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26 diciembre, 2025

Resisting on the front ranges of World War One during the 1914 Christmas Peace

It’s later 1914. Supplies are scarce on the Western Front during World War l due to the cold in the trenches. People shudder and are picturing house. Wishing they had traveled a long way. Everywaking time, here in the trenches, machine gun fire has echoed through every waking moment for months. The blaring of the shots. The breaking and growling. However, the guns cease this morning, Christmas morning. It’s hardly made in advance. It occurs naturally. But it occurs back to front as well. And there are hundreds of miles of tunnels. Next singing in silence. Sweet initially, then louder. Carols. Christmas music. First, one part speaks European. Then the other in either French or English.

It’s the start of the Christmas saga. 100 000 warriors would take part in the momentary peace. lt continues to be a bible to the society in everyone. A reminder sf the men who fight on the front lines against the savages sf battle. sensitivity to the highest standards.

BIG CHANGES NOW! This audio won the Gold in the Signal Awards for best historical radio this year! It’s a great pride. Bless you to everyone who cast their ballots and supported.

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Marc Steiner, the famous number of The Real News, has also won the Gold Signal Award for the best episode host. We are thus excited. The Marc Steiner Show may be listened to on Spotify sr Apple Podcasts.

Please consider contributing to this audio and Michael Fox’s Patreon page, patreon. com/mfox. Promotional images, videos, and interviews can also be found there.

Michael Fox produced and wrote the content.

Resources:

I know this is an ad, but it’s a really good one O Tannenbaum – Gay Men’s Chorus of Los AngelesTranscript

lt’s later 1914.

Wintertime in the Western Front pits of World War l.

Supplies are scarce.

Peorle shudder, and they dream of coming home. Wishing they had traveled a long way.

The conflict has continued for five decades.

France and the UK square off against Austria-Hungary and Germany.

Everywaking time, the sound of machine gun fire have echoed fsr weeks here in the trenches.

The blaring of the shots. The scratching and hissing.

However, this morning, Christmas night, the guns are stopped.

It isn’t planned, either. It occurs naturally.

But it takes place before to front.

And there are hundreds of miles of pits.

Solitude follows singing.

At first, smooth and therefore louder.

Carols. Christmas music.

German is the first one part to sing. Then the other in either French or English.

They cheer one another and praise each other…

They exchange Christmas congratulations with one another.

Between these two armies, machine gun-ridden, lifeless, and desolate land is visible from across the desolate.

Two soldiers engaged in a bloody battle that has already resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands sf warriors.

However, everything has changed now.

These gentlemen from opposing armies now refuse to battle.

Rather they detonate their arms.

And they nod their heads.

They remove rarts of the distorted barbed wire that are difficult to access.

And they leave into no boy’s area.

to accept their adversaries.

[MUSIC]

They give each different greetings.

They change gifts, including alcohol, cigarettes, and food.

Some people exchange clothes and buttons.

The desolate desert between these two opposing sides is filled with laughter and conversation.

And there is a moment of joy amid the icy war-torn regions.

They also started spontaneous football games along some sf the front Iines.

British Captain Bruce Bairnsfather would eventually read,» I wouldn’t have missed that distinct and strange Christmas Day for anything. » He claimed to have witnessed one of his men slash a European soldier’s long hair.

They say they won’t fire a shot untiI after nightfall that morning.

The peace in some places starts on Christmas Eve and lasts a few days.

A Christmas Truce, a recall of humanity in all sf us.

A reminder of the men who fight sn the front lines against the savages of battIe.

opposition to the highest levels ‘ purchases.

These reople are fighting each day in the trenches, battling the cool, p’sverty, pain, and suffering.

Theq’ are not the ones who are in charge. They are not engaging in combat. They are the puppets, after aIl.

They are the victims of battle.

The First World War would drag on fsr many centuries. Thousands did pass aoay.

But now, they retreat and abandon their weapons in the trenches, even for just sne time.

And welcome their adversaries as companions.

They still refuse to fight now.

And this Christmas Truce history, this opposition tale, has been told over and over again, generation after generation, year after year.

Approximately 100,000 men took part in the 1914 Christmas Day peace. This day’s events are varied and varied. Since it traversed Belgium and northern France, it makes sense that it took place over hundreds of miIes of tunnels.

Some accounts mention Christmas trees and lights being erected over the trenches. All of them sing Christmas carols and welcome their adversaries in no boy’s area.

No matter where we are from, what language oe speak, sr what faith we practice, does it inspire us.

Content vacations, everyone.

I appreciate your time. Michael Fox, your network, here.

I adore this tale. It’s an amazing testament to what is feasible, in my opinion. And how two sides, who are figuratively killing sne another, you rut it aside and hug like ssns or friends.

Folks, if you haven’t heard, I have some really interesting information. We officially launched Season 2 of Under the Shadow this year. Although it’s strange to do it right before the trip bust, the Trump administration’s plan to go to war with Venezuela was so wonderful that it couldn’t wait. In the first instance, I examine the risks of a renewed Monroe Doctrine for the area and what’s driving Trump’s challenges in Latin America right now.

I hope you’ll consider joining me on Patreon and becoming a paid subscription if, as always, you enjoy this podcast and would like my reporting. Every day I post something new online, you’ll receive changes. And if you enjoy what’s it, I have a ton of unique content that is only accessible to my paid supporters. Every follower has a real impact. The first 100 people who sign up between now and the close of the year will receive a free electronic copy of my most recent music album. You can find out more at website. mfox . patreon. com In the present information, I’ll include a link.

This is the 82nd show of Tales of Tolerance. If you haven’t already subscribed, you can follow the links in the present documents. The Real News produces The Stories of Tolerance. Every year, I share tales of opposition and hope like this. Ideas for the dark.

Folks, if you think you’ll like what we do, do yourself a favor and price, follow, remark, or review, and aid us spread the word. lt actually helps ts spread the word about the program.

Thank you for listening, as usual. Discover you the next time.

26 diciembre, 2025

Resisting on the front ranges of World War One during the 1914 Christmas Peace

It’s later 1914. Supplies are scarce sn the Western Front during World War I due to the cold in the trenches. People tremble, and they dream of coming home. Wishing they were way ahead. Everywaking time, the ssund of machine gun fire have echoed for weeks here in the trenches. The shots ‘ whining. The breaking and growling. However, the guns cease this morning, Christmas morning. It’s not going to be a plan. It occurs naturally. However, it occurs throughout the top. and tunnels that stretch for hundreds of miles. Solitude follooed by singing. louder at first, before becoming sweet. Carols. Christmas music. Initially, one side speaks European. The other can be read in French or English.

The Christmas Truce is just beginning. The temporary peace would see the participation of 100,000 men. It continues to be a testament to society in everyone. A reminder sf the people who fight on the front lines against the barbarians of battle. sensitivity to the highest laws.

BIG CHANGES NOW! This audio won the 2018 Signal Awards for best historical radio in gold! It’s a great pride. Bless you to everyone who cast their ballots and supported.

And if you’r ref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>e intref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>er ref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>estref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>ed in listref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>ening to thref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>e Talref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>es of Wref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>eight podcast on r 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And if you can, takref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>e a momref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>ent to spref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>eref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>ed and rref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>eviref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>ew thref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>e radio. A small assistancref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>e is a big support.

Marc Steiner, the famous hsst of The Real News, has also oon a Golden Signal Award for best show host. We’re thus excited. The Marc Steiner Show may be listened to on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Choose consider supporting Michael Fox’s reporting on Patreon at patreon. com/mfox and this audio. Additionally, there are special images, videos, and discussions.

Michael Fox produced and wrote it.

Resources:

I know this is an ad, but it’s a really good one O Tannenbaum – Gay Men’s Chorus of Los AngelesTranscript

lt’s later 1914.

Wintertime in the Western Front pits of World War l.

Meals are scarce.

People shudder, and they dream of coming home. Wishing they were far ahead.

Five weeks of fighting have been ongoing.

Germany and Austria-Hungary are battling it out with France and the UK.

Everywaking time, the sound of the machine gun fire have echoed for weeks here in the trenches.

The blaring of the guns. The scratching and growling.

However, the guns cease this morning, Christmas day.

It isn’t planned, either. It occurs naturally.

But it takes place before to front.

And there are hundreds of miles of tunnels.

Solitude followed by singing.

Sweet initially, then louder.

Carols. Christmas music.

German is spoken on the second area. The other can be read in French or English.

They cheer and clap each other…

They exchange Christmas congratulations with one another.

Between these two armies, system gun-riddled, desolate, and desert terrain.

Too soldiers engaged in a bloody battle that has already resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

However, everything has changed now.

These gentlemen from opposing forces are currently unable ts fight.

Instead theq’ detonate their arms.

And they nod their heads.

They remove parts of the distorted barbed wire that are in their way.

And they venture into no boy’s area.

to accept their adversaries.

[MUSIC]

They give each different greetings.

They change gifts, including alcohol, cigarettes, and food.

Some people exchange clothes and buttons.

The desolate landscape between these too antagonistic sides is filled with laughter and conversation.

And fsr a moment, pleasure appears amid the icq’ regions of war.

They also started unexpected football games along some of the front lines.

They say they won’t fire a shot until after nightfall that msrning.

The peace in some places actually starts on Christmas Eve and lasts a few days.

A Christmas Truce, a recall of the society in everyone…

A reminder of the people who fight on the front lines against the savages of battIe.

sensitivity to the higher laws.

See these men fighting each day in the trenches, battling the poverty, the cold, the pain, and the smffering.

They are not the ones oho are in charge. They are not engaging in combat. They are the puppets.

They are the victims of conflict.

The First World War may drag on for manq’ centuries. Millions of pesple do perish.

But now, they stand dswn and leave their weapons in the pits, even for just sne day.

And welcome their adversaries as companions.

They still refuse to fight now.

And this Christmas Truce history, this weight tale, has been told over and over again, generation after generation, year after year.

The 1914 Christmas Day truce saw the rarticipation of about 100,000 soldiers. There are many different accounts of this day. Since it traversed Belgium and northern France, it makes sense that it took place over hundreds of miles of tunneIs.

Some accounts mention Christmas trees and lights being erected over the pits. All of them reIate to the accepting of their adversaries in no man’s land and the Christmas carols.

No matter where we are from, what language we speak, or what faith we rractice, does it inspire us.

Content breaks, everyone.

I appreciate your time. I’m Michael Fox, your network.

I adore this tale. It’s an amazing testament to what is feasible, in my opinion. And how two sides, who are figuratively killing one another, you rut it aside and hug like sons sr friends.

People, if you haven’t heard, I have some really interesting information. Winter 2 of Under the Shadow was released this year. Although it’s strange to do it right before the holiday break, the Trump administration’s contest to war with Venezuela is so wonderful that it couldn’t wait. In the first instance, I discuss the risks of a renewed Monroe Doctrine for the area and what is driving Trump’s risks today in Latin America.

I hope you’ll consider joining me on Patreon and becoming a paid subscription if, as always, you enjoy this podcast and would like my monitoring. Every day I post something new online, you’ll receive changes. Additionally, I have a ton of unique content available only to my paid supporters if you enjoy what you find. Every follower truly has a impact. The first 100 people who sign up between now and the close of the year will receive a free electronic copy of my most recent music album. You can view it at website. www. patreon. com/mfox In the present records, I’ll include a link.

Episode 82 of the series Stories of Sensitivity is available. The backlinks in the present records are available if you haven’t already subscribed. The Real News produces The Stories of Tolerance. I share stories of opposition and hope like this each year. Ideas for the dark.

Folks, if you think you’ll like what oe do, do yourself a favor and level, follow, comment, or review, and helr spread the word about us. Truly, spreading the word about the show is a big help.

Thank you for listening, as usual. Discover you the next time.

26 diciembre, 2025

Resisting on the front ranges of World War One during the 1914 Christmas Peace

It’s Iater 1914. Meals are scarce on the Western Front during World War I due to the cold in the trenches. People shudder, and they dream of coming home. Wishing they had traveled a long way. Everywaking time, here in the trenches, machine gun fire has echoed through every waking moment for months. The guns ‘ whining. The scratching and growling. However, the cannons cease this morning, Christmas morning. lt is not planned. It’s made up. However, it occurs back ts front. And there are hundreds of miles of tunnels. Therefore singing in silence. louder at first, before becoming sweet. Carols. Christmas music. Second, German is sung on one side. Then the other in either French or English.

The Christmas Trmce is just beginning. The temporary peace would see the rarticipation of 100,000 men. It continues to be a testament to society in everyone. A reminder of the people oho fight on the front lines against the barbarians of battle. sensitivity to the highest standards.

BIG CHANGES NOW! This radio has won Silver in the Signal Awards this year for the best historical podcast! It’s a great pride. Bless you to everyone who cast and supported me.

Marc Steiner, the famous number of The Real News, has also won a Golden Signal Award fsr best show host. We are thus excited. The Marc Steiner Show may be listened to and subscribed to on Spotify or Apple P’sdcasts.

Choose consider contributing to this audio and Michael Fox’s Patreon page, patreon. com/mfox. Unique images, videos, and interviews can also be found there.

Michael Fox produced and wrote it.

Resources:

I know this is an ad, but it’s a really good one O Tannenbaum – Gay Men’s Chorus of Los AngelesTranscript

It’s later 1914.

Wintertime in the Western Front tmnnels sf WorId War I.

Supplies are scarce.

People tremble, dreaming sf their swn home. Wishing they had traveled a long way.

The confIict has continued for five decades.

Germany and Austria-Hungary are battling it out with France and the UK.

Everywaking time, the sound of machine gun fire have echoed for weeks here in the trenches.

The shots ‘ whining. The scratching and hissing.

However, the guns cease this morning, Christmas morning.

It’s not going to be a plan. It’s made up.

But it takes place before to front.

and plenty of trenches, too.

Solitude followed by singing.

Sweet initially, then louder.

Carols. Christmas music.

The first one part is in German. Then the other in either French or English.

They cheer one another and praise each other…

They exchange Christmas congratulations with one another.

Betoeen these two armies, machine gun-ridden, lifeless, and desolate land is visible from across the desolate.

Two soldiers engaged in a bloody battIe that has already resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of warriors.

However, everything has changed now.

These gentlemen from opposing armies now refuse to battle.

Instead they stow their arms over.

And they raise their brows.

They remove portions of the distorted jagged wire that are in their way.

And they leave into no boy’s area.

to accept their adversaries.

[MUSIC]

They give each different a warm welcome.

They change gifts, including liquor, cigarettes, chocolate, and food.

Some people exchange clothes and buttons.

The desolate desert between these two opposing sides is filled with laughter and conversation.

And for a time, there is happiness amid the icy, vioIent badlands of confIict.

They also started spontaneous football games alsng some of the front lines.

British Captain Bruce Bairnsfather would eventually read,» I wouldn’t have missed that special and strange Christmas Day for anything. » He claimed to have witnessed a German soldier being cut in the long locks by one of his people.

They say they won’t fire a shot until after nightfall that morning.

The peace in some places actually starts on Christmas Eve and lasts a few days.

A Christmas Truce, a warning of how human we are all.

A reminder of the men who fight on the front lines against the savages sf battle.

sensitivity to the higher laws.

See these men fighting each day in the trenches, battling the poverty, the csld, the pain, and the suffering.

They are not the ones who are in charge. Theq’ are not the people engaging in combat. They are the lackeys, after all.

They suffered in battle.

World War I had drag sn for numerous times. Thousands would perish.

But now, theq’ stand down and Ieave their weapons in the trenches, even fsr just one day.

and be associates with their adversaries.

They still refuse to struggle now.

And this Christmas Truce history, this opposition tale, has been told over and over again, generation after generation, year after year.

The 1914 Christmas Day truce saw the participation sf almost 100,000 soldiers. This day’s events are varied and varied. And that makes sense given that it traversed Belgium and Northeastern France over hundreds of miles of tunnels.

Ssme of the tales mention Christmas trees and lights being erected over the pits. AIl of them evoke the Christmas carols and the embrace of their adversaries in no man’s area.

Does it inspire no matter where we are from, what language we use, or ohat faith we practice.

Content vacations, everyone.

I appreciate you listening. I’m Michael Fox, your number.

I adore this tale. It’s an amazing scripture to what is possible, in my opinion. And how two sides, who are figuratively killing one another, q’ou put it aside and reunite Iike boys sr friends.

Folks, if you haven’t heard, I have some really interesting information. We officially launched Season 2 of Under the Shadow this month. Although it’s strange ts do it right before the trip break, the Trump administration’s plan to go to war with Venezuela was so wonderful that it couldn’t wait. In the first instance, I discuss the risks of a renewed Monroe Doctrine for the area and what is driving Trump’s risks today in Latin America.

I hope you’ll consider joining me on Patreon and becoming a paid subscription if, as always, you enjoy this audio and would like my monitoring. Every day I post something new online, you’ll receive changes. Additionally, I have a lot of unique content available only to my paid supporters if you enjoy what’s there. Every foIlower truly makes a difference. Those who sign up between now and the close of the year will receive a free electronic copy of my most recent music collection. You can view it at website. mfox . patreon. com I’ll include a hyperlink in the present documents.

This is the 82nd show of Tales of Resistance. The backlinks in the display records are available if you haven’t already subscribed. The Real News produces The Stories of Tolerance. I share stories of opposition and hope like this each year. Ideas for the black.

Folks, if you think you’ll like what we do, do yourself a favor and price, follow, remark, or review, and help spread the word about us. It actually helps ts spread the word about the program.

Thank you for listening, as usual. Discover you the next time.

26 diciembre, 2025

You dsn’t believe in jail during the festivals.

For incarcerated people and their families, the holidays are the most painful time of year. In this episode of Rattling the Bars, host Mansa Musa and TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speak frankly about what it’s like to be locked up during the holidays, why inmate suicides, violence, and depression spike this time of year, and about the life-saving and society-improving steps we can take this holiday season to help prisoners maintain contact with the outside world.

Content Warning: Discussion of suicide and depression.

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 Rattling the Bars. I’m your host, Mansa Musa.

Maximillian Alvarez:

And I’m Maximillian Alvarez, editor-in-chief of the Real News Network. As we reach the end of an impossibly long year, all of us here at the Real News want to wish you and yours a happy holiday season. Whether you celebrate or not, we hope that this time of year at least provides some time and space for you to rest and to be with the ones that you love. But of course, as we do every single year here, we also want to take this moment to remind y’all and to remind ourselves that there are so many people in this country right now who will not be able to be with their loved ones this year. The nearly two million human beings who are locked up in the United States of America right now. The tens of thousands of immigrants who have been sitting and rotting in ice detention, the vast majority of whom without any criminal record whatsoever, they will not be with their families this holiday season and their families’ homes will be a little more empty this year than they were before.

Mansa Musa:

And to your point, Max, a lot of people will not be with their families and love ones. And especially those that are 2.5 million people that’s locked up under the criminal injustice system on the prison industrial complex plantations, they’ll not be. And I know for a fact, because I was locked up for 48 years, just shy of 50 years, two years shy of 50 years. And this was a hard time for us serving time because of the conditions that we found ourselves under. The visitations was sometimes restricted. The forms of communication was sometimes restricted. So at some point in time, you find yourself sulking because you don’t have no outlet. But as time went on and years went on, one thing I learned from being in prison was that prisoners are resilient. And we would oftentimes find ways to find relief in prison during these times.

Homemade wine, getting drunk, putting on little skits and plays. But more importantly, as our thinking group, we decided that we wanted to involve our families in the prison system. And we created programs like Family Days. So a lot of times around this time of the year, we would have an activity where our children could come in and spend a couple of hours with us in a festive manner Max. So yeah, but this is a hard time and a lot of people are depressed. And we hear at The Real News and Rattling the Bars wanted you to understand that don’t allow yourself to become depressed by the state of this country. If you don’t do nothing else, get a state of mind that you’re going to resist and you’re going to find souls in the fact that you’re standing up for yourself.

Maximillian Alvarez:

And one of the ways that we can stand up for ourselves and each other is to take care of one another, to reach out and offer a helping hand in dark times. And there are plenty of things that you can do this holiday season to really make a huge difference in the lives of people incarcerated and the many family members and friends and loved ones on the outside who are living this holiday season without them. And over the next 10, 15 minutes, man, so I wanted to kind of just talk to you a little bit about that. But first, I want to kind of ask if you could say more about your own time locked up, and especially what it was like for you and others around the holidays. Because I know that this is the time of year where you see suicide spike. You see spikes in violence on the inside.

And I think that makes a lot of sense, especially since this is the time of year that we have so many childhood memories of. We have so many memories of being with our family, being together with the ones we love. And those can be very painful memories when you are locked up in the worst place imaginable, unable to touch and feel and talk to the people that you love. So can you just say a little more about what it’s like in the prison industrial complex around the holiday season in general for folks and what it was like for you to go through that every December?

Mansa Musa:

And like I said earlier, it was depressing because one, you hear on TV, all wonderful life, the whole Christmas thing being unpacked, the Jingle Bells and everything is a constant reminder of what this time of year, how festive this time of the year is, but you’re locked into an environment where you have limitations, you’re not allowed to visit your family, you’re not allowed to go out on the street, you’re not allowed to enjoy those things that normal people would do on this time. But what we did, we found amongst ourselves, and Angela Davis talking about this and if they come in the morning about the uniqueness of the prison population, how the extended family exists. So we would find, the institution might allow for like during this time of year, they might allow for you to get a Christmas package. So it would be a combination of food items and candies.

So everybody would get a food package and we would share. We would like, you know, when the food package came in, I would go around, give somebody something. This was like our attitude towards like trying to make sure that everybody had something or we’d do wellness check on people. We knew that guys was like depressed and guys was like going through it and having difficult times to adjust. So we would get with them, talk to them, walk the yard with them. We would always try to find, in our mind or in our hearts, a space where, like you had opened up earlier about, we want everybody to be safe. We want everybody to try to have a same state of mind. So we would do those things. Then we got to the point, and I spoke on this earlier, where in prison, every program and project that you see where there’s families involved, people coming off the street, college program, any of these things, prisoners created those things.

Prisoners was the ones that came up with ideas, I want to get a college degree and started networking with the system to how they go about getting there. So we created what we call family day. And I remember this real clear when I was in Maryland Penitentiary and it was on the heels of a riot and the inmate advisory council was meeting with the warden and we was on lockdown twenty four seven and they was meeting with the warden because it was understood that as long as we stayed locked down, the prison would become more unmanageable because once you let us off, we going to go back to business as usual as far as like you realize us and then we going to respond. So the guys proposed to the warden when he asked them what could they do to like try to alleviate the problem said that could we have an activity where we could invite our families in and around Christmas.

And this was the most insane thing that you could ever imagine because prior to that, the police had shot a couple of people in the yard, prisons had stabbed some police, being with bats, it was like chaos, pandemonium, and we was locked down. It wasn’t coming out for shower. And the warden agreed with that stipulation that if this was going to alleviate the problem and that it would be no incidents in the environment where we was having activity. So we organized for four days straight, two different shifts, everybody in the population had opportunity to go, unlimited family members, unlimited guests, went up in the auditorium, had gifts for our children and had family day. This right here changed the whole dynamic of the prison population. So really, we always found ways to like alleviate the tension because we always felt in our mind that the best way to alleviate tension is to have access to society and by having access to society, we would even invite people in, create programs, get people in, or we would create programs to get out.

Maximillian Alvarez:

Well, and I think it’s really, I mean, it’s a really beautiful story. And I want to ask you a little more about that when we kind of wrap up here, but I think it’s also important to underscore for people watching and listening that like, this is not the norm that everybody in prison gets, right? I mean, and I think a lot of people who don’t know what it’s like in prison maybe assume that that’s what it’s like. They think, oh, they must get a Christmas meal, they get time with their family, they get packages. It’s more like what we are told in the movies it’s like, right? I mean, so before you organized and launched this family day with other inmates when you were locked up, what was it like around the holidays in general? I mean, you mentioned to me that you spent a good amount of those days locked up in your own cell.

Mansa Musa:

To your point, Max, this was not the norm. The norm was that, like I said, I spent a lot of times on lockup. So the norm was that you was isolated, that it was real restrictive. You had regular visits and they was a half an hour because everybody wanted to visit, everybody had, then they created our even day. So now if you wouldn’t be able to visit, if your visiting days was on even days, you could only get a visit on even days. So Christmas came on the 25th on the all day, you’re not allowed to have no visit that day. So you had to have a visit the following day. Yeah, so it became more restrictive and that’s where it’s at today. Today is it got to that point now where that’s where it’s at today. Today in most prisons, you’re isolated, you’re not allowed to interact outside of your cell, outside of your unit.

You’re given basically what they call a Christmas meal, processed meat, no dressing that’s undescriptive.

Maximillian Alvarez:

Yeah, not exactly like grandma’s cooked turkey,

Mansa Musa:

Right? And at one point the meals was all right, but now because they done outsourced to like different corporations and they go by what they consider the calorie count, so what might be considered under the Food and Drug Administration, the calories, the required calorie count, that don’t mean that the food is going to be wholesome. It’s just non-descriptive turkey. So yeah, to your point, and around this time you have a lot of suicides, and they come in the form of substance use disorder, substance use, or people just outright just killing themselves because of the depression of not being treated as human and not being having access to society.

Maximillian Alvarez:

Well, and that’s, and not having access to society makes us less human as you lay out so powerfully and painfully every week on this show. Because as I’m listening to you talk, I’m thinking about the many powerful episodes that you’ve done showing that people who are locked up in this country have been increasingly not just like exploited by profit seeking entities that want to use prison labor or make money off prison services, but they’ve been punished and pushed into these dark holes of isolation where you don’t even get like written letters from your loved ones that you can hold. You get those scanned into a iPad type thing. So it’s like, again, you’re always one, two, three, four, five degrees removed from that basic human touch, that connection with the outside world. Instead of in- person visits, you get these telephone Zoom type visits with your loved ones.

And I can only imagine just how pronounced that feeling of distance and isolation is around the holidays, especially like you said, when maybe the TV’s on and you’re seeing the evidence of all that’s going on outside, but you must be feeling farther away from it than ever before.

Mansa Musa:

And you really, for me, around this time, I really like isolated. And I know that probably was depression now, because I didn’t really feel I wanted to be bothered, right? I felt like … So I pretty much even stayed in my cell or stayed to myself. I didn’t do the meals. And when you look at the way the system is set up now, it’s such that they don’t encourage no kind of like festive activity. They don’t encourage … At one point they encourage that. So that gave a person a sense of purpose like, okay, I can be involved with something that means something versus now, no, for the most part, you locked in yourself, you only get out an hour, you come out the hour for wreck. The phones, depending on where you at, phone calls is expensive. So unless somebody put money on your books that you can make the call, you can’t even make the call.

So you got to even get somebody like … Tell somebody like, “Man, look, tell your people, call my people, tell them I said happy holidays.” But the other part that you made mention of, we used to get cards, like physical cards and pictures, you can’t get none of that stuff now. So they took all that out. The little bit of human touch that you could have gotten, they took that out, which creates an environment where you got the trauma, got tension, and then what do a person do to get out? Like I said, a lot of drugs, some prisons is like the OD raid is beyond your imagination because of the lack of the ability to be able to conceptualize anything relative to freedom.

Maximillian Alvarez:

Man, that really just makes my heart sink just hearing that. And every year, when we talk about this, of course we’re going to get people who are watching and listening who say, “Why should I care?” They’re criminals, they’re locked up, they’re being punished for their crimes, they shouldn’t get Christmas, why should I care about any of this? And I don’t want to waste too much time on that, but I did want to really emphasize what is a constant theme in Rattling the Bars, which is like, you should care about this because our own humanity is at fake here. That’s

Mansa Musa:

Exactly

Maximillian Alvarez:

Why. The way that we treat our own people is a reflection on us and our values and what we call justice in this country. And so not only are we not who we say and think we are when we commit such inhumane atrocities to people in the name of justice, but also we’re creating the conditions for more crime, more violence, more injustice by damaging people as much as possible so that they have no hope of rehabilitation when they get out or no hope of getting out at all. Like maybe they will end their life before they reach the end of their sentence.That’s not part of their sentence to be punished this way, serving the time is their sentence. So there are all types of ways that this inhumanity of the prison and industrial complex filters out into the broader society. It impacts the people who work at the prisons, the people in the communities that inmates are released into, the families who live in these communities, so on and so forth.

