SANDI AULT—Reporting from the WILD

MAGA's defiant denial could doom us to a Trump dynasty.An oddly disturbing article and an unsettling attempt to communicate with a MAGA resulted in a concerning conclusion: A culture of denial could yet deliver the republic to an heir of its own unfinished ruin.The article by Jonathan V. Last on Substack that I reference and quote from is "The Second Coming? We know who the Republican nominee will be in 20208...if he wants it," The Bulwark, April 20, 2026, https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-second-coming?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-restack-comment&r=4xvtpf&triedRedirect=true The Tucker Carlson podcast that I have used clips from is: Megan Lebowitz, Tucker Carlson apologizes for 'misleading' people on Trump: 'We're implicated in this for sure', April 21, 2026, NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/tucker-carlson-says-will-tormented-long-time-support-trump-rcna341250My original song, Hey Coyote, was recorded in my home studio. The lyric is from a poem by Peter Blue Cloud.Follow my team, Our Democracy Collective on Substack at (use here) ourdemocracycollective.substack.com, on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurDemocracyCollective, and you find all our favorite haunts where we hang on our Linktree at: https://linktr.ee/ourdemocracycollective Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you Eric Brody, M Hope, Isabel Rueda, Stephanie Courington, Rhonda Dern, M Hope, Stan Sunderwirth, Steve Berger, Theresa Daus-Weber, Laratee VanNieuwenhuyze, and all the members of my team at Our Democracy Collective, Ed Caldwell, Lisa Myles, and many others for tuning into my live video with Senadora Julie Gonzales! Join me for my next live video in the app.Upcoming guests on the schedule include:* Friday, May 8 @2PM MDT: CO SOS and Candidate for CO AG Jena Griswold* Thursday, May 21 @2PM MDT: Colorado Dem Candidate for CD3, Alex Kelloff* and there are more.. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Join me for my next live video at 2PM MDT on Friday, 04/17/2026 when my guest will be Colorado State Senator Julie Gonzales, and candidate for US Senate, in the app.AG Weiser was on fire today for our conversation! Enjoy the video and share it with your friends. And if you like the work we are doing, please subscribe and support our efforts to bring great, thoughtful, resonant content to you.I am Executive Director of a vibrant and creative production team of artists and authors called Our Democracy Collective. We create content and mentor talented young artists in the fields of media and content development, messaging, and video production. Our citizen journalist, script writers, video editors, media managers, and voiceover artists all work hard every day to produce outstanding content. Our goal is to produce hope and change, to defend democracy, and to resist tyranny. Please check out the inspiring work our team is creating HERE: Our Democracy Collective, follow us, subscribe to our channel, and support our efforts. And look for us on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@OurDemocracyCollectiveIf you like this video, the essays, story chapters, and audio podcasts that I produce, I hope you will subscribe to support my work.Below are the show notes from today and some links you can use.PHILforCOLORADO.comWHAT PEOPLE CAN DO:* Register to vote or check registration at GoVoteColorado.gov -- primary is June 30, 2026* Follow the AG’s office complaint system for reporting federal agent misconduct: coag.gov* Contact local water utilities about conservation plans and drought restrictions* For housing: look into Proposition 123 funding and down payment assistance programs through CHFA (Colorado Housing and Finance Authority)* Subscribe and follow ODC’s coverage on Substack and YouTube for ongoing coverage: ourdemocracycollective.substack.comARTICLES AND SOURCES:Campaign & Profile:● Colorado Sun, Jan 2, 2025 -- Weiser launches 2026 governor campaignhttps://coloradosun.com/2025/01/02/phil-weiser-colorado-governor-2026/● Axios Denver, Jan 9, 2026 -- Weiser hits 50th lawsuit against Trumphttps://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/01/09/colorado-phil-weiser-lawsuit-trump-50● Rocky Mountain Collegian, Feb 27, 2026 -- Fort Collins town hallhttps://collegian.com/articles/news/2026/02/category-news-im-not-going-to-be-bullied-colorado-attorney-general-phil-weiser-outlines-gubernatorial-bid-at-fort-collins-town-hall/Water / Drought:● Colorado Sun, Jan 28, 2026 -- “Exceedingly grim” drought forecastshttps://coloradosun.com/2026/01/28/colorado-water-officials-grim-drought-forecasts-reservoir/● Colorado Sun, Mar 25, 2026 -- Denver Water restrictions