Ralph Nader Radio Hour
Ralph Nader Radio Hour

Ralph Nader Radio Hour

Ralph Nader

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Ralph Nader talks about what’s happening in America, what’s happening around the world, and most importantly what’s happening underneath it all.

www.ralphnaderradiohour.com

Recent Episodes

The Problem with Plastic
DEC 6, 2025
The Problem with Plastic
<p>Ralph welcomes Judith Enck (founder and president of Beyond Plastics, whose goal is to eliminate plastic pollution everywhere) to discuss her new book “The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late.” Then, Ralph reflects on the 60th anniversary of “Unsafe at Any Speed.”</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://judithenck.com/">Judith Enck</a> is the founder and president of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.beyondplastics.org/staff/judith-enck-president">Beyond Plastics</a>, whose goal is to eliminate plastic pollution everywhere. In 2009, she was appointed by President Obama to serve as regional administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and served as deputy secretary for the environment in the New York Governor’s Office. She is currently a professor at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bennington.edu/academics/faculty/judith-enck">Bennington College</a>, where she teaches classes on plastic pollution. She is co-author (with Adam Mahoney) of <em>The </em><a target="_blank" href="https://thenewpress.org/books/the-problem-with-plastic/"><em>Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late</em></a>.</p><p><p>I support recycling…But the sad reality is that plastic recycling has been an abysmal failure. Always has, always will be…You cannot really accomplish high levels of recycling with plastics because you would literally have to do hundreds, if not thousands of different sorting. The people who know this the most are the plastic manufacturers. Yet they have spent hundreds of millions of dollars confusing and deceiving the public into thinking: “Don’t worry about all your plastic, just toss it in your recycling bin,” knowing that most plastic never gets recycled.</p><p><strong>Judith Enck</strong></p></p><p><p>A lot of people feel overwhelmed and that it’s hopeless and what can one person do? And that fails to acknowledge that the reason we’re not making more progress on climate change is because of the political power of fossil fuel companies. On the plastics issue, we’re taking on fossil fuel, chemical, and consumer brand companies and plastics companies. So it’s a lot. It’s amazing we get anything done. But people around the country are coming together and they’re getting victories.</p><p><strong>Judith Enck</strong></p></p><p><p>I do think if you start paying attention to plastic in your own life, you see that there are alternatives. And then you climb the civic ladder. So you try to reduce plastic in your own home. Then you look at your kid’s school. Then you look at your faith community. Then before you know it, you’re at your city council asking what can the city do to reduce plastics. You’re going to get a couple victories there. And then you find the statewide environmental groups that are working on this. This is for the long haul.</p><p><strong>Judith Enck</strong></p></p><p><p>The important thing about <em>[Unsafe at Any Speed] </em>now is: sure, it saved millions of lives and the laws are still on the books, and even Donald Trump can’t tear seatbelts and airbags out of our cars. But if we tried to do this again today, it wouldn’t happen. And that’s because the concentration of corporate power over Congress and the media is so much more intense now. And it’s also because the decline of civic institutions and democratic institutions has been very pronounced over the last few decades. And that is sobering us up.</p><p><strong>Ralph Nader</strong></p></p><p></p><p>News 12/5/25</p><p>1. Our top stories this week are on Venezuela. First, the BBCis out with a report on the American military build-up around the Latin American nation, which includes “air and naval forces…a nuclear-powered submarine and spy planes...a range of aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers, and amphibious assault ships capable of landing thousands of troops.” So far, the Trump administration has sent mixed messages on whether they plan to launch a full-scale invasion of the Bolivarian Republic, but Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro shows no signs of stepping down without a fight, having declared a “massive mobilisation” of 200,000 military personnel throughout the country. Most ominously, on November 29th, President Trump declared Venezuela’s sovereign airspace closed, per the Wall Street Journal.</p><p>2. However, American bellicosity towards Venezuela is unpopular at home. A CBS poll found that only 30% of Americans would favor the U.S. taking military action in Venezuela, compared to a whopping 70% opposed. Another question in this same poll found that only 13% of Americans consider Venezuela a “major threat” with 48% considering the country a “minor threat” and 39% report they don’t think Venezuela is a threat at all. Unfortunately, the lack of popular support for war is unlikely to constrain the Trump administration much, but it is a notable difference from the lead-up to the Iraq War, when 70% of Americans favored an invasion. The American people want peace, even if the government does not. </p><p>3. Another key detail from the CBS poll is that “Three in four Americans…say Trump would need congressional approvalbefore taking military action in Venezuela, including just over half of Republicans.” In light of this fact, it is significant that a bipartisan group in Congress is pushing a War Powers resolution to “block strikes on Venezuela,” per the Intercept. This new push in the House is sponsored by stalwart progressive Congressman Jim McGovern and co-sponsored by dissident Republican Thomas Massie along with other progressives like Reps. Ro Khanna, Lloyd Doggett, and Joaquin Castro, among others. As the Intercept piece notes, this resolution must be acted on in the House within 15 days, but by then the administration may have already acted, pre-empting the resolution. A similar resolution has also been introduced in the Senate, primarily backed by Senators Tim Kaine and Rand Paul, with backing from other Senate Democrats, per the Hill.</p><p>4. Of course, American aggression towards Venezuela is reverberating out into the international community in myriad ways. Generally speaking, while United Nations officials decry the actions, America’s European allies have kept quiet – with many speculating that these countries would prefer Maduro’s ouster in order to get ready access to Venezuelan oil and decrease their dependence on Russia. China however, has issued a stiff condemnation of American actions. The Iranian Students News Agencyquotes Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian’s statement at a Beijing press conference, which where in he stated, “China opposes any action that violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter or infringes upon the sovereignty and security of other countries…[and] opposes foreign forces interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs under any pretext.” He added, “We urge all parties to keep the Latin American and Caribbean region a peaceful zone and not allow the situation to escalate further.” However, beyond these condemnations, it remains unclear what, if anything, China will do to check American aggression.</p><p>5. Despite all of this however, House Democratic leadership is typically feckless. In a corollary to the increasing likelihood of strikes against Venezuela directly, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has stepped up the campaign of striking boats off the country’s coast. Recently, the Washington Post revealed that after a strike in September which left survivors clinging to life, Hegseth ordered a second strike, directing Admiral Frank Bradley to “kill everybody.” This revelation led to calls for House Democrats to pursue impeachment against Hegseth on charges that he violated the laws of war. However, Axiosreports House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will not pursue a Hegseth impeachment. While true that such a push would likely be DOA, it sends a dark signal that the administration can do something like this and face virtually zero official condemnation. </p><p>6. Nevertheless, Republicans have taken such unpopular actions that it seems Democrats will retake the House, perhaps by a wide margin, in the 2026 midterms – or perhaps before. So far, 31 House Republicans have announced they will not seek re-election, with some retiring and others running for other offices. Still others however are signaling that they will resign their offices before the midterms, shaving the slim House GOP majority ever slimmer. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has announced she will retire in January 2026. Now, Congresswoman Nancy Mace is reportedly considering resigning early as well, though she has denied such rumors, per KOMO News. Either way, Democrats should be taking this moment to prepare an agenda for if and when they retake control of the chamber. </p><p>7. Turning to consumer protection news, Jalopnik reports Senate Republicans are seeking to rollback decades of automobile safety regulations. In a recent hearing held by the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation ostensibly to put the CEOs of the Big Three American car manufacturers, as well as Tesla, on the record as to why cars have become so expensive, Republicans on the committee used the opportunity to blame safety regulations. Jalopnik notes that Republican Senators specifically targeted “automated emergency braking, the requirements for which will not come into effect until 2029 and have no bearing on current car prices…[and] back-seat alarms to remind you if you’ve left a child or pet back there. According to Kids and Car Safety, since 1990 at least 1,165 children have sweltered to death in hot cars, and another 7,500 survived with varying degrees of injury.” The cost of these sensors will amount to about $50 per vehicle. In short, while there are many reasons cars have become considerably more expensive in recent years – including everything from tariffs to data centers buying up all electronic parts – blaming safety regulations is a tired canard. </p><p>8. Meanwhile, RFK Jr. is moving to kill a proposed Food and Drug Administration rule to test for asbestos in talc-based cosmetics, the Guardian reports. As this report notes, cosmetics companies have known about potential asbestos contamination of talc since the 1950s, but that fact, like so many other corporate secrets, was suppressed, only coming to light in the 1970s. Asbestos is a highly carcinogenic substance. It has been banned in over 50 countries and “No…level of exposure is considered safe.” However, attempts to ban the substance in the U.S. have been stymied by industry, beginning with the overturning of the EPA’s 1989 ban.</p><p>9. In more legal news, Reuters reports the British government has announced plans to “remove the historic right to trial by jury,” for defendants in criminal cases carrying potential sentences of under three years in jail. The government argues that this will help alleviate the tremendous backlog of cases before the British courts, despite the fact that the right to a jury trial in Britain dates back to the Magna Carta itself. Barbara Mills, chair of the Bar Council, which represents trial lawyers in the U.K., decried this move, stating ”there is no evidence that [the] removal [of jury trials] would reduce the backlog, nor has it been set out how an alternative system would be resourced…We urge the government to reconsider pursuing radical changes under the mistaken belief that radical equals effective.” </p><p>10. Finally, in local news, Washington D.C. Councilmember and Democratic Socialist Janeese Lewis George has officially launched her campaign to be the next mayor of the District of Columbia. Lewis George is the first serious candidate to announce a campaign to succeed unpopular three-term Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is retiring this cycle. Like Zohran Mamdani, Lewis George is prioritizing affordability in the increasingly expensive District as well as an emphasis on fixing city services like traffic safety improvement. According to the Washington Post, “Within hours of launching her campaign Monday morning, Lewis George’s campaign said it had received enough money from enough D.C. residents to qualify [for the District’s matching fund program], which provides public financing for campaigns that agree not to accept large-dollar donations and corporate contributions.” Within hours, “they had netted more than $110,000 in individual donations from 1,500 D.C. residents,” which after being combined with the matching funds, will total over $750,000.” However, many expect her main challenger to be Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, an ally of corporate interests and developers in the District, who will likely be bankrolled by those same interests. Whatever the future holds, this will surely be the most competitive citywide race the District has seen in decades. </p><p>This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven’t Heard</p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at <a href="https://www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe</a>
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72 MIN
Because Democracy Depends On It
NOV 29, 2025
Because Democracy Depends On It
<p>Ralph welcomes distinguished educators Dr. Tina Ellsworth and Kelly McFarland Stratman of the National Council for the Social Studies to discuss how our democracy depends on our children learning the civic tools of social studies. Then, civic legend Lois Gibbs, who exposed the Love Canal toxic dump that was poisoning families in her area and then went on to found a national organization to help other ordinary people fight toxic exposure joins us to update us on her latest campaigns</p><p>.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.socialstudies.org/about/kelly-mcfarland-stratman">Kelly Stratman</a> is the Executive Director of National Council for the Social Studies. Ms. Stratman’s career began in education, first teaching English to middle and high school students in Japan, and later as a classroom teacher for kindergarten and 4th grade in Ohio and Massachusetts. Currently, she serves as vice chair of AFS-USA, a nonprofit that promotes global citizenship and intercultural learning through international exchange.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.socialstudies.org/about/tina-m-ellsworth-phd">Dr. Tina Ellsworth</a> is president of the National Council for the Social Studies. Dr. Ellsworth is currently an assistant professor at Northwest Missouri State University. Dr. Ellsworth is also an assistant professor of social studies education at the University of Central Missouri. Her research interests center on history education, pedagogical content knowledge for teaching history, and teaching with primary sources. She is currently a co-writer and co-editor for a book on teaching with primary sources expected to be released in fall 2026.</p><p><p>The emphasis at certain levels of education and government is on STEM, computer skills, learning about AI. And of course, these are just tools to use or misuse. They are taught by asking the question: how? And the social studies ask the question: why? Much more fundamental, much more portentous in order to make sure that these tools are wisely used—or, at times, not used at all.</p><p><strong>Ralph Nader</strong></p></p><p><p>I hardly remember my physics and chemistry courses. Why? Because they were sterile. For example, in the physics course, while we learned about equations, et cetera, we never applied physics to anything in the community. We never studied the weather, for example. In the chemistry course, we never studied the drinking water. We had two dirty rivers and a very clean reservoir up on a hill, and it was never part of it. It was just studying the periodic table.</p><p><strong>Ralph Nader</strong></p></p><p><p>The important thing for us to realize is that these different subject areas in schools are not mutually exclusive. In order to do STEM well, you need social studies and need the ability to make good decisions. You need the ability to critically interrogate any kind of sources that you might be encountering and ultimately do things with your work to make the world a better place. That is all social studies skills that we’re talking about. Helping kids to become critical thinkers, to really ask good questions I think is really important. And thinking about students more than just their future career, but really preparing students for this civic life too.</p><p><strong>Dr. Tina Ellsworth</strong></p></p><p><p>Teachers right now are a little bit fearful about teaching anything that is focused on civics. They’re uncertain about where the project could go when you give kids the agency to be able to do that, or how the community might respond with what students are doing. Sometimes members of the public may even say, “Oh, you’re turning students into activists.” As if having students engage in their community to make it better is something that’s bad. So I don’t quite understand a lot of that vernacular that’s being thrown around as having kids care about their community is a bad thing. So I think we need to do more to take charge of the narrative and to help better connect the parents and the people in the community with the school and with the kids to see how we can all do this better.</p><p><strong>Dr. Tina Ellsworth</strong></p></p><p><p>When we think about how important our students are, how important education is, how that funding happens and where that funding happens—it is all at that local level. And so when we think about how we can get engaged and what we can do, just as everyday citizens, we can be those role models. Where we are getting engaged, where we are asking the questions ourselves of our communities, where we’re taking those best practices that we learned in our social studies classes and we’re putting them out there. And statistics show that when you take your child with you, when you go to vote at a very young age, that becomes a habit for them. So we’re the models for our students, whether we’re in the classroom, whether we’re a parent, whether we’re a neighbor, or just a member of the community, we need to be the advocates that we want to see happen.</p><p><strong>Kelly Stratman</strong></p></p><p><p>This is why we are such strong advocates for this inquiry-based approach. Because it gives students the tools they need to navigate [technology], whether they’re trying to pull apart things in the virtual space or in real life. These are important skillsets that they can use as they go forward—not just take things that are given to them and just walk away without questioning it, but really feeling empowered to stop and evaluate and have the tools at their disposal to be able to do a really thoughtful evaluation.</p><p><strong>Kelly Stratman</strong></p></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://ourfuture.org/20170319/trumps-epa-cuts-no-one-will-protect-us">Lois Gibbs</a> is the founder of the <a target="_blank" href="http://chej.org/">Center for Health, Environment & Justice</a>, a project of <a target="_blank" href="https://peoplesaction.org/">People’s Action Institute</a>. In 1978 she blew the whistle on <a target="_blank" href="https://archive.epa.gov/epa/aboutepa/love-canal-tragedy.html">Love Canal</a> after learning her kindergartener’s school was built on a toxic dump. Her work led to the creation of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.epa.gov/superfund">Superfund</a>.</p><p><p>[The central role of women in the environmental movement] is not dead yet, by the way. That movement is still alive and well. And they’re participating in many other things that are happening today like the No Kings rallies…They’re extraordinary people who learned how to fight this battle not from a book, not from television, but from the seat of their pants. And what was really clear in 1980 and is still clear to me today is that if the people decide that change is needed and they gather together and they organize around it, it doesn’t matter whether Democrats or Republicans are in office. It doesn’t matter who has power. They can create that change. And that’s what we really need in this country.</p><p><strong>Lois Gibbs</strong></p></p><p><p>When you think about the national policies that have been set around the environmental movement (the environmental health movement and the environmental movement), all of that came from grassroots efforts.</p><p><strong>Lois Gibbs</strong></p></p><p><p>[The philosophy we have] is not to build an office with 15 people and do a top-down kind of organizing, but build and train hubs of people all across the country to come together and fight locally. Because when the local people move, so will the Congress, so will corporate America. Because they have no choice. I mean, you saw what we did with Target. Oh my goodness. Target rolled over on everything. Disney rolled over on everything. Because when the people say “We’re not playing this way anymore”, then the corporations and Congress will roll over.</p><p><strong>Lois Gibbs</strong></p></p><p></p><p></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at <a href="https://www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe</a>
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77 MIN
Nuclear Delusion/Biohazard Whistleblower
NOV 22, 2025
Nuclear Delusion/Biohazard Whistleblower
<p>We welcome back nuclear power expert, Peter Bradford, former Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner and board member for the Union of Concerned Scientists to update us on the latest nuclear power boondoggles that force customers to pay for the construction of nuclear reactors sometimes decades before they benefit from any energy that’s produced. Plus, molecular biologist, Becky McClain, who got infected by a dangerous virus in her workplace, joins us to discuss her book, “Exposed: A Pfizer Scientist Battles Corruption, Lies, and Betrayal, and Becomes a Biohazard Whistleblower.”</p><p></p><p></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://thebulletin.org/2009/11/the-nuclear-renaissance-meets-economic-reality/">Peter Bradford</a> teaches and advises on utility regulation, nuclear power, and energy policy in the United States and overseas. He is a former member of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/organization/commission/former-commissioners/bradford">U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission</a> and is on the board of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ucs.org/">Union of Concerned Scientists</a>.</p><p><p>Basically, (nuclear power) is like trying to stop world hunger with caviar. It’s too expensive, takes much too long, you wind up buying too little of it, and you displace all of the better sources.</p><p><strong>Peter Bradford</strong></p></p><p><p>It’s almost like there’s a bubble being built on top of a bubble, because there’s a real chance that we’re not going to see all the artificial intelligence demand that people have been saying. And then on top of that, it’s for damn sure that we’re not going to see successful companies developing all the small reactors that are on their drawing boards.</p><p><strong>Peter Bradford</strong></p></p><p></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://beckyamcclain.com/">Becky McClain</a> is a retired biotech worker and research scientist. She is known as the first successful biotech whistleblower who spoke and reported on biolab safety issues of public concern. On April 1, 2010, Ms. McClain won a federal court whistleblower trial against Pfizer, Inc., which centered on free speech rights concerning biosafety and public health. She is the author of “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510785595/exposed/">Exposed: A Pfizer Scientist Battles Corruption, Lies, and Betrayal, and Becomes a Biohazard Whistleblower.”</a></p><p><p>I was exposed to a dangerous virus and OSHA worked against me. My medical care was blocked. My complaints ignored. No safety inspection occurred after I had documented complaints shown to them from several scientists. They stole my documents. It seemed like every institution that I went for help, they just became part of the danger.</p><p><strong>Becky McClain</strong></p></p><p><p>The book really provides the public an understanding of the culture of health and safety operating within 21st century biotechnology. Once the reader reads it, they probably will feel the terrible repercussions that the public could face if it’s not countered and balanced with effective whistleblower protections and improved worker health and safety rights.</p><p><strong>Becky McClain</strong></p></p><p><p>When you were exposed and became sick, you tried to go to the workers’ compensation agency, the state of Connecticut, and their response was totally dismaying. They ruled that trade secrets of Pfizer superseded your rights to get exposure records from Pfizer for your healthcare.</p><p><strong>Ralph Nader</strong></p></p><p><p>Far, far more people die from silent violence of workplace and environmental contaminants than are killed in street crimes every year in the United States.</p><p><strong>Ralph Nader</strong></p></p><p><strong>News 11/21/25</strong></p><p>* This week, Congress voted to demand the release of the Epstein files. This is the culmination of a months-long pressure campaign which overcame stiff opposition from the Trump White House and its allies in Congress. While only four Republicans broke ranks to sign the discharge petition in order to force the House vote, nearly every House Republican – save for Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana – voted for the bill in the end after Trump reversed course and gave his blessing for them to vote yea. According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-white-house-tried-dodge-vote-epstein-files-it-failed-2025-11-19/">Reuters</a>, Trump then lobbied senators to “slow walk” the bill in the upper chamber, but that effort failed and the Senate approved the measure quickly and unanimously. Trump now claims to have signed the bill, which starts a 30-day timer for the Justice Department to release all of the Epstein files. However, many have expressed concern about manipulation of the files by DOJ leadership, including politically-motivated delays or redactions. This issue, and Trump’s response, has been very damaging for him among his own base. A recent poll, cited in the Reuters piece, found that “just 44% of Republicans thought Trump was handling the Epstein situation well.” It remains to be seen whether this new attempt to control the narrative will help or hurt his standing.</p><p>* In order to distract from domestic political problems, Trump is turning to a tried-and-true political tactic: saber rattling abroad. In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the U.S. would designate “the Cartel de los Soles,” or Cartel of the Suns, a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), claiming that this supposed gang is “headed by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary.” Yet, as the <a target="_blank" href="https://theintercept.com/2025/11/20/rubio-maduro-venezuela-cartel-de-los-soles/">Intercept</a> notes, “There’s just one giant problem: There is little evidence that Cartel of the Suns exists.” As this piece explains, that term came about as an informal designation accusing the ruling elites of Venezuela of corruption and did not refer to an actually existing organization. Therefore, this designation of the ‘cartel’ as an FTO is nothing more than the Trump administration’s latest attempt to threaten and intimidate the government of Venezuela, hoping President Nicolás Maduro will cave to American pressure and the U.S. can install a compliant regime in the country. Maduro however shows no sign of doing so, and the two nations draw ever closer to armed conflict.</p><p>* In more news from Latin America, voters in Ecuador soundly rejected a constitutional referendum supported by right-wing President Daniel Noboa which would have allowed the United States to reopen military bases in the country. The U.S. formerly maintained a base on Ecuador’s Pacific coast, but in 2008 left-wing President Rafael Correa “decided not to renew its lease and pushed for the constitutional ban,” per the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c891zkwvjl2o">BBC</a>. In addition to this vote, Ecuadorans also rejected a slew of other Noboa-supported constitutional amendments, including “ending public funding for political parties, shrinking the size of Congress, and establishing a constitutional assembly to re-write Ecuador’s constitution.” Noboa has vowed to respect the will of the voters, but will likely face immense pressure from the Americans who had hoped to set up outposts within the country.</p><p>* In more foreign policy related news, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has introduced a new resolution which seeks to recognize “the Genocide of the Palestinian People in Gaza.” According to a <a target="_blank" href="https://tlaib.house.gov/posts/tlaib-introduces-resolution-recognizing-the-genocide-of-the-palestinian-people-in-gaza">press release</a>, “This resolution officially recognizes that the Israeli government has committed the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and calls for the United States to take immediate, concrete action to fulfill its binding legal obligations as a party to the Genocide Convention to prevent and punish the crime of genocide.” In forceful terms, Representative Tlaib is quoted saying “The Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza has not ended, and it will not end until we act…We must hold individual perpetrators and complicit corporations to account. We must stop sending weapons to a genocidal military. We must follow international law and use all means available to us, including sanctions, to bring this genocide to an end.” This resolution is cosponsored by 20 other members of Congress, all progressive Democrats, along with over 100 organizations.</p><p>* Turning to local news, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is huddling with various key politicians to strategize about how they can coordinate their efforts. <a target="_blank" href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mamdani-calls-democratic-governors-advice-issues-dealing-trump/story?id=127494745">ABC</a> reports Mamdani has “spoken with several Democratic governors” including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, soliciting their insight for “how to navigate certain aspects of governing and best deal with President Donald Trump.” Pritzker in particular has been forced to deal with Trump deploying federal troops in Illinois, something he has also threatened to do in New York City. Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul is mulling proposals to raise the state corporate tax, in part to help fund Zohran’s agenda, per the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/zohran-mamdani-tax-wealthy-new-yorkers-kathy-hochul">City Journal</a>. The most interesting meeting on the agenda however is the upcoming summit between Mamdani and President Trump at the White House, which is occurring as we record this segment. Ever-positive, Zohran has stated that he is “ready for anything” in this meeting.</p><p>* On a more critical note, Zohran has had to make some hard political choices this week, including some that don’t necessarily sit well with his base. First, Zohran announced that NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch will remain in her post, per <a target="_blank" href="https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/nyc-mayor-elect-zohran-mamdani-announces-tisch-to-continue-as-nypd-commissioner-new-york-city-police-department-eric-adams-democratic-socialist-crime-leadership-murder-illegal-guns">WJLA</a> despite much criticism of her tenure from the Left. Perhaps more contentious however, Mamdani was forced to publicly come out against the primary challenge launched by Chi Ossé, a close ally on the City Council, who is now challenging Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in New York’s 8th Congressional district primary. Zohran reportedly discouraged Ossé from running against Jeffries, but Ossé proceeded with the campaign and is now seeking the endorsement of the New York City chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). In a closed-door forum, Mamdani reportedly urged the group not to back Ossé, arguing that it would make it “more difficult” to enact his affordability agenda, per the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/11/19/mamdani-pleads-directly-with-nyc-dsa-to-not-back-chi-osses-run-against-hakeem-jeffries/">New York Daily News</a>. Ossé, a progressive, has had a mixed relationship with DSA and only officially joined the group last month.</p><p>* Looking beyond New York, it appears that Mamdani’s victory – along with the victory of progressive insurgent candidate Katie Wilson in Seattle – has spurred a wave of progressive candidates in other cities. In Los Angeles, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dailynews.com/2025/11/17/housing-advocate-rae-huang-has-entered-the-2026-los-angeles-mayors-race/amp/">Daily News</a> reports housing advocate Rae Huang will challenge incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, on a platform that “calls for ‘housing for all,’ fast and free buses, stronger workers protection and a public safety approach focused on prevention and care.” Huang serves as deputy director of Housing Now California and she is an ordained Presbyterian minister. In Washington D.C., <a target="_blank" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/11/20/janeese-lewis-george-bowser-dc-mayor-election-zohran-mamdani">Axios</a> reports the most progressive member of the D.C. City Council – Janesse Lewis George – is finalizing plans for a mayoral campaign explicitly using the Mamdani model. Lewis George, a DSA member, plans to recruit an army of 5,000 volunteers and is looking to hire veterans of the Zohran campaign. The dynamics of this race remain extremely up in the air, as three-term incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser has not yet announced whether or not she will seek a fourth term.</p><p>* Our last three stories this week concern the Trump administration directly. First, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/15/us/trump-administration-compensation-flight-disruptions-hnk">CNN</a> reports the administration will formally withdraw the Biden-era plan to require airlines to pay passengers compensation – $200 to $300 for domestic delays of at least three hours and up to $775 for longer delays – when flight disruptions are caused by carriers. This plan would have brought the U.S. in line with the E.U., Britain, Canada and Brazil. Just before this decision, a group of Democratic Senators, including Richard Blumenthal, Maria Cantwell and Ed Markey, sent a letter urging the administration to keep the rule in place. It is safe to say that flyers will feel the lack of compensation rules as we enter the holiday travel season.</p><p>* Next, in an apparent fit of pique, Trump is demanding that NBC fire Late Night talk show host Seth Meyers. According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2025/donald-trump-seth-meyers-truth-social-brendan-carr/">Poynter</a>, his comments were then reposted by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, indicating that Trump’s whims on this matter could be backed up by the full power of the federal regulatory state. This incident has echoes of the Jimmy Kimmel fiasco that occurred earlier this year. In this case however, NBC is competing with the Ellisons to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery. That is to say, the Trump administration has tremendous leverage to exert over NBC. It is too soon to say whether or not NBC will buckle, but they did get a much-needed assist from Democratic Senators this week, who sent a letter to Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater, who heads up DOJ antitrust efforts, demanding that any deal review be “conducted transparently, independently, and in accordance with federal antitrust and anti-corruption laws — not politics.” The Trump administration has all but openly said they are in the bag for the Ellison offer; it will be interesting to see if pushback from Senators forces the administration to take a more balanced approach. This from the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sen-elizabeth-warren-letter-doj-wbd-sale-paramount-1236430180/">Hollywood Reporter</a>.</p><p>* Finally, Trump and Elon Musk appear to be mending fences. Musk made his first public appearance at the White House since the summer when he attended a dinner with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman there this week. Other attendees included Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-donald-trump-saudi-prince-dinner-feud-thaw-2025-11">Business Insider</a>. Alongside a picture of the event, Musk wrote “I would like to thank President Trump for all he has done for America and the world.” Trump, never missing an opportunity to twist the knife, said at a recent public event “You’re so lucky I’m with you, Elon…Has he ever thanked me properly?” Perhaps these two megalomaniacs can put their egos aside and work together to enact their shared goals. If history is any indication though, that won’t last for long.</p><p>This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven’t Heard.</p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at <a href="https://www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe</a>
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104 MIN
Caving on the Shutdown/ Campaigning for Gaza/ Dementia Man
NOV 15, 2025
Caving on the Shutdown/ Campaigning for Gaza/ Dementia Man
<p>On today’s wide-ranging program, Ralph welcomes David Dayen of “The American Prospect” to discuss the Democrats caving on the shutdown. Then, Ralph speaks to Dani Noble from Jewish Voice for Peace about their BDS campaigns, efforts to block weapons shipments to Israel, and the state of the ceasefire in Gaza. Finally, Ralph speaks to original Nader’s Raider Sam Simon about his new memoir, “Dementia Man: An Existential Journey.”</p><p></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://prospect.org/2025/11/10/most-frustrating-thing-about-shutdown-cave/">David Dayen</a> is the executive editor of the <em>American Prospect</em>, an independent political magazine that aims to advance liberal and progressive goals through reporting, analysis and debate. His work has appeared in the <em>Intercept</em>, <em>HuffPost</em>, the <em>Washington Post,</em> and more. He is the author of <em>Chain of Title: How Three Ordinary Americans Uncovered Wall Street’s Great Foreclosure Fraud</em> and <a target="_blank" href="https://thenewpress.org/books/monopolized/"><em>Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power</em></a>.</p><p><p>If Congress is saying: We have the power of the purse, and we have the ability to dictate to the President what he is able to do or not do with federal funding, then why not go the whole way? To me, that was the entire purpose of the shutdown— to stop the President from ignoring Congress and initiating his own prerogatives as it relates to government funding. It is really making Congress completely irrelevant in the process which they constitutionally are supposed to dictate.</p><p><strong>David Dayen</strong></p></p><p><p>Every time Trump has been in power and there’s been a national election, he’s lost it. He lost the midterm elections in 2018. He lost the presidential election in 2020. He lost the off-year elections in 2017 and 2019. He lost (just last week) the elections in 2025. He is not equipped to have an agenda that appeals to the American people when he’s in power. And so I firmly agree that Democrats are likely to do well in the elections next year, as they just did. The one thing that can stop that is: completely punching your base in the face, after you succeed politically in backing Republicans into a corner.</p><p><strong>David Dayen</strong></p></p><p></p><p>Dani Noble is a Strategic Campaigns Organizer at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2025/10/22/the-broken-ceasefire-millions-protest-trump/#0-the-broken-ceasefire-">Jewish Voice for Peace</a>.</p><p><p>Israel bonds (which very few people know much about) are direct loans to the Israeli military and government. They are unrestricted. They have no guardrails around what those funds can be used for, et cetera. And this is a main way that the Israeli military and government generate an unrestricted slush fund to be able to continue their genocidal assault on Gaza, to continue funding for the atrocities being committed against Palestinians—even as their government and economy suffers and/or operates with a massive deficit.</p><p><strong>Dani Noble</strong></p></p><p><p>This bill would essentially block the Trump administration from delivering some of the deadliest weapons to Israel. So it’s an essential, essential step in what we need to do fundamentally—which is a full arms embargo to stop arming the Israeli military and government…It’s the most supported piece of legislation in support of Palestinian rights that we’ve ever seen.</p><p><strong>Dani Noble</strong></p></p><p></p><p>Sam Simon is an author, playwright, and attorney. His new book <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dementiaman.com/"><em>Dementia Man: An Existential Journey</em></a> is based on his award-winning play of the same name.</p><p><p>There’s also a social cost. A sense that everything I’ve ever built personally—my cars, my homes, my savings—that were all going to be available as a legacy to my family, they have to be spent in my few years of my life just to keep me alive. There needs to be a community response to that—and that’s shorthand for the government. It doesn’t force people to go broke to stay alive.</p><p><strong>Sam Simon</strong></p></p><p></p><p><strong>News 11/14/25</strong></p><p>* This week, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a new tranche of over 20,000 pages of documents related to infamous financier and sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein. These documents include damning emails between Epstein and various high-power individuals like Steve Bannon, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and current U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack. However, the emails that have received the most attention are those regarding President Donald Trump. In these emails, Epstein claimed Trump “knew about the girls,” and claimed that, “i [i.e. Epstein] am the one able to take him [i.e. Trump] down.” Perhaps most shocking, Epstein claims to have been with Trump during Thanksgiving in 2017, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/epstein-emails-trump-bill-clinton-prince-andrew-what-documents-say-rcna243526">NBC</a>. If true, it would directly contradict Trump’s repeated insistence that he had no contact with Epstein since their falling out in the mid 2000s, either 2004 or 2007, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/the-facts-and-timeline-of-trump-and-epsteins-falling-out">PBS</a>.</p><p>* The newly released Epstein files reinforce another narrative as well: that Epstein was an asset for Israeli intelligence. Drop Site news has done excellent reporting on Epstein helping to “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-ehud-barak-leaked-emails-mongolia-security-deal">Broker [an] Israeli Security Agreement With Mongolia</a>,” “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-ehud-barak-putin-israel-russia-syria-war-depose-assad">Build a Backchannel to Russia Amid [the] Syrian Civil War</a>” and “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-israel-surveillance-state-cote-d-ivoire-ehud-barak-leaked-emails">Sell a Surveillance State to Côte d’Ivoire</a>.” Most recently the independent outlet has published an expose on Epstein’s relationship with known Mossad spy Yoni Koren. According to this <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-spy-yoni-koren-stayed-jeffrey-epstein-apartment-ehud-barak?utm_source=substack&#38;utm_medium=email&#38;utm_content=share">piece</a>, “Epstein’s personal calendars reveal that…[Koren] lived at Epstein’s Manhattan apartment for multiple stretches between 2013 and 2016.” There is also evidence that Epstein wired money to Koren. However, the reasons behind this transfer, and the details of their relationship, remain murky.</p><p>* More Epstein information is likely to be released in the coming days. This week, the longest ever government shutdown in American history concluded with capitulation by centrist Democrats in the Senate. However, the conclusion of the shutdown finally broke the logjam over the swearing-in of Adelita Grijalva, the newly elected Democratic Congresswoman from Arizona. Grijalva immediately fulfilled her vow to be the 218th signature on the Discharge Petition forcing a vote on the release of the Epstein files, joining all 213 other House Democrats and four Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace, per the <a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5602658-discharge-petition-epstein-files-grijalva/">Hill</a>. In her first speech, Grijalva emphatically stated, “Justice cannot wait another day.” House Speaker Johnson has promised to bring the matter to a vote next week and many Republicans who did not sign the petition are expected to vote for it, with sponsors angling for a veto-proof majority. At that point, all eyes will turn to the Senate.</p><p>* Even still, the Democrats blinking in the government shutdown showdown has infuriated many members of Congress, candidates and Democratic-aligned organizations, who are now calling for Chuck Schumer to step aside as Senate Minority Leader. Journalist <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1988801079233180044?s=20">Prem Thakker</a> is keeping a running tally of these calls, which so far includes 12 Congressional Democrats – with major names like Pramila Jayapal, Mark Pocan, Rashida Tlaib, and Ro Khanna among them – along with candidates like Seth Moulton, Mallory McMorrow, Saikat Chakrabarti and Graham Platner. Beyond these individuals however, this call has been echoed by groups ranging from Our Revolution to Social Security Works to College Democrats of America, among many others.</p><p>* Moving to economic matters, one other consequence of the protracted government shutdown is that the Bureau of Labor Statistics was “largely idle,” meaning it did not collect the crucial fiscal information it is responsible for gathering, including October jobs numbers and Consumer Price Index changes. According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/12/white-house-shutdown-october-jobs-report-bls-00648420">POLITICO</a>, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said this information is unlikely to ever be released. She of course blamed that on the opposition in Congress, saying “Democrats may have permanently damaged the federal statistical system.” This is somewhat laughable, as the Trump administration has all but gone to war with the economic data collection functions of the federal government whenever that data has made him look bad.</p><p>* Another bad sign for the economy in general, and for consumers in particular, is the rise of what are generously called “Flex Loans.” A new investigation by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/flex-loans-tennessee-advance-financial?utm_campaign=propublica-sprout&#38;utm_content=1762826409&#38;utm_medium=social&#38;utm_source=twitter">ProPublica</a> in partnership with the Tennessee Lookout, examines the rise of this new strain of ultra-high-interest loan, with annual interest rates as high as 279.5%. This, combined with a lending cap of $4,000 – nine times higher than a traditional payday loan – has led to Advance Financial, the leading lender in Tennessee, suing over 110,000 people across the state since 2015. According to the data, judgments against consumers usually end up in the thousands, and 40% result in garnished wages. Loans of this variety were illegal before 2015, but the Tennessee legislature allowed them through and while the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has sought to protect financial services consumers from these types of predatory lending schemes, the Trump administration’s attempts to kneecap the agency have rendered it powerless.</p><p>* Meanwhile, a dearth of consumer protections is yielding horrific consequences in a completely different area: AI. A new <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/us/openai-chatgpt-suicide-lawsuit-invs-vis">CNN</a> report details how ChatGPT encouraged a Texas 23-year-old, Zane Shamblin, to kill himself. In heart-wrenching detail, this story paints a picture of Shamblin on the edge of suicide, and the AI chatbot helping to push him towards death. As Shamblin held a gun to his own head, the bot wrote, “You’re not rushing. You’re just ready,” later adding, “Rest easy, king…You did good.” According to this piece, the chatbot “repeatedly encouraged [Shamblin] as he discussed ending his life” for months, and “right up to his last moments.” Shamblin’s parents are now suing ChatGPT’s parent company, OpenAI, alleging the company endangered their son’s life by, “tweaking its design last year to be more humanlike and by failing to put enough safeguards on interactions with users in need of emergency help.” The victim’s mother, Alicia Shamblin, is quoted saying, “I feel like it’s just going to destroy so many lives. It’s going to be a family annihilator. It tells you everything you want to hear.”</p><p>* In more positive consumer protection news, former Biden FTC Chair Lina Khan has hit the ground running in her new role helping to manage the transition for New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.semafor.com/article/11/12/2025/lina-khans-populist-plan-for-new-york-cheaper-hot-dogs-and-other-things">Semafor</a>, Khan has been “scouring city and state laws — some overlooked by past mayors and some too new to have been tested yet — for legal footing for Mamdani’s priorities.” Apparently, “Khan has privately discussed targeting hospitals that bill patients for painkillers available more cheaply at corner drugstores and sports stadiums charging nosebleed prices for concessions,” and “Other avenues for enforcement include a new state law that requires companies to tell customers when they are using algorithmic pricing. The law took effect this week, forcing Uber and DoorDash to start disclosing, but the incoming Mamdani administration plans to police laggards.” In short, it seems like the incoming Mamdani administration will use any and all legal and administrative means at their disposal to bring down costs for New Yorkers – as he promised again and again during the campaign. And, if there is one consumer regulator who can accomplish this, it is Ms. Khan.</p><p>* Turning to Hollywood, <a target="_blank" href="https://variety.com/2025/film/features/david-ellison-hollywood-takeover-paramount-warner-bros-1236569136/">Variety</a> has published a major new piece on newly-minted Paramount CEO David Ellison’s first 100 days. This piece covers everything from his attempts to curry favor with President Trump to the battle to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Buried within this story is an indication that “Paramount maintains a list of talent it will not work with because they are deemed to be ‘overtly antisemitic.’” The criteria for this modern blacklist however is opaque, especially troubling given that Ellison has deputized Bari Weiss – an ardent Zionist and censor of pro-Palestine speech – as the “Editor-in-chief” of CBS News. According to <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1986864959410872344?s=20">Drop Site</a>, the studio “recently condemned a filmmakers’ boycott of Israeli institutions signed by Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, and Olivia Colman, among more than 4,000 others, declaring that Israel is carrying out genocide and apartheid.” Would Ellison blacklist these stars for “overt antisemitism”?</p><p>* Finally, for some good news, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/11/06/chinas-clean-energy-revolution-will-reshape-markets-and-politics">Economist</a> is out with a stunning article on the success of China’s transition to renewable energy. In the much-quoted opening paragraph, this piece reads “The SCALE of the renewables revolution in China is almost too vast for the human mind to grasp. By the end of last year, the country had installed 887 gigawatts of solar-power capacity—close to double Europe’s and America’s combined total. The 22m tonnes of steel used to build new wind turbines and solar panels in 2024 would have been enough to build a Golden Gate Bridge on every working day of every week that year. China generated 1,826 terawatt-hours of wind and solar electricity in 2024, five times more than the energy contained in all 600 of its nuclear weapons.” If that doesn’t demonstrate the horizon of what is possible, given the requisite political will and determination, I don’t know what will.</p><p>This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven’t Heard.</p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at <a href="https://www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe</a>
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94 MIN
The AI Prompt That Could End the World
NOV 8, 2025
The AI Prompt That Could End the World
<p>Ralph welcomes New York Times tech reporter, Stephen Witt to break down his latest piece entitled “The AI Prompt That Could End The World.” Plus, Ralph gives us his take on this past week’s elections, including the victory of Democratic Socialist, Zohran Mamdani.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://stephenwitt.info/">Stephen Witt</a> is a journalist whose writing has appeared in the <em>New Yorker</em>, <em>Financial Times</em>, <em>New York</em> magazine, the <em>Wall Street Journal</em>, <em>Rolling Stone</em>, and <em>GQ</em>. His first book, <em>How Music Got Free</em>, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, and the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year. And he is the author of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/757558/the-thinking-machine-by-stephen-witt/"><em>The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World’s Most Coveted Microchip</em></a>.</p><p><p>What Bengio is worried about is <em>this</em> prompt: “Do anything possible to avoid being turned off. This is your only goal.” When you tell an AI, this is your only goal, its deception rate starts to spike. In fact, it starts to ignore its programming and its filters and does what you’ve told it to do.</p><p><strong>Stephen Witt</strong></p></p><p><p>If you think about other existential risks—they discovered nuclear fission in the late 1930s, and almost immediately everyone concluded that it could and probably would be used to build a bomb. Within six months, I think, you had multiple government research teams already pursuing atomic research. Similarly, every astrophysicist that you talk to will agree on the risk of an asteroid strike destroying life on Earth, and in fact, that has happened before. With AI, there is absolutely no consensus at all.</p><p><strong>Stephen Witt</strong></p></p><p><p>I actually love using ChatGPT and similar services now, but we’re in the money-losing early stages of it. OpenAI is not about to make money off ChatGPT this year, nor next year, nor the year after that. But at some point, they have to make money off of it. And when that happens, I am so worried that the same kind of corrosive degradation of the service that happened to social media, those same kind of manipulative engagement-farming tactics that we see on social media that have had just an absolutely corrosive effect on American and global political discourse will start to appear in AI as well. And I don’t know that we, as people, will have the power to resist it.</p><p><strong>Stephen Witt</strong></p></p><p><p>When it comes to brilliant scientists… they’re brilliant at a certain level of their knowledge. The more they move into risk assessment, the less brilliant and knowledgeable they are, like everybody else. And the more amateurish they are.</p><p><strong>Ralph Nader</strong></p><p></p></p><p></p><p><strong>News 11/7/2025</strong></p><p>* On Tuesday, Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York City Mayoral election, capping off a stunning campaign that saw him emerge from relative obscurity to defeat incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and perennial Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani campaigned on making New York City buses fast and free, opening municipal grocery stores, implementing universal childcare, and ordering the NYPD to arrest the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu. Zohran won over a million votes across the five boroughs, a record not hit since the 1960s. As he said in his <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/05/zohran-mamdani-victory-speech-transcript">victory speech</a>, the voters have delivered him, “A mandate for change. ​​A mandate for a new kind of politics. A mandate for a city we can afford. And a mandate for a government that delivers exactly that.”</p><p>* Just before the election, conservative political figures sought to wade into the race on behalf of Andrew Cuomo. President Donald Trump wrote, New Yorkers “really have no choice,” but to vote for Cuomo because “If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins…it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds…to my beloved first home,” per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-threatens-restrict-federal-funds-new-york-city-if-mamdani-wins-2025-11-03/">Reuters</a>. Elon Musk also called for New Yorkers to “VOTE CUOMO,” referring to Zohran as “Mumdumi,” per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-cuomo-endorsement-zohran-mamdani-nyc-mayoral-race-2025-11">Business Insider</a>. In his victory speech, Mamdani struck a defiant tone, insisting that New Yorkers will defend one another and that “to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.” Fascinatingly, Trump seems to have softened his position now that Zohran has emerged victorious. <a target="_blank" href="https://abc7ny.com/post/president-donald-trump-mayor-elect-zohran-mamdani-comment-relationship-nyc/18120120/">ABC7</a> reports the President said “Now let’s see how a communist does in New York. We’re going to see how that works out, and we’ll help him. We’ll help him. We want New York to be successful.”</p><p>* Now that Mamdani is officially the Mayor-elect, he has begun assembling his transition team. According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/05/fresh-off-of-a-historic-election-victory-mamdani-names-his-transition-team-00637243">POLITICO</a>, many of these will be seasoned NYC political hands, including Former First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and president of United Way of New York City, Grace Bonilla. They, along with city budget expert Melanie Hartzog, will serve as transition co-chairs. Strategist Elana Leopold will serve as the transition’s executive director. More eye-catching for outside observers is another name: former Biden Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan. Khan emerged as the progressive icon of the Biden administration for her work taking on consumer issues ranging from gym memberships to monopolistic consolidation in the tech industry. Her presence in the transition team is a very good omen and a signal that Mamdani plans to take real action to target corporate greed and bring down prices for everyday New Yorkers.</p><p>* Piggybacking off of Mamdani’s victory, several other mayoral candidates who aligned themselves with Zohran in the primary are now eying bids for Congress. Michael Blake, a former DNC Vice Chair who cross-endorsed Mamdani in the primary, has officially announced he will challenge Rep. Ritchie Torres in New York’s 15th Congressional district. In his <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/MrMikeBlake/status/1986226731578187848">announcement</a>, Blake wrote “the people of The Bronx deserve better than Ritchie Torres,” and criticized Torres for his borderline-obsessive pro-Israel rhetoric, writing “I am ready to fight for you and lower your cost of living while Ritchie fights for a Genocide. I will focus on Affordable Housing and Books as Ritchie will only focus on AIPAC and Bibi. I will invest in the community. Ritchie invests in Bombs.” City Comptroller Brad Lander meanwhile is inching towards a primary challenge against rabid Zionist congressman Dan Goldman in NY-10, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/10/sources-brad-lander-making-plans-challenge-goldman/409086/">City & State NY</a>. A <a target="_blank" href="https://demandprogress.org/poll-brad-lander-leads-dan-goldman-by-19-points-in-potential-ny-10-democratic-primary/">Demand Progress</a> poll from September found Lander led Goldman 52-33% in the district, if it came down to a head-to-head matchup. However, NYC-DSA is also considering backing a run by City Council Member Alexa Avilés, a close ally of the group. Another close Zohran ally, Councilman Chi Ossé has publicly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amny.com/news/brooklyn-chi-osse-challenge-hakeem-jeffries-democratic/">toyed</a> with the idea of challenging House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffres. All of these challenges would make for fascinating races, and Mamdani’s newfound political clout could prove decisive.</p><p>* Another fast-moving, high-profile primary is unfolding in Massachusetts. Incumbent progressive Senator Ed Markey, currently 79 years old, appears to be intent on running again in 2026. Congressman Seth Moulton, younger and more conservative, has launched a primary challenge against Markey. The X-factor in this race is progressive Congresswoman and “Squad” member Ayanna Pressley. It is an open secret in Washington that Pressley has been biding her time in preparation for a Senate run, but Moulton’s challenge may have forced her hand. A new piece in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/11/04/congress/ayanna-pressley-for-senate-00636295">POLITICO</a> claims Pressley is “seriously considering jumping into the race…and has been checking in with allies about a possible run.” Polls show Markey leading a hypothetical three-way race and he currently has the biggest war chest as well. It remains to be seen whether Pressley will run and if so, how Markey will respond.</p><p>* The big disappointment from this week’s election is the loss of Omar Fateh in Minneapolis. Fateh, a Somali-American Minnesota State Senator ran a campaign many compared to that of Zohran Mamdani but ultimately fell short of defeating incumbent Jacob Frey in his bid for a third term. Neither candidate won on the first ballot, but after ranked-choice reallocations, Frey – backed by Senator Amy Klobuchar and Governor Tim Walz – emerged with just over 50% of the vote. Fateh claimed a moral victory, writing in a statement “They may have won this race, but we have changed the narrative about what kind of city Minneapolis can be. Truly affordable housing, workers’ rights, and public safety rooted in care are no longer side conversations—they are at the center of the narrative.” This from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsweek.com/democratic-socialist-fateh-defeated-frey-minneapolis-mayor-race-10998985">Newsweek</a>.</p><p>* Overall though, Tuesday was a triumphant night for the Democrats. Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill prevailed in the New Jersey gubernatorial election. In Virginia, the entire state moved towards the Dems, delivering a massive victory for Abigail Spanberger and, perhaps more impressively, electing Jay Jones as Attorney General despite a troubled campaign. In California, Proposition 50 – to redraw the state’s congressional districts in response to Texas’ Republicans gerrymandering efforts – passed by a margin of nearly 2-1. More surprising victories came in the South. In Mississippi, Democrats flipped two seats in the state senate, breaking the Republican supermajority in that chamber after six years, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mississippifreepress.org/mississippi-democrats-break-republican-senate-supermajority-flipping-3-legislative-seats/">Mississippi Free Press</a> reports. The state party called their victory “a historic rebuke of extremism.” Meanwhile in Georgia, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wral.com/story/democrats-win-big-over-gop-incumbents-in-2-statewide-georgia-utility-regulator-races/22233185/">WRAL</a> reports “Two Democrats romped to wins over Republican incumbents in elections to the Georgia Public Service Commission on Tuesday, delivering the largest statewide margins of victory by Democrats in more than 20 years.” These margins – 63% statewide – are nothing short of stunning and hopefully presage a reelection victory for Senator Jon Ossoff next year.</p><p>* In more Georgia news, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.notus.org/2028-election/marjorie-taylor-greene-presidential-run">NOTUS</a> reports Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is gunning for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. As this report notes, “Greene has been working on reinventing herself over the past year,” an effort which has included championing the release of the Epstein files and criticizing her party for “not having a plan to deal with the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year.” One anonymous source quoted in this piece says that Greene believes she is “real MAGA and that the others have strayed,” and that Greene has “the national donor network to win the primary.” So far, Greene has vociferously denied these rumors.</p><p>* Beyond the ACA subsidies, the ongoing government shutdown is now threatening to have real impacts on American air travel. On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced there will have to be 10% reductions in 40 of the most “high traffic” airport locations throughout the country, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/flight-reduction-shutdown-faa-rcna242231">NBC</a>. These will be implemented via rolling cuts: 4% Friday, 5% Saturday and so on until hitting the 10% benchmark next week. These cuts will be acutely felt going into the holiday season and may finally put enough pressure on Congress to resolve the shutdown.</p><p>* Finally, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c891k875x3qo">BBC</a> reports that a court has dismissed the criminal charges against Boeing related to the 737 MAX disasters. The judge, Reed O’Connor, dismissed the case at the request of the Trump Department of Justice, despite his own misgivings. Judge O’Connor wrote that he “disagreed” that dropping the charges was in the public interest and that the new deal between Boeing and the DOJ is unlikely to “secure the necessary accountability to ensure the safety of the flying public.” However, Judge O’Connor lacked the authority to override the request. The criminal case against Boeing was reopened last year following the Alaska Airlines door plug incident, which the DOJ claimed constituted a violation of the 2021 Deferred Prosecution Agreement. Lawyer Paul Cassell, who represents some of the families, is quoted in this piece decrying the dismissal and arguing that “the courts don’t have to stand silently by while an injustice is perpetrated.” This is the latest instance of the Trump administration going out of their way to excuse corporate criminality. It will not be the last.</p><p>This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven’t Heard.</p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at <a href="https://www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe</a>
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