Experts join Political Research Associates to discuss the most significant contemporary threats to democracy from the mainstream and Far Right. Listen now so that you can inform your resistance in the fight for a just and inclusive democratic society. A shared analysis makes our resistance stronger.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/10/20/16/3b53dcf0-d469-424b-a417-d8750eb92841_steven_and_ethan.mp3

In this episode, Koki speaks to PRA Principal Research Advisor Steven Gardiner and PRA Senior Research Analyst Ethan Fauré on past attempts and possible attempts by the Trump administration to interfere in the upcoming midterm elections—from deploying armed law enforcement to polling stations, to perpetuating conspiracy narratives that undermine electoral results after the fact. Gardiner and Fauré discuss ways to insulate the election and results from these attacks, how organizers can work with their communities to support the democratic process, and the implications of the 2026 midterms for the Trump administration’s plans in 2028. ResourcesLearn Where and How to Vote at <a href="http://vote.org" rel="nofollow">Vote.org</a>Volunteer to be a Poll Worker at <a href="http://powerthepolls.org" rel="nofollow">PowerthePolls.org</a>Have questions about voting and want to talk to someone? Call or text the Election Protection Hotline at <a href="http://866ourvote.org" rel="nofollow">866ourvote.org</a>

Armed Agents, Mail-in Ballots, and Preparing for Mid-Term Election Interference with Steven Gardiner and Ethan Fauré

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/7/15/18/5f9bf457-43c0-4881-ac45-e23571532d7f_ben_on_cufi_2026_final.mp3

In this episode, PRA Senior Research Analyst Ben Lorber reflects on the contemporary status of the U.S. Christian Zionist movement, embodied by its largest organization: Christians United for Israel. Popular support for Israel has faltered as the U.S. war on Iran grinds on, and influential corners of the Far Right are espousing increasingly vehement critiques of Israel fueled by pervasive antisemitism. Lorber parses the viability of the Christian Zionist movement in the medium and long term and highlights the growing religious Left that is organizing to counter Christian Right power. Ben Lorber is a writer, researcher, and movement strategist, and Senior Research Analyst at PRA, where he focuses on antisemitism and White Christian nationalism. He is co-author, with Shane Burley, of Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism. Ben’s work has appeared on PBS, NPR, The Nation, The Hill, Jewish Currents and more. His analysis has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and many other outlets.Episode Resources<ul><li>Aidan Orly, “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/04/24/101-christian-zionism" rel="nofollow">101: Christian Zionism</a>,” Political Research Associates, April 24, 2024, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/04/24/101-christian-zionism" rel="nofollow">https://politicalresearch.org/2024/04/24/101-christian-zionism</a>.</li><li>Ben Lorber, “<a href="https://religiondispatches.org/2026/06/26/tucker-carlsons-latest-foray-far-right-antisemitism-flies-under-radar" rel="nofollow">Tucker Carlson&#39;s Latest Foray Into Far-Right Antisemitism Flies Under the Radar</a>, “ Religion Dispatches, June 26, 2026, <a href="https://religiondispatches.org/2026/06/26/tucker-carlsons-latest-foray-far-right-antisemitism-flies-under-radar" rel="nofollow">https://religiondispatches.org/2026/06/26/tucker-carlsons-latest-foray-far-right-antisemitism-flies-under-radar</a>.</li><li>Steven Gardiner, “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2020/07/09/end-times-antisemitism" rel="nofollow">End Times Antisemitism: Christian Zionism, Christian Nationalism, and the Threat to Democracy</a>,” Political Research Associates, July 9, 2020, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2020/07/09/end-times-antisemitism" rel="nofollow">https://politicalresearch.org/2020/07/09/end-times-antisemitism</a>.</li><li>Aidan Orly, “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2026/04/08/timeline-us-christian-zionism" rel="nofollow">Timeline of U.S. Christian Zionism</a>,” Political Research Associates, April 8, 2026, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2026/04/08/timeline-us-christian-zionism" rel="nofollow">https://politicalresearch.org/2026/04/08/timeline-us-christian-zionism</a>.</li></ul>

In this episode, PRA Senior Research Analyst Ben Lorber reflects on the contemporary status of the U.S. Christian Zionist movement, embodied by its largest organization: Christians United for Israel. Popular support for Israel has faltered as the U.S. war on Iran grinds on, and influential corners of the Far Right are espousing increasingly vehement critiques of Israel fueled by pervasive antisemitism. 

Lorber parses the viability of the Christian Zionist movement in the medium and long term and highlights the growing religious Left that is organizing to counter Christian Right power. 

Ben Lorber is a writer, researcher, and movement strategist, and Senior Research Analyst at PRA, where he focuses on antisemitism and White Christian nationalism. He is co-author, with Shane Burley, of Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism. 

Ben’s work has appeared on PBS, NPR, The Nation, The Hill, Jewish Currents and more. His analysis has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and many other outlets.

Episode Resources

Aidan Orly, “101: Christian Zionism,” Political Research Associates, April 24, 2024, https://politicalresearch.org/2024/04/24/101-christian-zionism.

Ben Lorber, “Tucker Carlson&#39;s Latest Foray Into Far-Right Antisemitism Flies Under the Radar, “ Religion Dispatches, June 26, 2026, https://religiondispatches.org/2026/06/26/tucker-carlsons-latest-foray-far-right-antisemitism-flies-under-radar.

Steven Gardiner, “End Times Antisemitism: Christian Zionism, Christian Nationalism, and the Threat to Democracy,” Political Research Associates, July 9, 2020, https://politicalresearch.org/2020/07/09/end-times-antisemitism.

Aidan Orly, “Timeline of U.S. Christian Zionism,” Political Research Associates, April 8, 2026, https://politicalresearch.org/2026/04/08/timeline-us-christian-zionism.

End Times Crusaders go to Washington, an interview with Ben Lorber

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/4/14/20/6ece28cb-39ea-4a65-9760-362e34199cbf_ase__protest__persecution__and_resistance_4.14.mp3

In this episode, Koki sits down with PRA Principal research advisor, Steven Gardner, to discuss the recent March 2026 verdicts in the Prairieland case from North Texas when 9 protestors were found guilty of a variety of charges ranging from providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to use and carry an explosive, to concealing a document or record and discharging a firearm. The charges stem from an investigation following a noise demonstration and confrontation with local law enforcement outside a North Texas ICE detention center on July 4, 2025. In court, the case hinged on accusations that these defendants belonged to an Antifa cell and thus engaged in domestic terrorism, premised on the 2025 Executive Order “Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorism Organization.”Steven and Koki discuss the details of the case and trial, other instances of legal persecution of anti-ICE protestors, what these cases tell us about the Trump administration’s authoritarian project and implications for ongoing resistance organizing with concrete advice from Steven on how to mitigate risk without demobilizing.Steven Gardiner is the Principal Research Advisor and former Research Director at Political Research Associates. He has been researching and writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardiner received a PhD in cultural anthropology from Cornell University. Since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than 20 different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE. <h4>Episode Resources</h4><ul><li>Podcast Episode: “<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prairieland-and-antifa-terrorism/id1449762156?i=1000756683411" rel="nofollow">Prairieland and Antifa Terrorism</a>”, It Could Happen Here, March 23, 2026</li><li>Ava Thompson, “<a href="https://www.keranews.org/criminal-justice/2026-02-24/prairieland-ice-detention-center-shooting-alvarado-timeline" rel="nofollow">Timeline: What we know about events surrounding the Prairieland ICE detention center shooting trial</a>”, KERA News, February 24, 2026.</li><li>Steven Monacelli, “<a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/prairieland-antifa-verdict-threatens-anti-trump-resistance/" rel="nofollow">How the Prairieland ‘Antifa’ Verdict Threatens the Anti-Trump Resistance,</a>” Texas Observer, March 19, 2026.</li><li>PRA Podcast, “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2026/02/03/all-eyes-minneapolis-lessons-resisting-authoritarianism" rel="nofollow">All Eyes on Minneapolis: Lessons on Resisting Authoritarianism</a>,” Inform Your Resistance, February 3, 2026.</li><li>Shane Burley, “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2021/07/13/great-2020-antifa-scare" rel="nofollow">The Great 2020 Antifa Scare</a>,” Political Research Associates, July 13, 2021.</li></ul>

