On May 14, an 18-year-old white supremacist armed with an assault rifle and wearing body armor livestreamed his massacre of 10 Black people at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York. Ten days later, another 18-year-old slaughtered 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. While investigators scramble for motivations behind the latter, those of the accused mass murderer in the Buffalo shooting are crystal clear: He wanted to kill as many African Americans as possible...
Jun 02, 2022•25 min•Season 7Ep. 12
Devised in the wake of the September 11th Terror Attacks and subsequent 9/11 Commission casting much of the blame on the lack of interjurisdictional communication between law enforcement, fusion centers have continued to operate in the shadows and outside the realms of the public eye, and even elected officials, ever since. Yet instead of foreign and domestic terrorists, these multi-million-dollar surveillance hubs monitor and collect data about everyday people exercising their constitutional ri...
May 19, 2022•39 min•Season 7Ep. 12
In 2017, shortly after the deadly "Unite The Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, we released an episode titled ‘Misunderstanding Terrorism: Exposing Radical Caucasian Extremism’ calling out what the vast majority of mainstream news outlets and then-President Trump wouldn’t, yet what study after study had been warning about for quite some time: It wasn’t foreign Muslims posing the biggest threat to America’s safety— but white, far-right extremists . Tragically, this ideology’s death toll c...
May 17, 2022•21 min•Season 7Ep. 11
Long time listeners will certainly recognize LiKWUiD who, as one of News Beat's "Artist in Residence," has been featured on several important episodes delivering compelling, often heart wrenching lyrics that compliment our social justice reporting in a truly powerful way. Find out a little bit more about this prolific Hip-Hop artist, DJ, educator and mentor as we welcome LiKWUiD to the News Beat Cypher, in a special cross-feed drop with Hip-Hop Can Save America! . News Beat is a multi-award-winn...
May 15, 2022•50 min•Season 7Ep. 10
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, along with our annual re-release of our inaugural episode ‘MLK: Wha...
Jan 17, 2022•34 min•Season 7Ep. 9
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 Po...
Jan 13, 2022•31 min•Season 7Ep. 8
When disaster strikes, who profits? That’s the question Australian-based reporter Antony Loewenstein has been investigating for years. “Disaster capitalism” was first coined by renowned journalist and author Naomi Klein in her 2007 best-selling book “Shock Doctrine.” Loewenstein digs deeper with on-the-ground reporting to show how companies around the world profit from misery. News Beat is a multi-award-winning podcast brought to you by Morey Creative Studios and Manny Faces Media . Subscribe fo...
Dec 29, 2021•24 min•Season 7Ep. 7
America's longest war has one clear winner: Corporations . Has the war in Afghanistan become the biggest scam of our lifetime? News Beat is a multi-award-winning podcast brought to you by Morey Creative Studios and Manny Faces Media . Subscribe for free to our Substack newsletter . 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...
Dec 02, 2021•57 min•Season 7Ep. 6
Surprise, surprise. Modern day citizen’s arrest laws across the United States have their roots in Civil War-era laws designed to punish slaves. In this episode, one of the foremost experts on citizen’s arrest laws traces the history of these archaic laws from the colonial period to today—exposing yet another disturbing aspect of America’s “justice” system. News Beat is a multi-award-winning podcast brought to you by Morey Creative Studios and Manny Faces Media . Audio Editor/Sound Designer/Produ...
Nov 18, 2021•26 min•Season 7Ep. 5
Beware the false messiahs of meaningful criminal justice reform, the so-called bipartisan coalition championing initiatives that purport to make a difference yet do absolutely nothing to incite true change, and in fact, further tighten the historical and ongoing noose of neoliberalism and structural racism within the world’s largest prison state. Our guests go behind the smoke and mirrors, ripping off the masks of the fake prophets pushing artificial revolutions and exposing the inherent deceit ...
Nov 04, 2021•30 min•Season 7Ep. 4
Since last spring, politicians, right-wing pundits, the media, and so-called “centrist” Democrats have weaponized the rise in violent crimes, including murders, to demonize police reform efforts and blame progressives. Sure enough, they conveniently neglect to mention that crime is up across the country—in cities run by Democrats and Republicans. We examine the spike in violent crime, potential factors, and whether defund and police reform are really to blame. Hint: It ain’t as simple as that. N...
Oct 21, 2021•29 min•Season 7Ep. 3
Long time listeners know Silent Knight , his voice and his profound work -- not only as News Beat's "Artist in Residence," but as a solo artist, frontperson for our good friends and co-award-winning collaborators, The Band Called FUSE , and as an Innocence Ambassador for the renowned organization, The Innocence Project . Find out a little bit more about this prolific Hip-Hop artist, polka enthusiast (??) and all around cool cat as we welcome Silent Knight to the News Beat Cypher . News Beat is a...
Oct 13, 2021•40 min•Season 7Ep. 2
Law enforcement is increasingly using facial recognition, AI and other technologies despite numerous studies and real world examples of such tech falsely identifying criminal suspects. Along with concerns over how this tech will disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities, experts are raising concerns over First Amendment implications and what it means to live in a society in which we’re constantly surveilled. News Beat is a multi-award-winning podcast brought to you by Morey Creative ...
Oct 06, 2021•35 min•Season 7Ep. 1
This episode was honored as Best Podcast at the 2021 New York Press Club Journalism Awards . We dedicate the win to the many voices -- both heard, and unheard -- represented in this episode. The 2020 rebellions sparked renewed discussions surrounding a host of racial issues, including police brutality toward black men. Advocates argue that black women are similarly exposed to excessive police violence yet routinely forgotten or ignored. Among their demands: Say Her Name. News Beat is an award-wi...
Sep 15, 2021•42 min•Season 6Ep. 21
If you pay attention to mainstream media, you’d notice that many outlets are recognizing June 17, 2021 as the 50th anniversary of the “war on drugs.” Actually, the racist and deadly drug war goes back much further than conventional wisdom suggests, and was originally waged by an authoritarian bureaucrat that most people likely have never heard of. We think it’s important to understand the REAL history, to understand how others, including Nixon and Reagan, built on its foundation over the many de...
Jun 17, 2021•17 min•Season 6Ep. 15
Guilty pleas have become the dominant way in which prosecutors in America secure convictions. In some cases, 99 percent of cases in various jurisdictions end in a plea bargain. While plea bargaining has been a function of the American justice system for nearly a century, the practice started taking hold in the 1970s following various Supreme Court decisions that upheld its constitutionality. Through the imposition of money bail and harsh sentencing practices, prosecutors across the country have ...
Apr 28, 2021•22 min•Season 6Ep. 10
Reform candidates are increasingly winning district attorney elections in the United States. The movement represents a direct challenge to the decades-long tough-on-crime era, characterized by punitive sentencing laws, significant investments in police forces and prisons, and the criminalization of mental health—culminating in the highest incarceration rates in the world. Opponents are fighting back, with the most recent example being Los Angeles County, where a union representing hundreds of pr...
Mar 17, 2021•25 min•Season 6Ep. 5
As we work to deliver you more compelling social-justice-meets-music-and-lyrics episodes of News Beat proper, we want to put you on to another incredible podcast in our production universe, Unf*cking the Republic . This brilliant show is all about exposing political f*ckery -- from all sides -- while informing and entertaining along the way. It's also produced and audio edited by our very own Manny Faces , so if you dig what happens at News Beat, we think you'll dig this too. Check out this spec...
Feb 22, 2021•21 min•Season 6Ep. 3
Like we always do at this time of year, we present an 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...
Jan 15, 2021•30 min•Season 6Ep. 2
January 6, 2021 was a dark day in the history of this nation. What we all witnessed at the U.S. Capitol was a full-on assault on democracy, incited by President Donald Trump and carried out by right-wing extremists—or simply, domestic terrorists. Tragically, these events, although deeply unsettling, shouldn’t have surprised anyone. Experts have been warning of the threat of right-wing domestic terrorists for years. In 2020 alone, two-thirds of domestic attacks or plots were committed by white su...
Jan 09, 2021•21 min•Season 6Ep. 1
This is a special episode in collaboration with Color Of Change , the largest online racial justice organization in the country. With uprisings rivaling those of the 1960s, Americans this year took to the streets in massive numbers to declare Black Lives Matter and demand systemic change. These rebellions have underscored the desperate need for change in a country steeped in racism and state violence. Will things change? That is the question. News Beat is an award-winning Morey Creative Studios ...
Dec 03, 2020•41 min•Season 5Ep. 24
In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively gutted the historic Voting Rights Act, making it easier for states to suppress the vote by enacting voter ID laws, eliminating early voting, closing polling stations and aggressively purging voter rolls. Voter ID laws, specifically, didn’t exist prior to 2006—now about three-dozen states have some form of voter ID law. Since the court’s 2013 decision, hundreds of polling locations have closed. Experts say these efforts disproportionately disenfranchise...
Oct 26, 2020•29 min•Season 5Ep. 21
Symbols of pride for Italian Americans, painful reminders of historical injustices and brutal atrocities for indigenous peoples—statues of controversial 15th century explorer Christopher Columbus have been decapitated, toppled or taken down in cities and towns across the United States amid the ongoing protests against racial injustice and police brutality sparked by the killing of unarmed African American George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer in May. Mohawk activist John Kane of Nat...
Oct 12, 2020•6 min•Season 5Ep. 20
Human Rights Watch, an international nongovernmental organization, released a report accusing the NYPD of serious international human rights violations and has called into question some of the justifications made by the top brass of the department after a June crackdown in the South Bronx. Ida Sawyer , co-author of the report and acting crisis and conflict director at Human Rights Watch, joins us for this special episode. News Beat is an award-winning Morey Creative Studios podcast. Producer/Aud...
Oct 09, 2020•48 min•Season 5Ep. 19
A federal appeals court earlier this month affirmed a controversial Florida law requiring people with felony convictions to pay court fees in order to have their voting rights restored. With less than 50 days until the November election and with the state’s voter registration deadline nearing, the 6-4 ruling all but ensures hundreds of thousands of Floridians won't be able to participate. This is an update to our 2018 episode “Real Voter Fraud: Felony Disenfranchisement’s Civil Death Sentence,” ...
Sep 21, 2020•16 min•Season 5Ep. 18
The warnings were clear: COVID-19 would spread like wildfire in jails and prisons. It has. The top COVID-19 clusters across America are overwhelmingly jails and prisons, and efforts to reduce jail populations have stalled amid a surge in infections. Among the hardest-hit is San Quentin State Prison in California, which is responsible for about a quarter of the state prison system’s COVID-19 infections and almost half its deaths. Guests: Danielle Harris , managing attorney for the San Francisco P...
Aug 28, 2020•24 min•Season 5Ep. 17
Black Americans have long relied on the Postal Service as a source of stable employment, with our guest tracing this history back to the legal end of slavery. Amid the uproar over recent efforts to undermine the USPS, we examine this history and the role Black postal workers played in the union and civil rights struggle. News Beat is an award-winning Morey Creative Studios podcast. Producer: Michael " Manny Faces " Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Ar...
Aug 21, 2020•23 min•Season 5Ep. 16
The 2020 rebellions have sparked renewed discussions surrounding a host of racial issues, including police brutality toward black men. Advocates argue that black women are similarly exposed to excessive police violence yet routinely forgotten or ignored. Among their demands: Say Her Name. News Beat is an award-winning Morey Creative Studios podcast. Producer: Michael " Manny Faces " Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: ...
Jul 02, 2020•40 min•Season 5Ep. 15
In commemoration of this year’s Juneteenth, as countless people flood the streets all across this country calling for justice, equality, and an end to police brutality, among other demands— testament that the struggle is far, far from over —we’re re-releasing an episode that documents proof of this modern-day, state-sponsored slavery, highlighting a sinister and covert FBI initiative codenamed COINTEPRO, short for Counter Intelligence Program. The episode features interviews with Steven Renderos...
Jun 19, 2020•29 min•Season 5Ep. 14
In the wake of the police slaying of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protesters have not only flooded the streets, but they're actively pushing reforms that go well beyond traditional solutions. The defund police movement would represent a seismic shift in policing in America. News Beat is an award-winning Morey Creative Studios podcast. Producer: Michael " Manny Faces " Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jeff Main Executive Producer: Jed Morey Suppo...
Jun 16, 2020•23 min•Season 5Ep. 13
