The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Sam hosts author and journalist Jessie Singer to discuss her recent book There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster-Who Profits and Who Pays the Price, on the policy and regulatory collapse that has pushed America’s number of “accidental” deaths through the roof. Jessie begins by situating her research over the last two decades; her best friend was killed by a driver that accidentally ran through a biking pedestrian path – an incident that would be repeated (on accident) countless times over the next decade – until in 2017 a driver purposefully took the same exact route in a terror attack killing eight and injuring eleven, finally resulting in barrier protections for the path. She then dives into the concept of “accidental” deaths, and how that term makes them seem random despite the patterns within them, with Black and brown people, impoverished people being hurt at drastically higher rates, and a clear inverse relationship with crumbling regulatory capacity and social safety net policy on every level of US politics – as they decline, deaths ramp up. Next, she and Sam dive into the fall and rise of these deaths after WWII, as regulatory agencies pushed safety on the American public up until the turn of the neoliberal era, when we see a complete turnaround as the number of deaths double after 1992, before they look to the willful ignorance behind this increase as a social and political problem, not a design or regulatory one. Lastly, they cover the role of two American ideals in pushing this narrative – the profit motive and the obsession with personal responsibility – and how they have encouraged the creation of more and more dangerous (and more and more expensive) cars, discouraged the creation of mitigation efforts in the opioid epidemic, and just generally undermine the ability of communities to be built around protecting human life. After they wrap up with a discussion on policing and judgment, Sam touches on developments in the West’s response to Russia, and dives into his passion subjects of Postal regulation and America’s history of poisoning its citizens with lead.

And in the Fun Half: Stephen Crowder discusses the bad people on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine “conflict” (invasion), Bro Flamingo talks night clubs and Trump’s personal agenda, and Sam dives into the firing of a Starbucks organizer. Graph from CO discusses the current wave of anti-LGBTQ culture war from the right, Dave Rubin takes on the authoritarian nature of parent-child relationships (just imagine the GOVERNMENT enforcing your BEDTIME and making you eat VEGETABLES), and Noah from NoLa has a difficult time holding a conversation on misinformation, plus, your calls and IMs!

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Learn more about the Minneapolis teacher's strike here.

Emma hosts Andrew Ross, professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University, to discuss his recent book Sunbelt Blues: The Failure of American Housing, on the continued financialization of the housing market in the wake of the 2008 recession as seen through myriad communities throughout the sunbelt. They begin by situating Professor Ross’ research within the sunbelt region, moving back two decades to the birth of Disney’s Celebration Village, where he lived as he researched the fledgling years of the town, before looking at the rapid global expansion of the affordable housing crisis, and the focus of the coverage centering on urban areas, despite the expansive effect of the crisis on rural and suburban areas. Professor Ross explores how the sharpest poverty increase has been in areas like Celebration in the Sunbelt, as he explores the sale of the town to a private equity firm in 2004 as an early example of what we saw in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis: venture capitalists swooping in and purchasing homes across the US aiming to jack up the rent, refinance them, and generally bleed them, and their communities, dry. He and Emma then look to the effects of this rampant exploitation, as Prof. Ross dives into the flood into local motels and encampments as the levels of poverty grew in this relatively well-off village, eventually making the high school in Celebration the largest enrolled of homeless students. They explore the lower requirements of motels and how this translates into a lack of tenants' rights, especially with the eviction moratoria of the pandemic, before looking to how the immediate need for money to pay for housing pushes people into the more precarious informal economy. They wrap up by taking on the complete transformation of America into a full-on rentership society, as Black homeownership has reached a lower rate than before the Fair Housing Act of 1968, and a complete lack of federal investment in affordable housing since before the Reagan years, while wage stagnation and the Wall St-focused response to the 2008 recession reinforced this, before they walk through the genuinely obvious solution of mass investment in public and full-spectrum social housing policy. Emma also covers Mitch McConnell running on the child poverty platform, and Democrats' inability to capitalize on the disgusting policies of their opponents.

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Nomiki Konst as they celebrate International Women’s Day, Nomiki dives into Russia invading Ukraine the day she arrived in the Bay of Pigs, and they take on Fox’s Oil Tycoon coverage and their deep desire to serve the whims of tyrants and dictators. Wren from Oregon calls in to discuss Biden’s violent inaction in refusing to federally take on Texas’ family criminalization and separation tactics against trans kids, and Emma and Nomiki discuss Florida passing the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Louie from Palm Springs expands on Florida’s insane upper-class housing projects, and Kowalski wraps up with a quick discussion on the recent IPCC report. Tulsi Gabbard ties the invasion of Ukraine back to CRT and queer people in the US, plus, your calls and IMs!