In this episode, Koki sits down with PRA Principal research advisor, Steven Gardner, to discuss the recent March 2026 verdicts in the Prairieland case from North Texas when 9 protestors were found guilty of a variety of charges ranging from providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to use and carry an explosive, to concealing a document or record and discharging a firearm. The charges stem from an investigation following a noise demonstration and confrontation with local law enforcement outside a North Texas ICE detention center on July 4, 2025. 

In court, the case hinged on accusations that these defendants belonged to an Antifa cell and thus engaged in domestic terrorism, premised on the 2025 Executive Order “Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorism Organization.”

Steven and Koki discuss the details of the case and trial, other instances of legal persecution of anti-ICE protestors, what these cases tell us about the Trump administration’s authoritarian project and implications for ongoing resistance organizing with concrete advice from Steven on how to mitigate risk without demobilizing.

Steven Gardiner is the Principal Research Advisor and former Research Director at Political Research Associates. He has been researching and writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardiner received a PhD in cultural anthropology from Cornell University. Since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than 20 different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE. 

Episode Resources
- Podcast Episode: “Prairieland and Antifa Terrorism”, It Could Happen Here, March 23, 2026
- Ava Thompson, “Timeline: What we know about events surrounding the Prairieland ICE detention center shooting trial”, KERA News, February 24, 2026.
- Steven Monacelli, “How the Prairieland ‘Antifa’ Verdict Threatens the Anti-Trump Resistance,” Texas Observer, March 19, 2026.
- PRA Podcast, “All Eyes on Minneapolis: Lessons on Resisting Authoritarianism,” Inform Your Resistance, February 3, 2026.
- Shane Burley, “The Great 2020 Antifa Scare,” Political Research Associates, July 13, 2021.

Prosecuting "Antifa": The Prairieland Case and Its Implications for Organizers

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/3/14/18/dba8f294-e307-4ad2-b98a-4e44c7efa712_iran_ep_v2.mp3

In this Season 4 bonus episode, Koki sits down with PRA’s Principal Research Advisor Steven Gardiner to discuss the outset of the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran, how the war compares to a history of U.S. imperial violence, and what it signals about the second Trump administration and its authoritarian project. Gardiner provides analysis of how the lack of support for the war signals possibilities for meaningful rupture in the MAGA coalition and adds significant complexity in the lead up to the 2026 midterm elections.The conversation concludes with an evaluation of what this war means for anti-authoritarian organizing. What can and should organizers be doing to respond effectively in this moment? How do preparedness and resiliency factor into a strategic emphasis on recruitment and mobilization? With the possibility of significant fracture within the MAGA coalition and historically low levels of support for the war within the U.S. electorate, this is a time to act—both to deliver a unified rebuke of the war and to block Trump’s authoritarian progress.Steven Gardiner is the Principal Research Advisor and former Research Director at Political Research Associates. He has been researching and writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardiner received a PhD in cultural anthropology from Cornell University. Since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than 20 different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE. <h4>Episode Resources</h4><ul><li>Habiba Farh, “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/02/14/innocent-until-proven-muslim" rel="nofollow">Innocent Until Proven Muslim: Author Q&amp;A with Dr. Maha Hilal</a>,” The Public Eye, February 14, 2024.</li><li>PRA Podcast, “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/11/07/us-imperialism-comes-home-roost-conversation-ramah-kudaimi" rel="nofollow">U.S. Imperialism Comes Home to Roost: A Conversation with Ramah Kudaimi,</a>” Inform Your Resistance, November 7, 2024.</li><li>PRA Podcast, “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2026/01/20/belligerence-abroad-repression-home" rel="nofollow">Belligerence Abroad, Repression at Home: From Venezuela to ICE, with Steven Gardiner</a>,” Inform Your Resistance, January 20, 2026.</li></ul>

Fracturing the MAGA base: A conversation on the War in Iran and its Reverberations at Home, with Steven Gardiner

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/4/8/21/bacd9efb-4716-45a1-9c44-ec9200c55121_minneapolis_episode_finalv2.mp3

In this bonus episode, PRA researchers discuss the deadly ICE crackdown in Minneapolis and the powerful resistance we’ve seen on the streets. ICE continues to kidnap thousands with impunity, and the brutal murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti show the naked brutality of this authoritarian administration. But everyday people continue to defend their neighbors and communities: by organizing in neighborhoods, on street corners, at airports, and at City Hall; and by grinding business as usual to a halt and showing the entire country, and the world, what it takes to stand up in this moment. To make sense of the moment, PRA’s Ben Lorber talks to fellow Senior Research Analysts Annie Wilkinson and Ethan Fauré, as well as Principal Research Advisor Steven Gardiner. They discuss the decades-long advance of today’s anti-immigrant movement from the margins to the MAGA mainstream; the strategies of lawfare, repression and fearmongering at the heart of the authoritarian playbook; and what we can expect from the Right moving forward. They also explore what the resistance in Minneapolis can teach us as we sharpen our own strategies to block the Right and build a better future. This episode was recorded on Friday, January 30th.Episode Resources<ul><li>Ben Lorber, “The Right Is Shocked by Anti-ICE Organizing,” Religion Dispatches, January 26, 2026, <a href="https://religiondispatches.org/2026/01/26/right-shocked-anti-ice-organizing" rel="nofollow">https://religiondispatches.org/2026/01/26/right-shocked-anti-ice-organizing</a>. </li><li>Annika Brockschmidt, “Make No Mistake About Trump’s Minnesota ‘De-Escalation,’” Religion Dispatches, January 30, 2026, <a href="https://religiondispatches.org/2026/01/30/make-no-mistake-about-trumps-minnesota-de-escalation" rel="nofollow">https://religiondispatches.org/2026/01/30/make-no-mistake-about-trumps-minnesota-de-escalation</a>. </li><li>Kelly Hayes, “In Chicago, We Run Toward Danger Together,” Organizing My Thoughts, November 8, 2025, <a href="https://organizingmythoughts.org/in-chicago-we-run-toward-danger-together" rel="nofollow">https://organizingmythoughts.org/in-chicago-we-run-toward-danger-together</a>. </li><li>Ethan Fauré, “‘We Must Fight for Everyone’ for Immigrant Justice,” The Public Eye, September 23, 2025, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/09/23/we-must-fight-everyone-immigrant-justice" rel="nofollow">https://politicalresearch.org/2025/09/23/we-must-fight-everyone-immigrant-justice</a>.</li></ul>

All Eyes on Minneapolis: Lessons on Resisting Authoritarianism

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/1/16/17/c0126d7d-599d-48ed-be0d-5975ac9da505_koki_and_steven_venezuela_and_ice_final.mp3

