It's NICOLE SANDLER, back to guest host today's BradCast! [Audio link to full show is posted below.]

Today we learned that Florida is now considered the epicenter of the global pandemic. Lucky me, I live in South Florida, where we've had more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases reported every day for the past five days. Things are especially bad in Miami-Dade County, the hardest-hit part of the hardest-hit state. I give the credit for our position to our Governor, a smarmy, unqualified man named Ron DeSantis who's earned his new nickname, Ron DeathSentence.

I reached out to an old friendly acquaintance, DAN GELBER, who is the mayor of Miami Beach. We spoke about his many challenges, including the pandemic that's threatening to shut down his city again, plus the threat of a major storm hitting at this horrible time. It is, after all, hurricane season, and Miami Beach is a barrier island.

As millions of Americans are now without health insurance as a result of losing their jobs due to the pandemic, I spoke with healthcare advocate LAURA PACKARD, who reminded me that three years ago tonight (or three years ago in the very early hours of tomorrow morning), John McCain came to our rescue!

Laura and I are both cancer survivors. I fought lung cancer four years ago; Laura was undergoing chemotherapy three years ago when the Republicans' latest effort to overturn what's left of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, made it to the Senate floor for a vote. We needed three courageous Republicans to vote with the Democrats to avoid losing access to insurance. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins had already voted no. And John McCain stepped up to do the right thing and saved the program so that those of us with pre-existing conditions still had the right to pay through the nose for health insurance.

Laura's spending this anniversary helping to put together a healthcare Town Hall with Senators Debbie Stabenow, Tammy Baldwin, Bob Casey and Amy Klobuchar with a bunch of other health care advocates and activists that will be archived here.

As usual, we began with the latest news you need to get you through the day, and a bit of humor in a song by Lauren Mayer too.

Download MP3 or listen online below...

                 

Article Categories: Florida, Barack Obama, John McCain, Health Care, BradCast, Ron DeSantis, Coronavirus/COVID-19