Episodios

  • Episode 29 | Midwives under attack: Justice for Ric & Neusa Jones

    Episode 29 | Midwives under attack: Justice for Ric & Neusa Jones
    May 5 2025
    Ricardo and Neusa Jones are from the Southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre. Birth is their calling. But not just any birth. Home birth. Natural birth. Humanized birth. Ricardo Jones is an obstetrician. His wife, Neusa, is an obstetrics nurse. But they embrace the ancestral knowledge of midwives.But for their work, Ric and Neusa Jones are under attack. On March 27, 2025, Ric Jones was convicted of first-degree murder, 15 years after one of the thousands of babies he delivered died of congenital pneumonia in the hospital 24 hours shortly after the child was born at home.Ric Jones received a sentence of 14 years in prison. His wife, 11 years. Ric Jones spent three weeks in prison. He is now out while they await the decision over the appeal.But a movement has grown in their defense. Parents, midwives, doulas, and birth activists are standing up. They’ve denounced the case against them. They’ve denounced Ric Jones’s imprisonment. They are demanding justice for Ric and Neusa Jones.This is episode 29 of Stories of Resistance — a podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange's Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow Michael’s reporting and support at www.patreon.com/mfox.Written and produced by Michael Fox.Resources: Each country has its own rules, laws and legislation regarding home birth, natural birth, and humanized birth. Most of this episode is focused on Brazil, where caesarean section rates are some of the highest in the world, and natural-birth and home-birth midwives, obstetricians, and doulas say they have felt clear marginalization and abuse by mainstream health professionals.In the United States, home births are actually on the rise, with more midwives and doulas being certified, but as more and more states move to legalize homebirth, it's also created a legal grey area.Overall, women and men carrying out these home and natural births in many countries say they feel targeted for their work.Below is a small list of lawsuits against natural birth midwives in numerous countries. They say this is part of a movement to end humanized and home birth. In many of these cases, midwives were accused or convicted of manslaughter. Ric Jones was convicted of murder, intentionally killing the baby. Canada (2025): Midwife Gloria Lemay charged with manslaughter.https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/gloria-lemay-charged-manslaughter-1.7425173Austria (2025): Midwife Margerete Wana, convicted of causing the death of the baby. Supported by the baby's mother: https://www.instagram.com/thea.maillard/p/DGNHrG8sjSo/https://www.theamaillard.com/post/charlotteUK (2025): Manslaughter charges after home birth: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/13/coffs-harbour-midwives-court-home-birth-death-baby-ntwnfbAustralia (2019): Lisa Barrett, charged with manslaughter. Found not guilty: https://www.9news.com.au/national/south-australian-midwife-found-not-guilty-of-manslaughter/1474102c-ccfc-4617-9f60-5be32d881b7aUnited States (2019): Elizabeth Catlin, arrested in 2019 and indicted on 95 felony accounts, including criminal homicide: https://msmagazine.com/2025/05/04/arrest-the-midwife-documentary-film-review-laws-mennonite-new-york/Germany (2014): Midwife Anna Rockel-Loenhoff Sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for manslaughter: https://frauenfilmfest.com/en/event/hoerkino-tod-eines-neugeborenen-eine-hebamme-vor-gericht/Hungary (2012): Conviction of midwife Agnes Gereb. Jailed, placed under house arrest and then granted clemency: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/agnes-gereb-persecuted-midwiferyUnited States (2017): Vickie Sorensen, charged with manslaughter. Sentenced to prison: https://apnews.com/general-news-7928ca64d42c4e67aae2c382609d296fUnited States (2011): Karen Carr, charged with manslaughter: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/midwife-karen-carr-pleads-guilty-felonies-babys-death/story?id=13583237Here is a link to an article in English about the case against Ric Jones in Brazil, and how it fits into the larger international framework: https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/midwifes-14-year-sentence-highlights-attacks-womens-autonomy-global-surge-unnecessary-cHere is the link for the Instagram group in Brazil created in defense of Ric and Neusa Jones: https://www.instagram.com/freericjones/Here is a statement from the International Confederation of Midwives calling for an end to the criminalization of midwifery, from a decade ago: https://internationalmidwives.org/resources/statement-on-stopping-the-criminalisation-of-midwiferyAn incredible resource from Ms. Magazine about midwives, midwifery in the United States, and a new documentary about a criminalized midwife and Mennonite women who supported her: https://...
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    7 m
  • Episode 28 | Pete Seeger: Singing for change

