The Majority Report with Sam Seder Sam Seder

It's Casual Friday! Sam speaks with Heather Digby Parton, contributing writer at Salon.com and proprietor of the blog Hullabaloo, to round up the week in news. Then, he's joined by Matthew Film Guy! First, Sam runs through updates on South Africa’s emergency ICJ injunction to stop Israel’s assault on Rafah, aid to Israel and Gaza, Trump’s legal woes, North Carolina’s bipartisan mask ban, Gov Abbott’s pardoning the murderer of a BLM protester, DOJ’s plan for weed, DeSantis’ institutionalized climate denial, and continuing student activism on college campuses (this from Bard), before watching MTG get repeatedly put in her place on the House floor. Digby then joins, as she and Sam dive into the GOP’s heartwarming display of unity (down to the suit), as they leave their responsibilities behind to show up in support of the ever-marginalized Donald Trump, before unpacking the (un)likelihood of any real criminal accountability for Trump in this (or any) legal case. Next, they look to Biden’s ongoing “popularity” struggles, parsing through his upcoming appearance at Morehouse’s commencement, and unpacking why he refuses to more actively target the overwhelmingly unproductive and unpopular House GOP, wrapping up with an assessment of his campaign as his poll numbers continue to dwindle. Matthew Film Guy then joins, as he beefs with Sam over aesthetics, soft launches his upcoming project (and continuing film class), and recommends Terence Davies’ “The Long Day Closes.”

And in the Fun Half: Sam parses through Jimmy Carter’s unflinching criticism of Israel’s apartheid state, Lauren Boebert calls for more “cognitive dissonance” tests on Joe Biden, and Paul Bet David and Tim Pool beef over – get this – interview travel plans, plus, your IMs!
Check out Digby's work at Salon: https://www.salon.com/writer/heather_digby_parton
Check out Hullabaloo here: https://digbysblog.net/
Check out Matthew's Letterboxd here: https://letterboxd.com/langdonboom/
Check out Matthew's film discussion group here: https://www.commonpointqueens.org/program/cultural-arts-and-jewish-heritage-classes/
Check out Matthew's eBay auction here! https://www.ebay.com/itm/115464749223
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Check out the "Repair Gaza" campaign courtesy of the Glia Project here: https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/rebuild_gaza_help_repair_and_rebuild_the_lives_and_work_of_our_glia_team#!/
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It’s an EmMajority Report Thursday! She speaks with Regina Kunzel, professor of history and women's, gender, and sexuality studies at Yale University, to discuss her recent book In the Shadow of Diagnosis: Psychiatric Power and Queer Life. Then, she speaks with Beshara Doumani, professor of Palestinian studies at Brown University, to discuss the 76th anniversary of the Nakba. First, Emma runs through updates on South Africa’s ICJ appeal to stop Israel’s Rafah invasion, growing public dissent from Biden allies to his support of Israel’s genocide, the US’ detainment of an anti-zionist Israeli academic, Bob Menendez’s genius legal tactic, the assassination attempt on Slovakia’s Prime Minister, Trump’s legal woes, Argentinian homophobic hate crimes, and Louisiana gerrymandering, before watching CNN try to save face on their coverage of the violence against student protesters. Professor Regina Kunzel then dives right into the history of the psychiatric industry, from its roots as a custodial care industry (asylums, etc) in the 19th Century, through its slow battle for professional legitimacy over the first half of the 1900s, exploring how this push for legitimacy saw the industry lay claim to a wide range of “problems in living” such as anxiety, depression, and (importantly) homosexuality and gender nonconformity. Expanding on this, Professor Kunzel tackles the presentation of queerness as a “treatable” mental disorder, one that would eventually be codified as a personality disorder (alongside pedophilia and sadism) with the introduction of the DSM in 1952, before stepping back to look at the role World War II, and more specifically the emphasis on mental health screenings, had in giving state-backed legitimacy to the psychiatric industry writ large, and in its particular pathologization of queer identity. After looking at the central role de-pathologizing homosexuality played in the gay rights movement of the 1970s, and the side-effect of gender “deviance” taking a back seat to homosexuality, Professor Kunzel wraps up with the re-emergence of the medical and psychiatric attack on queer identity with the mainstreaming of transphobic politics over the last decade. Professor Beshara Doumani then joins, walking through the 76 years of Palestinian oppression and ethnic cleansing since the 1948 Nakba, with the original event seeing the expulsion of over 80% of Palestinians from their homes, the end of the Palestinian state (and Palestinian society), and the creation of the State of Israel in the vacuum left by British colonial rule. Continuing the conversation, Professor Doumani contextualizes the central role the Nakba plays in Palestinian trauma and oppression to this day, exacerbated and brought to the fore with the following “earthquakes” of the 1967 Six-Day War, which saw hundreds of thousands more Palestinians ethnically cleansed, and the Oslo Accords complete isolation of Palestinians between the river and the sea. After diving deeper into the particular failure of the 2-state “solution,” Professor Doumani walks Emma through the specific repression he’s faced as a Palestinian academic, and the tremendous increase it has seen in the wake of October 7th.
