The Nicole Sandler Show: Recent Episodes
Nicole Sandler
Nicole Sandler has worked in radio her entire adult life. After a successful career in music radio in NY and Los Angeles (WPLJ, KLOS, KSCA and others), she returned to talk radio to host mornings on then-progressive talk WINZ/Miami. After a flip to sports, she moved to Air America Radio for a nightly show. When AAR went off the air on Jan 21, 2010, Nicole Sandler moved online where she continues to question authority daily at nicolesandler.com.
From 5-22-24, Nicole Sandler speaks with Federico Finchelstein, author of THE WANNABE FASCISTS: A GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING THE GREATEST THREAT TO DEMOCRACY
Originally aired 3-27-24 - Nicole Sandler speaks with Barb McQuade about her book, ATTACK FROM WITHIN
From 3-6-24, Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman joined Nicole Sandler to talk about their new book, WHITE RURAL RAGE.
I'm out this week taking care of my mental health, so I'm running some shows from this year that deserve another listen, especially right now.
Today, from January 16:
The Trump slide into fascism has brought with it some dangerous new trends like the banning of books, whitewashing history and a massive backsliding of personal rights like abortion and bodily autonomy. One of the most heinous attacks has been on the rights of people to live their own authentic lives.
I’ve been hyper-focused on what’s going on in Florida as I lived there for much of my life. The current governor is the worst in the country when it comes to pushing his own perverted sense of morals on the rest of the nation from his sickening directives like the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, prohibitions on African American studies AP high school courses and 6-week abortion ban for a start.
Now, as the legislative session began this week, we learn of new legislation that would outlaw transgender adults. Really. I’m not overstating that.
I learned of this latest outrage last week though an article at Alternet written by one of today’s guests. Erin Reed, aka Erin in the Morning, whose substack of the same name reports on trans and queer news and legislation so that we’re all aware of what is going on.
Erin and I will be joined by our old friend ‘Boca’ Britany Somers, host of The Brit Somers Show, a trans woman trying to live her life in Floriduh.
We're still here. A bit battered and tattered and dejected, but we're grieving. We'll get through this. Today, Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net has a bit of a reality check for us. There's no sugar coating it, it's bad. But not ALL of it is bad.And I'll share some small good news too. We could all use some more of that.Breathe....
I was hoping that after the uncertainty cleared and we got past Nov 5 that things would return to a surreal sort of sanity, but I'm not sure sane will be part of the American lexicon again.It would be very easy for me to remain in bed with the blankets pulled up over my head to avoid dealing with the world, but that certainly wouldn't end well. Thankfully, one of my favorite journalists - one who's not afraid to speak truth to power- Brian Karem (Salon.com, JustAskTheQuestion.com, "Free the Press"...) agreed to join me today to help me somehow get through the first show after TFG somehow managed to con his way back in to the White House.I'll be honest with you. Well, I always am, though I try to hide the extremes of my feelings. But this time just feels worse. I'm not sure how we proceed. Brian doesn't hold back. We'll see what gems of wisdom he can impart today.
Here we go... it's the last Emptywheel Friday episode before this election finally comes to a close. I've been struggling with awful anxiety for the last couple of weeks and have been off the air much of this week due to that. Another reason to be grateful for Marcy Wheeler's friendship and brilliance...Find and support Marcy's work at emptywheel.net. And you can always find me at nicolesandler.com
I'm doing my best to dig out of the anxiety that's sidelined me for the past few days. Today, we'll share some encouraging words from one of my favorite OG bloggers, the inimitable Driftglass (who's also celebrating a birthday this week!!) Read Driftglass at driftglass.blogspot.com, and hear him and his wife BlueGal Fran on the Professional Left Podcast too!
You know what TFN stands for at this point, right?It's The Fucking News. It just doesn't stop. And it's the cause of the giant pit in my stomach right now that has had me feeling nauseated and unable to function most of the time these days.If you've been listening to this show for a while, you may remember the effect the 2016 election had on my mind, soul and being. When TFG was declared winner, that sickness permeated every inch of my body and psyche and wreaked havoc on me for four long years. I'm not a medical professional, but my best description of what happened to me was a total breakdown.Somehow I managed to mostly go through the motions and keep this show going, but it was not easy. And it was not fun.I've struggled with depression since adolescence, but the stress and anxiety that's ravaged my mind and body thanks to that orange narcissistic fascist is really taking a toll on me.I'll do my best to muddle through... but please know that if I'm off the air at all this week, that's why.I know it's not rational. NOTHING about him is rational. This is opposite world on steroids. I believe we'll be ok. I believe he will lose and that GOOD will triumph over evil.Unfortunately, none of those rational beliefs are doing a good job of alleviating what's happening in my head.But I'll keep trying to battle those demons -- in real life, in my mind and all over the fucking internet and tv.I'll share a few things that should help (and do, albeit temporarily). And we'll check in with Jonathan Larsen of TheFuckingNews.substack.com as we do each Monday....And if you're feeling as I am, please know you're not alone. But we will survive. And we will win.
We are in the final stretch of the race to November 5 and the head off a disaster too frightening for most of us to contemplate. I know that my stress and anxiety levels are where they were eight years ago again... a feeling I had hoped I'd never again experience. Perhaps I can take small solace in knowing that I'm not alone. And one of the best pep talks about defeating despair comes directly from the one woman who can make pulling back from the brink of doom, VP Kamala Harris herself, with an assist from Maria Shriver and Liz Cheney. We usually record these Emptywheel Friday shows early in the day as I'm in Arizona and Marcy is in Ireland, But today, Marcy is enjoying Paris with friends, so today we'll do it live! It'll be our regular 2pm Mountain AZ time on my end, and at 11pm Friday night in Paris!
The interminable election season of 2024 will end in less than two weeks and then all bets are off. The future is so uncertain that no one can tell you what will happen. If they do, they're lying, though that's nothing new for one of the major political parties vying for control. If you're not nervous about it, you're not paying attention.
With so much at stake, we have a busy show today.
Voting is underway in most states. Some of us have already completed and returned our ballots, while others are procrastinating. Although I can't understand how anyone could still be undecided about the top of the ticket, those ballot initiatives often trip people up. We'll speak with Chris Melody Fields Figueredo of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center about how to navigate those often huge ballots to make sure you're voting the correct way...
And then we'll check in with Thom Hartmann who's just released the final installment in his Hidden History book series - this time it's The Hidden History of the American Dream... Let's hope we can get back too that dream and escape our current nightmare!
It's that time of year again... open enrollment for Medicare and just a week away for the ACA. With your life on the line, it's important to know your options. So I'm thrilled that the health insurance industry whistleblower Wendell Potter returns to the show today to answer your questions and give you actual facts.
You should also be reading Wendell Potter's "Healthcare Un-Covered" newsletter by subscribing to healthcareuncovered.substack.com!
Another Monday arrived way too soon, but we'll deal with it.
It was a strange weekend -- complete with TFG's obsessing over Arnold Palmer's dick size and Harvey Weinstein getting "schlonged" (I don't believe that's even a word, though "schlong" is Yiddish slang for dick). What more or less would you expect from a demented narcissist who wants to be a dick-tator?
As it is Monday, we will visit with Jonathan Larsen from The Fucking News at thefuckingnews.substack.com and the less expletively-challenged jonathanlarsen.substack.com....
And you thought Don-Old was vulgar! He is, but also know that I'm not running for president. He is.
Another week is winding down and, as we do each Friday, Marcy Wheeler and I stick a fork in it with a freewheeling discussion of what happened.
Today we begin with the release of Jack Smith's appendices to his filing that TFG fought but failed to prevent. Despite the corporate media's best efforts to prolong the horse race and their refusal to just report the facts and tell the truth, a few moments that could clarify actual truths were able to penetrate the barrage of right wing propaganda. The probing questions were asked by concerned citizens, not from members of the fourth estate who've been negligent in their duties...
And yes, we will touch on the big news out of the horrific situation in the Middle East. Yesterday came confirmation that the Israeli Defense Forces had killed Hamas leader and 10/7 architect Yahya Sinwar. The question here is can this please be the thing that will garner the release of the remaining hostages and start the peace process? Please?
The end of this seemingly interminable election season is in sight... less than three weeks away. As important as it is to elect Kamala Harris & Time Walz as POTUS & VPOTUS, it's just as important to give them a Democratic controlled Congress so they can actually get meaningful work done.
Today's Thursday, so we'll talk with Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC about those congressional races and see how the Blue America-endorsed candidates are faring, and remind you who they are so you can vote for them too.
Blue America now has a contest going on to support Congressman Jamie Raskin's Democracy Summer. Get all the details here, and support an amazing resource offered by my favorite Congressman!
Also, yesterday, many of us who rarely if ever turn on the Fox (not) News Channel tuned in to two shows yesterday -- one billed as a "townhall" meeting with host Harris Faulkner and TFG; the other a sit down interview with VP Kamala Harris conducted by the guy who many who should know better call a real journalist, Brett Baier. After Baier's rude questioning and constant interrupting of our sitting Vice President, no one should make that mistake ever again.
It's a busy show today. While I was out in moving hell, the new term of the Supreme Extreme Court got underway. Today, our favorite legal expert Lisa Graves (DoJ & Senate veteran) joins in to let us know what's at stake at the court.
We'll also check in with Heathcare advocate Laura Packard who's currently on a Protect Our Care national bus tour which hits Tempe, AZ today and Phoenix tomorrow before moving on to CA, NV, CO, MI, WI, OH and PA....
We are now three weeks away from election day with, literally, the world at stake.
Today, I welcome journalist, author, podcaster, White House Correspondent and musician with the perfect snarky sense of humor, Brian Karem, back to the show. We'll delve into opposite world and beyond, including that very weird Town Hall Meeting turned disco dance party at which TFG answered a few questions then decided he'd rather be a DJ than president.
Weird is correct. Demented is probably more accurate...
We are moved. Well, we're out of the old house and all our stuff is at the new place. Now we get to put it all together. My first task was rebuilding my studio. I somehow got it working well enough last Wednesday to interview Christopher Steele, and it crapped out on my on Friday while taping our Emptywheel Friday show with Marcy Wheeler.So, I rebuilt the whole thing over the weekend and as I'm prepping for today's show, it seems to be working correctly. Please let me know if gremlins invade so I can try to exterminate them, once and for all!Today is Indigenous Peoples Day. In some places, it's still referred to as Columbus Day, but we prefer to recognize the former...It's also Monday when we usually speak with Jonathan Larsen of thefuckingnews.substack.com, but he's a bit under the weather today. So, we'll catch up...
Our move to a new home is almost complete, and things at the show should be back to our usual state of quasi-controlled chaos. Though I had the new studio somehow run smoothly for the Christopher Steele interview on Wednesday, the gremlins decided to make an appearance during today's taping with Marcy Wheeler. So... it starts out ok, albeit with awful lighting on my end. And when I couldn't leave well enough alone and tried to adjust the lighting about 10 minutes in, the video software decided to mess with me... so we regrouped and did the rest of the show audio only.That said, Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net and I had another great conversation about the state of the election, the media malpractice especially coming from the NY Times, and the lies that GOP is tripling down on. Enjoy!One more thing. I don't do this often because I hate doing it. But between two trips to the ER last month (with a $2200 co-pay for each of them), moving expenses and more, I really need your help. If you enjoy the show and can spare a few bucks, I hope you'll support my work. Lots of ways to donate at https://nicolesandler.com/donate-2.
Moving a full house, even just seven miles, is a major undertaking. I'll tell you all about it when time permits. I'm back today for an important interview.... Christopher Steele will join me right at the top of the show. Yes, the man behind the infamous dossier has written a book. UNREDACTED: RUSSIA, TRUMP, AND THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY hit shelves yesterday. And he's here today.
Since this is the maiden voyage of my newly-rebuilt studio, I urge the gremlins to give us a break and let everything work so we can get to the bottom of some burning questions including, but certainly not limited to, the "pee tape".
Since we have one day left to get everything out of the old house and I still have a lot more work to do on this studio, I likely will not be on the air again tomorrow. (Maybe we'll re-run this show again tomorrow...), but I will be back Friday with Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net. That's one show I'll never miss unless there's absolutely no way around it... We'll make it work!
Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net joins Nicole Sandler every Friday for a spirited and no-holds-barred discussion about our world and what happened in it throughout the week.Today, it's Jack Smith's brief explaining to the court why the former guy's actions on and around January 6 do not fall under the heading of "official presidential business" and that his case must be permitted to go to trial. Plus the VP debate, the complete disconnect between Trump world and the political and cultural norms under which we live, and more...
It's Thursday and Howie Klein of Down With Tyranny is back with us this week. We have lots to talk about from the Veep debate and just how creepy JD Vance is... and we'll get a status update on how the Blue America PAC endorsed candidates are faring.
Plus a farewell to another friend. Getting old sucks, but it beats the alternative, I guess.
Last night we saw the first and only Vice Presidential debate of the season, and probably the last one for either VP or POTUS this time around.
I'll share some clips and take your calls if you have a burning question or comment...
(Thom Hartmann was scheduled on today's show, but less than an hour before showtime, his wife emailed me to say he has an eye doctor's appointment and must reschedule. So there's that....)
And.... Judge Chutkin just unsealed Jack Smith's 165 page filing... You can read it right here: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258148/gov.uscourts.dcd.258148.252.0
Hopefully the gremlins have been eradicated and we're firing on all cylinders today...Governor, Coach and our next VP Tim Walz is in the spotlight today as tonight, he'll face JD Vance (or whatever he's calling himself today) in their only debate tonight.Trump is showing us how deranged, disoriented and demented he is every time he opens his mouth.The Middle East is a mess, as is Asheville, NC.But the good news is that my friend Mari Dew is alive and well...Heather Parton aka Digby is our guest today!
My long housing hell nightmare is almost over! I'm back live today and boy do I have a story to share with you! I'll fill you in on why I was out all last week and why I'm doing so much better today.
Then, as it's Monday, we'll visit with Jonathan Larsen, proprietor of TheFuckingNews.substack.com (along with JonathanLarson.substack.com) who helps us kick off each week on Mondays with some original reporting and some of the other shit that we can't believe is actually happening.
I've been off the air all week due to the housing hell we're in. Long story short -- the place we had lined up to move into on Monday was yanked out from under us Saturday evening for no reason (I'll share all when this is over), so we've been frantically looking all week. We have to be out of here next week, and I've been dealing with panic attacks due to the stress. So I was all the more grateful that today is Friday, and I get to find out what happened this week while I was otherwise unpleasantly distracted, and Marcy Wheeler is here to fill us all in.We talk about everything from Jack Smith's "book report" sealed filing to NYC Mayor Eric Adams' indictment and a lot more.I hope to be back live on Monday. Please keep your fingers crossed that we find a place to live!
One more piece of business before the weekend officially begins... our weekly get-together with Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net during which we discuss much of what happened during the week. As usual, there was no shortage of insanity to talk about.
It's Thursday, so time to get together with Howie Klein of DownwithTyranny.com and the Blue America PAC...And North Carolina has a Mark Robinson problem.
Yes, we're talking aliens today.. the extra-terrestrial sort, (non human intelligence in Pentagon-speak) and they're not eating our pets either, or so it seems.There's news today... from the Fed cutting interest rates by 1/2 point, Teamsters won't make a presidential endorsement (!WTAF?), Republicans again said NO IVF for you, Sarah Huckabooboo tries to shame Kamala Harris for not giving birth to a baby, Diddy what? and more...But our guest today is a former US Counterintelligence Special Agent - Luis Elizondo - whose new book, IMMINENT: INSIDE THE PENTAGON'S HUNT FOR UFOS says they are not only out there, they're here, and it's a big secret.
Today is National Voter Registration Day, so I'll help you remember to check your registration! Actor and all-around talented guy Jason Kravits joins in to talk about his Schoolhouse Rock-inspired video about Project 2025 (and more), and we'll get a primer on how to stop voter harassment and intimidation at the polls from the people at Vote, Run, Lead Action.
Every Monday we check in with Jonathan Larsen who tells us what's happening in our world at thefuckingnews.substack.com. Here at the Nicole Sandler Show, we use language like that, but apparently some are squeamish about expletives, so Jonathan is launching a second substack newsletter. He'll fill us in on that today, along with more important news like a second assassination attempt on TFG and the Trump campaign's latest attempt to pit Americans against Americans.Plus my thoughts on how we're coping with the sickening racism, xenophobia and contempt for our fellow human beings by Trump and his minions...
Every Friday I get to hang out with Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net, discussing much of what happened during the week. Of course, this was the week we saw the brilliance of VP Kamala Harris as she destroyed TFG in what just might be their only debate of this race. But it gave us "they're eating the dogs" and other priceless gems
Howie Klein is here today. In addition to the debate and the strange political bedfellows that have emerged in this election cycle, we'll also discuss the disconnect that finds tens of millions of Americans still supporting and voting for the convicted felon, adjudicated rapist, known conman and pathological liar (I could go on, but you get the idea).
Also too, as Howie and I both had careers in the music biz, we'll talk about the effect of celebrity/musical icons endorsements in the wake of Taylor Swift and Linda Ronstadt - and many others - coming out loudly in support of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Talk about a complete 180. Donald Trump was decimated in last night's debate with VP Kamala Harris. Today, I'll share some of the highs and the lows of what might be the only the time these two debate ahead of the 2024 presidential elections... We call it 100% for Harris (Trump is toast!)
As we prepare for tonight's debate between the Vice President and the former guy, we'll chat with director Dan Partland. Dan returns to the show four years after his first appearance here. The occasion is the release of the latest film he directed, UNTRUTH: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TRUMPISM. The first time he was here, the film UNFIT: The Psychology of Donald Trump had just been released. A lot has happened since..
Mondays are difficult by definition, soo we get our news with a bit of snark with Jonathan Larsen who delivers the news to us every morning from thefuckingnews.substack.com and discusses it with us Monday afternoons on the show. Today... about those Kamala Harris endorsements from Liz & Dick Cheney! And what about the rest of the Republicans???
It's Friday! Although this was a short week, there was no shortage of news to discuss with Marcy Wheeler today...
The fall season of the Trump Trials has begun. Trump was in court this morning to appeal the verdict in the first E. Jean Carroll case. Yesterday Judge Chutkan issued her scheduling order for the next developments in Trump's Jan 6 trial. And unfortunately, while we were recording (we tape on Friday mornings due to the fact that Marcy is in Ireland and I'm in Arizona), the news broke that Judge Merchan will delay the sentencing in the Manhattan criminal case for which he was convicted in May of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal. The sentencing, scheduled for Sept. 18 will now happen on Nov. 26.
In other news that we discuss on today's show, AG Merrick Garland announced new charges in a new case alleging Russian interference in the 2024 presidential election, Hunter Biden pleads guilty in the tax case that was set to begin yesterday in a California courtroom, Liz Cheney endorsed Kamala Harris, and there was yet another school shooting...
Here we go....
Sorry for my absence yesterday... still feeling the effects of a nasty infection from a few weeks ago, and trying to listen to my body and take better care of myself. Getting old sucks, but it beats the alternative!
Anyway, I'm back today (with a follow up appointment with my doctor scheduled for tomorrow afternoon).
It's Thursday, so Howie Klein is usually here... but I got a message from him a few minutes before showtime apologizing that he hadn't let me know that he had a doctor's appointment and wouldn't be able to be here today. Obviously I know how that goes... so hopefully, Howie will be back next week.
In the meantime, there's lots to talk about today, from Liz Cheney formally endorsing Kamala Harris for President, Trump's trials back on track (at least in Judge Chutkin's court), Merrick Garland is alive and filing charges to fend off Russian interference in the 2024 election, Tim Walz's weird brother surfaces, Trump's "town hall meeting" with no audience questions, MAGAts Nazi bromances,.... you get the idea...
Both the Democratic and Republican conventions are in the rear view mirror, and we made it through Labor Day, so we're now officially in the home stretch of the 2024 presidential election cycle. In two months and two days Nov 5 arrives, whether or not we're ready.Today, we'll take a look at some of the news made over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Then we'll speak with Will Bunch who attended and covered both conventions in his column at the Philadelphia Inquirer, the media's horse race approach to the campaigns, and the shit the media is allowing the Trump campaign to get away with.... This is going to be a long couple of months ahead!
We wrap up each week with Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net and a review of all that happened that week.Today it's Jack Smith's superseding indictment (predicted by Marcy last week), plus the big boring CNN interview, the Arlington Cemetery photo op debacle, RFk Jr & Tusli Gabbard and lots more...
For the past dozen or so years, I've had a weekly conversation with my old friend Howie Klein who blogs at DownWithTyranny.com and runs the Blue America PAC, identifying and supporting progressive candidates up and down the ballot all over the country.
Howie returns today and brings with him a young candidate running for the Florida state senate, Ben Braver. He's @BenBraverFL on social media, and his website is BenBraver.org. A quick online search tells me that Ben Braver is something of a super hero. We'll get to the bottom of that today.
Plus the some news, magat character flaws and, hopefully, a few laughs along the way.
I've been looking forward to this interview for a long time. In fact, Steve Benen was scheduled on this show two weeks ago, the day MINISTRY OF TRUTH: DEMOCRACY, REALITY, AND THE REPUBLICANS' WAR ON THE RECENT PAST was published, but I got sick and had to reschedule. I promise you, it was worth the wait.If you're like me, you've been shouting at the TV every time the former guy shows up spouting more lies which, for the most part, the mainstream corporate media just lets slide. It's this practice of propaganda on such a massive and in-your-face scale that made the term "Gaslighting" part of our regular lexicon and likely the cause of thousands of broken TV screens across the nations.Today, we'll talk about the fact that we're not the crazy ones...
Today is a catch up day, of sorts. We'll talk about the latest news - there's never a lack of crazy stuff to discuss while TFG is trying to remain relevant. Just before we hit the air, a breaking news alert came in-- Jack Smith filed a superseding indictment in the J6 Obstruction case against Trump.
We'll open the phone lines should you have a comment or question about the campaigns, conventions or anything else. And we did hear from a special guest. Dave, though you know him better as the worm (still) living in RFK, Jr's brain....
I'm finally feeling almost normal after an awful infection that led me to two separate Emergency Room visits in one week. So today, it's back to the grind.
Somehow, the fact that today is Monday is not quite as awful as the last few hundred (or so it seems) Mondays have been...
So, we'll chat about all that's happening in the news today, and then bring on Jonathan Larsen who reports on all of that at thefuckingnews.substack.com every day....
Well, that was a convention for the history books!I apologize for the lack of an Emptywheel Friday show last week. I got really sick from a UTI that spawned an e Coli infection, something you do not ever want.Thankfully I was doing well enough this week to be able to share some highlights of the 2024 Democratic National Convention for the past few days, and today, was joined by Marcy Wheeler (emptywheel.net) for a complete postscript to the most entertaining and inspiring political convention I've ever watched.Strap in... we're not going back!
If I had to chose a week to be sick this would have been the one. That's because as lousy as I feel, watching the festivities out of Chicago for the DNC is making me feel so much better.
Although the first night was a difficult act to follow, the Harris/Walz team did just that. With a number of moving and motivational speeches -- as expected from former President Barack Obama and the man who could have been one Bernie Sanders, the two that floored me were from the first Second Gentleman - and soon-to-be first First Gentleman Doug Emhoff and the knockout speech delivered by Michelle Obama.
By the way, Doug Emhoff chose for his entrance and exit music one of my favorite songs, "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals. New Radicals released their one and only album in the late 90s, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too. It quickly rose to the top of my favorites of that year. I was Music Director and later Program Director of the radio station I worked for at the time, Los Angeles' Channel 103.1. And I was fortunate enough to interview Gregg Alexander, the man who was New Radicals. He didn't do many interviews, and never recorded another album, though he continued writing and producing for other artists, preferring to remain out of the spotlight.
To honor our first Second Gentleman, and the man who will be our first First Gentleman, here's my interview with Gregg Alexander, recorded May 3, 1999 ( the day that my daughter was likely being born on the other side of the world in Kazakhstan... a story for another day)... Enjoy!
I am still recuperating so will share with you a couple of full speeches from last night (can you guess which ones?) as well as some clips and observations as my still-on-the-mend psyche can conjure up. Either way, the chat room is open during the live show and we're partying like it's 2024!!!
Talk about good medicine!
As you may know, I've been pretty sick for the past week or so. But the best medicine possible came last night in the form of Night 1 of the 2024 Democratic National Convention!
It just kept getting better as the night went on, and I cried tears of joy as President Joe Biden received the love and adoration of a grateful nation.
Tonight's program will begin a little earlier than last nights to allow for the extended periods of unbridled appreciation! But the big guns won't come on until after we're done with this program for the day.
So, today, we'll talk about some of what happened last night and watch and listen to some of it together. We'll hear the full speeches from Congressmembers AOC, Jasmine Crockett, first daughter Ashley Biden and a bit from Rep Jamie Raskin, Sen Raphael Warnock and whatever else time permits...
We're not going back!!
I spent the weekend resting and recuperating, slowly regaining my strength and planning to be back on the air today. But E Coli seems to have other plans.I am feeling much better, but far from normal (even for me, which is also far from normal).So it's lucky for me that the Democratic Convention gets underway today in Chicago. Unfortunately, the festivities and streaming don't begin until the show ends...Good thing I recorded an interview a couple of weeks ago with Jessica Goudeau who just released a new book, WE WERE ILLEGAL. She has a fascinating story to share, and the story is certainly timely as the MAGAt presidential candidate is threatening mass deportations should we screw up and allow him anywhere hear the oval office again.So, we'll hear that interview, I'll update you on my ordeal (minus the tears today, I hope), and somehow make it through the hour.A programming note... for the rest of the week, I'll share highlights from the previous nights' convention happenings. And I WILL be back to host Marcy Wheeler on Friday. I'm going through emptywheel withdrawals too!
I'm sorry I've been MIA all week, but I've been really sick. I'll give a brief update today, but I'm still not well enough to come back. And it pains me (sorry for the pun) to say there's no Emptywheel Friday episode today. I really had hoped to feel good enough enough to do the show, but I need the rest.
So we'll go back to August 7 of 2020. The Meidas Touch was just starting out with some really creative videos that caught my eye. So I figured today would be a good day to re-live those early moments of the now media empire (that really should put this show on their network... just a thought!)
What a weekend this was! On Friday, I was at the Glendale AZ Kamala Harris/Tim Walz record-breaking rally. On Saturday night, I saw the Pretenders in concert (Chrissie Hynde is still amazing!), and I spent Sunday sick in bed... But today is Monday and there's lots of fucking news to get to, so the show must go on.
As we do most Mondays, we're joined by Jonathan Larsen of thefuckingnews.substack.com to talk about what's happening in our fucking world...
We made it to the end of another eventful week. The best news of the week is that Kamala Harris named her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz! He almost seems too good to be true!So, Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net and I discuss our VP nominee, the so-called press conference Trump held yesterday at Mar a Lago, and the latest on the Jan 6 case which is back in Judge Tanya Chutkin's hands again... I'm heading out to the Phoenix rally with Kamala Harris & Tim Walz... I'll try to post on Xitter, Facebook, Threads and Bluesky if possible...
It's Thursday, so Howie Klein is here from Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC. Today, one of the congressional candidates they've endorsed -- Eric Wilson from Wisconsin! First, some of the news of the day, including that spectacle the former guy called a press conference, and VP/ soon to be POTUS Kamala Harris shows how you deal with hecklers...
t's a big day.. VP Kamala Harris announced her running mate this morning: Gov Tim Walz of Minnesota The two will appear at their first rally together in Philadelphia this afternoon during our live show. They're expected to speak at around 5:30ET (2:30 AZ time). So I'll keep an eye on the feed and pick it up to carry it live...
For the first part of the show, I'll be joined by David Daley. You'll recall his last book, RATFUCKED - he's been on the show a few times talking about why our votes don't count. Today, his new book hits shelves... ANTIDEMOCRATIC: INSIDE THE FAR RIGHT'S 50-YEAR PLOT TO CONTROL AMERICAN ELECTIONS. The perfect subject to discuss before we officially meet the President and Vice President we'll be working to get elected in November.
Yes, a lot of fucking news for a fucking Monday, and that's not even all of it. As we do on Mondays, I'll chat with Jonathan Larsen of thefuckingnews.substack.com about much of what I don't get to in the first half hour of the show on my own!
Every Friday, Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net joins Nicole Sandler to recap and discuss the week's news. Today, that includes the $10 million transfer from Egypt to Donald Trump in 2017, the huge prisoner swap that President Biden was negotiating while sick with Covid and the media was declaring him too old to do his job, and lots more.
He's been gone for a few weeks, but Howie Klein is back today. A few things happened while he was out... we'll catch up on the political sea change that took place over the past three weeks, and then some...
She's been our Vice President for almost four years now, but do we really know Kamala Harris? Joan Walsh first interviewed her for a 2003 San Francisco magazine profile when Ms. Harris was running for district attorney. She sat down with most recently just a few weeks ago, for a cover story profile of the VP for The Nation magazine.The timing was fortuitous -- or maybe just slightly early, as they spoke just before the ill-fated debate between President Biden and his orange White House predecessor and now again-opponent. And then everything changed.Regardless, we'll speak with Joan Walsh on today's show about the woman who will (hopefully) be the first female President of the United States...But first... what a contrast. Kamala Harris held another rally last night, this time in Atlanta. It was quite brilliant and yes, I have clips. And as I'm writing this an hour before showtime, I just finished watching the livestream of TFG's appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago, which was the polar opposite of quite brilliant.. And yes, I have clips of that too....
I'll admit it. I don't know much about ancient history.
I read The Iliad and The Odyssey, but most other historical literature from the ancient world is like Greek to me.... And although I excelled in Advanced World History in high school, that was a very long time ago and sadly, I've forgotten most of what I knew.
But I do remember that most of what we learned was centered around men. As usual. So when I was pitched on an interview with a classicist - Daisy Dunn 0 about her new book, The Missing Thread: A Women's History of the Ancient World, I thought that would be an interesting diversion from today's politics.
The book is just out today, but we recorded this interview last week... Two days earlier, President Biden announced he'd withdraw from the presidential race and endorsed his Vice President, Kamala Harris. By the time Daisy and I met on Zoom to record this segment, it was apparent that something big was happening....
Also today-- it's Primary Day in Arizona where the Republican mayor of Mesa yesterday endorsed Kamala Harris for President!
And the Olympics are in full swing. The Women's Team Gymnastics finals are happening as I write this... I won't give any spoilers, but I will say (American) Girls fucking Rule!
Another Monday has arrived and the outlook is much rosier than in recent weeks. Needless to say, there's lots to discuss.
And it's Monday, so Jonathan Larsen of The Fucking News (thefuckingnews.substack.com) joins in for the second half hour of the show. We'll venture into the world of the weird, which we acknowledge that there are different strains of weird... Some weird is good, while some is just, well, weird.... creepily weird. (Did someone say Don-Old Trump and JD Vance - or what ever variation on that name he might be using today?)
Another week that feels like a decade gone by since our last Friday get-together. There’s no shortage of news to discuss today as Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net and I try to recount what all happened.
Of course, it was this week that President Joe Biden stepped away from his re-election campaign and passed the torch to VP Kamala Harris. With that change came a renewed sense of hope. I witnessed that first-hand on a massive Zoom call last night, which will continue Sunday evening as Women for Harris all come together. For details visit answerthecall2024.com.
Today, Marcy and I went a bit over our usual hour. But can you blame us?
The blurb I posted on the live video stream today read
I watched two speeches from Washington DC yesterday. One that shouldn't have happened, and one that should (though the way we got there is troublesome). One brought out the best of America; the other, the worst. We'll discuss both of them today and more news of the day.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), I didn't comment on the quite offensive missive from Netanyahu because I spent that time railing against a regular listener who made a ridiculous comment in the chat telling me (somewhat paraphrasing) that I'm often balanced but too often say that Israel can do no wrong.
I responded that he obviously doesn't listen closely, and went off on him. One thing that sets me off like little else is ascribing words or feelings to me that I never said and don't feel.
Here's what I wrote on social media after watching that travesty of a speech that SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN GIVEN from the US Capitol or on US soil
Watching the war criminal Netanyahu speechify in the US Capitol, and it's making me sick. Those words are difficult to write because I am Jewish, believe that Israel has a right to exist and defend itself. However.... Bibi- you had advance knowledge of 10-7 attacks yet the attacks still happened. Innocent ppl slaughtered with no help for HOURS. What's with the propaganda you're spewing? This is offensiveBibi celebrating the IDF- not for protecting Israelis on 10/7 (THEY DIDN'T) but for horrific slaughter of (mostly) innocent Palestinians in Gaza. I'm Jewish & support Israel's right to exist, defend itself. This isn't defense, it's doing what you claim to abhorThis speech is inappropriate in the US Capitol. The response of too many of these MoC are as offensive as is this speech. And I also reject Rashida Tlaib's blatant ugliness. Neither side is being represented fairly. It's all sickeningThat being said, I shared President Biden's speech -- but instead of playing back the video and audio, I read the text. Hearing it made me sad because, which Joe Biden has never been a strong orator, it's clear listening to him that he made the right move in pulling out of the race. He just doesn't have the strength for this campaign. He is, after all, 81. But the words he delivered were magnificent and deserve to be heard. I also went off on MSNBC and Elise Jordan's "focus group" segment in which she led the people with the question "Who is to blame for Joe Biden being in office in his condition? What condition is that Elise? MSNBC? And people wonder how we got here? JFC, it's journalistic malpractice.
My first existential question is whether we, as a nation, are too broken.Our politics are broken. Our 'news' media is broken. Our ability to talk with one another is broken.Believe it or not, I'm not as depressed as I was yesterday (or the past few weeks), but that changes too...Journalist, columnist, author, podcaster, musician, dog lover, White House correspondent and Trump provocateur Brian Karem returns to talk about all of it on today's show...
I took a rare day off yesterday as I was in no shape to do a show. Emotions are running too high due to a combination of things beyond my control. I should probably take off another day or four, but there's too much at stake to sit on the sidelines.
But I also realized that by not doing a show, I'm internalizing all that I'm feeling. So I figured today would be a good day to give us all a place to vent. I will and you can too... And we'll watch and listen to Kamala Harris's first rally speech since Joe Biden decided not to run.
I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. Thank Dog it's Friday so we can stick a fork in this week. But another one is coming right behind this one with plenty more shit to be stirred. At least have this hour each week to get together with Marcy Wheeler, independent journalist at emptywheel.net, to dissect the events of the week.To day this was a busy one is a huge understatement. It was a smorgasbord on insanity that included an attempted Trump assassination, Judge Aileen Cannon tossing the entire Stolen Documents case including the indictment, the Republican convention in Milwaukee, Trump naming JD Vance as his running mate, Joe Biden hit with COVID while the Democrats keep shooting themselves (and our future) in the foot. And more...
Trying to remember despair is not an option. It seems that sanity is failing all around us, but I'm trying to stay positive and believe that good will win out over evil.
Evil has been on display all week, from a rally in PA to a convention hall in Milwaukee. The Democratic circular firing squad is doing what they know how to do best, though I refuse to give in to the defeatist self-fulfilling prophesy they're pushing.
The Nicole Sandler Show's unofficial legal expert Lisa Graves returns, this time as the head of the watchdog organization who's informed us about the bad guys... they're just launching a new site to help us inform everyone about what the Republicans are planning should they retake power. Check out Project2025admin.com/faq ... She'll tell us to be afraid, and to fight back.
Political Scientist, Election Strategist and author of the must-read book, Hit 'Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at their Own Game, Rachel Bitecofer returns to the show today to tell Democrats how to win. All we need to do is listen to her and do what she suggests!
Take notes.. We got this!
Tomorrow, Lisa Graves returns to the show to tell us about the new project she's working on, Project 2025 Administration.
The Republicans always go back to the teleprompter. They claim that Joe Biden can't speak without one, but won't admit that they use them too. And when they fail? They got nothing. Seriously. The first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee was replete with Teleprompter troubles. We'll share a few laughs at their expense,.
And because the media rarely shows a Joe Biden rally or speech, we will! President Biden is set to speak to an NAACP conference in Las Vegas while we're on the air, so we'll carry the feed (finally found one that had decent sound, though it took a few tries).
Also, I promised a link to the new expose that Lisa Graves' organization True North Research has been working on. It's called Project 2025 Administration. She'll be here Thursday to tell us all about it, but in the meantime, you can read some of it for yourself!
The shitshow that is the 2024 presidential election season is rolling right off a cliff. I had planned on playing President Biden's speech delivered Friday at a high-energy back on track rally in Detroit. And then Saturday happened.I'm trying very hard to stay positive, to veer away from conspiracy theories and to present only facts. But the right wing propaganda machine is in full swing, and as greasy and oily as possible. Jonathan Larsen is here today from thefuckingnews.substack.com to help me wade through the muck...
It's Friday, time for our weekly get-together with Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net for a discussion of the week's news and ongoing media malpractice.
Today, we discuss President Biden's solo press conference last night at the end of the NATO 75th anniversary summit, and the mainstream media's apparent missive to hand the election over to the fascists unless we can stop the circular firing squad and doomsayers.
The Democratic circular firing squad continues and TFG keeps proving HE'S the one with mental issues we should be truly concerned about. I talk about Opposite World all the time. We're stuck there.
Today we're joined by Heather "Digby" Parton - one of the smartest and most sensible people I know who you should be reading regularly at digbysblog.net and salon.com
I had planned on carrying President Biden's press conference today. It was scheduled to start at 5:30 ET, right in the middle of our show. But then they pushed it back an hour. Ugh....
We'll still watch, and discuss that tomorrow with Marcy Wheeler of Emptywheel.net.
We saw huge election wins for liberals over the far right in France and the UK in the last week. We can and should do it here as well, but we have to pay attention to what they did in Europe and learn from their actions. Today, we'll reach across the pond to an old friend of the show. Dave Johnson moved to England last year, and joins us today to talk about being an ex-pat, life in England, our political conundrum and how they beat back fascism over there.
And I explain how we win... truly, I hope you'll listen.
We've been inundated with journalistic malpractice as much of the corporate media has led the charge to destroy President Biden's candidacy. I've certainly criticized the NY Times, Wall St Journal, Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC and more than a few pundits who are attempting to lead the masses down a disastrous road.
Today, I'm going to salute some who are being responsible, like the Philadephia Inquirer who published an editorial calling on D'ump to leave the race, and Inquirer National Columnist WILL BUNCH - today's guest - who writes in his latest column, "I will support whatever approach appears to be the best way forward for keeping Trump out of the White House again, full stop. In fact, as a newspaper columnist, I promise I mostly am not going to write about the Democrats’ drama going forward, because the Republican threats to our democracy are so much more important. To be sure, I’m headed to Chicago in August for the Dems’ convention, and I’ll opine if there’s a major change at the top. But I’ll regret it if I waste one word on any other subject that’s not stopping dictatorship."
We're now into the second week of the corporate media and self-important donors working to derail our democracy. Today it's you and me speaking truth, debunking the lies, pushing back against the idiocy that threatens to destroy us. And yes, the Project 2025 threat is real.
We have covered Project 2025 quite a bit on this program and will continue to do so. In the meantime, you can access these episodes:
and this one, specifically on fascism
How Project 2025 Will Ruin Your Life with Andra Watkins on the Nicole Sandler Show – 5-21-24Project 2025
Takedown with Tiffany Torres Williams on the Nicole Sandler Show 4-17-24
We Must Stop the MAGAt March Toward A Fascist USA on the Nicole Sandler Show – 5-22-24
Another week comes to a close so it's time for our weekly discussion with Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net about what happened. It was this week that SCOTUS ended what's left of our democracy, basically giving Trump everything he asked for and more in terms of "absolute immunity," Oh, and in case you hadn't heard, Joe Biden is old....
Tomorrow is the day we set aside to celebrate America's independence from the monarchy. Thanks to the Extreme Court's ruling announced yesterday, it might be our last one.
I could think of no better guest for this wake than my old friend - comedian, actor, broadcaster John Fugelsang.
It's been too long since we've spoken. But I've always marveled at his inherent ability to make us laugh in the face of things the are simply not funny. He's got a high bar to clear today, but I have no doubt that he will.
Reminder, I'll be here tomorrow with a 4th of July music show. It will not be on YouTube and will not go out as a podcast on my usual feed due to copyright issues. It will stream on my stream though, and I'll post a recording of it at nicolesandler.com. Happy Independence Day... while we have it.
Lisa Graves has graciously agreed to join us again today to help us wade through this ultimate travesty of justice by the high court that is no longer "supreme". Extreme is more fitting.
Lisa Graves has unimpeachable legal bona-fides. Among other positions during her career, she served under two US Attorneys General -- Janet Reno during the Clinton administration and John Ashcroft during the W Bush regime. She was chief counsel for nominations under Chair Patrick Leahy on the Senate Judiciary Committee, so was charged with vetting Supreme Court nominees.
I'm always grateful when Lisa brings her expertise here to help us try to figure out wtf is going on. And sadly, that's the only way I can describe what's going on now in the wake of the Extreme Court's gutting of the Chevron deference and conferring "absolute immunity" -- a concept that hadn't existed before yesterday's decision.
The six Extreme Court injustices completed their task from the Federalist Society to kill our democracy. And no, that's not hyperbole. The month of July begins with such a travesty to close out the court's session.
I spent most of the first half-hour reading from Justice Sonia Sotomayor's and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's dissents.
PLEASE read the whole thing for yourself. Or just read the two dissenting opinions which run from page 68 to 118.
Then we check in with Jonathan Larsen of The Fucking News to further examine this unprecedented assault on democracy and the crowning of King D'ump.
It's time for our weekly get-together info download with Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net. And it's another week ending with out disbelief over what's happening in our corner of the world.... After last night's debate and this morning's group of SCOTUS rulings, I can't help but envy Marcy's living in Ireland.Today, we try to make sense of all that happened this week. Again, buckle in. It's a rough road ahead.
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What a day! The Extreme Supremes this morning handed down four more decisions out of the dozen or so still tba... and then signaled that they will not get it all done by the official end of the term tomorrow. There will be at least one more decision day in July. We'll know more about that tomorrow.
Lisa Graves, the unofficial legal expert of the Nicole Sandler Show, returns for the first half of the show today to talk SCOTUS, which we somehow didn't get to yesterday. We'll discuss both the two and sneak peek at a third from yesterday, plus three more from this morning (and the one we got a look at yesterday), with some horrific consequences playing out.
Then Howie Klein joins in from Down With Tyranny as we count down to tonight's debate showdown. Buckle in...
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With the Extreme Court allegedly poised to hand down the final decisions for this term over the next two days, we're joined again by the Nicole Sandler Show's unofficial legal expert Lisa Graves. I had hoped that this morning's announcements would include more than the two they trickled out... and in a sense it did. Apparently accidentally, someone posted a draft of one of the still outstanding decisions-- this one in Idaho vs US. They quickly took it down, but not before Bloomberg News got it, converted it to pdf form and posted it online...
Julian Assange is a free man in Australia again, primary upsets abound and Aileen Cannon is still somehow presiding over a clusterfuck of Trump's criminal trial for stealing and hiding classified documents.
We'll talk about all of that and more... PLUS we'll tell you about Lisa's new podcast "GRAVE INJUSTICE"!!
**Postscript: Best laid plans and all that. Lisa and I didn't get to SCOTUS or Assange at all, but still covered some important territory. She'll be back tomorrow for the first half hour leading up to Howie Klein. Hopefully tomorrow morning, the Extremes will have given us more of the decisions we're waiting for.
One more thing, there was quite a bit of disagreement in the YouTube chat during the show about my comments regarding Jamal Bowman and why he was defeated in yesterday's primary. I've been highly critical of the one-sided coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. But I happened to see this article today about why Bowman lost, and they sum it up perfectly. Read it here:
"Jamaal Bowman Didn’t Lose Because of AIPAC: Their astonishing spending mattered less than how the congressman’s Jewish constituents weighed his words and actions."
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Yesterday, the HEALTH CARE un-covered Newsletter arrived in my inbox, sporting the headline "Fifteen Years Ago Today I Became a Whistleblower". It was from Wendell Potter who remains a hero to all of us in the US, whether you know it or not.
I was fortunate to first interview Wendell on Air America Radio in August of 2009, just two months after he testified before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, pulling back the curtain from around the industry for which he carried water and covered up unethical practices.
A few months later, he would testify before the House and became the most important voice for the masses, just as then president Obama was helping to push through the first health care industry reforms in decades.
Fifteen years ago. And though things are better for us mere mortals who will, at some point, need medical care, we're still fighting nefarious forces in the health insurance and so-called health care industries as well as in government. And Wendell continues to fight for us.
Wendell Potter has been a frequent guest on this program since that first appearance 15 years ago and I'm proud to consider him a friend. I invited him back to today to talk about the problems we're still faced with and to thank him, again, for standing up for us.
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After a rebound infection with COVID over the weekend (I'm not kidding), I'm almost feeling human today. The icing on the cake was a negative test this morning! Yippee!! So I'm back, trying to catch up on all that happened while I was delirious. One thing that did happen was TFG rambling like the demented old fool he is in Philadelphia Saturday night. I even have some audio...
And as it is Monday, Jonathan Larsen is here from The Fucking News to fill us in on the fucking news I missed while I was fucking sick...
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Marcy Wheeler is on holiday and I'm still on the mend from a nasty case of Covid, but we managed a fascinating hour of conversation about everything from Hunter Biden's trials to Aileen Cannon's and the Supreme Court's assaults on democracy and lots in between.Read Marcy at emptywheel.net, and hear her at the end of each week here...
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I'm back today, hopefully my voice will hold up for the hour.
I'm no longer testing positive for Covid, so I've got that going for me. Any my brain isn't as foggy as its been, so there's that too... But much news has transpired in the week and a half I've been gone, and I can't sit idly by.
And it is Thursday, so Howie Klein is here from downwithtyranny.com and the Blue America PAC...
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I'm slowly emerging from the Covid fog, but still have a way to go before I'm feeling fine. So today, I'll test the waters with a short live segment.
Then I'll fill the rest of the hour with the conversation I had with Heather Cox Richardson upon the release of her book, DEMOCRACY AWAKENING: NOTES ON THE STATE OF AMERICA, last September. She's one of the sharpest minds out there, so I'm happy to revisit this interview today.
I hope to return to the full show by tomorrow, and certainly by Friday. Fingers crossed, chicken soup ingested....
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I'm still out sick with Covid, but we couldn't let today go by without hearing from Marcy Wheeler! So with an assist from Spocko and LOLGOP aka Jason Statler, the show goes on.Hunter Biden was found guilty on all three of the gun charges this week, an FBI agent and others involved have gotten death threats and much more happened this week. Marcy will fill us in on all of it.
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Apologies for my absence yesterday. Husband somehow contracted Covid (first time in our home) and we spent the better part of the day at the Emergency Room. I'm doing my best to keep the virus at bay, but that hasn't stopped me from feeling lousy. Thankfully the tests keep reading negative!Good thing that today's show was pretty much in the can. I got to record a conversation with NY Times economic journalist and author Peter S Goodman last week in advance of today's release of his new book, HOW THE WORLD RAN OUT OF EVERYTHING.I'll share that today, along with a brief update on the news of the day -- Hunter Biden convicted after the jury deliberated for a whopping three hours on gun charges, new incriminating revelations from Extreme Court inJustice Sam Alito and more...One housekeeping note on the Peter S. Goodman interview... My producer needs a vacation. We had audio issues when we started recording, so I had to re-boot the software. Of course, I neglected to hit record on the video when it came back up, so the first 5 minutes or so of the interview is audio only. Then the video kicks back in.. (Won't make a difference to anyone listening to the audio podcast, but I needed to explain my screw-up.)Now back to our regularly scheduled programming....
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The amazing Marcy Wheeler, who keeps us informed about the news we need to know at emptywheel.net joins us every Friday to talk about what happened that week. As she does today.I must apologize to Marcy and everyone watching this. I started a new medication last night to deal with my RLS, and it completely knocked me out. I awoke in a fog this morning, somehow walked and fed Jaxson and made it in to the studio to record with Marcy. When we finished taping, I went back to sleep for a bit, but am still as out of it as I was early this morning.So again, I apologize. Thankfully Marcy didn't really need my input...
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Whoo boy, another crazy busy day in our world... Somehow it's fitting that today marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day.And since I took the day off yesterday, there's so much to cover before Howie Klein joins in at the bottom of the hour, today joined by Conor O'Callaghan, who's running for Congress in AZ 01.An appeals court in GA put a hold on the Fani Willis case against Trump as he can't decide whether or not she should be removed from the case for having an affair with a prosecutor in her office, Senate Republicans tanked a bill codifying women's rights to birth control(!), the MAGAt House sent criminal referrals for Hunter Biden and James Biden, while Hunter Biden's trial on gun charges continues in Delaware. Two MAGAts were added to the House Intelligence Committee by the MAGAt speaker. And Boeing successfully launched a manned rocket headed for the International Space Station. At least none of the doors fell out.And, oh yeah, Steve Bannon is headed back to jail for four months after he was found guilty of ignoring a subpoena from the Jan. 6 Committee. report to jail on July 1st, just in time to miss the Republican National convention. He'll be out 4 days before the election, hardly enough time for him to meddle in 2024's election.
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Americans have very short memories. For some unfathomable reason, there are millions of people with their heads in the sand who just don't (or won't) remember how bad things were under TFG. The years the orange one was in office were some of the darkest of my long life. Even after we voted him out, his specter continues to torment us as women's right to choose was taken away and threats of an even more evil and twisted Trump occupying the oval office is again a possibility. Also unfathomable.So today, we'll offer a bit of a reminder. I'm still struggling with my sleep issues and I lost the battle last night, with creepy crawly legs keeping me from getting any rest at all. So I will not be doing a new show today. Instead, I went back into the show's archives to four years ago this week. It was June 2, 2020. Here's the show description I wrote up for the program I'll re-play today that I titled "Awaiting the Locusts":"With each new day comes a new crisis, thanks to Donald Trump. The US leads the world in covid-19 infections and deaths. We've lost our standing in the world. We've alienated our allies, while the president aligns with strong men and dictators. And yesterday, he had military police fire tear gas and flash bang grenades at peaceful protesters to clear his way for a photo op at a DC church, where he used a bible as a prop. And America burns. On Tuesdays, I gather with my gliberal girlfriends GottaLaff and Amy Simon. Today, we'll try to figure out how our nation survives."
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You know the old adage, 'Sticks & stones my break my bones but words can never hurt me.' As I often say, the scientific term for that is "bullshit." Words can and do immense damage. And as today's guest Annalee Newitz explains in her new book (out today) STORIES ARE WEAPONS: PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE AND THE AMERICAN MIND, this really is war.They open the preface to the book writing, "It's hard to write about a war while it's raging. Especially when there are no craters in the ground, no missiles streaking overhead - just words and images that are inflicting a form of psychological damage that is impossible to measure, impossible to prove."Such is our challenge as these words and stories continue to misinform, pervert and harm both people and our democracy, fragile as it is.Her words and stories from our history show just how dangerous these PsyOps are and how we must defend against them.
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Like death and taxes, there's no stopping Mondays. They come every week whether we want them or not. But there's a silver lining... we get The Fucking News every Monday from Jonathan Larsen who writes the fucking news every fucking day... Then again, there are some weeks when there's good fucking news, like Trump being convicted and like Mexico electing its first woman President -- a Jewish woman at that! But don't fear newsfuckers, there's some fucked-up news to talk about too...
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The verdicts are in! Donald J Trump found guilty on all 34 counts, but you already knew that.However, today is Friday, so Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net is here. We discuss the verdicts, the hypocrisy and worse from the right, the fact that they're out for revenge, and that Hunter Biden's gun charges trial gets underway on Monday.Never a dull moment!
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Literally ten minutes before hitting the air, the word came down that the jury had reached a verdict in the first criminal trial of the former guy. Needless to say, everything I had planned for today's show was thrown out the window.... but Howie Klein still joined me to help celebrate the news that our justice system works.
We were going as history was made today. Of course, the fight isn't over. Trump is playing the victim, trotting out his "it was rigged" tourettes. He doesn't know how to say anything else.
Tomorrow, Marcy Wheeler will be here for a postscript, and a preview of the revenge they'll want to take out on Hunter Biden. Strap in...
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ur favorite legal expert Lisa Graves returns to the show to bring some clarity to the surreal legal news we've been dealing with the the past few weeks. First, there's the Trump trial - the one of four criminal cases that he should be standing trial for. Closing arguments were delivered yesterday; the judge gave the jury instructions this morning and the first day of deliberations are done. Of course TFG went out to the microphones and continued his normal practice of lying about everything.
The second big story that's broken over the past few weeks involved Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito. We now know that he and his wife (he blames his wife, whatta guy!) have flown flags supporting the insurrection and Trump at their VA home and their beach home, yet he refuses to recuse himself from any case dealing with Jan 6. Yeah, we have a few things to talk with Lisa Graves about today...
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The title of today's episode is taken from a line in a commencement address delivered this weekend by filmmaker/historian Ken Burns to the graduating class at Brandeis University. I heard enough plaudits about it to seek it out, and I must agree. In fact, so much that I'm going to share the final 8 1/2 minutes or so of it on today's show. I'll also post the entire thing on my website where I'll post today's show (nicolesandler.com/5-28-24) so you can easily find it to watch the rest of it.With the spectacle of the first criminal trial of a former president coming to and end, and the amount of disinformation and propaganda warping the minds of the gullible, i've been having flashbacks to 2016 when our world was falling apart. Some idiot on Facebook defending TFG posted a response to something I wrote with "we survived Trump once, we will again"... a sentiment with which I wholly disagree.This, if he succeeds in lying, cheating and stealing his way back into the oval office, will be the end of our democracy as we know it. Ken Burns chucked his longstanding policy of neutrality in this speech when he said, "The presumptive Republican nominee is the opioid of all opioids, an easy cure for what some believe is the solution to our myriad pains and problems. When in fact with him, you end up re-enslaved with an even bigger problem, a worse affliction and addiction, 'a bigger delusion', James Baldwin would say, the author and finisher of our national existence, our national suicide as Mr. Lincoln prophesies. Do not be seduced by easy equalization. There is nothing equal about this equation. We are at an existential crossroads in our political and civic lives. This is a choice that could not be clearer."It's with that in mind that we'll hear the rest of that address today, and I'll bring you the latest on the closing arguments, the newest roadblock to justice thrown up by one of TFG's appointees to the bench, the latest outrage over the fact that our Supreme Court is sickeningly compromised and that we are, to put it bluntly, fucked. And not in a good way.
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We made it through another eventful week in the most insane decade of my life, and I'm old. We celebrate Fridays because the weekend is here, but not before we recap some of the news made during the week that's ending. It seems that each week these days is more outlandish than the one before, and this one is no different.
Among the news and stories that Emptywheel.net's Marcy Wheeler and I discussed today are the complete mess that is the Supreme Court. ProPublica this week confirmed and shared photographic proof that Justice Samuel Alito flew a second flag (this one at his NJ shore beach house) supporting Trump's insurrection and, this one specifically, Christian Nationalism. We discussed fascism and the staffer who reportedly posted the blatantly fascist "Reich" video to TFG's 'Truth Social' account. There was the lie told by Trump and his minions that the DOJ had an order to assassinate him during the execution of the search warrant at Mar A Lago, and we spent a few minutes talking about the "hush money" trial in NY where closing statements will be argued on Tuesday. The jury could get the case as soon as Wednesday. And, who knows? We might have a verdict by the time Marcy and I reconvene next Friday.
Oh, and of course we spoke about the circus surrounding Hunter Biden, whose second trial will get underway in Los Angeles in September. The first one (on gun charges) will happen in Delaware in early June. Strap in...
Marcy is actually doing another podcast these days. She's working with the awesome Jason Statler (aka @LOLGOP) on a new podcast called Ball of Thread. Follow the link for more info or to listen.
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It's Thursday (or as I prefer, Friday Eve) has arrived. That means a visit with Howie Klein of Down With Tyranny to talk politics. One subject that shouldn't fall under the category of "politics" is "The Supreme Court." But norms are dead, and we're now living in opposite world. So all bets are off....
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I've been doing my best to have guests on this program who can explain the threats we are facing from fascism by way of Trump and his MAGAt sycophants. We've exposed "Project 2025" and urge you to learn as much as possible about what they are planning should they retake power. It really is urgent -- all hands on deck kind of urgent.
Today we'll give you the knowledge you need to push back on the mis and disinformation, lies and propaganda they're pushing. There's a reason TFG said "I love the poorly educated!". They're easier to manipulate.
In that spirit, I was happy for the opportunity to speak with Federico Finchelstein today on the show. He's now written eight books on the subject of Fascism, including the brand-new one, just out one week, THE WANNABE FASCISTS: A GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING THE GREATEST THREAT TO DEMOCRACY.
Federico also contributed an article to this week's special edition of The New Republic called "What American Fascism Would Look Like". Please check it out and share!
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We've covered Project 2025 before, and we'll continue sounding the alarm until and after TFG is defeated and this MAGAt brand of Republicans are extinct. They are that dangerous, and that's not hyperbole, it's fact. They will, if given the opportunity, destroy democracy.Today, I'm joined by a NY Times best-selling author, Andra Watkins.. She was raised in a Christian Nationalist family, the people who espouse this type of fascism, and was lucky enough to escape it and share what she knows with the rest of us.She started a substack at Project2025isTheocracy.substack.com.And today, she'll scratch the surface of what they've already done and what they're planning to do if given the chance. We must make sure they don't get that chance.
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Mondays are always difficult, especially after an epic weekend.. But here we are.
There's lots of news to discuss-- the latest on TFG's trial, possibly entering the homestretch, Alito must recuse (or be impeached.... and Clarence Thomas too!), the ICC is calling for the arrest of Hamas' leaders plus Netanyahu and Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. And lots more.
And since it's Monday, Jonathan Larsen joins in from The Fucking News with even more!
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Every Friday I'm joined by the brilliant Marcy Wheeler from emptywheel.net to recap most of the important news of the week....
Today we talk the Trump trial and the show of Republican members of Congress skipping out on their jobs to do Dear Leader's bidding at a NYC courthouse, some even making implicit terror threats (looking at you Matt Gaetz)... there's the fascist proclivities of SCOTUS (in) justice Alito, journalistic lack of integrity, disorder in the House and lots more...
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Today's Thursday, so we have a standing date with Howie Klein of DownWithTyranny.com and the Blue America PAC. He usually joins us at around the :30 minute mark. He's out at an appointment today, but we should still be able to get him on the phone for a conversation....But if something prevents that from happening, we've still got you covered as there's more insanity flying around the interwebs today than I could possibly get through in an hour.For example, some Neanderthal football player from Kansas delivered a commencement speech on Saturday that he is correctly being lambasted for... Of course, I have a response... and now he's trying to mitigate the damage but just digging a deeper hole...The crazy caucus in the already ridiculous GOP House caucus has shirked their Congressional responsibilities to show up in NYC to put their stamp of approval on the corrupt, disgraced, twice impeached, sexual predator, former occupant of the White House.... you get the idea.
