by Maximillian Alvarez | Oct 5, 2026 | Economy and Inequality, labor, Podcast, Politics and Movements: US, Working People
https://www.spreaker.com/show/2952221/episodes/feed
Because he was bullied in elementary school for being Native American, James Gardner’s friends lovingly call him “NDN.” His friends and family know NDN to be a fiercely loyal, loving person, and a fiercely hard worker. But as a third-generation concrete specialist, NDN was exposed to chemicals that have left him disabled, terminal, and facing foreclosure on his home. In this episode of Working People, we speak with James “NDN” Gardner and his best friend James Quigg.
Additional links/info:
GoFundMe: James Gardner: Terminal Liver Failure—Home at Risk
Maven Navarro, Forth Worth Star-Telegram, “Terminally ill, this proud man is fighting to keep the Fort Worth home he built”
Featured Music:
Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song
Credits:
Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated.
Maximillian Alvarez:
Alright. Welcome everyone to Working People, a podcast about the lives, jobs, dreams, and struggles of the working class today. My name is Maximillian Alvarez, and today we are in Fort Worth, Texas, and we’re talking about a fellow worker named James. As Maven Navarro recently reported in the Fort Worth Star Telegram, “After leaving Oklahoma, James Gardner built a life for himself in Fort Worth. Now he could lose it all. When Gardner walks into doctor’s offices to receive treatment for his terminal liver failure, he has to ask staff to remove all the air fresheners for his skin condition. Gardner has multiple chemical sensitivity, which he says was caused by his time as a concrete specialist working with two-part epoxy resin. The illness causes him to break out anytime he gets around chemicals, air fresheners, perfumes, cleaning supplies, and paint spark allergy
by Michael Fox | Oct 1, 2026 | bolsonaro, brazil, elections, Podcast, Politics and Movements: International, Politics and Movements: US, Trump, Under the Shadow, Under the Shadow Season 2
https://www.spreaker.com/show/5958129/episodes/feed
Brazil votes this Sunday, and the Trump administration has spent months trying to tilt the outcome toward far-right presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro. Tariffs. Terrorist designations. Revoked visas. Frequent meetings with the Bolsonaro family. Taken alone, each move looks random. Put the pieces together, and a picture emerges: U.S. interference in Brazil’s 2026 elections.
Over the last year, Trump has met frequently with members of the Bolsonaro family. In June, the State Department put two Brazilian gangs on the terrorist list. Just a few weeks later, Trump shared an article on Truth Social that said Brazil was his next big challenge. Less than a month later, in July, Trump imposed new 25% tariffs on Brazilian goods. In August, Trump revoked the U.S. visa of the Brazilian ambassador.
The Brazilian Intelligence Agency recently raised the risk of external influence and interference by the United States in Brazil’s 2026 elections to a quote, “critical level.”
This is Episode 15 of Under the Shadow, Season 2.
Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. Season 2 responds in real time to the Trump administration’s onslaught on Latin America.
Follow Under the Shadow on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.It is supported, in part, by Global Exchange.
VOTE by October 15: Under the Shadow has been nominated for three podcast Signal Awards. Please consider voting for Under the Shadow and The Real News:
https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/craft/best-host-documentary
https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/craft/most-innovative-audio-experience
https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/activism-public-service-social-impact
https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/documentary
Panamerican Dispatch
You can check out Michael Fox’s new reporting project on Brazil.
It’s called Panamerican Dispatch. It’s a project of The Real News in partnership with Global Exchange. The website
by Kelly Hayes | Oct 1, 2026 | Donald Trump, elections, Interview, Louisiana v. Callais, Organizing, Podcast, Postal Service, Voting Rights, Voting Rights Act
In this episode of Movement Memos, host Kelly Hayes talks with organizer Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson about what it means to defend an election under authoritarianism, beyond simply telling people to “vote harder.” They discuss the “win, prove, enforce” framework, the strategic case for early voting, how ordinary people can help protect the voting process, and why relational organizing and staying in…
Source
by Maximillian Alvarez | Sep 30, 2026 | Economy, Economy and Inequality, labor, Podcast, Unions, Working People
by Maximillian Alvarez | Sep 23, 2026 | Economy and Inequality, EPA, Podcast, Politics and Movements: US, sacrifice zones, Working People
https://www.spreaker.com/show/2952221/episodes/feed
On the morning of August 18, residents living near the Brent Industries facility in Toledo, Ohio, awoke to a series of massive explosions and a towering chemical fire in their backyards. Two Brent Industry workers who were on shift at the time of the explosion were killed. Members of the surrounding community say they are experiencing symptoms of chemical exposure, and that they are not getting the answers they need from Brent Industries or the Environmental Protection Agency.
In this episode of Working People, we speak with a panel of Toledo residents about the industrial disaster at Brent Industries and the harrowing aftermath. Panelists include:Toledo Councilwoman Dr Brittany Jones; Mike Balonek, Toledo-based filmmaker and sacrifice zone advocate; Sarah Locker and Kris Ramsdell, who both live right next to the Brent Industries facility where the deadly explosion occurred.
Editor’s note: According to WTVG Toledo, “The coroner’s office identified those who died in the [Brent Industries] fire as Heladio G. Perez, 46, and Mary Allen, 64. An autopsy revealed they both died as a result of blunt force trauma.”
Additional links/info:
Toledo – Lucas County Health Department: Smoke Event Exposure – Public Health Information and Guidance
Dave Collins & John Seewer, Associated Press, “Explosions and fire tear through Ohio industrial building, killing 2 workers”
Kevon DuPree, WTVG Toledo, “Records show history of fires, violations at Brent Industries facility”
Lily Lowndes, Alexis Means, & Brianna Weaver, WTVG Toledo, “Two dead after explosions rock Toledo industrial facility”
Mike Balonek website, Facebook page, Instagram, and production company website
Featured Music:
Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song
Credits:
Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated.
News Clip 1:
A massive
by Michael Fox | Sep 18, 2026 | brazil, First Amendment, free speech, Latin America, Podcast, Politics and Movements: International, Politics and Movements: US, The Battle for Free Speech
https://www.spreaker.com/show/7063186/episodes/feed
This is a particularly important episode, coming just two weeks ahead of the 1st round of high stakes presidential elections in Brazil.
Host Michael Fox speaks with Artur Romeu. He’s a Brazilian journalist and the Latin American Director for Latin America of the international NGO Reporters Without Borders.
They spoke ahead of Episode 6 of The Battle for Free Speech, about Brazil’s fight against disinformation. He has an important analysis, which helps to deconstruct how Trump, Silicon Valley and the far-right in the United States, and around the world is “instrumentalizing the idea of free speech for their own political purpose and abandoning key dimension of freedom of expression, which is this more social and collective dimension to receive plural, reliable, diverse, and free information from others.”
This is the third bonus episode of The Battle for Free Speech. The Battle for Free Speech Podcast is a production of The Real News Network hosted by Michael Fox and Marc Steiner.
Guests:
Artur Romeu
Resources:
You can check out the full Battle for Free Speech podcast series here.
Many thanks to everyone who has supported this show.
Follow The Battle for Free Speech on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Support Michael Fox’s reporting at patreon.com/mfox. Never miss an episode — sign up for The Real News newsletter at therealnews.com.
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated.
Michael Fox:
Hi folks. I’m your co-host, Michael Fox. This is the Battle for Free Speech, and this is the third bonus episode in this series. So this one is particularly important and timely as Brazil is heading into high stakes presidential elections this October. The race is between current leftist president Luis Ignacio
