We're sharing a round-up of excerpts from interviews over the past four years with 20 experts on fascism. If you want to know "what is US fascism in this century" or "who are the fascists in America" or "where did fascism in the US come from" - this is your crash course (and it's episode 200!). Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at…

It’s been one of those weeks… Sam shares commentary on the wildly fascist logic coming from the Supreme Court this past week (the president is likely immune from prosecution for the attempted coup in Jan 2021, and federal law will likely no longer require emergency rooms to provide life-saving abortions…), the wave of repression sweeping American u…

Sam talks with three experts on widespread local fascist organizing around the country including the so-called Constitutional Sheriffs movement, the embrace by local governments of right wing militias and fascist efforts to modify the constitution itself. Devin Burghart (@dburghart) is the Executive Director, at the Institute for Research & Educati…

Sam talks with Merle Hoffman, long-time abortion rights activist and founder of one of the largest abortion clinics in the country, who has just written a memoir chronicling her decades of experience fighting for abortion rights. Get the book here: Choices: A Post Roe Abortion Rights Manifesto merlehoffman.com and choicesmedical.com or on Twitter: …

Sam welcomes back onto the show Anthony DiMaggio and Henry Giroux to discuss their latest book Fascism on Trial: Education and the Possibility of Democracy. Dr. Henry A. Giroux is a renowned educator and author of multiple books on fascism and pedagogy. He holds the Chair for Scholarship in the Public Interest in English and Cultural Studies at McM…

Sam speaks to the Supreme Court facilitating the further erosion of civil rights & foreboding upcoming elections outside of the U.S. Then, frequent guest and guest host of the show, Coco Das shares reflections on SB4 (Texas' "Show Me Your Papers" law) and talks with award-winning Turkish writer and political thinker Ece Temelkuran discussing her es…

Sam comments on the downward spiral of the legal cases against Trump and the further consolidation of the RNC and “conservative movement” around MAGA fascism. Then, we share two interviews with people who have been actively resisting the escalating genocide in Gaza. First, a conversation with Dr. Nicole Erin Morse, Associate Professor of Media Stud…

Sam talks with historian Rick Perlstein, author of multiple books about the US conservative movement including Nixonland, about his latest work on the contemporary era and the nexus between the fascists, the media, and the Democratic Party; what he calls "the infernal triangle." Subscribe to his newsletter at prospect.org and follow him on Twitter …

Sam comments on SCOTUS hearing Trump's presidential immunity claim and Trump and Biden visits to the Texas-Mexico border. Then, she talks with Dr. Clarence Lusane to discuss the catastrophe for humanity of a second Trump presidency & lessons from the international rise of fascism. Dr. Lusane is a professor and Director of the International Affairs …

Sam talks with Dr. Lee McIntyre, philosopher and author of numerous books including How to Talk to A Science Denier and his latest, On Disinformation: "Drawing on his twenty years of experience as a scholar of science denial, McIntyre explains how autocrats wield disinformation to manipulate a populace and deny obvious realities, why the best way t…

Sam speaks to developments in Trump's trials, the "pendulum swing" of political power, Gaza and the 2024 election, and more. Then, she talks with Jared Holt, Senior Research Analyst with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. His writing can be found in various outlets including: The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Columbia Journalism Review, Huff…

Sam talks with historian, activist and RefuseFascism.org editorial board member Paul Street about the coming year and his take on all the wild things happening as well as to come. Follow Paul's work on Substack at paulstreet.substack.com. Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@R…

Sam talks with Dr. Manisha Sinha, historian of the US Civil War and Reconstruction and one of 25 historians who signed onto the amicus brief supporting Colorado's decision to remove Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot according to the 14th amendment (which bars insurrectionists from public office). Read the brief here: https://www.suprem…

It's been quite the week! Sam recaps some of the stories we're watching most closely: the Texas + other fascist controlled states v. federal government confrontation in the wake of a SCOTUS decision the fascists actually don't like (shockingly, Roberts and Coney Barrett agreed that the federal government has the authority to remove the murder wire …

We want to hear from listeners! What are some of your most urgent questions keeping you up at night as 2024 begins? Let us know via this survey: ⁠https://bit.ly/rf-pod-survey On this episode, we share Jessica Valenti’s testimony before Senate Democrats on the state of abortion rights ahead of the Roe v. Wade anniversary. Sam provides commentary hig…

Sam talks with Faisal Al-Juburi from RAICES Texas to get an update on what has changed (and what hasn't) for our siblings seeking refuge as of January 2024 at the deadly US border. Follow their work and get involved at https://www.raicestexas.org/. We want to hear from listeners! What are some of your most urgent questions keeping you up at night a…

Paul Street, member of the RefuseFascism.org Editorial Board shares reflections on January 6, three years later. Read his reflections: On January 6 Three Years Later: The Trump Republi-Fascist Menace is Alive and Well. Subscribe to the Paul Street Report to read and hear more from Paul. Then, Sam talks with Ian Millhiser, senior correspondent at Vo…