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Sam and Emma host Kimberly St. Julian Varnon, Ph.D student in history at the University of Pennsylvania, to discuss her work on Soviet-Ukrainian history and the role race has played in the wake of the fall of the USSR. They begin by walking through the history of the unification of Ukraine, which was split between the Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires before WWI, with the eastern segment featuring the black earth region as a center of agricultural production for Russia and cities like Odessa (which birthed Orthodox Judaism), all under repressive rule against Ukrainian culture and language. With the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire with the first World War, and the rise of the USSR in 1922, Ukraine finally saw its unification with the creation of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, becoming the second most powerful republic in the communist union, until Stalin began his five-year plan with pushback from Ukrainian peasants, responding to them with the state-created starvation of the Holodomor, killing millions of Ukrainians. In the wake of the massacre, Ukraine ended up falling in step with the USSR up until its dissolution, opening the country up in 1991 to finally acknowledging the horrors it faced under Stalin. This brings us to the contemporary era, as St. Julian Varnon explores the 1994 Budapest memorandum that officially recognized an independent Ukraine under the conditions that they give up their nuclear arsenal, up until Russia’s invasion in 2013 which officially broke the deal, before she, Sam, and Emma take on the concept of joining NATO or the EU, with the former really not gaining popularity until Putin’s recent escalation and invasion, whereas the latter became central to Ukrainian politics in the wake of the 2013 start of this conflict. This leads Kimberly to walk through the 2013 invasion of Ukraine and the 2014 annexation of Crimea in the wake of the Euromaidan protests, looking at the progression of the war between separatists and Ukraine and the fourteen thousand deaths (largely ignored by the West) leading up to Putin’s escalation in 2022. They wrap up the interview by looking at St. Julian Varnon’s study of race in the region, especially coming out of the socialist era of race-neutrality, as she takes on the legitimate claims of ultra-nationalist neo-nazi organizations (such as the Azov Battalion) in Ukraine, which have been vaguely relevant on a national level, and understanding this segment of Ukraine as something we see throughout Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and even the United States, before they look to the rapid assimilation of Ukrainians into “whiteness,” despite their previous treatment over the years, and the massive impact this has had on the treatment of African and Afro-Ukrainian people also looking to find safety and stability. Sam and Emma also touch on the 4,500 arrests in Russia in the wake of anti-war protests, Joe Scarborough’s encouraging the US to flex their nuclear arms, despite the horrors it would obviously result in (even in a best-case scenario).

And in the Fun Half: Emma and Sam take a call from Casey from Spokane on pandemic monetary policies and their impact, admire Marco Rubio admitting that he truly knows better than Ukrainian officials what dangers are facing them, and Tucker “D's get degrees when they stand for ‘donations’” Carlson ramps up the racism against Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Luke from Oneonta discusses the Azov Battalion and their Neo-Nazi counterparts in the Russian army, such as the Wagner Group, Andrew Cuomo returns to remind us that we should really be canceling legislative gridlock, not sexual assault, Ronald Raygun talks tayhaysay, and Mike Lindell announces his class-action lawsuit against “all machines,” plus, your calls and IMs!

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It's Casual Friday! Sam and Emma host Perry Bacon Jr., columnist for the Washington Post, to discuss his recent pieces "Let's puncture some myths about Democrats' struggles" and "Why Ketanji Brown Jackson would be such an upgrade over Breyer." Then, Sam and Emma are joined by John Hodgman and David Rees to discuss their new project "Dicktown" on FXX! Perry, Sam, and Emma begin by parsing through Biden’s State of the Union and his gratuitous hits on the left as they set up a discussion on the Democratic establishment preparing the midterm blame-game on progressivism and “wokeness.” This brings them to the role of the consultant class in bolstering these arguments, as well as how the ideological battle for the future of the party, and the media readiness to accept centrist talking points work in tandem. Next, they take on the Democratic establishment’s fear of all things culture war, and why younger generations are more willing to explicitly take on the Republican push to start banning books.  They take on the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court and why she was the obvious choice, before they wrap up the interview by reflecting on Breyer’s role over these last few years, and why his typical SCOTUS Justice pretension has reinforced the institution's anti-democratic nature. Sam and Emma also touch on the continuing backlash to Russia, and Manchin calling for a massive fracking investment in the domestic oil industry. Then they are joined by David Rees and John Hodgman as they discuss their new show “Dicktown,” why their adult animation isn’t more “adult,” and reflect on the general dickheadery of their youth. And in the Fun Half: Tucker Carlson, not weeks after laughing at support for Ukraine and hitching his own wagon to Russia, decides to put out a call for escalation against Russia, Sean Hannity calls for war, but like, suuuuper secret war, and Lindsay Graham gives Putin all the anti-American propaganda he needs. A Florida school suspends a student for promoting protests against the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill, DeSantis preps his presidential run, and Greg Gutfeld wants to redefine mutually assured destruction, plus, your IMs!   Purchase tickets for the live show in Brooklyn March 26th and Boston on May 15th HERE:   https://majorityreportradio.com/live-show-schedule

