney, now the deputy attorney general, will reach out to Ghislaine Maxwell. She lays out how Trump is orchestrating a cover-up scheme to protect himself from damaging Epstein revelations by getting Ghislaine Maxwell out of prison through a cooperation deal that will target his political opponents instead.

Donald Trump was desperately trying to regain his superpower, attempting to grab attention and refocus it. He ended up on an Obama conspiracy theory that's already been re-litigated five times. Read more at emptywheel: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/07/18/tulsi-gabbard-accuses-kash-patel-of-covering-up-for-the-obama-deep-state/

emptywheel's Marcy Wheeler explains that the bubbling Jeffrey Epstein scandal is about two things: the underlying scandal and any ties Trump has to it, and the way it has disrupted Trump's normal super power ability to command and direct attention. Read more: Jeffrey Epstein Is about Trump's Failing Ability to Command Attention https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/07/13/jeffrey-epstein-is-about-command-of-attention/

Marcy Wheeler explains the crucial distinctions in how liberals and the right-wing use language, the role of journalism, and the impact of amplifying polarizing messages. See how journalists act as data mules for Trump's truth social posts and the broader. And find out how FEMA's failures present an opportunity to build solidarity in everyone victimized by the regime's malicious ineptitude.

Find out more: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/07/07/pam-bondi-admits-she-must-fire-kash-patel-and-dan-bongino/

Marcy Wheeler digs deeper into the Catturd Deficit that allows white supremacists to use Xitter to rig the news. Then she looks at how Trump's illegal war on Iran has created unprecedented fractures in his base, from Russian useful idiots like Marjorie Taylor Greene to anti-Semitic voices like Candace Owens, and even convicted January 6th participants like Joe Biggs.  She explores how to exploit these cracks using the same tactics that got Trump elected, turning his own troll army's playbook against them.

X in 2025 is a machine of fascism, an undeniable Nazi bar filled with people who don't know the rule about what to do when a Nazi comes into a bar. Yet its influence has never been greater.  It's Elon Musk's megaphone and MAGA's primary digital outreach vector, especially when it comes to spinning lies in real time, such as they are trying to do in attempting to brand the Donald Trump-loving murderer in Minnesota as a Marxist.  emptywheel's Marcy Wheeler explains how the site became the machine for fascism, why she still uses it, and some promising angles of attack.  Follow Marcy emptywheel https://www.emptywheel.net/about/support/  X  https://x.com/emptywheel/  Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/emptywheel.bsky.social  Read the original Machine for Fascism post: https://www.emptywheel.net/2024/11/01/elon-musks-machine-for-fascism-a-one-stop-shop-for-disinformation-and-violence/ 

This podcast has ended for now. But the work continues Next Comes What uses history to tell us about what comes next. And what to do about it. It's hosted by Andrea Pitzer and produced by me. If you want to know how we got into this mess, check out Ball of Thread with Marcy Wheeler. Thanks for listening.

The woman who wrote the definitive global history of concentration camps explains how this could be our moment to escape authoritarianism Andrea Pitzer's book ONE LONG NIGHT became essential reading during Donald Trump's presidency. This unforgettable global history of concentration camps provided clarity and context to the crimes the Trump administration was committing at the border in our names. Now, Pitzer is back with a gripping new newsletter, Degenerate Art, and a warning about what could come next. "In terms of what I've looked at in my own work from history, what I have found is that often, somewhere between three and five years after an authoritarian personality comes to power, there's kind of an inflection point or a moment when it could all almost be stopped," she told us. Pitzer explained what this inflection point means and why we can be optimistic that the American public might take advantage of this moment. She also provides crucial clarity about how Donald Trump became possible in the United States, how he would be worse the next time around, and what sort of atrocities we should expect if he and allies like Stephen Miller and Project 2025 seize power again. And when one of the world's leading authorities on concentration camps tells you that propaganda works, we better believe her. Thanks for listening to these podcasts if you have. You can follow and support my work at IKnowHowMuchYouCare.com.

