Radio Active Magazine

There were multiple "No Kings" rallies in the greater metro area October 18. The one a Johnson County Community College had 8 speakers, organized by Martha Lawrence and Nancy Mays of Boots on the Ground Midwest. A video of this "No Kings Protest @ JCCC" is available on YouTube. Excerpts from those talks were featured in this broadcast, summarized here: Jae Moyer, an LGBTQ+ activist, discussed his insistence on "being my authentic self." He said that Donal Trump "cultivates a divisive culture of fear pitting us against one another." He mentioned two specific actions by Trump supporters: (1) The effort by Kansas Republicans to convene a special redistricting session of the Kansas legislature and (2) the Young Republicans praising Hitler. Nubia was brought to the US at the age of 3. She now holds duel US and Mexican citizenship. She said that this last year "has been no-stop scary, fearful, and a complete nightmare". She spoke of a young father building a construction company in the US from the bottom up, who was pulled over by law enforcement, saying they were looking for someone else, but was detained and deported, leaving his pregnant wife and three children in the US. She said that about 7 percent of those detained have never been incarcerated before. Many panic, sign a deportation order and are deported. "That's how we have broken families here", she said. She mentioned Jeanette Vizguerra, a sanctuary church leader, who has been incarcerated for over 6 months and fighting from within the detention center in Colorado. She said that the administration is especially targeting humans involved in advocacy. Mark McCormick, a New York Times best-selling author, said that some 300,000 Black women have lost their jobs this year. "Neo-Nazis and other hate groups are now marching with bold arrogance. We are facing direct attacks on our history, our institutions, and our jobs. There are escalating efforts to dismantle voting rights, block access to fair elections, to erode gains fought for over generations. ... People in masks are snatching other people off the street." He mentioned Wright Thompson (2024) The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi about the 1955 murder in a barn of Emmett Till, a Black teenager. Till was brutally beaten then killed, and his body was dumped in the Tallahatchie River. McCormick mentioned two things that struck him about Thompson's work on this. First, when asked about the reaction to the book, Thompson "said his readers uniformly say that those now on control of our government want to return to a pre-Civil Rights America." Second, he described a conversation with a niece of Mose Wright, Emmett Till's uncle, from whose home Till was take. The niece said she was grateful that Till got out of the river, because it's known as "the singing river", because of so many lynching victims dumped in that river. Huascar Medina, a former Kansas poet laureate and second-generation immigrant living in the heartland. He said, "Only fascists have a problem with anti-fascists." And he recited his poem "New American". Bryson Ripley, former US Marine, president of the Kansas City chapter of Vets for Peace and a student at Johnson County Community College and the University of Kansas. He discussed the US Army talk orientation fact sheet number 64 on fascism released 1945-03-24, a month after Marines planted a US flag on Iwo Jima. He quoted several lines from that "Army Talk orientation fact sheet". He noted, "the press, radio, movie, stage, all were put to the task of glorifying war. The school system from kindergarten to university justified and exalted tyranny. ... Fascism is built on propaganda." Good people will not vote to hurt others ... unless they are lied to. "The lies of Joseph Goebels are the same lies being said on Fox and OAA." He cited Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler's 1935 book, War is a racket. "How many wars are we going to be lied into?" Ripley asked. Laurel Burchfield discussed the Mainstream Coalition and Kansas Fair Maps. She said the Republican leaders in Kansas have approved a half-million dollar budget for a special session of the legislature but have not yet called that session, "because they know we're watching, and we're saying 'No!'" Rabbi Moti Rieber, executive director of the Kansas Interfaith Action group. He mentioned a recent story in the Guardian about "the chill girl" -- high school girls who remain silent when they hear boys making racist or sexist jokes, to avoid being "accused of being a killjoy or worse." How much damage are we doing to the girls and the boys who "grow up to be Young Republican operatives"? He said we have an administration "of mediocre white men" with billions of dollars, a compliant Congress and Supreme Court and a complicit media. He said that Ty Masterson and Dan Hawkins are mediocre too. "The damage being done under the MAGA boot heel will take years to undo, but their mediocrity is actually one of our greatest weapons." We are currently in a struggle between two diametrically opposed worldviews: slaveholder Christianity, aka Christian Nationalism, and a vision of a multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-racial America. Rabbi Rieber also said that the scriptures insist that we care for the orphan, the widow and the immigrants.1 Dr. Micah Kubic, executive director of the Kansas ACLU. He said they asked the Johnson County Election Commissioner to start making at least some materials available in a language other than English. The Commissioner replied that it was, "deplorable to even ask." The Kansas ACLU is asking supporters to ask their election commissioner to expand voting access. ________ Genesis 37:1−40:23 discussed "Caring for the Widow, the Stranger, and the Orphan", as summarized on ReformJudiasm.org. Similarly, Matthew 25:35-41 includes, "I was a stranger, and you took me in." Muslims consider the Jewish and Christian scriptures as holy but are not revered as much as the Quran. Copyright 2025, Martha Lawrence, Nancy Mays, Jae Moyer, Nubia with Dream Alliance, Mark McCormick, Huascar Medina, Bryson Ripley, Laurel Birchfield, Moti Rieber, Micah Kubic, and Spencer Graves, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 international license  

