Loving Sports in an Age of Authoritarians w/ Dave Zirin and Jules Boykoff

Loving Sports in an Age of Authoritarians w/ Dave Zirin and Jules Boykoff

For many around the US and around the world, the World Cup was a welcome distraction from the dismal state of the world and the daily overwhelm of relentless war, corruption, fascism, and disaster. But the games were also an uncomfortable reminder that, no matter how much we love sports and want them to be an escape from politics and the pain of living in a broken society, there is no way to truly escape those things, and the manufactured illusion that sports are an escape from political reality is just that: an illusion. At a live event hosted on July 16, 2026, at Chilo’s bar in New York City, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez spoke with legendary sports writers Dave Zirin and Jules Boykoff about what it means to love sports in an age of authoritarians. Additional links/info: * Chilo’s bar website [https://www.chilosbk.com/] and Instagram [http://instagram.com/chilosbk] * Jules Boykoff, OR Books, Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing, and the FIFA Greed Machine [https://orbooks.com/catalog/red-card/] * Dave Zirin, Penguin Randomhouse, The People's Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/724993/the-peoples-historian-by-dave-zirin/] Credits: * Audio Post-Production: Alina Nehlich Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss]. Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer. [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support] Follow us on: Bluesky: @therealnews.com [https://bsky.app/profile/therealnews.com] Facebook: The Real News Network [https://facebook.com/therealnews] Twitter: @TheRealNews [https://twitter.com/therealnews] YouTube: @therealnews [https://www.youtube.com/therealnews] Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork [https://www.instagram.com/therealnewsnetwork/] https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today! [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support]

Want Less Prison Violence? Make Prison Phone Calls Free

A groundbreaking new report reveals a direct link between prison phone call rates and prison safety: higher rates fuel more violence within prisons; lower rates and free phone calls dramatically reduce it. In this episode of Rattling the Bars, host and former political prisoner Mansa Musa speaks with Peter Mayer, Director of Research & Data Innovation for Worth Rises. Additional links/info: * Worth Rises website [https://worthrises.org/], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/worthrises] page, Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/worthrises.bsky.social] page, X page [https://twitter.com/worthrises], and Instagram [http://instagram.com/worthrises] * Peter Mayer & Bianca Tylek, Worth Rises (May 2026), “Critical Connections: The Power of Free Communication in Prisons and Jails [https://static1.squarespace.com/static/699fccba12bdc435eea40214/t/6a06279b0ee9ba58a4e42742/1778788251230/2026+-+Critical+Connections+-+The+Power+of+Free+Communication+in+Prisons+and+Jails+-+Report+-+FINAL+-+Site+(1).pdf]” Credits: * Producer / Videographer / Editor: Cameron Granadino Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss]. Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer. [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support] Follow us on: Bluesky: @therealnews.com [https://bsky.app/profile/therealnews.com] Facebook: The Real News Network [https://facebook.com/therealnews] Twitter: @TheRealNews [https://twitter.com/therealnews] YouTube: @therealnews [https://www.youtube.com/therealnews] Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork [https://www.instagram.com/therealnewsnetwork/] https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today! [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support]

Fighting Disinformation in Europe: Media Education, Regulation, & Organizing

Disinformation is impacting our lives. Much of it is being pushed by unregulated Silicon Valley tech companies and their billionaires owners. But people in Europe are pushing back. In this episode, co-host Michael Fox goes to Spain, to look at how members of the Spanish far right have been inspired by Charlie Kirk. Then we look at grassroots organizing against Big Tech in Ireland, media education initiatives in Finland, and European measures regulating Big Tech.  “This has now been a topic of discussion very much in Europe,” says Finish educator Saara Salomaa, “Should we actually trust any U.S. tech companies or should we try to get rid of U.S. tech companies as soon as possible?” Michael is joined in the episode by Laura Flanders [https://www.instagram.com/lauraflanders/]. She is the host of Laura Flanders and Friends [https://lauraflanders.org/] — on public television — formerly known as the Laura Flanders show. The Battle for Free Speech Podcast is a production of The Real News Network.  Hosted by Michael Fox and Marc Steiner. Theme music by Michael Fox [https://foxviolin.com/], Jordan Klein and Daniel Nuñez. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound. Production and Sound Design by Michael Fox and Stephen Frank. Editorial support by Kayla Rivara. Research by Ben Schweiger. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-schweiger-73b53827a]  Guests:  * Sergio Villanueva [https://sergiovillanuevabaselga.com/] * Jude Farrell [https://www.instagram.com/yourtechtheirdeaths/] * Saara Salomaa [https://fi.linkedin.com/in/saara-salomaa] * Iva Nenadic [https://www.eui.eu/people?id=iva-nenadic] Many thanks, also to Ilona Taimela [https://x.com/IlonaTaimela], for also taking the time to speak with me about media education in Finland. Resources:  Here is a link to TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/discover/why-are-people-call-avocados-puchinas] about the Puchaina Avocado videos * Follow The Battle For Free Speech on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/033olXvh3dLzQFJc1HSd6O?si=3bf7552736124ef3] or Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-battle-for-free-speech/id1896829044] * Support Michael Fox's reporting at patreon.com/mfox [http://patreon.com/mfox]. Never miss an episode — sign up for The Real News newsletter at therealnews.com [https://therealnews.com/sign-up]. * The Battle for Free Speech is a production of The Real News Network. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss]. Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer. [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support] Follow us on: Bluesky: @therealnews.com [https://bsky.app/profile/therealnews.com] Facebook: The Real News Network [https://facebook.com/therealnews] Twitter: @TheRealNews [https://twitter.com/therealnews] YouTube: @therealnews [https://www.youtube.com/therealnews] Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork [https://www.instagram.com/therealnewsnetwork/] https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today! [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support]

Data Centers Are Not a “Red State” or “Blue State” Problem; They’re a Working-Class Problem

In so-called “red states” and “blue states” around the US, from rural areas to urban centers, the explosion of new data center projects is impacting residents in poor, working-class, and middle-class communities alike. In this episode of Working People, we speak with a diverse panel of residents fighting new and proposed data center projects in Texas and Maryland about what it means for you and your community when one of these loud, polluting, energy- and water-guzzling behemoths comes to your town—and how to fight back. Panelists include: Cheryl Shadden [https://www.instagram.com/cheryl.shadden/], a registered nurse anesthetist who lives right next to the site of a Marathon bitcoin mine in Granbury, Texas; Karen Pearson, a licensed professional counselor and a resident of Granbury who also lives right next to the Marathon bitcoin mine; Dr. Shannon Wolf, Precinct Chair in Hood County, who lives three miles from the Marathon bitcoin mine; Craig Jackson, a resident of Granbury who lives 300 feet from the site of a new proposed data center, and who is also a plaintiff in a current lawsuit residents have filed against the city of Granbury; Micaiah Lloyd [https://www.instagram.com/tajalloyd], a grassroots organizer and resident of Charles County, Maryland, who lives near the site of a proposed data center; Hillary Gonzalez [https://www.instagram.com/hillarygonzalezpoetry/], an eco-poet, author, founder of Sacred Parks & Waterways, and a resident of Baltimore, Maryland, who lives right next to the site of Johns Hopkins University’s future Data Science and Artificial Intelligence complex. Additional links/info: * Protect Hood County website [https://protecthoodcounty.com/] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/bitcoinnoisehoodcounty] page * Sacred Parks & Waterways website [https://sacredparksandwaterways.com/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sacredparksandwaterways/] * Viral MS Now clip featuring Cheryl Shadden of Granbury, Texas [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZC8vohkTzr/?igsh=MTJrb2xsbWV5eXV6Yg%3D%3D] * Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, “A bitcoin mine in Texas is ‘killing us slowly,’ local residents say [https://therealnews.com/a-bitcoin-mine-in-texas-is-killing-us-slowly-local-residents-say]” * Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, “‘Like being tortured’: Texas residents living next to bitcoin mine are getting sick and being ignored [https://therealnews.com/like-being-tortured-texas-residents-living-next-to-bitcoin-mine-are-getting-sick-and-being-ignored]” * Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, “Toxic Avengers: America’s poisoned and abandoned communities must stand together or die [https://therealnews.com/toxic-avengers-americas-poisoned-and-abandoned-communities-must-stand-together-or-die]” * Christine Condon, Maryland Matters, “Data center frustrations cause upheaval in county primary elections [https://marylandmatters.org/2026/07/13/data-center-frustrations-cause-upheaval-in-county-primary-elections/]” * Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela, KERA News, “Granbury residents sue city over data center plan, allege Texas Open Meetings Act violations [https://www.keranews.org/news/2026-04-10/granbury-data-center-lawsuit-texas-open-meetings-act]” Featured Music: * Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: * Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss]. Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer. [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support] Follow us on: Bluesky: @therealnews.com [https://bsky.app/profile/therealnews.com] Facebook: The Real News Network [https://facebook.com/therealnews] Twitter: @TheRealNews [https://twitter.com/therealnews] YouTube: @therealnews [https://www.youtube.com/therealnews] Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork [https://www.instagram.com/therealnewsnetwork/] https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today! [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support]

Harsha Walia: Abolishing ICE Is the Floor, Not the Ceiling

While calls to "abolish ICE" have exploded during the second Trump presidency, critics have been calling out the threats the agency poses to immigrants, US citizens, and democracy itself since it was created just over 20 years ago. In this episode of Rattling the Bars, host and former political prisoner Mansa Musa speaks with author and immigrant justice organizer Harsha Walia about the origins of ICE and what it will take to abolish it and the new American police state. Guests: * Harsha Walia [https://www.instagram.com/harshawalia8/?hl=en] is the award-winning author [https://x.com/HarshaWalia] of Undoing Border Imperialism [https://www.akpress.org/undoing-border-imperialism.html] and Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism [https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1553-border-and-rule]. She has been involved in community-based grassroots migrant justice, feminist, anti-racist, abolitionist, anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist movements for over two decades, including No One Is Illegal, Defenders of the Land, and the DTES Women’s Memorial March Committee. Credits: * Producer / Videographer / Editor: Cameron Granadino Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss]. Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer. [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support] Follow us on: Bluesky: @therealnews.com [https://bsky.app/profile/therealnews.com] Facebook: The Real News Network [https://facebook.com/therealnews] Twitter: @TheRealNews [https://twitter.com/therealnews] YouTube: @therealnews [https://www.youtube.com/therealnews] Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork [https://www.instagram.com/therealnewsnetwork/] https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today! [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support]