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I can’t help but note that this is exactly what RFK Jr. has pledged to address as HHS Director. Yet, you praise a blogger who, while impressive and admirable, has a relatively small audience, while refusing to acknowledge the person who has brought these issues to millions—many of them conservatives who would typically otherwise vote for candidates aligned with Big Ag and Big Pharma.

In my lifetime, I haven’t heard a cabinet nominee speak so forcefully about the dangers of corporate overreach in health and our food supply, and that includes Democrats, perhaps especially so. If your objection is vaccine skepticism, I must ask: why would you trust Big Pharma to be transparent about vaccines when their history is full of deception and criminality? Consider “Whitewash” by Carey Gillam—it documents Monsanto’s efforts to hide the dangers of glyphosate while regulators turned a blind eye. Why would vaccines be any different? Skepticism in this context seems not only reasonable but necessary.

When did Ralph Nader ever feel compelled to toe the line of the liberal establishment? Skepticism about whether Trump will actually allow RFK Jr. to act is certainly valid, but it’s puzzling to see you admire and host someone making the exact same arguments RFK has made on a far larger scale—while dismissing RFK because Trump is involved.

The NY Times paints anyone questioning vaccines as a conspiracy theorist, and now even Public Citizen resorts to ridiculous knee-jerk opposition, cowering again as it did when it turned its back on Ralph after the 2000 election. I hope Ralph, who has been an inspiration for all time and is rarely wrong, will take a closer look at this issue and reassess his assumptions.

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This video exemplifies my point. You can judge RFK by who is enemies are. Sadly, Public Citizen and the like will be lined up alongside Big Ag and Big Pharma to tank his nomination. Sad

https://x.com/ggreenwald/status/1860368369993515202?s=46&t=ChkbE7bAhkhJQKsCHSTfbw

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Thank you Andy for sharing this video! I've no subscribed to the System Update with Glenn Greenwald. I had wondered what happened to him after he was pushed out of The Intercept.

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Trade Unions leadership refused to listened to the rank and file. Under Biden the rich got richer and the poor are nolonger rebellious except to vote for Trump.

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Years ago I told my friends I think it's a lot healthier to eat the box than what's in the box . I never ate the box but the pictures on the out side of box sure looked great ,

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I think today it's called "suggestive marketing",,, have you ever looked at a box of anything and the picture on the outside is really what's inside ?

The other day I bought a bag of apples and forgot and left them in the trunk of my car for 3 weeks ,, and they were as fresh as daizies and new born corn .

I only got one good apple tree in my back yard and I don't spray it with bug killers because I share the apples with my birds and squirrels,, you got to eat them off the tree or they ain't no good .( Sorry for hick words )

The bag of car apples I tossed out .

Got to go ,,, And take care and always be kind to yours birds and squirrels .

Have a great day my friends

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RFKJr said the reason he got involved with vaccines is because a woman, who had a child affected with autism, dropped off thousands of pages of research on his doorstep. He said his life has never been the same since.

As much as it might seem like an unnecessary detour to some, he took it on out of sincere concern, which many people are lacking these days.

He says he is not going to take anyone's vaccines away, but he does oppose COVID vaccine mandates

TBH there are so many lies, propaganda and misinformation about him by corporate media that it's hard to get anything straight.I just read a lie about how he said that the COVID vaccines were designed to target whites and blacks, but designed not to affect Asians and Jews. This is false. He did not say that at all. I listened to the video several times. Anyone with a brain could understand that he did not say the virus was engineered to spare Jews. He was talking in general. I tried to find the original video and I could not, only hit piece after hit piece about how anti-semitic he was. MSM would use words like link and suggest. It was disgraceful.

Just reading all that legacy media BS makes me glad that the election is over.

I voted for Stein in any case because of the genocide.

The Democratic Party has a lot of work to do. They're the ones who pushed RFKJr out of the race, and discredited him so badly. Because the MSM does the bidding of the Democrats, they'd say anything to malign him. I hope there is a semblance of order in the Senate hearings and it's not just a bunch of Senators grandstanding.

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“The media is the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” -Malcolm X

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Steve Scrovan, I agree we need to concentrate on ONE thing. I am a "Leveler." It's much harder to argue for leveling the money as leveling the power: Most people DO want us to have equal power, 1 person 1 vote, but most DON'T want to redistribute money equally. The established way to really level power is ballot initiatives, which work so much better in Switzerland, mostly because petitions can be left UNATTENDED, saving million$ compared to the US, where petitioners are required, costing millions and getting worse as public space is privatized.

