Island in the East River between Queens and the Bronx that is home to New York City's main jail complex
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If you like your mindfulness served without BS, you're going to love this week's episode! Join us as mindfulness coach and yoga teacher Oneika Mays shares insights from her book, Sit with Me: A No-BS Journey to Mindfulness and Meditation. Oneika explains how yoga helped her reclaim her sense of self; why teaching mindfulness inside Rikers Island transformed her understanding of compassion, justice, and human connection; and how loving‑kindness (or metta) can help us navigate a world that feels heavy and chaotic. In this episode, you'll learn: How mindfulness helped Oneika move from reactivity to response — and why that shift changed her life. Why loving‑kindness (metta) is a powerful antidote to fear, hate, and overwhelm in difficult times. What meditation is really for — and why it's not about feeling good.
Dave Rubin of "The Rubin Report" talks to Ben Ferguson and Link Lauren about the backlash over Zohran Mamdani's bizarre viral World Cup viewing party at Rikers Island prison and why it may be a sneak peek of his prison reform agenda and his plans to close Rikers; Bill Maher putting NPR's Steve Inskeep in his place with his brutally honest take on the self-righteous elitism of liberals and Democrats; CNN's Abby Phillip having to break up an argument over illegal immigrants being deported by ICE between "The View's" Ana Navarro and Lydia Moynihan; Border Czar Tom Homan telling Fox News' Laura Ingraham why he fears that ICE deportations will get far more violent and deadly as long as Democratic rhetoric keeps encouraging people to fight back and resist ICE raids; Palantir CEO Alex Karp telling The Free Press' Bari Weiss how progressives used to be against illegal immigration because it lowered the wages of the poor and lower middle class, and how Democrats reversing course on this major issue may be the death of their party; gay cruise attendees being surprised when the Muslim country of Turkey refused to let them dock at its port; and much more. Today's Sponsors: Angel Studios - Choose entertainment that is focused on stories about perseverance and real human experiences. If you go premium, you'll get 2 free tickets to see Young Washington in theaters this Independence Day, and be part of making this film the #1 movie in America for our nation's 250th birthday. Go to: http://Angel.com/rubin
Dave Rubin of "The Rubin Report" gives a first look at the stories you need to know to start your day, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer refusing to answer questions about allegations involving Senator Ruben Gallego and relationships with Democratic House staffers as the Arizona Democrat faces renewed scrutiny despite a dismissed Senate Ethics Committee investigation; New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attending a FIFA World Cup watch party with inmates inside Rikers Island while federal monitors continue warning about violence, unconstitutional conditions, and security failures at the notorious jail; and Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivering a speech condemning communism, far-left political violence, Antifa, and political extremism while calling for a renewed focus on counterterrorism and the defense of Western civilization; and much more.
Today on The Gist, guest host Bob Garfield replays an interview with prison reformer Vincent Schiraldi about his book, Mass Supervision: Probation, Parole, and the Illusion of Safety and Freedom. Schiraldi discusses his time running Rikers Island, explaining that the jail faces immense staffing issues due to unworkable union contracts. He points out that the real problem with jails and courts is systemic inefficiency, which keeps individuals locked up for years waiting for a trial. Schiraldi advocates for overhauling the probation and parole systems, noting that billions of taxpayer dollars are wasted every year putting people back in prison for minor technical violations rather than actual new crimes. Produced by Corey Wara Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact sales@amplitudemediapartners.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In the final daily live episode ahead of the historic World Cup final, Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros break down the highly anticipated match between Spain and Argentina. The guys discuss the latest news regarding White House officials meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino to address potential health dangers from Canadian wildfire smoke in the New York-New Jersey area. They analyze tactical keys to the final, debating whether Spain's possession-heavy dominance can stifle the emotional, chaotic intensity of Lionel Messi and an unstable but miraculous Argentinian squad. The hosts welcome New York World Cup Czar Maya Handa to the show to discuss her unique journey from NYC Footy to managing Mayor Mamdani's campaign and overseeing massive local tournament initiatives. Handa provides an insider look at organizing affordable ticket lotteries, turning on 24/7 pitch lights across the five boroughs, hosting emotional watch parties for incarcerated individuals at Rikers Island, and celebrating Gotham FC's monumental upcoming stadium move to Queens. Senior betting correspondent Ben Fawkes also calls in to break down the final odds, dissecting the three-way moneyline, Spain's status as a -160 favorite, and player props for Messi, Lamine Yamal, and Mikel Oyarzabal. To wrap up the tournament's daily coverage, Christian and Alexis hand out their official World Cup superlatives, highlighting their favorite stunning goals from Cape Verde and Haiti, alongside major breakout performances from Folarin Balogun and Ismail Saibari. They don't hold back during their "Fading Star" selections, calling out disappointing tournament cycles for Cristiano Ronaldo and Christian Pulisic. Finally, the guys review the tournament's biggest villains and controversies, hashing out everything from FIFA's aggressive ticket pricing to the overhead skycam cable strikes and political image-laundering surrounding Donald Trump. Timestamps: (00:00) — Wildfire Smoke Drama & Sunday's World Cup Final Preview (04:43) — Tactical Masterclass: Spain's Possession vs. Argentina's Chaos (15:24) — Interview with NYC World Cup Czar Maya Handa: Rikers Watch Parties & 24/7 Soccer Fields (34:19) — World Cup Final Betting Breakdown with Ben Fawkes: Odds & Player Props (43:12) — Tournament Superlatives: Favorite Goals, Epic Upsets & Breakout Stars (49:05) — Fading Stars & Biggest What-Ifs: The Fallout of Pulisic, Ronaldo & Tuchel (52:06) — Villains of the Tournament: FIFA Ticket Prices, Donald Trump & Final Outro Subscribe to The Cooligans on your favorite podcast app:
Seth plays audio from part of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s remarks today at the opening of the Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism. A listener call-in comment on the secretary’s speech. We're joined by Johnny Estes, Vice President of Operations of CMI Gold & Silver. Democratic New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani chose to watch the World Cup semifinal match Wednesday between England and Argentina at the city's notorious Rikers Island jail complex.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Melynda & Kenny Mayor Mamdani watched FIFA game at Rikers Island with the inmates Democrat Socialists wants to create a Utopia Governor Abbott is giving an update on the flooding in Kerr County See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sabu Stanley grew up in Brooklyn and lost his father to cancer as a child. His mother kept him grounded and out of trouble — until she passed from cancer too. Without her the streets of Brooklyn became his family. His first run in with the law sent him to Rikers Island where he became a Blood. Gang life eventually led to a 16 year sentence in New York State prison. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Sabu tells the complete story — from losing both parents to the streets taking him in to Rikers Island in the 90s and early 2000s to becoming a Blood to rising as a major drug player in Brooklyn to the 16 year sentence that defined the next chapter of everything. _____________________________________________ #brooklyn #rikersisland #crime _____________________________________________ Thank you to FACTOR & GLD for sponsoring this episode: Factor: Head to http://factormeals.com/lockedin50off and use code lockedin50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box, with new subscription only, while supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). _____________________________________________ GLD: New customers get 40% Off with code LOCKEDIN at https://www.gld.com/ _____________________________________________ Connect with Sabu Stanley: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealflytye/?hl=en facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sabu.stanley.2025 _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction & Early Life 03:39 Losing His Parents & Impact on Upbringing 07:03 Staying Out of Trouble & Influences 10:55 Financial Pressures and Turning Point 14:20 First Steps Into the Streets 18:31 Early Drug Dealing & Dropping Out 21:11 From Streets to Running With Marcy Projects Crew 24:47 Music, Hustling, and Getting Caught 27:26 First Arrests and Introduction to Bloods 30:28 Life in Rikers Island & Joining the Bloods 33:12 Return to the Streets After Jail 43:01 Running His Own Block & Conflicts 47:15 Brooklyn Hustler Lifestyle in His 20s 53:05 Getting Shot by Police & Arrest 01:03:52 Fighting His Legal Case & Jail Lessons 01:13:04 Serving 16 Years & Mental Transformation 01:21:01 Lessons From Prison & Pursuing a New Path 01:29:40 Final Reflections & Future Plans _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sabu Stanley grew up in Brooklyn and lost his father to cancer as a child. His mother kept him grounded and out of trouble — until she passed from cancer too. Without her the streets of Brooklyn became his family. His first run in with the law sent him to Rikers Island where he became a Blood. Gang life eventually led to a 16 year sentence in New York State prison. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Sabu tells the complete story — from losing both parents to the streets taking him in to Rikers Island in the 90s and early 2000s to becoming a Blood to rising as a major drug player in Brooklyn to the 16 year sentence that defined the next chapter of everything. _____________________________________________ #brooklyn #rikersisland #crime _____________________________________________ Thank you to FACTOR & GLD for sponsoring this episode: Factor: Head to http://factormeals.com/lockedin50off and use code lockedin50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box, with new subscription only, while supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). _____________________________________________ GLD: New customers get 40% Off with code LOCKEDIN at https://www.gld.com/ _____________________________________________ Connect with Sabu Stanley: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealflytye/?hl=en facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sabu.stanley.2025 _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction & Early Life 03:39 Losing His Parents & Impact on Upbringing 07:03 Staying Out of Trouble & Influences 10:55 Financial Pressures and Turning Point 14:20 First Steps Into the Streets 18:31 Early Drug Dealing & Dropping Out 21:11 From Streets to Running With Marcy Projects Crew 24:47 Music, Hustling, and Getting Caught 27:26 First Arrests and Introduction to Bloods 30:28 Life in Rikers Island & Joining the Bloods 33:12 Return to the Streets After Jail 43:01 Running His Own Block & Conflicts 47:15 Brooklyn Hustler Lifestyle in His 20s 53:05 Getting Shot by Police & Arrest 01:03:52 Fighting His Legal Case & Jail Lessons 01:13:04 Serving 16 Years & Mental Transformation 01:21:01 Lessons From Prison & Pursuing a New Path 01:29:40 Final Reflections & Future Plans _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The American criminal justice system is often viewed as an unfixable and intractable problem. But shifting demographics and new approaches to community investment might actually bring a natural end to the era of mass incarceration.Alex Duran spent 12 years in New York maximum security prisons before earning a liberal arts degree through the Bard College Prison Initiative. Today, he leads the criminal justice portfolio at Galaxy Gives. He joins host Zachary Karabell to discuss his surreal personal journey from Rikers Island to the world of high level philanthropy.The two explore the real reasons crime rates fluctuate, why our current parole systems are built to manage failure rather than reward success, and how simple investments in the physical environment can do more for public safety than increased police budgets. They also tackle the harsh reality of modern prison labor and examine the unexpected data showing that the US might literally run out of inmates in the coming decades. What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope. For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org Subscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/ Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetwork Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk Subscribe to Zachary's Substack: www.edgyoptimist.substack.com/
In 2024, comedian Nora Fried started a monthly book club for women incarcerated at Rikers Island. What began with nine women and a copy of Tara Westover's "Educated" has grown into a nonprofit called Rosebuds Reading Collective, with actress and author Julia Fox now leading a monthly creative writing workshop inside the jail. Nora joins Janae to talk about how it all came together. Photo: Rosebuds Reading Collective Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What happens to a place built on punishment when a movement demands it be rebuilt for life?On this episode, Dr. Lesley Joseph sits down with two frontline fighters in the battle to close Rikers Island and transform it into something radically different: a hub of renewable energy and community sustainability.Manuel Figueroa — Member of Freedom Agenda, and a justice-impacted individual who lived through the system — brings the raw, on-the-ground truth of what it means to be caught between broken promises and political whiplash. He watched the city's reentry programs get gutted under Mayor Eric Adams, and he knows what happens when people in power decide the “built-in forgetter” kicks in.Michael Higgins Jr. — Land use planner at the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance and coordinator of the Renewable Rikers Coalition — walks us through the legislative machinery: the Renewable Rikers Act, Intro 881, and the decades-long fight to not just close the jails but to reimagine the island — with wastewater treatment, solar energy, and infrastructure that actually serves the communities that have been choked by pollution and incarceration for generations.Together, they talk about the real obstacles — the developers circling, the political amnesia, the competing visions that would rather turn Rikers into a profit center than a public good. And they leave us with a challenge: What does justice actually look like when we stop treating it like an abstraction?This is the fight to turn a site of suffering into a source of renewal. And it's not just about New York.Tune in and ask yourself: What's your community's Rikers?Resources: Campaign to Close Rikers WebsiteRenewable Rikers: Instagram & WebsiteFreedom Agenda: Instagram & Website NYC-EJA: Instagram & WebsiteRecent Articles:NYC press release on RIker's Island ClosuresRikers' closure plan moves a step closer after long-awaited land transfersMamdani transfers vacant Rikers Island facilities, restarting dormant piece of jail's closure planFormer Rikers Island detainees cautiously optimistic the end of facility is near after jailhouse infirmary closureBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-environmental-justice-lab--5583745/support.Don't forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen! Support our work by joining the Supporters Club: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-environmental-justice-lab--5583745/supportConnect with our Environmental Justice Lab community: Instagram: @envjusticelab YouTube: @envjusticelab Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Howard Robertson had every reason to go down the wrong path. His parents died. His siblings were in the streets. But instead of following them he chose corrections — and over a 22 year career from the late 1970s to the early 2000s he rose from correctional officer to captain to deputy warden to warden of Rikers Island — the largest and most violent jail in America. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Howard pulls back the curtain on everything — from his brutal upbringing to what made him choose corrections to what Rikers Island looked like from the inside during its most violent era to the notorious inmates he encountered to how programs reduced violence to how politicians destroyed what it could have been to the problems with closing it and what the future of Rikers Island really looks like. _____________________________________________ #rikersisland #jail #truecrimestories _____________________________________________ Thank you to FACTOR & GLD for sponsoring this episode: Factor: Head to http://factormeals.com/lockedin50off and use code lockedin50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box, with new subscription only, while supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). _____________________________________________ GLD: New customers get 40% Off with code LOCKEDIN at https://www.gld.com/ _____________________________________________ Connect with Howard Robertson: https://www.amazon.com/Student-Game-Become-Unstoppable-Smarts/dp/1977283896 _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Howard Robertson's Unlikely Journey 01:12 Overcoming Tragedy and Choices 02:29 Early Mindset: Learning from Role Models 03:53 Shooting for the Moon: Mentorship & Goals 05:02 Rising Above Average Through Hard Work 07:01 Is Drive Innate or Learned? 07:42 Family, Bad Paths, and Purpose 08:03 Helping Inmates and Preventing Recidivism 09:36 From Speaking to Writing: Reaching Youth 10:16 Authenticity in Storytelling: Why the Book Matters 11:01 Personal Stories: Bullying, Friendship, and Impact 13:02 How the Past Shapes Leadership Style 14:47 Navigating Street Ties Inside Rikers 18:00 Inmate Politics and Safe Resolutions 21:22 Respect, Boundaries & Saying No 23:40 Life Lessons and Staying Clean 24:43 Sponsor Segment: Factor Meals 27:40 Entering Corrections: Career Choice 29:34 Knowing the Community: Double-Edged Sword 30:14 Respect, Fairness, and Avoiding Violence 32:00 Overcrowding, Programs, and Jail Services 34:49 Correctional Culture: Then and Now 36:32 Political Changes & Rikers' Decline 41:13 Burough Jails, Funding, and Flawed Solutions 44:43 Sponsor Segment: GLD Chains 45:56 Corrections Leadership & Barriers to Progression 47:13 Mass Incarceration, Bad Policy, and Population Issues 51:01 Physical Conditions & Racial Makeup 54:35 Bail, Releases, and Systemic Injustice 56:39 Promotions, Process & Rules of the System 01:00:31 Programs: Entertainment and Violence Reduction 01:03:35 The Winner's Dorm: Transforming Inmates 01:04:41 Solitary Confinement: Problems & Alternatives 01:08:06 Expanding Special Housing and Culture Change 01:10:44 Medical, Mental Health, and Malingering 01:13:36 Mental Health, Career Impact and Life After 01:14:50 Defining Real Success for Youth 01:15:55 Numbers that Shock: Mass Incarceration 01:17:00 Notorious and Celebrity Inmates 01:18:36 Retirement, New Mission, and Legacy 01:18:56 Biggest Takeaways: Excuse-Free Success 01:19:56 Book Recommendation & Final Thoughts _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Howard Robertson had every reason to go down the wrong path. His parents died. His siblings were in the streets. But instead of following them he chose corrections — and over a 22 year career from the late 1970s to the early 2000s he rose from correctional officer to captain to deputy warden to warden of Rikers Island — the largest and most violent jail in America. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Howard pulls back the curtain on everything — from his brutal upbringing to what made him choose corrections to what Rikers Island looked like from the inside during its most violent era to the notorious inmates he encountered to how programs reduced violence to how politicians destroyed what it could have been to the problems with closing it and what the future of Rikers Island really looks like. _____________________________________________ #rikersisland #jail #truecrimestories _____________________________________________ Thank you to FACTOR & GLD for sponsoring this episode: Factor: Head to http://factormeals.com/lockedin50off and use code lockedin50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box, with new subscription only, while supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). _____________________________________________ GLD: New customers get 40% Off with code LOCKEDIN at https://www.gld.com/ _____________________________________________ Connect with Howard Robertson: https://www.amazon.com/Student-Game-Become-Unstoppable-Smarts/dp/1977283896 _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Howard Robertson's Unlikely Journey 01:12 Overcoming Tragedy and Choices 02:29 Early Mindset: Learning from Role Models 03:53 Shooting for the Moon: Mentorship & Goals 05:02 Rising Above Average Through Hard Work 07:01 Is Drive Innate or Learned? 07:42 Family, Bad Paths, and Purpose 08:03 Helping Inmates and Preventing Recidivism 09:36 From Speaking to Writing: Reaching Youth 10:16 Authenticity in Storytelling: Why the Book Matters 11:01 Personal Stories: Bullying, Friendship, and Impact 13:02 How the Past Shapes Leadership Style 14:47 Navigating Street Ties Inside Rikers 18:00 Inmate Politics and Safe Resolutions 21:22 Respect, Boundaries & Saying No 23:40 Life Lessons and Staying Clean 24:43 Sponsor Segment: Factor Meals 27:40 Entering Corrections: Career Choice 29:34 Knowing the Community: Double-Edged Sword 30:14 Respect, Fairness, and Avoiding Violence 32:00 Overcrowding, Programs, and Jail Services 34:49 Correctional Culture: Then and Now 36:32 Political Changes & Rikers' Decline 41:13 Burough Jails, Funding, and Flawed Solutions 44:43 Sponsor Segment: GLD Chains 45:56 Corrections Leadership & Barriers to Progression 47:13 Mass Incarceration, Bad Policy, and Population Issues 51:01 Physical Conditions & Racial Makeup 54:35 Bail, Releases, and Systemic Injustice 56:39 Promotions, Process & Rules of the System 01:00:31 Programs: Entertainment and Violence Reduction 01:03:35 The Winner's Dorm: Transforming Inmates 01:04:41 Solitary Confinement: Problems & Alternatives 01:08:06 Expanding Special Housing and Culture Change 01:10:44 Medical, Mental Health, and Malingering 01:13:36 Mental Health, Career Impact and Life After 01:14:50 Defining Real Success for Youth 01:15:55 Numbers that Shock: Mass Incarceration 01:17:00 Notorious and Celebrity Inmates 01:18:36 Retirement, New Mission, and Legacy 01:18:56 Biggest Takeaways: Excuse-Free Success 01:19:56 Book Recommendation & Final Thoughts _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Go to https://ground.news/Inside for abetter way to stay informed. Subscribe for 40% off unlimited access to world-wide coverage through my link. Nick shares his life changing experience as a Correction Officer at Rikers Island. Nick's Links https://www.facebook.com/share/18BdN2mQGY/?mibextid=wwXIfr https://www.instagram.com/nick_gojcaj_?igsh=MWltdTVtcWNkbGxoOA== Do you want to be a guest? Fill out the form https://forms.gle/5H7FnhvMHKtUnq7k7 Send me an email here: insidetruecrime@gmail.com Do you extra clips and behind the scenes content? Subscribe to my Patreon: https://patreon.com/InsideTrueCrime
