The Nicole Sandler Show

It's about time! I've been a fan of Allison Gill's work for years but have never had the pleasure of meeting her. I've cited her reporting regularly, as she has been on top of the news since she launched the Mueller, She Wrote podcast back in 2017. Allison is incredibly busy, currently hosting three podcasts, plus interviews & writing articles on her substack at muellershewrote.com, and running MSW Media, Inc. while breaking news regularly. Most recently, Allison broke the story of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex offender status being downgraded to allow her to be moved to a minimum security "Club Fed" "prison" in Texas... Now she's in the middle of lawsuit she filed against the DoJ for the training videos instructing FBI personnel how to flag mentions of Trump and others in the Epstein files - the existence of which she was the first to report on last month. So strap in, there's a lot to talk about today with Allison Gill. Thanks for reading/listening to The Nicole Sandler Show! This post is public so feel free to share it. Watch today’s show via YouTube: Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

There was a time when, upon hearing the term "party down," I'd think it was time to get ready to have fun. Today, sadly, I think of the headlines telling me that despite the complete transformation of the Republican Party to a frightening cult led by an orange buffoon, the Democratic Party is still struggling to find its way to being what we need it to be and to do! For years I've struggled with the party. When I lived in California, I was registered NPA - no party affiliation- because I was still able to vote in primaries and be involved in a productive manner. When I moved back to Florida, I registered as a Democrat so I could vote and participate in the primaries. Sadly, it seems as if the Democratic Party hasn't learned the lessons it has needed to learn for decades. The conundrum is what to do about it! That's something we'll discuss with Mike Lux on today's show. Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

It's the first Monday in August when many Americans are - or used to be- or wish they were on vacation. August used to be what was known as a "slow" news time, but those days are long gone. The shit keeps coming at us, by Trumpian design, and I've accepted the challenge to report on as much of it as I can physically and mentally stand. Thankfully, I'm joined in this task each Monday by Jonathan Larsen of thefuckingnews.substack.com who makes the ugliness of it all a little less distasteful by injecting snark and irreverence into his reporting as I usually attempt as well. Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

Yes, my vacation is over and it's as if I never took a week off at all. Ugh. I did tune out from the news and Dump's chaos while I was away, but there was still plenty of shit hitting the fan. Thankfully, today is Friday so Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net gets me pretty much caught up on what happened and is still happening. As usual, we cover a wide range of issues all revolving around the shitstorm that emanates from Dumpworld. Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

I'm back! I was on vacation for the past week and did my best to completely tune out from politics, the news and, most importantly, D'ump. Did anything more happen this week other than a continuation of our descent into hell? We'll talk about that and check in with Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny and the Blue America PAC too. Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

I've been using a new "Opposite World" theme to open the show each day because we living in a time where nothing is as it should be. Dump even said the quiet part out loud, "What you're seeing and what you're reading is NOT what's happening." That might be the only truth he's ever actually spoken! Steve Benen, longtime political writer, now producer for Rachel Maddow who writes the MaddowBlog, wrote the book on the subject last year. MINISTRY OF TRUTH: DEMOCRACY, REALITY, AND THE REPUBLICANS' WAR ON THE RECENT PAST should be required reading for everyone as it examines the warped alternate reality under which we are trying to exist. Steve Benen joined me on the air last summer when the book was just-released. I thought this conversation was the perfect way to wrap up this vacation. I'll be back live tomorrow! Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

It's my penultimate vacation show. I'll be back live in the studio on Thursday. For this episode, we span the decades! We spend most of the hour with Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works. He joined me on July 9 to help dispel the bullshit put out by the SSA regarding the big ugly bill (now, unfortunately, law). Alex explains the ramifications from this shitty legislation for seniors and every American's healthcare and quality of life. Then, since I realized we could use a bit of hope, we go back to October of 2010 for my one and only conversation with Rev. Jesse Jackson who called in one day while I was guest-hosting the Thom Hartmann Show. Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

I grew up learning about America as "The Great Melting Pot." It was taught with pride. Today, the governing cabal has nothing but disdain for immigrants, unless they're married to Trump, I guess. Today on the show, we'll hear a conversation with David Dayen of The American Prospect that happened at the height of the government's assault on Los Angeles. And for a different and surprising look at immigration and what it actually is about, my interview with author Jessica Goudeau about her surprising book, "We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration". Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