Here in Boulder by a fluke I was able to get on the ballot and voted 71-29% into the City Charter, the country's only ONLINE petitioning: petitions.bouldercolorado.com But look at the numbers to see that only 4% of the required 3401 signatures were gotten online this year. The details were purposely butchered by officials, documented here: tinyurl.com/petitionstory. Local media hardly touched this pit of vipers, and play kiss up and shit down.

In Switzerland it's so easy to get ballot status that there are FOUR election days most years for I&R and a 5th for candidates: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Switzerland#:~:text=Approximately-,four%20times,-a%20year%2C%20voting Switzerland after centuries of real govt by the people is a huge success, including having 1 of the highest news readership -I think because they can DO something about the issues directly w/o soiling themselves with politicians. Politicians represent better because the people have a useable Plan B.

Yes, politicians have better info, but voters have every incentive to fix our mistakes while pols have incentives to COVER UP mistakes, to protect $, careers and image. I can give details on how Coloradans have fixed one ballot initiative with another. With online petitions this evolution will accelerate greatly and open the process to all. Representative govt is rapidly devolving.

If too many initiatives qualify, the signatures required can be increased and we should vote to set the level regularly.

There are efforts to get this in CA, OK and IL, where former Gov. Pat Quinn is on the case. You should have us on! Real online petitioning is trivial technically -AZ has had it for candidate ballot access only for a decade- but for I&R is FEROCIOUSLY fought, mostly by pols and their owners. See evanravitz.com/vote/udall

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The email notice of RNRH came with a rundown of the show. After reading it, I went to look at the ingredients of orange flavored Metamucil (doctor recommended 30 years ago). YELLOW #6!

I looked that up on the web, and there was a warning about possible cancer, and other side effects. Then I listened to the show where "Food Babe" brought that one up, among the many other welcome revelations. Thank you, Vani Hari. I only eat cut oats or shredded wheat with fruit and yogurt for breakfast, so I guess I'm somewhat safe from poison?

The FDA allows the food industry to provide its own research on the more than 10,000 untested chemicals it puts in our food. YUCK! Worse to come 01/20/2025 with the "Fourth Reich".

I have always been a member of various unions in my working life. I believe all work places should be unionized, except the racist, murdering, corporate-controlled urban armies.

I backed the unions I belonged to when it came to better working conditions, pensions and raises. I never donated to the Dems or, years later, to the PACS for which that the unions wanted donations. That's because I did not like any candidates, until the Green Party. Thank you Ralph Nader!

Townsend was right. Unions are joined at the hip with the do-nothing Dems as cash/milking cows.

If only union members were intelligent enough to realize their best interests lie with the Party of Peace, People and Planet.

Thanks Francesco for two positives out of 10.

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Why not have RFK junior on the show?

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David was almost there when he said it was all about one thing and that thing was money until he said what if people told politicians that it should be about putting money in our pockets.

What he should have said is people should be telling politicians that if they put big money in the pockets of their campaigns that they will not be getting our votes.

As Ralph said it is all about Congress and what citizens should demand from politicians and what better thing is there to demand from politicians then that they do not take big money.

After all, big money being the prime ingredient of the diet of politicians causes all sorts of behavioral problems in politicians and threatens the health of our country and citizens.

Big money has put ordinary citizens in a position we cannot defend so as Chris Townsend said when you cannot defend yourself it is time to attack.

So lets form a Union for Politics demanding small donor candidates in 2026 where citizens sign up on a website that they will only vote in the 2026 primaries and general elections for candidates that do not take big money. Think of this as signing a petition with specific consequences for politicians that do not comply.

If we can get 5-10% of voters signed up by this time next year we can make an impact in the primaries that would represent the 5 people trying to push the big money boulder blocking the road and get 5-to 10 more people to join in the 2026 general election to get the boulder moving and then 5-10 more people in 2028 to get the boulder out of the road.

I am standing by the boulder. Will you join me ,Ralph?

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Excellent program as usual. On health food, even a low income person such as myself can eat well; I picked up some old style Baldwin and Jonathan apples at the farmer's market today; at the food shelf there are cans of organic tomato sauce; I order buckwheat on Amazon, etc.. The key to health is avoiding junk food and the god-like status that doctors and health care workers demand. I've complained to state oversight about the Husky health doctors who can't even lance a boil on a finger but try to bully patients into more and more tests, quite chauvinistic and presumptuous. Nuvance seeming driven to shake down the state for maximum profits without regard to health, asking patients about diet or exercise which they don't. I see too many baby boomer households who've been severely handicapped by family members or spouses whose health has collapsed due to diet, drugs and treatments and a lack of discipline.

As for contacting the senators and congressman, no meetings are held, the staffers who pick up phones will not give their names, and will even hang up on you even if you are not rude. They have categorized citizens they deem a problem for them.

As bad as the new wave of GOP maga nuts may be, hopefully there will be some reforms. Years ago Mr. Nader said that Ron Paul could be like an "enema" for Congress if he had the power. Maybe the dead wood and obstacles to reform could be removed. But since there has been so little reform over the last 50 years or more except for various hearings in the 70s, why should we believe a known con-man?

I'm hoping for the best. It's going to take a lot of hard work, sacrifice for the greater good and sound decision making to see improvements in the government on the federal level. There are so many obstacles to real progress and things that could happen which I hope don't; false flag events, other disasters on a monumental scale, etc.. Let's remember, Trump, Vance, Musk, Thiel and the fat cats that backed Trump do not have a strong history of self-sacrifice; I have a lot more confidence in RFK, jr who does have a history of working for the common good. Privatization only can go so far for good, in many cases it becomes a retrograde effect pandering to private equity and hedge funds just as nursing homes, hospitals, etc. have declined when acquired by for profit interests. Same thing with prisons and tax agencies, would you rather have the IRS contacting you or a collection agency with stronger powers? If they transition to a VAT or national sales tax that would be regressive with the money funneled more and more to the wealthiest in society.

The indictments of Netanyahu and Gallant were after your press deadline and those are huge issues! Can Trump be expected to shift away from the zionist crazies when he has so many in his cabinet are party?

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Thank you.

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I wanted to hear about the PRO Act, and the Reward Work Act, and about sectoral bargaining. None of that was mentioned. Therefore, this conversation was a failure. The PRO Act is a game changer; Harris/Walz ignored it, and now the RNRH ignores it. David Madland is the expert on sectoral bargaining. Ellen Dannin wrote "Taking Back the Workers' Law"; Thomas Geoghegan wrote "Only One Thing Can Save Us"; Michael Yates has written numerous books such as "Why Unions Matter". The disappearance of the "middle class" is coterminous with the demise of labor unions. In 1976 the lower-earning 90% earned 62% of all national income, and in 2023 they earn 47%, a drop of 15% of all income. Restoring the former ratio of distribution would add about $30,000 to all households in the lower 90%; it's a big deal. We have lost prosperity for a majority of Americans. Make America Great Again would mean restoring the income share the lower 90% once had. It's not rocket science. The web page RealTime Inequality demonstrates the lost income share. My blog is Economics Without Greed, Part Two. This conversation was simply hand-wringing.

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Ralph Nader welcome a food charlatan. How disappointing

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I really appreciate Hannah Feldman pushing for an actual answer from Vani Hari when she was entirely avoidant of talking about her willingness to mobilize her audience for stronger protections on dietary supplements. Instead she turned it into a commercial for her product. I appreciate her work in areas that she is not financially invested, but am disappointed in her willingness to also overlook regulation in an industry she profits from. Thank you Hannah for pushing on this point!

In regard to further discussions on food, I would love to hear yall interview either or both Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. Their work was showcased in the documentary, Forks Over Knives, which is available to watch on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZGs0XsS_lI With the damage that this upcoming administration will unfortunately lead to with our food and regulation around food, their work can help people take more control over their health through the foods that they choose to consume. Plus they're both up there in age and would love for people to be exposed to them before they're no longer with us. Thank you for all that yall do!

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Terrific show, as usual. Many thanks for the extended bonus material.

First--been thinking the same thing: Need to be strategic and focus in on key Republicans in Congress. Sadly, it will take more than just Collins and Murkowski in the Senate.

Two--Trump's pick for Labor Secretary, Oregon Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer picked up union endorsements this year, but I'll point out she's got a 10% voting record with AFL-CIO. (Perhaps that's considered strong these days for a Republican?)

Three--Enjoyed the conversation with Chris Townsend. To the point about federal workers being targeted and then the point about having workplace discussions, the Hatch Act presents challenges in having political organizing conversations at work. As a Legislative and Political Organizer with the American Federation of Government Employees for five years, I had to get creative in getting workers offsite so we could have political discussions, lobby and help elect pro-labor candidates. Trump will no doubt use Executive Orders again to attack union protections for federal workers. And then there's Ramaswamy and Musk. Oy vey!

Lastly thanks to Francesco for the news about Rep. Bowman wanting to assist the Dem ticket in Michigan, but being denied. Depressing, but further confirmation the party needs to start from scratch.

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"...infringe on our 'right to exist, on multiple sectors," I appreciate this terminology here. Appreciating this from the existence sector. Thank you and your cohosts and guests, and for being a good listener and for asking pertinent questions and for good societal counsel for life's sake, for Goodness's sake.

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