Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Joins Us In Studio! — MR Live

[0:02] The Majority Report with Sam Cedar. [0:06] The destiny of America is always safer in the hands of the people than in the conference rooms of any elite. [0:12] Sam Cedar. [0:14] They are unanimous in their hate for me, and I welcome their hatred. [0:20] We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. [0:26] The Majority Report with Sam Cedar. [0:31] If I get the feeling you've been cheated. [0:35] It is Thursday, July 30th, 2026. [0:46] My name is Emma Vigeland, in for Sam Cedar, and this is the five-time award-winning Majority Report. [0:52] We are broadcasting live, steps, from the industrially ravaged Gowanus Canal in the heartland of America, downtown Brooklyn, USA. [1:02] On the program today, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. Congresswoman representing New York's 14th District, will join us in studio today. [1:15] Also on the program, after rage-quitting politics and saying he wants to form a third party, Elon Musk is back home as a Republican megadonor, reviving his super PAC for the midterms. [1:32] Trump's going to need it. [1:33] A new CNN poll has him at a 34% approval rating, matching his all-time low, which happened after January 6th. [1:45] And on the Iran war, an AP poll finds that two-thirds of U.S. adults say the war has not been worthwhile. [1:53] Not that I care. [1:54] Trump has renewed strikes against Iran after they bombed a U.S. base in Jordan, escalating the war again. [2:05] Iran says a couple and their two-year-old child were killed. [2:10] U.S. intelligence assesses that the new Ayatollah is far more likely to pursue a nuclear weapon than the father who Trump killed. [2:22] Because they were pursuing a nuclear weapon, they say. [2:26] It's insane. [2:27] Netanyahu scolded J.D. Vance in Washington over his public criticisms of the Israeli war strategy. [2:41] Second quarter numbers show the U.S. economy shrunk in large part due to the Iran war. [2:48] The Republican ACA cuts are making themselves felt. [2:51] Earnings reports from hospitals show a spike in uninsured patients, 20% in some cases. [3:00] Obamacare enrollment is down 13% this year. [3:03] In the West Bank, the U.N. warns that settler violence has hit an all-time high. [3:12] And lastly, the Senate unanimously passes a resolution registering their opposition to a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell. [3:20] What do they know? [3:21] All this and more on today's Majority Report. [3:26] Welcome to the show, everybody. [3:28] It is an E-Majority Report Thursday, and I had to—I got lipstick on my teeth. [3:35] Again, this lipstick is driving me nuts, but, you know, I'll figure it out. [3:41] This—I wanted to end this period of an extended E-Majority Report by having a great guest in studio. [3:50] So we have Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez coming in. [3:53] But let's start here, because Netanyahu was in town for Lindsey Graham's funeral, and shortly after that meeting, Iran launched an attempted surprise ballistic missile attack going after U.S. forces in Jordan. [4:16] Now, this is significant, doing it after the meeting with Netanyahu, and what Iran seems to be trying to show is that, yeah, we can hit your bases in Jordan. [4:31] The Qatari and Bahrain bases, where the U.S. forces are stationed, have been damaged severely by Iranian strikes. [4:44] And so when they show that they can hit Jordan, they are trying also to get the U.S. to retreat further back. [4:50] And it's also a message, really, about their capacity to hit Israel. [4:54] And Netanyahu wants nothing more than for this war to continue. [5:02] And part of the opposition to it is that people are pretty disgusted in this country about the genocide that has been committed with our tax dollars. [5:12] I liked how Daria Lisa Avilia-Chervalet referred to it as a moral injury on behalf of the American people, that our tax dollars are going to this. [5:21] And there was a YouGov poll that came out, this is number three, Matt, just before we play this clip here, showing that Americans now believe that Israel is committing genocide in Palestine by a plus 19 margin, 43 to 24 percent there. [5:45] And that includes 22 percent of Trump voters. [5:52] So Benjamin Netanyahu is worried about that public perception. [5:57] And here he is doing his media tour while he was in town for the funeral of one of the most vile people to ever sit in the United States Senate. [6:09] Here he is talking about the concept of genocide and recognizing that public opinion has shifted in the United States. [6:18] But doesn't it go beyond social media because you have genocide scholars, you have humanitarian groups, the United Nations who have all said that Israel has committed war crimes. [6:28] So would you say that you bear any responsibility? [6:31] Not for war crimes. [6:32] I think that's hogwash. [6:33] I mean, they say genocide, right? [6:36] OK, well, first of all, who says genocide? [6:40] The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court who came up with this. [6:46] Genocide is the attempt to wipe out a people, the actual attempt and plan to wipe out a people and the actual action that you do. [6:57] In Gaza, they accuse us of genocide. [7:00] We sent millions of text messages and millions of phone calls and millions of leaflets telling Palestinians, civilians, get out of harm's way so that we can take out the Hamas terrorists who are embedded in your schools, your hospitals, your communities. [7:18] Hamas stopped the civilians from leaving at gunpoint. [7:22] Clearly, and that's how we got civilian casualties that eventually went down, I'm happy to say. [7:27] Why did we? [7:28] When he says get out of harm's way, does he mean, is that what he means by Palestine? [7:32] Right, right. [7:33] We sent leaflets before we blew up a school. [7:35] Do that. [7:36] If we had this genocidal intent, we obviously didn't. [7:40] It's the exact opposite. [7:41] The genocidal intent. [7:42] Okay, I'm sorry. [7:43] But Yoav Gallant, who also has an ICC warrant out for his arrest, said that we are fighting human animals the immediate day after. [7:52] So there are countless, countless compilations of genocidal intent. [7:56] Not that we need to tell this audience that, but continue. [7:58] If we had this genocidal intent, we obviously didn't. [8:03] It's the exact opposite. [8:05] The genocidal intent was Hamas. [8:08] They wanted those civilians killed so they can go on TV or go to the international, the corrupt international criminal court and accuse us of war crimes. [8:17] But that's not us. [8:18] We value every civilian life. [8:20] Every civilian life lost is a tragedy. [8:23] And we'll do, you know, so far, we've incurred a lot fewer civilians to combatants lost than just