Trump's Iran Pretend Game; Corporate Dem Panic w/ Jeet Heer, Rep. Greg Casar | MR Live

Added: 2026-05-08

[00:00:00]Hey folks. Hi.

[00:00:04]Quick word from our friends up in Vermont at sunsetlakesaba day.com.

[00:00:10]It's International Workers Day, May Day.

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[00:00:40]It's a nod to the 8-hour day we fought for back in 1938.

[00:00:45]I don't know if those guys were around, but I remember it very well.

[00:00:49]Uh and a reminder that we're still fighting for better conditions today.

[00:00:53]And here's the kicker, a portion of their proceeds from this sale will go straight to Labor Notes.

[00:00:59]Labor Notes is run by rank-and-file organizers and union activists who are covering the labor movement while the corporate media ignores it.

[00:01:07]I should also say, full disclosure, I am also a regular supporter of Labor Notes.

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[00:01:16]Uh Uh Brian and I were just talking about the uh the the smokables uh the other day, right? The pre-rolls. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like you got the urge, but necess- you don't necessarily want everything that comes with uh your normal smokables.

[00:01:33]>> Yeah, sometimes it's just nice to smoke something. Exactly. And uh for me, after a nice meal, like on the weekend, something like that, uh I will in indulge um with their pre-rolls. But they also have kief and flower. Uh they have vapes. I understand some people uh mix their uh kief and flower with other kief and flower.

[00:01:57]That'd be me, yes.

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[00:02:37]The Majority Report with Sam Seder, where every day is casual Friday. That means Monday is casual Monday, Tuesday casual Tuesday, Wednesday casual hump day, Thursday casual Thurs, that's what we call it, and Friday casual Shabbat.

[00:03:01]The Majority Report with Sam Seder.

[00:03:11]It is Friday, May 1st, 2026.

[00:03:16]My name is Sam Seder. This is the five-time award-winning Majority Report.

[00:03:21]We are broadcasting live steps from the industrially ravaged Gowanus Canal in the heartland of America, downtown Brooklyn, USA.

[00:03:31]On the program today, national politics correspondent from The Nation magazine, Jeet Heer, will be joining us.

[00:03:42]Also on the program today, House passes the Senate DHS funding bill ending the partial government shutdown.

[00:03:53]Meanwhile, Congress passes a short-term extension of section section 702 of FISA.

[00:04:02]Ron Wyden wants to see more info on something that he warned us about 3 weeks ago.

[00:04:11]Today is the day the War Powers Act's 60-day window closes and Trump claims the war is already over, so none of it applies.

[00:04:24]Mike Johnson calls on Southern Republican states to gerrymander to eliminate black-held congressional seats.

[00:04:35]Trump forced to withdraw RFK Jr. toady, Casey Means, from their Surgeon General nomination.

[00:04:45]And as the Iran war tab reaches $50 polls show it at Iraq and Vietnam era disapproval levels.

[00:04:59]New report, Jeffrey Epstein left a suicide note from his first attempted suicide in prison and it's been under seal for years.

[00:05:12]8 years, I think, to be exact. US Air Force signs weapons deal with a drone company partially owned by the Trump would-be fail sons.

[00:05:26]Across country, work, school, and shopping stoppages in May Day protests. All this and more on today's Majority Report. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. It is casual Friday.

[00:05:41]>> Casual Friday, but you look a little dressed up. Oh, well, you know, I'm I'm I have plans after this. Oh, okay.

[00:05:48]>> [laughter] >> I have a social life. Oh, okay, brag.

[00:05:51]>> Well, all right. Okay, we did Going from the office to a social event. No need to make people feel bad.

[00:05:59]>> Um this is my social event for the day.

[00:06:02]I'll be at the horse track this weekend.

[00:06:04]Is that right?

[00:06:04]>> Yeah. Don't give out your assassination [laughter] coordinates, but >> Just saying, we all got stuff to do.

[00:06:09]>> Yeah.

[00:06:10]I WOULDN'T SAY ALL.

[00:06:12]>> [laughter] >> UM YEAH, NO, THIS is my uh big social plans for the weekend. Uh so uh the show could go long today. Um >> [snorts] >> Uh ruin our plans?

[00:06:27]>> [laughter] >> I mean, if that happens, what can I do?

[00:06:30]Sam's very zero-sum about people having social lives. You got to get into the weeds of this DHS funding, really break it down point by point.

[00:06:37]>> Exactly.

[00:06:38]Um Like I said, uh new reports show that the Iran war is uh at its lowest approval rating. We're in like Iraq war at its lowest approval rating, Vietnam war at its lowest approval uh rating era. Although, according to Donald Trump, it was never a war. And if it was, it stopped when we uh declared a uh ceasefire. Now, of course, it was a ceasefire, but we have all our uh ships deployed to blockade and fire at any uh Iranian vessel that goes through.

[00:07:20]Uh so it's not really um a a cessation to uh hostilities, which under the War Powers Act, a president has 60 days before Congress must authorize the war.

[00:07:36]It's not a question of Congress must weigh in.

[00:07:39]It's they must authorize it, otherwise it's done.

[00:07:44]Bring the ships home.

[00:07:46]End the $50 we have spent on this. Just a reminder, they cut $200 out of Medicaid over the course of 10 years, which has kicked in millions of people off their health insurance.

[00:08:02]And 50 billion is around the figure of Bernie Sanders' college for all plan from a few years ago. It's less than that, but if you adjust it for inflation, it would be around $50. So we could pay for college for all in this country for everybody for around that figure. What we spent on this war of over the past what, 6 weeks or so?

[00:08:20]>> And how much that would benefit our country and the world as opposed to blowing up like girl schools in Iran. I will add that that $50 has had a return on investment for oil companies and defense contractors, of course. But in terms of American uh citizens, you're now paying close to $5 a gallon for gas. And on uh Tuesday of next week, we'll be talking to somebody who'll give us a sense of where that's headed because um we're starting to hear reports now of gas shortages. Certainly, uh we've seen that in Asia and in in Europe, but at one point, there's only so much refining capacity.

[00:09:09]The oil we get is not just a function of uh somebody sells it to us.

[00:09:17]It gets processed.

[00:09:19]Those uh refining uh facilities only have so much bandwidth.

[00:09:25]You can't on, you know, end the week on Friday and then come back Monday and go, "Oh, you know what?

[00:09:31]Let's turn the refining capacity up by 20%."

[00:09:35]That doesn't happen that way.

[00:09:38]And so um but we'll talk to an expert about that next week. We're also going to be talking to an expert about the Voting Rights Act, etc. But as of now, uh the the story particularly today is the ongoing uh a with Iran. And this was an interesting segment because uh on CNN It's interesting because Scott Jennings, who's probably one of the most hated person in cable news.

[00:10:08]>> Yeah. Um completely has a uh a a a breakdown. Yes.

[00:10:14]>> And I think it's unclear which what what it is that triggered him here.

[00:10:20]But um he's on with Adam Mockler who does this stuff very well.

[00:10:27]Um also is, you know, relative to me, very young. Relative to all of us. I think he's in his early 20s, right?

[00:10:35]>> And >> annoying. Wunderkind, as they say. Yes.

[00:10:38]Um he does this very well.

[00:10:40]But I think um we can debate as to what triggers Jennings here.

[00:10:45]But I think it's the Iraq war.

[00:10:48]And uh this guy being part of like a uh a never-ending war then. And also being called out for lying about saying this was going to be a 2-week or 3-week uh excursion.

[00:11:02]Uh but here is that segment.

[00:11:05]I mean, honestly, they have been at war with us for 40 seconds.

[00:11:07]>> We all know that Scott Jennings is more than happy to defend a war with a country that starts with the letters I R A that we are [laughter] currently failing that is going to put us trillions and trillions of dollars more in debt. I was only a few years old while you were in the administration defending prior endless wars. Now, this war is failing.

[00:11:22]>> Eight weeks is endless to you? Okay, you said it was going to be 4 to 6 weeks.

[00:11:24]>> attention span >> minute. You have the attention span of a nat. Homie, I debated you on TV 4 to 6 weeks I'll pause it for 1 second. See, that's where he he he he the it's quite clear that what triggered him had already happened before he says, "You have the attention span of a nat."

[00:11:41]That is generally not what you hear even from the odious Jennings. Now, Jennings is under a lot of pressure, I think, because there's like uh you know Internet rumors.

[00:11:51]>> There's internet rumors and uh you know, about him and that I think he's worried about getting out publicly uh whatnot. Uh but so he's probably on edge. But I think the idea that like reminding people that this um MAGA guy now MAGA, he was at one point not.

[00:12:16]Um but he was responsible for promoting what was a large part of Donald Trump's sort of like counter-establishment campaign the first time around, which was the Iraq war.

[00:12:31]And I think in some ways like this is the fundamental political liability for these people is that they all were against wars like this.

[00:12:43]>> Right. I mean, what was advantageous for them in gaining power was Trump saying what people wanted to hear, but he has no connection to that once he's in power.

[00:12:54]So, they're just doing what Republicans do and Trump, the ultimate con man, fooled the American public into thinking this would be different. And so, Jennings here has to own the fact that this is just a continuation of his deeply unpopular party even if Trump is a different face at the head of it.

[00:13:11]>> Yeah, and I think what Mockler does here is in some ways like pulls Jennings out of the closet.

[00:13:17]>> Right. And says like you are uh you're a like a a long-time Iraq war supporter. I mean, do you see how he matched his uh lapel pin? It's no longer yellow uh for the Israeli hostages to match his pocket square. That is a snazzy snazzy look.

[00:13:35]>> is the purple um uh ribbon about though? Oh, then maybe it's not the same. But he's always wearing >> a red, white, and blue American flag.

[00:13:41]>> Oh, never mind. He's always wearing the He's usually wearing the yellow one, but I'm just saying he's got a good sense of fashion. Okay. All right.

[00:13:50]only a few years old while you were in the administration defending prior endless wars. Now, this war is failing.

[00:13:56]>> to you? Okay, you said it was going to be 4 to 6 weeks. You have the attention span of a nat. Homie, I debated you on TV 4 to 6 weeks ago and you said we were weeks away from it. Now, you're making condescending remarks because you can't defend the fact that this war is not going your way. Wait, one more time. Not going Not going your way. Name one political concession.

[00:14:11]Name one political concession. Honestly, I'm not I'm not going to have this guy in my What? You're on TV, my guy.

[00:14:18]>> Can you go back?

[00:14:20]Wow. I want to see that again. Um this is how upset he gets with the idea of like A, that he's aging. Uh it's difficult. I've been there.

[00:14:30]Um B, that he is being outed as being a war supporter uh where he is, you know, tried to position himself and aligned with the uh MAGA America first we're not in favor of wars, right? But so go back. So, the people can see it comes so much out of the blue.

[00:14:52]Um uh and it feels like I don't know. This is it is weird. It's almost like a feigned masculinity or I don't know what. But uh let's go back.

[00:15:03]This war is not going your way. Wait, one more time. Not going Not going your way. Name one political concession. Name one political concession.

[00:15:10]Honestly, I'm not I'm not going to have this guy in my Everybody Everybody hang Hang tight, okay?

[00:15:15]No, everybody calm down, okay? You're 48.

[00:15:18]>> We're having a debate. You can respond to the points that he's making.

[00:15:21]>> name a political concession that we've gotten We are We are a flashback to the the war the skinheads had in my studio.

[00:15:27]>> be mad if I had I would be mad if I had to defend We get it. You have divorced parents. We have a very simple We have a very simple goal.

[00:15:34]To keep terrorists and a terrorist regime from having a nuclear weapon that can threaten the United States, our interests in the region, our allies in Europe, anybody else in the >> They can't answer the question. That is That is a I would get mad, too. All right, we're going to leave it there, guys. Next for us, the [laughter] president suggests I mean, you Here's the weird part about that. Let's just go one more time back to just the moment because the the funny part is is like first he tries to play tough with I'm sorry. Like when you're 48 and you got like this 22-year-old or 24-year-old and granted he's incredibly intelligent.

[00:16:10]He's very well-spoken. He has a lot of poise.

[00:16:13]You turn to him and you try and intimidate him by getting your hand out of my face.

[00:16:19]>> [laughter] >> And then you turn to mom and you're like, "Hey, Johnny was He put his hand in my face. He started it.

[00:16:27]Come on." He started it, Terry. It's such A BABY. [laughter] OWN UP TO IT. DON'T turn away from him.

[00:16:34]Also, isn't this If you're going to be a tough guy, Yeah. you hang in there. YOU DON'T GO RUNNING TO THE TEACHER.

[00:16:41]YOUR WHOLE JOB IS to be the in-house eater. That's the whole job you have is to represent the Trump administration in each on CNN.

[00:16:49]>> He goes from scuff to anger to like tattletale mode in about 20 seconds.

[00:16:54]>> watch it one more time.

[00:16:56]when you said we were weeks away from it. Now, you're making condescending remarks because you can't defend the fact that this war is not going your way. Wait, one more time. Not going Not going Name one political concession.

[00:17:05]Name one political [laughter] concession. Honestly, I'm not I'm not going to have this guy in my Everybody Everybody hang Hang tight, okay?

[00:17:11]Honestly. Honestly. I I honestly. If that's not a perfect representation of a conservative man. Oh, totally.

[00:17:18]>> [laughter] >> 100%.

[00:17:19]>> That is just perfect.

[00:17:21]What a baby.

[00:17:23]What a baby. You you lost your cool to say the F word on TV [laughter] to a kid half your age.

[00:17:31]>> Yeah.

[00:17:33]>> [laughter] >> He's the most composed conservative in media right now. Exactly.

[00:17:39]Well, congratulations to Mockler. That's pretty impressive. I like that. I mean, uh I you can trigger these people, but they generally would stay stay like they they wouldn't do that until after until till break. No. Uh No.

