Gaslit Nation

In Tuesday's episode of Gaslit Nation, titled Is the U.S. an Oligarchy?, Andrea opens with a discussion about the "Claims Adjuster Assassin." However, not all listeners were satisfied with the initial analysis. Many felt that something about the arrest of Luigi Mangione didn’t add up and urged her to take a closer look. Always ready to dig deeper, Andrea takes on the challenge, offering a fresh perspective on the case. Is Luigi Mangione the shooter or, like so many across America with similar convictions and grievances, a superfan, one willing to sacrifice for what he sees as a greater cause?  You are free to scrutinize these points and join the conversation with your own analysis, feedback, and corrections. We can be reached at [email protected]. Your comments may be read on the show.  Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Show Notes: Tom Winter of NBC: “A representative for the company that manages Citibike — Lyft — says the NYPD has now informed them that their bike was not used by the homicide suspect:” https://x.com/Tom_Winter/status/1864451018462810604   Luigi Mangione’s political views from left and right — he had ‘concern for the future of humanity’: pal https://nypost.com/2024/12/10/us-news/luigi-mangione-had-concern-for-the-future-of-humanity-pal/   Here’s What Luigi Mangione Reportedly Said About ‘Unabomber’ Ted Kaczynski https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/12/10/heres-what-luigi-mangione-reportedly-said-about-unabomber-ted-kaczynsk/   McDonald’s worker called cops on Luigi Mangione, person of interest in CEO shooting, says NYC police https://www.silive.com/news/2024/12/mcdonalds-worker-called-cops-on-luigi-mangione-person-of-interest-in-ceo-shooting-says-nyc-police.html   Lakeland woman threatens insurance company, says ‘Delay, Deny, Depose’: police https://www.wfla.com/news/polk-county/lakeland-woman-threatens-insurance-company-says-delay-deny-depose-police/ Clip: Video of McDonald’s regular in PA who saw Luigi Mangione: https://x.com/Newsweek/status/1866616844871668137/video/1   Clip: Video of McDonald’s regular in PA who saw Luigi Mangione:  https://x.com/News4SA/status/1866585750466105788/video/1   Clip: Our opening clip was AOC, summing up how many Americans across the political spectrum feel about the Claims Adjuster Assassin: https://x.com/alanhe/status/1867274875859349565    Clip: Spartacus  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKCmyiljKo0   'People Were Worried' About 'Depressed' Luigi Mangione After He Left Co-Living Space in Hawaii, Says Friend https://people.com/luigi-mangione-people-worried-depressed-friend-co-living-space-8760057  

Is America an oligarchy? This debate between Andrea and Felix Salmon, author of The Phoenix Economy: Work, Life, and Money in the New Not Normal, took place over the summer, but was delayed due to Biden dropping out of the election and Kamala Harris taking his place. We're revisiting it this week to assess how well it has aged. America’s twelve richest men are now worth a combined $2 trillion. One of them, Jeff Bezos, reportedly interfered with the independence of the Washington Post, triggering a mass exodus after he blocked the paper’s endorsement of Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. Another, Elon Musk, is threatening Republicans in Congress—one of the last remaining checks on our political system—warning that they must submit to Trump’s White House or face his warchest in the GOP primaries. Musk spent over a quarter of a billion dollars on Trump’s election and has been rewarded by being a sidekick President, meeting with world leaders, including Trump’s recent call with Zelensky. A report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office this year revealed that “the top 10% of wealthy Americans now control 60% of the nation’s wealth, while the poorer half of the country holds only 6%.” America braces for the impact of a second Trump White House, packed with billionaires and a PayPal mafia shadow presidency. Deregulation, monopolies, and tax cuts for the rich will exacerbate America’s income inequality crisis and fuel further political unrest. Luigi Mangione, also known as the alleged Claims Adjuster assassin, sparked a national conversation this week in America. For a brief moment, Americans across the political spectrum set aside their differences and united around horror stories of insurance company greed. If we resist getting drawn into Republican-driven culture wars, we have the potential to unite with people from all sides of the political divide against a common enemy. Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   Show Notes: The Phoenix Economy: Work, Life, and Money in the New Not Normal by Felix Salmon https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-phoenix-economy-work-life-and-money-in-the-new-not-normal-felix-salmon/19257986?ean=9780063076280 Jeff Bezos killed Washington Post endorsement of Kamala Harris, paper reports https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/business/money-report/jeff-bezos-killed-washington-post-endorsement-of-kamala-harris-paper-reports/4009739/   Trump selling deregulation https://x.com/samstein/status/1866574253534876026   Elon Musk warns Republicans against standing in Trump’s way — or his https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-politics-trump-7e26c829af224a1f9d67c27cea085e68   America's 12 Richest Men Now Worth a Combined $2 Trillion https://www.newsweek.com/americas-12-richest-men-worth-combined-2-trillion-1995950#:~:text=An%20analysis%20by%20Forbes%20showed,of%20more%20than%20%242%20trillion.   Elon Musk spends $277 million to back Trump and Republican candidates https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-277-million-trump-republican-candidates-donations/   Wall Street continues to roll higher in wake of Trump victory https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-11-11/stock-market-today-wall-street-rolls-higher-as-bitcoin-bursts-above-87-000   America's top 10% controls 60% of the wealth. The bottom half holds 6%. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/10/24/americas-richest-10-percent-controls-60-percent-of-wealth/75790850007/   Trump’s Truth Social is now a public company. Experts warn its multibillion-dollar valuation defies logic https://www.newsweek.com/americas-12-richest-men-worth-combined-2-trillion-1995950#:~:text=An%20analysis%20by%20Forbes%20showed,of%20more%20than%20%242%20trillion.   Slain UnitedHealth CEO faced ongoing court battles, threats Common complaints against insurer denials were written on bullet casings found where Brian Thompson was killed. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/12/06/unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-threats-court-battles/   Exclusive: Luigi's Manifesto Read the manifesto the media refused to publish https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/luigis-manifesto  

  Today, we're celebrating the people of Syria and their liberation from Assad the Butcher. Our live-taping interview with disinformation expert Dr. Emma Briant has been rescheduled to 4:30 PM ET on December 30th. Be sure to bring your questions about combating disinformation and influence campaigns as we ring in the new year with Dr. Briant! In the meantime, join us today at 4 PM ET to celebrate Syria's liberation and share any comments or questions you’d like to discuss. The Zoom link is now posted on Patreon. See you there! Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!  

Assad’s regime is on the brink of collapse. Romania and South Korea are showing the world how to stand up against Russia highjacking democracies. The U.S. has released a report stating that a foreign adversary is likely behind Havana Syndrome. This Monday, disinformation warfare researcher Dr. Emma Briant will join our political salon, to answer our questions about fighting back. These topics and more are covered in this week’s bonus show, available to our Truth-teller level subscribers and higher. This week’s bonus show also tackles questions from our Patreon supporters at the Democracy Defender level and higher. Jacob asks: How easily could “mass detention” camps become slave labor camps under the 13th Amendment—and from there, devolve into death camps? Trump’s promise to deport 11 million people can only be achieved through violence, and that violence would be carried out by those who take pleasure in it. To get to that point, Trump and his followers will defy the law, subvert the Constitution, as they did to come to power in 2016 and 2024.  Andrea and Terrell discuss the dangerous potential of Trump’s authoritarian immigration agenda, the risk of a violent crackdown on Latino communities, and whether this could escalate into a full-scale Trump invasion of Mexico. They also explore the irony of Republicans attempting to deport Latinos, a group that could actually help strengthen the party’s base. This discussion is available to our Truth-teller level subscribers and answers other pressing questions from our Democracy Defender-level supporters, including how to hold the media accountable. If you didn’t hear your question answered this week, don’t worry—our Gaslit Nation Q&A continues, so stay tuned! Thank you to all our supporters—we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!  Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, group chats, invites to live events, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Show Notes: Disinformation researcher Dr. Emma Briant will join our next salon this coming Monday https://emma-briant.co.uk/  Andrea on Politics Girl! https://youtu.be/CvImpAfyG8w?si=BNqZjg35mRGOAGbl Crawford, CIA Subcommittee Release Interim Report on Havana Syndrome https://intelligence.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1486   The GRU’s connection to Havana Syndrome: The Insider’s investigative team tells the story behind its most recent bombshell exposé https://theins.press/en/politics/270717   No, All Latinos Didn’t Vote for Trump Actually. Here’s the Data. https://newrepublic.com/post/188203/latino-vote-trump-harris-2024-election-data-breakdown   Maria Hinojosa’s Podcast In the Thick  https://www.inthethick.org/episodes/   Some Latinos Want to Be White, And We All Want Respect (OPINION) https://www.latinousa.org/2024/11/14/latinoswhiterespect/   Trump Team Debates “How Much Should We Invade Mexico?” https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trump-mexico-drug-cartels-military-invade-1235183177/   Romania’s top court annuls first round of presidential vote won by far-right candidate https://apnews.com/article/romania-election-president-recount-georgescu-far-right-34f4284d54ea34a841225e2c3a968c6d?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share