Steven Beschloss has created award-winning content, as a writer, journalist, editor and filmmaker. Consistent in this work is a passion for writing and a belief in the transformative power of story. He applies that in a dozen different ways to our fight for our democracy today and especially through his newsletter ‘America, America’ focused on politics and society, democracy and justice. He and Fred discuss how we must wake up our nation from its indifference to threats we face from media not rising to the moment to citizens sitting out the elections. Our discourse has devolved in a dangerous direction and we have to take it back to turn the nation around before it’s too late. Visit Our Sponsors: FUM: Head to www.tryfum.com/FRED to save an additional 10% off your order today. HumanN: Get a free thirty-day supply of SuperBeets Heart Chews and 15% off your first order by going to GETSUPERBEETS.COM and using PROMO CODE FRED.

Fred is solo this holiday weekend to dive into the real stakes of the upcoming election from Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric and even more draconian plans to how Democrats can fight back and win. The pro-democracy forces are winning but there is work to be done and issues that can carry them to victory. Check out this special one man show and an important shout out to Mike Flynn. Visit our Sponsors: Lomi: Turn your food waste into dirt with the press of a button with Lomi. Use the code FRED to save $50 at www.lomi.com/FRED. Reel Paper: Head to REELPAPER.COM/FRED and sign up for a subscription using my code FRED at for 30% off your first order and FREE SHIPPING!

Harry Dunn is a serving police officer who defended the United States Capitol on January 6th with his fellow Capitol and District Police officers. In the aftermath he has taken it on as his mission to tell the truth about that day, understand those who came that day, and make sure it never happens again. His new book ‘Standing My Ground’ is already a New York Times bestseller and is available wherever you get your favorite books. Visit our Sponsors: Fum: Head to www.tryfum.com/FRED to save an additional 10% off your order today. Lomi: Turn your food waste into dirt with the press of a button with Lomi. Use the code FRED to save $50 at www.lomi.com/FRED.

America is embroiled in total legal chaos from Trump's multiple trials, the impeachment sham in the House, the Supreme Court's ethics being investigated, and more. Fred and CNN Legal Analyst and defense lawyer Shanlon Wu break down the multiple moving parts and Project 2025 too. Shan Wu is a regular CNN and NPR legal analyst and former federal prosecutor who served in the Clinton Administration as Counsel to Attorney General Janet Reno and is now a nationally known criminal defense & college student defense lawyer. He appears regularly on multiple media outlets and writes for the Daily Beast among many other publications and platforms. Visit our Sponsors: Henson Shaving: Visit hensonshaving.com/FRED to pick the razor for you and use code FRED and you'll get two years' worth of blades free with your razor. Just make sure to add them to your cart. Neurohacker: Go to https://Neurohacker.com/FRED For Up To 50% Off Qualia Senolytic and As a listener of On Democracy use Code FRED at Checkout for An Extra 15% OFF your First Purchase! Beam: Get up to 40% off for a limited time when you go to shopbeam.com/FRED and use code FRED at checkout. Lomi: Turn your food waste into dirt with the press of a button with Lomi. Use the code FRED to save $50 at www.lomi.com/FRED.

Fred is joined by his good friend and former Lincoln Project colleague Jeff Timer this week to discuss the increasing normalization of violence in the GOP, their inability to govern, and the successes of the Democrats in Michigan. Timmer is a leading political and issue advocacy strategist who has spent 30 years providing big-picture counsel and communications for corporations, trade associations, political organizations, candidates, and campaigns engaged in public policy and politics. Timmer is recognized as one of the most influential politico's in Michigan. He is a co-founder of Republicans and Independents for Biden and a senior advisor to The Lincoln Project. He is the co-host of the podcast ‘A Republic if You Can Keep It’ and a returning guest to the show. Jeff's Podcast: A Republic if You Can Keep It on Apple Visit our Sponsors: Reel Paper - Head to REELPAPER.COM/FRED and sign up for a subscription using my code FRED at for 30% off your first order and FREE SHIPPING! Humann (Superbeats) - Get a free thirty-day supply of SuperBeets Heart Chews and 15% off your first order by going to GETSUPERBEETS.COM and using PROMO CODE FRED. Fum - Head to www.tryfum.com/FRED to save an additional 10% off your order today.

Retired Sergeant Aquilino Gonell was brutally assaulted defending the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. His injuries ended his police career but led him to finding his voice to fight back against the people who participated in that brutal attack on our nation. He and Fred discuss that day, his service to the nation, and his disgust seeing those who organized the attack still in power. Aquilino is a Dominican immigrant, former U.S. Army soldier, and Iraq War veteran. For seventeen years, he was a United States Capitol Police officer and was one of four police officers who testified before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection. He is a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Citizens Medal. His book American Shield: The Immigrant Sergeant who Defended Democracy is in presale now and available on November 7th. Order his book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/731243/american-shield-by-aquilino-gonell/ Visit our Sponsors: Lomi: Turn your food waste into dirt with the press of a button with Lomi. Use the code FRED to save $50 at www.lomi.com/FRED. Reel Paper: Head to REELPAPER.COM/FRED and sign up for a subscription using my code FRED at for 30% off your first order and FREE SHIPPING!

Pennsylvania first term Representative Chris Deluzio joins Fred from the Capitol as total chaos unfolds and the House Republicans fail to find any consensus on a new Speaker. Nothing is getting done for the country or our allies as the clock ticks down to another shutdown. Rep. Deluzio is a native of Western Pennsylvania representing Pennsylvania’s 17th district. An Iraq War veteran, Naval Academy graduate, voting rights attorney, and union organizer, Congressman Deluzio was commissioned as an active-duty surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy and deployed three times, including a tour of duty as a U.S. Army Civil Affairs Officer in Iraq. After returning from Iraq, Congressman Deluzio received his law degree from Georgetown Law and clerked for a federal judge. He went on to work at the Brennan Center for Justice on the Voting Rights and Election Security teams and later worked at Pitt Cyber, where he focused on voting rights, election security, and the intersection of technology and civil rights. He was part of the Pitt Faculty Organizing Committee with the United Steelworkers, fighting successfully for a union. Visit our Sponsors: Beam: Get up to 40% off for a limited time when you go to shopbeam.com/FRED and use code FRED at checkout. Lomi: Turn your food waste into dirt with the press of a button with Lomi. Use the code FRED to save $50 at www.lomi.com/FRED. Henson Shaving: Visit hensonshaving.com/FRED to pick the razor for you and use code FRED and you'll get two years' worth of blades free with your razor. Just make sure to add them to your cart.

We have the crossover event of the year as MeidasTouch Legal AF Co-Host Michael Popok joins the show to talk about the insanity in the House GOP, Donald Trump's fading mental capacity, and much more. Michael is a 30 year+ national trial lawyer and strategist at Zumpano Patricios & Popok with offices in New York, Miami and Las Vegas. Beginning in 2020, he co-founded and co-hosts one of the top global podcasts devoted to the intersection of US Law & Politics, LegalAF exclusively on the MeidasTouch Network. The podcast is regularly ranked in the Top 50 of all News Podcasts and in the Top 10 on the “News Analysis” charts.   Visit our Sponsors: Neurohacker - Go to https://Neurohacker.com/FRED For Up To 50% Off Qualia Senolytic and As a listener of On Democracy use Code FRED at Checkout for An Extra 15% OFF your First Purchase! Humann SuperBeets - Get a free thirty-day supply of SuperBeets Heart Chews and 15% off your first order by going to GETSUPERBEETS.COM and using PROMO CODE FRED.

Fred was on the road this week in Washington D.C. lobbying for Ukraine funding and in St. Louis for the Democratic National Committee's Fall Meeting. He chats with DNC Chairman Jaime Harris, Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, and Richmond Mayor Lavar Stoney about what the party faces and how they plan to keep the winning momentum going. In addition, Eugene Vindman spoke with veterans on Capitol Hill on the need for Ukraine support and what we can do to push for that important funding.  Get a free thirty-day supply of SuperBeets Heart Chews and 15% off your first order by going to GETSUPERBEETS.COM and using PROMO CODE FRED. Turn your food waste into dirt with the press of a button with Lomi. Use the code FRED to save $50 at www.lomi.com/FRED. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/fred Head to www.tryfum.com/FRED to save an additional 10% off your order today.

Representative Dan Goldman sits on both the House Oversight and the so-called Weaponization of Government Committee and has been battling back the extremists in the Republican Party since he arrived in Congress. There are some there who would be happy to see the building burn and as we hurdle towards a government shut down and sham impeachment investigation, we all get to see it too. He gives us the perspective from sitting in the front line of the fight. Rep. Goldman represents New York’s 10th District covering parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. He is an attorney who, before running for office, served as lead counsel in the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York.

