2418 – Resisting The Tech Oligarchy; Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Blitz w/ Jason Koebler, Nayna Gupta

It’s an EmMajority Report Thursday! She speaks with Jason Koebler of 404 Media to discuss big tech’s influence on the Trump administration and efforts to decentralize social media. Then, she speaks with Nayna Gupta, policy director at the American Immigration Council, to discuss the Trump administration’s executive orders on immigration, as well as the shutting down of the CBP One app for prospective U.S. citizens. First, Emma runs through updates on Trump’s aggressive anti-immigrant push, Trump’s crippling of the administrative state, the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard, Senate GOP’s anti-abortion push, a major labor win for Vegas hotel workers, LA’s newest brush fire, and Israel’s intensifying slaughters in the West Bank, before doing a little reflecting on Russell Vought, Trump’s nominee for head of the Office of Management and Budget, and his attempt to shirk answering for his proclaimed desire to “traumatize” the federal bureaucrats working for him. Jason Koebler then joins, first tackling his assessment of the still-ambiguous TikTok ban, with this past week’s brief announcement of Trump’s app-saving measure yet to solidify, the future of the app balancing between the hope of a passive DOJ and the potential of a US-based billionaire buyer, also touching on the potential identity of said buyer (Oracle CEO Larry Ellison). After expanding on the other domestic billionaire beneficiaries of a TikTok ban (namely Meta), Koebler and Emma shift to the topic of AI – the overwhelming focus of the Tech industry at this point – and its major struggles to meet the consumer demands of utility and affordability, before looking to the value of a decentralized approach to the Tech industry and social media in providing users a cohesive and interoperable experience. Nayna Gupta then joins as she and Emma unpack the immediate impact of Trump’s devastating attacks on the US immigration system, including the despair among migrants already hindered by the Biden Administration’s legally- and morally-dubious attempts to undermine the asylum system as their final (legal) path into the country – via the CBP One app process – is shut down. Expanding on this, Gupta tackles the some 200k Trump has left stranded and desperate on our border, and the absurdity of claiming this does anything but further destabilize our country and the immigration system he supposedly wants to fix, a critique also applicable to the ongoing bipartisan passage of the Laken Riley Act, concluding the interview with the need for Democrats to present a genuine alternative to Trump’s border militancy – something Biden and Harris objectively failed to do – centered around effective, efficient, and humane solutions to this problem that provide an actual infrastructure for legal pathways to citizenship. And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Matt Binder and Brandon Sutton as they talk with Ally from New Hampshire about the inhumanity that conservatives hate to hide, and watch Eric Adams try to save his image with help from… Tucker Carlson. They also watch Newsmax try to paint the Pope as Satan-pilled over his criticisms of Trump, and speak with Emma’s Honor Thesis from North Texas as they dive deep into the major role churches do and can play in community building and organizing in the American South. British Journalists and apparent Nazi sympathizer Angela Epstein defends Elon Musk’s excitability and cleverness that lead to his Sieg Heil at Trump’s inauguration, plus, your calls and IMs! Follow Jason on Twitter here: https://x.com/jason_koebler Check out Jason’s work at 404 here: https://www.404media.co/author/jason-koebler/ Check out 404 Media’s YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/@404Mediaco/videos Follow Nayna on Twitter here: https://x.com/nayna_gupta Find out more about the American Immigration Council here: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! Check out today’s sponsors: Delete Me: Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for DeleteMe. Now at a special discount for our listeners.  Today get 20% off your DeleteMe plan by texting MAJORITY to 64000. That’s MAJORITY to 64000.  Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt’s show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning 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 Ava Raiza’s music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder – https://majorityreportradio.com/

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2417 – The Crypto Scam Presidency & Justice Dems 2.0 w/ Jacob Silverman; Usamah Andrabi

