Ralph Nader Radio Hour — March 1, 2026

Episode Theme:
A compelling examination of Jesse Jackson’s legacy in a time of racial and economic retrenchment, and a deep dive into recent transformations in U.S. grand jury behavior—particularly the unexpected rise in grand jury resistance to prosecutor-led indictments in the Trump era. Plus, Ralph Nader’s unsparing critique of the latest State of the Union address.

Segment 1: Jesse Jackson’s Legacy and Hope in the Face of Adversity

[05:49 – 26:08]

Discussion Highlights

• Ralph Nader introduces Michelle Singletary:
  Michelle Singletary is a personal finance columnist for the Washington Post. Her recent column, "How the Reverend Jesse Jackson Taught Me to Keep Hope Alive," is the focus of discussion.

• Formative encounter with Jesse Jackson:

  • As a child in Baltimore, Singletary was deeply impacted by Jackson’s famous "I Am Somebody" speech.
    • “I am who I am today, in part because of a speech I heard in fifth grade at Matthew A. Henson Elementary School in Baltimore.” – Michelle Singletary [06:28]
  • Jackson’s words instilled hope and self-worth at a time when Singletary’s family was fractured and her grandmother was raising her and her siblings alone.
    • “And right away he said, ‘I am somebody.’ And he said, ‘Repeat it after me: I am somebody.’ And I just was like, I am somebody. I'm not just that little girl whose parents couldn't take care of her. I could be something.” – Michelle Singletary [08:51]

• Jackson’s universality:

  • Jackson’s message resonated across lines of race and class, addressing the disadvantaged and poor of all backgrounds.
  • His approach was inclusive: "You are somebody even if you’re on welfare. You are somebody if you’re Black. ... He even said, ‘I may be in prison, but I am somebody.’" – Ralph Nader [11:18]

• Personal and Professional Impact:

  • Michelle discusses weathering suspicion about being an “affirmative action hire” throughout her journalism career. She recounts a pivotal conversation with an editor who affirmed, “I hired you because you were Black. I hired you because you’re a woman. I hired you because you’re a good reporter... It is the totality of who you are that made you a good hire for the Washington Post.” [13:01]
  • She credits both that exchange and Jackson's speech as sources of resilience:
    • “When it comes to those kind of moments, I think about what Jackson said. ‘I am somebody.’ And I quiet those voices... Even when I sometimes question myself, because I work to get where I am, I am good at what I do because of my experience and my gifting. No one gave me that job. I worked for it.” – Michelle Singletary [15:45]

• The rhetorical and political battle over DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion):

  • Singletary and Nader point out how political language manipulates public perception (e.g., “DEI” vs. spelling out specifics) [16:09].
  • The National Urban League State of Black America 2025 report shows rollback in civil, voting, and diversity rights.
    • “We are watching an attempt to turn back the clock to an era when the full humanity of all Americans was not recognized…” – Michelle Singletary [17:32]

• Lasting inspiration from Jackson:

  • Singletary met Jackson as an adult and told him the story of his impact on her:
    • “It was one of the best times of my life just to be around all these magnificent civil rights leaders and people fighting the good fight for consumer protection and job equality.” [21:00]
  • Jackson’s legacy extends into his children’s public service and activism [21:40].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I could feel my confidence growing. I could feel like, you know what? I can overcome all of this to be somebody.” – Michelle Singletary [09:20]
• “DEI isn’t a giveaway. It isn’t charity. It’s recognizing that when you have people from different backgrounds and different perspectives... you have a winning team.” – Michelle Singletary [15:11]
• “This is really important for people who are listening… If you don’t make sure that people have a living wage... it impacts all of us, including the people at the top.” – Michelle Singletary [19:49]
• “I am somebody because Jackson told me I was, and I believed him.” – Michelle Singletary [24:51]

Segment 2: Grand Jury Rebellion in the Trump Era

Guest: Prof. Eric S. Fish, UC Davis School of Law
[28:03 – 50:30]

Discussion Highlights

• Historical context & decline of the grand jury's power:

  • Eric S. Fish outlines the evolution from a citizen-driven mechanism in England and colonial America to today’s largely prosecutor-dominated institution.
  • “Grand juries today... are, in the significant majority of jurisdictions, sort of just rubber stamps for what the prosecutor wants.” – Eric S. Fish [29:23]

• How grand juries are selected and how they operate:

  • Randomly selected from the public, generally larger than petit (trial) juries; typically serve longer terms [31:34].
  • Proceedings are secret, with only the prosecutor as the active participant; rates of refusing indictments are extremely low (6 out of 100,000+ cases in recent years) [30:51].

• Recent, unprecedented grand jury pushback:

  • Since 2020, grand juries under the Trump administration have begun rejecting indictments for overtly political or dubious cases.
  • High-profile examples:
    • Refusing to indict former FBI Director James Comey, New York AG Letitia James, members of Congress who counseled military dissent, and protesters [38:17]
    • “The grand jury, it seems like, was a pretty effective screen against those charges, too.” – Eric S. Fish [38:56]

• Significance and echoes of the past:

  • This new resistance is reminiscent of the grand jury’s original function as a check against government overreach, e.g., during colonial resistance to British rule [40:55].
  • “This is how grand juries were meant to work.” – Eric S. Fish, quoting Chief Justices Earl Warren & John Jay [41:34]

• Possible causes for the shift:

  • Potential factors: sloppiness and lack of merit in the cases, large Justice Department turnover, and possibly a growing juror awareness of their check-and-balance role [42:15].

• State reforms and recommendations:

  • Models like California’s grand juries, which require exculpatory evidence, live witnesses, and allow for post-proceeding review, are spotlighted as examples [35:32, 45:04].
  • Fish calls for more independent public defender systems and broader defense participation to improve fairness [47:36].

Notable Quotes

• “It is extraordinarily rare for a grand jury to decline to indict a case. ... Even in those six cases, the prosecutor can wait for a new grand jury and try again.” – Eric S. Fish [30:51]
• “One might say this is the grand jury’s original purpose... as a bulwark against government oppression.” – Eric S. Fish [40:44]
• “If the grand jury proceeding were more trial-like... it would empower grand jurors to actually hear and consider the evidence and not just rubber stamp whatever charges the prosecutor wants to bring.” – Eric S. Fish [46:26]

Segment 3: Ralph Nader’s State of the Union Critique

[50:38 – 58:52]

Discussion Highlights

• Trump’s State of the Union as “fantasy”:

  • Nader calls out Trump for hiding the realities of poverty, Medicaid cuts, stagnant wages, hunger, and deregulation of corporate crime.
  • “It sugarcoated the grim reality that Trump refuses to recognize and take accountability for, such as the state of poverty in our country...” – Ralph Nader [50:52]

• Coverage of Middle East conflict:

  • Nader criticizes the focus on Israeli hostages while ignoring U.S.-supported attacks on Palestinian civilians and infrastructure:
    • “He dwelled on the Israeli hostages ... and never mentioned that his weapons and his diplomatic cover ... slaughtered hundreds of thousands of innocent Palestinian children, women and men…” [52:28]

• Accountability and language:

  • Nader lambastes Trump’s “dictatorial” style, historical revisionism, and chronic dishonesty:
    • “Dictatorial serial law violator, self-enriching, chronic liar, cruel, vicious to vulnerable people and people without power...” [56:33]
  • Notes the Republican strategy of language distortion (e.g., “DEI”, “Obamacare”) and critiques Democrats for weak, empty responses.

• Democratic rebuttal:

  • Finds Abigail Spanberger’s response “very disappointing” for lacking specifics and policy substance:
    • “They don’t know how to produce an authentic agenda... or a compact for America.” [57:22]

Key Timestamps

• Interview with Michelle Singletary: [05:49–26:08]
• Eric S. Fish on grand juries: [28:03–50:30]
• Ralph Nader’s State of the Union commentary: [50:38–58:52]

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “I am somebody because Jackson told me I was, and I believed him.” – Michelle Singletary [24:51]
• “This is how grand juries were meant to work.” – Eric S. Fish [41:34]
• “It was fodder for political scientists for years to come—a dictatorial serial law violator, self-enriching, chronic liar, cruel, vicious to vulnerable people... elected dictator.” – Ralph Nader [56:33]

The episode delivers a moving tribute to Jesse Jackson’s message of hope and empowerment, traces the evolution and recent “rebellion” of grand juries as a bulwark of legal democracy, and ends with Nader’s characteristically sharp critique of the State of the Union and political doublespeak, inviting listeners to consider both history’s lessons and today’s urgent political realities.