Subscribe

Yoon's Arrest in South Korea Shows US What Might Have Been - The Wednesday AM Quickie 1/15/25

By Corey Pein —

The guy who made the suddenly very popular Watch Duty app to follow wildfire dangers says he has no plans to sell it, saying he's motivated in part by anger and spite. The dream of the '90s lives! - Corey

Subscribe to the AM Quickie's NEW paid newsletters here!

THE BIG NEWS

South Korean Authorities Succeed Where DOJ Failed

The office of Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith, who resigned Friday, released its final report on the abortive criminal prosecutions of Donald Trump in the wee hours yesterday. Smith wrote that his office "stands fully behind" the merits of the 2020 election interference case against Trump, and "assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial." He also writes that his office considered charging Trump with insurrection for his Jan. 6, 2021 coup attempt, but decided against it because the charges would be unprecedented and therefore risky.

And so the four-year effort to hold Trump legally accountable for trying to overthrow democracy ends with a whimper as the mob leader prepares to take power once more.

Meanwhile in South Korea, police yesterday succeeded on their second attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law early last month, citing an imaginary conspiracy between his political opponents and North Korea. The conservative leader's insurrection was foiled in six hours thanks to a swift popular response and the concerted efforts of the opposition. But since his suspension and impeachment, Yoon has holed up in his compound, surrounded by presidential bodyguards – and hundreds of far-right, Trump-loving supporters, many waving "Stop the Steal" posters.

Yoon's guard repelled the first attempt to arrest him on Jan. 3. But yesterday they "put up no obvious resistance" when an estimated 3,200 police surrounded and breached his residence, some using ladders to scale barricades. In a video message, Yoon said he cooperated with the "illegal and invalid" summons to questioning in order to "prevent unfortunate and bloody incidents." He could be held in custody for weeks pending his criminal indictment, according to the Associated Press. A Constitutional Court decision on his fate could come next month. In short, Yoon stands to face serious consequences for his bid to overthrow democracy.

As word of the arrest spread, pro-democracy protesters who had gathered near Yoon's residence – called Hershey Kisses for the silver thermal blankets they wear to guard against the cold – broke out in joyful singing and dancing to K-pop tunes.

Jealous!

Trumpocalypse: Army of 25,000 Cops Will Guard GOP Billionaires at Cursed Inauguration

  • Senate Likely to Confirm Hateful Philandering Drunk War Crimes Apologist Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary on Monday Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, a military veteran and sexual assault survivor, said that she will vote for Hegseth's confirmation because of "the woke issues at the Pentagon." via the Washington Post, Politico, and HuffPost.
  • RFK Jr. Refuses Advice on Averting Bird Flu Pandemic from Outgoing Biden CDC Staff Kennedy spokesperson Katie Miller says Americans "don't want or need the Biden administration to tell us how to do anything," adding, "What would career bureaucrats who failed our nation during COVID know how to handle anything?" via NBC News and the Associated Press.
  • Trump Claims New 'External Revenue Service' Will Start Shaking Down US Trade Partners Beginning Monday "We already have a customs and border agency that collects tariff revenue," former Biden administration economist Kimberly Clausing says. "This is all about Trump's desire to mask a tax increase as something that would instead be paid by foreigners." via the Washington Post and HuffPost.
  • Iran's President Promises 'We Never Will' Try to Kill Trump "We will react to any action. We do not fear war, but we do not seek it," President Masoud Pezeshkian said in his first international interview since the US election. via NBC News.

SEC Sues Elon Musk for Fraud in Twitter Buyout

In a federal court complaint filed yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission says white supremacist oligarch Elon Musk committed fraud when he bought Twitter in 2022. The SEC says Musk failed the disclose the true size of his stake in the company, thus suppressing the stock price and allowing him to underpay "by at least $150 million" when he bought it out. According to the New York Times, "most cases like this would be settled with the defendant's paying a fine and neither admitting nor denying liability," so the Wall Street regulator may hope to send a message to other billionaires to follow securities law; the agency is seeking a jury trial. One former SEC attorney tells Politico that for Musk's pal Donald Trump to squash the case outright "would be an almost unprecedented action that could raise questions about the SEC's independence."

QUICKEST QUICKIES

  • LA City Council Passes Protections Against Price Gouging, Evictions for Fire Evacuees Environmental health experts, meanwhile, are warning about the long-term health consequences of exposure to toxic smoke and ash from burned buildings with lead pipes and other contaminants. via the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and Zeteo.
  • Hamas Accepts Draft Ceasefire Deal That Could Leave It in Charge of Devastated Gaza Yesterday, members of far-right Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet threatened to bring down the government if he agrees to pause the slaughter in Gaza. via the Associated Press and the Washington Post.
  • House Republicans Pass 'Mean, Cruel, Bullying' Trans School Sports Ban GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, meanwhile, dared Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett to "take it outside" after Crockett criticized Mace's transphobia. via the New York Times and the Washington Post.
  • Biden to Remove Cuba from 'State Sponsors of Terrorism' List In response to the news, Cuba announced it would release 553 prisoners accused of "various crimes," including some protesters. via NBC News and Al Jazeera.

SOME NUMBER

$2 billion

That's how much Capital One cheated customers of its "360 Savings" on interest rates, according to a new lawsuit filed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The accounts were advertised with the slogan, "What's the catch? There is none."

ON THE SHOW TODAY

1/15: It's Hump Day! Sam speaks with Zohran Mamdani, State Assemblyman for New York's 36th District & candidate for Mayor, to discuss his candidacy. Then, he speaks with 2 members of the Oregon Nurses Association: Rebekah Van Dyke, union steward & strike captain, & Christie Sowards, member of the bargaining team involved in negotiations with Providence Health Systems in Oregon. Providence nurses at 8 Oregon hospitals are currently on strike.

DON'T MISS MR CLIPS‌

Republican Congress Vows to Punish California's Wildfire Victims

They're going to approach the climate crisis like Mad Max villains.

Hegseth Gets Hammered During Tense Confirmation Hearing

US troops are advised to "lawyer up" to resist future illegal orders.

PARTING WORDS

"I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know what I'm reading, I'm just pressing buttons."

-- Samantha Manassero, a 39-year-old nurse in Los Angeles, speaking to the LA Times about her experience on Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, which means "Little Red Book" in Mandarin, an allusion to the collected sayings of Mao Zedong. More than 700,000 new users, many American, joined the app, also known as Red Note, to protest the looming US ban of Tiktok, sending it to the top of the download charts. Other American users are having amusing interactions with Chinese people on the app despite the language barrier – and the state censorship.

Anniversary Sale!

It's the 20th anniversary of The Majority Report, and we have the merch to prove it! Buy some swag at shop.majorityreportradio.com and help us keep going for another 20 years. Thanks!

Quickie Discount Code Corner

Hey check it out! Stuff on sale!

Check out Seder's Seeds at sedersseeds.com! 
It's growing season, so it's time to get your very own Seder's Seeds! Go to https://sedersseeds.com and get 15% off your entire order when you enter the discount code Majority

IAC Laser Engraving: Visit https://iaclasers.com and use Coupon Code MAJORITY10 at checkout to save 10% on your order. They have also updated their site recently, so if you’ve visited in the past, you’ll want to visit again and check out the new products.

Fast Growing Trees: This Spring Fast Growing Trees has the best deals online, up to half off on select plants and other deals. And listeners to our show get an ADDITIONAL 15% OFF their first purchase when using the code MAJORITY at checkout. That’s an ADDITIONAL 15% OFF at https://FastGrowingTrees.com using the code MAJORITY at checkout. https://FastGrowingTrees.com code MAJORITY. Offer is valid for a limited time, terms and conditions may apply.

Earthbreeze: Right now, my listeners can receive 40% off Earth Breeze just by going to https://earthbreeze.com/majority! That's https://earthbreeze.com/majority to cut out single-use plastic in your laundry room and claim forty percent off your subscription.

Blueland Cleaning Products: Blueland has a special offer for listeners. Right now, get 15% off your first order by going to https://Blueland.com/MAJORITY. You won’t want to miss this! https://Blueland.com/MAJORITY for 15% off.

Prolon: Right now, Prolon is offering The Majority Report with Sam Seder listeners 10% off their 5-day nutrition program. Go to https://ProlonLife.com/MAJORITY.

ExpressVPN: Stop handing over your personal data to the Big Tech monopoly that mines your activity and sells your information. Protect yourself with the VPN I trust to keep me safe online. Visit https://ExpressVPN.com/majority. That’s https://ExpressVPN.com/majority to get three extra months free.

Ritual: Essential for Men is a quality multivitamin from a company you can actually trust. Get 40% off your first month for a limited time at https://ritual.com/MAJORITY. This offer is only available through January 31st. Start Ritual or add Essential For Men to your subscription today.

ZBiotics: Go to https://zbiotics.com/MAJORITY to get 15% off your first order when you use MAJORITY at checkout. You can also sign up for a subscription using my code - so you can stay prepared no matter the time or occasion. ZBiotics is backed with 100% money back guarantee so if you’re unsatisfied for any reason, they’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

Henson Shaving: Henson Shaving is giving my audience a 2-year supply of blades for FREE. Just go to https://HENSONSHAVING.com/MAJORITY, That’s https://HENSONSHAVING.com/MAJORITY. Add a razor and 100-pack of blades to your cart, then enter code MAJORITY to get the blades for free.

Shopify: Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at https://shopify.com/majority. Go to https://shopify.com/majority now to grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in.

LiquidIV: Revive yourself for the New Year. Grab your Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier Sugar-Free in bulk nationwide at Costco or get 20% off your first order when you go to https://liquidiv.com/majorityrep at checkout. That’s 20% off your first order when you shop better hydration today using promo code MAJORITYREP at https://liquidiv.com.

Nutrafol: Take the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to https://Nutrafol.com/men and enter the promo code TMR. Find out why over 4,000 healthcare professionals recommend Nutrafol for healthier hair.

Sunset Lake CBD: Sunsetlakecbd is a majority employee owned farm in Vermont, producing 100% pesticide free CBD products. Use code Leftisbest and get 20% off at http://www.sunsetlakecbd.com.

CozyEarth: IF you’ve never tried Cozy Earth, I've got awesome news!  You can SAVE up to 35%  off Cozy Earth right now!  But hurry... this offer won't last.  Go to https://CozyEarth.com and enter mypromo code MAJORITY REPORT at checkout for up to 35% off on your first order!  That's https://CozyEarth.com promo code MAJORITY REPORT.