It’s Hump Day! Sam and Emma speak with Jacob Silverman, author of the upcoming book Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley and co-writer of the AM Quickie newsletter, to discuss his recent piece in the Baffler entitled “Mr. Grift Goes To Washington.” Then, they speak with Usamah Andrabi, communications director & spokesperson for Justice Democrats, to discuss the group’s outlook going into the 2nd Trump administration. First, Sam and Emma run through updates on Police Unions’ reaction to Trump pardoning J6 rioters, Pete Hegseth’s extensive history of alleged abuse, Trump’s assaults on the administrative state, the US public health regime, and immigration, and a national Costco strike, before briefly parsing through Hamilton Nolan’s recent plea for America to move beyond the greater fool fallacy and Trump’s pissy response to being preached at by a Reverend. Jacob Silverman then joins, as he dives right into the absurdity of the growth of crypto “Meme Coins” – cryptocurrencies (generally started by celebrities) with little to no use (outside of pump and dumps) and tied to quite literally nothing but their own hype – looking more particularly into the recent launch of Trump’s own (second) cryptocurrency with the World Liberty Financial Token (WLF). Expanding on these WLF tokens, Silverman explores how this “tender” is, in fact, non transferrable, with all proceeds going directly to Trump and his billionaire big tech backers, and the possibility for this product to act as an infrastructure for backroom financial dealings during Trump’s presidency. Wrapping up, Jacob, Sam, and Emma explore the growing threat of greater US government involvement in crypto, with state and local governments pondering active investments in the scam-centric industry, and how a Trump presidency will likely expedite that. Usamah Andrabi then joins, first reflecting on the astounding failure of the national Democratic Party over the 2024 election cycle, and the pressing need to usher in a new era of the mainstream left in America, walking through how Justice Dems are working to work with and fund genuine progressive candidates to challenge the party’s moderate institutionalist status-quo, with focuses on both labor/economic issues and social progressivism. After briefly touching on the strategic guide for Justice Dems as they start working toward the midterms, Andrabi explores the importance of having a progressive counter (albeit a drastically lower-funded one) to primary heavyweights like AIPAC, particularly when it comes to pressuring Democrats actually to speak out on progressive issues. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma unpack the absurd gaslighting around Elon Musk’s obvious Nazi salute and the abject refusal of the media to outright label racist things racist. AOC reflects on the Democrats’ complete bungling of the TikTok ban and the MR Crew unpacks Trump’s MAHA betrayal, Dave Rubin’s embarrassment on Piers Morgan, and Pete Hegseth’s ever-growing web of abuse. They also cover Elise Stefanik’s unapologetic support for Zionist fascism, and Russell Brand’s messianic praise for Donald Trump, plus, your IMs! Follow Jacob on Twitter here: https://x.com/silvermanjacob Pre-order Jacob’s new book here: https://www.amazon.com/Gilded-Rage-Radicalization-Silicon-Valley/dp/1399419986 Check out Jacob’s Baffler piece here: https://thebaffler.com/latest/mr-grift-goes-to-washington-silverman Follow Usamah on Twitter here: https://x.com/usamahandrabi Find about more about Justice Democrats here: https://justicedemocrats.com/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! Check out today’s sponsors: Shopify: “Established in 2025” has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at https://shopify.com/majority.  Go to https://shopify.com/majority to start selling with Shopify today. HelloFresh: Get up to 10 FREE meals and a free high protein item for life at https://HelloFresh.com/majority10fm. One item per box with active subscription.  Free meals applied as discount on first box, new subscribers only, varies by plan.  That’s up to 10 free HelloFresh meals – just go to https://HelloFresh.com/majority10fm. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt’s show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning 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 Ava Raiza’s music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder – https://majorityreportradio.com/

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2416 – Trump Day 1: Attacks, Lies, & Salutes

It’s News Day Tuesday! Sam breaks down the biggest headlines out of the long weekend and discuss all the big moments from Trump’s inauguration. First, he runs through updates on Trump’s expansive list of Day 1 executive orders hitting on seemingly everything from environmental and public health deregulation to major anti-immigrant and anti-trans federal actions, the passage of the Lincoln Riley Act, the confirmation of Marco Rubio, Biden’s final actions, and Israel’s continuing murder sprees in Gaza despite a supposed ceasefire, before parsing a little deeper through the exemplary performance of American fascism on display at the inauguration, and watching some distinct parallels between Elon Musk’s heil and those of the Nazi regime. After expanding on Trump’s inaugural speech and his economic and political agendas of personal and oligarchical enrichment, before walking a little deeper through some of the more harrowing executive orders issued by Trump during his first day in office, including removing the recognition of trans people from any federal program, drastically deregulating the fossil fuel industry, a full commitment to the death penalty, the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency, and an attempt to engage in mass deportations, criminalize of the undocumented status, and end birthright citizenship. And in the Fun Half: Sam unpacks Fox’s coverage of Trump’s January 6th pardons, parses through Trump’s real-estate-first perspective on Gaza, and tackles Tim Pool’s take on the TikTok turmoil. The DNC denounces fundraising from “bad” billionaires, Blake from Ohio explores the future of the fight for labor and democracy, and Rose from DC brings up the role of progressive media and organizing moving forward, plus, your calls and IMs! Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! Check out today’s sponsors: Delete Me: Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for DeleteMe. Now at a special discount for our listeners.  Today get 20% off your DeleteMe plan by texting MAJORITY to 64000. That’s MAJORITY to 64000.  Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. Cozy Earth: A better year starts with better sleep—wrap yourself in Cozy Earth. Don’t wait!  Head to https://CozyEarth.com/MAJORITYREPORT now and use my exclusive code MAJORITYREPORT for up to 40% off.  That’s https://CozyEarth.com/MAJORITYREPORT.  If you get a post-purchase survey, say you heard about Cozy Earth from The Majority Report with Sam Seder podcast! Sunset Lake CBD: Head on over to https://SunsetLakeCBD.com and use code Tincture to save 35% on tinctures. See their site for terms and conditions. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt’s show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning 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 Ava Raiza’s music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder – https://majorityreportradio.com/