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President Joe Biden owned TFG this morning when he issued his challenge for not just one, but TWO debates to happen in June and September. Surprisingly, TFG agreed...BUT then, true to form, he lied about a THIRD debate, hosted by Fox (NOT) News, saying he accepted that one too. But, true to form, he made it up. A third debate and especially one hosted by FOX was NEVER on the table. The poor schmuck just can't abide by anyone else's rules.Yesterday, Digby told me that the sycophants who are still cult members aren't even denying that TFG wears diapers. They've embraced it. And today I saw lots of evidence of that, which I'll share. You know that, if there was ever even an accusation that President Biden was suffering from fecal incontinence, the ridicule would never end. But for the orange turd they embrace the anal leakage (and, I guess, the reported stench that accompanies it).Now that you have that mental picture... We have a show today, but no guest.So we'll talk about the news and whatever is on our collective minds. The phone lines are open at 954-889-6410.If we get through all my stuff and you aren't calling in, I have an interview cued up from last summer when I spoke with the artist I'm going to see on Friday night, Michael Franti.At a time like we're living through right now, we could all use a shot of positivity. So I'm happy to replay that one... unless you have something more important we should discuss?
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She is the OG of the progressive blogosphere. Heather Parton, known to her readers as Digby, began blogging at her Hullabaloo blog (now at digbysblog.net) back around the turn of the century. Truly.... And here we are today -- not only in Opposite World, but also in the Surreal World.We'll talk about Trump on trial and the rest of the absurd news of the day that illustrates just how completely screwed we are!
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It's hard to believe we're almost half way through May already. I guess time flies whether we're having fun or not!I'm in website hell and in desperate need of a vacation... but I'm not there yet. So instead, it'll be a show at showtime as usual (5ET/2PT). I'll try to bring you up to speed on the Trump trial. Michael Cohen is on the stand today.. and Sen Bob Menendez' trial is on track to begin today too. It is Monday, so we'll check in with Jonathan Larsen of The Fucking News (thefuckingnews.substack.com) because we're not yet fucked up enough, apparently.
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Finding it difficult to keep up with all the news of the week? Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net joins me every Friday for a sort of debriefing of what we need to know happened that week. Today, we talking Stormy Daniels testifying, Trump getting just what he wants from Aileen Cannon and a Georgia appeals court, the latest on Hunter Biden, Steve Bannon, Henry Cuellar and a lot more.Listen, catch up, then go enjoy the weekend because next week promises more...
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Stormy Daniels returned to the stand today for more grilling from the orange one's lawyer whose name is pronounced necklace (spelled Necheles) who basically seemed to rehabilitate Daniels today, however unintentionally. According to reports, Stormy was much more composed, in control and funnier today. I'll share some tidbits before we move on...It's Thursday, so Howie Klein is here. It's a shocker, but Howie believes much of Congress is corrupt, and he has a piece up at DownWithTyranny about just that, and features a bunch of retiring members answering the question, "is Congress corrupt?".It's almost as funny as Stormy Daniels was today.
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Sorry, no sex (unless you count the encounter between Stormy Daniels & TFG "sex"... it isn't/wasn't... it's just yuck), but lots of rock and roll and yes, politics, on today's show.It's a Wednesday worthy of another edition of THE MAL-LADIES a couple of women talking about all that ails us (and we may venture there for a minute or two) but we have more important things to discuss. Dayna Steele returns to the show today to shoot the shit and yes, she has lots to talk about.She is the Democrat running for Congress from TX36 (her second try). But hers is a campaign like no others. She'll explain.If you're from Houston then you likely know Dayna from her many years rocking Texas middays on KLOL. Or perhaps you own one of her books or listen to her "Surviving Alzheimers" podcast or have seen her play THE WOMAN IN THE MIRROR.... I could go on and on, but we'll do it live. So just listen.
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Stormy Daniels spent the day on the stand in NYC at TFG's trial. We'll discuss some of the highlights (or lows, depending on your point of view),But we'll begin today on a different subject -- the future of Social Security and Medicare. A breaking news alert crossed my desk yesterday proclaiming that Social Security & Medicare will run out of money in about 10 years if Congress doesn't act. I figured we were due for a discussion on this all-important issue, so we called in the expert.Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works is here at the start of the show to explain what's up...
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Mondays are always difficult by definition, so we try to make them a bit more palatable by kicking off each fucking week with The Fucking News, as written and delivered by Jonathan Larsen who does his reporting for us daily at thefuckingnews.substack.com. Lots to discuss today from the possible ceasefire between Israel & Hamas, TFG on trial, TFG wannabe Veep-stakes, same sex marriage in the church and lots more...
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Every Friday, Marcy Wheeler joins us from emptywheel.net to talk about some of the news she covered in the previous week. Today, a little Trump trial stuff mixed in with a whole lot about Bill Barr and his role in framing Joe Biden and, of course, Hunter Biden. And more...
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It's Thursday, so TFG is back in the courtroom, snoring and farting while a jury listens, Democrats are one vote closer to a House majority, protests escalate, and Time magazine published a massive story about what TFG plans to do if he becomes the current guy again... and Howie Klein is here from Down with Tyranny and the Blue America Pac.
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We've had non-stop guests and lots of news recently, so I thought we'd take the day to catch up and talk. Phone lines are open for you to weigh in on anything we've been talking about... from the Extreme Supreme Court, Trump Trials, College protests, Israel-Hamas, or anything else on your mind.
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If you've listened to my show, you know that I often refer to myself as an "atheist Jew". My Judaism comes by way of heritage, family, generational stories and history. I have real disdain for organized religion of every stripe, and have often commented about how virtually every war ever fought had its basis somewhere in religion.
I've been struggling since the news broke of the Oct 7 attack by Hamas terrorists with the images that play on a loop in my mind. Making it worse is the reception I've gotten from some listeners, former friends and former political allies, and complete strangers who think that, because I believe that Israel has a right to exist and defend itself, that I am a "Zionist who loves genocide."
I do my best to explain my feelings, but these people who resort to calling me names and worse don't want to listen, they want to tell me how I feel. They have no clue.
I hope they're listening today.
I happened upon a thread on Threads.net from a man named Mo Husseini that captured my attention through all 55 parts. I immediately identified with him when he described himself:
"I am a proud Palestinian-American. I care deeply about Palestinian rights to freedom, security, and self-determination.
But I am also profoundly aware that true long-term freedom, security, and self-determination for Palestinians cannot exist without creating a reciprocal reality for Israelis.
There is no path to freedom that begins with oppression of the other.
That is not freedom.
That is a Pyrrhic victory that will turn to ashes in your mouth.
We are, both peoples, stuck on the world’s worst fucking amusement park ride, an eternally shitty and utterly predictable carousel of suffering."
It goes on and I hope you'll read the whole thing. It's posted on Medium in article form here:
Mo joins me in conversation on today's show. I hope you'll join us.
***Post show note from Nicole: I truly appreciate Mo joining me today. We didn't agree on everything, but we did find common ground where it was most important. That is the need for both sides to stop the shit and start talking. That's an oversimplification, but so it goes.
In the meantime, there are two films you should watch: Oslo and Screams Before Silence.
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Ahh we joke, but that's how the news gets digested better. Every Monday, I'm joined by Jonathan Larsen who writes at TheFuckingNews.substack.com. Mondays are difficult enough, so I figure it's best to ease back into the new week with a bit of humor injected into the normal awfulness of it all.Today we'll have some actual funny observations about the news, something that was mostly missing from Saturday night's Nerd Prom (aka WH Correspondents Dinner).Then there's the lovely revelations about SD Gov Kristi Noem as a dog murderer, college campuses racked by protests, Bill Barr says the quiet hyprocritical parts out loud (nothing really new there) and not only will he vote for TFG if convicted, he admitted that TFG often spoke of having Americans killed. Nothing much to see here... move right along...
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Each Friday, Marcy Wheeler takes a break from writing at emptywheel.net to join me for a conversation about what happened that week. This week was insane, and ended at the Supreme Extreme Court. That hearing consumed much of today's show, with a few minutes at the end dealing with Trump's current criminal trial, underway in Manhattan.
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It's a Thursday, so we have a date with Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny & the Blue America PAC. It's not like there's a shortage of things to discuss... in fact, too much news for a one-hour show.There was the SCOTUS hearing this morning on Trump's ridiculous concept of absolute immunity (but there are some ridiculous people sitting on that extreme bench these days), the were 3 members of the AZ Republican House voting with all the Dems to kill the 1864 abortion ban (now goes to the senate and then the governor?). The FCC restored Net Neutrality rules killed by TFG's administration, and the FTC said no more airline junk fees. Of course TFG is still nodding off in a Manhattan courtroom where his first of four criminal cases against him is being heard. But Howie asked me an important question this week that I never answered, and the "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame" class of 2024 was announced, and I think they need to change its name to the Popular Music Hall of Fame.
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I'm always honored when Lisa Graves joins me to lend her legal expertise to the discussion about the trials and tribulations of TFG and, of course, the machinations of the once Supreme, now Extreme, Court.
Lisa has the bona fides... she served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Policy Development/Legal Policy at the U.S. Department of Justice under Attorneys General Janet Reno and John Ashcroft, Chief Counsel for Nominations for Senator Patrick Leahy on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Deputy Chief of the Article III Judges Division of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts with oversight of the Financial Disclosure Office and more, and as an adjunct law professor at George Washington University Law School. She also worked as the Senior Legislative Strategist for the ACLU on national security and civil liberties, and held other posts.
Although Lisa generously shares her knowledge with us on this show, she does so in her capacity as a private citizen. These days, her day job is as the founder and Executive Director of True North Research, a national investigative watchdog group that works with journalists and other researchers to shine a bright light on the dark money fueling regressive agendas targeting vital institutions in our republic, such as our courts and public schools.
Graves is one of the nation’s foremost experts in exposing how special interests distort public policy and try to thwart the public’s interest in a thriving and inclusive democracy and to impede measures to protect our environment and mitigate climate change.
I don't run through her CV and experience as often as I should when she's on the show, so I wanted to put it down in writing... Today, Lisa joins me to talk about the beginning of the first-ever criminal trial of a former president, about that former guy's inability to follow the most basic rules of decorum inside a court of law (or anywhere else for that matter), David Pecker's testimony that proves Trump talks about himself when he decries "FAKE NEWS" and more.
On the SCOTUS front, tomorrow - the final day they'll hear arguments this term - they'll hear Trump's farce of a claim that he enjoys "absolute immunity" as a former president... of course today, the antediluvian men on the court showed that they believe they should control every aspect of a woman's life, including her health care.
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Today was only the second day of Trump's first criminal trial and I honestly don't think he'll survive this one, let alone three more! But I guess we'll eventually find out.
With no cameras allowed in the courtroom, the media is left to its own creativity to bring the action to the public. Some outlets are doing a better job of it than others, but I thought we'd call on an actual journalist to help us navigate the coverage.
Brian Karem was the last man standing (literally) at Playboy where his official job title was senior White House correspondent. He's covered every presidential administration since Reagan, sued Donald Trump three times successfully to keep his press pass, spent time in jail to protect a confidential source, covered wars in the Middle East, and is the author of seven books, the latest of which is Free the Press. He writes a column for Salon.com and thankfully joins me on this show fairly regularly....
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Welcome to a new week. As expected the first criminal trial of Donald Trump is now underway in a NYC courtroom. Both sides delivered their opening statements and the first witness began giving his testimony.The prosecution started strong with David Pecker as the first on the stand. Notwithstanding his quite appropriate name, the former head honcho of the National Enquirer who ran interference for TFG with his "catch & kill" schemes to deal with stories that would be damaging for the orange one, will return to the stand when the court reconvenes tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, this trial will not be televised, but the court announced today that they'll release transcripts... before the end of the following business day. Not exactly the instant gratification we're used to. So today I'll share some insights from Laffy's Mastodon account.It is Monday, so there's some fucking news to get to with Jonathan Larsen, the man behind thefuckingnews.substack.com. What are you waiting for? Subscribe now. You can sign up for free (though if you're in a position to chip in a buck or two to support his work, we'd appreciate it!)
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Each Friday, we get to spend an hour with Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net for a conversation about much of what happened that week. This week was pretty remarkable in that Donald Trump is finally on trial for some of his crimes.By the time we finished recording this morning, the entire jury and six alternates had been seated. It appears that opening statements are possible on Monday.Stay tuned...
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Another Thursday has arrived, which means we have two things going for us today: 1. Howie Klein is here and 2. Tomorrow's Friday so the weekend is near. This has been a crazy week at a moment in history that promises to be among the craziest, certainly in our lifetimes!The number of jurors seated in the first criminal trial of TFGDJT has dropped from 7 to 5. Why? Because the defendant is intimidating potential jurors, thumbing his nose at the judge's orders not to do that. And the media is also complicit. We'll discuss that and more. Like the madness of Marjorie Traitor Greene who today introduced a few batshit amendments, including one to fund those pesky Jewish space lasers at the southern border. You can't make this stuff up...
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The first criminal trial of Donald Trump to convene is on recess today (no Wednesday sessions, per the judge), but it was a busy Tuesday as seven jurors were seated. Five more plus six alternates are expected by the end of the week, with opening arguments as soon as Monday.So today's circus was in Congress, where House Republicans walked their articles of impeachment for DHS Secretary Alejandro Majorkas, and the nonsense continued.I'll run down the latest on those and other stories, and then we'll get to today's main attraction: Project 2025, or the GOP's plan to bring down democracy in the USA.It's a topic I've been concerned about, but wasn't sure who to invite on the show until last week, when I get a message from Rachel Bitecofer imploring her readers to follow a new substack by Tiffany Torres Williams called Project 2025 Takedown. So I subscribed (project2025takedown.substack.com) and invited Tiffany on the show. To add an interesting element, Tiffany had considered herself a "conservative Republican". Oh I have so many questions for her...
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Have you ever thought about running for office? Now would probably be a good time to do so.Republicans have effectively taken over state legislatures, city councils and school boards, doing great damage to our institutions along the way. And their embrace of a dictatorial conman as their presumptive presidential nominee is a mortal threat to our democracy. The stakes have never been higher, and no elected office is unimportant.School boards have become intense battlegrounds. With groups like Moms for Liberty and Turning Point USA trying to indoctrinate our kids while dismantling our public educational system, it's time for those of us on the side of education, democracy and facts take back control.Today, I've invited two women who I met this weekend while they were canvassing in my neighborhood. One of them, Zeyna Pruzhanovsky, I met a month or two ago when she first stopped by. She's running for a seat on the Chandler Unified School District Board. Joining her yesterday was Laura Metcalfe, who's running for Maricopa County School Superintendent. They'll join me live in the studio to talk about what's at stake and what made them decide to jump into the race.I'll also bring you up to speed on Day 2 of Trump on Trial, and the Supreme Extreme Court who heard the case of one of the 1-6 insurrectionists that could impact the prosecution of both Trump himself and others who stormed the Capitol that day.
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It's April 15. Have you done your taxes yet? Remember when TFG was in office and he told us we'd be filling out our taxes on a postcard? Yeah, not so much. But he's in a Manhattan courtroom today as his first criminal trial begins...And of course, Jonathan Larsen is here with the fucking news. And I'm in the perfect fucking mood for it. I just spent the morning at the doctor's office and she thinks it IS gout. FML.
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I am honored that the independent national security journalist Marcy Wheeler, whose original reporting you can find at emptywheel.net, joins me on my show every Friday for an hour-long discussion of the news that matters and, for the most part, hasn't been reported accurately or with enough urgency elsewhere.
Today, in addition to preparing for Monday's beginning of jury selection in the NY fraud case involving the payoff to Stormy Daniels, I was thrilled to be able to congratulate Marcy for her journalistic prowess! She went the extra mile to intervene in a CIPA case in 2022 that now will impact the Mar A Lago classified documents case that Judge Aileen Cannon seems bound and determined to not treat fairly (my convoluted language to try to express her general support of TFG).
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Howie Klein has been doing a weekly segment on my show for more than a dozen years now. He and I first met some 30+ years ago on Los Angeles where I was doing (really great) music radio and he was President of Reprise Records. When Howie exited the music biz, he turned his energies toward getting real progressives elected to office. He began blogging at DownWithTyranny.com. In 2006, Howie joined forces with Heather "Digby" Parton of Digby's Hullabaloo (digbysblog.net) and John Amato of CrooksandLiars.com. They created the Blue America PAC, enlisting the help of Jacquie Propps (@Jacqrat) to help with the organizational aspects of running a PAC.Jaquie wrote "Fighting The Right Wing Since 2006" for the Blue America blog to reacquaint the blogosphere with Blue America, now in its 18th year. (Read it at https://blueamerica.crooksandliars.co...) We agreed that with the most consequential election season of our lives underway, this would be a good time to get some of the players together to recognize the work they do and shine a spotlight on this year's group of Blue America endorsed candidates.So, joining Howie and me today -- Digby, of course. And Tom Maxwell. Huh? Tom Maxwell is a musician. You probably know him from his time with the Squirrel Nut Zippers. In 2006, Tom contributed a song, "Have You Had Enough?" --sung by Rickie Lee Jones - to one of the first Blue America campaigns, that one to oust the predatory Republican Speaker of the House Denny Hastert. It was a success and the campaign was a hit. And the rest, as they say, is history!They'll all join in at around the 30 minute mark. But we'll start with some news and memories spurred by the news that OJ Simpson has died. Open the floodgates....
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I'm new to Arizona. We moved here from Florida for a number of reasons, chief among them was the fact that AZ was trending bluer while FL has become Fascist Central. Well, yesterday Arizona's Supreme Court reinstated a law that was in effect until 1973 when Roe v Wade came into effect and legalized a woman's right to choose what happens with her own body. Since that 1864 law was never officially removed from the books it was still in effect once Roe was overturned. ARGHH.I attempted to get some AZ officials and others to discuss the ramifications of yesterday's news to no avail. That makes sense as I'm guessing this is an all hands on deck moment.So, I thought back to how we dealt with the Supreme Court overturning Roe two years ago. It was June 24, 2022 when they did the unthinkable. The following Monday, June 27, I spoke with the man regarded as the father of the birth control and abortion rights movement, Bill Baird. I was introduced to him by the always brilliant Barry W. Lynne.When we spoke almost two years ago, Bill had just turned 90! As is too often the case, we had some technical difficulties, but it's worth hanging through them to meet and learn about Bill Baird. I hope he will give you the inspiration he's given me during incredibly awful times like these....We'll begin with a song from Jill Sobule that she wrote after Texas enacted its disgusting Fetal Heartbeat bill that outlawed abortion after six weeks. (From Wikipedia: The Texas Heartbeat Act, Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), is an act of the Texas Legislature that bans abortion after the detection of embryonic or fetal cardiac activity, which normally occurs after about six weeks of pregnancy. The law took effect on September 1, 2021, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request for emergency relief from Texas abortion providers.[1] It was the first time a state has successfully imposed a six-week abortion ban since Roe v. Wade, and the first abortion restriction to rely solely on enforcement by private individuals through civil lawsuits, rather than having state officials enforce the law with criminal or civil penalties. The act authorizes members of the public to sue anyone who performs or facilitates an illegal abortion for a minimum of $10,000 in statutory damages per abortion, plus court costs and attorneys' fees.)
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Another busy day in today's strange new world. We begin today with breaking news from my adopted state of Arizona where we moved from Floriduh because AZ was a bit less fascist... Well, today the AZ Supreme Extreme Court upheld an 1864 near total ban on abortions. The only exception is to save the life of the mother. Yeah, I'll have a few words on that one to start today's show. While we're on the subject of abortion, the orange weather vane backtracked on his promise of a national abortion ban yesterday only to be criticized by some of magaT world, including the sycophantic Lindsey Graham. TFG lashed out so Lindsey did what Lindsey does and dropped to his knees to do magaman's bidding. You can't make this shit up.Then, I'll speak with the author of a new book hits the shelves today. TRIPPED: NAZI GERMANY, THE CIA, AND THE DAWN OF THE PSYCHEDELIC ERA by author Norman Ohler recounts the reason psychedelic drugs are classified as dangerous narcotics. Of course, one need look no further than the Nazis. Figures.
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Well, so far no rapture but we did see the eclipse here in Arizona! It's another Monday so we start the f$^king week with more f$^king news from Jonathan Larsen at thefuckingnews.substack.com because someone's got to do it!
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We couldn't end the week and usher in the weekend properly without a visit from Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net. As she does each Friday, Marcy will walk us through the latest developments in Trump Trial World, including the batshit whack-a-doodle-ness of Judge Aileen Cannon who is doing TFG's bidding so much to his liking that he publicly promised her a Supreme Court nod if he's somehow re-elected. As someone suggested last week, the subtitle of this show is "You can't make this shit up!"
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It's a Thursday, so Howie Klein takes a weekly break from writing at DownWithTyranny.com and vetting the best candidates for the Blue America PAC to support. There's no shortage of topics to discuss today, but I'm running late as I spent the morning at the doctors office and urgent care trying to figure out what's going on with my foot. (Stay tuned for another episode of the Mal-ladies, where we discuss what ails us. Ugh)I also have to share a few words from one of the people I most respect in this world, Chef Jose Andres. I'm just sick about everything today.
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If you're thinking that in the US, all may theoretically be created equal, but we're sure not treated equally under the law. It's a fact that those with money, fame and power get away with (almost) murder. And if Donald Trump did, indeed, shoot someone on Fifth Avenue? Well, let's just say the jury's still out on that one. And if TFG has any say, the trial would be perpetually delayed.Of course I have a million questions for Lisa Graves, the unofficial legal expert of the Nicole Sandler Show, having to do with Teflon Don. But wait, there's more...There's our Supreme Extreme Court, where ethics apparently aren't a requirement to be a Justice. And there's an organization made up of Republican Attorneys General (RAGA) who've fully transitioned from public servants who serve the law to more magats perverting the law to support TFG.
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Yes, we're in the Threats era of the Trump tour of America's court rooms. The National Lampoon magazine cover depicted on today's show graphic is a classic! It's an actual magazine cover from 1973. it was funny because it was so absurd and obviously a joke.But the current incarnation of Donald Trump isn't making humorous threats. His threats are serious. Deadly serious.Judge Merchan who's overseeing the first of the criminal prosecutions against TFG just had to revise his gag order to include language that prohibits the orange menace from threatening family members of court personnel. He violated that gag order just moments after the order was revised.Just what is law enforcement doing about it? Not a whole lot, from what I can tell.Our pal Spocko was wondering about the same thing, and he has a new post up at Digby's (https://digbysblog.net/2024/04/01/a-6... ). He'll check in with us too
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The big guns come out on Mondays.... From Rachel Maddow and Jen Psaki to Jon Stewart and now Jonathan Larsen of The Fucking News! He's here every Monday to help kick off the week with a dose of news that you're not getting from the corporate mainstream media.Today Jonathan Larsen is breaking news that will be released to paid subscribers at thefuckingnews.substack.com concerning one of the more concerning underbellies of the US government... The Family, the National Prayer Breakfast and now... NASA? Jonathan will fill us in.But first, Easter blasphemy from TFG, his daughter-in-law, and plain truth from the editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer...
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Every Friday is a good Friday here because Marcy Wheeler is our guest for the whole hour, recapping most of the important news of the week. Today we touch on the Ronna NotRomney McDaniel/NBC News mess, the latest Trump trial news, Trump financial issues and gag orders, the Supreme Extreme Court, Julian Assange and Hunter Biden too...And we wish Marcy Wheeler a very happy birthday too!
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Today is Thursday, so we have our weekly get-together with Howie Klein of DownWithTyranny.com and the Blue America PAC. Last week, you may recall, Howie brought along a guest --Jersey City Mayor and already declared-candidate for NJ Governor in 2025 Steven Fulop. The conversation concerned the race to replace corrupt Sen Bob Menendez from NJ. Fulop had reversed his endorsement of Tammy Murphy (wife of NJ's current governor who's being term limited out of office) in favor of Congressman Andy Kim. Hmm, Murphy dropped out of the race just a couple of days later....Today, among other stories, I'll ask Howie about his experience with the former senator/would-be spoiler (via No Labels), and why his VP candidacy with Al Gore at the top of the ticket was the first time Howie didn't vote for the Democrats in a presidential election.
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This time she really will be here! I confirmed it. And I spent all day yesterday rebuilding my studio so I think I've exorcised the gremlins, at least for a little while. I hope...Barbara McQuade is a former US Attorney, professor at the University of Michigan Law School, co-hosts the #sistersinlaw podcast, and is an MSNBC legal expert. On top of all that, she just released a new book, ATTACK FROM WITHIN: HOW DISINFORMATION IS SABOTAGING AMERICA.We get to talk under the backdrop of NBC pulling back their offer to former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel to be a paid analyst after an uproar from staff and the public.
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We cannot let the month of March - Women's History Month - end without a visit from Cultural HERstorian Amy Simon, creator of "She's History: The Most Dangerous Women in America Then and Now" and its various incarnations over the years. So Amy is here today to shine a light on some of our unsung heroines. It's fitting on the day that the Supreme Extreme Court heard the case the could roll back women's bodily autonomy rights to the stone age...But first, Rachel Maddow must have heard my pleas yesterday, and called out NBC News and MSNBC management for their sick and truly dangerous hiring of Ronna Not-Romney McDaniel and normalization of the fascists trying to overturn our democracy!
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Despite our wishes for an endless weekend, Monday has again arrived. And with it, lots of F&#king News! So in the tradition of Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki and Jon Stewart, Jonathan Larsen is here every Monday morning to tell us wtf is going on.A few things in the f&#king news today: Ronna McDaniel NBC kerfuffel, TFG in a NY courtroom, penalty payment day has arrived, no government shutdown this time, motion to vacate again, SCOTUS hears the mifepristone case this week.... I could go on, but you should just listen...
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Marcy Wheeler reports the important news daily at emptywheel.net. She joins me on Friday's to recap what the highlights (and lowlights) from the week. Today, the latest Comer farce impeachment inquiry hearings and the various pending cases against him. Plus NBC News' latest hire and more...
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Howie Klein of DownWithTyranny.com has done a weekly segment with me on this show for more than a dozen years now. We mostly talk politics, often music and occasionally other subjects too. And fairly regularly, Howie brings along a guest. It's usually one of the Blue America-endorsed candidates, but today's guest is slightly different.Steven Fulop is the Mayor of Jersey City. Tonight he'll deliver his 11th State of the City address. He's already announced his candidacy for NJ Governor; that election happens in November of 2025. So you might ask, "why today?". Well, that has to do with his endorsement in the race to replace corrupt Senator Bob Menendez (who hasn't yet announced whether he'll run for re-election. I think it's a safe bet to say if he did, he'd lose, badly.).Anyway, Mayor Fulop this week withdrew his endorsement of Tammy Murphy, the wife of NJ's current Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, and threw his support to Congressman Andy Kim. We'll discuss that and a lot more.But we open the show with a big breaking news story for which I must thank AG Merrick Garland! I'm vindicated in my dislike of Apple products as the DOJ filed an antitrust suit against them for their monopolistic practices, especially concerning iPhones! It's about damn time!
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FIGHTING MAD: RESISTING THE END OF ROE V. WADE is the title of a new book of essays about the recent SCOTUS decision in Dobbs overturning a 50-year precedent that gave women "reproductive autonomy". One of the editors, Krystale E. Littlejohn guests today to showcase the wide range of experts fighting back for our rights.The title FIGHTING MAD also works when describing the Democrats who sat through another ridiculous episode of the GOP's impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden this morning which was more of a circus than a hearing, deeply embedded in opposite world.
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Today ushers in the first day of Spring! It's only fitting that it's also the first day of the rebooted Bruce SPRINGsteen tour, and it's kicking off in Phoenix. It is Bruce so of course I'll be there. Yes, I'm giddy. There's nothing like a Springsteen concert!
I'm glad today's guest is a fellow music lover. Jason Leopold's seeing him in LA on April 4... but he's not here to talk Bruce today. These days the man who's been dubbed the "FOIA Terrorist" by our government just launched "The FOIA Files," a weekly newsletter through Bloomberg News, for whom Jason is now working.
I had invited Jason on the show to promote the newsletter. But when I reached out to him about it last week, he was in an undisclosed location working on a big story, using only burner phones. He'll give us the scoop today... but it has to do with the story I told you about on Friday with Marcy Wheeler about the FBI agents in Florida who served Trump the search warrant at Mar A Largo and were not very happy about it. (Houston I think we have a big problem).
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The 2024 presidential election is in full swing. My husband David and I were fortunate enough to be at a Biden-Harris event in Tempe, AZ yesterday where the featured speaker was our favorite member of Congress, Jamie Raskin.
I hope to have him on the show sometime soon for a real interview, but we got to say hello, shake his hand, take a photo and hear him speak for about 30 minutes. It was one of the best political speeches I've ever attended, and he did it extemporaneously - no notes, no teleprompter. Just his quick wit and brilliant mind.
I started recording his speech and let it roll for the whole thing. It was so brilliant that I'm going to share the whole thing with you today.
After hearing from Congressman Raskin, we'll check in to see what's happening in my former state of Florida with my old friend Hillary Keyes, who's trying to keep some blue in that place...
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Fridays are special aside from the obvious reasons. Marcy Wheeler, an independent journalist who covers legal and national security issues better than the corporate media at emptywheel.net, is our standing date to wrap up every week.
Today we'll talk about the breaking news out of Fulton County, GA where Fani Willis will remain on the case as long as Nathan Wade doesn't, from NY where DA Alvin Bragg agreed to a 30-day postponement in TFG's fraud trial that was supposed to begin in 10 days, to the Aileen Cannon court in Florida where she's doing Trump's bidding in the stolen classified documents case, to the Robert Hur House Judiciary Committee hearing and more. Yes, it was a busy week...
Today, I'll once again go into overtime. Last week we covered the State of the Union address.
Today, I'll pay tribute to a dear friend and amazing musician who died yesterday. Angela McCluskey's is not a household name, but I've been a fan and friend of hers for coming up on 30 years. She was in a band called Wild Colonials who we championed when I worked at KSCA fm 101.9 in Los Angeles in the 90s. I thought I'd share with you a live session from December 9, 1996 when the band joined me on the air for an interview and performance.
I hope you'll stick around and enjoy the music and get a feel for Angela's larger-than-life personality, and understand why I'm already missing her.
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It's Thursday, so time for our weekly get-together with Howie Klein of downwithtyranny.com & the Blue America PAC. This week, both Biden and TFG clinched their party's nominations, so buckle in for a loooonger than our already ridiculously long election season and all that comes with it.
There's lots of political news to discuss with Howie today, but I'll certainly save a few minutes to talk about this week's losses (of some amazing musicians)...
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Because sometimes you just need to sit with a brilliant friend and shoot the shit about all the craziness in our world. That's how I approach the shows when Heather "Digby" Parton is our guest.
Digby is, of course, one of the OG bloggers of progressive politics. Her Hullabaloo blog is still a daily must-read, as are her columns at Salon.com.
I love it when Digby is my guest because I truly adore her and love our conversations, which can go in any direction. We never know where it'll go until the interview progresses.
Too bad there's nothing big happening in the news to discuss today /sarcasm
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Post-show note from Nicole:Never mind! Time to fire my producer again as she apparently forgot to re-confirm Barb McQuade and send the Zoom link, so Barb will be rescheduled in the next week or two. Time to go flog Nicole again. JFC, you'd think she'd learn by now how to do her job. Legal scholar and analyst Barbara McQuade became known to many of us due to her spot-on punditry on MSNBC and her role in the sistersinlaw podcast. Now she's sharing her expertise -compounded by her past work as US Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, her private practice, and as a law professor at the University of Michigan Law School in a new book, ATTACK FROM WITHIN: HOW DISINFORMATION IS SABOTAGING AMERICA.
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Mondays. They happen like clockwork every week, coming right after the weekend to put an official end to our fun. So on Mondays, we check in with Jonathan Larsen of The Fucking News to help ease us back into the work week with an irreverent discussion of the serious shit happening in our world.
Jonathan joins in at the bottom of the hour... And we check in with Spocko who fact checks the crazy rebuttal from Katie Britt who apparently learned one thing from the head of the Republican party: how to lie!
While the rest of the nation is struggling after losing an hour yesterday morning for Daylight Savings Time, here in Arizona our clocks stayed on standard time. You'd think that would make me happy, right? Well, I didn't lose an hour of sleep, but I did lose an hour of show prep time!
This show still airs from 5-6pm ET/2-3pm PT... That means here in AZ, I hit the air at 2pm instead of 3 each weekday afternoon... I'll try not to be late.
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I always look forward to Fridays for the obvious reasons: the weekend and Marcy Wheeler!Emptywheel.net's Marcy Wheeler and I have a standing date every Friday to discuss the week's happenings in Trump Trial and other national security and other news of importance. Today we speak on the morning after President Joe Biden's State of the Union address, likely the last time before the convention that he'll have the opportunity to speak to the nation and the world. My quick review? He hit it out of the park, exactly what we needed at this juncture.Marcy Wheeler is a self described SOTU fan, so we begin with her thoughts on what happened last night.Of course, we'll also bring you the latest news in insurrectionists, the extreme court, and lots of other somewhat related news to complete the hour.But today is SOTU Bonus day. After Marcy leaves, we'll go into overtime!
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It's been a politically busy week in the US, so we have lots to discuss with Howie Klein of downwithtyranny.com and the Blue America PAC today.Super Tuesday solidified Trump as the Republican nominee with Nikki Haley dropping out.California finalized its two senatorial candidates who'll be vying for Dianne Feinstein's former seat, and Katie Porter isn't one of them (but she did something really stupid after she lost)...What else did we learn from Super Tuesday? I'll ask Howie.And, oh yeah, tonight's the State of the Union. And in case you hadn't heard, Joe Biden is old. /snark.
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A new book is out and making waves because it points out an ugly truth about a huge swatch of this nation. Following yesterday's Super Tuesday primaries, the top of the 2024 presidential ticket is now set. It'll be a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, as if we didn't know that would be the case.
What has changed is the political landscape of middle America - or Rural America.
Tom Schaller, Political Science Professor at University of Maryland, Baltimore and journalist/columnist Paul Waldman have co-authored a new book that helps to explain the divide: WHITE RURAL RAGE: THE THREAT TO AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.
After a quick recap of yesterday's (and today's) developments, I welcome Tom and Paul back to the show to talk about the ugliness plaguing our country.
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Well, they sure took their sweet time to stick a dagger in the heart of democracy and now the Supreme Extreme Court is dragging it's feet before it strikes the death blow. Rather than immediately put us out of (or increase our) misery quickly (like they did in Bush v Gore 2000), they're draaagggging it out another six long weeks. Yes, the court will hear TFG's bullshit case where he's claiming "absolute immunity" for his actions related to the January 6 insurrection that he led!It took the court three weeks just to say they would hear the case (also a horrendous decision), and now they're obviously delaying hearing the case. One can only assume it's to help their dear leader, the twice impeached, orange tinted, failed former occupant of the White House.To add insult to injury, Clarence Thomas - who never should have been confirmed in the first place - refuses to recuse himself, despite overwhelming evidence that his wife, Ginni Thomas, not only participated in the planning of the Jan 6 coup attempt, but was a major instigator and funder of the whole mess. To help us understand this and how the laws have been so perverted, LISA GRAVES returns to the show. Lisa is executive director of True North Research, which investigates and exposes those distorting American democracy and public policy. She then went on to helm the Center for Media and Democracy, the group who gave us ALEC Exposed and who took on and publicly exposed the Koch Brothers. Previously, Graves was Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice in the Office of Legal Policy/Policy Development and served as Chief Counsel for Nominations for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for Senator Patrick Leahy.
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Making Mondays suck a little less... Mondays come every week, inconveniently at the end of a weekend.
It's difficult to make that transition from down time to work time, especially when the work involves the (usually depressing) news.
Today is no different! It began with the Supreme/Extreme Court deciding unanimously that TFG will be on the primary ballots, saying that regardless of whether or not Section 3 of the 14th Amendment applies, it's up to Congress to make that call, not the individual states. So, D'ump will be on the Colorado ballot tomorrow and in the other states who had ruled against him.
Even with that setback, we'll attempt to make the news fun today as Jonathan Larsen, proprietor of The Fucking News will inject humor and snark into his roundup which, today, has lots of new reporting about the GOP's ridiculous impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
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Friday was always my favorite day of the week, and now even more so since we started spending Friday's shows with Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net. Having a tough time keeping all of the Trump trials straight? Somehow, Marcy stays on top of it all. Each week she answers whatever questions I throw at her, and she does it without consulting notes or quick searches. She just covers it all and somehow is able to speak off the cuff about it.Today, we'll talk about the Supreme Court's decision to take up TFG's immunity defense, Hunter Biden's closed door deposition, the status of the documents case in Florida and lots more. Once again, buckle in... these Emptywheel Friday shows are a bumpy ride!
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Big news broke yesterday while we were on the air - and I missed it! I didn't see that the Supreme Court finally announced their decision to hear TFG's appeal regarding his ridiculous claims of absolute immunity. So we'll deal with that at the start of the show - and really get into it on Friday's show when Marcy Wheeler is here.
The other big news from yesterday was Mitch McConnell's announcement that he'll step down as Senate Minority Leader in November (but will remain in his senate seat). That's something we'll discuss with Howie Klein today. It's a really important issue when considering what candidates you vote for this year!
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**Programming note of frustration. The long-awaited news from the Supreme Court about TFG's appeal of the DC Circuit Court decision agreeing with the lower court that he has no immunity came down about 20 minutes in to the show today. But because it was live, I didn't see the emailed alert until the show ended. Apparently a couple of people posted it in the YouTube chat room, but I only see a fraction of what's posted during the show. So I missed it. I really do need to hire a producer. We'll deal with it tomorrow...
Yesterday's show about that teenage gang of neo-Nazis indoctrinating even younger kids was so heavy, so I thought we'd lighten the mood a bit today -- after recapping today's news from Mitch McConnell finally stepping down to Hunter Biden sitting for that closed-door deposition and more...
And then, my favorite diversion.... music. More specifically Rocking Women!
Veteran music journalist Katherine Yeske Taylor interviewed 20 women who rock for her new book, SHE'S A BADASS: WOMEN IN ROCK SHAPING FEMINISM.
Rock on!
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There's a meme making the rounds featuring a photo of some Trumper idiot with a swastika and the text "I did Nazi this coming" ...to which I call Bullshit.
The Nazis made their presence known in an unmistakable manner in Charlottesville. They regularly display their flags in Florida at Disney World, no less. Just two weekends ago, they marched on Music City, Nashville.
Jordan Green, investigative reporter for Raw Story, spent months investigating a heinous group of teenagers who recruit even younger (white) kids to indoctrinate them nice and early. For his troubles, he's been stalked, threatened and worse by these same "kids" who terrorize blacks, Jews, LGBTQ+call and other perceived enemies. They call themselves 2119.
Jordan Green joins us today to tell us about his investigation, stories and now his fight to protect his family and himself.
Be sure to read the stories he wrote on this subject:
Stalked by Nazis: How extremists tried to stop me from reporting on their violence
Inside the neo-Nazi hate network grooming children for a race warParents of ‘2119’ Nazi teens haunted by fear and regretYes, it can - and does happen here!
We ended the show today with the latest song from The Marsh Family, a tribute to Alexei Navalny, "Sit for the Road"
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Grrr, it’s Monday already. I try to escape from the real world on weekends so make an effort to avoid all news if possible. That makes Mondays even worse, as I start early catching up.
Thankfully, Jonathan Larsen is here each Monday to share his reporting and tell us what went on while I was pretending nothing was happening… Jonathan writes a daily substack to share his work with you. Subscribe at thefuckingnews.substack.com.
Plus, I ventured out in to the world of AZ politics this weekend and it was a pleasant surprise!
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Marcy Wheeler covers the news at emptywheel.com like no other news outlet today. Best of all, she's independent and reader supported, so no corporate overlords or sponsors to please. She just reports truth, an important rarity these days!She joins me every Friday to bring us up to speed on the latest news, somehow keeping all of the players, trials, offenses and the rest of the chaos in Trump world straight.
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Howie Klein, the man behind DownWithTyranny.com and the Blue America PAC joins me every Thursday for some plain talk about politics. In election years, like this one, we talk a lot about specific races -- many of them where Blue America has endorsed a candidate.Today, Howie wrote about two races whose primaries are in full swing right now -- the CA Senate seat to replace Dianne Feinstein, and Adam Schiff's current congressional seat that he's vacating to run for the open Senate seat. That's the district Howie lives in. So we'll get the inside scoop on what's going on there.It's also voting time for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.. (For those who don't already know, Howie's career before he moved into progressive politics full-time was in the music industry. His last position was president of Reprise Records!) Howie lamented on the Book of Face about the lousy choices on his ballot...
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Rachel Bitecofer is a political scientist who doesn't mince words. Her new book, HIT 'EM WHERE IT HURTS: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game is out and should be required reading for all of us concerned about the future of this American experiment.I'm excited that Rachel returns to the show today to teach us how to win!
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I had hoped that the Supreme Court would have handed down its decision on Trump's move to appeal the DC Circuit court's ruling that he has some made-up 'absolute immunity' from virtually any crime because he once occupied the Oval Office, but no such luck. Perhaps tomorrow when at least one decision from the Extreme Justices is expected.
Regardless, Lisa Graves returns to the show today in her capacity as a private citizen who happens to have impeccable legal bona fides (just check out her bio at truenorthresearch.org).
I'll get her thoughts on when, and how the court may rule, and many other issues including True North Research's latest dive into Leonard Leo and dark money, and John Oliver's offer to get Clarence Thomas to resign from the high court.
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If I hadn't taken last Monday off to hang with my daughter, I'd probably be enjoying a President's Day holiday off, but I couldn't justify it.
Besides, I put together an open for Jonathan Larsen's The Fucking News segment, and I didn't want to wait another week to play it.
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From Special Counsel David Weiss's bs case against Hunter Biden falling apart after his big witness, Alexander Smirnov, was arrested and charged with making it all up(!) to a photo of sawdust on a table saw that they claimed was cocaine to Fani Willis on the stand defending her right to a modicum of privacy and more, Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net is here to tell all in our regular Friday get together. Buckle in. It's a wild ride!
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I spent the last week enjoying my daughter's first visit to Arizona and honestly did my best to steer clear of the news as much as possible. She left last night and I've been catching up. Oh my, the shit really has hit the fan all week, and today is no exception. As I'm writing this and setting up today's show, Fani Willis is on the stand in Fulton County, GA in a suit brought by Trump allies attempting to have her removed from the case due to her alleged misconduct with a prosecutor she hired for this case.So, we'll discuss a bit of that, some of what happened while I was gone, then Howie Klein joins in for the second half hour...
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We end my week of vacation shows with a flashback to February 14-- Yes, it's Valentines Day. It's also the anniversary of the mass school shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL.
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Laffy's been taking some time off from her regular appearances on the show. Since I'm on vacation this week, we go back to one of her shows from the past
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Last week, a video of my friend and former colleague Jim DeFede questioning a Republican member of Congress from South Florida went viral. I'm happy his regular diligence in reporting was recognized and praised so widely!
Jim DeFede is the last Florida guest I had on the show before leaving the fascist state. I thought I'd share that program today...
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Since it's Emptywheel Friday and I'm on vacation, I thought we'd go back to Marcy Wheeler's first appearance on this show-- October 12, 2011.
Then we go back to this date in 1996.. I was hosting mornings on KSCA/Los Angeles. That morning 2/9/1996 we were broadcasting live from a Starbucks in Encino with our musical guests Joan Baez and Dar Williams!
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August 17, 2021 was the day after President Biden pulled the last troops from Afghanistan, finally ending our longest war. It was an ugly end to an ugly war, and we dealt with it on the show that day.
It was also the 52nd anniversary of the last day of Woodstock, billed as three days of Peace and Music. I was joined by Melanie for a treat of an interview. I'm sharing it today to honor the woman who passed away just about a week ago.
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When it rains it pours, and I'm not even in California anymore.After yesterday's long-awaited decision on the former guy's non-immunity, there was another opportunity to almost feel sorry for Republicans. The new, inexperienced and in-over-his-head Speaker of the House learned nothing from his Democratic predecessor who NEVER brought a vote to the floor without knowing she had the votes to win, lost... spectacularly. Of course, the assist goes to Rep Al Green of Texas, who left his hospital bed to vote, causing a tie, and another GQP loss.When I get through the new news, we'll dip into the old news as I reconnect with an old friend. Actually, an old boss! I came across Charlie Seraphin's new book on Facebook with some curiosity. I think the last time I saw Charlie was the day I left the CBS radio building in Los Angeles for my new job at KLOS in June of 1990!The book the piqued my curiosity is called THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE: WRITE YOUR OWN OBITUARY. OK, we'll talk about it.
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Because of big breaking news this morning, Marcy 'Emptywheel' Wheeler makes a special Tuesday appearance on the show to talk about the decision by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals on TFG's claims of 'absolute presidential immunity.' As we knew, there is no such thing, and the bipartisan three-judge panel ruled so unanimously, releasing their decision this morning.
Since I'm on vacation for a week after tomorrow, Marcy Wheeler jumped on the Zoom with me this morning to discuss what it all means.
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Jonathan Larsen has spent many years in the progressive news broadcast biz -- you knew him before you knew him from Countdown with Keith Olbermann and Up with Chris Hayes on MSNBC, and Morning Sedition and The Rachel Maddow Show on Air America Radio, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, to name just a few of his credits. Now he's back with an imperative newsletter, The Fucking News (thefuckingnews.substack.com).And he joins me each Monday for a recap and a preview of what happened last week and what might and could happen in the week just starting.Come hang with us today!
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Every Friday we get together with Marcy Wheeler who does real journalism over at emptywheel.net to get the latest on the various trials, hearing, indictments, and drama surrounding the failed, twice impeached former guy who once again wants to occupy the oval office (but is really only running because he sees it as his only way to stay out of jail). Today, Marcy explains the story she singularly broke regarding the warrants issued in the Hunter Biden so-called investigation and lots more.
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It's Thursday, so Howie Klein is here from his perch at Down With Tyranny and the Blue America PAC. Since election season is here, he's bringing on one of the Blue America-endorsed candidates for Congress, Jerrod Christian, running in Ohio's 12th District.
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There's a potpourri of news today, so we'll attempt to cover as much of it as possible. From Taylor Swift causing Republicans to lose their collective shit, to a shit show in the senate as social media CEOs get a taste of their own harassment. No guest today, so it's up to you to weigh in on all that's going on in our opposite world. Anything goes.
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Last Wednesday, we were expecting journalist Brian Karem to pop into the Zoom room at any moment. That moment never came. When I invited Brian on the show, he told me that he had pool duty that day, but should be on the tarmac at LAX where he could jump on the air with me while waiting for the president to get back to the plane.Unfortunately, the Secret Service had a different idea that day, and Brian was unable to join us. So we'll try again today when, I think, he'll be in a more accessible position. We'll find out soon enough.
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He's baack! I've been a fan of Jonathan Larsen's before I knew his name. He worked behind the scenes on some TV shows you probably watched -- he helped create and launch Anderson Cooper 360 at CNN, worked on Countdown with Keith Olbermann for about five years, then created and ran Up with Chris Hayes on MSNBC. Did I mention that he also worked at Air America Radio as Executive Producer of Morning Sedition with Marc Maron and The Rachel Maddow Show?Now you get it, right?Well, Jonathan Larsen just relaunched his daily irreverent news roundup, The Fucking News. (Subscribe at thefuckingnews.substack.com). He'll join us today for the first of what I hope will be a regular segment on the show because we all need the fucking news delivered with the attitude it deserves!
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Every Friday we recap the week in Trump trials and legal issues facing our democracy with Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net. Today, the latest in the Trump tantrums at the second E Jean Carroll defamation trial, which he throws on purpose to command the media's attention who are busy watching his sideshow instead of covering the important news he's distracting them from. And the persecution of private citizen Hunter Biden, the false equivalencies pushed by the magaT contingent, and lots more...
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Howie Klein of Down With Tyranny took off for a few weeks over the holidays, and then another couple to battle Covid. Thankfully he's back today in time to tell us about TFG's latest troubles, about Matt Gaetz's resurrected troubles, about the impending blue wave and whatever else we have time for. (Awesome artwork courtesy of Down With Tyranny's official artist Nancy Ohanian)
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Primary Night Coverage isn't going to win any awards for suspense! The networks called it for Trump just moments after the polls closed in New Hampshire last night. And despite pronouncements to the contrary by the idiots at Fox, they called the Democratic primary for Joe Biden shortly after, even though his name wasn't on the ballot thanks to some DNC nonsense.Yawn.Until Trump is convicted, it'll continue like this. Then, all bets are off.