Dan Hind discusses the Media Reform Coalition with Radio Active Magazine regular Spencer Graves. The Media Reform Coalition insists that, "Our media is broken" and is "Leading the fight for a media fit for the 21st-century" in the UK. The Media Reform Coalition was founded in 2011 in the wake of the revelations that the News of the World had hacked the phones of victims of crime. In 2017 Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox attempted to buy British Sky News. The Media Reform Coalition and others lobbied successfully to block that purchase. The Media Reform Coalition does research, organizing, and advocacy including testifying before Parliamentary committees. For example, in 2024 the Media Reform Coalition offered written evidence for the British House of Lords Communications and Digital Select Committee inquiry on "The future of news: impartiality, trust and technology". This included the observation that, "There is an urgent need for further research into the applications and impact of AI ... [and] policy development around the governance of generative AI in news production processes to protect democratic values."[9] A moderated discussion of this interview along with a video and highlights are available in the Wikiversity article on "Media Reform Coalition challenges anti-democratic media bias in the UK". Copyright 2025 Dan Hind and Spencer Graves, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 international license. _______ 1. Media Reform Coalition (2024-02) "Media Reform Coalition--written evidence (FON0029)", UK House of Lords.

The International day of peace, September 21, is celebrated with a festival organized by Ira Harritt and the Interfaith Council of Greater Kansas City. We talk with some of the organizers, presenters, and participants.

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez discusses her "First Amendment Tour: Fighting back against the campaign of censorship and control." This was excerpted from her keynote address on that issue for the Grassroots Radio Conference 2025-09-12.1 A video of that address and the Q&A that followed will be posted to the Wikiversity article on "Fighting back against the campaign of censorship and control", which supports a moderated discussion of the issues raised. Copyright 2025 Spencer Graves, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 international license for the editing; Commissioner Gomez' remarks are in the public domain. _______ 1. GRC2025.com, conference of the Grassroots Radio Coalition.

Bill Schmidt discusses his work with the Refugees, Immigrants and Migrants (RIM) committee of the St. Francis Xavier parish in Kansas City, Missouri. This is followed by a brief discussion of the evidence regarding the impact of immigrants on crime and the incomes of the host community. In brief, the research finds that on average immigrants benefit both the sending and receiving countries, and the major media routinely disseminate lies, especially by leading politicians, because challenging those lies would most likely increase their costs without a compensating increase in revenue. St. Francis Xavier  The RIM committee at St. Francis Xavier started in 2012 or 2013 and was further pushed by Father Rafael Garcia, who was their pastor then. RIM was also connected with the Migrant Farm Workers program in Lexington, Missouri. RIM has three different activities: (1) Education, (2) action, and (3) collaboration with other organizations. The RIM committee has been involved with the Encuentro project, which is linked with Father Garcia. That project arranges visits to El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico, which are really one metropolitan area split between Texas and Mexico. Those visits include visits to Annunciation House there, which greets immigrants at the border. Schmidt also mentioned Father Peter and Sister Betty, who have tracked people who have crossed the border and died, writing their names on a wall. RIM has had training from Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) and Dell Lamb. RIM has worked with families from the Congo, Venezuela, and Nigeria. Healthy adults whom they have helped have gotten jobs, paid taxes including social security and are applying for US citizenship. Some have had family members killed and their homes destroyed before they decided to take the risks to come to the US. They have also worked with Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR). RIM is also affiliated with the Heartland Welcome and Support Coalition, a 501(c)(3) that is ecumenical, with affiliations with other communities beyond St. Francis Xavier. RIM is also affiliated with Witness on Troost, which peacefully raises signs, voices, and prayers in solidarity with the marginalized and vulnerable. A leader in this group is Kim Meyer: witnessontroost@gmail.com. Schmidt said he was not aware of any raids by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in Kansas City, Missouri, but there have been such in Liberty, Missouri, and Johnson County, Kansas. Schmidt is joined by Bill Clause and Spencer Graves. Research on immigrants  If you, dear reader, know of any honest evidence supporting President Trump's campaign against immigrants, please email your evidence to news at KKFI dot org. There is ample documentation that immigrants on average benefit both sending and receiving countries. Research on sanctuary jurisdictions including sanctuary cities has mixed results. Some find no difference between sanctuary cities and less immigrant-friendly jurisdictions. Others find that sanctuary cities on average have less crime and higher median incomes.1 If you are aware of any serious, credible research relating to this, please email citation(s) to news at KKFI dot org. Research on dysfunctions in the major media Much and likely all of the support for President Trump's campaign against immigrants comes from dysfunctions in the major media. This includes commercial Internet companies, especially social media like Facebook and X, that make money from clicks that herd humans into groups described as "echo chambers". Group members in so-called echo chambers reinforce each other's prejudices without realizing that what they are saying is often contradicted by evidence. This problem is at its worst in news deserts -- communities without a local newspaper. However, it has been increasing worldwide as the growth of the Internet has been funded primarily from advertising revenue that had previously gone to newspapers. Journalists who often checked their facts have been laid off. And the massive consolidation of ownership of the media have reduced competition for audience, and journalists are allowed even less time to check facts. Moreover, the easiest and cheapest content often comes from politicians and other public officials including law enforcement. And public officials tend to be less cooperative with journalists and news outlets they do not like, dramatically increasing the cost of most reporting. This is a major problem documented in many previous episodes of Radio Active Magazine that have also been distributed as the fortnightly "Media & Democracy" series syndicated for the Pacifica Radio Network and available for moderate discussion on Wikiversity under "Category:Media reform to improve democracy". _______ Links to research on immigrants are included in the description of the 2025-07-15 episode of Radio Active Magazine, which cites the Wikipedia articles on “Immigration and crime”, “Immigration”, and “Sanctuary city”, each of which include direct citations to research.  

