Emma hosts Dan Canon, civil rights lawyer and professor at the University of Louisville, to discuss his recent book Pleading Out: How Plea Bargaining Creates a Permanent Criminal Class. Emma begins by running through the arrest of an Iranian citizen for planning an extrajudicial assassination attempt against John Bolton, extrajudicial assassination expert, and Rudy Giuliani assures the public that Donald Trump is actually happier and more secure than ever. Then she’s joined by Professor Dan Canon as he walks Emma through the history of the plea bargain – today the most common conclusion to a criminal case (97% end in guilty pleas) – and how we came to put so much discretion in the hands of judicial cops (prosecutors) to center our judicial system around efficiency. First, Professor Canon brings us back to the inception of the plea bargain in 1830s Massachusetts, with the industrial revolution seeing a massive influx of white male suffrage in the working class, resulting in the political elite immediately launching a concerted attack on the labor movement via massive and incredibly vague criminal statutes like vagrancy and drunk and disorderly, thus needing to prosecute these individuals with efficiency the Massachusetts legislature legitimized the plea bargain. This saw a rapid shift in the US judicial system, with plea bargains going from illegal and frowned upon, to making up well over 80% of cases in Massachusetts by 1880, and continuing to effectively null the concept of a “jury of one’s peers” well before those “peers” could include women or people of color. Next, Dan and Emma walk through how the US criminal system developed around the plea bargain over the next century, with federal involvement in criminal justice expanding massively during the prohibition era, and continuing in the wake of the 21st Amendment as the US government turned to the beginnings of the war on drugs, only for Nixon and Reagan to massively accelerate it a half-century later, all requiring US prosecutors to charge such mass numbers of people at an incredibly rapid speed, regardless of the context and content of their arrests. Wrapping up, they reflect on the role of union busting in creating the plea bargain, looking at how the US’ carceral state works to create this permanent criminal underclass, separated from society and isolated as individuals, before concluding with a discussion on the necessity of rebuilding our system as a whole, rather than reforming it bit by bit.

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Brandon Sutton as they take a tour of Mar-a-Lago’s lovely facilities, Crowder asks Kari Lake whether she, as governor of Arizona, would disband the FBI and IRS, and the crew debates DeSantis’ role in the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago. Matt from CT talks jury processes, and Brandon and Emma reflect on Howard Schulz, once Hillary’s potential NLRB nom, and his violent union busting coming back to bite him. Kilmeade calls out Biden for lowering inflation and also trying to continue to lower inflation, Matthais from New Jersey explores the privatization of public space in the wake of integration, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Dan's book here: https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/dan-canon/pleading-out/9781541674684/

Sam and Emma host Rachel Cohen, senior policy reporter at Vox, to discuss her recent piece "How state governments are reimagining American public housing". Then, they are joined by Jessica Preheim, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Public Affairs at the Houston Coalition for the Homeless to discuss housing policy in the city.  First, Emma runs through yesterday’s primaries before diving right into updates from the FBI’s January 6th investigations, from the seizing of Scott Perry’s phone to the GOP’s responses to the Mar-a-Lago raid that vary from “they planted it!” to “they’re making it up!” but all seem to recognize an “it” that will be exposed. Then, she’s joined by Rachel Cohen as they dive into the state of public housing in the US, with rents reaching record highs and not coming down anytime soon, despite dropping inflation levels. Next, they step back and walk through the history of public housing in the US, with the Federal Government first becoming involved in the lead-up to the New Deal, even with private interests’ successful lobbying for limitations and, all continuing through the fifties and up to the creation of HUD, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, in the ‘60s, helping to regulate the federal policies around the matter – seeing a complete cutoff of investment in public housing alongside a subsidizing of white middle-class families moving to the suburbs. Wrapping up the history of US housing policy, they walk through the post-HUD neoliberal era, with the crime panic starting in the 1980s seeing a complete decimation of HUD’s budget, and leading into an era void of housing infrastructure. Next, Rachel looks to states like Massachusetts to explore how it seems to be local politics that is actually looking to intervene in this crisis, putting forwards policy that isn’t just subsidies for privatized housing, and actually seeks to reinvest in community care and infrastructure, before they wrap up by exploring the future of a reimagined housing system that stems from the states and local communities themselves. Then, Jessica Preheim from the Houston Coalition for the Homeless walks Emma through the incredibly remarkable work that the organization has done over the last decade in Houston, with homelessness decreasing by over 60% despite having the sixth largest homeless population as of 2011 and a crackdown from HUD. They explore how much the most marginalized in society can be helped by just having a roof over their head, the Houston Coalition’s tactics to strengthen communities’ ability to shelter their citizens (and the importance of supporting encampments’ existence when there is no other option) and their emphasis on chronic homelessness.

And in the Fun Half: Emma takes a call from St. Paul on a public reserve, based on grain? Tulsi Gabbard teams up with Jesse Watters as she continues her streak of fascist apologia, this time in defense of Donald Trump and tax evaders everywhere, Stephanie from Minneapolis dives into the “manosphere” as a meeting point of the Jordan Peterson “intellectual” misogyny and the more traditional masculine aesthetics, looking at how race plays a particularly central role in the community’s pathologizing. They also cover Ilhan Omar’s incredibly narrow victory in the Democratic primary, AIPAC’s massive influence in pushing conservative Democrats into Congress, Fox and Friends ponders the FBI’s ethics for the very first time, and Nathaniel from Fresno dives deep into the re-emergence of book banning. Charlie Kirk calls for retributive raids, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Rachel's piece here: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23278643/affordable-public-housing-inflation-renters-home

Check out the Houston Coalition for the Homeless here: https://www.homelesshouston.org/

Sam and Emma host Dr. Leah Stokes, professor of climate and energy policy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, to discuss the climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act. Emma and Sam walk through updates on the House’s schedule and Alex Jones’ texts arriving in the hands of the 1/6 Committee, before diving deep into Donald J. Trump’s response to the FBI’s raid on his Mar-a-Lago base, calling the warrant-backed infiltration “unprecedented”… just like Watergate! Then Dr. Leah Stokes joins as they jump right into the IRA, first tackling how the original Build Back Better bill sought to address climate change, exploring the carrot-tactic to lead us towards clean energy, from consumer-facing support or getting EVs, heat pumps, and other electricity-driven infrastructure to bolstering attempts to clean up our energy grids nationwide, all allowing everyday Americans to burn less fossil fuel and spend less money (in a manner that would specifically help tackle fossil-fuel-driven inflation). Next, they explore how the IRA takes that blueprint, and just dials it back a little, making it about 80% (rather than 90%) of the way to experts’ emission reduction goals, and cutting certain provisions on a civilian climate corp and e-bike infrastructure, before they walk through how the bill encourages healthy labor practices, and – while falling short of actually encouraging unionization – is a bill largely backed by unions nation-wide. They wrap up the interview by tackling Manchin’s personal provisions, particularly around leasing, and what to expect from his side-car bill coming soon.

And in the Fun Half, the MR Crew dives into the (politely) manic reactions from the conservative media wasteland to the Mar-A-Lago raid, from Eric Trump bypassing the Kennedy family entirely via the use of "arrows" to describe how betrayed his family is, Jesse Watters and Buck Sexton evoking Julius Caesar, Florida's Attorney general's "They weren't flushing DRUGS down the toilet!" defense, Marjorie Taylor Greene going full-Defund, Bernie Kerik worrying for Trump's life, and, of course, it wouldn't be a meltdown if Rudy Giuliani wasn't beaming in from an undisclosed, terribly lit location, to yell about the unfair treatment of his favorite guy (of course he's speaking with Steven Crowder about this). Brandon Straka Walks Away...straight into a fake jail cell at CPAC, and JD Vance is paid a visit by the Good Liars. Plus, your calls and IM's!

Follow Leah on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/leahstokes

Sam and Emma host Jake Grumbach, professor at the University of Washington, to discuss his recent book Laboratories Against Democracy: How National Parties Transformed State Politics. First, Emma and Sam tackle the successful passing of Biden’s Build-Back-a-Bit, filled to the brim with goodies for the fossil fuel industry as a ransom tradeoff for even thinking about a green transition, and run through the punitive damages ordered against Alex Jones in the wake of his libel trial. Then, they’re joined by Professor Jacob Grumbach as he dives right into his book the inspiration he took from Louis Brandeis’ concept of federalism as “Laboratories of Democracy,” bringing it into a modern assessment of the relationship between US Federalism and Democracy. Next, he walks Sam and Emma back to the formation of US Federalism in the wake of the US Revolution as a compromise between a political structure that emphasizes national unity for strength and one centered around preventing tyranny through state autonomy (aka allowing for the continuation of the industry of slavery), leading up to Brandeis’ arrival on the Supreme Court in 1916 and his assessment of the ideal of federalism. They then work through what changed over the fifty years since 1970, with the nationalization (and centralization) of everything from corporate and social media (including the disappearance of local news) to political fundraising and interest groups, all while the national parties coalesced around their corporate leaders, unifying internally while polarization grew. This gave birth to a radicalism pipeline for the Right, starting with mass messaging on the level of national media and the party apparatus and trickling down to the footsoldiers of state implementation (as seen, particularly, with the recent fights over CRT). Next, Professor Grumbach walks through the various crises of 2020 that brought to the forefront the failures of our federalist system, including the COVID pandemic, the backlash (and backlash to the backlash) to the murder of George Floyd, and the wider crisis of democracy, discussing how it shined a light on the inefficiency of a decentralized public health system, the paradox of Governor and Mayoral power being trumped by their police departments, and more. They wrap up the interview by tackling the anomalies of Brandeis’ post-war era, in terms of economic compression and political de-polarization, and diving into the necessary importance of large-scale organizations in helping us situate ourselves within these massive political systems, and how the right already capitalizes on it.

And in the Fun Half: Emma and Sam dive into Brett Kavanaugh’s expertise in avoiding accountability, from his severe debt that just happened to disappear in the run-up to his nomination to the recent revelation that Trump’s White House covered up over 4,000 tips on Kavanaugh’s sexual assault allegations. JR from Philly helps us parse through where the hell Alex Jones’ money came flowing in from, Rick Scott is pressed on support for Masters and Walker, and Kim Crockett asks if we can just eliminate voting for disabled folks as a treat. Aaron Rodgers can’t take a jab – physical or comedic – Kowalski from Nebraska talks climate change and labor, Spencer from Minnesota gives some primary previews, and Robert from Rochester discusses the Right giving up the game with their “wage-driven inflation” rhetoric. Mike from Rhode Island talks midterms, plus, your calls, and IMs!

Check out Jake's book here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691218458/laboratories-against-democracy

It's Casual Friday! Emma hosts Ryan Cooper, managing editor at The American Prospect, to round up the week in news. Emma first discusses Sinema’s role at the front and center of Biden’s agenda, finally agreeing to the Manchin-Schumer “Inflation Reduction Act” provided they eliminate their carried interest tweaks, before also covering the booming employment rate, charges being brought against the officers involved in the coverup of Breonna Taylor’s murder, and China’s initiation of sanctions against Pelosi. Then, Ryan Cooper joins as he and Emma dive deep into an extended conversation on Sinema’s role in the IRA-2022, covering the beautiful bate and switch by Chuck Schumer (almost like he’s been a senator as long as I’ve been alive!) and Joe Manchin, getting the CHIPS act passed along the way, and forcing the GOP into digging their own grave by trying to put a stop to veteran victims of burn pits getting healthcare. Expanding on this, Cooper explores McConnell’s behind-the-scenes freak-out regarding the legislative rug that was once under his feet but is no longer, before turning to the role of figures like John Stewart in putting the burn pit story front and center, and getting even organizations like Newsmax to put the GOP on the spot, particularly as the fight for abortion already had their feet held up to the fire. This brings them to the topic of the midterms, as they cover the importance of candidates like Fetterman especially as the GOP, even in the most purple of states, continues to advance their fascistic agenda of minoritarian and theocratic rule, before they wrap up the interview by tackling the tensions behind Pelosi’s visit to China, and the future of American liberals’ imperialist war hawkery.

And in the Fun Half: Emma and the crew cover Crowder’s coping with conservative cognitive dissonance (the only solution being, of course, to retreat to your prior convictions), Tucker’s embarrassing attempt at taking on Jon Stewart, and Stewart’s lovely response that reflects the intimacy of their relationship. They also discuss Dick Cheney passing the baton of “greatest threat to the American republic” to Donald Trump, Fox’s continued infatuation with AOC, and Victor Orbán, notorious covid authoritarian, appears at CPAC to call for fewer drag queens and more Chuck Norrises.

Check out Ryan's work here: https://prospect.org/topics/ryan-cooper/

Sam and Emma host Moustafa Bayoumi, columnist at the Guardian, to discuss his recent piece in The Nation, "Journey to Guantánamo: A Week in America's Notorious Penal Colony". Then, Sam and Emma are joined by writer Jacob Silverman to discuss his recent piece in the New Republic "The CEO Trying to Build a White, Christian, Secessionist Tech Industry". Then, Larry Sharpe, the Libertarian Party candidate for Governor in New York, joins Sam and Emma for a spirited debate! First, Emma and Sam dive into the results from yesterday’s primaries, including ERIC and Trudy Busch Valentine coming out on top in Missouri, AIPAC’s victory over progressive jew Andy Levin, and they dive deep into the absolutely beautiful and historic victory for reproductive rights in Kansas and the US writ large. Moustafa Bayoumi then gets right into the people imprisoned in the penal colony of Guantanamo Bay, walking through who is there, how long they’ve been there, who has yet to face trial, and who remains imprisoned despite serving the length of the sentence, before he gets into the topic of why he wrote this piece, from the rarity of being allowed visitation to the simple importance of keeping these human rights abuses and the war on terror in our social consciousness. Next, he walks Sam and Emma through a quick history of Guantanamo, beginning with the US’ takeover of Cuba in 1898, establishing the Gitmo naval base in 1903, and employing it as the first of countless overseas military islands of the US Imperial archipelago, a role it continued for almost a century until the Presidency of George W. Bush. From here, they walk through the last decade and a half of Gitmo, its role as a shield against CIA accountability, and why Obama’s pledge to shut it down failed, before they wrap up by disclosing the clear role the CIA still plays in the facilities, walking through the future for its detainees, and why the prisoners still prefer Gitmo to US Supermax Prisons. Then, Jacob Silverman jumps right into Andrew Torba’s fight to build a white Christian secessionist sector of the tech industry, from his creation of the free-speech twitter-ripoff that is Gab (to be followed by Parlor and Truth Social) to his role as a political consultant for the right, as they walk through the role these sites want to play in the world of social media, where they go wrong, and what the future of their role in political discourse might be.

And in the Fun Half: Sam hosts a debate with Libertarian candidate for Governor of New York Larry Sharpe, covering a massive range of topics, starting with the New York state laws that make it effectively impossible for third parties to make it on the ballot, and what Sharpe’s big tent libertarianism entails. They also work their way through the topics of abortion (and creating an environment for women to make easier choices), education reform (putting lots of trust in private enterprise), and wrap up with a conversation on healthcare and Sharpe’s issues with Medicare for All. Plus, your IMs!

Check out Moustafa's piece here: https://www.thenation.com/article/world/guantanamo-bay-detention-visit/

Check out Jacob's piece here: https://newrepublic.com/article/163285/andrew-torba-gab-white-christian-internet

Sam and Emma host David Gelles, climate reporter for the New York Times, to discuss his recent book The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America-and How to Undo His Legacy. First, Sam and Emma dive into the role of the Dobbs decision in getting out the vote for Democrats, Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, DeSantis’ attacks on restaurants hosting queer events, and Bill Cassidy says he’ll vote for the Veteran healthcare bill when it’s going to pass (which, of course, would be helped by his vote). Then, they’re joined by David Gelles as he dives right into why he took an interest in Jack Welch after interviewing hundreds of CEOs that all tied back to his influence, with the straw that broke the back being his discovery of Welch’s proteges in the financialization of Boeing in the lead up to their multi-crash fiasco in the 2010s. Next, he dives into a history of Welch and GE, the latter which served as the pinnacle of welfare capitalism up until the former’s takeover at the start of the ‘80s, beginning with how his arrival as CEO brought in a framework of economics built on the back of Milton Friedman and incentivized by one Ronald Reagan. Sam, Emma, and David then dive into the capitalist revolution that Jack Welch oversaw, moving the industrial emphasis from holistic production to efficient production, emphasizing outsourcing for cheaper labor and financialization that put a focus on filling the pockets of shareholders and executives, before expanding on the greater cultural changes, including a shift away from the industrial production GE was known for to a constantly churning and diversified portfolio – from media to crediting and subprime mortgages – that effectively turned the company into a deregulated bank, and the move towards efficiency in the workplace that began to kill the innovation that had defined their role in US production. After a quick discussion on how Welch went out of his way to engage with unionized labor, Gelles dives into Welch’s influence on Boeing (and the rest of the neoliberal world), the role of media and media control in this economic revolution, and the failure of neoliberal governments to actually reign in capitalism via regulations. They wrap up the interview by diving into what needs to change to move away from Welch’s vision for American profits, and the role of Capitalism as inherently contributing to this issue.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma discuss the disaster in Kentucky and the stupidity of red state/blue state culture, discuss Roger Stone and Matt Gaetz’s ever subtle discussion about “the boss” making sure they didn’t “do time” (who knows what that could be about), and discuss Lucas Kunce’s opponent’s local fundraising tactic: take from your own bank account! Joe Manchin gets on Meet the Press and does a pretty little dance around actually supporting his party, the Good Liars crash the burial sight of Ivanna Trump (horrifying!), and Bro Flamingo dives into employment and the economy. Sam from Oregon discusses disagreement and denouncement on the left, Justin from Chicago thanks twerking for his politics, and Sophia from Atlanta dives into the impact of Georgia’s “Guns Everywhere” law on the presence of non-murder-affiliated activity in the region. They also touch on DeSantis relying on a 1947 ruling to punish a restaurant throwing community drag events, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out David's book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Man-Who-Broke-Capitalism/David-Gelles/9781982176440

It's Casual Friday! Sam and Emma host Alex Pareene, Contributing Editor at the New Republic and proprietor of the AP newsletter on Substack, to round up the week in news. Then they are joined by Lucas Kunce, candidate for U.S. Senate in Missouri, to give us an update from the campaign trail. Afterwards, they're joined by comedian Andy Kindler, host of the Thought Spiral podcast! First, Sam and Emma dive into legislative updates from the Senate, from the Manchin-Schumer IRA deal and its backlash, to the GOP putting a stop to healthcare for veteran victims of agent orange, with the latter largely coming from the GOP’s desire to punish democrats for the former (with Same-Sex Marriage reform also a potential right-wing punching bag). Alex Pareene then dives into why he won’t hold his breath until the IRA bill is signed, as he explores the behind-the-scenes surprise at Manchin’s maneuver, the op-ed pieces from the establishment placing the blame on him that pushed him over the edge, and the insanity of that being the final factor. Next, he, Sam, and Emma dive into the climate provisions as a reasonable first step in the right direction, the CHIPS bill as an important turn against globalization and towards a locally resilient supply chain, and the threat of Schedule F as we move into the midterms. They wrap up the interview by tackling the evergreen question of the neoliberal philosopher, “recession or nah?” Sam and Emma are then joined by Lucas Kunce as he walks through his experience running for Senate in Missouri just four days ahead of his primary, what sets him apart from the billionaire heiress running against him, and dives deep into the role of LGBTQ rights, reproductive care, and single-payer healthcare in his platform, before wrapping up with a conversation on his position as a veteran, and what lense that gave him into the oligarchy of defense contractors in the US.

