Majority Report

Cliff Schecter (@cliffschecter) and Film Guy Matthew Weiss (@langdonboom) join us for Casual Friday. On today's show: Fox News says torture works, just ask "song bird" John McCain. Damn! Cliff Schecter joins us to break down the latest news out of Washington. Trump claims he's fighting to drain the swamp amid Michael Cohen lobbying controversy. Politico says "pay for play" is just the reality of D.C. Kamala Harris grills Gina Haspel on the morality of waterboarding, Haspel is (spoiler alert!) evasive. Was it cool for Fox to go after John McCain for being tortured? Film Guy Matthew joins us. The story of how Sam and Matthew met and how Matthew became Film Guy Matthew. The time Sam almost killed Stephen Colbert. An update on the Cernovich doc. Matthew recommends two movies: 'Culloden,' a 1964 film by Peter Watkins about the 1746 battle that ended the Scottish Jacobite uprising, and 'Land and Freedom,' a 1995 film by Ken Loach about an unemployed Brit who goes to fight in the Spanish Civil War. Is 'The Handmaid's Tale' a work of bourgeois propaganda? Everyone but Sam disses The Doors. On the fun half: Trump rallies his base, bashes foreign aid, celebrates saying "Merry Christmas" in May.  John Kelly says undocumented immigrants "don't have the skills" to assimilate into US society. Brooklyn comedian Jake Flores gets interrogated by ICE for joking about them on Twitter. ICE terrorists bust down a family's door without a warrant. How to deal with red baiting in Europe? An IM-er recommends the dystopia "3%" on Netflix. How to deal with Jordan Peterson's followers? A spirited debate about the causes of, and remedies for, aggrievement politics and right wing populism. Raygun theorizes ICE agents are motivated by a mixture of racism and boredom. A plug for Alison Hartson, who's running for Senate in California. If you’re in Brooklyn, come see Michael and Jamie at the DSA Healthcare Community Fair on Saturday, May 12. Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9Dj1WSMSBs

Zero Books editor and podcast host Douglas Lain joins Michael to take a birdseye view of the much discussed and hotly debated conversation surrounding the "Intellectual Dark Web," the internet's latest cast of "renegades" shaking things up in the American sociopolitical discourse. How the "Intellectual Dark Web" is open to any idea besides the idea that they might be racist or sexist. The troubling way the "intellectual dark web" sucks up oxygen in public conversation when there are more urgent things going on in the world. On the fun half - Amazon is holding Seattle hostage and Kshama Sawant and socialists are fighting back,  Alex Jones is seeing globalist predictions come to pass, Bernie wants to help the gig economy unionize, Tom Cotton is a super bad guy covering for Gina Haspel, plus your calls and IMs! If you're in Brooklyn, come see Michael and Jamie at the DSA Healthcare Community Fair on Saturday, May 12. Members watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0awLK-EVD_c Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com Check out today's sponsors: Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn

On today's show: Oliver North says the NRA is under attack, admits to being a gun runner, wants to scrap the Iran deal. Code Pink protests at Gina Haspel's confirmation hearing. Haspel claims she didn't play a role in destroying the torture tapes, but she's sure whoever did had a good reason. Sen. Mark Warner asks Haspel if torture is consistent with American values and you'll never guess what happens next. A breakdown of payments to and from Michael Cohen's shady LLC. Michael Avenatti calls on Cohen to release records of payments from Russian oligarchs. On the fun half: Rep. McKinley tells drug distributors "I want you to feel shame about your roles" in the opioid crisis. Bari Weiss is back with another disingenuous article about those poor, unfairly maligned reactionaries. Jamie gives an update on what's going on with the New School occupation. (To donate, Venmo some bucks to Solidarity-4-ever.) Black University of Florida students thrown off stage for dancing at their graduation. Dasha owns Infowars re: socialism and Bernie Sanders. A caller posits the Times will never hire a socialist, but that's okay because we don't want to be in their neoliberal rag, anyway. Please consider donating to MR listener Teacher Lauren’s fundraiser to aid her mother’s recovery from Graves’ disease: www.gofundme.com/please-support-miriam Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQypNWZyDPs

On today's show, Stacy Mitchell, (@stacyfmitchell) the co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, joins us to explain how to rein in toxic monopolies. How Amazon cornered the online retail market with its "free" shipping option. How Amazon is not just a retailer, but an infrastructure company that owns the platform, cloud computing and (soon!) shipping service that everyone is forced to use. How Amazon's monopoly enables it to rip off small businesses and bump up its own search results. How Amazon uses predatory pricing to force smaller companies to sell or perish. The principles of democracy and fairness that drove antitrust laws in the 1890s-1930s and why those laws stopped being enforced in the 1970s/1980s. The influence of the Bork school's assumption that bigger is always better. How monopolies concentrate political power, drive down wages and hinder the growth of small businesses without giving much of a price break to the consumer. The rubber stamped merger of Amazon and Whole Foods and Amazon's plans to use the upscale grocery store chain as distribution centers. Six proposals to reign in monopolies: hold field hearings, "bring daylight to antitrust agencies," set a higher bar for mergers, break up big tech, enact legal regulations, and pass local antitrust laws. Please consider donating to MR listener Teacher Lauren’s fundraiser to aid her mother’s recovery from Graves’ disease: www.gofundme.com/please-support-miriam Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc2mH-aTgz4

Cornell Law professor Aziz Rana joins us to discuss the left's missing foreign policy and the pressing need, fifteen years after the Iraq invasion, for a non-imperial vision of the US and the world. You can read his latest at n+1. In the run-up to Iraq, there was massive popular resistance but this wasn't reflected in the Democratic Party establishment, many of whom were active cheerleaders for the war and the surveillance state. How foreign and domestic policy became separated from one another as part of the Cold War-era bargain between labor and capital. How Nixon and union leaders solidified this split during the Vietnam era. How McGovern ran and lost on antiwar principles in '72 and the lessons the Democrats took from it. Bernie Sanders' foreign policy shortcomings and what he's doing to fix them. How the bipartisan consensus around foreign policy and its corresponding "experts" allowed figures like Gina Haspel to avoid accountability for Iraq-era crimes. How Russiagate allowed the national security establishment to rehabilitate itself via misplaced Cold War nostalgia. How trade deals like NAFFTA and the TPP undermine social democracy at home and abroad. How US progressives can reconnect foreign and domestic policy and confront post-9/11 developments like ICE and the DHS. Rana's blueprint for a foreign policy based on human rights, not capitalist imperialism. Please consider donating to MR listener Teacher Lauren’s fundraiser to aid her mother’s recovery from Graves' disease: www.gofundme.com/please-support-miriam Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7GRPB23wMI

Mark Thompson (@ministter) and Andy Kindler (@AndyKindler) join us to break down the week's news. The end of blue slips as a way to stop Trump's judicial nominees. Don Blankenship's insane campaign ad about "Chinapeople" and "Cocaine Mitch." Mark Thompson (@ministter), host of 'Make It Plain' on Sirius XM, joins us. Rudy Giuliani contradicts his own statements on the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels. Trump says "Rudy knows it's a witch hunt." The slim possibility of impeachment with a Republican held Congress. What's Putin's end game with Trump? Netanyahu's claims about a nuclear Iran and America's blind support of Israel. What's the deal with Kanye West? Andy Kindler (@AndyKindler) joins us to drag on Dennis Miller for forty odd minutes. When will Miller's ghost of a career become too depressing to have fun with? Sam, Michael and Andy say "probably never." Jamie remains unconvinced, but she'll get used to it. On the fun half: Ronald Raygun's new nickname and Dave Rubin's filthy lucre. Sebastian Gorka says the mainstream media is obsessed with Sean Hannity. Neil Cavuto, possibly angling for a job at MSNBC, calls out Trump on his pattern of false statements. Sam gets a call from his future self. Tom in Yacubia says we inspired him to unionize his workplace (hell yeah!). Disturbing footage of a police officer kicking an 18-year-old suspect in the head in Ohio. The Democrats need to cater to their base better. Vic Berger's NSFW video of Gavin McInnes and the Pwoud Boys falling even further from grace. Please consider donating to MR listener Teacher Lauren’s fundraiser to aid her mother’s recovery from Graves’ disease: www.gofundme.com/please-support-miriam Check out Jamie’s latest op-ed in The Guardian here. Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDvq10Q9RR0

