2445 – Great Power Competition Threatens All Of Us w/ Van Jackson

Happy Monday! Sam and Emma speak with Van Jackson, senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and writer of the Un-Diplomatic newsletter on SubStack, to discuss his recent book The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy, co-authored with Michael Brenes. First, Sam and Emma run through updates on Trump’s tariffs on Mexico and Canada, fallout from the Trump/Vance confrontation with Zelenskyy, Trump’s attempt to cook the books on the US GDP, Trump’s newest crypto scam, US-based money laundering, RFK’s measles dance, Marco Rubio’s billions for Israel, Trump assault on Social Security, the DHS’ IRS scheme, and the Mayoral Campaign of noted sex pest Andrew Cuomo, also admiring the full-throated spinelessness of GOP representatives Kieth Self and Roger Marshall when faced with constituent backlash at Town Halls. Van Jackson then joins, diving right into the effective myth the US has built up around the Cold War as a beneficial struggle between two great powers, a belief central to the evolution of the US’ counter-insurgency-focused regime of primacy that has developed in the power vacuum left by the Soviet Union, and why the US Foreign policy apparatus has been so resolute, from the Cheneys to the Biden Administration, in pivoting to a new great power struggle with China. Expanding on this, Jackson walks through the last couple of decades of US-China hawkery, with the shrinking dividends of Neoliberal globalization pushing both the US and Chinese economies toward economic nationalism, with the US establishment frantically attempting to cling to a dying world order of complete US primacy, as it corrupts and reshapes our politics domestically while contributing to death and destruction globally. After tackling how the Trump to Biden to Trump 2.0 pipeline effectively streamlined the US’ commitment to an anti-China pivot, and why Trump’s buddies in Silicon Valley are set to benefit greatly from this tension, Van, Sam, and Emma wrap up by touching on the greater imperialist nature of Trump’s foreign policy, and why US-Chinese relations have trapped much of the developing world into choosing between Chinese lending power and American hegemony. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma watch the new state-backed-media (the Joe Rogan Experience) clear the stage to let Elon Musk lie to the American public about what the Trump/Musk regime is up to (and why), and listen to Marjorie Taylor Greene’s boytoy attempt to confront Zelenskyy about his fashion sense. They also parse through the ongoing crypto fraud of the Trump/Musk regime, and the insanity of Trump’s push to use Crypto as a strategic reserve, plus, your calls and IMs! Follow Van on Twitter here: https://x.com/realvanjackson Check out Van’s book here: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300272895/the-rivalry-peril/ Check out the Un-Diplomatic newsletter here: https://www.un-diplomatic.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: Cozy Earth: Luxury Shouldn’t Be Out of Reach. Visit https://CozyEarth.com/MAJORITYREPORT and use my exclusive code MAJORITYREPORT for up to 40% off Cozy Earth’s  best-selling sheets, towels, pajamas, and more.  That’s https://CozyEarth.com/MAJORITYREPORT.  And if you get a post-purchase survey, tell them you heard about Cozy Earth right here. Sanctuary awaits at Cozy Earth. Sunset Lake CBD: Don’t let Daylight Savings Time screw up your sleep schedule. Head over to https://SunsetLakeCBD.com and use coupon code Daylight35 to save 35% on all participating sleep products. But hurry— this sale ends March 9th at midnight Eastern time. Beautiful Day Granola: Beautiful Day is offering Free Shipping for all Majority Report listeners when you go to https://beautifuldayri.org and USE code MAJORITY (all caps) at Checkout until March 7. 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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2444 – Casual Friday! 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 Trump’s cuts to the Social Security Administration, Musk’s attacks on NOAA, the devastating effect of Trump’s gutting of USAID, FEMA’s struggles, Bird Flu, the Pentagon’s trans ban, Trump’s tariffs, and MAGA confusion about Trump releasing an edited Epstein file, before expanding on the GOP’s ongoing attacks on Medicaid and Social Security, highlighted by the obvious attempt to revamp the demonization of people who receive government benefits. Digby then joins, jumping right into the genuinely astonishing divide between federal and state-level Democrats’ ability to function as an opposition party, with Democrats in New York, California, and the Midwest embarrassing national leadership when it comes to preparing (or caring) to fight the Trump administration. Parton, Sam, and Emma also reflect on the coalescing of Big Tech and the Heritage Foundation, dissect some of Elon Musk’s deeper desires for collecting Americans’ data, and assess the chokehold the Musk-Trump regime has on the rest of the Republican Party – from the threat of a primary to the active disregard of their voters’ wishes. After touching once more on the impotence of national Democratic leadership (Hakeem Jeffries) in contrast with state-level leaders (Governor Walz), Digby and MR wrap up by diving deep into Trump’s insane authoritarian confrontation with Ukraine President Zelenskyy during a live press conference today. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma watch Kaitlan Collins stump Mike Johnson with confusing questions about “budgets” and “resolutions,” and cringe as Piers Morgan goes out of his way to rain shimmering showers of praise on Elon Musk (while just happening to defend his own wealth along the way), plus, your 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: Liquid IV: Embrace your ritual with extraordinary hydration from Liquid I.V. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to https://LiquidIV.com and use code MAJORITYREP at checkout. That’s 20% off your first order when you shop better hydration today using promo code MAJORITYREP at https://LiquidIV.com. 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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A Study of Mint Plants. A Device to Stop Bleeding. This Is the Scientific Research Ted Cruz Calls “Woke.”

