Mamdani invokes Trump in fiery speech that laid out plan of action

"So, if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power. This is not only how we stop Trump, it's how we stop the next one. So, Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up," Mamdani said, to raucous applause...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/04/mamdani-victory-speech-trump-policies

 

Trump Promises a ‘Bloody Story’ (The Atlantic)

"Above all, Trump traffics in yearnings for punishment of people he regards as outsiders and inferiors. They will suffer, they will shed blood, they will pay—and somehow their pain and their loss will elevate and empower him and those who support him. It’s never true, but for a moment it feels good. What more vivid form of power is there than the power to inflict pain?"

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/09/donald-trump-bloody-story/679751/

 

Farah Griffin: Trump talked about executing people at several White House meetings

Farah Griffin said she was there during that meeting and that Trump “straight up said a staffer who leaked the story should be executed.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4723891-farah-griffin-trump-talked-about-executing-people-at-several-white-house-meetings/

Ian Bassin On The Steps Trump Would Take to Unravel Our Democracy (Al Franken podcast)

Protect Democracy’s Executive Director on Our Nightmare: 

Trump is telling us exactly what he plans to do, and it sure sounds like a fascist dictatorship.  Listen and judge for yourself. Guest Ian Bassin provides details from Trump's own words.

Interview: 

https://www.alfranken.com/listen/ian-bassin-on-the-steps-trump-would-take-to-unravel-our-democracy

Dr. Brandy Lee Explains How the phenomenon of Trump Contagion, not politics, created the MAGA movement (Anthony Davis; The Weekend Show podcast)

Top psychiatrist Dr Bandy Lee explains to Anthony Davis how the phenomenon of Trump Contagion, not politics, created the MAGA movement.

Interview: 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/dir-z7xpg-17d9f7b8

What’s the far right trying to build power for? (Washington Post)

Autocracy is power for the sake of power, power aimed at doing what one wants in the face of opposition. No compromise would be needed with a group that most Republicans said in the same time frame that they saw not as political opponents but as enemies. The Proud Boys don’t want power so they can introduce legislation and debate it in committee hearings. Many on the right don’t want to monitor elections simply to verify that they lost fairly...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/02/whats-far-right-trying-build-power/

What Is Fascism? (The 1A)

What is fascism?

We’re asking because there’s a lively argument taking place over whether it’s accurate to describe the actions of President Donald Trump’s administration as “fascist.”

It’s not the first time we’ve heard warnings about the creep of fascism in the United States. But some thinkers say it’s the closest we’ve come in some time.

Commentators and analysts like former Labor Secretary Robert Reich are now using the (other) f-word to describe President Trump’s words and actions, especially after the administration sent federal officers to Portland, Oregon, to arrest people attending protests against police brutality.

Is it accurate to label the president and his staff as “fascist?” Why is the label so difficult to assign?
Interview:
https://the1a.org/segments/president-trump-fascist-fascism/

Fascism in Portland (Opening Arguments podcast OA406)

Listeners and co-hosts alike have been wanting Andrew to do a breakdown of the situation in Portland. There are big questions like, for example, how? and WTF? and what can anyone do? Andrew answers these and gives us the timeline of what’s led to the Trump administration sending out paramilitary troops to abduct people in unmarked vans, like a totally non-fascist president would do. Before that, we talk about the gun wielding couple from St. Louis who threatened BLM protestors, and how they’re totally not going to face any justice for their undeniable crimes because they are white.
Interview:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/atheistically-speaking-2/opening-arguments/e/76411110

Unidentified Federal Officers Are Scooping Up Protesters In Portland. Are Other Cities Next? (On Point)

Unidentified federal law enforcement officers are scooping up protesters in Portland and detaining them in unmarked vehicles. They were sent to quell protests, but many say their presence is only fanning the flames. We'll discuss the legality of a president using federal force in U.S. cities, and what it means for our democracy.
Interview:
https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2020/07/23/federal-officers-detain-protesters-portland

Assault On The Press And Democracy In The Philippines (Pod Save the World podcast)

An attack on press freedom in the Philippines and what it could mean for the future of their democracy. The two year anniversary of the US-North Korea Singapore summit. Right-wing zealots take over the Voice of America. Fighting between China and India and updates out of Russia. The US threatens to sanction the International Criminal Court (huh?), how right-wing news outlets are being used by foreign intelligence, and Bob Gates and John Bolton sell books. Then Ben talks to Rokhaya Diallo, a French journalist and activist, about the protests against systemic racism and police brutality in France and what’s next for President Emmanuel Macron.
Interview:
https://crooked.com/podcast/assault-on-the-press-and-democracy-in-the-philippines/

Is The U.S. Becoming An Autocracy? (Diane Rehm, On My Mind)

The New Yorker’s Masha Gessen knows a lot about autocratic rule. While living in Moscow, Gessen had a front row seat to Vladimir Putin’s power grab – and documented his slide into authoritarian rule in articles and an award winning book.