Ian Haney López has a warning for America. The renowned law professor and author of MERGE LEFT wrote the definitive book on DOG WHISTLE POLITICS, revealing how powerful elites escalate convenient divisions to conquer America's working class. His work has inspired the race-class narrative used in Minnesota to thwart Trumpism. Yet he fears America may be on the verge of becoming a frog boiled by strategic racism. The barely veiled racism of JD Vance and the carnival barker eugenics of Donald Trump continue to escalate. The lack of widespread scorn from the American public for Trump and Vance's despicable rhetoric and ridiculous plan for mass deportations beyond anything seen in modern history shows that eight years have worn away our ability or—perhaps—willingness to fight back. Haney López offers an incredibly terrifying take on JD Vance–who he calls Donald Trump's lickspittle and hopes that's taken in the most offensive way possible. In Vance, he sees a purveyor of fascist domination that would destroy all of America's best aspirations.  But he does have ideas for how you call out the deceit, division, and demagoguery Trump and Vance are using to try to turn democracy against itself. He also has a powerful message for America about what we must do if we manage to defeat Donald Trump again. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to support this podcast, please join us here at the earlyworm society – free or paid; your support matters.

"Hey, there's this thing I found out about that's a way to elect Kamala Harris and all the Democrats downballot AND build community infrastructure long-term. And it's going to transform this country. It's cool. You may not know about it yet. Check it out." That's the pitch from Billy Wimsatt, the founder and executive director of the Movement Voter Project, for the Movement Voter Project. And I'm sold. MVP is how all the work we're putting into this election can live on and transform this country. And–even more importantly, right now–it's the best way to turn out the "undecided about voting" progressive voters who will decide this election. Finding MVP feels like a cosmic revelation to me. I've admired Billy Wimsatt since I was handed a copy of his book BOMB THE SUBURBS while a student at UC Santa Barbara in the 90s. "This is what I've been looking for," I thought when I held that wild, eclectic collection of words and images. And when I came across the organization he leads, I had the same feeling. It's a bit spooky. Everything we're doing right now doesn't have to end. It can become the seeds that make those "undecided about voting" voters glad they decided to vote. And I challenge you to listen to this whole interview without thinking you should donate to help the Movement Voter Project invest in local organizers who can help us win in November and transform policy afterward. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to support this podcast, please join us here at the earlyworm society – free or paid; your support matters.

How the myths that trap women into being America's social safety net con young men and hurt (pretty much) everyone. "In the US, we groom girls to stand in for the social safety net from the time they're old enough to hold a doll." From the first line of Jessica Calarco's fantastic new book "HOLDING IT TOGETHER: How Women Became America's Safety Net," you're confronted with truths that may change you and should change society. Calarco, a professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin, first blew my mind with two sentences: "Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women."  Her new book expands upon that simple yet vast truth, exposing the history and costs of America's indenturing women with the basic cares of others. She also unpacks the quasi-and-literally religious myths that have given this untenable system a veneer of "American exceptionalism." As we face this election that offers the starkest choice in recent U.S. history between two candidates–both in their identities and vision for the country–Calarco's revelations and the research that inspired it are essential context. Without her work, it's impossible to understand why Trump's chest-beating and whining, insulting as it may be to so many of us, is so appealing, especially to young men. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to support this podcast, please join us here at the earlyworm society – free or paid; your support matters.

How Americans overseas could help save our democracy at home Only 8% of Americans outside the United States voted in the last presidential election. Angela Fobbs is doing her best to change that.  An American living in Germany, Angela–like many of us–was ignited when Donald Trump took the presidency in 2016. And she's one of the many good-hearted Americans in Democrats Abroad around the globe trying to ensure that never happens again. That's why she's spreading the word about two incredible resources. Any American outside the US can get a ballot at VotefromAbroad.org and then head to bluevoterguide.org to see a ballot and see who has earned your vote. 2024 could be a transformative year for Democrats Abroad. For the first time, the DNC has sent money their way. For the first time, DA will be knocking on doors abroad in Windsor, the foreign city that probably has the most American citizens per capita. And for the first time, I got to speak to Angela Fobbs, who is working to ensure that every American citizen gets to vote, no matter where she lives. Let's do our very best to help her. The democracy we save may be our own. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to support this podcast, please join us here at the earlyworm society – free or paid; your support matters.

