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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. Three months after Missouri voters enshrined reproductive rights in the state constitution, abortion remains unavailable as the state’s main provider fights legal hurdles to…

It’s Hump Day! Sam and Emma speak with David Dayen, executive editor at The American Prospect and co-host of the Organized Money podcast, to discuss the recent legal action taken by a group of unions and organizations against Elon Musk’s efforts to gain access to sensitive information at the U.S. Treasury. Then, they speak with independent journalist Eoin Higgins, , to discuss his newly released book Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left. First, Sam and Emma run through updates on Trump’s call for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, Saudi Arabia’s rejection of Israeli normalization without a Palestinian state, the Trump-Musk gutting of the administrative state, Trump’s Executive Order to stop recognizing trans athletes under Title IX, the first (likely illegal) deportations to Guantanamo, the confirmation of Pam Bondi, the confirmation hearings for RFK and Russ Vought, and Mike Johnson’s budget, before diving into Musk’s enshittification of the government and expanding on Donald Trump’s recent declaration of intent to fully ethnically cleanse Gaza alongside Bibi Netanyahu. David Dayen then joins, briefly touching on the relatively rapid rise of Elon Musk to the top of Trump’s advisor team, not even endorsing him for President until mid-July yet spearheading his assault on the administrative state beginning on Day 1 of his Presidency, also touching on the lack of a true antecedent for his role in US politics before expanding on his first major project for Trump, the complete shutdown of USAID. Next, Dayen walks Sam and Emma through the ongoing “five-alarm fire” of Trump’s total freeze on federal funds, despite multiple restraining orders, alongside a more targeted freeze on Green New Deal- and foreign aid-related funds, unpacking the devastating impact of the initial disruption to thousands of agencies across the country, with many being forced to fully gut themselves to make it through, while the backup it created still drags down the entire the funding system of the US government. After expanding on the Trump Administration’s particular tact of autonomously naming people to heads of agencies – from USAID to the CFPB – they wrap up with Trump’s attacks on the NLRB, and why he and Elon’s early days are all about how far they can push the illegality of their actions. Eoin Higgins then jumps right into his recent work unpacking the role the media – and Big Tech’s investment in alternatives – played in bolstering Tech Bros’ evolution into a Tech Br-oligarchy, looking particularly into the transitions into right-wing grifterdom made by supposedly idealistic, liberal-minded journalists Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi. Higgins explores how both of these journalists got their start as heavy critics of the Bush Administration, with Glenn playing a particularly important role in exposing their major abuses of the national security state, before the arrival of Obama in office seemingly began a slow shift away from the liberal media institutions they had been working hand-in-hand with – be they independent or mainstream – with Higgins importantly noting how their rhetorical disposition to the mainstream organizations (be they MSNBC or Fox News) was seemingly deeply tied to… how often they were invited on the show. After walking Sam and Emma through the ultimate departure of these two from the left with the mainstream liberal embrace of Russiagate and #MeToo, Eoin dives into their ultimate arrival in the media niche among the growing independent social media outlets, like Substack and Patreon, where they could publish work and cultivate a following outside of the mediasphere they’d felt so rejected by, with Big Tech backers like Marc Andreessen playing an important role in helping them thrive there, while also actively disrupting the mainstream media industry that was so keen on critiquing them. Wrapping up the interview, Eoin touches on the role Taibbi played in Elon Musk’s Twitter files, and what Big Tech’s successful media disruption can tell us about their ultimate goals for the US government. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma unpack the evolution of the NLRB’s ability to bolster labor, from its founding with the Wagner Act of 1935 through its major restrictions under the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, and the major danger an already unbalanced American labor ecosystem faces as Trump takes hold of the Country. They also let themselves enjoy the newest episode of “The Deposition of Stephen Crowder,” watch Ilhan Omar nail the anti-Trump/Musk, pro-administrative state messaging, and talk with Kelsey from Austin about Elon Musk’s alleged failed Baby Mama Compound. They wrap up by expanding on Trump’s move to fully ethnically cleanse Gaza, and the lasting devastation of the Biden/Harris campaigns’ failure to meaningfully message a distinction from Trump on Israel’s slaughter of Gaza, plus, your calls and IMs! Follow David on Twitter here: https://x.com/ddayen Check out David’s work at the Prospect here: https://prospect.org/topics/david-dayen/ Check out Organized Money here: https://www.organizedmoney.fm/ Follow Eoin on Twitter here: https://x.com/eoinhiggins_ Check out more of Eoin’s work here: https://eoinhiggins.substack.com Check out Eoin’s newly released book here!: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/eoin-higgins/owned/9781645030461/ Sign a letter to oppose unjust layoffs at Alamo Drafthouse!: https://action.cwa.org/letters/oppose-unjust-layoffs-at-alamo-drafthouse 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! 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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/

This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with The Seattle Times. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday signed an executive order forming a team to evaluate the impact of data centers on energy use, state…

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Reporting Highlights Electing Trump: In 2016, the gun industry shared data about firearms owners and others with Cambridge Analytica to help elect Donald Trump and keep a Republican majority in the Senate. Legal…

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. More than three years ago, ProPublica spotlighted America’s “sacrifice zones,” where communities in the shadow of industrial facilities were being exposed to unacceptable amounts of toxic air pollution. Life in these places was…

It’s News Day Tuesday! Sam and Emma break down the biggest headlines of the day. First, they run through updates on Musk’s full takeover of the Treasury payment systems and closure of USAID, Trump’s targeting of the DOE amid, another judicial restraining order on Trump’s impoundment attempts, Democratic inaction over Trump’s funding freeze, Bessent’s CFPB freeze, Musk’s killing of the IRS’ E-Filing system, Trump’s cave to Mexico and Canada over tariffs, Trump’s invocation of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, RFK’s lies, NALC’s labor battle, Costco Teamsters’ successful strike, and impending labor action with Kings Soopers supermarkets, before reflecting on Nathan Tankus’ prescient anxieties during yesterday’s interview amid the Trump Administration’s full takeover of the US Treasury’s payment systems and complete gutting of any security infrastructure. Next, Sam and Emma dive deep into the Trump team’s attempt to redefine the complete collapse of Trump’s tariff agenda as a negotiation win due to Canada and Mexico… reiterating their previous border commitments, also touching on what to make of this tariff project moving forward. They also explore Elon Musk’s aggressive shutdown of USAID without Congressional approval, dissecting Musk’s interest in an agency spending incredibly minimal sums of Taxpayer money and conservative media’s attempt to jump to DEI “fraud,” before looking to the Democrats’ best attempt to push back on this effort (Chris Murphy), and wrapping up the free half by addressing the dangerous absurdity of Elon’s recent tirade in favor of complete deregulation. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma explore the Trump Administration’s attempt to message their indiscriminate and violent deportation campaign to the public – while Steve Bannon makes fun of the “p*ssy humanists” that only want to deport criminals to the NYT. Hank in LA unpacks his experience as a part of the TYT union drive and the ongoing effort to properly represent the exploitation faced at the hands of the media org, Finoran Clown from LA reflects on US relations to Canada and Mexico, and Ally from VA expands the conversation on Trump’s anti-immigrant crackdown. Ben from Chicago discusses the dangerous conditions faced by disabled wage workers, and Jesse in Manhattan explores his experience canvassing for NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani, 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 sixty four thousand. That’s MAJORITY to 64000.  Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. Manukora Honey: Thanks to Manukora for supporting The Majority Report. 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: Skip the stress of shopping for your valentine and head on over to https://SunsetLakeCBD.com and use code Valentine to save 35% on edibles. This sale ends February 9th at midnight. See their site for additional 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/

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. Citing an urgency to protect students’ civil rights in a second Trump administration, Illinois lawmakers filed a new bill Monday that would explicitly prevent…

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. It’s not hard to find people who want to talk about cities dismantling homeless encampments and throwing away their belongings. In our reporting over…

Happy Monday! Sam and Emma speak with Nathan Tankus, proprietor of the Notes on the Crises newsletter, to discuss the reporting that Elon Musk and his associates have taken over crucial payment controls in the Treasury Department. First, Sam and Emma run through updates on Trump’s shutdown of USAID, tariffs on México, Canada, and China, Trump’s funding freeze and firing of the head of the CFPB, Israel’s bombing of the West Bank, Louisiana’s arrest warrant against a New York doctor over reproductive care, major pro-immigration protests, and Ken Martin’s election to the chair of the DNC, before expanding on the enraging inaction of Democratic Party Leadership in the face of Trump’s destruction of the administrative state. Nathan Tankus then joins, diving right into the escalating Elon Musk-related crises that began at the core of the US government this past weekend, zeroing in on the biggest of the three, Elon’s aggressive takeover of the US Treasury, including a dissection of their data and payment systems. Expanding on this, Tankus tackles the incredibly complex and sensitive nature of the data and systems the Trump regime is after, with key, veteran Treasury officials resigning in the wake of Musk’s advances, unpacking the extensive risks of allowing Musk and Co. access to this information, from the obvious (giving the utmost sensitive data on US citizens to a private actor) and institutional (our entire country runs on the treasury making these payments) to how it could bolster the Trump’s administration’s disregard for agency cooperation. After briefly touching on the genuine illegality of many of these actions (and why that likely won’t matter), Nathan walks Sam and Emma through the role of mission-critical systems like the Treasury, and the intrinsic need to embrace the inefficiency of a system when constantly necessary to build up its robustness and reliability in case of crisis, before wrapping up by touching on Trump’s path to the Supreme Court over the Impoundment Control Act. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma watch cosplay icon Kristi Noam defend Trump’s warning of some “short-term pain” for the US public over his tariff agenda, unpack ICE’s ongoing campaign of tyranny, and listen to Canadian sports fans rain down jeers to the US National Anthem. Steve Bannon has some thoughts on the liberal world order and the value of Right-Wing Populism, Chappelle Roan highlights exploitation in the music industry, and the Daily Wire’s Andrew Klavan waxes poetic on the “laws of nature” that lead to women getting beaten by their husbands, plus, your calls and IMs! Follow Nathan on Twitter here: https://x.com/NathanTankus Check out Notes on the Crises here: https://www.crisesnotes.com/#/portal Check out an abridged version of Nathan’s piece at Rolling Stone here: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trump-elon-musk-treasury-payment-system-dangerous-1235254831/ 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: Surprise your Valentine with Cozy Earth. Get up to 40% off at https://cozyearth.com/MAJORITYREPORT with my code MAJORITYREPORT. That’s https://CozyEarth.com/MAJORITYREPORT.  And don’t forget—if you’re asked in a post-purchase survey, let them know you heard about Cozy Earth right here! Babbel: Let’s get more of you talking in a new language. Babbel is gifting our listeners 60% off subscriptions at https://Babbel.com/MAJORITY.  Get up to 60% off at https://Babbel.com/MAJORITY. Rules and restrictions may apply. 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/

This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Arizona Luminaria. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. Pastor Randy Mayer skillfully maneuvers his SUV over rough dirt roads, dodging giant potholes and jostling up steep inclines in the predawn darkness. The rugged…