On the Ground w Esther Iverem

As the U.S. spends billions on an illegal attack that could lead to global war, people in the U.S. take to the streets to say ‘No War on Iran.’ And the world joins DC in celebratng the life of a champion for justice, the Rev. Graylan Hagler. Plus headlines.  With Dante O’Hara, Parisa Norouzi, Rev. Freeman L. Palmer. Zyad from American Muslims for Palestine, Lubna and Miranda Mlillo from the Palestinian Youth Movement, Bella from the National Iranian American Council.

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Lies, insanity and spin are becoming the norm in our daily news and information diet, where one shocking story quickly supplants another. To help us wade through the muck, we speak to our media critic Jon Jeter about coverage of Iran, Tucker Carlson, the BAFTA Awards fiasco and more. And in this new era of attempted colonization and bullying by the U.S. empire, Halie Gerima’s new film ‘Black Lions, Roman Wolves’ reminds us how we liberated ourselves and can still fight fascists and win. Plus headlines. 

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Whether it is threatening war with Iran, funding genocide in Gaza, Killing people in Venezuela, or killing its own people at home, the U.S. its lashing out in a spiral of violence. Protesters rally outside the first meeting of Trump’s so-called Board of Peace, denouncing the diplomatic cosplay as continued genocide. And in these times, we can count on our artist,, writers and filmmakers to remind us of our victories, and our abillity to win today. 

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Bodycam footage offers more proof that Trump officials lied about border agents shooting a Chicago school teacher five times after first ramming her car. And what do the repeated lies by the federal government mean? We speak to political scientist Wilmer Leon. Plus Gerald Horne on Bad Bunny and more headlines.

“On the Ground: Voices of Resistance from the Nation’s Capital” gives a voice to the voiceless 99 percent at the heart of American empire. The award-winning, weekly hour, produced and hosted by Esther Iverem, covers social justice activism about local, national and international issues, with a specia...

From Minnesota to DC, to Haiti, Gaza and Iran, the U.S. empire is in a whirlwind of war and violence.And with four U.S. citizens killed by immigration agents and dozens more dead in detention prisons, survivors of this wave of police violence tell members of Congress these attacks on the people must stop. Plus headlines on Gaza, Iran, Nigeria, Cuba, DC home rule, and more.  

The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people’s voices on the air, and by support from our listeners. In this new...

The street execution of Veterans Affairs nurse Alex Pretti by border patrol agents in Minnesota may mark a turning point in the Trump administration’s lawless deportation strategies. We spend most of this show hearing from federal workers and their supporters who attended a vigil for Pretti outside the headquarters of the VA, two blocks from the White House.And there are threats of more attacks by the U.S. abroad, as the Trump administration movies warships to the region of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Please headlines with Gerald Horne. 

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As Minnesotans participate in a mass shutdown of the state, solidarity protests continue here in DC and around the country demanding an end to Trump’s deadly and racist immigration policies. And for this months episode of On the Media, Jon Jeter weighs in three speeches from Canada, Russia and Iran that were either ignored, or given too much gloss by corporate media. 

The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people’s voices on the air, and by support from our listeners. In this new era of fake corporate news...

More than a week after the shooting death of a 37-year-old mother in Minnesota, protests are growing, as are calls to abolish or defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE. And what does this ratcheted up violence in our neighborhoods mean? We speak to historian Gerald Horne for this month’s episode of the F-Word on fascism.

“On the Ground: Voices of Resistance from the Nation’s Capital” gives a voice to the voiceless 99 percent at the heart of American empire. The award-winning, weekly hour, produced and hosted by Esther Iverem, covers social justice activism about local, national...

After more than two years of supporting  genocidal violence in Palestine, the United States is waging war on Venezuela, killing up to 100 people during a January 3 attack, and kidnapping President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Meanwhile, the U.S. is ramping up violence against its own people, with ICE shooting and killing another American citizen, in cold blood and in broad daylight.  

The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people’s voices on the air, and by support from our listeners. In this new era of fake corp...

PART TWO OF  DC residents speaking out about the impact of increased policing by federal agents, including ICE officers, since August 2025. Those presented here are among  the 130 people who testified for nearly 12 hours on December 4th 2025 before the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee of the DC Council. The Trump administration ordered a multi-million dollar surge in policing and deployment of the National Guard, despite the district’s 30-year low crime rate. That surge officially ended in September, but there are still more federal police openly collaborating with local police, leading to shootings and other violent encounters in DC neighborhoods.  