And in the Fun Half: Andy Kindler joins as he, Sam, and Emma parse through Jim Breuer’s hour-long audition tape of him defecating with funny noises and calling it political comedy, before Sam and Emma dive into Jimmy Dore moving from generic reactionary anti-vax rhetoric to full on Scientological dianetics (fully researched, as seen in how well he reads the title of the study). Doocy and Kilmeade get real Fox and Frenemies on the question of trusting a poll that shows both Biden and Trump’s numbers tanking, Justice Alito goes to Rome to complain about foreigners, and John Feal eviscerates the GOP’s blockage of a bill for Veteran healthcare, plus, your IMs!

Check out the AP newsletter here: https://theap.substack.com/

Check out Alex's "Politics of Everything" podcast here: https://newrepublic.com/podcasts

Check out Lucas's campaign here: https://lucaskunce.com/

Emma hosts Nick Marx, associate professor of film and media studies at Colorado State University, to discuss his recent book That's Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them that he co-authored with Matt Sienkiewicz. Then, Emma is joined by Odessa Kelly, candidate for Congress in Tennessee's 7th District, to give us an update from the campaign trail. First, Emma dives into the impotent Inflation Reduction Act, the GOP’s block of healthcare for vets exposed to agent orange, and the Right in Congress complaining about the Democrats trying to do two things at once! Nick Marx then joins as he dives right into what inspired his studies of the world of conservative comedy, from the belief that it was an oxymoron with the success of the Daily Show without a right-wing counterpart, to the emergency of Trump and the “is he funny (yes)” arguments. Then, he and Emma walk through the various levels of comedy discussed in the book, from the more basic reactionary comedy of Dave Chapelle that isn’t inherently right-wing to the more obvious institutional conservatism of Fox’s Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld, the latter of which has his own (surprisingly successful) late night show, and discuss how the hatred of ambivalence that can be found in their reactionary backlash plays in pushing this humor further and further to the extreme. Taking a step back, Professor Marx then paints a picture of the institutional similarities between the late-night comedy of the right and left, from the actual formats of the show to the tactics of creating an “in-group” unified around laughing at the “out-group,” before wrapping up with a conversation on the endpoint of this wormhole to the right and the genuine fascists and neonazis that largely act as sources for this reactionary commentary. Then, Odessa Kelly and Emma get right into Kelly’s fight for TN-7, the failure of the right’s attempt to engage in racist gerrymandering, and the beauty of fighting for a base of Black folks and progressives. Next, she walks through her experiences working in unions and fighting gentrification, how they built her knowledge of the role of solidarity in achieving progress, and what we need from positions of power to get stuff done.

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Matt and Brandon, with Binder previewing a massive Web3 story he’ll be breaking this evening on Scam Economy, Emma takes on the absurdity of Jim Harbaugh’s “give me your children” policy and the messiah complex of College Football coaches. Noah from Tampa dives into the psychology of conservatives, Andrew Yang finally brews the first truly third party, and Q takes on Right Wingers dominating the discourse around comedy. Matt Gaetz gets absolutely “mothered” by a Pence advisor, the Newsmax goes back to the 2010s backlash to twerking, and the crew explores the US’ response to the monkeypox epidemic, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Nick's book here: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520382138/thats-not-funny

Check out Odessa's campaign here: http://odessaforcongress.com/

Sam and Emma host Dannel Jurado of Kickstarter United to discuss their unionizing effort from the ground. Then, they are joined by Vincent Vertuccio, a student climate organizer with Now Or Never, who is planning to protest the Congressional Baseball Game this Thursday. Before that, Sam and Emma dive into Donald Trump getting back into the campaign trail, Schedule F and the melding of the state and corporation. Then, Dannel Jurado joins as he, Emma, and Sam dive right into where the Kickstarter Union is at in their fight (the answer being wherever they’d like to be thanks to a right to remote work), and how their work changed (for the better) as Biden’s Administration took over the NLRB – walking through the horrors of Trump’s board as well. Next, Jurado explores how the union has been able to completely change the levels of transparency and representation when it comes to employee/management relations, the role management has played in the fight, and the importance of solidarity. Then Vincent Vertuccio walks Sam and Emma through the preparations for the upcoming Congressional Baseball Game, and – more importantly – the Climate protest being planned by Now or Never, why they chose to target the game specifically, and what the group’s non-violent aims are. They touch on other recent congress-adjacent actions, the climate anxiety of Gen-Z and Millenials, and the refusal of Democrats to play hardball.

And in the Fun Half: Jordan Peterson asks our corporate overlords to stop succumbing to the alphabet brigade, Charlie Kirk and Lauren Boebert call out the 47 Republicans that didn’t vote against the codification of same-sex marriage, and Sam and Emma tackle the idea of Schumer and Biden actually putting legislation on the table. Robert from CT dives into the problems with the US’ Semiconductor chip bill, from supply lines to infrastructure, Merrick Garland discusses not being able to try Trump during an election, and Class-Conscious Jordan Peterson tries to get Emma to turn on Sam. Owen from LA explores the West’s coverage of the remilitarization of Japan, Gwendolyn from Washington discusses the culture war around culture wars, and Mike from Arizona explores a potential connection between lagging student-debt relief and low recruitment numbers for the US military, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Kickstarter United here: https://kickstarterunited.org/

Check out Now Or Never here: https://nowornever.earth/#plan

Find Vincent on Twitter here: https://mobile.twitter.com/VVertuccio

Sam and Emma break down the biggest headlines of the day, first previewing the behind-the-scenes discussion in the Biden Administration surrounding student debt relief, LGBTQ+ protections for government workers, and the tricklings of a potential freighters rail strike in the US, and Sam hints at some upcoming conversation on Glenn Greenwald dipping his toes into the world of PR for Alex Jones. Emma and Sam then dive deep into the appearance of one Joan Biskupic, with sources close to (maybe even literally inside of) Chief Justice John Roberts’ head, and her discussion of Roberts’ “fight” to save (exclusively the first fifteen weeks of) Roe v. Wade, the impact of the leak in locking justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh into Alito’s side, before the crew expands on the precedence of conservative judicial activism in opening up the question a case addresses. They then dive into what the Biden Administration could, should, and definitely won’t do to help the overwhelming student debt faced by the US population, explore how the focus on the 1/6 hearings and the backlash to Dobbs makes Biden completely meaningless heading up to the midterms, and how taking literally any unilateral action on student debt could change that. Next, they cover the possible emergence of a rail strike among freighters, and parse through the details of the Trump Administration’s Schedule F and the blueprint for the dissolution of the administrative state.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma tackle JD Vance’s discussion of his grandparents’ marriage (based on ownership) as essential to a healthy society and why even if a marriage is violent, that is better than peaceful divorce, explore the abhorrent conditions of UPS drivers, and ponder how Log Cabin Republicans can’t seem to fit in. Then Sam dives deep into Glenn Greenwald’s recent appearance at an early screening of Alex Jones’ upcoming documentary, his incredible ability to perfectly tailor a question to an answer that serves Alex’s upcoming court appearance, and his general efficiency in taking massive journalistic credibility and flushing it down the toilet. They also cover Dave Rubin conceding that his homosexuality makes his family suffer, plus, your calls and IMs!

Sam and Emma host Kathryn Judge, Professor at Columbia Law School, to discuss her recent book Direct: The Rise of the Middleman Economy and the Power of Going to the Source. Emma and Sam first tackle Trader Joe’s union-busting, GOP-backed AIPAC money dumps, Russia’s bombing of Odessa, and discuss Ted Cruz’s and Matt Gaetz’s Turning Point appearances. Then, Professor Kathryn Judge joins as she dives right into walking Sam and Emma through the appearance of the “middleman economy,” beginning with what it is today – seen in retail giants like Walmart and Amazon and banks like JP Morgan and Citi – before jumping back to the beginnings of the neoliberal era’s deregulation. Starting with the banking sector, Professor Judge explores how this deregulation was preceded by an era of local banking, grounded in community investment and growth, before the mass dismantling of the regulatory state, coming to a climax with the joining of investment and commercial banking, saw a consolidation of the world of finance into 4-6 banks, and a shift from concrete interpersonal investing to data-driven and obscure and hyper-complex chains of investment. Sam then moves the conversation into the realm of anti-trust, as the Professor centers anti-trust’s failure to address the need for resilient systems that can genuinely hold up production and supply in the face of shocks, and the importance of small businesses and direct supply lines in bolstering these industries, before shifting beyond the realms of retail and banking, diving into how the middleman economy played a central role in 2008’s housing crisis (and the one we find ourselves in today) and how it extracts massive amounts of wealth from our healthcare infrastructure. Wrapping up the interview, Kathryne Judge, Emma, and Sam expand on the state of the middleman economy today, assess the role it has in our inflation “crisis” and how the FED fails to deal with it.

And in the Fun Half, Sam and Emma break down Ben Shapiro's preposterous argument on Twitter that gay marriage is "unconstitutional," Glenn Greenwald tells the Vanguard why he is, in no uncertain terms, NOT Dave Rubin, and Arizona troll and general moron Ethan Schmidt answers the question: "What's the most humiliating way to get kicked out of a PetSmart?" Plus, your calls and IM's!

Check out Kathryn's book here: https://www.harperbusiness.com/book/9780063041974/Direct-Kathryn-Judge/

It's Casual Friday! Sam and Emma host Jamelle Bouie, opinion columnist at the New York Times and co-host of the Unclear and Present Danger podcast, to discuss his recent piece "Joe Manchin Is a Symptom, but It’s the Senate That’s Sick". Sam and Emma begin by diving into the advancing legislation to codify contraceptive rights alongside same-sex marriage, Miami’s crackdown on sex ed and Oklahoma’s “don’t say abortion” ruling, and Fox and Friends’ meltdown on the Jan 6 hearings. Then Jamelle Bouie joins as he dives right into the classic Senate mechanistic dysfunction as the US faces a heatwave (overheating creates a greater desire for vacation time), with Manchin killing his own proposals as he takes on the Senate’s role of minoritarian veto. Next, they shift into a discussion more focused on the Democratic Party, meeting their opponents’ incredibly unpopular crusade with a commitment to institutional chumminess and a fear of appearing anything by bipartisan (when the “bi” means working with homophobes and misogynists), and the role this impotency plays in Biden’s falling approval. Moving into yesterday’s 1/6 hearings, the three of them discuss the disconnect between the committee’s impact on the parties’ approval ratings (massive) and Biden’s (nothing), how this very clearly disproves Democratic leadership’s obsession with bipartisanship, before they wrap up the interview by looking at the upcoming bill on the allocations of electoral votes, and the role it can play with the Supreme Courts’ future cases on the matter.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma tackle the success of the 1/6 hearings, the updates on the role of Trump’s Secret Service in the coverup and Pence’s Secret Service in fearing for their lives, and walk through Trump’s “truths” from last night. Dr. Oz appears on Fox News to tell his supporters to stop mowing their lawns and give him money, Jethro from Louisville reflects on Bolton’s denouncement of the way kids these days don’t plan out their coups as he did, and Valerie from AZ explores wordplay against the right. David Rubin assures Jordan Peterson that his husband will serve as a somewhat maternal presence, and Moira from NY explores transphobia and the lack of a Democratic response. Sam previews some Nick Fuentes leaks, Malcolm from TX discusses gun control and hunting, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Jamelle's work here: https://www.nytimes.com/column/jamelle-bouie

FULL SHOW HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdfV77dQtKA&ab_channel=TheMajorityReportw%2FSamSeder

The MR Crew join together to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of dear friend and colleague Michael Brooks's passing. They'll be joined to reminisce and remember Michael and his legacy by his sister Lisha, Joshua Kahn Russell, Wosny Lambre, Bhaskar Sunkara, Ben Burgis and David Griscom. Emma and Sam dive right into reflecting on Michael’s entrance into their lives and the beauty and humility he brought to them. Lisha then joins as they reflect on the legacy of the Michael Brooks Show, and the power of his words and outlook reaching all the way back to his childhood, and Joshua Kahn Russell calls in from Peru on Michael’s organic interest and ability to connect with people on myriad topics, even if that means mapping Simpson’s characters’ political relationships to the Springfield power plant. After exploring Michael’s rapid and meaningful entrance into his life, Wosny walks through Michael’s incredible grace (even in disagreement) and how that allowed him to open up so many people to his empathy and thoughts. Bhaskar and Sam dive deep into Michael’s ability to create bits that intrinsically hit at his satirical critiques while building entire worlds around them, before expanding on Wosny’s discussion about Michael’s ability to unite critique and care. Ben Burgis walks through his relationship with Michael up until the final TMBS show, and his ability to engage people in topics that had no reason to be engaged with, and David Griscom joins as he and the crew reflect on some of Michael’s most beautiful critiques and the ideas that sympathy is not solidarity and of being ruthless with systems, and kind to individuals. Sam and Emma wrap up the show with kind words from IMers across the MRU.

ALL LINKS TO CLIPS PLAYED ON TODAY'S SHOW IN THE YOUTUBE LINK DESCRIPTION!

Sam and Emma break down the biggest headlines of the day, from the excess heat on the climate to the lack of heat on Manchin, first diving into Biden’s internal decision on whether or not to declare a climate emergency as Manchin revokes his OWN proposal in the wake of monied interests’ behind-the-scenes discussion, and Chad Meredith, anti-choice judge, being officially dropped from his federal nomination,  and the wave of local news reports (despite how decrepit local news infrastructure has become) on the hindering of reproductive care by medical professionals, requiring a delay of any medical intervention until the life of the child bearer is clearly under threat, resulting in countless stories of gallons of blood loss, serious complications, and more – even in the case of nonviable births. Expanding on this, they address the failure of the Democratic party’s messaging on protecting medical professionals that can provide reproductive care and the institutional barriers to these professionals doing their job without legal repercussions. Emma and Sam also explore the greater theocratic aims of the Republican party, and the quality of the divine judgments of “not being able to carry a viable child,” “being gay or trans,” or “simply having a womb” as standards of criminal justice, and the absurdity of republicans pretending that certain abortions aren’t abortions because they’re good. They wrap up the first half with an expanded conversation on Biden’s efforts to combat climate change, what he can (and largely isn’t going to) do, and the role of reigning back the Supreme Court in actually tackling these issues.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma discuss the beauty of the 1/6 commission likely pushing Trump to announce his presidential run earlier, Biden’s continuously dropping polling as 64% of Democrats want another 2024 candidate, and John Fetterman once again squashing the “centrist Dems win and lefties lose” argument. The crew tackles the upcoming midterm polling, the likelihood of Democrats keeping the Senate and losing the House, and the races to pay attention to. The Secret Service happened to have an institution-wide messaging wipe days after 1/6, a caller asks for Manchin’s stance on inflation and mass military spending, and the UK Rail Strike’s messaging continues to absolutely smack its competition. Dave Rubin bolsters Blaze’s race against the Daily Wire on whose more transphobic, an Oklahoma mayor resigns after months-long homophobic harassment, Jeff from Minneapolis discusses Destiny’s absurd arguments against Sam, and Chris from the Bay Area tosses up some guest suggestions. Jeff from Western Mass talks Democratic strategies of self-immolation, and Jason Rantz excuses AOC’s stature as a leftist woman of color live on Fox, plus, your calls and IMs!

Emma hosts Oliver Bullough, author of the Coda Story newsletter, to discuss his recent book Butler to the World: How Britain Became The Servant of Tycoons, Tax Dodgers, Kleptocrats, and Criminals. Emma dives into the official tally of 400 police officers present at Uvalde’s Robb Elementary for the shooting, Rand Paul putting a stop to Biden’s anti-choice judicial nomination, and Ken Klippenstein’s fantastic journalism in discovering the Secret Service’s coverup of texts sent in the wake of 1/6, before getting to the bigger story of this weekend: Manchin (once again) standing directly between Joe Biden’s agenda and the public. Oliver Bullough then joins as he first situates his relationship to Russia, having studied its politics closely since the start of Putin’s reign, and how this provided an intimate perspective on the development of Russia’s extractive regime, bringing him to his realization that behind every oligarch (even beyond Russia) were British-supported offshore locations where their wealth could be protected from the people they took it from. After a discussion on how Russia’s extraction economy came to be after the fall of the Berlin Wall, with the west pushing shock doctrine capitalism and an immediate turn to privatization, Emma and Oliver explore how London’s “democracy” offered Russian oligarchs a way to short circuit the system of needing Russian democracy to protect their wealth, with a similar dynamic also appearing in post-colonial regimes where elites sought to maintain London as their economic center, from India to Nigeria and more. Diving deeper into the lingering tentacles of the British empire, Emma and Oliver explore how former British colonies served each other (and regimes from Russia to China) as offshore tax havens for wealth extraction, tackling the US’ role in it as well, before taking on globalization as a way to circumvent the sovereignty of the “third world.” They wrap up the interview by diving into the state of Britain’s global kleptocracy today, and how it supports oligarchy across the globe.

And in the Fun Half: Emma talks with Sandy from Ontario on Canada’s own attacks on abortion accessibility and acceptability, Jordan Peterson goes all in on nazi-horseshoe theory, claiming trans-affirming surgery to be the same as the non-consensual experimentation by Hitler’s notoriously trans- and homophobic regime, and Emma dives deeper into the state of Murdoch’s TERF-wars. Rob from Jersey explores how Jordan Peterson retained his stature as a legitimate academic, and why that is slowly changing, Elise Stefanic (part of the majority of Republicans that refuse to serve on the 1/6 committee) complains about not being a part of the 1/6 committee, and Miguel from Texas explores liberal republicanism. Chris Coons defends Joe Biden’s visit to MBS, and Brennan from KY gives Emma the official “Leftist Bona Fides” test, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Oliver's book here: https://profilebooks.com/work/butler-to-the-world/

Sam and Emma host Ryan Grim, DC Bureau Chief at The Intercept, to round up the week in news. Then, they're joined by Matthew Film Guy! First, however, Sam and Emma dive into the Indiana AG’s investigation into the 10 y/o rape victim’s doctor, the Secret Service deleting texts from 1/6, Starbucks Workers United’s new series of complaints to the NLRB, and Joe Biden’s arrival in Saudi Arabia, before diving deeper into the response from GOP Leadership in Ohio and Indiana (and nationally) to immediately question the story of a 10 y/o’s rape, despite its common occurrence in Ohio, before shifting to a “well it's not really an abortion if it’s a child” talking point in the wake of the story’s confirmation. Then, they’re joined by Ryan Grim as they dive into Eric Swalwell’s questioning of Catherine Glenn Foster, CEO and President of Americans United for Life, comparing the right’s rhetoric to that of the Salem Witch trials (whose legal authors happened to have been cited by Justice Alito) in how they define concepts in a way that determines their outcome (if it’s legal it's not abortion, if it’s illegal it is), looking back to Todd Akin’s statements on “legitimate rape” and the immediate backlash he faced in comparison to today’s embrace of fundamentalism. Expanding on this, they take on the tactic of fear-mongering with medical professionals, as seen in the attacks on the 10 y/o’s abortion provider, and how they seek to pretend some reproductive care is legitimate while clearly attempting to eradicate any access to such care, then shifting the conversation to the role of the US media and how ill-fitted it is to respond to this moment, from the Washington Post's Glenn Kessler’s legitimization of the right’s attempts to undermine this story (even though children under 15 receive abortions about once per week in Ohio) to the greater issue of media having no actual access to emerging stories – especially when potential sources are under intense legal pressure to stay silent. Next, they dive into state-level fights to preserve abortion, including Kansas’ attempt to latch on to the “medical freedom” talking point, despite its role in undermining trust in medical care, and look at how this evangelical fundamentalism will continue to target social groups they want to police. Wrapping up the interview they tackle the Democrats’ inability to take responsibility for Manchin and Sinema, both in terms of getting them on board with the party and disciplining them for their departures, and set up what to expect for the upcoming midterm election. The great Matthew Film Guy then joins as he discusses his discovery of the niche early 2000s indie production “Mean Girls,” discusses his ever-burgeoning film projects, and dives into the work of Hou Hsiao-hsien.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma discuss the Biden Administration’s response to Roe being overturned, the importance of Janeane Garofalo, and the threats against Pramila Jayapal that seem to fly under the media’s radar. Tim Pool doesn’t believe the pregnant 10-year-old was raped, Sam and Emma tackle the lie of the “last liberal,” Ben Shapiro’s pretend ignorance of his stochastic terrorism having a genuine impact on the well-being of trans people, and Snooki becomes a central endorsement in the PA Gov race. Plus, your IMs!

