We're back! We did take a break last week because, well, I needed a break. But we're back. A bit of rest and mental diversions away from news and politics helped me a bit. Marcy Wheeler suggested taking some time out to go look at the ocean. Whatever form it takes, please carve out time for some self care. The next few years will not be easy. Let's all make sure we and our friends and families are ok. As for the news, it's important to stay informed-- and that means insuring that the...

One of our favorite guests here on the Nicole Sandler Show is Lisa Graves. Not just because she's one of the better angels among us, but she's also wicked smart and has the CV to back up her beliefs. These days Lisa Graves works as a governmental watchdog of sorts in her role as Director of True North Research, whose work you should follow at truenorthresearch.org. But she usually appears on my show in her personal capacity as a private citizen with great expertise on all matters pertaining...

**Program Note*** I had major YouTube issues today, so I finally cut the video and just continued audio only for most of the show. You'll be able to get the full audio podcast on my website at https://nicolesandler.com/11-20-24 or subscribe to the podcast on Spotify (no paywall, though your donations and support are what keep me on the air)... Sorry for the inconvenience.  NS I'm not too keen on the corporate media these days. With a few shining examples to the contrary, most of the media...

She really needs no introduction- but in case you haven't been paying attention, Heather "Digby" Parton is one of the OG bloggers who took to this medium at its inception around the turn of the century... She launched her must-read Digby's Hullaballoo, still going strong- these days at digbysblog.net, and writes a regular column for Salon.com. Her words are some of the first I read each day and our conversations are some of my favorite over the many years I've been doing this show. Today is...

I took last week off to work through my grief, something that I realize will take much longer than a week. But it's a start... I've heard from quite a few listeners who seemed to be suffering with the same symptoms that paralyzed me for the better part of the time since Nov 5. Panic attacks know no logic and they're relentless. As you regular listeners know, I don't hold much back. Today I'll attempt to share as much as I can without falling apart. But here's where we can help each other. So...

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...

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...

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 F*****g 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...

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...

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...

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 "s*****g" 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 F*****g News at thefuckingnews.substack.com and the less...

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 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...

  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...

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...