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SUPPORT OUR END OF YEAR APPEAL! On this show, we hear from residents of DC, speaking out about the impact of increased policing by federal agents, including ICE officers, since August 2025. Those presented here were among the 130 people who testified for nearly 12 hours on December 4th 2025 before the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee of the DC Council.The Trump administration ordered this multi-million dollar surge in policing and deployment of the National Guard, despite the district’s 30-year low crime rate. That surge officially ended in September, but there are still more federal police openly collaborating with local police, le...

Immigrants, their families and supporters march in DC for International Migrants Day demanding justice here in the U.S. and their home countries. And on this final episode of the F-Word on fascism for 2025, Gerald Horne tells us why things may not be as bad as we think. Plus Headlines on Gaza, Venezuela, DC Residents Speak Out on Federal Occupation.

The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people’s voices on the air, and by support from our listeners. In this new era of fake corporate news, we have to...

As the U.S. escalates its provocations and attacks on Venezuela, we hear from people in the U.S. saying no to war. And we talk to Gerald Horne about the war against the people here at home. Plus, headlines on Gaza, federal workers win, Noem lies and FBI clueless in Congressional hearing, Google erases Palestine content from YouTube.

The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people’s voices on the air, and by support from our listeners. In this new era of fake corporate news, we have to be...

News coverage of extrajudicial killings of boaters by the United States, as well as continued lies about wars in Ukraine and Gaza are some topics for this month’s episode of “On the Media” with Jon Jeter. Plus headlines on massacres in Gaza and Sudan; Supreme Court allows racial gerrymandering in Texas; Rodney Taylor, an amputee from Liberia is abused in ICE detention; National Guard in DC, National Day to oppose war on Venezuela is Dec. 6.  

The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people’s voices on the air, and by su...

END OF YEAR SUPPORT: Give a one-time or recurring donation on PayPal. Or click here or click on the Support-Donate tab on our website to subscribe for as little as $3 a month. We are so grateful for this small but growing amount of monthly crowdsource funding on Patreon. PATREON NOW HAS A ONE-TIME, ANNUAL DONATION FUNCTION!

On the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday, the lies of settler colonialism have never been laid so bare, for all the world to see. Gerald Horne discusses a plot to re-enslave Haitians. And in DC, a call for a boycott of Amazon and Whole...

PLEASE SUPPORT US IN YOUR END OF YEAR GIVING!

As the number of South American boaters murdered by U.S. airstrikes continues to rise, protesters speak out at the White House against the Trump administration’s threatened war on Venezuela. For people in South America and throughout the Global South, the genocide in Gaza is a grim reference point for the the U.S. empire’s barbarism. Plus headlines on Palestine, Epstein, and more… 

The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people’s voices on the air, and by su...

On Veteran’s Day, U.S. military veterans rally in D.C. against policies that continue to slaughter innocent people abroad, and put soldiers and weapons of war onto American streets.The live-streamed genocide in Gaza has awakened not only civilian populations globally to the depravity of U.S.-backed war crimes, it is spurring a new generation of active military and veterans to oppose endless wars and to remember the oath they took to defend the U.S. constitution. Plus headlines on Epstein, former leader of ISIS and Al-Qaeda visits the White House, and more. 

The sho...

From the win by a Democratic Socialist in New York City, to Trump’s threats against Nigeria, Gerald Horne weighs in on the news. And a majority-Black suburb of Washington, DC continues the fight against a massive, polluting AI data center. Plus headlines on SNAP, Gaza, the “Refuse Fascism” protest, the Black March on the White House, pending strike at Starbucks, and the DC premiere of “Earth’s Greatest Enemy” documentary, by journalist Abby Martin, about the impact of the U.S. military on the environment. 

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The call for a general strike was the most concrete demand coming from the massive no kings day protests. And labor and pro-Palestine advocates are picking up the baton, demanding that unions in the U.S. shut it down and end US weapons and shipments to the apartheid state of Israel. And, after a border patrol agent shoots at man in DC during a routine traffic stop, a coalition of African American and Latinx activists demand that attacks in DC by ice and federal police end immediately.  Plus Headlines, Federal workers line up for food aid, and more… 

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From Gaza to Venezuela, to attacks on immigrants here at home, elites use Corporate media to keep Americans blind to the facts, to make us “good Germans.” We speak to journalist Jon Jeter for this month’s episode of ‘On the Media.’ And though millions in the U.S. attended the October 18 “No Kings” protests against the Trump agenda, Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago, made the most concrete demand, for a general strike.  

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The United States is in a politically turbulent time, one that calls for residents to stand up against injustice. We speak to historian Gerald Horne for this month’s episode of The F-Word on fascism. And do voting rights for Black people discriminate against whites? We hear from attorneys who just argued a landmark voting rights case before the Supreme Court. Plus headlines on No Kings Day, Israel violates ceasefire and tortures prisoners, and more. 

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The enslaved and free African populations of what is now the Washington, DC area were pivotal in ending the scourge of slavery in the 19th century. And historian Gerald Horne argues that today’s African descendent population will be pivotal in fighting fascism in the 21st century. We spend the hour speaking to Professor Horne about his new book, The Capital of Slavery: Washington DC 1800 to 1865.

There will be a DMV launch for The Capital of Slavery October 17, with a reception beginning at 6:30 PM, at beautiful Cultural Arts Center at Montgomery College in DOWNTOWN SILVER SPRING. Reserve yo...

This week, the Trump administration presented a Gaza peace plan that was neither about peace nor a plan. It claimed that U.S. cities should be used for military training. Then chose to standby its wealth transfer to the rich and shut down the government. We speak to historian Gerald Horne.

Five cities threatened by Trump ban together for the fightback. And a celebration of life is held for community organizer and labor activist Arturo Griffiths Jr.  

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As the far right continues their attack on U.S. constitutional rights, their latest front is news and information, as they gain more control over what people in this country can see hear and read. We speak to journalist Jon Jeter for this month’s episode of On the Media. And in his speech before the UN General Assembly, Colombian President, Gustavo Petro scolds the world for permitting the Gaza genocide, sketches a plan to fight climate catastrophe, and calls out Trump for illegal bombings of people boating in the Caribbean. Plus headlines.  

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As the death of right-wing organizer Charlie Kirk is used to jumpstart new attacks on the left, are we witnessing the U.S. version of Nazi Germany’s Reichstag fire? We speak to historian Gerald Horne for this month’s episode of the F-Word on fascism. And two survivors of the new U.S. censorship regime, Mahmoud Khalil, former student organizer at Columbia university, and Karen Attiah, a former opinion writer for the Washington Post, hold a public conversation here in DC. Plus headlines on victory against Maryland data center, federal scientists and researchers fight back, DC residents lobby the...

Trump’s so-called ‘crime emergency’ in DC is over, but thousands protest as federal police, masked ICE agents and armed soldiers remain on the streets of the capital. And as the DC Council takes a final vote on $1 billion in taxpayer funding for a new NFL stadium, Lydia Curtis exposes why hundreds of new housing units are built in DC that working families cannot afford. Plus headlines on Bolsanaro, Charlie Kirk, Qatar bombing, Venezuela, and more.

“On the Ground: Voices of Resistance from the Nation’s Capital” gives a voice to the voiceless 99 percent at the heart of American e...

During the final days of Trump’s so-called crime emergency declared in DC, residents and lawmakers tell Congress that they want armed soldiers, masked ICE agents and federal police out of their neighborhoods. And survivors of serial sexual predators Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell speak out on Capitol Hill, demanding that all files in the case be released, and saying that they will create their own list of Epstein’s predators., Gerald Horne on India and the SCO, and on the illegal U.S. bombing of a speedboat. And more headlines.  ‘

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Here in the nation’s capital, we refuse to normalize National Guard soldiers  with automatic weapons on the Metro, or racist checkpoints where Uber drivers are snatched up and handcuffed by men wearing masks.
On this show, we hear from speakers at the massive ‘Solidarity Season’ labor march held Thursday, August 28th, we talk to our geopolitical analyst Gerald Horne about world happenings, and we remember Hurricane Katrina 20 years later. All that and MUCH more.

The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people’s voices on the air, and by su...

For this month’s episode of The F-Word, historian Gerald Horne discusses DC as a laboratory for an American brand of fascism. And with revolutionary optimism, DC activists are fighting back, defining the struggle in the district as the same as in the global south, against colonialism and snd imperialism. Plus headlines on vigil for murdered Al Jazeera journalists and more.

The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people’s voices on the air, and by support from our listeners. In this new era of fake corporate news, we have...

To thwart a redistricting scheme that will disenfranchise Black and Latinx voters in Texas, state Democratic lawmakers have fled the state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass the legislation. And Pro-Palestine activists hold an encampment outside the DC offices of several corporate news organizations, accusing them of complicity in enabling the genocide in Gaza. Plus headlines.

