News Beat

With the world’s attention focused on the fallout of yet another illegal war waged by the United States and Israel, Palestinians across Gaza and the Occupied West Bank continue to be rounded up, imprisoned, and tortured within a network of military detention camps throughout the region—many held without charges or trials, some indefinitely, others killed. We’ve released several episodes covering the ongoing genocide there, and this latest drop is a continuation, focusing on Israel’s targeted abuse, detention, and torture of Palestinian journalists risking their lives to report on the relentless atrocities and vicious humanitarian crisis that has claimed tens of thousands. Our guest is Sara Qudah, Middle East & North Africa Regional Director at the nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)—a leading global organization dedicated to defending truth-tellers and press freedoms worldwide—which recently published a damning special report titled ‘We Returned From Hell’: Palestinian Journalists Recount Torture in Israeli Prisons” exposing such unimaginable horrors. Speaking with us from Paris, she explains its key findings along with the plights of imprisoned and tortured journalists, and stresses the ongoing quest for accountability. News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" ConfortiEditor-In-Chief: Chris TwarowskiManaging Editor: Rashed MianSupport the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=USSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy encompasses so much more than simply his 'I Have a Dream' speech, and his mission is as imperative today as it was then. We republish “MLK: What They Won’t Teach in School”—our 2017 inaugural episode—each MLK Day as a reminder of the civil rights leader’s lasting impact, the movement’s ongoing struggle, and still unrealized goals. Learn some of what the history books left out. Featuring interviews with Pastor Roger C. Williams of the First Baptist Church of Glen Cove, NY and Larry Hamm of the Newark, NJ-based social justice group People's Organization for Progress; original verses performed by hip hop artist Silent Knight; and King’s own words, listeners learn about MLK’s Poor People’s Campaign, which he believed would be his true legacy. More than likely, it was this that got him killed. News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" ConfortiEditor-In-Chief: Chris TwarowskiManaging Editor: Rashed MianEpisode Art: Jeff MainSupport the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=USSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode’s guest is Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma and critical care surgeon based in California who volunteered twice in Gaza—witnessing a systematic pattern of children shot in the head and chest by Israeli ground forces, and narrowly escaping death when Israel broke the latest ceasefire and bombed the hospital he was treating patients in. He recalls his experiences from both visits, discussing the critical role of the United States in perpetuating the ongoing atrocities; Israel’s intentional targeting of hospitals, schools, and caregivers; the horrific humanitarian crisis decimating the civilian population of Gaza; and the utter impunity enjoyed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—a fugitive war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Feroze stresses the vital need for the United States to immediately cease supplying Israel with U.S. taxpayer-funded bombs and weaponry, and end its participation in the mass killings. News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" ConfortiEditor-In-Chief: Chris TwarowskiManaging Editor: Rashed Mian\Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=USSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like we always do at this time of year, we present an important, alternative look at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy, examining how the civil rights icon was so much more than simply the “I Have a Dream” soundbite, which has become known as the cornerstone of his public perception. Along with Pastor Roger C. Williams of the First Baptist Church of Glen Cove, NY, Larry Hamm, of the People's Organization for Progress, Hip Hop artist Silent Knight, and King’s own words, listeners learn of MLK’s Poor People’s Campaign, which he believed would be his true legacy. More than likely, it was this that got him killed. News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" ConfortiEditor-In-Chief: Chris TwarowskiManaging Editor: Rashed MianEpisode Art: Jeff MainSupport the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=USSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amnesty International, the largest human rights organization on the planet, has released a sweeping, scathing, landmark report concluding that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Titled ‘You Feel Like You Are Subhuman,’ the nearly 300-page investigation bases its damning findings on the international stipulations of the Genocide Convention, hundreds of interviews with witnesses and survivors, and forensic analysis of Israel’s offensive in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas. Joining us from Ramallah in the Occupied West Bank is Budour Hassan, international researcher on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories at Amnesty International, who provides critical context and insights regarding the report and the unimaginable, ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people. Read the full report at Amnesty.org.  