    Episode 28 | Pete Seeger: Singing for change
    May 2 2025
    Folk musician. Banjo player. Singer of songs of unity. He sang songs of joy. He sang for the unions. He sang for the people. For the workers and the downtrodden. He sang songs for change. Civil Rights songs. Folk songs. Despite the Red Scare and McCarthy’s witch hunt, Pete Seeger sang on, helping to inspire the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. And he would continue to sing and play throughout his life.

    Pete Seeger died at the age of 94, in 2014.

    This is episode 28 of Stories of Resistance — a podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange's Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.

    If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow Michael’s reporting and support at patreon.com/mfox.

    Written and produced by Michael Fox.

    Here is a great 2007 PBS documentary about Pete Seeger’s life. It’s called "The Power of Song.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czk2hj4VISg

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    5 m
  • Episode 27 | May Day 1971: ‘If the government won’t stop the war, we’ll stop the government.’

    Episode 27 | May Day 1971: ‘If the government won’t stop the war, we’ll stop the government.’
    Apr 30 2025
    It’s been called the most influential protest you’ve never heard about. In April and May 1971, week-long protests rippled across Washington, DC. Thousands in the streets. Their slogan: “If the government won’t stop the war, we’ll stop the government.” The Nixon administration cracked down, arresting 7,000 people in just one day, and 12,000 people over the first week of May—the largest mass arrest in the history of the United States.

    This is episode 27 of Stories of Resistance — a podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange's Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.

    If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow Michael’s reporting and support at patreon.com/mfox.

    Written and produced by Michael Fox.

    You can check out this excellent short documentary film about the protests: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQzgchtpUFc
    Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman covered the 50th anniversary of the protests and arrests in 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLvpo3_X_HQ

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    7 m
  • Episode 26 | Marching against El Salvador’s police state

    Episode 26 | Marching against El Salvador’s police state
    Apr 28 2025
    In El Salvador, thousands of innocent people have been locked up in Nayib Bukele’s crackdown on gangs. They have been held without due process for years. But family members are standing up. And on May 1 they march, carrying the pictures and the names of their innocent loved ones detained and held without rights, with the ever-increasing support of the United States.This is episode 26 of Stories of Resistance — a podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange's Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times. If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow Michael’s reporting and support at patreon.com/mfox. Written and produced by Michael Fox. Below are some links to Michael Fox’s previous reporting on this issue with The Real News: FAMILIES OF THE DETAINED SEE ECHOES OF DICTATORIAL PAST IN EL SALVADOR’S GANG CRACKDOWN https://therealnews.com/families-of-the-detained-see-echoes-of-dictatorial-past-in-el-salvadors-gang-crackdown Nayib Bukele: El Salvador's mega-prison president detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia for Trump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pGDw_NxfA0 DOES NAYIB BUKELE’S REELECTION VIOLATE EL SALVADOR’S CONSTITUTION? https://therealnews.com/does-nayib-bukeles-reelection-violate-el-salvadors-constitution EL SALVADOR. BUKELE, PRESIDENTE. | UNDER THE SHADOW, UPDATE 2 https://therealnews.com/el-salvador-bukele-presidente-under-the-shadow-update-2 EL SALVADOR’S CIVIL WAR | UNDER THE SHADOW, EPISODE 4 https://therealnews.com/el-salvadors-civil-war-under-the-shadow-episode-4Subscribe to Stories of Resistance podcast hereBecome a member and join the Stories of Resistance Supporters Club today!Sign up for our newsletterFollow us on BlueskyLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast
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    5 m
  • Episode 25 | Harry Belafonte—Using art for good

    Episode 25 | Harry Belafonte—Using art for good
    Apr 25 2025
    Harry Belafonte. The King of Calypso. Incredible singer and actor. He performed in more than a dozen movies throughout his career. But above all else, he was an activist. A fighter against racism and oppression, in the United States and around the world.

    Belafonte joined the Civil Rights Movement. He marched alongside Martin Luther King. And he remained active into his 90s, working for prison reform, denouncing the Iraq War, George W. Bush, Trump and so much more. Harry Belafonte passed away on April 25, 2023.

    This is episode 25 of Stories of Resistance — a podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange's Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.

    If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow Michael’s reporting and support at www.patreon.com/mfox.

    Written and produced by Michael Fox.

    Links for some old clips of Harry Belafonte:
    Harry Belafonte Interview on Activism Through Art (1958)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUoAYilBgRY
    Harry Belafonte on racism, patriotism & war, 1967: CBC Archives | CBChttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XUlCuW7Drc
    Harry Belafonte’s Best Crime Thriller? Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) | BlackTree TVhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zizXTmtGlKs
    Harry Belafonte in Concert (Japan, 1960)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnswQxvfci8
    Harry Belafonte Television and Video Archivehttps://www.youtube.com/@harrybelafontetvvideoarchive

    If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow Michael’s reporting, and support at patreon.com/mfox.

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    7 m
  • Episode 23 | Flamingos: Resisting in the driest desert on the planet

    Episode 23 | Flamingos: Resisting in the driest desert on the planet
    Apr 23 2025
    The Atacama Desert is the driest place on the planet, and one of the most inhospitable. But salt lagoons dot the barren landscape, and flamingos are one of a number of species that have adapted to live in this harsh environment, and are battling to survive.

    This is episode 24 of Stories of Resistance—a podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange's Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.
    This week, we celebrate Earth Day, April 22. April 26 is also Flamingo Day. So, Happy Flamingo Day!

    You can see exclusive pictures of the flamingos of the Atacama desert, in Michael Fox's Patreon page. You can also follow Michael’s reporting and support at patreon.com/mfox.

    If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review.

    Written and produced by Michael Fox.

    This is Stories of Resistance — a new podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange's Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.

    Written and produced by Michael Fox.

    If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow Michael’s reporting, and support at patreon.com/mfox.

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    4 m
  • Episode 23 | Reforesting the Andes: One tree at a time

    Episode 23 | Reforesting the Andes: One tree at a time
    Apr 21 2025
    In recent years, local organizations, together with dozens of Indigenous communities, have planted more than 10 million trees up and down the Andes, with almost half of them in the Peruvian mountains around Cusco. Many of the tree species are threatened, and many of the ecosystems at risk.

    The trees help to protect and preserve the local environments and ecosystems and in particular help retain water. The communities are also holding on to their local cultures, beliefs and religion. Making offerings and prayers to Pachamama and the Apus. Offerings for the resistance of their peoples on the hillsides of the Andes. Offerings for their children and their communities. Offerings for the future.

    This is episode 23 of Stories of Resistance — a podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange's Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.
    This week, we celebrate Earth Day, April 22. This is a perfect story to highlight the incredible work Indigenous peoples and communities are doing in the highlands of Peru.

    This is Stories of Resistance — a new podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange's Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.

    Written and produced by Michael Fox.

    Many thanks to Andean Discovery for allowing me to accompany this trek and tree planting. To find out more, or to book a tour, you can visit andeandiscovery.com.

    If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow Michael’s reporting, and support at patreon.com/mfox.

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    6 m
  • Episode 22 | Writing as an act of resistance

    Episode 22 | Writing as an act of resistance
    Apr 18 2025
    The most powerful acts of resistance are sometimes the simple choices we make each day. The words we write. The pictures we take. The people we support. And the decision to step outside our home. To volunteer at migrant shelters. To stand with the most oppressed and marginalized. To fight against unjust systems. These are the daily acts of resistance of writer and reporter Tamara Pearson.

    You can follow her work at https://resistancewords.com/She tweets at https://x.com/pajaritaroja

    You can find Tamara Pearson’s latest novel, Eyes of the Earth, at https://resistancewords.com/novel-the-eyes-of-the-earth/

    This is Stories of Resistance — a new podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange's Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.

    Written and produced by Michael Fox.

    If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow Michael’s reporting, and support at patreon.com/mfox.

    Subscribe to Stories of Resistance podcast here

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    4 m
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