The Nicole Sandler Show

Yes, my favorite expert on the law, Lisa Graves - @TheLisaGraves.bsky.social - will join us in the last half-hour of today's show. I had invited her to discuss today's SCOTUS opinions, but they weren't the big ones we were hoping for (or dreading). There's still plenty to discuss, like yesterday's important wins in the ballot box in Virginia! Though- as I'm posting this came the news that judge has struck it down. More details tomorrow! And you know I have a few things to say about how the orange bloviator tried to block the Democrats from doing what he suggested first, claiming that when the Dems do it, it's illegal and immoral, but when he does it, it's brilliant and we're entitled to it. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tom Steyer is running for governor of California and still hasn't taken my advice from 2019. We dig into the full California governor's race — who's in, who's out (looking at you, Swalwell), and what to think about the candidates left standing. Then we go to the Wayback Machine for my actual December 2019 interview with Steyer, where I made the case — live on air — that he should put his $100 million into rebuilding progressive media instead of a presidential run he had no chance of winning. He disagreed. Respectfully. And here we are. After that: Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic — and his own lawsuit appears to confirm several of the things he's claiming are lies. Classic. Plus, Trump is reading from the Bible tonight on camera (pre-recorded, naturally), The Onion takes over InfoWars, the Iran war is affecting condom supply, and the tariff refund website is off to a "glitchy start" (that's the diplomatic version). My guest Dayna Steele from Today's Facts joins to break down what's real and what isn't in today's news — and shares the exciting news that her one-woman show is heading to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's a Monday and, unfortunately, the news doesn't stop churning over the weekend... A new friend of the show is Dr. Art Jipson. In addition to being a professor of sociology at the University of Dayton and teaching those impressionable college students, he's a prolific writer on substack and a few other venues, writing about the issues in the news that are so troubling to us. And he hosts a weekly radio show on WUDR! Today, an important film I saw last night about AI and why I'm even more frightened now, and how it could affect every aspect of our lives... and more! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's another Emptywheel Friday! Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net graciously joins us each Friday to talk with me about the news that hit since we spoke last week. I'm running on Springsteen fumes today (he played Phoenix last night for THREE amazing hours ) but Marcy Wheeler and I still had a full show: Orban lost in Hungary, the DOJ is reversing convictions of Jan 6 convicted terrorists, Trump is losing Catholics while fighting the Pope, and ICE agents are being charged in Minnesota. Come hang. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Heather 'Digby' Parton from Salon and digbysblog.net joined me today after missing Tuesday's show (red-eye flight, we've all been there), and we had one of those cathartic conversations that allows us to clear the crap left by D'ump and co. We started with the big news: Viktor Orban lost in Hungary. And honestly? It gave us both a little hope — not just because a mini-Trump got shown the door, but because of how it happened. The candidate who beat him ran on corruption. Just flat-out told people they were being robbed. Democrats, it's your turn. From there we got into Kushner and Witkoff playing diplomat while cashing billion-dollar checks from the same countries they're "negotiating" with, Trump's increasingly unhinged feud with Pope Leo, JD Vance telling the Pope to watch his mouth about theology (I can't), Pete Hegseth reciting Pulp Fiction as Pentagon scripture (I genuinely cannot), RFK lying under oath, Scott Bessent and the immortal "Straits of Vermouth," and the Eric Swalwell implosion and what it means for the California governor's race. It's a lot. It's always a lot. But Digby helps me make sense of it — or at least survive it. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A new book about Trump's Secretary of Health & Human Services is out.. RFK Jr: THE FALL AND RISE hit stores yesterday. Today, its author Isabel Vincent was my guest. It was obvious from the start that she and I have different opinions of the man. At the end of the program, a news story broke at just the moment I was explaining how it was affecting many of us. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Digby was supposed to be here today, but I was supposed to remind her yesterday, so I'll blame both of us! We'll reschedule. We wound up spending most of the hour talking about our "man" problem as evidenced by Eric Swalwell. I'm lucky in that I never had to worry about my husband, who joined me on the air to discuss the problems we face. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Is the pro-democracy media ecosystem helping — or accidentally making things worse? Nicole Sandler opens with the weekend's wildest news before sitting down with Micah Sifry, who mapped 236 pro-democracy Substacks and found what he believes is a troubling pattern: alarm is winning over action. Then Dr. Art Jipson, professor of sociology at the University of Dayton, joins the conversation to bring a social science lens to movement burnout, political agency, and why grievance alone can't sustain a resistance. Plus: Viktor Orbán is out after 16 years, Trump declares war on the Pope, the Eric Swalwell situation, and comedian JL Cauvin doing what he does best. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's another jam-packed Emptywheel Friday with Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net. Trump's threat to annihilate Iran, what the "ceasefire" actually means (and who it benefited), JD Vance's trip to Hungary to shore up a Russian asset, and the death of an American soldier that Russia helped cause — which Trump is ignoring. And, of course, Melania. Ooh boy did her little presser yesterday open a huge can of worms. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Yes, I want our nation and the world to be rid of the demented orange man currently occupying the Oval Office. Judging by his actions and statements this week alone, it's clear that he's not fit for office. That seems to be the situation that the 25th Amendment to the Constitution was written to address. Or was it? Our first guest today is Maureen Tkacik, investigations editor of The American Prospect. She & David Dayen looked into it and what they found might surprise you. Then our old friend Driftglass steps away from his blog and the Professional Left Podcast to join us for the rest of the hour to discuss the full catastrophe: the war, the chaos, and the constitutional shitshow Trump has dragged this country into. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Comedy writer, satirist, and Morning Sedition / Daily Show veteran Jim Earl joins us LIVE to talk Trump's wild weekend — from death rumors to threatening a "whole civilization" to calling a 2-week ceasefire a win. We'll dig into the Iran deal Iran is calling their victory, the Strait of Hormuz toll road nobody asked for, Pete Hegseth crediting God for wartime diplomacy, and who's next on Trump's purge list. Plus — Jim's book Mourning Remembrance: Mocking Obituaries Ripped from the Headlines is more relevant than ever. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today's episode features journalist and political analyst Frederick Clarkson, Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates, who has spent four decades covering the intersection of religion and politics in America. Fred joins us to break down the growing influence of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) — a charismatic Christian movement whose leaders claim direct revelations from God and are pursuing religious and political dominion over American society. We'll dig into three major stories Fred is currently reporting on: Trump's recent promotion of a decades-old prophecy from a dead charismatic preacher to build support for his Iran policy; a guide to the 24 most influential NAR apostles and prophets operating in the U.S. today — many of whom were connected to January 6th; and the largely unreported story of newly confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin's ties to City Elders, a Tulsa-based NAR-affiliated organization with an explicit goal of placing its people in government at every level. From "holy war" rhetoric in the military to theocratic creep in the GOP, Fred helps us understand how a movement most Americans have never heard of is quietly reshaping the political landscape — and why that matters for democracy. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This is a problem in 2026 and in the D'ump regime. There has been creeping Christianity in our government for more than a few years now, but this cabal of creepy "Christians" has taken it to a whole new level. And it reared it's ugly head over the Easter and Passover holidays. Jonathan Larsen (of The Fucking News) today puts on his serious JonathanLarsen.substack.com journalist's hat to bring us some of this offensive weird sect of Christianity stuff that's infected this government. I also shared a segment from my show from January 3, 2020. Trump had just launched an attack on Iran that killed Iranian General Sulieman. I called a random hotel in Tehran, hoping to reach someone who speaks English so we could have a conversation between two humans who don't want war. It was everything I had hoped for! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net joins me every Friday to discuss most of the news that you need to know about since we spoke the week before. Today, we began with the breaking news this morning that a US fighter jet was shot down over Iran. One of the two pilots had been rescued. The other was still missing when we finished recording at about 1pm Eastern. If anything happens to that missing pilot, it's Pete Hegseth's fault. As Marcy said, we must all call our congressional representatives and demand he be fired! And there's lots more... Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sometimes I don't exactly what I'll be talking about until shortly before the show begins. I had a few ideas for today... but two hours before showtime the breaking news dropped in my lap and my plans changed... Pam Bondi is OUT as Attorney General. We had hints it would be happening, and then it did. Also, the orange pustule showed what a spoiled brat of an insolent child he is with a nasty UNtruth social post about Bruce Springsteen. So, I reached out to The Nation's Joan Walsh (who's as big a fan as I am), and asked her to join us. And last night, I pestered by friend Brad Friedman of the Brad Blog (who's on vacation this week) because I thought I should interrupt his time off to see what he thinks of all of this. Today was supposed to be spring cleaning... that'll have to wait for next week. Tomorrow, it's another Emptywheel Friday with Marcy Wheeler! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today is April 1st, April Fools Day, and our nation's biggest fool again made a fool of himself, becoming the first-ever sitting guy in the oval office (sorry, I can't call him president) to attend a Supreme Court hearing. That the case is over an Executive Order he issued on his first day in office makes it even more idiotic. Or, if you prefer, the word he likes to call other people, "STUPID." But we know that every accusation is a confession everything he says is projection, it's not surprising. Thankfully, our favorite legal expert LISA GRAVES will take some time out of her very busy day to spend some time with us today too... And Bruce Springsteen kicked off his special Land of Hope & Dreams tour in Minneapolis last night... Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tim Karr is Senior Director of Communications & Strategy for FreePress.net, an organization that's been fighting to protect media and technology, knowing they're essential to our democracy, and to make sure they're used for justice. Today Tim and I spoke about how this regime's takeover of the FCC is being used to control all aspects of those components, doing grave danger to our nation and democracy along the way Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We did it! For the third time now, millions of patriots took to the streets of the USA and many more joined in from foreign shores to stand up for democracy and against an evil, sociopathic narcissistic ruler who thinks he should be king in a nation that was borne on the premise that there are no kings. His actions have set our 250-year young experiment with a fragile democracy on a collision course to upend the global infrastructure, causing more than one expert to predict our demise if we stay on this course. Today on the show, after a look at where we go from here, we'll check in with our professor - Dr. Art Jipson, University of Dayton professor of sociology, prolific writer, and aka Dr J, host of the Tuesday Afternoon Alternative at WUDR, since 2004! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Emptywheel.net's Marcy Wheeler joins me each Friday to recap much of the most important news of the week. We were both our last week, so there was a lot to talk about today. We didn't worry about what we missed last week, but dug into the seriousness of the mess he's gotten us in to. Yes, it's depressing, but we all need to arm ourselves with the truth and as much of it as we can stand, because information is power. We need to know what's happening so we can fight back against D'ump and his ilk who are trying to kill off democracy. Bring the information with you tomorrow to the No Kings rally near you! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This has been a really a strange week on The Nicole Sandler Show. Good thing tomorrow's Friday. But then again, who knows.. The walls are closing in on donOLD, and when a mad animal is trapped, it tends to become very dangerous. And that's what we're witnessing coming out of the Oval Office. We'll attempt to peek in and see what we can find. News reports are not very encouraging. The Month of March is winding down, and I've been remiss. March is Women's History Month, and I haven't even mentioned it yet. We'll change that on today's show too, as Cultural HERstorian Amy Simon returns with some stories, both good and some not so much... Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy