Gaslit Nation

In the 1970s, Senator Frank Church, a Democrat from Idaho, stuck his neck out–unlike members of Congress today–to take on the real deep state–the FBI and CIA carrying out LSD mind-control experiments on Americans, terrorizing activists, and committing assassinations with the mafia, including against witnesses. The Church Committee Report, based on real Congressional investigations, not just performative show trials, shows us how to confront and dismantle the lawless, mass-murdering MAGA regime. 
Historians Matthew Guariglia, a senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Brian Hochman, the Hubert J. Cloke Endowed Director of the American Studies Program at Georgetown University, are out with the definitive account, The Church Committee Report: Revelations from the Bombshell 1970s Investigation into the National Security State. They walk us through the decades of U.S. presidents of both major parties allowing a surveillance state to expand, running dangerous operations against the American people. The most chilling legacy is not the cartoonish villainy of poison darts and imperial assassinations, but the insidious cruelty of undermining activists. So pay attention. Don't let anyone–even a well-meaning ally–weaponize purity tests to gatekeep the Fourth American Revolution. Stopping the MAGA threat requires all of us building together in coalition.
Based on the Church Committee's own findings, we know exactly what tools the FBI and CIA use to dismantle movements. They have very specific, terrifyingly effective strategies to divide and conquer We the People. 
Here is what they do when they want to destroy a movement from the inside out:
Snitch Jacketing: This is psychological warfare. They plant false information–maybe they leave a map or a weapon in an activist's car–specifically to make you think your friend is a police informant. They leverage paranoia to make us eat our own.

Fabricated Dissent: They create fake zines, fake newsletters, and fake correspondence to manufacture feuds between groups. They want the anti-war movement fighting the labor movement so neither fights the state.

The "Friendly" Infiltrator: Watch out for the guy who shows up out of nowhere with coffee and too many questions. They send plainclothes agents into our resilience communities to map our networks and identify leaders and how they operate.

Entrapment: They find an "easy mark" in a group, push them toward violence, then arrest everyone for a plot the FBI invented. They manufacture terrorism.

The "Suicide" Strategy: J. Edgar Hoover's FBI sent a letter to Martin Luther King Jr., threatening to expose his private life and pressuring him to kill himself. They try to break you psychologically so that you back down and disappear.

According to historians Guariglia and Hochman, activists under siege were aware of the threats long before the Church Committee exposed them, and developed resilience strategies we can learn from today: 
Reject the "All-Powerful" Myth: Don't give a lawless regime a bigger shadow than it actually has–that is what they want: to live inside your head. When you start believing the government is an all-knowing, all-powerful shadow monster, you are doing their work for them. Paranoia is a tool of the oppressor. 

Build a Culture of Care: The only way snitch-jacketing works is if we don't know each other. Build deep, resilient relationships. When we take care of each other, their wedges don't work.

Sousveillance (Watch from Below): Do not rely on police body cams; those tapes have a magical habit of being turned off when they're needed. Film everything. Control the narrative with your own evidence, eyes, and ears.

Divest from Big Tech: Google, Amazon, and Apple are regime collaborators. We need to build our own infrastructure from high-tech mesh networks to low-tech zines. If you rely on the master's tools, they will shut you down, as we're seeing now with TikTok's mass-censorship under the new owners–MAGA donors, the Ellisons.

Get Educated: Practice tech hygiene. Go to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and use their Surveillance Self-Defense guide. Learn how to encrypt, what to carry, and how to stay safe.

We're fighting a generational struggle, but we outnumber them. As Andrea's film Mr. Jones reminds us: The truth cannot be killed. Stay safe, vigilant, and united–that is how we win.
Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit
EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:
The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: join on Patreon.

Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: join on Patreon.

Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: join on Patreon.

Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect: join on Patreon.

Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join: join on Patreon.

Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group: join on Patreon.

Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, J.D. Vance, and the entire MAGA Klan murdered Alex Pretti. They sent Bovino into early retirement, but he must be arrested, along with his agents who shot 10 bullets into Pretti, an ICU nurse for the VA who spent his life helping others. Demand the impeachment of President Stephen Miller: force Trump to throw him under the bus, too. It's a start to the demands for justice. 
To honor Pretti and our work ahead, find time to grieve. We cannot power through this collective rage and anxiety without releasing it. Even the strong need to cry in the shower. If we don't sit with our grief, it will force you to. Grieving is an act of resistance. It changes you, and it plants the seeds of justice that we will use to build a better world together.
To the people of Minnesota, you have created an American Maidan, standing strong against tyranny. Even Ukrainians, freezing in the cold from Russia bombing their electrical grids, see you, and are calling your movement a Maidan. To grow a real resistance, we share a message recorded by Annie, a Gaslit Nation listener in Minneapolis. 
Our victory is guaranteed because our enemies are cowards who hide behind masks. America has defeated the Klan before. We must fight with urgency in a generational struggle. Join the General Strike this Friday January 31st. Divest from the corporations funding the MAGA regime–look to Cut Off the Spigot to learn how. And most importantly, stand by each other. As the people of Minnesota showed us, singing "Stand by Me" in the face of fascism: we win through our culture of care.
Tonight's episode will run as usual. It's an examination on how the Church Committee Report, which exposed the mass-murdering FBI and CIA, shows us how to overcome our mass-murdering state today. 
Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit
Show Notes
National General Strike (Jan 31–this Friday!): https://nationalshutdown.us/

Support Susanna Ledesma-Woody for Travis County Commissioner: https://www.votesusanna.net/

Minnesota Community Resources: https://minnesotanonprofits.org/community-resources-ice-operations

Cut Off The Spigot (Divestment Resource): https://cutoffthespigot.com/

Shop The Hood (Small Business Alternatives): https://shopthehood.store/

Who Advertises On X (Boycott Resource): https://whoadvertiseson.org/

Yes, It's Fascism (Jonathan Rauch/Brookings): https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/yes-it-s-fascism/ar-AA1UWfO5?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Misogyny Killed Alex Pretti: https://sharidunn.substack.com/p/misogyny-killed-alex-pretti?triedRedirect=true

Letter to My Daughter: https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/letter-to-my-daughter/#

Tad Stoermer Video Read by Gaslit Nation Listener Annie: https://www.threads.com/@tad.stoermer/post/DTKc0iDjjdn/media

Intro Clip: https://bsky.app/profile/thetnholler.bsky.social/post/3md7q7guacc22

Outro Clip: https://bsky.app/profile/taylordahlin.com/post/3mdeijmip522z

Here's what you missed at last week's Gaslit Nation Salon: the full recording is available on Patreon.com/Gaslit. America's first revolution was against the British empire. The second American revolution was the Civil War to abolish slavery. The third revolution was for Civil Rights to dismantle the authoritarianism of the Jim Crow South. We're not getting out of this without a Fourth American Revolution.
Agonize then organize and socialize. The news cycle is designed to exhaust you, but you don't have to face the autocracy alone. We built a resilience community for truth-tellers, and we want you in it. 
Join us today at 4pm ET for our Gaslit Nation Salon, a space to strategize, vent, and connect with a community of listeners just as horrified as you. Find the link to join us by Zoom, wherever you are, at Patreon.com/Gaslit.
Thank you to everyone who supports the show -- we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!

