In this episode, PRA Principal Research Advisor Steven Gardiner provides astute analysis on what has led us to this moment in history—when Donald Trump and the Republican Party have so decisively won the presidency and both houses of congress. Steven shares likely scenarios that may play out in Trump’s first year back in office, the implications of his chaotic cabinet picks for the implementation of both mundane and reactionary policy, and, most importantly, on the opportunities available to resisting the fascistic capture of the U.S. state. 

Steven Gardiner is Principal Research Advisor, and formerly Research Director, at Political Research Associates. He has been researching and writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardiner received a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Cornell University; since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than twenty different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE.

Episode resources

• PRA Statement on the 2024 National Election
• Religion Dispatches article: “Authoritarians Must Break Your Will to Resist — So What Can You Do About it?” by Steven Gardiner
• Religion Dispatches article: “While Nixon Sought to Secretly ‘Screw’ Political Enemies Trump’s Dictatorial Desires Are Less Modest” by Steven Gardiner
• Religion Dispatches article: “Loyalty and Chaos Play a Role in Trump’s Nominations, But This Schoolyard Tactic May Provide a Better Explanation” by Steven Gardiner
• Religion Dispatches article: “Trump’s Cabinet (and Other) Picks Paint Picture of a Christian Nationalist ‘Kakistocracy’” by Annika Brockschmidt and Thomas Lecaque
• Religion Dispatches article: “Leading ‘Constitutional Sheriffs’ Org Announces ‘Full Support’ for Trump’s Mass Deportations” by Ethan Fauré

In this episode of Inform Your Resistance, Koki reads “From Palestine to Atlanta, Outside and Foreign: The Institutional Policing of Dissent” by Habiba Farh, as part of our ongoing From the Archives series. From the Archives features those must read and, now, must listen to pieces from PRA’s more than 40 years of publishing. This article was published in the Spring 2024 issue of The Public Eye magazine, and you can read the article here.

This interview with Savera Coalition partners Safa Ahmed and Pranay Somayajula dives into an expose on the immensely influential Hindu American Foundation, or HAF, as a Hindu supremacist institution masquerading as a civil rights organization. We discuss HAF's reputation as a leader in civil rights and its true agenda to perpetuate caste discrimination and support for the authoritarian Indian Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP regime in the United States.

We discuss HAF's roots in the Hindu supremacist or Hindutva movement and its recent, more explicit shift towards the broader U.S. multiracial far right. We conclude with a discussion of the Savera Coalition's goals and strategy in bringing it down. 

Safa Ahmed is the Associate Director of Media & Communications for the Indian American Muslim Council. She has written on Hindu supremacy and human rights in India for Al Jazeera, The Diplomat, Jacobin, Progressive Magazine, and several others.

Pranay Somayajula is an Indian-American writer and organizer, based in Washington, DC. He currently serves as Organizing and Advocacy Director for Hindus for Human Rights, an organization that was founded in 2019 to provide a Hindu voice of resistance to caste, Hindutva (Hindu nationalism), and all forms of bigotry and oppression. His writing has been featured in Jacobin, The Nation, and The Drift, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock. He is also the host of Return to Bandung, a podcast that explores questions of imperialism, resistance, and internationalist solidarity throughout history and into the present day.

Episode resources

• “HAF Way to Supremacy: How the Hindu American Foundation Rebrands Bigotry As Minority Rights,” Political Research Associates and Savera, 2024.
• “Hindu Supremacy and the Multiracial U.S. Far Right,” Savera, The Public Eye, 2024.
• “A Global Trail of Violence: India’s Hindu Supremacist Movement and Its Role in the Transnational Far Right,” Savera, The Public Eye, 2024. Edited excerpts from Savera’s report, “The Global VHP’s Trail of Violence.”

Koki talks with Ramah Kudaimi about U.S. imperialism and state violence, and its reverberations both domestically and abroad. From the global war on terror, to genocide in Palestine, to anti-Muslim policing and surveillance in our communities, we discuss the ways that imperial power, capitalist interests, and far-right organizing intersect in ways that compound harm and entrench systems of oppression. 

