The Reality of Trump's McCarthyism & Fernando Cerimedo and the Global Right Exposed
Sep 22, 2026 · 1h 7m
Summary
Hosts Matt Lee and David Griscom open the episode by covering the shooting of a DoorDash driver by ICE in Austin and the detention of a journalist near the Big Bend border wall. Guest Connor Mulhern of Progressive International discusses how Argentine consultant Fernando Saramedo and Trump advisor Brad Pascale used US-style digital tactics and bot networks to manipulate elections across Latin America, including the attempted assassination of Saramedo’s pregnant partner. Finally, Chip Gibbons joins to analyze the new National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, arguing it marks a return to M…
Topics discussed
Show intro and upcoming guests
ICE shooting of DoorDash driver in Austin
Critique of ICE impunity and political response
Journalist Sam Kerris detained at Big Bend border
Intro to Connor Mulhern on foreign election interference
Fernando Sarmiento's role in Bolivian politics
Digital strategy in the Milei election
Brad Pascale and US campaign tech exports
How bot networks manipulate public perception
Israel's influence on AI and foreign elections
Assassination attempt on Sarmiento and fallout
Policy responses to digital election manipulation
Call to support Progressive International
Chip Gibbons intro and new book announcement
Legal definitions of war and executive power
Origins of McCarthyism and FBI surveillance
NSPM 7 and the modern domestic counterterrorism framework
Funding networks and the 'foreign agent' narrative
Historical parallels: Abolition, labor, and anti-war movements
The success of McCarthyism and the Cuba report
FBI surveillance tools and Section 702 database
Obama's legacy and Trump's authoritarian shift
Defining domestic terrorism and political targets
Book pre-order details and show outro
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