The Nicole Sandler Show

We have a lot to talk about today. I was actually in a fun, snarky mood until about an hour ago when I got a  phone call from the husband of a long-time listener, Joy Williams. Joy  died on Friday. She had been battling cancer and liver failure, and it  seems that the liver failure was what did her in  We've developed a real community here . You can see it in action in the  chat room every day during the show, so today will be a wake, of sorts.  I'm sure we'll hear from some of Joy's friends today... the phones are  open for that purpose at 954-889-6410.  We'll also have a chat with Jennifer Bendery of HuffPost She wrote a  piece last week marking the 48th anniversary of Leonard Peltier's  incarceration -- even after just about everyone, including those who  prosecuted him, say he doesn't belong in jail..  Sometimes life just isn't fair.

A bit of what's news, for now

This has been a long, exhausting week and thank dog it's over. It wasn't all bad, though. I got to see Springsteen! I actually saw more live music last week than in the past three years combined! We saw Joe Biden deliver a widely praised State of the Union address. The poll numbers on the speech were great, even though his performance ratings are still not very strong. But Dark Brandon seems to have found his footing as he prepares to announce he'll run for reelection at the age of 80. Today's guest is Neil Gross. He's a former police officer, currently a sociology professor and author of three books. His third, WALK THE WALK: HOW THREE POLICE CHIEFS DEFIED THE ODDS AND CHANGED COP CULTURE [https://bookshop.org/a/1630/9781250777522], is set for a March 23 release. He also has an article in the current ATLANTIC magazine covering other police departments who are doing their jobs responsibly...

A bit of what's news for now

It's Thursday, so Howie Klein is here. It's been a busy week since we last spoke and lots has happened... The State of the Union address, the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, the Grammy awards, I saw Springsteen, the Young Dubliners and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Burt Bacharach died. We have very much to talk about today...

A bit of what's news, for now

My Tuesday night plans - watching Joe Biden's second State of the Union Address - were upended when my sister came through with a coveted pair of tickets to see Bruce Springsteen at the 7000-seat Hard Rock Live, here in Hollywood FL. I'd been upset about missing my first Bruce tour since 1980, but that's what I'd resigned myself to since Ticketmaster instituted their "dynamic pricing," which escalated ticket prices into the stratosphere, especially at the HRL, the smallest venue on the tour. But my sister knows someone who knows someone and, at the last minute, came up with a pair. So it was off to the Church of the Springsteen for me last night. And yes, it was every bit as epic as I expected (I'll share a brief segment on it today).....  So, I missed watching the State of the Union address. Not that I was disappointed. They're usually not very good speeches. But an old friend of the show did watch, and was completely surprised by how good he said it was. So Dave Johnson joins us today to help inform us about what was so good about it...

A bit of what's news for now

I've spent the better part of the last week sulking. One week ago tonight, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band kicked off their world tour, the first in seven years as they, like the rest of the planet, were sidelined due to the pandemic.  Yes, I was there in 2016... and I've seen at least one show on each tour since The River tour in Lakeland, FL back in 1980.  Thanks to the advent of Ticketmaster's so-called "dynamic pricing," I was afraid that I might have already attended my last Bruce show. But I held on to hope. This is, after all, the land of hope and dreams, right?  Well, the spirits in the night worked their magic, and a ticket landed in my lap this morning, courtesy of my sister who still owed me for getting her backstage to meet Robert Plant back in the 90s.  So despite the exorbitant ticket prices, I'm headed for the Promised Land, Into the Fire, where Bruce will prove it all night. Yeah, I'm kind of excited.  So, I may have Bruce on the mind during the show... but we'll cover some other ground too...  At the Intercept, Ryan Grim has a frightening piece about the revolting Villages. Oh, wait, it's a revolt in the Villages, but it works better the way I had it first. He tells the story of what happened to three residence who attempted to inject some democracy into DeSantis territory.  The title of the piece gives some of the story away: "The Villages Vendetta: How a Grassroots Revolt in the Iconic Retirement Community Ended with a 72-Year-Old Political Prisoner".  Ryan will join us today to tell us what happened, and further explain why I'm getting the fuck out of Floriduh!

A bi of what's news for now