By 2016, Gessen had returned to the U.S. and was startled to see a newly elected leader with similar tendencies.

In a new book, “Surviving Autocracy,” Gessen retraces the last three years through that lens – and finds plenty to worry about – but also hope for our democracy.
Interview:
https://dianerehm.org/shows/2020-06-05/is-president-trump-an-autocrat

Journalist Explains Why Republican Leaders Back Trump's 'Proto-Authoritarian Cult' (Fresh Air)

Atlantic writer Anne Applebaum draws parallels between regimes in Eastern Europe and the Trump White House. She says our democracy can be destroyed — unless people fight back.
Interview:
https://www.npr.org/2020/06/04/869722081/journalist-explains-why-republican-leaders-back-trumps-proto-authoritarian-cult

Can Trump Block New Yorkers From Global Entry? (No.) (Opening Arguments podcast OA358)

Today’s episode takes place in the aftermath of the Trump impeachment sham. We take a minute to heap praise on Sen. Mitt Romney, who had the courage of his convictions, before delving into the obvious fact that this president is now empowered to seek revenge on his enemies, starting with the State of New York. Can he really prevent New Yorkers from using Global Entry?

Before that, we have to cover the latest in faux outrage, in which America’s Dumbest Congressman (TM), Matt Gaetz, teams up with Charlie Kirk (and others) to … insist that Speaker Nancy Pelosi had no right to rip up her copy of Trump’s State of the Union address. Can that possibly be the law? (No.)

Then, it’s time to settle in for a nice, long deep dive into New York’s Green Light Law, and how that led a Trump lackey to try and retaliate by asserting that New Yorkers will no longer be eligible for the Global Entry program at airports. Is it really possible that Trump’s Department of Homeland Security will carry out this threat? Do we have a legal recourse? Listen and find out!

After all that, it’s time for a brand-new #T3BE on the preservation of objections for appeal. Can Thomas continue his winning streak? Would you do any better? If so, just share out this episode on social media using the hashtag #T3BE and we’ll pick a winner!
Interview:
https://openargs.com/oa358-can-trump-block-new-yorkers-from-global-entry-no/

Jews In The U.S. Respond To Trump's Attacks On Loyalty (On Point)

We hear from a roundtable of American Jews about their thoughts and responses to President Trump’s claims about who they should be loyal to and why.
Interview:
https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2019/08/26/american-jews-trump-israel-democrats-loyalty

Robert Reich: Patriotism v. Nationalism

Interview:
https://youtu.be/o98qMWjXnkY

Trump’s hijacking of the Fourth of July just got a lot uglier - The Washington Post

The authoritarian nationalist leader typically rewrites the story of the nation in his own image, in a very particular way. Our own homegrown authoritarian nationalist has proved particularly devoted to this fusion of national mythmaking and self-hagiography, often delivered in his own unique language of crass, gaudy spectacle...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/07/03/trumps-hijacking-july-th-just-got-lot-uglier/

CNN’S Jim Acosta On The Dangers Of Trump’s Escalating Criticism Of The Media (Diane Rehm, On My Mind)

CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta on his clashes with Donald Trump, accusations of grandstanding and what it means when a president calls the media “the enemy of the people.”

Interview: 

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/national-public-radio/wamufm-wamu-the-diane-rehm-show-podcast

How authoritarianism is growing around the globe | Pod Save The World recording stream

There is a lot going on in the world - escalation with Iran, Gaza, North Korea, Venezuela, a trade war with China and a visit from Hungary's leader. Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes are talking about all of it, plus some royal family stuff.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/Hb7WUmT3eT8

Republicans are afraid of a radical, fringe theory ... called 'democracy' - Daily Kos

While Republicans from Congress to the Justice Department continue the great work of turning America into a place where every aspect of the government is completely under the control of a single all-powerful executive, they have identified the nation's true adversary: authoritarianism. But, as New York Magazine notes, for conservatives, that scary word doesn't mean what you may think it means...
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/1846216

The politics of fear: How it manipulates us to tribalism - The Conversation US

Fear, a psychiatrist writes, has roots deep within the human psyche, and demagogues have long exploited the emotion. In today's world, it's important to know the dangers of that exploitation...
https://theconversation.com/the-politics-of-fear-how-it-manipulates-us-to-tribalism-113815