News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" ConfortiEditor-In-Chief: Chris TwarowskiManaging Editor: Rashed MianEpisode Art: Jon ChimSupport the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=USSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Gaza smolders, Lebanon burns, and the world rightfully continues to demand Hamas release the remaining hostages it abducted during its attack on October 7th 2023, we illuminate the underreported plight of Palestinians held and abused throughout what one human rights group dubs Israel’s ‘network of torture camps,’ where men, women, and children—yes, children—are imprisoned, beaten, sodomized, raped, and/or murdered. Inmates undergo amputations due to prolonged shackling, genital electrocutions, waterboarding, and other sinister forms of torment. Many are held without charges or trials, some indefinitely. The United Nations and other human rights groups have condemned these crimes, and whistleblowers have been leaking more and more, yet these detention facilities and those imprisoned haven’t garnered much international outcry, if any. Milena Ansari of Human Rights Watch and Jenna Abuhasna of Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association—who spoke with us from Jerusalem and Ramallah, respectively—discuss the deplorable conditions, controversial policies, and horrific abuses occurring at these facilities, along with the quest for accountability, and freedom. News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" ConfortiEditor-In-Chief: Chris TwarowskiManaging Editor: Rashed MianEpisode Art: Jon ChimSupport the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=USSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I'll answer that part first, that’s the easy one,” explains John Kiriakou, the former CIA intelligence officer who served 30 months in federal prison for exposing the agency’s torture program to the world, when asked whether he’d do it all again despite the personal and professional fallout from his disclosure. Those are just some of the many profound insights he shared with us during a recent, wide-ranging conversation encompassing everything from the significance of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s recent plea deal with U.S. authorities to the lack of affirmative defense under the WWI-era Espionage Act to his thoughts on Israel’s indefinite detention and alleged torture of Palestinians, the personal toll of truth-telling, ongoing ‘War on Terror,’ and much more. News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" ConfortiEditor-In-Chief: Chris TwarowskiManaging Editor: Rashed MianEpisode Art: Jon ChimSupport the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=USSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The occupied, blockaded, walled territories of Palestine have served as an incubator for some of Israel’s deadliest and most intrusive weapons and surveillance systems. Once tested and perfected on the captive population, they’ve been sold to some of the most oppressive, murderous autocracies—and democracies—in the world.These are some of the many revelations exposed in the latest book by acclaimed journalist, filmmaker, and author Antony Loewenstein: “The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation around the World.”A guest on previous episodes ”Disaster Capitalism” and “Grifter’s Paradise,” Loewenstein joins us once again to discuss the ascent of Israel into one of the largest arms dealers on the planet, its insanely disturbing testing and marketing techniques, the authoritarian regimes that have unleashed these weapons and technologies to crush dissenters and massacre countless people, 9/11’s lasting impact on all this, his warning for the future, and much more. For links to the book and Loewenstein's work, head over to newsbeat.substack.com.   News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" ConfortiEditor-In-Chief: Chris TwarowskiManaging Editor: Rashed MianEpisode Art: Jon ChimSupport the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=USSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued provisional orders in response to South Africa’s case charging Israel with committing genocide against Palestinians, ruling that Israel must refrain from genocidal acts, punish public incitement of genocide, facilitate humanitarian aid, and more. Our previous guest, international human rights attorney Francis Boyle, describes the legally binding mandates as a monumental win to help stop the massacres and civilian carnage, while MSM and others dismiss their weight since they don’t explicitly call for a “ceasefire.” What do these historic directives actually mean? What happens next? And will they stop the daily atrocities leveled against the innocent Palestinian people?!? We break it all down, sharing critical context and explaining just what’s at stake, as the death toll in Gaza continues to mount. News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" ConfortiEditor-In-Chief: Chris TwarowskiManaging Editor: Rashed MianEpisode Art: Jon ChimSupport the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=USSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like we always do at this time of year, we present an important, alternative look at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy, examining how the civil rights icon was so much more than simply the “I Have a Dream” soundbite, which has become known as the cornerstone of his public perception. Along with Pastor Roger C. Williams of the First Baptist Church of Glen Cove, NY, Larry Hamm, of the People's Organization for Progress, Hip Hop artist Silent Knight, and King’s own words, listeners learn of MLK’s Poor People’s Campaign, which he believed would be his true legacy. More than likely, it was this that got him killed. News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media. Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" ConfortiEditor-In-Chief: Chris TwarowskiManaging Editor: Rashed MianEpisode Art: Jeff MainSupport the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=USSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.