How to Contain Russia (Listen to the full episode on Patreon!)

Gaslit Nation

Trump, Politics, Left, Democracy, Resistance, News, Society & Culture, Progressive, Liberal, Kendzior, Chalupa, Resist

4.8 • 4K Ratings

🗓️ 26 June 2025

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

At a time when democracy is under siege from Kremlin-backed strongmen to MAGA disinformation machines, this week’s Gaslit Nation bonus show offers much-needed hope. We unpack the NATO summit, celebrate a major grassroots victory in New York City, and also discuss how to contain Russia with security expert Candace Rondeaux, author of Putin’s Sledgehammer.

First up: NATO is finally stepping up. All member nations, except Spain, have committed 5% of their GDP to defense and security by 2035. Predictably, Trump is already trying to take credit, but this shift isn’t about him. It’s a direct response to Putin’s ongoing war in Ukraine. European leaders have learned how to handle Trump’s ego: offering flattery when necessary while quietly strengthening defenses against the very aggression he once downplayed. That’s not concession; it’s strategic diplomacy.

Meanwhile, in New York City, there’s real reason to celebrate: Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary for mayor is a major win for grassroots organizing and progressive politics. His campaign, alongside Brad Lander and others, championed public investment, reallocated resources from the NYPD’s military-sized budget, and pushed back against Fox News crime porn fearmongering and disinformation. It’s a clear signal that authentic, coalition-driven campaigns have the power to break through. Is the Democratic Party establishment listening?

And finally, don’t miss our powerful conversation with Candace Rondeaux, who outlines how to contain Russian fascism and the ongoing threat of the Wagner Group. As we’re always saying at Gaslit Nation: fascists don’t stop until they’re stopped.

Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, 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

Putin’s Sledgehammer – Candace Rondeaux: https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2025/6/17/putins-sledgehammer
Manufacturing Impunity (Global Rights Compliance): https://globalrightscompliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Manufacturing-Impunity.pdf
Trump’s NATO Summit – AP News: https://apnews.com/article/trump-nato-defense-ukraine-143b53c6429e8de256c8ce0b97fdcd7f
Zohran Mamdani’s Victory Speech: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=zohran+mamdani
Russian Parcel Attacks in Europe – Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lithuania-says-russia-responsible-exploding-parcels-that-caused-fires-2024-11-05/
Lander & Mamdani Cross Endorsement Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYH_zerPE3M
Danish Study on Mental Health & Society – Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/psychology-dark-triad-psychopathy-narcissism-personality-conditions-2085956
IPS Study: Wealth Expands After Taxing the Rich: https://ips-dc.org/report-wealth-expands-after-higher-state-taxes-on-high-income-earners/
Join Weekly Protests at Fox News (Rise and Resist): https://www.riseandresist.org/

Support Gaslit Nation on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gaslit

Transcript

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0:00.0	Yesterday was New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
0:04.5	and former Governor Andrew Cuomo conceded
0:07.1	to State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
0:09.5	On the bright side, on the bright side for Cuomo,
0:13.6	at least he doesn't have to move to New York City.
0:18.2	During his concession speech, Cuomo said the Mamdani put together a great campaign and added, quote,
0:23.8	he touched young people and inspired them and got them to come out and vote.
0:27.8	Cuomo's mistake was waiting until after he was elected to touch young people.
0:37.3	Welcome to Gaslit Nation's bonus show.
0:40.4	I'm your host, Andrea Chalupa, a journalist and filmmaker and the writer and producer of the journalistic thriller, Mr. Jones, about Stalin's genocide famine in Ukraine.
0:51.2	The film The Kremlin doesn't want you to see, so be sure to watch it.
0:54.9	As NATO wrapped up its summit this week in the Netherlands, the Gaslit Nation bonus show is going
0:59.8	to look at how to contain the threat of Russian genocidal imperialism. For that, we are continuing
1:08.4	our important conversation with Candice Rondeau, a veteran war correspondent and fluent Russian speaker who has reported from major global conflicts, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ukraine, and the Caucasus.
1:22.7	A Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Rondo covered 9-11 for the New York Daily News and the Virginia Tech Massacre for the Washington Post.
1:31.5	She directs future frontlines and the Planetary Politics Initiative at New America and teaches at Arizona State University.
1:40.0	She holds degrees from Sarah Lawrence, NYU, and Princeton School of Public and International Affairs,
1:46.0	and it's a leading expert on the future of warfare, democracy, and global security.
1:50.6	We are going to talk about can Russia's genocidal imperialism, which is aligned with some of the worst, all the worst, all the bad dictatorships on this planet, can it be contained?
2:02.0	And for insight on that, we're also going to touch on her new book, Putin's sledgehammer,
2:06.5	where she impacts how a brutal private army rose from the underworld to challenge the very heart of the Russian state.
2:14.0	And that is, of course, Wagner or Wagner, however you want to say it. And two years ago,
	...

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