Fascism 101

Alec Karakatsanis, a civil rights lawyer and founder of Civil Rights Corps, joins the show to discuss his groundbreaking new book Copaganda: How Police and t...

Heritage Foundation Background The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank founded in 1973 by Paul Weyrich to “formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.” The Heritage Foundation has been a […]

Far-right, white supremacist, and ethno-nationalist movements in Europe and the United States continue to thrive, propagating racism, hatred, and violence.

You might be surprised, and a little disheartened, as I am, to look around the world in the early 21st century, and see it, well, giving up on freedom. There’s America, where the GOP is actively…

It might not seem like it, but right about now, the world is experiencing tectonic political shifts. And mostly, they’re not good ones. We’re in the midst of what I’ll call a Great Reversal — and it…

By now, you might have heard what happened. A man broke into her house, tied up her husband, proceeded to beat him with a hammer, shouted “Where’s Nancy?!” Luckily, at that point, the police arrived…

I’m going to use a word I don’t use often, or lightly. Sinister. There’s a thread running through recent events, and it’s a sinister one. That thread goes like this. From Twitter to terrorism, the…

We live in strange and perilous times. As if climate change and mass extinction weren’t enough, they’re accompanied by…the return of fascism to the global stage. Wave after wave of it pulses across…

It’s been a terrible few weeks for the former President of the United States, the Orange Buffoon. So many hammer blows have hit him, it’s hard to keep track. His “organization” — what is this, a…

So…what kind of a start is your 2023 off to? If you’re like a lot of people I know, it’s not terrible, it’s not great, it’s just…there. Kind of grinding away in the background. It’s like we’re all…

By now, if you’re a sane and thoughtful person, on the side of democracy, you’re probably a little worried. About a fellow called Ron DeSantis. He’s emerged as the GOP frontrunner for President…

The most successful brand of the 21st century. It’s not Google, Apple, Facebook, or Tesla. It’s not even a country, like South Korea or America, making an historic comeback. It’s fascism. Only we…

It’s sometimes said that people like you and me have a “liberal bias.” As the wicked response goes, “so does reality.” It’s not that I have a problem with conservatism — it’s that what conservatism’s…

By now, you might have heard what happened over the weekend. A speaker at CPAC — the big conservative conference — said: “for the good of society … transgenderism must be eradicated from public life…

There’s a question which I keep asking these days. Maybe you do, too. It’s simple enough, and yet it’s surprisingly complicated, strange, and…ugly. Why do they hate us? You know what I mean already…

Luke. Luke! I am your… it was, in one of those great, absurd, funny ironies of history, New Gingrich who said it was finally going too far. Reacting to the new bill in Florida to…

You know a country’s in bad, bad shape when its…sportscasters are on strike…because they think the government’s treading in dangerously fascist waters. That country, ironically, shamefully, enough…

Here’s a funny, dark, absurd juxtaposition that sums up just how much trouble our world is in. Quick, what’s the world’s happiest country? Finland. That research just came out a few days ago. Guess…

Yesterday, suddenly, a development that had many had been dreading. A Trump-appointed judge in Texas blocked women’s access to Mifepristone — a major reproductive health drug — across America…

I just arrived back, after a bumpy flight, From America to Europe. And here, almost immediately, my European friends all asked me, more than a little baffled: “But are the things you’ve been writing…

I barely know how to begin. Let me try to start here. America is becoming the society the fascists want. Where do you even begin? Let me try again. A man was choked to death on the F train in…

Scarcely a day goes by when I don’t — sigh. Nobody’s going to like this essay. I suppose I have to write it anyways, because, well, someone has to. So let me try again. Scarcely a day goes by now…

By now, America’s approaching what can only really be described as a state of free-fall. Massacres are now regular events. One side of politics is openly authoritarian, and incites them. Social bonds…

It’s been a slow burn. Over the last decade or so, America and the world have witnessed the GOP, the Republican Party…transform. Change. Into a malign force, inimical to democracy and modernity. But…

Right about now, American democracy’s on the brink. While Joe Biden touts his accomplishments — and that’s fair enough — on the other side, something sinister, abusive, and perilous is happening. The…

You might be, having taken it all in, struggling for words. Here’s what Fox News had to say about Ron DeSantis’s latest policy: Slavery was beneficial to slaves. Like I said, you might be struggling…

By now, you’ve seen the tweet above (can we still call them tweets?) That’s Donald Trump, saying that he’ll “be coming for” anyone who “goes after” him. In response, Jack, the Special Counsel…

There’s a kind of battle taking place in the world today. One so omnipresent, it’s invisible. That battle is between authoritarianism and democracy. America, Britain, India, China, Russia, Turkey— I…

In a primetime address Thursday, President Biden warned Donald Trump and his radical supporters are threatening the foundations of the republic. Biden said, “Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal,” and that MAGA Republicans present a “clear and present danger to our democracy,” referring to Trump’s campaign slogan of “Make America Great Again.” We speak with Nancy MacLean, author and Duke University historian, who says Biden’s speech was a “wake-up call” for the nation and mainstream media. “He was absolutely right, in my opinion, that the Trump wing of the party and the MAGA Republicans have jumped the rails of constitutional democracy, of the factual universe and of representative democracy.”