In this season bonus episode, Koki talks to Steven Gardiner, PRA Principal Research Advisor, about the Trump administration’s early-January attack on Venezuela and escalating domestic confrontations around ICE enforcement, including the Minneapolis protests around the murder of Nicole Good. Gardiner describes how the kidnapping of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro represents both a familiar extension of U.S. imperial power and a dangerous acceleration of presidential authority, bypassing Congress and normal democratic oversight. He explains that this belligerence largely resonates with the MAGA base, which accepts violent action when framed as efficient, hypermasculine, and rooted in authoritarianism rather than democracy or human rights. Gardiner concludes with guidance for organizers: increase participation to prevent fatigue and stress; build strong, offsite support networks off the front lines; maintain the practice nonviolence, prepare for right-wing provocation, targeting, and doxing; and apply sustained pressure on those with the biggest voices. Effective action, he argues, must extend beyond the streets to counter an increasingly authoritarian state.Steven Gardiner is Principal Research Advisor and formerly Research Director here at Political Research Associates. He has been researching writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardiner received a PhD in cultural anthropology from Cornell University. Since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than 20 different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE. Episode Resources<ul><li>Political Research Associates, “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/06/12/trump-20s-first-100-days" rel="nofollow">Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days: Authoritarian Gains and Consolidation</a>,” The Public Eye, 2025.  </li><li>Katherine Stewart, “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/07/02/burning-down-house" rel="nofollow">Burning Down the House: What’s Behind the U.S. Antidemocratic Reaction?</a>” The Public Eye, 2025.  </li><li> Political Research Associates, “‘<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/08/14/do-not-let-grief-harden-despair-pra-analyzes-trump-20s-first-100-days-part-1" rel="nofollow">Do Not Let Grief Harden into Despair’: PRA Analyzes Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days, Part 1</a>,” Inform Your Resistance, 2025. </li><li>Political Research Associates, “‘<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/09/25/its-never-just-about-gender-gender-and-authoritarianism-pra-analyzes-trump-20s-first-100" rel="nofollow">It&#39;s Never Just About Gender’: Gender and Authoritarianism: PRA Analyzes Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days, Part 2</a>,” Inform Your Resistance, 2025.</li></ul> KeywordsVenezuela attack, Nicolás Maduro kidnapping, Trump administration, authoritarianism, MAGA, foreign policy, ICE attacks, ICE raids, Anti-ICE protests, Renee Good murder, Minneapolis protests, Insurrection Act, hypermasculinity, U.S. imperialism, nonviolent resistance, right-wing provocation, protests, resistance, Far Right, fascism, repression, militarism

Belligerence Abroad, Repression at Home: From Venezuela to ICE, with Steven Gardiner

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/1/13/20/85eefe43-74fc-440d-8f65-a8c87d445f8e_iyr_s4_ep_9_final.mp3

In this season finale episode, Koki talks to Steven Gardiner, PRA Principal Research Advisor, to reflect on the first year of Trump&#39;s second term and its implications for U.S. democracy. While the MAGA base remains about 15% of the U.S. and Trump’s approval ratings remain low, the Trump administration has chipped away at democratic norms, maintained control over the Republican party, decimated the bureaucratic state, and is poised to interfere with the 2026 midterms and likely 2028 elections beyond through strategies of “contested authoritarianism.” But the highly visible actions of immigration enforcement, violations of the constitution, and nods toward White supremacy do not equate with chaos alone. Gardiner lays out how these are spectacles that mobilize, fear-monger, and deliberately normalize repression, erode democracy, and spur further political violence. He also discusses the effects of Project 2025 in action, attacks on trans rights and bodily sovereignty, and the roles of Dominionist theologies and Christian nationalism more broadly. The episode concludes by focusing on opportunities for division and dissent within the U.S. Right, along with the difficult but necessary work ahead to withstand election interference, register dissent, and continue to build the necessary power to overcome rising authoritarianism.Steven Gardiner is Principal Research Advisor and formerly Research Director here at Political Research Associates. He has been researching writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardner received a PhD in cultural anthropology from Cornell University. Since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than 20 different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE. Episode Resources<ul><li>Political Research Associates, “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/06/12/trump-20s-first-100-days" rel="nofollow">Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days: Authoritarian Gains and Consolidation</a>,” The Public Eye, 2025.  </li><li>Katherine Stewart, “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/07/02/burning-down-house" rel="nofollow">Burning Down the House: What’s Behind the U.S. Antidemocratic Reaction?</a>” The Public Eye, 2025.  </li><li> Political Research Associates, “‘<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/08/14/do-not-let-grief-harden-despair-pra-analyzes-trump-20s-first-100-days-part-1" rel="nofollow">Do Not Let Grief Harden into Despair’: PRA Analyzes Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days, Part 1</a>,” Inform Your Resistance, 2025. </li><li>Political Research Associates, “‘<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/09/25/its-never-just-about-gender-gender-and-authoritarianism-pra-analyzes-trump-20s-first-100" rel="nofollow">It&#39;s Never Just About Gender’: Gender and Authoritarianism: PRA Analyzes Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days, Part 2</a>,” Inform Your Resistance, 2025. </li></ul>

Beyond the Ballot: the Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism with Steven Gardiner

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/12/8/21/148bc25c-1cbc-492c-a51b-8a1369576a39_s4_ep8_final.mp3

In this episode of Inform Your Resistance, Koki reads “<a href="https://live.politicalresearch.org/2025/10/06/florida-tip-spear" rel="nofollow">Florida Is the ‘Tip of the Spear:’ How 287(g) Expansion Fuels Mass Deportations</a>” by Jessica Pishko, as part of our ongoing From the Archives series. From the Archives features those must read and, now, must listen to pieces from PRA’s more than 40 years of publishing. This article was published in the Fall 2025 issue of The Public Eye magazine.Resources<ul><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/09/10/1198684058/the-unchecked-power-of-sheriffs" rel="nofollow">&#34;The Unchecked Power Of Sheriffs</a>,&#34; Fresh Air, 2024.</li></ul>

How 287(g) Expansion Fuels Mass Deportations

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/11/19/21/a05bcb9c-51cd-4f9c-bca7-1cdd24944aeb_s4_ep_7_final_.mp3

How is ICE mobilizing on our streets today? What role does local law enforcement play in Trump’s immigration crackdown? And what are local organizers doing about it?This episode is guest hosted by Cloee Cooper, PRA Research Director and host of <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/the-insurgence-sheriffs" rel="nofollow">The Insurgence: Sheriffs</a>, a podcast series that uncovers how a national network of far-right sheriffs is mobilizing to create a White Christian republic, one county at a time. This episode features Felicia Arriaga, Jessica Pishko, and Camilo Garzón.Felicia Arriaga, who is featured in <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/10/24/what-is-FAIR" rel="nofollow">episode four of The Insurgence: Sheriffs</a>, is the author of Behind Crimmigration: ICE, Law Enforcement, and Resistance in America. Felicia is also a former fellow with PRA.Jessica Pishko, who is featured in <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/10/31/stop-steal" rel="nofollow">episode six of The Insurgence: Sheriffs</a> is a lawyer and journalist. She&#39;s the author of the recently released book, The Highest Law in the Land: How the Unchecked Power of Sheriffs Threatens Democracy.Camilo Garzón is an award-winning Colombian American writer, filmmaker, documentarian, and journalist. He is the founder of Cuentero Productions which produced The Insurgence: Sheriffs.Episode Resources<ul><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/the-insurgence-sheriffs" rel="nofollow">The Insurgence: Sheriffs</a> on PRA Presents, wherever you get your podcasts</li><li>Pishko, Jessica. “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/10/06/florida-tip-spear" rel="nofollow">Florida Is the ‘Tip of the Spear’: How 287(g) Expansion Fuels Mass Deportations</a>,” The Public Eye, 2025.</li></ul>

How is ICE mobilizing on our streets today? What role does local law enforcement play in Trump’s immigration crackdown? And what are local organizers doing about it?