Wisconsin's first truly democratic election in over a decade has already begun.  And if you want to know how November might look in the nation's Tipping Point State, you've got to read Dan Shafer at The Recombobulation Area, which recently became a part of the Civic  Media Network.  Dan describes how the election of Janet Protasiewicz to the state's Supreme Court last year has changed the board and the game. For the first time since the Great Recession, voters–and not the politicians who drew their districts–will decide control of the State Assembly. And Democrats can pick up that body while making real progress toward winning the State Senate in 2026. Come with us to Sheboygan to get an idea of what democratic renewal looks like in the Badger State. Dan discusses his complete analysis of all 99 races for the State Assembly, in which he identified the eight toss-up seats that will decide who controls Wisconsin's lower house. He explains Tammy Baldwin's special sauce and why the nation should be watching Green Bay. Also, you'll find out just how good Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler really is and why the women of Wisconsin deserve the most credit for what Dan calls "a true moment for democracy." And if you want to invest in the ground game to win in November and begin the flip of Wisconsin, consider this excellent Give Smart slate that includes three of the Assembly candidates Dan mentions and all of the "tossup" candidates he's identified. You can also donate to the Movement Voter Project, which backs local trusted organizers who can get sporadic voters to the polls. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to be a supporter of this podcast, please join us here at the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

Zo Tobi is the communications director at the Movement Voter Project, which is like a mutual fund that invests in trusted organizers building progressive power, especially in swing states. The group recently sent a Bat Signal warning that the local ground game is badly underfunded.  You probably have the same thought many people did when I shared this: HOW THE HELL CONSIDERING HOW MUCH HARRIS IS RAISING? I asked Zo that. He has a great answer. And Movement Voter Project has an excellent answer for how we stop having to save democracy every four years. The answer is that we save it every year, all the time. The Movement Voter Project makes that easy and smart, and it's a sin not to do it because it's so easy and smart. That's why I'm launching the last earlyworm fundraiser of the year. We will try to raise $20,024 for the Movement Voter Project, which they will send out to these local organizers who are the best hope not only to win in November but to keep democracy alive for the rest of this century. I'm setting up a monthly donation right after this podcast, and my homework is all done, and my daughter is off to ballet. And I hope you'll do the same. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to be a supporter of this podcast, please join us here at the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

No need to imagine the misery Trump/Vance would unleash on us. They're already living it in Alabama. Robin Marty is playing the long game. As the executive director of West Alabama Women's Center (WAWC) and the author of "New Handbook for a Post-Roe America," she is living the nightmare of Project 2025 in Tuscaloosa. Every day, she sees the purposeful misery of a system ruled by right-wingers who'd rather people be sick than vote. Yet she still believes abortion will be legal again one day in Alabama.  That's why she's determined to keep the WAWC open, ready to help any Alabamian who needs it.  But she needs your help. $10-a-month donors are helping her clinic and her patients stay alive, providing birth control, preventative care, and now gender-affirming care.  In this conversation, Robin explains the Post-Roe mess we're in and not just in Alabama or the South, and she offers the only way out.  She also provides the best and most hopeful analogy for how America's experiment with abortion bans can and should end. And she also convinced me to become a $10-a-month donor to the WAWC. I hope you'll join me. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to be a supporter of this podcast, please join us here at the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

It is almost impossible to comprehend Donald Trump's political rise and fall and rise without the work of Kevin M. Kruse. Kevin is a historian who specializes in segregation and the civil rights movement, the rise of religious nationalism, and the making of modern conservatism. He co-edited the book Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies of Our Past and is the author of White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism and One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America.  His scholarship makes him the perfect person to discuss the RNC, the DNC, and the whitewashing of January 6th. He also has exceptional insights into the wild significance of the first Black woman presidential candidate taking on an insurrectionist casino owner from Queens who has become the braying avatar of Christian Nationalism and the Southern Strategy. And Kevin's passion for myth-busting makes him the perfect person to pierce the BS histories reactionaries invent to justify their victimhood and their support for the ultimate victim, Donald Trump. You're probably already following him on Bluesky and Threads where he makes both apps worth joining. I also have to personally thank Kevin for boosting Downballot for Democracy, our effort to ensure people know the smartest places to put their money so freedom wins in November. We're nearing $50,000 raised, and we couldn't have done a tenth of that without him. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here.

Tech billionaires want to disrupt democracy, and their sick philosophy is closer to the presidency than most of us want to admit. If two things go terribly wrong, Gil Duran may be covering the biggest political story in US history. A few tech billionaires with a worldview that imagines themselves as the bad guys in almost every dystopian sci-fi story have handpicked the Republican vice presidential nominee. And that nominee's running mate is, in case you haven't heard, old. Like almost Joe Biden old, and possibly already embalmed. JD Vance wasn't installed as Donald Trump's possible successor for charm and charisma, for JD has neither. He wasn't picked because he underperformed the GOP ticket in Ohio by 9% the one time he sought elective office. He wasn't picked because he seems like a guy who might lust after the crevasses in upholstery.  JD Vance was in the position to become a vice presidential candidate because of the patronage of one billionaire, Peter Thiel. When Gil Duran, a former Editorial Page Editor of The San Francisco Examiner who currently publishes Nerd Reich and the FrameLab newsletter with the legendary Dr. George Lakoff, first wrote about tech authoritarianism for The New Republic, it seemed like a wacky curiosity. Almost fun. Like HBO's Silicon Valley without the punchlines.  Now, it's on the verge of having delivered America one of the most corrupt bargains in our history. And we all need to know what that could mean. That's why everyone needs to follow Gil Duran's work—because you never know where it, or we, could go next. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to be a supporter of this podcast, please join us here at the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