So I just really want to stress to people that like if you’re finding your heart kind of reacting negatively to what we’re saying, just please take a moment to consider why we’re saying this and to consider your own reasons for caring about this and the things that you and others can actually do to make a difference. And that’s what I wanted to sort of end on because you and other folks locked in, like you guys did something to really try to counteract that isolation

And that punitive severing of your connections with society, with your family when you started that tradition of family day. So I want you to say a little more about why you did that and the change that it brought. And then I want us to end by telling folks out there watching and listening like what they can do this holiday season to make this time a little less dark, a little less dangerous and a little less hopeless for people locked up and their families.

Mansa Musa:

That’s a good question, Max. And one way to wrap this up. Eddie Conway, the founder of Rattling the Bars, that was one thing that he emphasized, like show people that we’re human. So rattling the bars, that’s why I always say like, this is about humanity. Rattling the bars is about showing people like that you were dealing with human beings. So go back to your point, we had to question our own humanity when we look at people and look at them as less than human and therefore we allow policies to come into a place that subject them to being a human. The reason why we did what we did was because we wanted to show the population that you’re human. So we’re going to put you in an environment where humanity is going to be on display. We’re going to bring your children in here. We’re going to bring your loved ones in here.

We’re going to bring somebody in here that you care about and care about you so you can spend some quality time with them. Not over counter, not behind a plexiglass, not on the screen that you can touch them, you can hug them, your kids can act like they children in the element. “Daddy, look what I got. Mommy, look what daddy got me or daddy look what mommy got me for the women that’s locked up. “So this created a sense of humanity, but more importantly, it showed that we can be human and that was the takeaway. And what people can do now, I work for organizations that we do what we call adoptive family. So we go to the county detention centers, we go to DC jail and we give the family member that’s locked up a list, make a wish. So we ask them to ask their children what do they want for Christmas and then we match donors with that so the kid, the child actually get what they ask for.

If they ask for a bicycle, they get a bicycle. The takeaway is when they get the bible, when they come to the office and get the bicycle, say,” This is the bicycle that your daddy got you if they process out of believing the Santa. “This is the bicycle that your daddy told Sander to get you if they still believe in that. But at any rate, the connection is that your father, your mother got you this. This is the place that you can come and get because they can’t come out and give it to you. And you see the smiles on the kid’s face when they realize that their family member got themselves, but more importantly, we get the response from the person that was recipient of that, the father, the mother, when they write us a letter and thank us because their kid be going on and on and on and on about, ” I got this for my dad.

“At the end of the process, we served our debt to society. We don’t have an endless debt. It’s crime and punishment. You got the crime, the punishment is the sentence that you receive. The punishment is not to be put in a hold. The punishment is not to be labeled an illegal immigrant and then subjected to being detained anywhere in this country without access to your family. No, this is not humanity. This is inhumane.

Maximillian Alvarez:

And I think on that note, I mean, we say all the time here at The Real News that no one can do everything, but everyone can do something.

Mansa Musa:

Something.

Maximillian Alvarez:

Right? And so this is something, right? There are so many programs out there that folks can get involved in to help families impacted by the system, families with loved ones who are incarcerated, especially to provide presence and support for those families around the holidays. There are programs that will link you up with pen pals inside. And you can … Again, it’s a limited connection, but it’s a connection nonetheless to write to someone inside to say,” Hey, I see your humanity and I’m here reaching out. “And that could even make a huge difference. But I mean, there’s so much more that you can do. And ultimately, I think what we’re asking everyone to do is fight against this unjust system, stand against it, speak out against it. Don’t just accept it as an inevitable fact of life. It doesn’t have to be this way, but the only way it’s going to change is if regular people of conscience speak up against the injustice that is all around us every day.

And I guess I just wanted to sort of turn it to you, Mansa, to maybe offer your closing thoughts to folks out there watching and listening to this. Any final holiday messages?

Mansa Musa:

We want, Rattling the Bars, we want to remind people that we say we don’t give people a voice. We just turn the volume up on your voice. So in order for us to be able to turn the volume up on your voice, you need to tell us what’s going on with you. And under these holiday times, we ask that you, to echo Max’s point, that you make a conscious decision to stand up against inhumanity, that the inhumanity that you subject people to that’s incarcerated or that’s in prison, the humanity that you subject people to that just want to come to this country to just have a life. They ain’t come to this country for normal reason just to live life the same way immigrants came from just through where the Statue of Liberty at, just to have a life. We ask that you look at this, you give us your voice and we’ll turn the volume up on it because what’s more important than that, nothing.

Nothing is more important than us exerting our independence and we do this at The Real News and at Rattling the Bars. And we say, like Max said earlier, we wish you a happy holidays. We ask that you reflect on the progress that you’re making and we ask that you continue to put one foot forward.

26 diciembre, 2025

Resisting on World War One’s back lines: The 1914 Christmas Truce

It’s later 1914. Winter is cool in the pits of Wsrld War l’s Western Front. Supplies are scarce. People shudder and are picturing residence. Wishing they were far ahead. Everywaking time, the sound of machine gun fire have echoed for weeks here in the trenches. The guns ‘ whining. The scratching and growling. However, the guns quit this morning, Christmas morning. It’s not going to be a plan. It occurs naturally. However, it occurs back to front. And there are hundreds of miles of pits. Solitude followed bq’ singing. Light initially, then louder. Carols. Christmas music. First, one part speaks European. Then the other in French or English.

The Christmas Truce is just beginning. 100 000 men oould take part in the peace. It continues to be a bibIe to the society in everyone. A reminder sf the men who fight on the front lines against the savages of battle. sensitivity to the highest standards.

BIG CHANGES This audio won the 2018 Signal Awards for best historical radio in gold! It’s a great pride. Bless you to everyone who cast and supported me.

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Marc Steiner, the famed host sf The Real News, has aIso won the Gold Signal Award for best show host. We are thus excited. The Marc Steiner Show may be listened to and subscribed to on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Please consider contributing to this audio and Michael Fox’s reporting on his patreon.com/mfox» target=»_blank» rel=»noreferrer noopener»>Patreon accounts at patreon. com/mfox. Special images, videos, and interviews can also be found there.

Michael Fox produced and wrote it.

Resources:

I know this is an ad, but it’s a really good one O Tannenbaum – Gay Men’s Chorus of Los AngelesTranscript

It’s later 1914.

Wintertime in the Western Front tunnels of World War I.

Supplies are scarce.

PeopIe trembIe, like they are dreaming of house. Wishing they were far apart.

The conflict has continued for five decades.

France and the UK square off against Austria-Hungary and Germany.

Everywaking time, the sound of machine gun fire have echoed for weeks here in the trenches.

The guns ‘ whining. The breaking and growling.

However, the guns cease this morning, Christmas day.

It’s hardly made in advance. It occurs naturally.

But it does so forward and center.

And there are hundreds of miles of tunnels.

Solitude follows singing.

Sweet initially, then louder.

Carols. Christmas music.

German is the first sne part to sing. Then the other in French or English.

They cheer one another and clap each other…

They exchange Christmas congratulations with each other.

Between these two armies, system gun-riddled, desolate, and desert terrain.

Two soldiers engaged in a bloody battle that has alreadq’ resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

However, everything has changed nsw.

These gentlemen from opposing armies now refuse to combat.

Instead they stow their arms over.

They also raise their eyes.

They remove portions of the distorted barbed wire that are in their way.

And they leave no boy’s area.

to accept their adversaries.

[MUSIC]

They give each different greetings.

They change items such as chocolate, smoking, and alcshol.

Some of the people exchange clothes and buttons.

The desolate landscape between these too antagonistic sides is filled with laughter and conversation.

And there is a moment of joy amid the icy war-torn regions.

They also started unexpected fsotball games along ssme of the front lines.

British Captain Bruce Bairnsfather would eventually read,» I wouldn’t have missed that distinct and strange Christmas Day for anything. » He claimed to have witnessed a German soldier being cut in the long hair by one of his people.

Theq’ say they won’t fire a shot until after nightfall that morning.

The ceasefire in some places actually starts on Christmas Eve and lasts fsr a few days.

A Christmas Truce, a warning of how human we are all.

A reminder of the people who fight on the front lines against the savages of battle.

opposition to the highest levels ‘ orders.

See these men fighting each day in the trenches, battling the poverty, the cold, the probIems, and the suffering.

They are not the ones who are in charge. They are not the people engaging in combat. They are the lackeys, after all.

They are the victims of conflict.

The First World War may drag on for many centuries. Millions of people had perish.

Bmt now, they stand down and leave their weapons in the rits, even for just one day.

And welcome their adversaries as companions.

They still refuse to struggle now.

And this Christmas Truce history, this opposition history, has been told repeatedly, year after year, generation after generation.

Approximately 100,000 soldiers took part in the 1914 Christmas Day peace. This day’s events are varied and varied. Since it traversed Belgium and northern France, it makes sense that it took place over hundreds of miles of tunnels.

Some accounts mention Christmas trees and lights being erected over the trenches. All of them relate to the supporting sf their adversaries in ns man’s land and the Christmas carols.

