This is an excerpt of this week's bonus show. To access this, all bonus shows, get episodes ad free, exclusive invites, submit questions to regular Q&As, and more, subscribe to the show at Patreon.com/Gaslit 

In this special interview, Lala Wu, a co-founder of Sister District, which builds political power in the states to protect quality of life and democracy from far-right extremism, joins Gaslit Nation to share her story and how to stop Posh Trump Glenn Youngkin who has carried out a voter purge in the lead-up to the big state elections in Virginia on November 7th. Wu explains why Virginia matters to all of us, how to stay motivated to take action even when everything feels hopeless, which candidates to pay attention to and why in Virginia, and the far-right’s playbook to help Youngkin get the majority he needs to ban abortion, rollback environmental protections, and more. Join our October 26 phone bank party with Sister District by signing up here – a quick training will be provided, along with some fun prizes!: https://www.mobilize.us/sisterdistrict/event/585389/

The rest of this week’s bonus episode focuses on answers to questions from our listeners supporting the show at the Democracy Defender level and higher. That discussion includes how plagues have historically led to escalating the fight for greater equality in society and how that seems to be playing out now with the revitalization of unions, how the unchecked greed of the NRA and the Republican Party has normalized mass violence in America, and how Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been attacking Israel’s judicial independence to further his power, politically benefits from the current war and why he needs to go. If you didn’t hear your question answered this week, look out for it next week as the Gaslit Nation Q&A continues. For supporters at the Democracy Defender level and higher, submit your questions in the comments or send them in a private message on Patreon. Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!

To answer a request from a listener here on Patreon, below is a list of journalists and analysts covering the crisis as well as a list of book recommendations. Remain mindful that we’re in a time of rampant disinformation, fog of war, all compacted by trauma and our collective trauma of watching a brutal war break out. Consider reading widely to understand different perspectives, even those that may not align with your own.

• Mairav Zonszein, Senior Analyst at the International Crisis Group https://www.crisisgroup.org // https://twitter.com/MairavZ

• Hind Khoudary, a Palestinian journalist based in Gaza https://www.instagram.com/hindkhoudary/

• Amira Hass, Haaretz correspondent for the Occupied Territories https://twitter.com/Hass_Haaretz

• Rula Jebreal, a Palestinian foreign policy analyst and visiting professor, The University of Miami https://twitter.com/rulajebreal

• Noga Tarnopolsky, Jerusalem based reporter who appears frequently on MSNBC https://twitter.com/NTarnopolsky

• Hend Amry, Libyan-American writer based in Qatar https://mastodon.social/@LibyaLiberty // https://www.instagram.com/libyaliberty/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D // https://twitter.com/LibyaLiberty

• Here’s a list of book recommendations from The Economist https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/10/18/the-israel-palestine-conflict-a-reading-list

Show Notes:

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and other Democrats introduce bill for Supreme Court term limits https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/release/whitehouse-booker-blumenthal-padilla-introduce-new-supreme-court-term-limits-bill

Evacuation orders by Israel to hospitals in northern Gaza are a death sentence for the sick and injured https://www.who.int/news/item/14-10-2023-evacuation-orders-by-israel-to-hospitals-in-northern-gaza-are-a-death-sentence-for-the-sick-and-injured

Nowhere to Hide in Gaza as Israeli Onslaught Continues Residents and health authorities say that mosques, hospitals and schools are being targeted by airstrikes. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/world/middleeast/gaza-israel-airstrikes.html

Previous instances of Israeli targeting schools, hospitals https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/10/16/israel-hamas-war-live-iran-warns-resistance-front-may-attack?update=2417538

Israeli court convicts Sara Netanyahu for misusing state funds https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/16/israeli-court-convicts-sara-netanyahu-for-misusing-state-funds

Ukrainians irate as Sara Netanyahu throws bread on floor during Kyiv welcome https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5571794,00.html

Doctors without Borders: MSF doctor Ghassan Abu-Sitta’s voice message to Arwa Damon after reaching Gaza’s Shifa hospital, where “thousands have flocked to and are sleeping on the grounds, between patient beds in the wards.” What he describes is horrific. “People are too afraid to bury their dead.” https://twitter.com/MSF_USA/status/1713396854711296310

Putin is helping Hamas to hurt the West https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/10/17/russia-israel-putin-hamas-gaza/

Hamas’ gift to Vladimir Putin https://www.politico.eu/article/hamas-gift-russia-vladimir-putin-international-crises-russia-israel-palestine/

Hamas says leadership visited Russia, met Sergey Lavrov A Hamas official has revealed that his movement "recently" visited Moscow and warned that the group's "patience is running out" with Israel. https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/03/hamas-says-leadership-visited-russia-met-sergey-lavrov