The Dark Neuroscience of Trump Propaganda "When you twinned fear with disgust... you can move people to violence." On "America at a Crossroads," historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat uses neuroscience to expose how authoritarians trigger long-lasting emotions in the brain. @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social

On the need to project virility in the political authoritarian, from @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social 's "Strongman". Might sound familiar.

Hardly a new enemy. See the machismo and misogyny chapter of #Strongmen.

Dictators Become Obsessed With This One Thing "They are obsessed with bunkers, with palaces..." Author and historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat explains a classic symptom of the autocrat's decline: the "bunker stage." @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social

@ruthbenghiat.bsky.social is back in THE BACK ROOM discussing Trump's autocratic overreach and corruption; his $1.776 billion 'anti-weaponization' slush-fund and IRS immunity 'settlement'; and whether she's as optimistic about American democracy as she was 6 mos ago

Again, please share. In every aspect of American history you will run smack dab into the critical contributions of Black people. It’s not Black history. It’s American history. Trying to erase it is a fool’s errand. We live it every day. time.com/5836444/blac...

KF Senior Fellow @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social joined the PoliticsGirl podcast to discuss the current state of authoritarianism in America and why giving up on elections is exactly what autocrats want: https://bit.ly/4fAzQ4j

Well, they work for and are loyal to the same person- one is just smoother but is equally responsible for every death abroad caused by this administration

Business leaders need to engage more on indirect spillover threats from malign influence campaigns. Most focus, if any, is on direct threats. However, I think the greatest risks are from systemic spillover sparked by disinformation aimed at other targets.

Below is a statement from the unionized workers of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

💯

Important investigation- national policy bends to the will of billionaires if the Trump clan will make $ from it

University of Virginia's Maximilian Brichta discussed disinformation and deception in decentralized finance (DeFi) and crypto at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit. www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgjW...

Some news...I am writing a book on resistance for @vikingbooks.bsky.social!

"we negotiate through bombs" - Hegseth

Tens of thousands chant “Russians, go home!” at tonight’s anti-Orbán concert in Budapest’s Heroes’ Square ahead of Sunday’s Hungarian election.

Disaster Fascism: two frames for considering Trump's threat to annihilate Iran. open.substack.com/pub/lucid/p/...

Tennessee gave $65 million to Oracle to create jobs— guess we should have specified they be jobs for Americans🫤 Trump’s buddy Ellison is firing Americans and replacing them with foreign workers. (And now owns TikTok, CBS, CNN, etc) Watch oligarchy work. nationaltoday.com/us/tx/austin...

When elected officials are corrupt, citizens participate less in the democratic process and lose faith in government. That’s why anticorruption reforms are urgently needed. bit.ly/4v4xuQy

Holy New York.

KF Senior Fellow@ruthbenghiat.bsky.social has spent years studying authoritarianism, and her warning here is clear: when authoritarians feel threatened, they often become more reckless and dangerous. Democracy depends on recognizing these patterns and refusing to let recklessness go unanswered.

I wrote a lot about Bob Mueller across a lot of chapters of his career. I wanted to share two @wired.com pieces that I wrote about his defining life experiences—both a picture of an era of public service all but lost today: 1) His brave *voluntary* service in Vietnam: www.wired.com/story/robert...

shared values

The full interview with Diane Benscoter is available on the Cambridge Disinformation Summit YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-j3...

Great conversation with @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social & @wajali.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/thelefth...

Solidarity with @kschake.bsky.social. The US military gains nothing from this systematic banning of scholars. It snacks of fear of facts- another sign that there is a design of ideological indoctrination.

The job *was* to wreck and purge, just like Musk and DOGE. All revolutions need these people.

Americans are dying so that Kushner can make money

Yesterday, I confronted Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys, for planning the January 6 attack…then I got taken away by Capitol police.

Authoritarians will stop at nothing to feel safe. Since they have no concept of public welfare and consider everyone an asset to be used and discarded, they will easily enter into a military conflict without a long-term strategy, regardless of the casualties it causes.

Michael Beschloss: John Lewis and other marchers are beaten, Selma, Alabama, today 1965:

As I have said since Feb 2025, Trump is in office to solve Putin's problems. How else are you going to ensure that Putin's failed state becomes prosperous? it is already having to be propped up by China.

Coup tactics

Autocrats always find way to contribute to entice people to give up their morals. That’s why it’s so important for all of us to be aware of when they’re trying to do, remain true to our morals, and find ways to respond accordingly.

EXCLUSIVE: At more than 30 installations, U.S. commanders told troops the war on Iran is a Christian war. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has been “inundated” with more than 110 complaints. One NCO said they were told the U.S. war is to bring about Armageddon and the return of Jesus…

substack.com/live-stream/... If you have been following American politics, this conversation with @timothysnyder.bsky.social and @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social is not to be missed.

A recording from Anne Applebaum and Ruth Ben-Ghiat's live video - MAR 3 @anneapplebaum.bsky.social and @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/anneappl...

People are just assets to use and discard

Strongmen, like Trump, live in constant fear of being held accountable — which is why all of us should be concerned about what they might do to the upcoming midterms. The best thing we can all do is pay attention, call them out for what they’re doing, & turn out in huge numbers in November.

@ruthbenghiat.bsky.social again, from 'Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present'.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat: "The Trump administration’s privileging of racial and civilizational concerns in foreign relations...should be front-page news." - When White Racial Rescue Becomes a Foreign Policy and National Security Priority open.substack.com/pub/lucid/p/... @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social

“Look, mom, no hands” 🇲🇽 -Me, in The Hill today Mounds of data we’ve collected—even before the current immigration mess—suggests major ingredients are there for this type of coalition-building, which is sorely needed now and going forward thehill.com/opinion/camp...

Deranged chaos agent RFK Jr recently went on a propaganda podcast and admitted that he’s not scared of germs because he used snort cocaine off of toilet seats. We went from actual medical professionals leading US Health to this demented repugnant asshole wanting to kill us all.

“.. using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought ..” @reuters.com www.reuters.com/world/us/whi...

Well well well

Saboteurs: Wrecking the US for generations by contributing to the spread of disease.

Sometimes very hard not to feel like the rest of the country has abandoned Minnesota. We STILL have ICE everywhere. Our schools, businesses, and economy are in profound crisis. But without Bovino here throwing tear gas, much of the country seems to not care at all what’s being done to us.

This must be the beginning, not the end, of refashioning ICE, Border Control, and DHS. What meaningful reforms can they get passed in the short run to save lives, reduce terror inflicted on mostly Hispanic and Black communities, and protect constitutional rights? open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

Oligarchs usually operate outside government. But under the Trump administration, they moved inside — accelerating the dismantling of the civil service by using anti-democratic tactics.