# Emptywheel Fridays | New Episode, Nicole's Back, Trump's Disaster, Kash's Whiskey...

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-nicole-sandler-show-1065430/emptywheel-fridays-new-episode-nicole-s-back-trump-s-disaster-kash-s-whiskey
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-nicole-sandler-show-1065430/emptywheel-fridays-new-episode-nicole-s-back-trump-s-disaster-kash-s-whiskey.md
Podcast: [The Nicole Sandler Show](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-nicole-sandler-show-1065430)
Published: 2026-05-08T19:23:17+00:00
Episode link: https://nicolesandler.com/5-8-26
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/audio3.redcircle.com/episodes/0d7be5d6-1852-4029-b839-7f02e4d9f6f3/stream.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-nicole-sandler-show-1065430/episodes/emptywheel-fridays-new-episode-nicole-s-back-trump-s-disaster-kash-s-whiskey
Duration seconds: 3600

## Resource

Nicole Sandler is back after a health scare, but she tries to never miss an Emptywheel Friday episode! So she and national security journalist Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net are here for their weekly breakdown of lots of what the corporate media is underreporting. This week: the Iran War is far more catastrophic than the White House is letting on — bases may be permanently abandoned, Saudi Arabia is furious, jet fuel prices are spiking, and Spirit Airlines is the first casualty. Plus, Kash Patel's whiskey brand may have gotten him into serious legal trouble, Howard Lutnick testified behind closed doors about his Epstein ties, Trump's new counterterrorism strategy conspicuously omits far-right extremists, and the Voting Rights Act is basically history. It's a lot — because it always is. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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## Transcript

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