The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Episode 3582 - CBS Censors Colbert's Talarico Interview; Breaking Trump's Cuba Siege w/ David Adler
Date: February 17, 2026
Host: Emma Vigeland (in for Sam Seder), with Matt, David Adler, and more

Episode Overview

This episode of The Majority Report dives into the intersection of media censorship and the tightening of voting rights in the U.S., while providing an in-depth discussion with David Adler (Progressive International) on the U.S.-led siege against Cuba and international efforts to bring humanitarian aid to its citizens. The hosts also pay tribute to civil rights icon Jesse Jackson, analyze Republican voter suppression strategies in Texas, and reflect on the contemporary and historical roots of anti-democratic policy at home and abroad.

Key Segments and Analysis

1. News Rundown & Texas Primaries Update

(04:15–12:27)

• DHS Funding & Republican Voter Suppression:

  • Ongoing standoff regarding DHS funding; ICE “body cams” demanded.
  • Republicans pivot to disenfranchising voters, pushing the "SAVE Act."
  • “This is an immensely terrifying piece of legislation for democracy and for the future of voting in this country.” — Emma Vigeland (17:27)

• Texas GOP Senate Primary Intrigue:

  • Senator John Cornyn, the epitome of GOP establishment, faces off against hardliner Ken Paxton and Wesley Hunt.
  • National Republican Senate Committee attempts to influence the Democratic field to help Cornyn’s reelection prospects.
  • Early voting: concerns about voter suppression, particularly in heavily Latino communities, through ICE/ National Guard intimidation at polling stations.

Notable Quote:

"You think that the Republican governor isn't going to be welcoming Trump, trying to engage in voter suppression and using an intimidation tactic that's racialized, having ICE go there and try to intimidate people."
— Emma Vigeland (08:45)

2. CBS Censors Colbert–Talarico Interview: The Streisand Effect

(12:27–15:58)

• Censorship Details:

  • CBS, allegedly under pressure from pro-Trump network lawyers, pulls an interview with Texas Rep. James Talarico from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
  • Colbert addresses the censorship on air, explaining the supposed basis: the FCC’s “Equal Time Rule,” newly threatened by Trump appointee Brendan Carr — a move likely intended to muzzle political opponents.
  • "You might have heard of this thing called the Equal Time Rule... There's long been an exception for this rule, an exception for news interviews and talk show interviews with politicians... On January 21st of this year, a letter was released by FCC chairman... Brendon Carr. In this letter, Carr said he was thinking about dropping the exception for talk shows..." — Stephen Colbert (12:27)

• Analysis:

  • The move backfires, giving Talarico more national attention and activating Democrats (the “Streisand Effect”).
  • “If he went on Colbert and this interview aired on tv, it would not even be much of a story. He gets like press attention as being an opponent of this authoritarian, deeply unpopular president.” — Emma Vigeland (15:14)

3. The SAVE Act: A Trojan Horse for Mass Disenfranchisement

(16:26–27:00)

• Legislative Breakdown:

  • The SAVE Act would require multiple, sometimes nonexistent, forms of ID (e.g., a single document showing both birth and service for military voters), creating significant new barriers to voting.
  • Conservative claims of noncitizen voting are based on false premises and racist tropes.
  • "Since 1982, there have been under 100 cases, under 199 cases nationwide of non citizens voting." — Emma Vigeland (18:49)

• Historical and Racial Context:

  • The SAVE Act’s logic is intertwined with the "Great Replacement Theory," a white nationalist conspiracy pervading GOP rhetoric.
  • The Act would disproportionately disenfranchise women (especially those whose legal names have changed), low-income people, and communities of color.
  • Rep. Chip Roy’s “affidavit mechanism” is derided as an unnecessary and exclusionary burden for nearly 70 million women who have changed their names.
  • “All you have to do is sign an affidavit and jump through all of these hoops and this population… We're gonna create an additional barrier for nearly 70 million American Americans…” — Emma Vigeland (25:08)
  • "Hassling people on a mass scale... they know on a mass level that this will disenfranchise lots and lots of people." — Matt (26:19)

• Metaphor:

  • “Just turning voting into a trip to the DMV.” — David Adler (29:00)
  • Hosts reference a “Nathan For You” gag: GOP barriers likened to making people fight an alligator to claim a discount TV.

4. Interview: David Adler on Breaking Trump's Cuba Siege

(35:30–69:27)

Direct Action as Foreign Policy Antidote

• Adler describes Progressive International’s past and future resource flotillas to Gaza and Cuba as a response to governmental inaction and normalization of siege tactics.
• Draws parallel between U.S. policy on Gaza and its direct, multi-layered siege strategy in Cuba.

Layers of the U.S. Siege on Cuba:

• Legal/Economic Blockade: For over 60 years, bars not only U.S. firms but also third parties from commerce with Cuba.

