News Beat

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 powerful unions and how historically Democratic voters shifted their allegiance to the Republican Party. It also helps, finally, better understand the outcome of the 2016 presidential race. For example, after reading the book and speaking with Newman, one of the people behind News Beat is more convinced than ever that Bernie Sanders would've defeated Donald Trump in 2016. Check out show notes and more from this episode at newsbeat.substack.com. News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jon Chim Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 imagination. Join us as we explore whether the post-9/11 war on terror paved the way for a wider, even more chilling conflict. This episode features remarkable insights from Mark Fallon, a former DoD official, and Jenni Walkup-Jayes, the author of an important paper on the history of terrorism and how to combat it. Get all the details on this episode and our sources on our Substack: newsbeat.substack.com. News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jon Chim Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit against Amazon reveal how our lives—and wallets—are effectively controlled by two of the most massive companies in the world. David Dayen, the executive editor of The American Prospect, helps us better understand what these cases are about—and crucially, how they impact all of us. Head over to newsbeat.substack.com to learn more about this episode. News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Will these climate accountability lawsuits bring Big Oil to its knees? Visit ExxonKnews on Substack: https://exxonknews.substack.com Visit News Beat on Substack: https://newsbeat.substack.com News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 tolls, the book chronicles and dissects the jingoistic propaganda regurgitated by stenographic mainstream media outlets to facilitate these forever wars, revealing their lethal hypocrisy and direct roles in all the carnage. It is a must-read for anyone interested in learning the bloody truth behind such neverending massacres. Pick up Solomon's book: "War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine” News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"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 third-party bid is also about putting an end to the corporate duopoly and dismissed claims that a candidate outside of the two-party system can’t win. He also said he’s entering the race not just to introduce new ideas but to fight for marginalized people, vowing to take on anyone who is hostile to the struggle of working people and those on the front-line of disastrous conflicts. To check out the full video interview, head over to newsbeat.substack.com. Visit our friends www.unftr.com and www.hiphopcansaveamerica.com News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, union-led movement that propelled Johnson to victory and how the 2012 strike laid the groundwork for his inspiring campaign. Visit our New Beat Substack to learn more about this episode https://newsbeat.substack.com/p/building-a-movement-chicagos-grassroots News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 fewer percentages of overall profits, despite their work enriching our corporate overlords. “The reason creative workers are receiving a declining share of the wealth generated by their work is the same reason all workers are receiving a smaller share—we have structured society to make rich people richer at everyone else’s expense,” Doctorow and his co-author Rebecca Giblin write. News Beat is a Morey Creative Studios production, in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Program, explain why they think it’s time to bring homicide charges against these hugely powerful and influential firms. Learn more about their legal reasoning at newsbeat.substack.com. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to receive free episode updates and bonus content! News Beat is a Morey Creative Studios production, in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 explosion, officials then intentionally vented more noxious fumes and set it all on fire again—sending more toxic chemicals into the air and community. In this important episode, you’ll hear from a reporter who has been on the ground digging for answers; another who exposes how corruption, deregulation, and the rail industry’s obsession with profits over people helped contribute to this catastrophe; and an East Palestine resident who shares in devastating detail her guilt, anguish, and fury over the untold impacts this tragedy has already had on her children’s health as she confronts the heartbreaking realization that her community will never be the same again. News Beat is a Morey Creative Studios production, in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Silent Knight, and King’s own words, listeners learn of MLK’s Poor People’s Campaign, which he believed would be his true legacy. More than likely, it was this that got him killed. News Beat is a Morey Creative Studios production, in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. demanded justice and equality—two essential truths which still have not been achieved, more than 50 years since his murder on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Year after year, without fail, politicians, pundits, and corporations bastardize his image and legacy to their own capitalistic agendas—capitalism and its many evils something MLK fought so relentlessly against. This year, ahead with our annual re-release of our inaugural episode ‘MLK: What They Won’t Teach in School,’ we’re re-dropping this one highlighting his last month and final campaign, supporting the Memphis sanitation strike. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was sooo much more than what talking heads and (collective groan) car companies purport. Do not confine him to those infamous four syllables, ‘I have a dream.’ Hopefully, these two episodes will help you understand why. Photo credit for art: Ernest Withers, St Lawrence University Art Gallery News Beat is a Morey Creative Studios production, in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we take you to Arizona, where lawmakers passed a law that would make it a crime to record police within eight feet. While it has since been blocked by a federal court, its passage ignites serious questions about our First Amendment rights and how far people in power will go to limit police accountability and dissent. News Beat is a multi-award-winning podcast brought to you by Morey Creative Studios and Manny Faces Media. Audio Editor/Sound Designer/Producer/Host: Manny Faces Editor-In-Chief/Producer: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor/Producer: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AKA "Corporate Profiteering During Record Inflation" As the media obsessed over record inflation for much of the year, major corporations were publicly celebrating their recent rise in profits and admitting in earnings calls that they were raising prices on consumers—effectively price gouging Americans. This boon to corporate coffers also comes amid increased use of stock buybacks to funnel money back into the hands of board members and executives—money that could be used to drive down costs for consumers, research and development, or investing in their workforce. A practice that only decades earlier was considered an illegal form of market manipulation, is now all too common. Even The New York Times does it—so much for having faith in your news sources. This is the story of corporate profiteering on a massive scale. News Beat is a multi-award-winning podcast brought to you by Morey Creative Studios and Manny Faces Media. Audio Editor/Sound Designer/Producer/Host: Manny Faces Editor-In-Chief/Producer: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor/Producer: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Republicans, who have long used crime to win elections, are now determined to remove democratically elected progressive prosecutors from office. These are effectively modern day coups meant to crush reform policies that voters supported in response to decades of mass incarceration and punitive policing measures. News Beat is a multi-award-winning podcast brought to you by Morey Creative Studios and Manny Faces Media. Audio Editor/Sound Designer/Producer/Host: Manny Faces Editor-In-Chief/Producer: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor/Producer: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a follow up to our “Big Lie” episode, we report on the congressional hearings on fossil fuel disinformation that you likely didn’t see in the corporate media. Investigators publicly released internal Big Oil documents that further exposed how the industry utilizes propaganda and disinformation to further investments in oil and gas, while claiming publicly to be transitioning to alternative energy. Here's the link to the "Criminalizing Protest" episode we referenced in the outro: https://www.usnewsbeat.com/criminalizing-protest News Beat is a multi-award-winning podcast brought to you by Morey Creative Studios and Manny Faces Media. Audio Editor/Sound Designer/Producer/Host: Manny Faces Editor-In-Chief/Producer: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor/Producer: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What did the fossil fuel industry know about climate change and when did it know it? Turns out, these giant corporations were aware of the harmful effects of greenhouse gas emissions for DECADES and instead of combatting the crisis they’ve engaged in obfuscation and manipulative marketing campaigns to sow confusion and mistrust of science. At the same time, some of the most influential ad agencies on the planet—along with news organizations—have helped fossil fuel companies hone their image amid calls for increased action to reduce harmful emissions and fight the ever-worsening climate crisis! This is the story of how a greed-obsessed industry mastered the art of manipulation to f*** the world—with help from some well-connected friends. News Beat is a multi-award-winning podcast brought to you by Morey Creative Studios and Manny Faces Media. Audio Editor/Sound Designer/Producer/Host: Manny Faces Editor-In-Chief/Producer: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor/Producer: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bernadette Smith scours the depths of the Red River in Manitoba for her missing sister and other women and children murdered and dumped in its murky waters. Duana Johnson comforts families of those who’ve vanished from reservations throughout the U.S. Northwest. Mary Kathryn Nagle battles for justice on behalf of the mothers, daughters, sisters, aunties, and nieces stolen, tortured, raped, and killed. These Native women represent the countless voices extinguished by the ongoing genocide confronted by the MMIWG2S movement. Who’s committing these atrocities, and why isn’t more being done to stop them?!? This special episode of the News Beat podcast delves into the mystery, horrors, and heartbreak defining the crisis, searching for answers to these and many other haunting questions centuries in the making. Adding to the visceral journalistic storytelling, South Carolina-by-way-of-New York Hip Hop sorceress LiKWUiD performs original verse to illuminate the epidemic, and mission to end it. News Beat is a multi-award-winning podcast brought to you by Morey Creative Studios and Manny Faces Media. Audio Editor/Sound Designer/Producer/Host: Manny Faces Editor-In-Chief/Producer: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor/Producer: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ukraine is at the center of a proxy war between decades-long rivals and two competing economic systems, and opportunistic weapons manufacturers are cashing in. We provide a much-needed historical perspective about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, elements of which have gone under-reported, if not ignored entirely, by the corporate media. Our guests for this episode include Jennifer Briney, host of the fantastic podcast ‘Congressional Dish,' and Sam Ratner, policy director of the nonprofit Win Without War. We put a ton of work into this podcast, which is completely independent, so please follow us on your favorite app so you never miss an episode. For show notes and more information about this episode, head over to newsbeat.substack.com and subscribe to our FREE newsletter to receive updates about new episodes and bonus content. News Beat is a multi-award-winning podcast brought to you by Morey Creative Studios and Manny Faces Media. Audio Editor/Sound Designer/Producer/Host: Manny Faces Editor-In-Chief/Producer: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor/Producer: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A staggering percentage of those locked up in America’s mass incarceration crisis—upwards of 20%, or 200,000 folks (!!)—were homeless or in marginal housing leading up to their imprisonment. Forty percent were on welfare. Even more were jobless, especially among the Black community. And far too many were in public housing or foster care prior to even turning 18. This episode examines the devastating link between poverty and incarceration in the United States—what reform advocates dub America’s ‘Poverty to Prison Pipeline.’ News Beat is a multi-award-winning podcast brought to you by Morey Creative Studios and Manny Faces Media. Audio Editor/Sound Designer/Producer/Host: Manny Faces Editor-In-Chief/Producer: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor/Producer: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.