As we close out 2023 and head into 2024 many of us are feeling a sense of deja vu - but with higher stakes. Take a trip through the events of 2023 with an eye to the future with some guests from this past year. THANK YOU to all the patrons and supporters who help make this show possible in 2023. Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved a…

As we close out the year and look towards 2024, members of the RefuseFascism.org Editorial Board answer questions submitted by supporters of the pod. You can become one of those supporters at patreon.com/refusefascism. Follow Coco Das at @Coco_Das, Paul Street at paulstreet.substack.com and Sam at @SamBGoldman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Twi…

Sam talks with scholar Matthew D. Taylor about House Speaker Mike Johnson and the significance and danger exemplified in Johnson's ascent to power. Taylor documents Johnson's links to leading voices in the Christian Charismatic movement (which were early adopters of the Trump cult, and unlike mainstream Evangelical leaders, have never split in thei…

Sam talks with Dr. Susan Neiman, Director of the Einstein Forum in Germany about the US-backed war Israel is waging against Gaza. Her latest book is Left Is Not Woke. Her first work of fiction, Nine Stories: A Berlin Novel, will be published in 2024. She has written two recent thought provoking essays for the The New York Review of Books: Historica…

Sam talks with Wendy Via, Co-Founder and President at The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, about their analysis of the publicly announced plan for "day one" of the next presidential administration (presumably headed by leading Republifascist candidate Donald Trump). Their report The Far-Right Playbook for American Authoritarianism: Projec…

Sam talks with Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read Program Director at PEN America. Their new report America's Censored Classrooms 2023 states, "Over the past three years, state legislators have launched an onslaught of educational gag orders—state legislative and policy efforts to restrict teaching about topics such as race, gender, American history, an…

Sam talks with writer Sarah Posner about Mike Johnson, the new Speaker of the House, third in line to the presidency and Christian Nationalist who spent around a decade as a lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom (sic), the organization behind the recent wave of state level anti-abortion legislation, the 303 Creative SCOTUS case, and on the wrong s…

Sam talks with Mark Tinkleman, co-producer of the podcast, about the genocide in Gaza and the dangerous unity between imperialist “democracy” and fascism, plus what’s happening in the House of Representatives and more. Views expressed in this episode are the opinions of Sam and Mark themselves. Follow Mark on Instagram at @marknoodler. Recommended …

Sam talks with Dahlia Lithwick about how the SCOTUS and this term fit into the growing fascist threat and the stakes of the cases they will potentially be hearing and deciding this year. Dahlia Lithwick writes about the courts and the law for Slate and hosts the podcast Amicus. She is the author of Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America. Me…

Sam talks with writer and historian Paul Street (also on the RefuseFascism.org Editorial Board) about recent events including the fascist attempts to shut down the government, the ouster of Kevin McCarthy from the Speaker of the House, and the increasingly violent threats and promises of vengeance from current frontline candidate for president and …

Sam talks with Roxy Szal, Austin-based feminist writer and Digital Editor of Ms. Magazine about the state of emergency for abortion access in many parts of the U.S. and much more. For more from Roxy and Ms Magazine visit https://msmagazine.com/ and listen to the On The Issues podcast hosted by Michelle Godwin here. Check out the Fifty Years of Ms. …

Sam talks with Gavriel D. Rosenfeld and Janet Ward, the two editors of a new book titled Fascism in America. Gavriel D. Rosenfeld is President of the Center for Jewish History and Professor of History at Fairfield University. He is the author or editor of eight books on the Nazi era, including The Fourth Reich: The Specter of Nazism since World War…

Sam talks with Keyanna Michelle Jones, an organizer with Community Movement Builders. They discuss the ominous and illegitimate RICO indictments "Cop City" opponents face and the fascist assault on the right to protest there. Follow her at @kmichelle_atl and learn more about Community Movement Builders here: https://communitymovementbuilders.org. N…

Sam talks with Will Carless, national correspondent for USA Today on extremism, about his recent investigation: The military ordered big steps to stop extremism. Two years later, it shows no results. Follow him on Twitter @WillCarless and read his work at USA Today. Mentioned in the episode: Georgia Attorney General brings RICO indictments against …

Sam talks with Dr. Marvin Dunn, historian and activist with The Miami Center for Racial Justice about their educational tours of Florida covering sites of lynchings and other oppression (prime example: Rosewood) — the knowledge of which is being suppressed by the Desantis fascist offensive against public education. Learn more, get involved and supp…

Sam talks with Mike Rothschild, author of the forthcoming book Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories (preorder now!). From Terry Matalas: "Like Mike Rothschild’s incredible deconstruction of QAnon in The Storm Is Upon Us, Jewish Space Lasers takes a thoroughly engrossing deep dive into the absurd conspiracy theor…

Sam talks with attorney and writer Madiba Dennie about the SCOTUS ruling from this June which eliminated race conscious education admissions. Follow her work at madibadennie.com and @AudreLawdAMercy. Plus more commentary on the brewing crisis escalated by the most recent indictments of Trump. Refuse Fascism is more than a podcast! You can get invol…

Sam talks with Faisal Al-Juburi from RAICES Texas about the continuing brutal mistreatment of immigrants and asylum seekers in Texas, which has now placed razor wire barriers in the Rio Grande. RAICES first came to national attention during the family separation crisis under the Trump regime but has been providing services and advocacy for immigran…

Sam talks with Dale Anderson, an organizer with Choose Democracy Now about what’s happening at the ground level in Sarasota, Florida as a case study of the spreading fascism in the US. Find out more about their work at choosedemocracynow.org. Plus commentary from C. Clark Kissinger excerpted from the recent Q&A discussion with hosts of the show and…

Sam talks to women in Iowa, where a new abortion ban was just signed into law, making essentially all abortion services unobtainable. Lyz Lenz ia a journalist based in Iowa and author of several books including Belabored: A Vindication of the Rights of Pregnant Women. Find her on Twitter https://twitter.com/lyzl or her website https://lyzlenz.com/.…

Sam talks with David Gilbert, Senior Reporter with Vice.com about his recent coverage of the "Moms for Liberty" movement which just held their National Summit in Philly. Read his recent piece The GOP Is Lining Up to Pay Homage to America's Newest Extremist Group, Moms for Liberty and follow him on Twitter https://twitter.com/daithaigilbert and Inst…

Sam talks with Paul Street about the recent rulings from the Supreme Court including overturning affirmative action, legalizing discrimination against LGBTQ (and possibly other?) people, Moore v Harper (the "independent state legislature theory" case) and more. Follow Paul on Substack: https://substack.com/@paulstreet Also listen to episode 160: SC…

Sam shares reflections on the one year anniversary of the overturn of Roe. Read the statement from Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights: https://riseup4abortionrights.org/june-24-2023-one-year-without-roe-take-your-fury-back-into-the-streets/ “Moms for Liberty” [sic] will be holding their national summit June 29 - July 2 in Philadelphia (cheers to the protest…

Sam interviews Stephen Vladeck, law professor and author of the NY Times bestseller, The Shadow Docket, How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic. Follow Steve on Twitter at @steve_vladeck and sign up for his Substack here: stevevladeck.substack.com. Then, we talk to Julian Gonzalez, senior legislative cou…

History was made this past week as Trump was finally federally indicted for keeping classified documents, mishandling them and obstructing all attempts to retrieve them from his bathroom and ballroom in Mar-a-Lago (among other places). Sam Goldman comments on this new situation and the calls for violence to retaliate from Trump and other Republifas…

Sam talks to educator Michael Vavrus, professor emeritus at The Evergreen State College, about his new book Teaching Anti-Fascism: A Critical Multicultural Pedagogy for Civic Engagement. From a review by Noah De Lissovoy (The University of Texas at Austin): “Teaching Anti-Fascism brilliantly excavates the historical and contemporary sources of fasc…

Sam talks to Wajahat Ali about Tucker Carlson’s white supremacist legacy and anticipated next steps in the aftermath of his firing from FOX News. If you’re on Twitter you probably already follow Wajahat @WajahatAli. You can also read his latest book Go Back to Where You Came From And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American or listen…

Coco Das comments on the recent CNN-hosted Trump Town Hall (aka Klan rally) and Democratic reactions. Read her commentary here: ⁠Biden’s Camp Cheers on Trump’s CNN Town Hall: An “Opposition” Party that is Worse than Useless.⁠ Follow her on Twitter at ⁠@Coco_Das⁠. Plus: Sam interviews Akin Olla, National Press Secretary for the Dream Defenders, and …

Sam talks to Brynn Tannehill, former naval aviator and author of several books including American Fascism: How the GOP is Subverting Democracy and her latest, My Child Told Me They're Trans ... What Do I Do?: A Q&A Guide by Parents of Thriving Trans Children. A wave of legislation targeting trans people is sweeping the country. Read a roundup of so…

Sam interviews Fred Wellman, veteran and host of the On Democracy podcast, former executive director of the Lincoln Project about the state of the Republican Party (and its fascist base) and the lessons from recent years of the limitations of “politics as usual.” Follow Fred at @FPWellman and read his writings at fpwellman.substack.com. Refuse Fasc…

Sam Goldman and Coco Das (@Coco_Das) discuss the latest developments in the plans to institute a full abortion ban (which hit a speedbump on Friday with SCOTUS deciding to maintain the status quo access for mifepristone while the Kacsmaryk ruling works its way through appeals) as well as other developments in the past week. Recommended reading: Mal…

This week we cover the fascist attack on medication abortion that has now made its way all the way up to the Supreme Court. Sam talks to Mark Joseph Stern, Senior Writer at Slate.com, who recently wrote The Lawless Ruling Against the Abortion Pill Has Already Prompted a Constitutional Crisis. Next, Sam shares an interview with Dr. Elizabeth Newhall…

Sam talks to Dr. Christine Ryan, Legal Director at Global Justice Center about the open letter issued by 200 other human rights organizations to the UN about the human rights emergency that is occurring in the US as abortion is criminalized in many states since Roe was overturned (read here). Follow Dr. Ryan on Twitter at @christinegjc. Recommended…