The rhetorical analyst who wrote the book on Trump's demagoguery explains the power of positivity and weirdness. 2016 was the year we all became pundits. 2024 may be the year we all become rhetoricians. And no one is better at explaining how words help create and destroy democracy than Jennifer Mercieca.  The author of DEMAGOGUE FOR PRESIDENT: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump can tell you why our wannabe American dictator has been so effective on the stump. But this conversation ended up being more about why he's flailing now. In February, Mercieca advocated for "weirdifying" fascism, and the new Democratic nominee for vice president, Tim Walz, has embraced a cousin of that strategy. She also told us in our last conversation how the MAGA plan was to turn Biden into a "beta male," and we explored how that strategy may have worked too well for Trump. And we talked about how the forces of freedom can learn from Swifties. There's also some fun stuff for history buffs, though you may never look at the 1824 election the same way. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to be a supporter of this podcast, please join us here at the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

How we feed fascism by surrendering rural districts to Republicans The Democratic Party's official stand for one year of this century—2008—was that Democrats should compete everywhere. Look up what happened! Since then, Democrats have let negative partisanship and the far right's devouring of rural America scare them away from competing in too many places. And when that happens, it leads to things like JD Vance in the U.S. Senate. Michele Hornish, the executive director of Every State Blue, wants to change this. Her post "Do Not Obey In Advance: How Democrats Have Broken the First Rule" sold me on her mission. And we think everyone needs to know what Blue Ohio is doing and how small donors can make a big difference. This movement requires a long-term investment. However, it can also have almost immediate payoffs by helping turn out voters who could help send Sherrod Brown back to the Senate. Which really matters. Look it up. Listen and find out if you have broken the first rule. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to be a supporter of this podcast, please join us here at the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

Thanks to a 6-3 MAGA majority, Originalism is now your religion, whether you like it or not. Here's how we take our freedom back. Madiba K. Dennie has done the impossible in her new book.  The Originalism Trap tells the history of the conservative legal movement kicking freedom's ass. Dennie deftly describes how this once-mocked doctrine now dominates our highest court and tens of millions of uteri–and may do so for the rest of our lives. Yet she manages to leave you with some optimism. This MAGA majority, perhaps more than any other Supreme Court majority in US history, is dominated by pious defenders of your right to practice their religion. And that religion is Originalism. And since this trap is now your religion, you should know where it came from, what it's after, and how we escape it. And the perfect person to explain all this is Madiba K. Dennie. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. Transcript here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/108913125 If you want to be a supporter of this podcast, please join us here at the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

How we overcome the strategic racist demagoguery that lets billionaires divide and dominate us. Donald Trump epitomizes DOG WHISTLE POLITICS. That's the verdict of  Ian Haney López, author of the groundbreaking book of that title that exposes the electoral strategy that has driven the Republican Party's success in taking over the Supreme Court and engineering massive wealth inequality in the United States. But we rarely hear anyone talk anymore about how Trump deploys racism to engineer massive gains for his billionaire friends at home and abroad.  Part of that is that the left takes Trump's racism for granted, believing it's visible to anyone who cares to see it. Another part is Trump's mastery when it comes to silencing the press and critics about his divisive smears by using what Haney López calls "Racist Theater." And maybe the biggest reason is Democrats remain afraid to confront Trump's purposeful divisiveness directly. Haney López, who is also the author of MERGE LEFT, which presents proven tactics for using a race-class narrative to oppose strategic racism. In that book and this interview, he presents a better way to defeat the favorite trick of America's bloated, belligerent billionaires. Plus, he gets really pissed at JD Vance. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to be a supporter of this podcast, please join us here at the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