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So many developments over the weekend, much of it seems to be in the quest of a VP nod by TFG. Ron DeSantis 'suspended' his presidential campaign and quickly kissed the ring. Nikki Haley keeps doubling down on her racism comments. And Tim Scott proposed to his female girlfriend. Hmmm. I think it's all related. We'll talk about it in the first half-hour of the show. In the second half-hour I welcome today's guest, Keith Boykin. He's a TV and film producer, former CNN political commentator and a NY Times-bestselling author whose brand new one, WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE ABOUT RACE?: 25 Arguments that Won't Go Away, is officially released tomorrow.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It's Friday, so our weekly deluge of information from Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net. So much to discuss in our hour together today including the E Jean Carroll second defamation trial against the former guy and how the corporate media is doing Trump's bidding by covering his sideshow courtroom tantrums, the new allegations (and investigation and hearing scheduled in February) concerning Fulton County DA Fani Willis and her lead prosecutor's personal relationship, and of course the latest in the GOP targeted harassment and prosecution of Hunter Biden, among other things.I apologize that there's no video of today's get-together. I recorded it as usual. (We tape Friday mornings AZ time/afternoon Ireland time.) But mea culpa. When I stopped the video recording, I apparently inadvertently restarted the recording when I ended it, effectively recording over the file that was the recording of the interview.Thank goodness I have the audio backup.So, listen today. Turn on the closed captions if you want to see the text of our discussion. I sincerely apologize. I'll do better next week.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
There's so much news dominated by the tragedy that is Donald J Trump. Just a glance at the headlines shows the news media can't quit him. They report on every cringy thing he says and does, somehow normalizing his anything-but-normal behavior. At least he skipped today's third day of the second E Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit against the former guy after being smacked down by the judge yesterday, so we're spared his antics there. But I'm sure we'll see more nonsensical clips from his rambling campaign speeches because, well, as I said before, they can't quit him.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Remember the old Memorex ads? Is it live or is it Memorex? It might have been hard to tell the difference (or not), but in the case of AI it's quite clear. There is no comparison.That didn't stop a so-called comedy team from taking volumes of George Carlin's genius work, feeding it into an artificial intelligence program with the goal of it writing a new comedy routine in his voice using events that happened since his death. Long story short: it failed. Brutally [https://www.vice.com/en/article/5d94xx/the-george-carlin-ai-standup-is-worse-than-you-can-imagine].But the question arises where an artist like Carlin's rights end. His daughter Kelly Carlin is fighting back, and she'll join us for the second half of the show today to talk about this inanimate can of worms. Find Kelly on Xitter [http://twitter.com/kelly_carlin] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/kellycarlinishere/]. Or go to her outdated website at kellycarlin.com [http://kellycarlin.com/] and sign up for her emails. You'll get all the info you need!We'll begin the show today with GottaLaff (@GottaLaff@Mastodon.social). No, she's not here, but she's tooting up a storm today. (That's what you do on Mastodon -- toot, as opposed to on Xitter where Laffy no longer Xits for obvious reasons named Elon Musk.) She's live-tooting the EJ Carroll defamation trial in NYC today, where el Trumpo is sitting in the courtroom making noises, pissing off the judge along with his so-called attorneys.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
The Trump slide into fascism has brought with it some dangerous new trends like the banning of books, whitewashing history and a massive backsliding of personal rights like abortion and bodily autonomy. One of the most heinous attacks has been on the rights of people to live their own authentic lives.I've been hyper-focused on what's going on in Florida as I lived there for much of my life. The current governor is the worst in the country when it comes to pushing his own perverted sense of morals on the rest of the nation from his sickening directives like the "Don't Say Gay" bill, prohibitions on African American studies AP high school courses and 6-week abortion ban for a start.Now, as the legislative session began this week, we learn of new legislation that would outlaw transgender adults. Really. I'm not overstating that.I learned of this latest outrage last week though an article at Alternet written by one of today's guests. Erin Reed [http://twitter.com/ErinInTheMorn], aka Erin in the Morning [http://www.erininthemorning.com/], whose substack of the same name reports on trans and queer news and legislation so that we're all aware of what is going on.Erin and I will be joined by our old friend 'Boca' Britany Somers, host of The Brit Somers Show [http://britsomers.substack.com/], a trans woman trying to live her life in Floriduh.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
We love Fridays around here for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is we get to review the week in Trump trials and tribulations with Marcy 'Emptywheel' Wheeler, the proprietor and independent journalist who shares her work with us at emptywheel.net. This was a ridiculously busy week with hearings and trials and more hearings Oh My. Because there was so much going on, we have a jam-packed hour filled with information and analysis from Marcy and we get to marvel at how much information she has and is able to reveal off the top of her mind. And since it's now the weekend, you have a few days to absorb it all before we hit the ground running again.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
We were looking forward to Howie Klein's return to the show today after the holidays, but it won't happen today. He's back from a trip to India, but a bit jetlagged and under the weather, so he'll return next week. So today, it's almost anything goes. I have lots of audio and video to share from this week's various shit shows, and the phone lines are wide open.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Not only are Magats and Republicans hypocrites, they've actually killed irony.This is been a week filled with unbelievable court proceedings and congressional hearings. During each one, at least one Republican shill or representative has made complete fools of themselves.Today in a House Oversight hearing on contempt charges for Hunter Biden for not complying with a Congressional subpoena (after they changed the rules mid-stream), one of them spoke directly to the president's son and said "You have no balls." But of course we know he does because another of their members, Marjorie Q Green showed his "dick pics" during an earlier hearing in that very room, as a couple of the Democrats on the committee reminded us this morning.Yikes!So much to talk about, so many clips to share. Thank goodness Lisa Graves [https://truenorthresearch.org/lisa-graves/] is joining us today to share her own legal perspective on the right's attack on the rule of law in this country.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
We can't officially kick off a new year without a state of the insanity conversation with OG blogger, Salon columnist and the proprietor of Digby's blog (at digbysblog.net)--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
I couldn't think of a better term to describe the very strange circumstances in which we're living as the year 2024 gets off to a strange and frightening start.We have no guest today, just lots of news and clips to support my conjecture, and an open phone line at 954-889-6410 should you care to join in.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
New year, same shit show. Thank goodness Marcy Wheeler is here on Fridays to help us wade through the swamps. Today we wrap up the first week of the new year with another Emptywheel Friday. As she does every day at emptywheel.net, Marcy tells us the latest on the various Trump prosecutions, the Republicans who can't stop thinking about Hunter Biden's dick pics, and other news and info you're not getting anywhere else. Strap in. It's a bumpy ride with lots of twists and turns.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Dayna Steele is one of my heroes. She moved on from a very successful career in rock radio to basically take on the world. If nothing else, hearing from Dayna today should give you some new inspiration that you can do anything you set your mind to. From rocking the Houston TX airwaves to authoring over a dozen books, running for Congress (now for a second time), to writing and mounting a dark comedy play about navigating her mother's battle with Alzheimer's (running in Palm Springs this March) to spending a year on the road with her husband #oneplanetoneyear.Seriously. Get ready to be inspired.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
I'm thrilled to welcome Anat Shenker-Osorio back to the show. It's been a while -- the last time she was here was in July of 2014! Yes, she's been trying to help progressives win elections for many years and I thought this was the perfect time to have her impart some of her wisdom to our listeners. As she explains at the start of her great podcast WORDS TO WIN BY, Anat is a researcher, message maker, and campaign advisor in addition to author and podcaster. An essay in the NY Times she co-wrote with Norm Eisen and Celinda Lake caught my eye and was, as expected, brilliant and necessary, so I reached out and here we are. Please pay attention to what Anat says. She'll give you practical advice for how to respond to defeatist messaging (from those ostensibly on our side!), to the politically naive, and those who are just plain wrong about everything.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It's January 2, our first day back at work after the holidays.It's just you and me today. I'm trying to start the year off with a positive attitude, so we'll see if we can keep that going for a whole hour. I think not, but you never know!News updates, perhaps some predictions and your calls too...--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Neil and Tim Finn and Harry Connick Jr--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Featuring Randy Newman from 4-25-1995 and 5-25-1999 at KSCA and Channel 103.1, and Shivaree at Channel 103.1 6-19-2000--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
As we continue our week-long break from news and politics, we're dipping into my music radio archives for some special interviews. Today, we go back to 1995 for an interview with Colin Hay, former frontman of the band Men at Work. Then it's to 2000 with Melissa Etheridge.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Featuring interviews with Chris Isaak and Ben Folds Five--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
We're doing something a bit different this year... All the songs in this year's special Christmas music show were performed live on the air and in front of a live audience during the Mark & Brian Christmas Shows from 1990-1993, the years I was Producer. These renditions are not available anywhere else, so enjoy...I'd give you the rundown of who you'll hear, but that would spoil the surprise. So listen and enjoy!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
But she'll be back in 2024!As usual, Marcy Wheeler [http://emptywheel.net/]and I hook up on Zoom Friday mornings Arizona time, which is late afternoon for Marcy in Limerick, Ireland. Today, a couple of hours after we finished recording, the Supreme Court ruled on Jack Smith's motion to leapfrog the appeals court asking SCOTUS to rule quickly on whether the former guy is immune from prosecution over his actions while in the White House. Well, in a one-sentence order with no noted dissent simply read "The petition for a writ of certiorari before judgement is denied." I guess that's the extreme court's version of coal in our Christmas stocking. Bastards.Oh well, there's still lots worth hearing in our last Emptywheel Friday of the year.For some reason, the video was choppy for the first few minutes. I moved it to the other computer and it worked just fine, so please bear with us for a a bit...We'll be back the first week of January for more.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Howie Klein [http://downwithtyranny.com/] has been doing a weekly segment on this show for probably a dozen years already. I truly appreciate his participation in this program- especially knowing that if the politics of the day are too nauseating or overwhelming, we can always talk music. Perhaps 2024 is the year that Howie will release his memoirs, which we've been hearing about little by little over the years.Today, Rudy Giuliani filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, erroneously thinking that'll save him from the $148 million judgement against him in the defamation case brought by Georgia poll workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss. We'll see what other Christmas treats we can bring you in our final get-together of the year.Plus we'll learn about the holiday of Seagull Day [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/christmas-canceled-seagull-day-holiday_n_655f82d3e4b0c91d8279f631]. Really.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Yes, I know that Festivus falls on December 23, which is when we usually observe the made up holiday. But this year, Festivus falls on Saturday, so we'll observe the traditions today.Seinfeld (the TV show) was huge in the 90s, and a few episodes spawned catch phrases and traditions that live on. One that I've embraced is the holiday made up by the fictional George Costanza's father. Rather than me trying to explain it, we'll go through all of that on the show.But the Festivus traditions will require your participation. Hopefully you'll call in -- 954-889-6410 or Skype to nicolesandler - to air your grievances, proclaim some feats of strength, or some combination of the two. Of course, I'll share mine.We'll see how it goes....--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
We're in the home stretch of 2023. In addition to the usual holiday fare, this time of year brings with it hopes and dreams and wishes for a better future. All of those elements made it into Brian Karem's column at Salon.com [https://www.salon.com/2023/12/14/the-speech-joe-biden-should-give--and-we-need-to-hear/] last week in the form of a dream about a presidential speech.I enjoy Brian Karem [http://twitter.com/briankarem]'s writing style, and actually heard that speech as I read it. So I thought I'd invite him on one last time before the calendar changes to tell us about his dream speech (and maybe even deliver a few lines from it), and put it into context - that's the scary part.Before Brian comes on, a few thoughts on the news that broke during yesterday's show about the death of LA radio icon Jim Ladd. Talk about mortality banging on the door... this one hit close to home.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It's the last week before Christmas and we're still here. With a lot of legal issues popping up on Friday and in our near future, I thought today would be a great day to invite Lisa Graves back to the show. Lisa has those legal bona fides -- she served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Policy Development/Legal Policy at the U.S. Department of Justice under Attorneys General Janet Reno and John Ashcroft, Chief Counsel for Nominations for Senator Patrick Leahy on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Deputy Chief of the Article III Judges Division of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts with oversight of the Financial Disclosure Office and more, and as an adjunct law professor at George Washington University Law School. She also worked as the Senior Legislative Strategist for the ACLU on national security and civil liberties, and held other posts. These days, she serves as Executive Director and Editor of TrueNorthResearch.org, where she continues the work she's championed over the years, exposing people and organizations like the Koch Brothers, ALEC, Leonard Leo and others of that ilk. Today we'll talk Rudy, Ruby & Shaye, Clarence & Ginny and the lack of Supreme ethics, Jack Smith and his game of leapfrog the appeals court and more....--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Just when you think a week can't be any crazier than the week before......... it's Friday and time for Emptywheel.net [http://emptywheel.net/]'s Marcy Wheeler to share her knowledge and reporting to let us know what's happening with the many prosecutions of the former guy and those who aided his attempt to overturn the results of a fair and free election. Today, Marcy tells us about her doppelganger theory involving Hunter Biden and Rudy Giuliani.And a whole lot more.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
The most dysfunctional House of Representatives in my lifetime (and that's saying a lot) opened an impeachment inquiry yesterday into President Joe Biden. Why? We don't know. Neither do they.We'll talk politics today with Howie Klein of Down With Tyranny [http://downwithtyranny.com/] and the Blue America PAC [http://downwithtyranny.com/blue-america-pac].Politics, it's creepy.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It was five months ago that SAG/AFTRA had just gone out on strike, joining the WGA writers on picket lines, when I invited my old friend David Jolliffe [http://twitter.com/TheDaveJolliffe] on the show to talk about what they were striking over. Dave is on the SAG/AFTRA Negotiating Committee and the National Board, and serves as 2nd VP of the Los Angeles local. Not only did he join me that day, but brought along two of his show biz royalty friends, actors Frances Fisher [http://twitter.com/frances_fisher] and Sean Astin [http://twitter.com/seanastin]. I think all three of them will join us again today to tell us about the deal they got, and how strikes work!They'll join in at the bottom of the hour. We'll get started with the latest insanity out of DC today...--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It's that other Tuesday when GottaLaff [http://mastodon.social/@GottaLaff]is here. Rudy's in court, SCOTUS goes with Jack Smith, and Voldimyr Zelinskyy is much more confident than Ron DeSantis... just sayin'--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Today's scheduled guest stood me up. Just as well. I wound up talking with Spocko for a while, bitching about how truly awful Cox internet service is, and told you about my Women Who Rock project dying. Monday. Blech.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Each Friday, we hook up with Marcy Wheeler [http://twitter.com/emptywheel]of emptywheel.net [http://emptywheel.net/] across the pond for the best coverage of what's happening on this side of world.Today, Marcy has the latest on the new charges filed against Hunter Biden, TFG's never-ending appeals, the incredible shrinking House Republican majority and even Time's Person of the Year causing magat heads to explode... Be informed... Listen!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
We lost a trailblazer and one of the people who most influenced my way of thinking as a child this week, Norman Lear. I grew up on his TV shows, from All In the Family on. I believe his framing of social issues via comedy is, in large part, responsible for my fierce opinions today.I got to interview Norman Lear once. It was April of 2007. At the time I was working with Jim DeFede (one of the best journalists working today) at WINZ/Miami. Jim was out sick, so interviewing Norman Lear fell to me. It was an honor that I remember fondly. I'll share that conversation at the top of the show today.Then, at the bottom of the hour, I'll bring on Howie Klein [http://downwithtyranny.com/], as we do every Thursday.Howie sits on the board of People for the American Way, the organization founded by Norman Lear.Before we get to politics and the shrinking House Republican majority, I'll ask Howie to share a story or two about the great Norman Lear.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Desi Doyen is my guest today for the whole hour. I know, she was just here, in studio, with Brad Friedman for some Thanksgiving Week fun and frivolity, but today it's a serious conversation about the weather. No, not "the weather" but climate change. For some reason, the corporate mainstream media has shirked its responsibility to inform us of actual news! Like the once-every-five-years release of the National Climate Assessment. This was only the fifth one ever. Its goal is to help us survive the catastrophic changes wreaking havoc on the planet already. I didn't see coverage of its release anywhere other than on the BradBlog/BradCast/GreenNewsReport! (That's not to say there wasn't coverage; just that I didn't see any of it, and I'm a voracious consumer of news media.) And COP 28 got underway this week in the UAE. Not seeing coverage of that either. So, Desi Doyen, the woman behind the Green News Report joins me to tell us about both of those. Of course, there's some breaking news today. Norman Lear died. He shaped my young sensibilities! I got to interview him once - in April of 2007. I'll share that interview tomorrow, before Howie Klein's regular Thursday visit. And will certainly ask Howie to share some stories about him. Norman Lear was the founder of People for the American Way, on whose Board Howie sits. Kevin McCarthy resigning, Taylor Swift Time's Person of the Year. We'll talk about the weather... (If only I could play music on here....)--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
The Philadelphia Inquirer' [http://inquirer.com/bunch]s Will Bunch [http://twitter.com/Will_Bunch]joins us today. I invited him on after reading his column about the death of Henry Kissinger and how the man who finally died would have likely applauded MSNBC firing Mehdi Hasan. Selfishly, I want to point out that Mehdi's not the only one who had a show canceled because management (or some other entity) didn't like his stance or coverage of the war between Hamas & Israel... But there's more news to talk about including Liz Cheney's revelations in her new book, Tommy Tuberville finally lifting his military promotions blockade, the Republican's impeachment threat, the Trump second term threat... I could go on, but I've got a show to prepare for.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
No guest today. Just a lot of what happened while we were weekending. From Liz Cheney to Pramila Jayapal and lots more...--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
The best way to end the week is with an @emptywheel [http://emptywheel.net/] news wrap up.Today, George Santos is finally gone, Matty Dick Pics is back in the news, and the world is basically fubar. Marcy Wheeler explains it all....'--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It's Thursday, so Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny [http://downwithtyranny.com/] day on the show. And, as usual, there's no lack of stories to discuss.Just a few hours ago, the House again debated the move to expel George Santos from Congress. Henry Kissinger finally died. And Howie made a surprising statement in a post on Down with Tyranny that I was happy to read... we'll talk about all that and more.But I'll start the show with an apology and a letter (email) from a listener, the recipient of that apology. Yes, I do admit when I get something wrong, especially when the person I wronged is as gracious as my new friend is.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Deborah Ben Aderet grew up in Illinois, but moved to Israel a dozen or so years ago. She met her husband there, they had two children and lived on a Kibbutz just a few miles north of the Gaza border. She's my guest today. We're not going to talk politics, but instead Deborah will tell us about life in Israel, life on a Kibbutz, life near the Gaza border where they were under constant rocket attacks serious enough so that every home in the area has a safe room designed with fortified walls to protect against the regular barrage incoming from Gaza. But the rooms didn't have locks, as they weren't designed to protect from a house to house massacre by terrorists, just from incoming rocket attacks.There are so many misconceptions and flat-out disinformation being spread like wildfire via the internet. Deborah is here today to debunk the lies, tell the truth, tell what she and her family lived through just about a mile from the Gaza border before and on October 7.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It's one of those Tuesdays when GottaLaff [http://gottalaff.mstdn.social/]is here.... Rosalynn Carter is be memorialized today at a ceremony in DC in which all the living first ladies attended. (There are five, for those keeping count.)I'm not sure what we'll talk about today, but we'll figure out something to get us through the hour... Feel free to join in the fun!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
There are few days when it's more difficult to get back to work than the Monday after Thanksgiving, but here we are, back for more. Thankfully, today I'm joined by OG progressive blogger Driftglass [http://driftglass.blogspot.com/], who co-hosts the Professional Left Podcast [http://proleftpod.com/] with his wife, BlueGal Fran.... I'm sure we can find something to talk about...--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Marcy Wheeler (emptywheel.net [https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Femptywheel.net%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2_eknfOPlPoZE2UHO-upUEw22AN6dOa2rz2hxbw4G8s7EAR9sjK0WduHo&h=AT0UpPUxrBPAn20Iz4FMrHGnZ1C48eZbLU4GPxPAZfHwdp8VB4_eyWfLLsbfomL2qbTiYwbBmCSSRIGZXSsObtmKij4OeE00WgcFeyIzN1oS4o4qvS5b8Rj4-PjELeR2G66eOL81wGsiBLNWUg&__tn__=-UK-y-R&c[0]=AT1FPjLVfZtPv3p3RsH_3p044ESYQnGJXrsRuGMKkPbS9V3AsB01M9gzHDSXIFkak0xqHoM07GQLe1B4TgXJCcdtVjrAqDP14N7oKQXvlS-IK9AcX5dthmVmhsuipi9DJjF789NWB1G3r_yYwvm_ShhnCRl_58UKe4JgmxFCzUJ1Oile6D7i4iGPPgBhlHCrYmElgzszWDOf]) usually hangs with us Friday, but is celebrating Thanksgiving in Ireland. and will be back with us next Friday.So today, we're also taking a holiday. I'll be back live on Monday. But today, we'll enjoy a musical journey with Dave Matthews.I hosted him for his very first Los Angeles radio appearance on Dec 5, 1994. KSCA was the first - then the only station in LA playing "What Would You Say"Five years later at Channel 103.1 in Los Angeles he joined me again. That time we brought in a group of listeners for a really special live broadcast that was simulcast to KBCO in Boulder (at the time the station was still in Boulder!)/Denver.For the day after Thanksgiving, I'll play them both back to back.Enjoy!It'll air at 5ET/2PT which is 3 here in Arizona. Audio only on Progressive Voices [https://www.facebook.com/Progressivevoices?__cft__[0]=AZVi0SqL6GoaHjDQeXpKuElnghwuXdG9eobbtQn-c5jW8XG4OZ_5VQ83wisujkMjWq9oeCrga0HxgKZvkG3RybGjPEfeyVoHnLW--QfjCXIXuJlQ4ISxI9cDPbqMSE797XLD5YTriw7rxIW-rvNbykDMAkNcXBhkP8ugFo03saEUG-jFtW507jFI5P4pFj4k1QI&__tn__=-]K-y-R] or on my live stream which you can get at nicolesandlerstream.com. [http://nicolesandlerstream.com/?fbclid=IwAR1T6Ji83_8yMf03Mxo8zIJgmZ6svIfSXyaUI2iPtuWcMr4MYn-R-_YI3SU] And you can always visit nicolesandler.com [https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnicolesandler.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3E3op-ZsGGP6WL20kWL3bA7vI7n190q4GPXTFWXd5Tfcva5JN8noR0QVQ&h=AT1fENwkKkHFh3z7-QKyBXkZjw4I385uGQdgic-lK_Zd5MBOQUV0Ky6c2vOngVXBbG4V2wDLaueBzPuA0DKPYpeo-G8osPzIMfVxD4pxkMVdnF7sd-QJbpaLS1SGf-cJ7KYPOjr5110guI_Fwg&__tn__=-UK-y-R&c[0]=AT1FPjLVfZtPv3p3RsH_3p044ESYQnGJXrsRuGMKkPbS9V3AsB01M9gzHDSXIFkak0xqHoM07GQLe1B4TgXJCcdtVjrAqDP14N7oKQXvlS-IK9AcX5dthmVmhsuipi9DJjF789NWB1G3r_yYwvm_ShhnCRl_58UKe4JgmxFCzUJ1Oile6D7i4iGPPgBhlHCrYmElgzszWDOf]--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
I was going to take the whole week off, but Brad Friedman [http://bradblog.com/] & Desi Doyen [https://bradblog.com/?author=9] are visiting today, so we'll do a special bonus show. We are live today and yes the phone lines are open. And no, we have absolutely no idea what we'll be doing...--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net [http://emptywheel.net/] joins me every Friday to fill us in on all the news the mainstream corporate media doesn't do such a great job of reporting. Today, we jump right in. You might want to take notes. Lots of info coming your way.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
George Santos will not run for re-election, MAGA Mike averted a government shutdown, temporarily, but only thanks to Democrats, Tuberville is certifiable and more from Howie Klein at DownWithTyranny.com today. But first, my interview with Turi Ryder at WCPT/Chicago about being canceled by KPFK--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Turi Ryder interviews radio pro Nicole Sandler about KPFK canceling her show that was scheduled to premiere on that station in two days, after being in the planning stages for three months. Why? Listen.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
I have a story to tell you about that bastion of free speech, Pacifica Radio's ailing Los Angeles station KPFK. They tried to hire me as Program Director a few years ago. I turned them down because it was a cluster fuck, among other reasons. A few months ago, the interim Program Director got in touch and offered me a weekly show. I agreed and was to begin this Friday, yes, in two days. This morning the interim General Manager called to tell me they "won't be moving forward" with it. Needless to say, I'm stunned and livid. I'll tell more during the show. Funny, today I have Jason Leopold scheduled to talk about his big FOIA scoop on the White House cocaine. We'll talk about that, but I'll also ask him to use his FOIA skills to call KPFK out on the bullshit excuse they gave me. Yes, this show will be raw. After all, it's online only and I know how to protect a license over the air. I've done it for over 40 years! So, strap in. Should be fun.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
I'm pretty disgusted right about now. I've spent the better part of the day watching the March for Israel livestreaming online from a few different sources. None of the cable so-called-news channels aired the thing, as expected. But most of the streams came from right wing outlets including Fox. And the one or two that were allegedly "fair and balanced" were filled with ugly commentary from both sides in the chat. There were moments that made me proud, but just as many that made my skin crawl. Most notably, the inclusion of raging antisemite Pastor John Hagee who only "supports" Israel because his batshit belief is that all Jews must return to Israel so he can bring on the rapture. GMAFB. On the other side of the split screen is Congress, where the Republicans will likely shut down the government in a few days because they won't work with Democrats and won't vote for a clean funding bill. Astounding. And then there was the Republican senator who threatened to fight the Teamsters president who was testifying at a hearing. Really! I call it Opposite World... we're in the thick of it.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Veterans Day this year fell on a Saturday. It always falls one week after my birthday, and 8 days before my father's. My dad never talked about his time in the Army. I always thought he was in the Korean War, but it turns out he was in WWII. I don't think he ever saw battle though. He was the emcee of the variety shows. Think Bob Hope one liners, but cornier. (I found binders of his material after he died). Anyway, I've been thinking about my dad recently, and what soldiers were fighting for (or against) in WWII and wondering if those in today's military ever wonder which side they're fighting for. And then I heard about what the former guy said in a speech he spewed on Veterans Day, invoking the words of and praising dictators, some of them amongst the most vile to deface the planet. And I get sad.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
How do you make Fridays better than they already are? By listening to and learning from Marcy Wheeler [http://emptywheel.net/].She covers much of the way things work (or don't) here in the US from her home in Limerick, Ireland. But whether she's in Michigan or Ireland, Marcy has her fingers on the news and what's happening on this side of the pond.Today, it's more debunking of the chaos caucus in the House and their almost keystone cop-like vendetta against Hunter Biden. Plus the Trump trials, both in progress and coming soon, election results, Bill Barr's complicity and a whole lot more.As usual, you might want a pen and paper handy to take notes. Marcy does it all off the top of her head. I just watch and listen in amazement....Apologies to those watching the live stream on YouTube today. We were having problems there, but the video was fine on Facebook, Twitch and even Xitter. And the audio was good too. So I'll put this one off on YouTube, and will embed the Xitter stream, should you care to watch.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
War is ugly. Always is, always has been. There's a famous poster from the Vietnam War era that reads "War is not healthy for children and other living things". Sometimes we must restate the obvious and still, people who need to hear it just won't listen.Today, I'll speak with law professor, author and podcaster Jennifer Taub [http://jentaub.substack.com/] with whom I have formed a bond, out of necessity as I wade through the ugly and abusive social media waters looking for a sympathetic voice. Those voices seem more difficult to find as the ones who want to see us dead or neutralized are growing in numbers and boldness.So Jen joins in for a personal conversation that I'm hoping everyone listens to. If one person gain a bit of insight into what American Jews are going through now, then airing our conversation will be worth it.But we won't let the good election news go to waste. We'll celebrate the results that, once again, prove that the polls the media wants you to get all hot and bothered over aren't worth the paper they're printed on.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It's one of those Tuesdays when @GottaLaff@mastodon.social is here. That's where you'll find her live "tooting" events like yesterday's historic under-oath testimony in a multi-million dollar fraud suit for which TFG has already been found liable. This is not-so-simply the penalty phase. The bratty man-child had a tantrum on the stand and off the stand. Of course it was the circus we'd expected, but without cameras in the room, the extent of his bratty child act mostly went unreported. But Laffy was monitoring the coverage from reporters in the courtroom and she aggregated all the coverage on Mastodon. She'll do the same with Ivanka's testimony tomorrow, so make note of her Mastodon address. Today on the show, Laffy will share some of what went on yesterday and preview what will happen tomorrow, maybe even bringing Vanky in for a quick visit. She'll also share the horror of realizing that the murder of an old man in LA - a Jewish man supporting Israel- happened right in her neighborhood. Before I bring Laffy on, I promised I'd bring receipts to explain why I will no longer read The Nation or bring any of it's writers on my show again. This is a tough one, as The Nation has been a go-to for me for decades. But two of the writers, who I had considered friends, and the publisher, up to now a friendly acquaintance, have all chosen to support the terrorists over the hostages, Hamas over Israel and Jews. And yes, it is that simple. I will sadly explain at the top of the show.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
I tried to keep the title of today's episode light, though I'm feeling anything but. Yes, I was glad to hear that TFG was compelled to testify today, but it was more of the same from this teflon turd who gets away with crap that would find anyone else displaying the same juvenile lack of decorum bound and gagged at the defendant's table. But he does and says what he wants without a care in the world because he knows, as he's stated more than once, he could shoot someone on 5th Ave and get away with it.Trump did make history today, I believe, in that he is the first former Oval Office occupant to stand trial - civil or criminal (and face it, he's got both in the works). And today, history was made, as embarrassing as it is for this country. But we have lots to be ashamed of right now, with more gumming up the works further each day.The always awesome Lisa Graves [http://twitter.com/thelisagraves]is back on the show today, sharing her personal observations on this historic day.There's a parade of legal experts being trotted out by every cable news channel blaring their skewed take on the days' news endlessly. But I'd listen to Lisa Graves above all others. She's the real deal.Lisa is a DOJ veteran, having served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in both the Bill Clinton and GW Bush administrations under AGs Janet Reno and John Ashcroft/ Alberto Gonzales. She also served in the Senate Judiciary Committee as Chief Counsel for Nominations for Senator Patrick Leahy, as Deputy Chief of the Article III Judges Division of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts with oversight of the Financial Disclosure Office and more, and as an adjunct law professor at George Washington University Law School. She also worked as the Senior Legislative Strategist for the ACLU on national security and civil liberties, and held other posts.These days, Lisa Graves works as the founder and Executive Director of True North Research [http://truenorthresearch.org/], a national investigative watchdog group that works with journalists and other researchers to shine a bright light on the dark money fueling regressive agendas targeting vital institutions in our republic, such as our courts and public schools.Today, she'll bring us her personal observations on today's testimony and the sad historic nature of where we are as a nation.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Fridays are filled with info here on the show because Marcy Wheeler [http://twitter.com/emptywheel] is my regular Friday guest. Yes, she writes and publishes news at emptywheel.net [http://emptywheel.net/] that you're not getting from the corporate mainstream media, but she joins me on Fridays for an in-depth look at what's happened during the past week.Today, it's a deep dive into the various Trump trials happening now, coming soon and coming eventually. This week, we got Don Jr and Eric on the witness stand, with Eric's testimony ending today. Monday it's TFG himself and Ivanka is scheduled to testify on Wednesday.But there's much more from partial gag orders to Aileen Canon to the co-conspirators -- both indicted and unindicted -- and their shenanigans.And of course, we couldn't end the show without a few words about the new Christian Nationalist Speaker of the House...As usual, Marcy Wheeler is a font of information with the facts at the top of her mind. She is truly incredible and I'm extremely grateful she now joins us weekly.Stand by... lots of info coming your way!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
We spent most of the hour Tuesday with Health Insurance Industry Whistleblower Wendell Potter. That was after I recounted my troubles trying to get new insurance here in AZ to get me through the last two months of this year. I haven't yet told you of the horrors I experienced yesterday while looking for a plan for my final year before Medicare eligibility, and you should be happy about that.But today I toss all of that aside with the very sad news that Ady Barkan, advocate for Medicare for All, lost his battle with ALS and passed away last night. Though we all knew it was coming, that makes the devastating news no less awful. I'll pay a small tribute to the the man who was taken way too soon.As he does each Thursday, Howie Klein [http://downwithtyranny.com/]joins in at the bottom of the hour. Something happened yesterday in the House that I'm hoping Howie can clarify for us. A vote to remove that lying sack of shite George Santos from office came before the House in, I believe, a bipartisan motion. While most of his GOP colleagues voted to keep the lying liar in their ranks (not surprised), I was surprised that 31 Democrats voted with the Republicans and George the liar Santos remains firmly ensconced in his seat. Most of those 31 weren't a surprise, but one completely shocked me... Jamie Raskin?!?!?!I'll certainly ask Howie what that was about, and get the scoop on the new Magat Speaker of the House too.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
The asterisk in the title of today's show isn't mine; it's in the title of the book I'll be discussing with the one & only Joan Walsh [http://twitter.com/joanwalsh] today: CORPORATE BULLSH*T: EXPOSING THE LIES AND HALF-TRUTHS THAT PROTECT PROFIT, POWER, AND WEALTH IN AMERICA [https://bookshop.org/a/1630/9781620977514].Joan wrote the book with two co-authors-- progressive billionaire Nick Hanauer (who I've long wished to interview) and founder and executive director of In the Public Interest Donald Cohen (who I have interviewed before). Joan, of course, is now national affairs correspondent for THE NATION [https://www.thenation.com/authors/joan-walsh/], who's been writing about the news from a progressive perspective for years. (She's also, like me, a mega Springsteen fan!)Joan will join in at the 30 minute mark. Until then, I'll recap the latest news, including what, if anything, we're hearing from inside the courtroom where TFG's eldest spawn is testifying today.And I may tell you about our morning at the Emergency Animal Hospital this morning. #notfun--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It's that time of year again and I'm not talking about Halloween. Open enrollment for Medicare began two weeks ago, and tomorrow (Nov 1), the Obamacare exchanges open for those of us still under 65. Both are like the worst haunted houses to navigate as you never know what scary monsters are hiding in those provisions and plans. So today, our old friend Wendell Potter returns to the show. Wendell is still the only former health insurance executive to become a whistleblower, so we thank him even more for his courage and dedication to informing the public about the horribly deceptive practices of the for-profit health insurance industry. Today, we'll cover exactly what Medicare "Advantage" is and isn't (hint: it's neither Medicare nor is it any advantage!) and hopefully get some advice for those of us navigating that maze. And for those of us unfortunate to not be Medicare eligible yet, we'll discuss the ACA healthcare.gov and state exchanges, and the changes that have been made to the program in the over 10 years (!) it's been up and running. Hopefully Wendell can answer your questions. If time allows, we'll open the phones!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It's Monday and this promises to be an interesting week. The former guy's three eldest spawn all will take the stand in the fraud trial against the organization with their name on it. Wars continue raging overseas while antisemitism has been ratcheted up to levels I've never experienced in almost 64 years on the planet.Speaking of 64, I will be asking if you'll still need me or feed me come Saturday, and boy could I use the help. Although I'm loving Arizona, everything is more expensive, from my shitty internet service (can you say DOUBLE THE COST?) to my shitty health insurance (almost twice the price for half the benefit) to gas and food and everything else.No, I'm not starting the week in a good place. But thankfully Heather 'Digby' Parton [http://digbysblog.net/]is here to talk with about how awful everything is.Sorry, I tried to put a positive spin on it. It's just not going to happen today. Maybe Digby [http://twitter.com/digby56] can help...--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It's Friday, so we have another date with Marcy Wheeler [http://twitter.com/emptywheel] of the essential news site emptywheel.net [https://emptywheel.net/]. Today, the scoop on the new Republican Speaker of the House -- he's all and so much more (or less) that you expected, the various trials of the former guy, the overnight news of the US bombing of Syria and more. Take notes, or listen a few times. There's much to grok, as always, from Marcy Wheeler!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Howie Klein, your host at DownWithTyranny.com [http://downwithtyranny.com/] and the Blue America PAC [http://downwithtyranny.com/blue-america-pac] is my standing guest every Thursday, today introduces us to the newest Blue America endorsee... Zach Shrewsbury [http://shrewsburyforsenate.com/]! The Marine veteran who served as a member of the Fleet Anti Terrorism Security Team (FAST) is putting his mind and skills to thwart another threat to democracy: Joe Manchin.But we begin the show with the latest atrocities. Not from Gaza or Israel, but from Maine. Yes Maine, where a deranged individual armed with a weapon of war, gunned down scores of innocent people, killing 19 and injuring at least that many more. When will the madness end? When we get rid of the damn guns.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
I'm still getting adjusted to living in Arizona... the biggest hurdle that I've yet to overcome is that, although the show still runs at the same time --5ET/2PT, I'm not in the ET zone any longer! Where I am, the show starts at 2pm. That means I lose three hours of prep time. I know I need to start earlier... but the brain hasn't gotten the message yet. So, today was a no makeup day. Time just ran out. And Halloween is right around the corner.Anyway, the House Republicans finally got their act together and voted in a new Speaker of the House, changing the old slogan to "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try and try again" or something like that. So the fourth time was a charm, or was that a curse? I'm not so sure...One thing that the new Speaker Mike Johnson said was that he's going to establish "debt panels" which would serve one purpose: to kill Social Security. In response, I was thrilled to welcome Nancy Altman back to the show. She's president of Social Security Works, [http://socialsecurityworks.org/] and it does...--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
If you don't know GottaLaff, you probably never were active on Twitter. Now that it's Xitter, Laffy is off Twitter but continuing to aggregate news on Mastodon. You can follow here there @GottaLaff@Mastodon.social. And of course, you can hear her here every other Tuesday (or thereabouts)... Today we'll likely be all over the place (what else is new?). Laffy and Mr. Laffy are dealing with the loss of Mr. Laffy's father a few days ago. Those who remember Laffy's former website, The Political Carnival, might recall that she often posted some of his comedy writing. We'll see if she can find some of his writings to share with us.Plus, Michael Cohen is testifying against his former boss, the former guy, today. And the Republicans have a new nominee for Speaker. Word is that some Democrats may sit out the vote to help the Republicans since they obviously can't help themselves, and there must be a Speaker in place in order for any votes to come to the floor. Since they can't help themselves, the Democrats will have to come to the rescue.Laffy's been live tooting it, so she'll bring us up to date on what's happened today.But wait, there's more. Another former attorney for the former guy has also flipped. Today it was Jenna Ellis who took a plea deal to sing. Stay tuned!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
The news is horrifying. It doesn't matter what side of the issue you fall, and you know what issue I'm talking about, it's beyond comprehension. So we did just that yesterday. Turned off the news and drove up to Sedona to take in the beauty of nature and the magic of Sedona I've heard so much about. Sadly, today is Monday, so it's back to the real world and the ugly reality of hate and war. And the Republican party. After a few minutes about the lack of any legitimacy in the House Republican Caucus, I will share an important article that went up today on The Nation website, written by Professor Maurice Isserman, "Why I Just Quit DSA".--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Well, we made it though my first week on the air from Arizona, but Gym Jordan didn't! He's toast. And with no Speaker (and no nominee either), the Republicans did what they do so well... adjourned, and left for the weekend. Seriously. They'll allegedly regroup on Monday with a new set of Speaker wannabees... It's not like there are any pressing issues here and around the globe that need immediate action or anything. JFC. It was a busy week, and I'm thrilled to welcome Marcy Wheeler back to the show. Since Marcy is in Ireland and I'm here in AZ, we recorded today's conversation at 9am AZ time. Given how quickly the news changes, it's no surprise that there was some breaking news between when we recorded and when it airs at 2pm AZ time, but most of it remains quite timely and important. What changed? Gym Jordan was told, unequivocally, by his caucus that it was time to abandon his quest for the Speakership. And Hamas released two American hostages they were holding in Gaza- a mother and daughter. Now settle in, as Marcy has the mic for the hour....--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
As yesterday's show ended and things got going this morning, it appeared likely that the House would do some kind of deal to make Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry the temporary Pro Tempore Speakers or some other such made-up title to get past this mess that's never before occurred in history! So I planned to ask Howie Klein to tell us all we need to know about Patrick McHenry, but now it appears that deal is dead. And there's Disorder in the House yet again! A lot can change by the time Howie joins us this afternoon, but rest assured, we'll bring you the latest up-to-date news as we try to figure out what's going on... It is Thursday, so today, Howie Klein re joins the show, as we are now live from Arizona.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Dysfunction in the House, dysfunction in the media, dysfunction in the world. That's our current reality. We'll talk about all of it today. No guest, but I welcome your calls on any of it. 954-889-6410 or Skype to nicolesandler. I welcome respectful commenters who disagree with me. I don't welcome people who think they know what happened and is happening with no proof of any of it. So, bring it on! 5-6pm ET/ 2-3 PT for the live show. Watch and comment in the comment section any time.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Well, we made it to Arizona, rented a house in Chandler, unloaded the POD on Saturday, set up my studio on Sunday, and got it all working and on Monday tested and hopefully eradicated all gremlins. We'll find out today as it's my first official show from Arizona.Unfortunately it's not going to be a fun show. We will be dealing with the horrific situation in the Middle East. There are no good guys in this equation except for the innocent civilians in Israel and Gaza who are paying the steepest price possible.I'm joined today by Ron Skolnik. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronskolnik/] He's Director of Americans for a Confederation of Israel and Palestine [http://israelpalestineconfederation.org/], and wrote a piece for the Times of Israel, 'Why It's Important (But So Hard) to Be Thinking about the "Day After [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7118976071219175424?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_updateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7118976071219175424%2CFEED_DETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base%3BP%2BkMQy80RnWhhSwVKE4vXw%3D%3D]"'--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
I'm hoping this will be the last show with recycled interviews while I move. As I post this Saturday morning, we're awaiting delivery of the PODS container with all our stuff! But first I have to run out to get some acoustic panels to deaden the sound in my studio. Right now it's an echo chamber, something we certainly are not.Today's show features the interview I did with historian/author Heather Cox Richardson whose new book was just released a couple of weeks ago. She's brilliant. If you haven't heard her you should listen.If you have heard her you should still listen!We finish it up with an interview I did with singer/songwriter/activist Billy Bragg back in 2009 on Air America (when it was still up and running). He was working on an updated interpretation of Beethoven's 9th/Ode to Joy. His new lyrics are quite fitting for what's happening in our world today.I'm planning on being back live on Monday. Fingers crossed and peace out!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Well, we're here! I'm still getting my bearings in Arizona, but we found a house to rent in the town of Chandler, Arizona. We'll move in on Wednesday. In the meantime, with all that's going on in the world, I couldn't imagine being off the air for another week. So I'll slide into YouTube whenever possible during our regular time of 5pm ET/2 PT while we continue getting settled. I jokingly quipped that it's a good thing not much happened in the past three weeks, but yeah, I picked the wrong time to be off the air. We've got a lot to talk about today. But keep in mind, I'm in a makeshift studio in our airbnb, so don't expect too much in terms of studio wizardry. I'll be happy to get up and streaming. Fingers crossed!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
This was supposed to run on Monday,but I obviously uploaded the wrong episode, Here's the correct show:--------When I decided to put together some actual best of shows to run while I'm in transit, I asked for requests…. Almost immediately someone asked if I had ever interviewed Tom Petty. I did! IT was the one and only time I ever met him… It was April 30, 1999…. We had just signed a new radio station on the air in Los Angeles, Channel 103.1 a few months earlier. Tom had just released a new album called Echo, and joined me in the studio. He didn't perform that day, but hung out and talked for a while… I decided to play this today, as it marks the sixth anniversary of his sudden and untimely death on oct 2, 2017.We follow that with an interview with Jon Scott, the man TP credits for ever getting his records played on the radio. Jon wrote the book, "Tom Petty & Me"--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
I'm hoping by the time today's episode airs, we'll have gotten to AZ, found a house to rent and moved in enough for me to get some kind of studio up and running to come back live on Monday, though that's not guaranteed. Either way, I'll keep you updated on my schedule at nicolesandler.comThe final show I've prepared for these three weeks gives us another musical break.Jackson Browne, one of my all-time favorite artists, joined me in the studio at Southern California's Finest Rock, KSCA fm101.9 back on Sept 13, 1996. He brought a keyboard and a bunch of guitars and used most of them. What a magical session!To fill out the hour, a brief session with Lowen & Navarro. Dan Navarro is a dear friend, and was on the show just a few weeks ago, updating us on the SAG/AFTRA strike, as he sits on the executive board in Los Angeles. This quick session was from Dec 10, 1999, during our holiday toy drive.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
During the pandemic, people all over the world explored their creativity. I started painting and others began doing parody songs… A family in Kent in the UK did that and great into a phenomenon. I've been lucky enough th have welcomed the Marsh Family on my show a couple of times, and have watched the kids grow over the past few years.Today, we'll go back to the show from Christmas Eve 2021 for a special hour with The Marsh Family.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
We're midway through the third week of these special shows I put together to fill the airtime while I'm moving and right about now, I could use some good music and a few laughs. I'm thrilled to share with you one of the highlights of my radio career.In February of 2000, Steely Dan released their 8th studio album… their first in 20 years – and it went on to win the Grammy for Best Album that year.I was brought in to host the world premier broadcast of the new album, which included a sit down interview with Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.Here it is, as it ran on radio stations around the country ….--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Political scientist/election analyst/political strategist Rachel Bitecofer exploded on the scene in 2018 by making some election predictions that came to pass. Using her theory of "negative partisanship" she continued to call them right. She has a substack newsletter at substack.com/@thecycle. And a new book coming out in Feb 2024...--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
When I decided to put together some actual best of shows to run while I'm in transit, I asked for requests…. Almost immediately someone asked if I had ever interviewed Tom Petty. I did! IT was the one and only time I ever met him… It was April 30, 1999…. We had just signed a new radio station on the air in Los Angeles, Channel 103.1 a few months earlier. Tom had just released a new album called Echo, and joined me in the studio. He didn't perform that day, but hung out and talked for a while… I decided to play this today, as it marks the sixth anniversary of his sudden and untimely death on oct 2, 2017.We follow that with an interview with Jon Scott, the man TP credits for ever getting his records played on the radio. Jon wrote the book, "Tom Petty & Me"--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It's another two-fer today. We begin today by going back in time 10 years ago tomorrow! It was Sept 30, 2013 when I had the honor of speaking with Dr. Helen Caldicott, one of the world's foremost anti-nuclear voices. She's been in this fight for probably 50 years now.Then we head back a bit further. It was October 16, 2008, just weeks before the 2008 presidential elections that gave us President Obama… I was guest hosting the Thom Hartmann Show on Air America Radio and Melissa Etheridge was my guest--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Today, we reach back into the thick of the early days of the pandemic… March 11, 2020. Not only was it covid time, it was the pinnacle of the 2020 presidential primaries…. In fact, this show was the day after the so-called mini-Tuesday after which Joe Biden appeared to have clinched the nomination to knock Bernie Sanders out of the race. Needless to say, not a happy day for me…But we got past that news in time for Lawrence O'Donnell to call in to the show after he and I had a little Twitter tiff….--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Today, we go back to April 17, 2020. We were in the thick of the pandemic and most of the country was under lockdown. A glance into what's news from that day gave me this dire report:"The number of reported deaths in the U.S. from covid19 spiked to nearly double the prior record Thursday, as governors extended their lockdown orders, and the Trump administration released new federal guidelines to reopen the economy."In the 24 hours ending at 8 p.m. Eastern time Thursday, 4,591 people were reported to have died from Covid-19, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. The prior record was 2,569 on Wednesday. The number of new reported U.S. cases, meanwhile, was roughly equal with that on Wednesday at 31,451." WSJ [http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b09bdb2dee4c4d0cd1052bbd6bf66d88b011d99dd7cf5a22f268c0481db70f09de0537ce2a8af8cffa37a3e483a56f56]That day on the show I had two guests… Ali Velshi of MSNBC was up first. Then I called on my old friend Kelly Carlin, yes - George's daughter - to help us cope with Covid, isolation and the challenges we're facing today.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
This past year we saw Fox NOT News hit with $787 Million in damages after losing a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems. Fox admitted they lied and had to pay the largest fine ever levied on a media entity in history, yet their behavior hasn't changed, and its dangerous.Jen Senko is author of the book, The Brainwashing of My Dad.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
So I've assembled some shows that really are best ofs to run until I can get my studio set up in a new home…It's the end of September, so pretty soon we'll all be inundated with ads for Medicare Advantage, as Medicare open enrollment begins on Oct 15, thru Dec 7…. Then open enrollment for the ACA begins on Nov 1… To make sure you're informed about what's available and to tell you the truth about so-called Medicare Advantage (neither Medicare nor an advantage), we'll go back to Oct 15 of 2021 and an information packed conversation with health insurance industry whistleblower Wendell Potter….--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Today's show draws from two decades, neither of them the one we're in.At this time in 1995, an artist named Alanis Morissette was climbing the charts. Her album Jagged Little Pill would hit #1 just a couple of weeks later. I was an early cheerleader for the album and because of that, as her mega star was rising quickly, she came into the radio station I was working at at the time for an interview with me. That was 28 years ago! My how time flies…But we'll begin today with an interview from 2010 about psychedelics to treat mental health issues.You know I recently underwent a series of Ketamine Therapy treatments for depression. It might seem like I was jumping on the new trend bandwagon, but this exciting breakthrough in treating mental health with psychedelics is an idea I've been following since first reading about the work being done treating returning veterans suffering from PTSD… 13 years ago!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Today we just go back to March of this year…. As you may have heard me mention, I'm moving out of Florida- in large part to the fascist ways of the governor and his authoritarian rule over the state. One of his most heinous actions is his treatment of and lack of regard for the LGBTQ community.His vendetta against drag shows would be really funny if it weren't so mean, discriminatory and harmful to people just trying to live their own lives….So today, we'll enjoy the awesomeness of The Kinsey Six, an acapella drag group who'll show why desantis and his ilk are so scared of them…But on this day, March `13 of this year, 2023, we once again watched the government bail out billionaires (while us poor schmucks wallow in poverty…) as banks in Silicon Valley started failing… Mu old friend Dave Johnson lived there at the time and joined me at the top of the show to attempt to explain what's happening there…--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Today we go back to October of 2014 for a conversation with famed prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, best known for prosecuting Charles Manson and his followers for the Tate/LaBianca Helter Skelter murders. But Bugliosi wrote quite a few books, mostly dealing with famous homicide cases including the manson family murders, Kennedy assassination and even OJ Simpson.On this occasion, we were discussing his book, "The Prosecution of GWBush for Murder" and the documentary that came out of it, the Prosecution of an American President…--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Today during our moving madness, we share some slices of history.The first time I called a global hotspot hotel to talk to a regular person was Feb 2, 2011, as protests engulfed Cairo's Tahrir Square at the start of the Arab Spring. One of the benefits of having been doing this show for so many years is the historical record left behind. Today we experience history unfolding…Remember the Arab Spring? We had such hope that Democracy would finally sweep through the middle east. It began with a singular act of defiance!On Dec 17, 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a young Tunisian street vendor who had his produce confiscated by police, set himself on fire to protest against police harassment and the authorities' lack of concern,His actions triggered nationwide protests and calls for an end of the authoritarian rule of Pres Zine El Abidine Ben Ali…And then all hell broke loose… protests continued in Tunisia… the president fled to Saudi Arabia….But the flame had been lit and the fire was spreading throughout the middle east, many converging on EgyptEgyptian activists called for a mass rally in a "Day of Anger" on Jan 25, 2011, set to coincide with the annual celebration of the Egyptian police, and the people took to the streets for unprecedented protests in Cairo as the city came to standstill….Violent clashes between anti Mubarak protesters and police took overOn Jan 28, Egyptian president Hasni Mubarek announces "I have ordered the government to step down and I will name a new government tomorrow"….On Feb 2, protesters declared Feb 4 the "Friday of Departure" for Mubarak, as the clashes between pro Mubarak and anti government began in Tahrir Square….That day, I decided to call hotels around Tahrir Square to get a first hand account of what was happening there from just an average working Egyptian….You just have to get through to the correct person… Sadly, the Arab Spring fizzled and democracy didn't come to the Middle East where things are just as bad as they were before that brave and fed up Tunisian man set himself on fire….For our next segment, we jump ahead about a decade, to Jan 3, 2020. Unbelievably, Donald Trump was now in the WH and many of us worried about the reality that a mad man had the authority to push a button and launch another World War….terrifying!The US and Iran have had a fraught relationship for decades now with a very tenuous co-existence in place when Trump bragged about the US assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, He was the head of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and the architect of its military and political power.…. A US air raid at Baghdad int'l airport hit during the early morning hours killing Soleimani and others with him. Many worried that this would escalate the already high tensions between our nations, so I thought it might be a good time to pick up the phone again, this time to speak with an Iranian citizen human to human…. It was Jan 3, 2020--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
I'm moving! So today begins a series of Best Of interviews from throughout the years. Some special shows are coming up over the next few weeks.We kick things off with a brand new interview, never before aired, with HEATHER COX RICHARDSON, historian and author of the new book DEMOCRACY AWAKENING: NOTES ON THE STATE OF AMERICA.In the time left, we go back to 2014 for my sit-down interview with the Rev Dr William Barber, recorded at Netroots Nation in Detroit.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
After today, this studio is done! I'll be tearing it down, packing it up and getting us the hell out of Florida. Let's put some collective energy into making sure the gremlins stay here and don't follow us to Arizona. For my last live show out of here, we'll visit with David Jolliffe, my old friend who's on the SAG-AFTRA executive committee who'll give us a strike update, and I'll share some final thoughts on moving out of the state that DeSantis DeStroyed...--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It's Thursday, and since I tear down my studio after tomorrow's show for the move, this is the last time I'll speak with Howie Klein for a few weeks. Today, he brings along Maebe A. Girl [http://maebeagirlforcongress.org/], a Blue America-endorsed candidate who's running to replace Adam Schiff in the House. Schiff is, of course, running for Dianne Feinstein's Senate seat, leaving his congressional seat up for grabs. It also happens to be the district where Howie Klein lives, so this one is personal for him.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
Marcy Wheeler is back at emptywheel.net [http://emptywheel.net/] after her vacation, with a broken foot no less, in time for one last episode together before I leave for our road trip move to Arizona. Today, we talk about a lot of the shit that hit the fan while Marcy was on vacation in another information-filled show.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
It's one of those Tuesdays when GottaLaff [http://mastadon.social/@gottalaff]joins in. Frankly, I'm so consumed with packing and producing shows for the few weeks we'll be in transit that I'm not sure which end is up any more! But Laffy's here today, we'll get on some kind of a roll, and will likely slide into another episode of the Mal-Ladies at some point...--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
We're in the home stretch. The PODS container will be delivered on Friday and we hope to be on the road out of Floriduh by Monday or Tuesday. So this is my final week of shows from this studio. Glutton for punishment that I am, I should have signed off on Friday and given myself this week to finish packing and purging. But no. I had to try to do as much here as possible before leaving, as I'll be off the air for a few weeks already. Next time kick me.Anyway, big news broke yesterday courtesy of Heidi Przybyla at Politico. Of course, I'd normally turn to our all things law expert Lisa Graves, but she was just on with me on Friday and I hate to be greedy! But there she was on my TV last night, explaining what we need to know about this stunning case. So I'll share that.There aren't too many people in Florida I feel I must bid a special farewell. But there is one without whom I wouldn't be doing this show or this work today! Jim DeFede is a South Florida news legend. He's been reporting on FL politics since 1991, making a name for himself at the Miami New Times, then the Miami Herald. We met in 2005 or so when I was hired to produce his new morning show on then-progressive talk 940 WINZ in Miami. My hiring was Jim's decision, an act that charted a course for my career over the past 15 years or so! Jim will join us during the second half hour of today's show.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicolesandler/message
The official legal authority of the Nicole Sandler Show, Lisa Graves returns today to tell what what we need to know about a bunch of stories that all happened this week, beginning with today's release of the Fulton County, GA Special Grand Jury report that recommended indicting upwards of 35 or so, many more than the 19 who were named in the official indictment released last month. Among them, Sen Lindsey Graham, then-Sen Kelly Loffler and then-Senate candidate David Purdue, and GA's sitting Lt. Governor, among other names both familiar and not. We'll also talk with Lisa about Fani WIllis' brutal letter to Gym Jordan about interfering with a state judicial matter, Peter Navarro's conviction yesterday on two counts of contempt of Congress for ignoring a subpoena, Elon Musk's apparent treasonous act in aiding and abetting Russia's war against Ukraine(!), Sen Tuberfield's one man crippling of the US Military, and whatever else we can fit in to the time we have together. Thank Dog the weekend is here....
We're in the final stretch. I'll probably have a week or two more of new shows from here before I pack up my studio as the last room in the house before we move away. Leaving the formerly free, now fascist state of Florida for Arizona which is far from perfect, but they voted against the fascists!
To join me in explaining the myriad of reasons we're outta here, I'm joined today by my old friend and fellow radio refugee Boca Brit Somers, and Florida state Representative Robin Bartleman. Thankfully some good reasonable people are staying behind to fight the good fight. But I'm getting the hell outta here....
Heather "Digby" Parton joins me on the show today as summer is unofficially over. Congress returns to work, though in this world that's not necessarily a good thing... Here we go!
Howie writes constantly at DownWithTyranny.com. Most of his posts are politically-oriented though, like me, he often veers off course into the music world. For good reason! When I first met Howie Klein some 30 years ago, he was President of Reprise Records, so it's in his blood.
I never know what I'll see when I log on to DTW, and today didn't disappoint.
The first thing I saw today was a post from Howie headlined, "Tim Scott And George Santos Are Both Gay Republicans— But VERY Different Gay Republicans". Whoo boy, it's going to be one of those days!!
In terms of news, well, proud boy Joe Biggs was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for seditious conspiracy. We'll have to wait until next week for Enrique Tarrio's sentencing. They do say good things are worth waiting for, I guess...
Will Bunch regularly writes columns for the Philadelphia Inquirer that you should read. But he knocked one out of the park this week with the one headlined, "Journalism fails miserably at explaining what is really happening to America".
Will joins me at the bottom of the hour for a much needed dialog.
But first, some good news to share, along with some not-so-good news too and an important milestone in my life. Welcome to Wednesday... at least we're halfway to the weekend now!
This was a pretty momentous week which came to a climax lat night as the former guy went down to Georgia where he was officially booked, fingerprinted, mug-shotted, and released on $200,000 bond. It was a first in US history, but the fourth arrest for the embattled, twice-impeached, former guy who now has 91 felony counts officially charged in four separate indictments. It's a lot to keep all the facts straight, which is why I'm so lucky to be able to call on Marcy Wheeler to help us understand what's happening. Marcy is an independent journalist specializing in national and foreign affairs, writing at emptywheel.net. As I do with this show, she operates without a paywall, trusting that those who value her work and can afford to support it will do so. Marcy has been a fairly frequent guest on this show for about a dozen years or so already, and she just agreed to come on for a regularly weekly segment. With all the action coming up over the next months and years, we have lots to discuss. So we start today with Trump surrendering at the Fulton County Jail last night. In true Trumpian form, he tweeted out his mug shot with the caption "Never Surrender". He had just surrendered. Welcome to opposite world.
We watched it so you didn't have to.
Yes, I suffered through the entire two hours last night, though it wasn't easy. I was ready to bolt before the first question was even asked, for good reason. I'll explain and share some of the moments that had me almost throw my phone through the TV screen!
Then we'll get Howie Klein on the line. I really didn't expect him to watch the spectacle, but I guess it's like that train wreck you can't turn away from. But I was watching his feed on Xitter pronounced Shitter and he was all over it. So we'll certainly talk about the shit show that it was.
And of course, tonight's the night TFG surrenders to the Fulton County jail, gets mug-shotted and finger printed and whatever other indignities happen to people who break numerous laws.
Bring on the mug shot!!
PS Well, I couldn't get hold of Howie. My calls went to voicemail (once I got the phone to work). He said he could hear me but I couldn't hear him. I have no idea what happened other than the fact that Mercury went retrograde again yesterday! Of course it did....
Big news... tonight is the first primary debate of the 2024 presidential season.
There's also that Russian plane crash (the murder of Putin's #1 foe!) and Donny Jr and his sidekick being banned from the Fox Noise spin room... but we'll save those stories and the others bubbling under for the actual show.
Our guest today is journalist Brian Karem. Yes, he is an actual journalist (we must point these things out nowadays), one of a seemingly dying breed. We'll talk about that too. Check out his podcast, Just Ask the Question and read his book, Free the Press!
Plus we're back live on progressive voices today... and a major good news announcement about the show!
It's a crazy Monday and all bets are off. Well, they're on if you're betting on what Trump's weight will be when he presents himself to the Fulton County Jail sometime this week to be formally fingerprinted, mug-shotted and, yes, weighed before going behind bars then before the judge to be arraigned before being released on bail. Seriously, all that will happen one day this week... a week that will also see the other Republicans vying for the nomination to run against Joe Biden in Nov 2024.... As if the Gods were trying to send a message, a hurricane -- named HILARY - hit Southern California and while So Cal was still getting lashed by what had become Tropical Storm Hilary, they got slammed by an actual earthquake! No shit! So today, it's all of that and whatever else you'd like to talk about. I want to talk about Section 3 of the 14th Amendment that bars Trump from ever seeking or taking office again. We all need to get on the same page eventually, right??
It's finally Friday! If you can remember all the way back to Monday (I know, it feels like it was a long time ago), you'll recall we were delighted by two women with a bullhorn and a beat, serenading Ron DeeSantis with a catchy little ditty that goes "Pudding Fingers, pudding fingers, go back to Florida pudding fingers"... Well, we now know who they are -- Heather Ryan and her niece Kara Ryan. They've made their activism an official PAC, now called Bitches Get Stuff Done! You can join them at bitchesgetstuffdone.org. And they'll join us at the top of the hour! Then, of course we know there's no real climate change... But a Category 4 hurricane -- named Hillary, no less -- is headed straight for Southern California. Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen are bugging out... so we'll try to reach them on the road to find out wtf is going on!
It's Thursday. Weekly for the past dozen years or so, Howie Klein has stepped away from the desk at downwithtyranny.com to join me on the air for an hour to talk politics... and usually music too! Today, lots of politics to discuss from Trump indictment #4 to those conspicuously absent from any of the indictments (ie Lindsey Graham, Ginni Thomas, and the Trump spawn, just to name a few), to the implosion of the Florida man's campaign and more...
Now that we know the extent of the charges pending against the former guy, it was time to call on Marcy 'Emptywheel' Wheeler to fill in the blanks and answer my myriad of questions. As usual, she's got the answers. Get here on time, as we start right at the top and take it all the way to the end of the hour. You might want to bring along a paper and pen to keep score!
Well, now we know that imminent can mean eventually! Fani Willis said charges against the former guy were imminent way back in January. But last night, right around 8pm ET, the Grand Jury filed back into the Fulton County courtroom and handed the judge the indictment-- a whopping 98 pages, 41 counts and, in addition to Cheeto Musselini, 18 other defendants and 30 un-indicted co-conspirators.
As today is that other Tuesday, GottaLaff is here. And we're joined by the go-to legal expert of the Nicole Sandler Show, Lisa Graves, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General under both Janet Reno and John Ashcroft in the Clinton and W Bush administrations, now founder and director of True North Research.
Now that's an indictment panel I'd listen to!
So much for the dog days of summer... It's mid August. Congress is on recess and much of the nation is on vacation. Some are in Iowa... well, the 2024 presidential hopefuls are, including Floriduh Man Ron DeSantis who doesn't appear to be having much fun.
But if you've listened to this program over the past four years, you would have been expecting something like this.
Steve Bousquet, Opinion Editor of the South Florida Sun Sentinel had a devastating column in the Sunday paper about the would be dictator from FloriDUH. He'll join me for a discussion about the DeSantis DeLusion... (He never showed up, but I did read the column... Oh well, live radio...)
But first, Georgia is on our minds as we await word from Fulton County that new indictments (the fourth for anyone counting) for the former guy have been handed down. We were expecting it to happen on Thursday, but someone got an itchy posting finger, as the Fulton County court website, for a very brief moment today, posted a lengthy list of charges against Twitler, before they hastily took it down.
August is supposed to be the slow news month, and Fridays in August non-eventful. But nothing is normal these days. Lots of news broke today, most of it dealing with the myriad of legal cases brewing in and around Washington DC. Thankfully Lisa Graves is here today to help us dissect it all.
Lisa's got the bona fides too... She's worked for the Senate Judiciary Committee and in the DOJ! She was Deputy Assistant Attorney General in both the Clinton and W Bush administrations, and these days exposes the bad guys as she heads up True North Research.
Today, I get to pick her brain about the the three indictments already filed for TFG and the one likely coming out of Fulton County, GA next week. And yes, today's breaking news from the first hearing in the Trump Jan 6 case, a special counsel for Hunter Biden, and WTF is up with the Supreme, er, Extreme Court Injustices, especially the schnorrer Clarence Thomas.
It's a Thursday so Howie Klein is here. The challenge today will be in deciding what to talk about, as DownWithTyranny.com is filled with lots of fodder. Howie's posts in the last week deal with everything from how horrible today's Republican party is to how horrible today's Democratic party is (though for entirely different reasons and on different scales of awfulness).. And it wouldn't be a day ending in "y" without dumping on Floriduh, the state that re-elected DeSantis (now the rest of the country understands what I've been screaming about for the last 4 years) and can't come up with a decent challenger to Rick Scott, whose Senate seat is up for grabs. And there's more... just listen.
We'll begin today with good news. Ohio voted! Hell yeah!
We'll follow with bad news (too much to summarize here, but I promise to keep it short)
Ugly news - anything having to do with TFG. Trump sweat. Need I say more?
And Dan Navarro too! Dan is a dear old friend, a talented singer/songwriter and voice actor and more who sits on the board of SAG-AFTRA. He was out on the picket lines at WB in Burbank on Sunday, and will give us an update as today marks the 100th day of the Writers Guild strike.
An added bonus... I ended the show with a recording of Lowen & Navarro performing their song "We Belong" (that was a massive hit for Pat Benatar). The performance was Dec 10, 1999, on the air with me in Los Angeles at KACD/KBCD Channel 103.1. I figured I'd share the whole appearance with you, because we can! Enjoy!
Today in Atlanta, GA, the roads surrounding the Fulton County Courthouse were closed in anticipation of the next indictment coming for the former guy. That'll be #4.
And that's on top of his already being found liable for rape and defamation of E. Jean Carroll. But the case is still ongoing, as his big mouth after the verdict got him hit with another defamation suit. Too bad for him, his counter-suit was just dismissed by the judge...
Plus there's a trial date set for March in a NYC courtroom for Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's case against the Trump Organization for fraud.
And then there are three indictments under which Trump is released pending trials in the (1) Hush money case, (2) Classified documents case and the newest one (3) January 6 case.
It's really hard to keep track of all of it without a scorecard. Thankfully, we've got Marcy Wheeler who keeps all of it in order at emptywheel.net and here today!
Nicole Sandler
I know I don't need to tell the regular listeners of this program, but Donald Trump is bad for our national mental health.
First, there are the lies and the gaslighting! The gaslighting is the worst, as it's meant to make the people being gaslit think they're the crazy ones. It doesn't even matter that we know the truth... the fact that there are millions of Americans who support Trump - after everything we know about who he is and what he's done- is enough to send someone otherwise sane into a tailspin.
Today, after hearing so many people still deny reality, I thought we'd delve into some of the specifics in Trump's indictment - the new one that deals with his actions surrounding January 6, 2021.
I recorded it so you don't have to read it. Today, I'll share some excerpts.
But since the content is so triggering, I'm going to intersperse some cuts from my latest Ketamine therapy session. I figured we could all use a bit of mental health care when dealing with Trump's crimes, and this should provide a bit of comic relief as well...
It's Friday! But even those two smile-inducing words just don't do it for a lot of people who are suffering from depression and its related disorders including anxiety and stress. Some of us have been battling at least one of those conditions for decades *including me.
I was fascinated from the moment I heard that scientists were looking toward psychedelics to treat PTSD and some other mental health issues, and have kept an eye out for updates. Well, it's now 2023(!), and it's a lot more commonplace than most people realize.
I'm one of those with TRD (treatment resistant depression), the prerequisite to be eligible for Spravado, the first FDA approved 'psychedelic' prescription to treat depression.
I gave it a shot, and have been sharing the experience with my listeners.
Today, I'm joined by Matt Lahn, the COO of Neuro Wellness Centers of America, the clinic where I've been getting my treatments, here in Coral Springs FL. Eventhough they're based in Coral Springs, Matt and Shelly are plugged into the mental health community and can help you find a good treatment center wherever you are. And Matt generously gave out his phone number should you have any questions about any of this. You can reach him directly at 954-709-1599.
Great strides have been made in mental health treatment over the past few decades. And I know from experience that I'm part of a very large portion of the population who tries to put on a brave face each day while masking our inner blues. Plus every time I approach the subject of depression on the show, I get a lot of response.