[00:17:56]You know, what's also interesting, I don't think they'd fire him at this point, but you know, it was uh I had heard that they wanted to get rid of Jennings a while back, but they had him under contract. And um you know, I don't think you can get away with saying that on on TV if you're if they want to fire him, they'll fire him now.

[00:18:19]I also just learned from that Ryan Grim debate he did with Scott Jennings that Scott's got a radio show on Salem Media.

[00:18:26]Salem Media is a Christian radio media group. And I think those internet rumors are not in uh congruence with the what they're trying to do.

[00:18:35]>> No. Oh, I'm sure. I'm sure. And I I think New York values.

[00:18:39]>> Yeah. E- Exactly. Well, San Francisco values, New York values. But look, um Uh yeah, they're all on Salem Media.

[00:18:48]They It's all like a big slush fund for these guys. But uh congratulations to Mockler. I thought that was quite impressive. And it's nice to see somebody have a breakdown on television and uh then go crying to the host like, "He put his hand near my face."

[00:19:04]>> Honestly, I'm not going to put up with it.

[00:19:06]>> [laughter] >> Uh folks, in a moment we're going to be talking to Jeet Heer, national affairs correspondent for The Nation and host of the weekly Nation podcast Time Monsters.

[00:19:16]AND THEN AFTER THAT, bonus guest represent Representative Greg Casar, uh congressman for 35th District of Texas, and chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

[00:19:31]Uh just a reminder. Oh, and we've got a couple words from our sponsor and then we'll be back with that.

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[00:25:49]Going to take a quick break. When we come back Jeet Heer, national affairs correspondent for The Nation and host of the weekly Nation podcast The Time of Monsters. And then after Jeet, representative Greg Casar, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Progressive Caucus. We'll be right back after this.

[00:26:07]We are back. Sam Seder, Emma Vigeland on The Majority Report. It is casual Friday, but nothing casual about our next guest. Or everything casual?

[00:26:17]Jeet Heer, national affairs correspondent for The Nation host of the weekly podcast The Time of Monsters.

[00:26:24]Certainly is Jeet. Welcome back to the program.

[00:26:29]Always great to be on, especially on May Day.

[00:26:33]Day that's very important for anyone on the left.

[00:26:37]Especially those of us who are increasingly hoping for a communist revolution to like >> [laughter] >> save this decrepit system from its destroying humanity. Well, we should we should note that like there there are actions happening all across the country. We'll have a better sense probably on Monday as to as to what took place or tomorrow, but we won't be on. But this is also a prelude I think to May Day 2028 which Shawn Fain had um had said you know, had called for a general strike on that day about a year a couple of years ago now.

[00:27:17]And so we'll we'll see.

[00:27:20]But let's let's talk about it's not just May Day, it also coincidentally was the 60th day in the War Powers clock, if you will.

[00:27:33]And the 60th day marks the day that the president needs authorization from Congress to continue waging war or engaging in hostilities, I think is the specific wording.

[00:27:50]And um it seems like we have not stopped engaging in hostilities, at least in terms of the blockade. But what's your what's your sense of what where we're at now? It's $50 incredibly unpopular.

[00:28:06]It's causing Scott Jennings to swear at teenagers on television practically.

[00:28:13]What's what's your sense of this? Well, I I I mean yeah, I think the Trump administration actually like said for administrative purposes the war is like over at day 60.

[00:28:26]And then I guess like so technically it's over and then they can restart the clock.

[00:28:33]Which I would speak to a little kind of like the larger problem, which is that there's been a total like disengagement of Congress. Which under the Constitution is the only like body that has the right to like declare war. But the war is and has actually the duty to also do oversight over the military, but which has been totally AWOL to use a military term.

[00:28:58]So yeah, I mean there's a lot of evidence that the the Trump has sort of trapped himself in a situation where he doesn't know what to do. The Iranian resistance has proven much stronger than they expected. CNN is is just reporting that like basically the majority of American military bases were rendered inoperable in the Middle East, which is an astonishing thing.

[00:29:24]And the Iran did a lot of damage.

[00:29:27]So usually in a situation like that, you would like try to not just have a ceasefire, but negotiate an end to war. But Trump is getting a lot of pressure both from the sort of usual military industrial blah blah lobby, but also I think pressure from his own ego. He's not someone who can ever admit defeat or, you know, and he's not actually someone who, despite the fact that he's most famous for writing a book called The Art of the Deal, has ever shown any evidence of knowing how to do diplomacy or to like engage in a deal. So, he's we're in a situation where it's a kind of you're trapped in a situation where like the war is going nowhere, but you can negotiate and I think that under that situation Trump is under a lot of pressure and uh to like, you know, uh it's like, you know, when you're when you're drunk, uh let's just take another, you know, shot of the a shot. So, he's going to and I I I I believe Senator Blumenthal was on CNN the other day saying like, you know, what he's hearing is that they're going to try for like another set of like, you know, like uh massive strikes and see if it'll work this time.

[00:30:40]Um which like, you know, one can never predict, but I you know, like it's not like they've ever gone easy on Iran before.

[00:30:48]They have massive air power superiority.

[00:30:50]It hasn't worked for the for reasons, you know, you guys have amply discussed on the show with Professor Pape. You know, like air power can't do what they actually want to achieve, which is regime change.

[00:31:03]Nor are they willing to to do the other option, which is you have to sit down on the table with Iran in an honest way and like, you know, like make some concessions, which Trump is not willing to do. So, I really it's all it is like I think Pape's analysis of the escalation trap is basically right. They've gotten in a situation where the the only option that they can foresee is like, you know, going back to the well of like bombing again and I think that it's going to be a disaster. The you know, the I guess the real calculation is how much pressure does Trump feel to where he um he's willing to sort of just like apply his capacity for delusion upon whether he is exiting with, you know, a victory.

[00:31:56]And and you know, like like I I heard this story via someone from ABC about when, you know, Stormy he wanted Stormy Daniels on on the on the on the The Apprentice and he kept bringing up kept bringing it up and finally the executives handed him a piece of paper that showed a number as to what they would lose in terms of advertising if they had her on.

[00:32:26]And he looked at it, he crumpled it up and never brought it up again because the number was enough out of his pocket.

[00:32:33]And we'll we'll probably play this later in the program, but I'm thinking like Pat Ryan questioning Pete Hegseth about about an attack on one of the the bases where Hegseth had, you know, sent a I think it was a small squad there and they they said, "We have no protection from drone attacks." And six military personnel died. You know, Benghazi, I think there were less people died in Benghazi and that was a narrative for a half a dozen years and probably ultimately led to, you know, in part Clinton losing that 2016 election because of the emails and blah blah blah. I mean, so there's a lot of liability here for for Trump. Just, you know, and never mind what's happening with the oil prices.

[00:33:29]But I guess it really just comes down to how much pressure if he's sensitive to that those various pressures and I feel like the stock market he's, you know, No, he is he he does seem to care about the stock market and we saw that with the the terror stuff. But on the other hand, there's ways in which he's kind of disengaged from a lot of these pressures because, you know, like realistically he can't really run again.

[00:33:56]How how vested is he in like the Republican Party as like a wider project?

[00:34:02]A lot of what we're seeing in the second term is he is kind of like entering into the mind palace of his delusions, you know? He's like, you know, wants to build a ballroom. Like like like, you know, we're dealing with a guy who like had a perfect situation where he wanted to, you know, like become the glorious Napoleon where, you know, like there's another assassination attempt, he could have used it as a Reichstag moment to like really go whole hog and like the the talking point that was coming out of that night from both himself and all his little minions was, "Well, let's build a ballroom, you know?" Like our glorious leader was nearly killed and he also wants to build us amazingly, I think it's it's very indicative. He wants to build like a triumphal arch in the middle of Washington, D.C. that will like obstruct the view of the Lincoln Memorial.

[00:34:50]Like, you know, usually like you build an arch like if you're Julius Caesar or Napoleon after you've received a lot of military victories.

[00:34:59]And and the most amazing thing is that the US is, I think, like, you know, not like those other empires like has repeatedly suffered like military loss in the 21st century and you're building an arch.

[00:35:12]So, I feel like the element of delusion, the degree to which this guy is caught up in his own mind palace. Now, I know, I mean, cuz it has been reported that the Pentagon has kind of gamed up what would happen if we just like declared victory and then, you know, like bugged out, and which I think is in some ways the best solution, but I mean, the element is is Iran, right?

[00:35:36]Like they'll still control the Strait of Hormuz.

[00:35:40]They will get concessions one way or the other. They're either going to get sanction relief or they'll be able to make up by, you know, being the gatekeepers of Hormuz and getting income that way. So, like to what realistic degree he can claim victory, especially when there's still this like massive, you know, he has no popular base, but there's a massive military-industrial complex in Washington that will, like, you know, say like, you know, you chickened out.

[00:36:06]You you you're you're not the man you think you are.

[00:36:09]Well, I mean, look at what has sustained his attention. The ballroom, the archway, James Comey. Now, they're going for a second bite of the apple with Todd Blanche. Like revenge and pageantry and corruption. That's it. Yeah. From an agenda perspective, like the Republicans got a lot of what they wanted with the big ugly ass bill, but he doesn't have the stamina or the fortitude even from their perspective to force to see policy objectives through.

[00:36:42]He's not motivated by that. He's motivated by his delusions and his grievances and so they're breaking a lot of crap right now, but you know, what comes next after the midterms? It's I mean, it's lame duck territory for quite a while at this point.

[00:37:00]Yeah, yeah. No, I mean, it just feel like a sort of, you know, Louis the 14th, you know, after after moi le deluge, after me the flood, you know, like let's [laughter] just let's just like, you know, enjoy all the grievances, you know, punish all the enemies, build all the monuments, you know, turn Washington, D.C. They should just rename it Trump land. Just rename it Trump Oh, he's putting he's putting out like his picture on passports.

[00:37:28]I mean, I have to say like there's the the idea that he's deluded in making an arc Trump-if or whatever it is going to be.

[00:37:40]>> [laughter] >> I mean, there's a logic to it in that like he understands. I mean, look we had statues that were put up in the 1920s to Confederate heroes that had nothing to do with the Confederacy, had to do with the reemergence of the KKK and or to the extent that it did have anything to do with the Confederacy, it was just simply we want to reassert racism. Um he builds that you know, if he builds an arch, they're not going to nobody's going to tear it down. And it's going to be up there and they'll rename it maybe, you know, like Union Square or something like that. But um Can't you tear it down? Well, you could. I would hope I think the demos should run on tearing it down.

[00:38:27]>> I definitely think so. I mean, Trump has torn down parts of the White House. From his perspective, he knows you put up a building more often than not it stays up there.

[00:38:35]And No, no, no, no, exactly. Exactly. I I think that is the sort of legacy building thing that he's going to do.

[00:38:41]And the other aspect I want to say is like, you know, you would normally think like you uh someone like him should worry about democratic accountability and elections, but, you know, like with the voting rights act, you know, being gutted, and this increasing push towards gerrymandering, well, like, you know, you're basically going to get a situation where there will only be a handful of like congressional seats that are really contestable. Right.

[00:39:03]I think he's going to start to build a kind of like bullwark of power for himself and it is like I mean, I think the Confederacy analogy is good. Like you you you kind of will lose the war, but you still proclaim yourself the winner and you embed yourself in power undemocratic power for decades. Well, I mean, I think I mean, I think like I but I also think like I think at this point he doesn't care. Like I don't think he cares. I think you're right. He doesn't care about the Republican Party at the at the end of the day. He doesn't care. I mean, I think he realizes like, "I'm on my way out.

[00:39:39]They're starting to be like some stirrings about him thinking that if he increases um Rubio's status that he and Vance will cross each other out and then maybe Trump Jr. can get the primary win.

[00:39:54]I'm starting to read those rumors, but I think from Trump's perspective like he has made 3 billion dollars minimum in a year and a half and his kids are all set up with billions of like government contracts.

[00:40:12]God knows what they've gotten from the the Saudis or UAE or whomever it is in terms of like long-term finance and he's just walking away going like, you know, what more could I ask for?

[00:40:27]You know, I have a couple of statues that I built about me and the ballroom will be there and through the next 200 years it'll be that's the ballroom Trump built and >> His face is on passports now and >> That's yeah, that's what I was going to say. And And sorry.

[00:40:44]And so I I think he's like mission accomplished from his perspective, but the one interesting thing is it seems to me in terms of Iran just to get back to that and then I want to pivot to something else.

[00:40:57]If he the if he can't declare victory regardless of the situation and be told oil prices will come down.

[00:41:07]Like that's the problem, right? Is like >> Yeah.

[00:41:11]He he's asking people who and I actually think that like if he was to declare victory and go away Iran would work out some deal where oil can flow. It'll be a little more expensive because that's the way they're going to make their money. Yeah.

[00:41:28]Uh But I think if he's being told by his military personnel cuz we saw people like Mattis and I can't remember who else it was a couple of weeks ago come out and say like Iran's going to control the Strait of Hormuz after this and we cannot allow that to happen because they will, you know, choke oil supplies. He sees surrounded even you know, someone like Mattis who's outside of that circle right now but within the defense industry circles I would imagine is going like oil prices are not going to drop. You can't solve this by just walking away even though you think you can from a public opinion standpoint if gas prices are still at $6 a gallon, you're screwed.

[00:42:08]That's where that's where he's stuck and that is a scary prospect.

[00:42:14]>> he's exactly stuck and what I worry about is I think that there's enough people that sort of Pete Hegseth types who also share the same sort of, you know, masculine, you know, like you you can never surrender, you can never negotiate. You have to have like total victory.

[00:42:30]There's enough thinking like that and especially since they're purging the military of anyone who like disagrees with that thinking.

[00:42:39]I think it's just actually a fairly dangerous situation since Trump doesn't feel like he's being held in check. And I mean I mentioned this point earlier. I think the fact that there's no congressional check on this war makes things much more dangerous. Now I know they had hearings earlier where there was some pretty sharp questioning of Hegseth in terms of the cost of the war, but I mean basically the Republicans are still like all online Totally. for this.

[00:43:05]They could cut off funding tomorrow if they wanted.

[00:43:07]>> Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But they won't.

[00:43:09]They they they won't. No, no. Exactly.

[00:43:11]And I I don't see quite the level of, you know, like I mean the there's more opposition from the Democrats than they have been for other wars, but I mean I still it's it's not quite there in terms of, you know, when you consider how unpopular the war is and how much a disaster it's been and what a bad situation it actually the US is actually facing.

[00:43:35]I mean the only other check I can think of since you mentioned, you know, all the corruption like Dubai is hurting a lot, right?

[00:43:41]So the UAE and they're still they're like Israel.

[00:43:45]They're like like, you know, they're pushing for like let's have a total victory. But like if they get like seriously damaged and I think it's a very fragile society, frankly.

[00:43:56]I think that could be actually a check cuz those are the money guys. Those guys are the funding all this. Yeah.

[00:44:02]You know, but other than that like there's not a lot of checks and I you know, like what is when hearing from like, you know, Republicans is like, oh, you know, like the all price is a sacrifice we have to make because, you know, And that's what Hegseth said.

[00:44:15]Hegseth said, you know, like of course the war is costing money, but you know, like we have to prevent a nuclear Iran and anything is worth it. So >> Nobody buys it though. Nobody buys Yeah, yeah. Nobody buys it. So that cost on the the oil is going to be that much more exponential in terms of like voting, but Yeah, I know I know I know.

[00:44:34]I mean I think it's an electoral disaster.

[00:44:37]But Hegseth obviously doesn't care about that. At the end of the day like Hegseth has got the job that he never could have possibly dreamed having if he has is a rational human being in any shape or form.

[00:44:48]He knows like this is going to set him up. Every day that he's in office is just like one more, I don't know, is you know, $15,000 more on his annual salary as a as a defense contracting lobbyist or or on the board or whatever it is. And so this is it. He's hanging on for dearer life. He doesn't care about the midterms either.

[00:45:11]You know, it's he's going to get grilled, but that's okay. He'll he'll end up he's just like trying to stay on the island one more day and every day that's it. He's trying to stay on the island and that's it. No, exactly. And if you think about like obviously for the broader economy the war is a disaster, but like there's a subset, you know, and this there's a reason why the stock market's been doing well and like when defense stocks are doing well. Like actually, you know, like the economy is like not just one thing. Like, you know, like obviously for ordinary people there's incredible economic pessimism. Like more than there has been since 2008. Like in terms of like, you know, things are going down the toilet. But like if you're a defense contractor, these are the good times. Like the Pentagon is going to have a you know, like the the trillion and a half like budget.

[00:45:57]Like that's like, you know, let the good times roll, buddy. Like so yeah, I think for the people who can profit from it, the Trump family, you know, like the cabinet, this is the best time ever, you know?

[00:46:13]And they're doing like stuff that like, you know, from any rational political perspective is insane. Like the US is currently like not bailing out UAE. We're bailing out Dubai. Right.

[00:46:22]Yeah. Yeah, yeah, UAE. Sorry. UAE.

[00:46:25]Like like like like like like like like like like like with uh credit swaps. Like like America first.

[00:46:31]Yeah, yeah. Exactly. Like like like from any you know, like I think they're helped by the fact that there's a weak opposition because I I tell you if I were a politician, like I'm going to be screaming at the fact that yeah, you're Okay, let's let's let's pivot to this. Yeah, yeah. Because you while you're bailing out this like corrupt monarchy that, you know, like is like of tax cheats. Like why are you doing this? It it Let's also just be clear here.

[00:47:00]Chuck Schumer has been so slow to even verbalize a and I don't think he he means it, but he feels he has to verbalize an opposition to this war. I mean, he was, you know, cutting videos complaining about side deals with Iran to avoid war six months ago or whenever it was and the there is a an intense failure to capitalize on these things. I think in part because of an ambivalence in the leadership to against you know, I think you know, Chuck Schumer's made it quite clear.

[00:47:42]His agenda is to defend Israel and Israel obviously wants full engagement in this Iran war from America.

[00:47:53]But Chuck Schumer's had a tough week this week and the the the sort of like the And this dovetails into a lot of like stories that are going on in terms of the Democrats. This week Ken Martin went on Pod Save maybe it was at the beginning of and the last week to ostensibly defend not releasing the 2024 Democratic autopsy which before we even assess what he did on that podcast shows the absolute failure of understanding politics that in 2026 mid-2026 we're talking about that. Like that thing could have said, we need to we need to fire every single Democrat who is, you know, in any position of power and it's if it had been released a year ago, we would not be even talking about it anymore. Right. And but he has managed he's a managed to make this a story.

[00:48:58]Meanwhile, Chuck Schumer has recruited Janet Mills to run for in in Maine and it was so poorly executed, contemplated performed like uh she's dropped out of the race now and um Well, well, I would say Jenny Mill is Schumer's Iran war. Like like it's just a totally misconceived battle with an army that like is not up for the job and you know, like it ends in disaster, but because the leadership both Trump and Schumer are like their grandfather did, they're going to keep in power despite making disastrous decisions. And we're going to see that, too, I think with Haley Stevens. I mean, it may not end up being the candidate of my choice, but it's not going to be the candidate of Chuck Schumer's choice. And theoretically, I mean, I have the glasses, but he's the one who's you know got the power theoretically in the Democratic Party.

[00:50:05]So >> Yeah. Well, no, no.

[00:50:07]I mean, I mean, on Emma's point about the strikes and effect, I mean, you're actually seeing like a kind of series of strikes and effects because I mean, they keep they had mail and they kept on attacking Platner.

[00:50:19]For all of that, that actually like makes Platner popular. Like like say like, this guy is like, you know, has a questionable background and record and stuff like that. But I mean, it's all feeding into Platner saying, I'm an outsider. I'm not the one Chuck Schumer wants, right? And the the same strikes and effect is happening with the DNC report. It's also happening with like, you know, like despite they're not Congress is not willing to like do any sorts of checks and balances on like a disastrous war that could upend the world economy, but they are fighting a battle with their real enemy, Hasan Well, [laughter] that's the other thing.

[00:50:57]Like And I have to say like if you actually have a congressional like say statement condemning Hasan like that's only going to make him stronger, right? You're Just quickly. Yeah, the Atlantic Prem Thakker was the tail pointed this out that the Atlantic had previously The Atlantic has run five articles in the past two weeks on Hasan And they are absolutely And doesn't Thakker also like list all the things that they have not written about?

[00:51:23]>> Yes, exactly. Exactly. Like Hind Rajab, the killing of journalists in Gaza, zero stories about Israel's attacks on healthcare workers, but there's this all out blitz on Hasan. I have to say that list because he didn't actually have it on that list. But the Atlantic has not published one article about the scandal of Israeli prisons where we know it's been well documented there are prisoners who have been like raped and killed in those prisons.

[00:51:48]And I think that's particularly striking because the editor of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, not only served in the IDF, but served as a prison guard. So so you have this magazine which has like a former Israeli prison guard at a time where Israeli prisons military prisons are a huge subject of scandal and they have not ever ever covered that.

