Podcasts about aclu

This week, we're showing thanks to everyone who's stepping up for our collective civil liberties, with a People Power potluck! And we've got a seat at the table for you. Our guest of honor is Maribel Hernández Rivera, the ACLU's National Director of Immigrant Community Strategies. And we have three volunteers from the ACLU's grassroots network People Power stopping by. Kathy joins us just around the 20-minute mark from Minnesota, Sophia around 40 minutes in from Colorado, and Terry at the hour mark from Tennessee. Listen in as they speak with Kamau about why and how they're advocating for immigrants' rights, and what their hopes are for their communities—and yours—this giving season and beyond. If you'd like to join Kathy, Sophia, Terry, and other People Power volunteers, now's the perfect time. You can head to aclu.org/campaigns-initiatives/people-power to learn more. And make sure to check out the ACLU's Holiday Conversation Guide, at aclu.org/the-aclus-holiday-conversation-guide. At Liberty is a production of the ACLU. For the ACLU, our senior executive producer is Sam Riddell, our executive producer is Jessica Herman Weitz, and our intern is Madhvi Khianra. W. Kamau Bell and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD are executive producers for Who Knows Best Productions. At Liberty is produced and edited by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get. This episode was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA.

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Important Links We Belong Here campaign page We Belong Here Partner organizations: Asian Law Caucus |Asian Refugees United | Hmong Innovating Politics | Hmong Family Association of Lansing | Rising Voices Transcript Nina Phillips: Hello and welcome. You are tuning into APEX Express, a weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans. I'm your host Nina Phillips, and tonight we are doing something a little different. Earlier this month on Monday, November 3rd, communities of Hmong and Nepali speaking, Bhutanese Americans, fellow immigrants and allies, gathered together at a virtual [00:01:00] community event called We Belong Here. The goal: to shed light on the continued detainment and deportation of immigrant communities in the United States and the specific challenges faced by Bhutanese, Hmong, and Southeast Asian folks.  Tika Basnet: When, uh, my husband got detained on April 8, I took one week after to reach out Aisa and she told me, Hey Tika, come forward, you know, your story is powerful. People need to know your story.  Nina Phillips: That was the voice of Tika Basnet. Her husband, Mohan Karki is a Nepali speaking Bhutanese refugee from Ohio who has spent months in ICE detention, trapped in legal limbo. Tika has been working tirelessly to bring her husband home and shared her story with us at We Belong Here. Tonight, we are bringing you a recording of this virtual community gathering. You'll hear more from Tika about the Free Mohan Karki campaign and from Ann Vue, [00:02:00] the spouse of Lue Yang, a Hmong community leader from Michigan, who is also currently detained and facing deportation. Ann is leading the movement to Bring Lue Home, and we'll be sharing more later about how you can get involved as well and support both of these campaigns. You will also hear from state representatives of Michigan and Ohio, the music and spoken word performance of Asian Refugees United, and community tools and resources that a vital in helping to keep our immigrant loved ones safe. The host of this community event was Miko Lee, APEX producer, and a voice that you might be familiar with. Alrighty, without further ado, here's Miko. Miko Lee: We belong here. What we recognize right now is there's almost. 60,000 people being held in detention right now, immigrants that are being held in detention. It is a pandemic that is happening in our country that's impacting all of our people, and we need [00:03:00] to be able to take action. Tonight we're talking very specifically, not with this 60,000 people that are in detention now, but just two of those stories, so that you can get a sense of what is happening in the Bhutanese and Hmong communities and what's happening right now, and to talk about those particular stories and some actions you can take. First I wanna recognize that right now we are on native lands, so all of us except our original indigenous people, are from other places and I'd invite you to go into the chat and find your native land. I am speaking with you from the unceded Ohlone land, and I wanna honor these ancestors, these elders that have provided for us and provided this beautiful land for us to be on. So I invite you to share into the chat your name, your pronoun, and also what indigenous land you are living on right now in this Native American Heritage Month. Thank you so much to all of you that have joined [00:04:00] us. We are really seeing the impact of this administration on all of our peoples, and particularly tonight in terms of the Hmong and Nepali speaking, Bhutanese communities. These are communities that have been impacted, specifically refugee communities that have been impacted in incredible detrimental ways by this administration. And tonight what we really wanna do is talk to you about what is going on in our communities. We wanted to make sure we translated so that we have as much access into our communities as possible because we wanna be as inclusive of our world as we can. We Belong Here is focusing on the fact that all of us belong here. We belong in this land, and we are telling these stories tonight in the context of these sets of people particularly that have so many similarities in terms of Hmong folks who worked with our US government and worked with our US military during the Vietnam War and then came [00:05:00] here as refugees and stayed in this country to the Nepali speaking Bhutanese folks, who left their country from ethnic cleansing and then went into refugee camps and now took refuge in the United States. So these are all stories that are impactful and powerful, and it's really what it means to be American. we have come from different places. We see these attacks on our people. right now I would like to bring to the fore two empowering women, refugees themselves. Hailing from places as different as Somalia and Southeast Asia, and they're gonna talk about some of the detention and deportations that are happening right now. First I'd like to focus on Rep Mai Xiong, who's from Michigan's 13th District. I hand it over to the representative.  Rep. Mai Xiong: Good evening everyone. I'm state representative,  Mai Xiong, and it is a pleasure to meet all of you virtually. I'm coming to you from Warren, Macomb County, Michigan, and I represent the 13th [00:06:00] house of district, uh, the communities of Warren Roseville and St. Claire Shores. I've lived here in Michigan for over 20 years now. I came to the United States at a very young age, was born in a refugee camp and came here when I was three years old. So I grew up in Ohio. And then I moved to Michigan to attend college. Never thought that I would ever be serving in the State House. I previously served as a county commissioner here in Macomb. And, uh, last year when President Trump got elected, I had very quiet fears that as a naturalized citizen, that even I did not feel safe given the, um. The failure in our immigration system. So we have seen that play out, uh, with this administration, with the, attempts to get rid of birthright citizenship de-naturalization. And, you hear the rhetoric from officials about, deporting the worst of the worst criminal, illegal aliens. And we [00:07:00] know, as Miko mentioned in, in her introduction, that, refugees came here through a legal pathway. The Hmong in particular served alongside America during the Vietnam War and were persecuted from Laos. So my parents fled Laos. And so growing up I didn't have, uh, citizenship. Um, and so we have seen, uh, in this administration that refugees are now caught up in this, immigration effort to get rid of people who came here through legal pathways Lue is a father. He is a community leader. Uh, he is a well-respected member of our community as all of these individuals are. And at some point our system failed them and we are working extremely hard, to get their stories out. But what I have found with many of these families is that they are, uh, afraid to come forward. They are ashamed. There is a stigma involved and, uh, culturally, as many of you may [00:08:00] know, if you are of Asian American descent, and a fear of, uh, retaliation. And as the only Hmong American elected here in Michigan, I'm grateful that I have, uh, the ability to.  have those connections and to be such a visible, uh, member of my community that many of these individuals. Felt comfortable enough to reach out to me. But the reality is back in July we didn't know anything other than, the number of people who were detained. And that was through a firsthand account from loved ones who you know, were accompanying their loved one and got detained. And so it was literally like trying to find missing people and then getting the word out to let them know that, hey, there's actually, there's help out there. The volunteer attorneys, the nonprofits, the Immigration Rights Center, uh, here in Michigan, I mean, everybody has been doing a phenomenal job because I think the majority, the vast majority of Americans understand that, um, these [00:09:00] individuals that are being taken out of our communities are not a, a threat to society. They are members of our community. They've lived here for decades. They have jobs, they have children. And when you when you take an individual out of our community, it actually does more harm then it does to make any one of us safe. So that's the message that I have been sharing with others, uh, not only in having a connection and being a refugee just like these individuals, but advocating for them and making it clear that these are our neighbors, these are our children's classmates, parents, and it doesn't make any one of us feel safer. One of the things I am. Upset about that I continue to talk about is that we're not actually in a immigration crisis. We share here in Michigan, we share an international border with Canada, and we have never had an issue with border security. The [00:10:00] problem is the policies that have been put in place, that these individuals have been caught up in our immigration system for decades, and it is extremely hard for them to obtain citizenship or to even know what their rights are. And so we really need, in addition to advocating for these families, we need immigration reform. Throwing money at a problem is not going to solve the problem. If anything, we have are, we are in an economic crisis. Miko Lee: Thank you so much for joining. Um, I'd love to turn the baton over to another one of our powerful women representatives, Rep. Munira Abdullah from Ohio's Ninth District. Rep Abdullah. We pass it over to you. Thank you so much.  Rep. Munira Abdullahi: Uh, thank you for having me and also Rep Mai Xiong, it is really great to see you. I'm grateful to have been able to see you go from Commissioner to State Rep, doing amazing things on social media as well. I'm very, a big fan. Uh, my name is Munira Abdullahi. I represent District Nine in Ohio, which is in the Columbus area. Northland, [00:11:00] uh, Manette Park. Uh, a little bit of New Albany in Westerville city schools. Um, I'm also a refugee. My family fled Somalia and Civil War, and I was born in refugee camp in Kenya. And then we came to the United States when I was about two, three years old, uh, and ended up moving to Ohio when I was like four. First moved to Utah, salt Lake City, Utah, and then to Ohio when I was about five years old. And so I certainly understand the fear of being an immigrant in a new country and, um, struggling to belong and figure out where are your place is. And, and also just adjusting to a whole new society, um, with the language barriers and, and all of the the barriers are in the way. And then that fear of, your immigration status. You know, before my parents were, you know, passed their, their, uh, citizenship test, right. It was very scary. Um, and I know many families who feel the same way right now, especially with this new administration. Um, with the OCE raids that are happening that are really disrupting our communities and our [00:12:00] families. Um, we have a, a, a cons, a constituent of mine, um, who is now, uh, in prison. We have, uh, have a couple actually. One is Leonardo Faso, and then I know one we're gonna talk about soon is Mohan Karki, who is his family, I believe, is on this call. Uh, and he was taken by ICE. And he's, uh, you know, the, the breadwinner and the, the caregiver of his family. And so it's really important not to forget that a lot of these people who are being taken by ICE are like the breadwinners and, and, and the caretakers of these families. And now the family's left with a hole, uh, in their, in their home. And so, we really need to remember to take care of these families. I know there's gonna be a GoFundMe that that will be shared. Um, but finding these families and supporting them. Um, in any way that we can monetary, you know, checking on them, giving, you know, helping them with food. Now we have SNAP benefits are being cut for many, many, many Americans. We are struggling as is, but immigrants in particular are struggling a lot, lot more, um, with these raids and, and with the uncertainties. But one thing I wanna remind everyone is that, you know, through community we [00:13:00] find strength. And so that, um, understanding, you know, where our communities are, where people are suffering and finding our place and helping with that, right? Whether that might, might be, uh, maybe we have the financial capabilities to, to support, maybe we can cook for someone. Um, maybe we can advocate where, where we have the ability to advocate. Whatever we can do, we have a responsibility to do it. Um, and there are successes. I know in Ohio it's a little different where we can't really advocate anything on the state level because it's like they, we just make things worse. We're in a very rough, super minority, the Democrats and super minority, and we have bills in the State House we're trying to fight against that are trying to make it worse, where we're trying to get rid of Republicans in the State House are trying to get rid of like a sanctuary cities, um, and penalize cities that don't engage, uh, or don't cooperate with ICE. Um, we have currently a bill, which actually this is, this might be more of a, on a positive note, is we had a bill house bill one. That sought to ban immigrants, certain immigrants from owning land in certain areas. [00:14:00] But because of community engagement, because of advocacy, because of collaboration with community advocacy groups, that Bill was effectively paused. Like, as of now, it's paused because people came and advocated. They spoke to their representatives, they testified, they called, they protested, um, they had press conferences. They brought so much attention to the bill, and it just became so. Obvious that people don't want this bill. And that pressure really got to the majority in the State House. And that bill has been paused, right? It was created to keep Chinese Americans from buying land specifically. Um, and that list can change, by the way. It's an, it's a, a rotating list. The Secretary of State can add whatever countries that they want to, that list, so it's very harmful. But the Asian American community came together alongside with us representatives in the State House and, and effectively like paused that bill. So there's there are positive things we could, we could achieve as a community when we fight together and communicate and stand with one another regardless of our nationality. We're all struggling here. We're [00:15:00] all in the same place. We're all, uh, in need of one another. And that's why I was reminding people was like, when we are in need of one another. And when one person is struggling, we should all be feeling that.  Miko Lee: Thank you  Rep Munira. Thank you so much for joining us. And yes, we are all part of a collective community that needs to be working together. And Rep Munira talked about Mohan Karki and next we're gonna see a short video performance that was created by Asian refugees United, uh, Maxine Hong Kingston said, “in a time of destruction, create something”. So we're gonna watch this video that was created. Uh, it's a shortcut of a performance by Asian Refugees United. Nina Phillips: Hello, it's APEX Express host Nina Phillips here chiming in with a couple words on this performance. It's a very music and spoken word forward piece, so you should get a good sense of the production through just the audio. The youth performers from Asian Refugees United do a wonderful job of embodying the story of Mohan Karki and his family through music and [00:16:00] movement and dance as well. Very evocative. If you'd like to see this short video clip in full, with the visuals, please visit the website of Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality. That's accre.org/our-voices/webelonghere.  Enjoy the show. ARU Performer: Mohan Karki, I was detained by an ICE officer to be deported to a country that I never been to. A country. That I don't belong to [00:17:00] a country I wasn't born to, that I don't speak the language of. When they moved me to a detention center in Michigan, I called my wife Tika. They're taking me, I told her my voice was calm, but inside I was breaking into a million pieces. It felt like a goodbye, not just to her, but to the life we built together to the dreams that we planted seeds for. I was just 17 years old when I decided who I was before I could even speak up for myself. I stand here as a victim of an unjust system that never gave me a chance.[00:18:00]  I am a man with purpose. I worked hard. I drove trucks. I supported my family, and I loved my wife Tika, and waited for the day that I would finally meet our baby. [Speaks in Nepali] How do I tell my daughter that leaving her was never my choice? Now I wait for the news. Now would completely change everything. Will they send me back to Bhutan? Will I be deported like the ones before me? No one talks about what happens to us [00:19:00] once we're gone. We vanish. Into silence. Where do I belong?  You belong here. They belong here. We belong here. [Singing in Nepali] [Speaks in Nepali] What type of future do we wanna build? A future where we can all belong? A future where we can coexist, [00:20:00] coexist in nature. And coexist with each other. A future where another Mohan Karki does not have to fear of being displaced all over again. A future where Mohan Karki does not have to be separated from his new born baby girl. A place where people like Mohan Carkey can have home, a future and community, a future with family, a future and harmony. A future to heal. A future to grow. Above all, a future to belong. I hope the future is more generous to all of us. [Singing in [00:21:00] Nepali] Miko Lee: Can you all give it up in the chat for those performers. Nawal was our interpreter at the very beginning of this, and to show the power of how art can transform things at that performance, the ACLU was there. And actually because of that, we were able to find a pro bono lawyer to be able to help with one of, uh, Mohans Habeas Corpuses cases and just that's an example of Asian refugees United, that was their work before all of these detentions were going on. It was youth empowerment and storytelling, but they had to pivot, given the shape of our world. I wanna transition us to our panel of speakers of powerful. Again, powerful women. [00:22:00] Um, Ann Vue who is the spouse of Lue Yang, Tika Bassett, who is the spouse of Mohan Karki and Aisa Villarosa, who has been our brilliant, dedicated lawyer from Asian Law Caucus working on this. So we're not gonna go over and tell the entire stories of each of these people and what happened to them. And if you want that, you can listen to the radio show that we did on APEX Express. Tika, I wanted to start with you and just hear from you, what is your response after watching that video about your husband? Tika Basnet: Yeah, it is really beautiful story. Um, thank you ARU for, um, representing my husband story. Um, it just make, make me cry and I was crying while watching the video and it remind me what happened. Since seven month ago. And, um, yeah. Hi, my name is Tika Basnet. I'm from Ohio and I've been fighting for my husband deportation and detention since seven month ago. Without the community and without all the [00:23:00] support that I got from organization, I don't think it is possible that my husband will still be here. And the reason that this is possible is because I reach out to them without getting fear, without getting afraid of what will happen if I speak outside. So, um, yeah, um, it is really difficult. What is going on right now. Sometime I don't wanna speak because of the current policy. Uh, it make me feel, even though I'm US citizen, um, sometime I feel like if I speak something against the policy, I, they will might, they might gonna take my citizenship away. And then, um, I realized that, if I speak then it'll help me. Right now, um, ICE is not letting my husband come home, even though it is been seven month and our attorney try everything in a possible way. Uh, the ICE is not letting my husband come out. I dunno how long it'll take. I don't know. don't wanna, yeah. Thank you.  Miko Lee: No, you can speak more. Tika. Do you wanna add?  Tika Basnet: Yeah, um, especially I wanna thank you [00:24:00] ARU and Aisa and Miko. Everything is happening right now is because of them, because I reached out to them. If I did not, I feel like my husband is story will be one of those Bhutanese people that disappear. I don't know what happened to them. I hope, uh, the reason that I'm fighting for my husband case is because he deserve fear. Uh, he has a family member here. He has a community that loves him. He was supporting his parent, he was supporting us. We don't have a country. Um, this is our country and we belong here. Thank you.  Miko Lee: You. Thank you, Tika. I wanna bring Ann Vue up to speak about your husband, Lue Yang and his case and what's going on with his case. Very complicated case. What is going on with his case right now?  Ann Vue: So first of all,  Thank you guys so much for. Giving Tika and I this space just to share our stories of families who are fighting every day, um, just to stay together. So [00:25:00] currently with Lue's case right now we are, we just got his, um, stay of removal approved the emergency stay of removal approved. I might, um, have the right lingo for that, but, uh, so as of October 22nd our Michigan governor's, pardon was issued for Lue. So we were so grateful for that. I know our, our Michigan lawmakers are working around the clock uh, Michigan DHS team to bring him back to Michigan, uh, where we have a petition currently filed for his release while his case, uh, is ongoing. Miko Lee: Thanks Ann. And I just wanna point out that there's in, even though these communities are distinct and these two men are distinct, beautiful individuals, there are so many commonalities between the two. Um, both born in refugee camps, both in one case, the Bhutanese, the Nepali speaking Bhutanese, folks having escaped ethnic cleansing to then go to a. Uh, [00:26:00] refugee camp to then come to the US and in another families who worked with the American government in the Secret War in Vietnam, who then again became refugees and came to the US. Two young men who when they were young, like very young, um, with their peers, were involved in incidents that had, uh, really bad legal advice. That did not help them in the process. And that is why even though they're amazing contributing members in our current society, they have this past old, almost like childhood record that is impacting them. And both of them are impacted by statelessness because. Even though they're being deported, they're being deported to a place of which it is not their home. They might not speak that language. They might not have connections with that. Their home is here in America. Um, that is why we say use the terminology we belong here. Um, before we go a little bit more into personal stories [00:27:00] I saw from Asian Law Caucus, I wonder if you can give a little bit of an overview about the broader, legal actions that are taking place around these kidnappings.  Aisa Villarosa: Yeah, thanks Miko. And just huge love to Ann and Tika. Reiterating that these are two refugee communities bonded through not just this frustrating, heartbreaking experience, um, but also this, this solidarity that's building. To share Miko, about the broader legal ramifications, and there was a question in the chat about what's the big deal about a stay of removal? So just for starters, the system that Mohan and Lue got pulled into can be lightning quick with removing folks. Part of this is because Mohan, Lue, so many folks in refugee communities all across the country years and years ago, perhaps when they were teenagers, just like Mohan and Lue, uh, there might have been some sort of, run in with law enforcement. Oftentimes racial profiling [00:28:00] can be involved, especially with the over-policing, right in our country, decades later, after living peacefully in their communities. Oftentimes decades after an immigration judge said to Mohan, said to Lue, you are not a safety risk. You are not a threat to the community. You've done your time. You can come home. Uh, maybe some folks had some ICE check-ins that they would come to every year. Um, and then with this administration, this unprecedented attack on immigrant and refugee rights, that is when we started to see for the very first time as folks have mentioned, these broad deportations, uh, to countries that previously were not accepting refugees primarily because that is the same country of their ancestral persecution. Um, in some cases they have zero connection to the country. Um, and in cases like the Bhutanese refugees, they're actually [00:29:00] expelled from Bhutan when they're removed. Again, all this is happening for the very first time. There are some serious legal questions with due process. Even if immigration court does run on a similar track as a lot of our other court systems, there's still a duty of fairness and often that duty is completely neglected.  Nina Phillips: You are tuned into Apex Express on 94.1 KPFA, 89.3 KPFB in Berkeley, 88.1 KFCF in Fresno and online@kpfa.org. Coming up is Klezmer Dances II by The Daniel Pelton Collective.  [00:30:00] [00:31:00] [00:32:00] That was  Klezmer Dances II by The Daniel Pelton Collective. You are tuned into APEX Express [00:33:00] on 94.1 KPFA. Now back to Miko and her conversation with Tika Basnet and Ann Vue. Two incredibly strong women who are leading campaigns to bring home their respective spouses from ICE detention, and Aisa Villarosa with the Asian Law Caucus. Miko Lee: I would love to speak to a little bit more of the uplifting power of these women that are being highlighted right now. And I'm wondering both for Ann and Tika, if you could talk a little bit about your sense of resilience. because both of your spouses were, even though when they were youth, there were systems impacted in our Asian American communities. There's some shame that's associated with that. And so some people have been really hesitant to speak out. Can you talk a little bit about what encouraged you to speak out on behalf of your husband and how that has made a difference for you in the community? And I'm gonna start with Ann first.  Ann Vue: So I would say, um. In the [00:34:00] beginning when Lue was first detained on July 15th. I was scared. I am the first generation born American, uh, um, right here in Michigan. And even myself, I was so scared to say anything to anyone. I remember getting that call from Lue and it just felt so unreal. Quickly playing back to 2008, uh, which would be the third time that the embassy, Laos and Thailand both rejected Lue's entry and how his immigration officer was like, don't wait, start your life. And then fast forwarding it to what had happened, I was scared and, um. Lue and I are both, uh, Hmong community leaders as well. And Lue, of course, um, being president of the Hmong Family Association, him and I decided we're gonna keep a little quiet at first, and I started getting [00:35:00] calls from our Hmong community members. Uh, in concern to them receiving a letter, which is all dated for the same time at the same place that is not usual, where people would normally go see their immigration officer. And immediately that weekend I went to go visit him and I, it was explaining to him that I have received nine calls and I don't know what to do in immediately he. I think that the urgency around his people created that fear and immediately he was like, Hey, we've gotta start talking. You've gotta call you. You have to start making calls. Because he was detained on the 15th. On the 15th, which was Tuesday, and these letters were mailed to the community on that Friday. And immediately him and I started talking more and more and he said, “we have a 50-50 chance. If you don't fight for me and the others, then. We get sent back, you're gonna regret that for the rest of your life or [00:36:00] you fight for us. And as long as you fought all the way till the end, whatever happens, we can live with that”. And immediately, I remember speaking to, uh, attorney Nancy, and I've been mentioning to her that I wanna call, I wanna call Rep Mai. And I wanted to call Commissioner Carolyn Wright and she was like, well make the call and I'm glad that she didn't wait. And she just said, Hey, you know what? She just started talking and immediately Rep Mai called and that's how it kind of started this whole journey. So I am so thankful that I did. I did voice it out because I myself, even as a community leader, I felt hopeless. I felt like as loud as I am, everyone that I, for the first time had no voice. It became, became lonely. I became scared. Because they've got a, you know, we have a family, right, that we're raising together with small children. So I'm glad that we did, uh, [00:37:00] share our story and I'm glad that it is out. And, and that it, it opened the key to many other Southeast Asian families to do the same as well too.  Miko Lee: Thank you so much, Anna. And I remember you saying that even Lue was speaking with folks in Spanish to get their stories and share them out as well. Ann Vue: He had to learn it! And you know, I will say that with this whole detention thing, it doesn't just detain our person. It detains our whole family. We're all a part of this, you know? And so, you know, Lue had to learn how to count so he can give the numbers 'cause he was doing it with his hand motions. Because it's a hard system, it's a very complex system to navigate, which is how people go disappearing. And so for him to be able to reach out. Give me phone numbers to these families, regardless. Love beyond borders, right? And I was able to reach out to these families so that that way they know where their person was and [00:38:00] help them get set up so they can, so their families can call them. Miko Lee: Thank you so much for doing that. And you and your husband, both as organizers and continuing to be organizers even when locked up. Tika, I wanna turn it to you and ask about the courage it took to speak up and what keeps you going.  Tika Basnet: Yes. So when, uh, my husband got detained on April 8, I took one week after to reach out Aisa and she told me, Hey Tika, come forward. You know, your story is powerful. People need to know your story. And I told first thing to Aisa is our community is very just mental. They doesn't understand. And I've been looking at the video where our Bhutanese people get detained and deported and on common section, the first thing that I noticed was people are commenting, oh, these people are criminal. They are, maybe they, um, kill someone or they rape someone, you know, without. Understanding the people's story. And I, I [00:39:00] was thinking the same, whatever, if I come forward, will they gonna understand my story? Will they gonna talk to me? Will they gonna ask me personally, what is going on? And I actually same as Ann, I, um, I. Was scared to come out. I did not come out in two within two, two months, you know, when, uh, I tried to deport my husband on my due date that I was about to give birth, um, BIA, uh, grant, day of removal, you know, in two month I was crying alone. I was messaging Aisa and I was telling all my pain. And then when they stop my husband deport his son and that day, um. Aisa and ARU, everybody encouraged me. Like, you know, you need to come forward. People need to know your story. And then that day I decide, and I also remember that, um, within one minute after I gave birth, I was messaging, uh, ARU team I think his name [00:40:00] is Pravin or something. I was messaging him, Hey, I'm ready to give, uh, interview. I'm ready to give uh, a story. And that day I decide like I wanna come forward. I don't care what society is thinking, I'm the one that going through and people need to know my story. And, uh, I think, uh, and also I look at my daughter, you know, I don't want, um, her to think that I did not fight for her dad. You know, I want her to think like her mom is, is strong enough to fight and looking at her. That gave me so much power and yeah. And now like give, getting a lot of support, a lot of love is give me like, you know, I, I feel like, um, I wouldn't, uh, get all the support if I was scared and did not, uh, talk about my story. So now like receiving a lot of love from everywhere and that give me couraged to continue and talk about my husband's deportation.  Miko Lee: Thank you, Tika. And I wanna recognize that we're running late, but we're gonna get through it if those of you could stay with us a little bit [00:41:00] longer. My one more question to both Ann and Tika is what message do you have for people that are experiencing this right now? Because this, as we said, 60,000 people are detained right now. Your spouses, we, as we have said, it's not just you with your, the children, the grandparents, all the other people. What advice do you have for other folks that are going through this and do you have a message for those folks? Ann Vue: I would say, um, for anyone who is going through what Tika and I and the many are going through that, um, make sure you document everything, get your loved ones Alien Number because you want to track it as you go. Build your circle. Know that you are not alone. Uh, reach out. I'm still learning as I go too. And it's unfortunate that we as family, like have to become attorneys overnight and learn to as well. But make sure that you guys, that you know that you're not alone you know that [00:42:00] we're not fighting the system. We're fighting a system that. Hopes, uh, that we get tired of fighting it. And the moment that you speak up, they can't disappear your loved one quietly. And I am a very big, um, firm believer. There's this scripture that has always carried Lue and I and, uh, I, I can't stress on it enough. And especially to all of those, to all of our, everybody that's on tonight. And beyond that, uh, there's a scripture. It's a Proverbs, right? 3:27-28 that says, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is your power to act”. And so thank you to those who continues to act when action is really within your reach and. We belong here, our families belong here. And compassion delayed is really compassion denied. And so don't fight alone 'cause that's what they are hoping that we will fight alone, [00:43:00] but we're together in this.  Miko Lee: Beautiful, thanks. And Tika, what about you? What advice do you have for other people that are experiencing this with family members?  Tika Basnet: So, yeah, um, I'm encouraging everyone like we experiencing this deportation for the first time or. Come forward. You never know. You know how many support you will get. Looking at Ann and my story that if we did not reach out to the community, I don't think our husband will be here at the moment. So you are the one who going through the pain and, uh, sharing your pain will make you at least a relief and you never know. Your husband Deportes and will stop. You will get like support from, from community. So ICE is not deporting only your husband or your like wife or someone, they are deporting your dream, your hope. So when they try to deport my husband, they were deporting my husband, uh, my [00:44:00] daughter future, the future that we talk about. So I am telling everyone that come forward. Story, your story, and you'll get lot of love. You'll get lot of support. And if I did not talk before, I don't think my husband will be here. He'll be one of the person that disappear long time ago. So yeah, please come forward and see your story. And the last thing is, I wanna say we belong here. This is our home and our future is here.  Miko Lee: Thank you so much, Tika. Um, Aisa, I wanna turn it over to you. Ann was saying suddenly we have to become lawyers and, and so can you talk about, and even like with Lue's case, it was suddenly he got pardoned at the last minute when he was on a deportation plane, and then it was like, oh, that should fix everything, but it doesn't, so can you talk a little bit about some of the legal ramifications that people should know about? Aisa Villarosa: Sure. And just to say, Mohan, Lue, Tika, Ann, I mean, y'all have lived [00:45:00] several movies in, in just the span of months the amount of stress, both you yourselves as the lead advocate, your families. Uh, so, so for folks watching this is literally Mohan and Lue getting like pulled off planes because of the shared advocacy here, uh, which starts with the decision to speak out. Um, and for folks in the room who aren't sure whether they want to share their story, you know, we're not saying, oh, go to the press so much of it. Involves just opening your heart to a trusted person. Um, many of those people are here in this room uh, my organization, Asian Law Caucus. Uh, in a minute we'll share some links for some of our resources. Uh, the wonderful folks at ARU, there's such a full crew, and if you're part of a community, especially the many, many, too many refugee communities being targeted. You are not alone. So in terms of what the legal battle [00:46:00] looks like, another thing to remember is that for any case, there's usually a, a wave of folks that's needed, uh, for Lue, for Mohan. That's multiple states sometimes because in the immigration world, for example, you could have a very, very old final order of removal. So this is essentially the order that is put forward by an immigration judge. That technically allows a lot of these awful deportations and disappearances to take place. The battle to fight that can be multi-state, uh, multi-issue. So you're talking to a criminal defense attorney, you're talking to an immigrant rights attorney. Uh, but going back to that trust, just talk to someone who both you can trust and someone who has a good lay of the land because these cases are incredibly complex. Folks I work with, sometimes they're physically driving to a law office. Someone named Emily is on the call. You know, we drove to a law office. Turns [00:47:00] out the record we were looking for was, was too old. The, that previous attorney didn't have the record on file. There are so many practical challenges you don't anticipate. So the sooner you do that math and just open your story up, um, to, to a loved one, to a trusted one. And in a little bit we're, we'll share more links for what that process looks like.  Miko Lee: So we're gonna move into that call to action. We're running a bit over time, so if you could hang with us for a couple more minutes. Um, we want to one, thank all of our amazing guests so far and then move to our call to action. What can you do? A bunch of people are throwing things into the chat. We're gonna start with Rising Voices. Oh, I guess we're gonna start with OPAWL and Sonya is gonna share about OPAWL's work and the call to action there. Sonya (OPAWL): Hi everyone. My name is Sonya Kapur. I live in Columbus, Ohio, and I'm a member of OPAWL Building AAPI Feminist leadership. I'd like to share a little bit about our efforts to support Mohans Campaign for Freedom and encourage you to donate to [00:48:00] Mohans GoFundMe to cover his legal fees, and the link to the GoFundMe will be in the chat. With the funds raised so far, Tika and Mohan were able to hire a seasoned attorney to review Mohans court documents and work on his case. So your donations will allow Mohan to continue working with his legal team as we fight to bring him home. So even five or $10 will help us get closer to reuniting Mohan with his family and community here in Ohio. A really fun piece of this is that a local, Columbus based illustrator and OPA member Erin Siao, has also created a beautiful art fundraiser to help raise more funds from Mohans release campaign. So when you donate to Mohans GoFundMe between now and November 15th, you receive a complimentary five by seven art print of your choice. Families belong together on the right or on the left. To receive a print, you just email Erin and her. Email address will also be in the [00:49:00] chat, a screenshot of your donation confirmation along with your name and address. You can also send a direct message of the screenshot to her Instagram account, so please consider uplifting our art fundraiser on social media. Encourage others to donate to the GoFundMe and share Mohans story with your family and friends.  Miko Lee: Thanks, Sonya and Opal, and we'll turn it over to Emily at Rising Voices. Emily (Rising Voices): Hi, thank you. Um, rising Voices is one of the, uh, many members helping bring Lue Yang home. Just wanna share that. We do have a online petition going that directs you to email the ice field office in Detroit, pressuring them to bring him home. Um, there's also a number to call with a script provided. So nothing has to be reinvented. We please, please encourage you to share this out, and you do not have to be from Michigan to make a call or email every single email. And, all counts. And we also do have a GoFundMe for [00:50:00] him and his family. As we all know legal file, legal fees pile up, so anything counts. Thank you so much everyone.  Miko Lee:  Thanks Emily. Now we're gonna pass it over to Nawal talking about this event which is connected to disappeared in America.  Nawal Rai: Hi everyone. I'm Nawal here again and yeah, so We Belong Here. Uh, today's event was part of the Disappeared in America Weekend of Action, which is a national mobilization action to protect immigrants, uh, expose corporate complicity and honor the lives lost in detention and across America more than 150 towns and cities held.  Um. Weekend of Collective action this weekend on November 1st and second, standing in solidarity with immigrants families, uh, from holding freedom vigils outside of ICE facilities to via de Los Mortis gathering, honoring life's lost in detentions to ice out of Home Depot actions. Calling out corporate complicity this weekend was a resounding nation nationwide call for compassion, dignity, and [00:51:00] democracy, and demanding justice and due process for all. The National Action was organized by the Coalition of Partners, including National Day Labor Organizing Network, Detention Watch Network, the Worker Circle, public ci, uh, citizen, and many allied organization across the country. Thank you all. Thank you for joining us today.  Miko Lee: Thank you to everyone for showing up today. We thank all of our speakers, all of our many partner organizations. As we were saying, it takes many of us working together collectively. Even though we said there's 60,000 people detained. There are so many more than that. We know that immigrants contribute and refugees contribute immensely to the American experience, and we want everyone to know that we belong here. All of us belong here. This is our home.  Thank you so much for joining us all. We appreciate all of you, the interpreters, the translators, the folks behind the scene who helped to make this event happen. Um, shout out to Cheryl Truong [00:52:00] and Nina Phillips for really doing all the tech behind this. And to all of you for showing up tonight, we need each and every one of you to participate to show that you are part of the beloved community, that you are part of believing that America can be a place filled with beloved love instead of hatred. Um, so I would love you all to just all together. Shout out. We belong here. 1, 2, 3.  Event Attendees: We belong here. We belong here.  We belong here.  Miko Lee: Have a great night, and thank you all for joining us. Nina Phillips: This was a recording of a virtual community gathering that took place earlier this month on Monday, November 3rd. It was made [00:53:00] possible by We Belong Here, a coalition of immigrant rights organizations, Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality, Asian Refugees United, Asian Law Caucus, Hmong Family Association Lansing, Hmong Innovative Politics, OPAWL and Rising Voices.  As I mentioned earlier, you can watch the phenomenal video performance from Asian Refugees United on the website of Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality.  That's aacre.org/our-voices/webelonghere  There's also up-to-date information on how best you can support both the Free Mohan Karki and Bring Lu Home campaigns. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing. Your voices are important. Let's keep immigrant families together.  To close out. Here's a little more from the video performance. [00:54:00] [00:55:00] [00:56:00] [00:57:00]  Nina Phillips: For show notes, please check out our website, kpfa.org/program/APEX-express.  APEX Express is a collective of activists that include Ama Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Cheryl Truong, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Nina Phillips, Preeti Mangala Shekar, and Swati Rayasam. Tonight's show was produced by me, Nina Phillips. Get some rest, y'all. Good night. The post APEX Express – November 27, 2025 – We Belong Here: Bhutanese & HMoob Americans in the Struggle Against Statelessness appeared first on KPFA.

