Pepsi or Coke? Both brands are making money in Russia despite promises to unwind operations. For Russia’s war to end, companies must be named and shamed to finally leave the Russian market, and sanctions must be enforced. In this week’s Gaslit Nation, Andrea is joined by Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman and analyst Monique Camarra of the Kremlin File podcast to discuss how to end Russia’s war, not just give Ukraine enough to stay in the fight. Peter Dugas, New England Regional Director of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, also stops by to discuss the common ground behind the headlines of the climate crisis. Young conservatives in growing numbers embrace science and are on the front lines of a bipartisan movement to end our self-destructive dependence on fossil fuels. Want to be part of the movement? Join the Citizens’ Climate Lobby in Washington, DC, June 8-11 to meet with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle – get training on how to demand sensible and urgent climate crisis legislation. Sign up by May 20th here: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/climate-change-conferences/summer/ This week’s bonus show looks at why the average American voter should care about the growing protests in Georgia against a Russian law put in place by Russian-backed politicians. (Sound familiar?) The bonus show also answers questions from our listeners at the Democracy Defender level and higher. The discussion includes the hypocrisy of America’s TikTok ban, the importance of stating one’s values and goals in the fight for our democracy, how the Israel-Palestine War impacts Ukraine coverage and why that matters, and more! To join the conversation, submit questions to our regular Q&As, bonus shows, get all shows ad-free and invites to virtual events, and more, subscribe to Gaslit Nation at the Truth-teller level or higher! Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! Show Notes: Want to plant seeds of change? Join Citizens’ Climate Lobby in Washington, DC June 8-11 to meet with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to demand urgent action on the climate crisis. Sign up here by May 20th: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/climate-change-conferences/summer/ Join Gaslit Nation and Kremlin File for a live taping on June 18th 12pm ET live-taping! The Zoom link will be sent out the morning of the event to Gaslit Nation’s supporters at the Truth-teller level or higher on Patreon Find out which companies are still doing business in Russia: Leave-Russia.org Jamala - 1944 (Ukraine) 2016 Eurovision Song Contest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxS6eKEOdLQ Jamala’s Music Video for Mr. Jones (Ціна правди/”The Price of Truth) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6F6P3tTJw8 Eurovision: Isreali contestant booed as thousands protest outside venue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEb1AeRR7Nk French artist disrupts rehearsal at EuroVision to give a speech for peace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWU69VCaNjY
From the Republican perspective, this election is not actually about policy or governance. It's about the GOP's project to change the American form of government from democracy to autocracy.
"A massive research undertaking: American Autocracy Threat Tracker
A fully updated, comprehensive catalog of Donald Trump and close associates’ plans and promises for 2025"
By @normeisen, @ruthbenghiat, Siven Watt, Andrew Warren, Jacob Kovacs Goodman, Francois Barrilleaux
#Trump has frequently boasted that he could negotiate peace between #Russia & #Ukraine within 24 hrs if elected, even before taking office. But he has repeatedly declined to specify publicly how….
Trump-aligned #ForeignPolicy thinkers have emphasized addressing threats to #US interests from #China & seeking ways to reverse Russia’s increasing dependence on China for #military, #industrial & #economic assistance. They have also embraced limiting #NATO expansion.
The 2nd to last bullet point on page 214 of the PDF that basically is the project 2025 playbook would have made George H.W. Bush’s terms as VP and President impossible.
That’s 16 years of gop in powerful positions they want to never have happen (because they haven’t thought things through).
Not only is #project2025 undemocratic, destructive and without merit or saving grace, it is also deeply shortsighted, thoughtless and foolish.
“It is an interesting and somewhat macabre parlor game to play at a large gathering of one’s acquaintances: to speculate who in a showdown would go Nazi.”
"The best approach to understanding the Right has always been to take seriously and actually grapple with their vision for American society. In that sense, 'Project 2025' is tremendously helpful. Rightwing leaders could not possibly be clearer about the reactionary vision they want to impose on the country."
"They are telling us that they do not accept this egalitarian, pluralistic idea of a society in which the individual’s status is no longer determined by race, gender, religion, and wealth. They feel justified in taking truly radical, extreme measures to prevent that society from ever becoming a reality because they believe they are defending 'real America' in service of a higher purpose:"
"In today’s America, the right wing seems to be echoing its antebellum predecessors. It is attacking women’s rights; diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; immigration; LGBTQ+ rights and so on. At the same time, it continues to push an economic system that has moved as much as $50 trillion from the bottom 90% to the top 10% since 1981 while exploding the annual budget deficit and the national debt."
"Just as it was in the 1850s, the right-wing emphasis on religion and opposition to a modern multicultural America today is deeply entwined with preserving an economic power structure that has benefited a small minority. That emphasis is growing stronger in the face of the administration’s effort to restore a level economic playing field."
"Trump’s appearance in Georgia … reflected a man not rooted in any kind of reality, one who struggled to remember his words and who was, by any definition, incoherent, disconnected, and frequently malicious. …
Watch his speeches. Share them widely. Don’t look away."
The new leadership team at the #RNC — handpicked by #Trump — started firing dozens of employees days after taking over
About 60 people were told they were no longer employed….
One of the people familiar w/the firings said data, political & communications staffers were affected, & notifications were made on Mon by #ChrisLaCivita, a snr Trump adviser.
“There’s nobody that’s better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orban. He’s fantastic…He’s a non-controversial figure because he says, ‘This is the way it’s going to be,’ and that’s the end of it. Right? He’s the boss. No, he’s a great leader.”
“You know who he’s meeting with today down in Mar-a-Lago? Orbán of Hungary, who’s stated flatly that he doesn’t thinks democracy works, he’s looking for dictatorship.
I see a future where we defend democracy, not diminish it.”
"The right wing’s fondness for Orbán springs from his having rejected democracy and replaced it in Hungary with what he calls an 'illiberal state.' Orbán and other far-right leaders working against democracy maintain that the central principle of democracy, equality before the law, undermines society."
"It permits immigration, which, in their minds, dilutes the 'purity' of a people, and it requires that LGBTQ+ individuals and women have the same rights as heterosexual men. Such a world challenges the heteronormative patriarchal world traditionalists crave."
"Orbán’s takeover of the press, elimination of rival political parties, partisan gerrymandering, capture of the courts, and control of Hungary’s government are not just ideological, though, but also economic. Corruption and the capture of valuable factories and properties for cronies have allowed Orbán and his allies to amass fortunes."
"To Donald Trump, Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán is 'fantastic,' Chinese leader Xi Jinping is 'brilliant,' North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is 'an OK guy,' and, most alarmingly, he allegedly said Adolf Hitler 'did some good things,' a worldview that would reverse decades-old US foreign policy in a second term should he win November’s presidential election, multiple former senior advisers told CNN."
Noting that "Trump embraced an authoritarian the day after Biden fiercely defended democracy," David Rothkopf points out that the "2024 campaign began this week with a frightening distinction between the president’s promise to fight for fundamental American values and the ex-president’s villain worship."
As Trump met with Orbán and heaped praise on him….