I read it (out loud and recorded it) so you don't have to.
You may not have the time to read the 48-page indictment of Donald J Trump for his hole in the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol, but you need to know what's in it. So I read it for you.
Please try to get every American to understand what happened, and what Donald Trump did. Share!!
As we approach air time, Donald Trump is headed to the courthouse in DC where he will be arraigned today, responding to the indictment released on Tuesday, charging Trump with four counts related to the events around Jan 6, 2021.
Today, we'll recap the arraignment, listen to some passages from the recording of the indictment, and open the phones for your reaction to all that's happened this week.
We spent yesterday's show waiting for the official word on the third indictment for the former guy. Of course, Jack Smith ambled up to the microphones about a minute after I signed off. That's ok... we were all preoccupied with reading the 45-pages detailing the charges against the wanna-be dictator. Today's guest wasn't booked to specifically talk about this story, but Jason Leopold certainly has a FOIA in the fight... Dubbed by some in the government the "FOIA Terrorist," I prefer FOIA Master or even better FOIA King. Jason's current employer Bloomberg News released a beautiful video about Jason's work a couple of weeks ago, reminding me that it had been too long since he's joined us... so he's here today...
We waited most of the day Thursday, not so patiently, for the next shoe to drop. We were expecting a new indictment (or set thereof) from Jack Smith's investigation of the former guy -- this one for his actions (and inaction) on and around January 6.
But sometime during the afternoon we were told no new indictments for you today. We figured we'd have to wait until Tuesday at the earliest for that other show, as the DC Grand Jury only meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But then a boot hit us from an unexpected direction.
What Jack Smith's office did release was a superseding indictment in the stolen documents case and a newly indicted third co-conspirator!
So though it wasn't what I thought we'd be discussing when I booked MARCY WHEELER for today's show... but as usual, there was a lot flying for us to corral and Marcy to explain...
So strap in and get ready for another info overload from Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net .
Last week we took a deep dive into the world of TV and Movies with three of the SAG-AFTRA Executive Committee and Negotiating Committee members. Today we turn to the Radio and Record industries, where I spent the better part of my career.
The average person knows that radio has changed... they likely listen less than they used to and noticed that radio has gotten more generic over the years. They also know that the record industry has evolved. From buying vinyl records to CDs to downloads, and does anyone buy full albums any more? And how are artists getting paid (the answer is very little!).
I started in radio in college in 1979 and lived through a major paradigm shift, hitting the fulcrum after passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (thanks for nothing Bill Clinton!).
Today, I welcome Joel Denver to the show. He's the President/ Publisher/Founder and Owner of AllAccess.com, one of the last remaining trade publications serving the radio and record industry. Unfortunately, All Access will cease operations on August 15, marking the end of an era.
Joel will explain what prompted the end and join me in a look back at all that has changed.
And we were joined midway by Tommy Nast, former GM of the now-defunct Album Network, another trade magazine that I actually worked for!
It's Thursday so Howie Klein is here.
I don't believe he ever worked with Sinead O'Connor, but I did see his tweet yesterday after the news broke that she had died. I'll ask him if he has any stories... and then, yes, we will talk politics.
And I wonder why the Republicans and right wing media is all over Joe Biden's age, when he is undeniably in better shape - both physically and mentally -- than the former guy who wants to go back to the White House. And shall we talk about Mitch McConnell and Dianne Feinstein? When is enough enough already?
ARGUING FOR A BETTER WORLD
That got my attention!
It's the title of a new book by philosopher, author and professor of ethics at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School Arianne Shahvisi. Her book offers philosophical ammunition to counter your magat neighbors and relatives, something I figured we could all benefit from. Arianne joins in at the bottom of the hour.
Today turned out to be a busy news day despite any action from the DC Grand Jury on that probably third criminal indictment for TFG. (There's always tomorrow...)
But lots happened.... Hunter Biden's plea deal dead, the Fed really wants to send us into recession raising interest rates another 1/4 of a point, Mitch McConnell has the moment that Fox tells us Biden has every day and, at a UAP (UFO) hearing in the House we hear that the government has the remains of "non-human" beings from a crash site. And, we learned yesterday via a new study published in the journal Nature Communications that the Atlantic Ocean's sensitive circulation system is on the verge of collapse, meaning dramatic consequences for the entire planet.
Plus Amon Bundy (remember him?) loses... Spocko will call in with the details.
As regular listeners of this show know, I started undergoing Ketamine therapy to treat depression. I promised I'd keep you all posted on the progress as well as the experience. Today I'm going to share my most recent session. I run an audio recorded as I rarely remember much if anything from each treatment afterwards. This one was wild!
We'll also have a visit from my husband, David Sloane. He spent his whole career as an agent representing Major League Baseball players. We finally got him to sit down and create a podcast! So today, we'll introduce the "Follow the Moneyball" Podcast. (You can subscribe there or simply listen right from the site)
And we'll begin with the latest news (as of this writing, still no word on a grand jury vote or third indictment for the former guy, but we are expecting it any minute now....)
Of course, I'm paraphrasing the old threat. The next line would be "what a shame if something should happen to it..." And that's where we are today.
Perfect timing to have Thom Hartmann on the show to talk about his new book, THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: REDISCOVERING HUMANITY'S ANCIENT WAY OF LIVING, the latest in his Hidden History series.
Today, not only are we on the precipice of losing our democracy - as fragile and tenuous as it is , but Israel today is dangling over the edge, as Netanyahu is poised to turn that country into a theocracy run by conservative/ orthodox Jews who appear to be just fine with doing to the Palestinians what the Germans did to their ancestors. But I digress...
Tom joins in at the bottom of the hour.
In the first half, an update on what's happening in the world... maybe a Ketamine therapy update and a review of Michael Franti's uplifting concert Saturday night...
Last minute change of plans! My scheduled guest who was to talk about what happened to the radio and record industry had to reschedule. Usually that'd freak me out, but not today.
When he called to cancel, I was in the middle of taping an interview with Michael Franti, the founder and leader of Michael Franti & Spearhead, and I've been a fan since their first album was released in 1994!
He's in town for a show tomorrow night at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater, so we have a treat for you today.
And we could use some feel-good energy right about now, which is exactly what Michael Franti brings...
Howie Klein is here today, as he is every Thursday. Last week we spent our entire time together talking music, so today I promise at least some news and politics. After all, where else can you get talk about RFK Jr's descent into another world and Marge Traitor Greene showing dic pics in an official House hearing? Oh there's more, and we'll get to a lot of it
It's time for labor in America to stand up for workers rights! The Writer's Guild (WGA) went out on May 2, and SAG/AFTRA voted to strike this past weekend. Most people really don't know the things they're striking about, but should. So that's our mission today, to explain and understand.
To get us there, I called on David Jolliffe, an old friend who happens to be on the National Board/Executive committee as well as on the negotiating committee. (You may remember Dave as Bernie on the 70s TV show ROOM 222). He's bringing along some fellow committee members Frances Fisher and Sean Astin.
We'll get out all the facts and grievances and, I promise, have some fun too.
You can read the SAG-AFTRA proposals and the AMPTP counters here and read more at the official strike website at sagaftrastrike.org.
Sometimes things happen for a reason. Digby was scheduled to be here on Friday, but due to technical problems beyond my control (Grrr Microsoft update), I opted to take the day off. Well, Digby is here today, and I'm kind of glad I blew her off on Friday because we have so much more to talk about today! We learned this morning that on Sunday evening, the former guy received a target letter from Jack Smith informing Trump that he was a target of the Jan 6 investigation. Boom! Interesting timing, as this comes as the New York Times published a stunning story about Trump and the Republican party's plans to go all in on a unitary executive (think dictatorship along the lines of Orban, Erdogan and Putin) should they take back the White House in 2024.
Greg Mitchell is a filmmaker, author, journalist and more who seems equally interested in the history of the Atomic Bomb and music. It's one of the reasons I'm a fan and enjoy talking with him. He's written a number of books and produced at least one film about the bomb. His book, THE BEGINNING OR THE END: HOW HOLLYWOOD -- AND AMERICA -- LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB is garnering attention again due to the highly anticipated (and equally hyped) release of Christopher Nolan's new film, OPPENHEIMER this week. Greg is one of the few who's seen a screening of OPPENHEIMER. He returns to the show today to talk about the man, the movie, the monstrosity and more. And you know I won't let the interview end without taking a brief musical detour with one of the original writers at CRAWDADDY magazine, the first US music magazine back in the late 60s/early 70s.
It's Friday Eve... Howie Klein is here. We talk politics, as he runs the Blue America PAC and writes a lot at DownWithTyranny.com. But we also often talk music. Before Howie went into progressive politics full-time, he was in the music industry. I met him probably close to 30 years ago when I was doing music radio in Los Angeles and Howie was president of Reprise Records! When politics gets too toxic we have somewhere else to go! Today, I'll tell you about what I didn't have time for yesterday, and that's the secret about credit cards and usurious interest rates they're charging. I did some research and I'll tell you which cards to use, if you must... Also, it appears that the actors are the next group to go on strike and join the WGA. I reached out to an old friend yesterday who happens to be on the Executive Board of SAG/AFTRA. You might remember David Jolliffe (if you're an old fart like me) from when he played Bernie on the early 70s show ROOM 222. He'll join us one day next week to fill us in on the behind-the-scenes stuff. But I'll share some of our back and forth with you today.
Welcome to Wednesday. Once we get past the news that inflation is down, the economy is buzzing, yet another interest hike is on the way and I challenge you to look at the rates you're paying on credit cards, we'll turn our attention to the animals. I am an animal lover. You may know I spent every weekend for over a year leading up to the start of Covid volunteering at the Broward County animal shelter, working to help dogs find their new forever humans. I think dogs are better than humans in every way possible. I've always been interested in PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an organization that's fought for animal rights and safety throughout its decades-long history of activism. Today, I'm joined by PETA President and founder Ingrid Newkirk who just updated her plan to continue her activism for animals after her death. It's as creative as anything PETA has done in the past (and they've done some outlandish things to bring attention to the issue over the years).
It's that every other (or so) Tuesday and @GottaLaff is here to shoot the shit about the news or whatever else we feel like talking about. We're both so fed up with politics and the sad state of things that we often devolve into silliness or worse. In fact, we've come up an idea for a new segment (possibly a new show) that we may debut today.... or not.
Now that's setting expectations high. There's a lot wrong in this state, but thankfully there are some people trying to turn things around.
The Florida Democratic Party has been a mess for too long. Now with former Ag Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried taking over as FDP Chair, she's shaking things up. This weekend, Leadership Blue held its annual confab on Miami Beach. Former chair of the Progressive Democratic Caucus of Florida Susan Smith was there, and I asked her to join us for a few minutes to tell us what happened, and if there's any hope here.
Before Susan, another Floriduh story. Rebekah Jones (remember her?) will be here with exciting news. Josh Fox (Oscar-nominee, Emmy winner, director of GASLAND, and others) is making her WHISTLEBLOWER story into a film, and they've launched a Kickstarter to finance it. She'll join in to tell us all about it.
Friday has finally arrived. These three day weeks are tough, but they too eventually come to an end. And to put the period at the end of this week's sentence, we welcome the loquacious and always insightful (and sometimes inciteful) OG member of the progressive blogosphere, DRIFTGLASS back to the show. To find out what's on his mind, check out driftglass.blogspot.com or have a listen to the Professional Left Podcast (at proleftpod.com). It's always a fascinating conversation with Driftglass... but he comes on after I share my experience from earlier today as I had my second Ketamine infusion therapy session. And Lordy, there is tape!
Almost every Thursday for the past dozen years or more (more), Howie Klein and I have spoken about what ever is on our minds. Yes, it's usually politics, and that's what we'll talk about today. The conversation could go any number of ways, so I'll just say tune in and join in the discussion!
It's difficult to come back from a four-day weekend. That's compounded when you do a news-based show but took the weekend off from all news-related information. Seriously, that's what I did, and it felt great. But I got to work last night catching up on all the things I wanted to ask Marcy Wheeler about today. Marcy's living in Ireland now, so due to the time difference, we record her appearances in the morning my time. Today's recording sounds great, but the video got corrupted (damn gremlins). So today's a day for listening... and there's a lot to digest... from the Extreme Court's scorched earth policy to the Washington Post's examination of the 1/6 DOJ investigation to Hunter Biden to Twitter and beyond. It's information overload, so clear the cache and get ready to absorb!
So the court ended this term with a bang that blasted us back to the Middle Ages. My favorite legal expert Lisa Graves returns today to help us understand exactly what happened and what freedoms of ours are at stake next.
What a way to start the 4th of July holiday weekend, huh? Is there much left to celebrate?
We expected it, but that doesn't make the fact that the Extreme Court today basically killed off Affirmative Action in college admissions, with ramifications that likely go even further. This term of the court officially ends tomorrow, while there are still 5 decisions left. Lisa Graves returns to the show tomorrow to help us try to make sense of what they do... and what they did today. But today is Thursday, so Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC is here. There's lots to talk about, and I'm guessing he'll have a few things to say about SCOTUS too....
Lisa Graves, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General under both Bill Clinton/Janet Reno and George W Bush/John Ashcroft and a veteran of a few other similarly impressive high level legal positions, joins us regularly to help us understand issues related to the DOJ, Supreme Court and other matters pertaining to the law. She's here today to talk us through the two decisions handed down by the court yesterday, and recap the rest of the cases still to be decided.
We hit the jackpot today. Not only is Laffy here, but the Supreme Court dropped a couple of decisions today including doing the right thing on redistricting! Be still my beating heart... But never fear, there are still eight or so cases left, meaning eight ways the magat majority on the extreme court can still fuck over the nation. Regardless, it's been a while since Laffy's been here, so we have a lot of territory to cover...
Welcome to a new week. I am back today, with lots to talk about.
SCOTUS term has 10 cases left to decide, I'll run 'em down. Probably talk a bit about the travesty that is Bobby Kennedy Jr. and anti-vaxxers and science deniers.
And more. Phone lines are open too. Should be interesting as all the Bill Maher sycophants are swarming my Twitter after criticizing him for the un-funny shill he's become.
So, today is almost anything goes. We'll see where the hour takes us...
It's an encore presentation of our Juneteenth show from last year, but it was an important one. We Need to Talk About it!
BetterHelp:This episode is sponsored by by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/NICOLESANDLER and get on your way to being your best self.
It is finally Friday. There's a slew o' news, as usual, and I'll run down a bunch of it.
We'll also visit with Cody Cassidy, author of the new book, HOW TO SURVIVE HISTORY: HOW TO OUTRUN A TYRANNOSAURUS, ESCAPE POMPEII, GET OFF THE TITANIC, AND SURVIVE THE REST OF HISTORY'S DEADLIEST CATASTROPHES.
We'll find out if he has the answer to the 64 million dollar question: How to survive the Trump years?
Nom Nom:Try Nom Nom today, go to trynom.com/sentbynicole and get 50% off your first order plus free shipping.
What a week this has been! And it's only Thursday (or as we call it around here, Friday Eve). This has felt like the week that never ends!
But it is Thursday, so Howie Kleinis here. We'll talk about the history made this week and how we navigate these previously uncharted waters.
A group of 20 Republicans sided with the House Democrats to kill McCarthy's vendetta against Adam Schiff... could the tides be turning?
And looking forward... we're at the mid-point of June. This term of the Supreme Court officially ends come the beginning of July, and some 20+ decisions have yet to be announced, with some huge ramifications. We'll take a look at what's still to come...soon...
This has been a ridiculously busy news week-- and today is only Wednesday. So I thought, after a look at today's news and after we tie up a few loose ends - we'll have a musical reset. Well, without the music! As you may have heard me mention, I'm working on a huge project with a group of radio veterans. It's called Women Who Rock, and will feature a streaming music station playing all female artists, a Women Who Rock Podcast network, and a community and information area. I thought we'd be launching around now, but there are a lot of moving pieces.... so, since we're still probably a month or two away from launching I decided to raid those files and share with you an interview I conducted last month with the great Melissa Etheridge! Melissa is currently on tour (all dates listed here https://melissaetheridge.com/events/), and in September she goes to Broadway! We talk about all of it.. her music, her politics, her activism, her 35-year long career so far and lots more. Yes, this interview will be part of the opening week festivities of WomenWhoRock.com, but today my listeners get a sneak treat... a midweek Melissa intermezzo
Jeff Sharlet has been alerting the rest of us to the more frightening aspects of the fringes of society for many years and eight books by now. His new one is THE UNDERTOW: SCENES FROM A SLOW CIVIL WAR.
I asked Jeff to join us on today's show because, as I write this, the former guy is in a Miami Federal Court, pleading Not Guilty to 37 criminal counts -- 31 of willful retention of national security records and 6 counts of obstruction.
History is being made, for sure. But then there's the question of the people who came out to support the first former president to be indicted and arrested on criminal charges, and the violent rhetoric they're casually threatening the rest of us with.
On Thursday, we learned that Trump had been indicted in the documents case by a grand jury in South Florida!
Trump is to appear on Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Miami. Of course, he's pulling out all the stops to incite violence (some things never change).
After reading the indictment itself, I went to emptywheel.net to get Marcy Wheeler's take on this bombshell, and figured you should hear it to. So today, Marcy Wheeler returns to help us navigate the muddy waters of the Trump/MarALago/Bedminster swamp, on the eve of his arraignment
Well, I said there was a chance an indictment would come down yesterday... And sure enough, it did! The 37 counts against Donald Trump (and one against his co-conspirator bring bringing it to 38) were released today -- all 49 pages. And then we heard from Jack Smith himself, for the very first time. You can and should read the indictment. It'll take 20 minutes but will blow your mind. Thankfully, former Deputy Asst Attorney General in both the Clinton and W Bush administrations Lisa Graves will be here to help us understand exactly what happened -- what Trump is being charged with, what Jack Smith said, what happens next, etc.
It's Thursday, so Howie Klein is here! We have lots to talk about, beginning with the dysfunction in the House. The radical right flank is blocking Kevin McCarthy's every move because they're angry that he cut a deal on the debt ceiling with Joe Biden. Wow.
We're also on indictment-watch. Yes, it appears that Donald Trump is going to be experiencing some things...again. Perhaps very soon.
But we also have unexpected news today ... Pat Robertson has died. For years, he held the honorary position of Most Heinous Human in the world. We'll spend a few minutes paying him the tribute he deserves.
I first met Jesse Hagopian a few months ago, after I discovered the existence of the Zinn Education Project. I invited him on the show to talk about his work as an educator and activist for truth in education. Unfortunately, such activists are necessary in today's world, as elected officials like the fascist Florida Man DeSantis are pushing to whitewash history, literally.
When Jesse joined us back in March, he mentioned an event called the Teach Truth Day of Action coming up on June 10, which I dutifully put in my calendar.
When I noticed that day would arrive on Saturday, I invited Jesse back on the show for another conversation about the dumbing down of America and the need to teach our children the truth!
So, Jesse Hagopian returns today to talk about how the attacks on our public education system have only intensified since we last spoke, and to remind us how to get involved in the Teach Truth Day of Action on Saturday. Hint: Visit TeachTruthPledge.org. That will take you to the details page for the day.
Or you can go to the Zinn Education Project where the day of action originated.
What are you waiting for? Go, now!
Seventy-nine years ago today - June 6, 1944, allied forces invaded five beaches at Normandy-- more than 160,000 Allied forces landed in Nazi-occupied France as part of the biggest air, land and sea invasion ever executed. Why? They were fighting fascism! Today, we celebrate the OG Antifa fighters of fascism. It was on this day in 1968 that Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. And now his son, RFK, Jr, is poised to be a spoiler who can't possibly win the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 2024, but he surely could help return the fascist Trump to office. Lovely. And what a day for the PGA and Saudi's to announce they've reached a deal to merge their golf tours. What could possibly go wrong? We'll delve into all that and more today.... We'll see where the day brings us.
Welcome to the start of a new week. It's a Monday alright. Today was the day the government would have run out of money if Biden and McCarthy hadn't come to a deal on raising the debt limit. Depending on what you're reading or to whom you're listening, the deal was either a turd sandwich, Biden getting the best of the Republicans, Biden giving in to the Republicans, or a shit sandwich (I know, not much different from a turd sandwich -- it's all at the whim of the reader, er, eater). Anyway, Brian Karem returns to the show today. I invited him because in his latest column for Salon.com, he writes that it was actually that relic of DC gone by... something called "compromise" - and that, he says, sort of, is a good thing. But first, wtf is up with the American right wing? They're asleep when they should be woke (YES, they should be WOKE) and, thanks to Trump saying the quiet parts really LOUD, their flat-earth-beliefs are being exposed and they thing we're the ones imposing the beliefs of a small minority on the masses? Opposite world, indeed.
It's June -- Pride month. Today we celebrate our gay, lesbian, bi, trans, non-binary and all people and their rights to be whomever they are, to find their unique voices and march to their own tunes and drummers. As an older person (did I just say that?), I've lived through the changes - both attitudinal and in real life. I've learned to be quiet long enough to listen to the people around me who are going through their own self-awareness journeys, realizing that everyone should be afforded the dignity to live their lives as best suits them... Today, realizing that the hate is not only here in the US, we extend our hand across the globe to say Happy Pride... be loud, be proud, be who ever the fuck you are.
I spoke with an artist called Skaly from the UK. They had sent me this video that just went live yesterday, and I thought it was appropriate to invite them on the show and help spread the word.
https://youtu.be/OtM8kx6h0v8
And my old pal Spocko joined in too. We talked about our mutual friend, the late great Joel Silberman who taught us (and members of Congress, candidates, celebrities and activists) how to use stories to make a point. Find Spocko's writings at Digby's blog and find out more about Spocko on his website.
The House passed the Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling deal last night with more Democratic than Republican votes. Was it a great deal? No. But did the Dems come out ahead of the Republicans? Without a doubt. Well, that's my take. As for what Howie Klein thinks? We'll find out today.
You never know with Howie. One of the things I'll ask him about today is his post at Down With Tyranny in which he basically says that the three members of Congress vying to replace Dianne Feinstein in the Senate -- Katie Porter, Barbara Lee and Adam Schiff -- are all progressives, and he actually defends Schiff as just as progressive as Lee!
The House today is voting on the Biden-McCarthy deal to raise the ridiculous debt ceiling.
David Dayen of The American Prospect returns to the show today to bring us up to date on what's happening and how we got here. I call it a deja vu because we've had this conversation before -- 12 years ago, in fact.
On July28, 2011, we talked on this program about President Obama's deal with a Republican-led Congress, the first time the GOP weaponized this ridiculous provision that allows the good faith and credit of the US to be threatened. Today we find out that we, as a nation (or more accurately, our "leaders") haven't learned one damn thing.
The first day back after a long holiday weekend is always tough. But here we are.
News was made while America was using the day set aside to remember those lost in battle to buy mattresses and gorge themselves on food and beer. OK, I'm over-generalizing, but we really do need to step back and assess our priorities from time to time. And this would be a good time to do that.
With the debt ceiling negotiations ongoing as the holiday weekend began, I was taken aback that the so-called cable news channel MSNBC opted to run the Rudy Giuliani story on repeat Monday afternoon into evening instead of offering some semblance of news, but that would be asking too much. (I guess they all had mattresses to buy or steaks to grill or something...)
Today, I was happy to receive Will Bunch's newsletter.
Will Bunch is a national columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and, thankfully, in today's edition, he gave a good roundup of what transpired while America was celebrating all of our war dead... or something.
So, after I start the show by lamenting that my town suffered yet another mass shooting (when will it ever end?!?) and share a few other thoughts, I'll welcome Will Bunch back to the show and let him tell you what the media missed about the laughing stock that was the fascist Florida man's ridiculous presidential campaign launch and more!
At the start of the show, I mentioned an article I wrote encouraging the rest of the world to issue travel advisories against vacationing here due to danger from guns, and it's finally happening, 10 years later! Here's the original column.
Monday is Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer. So today, I'm joined by my friend Boca Britany Somers for a special Trans Summer Kick Off in honor of the fascist Florida man who had the gall to announce his candidacy for president this week... We'll have a gay old time!
Sometimes life just doesn't make sense. Although today's show isn't really about two governors, it does involve two (actually three) southern governors whose actions were not reflected in the paths their lives and careers have taken. But, in all fairness, one of the stories hasn't yet reached a conclusion, so the odds are pretty good that fairness will win. But we'll see.
I'm talking -in the second instance- of Florida's sad excuse for a governor. Ron DeSantis, who signed the bill into law just yesterday that will allow him to run for president without resigning as governor first, made his candidacy official yesterday, launching his campaign on Twitter Spaces. Yes, the correct response to that is "Twitter what?" . The little-known audio only section of Twitter did exactly what we expected: It crashed! The headlines "Failure to Launch" wrote themselves.
Meanwhile, the day before, we heard from two former Alabama governors, one of whom I know much more about that the other. The one I don't know is Robert Bentley, a Republican, who resigned from office before he could be removed. The other is Don Siegelman, a Democrat, and one of the best Democratic governors from the south who could have been (and should have been) president. If only he hadn't been targeted, set-up and prosecuted (persecuted) by the nefarious forces on the right, likely led by one Karl Rove.
--Click here to hear my interview with Gov. Siegelman about his story from June 12, 2020 ----
Siegelman was accused of bribery and convicted based on lies and fabrications from the right, and he served a sentence as an actual American political prisoner. Unfortunately, the Democratic president Barack Obama did noting to right the wrongs perpetrated on him by those who sought to discredit him.
He's not coming on to talk about that today, though. Instead, Gov. Siegelman joins me to talk about an op-ed he and Gov Bentley co-authored for the Washington Post earlier this week, expressing their regrets for going along with the death penalty when they each had the power to refuse.
Today's the big day! The Fascist Florida Man Ronald DeSantis is officially declaring his candidacy for president in 2024 this evening. We knew it was coming; we just didn't know where, exactly when or how he'd do it, but now we do, and it's par for the ridiculous course that is this authoritarian Trump-in-training.
You could almost hear the jeering and laughs accompanying the announcement that the big campaign kick-off event would take place on Twitter with one of the few people on the planet who's as big a laughingstock as is the FFM (fascist Florida man) and TFG (the former guy) -- Elmo, er, Elon Musk. I know, you're thinking "on Twitter? Huh?" But wait, it's even better... it'll be in a Twitter SPACES.
Say it with me now, a Twitter WHAT?
Twitter Spaces is akin to a party line! As telephones were just being introduced, many people shared the same line... so if you picked up the phone to make a call, you might have to wait until another call finished... or you could just join in. "Spaces" are audio-only group calls.
I know what they are, though I've never actually participated in one, and can't understand how a serious presidential candidate would ever launch their campaign in this manner. Then again, nothing about DeSantis is serious except for his quest to be a dictator.
So, DeSantis makes it official tonight, on the first anniversary of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, so I thought I'd combine both occasions for today's show because they are absolutely related. Stay tuned and find out how...
The word on the street is the DeSantis will make it official tomorrow, declaring his candidacy for president on 2024 with an announcement live on Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk. Twitter Spaces? That's like a phone party line, right? Either way, I guess I'll miss it. But I continue doing my civic duty as someone who still (unfortunately) lives in Florida to warn the rest of the nation (and planet) about the sorry, sniveling, authoritarian, dictator wannabe and keep him as far away from the White House as is possible. Today on the show, I'll share more writings to show you that yes, it could happen here (and already is). And I'll be joined by Maria J. Stephan who has a new article at Salon.com, "The Battle Against Fascism: Lessons on how to beat back authoritarianism from abroad". Let's get all anti-fascist together! -- ANTIFA!
The news is that Ron DeSantis is going to declare his candidacy for the presidency this week, as ridiculous as that is.... So I figured we'd spend the better part of this week enlightening the rest of the world about what we've known about moRon DeathSentence since he was elected.... and no one knew anything about him before he became governor, as he was just some snivelly back bench nobody congressman. Strap in, and feel free to call in (954-889-6410) with any questions about the fascist Florida man. If I don't know the answer, I'll do what he does and make something up.
We wrap up the week today with another visit from independent journalist Marcy Wheeler. She does a better job of covering the actual news dealing with national security and the various investigations into the former guy (and all news items related) than I see anywhere in the corporate mainstream press. You find her work at emptywheel.net. I'm honored that Marcy checks in with us every 3-4 weeks or so, and fills the hour with information. Today is no different. We mostly discuss the Durham report that was released on Monday, on the 4-year long investigation into the oranges* of the Russia investigation. (Yes, I know it was supposed to be the origins, but TFG couldn't remember the word origins. Yikes.)
Howie Klein is a fascinating man. We first met some 30+ years ago. At the time, I was doing music radio in Los Angeles and Howie was President of Reprise Records. When he saw the writing on the wall ahead of the AOL/Time Warner merger in 2000, he took the payout and got out just before everything started going to shit. Howie quickly pivoted and turned his energies toward electing progressives to office. He began blogging at DownWithTyranny.com, and formed the Blue America PAC with other progressive bloggers Digby and John Amato. And they're all still going strong. When I moved from music radio to progressive talk, Howie quickly became a regular guest, eventually joining me weekly. We've been at it for well over a dozen years already. You'd think we'd run out of things to talk about. But sadly, the state of politics today insures that we'll never be at a loss for topics - and politicians - about which to talk. Today, aside from wherever the conversation takes us, I'll definitely ask Howie about Dianne Feinstein. Howie lived in San Francisco back in the day and was friendly with Harvey Milk. I've heard that Harvey shared his private feelings about the former Mayor of SF, now the sickliest senator in Congress who refuses to stay home...
One sure-fire way to get me to return for a live show is to have Digby booked as the guest. I've been taking a few days to try to regain some sanity as I've been struggling with some demons lately. Still struggling, but happy to be here today to talk with Heather "Digby" Parton. She's the Queen... the OG progressive blogger who's been at it with Digby's Hullabaloo since the start, fighting the good fight. (Though in my current state of mind, I keep asking if anything can stop the descent into full-blown fascism, and haven't come to a decent answer yet...) Anyway, I've unplugged from most of the news in the past week or so, I've been catching up this morning and things are even worse than before. Should be a lively discussion today.
I'm going to see Melissa Etheridge in concert tonight, so will not have a live show today. So I thought you should enjoy Melissa today too. So it's a Flashback Friday. I'll share three of the many interviews I've done with Melissa in the 35 (gasp) years since her first album was released in 1988.
We start with an interview from October of 2008. It was three weeks before the Nov 4 2008 election that gave us President Obama!
The second interview I'm sharing is from five years earlier. It was Christmastime 2003, and Melissa joined me on the air at WXRV/Boston 92.5 The River for an interview and performance.
And we wrap it up with an appearance on my show from 2014...
Enjoy! And I'll see you Monday.
We have a euphemism in our house. Instead of announcing the need to take a shit, we merely say it's time to Trump. Well, CNN Trumped itself last night. The so-called Town Hall which was, in reality, a Trump rally hosted live on CNN, was itself a Trump of massive proportions. But now you know exactly what CNN is... and it and Trump are on the same level. Trump inducing sickness. I started out watching it, thinking that I had to for my work. But about 20 minutes in, I could take it no longer and simply left the room. I was done. Howie Klein is here today. If I had to guess, I'd say he didn't watch last night's spectacle. And I wouldn't blame him. We still have George Santos to talk about, if that is indeed his name
It's a Monday with Elie Mystal!
Given the overwhelming number of cases where justice has not been served in recent days, weeks and months, we're past due for a visit with Elie Mystal, Justice Correspondent for The Nation and author of ALLOW ME TO RETORT: A BLACK GUY'S GUIDE TO THE CONSTITUTION. Thankfully, he joins us today for the better part of the hour.
Don't be late!
Freedom of the Press is such an important pillar of a democracy that it's enshrined in the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Here in the so-called land of the free, we pride ourselves on our freedoms. So would it surprise you to learn that the US came in at a barely respectable 45th place in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index?
This year's rankings were released yesterday. I'm joined by Clayton Weimers, director of the US bureau of Reporters Without Border, RSF.org, who'll explain the findings and why a free press is such an important pillar in any democracy.
Of course, we'll being with late breaking news. Today, the Proud Boys are convicted, more from the Clarence Thomas/Harlan Crow grift, and whatever else the day throws at us before showtime.
As we lurch ever closer to X-Date - the day when the US government can no longer use extraordinary measures with our money to avoid hitting the ridiculous debt ceiling now appears to be coming on June 1 -- neither side is budging. It's been a few years since we've dealt with this unnecessary crisis, but because the Democrats control the White House but the House is controlled by a magaT contingent intent on blowing up the nation, many of us have been getting a bit nervous.
Thankfully, The American Prospect today launched a new "X-Date: A Debt Ceiling Newsletter" in which they promise to bring us the latest status, news and information about the issue until there's some resolution.
Today, I'm joined by Ryan Cooper, managing editor of TAP, who'll give us a primer on the ridiculous obstacle and how we can get past it...
Responding to the recent revelations about serious ethical breaches at the US Supreme Court, the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning held a hearing on Supreme Court ethics... or the lack thereof.
It was another frustrating journey through Opposite World. Instead of yelling at the TV, I invited Lisa Graves to join us today to weigh in on the situation.
Lisa is no stranger to the Senate Judiciary Committee, having served as its Chief Counsel for Nominations under then-chair Patrick Leahy - or to the DOJ where she was Deputy Assistant Attorney General under both Janet Reno and John Ashcroft.
Today, Lisa heads up TrueNorth Research. She usually appears on this show as a private citizen speaking for herself and not for her organization, today she'll appear in both roles, offering her own opinion as well as the statement of the watchdog organization she leads.
It's a new week and a new month, so I figured it was time for a reset. There are so many investigations of and political perils swirling around the former guy (who also inexplicably happens to be the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president), so today we'll check in with lawyer and author Teri Kanefield, who's been covering all of them on her blog at terikanefield.com. You can also follow along on Twitter and Mastodon... We'll begin with a recap of the crap that put me in such a lovely mindset last week, and I'll tell you about our upcoming trip too, if time permits.
Howie Klein's been out for a couple of weeks, but he's back today, no doubt with stories to tell. And plenty happened here while he was gone. We'll also get a quick visit from Lucas Kunce, running to unseat Josh Hawley in the US Senate from MO.
It's completely my fault. I screwed up the date when booking him on the show last week, and had gremlins knock me off the air on Monday. So today, we try again.
In the third edition of his book, CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HITMAN, John Perkins explains how he and those who do the same work he did as Chief Economist at a major international consulting firm are actually working to, in a nutshell, destroy the world. That's certainly paraphrasing and perhaps oversimplifying his message, but that is the gist of it. In this edition of his NY Times best seller, he shows how China has picked up the slack and taken the helm for what he describes as the third EHM wave that's infecting the world. Not to leave us all wondering what we can do about it, Perkins has a prescription.
All that said, if you enjoy the show and can afford it, I hope you'll support this show.
What's News has been discontinued because I can't monetize it. If you appreciate this show and would like it to continue, please consider donating: nicolesandler.com/donate-2
IF not, that's ok. Enjoy the last few weeks of the show.
If you've ever listened to my show, you know I cannot say the words Fox and News together. They're like magnets that repel each other, the two words just do not go together.
But some very creative people in NY rented some trucks with LED light-signs on the sides that say Fox KNEW... along with messages like Tucker Carlson Knew, Rupert Murdoch Knew and, well, you get the message... Those trucks are driving up and down the streets of Manhattan as the Dominion Lawsuit trial against Fox (not news) officially began this morning...
I'll update you on the latest, and share some other news and issues of concern.
*** ACK - less than an hour before showtime, they settled! Fox is to pay Dominion $787.5 million, and here's the kicker: none of the on-air liars have to admit they lied.
So boy am I glad I had a guest booked to take the temperature down a notch or two...
In the second half of the show, we'll meet one of the talented musicians whose parody songs help soothe our inner and outer savage breasts regularly on this show. Miss Laurie Lehner joins us from New Orleans, where she'll even share a new song with us.
Yes, it may be manic, but it's a Marcy Monday and those are the best kind. Marcy Wheeler generously brings her knowledge and reporting to the show every few weeks to catch us up on the various stories unfolding around us, most centering on the former guy's attempts to unravel our democracy. Today, we discuss the latest leak dump of Pentagon papers, the Dominion lawsuit, the Proud Boys trial, the Matty Dick Pics Taibbi saga and lots more... It's a full plate of info, so come prepared to digest a lot...
Today is Thursday, so Howie Klein joins us from Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC where we usually talk politics. And there's lots to talk about today, including the travesty unfolding in Nashville right now as the TN state legislature is seeking to expel three Democrats from the legislature because they dared to stand with the protestors following last week's mass school shooting in Nashville. But Howie was a music industry icon back when we first met in Los Angeles almost 30 years ago. Before he was president of Reprise Records, Howie worked with Seymour Stein at the groundbreaking Sire Records. Stein died this week, so I'll ask Howie to share what he did that was so important. But we'll start today with John Nichols, national correspondent for The Nation magazine, and from a family who's been in Wisconsin for, I believe, seven generations. On Tuesday, Wisconsin voters made sure the state's Supreme Court would be controlled by Democrats, thereby blocking the Republicans from enacting an ancient provision from putting another nail in the coffin of women's reproductive rights.
We finish up this week of blasts from the past with a rebroadcast of a segment with the late Joel Silberman. He did a weekly segment with me for a while, one of the best people I know. This was 11-18-16, less than two weeks after Trump won.
Then we end the week with an interview with music legend Boz Scaggs. And yes, he performs a few songs. You'll want to listen through to the end.
I'll be back Monday!
Three years ago, MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell accepted my invitation to come on my show and talk about his assertion that he is a socialist, among other things...
Two years ago to the day, I spoke with Arizona's then Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. Though should wouldn't come out and announce she was running for governor then, she is the governor now.... Thank goodness, the Arizonans didn't elect the fascists!
It's Tuesday, and I don't think any former president is getting arrested today. So we jump back into the archives to see what happened this week in years gone by. Today we go back to March 23, 2010 - thirteen years ago. ACORN had been targeted by the twerp we've come to know and loathe as James O'Keefe. Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com covered the story better than most, so he joined me that night -- that day ACORN shut down.
Today marks 20 years since the US under George W Bush invaded Iraq. Today we mark that occasion by reaching into my radio archives. Today we hear a conversation with then-Congressman Dennis Kucinich and a production piece I put together both from May 20, 2009, and an interview with Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan from May 20, 2015. We end on a peaceful note, with a 1996 performance and interview with musician Keb' Mo'...
It’s that other Tuesday, so GottaLaff is here. We scrub the depths of Twitter, Mastodon and actual news sources to talk about what’s happening. Today, it’s a run on the banks, a drone taken down by Russia and…. we’ll find out as we go along!
I'm so sick of seeing laudatory stories about the bigot, racist, fascist governor of Florida. Ron DeSantis is a bully who believes his point of view is the only valid viewpoint and any other thoughts or ideas are therefore "woke," "indoctrination," or some other nonsense he spews every time he opens his ugly mouth. Just when you think he can't go any lower, he does something else despicable. The latest? In response to last week's protests of his actions in Tallahassee, he pushed through an order to disallow such protests in the future, damn your first amendment rights. (Don't you know that first amendment rights are only afforded to those who agree with his bigotry.) The main headline the front page of today's Miami Herald is "Florida's battleground but not for votes: It's the civil rights left vs. anti-woke right".
The byline is Mary Ellen Klas, the Herald's Capitol bureau chief who's covered Florida for most of her career. I invited her on after reading today's lead story, and seeing his latest act of retaliation against those who dare to oppose him.
We awoke this morning, Presidents Day, to the news that President Biden was on the ground in Kyiv, meeting with President Zelinsky.
We send thoughts and prayers to Jimmy Carter. Yes, this is the appropriate time for thoughts and prayers...
What a way to end the first week of the new year. Today marks the second anniversary of the Trump-led attack on the capitol as insurrectionists attempted to overturn the results of a fair and free 2020 election. It’s been a long, frustrating couple of years, usually with the public being kept in the dark about how the insurrectionist’s prosecutions are going… with one major exception.
Marcy Wheeler is an independent journalist who deals with this kind of shit… She covers national security, government malfeasance and so much more on her own site at emptywheel.net. She’s been joining me regularly to keep us up to speed on all of the investigations and everything else happening in this shit show that some on the right are trying to undermine.
So Marcy joins me for a great discussion on this, the second anniversary of the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol, and on the fourth day of stalemate in the House of Representatives, as Kevin McCarthy keeps getting humiliated in his quest to be speaker.
But as I’m getting ready for today’s show, they’ve just finished voting… for the 13th time. And for the 13th time, Kevin McCarthy still couldn’t garner enough votes to win. And now they’re taking another vote on adjourning….
Like I said up top, what a way to end the first week of the new year….
Originally aired 3-4-22
Stevie Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band wrote his memoir
Some of the best moments and interview from 2022.. Today, our calls to Ukraine around the start of the war in February.
I'll be back with new shows on Mon Jan 2!
Music to wrap presents, cook, eat, unwrap presents or for any other non-traditional end of the year holiday listening pleasure... Hour 2 of 2!
Music to wrap presents, cook, eat, unwrap presents or for any other non-traditional end of the year holiday listening pleasure... Hour 1 of 2!
Today is the made-up holiday known as Festivus! It came from Seinfeld, the TV show from the 90s. I liked it well enough in the day, but this isn't about the show. The holiday itself is just the kind of rebellion I like. The traditional holidays don't mean much to me (do they really, to anyone?) I just enjoy the idea of a nonsensical reason to air our grievances and salute feats of strength, while sidestepping the traditions of Christmas, Chanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever other holiday was concocted to get in on the commercialization and gift giving. So, you are welcome to call in today to air your grievance or salute a particular feat of strength. Above all, we'll have fun today, my last show before actually taking off a full week! So come hang, and let's bid good riddance to 2022... a year that I can truly so wasn't as bad as 2020 or 2021, so we've got that going for us...
A bit of what's news as we sign off for 2022.... Happy New Year! What's News will return on Monday Jan 2, 2022
The countdown to the end of the year is on, and today is our last Thursday with Howie Klein in 2022 and in the 117th Congress. When we next convene, it'll be January 5. The 118th Congress will be the first in almost two decades without Nancy Pelosi leading the House Democrats. The torch will have been passed to Hakeem Jefferies, certainly ushering in a new era. But to make matters even worse, the Republicans will be in charge of the House, with a new Speaker, who may or may not be Kevin McCarthy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left Ukraine yesterday for the first time since the Russians invaded in February. He came to Washington DC for that Oval Office meeting he had long wanted, and to deliver an historical address to a joint meeting of Congress. And more transcripts are released from the House Select Committee investigating Jan 6... though as of midday on Thursday, we still haven't seen the full report. Perhaps it'll be delivered by a bearded man in a red suit late Saturday night?
Today's live show was all fubar on YouTube, so I deleted it and uploaded the video from the interview... Enjoy!
We last spoke one year ago today, and I'm thrilled they've returned for another visit in what is now a holiday tradition on the Nicole Sandler Show. The Marsh Family is Ben and Danielle and their four kids, Alfie Thomas, Ella and Tess, and they're the 21st century's answer to the Von Trapp Family Singers, without the drama. I can't think of a family I'd rather celebrate with this time of year (with the exception of my own). I'll share a small sample of their brilliant talents today, but encourage you to go to their YouTube channel and spend a while with this lovely family. By the way, they work miracles in bringing smiles to the faces of whomever is watching their work. An extra added bonus: this year, the Marsh Family's songs helped educate me regarding England's political and labor issues... it's nice to see it's not only the US suffering through all of this nonsense!
We're in the final throes of 2022 with all of us hoping that 2023 is better. Many of my colleagues are taking off this week and next, but I'm here this week, covering what remains of the 2022 news cycle, while injecting some irreverence and fun, when ever/wherever possible. Today, we have some year end housekeeping work... discuss the final public meeting of the House Select committee, the omnibus funding bill that was just made public overnight, the incoming Rethuglican House majority and more. Who better to do it with than Driftglass! The OG blogger and co-host of the Professional Left Podcast is today's guest....
It wasn't hearing, but a business meeting. Whatever you call it, today was the final public televised presentation from the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Today on the show, we'll review what the committee presented earlier and open the phones for your thoughts on the investigation and what happens next.
Today we salute the actions of the progressive activists who paved the way, focusing on one who was in the thick of it all. David Fenton's new book is "The Activist's Media Handbook: Lessons from Fifty Years as a Progressive Agitator". We'll discuss the history he was part of, and try to get to the bottom of why things are as they are now... David Fenton was there, working on the No Nukes concerts, in the campaign to free Nelson Mandela and end apartheid, legalize marijuana and end racist drug laws. He worked at High Times and Rolling Stone Magazine, and hung out with Abbie Hoffman and other legendary activists. I'm thinking our conversation will be part memories and reminiscences, and part primer to light a fire under the people who should carry the torch today and going forward.
This would be hysterically funny if it weren't so tragically sad! The attention whore Donald Trump was promoting a huge announcement for today, with people watching his sputtering newly-launched 2024 campaign wondering how he'll try to redeem himself. But that wasn't it at all! Donald Trump is, above all else, a con man. And today's actually not-so-big announcement was merely another way to bilk his followers of more money while showing absolutely no shame. It'd be quite amazing if it weren't so tragically sad! Perhaps Howie Klein will have a few things to say about Don's latest con. Or the recent polls showing TFG getting trounced in a 24 primary cage match by the other Floriduh man, Rhonda Santis. But I must revert to his other nickname, Governor Death Sentence, when I tell you about his newest con... trying to out wingnut TFG by announcing an investigation into the companies that created the Covid 19 vaccines (that saved millions of lives??), and his formation of a new anti-science alternative to the CDC and FDA. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried! I'm quite preoccupied with both of those surreal stories that cannot really be happening.... perhaps Howie Can tell us the latest about the former crypto-King, fighting extradition from the Bahamas, Scam Bankman Greed/Fraud.
I keep reading about unemployment being at a record low! Headlines scream "Hot Job Market" "Workers have the upper hand" and other stories along those lines. So why are so many of us running into brick walls when searching for that next great gig? Age? Perhaps! Ageism is unfortunately alive and well in the corporate world. Today's guest is a long-time friendly acquaintance of mine who, shockingly, also hit the dead zone when applying for jobs the last time he found himself without a job. He stumbled into a new career as a headhunter, and wrote a book to share his new-found expertise with the rest of us. Today I'm joined by Rob Barnett, former big shot at MTV/VHI, Amazon/Audible, past president of CBS Radio, founder/creator of My Damn Channel and lots more, author of "Next Job, Best Job: A Headhunter's 11 Strategies to Get Hired Now". I promise some entertaining stories and strategies to help you finally get that next, best job.
After the phony outrage from the American right wing nuts, I got to thinking about other political prisoners. The longest-serving one is Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist who's been held since 1975! He just turned 78, is in failing health, and the government has resisted calls for his release for decades. Today, I'll share the latest on the efforts to free Peltier, including a letter from seven US Senators sent to President Biden just two weeks ago, urging clemency. And we'll go back to my show when it was on Air America Radio... the date was July 31, 2009, when I spoke with Peltier's attorney, singer-songwriter-activist Bruce Cockburn and activist Harvey Wasserman. Find out lots of info about Leonard Peltier and his case at whoisleonardpeltier.info and, of course, by listening to today's show.
This week the Extreme Supreme Court heard two consequential cases that could affect millions of same sex married couples, and could enable state legislatures to upend our election systems, potentially allowing what Trump attempted in 2020 but couldn't. Today, we're joined by friend of the show Lisa Graves, currently executive director/founder of TrueNorthResearch, who served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General under AG's Janet Reno and John Ashcroft in the Clinton and W Bush administrations, so she knows of what she speaks! She'll also weigh in on the possible criminal referrals to DOJ by the 1/6 committee, and the strange provision attached to the NDAA that seems to give more cover to Supreme Court justices and their families to sidestep ethics rules. And of course, there's the news that broke early this morning that Kyrsten Sinema is not a Democrat. Didn't we already know that? (I know this is different, but I had to say it!)
Howie Klein blogs at Downwithtyranny.com and runs the Blue America PAC. He's done a weekly guest segment with me for probably over a decade now. During that time, the role of progressives in the House Democratic caucus has been somewhat of a rollercoaster. Today, we'll get the lay of the land from Howie regarding the makeup of the incoming minority party in the 218th Congress... Plus, will Kevin McCarthy become Speaker? What about his challenger, the MAGAt Andy Biggs? Will a Blue Dog come to Kevin's rescue? Those question and many more on today's Nicole Sandler Show. PLUS... Eight years after I first wrote a post suggesting other nations issue travel advisories for the United States due to our gun violence epidemic, it appears that they're finally listening...
I spent a very busy four years from 1990-1994 as producer of the #1 morning radio show in Los Angeles, the Mark and Brian Show, based at KLOS. The show continued for another 20 years or so after I left.. Mark Thompson wrote a book, just released this week. All proceeds go to benefit the Eastwood Ranch Animal Foundation and Rescue. Mark joins me today for some memories of the days when radio was fun and we were on top of the world. But we'll begin the show with a recap of last night's good news out of Georgia...
The 2022 midterms will finally come to a close tonight when the final vote is cast in the runoff election for the US Senate seat from Georgia. The race between the incumbent Raphael Warnock and his opponent, former football player Herschel Walker is inexplicably close, a depressing reality when you consider the qualifications of these two men. It's just an indication of how far the Republican party has fallen, that they put up a semi-illiterate man who doesn't understand the difference between the House and the Senate. Thankfully, I have faith that the people of Georgia will not sacrifice the US government to their irresponsible Republican power trip. It is that other Tuesday, so GottaLaff is here, with a combination of Tweets, Toots and other random social media pronouncements as we shoot the shit about what's happening in the news...
One thing you can say about life in the (sorry) Trump era (well, it sadly is), is that there's always shit hitting the wall somewhere. And when it's noise involving TFG, it is shit. Since the last time Marcy Wheeler was here (just three weeks ago), so much has happened. So today we'll get Marcy's take on the Oath Keepers seditious conspiracy guilty verdicts, Merrick Garland's appointment of a Special Counsel to take over all of the DoJ's Trump investigations, the Special Master was dismissed (and TFG's "judge" Canon reprimanded), and of course, the richest man in the world hired a formerly respected journalist to do his PR on the broken bird site... Never a dull moment!
Today, we take a break from news and politics to catch up with legendary record producer Bob Ezrin! Though many listeners of this program may not know his name, you've certainly heard and enjoyed his work over the past four decades! In addition to having produced some of the most iconic albums and bands in recent times, Ezrin is also a songwriter and musician, climate activist, film, television and theatrical producer and pioneer in digital media. In fact, it's in that world where we first met. He and I were among the first to dabble in internet radio, back in 2000-2001.... We'll talk about our work together at Enigma Digital and worldclassrock.com, plus a new tech event we also worked together on back in 1992! But we spend most of the hour discussing his work producing Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel and many others. We'll get back to the news and politics next week. But for today, we'll talk music and history with Bob Ezrin.
I've been chatting with Howie Klein every week for probably at least 10 years now, and always look forward to the insights he brings, even if we don't always agree. I can't wait to talk with Howie today about two main topics that are in the news right now. First up, the long-awaited changing of the guard in the House Democratic leadership. We'll talk about the good, the bad and the ugly. And speaking up ugly, the mess in dealing with the contract negotiations between the railroad workers and the 14 unions who represent the workers. Before Howie joins in at the midway point of the hour, I have a few words to share regarding the rise in antisemitism and other bigotry, racism and hate brewing in the right wingnut political space. And I'll share Leonard Pitts' latest column, which everyone who cares about what's happening should read.
The trial of five members of the Oath Keepers wrapped up yesterday with guilty verdicts, including on the harshest charge of seditious conspiracy for the group's leader and one other. It's the perfect preface for today's guest and the story he brings us. Jeff Sharlet is one of my favorite guests and one of my favorite authors/journalists. This morning, a new article went live on the Vanity Fair website, and it's what you expect from a Jeff Sharlet piece about another of his road trips. This time, he tells us about his own private Wisconsin death trip among militia men and fascists, and thankfully some beautiful souls. It was the day after the extreme court struck down Roe v Wade... Jeff joins us for the second half hour of the show. We'll begin with a round up of the day's news, including the latest on the efforts to derail a railroad strike, and the very sad news of the death of Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie. "And the songbirds keep singing like they know the score And I love you, I love you, I love you Like never before...."
After a look at what's happening in our world today, we'll talk about something that affects so many of us. Sadly, it tends to get worse this time of the year. Depression affects everyone, regardless of age, race and financial situation, though I'd guess those struggling are more likely to be depressed--- but not necessarily. Women are more prone to depression, though both genders suffer from bipolar disorder equally. There are other afflictions that often accompany depression, most notably anxiety and bi polar disorder and more. It is an epidemic with no cure in sight. But there is a rising dependency on drugs -- anti depressants. But they're not a cure-all and, in many cases, make the situation worse. Long time listeners of this show know that I've struggled with depression since adolescence. I've had my share of meltdowns on the air, most notably during the Former Guy's reign of terror. But I've been doing much better lately. Today, I'll be joined by my husband, David Sloane, who has suffered from PTSD for decades since he was pulled unconscious from a burning car in the desert some 40 years ago by a stranger who happened upon the crash and saved his life. Well, there is help on the horizon and it's very encouraging as it does not include drugs. We'll have a serious discussion about our depression epidemic and what can be done to help those who are suffering...
When do we finally reject the truly bad information we're bombarded with around every election? Most of the world was taken in by the predictions of a Red Wave or even a Tsunami in the midterms this year, pushed by pollsters and pundits and breathlessly regurgitated by the most complicit of TV commentators, anchors and wannabe professionals. Some cautioned us. Most notably Michael Moore, who screamed in daily emails to ignore the voices. He was correct. As were a few others with not quite as large a megaphone. One of those was Simon Rosenberg, a veteran Democratic political strategist and the founder of NDN and the New Policy Institute. Simon's seen this movie before, and he was quite outspoken throughout the disinformation barrage about his distrust in these polls, but placed much of the blame on the "massive media failure" that propelled the propaganda. I'll speak with Simon on today's show, and then look to the future... and more specifically next Tuesday, Dec 6, when he'll present "With Democrats Things Get Better"
Thursday is Thanksgiving and we're all looking longingly at the door. OK, I am... I rarely take time off, so a four-day weekend is calling my name... But I still have shows today and tomorrow, and must put together our annual Thanksgiving dinner soundtrack show and something to run on Friday as well... Today is a Tuesday and GottaLaff is here and we have lots to talk about. Lindsey Graham is out of delays, he's testifying before Fani Willis' grand jury in GA today, and Dr. Fauci gave what will likely be his final WH briefing today as he leaves the post he's held for decades....
With all that's transpired in this country over the past few weeks, I figured today was a good day to take look at the big picture. And who better to have that conversation with than Heather Digby Parton! Whether you read her at Salon or visit her long running Hullabaloo, Digby should be on your daily reading list.
The best laid plans and all that... I recorded a great interview yesterday to air today, but the audio was corrupted and it's not fit for air. So... the short version of the story is that we just talked -- you on the phones and I sounded off too about lots of breaking news today. Staring with Merrick Garland announcing a special counsel to deal with all of Trump's crimes. Then Biden gives MBS immunity for the murder of Jamal Khossigi?!?! And Twitter appears to be dying a slow, painful death.... It's certainly Friday!
The final vote counts are being tabulated and the outlook for the 118th Congress is coming into focus. Unfortunately, the Republicans have taken the majority in the House, and Kevin McCarthy is trying his hardest to become Speaker of the House. But the craziest in his caucus-- members of the so-called Freedom Caucus -- are exacting some major concessions from him for their votes. This is not going to be an enjoyable two years on that front. But there's much to speak with Howie Klein about today. The good news is that the Democrats retain control of the Senate and, of course, the White House. The Former Guy, building on his party's dismal performance in the midterms -- and virtually every one of Trump's endorsed candidates evisceration-- decides that now is the perfect time to announce he's running for president again in 2024?!? Nancy Pelosi this afternoon finally announced her intentions... she will remain in Congress, but will not run for re-election to leadership! So it appears she's clearing the way for the new Democratic House leadership triumvirate as Hakim Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar. Meh. Oh, Steny Hoyer said he'll do what Nancy's doing. Jim Clyburn thinks he'll still have a place in leadership. The Democratic Party braintrust still needs an infusion of new blood..
Climate change is here....Everything that Al Gore warned us would happen is happening. Our mainstream corporate media doesn't cover the issue much except when forced to because of the latest hurricane, flood, fire, drought ... you know, the every day occurrences plaguing the planet that we continue to destroy. Governments are making a show of doing something about it... the real question is if anything they do will ever help! Right now, the UN's annual climate confab is in progress... COP 27 is in Egypt. Friend of the show Sandy Schoelles, better known to her followers as Environmental Coffeehouse (the name of her YouTube channel and popular show) joins us today to tell us what's being accomplished or not, and what we need to know. Plus, Donald Trump is a loser. But you already knew that!
Sarah Posner is one of the best journalists today covering the religious right and their assault on our freedoms and liberty. Her latest book is "Unholy: How White Christian Nationalists Powered the Trump Presidency and the Devastating Legacy they Left Behind". I invited Sarah to join me on today's show after reading a Twitter thread she wrote in response to a recent New York Times article that raised doubts about gender-affirming care (though, as she says, they don't call it that). This coordinated attack on Transgender people is coming directly from Republican governors and legislatures, with a big push by a perversion of Christianity that is unfortunately assaulting our sensibilities and vulnerable members of society. Yes, we have a lot to talk about today!
I've been consumed by the midterm elections for the past few weeks. Now that it's (almost) all over, it's time to figure out what's been happening with the numerous investigations into the former guy and his sycophantic insurrectionist followers. For that, we turn to Marcy Wheeler, independent journalist extraordinaire, who covers it all at emptywheel.net. Lots to talk about today from the elections to Merrick Garlands progress, to the 1-6 committee and DOJ investigations, ongoing prosecutions and, of course, the latest on Twitter. Buckle in...
We have so many words the mean more than one thing in the English language. One of those words is "outstanding." In thinking about the midterm elections, outstanding works on both levels. Outstanding describes the feeling while watching TFG's teflon finally wearing off. Outstanding is how I'd describe yesterday's NY Post front page. But also outstanding (though under the other meaning) are the results of three senate races and a few dozen House races that will determine which party controls Congress. One of those still outstanding races is in Arizona, where Katie Hobbs, the current Democratic Secretary of State and her Republican former TV anchor opponent Kari Lake are fighting for the Governor's office. Today, I'll speak with Mother Jones' reporter Tim Murphy, who has a big story explaining all you need to know about Ms Lake. It's outstanding!
We're sill awaiting election results that will determine which party controls either or both Houses of Congress, but the big news is that the much-hyped coming Red Wave or Red Tsunami never materialized. I never bought it, but it's time for a major reckoning on how the corporate media enthusiastically and completely parroted the pollsters' partisan and slanted findings as fact, bowing to the idea of a horse race over being careful not to obscure actual facts. So, though there are still many question marks, some races are settled. Hopefully Howie Klein will have some good news to share.
Well, I'm feeling slightly vindicated today. I told you yesterday that I did not trust the polls and the corporate media's breathless horse race -like obsession over them, regardless of the political leanings of each particular polling company. And I was correct. There was no Red Tsunami, no red wave, more like a ripple, but unfortunately a ripple without enough resistance that'll allow it to take control of the House and possibly even the Senate. Today on the show, we'll go through some of the wins, the losses and the wtf outcomes... and Brian Karem will join us in the second half hour with his thoughts on where we stand today...
Election Day has finally arrived and the best thing about today is that those damned commercials will end, making it somewhat safe to watch TV again. All we know at this point is that we don't know how it'll all shake out, but we do know the Republicans will again try to steal the election while accusing Democrats of being the ones doing that. GottaLaff is here... She'll bring us her Tweet Spot while we wonder if Mastodon Moment would be a fitting substitute, and more. And the phones are open should you care to commiserate in our election day therapy session
Of course there's a Hurricane Nicole headed straight for South Florida on this final day before the end of the 2022 Midterm season. It's just the perfect metaphor for the shit storm that is this election, this state, and the orange menace who lives right on the beach just north of where I'm at. Come on Nicole, let's make a direct hit on Mar a Lardo! Meanwhile, tropical storm force winds are predicted for this area tomorrow, election day. That's ok, because hopefully all of us Dems voted early; it's only the Trumpers who insist on voting on election day because .... own the libs? Who knows? I've been collecting some closing argument ads that I'll share today, and Professor Harvey J. Kaye is here to put the final touches on these elections before we insert the fork.
Bill Mumy is a dear old friend of mine, though since I left Los Angeles 20 years ago, we've not seen much of each other lately. But he is truly one of my favorite people. So when I saw he had finally written his memoirs, I was excited to read it and to bring him back on the show to reminisce... Today is also my birthday, and I'm thrilled to spend it with him, not talking politics, at least for today. The book is called "Danger Will Robinson: The Full Mumy" and it's an amazing journey through Bill's career, from wishing bad people to the cornfield and a few other Twilight Zone classics through Lost In Space, Babylon Five, Papillon, Bless the Beasts and the Children, and the musical side of his life and career too. And since I know him pretty well, we talk about a few things not in the book... I hope you enjoy this half as much as I did.
We're in the final stretch of the 2022 Midterm elections, and I don't recall ever being this stressed out about the future of our country. I'm not a person who prays, but I am wishing and hoping with every inch of my being that reasonable people come out and vote in such huge numbers that the liars, cheaters, gaslighters and all of the Trump sycophants are shamed into oblivion. Sadly, that probably won't happen as a nefarious lie has taken hold and evil forces threaten democracy. This is not hyperbole, but very true words that I'd before thought unimaginable. Today's Thursday, so Howie Klein is here. We'll give the closing statements of election day 2022, and hope it won't be the eulogy of democracy in the USA.
One more week in this election season, and it can't end soon enough. If sensible people ever regain power, they really must shorten our election seasons, because this has gotten ridiculous already. And with tensions riding so high, I'd expect the worst in the final stretch. I'm afraid the crazy man who attacked Paul Pelosi won't be the last right-wing extremist to get violent. There's a lot of news happening today. I'll attempt to deal with much of it... I'll call on Lisa Graves today... She's my go-to legal expert, as she served in a number of capacities within the US Dept of Justice, including as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for nominations under both Janet Reno and John Ashcroft... She'll weigh in on the Supreme Court's hearing yesterday on the future of Affirmative Action, plus two rulings they handed down today (Lindsey Graham must testify in GA; Trump slithers out of having to turn over his tax returns, again, at least for now). The victims of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas HS shooting in Parkland get to tell the murderer exactly what they think of him today before he's officially sentenced to 36 life sentences with no parole. Elon Musk is driving away tons of Tweeters from Twitter. Israel is voting in its 5th election in four years and could return Netanyahu to power. And it's November! Voting ends in seven days, and open enrollment for Obamacare through the ACA has begun at healthcare.gov. I think that's enough to get us started....
If you've spent any time listening to my show, you've likely heard me reference "Opposite World." It's another way of saying "they're gaslighting you!"
Today's interview takes us deep into opposite world.
Today's Republican Party -- the MAGAt contingent -- likes to say Democrats are all kinds of evil, especially when it comes to children. Some of their allegations:
- We want to abort them up until and even after birth (!)
-We convince them that they're not really the gender they were born and we want to mutilate their genitals
-We sex traffic children
-We kill children and either eat them or drink their blood
-We're grooming our kids (to do what exactly?)
I must admit, I'm not really up to speed on those last few, but hey, why stop there? That's by no means an exhaustive list of their accusations, but it's a good start.
We're grooming them? The assertion is so asinine it's almost laughable, until you find out that they actually are indoctrinating children to be hateful, bigoted, judgemental, ugly people just like the cretins who raise them. How do I know? Well, listen to today's guest, Kyle Spencer.
Her new book is called "Raising Them Right: The Untold Story of America's Ultraconservative Youth Movement and its Plot for Power". It details how the right starts teaching their children to hate just like they do from a very early age, and it's all organized.
Just google the Leadership Institute, and then listen to today's show...
Robert Draper's new book was one I definitely wanted to read and feature on the show. "Weapons of Mass Deception: When the Republican Party Lost Its Mind" is a very important story to tell, and Draper is a respected career journalist and a great writer. I taped an interview with him yesterday, always intending to run in on today's show. And I will. But first... The surprise came with the early morning news of an attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband. My mind immediately went there, as I'm sure yours did too. And a few hours later it was confirmed: The attacker was a MAGAt Republican, Trump supporting stooge who entered the house in the wee hours of the morning, calling out "Where's Nancy," looking for the Speaker (who was not in town). He attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer, and has now been charged with attempted homicide and more. It's frightening and sickening, but we saw this coming. Thankfully, Mr. Pelosi will be fine. But don't think this is over... unfortunately, I think it's just beginning and there will be no winner.
We have a busy show on tap today. As we do most Thursdays, we'll check in with Howie Klein at around the :30 minute mark. We're just over a week away from the end of this 2022 midterm election cycle. Howie's got an interesting article up at DownWithTyranny.com about which Democrats still in the running actually have a shot at winning and can most use our help. Plus, he has a new post up about the Ramones that I'll have to ask him about. But first, I'll speak with Liz Robbins of DefineAmerican. They just released a new report on their findings from a study they conducted to find out how news outlets cover and portray immigrants. The results are complex, as is the issue. But sadly, it's what you probably think it is... and it isn't good, fair or accurate. Welcome to a Thursday in America...
We'll take a hiatus from the election stuff today (and after watching two of the three debates last night, I need a break from that crap), we'll somehow go even lower today. We all remember when the story broke, two years ago, about the Fountainbleu Hotel Pool Boy turned sex partner of Becki Falwell, who liked to perform with her partners while her husband, Jerry Falwell Jr, watched and recorded it on video. (Pause for the collective eeeew) Well, two years later, the pool boy is ready to tell the story from his perspective. And tell he does. There's a documentary "God Forbid: The Sex Scandal that Brought Down a Dynasty," premiering on Hulu on Nov 1 (Tuesday), and in a new book- just out yesterday-- "Off the Deep End: Jerry & Becki Falwell and the Collapse of an Evangelical Dynasty". It's written by Giancarlo Granda (the former pool boy) with journalist and NY Times Bestselling Author Mark Ebner. Mark Ebner is my guest today, and boy does he have a lot to say! But first, I'll fact check the Magat Republicans who keep lying about Democrats "wanting" abortion until birth. It's just fucking ridiculous, and I don't understand why they're not put in their place every time they spew out this outrageous lie, so I guess I'll have to do it for them.
Laffy's back today, just in time to join me in trying to figure out just what it is about Ron DeSantis that appeals to anyone! Last night's debate was the first time the rest of the country got to see him on the debate stage, and I'm hoping they all watched. THIS is who they think will lead them out of Trump's control? LOL. TFG will wipe the floor with that sniveling, fake smiling coward. But I do give Ronald credit... he can keep up with Donald's lies... Donald and Ronald, two lying clowns who deserve each other. There's other stuff to talk about today too, like WTAF Progressive Caucus? They're my people and boy, did they ever step in it this time! And they did it two weeks before the most consequential election in our lives?!? Damn. They've got to be smarter than that~
Tonight is the one and only FL gubernatorial debate between the incumbent and the once and hopefully future governor. Of course, I'll do everything possible to inform the rest of the county (and the planet) that Ron DeSantis is horribly dangerous. Ideally, we defeat him here in FL, which would accomplish two goals: get him out of the governor's office here and hurt his chances in 2024... The Miami Herald heartily endorsed Charlie Crist for governor, and gave many reasons why DeSantis must not be re-elected. I shared that Miami Herald endorsement on Friday. Today, I'll share their endorsement in the Florida senate race-- and it's as good as you want it to be. With just two weeks to go until voting is done, we're in the thick of it. We'll deal with some of the other big races too... and open the phones for your calls...
Tonight is the one and only FL gubernatorial debate between the incumbent and the once and hopefully future governor. Of course, I'll do everything possible to inform the rest of the county (and the planet) that Ron DeSantis is horribly dangerous. Ideally, we defeat him here in FL, which would accomplish two goals: get him out of the governor's office here and hurt his chances in 2024... The Miami Herald heartily endorsed Charlie Crist for governor, and gave many reasons why DeSantis must not be re-elected. I shared that Miami Herald endorsement on Friday. Today, I'll share their endorsement in the Florida senate race-- and it's as good as you want it to be. With just two weeks to go until voting is done, we're in the thick of it. We'll deal with some of the other big races too... and open the phones for your calls...
Up until showtime, I wasn't sure whether or not I'd do a show today. I'm tired and cranky (I can't remember the last time I had a good night's sleep), and just feeling like I need a day to regroup. But, there's so much to talk about that I'd feel guilty if I just reached back into the archives for a show from 10 years ago to show you that the more things change, the more they stay the same.. Well, I cut out a couple of interviews from the show I did on 10-22-12 (10 years ago tomorrow) in case I need to get out... but I do have a lot to share with you today, and I invite you to sound off as well. The phone lines are open 95886410 or you can Skype in to nicolesandler. Something will show up here beginning at 5ET/2PT, though I'm still not sure what it'll be...
Up until showtime, I wasn't sure whether or not I'd do a show today. I'm tired and cranky (I can't remember the last time I had a good night's sleep), and just feeling like I need a day to regroup. But, there's so much to talk about that I'd feel guilty if I just reached back into the archives for a show from 10 years ago to show you that the more things change, the more they stay the same.. Well, I cut out a couple of interviews from the show I did on 10-22-12 (10 years ago tomorrow) in case I need to get out... but I do have a lot to share with you today, and I invite you to sound off as well. The phone lines are open 95886410 or you can Skype in to nicolesandler. Something will show up here beginning at 5ET/2PT, though I'm still not sure what it'll be...
We took a break last week to watch the final House Jan 6 hearing, before election day anyway. But Howie Klein is back today. And there's lots to talk about, including a post script to my interview with Ryan Grim on yesterday's show. It was about AIPAC and DMFI targeting progressives during the primaries, effectively killing off most of them. What we both realized was that a major part of the story wasn't addressed... that's the fact that these groups are led by (cue the sinister music) Democrats! Of course, the corporate media still insists on covering the horse race instead of the issues, and the polls show everything tightening right now. So Dems are freaking out, while Michael Moore is predicting a Blue Tsunami. Howie has a post up at Down With Tyranny that includes a video from Stan Greenberg, one of the Democratic Party's top pollsters, explaining what the Dems must do to win in less than three weeks.. We'll hear what he has to say, because we must win this election.
We took a break last week to watch the final House Jan 6 hearing, before election day anyway. But Howie Klein is back today. And there's lots to talk about, including a post script to my interview with Ryan Grim on yesterday's show. It was about AIPAC and DMFI targeting progressives during the primaries, effectively killing off most of them. What we both realized was that a major part of the story wasn't addressed... that's the fact that these groups are led by (cue the sinister music) Democrats! Of course, the corporate media still insists on covering the horse race instead of the issues, and the polls show everything tightening right now. So Dems are freaking out, while Michael Moore is predicting a Blue Tsunami. Howie has a post up at Down With Tyranny that includes a video from Stan Greenberg, one of the Democratic Party's top pollsters, explaining what the Dems must do to win in less than three weeks.. We'll hear what he has to say, because we must win this election.
That old adage keeps rearing its ugly head. I know there are lots of adages that could apply here, but in this case, it's a fairly new and sickeningly blatant tact that some in the Democratic Party are using against fellow Democrats, and it really sucks. We watched during primary season as true progressives who should have won their respective races get beaten, as other (so-called) Democrats went on the attack. Make no mistake, this was a concerted effort by some "moderate" Dems (or Conserva-Dems) to destroy the progressive wing, and bolster the extremist pro-Israel flank of the party.
In a long, in depth post-mortem, Ryan Grim tells the story at The Intercept, and he joins in at the top of today's show to tell us what happened.
Then, about last night. Marco Rubio and Val Demings met for the one and only debate of this election cycle.
That old adage keeps rearing its ugly head. I know there are lots of adages that could apply here, but in this case, it's a fairly new and sickeningly blatant tact that some in the Democratic Party are using against fellow Democrats, and it really sucks. We watched during primary season as true progressives who should have won their respective races get beaten, as other (so-called) Democrats went on the attack. Make no mistake, this was a concerted effort by some "moderate" Dems (or Conserva-Dems) to destroy the progressive wing, and bolster the extremist pro-Israel flank of the party.
In a long, in depth post-mortem, Ryan Grim tells the story at The Intercept, and he joins in at the top of today's show to tell us what happened.
Then, about last night. Marco Rubio and Val Demings met for the one and only debate of this election cycle.
The concept of "election day" is now an anachronism. This is election season, and we're in the thick of it. Early voting has begun in many states, and others begin each day going forward. Debates are finally happening - where they're happening at all, and polls are tightening. The stakes couldn't be higher. I'll start today's show with an essay I found on Facebook that sums up what women my age (give or take a decade) have experienced during our lives, and where we are now. Unfortunately, its author is "unknown"- but it's brilliant. Then, I welcome Tom Sullivan to the show. Tom is a political blogger, holding down the morning shift at Digby's blog, and a field organizer, and author of the get-out-the-vote planning guide, "For the Win" (the 4th edition now out, forthewin.net). A listener emailed me yesterday about Tom's article at Digby's Blog encouraging Democrats to run on their accomplishments, with the comment "Democrats need to take the narrative and start ramming this down everyone's throat". So, today, let the ramming begin!
The concept of "election day" is now an anachronism. This is election season, and we're in the thick of it. Early voting has begun in many states, and others begin each day going forward. Debates are finally happening - where they're happening at all, and polls are tightening. The stakes couldn't be higher. I'll start today's show with an essay I found on Facebook that sums up what women my age (give or take a decade) have experienced during our lives, and where we are now. Unfortunately, its author is "unknown"- but it's brilliant. Then, I welcome Tom Sullivan to the show. Tom is a political blogger, holding down the morning shift at Digby's blog, and a field organizer, and author of the get-out-the-vote planning guide, "For the Win" (the 4th edition now out, forthewin.net). A listener emailed me yesterday about Tom's article at Digby's Blog encouraging Democrats to run on their accomplishments, with the comment "Democrats need to take the narrative and start ramming this down everyone's throat". So, today, let the ramming begin!
It's open enrollment time for Medicare again, and no doubt you're already sick of those damned TV ads for Medicare's so-called Advantage plans. Make no mistake, there's no advantage to these plans, unless you stay completely healthy. Once you get sick, the DISadvantage becomes more than apparent. Unfortunately, as we get older, we have more health challenges. But instead of making things easier on seniors, a new provision has gone into effect that allows these companies to put you into these (dis)advantage plans without even telling you they're doing it! Since open enrollment began Saturday, I figured today would be a great day for Wendell Potter to return to the show. He was VP/Communications for Cigna whose responsibility it was to debunk the facts about how the for-profit health insurance industry is failing us. He became the industry's first -and to this day, still the only whistleblower. Subscribe to his newsletter at wendellpotter.substack.com.
It's open enrollment time for Medicare again, and no doubt you're already sick of those damned TV ads for Medicare's so-called Advantage plans. Make no mistake, there's no advantage to these plans, unless you stay completely healthy. Once you get sick, the DISadvantage becomes more than apparent. Unfortunately, as we get older, we have more health challenges. But instead of making things easier on seniors, a new provision has gone into effect that allows these companies to put you into these (dis)advantage plans without even telling you they're doing it! Since open enrollment began Saturday, I figured today would be a great day for Wendell Potter to return to the show. He was VP/Communications for Cigna whose responsibility it was to debunk the facts about how the for-profit health insurance industry is failing us. He became the industry's first -and to this day, still the only whistleblower. Subscribe to his newsletter at wendellpotter.substack.com.
I'm still processing all the information we learned at yesterdays Jan 6 hearing. But it is clear to anyone who's paying attention that Donald Trump led the charge to attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 elections to remain in power. The gaslighting is apparent, but there's still a huge portion of the population that believes the lies they've been told by the former guy and right wing media, and they were willing to attack the Capitol to do what they thought was necessary to fight against what they were told was a stolen election. Except it wasn't. Instead it was the result of a massive disinformation campaign to foment insurrection. The House Select Committee investigating 1/6 did a great job of putting all the pieces together in a series of nine public hearings. Since Trump went down those escalators some seven years ago, he's been upending norms and challenging the pillars of this democracy-- the hallmark of which is the smooth, peaceful transition of power. We know that the transition from the Trump to the Biden administration was anything but smooth and peaceful. I wondered if we'd be able to survive. The good news is that we have before. Our guest will tell us about the two other transitions that were somewhat precarious! Today's guest is David Marchick. He was director of The Center for Presidential Transitions at the Partnership for Public Service, and hosted its Transition Lab podcast. The new book, "The Peaceful Transfer of Power: An Oral History of America's Presidential Transitions" is based on that podcast series.
I'm still processing all the information we learned at yesterdays Jan 6 hearing. But it is clear to anyone who's paying attention that Donald Trump led the charge to attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 elections to remain in power. The gaslighting is apparent, but there's still a huge portion of the population that believes the lies they've been told by the former guy and right wing media, and they were willing to attack the Capitol to do what they thought was necessary to fight against what they were told was a stolen election. Except it wasn't. Instead it was the result of a massive disinformation campaign to foment insurrection. The House Select Committee investigating 1/6 did a great job of putting all the pieces together in a series of nine public hearings. Since Trump went down those escalators some seven years ago, he's been upending norms and challenging the pillars of this democracy-- the hallmark of which is the smooth, peaceful transition of power. We know that the transition from the Trump to the Biden administration was anything but smooth and peaceful. I wondered if we'd be able to survive. The good news is that we have before. Our guest will tell us about the two other transitions that were somewhat precarious! Today's guest is David Marchick. He was director of The Center for Presidential Transitions at the Partnership for Public Service, and hosted its Transition Lab podcast. The new book, "The Peaceful Transfer of Power: An Oral History of America's Presidential Transitions" is based on that podcast series.
What a day! The final J6 hearing, at least before the election, is taking place today. There's a lot that we hadn't yet known or heard. Today on the show, we'll review it all... Plus, a verdict for the Parkland murder and SCOTUS rules on Trump's petition... DENIED! And a subpoena has been issued for TFG!!!
What a day! The final J6 hearing, at least before the election, is taking place today. There's a lot that we hadn't yet known or heard. Today on the show, we'll review it all... Plus, a verdict for the Parkland murder and SCOTUS rules on Trump's petition... DENIED! And a subpoena has been issued for TFG!!!
One of the best parts of this job is that I get to speak with some amazing people. I first met Jeff Sharlet over a decade ago when I interviewed him for his brilliant book, "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power." The book, and the one that followed, "C Street" are the basis of a Netflix series. "The Family." They detail the very secretive but omnipresent religious group that somehow straddles the highest levels of DC power. I immediately became a fan, and devoured his subsequent books and compelling magazine articles for which he travels and informs us about people and movements and attitudes that we need to know about but otherwise wouldn't. Jeff has a new book set for release in March, to be titled "THE UNDERTOW: Scenes from a Slow Civil War." All I know is the title, so I'll ask him about it--- but I have a feeling it begins with the same question I'd start out with: Election day is four weeks away. Can we, will we survive?
One of the best parts of this job is that I get to speak with some amazing people. I first met Jeff Sharlet over a decade ago when I interviewed him for his brilliant book, "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power." The book, and the one that followed, "C Street" are the basis of a Netflix series. "The Family." They detail the very secretive but omnipresent religious group that somehow straddles the highest levels of DC power. I immediately became a fan, and devoured his subsequent books and compelling magazine articles for which he travels and informs us about people and movements and attitudes that we need to know about but otherwise wouldn't. Jeff has a new book set for release in March, to be titled "THE UNDERTOW: Scenes from a Slow Civil War." All I know is the title, so I'll ask him about it--- but I have a feeling it begins with the same question I'd start out with: Election day is four weeks away. Can we, will we survive?
She's back! Fresh from another getting settled trip to her new home in Canada, @GottaLaff is back today to dish on the news, mine Twitter for her Tweet Spot, and just have some good, often silly, slaphappy fun.
She's back! Fresh from another getting settled trip to her new home in Canada, @GottaLaff is back today to dish on the news, mine Twitter for her Tweet Spot, and just have some good, often silly, slaphappy fun.
Today's another information download day as Marcy Wheeler returns. At emptywheel.net, Marcy reports on issues of national security and other matters of importance, and has distinguished herself as one of the best journalists covering all aspects of the attack on our democracy and the efforts to hold the former guy and his enablers accountable. You will not find anyone who's on top of all of the January 6 progress and prosecutions, and the intrigue surrounding it all. Her appearances on this program are some of our most anticipated and most listened to, for good reason. So strap in, and let's get caught up on all if it, in a week that'll see at least three trials and the next hearing from the House Select Committee investigating the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol, the events leading up to it, and what's still going on...
Today's another information download day as Marcy Wheeler returns. At emptywheel.net, Marcy reports on issues of national security and other matters of importance, and has distinguished herself as one of the best journalists covering all aspects of the attack on our democracy and the efforts to hold the former guy and his enablers accountable. You will not find anyone who's on top of all of the January 6 progress and prosecutions, and the intrigue surrounding it all. Her appearances on this program are some of our most anticipated and most listened to, for good reason. So strap in, and let's get caught up on all if it, in a week that'll see at least three trials and the next hearing from the House Select Committee investigating the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol, the events leading up to it, and what's still going on...
It's Friday, so when the show ends, the weekend has arrived!
Since this is the first full weekend of autumn, the weather should be universally beautiful, a good time to get out and encourage people to vote! In some places, early voting has already begun. And if you get your ballots in the mail, they should be arriving any time. (Ours showed up today!)
Vote early if you can. That's one way to avert any bad surprises on election day and make sure your vote will count.
If you need some convincing that that is necessary, you're in the right place.
Investigative journalist Greg Palast is my guest today. As you likely know, he's been on the voter suppression beat for years now, honing in on Georgia, which is one ground zero in the fight for our voting rights. *Unfortunately, there are a few ground zeros, as the Republican war against Democrats' voting has been intensifying for years.
So, Palast has been in Georgia, sleuthing, investigating, asking questions and getting in the faces of the people responsible for kicking so many voters (mostly black people, brown people, and others who are more likely to vote for Democrats).
The result is the new film "Vigilante: Georgia's Vote Suppression Hitman"!
There are a few screenings this week... we'll tell you how you can see it when Greg Palast joins in at around the :30 minute mark.
It's Friday, so when the show ends, the weekend has arrived!
Since this is the first full weekend of autumn, the weather should be universally beautiful, a good time to get out and encourage people to vote! In some places, early voting has already begun. And if you get your ballots in the mail, they should be arriving any time. (Ours showed up today!)
Vote early if you can. That's one way to avert any bad surprises on election day and make sure your vote will count.
If you need some convincing that that is necessary, you're in the right place.
Investigative journalist Greg Palast is my guest today. As you likely know, he's been on the voter suppression beat for years now, honing in on Georgia, which is one ground zero in the fight for our voting rights. *Unfortunately, there are a few ground zeros, as the Republican war against Democrats' voting has been intensifying for years.
So, Palast has been in Georgia, sleuthing, investigating, asking questions and getting in the faces of the people responsible for kicking so many voters (mostly black people, brown people, and others who are more likely to vote for Democrats).
The result is the new film "Vigilante: Georgia's Vote Suppression Hitman"!
There are a few screenings this week... we'll tell you how you can see it when Greg Palast joins in at around the :30 minute mark.
It's Thursday, the day of the week that Howie Klein joins in. Howie was president of Reprise Records when I first met him, probably 25-30 years ago in LA. So our discussions often veer off into the music world. Just some context there. Since leaving Reprise and Warner Bros, Howie's been ensconced in progressive politics. He blogs at DownWithTyranny.com and runs the Blue America PAC along with Heather Digby Parton and John Amato. His latest piece up at DWT is "Good for American: More Ro Khanna, Less Herschel Walker." That sounds like a good place to start today's discussion...
It's Thursday, the day of the week that Howie Klein joins in. Howie was president of Reprise Records when I first met him, probably 25-30 years ago in LA. So our discussions often veer off into the music world. Just some context there. Since leaving Reprise and Warner Bros, Howie's been ensconced in progressive politics. He blogs at DownWithTyranny.com and runs the Blue America PAC along with Heather Digby Parton and John Amato. His latest piece up at DWT is "Good for American: More Ro Khanna, Less Herschel Walker." That sounds like a good place to start today's discussion...
There is no such thing as a slow news day any more. With so much happening, we'll just hone in on two stories today. And they both deal with disaster, though of different varieties. Hurricane Ian - huge disaster. Here in Florida, where I live, the damage and despair is everywhere, even in the safe pocket in the southeastern section that probably the safest place to be in the whole state. Today, I think everyone here is feeling incredibly lucky. In fact, we should all go out and buy lottery tickets. But the reality is, we're far from lucky. The losses will be enormous, in both lives and treasure. And good luck if you hope to ever be able to purchase homeowners insurance in Florida again. Today, I'll speak with Daily Kos' senior staff writer April Siese who wrote today, "We need to drastically rethink what recovery looks like as the climate crisis worsens." But we'll start the show with our friend Lisa Graves, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General under AGs Janet Reno and John Ashcroft (in the Clinton and W administrations), now founder/ editor at True North Research. Lisa is my go-to expert on all legal/justice issues, and boy do we have a doozy! 'Judge' Aileen Cannon was appointed by Trump; Trump hand-picked her to do his bidding regarding the cache of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. Her first rulings dealing with the special master were overturned on appeal, but she gave Trump cover again on Thursday with a ruling that even this non-attorney can tell you was grade a bullshit. I'll ask Lisa about this latest head-scratcher. And of course, we'll talk about the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas being an election denier and doubling down on that sentiment yesterday when she answered questions from the House Select Committee investigating January 6.
This has been a hell of a week, and it's not over yet. It's Thursday, so Howie Klein of Down With Tyranny and the Blue America PAC is here. We talk politics, and I've saved a few political ads from this season that I think are worthy of discussion, so we'll do that. And as much as I'd like it to be over, Hurricane Ian is still drowning Florida. We'll have the latest on the storm that just won't leave...
Lucky is not a word I'd usually use to describe my situation, but this time, I'll make an exception. I'm very lucky not to be in the direct line of Hurricane Ian. The photo on today's show card is of the guy who became a South FL superstar during Hurricane Andrew. Most who experienced that storm first-hand credit Bryan Norcross for getting them through that terrifying night, myself included. That's why that picture of Norcross' coverage of Ian is so shocking... Today, I was prepared for the Jan 6 committee hearing, which was canceled thanks to the storm. So I'll share some things I've been holding on to for lack of time. Today, we have time. So we'll hear Merrick Garland's speech to a group of the US's newest citizens, we'll try to figure out why anyone would vote for Herschel Walker, and further make a dent in the file of sound and video I've been compiling but haven't had time to play. And yes,. the phone lines are open, especially if you're riding the storm out.. 954-889-6410
That was a question posted in the YouTube chat today. Since I've been through both a major hurricane (Andrew in 1992) and earthquake (Northridge 1994), I'm an expert, and gave my well thought out and long-winded answer... Yes, it's raining hard and the wind is blowing, but where I live in Broward County, FL, we're outside of the ring of uncertainty. That's something you learn about at an early age here in Floriduh. Prepared as we can be, we sit like ducks waiting for the storm to hit. Actually, we wait for days, willing the winds to shift ever so slightly, steering the beast away from where we are. It worked for me this time. The storm track moved further and further to the west, so it will slide up Florida's west coast and make landfall around Tampa. Certainly not good for them, but just what the doctor ordered for Miami/Ft. Lauderdale. But we're still getting outer bands and tomorrow has been called off. Well, not the whole day, just the Jan 6 hearing that we were ready for... Damn. But the optics. I get it. So today, we'll talk... Phones are open for anything you'd like to discuss. And I have some clips to share and stories to tell... Showtime 5ET/2PT
It's one of the banes of my existence! And I'm not living completely on the creative side of the line. But living life as a creative artist in a capitalistic society is akin to constantly swimming upstream during a tidal wave. Well, it often feels that way. Consumers are ingesting content more than ever, but the artists aren't reaping the benefits. A few behemoths who've swallowed up other producers along the way are living quite large, while the struggling artist just struggles harder. For those of us who thought the rise of the internet would give everyone an even chance to be seen and heard, the opposite seems to have triumphed and the giant companies are rolling in the riches. Today I'm joined by activist, author and defender of artists rights Cory Doctorow. He's joined by his co-authoor of the new book, "Checkpoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back," Rebecca Giblin.
After a hectic week with non-stop breaking news, I think we all deserve a break from the politics. So after a brief recap of the latest news, we'll officially begin the weekend with something special. A singer/songwriter who I truly admire has a new book out, "How to Write a Song that Matters". I first met Dar Williams some 27 years ago. Her first album, "The Honesty Room" includes a song that listeners of the LA station where I worked truly connected with called "When I Was a Boy." We started playing it on KSCA fm 101.9 ...and the rest, as they say, is history. I've remained a fan through the years, but never had the opportunity to re-connect with Dar, until now. Her brand new book is out, called "How to Write a Song that Matters." She knows how to do that, and now shares that skill with the public in songwriting retreats, workshops and now, with this book. We have a lot of catching up to do, and I'm excited that listeners are along for the ride today. When the interview we recorded earlier this week ends, perhaps I could be persuaded to run into overtime and share the show we talk about during the interview. It was a morning show remote broadcast from Starbucks in Encino, CA, where she and Joan Baez (who were touring together) graced us with an amazing performance... Happy Music Friday!
Yesterday had to have broken some kind of record for most breaking news in one day. Today, we'll go over much of what happened. The phones will be open (954-889-6410) for you to weigh in, in the first half-hour. Then it's Howie Klein time again. The man behind the Blue America PAC and DownWithTyranny joins me every Thursday afternoon to talk about our broken fubar politics...
Two of the more despicable members of the extreme right wing faction of American politics are growing more indistinguishable from each other each day. And neither one of them is having a good day today. There's TFG, Donald Trump, who must feel the walls closing in on him. Yesterday, HIS hand picked choice for Special Master proved he's not having any of the maga circus and is not a puppet. Trump is quaking in his golf shoes. Then this morning, NY AG Letitia James laid out the specifics in a 220+ page $250 million lawsuit against TFG, his awful spawn and the execs who enable his criminal business activities for decades. And she made criminal referrals to the IRS and the SDNY (the DOJ).. We'll talk about some of these developments with The Nations' new DC Bureau Chief Chris Lehmann. Then Professor Harvey J. Kaye returns to the show to throw some historical shade on governor Floriduh man, who gets off on punking and demeaning Venezuelan refugees who've entered the US to LEGALLY apply for asylum. Republican cruelty is endemic in the 21st century...
I'm always happy when it's a Marcy Wheeler day here at the Nicole Sandler Show because she brings the facts. And it seems to be an endless stream of facts that she somehow manages to keep straight. So, strap in and get ready to take notes...
The title of Luke Mogelson's new book works on a few levels for us. I was going to play his interview on Friday, but too much was happening to do it all justice, so I opted to save the interview for today as we dealt with the latest atrocity from the governor of Floriduh. DeSantis is now enjoying all the attention he's getting for his perverse and sickening stunt perpetrated on 50 Venezuelans who risked their lives to come to the US to ask for asylum. We will have a few postscripts on that story, and a few words about the other storms we're weathering, both figuratively and literally as Puerto Rico is flooded and without power yet again... As for Luke Mogelson, the celebrated war correspondent came home to cover the storm he saw brewing with the rise of right wing extremists, conspiracy theorists, QAnon and MAGA world... We'll hear from him beginning at around the 20 minute mark.
we're all watching the situation unfurl on Martha's Vineyard, summer home to the very rich and reclusive. I'll have an update on the disconnect between reality and the actions of a few assholes who happen to be governors of Magat states.... But we'll start with the news that broke last night... the so-called judge (named by Trump with zero qualifications to a lifetime appointment in a federal court) who bent over backwards to do TFG's bidding and ruled against the DOJ, keeping them from dealing with the reams of confidential documents stolen by Trump when he left the White House. To explain just what a travesty and perversion of justice this is, we'll start the show with Lisa Graves, who served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Clinton and W Bush administrations....
(We'll hear the interview with Luke Mogelson on Monday!)
We're now officially in general election season as the last of the primary races have now concluded. I'll ask Howie for an overall post mortem on the primaries, and find out how the Blue America endorsed candidates fared. We may talk about the latest stunt that the FlaDuh governor got in on today, as he loaded about 50 migrants onto two charter planes (that I at least partially paid for), and send them to Martha's Vineyard. There's so much wrong there, and we'll try to unpack it during today's show...
To be clear, I'm the one who brings the info down to the dummy level. Thom Hartmann is today's guest. He joins us to talk about his new book, "The Hidden History of Neoliberalism: How Reaganism Gutted America and How to Restore its Greatness". As he does on his daily radio show, Thom explains complicated economic policies in a way that most everyone can understand. We'll deal with the the blatant lies proffered by Republicans about Democrats' thoughts on abortion in the first half hour, before Thom joins in for a dose of American history.
With so much breaking news happening -- Lindsey Graham's national 15 week abortion bill, Maggie Haberman holding back big stories for a book, Trump holding meeting on VA golf course, Ukraine beating back Russia, Docugate and the special master, and more -- I could think of one person to talk about it all with... Heather "Digby" Parton is our guest today
The affidavit explaining probable cause for the FBI to obtain a search warrant for Trump's Mar a Lago was unsealed and released today -- well, a fairly heavily redacted version anyway. Trump went ballistic on his ridiculously named Truth Social not Twitter page, although he's insisted for the past week he wanted it released. What we do know is that not only is Trump a liar, conman and thief, but he likely stole the most top secret documents from the US government for nefarious purposes. We do know the only thing he cares about is fattening up his bank account. Once must wonder what he was planning to do with upwards of 700-1000 pages of classified government documents, especially since the man famously does not read! I'll open the phone lines for you to weigh in, and will then call on blogger/podcaster Driftglass to get his thoughts.
The affidavit explaining probable cause for the FBI to obtain a search warrant for Trump's Mar a Lago was unsealed and released today -- well, a fairly heavily redacted version anyway. Trump went ballistic on his ridiculously named Truth Social not Twitter page, although he's insisted for the past week he wanted it released. What we do know is that not only is Trump a liar, conman and thief, but he likely stole the most top secret documents from the US government for nefarious purposes. We do know the only thing he cares about is fattening up his bank account. Once must wonder what he was planning to do with upwards of 700-1000 pages of classified government documents, especially since the man famously does not read! I'll open the phone lines for you to weigh in, and will then call on blogger/podcaster Driftglass to get his thoughts.
A bit of what's news, for now... including the redacted affidavit that layed out probable cause for the Mar a Lago search warrant
A bit of what's news, for now... including the redacted affidavit that layed out probable cause for the Mar a Lago search warrant
Howie's back! Howie Klein has done a weekly segment with me on this show for over a decade now. He's been gone for the past month- I'll let him explain why. But he's thankfully back today and boy do we have a lot to talk about. Of course, we need to find out how he's doing. And while he was out, his former boss passed away. Mo Ostin was led Warner Brothers Records for many years and was widely respected by everyone in the industry-- artists, employees and everyone else. Including Howie Klein who worked under Mo as President of Reprise Records. I've been waiting for his return to ask Howie to tell us a bit about the great Mo Ostin. Of course, there have been a few primary elections since Howie was last here, and a lot of action in Congress too. We'll start Howie's segment a few minutes earlier than usual because there's so much to discuss. And just a head up-- I'll be out next Thursday, undergoing my own surgical procedure. Are we having fun yet?
One thing to know about all of the shit emanating from the former guy is that there's a lot of it, and it's all related. From January 6 to violations of the espionage act and other crimes too numerous to recount here, there's more craziness surrounding the orange man from mar a lago that we could possibly cover in an hour. But when Marcy Wheeler is my guest, we certainly try. Although Marcy was here just a few weeks ago, so much has transpired since that I have questions about. We'll begin with the FBI executing a search warrant at mar a lago to find hundreds of classified, even top secret, documents that the former guy absconded with when he left the White House. You might want to take notes, or just head over to emptywheel.net and start reading!
She's back... Good thing Laffy's here today as we have a whole smorgasbord of news to talk about, and you never know what'll happen during the show (maybe nothing, but you never know....)
Tomorrow is finally primary day here in Floriduh, so I thought it was a good time to share the crazy with the rest of the country. This is a big state and, depending where you are, very diverse. Broward County (where I live), home of Fort Lauderdale, is the bluest in the state. Miami-Dade, right next door to our south, used to be reliably blue as well, but with the influx of South American, Cuban and other refugees, and the anti-Socialist scare/propaganda permeating the Spanish-language airwaves, Republican and No Party Affiliation registrations outnumber those for the Democratic Party. This is a state where the governor is a smarter, better educated and more dangerous and dictatorial version of Trump, and anyone who tells you than can predict what will happen is lying. Today, I welcome Peter Schorsch to the show. He's the publisher and executive editor of Florida Politics. He and I will take a walk through the state to share some of the crazy with you.
It's another Friday in August, when normal people should be on vacation. But there's nothing normal around here... so we'll take a mini Flashback Friday trip back to April of 1996 for a session with Semisonic, a band I "discovered" from their demo, long before they had a monster hit with "Closing Time." That's how we'll end the week. But first, Ron DeSantis is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day... I'll explain everything you need to know about moRon DeathSentence and why he can never be president!
Running late today due to a doctors appointment! Good thing Wendell Potter joins us today...
Yesterday, primary elections were held in Wyoming and Alaska, and the results are pretty much what we expected. But there were some unusual voting patterns in parts of Wyoming, so this morning I called the one person I know there. My old friend Mark "Fish" Fishman is Program Director and hosts mornings on KMTN 96.9FM in Jackson. I'll play back part of our conversation and, if time permits, my later conversation with his boss and newsman Scott Anderson. Then we'll turn our attention to the crazy religious zealotry I mentioned in the title of the episode. Frederick Clarkson was on with me just over a month ago, after he wrote a piece in Salon about Pennsylvania's Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano, who's as out there as they come. Well, now Fred has published an article at ReligionDispatches.org about a rift within the New Apostolic Refomation. We'll check in with Fred again because this is a movement we must not only keep an eye on, but have to counter.
Welcome to Tuesday, primary day in Wyoming and Alaska. Yes, the magats may get rid of Liz Cheney and bring back Sarah Palin. It's 2022, and I seriously didn't think we'd have to deal with the quitter-Governor of Alaska again. But here we are. The best way to deal with the inconceivable, and that's with laughter. So today, we welcome Roy Zimmerman to the show because nothing is better than music and laughter...
This is a typical Monday, meaning it came too quickly! There's lots going on, so today, we'll try to get updated on all of it. I've got stories, the phone lines are open for you to chime in with what you're following. And we'll check in with Rolling Stone's Asawin Suebsaeng too.
Today is Friday, and we're wrapping up an epic week. It's a week that brought us an actual reconciliation bill to help with healthcare, climate change and taxing the corporations who've not been paying that we thought was long dead. And it's the week when we learned that the AG and DoJ were indeed investigating the former guy, and the thing that just might bring him down was something we did not previously know about, and it's treasonous. He removed classified and Top Secret documents from the White House, brought them to Florida, and then lied to the authorities about their existence when the government tried to reclaim its very sensitive documents. We'll start the show with the latest news and information.... and then, if time permits, we'll get into the Wayback Machine and go back to May of 1995 for an interview with Kevin Gilbert. You may not know Kevin Gilbert's name, but if you enjoyed Sheryl Crow's "Tuesday Night Music Club," then you know Kevin. We'll begin the weekend with some stories and music...
Once again we're in uncharted territory. 'Unprecedented' is the word that should win the prize for most-invoked over the last five years, and here we are again. A few firsts, as history has been made this week. Almost everything about Trump is unprecedented, including apparently his actions in taking classified documents from the White House when he finally left. The smear campaign against the FBI, DoJ and the AG -- led by the Former Guy-- is also unprecedented, as was Merrick Garland's decision to go before the microphones today to announce that he's asking for the search warrant and the inventory of documents and items seized by the FBI to be unsealed, after Trump incited anger and worse with false claims about the government's actions. As I do whenever there's a legal question of such magnitude, I invited Lisa Graves to join us today to weigh in on history in the making. Lisa Graves, who runs TrueNorthResearch, served in the DoJ as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General under AG Janet Reno during the Clinton administration, and under Richard Ashcroft in the GW Bush administration.
Once again the right wing hate talk media is lying to their audience and fomenting violence. What are we to do? Call them out and stand firm, speak the truth and expose their lies and hyperbole. To help navigate the murky waters, we welcome Jennifer Taub back to the show. She's an attorney, law professor, author (Big Dirty Money, Other Peoples Houses), and published an article yesterday in Slate, "With the Trump Raid, Merrick Garland Draws a Line in the Sand" -- we'll talk about that and lots more.
It was so considerate of the FBI to execute a search warrant on the former guy at Mar A Lago on the eve of Laffy's return to the show. But they did and she's back, and boy do we have a lot to talk about today!
The Pulitizer Prize winning columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Will Bunch, has a brand new book out dealing with the ridiculous costs of higher education here in the US. It's called "After the Ivory Tower: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up our Politics--And How to Fix it". He joins me today for a loose cost/benefit analysis. I still struggle with the fact that my daughter did not go to college, as I couldn't afford to send her and I didn't want her to take on that kind of debt when she didn't like school, wasn't a good student, and had no educational/career path planned. Apparently, we're not alone!
Apologies for being out yesterday. I'm dealing with a Jenga-like tower of crap that keeps falling over on me, figuratively speaking of course. I thought about taking off the rest of the week, but that would make too much sense. And then my friend Jason Leopold finally got the word from his new employer clearing him to come on the air with me. So if Jason's going to be here today, I will too! After BuzzFeed torpedoed its entire award-winning investigative news division, it appears that Bloomberg swooped in and scooped up the whole lot of them. So I'll talk with Jason about his new gig (and Bloomberg's policy of having to go through their publicist every time I want him to come on the air!), and some other developments in stories that he's been covering for the past decade or more... like the killing of al-Zawahiri, missing phone data, erased messages and more, oh my. We'll begin with the latest news, and update on Howie Klein who's usually here on Thursdays, and some actual good news too!
If you heard or tried to watch yesterday's show, you know that I'm in studio gremlin hell. All is still not right with things here, and my scheduled guest had to postpone her appearance. I couldn't just cancel today's show as there's so much going on, that I figured we'll wing it. I'll share some of what I'm watching today, and open the phones to hear from you too. There's the Alex Jones trial, Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan (maybe we should call Taiwan?), the veterans bill that Republicans tanked and are now allegedly supporting, and more... And if everything goes to hell, I have a segment from Brad Friedman's Bradcast about another FloriDUH scam, perpetrated by the largest power company in the country, Florida Power & Light..
It's a Monday, and I'm having one of those days... Thankfully Marcy Wheeler is back from her vacation and ready to catch us up on all that's been happening with the J6 committee and the DOJ, and perhaps she'll even have an "I told you so" for us regarding Merrick Garland's intents. And a follow-up on Friday's show with my old friend John Ondrasik. Now I'll tell you what I didn't tell you on Friday and hope you're not too mad at me.
As you certainly know by know if you're a regular listener of this program, a good chunk of my career was spent in music radio in Los Angeles. Back in 1997, while working as Rock Editor of the radio/record industry trade magazine "The Album Network," I heard a record from a new band called Five for Fighting. I fell in love with it. I met the man who recorded under that band name, John Ondrasik, just in time to learn that his label, EMI, was folding. The album, "Message for Albert" died. But John remained a friend. A few years later, he got another record deal and released his second album, "America Town," and the song "Superman" became a smash, bolstered when the 9-11 first responders embraced it as an anthem of sorts. Today, John joins me to share his newest song, something he wrote about and to raise funds for the people of Ukraine. It's called "Can One Man Save the World?".. A nice way to end the week, I think...
Howie Klein is usually here on Thursdays, but he's taking a couple of weeks off. Today, in his place, I'll speak with one of the Blue American-endorsed candidates here in South Florida. Annette Taddeo was running for Governor, but she dropped out and decided to run for Congress from FL23, a district she can and should win. So we'll talk with Annette at the bottom of the hour, and find out what is going on in Miami, and how we can take it back from the Proud Boys, who've infiltrated the Miami Republican Party's exective committee. But first, Manchin gives back the football? A new spending bill to deal with climate change and health care rising from the ashes of Build Back Better. Could it be true? Will Miss Enema derail it now? We'll take a look at what's happening...
Over the past week, we've met five of the six Democrats vying to be my congressional representative... well Florida's 23rd Congressional district. Today, we'll meet the two candidates running to take on Florida's governor. I actually spoke with Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried in September, but not much has changed since then. So, as I'm still in pain from fracturing two ribs, today, we'll listen back to those interviews. I still have to decide which one I'm voting for in the primary, and those of you not in Florida should know what we're dealing with here. Tomorrow, I'll speak with Annette Taddeo -- she was the third Democrat in that gubernatorial race. She dropped out a few weeks ago to run for Congress from FL27, a seat she can and should win.
Here in the blue enclave of Broward County Florida, and especially in the towns of Parkland and Coral Springs, the horrific events of Feb 14, 2018 are again top of mind, in our faces and the memories haunt our psyches. That's because the killer is on trial. He actually pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 additional counts of attempted murder. This trial is the penalty phase, to determine whether that sorry excuse for a man lives or dies. They expect the trial to last four to six months. So much for his guilty plea relieving the families of having to live through a trial with all the gory details of how their children were murdered dredged up from the grave. And the nation is still dealing with the latest mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo.. It's past time we do something about it. Ten years ago this week, a man entered a movie theater showing a midnight screening of the new film, "Joker" and opened fire, killing 12 people and injuring 70 others. This week, a new book about that shooter was released. Today, I speak with Dr. Lynne Fenton, author of "Aurora: The Psychiatrist Who Treated the Movie Theater Killer Tells Her Story". She was outed as a psychiatrist who treated the killer, but obviously couldn't stop him...
Yes, it's a messed up Monday with a silver lining! I awoke this morning to be greeted by some YouTube videos of Joni Mitchell performing at the Newport Folk Festival yesterday -- her first live performance in about 20 years and her first time on that stage since 1969! Thank goodness, cuz the rest of the day ain't so great... Like finding out I fractured two ribs on Friday and that's what this pain in my side has been. So there's that... Today, we'll hear from the fifth of six Democratic candidates vying to replace my outgoing Congressman representing Florida's 23rd district. (The sixth, the perceived front runner, Jared Moskowitz and his people have completely ignored all of my attempts to contact them. I guess they don't want or need my vote.) There's a lot of news to share, and some videos to play that I didn't have time for last week
I was hoping for a big finish, but last night's 'season finale' of the House Select Committee hearings on the Jan 6 attack on the capitol was a bit of a letdown. But I think that's only because the first 7 were so explosive. We really didn't learn a whole lot more than we already know, except for the part about Mike Pence's Secret Service detail calling home to say good bye because they thought they might not make it out alive. (That was a biggie.) Anyway, in the interest of consistency and because it's important information, I'll share some of the details of last night's prime time conclusion... until September, anyway.
I'm still living in Florida, now in the 23rd Congressional District after the so-called governor's redistricting maps went into effect. My current congressman Ted Deutch is not running for re-election, so it's an open seat. There are six Democrats running for the nomination in the Aug 23 primary. All accepted my invitation to join me on the air (except for the front runner, whose campaign has ignored my numerous attempts to contact them). Today, we'll meet two more of them, neither has ever held elected office. Businessman Allen Ellison and Berniecrat Michaelangelo Hamilton, who would be the youngest person ever elected to Congress if he were to win. In the remaining time, Biden test positive for Covid, and the House is taking some important votes.
I'm still living in Florida, now in the 23rd Congressional District after the so-called governor's redistricting maps went into effect. My current congressman Ted Deutch is not running for re-election, so it's an open seat. There are six Democrats running for the nomination in the Aug 23 primary. All accepted my invitation to join me on the air (except for the front runner, whose campaign has ignored my numerous attempts to contact them). Today, we meet the only woman in the race, Hava Holzhauer. Then, we welcome Digby back to the show. There are so many things we could discuss, from the media's role in Joe Biden's anemic polling numbers to the latest development in the Senate where Joe Manchin and Susan Collins teamed up to introduce a bipartisan bill clarifying that the VP does not have the power to overturn the results of a presidential elections, and to make it harder for lawmakers to object to the results of the Electoral College vote. . (Of course, they should just get rid of the Electoral College, but this is Manchin and Collins we're talking about...)
Today, I'm joined by Brian Karem, who we came to know as the reporter who regularly challenged the former guy when he covered the White House for Playboy. He's now writing for Salon, hosting the "Just Ask the Question" podcast and trying to keep them all honest. I realized that so much has happened since the last time he was with us, so today a round up of wtf has happened and a discussion about how and if we can fix it all.
A new week begins, with the hope that Thursday's season finale of the January 6 hearings is a blockbuster that finally shocks the sleepwalking portion of the nation into reality. Much happened since we last spoke, including Joe Manchin's latest act of sabotage against the Democratic Party and the people of this country. (That's what Bernie Sanders called it, and I agree). So, we'll recap some of the latest news, and then welcome DC journalist Mark Leibovich to the show. He spent over a decade at the NY Times, and this year moved to The Atlantic. And his fourth book was just released last week, called "Thank You For Your Servitude: Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission"...
Howie Klein has been joining me for a weekly conversation for well over 10 years now. The one consistent theme through the years has been the push to elect more progressives to Congress. The results rival every roller coaster you've ever ridden. Progressives pick up a few seats, but also lose some. And while the fight should be against the Republicans, we're too often beating back attacks from the establishment Democrats who, in many cases, should have retired years earlier to let younger candidates step up to shape their own futures. Today, Howie and I are joined by Representative Marie Newman who, two years ago, unseated perennial conservadem Dan Lapinksi. Finally, a progressive takes out the 'Democrat' who voted most often with the Republicans. But she was a target in her primary for the establishment/conservaDems. This time, they aligned with big money from AIPAC and a shady dark money PAC (that many allege is affiliated with Speaker wanna be Hakim Jefferies), and they defeated Newman in her primary with another incumbent, the more centrist Sean Casten. But now, there's a new development in the story.... Casten returned the money from AIPAC -- after accepting their help to defeat Marie Newman, he's now dissing them? We'll try to get to the bottom of it all today on the show with Marie Newman and Howie Klein...
And actually, everything has been broken for a very long time. It just keeps getting worse. The question is whether or not we can fix it. Cynicole says no... maybe we'll explore that today, or we'll talk about all of the things that are broken beyond repair. But today's guest actually has some ideas. David Pepper is a lawyer, author, and the former chair of the Ohio Democratic party. He guested on this program last year to discuss his new book, "Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines" which is summed up by the appropriated line, "it's the statehouses, stupid." I invited him to join us today after reading his 22 Tweet thread about the Guarantee Clause in the US Constitution-- and how invoking that could possibly save what's left of this experiment in democracy.
Today was the 7th of the hearings put on by the House Select Committee investigating the attack on the Capitol on Jan 6, 2021. The witnesses today were to former acolytes of the former guy, a former Oath Keepers spokesman, and one of the insurrectionists who said he marched to the Capitol because Trump told him to. Today on the show, we'll review today's hearing.. Your calls, as usual, are welcome!
When I say that "Americans" don't know their US history, I really mean Republicans. They're the ones re-writing the school textbooks to take out the "offensive" stuff... Not like slavery, but anything that makes you believe that slavery was so horribly bad!! We could waste a lot of time on their ignorance, but I'll try to contain myself and be satisfied with the lessons that our friend, Prof. Harvey J. Kaye imparts on us today...
We made it to another Friday. With the way things are going in the world, I'm amazed we made it this far. Between the holiday on Monday and taking Wednesday off, there are a few important stories/issues I never got around to. So today, we'll wrap up the week's loose ends. I'm also beginning my vetting of the candidates running to replace Ted Deutch, my Congressman, who's retiring. There are quite a few Democrats vying for the nomination, so I reached out to all who appeared somewhat reasonable to me and invited them on the show. I got one response so far, so today I'll speak with candidate Mike Trout. His website is miketroutforcongress.com. (Note: he appears to be quite interesting, though is not necessarily my choice... )
I'm back today after taking a much needed mental health/hang with the family day. That's what hearing the stories about the innocent people who were killed on the 4th of July, doing something to celebrate this country. I fear there's not much about this country worth celebrating any more. And the events that unfolded Monday morning in Highland Park, IL. The two year-old toddler who lost both of his parents as his father was killed shielding his tiny body with his own. Or the children who lost their mother, a teacher at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and then became orphaned when their father died after his broken heart gave out the day after his wife was murdered. I thought I needed a day off just to hang out with my daughter, so I did. Today is Thursday, so Howie Klein is here. And we're not lacking in news... like Boris Johnson's resignation!
The US Extreme Court, formerly known as Supreme, has decimated some of the principles upon which this nation was founded. Today, we focus on the illegitimate three (and their three accomplices) who have, with some of their recent rulings, decimated the separation of church and state and with it the First Amendment's Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. The Establishment clause prohibits the government from "establishing" a religion. The Free Exercise Clause protects citizens' right to practice their religion as they please, so long as the practice does not run afoul of a "public morals" or a "compelling" governmental interest. They did this in two cases announced in the last two weeks: one that said a high school football coach did not run afoul of the constitution when he had players gather on the 50-yard line after games for a Christian prayer, and another saying that the state of Maine must pay for religious schools if no public school is available in the district where a student lives. As horrible as all of that is, it doesn't include the dangerous sect of Christianity that' positioning itself to impose their religious dogma on the rest of us. It's not just Christianity, but Dominionism and New Apostolic Reformation that's invading every sector of government, as is their plan. Frederick Clarkson wrote about this trend and the Republican nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano, who takes this religious perversion to new extremes. And, oh yeah, another mass shooting at a 4th of July parade in Highland Park, IL yesterday, killing six and injuring dozens... Welcome to the new Gilead of America...
Today is the Friday before the long Fourth of July holiday weekend and I don't know about you, but I'm ready to tune out the news and try to de-stress after the past week... year.... 5 years... You get the idea. The best medicine, they say, is laughter. So, I invited today's guest on the show because she consistently provides us with that much-needed medicine with her weekly song parodies (and occasional original composition), Lauren Mayer. She writes biting satirical lyrics and performs these parodies with a combination of news and topicality, intelligence, fun and talent. We'll start with some other news-adjacent info, and then Lauren will Zoom in... Also, a programming note: Monday is July 4th and I will be taking a holiday... but I will have a show. It's radio (or a close facsimile), and the show must go on. So on Monday, I'll do a music show, which means no YouTube or other video stream. So on Monday, listen to the audio-only show at nicolesandler.com/listen-live, on progressivevoices.com or pull up my stream the simplest way at nicolesandlerstream.com. And Happy Independence Day. Yay us!
We haven't spoken with Howie in a few weeks, as the House Select Committee had hearings on the last two Thursdays, so our regular programming was pre-empted. But there's no hearing today. Howie's back, and we have a lot of unfortunately very bad news to discuss. One bright shining spot of good news today though. We now call her Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justice Breyer officially retired today, after the Supreme Court handed down its final rulings for the year, including a giant middle finger to those of us who were counting on combating climate change to save the planet. Scorched earth indeed!
For the past few weeks (and more), we've been listening. Listening to the 1-6 hearings and the witnesses. Listening to the cable pundits. Listening to the lies from today's Republicans who are covering for the biggest con ever run on this country by the orange con man Don himself. We've been listening to the opinions of an illegitimate court about which nothing is supreme; the Extreme Court is more like it. So today, it's your turn to use your voice. I'm taking your calls at 954-889-6410, or via Skype to nicolesandler. Or if you prefer to jump on via Zoom, just go to bit.ly/nicolesandlershow and wait there. We have a lot to talk about today!
The House Select Committee investigating January 6 called a special surprise hearing today, called just yesterday. Today, we got to hear directly from Cassidy Hutchinson, former executive assistant to the WH Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. She gave direct testimony that directly implicated the former president in the capitol attack. GottaLaff made it to Canada to establish her residency... she joins me by phone to go over today's explosive testimony.
As we watch this illegitimate incarnation of the "Supreme" Court dismantling the freedoms we've lived with for 50 years or more, today I'm joined by someone who was there at the start of the fight for reproductive rights. Bill Baird is recognized widely as the "Father of the birth control and abortion-rights movement. He was jailed eight times in five states in the 1960s for lecturing on abortion and birth control, and is believed to be the first and only non-lawyer in American history with three Supreme Court victories. He just celebrated his 90th birthday, but is still fighting for our rights. Today, he joins me to give us all a bit of a history lesson and explain why we must fight on! There was other news today too. The "Supreme" Court today released a few more opinions, including one that continues its assault on the separation of church and state. We have a lot of messed up territory to cover today, so buckle in.
Yesterday, the illegitimate Supreme Court did away with any concealed carry regulations in NYC or elsewhere, thereby saying states rights? Who needs any stinkin states rights? Today, they overturned 50 years of settled law by overturning Roe v Wade, invoking states' rights. They hypocrisy is blatant. So, a group of House Democrats went to the Capitol steps to sing God Bless America. Seriously. Then after passing a toothless gun bill they all leave town on another two-week vacation (in advance of the month of August they'll also be gone). CyNicole is back today and she's pissed. David Dayen of Prospect.org is also expected as today's guest. I'm sure he'll have a much more measured response than mine. He is after all, a real journalist. I am not.
Well, we knew it was coming. The Supreme Court is finally handing down its decisions in the remaining cases from this term. They disposed of five this morning, will release a few more tomorrow, and finish it off early next week. Among the cases are a few biggies, and they announced one of them today. In NY State Rifle and Pistol Assn v Bruen, this illegitimate Supreme Court just overturned New York's law against concealed carry unconstitutional, thereby giving Americans license to carry guns anywhere they want. Truly frightening, especially coming so soon after the recent round of mass shootings. And their decision on Roe v Wade is coming within the next week or so. Lucky us! But today, the fifth day of public hearings put on by the House Select Committee investigating the 1-6 attack on the Capitol is scheduled to begin right around 3pm ET. This show goes live at 5. We'll carry it live, either for the whole hour or until they adjourn, at which time we'll talk about it. Again, lucky us!
PS Well, the hearing ended at 5:30, and I didn't have Howie ready to go today. So, instead I pulled out an interview I did back in 2014 with Tim Fisher, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia who helped push through reasonable gun control laws there following their one and only mass shooting. Since the Port Arthur Massacre and the new gun laws Fisher helped pass, there hasn't been another one since. We could learn a thing or two from them!
It's been a busy week, and it's only Wednesday. But today gives us a break in the considerable legal activity this week. Monday was a holiday. Tuesday gave us five new opinions from the Supreme Court in the morning, followed by another mind blowing hearing from the House Select Committee investigating the events surrounding the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol. Things pick up again tomorrow morning at 10ET, as the court will release more end-of-term opinions (still 13 to go as of today), and the House Select Committee convenes its fifth public hearing at 3pm ET. And, for good measure, the Supreme Court will hand down even more opinions on Friday morning, again beginning at 10ET. So there's much to wade through, and I have tons of questions. So I invited my old friend Lisa Graves to join us today. Lisa is my go-to legal expert, and she's perfect to address today's news. Today, Lisa leads True North Research (truenorthresearch.org). Her legal bona fides are more than impressive: She served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy at the U.S. Department of Justice in the Clinton Administration, Chief Counsel for Nominations for Senator Patrick Leahy on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Deputy Chief of the Article III Judges Division of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and as an adjunct law professor at George Washington University Law School. She also served as the Senior Legislative Strategist for the ACLU on national security and testified as an expert before committees in both houses of Congress. In 2018, she helped shape the national conversation on the Brett Kavanaugh nomination. Yeah, you get the idea. So, Lisa is my guest for most of the hour today. We'll talk about the hearings, the Supreme Court decisions, and why the US is the only nation on the planet that seems afraid to prosecute a former president, regardless of how corrupt he was...
It was another devastating day of testimony as the House Select Committee investigating the events surrounding the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol, today focusing on Trump's scheme to get states to throw out the legitimate electors to steal the election for him. We heard from AZ and GA officials, as well as a GA poll worker whose life and her mother's were destroyed by Trump and his followers. This morning, SCOTUS handed down decisions in five of the remaining 18 cases from this term. One of them has major ramifications regarding separation of church and state. Rev Barry W. Lynn will join in at the top of the show to explain what happened... then we'll move on to today's hearing.
Today is a federal holiday. It's Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the day the last still-enslaved African Americans were made aware they had been emancipated. Freedom Day is how some refer to this day. And though that's a nice sentiment, it's still aspirational. Like many others I'm sure, I thought we had come further than we actually did. But then again, I'm a white woman. I know one thing, and that's that I can't know what it is like to be Black in America. I have my own experiences of being discriminated against-- as a woman, as a woman over 60, as a Jew, and in other ways too. But I do not have the experience of being discriminated against because of the color of my skin. Except when I have. But it's different. There's controversy around today's holiday. On social media, some people are complaining that white people are getting the day off, while Blacks are still having to slave away... And others are offended by the crass commercialization (Walmart sold a Juneteenth flavor of ice cream, while the Indianapolis Children's Museum offered "watermelon salad"...) Today, I open the phones for your calls about the holiday and your thoughts on it. 954-889-6410 or Skype to nicolesandler. I have a great playlist for the day should the segment not be productive. If I decide to go that way, I'll end the video stream, but you can keep listening to the audio at nicolesandler.com/listen-live, nicolesandlerstream.com or progressivevoices.com.
The question is, legal or black market? The legal stuff is certainly welcome. But, they make it so difficult and so expensive! Today's guests, Robin Goldstein and Daniel Summer, professors of economics and agriculture respectively, examine the blunt realities of Cannabis Economics, and it seems that it's not all it's cracked up to be. Their book is, "Can Legal Weed Win?". We'll find out! But we'll start with the latest news, info and maybe some calls or an important new song that's just been released by Ben Harper!
Today is Day 3 of this round of hearings conducted by the House Select Committee investigating the events surrounding the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol. The focus today is on VP Mike Pence, and Trump's efforts to pressure him into using powers he never had to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Howie Klein will return next week.
Today's scheduled third day of hearings from the House Select Committee investigating the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol was postponed, giving us a bit of a breather. But not really, when you consider all that's happened today. The Supreme Court handed down decisions in six more of their still undecided cases for this term, though none of them were the blockbuster cases some had expected. That leaves 18 more decisions to come in the next few weeks. The Fed made good on the expected interest rate hike of 3/4 of a percentage point, the largest such hike since 1994! Joe Biden is going to Saudi Arabia to meet with the murderous Mohammed bin Salman. And Republicans keep lying about all of that and more. Today, I'm honored that The Nation's National Correspondent John Nichols returns to the show for a discussion about where we stand...
Laffy's been away for a few weeks, actually preparing to go away for a few more weeks! But she's here today, and we have a lot too catch up on, like the 1/6 hearings, the bipartisan gun deal framework, and everything else that's been going on since we last spoke. Buckle in...
In the second day of the televised public hearings convened by the House Select Committee investigating the events surrounding the January 6 attack on the Capitol, the evidence presented showed that Donald Trump was told by virtually everyone around him that he had lost the election, and that there was no way to find enough votes to change the results. Yet, he kept pushing information he knew to be blatantly untrue, and continued raising obscene amounts of money from his supporters to fight the falsely proclaimed 'stolen' election. It's mind boggling!
Bravo. Congratulations to the House Select Committee for presenting the opening arguments in their first in a series of public hearings last night, in which they told us what they'd show us over the course of the next couple of weeks. I'm stocking up on popcorn. Last night was the Thompson-Cheney show, and Cheney was the star. Just goes to show you, justice has strange bedfellows. Liz Cheney could never be confused for anything but a right wing ultra conservative. She is, after all, her father's daughter. But she also proved herself to be a formidable prosecutor (her law degree served her well), and an unlikely hero of the left ON THIS ISSUE ALONE. Bennie Thompson did a good job chairing the proceedings, and began the session with a brief but important history lesson.
The popcorn is popping and we're ready for the big show to begin. Tonight at 8ET, the House Select Committee investigating the event surrounding the Jan 6 Insurrection at the Capitol begins its long-awaited public hearings. Tomorrow's show will recap whatever happens tonight. In the meantime, Howie Klein is here for our regular Thursday get-together. I'm guessing we might do some pre-hearing prognostication about what to expect from these hearings... and more! (And I'll explain why Burgess Meredith is featured on today's show card!)
'm getting ready for the public hearings on the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6. How? By watching the House hearings on the Protect Our Kids Act, the package of bills aimed at protecting us from gun violence. But the fact is, even if all of these bills pass, those weapons of war - of mass destruction- numbering in the millions are everywhere in the country. What do we do about it? Damned if I know. But that's what we're talking about today. P
When the news broke last week that the jury acquitted former Clinton lawyer Michael Sussman on charges of lying to the FBI during the 2016 election cycle. This is one of only two cases brought by U.S. Attorney John Durham, who was appointed by then AG Bill Barr to open a Special Counsel investigation into the origins of the FBI's probe into Russian interference in that election. That he was acquitted, and almost immediately after the jury got the case, dealt a blog to the former guy's narrative. But I don't listen to their spin. I go the one of the best journalists on this beat-- Marcy Wheeler at emptywheel.net. That day-one week ago today- my show was already booked, with Digby! I thought I might be able to have both Digby and Marcy Wheeler on the same show, but realized that wouldn't be fair to any of us. So I used the Marcy Wheeler interview on the Bradcast as I guest hosted that night. But it hasn't aired on my show yet. Until today. We taped this interview a week ago today. Nothing has changed except that yesterday, Enrique Tarrio and five more members of the Proud Boys already charged with conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding were indicted on an additional charge of Seditious Conspiracy! The hearings begin in two days... popcorn ready for popping.
I often speak of Opposite World. I first noticed the alternate universe mostly inhabited by Republicans during the Bush years, when people of a certain right wing persuasion just decided they'd not believe facts inconvenient to their beliefs. They put forth no argument, engage in no debate, just simply said something to the effect of "I don't believe you," and off they went on their merry, alternative facts kind of way. Things got worse during the Obama years, as the GOP turned into the Gruesome Obstructionist Party, filibustering every single bill and obstructing any policy the Democratic president attempted to enact. Mitch McConnell even admitted to being the Grim Reaper of the senate, killing off every bill put forth by the majority. He even stole a Supreme Court seat from the sitting president, holding it open for almost an entire year just to keep Obama from filling it. The Trump years brought the disconnect to a whole new low, where up is down, in is out and right is most certainly wrong. We watched an actual coup attempt begin and seemingly fail, but we fail to realize that it's still in progress... they haven't stopped trying to overthrow our democratic form of government. We're now in the early stages of the 2022 midterm elections.. primaries are in full swing. And the MAGAt forces are training to complete the job they started during the last election: stealing the next one... Unless they can be stopped. That, I believe, is one of the goals of the 1/6 commission... making sure they can't complete their nefarious task. Today on the show, I'm joined by journalist Heidi Pryzbyla, most recently with NBC News. She broke a big story in Politico last week about the plans in place by the coup-ers as they try to finish what they started last time. We'll talk about it...
This is not a good time to be alive. I'm not saying the alternative is better, just that things around here are pretty messed up... from the effects of climate change which are getting worse each day, to the war and all the killing (Putin is only the tip of that spear), to the rising fascism not only here in the US but around the planet. And the fate of our wonderful democracy? Good thing I'm not a betting woman, as I don't even have any money to bet that we go down in flames. Like most Americans, I've been trying to figure out where I could go if things revert to the former guy's minions in the next election. And sadly, there seems to be nowhere to run. Or maybe there is? The US Government is finally gradually releasing information about sightings of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (better known to the rest of us as UFOs!). Today on the show, we look to the skies. There's a new film streaming on Prime, YouTube and other outlets called "A Tear in the Sky". Producer/Director/Writer Caroline Cory and UFO Investigator Dave Altman joined me to talk about the film which covered a five-day expedition to get read data on the UAPs that were first published by the NY Times in 2017, working with some of the military pilots who witnessed the footage as it was shot. The idea of life out there has been long ridiculed by most... I'll pull out a short interview I did with the actress Shirley MacLane back in 2007 after she was invoked in a presidential debate by the late Tim Russert, who asked then-candidate Dennis Kucinich about a UFO spotting he had while with her out in the desert. Because we can...
It's Thursday, so Howie Klein is here with tales of corrupt dark money being deployed against progressives, and who is supposedly coordinating the attacks. There's so much about which you need to be aware. So listen to Howie. But before he gets here, I have a few things to discuss with you. This nation's obsession with guns is sick, and people are dying. Back in 2013, after a few more of these horrific attacks including Sandy Hook where 20 first graders were massacred in their classroom, I knew that it was time for major action. Unfortunately, no one adopted the remedy I proposed. The only thing that the gun nuts like more than their weapons is money. Hit them in the pocketbook. I suggested other nations issue a travel advisory against the US, as it simply is not safe to walk down Main Street USA.... I've resurrected the idea many times over the nine years since. And finally, today, I see that Amnesty International picked up on my idea! I'll tell you about that and see if we can help promote it... tell the rest of the world, DO NOT TRAVEL TO THE USA. IT IS NOT SAFE HERE.
Welcome to Wise Women Wednesday! (It's also the first day of June, but there's no alliteration there!) Anyway, we have Heather "Digby" Parton live on my show this afternoon. And later tonight, I guest host the BradCast, where I'm joined by Marcy "Emptywheel" Wheeler. There's so much we could talk about and nothing is out of bounds, but we'll start with the Durham case, where a federal jury reached a not guilty verdict quickly and unequivocally. Actually, the timing is perfect. The House Select Committee on 1-6 public hearings begin a week from tomorrow. This is put up or shut up time... So listen to some wonderfully wise women on this Wednesday... (To hear Marcy Wheeler tonight, listen to my audio stream at 8pm ET at nicolesandlerstream.com or at progressivevoices.com, or find it posted at BradBlog.com)... I'll share it on this show later in the week too...
I don't often get to question military leaders, either current or former. My track record isn't great. Consider the last time I spoke with General Wesley Clark. It was June of 2014. I was guest hosting the Randi Rhodes Show, and ISIS was gaining ground in Iraq, and it looked like we were going back in. So I asked the logical questions, and his responses shocked me. I let him know. Needless to say, it didn't end well! (Hear it for yourself if you're interested (it's posted at https://nicolesandler.com/5-20-21/). Well, today, I try again. Not with General Clark, but with Admiral James Stavidris. I've seen him over the years on NBC and MSNBC, and he has a new book out, "To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision"...It's about making tough decisions while under fire, in the heat of the moment. I asked him about that with regards to the commander in charge of the school police in Uvalde, Texas, and the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. As he served for a while as NATO Supreme Commander, I asked about NATO, along with Ukraine and Russia. And I asked him about an issue that's been hanging out there since the start of the war in Iraq, about possible lack of transparency when former military appears on TV as military experts without disclosing who they're working for, usually in the military industrial complex... As usual, we'll begin with a look at all that's happened since we last spoke on Friday...
Monday is Memorial Day. It's the one day set aside each year to remember US military members killed in the line of duty. Certainly worthy of the recognition. But we have a growing number of dead citizens who are victims of gun violence. It's time to recognize that growing group of bodies, which we are powerless to stop. Actually, we're not powerless. Unfortunately the people who were elected to represent us in Congress are the ones who've ceded their power, mostly to big money interests. It's time to take it all back. Today, the latest on the devastating news out of Uvalde, Texas. The director of the Texas Division of Public Service answered questions from the press in a 40-minute long press conference, trying to clean up the mess from the last police presser. He answered questions, but his answers are wholly unacceptable. The officer in charge made the call not to attempt to enter the classroom where the shooter was still terrorizing the remaining children he hadn't yet murdered. Today, in advance of Memorial Day, I'll speak with Naveed Shah, political director of Common Defense, a progressive veterans group who you should know about. On Monday, I'll do a special Memorial Day music show on our audio streams only. Listen at nicolesandler.com/listen-live, on Progressive Voice (progressivevoices.com) or my standalone player at nicolesandlerstream.com.
Another Thursday is here, so Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC is here. We'll update the latest on the still not called races we're following (Cisneros-Cuellar among them). We get a break from Tuesday primaries next week, as Monday is Memorial Day. So today, we welcome a friend of Howie's to join us .. journalist and author David de Jong, whose first book is out: "Nazi Billionaires: The Dark History of Germany's Wealthiest Dynasties". But we'll begin with the latest news from the horrific school shooting in Texas, where details are now surfacing about how the police responded or, more accurately, didn't respond. This escalates a horrific tragedy to an even worse dereliction of duty. Un fucking believable.
Nineteen 4th graders gunned down in yet another mass school shooting in America. The shooter used the mass shooters' weapon of choice, an AR-15, which is notable for the way the bullets shred whatever they hit on impact. Families trying to find out the fate of their children were asked to provide DNA samples because many of the bodies were so horribly destroyed that the faces are unidentifiable. But the Republicans in Congress don't think an assault weapons ban is a good idea. Today on the show, another group therapy session, because we need it. We'll check in at the top of the show with Tyler Pager who's leading the Washington Post's coverage of the White House response to yesterday's massacre in Texas. Then I'll open the phones for your thoughts on what we do now. 954-889-6410 or Skype to nicolesandler. I'm out of answers. And I already played Cheryl Wheeler's "If It Were Up To Me" at the end of yesterday's show...when I looked at my email and saw the death toll had been raised from 1 student (as it was when the show started yesterday) to 14. Sadly, when I awoke this morning, the number was 19. Nineteen kids and two adults, dead for no reason at all... We are seriously broken.
When Laffy is here on Tuesdays, the mood is much lighter than it will be today in her absence. I have two guests lined up who promise to be fascinating. But I don't think we'll be doing much laughing today. First up: Lev Golinkin, an author/journalist who was a child refugee from Ukraine, writes in The Nation about the ill-fated Disinformation Board the Biden administration first announced, then abandoned, seemingly being derailed by right wing attacks and propaganda. The thing is, I booked Mr. Golinkin before reading his stuff, and it turns out that I vehemently disagree with him -- not on this story, but on his view of the war that Russia is waging on Ukraine. I'm going to talk to him today to try to figure out why he's elevating Putin's bullshit Ukrainian Nazi propaganda and why so many otherwise smart people are falling through that crack in reality. And we'll talk about the strange story surrounding that agency and the woman hired to run it, then fired from the sinking ship. Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of the murder of George Floyd at the hand (knee, more accurately) of a Minneapolis police officer, sparking the creation of the Black Lives Matter movement. A new book is out this week, "His Name is George Floyd: One Man's Live and the Struggle for Racial Justice". I'll talk with one of the two authors, Toluse Olorunnipa.
And we learned that a shooter entered a Texas elementary school and killed 14 kids and a teacher. No words...
We're starting the week off running with two great guests, so don't be late today. We'll begin the week with an old friend of the show, John Fugelsang! He used to come on with me weekly, but then got too busy... We hadn't spoken in a while when I reached out this morning, and he said Yes. So, we have about 7 years to catch up on. Of course, I think I want to talk to him about the perversion of religion that's exploded during that time... In today's news, I noted that President Biden this morning in Japan announced a new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEFP) trade deal! Was I asleep at the wheel? Why didn't I know this was coming? We closely scrutinized past trade deals like the TPP, NAFTA, CAFTA, USMCA etc... why am I just now hearing about IPEFP and what should we know about it? There's only one person to ask. Lori Wallach is now Director of Rethink Trade, and will tell us all we need to know...
Today's Republican Party is many things that would take me too long to list and raise my blood pressure too much. But one word that comes to mind every time I cover a story about their latest insanity is hypocrisy. They scream about the original intent of the framers of the Constitution, yet they insist on following those directives only when it correlates with their perverted sense of morality. Again, the biggie here has to do with church and state and the separation that the founders espoused. This latest push to outlaw our rights when it comes to carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term are frightening enough, but the fringe groups of zealots are rising to positions of greater power inside the Republican party, threatening our freedoms, all while they claim to be protecting your freedoms. Today, I'm joined by Rev. Barry W. Lynn, former executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State to help me make sense of it all, including the creepy beliefs of PA's Republican nominee for Governor and others in his orbit. We'll begin the show with a visit from David B. Wheeler, the guy behind the leak of the Madison Cawthorn video that probably was the reason he was defeated in his primary this week... Their next target is Lauren Boebert!
Finally! Tuesday was a great primary day for progressives, so we've got that going for us. Today is Thursday, so Howie Klein is here, and we finally have some progressive primary success stories to tell and build upon. And other big primary races are coming up that we can and should also win. But, shenanigans are afoot-- especially in NY where, for some reason, the redistricting maps are being drawn to inflict pain on the Democrats. We'll try to get to the bottom of that, as we examine leadership stacking the deck against two Black freshmen members of the caucus.
When something huge happens in the world, my mind goes to what George Carlin would think. He was not only THE comedian with his pulse on everything, but he seemed to be able to predict the future. 'Prescient' is a word I often use to describe him, as I did last week when a Carlin bit on abortion rights went viral after the leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion that appears will overturn Roe v Wade... So, in a sense, we do have him weighing in on current events. But not really. The world lost George Carlin in 2008. Although there are many talented comedians riffing on our lives and tribulations, there's still a giant hole where George Carlin should be. A few years back, I was fortunate to meet Kelly Carlin. She wrote a memoir, "A Carlin Home Companion" about growing up as the only child of the comic legend of our times. She then wrote and performed a one-woman show based on the book, which I was also fortunate to see. And she came on my show to talk about it, and has returned numerous times since then. Not to talk about her amazing father, but to talk about the important work she's doing herself. Well today she's back to talk about George! A new 2-part documentary premieres on HBO and HBO Max this Friday and Saturday. It's directed by Judd Apatow, but Kelly is one of the executive producers. So I get to pepper her with questions about her dad without feeling guilty about it... We'll begin with a feeling of relief and comfort, as the first big primary day of the 2022 midterms was mostly encouraging! Big wins for progressives, as John Fetterman handily won the Democratic nomination for senate from PA, and Summer Lee appears to be on track to win her race to run for the House seat form District 12, defeating a corporate, deep pocketed attorney Steve Irwin and the almost 4 million dollars spent on his behalf against her by PACs aligned with AIPAC. There's even better news out of Oregon where the progressive running to unseat the man often called the "Joe Manchin of the House" -- Kurt Schraeder- did it! Jamie Mcleod-Skinner is enjoying an almost 2-1 lead over the soon to be former DINO congressman from OR-5. So, George (and Kelly) Carlin and some good electoral news for progressives. That's a Wednesday I can believe in!
It's Primary Day today in five states, with a couple of very important races in there... most notably, Pennsylvania. With Rob Portman retiring, the soon to be open senate seat is one of the best chances for the Democrats to pick up a much-needed seat. Poised to win the Democratic nomination is John Fetterman, who is not your average candidate. Oh, and he suffered a stroke last week. But it was a minor one, and he's expected to make a complete recovery. The question is whether this will impact the vote? The race for the Republican nomination is also a curiosity, as TFG endorsed Dr. Oz, but that goes against much of the Republican party's preference for the other MAGA candidate, financier David McCormick. Who best to talk about this all with other than Will Bunch? The columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer is a frequent guest on the show, but today he's here to talk about Pennsylvania (and the other races too...)
When my daughter was little, she's always try to get out of trouble for things she said or did by claiming, "it was a joke!". My response was always, "a joke is supposed to be funny." And perhaps they were, to her! More accurate would have been to say "comedy is subjective." We know that. I can't say I've honestly given right wing comedians a chance to make me laugh. I just know that the few times I've tried, laughter was the last reaction elicited from me... Today, I'll speak with Nick Marx, one of the co-authors of a new book titled "That's Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them".
We're now two weeks in to primary season for the 2022 midterms, and it's too soon to declare any trend. But we can still be terribly frightened of what's to come. The candidates endorsed by Howie Klein's Blue America PAC represent our best hope of taking the US off the rightward track toward fascism. Today, we'll be joined by the Tom Nelson, the progressive running for the Democratic nomination in the senate race from WI to take on Ron Johnson. But first, breaking news from the 1/6 committee, and more...
Inflation sucks. It sucked back in the 70s and 80s too. It's a word we hadn't hear much about in recent years... there was plenty more to terrorize us even without the specter of inflation. But like war, it's back and we're trying to figure out how to deal with it. This morning, Jonathan Larsen sent me a link to an article he wrote, "How Trump Caused Inflation: Trump Blocked Regulations Against Price Manipulation; Biden Has Yet to Acknowledge the Problem"-- and I think he's on to something. So Jonathan joins us today to talk about that. Also happening today, the senate is voting on the Women's Health Protection Act which would codify into law Roe v Wade, ostensibly preventing the Supreme Court from killing women's right to control our bodies. But it's doomed to fail as the Dems don't have 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. Damn, they don't even have the 50 they'd need if the Senate operated as a democracy. Go figure.
The old adage goes something like "may you live in interesting times"... well, at least we've got that doing for us. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for boring times. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll see that type of phenomena any time in the near future. But navigating these interesting moments that keep coming at us is often treacherous. Sometimes you need to consult one of the deep thinkers of our time to try to put things in perspective. We'll do that today with the blogger known as Driftglass. Let's see if he can make any more sense out of this mess that is our world than I can...
The news geniuses tied themselves in knots over the past couple of weeks, speculating on what Putin was going to do to commemorate Victory Day-- May 9-- which is today! The annual holiday is set aside to honor the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.... It originated in the 15 republics of the Soviet Union after the German Instrument of Surrender was signed late at night on May 8, 1945. The breathless predictions were everything from "Russia will formally declare war" to possibilities much more deadly... Thankfully, none of that came to pass. Vlad did hold his parade and celebration on Red Square, but it was more subdued than expected. And when Putin addressed the nation, hackers changed the screens so they all read "On your hands is the blood of thousands of Ukrainians and their hundreds of murdered children. TV and the authorities are lying. No to war." On the other hand, Pres Zelinksy walked through the city of Kyiv while delivering his speech. Plus First Lady Jill Biden, Canadian President Justin Trudeau both visited, and Bono and The Edge played a mini concert on a subway platform, assisted by Ukrainian rock star Tomas Topelia of Antytila....
No clever title for this episode. I was toying with "FOIA Terrorist for Hire" or "BuzzFeed Fire Sale" but I figured that the most important part of it is that Jason Leopold is my guest today. Jason has been a senior investigative reporter for BuzzFeed News since 2016. During his time there, he broke a number of huge stories, got nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and solidified his place as the foremost FOIA expert in media today. Despite all of that BuzzFeed has decided to kill off its amazing News section. So I invited Jason on today to celebrate his work... Of course, the phones are open and we'll cover the latest news in the first half hour..
It's a busy Thursday on the show.... I had taped a segment with Lisa Graves, legal expert for the Nicole Sandler Show (with credentials that make her the only person for that job!), expecting to run it yesterday. But the phones were on fire, and I wanted to take your calls as long as you wanted to talk. So today, we'll begin with Lisa Graves, who shares her legal expertise with us whenever I need an expert. And, as you'd expect, she has lots to say about Brett Kavanaugh (with whose confirmation hearings she was involved) and the other members of this illegitimate court and they control that they're planning to take over our bodies. Then, as it's Thursday, it's time for our weekly get-together with Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC. Since we're now in primary season, today he brings us a candidate running in the special election to fill the House seat from Alaska that opened when Don Young died. And believe it or not, that candidate is Santa Claus. Seriously. I'm not kidding, and neither is he. Who better to take on Sarah Palin, eh?
I'm still reeling from the leaked draft of a SCOTUS opinion that we weren't supposed to see for another 7 or 8 weeks. But thanks to someone with a conscience who had access to the first draft of Justice Alito's opinion in the case that will determine the future of women's right to choose what happens with our bodies, we have the information early. That should allow our side to fight back effectively, but it is the Democratic Party we're talking about here, and they've been less than effective stewards of our democracy! I've got some audio and some opinions to share, but today I want to hear from you too. So the phone lines are open at 954-889-6410 (or you can always Skype in to nicolesandler)... And we'll also check in with my favorite legal expert, Lisa Graves of True North Research, who spent years in the trenches as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy in the Clinton DOJ, and a long list of other credentials that make her the perfect person to weigh in on what's happening now. Thankfully, she's way more optimistic than I am, so I'll try to adopt some of her positivity!
Politico somehow got hold of and leaked a copy of the first draft of the Supreme Court's decision on a Mississippi case that was heard in December, and will decide the fate of Roe v Wade. Despite the fact that it's SETTLED LAW and PRECEDENT we've lived with for just about 50 years, the new radical right wing of the court is saying "f off" to settled law, despite claiming during their confirmation hearings that precedent is precedent, and settled law is just that too. Sure it is. Today is that other Tuesday, so @GottaLaff is here to hang, cry and commiserate with us today!
Regular listeners of this program know that I'm a Bernie Sanders supporter. I have been since long before he ever decided to run for office. In fact, he used to come on my show fairly frequently. Now? Well, he came on once for a quick hit early in the 2020 campaign, but he's a tough 'get' these days. The last time I did speak with Bernie Sanders, it was because of Ari Rabin-Havt. I first met Ari when he worked for Media Matters. Not being a fan of David Brock's, I took exception with Ari's first two books, not because of the subject matter (with which I agreed), but because of the man who bankrolled that operation. But Ari left Media Matters and went on to host the morning show on Sirius XM's Progress channel, and later told me that he appreciated my very challenging interview on one of the books. When he went to work on Bernie's campaign, I was thrilled, as it meant I knew someone on the inside. A lot of good that did me! Well, Bernie's still plugging away. Alas, he's not sitting in the oval office. But I often fantasize about how much better off we'd all be if he was... Ari Rabin-Havt joins me for the hour today to talk Bernie, campaigning, politics and our very precarious democracy.
I took the day off yesterday, not to rest up or have fun, but to fight with my health insurance extortionists. For as long as I can remember, I've called our for-profit system of heath noncare "government-sanctioned extortion," because that's the best description of this predatory system. Yesterday, I found out that due to a few elements aligning in just the right way, I'm no longer eligible for the help from the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the more obscenely expensive prescription drug I take nightly that allows me minor relief from the RLS that prevents me from sleeping! So, instead of paying $10 a month (which I've been paying for the past few years), that same prescription will now cost between $700 and $850 or so each month. That's simply money I do not have (and if I did, would go to other expenses currently not being met, certainly not to a price gouging pharmaceutical company!). Anyway, that the Dems have done nothing to fix this pharmaceutical price gouging, the practice continues out of control. But that's not even the nightmare I alluded to at the top of this missive. No, that would be the essay published earlier this week by CNN, written by a very conservative judge who was appointed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals 15 years ago by GW Bush, Michael Luttig. In no uncertain terms, he lays out the ultimate game his party is playing, "The Republican blueprint to steal the 2024 election." I'm afraid that Democrats are blind to what's happening right under their eyes, and that we're in serious trouble. So I'll read that commentary at the top of the show. At the bottom of the hour we'll switch tracks, and talk with a woman who knows that ANYTHING is possible! Danica Roem is a delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates.... who, before she made history, described herself as a "trans woman and first-time candidate in a district represented by a Republican for 25 years"... Roem has now held that seat for three terms, making history as the first openly transgender individual serving in any legislature in the country. Her book, released this week, is titled, "Burn the Page: A True Story of Torching Doubts, Blazing Trails and Igniting Change"
I am a non-observant Jew. I'm actually an atheist who was raised in a secular Jewish home. My parents weren't religious either and, with three daughters and no sons, we had no Bar Mitzvahs and we were growing up at a time when Jewish girls weren't necessarily expected to be a Bat Mitzvah. So were weren't.
But we did grow up knowing that we were of Jewish heritage. And although I don't know the stories of my ancestors, I do know that my father's family came here from Russia and Romania, and my mother's family came from Russia and Austria. They all left their homelands because of the Nazis and the Holocaust.
We grew up knowing about the atrocities, with the directive to always remember so nothing like this could happen ever again. The annual Holocaust Remembrance Day was established back in the early 60s, yet I don't remember it being as prominent as it is this year before.
Perhaps that's due to the rising incidents of antisemitism around the world, the rise of Neo Nazi groups here and abroad, the atrocities we're seeing in Ukraine at the hands of the Russian soldiers... or perhaps it's because the last remaining survivors of the Holocaust are aging rapidly, and their descendants want to insure the stories survive. Today, I'll feature two films that debut on PBS stations this week. First up, I'll talk with Steve Pina, producer of "The Holocaust: A Turning Point". If you're in Southern California, you can see it tonight (April 27) at 11pm PDT or tomorrow at 7pm PDT on KLCS. Anywhere else, you can see it posted on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0u6Hb8fdEU.
Then, I'll talk with Michael Veitch. He's one of the songwriters who participated in a program that culminated in the film, "We Remember: Songs of Survivors". The singer/songwriters visited with Holocaust Survivors in Hudson Valley, NY to create original songs based on their conversations. It premiered on PBS last night and will run on 450 stations between now and May 24. Check your local listings.
There was a bit of shock, anger and disapproval among my circle of friends and political confidants last week when the Congressional Progressive Caucus officially endorsed Shontel Brown in the primary for the seat she currently holds in Congress over progressive favorite Nina Turner. I voiced my concerns about problems with how the caucus is run, and commiserated with Howie Klein of DownWithTyranny/ Blue America PAC, (my standing guest every Thursday) about the problem with recruiting members of the New Dem Coalition to also join the Progressive Caucus. Much to my surprise, I got a message from Rep. Mark Pocan, one of three co-chairs of the CPC PAC (separate from the caucus), and the former co-chair of the caucus as well. We had a nice conversation, off the air, during which he told me his side of the situation. At the end, we decided we should continue the conversation on the air. So he'll join me this afternoon to do just that...
Many of us were riveted Friday, watching Marjorie Traitor Greene testify at a hearing in GA as she lied her way an unending stream of "I don't remembers" and I don't recalls" as she channeled other ethically challenged Republicans before her, like Alberto Gonzalez' famous 72 denials of memory. Today, John Bonifaz of Free Speech for People, the group representing the plaintiffs in this and other cases challenging members of Congress who participated in the 1-6 insurrection, returns for a recap of what transpired Friday and what we've learned since. Then, as Russia's war against Ukraine enters its third unrelenting month, I'll speak with Christopher Blattman, professor of Global Conflict Studies at the University of Chicago and author of the new book, "Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace"
Today is Earth Day. To mark the occasion, I'll speak with author Eugene Linden about his new book, "Fire & Flood: A People's History of Climate Change 1979-Present". If we had enacted any of the legislation and protections proposed in the Green New Deal, we'd be in a much better position regarding the fate of the planet than we're currently experiencing. Unfortunately, today we've heard too much (but nothing of substance) from the other kind of green.. .Marjorie Taylor Green to be precise. She was on the stand today in the hearing to determine whether or not she should be allowed to be on the ballot. Challengers are citing Section 3 of the 14th amendment, which says that any elected official who takes an oath to defend our Constitution and then engages in insurrection is barred from holding public office again-- the Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause. Of course, this Green says she doesn't remember anything. I wonder if she has some kind of brain damage that's wiped her memories. Either way, she's unqualified to serve in Congress.
I'm back after a day off hanging with my kid. And what a strange day it is. Florida became even more FloriDUH today with the actions of the governor, whose nickname I've now changed. It was MoRon DeathSentence. Now it's just Ron deSatan, because he is truly evil. I'll explain his latest dictatorial and racist move, with an assist from State Rep Angie Nixon. Then we'll check in with Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC. We will talk politics as usual, but he has a unique perspective about the big story of the day... the demise of CNN+ after just 3 weeks. There's perhaps 3 degrees of separation, if that, between Howie and this story. He'll explain how he exited Warner Brothers, where he was President of Reprise Records, when Time/Warner merged with AOL, what seems like a hundred years ago... Yes, Howie has another fascinating story to tell. And it probably foreshadowed what happened today...
It's that other Tuesday, so Laffy's here. We've got lots to talk about, starting with the idiotic dic -tator MoRon DeathSentence showing just how low he can go. Then there's the "not qualified" by the ABA lawyer who TFG gave a lifetime appointment to as a federal judge based (say it with me) in Florida who single handedly killed the mask mandate for transportation. You can see how the day is going. That said, I do have one bit of encouraging news to share.. but you'll have to tune in to hear what it is!
It's the Monday after a big holiday weekend and it feels like it should be a holiday, but it isn't.
The news is awful, as it has been for the recent past, and there's no end in sight to the ugliness. We're seeing it in Ukraine as Russian bombs and soldiers reign their terror down on people who are no threat to them. And Putin's style of strong man governing seems to be spreading.
Today, we'll turn the spotlight on China who's flexing it's own authoritarian muscles all over Hong Kong. We here in the US don't concern ourselves much with what's happening there. So when I saw there was a new book coming out about that situation, I invited Louisa Lim on the show, and I'm glad I did!
The book is called Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong, and I think we all learned quite a bit about a part of the world our media doesn't spend much time or energy on...
We end this week with another visit from Marcy Wheeler. If you're one of the few who don't know, Marcy Wheeler has been doing an amazing job keeping track of all of the Jan 6 insurrectionists at emptywheel.net -- the plea deals, the trials, the investigations. She also is somehow able to stay abreast of the 1-6 Committee's work, the DOJ's work, the SDNY investigation, etc. You get the idea. Today, I pick Marcy Wheeler's brain about all of this. She answers my questions for the better part of the hour! So strap in and get ready for a big information download!
It's Thursday, so Howie Klein is here. Today, I know exactly what we'll be talking about. There are a few reports out today about the Congressional Progressive Caucus endorsing an actual New Dem (Shontel Brown) over a true progressive (Nina Turner). An article about it from The Lever (David Sirota's new outlet) blamed Pramila Jayapal; Howie says she's not the one to blame... I say there's plenty of blame to go around! We'll start there... But first, there's other news to tell you about today. Unfortunately, most of it is not very good...
It's a busy Wednesday. I have Tulane Law Professor Amy Gajda coming on as today's guest. She'll tell us about her new book, "Seek and Hide: The Tangled History of the Right to Privacy." Certainly an important topic, especially these days! But before I talk with Amy, I'll share the conversation I had this morning with Tanya, our friend from Ukraine. Since we met her six weeks ago when I cold called the Friends Forever Hostel in Kyiv, we've been communicating via text messages on the Telegram app. This morning, we connected, with video, via Zoom. I'll share some of our conversation at the top of the show.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment disqualifies from public office any individual who has taken an oath to uphold the US Constitution and then engages in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or gives aid or comfort to those who have. Hmm.
It seems that we have quite a few who fit that description who are again running for Congress in 2022 and perhaps another who might run for president in 24. So who's going to make sure this provision in the Constitution is followed?
Today's guest is John Bonifaz. He's the co-founder and President of Free Speech for People . And yes, he's a constitutional attorney. He'll tell us of their work challenging Madison Cawthorn's, Marjorie Taylor Greene's, Paul Gosar's, Andy Biggs' and Mark Finchems's candidacies. And more!
But the show got off to a weird start, as I just learned of Gilbert Gottfried's death. I know his wife, Dara, since before she and Gilbert got married. They have two beautiful children. My heart aches for them.
So, I was a bit off today. Sorry about that...
It's Monday. A new week with a whole lot of news, most of it not good at all. Putin's war on Ukraine is raging -- President Zelinsky says many thousands of Ukrainians have been killed, and he needs help from the rest of the world. Inflation continues growing (a global problem not unique to the US) and gas prices keep rising (same thing -- a global problem). The American right is getting scarier by the minute, and they're accusing the left of the evil things they're actually doing. The Former Guy's coup is still ongoing, as the Republicon Party keeps putting the elements in place that will allow them to steal any election going forward. The planet continues warming and scientists can't make the warnings any more stark than they already are: it's now or never! And the Democrats appear to be in really bad shape as the 2022 Midterm season gets underway. How would the executive editor of a major news magazine prioritize what they cover? I'll ask David Dayen when he joins us today. Dayen is executive editor of the American Prospect, a magazine that is online at prospect.org, needs your donations and subscriptions to do their work, but (like this show) is not behind a paywall.
We are in deep trouble. By we I mean the citizens of this country and the world. This is not hyperbole. We are in danger of descending into fascism. And the Republicans are doing all the behind the scenes dirty work to be able to pull off the coup they weren't quite able to realize in 2020, but are positioning themselves to do it in both the upcoming midterms and put the final nail in democracy's coffin in 2024. Unless Democrats and all who are anti-fascist get serious about changing the narrative. So, today's guest is the brilliant political scientist Rachel Bitecofer who accurately predicted the Blue Wave in 2018 and knows strategy. She's on a mission to make sure that Democrats retain at least 51 seats in the Senate and 418 in the House, because she knows if the Republicans gain power again, they'll never let it go. We've got our work cut out for us, but you'll have to listen to how Rachel suggests we frame the narrative... Let's do this.
As I prepare for today's show, I'm listening to the final vote confirming Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the US Supreme Court, making her the first Black woman to join the court. Unfortunately, what should have been a simple vote is being delayed by the antics of Rand Paul who, for some reason, is holding up the proceedings. She already has 53 AYE votes, enough for confirmation, so what's the holdup? My patience is wearing thin with these sorry excuses for human beings. It's Thursday, so Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC is here... it's been a busy day so far, and only promises to get a bit busier... and of course, we've yet to discover what Rand Paul's problem is (though that's been the case for years already)!
With so much going on that I don't know which way to turn first, I figured it was time to call Digby. Heather "Digby" Parton is one of the original OG progressive bloggers. Digby's Hullabaloo has been spreading truth for coming up on 20 years now, and she's still saying what needs to be said, both at digbysblog.net and now also in her regular column at Salon.com. Today, everything's on the table for discussion-- from Ukraine to DC, Floriduh to Oklahoma, to the Russia-supporting Republicans who appear to be poised to take back control of at least one of the houses of Congress... Digby is my guest for most of the hour today on the show...
... and Zelinsky, Obama, Biden and more! It's a busy week... Ketanji Brown Jackson will be confirmed to the US Supreme Court before this week ends. Barack Obama visited the White House for the first time since 2017. Ukrainian President Zelinsky address the UN Security Council today and held nothing back, including the most sickening video I've ever seen. And so much more happening... It's a good thing today is the other Tuesday and @GottaLaff is here to talk with about it all...
This should not be happening. The images we saw last night and this morning from a suburb of Kyiv, Bucha, has the whole world crying. Except for Russia, I guess, as they're the people responsible. The footage is something that would normally not be aired, but nothing about this war is "normal." As we get news that Putin is retreating from Kyiv and the surrounding areas, choosing instead to concentrate his offensive attacks on the Dombas region, it seemed like we'd be able to take a small breath of relief. Until we saw the footage of dead civilians everywhere, many shot in the back of the head while their hands were shackled, execution style. Others were apparently just gunned down as they walked along the road or rode their bicycles. Yes, everyone should see these images so they know what Russia is doing. Today, I'll talk with Philip Ittner. He's a former reporter for a number of corporate news outlets who's had enough of working for that type of business. He's covered Ukraine and surrounding areas for decades, so returned on his own to report to the rest of the world what is happening there. To get the show started, we'll try to connect with Linda Chorney (who's on the road back to Tucson from Las Vegas), to get her first-hand account of her Grammy experience.
The Grammys ceremony is happening on Sunday. After delays due to Covid and last week's epic fail at the Oscars, you might think the Grammy Awards will be conflict-free. Well then, you'd be wrong! My guest today is an artist named Linda Chorney. She's now a two-time Grammy nominee, but they didn't make it easy for her. Linda is an indy... an independent artist without any label affiliation. As such, she's a unicorn in the Grammy world. But her album "Emotional Jukebox" was nominated 10 years ago for Americana Album of the Year... She was attacked and threatened over it and, after it was all over, made a movie and wrote a book about what happened. Despite her experience a decade ago, she submitted her pandemic-written song, "Bored" for consideration this year and, at first, it appeared that lightning wouldn't strike twice. Until it did! Linda Chorney joins me today to talk about the whole experience, and show that the Oscars got nothing over the Grammys... And yes, she'll perform for us too!
It's another Thursday, so Howie Klein is here. With the corporate media screaming doom and gloom and predicting a shellacking in the midterms, we need to go all-in on the great candidates who can turn the party around. That's where Howie comes in. He heads up the Blue America PAC where, along with Digby and Crooks & Liars' John Amato, they identify and support the best progressive candidates running. Today, Howie introduces us to Melanie D'Arrigo, running to represent NY's 3rd congressional district.
Most of us learned of Brian Karem through his tough questions from the White House Press Briefing Room during the former administration. His willingness to stand up to the authoritarian regime and ask important questions prompted me to invite him on this program a few times. Now he's become one of my favorite guests. He was here last month to talk about his new book, "Free the Press," and he told us he was headed to Ukraine. Now he's back, and I want to hear all about it. But before I had the chance to invite him, I saw him promoting a new film-- HIS new film, "Six Feet Apart" that's just premiering on Amazon's Prime Video. I just finished watching it and it was everything I expected from Mr. Karem- insightful while at the same time very personal, funny and charming. So we've got lots to talk about today...
Will Bunch is today's guest. He's a national columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Watergate, a political scandal that brought down a president. For the past 50 years, Watergate was held up as the example of the worst of America, and every scandal was positioned in relation to Watergate. Will Bunch is a Watergate junkie. He's my age, so he was only around 12 or 13 when the hearings were everywhere. He says he raced home from school every day to watch. So I wasn't surprised that Will Bunch invoked that event when writing about the current predicament we find ourselves. So today, we'll talk about that, and when the comparisons between Watergate and the crimes perpetrated on America by the Trump crime family should have ended. And a whole lot more!
President Biden is still suffering from falling approval ratings. The surprising thing it that his numbers are low on the economy too. Record GDP growth, record low unemployment and a still raging stock market, but plummeting ratings? I wonder what that's about (not really, I know exactly what -- or who-- is responsible. And today, Biden introduced his budget. Now the president's budget never goes anywhere and usually doesn't even merit much press coverage, but the media is all over Biden whenever an opportunity is presented. So today is a perfect day to talk with Harvey J. Kaye about a proposed Bill of Rights for the 21st Century. Yes, Bernie Sanders has been calling for such a thing. Harvey and Alan Minsky wrote up the idea... Harvey joins in at the bottom of the hour. But first, the slap and the gaffe heard around the world....
Thank goodness that's over. I'm talking about the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. It was, to use an ugly but fitting term, a modern day lynching. The Republicans on the committee went for blood. They mercilessly attacked the most qualified candidate for the court that's been nominated in decades. Today, I'll try to present some of the high and low points of the last four days. I'll be joined by my favorite legal expert. Lisa Graves' day job is executive director and Editor in Chief of True North Research. She spent years as an attorney at various levels throughout the government, including a stint as Chief Counsel for Nominations for Senator Patrick Leahy on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, making her a perfect authority to comment on the circus surrounding this week's hearings.
It's Thursday. Russia's war on Ukraine is entering its second month. The Supreme Court Senate confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson concludes today after Republicans on the committee abused the nominee who will likely be the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. Today, Howie introduces us to another Congressional candidate endorsed by Blue America: Matt West. He's running in the brand new 6th district of Oregon and is a real progressive, evidenced by his Blue America endorsement. But there's another interesting element. As Matt told Howie, "I’m also a blockchain/web3/cryptocurrency developer working to change the internet." So, I think we'll get a quick lesson in that part of tech I know virtually nothing about!
She's back! Well, she never went away. She's just been raising her daughter. Larisa Alexandrovna is one of the OG bloggers... She wrote at her own At-Largely blog, as well as Huffington Post and even served as managing editor of Raw Story back in the early 2000s. Ten years ago, she got married and moved to Austin TX. Well, she's writing again. Well, on her Facebook and Instagram pages. And she's not writing news about foreign affairs and national security, but she is writing about what's happening now in Ukraine. I invited Larisa on the show today because she was born in Ukraine -- Odessa, to be precise. Her family escaped from what was still part of the Soviet Union when she was 8 years old. She still has friends and family in both Ukraine and Russia, and she has a unique perspective on that part of the world and this war. So, Larisa joins me for the whole hour today. Listen, learn, feel something...
GottaLaff joins me every other Tuesday to talk about what's happening in our world, much of the news culled from Laffy's Twitter feed. Today however, is Day 2 in the Supreme Court Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. And yes, the Republicans on the committee have all made spectacles of themselves, despite the declarations yesterday that these hearings would NOT be a circus. I guess Lindsey Graham, John Cornyn, Ted Cruz, Marsha Blackburn and the rest of the party of insurrectionists just can't help themselves. Thankfully, Ketanji Brown Jackson is as brilliant and even-keeled as she is. And Putin's war against Ukraine continues raging, now in its fourth week. The madness must stop. So we've got lots to talk about today!
I was hoping that we'd be hearing from our Ukrainian friend Tanya in person today, but she's not yet ready. I'll begin the show with a Tanya update. When we last met on Friday, she had safely arrived in Poland. She's not there any more! Then we'll get to the history made today. Confirmation hearings began in the Senate Judiciary Committee for Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States. She is simply brilliant, and the ugly statements made by some of the Republicans on the committee can't dampen the bright light shining today in DC.
What I wrote before the interview: As another war-filled week ends, all I want is for the bombing to stop. I'm pretty opinionated and obviously angry about what Putin is doing to Ukraine. I've said loudly that I think we should be doing everything possible to stop that Russian madman from killing more innocent people. And when I saw everything, I mean everything. Watching the news is excruciating. But there are many friends and allies who disagree with me... they think we should do all we can do, to a point. They're rabidly against using military force to stop Putin. So, I thought today, we should hear their arguments. I couldn't think of a better messenger than my old friend David Swanson. I met him when he was advocating for impeaching George W Bush over his illegal war in Iraq. He is an author, activist, journalist, and radio host. He is executive director of World BEYOND War and campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org. Swanson’s books include War Is A Lie and When the World Outlawed War. He blogs at DavidSwanson.org and WarIsACrime.org. He hosts Talk World Radio on many Pacifica stations. And he wrote a piece a few days ago, "30 Nonviolent Things Russia Could Have Done, and 30 Nonviolent Things Ukraine Could Do" that prompted this conversation. We'll talk, we'll likely disagree, but we'll do it respectfully...
What I say after: He wants to give Vladimir Putin everything he wants because Putin is blackmailing the world with his nukes. That was not a fun interview, but have a listen...
We're now into the third year of a global pandemic, and the fourth week of Russia's war on Ukraine. It feels like we're living in a one step up, two steps back world on so many fronts. That's my mindset as I prepare for today's show. Our friend in Ukraine, Tanya (which she prefers over Tatiana) made it to the border with Poland, as she messaged me at 6:49 ET this morning. I haven't heard anything from her since. Hopefully that'll change come showtime. Today is Thursday, so Howie Klein is here. We'll address some of the other issues plaguing us, as if Covid and the war weren't enough (they are, but the universe apparently has different ideas), including the lack of subpoenas to members of Congress implicated in the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol. He wrote about it at Down with Tyranny. In that article, he quotes a few of the Blue America-endorsed candidates running in next years midterm elections, including Lucas Kunce. Lucas Kunce is running for an open senate seat in Missouri. He's a Marine veteran having served multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He'll actually join me in the first half hour of today's show. I'd been trying to get him on to give us his take on the war, our response, and what more we could be doing.
That we have a refugee crisis in this nation is not news. The dictionary definition of "refugee" is "a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster." And we've seen the world's refugee population grow by at least three million in the last three weeks, as Ukrainians are literally running for their lives.
Here in the US, Ukranians who somehow made it to the Mexico/US border have been turned away. Hopefully that will change soon, but I'm not confident.
The AP is reporting that finally, more than 6 months since we left Afghanistan, the US has just announced that those Afghan refugees who made their way here would be allowed to stay for at least 18 months under temporary protected status, a move that should help thousands who arrived since the withdrawal... But what about the other refugees who have valid reasons to ask for asylum? And what about the refugees fleeing horrific conditions in other parts of the world?
When we discuss refugees, we rarely consider those who have fled the US. Well, one of them is our guest today.
Tiffanie Drayton gives us a different perspective as she tells her story in her new book, "Black American Refugee: Escaping the Narcissism of the American Dream.
Life in the 21st century would be complicated enough without people on the sidelines claiming facts are fiction and the sky is green. Disinformation campaigns have long plagued very legitimate cause, but it seems like they've been on a steady dose of steroids for the past 22 years or so. From 9-11 to Covid and so much in between, these conspiracy theories have caused confusion, despair and unleashed a sickening movement. Today, I'll speak with Elizabeth Williamson, author of the new book, "Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth". In it, she tells the story, not of the horrific massacre that happened 10 years ago this December, but the aftermath and the anguish and worse set in motion by Alex Jones. In the first half hour, the latest news and updates from Ukraine and the insanity that is life in this country in 2022.
The incredibly prolific Thom Hartmann has just released another book in his Hidden History series. This one is "The Hidden History of Big Brother in America", and it's much worse and more widespread than you imagined. Thom joins us at the bottom of the hour. Before we get to Thom, news from Ukraine. I'll bring you up to speed with our friend Tatiana, who has now moved to another apartment in a city closer to the border. But unfortunately, that region is now also being attached by Putin's soldiers. And Florida's legislative session comes to a close today. We'll review some of the damage done...
We've finally reached Friday, and Russia's war on the innocent people in Ukraine is in its third week. I don't want to watch the atrocities, but I can't turn away as I'm concerned about the people who are being murdered by the world's smallest madman. As you know, I have a friend in Ukraine. We've been communicating via the Telegram app. Today, she sent me a horribly disturbing message. She wrote "Today I received a call to the Friends forever hostel phone number. The man asks are you alive? I say yes. The answer is, I hope you all die very soon!" How can people be so cruel. My inner Momma Bear pounced. Tatiana sent me a screenshot of her phone, where this caller's phone number was clearly displayed. It was a NYC number: 929 841 4806. I'll explain what happened next at the start of the show... Then, we'll check in with Dietmar Pichler, an Austrian who frequently visits Ukraine, and know the history of the country very well. He's been working overtime, debunking the disinformation being spread by Putin, trying to get the world to listen to the truth. And finally, because it's Friday and we all need to take some time for self care this weekend, I thought I'd bring on a guy who can make us laugh. John Poveromo is a comedian and host of the podcast Dystopia Tonight. We'll see if he can actually make us laugh in the face of the immense tragedy we're watching in real time. Game on.
It's a Thursday, so Howie Klein is here to talk all things politics. Today the saga of Madison Cawthorne continues. How he ever got into Congress is beyond me; that's North Carolina, I guess. I really have no room to complain, as I'm in Floriduh, and here things have gone from slightly nuts to completely certifiable. And, of course, the news out of Ukraine remains surreal. Lots to talk about today...
The war is raging in Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin is obviously a very short man with a very small dick. That explains so much, you know. And we've already heard about the size of the thing hanging off of the former guy. But their physical shortcomings in no way make the impact of their hateful actions any less severe. Today, Putin's thugs bombed a maternity hospital in Mariupol. It defies humanity. And the deal we reported on yesterday that would have Poland send Ukraine Russian MiG jets that we'd replace with American jets was killed... by the US Government. Why? Because they're afraid Putin would consider our involvement as an act of war. Give me a break! Putin will just say we're actively involved when ever he wants an excuse for firebombing a hospital where babies are being born. He doesn't need a legitimate excuse. He'll lie and then use his lie as an excuse for massacring innocent children. What are we waiting for?!?!? Actually, Congress would have to follow the laws of our land, and there's no indication that this Congress would do the right thing. Even though the Democrats have the thinnest of majorities, they still hold a majority. Therefore, they should be able to enact any legislation they deem fit. But there's this very anti-democratic rule called the filibuster. The filibuster is not in the constitution, and it's certainly not a law. So why are we crippled by it? That's what I'll speak with Jon Sinton about today on the show. Jon Sinton is the head honcho here at the Progressive Voices Network. He's also the CEO of Let Majority Rule, an organization whose mission it is to help ensure America hears the voice of the majority of voters.
The pandemic is in its third year, the Russian war against Ukraine is in its second week, and the world is mad. I've been staying in close contact with my new friend from Kyiv, who's now in a small village much closer to the border with Poland while they wait to see what happens next. As I've been doing, I'll continue to update you on her situation, and when she's ready, will bring her on the air to talk with us. But not until she's ready. I can't even imagine what she's going through right now. Today, I'll get together with two of my closest women friends... GottaLaff, who would have been here anyway as it's her Tuesday. And Amy Simon, the cultural HERstorian behind the play "She's History: The Most Dangerous Women in America, Then and Now"... The three of us used to get together weekly as the Gliberal Goddesses. Well, for one show only, we're back!
I've been horribly disillusioned by the corporate media, especially the outlets that purport to serve a progressive audience. But I do have to thank MSNBC for introducing me to the always brilliant Elie Mystal. I've been honored by his presence on this program a few times, and am thrilled to welcome him back today as his first book, "Allow Me To Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution" is just released. Elie's premise that the constitution is "trash" raised some eyebrows on The View last week. That's because they don't know Elie. I get it... he'll explain! Of course, we'll begin with the latest news. And I'll share this weekend's updates from our friend in Ukraine, Tatiana from the Friends Forever Hostel in Kyiv (though she's no longer there...). We have been in contact, and I'll bring you up to speed. Then, we're joined by someone who's always one of my favorite guests! Elie Mystal is Justice Correspondent for The Nation, and his new book was just released last week. We'll talk about "Allow me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution"
Whether you call him Miami Steve, Little Steven, Steve or Stevie, the Rock and Roll Consigliere joins me via Zoom for an all-encompassing conversation about his new book, "Unrequited Infatuation," and the many stories he tells in it, and then some. We taped this conversation on Wednesday. I figured it would be a perfect way to kick off the weekend after a rough and frankly pretty awful week. And then Putin bombed a nuclear power plant in Ukraine last night - the largest one in all of Europe- and I realized I couldn't wait until Monday to talk about that. So, we're starting a bit early today. I still want Steve to usher in my weekend -- I was feeling too good at the end of the interview to then start talking about the horrors being inflicted on the good people of Ukraine. So, we get a bonus hour at the beginning. That first hour is podcast separately.. so download it too to hear Harvey Wasserman, who's been one of the fixtures of the No Nukes movement since the 70s. In fact, he was one of the people responsible for bringing together MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy) and the brilliant No Nukes concerts in 1979, at which Bruce and Steve Van Zandt played. So it just seemed that this was the way to go... Anyway, a bonus hour today, and Steve Van Zandt. Now if only the people of Ukraine weren't under attack by the planet's sickest madman...
An extra bonus hour of the show today. I started an hour early because of the news out of Ukraine of Russia bombing a nuclear power plant, the largest one in all of Europe.
No Nukes Activist Harvey Wasserman joins in to tell about the dangers of any time of war within Ukraine around all those nuclear plants. I also brought you up to speed on my communications with Tatiana, the owner of the Friends Forever Hostel in Kyiv, who I met on the phone last week. She and her husband have finally fled Kyiv. The second hour of the show with my interview with Stevie Van Zandt is in the next post.
The world is in shambles and Vladimir Putin is a madman. I cannot believe this is happening.. I'll share some thoughts about the madness. And then, it's Thursday, so Howie Klein joins in. And he has some actual good news out of Texas! So we got that going for us.
There's so much going on today that it's difficult to figure out what to cover and what to pass on during a one-hour long show. We have to make editorial decisions when deciding what news to report on. But I'm only dealing with my one hour a day. In the grand scheme of things, do you wonder what stories are neglected by the media? Especially the corporate media who are, unfortunately, controlled by the ratings/circulation/click/money metric? Well, wonder no longer. That's what Project Censored is all about. Today, I'm joined by Project Censored's associate director Andy Lee Roth, who'll tell us about the newly released STATE OF THE FREE PRESS 2022 The Top Censored Stories and Media Analysis of 2020–21. You'll probably be surprised by what you learn, but maybe not. We'll begin the show with a few words about last night's State of the Union address, and the latest from Ukraine. And whatever else seems important when I hit the air at 5pm ET. Talk to you then...
It's now Day 6 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the Russian propaganda is being spread thickly. I think it's the same people who want to do their own vaccine research, as if anything they find out will be more credible than the world's scientific community. In this case, Vladimir Putin has invaded and is waging war on an innocent neighboring nation, simply because Vlad wants his Soviet Union back. But these idiots are echoing his propaganda, claiming that the nation led by a JEWISH man is filled with Nazis who are exterminating ethnic Russians living in Ukraine. Why weren't they screaming about this a month or more ago? Because it's bullshit! The easily led are so easily led. Our guest today is journalist Brian Karem who just released a new book, "Free the Press: The Death of American Journalism and How to Revive It." We have much to talk about.
Russia invaded Ukraine last week, and nothing makes sense any more. There have been some bright spots in the midst of the horror. We're seeing the strength of the Ukrainian people in fighting back in every way conceivable. I'll share some of them with you. Things over there are a mess, but the good news is that Putin's having a tough time of it. It's just you and me today, and the phone lines are open at 954-889-6410 or via Skype to nicolesandler. There's other news too, and none of it is good. My congressman, Ted Deutch, isn't running for re-election. The UN released a new IPCC report (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and it's apocalyptic. Kim Jong Un must be feeling neglected, so he shot off a ballistic missile on Sunday. Russia's not winning so easily, and many fear Putin will retaliate in an even worse way. Belarus is likely to begin sending in troops as soon as tomorrow. And he keeps threatening nukes! And there's more, but I'll save it for the show. We'll have lots to talk about today on the show... very little of it any good. Ugh.
With so much attention focused on Ukraine now for good reason, today, we'll pull back and tell you about a place closer to home with an oppressive ruler who's trying to keep school kids from saying "gay," outlawing abortion after 15 weeks, refusing to protect its citizens, and being an immature ugly excuse for a human being. Of course, I'm talking about the state where I currently reside, FloriDUH and the idiot currently occupying the governor's office, (Mo)Ron Death Sentence. Yes, I know that's childish, but he got up at CPAC yesterday and referred to President Biden as "the Brandon administration". Joining me in today's middle finger salute to the sunfried state is my friend Boca Britany Somers. Yes, she lives here too, and we have about which to be perturbed today!
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So, Putin did what President Biden and the American intelligence agencies have been saying he'd do, but he forcefully denied until the moment Putin went on the TV to declare he was lying all along. OK, he never admitted that he lied, but the result is the same. He launched a massive invasion and attack upon a sovereign nation-- Ukraine. It's just awful, and it seems that we're powerless to stop him. It is Thursday, so Howie Klein joins in for the second half of the show.
It's Wednesday and my head is spinning with all the different issues facing us today, from Russia invading Ukraine, to Fox & fiends praising Putin's invasion of Ukraine, to the truckers' insane protests, to Floriduh's legislative session doing the unthinkable, to the cases the Supreme Court and its newly enshrined wingnut majority are taking up, and I'd like to just unplug. But instead, I have lots of stories to share, and will open the phone lines to hear what's on your mind today too.
Wow, is it ever Tuesday... It's so much Tuesday that it's TWOSDAY! 2-22-22, a date we won't see the likes of again in our lifetimes. If you're around 400 years from today though, it'll be 2-22-2222. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. It's 2022, and Russia is invading Ukraine. And the Republican party, led by the cretins that populate the Fox NotNews Channel are cheering for Putin over democracy. GottaLaff is here, hopefully we'll share some laughter today along with the probably tears...
As you undoubtedly have figured out by now, I love having guests who come loaded with information on the show. Marcy Wheeler who reports on national security and civil liberties issues at her own emptywheel.net is one of my favorites. And we never seem to have enough time to cover it all, so today, we take up the full hour. I ask Marcy about the Durham report (and how its actual findings bear nearly no resemblance to the story cooked up by Fox Not-News), the Russia-Ukraine mess, and the Jan 6 committee investigation and DOJ/Merrick Garland progress in prosecuting the attack on the Capitol. Happy Presidents' Day!
At the end of each week, it feels like we dodged a bullet. So Fridays tend to lend an air of relief! Today, Heather "Digby" Parton joins me to stick a fork in this week In case you need some assistance in remembering what happened: Putin didn't invade Ukraine on Wednesday, something that we had been bracing for. Despite Russia's denials that an invasion is imminent, troops keep amassing on the border of Ukraine. Hostilities could still happen any time... Don Jr, Ivanka and Popa Don must testify under oath, and sit for a deposition in the next 3 weeks. Congress averted a government shutdown when funding runs out tonight at midnight by passing yet another continuing resolution, this time until March 11. And Mazars, their long time accounting firm, not only fired them as clients, they declared that the financial statements it prepared for the Trump organization lo these many years cannot be trusted. Fox blanketed their airwaves with a fictional story about the findings of John Durham's investigation, while its airstaff and sycophants wondered aloud why the rest of the media was ignoring their yarn. Sarah Palin lost her libel lawsuit against the NY Times...again. The Russians keep cheating at the Olympics, probably destroying the life of a talented 15 year old figure skater. Sandy Hook families won a $73 million settlement against Remington, marking the first time a gun manufacturer was held liable for a mass shooting in America. Prince Andrew admits he's a sleaze (he did settle with one of Jeffrey Epstein's victims to avoid a trial over allegations that he raped a teenager numerous times during his association with the now dead predator. A group of truckers in Canada showed that they're as unhinged and stupid as the anti-vaxxers down here. Bring on the weekend, please.
It's Thursday, which means we're not quite at the weekend yet, but it is Howie Klein day on the show. As I'm writing this and preparing for today's show, a judge just ruled that Trump and two of his children must testify in NY attorney general's investigation of his business practices! The kicker.. that they sit for a deposition within 21 days. Perhaps we should get a pool together to place bets on that actually ever happening... BTW, the government officially runs out of money again tomorrow night if they don't come up with something quick! And with all of those Congressional retirements in advance of the 2022 midterms, why haven't Dianne Feinstein and Nancy Pelosi joined the exodus? Just a few things to talk with Howie about today...But first, there's so much confusion about what 's happening with Ukraine.. Is Russia invading? So, I called Kyiv...
The American Prospect magazine has a special edition out right now, dealing with our Supply Chain crisis. Do you understand the Supply Chain? I don't... but I do grok a bit more since I've read some of the special issue, and will know more this afternoon, after TAP Executive Editor David Dayen guests on my show to try to explain the problem/s. So rather than trying to state here what David Dayen will explain to us, I'll direct you to prospect.org, and more specifically, prospect.org/supply-chain, and stay tuned.
I think I let out an audible gasp when I opened an email the other day from The Yes Men!I'll admit that I hadn't realized they hadn't been active lately, at least not publicly. But I do still think about them often. Well, whether they were gone or not is beside the point because...... they're back! And now they want to help you change the world in a funny, subversive and always humorous way... Although The Yes Men launched the Yes Lab some years ago and do travel the world helping creative activists make big points, they're taking that to the next level in announced the Meddleverse™. Andy Bichlebaum, a man often known by any of a number of aliases, joins us today to tell us what they're up to now. And I couldn't be more thrilled!
I live in Coral Springs, FL. If you're not from here, that probably doesn't mean much. If you do live in these parts, you know that we're adjacent to Parkland. We share a police and fire department. So yes, the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School that happened four years ago today directly affected this community. I know firsthand that February 14 isn't just Valentines Day any more. When you live in a community rocked by something so tragic, it doesn't ever just go away. Today, not that I needed reminding, but one of the first things I saw was Manuel Oliver on my TV on a construction crane near the White House. Manuel Oliver's son, Joaquin "Guac", was a 17-year old senior at MSD when he was shot dead at school on that horrible day, along with 16 other students, teachers and staff. Seventeen others were horribly injured. (People don't mention those injured often, but they should. The damage done by bullets from AR15s is horrific. These people live with those memories along with the pain and physical reminders every single day.) I was just hitting the air four years ago when I learned that there was an active shooter at MSD.. and not a damn thing has been done to insure that something like this never happens again. And that may be the biggest tragedy of all.
It's been a frustrating day. I've been hit with a spam tornado, all coming from the insane political right wing posse. And interestingly enough, after a little sleuth investigating on my part, I discovered this slew of URLs sending me the offensive material all came from the same company. They're called Paramount Communication. I'll tell you all about it... and then we'll settle in for a nice, long conversation with Robyn Kincaid. If you don't know the force behind HeadOn.live radio, then you'll enjoy meeting Robyn. She now has the distinction of being the first trans person to run for WV's House of Delegates, but there's much more to her...
Trump took classified documents from the White House and clogged the toilets there flushing papers he wanted hidden. Truckers in Canada protesting mandates shut down cities and bridges and authorities are worried that the truck protests will spread here, perhaps threatening the Super Bowl and more. And Marjorie Taylor Greene doesn't know the difference between the gestapo and gaspacho? We have lots to talk with Howie Klein about today. The founder of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC is with us every Thursday...
Florida's legislative session has reached the halfway point, and the cretins that control the state are doing their best to turn it into Gov DeathSentence's own personal rightwing autocracy. It's been too long since my friend, fellow FloriDUHian Deborah Newell Tornello joined me for a Floriduh segments. The fact that her family now splits its time between here and Canada, gives us even more to discuss. But we just passed the halfway mark of the 2022 Florida Legislative Session, and the governor and his minions are working hard to deny us of our rights Of course, FloriDUH is one of the states that never accepted the government's very generous package to extend Medicaid and help kids who might not otherwise have access to health care. Fortunately, the RAMUSA medical expedition is headed to Ft. Lauderdale next month. I'll explain what that's all about and why it's so necessary, and how you can volunteer or get health care!
Today's that other Tuesday, so @GottaLaff is here today, primed and ready for some legitimate political discourse. And we do it without weapons, bear spray or treason! Laffy mines Twitter for the her "Tweet Spot". And we may call Canada today to find out wtf is the deal with the "Freedom Convoy" of anti-vaxxers who've already caused an emergency in Ottowa, and is spreading around the country.
I really over-extended myself last week and weekend, to the point where I really don't have a show in me today. Honestly, I went back to sleep after recording today's What's News, and only awoke two hours before showtime. I'm still not fully lucid. So instead of replaying something recent, I went back into the archives 10 years for an interview with the prophetic Mike Malloy. The date was May 16, 2012, and he did a decent job of predicting where we are now.
If I had to pick the best years of my radio career, it would be from July 1994 until February 4, 1997. I was part of not only the best radio station I ever worked at, but certainly one of the best period. KSCA fm101.9 signed off the air for good 25 years ago today. I couldn't let the occasion pass without remembering, so come along for the ride! Joining me in this look back are consultant and the guy responsible for us ever being on the air in the first place, consultant Dennis Constantine, personalities Mimi Chen and Anita Gevinson, artists Dan Navarro, Rami Jaffee (Wallflowers, Foo Fighters), Angela McCluskey & Paul Cantelon (Wild Colonials) and Peter Himmelman. This episode runs two hours. Following this show, I played the final two hours on the air at KSCA. That'll follow in the next podcast. Enjoy!
Today is Thursday, so Howie Klein (Down with Tyranny, Blue America PAC) joins in at the bottom of the hour. Lots to talk with him about including the smear campaign being waged against Rep. Marie Newman.
But we'll begin today's show by noting that despite separation of church and state was clearly the goal of the founders, today-- 2022-- there's still something call the National Prayer Breakfast every year, and it was today. And this time, it was Joe Biden who I found most offensive... in an event that offends me at every turn. TYT Investigations managing editor Jonathan Larsen has been looking in to The Family and has some interesting news to share at the top of the show.
The Pentagon this morning announced its plans to send some 3000 troops to reinforce NATO allies in Eastern Europe as Russia has placed around 100,000 troops along the border of Ukraine. Katrina vanden Heuvel, the publisher of The Nation, has been covering Russia for many years, and she warns in a Washington Post Op-Ed that the crisis is growing more dangerous and more absurd, and that war is unimaginable. She joins me for a conversation about the possibilities. This on a day filled with breaking news, including the sudden resignation of Jeffrey Zucker from his head honcho position at CNN after the network's investigation into Chris Cuomo turned up evidence of an inter-office relationship between Zucker and another executive there. And the Washington football team announced its new name and go figure, they're honoring a member of the Biden family. I'll explain.
I know one F word that I've uttered already numerous times today. I've blurted it out in reaction to the latest idiocy from the Floriduh governor and from The Former Guy and others of their ilk. Here's one tweet that really sums it up today, from @AymanM: "-fmr President admits he wanted to overturn election -vows to pardon insurrectionists -incites racism & protests against Black prosecutors -the FBI acknowledges a series of bomb threat around the country -books being banned in schools. Are we still not alarmed?" I am! It's one of those days, so our friend Dave Johnson (seeingtheforest.com) joins me to get mad or get even... or figure out how to turn it all around!
It's a Monday after a really cold weekend. I'm here in South Florida, where the mercury dipped into the 30s. I warned you about falling iguanas, but you didn't want to believe me. Well, the warnings about them made up virtually every newscast all weekend long! Not only did it freeze in Florida, but the Nazi's invaded Orlando. And you'll never believe our "governor'"'s response... or maybe you will. My guest today is former FBI agent Peter Strzok. His book, "Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump" is out in paperback, and he joins us today. As you'd imagine, I have lots of questions for him!
When I started in radio while in college at the University of South Florida in the per-authoritarian days of the US back in 1979-80, I hosted a show called Free Form Radio. The title wasn't very creative, but the programming was. Now, in the big corp era, there is no such thing as "free form radio" any more, except on perhaps the most creative college non-commercial stations, but you'll have to really dig deep to find them. When I was starting in radio, the punk and New Wave scene was already going strong. Our regular Thursday guest, Howie Klein, was an integral part of that music scene in San Francisco. He and his work back then is the subject of a new book, "Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave". Author Bill Kopp joins in for the final segment of the week to talk about it, and tell us some things about Howie we otherwise wouldn't know. Before we exit the serious world of news, politics and important information, we'll recount some of the day's breaking news stories... and as usual, there's lots to choose from. But the weekend is almost here!
Today might be the day hell freezes over. First of all, remember that it's going to get hellishly cold this weekend, at least here on the east coast. OK, I'm going to ask Howie Klein about his article posted at DownWithTyranny.com titled "In Defense of Chuck Schumer". https://www.downwithtyranny.com/post/in-defense-of-chuck-schumer Seriously. We'll deal with current issues, but I can't spend a show with Howie Klein without asking him to weigh in on another post he wrote, "Music Biz Has Deteriorated Not Because Of Musicians, But Because Of... Extreme Capitalism" https://www.downwithtyranny.com/post/music-biz-has-deteriorated-not-because-of-the-artists-but-because-of-extreme-capitalism Congress is once again on recess, and Stephen Breyer finally decided to retire from the Supreme Court, opening the door for Mitch McConnell to again try to steal another US Supreme Court seat from the Democrats.
It's CyNicole Sandler, back with you. Yes, the events of the past few years has brought out the cynic in me again, so the prefix appears on my first name again. At every turn today, my cynicism kicked in. From what's going on within the Democratic Party in Nevada to Senate Republicans dirty tricks they used to steal three Supreme Court seats, my cynical inner companion has been screaming all day. Today we learned that Justice Stephen Breyer finally announced he'd retire, but my inner cynic just knows that McConnell and his fellow thieves - er- Republicans will somehow steal that seat too. Raising the level of cynicism coursing through my veins today, Nancy Pelosi announced that, despite her promises to the contrary, she will run for reelection next year. The 81-year old Speaker of the House (who will turn 82 long before election day 2022) has already served in Congress since 1987. That's 35 years. There are members of her caucus who weren't even born when she swore the oath. Just unreal. My cynicism was also exacerbated by what the DNC is doing to the Nevada State Democratic Party. I'll be joined at the top of the show by Judith Whitmer. She led the Clark County Democratic Party before she was elected to chair the Nevada State Democratic Party last March. But the party elders of the establishment NSDP, once led by Sen Harry Reid which now claims Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, preferred the more conservative slate of candidates for state party leadership, who lost to a progressive coalition. So they orchestrated a coup that's still playing out. NSDP Chair Judith Whitmer joins me at the top of the show to explain the undemocratic practices of the Nevada State Democratic Party with an assist from the DNC and its leader Jaime Harrison. I'll also speak with David S. Rudolf, attorney and author of "American Injustice: Inside Stories from the Underbelly of the Criminal Justice System"... because our criminal justice system is fubar.
It's the other Tuesday, so GottaLaff is here today. She'll break out her Tweet Spot, when she mines the Twitters for the best, most intriguing or most newsworthy Tweets, which provide fodder for our conversation. Join in the fun or misery, or some mindset in between...
We've now passed the one-year mark of the post-Trump presidency, but like other former presidents, that one won't go away. I realized last week that I had entirely forgotten about the annual Progressive Honor Roll, as designated by John Nichols and his colleagues at The Nation magazine. I think I've had John on as a guest every year for the past decade reviewing the progressive heroes of the previous year. So, I reached out to invite him on, belatedly. And learned that John's new book will be officially released tomorrow. So perfect timing having him on today! It's titled, "Coronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers: Accountability for Those Who Caused the Crisis". Obviously, we've got lots to talk about, along with the latest news and a FloriDUH update to begin the show.
I lifted the title of the film we'll be discussing on today's show and used it as the title for this episode because it's a custom fit. The film "Not Going Quiety" tells Ady Barkan's story. If you were at all involved in the fight over the last 10+ years for Medicare For All, you likely know about Ady Barkan. Always a progressive activist and organizer, Ady was diagnosed with ALS. He continued his activism and organizing work, pushing for M4A. Director Nicholas Bruckman and Producer Amanda Roddy join me for the second half of today's show. The film premieres Monday 1/24 on PBS' "POV." You can also find other ways to listen at notgoingquietlyfilm.com. But we'll begin today's show with a trip in the Wayback Machine... back 12 years to the day. January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled on Citizens United v. FEC, a case concerning the relationship between campaign finance and free speech. As you should know, it was a democracy-killing opinion that threw open the doors of dark money in campaigns. Then, later that afternoon came the news that Air America Radio had ceased operations. I'll play for you the beginning of the show I did that night... my first post-Air America show, and the beginning of the program I'm still hosting today!
One year ago today, the Trump clan exited the White House, hopefully forever, certainly for good. Joe Biden's inauguration, one year ago today, was an historically odd event, made stranger by the lack of crowds due to the COVID 19 pandemic. And it's somewhat fitting that the most iconic image from that day is of a mitten'd Bernie Sanders in the stands, just trying to stay warm. Biden held his first press conference in 10 months yesterday, but it seems nothing is good enough for his critics and the mainstream corporate media. They complained when he didn't answer questions, and yesterday complained he went too long! Sadly, the Biden presidency was derailed in the senate last night by the Republicans with an assist from two alleged Democrats, Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. There's lots to talk about. And Howie Klein is here today... it's Thursday.
It's a busy day in DC. The senate continues debating the voting rights package, as a vote is planned for this evening at 6:30ET. All indications are that the vote will fail, but the goal is to get everyone one the record as to where they stand, Manchin and Sinema included. There is a question about what it would take to change the filibuster back to a talking filibuster... but I guess we'll see how it plays out tonight. At 4pm ET, President Biden is giving a rare press conference. My guest today is actually an old friend. I met Tim Devine when I was Music Director and on air at LA's Finest Rock fm 101.9 KSCA back in the mid-90s. Tim was an A&R guy for Capitol Records who brought John Hiatt up to the station, and was the guy who signed Bonnie Raitt to Capitol; the result was the groundbreaking album "Nick of Time." Tim and I became friends, though I haven't seen or spoke to him in probably 25 years. A few weeks ago, I saw a post on social media from him promoting his new book, "Days of Trump: The definitive chronology of the 45th President of the United States." My first thought was "WHY?" Then I reached out and invited him on the show. The fact is, someone had to document the insanity of those four years. We must remember and never let it happen again!
This is the week that the world's richest and most powerful were supposed to park their private jets on crowded tarmacs in Switzerland to gather and compare their fortunes while snickering at the rest of us who fly commercial. But COVID spoiled their plans. So the Davos World Economic Forum for 2022 is a virtual gathering. But gather, they must, if only to compare notes on which of these billionaires' wealth increased the most under the pandemic. My guest today is Peter S. Goodman, author of the new book, "Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World," just released today. He'll tell us how the "Davos Man" (think Florida man, but filthy rich) doubled his wealth during (and thanks to) the pandemic, while for 99% of us, things got much worse. We'll begin in the Senate where, today, they're finally debating voting rights (thanks to an antiquated rule that allowed Democrats to proceed to debate without being subjected to the filibuster), despite there being virtually no chance whatsoever of coming out of this a winner.
It's Monday, January 17. It's Martin Luther King Jr Day. The irony is seeing all of the Republican assholes who continue voting against the Voting Rights Act Tweeting out MLK quotes and such today. The hypocrisy is deafening. It's also the 28th anniversary of the Northridge Earthquake -- the last big one in California, and I was there. I'll share my memories of that morning. In the second half of today's show, we'll get into the save and protect sections... My guest is John Hall. (Yes, rescheduled from Friday). He's a musician and songwriter with two huge hits under his belt with the band Orleans (Dance with Me, Still the One); he co-founded the group Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) and helped organize the 1979 No Nukes concerts at Madison Square Garden. His song Power was its anthem. He served two terms in Congress representing NY-19 (2007-11), then returned to the music world. His new album is called "Reclaiming My Time," featuring "Save the Monarchs" with special guest Dar Williams.
A change of plans today. If you were looking forward to John Hall's appearance on the show, we'll be rescheduling due to unforeseen circumstances. (How's that for cryptic? I'll explain during the show.) So, it's Friday, the end of another tough week for the Biden administration. Yesterday, I quoted Helaine Olen from a listserv we're on together, though I didn't name her. But the line I quoted was concerning Bidens falling poll numbers. Some of the list pointed the finger of blame at the mainstream corporate media. While I agree that their treatment of this president has been shameful, I don't think that's the cause of the downward spiral. Helaine wrote "It's that Biden comes off as ineffectual, probably because getting jerked around my members of your own party doesn't exactly scream effective. He campaigned as the guy who could get the Republicans to work with him. Whether he really believed it, or he said it because he knows voters like to hear it is now irrelevant. He's getting judged because ... surprise! ... he can't actually do that." Bingo! So that's our starting point. Helaine Olen writes a regular opinion column for the Washington Post. She's our guest today...
What a day! As I'm setting up for today's show, the number of breaking news stories keeps climbing, and it's a combination of good, bad and really ugly. The good? The head of the Oath Keepers and 10 others were arrested today and charged with seditious conspiracy. Finally. The bad? A lot falls under this category. Kevin McCarthy lied through his teeth at a presser this morning in which he reiterated that he will not cooperate with the House select committee investigating the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol. And the RNC announced that without the Commission on Presidential Debates changing how they schedule debates and choose moderators among other issues, the Republican party will not require its candidates or nominee to participate in official presidential debates. The ugly? Kyrsten Sinema delivered a senate floor speech, pulling the rug out from the president, the Democratic Party, and the nation, saying she will not do what's necessary to protect our most important right -- the vote. Period. And there's more (like a fucked up SCOTUS ruling), but Sinema deserves this moment under the interrogation lights as she fucks over the nation. It's Thursday, so Howie Klein of Down With Tyranny and the Blue America PAC is here today. We have lots to talk about...
I finally had the chance to listen to Joe Biden's speech from yesterday in Atlanta on voting rights. I may have been too harsh yesterday, basing my critical comments on the last two to three minutes of the speech. So I'll give him an A on substance, a C- on delivery, but a failing grade on timing. I'll explain at the top of the show. Our guest today is Donald Cohen, executive director of In The Public Interest, and author of the book, "The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back." ** A note from Nicole. That's what was planned for today. But as I was telling you about today's guest and the subject, I started a rant on the slow moving complete privatization of Medicare, and never did get to voting rights. So we'll do that tomorrow....
It's our first gathering with GottaLaff of the New Year and, as usual, there's no shortage of things to talk about. As is usually the case when Laffy's here, we'll likely laugh a lot, get angry, get a little sad, and laugh some more. All while talking about things in the news. Life is that way. Better to laugh at it than let it make you cry...
Each session of Congress lasts two years. Today, the House returns to convene the second half of the 117th Congress. Unfortunately, the country is a mess, and the prospects for a complete turnaround aren't great. But we'll take today to bring us up to date on where they are and what they're doing... It's an anything goes Monday.
We made it through the first week of 2022, but the country seems to be further divided than ever. And the other side is delusional, claiming that January 6, 2021 was just another day. We'll continue reviewing some of yesterday's madness on today's show, and then welcome Jeff Sharlet back to the show. Jeff is a Dartmouth professor, a journalist who got inside The Family (C Street) and wrote a book, subsequently the basis of a Netfliix mini series about the religious cult operating at the highest levels of DC, and the author of many other equally brilliant books. He's also a contributor to Vanity Fair, where he posted an article yesterday about the one year anniversary of the insurrection and had a different response to Biden's speech than I did, titled "Joe Biden Unbound Won't Be Enough to Save Us".
One year ago today, the nation watched in horror as insurrectionists stormed the Capitol. They had erected a gallows outside the building and were marauding through the Capitol hallways chanting "Hang Mike Pence," while others searched and menacingly called for Nancy Pelosi. I have a pretty good idea of what they would have done if they found either of them, and it's not pretty. There was a glimmer of hope once the building was cleared and Congress resumed certifying the electoral college votes -- a few Republicans in powerful positions called it out for what it was, and named names...one in particular, Donald Trump. That lasted, for some, only a few hours. For Mitch McConnell, perhaps a week. Now, a year later, they're all once again shilling for the orange idiot. Today is Thursday, so Howie Klein will be along for the second half of the show. But we'll begin with a look back at that day one year ago, and the despicable lack of conscience, soul or patriotism by just about every Republican member of Congress. Shameful.
Today's show will deal with the worst and the best of America. On the worst side, today's Republican Party, if there still is one. The Grand OId Party of the past has been replaced by the Gullible Old Propagandists who believe the bullshit spewed by and at them. Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of their attempted coup at the Capitol, an event about which they continue to lie, as they do with virtually every subject these days. At the top of the show, I'll speak with Ron Filipkowski. I met him on Twitter, where his bio describes him as "Attorney, Marine, Triathlete, Historian. Former Federal Prosecutor & Repub; now Defense Attorney & Democrat. Tracking and Reporting on Right-Wing Extremism." Intriguing, right? Well, he's down here in Florida and is working hard to evict Gov DeathSentence from the governor's mansion too. In the second half of the show, we segue from the ridiculous to the truly sublime... Betty White. An old friendly acquaintance of mine, Ray Richmond, wrote about television for the Los Angeles Daily News and other papers when I was in LA in the 90s. Over the past few months, I've seen his Facebook posts about the book he'd been working on, "Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life". It was officially released at the beginning of December. Betty White was sadly taken from us on Dec.31, 2021 - New Years Eve. But Ray Richmond joins us today to tell us a bit more about America's sweetheart, premiere grandmother and ambassador to animals everywhere.
OG Progressive blogger and friend of the Nicole Sandler Show Dave Johnson is back today for a taking stock of where we are discussion, on the second show of 2022. I'm feeling pretty despondent right about now, hoping Dave can talk me down. But I'm afraid he's thinking the same things I am. Come join in the pity party.
The New Year has begun. I wanted to start the year with a guest who can explain what's on tap for 2022, and couldn't think of a better person than David Dayen for that. Dayen is executive editor of The American Prospect, which should be a stop in your morning reading, if you care about being informed. He has an article posted today, "2022: The Year in Governing" in which he outlines basically everything to look out for over the next 12 months. We'll talk about it... Of course, some non-legislative things are happening too... We'll try to kick off the new year with some of those stories too..
As if 2021 wasn't already on our "worst years ever" list, it dealt us another blow on its way out. Betty White died today. She was 99, less than three weeks shy of 100. Makes you hate this year even more. And then you realize that the next year is 2020 too. (2022... we just can't escape it!) I generally like this day. It's even my wedding anniversary! David and I got married six years ago tonight. Mostly we'll be celebrating that, certainly not the year (or 5) just past... And I'm sad that I don't hold out much hope that things will be better in 2020 too either. Though a girl can hope. Today, the phone lines are open for anything you'd like to share... thoughts on the year(s) gone by, Betty White, resolutions or lack thereof... Or maybe you've spotted the missing in action so-called governor of Florida, the man I call MoRon DeathSentence. The worst COVID outbreak yet, and he's not been seen in public in over two weeks. At some point in the hour, Harvey J. Kaye will pop in to review the stupidities of 2021 and project the imperatives of 2022. And I certainly won't forget. But if you somehow miss this part, I will thank you for listening and supporting this program. Without you, I couldn't do this every day. Perhaps I'll end with a quote from Howard Jones. "Things Can Only Get Better" (if only that were true...)
I think back to a year ago, when I couldn't be more excited that 2020- the worst year in our collective lives-- was finally ending. We al figured that 2021 had to be better. And then we grew more and more disgusted as it became apparent that 2020 never actually ended. It just continued for another year. Or as one comedian put it on one of the year end comedy shows I watched the other day, "2021 is just another 2020 variant." Bingo!
Well, 2021 is almost over and 2022, at this point, resembles Omicron to me. Ugh.
It is Thursday, so Howie Klein is here for our final 2021 get-together. And today, he's bringing along another Congressional candidate that Blue America has endorsed, Summer Lee, running in Pittsburgh, PA, to represent PA-18.
Not only are we fast approaching the new year, we're also coming up on the one year anniversary of the attack on the US Capitol by a mob of Donald Trump supporters. We live in a nation of very gullible people. Many of them honestly believed the lies from TFG and thought they were saving our nation from those who seek to destroy it. (See: Opposite World). Most of us watched in horror as the insurrectionists entered sacred American ground, and were further horrified when they were all allowed to leave, with no arrests that day. But now, over 700 of the insurrectionists, rioters and otherwise stupid fucking people were rounded up and charged with crimes. I wanted to find out what progress is being made with these prosecutions. So I called on the one journalist I think is covering this episode in American history better than all the others: Marcy Wheeler at Emptywheel.net. Marcy joins us for pretty much the entire hour. You may want to take notes. She's got lots of info to share...
Our pal Laffy got some big news this week. After almost three years of working toward this, she and her family just got approved to move to Canada. She'll explain, and we'll attempt to have a bit of fun on this, our last Tuesday of another really shitty year!
Last year at this time, we were just wanting the year 2020 to be over already figuring nothing could be as bad... until we started living through 2021. Now all we can say is it was too bad to be true, bring on 22. Today, we'll wobble our way to the end of this year with an old friend. Julianna Forlano is now a mom and lives in Connecticut, but she's still giving her take on the news at act.tv and today on the Nicole Sandler Show.
This is part one of two hours of non-traditional Christmas music for your holiday pleasure! Enjoy!
The holidays are always better when you can spend them with family. If you can't be with your family this year (thanks again, Covid), we've got you covered. Last year, during the first year of the pandemic, humans found lots of diversions to occupy our time. Some went down very strange rabbit holes, others embraced the time and got creative. Of course, I started painting, and offer custom pet portraits and faux stained glass creations. A lovely family in Kent UK embraced their time together and became the planet's hottest singing sensations. We met the Marsh Family in person when they joined me for a charming interview back in March (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I295KfdDcJE&t=5s). Today, they're back for another sit-down with me. We'll compare pandemic notes, and play some of their videos that went viral for very good reasons. And thanks to the lyrics that they considerately show on the screen, we can have a Christmas Eve Sing along with the Marsh Family. I promise, it'll be one of the more joyous family gatherings possible.
Today is Festivus, also known as Christmas Eve Eve. But more than either of those, it's Thursday, so Howie Klein is here. I'm sure Howie has some grievances to share, like in his latest post in which he goes off on the worst Wall Street types who've been bribing members of Congress, but now want to be members of Congress. Greed-- it's the perfect story for Christmas week. When does one have enough? We'll begin the show with a visit from John M. Barry, the Tulane professor who wrote the book, "The Great Influenza" about the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Now that Omacron is the dominant variant in the US, I want to know if it could eventually just kill off Delta and earlier versions of the virus. Good to know I'm not too far off base!
Pagan that I am, I tend to celebrate the more off-beat than traditional holidays. That's why I'm an ordained minister in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (that's really true). I could officiate at a wedding, though I'd have to obtain some other credential from my county, but I digress... Since Festivus this year falls on a Thursday (and that's when we have Howie Klein here), I decided to make an executive decision to celebrate Festivus on it's Eve-- today. So here's the deal... We have a Zoom room set up. Just go to tinyurl.com/festivuszoom to join in. Be prepared to share your grievances or to show off some feats of strength. Let the festivities begin!
We are in the final days of another shitty year. Really, we all agreed that 2020 was the worst year ever... until 2021 came along. So the idea of 2022 on the horizon is intriguing, knowing it could be a better year ahead but realizing what's stacked against us and coming back to reality. To quote David Byrne, "My God, how did I get here?" My calls to West Virginia yesterday did turn up a progressive; I'll fill you on at the top of the show. And we'll check in with Jeff Hauser of the Revolving Door Project to see how Biden did this year by way of the people he surrounded himself with.
Joe Manchin had reportedly been negotiating with the Democrats over the Build Back Better bill, Joe Biden's signature legislation to help the people who've been left behind here for decades. Yesterday, the senator from West Virginia went behind enemy lines to fire a death blow to his president's agenda. Really. Manchin went on Fox NOT News to stick the last nail in the Build Back Better coffin and dance on its grave. Nice Christmas gift for your president, party, constituents and the American people, Joe. Now we've got a little something for you today too...
Although I don't think that invoking "I told you so" is a good look, Howie Klein gets a pass today should he care to say it. Today's the day that the reality hits that the Build Back Better act will not pass the senate before the end of the year. I guess I'm guilty of wishful thinking. Despite knowing deep down that Biden was the wrong man to lead us out of the Trump disaster, I tried to stay hopeful. I gave him the benefit of the doubt. And I don't put all the blame on him for the situation in which we now find ourselves... but he is at the "the buck stops here" desk. Is it realistic to expect the president to control members of Congress in his party? The Republicans do. I used to think the Democrats were better because they didn't take marching orders or recite talking points. But perhaps our side could use some of that discipline. We'll talk with Howie Klein today about that, and try to figure out how to turn this thing around. Good luck to us.
At the top of the show, a quick conversation with Arthur Delaney of Huffpost who had a run-in with Joe Manchin yesterday. The senator called him "bullshit." Seems nice.
It's Wednesday, 10 days before Christmas, and it's clear that Congress wants to go home for the holidays, as they're getting a lot of work done. Debt ceiling - check, NDAA - (unfortunately) check. Funding the government - (through mid Feb anyway) check. But wait. There's more! We should be on high alert and no one should be allowed to leave DC before the Right to Vote bill and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act are passed and signed in to law. And, of course, there's the Build Back Better legislation which Joe Manchin is still threatening to kill. Whether either of those happens is still to be determined. But frankly, if they don't fix our voting issues, they may as well just stay home after the holiday break, as our democracy will be lost. Today, Will Bunch, columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, returns to the show. His latest column deals with last weekend's tornado disaster that took over 100 lives and exposed the big problems that haven't been fixed in our country. And we'll begin with an interview I taped with Ryan Grim of the Intercept yesterday. He has more information on that Medicare privatization scheme we've been talking about, Direct Contracting Entities, that you need to know about.
Our favorite legal expert Lisa Graves joins in at the top of the show to talk about the contempt of Congress charges against Mark Meadows and the significance of the text messages he received on January 6, imploring him to get Trump to stop the siege, that we learned of last night.
It's a mixed-bag kind of Monday. There's a lot going on that should be discussed, and the guest I had lined up had to cancel today, so it's just us. A day without a guest gives me time to get to some of the stories I've missed in the last week, and to take calls from listeners. Feel free to call in: 954-8896410 or Skype to nicolesandler. Nothing is off-limits. A few things that I'll get to today: Shake-ups at all three cable news giants- will this usher in a new era? LOL Gavin Newsom proves that California did right by keeping him in office. He strikes back at SCOTUS beautifully! Time Magazine name its Person of the Year, and I'm confused Tornadoes demolished entire towns in five states this weekend, killing upwards of 100 people Author Anne Rice died, and I have a story about her... actually about one of her books. And I'm sure it's not what you think it is, unless you were a Mark & Brian listeners in LA in the early 90's.
I'm always talking about the importance of having other interests and diversions from the steady onslaught of news, politics and disinformation. For me, I find rewarding escapes in my painting and by listening to music. Today, we'll take a musical diversion with singer, multi-instrumentalist and all-around talented musician Ben Harper and producer Sheldon Gomberg. In a session taped Tuesday evening, we talk about everything from the music they're recording together to the Beatles "Get Back" documentary, to activism, skateboarding and lots more. It was treat for me. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed speaking with Ben and Sheldon.
Congress is actually getting things done -- the senate even came to a deal to raise the debt ceiling with little to no bloodshed. Actually, the person taking the heat for making sure we don't default is none other than Mitch McConnell, as he's getting attacked by Trump and his minions for not completely destroying the good faith and credit of the US. Opposite world indeed. It's Thursday, so Howie Klein is here. The way things are going, we need to elect a whole slate of progressives next November. We'll find out about some of the best prospects today.
Despite the fact that Congress appears to be getting some work done, our government is broken, perhaps beyond repair. It's not like we haven't seen this coming. We've been watching the slow motion moved toward fascism for many years now. Red flags are being raised from almost every direction. This week, it was in the form of a terrifying article from Barton Gellman at The Atlantic who confirms our worst fears, January 6 was just practice. The coup is in full-swing. We all know it but seem to be powerless to stop it. My first instinct is to call Digby. So we will. Heather "Digby" Parton is one of the original progressive bloggers from the early days of the netroots. Today, Digby's Hullaballoo is at digbysblog.net, and she also writes a regular column for Salon.
It's one of the Tuesdays in the month when GottaLaff is here! Laffy's been working on moving to Canada. In her spare time, she peruses the Twitters for breaking news and clever comments, and brings us her Tweet Spot. Plus, we'll bid farewell to a few familiar faces: Brian Williams, Chris Cuomo, Angela Merkel and Devin Nunes! Maybe we'll come up with a list of others who we'd like to see join them...
Tomorrow is the end of open enrollment for Medicare. The means that before midnight Tuesday night, Dec 7, you can change what type of Medicare plan you're enrolled in. I already knew and was warning my listeners about the realities surrounding Medicare Advantage, and we'll get into that again today. But this article was about the government's newest scam to privatize Medicare and turn it over to big moneyed interests. (Read the article at https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/11/30/congress-asleep-switch-biden-continues-trump-era-ploy-privatize-medicare.) This new "experiment" was launched in the final months of the Trump administration, and should have ended as they exited. But it didn't. Instead, the Biden administration is continuing this policy that would neither save money nor provide better care, but could fully hand traditional Medicare over to Wall Street investors and other profit-seekers, resulting in higher costs for patients and lower-quality care. Diane Archer is president of Just Care USA, and was quoted in the article I liked to above. She joined me on today's show to explain how the Direct Contracting plan continues the march toward privatization of Medicare...
We've got a lot to jam into our last hour of the week today. We'll start with Jason Leopold, who has another two FOIA victories that earn him bragging rights. One of them resulted in 10 redacted passages from the Mueller report being made public(!). The other has to do with multiple allegations of CIA personnel and sex crimes involving children. But we'll move to a much more pleasant topic for the second half of the show. Variety's Chris Willman will join us to talk music-- specifically Peter Jackson's epic 8-hour "Get Back" documentary about The Beatles. Since Jason Leopold is, like me, a huge music-phile, he's going to stick around for the Chris Willman interview. The more, the merrier!
Every Thursday for the better part of a decade, we get together with Howie Klein. Howie writes at DownWithTyranny.com, and runs the Blue America PAC, identifying and raising money for real progressive candidates running for office. Plus, some scary info about the clandestine privatization of Medicare, started under Trump and continuing under Biden.
I'll admit it... I have The Beatles on my mind. We're in the middle of "Get Back," the new documentary on the last album and live performance from the greatest band in history. But I've already learned a few things from it. Relationships are complicated. Life isn't fair. Working within a group is often more difficult than the solo route. And even the biggest band in the history of the world sometimes needed a reset to clear their minds and souls and reconnect with themselves and each other. It means letting go of old hurts and obstacles and allowing yourself to move forward. It sounds easier than it is. But at this point in our lives, after four years of Trump, almost two years of a global pandemic that keeps mutating and coming back, and the frightening rightward shift in our government, it's going to take a lot of work to keep us from getting too disillusioned or depressed. We must emerge with a renewed commitment to stopping the fascist takeover of our democratic system. Kelly Carlin is a friend of the show. She's been on with me a number of times over the past few years. In addition to being the only child of one of the greatest comedians of our time (and following in his footsteps in a small way), she found her own voice in helping others to find theirs. Kelly has been leading groups in mindfulness and meditation and more for over 15 years. She has a Masters in counseling (Jungian) psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute and is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach. She leads weekly webinars as well as Women on the Verge, a 12-month coaching program supporting women. And at the end of every year, Kelly has led a Winter Solstice year-end retreat, helping participants to let go of the losses, failures and worse from the year ending, and clearing our minds for a fresh start in the new year. Kelly's Winter Solstice gathering is open to the public for the first time this year, happening on Dec 11. She'll tell us all about it, and will have a special offer for listeners of this show who want to participate. And for everyone else, you'll pick up a few tips to get on the right track to take on 2022. Of course, before Kelly comes on, I'll tell you about what happened at the Supreme Court today. And then, thank goodness Kelly will join us, as I'll certainly need someone to talk me down from the ledge we seem to be teetering on...
Charles Lenchner has been one of the unsung heroes of the progressive movement for as long as I've been covering the movement. He was one of the original occupiers at Occupy Wall Street. He's a co-founder of People for Bernie. He's Executive Director of Organizing 2.0. He's part of Progressive Hub and Roots Action, and the list goes on and one. He's the epitome of the OUTSIDE part of the inside/outside strategy of activism. And yesterday I learned that he grew up in Israel, and today holds dual citizenship. Yesterday was the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Charles shared his story of growing up in Israel, a wrote an essay on his experience as a Jewish teenager in Israel opposed to the occupation. Charles joins us today... we'll talk about both his #PalestineDay story and his progressive activism, which is sorely needed right about now!
With the 2022 midterm elections looming, we turn our attention to the state district maps. They're re-drawn every 10 years as new data from the census is released. Unfortunately, this year we're dealing with a very flawed census (sabotaged by the Trump administration) and Republican rule of a majority of the state legislatures who oversee the redistricting process. The first step to fighting back is understanding what we're dealing with. So today, David Daley returns to the show. He's written extensively about the problem in his two books, "Ratfucked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count" & "Unrigged: How Americans Battled Back To Save Democracy."
It was exactly 21 years ago today that I took my daughter Alison from the orphanage in Kazakhstan where she spent her first 18 months to start our new life together! Twenty-one years ago yesterday, which was Thanksgiving, a judge in a freezing cold courtroom there made it official, Alison was my daughter! We call Nov 23 and 24 our "Forever Days"... Welcome to our story!
It's Tuesday, and Laffy's here today. Plus our favorite court watcher will join in too. Brandi Buchman covered every trial going on for Courthouse News until a few weeks ago. Thankfully, she's back on the beat, this time for Daily Kos. She'll check in with us for the second half hour of the show. It's Thanksgiving Week, an important anniversary for me, the Charlottesville jury is in, and we have tons to talk about today. So join us for our pre-turkey day gratitude fest...
It's easy to be down on the Democrats right now. I'm constantly invoking that old adage about Democrats always "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory." I can't help it, it's just their track record. But I got a bit of an awakening in the form of an email on a list I subscribe to, filled with real progressives from a cross-section of backgrounds. The author of that message is Mike Lux, and I invited him to join us today to give us a different perspective on how the party works (or doesn't), from the point of view of a progressive working in the trenches. So, today' we'll begin with Mike Lux, and I hope you'll listen with an open mind. After all, consider the alternative to being a Democrat in the US today. It's not an option.
Thank goodness I already had Aaron Rupar booked for today's show, because I'm actually (temporarily) at a loss for words. The jury in Kenosha WI just found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts. I don't recognize this country anymore. The second amendment has swallowed the first. We actually began the day on a good note, as the House finally passed the Build Back Better bill. Of course, it now goes back to the senate where Manchenema can kill anything good in it. Aaron Rupaar is the guy who used to cover all things Republican for Vox and his Twitter feed was filled with OMFG videos. His Twitter feed continues in the same realm (@atrupar), but he's now doing his own substack newsletter (aaronruppar.substack.com), so can cover whatever he wants. I know what we're talking about today though...
It's another really strange day in Amerikkka. But it happens to be Thursday, so Howie Klein is here. I know we'll talk about Paul Gosar's censure, the insanity that is today's GOP, the trial-palooza in progress. And I'll certainly ask Howie about his latest article posted at DownWithTyranny.com: "Many Voters No Longer See The Democrats As Even The Lesser Evil". These are scary times, indeed.
Jack Rice was going to join us yesterday, but we got our time zones crossed. So he's here today, and he'll answer all of my questions about the three cases we've been discussing -- Kyle Rittenhouse, the three men who killed Ahmaud Arbery, and the federal civil case against nine organizers of the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, VA. Of course, I'll have a few questions about the January 6 prosecutions, Steve Bannon, and the penalty for refusing to comply with a subpoena. You might want to take notes. We're covering a lot of territory today!
There are three high-profile, racially charged, controversial cases being heard in courtrooms in Georgia, Virginia and Wisconsin. (OK, the Wisconsin case went to the jury this morning, but you get the idea.) All three illustrate the very tense divide splitting the country today. We'll review some of the more disturbing aspects and I'll ask my former Air America colleague and current defense attorney Jack Rice if any of this is normal. Do you have an opinion about any of these trials? The phone lines are open at the top of the show, should you care to weigh in.
** Well, best laid plans and all that . Jack and I crossed our time zone wires, so he'll join us tomorrow. I still went through much of those three cases, so we got that out of the way. Tomorrow, I can just ask Jack all the questions I have for him...
With the US healthcare system and our society both appearing to deteriorate under pressure, we Americans are looking for ways to protect ourselves. That includes finding new, in many cases ancient, forms of healing. We as a nation are broken on so many levels.. In the first part of today's show, I'll run through some of the day's news. There's no way of escaping it right now, but we'll try! We'll veer from the news toward the healing for the second half of the show. We attempted this a couple of weeks ago, we'll do it today. I'm joined by Cassandra Leah Quave, author of "The Plant Hunter: A Scientist's Quest for Nature's Next Medicines"...
We made it through another week, quite an accomplishment when you consider what's going on in our world these days. This was a particularly ugly week, and the situation seems to get worse week after week. Today I'm thrilled to welcome Brian Klaas to the show. He's a political scientist and professor of global politics at London's University College. He's the author of a few books. The new one "Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How it Changes Us". Boy do we have a strange new reality to talk about today!
Things are getting stranger and stranger, and it feels like the nation is one simmering pressure cooker. Between the Rittenhouse trial and the trial for the murderers of Ahmaud Arbery going on at the same time the House select committee on 1/6 seems to be kicking into action, and some of the more hardcore of the insurrectionists are finally being sentenced to more than a slap on the wrist, the American right wing seems to be more empowered than ever. And we have an Attorney General who just can't seem to rise to the occasion. That's where Howie Klein and I will start today when he joins in for our regular Thursday afternoon get-together. Where we'll wind up is to be determined...
Liberty and Justice for all? Not in 2021, that's for sure. There's a lot going on, so Harvey J Kaye, professor emeritus of Democracy & Justice Studies at UW Green Bay returns today to shoot the political shit. And I'm not above asking him about "the peoples'" quarterback. We really are living in Opposite World...
Misery loves company, so come hang with GottaLaff and me today. Sometimes the best humor comes from despair, so we should be a barrel of laughs today. Seriously though, things aren't that bad... are they?
So, the progressives caved and lost their leverage. I hope with every ounce of my being that Pramila Jayapal knows what she's doing. The fact is, the progressives got played. On Friday night, every Democratic in the House except for six voted for the "bipartisan infrastructure bill" or BIF, as it was euphemistically called). With the help of 13 Republicans who had the backbone (or death wish) needed, they got it across the finish line. A giddy Nancy Pelosi then sent it to the President's desk, where it'll sit for a week until Congress returns from recess. Of course they need another break. After all, the next one isn't for another two whole weeks, when they'll take off for Thanksgiving. And their next deadline isn't way off the in the distance -- December 3. That's when the government will both run out of funding and will hit the debt ceiling. Seriously. They're taking this week off? And you wonder why we can't have nice things. Meanwhile, this BIF is the hard infrastructure bill. We need the other one, the "Build Back Better (BBB) Act"... you know, the human infrastructure bill, to pass in order to get any real investment in mitigating the climate disaster. So why are members of Congress and the administration touting this first part of the package as something to help fight climate change? I'll ask our guest today. RL Miller is the founder of Climate Hawks Vote (climatehawksvote.org), and Twitter ranted over the weekend about just what the BIF actually does regarding the climate catastrophe...
I'm so disappointed in our Democratic Party. That statement stands alone. It says nothing about how vile and evil the Republicans are. In fact, both of today's political parties are guilty of malpractice and much worse, but that has nothing to do with the fact that the Democrats really suck. I'll have a few words on this topic. Hopefully I can string them together into a sentence that's understandable. I didn't sleep well last night, but then what else is new? Today I'll speak with someone who took a break from calling the obstructionists Democrats who are not only hurting our chances of passing something consequential, but they're also hurting their own re-election chances next November. Collin O'Mara is president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. He'll tell us why, for the future of the planet, it's imperative that we pass the Build Back Better Act through the reconciliation process...
Last night sucked. People are pissed and they're blaming the Biden administration and the Democrats. And I can't say their blame is totally misplaced. The Democrats have allowed their entire agenda to be hijacked by two Senators out of 50 whose priorities are their benefactors instead of their constituents and the future of this democracy. Rather than dwell on the election disappointments, we'll find out what's being done to hold the insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol on January 6 accountable for their actions. The only journalist I know who's dialing in to every hearing and reading every brief is Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net. Marcy is our guest today for most of the hour, explaining that justice moves slowly but the wheels are in motion. We've got to take the good news whenever we can get it! A program note: I'm taking the day off tomorrow. It's my birthday! So a "best of" show will stream on our audio channels, but there won't be a video feed. Any requests? Just put 'em in the comments section. Do you want news and politics, or would you rather take a musical break with one of my classic artist interviews? Let me know!
Driftglass is one of the OG progressive bloggers, and he's still at it, preaching sense to the masses at driftglass.blogspot.com. He's been kicked off of Twitter, but he won't be silenced. I've been a fan of his for at least a decade, and I just learned that we're kindred spirits... we're both Scorpios. So, during our mutual birthday week, I figured we could put our minds together and fix all that's wrong with the world... or our little corner of it, at least. Sadly, there's no shortage of things to bitch about, er, fix... Be warned, snark and sarcasm are in generous supply.
It's a new week and a new month, but we're still fighting old battles. Some of those old battles are getting really old by now... like the latest obstruction from the senator from West Virginia who must be on some kind of a weird power trip right now. As regular listeners of this show know, I'm in Florida. Our governor embodies the worst of Trump. If Florida is to survive, we must get rid of this clown. In the couple of months, I've interviewed the two Democrats vying for the nomination to oppose DeSantis next November. A third candidate has now thrown her hat in the ring. Annette Taddeo joins me today to introduce herself to Floridians and the rest of the country.
The only thing that makes a Friday better is ending the week with Elie Mystal as my guest. Elie is Justice Correspondent for The Nation, but he approaches the law, the Supreme Court and the ridiculous situation in which we find ourselves with a sense of humor to match his insights. No one can deny that this was a shit show of a week.... but at least Elie Mystal will help us stick a fork in it today.
t's a very busy Thursday...er... Friday eve. As usual, Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC will be here and we will delve into what happened today as President Biden went to Capitol Hill to beg the Democrats to pass the BIF... it's all so complicated, but we'll attempt. We'll begin, though, with James North, who's been writing about the saga of the human rights attorney Steven Dozinger who reported to prison yesterday because of charges brought against him by Chevron, who he successfully sued on behalf of the indigenous people of Ecuador. I seriously couldn't make this shit up if I tried. Strap in... we have a lot of ground to cover today...
We begin today's show with the latest on the Democrats' negotiations about the two infrastructure bills and President Biden's domestic agenda, and how two senators (Manhenema) are sabotaging it and the future of not only the Democratic Party, but democracy in the United States itself. Call me cynical... I may have to add the CY back to the beginning of my name (cynicole..... get it?) One thing is for sure, that's that the Democratic Party has a messaging problem. It's been the case for as long as I can remember, but I don't recall it being THIS awful. To help understand the problem, and perhaps get some communication tips for ourselves, I'm happy to welcome John Neffinger to the show. John has served as Communications Director of the Democratic National Committee, taught on the faculty at both Columbia and Georgetown Universities, served on staff at Harvard's Kennedy School and worked as a management consultant and as an attorney. John is the co-author of "Compelling People: The Hidden Qualities That Make Us Influential," which is the first non-specialist account of modern social judgment theory and is now published in twelve languages. He was involved in conducting some of the earliest research on the effects of appearance and non-verbal communication in electoral politics, and his work with KNP has been featured in a Harvard Business School case study. I participated in a media training with him close to 10 years ago... I'll get his thoughts about the communications problem in today's Democratic party.
With the rise of Donald Trump to dear leader of the Republican party and wannabe dictator for life, er, president, came the unmasking of white supremacists in America. Today, we'll get the history behind our nation's giant leap backwards. My guest is Kathleen Belew, one of the two editors of a new book released today, "A Field Guide to White Supremacy."
As recently as 2006, the Voting Rights Act was renewed regularly by a unanimous vote of the senate. So what changed? Why did the Senate Republicans just block even opening debate on the Freedom to Vote Act last week, for the THIRD TIME? That's one of the many questions I'll ask of Jennifer Cohn, election security advocate, writer & attorney when she joins us on today's show. Once we get past the why this is happening, we'll find out the what... as in what evil plans they've put in motion to steal the next and subsequent elections. And they do it while they accuse our side of "the steal". These people project their worst impulses on to us. And as most children under the age of around 11 are quite familiar, they're playing the old "I'm rubber, you're glue" game... everything you say bounces off of me and sticks to you. Sadly, the result of this game is much more consequential. We truly risk losing what's left of this democracy..
We made it to Friday, so we've got that going for us. Unfortunately, it was a rough and bumpy week, as the Democrats in Congress can't seem to get their shit together. The media seems to take pleasure in dumping on Biden and his agenda, as if to prove they're equally critical of both sides (even when both sides aren't equally reprehensible, but that's an issue for another day). Alex Lawson is Executive Director of Social Security Works (socialsecurityworks.org), and was one of the panelists on a Bernie Sanders live stream earlier this week, that also included AOC, Rev Dr. William Barber, along with Bernie and a few others to again explain what's in the Build Back Better reconciliation package that's being whittled down at the whims of Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. Alex will join us at the top of the show for a status report on where we are with getting this thing across the finish line. Then I figured we could all use a bit of stress relief heading into the weekend. Dr. Cassandra Leah Quave is a medical doctor, but also an EthnoBotanist, a leader in the field of medical botany. Her new book is "The Plant Hunter: A Scientist's Quest for Nature's Next Medicines". Since Manchinema won't let Medicare negotiate drug prices, maybe we can learn to heal ourselves the natural way... Strike that last paragraph.. the guest somehow wasn't aware we were supposed to talk today, so we didn't. Perhaps another time. Instead, I ranted...
Watching Congress navigate a couple of bills that would actually improve the lives of millions of Americans in one fell swoop is becoming a nail biter, stress-filled exercise. We're used to Republicans obstructing the progress Democrats try to make. In this case, it's two alleged Democratic senators - Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema who are keeping the president from being able to enact substantive change in this country, and delivering what could be a death blow to Democratic control of Congress. Today, Republicans in the House are balking at the Democrats' investigation of what happened on January 6, pretending that an insurrection by Trump loyalists storming the Capitol was no big deal. Good thing it's Thursday and Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC is here to talk about it today.
I was wrong when I thought the stress would let up after we get TFG out of the White House, and it did, temporarily. With our future on the line as voting rights are under attack, while Trump and his cronies are still roaming freely even after fomenting an insurrection at the Capitol, as the Democrats in Congress fall all over themselves to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and COVID continues to infect and kill people, we're all on edge, anxious and depressed. The best medicine thankfully doesn't depend on our dysfunctional health insurance system, as it's generally free. Laughter! Actually humor is quite important when it comes to absorbing information. A Pew study conducted around the time Jon Stewart exited the Daily Show found that viewers of humorous news shows such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report exhibited higher retention of news facts than those who got their news from newspapers, CNN, Fox News, or network stations. So, today, I welcome the very funny Noel Casler back to the show. Many will remember Noel as the guy who worked on The Apprentice some years ago, and has said what he witnessed while working for and around the D'ump clan. These days he hosts his own podcasts, posts weekly "Car Rants" on YouTube, and does standup comedy. We'll have some fun with the news as we get serious about laughing about what's killing us. Seriously.
GottaLaff has been in Canada for a few weeks, scouting for her family's eventual move to the Great White North... We'll get the scoop on what it takes to move from the US to Canada, and also take a peek into her Twitter stream to see what's happening in the news.
On October 11, 1991, Anita Hill testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee (made up of only White Men), at Clarence Thomas' Supreme Court confirmation hearing, and changed the world. Unfortunately, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Almost thirty years later, Christine Blasey Ford testified at the Supreme Court confirmation hearing of another justice who doesn't belong on the highest court in the land, Brett Kavanaugh. Professor Hill's new book is called "Believing: Our Thirty Year Journey to End Gender Violence". We cover a lot of territory in this wide-ranging conversation. I hope you enjoy it nearly as much as I did!
You knew it was coming if you ever watch television these days. Those insipid and excessive ads for Medicare Advantage Plans are blanketing the airwaves. Of course, I can't help but think that money would be better spent in delivering healthcare to people in need than on nonstop, often misleading advertising. In 16 days, on Nov. 1, open enrollment begins again for the exchanges in the ACA or Obamacare. What's off the table now is Medicare for All, though Bernie Sanders and the congressional progressives are still pushing for it. Former VP of communications for Cigna turned health insurance industry whistleblower Wendell Potter returns to the show. The self-described "reformed insurance propagandist" is now president of the Center for Health and Democracy, and is working to get health care covered as a human right .
To absolutely no one's surprise, Steve Bannon and Kash Patel defied their subpoenas and did not appear before the House Select Committee investigating January 6 today. Now the committee says they will refer him to the Justice Dept for criminal prosecution.... but not until after the committee meets on Tuesday. Huh? Kyrsten Sinema is on a fundraising trip to Europe. Seriously. There's so much happening that defies common sense. So that's where we'll begin today, as Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC joins in for our weekly get together.
As part of their assault on our democracy, we're watching today's Republican Party lie, cheat, steal and gaslight their way into taking away your vote. We've gone over their plan of attack many times by now, so you don't need me to recount it again. What these times call for is a review of what it took to win the right to vote, fought so valiantly by women and Blacks whose names many of us no longer remember. Time to fix that! Today, I'm joined on the show by historian and author Keisha N. Blain, author of the new book 'Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message to America". Everyone needs to know her story. Hopefully today's show will help toward that end.
If there was a way to play music on this program without getting copyright violated, I'd open today's show with "History Repeating" by the Propellerheads featuring Shirley Bassey. I fear that we are witnessing the rise of fascism exactly as it played out in Europe in the last century- and many times before. Some of us are even narrating the the steady slide into an authoritarian dictatorship as the bad guys are plotting to continue their coup and finish what they started in 2020 by stealing the elections in 2022 and 2024. And we sit here watching it happen, powerless to do anything to stop their momentum. This is the perfect time to call on a historian to see how off the mark I am, or not. Harvey J. Kaye returns to the show today. I'll also ask him about the 1-2 punch of op-ed pieces in the NY Times and WaPo written by Republicans, vowing to be one-issue voters.. they'll vote only for Democrats until the threat of Trump and his sycophants is really over.
I really tried to unplug this weekend and remove myself from politics, news and the rest of the insanity that's stressing me out during the week. I was somewhat successful, but the big questions keep cutting through the calm. I even stopped watching Bill Maher, as he finally completed his long-in-the-works jumping of the shark last week when he defended the vaccine and mask deniers. So I didn't watch him Friday night, but his warning about what's in store for us pierced my peaceful respite and made me listen even if I didn't want to. But the warnings are there, shouted from the rooftops by Bill Maher and Medhi Hasan. The problem is, the corporate mainstream media isn't being honest and, for some reason, won't tell you that the former guy has never stopped plotting and planning his coup. It's in full swing. As Maher said, slow-motion coup in effect. With all that's going on, I figured today was a good day to invite Dave Johnson, OG Progressive blogger doing his thing these days at seeingtheforest.com to try to make some sense out of the ridiculous.
We made it to the end of another fucked up week. As bad as last week was, this one was possibly worse. No end in sight to the break within the Democratic Party. As Bernie Sanders summed it up so well, 2 senators have the right to disagree with the other 48 in the caucus and to even get some compromise, but they don't have a right to derail the agenda favored by the other 48 members along with the vast majority of Americans and the President of the United States. As much as I agree with Bernie, our dysfunctional (and unconstitutional) senate allows for exactly that kind of hijacking. And as sad as it makes me to admit it, the Democratic Party is wholly incapable of fixing the problems necessary to fix this country. That leads me to an interesting farewell letter written by a friendly acquaintance of mine. Guy Saperstein was on the show a few months back, explaining why he's moving to France. Well, his move is just about here, and he penned a missive that lays out exactly what's wrong with this country, and why he's leaving rather than staying to continue to fight. I'll share it on the show today, but you can follow along at https://scheerpost.com/2021/10/07/why-im-leaving-america/. With so much at stake, it's time for another visit from Heather "Digby" Parton, one of our side's OG bloggers who's still one of the best speaking truth to power...
We dodged a bullet this week, but just barely, and only temporarily. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is playing a dangerous game while accusing the Democrats of politicizing everything when he's the guy actually politicizing everything. That's what they do. It's classic projection. They engage in heinous, often illegal behaviors but accuse the Democrats of doing what they themselves are guilty of. It what I call "Opposite World". We're experiencing it happening in real time and there's seemingly nothing we can do about it. Well, we can call them out. And that's what we'll do today. It's Thursday, so Howie Klein is here and will certainly add some color commentary as we discuss the obstructionists, the liars, the members of the Republican wing of the Democratic party and a lot more...
That's not hyperbole, it's a fact and something must be done about it. Our guest today is Jen Senko, writer/director of the film, "The Brainwashing of My Dad" that was released in 2016. Yesterday, the book, "The Brainwashing of My Dad: How the Rise of Right-Wing Media Changed a Father and Divided Our Nation-- And How We Can Fight Back" was officially released, and the timing is perfect because things are getting worse. I hope you'll listen to this interview, read the book, watch the film, and then take action. We'll try to figure out what we can do. Knowing we have a problem is the easy part; fixing the problem is the challenge we must address... before it's too late!
We're less than two weeks away from hitting the debt ceiling, an unnecessary risk especially during a historically precarious time. But here we are. Writing in a Washington Post Op-Ed, Zachary D. Carter (who was on this show just last week), said of this situation, "There is no economic rationale for this threat, and its consummation promises no political advantage to anyone. It is a preposterous, silly and breathtakingly dangerous situation." So he proposed meeting it with an equally "preposterous, silly and perfectly painless legal trick: minting a single platinum coin with a face value of $1 trillion or more." Actually, the idea foe minting a platinum coin has been floating around for a few years now. Today's guest, Rohan Grey, actually wrote the "Automatic BOOST to Communities Act" with Congressman Rashida Tlaib's office. The bill was introduced last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic had just taken hold and forced a nationwide shutdown. Tlaib's bill proposed sending every person residing in the US a debit card loaded with $2000, and refilling then with $1000 each month until we were clear from the pandemic. It would be funded directly from the Treasury, using its legal authority to create money via coin seigniorage, by minting two Trillion-dollar platinum coins. The main logic behind this idea is that no government debt issued to pay for the program-- it's paid for by the platinum coins. Rohan Grey is an Assistant Professor at Willamette Law, and is president of The Modern Money Network (https://modernmoneynetwork.org), and a proponent of Modern Monetary Theory. He was referred to me by Stephanie Kelton, a regular guest on this program. Of course, there's other news to get to, and an update on why I was out yesterday-- more reasons we need to fix our fucked up health insurance extortion system.
Well, it certainly was a week. On Monday I told you to strap in for a roller coaster ride... and now it's Friday and this ride really sucks. It's all so complicated, so I've invited one of the very best of the journalists who keeps me informed, David Dayen, executive editor of the American Prospect magazine (at prospect.org) to try to wrap up the week, such as it was, for us.
Howie Klein of DownWithTyranny.com and the Blue America PAC has been doing a weekly segment on my show for over a decade now! And for as long as I can remember, he's warned us about Kyrsten Sinema. He knows her from way back and insists she's always been crazy. Now he can say, "I told you so." The question is, what do we do about her? We'll talk about that among other things today, as we're waiting to find out how the Infrastructure/Reconciliation/Debt Ceiling turns out! But we'll start with my disgust about the destruction of the previously wonderful US Postal Service, which is being destroyed by TFG's stooge he appointed to be Postmaster General to take down the Post Office. ARGHH!
The media likes to refer to Congress' attempts at legislating as "making the sausage". But it's actually a giant shit show. If you want to be disillusioned by government. But I thought I'd use the sausage making analogy because it's sufficiently disgusting. Zach Carter, whose book "The Price of Peace: Money, Democracy and the Life of John Maynard Keynes" is now available in paperback, had an op-ed published in the NY Times last week, "Why Are Moderates Trying to Blow Up Biden's Centrist Economic Plan?". He obviously pushes a few of my buttons with that, beginning with using both "moderates" and "centrist" in the title! That's where we begin as well...
Today is part two of our series of Democratic challengers hoping to replace the man occupying the Governor's office in Tallahassee. Following last week's appearance by Nikki Fried, today Charlie Crist joins the show. We'll talk about what he learned from holding that office, what now makes him a Democrat as opposed to the Republican he was the first time he held the office he once again aspires to. He joins us at the top of the show... Afterwards, we'll talk about what we learned from that interview, and about the rest of the mess in DC as Congress fights over infrastructure, avoiding a shutdown and increasing the debt limit!
It's Monday, the start of what will be a busy and consequential week on Capitol Hill. It's a sausage-making festival, and won't be fun to watch. But there's so much on the line. Running concurrent to what the legislators are doing is an investigation into the former guy and his minions who've been working to overturn a free and fair election, thus undermining our entire democracy. Sadly the latter is getting very little serious attention. Last week, we saw a six-point plan to complete the conman's coup in writing, showing us how close we came to that scenario playing out, but not one of the major networks or even cable news networks covered the story! NOT ONE! This is the slow motion coup unfolding, and we're watching it happen in real time, powerless to stop it. Yes, I'm cynical. I've earned it. Our guest today is fighting the good fight against the bad guys. Jennifer Taub's book, "Big Easy Money" was released last year at this time. Tomorrow, the paperback hits shelves with a new subtitle: "Making White Collar Criminals Pay". She's using the launch of the book to pressure Attorney General Merrick Garland to do something already about TFG. Let's make it happen.
As we approach the weekend, the breaking news stories keep coming. They really started yesterday, with news about the COVID booster shot. Then the leaks of the Arizona election fraudit draft report which is set for release about an hour before showtime today. What we do know is that Joe Biden, indeed, won Arizona, and it only cost the state 6 MILLION DOLLARS for that result. And Trump is still lying. Then there are the House votes on everything from codifying Roe v Wade to the National Defense Authorization Act and sending Israel another billion dollars for their iron dome missile defense system and more. Oh, and the run up to Monday's scheduled vote on the BIF or hard infrastructure bill, while the reconciliation package-which is supposed to go hand-in-hand with the BIF- is nowhere ready for a vote. There's more, and we'll review some of it. We'll wrap up the week with another visit from White House correspondent Brian Karem. He was the WH correspondent for Playboy, but Playboy is gone. Who knew? He's now penning a weekly column for Salon. com, and continues hosting his own podcast, "Just Ask the Question" at justaskthequestion.com. Yesterday marked one year since the former guy took a question from Brian in the WH briefing room. Karem asked "Regardless of the outcome, will you guarantee a peaceful transition of power?" The rest, as they say, is history.
The old adage goes "Democrats, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory." Sadly it becomes more true with each passing day. But everything is on the line right now. And if the Congressional Democrats can't get the president's signature Build Back Better plan passed, it's our own fault. Today, we'll review what's going on and where we are right now. I'll also explain some of the other things that slipping through our fingers, and why. And we'll open the phones too for your thoughts-- 954-889-6410 or Skype to nicolesandler. On Thursdays, Howie Klein is usually here, but he's out today. Instead, we'll start the show with a visit from Brittany Ramos DeBarros, the Blue America PAC endorsed candidate running in NY's 11th district, where we really need her!
"Game of Thrones" gave us "bend the knee." Colin Kaepernick showed us the meaning of taking a knee. My favorite sports journalist Dave Zirin has always reported on the intersection of sports and politics, and this is right in his wheelhouse. His new book, "The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World" examines how Kap's private protest turned into a global cry for justice, pointing a finger directly at the horrific treatment of Black men and women at the hands of police. Dave joins in at the :30 minute mark. Before that, the latest news, and sadly, it's not very good.
GottaLaff is with us today, but it's her last Tuesday for a while as she and Mr. Laffy are heading up to the Great White North to scout for a place to escape from Gilead, er, America for... But before she leaves us, we have some Tweets to share and snark to spew.
We have a busy Floriduh-based show for you today! We'll begin with candidate for Governor, Nikki Fried. She's currently Agriculture Commissioner in FL, the only Democrat in the executive branch of Florida's government. It'll be our first time talking, so I'll ask why we should elect her to replace Ron DeathSentence. Then at the bottom of the hour, we're joined by one of the best journalists in South Florida. I first met Jim DeFede when I interviewed to produce his new morning show at 940 WINZ, at the time South Florida's only progressive talk radio station. Since 2006, DeFede has been at CBS4/Miami, an investigative reporter and host of "Facing South Florida". He's the author of the book, "The Day The World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland"
I've made no secret of the fact that, despite being quite nervous about Joe Biden as the nominee and then president, I've been pleasantly surprised so far. Obviously, I have complaints, but when I compare him to the other presidents during my lifetime, so far, so good! There have been a few books published recently about #1, George Washington himself. I'm intrigued by the men who've taken on the biggest job in the country, especially seeing how absolutely flawed those who've held the position over the last 60 years are. Today, my guest is Nathaniel Philbrick. He's an author who's mined the history of the United States for a number of books. His newest one introduces us to George Washington from a much different perspective. Looking back at George Washington on the eve of a planned protest in support of the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol back in January is somewhat surreal. But that's where we are right now, in the surreal world.
It's Thursday, the day we usually visit with Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC. He'll be here today. We'll talk about the three so-called Democrats who tanked the provision that would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. It makes no sense, so we'll get Howie's take on it (and find out from him who these three so-called Democrats are). Before I get Howie on the line, I'll check in with Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works whose Tweet about those three caught my attention today. It read: ".@KathleenRice you just stood with pharma to keep our drug prices the highest in the world. How much did pharma pay you to ignore the will of your constituents and the American people? Absolute villainy." We'll talk with Howie about that, and what it signals for the rest of President Biden's (and Bernie Sanders') agenda.
There's a lot going on today. A hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee with Simone Biles and three other Olympic women gymnasts who were all assaulted by "Dr" Larry Nassar testifying. Revelations from Bob Woodward's forthcoming book are stunning-- some are calling for Mark Milley's head, others (like me) consider him a hero. Both Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin were summoned to the White House for meetings with President Biden, in which he'll try to convince them to get with the program.... Yes, lots going on. But today, we'll take a little break from most of it to visit with my old friend Bill Mumy and his TV sister Angela Cartwright. Yes, they were Will and Penny Robinson on "Lost in Space" some 50 years ago! They have a new book out called "Lost (and Found) in Space 2), available at ncpbooks.com or angelacartwrightstudio.com or billmumy.com. We'll get back to serious business tomorrow...
The FBI dubbed my friend Jason Leopold a "FOIA Terrorist." It's a label he wears proudly, but it bugs me... because he's not a terrorist. Jason is a hero. Digging deep to uncover the dirt that the powers that be don't want you to see. So I prefer to refer to Jason Leopold as The FOIA Master! And he joins us today. Jason, using his immense power of the pen, filed the paperwork and, in return, was able to get an exclusive look at the six permits issued by Capitol Police to the people who stormed the Capitol on January 6. He'll give us the whole story about his latest scoop. We'll begin with the latest news and maybe even a phone call or two in the first half hour...
It's been 20 years since 9/11. In many ways, it feels like a moment. In others, it's a lifetime removed. The weekend was filled with memories, both of that awful day and the days surrounding it. Life changed. We were all affected by the events of that day, and still are. Some of the ways are only now becoming apparent. Today, I welcome Katrina vanden Heuvel back to the show. It's been a while since we last spoke, so we have a lot of catching up to do.
Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and the memories are as fresh as if it happened yesterday. We'll look back at that awful day, I'll give you a suggestion to help ease the anxiety that comes with all of the video of the planes crashing into the World Trade Center that permeated the airwaves until the public demanded they stop showing it all the time. And a few words about another blast from the past who re-emerged after a long, sudden absence. Our guest today is Thom Hartmann, radio host and author of many books. He returns to the show to discuss his brand new one, "The Hidden History of American Healthcare," just released this week.
Howie Klein (Down with Tyranny/ Blue America PAC) has done a weekly segment with me for over a decade now. Howie and I actually met long before we both became politically active. I was doing (really good) music radio in Los Angeles, and Howie was president of Reprise Records. I so appreciate Howie's work and am thrilled that he joins me weekly on the air to help promote great progressive candidates who, if elected, will help the people that have for too long been overlooked and certainly not helped by our government. Last week we had a pretty huge difference in opinion. I probably got more complaints about that segment than any I've had in a long time. But that's democracy. We can disagree. And though I vehemently disagree with his stance on the CA Governor Recall plot, I vigorously defend his right to vote in whatever way he sees fit. However, I will ALWAYS speak my mind, and tell anyone who I believe is making an egregious error what I think. I did that last week. I believe both Howie and the audience know how I feel about the vote he cast. I don't plan to bring it up again. However, if the Republicans' scheme to remove a democratically elected governor from office succeeds, I will again speak my mind. Today, we'll talk about other crucially important issues, including the so-called Democrats who are working to derail the $3.5 trillion "Build Back Better" budget plan. There are too many of them... all the more reason why we need loud, persuasive voices from the left to battle the Blue Dogs, New Dems and others from the Republican wing of the Democratic party.
We're now more than 18 months into the pandemic that most of us never thought could or would ever happen. Unlike anything else we've experienced in our lives, this virus affected the entire planet -- every person in every country at every far-flung corner of the earth. As far as I can surmise, this is the first time, at least in my lifetime, that the entire planet was sharing an experience... one that just won't end. The ramifications are enormous and largely still unknown. Adam Tooze, professor of history at Columbia University who was named by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the top Global Thinkers of the decade, joins us today. His new book, released just yesterday, is "Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World's Economy"
Laffy's back today, and boy does she have some newsworthy Tweets to share. With the week we lived through last week, anything is bound to be an improvement. Hopefully we'll cover the news, but add enough snark and have some fun to make it less painful.
Taking Labor Day off, so I put together an hour of songs to salute the holiday! Enjoy, and I'll be back live tomorrow!
The chaotic end to our longest war ever. Hurricane Ida makes landfall in New Orleans on the 16th anniversary of Katrina, devastating the region again. The Supreme Court all but overturns Roe v Wade on its shadow docket in the dead of night. Ida remnants wreak havoc on the northeast, killing at least 45 people in six states, crippling NYC and the surrounding areas. This was an epically awful week. The cynic in me wants to crawl under a rock. My hopefully inner voice wants to believe we can weather these storms too. John Nichols, national affairs correspondent for The Nation will help me navigate the way through, and also talk about his story in the Sept 6/13 issue of The Nation, "Bernie Sanders's Third Campaign"
It's Thursday, the day we get together with Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC. We'll have a serious discussion today about the failure of the Democratic Party to stop the American Taliban's takeover of our country. Yes, I'm referring to the Orwellian law that went into effect in Texas, now with the Trump-packed Supreme Court's seal of approval. It not only criminalizes abortion in the state, but deputizes random idiots to target women who are even considering abortion with lawsuits and possible $10,000 bounties for each one they win. This is such a travesty that our legal expert Lisa Graves (formerly a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the US DoJ) will join us from vacation to weigh in on this horrific ruling to start the show.
Today is a perfect example of Opposite World. First, the Supreme Court basically overturned Roe v Wade overnight by not stopping a Texas heartbeat law from taking effect at midnight. We're truly fucked. Today, we'll also hear from the executive producer of The Undercurrent, who got undercover video of Ron Johnson admitting Biden beat Trump in Wisconsin. And the interview today is with Joe Walsh, the former teabagger Congressman who saw the light thanks to Donald Trump. Should be quite a conversation!! I can't wait.
The last US troops departed Afghanistan yesterday, ending our longest war ever. Please let this be the last one (though I know it won't be). Because we live in opposite world, I feel as if I have to defend Joe Biden. He's the only president in the last 20 years who had the balls to actually get us out of that quagmire, despite the political attacks on him. We'll hear some of the officials explain the situation and, once again, will speak with Lucas Kunce, a Marine veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, who's running for the US Senate from Missouri. And he agrees with me. Or I should say, I agree with him. There's other news happening as well, from Ida to FloriDUH and Covid and beyond. We'll cover as much of it as we can today. But it is ok to celebrate. The war that looked like it would go on forever is finally over. And that's a good thing.
There's a new film hitting theaters and on demand just in time for Labor Day weekend. It could be called "Everything You Wanted to Know About Socialism But Were Afraid To Ask." The filmmakers opted for the equally perfect "The Big Scary 'S' Word". Today, our guest is the film's director, Yael Bridge. As usual, we'll begin with the latest news, along with why today is an important anniversary on a few different fronts!
The other day, The Daily Show took out a full page ad in the NY and LA Times, offering the legal services of Trevor Noah & Associates & Sons for those you did an insurrection and need their protection. The ad also exclaims that "Because your only crime was listening to the president. Also felony assault." I Tweeted a photo of it yesterday that has truly gone viral. As of the moment I'm writing this, it has 22 thousand likes. There's a phone number on the ad. We'll call it on the show today. Then we'll deal with another legal issue: the Supreme Court! Although they're not in session right now, they released an 8 page opinion overturning Joe Biden's eviction moratorium extension. It was 6-3 along ideological lines. So much about that is wrong, so we'll call on Lisa Graves, former DoJ attorney under two presidents and now founder and director of True North Research. There, she investigates the bad actors and follows the money. Guess who allegedly bankrolled this Supreme Court challenge to the eviction moratorium..... Charles Koch, a regular subject of Lisa's investigations.
Every Thursday, I'm joined by Howie Klein of DownWithTyranny.com and the Blue America PAC. Since leaving his post as president of Reprise Records years ago, Howie has put his energies to work to make the US a more progressive nation. To that end, he blogs at DownWithTyranny.com, and founded the Blue America PAC. Along with Digby and Crooks & Liars' John Amato, Howie vets potential candidates, and helps the true progressives among them by raising money and helping to get others on board. Today, one of Blue America's endorsed candidates joins us: Erica Smith, running for the US Senate from North Carolina. Her site is ericaforus.com. As usual, we'll start with the latest news, which today includes an attack on the thousands of people trying to escape from the Taliban at the Kabul airport. The latest reports says 12 US soldiers were killed, along with a number of civilians, and many injured. The military is warning that they believe more similar attacks are imminent.
Laffy's here today, so we'll bring you the news, by way of her Twitter feed. And there's a lot of it to talk about today. Cuomo is out, Hochul is the new governor of NY. Perhaps I'll ask Laffy for an update on California's upcoming recall election. It looks like the conservadems and progressives in the House have made a deal and they will pass the budget resolution as well as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Afghanistan's still a mess and the media is blaming Biden. And Charlie Watts died. There's more too. We'll likely hit on all of it, eventually.
Technically, they're over. But it sure feels like we're getting dogg'd. Now don't get me wrong. I'm a dog person! I love dogs. (I even paint them, as I did all the pups on today's cover photo- and I do take commissions. Just send me a note!) But there are some dogs I don't like, like Blue Dogs. And today, they're threatening to derail the entire Biden agenda, infrastructure, and our chance at getting nice things in the USA. I'll explain. We'll also check in with Courtney Hostetler, lead attorney for Free Speech for People who just filed a lawsuit to stop some of the vindictive voter suppression bills being introduced around the country.
It's a Friday and boy, do we need a weekend. Today, we'll deal with a couple of the big issues facing our world. We'll start with the end of our occupation of Afghanistan after 20 years. The mainstream corporate media coverage has been a lot of finger pointing and blaming the current administration, while inviting the people who got us into this mess in the first place are being interviewed as if their views mattered! We've also learned that anti-war organizations have been excluded from all coverage. We'll remedy that with a visit from Stephen Miles, executive director of Win Without War. Then, we'll segue to one of the other major crises of our time -- the ongoing Republican effort to curtail your right to vote. I'll speak with Lala Wu, co-founder and executive director of the Sister District Project, who are focused right now on passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and winning and safeguarding fair and free elections.
Yes, I have some good news to open the show with today. In fact, the news is so good that it'll be difficult to put me in a bad mood today. But a crazy Trumper threatening to blow up the Capitol live on Facebook from his truck on the Hill made a valiant effort. Thankfully, he just turned himself in without incident. He probably had no explosives either, but I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. I had an encounter with the word "moderate" today. I may have to talk to Howie Klein about the use of that word where it's not warranted. Like with so-called Democrat Josh Gottheimer of NJ. He appears to be the ringleader of a small circle of 9 conservadems who appear determined to derail the possibility of passing the two infrastructure bills that would set this country on a decent course for a change.
One constant in this world is change. Today we'll talk about some of the change we're experiencing now. After 20-year occupation, the US is removing all remaining troops from Afghanistan. The exit was ugly, but they have been, throughout history. We'll start with what's happening now in Afghanistan. While many veterans, politicians and media figures are pointing a finger at Joe Biden, Lucas Kunce isn't. The Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who's running for Senate from MO returns to the show today after pushing back at some of the loudest voices blaming the president and the American people. Then we'll get some historical perspective from David Potter, author of the new book "Disruption: Why Things Change" which looks at what precipitated radical change throughout history.
On this day in 1969, Woodstock was in its final day of Peace and Music. Melanie Safka performed on the first day. This week, she re-created her Woodstock set and shared it online. Today, I figured we could use an injection of peace and the energy of Woodstock, so Melanie will join us for the second half of the show. But we'll begin with the response to the US pullout of troops from Afghanistan. President Biden is taking loads of criticism, most of it seemingly from the media.
Sometimes my timing is spot on, as is the case today. Spencer Ackerman's new book, "Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump" was released Tuesday; Afghanistan fell yesterday after the US pulled out. And, lucky for us, he's my guest today on the show! He'll join in at the :30 minute mark at the bottom of the hour. I'll do my best to explain what happened over the weekend at the top of the show...
Today is the day that we were told Donald Trump would be reinstated as president. We heard it from the pillow guy, MAGA world and Trump's sycophantic followers. It also happens to be Friday the 13th, so if Trump ever were to enter the Oval Office again, Friday the 13th would be the appropriate day for it to happen. But it won't. That doesn't stop them from proclaiming it as fact. We live in strange times when otherwise intelligent people spew lies and proclaim them as facts. Even some who call themselves "news" organizations. So it's a good thing when a new, independent news organization takes off. Today, we'll celebrate one of those. David Sirota has been around a long time. We know him as a journalist, a radio host, and even as Bernie Sanders' speech writer. Now he's also the founder and Editor in Chief of The Daily Poster, which everyone who listens to this show should be reading. We'll talk about the stories they're covering, which is exactly what we discuss here on the show every day.
There's finally been some action on Joe Biden's infrastructure plan(s). What's still unknown is how it will all play out in the end. Although it was relatively smooth-sailing in the senate this week, the House is looking like it might present a few problems. Could Nancy Pelosi be doing the right thing here (meaning correct)? She's pushed back on the "moderates" (ConservaDems) who are demanding the "BiPartisan" Infrastructure bill be brought to the House at the same time they consider the Budget resolution. They're coming back from recess early on 8/23 to deal with that issue, as the reconciliation bill can't even really be written until the budget resolution has cleared both chambers. And how will the new census numbers released today impact the redrawing of Congressional districts? Will the Rs have won back the House before any votes are even counted, thanks to redistricting? We'll talk with Howie Klein today about all that and more.
Yesterday was probably the busiest news day on a Tuesday in August that I can remember. So we have a lot of ground to cover today. It's been a while since we've checked in with Will Bunch. He's a national columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer. His latest touches on the devastating IPCC Climate Report, the new revelations about how close Trump came to a successful coup, the first testimony heard by the special select committee on January 6. I'll also delve into Will's belief that if Trump and his associates aren't charged with conspiracy to tamper with the election and inciting violence on Jan 6, then the Constitution has been automatically ratified to confirm Nixon's contention that if a president does it, it's not illegal. Opposite world indeed!
The month of August used to be slow. Everything shut down. But there's no such thing as a slow news day anymore. Today, we have a lot of ground to cover. We'll begin with Infrastructure legislation. As Joe Biden said, "After years and years of infrastructure week, we are on the cusp of infrastructure decade." And it has begun... Then we move to Resignation... Andrew Cuomo's resignation, to be precise. And we'll finish with Mitigation. That's the buzzword as we must finally act to slow climate change and save the planet. I'll speak with Dr. William J. Ripple, longtime climate emergency expert, who'll weigh in on the IPCC 2021 climate report released yesterday.
The US Department of Justice has been walking a tightrope for years now. While promising Equal Justice Under the Law, it more realistically offers a system of Injustice and Inequality. Throughout the Trump term, the DOJ struggled to maintain any semblance of integrity. And in the final days of his presidency, the former guy attempted a coup, using the Attorney General to do his dirty work. Details of just how close we came to losing our democracy are now coming to light, especially with last week's testimony from Acting AG Jeff Rosen. And now we have over 550 insurrectionists whose court dates are coming up. Can justice be served here? The one person I read daily who covers all of this is Marcy Wheeler. Find her online at emptywheel.net, on Twitter at @emptywheel. And with me, here, most of the hour today.
I first spoke with today's guest, author and political scientist Jules Boykoff, five years ago just ahead for the Rio Olympics. He had just released his book, "Power Games: A Political History of the Olympics". I was fascinated by the stories that NBC never seems to include in their slick, pre-packaged video feature-ettes. When contemplating how to cover those under-reported stories as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are underway -- a year late and live audiences short. So Jules Boykoff joins us for the second half hour of the show. We'll begin with the latest news, info and snark. What else would you expect on a Friday?
We have a standing date every Thursday on the show with Howie Klein. He writes at DownWithTyranny. com, and runs the Blue America PAC, finding and raising money for the best progressive candidates. One of his Blue America-endorsed candidates, Nina Turner, was defeated in a special primary to fill the congressional seat vacated by Marcia Fudge who joined the administration as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The problem is, Nina Turner was targeted by the Democratic party establishment with a big assist from Republicans. We'll talk about what really happened. And a last minute addition to the show at the beginning-- Grant Stern of Occupy Democrats was physically removed from a meeting with Kevin McCarthy and a Florida Congressional contingent earlier today.
OK. "Waiting for the End of the World" is an Elvis Costello song that I can't play on the air if I want to avoid another copyright strike. But it's where my mind immediately went when I heard the title of climate activist Daniel Sherrell's book, "Warm: Coming of Age at the End of the World." The title also brings to mind an inner argument I've been waging with myself for years: knowing what we do about the coming effects of climate change, why would anyone bring another new life into the world? It's just one of many things we'll discuss when he joins me for the second half hour of the show. We'll begin with a correction! I got a big fact wrong yesterday, so I'll correct the record. Then we'll talk about the news and the issues plaguing us today.. And then we'll worry about the end of the world. I'll end with REM's "It's the End of the World as We Know It"... playing in my mind, anyway. No violations today!
GottaLaff has been hanging with us on Tuesdays for probably a decade already or longer. Lately, she's had issues with pain in her hands, so we cut back to every other week. Well, today is one of those days. And what a day it is! NY Governor Andrew Cuomo is in the #MeToo spotlight today as the NYAG released her office's report on the investigation into sexual harassment by the governor. And it's ugly. We'll certainly talk about other issues too, but that's the biggie for today.
It's a very busy Monday here on the show. We have two very different guests on two very different subjects. First up - Drew Comments (aka Andrew Bullock) released an amazing video explaining why he took the vaccine and I just had to talk with him. So he joins us at the top of the show.
Julie K. Brown is a reporter for the Miami Herald who really broke the Jeffrey Epstein story. Her book, "Perversion of Justice" was just released. She's our second guest today.
Today, after a jam packed news update at the start of the show, we'll forego the politics and remember the cultural shift that occurred 40 years ago this Sunday. On Aug 1, 1981, MTV premiered. I remember it clearly. So does Mark Goodman. He was one of the original five VJs on the first ever Music Television channel. He joins me to talk about that iconic moment in pop history and how much has changed in the past four decades.
It's another Thursday with Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC. Today we're joined by another Blue America-endorsed Congressional candidate. This time it's Bruno Amato, who's taking on Kevin McCarthy from CA-23. But first he has to win the Democratic primary. Meet him today and learn why we're excited about evicting Kevin McCarthy from the People's House!
We're living through horribly dysfunctional times. I won't say that if not for Trump, things would be all peachy keen. But I do believe they'd be a lot better than the shit storm we're still experiencing, due to him. And unfortunately, just because he's no longer in office, he's still able to do damage. Today, I speak with Philip Rucker of the Washington Post. He and Carol Leonnig just released their second book about the former guy's time in office. They titled he new one, "I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year." As usual, we'll begin with the latest news... today that includes word on the so called BIF infrastructure plan, new COVID precautions, the Olympics, climate change.... you get the idea.
Devastating is the word that best describes the testimony by four police officers who helped protect the Capitol from the insurrectionists on January 6. Although we knew what happened and had already heard from some of these officers, today's testimony was - well- devastating. And really sad. Today, I'll share my thoughts and lots of audio/video from today's hearing. Then we'll check in with Carolina Ampudia, the newly-elected president of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida to tell us about the chair of the Florida Democratic Party publicly dissing the progressive caucus... No wonder we keep losing in Florida.
The guest I thought I had today did not materialize, so we have a day to cover what's happening in the news, take your calls, share some videos and more. It'll be an experience, I suppose! The best thing I shared today was an explanation of why he got the vaccine from #DrewComments. Just perfect.
Five years ago this week my world turned upside down. It was a dark time, as Donald Trump's campaign -for the first time- looked more serious than the bad joke it should have been. While contemplating the possibility of the orange conman as our next president, I got some devastating news. I'll share that with you at the top of today's show, knowing that the outcome was better than anything I could have hoped for that day five years ago. Covid is rearing its ugly head again, especially down here in FloriDUH and it's affected my weekend plans. I'll explain. And then we'll be joined by today's guest. Michael C. Bender is the senior White House reporter for the Wall Street Journal. His book, "Frankly, We Did Win This Election" was released last week and entered the NY Times bestseller list at #3. I guess that's because everyone loves a good train wreck...
It is Thursday, so Howie Klein is here. When we first met, probably 25 years ago, Howie was president of Reprise Records. One of his artists was Eric Clapton, who's quoted in today's news: “I wish to say that I will not perform on any stage where there is a discriminated audience present. Unless there is provision made for all people to attend, I reserve the right to cancel the show.” So, if there are mask or vaccine proof requirements, he'll not do the show? Alrighty then. Guess I won't be seeing Eric Clapton in concert again. Of course, there's lots to discuss, including Pelosi excluding two of McCarthy's picks for the 1/6 select committee, and the expected fallout from that decision and more...
Nancy Pelosi today rejected two of Kevin McCarthy's pics for the Select Committee on Jan 6, so McCarthy accused her of playing partisan politics and said none of his members would participate. That's the grown up version of taking ones toys and going home, I guess. In the senate, the Republicans are doing their best to stop any business from getting done, in this case it's the infrastructure bills they're stopping. Who better to try to make sense of the nonsense than a professor of Democracy and Justice studies... well, emeritus anyway. Harvey J. Kaye returns to the show today with a special bonus...a book report on Josh Hawley's masterpiece. He read it so we don't have to!
Laffy's back with us every other Tuesday, for now. This is her week, and we've got lots to talk about, including the billionaires big dick contest.
Congress is back with a lot on their plates before they leave again for the month of August. The first Jan 6 insurrectionist was sentenced. It's Infrastructure Summer with votes set for Wednesday. You get the idea. With so much going on, there's no one I'd rather speak with than David Dayen, executive editor of The American Prospect.
History is happening as Cubans take to the streets protesting their lousy government for the first time in more than two decades, and probably only the third time in the past 60 years or so. I'm joined today by journalist and author Anthony DePalma, author of the book "The Cubans: Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times" who also wrote an op-ed published in the Washington Post this week. He'll give us a bit of the history and explain what's happening in Cuba now that brought its people out into the streets. And I'll fill you in on the Florida double-standard (aka hypocrisy) concerning the protests. And since today is Friday, we'll attempt to end the week with some fun.
It's Thursday, so that means Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC. Today, we'll get Howie's take on the major stories we've been talking about this week, including the House Judiciary Committee's markup of the package of 6 antitrust bills. Plus, who's in line to succeed Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House? It's not very pretty... And more!
We've been on a roll lately, discussing some important issues facing us that the Democrats must fix before we lose what's left of this democracy. From Biden's Executive Order issued Friday on antitrust and monopoly to his powerful speech on Tuesday about the GOP attacks on our voting rights. There's also the matter of withdrawing the rest of the troops from Afghanistan, and even the billionaires' space race (about which I've not yet commented). Who would I like to talk with about all of this? Well, Digby, of course. She joins us today...
I'm on a virtual one-woman quest to spread the news that the Biden administration is serious about helping the little guy with the Executive Order signed on Friday that would encourage competition, limit monopolies and rein in the bad guys. Zephyr Teachout is a law professor at Fordham University in the Bronx; her latest book, "Break 'Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom from Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money" seems to be written for this time in history. And she wrote about the massive executive order for The Nation on Friday, shortly after it was published. She joins us today to continue the conversation I started yesterday with Cory Doctorow.
When Cory Doctorow joined me on the air last month, the half hour we allotted flew by and I had tons of questions left. So he agreed to come back and spend the hour. Well, today is the date we set. Little did we know that we'd be talking the first business day after President Biden signed a sweeping Executive Order aimed at overturning 40 years of failed anti-trust legislation that favored big industry and monopolies. That followed the House Judiciary Committee's markup of the six antitrust bills working their way through Congress that Cory told us about last time.
Today is a day of extremes. David Daley (author of "Ratfucked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count) has a new piece in the Guardian explaining how Republicans can take back the House without a single vote being cast. He's today's guest. But just when you think we're screwed, Joe Biden decides to take on monopolies with his pen. Lots to talk about on a Friday afternoon...
It's a Thursday, so Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC is here. And since we're already in election season for Nov of 2022, he occasionally brings along candidates endorsed by Blue America. Today, we're joined by Lucas Kunce, who's running for the Senate from Missouri, for the open seat being vacated by the retiring Roy Blount. In the first half of the show, we'll look at some of the news, including the US finally leaving Afghanistan after 20 years, and more.
The former guy today filed lawsuits against Facebook, Twitter and YouTube/Google. His suit is nonsense, but Big Tech has some big problems, and Matt Stoller has been writing about them and the larger issue in his BIG newsletter and his book, "Goliath: The Hundred Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy". Matt Stoller makes his first appearance on today's show.
Today marks six months since the Capitol Insurrection by supporters of the twice impeached former guy and sadly, little has been done to insure nothing like that ever happens again. A hurricane is off the Florida coast, and over 100 bodies are still buried underneath a collapsed building on the other side of the state. Covid's Delta variant is on the rise across the globe, and the heat has killed hundreds of people in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. I could go on, but you get the idea. Sometimes you just gotta laugh. Hopefully we will do that today.
Last month, as hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians were raging, I attempted a conversation with someone with whom I had great difficulty finding common ground. I realized that he was the wrong person to attempt a dialog about achieving peace in the Middle East, as he was all to eager to assign all of the blame to one side. So I kept exploring, looking for someone who was willing to look at life through the other side's perspective. I came upon some information about Yossi Klein Halevi who, among many other titles, wrote the book, "Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor." As I read, I realized that this was who I needed to speak with. Yossi Klein Halevi is an American-born Israeli author and journalist who has opened a dialog with his neighbors in the region. I'm thrilled that he joins me on the show today from his home in East Jerusalem.
The Supreme Court wrapped up the current term this morning by issuing its two final rulings. They saved the biggest and most damaging for last. Lisa Graves of True North Research, a former Deputy Assistant Attorney General under Clinton, joins in at the top of the show to explain the ramifications of the court's decisions on our voting rights and the continuation of dark money in politics. In the second half hour, it's Howie Klein time. We'll talk about the progressive challenger to Rand Paul, Pelosi's 1-6 committee members, and Pramila Jayapal's take on Marjorie Taylor Greene. Is it Friday yet?
I often return to the theme of opposite world, where we appear to be stuck. That Bill Cosby walked out of prison today, conviction overturned is proof that we're in opposite world. Hearing Republican members of Congress explain why a commission investigating the January 6 insurrection is unnecessary, seeing the former guy at the border pretending to be in a position of authority, Jim Clyburn again working to sabotage the campaign of a progressive Democrat... I could keep going, but I think you get the idea. And Jeff Sharlet returns to the show today to tell us about Trump's first post-presidential lie-fest - er - rally. Opposite world, indeed.
Former senator and two-time presidential candidate Mike Gravel died this weekend. His presidential runs were more a curiosity than serious, and Gravel was often the butt of jokes. But he was an American hero, dating back to his first term in the senate. It was 1971. Daniel Ellsberg desperately wanted a member of Congress to read the Pentagon Papers into the official congressional record. The one who stood up and did it was Mike Gravel. Today on the show, I'll share a bit of the background of the story, John Nichols' article for The Nation that pays tribute to the man, and the interview he did with me in April of 2019 during his final run for the presidency. At a time when we need elected officials who are in it for the correct reasons, I honor the late Mike Gravel.
We are living in strange times. Today, I'm joined by Professor Harvey J. Kaye to try to make sense of those things that don't. It's a Monday, it's the week of the 4th of July, and I'm afraid we've been dealt a losing hand. We'll see if Harvey can talk me down.
It's Friday and a ridiculously busy news day. South Florida is still reeling from yesterday's collapse of a high rise apartment building on Miami Beach. 159 people are missing and prospects for finding anyone alive in the rubble are almost non-existent. Derek Chauvin was sentenced for the murder of George Floyd. The Supreme Court announced more decisions as the term nears its end. Kamala Harris is at the border. There's allegedly an infrastructure deal. You get the idea. There's a ton of information to cover, so we'll cover it. Dave Johnson who these days writes at seeingtheforest.com joins in.
It's a busy Thursday. As usual, Howie Klein is here, and we'll discuss the developments today on an infrastructure deal, the House Judiciary Committee mark ups on the anti-trust package of bills, congressional candidate bingo and more. But we'll start the show with Manuel Oliver. His son Joaquin was killed in Feb 2018 during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. This morning, we learned of an amazing graduation event he put together for "the Lost Class" at which a former NRA president was totally pwned. It's the best thing you'll see all week, I promise.
The Supreme Court handed down four decisions today as they soldier on to the end of the term next week. (There are still 8 cases to opine on. The next announcements will come Friday.) Last week we got the good news that, for the third time, the Supreme Court did not overturn the ACA. That said, this country's health care system is still on life support. Jonathan Cohn of HuffPost has been covering the healthcare beat for many years. He just released his second book on the subject, "The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage" during the pandemic. He'll join us today to tell our prognosis.
Sorry for the cynicism in the title of today's show, but fuck Sinema and Manchin, as they are killing us. It's Tuesday, so Laffy is here, and we've got a lot of news to cover today. Most notably, today the Senate will vote to open debate on the For the People Act which will be filibustered by the Republicans, so why do we even bother?
My guest today is George Packer - journalist, novelist, author, playwright. He writes regularly for The Atlantic, and just published a new book, "Last Best Hope: America In Crisis and Renewal". In it, he suggests we are in a state of a cold civil war between four factions who share virtually no overlap: Free America, Smart America, Real America and Just America. I'm not sure I buy into his theory, though he does make some important points. At the top of the show, I'm joined by "Boca" Brit Somers who was at the Ft. Lauderdale Pride Parade on Saturday, where she missed getting hit by the truck that drove into the crowd, killing one person and injuring at least one other. Brit will tell us what happened. And the Supreme Court handed down another three opinions...
The government may have labelled Jason Leopold a FOIA Terrorist, but I prefer to call him a FOIA Master... This week, the project Jason spent two years working on, The FinCen Files investigation has been honored as a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting! This is the second time Jason's work has been a Pulitzer finalist. I thought we needed a hanging and celebrating with Jason day, and today is it. We'll talk about the whistleblower who got the investigation rolling by providing Jason with FinCen documents. We now know her identity: Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards, the U.S. Treasury official who disclosed the financial intelligence documents to BuzzFeed News, was sentenced last week to six months in prison. We'll talk with Jason about that. But we'll start the show with the latest news, and celebrate our new national holiday, Juneteenth!
The Supreme Court's term is supposed to end at the end of June, so they're announcing their decisions on the remaining 20 or so cases they haven't yet ruled on over the next few weeks. Today we got three, including third SCOTUS challenge to the ACA (Obamacare). Today's Thursday, so it's Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC. They've endorsed Chris Larson, who just jumped in the race to challenge Ron Johnson. Larson will join Howie and me. We'll refresh your memory about Larson, who was a hero in 2011 in fighting back against then-WI Gov Scott Walker.
Biden met with Putin this morning, and Congress is still getting nothing done. I'll fill you in on all of that on today's show. But our main subject is Trump's Department of INjustice, which seems to come into clearer focus with each passing day. We'll talk about all we are learning with Lisa Graves, a former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Clinton administration, so she knows the landscape there. We'll also touch on the Biden-Putin summit, the latest from Joe Manchin and whatever else comes up!
It's Tuesday, so GottaLaff joins Nicole for the hour, talking about the news and anything and everything else...
The Boston Globe today published the sixth of six parts of an editorial titled "Future Proofing the Presidency." They write "Donald Trump brought our democracy to the brink and exposed its weak spots. How to thwart the next American tyrant". I'll be joined by Globe Opinion writer Abdallah Fayyad to go over their recommendations and see what's possible. Plus, lots of news to cover today...
As usual, we begin the show with a look at the latest news with a bit of snark and some outrage. Then we're going to change direction. In 1990, I joined KLOS in Los Angeles as producer of the Mark & Brian Show. For the next four years, I worked with Mark Thompson and Brian Phelps as their producer, helping propel the show to #1 in Los Angeles. It was the most fun I've had in a job, and also the most challenging. Today, I get to finally properly congratulate Mark Thompson for being inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, and to reconnect with one of the most important people in my professional life.
It's a busy day on the show with two guests. We'll begin the hour with Cory Doctorow, an author, journalist and activist is a fascinating man who could probably fill many hours of programming. But we'll talk about his work on digital media and copyright filters and YouTube, oh my. I hope it'll all make sense once we start talking. And the, as it's Thursday, Howie Klein will be here too, talking politics and the frightening reality that is our situation today.
Our right to vote is hanging by a thread that's somehow controlled by the GOP and Sen Joe Manchin, despite the fact that the Democrats control both houses of Congress and the Oval Office. Mother Jones' Ari Berman has been writing about the Republican party's assault on voting rights for many years. His latest article is the cover story of the current issue of Mother Jones, "Jim Crow Killed Voting Rights for Generations. Now the GOP is Repeating History". Ari is my guest today, explaining the sickening situation we're dealing with today.
It's nice to be able to once again say that every Tuesday, GottaLaff join in to shoot the shit about anything and everything that's in the news. She brings us highlights of the insanity that crosses her Twitter stream each week in her "Tweet Spot"... nothing is off limits. And we were in rare form today. Come laugh with us.
Welcome to a new week. We'll have the usual look at the news, perhaps something to bring a smile or a laugh, and a visit from someone I used to chat with somewhat regularly. Dennis Kucinich was a Congressman from Ohio from 1997-2013, during which time he also ran for president twice. Before Congress, he was the mayor of Cleveland, where he waged a very high-profile fight with the city's power company. The story is quite dramatic, and is the basis of his new book, "The Division of Light and Power". The picture is from a campaign stop in South Florida in 2008 when he was running for the Democratic nomination for president.
There have been over 450 arrests of participants in the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol, from "Maga Tourists" to ringleaders. The one person reporting on what's happening in these individual cases is Marcy Wheeler who, these days, is living in Ireland! But she's still doing better reporting on what's happening with these arrests and prosecutions than anyone else. Marcy Wheeler checks in today from Ireland!
It's been a few weeks since we were able to hang with Howie on a Thursday, but we're both here today. The orange one is even more demented than ever, as he's been telling people he'll be reinstated as POTUS in August, and making pronouncements from exile. The crazy is thicker than ever right now. So I'll ask Howie the question that we've been pondering.. can our democracy survive?
Republicans are bending over backwards to regain power by any means necessary. In their case, that's lying, cheating and stealing. The laws being passed by Republican-led legislatures in states around the country will, if enacted, allow them to do what they've accused US of doing-- steal the next election and overturn the will of the people. If you're alarmed by that, you should be. It's so bad that President Biden called them out and declared that Democracy in in peril. At a Memorial Day observation, no less. Today, I'm joined by historian, author and Professor Emeritus at UWGB, Harvey J. Kaye to get to the bottom of just how dangerous our situation is right now.
It's June! Yesterday was Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer. And it's also the start of hurricane season. Yeah, lucky us! Today is also the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre, and the 41st anniversary of the launch of CNN. The Supreme Court term ends at the end of the month, so we're on pins and needles about the outstanding cases and trepidation about how this court will rule on the future of the Affordable Care Act and abortion rights, and lots more. At least we seem to be on the safe side of COVID, but not entirely. Such is life on this first day of June. But @GottaLaff is back, so that's good news.
It's Memorial Day, so I'm not doing a live show today. Instead, we go back into my archives for a 2014 interview with the late Vincent Bugliosi. He had written the book, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, laying out the entire case for any prosecutor in the country who wanted to take on the case. A companion video had just been released "The Prosecution of an American President for Murder." The murder he's referring to is the murder of all of the US soldiers killed in Iraq. I figured it was good to remember on this Memorial Day.
Depending on who you ask, Democrats are either looking at disaster in the midterms or they'll wind up with massive majorities in both houses of Congress as the Republican party is killing itself slowly but surely. I finally spoke with famed civil rights attorney Guy Saperstein who these days is a major progressive Democratic donor who believes the next few elections will be huge for the Democrats as the Republican party goes the way of the dodo. We'll follow up that conversation with author David Faris who warns us that if we don't do something to stop the GOP's attempts to infiltrate and destroy our election systems, we are screwed. Then you can decide for yourself. And, oh yeah, the Senate Republicans filibustered the January 6 commission. Yeah, we're screwed alright.
The book on the 2020 election is out and it's a page-turner. Today, I chat with Edward-Isaac Dovere, author of "Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats' Campaigns To Defeat Trump". I'm able to read this book because I know how it ended. That didn't stop my blood pressure from rising when I started reading it. It was election night 2016 and, for the first time, we learn how both Joe Biden and Barack Obama received the news that Donald Trump would be the 45th president. We'll also speak with someone who will hopefully become part of the soul of the Democratic Party, as Shervin Aazami, candidate for Congress from CA's 30th district drops in to introduce himself.
For all the talk of American exceptionalism, we can't seem to do anything great. Today, eight people are dead in a mass shooting in San Jose and our elected official are clueless about how to fix that problem. And despite the plethora of cop shows on TV showing amazing forensic work from various law enforcement agencies around the county, the reality is that the work is pretty flawed. Good thing the shooter today was killed, because from what I'm reading in Brandon L. Garrett's new book, "Autopsy of a Crime Lab: Exposing the Flaws in Forensics", we might not have been able to catch him. Brandon L. Garrett is my guest today on the show.
For probably a decade already, GottaLaff has joined me for her weekly spot on the show, talking about whatever is making news or Twitter is all atwitter about. But she's been gone for a couple of months because she's been dealing with terrible pain in her hands. We'll get the scoop on what's going on with her, and we'll shoot the shit as we've done for 10 years or more... And there's plenty to talk about! Today is the first anniversary of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police, Marjorie Taylor Greene is still shooting her mouth off daring to correlate mask mandates to protect us with the holocaust and the imprisonment and killing 6 million Jews. And lots more too... Welcome back Laffy!
It's a new week, with the same ugly shit rearing its head. That people around the world don't know the difference between a Zionist and a Jew is sad, but unfortunately also prevalent in our world where televised lies are presented as "news" and education is not a priority. The reports of attacks on Jews around the nation are surging and it's terrifying. This on top of the recent escalation of violence against Asian Americans. And the targeting of Black and Brown people, especially by police, seems to also be on the rise. Turn away From hate, before it's too late is a line from a song I love ("Fork in the Road" by Judith Owen) and it sums up the main topic on today's show. I'll speak with Norman Finkelstein, author of 10 books, mostly in the field of Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the politics of the Holocaust. His most recent book is "Gaza: An inquest into its martyrdom". The song played at the end might be the most important part of this show. I took the line for the title of this post from it. It's called "Fork in the Road" by Judith Owen https://youtu.be/USWz-ytGErI
I spent the better part of the show setting up for today's guest who proceeded to stand me up. I guess we had a miscommunication regarding the time. Or maybe he was punking me. Either way, it was a somewhat entertaining and slightly surreal hour. This is live radio, so this is what happened....
This is what I had planned:
The odds are against the Democrats in the upcoming 2022 midterm elections. It's the first midterm after a new party took the White House, which historically points to that party losing seats in Congress. We have no margin to play with, so the experts and pundits are predicting the Republicans will take back at least one chamber. New district lines will be drawn based on Trump's uber-flawed 202 Census and Republicans still have the majority in a majority of state legislatures, who get to draw the new districts. (Can you say gerrymander on steroids?). And then there's the fact the the Republicans, led by the former occupant of the oval office, have been lying about our elections, casting doubt on their legitimacy, who've spent all their time since November 2020 trying to make it more difficult for us to vote. The outlook for the midterms and even the 2024 presidential elections doesn't look very rosy for the Democrats. Our guest today says none of that matters. Guy Saperstein is one of America's must successful civil rights attorneys. He's retired now, but is one of the progressive movements biggest champions and biggest donors. And he says the Democrats are going to run the table in the upcoming elections, and predicts the GOP might not even exist when the next presidential election day rolls around. We'll have that discussion today.
I took today off to celebrate my husband's birthday with our first night out since last March! Instead of just running an old show, I put something together for you today. We start with the news, such as it was this morning. Then, following up on our conversation about war yesterday, I pulled out my last (and final) interview with General Wesley Clark. It was June of 2014, and ISIS was gaining ground in Iraq, and it looked like we were going back in. So I thought I'd get some sensible commentary from the former presidential candidate. Instead, I was dumbstruck by the things he said. It was the day I lost all respect for General Wesley Clark. After that, we'll need something to finish the show on a better note, so I pulled out an interview I did with the great Randy Newman. It was this week, 22 years ago... May 25, 1999. Enjoy!
Today, we're talking about war. It's good for absolutely nothing, yet we seem to be in a never-ending series of wars. All eyes today are on Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza, and the situation seems to be getting worse. I'll check in with Ron Skolnik, an American-Israeli writer and communications consultant for Partners for Progressive Israel (and an elementary school classmate of mine) for some perspective on what's going on over there. Then we'll turn to David Vine, Professor of Anthropology at American University and author of "United States of War: A Global History of America's Endless Conflicts, from Columbus to the Islamic State"
Terrible people are dominating today's news. Matt Gaetz's literal partner in crime is spilling his beans, Marjorie Taylor Greene takes five minutes on the floor, and Bill Gates' halo has lost its shine. Bill Gates is the subject of a scorn on multiple fronts right now. Journalist Tim Schwab writes about his role in perpetuating vaccine apartheid for The Nation, and he's our guest on today's show.
Some of those old Monday blues are sneaking back in. I had been feeling so much better since the former guy was evicted from the White House, and had been almost tumescent that Joe Biden was doing so much better than I had expected, so I was bound to feel a big letdown, but this is ridiculous. From the bombing and imminent war between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza, to Biden's latest hires and a few other pesky problem, I'm feeling those old unhappy feelings creeping in again. Today, we'll examine the problems making me feel this way. Jeff Hauser of the Revolving Door Project is today's guest. We'll talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of the Biden administration now that we're past the 100 day mark.
There is a reason I speak with historians fairly regularly on this program, as history tends to repeat itself. We must learn from those lessons. Today, after a look at the latest news, I'll talk with Daniel James Brown, author of "Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in WWII". Not only didn't we learn about Japanese Americans who fought with the US in WWII, I never learned in school about the Japanese internment camps, paving the way for the horrific treatment of Asian Americans in the age of Covid and Trump. In overtime, I speak with Rick Allen, drummer for Def Leppard and an accomplished artist who has three shows next week here in South Florida.
The CDC finally said that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks indoors or out! The problem is that those miscreant vaccine deniers will just claim they had been vaccinated. Ugh. The Republicans and their sympathizers seem to have a bad case of gaslighting, obviously caught from the former administration. Many on the House Oversight Committee showed off their talents in yesterday's hearing on the Jan 6 attack on the capitol. Each lie was more outrageous than the one before... Today is Thursday. Howie Klein returns after being out last week, getting his second vaccine dose. I have a feeling we'll be talking a bit about the conservatives trying to derail Biden's attempts to make America better. And, oh yeah, Marjorie Taylor Greene harassed AOC yesterday, chasing her through the halls of the Capitol, calling her a terrorist sympathizer and worse. Opposite world, we have arrived.
Nicole welcomes John M. Barry back the show a year after he first appeared. He's the author of "The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History" about the 1918 Spanish Flu. Today we get an update. But we begin the show with a look at the House Oversight Hearing today about the Jan 6 Capitol insurrection. And, of course, the House Republican conference cancelled Liz Cheney's leadership role because she told the truth.
I've been trying to stay optimistic now that the former guy is gone from the White House, and the current occupant is exceeding my expectations, but reality keeps getting in the way. More accurately, Republicans are in the way. Today's Republicans have no morality, no sense of fairness. It seems their mantra was well-learned from the orange one himself: lie, cheat and steal... win, no matter the cost. The Senate Rules Committee is marking up the For the People Act today, which was supposed to fix the problems in our electoral system. Unfortunately, watching the proceedings this morning was more depressing than anything else, as it's apparent that the other side has no desire of or intention to insure free and fair elections. David Atkins wrote for Washington Monthly a thought provoking and frightening article, "What Happens When Republicans Simply Refuse to Certify Democratic Wins?". David Atkins is my guest today...
Today, I'll follow up on our conversation from last week with Tim Karr of FreePress.net. It had been a while since I spoke about Net Neutrality on the show, as it appeared that not much was happening. Well, that changed a few days ago with a story about big ISP's (ie Comcast) flooding the FCC with FAKE comments about the proposed rules. I'll speak with Evan Greer of Fight for the Future, who's been fighting that battle for over a decade. We'll start the show with a look at Florida's other outrage this legislative session-- they killed off the possibility of legal weed! I'll speak with Karen Seeb Goldstein, executive director of NORML Florida.
Now that the Democrats are back in control in DC, the Republicans are once again screaming about the national debt and deficit, things they weren't even slightly concerned with when their party held the majorities and they spent like the proverbial drunken sailors. So, I once again called on MMT expert and author of "The Deficit Myth," Stephanie Kelton
Today on the show, I'm joined by Terry Greene Sterling and Jude Joffe-Black. They're the co-authors of a new book, Driving While Brown: Sheriff Joe Arpaio versus the Latino Resistance. Some things, unfortunately, never change. But first, I have a few choice words to say about Elise Stefanik, Caitlin Jenner, and Mitch McConnell.
Facebook's Oversight Board today announced that Donald Trump's suspension will continue for the next six months, after which time, we do this again, perhaps? Tim Karr of FreePress.net joins us at the top of the show to help unpack what this means. While we have Tim, we'll get an update on other issues we used to cover extensively like net neutrality and the FCC. For the rest of the hour, we'll deal with the rest of the news, like the decision to waive IP protections for Covid 19 vaccine.
Jason Leopold was dubbed “the FOIA Terrorist” by the Bush Administration, and the name stuck because Jason appropriated it! He utilizes FOIA better and more effectively than anyone else in the news business. I had scheduled Jason to join us today because it had been a while since we’d spoken, and was pleasantly surprised to awaken this morning to a new scoop from Jason and his FOIA prowess.
Florida's 2021 legislative session ended this weekend, and it's worse than you could have imagined. I'll speak with the best political reporter in the state, Jim DeFede, about the latest right wing assault on our state. There are a few other stories we'll hit on today too, like Trump's gaslighting of America, inconceivably, continues. And May 3 is a special day. I'll explain that too.