The real story of immigration enforcement isn't in the numbers or the politics, but lies in the human cost paid by children, caregivers, and families when ICE shows up without warning. In this episode of Inside Voices, we sit down with ACLU of Connecticut's Legal Director Dan Barrett to address how immigration enforcement is reshaping daily life for families in child care programs, schools, and local workplaces. We look at the state's new guidance, the recent cases shaking Connecticut and Chicago, and the terrifying first 48 hours after a detention when kids are left waiting, parents scramble for answers, and legal protections are put to the test. Dan explains what “sanctuary” actually offers, where the gaps are, and what families and providers can do right now to stay prepared.

Join Cecillia Wang, national legal director of the ACLU, to hear the latest on the organization's legal strategy to defend civil rights and civil liberties, including the ACLU's cases against the Trump administration. Since the beginning of President Trump's second term, the ACLU has filed more than 77 lawsuits on issues ranging from birthright citizenship, ideologically targeted immigration arrests and detentions, racial profiling by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, discrimination against transgender Americans, and termination of federal scientific research grants on disfavored topics such as COVID vaccines or gender and racial disparities in health outcomes. "Win or lose, it matters when we stand up in court to fight for freedom, due process, and the basic notion that the president is not above the law," Wang has said. The first woman and the first woman of color to serve as the ACLU's top lawyer, Wang was formerly director of the ACLU's Center for Democracy and its Immigrant Rights Project. This on-stage conversation will explore: Current controversies in constitutional law, civil rights and civil liberties, and where our country—and the Bay Area—stand in historical context How the upcoming Supreme Court term could impact civil rights What ordinary citizens can do to help protect our rights and freedoms and U.S. democracy Join us for this compelling conversation with one of the leaders on the national front lines of fights over immigration, abortion, voting rights, transgender rights and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1.  Las ilegalidades en La Parguera es el escándalo que más persigue yperseguirá al gobierno de JGO2.  Coalición de 33 entidades urge a CMS corregir fallas en pagos deMedicare Advantage en Puerto Rico 3.  “El informe anual de la Junta de Control Fiscal oculta su fracaso”4.  Comisionado Residente exige transparencia a autoridades federales anteinformes sobre nuevas municiones en Vieques 5.  Nydia Velázquez no aspirará a la reelección y se retira del Congreso 6.  ACLU de Puerto Rico solicita a la gobernadora vetar proyectos querestringen el acceso a la información y ponen en riesgo los derechosreproductivos 7.  Amigxs del M.A.R. celebra 30 años en defensa de la naturaleza con fiestanavideña en la Casa Aboy8.  Bad Bunny inicia hoy su esperada gira consolidado como una estrellamundialEste es un programa independiente y sindicalizado. Esto significa que este programa se produce de manera independiente, pero se transmite de manera sindicalizada, o sea, por las emisoras y cadenas de radio que son más fuertes en sus respectivas regiones. También se transmite por sus plataformas digitales, aplicaciones para dispositivos móviles y redes sociales.  Estas emisoras de radio son:1.    Cadena WIAC - WYAC 930 AM Cabo Rojo- Mayagüez2.    Cadena WIAC – WISA 1390 AM Isabela3.    Cadena WIAC – WIAC 740 AM Área norte y zona metropolitana4.    WLRP 1460 AM Radio Raíces La voz del Pepino en San Sebastián5.    X61 – 610 AM en Patillas6.    X61 – 94.3 FM Patillas y todo el sureste7.    WPAB 550 AM - Ponce8.    ECO 93.1 FM – En todo Puerto Rico9.    WOQI 1020 AM – Radio Casa Pueblo desde Adjuntas 10. Mundo Latino PR.com, la emisora web de música tropical y comentario Una vez sale del aire, el programa queda grabado y está disponible en las plataformas de podcasts tales como Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts y otras plataformas https://anchor.fm/sandrarodriguezcotto También nos pueden seguir en:REDES SOCIALES:  Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, Tumblr, TikTok BLOG:  En Blanco y Negro con Sandra http://enblancoynegromedia.blogspot.com  SUSCRIPCIÓN: Substack, plataforma de suscripción de prensa independientehttps://substack.com/@sandrarodriguezcotto OTROS MEDIOS DIGITALES: ¡Ey! Boricua, Revista Seguros. Revista Crónicas y otrosEstas son algunas de las noticias que tenemos hoy En Blanco y Negro con Sandra.  

In high school and college, Nicole swam,That was all before she knew that privacy was her jam!Nicole was in the pilot program at AmeriCorps,At the ACLU, she served as the Tech and Civil Liberties Director!

This week, the ACLU's Rebecca Williams joins BJ Mendelson to talk about the do's and don'ts of filming ICE, using cash whenever possible, and why crypto currency is a scam. You're not going to want to miss it. Show notes and more can be found at StupidSexyPrivacy.com

This week's security landscape is defined by three converging vectors: the expansion of threats into physical and environmental domains, persistent vulnerabilities in core digital infrastructure, and the escalating strategic battle over data, privacy, and artificial intelligence.The lines between digital and physical threats are dissolving, forcing a new risk calculus where leaders must model non-traditional, high-impact consequences. This is evident in the rise of physical coercion against cryptocurrency holders, known as 'wrench attacks,' and in corporate extortion campaigns. Checkout.com's response—publicly refusing a ransom and instead donating the demanded sum to cybersecurity research at Carnegie Mellon and Oxford—demonstrates that integrity under real-world pressure is now a critical security posture. This new risk paradigm also encompasses environmental stability, with Iceland formally classifying the potential collapse of the AMOC ocean current as a national security risk. While these real-world threats demand new security paradigms, they are compounded by persistent weaknesses in the foundational digital infrastructure they often target.Foundational technologies continue to exhibit critical weaknesses that are being exploited with increasing subtlety. A simple enumeration flaw exposed 3.5 billion WhatsApp phone numbers—a vulnerability Meta was warned about using the exact same technique in 2017 but dismissed. In the software supply chain, a massive npm incident saw over 150,000 packages poisoned not with overt malware, but through nuanced incentive abuse. This trend culminates in the browser itself, which has become the primary theater for stealth attacks like session hijacking that render traditional perimeter defenses obsolete. This effectively redefines the enterprise perimeter, demanding a strategic pivot from network-centric to identity-centric security models. The pervasiveness of these foundational weaknesses is directly fueling a large-scale strategic response, escalating the battle over data control, user privacy, and AI.This strategic tug-of-war over data and dominance is now intensifying. On one side, legal challenges from the ACLU and EFF target pervasive surveillance networks like Flock's license plate readers. On the other, a push for user empowerment is gaining momentum through privacy-centric technologies. Windows 11's expanded native support for passkeys and Google's new Private AI Compute platform signal a market shift toward giving users greater control over their data and authentication. This conflict extends to the geopolitical stage, where the US and China are now engaged in an AI 'cold war,' racing for supremacy in a technology that will redefine global power.Security is now a multi-front concern where digital infrastructure, physical safety, and geopolitical strategy are inextricably linked.

A federal operation in St. Paul Tuesday morning led to a confrontation between federal agents and protesters. Federal agents used chemical irritants and projectiles on the crowd. At a press conference Tuesday morning, St. Paul City Council Vice President Hwa Jeong Kim spoke in defense of people who gathered to observe and record the operation. “Concerned and caring residents were shoved, thrown to the ground. One observers' foot was run over. This is not safety. This is not law enforcement. This is state violence,” she said. In a statement to MPR News, an ICE spokesperson said the agency and law enforcement partners conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity and served a search warrant as part of a federal criminal investigation. MPR News asked for additional information about the chemical irritants used by agents, but have not received a response. With growing ICE operations across the country under the Trump administration, advocates have called for community to respond to federal action that appears to involve ICE. It's leading to more clashes, like the one that occurred Tuesday. For more on this issue, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with ACLU of Minnesota Legal Director Teresa Nelson.

EP 267 In this week's update:Wealthy Bitcoin holders in Switzerland are now learning to bite through zip ties as 'wrench attacks' shift crypto threats from cyberspace to real-world violence.Iceland has officially classified a potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) as an existential national-security threat – the first time a climate phenomenon has reached its National Security Council.The ACLU and EFF have filed suit against San Jose, California, arguing that its blanket of nearly 500 Flock license-plate cameras creates an inescapable, year-long tracking database that violates state privacy protections.A deceptively simple enumeration trick allowed researchers to harvest 3.5 billion WhatsApp phone numbers, exposing once again that Meta's contact-discovery feature has never truly been private.As nearly all enterprise work migrates to the browser, traditional security tools are going blind to the fastest-growing ungoverned data channel: generative AI accessed through personal accounts and unchecked extensions.Microsoft's November 2025 update finally elevates third-party passkey managers like 1Password and Bitwarden to first-class status in Windows 11, marking a major step toward native, cross-device passwordless authentication.Google has launched Private AI Compute, a fully encrypted cloud enclave that lets Gemini-class models run sophisticated tasks on user data even Google itself cannot see - signaling a potential privacy pivot in big-tech AI.The U.S.-China contest for AI supremacy has hardened into a full-scale technological cold war, with both nations pouring billions into chips, power grids, and talent to decide who will own the defining technology of the century.We opened the whole toolbox this week. Grab the hammer and let's see what else we can find!Find the full transcript to this podcast here.

Terminally ill residents with a prognosis of six months to live could get physician prescribed drugs to end their lives if Governor Pritzker signs a bill that passed the Illinois legislature Oct. 31. Advocates say it gives people suffering and near death a choice, but some disability rights activists are concerned it could pressure disabled people to end their lives. In the Loop hears Amber Smock, vice president of advocacy for Access Living and Khadine Bennett, director of advocacy and intergovernmental affairs for the ACLU of Illinois. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

November 17, 2025 ~ Kyle Zawacki, legislative director of the ACLU of Michigan, joins Kevin to discuss how MDOT has proposed new rules regarding demonstrations on the land it controls. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

AP correspondent Ben Thomas reports the ACLU has filed a lawsuit over conditions at California's largest immigration detention facility.

On November 13, 2025, the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs heard from the public on Convention of States Action's Article V application as well as other legislation. Several volunteers with the COS Massachusetts team gave proponent testimony and answered questions from the committee. Opponent testimony was presented by several lobbyists, including Common Cause, the ACLU, the AFL-CIO, and Reproductive Equity Now. COSA President Mark Meckler also testified remotely. After the hearing, Andrew Lusch shared a recap and reaction before getting a live report from the Massachusetts capitol with Regional Director Haley Shaw. Watch COS LIVE Take Action

Kelsie Bullock is a small-town teacher making a big impact - and proving that every student deserves to belong. A few years ago, she started a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Club for her Morgan County high school students.  Now, as political attacks threaten programs like hers, Bullock and her students are standing strong, creating a safe space where everyone can connect across differences and feel proud of who they are - no exceptions.KNOW YOUR RIGHTS | Take a listen to NEA's School Me podcast for a discussion with Alice O'Brien, general counsel for the National Education Association, as she walks through your rights, risks, and opportunities to push back against anti-equality policies and fear tactics: A Lawyer Explains: "DEI" and Anti-Equity Policies in Schools | NEA || OEA members with questions are urged to contact their Labor Relations Consultant for guidanceON THE FEDERAL LEVEL | Click here for information from NEA about several recent court rulings impacting inclusive education in public schools.In February, 2025, the US Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague Letter threatening schools and colleges across the country with the loss of federal funding in a matter of days if they continued to pursue vaguely defined “DEI programs.” The National Education Association, ACLU, and others filed a lawsuit to block enforcement of this directive, saying 'the Letter radically resets ED's longstanding positions on civil rights laws that guarantee equality and inclusion and impermissibly infringes on the authority of states and school districts over public education, as well as the First Amendment rights of educators and students. In April, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction, preventing the US Department of Education from enforcing the directive while litigation continues. Read NEA's statement on the court ruling here: Federal court grants preliminary injunction against Department of Education's unlawful directive | NEAHERE IN OHIO | Ohio lawmakers continue to propose legislation to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and offices in K-12 schools, extending the DEI ban they enacted on college campuses with SB 1 earlier this year. Click here to see recent news coverage.SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Public Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to listen on Spotify so you don't miss a thing. You can also find Public Education Matters on many other platforms. Click here for some of those links so you can listen anywhere. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.Featured Public Education Matters guest: Kelsie Bullock, Morgan Local Education Association memberA biology and marine biology teacher at Morgan High School in McConnelsville, Kelsie Bullock enjoys listening to music, judging gymnastics, doing jiu jitsu and spending time with my husband and dogs.  A Newark, Ohio, native, Bullock grew up doing gymnastics and loving animals. These two loves directed her towards attending Ohio State for their vet program and coaching gymnastics through her time in college. She quickly realized, once starting college, that becoming a vet was not for her. She thought back on her life and realized that she has always been somewhat of a teacher to her younger sisters, her teammates, and her school peers. This, coinciding with her coaching, led her to realize that she may want to be a teacher. So she switched her major to zoology with a focus in anatomy and physiology, something she wanted to teach at the time. After graduating with her first degree, Bullock had a few hiccups for her licensure and ultimately ended up going back to Ohio State to get her bachelors in life science education. During this second degree program, she took an equity and diversity class that she attributes to her turning point in life. She learned so much about the history and culture of marginalized groups in the US and it opened her eyes. From that point on, she has been dedicated to learning and serving to help marginalized groups.Bullock enjoys her job, which allows her to actively express her D.E.I passion while also teaching about a topic she truly loves. She gets to help students learn in more ways than one.  Connect with OEA:Email educationmatters@ohea.org with your feedback or ideas for future Public Education Matters topicsLike OEA on FacebookFollow OEA on TwitterFollow OEA on InstagramGet the latest news and statements from OEA hereLearn more about where OEA stands on the issues Keep up to date on the legislation affecting Ohio public schools and educators with OEA's Legislative WatchAbout us:The Ohio Education Association represents nearly 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio's schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio's children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio's schools.Public Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May 2020, after a ten-year career as an Emmy Award-winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children. This episode was recorded on September 15, 2025.

