Interview with Xavier de Janon, an attorney representing one of the defendants facing state charges, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.

While there are 22 individuals facing charges across various jurisdictions, related to the ICE detention center protest, the primary federal case involves a group of 9 defendants, accused of being part of an antifa terror cell, who were convicted in March of domestic terrorism, rioting, and explosive offenses. Eight of those convicted were sentenced on June 23 to between 30 and 100 years in prison. The one defendant sentenced to 100 years in prison was convicted of attempted murder of a policeman, stating he shot and injured an officer on the scene, after he thought the officer was about to shoot one of the other protesters. The defendants, who’ve been in jail over the past year held on $1 million bail they can’t pay, say they’ll be appealing their case. Here Xavier de Janon talks about the 30- to 100-year sentences handed down in what he believes is a blatantly political prosecution.

Interview with Brendan Cook, a defendant in the "Swarthmore 9" case, conducted by Scott Harris.

Brendan Cook discusses his and his co-defendant’s trial that begins on July 1st, stemming from the group’s May 3, 2025 arrest on third-degree “defiant trespassing” charges after the individuals refused to vacate a pro-Palestine encampment at Swarthmore College.

Interview with Carol Evans, vice president of policy with Common Cause, conducted by Scott Harris.

Carol Evans talks about Common Cause’s concern about and work to protect this November’s midterm election from interference and manipulation by the Trump administration and Republican party. In recent months, the president and GOP have taken multiple steps to implement measures with the intent of suppressing the votes of millions of Americans and rigging election results.

Interview with John Tarleton, editor-in-chief of The Indypendent, conducted by Scott Harris.

John Tarleton discusses The Indypendent’s coverage of the city’s historic June 23rd Democratic primary election, with a focus on Democratic Socialist of America party candidates’ victories and their likely impact on both local and national politics. The Indypendent is New York City’s free progressive monthly newspaper.

Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus spoke with Wanda Bertram, communications strategist with the Prison Policy Initiative. Here she talks about the studies and the recommendations her organization is making to address the problem.

An increasing number of Americans have been imprisoned for longer and longer sentences over the past several decades, due to the government’s so-called “War on Drugs” and politicians who appeal to voters by calling for “tough on crime” policies.

These forces have led to mass incarceration in the U.S. that’s resulted in a prison population that’s now older. Three in every four people who were released from state prisons from 1991 and 2021, more than 12 million people, are over the age of 50 today. Two recent studies measure the negative health and longevity impacts of long-term incarceration later in life.

Interview with Rachel Carroll Rivas, deputy director research, reporting and analysis with the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center & SPLC Action.

Rachel Rivas discusses the Souther Poverty Law Center’s “Annual Year in Hate & Extremism Report,” which finds that under the Trump regime, far-right extremist groups have gained new power across the federal government, private tech sector and college campuses over the course of 2025.

Interview with Pastor Doug Pagitt, executive director of the Minneapolis-based national organization Vote Common Good, conducted by Scott Harris.

Pastor Doug Pagitt discusses how the resistance community he works with has been doing since the dark days of the ICE invasion in the Twin Cities in January. He talks about the Department of Justice’s recent federal criminal charges against 15 Minneapolis residents in connection with anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis-St. Paul earlier this year, accusing them of “conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers” and of allegedly “violently” impeding immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities.