If you’re looking for a feel-good show to listen to today, then don’t click the play button above. But if you want the hard, painful truth, then settle in for a rough ride.

As I mention often, I criticize when and where criticism is due, and today it was certainly more than warranted.

I’d been downplaying the Ebola threat for a while now, as I was sure that the CDC knew what it was doing. I now stand corrected.That agency is as inept as the others entrusted with our well-being – from the military to the CIA to DHS and just about every other bloated, money-hemorrhaging entity that’s supposed to be protecting us.

I awoke this morning to the news that a second health care worker has been diagnosed with the virus at the Dallas hospital where the first Ebola patient in the US, Thomas Eric Duncan’s care was so seriously mishandled. Today’s news follows yesterday’s statement from and conference call with National Nurses United that told of non-existent protocols and constantly changing procedure in caring for the infected patient. And to make matters even worse, that second infected worker flew the day before she exhibited symptoms.

CDC director Tom Frieden yesterday said that his agency should have done more when the first case was diagnosed in Dallas, that they should have stepped in and taken control. Well, duh! I can’t say that he engenders much confidence at this point.

On today’s show, I was thrilled to welcome Norman Solomon. He and Marcy Wheeler co-authored a piece in the current issue of The Nation, “The Government War Against Reporter James Risen.”

Risen has been in the news and on TV lately because his new book, Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War, was just released. But you should know about James Risen as he is the posted child man for the government’s attempts to silence a journalist in order to cover up its own ineptitude and mistakes.

It was a fascinating discussion about the persecution and prosecution of whistle-blowers and the chilling effect on journalists and the necessary oversight they are constitutionally emboldened to provide. I hope you’ll listen to our conversation, read the piece in The Nation, and learn about James Risen’s fight and plight too…

In the first hour, as is the case each Wednesday morning, I was joined by Susie Madrak. We talked about my absence last week due to my hospital stay and my disgust over how the first US Ebola case was mishandled in Dallas. That segued into American consumers’ lack of any kind of protections, and used the stories about Jimmy John’s heinous non-compete policy and Aaron’s Rentals spying on its customers as just two examples. And you wonder why I say consumers have no rights!

I’ll be back tomorrow with Amy Simon and whatever else the day’s news throws at us, radio or not….