The Nicole Sandler Show

A bit of what's news for now

Politico somehow got hold of and leaked a copy of the first draft of the Supreme Court's decision on a Mississippi case that was heard in December, and will decide the fate of Roe v Wade. Despite the fact that it's SETTLED LAW and PRECEDENT we've lived with for just about 50 years, the new radical right wing of the court is saying "f off" to settled law, despite claiming during their confirmation hearings that precedent is precedent, and settled law is just that too. Sure it is. Today is that other Tuesday, so @GottaLaff is here to hang, cry and commiserate with us today!

A bit of what's news for now

Regular listeners of this program know that I'm a Bernie Sanders supporter. I have been since long before he ever decided to run for office. In fact, he used to come on my show fairly frequently. Now? Well, he came on once for a quick hit early in the 2020 campaign, but he's a tough 'get' these days. The last time I did speak with Bernie Sanders, it was because of Ari Rabin-Havt. I first *met* Ari when he worked for Media Matters. Not being a fan of David Brock's, I took exception with Ari's first two books, not because of the subject matter (with which I agreed), but because of the man who bankrolled that operation. But Ari left Media Matters and went on to host the morning show on Sirius XM's Progress channel, and later told me that he appreciated my very challenging interview on one of the books. When he went to work on Bernie's campaign, I was thrilled, as it meant I knew someone on the inside. A lot of good that did me! Well, Bernie's still plugging away. Alas, he's not sitting in the oval office. But I often fantasize about how much better off we'd all be if he was... Ari Rabin-Havt joins me for the hour today to talk Bernie, campaigning, politics and our very precarious democracy.

A bit of what's news for now

I took the day off yesterday, not to rest up or have fun, but to fight with my health insurance extortionists. For as long as I can remember, I've called our for-profit system of heath noncare "government-sanctioned extortion," because that's the best description of this predatory system. Yesterday, I found out that due to a few elements aligning in just the right way, I'm no longer eligible for the help from the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the more obscenely expensive prescription drug I take nightly that allows me minor relief from the RLS that prevents me from sleeping! So, instead of paying $10 a month (which I've been paying for the past few years), that same prescription will now cost between $700 and $850 or so each month. That's simply money I do not have (and if I did, would go to other expenses currently not being met, certainly not to a price gouging pharmaceutical company!). Anyway, that the Dems have done nothing to fix this pharmaceutical price gouging, the practice continues out of control. But that's not even the nightmare I alluded to at the top of this missive. No, that would be the essay published earlier this week by CNN, written by a very conservative judge who was appointed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals 15 years ago by GW Bush, Michael Luttig. In no uncertain terms, he lays out the ultimate game his party is playing, "The Republican blueprint to steal the 2024 election." I'm afraid that Democrats are blind to what's happening right under their eyes, and that we're in serious trouble. So I'll read that commentary at the top of the show. At the bottom of the hour we'll switch tracks, and talk with a woman who knows that ANYTHING is possible! Danica Roem is a delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates.... who, before she made history, described herself as a "trans woman and first-time candidate in a district represented by a Republican for 25 years"... Roem has now held that seat for three terms, making history as the first openly transgender individual serving in any legislature in the country. Her book, released this week, is titled, "Burn the Page: A True Story of Torching Doubts, Blazing Trails and Igniting Change"

A bit of what's news, for now

A bit of what's news for now

I am a non-observant Jew. I'm actually an atheist who was raised in a secular Jewish home. My parents weren't religious either and, with three daughters and no sons, we had no Bar Mitzvahs and we were growing up at a time when Jewish girls weren't necessarily expected to be a Bat Mitzvah. So were weren't. But we did grow up knowing that we were of Jewish heritage. And although I don't know the stories of my ancestors, I do know that my father's family came here from Russia and Romania, and my mother's family came from Russia and Austria. They all left their homelands because of the Nazis and the Holocaust. We grew up knowing about the atrocities, with the directive to always remember so nothing like this could happen ever again. The annual Holocaust Remembrance Day was established back in the early 60s, yet I don't remember it being as prominent as it is this year before. Perhaps that's due to the rising incidents of antisemitism around the world, the rise of Neo Nazi groups here and abroad, the atrocities we're seeing in Ukraine at the hands of the Russian soldiers... or perhaps it's because the last remaining survivors of the Holocaust are aging rapidly, and their descendants want to insure the stories survive. Today, I'll feature two films that debut on PBS stations this week. First up, I'll talk with Steve Pina, producer of "The Holocaust: A Turning Point". If you're in Southern California, you can see it tonight (April 27) at 11pm PDT or tomorrow at 7pm PDT on KLCS. Anywhere else, you can see it posted on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0u6Hb8fdEU. Then, I'll talk with Michael Veitch. He's one of the songwriters who participated in a program that culminated in the film, "We Remember: Songs of Survivors". The singer/songwriters visited with Holocaust Survivors in Hudson Valley, NY to create original songs based on their conversations. It premiered on PBS last night and will run on 450 stations between now and May 24. Check your local listings.

A bit of what's news for now