• State Sponsor of Terrorism (SSOT): Bars Cuba from global finance (even platforms like PayPal). Biden failed to un-designate Cuba when poised to do so.

• Political Motivation: Both parties have colluded for decades, largely to appease the hard-right Cuban-American diaspora in Florida.

• Humanitarian Impact: The blockade cripples basics (medicine, energy, food, remittances). U.S. threats (against e.g., Mexico) extend sanctions' reach globally.

• "That's the blockade. Then you've got what's called a state sponsor of terrorism list. So Donald Trump's a big fan. He's did it in Trump won his final week in office, and he's done it again in Trump two of putting Cuba on a list... Effectively, this is one of our strongest forms of financial strangulation."
  — David Adler (43:11)

• “This is not an embargo. This is a siege and it's a revenge. They're starving people in this country right now over decades old humiliations to the United States intelligence and power and capital here in this country.” — Emma Vigeland (41:31)

Rubio and the Far-Right Miami Exiles

• Policy is driven by “a clan of Gusano psychopaths” (Adler’s memorable turn of phrase, 45:44), more interested in “the beatings will continue until morale improves” than in the welfare of Cubans.
• Cross-party consensus and U.S. bullying of third countries keep Cuba isolated.

Sibling Tactics – Gaza and Cuba

• U.S. normalizes “siege” as foreign policy:
  • Gaza: via armed ally (Israel)
  • Cuba: direct control over fuel, finance, and diplomacy

Call to Action: Flotilla and Humanitarian Solidarity

• Adler urges Americans and the international progressive community to bring humanitarian aid, help break the informational and material blockade, and reject the narrative of right-wing exiles and their influence on U.S. policy.
• “Our call to action is very simple. Organize your community, get some critical humanitarian aid… Plan your trip, stay with a family or find some way to engage with people on the ground and understand their reality. See for yourself. Don't take my word for it, but certainly don't take the word for it of those Floridian psychopaths.” — David Adler (67:08)

Notable Quotes:

• On U.S. hypocrisy and denial:
  • “Calling this an embargo seems to be a criminal understatement of the siege that we are now laying against Cuba.” — David Adler (42:44)
• On policy inertia:
  • “Let them have it. It's time for Democrats to wake the fuck up. We are never going to win these people to our side. Why are we not being more forthright with our own constituencies about the human costs of this siege?” — David Adler (56:34)

5. Tribute to Jesse Jackson (Civil Rights Icon, 1941–2026)

(69:41–72:54)

• Emma and Matt reflect on Jackson’s legacy:
  • Multiple-time presidential candidate e.g. in '88, winning 13 primaries.
  • Pioneer of multiracial coalition politics and an advocate for Palestinian rights, anti-apartheid, and opposition to militarism and inequality.
  • Famous “I am Somebody” poem showcased (72:55):

“I am, I am somebody. I may be poor, but I am somebody. I may be young, but I am somebody... Never rejected. I am God’s child. I am somebody.”
— Jesse Jackson, on Sesame Street (72:59)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On voter suppression’s racial roots:

  • “The SAVE act is this mass disenfranchisement bill... to prevent the scourge of non-citizens voting in our elections.” — Emma Vigeland (18:21)
  • “It originated from an anti Semitic white nationalist conspiracy theory, the Great Replacement Theory... The Great Replacement Theory has been embraced by the Republican Party.” — Emma Vigeland (20:17)

• On Democratic failures:

  • “Why are there not more enterprising Democrats who are taking on this cause [sanctions on Cuba] as some of them began to switch on to the issue in Palestine...” — David Adler (56:34)

• Adler on the parade of U.S. foreign policy actors:

  • “...these crusader anti communists in Florida who are really at the wheel. And what's interesting about the clip you played of Trump on Air Force One is he's just handed this to Marco Rubio. I don't think Trump is thinking about making a deal...” — David Adler (63:11)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• CBS/Colbert/Talarico censorship & FCC: 12:27–15:58
• SAVE Act/Republican voter suppression: 16:26–27:00
• Cuba interview with David Adler: 35:30–69:27
• Jesse Jackson tribute: 69:41–72:54

Conclusion

This highly substantive episode exemplifies The Majority Report’s signature approach: combative, irreverent, but thoroughly informed political coverage. Listeners gain insight into the mechanics and motives behind voter suppression, the dangerous normalizations of “siege” as foreign policy, and the generational struggle for coalition politics in America—all wrapped up with an urgent call to take practical action for justice abroad (Cuba) and at home.

For more on the Cuba flotilla:

• Visit Progressive International’s site for FAQs and ways to support or join humanitarian aid efforts.
• “Organize your community… Plan your delegation… Make a major contribution toward not just people’s consciousness of the crimes we’re committing just next door, but also a contribution to the well-being of a family, a child, a grandmother.” — David Adler (67:08)