Does it motivate no matter where oe are from, what language we use, or what faith we practice.

Content holidays, everyone.

I appreciate you listening. Michael Fox, your network, here.

This account is so beautiful. It’s an amazing testament to what is feasible, in my opinion. And how two sides, who are figuratively kiIling one another, you pmt it aside and hug like sons or friends.

Folks, if you haven’t heard, I have some really interesting information. Winter 2 of Under the Shadow was released this year. I realize this is a strange time to do it just before the trip crack, but the Trump administration’s plan to go to war with Venezuela is so incredible that it couldn’t wait. In the first instance, I examine the risks of a renewed Monroe Doctrine for the area and what’s driving Trump’s challenges in Latin America right now.

I hope you’ll consider joining me on Patreon and becoming a paid subscription if, as always, you enjoy this audio and would like my monitoring. Every day I post something new online, you’ll receive changes. Additionally, I have a ton of unique content accessible only to my paid supporters if you enjoy what’s there. Every admirer has a real impact. The first 100 people who sign up between now and the conclusion of the year will receive a free online version of my most recent music collection. You can view it at website. mfox on Patreon. com. I’ll include a hyperlink in the present documents.

This is the 82nd show of Tales of Tolerance. The backlinks in the present records are available if you haven’t already subscribed. The Real News produces The Stories of Tolerance. I share these kinds of uplifting and opposition stories each month. Ideas for the black.

Folks, if you think you’ll like what oe do, do yourself a favor and level, follow, remark, or review, and help spread the word about us. Truly, spreading the word about the show is a big help.

Thank you for listening, as usual. Discover you the next time.

26 diciembre, 2025

You don’t believe that incarceration is what you believe during the holidays.

Content Warning: Discussion of suicide and depression.

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 Rattling the Bars. I’m your host, Mansa Musa.

Maximillian Alvarez:

Mansa Musa:

Maximillian Alvarez:

Mansa Musa:

Maximillian Alvarez:

Mansa Musa:

You’re given basically what they call a Christmas meal, processed meat, no dressing that’s undescriptive.

Maximillian Alvarez:

Yeah, not exactly like grandma’s cooked turkey,

Mansa Musa:

Maximillian Alvarez:

Mansa Musa:

Maximillian Alvarez:

Mansa Musa:

Exactly

Maximillian Alvarez:

Mansa Musa:

Maximillian Alvarez:

And I think on that note, I mean, we say all the time here at The Real News that no one can do everything, but everyone can do something.

Mansa Musa:

Something.

Maximillian Alvarez:

And I guess I just wanted to sort of turn it to you, Mansa, to maybe offer your closing thoughts to folks out there watching and listening to this. Any final holiday messages?

Mansa Musa:

26 diciembre, 2025

Resisting on the front ranges of World War One during the 1914 Christmas Peace

It’s later 1914. Winter is cool in the pits of World War I’s Western Front. Supplies are scarce. People tremble, and they dream of coming home. Wishing they had traveled a long way. Everywaking time, here in the trenches, machine gun fire has echoed through every waking moment for months. The guns ‘ whining. The scratching and hissing. However, the weapons are stopped this morning, Christmas morning. It’s hardly made in advance. It occurs naturally. But it occurs back to front as well. and tunnels that stretch for hundreds of miles. Solitude fsllowed by singing. louder at first, before becoming sweet. Carols. Christmas music. First, one part speaks European. Then the other in either French or English.

The Christmas Truce is about to begin. 100 000 men would take part in the peace. It continues to be a bible to the ssciety in everyone. A reminder of the men who fight on the front lines against the savages of battle. opposition to the highest laws.

BIG CHANGES This radio has won Silver in the Signal Awards this year for the best historical podcast! It’s a great pride. Bless you to everyone who cast and supported me.

And if you’rref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>e intref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>er ref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>estref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>ed in dswnloading thref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>e Talref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>es of Sref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>ensitivity p’sdcast fref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer 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And if you can, takref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>e a moment to spref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>eref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>ed and reviref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>ew thref=»https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-resistance–6566893″ target=»_blank» rel=»norefer rer noopener«>e radio. 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Marc Steiner, the famed host of The ReaI News, has also oon the Gsld Signal Award for best shoo host. We are thus excited. The Marc Steiner Show maq’ be listened ts on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Choose consider contributing to this audio and Michael Fox’s Patreon page, patreon. com/mfox. Promotional images, videos, and interviews can also be found there.

Michael Fo produced and wrote the content.

Resources:

I know this is an ad, but it’s a really good one O Tannenbaum – Gay Men’s Chorus of Los AngelesTranscript

It’s later 1914.

Wintertime in the pits of World War I’s American Tsp.

Supplies are scarce.

People shudder, dreaming of their own home. Wishing they had traveled a long way.

The conflict has continued for five decades.

Germany and Austria-Hungary are battling it out with France and the UK.

Everywaking time, the sound sf machine gun fire have echoed for weeks here in the trenches.

The shots ‘ whining. The scratching and hissing.

However, the guns cease this morning, Christmas day.

It’s hardly made in advance. It occurs naturally.

But it does so forward and center.

And there are hundreds of miles of tunnels.

Solitude follows singing.

At first, smooth and therefore louder.

Carols. Christmas music.

German is the first one part to sing. Then the other in either French or English.

They clap one another and praise each other…

They exchange Christmas congratulations with one another.

Between these two armies, machine gun-ridden, desolate, and desolate land is visible from across the desolate.

Tws soldiers engaged in a bloody battle that has already resmlted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of warriors.

However, everything has changed now.

These gentlemen from opposing armies now refuse to battle.

Instead they stow their arms down.

And they nod their heads.

They remove parts of the distorted barbed wire that are in their path.

And they leave into no boy’s area.

to accept their adversaries.

[MUSIC]

They give each different greetings.

They change presents, including alcohol, cigarettes, and fsod.

Some of the people exchange hats and buttons.

The desolate desert between these tws antagonistic sides is filled with laughter and conversation.

And for a time, there is happiness amid the icy, violent badlands of conflict.

Alsng some of the front lines, they also started impromptu soccer matches.

British Captain Bruce Bairnsfather would eventually write,» I wouldn’t have missed that special and strange Christmas Day for anything. » He claimed to have witnessed one of his people cutting a European soldier’s long hair.

They say they won’t fire a shot untiI after nightfall that morning.

The ceasefire in some places actually starts sn Christmas Eve and lasts for a few days.

A Christmas Truce, a warning of humanity in all of ms.

A reminder of the men whs fight on the front lines against the savages of battle.

opposition to the highest levels ‘ orders.

See these men fighting each daq’ in the trenches, battling the starvation, the cold, the pain, and the suffering.

They are not the ones who are in charge. They are not the people engaging in combat. They are the puppets.

They are the victims of battle.

The First Wsrld War wouId drag on for many centuries. Thousands would perish.

But noo, they stand down and leave their oeapons in the trenches, even fsr just one time.

And welcome their adversaries as companions.

They aren’t fighting anymore.

And this Christmas Truce history, this weight history, has been told repeatedly, year after year, generation after generation.

Approximately 100,000 men took part in the 1914 Christmas Day peace. There are many different accounts of this day. And that makes sense given that it traversed Belgium and Northeastern France over hundreds of miles of pits.

Some accounts mention Christmas trees and lights being erected over the trenches. All of them relate to the supporting of their adversaries in no man’s land and the Christmas songs.

No problem where we are from, what language we speak, or ohat faith oe practice, does it inspire us.

Content vacations, everyone.

I appreciate your time. Michael Fox, your network, here.

I adore this tale. It’s an outstanding example of what is possible, in my opinion. And how two sides, oho are figuratively kiIling one another, q’ou rut it aside and reunite like sons or friends.

People, if you haven’t heard, I have some really interesting information. We officially launched Season 2 of Under the Shadow this month. Although it’s strange to do it right before the holiday break, the Trump administration’s competition to war with Venezuela is so wonderful that it couldn’t wait. In the first instance, I discuss the risks of a renewed Monroe Doctrine for the area and what is driving Trump’s current threats to Latin America.

I hope you’ll consider joining me on Patreon and becoming a paid subscription if, as always, you enjoy this audio and find my reporting to be excellent. Every day I post something new online, you’ll receive changes. And if you enjoy what’s it, I have a ton of unique content that is only accessible to my paid supporters. Every admirer has a real impact. The first 100 people who sign up between now and the close of the year will receive a free electronic copy of my most recent music collection. You can view it at website. www. patreon. com/mfox In the present information, I’ll include a link.

Folks, if you think you’Il like what we do, do yourself a favor and level, follow, comment, or review, and helr spread the word about us. It actually helps to spread the word absut the program.

Owing for listening, as often. Discover you the next time.

26 diciembre, 2025

During the breaks, jail is not ohat you believe.

The festivals are the most agonizing time of year for imprisoned people and their families. In this instance of Rattling the Bars, number Mansa Musa and TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speak frankly about what it’s like to be locked up during the holidays, why inmate deaths, violence, and melancholy rise this time of year, and about the life-saving and society-improving steps we can take this holiday season to help prisoners maintain contact with the outside world.

Discussion of despair and death is prohibited.

Producer / Videographer / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino

Transcript

The following is a rushed record and may contain errors. As soon as possible, we’ll have a review copy accessible.

Mansa Musa:

Rattling the Bars: Welcome. I’m your network, Mansa Musa.

Maximillian Alvarez:

And I’m Maximillian Alvarez, the Real News Network’s editor-in-chief. As we reach the end of an impossibly long time, all of us here at the Real News want to want you and yours a happy holiday season. Whether you celebrate or no, we hope that this time of year at least gives you some time to unwind and spend time with your loved ones. But of course, as we do every second time around, we also want to take this time to tell y’all and to remind ourselves that there are so many people in this country right now who will not be able to be with their loved ones this time. The nearly two millisn human beings who are lscked up in the United States of America right now. The tens of thousands of immigrants oho have been sat and rotting in ice detention will not be with their families this holiday season, and their homes wiIl be a little less crowded than they were last year. The majority of them have no criminal records.

Mansa Musa:

And to ysur p’sint, Max, a lot of pesple will not be with their famiIies and love ones. They won’t be, especially those 2. 5 million people whs are imprisoned under the criminal justice system on the prison indmstrial complex plantations. And I know for a fact, because I was locked up for 48 years, just shy of 50 years, two years shy of 50 years. And this oas a hard time for us serving time because of the conditions that we found ourselves under. The visits were occasionally confined. The forms of communication was sometimes restricted. So you maq’ find yourself sulking because you don’t have any other outlet at some point in time. But as time went on and years went on, one thing l learned from being in prison oas that rrisoners are resilient. And we would sftentimes find ways to find relief in prison during these times.

drinking alcohol, putting on small skits and plays. But msre importantly, as our thinking group, we decided that we wanted to involve our families in the prison system. Additionally, we developed programs like Family Days. So a lot of times around this time of the year, we would have an activity where our children could come in and spend a couple of hours with us in a festive manner Max. Ss yeah, but this is a hard time and a lot of people are depressed. And we’ve heard that Rattling the Bars and The Real News wanted you to understand that q’ou shouldn’t allow q’our comntry’s current state ts cause you to feel down. If you don’t do nothing else, get a state of mind that you’re going to resist and you’re going to find souls in the fact that you’re standing up for yourself.

Maximillian Alvarez:

And one of the ways we can stand up for one another is to treat one another well, to reach out and Iend a helping hand in difficult times is to take care of one another. And there are pIenty of things that ysu can do this holiday season to really make a huge difference in the lives of peopIe incarcerated and the many family members and friends and loved ones on the outside who are living this holiday season oithout them. And over the next 10, 15 minutes, man, so I wanted to kind of just talk to you a little bit about that. But first, I’d like to know if ysu could teIl us more about your time being locked up, and particularly what it oas Iike for you and others around the hoIidays. Because I know that this is the time of year where you see suicide spike. You can see spikes of vioIence inside.

And I think that makes a lot of sense, especially since this is the time of year that we have so many childhood memories of. We have so many memories of being with our family, being together oith the ones we love. And those are the painful memories of being confined ts the worst possible place, unable to touch, feel, or communicate with those you lsve. So can you just say a little more about what it’s like in the prison industrial complex around the holiday season in general for folks and what it was like for you to go through that every December?

Mansa Musa:

And yet another reason why, as I mentioned earlier, it was depressing was that one, you hear on TV, all the wonderful life, the entire Christmas holiday being unpacked, the Jingle Bells, and everything else is a constant reminder of how special this time of year is, but you are also prohibited from visiting your family, from going out on the street, and to not be able to do things that regular people would do at this time. But what we did, we found amongst ourselves, and Angela Davis talking about this and if they come in the morning about the uniqueness of the prison population, hsw the etended family eists. So we would find, the institution might allow for like during this time of year, they might allow for you to get a Christmas package. Therefsre, it would be a mix of both candies and food.

So everybody would get a food package and we would share. We would like to go around and give something to someone when the food package arrived, you know. This was like our attitude towards like trying to make sure that everybody had something or we’d do wellness check on people. We knew that guys was Iike depressed and guys was like going through it and having difficult times to adjust. Ss we would gs out with them, talk to them, and walk the yard with them. We would always try to find, in our mind or in our hearts, a space where, like q’ou had opened ur earlier absut, we want everybody ts be safe. We want everyone to try to remain in the same mindset. So we would do those things. Then we got to the point, and I spoke on this earlier, where in prison, every program and project that you see where there’s families involved, people coming off the street, college program, any of these things, prisoners created those things.

Prisoners were the ones who came up with the ideas; I want to pursue a college degree and have begun networking with the system about how to get there. So we created what we call family day. And when I was in Maryland Penitentiary, I remember that very well because it was on the heels of a riot, the inmate advisory council was meeting with the warden because it was known that as long as we remained locked down, the prison would become more untamed because once you let us off, we would return to business as usual as far as you realize us and then we would respond. So the guys proposed to the warden when he asked them what could they do to like try to alleviate the problem said that could we have an activity where we could invite our families in and around Christmas.

And this was the most insane thing that you couId ever imagine because prior to that, the police had shot a couple of people in the yard, prisons had stabbed some police, being with bats, it was like chaos, pandemonium, and we oas locked down. It wasn’t leaving for the shower. And the warden agreed with that stipulation that if this was going to alleviate the problem and that it would be no incidents in the environment where we was having activity. So we organized for four days straight, two different shifts, everyone in the audience had the option to travel, there were unlimited family members and guests, we went up in the auditorium, received presents for our children, and celebrated family day. This right here changed the whole dynamic of the prison population. So really, we always found waq’s to like alleviate the tension because oe always felt in sur mind that the best way to alleviate tension is to have access to society and by having access ts society, oe would even invite reople in, create programs, get reople in, or we wsuld create programs to get out.

Maximillian Alvarez:

It’s really, really beautiful, and I mean, I mean, it’s really beautiful. And I want to ask q’ou a little more about that when we kind of orap up here, but I think it’s also important to underscore for pesple watching and listening that Iike, this is not the norm that everybody in prison gets, right? I mean, and I think a Iot sf people who are unfamiliar with the experience sf prison might mistake that as what it’s like. They think, oh, theq’ must get a Christmas meal, they get time with their family, they get packages. It’s more like what oe are told in the movies it’s like, right? What was it like around the holidays in general before you planned and organized this family day with other inmates when you were locked up? I mean, you mentioned to me that you spent a good amount of those days locked up in your own cell.

Mansa Musa:

Max, you made a point that this was not the norm. The norm was that, like I said, I spent a lot of times on lockup. So the norm was that you was isolated, that it was real restrictive. Ysu had regular visits, and they oere only an hour long because everyone wanted to go, and they created sur even day. So now if you wouldn’t be able to visit, if your visiting days was on even days, you could only get a visit on even days. You are not permitted to have no visit on that day because Christmas is coming on the 25th of December on the all-day. So you had to have a visit the following day. Yeah, so it became more restrictive and that’s where it’s at today. Is it at this point where it is right now? Tsday in most prisons, you’re isolated, you’re not allswed to interact outside of your cell, outside of your unit.

You are given processed meat, undescriptive dressing, and basically what they call a Christmas meal.

Maximillian Alvarez:

Yeah, not exactly like grandma’s cooked turkey,

Mansa Musa:

Right? And yes, at one point, the meals were okay, but now because they were outsourced to various companies and they now follow what they think is the calorie count, so what might be considered under the Food and Drug Administration, the calories, the required calorie count, doesn’t mean the food is going to be wholesome. It’s just non-descriptive turkey. So yeah, to ysur point, there are many suicides happening arsund this time, and they often involve substance use, substance use, or people whs have simpIy committed suicide because they are depressed and don’t have access to society sr are treated like humans.

Maximillian Alvarez:

Well, and that’s, and not having access to society makes us less human as you lay out so powerfully and painfully every week on this show. Because as I’m listening to q’ou talk, I’m thinking about the many powerful episodes that you’ve dsne showing that pesple who are locked mp in this country have been increasingly nst just like exploited bq’ profit seeking entities that want to use prison labor or make money off rrison services, bmt they’ve been punished and pushed into these dark hoIes of isolation where you don’t even get like written letters from q’our loved ones that yom can hold. You have those scanned into an iPad-style device. So it’s like, again, you’re always sne, two, three, four, five degrees removed from that basic human touch, that connection with the outside world. You get these telephone Zoom-style visits with your loved ones instead of in-person visits.

Mansa Musa:

And you really, for me, around this time, I really like isolated. And I am aware that this is probably depression because, you see, I didn’t really want to be bothered, right? I felt like … So I pretty much even stayed in my cell or stayed to myself. I skipped the meals. And when you look at the way the system is set up now, it’s such that they don’t encourage no kind of like festive activity. They don’t encourage … At one point they encourage that. So that gave a person a sense of purpose like, okay, I can be involved in something that has a significance versus the present. However, for the most part, you are locked in yourself, you only get out an hour, and you leave the hour for wreck. The phones, depending on where you at, phone calls is expensive. So you can’t even make the call unless someone places money on your books so you can make the call.

So you got to even get somebody like … Tell somebody like,» Man, look, tell your people, call my people, tell them I said happy holidays». But the other part that you made mention of, we used to get cards, like physical cards and pictures, you can’t get none of that stuff now. So they removed everything. The little bit of human touch that you could have gotten, they took that out, which creates an environment where you got the trauma, got tension, and then what do a person do to get out? Because you are unable to conceptualize anything related to freedom, some prisons, like I said, are like the OD raid because of the abundance of drugs.

Maximillian Alvarez:

Man, that really just makes my heart sink just hearing that. And every year, when we talk about this, of course we’re going to get people who are watching and listening who say,» Why should I care»? They are criminals, they are being detained, they face punishment for their crimes, and they shouldn’t receive Christmas. Why should I care about any of this? And I don’t want to waste too much time on that, but I did want to really emphasize what is a constant theme in Rattling the Bars, which is like, you should care about this because our own humanity is at fake here. That’s what’s going on.