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Emma hosts Alex Sammon, staff writer at The American Prospect, to discuss his recent piece in the New Republic "IKEA's Race for the Last of Europe's Old-Growth Forest." Alex dives right into his surprisingly high-risk coverage of the rampant illegal deforestation going on in Europe’s last old-growth forest in Romania, first situating his research within stories relayed to him a few years ago regarding the multiple murders of forest rangers in the region, and countless recorded assaults of folks documenting the illegal logging. Next, he and Emma jump back to 1989 and the fall of the USSR, as Romania, alongside many other countries, was opened up to neoliberalism and expansive privatization, with the Harvard University endowment jumping on the opportunity and (illegally) buying up a majority of land in the post-communist country, before selling it off to Ikea to dump the legal battles. They then accelerate to Romania’s acceptance to the EU in the oughts, which provided a perfect example of the contradictions of the union when it came to deforestation, as the increased neoliberalization and bolstering of the privatized regimes ramped up the logging, while the developing environmental “pledges” centered the forest as a key ecosystem. This finally brings us to the last decade and a half, as Alex takes on the facade of regulation offered by environmental Non-Governmental Organizations in the region, and walks through the myriad steps of the supply chain, all of which helps Ikea to obscure the illicit activities along each step of the way. Of course, this is further supported by a complete lack of regulatory capacities in the forest itself – resulting in a majority of wood from the region being produced by illegal logging – and the countless stories of violence, from full murder to attempted assault, which all make cracking down on the deforestation incredibly difficult. They wrap up the interview by looking at the future of the furniture industry, as production is expected to ramp up, and Ikea completely vacating the Russian market putting even more pressure on Romania’s forest. Emma also covers the incredibly devastating developments in Texas as the state begins investigating parents for providing gender-affirming care for their trans children, diving into the stories of actual trans children and their families, and the fear and anxiety that has suddenly been forced on them, before they touch on updates in Ukraine, as deaths continue to mount, and briefly explores stories of anti-war protestors in Russia and the inhumanity involved in blanket blaming citizens for the horrors of their government. And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Matt and Brandon as they take on the incredibly unsurprising attack on Biden and the defund movement by the right, just days after Biden himself tried to do the same thing. Phil from the Chicago suburbs calls in to chat about the mineral industry and the domestic Russian politics that might be slowing down their invasion, Ron DeSantis yells at high schoolers for their PC theater, Alex from NYC talks school choice, and Brandon one-ups Ben Shapiro on pointless political analogies. Brian in Germany inquires on potential ends to the conflict in Ukraine, Kowalski gives his agriculture update, supply chain and all, and Zack from East TN grapples with aligning national progressive movements with those that already have roots in his region, plus, your calls and IMs!

Sam and Emma host David Dayen, executive editor at the American Prospect, to discuss Biden's State of the Union address, as well David's recent pieces in the New York Times and the Prospect. They begin by unpacking the popularism woven throughout Biden’s address, looking to the limits of highlighting exclusively popular ideas (especially when you haven’t gotten many of them done), and the flip side presented by the President railing against what he sees as unpopular ideas within his own party, despite the only effect being undermining his fellow Democrats. David also walks through myriad ways Biden could’ve offered more practical examples over platitudes in his speech, before they look to Rick Scott’s proposed tax raise on half of Americans and a sunsetting of Social Security and Medicare, as well as McConnell’s swift shutdown of this despite it clearly being a central element of the Republican agenda over the last two decades. Next, they cover Casar’s incredible progressive victory that we saw yesterday in Texas, before David, Sam, and Emma discuss Biden’s successful rhetoric on inflation. David wraps up by bringing in his recent series on the American Prospect on the supply chain failures, walking through the various neoliberal developments that built up a single-lane supply chain with little to no reserves that set us teetering on the edge of disaster until the pandemic pushed us over, before he also dives into his piece in the NYT on Larry Summer’s role in fear-mongering inflation to cover up countless weaknesses in a system he set up. Sam and Emma also explore Russia’s continued advancement through Ukraine, Texas formalizing their wildly invasive anti-family child-abuse policy, targeting trans kids who are already incredibly vulnerable, and discuss Biden’s (correct) claims on job growth.