The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people’s voices on the air, and by support from our listeners. In this new era of fake corporate news, we have to be an...

The DC Council is set to vote on a controversial plan to spend one billion dollars in taxpayer funding toward a new NFL stadium for the Washington Commanders. In this debate, both sides do want to bring the professional football team home, but differ on whether the current deal is good, or whether DC should fight for a better deal. Plus headlines on Chris Smalls released from Zionist terrorist detention. And more… 

The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people’s voices on the air, and by support from our l...

From brutal immigration raids, to police attacks on peaceful protesters, to inhumane immigration detention facilities, the U.S. is looking more and more like a police state. And we speak to our media critic Jon Jeter about the continued murder of journalists in Gaza, and repression of free speech across Europe and in the U.S. Plus headlines on ‘Stop Starving Gaza’ protests, Gerald Horne on the for-profit ICE system, police brutality survivor William McNeil Jr. and his parents speak at press conference, Trump launches attack on U.s. workers, the latest on the DC budget, and more. 

The...

Trump just fired half of the staff at the U.S. Department of Education, which serves more than 60 million people in the country. So for this month’s episode of the F-word, we speak to political scientist Wilmer Leon about fascism and education. And speaking education and information, Trump is placing economic sanctions on the UN special rapporteur for Palestine, after she exposed the truth about dozens of companies, including American companies, profiting from mass murder and occupation of the Palestinian people. Well hear her report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Plus headlines with Kei Pritsker, Ch...

In an upside-down world, where an indicted war criminal is feted at the White House, those opposed to the Gaza holocaust are fighting back in the only way they know: by continuing to stay in the streets. On this show, we hear from speakers at a rally near the White House in opposition to the third visit this year of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, DC. Plus, Gerald Horne on Gaza, Iran, BRICS… And More. 

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On Friday,, July fourth , Trump is scheduled to sign into law his so-called big beautiful bill which eliminates health care and food assistance for millions of Americans, adds $150 billion more for the military, and triples the budget for Trump’s mass deportation machine, making ICE the largest police force in the country. All of this to give billionaires a massive tax cut and add more than three trillion to the national debt. 

Three days before the House vote, as the Senate was still debating, faith leaders were arrested on the street outside the capitol as they carried sym...

Poor news coverage of the Israeli-U.S. attack on Iran reinforces alternative media as the only place for truth about the empire. We speak to Jon Jeter for this month’s episode of On the Media. And the Trump administration may not have acknowledged the Juneteenth federal holiday but DC residents started a new tradition of honoring ancestors who walked to freedom. Plus headlines on Iran, Gaza, the federal budget, DC budget, and talk on sports and culture. 

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As the possibility of a new U.S. war looms in West Asia, we speak to political scientist Wilmer Lemon for this month’s episode of the F-Word on fascism. And a U.S. veteran was among those speaking out in front of the White House at a protest against Israel’s attack on Iran. Plus headlines on Gaza, Iran, Minnesota shooter, and the DC budget.  

The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people’s voices on the air, and by support from our listeners. In this new era of fake...

Israel, the U.S. armed outpost in West Asia, bombs Iran, assassinating several military leaders and at least one nuclear scientist. We speak to historian Gerald Horne. And here at home, the Trump administration tests the limits of executive authority by illegally calling up both the National Guard  and the Marines against protesters.  And the administration is still firing federal workers illegally. We hear from a union leader, and we speak to a lawyer helping them to fight back. With Gerald Horne, Mark Dimondstein, Sejal Singh, Becky Pringle, Lee Saunders, pro-immigrant and anti-ICE protesters in DC. 

The sho...

After the United States vetoes, for a fifth time, a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the U.S. and Israel are more isolated than ever on the world stage. We hear from some countries, Algeria, Pakistan and Somalia, vowing to keep up the fight to end the holocaust. And what is the aftermath of Ukraine’s strikes on nuclear capable bombers in Russia? And were NATO countries involved? Gerald Horne considers the real dangers of World War III.

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Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric of being a peace president is fading fast, as Russia, West Asia and China remain in the crosshairs. We speak to historian Gerald Horne. And then we go to Dayton Ohio, where hundreds of people participated in actions to counter the North Atlantic Treaty Organization/ NATO military alliance meeting there. Plus headlines on five years since George Floyd’s murder, Elon Musk’s exit from Washington, and much more.

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