This episode is guest hosted by Cloee Cooper, PRA Research Director and host of The Insurgence: Sheriffs, a podcast series that uncovers how a national network of far-right sheriffs is mobilizing to create a White Christian republic, one county at a time. This episode features Felicia Arriaga, Jessica Pishko, and Camilo Garzón.

Felicia Arriaga, who is featured in episode four of The Insurgence: Sheriffs, is the author of Behind Crimmigration: ICE, Law Enforcement, and Resistance in America. Felicia is also a former fellow with PRA.

Jessica Pishko, who is featured in episode six of The Insurgence: Sheriffs is a lawyer and journalist. She&#39;s the author of the recently released book, The Highest Law in the Land: How the Unchecked Power of Sheriffs Threatens Democracy.

Camilo Garzón is an award-winning Colombian American writer, filmmaker, documentarian, and journalist. He is the founder of Cuentero Productions which produced The Insurgence: Sheriffs.

The New Frontlines of Trump’s Immigration Crackdown

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/10/9/19/44522963-4b51-4f45-983b-6798c1beae0c_iyr_s4_ep_6_final_1_.mp3

In this episode, Hialy Gutierrez, PRA Deputy Research Director, and Claudia Espinel, discuss the connections and contradictions between prevailing economic systems, political infrastructure and ideology, and rising authoritarianism. We touch on the various ways that corporate power intersects with government, civil society, and media to prioritize profit accumulation and market dominance over human and environmental dignity and wellbeing. We also identify ways to sharpen movement strategy so that we can more effectively and more coherently fight back, not just against authoritarian leaders and governance, but also against the economic systems that keep enabling them. We highlight the urgent need to combine our narrative strategies to combat the spread of far right ideology with a clear, materialist strategy to build alternative economic systems.Hialy Gutierrez is the Deputy Research Director at Political Research Associates, where she supports researchers in grounding and testing their analyses in a political economy strategic framework. She is also a cooperator in the solidarity economy ecosystem in Chicago; a PhD candidate and Fellow at the University of Illinois at Chicago where she explores strategic relationships and possibilities across grassroots movements, state institutions, and alternative institutions; and a steering member of the NY-DSA political education academy where she helps to advance education on different expressions of socialism. Claudia works as a consultant for the new Corporate Rights portfolio and political economy at PRA. After spending 15 years in organizational development for both for-profit and non-profit organizations, Claudia joined the PhD program in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago as a student. Her research focuses on the role of labor in neoliberalism and the forces and dynamics that create the conditions for labor exploitation. Claudia’s main research interests include non-extractive labor, cooperative governance, and democratic workplaces. She served as the research manager for the Community Wealth Building Project, a City of Chicago initiative that supports cooperative development. She also works on political education projects within Chicago’s worker cooperative ecosystem and has experience in building structures and processes to institutionalize democratized economic governance.Resources<ul><li>Media Justice. <a href="https://mediajustice.org/" rel="nofollow">https://mediajustice.org/</a> </li><li>Rashid, Qasim, Esq. “<a href="https://www.qasimrashid.com/p/corporate-media-is-capitulating-to" rel="nofollow">Corporate Media Is Capitulating to Trump</a>,” Let&#39;s Address This with Qasim Rashid, 2025. </li><li>Torres-Spelliscy, Ciara. Corporatocracy: How to Protect Democracy from Dark Money and Corrupt Politicians. NYU Press, 2024.</li><li>Cooper, Cloee. “ <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/12/13/what-movement-infrastructure" rel="nofollow">What Is Movement Infrastructure? How Movements Sustain Us Amid Rising Authoritarianism</a>,” The Public Eye, 2024.</li></ul>

In this episode, Hialy Gutierrez, PRA Deputy Research Director, and Claudia Espinel, discuss the connections and contradictions between prevailing economic systems, political infrastructure and ideology, and rising authoritarianism. We touch on the various ways that corporate power intersects with government, civil society, and media to prioritize profit accumulation and market dominance over human and environmental dignity and wellbeing. We also identify ways to sharpen movement strategy so that we can more effectively and more coherently fight back, not just against authoritarian leaders and governance, but also against the economic systems that keep enabling them. We highlight the urgent need to combine our narrative strategies to combat the spread of far right ideology with a clear, materialist strategy to build alternative economic systems.

Hialy Gutierrez is the Deputy Research Director at Political Research Associates, where she supports researchers in grounding and testing their analyses in a political economy strategic framework. She is also a cooperator in the solidarity economy ecosystem in Chicago; a PhD candidate and Fellow at the University of Illinois at Chicago where she explores strategic relationships and possibilities across grassroots movements, state institutions, and alternative institutions; and a steering member of the NY-DSA political education academy where she helps to advance education on different expressions of socialism. 

Claudia works as a consultant for the new Corporate Rights portfolio and political economy at PRA. After spending 15 years in organizational development for both for-profit and non-profit organizations, Claudia joined the PhD program in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago as a student. Her research focuses on the role of labor in neoliberalism and the forces and dynamics that create the conditions for labor exploitation. Claudia’s main research interests include non-extractive labor, cooperative governance, and democratic workplaces. She served as the research manager for the Community Wealth Building Project, a City of Chicago initiative that supports cooperative development. She also works on political education projects within Chicago’s worker cooperative ecosystem and has experience in building structures and processes to institutionalize democratized economic governance.

​Coalitions and Contradictions between Capitalist and Far Right Agendas with Hialy Gutierrez and Claudia Espinel

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/9/24/21/6561b0a1-0712-48f5-b1ba-4bed5060fcb8_iyr_ep_5_final.mp3

This episode is the second in PRA’s panel discussion series, The First 100 Days of Authoritarian Gains: Key Analysis to Inform Our Resistance. This second part discusses how MAGA weaponizes gender to entrench authoritarianism. Looking at the essential role that anti-LGBTQ, particularly anti-trans organizing and policy and anti-reproductive healthcare access and abortion restriction play in reinforcing authoritarian norms and politics.Research Analysts, Annie Wilkinson, Chancie Calliham, and Mary Reynolds are joined by reproductive justice movement leader Norbese Flint, for this focused discussion of the ways that gender and bodies are reified restricted and deployed by the U.S. Right to reinforce the cis-hetero Christian patriarchal norms that are essential to the authoritarian state making project both in the United States and abroad.They conclude their discussion with a clear call to action that defending reproductive and LGBTQ rights and flourishing are essential to the work of resistance and provide key insights into how to do this extraordinarily necessary work. The discussion is inspired by PRAs recent Winter Spring 2025, issue of the Public Eye on gender and authoritarianism.Resources<ul><li>Gardiner, Steven. “<a href="https://religiondispatches.org/authoritarians-must-break-your-will-to-resist-so-what-can-you-do-about-it/" rel="nofollow">Authoritarians Must Break Your Will to Resist — So What Can You Do About It?</a>” Religion Dispatches, 2024.</li><li>Gardiner, Steven, and Tarso Luís Ramos. “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2022/01/12/capitol-offenses-january-6th-2021-ongoing-insurrection" rel="nofollow">Capitol Offenses: January 6th 2021 &amp; The Ongoing Insurrection</a>.” Political Research Associates.</li><li>Political Research Associates. “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/06/12/trump-20s-first-100-days" rel="nofollow">Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days: Authoritarian Gains and Consolidation.</a>” The Public Eye, 2025.</li><li>Ramos, Tarso Luís, and Kathryn Joyce. “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2018/01/19/one-year-in-a-qa-with-tarso-luis-ramos" rel="nofollow">One Year In: A Q&amp;A with Tarso Luís Ramos on Trump’s First Year in Office</a>.” The Public Eye, 2018.</li><li>Wilkinson, Annie, and Mary Reynolds, with Nourbese Flint. “<a href="http://politicalresearch.org/2025/03/12/authoritarianism-criminalization-and-reproductive-injustice" rel="nofollow">Authoritarianism, Criminalization, and Reproductive Injustice: A Roundtable Discussion</a>.” The Public Eye, 2025.</li></ul>