[00:52:11]This is what I find fascinating. And let's let's put up this this tweet by A Glesias because this is all part of a whole.

[00:52:19]In in the wake of Mills dropping out and and I'm not you know I'm citing this only because A Glesias where he stands within that that sort of like ecosystem of of of those people who are demonizing or attempting to demonize Hasan and who are sort of like it all gets into sort of like almost this abundance fight and searchlight and all of these establishment Democratic corporate oriented market oriented Democrats who are seeing all of the sudden you know, it's been building, but a real flip in in what's been going on. And here's A Glesias goes he posts this he says, something you're seeing today, this is yesterday or maybe the day before, is that one of the signature characteristics of left insurgents is they are very graceless about winning. They got what they wanted in Maine, but instead of pivoting to bring people in and beat Susan Collins, they're doing ongoing factionalism. Now, we should say that Platner in his official statement, the first two lines or three lines or half paragraph was praising Mills. Yes. Mills refused to endorse Platner and and and and addressed like, you know, we'll we'll see. I've got, you know Never mind the whole Schumer not endorsing Mondaire, Jamaal Bowman really like I would say defaming Mondaire after the election. I mean, all of that >> And even how Platner ran, he ran against Collins from the beginning. It was not focused on Mills. He tried to create himself as the de facto general election candidate and it was correct it was the right strategy.

[00:54:10]>> But but I want you to just let's go back to this tweet and scroll down because this is this is the point that I'm [laughter] getting about that is like analogous to Hasan. No, no, no, put it put it on the screen, Brian.

[00:54:20]Okay, so all right, tweet scroll down cuz somebody says, you know, like keep going. Keep going. Where is it?

[00:54:29]Uh Maybe it's different on mine, but somebody says like, are you talking about a a random person or where was that?

[00:54:40]Shoot, it's on mine, but keep scrolling and see if it's there.

[00:54:45]Yeah, Rando, I think it is. Okay, here here it is. So somebody asked, good god, man, are you talking about the candidate's actual statement or randos on the internet? And he responds show replies, I think he says He says Rando. I I can't find it. But the point being is that A Glesias is putting this out there. It's completely not true.

[00:55:13]It's completely not true. It's absolutely absolutely exact opposite.

[00:55:16]Exact opposite.

[00:55:18]But he puts it out there because just like what we're seeing with the Hasan these centrist corporatists so-called moderates, you know, the non-ideological who in fact do have an ideology they are talking to an increasingly shrinking audience.

[00:55:41]And it is it's still effective on some level because part of their brand like I saw Ezra Klein talking about looking at a clip from Bernie Sanders where Bernie Sanders complaining about the incredible amounts of bureaucracy that have inhibited his Vermont community health things and trying to sort of suck that into abundance.

[00:56:06]Like like Yeah. Like changing the word of like, we need competence. Like there's nobody who's like, I'm pro-regulation for the sake of it. I mean, I've had these arguments like I'VE HAD THESE ARGUMENTS WITH libertarians for for years. It's like, I'm not anti-regulation or pro-regulation. I want good regulation.

[00:56:28]As if that is all of the sudden now branded as some type of ideology beyond like competency. There's a desperate attempt it's like almost like they're talking to an increasingly smaller group of people and it's just essentially people are going to pay them.

[00:56:44]It's fascinating.

[00:56:45]>> actually think like in some ways the mentally healthy thing for A Glesias and Klein to do would be to do what we're suggesting Trump do, which is which is actually I think what they're trying to do. They're trying to declare victory. Just say like, okay, yeah, it's true Platner won, it's true Mondaire won, but actually abundance is the real victor here. Let's declare victory and continue in our own like mind palace.

[00:57:10]They should build a triumphal arch in New York City to abundance.

[00:57:16]I don't see like almost I feel like we're time warped. Like like, you know, like abundance?

[00:57:22]>> [laughter] >> That seems like like another universe like compared to like what is actually going on in the world, but they still want to insist on their terms. So I say, you know, maybe the gracious thing to do is say, yes, build your triumphal arch and and pretend that you have won and let the rest of us go on with the real work of politics. Well, but the thing is I think this is I guess my point is that like you see this with, you know, I keep, you know, thinking about like when the Republicans in the wake of the the American Rescue Act in the first couple of months of the Biden administration, it passed. It was one of the biggest bills that had ever passed and it passed, you know, Democrats did it within like two or three months.

[00:58:05]And Republicans were in up in arms about two books of Dr. Seuss that were no longer being published. And that was like the only discourse and it worked for them, but it didn't work for anybody else and it sort of feels like that's what's happening with the these sort of like centrist people is that they're they are just trying to pretend like they're still in the game for the people who have paid them to be in the game.

[00:58:38]And it's interesting to see where that will go.

[00:58:42]Yeah, no, I mean, I mean, as you mentioned, it's a shrinking audience, but it's like, you know, if you have in some ways like having an audience of millions ordinary people is like less lucrative than having an audience of 10 guys all of whom are billionaires. Yes.

[00:58:57]Yes. [laughter] It's increasingly like both on the left and the right. I mean, that's also the Briar Wisp model, right? Like like you're you're you're going to shrink your audience, but it's going to be shrunk to the the the few people that actually own 80% of the economy. That's the K-shaped economy, frankly.

[00:59:15]I mean, within the context of media. Jeet here national affairs correspondent for The Nation, host of the Weekly Nation podcast The Time of Monsters. Always a pleasure. We'll talk to you again soon.

[00:59:28]It's always great to be on the program.

[00:59:29]And as I said, let's celebrate May Day and let's prepare for the general strike, which might be the only way like out of this mess. Yep, I agree.

[00:59:37]All right, we're going to take a quick break. When we come back, representative Greg Casar will be joining us. He is the congressperson 35th district in Texas and chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who have just or they have just come out with um their version of a 20 27 2029 um agenda for America um and we'll be talking to him about that. Right back after this.

[01:00:14]We are back. Sam Seder, Emma Vigland on The Majority Report. Pleasure to welcome back to the program representative Greg Casar. Casar, sorry. Uh representing the 35th District of Texas and of course the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Uh Congressman, um you have overseen over the past several months a um the I guess a uh the the creation of a policy agenda which um we can call a new contract with America or compact um but give us a sense of like what um before we get into the details what is the use case uh for this? Is this a um a blueprint for 2027, 2029 um for candidates to run on, to build unity within the Democratic Party all the above?

[01:01:14]Well, look, I'll want to take a step back for a second. We lost a devastating election here against Donald Trump and all sorts of people said okay, the Democratic Party needs to be the party of the working class again. And I'm saying and so many progressives are now saying, okay, let's actually do that. And so I went alongside other folks and traveled all across the country to areas represented by Democrats, to areas represented by Republicans, talked to lots of folks that used to vote Democratic but voted for Donald Trump this time and overwhelmingly heard that they want to see a Democratic Party that brings down costs, that makes sure that it's not just billionaires that take all of the wealth in this economy. And so this new affordability agenda or as you called it kind of the progressive contract with America are 10 bold policies supported not just by Democrats, but overwhelmingly supported by independent and Republican voters to take on special interests. And then you said, what's the use case? The use case is this kind of maybe an old-fashioned idea now to say we should campaign on saying we'll take on big pharma and drive down the prices of your medicine.

