The Real News Podcast

Railroad workers are sounding the alarm about the potentially catastrophic consequences of the proposed mega-merger of two of the nation’s Class 1 freight rail companies. “Union Pacific said it would buy smaller rival Norfolk Southern in an $85-billion deal to create the country’s first coast-to-coast freight rail operator,” Reuters reported in July. “If approved, the deal would be the largest-ever buyout in the sector.” If this giant merger goes through, what will it mean for railroad workers, customers, and for the general public? In this episode of Working People, we speak with a panel of six veteran railroaders and members of Railroad Workers United to get a workers’ eye view of the proposed mega-merger and what it will mean for rail labor, the US supply chain, and for the public writ large.Speakers:Ron Kaminkow is a member of Railroad Workers United, currently serving as a trustee, and he is also a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), Division 51 in Reno, Nevada. Kaminkow recently retired from Amtrak; prior to working in passenger rail, he worked on the freight rail system for Norfolk Southern and Conrail.Jeff Kurtz was a railroad engineer and union member for 40 years and is a member of Railroad Workers United. He served as a union officer most of his career, including eight years as president of BLET Local 391 and chairman of the BLET Iowa State Legislative Board, where he oversaw safety and legislative matters for the union in the state for four railroads for 10 years. He retired in 2014 and served as state representative for one term in the Iowa House after winning the 2018 election in his House district.Derek Masters is a member of Railroad Workers United and works as a conductor for a major Class 1 railroad, primarily in the Northeast. He is a member of SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD).Matt Parker is a member of Railroad Workers United who works as a rank-and-file locomotive engineer, based in Nevada, with over 20 years of experience.Matt Weaver is a founding member of Railroad Workers United and has been a member of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (Teamsters) for 30 years. He serves as the BMWED legislative director for the state of Ohio.Nick Wurst currently serves as general secretary of Railroad Workers United who works as a freight conductor and locomotive engineer, based in Massachusetts. Wurst started working for the railroad in 2019 as an intermodal worker and member of the Transportation Communication Union (TCU/IAM) and is currently  a member of SMART-TD.Additional links/info:Railroad Workers United website, Facebook page, and X pageRailroad Workers United press release: “Railroad worker group opposes Class One rail mergers”Michael Sainato, The Guardian, “Greater risk of toxic derailments if $85bn railroad merger is approved, warn unions”Sabrina Valle, Shivansh Tiwary, & David French, Reuters, “Union Pacific to reshape US freight rail with $85 billion deal for Norfolk”CNBC, “Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena & Norfolk Southern CEO Mark George on merger: Deal is 'great for America'”Featured Music:Jules Taylor, “Working People” Theme SongCredits:Audio Post-Production: Jules TaylorHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

Professor Haim Bresheeth is the son of Holocaust survivors, raised in Palestine and Israel, and a founder of the Jewish Network for Palestine. He served in the Israeli army during the Six-Day War in 1967—an event that transformed his life forever. On Nov. 1, 2024, Bresheeth was arrested in London after giving a speech at a pro-Palestine rally outside the home of Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom. In this installment of our ongoing series “Not In Our Name” on The Marc Steiner Show, Marc speaks with Professor Bresheeth about his path to becoming an Israeli Jewish scholar and activist fighting for Palestinian liberation and fighting against the horrors of Zionism, including Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.Guest:Haim Bresheeth is a filmmaker, photographer, and a film studies scholar, retired from the University of East London, where he worked since early 2002. He is the son of Holocaust survivors and a founder of the Jewish Network for Palestine. His books include the best-selling Introduction to the Holocaust—the first version, which was reprinted numerous times, was titled Holocaust for Beginners (1993), has been translated into multiple languages, including Turkish, Croatian and Japanese.Additional resources:Jewish Network for Palestine websiteDerek Seidman, Truthout, “Jewish anti-Zionist activist describes his arrest under UK’s Anti-Terror Law”Marc Steiner, The Real News Network, “Holocaust survivor Gabor Maté: Gaza genocide ‘the worst thing I’ve seen in my whole life’”Marc Steiner, The Real News Network, “Yes, goddamnit, it’s genocide!: A conversation with Norman Solomon”Credits:Producer: Rosette SewaliStudio Production: Cameron GranadinoAudio Post-Production: Stephen FrankFollow The Marc Steiner Show on Spotify Follow The Marc Steiner Show on Apple PodcastsHelp us continue producing The Marc Steiner Show by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterFollow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

Israel’s US-backed genocidal destruction of Gaza has exploded the fiction of the “rules-based” international order and exposed the violent, people-destroying, land-grabbing imperialism it was always based on. Over the last two years, the US and Israel have carried out a genocidal war in Gaza, officially killing over 60,000 people, bombing Gaza’s cities to smithereens, and displacing 90% of its 2.1 million people. Their blockade of almost all aid has caused a famine that threatens to kill hundreds of thousands of people. Now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced plans to invade and occupy all of the territory while he greenlights more repression and colonial settlement in the West Bank.In this episode of Solidarity Without Exception, Palestinian scholar-activist Eman Abdelhadi speaks about how we reached this grim threshold, and what comes next. Abdelhadi details the history of imperialist support for Israel’s colonial conquest of Palestine up to the current genocide, the Palestinian people’s steadfast resistance, and the urgency of global solidarity with their freedom struggle.Guest:Eman Abdelhadi is a Palestinian academic, activist, and writer who thinks at the intersection of gender, sexuality, religion and politics. She is an assistant professor and sociologist at the University of Chicago, where she researches American Muslim communities. She is co-author of Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052 – 2072.Credits:Hosted by Ashley SmithStudio Production: Ashley SmithAudio Post-Production: Alina NehlichAdditional resources: The Real News Network, Israel’s War on PalestineBrett Wilkins, Common Dreams / The Real News Network, "‘Colossal level of destruction’ as Israel ethnically cleanses Gaza City neighborhoods"Spectre Journal, Building the Palestine Solidarity Movement - An Interview with Eman AbdelhadiSpectre Journal, Palestinian Liberation: “We Teach Life” - An Interview with Rafeef ZiadahBecome a member and join the Solidarity Without Exception Supporters Club today!Follow Solidarity Without Exception on Spotify or Apple PodcastsSign up for our newsletterFollow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

The 1980s were a time of war El Salvador. The government openly attacked its citizens. Repression. Murder. Massacres.Radio Venceremos broadcasted twice a day. And it was a voice of truth. A voice of reason. A voice of resistance amid the violence and the government repression and the military bloodshed. They spoke truth to power. They offered hope to the masses—the people praying for change. Praying that El Salvador could be different. That one day they would not have to live in fear.This is episode 63 of Stories of Resistance—a podcast produced by The Real News. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.You can check out exclusive pictures of the Radio Venceremos archive at the Museum of Word and Image in San Salvador here, on Michael Fox’s Patreon. Please consider supporting this podcast and Michael Fox’s reporting on his Patreon account: patreon.com/mfox. There you can also see exclusive pictures, video, and interviews.  If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. And please consider signing up for the Stories of Resistance podcast feed, either in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, or wherever you listen. Written and produced by Michael Fox.Become a member and join the Stories of Resistance Supporters Club today!Follow Stories of Resistance on Spotify or Apple PodcastsSign up for our newsletterFollow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

For the last week, countless videos have circulated online showing National Guard troops menacingly patrolling the streets of Washington, DC, and militarized police setting up traffic checkpoints, harassing residents in the streets, and violently clearing encampments of people experiencing homelessness. “The state of mind of DC citizens right now is that they're under a police state, mainly in the poor Black and Brown communities,” Mansa Musa, host of Rattling the Bars at TRNN and a DC native, reports. In this episode of Working People, we speak with Mansa about the authoritarian reality DC residents are experiencing right now, and we hear from a range of residents and organizers Mansa spoke with on the ground at the “Free DC” demonstration on Monday, August 11.Additional links/info:Rattling the Bars website and Bluesky pageFree DC Coalition website, Facebook page, and InstagramChris Cameron, The New York Times, “Trump’s DC police takeover and national guard deployment, explained”Brian Mann, NPR, “Trump's purge of Washington's homeless encampments escalates”Stephen Prager, Common Dreams, “Trump may 'fabricate a national emergency' to extend DC takeover without Congressional support”Brad Reed, Common Dreams, “'We are fighting to stop it': DC Attorney General sues to block Trump takeover of City police”Featured Music:Jules Taylor, “Working People” Theme SongCredits:Studio Production: Cameron GranadinoAudio Post-Production: Jules TaylorHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

“Texas Democrats who left the state to stymie Republicans over redistricting have returned to Austin,” Politico reports, “ending a two-week standoff over President Donald Trump’s plan to carve out five new GOP congressional seats.” The end of the Texas lawmaker walkout means that the Texas legislature will now be able to proceed with passing a vote on Republicans’ gerrymandered Congressional map—so what did the walkout achieve? In this episode of The Marc Steiner Show, Marc speaks with legendary populist and former Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Hightower about the significance of the political showdown in Texas, and the longer-term fight ahead for Democrats and for working people of all stripes in the face of MAGA authoritarianism and corporate tyranny.Guest:Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the book, Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go With the Flow. From 1983-1991, Hightower served as Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture. He publishes “Jim Hightower’s Lowdown” on Substack.Additional resources:Liz Crampton, Politico, “Texas Democrats have returned home, ending redistricting standoff”Marc Steiner, The Real News Network, “'Death Star' State: The GOP's War on Democracy (DOCUMENTARY)”Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “Republicans are trying to rig the midterms. Will Democrats actually fight back, or cave?: A conversation with Beto O’Rourke”Credits:Producer: Rosette SewaliStudio Production: Cameron GranadinoAudio Post-Production: Stephen FrankFollow The Marc Steiner Show on Spotify Follow The Marc Steiner Show on Apple PodcastsHelp us continue producing The Marc Steiner Show by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterFollow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

President Trump’s all-out assault on immigrant communities and the rule of law escalated to new heights when federal agents beat and arrested David Huerta, a prominent labor leader and president of the Service Employees International Union - United Service Workers (West), while Huerta and others were observing an ICE raid in Los Angeles, CA, on June 6. Huerta was released from federal custody, but he is still being charged with felony conspiracy to impede an officer, and the Trump administration continues to ramp up its attacks on immigrants, sanctuary cities, and organized labor. In his first public interview since he was arrested, recorded at the Netroots conference in New Orleans, LA, TRNN editor-in-chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with Huerta about the status of his case and about the roles unions must play in the fight against fascism.Guest:David Huerta is a longtime labor leader, born and raised in Los Angeles County, CA, who currently serves as president of the Service Employees International Union - United Service Workers (West) (SEIU-USWW).Additional links/info:Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN, “Who is David Huerta, the California labor leader who was arrested in Los Angeles?”SEIU, “STATEMENT: SEIU President April Verrett on David Huerta’s release from federal custody”Luis Feliz Leon, In These Times, “Trump has put a target on SEIU, and the labor movement is fighting back”Credits:Filming: Kayla Rivara, Rosette SewaliPost-Production: David HebdenHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

It is not a pretty bridge. Four lanes of busy traffic rush across Puente Bulnes during most hours. To the North, it buttresses against two overpasses that lead to a bustling highway. Below it, run the milky grey waters of the Mapocho River, after passing through downtown Santiago, Chile. 50 years ago, in another time, this bridge was a favorite execution site for the military and police of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Today, Aquiles Cordova will not let it be forgotten—ever.This is episode 62 of Stories of Resistance—a podcast produced by The Real News. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.You can check out exclusive pictures of Bulnes Bridge and the mural painting session there late last year here on Michael Fox's Patreon.Please consider supporting this podcast and Michael Fox’s reporting on his Patreon account: patreon.com/mfox. There you can also see exclusive pictures, video, and interviews. If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. And please consider signing up for the Stories of Resistance podcast feed, either in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, or wherever you listen.Written and produced by Michael Fox.Become a member and join the Stories of Resistance Supporters Club today!Follow Stories of Resistance on Spotify or Apple PodcastsSign up for our newsletterFollow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

After seeing friends and neighbors in their community of Pasadena, CA, being terrorized, assaulted, and abducted by masked federal agents, Daniela Navin and Jeannette De la Riva joined together with other neighbors in their area to form Grupo Auto Defensa and fight back. From chasing ICE cars out of town with bullhorns to setting up security brigades so terrified residents can walk outside and go to the grocery store, from providing know-your-rights information to reclaiming public space, protecting each other, and rebelliously refusing to live in fear, the members of Grupo Auto Defensa are defending their community when no one else will. In this crossover episode of Working People, recorded with Professor David Palumbo-Liu and the Speaking Out of Place podcast, TRNN editor-in-chief Maximillian Alvarez joins Daniela Navin and Jeannette De la Riva to discuss the origins of Grupo Auto Defensa and the power of grassroots resistance in the face of the Trump administration’s authoritarian assault on immigrant communities and the rule of law. Guests: Daniela Navin is a resident of Pasadena, CA, and a founding member of Grupo Auto Defensa. Jeannette De la Riva is a lifelong resident of Pasadena, CA, and a founding member of Grupo Auto Defensa. Additional links/info: Grupo Auto Defensa InstagramSpeaking Out of Place website and InstagramThe Real News Network, “‘ICE out of Dena!’: CA community FIGHTS BACK against ICE terror” Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “He’s worked in the US for 30 years—then masked ICE agents beat and kidnapped him in broad daylight”Featured Music: Jules Taylor, “Working People” Theme SongCredits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

Canadian journalist Nora Loreto reads the latest headlines for Thursday, August 14, 2025.TRNN has partnered with Loreto to syndicate and share her daily news digest with our audience. Tune in every morning to the TRNN podcast feed to hear the latest important news stories from Canada and worldwide.Find more headlines from Nora at Sandy & Nora Talk Politics podcast feed.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!