And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Brandon Sutton and Matt Binder as they watch British bigot Mike Graham boot Arab-Israeli Jew Avi Shlaim from his program for being honest about Israeli apartheid. Alec from Western New York explores the evolution of his perspective on anti-zionism, Mike in Denver on the second coming of meme-stock, and Bumble creator discusses the alienating future of AI-infused dating. Plus, your calls and IMs!
Check out Regina's book here: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/I/bo212129044.html
Hear Beshara speak more about the Nakba here: https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2024/05/15/al-nakba-palestinians
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It's Hump Day! Sam speaks with writer and labor organizer Mindy Isser to discuss her recent piece in In These Times entitled "In Labor’s Mission to Organize the South, Another Domino Could Soon Fall." Then, he speaks with Anna Clark, reporter at ProPublica covering issues in the MidWest, to discuss her recent reporting on the Flint water crisis, 10 years later. First, Sam runs through updates on Biden’s continuing arms sales to Israel, Israel's goal of settling the Gaza Strip, Michael Cohen’s star turn, US inflation rates, climate change, Maryland’s primaries, Trump’s corruption, Rudy Giuliani, suits against major corporations, and the 2024 Presidential Debates, also diving into appearances from Vivek Ramaswamy and Mike Johnson at the Trump Trials, featuring some live translation during the latter’s speech. Mindy Isser then jumps right into the South’s long history of anti-union sentiment and politics, looking at the statistics behind the South’s union dearth, and the major driving forces of racism and anti-communism that have shaped the elite-driven attack on organized labor from the Congress of Industrial Organizations’ (CIO) “Operation Dixie” in the 1940s through the UAW’s ongoing expansion attempt today. After expanding on the role race has played in the recent union-busting attempts at the Vance, Alabama Mercedes plan, Sam and Mindy discuss the recent NLRB ruling that established a system card check lite, and how southern politicians are pushing back against it, before parsing more specifically through what the UAW’s success organizing the Chattanooga VW plant meant for a union renaissance in the South, and the hope that remains strong heading into the Vance Mercedes plant vote tally. Next, Anna Clark joins, first walking through the now infamous story of Flint, Michigan’s water crisis, which began one decade ago this spring with the horrendously executed switch off of Detroit’s Lake Huron water supply, followed by a tremendous display and unaccountability and incompetence from the political leadership of Flint appointed by Governor Snyder. After expanding on the devastating health effects faced by the consumers of Flint’s toxic water supply (including a two-year outbreak of legionnaires disease), and the lack of transparency in the face of crisis, Clark looks to the attempts at finding justice for the people of Flint, tackling the state of an ongoing class action lawsuit before wrapping up with the failure of various criminal proceedings, and how Flint is still holding out hope for accountability.
And in the Fun Half: Sam talks with Kowalski from Nebraska about getting more votes in a 2024 Nebraska Republican primary than Nikki Haley, and why his stance on immigration (among others) worked in his (albeit brief) campaign, Marjorie Taylor Greene’s beef with Mike Johnson continues to stew, and Charlie from the North East has an expansive conversation on gun control. The Biden Administration continues their genocide denial, Tim from Boston has a podcast rec, and Eric Adams has a totally-not-racist idea to solve NYC’s lifeguard shortage. Sam from Baltimore discusses his perspective on Maryland’s David Trone, and Ronald Raygun challenges Sam on the wokification of comedy. Jordan Peterson continues to be a shameless well of content, plus, your calls and IMs!