Since the Jeffrey Epstein ugliness has been front and center recently and the Miami Herald's Julie K. Brown has been covering it for over a decade, I thought we'd reach back to 2021 for the interview I did with her when her book PERVERSION OF JUSTICE: THE JEFFREY EPSTEIN STORY was released. It's a snapshot in time, and a pretty ugly one at that. That interview happened on August 2, 2021, so four years ago next week. It’s amazing how much has happened, yet how little has changed with regard to this case. Listening back to it, I can’t help but realize how different the interview would have been if I were doing it now. Perhaps when I get back from vacation, I’ll reach out to Julie again. Though she is the hot get these days… That’s a good thing. She’s a good journalist. For the second half of today’s vacation show, I pulled a really important interview considering what the orange moron has been doing to this nation in the six months he’s occupied the White House this time around. Too many people use a lot of words they don’t quite understand, so I thought it was time for a primer on fascism, socialism, communism and the other -isms that many of the people who yell at me on social media think are all interchangeable. Last May, as we were girding ourselves for the possibility another D’ump term, some of us were studying Project 2025 for an idea of what would be in store. It was frightening. And we had good reason to be frightened. It’s bad and continues getting worse. On May 22, I interviewed Federico Finchelstein who had just written his eighth book on fascism - THE WANNABE FASCISTS: A GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING THE GREATEST THREAT TO DEMOCRACY. I promise you, this was important then, and even more so now. Unfortunately we had a lousy phone connection (if I recall correctly, he was in Europe on a ski trip with his son when we spoke) and has a thick accent – he’s from Argentina. Maybe the YouTube or podcast’s transcription will help, or just take your time listening… It’s worth it!! Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

I didn’t know much about Catherine Coleman Flowers before I was pitched on an interview with her by her publishers about her forthcoming book, Holy Ground: On Activism, Environmental Justice, and Finding Hope. When I did some research on her, I realized that she has been front and center, doing amazing work and getting recognized for it all… We go through some of the accolades in the interview… but more important is the woman herself. We spoke on Feb 5, just about a week after the book’s release, and only a couple of weeks after the inauguration that shook me and so many of us to the core. Although Catherine’s main area of activism and focus deals with the environment, I felt her inspiration to go much deeper into the soul… I think you’ll fall in love with her as I did. We begin today’s vacation show with Catherine Coleman Flowers who is an amazing, trailblazing hero. Then we switch gears and find out about the women from ancient history - most of whom we know little to nothing about - who paved the way for today’s inspiring women. Daisy Dunn is pretty remarkable herself! She’s a classicist and award-winning author of The Missing Thread: A Women’s History of the Ancient World. She makes this history fun! Instead of recounting some of the stories she tells and writes about in the book, I’ll just encourage you to listen. Not only do Girls Rule now, they always did. Today’s show via Youtube: (audio only) Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

I thought we’d begin this week of vacation shows with an explanation of how we got here. Investigative reporter, author, filmmaker and more Greg Palast’s latest film explains how it is possible that the orange dick-tator in the White House could have possibly been elected for a second time. Here’s what I wrote when this interview first aired on February 12 of this year: I frequently exclaim that we’re living in ‘Opposite World’. It’s a place filled with gaslighting where things are pretty much the exact opposite of what we’re being told. D’ump and his cult followers, while screaming that WE were stealing the election are actually the ones who’ve been stealing OUR votes. Remember the newish warning: Every accusation is a confession. In his new film, VIGILANTES, INC: AMERICA’S NEW VOTE SUPPRESSION HITMEN, journalist Greg Palast explains how they’ve been doing this and why Donald Trump is sitting in the Oval Office again. See the film now at gregpalast.com, here on YouTube and embedded at the bottom of this post, or on Amazon Prime for free. I hope you’ll watch both the film and my interview with Greg Palast, share them widely, and work to insure this never happens again. Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

I'm heading out on vacation after today's show, so I couldn't think of a better guest to join me today than our old friend Heather "Digby" Parton. You can always read Digby at digbysblog.net and at Salon.com, but I love chatting with her here on the show. There was plenty to talk about today too, as the shit really has hit the proverbial fan. Thankfully, Digby pulled together much of that shit show in a post this morning headlined, “Are They Over It?” Meanwhile, while meeting with the president of the Philippines today in the Oval Office and showing off his gaudy “gold” decorative embellishments, D’ump showed just how frightened he is about what is hidden in those Epstein files that he went off on his latest attempt to distract us — claiming to have uncovered the biggest scandal in American History! It’s difficult to paraphrase because it’s so batshit crazy, but he’s claiming, with an assist from Tulsi Gabbard, that Hillary Clinton, Jim Comey, Joe Biden and just about every Democrat alive took place in a coup orchestrated by Barack Hussein Obama (yes, he’s back to calling him that) to steal elections, thereby allowing millions of immigrants (or “illegals” as he calls human beings") into the country to rape and murder white people…. or something like that. Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