Today's Headlines: Mitch McConnell has apparently been on death's door for three weeks and nobody thought to mention it — Punchbowl News reported yesterday that he was found unconscious after likely suffering a heart attack, with EMS dispatch audio referencing CPR in progress for a cardiac arrest, while his office has been telling us he's "working closely with staff," which is one way to describe being in a hospital after cardiac arrest. Harvey Weinstein is also in Bellevue Hospital with heart failure as a complication of pneumonia after being rushed from Rikers, awaiting his September sentencing for sexual assault. America's 250th birthday celebration is upon us, with Trump promising the world's longest fireworks show starting at 10:30pm, plus a speech he's calling a rally that he promised to deliver even if it's 107 degrees, so happy birthday to us. Trump also took his Qatari hand-me-down plane on its inaugural flight to North Dakota for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opening, where he compared himself to Teddy Roosevelt without quoting him once, interacted with an AI version of Roosevelt, floated giving himself the Medal of Honor for "taking on Russia Russia Russia," and bragged about winning the Iran war. Meanwhile, Former CIA Director John Brennan is suing the DOJ to prevent them from destroying evidence related to Trump's revenge investigations into him, which is the correct move and the only language Trump can read. Democratic panic is setting in after DSA candidate Melat Kiros, 29, beat 29-year incumbent Diana DeGette in Colorado's congressional primary — with Colorado's attorney general Phil Weiser also beating establishment favorite Michael Bennet in the governor's primary. And the Trump administration lifted its restrictions on Claude Fable 5 and Mythos, which it banned weeks ago for cybersecurity concerns, while simultaneously asking OpenAI to restrict its new GPT-5.6 Sol model for national security vetting, because the administration's relationship with AI safety is whatever is most convenient at any given moment. Resources/Articles mentioned: NY Post: Mitch McConnell was found 'unconscious' in DC home last month, may have suffered heart attack TMZ: Harvey Weinstein Suffers Heart Failure at Rikers Island, Sources Say WaPo: Trump's July 4 fireworks to start much later and last much longer AP News: Retrofitted Qatari jet takes flight as Air Force One for Trump's trip to North Dakota NYT: Ex-C.I.A. Chief Asks for Order Forcing Trump Administration to Preserve Records NBC News: Colorado Senate Primary Election 2026 Live Results: Hickenlooper, Gonzales and More CNBC: Anthropic says Trump admin has lifted export controls on Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this Tuesday edition of Sid & Friends in the Morning, Sid reacts to Barstool Sports founder & CEO Dave Portnoy saying on Fox News that he's considering a run for Mayor of New York City in 2029 against current Mayor Zohran Mamdani. In other news of the day, musical icons came out in full force to pay tribute to the late great mogul Clive Davis — including a devastated Alicia Keys who wept through her speech at an Upper East Side synagogue, Iran's almost immediate violations of the U.S.-negotiated ceasefire last week showed again the futility of relying on the Islamic Republic's commitments to the international order, Mayor Mamdani's administration announced the closure of a Rikers Island facility yesterday inching him closer to closing the prison as a whole, and Sid gets ready to partake in this afternoon's Barrett Media Audio Summit taking place at the SVA Theatre. Alex Traiman, Anthony Cumia, Bo Dietl, Jason Barrett, Joe Tacopina & Wally Backman join Sid on this Tuesday installment of Sid & Friends in the Morning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With his amazing new book, THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL: The Secret Prison History of American Music (WW Norton), author Colin Asher explores how the criminal justice system changed the course of twentieth century music. We talk about how Elmo Hope's Sounds from Rikers Island album inspired the book, how he chose the five artists to focus on — Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, Elmo Hope, Johnny Cash, Ike White, and Tupac Shakur —, the history of the carceral state, criminality and the popular images of Black and white "outlaw" artists, and how many artists' careers were shaped, derailed, inspired by prisons. We get into the tightrope act of using Johnny Cash as a counterpoint to the racial dynamics of the book (as well as the work Cash did for prison reform), why he had to close the book with the story of Tupac and his mother, Afeni Shakur, and how hip-hop developed in response to America's mass incarceration movement, how the philosophy of incarceration shifted from rehabilitation to punishment, Musicambia's work to bring music education into prisons, and what it means to pursue the arts for personal growth, even when you're on death row. We also discuss how some arts writing can suck the joy out of the arts, why he prefers discussing art in relation to society rather than in relation to other works of art, why he made playlists for The Midnight Special, how playing vinyl records makes music a choice instead of wallpaper, the "burn the world down and replace it with an utopia" phase of his youth, the secret origins of his writing career, his dream projects (incl. the novel he's noodling on), and more. Follow Colin on Instagram • More info at our site • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Stripe, Patreon, or Paypal, and subscribe to our e-newsletter
Host Dr Russell Thackeray interviews Jersey City-based meditation teacher, yoga teacher, and licensed massage therapist Oneika Mays, discussing her love of reading and music, the value of stories, and how technology, social media, and AI affect attention and thinking. Mays describes being introduced to meditation over 15 years ago and teaching for about 10, explaining that an injury and over-reliance on yoga classes led her to deeper meditation and mindfulness, which helped her feel okay even when she didn't feel okay. She emphasises practicing with compassion, distinguishing Buddhist “kindness” as ease and spaciousness from “tenderness” as self-love, and notes how her experiences as a Black queer woman inform her teaching around feeling “othered.” She recommends Jon Kabat-Zinn and Sharon Salzberg, and explains her book, “Sit With Me: A Non-BS Journey to Mindfulness and Meditation,” combining memoir, metta practice, and her work launching a wellness program at Rikers Island's women's jail.00:00 Welcome and Introductions00:19 Life in Jersey City01:23 Oneika Beyond Work02:37 Love of Reading04:55 Teachers and Names06:47 Books Versus Screens08:33 Meditation Origin Story10:18 Kindness and Tenderness13:02 Othering and Belonging15:56 Nuance in a Divided World19:57 AI and Attention Spans21:13 Books for Meditation22:15 Why She Wrote Sit With Me24:41 Rikers and the Program26:15 Metta Loving Kindness28:05 Final TakeawayYou can contact us at info@qedod.comResources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com
On this episode of the Family Docs Podcast, Dr. Cynthia Chen-Joea speaks with Dr. Hal Grotke, Dr. Adia Scrubb, and Dr. Tricia Bautista on correctional medicine. This is a part of family medicine where some of the most vulnerable, overlooked and complex patients in our healthcare system receive care. It's work that requires not just strong clinical skills, but incredibly deep empathy, resilience, and a commitment to justice and healing. We are so thankful and incredibly honored to be joined by three absolutely extraordinary family physicians who live this work every day. Each of them brings a different lens: clinical, policy, advocacy, and trauma informed care. Together, they provide a perspective on correctional medicine that every family physician absolutely deserves to hear. Guests: Hal Grotke, MD, FAAFP I'm a 28 year CAFP member since my second year of medical school. I was widowed nine years ago but I am happily married again. I'm a disabled Navy veteran from Operation Desert Storm. I love going for long walks in the mountains with my wife and our dog. Adia Scrubb, MD, MPP Adia Scrubb, MD, MPP grew up in Oakland, California and currently practices at the California Medical Facility in Solano County. Dr.Scrubb received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine/ PRIME Program at UCLA and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles. She earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and completed residency at John Muir Health. Her participation in the CAFP Susan Hogeland CAE Health Policy Fellowship helped her continue policy and advocacy work which included serving on the California Surgeon General's ACEsAware clinical implementation committee, joining the Family Medicine Initiative in Trauma Informed Care (FIT) team, as well as the CAFP JEDI Committee. Tricia Bautista, MD, FASAM Tricia Bautista, MD, FASAM is a native Southern Californian who trained in family medicine at Adventist Health Hanford and pursued an addiction medicine fellowship at Montefiore/Albert Einstein. While a resident, she served on the CAFP Foundation's Student/Resident Council, was an active member of the Kings-Fresno-Madera chapter and advocated for substance use-related issues that have been formally adopted into CAFP policy. During her training in Bronx, NY, she was exposed to correctional medicine and now serves as the Director of Addiction Medicine for one of the nation's largest correctional health services, primarily caring for incarcerated individuals in NYC jails (aka "Rikers Island") and providing transitional primary care upon re-entry within NYC Health + Hospitals. Resources: California Family Physician article "Finding Care in Captivity" by Hal Grotke, MD https://mydigitalpublication.com/article/Finding+Care+In+Captivity/4933678/841484/article.html Resident rotation/fellowship/elective for the California Correctional Health Care Services Educational Partnership Program, the program for medical student and resident rotations within the California prisons. Info at EPP@cdcr.ca.gov Information: This episode of the Family Docs Podcast was supported by the American Board of Family Medicine The Family Docs podcast is developed, produced, and recorded by the California Academy of Family Physicians. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent or the California Academy of Family Physicians. More information at www.familydocs.org/podcast. Visit the California Academy of Family Physicians online at www.familydocs.org. Follow us on social media: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cafp_familydocs Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/familydocs LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/california-academy-of-family-physicians
It's Election Day in NYC and WFUV's Xenia Gonikberg takes us through key races throughout the city. Only 7% of inmates at Rikers Island voted in the last election. WFUV's Sienna Reinders went to a rally urging the Board of Elections to create a polling site for Rikers Island. In Hoboken, NJ, WFUV's Lainey Nguyen met Dylan Zajac, a Gen-Z entrepreneur who refurbishes used computers and donates them to people in need. His work at Computers 4 People has donated more than 5,000 computers and reached more than 12,000 people. Host/Producer: Xenia Gonikberg Editor: Tess Novotny Reporter: Sienna Reinders Reporter: Lainey Nguyen Theme Music: Joe Bergsieker
