New American fascism and competitive authoritarianism, with Steven Monacelli

Today I’m speaking with Steven Monacelli, an independent investigative journalist based in Texas. Steven does an incredible job covering right-wing extremism. His latest pieces include an examination of what experts are calling a new form of fascism helmed by the White House, and a more complex understanding of what we’re witnessing called competitive authoritarianism. Steven also just published an explosive investigation into an ICE lawyer in Dallas who runs an anonymous, white supremacist X account.

I first met Steven in Dallas — where I lived for a couple of years while covering immigration and the border — at a QAnon conference where disgraced Gen. Mike Flynn infamously called for a Myanmar-like coup to install Trump in power. That was in 2021, which seems like a quaint time as I write this just four years later. Our previous conversation focused on threats posed to democracy by Christian nationalism, another focus of Steven’s work.

To support my work, please choose a paid subscription to American Doom or drop a few dollars in the Doom Coffee Fund. There’s a lot of news right now, so I have a lot coming down the pike. Your paid support goes directly toward helping me to continue my independent journalism here at American Doom.

***

Please follow AD on our social media for a little more doom to your scroll. That’s what we all need, right?

• Bluesky - @americandoom.bsky.social

• TikTok - @americandoom_

• YouTube - @americandoom_

• Instagram - @americandoom_

• X - @americandoom_