Over a decade since Eric Deggans wrote the book 'Race-Baiter' about the media's role in our civil discourse surrounding race and more they haven't seemed to learn any of the lessons. He and Fred discuss the role of the news media in today's civil discourse, the dangers of re-writing history, why DEI in journalism matters, and much more. Eric Deggans is NPR’s first full-time TV critic and media analyst providing coverage across NPR’s vast national network. He’s been a journalist for more than three decades and is the author of Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation, a look at how prejudice, racism and sexism fuels some elements of modern media. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/FRED today to get 10% off your first month Visit hensonshaving.com/FRED to pick the razor for you and use code FRED and you'll get two years' worth of blades free with your razor. Just make sure to add them to your cart. Head To SUGARANDSPRUCE.COM and Use Code Fred at checkout and get 20% off your first order

Simon Rosenberg is the producer of the Substack community the ‘Hopium Chronicles’ and was the founder and president of NDN/New Policy Institute, a center-left think tank in Washington, DC. He moved on this year to take his fight for our democracy into a direct mission of motivating and informing Americans on the way we can take back our nation. Simon has been a leader in efforts to modernize the center-left in American politics over the past generation and was the leading voice who predicted the supposed 2022 ‘Red Wave’ would be a crashing failure. He was right. He and Fred discuss why there is good reason to be on the progressive side than the other right now, the importance of voting on the first day of early voting windows, and much more. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/fred Head to www.tryfum.com/FRED to save an additional 10% off your order today.

Alex Vindman has seen how the Republican attack machine personally and knows how dangerous it is for national security. Now Tommy Tuberville is sitting on 301 promotions and growing while the GOP undermines efforts to defeat Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It won’t just hurt us today but years from now too. Vindman is a retired Army officer who served on the National Security Council in the Trump White House as the Director of European Affairs before being caught up in Trump’s efforts to get dirt on Joe Biden from Ukraine. Since his retirement from the Army, he has been supporting the efforts of VoteVets and is the bestselling author of his memoir ‘Here, Right Matters: An American Story.” Alex has traveled to Ukraine to see the situation on the ground himself several times and has been instrumental in helping support their efforts to resist the ruthless invasion by Russia. Head to Zbiotics.com/FRED to get 15% off your first order when you use FRED at checkout. Go to https://Neurohacker.com/FRED For Up To 50% Off Qualia Senolytic and As a listener of On Democracy use Code FRED at Checkout for An Extra 15% OFF your First Purchase!

Rex Huppke is known for his sharp wit and tongue in cheek columns on politics and our nation. He and Fred talk about the crazy moment from mugshots to making Alex Jones super mad. Rex is a national opinion columnist at USA TODAY where he occasionally writes midly amusing columns on the news of the day. Before joining USA Today he was with the Chicago Tribune for an interminably long time. Huppke started his working life as a chemical engineer before stumbling into a less distinguished career in writing by way of a master’s degree from our own University of Missouri Graduate School of Journalism. One of Rex’s greatest contributions to civil discourse and the good of the nation is his annual ‘Insult-a-Columnist’ drive for local foodbanks across the country. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/FRED today to get 10% off your first month Sugar and Spruce: Head To SUGARANDSPRUCE.COM and Use Code Fred at checkout and get 20% off your first order

Democrats are everywhere including places that have been essentially abandoned to the GOP in rural areas. Jess Piper is the ‘Dirt Road Democrat’ who speaks to what is happening in these places and what we need to do to take them back. She and Fred discuss the challenges, what it’s like to run for office in tough places, and what is next to start taking back rural America. Jess is the Executive Director for Blue Missouri and hosts a weekly podcast called “Dirt Road Democrat.” She received degrees in English and Teaching from the University of Arkansas and was an American Literature teacher for 16 years. After the 2016 election of Trump, Jess became politically active. Jess ran for State Representative in HD1 in Northwest Missouri in 2022. She was not successful but used the experience to organize progressives in rural Missouri and across the country.  Learn more about Blue Missouri at: https://bluemissouri.org/ Rocket Money: Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to RocketMoney.com/fred Reel Paper: Head to REELPAPER.COM/FRED and sign up for a subscription using my code FRED at for 30% off your first order and FREE SHIPPING! FUM: Head to www.tryfum.com/FRED to save an additional 10% off your order today. Manukora: Head to Manukora.com/FRED or use code FRED to automatically get a free pack of honey sticks with your order - A $15 value! Sugar and Spruce: Head To SUGARANDSPRUCE.COM and Use Code Fred at checkout and get 20% off your first order

