3543 - Witnessing the Gaza Genocide; Progressive Runs in Denver w/ Anthony Aguilar, Melat Kiros

Summary

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The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Episode 3543 - Witnessing the Gaza Genocide; Progressive Runs in Denver

Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Emma Vigeland (in for Sam Seder)
Guests: Anthony Aguilar, Melat Quiros
Produced by: Majority.FM Team

Episode Overview

This episode tackles urgent political issues including the ongoing U.S.-backed Israeli actions in Gaza (framed as genocide), U.S. military escalation in Venezuela under the Trump administration, and progressive primary challenges in the Democratic Party, with a focus on Colorado's 1st Congressional District. Emma Vigeland leads sharp, irreverent discussions with co-hosts and two prominent guests: whistleblower Anthony Aguilar (former U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation contractor) and Melat Quiros (Justice Democrats-endorsed candidate for Congress).

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1. Today’s Headlines in U.S. and Global Politics

[00:07–05:44]

Key Discussion Points:

• U.S. military escalation: Troops seize a Venezuelan oil tanker; Trump signals intent for wider military action in Latin America.
• Trump tells left-wing Colombian President Gustavo Petro, “You’re next.”
  • Emma Vigeland: “Wasn't he the... I kept hearing from the right. He's the anti-war guy, huh?”
• House passes $900 billion defense bill; only 94 Democrats opposed.
• Courts rule against Trump administration in various cases (immigration, protester arrests).
• Flooding in Gaza caused by torrential rains; at least one child has died from exposure.

Memorable Moment:

Matt Binder: "A good thing we got the neoconservatives out." (01:17)

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2. U.S. Escalation Toward Venezuela & Hypocrisy of “Anti-War” Claims

[05:44–12:37]

Key Discussion Points:

• Trump administration’s military escalation in Venezuela:
  • Dozens of deadly strikes on ships (dubiously labeled as drug runners).
  • Largest troop buildup in the region this century.
  • Seizure of an oil tanker, justification given is its supposed link to Iran.
  • Use of sanctions and asset freezes to force regime change.
  • Hypocrisy of invoking “international law,” and the stretching of 2001/2002 AUMFs for possibly illegal warfare.
• Explicitness of the Trump era: Brags openly about taking oil and military objectives.
  • Emma Vigeland: “The benefit of Trump being such a dumb ass is that he says all of the quiet things out loud.”

Notable Quote:

• [08:23] Emma Vigeland (to Anthony Aguilar as Trump): “What happens to the oil on that ship?”
  Anthony Aguilar (as 'Trump'): “Well, we keep it, I guess.”
  Vigeland: “Just keep the oil. Not even awake.”

Timestamps:

• [07:45]–[08:47]: Trump’s direct comments about the Venezuelan oil tanker

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3. Mechanisms of U.S. Support for Regime Change & Sanctions

[12:37–16:26]

Key Discussion Points:

• The U.S. props up opposition figures (e.g., Maria Corina Machado), many with a history of supporting violent regime change and cooperating with foreign hawks.
• U.S. NGOs and “aid” used as vehicles for undermining foreign governments.
• Machado receives Nobel Peace Prize even as she advocates military action by the U.S. against her own country.
• Panel deeply cynical about figures like Machado and the Nobel committee:
  • Matt Binder: “Just f. The Nobel Prize. Forever, man.” (15:30)
  • Emma Vigeland: “What a joke. What a joke.”

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4. Fecklessness of Democratic Establishment in Opposing War

[16:26–19:16]

Key Discussion Points:

• Chuck Schumer’s refusal to draw clear distinctions with Trump regime on Venezuela.
• Democratic leaders avoid direct opposition to regime change, hiding behind ambiguity.
• Democrats accused of being “stupid” by underestimating the public’s ability to grasp Trump’s actions.
  • Matt Binder: “Democrats, Republicans think you're lazy. Democrats think you're stupid.”

Notable Quote:

• [18:12] Emma Vigeland: “The problem with Trump is not the substance of his actions, it's that he's confusing. Chuck. Are you...”

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5. Interview: Anthony Aguilar on U.S. Complicity in Gaza Genocide

[27:27–50:44]

Introduction:

Anthony Aguilar, former U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) whistleblower, describes firsthand witnessing the U.S.-enabled genocide in Gaza.

Key Insights:

• U.S. Complicity: Aguilar asserts the Gaza catastrophe is “intentional” and “by design,” facilitated directly by the U.S. via arms shipments and operational support:
  • “We, the United States are the glove... absolutely complicit in what is happening in Gaza in terms of the munitions that are used. Every bomb, every mortar... comes from the United States, either through us allowing it or directly providing it.” [29:00]
• GHF as Facade: The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is “nothing more than a cover for action for parallel military operations,” run by mercenaries and Islamophobic gangs.
• Aid Sites as Death Traps: Initial 400 distribution sites reduced to 4; set in active combat zones to displace and endanger civilians.
  • “They deliberately chose to put these distribution sites specifically to service humanitarian aid for unarmed civilians in sites that would require them to move... through an active and ongoing combat zone.” [37:44]

Memorable Details:

• Infidels Motorcycle Club, an Islamophobic, crusader-themed gang of U.S. veterans, was hired for “security” in Gaza.

Shocking Statistics:

• Aguilar estimates the Gaza death toll may be as high as 500,000, based on scale of destruction and population displacement.
  • “The death toll... is likely close to half a million.” [41:19]

Long-Term Plan for Gaza:

• The Boston Consulting Group, Netanyahu affiliates, and U.S. contractors planned for years to “clear” Gaza’s population and redevelop as a “riviera”—plans predate the October 7 attacks. [45:47]
  • “The true objective is that every Palestinian within Gaza will either be dead or voluntarily transferred somewhere else and they will never come back.”

Humanitarian Crisis:

• “They are starving them every day.”
• Ongoing storm in Gaza—children dying of exposure in tents.

Notable Quotes:

• “[GHF] was really just the candy coating on this hard pill that we were forcing down the throat of the Palestinians.” [31:13]
• “I have never seen... anything of that level of disproportionality, complete disregard for the civilian population... What I witnessed in Gaza... made me sick. It broke me.” [35:42]

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6. Interview: Melat Quiros, Progressive Challenger in Denver

[51:40–69:14]

Introduction:

Justice Democrats-endorsed Melat Quiros, a young immigration lawyer and progressive activist, discusses her campaign to unseat corporate Democrat Diana DeGette in Colorado's bluest congressional district.

Key Policy Positions:

• Medicare for All:
  • "Medicare for All is the most efficient, effective and economical proposal that we have..." [52:54]
• Universal Childcare:
  • “Trying to get childcare is like trying to pay for a second rent or a second mortgage. Right. It is that inaccessible to a lot of young people.” [53:45]
• Climate/Green New Deal:
  • Supports renewable energy, revision and implementation of Green New Deal, concerns about AI data centers exacerbating environmental harms. [54:54]
• Anti-Corporate Platform:
  • Pledges not to take corporate PAC or AIPAC money.
• Anti-Genocide/Pro-Palestine:
  • Supports an arms embargo to Israel, recounts being fired from a law firm for defending pro-Palestine protestors in 2023.

Personal Narrative:

• Immigrated from Ethiopia as an infant (diversity visa lottery); father worked his way through pharmacy school.
• “We're not living in a free market, we're living in a coercive market where these institutions... are using their power over us because we can't afford our rent, we can't afford our health care…” [57:54]

Direct Challenge to Incumbent:

• Critiques DeGette’s 30-year tenure, corporate-backed politics, and disconnect from local progressive values:
  • “When she got elected, the number one song in the country was the Macarena.” [64:23]
  • “No votes for corporate shills, period.” [65:46]
• Highlights that 80% of Democratic voters support an arms embargo on Israel, while incumbent continues to take pro-Israel PAC money and avoid action.

Notable Quotes:

• “We need to put people in Congress that are going to be accountable to the people, not to their wealthy donors, not to the corporate PACs.” [63:00]
• “Standing up to power for our most basic values of human rights and standing up against genocide is the bare minimum that we need to be requiring of these institutions.” [57:54]

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7. Progressive Movement Strategy: Funding, Empowerment, and Volunteerism

[67:03–69:14]

• Quiros highlights the importance of small-donor power, national public funding for campaigns, and grassroots organizing to overcome corporate-backed incumbents.
  • “If you can donate 5 or $10 on a recurring basis, that is going to make all of the difference.” [68:20]
  • Pushes for the expansion of donor matching programs to level the playing field for insurgent candidates.

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8. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments – Compiled

• “It's a self licking ice cream cone, to use a phrase that Sam likes to deploy.” — Emma Vigeland [07:58]
• “Remember when he maybe accidentally revealed that the death toll in Gaza was hundreds of thousands?” — Emma Vigeland, on Trump [08:53]
• “Just keep the oil. Just keep the oil not even awake.” — Emma Vigeland, on Trump’s bluster [08:40]
• “They deliberately chose to put these distribution sites... in sites that would require them to move... through an active and ongoing combat zone.” — Anthony Aguilar [37:44]
• “The death toll... is likely close to half a million.” — Anthony Aguilar [41:19]
• “When she got elected, the number one song in the country was the Macarena.” — Melat Quiros [64:23]
• “No votes for corporate shills, period.” — Melat Quiros [65:46]

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9. Key Timestamps

• [00:07] Headlines & Opening Banter
• [07:45]–[08:47] Trump on oil theft & Venezuelan war escalation
• [12:26]–[16:26] Discussion of foreign regime-change hypocrisy (Iran, Venezuela, Gaza)
• [27:27]–[50:44] Interview: Anthony Aguilar exposes U.S. backed genocide in Gaza
• [51:40]–[69:14] Interview: Melat Quiros, insurgent candidate and Justice Democrats endorsement

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10. Episode Tone & Takeaway

The tone is urgent, incisive, and scornful of U.S. militarism, bipartisan complicity, and establishment inertia. The Majority Report provides both sobering firsthand testimony and practical political guidance for progressives fighting for justice and accountability—especially on the issues of Gaza, Venezuela, and AIPAC’s grip on Democratic politics.

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For more info & ways to support:

• Melat Quiros: quirosforco.com
• Majority Report: Majority.FM

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Emma Vigeland]

It is Thursday, December 11, 2025. My name is Emma Vigeland in for Sam Cedar. And this is the five time award winning Majority Report. We are broadcasting live steps from the industrially ravaged Gowanus Canal in the heartland of America, downtown Brooklyn, usa. On the program today, Anthony Aguilar, Gaza Humanitarian foundation whistleblower, will be with us. And later in the show, Melat Quiros, candidate for Colorado's 1st congressional district, joins us to talk about her race. Also on the program, U.S. troops seize a Venezuelan oil tanker amid massive troop buildups of and escalations by the Trump administration trying to start war with Venezuela. And Trump tells the left wing Colombian President Gustavo Petro that he is quote next. Wasn't he the. I kept hearing from the right. He's the anti war guy, huh?

[Matt Binder]

A good thing we got the neoconservatives out.

[Emma Vigeland]

The House approves the 900 billion dollar defense authorization bill. 94 Democrats voted against it. Should be, should have been. All but. A federal judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia's immediate release from ICE custody just broke this. ICE claims that it has no body camera footage of its brutal Chicago raids, which would be an open defiance of a court order. Yeah, I mean, it happens. They'd also claim to a judge when they can't lie because this is a FOIA request that they have that footage. So, so weird. The Trump administration pushes to set up a militarized zone on the California Mexico border. A Democratic analysis from the Joint Economic Committee finds that Trump's tariffs have cost the average family $1,200 over the past 10 or 11 months. This comes as the Fed cuts interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point. Amid the economic slowdown, Republicans on Capitol Hill are scrambling because Trump still has not endorsed a plan to prevent ACA rates from spiking in three weeks. Not my problem. I'm not up for reelection in 2026.

[Anthony Aguilar]

I'll be dead anyway.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yeah, I'm meeting my maker. A federal judge orders the administration to halt its deployment of California National Guard troops in la. Another federal judge in Oregon blocks the Trump administration from arresting protesters for making noise. And lastly, torrential rains hit Gaza, flooding tents. And at least one child has died of exposure. All this and more on today's Majority Report. Welcome to the show, everybody. It's an M Majority Report Thursday. Hello, Matt. Hello, Brian. Hello, audience. What's up, Matt?

[Matt Binder]

So it might be against you. Might be. You might not be able to be loud as a protester, but it might be free speech for landlords to Use algorithmic price fixing. I love this free speech stuff. It's really great the way that our political system has interpreted the First Amendment.

[Emma Vigeland]

Well, we've already granted personhood rights to corporations. Why not computer systems? I mean, why are we trying to restrict the AI from price allowing corporations to price fix optimizing. They're just speaking butch butt. Chug Sanders, thank you. Writes in that order by a judge about body cameras was made after the raid on the apartment complex. Okay, thank you very much for that clarification. The point I guess still stands though, that they've made the claim in court that they have this, but they're not complying with FOIA requests from outside groups trying to get access to that. But let's turn to Venezuela and the big news from yesterday here. Since September, the Trump White House again called themselves the anti war ticket. So cynically using the Biden administration's support for genocide in their favor. I mean, look, it's a political campaign, but their willingness to lie on the campaign trail to achieve power is historic and almost unprecedented. And it's the fault of the Democrats for being unable to call it out because it's such a brazen lie.

[Matt Binder]

I don't mean to contradict you, but this is why the Democrats can't be a pro war party, because the Republicans do run on this. Richard Nixon ran on a secret plan to end the Vietnam War and then won the 68 election based on that. It would be nice if the Democrats.

[Emma Vigeland]

Learn from that while collaborating with opposition forces to continue. Which is very, very eerily similar to the Trump administration having meetings with Netanyahu as Netanyahu was dog walking Biden all over the place.

[Matt Binder]

Yeah, and then getting into the Republicans getting into power and then expanding the war into different neighbors. Like let's fire a missile at Iran.

[Emma Vigeland]

And now Iran will come into this story, don't you worry. The ever present boogeyman for the neocons. Even though we are in the Western hemisphere and Trump sees himself as some sort of, you know, late 19th century leader that wants to engage in conquest within our backyard. And Teddy Roosevelt or something. Yeah. But even like we've done this via covert actions for the last hundred years or so, this is Trump just being expressly open about it and being a brute, which is one of his defining qualities. So since September, just a reminder, we've launched dozens of strikes on boats that the administration claims are drug runners and have provided zero evidence for that. We've killed over 80 people off the coast of Venezuela. We have now 15 troops in the region. This is the largest troop buildup in that area in the 21st century. We flew fighter jets into Venezuelan airspace the other day. And yesterday the US Seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. This tanker had previously been the subject of US Sanctions. It was under another name because the US Claimed it was shipping oil to Iran, which if that's the case, Venezuela has the right to sell its oil to whoever they want, but not under the sanctions regime where we decide and we freeze their assets and we use the leverage of the United States to make it very difficult for Venezuela to have state control over their resources here and trade with who they want. So because of this. Yeah.

[Matt Binder]

And if destroying their oil industry leads to a bunch of people having to leave their country and then they can. The right wing can use that to use anti immigrant sentiment to get into power, then that's just an extra little side benefit.

[Emma Vigeland]

It's a self licking ice cream cone, to use a phrase that Sam likes to deploy. But here is the President Donald Trump asked by a reporter yesterday about his taking of this oil tanker.

[Anthony Aguilar]

It's unfortunate what happened. I mean, I know exactly what happened. It got it started a little bit, but we'll see if we can put it down. We're interested in the siege of this tanker.

[Emma Vigeland]

What happens to the oil on that ship?

[Anthony Aguilar]

Well, we keep it, I guess. Where does it go?

[Emma Vigeland]

What port does it go to?

[Anthony Aguilar]

Well, you have to follow the tanker.

[Emma Vigeland]

You know, you're a good guess, but.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Just follow the tanker.

[Melat Quiros]

Do you know where.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Follow it. Get a helicopter. Follow the tanker.

[Melat Quiros]

Is it.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Sure it's to going, but we're going to. I guess so we're going to keep the.

[Emma Vigeland]

All right, just keep the oil. Just keep the oil not even awake.

[Matt Binder]

It's good for the history books, though. Just how clear this is going to be.

[Emma Vigeland]

That is again, we've talked about this. The benefit of Trump being such a dumb ass.

[Matt Binder]

Yeah.

[Emma Vigeland]

Is that he says all of the quiet things out loud. Remember when he maybe accidentally revealed that the death toll in Gaza was hundreds of thousands?

[Brandon]

Yeah.

[Emma Vigeland]

By saying that count or him just.

[Matt Binder]

Saying, like we need to keep Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan so we can keep an eye on the Chinese.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yeah, right. Okay, thank you. These are the behind the scenes conversations that aren't like, this is about American freedom, baby.

[Matt Binder]

Yeah, that's the stuff. Like an author like Stephen Kinzer would have to go into the paragraphs, like reading between the lines.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yes, exactly. And just a reminder, when Trump was engaging in his racist screed against Somali Americans and Somalis the other day he said, quote, the only thing they're good for is going after ships. Less than a month ago, Iran sees this tanker, this Marshall Islands flag tanker, so it has a relationship with the US and they did so in Gulf waters. And this is what the US Central Command's press release in November said about such an action. Just scroll down. I think it's like the third paragraph here. Yes. Iran's use of military forces to conduct an armed boarding and seizure of a commercial vessel in international waters constitutes a blatant violation of international law, undermining freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce. We call on Iran to articulate to the international community the legal basis for its actions. This is the United States international law.

[Matt Binder]

Who's citing international law all of a sudden? The thing that we don't. We just openly say we're not subject to that.

[Emma Vigeland]

The Trump administration won't. Biden doesn't follow international law.

[Matt Binder]

No.

[Emma Vigeland]

But the Trump administration, no president does. The Trump administration doesn't even follow U.S. law. I mean, just to remind people like he the legal basis for these attacks on these boats and this escalation with Venezuela, it's so illegal. It's so unbelievably illegal. Congress has the power to declare war. They have not done so with Venezuela. The Trump administration is trying to use this. This. The 2001 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force, which need to be repealed because they are so immensely broad. It basically gave the executive branch and the Bush administration the ability to kill people anybody they deemed as terrorists within the scope of responding to 9 11. And then, of course, you know, what ended up being our illegal invasion of Iraq. The idea that the administration can claim that these attacks on these boats and are escalation with Venezuela is somehow covered under the authorizations for the use of military force that were in response to 911 is so laughable on its face. That's why they're trying to bring Iran into the conversation, because they are stretching the truth so broadly that they need to find a Middle Eastern boogeyman to justify their attempts to provoke Venezuela into responding. And by the way, we've talked about this with Iran, Iran and Venezuela, their restraint is what's keeping us from these horrific, horrific wars. Like the fact that Iran didn't respond more robustly to the United States bombing them earlier this year is part of why we're in this situation. We are the bully. We're the belligerent actor. Here were the ones causing unrest across the Globe. And we're not even even touching on the genocide that we're funding.

[Matt Binder]

It's. Yeah, I mean, all this stuff about drugs or Iran and terrorists, those are just the buzzwords that the people who want to unholster their guns know they need to activate in order to unholster them.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yeah.

[Matt Binder]

So whatever they need. And people, honestly, it's a type of. It's such a great lie that it should lead to a type of almost like revolutionary anger. The way that these people cite like the tens of thousands of opioid and stuff, deaths that have done. Because we have not addressed that as a public health crisis, but instead like something that needs again to send cowboys across the world to protect people. No, we've let off the billionaires who were like the Sacklers and stuff.

[Emma Vigeland]

Should we execute the Sacklers in the town square? Or is it because if they're wealthy and, you know, donate to museums in New York City, that doesn't mean that they deserve summary execution.

[Matt Binder]

They're not tied to anything that we want to overth or control, so it's not relevant. And so they like, that's the thing is they don't care about protecting women's sports. They don't care about your uncle that died from a drug overdose. They don't give a fuck about it except as a warrant for them to unholster their guns and point at who they already wanted to point at.

[Emma Vigeland]

And a good example of this is Maria Corina Machado. She is the latest figurehead that the United States is trying to push to be the leader of Venezuela. She's been a longtime supporter of violent regime change in Venezuela. She supported these far right protests in 2014 that left many people dead. She has advocated for United States sanctions on her own people, immiserating them. She wrote to Netanyahu a few years ago asking for help overthrowing Maduro. And she's just been in the pocket of US NGOs and hawks like Marco Rubio for years and years. So she, she's been forced into hiding because there's an arrest warrant out for her in Venezuela. She, according to some reports, seemingly with the help of the United States, jetted off to Norway to see my homeland here and accept her Nobel Peace Prize award. And as she supports basically military action against her own population.

[Matt Binder]

So for peace, an invasion to empower.

[Emma Vigeland]

Herself, this is what she had to say in Norway just a few hours ago.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Hello, David Rasmussen, Swedish Radio. Yesterday, the US Seized a ship outside the coast of Venezuela. Would you welcome a US Military intervention in Venezuela.

[Emma Vigeland]

Look, some people talk about invasion in Venezuela.

[Anthony Aguilar]

The threat of an invasion in Venezuela. And I answered, Venezuela has been already invaded. We have the Russian agents. We have the Iranian agents. We have terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, operating freely in accordance with the regime.

[Matt Binder]

Just f. The Nobel Prize. Forever, man.

[Emma Vigeland]

I know.

[Matt Binder]

Really? Forever.

[Emma Vigeland]

It's done. It's done. I mean, well, it should have been done when we gave it to Kissinger or Obama or Obama, even. But what a joke. What a joke. Yeah. I mean, Hezbollah. It's Hezbollah. It just.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Hamas is even crazy.

[Emma Vigeland]

Right, right.

[Matt Binder]

And everyone getting along there, and Hezbollah has left.

[Anthony Aguilar]

You know, they have some internationality whatsoever.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yeah, yeah, right.

[Anthony Aguilar]

It's just like Hamas has a tunnel.

[Matt Binder]

That goes all the way over.

[Emma Vigeland]

Mas is a tunnel to Venezuela. But it's just like. I mean, how transparent do you have to be? Just, I'm gonna hit every one of them. I'm gonna hit every one of them. It's like when you're in a conversation with somebody and you know they're sucking up to you.

[Matt Binder]

Ms. Machado, are you sure North Korea is in there, too?

[Emma Vigeland]

Right. But don't worry, folks. We have the Democrats. The leader of the Democrats in the Senate. He's gonna stand up against this incredibly illegal, obvious, insane move by the Trump administration trying to impose regime change in Venezuela, start a war with Venezuela. Chuck Schumer is on it. He's on it, folks. He is going to draw a distinction. You know when he was really mad at Trump for doing a side deal with Iran. No side deals.

[Matt Binder]

He didn't go against shooting missiles.

[Emma Vigeland]

No diplomacy. We want more escalation with Iran. Was his message in response to what the Trump administration supposedly.

[Matt Binder]

Yeah. Not wanting to. Wanting to talk to Iran instead of sending missiles at him.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yeah. Here he is. This is when Jake Tapper asked him expressly, do you support regime change? Chuck is gonna draw a distinction between the Democrats and Trump.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Do you disagree with President Trump's ultimate goal of regime change in Venezuela?

[Brandon]

Look, the bottom line is President Trump throws out so many different things in so many different ways, you don't even know what the heck he's talking about.

[Emma Vigeland]

You know, can you pause it? You know, it's your job to tell the American public what he's doing and what he's talking about. Not to say this. This. Our. Our political opponent. I can't even define what he. What is bad about what he wants to do. It's just the fact that he does a bunch of different things. Are you joking?

[Matt Binder]

There's a. Any staffers listening to this. Print this phrase out. Democrats, Republicans think you're lazy. Democrats think you're stupid. And make sure your boss doesn't play into the latter thing, because they always do. They think, no, we can follow what Trump's doing. He's murdering people in the Caribbean to try to provoke a war, you idiot.

[Emma Vigeland]

It's insane.

[Matt Binder]

How infantile.

[Emma Vigeland]

But isn't that, but it's like the Iran thing. No, you know, no side deals. He does this. He does, like, just stand in opposition to this aggression. It's just. We'll keep going.

[Matt Binder]

This is Chuck Schumer, who was against the Iran deal.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yeah.

[Brandon]

So many different things in so many different ways. You don't even know what the heck he's talking about. You know, obviously, if Maduro would just flee on his own, everyone would like that. But we don't know what the heck he's up to when he talks about that. So it's very, very. You cannot say, I endorse this, I endorse that. When Trump is all over the lot. Not very specific and very worrisome at how far he might escalate.

[Emma Vigeland]

All over the lot was the same phrase he used in that, in that, in that video I talked about. The problem with Trump is not the substance of his actions, it's that he's confusing. Chuck. Are you. I mean, what more do I need to say? Is there anything else to say? Okay, in a moment we will be speaking to Anthony Aguilar. But first, a word from some of our sponsors. You know the best way to spread holiday cheer? Gift an aura frame and keep the family near. When you. It's around holiday season, it's wonderful to see your family. And sometimes you can't, though sometimes you have to send a gift because you can't be with them in person. And even if you are there with them in person, getting something sentimental like that shows that you'll always be with them and that you're thinking of them in that way. And an aura frame is perfect for that kind of gift. Around the holidays, aura frames allow you to share photos and videos effortlessly. You get the frame and you can straight from your phone or all year long upload photos to the digital frame. And you don't even need to open the box. So when you give it as a gift, all the photos, videos will be preloaded. And especially, yeah, if your parents, your grandparents, they don't see you that much. They love this kind of gift because it reminds them of their loved ones. And you get it in this wonderful gift box. Every frame comes packaged in a premium gift box with no price tag. I've gotten this as a gift before. Sam must have gotten like 8 already by this point. It's the perfect way to show the people in your life that you care. You can't wrap togetherness, but you can frame it for a limited time. Save on the perfect gift by visiting auraframes.com to get $35 off Aura's best selling Carver mat frames named number one by Wirecutter by using promo code Majority at checkout. That's a U R A frames.com promo code majority. This deal is exclusive to listeners and frames sell out fast so order yours now to get it in time for the holidays. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Again, that's code majority at checkout. Auraframes.com youm can get $35 off the best selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code Majority at checkout. That's a U R A frames.com promo code Majority and we will put a link down below in the video and episode descriptions. And at Majority fm, another one of our sponsors Remember that doctor's appointment? That one you were supposed to make a while ago? The one you meant to book but you got sidetracked and completely forgot about it? You know that dermatologist appointment for that thing you've been meaning to get checked? Or that regular or not so regular checkout? Why not book today? ZocDoc makes it easy to find the right doctor right now and it is all online. ZocDoc is a free app and website where you can search and compare high quality in network doctors and click to instantly book an appointment. Zocdoc lets you book in network appointments with more than 100,000 doctors across every specialty. You can filter for doctors near you who take your insurance who are a good fit for you and you can find the type of care that you're looking for. From good bedside manner to no.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Long.

[Emma Vigeland]

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[Anthony Aguilar]

Thanks for having me, Emma. I appreciate it and always happy to watch your show too and stay informed.

[Emma Vigeland]

Well, I appreciate that. I appreciate that. I am glad we finally got to have you on because your testimony was so impactful when you came back from Gaza and you spoke exactly about what the Gaza Humanitarian foundation was doing. Just, just take us through that. Take us through your decision making process as to why you decided that you had to speak out after what you saw when you were in Gaza.

[Anthony Aguilar]

So why I had to speak out to not only the world but really to the American people is that the situation in Gaza is not one that has just occurred by accident or the fog and friction of war as Pete Hegseth likes to throw around a lot. It's intentional. It was, it's by design. The the level of destruction, the genocide, the designed starvation which has now led us into the brink of a famine. The setting up of distribution sites to serve as nothing more than bait to displace the civilian population is something that violates every tenet of the genomic conventions and international humanitarian law. And it's so apparent that the United States is not just a innocent bystander but is complicit. The current situation report that came from the new civil Military Coordination center which was put in Kirgat Yacht in Israel as part of the implementation of this peace plan. The the commanding general, a U.S. army general who is there has said the Israelis have the lead on this. They are the hand and we, the United States are the glove so we are absolutely complicit in what is happening in Gaza in terms of the munitions that are used. Every bomb, every mortar, every artillery round, every rocket and missile comes from the United States, either through us allowing it or directly providing it. The Gaza Humanitarian foundation, set up by the United States as this aid mechanism, was a facade to continue the forced displacement of the entire population from all of central Gaza. So witnessing these things firsthand and seeing that there's no denying it, there's no hiding it, there's no sugarcoating it, there's no justifying it, is something that the American people need to be aware of how their tax dollars are being spent and how our government is involved in a genocide.

[Emma Vigeland]

Can you, let's back up for just a second. Can you describe the Gaza Humanitarian foundation initially? Boston Consulting Group, which is a major consulting firm which Benjamin Netanyahu worked for by the way, back in the day, was intimately involved in setting up this so called aid distribution organization which is really, as you say, a mechanism of ethnic cleansing. And I've heard you describe these aid distribution sites as deliberate death traps. And I want to ask why you describe them that way in just a bit, but tell us a little bit about what this organization really is.

[Anthony Aguilar]

So the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation I would describe in comparison to British colonial, the East India Company basically a, a company that is not providing goods to the population that it is supposed to be servicing, but to provide to the, you know, to the, to the empire. And if you look at the why the Gaza's Humanitarian foundation was stood up, it, it came out of nowhere into existence this past March. So this is not a long standing, long enduring principles based organization that has proven performance. This, it just popped up in March led by a former Blackwater then Triple Canopy associate named Jake Wood and then taken over by Mr. Johnny Moore, who is a self described Christian Zionist evangelist and no humanitarian aid background in, in this particular organization. But really the ghf, the Gaza Humanitarian foundation was really just the candy coating on this hard pill that we were forcing down the throat of the Palestinians. In that you had Safe Reach Solutions and UG Solutions, which were contract companies under the ghf. UG Solutions is who I worked for. Those two companies both popped up in January and February again with no past performance. And they hired the Infidels motorcycle club to run the armed contract security and Safe REIT Solutions was owned and run by CIA case officers, covert case officers for that matter. So when you start peeling back the layers on the ghf, Safe Reach Solutions, UG Solutions. It's nothing more than a, than a cover for action for parallel military operations. And we, we at. When we first went into Gaza, it was my belief as kind of the, the, the odd man out, if you will, because I'm not a member of the Infidels motorcycle Club. I'm not.

[Emma Vigeland]

Can you explain before who those are? I mean, that it's a, it's an anti Islamic kind of gang essentially, or it's a Islamophobic gang basically. Right?

[Anthony Aguilar]

Precisely, Emma. Yes, it's a, it's an Islamophobic motorcycle club, but for lack of better terms, as we would call any other by its name a gang. And the, the infidels motorcycle club. What's, what's more concerning specifically to this region in Gaza is that this is not your run of the mill extremist or hate group. In their Islamophobia, they see themselves as crusaders. They wear a tattoo emblazoned with a crusader cross with infidels above it with 1095 in the bottom rocker. Kind of like what you would see on the Sons of Anarchy TV show. And 1095 is the year of the first crusades where Pope Urban directed the first crusade to the Holy Land to eradicate the earth of all the vermin scum, referring to Muslims. And that is their charter. And you now have a, an organized motorcycle club made up of military veterans who have an idea that going into the Holy Land to kill Muslims is not only a calling, but they see it as a pilgrimage, as a crusade, if you will. And that's who was hired, specifically hired by the GHF to execute this mission. And I was hired in at the end when they were trying to fill some last minute slots. So I wasn't their ideal recruit, I guess you would say. But very concerning when you see the behavior at these sites of not only the IDF but also of the UG solutions, American contractors and their complete disregard for international law, humanitarian practice, just basic decency.

[Emma Vigeland]

Can you talk a little bit about these distribution sites? As I mentioned earlier, you talked about them as death traps. What does that look like? What did you see? How would you describe the, the, what Gaza looks like and what these death traps look like in that context?

[Anthony Aguilar]

So. You know, Emma, I've been, I've been to a lot of war in the last 25 years. I have fought in every war the United States has been deployed in. Not just Iraq, not just Afghanistan, but Syria, Tajikistan, the Philippines, fighting Islamic insurgency in the south of the Philippines. I've, I've seen some things I've seen things that. When I retired this past March, you know, I just retired six months ago. I thought, I thought Tony had seen his fill. What I witnessed in Gaza, from the very first day on the 24th of May, when we rolled through the Karim Shalom crossing in Tarafah, what I saw made me sick. It broke me. I have never seen or witnessed anything of that level of disproportionality, complete disregard for the civilian population as we drove through Rafah to the site number three. So what's interesting about these sites is that under the United nations and UNRWA There were 400 distribution sites. Community Based Outreach GHF reduced those sites down to four. And only one, maybe two operated at a time, given one or two sites operating at most on any given day. Whereas Once there was 401 of the sites in the south was in, in Rafa. You actually had to drive through the rubble of Rafa to get to it. There was no way around it, so we had to drive through the rubble. And as we were driving through on the 24th of May, we had come to a stop because the IDF had a bulldozer in front of us that was trying to clear a path of just immense destruction. And as we stopped and, you know, I could, I opened the door to stand out, to look. You could hear, you could hear the voices of people.

[Emma Vigeland]

Oh, one second, folks, I'm back. I'm sorry, you cut out briefly. You said you could hear the voices of Pete.

[Anthony Aguilar]

You could hear the voice, you could, you could hear the voices of the, of people that were still trapped in the rubble, that were, that weren't going to be rescued, who died in this rubble. And the distribution sites themselves were deliberately established in the active combat area of this greater war zone. So some might make the argument, well, all of Gaza is a war zone, and that might be true. But in war and in military operations, you have the rear, you have the front lines, you have the support area, you have secure areas which do exist. In Gaza, they deliberately chose to put these distribution sites specifically to service humanitarian aid for unarmed civilians in sites that would require them to move on foot great distance through an active and ongoing combat zone. So as the Palestinians approach these sites, they would literally have to cross the front line, or what's called the flot, the forward line of troops, and which is for those that have served in the military, that is, that is dangerous in terms of where the most action is going on. So the front line. So the fact that these sites were specifically set in these Locations was greatly concerning and it came to my knowledge that that was not an accident, that they were, they were established there intentionally.

[Emma Vigeland]

I just want to linger on what you just said about hearing people screaming under the rubble and I know that you don't have the ability to answer this scientifically, but it's just something I can't let go because the downplaying of the true death toll in the Western press is manufacturing consent for the continuation of this genocide. People have no idea how bad it is, how many missing people are actually dead, crushed to death, screaming, suffocating to death under rubble. Can you ex, can you talk about that a little bit and what the scale of destruction would indicate to you about the death toll in Gaza?

[Anthony Aguilar]

So as I, as I've said my, my contextual comparison is years of war and seeing probably the most I could relate it to is, is Mosul in the fight against ISIS or Raqqa and Syria, where once the rubble was cleared and the area was actually back cleared and secured, thousands were found dead in the rubble that weren't part of their original death toll, so to speak. So I've said this before and, and I will say it again and the, the, the truth will come out little by little. I believe that the death toll from this war, either by direct action, direct shelling, bombing, or the direct associated wounds, injuries and death caused in this war is close to 500,000. And I say that because there are 50 million tons of rubble in Gaza that would take from now until 2050 to clear if we started today. Hundreds, thousands did not make it out of those apartments and schools and hospitals when they were leveled to the ground. And when you see what a 2000 pound bomb, a joint deployed aerial munition dropped directly on a 1011 story building and it flattens it to the earth. No one survives that, they're buried in it. And those that live for a very short period of time are merely crying out in their last breaths. I further have belief for that death toll because part of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's plan, before they were shut down operating within Gaza, had a plan for a humanitarian assistance transit area. Sounds benign. It's basically a concentration camp to move all surviving Palestinians of the operational war to the south, to hold them, to then back clear and start reconstruction. Well, that humanitarian assistance transit area was designed to hold 1.5 million people. So if you consider the population to be around 2 million and the plan was only that there'd be 1.5 million remaining, now that may be calculation of considering people that also Left or will leave. The death toll is likely close to half a million.

[Emma Vigeland]

Can you speak a little bit about what you're seeing? I know you've been back for months, but just now this. Since the Trump imposed ceasefire that Israel has repeatedly, repeatedly broke, the IDF has divided the Gaza Strip into two sections and has essentially commandeered, I think something around 53% of the strip. This is a piece of land that's 141 square miles and they are pushing the Palestinians into a smaller and smaller territory and shooting even young boys. As we've seen their faces, these two siblings who cross this invisible line into the territory that Israel has controlled. Is that the development of the concentration camp that you speak of? Can you talk about that tactic and what that means for the Palestinians right now?

[Anthony Aguilar]

So the, the world should be very, very concerned about this, this peace plan that was adopted in UN Resolution 2803. The, the United States gave Israel the, the ticket to continue what I would call their final solution. If you think About World War I, World War II, most deaths post direct intense conflict was because of death, disease, accidents, famine, etc. In the occupied areas. That's no different than what we'll see here. Thousands will die by these very actions. So how you said it was, it was bisected. So the infamous Netsarim corridor divides northern Gaza or Gaza City from central and southern Gaza or Khan Yunis and what was once the city of Rafah, which is now completely razed to the ground without one building over 10ft standing. And that, that divide around that divide, they have built or expanded these military corridors to where each pocket is completely surrounded. So it's not only necessarily bifurcating it in half, it's bifurcating it in half and then creating two salients, if you will, the Gazette City and then Khan Yunus Rafa and where they establish this yellow line that they call it. If you were to go and stand at the yellow line and measure that area behind the yellow line that's now under the control of the IDF, as you said, that's about 53%. But they've given themselves a 10 meter buffer off of that yellow line forward, that anybody that encroaches upon that yellow line can be killed. And this is not a yellow line where you see like when you're watching a football game and this magic line comes on and everybody can see it. This is an imaginary line that's only enforced by whichever IDF soldier is there at the time who feels where the yellow line should be.

[Emma Vigeland]

And you also Say this buffer zone, too. I mean, Israel is infamous for creating buffer zones that end up just getting larger and larger, which is just the way that they seize more territory. So it's more than the 53% that you've even been describing here. It's a great majority of the Strip. Yeah.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Yes, it is. It is. It is upwards of about 60, 62% of the entire Gaza Strip that is under the total complete occupation. And the reason this is not necessarily a surprise to me is that if we recall back to August, Israel began its offensive into Gaza City, which they called Operation Gideon Chariots 2. That operation was not supposed to begin until late September. They started it early and called up 60,000 reserves to pack into Gaza to hold the south because they knew that they were running out of time. They knew that the world was growing leery of what was actually happening when so much was coming out to where you couldn't hide the fact of what's happening anymore. So they accelerated that operation. But it's always been the plan. And this is where I'm deeply concerned as an American and why I'm doing everything I can to notify, inform and educate lawmakers. Is that the Boston Consulting Group, as you alluded to in the beginning, which Nyahu work tour, which was part of the design of this plan, those designs, the planning for these, for this demilitarized area, holding area, reconstruction area, than to re. To then construct a riviera and resorts with this beautiful artistic rendering of the future of Gaza with high speed, high rail train and a Riviera and resorts. That plan was designed in 2021. I've seen it. It hung on the wall of the headquarters of the Coordinating Office of the Governance of Activity in the Territories of the idf, Boston Consulting Group. So the United States has had a direct hand in not only how this operation is ongoing, but what the true objective and intent is. And the true objective is intent is that every Palestinian within Gaza will either be dead or voluntarily transferred somewhere else and they will never come back. I think even on your show, maybe about a year ago or not too long ago. But it was a clip from about a year ago with Jared Kushner talking about this very thing, what he called the IDF would be cleaning Gaza. This plan that the Boston Consulting Group developed that Jared Kushner had a very integral part in, and so did Steve Witkoff and Steve Witkoff's son. So did Bibi Netanyahu since 2021. So when I hear October 7, 2023, as the date, I. I'm skeptical about what was truly the intent in the nature and the way it looks to me based on the continuation of this genocide. There is, there is no ceasefire. I, I'm in contact with, with families and actual human beings in Gaza daily and I see it and I hear it and the bombs that are dropping. There's not a ceasefire. And it puts the entire future of this region in a precarious situation because now we have the administration rushing to get to this phase two to hurry up and get to phase two without addressing the fact that they have brought no Palestinians to the table in this negotiation and they are adamant about Hamas disarming. Yet Israel hasn't upheld their end of this ceasefire agreement from October 10th to cease the bombing, to pull back their forces beyond the yellow line out of Gaza to the border, and to allow the free flow of all humanitarian aid. They are still not allowing aid in any numbers that can feed the population. They are starving them every day.

