We welcome back nuclear power expert, Peter Bradford, former Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner and board member for the Union of Concerned Scientists to update us on the latest nuclear power boondoggles that force customers to pay for the construction of nuclear reactors sometimes decades before they benefit from any energy that’s produced. Plus, molecular biologist, Becky McClain, who got infected by a dangerous virus in her workplace, joins us to discuss her book, “Exposed: A Pfizer Scientist Battles Corruption, Lies, and Betrayal, and Becomes a Biohazard Whistleblower.”

Peter Bradford teaches and advises on utility regulation, nuclear power, and energy policy in the United States and overseas. He is a former member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and is on the board of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Basically, (nuclear power) is like trying to stop world hunger with caviar. It’s too expensive, takes much too long, you wind up buying too little of it, and you displace all of the better sources.

Peter Bradford

It’s almost like there’s a bubble being built on top of a bubble, because there’s a real chance that we’re not going to see all the artificial intelligence demand that people have been saying. And then on top of that, it’s for damn sure that we’re not going to see successful companies developing all the small reactors that are on their drawing boards.

Peter Bradford

Becky McClain is a retired biotech worker and research scientist. She is known as the first successful biotech whistleblower who spoke and reported on biolab safety issues of public concern. On April 1, 2010, Ms. McClain won a federal court whistleblower trial against Pfizer, Inc., which centered on free speech rights concerning biosafety and public health. She is the author of “Exposed: A Pfizer Scientist Battles Corruption, Lies, and Betrayal, and Becomes a Biohazard Whistleblower.”

I was exposed to a dangerous virus and OSHA worked against me. My medical care was blocked. My complaints ignored. No safety inspection occurred after I had documented complaints shown to them from several scientists. They stole my documents. It seemed like every institution that I went for help, they just became part of the danger.

Becky McClain

The book really provides the public an understanding of the culture of health and safety operating within 21st century biotechnology. Once the reader reads it, they probably will feel the terrible repercussions that the public could face if it’s not countered and balanced with effective whistleblower protections and improved worker health and safety rights.

Becky McClain

When you were exposed and became sick, you tried to go to the workers’ compensation agency, the state of Connecticut, and their response was totally dismaying. They ruled that trade secrets of Pfizer superseded your rights to get exposure records from Pfizer for your healthcare.

Ralph Nader

Far, far more people die from silent violence of workplace and environmental contaminants than are killed in street crimes every year in the United States.

Ralph Nader

News 11/21/25

* This week, Congress voted to demand the release of the Epstein files. This is the culmination of a months-long pressure campaign which overcame stiff opposition from the Trump White House and its allies in Congress. While only four Republicans broke ranks to sign the discharge petition in order to force the House vote, nearly every House Republican – save for Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana – voted for the bill in the end after Trump reversed course and gave his blessing for them to vote yea. According to Reuters, Trump then lobbied senators to “slow walk” the bill in the upper chamber, but that effort failed and the Senate approved the measure quickly and unanimously. Trump now claims to have signed the bill, which starts a 30-day timer for the Justice Department to release all of the Epstein files. However, many have expressed concern about manipulation of the files by DOJ leadership, including politically-motivated delays or redactions. This issue, and Trump’s response, has been very damaging for him among his own base. A recent poll, cited in the Reuters piece, found that “just 44% of Republicans thought Trump was handling the Epstein situation well.” It remains to be seen whether this new attempt to control the narrative will help or hurt his standing.

* In order to distract from domestic political problems, Trump is turning to a tried-and-true political tactic: saber rattling abroad. In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the U.S. would designate “the Cartel de los Soles,” or Cartel of the Suns, a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), claiming that this supposed gang is “headed by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary.” Yet, as the Intercept notes, “There’s just one giant problem: There is little evidence that Cartel of the Suns exists.” As this piece explains, that term came about as an informal designation accusing the ruling elites of Venezuela of corruption and did not refer to an actually existing organization. Therefore, this designation of the ‘cartel’ as an FTO is nothing more than the Trump administration’s latest attempt to threaten and intimidate the government of Venezuela, hoping President Nicolás Maduro will cave to American pressure and the U.S. can install a compliant regime in the country. Maduro however shows no sign of doing so, and the two nations draw ever closer to armed conflict.

* In more news from Latin America, voters in Ecuador soundly rejected a constitutional referendum supported by right-wing President Daniel Noboa which would have allowed the United States to reopen military bases in the country. The U.S. formerly maintained a base on Ecuador’s Pacific coast, but in 2008 left-wing President Rafael Correa “decided not to renew its lease and pushed for the constitutional ban,” per the BBC. In addition to this vote, Ecuadorans also rejected a slew of other Noboa-supported constitutional amendments, including “ending public funding for political parties, shrinking the size of Congress, and establishing a constitutional assembly to re-write Ecuador’s constitution.” Noboa has vowed to respect the will of the voters, but will likely face immense pressure from the Americans who had hoped to set up outposts within the country.

* In more foreign policy related news, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has introduced a new resolution which seeks to recognize “the Genocide of the Palestinian People in Gaza.” According to a press release, “This resolution officially recognizes that the Israeli government has committed the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and calls for the United States to take immediate, concrete action to fulfill its binding legal obligations as a party to the Genocide Convention to prevent and punish the crime of genocide.” In forceful terms, Representative Tlaib is quoted saying “The Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza has not ended, and it will not end until we act…We must hold individual perpetrators and complicit corporations to account. We must stop sending weapons to a genocidal military. We must follow international law and use all means available to us, including sanctions, to bring this genocide to an end.” This resolution is cosponsored by 20 other members of Congress, all progressive Democrats, along with over 100 organizations.

* Turning to local news, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is huddling with various key politicians to strategize about how they can coordinate their efforts. ABC reports Mamdani has “spoken with several Democratic governors” including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, soliciting their insight for “how to navigate certain aspects of governing and best deal with President Donald Trump.” Pritzker in particular has been forced to deal with Trump deploying federal troops in Illinois, something he has also threatened to do in New York City. Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul is mulling proposals to raise the state corporate tax, in part to help fund Zohran’s agenda, per the City Journal. The most interesting meeting on the agenda however is the upcoming summit between Mamdani and President Trump at the White House, which is occurring as we record this segment. Ever-positive, Zohran has stated that he is “ready for anything” in this meeting.

* On a more critical note, Zohran has had to make some hard political choices this week, including some that don’t necessarily sit well with his base. First, Zohran announced that NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch will remain in her post, per WJLA despite much criticism of her tenure from the Left. Perhaps more contentious however, Mamdani was forced to publicly come out against the primary challenge launched by Chi Ossé, a close ally on the City Council, who is now challenging Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in New York’s 8th Congressional district primary. Zohran reportedly discouraged Ossé from running against Jeffries, but Ossé proceeded with the campaign and is now seeking the endorsement of the New York City chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). In a closed-door forum, Mamdani reportedly urged the group not to back Ossé, arguing that it would make it “more difficult” to enact his affordability agenda, per the New York Daily News. Ossé, a progressive, has had a mixed relationship with DSA and only officially joined the group last month.

* Looking beyond New York, it appears that Mamdani’s victory – along with the victory of progressive insurgent candidate Katie Wilson in Seattle – has spurred a wave of progressive candidates in other cities. In Los Angeles, the Daily News reports housing advocate Rae Huang will challenge incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, on a platform that “calls for ‘housing for all,’ fast and free buses, stronger workers protection and a public safety approach focused on prevention and care.” Huang serves as deputy director of Housing Now California and she is an ordained Presbyterian minister. In Washington D.C., Axios reports the most progressive member of the D.C. City Council – Janesse Lewis George – is finalizing plans for a mayoral campaign explicitly using the Mamdani model. Lewis George, a DSA member, plans to recruit an army of 5,000 volunteers and is looking to hire veterans of the Zohran campaign. The dynamics of this race remain extremely up in the air, as three-term incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser has not yet announced whether or not she will seek a fourth term.

* Our last three stories this week concern the Trump administration directly. First, CNN reports the administration will formally withdraw the Biden-era plan to require airlines to pay passengers compensation – $200 to $300 for domestic delays of at least three hours and up to $775 for longer delays – when flight disruptions are caused by carriers. This plan would have brought the U.S. in line with the E.U., Britain, Canada and Brazil. Just before this decision, a group of Democratic Senators, including Richard Blumenthal, Maria Cantwell and Ed Markey, sent a letter urging the administration to keep the rule in place. It is safe to say that flyers will feel the lack of compensation rules as we enter the holiday travel season.

* Next, in an apparent fit of pique, Trump is demanding that NBC fire Late Night talk show host Seth Meyers. According to Poynter, his comments were then reposted by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, indicating that Trump’s whims on this matter could be backed up by the full power of the federal regulatory state. This incident has echoes of the Jimmy Kimmel fiasco that occurred earlier this year. In this case however, NBC is competing with the Ellisons to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery. That is to say, the Trump administration has tremendous leverage to exert over NBC. It is too soon to say whether or not NBC will buckle, but they did get a much-needed assist from Democratic Senators this week, who sent a letter to Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater, who heads up DOJ antitrust efforts, demanding that any deal review be “conducted transparently, independently, and in accordance with federal antitrust and anti-corruption laws — not politics.” The Trump administration has all but openly said they are in the bag for the Ellison offer; it will be interesting to see if pushback from Senators forces the administration to take a more balanced approach. This from the Hollywood Reporter.

* Finally, Trump and Elon Musk appear to be mending fences. Musk made his first public appearance at the White House since the summer when he attended a dinner with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman there this week. Other attendees included Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, per Business Insider. Alongside a picture of the event, Musk wrote “I would like to thank President Trump for all he has done for America and the world.” Trump, never missing an opportunity to twist the knife, said at a recent public event “You’re so lucky I’m with you, Elon…Has he ever thanked me properly?” Perhaps these two megalomaniacs can put their egos aside and work together to enact their shared goals. If history is any indication though, that won’t last for long.

This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven’t Heard.

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