We can send the people pushing fascism on us back into their holes without buying into hate.

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The latest episode of Next Comes What opens with a reminder to get to a No Kings event this weekend. Andrea Pitzer then considers how some authoritarian element is always bubbling away in any society and will crawl out given the opportunity. But sometimes you have to pay attention to see it. She notes how easy it is for millions of Americans to not notice ICE operations now that senior officers aren't making a big national spectacle of everything they do. Nonetheless, arrests and detentions have never stopped--and in many places have gotten worse. On a global scale, Andrea notes the moment she realized the same rhetoric and ideas used to defend the 2003 war in Iraq had come from the Vietnam war decades before—and are now being used to support Trump's war in Iran.

When trying to defeat the fascist impulse seizing so much of the country right now, we do have to think strategically. But being heartless isn't the same as being strategic. Noting the increasing number of Democratic politicians supporting anti-trans bigotry, Andrea argues for learning how to talk to voters who have bought into propaganda without further entrenching the bigotry inherent in that propaganda. The episode closes with thoughts on how to buckle up for the long haul in changing our institutions, while recognizing that the November 3rd election holds the possibility of a tidal shift. Andrea encourages everyone to get out and vote.

00:00 Mass Deportations & ICE Arrest Surges
03:10 USAID Cuts & Global Food Security Crises
05:30 Authoritarianism, Protests & the Midterm Threat
09:20 Russia Dealings, Putin, & Zelensky Tensions
13:10 Parallels to Vietnam & The Costly Invasion of Iraq
15:45 U.S. Aggression vs. Iran's 92-Million-Person Civilization
19:15 Elon Musk's DOGE, Starlink Shutdowns & Political Spending
22:30 The Transgender Rights Battleground & Political Retrenchment
26:15 Building Pro-Democracy Movements & Distinguishing Cowards from Enemies
28:00 Closing Thoughts & Call to Action