The worst thing about weekends is that they inevitably end. They're always followed by Mondays. And these days, there's no rest for weary as news keeps being made. We aim to make it a little easier to swallow on Mondays by bringing you up-to-date with the news with some snark and few well-placed fucks with Jonathan Larsen of TheFuckingNews.substack.com. Oh sure, there's plenty of Epstein news - the story that just won't die, even though Epstein has been dead for a few years. But since we last spoke on Friday, more news has broken about the files, the birthday book and the most important part of it all, THE COVER UP!! Believe it or not, there's even some non-Epstein related stuff to talk about. Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

We love Fridays of course for the obvious reasons. But here at the Nicole Sandler Show, we get together each Friday with Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net to review some of the most important issues, news stories and things affecting our lives that happened during the week. These days, it's overwhelming, which is why I say we'll cover some of it. We record these Friday sessions at noon Eastern time due to our physical locations and the time difference. I'm in Arizona; Marcy is in Ireland. The show goes live a few hours later, at 3pm ET, which is what time I begin my live show weekday afternoons. I don't edit for content, our conversations run as if they were live. Even when I sometimes realize that I had an "oh shit" moment. Such was the case at the start of the show when I attempted a clever opening by quoting D'ump's alleged letter to Jeffrey Epstein that the Wall St. Journal reported last night.... “Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything,” the note began. Donald: Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is. Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is. Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey. Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it. Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that? Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you. Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret. Marcy tried to figure out where this week's insanity began and as she was searching through her notes, said "Are we still talking about Epstein?" We were obviously on different planes at the start of the show as I thought she was asking the question, which I found odd. But she was quoting the orange cankle as he ranted about the Epstein story on Saturday! The second time she "asked" that question, I finally realized she wasn't asking, she was quoting him. Thankfully, we then got in sync. Whew. What follows is a information-filled discussion about the events of the week, mostly pertaining to this story that seems to have put a decent-sized schism in MAGA world. It‘s the story that also won't go away, and that is really freaking old DonOld out! A reminder that I'll be taking a week off beginning Wednesday. But I will be running special vacation shows that I've been putting together, consisting of interviews that are worthy of a second listen (or a first if you missed them when they originally aired). They'll all be posted on my website at nicolesandler.com and will go out via email to subscribers (paid or free) here on Substack. As I mentioned during today’s show, next Friday I’ll run an interview with Julie K. Brown, the Miami Herald reporter who covered the Epstein story from South Florida in real time. She was on my show in 2021 when her book, Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story was published. Have a great weekend. I’ll be back Monday with Jonathan Larsen from The Fucking News to pick up where we left off today! Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

I don't have any use for organized religion. Although I am Jewish by heritage, I am also an atheist. But I don’t begrudge anyone else their beliefs. I believe, as is enshrined in the constitution, that we all have the right to worship - or not. But I also believe in the other tenets of our democratic society including the separation of church and state. That one is being challenged by the current administration, but it’s not news. Trump has only capitalized on this effort that's been a goal of the “religious right’ for many years. I've done interviews before about the New Apostolic Reformation, or NAR, over the years. But as with many other dangers to society, in the Trump administration, this perverted quest is now on steroids. I was alerted by a friendly acquaintance- a journalist who covers religion and politics -to an article at The Conversation titled "What is the ‘Seven Mountains Mandate’ and how is it linked to political extremism in the US?". In it, Dr. Art Jipson explains how much progress (in their view) they've made toward their goals to gain influence, or dominion, over seven major cultural spheres of influence - the ”Seven Mountains' Mandate" - and particularly government. We just finished a wonderful, even cathartic, conversation. I knew Art would be interesting, but frankly, I’m blown away. He’s a fascinating man. Art is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Dayton - but there’s so much more to him I know I’ll be inviting him back on the show. I wish I had professors like him in college. And, to put the icing on the cake, he’s hosted a weekly music show on the campus radio station for the last 21 years! It’s Your Tuesday Afternoon Alternative on WUDR. I know I’ll be checking it out. I began the show with some of the latest news, then got deep into the warped religion goal of taking over the world. I’m really not exaggerating. Tomorrow, we’ll wrap up the week’s news on Emptywheel Fridays with the great Marcy Wheeler. Peace out… Watch today’s show via YouTube: Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

