It's Talk Like a Pirate Day, the start of the People's Climate March & Mobilization, Flashback Friday, and Congress is in recess again. Nicole discusses it all, along with the rest of the news. No Nukes activist Harvey Wasserman, and Medical Marijuana advocate Robert Platshorn guest. And for Flashback Friday, we go back to 2000 for Nicole's interview and performance with Natalie Merchant.
Today, we begin a new weekly segment on the show: The Steve Israel Hour, sponsored by Little Debbie , featuring Howie Klein of the Blue America PAC and Down With Tyranny. In case you didn't know about Blue America, it's a PAC run by Howie, Digby, and Crooks & Liars' John Amato, for the purpose of vetting and identifying the best progressive candidates out there, mostly in Congressional races, and help raise money for them. The sad fact is the today's Democratic Party - the DNC, led by Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and the DCCC, chaired by Steve Israel, tend [...]
We covered a lot of territory on today's show... First up, the situation in Ukraine is horribly sad and tragic. And hearing American politicians on both sides of the aisle proclaiming, as John Kerry did, that "in the 21st century, you don't invade another country on completely trumped-up pretext," is hypocrisy defined. Sickening. The Bobsey Twins, McCain and Graham, couldn't be any more sickening in their sabre-rattling in the name of criticizing Obama - going against the previous tenets of "foreign policy ends at the water's edge." They don't stand for anything other than leading that charge that whatever Obama [...]
For almost two hours today, NJ Bully Governor Chris Christie denied he had any involvement in the vindictive closure of multiple toll lanes leading on to the George Washington Bridge that resulted in massive traffic backups for four days in September 2013. He did, however, throw a number of his senior staffers under the bus (or off the bridge, as it were), and he played the victim. He can go cry crocodile tears with Frank Luntz. Obviously, the Christie blame game (anyone but him) and his endless presser dominated today's show, which included Julianna Forlano's top five four excuses why [...]
CNN aired a pretty remarkable program last night. I don't know if they're going to air it again or make it available online - so the next best thing is to watch "Should Grandma Smoke Pot?". It was put together by Robert Platshorn, the guy behind The Silver Tour, who also holds the distinction of being imprisoned longer than any other American on marijuana charges. Yes. That familiar voice narrating the video is mine. Robert Platshorn joined me on the show this morning to talk about the CNN special report, Weed, and to update us on the medical marijuana movement [...]
Most Americans have no clue what the TPP is, but we all need to know. So today, we talked a bit about the Trans Pacific Partnership. It's the newest so-called "Free Trade" agreement - which seems to deal with a lot more than just trade. Our friends at Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch put lots of information about this very secretive deal on a new website, ExposeTheTPP.org to educate us all. Let's start with this short video: Global Trade Watch research director Ben Beachly joined me on the show this morning to talk about it... but if you still want [...]
Watch the video and visit The Silver Tour for more information! Robert Platshorn, the man behind "Grandma" joins in on the show this morning, updating us on where and when it's airing, plus the latest on the progress to end prohibition. And GottaLaff of The Political Carnival visits to talk about these stories and more: John McCain’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Joke Source– John McCain on economic inequality: “I don’t care, nobody cares.” Anthony Weiner is ba-a-a-ack. But WTF did he tweet? VIDEO– Mitch McConnell: “They want to take me out.” Oh f***! Parents group wants FCC to [...]
Medical Marijuana is legal 17 states and Washington DC, and legislation is pending in seven more. But the Department of Justice under President Obama is still closing dispensaries and prosecuting people under federal law instead of following states' laws. Robert Platshorn, author of The Black Tuna Diaries (his story of arrest and 30-year incarceration for pot smuggling), is leading the charge to educate our senior citizens on the subject of Medical Marijuana. He produced this film, Should Grandma Smoke Pot, and will run it all over the nation as an infomercial. Having interviewed Robert a few times over the years, [...]
You just know that the gang working on the Lawrence Welk Show was smoking pot. Here we are, decades later, and one man is making sure the senior citizens know how much a bit of the medical kush could help them Robert Platshorn spent 30 years in jail for smuggling pot back in the late 70s. As a kid growing up in South Florida at the time, I probably smoked some of his imports. Platshorn was sentenced to 64 years (!!!), but for good behavior and with parole, he got off easy. Or not. Since his release, Robert has been [...]