Can the US Force Democracy at Gunpoint? @pescagist

Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

What does it actually mean to demand “free and fair elections” when the threat is prison or worse? Michael A. Cohen and Charles Lehman clash over US leverage, regime change, and whether power alone can create legitimacy.

check out the full episode on the Note Even Mad Podcast, wherever you listen.
#foreignpolicy #venezuela #uspolitics #democracy #geopolitics

🎧Listen Here👉open.spotify.com/show/7wY6geNAeSHTIqAuzc0Cwq

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CREDITS:

Creator & Host:
Mike Pesca

Producer:
Corey Wara

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$Believe in Science is a Terrible Idea | Former CDC Director Tom Frieden Dr. Tom Frieden, the former CDC Director under President Obama and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, joins us to discuss his new book, The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives, Including Your Own. Frieden, a man credited with saving millions of lives through his work on Ebola and tuberculosis, shares his See, Believe, Create framework for tackling public health challenges. He vividly illustrates how seemingly simple interventions, like the widespread treatment of high blood pressure or the removal of lead from gasoline (a battle Alice Hamilton fought decades ago), have dramatically improved lifespans, even if individuals dont always feel the direct impact. Frieden doesnt pull punches when discussing the USs lagging life expectancy, attributing it to a fractured primary care system and a failure to scale proven solutions. He offers a candid retrospective on the COVID-19 pandemic, lamenting the CDCs silencing, the problematic vaccine mandates, and the devastating impact of prolonged school closures. He also raises serious alarms about current political interference undermining critical public health programs, from cancer research to environmental protections, emphasizing the urgent need to rebuild trust and prioritize evidence-based action. This interview is from a Full episode of The Gist Podcast, Hosted by Mike Pesca 🔥Get a premium edition of the podcast and help support Mikes work: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ 🎧Listen Here👉https://open.spotify.com/show/3Q5MaJxR4gS4CwgZUCCYVt Follow us: INSTAGRAM: / pescagist TWITTER: https://x.com/PescaGist https://x.com/pescami Visit Mikes website: https://www.mikepesca.com/ Join the Pesca Profundities membership and get access to the Gist List Newsletter: https://mikepesca.substack.com/ CREDITS: Creator & Host: Mike Pesca Producer: Corey Wara TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 02:10 The Formula for Better Health: See, Believe, Create 04:35 The Humility of Science: What We Know & Dont Know 06:45 Why Believe in Science is a Terrible Idea 09:00 Invisible Killers: PM2.5 & the Legacy of Lead Poisoning 13:18 The Prevention Paradox: Why Public Health Policies Fail 15:41 Why Americans Die Younger: Lessons from Europe 18:43 Scaling What Works: Diet, Blood Pressure & Micronutrients 21:37 Breaking the Cassandra Curse: Foresight & Public Health 23:42 Obamacares Impact on Lifespans: What Do We Know? 26:45 Alarming Changes at the CDC: Fact vs. Fiction 30:53 Public Health During COVID: Did Advocacy Go Too Far? 34:40 COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates & Communication Failures 38:17 The Importance of Humility in Public Health Messaging$

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