How the national media snoozed on what could be one of the biggest stories in recent American history. Sarah Posner covers the Christian Right, so of course, she was one of the few journalists covering one of the biggest stories of this election so far. The Republican Party is on the verge of an election win that could allow them to enact complete and total Christian Nationalism in the United States of America. This is true even though the far right's signature policy, mercilessly banning abortion, is more reviled than ever. Rather than backing down, evangelicals have declared war on the separation of church and state and, thus, democracy itself. Sarah Posner, author of Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship at the Altar of Donald Trump, clarifies how America's most potent political movement is coping with the tenuous but massive success gained through amoral matrimony with Donald Trump. And she helps us understand what the far right thinks when they see abortion rights winning big, even in Kansas. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to be a supporter of this podcast, please join us here at the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

This is the third podcast we've done about Project 2025. And it's the first one we've done after Project 2025 has become so well known that Donald Trump had to pretend to disavow it. Much of the credit for exposing the public goes to Taraji P. Henson, who made this abomination "the talk of the BET Awards." And to John Oliver, whose full-episode deep dive into the plan to politicize the entire federal government focused on the personnel aspect of the plan.  The "how" of the plan is crucial, given that people are starting to become familiar with the ridiculously retrograde policy provisions. Swing voters – reluctant Dems and "double haters" – continually say they don't believe Trump can make his dictatorial fantasies come true. And the mechanics of the people part of the plan prove that Republicans are ready to take Trump to the Fantasy Suite. One big reason John Oliver's explainer was so good was that it was informed in part by Don Moynihan, who is the McCourt Chair of Public Policy at the McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, at least until he moves to the University of Michigan in fall. Don focuses on "studying, teaching, and thinking about how governments function and how to make them better." He's also the Sultan of Schedule F, at least according to us, because he was one of the loudest voices warning about Trump's radical plans for the federal government when they were first announced almost four years ago. Last Week Tonight picked the perfect person to talk to about Project 2025. And so did we. He gave us his perspective on how the piece came together, his view on what he would have added if there had been five more minutes in the episode, and his reaction to the avalanche of brutal anti-democratic rulings from the Supreme Court over the last month. Listen to "Taking Project 2025 personally" with Andra Watkins and "Thank you, Project 2025" with Thomas Zimmer. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to be a supporter this podcast, please join the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

You probably don't know the name Walter Huss, but you certainly see his vision of the world alive today in the modern Republican Party. Seth Cotlar is a historian of the US Right teaching at Willamette University in Salem, OR, who is writing a book based on the 57 boxes of archival material from Walter Huss found at the University of Oregon library.  In his fantastic newsletter Rightlandia, Seth digs into Huss' life, which includes a sudden rise to the top of the Oregon Republican Party followed by a nearly as sudden demise, along with a lifetime of trying to make a career and spark an uprising by weaponizing doubt against the government, medical science, and any minority group he could find, except fascists. Because, as you may have guessed, Huss was a fascist. Seth's recent piece "The Art of the Racist Troll, ca. 1987" reads like a Coen Brothers movie about a Republican Party that once had an immune system that functioned enough to reject parasites like Huss. And it got me thinking about how we're a coinflip from being ruled by a racist troll again. Seth gives us an outline of Huss' story and why it matters. Then he indulges me in spitballing about what we could learn from Huss about defeating Donald Trump. Plus, Seth offers an excellent definition of democracy informed by his work on Thomas Paine, the greatest non-racist troll of all time. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to be a supporter this podcast, please join the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

"We're trying to win an election, and the right is trying to seize power by any means necessary." Melissa Ryan helps people, policymakers, and institutions combat disinformation; you can see why. She has a clarity that comes from more than a decade in national politics and a coolness that comes from either some really good nature or nurture, probably both. And you can get that calming clarity she offers every week in her newsletter Ctrl Alt Right Delete. This is a quick interview, by our standards, that sprints point-by-point through some of the trickiest issues democracy faces now, with some excellent advice about what we, as earlyworms, can be doing now. She also makes a point that helps explain why this race is so close, though we all lived through the misery of Trump's presidency. Our brains are begging us to go back to our last normal week. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to be a supporter this podcast, please join the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

Who can explain why Elon Musk is? A.R. Moxon can. Because A.R. Moxon could explain your nose to your face. His words levitate us over our sleeping bodies so we can see reality with a clarity life generally lacks. His new book of essays VERY FINE PEOPLE follows his critically acclaimed debut novel THE REVISIONARIES. And everything he writes dances off the page and into your consciousness. We wanted to talk to him about how Donald Trump became the law, square dancing, and what it was like to grow up among the very fine people. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to be a supporter this podcast, please join the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