We discuss the ways in corporations profit not only from war and militarism, but specifically from Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry and violence. Ramah unpacks the concept of “terror capitalism” or the idea that corporations reap massive profits from labeling entire communities as “terrorists,” who then become the test subjects for technologies of warfare (both at home and abroad) that line the pockets of large corporations and continue the war long after ground troops have come home. 

We also discuss the modes of resistance available to us and our movements to counter these forces. Ramah Kudaimi works at the Action Center on Race and the Economy as the campaign director of the Crescendo Project, which focuses on researching and campaigning against corporate complicity in Islamophobia and anti Muslim bigotry.

Episode Resources

• How Big Tech Sells War on Our Communities
• “DHS Open for Business: How Tech Corporations Bring the War on Terror to Our Neighborhoods,” a report from Action Center on Race & the Economy, LittleSis, MediaJustice, and the Surveillance, Tech, and Immigration Policing Project at the Immigration Defense Project, 2022. 
• Banking on Solidarity CitiBank campaign
• Genocide Gentry, a dataset and analysis of weapons company executives and board members with connections to educational and cultural institutions
• Shattering Justice, an online visual timeline on the War on Terror in the U.S.

This episode with guest-host Jack Gieseking features an in-depth discussion with Frederick Clarkson about the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a significant and influential movement within the Christian Right. Clarkson explains the background and history of NAR, as well as its contemporary political significance. The conversation also touches on the relationship between NAR the January 6th 2021 Capitol insurrection, NAR’s relationship with Israel, and their strategy to build their voting block and flip districts, as well as the broader and far-reaching implications NAR has for democracy and religious freedom. 

Clarkson emphasizes the importance of understanding this movement, given its significant impact on politics and society. He calls for increased awareness and study of the NAR among all of us who care about fighting rising fascism. The discussion concludes with a call to action, urging listeners to educate themselves about the NAR and develop a common vocabulary to facilitate meaningful conversations about its influence and implications.

Episode Resources

• The Insurgence: Sheriffs is a podcast series that uncovers how a national network of far-right sheriffs is mobilizing to create a White Christian republic, one county at a time. The series features first-hand accounts from people across the country who have come up against the sometimes-fatal consequences from the unchecked power of county sheriffs and their growing alignment with the new Far Right. The Insurgence: Sheriffs is created and hosted by investigative reporter and PRA Research Director Cloee Cooper, and co-executive produced by Political Research Associates and Cuentero Productions.
• Christian Right Denialism is More Dangerous Than Ever: A Reporter’s Guide to the New Apostolic Reformation, by Frederick Clarkson and André Gagné, Religion Dispatches, 2022. 
• Christian Nationalists Dream of Taking Over America. This Movement Is Actually Doing It by Kiera Butler, Mother Jones, 2024.
• Packed with Threats of Political Violence, Media Largely Ignore the NAR’s ‘Million Women’ Rally in DC, by Frederick Clarkson, Religion Dispatches, 2024.
• Where’s Wallnau? A NAR Apostle Takes Aim at Swing Counties in ‘The Battle for the Mountain of Government’, by Frederick Clarkson, Religion Dispatches, 2024.

Episode Keywords

New Apostolic Reformation, Christian Right, Christian Right leaders, Project 2025, Project 19

Inform Your Resistance is coming to you this week in between regularly scheduled episodes to introduce you to a new podcast series, The Insurgence: Sheriffs. This collaboration between Political Research Associates and Cuentero Productions uncovers how a national network of far-right sheriffs is mobilizing to create a White Christian republic, one county at a time.

Subscribe today, wherever you get your podcasts to catch the rest of the episodes in the series.

In this episode of Inform Your Resistance, Koki reads “Nativist Bedfellows: The Christian Right Embraces Anti-Immigrant Politics” by Tarso Luís Ramos and Pam Chamberlain, the fourth in our new From the Archives series. From the Archives features those must read and, now, must listen to pieces from PRA’s more than 40 years of publishing. This article was published in the Summer 2008 issue of The Public Eye magazine, and you can read the article here.