And in the Fun Half: Sam unpacks his time at Disney, John from San Antonio parses through yesterday’s Texas primaries and what the Cisneros - Cuellar runoff could look like, and Joe from Maine explores how the conflict in Ukraine might affect electoral politics, before Emma highlights the whiplash from the right as they turn from boisterous support for Putin, to suddenly seeing him as at fault. Jesse Watters and Monica Crowley discuss the nasty, schoolyard-bullying Russia is facing in the face of their geopolitical “cancellation” (this sentence means nothing), Rachel calls in from Warsaw to discuss her experiences leaving Ukraine this past week, from racism at the borders to the emotional response from Ukrainians, and Dave from Jamaica expands a little on the administrative racism of the response to Ukrainian refugees. Crowder and his babysitter watch the state of the union, plus, your calls and IMs!

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Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada. https://www.patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at https://www.twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!)

Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/

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The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

Sam and Emma host Matt Duss, foreign policy adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), to discuss the recent developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as the U.S. airstrike in Somalia from a few days ago, the first in the area since last August. Matt, Sam, and Emma begin with a clip of a journalist in Poland pleading with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the establishment of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, as they work through the tactic as a clear declaration of war, recognize World War 3 as a choice that will lead to countless deaths, and unpack what non-military action and de-escalation is still viable at this point. Next, Matt situates the conflict within the last decade of geopolitical development, starting with the overthrow of a Russian-sympathetic Ukrainian government in 2014 and the resulting annexation of Crimea, before they work to define the role of Russia to Ukrainians both inside and out of the Donbas region, and use a leaked essay from a Russian outlet to unpack what Putin sees as the “Ukrainian Question,” and the role he hopes to assume in tackling it. Matt also leads Sam and Emma through a conversation on what the future of this war could look like, especially if Russian action expands outside of Ukraine, how Putin created the exact situation he supposedly feared, and the central importance of helping Ukrainians survive and thrive while also ensuring the least bloodshed – especially through economic and immigration policy. Sam and Emma also touch on today’s primaries in Texas, Russia’s advancement on Kharkiv, and the domestic blowback that Putin is facing, before they dive into the ghoulish and inhumane pitch by Hillary Clinton on Rachel Maddow’s show, pushing treating Ukraine as we did Afghanistan in the ‘80s, despite the unnecessary death and destruction that wrought on the country and its people.

And in the Fun Half: Ronald Raygun calls in as he unpacks the emotional responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, both in himself and others, John from San Antonio runs through his expectations for today’s Texas primaries, and Candace Owens takes on the RadFems and their darned Women’s Lib, leaving men everywhere with empty plates upon coming home from making his man money. Todd Starnes and Steven Crowder continue the right’s commitment to reusing, reducing, and recycling their trash-ass comedy, Jason from CT calls in on the SCOTUS’ evisceration of the VRA, and Dave Rubin and Dennis Prager take on the real divisive issue in our country: learning about the divisive issues in our country. Pat Robertson lives, plus, your calls and IMs!

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Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada. https://www.patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at https://www.twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!)

Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/

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Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter:

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Buy tickets to Francesca Fiorentini's live show with Sam next Thursday 3/10 at the Bell House here!

If you can assist Ronald Raygun, contact him on Twitter here.

The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

Sam and Emma host Wilfred Codrington, Assistant Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, to discuss President Biden's recent nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. They begin by situating her nomination within the expectations of a SCOTUS Justice’s pedigree, as Judge Jackson’s dual Harvard degrees, three federal clerkships (including for Justice Breyer), and experiences on multiple court circuits provide a resume that fits perfectly with the other Justices, while her work as a public defender sets her apart from the typical corporate pipeline and demonstrates her commitment to constitutional questions. After walking through her work that lead up to the nomination, Sam, Emma, and Professor Codrington posit how her role could impact the court both now, as she is slightly to the left of Breyer, and down the road, as even with a conservative majority her dissents can offer important toe-holds for fights decades from now. Next, Sam and the Professor get to dive into the administrative state, as they unpack the current EPA SCOTUS case and its role in furthering the conservative agenda of completely dismantling the capacity for non-congressional agencies to make American society work, before they wrap up the interview by taking on Sam’s “pre-pack the court” tactic, and the idea of bending the rules of the Court as we unpack its undemocratic nature. Sam and Emma also touch on absentee ballot rejections in Texas primaries, the CDC easing masking guidelines, and the effect of Biden pilfering the entire country of Afghanistan, before they touch on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and how the West loves to react to Christian– I mean white– I mean European– refugees in a way that absolutely demeans and dehumanizes the victims of Western imperialism outside of Europe.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma discuss the importance of emphasizing Russia’s actions as grounded in imperialism, and dive into Putin’s relationship with his oligarchs, and the obvious lack of leverage anyone in his regime has on him. They also look at Zelensky’s effective messaging in the midst of bombings and invasions, and the domestic pushback to Putin’s actions, before John from Minnesota calls in to discuss crypto and reallocation of wealth, and Bro Flamingo jumps off that with a conversation on the “Financialization of Daily Life.” Kowalski takes on the relationships between imperialism and agriculture, Condoleezza Rice takes on acknowledging her past war crimes, before they wrap up with the devolution of Jordan Peterson and Jacob from Alabama situates the current mineworkers strike as the longest one in his state’s history, plus, your calls and IMs!

Purchase tickets for the live show in Boston on May 15th HERE:   https://majorityreportradio.com/live-show-schedule

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sunsetlakecbd is a majority employee owned farm in Vermont, producing 100% pesticide free CBD products. Great company, great product and fans of the show! Use code Leftisbest and get 20% off at http://www.sunsetlakecbd.com. And now Sunset Lake CBD has donated $2500 to the Nurses strike fund, and we encourage MR listeners to help if they can. Here’s a link to where folks can donate: https://forms.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/

ZipRecruiter: Some things in life we like to pick out for ourselves - so we know we've got the one that's best for us - like cuts of steak or mattresses. What if you could do the same for hiring - choose your ideal candidate before they even apply? That’s where ZipRecruiter’s ‘Invite to Apply’ comes in - it gives YOU, as the hiring manager, the power to pick your favorites from top candidates. According to ZipRecruiter Internal Data, jobs where employers use ZipRecruiter’s ‘Invite to Apply’ get on average two and a half times more candidates — which helps make for a faster hiring process. See for yourself! Just go to this exclusive web address, https://www.ziprecruiter.com/majority to try ZipRecruiter for free!

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Support the St. Vincent Nurses today! https://action.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/

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Subscribe to Brandon’s show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse

Check out The Letterhack’s upcoming Kickstarter project for his new graphic novel! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milagrocomic/milagro-heroe-de-las-calles

Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada. https://www.patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at https://www.twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!)

Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/

Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein’s podcast News from Nowhere. https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere 

Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter:

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The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

It's Casual Friday! Emma hosts Derek Davison, author of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter on Substack and co-host of the American Prestige podcast, to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Then, Emma talks with Luke Savage, staff writer at Jacobin magazine and author of the upcoming book The Dead Center: Reflections On Liberalism And Democracy After The End Of History to round up the week in news! And lastly, Emma is joined by Jayar Jackson, host of The Watchlist on The Young Turks Network!

Purchase tickets for the live show in Brooklyn March 26th and Boston on May 15th HERE:   https://majorityreportradio.com/live-show-schedule

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Check out today’s sponsors:

sunsetlakecbd is a majority employee owned farm in Vermont, producing 100% pesticide free CBD products. Great company, great product and fans of the show! Use code Leftisbest and get 20% off at http://www.sunsetlakecbd.com. And now Sunset Lake CBD has donated $2500 to the Nurses strike fund, and we encourage MR listeners to help if they can. Here’s a link to where folks can donate: https://forms.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/

Support the St. Vincent Nurses today! https://action.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/

Check out Matt’s show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning

Subscribe to Matt’s other show Literary Hangover on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/literaryhangover

Check out The Nomiki Show on YouTube. https://www.patreon.com/thenomikishow

Check out Matt Binder’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder

Subscribe to Brandon’s show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse

Check out The Letterhack’s upcoming Kickstarter project for his new graphic novel! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milagrocomic/milagro-heroe-de-las-calles

Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada. https://www.patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at https://www.twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!)

Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/

Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein’s podcast News from Nowhere. https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere 

Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter:

@SamSeder

@EmmaVigeland

@MattBinder

@MattLech

@BF1nn

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The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

Emma hosts Andrew Cockburn, Washington editor at Harper's Magazine, to discuss his recent book The Spoils of War: Power, Profit, and the American War Machine. Then, Emma is joined by Ken Klippenstein, investigative reporter at the Intercept, to discuss his recent piece "SAUDI-RUSSIA COLLUSION IS DRIVING UP GAS PRICES — AND WORSENING UKRAINE CRISIS". However, they begin by taking a step back to look at the developments of recent weeks, leading up to last night’s Russian invasion of Ukraine, looking to how the Biden administration has signaled their response, from guessing correctly at Putin’s aims yet still making every effort to ensure he followed through, to the consistent push for more and more intense sanctions, before Andrew dives into the actual conflicts at hand, in the Donbas region and elsewhere, and explores Putin’s desire to pin everything to Nazis and communists. This fittingly leads them to look at the development of the foreign policy tactic of sanctions, first moving back to its emergence in the 1960s against the Cuban people, hoping to starve them into revolution, before they look at how it developed in a pseudo-technocratic manner, just as drone warfare did, with US officials presenting newer and newer sanctions as “precise” and “targeted,” despite everything about their effects suggesting the opposite. Next, they look at the long-lasting devastation that sanctions have wrought, even if eventually lifted – as we saw in Iran – and dive into their pointlessness as a completely unproductive involvement in this conflict. He and Emma then explore the evolution of the Military-Industrial Complex, which has driven up the Pentagon budget by ~5% per year since 1954 all while it is suggested that our actual “fighting strength” is dropping. Andrew Cockburn makes sense of this by re-situating how we look at the issue, exploring how the MIC and Pentagon are only understandable when viewed as moneymaking machines, as he walks through myriad examples, from the Air Force developing worse planes simply because they’re costlier and employ more technological precision to Korean war tactics that centered on raiding communist trenches for clothing. They wrap up by tracking the consistent reaction to any dips in the Pentagon’s budgetary growth (not budget; growth), alongside warmongering lies from the 60s “missile gap” to nuclear lies in the Middle East. Emma also walks us through the developments in Ukraine last night, tracking the invasion and what little we know about the death toll as she works her way through this tragedy.

And in the Fun Half: Ken Klippenstein joins as he discusses his recent piece on the role of Saudi-Russian collusion in driving up gas prices and enflaming the crisis in Ukraine, from Saudi Arabia bolstering Russia’s role in oil production (starting in 2015) to strengthen Putin’s hand in advancing this conflict, to the easy decisions that the US could make in just moving away from 0il, as well as touching on Biden advancing sanctions against Yemen. Then, Emma is joined by Matt and Brandon as they take a call from Bro Flamingo and admire Laura Ingraham’s Interruption Angle. Binder also takes on certain “leftists” refusal to acknowledge their weirdly pro-war excuses or take accountability for how they disseminate their own opinions, and he, Matt #2, Brandon, and Emma go back and forth on the role NATO should’ve or even could’ve played in the run-up, before Eric Adams, massive proponent of solitary confinement, rants on the importance of socializing in our well being. Lastly, they go off on the active violent incitement against Trans people by the right, from Marjorie Taylor Greene to Eric Prince, plus, your calls and IMs!

Purchase tickets for the live show in Brooklyn March 26th and Boston on May 15th HERE:   https://majorityreportradio.com/live-show-schedule

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Support the St. Vincent Nurses today! https://action.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/

Check out Matt’s show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning

Subscribe to Matt’s other show Literary Hangover on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/literaryhangover

Check out The Nomiki Show on YouTube. https://www.patreon.com/thenomikishow

Check out Matt Binder’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder

Subscribe to Brandon’s show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse

Check out The Letterhack’s upcoming Kickstarter project for his new graphic novel! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milagrocomic/milagro-heroe-de-las-calles

Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada. https://www.patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at https://www.twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!)

Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/

Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein’s podcast News from Nowhere. https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere 

Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter:

@SamSeder

@EmmaVigeland

@MattBinder

@MattLech

@BF1nn

@BradKAlsop

The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/