The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Episode 3565: Entering the New New World Order; Minnesota Strikes w/ Matt Duss
Date: January 23, 2026
Guests: Matt Duss (Center for International Policy, Undiplomatic Podcast)

Episode Overview

Today's episode dives deep into the unfolding "New New World Order" amidst profound political and geopolitical shifts. Sam Seder, Emma Vigeland, and guests unpack the erosion of America's global dominance, the ongoing crisis and protest in Minnesota sparked by ICE activities, the retreat from the international rules-based order, and domestic struggles over civil liberties and democracy. Matt Duss joins for an in-depth segment on Davos, the changing geopolitical landscape, US militarism, and the consequences of empire in decline. The show also covers breaking news, House votes on DHS funding, egregious ICE actions, and solidarity with Minnesota's general strike.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Minnesota General Strike & ICE Crackdown

• General Strike in Minneapolis:
  Protest against "ICE invading that city" leading to widespread actions: "no work, no school, no shopping." (00:00–08:00)
• ICE Actions & Congressional Complicity:
  • House vote to approve DHS funding passed with help from seven Democrats.
  • Seder and panel list these Democrats, criticizing them for enabling an agency "currently wreaking havoc, shooting mothers in the face, kidnapping children" (08:23).
  • Emma Vigeland highlights the disconnect between voters and party elites:

    “The agency that is currently wreaking havoc... It’s horrendous.” (08:23)

• Whistleblower ICE Memo:
  Detailed segment on shocking ICE memo telling agents “you don't need to follow the Fourth Amendment.” Administrative warrants replaced judicial ones, stripping oversight.
  • Seder:

    “The administrative warrants are just like essentially internal documents for ICE... it doesn’t mean anything.” (11:31–14:24)

  • Emma:

    “If they were issued by a judge, they wouldn’t be called administrative warrants, they’d be called judicial warrants. And [J.D. Vance] knows this. Obviously he’s lying.” (14:38–14:44)

2. J.D. Vance in Minnesota: ICE Apologism & Disinformation

• J.D. Vance Defends ICE Policy:
  • Minimizes constitutional concerns, insisting:

    “We can get administrative warrants to enforce administrative immigration law. Now, it's possible, I guess, that the courts will say no...” (12:27–13:13)

  • Seder and others call out the legal gaslighting.
  • Seder:

    "This sounds like a used car salesman trying to explain to you why the price is $10,000 more than he originally stated." (16:09)

• Panel Contextualizes ICE's Growing Abuses and Public Outrage.

3. Davos 2026 & The Collapse of the “International Rules-Based Order”

(w/ Matt Duss, 27:30–63:41)

A. Carney's Landmark Speech & The “Green Grocer” Analogy (29:21–31:26)

• Carney (and EU President, Zelensky) publicly criticized the West's “rules-based order”, invoking Václav Havel’s famous “Power of the Powerless” essay (“living within a lie”).
• Duss’s take:

  “Much of the global south... has never had their sign up in the first place, that has always been clear that the rules based order does not mean them.” (31:26)

B. Realignment & Erosion of US Hegemony

• Seder:

  “It really is just basically saying America is not what it was and we got to stop pretending. And this feels like this has been coming for 20 years… Iraq was where it became quite clear.” (33:45–34:36)

• Duss:

  “Iraq was a very key moment in the chain of events that… led to the corrosion and now destruction of this order. One of the prominent supporters of that invasion was Vaclav Havel…” (34:36)

C. Economic Shifts & Europe in the Crosshairs

• Emma notes:

  “China is much more efficient and is much more ahead technologically than the United States… Greenland was under threat... we are an empire on the decline economically.” (35:13)

• Duss:

  “Greenland is just where Europe suddenly realized they are now on the wrong side of the protection racket.” (36:18)

D. Trump’s America and the Global “Mafia Order”

• Seder:

  “There’s no brakes on this train and it’s careening off somewhere.” (38:16)

• Duss observes the Biden “America’s back” interlude lulled the world to sleep, but:

  “Now, as Sam said, there is no denying it.” (39:26)

• Duss:

  “The era we’re moving into... is just an era of global mafia... And who knows where we’ll be.” (43:18)

E. Retreat into Militarism

• Emma:

  “We're raising the military budget. I mean, that's the other thing...we are gonna continue to be as militaristic as possible.” (43:42)

• Duss:

  “This kind of global mafia is a threat to the globe. It’s a threat to Americans and certainly to communities outside our borders.” (44:26)

• Deep concern about US, Russia, Israel carving up spheres of influence, departing from even pretense of international cooperation.

