One trillion dollars. That’s how much the United States has spent in the last 40 years on the war on drugs. Currently, more than 450,000 Americans are imprisoned for drug offenses—up from 40,000 in 1980. In the federal system alone, almost half of all inmates are drug offenders. Despite the government’s investment in this war, America remains the No. 1 country in the world for illicit drug use, and in 2015, overdose deaths reached an all-time high, claiming 50,000 lives. To better understand this endless drug war we wanted to find out how it all started. And the trail led to a man most Americans have never heard of.

News Beat is an MP Studios production, a division of Morey Publishing www.MoreyPublishing.com

News Beat is produced and engineered by Michael “Manny Faces” Conforti www.MannyFaces.com

Original Music Supervision by Eden White www.EdenWhiteMusic.com

News Beat Executive Producer is Jed Morey Editor in Chief: Christopher TwarowskiManaging Editor: Rashed MianCover Art Design: Jon Chim

<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/05/13/ap-impact-years-trillion-war-drugs-failed-meet-goals.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">One trillion dollars</a>. That’s how much the United States has spent in the last 40 years on the war on drugs. Currently, more than 450,000 Americans are imprisoned for drug offenses—up from 40,000 in 1980. In the federal system alone, almost half of all inmates are drug offenders. Despite the government’s investment in this war, America remains the No. 1 country in the world for <a href="http://theinfluence.org/five-countries-with-the-highest-rates-of-illicit-drug-use-in-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">illicit drug use</a>, and in 2015, overdose deaths reached an all-time high, claiming 50,000 lives. To better understand this endless drug war we wanted to find out how it all started. And the trail led to a man most Americans have never heard of. News Beat is an MP Studios production, a division of Morey Publishing <a style="color: #999999;" href="https://www.moreypublishing.com/">www.MoreyPublishing.com</a> News Beat is produced and engineered by Michael “Manny Faces” Conforti <a style="color: #999999;" href="https://www.mannyfaces.com/">www.MannyFaces.com</a> Original Music Supervision by Eden White <a style="color: #999999;" href="http://www.edenwhitemusic.com/">www.EdenWhiteMusic.com</a> News Beat Executive Producer is Jed Morey Editor in Chief: Christopher TwarowskiManaging Editor: Rashed MianCover Art Design: Jon Chim

A social justice podcast combining hard-hitting journalism and interviews with hip-hop music and original lyrics from independent artists. Each episode delves into an important issue with an alternative take to widely accepted narratives, arming listeners with knowledge and insight they won't hear from mainstream media outlets.

News Beat

From the award-winning News Beat podcast, here's a playlist examining the evolution of mass incarceration in the United States.

From the award-winning News Beat podcast, here's a playlist examining the evolution of mass incarceration in the United States.

Guide to Mass Incarceration

Racism, Weed, Jazz and Harry Anslinger [Episode 0002]

The True Origins of the War on Drugs

“I'll answer that part first, that’s the easy one,” explains John Kiriakou, the former CIA intelligence officer who served 30 months in federal prison for exposing the agency’s torture program to the world, when asked whether he’d do it all again despite the personal and professional fallout from his disclosure.

Those are just some of the many profound insights he shared with us during a recent, wide-ranging conversation encompassing everything from the significance of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s recent plea deal with U.S. authorities to the lack of affirmative defense under the WWI-era Espionage Act to his thoughts on Israel’s indefinite detention and alleged torture of Palestinians, the personal toll of truth-telling, ongoing ‘War on Terror,’ and much more.

News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media.

Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com

Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti
Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski
Managing Editor: Rashed Mian
Episode Art: Jon Chim

“I'll answer that part first, that’s the easy one,” explains John Kiriakou, the former CIA intelligence officer who served 30 months in federal prison for exposing the agency’s torture program to the world, when asked whether he’d do it all again despite the personal and professional fallout from his disclosure.
Those are just some of the many profound insights he shared with us during a recent, wide-ranging conversation encompassing everything from the significance of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s recent plea deal with U.S. authorities to the lack of affirmative defense under the WWI-era Espionage Act to his thoughts on Israel’s indefinite detention and alleged torture of Palestinians, the personal toll of truth-telling, ongoing ‘War on Terror,’ and much more.
<hr><hr>
News Beat is produced in association with <a href="https://www.mannyfacesmedia.com">Manny Faces Media</a>.
Sign up for our free newsletter at <a href="https://newsbeat.substack.com">newsbeat.substack.com</a>
Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "<a href="https://www.mannyfaces.com">Manny Faces</a>" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jon Chim