about in any urban warfare in modern times. [8:34] If you feel that what's happening in Gaza is being misrepresented, why not allow journalists in independent of Israeli forces? [8:41] Yeah, we do, I think, sometimes. [8:42] But the problem there is it's a war zone. [8:44] And then we kill them. [8:45] It's still right. [8:46] Right. [8:46] We'll kill them. [8:47] Some will say that they're Hamas. [8:48] I mean, do we even need to hear any more of this? [8:51] You know, but the fact that he's been on this media tour, it's been notable. [8:55] It's been Fox News on the weekends. [8:57] It's been this way for the past few months because there is a recognition about what is coming with the midterms and that they may actually have some sort of curb on the endless blank check that we give to Israel for their war crimes. [9:13] So fascinating to see him a little bit on the back foot. [9:18] But I do have flashbacks to Biden and their stern talks all the time when I hear this reporting about J.D. Vance and him having these difficult conversations. [9:28] I mean, it's just like Vance wants to run in 2028 and he wants to set up a situation where he has some distance from this. [9:35] And I don't think it's going to work. [9:37] You know, I guess because Vance cares about the underlying. [9:39] No, I'm not. [9:40] I'm not convinced of that now. [9:42] In a moment, we will be talking to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. [9:46] But first, a word from one of our sponsors here. [9:49] Talk about the idea that the most game changing grooming products are just hype. [9:56] A lot of that is, you know, the these grooming products that are promoted for people. [10:04] They don't necessarily have the efficacy that you want. [10:09] There's a lot of get rich quick schemes and this kind of thing when you see advertisements on the Internet. [10:15] But Nutrafol is different. [10:16] Nutrafol is built like a real game plan, a real game changing game plan, if you will. [10:22] It's physician formulated and clinically tested. [10:24] Nutrafol is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand used by over 1.5 million people. [10:33] I know somebody personally, a woman who had a significant health issue, who used Nutrafol and she said it was a godsend. [10:42] But, you know, Sam's hairline, even though you're not here to see it, is pretty phenomenal for his age. [10:48] I don't want to give out his age here, but he's closer to 60 than 50. [10:51] All right. And he uses Nutrafol and he uses Nutrafol and I think the results speak for themselves. [10:58] Nutrafol has formulas built for men at different life stages. [11:01] Nutrafol for men for guys 18 to 49 and the new Nutrafol Men 50 Plus, which is the first product of its kind specifically made for men over 50. [11:12] It addresses the key root causes of thinning wherever you're at in life. [11:16] It grows visibly thicker, fuller hair in three to six months. [11:21] I think that Michael was interested in Nutrafol or maybe less so and Sam was trying to push it on him. [11:29] No, Sam wanted Michael to do the ad. [11:30] Which is so insulting. [11:32] But Michael was too sensitive. [11:34] But, you know, Sam is a Nutrafol user and, you know, as I say, the results speak for itself. [11:41] Start Nutrafol today and make the hat optional. [11:43] Visit Nutrafol.com and enter promo code TMR10 for $10 off your first month's subscription and free shipping. [11:51] Find out why Nutrafol is the best-selling hair growth supplement brand at Nutrafol.com, spelled N-U-T-R-A-F-O-L.com, promo code TMR10. [12:02] That's Nutrafol.com, promo code TMR10. [12:06] We will put a link down below in the video and episode descriptions and at Majority.fm. [12:11] Quick break, and when we come back, we'll be joined by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. [12:16] We are back, and I am so happy to be joined now by President—I'm sorry. [12:24] Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. [12:27] I mean, honestly, I kind of was 50-50 on it. [12:30] I just went with it. [12:31] How are you? [12:32] I'm good. [12:32] How are you? [12:33] I'm doing well. [12:34] It's great to see you. [12:35] And I know you're obviously not going to be talking about your ambitions for higher office, [12:40] so I'm making a little bit of a joke, but have you been surprised to see, you know, [12:44] how excited people are when there's these polling numbers showing this buzz, as they say, [12:50] about you and your candidacy? [12:51] Yeah. [12:51] Yeah, I do—I am surprised by it. [12:55] You know, I think sometimes people would talk about it, and I was always candidly like, [13:00] yeah, okay. [13:01] Yeah, whatever. [13:01] But then some of these polls came out, and I'm like, what is happening? [13:07] I was in Memphis, and Justin Pearson, you know, we were campaigning for him, [13:13] and there were some folks actually that had driven out from Arkansas, [13:15] and they were talking about, like, the straw polls out there. [13:17] And I'm like, I don't—you know, but I think people are pissed off. [13:22] Yeah, right. [13:24] People are pissed off. [13:25] And I want to talk about what people are pissed about as well, specifically the data centers. [13:31] I mean, you mentioned Memphis and your trip down to the south. [13:36] You went to Georgia as well. [13:38] You know, I was kind of going back and looking at stuff from 2018, [13:43] eight years ago when you just won your primary. [13:45] And, like, you know, one of the through lines in your career has been environmental policy, [13:52] because there's this trajectory from the Green New Deal that you supported early on [13:57] to now your bill that is a bicameral bill with Senator Sanders about this data center moratorium. [14:04] How do you envision the future of climate policy? [14:06] And over the past eight years, has anything changed in what you've seen [14:11] that has altered your perspective at all? [14:14] Yeah, you know, I think about that time, too. [14:18] And a lot of our environmental work, I think, has also been reflective [14:23] of the broader populist work that we've been doing. [14:26] There are different ways that people enter a climate and environmental fight. [14:31] Some of it is from a more scientific perspective. [14:35] They're seeing the numbers and the data on climate change [14:38] and trying to keep below, well, you know, eight years ago, [14:42] trying to keep below 1.5 degrees Celsius. [14:45] Now we're in a much more grave condition than that. [14:50] And so there are people that are brought to it from a global climate change, [14:54] carbon-based perspective. [14:55] And really what made a Green New Deal bill, a Green New Deal bill, was three things. [15:02] One, an aggressive decarbonization target, ideally within 10 years. [15:06] Two, an economically populist platform that meant that any Green New Deal-style bill [15:14] had to create thousands or millions of union-track jobs. [15:19] And the third was an environmental justice and racial and economic component, [15:28] which is acknowledgement that the communities that are going to be hardest hit [15:32] are sacrifice zones. [15:35] And so we need to approach legislation that prioritizes the protection [15:39] of the communities that are going to be hardest hit by the climate crisis. [15:42] Yeah. And do you think that when it's been hitting people's pocketbooks [15:46] and their electricity bills in the way that it has, [15:49] that it's changed the conversation? [15:51] Now people understand that climate policy is very much economic policy as well? [15:55] I think so. [15:56] I think so. [15:57] As we started that effort, because I represent the Bronx, [16:05] you know, I represent a district that, [16:09] and the year I got elected before redistricting, [16:11] you know, I, I, the majority of my district was in Queens [16:14] and the minority was in the Bronx. [16:16] I'm from the Bronx. [16:17] Now the majority of my district's from the Bronx [16:19] and the minority of it is in Queens. [16:21] And what, one of the things that I did early on is that in the Bronx, [16:27] it's a less ideological place in terms of our electorate. [16:31] It's obviously very deep blue, [16:33] but it is very working class and also racially diverse. [16:39] And like all of these things stacked on one another. [16:41] And so one of the things that we had to do was really deep canvas the community [16:46] to talk about climate issues in a way that actually show up in our life. [16:50] So I think to answer your question, [16:52] it's less about connecting climate to these issues. [16:55] And it's more about talking about the specific ways [17:00] that this is an environmental issue [17:03] in a way that's not tree hugging and academic and out of touch. [17:08] So eight years ago, it was me doing teach-ins in public housing [17:12] saying the lead in our water, the sky-high asthma rates that we deal with, [17:19] that is environmental. [17:21] And this is directly contributed to with the gas infrastructure [17:28] that we have in our public housing that is leaching into our air [17:31] and all of the other environmental issues that are going on. [17:35] And so with the data center fight, I think that it's a similar analog. [17:42] People are seeing how all of this is wrecking their health, [17:46] wrecking their communities, [17:47] and it makes environmental issues not academic, [17:51] but very real in people's everyday lives. [17:56] Yeah. [17:56] There was a poll from Data for Progress [17:58] that showed that 63% of voters support pausing construction of AI data centers. [18:04] So your bill is very much a popularist bill, if you will. [18:09] But, I mean, what's also, I think, you can connect it to is the Iran war [18:15] and how gas prices have been impacted by that, too. [18:20] So there's a way to, I think, as we've talked about, [18:24] framing Gaza around, as Abdul Al-Sayed has done very well, [18:28] and you just recently endorsed him, [18:30] framing Gaza, like, we shouldn't be spending this amount of money, [18:33] and we should be investing it in our communities. [18:35] That's also how you can connect that foreign policy issue [18:38] to environmental racism and environmental investment in this country. [18:42] Yeah, that's right. [18:43] I mean, it's about talking about these issues [18:46] in many different ways that are majoritarian. [18:52] And there are ways that we can frame these debates [18:55] that talk about why we come to these conclusions from a moral perspective. [18:59] I think we always have to be making three arguments at the same time for any issue. [19:04] A moral argument, an economic argument, and also a political argument. [19:09] And when we're able to argue for something in a chorus of all of those three, [19:16] then we're able to build a majoritarian coalition to actually win on them. [19:22] Building a majoritarian coalition is important, [19:24] and I know that you, I'm sure, share some of my frustration [19:28] with efforts that felt like they were narrowing the Democratic coalition, [19:33] the focus on affluent suburbanites over a more working-class coalition. [19:38] But something that I don't think gets talked enough about [19:41] is where Democrats lost credibility, was on the issue of democracy, [19:45] and when you say majoritarian bills and things like that, [19:49] that's a way to demonstrate some sort of Democratic responsiveness. [19:52] But on the genocide in Gaza, [19:54] many Democrats still aren't listening to their voters, [19:57] although it's a big, a lot of progress in the House [20:00] with the 103 Democrats that voted to block that $3 billion shipment. [20:04] But Gaza, Biden running again, [20:07] when a lot of people wanted a more open primary process, [20:10] like, these are choices by the Democrats [20:13] that box out the voters and make them feel unheard. [20:16] And so when Kamala Harris was going around [20:19] and talking about democracy with a banner behind her, [20:24] they didn't have the credibility that they needed [20:26] to fight this fascist threat. [20:28] And I'm curious what you think about that [20:30] and how the party can be more responsive [20:33] and demonstrate through action democracy. [20:37] Yeah, I mean, I think about all, [20:39] you know, you brought up a lot of different points. [20:42] One is, you know, on this Biden issue, [20:46] it was interesting watching it happen in real time. [20:51] You know, what I find very interesting about that moment [20:58] and the people who talk about that time [21:03] is that I think that some, not all, [21:07] but some of the Democrats that are most aggressive [21:10] about getting their narrative out [21:14] about how they wanted to push Biden out [21:16] were also the same Democrats that were most aggressive [21:19] about closing the wagons on a primary process [21:23] when we had a chance to have that [21:25] in a presidential election. [21:27] Right. [21:27] And so I feel like a lot of them are compensating [21:30] because, and you hear sometimes there's these, like, [21:35] consultant class and, like, some of these folks [21:37] that want, you know, who backed Biden [21:42] when it was time to step down [21:44] as, like, some sort of litmus test. [21:46] Gotcha, okay. [21:47] But those folks were part of the establishment [21:51] that were closing the ranks around Biden [21:54] when, before a primary process would have even started. [21:57] So you're saying these people just wanted to be [21:59] the decider, to use a Bushism. [22:01] Well, I think it's not just to be a decider, [22:04] but they saw at the end how unpopular their actions, [22:11] you know, the conclusion that their actions had led to [22:13] and how unpopular it was. [22:14] So then it became a race to distance themselves from it. [22:17] Gotcha. [22:17] So if you run the tape back, right, [22:18] like, there was a moment when the press was asking, [22:23] do you think Biden should have a primary challenger? [22:25] And there were some Democrats, many, if not most, [22:29] at the time that were saying, [22:31] no, I support him, et cetera. [22:36] And there were some that were open. [22:38] Like, I was pretty, I mean, I will never poop, [22:41] because of the way I got here, I can't. [22:44] You defeated an incumbent. [22:45] Yeah, I defeated an incumbent. [22:46] So I just feel on principle, [22:48] I'm never going to say we shouldn't have a primary. [22:51] But a lot of the Democrats who said, [22:54] no, we're sticking with him at that time, [22:57] were the same that I think oftentimes are very loud about [23:00] that litmus test after the fact. [23:02] So, but I do agree with you. [23:04] I think that voters and the electorate, [23:07] I think what, you know, there's this tension, [23:12] especially at that time between what the establishment thought [23:16] defeat could defeat Donald Trump [23:18] and the mood that the electorate was actually in. [23:21] And I think when we fast forward to today, [23:26] the reckoning that we're seeing in some of these primaries, [23:29] you know, is that what is different between Trump one [23:33] and Trump two is that I think your median Democratic voter [23:37] desperately wants to do everything to get Trump out of power [23:42] and get Republicans out of power. [23:44] And in Trump one, they trusted the establishment to do that. [23:46] Yeah. [23:47] And in Trump two, they do not. [23:49] And we are seeing how that is playing out in real time. [23:53] I mean, Bernie endorsements, he's batting, what, [23:57] over 50% at this point? [23:59] And he doesn't seem to give a crap what anyone has to say about it. [24:04] He's lost patience with some of that. [24:07] But yeah, I mean, I think then putting aside Biden for a second, [24:10] just something like the data center moratorium is, as you say, [24:13] a majoritarian bill. [24:16] It's responsive to the mood. [24:19] And I wonder on the inside if you can shed light on why so many of your [24:24] colleagues are resistant to that. [24:26] There's almost like a kind of distaste for the messiness of populism [24:31] that should be anathema to the Democratic Party right now, in my view, [24:36] because we're fighting a real threat, this fascist in office. [24:39] I mean, the answer is obvious. [24:42] It's money. [24:42] Yes. [24:44] I was lobbing that up for you. [24:46] Yeah. [24:47] In the past couple cycles, when you just, I mean, rightfully, [24:50] there's a ton of concentration on APAC spending. [24:54] And also, if you look at the top three spenders, it's APAC, AI, crypto. [25:01] Right. [25:01] AI being the largest singular source of campaign financing, not just to people like Donald Trump [25:11] in many cases, but oftentimes in many House and Senate political campaigns. [25:19] These folks know, you know, and we look, you know, you go back to 2012, [25:22] you go back to any other kind of cycle. [25:26] Like when we throw back to the Great Recession and during that time, it was Wall Street, [25:31] it was financial firms. [25:33] Now it's AI that are kind of the top contributors to our political system. [25:38] And they know that the game is that you need to bankroll both political parties in order [25:44] to get your agenda passed. [25:45] And so the good news is that in the moratorium, the people, I do think that the revolt that [25:55] is happening in these communities is very palpable and powerful. [25:59] And it is working because the folks that are signing on to the AI moratorium are not just [26:05] your expected lefty members of Congress. [26:09] We are seeing Democrats that are more moderate sign on to the moratorium because the outrage [26:17] among the electorate is also cutting across ideological lines as well. [26:24] And so I think that there's, despite the fact that there's a lot of resistance and people [26:29] not signing on to it, there is also increasingly across ideological support for it too. [26:36] I wanted to ask you a little bit about your strategy and how that's evolved because, you [26:41] know, it's safe to say you've become a bit of a fundraising juggernaut. [26:44] And that gives you this war chest that can help vulnerable Democrats when they need it. [26:50] And that's valuable for you when you need to ingratiate yourself to members because you've [26:55] spoken about how you were treated when you got into Congress in 2018. [26:59] A lot has changed since then. [27:02] And, you know, on our show, we've talked a lot about the importance of building an inside [27:07] game to pair with outside pressure campaigns. [27:09] It feels like you've been very conscious in trying to do that. [27:12] How conscious has that strategy been for you, building power internally? [27:16] I think it's very conscious. [27:20] My motivation is winning. [27:26] Same. [27:28] I love to win. [27:29] I'm pretty, you know, forthright about that. [27:32] And I think that you need a lot of different players on the field, right? [27:39] I, when, and when I first got there, you also work with the tools that you have. [27:45] So when I first got there, I had support from my district. [27:48] I had the ability to set narrative and be able to communicate. [27:54] I had, we were building kind of digital tools in a time when that was not common in the Democratic [28:01] Party. [28:02] And, but also didn't have much else. [28:06] I didn't have internal support. [28:10] That's putting it mildly. [28:12] It was like a, I mean, you were treated with hostility. [28:14] Yeah. [28:14] Open hostility. [28:17] And that hostility shows up in ways that you're not even aware of when you get there. [28:24] There's open hostility and then there's also secret hostility. [28:30] Subterfuge. [28:30] Yes. [28:31] Yes. [28:32] And also, you know, we didn't, we did not have the fundraising ability at the same, I [28:37] mean, it was, it was robust, but it wasn't the same as it is now. [28:41] And we were able to do really powerful things and really punch above our weight with what [28:51] we had. [28:52] And we were able to then take that and build, build on that. [29:00] And in New York, part of my immediate focus was not just national, but local. [29:06] We had to change the city's politics because one thing that I don't like to be is alone. [29:13] Right. [29:14] And I was very aware that I was surrounded by people who wanted to politically kill me. [29:22] Andrew Cuomo was governor. [29:23] You know, a term in Eric Adams was, you know, elected mayor. [29:30] And so