Here we go... it's the last Emptywheel Friday episode before this election finally comes to a close. I've been struggling with awful anxiety for the last couple of weeks and have been off the air much of this week due to that. Another reason to be grateful for Marcy Wheeler's friendship and brilliance... Find and support Marcy's work at emptywheel.net. And you can always find me at nicolesandler.com

I'm doing my best to dig out of the anxiety that's sidelined me for the past few days. Today, we'll share some encouraging words from one of my favorite OG bloggers, the inimitable Driftglass (who's also celebrating a birthday this week!!) Read Driftglass at driftglass.blogspot.com, and hear him and his wife BlueGal Fran on the Professional Left Podcast too!

You know what TFN stands for at this point, right? It's The Fucking News. It just doesn't stop. And it's the cause of the giant pit in my stomach right now that has had me feeling nauseated and unable to function most of the time these days. If you've been listening to this show for a while, you may remember the effect the 2016 election had on my mind, soul and being. When TFG was declared winner, that sickness permeated every inch of my body and psyche and wreaked havoc on me for four long years. I'm not a medical professional, but my best description of what happened to me was a total breakdown. Somehow I managed to mostly go through the motions and keep this show going, but it was not easy. And it was not fun. I've struggled with depression since adolescence, but the stress and anxiety that's ravaged my mind and body thanks to that orange narcissistic fascist is really taking a toll on me. I'll do my best to muddle through... but please know that if I'm off the air at all this week, that's why. I know it's not rational. NOTHING about him is rational. This is opposite world on steroids. I believe we'll be ok. I believe he will lose and that GOOD will triumph over evil. Unfortunately, none of those rational beliefs are doing a good job of alleviating what's happening in my head. But I'll keep trying to battle those demons -- in real life, in my mind and all over the fucking internet and tv. I'll share a few things that should help (and do, albeit temporarily). And we'll check in with Jonathan Larsen of TheFuckingNews.substack.com as we do each Monday.... And if you're feeling as I am, please know you're not alone. But we will survive. And we will win.

We are in the final stretch of the race to November 5 and the head off a disaster too frightening for most of us to contemplate. I know that my stress and anxiety levels are where they were eight years ago again... a feeling I had hoped I'd never again experience. Perhaps I can take small solace in knowing that I'm not alone. And one of the best pep talks about defeating despair comes directly from the one woman who can make pulling back from the brink of doom, VP Kamala Harris herself, with an assist from Maria Shriver and Liz Cheney. We usually record these Emptywheel Friday shows early in the day as I'm in Arizona and Marcy is in Ireland, But today, Marcy is enjoying Paris with friends, so today we'll do it live! It'll be our regular 2pm Mountain AZ time on my end, and at 11pm Friday night in Paris!

The interminable election season of 2024 will end in less than two weeks and then all bets are off. The future is so uncertain that no one can tell you what will happen. If they do, they're lying, though that's nothing new for one of the major political parties vying for control. If you're not nervous about it, you're not paying attention.

With so much at stake, we have a busy show today.

Voting is underway in most states. Some of us have already completed and returned our ballots, while others are procrastinating. Although I can't understand how anyone could still be undecided about the top of the ticket, those ballot initiatives often trip people up. We'll speak with Chris Melody Fields Figueredo of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center about how to navigate those often huge ballots to make sure you're voting the correct way...

And then we'll check in with Thom Hartmann who's just released the final installment in his Hidden History book series - this time it's The Hidden History of the American Dream... Let's hope we can get back too that dream and escape our current nightmare!

It's that time of year again... open enrollment for Medicare and just a week away for the ACA. With your life on the line, it's important to know your options. So I'm thrilled that the health insurance industry whistleblower Wendell Potter returns to the show today to answer your questions and give you actual facts.
You should also be reading Wendell Potter's "Healthcare Un-Covered" newsletter by subscribing to healthcareuncovered.substack.com!

Another Monday arrived way too soon, but we'll deal with it.
It was a strange weekend -- complete with TFG's obsessing over Arnold Palmer's dick size and Harvey Weinstein getting "schlonged" (I don't believe that's even a word, though "schlong" is Yiddish slang for dick). What more or less would you expect from a demented narcissist who wants to be a dick-tator?

As it is Monday, we will visit with Jonathan Larsen from The Fucking News at thefuckingnews.substack.com and the less expletively-challenged jonathanlarsen.substack.com....

And you thought Don-Old was vulgar! He is, but also know that I'm not running for president. He is.

Another week is winding down and, as we do each Friday, Marcy Wheeler and I stick a fork in it with a freewheeling discussion of what happened.

Today we begin with the release of Jack Smith's appendices to his filing that TFG fought but failed to prevent. Despite the corporate media's best efforts to prolong the horse race and their refusal to just report the facts and tell the truth, a few moments that could clarify actual truths were able to penetrate the barrage of right wing propaganda. The probing questions were asked by concerned citizens, not from members of the fourth estate who've been negligent in their duties...

And yes, we will touch on the big news out of the horrific situation in the Middle East. Yesterday came confirmation that the Israeli Defense Forces had killed Hamas leader and 10/7 architect Yahya Sinwar. The question here is can this please be the thing that will garner the release of the remaining hostages and start the peace process? Please?