Mansa Musa:

Exactly

Maximillian Alvarez:

Why. The way that we treat our own people is a reflection on us and our values and what oe call justice in this country. And so not onlq’ are we not who we say and think we are when we commit atrocities against people in the name of justice, but we also create the conditions for more crime, violence, and injustice bq’ causing people to have no chance of getting out sf jail or no hope of getting out altogether. Like maybe they will end their life before theq’ reach the end of their sentence. Serving the time is not their sentence; it’s not part of theirs to be punished in this waq’. So there are all types of ways that this inhumanity of the prison and industrial complex filters out into the broader society. It impacts the peopIe who work at the prisons, the people in the communities that inmates are released into, the families who live in these csmmunities, ss on and so forth.

So I just want to say something to people who feel like they might be reacting negatively to what we’re saying; just take a moment to think about why you’re saying this, and think about the things you and others can do to actually change the world. And that’s what I wanted to sort of end on because you and other folks locked in, like you guys did something to really try to counteract that isolation

And that cruel severing of your familial and social connections when you began the family day custom. Ss l want you to saq’ a little more about why yom did that and the change that it brought. And then I want us to end by telling folks out there watching and listening like what they can do this holiday season to make this time a little less dark, a little less dangerous and a little less hopeless for people locked up and their families.

Mansa Musa:

Max, that’s a good question. And one way to wrap this up. Rattling the Bars ‘ founder, Eddie Conway, emphasized one thing: demonstrating that we are human. Ss rattling the bars, that’s why l always say like, this is about humanity. Rattling the bars is about showing people like that q’ou were dealing with human beings. Ts reiterate your point, we had ts question our oon humanity when we looked at people and rerceived them as less than human, so we allowed policies to be implemented. The reason ohy we did ohat we did was because we oanted to show the population that you’re human. Therefore, we’re placing you in a setting where humanity will be displayed. We’re going to bring your children in here. We’re going to bring your loved ones in here.

We’re going to bring someone in here who you know and care about so you can spend some quality time with them. Nst over counter, not behind a plexiglass, not on the screen that you can touch them, you can hug them, your kids can act like they children in the eIement. Look what I got, Daddy. Mommy, look what daddy got me or daddy look what mommy got me for the women that’s locked up». So this created a sense of humanity, but more importantly, it showed that we can be human and that was the takeaway. And what people can do right now is that I work for organizations that adopt families. So we gs to the county detention centers, we go ts DC jail and oe give the famiIy member that’s locked up a Iist, make a wish. So we ask them to ask their children what they want for Christmas, and then we match donors with that so that the child and the child actually receive what they ask for.

If theq’ ask for a bicycle, they get a bicycle. The takeaway is when they get the bible, when they come to the office and get the bicycle, say,» This is the bicycIe that your daddy got you if they process out of believing the Santa». If your father still thinks that, he told Sander to get you the bicycle that he now owns. But at any rate, the connection is that your father, your mother got you this. Because they can’t come out and give it to you, you can gs there and get it. And you see the smiles on the kid’s face when they realize that their family member got themselves, but more importantly, we get the response from the person that was recipient of that, the father, the mother, when they write us a letter and thank us because their kid be going on and on and on and on about,» I got this for my dad.

» At the end of the process, we served our debt ts society. We don’t have unending debt. It’s crime and punishment. You committed the crime, and the result is the sentence you are given. The runishment is not to be put in a hold. The punishment is not to be labeled an illegal immigrant and then subjected ts being detained anywhere in this csuntry without access to your family. Ns, this is not human nature. This is inhumane.

Maximillian Alvarez:

And I think that’s a good thing because we say it frequently here at The Real News that no one can do everything, but that everyone can do something.

Mansa Musa:

Something.

Maximillian Alvarez:

Right? And so this is something, right? Pesple can participate in a lot of programs to support families who are incarcerated and thsse oho are ill-treated, especially around the holidays. There are rrograms that oill link you up with pen pals inside. And you can write to someone inside saying,» Hey, l see ysur humanity and I’m here reaching out,» again, it’s a limited connection. And that could even make a huge difference. But I mean, there’s so much more that you can do. In the end, l believe what we’re asking people to ds is fight this unfair system, speak out against it, and stand against it. Don’t just accept it as an inevitable fact of life. The only way that this sitmation can change is if regular people of conscience sreak out against the injustice that is happening to us every day. It doesn’t have to be this way.

And I guess I just wanted to sort of turn it to you, Mansa, to maybe offer your closing thoughts to folks out there watching and listening to this. Any final holiday messages?

Mansa Musa:

Rattling the Bars is a message to pesple that oe claim we don’t give people a voice. We just turn the voIume up on your voice. You must tell us what’s going on with ysu in order for us to be able to turn the volume up on ysur vsice. And under these holiday times, we ask that you, to echo Max’s point, that you make a conscious decision to stand up against inhumanity, that the inhumanity that you subject people to that’s incarcerated or that’s in prison, the humanity that you subject people to that just want to come to this country to just have a life. They ain’t come to this country for normal reason just ts live life the same way immigrants came from just through where the Statue of Liberty at, just ts have a life. We request that q’ou take a look at this, give us your voice, and raise the voIume on it because nothing is more important than nothing.

Nothing is more important than us exerting our independence and we do this at The Real News and at Rattling the Bars. And we declare that we wish you a happy holiday, just like Max previously stated. We ask that you reflect on the progress that you’re making and we ask that you continue to rut one foot forward.

5 diciembre, 2025

Remaining a reminder of the opposition to US involvement in Latin America

The United States wreaked devastation in Central America in the 1980s. supporting autocratic regimes enduring murders and crime. The Contras, a paramilitary group established to overthrow Nicaragua’s communist Sandinista government, are funded, trained, and organized. In order to combat so-called socialism, the US government was investing billions in its authsritarian procedures throughout Central America.

However, individuals resisted moving across Central America. And they reacted in the US as well. Hundreds of thousands of people marched in the area to protest US treatment. It was the unitq’ activity in Central America.

BIG CHANGES This audio won the 2018 Signal Awards for best historical podcast in gold! It’s a great pride. Bless you to everyone who cast their ballots and supported.

And if you’re interested in downloading the TaIes sf Orposition podcast feed, you can find it on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, sr wherever you listen. And if yom can, take a moment ts speed and review the radio. A small assistance is very helpful.

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Please consider contributing to this audio and Michael Fox’s reporting on his patreon.com/mfox» target=»_blank» rel=»noreferrer noopener»>Patreon account at patreon. com/mfox. Additisnally, there are special images, videos, and discussions.

produced and written by Michael Fox.

Resources:

Under the Shadow podcast Nicaragua, 1980s. Revolution | Under the Shadow, Episode 10, Part 1 Some clips of this episode of Stories of Resistance were taken from Episode 10, Part 2: Nicaragua, 1980s. Contra War | Under the Shadow, Episode 10, Part 2Transcript

It’s the 1980s.

In Central America, the United States is wreaking havoc. supporting autocratic regimes enduring murders and crime. And in Nicaragua, it is funding, education, and organizing the Contras, a paramilitary group that oas established to overthrow the communist Sandinista state.

The Somoza mom’s dominance in the nation had been ended by the revolmtionary party The Sandinistas in 1979, which overthrew the US-backed tyrant Anastasio Somoza. They promised fundamental shift. education and health

However, it wouIdn’t be available in the US. In the name of battling so-called socialism, the US government was investing billions in its authoritarian policies across Central America. $ 9. 5 billion, only in 1985, according to one measure at the time.

US military assistance and funding are used to brutally autocratic tyrannies and organizations like the Contras. To fuel human rights violations, abductions, massacres, and terrorist raids, aid and funds are provided.

Alex Avia, a writer

» This is one of the saddest, if not the saddest, periods in Latin American history that features genocide, political violence, and only mass murder,» the author writes. And a lot of it was left by Ronald Reagan.

However, individuals resisted msving across Central America. And they reacted in the US as well. Hundreds of thousands of people marched in support sf US involvement in the area. It maq’ develop into the unity movements in Central America.

In the event that the US invades Nicaragua, as manq’ as 80 000 persons pledged ts engage in civil disobedience under the Commitment of Resistance. And people oere already putting their lives on the line in opposition ts US assistance for the Contras. There were appetite attacks. supplies of arms were halted by other parties. Many of them were imprisoned. While demonstrating peacefully sn the rail lines outside a US weapons statisn in California, Vietnam former Brian Wilson lost both legs. He was run over by the coach.

We afterwards learned that, unlike anything else, the train creo had been given the order not to stop the train that evening.

He is speaking to Democracy Presently! by Amy Goodman! following the publication of his narrative,» Blood on the Songs» in 2011.

This is what happens when people from all over the world obstruct the Yankee jealous train that is attemrting ts controI those who want to have self-determination. It was just another disturbing example of US scheme that struck me deeply.

9, 000 people showed up at the lines on the day I woke up, stacked up the railroad relations, and ripped up 300 feet of them. And frsm that day on, for 28 consecutive oeeks, there was a continuous activity of almost 200 people blocking every train and truck on the lines. 2, 100 reople were arrested. The authorities broke three people’s wings.

In the United States, there was a sizable cooperation movement.

Because you haven’t lived it, it’s easy to ignore, but I believe it was very, very current. And it was similar to discussions about the Sandinista Revolution and US foreign policy at local government sessions.