4. Foreign Policy, Elite Impunity, & Domestic Struggles

A. Foreign Policy Elites & Democratic Disconnect

• Seder:

  “This was the President who put the American led, rules based order in its grave.” (40:48)

• Duss:

  “We have a lot more, I think, Democrats talking about this now... Part of this is reasserting Democratic control over wealth and power.” (46:59)

• Emma:

  “70% of House Democrats just voted to increase military spending. And on the issue of Gaza... far out of step with public opinion.” (48:17)

B. Elite Impunity

• Duss:

  “It’s about elite impunity. The powerful, the well-connected pay no price... if you want to understand why Trump fears, doesn’t fear accountability, look at the guest list for Dick Cheney’s funeral.” (49:29)

5. Spotlight on Minnesota: On-the-Ground Protest & State Violence

(68:00–73:57)

• Live Update:
  Sarah Lazare of Workday Magazine at Minneapolis Airport, clergy protesting ICE, some arrests; temperatures are “minus 8” (68:19).
• Nakima Levy Armstrong's Arrest:
  • Lawyer describes pre-dawn ICE/FBI raid:

    “The group of FBI and Homeland Security agents busted into the hotel the night before her arrest, roughed people up... completely political motivation of the government… It has nothing to do with enforcing the law... It's about, frankly, just about fascism.” (69:37–72:03)

  • Emma:

    “They're basically charging her with a civil rights era law... as a pastor herself.” (72:31)

  • Commentary on Southern Baptist ties to slaveholder legacy; call for "sunlight to disinfect some of these spaces" (73:31).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On US Hegemony’s Collapse:

  “Greenland is where Europe... realized that they are now on the wrong side of the protection racket.” – Matt Duss (36:18)

• On Administrative ICE Warrants:

  “If they were issued by a judge, they wouldn’t be called administrative warrants, they’d be called judicial warrants. And he knows this. Obviously he’s lying.” – Emma Vigeland (14:38)

• On Elite Impunity:

  “If you want to understand why Trump doesn’t fear accountability, look at the guest list for Dick Cheney’s funeral.” – Matt Duss (49:29)

• On the Global Mafia Order:

  “The era we’re moving into... is just an era of global mafia... And who knows where we’ll be.” – Matt Duss (43:18)

• On ICE Detention Centers:

  “...People are in incredibly... They're not providing clothes or warmth. There's no heat on... This is a willful policy choice to essentially torture these people.” – Sam Seder (66:23)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Minnesota ICE crackdown & strike coverage: 00:00–08:00, 68:00–73:57
• House DHS funding vote & Democrats salting their own earth: 08:00–09:16
• ICE administrative warrants, J.D. Vance controversy: 11:22–18:22
• Davos 2026, Carney/Green Grocer/Havel speech critique: 27:30–31:26
• Matt Duss on collapse of U.S.-led order and global realignment: 31:26–46:59
• U.S. militarism and mafia–styled foreign policy: 43:18–45:39
• Elite impunity and party disconnect from the public: 48:17–50:31
• Live from Minnesota: protest and ICE abuse details: 68:00–73:57

Resources & Action Items

• Support Minnesota Protesters:
  "Go to standwithminnesota.com — they have a very long list of places where you can donate…" (73:31)
• Further Reading:
  AM Quickie, WorkDay Magazine, Center for International Policy, Undiplomatic Podcast.

Closing Thoughts

This episode masterfully interweaves domestic outrages with the seismic shifts occurring on the world stage. The panel lays bare the collapse of rote justifications for US hegemony, exposes the naked violence of ICE under the Trump administration's second term, and foregrounds local resistance in Minnesota as a microcosm of both state violence and solidarity. Guests emphasize the convergence of elite impunity and declining democracy, while offering critical clarity and action for listeners.

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