On Democracy with FPWellman

This week included an attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a rally in Philadelphia by a young kid with a high-powered rifle. Many of his supporters called for revenge and “2nd amendment solutions.” This kind of rhetoric has been rising on the far right for years and nowhere has so much of it swirled than Nashville. From Nazis marching in the streets to militias guarding e

It’s been an absolutely insane couple of weeks. From Bidenmania, Christian Nationalists putting the Bible in schools, and Trump doing the hits on his own golf course. To get it all in perspective Fred turns to two lefties in the middle of the reddest of the red states with Oklahoma’s Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan the hosts of the now iconic and wildly popular �

The Supreme Court shocked the country this week deciding that a President can actually be above the law flipping centuries of American tradition and a fundamental concept of our nation that no man is above the law. It’s the last ruling in a string of increasingly outrageous decisions that have tossed out one precedent after another. Lisa Graves joins Fred to discuss the mess, how

The Christian Nationalism movement is gaining momentum with a goal to make the United States a Christian nation and subservient to the Bible. Long time journalist Heath Druzin has spent the last year following the movement right in his home state of Idaho for the second season of the Extremely American podcast on NPR titled ‘Onward Christian Soldiers.’ He and his partner James

The Supreme Court is showing us over and over how out of touch they are with not just the American people but actual reality. Last week in a shocking decision written by none other than Clarence Thomas, they twisted themselves in knots to approve the sale of bump stocks over the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. A rule implemented after the devices were used in the slaughte

Project 2025 is an insidious and extensive blueprint to dismantle the federal government and roll back Americans fundamental rights in the name of an authoritarian agenda. Led by the Heritage Foundation with over a hundred other extremist and MAGA organizations, funded by millions of dollars in dark money, and recruiting the most extreme MAGA people to flood the government if Donal

Donald Trump is increasingly unhinged, and his followers are constantly threatening retribution and revenge for his prosecutions and other perceived attacks. The likelihood of political violence hasn’t been this high since the run up to January 6th, 2021. The threat is growing. How bad is it and how can we stop it before it gets out of control? Fred speaks with one of the leading

The battle for the soul of our country is being fought from Washington D.C. to school board meetings across the country. A coordinated and well-funded movement has been sweeping the nation to roll back diversity, support for LGBTQ and minority students, and leverage vouchers to defund public schools. It started in Southlake, Texas and Mike Hixenbaugh has been following it all along

We are all hearing how the youth vote is in peril for Biden as the Gaza War drags on and support for Israel has become a dividing issue for many college students and young Americans. Sam Schwartz lost a cousin in the Parkland High School shooting and has taken up the cause of activism leading a coalition of youth advocacy groups in a nationwide bus tour to motivate young Americans

Trump is promising to be a dictator on Day One and the co-chair of the Republican Party has promised “scorched Earth” when he returns to power. In a new book Federico Finchelstein lays out how Trump can become a modern fascist if returned to power and how he’s already three quarters of the way there. Fred discusses it with Professor Finchelstein a world-renowned expert on fas