This episode is the second in PRA’s panel discussion series, The First 100 Days of Authoritarian Gains: Key Analysis to Inform Our Resistance. This second part discusses how MAGA weaponizes gender to entrench authoritarianism. Looking at the essential role that anti-LGBTQ, particularly anti-trans organizing and policy and anti-reproductive healthcare access and abortion restriction play in reinforcing authoritarian norms and politics.

Research Analysts, Annie Wilkinson, Chancie Calliham, and Mary Reynolds are joined by reproductive justice movement leader Norbese Flint, for this focused discussion of the ways that gender and bodies are reified restricted and deployed by the U.S. Right to reinforce the cis-hetero Christian patriarchal norms that are essential to the authoritarian state making project both in the United States and abroad.

They conclude their discussion with a clear call to action that defending reproductive and LGBTQ rights and flourishing are essential to the work of resistance and provide key insights into how to do this extraordinarily necessary work. The discussion is inspired by PRAs recent Winter Spring 2025, issue of the Public Eye on gender and authoritarianism.

“It's Never Just About Gender”: Gender and Authoritarianism: PRA Analyzes Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days, Part 2

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/9/2/22/5f21dea4-4126-48e6-a14d-86ea27f089b4_ltc_ep1_final.mp3

Inform Your Resistance is coming to you this week in between regularly scheduled episodes to introduce you to a new podcast series, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/lifting-curtain-antisemitism" rel="nofollow">Lifting the Curtain on Antisemitism</a>. This collaboration between <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/" rel="nofollow">Political Research Associates</a> and <a href="https://diasporaalliance.co/" rel="nofollow">Diaspora Alliance</a> explores how to understand antisemitism and its weaponization and to fight for collective liberation. Amidst rising authoritarianism and Israel’s genocide in Gaza, this series offers a rigorous analysis of how authoritarians uses antisemitism and its weaponization as a tool to repress progressive movements and to dismantle democracy itself.You can find all six episodes of Lifting the Curtain on Antisemitism on the PRA Presents feed wherever you get your podcasts or on <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/lifting-curtain-antisemitism" rel="nofollow">politicalresearch.org</a>.

Lifting the Curtain on Antisemitism—Episode 1: What is Antisemitism and its Weaponization? A Conversation for Movement Organizers with Shoshana Brown and Ben Lorber

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/8/12/16/7d560da4-5847-4df4-b5d1-efcca9be697a_iyr_ep_4_final.mp3

Our collective freedom is at stake. How do we prevent the most vulnerable from being excluded, targeted, or taken advantage of, while providing values, moral clarity, and the most strategic inputs possible? In this first of a two-part series, we share insights from PRA’s researchers about how to move beyond the work on blocking rising authoritarianism, to the work of building power, vision, and solidarity. Steven Gardiner, Ethan Fauré, and an unnamed PRA researcher in conversation with the Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart describe the first 100 days of the second Trump administration, and how to respond. Our panelists provide an overview of the quality makeup and ideologies of the current Trump administration, the interplay between state repression, particularly of the Palestinian Liberation Movement, and Islamophobia and weaponized antisemitism, and the expansion of the deportation machine in direct alignment with the white nationalist anti-immigration movement. They provide deep insights into the White, Judeo-Christian authoritarianism demonstrated in extrajudicial violence, denial of humanity, further power disregard for congressional and judicial power, concentration of executive power, the “power of the purse,” and attacks on public speech, gathering, and due process.Our panelists offer insights to focus your organizing, stay in community, right size threats to understand them more accurately, create counternarratives, get into the field, enact noncompliance, and identify and grow the fissures between factions of the Right.Resources<ul><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/06/12/trump-20s-first-100-days" rel="nofollow">Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days Authoritarian Gains and Consolidation</a> by Political Research Associates</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/07/10/antidote-authoritarianism-jiva-manske" rel="nofollow">The Antidote to Authoritarianism with Jiva Manske</a> by Political Research Associates (podcast)</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/12/13/what-movement-infrastructure" rel="nofollow">What Is Movement Infrastructure? How Movements Sustain Us Amid Rising Authoritarianism</a> by Cloee Cooper</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/11/21/qa-harnessing-our-power-end-political-violence" rel="nofollow">Q&amp;A: Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence: An interview with Scot Nakagawa and Hardy Merriman</a> by Naomi Washington Leapheart</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/12/13/review-commune-or-nothing" rel="nofollow">Book Review: Commune or Nothing! Lessons for Building Grassroots Power Toward Liberation and Democracy</a> by Hialy Gutierrez</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/12/04/three-way-fight" rel="nofollow">Book Excerpt: Three Way Fight: Revolutionary Politics and Antifascism</a> by Xtn Alexander and Matthew N. Lyons</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/12/13/rising-against-authoritarianism" rel="nofollow">Rising Against Authoritarianism: Amplifying Voices for Immigrant Justice</a> by Cloee Cooper</li><li>Religion Dispatches article: <a href="https://religiondispatches.org/authoritarians-must-break-your-will-to-resist-so-what-can-you-do-about-it/" rel="nofollow">“Authoritarians Must Break Your Will to Resist — So What Can You Do About it?”</a> by Steven Gardiner</li><li>Religion Dispatches article: <a href="https://religiondispatches.org/trumps-cabinet-and-other-picks-paint-picture-of-a-christian-nationalist-kakistocracy/" rel="nofollow">“Trump’s Cabinet (and Other) Picks Paint Picture of a Christian Nationalist ‘Kakistocracy’”</a> by Annika Brockschmidt and Thomas Lecaque</li><li>Religion Dispatches article: <a href="https://religiondispatches.org/leading-constitutional-sheriffs-org-announces-full-support-for-trumps-mass-deportations/" rel="nofollow">“Leading ‘Constitutional Sheriffs’ Org Announces ‘Full Support’ for Trump’s Mass Deportations”</a> by Ethan Fauré</li></ul>

“Do Not Let Grief Harden into Despair”: PRA Analyzes Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days, Part 1

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/7/8/16/e44ccb52-0715-452e-974a-09ec9016c50d_iyr_s4_ep_3_final.mp3