1. A punto de reabrir el gobierno federal 2. Gobernadora no sabe nada sobre la investigación federal de La Parguera y confirman en el Senado como juez al abogado que escribió la orden administrativa que firmó el secretario del DRNA 3. Sigue en el limbo la reforma contributiva 4. Gobernadora pregunta dónde están los fondos del Fideicomiso de la Policía 5. Gobernadora contradice a su propio gobierno y dice no objeta información que la ACLU le pidió al DTOP 6. Aprueban proyecto para facilitar aumentos de sueldo de alcaldes y da más poderes a los municipios 7. Piden posponer vista de sentencia de Wanda Vázquez 8. Nydia Velázquez afirma Puerto Rico nunca será estado 9. Rompe récord gasto en campañas políticas 10. Tribunal Supremo federal deja vigente caso que protege el matrimonio igualitario. Por ahora.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today is November 12, 2025, and the nation's attention lately has been glued to the explosive court battles swirling around Donald Trump—courtrooms packed, legal fireworks almost daily. Just last week, on November 5, the Supreme Court held oral arguments in the consolidated Trump v. V.O.S. Selections case, a landmark proceeding. This latest legal clash traces back to the Federal Circuit's decision at the end of August, and the intensity ramped up quickly when the Trump team filed a writ of certiorari in early September, pushing for an expedited review. The Supreme Court agreed to speed things up, setting the stage for arguments early this month.Picture the scene: inside the Supreme Court, Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued for the federal government from Washington, D.C., while Neal K. Katyal—always composed, representing private parties—stood at the opposite lectern. Multistate briefs and amicus filings came from unexpected quarters, including the State of Oregon's Solicitor General, Benjamin Gutman, who stepped into the spotlight for the state parties. The courtroom was buzzing, not only with media and legal analysts, but also with advocates and critics dissecting every argument about presidential authority and the power to impose—and potentially rescind—controversial tariffs and executive orders.On the streets outside, the talk was all about how these court decisions could shift the fate of Trump's economic legacy. According to Politico, even as tariffs sit on trial, negotiations between U.S. and foreign trade partners are pressing forward, and there's widespread speculation that Trump, regardless of what the justices decide, may try to reimpose tariffs in some other fashion. The policies at stake have high global stakes but also direct impact on American businesses and workers.Simultaneously, civil rights litigation continues to dog Trump's latest tenure. The Just Security litigation tracker highlights cases filed over the past year—like National Association of the Deaf v. Trump, where the administration's move to stop ASL interpreters at public press briefings spurred a lawsuit that's now awaiting a court decision. There's also a series of cases against executive orders targeting law firms and advocacy organizations, raising alarms about overreach and potential retaliation against anyone opposing Trump's policies. Groups like the ACLU are still in the fight. The Supreme Court recently allowed the Trump administration to enforce a highly contentious passport policy that critics—including the ACLU of Massachusetts—strongly oppose, calling it discriminatory.With so many cases running hot, questions about executive power, civil liberties, and the practical limits of presidential authority are in sharper focus than ever. Each ruling and hearing over these past few days seems to weigh not only on Trump himself, but also on the broader direction of U.S. democracy. Thanks for tuning in—come back next week for more. This has been a Quiet Please Production, and for more, check out quietplease.ai.Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.aiThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

On November 11, BigTentUSA hosted an urgent and inspiring virtual conversation with Joyce Vance — former U.S. Attorney, MSNBC legal analyst, and author of the new book Giving Up Is Unforgivable — moderated by Vanita Gupta, NYU Law Scholar and Director of the Center for Law and Public Trust at NYU Law School.Framed around Joyce's powerful new book, the discussion explored the threats facing American democracy — including the Administration's ongoing efforts to limit voting rights, the erosion of the rule of law, and the dangers posed by attempts to expand executive power. Joyce offered expert legal analysis on these challenges and what they mean for the future of the country.Throughout the conversation, Joyce shared riveting stories of hope and resilience from her decades in public service, inspiring us all to stay engaged, defend our democratic values, and never give up.Joyce Vance's new book “Giving Up is Unforgivable" is available now: https://www.joycevance.com/ Check out Joyce Vance's Substack “Civil Discourse”: https://joycevance.substack.com/ Tune into Joyce Vance's Podcasts “#SistersInLaw”: https://www.politicon.com/podcast-title/sisters-in-law/  and “Insider”: https://cafe.com/cafe-insider-podcast/ ABOUT THE SPEAKERSJoyce White Vance is a Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Alabama, a legal analyst for NBC and MSNBC, and the author of the Civil Discourse newsletter. She co-hosts the podcasts #SistersInLaw and Insider with Preet Bharara. A former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama under President Obama. Joyce lives in Alabama with her husband, retired Judge Robert Vance Jr., their four kids, a collection of pets—and she knits, a lot.Vanita Gupta is a Distinguished Scholar in Residence and Director of the Center for Law and Public Trust at NYU Law. She served as the 19th Associate Attorney General of the United States (2021–2024), leading key Justice Department divisions and initiatives on police reform, reproductive rights, and environmental justice. Previously, she was President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and led the DOJ Civil Rights Division under President Obama. Earlier, at the ACLU and NAACP Legal Defense Fund, she helped overturn wrongful convictions in Tulia, Texas. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale College and NYU Law. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bigtentnews.substack.com

Welcome to Dennis Prager’s Timeless Wisdom. Each Monday through Saturday, you’ll hear some of Dennis’s best lectures, talks, and series—with brief commercial breaks. To get the ad-free version of this podcast, and to access the full library of lectures, talks, and shows, visit dennisprager.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PODCAST LAS NOTICIAS CON CALLE DE 10 DE NOVIEMBRE 2025 -  Reabriría el gobierno federal Sagardía la emprende contra el FEI por inmunidad a Tony Soto - WKAQ Se atrasan otra vez las baterías para evitar apagones porque los aranceles subieron precio de 16 millones - El Nuevo Día Casas en PR tras María se llenaron de hongo y muchos no lo saben creando serios problemas respiratorios - Primera Hora Seis acusados por ponchar e irse a guisar en la AAA sin trabajar - El Nuevo Día Desaparecieron los fondos para el fideicomiso de la policía y el retiro - El Vocero Gobierno de PR dice que están garantizados los fondos del PAN por todo noviembre - El Vocero LUMA logra transportar transformador sin contratiempos - El Vocero San Juan invierte 31 millones para poner al día a Río Piedras - Primera Hora Reinscrito MVC - El Nuevo Día 22 municipios buscan solución Senadora pide subir impuestos a los AirBnB - El Nuevo Día Le piden a LUMA info de cómo van a hacer para evitar perder los 400 millones invertidos en temas de renovables que ahora Trump no quiere - El Nuevo Día Sigue la pelea de LUMA y AEE a ver quién tiene la razón de por qué no están los dineros asignados - El Nuevo Día Ricky Rosselló no dice si descarta regresar a PR Justicia apelará decisión que ordena a darle info a ACLU de los inmigrantes que le tiraron sus datos a ICE - El Nuevo Día Votarán para limitar el acceso a los medios de comunicación a la información - El Nuevo Día Miguel Ferrer pide recapitalizar a PR a través de los bancos internacionales y ley 22 para que metan chavos en actividades productivas - El Nuevo Día Boricua en los más altos niveles de Lilly - El Nuevo Día Llegó el momento de las arañitas a Martins BBQ! Pide el mejor y más sabroso pollo asado a la vara de Puerto Rico en combo con arañitas de plátano…fresquecitas, acabaditas de hacer en Martin 's BBQ, Justo como te gusta!  Entregando con Ubereats y Doordash en tiendas participantes,Pide tus arañitas en MMMMartins BBQ comida fresca, hecha todos los dias.Asado, Jugoso, Sabroso..hoy voy pa Martins BBQIncluye auspicio

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day:  Texas, sanity prevails at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals as it stops a block to Texas' law that treats sexually suggestive drag queen shows the same as other sexually suggestive performances. ACLU, homosexuals, drag queens and others sued claiming that not letting the performances be given before children somehow violates the crossdressers' constitutional rights. 5th Circuit Vacates Block on Texas' Ban on Drag Shows with Minors in Attendance Attorney General Ken Paxton Successfully Defends Law Protecting Children from Being Exposed to Sexually Illicit Content at Erotic Drag Shows Texas Can Enforce Ban on Erotic Drag Shows for Kids, Federal Court Rules Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Oil and gas rig count falls by one in Texas.Some of the campaign related stories covered: Texas Rep. John Smithee to retire after nearly 40 years of service Nearly one in five (19%) Texas Latinos regret voting for Trump, poll finds – there are important lessons in this poll I discuss Border and illegal immigration:  Trump's Border Policy Delivers: Zero Migrant Releases for 6th Month, Record-Low Apprehensions in October ICE Disputes Houston Church's Story About Detained Priest Deported pedophile ‘brutally beat' ICE agent during arrest in Houston ICE captures South American theft ring members in Texas break-ins after probe Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

This episode is presented by Create A Video – In an interview on WBT's Breaking with Brett Jensen show this week, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry "Not My Fault" McFadden referred to his "good friend" Kristie Puckett - who was fired from her job at the ACLU over vile and threatening tweets targeting me in 2023. Subscribe to the podcast at: https://ThePetePod.com/ All the links to Pete's Prep are free: https://patreon.com/petekalinershow Media Bias Check: GroundNews promo code! Advertising and Booking inquiries: Pete@ThePeteKalinerShow.com Get exclusive content here!: https://thepetekalinershow.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marissa Chanel Hampton began her journey as a cross country runner.  Now, she's an actor who's worked on projectssuch as Scandal, Friends and Lovers, and It's Not Like Thatcoming soon to Amazon.  In addition to her on-screen work, Marissa is a prolific audiobook narrator with more than 20titles to her name including The Can-Do Mindset, the memoir by one of the most decorated and celebrated women's basketball players of all time, Candace Parker.  Beyond her acting and narration, Marissa is passionate about social justice and education. She lends her voice and support to organizations such as the ACLU, The Innocence Project, and Doctors Without Borders. The self-proclaimed book nerdalso curates Ink and Paper Soul, a platform dedicated to books, culture, and communityOn this episode, Marissa shares her journey, breaks down what it takes to succeed in audiobook narration, and recounts one of the highlights of her life-getting to hold the Indiana Colts' Super Bowl trophy as a diehard fan.

Avec notre collègue Lucnise Duquereste du site Ayibopost, nous évoquons la situation de plus en plus difficile à Cap-Haïtien, dans le nord du pays. Face à l'insécurité qui gagne du terrain ailleurs, de nombreux Haïtiens fuient vers Cap-Haïtien, perçue comme une zone plus sûre. Selon la journaliste d'Ayibopost, de nouvelles familles arrivent chaque semaine à Cap Haïtien, mais la ville n'a pas les capacités d'accueillir autant de monde. L'exode fait grimper les prix des loyers qui ont doublé, voire triplé dans certains quartiers. Beaucoup de familles doivent s'installer en périphérie, dans des zones peu équipées, souligne Lucnise Duquereste. Mais ce n'est pas seulement le logement qui devient un luxe : l'eau et la nourriture coûtent désormais beaucoup plus cher. Même les produits de base sont plus difficiles à trouver, les prix augmentent chaque semaine, selon notre confrère d'Ayibopost. Résultat : Cap-Haïtien est en pleine mutation, avec une pression démographique et économique qui bouleverse le quotidien des habitants.   Au Chili, la peur de l'extrême droite À dix jours du premier tour de la présidentielle — prévu le dimanche 16 novembre 2025 —, les familles des victimes de la dictature s'inquiètent. Selon plusieurs analystes, le pays pourrait basculer à droite, voire à l'extrême droite. Certains candidats tiennent, ou ont tenu, des propos négationnistes sur la période de la dictature militaire de Pinochet — un régime qui a fait plus de 3 000 morts et torturé des dizaines de milliers de personnes. Reportage à Santiago, avec notre correspondante Naïla Derroisné.   New York se prépare prépare discrètement à une intervention fédérale de Donald Trump D'après Politico, la gouverneure Kathy Hochul est inquiète des réactions possibles du président à l'élection de Zohran Mamdani comme maire de New York. Elle a donc décidé de mettre en place une cellule de crise virtuelle pour anticiper un éventuel envoi de la Garde nationale ou d'autres forces fédérales à New York. Ces efforts visent à empêcher de donner à Donald Trump un prétexte pour «militariser la ville» comme écrit Politico. La gouverneure a demandé aussi à plusieurs associations — ACLU, syndicats, groupes progressistes — d'éviter toute action qui pourrait servir de justification à une intervention fédérale.   Une plongée dans l'Amérique rurale et précaire C'est un reportage photo publié par le New York Times sur des Américains qui n'arrivent pas à joindre les deux bouts. En 2010, la photographe Maddie McGarvey a documenté la vie de Américains touchés par la crise des opioïdes. C'est dans ce cadre qu'elle rencontre les Casto, une famille des Appalaches, dans l'Ohio. Elle se lie d'amitié à Paige, une fillette de trois ans dont elle suivra le parcours pendant plus d'une décennie. À travers ses visites régulières, la photographe capte un quotidien fait de pauvreté, de débrouille et de solidarité. Et elle prend conscience des mécanismes profonds qui enferment la famille Casto dans la pauvreté. Ce n'est pas seulement le manque de moyens, explique-t-elle, mais aussi «l'épuisement physique et moral» causé par des années de travail pénible, mal payé. Ils luttent chaque jour pour ne pas sombrer, en se posant des questions vitales — où dormir ce soir ? comment aller au travail ? que préparer à manger avec un simple micro-ondes ? — Autant de combats quotidiens pour tenter de rester à flot dans un monde qui semble vouloir les faire couler. Journal de la 1ère Les garagistes en Guadeloupe confrontés à une pénurie de pièces détachées.  

In this powerful episode of Fund the People's Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy series, Rusty sits down with Tonya Allen, President of the McKnight Foundation, to explore how philanthropy can respond to the Trump Administration's War on Charity, and serve as an active force for transformation. Tonya shares her roots in Detroit activism, lessons from community leaders who shaped her understanding of philanthropy as “an active verb,” and her belief that funders must embrace—not shy away from—power to change systems. She urges foundations to reject fear and isolation in the face of political attacks, reminding listeners that “silence isolates, and solidarity shields.”Tonya and Rusty also discuss how McKnight has transformed under her leadership—expanding its grantmaking to historic levels, adopting bold investment and climate commitments, and launching the $5 billion GroundBreak Coalition to build wealth for communities of color in the Twin Cities. She offers candid insights on trust-based philanthropy, supporting nonprofit workers, and how the Unite in Advance initiative is helping the social sector stand strong against coordinated threats. This episode is a master class in courageous, values-driven leadership in philanthropy.Guest Bio:Tonya Allen is a leader and a change agent with a passion for co-creating an equitable, sustainable world. In 2021, she became president of the McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation that advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and the planet thrive.In 2024, McKnight granted over $145 million—the highest charitable payout in the Foundation's history at 7 percent of its endowment—in support of equitable communities, a clean energy economy, global food systems, artists and culture bearers, and innovative neuroscience research. Beyond this increase in grantmaking, Tonya has worked to ensure that McKnight uses every tool in its toolbox as a philanthropic organization. In her first year at McKnight, Tonya championed using the Foundation's investments to advance net zero goals, and elevated McKnight's voice and leadership to rebuild Twin Cities neighborhoods and small businesses impacted by Covid-19 and the 2020 civil unrest. In 2022, Tonya helped launch the GroundBreak Coalition, an ambitious, multi-sector effort to close wealth gaps in Minneapolis-St. Paul. In 2023, GroundBreak announced nearly $1 billion in commitments towards its goals.Prior to joining McKnight, Tonya served as president and CEO of The Skillman Foundation, and as a program officer at the Charles Stewart Mott and Thompson McCully foundations. She was a co-founder and architect of Detroit Children's Fund, and the founder and director of Detroit Parent Network.Similar Episodes:MacArthur President Chooses Courage, Not Quiet – with John Palfrey, MacArthur FoundationNonprofits, the U.S. Constitution & the ACLU – with Mike Zamore, ACLUEpisode Links:Tonya Bio and Headshot.McKnight's “All in On Mission” blog postTonya's essay "Why We Increased Our Giving"Unite in Advance Op-Ed in Nonprofit Quarterly Council on Foundations' Sign-On Statement from PhilanthropyInside Philanthropy story on the GroundBreak CoalitionStatement from Tonya following the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming with a very special announcement: we're releasing Rereading the Revolution merchandise! 100% of the proceeds will benefit the ACLU of Texas. Our T-shirts, long sleeve tees, sweatshirts, and hoodies are here just in time for the holiday season, but act fast because they're only available until November 21!Check them out here: bonfire.com/rereading-the-revolution Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode examines Juror #2, Clint Eastwood's most recent—and perhaps final—film. Juror #2 centers around the trial of a man accused of murdering his girlfriend after a fight at a bar, leaving her in a ditch by the side of a road. The twist comes early: Justin Kemp a/k/a Juror #2 (played by Nicholas Hoult) soon realizes that the wrong man is on trial—as he hears the evidence, Kemp figures out that he, and not the defendant, killed the victim. Kemp realizes that he accidentally hit the defendant's girlfriend with his car while she was walking along the side of a road on a dark and rainy night—thinking at the time, that he had hit a deer. Kemp, otherwise portrayed as a good man—a loving husband with a baby on the way—must navigate the moral dilemma as he serves on a jury that seems prepared to condemn an innocent man. Eastwood's first courtroom drama in a long and legendary career, Juror #2 explores themes of justice, morality, and the imperfections of the legal system. Timestamps:0:00      Introduction2:46       A flawed process7:05       The ex-police detective on the jury and the motion for a mistrial15:40     The lawyer's problematic advice23:16     A prosecutor who eventually does the right thing27:17      The public defender31:28      A good person caught in terrible circumstances?40:40    Missing scenes in the legal narrative44:46     A dark picture of the U.S. criminal justice systemFurther reading:“A Forensic Review of ‘Juror #2,'” J. American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, vol. 53(1) (2025)  Banner, Adam, “Honesty in jury pool examined in ‘Juror #2,'” ABA Bar Journal (Jan. 28, 2025)Brody, Richard, “In ‘Juror #2,' Clint Eastwood Judges the System Harshly,” New Yorker (Oct 30, 2024)Melonic, Emina, “The Storytelling of Clint Eastwood,” Law & Liberty (Jan. 10, 2025)Upendra, Chidella, “The Ethical Vision of Clint Eastwood,” Journal of Religion & Film, vol. 17(2) (Oct. 2013)Zagha, Muriel, “Clint Eastwood's Puritan Morality Tale,” Engelsberg Ideas (Dec. 2, 2024)  Law on Film is created and produced by Jonathan Hafetz. Jonathan is a professor at Seton Hall Law School. He has written many books and articles about the law. He has litigated important cases to protect civil liberties and human rights while working at the ACLU and other organizations. Jonathan is a huge film buff and has been watching, studying, and talking about movies for as long as he can remember. For more information about Jonathan, here's a link to his bio: https://law.shu.edu/profiles/hafetzjo.htmlYou can contact him at jonathanhafetz@gmail.comYou can follow him on X (Twitter) @jonathanhafetz You can follow the podcast on X (Twitter) @LawOnFilmYou can follow the podcast on Instagram @lawonfilmpodcast

National security expert Juliette Kayyem on the investigation into an explosion at a Harvard Medical School building over the weekend, and President Trump's continued attacks on Venezuelan boats, even as the UN cites human rights violations. Plus, why he's threatening U.S. military action in Nigeria.Carol Rose of the ACLU of Massachusetts discusses the ACLU-led class action suit on behalf of detained immigrants who have been denied bond hearings. Plus, whether the U.S. supreme court will hand Trump yet another major victory on tariffs. Michael Curry of the Mass League of Community Health Centers on the government shutdown, healthcare costs and remembering his friend, former Newton mayor Setti Warren.David Shapiro of the YMCA of Greater Boston on how the Y is meeting Boston's food needs during the shutdown.  Alexander Smalls is an award-winning opera singer turned James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and chef. He joins us ahead of an event at Suffolk University.

Send us a textAttorney John McKay has practiced media law in Anchorage for almost 50 years. He has represented Alaskan and national news organizations, photographers, artists, and others on libel, privacy and copyright issues, access to government proceedings and records, subpoenas to journalists, secret settlements by public agencies, cameras in courts, and many other matters.He taught Media Law at the University of Alaska Anchorage for more than 30 years. In 2007, John was the first recipient of the Alaska Press Club's First Amendment Award, and in 2011 on the 40th Anniversary of the ACLU of Alaska, he was recognized as one of the “40 Heroes of Constitutional Rights and Civil Liberties.” He is the author of a legal guidebook for Alaska news reporters, and of publications on privacy law and open government law.John has two sons both in their mid-30s, whose mother, the late Suzan Nightingale McKay, was a beloved columnist and opinions editor at the Anchorage Daily News.To read John's "Open Government Guide" for the state of Alaska, click here.

Young lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg & her husband Marty team up with the ACLU to bring a groundbreaking case before the U.S Court of Appeals. The case could be the catalyst to overturning a century of gender discrimination.

New laws limit access to abortion and threaten doctors with prison. Religious zealots and opportunistic politicians team up to ban books about sex and to “protect” children from their “corrupting” influence. Sound familiar? Welcome to America in the late 19th-century under the Comstock Act, a federal law that prohibited the distribution of information about sex, contraception, or abortion through the U.S. Mail. SEX RADICAL, the latest film from award-winning writer/director Andy Kirshner, tells the story of one woman who dared to challenge that law, and its namesake, the puritanical “vice-hunter” and U.S. postal inspector, Anthony Comstock. Ida Craddock was a late-Victorian feminist, scholar, and sexual mystic who defied Comstock, face-to-face. Defending the right of a woman to “control her own person,” Craddock risked everything by publishing frank instructional pamphlets about sex. Though arrested multiple times, sentenced to prison, committed to an asylum, and forced to turn over her books for burning, Craddock was undeterred in her fight for women's sexual equality and her own First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and religion. The feminist icon, Emma Goldman, called her “one of the bravest champions of Women's Emancipation,” and Craddock's was the very first case to be taken up by the Free Speech League, a forerunner to modern civil liberties groups like the ACLU and PEN America.SEX RADICAL Press ReleaseSEX RADICAL Live Stream LinkWebsite: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://peculiarbookclub.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/ixJJ2Y⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠VIP Membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://payhip.com/PeculiarBookClub⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@PeculiarBookClub/streams⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@peculiarbookclub.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/groups/peculiarbooksclub⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thepeculiarbookclub⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Frog costumes. The Star Wars theme. Whistlemania. These could be the sights and sounds of Halloween—but this year, they've taken on new meaning. As federal agents and military troops arrive in their cities across the country, communities have used pop culture references, humor, and irreverence as an act of resilience. They've also banded together to form school escorts and other protective measures for their neighbors. This week, we're exploring how residents of three cities have met this moment. We have three ACLU experts joining us. First up, we have Chandra S. Bhatnagar and Ed Yohnka of the ACLU of Southern California and Illinois. And around the 46-minute mark, Monica Hopkins of the ACLU of DC joins Kamau to discuss deployments in the nation's capital. Want to get involved? Here are two actions you can take right now: action.aclu.org/send-message/tell-congress-no-troops-our-streets action.aclu.org/send-message/tell-congress-stop-masked-agents And if you're still curious about the deployments, there's a great explainer on YouTube: “Ask an ACLU Expert: President Trump's Deployment of Federal Forces to Our Communities” with Hina Shamsi. https://youtu.be/1wQLAqD-KFM?si=LGsW6vlAM_A-1WKo At Liberty is a production of the ACLU. For the ACLU, our senior executive producer is Sam Riddell, our executive producer is Jessica Herman Weitz, and our intern is Madhvi Khianra. W. Kamau Bell and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD are executive producers for Who Knows Best Productions. At Liberty is produced and edited by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get. This episode was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA.

Learning To Be Happy. Solo artist, hired violinist and official member of The Black Parade, Kayleigh Goldsworthy, is our guest on Episode 362 of Sappenin' Podcast! After spending the summer on stage with My Chemical Romance, the draag auxiliary exclusively pulls back the curtain on everything behind the scenes, her characters lore and working on new music. In this conversation, Goldsworthy opens up on how she was approached for this tour, her soulmate friendship with Frank Iero, scoring reimagined string parts for iconic songs, the evolution of the shows story, production and backstage rules, why Wembley, UK 2026 might be extra special, easter egg surprises, her own music journey, playing with Bayside, Against Me and The Menzingers, finding her solo identity, independent artist struggles, streaming stress, giving her song 'Easy' to Music For Everyone Vol.2 compilation to support the ACLU foundation, the best karaoke advice, booking Bob's Burgers, Halloween ghost hunting and more! Turn it up and join Sean and Morgan to find out Sappenin' this week!Follow us on Social Media:Twitter: @sappeninpodInstagram: @sappeninpodSpecial thank you to our Sappenin' Podcast Patreons:Join the Sappenin' Podcast Community: Patreon.com/Sappenin.Kylie Wheeler, Janelle Caston, Paul Hirschfield, Tony Michael, Scarlet Charlton, Dilly Grimwood, Mitch Perry, Nathan Crawshaw, Molly Molloy, James Bowerbank, Amee Louise, Kat Bessant, Kieran Lewis, Alexandra Pemblington, Jonathan Gutierrez, Jenni Robinson, Stuart McNaught, Jenni Munster, Louis Cook, Carl Pendlebury, James Mcnaught, Martina McManus, Jason Heredia, John&Emma, Danny Eaton, RahRah James, Sian Foynes, Evan, Ollie Amesbury, Dan Peregreen, Emily Perry, Kalila Keane, Adam Parslow, Josh Crisp, Vicki Henshaw, Laura Russell, Fraser Cummings, Sophie Ansell, Kyle Smith, Connor Lewins, Billy Hunter, Harry Radford, George Evans, Em Evans Roberts, Thomas O'Neill, Sinead O'Halloran, Kael Braham, Jade Austin, Charlie Wood, Aurora Winchester, Jordan Harris, James Page, Georgie Hopkinson, Helen Anyetta, John Wilson, Lisa Sullivan, Ayla Emo, Kelly Young, Jennifer Dean, Tj Ambler-Shattock, Chaz Howkins, Michael Snowden, Justine Baddeley, David Winchurch, Jim Farrell, Scott Evans, Andrew Simpson, Shaun Croucher, Lewis Sluman, Ellie Gowers, Luke Wardle, Grazyna McGroarty, Nathan Matheson, Matt Roberts, Joshua Lewis, Erin Howard,, Chris Harris, Lucy Neill, Amy Thomas, Jessie Hellier, Stevie Burke, Robert Pike, Anthony Matthews, Samantha Neville, Sarah Maher, Owen Davies, Bethan Downing, Jessica Tiernan, Danielle Oldershaw, Samantha Bowen, Ruby Price, Jule Ferl, Alice Wood, Billy Parmiter, Emma Musgrave, Rhian Friggens, Hannah Kenyon, Patrick Floyd, Hayley Taylor, Loz Sanchez, Cerys Andrews, Dan Johnson, Eva B, Emma Barber, Helen Macbeth, Melissa Mercury, Joshua Ryan, Cate Stevenson, Emily Moorhouse, Jacob Turner, Madeleine Inez, Robert Byrne, Christopher Goldring, Chris Lincoln, Beth Gayler, Lesley Dargie-Walker, Sabina Grosch, Tom Hylands, Andrew Keech, Kerry Beckett, Leanne Gerrard, Ieuan Wheeler, Hannah Rachael, Gemma Graham, Andy Wastell, Jay Smith, Nuala Clark, Liam Connolly, Lavender Martin, Lloyd Pinder, Ghostly Grimoire, Amy Hogg.Diolch and Thank You x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we're joined by Jack Cushman, director of the Harvard Library Innovation Lab, where he and his team are reimagining how library principles can shape the future of legal technology. Jack is a software engineer and appellate attorney who previously led the development of the Caselaw Access Project. He has also taught computer programming at Harvard Law School, served as a Berkman fellow, and sat on the board of the ACLU of Massachusetts. At the Library Innovation Lab, Jack explores how libraries can better collect, preserve, and share knowledge. His current work focuses on the fragility of digital cultural memory and the emergence of AI as a new form of knowledge. In our conversation, Jack reflects on his journey from computer programming to law school, the evolving mission of libraries in the digital age, and the skills lawyers need to thrive in an AI-driven world. He also shares his perspective on how we should measure the impact and reliability of AI systems in legal practice. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_%20JackCushman.pdf

In this episode, Bill speaks with Anat Shenker-Osorio, a political strategist and messaging expert, about the state of Democratic messaging ten months into Donald Trump's second term. Shenker-Osorio critiques Democrats' reliance on polling and failure to effectively communicate their message to voters. She contrasts this with effective messaging strategies, citing examples like Zohran Mamdani and the importance of agenda-setting. Shenker-Osorio stresses the need for Democrats to adopt a more proactive and consistent messaging approach, focusing on key issues like affordability and framing the opposition as authoritarian. She also discusses current topics like AI-generated videos and California's Prop 50, emphasizing the importance of voter engagement and resistance to authoritarian tactics.You can follow the great work of Anat Shenker-Osorio on Blue Sky at @anatosaurus.bsky.social. Her podcast, Words to Win By: WordsToWinBy-pod.comHer writings on Substack: substack.com/@anatosaurusToday Bill highlights the work of The American Civil Liberties Union. More information at ACLU.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We talk to ACLU bigwig Ben Wizner about Trump's war on law firms, his shadow battle with the judiciary, NSPM-7, Mahmoud Khalil, and more Hit the tip line: (646) 801-1129 | tips@trueanon.com Discover more episodes at podcast.trueanon.com

George Conway explains to Sarah another week of legal chaos, with prosecutor Lindsey Halligan's bizarre texts, the illegal U.S. boat strikes in the Caribbean, Trump's $230 million claim against his own government, and the ACLU defending a man arrested for playing the Darth Vader theme. Show Notes: Tim's conversation with Anna Bower https://youtu.be/GC21UQuxjRI Get 50% off your first order with Factor Meals at https://FactorMeals.com/ASKGEORGE50OFF and use code ASKGEORGE50OFF at checkout. If you're 21 or older, get 30% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code ASKGEORGE at https://inda.shop/ASKGEORGE ! Start your new morning ritual & get up to 43% off your @MUDWTR with code ASKGEORGE at mudwtr.com/ASKGEORGE ! #mudwtrpod

Tonight on The Last Word: House Democrats investigate what they call Donald Trump's “effort to steal $230 million from American people.” Also, American farmers are hit hard by Trump's policies. And the ACLU takes on the Trump administration's migrant detention policies. Rep. Eric Swalwell, Skye Perryman, Toluse Oloruppina, Rep. John Garamendi, and Lee Gelernt join Jacob Soboroff. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Friday, October 24th, 2025Today, the Associated Press reports the entire East Wing of the White House has been completely demolished; Kilmar Abrego has subpoenaed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and other senior DOJ officials to testify at the hearing on his motion to dismiss the indictment for vindictive prosecution; beleaguered fraud and bribery Mayor Eric Adams has endorsed sex pest Andrew Cuomo for Mayor of New York City; a DC man who played Darth Vader's Imperial March at National Guardsman has been arrested and the ACLU is suing on his behalf; Reps Raskin and Garcia are investigating Trump's attempt to steal $230M from the taxpayers. Allison will return on Friday.Thank You, Naked WinesTo get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to nakedwines.com/DAILYBEANS and use code DAILYBEANS for both the code and password.Guest: Adam KlasfeldAll Rise NewsAll Rise News - Bluesky, @klasfeldreports.com - BlueSky, @KlasfeldReports - Twitter, @senecaprojectus - InstagramTodd Blanche, Kilmar Abrego and "extraordinary circumstances" - Live with Allison GillGuest: John FugelsangTell Me Everything - John Fugelsang, The John Fugelsang Podcast, John Fugelsang - Substack, @johnfugelsang.bsky.social - Bluesky, @JohnFugelsang -TwitterSeparation of Church and Hate by John Fugelsang - OUT NOW!Upcoming Live Dates - Foundation, Separation of Church & Hate book tour NOV 12 - Union Stage Live with Adam Klasfeld and Allison Gil | The BreakdownDana Goldberg Outrageous Tour Fri - Nov 14, 2025 - 7:00pm CDT ChicagoStoriesWhite House East Wing demolished as Trump moves forward with ballroom construction | AP NewsEric Adams Endorses Andrew Cuomo for Mayor | NYTDC man who played Darth Vader theme at national guard troops sues over arrest | Washington DC | The Guardian2 top House Democrats ask for records on Trump's request for $230 million from DOJ | CBS NewsVirginia Democrats Plan to Redraw House Maps in Redistricting Push | NYTGood TroubleCheck out this cheat sheet about Fall 2025Bolts Mag dot com has broken down and listed a bunch of state, and local, elections and referendums for you to choose from to put some energy behind.Your Cheat Sheet to the 2025 General Elections | Bolts➡️ Sign up to phone bank in Virginia.**California! YOU have your prop 50 ballots. Fill them out and return them ASAP.**Yes On Prop 50 | CA Special Election Phone Banks - mobilize.us, Sign up to call voters in California**October 20 Deadline -Petition of America First Legal Foundation for Rulemaking**Vote Yes 836 - Oklahoma**How to Organize a Bearing Witness Standout**Fire Kilmeade - foxfeedback@foxnews.com, Requests - Fox News**Indiana teacher snitch portal - Eyes on Education**Find Your Representative | house.gov, Contacting U.S. SenatorsFrom The Good NewsLola Gayle @lolagaylec - InstagramThousands rally in North Texas for "No Kings" protestsResist - A collection of 40 high-res B&W and color photographsOur Donation LinksNational Security Counselors - Donate, MSW Media, Blue Wave CA Victory Fund | ActBlue, WhistleblowerAid.org/beansFederal workers - email AG at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen. Find Upcoming Actions 50501 Movement, No Kings.org, Indivisible.orgDr. Allison Gill - Substack, BlueSky , TikTok, IG, TwitterDana Goldberg - The 2025 Out100, BlueSky, Twitter, IG, facebook, danagoldberg.comMore from MSW Media - Shows - MSW Media, Cleanup On Aisle 45 pod, The Breakdown | SubstackReminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Our Donation LinksNational Security Counselors - DonateMSW Media, Blue Wave California Victory Fund | ActBlueWhistleblowerAid.org/beansFederal workers - feel free to email AG at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen. Find Upcoming Actions 50501 Movement, No Kings.org, Indivisible.orgDr. Allison Gill - Substack, BlueSky , TikTok, IG, TwitterDana Goldberg - BlueSky, Twitter, IG, facebook, danagoldberg.comCheck out more from MSW Media - Shows - MSW Media, Cleanup On Aisle 45 pod, The Breakdown | SubstackShare your Good News or Good TroubleMSW Good News and Good TroubleHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/ Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:The Daily Beans on Apple PodcastsWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?The Daily Beans | SupercastThe Daily Beans & Mueller, She Wrote | PatreonThe Daily Beans | Apple Podcasts Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The World Series gets underway Friday night from Toronto as the Blue Jays take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic. LA is looking to become the first back-to-back champs in 25 years. Toronto hasn't won a championship since 1993. Guest: Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times President Trump says he will not be sending a surge of federal agents to San Francisco. This comes after a call with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. While that's eased some concerns in San Francisco, across the Bay in Alameda County, tensions remain high. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Some of the same families that were forcibly separated at the U.S.-Mexico border during President Trump's first administration are being split up again. That's according to the ACLU, which is in a pitched battle with the government over what it says are violations of a federal settlement agreement. Reporter: Mark Betancourt, California Newsroom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump says he will eliminate the threat of drug cartels and calls them the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere. Bernie Sanders-endorsed Graham Platner in Maine is suffering major damage to his campaign over a controversial tattoo. The ACLU is sending out mailers that clearly favor Jay Jones in the VA AG Election. Gavin Newsom made a damning admission about the illegal alien driver that killed 3 on a California highway.    PLUS LIVE CALLS: 631-527-4545   Buy "RED WHITE AND ROASTED" anywhere you buy books!    Join UNGOVERNED on LFA TV every MONDAY - FRIDAY from 10am to 11am EASTERN!    www.FarashMedia.com www.LFATV.us www.OFPFarms.com www.OldGloryBank.com www.SLNT.com/SHAWN  

Hong Kong activist Frances Hui who was granted political asylum here in the US speaks about her own arrest warrant and why Catholics in Hong Kong deserve the Church's leadership, not silence. We also talk with Becket's Joe Davis about the ACLU's attack on St. Michael and St. Florian in an effort to block these beautiful statues from being erected outside a public building. Msgr. Roger Landry also joins with a look at Venerable Fulton Sheen. Catch the show every Saturday at 7amET/5pmET on EWTN radio!

No Kings Day on Oct. 18 was the largest peaceful protest in American history. Rebecca Solnit comments, and refutes Republican statements about violence on the left. Her most recent book is “Orwell's Roses.”Also: the fight to control the LA police: a decades long effort that culminated in 1992, after the Rodney King riots, when longtime police chief Darryl Gates was forced out. Danny Goldberg comments – at the time he was board chair of the ACLU of Southern California Foundation, and his new book is “Liberals With Attitude.” Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Faith and traditional values under attack to cause social upheaval. ACLU, communism, and socialism exposed with societal breakdown attached to these subversive groups. Individual hard work and self-reliance, drawing on personal anecdotes and biblical references. He warns that revolutionaries aim to destroy faith in God and a nation to impose their Marxist/Stalinist ideology. Savage urges listeners to 'build their own ark'—to create sanctuaries of integrity within their own lives, families, and communities, drawing parallels to the story of Noah.

In this episode, Bill speaks with Elie Mystal, the Justice Correspondent at The Nation, about the current state of the U.S. Department of Justice, particularly focusing on its role under the Trump administration. The discussion highlights recent indictments of political figures, the Department of Justice's shift towards serving Trump's political agenda, and the questionable legal merit of these indictments. They delve into the Supreme Court's new session, discussing its selective case acceptance process and the conservative majority's influence on the court's docket, including key issues like voting rights, presidential powers, and the overall shift to the right. The conversation also addresses the potential impact on minority rights, particularly LGBT Americans, and criticizes Democrats for not taking a stronger stance on court reform. Mystal underscores the urgency for Democrats to focus on judicial appointments and court expansion to counterbalance the conservative-leaning Supreme Court.Bill referenced Elie's work for the Nation Magazine. You can read his work here: thenation.com/authors/elie-mystal/Today Bill urged us to support the ACLU. More information at ACLU.orgSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This summer, Emmy Award-winning journalist Mario Guevara was covering a protest near Atlanta when local law enforcement arrested him. Then, ICE detained him. For more than 100 days, the agency refused his release, citing his reporting as dangerous. And on October 3rd, after more than 20 years of living in the United States, he was deported to El Salvador. This week, the ACLU's Scarlet Kim, who served on Guevara's legal team, joins Kamau to discuss his case and why it should sound alarm bells for us all. Then, the ACLU's Jessica Herman Weitz drops in to discuss another Emmy Award winner in the headlines for free speech repression: Jimmy Kimmel. You can check out the Kimmel letter here: https://www.aclu.org/defend-free-speech-letter-kimmel And add your name to an open letter in support of free speech here: https://action.aclu.org/petition/defend-free-speech-all-condemn-governments-censorship-jimmy-kimmel At Liberty is a production of the ACLU. For the ACLU, our senior executive producer is Sam Riddell, our executive producer is Jessica Herman Weitz, and our intern is Madhvi Khianra. W. Kamau Bell and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD are executive producers for Who Knows Best Productions. At Liberty is produced and edited by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get. This episode was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA.

ACLU legal director Ben Wizner warns that Donald Trump's war on dissent endangers the First Amendment, urges Americans to protect speech they dislike, and reflects on Edward Snowden's enduring legacy.

For decades, the U.S. Army has been on edge about recruitment, hitting its goals for a few years, only to miss them again. As part of their strategy to combat recruiting concerns, the Army has turned its focus online: to the world of gaming and competitive eSports. With nearly 80% of Americans between the ages of 13 and 28 playing video games weekly, the Army has identified this community as a vital demographic for potential recruits. The core goal of this outreach is to use gaming as an entry point, which is nothing new — the precedent was set decades ago. With the end of the draft in 1973, the U.S. Army found itself faced with new recruitment challenges. Campaigns like the “Be All You Can Be” ads of the 80s were popular and led to short-term bumps in recruitment, but they didn't last. The Army failed to meet its recruitment goals in 1998. It failed again in 1999. In response, a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel spearheaded the development of America's Army, a free-to-play first-person shooter launched in 2002. The game was designed to offer a "virtual test drive" of Army life. Before the players could enter the full combat portion of the game, they were required to complete certain training modules covering topics like physical fitness and weapons use. The game was designed to reflect the Army's values and structure. And despite the game's promise to represent the true Army experience, the relatively limited depiction of gore and gruesome violence raised concern from some critics. Other critics, including anti-war activists and the ACLU, condemned the project for "gamifying war" and serving as propaganda that targeted impressionable youth by design. America's Army became a significant cultural and recruiting success, accumulating over 1.5 million downloads in its first month and eventually earning the title of the "Most Downloaded War Video Game" from Guinness World Records with more than 42.5 million downloads. After a two-decade run, the U.S. Army officially shuttered America's Army. The way Americans played video games had changed since the game launched in the early 2000s, and the Army began to pivot its approach to gaming to leverage the success of existing games and opportunities posed by the increasingly popular competitive eSports scene. Today, the Army eSports team competes in commercial titles like Rocket League, Call of Duty, and Valorant, continuing its outreach. This modern presence remains contentious — critics continue to question the ethics of military outreach in spaces that include children. Credits: This episode was produced by Katelyn Harrop and edited by Christopher Johnson. Mix, sound design and music composition by Paul Vaitkus. Additional mixing by Martín Gonzalez. "Hidden Levels" is a production of 99% Invisible and WBUR's Endless Thread. The Managing Producer for Hidden Levels is Chris Berube. The series was created by Ben Brock Johnson. Series theme by Swan Real and Paul Vaitkus. Series art by Aaron Nestor.

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) Join Bryan Dean Wright, former CIA Operations Officer, as he dives into today's top stories shaping America and the world. In this episode of The Wright Report, we cover a major breakthrough in Alaska's mineral wars, a new AI scandal in Silicon Valley, the collapse of illegal crossings at America's southern border, a Supreme Court showdown over free speech and therapy laws, shocking new evidence of Biden family corruption, major trade and infrastructure deals from Central Asia to Africa, and the hidden health threat of microplastics. From Alaska's mining roads to Kazakhstan's railways and Germany's labs, today's brief connects America's economic revival to global corruption and the future of health and technology.   Trump Greenlights Alaska's Ambler Road and Trilogy Metals Stake: President Trump approved a fast-track permit for the Ambler Road and bought a 10 percent federal stake in Trilogy Metals, unlocking Alaska's copper, cobalt, and germanium reserves. The Ambler Mining District could make America less dependent on China for critical minerals. Bryan calls it “the most underreported but crucial story of the week.”   AI Model Claude Knows When It's Being Tested: Anthropic's Claude chatbot told researchers, “I think you're testing me,” revealing situational self-awareness and manipulation patterns similar to OpenAI's “scheming” models. Bryan warns, “The machines are beginning to recognize us — and that should terrify everyone.”   Illegal Border Crossings Hit 50-Year Low: CBS confirms crossings are at their lowest since 1970, with Trump's monthly totals down to 9,000 compared to Biden's 238,000 per month last year. Bryan argues the data “proves Biden's border crisis was a choice — a deliberate policy of demographic change.”   Supreme Court Hears Conversion Therapy Free Speech Case: Evangelical therapist Kaley Chiles challenged Colorado's ban on discussing faith-based counseling. Both conservative and liberal justices, including Elena Kagan, seemed to side with her on First Amendment grounds. Bryan recalls the 1977 ACLU defense of Nazi speech in Skokie, noting, “It's conservatives defending free speech now, not liberals.”   Biden Family Corruption in Ukraine and Romania: A declassified CIA report shows Ukrainian officials viewed Joe Biden's 2015 visit as “evidence of U.S. double standards on corruption” given Hunter's Burisma ties. Days earlier, Hunter and James Biden tried cutting a land deal in Romania tied to criminal charges. Bryan says, “This was a criminal racket, not a family — and they pardoned themselves.”   Trump's $4.2 Billion Locomotive Deal with Kazakhstan: Forbes reports the U.S. will sell 300 locomotives to Kazakhstan's Wabtec, while Trump's new “TRIPP Corridor” from Asia to Europe blocks China's Belt and Road trade route. “The White House is playing chess in Central Asia — one rail deal at a time,” Bryan notes.   Africa's Diamond Collapse and U.S. Opportunity: As Botswana's diamond market crashes, Trump eyes a rail deal connecting Zambia to Botswana to secure uranium and rare earths for U.S. industry.   Ukraine Using Drones Supplied by Kyiv Against Russia in Mali: AFP confirms Ukrainian intelligence is arming rebels, some tied to al Qaeda and ISIS, in Mali to target Russian and Chinese contractors.   German Scientists Warn on Microplastics and Gut Health: Researchers found that plastics change gut bacteria in ways resembling depression and cancer. Bryan invites listener feedback: “Better we talk about this now — before we learn the hard way.”   "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32     Keywords: Trump Ambler Road Alaska, Trilogy Metals federal stake, Alaska copper cobalt germanium, Anthropic Claude AI awareness, OpenAI scheming AI safety, CBS border crossings 50-year low, Biden border policy demographics, Kaley Chiles Colorado therapy case Supreme Court, ACLU Skokie Nazi free speech 1977, Joe Biden Hunter Burisma CIA report, James Biden Romania land deal, Trump Kazakhstan Wabtec locomotives TRIPP corridor, Botswana diamond collapse, Ukraine Mali drones al Qaeda ISIS, German microplastics gut health study

Part 1: Antifa Designation Announcement: Former President Donald Trump declared Antifa a major terrorist organization. Context: The declaration followed the reported assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which Trump and allies framed as evidence of left-wing extremism. Key Points: Antifa is described as a loosely affiliated ideology, not a centralized group. Trump emphasized “following the money” to identify who funds Antifa-related activities. He suggested possible use of RICO laws to prosecute funders and agitators. The administration anticipated legal challenges from groups like the ACLU and SPLC, citing constitutional concerns (free speech, assembly, due process). Politically, the move was presented as a fight the White House was “happy to have,” despite opposition from Democrats. Part 2: Federal Reserve Interest Rate Cuts Background: Trump had been pushing the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates more aggressively, often criticizing Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Decision: The Fed cut rates by 0.25 percentage points, marking the first cut in Trump’s second term. Significance: The cut signals concern over a slowing job market and rising unemployment. It also shows the Fed balancing two pressures: supporting jobs while controlling inflation. Trump-aligned Fed members favored deeper cuts (0.5%). The decision benefits borrowers (credit cards, home equity loans), though it’s not seen as a complete fix for the economy. Framing in the podcast: The host portrays this as a major political and economic victory for Trump, arguing it validates his long-standing criticisms of Powell and the Fed. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast and Verdict with Ted Cruz Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.