Doug Samuelson discusses the role of the media in conflict with Spencer Graves. Samuelson has a Dr. Sci. in operations research and years of experience with empirical modeling, especially for […] The post The role of the media in conflict appeared first on KKFI.

UMKC law professor Allen Rostron discusses legal issues raised by actions of the Trump administration. He is interviewed by Radio Active Magazine regulars Craig Lubow and Spencer Graves. Copyright 2025 […] The post Legal issues raised by Trump administration actions appeared first on KKFI.

Nick Hart is interviewed by Spencer Graves about the Data Foundation, of which he is President and CEO, and about the status of evidence-informed public policy in the US. The […] The post Evidence-informed public policy appeared first on KKFI.

Nick Hart is interviewed by Spencer Graves about the Data Foundation, of which he is President and CEO, and about the status of evidence-informed public policy in the US. The […] The post Evidence-informed public policy appeared first on KKFI.

Ernie Nolan, the Artistic Director of Kansas City’s Unicorn Theatre, discusses their history and upcoming program with Radio Active Magazine regular Craig Lubow. The post Unicorn Theatre 2025-2026 Season appeared first on KKFI.

Ernie Nolan, the Artistic Director of Kansas City's Unicorn Theatre, discusses their history and upcoming program with Radio Active Magazine regular Craig Lubow. The post Unicorn Theatre 2025-2026 Season appeared first on KKFI.

Reece Peck describes how he thinks Left media outlets could increase their effectiveness by working harder to understand the concerns of the working class and packaging policy prescriptions in terms […] The post What the Left can learn from Fox appeared first on KKFI.

Reece Peck describes how he thinks Left media outlets could increase their effectiveness by working harder to understand the concerns of the working class and packaging policy prescriptions in terms […] The post What the Left can learn from Fox appeared first on KKFI.

Bill Clause asked attendees at  July 17 John Lewis Day “Good Trouble” event why they were there; that event was organized in part by Indivisible Kansas City, discussed in the […] The post John Lewis, Democratic Socialists, and Christian Nationalists appeared first on KKFI.

Bill Clause asked attendees at  July 17 John Lewis Day “Good Trouble” event why they were there; that event was organized in part by Indivisible Kansas City, discussed in the […] The post John Lewis, Democratic Socialists, and Christian Nationalists appeared first on KKFI.

Natalie Fenton discusses her new 2025 book, Democratic Delusions: How the Media Hollows Out Democracy and What We Can Do About It, and related work. She is interviewed by Spencer […] The post Democratic delusions: Fix the media to fix democracy appeared first on KKFI.

Natalie Fenton discusses her new 2025 book, Democratic Delusions: How the Media Hollows Out Democracy and What We Can Do About It, and related work. She is interviewed by Spencer […] The post Democratic delusions: Fix the media to fix democracy appeared first on KKFI.

Bill Clause, Beverly Harvey and Skie Pearson discuss with Spencer Graves activities by Indivisible Kansas City, the Solidarity School of Resistance, and the campaign to prevent CoreCivic from reopening their prison […] The post More on the Solidarity School and other activism appeared first on KKFI.

Bill Clause, Beverly Harvey and Skie Pearson discuss with Spencer Graves activities by Indivisible Kansas City, the Solidarity School of Resistance, and the campaign to prevent CoreCivic from reopening their prison […] The post More on the Solidarity School and other activism appeared first on KKFI.

University of British Columbia history professor Heidi J.S. Tworek1 discusses her research on the impact of the media on politics in Germany focusing especially in 1900 through 1945 and its […] The post News from Germany 1900-1945 and implications for today appeared first on KKFI.

University of British Columbia history professor Heidi J.S. Tworek1 discusses her research on the impact of the media on politics in Germany focusing especially in 1900 through 1945 and its […] The post News from Germany 1900-1945 and implications for today appeared first on KKFI.

University of San Diego Communications Professor Nik Usher discusses their research on how news impacts democracy. Recent publications describe how media impacted the response to Black Lives Matter, COVID-19, illiberal politics, […] The post How news impacts democracy per USD Communications Professor Nik Usher appeared first on KKFI.

University of San Diego Communications Professor Nik Usher discusses their research on how news impacts democracy. Recent publications describe how media impacted the response to Black Lives Matter, COVID-19, illiberal politics, […] The post How news impacts democracy per USD Communications Professor Nik Usher appeared first on KKFI.

Sherman Smith discusses the Kansas Reflector. Bill Clause interviews a woman with Respect Missouri Voters at the “No King” rally last Saturday. Winston Apple claims the US was “Founded on […] The post Sherman Smith on the Kansas Reflector and Judy Ancel reversing runaway inequality appeared first on KKFI.

Sherman Smith discusses the Kansas Reflector. Bill Clause interviews a woman with Respect Missouri Voters at the “No King” rally last Saturday. Winston Apple claims the US was “Founded on […] The post Sherman Smith on the Kansas Reflector and Judy Ancel reversing runaway inequality appeared first on KKFI.

Bill Clause, Beverly Harvey, Iris Craver, Nancy Mays, Bill Thompson, and Keith Washburn discuss best practices of successful organizing and mobilizing tactics used by Indivisible Kansas City, Arc of Justice, […] The post Mobilizing, Organizing & Raising Hell appeared first on KKFI.

Bill Clause, Beverly Harvey, Iris Craver, Nancy Mays, Bill Thompson, and Keith Washburn discuss best practices of successful organizing and mobilizing tactics used by Indivisible Kansas City, Arc of Justice, […] The post Mobilizing, Organizing & Raising Hell appeared first on KKFI.

Bill Clause, Daniel Scharpenburg, Martha Lawrence, and Diane Bulan discuss their “Solidarity School of Resistance”, starting with a “Boots on the Ground” volunteer fair May 31, 1-4 PM, Second Presbyterian […] The post Solidarity School of Resistance and May 31 Boots on the Ground appeared first on KKFI.

Bill Clause, Daniel Scharpenburg, Martha Lawrence, and Diane Bulan discuss their “Solidarity School of Resistance”, starting with a “Boots on the Ground” volunteer fair May 31, 1-4 PM, Second Presbyterian […] The post Solidarity School of Resistance and May 31 Boots on the Ground appeared first on KKFI.

Ashley Hernandez, William Rogers, and Esmie Tseng discuss opposition to the efforts of CoreCivic and the Trump administration to reopen the CoreCivic prison in Leavenworth. Hernandez is with the Sisters […] The post Reopening a CoreCivic prison in Leavenworth for ICE? appeared first on KKFI.

Ashley Hernandez, William Rogers, and Esmie Tseng discuss opposition to the efforts of CoreCivic and the Trump administration to reopen the CoreCivic prison in Leavenworth. Hernandez is with the Sisters […] The post Reopening a CoreCivic prison in Leavenworth for ICE? appeared first on KKFI.

Canadian journalist Marc Edge summarizes his research on the evolution of media and democracy internationally including different media policies that have been attempted and their impact on political corruption and […] The post Canadian journalist Marc Edge on media reform to improve democracy appeared first on KKFI.

Canadian journalist Marc Edge summarizes his research on the evolution of media and democracy internationally including different media policies that have been attempted and their impact on political corruption and […] The post Canadian journalist Marc Edge on media reform to improve democracy appeared first on KKFI.

Unionists Garth Stocking, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) local 1336, and Daniel Scharpenburg, VP, National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) chapter 66, join Bill Clause, AFGE retired, to discuss the […] The post Unionists say that boss Trump declares war on his own workers appeared first on KKFI.

Unionists Garth Stocking, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) local 1336, and Daniel Scharpenburg, VP, National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) chapter 66, join Bill Clause, AFGE retired, to discuss the […] The post Unionists say that boss Trump declares war on his own workers appeared first on KKFI.

UMKC Constitutional Law Professor Allen Rostron1 discusses major policy changes mandated by President Trump since his second inauguration with Radio Active Magazine regulars Spencer Graves and Craig Lubow. To what […] The post Trump v. US Constitution appeared first on KKFI.

UMKC Constitutional Law Professor Allen Rostron1 discusses major policy changes mandated by President Trump since his second inauguration with Radio Active Magazine regulars Spencer Graves and Craig Lubow. To what […] The post Trump v. US Constitution appeared first on KKFI.

Georgetown professor Amy O'Hara  discusses the deletions and modifications of massive amounts of data from US federal government websites on orders from President Trump since his second inauguration, 2025-01-20, and […] The post Trump ordered reductions in public data appeared first on KKFI.

Georgetown professor Amy O’Hara  discusses the deletions and modifications of massive amounts of data from US federal government websites on orders from President Trump since his second inauguration, 2025-01-20, and […] The post Trump ordered reductions in public data appeared first on KKFI.

Marilyn McCleod, Anne Calvert and Harry Bognich discuss concerns and activities of Leagues of Women Voters. They are interviewed by Radio Active Magazine regular Spencer Graves. Marilyn is President of […] The post KC Metro Leagues of Women Voters appeared first on KKFI.

Marilyn McCleod, Anne Calvert and Harry Bognich discuss concerns and activities of Leagues of Women Voters. They are interviewed by Radio Active Magazine regular Spencer Graves. Marilyn is President of […] The post KC Metro Leagues of Women Voters appeared first on KKFI.

Resurrection Downtown Kansas City, a United Methodist congregation, hosted a discussion March 10 of the “State of Immigration and Its Impact on KC”. Speakers included Adam Kisler1 and Julie Doane […] The post State of Immigration and Its Impact on KC appeared first on KKFI.

Resurrection Downtown Kansas City, a United Methodist congregation, hosted a discussion March 10 of the “State of Immigration and Its Impact on KC”. Speakers included Adam Kisler1 and Julie Doane […] The post State of Immigration and Its Impact on KC appeared first on KKFI.

Rick Goldsmith,1 director of the documentary, “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink“,2 discusses how Alden Global Capital has purchased many newspapers in the US, laid off many journalists […] The post Vulture capitalists destroying newspapers appeared first on KKFI.

Rick Goldsmith,1 director of the documentary, “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink“,2 discusses how Alden Global Capital has purchased many newspapers in the US, laid off many journalists […] The post Vulture capitalists destroying newspapers appeared first on KKFI.

Arizona State University Accounting Professor Roger White is interviewed by Radio Active Magazine regular Spencer Graves. They discuss research documenting the value of independent newspapers, especially local newspapers, in limiting malfeasance. […] The post Local newspapers limit malfeasance appeared first on KKFI.

Arizona State University Accounting Professor Roger White is interviewed by Radio Active Magazine regular Spencer Graves. They discuss research documenting the value of independent newspapers, especially local newspapers, in limiting malfeasance. […] The post Local newspapers limit malfeasance appeared first on KKFI.

Citizens for Justice in the Middle East (CJME) and Cross Border Network for Justice and Solidarity will receive the Kris and Lynn Cheatum Award at the PeaceWorks KC annual meeting, […] The post PWKC Recognizes CJME and Cross Border Network appeared first on KKFI.

Citizens for Justice in the Middle East (CJME) and Cross Border Network for Justice and Solidarity will receive the Kris and Lynn Cheatum Award at the PeaceWorks KC annual meeting, […] The post PWKC Recognizes CJME and Cross Border Network appeared first on KKFI.

This episode of Radio Active Magazine features two topics: An interview with author Andrew Sillen about his new Black History book, Kidnapped at Sea: The Civil War Voyage of David […] The post Black History Kidnapped and immigrants appeared first on KKFI.

This episode of Radio Active Magazine features two topics: An interview with author Andrew Sillen about his new Black History book, Kidnapped at Sea: The Civil War Voyage of David […] The post Black History Kidnapped and immigrants appeared first on KKFI.