Gabriel Debenedetti (@gdebenedetti) from New York Magazine joins us to detail how Bernie Sanders' media presence is changing how politicians advance their platform in the 21st century. On today's show: Rudy Giuliani tells Sean Hannity that Trump paid back Michael Cohen for the Stormy Daniels hush money. Gabriel Debenedetti joins us to discuss his recent article, "Bernie Sanders is Quietly Building a Digital Media Empire." In 2018, Bernie Sanders remains one of the country's most popular political figures in no small part due to his embrace of social media. How Bernie's (paid) interns and other young staffers have helped build a presence on various platforms. Bernie's plans to create an alternative news network that focuses on regular people and policy, not tabloid stories and talking heads. How other politicians view his efforts. How does Bernie's embrace of platforms like Facebook square with his critique of Silicon Valley? Bernie's biggest hits so far. How digital content tracks with door to door outreach. What Bernie and friends have planned for the future. On the fun half: Alex Jones mercilessly ethers Ben Shapiro. Hillary Clinton claims she lost votes in the Iowa primary because she's a capitalist. WV Senate candidate Evan Jenkins photoshops his primary opponent shaking hands with Hillary Clinton instead of Donald Trump. Emmanuel Macron calls Australian PM's wife "delicious;" the crew speculates on what happened. A college student thanks us for inspiring her to do politics IRL. What's the proper socialist approach to drug policy? Did Bill Clinton really tell Trump to run for president? Should the left ally with the right to bring controversial speakers to campus? The Mooch teaches us the Italian word for "cuck." Please consider donating to MR listener Teacher Lauren’s fundraiser to aid her mother’s recovery from Graves' disease: www.gofundme.com/please-support-miriam Check out Jamie's latest op-ed in The Guardian here. Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta4ByDcTKUs

Salon's Amanda Marcotte (@AmandaMarcotte) joins us to discuss her new book, Troll Nation: How The Right Became Trump-Worshipping Monsters Set On Rat-F*cking Liberals, America, and Truth Itself. On today's show: Proud Boy defeated by cardboard sign at May Day protest. Amanda Marcotte joins us to talk about her book on the pro-Trump movement. According to Marcotte, Trumpism is different from the normal conservative agenda because it's driven by the politics of revenge. She traces this thread from Rush Limbaugh, to Gamergate, to the movement to elect Donald Trump. How did this attitude take over the whole Republican Party? The anti-p.c. movement as proxy battle for other issues. How to deal with this strain in US politics? What role, if any, have liberals and "SJWs" played in creating these problems? What role is played by material forces and economic anxiety? Dennis Miller's eagerly awaited burn of Michelle Wolf, bap bap bap. On the fun half: Mike Pence introduces racist sheriff Joe Arpaio at tax policy event. John from San Antonio criticizes Amanda Marcotte's position on Bernie Sanders. Trump's doctor "felt raped" and "like a slave" when Trump's bodyguard raided his office. A caller shares her experience at a Dave Rubin "freedom of speech" event. Dave Rubin's triumphant return to stand-up comedy. Jeff in GA says Trump is the ultimate expression of conservatism. Does the MR crew need to go on the road to understand the Real America? What people should actually be concerned about when they complain about the military budget. Please consider donating to MR listener Teacher Lauren’s fundraiser to aid her mother’s recovery from Graves' disease: www.gofundme.com/please-support-miriam If you’re local to New York, check out the North Brooklyn DSA’s Community Healthcare Fair on Saturday, May 12. Admission is free and free childcare will be provided! Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3beFDGdL0aM

Trita Parsi (@tparsi), president of the National Iranian American Council and author of 'Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy,' joins us. On today's show: Trump didn't discuss his "shithole countries" remark with Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari. Mad Dog Mattis says the JCPOA was made "assuming" Iran would "try to cheat." Trita Parsi joins us to discuss the Iran nuclear deal and the motivations of those who want to scrap it. While opponents of the deal claim to be acting against nukes or in favor of regime change, it's really about shifting the balance of power in the region back to a pre-2003 scenario in which Iran is isolated and contained. How both Israel and Saudi Arabia are using US power to their own ends in the region. The crew checks in on the Dennis Miller countdown clock. Why do people give Netanyahu any legitimacy? Ben Shapiro gets remixed by Vic Berger. Freedom of speech and the history of May Day. Major donors the Koch brothers had a say in hiring and firing at George Mason University. Fox News made a montage celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden; Condi Rice approves. Condi scolds critics of the Bush admin's torture program that they "weren't there" on 9/11. How Trump's play with North Korea is just like the plot to "Talladega Nights." The definition of reactionary politics. Mindy's insight into why Mika got mad about the WHCD. How Andrew Cuomo gets endorsements from groups that don't actually like him. Pat Buchanan's Hannity appearance. Please consider donating to MR listener Teacher Lauren’s fundraiser to aid her mother’s recovery from Graves disease: www.gofundme.com/please-support-miriam If you're local to New York, consider attending the North Brooklyn DSA's Community Healthcare Fair featuring planning by Jamie and panel moderation by Michael! Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn  Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbbEX6iEeIA

Donald Trump makes some disgusting comments about the Para Olympics and of course no one cares. ` Andrew Bacevich, Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History at the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and author of, America's War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History, what is the purpose of war? Why the United States military does not "win". What is the distinction between military and civilian rule? Cold War foreign policy and the purpose of Pentagon spending. Bill Clinton's foreign policy and ongoing American action. What does military power exist for? How important were the neocons in the Bush Administration? Did Donald Rumsfeld reset military policy and strategy? What is the "military system". Are we choosing the right people to run our wars? How to deal with the problems inside military leadership. What if China behaved like the United States? Increasing the awareness of the American public about American empire. Why do we call the President the Commander and Chief? And why both political parties are militarized. The Dennis Miller countdown clock begins. On The Fun Half: Donald Trump, says Kanye "gots it". Why its so hard to win asylum cases from Central America. The Republicans and the Washington press whine and complain and whine and complain about Michelle Wolf's White House Correspondents Dinner.  Brian Kilmeade, thinks comedy should only punch up? Mika Brzezinski, reaches for her smelling salts.  Will be there be a Democratic wave? and your calls and IMs. Watch today's full show here!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4zFRw7mh4 Get thirty percent off of Just Coffee this month!  Go to https://liquid-iv.com, and enter my promo code MAJORITY to get your savings and start getting better hydration, Tripping.com, This year, save time and money when you book the vacation home of your dreams, with Tripping.com/MAJORITY, and Blue Apron, check out this week’s menu and get your first 3 meals free at BLUE APRON.COM/MAJORITY Please consider donating to MR listener Teacher Lauren’s fundraiser to aid her mother’s recovery from Graves disease: https://www.gofundme.com/please-support-miriam Get 30% off fair trade coffee at justcoffee.coop with coupon code “Majority” from now through the end of April. Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn

Iran's President, Hassan Rouhani roasts Trump for not knowing anything about international treaties and just being a "merchant". Benjamin Dixon (@BenjaminPDixon) breaks down the historical breakthrough of the handshake between the North Korean and South Korean leaders on both sides of the Korean border. Who deserves credit for what's happening in Korea. China and the United States, enter negotiations soon. North Korea's strategy. How do revolutions happen and will there be changes in North Korea? Prospects for change and modernization. Does Trump deserve credit? Stoney Hoyer, caught on tape, explaining how the DCCC, backs corporate democrats in primaries. Steny Hoyer's corporate base How democrats are pushed to the right. Why progressives should think far more about policy than process.  What to do about Joy Reid and how she should have handled her scandal.  Ronny Jackson is out as the next head of the VA and how was his misbehavior not a problem earlier? Judy Gold (@JewdyGold), Judy Gold talks about being Jewish in Sweden. Sweden is great, but there isn't any weed there? Sean Hannity, Michael Cohen and Donald Trump. Diamond and Silk do an ad for a Nazi candidate. White privilege in action in New Jersey. Police harassment and racism across America. The Steele Dossier and will Trump be impeached? And we introduce Judy to the wonders of Sassy Trump. On the Fun Half: Alex Jones makes a move on Kanye as Kanye embraces the Alt Right, what's going on with Dave Rubin's twitter and brain? Teachers strike in Arizona, is a nationwide strike next? And we take your calls and IMs. Watch today's full how here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUNclcuXIfQ Check out today's sponsor! Audible: Start a 30-day trial and your first audiobook is free. • Just go to audible.com /MAJORITY or text MAJORITY to 500-500 Please consider donating to MR listener Teacher Lauren's fundraiser to aid her mother's recovery from Graves disease: https://www.gofundme.com/please-support-miriam Get 30% off fair trade coffee at justcoffee.coop with coupon code “Majority” from now through the end of April. Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn

Daniel Marans (@DanielMarans) of The Huffington Post joins us to discuss postal banking, the special election in AZ, and more. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's proposed Postal Banking Act and how it would hurt predatory lenders. How durable is this progressive drift among elected Democrats? How activist groups are asserting power over Democratic candidates. What's going on with the special election in Arizona. Democrat Randy Bryce's run for Paul Ryan's House seat as test case for the blue wave. Why more progressive ideas are coming out of the Senate than the House. Cynthia Nixon's emphasis on racial justice and how she could do well against Cuomo in a post-Bernie world. On the fun half: Trump goes off to Fox and Friends about James Comey, Michael Cohen, and much, much more. Trump flip flops on pleading the 5th. Trump thinks Kanye West's unhinged tweet about him is "very cool." David French misinterprets Chance the Rapper. Is Silicon Valley infantilizing its employees, or does it just want them to work 24/7? Gorka tells Dave Rubin that Trump "doesn't have a racist bone in his body," he just wants everyone to be safe, ps: global jihad. It's a day that ends in "y" so Tomi Lahren said something racist and dumb. What's going on with North Korea at the moment? A caller on which right-wing women he finds sexually attractive. A caller on life as a union postal worker. Michael debates a caller on Israel. Is the name of Jamie's podcast cultural appropriation? Please consider donating to MR listener Teacher Lauren's fundraiser to aid her mother's recovery from Graves disease: https://www.gofundme.com/please-support-miriam Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydF69hADBzk

Terence Keel, Assistant Professor of History and Black Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, joins us to discuss his book, Divine Variations: How Christian Thought Became Racial Science. On today's show: Dr. Ronny Jackson was nicknamed "the Candy Man" at the White House because he gave out prescriptions "like candy." Terence Keel joins us to discuss the social factors underlying the continued interest in race science. The history of bad science around race, even after the human genome was sequenced and showed 99.98% genetic consistency across all of humanity. How Dr. Spencer Wells mapped human migration, found no population to be genetically homogenous. The biblical framework for belief in "monogeneism," or common human ancestry. A Carlos Slim funded study that looked at type 2 diabetes risk alleles in Latin American culture without accounting for the effects of colonialism, dispossession. How race and gender-specific drug research and marketing fails to account for social factors, lets policymakers off the hook. The flawed work of David Reich and the similarities between race IQ theorists and new atheists. On the fun half: John from San Antonio breaks down the Democrats' big night and the cruelty of Medicaid work requirements. The bizarre bromance between Trump and Macron. Trump and Mulvaney's vicious attack on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Ronan Farrow says Hillary Clinton tried to cancel an interview with him because he was reporting a story on Harvey Weinstein. Alex Jones claims the KKK is full of self-hating black people. Is freedom of speech on college campuses actually under attack? Sean calls in about "Count Me In," a movement to protect unionized labor in the NYC building trades. Jim Bakker says God sent two(!) scientists to cure cancer, but they were aborted, so...sucks to be you. The impact of starvation on Dutch children during World War II. A caller urges people to get involved in local politics. Please consider donating to MR listener Teacher Lauren’s fundraiser to aid her mother’s recovery from Graves disease: https://www.gofundme.com/please-support-miriam Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARrXzqVhd70

Rachel Heiman, associate professor of anthropology at The New School, joins us to discuss her book, Driving after Class: Anxious Times in an American Suburb. On today's show: Mitt Romney heckles Russell Westbrook at NBA playoff game, isn't doing so hot in the Utah Senate primary. Rachel Heiman joins us to discuss her ethnographic study of a suburban town in New Jersey. How Heiman wove herself into the fabric of the town for about a year, attending local meetings, interviewing kids and adults, and even working as a babysitter. The reasons Baby Boomers migrated from cities to the suburbs in the 1980s: The enduring postwar ideal of the nuclear family in a single-family home, public divestment in cities, racial anxieties. Changes in the middle class brought on by neoliberalism, growing inequality, and the myth of rugged individualism. Coded language like "security" and gated houses as a proxy for other types of barriers. The rise of hyper-scheduling, tutors, SUVs, and other expressions of parents' fears. What's driving this insecurity? "Shop local" as a way to keep tax dollars in one's own, relatively wealthy, town. On the fun half: Fox News clowns take shots at Bernie Sanders' proposal for a federal jobs guarantee, only succeed at making it sound great. Rand Paul gives into Trump, votes for Pompeo because he "learned his lesson" on Iraq. Alek Minassian arrested for van attack in Toronto, apparently a member of "incel" community. Senate to postpone confirmation hearing for VA nominee (and doctor to Trump) Ronny Jackson over concerns about his on-the-job behavior. Tucker Carlson whines about DSA members who were mean to Milo, suddenly likes safe spaces. Why hasn't Trump mentioned the Waffle House hero? Melania, having tasted freedom, resists holding her husband's hand. Mindy backs up Rachel Heiman's findings. Vote for Genevieve Jones-Wright, a DSA candidate for DA in San Diego. Sean Hannity flabbergasted/thrilled that newscasters keep saying his name. Trump parrots talking points from Fox News. Please consider donating to MR listener Teacher Lauren's fundraiser to aid her mother's recovery from Graves disease: https://www.gofundme.com/please-support-miriam Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s new podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpMyqfeADeE

On today's show: Tom Perez defends the cost of the DNC's lawsuit against Russia and Wikileaks. Milo gets shouted out of a Manhattan bar by the DSA. Gina Haspel's involvement in Bush-era torture program, black site prisons, destroying evidence. Wisconsin is ramping up its punishment of food stamp recipients. The teacher strikes spread to IN, GA...will there be enough solidarity for them to win? Sean Hannity got HUD help on numerous multi-million dollar property deals. On the fun half: What Kant can teach us about public vs. private uses of reason. Zizek says leftists should focus on mundane concerns beyond the revolutionary moment; Jamie agrees. Jordan Peterson goes on Real Time With Bill Maher, says Democrats need to have respect for Trump voters. The top three selling points of socialism. Where should we draw the line on coalition-building? A Mexican immigrant tells us about Texas' anti-immigrant bill SB4. KS Secretary of State Kris Kobach says students participating in walkouts need to stay in class and learn about the second amendment. Hero man disarms shooter in Waffle House without the use of a gun. Cops harass counter-protesters for wearing masks at GA white supremacist rally. Is contact with liberals causing Trump voters to double down? Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s new podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjosLy2jnmU

Good morning everyone, on today's show Digby and Andy Kindler join us. Digby joins us to talk about the Cuomo/Nixon democratic primary in NY and why Cuomo is in more trouble than he appears prepared for before discussing the legal jeopardy Michael Cohen is in. Finally, the shock doctrine is in full effect in Puerto Rico. Andy Kindler joins us to tell us about his new movie The Fiddling Horse and helps us bully the newly resurgent Dennis Miller who's back back back baby! ba ba ba! Dennis Miller's new column in Breitbart is a doozy and his new radio spot "Miller Minute" is somehow even worse. On the fun half: Farmer tells of the brutal tactics used by ICE, Theranos makes game about shooting journalists, plus your calls and IMs! SmartNews’ algorithm automatically curates the must-read stories that matter now. SmartNews: Available for free in the Apple App Store or Google Play store Get 30% off fair trade coffee at justcoffee.coop with coupon code "Majority" from now through the end of April. Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s new podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9H146l4uvw

Professor Daniel Bressner joins Majority Report to discuss his new book, Democracy in Exile: Hans Speier and the Rise of the Defense Intellectual and Daniel Bessner shows how the experience of the Weimar Republic’s collapse and the rise of Nazism informed Hans Speier’s work as an American policymaker and institution builder. How intellectuals began embedding themselves in the defense establishment beginning in the 1930s. Hans Speier's origins in Weimar Germany and on the German socialist left. How intellectuals came to believe they had to save democracy "from the people, for the people." On the fun -  Alex Jones in big legal trouble, denies calling Sandy Hook a hoax, Laura Ingraham gets trolled by a Border Angel, Dave Rubin edits Q&As and bombs at stand up, Trump remembers Barbara Bush, Nikki Haley gets misled but not confused, and your calls and IMs. Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s new podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIfKU5vYjYU