Today’s episode welcomes Jiva Manske. Koki and Jiva lay out key ways that the Left can and must build a shared vision of democracy, all while the pro-democracy movement is in a moment of extreme crisis. They talk through the “what is to be done?” about this moment, drawing inspiration from key strategies such as mobilizing, non-compliance, non-violent direct action, and alternative institutions like mutual aid, collective care, and infrastructures of solidarity. In discussing a range of accessible, non-violent actions both historic and current—from the 1930 Salt March across India to the street theater of 1970s Chile to the recent veterans D-Day protest in D.C. in June 2025—Jiva describes why we need to look to our past to build up resilience for our present, and in turn, seed the global democratic future we need and desire.Jiva Manske is an organizer, strategist, partner, and dad who is connected to people around the world who are dedicated to building powerful, transformational movements. His work focuses on building a more resilient, innovative, and aligned pro-democracy field. His approach to change is grounded in a commitment to accountability through collective action, organizing led by those most impacted by injustice, and healing-centered practice. He has facilitated strategy, training, and change with youth, elders, activists, incarcerated people, educators, and government officials in Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Canada, Costa Rica, England, Iran, Ireland, Mexico, Peru, Romania, and throughout the United States. <h3>Resources:</h3><ul><li>Grace Lee Boggs, Living for Change: An Autobiography By Grace Lee Boggs, Minneapolis: UMN Press (2016)</li><li>Chancie Calliham, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/02/04/calling" rel="nofollow">”Calling In Author Q&amp;A with Loretta Ross,”</a> Political Research Associates (2025)</li><li>End Political Violence, <a href="https://www.endpoliticalviolence.org/" rel="nofollow">endpoliticalviolence.org</a> (2025)</li><li>Freedom Trainers, <a href="http://freedomtrainers.net" rel="nofollow">freedomtrainers.net</a> (2025)</li><li>Jean Hardisty, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/1995/09/01/resurgent-right" rel="nofollow">“The Resurgent Right Why Now?,”</a> Political Research Associates (1995)</li><li>Lauren Jacobs, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2023/12/11/worker-power-fight-against-authoritarianism-conversation-powerswitch-actions-lauren" rel="nofollow">Worker Power in the Fight Against Authoritarianism, a conversation with PowerSwitch Action&#39;s Lauren Jacobs</a>, Inform Your Resistance (podcast) (2023)</li><li>Political Research Associates, “<a href="https://www.politicalresearch.org/ground-rules-and-tips-challenging-right" rel="nofollow">Ground Rules and Tips for Challenging the Right</a>,” Political Research Associates (2016)</li><li>Scot Nakagawa, The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook, <a href="http://antiauthoritarianplaybook.substack.com" rel="nofollow">antiauthoritarianplaybook.substack.com</a> (2025) </li><li>Urvashi Vaid, with eds. Jyotsna Vaid and Amy Hoffman. The Dream of a Common Movement Selected Writings of Urvashi Vaid, Durham: Duke University Press (2025)</li></ul>

The Antidote to Authoritarianism with Jiva Manske

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/6/5/19/4580d154-40bf-4cce-8722-3eeb7c703cc8_iyr_s4_ep_2_final__once_a_month_.mp3

In this episode of Inform Your Resistance, Koki reads “<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/04/02/gender-and-authoritarianism" rel="nofollow">Gender and Authoritarianism: A Framework for Analysis and Action</a>” by Annie Wilkinson, as part of our ongoing From the Archives series. From the Archives features those must read and, now, must listen to pieces from PRA’s more than 40 years of publishing. This article was published in the Winter/Spring 2025 issue of The Public Eye magazine, and you can <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/04/02/gender-and-authoritarianism" rel="nofollow">read the article here</a>.

Why Authoritarianism Needs Gender Stereotypes – and Democracy Needs Gender Justice by Annie Wilkinson

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/6/3/21/0665024a-4159-4a8f-8bca-9f95cfe10ee5_iyr_s4_e1_final__once_a_month__new_intro_.mp3

In conversation with PRA’s Principal Research Advisor Steven Gardiner, he and Koki discuss the wide-ranging practices, policies, and ideologies underlying the antidemocratic goals of the Neoreactionary Right—and how to resist them. Diving into the foundations of white nationalism and Christian supremacy that prop up the billionaire agenda under Trump, their conversation pieces together the connections in topics ranging from privately owned micro states and the tariff regime intended to re-industrialize a post-industrial United States, to the fascistic, curtailing of opposition and checks on power.<a href="https://politicalresearch.org/bio/steven-gardiner" rel="nofollow">Steven Gardiner</a> is Principal Research Advisor, and formerly Research Director, at Political Research Associates. He has been researching and writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardiner received a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Cornell University; since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than twenty different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE.Resources:<ul><li>Peter Montgomery, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/02/14/project-2025" rel="nofollow">“Project 2025: How Trump Loyalists and Right-Wing Leaders Are Paving a Fast Road to Fascism,”</a> Political Research Associates, Feb 14 (2024)</li><li>Erica Verrillo, <a href="https://ericaverr.medium.com/the-neo-reactionary-coup-6a5d797785ab" rel="nofollow">“The Neo-Reactionary Coup Erica Verrillo,”</a> Medium, Feb 8 (2025) </li><li>James Pogue, <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/04/inside-the-new-right-where-peter-thiel-is-placing-his-biggest-bets" rel="nofollow">“Inside the New Right, Where Peter Thiel Is Placing His Biggest Bets They’re not MAGA,”</a> Apr 20 (2022)</li><li>Andrew Prokop, <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23373795/curtis-yarvin-neoreaction-redpill-moldbug" rel="nofollow">“Curtis Yarvin wants American democracy toppled. He has some prominent Republican fans. The New Right blogger has been cited by Blake Masters and J.D. Vance. What exactly is he advocating?,”</a> Vox, Oct 24 (2022) </li><li>George Michael, <a href="https://theconversation.com/an-antidemocratic-philosophy-called-neoreaction-is-creeping-into-gop-politics-182581" rel="nofollow">“An antidemocratic philosophy called ‘neoreaction’ is creeping into GOP politics,”</a> The Conversation, Jul 27 (2022)</li><li>Jason Wilson, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/21/curtis-yarvin-trump" rel="nofollow">“He’s anti-democracy and pro-Trump: the obscure ‘dark enlightenment’ blogger influencing the next US administration,”</a> The Guardian, Dec 21 (2024) </li><li>Ben Makuch, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/02/curtis-yarvin-harvard" rel="nofollow">“Extremist blogger to debate Harvard professor at unsanctioned campus event,”</a> May 2 (2025)</li><li>Hialy Gutierrez, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/04/16/exposing-and-resisting-coordinated-attacks-higher-education" rel="nofollow">“Exposing and Resisting the Coordinated Attacks on Higher Education: Q&amp;A with Isaac Kamola on Manufacturing Backlash,”</a> Apr 16 (2025)</li><li>Scot Nakagawa, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/04/09/why-theyre-winning-and-what-we-can-do-about-it" rel="nofollow">“Why They&#39;re Winning And What We Can Do About It: An Issue of the Anti-Authoritarian Playbook Newsletter,”</a> Apr 9 (2025)</li><li>Alyssa Bowen, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/12/13/education-wars" rel="nofollow">“The Education Wars: Author Q&amp;A with Jennifer C. Berkshire,”</a> Political Research Associates, Dec 13 (2024)</li><li>Ben Lorber, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2025/03/11/three-way-fight" rel="nofollow">“Three Way Fight: Author Q&amp;A with Xtn Alexander and Matthew N. Lyons,”</a> Political Research Associates, Mar 11 (2025)</li><li>Steven Gardiner, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2020/07/09/end-times-antisemitism" rel="nofollow">“End Times Antisemitism: Christian Zionism, Christian Nationalism, and the Threat to Democracy,”</a> Jul 9 (2020)</li><li>Aidan Orly, <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/04/24/101-christian-zionism" rel="nofollow">“101: Christian Zionism,”</a> Apr 24 (2024)</li></ul> Keywords: Authoritarianism, fascism, Far Right, techoauthoritariansim, NeoReactionary Movement, Neo-Reactionary movement, NRx, Dark Enlightenment, DOGE, Elon Musk, JD Vance, Stephen Miller, Peter Thiel, technofascism, technostate, White nationalism, Christian nationalism, private military, neoliberalism, Libertarian movement, labor, theocracy, microstates, Christian Zionism, state capture, Project 2025, Trump administration, Donald Trump, anti-immigrant, deportations, resistance, mutual aid, democracy

In conversation with PRA’s Senior Research Analyst Steven Gardiner, he and Koki discuss the wide-ranging practices, policies, and ideologies underlying the antidemocratic goals of the Neoreactionary Right—and how to resist them. Diving into the foundations of white nationalism and Christian supremacy that prop up the billionaire agenda under Trump, their conversation pieces together the connections in topics ranging from privately owned micro states and the tariff regime intended to re-industrialize a post-industrial United States, to the fascistic, curtailing of opposition and checks on power.