What are the Americans who will decide the 2024 election thinking? Anat Shenker-Osorio is a legendary messaging expert and the host of the fantastic Words to Win By podcast. And she's constantly in focus groups with the "double hater" and "disaffected swing" voters who will decide if this republic will embrace fascism.  So, she has a good idea of the challenges that Joe Biden, democracy, and we all face. Making the threat of Trump feel real somehow remains a real obstacle. But the good news is that the more voters know, the more they tend to lean Biden.  We spoke to Anat about embracing "freedom," how to talk about the best jobs market of our lifetime without telling people to "Quit yer bitchin," and why talking about Trump's felonies is far better politics than imitating Trump at "the border." Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to back this podcast, please join the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

Ohio Republicans are clinging to gerrymandering like their extremism depends on it. Because it does. You're probably not following the details of the fake controversy Ohio's Republicans have generated around Joe Biden appearing on November's ballot. And you shouldn't be. That's David Pepper's job. The former chair of Ohio's Democratic Party is now working with Blue Ohio to make sure Democrats show up everywhere in the state.  He gives us a brief on the current controversy and connects it to the bigger picture: Ohio's Republicans are terrified of letting democracy work in the state. They don't want to get new maps the way Michigan and Wisconsin have. They want to pick their voters, not the other way around. Because otherwise, they might lose. After listening to this episode, you'll be convinced that Ohio's GOP may be the most anti-democratic force in any swing state. And you'll know at least one way to fight back. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to back this podcast, please join the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

Charles Gaba is not a Super PAC, but he and his site Blue24.org could be.  Since the founder of ACAsignups.net added political fundraising to his activism in 2018, he has raised over $8 million to back Democratic candidates. That's more than many PACs; the big difference between Charles and a PAC is that he takes nothing. You can support his efforts. But if you give at Blue24.org the money goes directly to the candidate or committee you're backing minus any transaction fees. And that's not what PACs do! Charles epitomizes the earlyworm ethic that we think can help save democracy. He turned his passion for democracy into action. That helps other earlyworms take action and invite other earlybirds and normal people to do a little more to fight for our freedoms. He's even helping us raise money for State Supreme Court races, which will only become more money in the Dobbs era. Not everyone can be Charles, and not everyone needs to be. Thanks to his efforts, he makes what we all want for democracy a little easier. He inspires us with his commitment and by revealing how many people out there want to do more if they're just given a chance. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to back this podcast, please join the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters. You can also show your support with a one-time gift or by sharing this with anyone who cares about democracy. **********

Project 2025 is a religious document. It was written by a bunch of fanatics who will do anything to make sure you have the right to practice their religion and only their religion. This 1,000-page plan for a full rollout of fascism developed by the elite of the Republican establishment isn't just corporate authoritarianism laundered as "small-government conservatism." It's a messianic mission statement. And you can't understand just how overwhelming and ominous that mission is unless you've been reading Andra Watkins.  Andra's Substack, "How Project 2025 Will Ruin YOUR Life," delves into this document's Biblicaly-coded dictates to show how it intends to dominate our lives.  Even more importantly, she shows how it's already happening.  We spoke to Andra to get her personal perspective on the Christian Nationalist mindset behind Project 2025 and how she escaped it herself. You can also help expose Project 2025. This new tool, "Project 2025: Not on Our Watch," developed by Stop the Coup 2025, Democracy Labs, and Andra, allows you to help document specific examples of Project 2025 in the wild. Dig deeper into Project 2025 and help spread the word about this existential threat to democracy at Project2024.info. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to back this podcast, please join the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters. You can also show your support with a one-time gift or by sharing this with anyone who cares about democracy.

Elections always have consequences. But few have suffered as consequences as personal as Professor Robert Mann. Bob is author of several books including Kingfish U: Huey Long and LSU and he recently launched a Substack called Something Like the Truth.  He was the Manship Chair in Journalism at the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University when Jeff Landry was elected governor of Louisiana. And that was the night he decided to step down. The state of Louisiana has taken a bleak turn under Landry, who is following in the path of his fellow Southern demagogues Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott. But the new governor has a distinctive passion for putting people in prison. We spoke to Bob about his decision to leave LSU, why civility is a trap, and what the last dictator in America could teach us about the man currently running to be dictator. And you should definitely check out his Last Lecture at LSU. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to back this podcast, please join the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters. Or you can show your support with a one-time gift or by sharing this with anyone who cares about democracy.