This week on Without A Country, Corinne celebrates the New York Knicks' historic NBA Championship victory and the citywide joy that followed. Mike also recounts UFC Freedom 250 in Washington, D.C. Corinne then covers the LAPD's m*rder of Jameson, a beloved doodle wearing a Knicks jersey, a legal up date on the Karmelo Anthony/Austin Metcalf case, the Economist's explanation of 'Gen-Z socialism', Luigi Mangione's defense strategy, Zohran Mamdani's speech at the Rikers Island graduation ceremony, the UK's grooming gang investigation, new developments in U.S.-Iran negotiations, Vance Boelter's guilty plea in the Minnesota political assassination case, and an international discussion on reparations hosted in Ghana. 00:00 The New York Knicks Are NBA Champions02:30 What It Was Like Inside Radio City for History08:40 The Night New York City Lost Its Mind10:00 UFC Freedom 250, Trump's Birthday & America 25021:00 The Unexpected Harley-Davidson Culture War25:18 Enemy of the State: LAPD Officer Kills Beloved Knicks Fan Dog29:45 Karen Bass Responds to Public Outrage35:00 Why Police Shoot So Many Family Pets43:20 Patreon Shoutouts & Listener Mail44:12 The Karmelo Anthony Verdict Explained52:10 Why the Self-Defense Strategy Failed52:45 Lessons From the Los Angeles Mayoral Race56:00 Is Gen Z Turning Toward Socialism?1:10:00 Zohran Mamdani, DSA Politics & the Left's Future1:32:10 Luigi Mangione's Mental Health Defense Strategy1:45:00 Iran Ceasefire Talks Could Change the Middle East1:56:45 A Graduation Ceremony at Rikers Island Gives Hope1:57:40 UK's Grooming Gang Scandal Back Under Investigation2:10:00 Vance Boelter Pleads Guilty in Minnesota Assassination Case2:18:00 Ghana Pushes Global Reparations Debate Forward2:30:35 Final Thoughts, Plugs & OutroSUBSCRIBE TO THE PATREON:https://patreon.com/WithoutACountry?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLinkFOLLOW WITHOUT A COUNTRY ON IG: https://www.instagram.com/withoutacountrypodcast/FOLLOW CORINNE ON IG: https://www.instagram.com/philanthropygalFOLLOW MIKE ON IG: https://www.instagram.com/themharrington/FOLLOW ALONG:ENEMY OF THE STATE: The LAPD Cop Who Shot Jameson the Dog. RIP Jameson.https://www.sheriffs.org/dog_encounters/ANDhttps://nypost.com/2026/06/17/us-news/karen-bass-orders-probe-into-dog-shot-by-lapd-at-knicks-celebration/MAIL BAG:Gen Z Socialism https://www.economist.com/leaders/2026/06/04/how-to-fight-back-against-gen-z-socialismMAIN STORIESNew York Knickshttps://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/knicks-championship-new-york-fandom-has-never-felt-this-good.htmlLuigi Mangionehttps://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/mangione-will-mount-psychiatric-defense-at-trial-for-killing-unitedhealthcare-ceo-191488bb#NY Post take on Luigihttps://nypost.com/2026/06/17/us-news/luigi-mangiones-psych-defense-could-work-in-his-favor-experts/MunicipalMamdani Speaks at Rikers Graduationhttps://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2026/06/16/mamdani-speaks-at-rikers-island-high-school-graduationCould Be WorseGrooming Gangshttps://news.sky.com/story/first-batch-of-grooming-gang-cases-returned-to-police-to-reinvestigate-13554588GUUUURLIran peacehttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/17/trump-us-iran-war-mou-dealVance Boelterhttps://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/06/10/vance-boelter-expected-to-change-not-guilty-pleaGhana & reparationshttps://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/jun/17/ghana-to-advance-reparatory-justice-at-first-major-gathering-since-landmark-un-resolutionSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In today's episode, Gastor and Shalewa talk about Scotland coming into Boston and representing for their beer culture, Crypto knowledge being helful to sex workers in Silicon Valley, and the Mayor popping in on a graduation on Rikers Island. PATREON LAUNCH!For all those that have asked how they can help support the pod - it's finally here! Thanks again to all the Troops and Correspondents who rock with us. Check it out - we'll have some exclusive content and fun perks, plus it really does help!patreon.com/WarReportPodMany Thanks to our Patreon Troops & Correspondents for helping us bring this show to life. Shouts to the Correspondents!Tanya WeimanFontayne WoodsMark OrellanaB. EmmerichCharlene BankAskewCharlatan the FraudCynthia PongKen MogulSayDatAgain SayDatAgainLaKai DillStephanie GayleUncleJoe StylenoshCato from StonoJennifer PedersenMarcusSarah PiardAna MathambaLooking to further support? Help our data storage/archiving needs here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/23X55OW4CFU8Y?ref_=wl_shareInstagram:@WarReportPod@SilkyJumbo@GastorAlmonteTwitter:@SilkyJumbo@GastorAlmonteTheme music "Guns Go Cold" provided by Kno of Knomercyproductions Twitter: @Kno Instagram: @KnoMercyProductions
This episode of Dangerous Dogma features a conversation between Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor, Lutheran minister and journalist Angela Denker, and Disciples pastor and author Beau Underwood. The conversation includes discussion about the Southern Baptist Convention's push against women in ministry, the Pentagon changing how it codes the faith of military members, and the latest in the world of sports. You can watch a video version of the conversation here. Here are a few pieces related to the episode: - Angela mentioned All the Buried Women podcast from Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke. - Brian wrote for Baptist News Global about how "Not all Baptists are Southern." - Brian wrote for A Public Witness about sexual abuse and the SBC's rightward shift. - Angela mentioned a piece by Tia Levings about the SBC. - Brian and Jeremy Fuzy wrote for A Public Witness about the Pentagon's new religion codes. - Angela mentioned a piece about people Knicks fans on Rikers Island & a New Yorker piece about Andrew Tate. - Brian mentioned On the Media's special podcast series "American Emergency." Also, check out the most recent books by the three panelists: Brian Kaylor, The Bible According to Christian Nationalists: Exploiting Scripture for Political Power Angela Denker, Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood Beau Underwood (with Brian Kaylor), Baptizing America How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism
What happens when the evidence of injustice is buried in messy, redacted, or inaccessible data? Mathematician and data scientist Chad Topaz joins Breaking Math to discuss his book Unlocking Justice. Together, we explore policing, sentencing, public records, Rikers Island, algorithmic risk, and the limits of quantifying human lives. This is a conversation about math, power, transparency, and the small acts of hope that can change systems. Chapters00:00 Introduction and Context of the Conversation01:11 Chad's Journey from Mathematics to Social Justice03:50 The Personal Nature of Chad's Book04:40 Challenges in Data Collection and Access08:03 The Impact of Data on Policing and Surveillance09:51 Humorous Yet Tragic Data Collection Experiences12:55 The Importance of Data Preparation and Cleaning14:40 Navigating Imperfect Data and Its Consequences17:48 The Balance Between Quantification and Human Stories22:25 Incarceration and Public Health: The Rikers Island Case Study31:36 Mathematics and Social Justice: Secrets of the Elite39:03 Hope and Action: A Personal Journey in Data for JusticeFollow Chad Topaz onBluesky(https://bsky.app/profile/chadtopaz.bsky.social) Book (https://amzn.to/3S21pKb)Follow Breaking Math onSubstack (https://breakingmath.substack.com/)X (https://x.com/breakingmathpod)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/breakingmathmedia/)Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/breakingmath.bsky.social)Website (https://www.breakingmath.io/)YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@BreakingMathPod)Follow Noah onInstagram (https://www.instagram.com/profnoahgian/)X (https://x.com/ProfNoahGian)Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/profnoahgian.bsky.social)Follow Autumn onX (https://x.com/1autumn_leaf)Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/1autumnleaf.bsky.social)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/1autumnleaf/)Substack (https://substack.com/@1autumnleaf)email: breakingmathpodcast@gmail.com
Keith O'Palick spent 24 years with the NYPD — rising from beat cop to plain clothes officer in Chinatown to detective handling murder investigations and high profile cases. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Keith pulls back the curtain on what it really looks like inside the NYPD — from stopping robberies undercover in Chinatown to working homicide investigations in Midtown before transitioning to the DA's office where he worked protective detail during the Trump trial. He breaks down the truth about New York City safety, why cops do perp walks and whether that will ever change, how detectives manage massive caseloads, and why Rikers Island will never close no matter what politicians say. _____________________________________________ #NYPD #TrueCrime #newyorkcity _____________________________________________ Connect with Keith O'Palick: Website: https://www.kopinvestigations.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keith.opalick/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FLNM7RCG?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_2P37RZCM562NNWMBXTPZ&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_2P37RZCM562NNWMBXTPZ&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_2P37RZCM562NNWMBXTPZ&bestFormat=true&csmig=1&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn63jIRsGPGC4zobZdkhXB-SHKDcjFTYKdqG3saWzaiQ25l7-mRZ5W9bxxfAo_aem_eQi9Wpvz6EQIYg2i5R6Wrw&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ig _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Meet Keith Opalik: 20+ Years NYPD 00:24 Growing Up in NYC & The Road to Policing 01:21 Why He Chose the NYPD 03:20 Family, Roots & Early Influences 04:44 What Pulled Him Into Law Enforcement 07:12 How His Parents Reacted to "I'm Becoming a Cop" 08:55 Should Future Cops Go to College? 10:26 Day One: His First Assignment on the Force 12:48 Going Plainclothes 15:00 Undercover: The Taxi Cab Sting Tactics 19:13 Policing a City That Never Stops Changing 22:01 The Admin Battles Nobody Warns You About 26:13 Promotions, Politics & Internal Affairs 29:36 First Detective Case (And the Media Circus) 32:01 Working the Media as a Detective 34:38 Leaks, Pressure & High-Profile Cases 38:08 Why Some Cases Go Viral 42:22 Midtown vs. Every Other Precinct 45:57 The Crimes That Made Headlines 51:39 Perp Walks: The Truth Behind the Cameras 01:00:04 Caseloads, Staffing & Cop Burnout 01:09:43 Can a Cop Actually Have a Family Life? 01:14:54 Leaving for the DA's Office & Executive Protection 01:21:50 Inside Trump Trial Security 01:25:12 America's Political Divide From the Inside 01:28:57 Is NYC Still Safe? The Post-COVID Reality 01:36:39 Rikers Island & What's Broken in US Prisons 01:44:46 Retirement & Life After the Badge 01:49:37 Hard Lessons, Mental Health & Moving Forward _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Keith O'Palick spent 24 years with the NYPD — rising from beat cop to plain clothes officer in Chinatown to detective handling murder investigations and high profile cases. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Keith pulls back the curtain on what it really looks like inside the NYPD — from stopping robberies undercover in Chinatown to working homicide investigations in Midtown before transitioning to the DA's office where he worked protective detail during the Trump trial. He breaks down the truth about New York City safety, why cops do perp walks and whether that will ever change, how detectives manage massive caseloads, and why Rikers Island will never close no matter what politicians say. _____________________________________________ #NYPD #TrueCrime #newyorkcity _____________________________________________ Connect with Keith O'Palick: Website: https://www.kopinvestigations.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keith.opalick/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FLNM7RCG?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_2P37RZCM562NNWMBXTPZ&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_2P37RZCM562NNWMBXTPZ&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_2P37RZCM562NNWMBXTPZ&bestFormat=true&csmig=1&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn63jIRsGPGC4zobZdkhXB-SHKDcjFTYKdqG3saWzaiQ25l7-mRZ5W9bxxfAo_aem_eQi9Wpvz6EQIYg2i5R6Wrw&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ig _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Meet Keith Opalik: 20+ Years NYPD 00:24 Growing Up in NYC & The Road to Policing 01:21 Why He Chose the NYPD 03:20 Family, Roots & Early Influences 04:44 What Pulled Him Into Law Enforcement 07:12 How His Parents Reacted to "I'm Becoming a Cop" 08:55 Should Future Cops Go to College? 10:26 Day One: His First Assignment on the Force 12:48 Going Plainclothes 15:00 Undercover: The Taxi Cab Sting Tactics 19:13 Policing a City That Never Stops Changing 22:01 The Admin Battles Nobody Warns You About 26:13 Promotions, Politics & Internal Affairs 29:36 First Detective Case (And the Media Circus) 32:01 Working the Media as a Detective 34:38 Leaks, Pressure & High-Profile Cases 38:08 Why Some Cases Go Viral 42:22 Midtown vs. Every Other Precinct 45:57 The Crimes That Made Headlines 51:39 Perp Walks: The Truth Behind the Cameras 01:00:04 Caseloads, Staffing & Cop Burnout 01:09:43 Can a Cop Actually Have a Family Life? 01:14:54 Leaving for the DA's Office & Executive Protection 01:21:50 Inside Trump Trial Security 01:25:12 America's Political Divide From the Inside 01:28:57 Is NYC Still Safe? The Post-COVID Reality 01:36:39 Rikers Island & What's Broken in US Prisons 01:44:46 Retirement & Life After the Badge 01:49:37 Hard Lessons, Mental Health & Moving Forward _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Film Festival Tickets: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 Listen Without ads on patreon: www.pareon.com/dopeypodcast This week on the Wednesday Dose! The episode kicks off with a classic hippie Dopey email from listener MB, who recounts a spectacular Phish tour nitrous disaster. After days of ketamine, booze, overpriced cocaine, and lot balloons at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Colorado, MB face-plants into the dirt while clutching multiple nitrous balloons, destroys his glasses, spends a miserable flight home dry-heaving and hallucinating, and somehow survives a concussion-level experience. The story ends on a positive note with nearly ten months clean and sober and a request for dream guests Gibby Haynes and Jason Isbell. Dave then dives into Patreon and Spotify comments, including continuing fallout from the Dopey Sticker Contest. Selby files an official election challenge, claiming the contest was stolen and accusing Dave of failing to refresh Patreon before announcing a winner. Dave doubles down, insisting Felix Heads remains the champion despite accusations of voter suppression, corruption, and sticker fraud. Along the way listeners discuss ADHD, religion, Knicks fandom, kratom recovery, Long Island stories, and the eternal mystery of white crack dealers. The heart of the episode is an incredible interview with Michael Muniz, a 69-year-old Brooklyn native with 36 years sober. Michael tells a quintessential New York story that stretches from Brownsville gangs, schoolyard fights, and witnessing the neighborhood transformation of Brooklyn in the 1960s and 70s to marijuana, acid, cocaine, crack addiction, homelessness, Rikers Island, and ultimately recovery through Phoenix House. Michael shares stories about seeing his deceased father's face in the clouds during an LSD trip, discovering crack in the Cypress Projects and instantly becoming obsessed, losing everything while sleeping on subway trains and wandering New York's tunnels, robbing his mother, surviving violent encounters, and eventually finding his way into Phoenix House. What began as a plan to simply get clean long enough to save money and return to crack eventually became a lifelong recovery journey. The conversation explores therapeutic communities, recovery philosophy, family loyalty, homelessness during the crack epidemic, the culture of Brooklyn neighborhoods, Rikers Island in the 1980s, and the power of second chances. Michael also describes a dramatic courtroom moment where, facing serious federal charges, he convinced a judge to give him probation instead of prison after speaking honestly about recovery and wanting a different life. By the end, Michael reflects on his 36 years of sobriety, his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, acting career, and belief that recovery is a lifelong process. Dave and Michael bond over drug dreams, gratitude, family, and the reality that while the desire to get high may never fully disappear, a meaningful life in recovery is infinitely better. The episode closes with Michael from the band Good Kid performing a live version of “Good So Bad,” All that and MORE MORE MORE on the Wednesday dose of that good old Dopey Show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jose Ramos grew up the son of a cop, served in the military, and joined the NYPD to follow in his father's footsteps. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Jose breaks down how it all fell apart — from getting shot multiple times by a fellow officer he trained, to becoming corrupt, to spending 3 years in solitary confinement on Rikers Island before being sentenced to over 14 years in prison. He opens up about operating barbershops in his precinct, renting space to a drug dealer who eventually flipped and set him up, getting jammed up in the NYPD ticketing scandal, and the quota system nobody in the department wants to talk about. He also shares what it was really like surviving prison as a former cop — and how he found redemption on the other side. _____________________________________________ #NYPD #RikersIsland #policecorruption _____________________________________________ Thank you to INCOGNI for sponsoring this episode: Take back your personal data with Incogni! Use code IANBICK at https://incogni.com/ianbick to get 60% off annual plans. _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 From NYPD Officer to Rikers Island Inmate — Jose's Full Story 02:31 Growing Up and the Family Influences That Led Him to the NYPD 05:47 Military Service and How It Shaped the Cop He Became 09:00 His Early Years on the NYPD — What the Job Was Really Like 14:45 The Shooting Incident That Changed His Career Forever 20:02 Life After the Shooting — What Nobody Prepared Him For 23:31 The Truth About NYPD Quotas — What Officers Are Actually Told 26:46 Ticket Fixing and the NYPD Culture Nobody Wants to Talk About 31:40 The Barbershop Dealings That Set Everything in Motion 40:00 The Arrest the Charges and What the Justice System Did to Him 48:00 Inside Rikers Island — Solitary Confinement and the Systemic Failures Nobody Talks About 01:00:01 The Trial His Conviction and the Family That Kept Him Going 01:10:01 Surviving Prison — How He Adapted to General Population 01:18:00 What It's Really Like Being a Cop Locked Up With the People You Once Arrested 01:27:29 Release Readjustment and What Life Looks Like After Everything 01:31:09 What He Thinks About the NYPD Today and What Needs to Change _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jose Ramos grew up the son of a cop, served in the military, and joined the NYPD to follow in his father's footsteps. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Jose breaks down how it all fell apart — from getting shot multiple times by a fellow officer he trained, to becoming corrupt, to spending 3 years in solitary confinement on Rikers Island before being sentenced to over 14 years in prison. He opens up about operating barbershops in his precinct, renting space to a drug dealer who eventually flipped and set him up, getting jammed up in the NYPD ticketing scandal, and the quota system nobody in the department wants to talk about. He also shares what it was really like surviving prison as a former cop — and how he found redemption on the other side. _____________________________________________ #NYPD #RikersIsland #policecorruption _____________________________________________ Thank you to INCOGNI for sponsoring this episode: Take back your personal data with Incogni! Use code IANBICK at https://incogni.com/ianbick to get 60% off annual plans. _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 From NYPD Officer to Rikers Island Inmate — Jose's Full Story 02:31 Growing Up and the Family Influences That Led Him to the NYPD 05:47 Military Service and How It Shaped the Cop He Became 09:00 His Early Years on the NYPD — What the Job Was Really Like 14:45 The Shooting Incident That Changed His Career Forever 20:02 Life After the Shooting — What Nobody Prepared Him For 23:31 The Truth About NYPD Quotas — What Officers Are Actually Told 26:46 Ticket Fixing and the NYPD Culture Nobody Wants to Talk About 31:40 The Barbershop Dealings That Set Everything in Motion 40:00 The Arrest the Charges and What the Justice System Did to Him 48:00 Inside Rikers Island — Solitary Confinement and the Systemic Failures Nobody Talks About 01:00:01 The Trial His Conviction and the Family That Kept Him Going 01:10:01 Surviving Prison — How He Adapted to General Population 01:18:00 What It's Really Like Being a Cop Locked Up With the People You Once Arrested 01:27:29 Release Readjustment and What Life Looks Like After Everything 01:31:09 What He Thinks About the NYPD Today and What Needs to Change _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Join us in conversation with Naheima Sears Naheima is an executive coach, ordained Zen chaplain, and depth psychologist who works at the intersection of power, purpose, and inner life. With over two decades advising C-suite leaders and private principals across finance, luxury, and the creative world, she brings rare fluency in both high-stakes strategy and the human terrain beneath it. She is the founder of 87 Degrees. She serves as a chaplain at Rikers Island and on death row. She lives in Brooklyn with her three children and four cats!
Today, Michael speaks with Oneika Mays. Oneika is a meditation teacher, yoga practitioner, and writer whose work centers on mindfulness, loving kindness, and compassionate living. After leaving a successful career in retail leadership following profound personal loss and transformation, she spent more than a decade bringing meditation and healing practices into spaces often overlooked—working with individuals and communities who have felt judged, forgotten, or alone, leading her to working on Rikers Island with incarcerated individuals. Her book, Sit With Me: A No-BS Journey to Mindfulness and Meditation, explores grief, self-compassion, unconditional friendliness, and the courage it takes to truly face yourself. Conversation Highlights Include: -How profound loss, career upheaval, and a canceled wedding became the catalyst for a completely different way of living. -Choosing discomfort and transformation over staying trapped in a life that no longer felt aligned or authentic. -A deeply honest reflection on grief, and learning to hold sadness and joy at the same time without denying either experience. -Why asking better questions creates expansion, self-awareness, and curiosity instead of emotional shutdown and certainty. -An invitation to "sit with yourself" by meeting discomfort, shame, fear, and uncertainty with tenderness instead of avoidance. -How real freedom often begins in the moments we stop running from difficult emotions and allow ourselves to fully feel them. -A powerful conversation about loving people you may never agree with, like, or understand, while still recognizing their humanity. -What more than a decade of teaching meditation inside Rikers Island revealed about judgment, compassion, trauma, and human connection. -An honest look at prison systems, accountability, restorative healing, and why true transformation requires support beyond punishment. Next, Michael closes the episode with a guided meditation on introspection, remembering your True nature, awakening to Divine Presence, and living from expanded awareness.
Joh Jarvis was a high-flying boss when grief from a terrible loss began to overwhelm her. She tried therapy, exercise and healthy eating. Then she found Vedic meditation, and the experience was 'psychedelic'. (R)Joh Jarvis is a Vedic meditation teacher in New York City.On a regular basis Joh travels to the notorious Rikers Island Prison in the Bronx.There, she teaches meditation to men waiting on remand.Inside a prison which is often violent and chaotic, she aims to give them a new way of coping.Joh grew up in Adelaide, and always wanted to live amidst the bright lights of New York.After a stint as a bicycle courier, she worked her way up to management at the ABC.As she approached 50, she had a well-paying job, a nice house, and strong connections with friends and family. But long-term grief had hollowed her out, and she asked herself, is this all there is?Then she was introduced to Vedic meditation, and she says her first encounter was 'psychedelic'.Read more about Joh's work at Rikers Island and other US prisons at her website The Light Inside.And you can see Joh in action on ABC TV's Compass.This episode of Conversations was produced by Alice Moldovan. Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison.It explores epic life stories, family dynamics, grief, loss, reflection, Vedic meditation, meditation, personal stories, origin stories, death, career, giving back, New York City, Rikers Island prison, incarceration, justice system, prison system, mindfulness, mantras, health and wellness, suicide.
