Yes, things are dark. But if history has taught us anything, it’s this: regimes fall, because people rise. Some soldiers will follow orders. Others won’t. And that fault line? It’s where dictatorships begin to crack. Just ask Romania in 1989, as we discussed in our March episode, “How to Overthrow a Dictator.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s team can’t even staff the Pentagon, according to reports. No one who can put one foot in front of the other wants to work for “Whiskey Pete.” 

The NIH is being gutted. Five-year research grants canceled in year four. Science is being purged, not for savings, but for submission. Stalin would be proud. So what do we do?

We create. We resist. We document.

We fund the arts. We fund scientists. We dance in the streets. Because protest is not just rage: it’s dance, murals, color, joy.

We outnumber them. They know it. That’s why they’re afraid. That’s why they send in the troops.

So unleash your inner rebel. Paint. Dance in the streets. Testify.

We are all artists now.

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!

EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:

• NEW! We now have a Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• June 16 4pm ET – Gabe Garbowit and Keira Havens of Citizens’ Impeachment join our salon to discuss the growing movement to impeach Donald Trump. 

• June 30 4pm ET – America has been here before. Book club discussion of Lillian Faderman’s The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle

• NEW! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.

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

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

• Have you taken Gaslit Nation’s HyperNormalization Survey Yet?

• Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

Show Notes: 

Trump’s concentration camp bill: $160 billion to expand the powers of ICE and build a network of concentration camps https://www.wola.org/analysis/160-billion-to-detain-and-deport-congresss-reconciliation-bill-is-a-betrayal-of-priorities-and-will-harm-the-most-vulnerable/

CNN: Trump sends in the troops: https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3lr76cgcuap26

Gavin Newsom & Federal Tax Boycott (Secession Hints)
CBS News – What to Know About Newsom’s Tax Threat
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-gavin-newsom-federal-tax-boycott-trump-what-to-know/

Scientific Purges
Bethesda Declaration – Defend NIH Scientists
https://standupforscience.org/bethesda-declaration

NIH scientists call on director to protect biomedical research https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/06/09/nx-s1-5425466/nih-research-freedom-bethesda-declaration

Resistance Art Show – KGNU, Boulder (7/11/25)
https://kgnu.org/calendar

ArtWorks for Milwaukee – Teen Art Internships (Donate)
https://www.artworksformilwaukee.org/donate

Zoe Leonard’s Poem “I Want a Dyke for President” – Performed by Mykki Blanco
https://www.youtube.com 

“Invading Antifa Land” – The Stranger
https://www.thestranger.com/news/2025/05/30/80080084/invading-antifa-land

Protesters dancing in Los Angeles https://bsky.app/profile/cafastfoodunion.bsky.social/post/3lr7akcfywk2r