• Number of Children in ICE Detention Skyrockets Under Trump
    Mar 11 2026
    A new report from The Marshall Project reveals that the daily number of kids in ICE detention has increased sixfold under the second Trump administration. In this episode of Rattling the Bars, host Mansa Musa speaks with Shannon Heffernan and Anna Flagg of The Marshall Project about the the human cost of Trump’s mass deportation campaign, and about the horrifying reality inside the South Texas Family Processing Center—the "black box" facility in Dilley, TX, where children are subjected to substandard food, medical deprivation, and prolonged detention beyond legal limits.

    Guests:
    • Anna Flagg is a senior data reporter at The Marshall Project and works with data to report on detention, deaths in custody, crime, race, policing and immigration. Her reporting has appeared in The Marshall Project, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, ProPublica, Politico, The Guardian, The Associated Press, Al Jazeera, and others.
    • Shannon Heffernan is a staff writer at The Marshall Project whose work focuses on prisons and jails across the US, as well as sexual and gender-based violence, immigration and mental health, and how arts and culture shape (and are shaped by) crime and punishment.

    Additional links/info:
    • Anna Flagg & Shannon Heffernan, The Marshall Project, “‘Why is this happening to us?’ Daily number of kids in ICE detention jumps 6x under Trump”
    • Maximillian Alvarez, TRNN, “Texas’ one-of-a-kind concentration camp for children and families”

    Credits:
    • Producer / Videographer / Editor: Cameron Granadino


    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.

    Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.

    Follow us on:
    Bluesky: @therealnews.com
    Facebook: The Real News Network
    Twitter: @TheRealNews
    YouTube: @therealnews
    Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork

    Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!
    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
  • Afghanistan War Vet Blasts Trump’s “Pathetic and Horrific” War with Iran
    Mar 10 2026
    President Trump’s catastrophic decision to plunge the US into a war with Iran is following a depressingly familiar playbook to those who lived through—and those who served in—the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this episode of The Marc Steiner Show, Marc speaks with military veteran, author, and peace activist Rory Fanning—who served two tours in combat as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan—about the reality of what the US military has done in the Middle East, and about the veterans who are speaking out against the US-Israeli war with Iran.

    Guests:

    • Rory Fanning is a war resister, military counter recruiter, and writer living in Chicago, IL. Fanning served two deployments with the Second Army Ranger Battalion in Afghanistan, and he is the author of Worth Fighting For: An Army Ranger's Journey Out of the Military and Across America.
    Credits:
    • Producer: Rosette Sewali
    • Studio Production: David Hebden
    • Audio Post-Production: Stephen Frank


    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.

    Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.

    Follow us on:
    Bluesky: @therealnews.com
    Facebook: The Real News Network
    Twitter: @TheRealNews
    YouTube: @therealnews
    Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork

    Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!
    Show More Show Less
    20 mins
  • Trump’s War on Cuba: Crisis Made in the USA
    Mar 7 2026
    Cuba is facing the greatest existential threat it has seen in decades. Trash is filling streets, because garbage trucks can’t make the rounds. Rolling blackouts, rising food prices and cuts to transportation, university classes, and hospitals amid a gas shortage, the likes of which the country hasn’t seen in years.US President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other officials have made it clear that they aren’t interested in anything less than regime change. And they’re going after that goal full throttle. The United States is now imposing an oil blockade on the island nation that is pushing it to the brink – and hitting its most vulnerable residents the hardest.In this episode, we look at Cuba, the history of the more than 65-year-old US embargo on Cuba and Trump’s actions, which are pushing the country to the brink.This is Episode 7 of Under the Shadow, Season 2.Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. Season 2 responds in real time to the Trump administration’s onslaught on Latin America.Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.Many thanks to Belly of the Beast for the interview with Liz Oliva Fernandez and the use of the sound from several of their videos.This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.Theme music by Michael Fox’s band, Monte Perdido. Monte Perdido's 2024 album Ofrenda is available on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you listen to music.Other music from Blue Dot Sessions.Guests: Liz Oliva Fernandez with Belly of the BeastCamila PineiroMedea Benjamin with Code PinkPeter Kornbluh with National Security ArchivesGreg Wilpert, founder of VenezuelanalysisScript editing by Heather Gies. Hosted, written, produced, mixed and edited by Michael Fox.Resources Please visit Belly of the Beast for their excellent coverage of the situation in Cuba. You can see a copy of the Mallory Memo on the National Security Archive’s website: https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/cuba/2022-02-02/cuba-embargoed-us-trade-sanctions-turn-sixty This is the 1960 document that created the justification for the Eisenhower’s first sanctions on Cuba. Here is the link to Peter Kornbluh’s co-authored book, Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana https://www.amazon.com/Back-Channel-Cuba-Negotiations-Washington-ebook/dp/B00W1VH9LETo get involved in the flotilla to carry aid to Cuba this month, you can find out more on the Code Pink website, here: https://www.codepink.org/convergecubaUnder the Shadow, Season 1: You can check out the first season of Under the Shadow by clicking hereThe Beginning: Monroe and migration | Under the Shadow, Episode 1Panama. US Invasion. | Under the Shadow, Episode 13The legacy of Monroe | Under the Shadow, Bonus Episode 4 Michael Fox’s recent reporting on the boat strikes and the ramp-up for war in Venezuela: With the strike on a ‘drug-carrying boat,’ Trump returns to a dangerous US policy for Latin AmericaCaribbean leaders call for unified Latin American resistance to US attacksTrump’s Monroe Doctrine 2.0 outlines imperial intentions for Latin AmericaYou can check out Michael’s recent episode of Stories of Resistance about the protests against US intervention in Venezuela.NACLA’s Curated Guide to the US Attack on Venezuela Truthout’s ongoing reporting on War and Peace and the US invasion of VenezuelaVisit TRNN for all of TRNN’s coverage on this and so much morePlease consider supporting this podcast and Michael Fox’s reporting on his Patreon account: patreon.com/mfox. There you can also see exclusive pictures, video, and interviews.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Abby Martin: Western Media's Complicity in US-Israeli War on Iran
    Mar 6 2026
    The US-Israeli war with Iran is spiraling into a regional catastrophe, and the number of dead is rising quickly. While President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the war hawks in their cabinets are responsible for this illegal war, they are not the only ones with blood on their hands. TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with Abby Martin, host of The Empire Files, and Adam Johnson, co-host of Citations Needed, about how Western media and American politicians in the Democratic "opposition" have helped manufacture the conditions for war with Iran.

    Guests:

    • Abby Martin is an independent journalist, filmmaker, and host of The Empire Files. She is the director of the 2019 documentary Gaza Fights for Freedom and the 2026 documentary Earth’s Greatest Enemy.
    • Adam Johnson is a writer, media critic, co-host of the podcast Citations Needed, and a columnist for TRNN.

    Credits:

    • Post-Production: Cameron Granadino


    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.

    Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.

    Follow us on:
    Bluesky: @therealnews.com
    Facebook: The Real News Network
    Twitter: @TheRealNews
    YouTube: @therealnews
    Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork

    Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
  • Sean O’Brien sold workers and unions out to Trump—these Teamsters are running to oust him.
    Mar 4 2026
    As general president of the union, Sean O’Brien has operated with a “Teamsters vs. Everybody” mentality, especially when it comes to dealing with President Trump and embracing the MAGA right. But now, 14 months into the second Trump administration, the labor movement and the entire working class—Teamsters members included—is under attack. In this episode of Working People, we speak with veteran Teamsters Richard Hooker Jr. and John Palmer, who are running to oust O’Brien from leadership in the upcoming union election.Guests: Richard Hooker Jr. has dedicated 26 years to the Teamsters, spending 20 of those years at UPS and the last six in leadership roles. He is the Secretary-Treasurer and Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 623 in Philadelphia, and he is now running on the Fearless Slate to unseat Sean O’Brien as a candidate for general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. John Palmer has 38 years of experience in the Teamsters and is currently serving as a vice president at large of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He is running on the Fearless Slate as a candidate to be the union’s general secretary-treasurer.Additional links/info: Teamsters Fearless Slate websiteHank Kennedy, Current Affairs, “Sean O’Brien sold labor to Trump, and got nothing”Michael Sainato, The Guardian, “Labor activist takes on Teamsters leader allying with Trump: ‘He doesn’t represent the workers’”Joe Allen, CounterPunch, “Why are the Teamsters endorsing Greg Abbott?”Peter Eavis, The New York Times, “UPS says it is cutting up to 30,000 jobs”Maximillian Alvarez, TRNN, “Everybody hates Sean”Maximillian Alvarez, TRNN, “We asked 8 different Teamsters what they thought of Sean O'Brien's speech—their responses may surprise you”Featured Music:Jules Taylor, Working People Theme SongCredits: Audio Post-Production: Jules TaylorBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Manifest Destiny Never Ended: The Domestic War for White Supremacy
    Mar 2 2026
    From the very beginning, the United States of America has been at war—not just abroad, but domestically. In this episode of Rattling the Bars, host Mansa Musa speaks with scholar and author Dylan Rodríguez about how the US operates as a nation in a perpetual state of internal war, and how the white supremacist legacy of domestic warfare has reached terrifying new heights in the Trump era.

    Resource Links:
    • Purchase Dylan Rodríguez’s book White Reconstruction
    • Revolt against the carceral world
    • COVID-19 pandemic illuminates anti-Chinese racism and xenophobia
    • Why corporate media doesn’t talk honestly about racism
    Credits:
    • Producer / Videographer / Editor: Cameron Granadino

    Follow Rattling the Bars on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.

    Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.

    Follow us on:
    Bluesky: @therealnews.com
    Facebook: The Real News Network
    Twitter: @TheRealNews
    YouTube: @therealnews
    Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork

    Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
  • Stolen Wealth: How Black Depositors Funded the Nation’s Capital
    Feb 28 2026
    How did the promise of Black wealth become a tool for white elites? In this Black History Month special of Rattling the Bars, Mansa Musa speaks with UVA Professor and author Justene Hill Edwards about the tragic history of the Freedman’s Bank. They dive into the economic intelligence of enslaved people and how they navigated the inherent violence of the slave economy. Professor Hill Edwards also breaks down the betrayal detailed in her book, Savings and Trust, revealing how a bank built for the formerly enslaved was redirected to fund D.C. infrastructure and white elite interests.

    Get the book at this link on bookshop.com.

    Host: Mansa Musa Videographer / Editor / Producer: Cameron Granadino

    Follow Rattling the Bars on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.

    Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.

    Follow us on:
    Bluesky: @therealnews.com
    Facebook: The Real News Network
    Twitter: @TheRealNews
    YouTube: @therealnews
    Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork

    Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!
    Show More Show Less
    28 mins