The Nicole Sandler Show

A bit of what's news for now

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!

A bit of what's news for now

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 .

A bit of what's news for now

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.

A bit of what's news, for now

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.

A bit of what's news for now

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.