Check out Ryan's work at the Intercept here: https://theintercept.com/staff/ryangrim/

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

Emma hosts Daniel Laurison, visiting scholar in Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, to discuss his recent book Producing Politics: Inside The Exclusive Campaign World Where the Privileged Few Shape Politics For All of Us. First, Emma dives into Biden’s upcoming trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia and the GOP’s recent offensive against a 10-year-old rape victim’s abortion, from denying the validity of the trauma to coming after the provider – with the AG of both states involved contributing themselves (alongside some help from the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post). Then, Daniel Laurison joins as he and Emma first dive into the topic of political campaigns, reflecting on their first intimate experiences in these spaces and its dissociative nature, before exploring the clear research into on-the-ground fieldwork and its role in campaign success, despite its unglamorous nature. Daniel then discusses what the campaign world holds against this form of organizing, from the neoliberal language of efficiency to the role of the exclusive culture of campaign professionals, and how this builds a stagnancy in strategy on both sides of the establishment aisle. Next, he expands on the bipartisan nature of this campaign institutionalism, looking at the only slight differences in demographics among the two parties’ campaign wings, and the funneling of POC into diversity-specific roles, before they shift to a brief conversation on the roles of the legend of the disaffected suburban voter and party polarization in bolstering this obsession with decades-old messaging tactics. They wrap up the interview by tackling the Democrats’ infatuation with winning voters from the right rather than bringing in the disillusioned and marginalized, and advancing a critique of the party’s fear of stepping away from monied interests. Emma also discusses her take on the NY SD-59 race.

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Brandon and Binder as they cover the assassination of Shinzo Abe, the 1/6 Committee’s piece on Trump-supporting commentators such as Alex Jones and Tim Pool, and Drew from Portland dives into the emergence of militia use in Portland nightlife. Ken from Charleston critiques Matt Huber’s discussion on degrowth, Kowalski from Nebraska covers Sri Lanka’s recent agro-disaster (and the lessons it could teach degrowthers), and Lauren Boebert’s appearance with Steve Bannon to discuss why Ilhan Omar’s clothes oppress her. Greg Gutfeld defends Uvalde Police officers, to the rest of his colleagues’ discomfort, Tucker Carlson comes back around to defending Putin, and H from Boston gets some stuff off his chest, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Daniel's book here: http://www.beacon.org/Producing-Politics-P1821.aspx

Sam and Emma host Daniel Nichanian, editor-in-chief of Bolts Magazine, to discuss big upcoming races at the state and local levels in the run-up to the midterms. Then they are joined by Lupe Rodriguez, executive director for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice (NLRJ), to discuss the Institute's ongoing efforts to protect abortion care post-Roe. Sam and Emma begin by checking in on day 7 of the Jan. 6th hearings, then move to John Bolton telling Jake Tapper to take it from him: he knows a thing or two about coups d'etat, Jan. 6th wasn't his first go-around. Then Sam and Emma are joined by Daniel, who breaks down some of the biggest inflection points in the state and local races in November when it comes to ballot measures, state supreme court races, statehouse fights, as well as local races in district attorney's offices, county sheriff's offices, county prosecutors and attorneys general's offices around the country, that could affect vulnerable people after the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade.

Sam and Emma are then joined by Lupe to discuss the on-the-ground efforts before AND after Roe was overturned, who will be most adversely affected by this, how the NLRJ is assisting vulnerable people seeking abortion care, what they think about the Biden Administration's response so far to the ruling, and how they will prepare (read: brace) for a potential federal abortion ban in the future if the Congressional chambers and the White House change hands in 2022 and 2024.

And in the Fun Half, the MR Crew discuss another LEFT IS BEST situation arising in Minnesota, Khiara Bridges trouncing another idiot Senator yesterday (shockingly, not Josh Hawley AGAIN), and Sam's second solemn correction of the broadcast: that Hawley didn't appear on Tucker to whine about how Professor Bridges treated him, but that he actually ended up on HANNITY instead. (We regret the error.) Then, they dive into Episode 7 of the Jan. 6th hearings: The One Where All The Crazy Idiots Try And Kill Each Other. Finally, they look at recently leaked video of the disgraceful response by the Uvalde police to the shooting at Robb Elementary. Plus your calls and IM's!

Check out BoltsMag here: https://boltsmag.org/

Check out the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice: https://www.latinainstitute.org/

Emma hosts Matt Huber, professor of Geography at Syracuse University, to discuss his recent book Climate Change As Class War: Building Socialism On A Warming Planet.

Fun Half Link: https://youtu.be/7VBSIZSyn7o

First, Emma walks through updates on Boris Johnson’s official resignation, the police’s response to their role in the Highland Park shooter acquiring his gun, Biden’s anti-abortion judicial nom having been delayed due to… the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and another Robb Elementary teachers speaking out on the Texas police response (or lack thereof). Then, Matt Huber joins as he and Emma dive right into this conflict between systemic critiques and critiques on individual consumption, looking at the former as a straightforward critique that looks to those in control of production, rather than one that dances around capitalism’s inherent issues by deputizing the professional-managerial class to police the carbon footprints of themselves and others. After expanding on the role of free-market ideology in promoting the idea that we, the consumers, shape production – rather than the people that control production – Emma and Matt dive deeper into the climate activism found in the PMC and how this hyper-educated class attempts to marshall their credentials for advantages in the labor market, calling out the right’s roles in the “lies” and “denial” in popular discourse, rather than how they (and the Democrats) sanction fossil fuel extraction for profit (and thus avoiding the easy solution of nationalizing the energy industries). Next, Huber walks through the different archetypes of PMC climate activists, and their individualist, self-centered tactics, before they wrap up the interview by tackling the importance of deindustrialization that is led by industrial workers, and discussing the pros and cons of a degrowth mindset.

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Matt and Brandon as Chris from the Bay Area inquires about the lack of a left version of the Federalist Society, Boris Johnson resigns, and Ryan from Tennessee gives a rather disturbing update on the state of his local police department. The crew also dives into updates on Brittney Griner’s detainment in Russia, Majorie Taylor Greene can’t believe July 4th parades were shot up when Pride JUST happened. The Dark Horse podcast gives their pair (note: NOT peer) review about an article on vaccines, and Margaret from PA uplifts Emma’s talents before getting into her state’s governor race. Plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Matt's book here: https://www.versobooks.com/books/3973-climate-change-as-class-war

It's Casual Friday! Sam and Emma host Heather Digby Parton, contributing writer at Salon.com and proprietor of the blog Hullabaloo to round up the week in news. First, Sam and Emma dive into SCOTUS officially taking out a chunk from the administrative state, Biden’s decision to nominate an anti-abortion judge to a federal bench, and the Republican desire to tell us that Dobbs changed nothing. Then, Digby joins as they get right into this week as a culmination of, at a MINIMUM, the last six years, assessing the decisions on Roe, gun control, and the EPA, and to hear a case next session on states’ rights to send alternate electors despite vote tallies. Diving deeper into the state of the conservative court’s commitment to the Independent State Legislature doctrine they explore Kavanaugh first citing this theory in 2020 via shadow docket as the culmination of minoritarian control, before getting into the reactions from the right and the surprise at their clear fear of electoral backlash. Next, they expand on the repercussions we’re already seeing from the overturn of Roe, largely centered on the unreliability of exceptions, and whether doctors can take a risk that will jeopardize their career and freedom, and look to the Democrats’, once again, stone-cold inaction, doing less in the wake of the biggest rollback of rights in US history than they did for anti-abortion Democrat Henry Cuellar. They wrap up the interview by assessing the obvious extremism in the Republican party, from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ recent statements that aborted babies can be found in the COVID-19 vaccine to everything we’ve seen at the 1/6 hearings, and the refusal of Biden to even consider his opposition anything but respectable as very representative of Democrats’ messaging impotence.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma discuss Biden putting the feelers out for a second presidential campaign as Harris’ replacement lane gets narrower and narrower, Liz Cheney has a congressional debate with a bunch of conspiracy theorists, and Jeff from Atlanta expands the discussion on Biden’s anti-abortion judicial nomination. Dave Rubin proclaims himself as the “should-be conservative hero,” and Mike Cernovich confronts his demons and says, respectfully, no! Johnny from Houston talks calling racists racist, Pat the Hippie explores the future of Minnesotan politics, and Donald Trump takes responsibility for DeSantis’ success (sowing the seeds of his own replacement!), plus, your calls and IMs!

Emma hosts Natasha Lennard, columnist at The Intercept, to discuss her recent reporting before, during, and after Roe V. Wade's overturning by the Supreme Court. Then, Emma is joined by Greg Casar, candidate for Congress in Texas's 35th District, to give us an update from the campaign trail. First, Emma dives into Biden’s role as the passive PR president, finally coming along to back other people doing something about Roe, and she covers what a politician that actually has initiative looks like (AOC being the perfect example). Then she’s joined by Natasha Lennard as she dives into us finally meeting the known horror of an overturned Roe, looking at how this decision will be enforced by exploring the genre of enforcement that has defined the US’ police state throughout its history: an alliance between far-right vigilantism and a reactionary state – seen perfectly in Texas’ civil bounty laws. Expanding on this, Lennard walks through the history of the vigilante groups, from lynchers in the Jim Crow south to slave patrols in the north, as a clear expression of the US elites’ desire to maintain control of the bodily autonomy of Black people, women, and particularly Black women. Next, with help of the Daily Wire crew, they walk through the importance of antiracism and queer liberation in the fight for reproductive rights, before preparing for the Democratic tactic of calling the right “hypocritical” when they codify abortion prohibition on a national level, and wrapping up the interview by looking to the organizers and activists that have already set up the networks by which we must fight for the right to bodily autonomy. Greg Casar then joins as he dives into the response to Roe trigger laws as someone running for TX-35, and the importance of using your power to bend the arch towards justice, next looking to the importance of empathetic and open policy towards immigrants and solutions to the massive rent issues in the US today.

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Matt and Brandon as they dive into the difference between conspiracies used as a distraction, and conspiracies that need distracting from, Ben Shapiro says Trump cannot be held responsible for 1/6, because he can’t be responsible for ANYTHING! Rob from NJ dives into the Daily Wire’s step into cinema, Joe Rogan, with his finger ever on the prostate pulse of US reactionaries, comes out as pro-DeSantis. The crew dives into Roe’s overturn, and the pointlessness (and points) of constantly questioning republicans about exceptions, and James from Ft. Worth starts a “Who’s More Democratic” competition, plus, your calls and IMs!

Sam and Emma host Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer at Slate, to discuss the recent bombshell SCOTUS opinions, and what other decisions remain to be issued. Then, they are joined by Matt Stoller, Director of Research at the American Economic Liberties Project and author of the BIG newsletter on SubStack, to discuss what's been going on at the Federal Trade Commission. First, Sam and Emma dive into Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony on Trump’s request to let more armed protesters into the Capitol since “they’re not here to hurt me,” and the Supreme Court allows Louisiana to redistrict around the disenfranchisement of African Americans. Then, they’re joined by Mark Joseph Stern as he dives right into Carson v. Makin and the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a Maine requirement for private schools that received PUBLIC funding (largely due to lack of resources for public education in the area) to maintain a secular education, even though these schools are known to reject Muslim and Jewish students and ostracize children of same-sex couples. He, Emma, and Sam discuss how far Kavanaugh and Roberts could go in dismantling secularism and bolstering the funding for hyper-religious PUBLIC institutions. Next, they look to the Kennedy case in Washington, as the Supreme Court struck down the lemon doctrine in the case of a high school football coach coercing his players into Christian prayer. They first boil it down to the legal dispute, looking at the conservative justices’ rejection of the “endorsement” of religion as a violation of the establishment clause, before they look to the factual dispute, covering the blatant lies that the conservative majority based their decision on, including ignoring student statements that they were ostracized for refusing to join the prayer, the fact that the coach spent over 50 games leading these prayers, despite only being penalized for the last three, and the fact that the coach voluntarily left the job in the wake of being placed on PAID administrative leave. They wrap up their interview by diving into the rapid manner by which the conservative justices’ agenda is being passed, and look at the future of their agenda and the doctrines they’ll look to overturn next. Then, Matt Stoller joins as he walks through the Financial Trade Commission’s declaration to enforce the Robinson-Patman act requiring corporate middlemen to be paid exclusively for services rendered, looking at the role of Pharmaceutical Benefits Managers, how they extort the industry, and what role this might play in hindering future monopsonies, which leads them to a brief discussion on the monopsony of Minor League Baseball, the role MLB’s anti-trust exemption plays in this, and what is being done to push the Majors to provide living wages to the futures of their sport.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma walk through Cassidy Hutchinson’s extended testimony in front of the 1/6 committee, from Trump’s desire to let more armed folks into the Capitol to Mark Meadows taking phone calls in secret on the day of. Tim from Rochester discusses being a High School football player, how coaches sell you a “divine dream,” and the absurdity of the recent SCOTUS ruling around that topic. Next, they look at some early horror stories around trigger laws in Dayton Ohio, and reflect on the Terri Schiavo case some decade and a half later. Emma discusses the anemic Democratic response to Roe, the Dem Leadership’s game of pretend around what the Republicans' goals for reproductive rights actually are, and the crew covers some of the stupidest arguments about the hope inspired by Dobbs. A log cabin republican is offended as his allies call him abnormal, plus, your calls and IMs!

Sam hosts William Forbath, Associate Dean for Research at the University of Texas at Austin Law School, and Joseph Fishkin,  Professor at the UCLA School of Law, to discuss their recent book The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution: Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of Democracy. Sam first runs through recent updates, from AOC and progressives pushing the White House to take action on Roe and the discovery of 46 dead migrants in an abandoned San Antonio trailer, to the GOP’s insistence that, no, fundamentally undermining reproductive rights in the country ISN’T important, and everything is basically the same. Then, he’s joined by William Forbath and Professor Joseph Fishkin as they dive right into the state of the public’s relationship to the US Constitution, with the left lacking a vision of how it functions within the political society and the right having successfully ingrained it as central to how the constitution shapes policy, before situating our political era as a second Gilded Age defined by economic and political inequality, and why the left’s lack of a constitutional vision means that these are not seen as constitutional issues. Next, they trace the recent history of how the two US parties relate to the court, with the institutionalist liberals basking in the afterglow of the Warren court while the GOP, since at least Nixon, has seen opposition to the Court’s “progressive” nature as central to their victories. Forbath and Fishkin then jump back to the founders, assessing how they weighed their beliefs of a judicial system as central to a functioning democracy while understanding that it had no right to overrule the will of the people via the legislature, seeing the constitution as a check on the concentration of power to be used against governmental institutions, and thus puts forward a duty to legislate against economic and political concentration. They then shift to the rise of the anti-slavery Republican Party in the mid 19th Century and their vacation of the South as any semblance of a base until they had begun to dismantle the concentration of economic and political power in the region with the prevalence of slave owners and the electoral role of the 3/5ths clause, moving into an era of egalitarian constitutionalism emphasizing checks on concentrations of economic and political powers and a distribution of opportunity that extends across race gender, that saw the Reconstruction amendments (despite clear loopholes) attempt to reshape the role of the constitution. Next comes the 20th Century, as they walk through the rise of federal courts in the wake of the industrial revolution and the simultaneous populist political movement that came out against the rising concentration of wealth, with Taft attempting to build up the Court’s stature as it became clear they were on the side of the corporation, only for his (physical and meta) attempts to culminate during the reign of FDR after he forced the anti-democratic court into lockstep with him. They wrap up the interview by looking at the lasting effects of the post-FDR Warren Court, and the current shattering of the view of the courts as apolitical, before looking forwards to the upcoming judicial attacks against legislative capacities and how we can move forwards in a way that bolsters the will of the people rather than the deification of the Courts.

And in the Fun Half: Sam interviews special guest Saul Seder on the state of the 3rd grade, parental rights in the state of Disney, the superiority of Jim Carrey over his father, and summarizes highlights from the 2022 little league season. Then Sam and the crew dive into Cassidy Hutchinson’s surprise hearing for the 1/6 committee, Kamala Harris’ only solution to the Dobbs decision being still holding midterm elections (rather than…?), and a GOP candidates’ commitment to cop brotherhood by refusing to acknowledge the existence of rape. Rudy describes the reverberations of his assault, Hutchinson covers Trump’s violent outbursts on and leading up to 1/6, and Russia goes after Ukrainian civilians, plus, your calls and IMs!

It's Casual Friday! Sam hosts Jamelle Bouie, opinion columnist at the New York Times and co-host of the Unclear and Present Danger podcast, to discuss his recent piece "The Gerontocracy of the Democratic Party Doesn’t Understand That We’re at the Brink." First, Sam dives right into the Supreme Court’s overturning of the half-century precedent of Roe v. Wade as the first major rollback of any established right in US history, the thirteen trigger laws it enacts, and the future of reproductive health when healthcare professionals are forced to weigh they own well being and security in making decisions. Jamelle Bouie then joins as he and Sam dive right into the growing divide between establishment Democrats and younger progressives in just acknowledging the horrendous state of our politics, as seen in Whip Clyburn’s official response to the Roe decision stating that it was “anti-climactic,” and take on the role of the Gerontocratic leadership of the Democratic party and their ossified perspective on how politics can and does function in the 21st Century, from Pelosi’s requests for a “strong Republican party” to Biden’s praising of McConnell’s integrity. Next, Bouie dives into his recent research into the Republican party that preceded today’s neoconservatism and their shift to hard-edged partisanship, contrasting this with the Democrats’ desire to triangulate in politics, as we saw with Hillary’s comments on sacrificing trans people for the integrity of anti-democratic institutionalism, and refusal to acknowledge that, yes, the GOP does mean what they say. After a conversation on the future of this fight, and the other big fights coming down the SCOTUS pipeline, Sam and Jamelle wrap up the interview by assessing the 1/6 hearings, Mike Pence, and the Democratic leadership’s attempted creation of right-wing heroes. Sam further dives into the other precedents (Griswald, Casey, Loving, etc) that are put in question by this decision and the absurdity of Thomas’ argument that this won’t set a precedent… while encouraging an extension of this decision to future cases.

And in the Fun Half: Sam explores the meaning behind the Majority Report name, James Carville asks for our help, and House Democrats sing God Bless America for some unknowable reason. Katie from Providence dives deeper into the subjectivity around the abortion “exemptions,” and how the objective nature of the punishment for abortions will easily overshadow them. Shannon from the USVIs discusses supporting Black women in the US, Alan and Brendan from North Carolina reflect on the shaping of their perspectives on reproductive rights, Valerie from AZ talks constitutionality and the Supreme Court teeing up myriad elements of queer rights to be overturned, and Mindy reads a statement from the Archdiocese of New York. The crew listens to Mick Lynch’s inspirational responses to the UK media’s insulting coverage of their rail strike, and Ron Johnson throws Mike Kelly under the bus, to which Kelly says, “who?” Jeff Clark can’t believe that Federal Agents wouldn’t let him wear the pants in their relationship, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Jamelle's piece here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/14/opinion/beware-the-ruinous-optimism-of-democratic-leaders.html

Check out the Unclear and Present Danger podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unclear-and-present-danger/id1592411580

Sam hosts Jaz Brisack of Starbucks Workers United to give us some updates from the unionization efforts on the ground. Then, Sam is joined by Michael Bronski, professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Harvard University, to discuss his recent piece in the Boston Review "Grooming and the Christian Politics of Innocence". First, Sam dives into the continuing defamation suit by Dominion against Fox, SCOTUS’ decision to publically fund private religious schools, and the blistering updates from the 1/6 hearing, including testimony from Shea Moss, the election official accused by name by Trump, on the life-shattering matter that this was for her, from death threats at her home to racist threats in public, and Trump asks Arizona House officials to give him a break, I mean it’s what? 11,000 votes?? Next, Jaz Brisack joins as she and Sam get right into her incredible history in labor organizing having only recently graduated, discussing growing up in Texas and Mississippi and knowing she wanted to work in the field of labor, with her first dip into organizing during the fight with the United Auto Workers to organize a massive Nissan factory and what she learned from those original interactions with dirty anti-union corporate tactics. Although that vote fell short in 2017, Jaz discusses the massive influence it had on her and her hopes for organizing, as she carried her interest in labor organizing and labor history into her years as a Rhodes Scholar, before finally getting into her work organizing fast-food franchises in upstate New York. Here, she dives into her work, both labor and organizing, at Panera and Spot Coffee, and how her work with the International Workers of the World finally brought her to the Starbucks in Buffalo where the inklings of SWU began. After diving deep into the challenges and unique qualities of being the first (of so many) unionized Starbucks in the world and the nature of supposedly “progressive” organizations creating a divide in the workplace when it comes to labor rights and violations, they wrap up the interview by covering the importance of labor fights making it onto the mainstream stage and where SWU is going next. Professor Bronski then drops by to walk through the history of the translation of a Christian politics of innocence into homophobic and transphobic legislation, first looking at the sexual psychopath laws of the 1920s to ’30s and the shift in the ‘40s and ‘50s to focusing on the threat to children, before diving deeper into this concept of “innocence” and how it plays into a Christian fundamentalist’s political ideology. Next, they discuss the role of figureheads like Anita Bryant in pushing back against any social progress for the LGBTQ+ community and bringing about the ’90s version of “don’t say gay” legislation, before they wrap up the interview with a larger conversation on the waves of homophobia as reactions to threats on the patriarchy, the role of the Women’s lib movement in this, particularly in opening up children to be corrupted, and situate this moment of homophobic political backlash.

And in the Fun Half: Sam dives into the 1/6 hearings and why Democrats are obsessed with the few Republicans that determine speaking out against Trump to be their best career path, and listen into Adam Schiff’s discussion with AZ Speaker of the House on Trump’s official requests to overturn the election, Shea Moss’ mother on how Trump’s public accusations have had wildly distressing effects on their day-to-day lives, and Ron Johnson’s defense of his chief of staff attempting to deliver false elector lists to Mike Pence in the WAKE of the 1/6 violence. Chris from Berkeley and Valerie from AZ dive into the pain and frustration they feel about how Democrats are handling these hearings, Gregory from Oklahoma dives into his race for State House District 26, and Jesse Watters pitches COINTELPRO-ing the reproductive rights advocates protesting outside of the Supreme Court. Plus, your calls!

LiquidIV: Cooler weather makes it easier to miss signs of dehydration like overheating or perspiration, which means it's even more important to keep your body properly hydrated. Liquid I.V. contains 5 essential vitamins—more Vitamin C than an orange and as much potassium as a banana. Healthier than sugary sports drinks, there are no artificial flavors or preservatives and less sugar than an apple. Grab your favorite Liquid I.V. flavors nationwide at Walmart or you can get 25% off when you go to https://www.liquid-iv.com/ and use code MAJORITYREP at checkout. That’s 25% off ANYTHING you order when you get better hydration today using promo code MAJORITYREP at https://www.liquid-iv.com/.

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!

It's Casual Friday! Sam hosts Heather Digby Parton, contributing writer at Salon.com and proprietor of the blog Hullabaloo to round up the week in news. Then Sam is joined by Jason Myles, co-host of the This Is Revolution podcast. First, Sam covers the confirmation that Ginni Thomas was conspiring with John Eastman, Trump’s Coup Lawyer, and Assange’s extradition being approved. Digby and Sam then get right into the updates from Yesterday’s 1/6 hearing, from Donald Trump calling his Vice President the “P-word” (hint: it’s not “Pence” or “President”), and debate who Trump’s next right-hand man will be, especially as the god squad votes are among the most important in his control of the Republican party. Next, Sam and Digby have some discourse on the discourse around 1/6, exploring the contrast between US coverage of the hearings (or really, the lack thereof) and the coverage abroad, getting deep into the US political establishment’s obsession with legitimizing the right as a party with integrity, and contrasting them with “magas” and “ultra-magas,” despite the central involvement of active Senators, Congresspeople, and spouses of Supreme Court Justices, with everyone participating, from Grassley to Graham, completely aware of the illegality of what they were planning. Diving deeper into yesterday’s focus on Mike Pence, Digby and Sam analyze why someone who supposedly was against this, kept asking people for advice and debating strategy with the MAIN strategizers of the insurrection, before walking through the role of Michael Ludwig in legitimizing the “bipartisan” nature of the committee, and exploring the future of Republican insurrection attempts as they shift to more localized corruption and grassroots bigotry. Then, Sam is joined by Jason Myles as they dive into his recent video essay exploring the progression of Black cinema and the role it played both in Hollywood as a whole and the greater American and African American cultures, starting in the 1960s, with the new left of Maverick filmmakers making independent films and a push for more Black power contrasted with the actual rise of Blaxploitation movies, with movies like Sweet Sweetback and others practically saving Hollywoods bottom line, despite going completely against the general Black intelligentsia. Jason then dives into the next stages, as the ‘90s came back around to independent films (once again due to falling profits) making these “hood films” on the defective young black man, diving into the infection of neoliberalisms’ focus on “cultural” shortcomings and ignoring the classism and racism that were the actual issues of the time, and how these stereotypical and exploitative films pushed Black power away from the political realm and into, exclusively, the cultural realm. They wrap up their interview by looking at the modern era of Black cinema, the contrasts between films like Black Panther and Moonlight, and the need to return Black power to a political concept.

And in the Fun Half: Tulsi dances around Sean Hannity’s stupidity, Jesse Watterboard has an idea to get to the bottom of the SCOTUS leak, and DeSantis celebrates the ancestry of Apartheid heir Elon Musk. Ted Cruz takes shots at Disney’s queer agenda, as he points to the integrity of regimes that are rejecting the upcoming “Lightyear” film, such as China and the UAE. Meghan Kelly returns to the media as she calls out her former employers for discussing the fact that trans kids who are rejected by their families frequently resort to suicide, plus, your IMs!

Check out Digby's blog Hullaballoo here: https://digbysblog.net/

Check out This Is Revolution here: https://www.thisisrevolutionpodcast.com/

Shopify: Scaling your business is a journey of endless possibility. Shopify is here to help, with tools and resources that make it easy for any business to succeed from down the street to around the globe. Shopify powers over 1.7 million businesses - from first-sale to full-scale. Shopify gives entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business - so upstarts, start-ups, and established businesses alike can sell everywhere, synchronize online and in-person sales, and effortlessly stay informed.

Go to https://www.shopify.com/free-trial?utm_campaign=paid_audio_-_podcast_-_amer_-_united_states_-_all_-_experimential_-_english_-_awareness&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=majority, for a FREE fourteen-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features!

Emma hosts Devon Carbado, professor at the UCLA School of Law, to discuss his recent book Unreasonable: Black Lives, Police Power, and the Fourth Amendment. First, Emma runs through recent news from Ginni Thomas’ communications with John Eastman about overturning the election, to the Fed raising interest and likely triggering a recession just to undermine worker power and the effect of gas price gouging on inflation. Then she’s joined by Professor Devon Carbado as they dive right into the relationship between the Fourth Amendment and the police state, as this constitutional statute from 1791 has provided access to and control over Black people and their bodies, first looking at the qualification of “search and seizure” as the only police actions that are protected, to the insanely low standards of what it means for police accostings to be “reasonable,” such as confronting someone in a high crime area. They then dive into the 1968 decision in Terry v. Ohio that affirmed the police’s right to stop and frisk without probable cause, provided that they meet the even lower standard of “reasonable suspicion,” setting the stage for one of the least effective and most violating “investigatory” tools, which still maintains its legality even after the NYPD failed to claim reasonable suspicion in Floyd, et al. v City of New York. Next, Professor Carbado walks through the stages of Black oppression in the US and the refusal by the right the understand and acknowledge the history throughout these developments, before he takes on the various levels of policing in this country that put Black people and people of color in more direct confrontation with the police, including the fact that repeated exposure increases the probability of being harmed, the culture of police and their unions, qualified immunity, and the impossibility of holding them to account. Emma and the Professor then look to Whren v United States and the Supreme Court’s (including RBG) affirmation of racial profiling, discussing how this decision as well aided the beaurocratization of racism and classism that we saw so clearly in Ferguson, with police fines making up over a quarter of the city’s budget. They wrap up the interview by diving deeper into the judicial system’s role, how the right’s specificity in targeting precedent and setting up legal apparatus like the Federalist Society allows them to stack the courts for their agenda, and what the Left can learn from that.

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Matt and Brandon as they take on the complex anti-hero that is Anna Sorokin, as she begins to dip her feet into NFTs, Noah from Tampa debates Emma on why her college athletic takes are exactly right, Bro Flamingo calls in to discuss the downplaying of the 1/6 coup attempt on both the right and left, and they all dive into the idea of Republicans actually being held accountable. Candace Owens comes after parental rights, Eric Adams “reallocates” funding from education to the NYPD, and AOC responds to the fact that she was called out by name by 1/6 rioters. Real estate brokers flaunt their place inside the housing bubble, Kowalski dives into fertilizer and food shortage issues, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Devon's book here: https://thenewpress.com/books/unreasonable

Sam and Emma host Jamie Edwards, organizer with the Trader Joe's Union effort in Hadley, Massachusetts, to discuss the union organizing efforts from the ground. First, however, they touch on the GOP’s flipping of a century-long Democratic seat in Texas, discuss a Florida Synagogue’s suit against the Florida abortion ban, and discuss how odd it was that Rep Loudermilk was giving tours to people who just happened to show up on 1/6. Steve Bannon reveals that the 1/6 committee completely ignored Mike Lindell’s information, the couple that armed themselves as a BLM rally marched past their house gives tips on gun safety, and Sam and Emma walk through a recent California survey showing that living with a gun owner doubles your chances to die by homicide and does nothing to decrease your chances of a home invasion. Next, they dive into the most Hershel Walker of Hershel Walker news, as it’s revealed that the man who rants against fatherless households in Black communities, happens to have left a household fatherless. Finally, Emma and Sam are joined by Jamie Edwards as they dive into their experience organizing Trader Joe’s Unite’s first chapter in Hadley, MA, first looking at the beginnings of the campaign at the start of the pandemic, when, after years of falling benefits, they and their colleagues were directly faced with the corporation’s active refusal to take their safety seriously, from fully banning masks and gloves at the outset, to pressure from management to ignore capacity limits. Next, they get into the more typical forms of union-busting that the organizers have faced, from Jamie being sent home for wearing a union pin to threats against workers’ future wages and general disciplinary action, before they get into the success of TJU, and the roles the pandemic, a strong NLRB, and the unionizations of Starbucks and Amazon departments nationwide have all played in keeping the energy up. Jamie then wraps up the interview by covering the importance of Trader Joe’s United being an independent union, especially with corporations’ “third party” talking points, and discusses the future of the fight.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma take a call from Georgian native Q on comedy, Dave Chapelle, and why some people’s politics don’t develop, Jason from Texas dives into the special election in the Rio Grande Valley and discusses the grassroots development of the radical right in Texas, Jason from Columbus discusses Ohio’s housing crisis, Ben from Worcester talks… Worcester, and Charlie Kirk gives young women tips and tricks on finding a husband. Blake from Arkansas discusses why the solution to every social ill is him not paying child support, plus, your calls and IMs!

Follow Trader Joe's United here: https://twitter.com/TraderJoesUnite

Sam and Emma host Mark Joseph Stern, staff writer at Slate, to preview the incoming SCOTUS opinions of the week. First, Sam and Emma preview primary Tuesday, the ever-mounting success of Starbucks unions, and remind us that much like Liz Cheney, Bill Barr is NOT our friend. Then, they’re joined by Mark as they dive into this “storm before the even bigger storm” moment in the Supreme Court, first covering why the Supreme Court’s summer decision dumps all come down to the end of June so they can get out on vacation, and speculating on the order of the drops when there are so many massive decisions currently pending. Next, they get into the actual issues at hand, looking to the many layers of Dobbs v Jackson, including the continued obscurity around the leak and leaker’s identity, what small “cleanups” we’ll see in comparison to Alito’s leaked draft, and the futures of Griswald and Sodomy laws. They also dive into Andrus v Texas, looking at how the Supreme Court allowed lower-level courts to overturn the Sixth Amendment guarantee to effective assistance of counsel, practically removing habeas review and other judicial practices while still keeping their institutional image intact, and explore this deferral of the Court as an affirmation to the lower courts’ that they will allow the overturning of their own precedent if it aligns with their conservative ideology. Sam then gets right into the administrative state as he, Emma, and Mark Joseph Stern look to West Virginia v EPA, discussing the role of Brett Kavanaugh’s baby, the major questions doctrine, in bolstering the Court’s ability to undermine the delegatory capacities of Congress and the executive branch by requiring explicit and specific congressional guidelines. After a conversation on the “activist” nature of this conservative court, they wrap up the interview by discussing the future of concealed carry with New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, and the use of coercive religious practices in public schools with Kennedy v. Bremerton.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma cover the updates on yesterday’s 1/6 hearing, exploring the accusation of Trump’s campaign lawyer as “an agent of the deep state” for rejecting the validity of the Dominion fraud, McClain from Iowa, Bradley’s Dad from LA, AND Peter from St. Paul all dive deep into handling conversations with conservative parents and the importance of finding commonalities, as the right becomes more and more the Republican Party of (some of our) fathers. Brock from Wichita talks gun control, and Fox News displays their militant support for trans people by… telling the story of a conservative family’s acceptance of their son, which of course makes Matt Walsh angry when there’s an excellent documentary talking about women’s bodies right there! Plus, your calls and IMs!

Sam and Emma host Jefferson Morley, editor of the JFKFacts blog, to discuss his recent book Scorpions' Dance: The President, the Spymaster, and Watergate. Sam and Emma begin by assessing the fundamentally bipartisan-and-nothing-else gun control bill, and cover the arrest of Idaho White Supremacists planning a riot at a pride event, Sarah Palin’s advancement in the Alaskan senate race, and walk through the 10 republicans in the Gun Control gang of 20, and the unsurprising fact that almost half are retiring. Then, Jefferson Morley joins as they dive right into what the Watergate conspiracy was, and how it was covered at the time, including the classic representation of the incident as an example of a crusading free press taking on a lawless president, and how this discourse completely obscures the hidden hand of the CIA and how their role in the conspiracy has crystalized over the last half-century. They then dive into what Nixon’s plan for this group of “Plumbers” was, originating from his paranoia around government leaks and the anti-war movement, and coming to fruition via recommendations from Richard Helms, director of the CIA, who helped provide 4 of the 7 members of the team. Next, they jump back to the actual developments of the Watergate investigation, with the slow release of tapes in the weeks following, despite Nixon’s constant pressuring of Helms to stop the FBI investigation, and how this led the public to focus not on the CIA’s role in Watergate, but their other abuses, from foreign assassinations to spying on Americans, as the Church Committee in charge of the senate investigation of the CIA wanted to keep it Bipartisan and away from the Nixon investigation. Morley then dives deep into Nixon’s relationship with his intelligence agencies, working as a lawless president alongside a lawless CIA, as he couldn’t convince Hoover to dig into domestic surveillance, making his relationship with Helms’ CIA central to his power, working closely in Nixon’s assassination attempts on Salvador Allende’s cabinet, and providing Nixon with a relationship that he could leverage – not with the knowledge of their foreign interventions but with a threat over hidden information with the Bay of Pigs. After an extensive conversation on what this “hidden information” likely entailed, that being the CIA’s role in the assassination of JFK, and the internal spy games being played against each other by the White House, CIA, FBI, and Joint Chiefs of Staff, Morley, Sam, and Emma wrap up the conversation by exploring the lasting lessons we can learn about the dangers of a lawless president that is supported by a lawless CIA.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma watch Dennis Prager signal out the true evil of our society: evil. Calvin from Montana calls in about Democrats’ chance in the upcoming midterm cycle as Biden explains, totally unrelatedly, why republicans are good, actually. Sam and Emma dive into the 1/6 hearings, from the attacks on Capitol Police to Giuliani’s drunken proclamation that Trump, with no evidence, should claim victory in the wake of the 2020 election. As Starbucks’ unionization trends continue, Schultz goes on a rampage against this “secondary party” (workers) invading the Starbucks family, and Patriot Front is detained in Idaho. JB from Cleveland gives updates on surveys helping trans visibility, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Jeff's book here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250275837/scorpionsdance

It's Casual Friday! Emma hosts David Griscom, co-host of Left Reckoning, to round up the week in news. Then, Emma is joined by the DSA's Stylianos Karolidis and Sumathy Kumar to discuss their For the Many candidate slate in New York City. First, Emma dives deep into yesterday’s debut of the primetime 1/6 hearings, appreciating the committee’s breadth of day-one topics, from Trump’s 7-point plan to overturn the election, the complete disconnect between him and any federal defense agencies, and the impact of his “stand back and stand by” tweet, to the role of Bill Barr and the barebones, yet horrifying, unseen footage of the coup attempt. Next, she’s joined by Left Reckoning’s David Griscom as they dive into the Texas-centric news of the week, starting off with the more hopeful news of an Austin Starbucks’ successful unionization vote, before diving into a conversation on policing that begins with a contrast between Capitol Police’s treatment of BLM protesters and 1/6 Coup attempters, and shifting to the continued lies and cowardice of the Uvalde police as an example of the extreme disinvestment from public good that the neoliberal era has created. Next, David and Emma tackle the crisis of Texas’ power grid, as Ted Cruz blames rising prices on the (nonexistent) Texas Green New Deal, rather than their hyper-privatized power grid which serves profit overall, including a recent approval of price-fixing for Bitcoin mining while the rest of the state is encouraged to minimize electricity consumption in +100ºF Weather. Griscom wraps up the interview by diving into HIS story of Texas, as he dissects and rejects this recent move by the far-right to paint a picture of a Straight, White, conservative, Christian Texas that’s being invaded by Trans folks and immigrants, and walks through the challenges to Abbott’s recent bill to investigate the parents of gender-affirmed trans kids. Then, Emma is joined by Stylianos Karolidis and Sumathy Kumar as they walk through the broader and more specific strategic goals of NYC-DSA’s “For the Many” slate of 13 candidates across the City and up into the Hudson Valley, from pushing climate-centric discourse and working to reinvent NY housing policy to changing the culture of NY State Politics as a whole.

And in the Fun Half: Anthony from NY calls in to reminisce on the beauty of Michael Brooks, Emma covers Ivanka coming out against her father’s Big Lie, and parses through the myriad paths of culpability around 1/6, with a particular focus on the GOP enablers of the “Big Lie” conspiracy and the belief in insurrectionists that Donald Trump had asked this, and nothing else, of them. Dave Rubin dives into his friendship with Ben Shapiro, who thinks he is a sinner and mentally ill due to his marriage, and Crowder continues his transphobic bent, plus, your calls and IMs!

Help out the DSA For The Many slate here! https://fortheturnout.nyc/

Emma hosts John S. Huntington, professor of history at Houston Community College, to discuss his recent book Far-Right Vanguard: The Radical Roots of Modern Conservatism. First, Emma covers Yesterday’s SCOTUS ruling that protects federal law enforcement from civil rights lawsuits, the ACLU challenges Greg Abbott’s directive to investigate the parents of trans kids, and the haunting reflections from Miah Cerrillo in the wake of surviving the Uvalde shooting. Professor John S. Huntington then joins as he and Emma unpack the gap in academia that inspired his project, choosing to look all the way back to the outset of the 20th Century for the origins of modern conservatism, rather than starting from Nixon, Reagan, and the birth of neoliberalism, discussing the groundswells of radical conspiracy theorists, white supremacy, and anti-communism that now define the contemporary right. Jumping back to the start of the 1900s, Professor Huntington and Emma contextualize the state of the two-party system as one with both conservatives and liberals on both wings, a form of US politics that is extinct today, leading up until the 1920s which saw a rebirth of the nativism and racism of the previous century with the second coming of the KKK and the release of Birth of a Nation, seeing Klansmen suddenly strewn throughout US society, from corporations to Congress, and building up through the 1930s, setting the groundwork for a coalition against FDR’s New Deal democracy made up of businessmen, segregationists, and anti-communism conspirators. Emma and John then dive into the decentralized element of this conservative network, walking through the genuinely fascistic Klan supporters who wanted a renaissance of a white Christian America in contrast with the Jeffersonian Democrats who simply wanted to rescue their party from the commie that was FDR, with anti-communism as an easy rhetorical connection tieing them together against their enemies. After a discussion on the role of the first era of the red scare in setting up this rhetoric, Emma and Prof. Huntington dive deeper into the Jeffersonian Democrats’ founder James Reed, as well as figures like J. Evetts Haley, Robert Welsch, and William F. Buckley as the innovators of the conservative movement, from the anti-communism of the early 1900s to the neoliberalism of Nixon and Reagan, funneled through organizations like Buckley’s John Birch Society, and working to paint a picture of a “respectable” far-right that is different from the conspiracy kooks, who just happen to share the same policy ideas. This brings them to the era where academics tends to start their study, with the rhetorical shift to dog-whistle politics that occurs with the transition to neoliberalism under Nixon and in the wake of Goldwater’s rise, before they wrap up the interview by diving into the state of the two parties today, and discuss why conservatism has had so much more success in ingraining their talking points in political discourse, and pushing their fundamentalist policy as the baseline of acceptability.

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Matt and Brandon as they cover Senators Lummis and Gillibrand deciding that NOW (in the wake of multiple massive crypto crashes) is the time to endorse Americans putting their retirement savings on the blockchain, Jack Del Rio claims 1/6 to be a “dust-up,” and Emma goes in on the exploitation of college sports. Devin from Alberta calls in to distill the idea of laying claim to right-wing claimed “space” to trigger the conservatives, Jay Z and Dorsey open a bitcoin academy (more similar to Trump University than any educational institution), and Kyle Rittenhouse sees little killers like himself facing backlash all across the US (presumably from Buffalo to Uvalde). Justin from Augusta discusses the Bill of Rights as inherently reactionary, Abby Martin takes on Sec. Blinken as he proclaims his support for Saudi Arabia and Israel at a freedom of the press conference, and Dennis Prager comes out as a baby-hater (those tiny-toed narcissists!) Emma and Matt discuss being called “groomers” by those that support pedophiles, plus, your calls and IMs!

Emma hosts Alex Sammon, staff writer at the American Prospect, to discuss his recent article "The RNC's Ground Game of Inches." Then, Emma is joined by Joe Eskenazi, editor and columnist at Mission Local, to discuss San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin's recall last night. First, Emma covers the continued kabuki theater around gun control as Schumer now shifts to a smaller deal, Matthew McConaughey speaking on the Uvalde tragedy before staging a photo op with Henry Cuellar, and touch on the recall of Chesa Boudin. Then, she’s joined by Alex Sammon as they dive into his coverage of the RNC’s mass investment in community centers as they begin to gun for very specific impoverished communities, first discussing the complete runaround that Sammon saw as organizers and facilitators refused to return calls or discuss the centers, forcing him to attend in person. This gave him an intimate view of these centers, which have been cropping up across the US since the GOP’s realization that they actually are not THAT far behind in polling with communities of color, and that just bringing around certain communities in certain states can have massive dividends, as they shift to a grassroots movement that is reminiscent of left-wing organizing that focuses on meeting community needs. Sammon then dives specifically into his experiences at the community center in Robeson, North Carolina, a historically blue district in a supposedly blue state, and how the GOP took advantage of growing racial tensions between Native and Black populations alongside an economic collapse in the wake of the NAFTA replacement, as he explores the complete swap between organizing tactics of the GOP and Democrats, as the former shifts to a ground game, with these community centers offering daily programming with a clear association to the right, whereas democrats have chosen to go after airplay in districts where myriad people have no internet access. They wrap up their discussion by touching on what this says about the complete failures of Democratic messaging under Biden. Next, Emma is joined by Joe Eskenazi in reaction to the successful recall of Chesa Boudin, San Francisco’s reform-focused DA, and the complete lack of surprise around the result. Next, he looks to flesh out the dynamics that were working behind the scenes, with the wealthier enclaves of the city, alongside real estate investment and a big SF PAC, and why, no matter how important it is, following the money is not a tangible electoral tactic, just as confronting emotions with statistics (e.g. no, SF does NOT have a crime wave) is unsuccessful when the wealthy constituency believes to the heart in the antisocial behavior of the poorer communities. They wrap up the interview by diving deeper into Boudin’s relationship (or lack thereof) with the SFPD, walking through the obvious refusal to work (whether a work stoppage, underperformance, or both) for his office, why this is so common in relationships between Police forces and their governing officials,  how Mayor London Breed took advantage of this and used Boudin as her scapegoat, and what the conversation around San Franciscan politics should look like moving forwards.

And in the Fun Half: Emma takes a very quick call with Justin from Ohio on why in the world Democrats try to appeal to the need for strong opponents, the absurdity (and obvious homophobia) of going from “parents’ rights” to making it illegal for a parent to bring a child to a drag show, and Steve Scalise discusses the total lack of regulation around planes (must’ve never flown in one). Chris Coons comes to Joe Biden’s defense for bolstering his allyship with MBS, Charlie from NJ discusses the “what if it was YOUR [daughter, child, wife, sister, Black friend]” talking point making its way into the gun control debate, and Tulsi Gabbard takes on the most pressing issues in American politics: Hunter Biden’s sex scandals and her social media following. The Queen of England appears more lifelike than ever, and Steph from NY proposes a waterworks public project, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Alex's piece here: https://prospect.org/politics/rncs-ground-game-of-inches-convert-minorities-into-republicans/

Check out Joe's work at Mission Local here: https://missionlocal.org/author/joee/

Sam and Emma host Matt Ford, staff writer for the New Republic, to discuss the most important cases coming before the Supreme Court this month. Then Sam and Emma are joined by Akela Lacy, politics reporter at the Intercept, to discuss her recent piece "What's Stopping Chesa Boudin?" ahead of his recall election. Emma and Sam first cover the indictment of 5 Proud Boys on the eve of the nationally televised 1/6 hearings, and John Cornyn finally comes to his senses on gun control and speaks out against easy access to… Elementary Schools. Matt Ford then joins as they walk through the massive consequences that we must prepare for regarding this conservative SCOTUS and their upcoming decisions. Matt begins by assessing the discord behind the scenes of the Court right now, from a difficulty in finding cohesion in rulings and reports of lacking amicability, to the news of the leak and the friction that has caused, before diving deeper into internal reactions to the leak, including the belief that it was a liberal-left attack on the institution’s integrity, and what role the justices could’ve played in the matter. Next, they cover the matter of what the leak covered, diving into Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and the 15-week cut off as an effective reversal of Roe v. Wade, as well as looking at the greater implications of undermining 4A privacy rights, from an overturn of Obergerfell to a return to sodomy laws. Matt, Sam, and Emma also cover the upcoming New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen as the first 2A case since 2010, and look to West Virginia v. EPA as the next step in the conservative road to demolishing the administrative state. Then, Akela Lacy joins as she situates the recall attempt against Chesa Boudin as one of many recalls targeting reform-minded DAs, regardless of popularity or success, and a product of an effort that started before Boudin even effectively took office, with massive amounts of money flowing in from countless angles, including the former Chair of the San Francisco DNC  working as a paid “volunteer,” and mass investment from police unions and realty associations. Next, they cover the massive project that this recall effort has entailed, including the purchasing of the website days before Boudin took office and the creation of an “outlet” (it’s just a substack) on the talking points, before unpacking the lies and misinformation that fuels the establishment attacks, and wrapping up with a discussion on the relationship between Boudin and the San Francisco police.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma watch Arnulfo Reyes’ heartbreaking recount of his class’ experience in the shooting at Robb Elementary, Sam from St. Paul dives into Minnesota infrastructure and redlining, John from San Antonio runs through upcoming CA primaries, and Grant Stinchfield and Stephen Crowder do their best ahistorical spin on the Holocaust. Charles from TN discusses owning a Tesla and having people try to talk to him about Musk, Kowalski from Nebraska celebrates international Antifa victory day (D-Day) and unpacks the Ukrainian wheat harvest, Kyle Rittenhouse spreads misinformation about himself, presumably, so someone will actually hold him to account, and Justin from Cincinnati discusses transphobia and Ohio, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Matt's work here: https://newrepublic.com/authors/matt-ford

Check out Akela's piece here: https://theintercept.com/2022/06/03/san-francisco-chesa-boudin-recall/

Sam and Emma host Gary Gerstle, Professor of American History at the University of Cambridge, to discuss his recent book The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era. First, Emma and Sam dive into the continued rise of mass shootings over this weekend, the Uvalde Police’s continually changing story, Dr. Oz’s victory in the PA GOP Senate Primary, and Elon suddenly scrapping his Twitter deal after finding out about Twitter BOTS, but definitely not his crashing Tesla stock. They’re then joined by Professor Gerstle as they work through the concept of political orders as these prolonged eras of dominant ideologies, with the two that he largely covers being the New Deal political order, lasting from FDR’s reign up until the ‘60s or so, and the Neoliberal Order, burgeoning in the ‘70s and lasting up until the end of Obama’s presidency, looking at these two orders in contrast, with the former compelling the right to assimilate into a democratic socialist ideology, and the latter seeing a Clinton-lead democratic party assimilating into corporate liberalism and deregulation. Next, they get into the factors that drive the emergence of new orders, starting as a modest movement of political organizations and actors, before networks of donors, constituents, think tanks, and policy networks and political actors arise around it as it proves itself as a viable political system. They then look to the crises that left the vacuum for these orders to step in, with the 1930s Great Depression marking the largest capitalist crisis in US History, and the ‘70s recession occurring alongside rising racial tensions, US imperialism, and a reemergence of international industrial competitors seeing US Capital suddenly threatened from all sides. Sam, Emma, and Professor Gerstle then walk through the evolution of political orders and how one took issue and influence from its priors, first looking to FDR’s desire to create a new form of liberalism, one that puts everyday Americans in a position to actually enjoy their freedom, before Freidman and Hayek come around and reject his appropriation of liberalism, but still looking to government as a corporate facilitator, particularly with the role of the military in ensuring the safety and freedom of markets worldwide. After covering the role of the fall of the USSR and Clinton’s assimilation to neoliberalism, Sam, Emma, and Professor Gerstle walk through our contemporary moment as the neoliberal order stalls, and the difference between a fight between a far-right and a progressive left and the single-camp transitions of previous orders.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma discuss Dr. Jill Biden’s unveiling of a new Nancy Pelosi stamp, just as pride month starts, in an unfortunate moment of institutional fetishization, Dave Rubin obsesses over Elon Musk fighting to get his workers back to work, before inquiring about who died and left COVID in charge. Sam and Emma discuss the original rise of TERFism in England, cover the Ohio GOP’s new bill requiring genital inspections of young girl athletes, a Wisconsin high school gets bomb threats for trying to teach their students to respect queer people, Miles from LI talks the evolution of “based,” and Louie Gohmert comes to the defense of the Right’s right to lie right to the Government. Plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Gary's book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-neoliberal-order-9780197519646?cc=us&lang=en&

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Matt and Brandon as Dave from Jamaica calls to address the worrying obsession on the right (and not-so-on-the-right) over the Depp v. Heard decision, as they watch Crowder capitalize on a WOMAN being denounced as a DEFAMER, and Matt Lech dives deeper into the idea of defamation vs. free speech. Will from Indiana sparks Emma’s sports talk, Sam Harris philosophizes about children dying, but with reverse racism, and Joe Rogan discusses his turn against UBI as he realized that capitalists DO deserve all the power, otherwise, who’s gonna be a wage slave? Jake the teacher dives into New York’s mayoral control over the school system, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Dorothy's book here: https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/dorothy-roberts/torn-apart/9781541675445/

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma dive right into the bad faith and pseudo-philosophical debates around trans rights, with Sam reflecting on Sam Harris’ philosophizing about torture, and the dishonest rhetoric around “silencing” while trans people are genuinely being assaulted worldwide, before the crew debates Central vs. Prospect Park and Sam spends some time listing things one can do in Prospect Park. Charles Booker’s new campaign ad hits incredible emotional heights (particularly rare as he’s a democrat) and isn’t just him asking for money on a very windy hill (cough Amy McGrath cough), Tim Pool contradicts Tim Pool’s statements on gun rights before bringing in Tim Pool’s theories on civil war to add nuance to Tim Pool’s counterarguments to civil war, and Sam and Emma dive behind the SCOTUS curtains and the apparent disrespect of Justice Roberts by the conservative leaker. They also look to the upcoming GA midterms, as Herschel Walker takes a step back from Donald Trump, plus, your IMs!

Check out Leah's piece at Slate here: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/05/roe-dobbs-abortion-ban-reproductive-medicine-alabama.html

Donate to Nomi's State Senate campaign here! https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kon...

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma take a call with Adam from NY as he walks through the philosophical underpinnings of anti-gun control nuts, MJ from Maine discusses the importance of naming an enemy and the problem of who you expect this from, and Sam beams with pride over Saul’s first metaphor. Flyover Conservatives and Liberty Alliance USA revolutionize the war against woke with their new “woke heat map,” (it’s just a map with links to tweets?), and Sam and Emma dive into the Right’s desire for expression without critique. Steve Doocy takes on child labor laws, Donald Trump celebrates Scooter Libbey in his uplifting of the Iraq war before taking on Liz Cheney in his undermining of the Iraq war, and Michael from Long Island compares and contrasts South Korean and American masking culture, plus, your calls and IMs!

It's Casual Friday! Sam and Emma host Heather Digby Parton, contributing writer at Salon.com and proprietor of the blog Hullabaloo, to round up the week in news. Then, Sam and Emma are joined by Matthew Film Guy! Emma and Sam first dive into the Uvalde Police’s ever-changing story, the White House’s upcoming, likely-to-fail gun control package, and the GOP striking down a domestic terror bill, before watching Texas Lt. Chris Olivarez excuse Uvalde police’s inaction as believing they had “contained” the shooter… inside of a childrens’ classroom. Digby then joins as she and Sam reflect on two decades of covering these senselessly devastating instances of gun violence against children, from Wayne LaPierre asking the government to pry his gun from his “cold dead hands” in the wake of Columbine, to the tentative moments after Sandy Hook, where it seemed as though politicians would come around to reform, only for the NRA to disseminate all of the necessary talking points in a complete rejection of progress. This brings Emma, Sam, and Heather to a discussion on the collapse of the NRA in recent years, held up in court over embezzlement charges, yet with the Republican base more than picking up their torch and centering fundamentalist takes on gun ownership in electoral pushes. After briefly touching on the failure of Democrats in the wake of these mass shootings, reaching all the way back to their blame of Al Gore’s gun control stance in 2000, Sam, Emma, and Digby return to the devastation in Uvalde as they tackle how a fully-militarized police department, as we have throughout the US, finds it reasonable to leave a mass shooter in a school filled with children due to fears for THEIR OWN (the cops’) safety, as the Uvalde Police now claim they believed there to be no more living children in the classroom, despite the multiple incoming 911 calls FROM LIVING CHILDREN, clamoring from one lie to another as federal inaction from the democrats is the only repercussion that looms. Then, Matthew Film Guy joins as they discuss the central importance of art in creating the worlds we imagine for our futures, and in challenging and disrupting the status quo of our present, as Sam, Emma, and he give their takes on the importance of John Cassavetes and Mad Men, and Matthew rounds out the interview with his recommendations of Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Loveless” and John Gianvito’s “Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind.”

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma look to the GOP’s stale response to mass shootings, as Kevin McCarthy pushes the “mental health” talking point, while refusing to address or help mental health, and Lauren Boebert cites 9/11 to ask “why ban guns when we didn’t ban planes,” despite the countless massive (and problematic) regulations that DID arise in the wake of the terror attack. They also get into Biden sending out previews for a $10k student debt cancellation (for certain people only, of course), and Dave Rubin, the last liberal, now identifies as a Republican, plus, your IMs!

Check out Digby's blog here: http://digbysblog.net/

Check out Matthew's Letterboxd account here: https://letterboxd.com/langdonboom/

Check out Matthew's film discussion group at CommonPoint Queens: https://www.commonpointqueens.org/program/cultural-arts-and-jewish-heritage-classes/

Call the White House and demand student loan cancellation: 202-456-1111/202-456-1414

Sam and Emma host Harvey Kaye, professor emeritus of democracy at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, and Alan Minsky, executive director of the Progressive Democrats of America, to discuss their recent mission statement published in Common Dreams, the 21st Century Economic Bill of Rights. However, Emma and Sam first dive into yesterday’s mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas, walking through the mass boom in gun sales over the past two years, the common link between mass shooters and violence against women, and the ahistorical neoliberal view that gun control is a revolutionary concept in the US. Then, they’re joined by Professor Harvey Kaye and executive director Alan Minsky as they dive into the history of economic bills of rights, first proposed in the US by FDR as a centerpiece to his 1944 State of the Union, built on his economic declaration of rights and his concept of the four freedoms (speech, worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear), and looking to support the rights people wanted to see enumerated after World War II, seeing healthcare and jobs, particularly, as central to defeating the constraints of need. These concepts were then picked up by the democratic party under Truman, and even framed as the party platform in 1960 ahead of JFK’s candidacy. Next, Kaye and Minsky walk through the 10 rights present in the 21st Century Declaration, including universal healthcare, the right to education and the internet, affordable and accessible housing, a clean environment, support at birth and in retirement, a fair justice system, sound financial services, and a right to recreation and participation in democratic life, all of which, as they walk through, are tied to current legislation supported by Bernie Sanders, the squad, and other progressives. Next, they dive into the rhetorical element of this fight, perhaps the one in which we have the longest to go, first looking at the relationship between liberty and governing powers, before diving into what a productive future for a progressive left in the US would look like, both in terms of changing the conversation and building on the CPC’s existing role in the Democratic Party.

And in the Fun Half: Emma and Sam talk with John from San Antonio as he dives into the more hopeful elements of the state of our politics, from unionization to Jessica Cisneros’ continued hope, before they address Nancy Pelosi’s robocall in support of an anti-choice anti-gun-control candidate, the massive Georgia turnout, and how we could see a positive drive for Democratic turnout in the midterms. David from Grand Junction discusses corporate America’s refusal to hire amid their mindless drive for efficiency, teacher Lauren calls in on rising COVID rates in schools, and Isaac has an extensive conversation on Saudi Arabia’s conflict in Yemen. In returning to the shooting, Sam and Emma discuss Beto O’Rourke performing maybe his first genuinely emotional political stunt, Newsmax pitching more cops in school once again, despite the myriad cops that were at this school who just decided to get themselves out of danger and leave it to the teachers, and Matt Walsh hails State Farm while Crowder goes full fash, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Harvey and Alan's work here: https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/04/25/time-has-come-progressives-rescue-and-renew-american-democracy

Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here:  https://madmimi.com/signups/170390/join

Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/

Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/

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

Donate to Elisabeth Epps, candidate for the Colorado Statehouse, here: https://www.elisabethepps.com/

Audio from last week, the MR Crew breaking down the incoming primary news out of Pennsylvania, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon, and Idaho!

Sam and Emma host Blake Emerson, assistant professor at the UCLA School of Law, to discuss some of the recent rulings coming out of the 5th Circuit. Then, Sam and Emma are joined by Leah Litman, assistant professor at Michigan Law School and contributor to Slate, to discuss the recent SCOTUS ruling for Sen. Ted Cruz against the SEC. Emma and Sam start the show by diving into the US finally accepting trade with Venezuela, unsurprisingly centered on oil, the AP’s acceptance that it was, despite everything Israel was saying, probably the IDF that murdered Shereen Abu Aqleh, Kushner and Mnunchin’s ties to middle eastern oligarchs, and David Purdue doubling down on racism to win his primary and go up against Stacy Abrams. Then, Professor Emerson joins as they break down the recent ambush on the SEC in the Fifth Circuit, discussing WHAT this Texas-based circuit is, the appellate court’s role, and why Jarkesy v SEC was chosen to break down regulatory and administrative capacities of the executive branch. Next, they look at what the case entailed, parsing why the SEC chose to prosecute George Jarkesy in an administrative court, and why, like other agencies from the FDA to the EPA, this ability allowed them to expressly enforce policy without relying on years-long court cases or having to sacrifice their expertise. Professor Emerson then dives into the actual decision, walking through the court’s claims that it: 1) Violated the right to a jury; 2) violated the THEORETICAL non-delegation principle; and 3) violated the unitary executive theory, which, as a theory, is ALSO theoretical, and discusses how all three are incredibly outlandish decisions, particularly for a court that should be committed to Supreme Court precedent. Then Leah Litman hops in as she, Emma, and Sam look at the crumbling judicial infrastructure of constitutional rights in the US, from the Voting Rights Act to Roe v. Wade, and parses through Ted Cruz’s own case brought against the SEC under the right to use post-election contributions to repay pre-election loans, and the state’s commitment to poorly representing its constituents in Shinn v Martinez/Ramirez.

And in the Fun Half: Emma and Sam are joined by Nomiki Konst as they discuss Fox and Friends gearing up for the general elections as they crackdown on Stacy Abrams letting down “The Blacks.” They also dive into the GA primaries, as the largely unpopular (for everyone, mind you) Mike Pence rallies behind Brian Kemp, Majorie Taylor Greene questions why we talk about the Buffalo shooting, when there were also other shootings with much lower death tolls and much less vitriolic inspiration, and guests on an MSNBC 1/6 panel explore the Antifa troublemakers behind the FBI behind the conservatives behind the 1/6 insurrection. TERFs slowly begin realizing that maybe rallying behind hatred won’t get you love, plus, your IMs!

Check out Blake's recent piece on the 5th Circuit here: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/05/5th-circuit-sec-securities-fraud-civil-service.html

Check out Leah's recent piece on Shinn v. Martinez Ramirez here: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/05/scotus-constitutional-right-habeas-corpus-prison-death-row.html

Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here:  https://madmimi.com/signups/170390/join

Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/

Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/

Check out today’s sponsors:

Aura: Protect yourself from America’s fastest-growing crime. Try Aura for 14 days for free: https://aura.com/majority

Fiasco: Fiasco is a documentary-style podcast series hosted by Leon Neyfakh, the co-creator and original host of Slow Burn. You can listen to the new season of Fiasco exclusively on Audible. Just go to https://www.audible.com/pd/Fiasco-The-AIDS-Crisis-Podcast/B09SVPH27K?ref=mrq_aud_F_pod1&source_code=MRQOR2270330220706 or text FIASCOPOD to 500-500

Cozy Earth: One out of three Americans report being sleep deprived, and their sheets could be the problem. Luckily Cozy Earth provides the SOFTEST, MOST LUXURIOUS and BEST-TEMPERATURE REGULATING sheets. Cozy Earth has been featured on Oprah's Most Favorite Things List Four Years in a Row! Made from super soft viscose from bamboo, Cozy Earth Sheets breathe so you sleep at the perfect temperature all year round.  And for a limited time, SAVE 35% on Cozy Earth Bedding. Go to https://cozyearth.com/and enter my special promo code MAJORITY at checkout to SAVE 35% now.

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

Get more government-issued COVID tests here: https://www.covid.gov/tests

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma discuss the GOP’s response to Fetterman’s victory, as Dr. Oz goes the populist route of calling PA potheads lazy and calling out people who wear hoodies, before the Church MIlitant network gets one step ahead of every mainstream Republican as they proclaim that they’re gunning for gay marriage, birth control, and casual sex next. Fox and Friends come out FOR the baby formula shortage, Sam from PA has an extended discussion on the massive impact abortion bans will have on disabled people and those with any number of medical conditions, Matt from NJ dives into rhetorical responses to freedom arguments, and Cynthia Lummis is showered by jeers as she tries to bring transphobia to a commencement address, plus, your calls and IMs!

FUN HALF LINK HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zilaipBFlK4&ab_channel=TheMajorityReportw%2FSamSeder

Get more government-issued COVID tests here: https://www.covid.gov/tests

Emma hosts Brian Hochman, associate professor at Georgetown University, to discuss his recent book The Listeners: A History of Wiretapping in the United States. Then, Emma is joined by journalist Talia Lavin to discuss her recent piece in Rolling Stone "The Buffalo Shooter Isn’t a ‘Lone Wolf.’ He’s a Mainstream Republican".

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma break down the message that was sent to corporate Democrats in last night’s primaries, with big victories in PA and KY, Ben Shapiro blames wokeness for legitimizing Great Replacement fears, and Mike from Jersey shows state pride while Gabe from KC walks through the progressive primary Ws. Chris Wallace pushes Bernie on Build Back Better, unfortunately going after the wrong person 12 months too late, Jimmy Dore says Donald Trump is the true anti-imperialist president and blames progressives for making him horny for DeSantis, Scott from TX dives into religion and conservatism, and Ronald Raygun dives into Right Wing media. Jordan Peterson and Bret Weinstein cannot deal with their cruelty being met with people making fun of them, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Jon's book here: https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/potomac/9781640123854/

Check out the United Paizo Workers here: https://unitedpaizoworkers.org/

Check out Emma's interview with Summer Lee from March at the 1:00:00 mark here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulrVWGnDOBk&ab_channel=TheMajorityReportw%2FSamSeder

Sam and Emma break down the biggest headlines of the day, and debrief the Big Lie-ve Show in Boston last Sunday! And in the evening, the MR Crew will be breaking down the incoming primary news out of Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and more!

Grove: Did you know that only nine percent of plastic actually gets recycled, no matter how much we put in our recycling bin? At Grove Collaborative, they believe it’s time to ditch single-use plastics for good – in fact, by 2025, Grove will be 100% plastic-free. From laundry care to hand soaps and more, Grove carries hundreds of products aimed at replacing single-use plastics across every room of your home AND your head-to-toe personal care routine.Go to https://www.grove.co/welcome/pop-hiw?offer=pod22popmajority&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=or&utm_campaign=acq-majorityreport&utm_term=majority&utm_content=3602 today to get a free gift set worth up to fifty dollars with your first order. Plus, shipping is fast and FREE. Get started RIGHT NOW at https://www.grove.co/welcome/pop-hiw?offer=pod22popmajority&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=or&utm_campaign=acq-majorityreport&utm_term=majority&utm_content=3602.

Emma hosts Amia Srinivasan, Professor of Social and Political Theory at the University of Oxford, to discuss her recent book The Right to Sex: Feminism in the 21st Century. Then Emma is joined by Melanie D'Arrigo, candidate for Congress in New York's 3rd district, to give us an update from the campaign trail. Prof. Srinivasan and Emma dive right into the biggest news of the last two weeks, taking on their initial reactions to the Roe v. Wade leak, from the instinctive and personal horror to deranged awe for the American conservatives seeing their strategy of the last half-century finally come to fruition, before getting into the questions this decision raises and what the future of reproductive rights looks like when the party defending them is constantly inert. Next, they turn to Professor Srinivasan’s book, looking at the divide between the sphere of politics and the private sphere, and how she follows in the path of emphasizing the inherently political nature of feminism and sex. First looking to the feminisms of the ‘60s and ’70, Emma and Amia discuss this repoliticization of private issues, as concepts like abortion, family structure, childcare, and education became central to the feminist fight, alongside a birth of sex positivity, before the ‘80s rolled around and saw pushback amidst feelings of encouraging sex on men’s terms, looking beyond just consent at the larger coercive factors. This brings Professor Srinivasan to an analysis of the neoliberal market ideology, with consent and contracts as the only moral factor, considering sexual freedom along the same lines of tradeoffs, particularly around status, and how this analysis can be used to pushback, particularly against incel misogyny. They then look to the development of feminisms’ stances on porn, with the antithesis to sex positivity seeing porn as the lynchpin of patriarchy and a training ground for men’s subjugation of women, despite the large inaccessibility of porn at the time, before the boom of the internet in the 21st Century saw it become almost ubiquitous in much of the Western world, and thus plagued by monopoly and corruption as a neoliberal institution. Emma and Amia pin that conversation with a discussion on the importance of a sex-worker-owned-and-led world of porn as the only one where they can have a sense of security, before they wrap up the interview with a discussion on #MeToo, and the racialization and classism involved in rape accusations and where they go in the legal world. Then, Melanie D'Arrigo discusses her campaign in NY-3, and engaging as a progressive with notoriously conservative constituents. Emma also covers Israel’s murder of journalist Shereen Abu Aqleh, Finland getting closer to joining NATO, and Manchin’s objection to giving women rights, when that’s not what some Americans want!

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Matt and Brandon as they listen in awe to Randy Zuckerberg’s crypto anthem sequel, before having an extensive discussion on the recent crypto collapse and the role of Luna and Terra currencies in the drop. Bryan in the Poconos gives some updates on the PA Senate race on both the left and right, Ned Price, representing Biden’s administration, does anything but address Israeli war crimes, entrusting the IDF to investigate whether or not they’re murderers, and the crew discusses constitutional reform and Latin America. Jordan Peterson declares the Bible as the basis for truth itself and Dennis Prager gets covid (again), plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Amia's book here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374721039/therighttosex

Check out Melanie's campaign here: https://darrigo2022.com/

Sam and Emma break down the biggest headlines of the week! They begin with the response from Democratic leadership to this mass stripping of rights, as they immediately step in… to expand police details for Supreme Court justices, before diving into non-Roe news from Biden once again putting domestic COVID aid on the back burner, Russian continued strikes in Odessa and along weapons supply lines, and the upcoming decisions by Finland and Sweden on joining NATO. Then, Emma and Sam dive back to the 1970s as they tackle the last fifty years of reproductive rights, with the GOP assimilating anti-choice policy into their platform as early as 1976 in an attempt to win over the apolitical evangelical wing, before becoming a foundational value as the Republican party shifted into the Reagan years. Next, they look to the Democratic Leadership’s apparently ahistorical view of party politics, as Nancy Pelosi continues to push the absolute fetishization of her opposition, pining for a strong Republican party, one that loves a woman’s right to choose and environmental activism, while reality continues to see more and more right-wing fundamentalist policy pass, before Emma dives into Pelosi’s belief that the GOP must look at their base like she looks at hers, taking it back from these “extremists,” rather than using their popularity to get your agenda passed. Next, Chuck Schumer assumes his riveting monotone delivery as he exemplifies the Democrats’ fecklessness on the Senate floor, and Joe Scarborough dives into Alito’s takedown of the 14th Amendment, walking through the myriad other rights that it puts on weak footing, and pushing the Democrats to please compromise, maybe taking like 60% of a right? Like half of a right to interracial marriage or something. They also wrap up the first half by diving into updates on the leak, the right’s continued insistence that a FELONIOUS liberal clerk leaked this decision… to hold the conservative justices to their anti-choice decision.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma cover DeSantis’ new school of propaganda, as he announces a mandatory education on “Victims of Communism Day,” and dive into his CRT-related banning of… a math textbook. They also dive into Alabama advancing a bill to criminalize all trans people under the age of 19, bolstering the already sky-high rates of depression and suicidal intent in genderqueer teens, and lending credence to the abuse and harassment that causes it. Notorious ally Jimmy Dore then rants on this mass swath of trans activists (it’s one tweet) and their violent nature, before Sam and Emma dive into the culmination of Hillary Clinton’s “use the invasion of Ukraine to weaken Russia” talking points after Russia’s invasion, as Dem consultants discuss our role in the “conflict” as “fundamentally at war by proxy.” Kev from Quincy discusses the relationship between abortion and child poverty, Julian from Spokane discusses the devastating emotion of this week, and what avenues to protect abortion exist, and Sam and Emma dive into the myth of student debt relief being an elitist policy. Plus, your calls and IMs!

It's Casual Friday! Sam and Emma host Heather Digby Parton, contributing writer at Salon.com and proprietor of the blog Hullabaloo, to round up the week in news. Then, Sam and Emma are joined by Russ Feingold, President of the American Constitution Society and former United States Senator from Wisconsin to discuss the leaked Supreme Court Roe V. Wade opinion. Digby, Sam, and Emma get right into this leak as the culmination of the saga of neoconservatism starting with Reagan, looking back over the last three decades on how the democrats’ insisted on making more room for the GOP’s fundamentalist values, completely misunderstanding what fundamentalism is, and the impossibility of appeasing it. This brings them to the Democratic leadership, looking at their complete lapse in understanding the fight they are supposedly up again, from going soft on pro-life arguments in the early aughts to suddenly being faced with a clear cut outcome, yet still “scrambling” for what to do, likely to resort to the only tactic they do commit to: fundraising. After briefly touching on the state of the undemocratic institutions that are the Supreme Court and US Senate, Sam, Emma, and Digby take on the likelihood of a national ban coming from a Republican majority legislature, as well as the other mass changes to the US constitution we can expect, from Plessy v. Ferguson to Gov. Abbott’s recent challenge to teaching migrants. Then, Russ Feingold brings up the idea of this being a product of a Republican Party led by Donald Trump, versus it as a culmination of anti-choice rhetoric starting with Reagan, looking to the complete lack of precedent for such a decision, and diving into Feingold’s relationship to the Supreme Court. They wrap up their discussion by diving into the American Consitution Society’s method for recruiting and evaluating potential judicial nominees, from lower circuits to the Supreme Court. Sam and Emma also discuss Joe Biden’s Senate as a filibuster-controlled wing of the legislature, California’s attempt to be an abortion refuge, and Louisiana’s attempt to ban abortion after fertilization. They also touch on updates from Ukraine and Mariupol and dive into the political implication of the SCOTUS leak.

And in the Fun Half: Sam dives into his waiting experience, Emma reflects on early movie-viewing experiences, and the crew dives into Tim Pool’s reaction to the Roe v. Wade decision, including his insistence on refusing to side with Democrats’ stance of letting abortion run rampant. Chris Smalls appears on Bloomberg and gives Amazon shareholders worldwide heart attacks, and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh goes on MSNBC to assuage any worries of the Biden Administration actually following through on their campaign promises to move against union-busting. Ron Johnson dives into a whole new vaccines-cause-AIDs theory, and gets challenged when it comes to the nuances. Greg Gutfeld celebrates Donald Trump’s ability to punch up on illegal immigrants and reporters with disabilities, plus, your IMs!

Emma hosts Kim Kelly, labor reporter and columnist at Teen Vogue, to discuss her recent book Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor. Then Emma is joined by Jessica Cisneros, candidate for Congress in Texas's 28th Congressional District, to give us an update from the campaign trail. Kim Kelly begins by just situating the current state of the labor movement, particularly coming off of her reporting from Bessemer, Alabama, and reflecting on the differences between that Amazon unionization effort and the success we’ve seen in Staten Island recently, before she and Emma get into the importance of looking to labor history for lessons from past organizers and past victories. Next, they get into the mythological image of the American union worker, the older white guy with grease on him, and the electoral fetishization of appealing to him, contrasting this figure with the incredibly diverse makeup of a working class. Kelly then looks to her own connection to organizing, first reflecting on her parent’s union membership and then getting into her first experience unionizing the Vice office back in the early 2010s, becoming only the second digital media union, and seeing firsthand how unions can achieve incredible things for their workers, from accessible and gender-affirming care to reasonable wages and myriad other material changes. She and Emma then jump back to 1824 discussing the first factory strike in US history, by young women in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, as a first example of how unionization is both not a white male activity, and is incredibly effective at lifting those who are viewed as easily exploitable into positions of leverage and safety, looking to more contemporary examples of Flight Attendants as well, before looking to how executives use different racial and cultural groups to divide workers. Moving to the turn of the century, they first discuss the mass strikes of washerwomen in Atlanta during the 1881 Cotton Exposition as they get into a discussion on the segregation of the labor movement, looking also to the brotherhood of sleeping car porters (the first AFL-recognized Black union), and the Philly local aid chapter of the IWW (the first nationally recognized interracial union), before they shift slightly to the large-scale women’s organizing movement like the uprising of the 20,000 in NYC, discussing the paths they inspired including the impact of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory pushing one of the biggest engineers, Frances Perkins, of social security and the New Deal deeper into the realm of organizing. Moving to the West Coast, Kim and Emma discuss how the 1940s saw sugar cane plantations in Hawaii continuously shift between targeted immigrant communities, dropping one and looking to another as each organized themselves (before working together), and dive into the “Ya Basta!” movement for janitors in CA, before wrapping up by touching on the current state of the NLRB and the inspiration we can find in (certain places of) the Biden Administration. Emma also chats with Jessica Cisneros on fighting for workers and a progressive agenda when up against an anti-choice Democrat in Texas.

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Matt and Brandon as they dive into Jordan Peterson’s most recent tear-shedding event, Matt explores the tension at Peterson’s speech at a bitcoin conference, and they discuss Starbucks pivoting to what workers really want (NFTs for mid-level management… and also lower pay for union workers). Karoline Leavitt goes on Newsmax to discuss the feminine urge to invest in local politics, Ben from Staten Island calls in on the future of reproductive rights, and the crew watches JJ Redick absolutely roast the Mad Dog on First Take. They also touch on the Madison Cawthorn leaks, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Kim's book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fight-Like-Hell/Kim-Kelly/9781982171056

Donate to Jessica's campaign here: https://jessicacisnerosforcongress.com/

Sam and Emma host Jeff Hauser, the head of the Revolving Door Project at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Then, Sam and Emma are joined by Jordan Flowers, co-founder of the Amazon Labor Union and The Congress of Essential Workers. First, Sam and Emma dive into the Ohio primaries, as JD Vance comes out on top to fight Tim Ryan, Nina Turner comes up short once again, and Biden’s dance around abortion while McConnell straight-up refuses to address anything but the leak. Jeff, Sam, and Emma begin with Hauser’s thoughts on the implications of the SCOTUS leak, particularly with his history working at the DOJ, diving into the need for progressive and center-left organizers to keep this central to political discourse. Next, they dive into his work as head of the Revolving Door Project, looking at the cyclical path followed by the Democratic consultant class, between working to develop policy for the party and working to get around that policy for corporations, and diving into the examples they’ve been tracking in the Biden administration, and whether that has anything to do with the Democrats’ refusal to actually stick up to corporate crime, despite the incredible popularity such action would have. They then dive further into active Democratic inaction, particularly in the realms of supply chain economics and reproductive rights, looking at other, incredibly popular moves that Democratic leadership could (and likely won’t) make, including putting on corporate pressure in the fight for consumers against price gouging, and pushing back against an antagonistic Supreme Court and forcing big decisions, even if they lose. Jordan Flowers then joins, diving into the creation and cultivation of the Amazon Labor Union and Congress of Essential Workers, before looking at the mixed bag that was the recent round of ALU elections for the LDJ-5 storage center, discussing the roles of part-time employment and storage duties played in giving Amazon easier ability to display union-busting propaganda. They also look at the incredible success of the unions, discussing today’s visit of his co-founders to the White House, and what the fight looks like going forwards.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma dive into the two democratic reactions to the Roe v. Wade decision: the first being putting it on midterm voters (as Biden did) and the second being the profoundly ahistorical tactic of blaming “Trump Republicans” (as Schumer and Pelosi did) for the extremist result. Grant Stinchfield for some reason sees KBJ as the source of the leak, definitely not because of her race or gender but for other, nonexistent reasons. Ronald Raygun reflects on various developments in Democrats’ ability to talk about serious issues, as he, Emma, and Sam look at Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow’s continued ability to stir passion in her base, and Aaron from Chicago dives into the role of the Supreme Court in general. Crowder dives into his views on the diverse tastes of rapists, and our favorite Men’s Rights activist calls to explore his take on the abortion topic (it’s not as bad as you’d think, but everything else he says is). Plus, your calls and IMs!

And in the Fun Half: Emma pays a visit to the NLRB’s vote tally for the Amazon labor fight while Sam takes a call from John in New Mexico on MR’s relationship to their mods and covers the Right’s constant ideology that looks for culture war openings, meaning gay people’s right to exist is just as much up for debate in 2022 as it was in 1982. Casey from Washington calls in about beetles, wildfire, and Canadian lumber supply, Charlie Kirk explores the positive impacts of recessions (they fuck over workers and undermine their leverage), and Sam and Emma walk through a harrowing Marist poll in the lead-up to the midterms. Ron DeSantis rips off Trump’s Gold Card, and Ben Shapiro discusses the violent culture war instigation that was Democrats giving Black folks the right to vote. Will Cain finds out some of his Fox co-hosts might not be vaccinated, David from LA explores the CA Governor's race, and the NLRB Amazon vote trickles in, plus, your calls and IMs!

It's Casual Friday! Sam and Emma host Ari Rabin-Havt, former deputy campaign manager for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt), to discuss his recent book The Fighting Soul: On the Road with Bernie Sanders. Then, Sam and Emma are joined by Matthew Film Guy! Ari, Emma, and Sam first dive into what his roles were traveling with Bernie throughout the 2020 campaign, particularly in the wake of Ari’s arrival on the team in the wake of his 2016 run. Ari Rabin-Havt then explores what it’s like to have that intimate perspective, particularly when it comes to Bernie’s atypical relationship to his popularity, which jumped to unprecedented levels in 2016, and in his reflections on bringing the magic from his previous campaign into 2020. After touching further on Bernie’s evolution between the two elections, Ari reflects on the role of Democratic leadership in completely leaving Bernie out to dry when it came to his fight with Jeff Bezos in 2018 and giving him the inside lane there, and discusses how the relationship between Bernie and Elizabeth Warren developed over the course of the second campaign, from the launch of their campaigns, to Bernie’s heart attack, and all the way through the well-documented clash on the Iowa debate stage. Sam, Emma, and Ari briefly touch on any massive changes to the campaign that would’ve been made in reflection two years later, from the first debate to Super Tuesday, before they wrap up the interview by discussing the central importance of a movement of workers to actually carry and support the progressive agenda, the importance of supporting actual organizers, and what possibilities remain around a third Bernie presidential campaign. Then, Matthew Film Guy (AKA Film Guy Matthew) discloses his BTS drama in his most recent movie, and walks through THREE movie recommendations, including Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Syndromes and a Century,” Joanna Hogg’s romance in the time of Thatcher “The Souvenir,” and Luchino Visconti’s work “Rocco and his Brothers.” Sam gives Matthew his Disney World tips, and Sam and Emma cover re-juiced military aid to Ukraine, Biden’s tiptoe tapdance with student debt relief, and the absurdity of means-testing.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma do their darndest to decipher Elon Musk’s take on twitter’s “left-wing bias” (not liking anti-semitism?) and Sam dives into the incompatibility between the right-wing (driven by a sense of grievance, desire to own the libs) and an exclusively right-wing social media (nobody to claim is attacking them, nobody to then own). OK State Sen. Warren Hamilton objects to women receiving life-saving medical procedures, Tucker Carlson and Glenn Greenwald discuss Russia’s (really the Democrats’) invasion of Ukraine, and why Putin (really the Democrats) did this, plus, your IMs!

Check out Ari's book here: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781631498794

Check out Matthew's Letterboxd account here.

Check out Matthew's film discussion group at CommonPoint Queens here.

And in the Fun Half: Emma has Sam unpack his stance on Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, as they cover the ambiguous nature of the site’s politics and political engagement, the fear of what Musk’s “free speech” might actually mean, and watch Ben Shapiro and Mark Levin unpack their desire for Musk to fill up the Twitter ranks with garbage fascists. Devin Nunes discusses Trump’s LOVE for surprises (not to mention his feelings towards flabbergastery), CSPAN gets a call about all those minorities on TV, and Burt from Burnsville MN expands the discussion on social media solutions. Midi Doctors talks no-fly zones over Ukraine, Sam and Emma respond to the silly Aaron Maté discourse, and Jordan Peterson and Douglas Murray discuss how talking about slavery is more painful than the lasting effects of slavery. James from TX discusses how transphobic and anti-teacher discourse has trickled into teachers’ minds, causing fear and panic over not being able to discern the gender of tadpoles in an elementary school science project, plus, your calls and IMs!

Sam hosts David Dayen, executive editor at the American Prospect, to touch on the big weekend in news, as well as all of the fantastic journalism going on at the Prospect. He and Sam kick it off with his recent piece “The Accidental Revolution,” first covering the absolute state of despair within the Democratic Party, from Biden’s low (and falling) approval rating, poor midterm polling, and a 2024 election map that makes it unlikely for the Democratic majority to last, all paving the road for a worst-case scenario for a filibuster-proof Republican majority in the Senate. Next, they jump to the main villain of the Democratic party under the Biden Administration, looking to Joe Manchin’s booming approval rating in WV, and get into what we can learn from the Democrats’ failures with Build Back Better, whether it be the ineffectiveness of trying to pack something for every silo of the party into a single bill, the absurdity of interest groups just shoving legislative possibilities together, and how the reconciliation process provides limited opportunity to get anything done. However, as David continues, he and Sam dive into what the American Rescue Plan alongside Democratic inaction has made room for, looking at the bill as a restoration of pre-pandemic employment rates, bolstering worker ability in the labor market, with the following great resignation preceding the biggest boom in labor organizing during the neoliberal era, seeing the largest employers in the country (Starbucks, Amazon, etc) get organized from the bottom up. Expanding on this, David and Sam dive into the role of labor in American party politics, and the hope of a labor party (either separate from the Democrats or by taking over leadership) finally coming to fruition as the true “accidental revolution” they are hoping for. Next, they look to the reaction to the other consequences of the American Rescue Plan, at its interaction with the supply chain’s effect on inflation, what Fed tactics to tighten up the labor market might mean for workers, and why addressing supply-based inflation with demand-based solutions is a complete mistake. They wrap up the interview by talking about Elon Musk’s Twitter bid, and what is happening to the subscription model (particularly in journalism) amidst massive inflation. Sam also covers DeSantis’s election crimes office bill, Marjorie Taylor Greene shooting the insurrection shit with Mark Meadows, and Jane McAlevey’s response to yesterday’s call on organizing social workers.

And in the Fun Half: Sam is joined by Nomiki Konst as they cover Fox’s Kennedy discussing the true problem in American culture: educating our kids for free, and Steven Crowder gets deep into the truly confusing topics (gay sex, how does penis go into penis??) as he tactfully (not at all) links homosexuality and pedophilia. Piers Morgan and Donald Trump discuss the stupidity of various key leaders in the Republican Party, and Sam notes how Trump’s body language constantly reflects his rightful place on the porcelain throne, Tucker Carlson dives into savior Elon Musk and his bid to rescue Twitter from the clutches of the powerful elite, and McCarthy goes to the border to do some grassroots whataboutism. Sam and Nomiki also touch on the inaction within the chaos of the Democratic party and their inability to deal with party politics, plus your IMs!

Check out David's piece here: https://prospect.org/politics/accidental-revolution-american-rescue-plan/

It's Sam's triumphant return to the show! He and Emma host Sandy Jacoby, Research Professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, to discuss his recent book Labor in the Age of Finance: Pensions, Politics, and Corporations from Deindustrialization to Dodd-Frank, on the contradictions ingrained in the relationship between organizing and shareholders. Professor Jacoby begins by situating the first era of union financialization at the end of the 19th Century with the birth of labor banks as a way to bolster worker funds, until the Great Depression flipped nearly every single one belly up, burning the relationship between the two sectors for much of the next fifty years over the New Deal era. The start of the neoliberal era in the 70s forced unions to look for ways to boost their power once again, turning to union pension funds, which offered both direct and indirect control over money for their workers, with a particular focus on the public State and Local funds such as CalPERS, which used their billions to bolster myriad labor fights in their state. After briefly touching on the different structures of the public pension funds, Professor Jacoby, Emma, and Sam dive into how this led to these funds putting in place shareholder policies, trading financial support for policies that favor shareholders’ profits over workers, particularly pushing stock options and stock-based pay for executives, seeing a complete shift to marketization, including swapping pensions for 401ks, and commitments to labor squeezes to bolster share prices. Next, Professor Jacoby dives into how this financialization tied the roles of these pensions, shareholders, and CEOs together, fighting for the same short term returns despite their inverse relationship with the health of corporations, labor, and community, and how this structure forced union objections to be made in alignment with shareholder profits. They wrap up the interview by exploring what separating unions’ organizing interests from their pension interests could look like, the role that de-financializing corporations plays, and where the world of labor is at in this conversation. Sam also unpacks his personal pandemic experience these past two weeks, before he and Emma unpack the continued escalation of Russian violence in Ukraine, Kevin McCarthy scrambling to get back in Trump’s good graces, and how the labor movement got to the incredible moment it finds itself in.

And in the Fun Half: Sam celebrates his return as he and Emma take calls from Kowalski and John from San Antonio, giving their typical rundowns on the worlds of agriculture and progressive campaigns, respectively, Nancy Mace and Marjorie Taylor Greene show off the right’s ability to never acknowledge any potential shortcomings, and Trump campaigns for JD Vance and his ability to clamor back to Trump’s feet. The Georgia Governor’s debate sees political elite and political elite battle over who’s LESS elite, Steven Crowder and Megyn Kelly discuss the horrors of watching trans people beat women (at sports) in public, and Brennan calls in to explore unionizing his workplace. Plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Sandy's book here: https://sanfordjacoby.com/

It's Casual Friday! Emma hosts Alex Pareene, Contributing Editor at the New Republic and proprietor of the AP newsletter on Substack, to round up the week in news.

Then, in the Fun Half, Emma is joined by Matt and Brandon to discuss Rudy Giuliani's much ballyhooed debut on the Masked Singer, Don Jr. weighing in (slurring in) on the Libs of TikTok drama, Dennis Prager discussing whether leftists (who he fears more than death) can ever be truly happy, and Tulsi Gabbard continuing to turn into Dave Rubin by weighing in on the Florida "parents rights" legislation on Hannity (surprise-she's into it). Plus, your calls & IM's!

Emma hosts Daisy Pitkin, organizer at Workers United, to discuss her recent book On The Line: A Story Of Class, Solidarity, and Two Women's Epic Fight to Build A Union. Then Emma is joined by Brianna Wu, executive director of The Rebellion PAC, to discuss the upcoming primary in Ohio's 11th Congressional District between Nina Turner and Shontel Brown. Daisy begins by discussing the tone of her work, as it focuses on what it *feels* like to build worker solidarity, rather than what happens along the road to success, diving into how this work was birthed well after the labor efforts, as she reflected on her connections with those that built the union alongside her. Next, she brings Emma back to the early 20th Century as they discuss the story of the Uprising of the 20,000, a mass strike amongst young women working in the New York shirtwaist industry – the biggest general strike by women in American history – and their incredible success in bringing over 500 employers to the table, winning better working conditions, wages, and much more, before they dive into the other side of the story, as Pitkin dives into the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911, resulting in 146 (easily preventable) deaths, as the picture of early 1900 organizing paints the clear benefits of winning the union fight, and the devastating consequences of employers coming out on top. Then, Daisy brings us back to her experiences working with Arizona industrial laundry workers in the early 2000s, as she walks through the myriad dangers at the factories, from laborers like Alma in the soil-sort department working with bare hands to parse through used hospital garments, to others that had to climb through intensely heated machinery to avoid production delays. She then gets into the story of her and Alma’s undercover work in setting out to create a web of solidarity, looking to their blitz method of contacting and discussing unions with almost all 220 workers at the factory in 48 hours, setting up a meeting, and unpacking the commitment all 220 of them wanted to make together, before getting into the fight that followed – from the 200+ mandatory anti-union meetings in the three weeks that followed, to the illegal firing of Alma and three other leaders. After tying together the story of this effort with the following year-long fight against the illegal union-busting practices, and the incredible ruling that pushed a bargaining order on the employer, Emma and Daisy wrap up the interview with a discussion on what today’s labor moment can learn from these stories, why we should be optimistic, and the beauty of the bottom-up tidal wave that is the current labor movement. Emma also touches on President of Deference Joe Biden continuing to go along with whatever right-wing extremist judgment comes through, the continued devastation in Mariupol, and the catastrophe that has been Pete Buttigieg’s reign as the Secretary of Transportation.

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Brianna Wu as they unpack her work in The Rebellion PAC, what she has learned from her own campaigns for Congress, the battle for Ohio’s 11th district, and the fight for policies that actually connect with constituents, especially those that aren’t fully invested in the political machine. Emma also covers Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow’s impassioned rejection of the Right’s aggressive targeting of queer youth, and the role religion can play in lifting up the most marginalized in society. Bill O’Reilly says “fuck it! Let's fly it live!” Ted Cruz talks Mickey Mouse f*cking Pluto, Mariana from Minneapolis discusses individuals and combating environmental change, especially in building the world you want to see, and Jesse Watters gives us the horrifying tale of how he got a first date with one of his producers. Michele Bachmann shames Islamic supremacy, since Christians are truly superior and we get some updates on Richmond Starbucks’ unionization success; plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Daisy's book here: https://www.workman.com/products/on-the-line/hardback

Emma hosts Drew Pendergrass, doctoral student in Environmental Engineering at Harvard University, and Troy Vettese, environmental historian at the European University Institute, to discuss their recent book Half-Earth Socialism: A Plan to Save the Future From Extinction, Climate Change, and Pandemics, on putting together a socialist model for a society that operates without economic markets and with respect for ecological theory, climate science, and urban and land-use planning. Drew and Troy begin by situating their work as an attempt to think through what socialism does, and can mean when attempting to tackle modern questions and social issues, with a particular focus on conservation. They then dive into the specific systems and infrastructures that would be necessary in such a society, from mass investment in public transportation, greater food choice to support a transition away from industrial husbandry, and a commitment to re-wilding and building up nature preserves from around 10-15% of land to around 50%, before looking at why socialism is necessary as the overarching system supporting this world. Next, Emma, Drew, and Troy look deeper at the history of conservation and the ideologies that drive it, first looking at their work as a critique building off of E.O. Wilson and completely changing our relationship to land-use as we try to undo our creation of a sixth mass extinction, before they jump back to the 1700s and the major schools of thought around our relationship to nature – including the influence of Hegel and the humanization of nature into utopia, and the Malthusian social Darwinism that sees “positive” checks (mass deaths) on population numbers as central to humanity’s continued existence. They also touch on how the role of conservationism, particularly today, almost entirely serves the realm of philanthropy, as they dive into prevailing narratives and models around tackling the climate crisis we face, and how they often act contrary to the ecological crisis, looking at nuclear power and carbon capture technology specifically, before wrapping up by discussing their own perspectives on the issue, and the video game attached to their work that lets people practice building their own environmental models for the future, and see what worlds they could support. Emma also covers a Florida judge’s overturning of the federal mask mandate on public transit and planes, Israel’s continued air raids on Gaza at the height of Ramadan, and Ron DeSantis banning textbooks for discussing social-emotional learning.

And in the Fun Half: Emma takes a call with Ken from Charleston as they unpack today’s interview, before watching Eric Bolling take Ilhan Omar’s suggestion of praying on an airplane as disrespect towards good Christians, and Fox’s the Five dive behind who’s really in charge of Biden, refusing to walk on eggshells as they daringly analyze the Easter Bunny’s role at this weekend’s White House Celebrations. She also touches on Alex Jones’s clinging to Tucker Carlson as his walls of conspiracy crumble around him, Carter from NorCal discusses the importance of the collective element of collective bargaining, even when outside of a union, and a Swedish caller dives into this weekend’s Quran book burning and the corruption of the Swedish police. Comrade Greeting Card discusses airline COVID policy, Matt and Emma dive into the Right Wing’s inability to differentiate between investigative journalism discussing the possible identity of an anonymous harasser, and the revealing of all personal information (doxxing), plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Drew and Troy's book here: https://www.versobooks.com/books/3818-half-earth-socialism

Emma hosts Gina Dent, Associate Professor of Feminist Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, to discuss her recent book Abolition. Feminism. Now., co-written with Angela Davis, Erica Meiners, and Beth Richie. Professor Dent and Emma begin by discussing how the mainstream roles of feminism and abolitionism have changed over the last half-century, including how certain forms of feminism became a standard starting in the ‘70s, yet it maintains its perception as a threat to the capitalist norm, and how abolitionism has fought for decades to become a part of the national discourse, with 2020 commonly seen as the year it broke into the mainstream discussion. Next, they unpack the non-abolitionist feminisms that have played a central role in progressive rhetoric since the ‘70s, why it’s important to both align much of abolitionism and feminism, and why we must understand how these “carceral feminisms” work to reinforce the Prison-Industrial Complex, and make our communities less safe and more susceptible to all types of harm (including gender-based harm). After briefly touching on how important the work of and with incarcerated folks was for their work, Professor Dent dives into the constant work that Black Feminist Liberationists have engaged in, often either excluded from the mainstream feminist discourse or strategically incorporated to bolster the carceral state, as we see particularly with the crime bill and Violence Against Women Act in the ‘90s. She then dives into the separation of state-sanctioned and interpersonal harms in the mainstream and the emphasis abolitionism makes on discussing them together, understanding that shifting away from interpersonal violence in favor of state violence does nothing to help women, and how the individualization of crime has served to exacerbate violence, particularly as it aligned with the deconstruction of state- and community-based welfare services. Emma and her then look to the importance of disarticulating crime from punishment, understanding how criminalization is often birthed outside of choice, and what rehabilitative actions can be taken BEFORE imprisonment to reduce both antisocial behavior and the punishment that often follows. They wrap up the interview by talking through the importance of abolition’s emergence into the mainstream, how to separate reformist reforms that bolster the POC from non-reformist reforms, and the importance of uplifting trans and indigenous voices and the harm the state perpetuates against them, often in correlation with the interpersonal harm they face. Emma also touches on Russia’s ramped-up attacks in Ukraine, Israel’s SECOND attack on the Al-Aqsa mosque in the middle of Ramadan, and the devastating shootings this weekend in South Carolina. She also admires CNBC’s conversation with fresh-faced Amazon CEO Andy Jassy as they dive into why they support unions, they’re just bad for Amazon specifically.

And in the Fun Half: It’s Emma’s birthday! Kowalski from NE calls in to celebrate, the crew admires Tucker Carlson’s brave endorsement of “bromeopathy” (like homeopathy but more scrote-focused) and Bro Flamingo calls to dive into the anti-woke left, where they come from, and how they’re poisoning the well of online leftist discourse. Roger Stone and Donald Trump dish on Ron DeSantis, the crew looks back at Vic Berger's killer edit on DeSantis’s appropriation of DJT’s elegant hand gestures, and Matthew from Philadelphia dives into small-scale individual and communal action to fight climate change. The Fox Five turn on Greg Abbott, Alex from NY gives his bday fight club matchups, and Elijah Schaffer (Blaze TV) and Dave Landau spend an interview uplifting trans genocide. Sam “not a libertarian” from Gary, Indiana dives into the role of the constitution in fighting the state, and what we can or should do about the 2nd Amendment, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Gina's book here: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1546-abolition-feminism-now

Emma hosts journalist Cole Stangler to discuss the recent French election results. Then, Emma is joined by investigate reporter Amanda Chicago Lewis to discuss her recent piece in the New Republic "Legalized Pot Was Supposed to Help Build Black Wealth in Los Angeles. It Failed." First, Cole and Emma dive into the major takeaways from the first round of the French presidential election, setting up a fight between President Macron’s political establishment and the Far Right’s Marine Le Pen, and how the democratic socialist candidacy of Jean-Luc Mélenchon found a foothold despite a right-wing-dominated media empire, and a fractured support system in the National Assembly, by relying on a coalition of working-class voters, a recognition of multiculturalism, and a general set of bread and butter economic policy. Next, they dive into the second round matchup, as Cole covers Macron’s shift to the right over his candidacy, particularly in his embrace of Islamophobic fear-mongering, repeal of the wealth tax, and commitment to a law and order candidacy. They compare and contrast his hard pivot to racism with Le Pen’s more subtle shift away from overtly racist rhetoric (despite its continued role in her policy) as she found herself challenged from the right, before Cole covers the general anti-Macron sentiment grounding Le Pen’s campaign, and the establishment’s preparations to blame the left for any defeat from the right. Next, Amanda Chicago Lewis joins as they discuss the racial equity policy that is “all the rage” in progressive states legalizing marijuana, and the unsurprising manipulation of Black and brown business owners that’s going on behind the scenes. First, Amanda dives into the representation of the policy as a “license to generational wealth” for people of color, and how, instead, we’ve seen the process for an equity license drive business owners to predatory loans to meet absurd conditions just so they can even be considered. They wrap up the interview with the story of Kika Keith and her attempts to take advantage of this supposed equity program in her city, only to be stymied left and right by the US government (both state and federally), and look to past policies of Black Capitalism and redlining to explain the US’s need to have complete control over the terms and conditions of Black wealth. Emma also touches on the Sunset Park subway attack that occurred this morning and Joe Scarborough’s recommendation for Dems to focus on conservatives being canceled on social media… to win the midterms?

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Nomiki Konst as they cover Ben Shapiro’s reminder that rising sea levels will AT WORST, contribute to mass homelessness, Zack from Tennessee dives into conservatism in the southeast and its relationship to legislative success, and Amy Wax’s absurd collection of violently racist rhetoric about her own students. Alex Walker goes OFF on those darn whiney leftists, Spencer from Utah discusses the anti-trans anti-teacher legislation from the teacher's perspective, and Jennifer the GenX-er ends the show with a shower of positivity, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Cole's work here: https://colestangler.com/

Check out Amanda's piece in the New Republic here: https://newrepublic.com/article/16565...

And in the Fun Half: Emma takes a call with Dan from Boiling Springs on the new age spirituality community’s growing dissolution with the vitriol in Q Anon-like conspiracy, Chris Coons apologizes for responding to Republican corruption with obstructionism, William from CA discusses getting around abortion bans, and a start-up guru takes a dip into promoting unhealthy habits to lower insurance costs. Caitlyn Jenner gives an unsurprisingly despicable take on the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, Jeff from New Mexico gets into the nitty-gritty of today’s interview, and Jean from France discusses his “lesser evil” conundrum ahead of the upcoming election. DJT forgets who’s prosecuting him for what, and Pradeep from Canada dives into how Jordan Be Peterson-ing and the Texas abortion indictment, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Elizabeth's book here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691167381/thinking-like-an-economist

Pre-order Luke's book here: https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/the-dead-center/

Donate to Rana's campaign here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/rana-mr

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Nomiki Konst as they show off their Elizabeth Holmes impressions, Justin from Georgia calls in to discuss the Amazon unionization victory, and how and WHY different media members tried to tie in AOC to the conversation. JD Vance discusses the bad hombres coming over the border, but just means the Sacklers, as Emma and Nomiki reflect on the absurdity of the liberal Hillbilly Elegy phase. Sarah Palin and Jesse Watters fantasize about AOC in a piece on the left just “pounding and pounding” ideas of sex and gender deeper and deeper into our heads, and Kenny from Berkeley discusses changing the conversation on electoralism. Evan from NJ talks about representations of Biden’s weaknesses, Prager U says “let us into your kids’ bed(times)” Kowalski talks about the YouTube channel “Knowing Better,” plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Ken's reporting here: https://theintercept.com/2022/04/04/amazon-union-living-wage-restrooms-chat-app/

Emma hosts Danielle Lindemann, Associate Professor of Sociology at Lehigh University, to discuss her recent book True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us. Then, Emma is joined by Alexandra Hunt, candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania's 3rd District, to give us an update from the campaign trail! First, Professor Lindemann joins as she and Emma bond over their school rivalries and love for reality TV, diving into how these reflections of social interaction and hierarchy can provide a zany, yet very useful sociological lens. They begin by situating where and how the social juggernaut that is reality TV came to be, looking to the 2000s cultural benchmark of “Survivor” to serve as the emergence of the genre, before it took off on a wider scale amid the 2007 writers’ strike. This leads them to a discussion on how reality TV’s structure differs from typical programming, requiring drastically less overhead, from flexibility in paying talent, to lack of writers or any union staffing, and how the genre fits into the profit incentives of the industry, and thus reflects many of the economic models of our society, particularly when it comes to the gig economy. Next, Professor Lindemann dives into how she unpacks this sociological lens throughout her work, looking first at the smallest social unit of the individual, before working through what it can tell us about families and other smaller groups, leading all the way up through the larger and more abstract social structures of class, race, gender, and sexuality. Emma then gets into how, despite the largely hedonistic picture that reality TV shows paint, the majority of them still work to reinforce conservative and Christian values, showing the right ways that certain people should act and dress, as she looks to Rachel Lindsay’s discussion of being the first Bachelorette of color, and the insanely high standards she had to meet to even be a part of that world. Then, they look to American Idol as Emma and Danielle explore how reality TV is a producer’s dream in terms of its ability to be manipulated to tell a specific story, as this talent show was able to constantly spew themes of patriotism, individualism, and meritocracy. They then look to the larger themes that we can see in the genre, as it explains to us the legitimacy of the class system, from the Honey Boo Boos and Tiger Kings with their working-class buffoonery to the indulgence of the Real Housewives, and how whiteness is the standard of having your story told, all serving up an incredibly regressive picture of people under the shield of “this is just people being people.” They wrap up the interview by touching on the hold reality TV has on our culture, from forming para-social relationships in the internet age to gifting us our 45th president.

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Brandon and Matt as they unpack Charlie Kirk’s obsession with kids, and letting liberation movements run wild with supporting the self-confidence and identity of our youngest generations, and the flip the right is trying to pull by portraying queer Disney employees as the “elite” while the ones actually in power, their bosses, shut down progressive pushes inside the company, and fund homophobic bills outside of it. Wren from South Oregon calls in as she unpacks the importance of decentralized currency when it comes to access to hormones amid a shutdown on trans healthcare, and IMers celebrate today’s PA-centric show. Ben Shapiro lists off lynching statistics like a baseball-obsessed pre-teen, Sean from Washington discusses political divides between union members and union leaders, and Alex from NY gives his weekly matchups, plus, your calls and IMs!

Sam and Emma host Paul Renfro, Assistant Professor of History at Florida State University, to discuss his recent book Stranger Danger: Family Values, Childhood, and the American Carceral State.

Check out Paul's book here:

https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780190913984.001.0001/oso-9780190913984

Sam and Emma break down a crazy weekend in news, from Biden's EuroTrip to KBJ's confirmation process, labor to COVID, the courts and more! They begin with Ron DeSantis’s official signing of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, as he pulls out the classics when it comes to homophobic fear-mongering, calling out corrupt Hollywood and the predators that endanger our children, and the role of public education and our teachers as scapegoats of the Right’s attack. Next, they jump into the changing tides in Ukraine’s defense against Russia as ceasefire talks become more hopeful, Putin lets go of his “de-nazification” claim, and discussions of letting Kyiv join the EU begin, before they also touch on how the Donbas region will come into play. This brings them to a discussion on Biden’s recently released budget proposal, as he finally puts forward more progressive taxation, including a wealth tax on families worth more than $100,000,000, only to boost the defense budget by 10%, and then look to the media’s reaction to this, as CBS hosts totally unbiased technocrat and former Trump Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney to explore why this wealth tax is so unnatural and perhaps even unconstitutional. They wrap up the bigger news stories by covering, “How Joe Manchin Aided Coal, and Earned Millions,” in the New York Times, diving into his campaign of corruption, starting as State Senator in the 80s as he paved the way for extra coal power plants with lower regulations, just happening to take them on as the sole customer of his mines, before striking up some political bargains with AmBit utilities, alongside getting a small stake in the company, and effectively grew his power from Governor to Senator as he benefited from his mutualistic relationship with the coal industry.

And in the Fun Half: Emma and Sam are joined by Nomiki Konst as they admire NE State Senator Bruce Bostelman’s willingness to go after the true cancer in our school systems (furries that defecate on the floor) and the horrendous sanitary implications it might have, before Nomiki and Emma dive into the $850,000,000 investment into a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills despite their renovations less than a decade ago. Madison Cawthorn drops some incredibly hot gossip on his fellow party members and their perverse behavior, Nomiki touches on Fox News SILENCING her for discussing price gouging, and the crew discusses their favorite fish, plus, your IMs!

Sam and Emma host freelance journalist Alexander Zaitchik to discuss his recent book Owning The Sun: A People's History of Monopoly Medicine From Aspirin To COVID-19 Vaccines, on the development of patent regimes from an attempt to democratize knowledge to a system of corporate and institutional control. Zaitchik begins by walking Sam and Emma back to the inception of intellectual property and patents in Elizabethan England as a tool to constrain the Crown’s power to assign monopoly rights, and why, despite this attempt to democratize the production of knowledge, liberal thinkers of the time (such as John Locke) saw it as dampening the flow of knowledge. After briefly touching on the belief in IP rights as encouraging innovation, despite the transhistorical belief in knowledge as a collective product, and the lack of financial incentives behind almost every technological development before the industrial revolution, Sam, Emma, and Alexander look to the affirmation of patents and IP in the US Constitution as a tool of democratization, as we saw in England, and how that developed into a practice of corporate obstructionism beginning in the Gilded Age. Zaitchik then dives into the Presidency of Andrew Jackson, and his attempt to further “democratize” (his words, not mine) the patent regime by aligning it with physical property rights, thus completely individualizing knowledge under the guise of opening it up. This led to a rise of corporate research labs in the late 1800s, as they figured out how to amass more and more patents for technological and medical developments, keeping them in the hands of a corporate monopoly rather than individual innovators. Next, Alexander jumps to the New Deal era and attempts to rein in the patent regime, as FDR’s Department of Justice pushed a culture of anti-trust regulation, looking back to the Constitution’s statements on patents as a charge to support the diffusion of knowledge, particularly in the wake of WW1’s technological advancements falling into the hands of corporations that would go on to work intimately with Nazis. This brings them to the period from the 40s to the 80s which saw treasury-funded research go into public control, requiring genuine commitment to public interest for any monopoly approval, before neoliberalism took over in the Reagan era, with the passing of the Bayh-Dole act and Reagan’s creation of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals as a tool to fast track the approval of monopolies, really taking ideological court-packing to a new level. They wrap up the interview with an extended discussion on Bill Gates’s philanthropy in the world of global health, his leveraging of incredible financial, institutional, and media power to push his ideology, and how incredibly representative this is of countless issues with medical and technological IP, and the laundering process that is American philanthropy. Sam and Emma also touch on Biden’s falling approval ratings as he clamors to grab onto bad faith footholds, and the live drama that we saw this weekend (at the MR show, of course).

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma cover the most ridiculous takes in the wake of Will Smith’s slapping of Chris Rock at the Oscars, some of which are offered up by our very own comments section, and Jimmy Dore realizes that the true victims of the assault are stand-up comedians everywhere. Amy Klobuchar comes at the moral authority of the Supreme Court without going far enough to impact the power they have, Rick Scott offers up his plan to hike up taxes on half of the country and take away their healthcare as McConnell, for some reason, tries to sweep it under the rug, and Lara Logan returns for some classical anti-Semitic conspiracy theory stemming from Darwin. Nick from Pittsburgh discusses nuclear power and private regulation and Kowalski from NE reflects on the live show, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Alexander here: https://www.zaitchik.com/

https://www.counterpointpress.com/dd-product/owning-the-sun/

Emma hosts journalist William Neuman to discuss his recent book Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse: Inside the Collapse of Venezuela. Then, Emma is joined by Summer Lee, candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania's 12th District, to give up an update from the campaign trail. William Neuman begins by jumping back to his first move to Venezuela at the start of the 2010s, as a correspondent for the New York Times, tracing the story of Venezuela’s economic collapse. He starts with the booming success of Hugo Chavez in the 2000s, as he oversaw an incredible jump in oil prices, and began a spree of government spending and borrowing, without saving the income for any future crisis – thus, when Chavez died from cancer in the wake of his 2010 reelection, passing the reins to Nicolás Maduro, only for a massive drop in oil prices, down to around a quarter of the peak of Chavez’s administration, to completely cripple the economic output of the country beginning in 2012. The rest of the 2010s saw Maduro attempt to grapple with the crisis while uncertain about altering Chavez’s pre-existing policy, as hyperinflation, depression, and rising refugee rates took over, leading up to the mass blackouts in 2019, and eventual controversy over Maduro’s reelection. This brings Neuman and Emma to the role of US foreign policy and sanctions in pushing Venezuela over the edge, as former President Trump and John Bolton pushed intervention to the extreme, with the Defense Department rejecting any actual invasion, before Bolton chose to “go for the win” and push Maduro completely out of office by putting an incredibly stringent set of general sanctions, effectively enforcing a complete oil embargo against the country, cutting them off from the world economy and digging them deeper into this crisis – effectively. This, of course, came alongside the declaration by Juan Guaidó that he was the legitimate president, with much of the West clamoring to support and recognize him, despite the similar illegitimacy of his claim in the wake of large disenfranchisement and voter suppression, with American Republicans attempting to capitalize on the socialist boogeyman to bolster their electoral push in Florida. Emma and William then dive into the counter to this negative branding of Socialism by the US, looking to Chavez’s autocratic rise as a populist, appropriating the socialist rhetoric and symbolism of the 60s and 70s in Latin America, without taking on the actual policy, pushing increasing polarization and capitalizing on the oil boom. After briefly touching on what the country looked like during the economic collapse, and the various unsuccessful (and some successful) policy the government took on at the time, Emma gets Neuman to dive into what the role of the leftist opposition in Venezuela is, as they discuss the discourse from politicians such as Henrique Capriles and the need to not just take down the bad guys in government, but to build up good and functioning institutions in the wake. Emma also touches on the end of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings, the continued Russia escalation in Ukraine, and the disastrous and corrupt shadow docket decision by SCOTUS to overturn the Wisconsin State Supreme Court’s decision regarding redistricting.

And in the Fun Half: Emma hosts Summer Lee as they unpack fighting for her base of poor and working-class Pennsylvanians when up against union-busters, being a part of a legislative arena with white supremacists strewn throughout it, and what working for Pittsburgh means to her. Then, Brandon and Matt join as Kowalski gives his agriculture update, Tucker goes deep into the role of genes and the Supreme Court, and Joe Rogan defends the ideology behind the “don’t say gay” bills, lighting fire under the bigots’ fight for the right to be themselves (violent assholes). Bee from PA discusses Leftists and the culture war, as Matt, Brandon, and Emma unpack who the “Left” is, and the difference between “culture war” and “civil rights,” before Cory Booker goes Cuckoo for Crypto, Bari Weiss takes the crown for cringiest Ukraine poem – overtaking both the Pelosi x Bono collaboration and the wonderful AnnaLynne McCord's “If I Were Your Mother” – plus, your calls and IMs!