Check out Mindy's piece here: https://inthesetimes.com/article/mercedes-benz-alabama-uaw-volkswagon-tennessee-union-labor
Check out Anna's piece here: https://www.propublica.org/article/flint-michigan-water-crisis-ten-years-after
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Check out Seder's Seeds here!: https://www.sedersseeds.com/ ALSO, if you have pictures of your Seder's Seeds, send them here!: hello@sedersseeds.com
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It's News Day Tuesday! Sam and Emma break down the biggest headlines of the day. First, they're joined by Mohamed Aldaghma, who still has family in Gaza after the Rafah crossing was closed, to discuss some recent developments with them and what the state of affairs is on the ground in Gaza. They also speak with David Dayen, executive editor at The American Prospect, to discuss some of his recent reporting on the Biden administration's industrial policy. First, they run through updates on the mass cleansing of Gaza, Israel’s unlikely victory conditions, today’s West Virginia and Maryland primaries, Louisiana’s abortion ban, Michael Cohen’s testimony, Biden’s poor polling, and Steve Bannon’s legal woes, also listening to Tommy Tuberville’s pleas to end the mental anguish facing Trump in the courtroom. Mohammad Aldaghma then joins from Belgium as he updates MR on his family’s safe evacuation from Gaza to Egypt, the serious medical issues still facing them, and the state of his close family – including father, siblings, and more – still in Khan Younis. After briefly touching on the perception in Gaza of the central role the US has played in maintaining this war, and the inspiration they are finding in the news of growing domestic dissent, Aldaghma wraps up with the continuing effort to get his family to safety, and how the MR audience can help. David Dayen then joins, as he walks Sam and Emma through Biden’s recently announced tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (and various production elements), the overwhelming success of the Chinese EV industry, and why the US so fears the introduction of the Chinese product to the US market (they’re cheaper and better). Expanding on this, David dives into the context of these tariffs on the US market, drawing an analogue to US regulations on Japanese cars in the 1980s as he explores how these tariffs alongside bolstered EPA and EV requirements for US auto manufacturers serve to give the US market space (and incentive) to catch up, before wrapping up by exploring the role the Big Three (Ford, GM, Stellantis) play in EV production, and what a domestic production chain would mean for cheaper products.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma continue their conversation with David Dayen as he helps them parse through Biden’s new industrial policy with the recent reboot to the U.S. grid system, and parse through some highlights from Maryland’s primary races, including David Trone’s attempt to use a background of poverty and alcoholism to appeal to black voters, and the “sudden” influx of AIPAC money to Sarah Elfreth after her opponent started discussing dark money in politics. They also bask in Bill Burr’s passive takedown of Bill Maher’s absurd ego, and watch Vivek Ramaswamy attempt to defend his recent White Supremacist cucking at the hands of Ann Coulter, plus, your calls and IMs!
Check out this GoFundMe in support of Mohammad Aldaghma's family, including his niece in Gaza, who has Down Syndrome: http://tinyurl.com/7zb4hujt
Check out David's work at the American Prospect here https://prospect.org/topics/david-dayen/
Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join
Help out the state of Utah by telling them what you see in public bathrooms here!: https://ut-sao-special-prod.web.app/sex_basis_complaint2.html
Check out Seder's Seeds here!: https://www.sedersseeds.com/ ALSO, if you have pictures of your Seder's Seeds, send them here!: hello@sedersseeds.com
Check out the "Repair Gaza" campaign courtesy of the Glia Project here: https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/rebuild_gaza_help_repair_and_rebuild_the_lives_and_work_of_our_glia_team#!/
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Happy Monday! Sam & Emma host Teresa Ghilarducci, director of the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA) at The New School, to discuss her recent book Work, Retire, Repeat: The Uncertainty of Retirement in the New Economy. First, Sam and Emma run through updates on the State Department’s Leahy Law report, the contradictory evacuation orders coming out of Gaza, internal dissent in the Biden Administration, Trump-Biden polling, Trump’s legal woes, Katie Britt, labor action, and Nancy Mace, also diving into the Biden Administration’s changing position on Israel’s war. Teresa Ghilarducci then joins, diving right into the recent report on Social Security trust’s longevity, and unpacking the myths of the US’ supposed “retirement crisis,” before exploring why the incredible low-end wage growth and robust employment of the post-2020 US economy has proven to be the best formula for funding any retirement system. Next, Ghilarducci steps back as she, Sam, and Emma walk through the primary issue facing Social Security’s funding: the $168k income cap. Teresa parses through how this cap cuts off vast quantities of income in the US from the reaches of Social Security, with folks like Elon Musk covering their yearly payment before January 1st is half over, the additional source of income of capital gains revenue that remains untouched by Social Security, and the minimal impact that eliminating either of these restrictions would have on economic activity. After an extensive conversation on the shift in US retirement from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans, how that change shifted the risk on the shoulders of the employees, and why employers have such a drastically better capacity to handle said risk, Ghilarducci tackles the false narrative around the state of retirement age and labor in the US, and wraps up with the central elements of her “Grey New Deal” plan to reaffirm the value of the US labor force.
