The Nicole Sandler Show

A bit of what's news for now

America has a fraught relationship with the news media. We've enshrined protections for a free press in the First Amendment of the US Constitution! Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. But in today's political climate, even the news has been weaponized with clear dividing lines drawn. Today, I'm joined by Mickey Huff and Andy Lee Roth, director and associate director of Project Censored [http://projectcensored.org/]. They came on to discuss a new article they wrote together about "prior restraint" or "censorship by proxy and the new digital gatekeeping [https://www.projectcensored.org/beyond-prior-restraint-censorship-by-proxy-and-the-new-digital-gatekeeping/]." We recorded this interview on Friday, as I was steaming about cable's two so-called news channels, MSNBC and CNN, carrying a tawdry murder trial live for hours on end, for the second day in a row! So that's an issue. But there's also been a gradual but definitive change in how "news" is delivered to the masses, with no updates on the issues that have arisen due to the new modes of information dissemination. I don't think we came up with any solutions, but we did have one hell of a discussion about it!

A bit of what's news for now

It was one year ago today that Vladimir Putin's Russia invaded Ukraine and began the bombing. It's been a horrific year for the people of Ukraine, who did nothing to provoke that monster. But a year later, they're still taking incoming fire, living without reliable power and under the constant warnings of sirens. Yet the people are strong and aren't willing to give an inch.  Today, we'll look back on a year ago, and our calls to people in Ukraine. I'll share one with a hotel clerk in Kyiv who didn't believe that forces were amassing on the border getting ready to attack.   And we'll check in with Philip Ittner. He's an American journalist who's been in Ukraine for the past year, and says he'll  be there until the war ends!

A bit of what's news for now

The man behind DownwithTyranny.com [http://downwithtyranny.com/] and the Blue America PAC [http://downwithtyranny.com/blue-america-pac] is back today, as he is every Thursday. But today, Howie Klein [http://twitter.com/downwithtyranny] is  joined by the newest Blue-America endorsed candidate: Jessica Anderson [http://jessicaandersonforva.com/], a former devout Christian conservative who's running as a Berniecrat! to be a Virginia House Delegate from District 71 this year. I'll begin the show with a serious question: Who the fuck is Alex Murdaugh, and why is his murder trial being broadcast live on MSNBC, CNN and a bunch of other channels too? And why isn't governor Death Sentence doing anything to protect this state from the anti-Semites and full blown Nazis who are harassing Jews all over the state?

A bit of what's news, for now

Harvey J. Kaye [http://twitter.com/harveyjkaye] is Professor Emeritus of Democracy and Justice Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the author of numerous books about our democracy and our history, including one called TAKE HOLD OF OUR HISTORY: MAKE AMERICA RADICAL AGAIN [https://bookshop.org/a/1630/9781789043556]. Harvey returns to the show today so I can ask him the question, radical enough for you yet? Harvey and I always have spirited discussions, but I'm thinking what we're living through now is not the type of "radical" he was suggesting. But we'll begin with the odd story of the strange media tour underway by Emily Kohrs, the grand jury foreperson from Fulton County, GA who were charged with investigated Donald Trump's interference in the 2020 presidential election. It is odd, indeed.

A bit of what's news for now

I love the days when Marcy Wheeler [http://emptywheel.net/] is on the show. With so much going on these days, I find it difficult to stay on top of everything. But Marcy manages to cover virtually all the important issues at emptywheel.net, and remarkably, can answer just about any question I put to her regarding the most important issues of the day. Today, we'll discuss the Dominion lawsuit against Fox, and the massive discovery file they released on Friday [https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20527880-dominion-v-fox-news-complaint]. Although we've always known that Fox is the original home for Fake news, it's nice to have the proof in writing, in the direct words of their biggest, ahem, stars. We cover the basics of the filing -- which you should just go ahead and read. [https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23684885-230216-dominion-fox] We also touch on other stories in the news, from Kevin McCarthy giving Tucker Carlson access to the Capitol surveillance video from 1-6, Project Veritas giving the boot to their skeezy founder James O'Keefe, the ridiculous obsession with Hunter Biden's alleged laptop by the House GOP, the deterioration of Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi... you get the idea. Oh, and the AP interview with the Fulton County Grand Jury foreperson [https://apnews.com/article/politics-new-york-city-only-on-ap-donald-trump-georgia-266e28c4e47e54731b233e0f770f6729] that Marcy referenced.... Buckle in, we'll cover a lot of territory today!