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. A few months ago, Sen. Ted Cruz announced that he had uncovered $2 billion of science grants funded by former President Joe Biden’s administration that prioritized “radical political perspectives” or “neo-Marxist theories.’’ His…

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Missouri GOP’s Effort to Take Over St. Louis Police Hearkens Back to Civil War

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. The last time Missouri took control of St. Louis’ police force was just before the start of the Civil War, when the state’s secessionist-leaning…

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How Cambridge Analytica Used Data to Exploit Gun Owners’ Private Lives

Contrast Change Appearance Change Appearance For years, some of America’s most iconic gun-makers turned over sensitive personal information on customers — without their knowledge or consent — to the gun industry’s main lobbying group. Political operatives then employed those details to rally firearms owners to elect pro-gun politicians running for Congress and the White House.…

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Applications Open for 2025 ProPublica Investigative Editor Training Program

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. For the third year, ProPublica will invite up to 10 news editors from media companies across the country to participate in a yearlong investigative editing training program, led by the newsroom’s award-winning staff.…

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2442 – Legal Victories Vs. Trump, & The Headless DOGE w/ Chris Geidner

It’s Hump Day! Sam speaks with Chris Geidner of the Law Dork newsletter on SubStack, to provide some updates on a number of court challenges to the Trump Administration’s directives & executive orders. First, Sam runs through updates on the GOP’s budget resolution, US-Ukraine relations, Elon’s role in the Trump Administration, DOGE, an impending government shutdown, the GOP’s town hall-phobia, Trump’s “Gold Card” immigration plan, the EPA, longshoremen’s contract win, Oregon nurses’ contract win, and Bernie’s move on arms sales to Israel, before watching AOC eviscerate the GOP’s plan to cut taxes for the wealthy and benefits for the poor. Chris Geidner then outlines the various types of executive orders that have been coming from the Trump Administration, including legitimate executive actions, general memoranda, and insane musings, with an unfortunate majority landing in that latter category and often positing illegal, inhumane, and outrageous policy changes without more specific action entailed, ultimately making for a much more difficult challenge in court before the actual dangers are demonstrated. Expanding on the actual efforts to block these maneuvers, Geidner walks Sam through the expansive field of plaintiffs challenging everything from Trump’s funding freeze and firings to constitutionality and DOGE, examining the various organizations backing these efforts, and unpacking the legal strategy – particularly around the fourth circuit – that has brought them success so far. After touching on the constructive, methodical nature of the still-developing legal cases against the Trump Administration, Chris and Sam wrap up with the insanity of Trump’s impoundment maneuver and overwhelming attack on equal opportunity employment. And in the Fun Half: Sam unpacks Jeff Bezos’ announcement that the Washington Post will no longer publish opposing viewpoints to his own, watches Stephen A. Smith and Hakeem Jeffries take this moment to punch left, and admires White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s ability to crumble under pressure when Elon Musk’s role in the government comes into question. The MR Team tackles Trump’s insane AI-generated “Trump Gaza” video and absurd plan to put US citizenship up for purchase, before touching on his understandable fear of the Epstein Files. Mimi from Colorado discusses relationships with conservative family, Laura from Minneapolis highlights the importance of uplifting joy, and Max from New York examines Trump’s recent discussion of US v. Skrmetti, plus, your calls and IMs! Follow Chris on Twitter here: https://x.com/chrisgeidner Check out the Law Dork newsletter here: https://www.lawdork.com/ Check out Sandee from “Left of the Box”‘s YouTube video on the Canadian elections tomorrow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uOQr70w_0k&t=1s&ab_channel=LeftoftheBox 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: Liquid IV: Embrace your ritual with extraordinary hydration from Liquid I.V. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to https://LiquidIV.com and use code MAJORITYREP at checkout. That’s 20% off your first order when you shop better hydration today using promo code MAJORITYREP at https://LiquidIV.com. Smalls Cat Food: What are you waiting for?  Give your cat the food they deserve. Head to https://Smalls.com and use promo code MAJORITY at checkout for 50% off your first order PLUS free shipping!  That’s the best offer you’ll find but you HAVE to use my code, MAJORITY, for 50% off your first order.  One last time: That’s promo code MAJORITY for 50% off your first order PLUS free shipping! 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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