Democracy is Dead

In this week's episode, we discuss the meeting that occurred this week between Ukraine President Zelenskyy and Trump and JD Vance at the White House. The ambush of a meeting with the invitation of Russian Media should leave everyone with no doubt that the intention was to discredit Ukrainian president because the US is compromised by a leader that kisses the Kremlin ring.

References:

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/ukraine-conflict-crossroads-europe-and-russia

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9dejydynngo

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn5220x56pqt

https://freedomhouse.org/country/russia/freedom-world/2024

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/28/tass-oval-office-trump-zelenskyy-00206739

We continue with our Democracy is Dead News segment covering the policy changes and goings-on in the new American Fascist administration. This is a weekly addition to the podcast to attempt to catalogue for listeners as concisely as possible the growing fascist threat in America perpetrated and planned by Trump's second term. Please see references below.

References:

Re: Flu and birdflu

https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/worst-flu-season-influenza-virus-spread-new-bird-flu-cases-us-plus

Re: Measles

https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-mmr-outbreak-vaccines-408371700e3ab548777bf0354e586549

Re: Tuberculosis

https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/19/tuberculosis-kansas-city-missouri-tb-outbreak-treatment/

Re: Ukrainian conflict

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/22/its-blackmail-ukrainians-react-to-trump-demand-for-500bn-share-of-minerals

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c62e2158mkpt

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93np4y0343o

Re: Government Firings

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93np4y0343o

Re: IVF

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyg1rlnywyo

Re: Cutting legal aid for migrant children

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c04ngq3lwl2o

Re: Firing of Joint Chief chair

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyr2xvn4dpo

Re: Enrique Tarrio arrest

https://apnews.com/article/proud-boys-leader-enrique-tarrio-arrested-a1b88e26b17e21193fbf92ad0e9a65e2

n this week's episode, we discuss the next installment of the Fascist Playbook focusing on the myth that fascists care about Law and Order in the traditional sense of the terms. Laws pertain to everyone else and not them. The current Trump Regime is currently breaking or circumventing many of the laws our government has and you aren't hearing a peep from the right. Because it was never about Law and Order. It was always about the pursuit of power and wealth.

Sources:

How Fascism Works – Jason Stanley

On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams

In this week's episode, we discuss the next installment of the Fascist Playbook focusing on the sense of victimhood that fascists cultivate in their followers. We give examples of the current Trump administration pushing this false rhetoric.

Sources:

How Fascism Works – Jason Stanley

On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams

We continue with our Democracy is Dead News segment covering the policy changes and goings-on in the new American Fascist administration. This is a weekly addition to the podcast to attempt to catalogue for listeners as concisely as possible the growing fascist threat in America perpetrated and planned by Trump's second term. Please see references below.

References:

Re: Gaza purchase by US

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/clyn05y9x2xt

RE: El Salvador locking up deportees

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/04/el-salvador-deportees-incarcerated-us-citizens

Re: Fentanyl and Canada/Mexico

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c805jjk2klko

Re: Musk access to private information

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/feb/04/donald-trump-tariffs-live-blog-news-updates-canada-trudeau-mexico-china

Re: Firing coast guard leader

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/21/trump-administration-removes-four-star-coast-guard-leader-in-firing-spree

Re: Russel Voight appointment

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/06/russell-vought-democrats-protest-trump

Re: Summary of Feb 3-Feb 7 week

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjdep9j31l8o

Re: China Tariffs

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czrl053kez3o

Re: Banning transgender athletes:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20g85k3z35o

Re: Rare earth Ukraine deal

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mzgv4x901o

Re: Bondi disbanding anti-corruption initiatives

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/pam-bondi-disbands-anti-corruption-task-force-1235259073/

Re: Climate change information and mentions from websites

https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/climate-change-transparency-project-foia/2025-02-06/disappearing-data-trump

Re: Trump Impeachment

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/05/al-green-trump-impeachment-articles-gaza

Re: Biden security clearance

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn57p5r99xyo

Re: FBI sue government over firings

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/04/fbi-jan-6-trump-doj

Re: Bird flu dairy cattle

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/05/bird-flu-us-cattle

Re: Anti-LGBT initiatives

https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20250122-trump-orders-end-of-government-dei-programs-lgbt-protections

Re: Multiple Jan 6 rioters arrested already on other charges

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/07/january-6-attacker-arrested

Re: Illegal words for funding in Trump administration

https://gizmodo.com/the-list-of-trumps-forbidden-words-that-will-get-your-paper-flagged-at-nsf-2000559661

In this week's episode, we discuss the next installment of the Fascist Playbook focusing on the hierarchy that fasists follow to stratify the worth of other human beings. We talk about DEI initiatives in Trump's autocracy and what it really means in this episode.

Sources:

How Fascism Works – Jason Stanley

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/10/john-kelly-donald-trump-fascist/

https://jmheatherly.substack.com/p/fascism-unmasked-how-to-recognize?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams

In this week's episode, we discuss the next installment of the Fascist Playbook focusing on the unreality that fasists create to sow hatred and division in supporters. This is the episode that talks about the 'fake news' of Trump's particular flavor of fascism.

Sources:

How Fascism Works – Jason Stanley

https://publicleadershipinstitute.org/2022/09/07/the-three-pillars-of-fascism/

On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams

HBO's Chernobyl Series

In this week's episode, we discuss the next installment of the Fascist Playbook particularly why fascism is inherently anti-intellectual and how this manifests in fascist policies. Many historical examples of Trump and his followers have been anti-intellectual are outlined.

Sources:

How Fascism Works – Jason Stanley

Brewer, Mark. Trump Knows Best: Donald Trump’s Rejection of Expertise and the 2020 Presidential Election. Society. 2021.

(https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7786860/)

On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams

Continuing on the series of the pillars and tools in the fascist playbook. This week, we look at propaganda and the flavor it takes on with fascism and how it is used to move the masses.

Sources Used and Media Mentioned:

How Fascism Works – Jason Stanley

Fascism: A Warning – Madeleine Albright

On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich – William Shirer

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4970904-trump-attacks-democracy/

Today is the first part of a series of episodes on the Fascism Playbook. The first episode of the series is on The Mythic Past which Fascist parties and governments use to appeal to an age that either never existed or was grossly mythologized.

Sources for the episode and mentioned in the podcast:

How Fascism Works – Jason Stanley

Fascism: A Warning – Madeleine Albright

On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams

The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander