The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Episode 3581 | AOC & Rubio In Munich; ICE Abuses Palestinian Protestor
Hosts: Emma Vigeland (in for Sam Seder), Matt (Producer), Greg Grandin (Guest), Salah Ad Din Maqsood (Guest)
Date: February 16, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features incisive discussion and interviews on US and international politics. Emma Vigeland, sitting in for Sam Seder, leads conversations about:

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Marco Rubio’s contrasting speeches at the Munich Security Conference, reflecting divergent US foreign policy visions.
• Current US domestic and foreign issues, including ICE’s detention of Palestinian protester Lekha Cordia, ongoing climate and energy controversies, US military action, and the shifting nature of American and Western leadership.
• Interviews with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Greg Grandin and Selaedin Maksut from CAIR-NJ, who provide deep context on foreign policy and civil rights.

The episode is marked by sharp left analysis, critical humor, and a focus on the intersection of class, race, and power.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AOC at the Munich Security Conference: Redefining Leadership

[08:29–22:35]

• Emma Vigeland highlights AOC’s speech as a pivotal international foray, hinting at presidential ambitions and a shift in Democratic Party leadership post-Bernie Sanders.
• AOC’s focus:
  • Critique of the “rules-based order” as hypocritically benefiting the West and making exceptions for the Global South.
  • Calls for a “real” democracy-based international order, centering the working class and human rights.
  • Connection between economic inequality and the rise of right-wing authoritarianism.

Notable Quote:

“...in a so-called rules-based order, the rules for whom? Because for all too long, the rules only applied to the United States, Europe, its allies, and we would carve out exceptions for the global South... Eventually, the exceptions become the rules.”
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) [11:23]

• Vigeland, producer Matt, and the panel laud AOC’s candor and point out the national security risk posed by unchecked billionaire influence and income inequality.
• Discussion of how billionaire class operates above democratic accountability—connecting Epstein revelations, foreign policy, and technological abuses.

Notable Quote:

“It is of utmost urgent priority that we get our economic houses in order and deliver material gains for the working class, or else we will fall to a more isolated world governed by authoritarians that also do not deliver to working people.”
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) [15:25]

• The panel critiques US “national security” as being skewed to serve investor and military interests rather than public safety, infrastructure, or democracy.

2. Greg Grandin on Marco Rubio’s Munich Speech: A Return to White Empire?

[29:10–53:33]

• Grandin contrasts AOC’s vision with Rubio’s, calling Rubio’s speech a “remarkable document” stuck between America First nationalism and neocon globalism.
• Rubio’s speech, per Grandin and Vigeland:
  • Laments the shift away from an expansionist, overtly white supremacist Western project from Columbus to 1945, disparaging post-WWII international law and institutions.
  • Calls for renewed “Western” cooperation to industrialize, secure resources, and crowd out China and the Global South—explicitly positioning Europe and the US at the center.
  • Calls mass migration a crisis, ties America’s fate to Europe, and focuses new “frontiers” on tech and space.

Notable Quote:

“He was trying to find some synthesis between America First nationalism and what he used to be associated with—that neoconservative globalization... It’s quite a remarkable document... a celebration of basically white European supremacy and empire.”
— Greg Grandin [34:01]

• Rubio calls for reforming, if not abolishing, the United Nations, derides international cooperation, and celebrates US military force as the true global order.

Notable Quote:

“We can no longer place the so-called global order above the vital interests of our people and our nations... Instead it was American leadership that freed captives from barbarians and brought about a fragile truce.”
— Marco Rubio [47:04]

• The panel contextualizes Rubio’s framing as Orwellian, noting how US power sabotages international institutions then claims they’re ineffective.
• Grandin calls Rubio’s worldview medieval and “barbaric,” relying on white supremacist mythologies, and explains that such rhetoric justifies continued US violence and loss of sovereignty for places like Venezuela.

