The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Journalist Todd Miller (@memomiller) joins Sam to discuss his new book, "Empire of Borders: The Expansion of the U.S. Border Around the World."

The twenty-first century has witnessed the rapid hardening of international borders. Security, surveillance, and militarization are widening the chasm between those who travel where they please and those whose movements are restricted. But that is only part of the story. As journalist Todd Miller reveals in Empire of Borders, the nature of US borders has changed. These boundaries have effectively expanded thousands of miles outside of US territory to encircle not simply American land but Washington’s interests.

Direct download: 8-27-19_Tuesday_Todd_Miller_Pub.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:00pm EDT

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

A judge orders Johnson & Johnson to pay $570 million for role in Oklahoma’s opioid epidemic.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico declares a national emergency as Tropical Storm Dorian threatens to turn into a hurricane.

And lastly, Joe Biden’s brother reportedly offered help in incorporating a private businesses’ health care model into Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.

And our QUICKER QUICKIES HEADLINES:

A new Roanoke College poll finds that 53% of potential Virginia voters said they disapproved of President Trump’s job performance, while just 27% said they approved — a new low.

Washington Post reports that Trump announced Monday that he intends to invite Putin to the G7 summit in 2020 despite warnings that Russia is actively trying to interfere again in the U.S. presidential election.

An internal poll from the campaign of Andy Beshear shows the Democratic challenger leading Kentucky’s Republican Governor Matt Bevin by 9 percentage points, 48% to 39%, with a little over two months until the election.

And Brazil’s fascist overlord Jair Bolsonaro announced that he will reject the $22 million offered by G7 countries to help the country fight the Amazon fires saying the resources would be put to better use reforesting Europe.

Direct download: 082719_AM_QUICKIE.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:46am EDT

Alexandra Minna Stern, professor of American Culture at the University of Michigan, joins us to discuss her book, 'Proud Boys and the White Ethnostate: How the Alt-Right Is Warping the American Imagination.'

From a loose movement that lurked in the shadows in the early 2000s, the alt-right has achieved a level of visibility that has allowed it to expand significantly throughout America’s cultural, political, and digital landscapes. Racist, sexist, and homophobic beliefs that were previously unspeakable have become commonplace, normalized, and accepted—endangering American democracy and society as a whole.
Through careful analysis, Stern brings awareness to the underlying concepts that guide the alt-right and animate its overlapping forms of racism, xenophobia, transphobia, and anti-egalitarianism.

Direct download: 8-26-19_Monday_Alexandra_Minna_Stern_Pub.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that 70 percent of Americans have a “deep and boiling anger” for the political establishment.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Warren takes a jab at Joe Biden during a record-setting rally in Seattle.

And lastly, Axios reports that Trump wants to stop hurricanes from hitting U.S. by bombing them with nuclear weapons. 

And our QUICKER QUICKIES HEADLINES:

NBC News reports that the top Democratic presidential campaigns are taking the possibility of a contested convention seriously and have begun wooing the party's 700-plus super delegates, who thanks to a new rule will only get to weigh in on a nominee if next year's primaries and caucuses fail to produce a clear winner.

The Alabama Republican Party passed a resolution calling for to seek the expulsion Rep. Ilhan Omar from Congress for “anti-American” sentiments. Even if passed, the racist resolution would not lead to Omar’s expulsion as it is not binding on members of Congress and, oh yeah, the Democratic Party controls the House of Representatives. Details.

The AP is reporting that Trump, under pressure to scale back a U.S.-China trade war partly blamed for a global economic slowdown, said this morning that the two sides will begin serious negotiations soon.

And CNN reports that The Cherokee Nation announced that it intends to appoint a delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, asserting for the first time a right promised to the tribe in a nearly 200-year-old treaty with the federal government.

Direct download: 082619_AM_QUICKIE.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:54am EDT

Happy Friday! On today's show, Ben Mankiewicz from Turner Classic Movies and Matt Binder from Mashable join Michael Brooks to breakdown the news of the week! We're live at noon EST. Brooks is joined by Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz to discuss new and upcoming films. The two begin their conversation with the existential question, "why are there so many goddamn superhero movies?" Mankiewicz gives a brief overview of the golden age of 1970s cinema and the economics of the blockbuster and studio consolidation in the 1980s. Shifting to politics, Brooks and Mankiewicz consider Trump's latest moniker, "the King of the Jews," the country's incapacity to express shock, and the president's bewildering charisma. Mankiewicz ends the interview with film recommendations, including Network, Three Days in the Condor, The Conversation, and Ace in the Hole.