[Emma Vigeland]

And let alone the storm that is hitting Gaza right now, we already have a little girl that froze to death due to the elements. And these people that are intense right now are in dire straits, obviously. But Anthony Aguilar, retired U.S. army lieutenant colonel whistleblower who worked in Gaza with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, I really appreciate your time today and thank you so much for speaking out and giving a voice and saying what you've seen because I think it makes a difference, even though of course the genocide is still ongoing. But brick by brick, we build up an opposition here. Thanks so much for your time today.

[Anthony Aguilar]

And thank you and Sam, for your courage and your platform because it takes courage to continue to speak the truth and I appreciate everything you do for, for humanity.

[Emma Vigeland]

Well, thank you so much. Quick break folks, and when we come back, we're going to be talking to Melat Quiros, who is running in Colorado's 1st congressional district.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Sam.

[Emma Vigeland]

We are back and we are joined now by Melat Quiros, candidate for Colorado's 1st congressional district. Meilat, thanks so much for coming on the show today.

[Melat Quiros]

Thanks so much for having me. Excited to be here.

[Emma Vigeland]

Excited to talk to you and congratulations on being endorsed by Justice Democrats. I think. What are you, the sixth candidate that Justice Democrats has endorsed so far. Tell us a little bit about that and that endorsement and what that means to you.

[Melat Quiros]

Yeah, definitely. We are so excited to have gotten their endorsement. Justice Democrats have been doing the work for years now of trying to address the problem of do nothing Democrats in Congress where they are actively in bed with these corporations that are singularly responsible for the affordability crisis that we're seeing today. And the only way we are actually going to get to the solutions, like Medicare for All housing first universal child care, is if we replace them in Congress and put that are actually going to fight for working people in this country.

[Emma Vigeland]

You, you rattled off your policy platforms right at the beginning like a pro. I was going to go plank by plank with them with you. But you're a supporter of Medicare for All. That's enormous. Tell us a little bit about why you chose to support Medicare for All.

[Melat Quiros]

Absolutely. You know, at the end of the day, if we need to be achieving universal health care, right. And Medicare for All is the most efficient, effective and economical proposal that we have to do that, it's going to sa taxpayers thousands of dollars in premiums that they're paying right now to all these middlemen, health insurance companies that are just sucking Americans dry and profiting off of sickness and pain when every other developed and wealthy country in the world has universal health care. We should have the same thing here.

[Emma Vigeland]

And universal childcare is also a part of your platform. I was reading some statistics about how over the past five or so years, the cost of childcare has just grown exponentially across the country. What are you hearing in your district about what people are experiencing when they try to get care for their kids?

[Melat Quiros]

I mean, universe, trying to get childcare is like trying to pay for a second rent or a second mortgage. Right. It is that inaccessible to a lot of young people. And I'm 28 and I have absolutely no means available right now to even think about starting a family, because it is that inaccessible. And I grew up here in Denver where both of my parents were working to help put my dad through pharmacy school. And so I had aunts and uncles. Like, I would stay with them on the weekends while my parents got to work. It was because they had that kind of access to childcare in the community that they were able to build the kind of life that they did for me and my little sister. That kind of community isn't accessible to everyone in this country. And especially if you are working 40, 50, 60 hours a week, the idea of having a child is just totally out of reach for people. We need to have universal child care because children are really the future of this country and we need to be doing everything to make sure that we're giving them the very best start.

[Emma Vigeland]

And in terms of the other parts of your policy platform, climate change, do you support things like a Green New Deal? Would that be something you would sign on to if you were able to get into Congress.

[Melat Quiros]

Yeah, without question. The Green New Deal, I think, is, you know, it's been a while since it was first proposed, so there are going to be some adjustments that we're going to need to make in there. And I think one of those things is going to be related to AI. There are a lot of questions that we need to get answered on that front, but absolutely, we need to be pushing for renewable energies that are going to secure our grid, make sure it's strong for working Americans today. And it's a particular issue for us here in Denver because Diana Deget, the Democrat that I'm challenging, is in bed with a lot of these big energy companies. And when you are literally taking money from the very companies that are actively responsible for our rising rates in this country, you cannot be the one to hold them accountable. And so to have someone say that with a straight face that they're going to be the ones that helps address the rising energy prices, it's just ridiculous.

[Emma Vigeland]

Tell us a little bit about these AI data centers in Denver. This is becoming an increasingly important issue, I think, for politicians to address because they're polluting communities, they're driving up electricity bills, and they're kind of particularly focusing on or building in frontline communities, oftentimes people of color as well, I would imagine. Denver is not an exception in that.

[Melat Quiros]

Yeah, I mean, the way these AI data centers are being built is they're operating in the dark, right? They are using the insidious nature of the relationship between corporations and politicians so that they can quietly get their permits approved and quietly move into these neighborhoods where they are polluting the waters or draining the energy grids of these, of these areas and these communities, what we saw in Tucson, Arizona, not too long ago, where the communities actually rallied to prevent the building of something like this. That needs to be the model where we are actively giving back the power to the communities where they are targeting so we can make sure that people understand what is the actual risk that's being posed by these data centers. What impact is it going to have on the water, on the energy use? So that if communities do not want that in their backyard, they have the power to say no, even though their politicians are in these pockets and are trying to push it through quiet. That's what we really need to address.

[Emma Vigeland]

You also, in part, I was reading there was an article about you in the Intercept, and I hadn't realized this, that in 2023 you actually lost your job because you wrote a post online speaking about how it was wrong for certain law firms, including your own, to be vocally against the anti genocide demonstrations and pro Palestine protests. Can you take us back to 2023? Your post and what your political evolution has been since you were let go by your job over speaking out for Palestine.

[Melat Quiros]

Yeah, it was November of 23. I was seeing the students that were losing their job offers and getting fired because they were demonstrating against the genocide that was happening in Palestine. And I'm from Ethiopia, where there was a civil war and a genocide against Tigray for a few years there. And I demonstrated myself. And so, you know, I just could not believe that there were firms that were actively trying to prevent them from being able to just use their freedom of speech to advocate for basic human rights. And so I wrote that article. I was asked to take it down. I said no, and without hesitation. Because at the end of the day, standing up to power for our most basic values of human rights and standing up against genocide is the bare minimum that we need to be requiring of these institutions and especially of the people that are in power right now. And, you know, the most revealing thing to me at that time was that after I did get fired, I got a lot of messages from people around the world. And there was a message that I got from another attorney. She just found out that she was pregnant. She hadn't told anyone at her firm. She hadn't even told some members of her family. And she said that, I wish I could have spoken out, but I can't risk losing my health insurance when I have a baby on the way. And that's how quickly I realized that we're not living in a free market, we're living in a coercive market where these institutions and a lot of these employees are using their power over us because we can't afford our rent, we can't afford our health care, we can't afford our groceries. And so we're stuck in these jobs that are stifling our freedom of speech and preventing us from being able to speak truth to power and stand up to things like genocide, especially when it's our tax dollars that are funding these kinds of war crimes. And so, you know, it was the greatest decision I've ever made because it really reminded me about where the real fight has to be, and that's in the halls of power in Congress so that we can change the balance of power so that we have people that are actually fighting for everyday working people and are not afraid to stand up for basic human rights and to stand against genocide.

[Emma Vigeland]

That coercion cuts across a variety of different like health care being tied to your employment is coercive. And I mean, it's both free speech and health care. In the story of one of your colleagues, Immigration, too, using the threat of deportation on workers is a way that there's leverage being used and keeping people in situations that they don't want to be in. You mentioned your father and the fact that he was going through pharmacy school. I know that you're an immigrant. Your family are immigrants. Can you speak a little bit about your background and why you feel that your voice is needed in Congress?

[Anthony Aguilar]

Yeah.

[Melat Quiros]

I immigrated here in 98 when I was a baby. My dad was selected on the diversity visa lottery program, which is the I'm here by chance, Right. And we talk a lot about the right way to immigrate here. I immigrated here on a lottery system. We get to decide what the immigration system looks like. And the fact of the matter is the American people agree that immigration helps our country. It is what makes us great. And they want to see more humane systems so that the people that are brave enough to leave everything behind, like my parents did, in the hopes of starting a better life in this country, we need to make it so that they're able to do that and they're able to do it without spending tens of thousands of dollars or taking 10 plus years to get through the process. There's no reason for that to be the case. And for us as a party to allow Republicans to have scapegoated the immigrants in this country for the affordability crisis that we're facing in this country, it's absolutely absurd. We should be rejecting this notion from the very beginning and talking about the real people responsible for the affordability crisis in this country, which is the corporations that a lot of these establishment Democrats are in bed with, including Diana DE Primarily in this challenge today.

[Emma Vigeland]

I want to talk a little bit about your opponent in just a second. But I also want to make sure people realize you support an arms embargo to Israel. They may have inferred that given the strength of your statements on, on this particular topic. But that's also, of course, very important to our audience. Can you speak a little bit about the state of the Democratic Party in Colorado? Like your governor sucks. I mean, I don't know what else to say about reminds me a little of Pennsylvania where it's like, like it's a state that's moved blue, but it's not blue in the way that, like, it's more progressive. There's Democrats that are pretty centrist that are running the show. What's your viewpoint about where the Democrats are in Colorado?

[Melat Quiros]

Yeah, I mean, this is why I'm so excited to have justice Democrats on our side. Right. Because this is a question of what kind of Democrats are we putting into power. I've spent, spent way too long watching these politicians who've been in power for decades at a time. Diana DeGette has been in office for 30 years. Longer than I've been alive.

[Emma Vigeland]

Longer than you've been alive.

[Melat Quiros]

Right, longer than I've been alive. And they have been in bed with these corporations, including people like our Governor Polis, where we're talking about big pharma, big energy defense contractors that are actively responsible for, you know, deregulating, defunding, privatizing a lot of the institutions that their generation once enjoyed, all because they're in bed with these corporations that are, are benefiting from these actions. So it's this relationship between corporations and establishment Democrats that's responsible for the crises that we're facing today. The only way we can actually address this problem is by voting them out. We have existential crises that we're facing, especially my generation, with the democracy, with the economy, with the planet. Right now. We can't afford to wait for our turn. We can't afford to ask for permission. We just have to run, remove them from power and change the balance of power in Congress so that we can fight for the things like universal childcare, housing first and Medicare for all. That's how we address the affordability crisis and actually fight for working people in this country.

[Emma Vigeland]

Your opponent, as you mentioned, Diana deget, she was elected before you were even born. She's been in Congress for nearly 30 years. What is her record and why are you primary her? And, and I guess what are some of the biggest contrasts you would say, between you and your opponent?

[Melat Quiros]

It's the corporate PAC money at the end of the day. Diana DeGette has been in office longer than I've been alive. When she got elected, the number one song in the country was the Macarena. Like we are talking about a fundamental change in the fabric of this country since the time that she's been elected. And in that time, prices have soared for housing, for health care, for childcare, making it untenable for everyday working people to build the kind of dignified lives that people in her generation used to be able to. And so for her to be in bed with the very corporations that are responsible for getting us into this mess, big pharma big energy defense contractors that are shipping our tax dollars overseas to fund a genocide. She cannot, with a straight face tell us that she's going to be the best person to get us out of this mess when she was at the helm as these crises were unfolding. She cannot. Her Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, all these people that were responsible for getting us here, they've to go. At the end of the day, we can't wait for our turn. We need to put people in Congress that are going to be accountable to the people, not to their wealthy donors, not to the corporate PACs. And that's what I've made a promise to the people in this district. They will never take a dime in corporate PAC money. That has to be the litmus test for every single Democrat we elect in the midterms. And going forward from now on, no votes for corporate shills, period.

[Emma Vigeland]

I know that you've been endorsed by track aipac not taking any APAC money. What is your opponent's record on Israel? And with AIPAC money, she's taken over.

[Melat Quiros]

Almost $100,000 from AIPAC. She is currently still refusing to sign onto the block the bombs act despite 80% of Democrats wanting an arms embargo on Israel. Right now this is at the end of the day, we're talking about a massive disconnect from the needs of the American voters and the responsiveness of the Democratic Party. We have not delivered for people and actually listened to what the Democratic voters since Obamacare and even then that was a band aid addressing the healthcare crisis. We cannot allow for there to be this much of a gap in between the 80% of Democratic voters that want an arms embargo and the like 20% of Democrats in Congress that are willing to sign on for it.

[Emma Vigeland]

Absolutely. Well, really excited about your run. Can you tell people where they can support and how they can best support for people that don't realize this is Colorado's first congressional district. It's den Denver area. Right? I mean, tell us a little bit about all of Denver. All of Denver. Wow. So how blue? Yeah, how blue is this district?

[Melat Quiros]

So blue. This is an extremely blue seats. This is an extremely blue city. We are so progressive. We have term limits. We have universal pre k. We have a small donor matching program. The same thing that helped propel Zohar on to a win in New York City. We should have a representative. Right? That's the thing that I'm calling for too is a national donor match program to level the playing field so that candidates like Myself that are not taking a dime in corporate PAC money or money from groups like AIPAC can actually compete with people like Diana DeGette who are taking millions of dollars from these corporate PACs. And so to have a city this blue, this progressive, we deserve a representative who reflects those values. And so really, the greatest way to get involved is if you live in Denver. Go to our website, heroesforco.com, sign up to volunteer. We're gonna be knocking on doors. We're gon out work and out organize diguet at every single turn until June 30th on the primary date. If you don't live in our district, then please, if you can donate. We cannot compete with the kind of money that people like to get are putting up without this help and support from small donors across this country. If you can donate 5 or $10 on a recurring basis, that is going to make all of the difference. And you can do [e-mail] too.

[Emma Vigeland]

All right, just booking my flight to Denver now to doorknock. When you said the national matching fund, I mean, that's the kind of nerdy stuff that's just music to my ears.

[Melat Quiros]

I will always nerd out on that stuff. Without question. I mean, it made a massive difference for Zoharan.

[Emma Vigeland]

Right?

[Melat Quiros]

Like once in a generation political talent. But that infrastructure made all of the difference when you saw all of that corporate money and billionaire money pouring into the city. That's the kind of transformative policies we need to see Democrats fighting for.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yeah, really, really. It keeps you competitive and we need that kind of of national programs. So I really appreciate your time. Today we will put a link to your website where people can donate or volunteer and help out Mela Quiros, candidate for Colorado's 1st congressional district. That's Denver. Thank you so much for your time today. Really appreciate it.

[Melat Quiros]

Thank you so much for having me. Bye.

[Emma Vigeland]

Of course. Bye with that. Gonna wrap up the free part of this show. The majority report. That's what it's called. Head into the fun half shortly. But I do just want to remind people we have the max left beanies. The max left beanies are on the website shop majorityreportradio.com you gotta go there if you want one of those beanies. We had the hats before, but now we've got the beanies. And whistles are back as well. Oh, and the whistles.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Okay.

[Emma Vigeland]

What was I talking about? Okay, thanks. I'm literally speechless. Okay. Yeah, Matt throwing.

[Matt Binder]

I want to make. I want to make a comment.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yes.

[Matt Binder]

Lot mentioned the Macarena. I remember being in first grade music class and learning the, the dance moves to Macarena. Probably the last dance I ever learned. But yeah, I remember that going off and it's crazy that somebody's been in Congress for that entire time.

[Emma Vigeland]

Right. The whistles are up there. Yes, they have been reordered, it seems like. So we're have some. But go to shop. Majorityreportradio.com to get these max left beanies and if you order by December 16th. So a week week? Well, no, it's next Tuesday, I guess then they should arrive by Christmas Eve. You can't guarantee that. But if you want it for Christmas, you want to get a gift for somebody who might be a fan of the show. Got ordered by December 16th. The max left beanie on shop majorityreportradio.com Matt, what's happening on Left Reckoning and with Jacobin?

[Matt Binder]

Yeah, Left Reckoning. We had a great show. Well, actually, you know, let me plug the Jackman tomorrow. Jacobin show talking to Paul Heideman about the gop, Newt Gingrich and all of this stuff. Go subscribe to Jacobin Show. Our show with Jasper, I just found out, did in fact get buried because we were talking about settler violence in the west bank and for some reason YouTube doesn't flash that to people's. Even subscribers don't even get notifications about that stuff. So. But we are doing a show for Jacobin over at the AcobinMag YouTube channel every Friday. So look forward to that tomorrow at 10:00am Eastern time, folks. And it's only available on YouTube.

[Emma Vigeland]

Hey, what's going on? What's happening on the Discourse?

[Brandon]

Well, actually tons of stuff is happening on the Discourse so much that I can't really properly encapsulate it all in one sentence. So you should just go over to the YouTube or the Twitter channel, the Discourse with Brandon and just like see what's going on right now. I will say we have, you know, and I know this is not a, a huge milestone for most YouTubers, but for me it was very important. We hit over 10,000. We have over 10,000 on the YouTube channel roaring towards 11,000. And I have to speaking of beanies, I do have to thank Tim Pool because it really was the clip about the shooting at his compound that pushed us over the edge. Well, I guess I shouldn't have put compound and scare quotes because the compound.

[Emma Vigeland]

Is really, the compound is real and he has no idea how he's going to sell that property at this Point, which is the thing that we're most concerned about here.

[Matt Binder]

Fires a gun at me, supposedly. The main thing I'm worried about is God, the resale value on this.

[Brandon]

I mean, if you're buying that story, I certainly don't think it played out the way he said it played out. But a lot of things could have happened.

[Emma Vigeland]

Come on, Tim Pool. Yeah. No, never, ever.

[Brandon]

I will say I'm excited about the Max beanie. I tried to wear a beanie in solidarity with Tim after the shooting for a few minutes on the show, but I was too weak to pull it off. Honestly, it made my head itch and I felt like it made me really uncomfortable, like, looking at myself, like, you know, in beanie for the entire show. And so, like, I just took it off. And so I think that, like, if nothing else, I can admit that he's a bigger man than I am on that front.

[Emma Vigeland]

Braving the discomfort.

[Matt Binder]

He has the opposite situation where when he doesn't have it on, his head itches and he feels uncomfortable. Oh, you're just. You're just both doing the same thing of avoiding discomfort to Spectrum.

[Emma Vigeland]

Well, with that said, we don't have Matt Bender yet. Oh, yes, we do.

[Brandon]

Oh, my goodness. He's right there.

[Emma Vigeland]

There he is. Hello, Matt Bender.

[Matt Binder]

Hello.

[Emma Vigeland]

What's happening with your shows?

[Anthony Aguilar]

Yeah, sure, I. I believe we're discussing.

[Brandon]

Because Mike.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Mike from the Human Support is officially on his break for Christmas. But I believe we should be having a leftist Mafia tonight at 8:[e-mail] mattbinder.

[Emma Vigeland]

Check it out, folks. All right, we will head into the fun half where we will. We'll read your IMs and maybe take a call or two. We shall see. See you in the fun half.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Okay, Emma, please.

[Emma Vigeland]

Well, I just. I feel that my voice is sorely lacking on the Majority report.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Wait, look, Sam is unpopular. I do deserve a vacation at Disney World, so. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome Emma to the show.

[Matt Binder]

I think you need to take over, Sam.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yes, please.

[Anthony Aguilar]

I'm going to pause you right there.

[Emma Vigeland]

Wait, what?

[Anthony Aguilar]

You can't encourage Emma to live like this. And I'll tell you why. So was offered a tour. Sushi and poker with boys. Twerk, sushi and poker with boys. Who was offered a tour.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yeah.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Sushi and poker with boys.

[Brandon]

What?

[Anthony Aguilar]

Sushi and poker had Tim's upset. Twerk, sushi and poker with poker boys was offered with twerk sushi and that's what we call biz. Twerk, sushi and poker boys.

[Emma Vigeland]

Right.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Twerk sushi and we're gonna get demonetized. I just think that what you did to Tim Pool was mis.

[Emma Vigeland]

You mean free speech?

[Anthony Aguilar]

That's not what we're about here. Look at how sad he's become now. You shouldn't even talk about it. I think you're responsible.

[Emma Vigeland]

I probably am in a certain way. But let's get to the meltdown here.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Sushi and poker with the boys.

[Brandon]

Oh, my God.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Wow. Sushi. I'm sorry. I'm losing my mind. Someone's offered a tour. Sushi and poker with boys. Logic. Sushi and poker with boy. I think I'm like a little kid. Think I'm like a little kid. Think I'm like a kid. Twerk. I think I'm like a little kid. Think I'm like a little kid. Had this debate 7,000 times.

[Emma Vigeland]

A little kid.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Think I'm like a little kid. Think I'm like a dick. I'm losing my mind. So I'm not trying to be a dick right now, but, like, I absolutely think the US should be providing me with a wife and kids.

[Emma Vigeland]

That's not what we're talking about here.

[Anthony Aguilar]

It's not a fun job. Job. Twerk. That's a real thing. That's real thing. Real thing. Willy wonk. That's a real thing. That's real thing. That's a real thing. That's real thing. Real thing. That's a real thing. That's real thing offered. Ladies and gentlemen, Joe Rogan has done it again. That's a real thing.

[Brandon]

I think he might be blowing it out of proportion.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Real thing. That's offered a report. That's a real thing. Thing. Let's go, Joe. Sushi and poker.

[Matt Binder]

Take it easy.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Sushi and poker. Things have really gotten out of hand. Sushi and poker.

[Brandon]

Boy.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Sushi. You don't have a clue as to what's going on live YouTube.

[Emma Vigeland]

Sam has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Sam doesn't want to do this show anymore.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Anymore.

[Emma Vigeland]

It was so much easier when the majority of the to report was just you.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Let's change the subject. Rangers and Nicks are doing great now. Shut up.

[Emma Vigeland]

Don't want people saying reckless things on your program.

[Anthony Aguilar]

That's one of the most difficult parts about this show.

[Emma Vigeland]

This is the Pro Killing podcast.

[Anthony Aguilar]

I'm thinking maybe it's time to bury the hatchet.

[Emma Vigeland]

Left his best trump. Violet.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Twerk. Don't be foolish and don't tweet at me. And don't the way Emma has. All of these people love it.

[Emma Vigeland]

That's where my heart. So I wrote my honors thesis about it.

[Anthony Aguilar]

She wrote an honest thesis. I guess I should hand the main.

[Brandon]

Mic to you now.

[Anthony Aguilar]

You are to the right of me on foreign policy.

[Emma Vigeland]

We already fund Israel, dude. Are you against us?

[Anthony Aguilar]

That's a tougher question I haven't answered. Incredible theme song.

[Emma Vigeland]

Hi, bumbler.

[Anthony Aguilar]

Emma Viglin. Absolutely one of my favorite people. Actually not just in the game, like period.