The Nicole Sandler Show

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 [http://twitter.com/emptywheel] 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 [http://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 [http://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 [http://downwithtyranny.com/] 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 [https://bookshop.org/a/1630/9780143136835] 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 [http://twitter.com/arianneshahvisi]. 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 [http://twitter.com/davidmsloane]. He spent his whole career as an agent representing Major League Baseball players [http://taurussports.net/]. We finally got him to sit down and create a podcast! So today, we'll introduce the "Follow the Moneyball" Podcast [http://zencastr.com/follow-the-money-ball]. (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 [http://thomhartmann.com/] on the show to talk about his new book, THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: REDISCOVERING HUMANITY'S ANCIENT WAY OF LIVING [https://bookshop.org/a/1630/9781523004386], 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 [http://michaelfranti.com/]'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 [http://michaelfranti.com/],  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 [http://davidjolliffe.com/], 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 [http://twitter.com/frances_fisher] and Sean Astin [http://twitter.com/seanastin]. 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   [http://sagaftra.org/files/sa_documents/SAG-AFTRA_Negotiations_Status_7_13_23.pdf]and read more at the official strike website at sagaftrastrike.org. [http://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.