And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma discuss the gaping Candace Owens-sized hole in the Daily Wire’s newest production, Lindsay Graham discusses nuking Gaza, and watch a Zionist Joe Scarborough get put in his place by his father-in-law over the Oslo Accords. They also watch Kowalski from Nebraska discuss his Senate campaign live on KETV, tackle Trump’s return to his roots (lying about his crowd size), and listen to Tim Pool discuss the negatives (calls the Bible antisemitic) and positives (calls the Quran antisemitic) of the US’ new Antisemitism bill, plus, your calls and IMs!
Check out Teresa's book here: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo212888995.html
Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join
Help out the state of Utah by telling them what you see in public bathrooms here!: https://ut-sao-special-prod.web.app/sex_basis_complaint2.html
Check out Seder's Seeds here!: https://www.sedersseeds.com/ ALSO, if you have pictures of your Seder's Seeds, send them here!: hello@sedersseeds.com
Check out this GoFundMe in support of Mohammed Nasrallah, whose family is trying to leave Gaza for Egypt: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-mohammed-nasserallah-and-family-go-to-egypt
Check out this GoFundMe in support of Mohammad Aldaghma's niece in Gaza, who has Down Syndrome: http://tinyurl.com/7zb4hujt
Check out the "Repair Gaza" campaign courtesy of the Glia Project here: https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/rebuild_gaza_help_repair_and_rebuild_the_lives_and_work_of_our_glia_team#!/
Check out StrikeAid here!; https://strikeaid.com/
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It's Casual Friday! Sam and Emma speak with Ryan Grim, D.C. Bureau Chief at The Intercept and co-host of Counter Points, to round up the week in news. First, Sam and Emma react to some of the new developments in Trump's hush money trial, including the appearance of...someone different to advocate for Trump outside the courthouse: Florida Sen. Rick Scott. The MR Crew, and reporters speaking to Sen. Scott, speculate that, due to Trump's gag order, Trump may be calling in some surrogates who are less...inhibited than Trump is at the moment. Then, after not being able to figure out his laptop, Ryan Grim joins the program by phone, and he, Sam, and Emma start off by recapping the calamitous end of Kristi Noem's book tour, with the last stop on Stuart Varney's Fox Business show looking like the breaking point. They then discuss how AIPAC has been slightly neutralized in the election cycle this year, and, per Ryan's reporting and analysis, the fear some in the organization are feeling that they don't possess the same sway over Biden given his decision to withhold some aid to Israel over the prospect of a Rafah invasion, AND that they haven't been as impactful or decisive in Democratic primaries, specifically against Squad members. Ryan outlines some of the equivocating that Bidenworld has done after Biden's comments on withholding aid, and Grim zeroes in on the cleavage between the Biden administration officials responsible for military and intelligence actions (Defense Secretary Austin & CIA Director Burns) who are in negotiations with Israel & Palestine, compared to that of the diplomatic and political actors (Secretary of State Blinken & Biden's Chief of Staff Jeff Zients) who have been much more deferential both publicly and privately towards Israel. They then discuss the terrible implications for the U.S., Palestinians, and even Israeli soldiers in terms of casualties and damage if a large scale ground invasion of Rafah occurs, and how, even if Biden and Netanyahu may understand those implications, they may be too involved ideologically to try and put a real stop to it. Grim then updates Sam and Emma on some of the other AIPAC machinations going on, including their infusion in an Oregon congressional primary to stop Rep. Pramila Jayapal's sister, Susheela, from winning. They then finally discuss what political implications this may have for President Biden in November, and how, if voters who would actually be championing Biden (activists, politically engaged young voters) weren't so disgusted with Biden's conduct in Israel, they'd be endorsing and highlighting some serious policy victories that Biden's engaged in (banning natural gas export terminals, for example). Instead, the connotation with Biden due to his support of Israel is inevitably clouded for some in his key voter bases.
And in the Fun Half, Sam, Emma, and Bradley react to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking with Dr. Phil in Jerusalem (???) about how Israel will fight even with his fingernails if they have (and, Netanyahu qualifies, that they do have more to fight with than fingernails. Thanks for clarifying!) Afterwards, they take a look at Israel's UN representative, Gilad Erdan, getting in some prop work at the General Assembly meeting, claiming that the body is shredding its charter by admitting Palestine into the body further with more privileges (he literally shredded a tiny copy of the UN charter.) They then react to some of the right wing fearmongering over anti-Semitism (something they've always really cared about, seemingly), with Florida Rep. Aaron Bean warning a House subcommittee that...2nd graders are trafficking in Nazi propaganda. Then the MR Crew gets through the jump scare of watching Katie Britt talk (hasn't gotten over the State of the Union response cadence, seemingly) about Jewish college students being treated like civil rights activists in the 1960's, Trump's appeal to Jewish voters outside the courthouse (they should be ashamed o