Ralph Nader Radio Hour - February 8, 2026

Podcast Summary

Overview

This episode of the Ralph Nader Radio Hour brings together expert voices to dissect urgent issues in global politics, media coverage on war, humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the erosion of American civil liberties. Ralph Nader, with co-hosts Steve Skrovan and David Feldman, welcomes retired Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who provides a deep dive on U.S. militarism, the future of NATO, and propaganda; and Rabbi Alyssa Wise, organizing leader in Jewish activism for Gaza, who shares firsthand insights on humanitarian relief and the battle for the soul of Jewish values amidst the violence in Gaza. The episode is marked by frank accounts, stark warnings, and calls to citizen action.

Segment 1: Global Politics and Media Failure with Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson

[02:50]–[10:30] - Critique of Military Budget & Media Censorship

Key Points:

• Colonel Wilkerson criticizes Trump’s proposal to massively increase the military budget, pointing to complicity in media like the Washington Post:
  • "The Washington Post... you aren't a newspaper, not really, if you don't have the guts to go out and get the news wherever it's happening." (Wilkerson, [05:15])
• Discusses how Washington Post and other outlets lack real international reporting and essentially recycle official propaganda.
• Raises the issue of civilian and journalist deaths in Gaza: “I think we've killed more journalists in the Gaza conflict than we've killed in the last 20 years and all the other wars combined.” (Wilkerson, [04:51])
• Describes a systemic blackout on antiwar and veterans’ activism, specifically Veterans for Peace.
• Cites the alternative media ecosystem as now outstripping mainstream press in influence among regular Americans, though not in Washington: “All these different podcasts out there, alternative media, all that have bigger audiences than any established visual or print media... but it’s not the official thing that Washington reads.” (Wilkerson, [08:39])

Notable Moment

• Wilkerson’s blunt indictment of modern press:
  “The Defense Department propagandizes Americans just like it propagandizes Russians, Iranians or whomever... We don’t honor that law anymore.” ([06:20])

[10:45]–[18:10] - NATO, EU, and U.S. Strategy

Key Points:

• Wilkerson argues both NATO and the EU are losing their raison d’être: “There is no threat to bring NATO into being as there was before...” ([11:26])
• He decries the shift from vision of cooperative security including Russia (as H.W. Bush aspired to) to a ‘Hobbesian world’ of engineered chaos for American dominance: “This strategy says... we’re going to create chaos with sanctions and military might, and then... try to sit on top of [it].” ([13:24])
• Explains U.S. foreign policy now operates mainly through sanctions and military force, as illustrated by Trump’s rhetorical threats over Greenland and Venezuela.
• Details China’s rising economic influence in Latin America, contrasting U.S. tactics: “China... [delivers] with goods for the country receiving it. We don’t do that anymore. We sanction them or we invade them.” ([17:22])

[16:05] Nuclear Arms Control

• Warns that U.S.-Russia nuclear treaties are lapsing: “We are going to be treatyless, period, across the board. 26 February.” ([16:19])

[18:12]–[27:34] - Authoritarianism, Civil Liberties, and Military Loyalty

Key Points:

• Discusses the dangers of authoritarian trends post-9/11 through present, particularly during and after the Trump administration:
  • “When we started with the Patriot Act... We assemble so much data, we couldn't even manage it...” ([19:18])
• Differentiates Bush-era ‘ultranationalist’ authoritarianism from Trump’s 'make the world chaotic' approach.
• Explains systemic “preacher packing” of the military with ideologically loyal and, in some cases, less-qualified recruits to facilitate future abuses of power ([24:23]).
• On the likelihood military might obey illegal orders (such as to seize voting machines): “The January 6th attempt to overthrow the United States government... didn’t fail because the system held. It failed because the coup plotters were incompetent... They will not do that again.” ([27:14])

Notable Quote

• “Publicly, I’ve said it: The January 6th attempt to overthrow the United States government... didn’t fail because the system held. It failed because the coup plotters were incompetent... They will not do that again.” — Col. Wilkerson ([27:14])

Segment 2: Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza & Jewish Values with Rabbi Alyssa Wise

[30:11]–[37:38] - Grassroots Jewish Advocacy for Gaza & Food Aid

Key Points:

• Rabbi Wise describes organizing over 30,000 Jews and 900 rabbis to demand humanitarian access and an end to Israel’s food blockade:
  • “I think there is a lot of support in the Jewish community for living up to core liberatory values… making the conscious choice that those are the threads of the tradition that we want to pull on.” ([32:23])
• Details the ongoing starvation and dire conditions in Gaza, including ‘wet tent syndrome,’ while international attention and media coverage wanes.
• Describes successful partnership with the Gaza Soup Kitchen, moving over $600,000 to fund hot meals and food boxes for Gazans under siege:
  • “It’s really a testament to Palestinian resilience... that they have continuously maintained their kitchens.” ([36:31])

[37:38]–[45:20] - Contrasting Jewish Values with Israeli State Actions

Key Points:

• Discusses Biblical foundations for justice (e.g., “eye for an eye”) as originally meant to limit cycles of violence, not justify mass killing.
• Denounces Israel’s claims to Jewish values: “There’s nothing Jewish about what the state of Israel is doing... It’s a nation state, it’s a military. And it uses... certain quotes or elements of Jewish teachings that either seem to uphold what they’re doing while at the same time being palatable and accessible to... Christian Zionists...” ([39:06])
• Stresses the chilling effect and risk activists face, leading to media silence: “There’s been a right wing takeover of a lot of media. And I think it’s just really hard to get voices from the left honestly into mainstream media.” ([43:41])
• Highlights efforts to organize both in the U.S. and help amplify the work of Israeli human rights groups.

Notable Quotes

• “If they were living according to Jewish values, like the most sacred Jewish law of keeping the Shabbat... the obligation to save life trumps any other tradition. If they were following that... maybe make a case that what they were doing was in interest of... Jews. But unfortunately, that’s not what they’re doing.” — Rabbi Wise ([41:06])
• “They’re putting Jews around the world in peril by claiming to be acting in their name, by perpetrating mass murder and genocide.” ([41:38])

Segment 3: Listener Engagement and Current Events

[47:19]–[56:56] - Ralph Nader’s Editorial & Calls to Action

Key Points:

• Nader details Trump’s rollback of miners’ safety protections, illustrating the consequences of citizen inaction and the importance of protest:
  • “It does show that if there’s pushback from the citizenry, from labor, sometimes the Trumpsters back off.” ([49:53])
• Shares stories of successful listener activism (writing to Congress), scientific research facing cuts, and urges people to replicate proactive steps.
• Discusses the real dangers of Trump seeking to “nationalize” elections and obtain state voter rolls — and the necessity for public vigilance and legal action.
• On Democratic leadership (Schumer and Jeffries) in the current congressional funding showdown:
  • “No compromise on the list you just expressed — this is simple constitutional observance and due process of law... they’re finally saying... time to drop the finger to the wind here and become leaders.” ([56:03])

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment / Topic | |------------|------------------------------------------------| | 02:50–10:30| Wilkerson on U.S. militarism & media failures | | 10:45–18:10| NATO, global security, US–China–Russia policy | | 18:12–27:34| Authoritarianism & military “preacher packing” | | 30:11–37:38| Wise on Gaza food aid & Jewish activism | | 37:38–45:20| Contradiction between Jewish values & Israel | | 47:19–56:56| Nader on activism, Trump, science, democracy |

Memorable Quotes

• Col. Wilkerson [06:20]: “The Defense Department propagandizes Americans just like it propagandizes Russians, Iranians or whomever... We don’t honor that law anymore.”
• Col. Wilkerson [27:14]: “The January 6th attempt... didn't fail because the system held. It failed because the coup plotters were incompetent. They will not do that again.”
• Rabbi Wise [41:06]: “If they were living according to Jewish values... the obligation to save life trumps any other tradition... But unfortunately, that’s not what they’re doing.”
• Ralph Nader [49:53]: “It does show that if there’s pushback from the citizenry, from labor, sometimes the Trumpsters back off.”

Tone and Language

• The episode balances deep concern with calls for civic participation.
• Wilkerson is blunt, historically literate, and expresses clear alarm over U.S. authoritarian drift and the complicity of both institutions and media.
• Rabbi Wise is passionate yet composed, foregrounding Jewish moral imperatives and the urgent human cost in Gaza.
• Nader is sharp, unsparing in his criticisms, but ultimately motivates listeners toward action and accountability.

Conclusion

This episode offers a sobering, information-rich exploration of today’s intersections between militarism, propaganda, ethical activism, and the challenges of democracy. It is a pointed call to responsibility—reminding listeners that only pressure from below can counter state violence, media silence, and creeping authoritarianism. The questions, stories, and organizing strategies discussed provide both a diagnosis of the moment and practical blueprints for action.