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Five Big Obstacles to Opening Child Care Facilities in Rural Illinois

This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. Sixty percent of rural Americans live in child care deserts — regions with too few licensed slots for children. In rural Illinois, that number…

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2415 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2025

Happy Martin Luther King Day! MR’s compilation of MLK-related audio returns! Excerpts include: -A previously unheard speech from MLK on reparations, white economic anxiety and guaranteed income -Dr. King’s first TV “interview” from the show “The Open Mind – The New Negro” in 1957, hosted by Professor Richard D. Hefner. -“Beyond Vietnam”, the speech delivered on April 4, 1967 at Riverside Church in New York City. -MLK’s last speech, “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution“, delivered at the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., on 31 March 1968. -Walter Cronkite reporting King’s assassination in 1968. -Nina Simone performing the song “Why?” live, 3 days following MLK’s assassination at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island in April 1968. Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt’s show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning 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 Ava Raiza’s music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder – https://majorityreportradio.com/

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2414 – Welcome To The Era Of Oligarchs w/ Heather Digby Parton

Happy Friday! Sam and Emma speak with 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 run through updates on the Supreme Court’s affirmation of the TikTok ban, Biden and Trump’s following denunciations of said ban, Israel’s ceasefire sabotage, Trump’s cabinet nominees, medicare drug price negotiations, and Mike Johnson’s enforcement of the Trump regime, before watching Bernie push Trump treasury pick Bessent on why he doesn’t think working people deserve fair wages. Digby then joins, as she, Sam, and Emma dive right into the devastating wildfires continuing to ravage LA, and the right’s immediate push to politicize the event for all of their culture war BS, targeting Newsome, Bass, and DEI, before shifting to the greater absurdity of blaming people for failing to deal with an issue (climate change) that you refuse even to acknowledge. Expanding on this latter element, Digby tackles how LA is already being set up for Big Tech disaster capitalists to swoop in, diving deep into the setup of Trump’s uber-oligarchy, what Big Tech wants from the relationship, and what makes them distinct from both contemporary and historical oligarch comparisons, wrapping up the show by waxing on the horrors of a Polymarket populist future. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma take some highlights from the hearings for Trump’s Administrative nominees, including Bessent’s abject fear of taxing the wealthy, Russell Vought’s attempt to shirk the “has repeatedly fantasized about terrorizing bureaucratic agents” accusations, and Hegseth’s utter embarrassment in the face of Elizabeth Warren. They also unpack right-wing reactionaries’ attempt to pin California’s forest fires on those damn meth-smoking homeless people in urban Los Angeles, plus, your calls and IMs! Follow Digby on Twitter here: https://x.com/digby56 Check out Digby’s work at Salon here: https://www.salon.com/writer/heather_digby_parton Check out Hullabaloo here: https://digbysblog.net/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! Check out today’s sponsors: Express VPN: Protect your online privacy TODAY by visiting https://ExpressVPN.com/majority. That’s https://ExpressVPN.com/majority and you can get an extra four months FREE. Manukora Honey: Now, it’s easier than ever to try Manukora Honey. Head to https://Manukora.com/MAJORITY to get $25 off the Starter Kit, which comes with an MGO 850+ Manuka Honey jar, 5 honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, and a guidebook! That’s https://Manukora.com/MAJORITY for $25 off your Starter Kit. Sunset Lake CBD: Sunsetlakecbd is a majority employee owned farm in Vermont, producing 100% pesticide free CBD products. Use code Leftisbest and get 20% off at http://www.sunsetlakecbd.com. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt’s show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning 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 Ava Raiza’s music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder – https://majorityreportradio.com/

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