Is it legal if there's no one willing to enforce the laws that say it isn't? That's just one question I'm grappling with these days as we watch what's left of the Department of Justice and the rule of law crumble in the USA. We are experiencing the complete gaslighting of America. The most confounding part of this opposite world in which we're stuck is why so many people are comfortable in it, or claim to be. There is a slight window through which some clarity is attempting to break through, I think. Who would have guessed that it would be a defunct child predator, rapist, sex trafficker & "creep" who'd strike the most damaging blow to the heretofore Teflon cult leader? I know, it's not over until it's over, but we are seeing those cracks in the armor forming. It is a tough coating to penetrate, though, which has allowed DonOld Trump to impose his demented ideals on our nation. While we wait for his complete demise, the sensible among us try to use the tools at our disposal to stay afloat -- the law. When it’s followed… That's one of the reasons I invite my friend and favorite legal expert Lisa Graves on the show so often! And did again today. Lisa is busy... tonight and every Wednesday evening, she co-hosts the podcast 'THE FIVE 8 1/2' here on YouTube. She's also a co-host at Legal AF, writes the Grave Injustice newsletter (graveinjustice.news), and has an important day job too. And her forthcoming book, Without Precedent: How Chief Justice Roberts and his Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled our Rights is now available for pre-order! Inquiring minds have lots of questions about the assault being perpetrated on our nation, so we cover a lot of ground today. Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

After a power outage rudely disrupted yesterday's show, I'm back today to seize the power of life. I tried to be clever there... We actually are talking about power today, but the power that most of us could use a bit of help to tap in to. But we begin with some of the day’s news including: * The Supreme Extreme Court’s decision allowing Dump to proceed with plans to carry out mass layoffs at the Dept of Education or in plaing English, to dismantle the DoE * ICE instructing its officers to hold immigrants who entered the country illegally “for the duration of their removal proceedings (including millions who crossed the border from Mexico over the past few decades). Meaning without a bond hearing. Just held indefinitely, as the “removal proceedings” can take months or years * The House rules committee voting down an amendment offered by Rep. Ro Kanna that demands the release of all the Epstein files by a vote of 5-7 (one Republican, Ralph Norman, voted with the Democrats), killing the amendment * Inflation continues rising apparently as Dump’s tariffs start to bite Then, it’s on to my guest today. Shannon Watts is here to tell us about the lessons she shares in her new book, FIRED UP: HOW TO TURN YOUR SPARK INTO A FLAME AND COME ALIVE AT ANY AGE. Yes, this is the same Shannon Watts who founded Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Shannon describes the book as part memoir, part manual, part manifesto for women of all ages who are ready to come alive, overcome their fears, and take action to turn a small spark of desire into a fire that will transform their lives. She explains that much of it is about the lessons she learned during her journey from starting a Facebook group for moms to do something about our gun epidemic the day after the Sandy Hook murders to building it into the nation's largest grassroots organization against gun violence. I've been in awe of Shannon Watts for many years though this is the first time I've spoken with her. Although her book will undoubtedly help men too, I realize she wrote it for me, and the millions of other women who are struggling with life as it is and need some help. Or as Shannon describes it, "For women ready to stop living on autopilot and playing it small, FIRED UP invites you to shatter your self imposed limitations and unleash your potential so you can finally start living the life you deserve." In September, Shannon will launch Firestarter University, a year-long online course that provides an interactive, action-driven curriculum and a curated, supportive community for people who are ready to prioritize their personal, professional or political desires. It’s a bonus that comes with the purchase of the book. (You can get it from Shannon’s site, or use this link from Bookshop.org, which also gives a small commission to this show). Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

Like death and taxes, Mondays are inevitable. And despite our most fervent wishes to the contrary, the news doesn't stop. These days, the news is pretty much always bad. If that’s the case, I prefer to take my news with a healthy dose of snark and some well-placed profanity. So we begin the week here on The Nicole Sandler Show with Jonathan Larsen, the man behind thefuckingnews.substack.com. I'm particularly enjoying watching the MAGAts eating their own over the Epstein files coverup and lies. But there's more that appears to be the impetus for right wing implosion, like tariffs, weapons, war and more... In addition to his profane "fucking news" Jonathan writes another newsletter where he does his original reporting, sans snark. Lately he's been reporting on the sickening form of "Bible Study" at the White House, where they claim to be diligently fighting antisemitism, while seeming to stress their quite anti-Semitic mythology in teaching that "the Jews killed Jesus." This is exhausting already. **Postscript: I knew this was one of those days. We never did get to the part about the Bible perversion today. Just about 53 minutes into the show, my power went out. So the show suddenly ended. That's the bad news. It got worse when the power company said the estimated time power would be restored would be 2:52 local time. I got that news right around 1:00. Oh, and the temperature was 100 degrees. That’s a problem because with the power went the AC! The good news is that the power kicked back on right around 1:20... Yes, it could have been worse. Sorry about the end of the show. It was good while it lasted. I'll be back tomorrow. Activist and author Shannon Watts is my scheduled guest! Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