[01:02:29]We should campaign on saying we'll build millions of new homes and give you universal child care. Talk about that on the campaign trail this year. Hopefully win and then when Democrats are in the majority, actually vote on those policies and dare Donald Trump and his cronies to try to block them. So actually not just tell folks that we're the anti-Trump party. Of course we should oppose all the horrible crazy stuff he does, but then also tell people what we're actually for. And these are the kinds of policies that where progressives have been leading, but actually policies that are common sense across the American electorate and you can win on in any district in this country.

[01:03:10]The uh the thing that I was struck by the these policies and and and and I think we should touch on them um was slightly atypical from what we've seen in the past from the Congressional Progressive Caucus in that um Medicare for all in many respects is sort of like the We call it our flagship healthcare bill.

[01:03:38]Right, right. And but but it's not part of this agenda. And so what's >> our battleship kind of bills. Our flagship remain. Everybody knows our flagship bills. We still campaign on them. We're still going to keep pursuing Medicare for all. Uh but we need people are asking, okay, what are your new ideas? What is fresh? What can we go and talk about on the campaign trail that people haven't heard before to know that we're trying something different. And right now I smell blood in the water against some corporate interests in ways we have never I have never seen before.

[01:04:13]We still have significant opposition on things like Medicare for all, but I think we have a path right now to pass for example Jan Schakowsky's bill to start having the federal government manufacture our own generic prescription drugs, drastically crushing down the prices of prescription drugs. That kind of bill used to not have a path. But right now where voters are so upset about the increasing cost of healthcare I hear from my significantly more moderate colleagues that they are ready to get uninvited from some dinner parties and pass bills like this. So we should not pass up that opportunity. We should continue on our path towards Medicare for all, but let's take this opportunity to finally crack down on price gouging in utilities. Let's finally take this opportunity to crack down on big pharma. So we can continue to pursue Medicare for all and the Green New Deal. But if I put out that platform, put out that I'm still for that stuff, you guys may not have even had me on the show. It's not news. This is new fresh ideas that are battleships that we can actually pass next year while continuing to fight for our flagship bills. And do you have a a theory of change that is tied into going for stuff that is I mean I don't I wouldn't necessarily call like you know I mean I would love the government to be producing generic drugs. I mean we do it for the VA.

[01:05:35]I think it was you know a bill that was also introduced by Warren at one point or in the past. Um is there a theory of change in that if we get I mean it would be great to get 10 of 10, right? Of these policies. Um but if those are those more accomplishable mhm uh short-term, uh proposals are implemented do you have a sense that it makes those more sort of like out of reach or ones that have been out of reach more attainable because uh and if so because why?

[01:06:19]Yeah, so look, we have of course our slates of pro-immigrant rights bills. Of course I'm continue to be for reproductive freedom. Of course I continue to be for Medicare for all, but we continue to lose immigrant rights. We continue to lose our civil rights and our voting rights and abortion rights every single day that uh Democrats remain heavily unpopular amongst the electorate. Of course Trump's numbers are going down, but Democratic popularity has not gone up like it has in the past. If we want to continue to advance towards all of our goals we have to solve the fundamental central problem of Democrats earning people's trust as the party of working people again. How do we do that? Maybe we actually walk the walk instead of just talk the talk because what I'm worried about is that the establishment will just have us say the word affordability over and over again and then not do anything about it.

[01:07:18]And then if we take back the majority corporate forces are already saying that all we should do is Trump accountability. That's important work to do. But they don't want us to actually start to advance this kind of work that could make us the pro-working class party that gives us the kinds of majorities we need to deliver on Medicare for all.

[01:07:39]I mean I think I mean frankly I I mean I think it's a great strategy cuz there has been no Everybody's been waiting around for some like specific proposal.

[01:07:48]affordability generally.

[01:07:51]Um but also what what Zoran did as well was these programs that he was proposing as a as a way to to make things more affordable were very kind of specific and more universal. So that's I guess maybe just the one concern about Medicare for all or the Green New Deal being separated or segmented off it's because if the full Congressional Progressive Caucus can't get behind those proposals, um does that does that undercut the affordability agenda a little bit because there's a little bit of a schism cuz not every member of the CPC is on board with Medicare for all for example, right?

[01:08:26]Yeah, we're I think we're very very close on the full CPC being for Medicare for all. I don't have the exact number here for you. So the issue isn't the overwhelming number of us not being on the bill. The question is um we're going to we actually have it as an officially endorsed bill of the CPC. So we're for Medicare for all. The question is when we go and hit the campaign trail and I hear it everywhere I go. I was just in a union hall with a bunch of apprentices soon becoming plumbers and pipe fitters guys who said here in Texas literally and I quote, you know, I bore voted for this orange guy. I admit it.

[01:09:08]I'm already sick of him, but I don't think that you, meaning Democrats, have any plan to make sure I don't have to check my bank account when I'm at the grocery store to figure out if I can buy enough groceries. The Democratic Party is has not advanced that plan. We're saying, here's the bill. Here's the bill to crack down on price gouging at the grocery store and crack down on how big ag screws over small farmers on patents to lower the cost of growing food, lower the cost of food at the grocery store. Here's something anyone can go campaign on no matter how red your district is cuz it has like 75% support across the country.

[01:09:44]We don't have We didn't have that and now we are putting that forward to say here's a bill on housing, here's a bill on utilities, here's a bill on groceries so that we have something to go and talk to everyday people about because we need those voters trust and support if we ever want to get anything done.

[01:10:01]I I I think it you know like to get more concrete on that dynamic that this is stepping outside of and trying to build coalitions outside of the Congressional Progressive Caucus as a way of basically positioning that Caucus as a leader in legislative victories.

[01:10:21]Uh And now Josh Riley was involved in this.

[01:10:24]He is Congressperson from the 19th District in New York. I'm very familiar with that district. I'm not He's taken a lot of votes I don't care for frankly but he's developed one of these proposals alongside with you. Talk about that and what like what your hopes are. I mean A it's the Congressional Progressive Caucus putting out legislation and bills that will function both as a as from a campaign perspective but also in terms of like a deliverable expect uh what that does in terms of shifting a guy like Riley to the left in a district that is you know it's a weird shaped district now and it's it's changed over years.

[01:11:16]>> one of the most conservative districts held by a Democrat in the country right now. Of course it has some very many very progressive voters in it but it is a it's one of the most expensive districts to win in the country and you have Congressman Josh Riley not just supporting the bill to crack down on the insane profits that these corporations are making on our utility bills. He's co-authored the bill with me. And we should take him up on that offer. That's a good thing.

[01:11:49]Right now let me just rant about your utility bill for a second. If you are in most parts of the country you have a for-profit utility monopoly.