Eva Burch is a fantastic anomaly in American politics.  Instead of a lawyer who thinks he's a gynecologist, she's a nurse practitioner with a career of actual medical experience that she has brought into government service. You probably first heard about this rising star in the Democratic Party, a State Senator from Arizona, this March when she rose to make a speech on the floor of the Arizona State Senate. This was almost certainly the first time in American history that a member of a legislature stood to announce that the member was about to have an abortion. It was an incredible speech and we're including the entirety of it at the end of this podcast because it's that important. History is often shaped when a perfect person hits an imperfect moment. And this is a very imperfect moment. And we wouldn't say that Senator Burch is perfect. But who she is and what she represents is so badly needed at this time that  just in her existence speaks for tens of millions of us who are sick of lawyers who minored in gynecology.  She also epitomizes why we're so excited about the change that could happen if Democrats win in Arizona in 2024. It could transform millions and millions of lives.  And she's helped inspire us to raise our goal to raise $20,024 to help flip both of Arizona's statehouses this November. We invite you to join our Giving Circle. We honestly believe this is the best way to spend any extra time and money we have as we fight back against the attacks on our freedom this November.

If we're talking about Dobbs and democracy, there's no one better to talk to than Jessica Valenti, who writes the newsletter "Abortion, Every Day." She's also the author of a book that you should pre-order called "Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win."  Her invaluable reporting and commentary make the case that if you're talking about "Dobbs and democracy," you don't need the word "and." Every day, Dobbs makes the case that democracy matters. Every day, we see the horrors that happen when people lose the right to be treated as full human beings. Every day, we're inspired by people who stand up and say, "Hey, I don't care what state I live in. I'm not gonna let anyone be denied rights that I was born with." Listen and let us know what you think about Dobbs/democracy. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to back this podcast, please join the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.

If your number one goal is to survive 2024 without too many regrets about what you did to help save democracy, this podcast is for you. Melissa Walker is the Head of Giving Circles at the States Project. She makes a powerful case that the best way for individual citizens to make the best use of their time, energy, and resources to avoid regret is by focusing on America's statehouses.  And she believes the best way to do that is through Giving Circles, where you engage your friends and family to elect majority-making candidates who will shift the balance of power in a state legislature. AND she has the stats to back up how focusing on the right races at the right time can make massive differences to tens of millions of Americans, like the 63 votes that helped shift the Pennsylvania House and elect the first Black Speaker of the House in the state's history. ¡AND! she makes a convincing case that by supporting top-notch down ballot candidates who are properly funded and guided to research-backed best practices, like knocking on doors instead of ringing up out-of-state-donors, you can also help elect great candidates at all levels of government in the nation's tipping point states, while possibly helping prevent Donald Trump from stealing the presidency. She's so convincing that we've started our own Giving Circle "Flipping Arizona" to help win the four seats that will create a Democratic trifecta in the Grand Canyon state. You're welcome to join us there. Please do. We need your help. Or, if you want to really burn off some regrets, start your own Giving Circle. The democracy you save may be your own. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. If you want to back this podcast, please join the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters. 

Some say Margaret Atwood wrote the dystopia that best describes America's bleakest future. We say it was Robin Marty.  Her "The New Handbook for a Post-Roe America" laid out almost exactly that sort of war Republicans would wage on reproductive freedom with their new 6-3 Supreme Court majority, and how to still get health care by any means necessary.  And she's living the nightmare of the post-Dobbs South first-hand as the executive director of West Alabama Women's Center. Please donate to support their life-saving work. We talked about what her clinic can't tell their patients. She told us why the blue states have let her down. And she leaves us with a vision of how abortion rights could help spark a movement that inspires a new day in the South. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. Special thanks to members of this Patreon for sponsoring and sharing this podcast. If you want to back what we're doing, please join the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters. 

Donald Trump's presidency sucked. Everyone agrees. For you, it may have sucked because he bumbled us into the worst response to the worst pandemic in a century. For the vast right-wing conspiracy, it sucked because we still have pretty much the same government we had before he took and refused to leave office. That's why the Heritage Foundation has brought together the GOP establishment to craft both a plan to unwind democracy and a growing personnel database of loyalists willing to help stomp out freedom. Historian Thomas Zimmer has been explaining what's behind Project 2025 in his Democracy Americana newsletter and on the "Is This Democracy?" podcast he co-hosts. We talked to him about Project 2025 and how the right plans to exploit the presidency should Trump grab it, again. This time they will be ready. And so must we. That's why we started Project 2024. So thank you, Project 2025. Thanks to you we know for sure that the right plans to criminalize porn, track every abortion in America, fire just about every expert in the U.S. government... And that's just the beginning.

