by Mansa Musa | Dec 1, 2025 | baltimore, Fascism, ICE, Politics and Movements: US, Prisons and Policing, Rattling the Bars, video
ICE raids and the expanded use of expedited removal are tearing apart immigrant families and neighborhoods in Baltimore. In this episode of Rattling the Bars, host Mansa Musa speaks with Baltimore reporter Kori Skillman about how lack of democratic oversight and collusion between local government and federal law enforcement have enabled ICE’s lawless tactics and left Baltimore’s immigrant communities living in constant fear, economic precariousness, and social isolation.
Guest:
Kori Skillman is a Report for America Corps Member covering justice and accountability for Baltimore Beat. Skillman investigates policing, incarceration, and civil rights in Baltimore. Most recently, she worked on ABC News’ assignment desk, covering breaking news and editing for live broadcasts. A Bay Area native, Skillman holds a dual B.A. in journalism and international business from San Diego State University, with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa, and an M.S. from Columbia Journalism School.
Additional links/info:
Kori Skillman, Baltimore Beat, “Indiscriminate ICE arrests have left Baltimore’s immigrant communities in a constant state of fear and anxiety”
Kori Skillman, Baltimore Beat, “Lack of ICE oversight shows how Baltimore has long been at the mercy of outside powers”
Credits:
Producer / Videographer / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Mansa Musa:
Welcome to this edition of Rattling the Bars, I’m your host Mansa Musa. In this country, United States of America, we have laws that protect the citizens of the United States. What constitute a citizen of the United States? If you were born here or you receive your citizenship through the immigration naturalization process, lately we’ve seen our country shift into a period much like
by Taya Graham and Stephen Janis | Nov 26, 2025 | Economy and Inequality, Epstein, Inequality Watch, Politics and Movements: US, video
Investigative reporters Taya Graham and Stephen Janis go to Capitol Hill to speak with Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who co-sponsored the Epstein Transparency Act. Many of the women who survived Epstein’s abuse and human trafficking ring share their experiences and their determination to receive justice. Now that the bill has passed both Houses, the Department of Justice is obligated to share with the public thousands of previously secret documents, emails, and photos. Although many critics are concerned that redactions will make these documents ineffectual in exposing the predators and predator protectors, there is still hope that these women will finally be able to reveal the corruption that has survived multiple presidential administrations. We discuss four reasons why the Epstein files may be the beginning of the end for the unchecked power of these elites, or “Epstein class.” With Congress compelling the DOJ to reveal Epstein’s secret files, the protective wall around America’s most powerful men is finally beginning to crumble. This moment could be the first genuine challenge to the impunity enjoyed by the country’s wealthiest predators.
Produced by Stephen Janis and Taya GrahamWritten by Stephen JanisPost-Production by Stephen Janis
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Taya Graham:
Have the wealthy elites who have turned this country into an inequality playground finally met their match with the Epstein scandal. Well, we’re going to break down why the fallout from Epstein is turning the tables on the oligarchy and how the stain of being a predator or a predator protector might not be easy to get rid of
by Michael Fox | Nov 26, 2025 | Indigenous communities, Podcast, Politics and Movements: US, Stories of Resistance
On Thanksgiving morning before dawn, the ferries run every 15 minutes, taking people to a sunrise gathering. An Indigenous People’s Alcatraz Thanksgiving ceremony.
The boats arrive to the island in the middle of the bay. People get off. Climb on to the island. They huddle against the chilly air and the cold winds that whip across San Francisco Bay. Lights from the cities across the water flicker in the distance. A ceremonial fire is lit. Drums beat as the sun rises. Songs are sung. Words are said. Dances danced. Prayers spoken. Stories told. Resistance remembered. This event is sacred. A ceremony to challenge the Thanksgiving myth. A ceremony to remember the innocent Indigenous peoples killed and pushed aside by the European conquest of America. And to honor the struggle of those who survived. As they say, “To honor the resistance of our ancestors and give thanks for the survival of our Peoples, sacred places, cultures and ways of life.”
The location for this ceremony is not by accident. In 1969, Alcatraz was the site of a 19-month long Native American occupation that inspired movements and organizing around the country. That legacy lives on until today.
BIG NEWS! This podcast has won Gold in this year’s Anthem Awards and also Signal Awards for best history podcast! It’s a huge honor. Thank you so much to everyone who voted and supported.
And please consider signing up for the Stories of Resistance podcast feed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, or wherever you listen. And please take a moment to rate and review the podcast. A little help goes a long way.
The Real News’s legendary host Marc Steiner has also been in the running
by Taya Graham, Stephen Janis and Maximillian Alvarez | Nov 24, 2025 | Economy and Inequality, Epstein, Inequality Watch, Politics and Movements: US, video
President Donald Trump signed a bill last Wednesday directing the Department of Justice to release more files from the investigations into the infamous sex offender, sex trafficker, and international political power broker Jeffrey Epstein. Will the public finally see the full release of the Epstein Files? Or will the Trump administration withhold and redact the information it does not want people to see? TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez and Inequality Watch reporters Taya Graham and Stephen Janis report back from a truly wild week in Washington, DC, and answer your questions about one of the biggest political scandals in US history.
Credits:Studio Production / Post-Production: David Hebden
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated as soon as possible.
Maximillian Alvarez:After refusing to release the Epstein files and claiming the entire massive scandal was a hoax crafted by Democrats, President Donald Trump has apparently changed course in the face of a full-on revolt from his MAGA base, as well as intensifying pressure from Democrats, and even members of his own party. On Wednesday, Trump signed a bill directing the Justice Department to release more files from the investigation into the infamous sex offender, sex trafficker, and international political power broker Jeffrey Epstein.So, will we finally see the full release of the Epstein files? Will the public get the full transparency that we’ve been promised or the selective transparency? And what will the political fallout be? The Department of Justice has 30 days to release the documents, but it’s frankly unclear what the department will release and how much. The bill calls for the Attorney General to make unclassified
by Mansa Musa | Nov 24, 2025 | Politics and Movements: US, prison reform, Prisons and Policing, Rattling the Bars, video, Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s much-touted prison overhaul plan promises to close crumbling facilities like Green Bay Correctional Institution, but people locked up inside these facilities may have to wait years for relief they desperately need now. In this episode of Rattling the Bars, formerly incarcerated organizer Sean Wilson joins host Mansa Musa to discuss whether Wisconsin’s bipartisan prison plan will deliver real transformation to a broken justice system, or if it simply amounts to a construction project that leaves that system intact.
Guest:
Sean Wilson is the senior director of organizing and partnerships at Dream.Org. In his role, he is responsible for overseeing capacity building, leadership development programs, and grassroots partnerships. Over the past two and a half years, Sean has led the team in building one of the most transformational training programs in the nation — the Dream Justice Cohort — as part of the justice program. Sean was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and has organized at the state and local level around policy change related to youth justice, voting rights, police reform, and criminal justice.
Additional links/info:
Sean Wilson, Wisconsin Examiner, “I lived inside Green Bay Correctional. Wisconsin can’t wait another four years”
Credits:Producer / Videographer / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. An updated version will be made available as soon as possible.
Mansa Musa:Welcome to this edition of Rattling the Bars. I’m your host, Mansa Musa. October the 28th. Wisconsin State legislators on both sides of the aisle voted in favor of a sweeping proposal by governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, to overhaul the state correctional facilities in this overhaul package. In theory, the governor want to
by Kori Skillman | Nov 24, 2025 | Article, baltimore, ICE, Politics and Movements: US, Prisons and Policing, Reprint
This story originally appeared in Baltimore Beat on Aug. 25, 2025. It is shared here with permission.
Immigration officials in Maryland are skirting scrutiny after a federal judge threw out a lawsuit challenging conditions inside Baltimore’s downtown ICE holding facility and lawmakers were initially denied entry to investigate reports of inhumane conditions.
Despite being allowed a one-hour visit into the holding facility in the George H. Fallon Federal Building weeks after they were first denied access, Maryland’s congressional members said they were left with more questions than answers about how detained people were being treated.
While lawmakers have focused the national spotlight on conditions in Baltimore’s downtown ICE holding facility, attorneys from the Amica Center for Immigration Rights — a nonprofit organization providing legal and social services to immigrants seeking status in the U.S. — filed a class-action suit in early May arguing that inhumane conditions were widespread among people detained there.
A late July hearing would have considered suspending use of the facility while the full case played out, but Maryland U.S. District Judge Julie Rubin denied the class certification and sent lawyers back to the drawing board.
“The hearing would have confirmed what we have known… which is that the conditions there are absolutely impermissible under the law and under the Constitution,” said Amelia Dagen, lead litigator in the class action suit. “There is a special weight to hearing it from people who have experienced those and endured those conditions.”
The lawsuit represents two immigrant women who were held in a freezing, windowless room without access to basic hygiene or medical care. The lawsuit had the support of Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, who wrote in a brief