[01:11:59]Places where they are now charging about 20 or 25% of your bill goes just to their profits. We will hear them on their earnings calls laughing about being able to take out money at 4.5% interest and then invest it in these corporations and get 10 11% return on it their equity. They think it's hilarious.

[01:12:19]It's insane.

[01:12:20]The fact that you have one moderate or conservative district Democrats now willing to author these kinds of bills means we should try and fight to pass them because I agree with Mayor Mamdani that the time for moral victories is behind us. We need to get actual victories across the finish line and instead of we need to continue to fight for a big bold vision in the future but if there are some decently bold real things we can get passed, let's fight for those and dare Donald Trump to try to veto them because right now I know there are folks like Josh Hawley on the Republican side who are trying to claim that populist mantle and I think we're in a for a real world of hurt if we don't get the Democratic Party to start being the anti-big corporation party and the populist party before folks like Hawley start running for president next. And I mean there's a lot of really great stuff in here. We've touched on some of it but what sticks out to me is you know child care proposals under $10 a day for for most families.

[01:13:24]Uh Also building on I think what was a bit of a weakness with the Kamala Harris campaign where you know first time home owner down payment assistance is something she proposed but rental assistance wasn't put to the forefront and for a lot of people that are under the age of 40, I mean we're just renters. We have the idea of home owner assistance or home buying assistance seems silly at this point. Like I mean if you could expand a little bit more on you know the child care and the the housing policies because those are things I think that really impact core constituency that the Democrats need to win back trust with.

[01:14:05]Child care and housing are the two things I hear about the most at home that I hear sometimes the least about in Washington D.C. And in the case of those two proposals and those two bills just a any kind of increased tax on millionaires or billionaires or wealth tax could easily fund a massive expansion of both the construction of housing both market rate and low lower income and middle class housing to drive down housing costs and rental assistance so that folks can afford a place to live.

[01:14:41]We can also have AOC's child care bill that gives most families $10 a day child care and for all families no more than 7% of your income on child care. And as you guys know that is a world of difference for people cuz most people if child care is like a whole another mortgage payment or whole another rental payment. As the dad now of a 6-month-old man it really changes your budget and changes the conversation people have about having a second or third kid. And so those are on the table and then I know our time is short to make it all stick. Critically we also have banning super PACs. Basically a legislative fix to Citizens United or at least a way to fix most of it so that we can actually get more of this big money out of politics because corporations buying up our elections and buying policies for themselves is probably the biggest contributor to what is making things so much more expensive.

[01:15:39]I one of the things I like and I know you just have a couple minutes left here that I like about this both from an electoral standpoint and in terms of like um like formulating a Democratic Party in the future is the idea of pointing out various villains who you know from a narrative standpoint as to like you know who are responsible for rising drug prices, rising housing costs etc. etc. Um what can people do who want to promote this like what what can we as average just voters and people who want to see lower prescription drugs uh want to see lower housing costs, want to see child care relief.

[01:16:33]What can we do to promote this? Is this something that we can like what what do you hope happens in terms of way people hear this?

[01:16:42]We've announced these sets of bills.

[01:16:44]Many of them are brand new bills just now being filed. Like that bill to crack down on the for-profit utility companies we just filed that the day before yesterday. The bill to make overtime pay instead of time and a half pay double time updating that rule for the first time in 90 years. That bill we're going to file here in the coming days. So these are going to be brand new bills with just a few sponsors. This is a great opportunity for folks watching at home. When you look up this set of bills call your Congressperson Republican or Democratic. Tell them to get on the bill. These are bills supported by the overwhelming number of voters and so let's add up the number of people supporting these fresh newer ideas and bills so that we can get them passed if Democrats take back the house. Also this summer is a key time to get involved in elections cuz this is the primary this is primary election season.

[01:17:36]People forget this. In November we decide whether it's Democrats or Republicans in charge but in the summertime primaries we decide who the Democrats are. And so in these primary elections a great time to make sure your members are for these sorts of bills or the kinds of candidates you support are for these kinds of ideas to take on corporate greed rather than say what you know was infamously said on the campaign trail last year you know nothing will fundamentally change and that's just not what folks are looking for anymore. Is there a site where we can go to see a list of these bills and so that we >> Oh yeah.

[01:18:10]We'll we'll we'll post up the list now that you asked. We've got good graphics on it but you'll start seeing the specific list of bills. You can follow my social media which is at Rep. Casar and we'll regularly be posting those bills up there for folks to check out. All right great. So we will put a link to that your handle and so that folks can look up these bills and then call their local Congress people and say sign on and get on board and let's do this.

[01:18:42]Representative Casar thank you so much for your time today. Really appreciate it.

[01:18:46]Thanks to you both. Bye. Thanks so much.

[01:18:48]All right folks.

[01:18:50]That does it for us.

[01:18:52]At least for the free half of the show. We're going to head into the fun half of the show.

[01:18:59]We have a lot of fun stuff today. I don't know if we're going to get to it all.

[01:19:03]We're going to see Pete Hegseth roasted.

[01:19:07]We're going to see um Tim Pool maybe tripped up by his own co-host. Hoisted on his own petard.

[01:19:16]>> Again? Yes. Haven't we done this before?

[01:19:19]>> It's amazing. That's all that show is now. Uh it really is. Something's going on there.

[01:19:24]And oh, also we should tell you that apparently uh Matt's doing like a show Oh, is it going to be right after this?

[01:19:32]Yeah, 3:00. Oh, okay. Well, at least it's not going to happen right during it. Um just a reminder it's your support that makes the show possible. You can become a member at join them majorityreport.com. Also, don't forget justcoffee.coop fair trade coffee, hot chocolate. Use the coupon code majority to get 10% off.

[01:19:49]In 93 minutes this is happening. Uh yep, Jacobin show going to be live right after the graphic live streaming it. Um the Mayday live stream. We're going to have Mickey you tricked. Why is Why is he so much bigger than you? Because he's the main host.

[01:20:06]>> Yeah. Okay.

[01:20:07]>> Matt's in the background. What? But he's not in the background. He's in the foreground.

[01:20:10]>> but smaller, yeah. It's I I said in my contract I need to be up front.

[01:20:15]Up [laughter] front, but smaller. Yeah.

[01:20:17]Don't make my head so big. Uh Megan Day uh is Joshie and uh Ed from the Philly Whole Foods Union uh talking about Mayday and what's funny clips um and also Michael O'Neil Burns uh talking about the IDW and stuff like that. So, uh check that out at 3:00 this afternoon. Wow, this is um just got an IM from California Resistance. Sam Fubar found mint copy of Fubar for $2 at the Palm Springs Library book sale. The cover has a Costco sticker price of oh, of $13.99. I thought it was a $1.99. I was going to say it's it's actually increasing in value.

[01:20:54]But it's it's actually doing the opposite.

[01:20:56]>> a little bit. It's a drop. It's dropped a little bit.

[01:21:00]From $13.99 to $2? Well, I mean And then if you adjust that for inflation, it's like a 600%. Yeah. We don't even need to use Trump math.

[01:21:09]>> [laughter] >> It's already in the hundreds in percentage. Folks, see you in the final Mhm.