Domingo Morel (@domingomorel), Assistant Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University – Newark and author of Takeover: Race, Education, and American Democracy, joins us. On today's show: Comey has said the GOP has "lost their way." Domingo Morel joins us to discuss his book, 'Takeover: Race, Education and American Democracy.' By the '60s and '70s, lots of funding was going to city schools in which racial minorities had a real voice. School boards as entryway into politics for marginalized communities. The state takeover of "failing" urban schools as a response to this growing base of power. The 1989 takeover of a school in Jersey City that started the trend. How state takeovers of schools allowed politicians to abolish or replace community-led school boards. How these trends shifted in the early '00s to reflect a bipartisan, neoliberal program of privatization. What teachers and students have been doing to resist. On the fun half: John from San Antonio on trends in special elections. Meghan "glass houses" McCain accuses Comey of writing book for money, attention. Fox & Friends pal around like real, human friends in hilarious promo. Barbara Bush didn't want Jeb to run for president. Wisconsin teacher speaks in favor of new governor, funding for transportation, gets told off. Raygun says electoral politics are just as important as direct action. Jamie still disagrees. A caller on flat earth theories, youth movements and the internet. The Mooch calls in to defend his people. Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi8Dv05JuLk

David Faris (@davidmfaris), an associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University in Chicago, joins us to discuss his book, It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build A Lasting Majority in American Politics. On today's show: Sean Hannity is the third Michael Cohen client revealed by court, claims it's no big deal. David Faris joins us to discuss what the Democrats should do to hold onto power, if and when they get it back. How Republicans consolidate power by pushing the boundaries of what's legal and acceptable. How the Democrats should follow suit: National voting rights laws, giving statehood to Puerto Rico and Washington DC. The "archduke moment" when Republicans stole a seat on the Supreme Court. How Democrats could pack the courts and what they could concede in the process. Why are the Democrats like this in the first place? Is the current leadership able to change, or do they need to be replaced? Why the filibuster is bad. The need to change how Senate seats are apportioned and an interesting idea out of California. Card check and union power. The issues with gerrymandering. On the fun half: The relative importance of social movements and electoral politics. Trump asks "are there any Hispanics in the room?" Hannity opens show with news montage of his name, quickly moves onto Syria. Alan Dershowitz puts Hannity on the spot. Alex Jones claims hot girls tried to convert him to Satanism as a teen, is being sued by Sandy Hook parents. Senator John Larson (D-CT) rips into the balanced budget amendment proposal, defends Social Security and Medicare. Greg in Oklahoma updates us on the labor actions there. Should university endowments over a certain amount be taxed? A tip on keeping your info safe from Zuck: disconnect.me. A caller gives a detailed assessment of the conflict in Syria and why the U.S. shouldn't leave the Kurds (and others) to die. The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project continues to do amazing work, but thanks to Jeff Sessions they’re poised to lose a major source of funding. Please consider donating what you can here. Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s new podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoGbwq-bxpk

On today's show: Libertarian economist finds regulations have no negative impact on business dynamism. Trump addresses nation on Syria strikes. KY governor Matt Bevin claims kids will be poisoned and molested because teachers are striking. Why the Democratic Party is supporting the current wave of teacher strikes. The crew discusses Cynthia Nixon's chances of beating Andrew Cuomo to become governor of New York, what's going on with unions and the Working Families Party, and how progressive Nixon would be in office. On the fun half: The Mooch is offended on behalf of Italian-Americans that Comey compared Trump to a mob boss. Comey says Trump is morally unfit to be president, upsetting Fox and Friends. Starbucks has two black men arrested for the crime of sitting down and waiting for their friend. The absurdly well-funded reach of the conservative Young Americans Foundation. Alex Jones "sick" over air strikes in Syria, says Trump has betrayed him. Eddie Glaude says our country is in decline because of Trump. Joseph Ballin finally quits MR. Sam's opinion on Dennis Kucinich. Conservatives aren't the only ones on campus whose free speech is being threatened. Sam defines "business dynamism." How to win over working class Trump voters. Why is Matt Bevin so sure that kids left home alone are getting molested? The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project continues to do amazing work, but thanks to Jeff Sessions they’re poised to lose a major source of funding. Please consider donating what you can here. Check out The Michael Brooks Show here. Check out Jamie’s new podcast, The Antifada, here. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @_michaelbrooks @MattLech @jamie_elizabeth @Bf1nn Members watch the full episode here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG8ercJG75o