3. ICE Detention of Palestinian Protester Lekha Cordia: Legal, Humanitarian, and Political Abuses

Interview: Selaedin Maksut, CAIR-NJ
[53:37–73:01]

• Emma Vigeland introduces the case of Lekha Cordia, a Palestinian woman from New Jersey, detained by ICE for nearly a year after attending a protest against the Gaza genocide. Her charges were initially dropped, yet she remains imprisoned.
• Maksut details:
  • Cordia’s declining health, lack of proper medical care, denial of halal food, and appalling detention conditions.
  • ICE’s continued detention in spite of two judge orders for her release, with the agency appealing decisions and ignoring due process.

Notable Quote:

“When Americans criticize activities overseas, dictatorships, and, you know, crazy regimes that treat their citizens with disrespect... that’s what’s happening, that’s what happened to LACA and continues to happen.”
— Selaedin Maksut [59:09]

• Story demonstrates abuse of legal and human rights, ICE acting as a “rogue government,” immigration enforcement weaponized against free speech.
• Wider pattern: Palestinians being deported using private jets, ICE’s actions influenced by pro-Zionist activism domestically.
• Maksut links rising Islamophobia, anti-Muslim rhetoric, and state violence to Trump administration officials and policies, underscoring top-down effects on hate crimes and harassment.

4. Listener Engagement, Tactics, and Hope

[69:33–73:01]

• Maksut urges listeners to contact NJ elected officials, pressure for Cordia’s release, and engage civically.
• Points to grassroots organizing, increased political engagement among Muslim & Palestinian communities, notably in New Jersey.
• Encouraging signs of ally-building with progressive movements like DSA and successes like Lilia Maria’s campaign.

Notable Quote:

“It’s become obvious who are our friends and who are those who are willing to take a check and, you know, move on... What we are seeing...is they become much more organized politically and built allies and friendships... to leverage their power.”
— Salah Ad Din Maqsood [71:47]

Notable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|-----------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11:23 | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | “...in a so-called rules-based order, the rules for whom? ...eventually, the exceptions become the rules.” | | 15:25 | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | “...get our economic houses in order and deliver material gains for the working class, or else we will fall...”| | 34:01 | Greg Grandin | “It was a celebration of basically white European supremacy and empire... Rubio was trying to stretch America First to cover Europe.” | | 47:04 | Marco Rubio | “...it was American leadership that freed captives from barbarians and brought about a fragile truce.” | | 59:09 | Selaedin Maksut | “When Americans criticize activities overseas...that’s what is happening, that’s what happened to LACA...” | | 71:47 | Selaedin Maksut | “It’s become obvious who are our friends and who are those who are willing to take a check and, you know, move on...” |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• AOC’s Munich Speech & Class-based Internationalism — 08:29–22:35
• Greg Grandin: Contrasting AOC & Rubio; Rubio's Speech Breakdown — 29:10–53:33
• ICE Detention of Lekha Cordia: Selaedin Maksut Interview — 53:37–73:01
• Action Items and NJ Organizing — 69:33–73:01

Tone & Style

• Candid, critical, irreverent leftist political analysis.
• Mixes detailed policy critique with humor and cultural references.
• Engagement with guests is rigorous but accessible, with a focus on making complex international and legal issues clear and urgent for listeners.

Summary Takeaways

• The Munich Security Conference revealed starkly divergent visions of America’s role in the world: AOC’s left populism versus Rubio’s racialized, imperial nostalgia.
• US foreign policy’s hypocrisy and systemic abuses remain unchecked, with billionaire power, military might, and white supremacy at the fore.
• The detention of Palestinian activist Lekha Cordia illustrates the weaponization of immigration law against free speech and civil rights, exacerbated by anti-Muslim bigotry and everything from local to global injustice.
• There are encouraging signs of organizing and resistance; listeners are encouraged to take action and build solidarity.

For listeners who missed the episode, this recap offers all major developments, highlights core arguments, and provides the context needed to engage or take action.