our immediate focus too was also how do we support down ballot candidates and cultivate [29:38] the next generation of people that were going to help govern this country over the next 10, [29:43] 15 years. [29:44] And so that's when we start getting, you know, that year, Julia Salazar got elected in 2018 [29:48] after my election, because at that time, the primaries were separated. [29:53] That was Cynthia Nixon's year too. [29:55] Cynthia Nixon's year. [29:56] You get Jabari Bristport. [29:59] You get, you know, and then we start putting these pieces on the board. [30:02] A term later, Zohra Mamdani, Assemblyman from Astoria. [30:06] We've got, you know, so on and so forth. [30:09] We built the DSA SIO program on the Assembly and Senate level. [30:15] You have it on the city council level. [30:17] And that has also create, that then creates the political foundation and strength. [30:24] So you're not just one person totally surrounded, but you take that and you invest it in a political [30:32] coalition that can help each other. [30:35] Yes. [30:36] And that's not just local, but it's national as well. [30:40] And you start to learn how to do that. [30:41] And then you also make a case as to why this is not just good for your worldview, but also [30:49] why genuinely why this is good for the party. [30:52] And that I would try to make that argument and it would fall on deaf ears. [30:59] Yeah. [31:00] But you don't have to just rely on whether people listen to you or not. [31:04] You just, you just do it. [31:05] Well, and you also, you have money, right? [31:08] Like, I mean, that talks and, and that is, it's like the, I mean, it's a way to combat [31:15] the deluge of corporate money by having a carrot. [31:20] And then, I mean, that I would imagine has made your work life a little bit easier. [31:25] Has it made it easier for you to get certain agenda items through? [31:29] I mean, yeah, absolutely. [31:30] Well, one of the things that I think we really encountered when I first got there was that [31:36] there was, there's still, it still exists, but there was a really concrete conception [31:44] in the party that only one kind of candidate can win a swing seat. [31:49] And it's, it was very conservative and it was very cookie cutter and it didn't matter if [32:00] your swing seat was in Ohio or Nebraska or Pennsylvania, you had to take certain positions. [32:07] You had to be a certain kind of candidate in order to be considered viable. [32:12] And so the kind of crumb that I started with was, cause at that time we had the largest [32:20] class since Watergate. [32:21] So I started to look at all of our frontline candidates and I say, you know, are there [32:27] any here that kind of break the mold in any way? [32:30] And at that time we had one, two or three that were on, that were, you know, fit whatever [32:40] mold was fit, but you'd have one that was on Medicare for all. [32:43] Or you'd have one that was willing to sign on to Green New Deal resolution. [32:48] And so what I started to do was max out to those front liners that were willing in one [32:53] way or another to take a risk and buck convention. [32:57] It wasn't just one or two of those things, but just in general, as issues came up, because [33:03] I, I think the thing that's most important for us as a left movement to show is, you know, [33:10] there's a lot of sticks, but we need to have really big carrots and say, if you do this [33:17] and if you take this leap, we will come through for you. [33:21] If you take a risk, I'm going to support you. [33:24] And, and, and even if there's some spending against you for this, you'll be able to tap [33:28] into that as a resource. [33:30] Like, I mean, this, these are things that people don't see on the outside that I think [33:34] are, you know, I'm a political nerd. [33:36] I love this kind of stuff, but it's, it's important. [33:40] And it's part of why you're in the position you are now. [33:43] And it's also been really, it's been reported that you and Mayor Mamdani have worked quite [33:49] closely together. [33:51] And that, that was really clear in the New York endorsements because the mayor endorsed [33:55] three house candidates, two of whom successfully toppled incumbents, two of whom were DSA, you [34:01] did not. [34:02] But what doesn't get talked about is that it also worked the other way with assembly challengers. [34:07] So you endorsed three assembly challengers against incumbents, all of them one, and it's [34:13] the same situation for Mamdani and for you, you have to work with members of the house. [34:18] Mamdani has to work with members of the assembly to get his agenda across and politics is dirty. [34:25] And so there's a great chance that you're going to be retaliated against either you or [34:31] Mamdani if you miss and the incumbent makes it right. [34:36] Like that is, I would imagine a part of the strategy and how you guys have been coordinating. [34:41] Yeah. [34:42] I also think, I also think there's a larger conversation about the natural limitations [34:48] that come with any one elected position. [34:51] Right. [34:52] And it is really hard to put 100% of every expectation in every situation on one person. [35:05] And especially when that person is trying to execute on an agenda within the functions [35:13] of their role. [35:14] And so sometimes this coordination, it's not just explicit, it's also us functioning [35:23] within the roles. [35:25] And if anything, it also demonstrates the advantage of us organizing to support people at multiple [35:31] levels of governance. [35:32] Those pressures exist on him as a mayor because he has to, he has to coordinate his own budget [35:42] for the city. [35:43] The money for the city comes from the state and he, his number one focus is being as effective [35:50] as possible as mayor of New York City. [35:53] And the same applies to me as a member of the House. [35:56] And so some of this is also about demonstrating the advantages of what a growing coalition looks [36:02] like at multiple levels of governance. [36:06] There are those natural limitations. [36:08] Um, and also they create natural complementary strategies and positions. [36:16] Yeah, absolutely. [36:18] And, um, I guess I'll turn back to the House here, uh, because I'm curious about the, uh, [36:25] if Democrats take back the House, what is your sense of what the most fertile ground is [36:31] going to be for, you know, oversight of the Trump administration on committees? [36:36] Because there's just so much to grab at here in terms of corruption and illegality. [36:42] But, um, I'm curious if you think in terms of like the House business where people think [36:48] the Trump administration has its most vulnerabilities in terms of oversight. [36:54] Um, it's, it's a little hard because their, their lawbreaking is so prolific. [37:03] So where my instinct says to go is two things, their source of money and their source of political [37:13] power. [37:13] So if I were just to go just off the top of my head in terms of political power, you [37:19] want to go after Epstein. [37:21] Yeah. [37:22] You want to go after not just corruption generally, but corruption in the ways that undermine [37:28] their base. [37:29] I think that after the general election, there was so much, especially in the democratic [37:34] establishment, so much hay made about like bro podcasts and that's where they ran up the [37:42] numbers. [37:43] Yeah. [37:44] And I think that the media has just as much of a misogynistic blind spot as anywhere else. [37:53] I mean, they are the misogynistic blind spot in many ways. [37:55] You've never experienced that. [37:56] And so, but the, the cost of that is that I actually think a lot of it was maha. [38:02] I think that there was very little political analysis done on how they really focused on [38:12] women, on moms, on radicalizing and doing a lot of persuasion in an electorate, um, that [38:22] was much more swingy than, than, you know, to be frank, white male voters. [38:31] Those are generally broken more strongly towards Republicans, but they really focused a lot [38:37] on women and they have had probably the biggest betrayals with the glyphosate, uh, rulings [38:45] with their complete throwing in with big ag and Monsanto and Bayer, including, uh, coordinating [38:53] with the Supreme court and all of that. [38:55] And so I think their political vulnerabilities are in, we want to focus on corruption in [39:01] the ways that undermine their promises. [39:04] Um, and we want to go after investigations that cut off the supply of their illicit money, [39:12] uh, flows. [39:13] So what do you, what do you make of the, the maha movement then? [39:17] Because our hypothesis, or at least mine has been on the show that these charlatans are [39:23] able to fill a vacuum because there's so much anxiety that people have with the healthcare [39:27] system. [39:28] I agree completely. [39:29] Yeah. [39:29] If you want to expand on that, go ahead. [39:31] Yeah. [39:31] I mean, I actually, I actually meet with maha activists. [39:35] I, I work with, um, maha advocates because a lot of them really don't believe that their [39:45] fight is partisan and in, and it's not in many ways. [39:50] We do have extraordinary corruption in our agricultural system, in our big corporate system [39:58] as well, you know, and it, this is an area where both parties in our entire political system [40:05] has been compromised. [40:06] Like one of the first things I did was, um, be part, when I first got to the house was [40:11] be part of these congressional investigations on PFAS dumping. [40:15] Right. [40:16] And you have companies like 3M and others that, you know, and this goes back decades where you [40:25] have a big company that is doing manufacturing of some kind and they just dump whatever cancerous [40:31] by-product that they have and poison communities around them. [40:34] Um, and then they just pay off our political class to ignore it and to let it continue to [40:40] happen or to shield them legally, like with glyphosate, um, from everyday people trying to [40:46] get that back. [40:46] And you're right. [40:47] Also, it's because there's a ton of anxiety around our healthcare system. [40:52] And I, I don't know. [40:54] I, um, I grew up in a household that was very much shaped by these dynamics. [41:00] My, so my dad, my dad's side of the family is Catholic and I was raised Catholic, but my [41:08] mom's side of the family is evangelical. [41:10] Right. [41:11] And I see how all of these issues that have been at their surface level expressed as right [41:19] wing are actually very much just the anxieties that we have as working people not being able [41:29] to afford healthcare. [41:30] And so it's also like, how do I stop being sick? [41:35] How do I prevent being sick by limiting my exposure to things that I think are toxic? [41:39] Yep. [41:40] And then, which there are things that are actually toxic and things that aren't actually toxic, [41:44] um, that get taken advantage of. [41:46] And then also when I do get sick and I can't afford medicine, what are the holistic and low [41:54] cost alternatives that I can turn to because I know that I can't afford to see a doctor. [42:01] And that is a place of tremendous vulnerability that people feel that is immensely legitimate. [42:10] And then if you add the racial component too, you know, I'm Puerto Rican, the United States [42:14] sterilized women for decades. [42:17] And so you have COVID, you have vaccines and obviously in the black community, same thing. [42:24] And so that is a perfect storm of a lack of trust in institutions that is oftentimes very [42:32] valid and very legitimate. [42:33] And you don't win that by saying, oh, don't worry or condescending to it. [42:39] Right. [42:39] We do need to fix our healthcare system. [42:42] Absolutely. [42:43] Um, lastly, I know you have to go. [42:44] I want to make sure that we touched on this because, um, you've been subjected to some pretty [42:50] interminable misogyny, uh, and, and racism too throughout your career. [42:56] Um, including these vile deepfake images on the internet, you and Nancy Mace actually have, [43:03] have been working together on this defiance act. [43:06] Uh, it's a bill that allows victims who have been, you know, the victims of deepfake, [43:13] sexual explicit deepfakes, uh, to get recourse. [43:16] Uh, it passed unanimously in the Senate. [43:19] It has a bunch of bipartisan co-sponsors and yet Republicans apparently don't want to pass it [43:25] because it will give you specifically a win. [43:27] What's going on there? [43:29] Um, so I will say that this is not the first time that we've encountered that roadblock, [43:37] frankly, in both Republican and Democratic majorities. [43:40] Um, there is a fear about, you know, there is a lot invested in trying to convey an ascendant [43:55] and popular movement as ineffective. [43:59] And so there is a lot of incentive by our political establishment to do everything they [44:04] can to maintain that narrative because it's one of the few things that they have. [44:10] And I think that in a Republican, uh, majority where they are very vulnerable, the last thing [44:18] they want, I've, I mean, I've heard straight up, you know, I've had bills that are, you know, [44:25] we hear about the flashy stuff. [44:26] I have bills that are so common sense that are, that pass committee unanimously that everyone, [44:35] Republicans agree on, Democrats agree on, swing seat folks do, uh, agree on. [44:40] Uh, and, you know, having people on my team be told this can't move because it has her name [44:48] on it. [44:49] And that has happened in the past, um, under both party leaderships and that's okay because [44:59] we find other ways to be effective. [45:01] Um, but I do think that when it comes to this issue, I would really implore Speaker Johnson [45:07] and Republicans, again, this has bipartisan bills. [45:11] We should not allow pedophiles and sexual abusers to run amok because you just don't like a girl. [45:22] Hot take. [45:23] Uh, hot take. [45:25] And I think that there's a lot of political realignment happening in the country and whether, [45:30] you know, people like it or not. [45:33] There actually is a lot of hope that can be generated, um, you know, among voters of all [45:41] kinds to actually show us, get, get something meaningful done by people who are most disparate [45:47] and unlike one another in the house on something that's real. [45:51] You know, the defiance act that we're now at a point where something like one in eight [45:58] middle schoolers, kids know someone or have experienced deep fake attacks in this way. [46:09] And to allow this to continue to score a political point is some of the most egregious and horrible [46:18] activities that we can do. [46:21] And I, I actually do think that on this issue, it is, they are capable of being better. [46:29] Yeah. [46:29] Mike Johnson's supposed to hate porn. [46:31] I thought he had some app that he and his son, uh, like notify each other. [46:35] So like, let's just move it. [46:37] And I, you know, I won't like, you know, and there's been really great Republican leadership. [46:44] I've worked with Representative Laurel Lee on this, um, and we're ready to rock. [46:51] Like, let's just, let's help people, right? [46:53] Let's help people. [46:55] Right. [46:55] Well, that's, that's a tall task for Mike Johnson and this Republican leadership. [46:59] Uh, they also do love protecting pedophiles as well. [47:02] That's like a core brand proposition for them. [47:04] So anyway, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, thank you so much for your time today. [47:08] I really appreciate it. [47:09] Thank you. [47:09] Appreciate it. [47:10] Quick break. [47:11] We'll be right back. [47:12] Awesome. [47:12] We are back, folks. [47:15] Uh, we're going to wrap up the first hour, hour in just a second. [47:18] I'll read some IMs, um, about that interview. [47:24] Uh, Henry Gold says, please clip AOC and MSN hot take odds that will be super valuable to have in a few years. [47:31] I'm sure people will be clipping a lot of this. [47:35] Um, I wish that I looked at the IMs while she was there because there are a lot of people who have questions for her. [47:43] I really apologize. [47:44] I had so much I wanted to get to. [47:46] I didn't even get to everything because she was limited on time. [47:48] But, um, Chris Burdick, I thought for sure your in-studio guest was going to be Michael Rappaport. [47:55] No chance that coward would show up. [47:58] I still, I actually was making myself laugh on the way to work, uh, thinking it was going to be Lindsey Graham's sister. [48:07] Darlene, um, curse of the mom, Donnie was watching with the sound off. [48:12] Sam looks different after vacation glowing, perhaps presidential even, um, Jordy Ph.D. [48:21] AOC has told the story about wanting to be a doctor or scientist. [48:24] Okay. [48:24] I couldn't ask this. [48:26] How does she see the future of our basic translational research infrastructure after RFK Jr. [48:31] in particular at the NIH and NSF? [48:33] That was a good question. [48:34] I wish I could have asked it. [48:36] Um, Ash. [48:39] She could just be a regular, uh, you know, casual Friday. [48:41] Yeah, right. [48:42] I'm sure she's got nothing going on. [48:43] Stop by. [48:44] Yeah. [48:45] Ash Manson. [48:46] Sam preaches all the time about how voting should not be inherent, should not inherently be an expression of self. [48:50] And I mostly agree, but damn, it would feel nice for once in my life to not have to hold my nose and be able to vote for AOC for president. [48:58] Yeah, Mom Donnie was the first time I ever experienced that. [49:00] Totally. [49:01] Same here. [49:01] Never had. [49:02] And we got to do it twice. [49:03] In the primary and in, uh, in the general. [49:06] I'll be honest. [49:06] I was very happy to vote for Obama in 2008. [49:10] In a way. [49:10] But, but I was 2012. [49:12] It was my first time voting was Obama in 2012, and that was not exciting. [49:15] I had two years on that, so I was already jaded by that time. [49:18] Yeah, no. [49:19] I was, I was like, I was so happy to be the, like, the liberal in North Dakota, gloating at all the Republicans. [49:26] Be like, you fucking idiots. [49:27] Um, Kyle Leck, Zionists love to ignore the words or in part from the phrase acts committed with intent to destroy in whole or in part from the definition of genocide in Article 2 or Convent. [49:42] Yeah, they, they want it to be essentially a complete elimination of the population or they don't count it, but they're also not acting and operating in good faith at all. [49:50] Yeah, no, what is the voice of Israel that isn't explicit about it and its intention to wipe out Palestinians from that land? [49:55] It is some hypothetical idea of Israel that has never existed at any point in its history. [50:01] And the real part is, like, even Biden's like, yeah, he's got a tough coalition over there. [50:04] Yeah, because they're explicitly fascist exterminationists over there. [50:08] Right, right. [50:09] Um, Dylan from Palmdale. [50:11] ASC, are you kidding me? [50:12] That's so dope. [50:13] I'm sorry. [50:13] I didn't know your guys' game like that. [50:16] Well, I've known her for eight years at this point, actually. [50:19] So you can go, you people, I, I didn't want to be too navel-gazy, but I did go back and look at our old interviews because I just wanted to see, like, [50:26] how could we, how could I bring back, you know, uh, or have questions about, like, what, how have you evolved, you know, in these past eight years? [50:37] Uh, but people should go and look at those interviews. [50:40] I did a four- [50:40] You were at Rebel HQ, right? [50:42] Yes, I hated that name so much. [50:44] Cenk made it, made it, made it be Rebel HQ. [50:48] It was so dumb. [50:48] Rebel HQ commander Emma Viglin was on the scene. [50:51] They changed it from TYT Politics to Rebel Headquarters. [50:54] I was like, oh, okay, do I have any say in this? [50:56] Um, but- [50:57] Did they make you wear a leather jacket? [50:59] No, I just did that on my own because I'm cool. [51:01] But- [51:02] What the fuckers ever here at Rebel HQ? [51:06] But it was helpful at Trump rallies because they were like, Rebel Media, I'll talk, I'll talk to you. [51:14] Rebel Media was a MAGA outfit. [51:16] So I would say, uh-huh, Rebel HQ, but- [51:19] Also the Rebel flag. [51:20] Right, right, yeah. [51:21] The famous rebels in American political context being, like, the Confederates. [51:26] Yeah, right. [51:27] Well, I will just say, though, go and- [51:30] It's actually- [51:31] It's pretty cool. [51:32] We did a whole four-part series with her. [51:35] I interviewed her in 2018 before her race. [51:38] We walked around her neighborhood in the Bronx and went to different places. [51:41] And, um, so, cool material on the internet for you. [51:49] Um- [51:50] I thought that was a handle. [51:53] Says, yeah. [51:55] Cool material on the internet for you says- [51:58] You know what that was? [52:00] That reminded me when Trump ended his rant on Lindsey Graham with, but he was beautiful. [52:04] But he was beautiful. [52:06] The last adjective you'd think to pull. [52:09] Uh, the coexist- [52:11] The coexist sticker on Sam Super said, [52:13] I would be so nervous interviewing AOC. [52:16] Emma is so fit for the job. [52:17] I'd be sweating balls and stuttering. [52:18] You thought I wasn't nervous? [52:19] Yeah, Emma was nervous. [52:20] I was nervous. [52:21] The pacing right in the office. [52:22] Even though I know her- [52:23] Yeah, even though I've interviewed her many times before, [52:26] it's, like, weird in this setting, [52:27] and I don't like when you two are looking at me. [52:31] I don't think we were looking at all. [52:33] I know, but- [52:34] That's why I tried to scroll my phone, though. [52:35] I was busy reading Boss Lincoln. [52:37] I wasn't- [52:38] I tried to impress her. [52:40] You are having an emotional breakdown, then. [52:48] We did zero acts of sabotage. [52:53] Yeah, I know. [52:54] And we were very well behaved, actually. [52:55] We were wearing collars, for Christ's sake. [52:57] I know, you guys dressed up. [52:59] So did I. [53:02] Emma's wearing heels. [53:02] I am wearing heels today. [53:04] My only regret about this collar is that Sam wasn't here to make fun of me. [53:07] Right. [53:08] Well, he'll see the pictures. [53:09] He'll see. [53:10] Yeah, yeah, exactly. [53:15] Ramona Frankenstein, Emma, when you made the sarcastic joke [53:18] and then immediately clarified you were joking, [53:20] I felt that in my soul. [53:20] Thank you, Ramona. [53:21] I'm glad that you called that out. [53:24] Ramona's always on my shit. [53:28] Man shovel. [53:29] I had to vote for Al Gore in my first presidential election. [53:32] Oof. [53:32] That was the first one I remember following closely. [53:37] And it's still shocking to me how that election was stolen [53:42] and the entire adult world couldn't realize that. [53:45] And me as an eighth grader or ninth or whatever, however old I was, [53:49] was like, hey, why did the Supreme Court just say that state can't count its votes? [53:53] Right, right. [53:54] And sorry to go on a tangent on this, but I've been thinking about this. [53:58] And then, because I was surrounded by Republicans, [53:59] most of people in my life, adults in my life at that time, [54:02] were like leaning Bush sort of people. [54:05] And the idea was we can't let them count the votes [54:08] because it might tear the country apart. [54:12] And so we gave the election to the Republican. [54:14] And then what did all the supporters of Bush do [54:16] was drive around in stickers that said Soar Loserman. [54:20] As if this concern that it would tear the country apart [54:24] was the actual concern. [54:25] And actually it was, we want fucking power. [54:28] Right, right. [54:32] Well, that election also gave every small town in America [54:34] a punk band name with hanging chads. [54:38] So I guess it was worth it. [54:39] Yeah, it was worth it. [54:42] Penny in New Mexico, President AOC, Press Secretary Emma Vigeland. [54:47] And yeah, you know, I think, [54:49] I don't know if I'd be good at that job. [54:51] I think our job's much better than a press secretary. [54:53] I mean, inshallah, I love the vision. [54:59] But no, I think press secretary is a really tough, tough job. [55:05] You're a professional liar. [55:07] Even for the best administration. [55:09] Exactly. [55:09] Yeah, no, I wouldn't take that job with a, [55:11] I mean, the only way. [55:12] And I can't lie. [55:13] I have a very hard time doing it in general. [55:15] Yeah, like, you know, like if, if, I don't know, [55:21] David Griscom was president of the United States [55:23] and he's like, I need you. [55:24] I don't trust anybody else. [55:26] I would do it for that reason. [55:27] But I would do it under the understanding [55:29] that I'm eating the biggest pile of, you know what, ever. [55:33] Right, right. [55:35] All right. [55:39] I guess we don't have Binder and Brandon yet. [55:43] So maybe we'll just head into the fun half [55:45] and then we'll see them there. [55:46] Matt, what's happening on Left Reckoning? [55:47] Well, it's another big guest day in our parts tomorrow. [55:52] I am very honored to have Mahmoud Khalil [55:55] joining the Jacobin Show. [55:57] Wow. [55:58] Yeah. [55:58] You bastard. [55:59] That's amazing. [56:00] I've been trying to book, [56:02] I got him booked for like October. [56:04] Yep, nope. [56:05] I've been trying to get him since I started. [56:06] Wow, look at that, Matt. [56:08] Yeah, I'm super excited about it. [56:10] It's a great discussion on this lawsuit. [56:14] Khalil's fighting in support of our free speech. [56:16] And ability to criticize foreign governments [56:19] that are corrupting our own. [56:21] And specifically his suit on the terms of the Reconstruction-era KKK Act, [56:28] where, in this case, targeting the Trump administration [56:32] for coordinating with groups like Canary Mission and Bataar [56:35] to silence the free speech of righteous Americans. [56:38] So I'm very excited to have Mahmoud Khalil. [56:42] That's tomorrow at 3 o'clock p.m. Eastern on the Jacobin Show. [56:45] Go subscribe to Jacobin Meg on YouTube to get that. [56:48] All right, folks, join themajorityreport.com. [56:52] Please, please do that. [56:55] Good day to join. [56:56] Yeah. [56:56] Help us stay alive. [56:58] The day before Sam comes back would actually be the best for us as workers, [57:02] and that's what you care about. [57:03] Right, right. [57:04] Well, you know, I will say, now that we've revealed who the guest is, [57:09] Sam was very disappointed. [57:11] But, you know, this was really my shot across the bow [57:15] before his triumphant return tomorrow [57:17] because I got to flex and show who I can book, you know? [57:22] Get the big names. [57:24] Yep. [57:25] All right. [57:25] I'm sure you're making the owner of the show very jealous. [57:32] By making his product better. [57:34] By making him money. [57:37] Take that, Sam. [57:38] Yeah. [57:39] Take the surplus value, Sam. [57:41] All right, guys. [57:46] See you in the fun app.