Then, Matt 1.0, Matt Binder of the podcast Doomed, joins Brooks in-studio to discuss the growing Bernie Sanders movement and white nationalism embedded in State Department bureaucracy. Binder recounts his recent interview with Michael Hayden of the Southern Poverty Law Center who discovered Matthew Q. Gebert. Gebert was a State Department official who is involved in the white nationalist movement. Gebert was a rising star at the Bureau of Energy Resources even after his brother had reported him to the FBI, citing his brother's involvement in white nationalist groups around Washington. Brooks and Binder discuss the problem with covering hate groups on YouTube and social media, which cannot differentiate between those who promote toxic ideologies and those who cover and report on them.

And in the Fun Half for Freebie Friday: Andrew Miller from Amazon Watch explains the Bolsonaro government's involvement in the rainforest's raging wildfires, a reminder that Dave Rubin doesn't care about Brazilian deforestation, a flashback Friday: Wyatt Ingraham Koch, the coming Biden v. Trump Jello debate, plus your calls and IMs!

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Get your tickets to the Michael Brooks Live Show in LA! April 20th at the Bootleg Theatre with guests Ana Kasparian, Wosny Lambre and Nando Vila! Get tickets here!

Check out The Michael Brooks Show at patreon.com/tmbs, and the TMBS YouTube channel for all short TMBS clips

Check out Matt’s podcast, Literary Hangover, at Patreon.com/LiteraryHangover or on iTunes

Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, at patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or via your favorite podcast app

Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter:

@majorityfm

@SamSeder

@_michaelbrooks

@MattLech

@jamie_elizabeth

@Bf1nn

 

Direct download: 8-23-19-Matt_Binder-Ben_Mankiewicz-pub.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:46pm EDT

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

The DNC decides that the imminent collapse of planet Earth isn’t worth talking about for 2 hours. 

Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders unleashes an ambitious $16 trillion plan to fight climate change as he calls for fossil fuel executives to be criminally prosecuted. 

And lastly, Bill Barr’s Justice Department sent its Immigration Judges an email linked to a White Nationalist blog post full of anti-semitic attacks. 

And our QUICKER QUICKIES HEADLINES:

The intercept has a in depth piece from the Front Lines of Bolsonaro’s War on the Amazon rainforest, as Brazil’s forest communities fight against this climate catastrophe.

Vanity Fair is reporting that Trump has been privately telling congressional Republicans that he thinks gutting Medicare could be a “fun second term project.” 

The American Prospect reports that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have returned campaign contributions from individuals employed at hedge funds that have investments in Puerto Rican debt, after an open letter from a coalition of progressive activist groups sent last week demanded that presidential candidates reject donations tied to the misery on the island.

Direct download: 082319_AM_QUICKIE.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 8:18am EDT

Author Dale Beran (@DaleBeran) joins Sam to discuss his new book, "It Came From Something Awful: How A Toxic Troll Army Accidentally Memed Donald Trump Into Office."

On today's show: Brian Mier reports on fires in the Amazon, Bolsonaro's role. Author Dale Beran (@DaleBeran) joins Sam to discuss his new book, "It Came From Something Awful: How A Toxic Troll Army Accidentally Memed Donald Trump Into Office." The birth of the internet in '60s counterculture and its descent into nihilism in the neoliberal era. How the Something Awful forums gave birth to 4chan and 8chan. How Gamergate fed the rise of the alt-right, influenced the 2016 election, and impressed Steve Bannon. The widespread alienation feeding the rise of right-wing "YouTube dads" like Jordan Peterson and Stefan Molyneux.

On the fun half: Virgil Texas asks Tulsi if she's anti-imperialist. (Spoiler alert: she's not!) Is gun control a bad hill for the Democrats to die on? Trump declines to name his favorite Bible verse. Bernie's progressive platforms on labor, criminal justice, and the Green New Deal. Trump says he's looking at taking away birthright citizenship. How to stave off eco-fascism?

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Get your tickets to the Michael Brooks Live Show in LA! April 20th at the Bootleg Theatre with guests Ana Kasparian, Wosny Lambre and Nando Vila! Get tickets here!

Check out The Michael Brooks Show at patreon.com/tmbs, and the TMBS YouTube channel for all short TMBS clips

Check out Matt’s podcast, Literary Hangover, at Patreon.com/LiteraryHangover or on iTunes

Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, at patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or via your favorite podcast app

Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter:

@majorityfm

@SamSeder

@_michaelbrooks

@MattLech

@jamie_elizabeth

@Bf1nn

Direct download: 8-22-19-Dale_Baren-pub.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30pm EDT

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

Jay Inslee ends his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination but might seek a 3rd term as governor of Washington State.

Meanwhile a watchdog group finds that Trump has spent a third of his presidency at Trump properties while American taxpayers picked up the tab.

And lastly, Bernie Sanders releases an ambitious plan that aims to double union membership in the United States by 2025.

And our QUICKER QUICKIES HEADLINES:

CNN reports that at least 28 people have been arrested over threats to commit mass attacks since the El Paso and Dayton shootings. The FBI has been concerned that US-based domestic violent extremists could become inspired by the attacks to engage in similar acts of violence.

Reuters reports that the Trump administration is seriously looking at ending the right of citizenship for U.S.-born children of non-citizens and people who immigrated to the United States illegally.

Hildalgo County, Texas, residents are fighting to protect the graves of US war veterans that are under threat by the construction of Trump's border wall, according to local news station KVEO-TV.

And Politico is reporting that Trump on Wednesday night told a group of veterans that he should receive a Medal of Honor— the nation’s highest award for acts of military valor. This follows Trump’s statement earlier in the day that he is “the chosen one” — a proclamation he turned to the sky to deliver.

Direct download: 082219_AM_QUICKIE.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:28am EDT

The MR crew brings you the news.

On today's show: Trump wonders about Jewish loyalty and voting for Democrats. Wayne Allyn Root says Robert Mueller's investigation is about "penis envy," calls Trump "King of the Jews." Trump thanks Wayne Allyn Root for his kind words. Bernie says he plans to vote for a Jewish candidate this time around. Trump tries to neg Danish PM into selling him Greenland; she responds. Trump wants to send nukes to space. CBP won't give immigrants flu shots. DHS secretary unveils plans that will scrap the Flores agreement. Castro, Warren's immigration plans. Bernie's labor platform. Biden remembers when RFK and MLK were assassinated in the late '70s.

On the fun half: The Amazon rainforest is on fire, probably Bolsonaro's fault. Ronald Raygun on immigration policy. De Blasio's baby voice. Trump says administration is considering payroll and capital gains tax cuts. Energy secretary Rick Perry fooled by Instagram scam. Brian Kilmeade defends Trump's Jewish "loyalty" remarks. Sean Spicer is on "Dancing With the Stars." A lightning round where we take a bunch of calls!

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Get 10% off fair trade coffee with coupon code “majority” at justcoffee.coop

Get your tickets to the Michael Brooks Chicago Live Show, with special guest Chuck Mertz of This is Hell this weekend August 24th here!

Check out The Michael Brooks Show at patreon.com/tmbs, and the TMBS YouTube channel for all short TMBS clips. And check out Year Of Lead, a new book on Brazil with an introduction by Michael Brooks!

Check out Matt’s podcast, Literary Hangover, at patreon.com/LiteraryHangover or on iTunes

Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, at patreon.com/TheAntifada, on iTunes, or via your favorite podcast app.

Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter:

@majorityfm

@SamSeder

@_michaelbrooks

@MattLech

@jamie_elizabeth

@BF1nn

Direct download: 8-21-19-Sam_Seder-pub.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:39pm EDT

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

Trump blows the White Nationalist bullhorn from the Oval Office, calling Jews who vote for Democrats either stupid or disloyal.

The NRA has already managed to get Trump to back off his recent calls for expanded background checks.

The Border Patrol says they will not provide flu vaccines to migrant children in border camps even though the infection has killed at least three children in custody this year. 

And our QUICKER QUICKIES HEADLINES:

Politico reports that the FDIC board voted 3-1 Tuesday to give big banks more leeway to make risky short-term bets in financial markets by loosening a landmark but highly contentious regulation known as the Volcker rule.

A new CNN poll finds 65% of Americans say current economic conditions are good, but that’s down since May, representing the first significant decline in public perception of the economy during Donald Trump’s presidency.

The AP reports that Democrats plan to spend at least $1.2 million on ads in Maine to defeat Susan Collins, including a TV spot that accuses Collins of failing to protect Medicare.

And from the Chicago Tribune, Pete Buttigieg held a self-described grassroots campaign rally on Chicago’s Southside on Tuesday night, but the overwhelmingly white audience he drew to the event in a historic black neighborhood reinforced the difficulty the Democratic presidential hopeful has had in connecting with African American voters.

Direct download: 082119_AM_QUICKIE.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:37am EDT