Ralph Nader Radio Hour

The Radio Hour celebrates that bedrock Constitutional principle of an ordinary citizen’s right to have their day in court, when Ralph talks to legendary trial lawyers, Stephen Susman, Shanin Specter and Executive Director of the American Museum of Tort Law, Richard Newman.  Plus more listener questions! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Ralph welcomes back president of Public Citizen, Robert Weissman, for an update on the Trump agenda and what they are doing to fight it.  Also, aviation expert William McGee tells us what’s really going on in the airplanes you fly with his book, “Attention All Passengers: The Airlines Dangerous Descent and What You Can Do To Reclaim Our Skies.”  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Ralph welcomes independent candidate for California Lieutenant Governor, Gayle McLaughlin, who talks about how she and small group of progressive reformers turned around the city of Richmond, California. And one of the foremost experts on the Middle East, Professor Joshua Landis, clues us in to what exactly is going on in Syria, and what we should do about it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Former Internal Revenue Service Commissioner, John Koskinen, joins Ralph to discuss the bad rap the IRS gets and the consequences of Congress cutting its budget. Plus, listener questions! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Ralph welcomes conservative Constitutional scholar, Bruce Fein, who argues against the appointment of John Bolton as National Security Advisor and why that should be a position confirmed by the Senate. Plus, Jack Gillis, co-author of “The Car Book,” gives us tips on how to buy the safest, most reliable car. And, a listener asks, “Did Ralph pave the way for Citizens United?” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Ralph talks to journalist Gareth Porter about why both liberals and conservatives should be afraid - be very afraid - of warhawk John Bolton’s appointment as Trump’s National Security Advisor.  And author/activist Julie Wark joins us to talk about why she is “Against Charity.”     This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

On the fifteenth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, Ralph talks about the true costs of war with executive director of Veterans for Peace, Michael McPhearson and un-embedded war correspondent, Dahr Jamail, eyewitness to the battle of Fallujah.   This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Ralph spends the full hour with the co-founder of Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), Jack Dangermond, talking about the gift he and his wife Laura gave to preserve 24,000 acres of incredibly bio-diverse California coastal land as well as their vision for all of the positive ways computer mapping software can be used. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Former derivatives trader turned philosophical essayist,Nassim Nicholas Taleb, joins us to talk about his new book, ‘Skin in the Game,” about the role risk and reward plays not only in politics but also our daily lives. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Ever wonder why no bankers went to jail after the 2008 financial crisis? Investigative journalist, Jesse Eisinger, tells us why in his book, “The Chicken S**t Club.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Ralph questions the Comptroller of the United States, Gene Dodaro, head of the Government Accountability Office, about a long overdue audit of the Pentagon. Plus, Dr. Gordon Douglas, co-founder of Princeton Studies Food has some pretty harsh words for our industrial animal agriculture system. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Ralph welcomes the head of testing for Consumer Reports, Liam McCormack, who gives us a tour of the marketplace for many of the products you buy from automobiles to computers to auto insurance to appliances to laundry detergent and much, much more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Ralph talks about the “real terrorists” in our midst - killer germs - with Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center For Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.  And then Brian Carome, executive director of Street Sense Media, tells us how his organization is helping the homeless in the Washington DC area. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Investigative journalist Pratap Chatterjee joins us for a deep dive into his graphic non-fiction book “Verax: The True History of Whistleblowers, Drone Warfare, and Mass Surveillance,” which reveals the dark underbelly of how the U.S. conducts the so-called War on Terror.  Also, Ralph deconstructs Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist, tax expert and Trumpologist extraordinaire, David Cay Johnston, talks to Ralph about his new best seller: “It’s Even Worse Than You Think: What The Trump Administration Is Doing To America.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Ralph welcomes back ocean conservationist David Helvarg, who talks about offshore oil drilling and June 9th’s March for the Ocean and Steven Shafarman, author of Basic Income Imperative: For Peace, Justice, Liberty and Personal Dignity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Ralph talks to a new generation of young activists, Timothy Faust, who tours the country promoting single-payer healthcare, and Ralph Wilson, who is putting a spotlight on Charles Koch’s efforts to influence what’s taught at colleges and universities. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

Ralph talks to legendary progressive lawyer and former U.S. Attorney General,Ramsey Clark, about the conflicts in the Middle East.  And we continue our discussion about the difference between “progressives” and “liberals” and why the distinction is important.  Plus more listener questions! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

To wrap up a year filled with anxiety, Ralph answers a bunch of your questions and then David and Steve try out some jokes.  As usual, Ralph gets the last laugh. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com

We track down disabilities champion, Ralf Hotchkiss, who is in Nicaragua helping poor communities design and build more durable, low cost wheelchairs.  Then filmmaker Helen Young promotes her gripping documentary about the elderly activists who snuck onto two of the most fortified military installations in the country to peacefully protest the nuclear weapons industry.  Plus, David, Steve and Ralph talk more about Al Franken and sexual harassment as well as the GOP tax bill. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ralphnader.substack.com