Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman of Yahoo's Skullduggery Podcast join Gaslit Nation. Isikoff is the author of Uncovering Clinton; Hubris, about the selling of the Iraq War; and Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump, which features Andrea's sister Alexandra Chalupa, the DNC consultant who warned of the Kremlin attack. Klaidman is editor-in-chief of Yahoo News and the author of Kill or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama Presidency.

As Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visits Ukraine, showing American support as Putin continues to ramp up aggression, including 80,000 troops still on the border, we highlight a story of hope from Ukraine. Civic leader Olya Yarychkivska shares what keeps Ukrainian civil society going, how Putin leverages war to hold onto power in Russia, and the inspiring story of unity among Ukrainian activists as they rally together to save baby Dima, the child of one of the country's leading reformers.

We begin the episode by discussing the attempt of Kremlin-linked oligarchs to intimidate Catherine Belton, the author of the critically acclaimed book Putin’s People, into silence through excessive litigation. We delve into the backgrounds of the shady billionaires persecuting her and talk about the broader ramifications of the world’s mafia goliaths stomping on lone journalists who are attempting to expose corruption.

We cover the admission by the Department of Homeland Security that there are violent extremists within their ranks, and the new loose gun laws that may be put into effect by the Supreme Court, fulfilling the GOP’s fantasy of transforming the country into a “Death Wish” remake. We then take on Tucker Carlson, his presidential prospects and sick desire to have children stolen from their parents. And we condemn Oklahoma’s new law legalizing murdering protesters by running them down on the road.

Sarah is sick so we’re using this week for spring cleaning and self-care. There will be a bonus episode for Patreon supporters at the Truth-teller level and higher later this week so look out for that! Since there’s no public episode, we urge you to watch "Putin's Palace", the documentary by the team of Alexey Navalny, the Russian opposition leader Putin is slowly murdering before the world. You can find the link here or pinned to our Twitter @gaslitnation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipAnwilMncI

This week we take on the new mascot of obstructionism and excuse for legislative inaction -- Joe Manchin! This human barrier to democracy has not received the level of investigation he deserves, so we dove in. We discuss his recommendation that everyone be nice to the seditious Capitol attackers and not upset them with something scary like voting rights, his seemingly self-destructive opposition to the filibuster, and his bizarre voting history and policy proposals, particularly regarding the Middle East.

Gaslit Nation welcomes a special guest whose incredible life story captures the complex, often misunderstood region of the Middle East, the topic of this week’s discussion. Iyad el-Baghdadi, whom some of you may know from his must-read Twitter account, is a Palestinian activist, writer, and the co-author, with Ahmed Gatnash, of the compelling and important new book The Middle East Crisis Factory: Tyranny, Resilience and Resistance.

We describe the uneasy interim period of the early Biden era and what’s to come when the covid crisis ends – and predict that it’s going to look a lot like what happened after the end of the 1918 Spanish Flu: white mob violence, anti-immigrant movements, economic turmoil, rising fascism, and the consolidation of dictator personality cults. Day to day life is slowly improving under the Biden administration, but the US remains as vulnerable to autocracy as before – unless certain policy decisions are made.

This week Gaslit Nation welcomes Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin) who gives us an inside view on the Capitol attack, what steps need to be taken to hold the perpetrators accountable, how the Biden administration can ensure a more just and fair United States, and much more!

Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present, explains all the ways Trump and Republican leaders rely on the dictator's playbook to weaken our democracy and consolidate power. A Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, she provides chilling insights into Mussolini, Berlusconi, Trump, and other strongmen that ruled through destructive cults of personlity. This is a discussion not to miss.