CIA Torture Whistleblower John Kiriakou Talks Assange, Israel & Toll of Truth-Telling

The occupied, blockaded, walled territories of Palestine have served as an incubator for some of Israel’s deadliest and most intrusive weapons and surveillance systems. Once tested and perfected on the captive population, they’ve been sold to some of the most oppressive, murderous autocracies—and democracies—in the world.
These are some of the many revelations exposed in the latest book by acclaimed journalist, filmmaker, and author Antony Loewenstein: “The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation around the World.”
A guest on previous episodes ”Disaster Capitalism” and “Grifter’s Paradise,” Loewenstein joins us once again to discuss the ascent of Israel into one of the largest arms dealers on the planet, its insanely disturbing testing and marketing techniques, the authoritarian regimes that have unleashed these weapons and technologies to crush dissenters and massacre countless people, 9/11’s lasting impact on all this, his warning for the future, and much more. 

For links to the book and Loewenstein's work, head over to newsbeat.substack.com.



News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media.

Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com

Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti
Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski
Managing Editor: Rashed Mian
Episode Art: Jon Chim

The occupied, blockaded, walled territories of Palestine have served as an incubator for some of Israel’s deadliest and most intrusive weapons and surveillance systems. Once tested and perfected on the captive population, they’ve been sold to some of the most oppressive, murderous autocracies—and democracies—in the world. These are some of the many revelations exposed in the latest book by acclaimed journalist, filmmaker, and author Antony Loewenstein: “The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation around the World.” A guest on previous episodes ”Disaster Capitalism” and “Grifter’s Paradise,” Loewenstein joins us once again to discuss the ascent of Israel into one of the largest arms dealers on the planet, its insanely disturbing testing and marketing techniques, the authoritarian regimes that have unleashed these weapons and technologies to crush dissenters and massacre countless people, 9/11’s lasting impact on all this, his warning for the future, and much more. 
For links to the book and Loewenstein's work, head over to newsbeat.substack.com.
 
<hr>
News Beat is produced in association with <a href="https://www.mannyfacesmedia.com">Manny Faces Media</a>.
Sign up for our free newsletter at <a href="https://newsbeat.substack.com">newsbeat.substack.com</a>
Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "<a href="https://www.mannyfaces.com">Manny Faces</a>" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jon Chim

The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued provisional orders in response to South Africa’s case charging Israel with committing genocide against Palestinians, ruling that Israel must refrain from genocidal acts, punish public incitement of genocide, facilitate humanitarian aid, and more. Our previous guest, international human rights attorney Francis Boyle, describes the legally binding mandates as a monumental win to help stop the massacres and civilian carnage, while MSM and others dismiss their weight since they don’t explicitly call for a “ceasefire.” What do these historic directives actually mean? What happens next? And will they stop the daily atrocities leveled against the innocent Palestinian people?!? We break it all down, sharing critical context and explaining just what’s at stake, as the death toll in Gaza continues to mount.

News Beat is produced in association with Manny Faces Media.

Sign up for our free newsletter at newsbeat.substack.com

Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "Manny Faces" Conforti
Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski
Managing Editor: Rashed Mian
Episode Art: Jon Chim

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued provisional orders in response to South Africa’s case charging Israel with committing genocide against Palestinians, ruling that Israel must refrain from genocidal acts, punish public incitement of genocide, facilitate humanitarian aid, and more. <a href="https://newsbeat.substack.com/p/the-genocide-case-against-israel">Our previous guest, international human rights attorney Francis Boyle</a>, describes the legally binding mandates as a monumental win to help stop the massacres and civilian carnage, while MSM and others dismiss their weight since they don’t explicitly call for a “ceasefire.” What do these historic directives actually mean? What happens next? And will they stop the daily atrocities leveled against the innocent Palestinian people?!? We break it all down, sharing critical context and explaining just what’s at stake, as the death toll in Gaza continues to mount.
<hr>
News Beat is produced in association with <a href="https://www.mannyfacesmedia.com">Manny Faces Media</a>.
Sign up for our free newsletter at <a href="https://newsbeat.substack.com">newsbeat.substack.com</a>
Producer/Audio Editor: Michael "<a href="https://www.mannyfaces.com">Manny Faces</a>" Conforti Editor-In-Chief: Chris Twarowski Managing Editor: Rashed Mian Episode Art: Jon Chim

The True Origins of the War on Drugs

Guide to Mass Incarceration

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