Steven Gardiner is Principal Research Advisor, and formerly Research Director, at Political Research Associates. He has been researching and writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardiner received a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Cornell University; since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than twenty different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE.

The Neoreactionary Movement Defining the Authoritarian Rise with Steven Gardiner

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/2/5/22/ee7d7e02-66b3-4c13-9abd-529ca3b22fea_ep_10_final.mp3

In this episode, Koki interviews PRA’s former Executive Director Tarso Luís Ramos, who stepped down from his role in December 2024 after nearly two decades at the helm of the organization. With over 30 years of experience working, researching, and leading in the Fight the Right sector, Tarso has had an indelible impact in the social justice Left, informing the ongoing and evolving fight against White, Christian, patriarchal supremacy. In our conversation, he reflects on the fascinating ways that the terrain of contestation between Left and Right has shifted over three decades, what this evolution tells us about the possibilities and imperatives of this moment, and where he looks to for inspiration in an era of growing authoritarianism.Former PRA Executive Director, Tarso Luís Ramos has been researching and challenging the U.S. Right Wing for nearly 30 years. At PRA, Tarso launched major initiatives on antisemitism, misogyny, authoritarianism, White nationalism, and other threats to democracy. Ramos is a sought-after public speaker and his work has been featured in The Guardian, The New York Times, and Time Magazine, among other outlets. Before joining PRA in 2006, Ramos served as founding director of Western States Center’s racial justice program, and exposed and challenged corporate anti-environmental campaigns as director of the Wise Use Public Exposure Project. Resources: <ul><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2008/06/06/nativist-bedfellows-the-christian-right-embraces-anti-immigrant-politics" rel="nofollow">Nativist Bedfellows: The Christian Right Embraces Anti-Immigrant Politics</a> by Tarso Luís Ramos and Pam Chamberlain for Political Research Associates</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/10/10/archives-nativist-bedfellows-tarso-luis-ramos-and-pam-chamberlin" rel="nofollow">Listen to “Nativist Bedfellows: The Christian Right Embrace Anti-Immigrant Politics” on Inform Your Resistance Season 3, Episode 2</a></li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2018/01/19/one-year-in-a-qa-with-tarso-luis-ramos" rel="nofollow">One Year In: A Q&amp;A with Tarso Luís Ramos</a> on Trump’s first year in office by Tarso Luís Ramos and Kathryn Joyce for The Public Eye</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2018/11/19/facingraceplenary" rel="nofollow">Multi-Racial Democracy, or Authoritarianism?</a>: A Webinar Discussion and Excerpt by Tarso Luís Ramos at the 2018 Facing Race conference closing plenary</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2022/01/12/capitol-offenses-january-6th-2021-ongoing-insurrection" rel="nofollow">Capitol Offenses: January 6th 2021 &amp; The Ongoing Insurrection, PRA State of the Right Report</a> by Steven Gardiner and Tarso Luís Ramos for Political Research Associates</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/strategy/pra-news/press-release-political-research-associates-welcomes-new-executive-director" rel="nofollow">Press Release: Political Research Associates Welcomes New Executive Director Sylvia Broude</a></li></ul>

In this episode, Koki interviews PRA’s former Executive Director Tarso Luís Ramos, who stepped down from his role in December 2024 after nearly two decades at the helm of the organization. With over 30 years of experience working, researching, and leading in the Fight the Right sector, Tarso has had an indelible impact in the social justice Left, informing the ongoing and evolving fight against White, Christian, patriarchal supremacy. In our conversation, he reflects on the fascinating ways that the terrain of contestation between Left and Right has shifted over three decades, what this evolution tells us about the possibilities and imperatives of this moment, and where he looks to for inspiration in an era of growing authoritarianism.

Former PRA Executive Director, Tarso Luís Ramos has been researching and challenging the U.S. Right Wing for nearly 30 years. At PRA, Tarso launched major initiatives on antisemitism, misogyny, authoritarianism, White nationalism, and other threats to democracy. Ramos is a sought-after public speaker and his work has been featured in The Guardian, The New York Times, and Time Magazine, among other outlets. 

Before joining PRA in 2006, Ramos served as founding director of Western States Center’s racial justice program, and exposed and challenged corporate anti-environmental campaigns as director of the Wise Use Public Exposure Project.

Resources: 

Nativist Bedfellows: The Christian Right Embraces Anti-Immigrant Politics by Tarso Luís Ramos and Pam Chamberlain for Political Research Associates

Listen to “Nativist Bedfellows: The Christian Right Embrace Anti-Immigrant Politics” on Inform Your Resistance Season 3, Episode 2

One Year In: A Q&amp;A with Tarso Luís Ramos on Trump’s first year in office by Tarso Luís Ramos and Kathryn Joyce for The Public Eye

Multi-Racial Democracy, or Authoritarianism?: A Webinar Discussion and Excerpt by Tarso Luís Ramos at the 2018 Facing Race conference closing plenary

Capitol Offenses: January 6th 2021 &amp; The Ongoing Insurrection, PRA State of the Right Report by Steven Gardiner and Tarso Luís Ramos for Political Research Associates

Press Release: Political Research Associates Welcomes New Executive Director Sylvia Broude


Leading in Resistance: Three Decades of Fighting Authoritarian and Supremacist Forces, A Conversation with Tarso Luís Ramos

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/1/22/21/af3c1623-919a-4401-a700-8c6074716bd0_ep_9_final.mp3

In this episode, Koki speaks with researchers Mariel Cooksey and Amy Mack about the Far Right in Canada today. They discuss the evolution of the Far Right and its disparate movements, the current rise to prominence of the Far Right in provincial politics, and the discordance between a rich history of anti-democratic organizing and a profound global reputation for progressive liberalism. Is Canada as exceptional as it seems?Mariel Cooksey is the Executive Director of the Canadian Institute for Far Right Studies. Her research background focuses on Christianity and far-right extremism in the United States and Canada, with an emphasis on antisemitic and “Radical traditionalist” Catholic groups. She is currently researching the overlap between Gen Z internet culture, climate collapse, and accelerationism.Amy Mack is co-director of research at the Canadian Institute for Far-Right Studies. Her research focuses on the resurgence of ethno-nationalist and white supremacist movements in Canada, and their use of social media to build communities and circulate their ideologies. She is currently researching their narratives of white male victimhood, belonging, and entitlement.Episode resources<ul><li><a href="https://www.cifrs.org/" rel="nofollow">The Canadian Institute for Far Right Studies</a></li><li><a href="https://jacobin.com/2023/05/take-back-alberta-canada-far-right-david-parker" rel="nofollow">Meet the Radical Right-Wing Group Seizing Power in Canada’s Conservative Heartland</a> by Jeremy Appel for Jacobin</li><li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/bill-of-rights-danielle-smith-partisan-analysis-1.7367486" rel="nofollow">A Fundamental Difference Between Danielle Smith&#39;s Bill of Rights and What&#39;s Come Before</a> by Jason Markusoff for CBC</li><li><a href="https://pressprogress.ca/meet-the-extreme-far-right-bc-conservative-candidates-who-are-now-legislators-following-bcs-wild-election/" rel="nofollow">Meet the Extreme, Far-Right BC Conservative Candidates Who Are Now Legislators Following BC’s Wild Election</a> by Luke LeBrun for PressProgress</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2021/07/29/why-are-gen-z-girls-attracted-tradwife-lifestyle" rel="nofollow">Why Are Gen Z Girls Attracted to the Tradwife Lifestyle?</a> by Mariel Cooksey for Political Research Associates</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/04/11/from-archives-why-are-gen-z-girls-attracted-tradwife-lifestyle" rel="nofollow">Listen to “Why Are Gen Z Girls Attracted to the Tradwife Lifestyle?” on Inform Your Resistance Season 2: Episode 5</a></li></ul>

