The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Episode 3569 – America Tips Into Fascism; Canada’s Largest Union Flexes
Date: August 27, 2025
Host: Emma Vigeland (in for Sam Seder)
Guests: Garrett Graff, Mark Hancock

Episode Overview

This episode takes a two-pronged approach: First, it examines America’s slide into authoritarianism through a discussion with historian and journalist Garrett Graff. Second, it highlights recent labor activism in Canada, focusing on the Air Canada flight attendants' strike with union leader Mark Hancock. The hosts also provide continued critical coverage of the situation in Gaza, union politics, and developments in American democracy under Trump’s second term. The show maintains its signature mix of irreverent, incisive political analysis and direct language.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Americans Are Living in an Authoritarian Moment (w/ Garrett Graff)

(Interview begins at 26:41)

• America’s Authoritarian Tipping Point

  • Graff explains the premise of his recent piece, “America Tips Into Fascism,” arguing that the U.S. has entered an unmistakable authoritarian period:

    “A lot of people... have thought about this as if there was going to be, like, a light switch that turns on and off. ...That’s of course not really the way that it happens. ...What I think we have watched over this last month... is this moment where we have just sort of tipped over the edge into a new era where our country is fundamentally different.” (27:23)

  • He points to recent events such as the D.C. police takeover and military deployment as marking the shift.

• Corporate Acquiescence to Trump

  • Emma and Graff discuss prominent corporations and billionaires aligning with Trump for self-preservation and profit, likening this to the dynamics of Russia under Putin.
  • Examples: Bill Gates visiting the White House, Gates Foundation cutting off Democratic consultants, Intel converting grants, Apple/TIm Cook “bringing literal gold” to curry favor (30:14–32:26).

• Cultural and Institutional Capture

  • Trump’s control extends beyond the military to the economy (direct intervention), the Smithsonian, Kennedy Center, arts, books, and even sports (attempting to dictate Baseball Hall of Fame inductions, NFL stadium deals, team names).

  • Emma: “He puts the ‘total’ in totalitarian and is constantly omnipresent... you include some excerpts from the Declaration of Independence to make your point in your piece.” (32:26)

• Declaration of Independence Parallels

  • Graff highlights eerie echoes between Trump’s actions and grievances listed against the British Crown in 1776 (33:53).

• Democratic Leadership’s Failure

  • Graff faults national Democrats for relative silence in the face of an armed military occupying Washington, DC, noting local leaders like Gavin Newsom, but critiquing “the creaking gerontocracy" and a failure from Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer (35:04).

• Comparisons to Watergate

  • On historical resilience:

    “We’re in a much worse situation than we ever were in Watergate.... at that time, Republicans in Congress understood that their first duty was to the Constitution.” (37:36)

  • He asserts Congress and the Court are now complicit in Trump’s abuses, with the Supreme Court having “written Trump effectively a blank check” for criminal immunity.

Notable Quote:

“He is speedrunning the abuses of power that we have previously literally had a revolution to fight back against. ...This is sort of stuff that he is doing on an almost weekly basis at this point.”
— Garrett Graff (33:53)

2. Labor Power and State Repression: Air Canada Strike (w/ Mark Hancock)

(Interview begins at 40:48)

• Background: Mark Hancock is the national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing over 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants.

• Standing Up to Government Intervention

  • Hancock explains his refusal to comply with a government back-to-work order:

    “It was a line in the sand. We’re the biggest union in the country. We felt that we needed to take that stand, and we did that.” (41:43)

  • He describes Canadian Liberals’ increasing use of a labor code section (Section 107) to curb strikes—used six times in two years after being largely dormant.

• Strike Details and Leverage

  • After a strike vote with 97% approval, Air Canada was losing $60 million a day due to the work stoppage.

  • The government’s intervention attempted to force arbitration, but Hancock threatened to defy the order and face jail rather than settle for less at arbitration.

  • Result:

    “Once we made it clear that we were not going back to work without an agreement, that's when the company got serious... and we were able to get an agreement in… about seven hours.” (43:36)

• Key Issues: Wages, Ground Duty, and Working Conditions

  • Flight attendants were not being paid for time spent on the ground, even when performing duties during delays.
  • Wage stagnation after a decade-long contract and cuts during company hardship led to striking; new attendants sometimes earned less than $2,000/month.