No one understands the power of real American history more than the right.  The shameless wars on "critical race theory" and "DEI" and "wokeness" stink of fear. It's the fear of knowing that anyone who understands the true story of how Black America confronted relentless oppression by demanding that America fulfill its founding promise can't help being both infuriated and inspired.  And no one has done a better job of telling real American history than Professor Carol Anderson. Her books White Rage, One Person, No Vote and The Second could be read as a trilogy of how America's racist past has shaped our reactionary present.  We spoke to her about how the threats to democracy we face aren't just named Donald Trump.  With humor, grace, and depth, she connects today's attacks on voting rights led by names Ron DeSantis, Jeff Landry and Brian Kemp all the way back to the Mississippi Plan of 1874. And she also identifies how a lack of outrage at the right's success at rolling back the gains of the Civil Rights Era helped lead to the crisis we face today.

Marcy Wheeler doesn't want to hear your complaints about Merrick Garland.  She has her own. But she doesn't want to hear yours. Not yet. Why? Because it's time to save democracy. The publisher of the essential Emptywheel.net and a renowned national security and civil liberties reporter for decades, Marcy Wheeler joined us this week to unspool the "Ball of Thread" that has led us to the point where a party that is embracing fascism has almost even odds of taking over all three branches of our government. No one follows the legal machinations of Trump's legal mire more rigorously than Marcy. And she does it without ever losing track of the context that brought us to this point. Most importantly, she makes the case for the rationality that Trump, Putin and all their authoritarian friends are aiming to destroy. Because this episode is so jammed packed with detail that may have been familiar to you at one point but has been lost in the flood of MAGA shit we're forced to endure, I've littered the transcript with links to her site so you can dig in deeper. Catch up on all the episodes of "How are you feeling about democracy?" here. Special thanks to members of this Patreon for sponsoring and sharing this podcast. If you want to support what we're doing, please join the earlyworm society – free or paid, your support matters.   

How did we get to the point that it's good news for Donald Trump, according to The New York Times, when a *majority* of Americans think he has committed serious crimes? Jamison Foser can tell you. He writes the Finding Gravity newsletter and he's also a strategist who co-created Media Matters. And he now advises Take Back the Court. America's right wing is so good at creating and spreading myths that many liberals have bought into two big ones. The first is that we have a liberal media. And not just at MSNBC's weeknight lineup. There's a belief that everything from The New York Times to Disney to Taylor Swift to Bud Light's ad agency has a left-leaning agenda. Not that these entities are following their own intentions or market forces but that there is a left-leaning gravity that cannot be defied. Because woke or something. The second myth is that running against the Supreme Court only works for Republicans. Democrats have long believed that actively running to overturn Citizens United or the gutting of the Voting Acts Act or Dobbs by making the Supreme Court reflective of American voters could never work out for them. Even though it's pretty much the only thing that works for the Republican party, who've recognized that an activated base is the secret to winning close elections, almost everywhere. When myths are so strong, you can only call them one thing — frauds. And almost no one is better at calling out frauds than Jamison Foser. If you follow him at all, you probably know there's one media company that particularly upsets Jamison. So we started there.

Those with the most power tend to oppose democracy. And that even seems to be true as we face actual fascism. Dr. Jennifer Mercieca -- our guest for the second episode of "How are you feeling about democracy?" -- told me that as long as there has been a United States those with the most to lose have been the most afraid of rule by the people. Her first book explored our Founding Fictions. And she thought that might inspire America to become more democratic. Instead, we got Donald Trump. Her second book "Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump" exposed the verbal weapons Trump was wielding as he tried to take and hold power.  Now she's warning us that Donald Trump is no longer running just to be a demagogue. He wants to be a dictator. We spoke to Dr. Mercieca about her love of democracy, Donald Trump's rhetorical yet evil genius, and how she accidentally helped inspire the project that you are now involved in -- earlyworm. 

Our first guest on "How are you feeling about democracy" is Ari Berman, Mother Jones' national voting rights correspondent. Ari has literally written the book on voting rights. His GIVE US THE BALLOT was lauded for its telling of the modern struggle to expand voting access against the backlash to the civil rights movement. And his new book MINORITY RULE is the book democracy has been waiting for. Pre-order it now. Ari gave us a look at some of the nation's worst laboratories of autocracy and contrasted them with the states where democracy is being reborn. And he told us how America's democracy problem is much bigger than just Donald Trump.