Right-Wing Grievances in Progressive Clothing: Canada's Far Right, with Mariel Cooksey and Amy Mack

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/1/7/20/3d3913f0-be02-4964-842c-2f690a6e62a2_ep_8_naomi_final.mp3

In this episode, Naomi Washington Leapheart explores the role of community and solidarity in creating responsive and durable strategies of contestation—of resistance—in our contemporary political moment. As PRA&#39;s Strategic Partnerships Director, Naomi presents empowering stories of how we at PRA inform our resistance movements, and as a reverend and community organizer, she breaks down the philosophical concept of community organizing to present a vision and plan for self actualization, collectivized risk, and the possibility of triumph through solidarity.Naomi Washington Leapheart, PRA Strategic Partnerships Director, is a Black queer daughter of Detroit, and a minister, professor, and movement strategist. She has worked as a faith organizer and director for Power Interfaith, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and the Mayor&#39;s Office for Public Engagement in the City of Philadelphia.Naomi teaches emerging scholars of religion and theology at Villanova University, Arcadia University, and Harvard School for Divinity. Music was and is her first love. In her spare time, she delights in singing with an all volunteer choir whose mission is to bring audible comfort and kindness to the bedsides of people living in hospice care. Episode resources: <ul><li>To<a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/43I1Fo5uJzvQueXvodTiSM?dlsi=4dbe3f4485504ceb&nd=1&pi=u-Qxmb-ZKnSdG1&si=Iz8A32hTRFejzY3MG5MQ1Q" rel="nofollow"> hear Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart on other podcasts</a>, check out this list. </li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/11/21/qa-harnessing-our-power-end-political-violence" rel="nofollow">Q&amp;A: Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence: An interview with Scot Nakagawa and Hardy Merriman</a> by Naomi Washington Leapheart</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/12/13/review-commune-or-nothing" rel="nofollow">Book Review: Commune or Nothing! Lessons for Building Grassroots Power Toward Liberation and Democracy</a> by Hialy Gutierrez</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/12/13/what-movement-infrastructure" rel="nofollow">What Is Movement Infrastructure? How Movements Sustain Us Amid Rising Authoritarianism</a> by Cloee Cooper</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/12/12/review-reverberations-october-7" rel="nofollow">Book Review: Reverberations of October 7: Mobilization Against Genocide Undeterred by Peak Anti-Palestinian Repression by Palestine Legal</a> by Habiba Farh</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/10/30/fire-dreams-making-black-feminist-liberation-south" rel="nofollow">Fire Dreams: Making Black Feminist Liberation in the South: A conversation with Deon Haywood, Laura McTighe, and Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson</a> by Kitana Ananda</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/12/04/three-way-fight" rel="nofollow">Book Excerpt: Three Way Fight: Revolutionary Politics and Antifascism</a> by Xtn Alexander and Matthew N. Lyons</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/12/13/rising-against-authoritarianism" rel="nofollow">Rising Against Authoritarianism: Amplifying Voices for Immigrant Justice</a> by Cloee Cooper</li><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/11/15/synagogue-safety-beyond-higher-walls-and-militarized-police" rel="nofollow">Synagogue Safety Beyond Higher Walls and Militarized Police: An Excerpt from Safety Through Solidarity</a> by Ben Lorber and Shane Burley</li></ul>

How Solidarity Provides the Path of Resistance: A Conversation with Naomi Washington-Leapheart

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/12/17/17/6e94ab27-3745-44d5-9076-d8bd21faa161_ep_7_steven_final.mp3

In this episode, PRA Principal Research Advisor Steven Gardiner provides astute analysis on what has led us to this moment in history—when Donald Trump and the Republican Party have so decisively won the presidency and both houses of congress. Steven shares likely scenarios that may play out in Trump’s first year back in office, the implications of his chaotic cabinet picks for the implementation of both mundane and reactionary policy, and, most importantly, on the opportunities available to resisting the fascistic capture of the U.S. state. <a href="https://politicalresearch.org/bio/steven-gardiner" rel="nofollow">Steven Gardiner</a> is Principal Research Advisor, and formerly Research Director, at Political Research Associates. He has been researching and writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardiner received a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Cornell University; since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than twenty different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE.Episode resources<ul><li><a href="https://politicalresearch.org/2024/11/07/pra-statement-2024-national-election" rel="nofollow">PRA Statement on the 2024 National Election</a></li><li>Religion Dispatches article: <a href="https://religiondispatches.org/authoritarians-must-break-your-will-to-resist-so-what-can-you-do-about-it/" rel="nofollow">“Authoritarians Must Break Your Will to Resist — So What Can You Do About it?”</a> by Steven Gardiner</li><li>Religion Dispatches article: <a href="https://religiondispatches.org/while-nixon-sought-to-secretly-screw-political-enemies-trumps-dictatorial-desires-are-less-modest/" rel="nofollow">“While Nixon Sought to Secretly ‘Screw’ Political Enemies Trump’s Dictatorial Desires Are Less Modest”</a> by Steven Gardiner</li><li>Religion Dispatches article: <a href="https://religiondispatches.org/loyalty-and-chaos-may-play-a-role-in-trumps-nominations-but-this-schoolyard-tactic-may-provide-a-better-explanation/" rel="nofollow">“Loyalty and Chaos Play a Role in Trump’s Nominations, But This Schoolyard Tactic May Provide a Better Explanation”</a> by Steven Gardiner</li><li>Religion Dispatches article: <a href="https://religiondispatches.org/trumps-cabinet-and-other-picks-paint-picture-of-a-christian-nationalist-kakistocracy/" rel="nofollow">“Trump’s Cabinet (and Other) Picks Paint Picture of a Christian Nationalist ‘Kakistocracy’”</a> by Annika Brockschmidt and Thomas Lecaque</li><li>Religion Dispatches article: <a href="https://religiondispatches.org/leading-constitutional-sheriffs-org-announces-full-support-for-trumps-mass-deportations/" rel="nofollow">“Leading ‘Constitutional Sheriffs’ Org Announces ‘Full Support’ for Trump’s Mass Deportations”</a> by Ethan Fauré</li></ul>

Strategizing for the 2025 Trump Regime Change with Steven Gardiner

We talk to experts about some of the most significant contemporary threats to democracy from the mainstream and Far Right so that you can inform your resistance in the fight for a just and inclusive democratic society.