This week we're also excited to announce the launch of a new podcast series. The Insurgence: Sheriffs is a podcast series that uncovers how a national network of far-right sheriffs is mobilizing to create a White Christian republic, one county at a time. The series features first-hand accounts from people across the country who have come up against the sometimes-fatal consequences from the unchecked power of county sheriffs and their growing alignment with the new Far Right. The Insurgence: Sheriffs is created and hosted by investigative reporter and PRA Research Director Cloee Cooper, and co-executive produced by Political Research Associates and Cuentero Productions.

In this first episode of Season 3, we are back with a conversation about the origins, unlikely intersections, and influence of the contemporary anti-immigration movement. Ethan provides us with a fascinating overview of how this movement developed, from its White Nationalist origins, with significant bipartisan and centrist support. We discuss John Tanton’s network of organizations, funding sources for the anti-immigrant movement, significant legislation impacting the immigration landscape, intersections with other movements (not all right-wing) like the environmental movement and Christian nationalism, and Project 2025’s vision for immigration policy in the U.S. We end on a high note, discussing local resistance strategies to fight back.

Ethan Fauré is a Senior Research Analyst at PRA, with over a decade of experience focusing on movements promoting anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, and White nationalist ideologies. Ethan works closely with other researchers, journalists, national organizations, and grassroots activists to deepen their understanding of these forces, informing resistance efforts, and their work building power across the country. 

Episode Resources

• The Tanton Network (animation). Political Research Associates, 2022.
• Where the White House Gets its Racist Immigration Policies. Ethan Fauré. Political Research Associates, 2018. 
• The National Sheriffs’ Association Strengthens the Deportation Machine. Ethan Fauré. Political Research Associates, 2019.
• Nativist Bedfellows: The Christian Right Embraces Anti-Immigrant Politics. Tarso Luís Ramos, Pam Chamberlain. Political Research Associates, 2008.
• White Borders: Author Q&A with Reece Jones. Shane Burley. Political Research Associates, 2022. 
• The Right’s Decades-Long Fight for A Census Citizenship Question. Ethan Fauré. Political Research Associates, 2019. 
• Immigrant Justice and the Right Wing's Eliminationist Agenda: A Q&A with Hamid Khan. Political Research Associates, 2018.
• Blood Red Lines: How Nativism Fuels the Right: Author Q&A with Brendan O'Connor. Ethan Faure, Ben Lorber. Political Research Associates, 2021. 
• Blurring the Border: Immigration Enforcement and Solidarity in Ohio. Austin Kocher. Political Research Associates, 2018. 

Episode Keywords

Anti-immigration, anti-immigrant, John Tanton, Project 2025, Immigration Justice, Fight the Right

Uncover the disturbing realities of racial capitalism and state violence with host Koki Mendis and Saqib Bhatti, co-executive Director of the Action Center on Race and Economy (ACRE). Bhatti’s insights illuminate the distressing crossroads where austerity programs, mass incarceration, and a negligent police state meet. Throughout the conversation, Bhatti exposes the dangerous influence of corporations on public services and their contribution to the rise of a racialized policing system. We discuss ways in which over policing and mass incarceration uphold racist wealth and inequality and strategies available to us on the left to contest power and advance redistribution. We explore how austerity programs that reduce social safety nets and inflated budgets for incarceration and policing have created a relationship of criminalizing people instead of providing support and care. Technologies like ShotSpotter, which claims to detect gunshots accurately, are not only rife with inaccuracies, but also operate on the myth that more policing leads to flourishing and safer communities.

The second part of our conversation pivots to the ways rideshare giants, Uber and Lyft, have upended the taxi industry, including how these corporations avoid responsibility for drivers’ employment conditions, and the consequent fallout for the predominantly immigrant workers who previously made their living as full-time taxi drivers. We further examine the related trend of companies being bought out by private equity firms, which can lead to workers losing their pensions and benefits while shareholders profit. Bhatti provides unique insights into the ensuing destabilization and the worrying trend of private equity firms buying failing corporations and profiting from their debt. 

We also explore how organizing labor, renter, and debtor unions can help build worker power and solidarity across economically marginalized groups. Finally, we consider the role of non-traditional unions in amassing and aggregating collective power to fight against corporations.

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Murdered Behind the Wheel: An Escalating Crisis for App Drivers by Gig Workers Rising, PowerSwitch Action, and Action Center on Race and the Economy
• “What Does It Mean to Dismantle Racial Capitalism Anyway?” by Saqib Bhatti and Bree Carlson
• “Remaking the Economy: Race for Profit” an NPQ webinar recording with Maximillian Alvarez, Saqib Bhatti, and Bree Carlson
• “Austerity Kills” a PRA webinar recording with Saqib Bhatti, Lauren Jacobs, Daniel HoSang, and Donald Cohen
• STOP ShotSpotter coalition to end ShotSpotter and build community-led responses to address the root causes of gun violence

--------- EPISODE KEYWORDS ---------

Racial Capitalism, State Violence, Austerity Programs, Mass Incarceration, Policing System, ShotSpotter, Uber, Lyft, Taxi Industry, Private Equity Firms, Anti-CRT, Critical Race Theory, Labor Unions, Renter Unions, Debtor Unions, Economic Interests, Collective Power, Wealthy Corporations.

Who are the abortion abolitionists? What drives them, and how do their tactics overlap with those of other far-right movements? Join host, Koki Mendis, and PRA Senior Research Analyst, Cloee Cooper, as we uncover the differences between the broader pro-life movement and the abortion abolitionist movement.

The abortion abolitionists are a nationwide network of militant anti-abortion far-right activists who want to eradicate all abortion. They would like to see the death penalty for those involved in abortion. They draw on the militant anti-abortion movement from the 1990s that was responsible for violence against abortion clinics and providers. We discuss how the pro-life movement is more interested in working within the US legal system for reforms that further restrict access to abortion, while the abortion abolitionists want to abolish abortion in all instances.

We explore the influence of Christian Reconstructionism on the anti-abortion movement, and how its vision for a theocratic society has had a significant impact on the abortion abolitionist movement today. We examine the overlap between the abortion abolitionist movement, militias, and other far-right movements, including the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection.

We examine the broader pro-life bills that have been introduced in various states, and we compare these bills with the ones that the abolitionists are advocating for, which would criminalize anyone who has an abortion and grant legal protection to fertilized eggs. We also look at the role of Bradley Pierce, the attorney behind many of the abortion abolitionist bills, and how his Foundation to Abolish Abortion is connected to the right-wing homeschooling movement. We explore the concept of the Overton window, and how the abortion abolitionist movement is pushing for their extreme ideas to become accepted as common sense.

Finally, we discuss how the abortion abolitionist movement is shifting its tactics to become more mainstream and to influence change. We assess the need to understand the strategies of the abortion abolitionist movement and to build coalitions to establish movement strategies rooted in communities and movements on the ground.

EPISODE RESOURCES

• No Sanctuary: Anti-Abortion “Abolitionists” Go to City Hall by Cloee Cooper and Tina Vásquez
• How the anti-abortion movement fed the Capitol insurrection by Tina Vasquez
• The anti-abortion abolitionist movement is dangerous. Here’s what you need to know by Cloee 
• Cooper and Tina Vásquez
• The New Abolitionists: The Christian Anti-Abortion Movement Gaining Ground in State Legislatures by Heidi Beedle
• The Army of Gideon: Anti-Abortion Activism in Wichita by Heidi Beedle
• Convergence of Far-Right, Anti-Democratic Factions in the Northwest Could Provide a Model for the Rest of the Nation by Frederick Clarkson and Cloee Cooper
• The Prochoice Religious Community May Be the Future of Reproductive Rights, Access, and Justice by Frederick Clarkson
• Mobilizing for Reproductive Freedom in the Battle Over Bodily Autonomy by PRA featuring Adaku Utah, Cloee Cooper, Loretta Ross, and Tara Romano

--------- EPISODE KEYWORDS ---------

Abortion Abolitionists, Christian Right, Christian Reconstructionism, RJ Rushdoony, Capitol Insurrection, Anti-Abortion Legislation, Homeschooling Movement, Overton Window, Pro-Choice Religious Community, Movement Strategies, Collective Power for Reproductive Justice