David Hogg had a literal baptism of fire into activism after surviving the Parkland High School shooting, so the barbs and attacks of politics don’t stop him from fighting for change. Now he’s got a new mission. He and Fred discuss it Gen Z’s activism, and why these fights matter. David is a leader in the fight to end gun violence and Co-Founder of March for Our Lives, an organization that has helped lead one of the largest youth movements in our country. Now he is the cofounder of Leaders We Deserve, a new mission aiming to elect more members of Gen Z to state houses and Congress. Learn more about the new mission at https://leaderswedeserve.com/ Head to REELPAPER.COM/FRED and sign up for a subscription using my code FRED at for 30% off your first order and FREE SHIPPING! Head to Zbiotics.com/FRED to get 15% off your first order when you use FRED at checkout. Upgrade your closet with Rhone and use FRED to save 20% at https://www.rhone.com/FRED Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to https://TryMiracle.com/FRED and use the code FRED to claim your FREE 3 PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF. Turn your food waste into dirt with the press of a button with Lomi. Use the code FRED to save $50 at www.lomi.com/FRED.

Journalist Aaron Rupar immerses himself in the madness of the far right every day and broadcasts the lunacy for us all to see. He posts the clips and analysis we need to see to understand what is happening now and why it matters. We talk about all of the madness from the Trump indictments to the GOP primary and more. He is the former politics and policy editor at Vox and associate editor of Think Progress and now hosts his own site Public Notices and hosts podcast the Aaron Rupar Show. Find him at https://www.publicnotice.co/. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/FRED today to get 10% off your first month Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to https://TryMiracle.com/FRED and use the code FRED to claim your FREE 3 PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF. Head to REELPAPER.COM/FRED and sign up for a subscription using my code FRED at for 30% off your first order and FREE SHIPPING!

From CRT hysteria, to Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action, and Ron DeSantis’ war on ‘Woke’ there is no denying there is an ongoing attack on any progress made by Black Americans by a new white nationalist movement. Michael Harriot has been studying white America his entire life and offers a very direct analysis of our society that must be heard. Michael Harriot is a writer, cultural critic, and the official Dean of Black Twitter. He writes extensively for The Grio and numerous other publications and is a regular guest on multiple news channels. His book, Black AF History: The Unwhitewashed Story of America, will be released in September. His new podcast Drapetomaniax: Unshackled History presents a significantly more accurate version of Black history than what was whitewashed from our social studies books. Michael holds a degree in mass communications and history from Auburn University and an MA in macroeconomics from Florida State University. BetterHelp: Visit https://BetterHelp.com/FRED today to get 10% off your first month Neurohacker: Go to https://Neurohacker.com/FRED For Up To 50% Off Qualia Senolytic and As a listener of On Democracy use Code FRED at Checkout for An Extra 15% OFF your First Purchase! Rocket Money: Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/fred Manukora: Head to https://Manukora.com/FRED or use code FRED to automatically get a free pack of honey sticks with your order - A $15 value! Miracle Made: Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to https://TryMiracle.com/FRED and use the code FRED to claim your FREE 3 PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF.

The new PACT Act is one of the largest expansions in veterans healthcare in modern history and is available now. If veterans of Vietnam and the Gulf War era apply by August 9th they can have their benefits backdated to when the law was passed last year. Fred speaks with Terrance Hayes the press secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs about this important new benefit and why veterans should apply as soon as possible.

How does a former CIA officer in Congress deal with the politicization of our national defense but still find ways to work across party lines? Guest U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger is doing just that. She represents Virginia's 7th Congressional District. Abigail’s career has been defined by public service — first serving as a federal agent with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, working money laundering and narcotics cases. She then served at home and abroad as a CIA case officer, focusing on counterterrorism and nonproliferation efforts. First elected to the House in 2018, Abigail serves on the House Agriculture Committee and the House Intelligence Committee. Head to Manukora.com/FRED or use code FRED to automatically get a free pack of honey sticks with your order - A $15 value! Head to REELPAPER.COM/FRED and sign up for a subscription using my code FRED at for 30% off your first order and FREE SHIPPING! Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to TryMiracle.com/FRED and use the code FRED to claim your FREE 3 PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF.