February 20 marks two years since Putin launched his total war in Ukraine. February also marks the assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, gunned down in the shadow of the Kremlin in 2015, on the eve of his anti-war march. And now Alexei Navalny, killed in a Siberian gulag, his body reportedly covered in bruises and kept from his family.    It may seem like Putin is winning, with Trump sailing into the Republican nomination, and MAGA lackey Mike Johnson deliberately stopping aid to Ukraine in Congress, costing countless lives and helping Russia advance. And the breaking news this week: Republicans in Congress based their impeachment proceeding of Biden on a Russian intelligence op, pulling out all the stops to help Trump steal the White House with the Kremlin’s help, again. One thing is clear: Putin is scared. The reality is that Putin’s fragile house of cards has turned Russia into a powder keg, as Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, vows to continue her husband’s work.    In this special episode, Andrea and Terrell Starr of the Black Diplomats Podcast and Substack discuss the assassintion of Navalny and the work ahead to build a meaningful opposition, the mainstream media continuing to normalize Trump by labeling his 16-week abortion ban as “less restrictive”, and the triumph of Black prosecutors Tish James and Fani Willis in the larger American story of hard-fought progress.    This week’s bonus show answers questions from our listeners at the Democracy Defender level and higher. (If you haven’t submitted your questions yet, get ‘em in for next week’s Q&A!) Inspired by our listeners, this week’s bonus show covers prison incarceration rates in the U.S. vs. Russia and what that can tell us about our homegrown authoritarian threats in the GOP, whether voting by mail is safe this election (it is!), and more!    Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!   Not a member? Join the conversation with a community of listeners at Patreon.com/Gaslit and get bonus shows, all episodes ad free, submit questions to our regular Q&As, get exclusive invites to live events, and more. Show Notes:   Event: Thursday February 29 at 1pm – Russian-diaspora led roundtable on Russian anti-war activities  https://www.facebook.com/events/439307928421886   Republicans in Congress initiated an impeachment proceeding of Biden based on a Russian intelligence op: https://twitter.com/rgoodlaw/status/1760122411016421457   Thread:  “JUST IN: Alexander Smirnov told the feds during an interview after his arrest that ‘officials associated with Russian intelligence’ were involved in passing a story about Hunter Biden.” https://twitter.com/alanfeuer/status/1760056078992081166   Hunter Biden says special counsel used Alexander Smirnov’s discredited bribery claims to derail his plea deal https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/20/politics/alexander-smirnov-hunter-biden/index.html   Scientology Leader David Miscavige Served With Human Trafficking Lawsuit Miscavige had reportedly evaded process servers 27 times over four months before a judge said he was considered served. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/scientology-leader-david-miscavige-served-with-human-trafficking-lawsuit_n_63ee6cb9e4b02c25737b92ca   Donald Trump Tells Allies He Backs 16-Week Abortion Ban GOP frontunner backs less restrictive ban than many in party Biden stepping up attacks on Trump over abortion restrictions https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-16/trump-tells-allies-he-backs-16-week-abortion-ban?cmpid%3D=socialflow-twitter-politics&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_content=politics   “Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Alexei Navalny, received a standing ovation from the audience as she began a speech to the Munich Security Conference just hours after hearing about the “horrific news” of her husband’s death.” https://twitter.com/Telegraph/status/1758526751611802082   Police have detained several peop