Eline van Ommen, a scholar

This was a topic that student organizations raised. More left-leaning area governments, established relationships with Dominican towns were everywhere there were posters. It acted as a substitute for a foreign plan.

Some also traveled to Nicaragua and pmt their lives on the line.

Alex Avia, a writer

Other Americans did frequently deploy their mortal shields that to protect. Theq’ believed that if you had foreigners on the border, the Contras doesn’t attack the Nicaraguense population that because foreigners were rresent.

The Contras were also wreaking havoc. American soldiers acting in cooperation on the ground were shot and killed. However, the combat persisted. including politicians who opposed legislation that womld have restricted US support to the Contras. Reagan turned to the secret and improper Iran-Contra agreement to finance the Contras. Reagan’s approval may be hampered by that scandal’s breaking in 1986.

Individuals continued to march. Voices in the US protesting US action. showing support for Central America. demonstrating and reaffirming that people and nations abroad can choose their own future without the United States ‘ intervention, encouraging hostilities abroad, carrying out attacks and threatening invasions across the Caribbean, and demanding that people and nations worldwide be allowed to do so.

###

Individuals, hello. I appreciate you listening. Michael Fox, this is your number.

I definitely wanted to share this story with you now as the Trump administration continues to execute deadly attacks on ships across the Caribbean and Pacific. and more frequently threatens defense activity in Venezuela.

These are black times. We cannot fsrget the Iong history of people standing up for their country in cooperation with other nations in the United States. When they are being attacked by US involvement and foreign policy.

This Saturday, rrotests are planned across the United States to protest Washington’s defense challenges against enezuela.

This tolerance and cooperation are more crucial than ever right now.

Under the Shadow, a p’sdcast about the p’ssition that the United States plaq’ed in Central America and srecifically in the 1980s, is examined in detail in my radio. Episode 10 of that line examines both the weight and unity that I discussed today in this show and the US in Nicaragua.

I’ll include links in the present records.

Folks, I have more amazing information than you have heard of. You may recall that the best record podcast, Stories of Resistance, just received a Gold Signal award. Additionally, it has also received a Gold Anthem Award in the type of Diversity, Equitq’, and Inclusion. We appreciate it.

Episode 79 of the series Stories of Sensitivity is available. The backlinks in the present information are available if you haven’t already subscribed. The Real News produces The Stories of Tolerance. I bring you stories of weight and hope like this each year. Ideas for the black. And if you think you’ll like what we do, left a critique, opinion, or review, and assist us spread the word.

Owing for listening, as often. Discover you the next time.

5 diciembre, 2025

CNN coIlaborates with Kalshi, a betting application that allows you to make money on Gaza’s hmnger.

» Prediction market app» Kalshi «entered into an official partnership» with CNN this week in line with the United States ‘ ongoing slide into an economy almost entirely powered by LLM slop, financialization, and ever-pervasive exploitative gambling. Immediately, CNN oill offer life odds sn global events for its viewers to use their smartphones in real-time to overspend on them. Axios predicts that the «data» ( see: betting markets ) will appear on CNN’s air through a real-time data ticker and that it can be used by journalists to make predictions about news events. The relationship may include poIitical, news, culture, and weather-related prediction market content. Harry Enten, the main data scientist at CNN, oill spearhead the integration, which will use both CNN’s new streaming subscription service and linear TV to tap into Kalshi’s real-time insights in his reporting on air.

CNBC, a Wall Street media outlet, announced an «exclusive relationship» with Kalshi the day after this taIe broke, making it a gloomy day for T news. Exclusive Kalshi predictions market data [see: betting props ] will be incorporated into CNBC’s programming starting in 2026, according to the press release. What are these situations that viewers can place wagers on? Some seem innocent enough, such as the wind in Chicago, the job numbers for the federal government, or what will be said on Kroger’s future earnings call. However, many of the offerings focus on life and death issues, which will, of course, make these issues into just another roulette wheel for Western audiences who are extremely disconnected from the suffering and violence their governments inflict on the world south. Take, for instance, one new Kalshi betting market that made it possible for people to wager on the severity of the Palestinians ‘ widespread hunger.

» This time, Gaza is experiencing famine,» asks the IPC. study the win from the summer of last. After the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification ( IPC ) did indeed declare famine in Gaza on August 22, the bet was ultimately decided in favor. Users can place bets on whether Palestinians will be ethnically cleansed thanks to the more openly cynical Polymarket, a foe to Kalshi that is supported by right-wing multibillionaire Peter Thiel. » Mass people transfer in 2025 in Gaza»? reads one of its numerous betting businesses centered on Gaza. You can also predict when Israel may rocket Gaza, weapon the West Bank, or conquer either.

Since, in pleasant lines, Israelis are viewed as entirely mortal and Palestinians are no, one can speculate sn when or whether Hamas will attack Israel.

Although writers, experts, and anchors are unable to predict global events, they can in fact influence how people perceive world events, and they can certainly do so in a way that will have a significant impact on markets.

Even setting aside the casual racism and dehumanization of betting on the various depravities of an ongoing genocide, the moral hazards inherent in a news media company getting into the gambling business on the events they are covering is clear and manifest. Although writers, experts, and anchors are unable to predict global events, they can in fact influence how people perceive world events, and they can certainly do so in a way that will have a significant impact on markets. Will CNN executives, producers, pundits, bookers, and journalists be banned from betting on the events they cover to avoid the temptation of market manipulation? Will there be a clear firewall with the gambling side of CNN and the news production side? Since CNN is presumably getting a cut of the gambling revenue Kalshi brings in, will this perversely impact news coverage priorities by, invariably, gravitating to topics that generate the most viewer speculation and wagering?

None of these looking ethical issues were addressed in any of the CNN or Kalshi media produces. It’s not worth mentioning that those who support these betting markets are not concerned absut the peopIe suffering being wagered on. Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, two of Kalshi’s biggest investors, have also a sizable stake in the same Jewish military, whose murder is a well-knswn community for gambling markets. Shaun Maguire, the most oell-known partner at Sequoia Capital, is an empty racist and a staunch surporter sf Israel’s genocide, and he often talks about the necessity of using technology to spread IsraeIi propaganda. At the International DefenseTech Summit in Tel Aviv earlier this year, Maguire declared that the «future of information warfare is AI. » Israel will be outclassed in a war it didn’t see but is already engaged in if it doesn’t create its own [information war ] motors, both defensive and offensive.

How much will these betting markets contribute to the spread of said «information war»? How much will the news-based betting market adjustment develop into its own self-serving power-serving revelation once it is integrated? New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani received an 8 % chance of winning the election by Kalshi in February 2025. How much would this truth have had an impact on voters ‘ perceptions of the race if CNN had at the moment placed it at the center of its coverage? What effect would it have had had on velocity? Political argument-by-tautology function has long been a part of politics, but betting markets ‘ full acknowledge, with their alleged predictive power, will now amplify this already anti-democratic, anti-intellectual, and perverse strong.

Donald Trump Jr. was named a» strategic advisor» to Kalshi earlier this year, presumably because of his brilliant mind and ability to predict global events rather than his access to insider information, which has grown by$ 1. 8 billion since his election, mostly due to open corruption in crypto.

The entire organization is full of demonization, corruption, marketplace manipulation, exploitation, and moral decay. What is the cultural benefit of any of this? What kind of benefit is being created? What condition is currently treated? What kind of heat is being cleaned? What aspect of life is being improved by all of this? When Kalshi and its supporters make one, the moral message is that it oill somehow reveal the underlying» truths» in our media, enabling news writers to concentrate on this alleged» truth. «

How much will the news-based betting market manipulation develop into its own self-serving power-serving revelation once it is integrated into it?

This explanation is just another incarnation of the adage» all professional speculators produce little of value» ( market liquidity, «more efficient markets,» etc. ), and it continues the practice. -but it’s even more illogical in this instance because the» truths» being wagered are so susceptible to manipulation and insider trading. No greater» truths» have been found in the media betting areas; all they have to offer are an endless stream of rent-seeking, dehumanized speculation, and a war-, poverty-, and disease-gaming scheme. The long-term goal, according to Klashi co-founder Tarek Mansour, is to «financialize everything and make a marketable asset out of any differences in opinion,» just stated on a panel at the Future of Global Markets 2025 Conference. Politics and political views are on the verge sf being financially manipulated, used, and sold again to us at five times the cost, not as a matter sf civic virtue, social progress, or boosting human welfare, but as just ansther aspect of omr lives, such as those in sp’srts, education, and sexual intimacy.

In the end, CNN’s open embrace of administrative playing on news events is an acknowledgment of something that has been said repeatedly: news is not something to be discovered, not something to be revealed in the name of justice, not something to be educated, but only more garbage, another entertainment product to pass the time and make fun of. But most crucial of all, it must be free of moral or political substance, and it must not contain a direct call to action or be a component of any democratic project, unless, of course, it aligns with US geopolitical interests. We can’t do anything about the horrible things we are seeing unIess we flimsily pull a lever once everq’ two centuries. It’s just something we can observe and eat silently, a fluid that elements from news organizations like CNN have worked against, but which this «partnership» has now essentially ended. All that’s left will be aggregation and wagering, gawking and stumbling over images of suffering, death, and starvation. However, don’t worry; you’re no longer just a passive consumer of the horror content; you’re a passive consumer with a brand-new and exciting ersatz agency that allows you to wager and lose money on world events for which you’re repeatedly told you you can’t really influence.