• Risks and Wins

  • Hancock notes they faced threats of contempt of court, fines, and jail time.
  • Their activism has triggered a government investigation into unpaid work for flight attendants.
  • Despite potential risks, Hancock and his members were determined to maintain their line:

    “If I needed to go to jail … we weren’t backing down.” (48:30)

• Broader Union Priorities

  • Hancock speaks out against companies like Air Canada using pandemic bailouts for executive bonuses.
  • He champions “ending free work” and encourages governments to stay out of labor disputes:

    “Deals are found at bargaining tables, and when governments intervene time and time again, workers pay the price.” (57:39)

• On International Solidarity & Palestine

  • Hancock makes a moral case for CUPE’s strong advocacy for Palestinians, highlighting the union’s global perspective and alignment with fellow workers abroad:

    “Workers have been killed on the ground in Gaza, workers that we would represent here in Canada... It’s our moral obligation to speak out on that.” (55:42)

Notable Quote:

“If I needed to go to jail… that we were going to support those flight attendants until they got a deal at a bargaining table.”
— Mark Hancock (48:30)

3. Gaza Crisis and American/Israeli Policy

(Segment begins at 4:25; detailed at ~6:30–21:48)

• Humanitarian Catastrophe and Genocide

  • Emma offers a somber update on Gaza (“absolute apocalypse, a holocaust”). She cites Ofer Kassif, a lone Israeli politician of the Hadash Party, who has called the situation “a holocaust” and accuses Israel of genocide, weaponized starvation, and fascism within Israel as well.

  • Kassif quote (as reported by Emma):

    “A holocaust is taking place in Gaza right now, led by the government and with approval from the generals. Refuse to participate in this genocide. We must rise up against this government not with violence, but a peaceful uprising...” (~7:45)

• Lack of Israeli Public Opposition

  • The panel notes limited antiwar protests are focused largely on hostage return, not ending the war/genocide. They cite polling: 64% of Israelis agreed “there are no innocent people in Gaza” (~12:36).

• Violence Against Palestinians, Settler Emboldenment

  • The show details a spate of violence and legal impunity for Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians, including the immediate release of a settler responsible for the death of a Palestinian filmmaker.

• US Hypocrisy, Historical Reference

  • Matt recalls the Obama administration’s killing of an American teenager (Anwar al-Awlaki’s son) and official justifications, drawing a throughline from Obama-era drone wars to current US acquiescence in Israeli actions (~20:44).

• Calls For International Pressure

  • Both Emma and Matt advocate for Western governments to withhold aid and impose sanctions on Israel, arguing only external force can alter Israeli policy and public opinion.

Notable Quote:

“There is no war in Gaza, There is a holocaust in Gaza. Israel is facilitating a holocaust. Gaza extermination, concentration camps, weaponized starvation, genocide...”
— Ofer Kassif, read by Emma Vigeland (~7:45)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On the “Tipping Point” of American democracy

  “We have just sort of tipped over the edge into a new era where our country is fundamentally different.”
  – Garrett Graff (27:23)

• On the normalization of executive overreach

  “He is speedrunning the abuses of power that we have previously literally had a revolution to fight back against.” – Garrett Graff (33:53)

• On labor solidarity & the strike threat

  “Once we made it clear that we were not going back to work without an agreement, that's when the company got serious... and we were able to get an agreement in… about seven hours.”
  – Mark Hancock (43:36)

• On risk for union leaders

  “If I needed to go to jail… that we were going to support those flight attendants until they got a deal at a bargaining table.”
  – Mark Hancock (48:30)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Gaza segment & Israeli politics: 06:30–21:48
• Garrett Graff interview (America & authoritarianism): 26:41–39:13
• Mark Hancock interview (Air Canada, labor, and activism): 40:48–59:10
• Notable labor solidarity and Palestine discussion: ~54:56–57:39

Tone and Style

The show is direct, unsparing, and passionate, blending in-depth political analysis with dark humor and moral urgency. Emma Vigeland and her co-hosts do not shy from using powerful language (e.g., “genocide,” “fascism,” “apocalypse”) and push for clarity and action against state abuses, both in North America and abroad. Guests are pressed for clear historical parallels, lessons, and actionable insight.

Conclusion

This episode is a compelling, unfiltered look at the decline of democratic institutions in the United States, the complicity of economic and political elites, the power and necessity of labor militancy, and the need for global solidarity against both authoritarianism and state violence—be it in DC, Canada, or Gaza.