announcedhttps://coloradosun.com/2026/03/25/denver-water-restrictions-drought-front-range/● Denver Gazette, Mar 30, 2026 -- 91% of Colorado abnormally dry or worsehttps://www.denvergazette.com/outtherecolorado/2026/03/30/24-of-colorado-at-drought-stage-linked-to-insect-infestations-large-fires-fish-kills-and-less-recreation/● Western Water, Mar 20, 2026 -- Colorado River flows drop to crisis levels https://www.western-water.com/2026/03/20/colorado-river-flows-drop-to-crisis-levels/● CPR, Dec 30, 2025 -- Trump vetoes Arkansas Valley Conduit billhttps://www.cpr.org/2025/12/30/trump-vetoes-arkansas-river-valley-conduit-funding-bill/● CPR, Jan 8, 2026 -- House override fails https://www.cpr.org/2026/01/08/house-trump-arkansas-valley-conduit-veto-override-fails/● Rocky Mountain PBS, Feb 25, 2026 -- Many Coloradans still without clean waterhttps://www.rmpbs.org/news/government/trump-veto-arkansas-valley-conduit-waterRULE OF LAW and ICE / Federal Overreach:● CPR, Feb 12, 2026 -- Colorado’s federal misconduct reporting systemhttps://www.cpr.org/2026/02/12/colorado-report-ice-immigration-misconduct-phil-weiser/● PBS NewsHour, Jul 31, 2025 -- Weiser explains Mesa County deputy lawsuithttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/colorado-ag-explains-why-the-state-is-suing-a-deputy-who-aided-ice● Colorado AG, Jan 8, 2026 -- Weiser fights Trump’s “revenge campaign” https://coag.gov/press-releases/weiser-fights-back-against-trumps-revenge-campaign-on-colorado/● Colorado AG, May 13, 2025 -- Lawsuits over immigration conditions on fundinghttps://coag.gov/press-releases/attorney-general-phil-weiser-colorado-lawsuits-trump-illegal-immigration-conditions-emergency-infrastructure-5-13-25/● Tina Peters to be re-sentenced: https://www.cpr.org/2026/04/02/tina-peters-appeal/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=alert&utm_campaign=alert20260402Housing / Affordability:● Phil for Colorado -- Housing plan https://philforcolorado.com/affordable-homes-and-communities-meeting-colorados-housing-challenge/● Colorado Newsline, Feb 22, 2026 -- Weiser vs. Bennet housing forumhttps://coloradonewsline.com/2026/02/22/colorado-governor-candidates-affordable-housing/● Bell Policy Center, Feb 26, 2026 -- Housing affordability under shifting federal policyhttps://bellpolicy.org/housing-affordability-in-colorado-under-shifting-federal-policy/ Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you DavidPageYea, RethinktheWolf, Theresa Daus-Weber, Isabel Rueda, and many others for tuning into our Substack !LIVE! ENDANGERED with Ryan Sedgeley!Join me for my next live video LIVE with Colorado Attorney General and candidate for Governor Phil Weiser on Substack !LIVE! at 2PM MDT on April 3, 2026, and/or watch for that video in the app.See the Wapiti Pack hunting bison in Yellowstone here:Wapiti Wolf Pack Hunting BisonHere are the show notes from today’s interview with Ryan Sedgeley, jam packed with things you can do, people you can reach out to, and places you can go on the internet to see things we talked about in our lovely time together today:● Buy a Born to be Wild license plate — directly funds non-lethal coexistence.Wolfplate.org or https://dmv.colorado.gov/license-plates● Email and call the Colorado Wildlife Commission to support the citizens petition for rulemaking to amend the compensation program (Explain what a citizen’s petition is).○ It is about ensuring the compensation program is viable, reasonable, and sustainable—for producers, for CPW, and for the long-term success of the wolf program.○ Current regulations do not meet those standards.○ The pause creates a rare opportunity to reset, correct structural problems, and ensure fairness for all stakeholders.○ The petition is not about ending grazing on public lands.○ It is not about reducing compensation for direct losses.○ Indirect losses were never defined in statute and were added in rulemaking against SAG recommendations.○ The petition seeks to clarify, standardize, and stabilize the program so producers know exactly what to expect.Commission Emails:■ General mailbox: [email protected]■ [email protected]■ [email protected]■ [email protected]■ [email protected]■ [email protected]■ [email protected]■ [email protected]■ [email protected]■ [email protected]■ [email protected]■ [email protected]■ [email protected]● Comment on ESA regulatory rollbacks during open comment periods.Subscribe to ESC emails to know when to write comments.● Monitor, comment on, and take action on the activities of the God Squad—The Extinction Committee○ Last week, Secretary Burgum announced a closed-door meeting of the Endangered Species Act Committee (aka “Extinction Committee” aka “God Squad”) in an effort to expedite oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico○ This would condemn the Rice’s Whale.○ This is a huge deal – the Extinction Committee has only met a few times, the latest not since the early 90s.○ The ESA lays out a very specific process for how these meetings are to be conducted, none of which have been followed so far.○ The letter requests that all required documents be promptly posted and that the March 31 meeting be held in-person and open to the public.Major Legislation Designed to erode or eliminate the Endangered Species Act, and in particular: wolves● Contact senators to oppose H.R. 845 in the Senate — it hasn’t passed yet.● Contact House Representatives and Senators to oppose H.R.1897 ESA Amendments Act of 2025This bill has made it out of committee but hasn’t gone any further than that—yet.● Support the Endangered Species Coalition directly:Endangered.org● Follow Ryan and ESC’s work — watch & share the “Welcome Home” film.Endangered.org/welcomehomeFor Colorado residents:push back on Boebert and other local legislatorswho are using the budget crisis to quietly defund the wolf program (reference the special session bill from August 2025).See my Substack page sandiault.substack.com to view a photo of 11-month-old Zuni enjoying the Colorado snow: Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Call your Senator today at 202-224-3021, and tell them to vote NO on the Slave ActLook for me on the web at sandisult.substack.com, SandiAult.com, and on social media. My books are available on Amazon and elsewhere. Start with any one and GO WILD!My production team is at ourdemocracycollective.substack.com, on most social media platforms, and our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OurDemocracyCollectiveThe following sources were referred to and/or quoted in this show:·      League of Women Voters: https://www.lwv.org/blog/save-act-headed-senate-push-restrict-voting-access·       Elaine Kamarck, How widespread is election fraud in the United States? Not very, Brookings Institution, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-widespread-is-election-fraud-in-the-united-states-not-very/·       Wikipedia, Voting Gender Gap in the United States, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_gender_gap_in_the_United_States·       Eliza Sweren-Becker and Owen Backskai, New Save Act Bills Would Still Block Millions of Americans From Voting, February 9. 2026, Brennan Center for Justice, https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-save-act-bills-would-still-block-millions-americans-voting·       Wren Orey, Mattew Weil, Julianne Lempert, Five Things to Know About the SAVE America Act, February 2, 2026, Bipartisan Policy Center, https://bipartisanpolicy.org/article/five-things-to-know-about-the-save-act/·       Marissa Martinez, House passes elections overhaul bill that could make it harder for married women to vote, February 11, 2026, The 19th, https://19thnews.org/2026/02/house-passes-save-america-act-married-women-vote/·       Eliza Sweren-Becker and Owen Backskai, New Save Act Bills Would Still Block Millions of Americans From Voting·       Annie Karni, Republicans, Braced for Losses, Push More Voting Restrictions in Congress, February 17, 2026, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/us/politics/republicans-vote-fraud-id-midterms.html·       Margaret Hu, "Show Me Your Papers" Laws and American Cultural Values, November 15, 2011, Jurist News, https://www.jurist.org/commentary/2011/11/margaret-hu-immigration-papers/·       Howard Zinn, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train, Beacon Press Classics 2025·       Sean Croawford, Read Gov. Pritzker's State of the State and budget address, February 19, 2025, NPR Illinois, https://www.nprillinois.org/government-politics/2025-02-19/read-gov-pritzkers-budget-addressThanks to Kaazoom for the outstanding blues guitar and harmonica piece MIDNIGHT STOVE TOP BLUES Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Bad Bunny's history-making feast of music, dance, imagery, and elation felt a little like resistance, but more like insistence...a euphoric refusal to accept all the darkness, the divisiveness, the hate, and the oppression, and a persistent assertion of the power of love and goodness.And, because I spent part of my childhood in Puerto Rico, I realized that my early experiences there are part of why I am who I am today.This podcast features two of my original songs: RIVER OF LIFE ©2026, and OH, WE WILL ALL BE THERE ©2025 by Sandi Ault Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Lamenting the murder of Alex Pretti, and championing the brave patriots in Minneapolis, after what we’ve all been through, none of us are okay. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

A lively conversation with my friend Chris Armitage and several hundred of our closest friends across the country and even around the world.Chris is a great political strategist, and he has powerful ideas about how we can work from the ground up to resist and to create real democracy by building new and rebuilding what works.As I told the audience, I work from how it feels on the ground to awaken and inform, and hopefully inspire people. I bring a lifetime of experience in the WILD to this work: outdoor action-adventure stories paired with powerful political insights in each essay and companion audio podcast. I’m an award winning mystery author, filmmaker, producer, and musician.Oh—and I live with a wolf.Join us for the next post and its follow-up podcast: WILD writing about the dangers affecting us all right now. And in the pod: an audio version with original music, sound effects, voices from the community, and more. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

SANDI AULT and CHRIS ARMITAGE will be going !LIVE! on Friday, January 30 at 2PMPut it on your calendar NOW! Join with this link:CLICK FRIDAY 2PM TO JOINhttps://open.substack.com/live-stream/106096?r=4xvtpf&utm_medium=iosSee you then! Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Women have a few things to say about the murder of a bright spark of joy by an ICE agent.#BeGood #IceOut #ReneeGood I really love doing these podcasts because I get to wear a lot of hats: writer, storyteller, producer, musician, and composer. I'm always delighted to include my own original music, as well as voices from the community.The voices joining mine in celebration of the spark of wild joy that was Renee Good come from some of the strongest and best women I know: Channie Peters, Jenna Preston, Stephanie Courington, and our own Purple Weather Lady. I thank them for lending their spark to this show. I also want to thank my team members Theresa Daus-Weber and Eric Brody for their astute editing of the script, and Brian Reid for the wonderful album cover art for this podcast. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the Democracy Disaster DinerThis podcast is Episode 32, and we are celebrating our anniversary at SANDI AULT—Reporting from the WILD. Our first publication was right around one year ago today, and we are grateful to all our listeners, followers, and subscribers. And watch this space for an anniversary sale on subscriptions.About the podcast versions of our essays: I really love doing these podcasts because I get to wear a lot of hats: writer, storyteller, producer, musician, and composer. I’m always delighted to include my own original music as well as voices from the community. We usually curate the script for the podcast from the essay, and try to make it entertaining and hopefully thought provoking.I was blessed with a prodigious amount of voiceover talent for this complex podcast script, beginning with the talented actor Kevin Mayr, who was kind enough to interpret the lines from the film NUREMBERG as well as be the voice of Aristotle; and the fabulous podcaster, Channie Peters; the great voiceover artist Michael Clarkson, and three talented voices from our team: our Purple Weather Lady, Rock Castle, and Sheila Allred.I want to thank Theresa Daus-Weber for her steadfast assistance in the development of this script, and—along with our cohort Eric Brody, many thanks for the great editing these two always provide. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

We have been in such a long night these past months...such a dark, cold, cruel, devastating, unholy night.Here comes the sun. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Sleepless in the Rockies, I worry...and I hope. You up?Notes:Big kudos to the members of my community who provided voiceovers for this pod: Purple Weather Lady, John Miller, George Jackson, Jr., Ron Schukar, T Kerns, and Tim Courington, and to two members from my team who always make my work better with their edits—Theresa Daus Weber and Eric Brody.All the original music in this podcast is ©Sandi Ault 2025, except for: I hummed around with a couple of bars from the song that this podcast title comes from:Curt Smith & Roland Orzabal, Everybody Wants To Rule the World, song by Tears for Fears ©1985Heather Cox Richardson: Notes From An American, Substack 2025-11-30Anand Giridharadas, How the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emails, (New York Times, 11-23-2025) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/opinion/meaning-epstein-emails.htmlPeter Coyote, Missing the Forest For the Trees, (https://substack.com/@petercoyote1/note/c-185310495)Jet Heer, The Powell Memo Helped Create Project 2025, (The Nation 09-06-2024), https://www.thenation.com/article/society/powell-memo-project-2025-plutocracy/https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/democracy/the-lewis-powell-memo-a-corporate-blueprint-to-dominate-democracy/Robert Reich, Today Is the Anniversary of the Worst Memo In History, (Substack: Robert Reich Aug 23, 2025) https://robertreich.substack.com/p/today-is-the-anniversary-of-the-worstRachel Maddow, The Rachel Maddow Show, MS NOW, 12-08-2025This audio podcast was created and produced by me, Sandi Ault. I really hope you liked it. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Women have a thing or two to say about waiting for the Epstein files. We’re not waiting for Godot. Women are waiting on the world to change.Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

We will build democracy back better than ever without the likes of you.—With added comments following the SenateDemsCave.Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD is a reader-supported publication. If you value the work I do, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

The moment the demolition retribution images appeared on media and online, one could almost hear a stunned, heart-arresting gasp reverberate across the country, an effect on the people much like seeing the shock waves from Trinity mushrooming in the high desert. All at once, we Americans knew: everything has changed. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

I am by no means an optimist. And yet, I have a hundred reasons to have hope this week. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Like Jimmy, I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind. But the power of the truth is undeniable.Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD is a reader-supported publication. To celebrate this 25th Episode of BOTH the blog and the podcast, please show your support by subscribing! And if you already subscribe, let me say how WILDly thankful I am! Won’t you share this with a friend and/or give them a gift subscription so we can continue to do this work? Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

The problem of pedophilia could easily be over with a quick and easy fix. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

We might self-sabotage our own intentions by waiting for perfect. The perfect time. The perfect reason. The perfect party. The perfect leader.Or we could do what’s right and say it’s close enough for rock and roll. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

We are in dangerous, deep, dark tyranny territory now. What should we do?Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD is a reader-supported publication. Please become a paid subscriber. Your support will help me to continue my work.Run into the sun. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

In the light of all the news about the Epstein files, the lyrics of an old song have been haunting me. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

We're teetering on a rock hoping to survive, needing a miracle, trying to effect our own rescue. The courts, the Democrats in Congress who are fighting without the tools they need, the volunteers and citizens across the country who are giving whatever they have, doing whatever they can do...will it be enough against the chilling torrent of surging tyranny? Will it be in time?Listen to this story from the WILD Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

The bell tolls for democracy. LET US PREY. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

This thrilling tale from the WILD will get your heart racing. And it has a parallel in the danger we face today.In spite of how hard we try to believe in the power of the people over greed and billionaire global alliances, corruption, and general moral decay, the landslide away from democracy has begun, and the ground we stood on yesterday is slipping away. Now, I don't think we can get there from here. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

As they see the gold-tinged glare of greed growing like a pathogen in the White House and the despicable deeds of the richest man in the world, it seems more and more people who voted for this, or who simply didn't vote at all, are already beginning to surrender their stockpile of false beliefs and their foolish faith in their former leader.Some have even joined the demonstrations against the evil empire under which they are now beginning to suffer.And as more of that happens, maybe now we have a chance to turn this bad blood between us into getting into some good trouble together.Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

You may find yourself worrying about how we will make it. You may find yourself wondering what you can do. Things are not getting better. How can we prepare? You may find yourself inspired by this story from the WILD.Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

I will say this about wolves: there is never much point in trying to shape or tame them. The adventure is more about who we become as a result of loving them. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Here’s a story that’s stranger than fiction because fiction foretold it. Great truth tellers and freedom fighters from long ago and from today have been forecasting this moment through their work.Today, we are waking up in the worlds they warned us about. What should we do? As one character says in his manifesto: TRY. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

A story from my wildland firefighting adventures compares the state of our nation today with the dangers of a complex fire.When firefighters respond to a wildfire, they don't think about the odds. They employ their skills and devotion to do what they can; they work together to create and hold the line, and they don't quit until the fire is out. Neither should we. Are we going to be too slow, too scared, or too intimidated to defend our democracy?I don't think so. I still have my boots and my helmet, and I still remember a thing or two about fighting fire with fire...and with good information....and with shrewd strategy and hard work and determination. And I do care. How about you? Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

We may live in the BADLANDS now, baby, but we're bad-asses when we all get together to make some good noise and get in some good trouble.Yes, even though we’re living in the BADLANDS, this story comes full circle to hope. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Our country is falling off a cliff. Take it from someone who has spent some serious time on craggy canyon rims and treacherous slopes: when the structure of the surface beneath you starts to erode, fast-moving landslides can literally take away the ground on which you stand. In this country, we are all perched on the edge of a crumbling precipice right now.Every week or so, I write a blog post on Substack. Then, a few days later, I produce a variation as an audio podcast, accompanied by original music and sound effects. I hope you enjoy this podcast and will share it with your friends. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Greed, avarice, bloodsucking vandalism, destruction, and dismembering is happening to our democracy… and to the WILD. And we’re expected to keep the moneybags full.Thanks for reading Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD! Please help me build my audience by sharing this podcast with your friends! Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Betrayed. Abandoned. Screwed over. Heisted. Robbed. Ripped off. Conned. Maybe we need a few more wolves. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

I am going to tell you a WILD story before I am done, but first I have to tell you a bit more of what has got me to the state of remembering the time I had to sit alone a long while with a corpse in the cold at sunset. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

This story is about a time when I lived in a high mountain valley. In the middle of the worst snowstorm in years, an infant needed to be taken to the hospital but the roads were closed and packed with three feet of snow. A small band of volunteer firefighters and community members banded together to relay the baby down the cliff-edged mountain road in the driving snow and darkness to meet an ambulance waiting below. When this creative and committed team needed to rescue something precious, they got innovative, bold, and brave.Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Thanks for reading Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you like the unique combination of storytelling, music, sound effects, professional production and political inspiration, please share this with others so we can grow our audience.My friends, most of you have heard this term: hurt locker. It means: a place of profound pain and deep discomfort.And maybe you saw the film by the same name, so if you called up the image of actor Jeremy Renner in his blast-resistant suit making his way towards a suicide bomber, you have it about right.That's where we are now. Except... few of us have the suit. Some of us are bare-assed naked. But the richest among us have bunkers in the mountains in New Zealand, or they own islands they can retreat to. We may have thought we had protection from the harm that is befalling us, but we are more vulnerable than most of us ever imagined. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

I have a story to tell you about how—when things can change suddenly in your path—you can find your way around the danger.Too many have been too silent as the new oligarchy takes power in Washington, including our elected representatives. This has left us with the sound of silence and a vacuum in leadership. But how about you? Are you still silent, or have you sprung into action to defend our democracy? Or are you someplace in-between?We can meet this challenge together.Welcome back from the silence to the WILD. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

This is Sandi Ault, reporting from the WILD. And this is the audio podcast companion to my blog on Substack. This is episode 3: A WILD ROBBERY—I WISH I HAD A RIVERI'm going to tell you a story that really happened. It's about the time when I went to the post office, the bank was robbed, a baby was born, and—at least initially—a criminal got away with stealing in plain sight. And even though this is one of those you-can't-make-this-stuff-up stories, I promise you there's something real-life-true about the lesson we can all take from it. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 2 of the companion podcast to Sandi Ault’s Substack blog SANDI AULT—Reporting from the WILD… wherein I tell the story of a time when my husband and I barely survived a flood from monsoons in a remote desert canyon, because we got distracted and missed the warning signs. With so much at stake in our lives now, we need to pay attention to those alerts and warnings on our own inner dashboards. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe

SANDI AULT, award-winning author of the WILD Mystery Series, tries to make sense of a country that is torn apart following the 2024 election cycle. As the 2nd largest (and one of the most beautiful) cities in the country burns in a catastrophic result of decades of client denial, we can all see apocalyptic signs around us. An ex-president who was an exceedingly decent man dies just as an exceedingly indecent one prepares to rule, along with an plethora of billionaires who openly plot imperialism and discuss how they will divide the earth up among the oligarchs. The same vultures spew lies about the disaster on the left coast while hawking up blame at those trying to manage the crisis.Nearly half the country is just groovy with insurrection, open corruption, misogyny and racism, according to their votes. What to make of all this when you believe in dignity and decency and the equality of all?It's enough to make anyone ride the roller coaster of emotional distress, but in a search for emotional equilibrium, Sandi's voice shares what she discovered about herself and what to do next. Get full access to Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD at sandiault.substack.com/subscribe