Steven Dominguez was a correction officer at Rikers Island. Norman Seabrook ran the correction officers' union. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, they sit down face to face for a rare and uncomfortable conversation — one that holds a corrupt guard accountable in front of the man who was supposed to represent him. They debate corruption, power, and the reality of working inside one of America's most controversial jail systems — challenging each other on what's truth and what's misunderstood, and asking whether meaningful reform at Rikers Island is even possible today. _____________________________________________ #RikersIsland #PrisonCorruption #TrueCrime _____________________________________________ Watch my interview wirh Steven Dominguez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EvupiKuyuw&t=166s _____________________________________________ Watch my interview with Norman Seabrook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5Q7tofDnJ8&t=1s _____________________________________________ Connect with Steven Dominguez: https://www.instagram.com/chillstevie/ _____________________________________________ Connect with Norman Seabrook: https://www.instagram.com/normseabrook/ _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Corrupt Rikers Guard vs Honest Union Boss — The Full Story 01:53 The Corruption and Dysfunction Inside Rikers Island Nobody Talks About 04:42 How the System Capitalism and Jail Jobs Create Corrupt Officers 07:02 Why So Many Young Inexperienced Officers End Up Corrupt at Rikers 10:30 Personal Stories and the Family Ties That Pull People Into Jail Work 13:04 The Reality of Corruption at Rikers — What Becomes Normal and Why 16:17 Temptation Greed and the Moment Officers Choose to Cross the Line 18:42 How Leadership Addiction and Culture Among Officers Enables Corruption 22:17 Who Is Really Responsible When Officers Go Bad 24:18 Real Corruption Stories and the Consequences Nobody Prepares You For 27:40 The Mental Health Crisis Inside Rikers and How It Feeds the Cycle 33:40 Second Chances and What Redemption Really Looks Like After Corruption 36:20 The Lessons Learned and How Community Influence Shapes Everything 38:16 The Broken Infrastructure and Safety Crisis Nobody Wants to Address 40:54 The Leadership Decisions That Could Actually Fix Rikers Island 44:00 Closing Rikers Island — The Real Solutions and Real Consequences 46:25 What a Warden Would Actually Do Differently — Reform From the Inside 50:26 How Hip Hop Culture and Society Shape What Happens Inside Rikers 53:36 Communication Humanity and What It Really Takes to Break the Cycle 58:06 Why Supervisor Support Is the Single Most Important Factor at Rikers 01:03:11 Final Thoughts — What Both Men Want You to Know About Rikers Island _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Steven Dominguez was a correction officer at Rikers Island. Norman Seabrook ran the correction officers' union. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, they sit down face to face for a rare and uncomfortable conversation — one that holds a corrupt guard accountable in front of the man who was supposed to represent him. They debate corruption, power, and the reality of working inside one of America's most controversial jail systems — challenging each other on what's truth and what's misunderstood, and asking whether meaningful reform at Rikers Island is even possible today. _____________________________________________ #RikersIsland #PrisonCorruption #TrueCrime _____________________________________________ Watch my interview wirh Steven Dominguez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EvupiKuyuw&t=166s _____________________________________________ Watch my interview with Norman Seabrook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5Q7tofDnJ8&t=1s _____________________________________________ Connect with Steven Dominguez: https://www.instagram.com/chillstevie/ _____________________________________________ Connect with Norman Seabrook: https://www.instagram.com/normseabrook/ _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Corrupt Rikers Guard vs Honest Union Boss — The Full Story 01:53 The Corruption and Dysfunction Inside Rikers Island Nobody Talks About 04:42 How the System Capitalism and Jail Jobs Create Corrupt Officers 07:02 Why So Many Young Inexperienced Officers End Up Corrupt at Rikers 10:30 Personal Stories and the Family Ties That Pull People Into Jail Work 13:04 The Reality of Corruption at Rikers — What Becomes Normal and Why 16:17 Temptation Greed and the Moment Officers Choose to Cross the Line 18:42 How Leadership Addiction and Culture Among Officers Enables Corruption 22:17 Who Is Really Responsible When Officers Go Bad 24:18 Real Corruption Stories and the Consequences Nobody Prepares You For 27:40 The Mental Health Crisis Inside Rikers and How It Feeds the Cycle 33:40 Second Chances and What Redemption Really Looks Like After Corruption 36:20 The Lessons Learned and How Community Influence Shapes Everything 38:16 The Broken Infrastructure and Safety Crisis Nobody Wants to Address 40:54 The Leadership Decisions That Could Actually Fix Rikers Island 44:00 Closing Rikers Island — The Real Solutions and Real Consequences 46:25 What a Warden Would Actually Do Differently — Reform From the Inside 50:26 How Hip Hop Culture and Society Shape What Happens Inside Rikers 53:36 Communication Humanity and What It Really Takes to Break the Cycle 58:06 Why Supervisor Support Is the Single Most Important Factor at Rikers 01:03:11 Final Thoughts — What Both Men Want You to Know About Rikers Island _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dr. Becky Fenton started her career as a psychologist at Sing Sing Correctional Facility before being recruited to Rikers Island to supervise its psychiatric division — one of the largest and most challenging mental health systems in the country. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Becky breaks down what it was really like working inside one of America's most notorious jail systems from the other side of the cell door. She opens up about the violence and instability inside Rikers, the trauma on both sides of the system, her role in implementing Crisis Intervention Training for mental health emergencies, and what it takes to stay grounded when the environment around you is anything but. _____________________________________________ #RikersIsland #PrisonPsychology #TrueCrime _____________________________________________ Connect with Dr Becky Fenton: https://www.longislandpsychologyandconsulting.com/ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 From Prison Psychologist to Private Practice — Her Story 01:48 The Early Influences and Personality That Led Her to This Work 03:37 The Education and Career Shift Nobody Expected 06:00 How She Ended Up as a Psychologist Inside Prison 08:49 Sing Sing vs Rikers Island — The Differences Nobody Talks About 11:16 Mental Health Inside Prison vs Mental Health in Hospitals — The Reality Gap 14:24 When Security and Mental Health Priorities Collide — Who Wins 18:18 Safety Violence and What It Really Takes to Advocate for Staff 20:59 How Trauma Shapes Inmate Behavior — What Most People Get Wrong 24:15 Vicarious Trauma — What Working in Prison Does to the Staff 27:15 Crisis Intervention and Deescalation — What Actually Works Behind Bars 32:33 What a Typical Day Really Looks Like Working at Rikers Island 36:31 Suicide Watch and What Inmate Care Actually Involves 39:12 Male vs Female Jails — The Shocking Differences Nobody Discusses 44:01 A Complete Day Inside Rikers Island — Hour by Hour Reality 47:20 What Destroys New Staff and How to Survive the First Year 53:01 The Truth About Solitary Confinement — What the Research Actually Shows 56:01 Rehabilitation vs Punishment — Which One Actually Works 01:00:41 Medication Management and What Happens to Inmates at Discharge 01:03:41 The Non Clinical Duties Nobody Warns You About in Federal Systems 01:06:50 How She Switched Off After Working in One of the World's Most Stressful Environments 01:10:14 The Programs and Therapy Practices That Actually Make a Difference 01:13:11 Why She Finally Left Rikers Island — The Real Reason 01:16:12 Private Practice and Why She Still Advocates for Prison Reform 01:19:01 What She Would Tell Her Younger Self — Final Thoughts _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dr. Becky Fenton started her career as a psychologist at Sing Sing Correctional Facility before being recruited to Rikers Island to supervise its psychiatric division — one of the largest and most challenging mental health systems in the country. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Becky breaks down what it was really like working inside one of America's most notorious jail systems from the other side of the cell door. She opens up about the violence and instability inside Rikers, the trauma on both sides of the system, her role in implementing Crisis Intervention Training for mental health emergencies, and what it takes to stay grounded when the environment around you is anything but. _____________________________________________ #RikersIsland #PrisonPsychology #TrueCrime _____________________________________________ Connect with Dr Becky Fenton: https://www.longislandpsychologyandconsulting.com/ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 From Prison Psychologist to Private Practice — Her Story 01:48 The Early Influences and Personality That Led Her to This Work 03:37 The Education and Career Shift Nobody Expected 06:00 How She Ended Up as a Psychologist Inside Prison 08:49 Sing Sing vs Rikers Island — The Differences Nobody Talks About 11:16 Mental Health Inside Prison vs Mental Health in Hospitals — The Reality Gap 14:24 When Security and Mental Health Priorities Collide — Who Wins 18:18 Safety Violence and What It Really Takes to Advocate for Staff 20:59 How Trauma Shapes Inmate Behavior — What Most People Get Wrong 24:15 Vicarious Trauma — What Working in Prison Does to the Staff 27:15 Crisis Intervention and Deescalation — What Actually Works Behind Bars 32:33 What a Typical Day Really Looks Like Working at Rikers Island 36:31 Suicide Watch and What Inmate Care Actually Involves 39:12 Male vs Female Jails — The Shocking Differences Nobody Discusses 44:01 A Complete Day Inside Rikers Island — Hour by Hour Reality 47:20 What Destroys New Staff and How to Survive the First Year 53:01 The Truth About Solitary Confinement — What the Research Actually Shows 56:01 Rehabilitation vs Punishment — Which One Actually Works 01:00:41 Medication Management and What Happens to Inmates at Discharge 01:03:41 The Non Clinical Duties Nobody Warns You About in Federal Systems 01:06:50 How She Switched Off After Working in One of the World's Most Stressful Environments 01:10:14 The Programs and Therapy Practices That Actually Make a Difference 01:13:11 Why She Finally Left Rikers Island — The Real Reason 01:16:12 Private Practice and Why She Still Advocates for Prison Reform 01:19:01 What She Would Tell Her Younger Self — Final Thoughts _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this conversation, Amy sits down with mindfulness teacher and writer Oneika Mays to talk about her new book, Sit with Me: A No-BS Journey to Mindfulness and Meditation—part memoir, part meditation guide, and an unflinching look at what it means to practice loving-kindness in real-world conditions, including inside Rikers Island. Oneika shares what it felt like to work inside a system built on hierarchy and dehumanization, the tension of receiving a salary inside a harmful structure, and the moment she realized that “the system isn't broken—it's working as designed.” From there, the conversation widens into the heart of metta: not as softness or spiritual bypassing, but as grounded, actionable love that can hold anger, boundaries, and truth-telling without losing our humanity. About Oneika and the BookBook: Sit with Me: A No-BS Journey to Mindfulness and Meditation (HarperOne / HarperCollins; on sale March 3, 2026). How Oneika describes it: “Meditation is for messy people… This book is part memoir, part meditation guide—and it's about showing up exactly as you are.” What You'll Hear in This EpisodeThe embodied “ick” of being treated as “one of us” by staff—how hierarchy shows up in small moments, tone shifts, and access.Why reform can get absorbed by a machine—and how “helping” can unintentionally make a harmful system look more palatable.The pivot from “fixing” to “serving,” and why that matters in any therapeutic or helping profession.Metta as a practice that includes righteous anger, loving accountability, and clear boundaries (not performative positivity).The inner work of not needing to be liked—and why unconditional love is not the same as being “nice.”A grounded call to action: personal responsibility, collective responsibility, and small acts that add up. Core Themes to Highlight (for your episode description)1) Metta is not performative softness. It's a disciplined practice of staying human—especially when it's inconvenient, when you're angry, and when you need boundaries.2) The “system” is not abstract—it's embodied. Hierarchy is felt through tone, access, positioning, and whose body is treated as more worthy.3) Serving is different than fixing. When we see people as broken, we become controlling or paternalistic. When we serve, we stay in relationship with wholeness.4) Choosing yourself can be an ethical act. Not as individualism, but as harm reduction—because depleted care can become harmful care.5) Collective change is built from small refusals. Not pre-agreeing to dehumanization. Practicing “no” with steadiness, clarity, and community. Resources Mentioned in the ConversationThe New Jim Crow — Michelle Alexander (recommended by Oneika in the episode)“Helping, Fixing, and Serving” — Rachel Naomi Remen (named in the episode)Sharon Salzberg's teaching stories on loving-kindness (referenced in the episode)Audre Lorde on self-care as self-preservation (referenced in the episode)Toni Morrison quote on freedom and responsibility (referenced in the episode)Timothy Snyder's guidance on resisting authoritarianism (Amy referenced at the end) Connect with OneikaWebsite: Oneika Mays www.OneikaMays.com Book Details and Where to Find ItSit with Me: A No-BS Journey to Mindfulness and Meditation is published by HarperOne and is listed as on sale March 3, 2026.
Jean-Claude Brizard, President and CEO of Digital Promise, joins Vicki on this Thought Leader Thursday episode of the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast. From his beginning teaching incarcerated youth at Rikers Island, where he met a young man his own age who couldn't do basic math, to leading a global nonprofit that's reshaping how teachers and developers co-create AI tools — Jean-Claude shares why he's been in education for 38 years and counting. In this episode, you'll learn: Why teachers must be "crew, not passengers" on AI How Digital Promise is co-creating with teachers to extend a science-of-reading platform for multilingual learners How Gen AI is letting students talk to the "average Americans" history forgot — including a Georgia housewife who captured seven British soldiers Why mitigating AI bias requires educators in the room from the start How to spot certified tech versus "shiny object" fluff Full show notes, transcript, and resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e935 If this episode made you think, leave a review wherever you're listening — it helps other teachers find the show. And share it with a teacher friend.
Jorge Polanco started his career inside one of the most notorious jail systems in America — Rikers Island. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Jorge breaks down what it was really like working inside Rikers as a correction officer, why he walked away after two years, and how that experience shaped the police officer he eventually became across Florida, Colorado and Texas. _____________________________________________ #RikersIsland #TrueCrime #LawEnforcement _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction & Early Life 01:19 Family Background and Work Ethic 02:14 Baseball Dreams & Growing Up in the Bronx 03:55 Teenage Influence and Choosing a Path 07:43 Discovering Law Enforcement 10:01 Starting in Corrections: Riker's Island Academy 12:13 First Days Inside Riker's Island 14:33 Experiences with Inmates & Managing Challenges 16:13 Mental Health & Family Impact 18:47 Temptations, Corruption & Integrity in Corrections 22:00 Learning the Hustle & Navigating the System 23:46 Officer Stories & Systemic Issues 26:16 Transitions, Family Struggles & Moving Forward 29:35 Becoming a Police Officer in Florida 31:40 Facing Discrimination and Professional Barriers 33:46 Social Media & Law Enforcement 36:50 Colorado & Different Policing Environments 39:28 Tough Cases & Feeling Powerless 41:21 Finding a Place in Texas Law Enforcement 42:10 Narcotics Detective & Personal Mission 44:20 Persistence, Setbacks & The Path to Success 47:10 Corrections Experience: Preparing for Policing 49:31 Differences Between Agencies & Career Transitions 52:30 Law Differences Across States 53:56 Murder Charges for Fentanyl Dealers 54:59 Personal Connection & Family Impact of Drugs 01:00:34 Parenthood, Family Stories & Personal Growth 01:07:01 Reflections, Goals & Role of Law Enforcement Today 01:09:03 Challenges of Policing in Modern Society 01:12:46 Therapy, Mental Health & Stress Management 01:15:41 Leaving Rikers & Lessons from Corrections 01:18:31 Memorable Inmates, Mental Health Units & Stories 01:21:29 Handling Retirement Across States 01:22:12 Policing in Texas & Drug Laws 01:24:26 Common Crimes & Domestic Violence 01:26:06 Adapting to New Regions & Reflections 01:27:32 Lessons Learned & Closing Thoughts _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jorge Polanco started his career inside one of the most notorious jail systems in America — Rikers Island. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Jorge breaks down what it was really like working inside Rikers as a correction officer, why he walked away after two years, and how that experience shaped the police officer he eventually became across Florida, Colorado and Texas. _____________________________________________ #RikersIsland #TrueCrime #LawEnforcement _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction & Early Life 01:19 Family Background and Work Ethic 02:14 Baseball Dreams & Growing Up in the Bronx 03:55 Teenage Influence and Choosing a Path 07:43 Discovering Law Enforcement 10:01 Starting in Corrections: Riker's Island Academy 12:13 First Days Inside Riker's Island 14:33 Experiences with Inmates & Managing Challenges 16:13 Mental Health & Family Impact 18:47 Temptations, Corruption & Integrity in Corrections 22:00 Learning the Hustle & Navigating the System 23:46 Officer Stories & Systemic Issues 26:16 Transitions, Family Struggles & Moving Forward 29:35 Becoming a Police Officer in Florida 31:40 Facing Discrimination and Professional Barriers 33:46 Social Media & Law Enforcement 36:50 Colorado & Different Policing Environments 39:28 Tough Cases & Feeling Powerless 41:21 Finding a Place in Texas Law Enforcement 42:10 Narcotics Detective & Personal Mission 44:20 Persistence, Setbacks & The Path to Success 47:10 Corrections Experience: Preparing for Policing 49:31 Differences Between Agencies & Career Transitions 52:30 Law Differences Across States 53:56 Murder Charges for Fentanyl Dealers 54:59 Personal Connection & Family Impact of Drugs 01:00:34 Parenthood, Family Stories & Personal Growth 01:07:01 Reflections, Goals & Role of Law Enforcement Today 01:09:03 Challenges of Policing in Modern Society 01:12:46 Therapy, Mental Health & Stress Management 01:15:41 Leaving Rikers & Lessons from Corrections 01:18:31 Memorable Inmates, Mental Health Units & Stories 01:21:29 Handling Retirement Across States 01:22:12 Policing in Texas & Drug Laws 01:24:26 Common Crimes & Domestic Violence 01:26:06 Adapting to New Regions & Reflections 01:27:32 Lessons Learned & Closing Thoughts _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Wolfgang Hunter joins Geo and Derek on "On The Gate" to break down why the current comedy landscape is failing and why he's returning to the stage to fix it.In This Episode:The Comedy Standard: Wolfgang critiques the current state of stand-up and why so much modern content feels like "slop."Musical Comedy Legends: A deep dive into the careers of Adam Sandler and Weird Al, plus a tribute to the late Trevor Moore of The Whitest Kids U' Know.The NYC Hustle: From working in a bathhouse to the difference between service industry grind and the "soul-crushing" office life at places like JP Morgan.Current Events: The crew discusses the latest headlines regarding Rikers Island, the Pras Michel case, and the cultural impact of Alex Jones.Tech & Gaming: We look ahead to the release of GTA 6 and discuss the Mandela Effect and how AI (and Mr. Wonderful) is changing the game.ON THE GATE! ENJOY!Original air date: 5/11/26Join the live chat Wednesday nights at 11pm EST. Uncensored versions of the show streamed Monday and Thursday at 2pm EST on GaSDigital.com. Signup with code OTG for the archive of the show and others like Legion of Skanks, In Godfrey We Trust, and Story Warz. FOLLOWGeo PerezInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/geoperez86/Derek DrescherInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/derekdrescher/Timestamps:00:30 - The current state of the Podcast02:00 - Why Wolfgang is returning to Stand-Up05:15 - Musical Comedy: Adam Sandler vs. Weird Al06:35 - Remembering Trevor Moore (WKUK)07:50 - What actually defines "Alt" Comedy?12:15 - The history of fake stage names14:10 - Kevin Hart's "Funny AF" & diverse comedy rooms18:10 - Gym stories and relationship dynamics22:30 - Big Jay Oakerson & the NYC Comedy Scene28:20 - Service Jobs vs. Corporate Office Life31:15 - Real-life work site accidents and consequences36:30 - The JP Morgan case & financial headlines37:30 - Breaking News: Rikers Island updates39:00 - The Pras Michel legal case40:25 - The legacy and impact of Alex Jones43:30 - Discussing current events and news cycles46:45 - GTA 6: Expectations vs. Reality49:00 - The Mandela Effect: Why our memories lie50:20 - When Derek learned legal terminology in court53:00 - Niche subcultures and extreme social trends57:40 - Upcoming Dates & Plugs59:00 - Mr. Wonderful and the AI RevolutionSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Steven Lee rose to the rank of sergeant in the NYPD before everything collapsed. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Steven breaks down one of the most dangerous things a cop can do — go undercover against his own department for Internal Affairs — and what the system did to him afterward. Years later an off duty incident at a nightclub ended his career and landed him on Rikers Island. He opens up about what it's really like being a former cop behind bars, the corruption he witnessed and exposed, and the true cost of speaking out against your own brothers in blue. _____________________________________________ #NYPD #PoliceCOrruption #rikersisland _____________________________________________ Thank you to RAYCON for sponsoring this episode: The Everyday Earbuds Classic are the perfect addition to your everyday routine. Go to Bhttps://buyraycon.com/IANBICK to get 15% off! _____________________________________________ Connect with Steven Lee: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevefornewyork?igsh=YThycTFiMzhhemZz YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/@SystemUnfiltered Website: https://www.stevefornewyork.com/ _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 From Brooklyn Streets to the NYPD — Steven's Story 04:00 Growing Up Around Gang Life and Learning Street Smarts 07:00 Asian Gangs, Chinatown and the World Nobody Talks About 14:00 The Values and Influences That Shaped Who He Became 23:00 Joining the NYPD — And Immediately Questioning Everything 33:00 The Quota System Nobody in the NYPD Wants to Admit Exists 44:00 The Harsh Realities of Police Work They Never Teach You 53:00 What It's Really Like Policing Different New York Boroughs 01:00:00 Life as a Sergeant in Flushing Queens — Where It All Changed 01:11:00 Bar Checks, Karaoke Bars and the Hidden Corruption He Discovered 01:26:00 The Moment He Agreed to Go Undercover Against His Own 01:41:00 What He Found — Corruption Spreading Across Multiple Precincts 01:55:00 Someone on the Inside Was Sabotaging the Operation 02:08:00 18 Months Undercover — Bribes, Payoffs and Living a Double Life 02:20:00 The Operation Collapsed — And Everything Fell Apart 02:40:00 Retaliation, Political Pressure and What It Really Means to Blow the Whistle 02:55:00 Depression, Mental Health and the NYPD Culture Nobody Talks About 03:07:00 The Arrest They Used to Target Him — Losing Everything 03:21:00 Fired, Fighting Criminal Charges and Navigating the Legal System Alone 03:35:00 Trial, Sentencing and the Day He Was Sent to Rikers Island 03:55:00 What It's Really Like Surviving Jail as a Former Cop 04:05:00 Transferred to Westchester — A Different Jail, Same Harsh Reality 04:14:00 Release, Recovery and What Life Looks Like on the Other Side 04:24:00 Final Thoughts — Can the NYPD Ever Really Reform? _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Steven Lee rose to the rank of sergeant in the NYPD before everything collapsed. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Steven breaks down one of the most dangerous things a cop can do — go undercover against his own department for Internal Affairs — and what the system did to him afterward. Years later an off duty incident at a nightclub ended his career and landed him on Rikers Island. He opens up about what it's really like being a former cop behind bars, the corruption he witnessed and exposed, and the true cost of speaking out against your own brothers in blue. _____________________________________________ #NYPD #PoliceCOrruption #rikersisland _____________________________________________ Thank you to RAYCON for sponsoring this episode: The Everyday Earbuds Classic are the perfect addition to your everyday routine. Go to Bhttps://buyraycon.com/IANBICK to get 15% off! _____________________________________________ Connect with Steven Lee: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevefornewyork?igsh=YThycTFiMzhhemZz YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/@SystemUnfiltered Website: https://www.stevefornewyork.com/ _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 From Brooklyn Streets to the NYPD — Steven's Story 04:00 Growing Up Around Gang Life and Learning Street Smarts 07:00 Asian Gangs, Chinatown and the World Nobody Talks About 14:00 The Values and Influences That Shaped Who He Became 23:00 Joining the NYPD — And Immediately Questioning Everything 33:00 The Quota System Nobody in the NYPD Wants to Admit Exists 44:00 The Harsh Realities of Police Work They Never Teach You 53:00 What It's Really Like Policing Different New York Boroughs 01:00:00 Life as a Sergeant in Flushing Queens — Where It All Changed 01:11:00 Bar Checks, Karaoke Bars and the Hidden Corruption He Discovered 01:26:00 The Moment He Agreed to Go Undercover Against His Own 01:41:00 What He Found — Corruption Spreading Across Multiple Precincts 01:55:00 Someone on the Inside Was Sabotaging the Operation 02:08:00 18 Months Undercover — Bribes, Payoffs and Living a Double Life 02:20:00 The Operation Collapsed — And Everything Fell Apart 02:40:00 Retaliation, Political Pressure and What It Really Means to Blow the Whistle 02:55:00 Depression, Mental Health and the NYPD Culture Nobody Talks About 03:07:00 The Arrest They Used to Target Him — Losing Everything 03:21:00 Fired, Fighting Criminal Charges and Navigating the Legal System Alone 03:35:00 Trial, Sentencing and the Day He Was Sent to Rikers Island 03:55:00 What It's Really Like Surviving Jail as a Former Cop 04:05:00 Transferred to Westchester — A Different Jail, Same Harsh Reality 04:14:00 Release, Recovery and What Life Looks Like on the Other Side 04:24:00 Final Thoughts — Can the NYPD Ever Really Reform? _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dana Kaplan, criminal justice reform expert, talks about her new role as Mayor Mamdani's Close Rikers Czar, leading NYC's efforts to close Rikers in favor of borough-based jails as required by law. Photo: An aerial image of Rikers Island. (Credit: U.S. Geological Survey via Wikimedia Commons)
Don Halloran, President of Folger Adams, joins Locked In with Ian Bick to break down the systems that keep prisons running from the inside out. In this episode, we dive into everything from repairing cells at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and why it's unlikely to ever reopen due to extreme costs and infrastructure challenges, to the ongoing shutdown of Rikers Island and what's replacing it. Don explains how modern prison cells are built, including solitary confinement units, high-security locking systems, and the technology that controls every door in a facility. We also get into the different types of prison locks, how lockdowns actually work, and what it takes to maintain security inside some of the most dangerous environments in the country. _____________________________________________ #PrisonLife #PrisonCells #TrueCrime #PrisonSystem #BehindBars #PrisonSecrets #SecuritySystems #lockedinpodcast _____________________________________________ Connect with Don Halloran: https://www.southernfolger.com/ _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Inside How Prisons Are Built (Full Story) 01:56 Entering the Prison Industry & First Jobs 05:52 Owning a Prison Business & Industry Changes 10:16 First Time Inside a Prison Facility 13:16 Prison Construction Boom & Market Trends 17:16 How Prison Cells Are Built & Installed 22:00 Prison Design: Security, Safety & Contraband Prevention 27:00 Solitary Confinement & Effects on Inmates 30:32 International Prisons vs U.S. Prisons 34:32 Prison Escapes, Maintenance & Cell Security 41:36 Alcatraz Stories & Reopening Challenges 46:01 Modern Prison Tech & Rehabilitation Efforts 52:01 Keys, Locks & Prison Security Systems 56:00 Personal Stories from Inside the Industry 01:00:00 Prison Living Conditions: Heat, Space & Reality _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Don Halloran, President of Folger Adams, joins Locked In with Ian Bick to break down the systems that keep prisons running from the inside out. In this episode, we dive into everything from repairing cells at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and why it's unlikely to ever reopen due to extreme costs and infrastructure challenges, to the ongoing shutdown of Rikers Island and what's replacing it. Don explains how modern prison cells are built, including solitary confinement units, high-security locking systems, and the technology that controls every door in a facility. We also get into the different types of prison locks, how lockdowns actually work, and what it takes to maintain security inside some of the most dangerous environments in the country. _____________________________________________ #PrisonLife #PrisonCells #TrueCrime #PrisonSystem #BehindBars #PrisonSecrets #SecuritySystems #lockedinpodcast _____________________________________________ Connect with Don Halloran: https://www.southernfolger.com/ _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Inside How Prisons Are Built (Full Story) 01:56 Entering the Prison Industry & First Jobs 05:52 Owning a Prison Business & Industry Changes 10:16 First Time Inside a Prison Facility 13:16 Prison Construction Boom & Market Trends 17:16 How Prison Cells Are Built & Installed 22:00 Prison Design: Security, Safety & Contraband Prevention 27:00 Solitary Confinement & Effects on Inmates 30:32 International Prisons vs U.S. Prisons 34:32 Prison Escapes, Maintenance & Cell Security 41:36 Alcatraz Stories & Reopening Challenges 46:01 Modern Prison Tech & Rehabilitation Efforts 52:01 Keys, Locks & Prison Security Systems 56:00 Personal Stories from Inside the Industry 01:00:00 Prison Living Conditions: Heat, Space & Reality _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Historian Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny and On Freedom, joins Preet Bharara to break down Viktor Orbán's election loss in Hungary and what it means for Trump, MAGA, and the future of American democracy. Snyder also explains what Hungarian politician Péter Magyar's victory reveals about beating authoritarians at the ballot box, why "democracy" alone doesn't rally voters, and why his most urgent lesson from On Tyranny — do not obey in advance — has never been more relevant. Then, Preet answers listener questions. He explains whether the president has to comply with the law requiring him to preserve official records and whether it's now legal to distill liquor at home. In the bonus for Insiders, Preet breaks down his experience working to reform one of New York City's most notorious prisons: Rikers Island. Join the Insider community for access to bonus content from Stay Tuned and weekly episodes of the Insider podcast hosted by Preet and Joyce Vance. Head to cafe.com/insider to sign up. Thank you for supporting our work. Show notes and a transcript of the episode are available on our website. You can now watch this episode! Head to CAFE's Youtube channel and subscribe. Shop Stay Tuned merch and featured books by our guests in our Amazon storefront. Have a question for Preet? Ask @PreetBharara on BlueSky, or Twitter with the hashtag #AskPreet. Email us at staytuned@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail.Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
----- Shout out to all our members who make this content possible, sign up for only $5 a month https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNNTZgxNQuBrhbO0VrG8woA/join Promote Your Music with No Jumper - https://nojumper.com/pages/promo CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE STORE!!! https://nojumper.com NO JUMPER PATREON http://www.patreon.com/nojumper CHECK OUT OUR NEW SPOTIFY PLAYLIST https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5tesvmDS8h50LkjnSAWMOs?si=j6sJD6DkR4mk5NZZWnlK7g Follow us on SNAPCHAT https://www.snapchat.com/discover/No_Jumper/4874336901 Follow us on SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4z4yCTjwXa4an6sBGIe7m5 iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/no-jumper/id1001659715?mt=2 Follow us on Social Media: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/No_Jumper/4874336901 http://www.twitter.com/nojumper http://www.instagram.com/nojumper https://www.facebook.com/nojumper http://www.reddit.com/r/nojumper JOIN THE DISCORD: https://discord.gg/Q3XPfBm Follow Adam22: http://www.instagram.com/adam22 adam22bro on Snapchat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices