This week on Pausing Democracy, we’re packing up for the colonies — where bartering is back, and we’re trading low-dosage estrogen patches like contraband cigarettes. Missy’s reinventing herself as a beat poet in exile, Jen’s spiraling after On Tyranny wrecked her week, and Rachel and Jessica are quietly Googling “how to prep for the fascist regime” without ending up on a list. Meanwhile, Nevada’s government is hacked and under siege, the CDC is MIA, Alligator Alcatraz is closed (don’t ask), and Donald Trump can’t even cover his bruises — or remember the ten wars he swears he solved. Pour a drink, grab a patch, and join us in the chaos.