The world's leading philosophers and psychologists were based in Germany and Austria during the rise of Hitler. They studied the darkest chapter of human history while trying to make sense of it and survive it themselves. Their teachings are an urgent alarm for us today: fascists seek endless conflict through domination, and it will never be enough.
Drawing on George Orwell's analysis of Hitler, we see that while democracy offers the radical concept of "having a good time," fascism preys on a neurotic, broken need for "struggle, danger, and death." It is an addiction to conflict, often first learned in the childhood home, according to Erich Fromm, that views empathy not as a virtue, but as a target. 
Walter Benjamin, before losing his own life to suicide to avoid the concentration camps, pointed out that fascists seek pleasure in their own demise. It is the fleeting, hollow glee of a bully kicking over a sandcastle because he doesn't know how to build one.
Joy is how we win. The hate-fueled fascist high is a non-renewable resource. It requires a constant supply of new enemies to sustain a house of cards built on lawlessness and corruption. True joy, born of community, love, and creation, is sustainable energy, even in the unlikeliest of places, as our heroes who came before us also showed us. Stay safe. Stay defiant. And find some joy today: it's the best revenge.
For our bonus episode this week, we sit down for a special Self Care Q&A with Vatican reporter Colleen Dulle, author of Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican Reporter! To listen to the bonus, subscribe to our Patreon at the Truth-Teller level or higher. We are extremely grateful to our listeners who are keeping us afloat during very difficult economic circumstances. Every bit of support helps give us the freedom to tell the truth, so thank you again for making Gaslit Nation possible!
Show Notes:
Help Bring 5-Year-Old Liam Home https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bring-5yearold-liam-home?attribution_id=sl:0f9224c0-2c25-4831-a70f-1357729d5d8c&lang=en_US&ts=1769049480&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp17_control&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link
Part I of Our Conversation with Colleen Dulle: MAGA's Vatican Cold War: https://gaslitnation.libsyn.com/magas-vatican-cold-war
A Recent Gaslit Nation Salon Excerpt Giving the Bigger Picture of U.S. China-Panic Chaos under Trump from the Pentagon's Perspective: https://gaslitnation.libsyn.com/stay-sane-with-us-join-the-gaslit-nation-salon
"An observer arrested in South Minneapolis. Photo by Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune" https://bsky.app/profile/amreports.bsky.social/post/3mcxlw4ijx42p
"Interesting scoop from Anna Giaritelli, who has good sources inside DHS. It suggests Noem and Lewandowski (seemingly still serving as a Special Government Employee despite having timed out months ago) are trying to push out the CBP Commissioner (former Border Patrol) because he's not harsh *enough.*" https://bsky.app/profile/reichlinmelnick.bsky.social/post/3mcyd34k2v225
Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge's warrant, memo says https://apnews.com/article/ice-arrests-warrants-minneapolis-trump-00d0ab0338e82341fd91b160758aeb2d
The Stolen Wealth of Slavery: A Case for Reparations https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2024/02/28/reparations-now
'That's Our Territory': Trump Uses Davos Speech to Push for Greenland https://time.com/7354005/trump-davos-speech-greenland/
You've Got to Read George Orwell's Review of 'Mein Kampf' https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a45897365/george-orwell-reviews-hitler-mein-kampf/
Police charge Trump campaign manager with assault https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/police-charge-trump-campaign-manager-with-assault#:~:text=Police%20in%20Jupiter%2C%20Florida%2C%20released,provided%20by%20Jupiter%2C%20Florida%20police.
Ex-Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski accused of sexual assault https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/27/ex-trump-campaign-manager-corey-lewandowski-accused-of-sexual-assault

Like the rest of us, Pope Leo, the first American Pope, is under siege by MAGA. We discuss MAGA's war on the "globalist," "culturally Marxist" Catholic Church with Colleen Dulle, Vatican reporter for America Magazine and author of Struck Down, Not Destroyed.
Christian Nationalists have captured the White House, Congress, and Supreme Court. Now they are targeting the Holy See. We track the strategy from Steve Bannon's "gladiator school" for disinformation agents to recently converted Catholic JD Vance using his faith to justify mass deportations and ICE terror squads. MAGA has launched a financial boycott of the Catholic Church, provided safe haven and amplification for its biggest crackpots, while deploying dark-money disinformation and a Fox News-style Catholic press to target reformers.
We also confront the Vatican's long history of abuse and gaslighting. We discuss the erasure of trans people and women leaders like Mary Magdalene, arguably the true first pope. We also look to what the first American pontiff, Pope Leo, will bring in this time of crisis, and whether he will continue Pope Francis's war on Opus Dei–the far-right human trafficking crime cult that gained prominence during Franco's dictatorship in Spain. Opus Dei has set up shop in Washington, DC, counting among its allies Vance and the Heritage Foundation's Kevin Roberts, architect of Project 2025. 
Note: This conversation was recorded on June 17, 2025. Look out for our bonus episode later this week on the latest hellscape headlines! 
Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit
 EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:
The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: available on Patreon.com/Gaslit

Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: available on Patreon.com/Gaslit

Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: available on Patreon.com/Gaslit

Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.com/Gaslit

Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.com/Gaslit

Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.com/Gaslit

Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

Show Notes:
Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Colleen Dulle's new book on keeping the faith while covering the Vatican's crises https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/struck-down-not-destroyed-colleen-dulle/1146546457
Steve Bannon's "Gladiator School" Evicted: How the far-right strategist lost his fight to turn an 800-year-old monastery into a training ground for culture warriors https://news.artnet.com/art-world-archives/steve-bannons-school-far-right-nationalists-officially-evicted-800-year-old-italian-monastery-leased-2007256
The Problem with JD Vance's "Ordo Amoris": A theological breakdown of how Vance manipulates the teachings of St. Augustine to justify ICE terror  https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/02/13/ordo-amoris-stephen-pope-vance-249926/
Project 2025 Architect Linked to Opus Dei: The Guardian reveals the deep ties between Kevin Roberts, the Heritage Foundation, and Opus Dei https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/26/kevin-roberts-project-2025-opus-dei
MAGA Tries to Starve the Church: An investigation into "Peter's Pence" and how conservative groups are financially undermining the Church https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/12/12/vatican-misleading-donors-peters-pence-explained/
Gaslit Nation's Episode on Opus Dei: https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2024/12/31/opus-dei