Left Reckoning Left Reckoning

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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