I’ll keep the written part short and sweet today, as yesterday’s was long and overloaded with information and links. And today’s show runs a bit longer than usual. Today, really, the only link you need is emptywheel.net. That’s Marcy Wheeler’s info-packed site where she wrote about pretty much everything we discussed today on the show. Marcy took last week off - as did we. It was the 4th of July here, but Marcy lives in Ireland these days. She did write a piece about what she did with her week off that you can read here. Thankfully, she’s back today. We always seem to mention how long each week in the D’ump era feels. In this case, two weeks felt like an eternity. We had a lot of territory to cover today. The Big Ugly (now) law, Emil Bove's corruption and bid to become a federal judge, the Epstein files deception, lies & coverup, the Brazil and other bullshit tariffs, the Texas floods and DHS/FEMA mess and a lot more. Get full access to The Nicole Sandler Show at nicolesandler.substack.com/subscribe

Today is Thursday. Howie Klein has been doing a weekly segment on this show for probably 15 years. He’s been out a bit lately as he’s been undergoing treatment for cancer. Thankfully, today he has a day off from that, so he'll join us in the second half hour of today's show. Despite his health issues, Howie's been busy writing at DownWithTyranny.com and working to find great progressive candidates for the Blue America PAC to endorse. Our main topic today deals with more hypocrisy from D'ump and his lemmings. It’s become one of the biggest issues pissing off his MAGAt followers and fracturing his support. It should. It’s Jeffrey Epstein. For years we've been waiting for the so-called Epstein files to be released. This administration, who claims to be the most transparent ever, has said they'll be releasing everything to the public. The unqualified Trump shill posing as Attorney General, Pam Bondi, has been emphatic about it until she was emphatic that there's no there there. Some background I promised you on today’s show: The shit hit the fan on Monday when the Department of Justice and the FBI released a statement saying that there is no “Epstein Client List” and that no further information regarding the accused rapist/pedophile and reported former friend of Trump’s would be forthcoming. This despite AG Bondi’s statement on Fox (not) News in February claiming that the “Epstein Client List” was at that moment on her desk. At D’ump’s media circus posing as a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, July 8, the orange one berated a reporter for asking about Epstein when “we have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things. Wha… and are people still talking about this guy? This creep…” And Pam Bondi then attempts to explain that when she said the client list was on her desk, that’s not what she meant. Right… Of course, Trump called Epstein “this creep.” But in an interview with author Michael Wolff, detailed by The Daily Beast in a paywalled article in November of 2024, but entered into the House record (so you can read it here), Epstein says Trump was his “best friend” and gave many details of their years-long friendship and escapades. Filmmaker Don Winslow posted this on Xitter: As for Trump being implicated as having participated with Epstein in the “forcible rape” of a then-13 year-old girl at one of the creep’s parties, here are a couple of articles to read: * From Courthouse News Service 9/30/2016 “Rape Allegations Refiled Against Trump” * From Politico 11/4/2016 “Woman suing Trump over alleged teen rape drops suit, again” No reason was given for the abruptly dropped suit (for the second time), but the attorney who canceled the scheduled press conference “said Trump’s accuser had received threats and was too frightened to show up.” That’s not proof of anything, but it’s related information nonetheless… The Miami Herald’s Julie Brown reported tirelessly for years about Epstein and his sickening crimes. A Xitter account for Project Constitution on Wed July 9 posted a throwback video taken from a Miami Herald film about the case along with related information. Critics on both sides of the aisle - including some big-time D’ump acolytes are crying foul. This is an older one from the idiot who would become VP… Even Alex Jones is on video, literally crying... and apparently puking about it! (Sorry, I couldn’t bring myself to actually post anything from that psychopath.) One more. Even Tucker Carlson… I think that’s enough for now… When does everyone finally get it? And there was some breaking news this morning too… A (Bush appointed) federal judge in New Hampshire placed a new block on D'ump's ban on birthright citizenship. Confused yet? You should be. Here’s a gift article from the Washington Post that explains what happened: “Federal judge places new block on Trump’s ban on birthright citizenship” As for what happens next, perhaps Marcy Wheeler will have some thoughts on that on tomorrow’s show. Talk to you...