News Beat

Like we always do at this time of year, we present an important, alternative look at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy, examining how the civil rights icon was so much more than simply the “I Have a Dream” soundbite, which has become known as the cornerstone of his public perception. Along with Pastor Roger C. Williams of the First Baptist Church of Glen Cove, NY, Larry Hamm, of the People's Organization for Progress, Hip Hop artist...

Amnesty International, the largest human rights organization on the planet, has released a sweeping, scathing, landmark report concluding that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Titled ‘You Feel Like You Are Subhuman,’ the nearly 300-page investigation bases its damning findings on the international stipulations of the Genocide Convention, hundreds of interviews with witnesses and s...

As Gaza smolders, Lebanon burns, and the world rightfully continues to demand Hamas release the remaining hostages it abducted during its attack on October 7th 2023, we illuminate the underreported plight of Palestinians held and abused throughout what one human rights group dubs Israel’s ‘network of torture camps,’ where men, women, and children—yes, children—are imprisoned, beaten, sodom...

“I'll answer that part first, that’s the easy one,” explains John Kiriakou, the former CIA intelligence officer who served 30 months in federal prison for exposing the agency’s torture program to the world, when asked whether he’d do it all again despite the personal and professional fallout from his disclosure.

Those are just some of the many profound insights he shared with us d...

The occupied, blockaded, walled territories of Palestine have served as an incubator for some of Israel’s deadliest and most intrusive weapons and surveillance systems. Once tested and perfected on the captive population, they’ve been sold to some of the most oppressive, murderous autocracies—and democracies—in the world.
These are some of the many revelations exp...

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued provisional orders in response to South Africa’s case charging Israel with committing genocide against Palestinians, ruling that Israel must refrain from genocidal acts, punish public incitement of genocide, facilitate humanitarian aid, and more. Our previous guest, international human rights attorney Francis Boyle, describes the legally binding mandates as a monumental win to help st...

Like we always do at this time of year, we present an important, alternative look at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy, examining how the civil rights icon was so much more than simply the “I Have a Dream” soundbite, which has become known as the cornerstone of his public perception. Along with Pastor Roger C. Williams of the First Baptist Church of Glen Cove, NY, Larry Hamm, of the People's Organization for Progress, Hip Hop artist...

We follow up our preview episode about South Africa's genocide case against Israel with a breakdown of the two-day hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and discuss President Biden's bombing of Yemen -- seriously escalating the crisis in the Middle East. The joint US-UK operation came the same day, Jan. 11, 2014, when South Africa laid out its case against Israel for its brutal war in Gaza, which has killed more than ...

South Africa this week will go before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague and lay out its case of genocide against Israel for its brutal war against Palestinians. With more than 23,000 dead (nearly two-thirds of whom are women and children), countless others injured or maimed, and so many with mental scars that will never heal, this genocide case could prove hugely consequential—and historic. In this episode, Fran...

Democrats have long been accused of abandoning voters. Disillusionment with the Dems is particularly acute in the Rust Belt, where the long-cracking union wall has collapsed. In this episode, we interview Lainey Newman, the co-author of the book “Rust Belt Union Blues: Why Working-Class Voters Are Turning Away from the Democratic Party." The book, and Lainey's interview, is an insightful and important look into the collapse of once...

Amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, we delve into an important and oft-ignored question: Have we truly learned from the mistakes and abuses of the 'war on terror'? What began as a mission against al Qaeda evolved into something far more extensive, lethal, and consequential. From torture and rendition to indefinite detentions and extrajudicial killings, the U.S. government, specifically the executive branch, stretched its powers beyond ...

Consumers -- YOU -- are getting screwed! That’s right—Amazon and Google, the tech giants that have become so omnipresent in our lives, are facing accusations that the monopolies they’ve built in their respective industries are crushing consumers, and in Amazon’s case, the small businesses that are forced to comply with the retail giant’s rules in order to survive. The ongoing Google trial over its search engine’s dominance and the ...

With the climate clock mercilessly ticking down, communities are turning to the complex web of court systems throughout the U.S. as a tool to hold major fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in the worsening climate crisis. Across the country, states and municipalities are suing the likes of ExxonMobil, Shell, BP and other polluters for climate-related damages, fraud, deceiving the public, and other alleged misdeeds. Wil...

In this episode, Rashed and Chris speak to renowned journalist, activist, and author Norman Solomon, whose most recent book “War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine” breaks down the grossly underreported aspects of U.S.-led post-9/11 global wars and analyzes the mechanics perpetuating them. From the media’s vital role in the U.S. war-making machine to these conflicts’ ever-growing civilian death...

"If our democracy is to survive, the empire must be dismantled.” That’s what Dr. Cornel West told us in an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with News Beat, in which he talked about dismantling systems of oppression, uplifting the poor and working class, ending America’s military industrial complex, and abolishing poverty, homelessness, and prisons. West, who is vying for the Green Party nomination for U.S. President, said his thir...

Before he pulled out a historic mayoral victory in April, Brandon Johnson was a virtual unknown in Chicago’s political scene. At the community level, however, Johnson’s star was on the rise. An unabashed progressive and union champion, Johnson played a critical role in the 2012 Chicago teachers’ strike—a seemingly radicalizing experience for him and many other left-leaning Chicagoans. In this episode, we examine the grassroots, uni...

In this episode, we feature insights from writer and activist Cory Doctorow, who along with Rebecca Giblin, a professor at Melbourne Law School, co-authored the book ‘Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We’ll Win Them Back.’ It's a story about the stranglehold megacorporations have on their respective industries. For artists and creators, it means they're receiving fewer and f...

Despite publicly denying climate science, fossil fuel giants have long been aware of the catastrophic consequences of burning fossil fuels, and millions of people are dying each year as a result. Should these executives be held accountable for the deaths caused by their products—and their lies? Don Braman, associate professor at the law school at George Washington University, and David Arkush, director of Public Citizen’s Climate P...

The residents of East Palestine, Ohio have been at the epicenter of one of the country’s largest environmental disasters in living memory. On Feb. 3, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying toxic chemicals, including the human carcinogen vinyl chloride, derailed, contaminating the soil and surrounding waterways and erupting into a fireball and mushroom cloud that dwarfed the village. To allegedly prevent an even more catastrophic...