This podcast episode made us nervous! Activists and protest organizers like Bryce Greene are today facing scary repercussions for exercising their Free Speech and Freedom of Assembly like has rarely been seen before in American history. If you’ve been curious to better understand the people behind the controversial campus events opposing the Gaza War, Bryce’s story is for you. As one of organizers of the 2024 Indiana University encampments, he became a key target of the famous – or infamous – arrests that followed. And if you’re one of the tens of thousands who follow Bryce on X, listen to his regular contributions to the podcast ‘American Exception’, saw his 2023 testimony before the United Nations, or read his articles at FAIR and Substack, this intimate conversation will take you much closer.

Time-stamp

00:00:01 Teaser from the Bryce Greene interview

00:01:00 Ruth+Ray Background on Bryce Greene and how he coincidentally came to know Ruth & Ray separately

00:09:15 R+R Ruth’s own form of activism via working with IU’s La Casa / Latino Cultural Center

00:13:30 R+R Our recommends for Movies about Activists; Gumbo Coalition; Aaron Sorkin’s Trial of the Chicago 7; Selma; Malcolm X; Milk; Occupy; He Named Me Malala; I Am Gretta; Navalny; Brett Morgan’s Chicago 10; A Song For Cesar; Ray’s idea for ‘Dunn’ a documentary about the history of activism at IU’s Dunn Meadow

00:24:14 Bryce Greene (BG) - Why Ray is scared doing this interview, Bryce’s take on whether it's smart to leave or stay and fight in Trump’s America, Contingency Plans

00:34:00 BG Growing up a middle class Black American in Indianapolis with “NPR liberal” parents, heads to Indiana University for Informatics, first radicalized by “Leftist reading list” books by Noam Chomsky (Profit Over People, Hegemony or Survival) and Howard Zinn, listening to Dan Carlin’s podcasts Hardcore History and Common Sense, heads down the “rabbit hole” of history, politics, anarchism, direct action

00:47:10 BG Starts writing for FAIR about Venezuela, then Israel and Palestine, then Ukraine; how in 2023 he got invited by Russian delegation to come to NYC and speak before the United Nations about the Nord Stream 2 pipeline bombing

00:54:00 BG Repercussions of researching “third rail” stories

00:56:30 BG How began appearing on Aaron Good’s American Exception podcast, “deep politics,” “deep state,” Peter Dale Scott, Aaron Good

00:59:20 BG Secret to Bryce’s social media popularity; parallels between the United States’ problematic reaction to 9/11 and Israel’s reaction to October 7th

01:01:20 BG Weird story of how Bryce came to know Ray, and separately Ruth, and how we all found out we’re in Bloomington IN together

01:02:45 BG Founding IU’s Palestine Solidarity Committee in 2018; advising 2024 IU encampment; famous - or infamous - riot police standoff in April ‘24 that turned out to be targeting Bryce specifically, roof snipers, police chatter, Bryce in zip ties

01:14:10 BG History of activism at IU’s Dunn Meadow going back to women’s suffrage, what the recent “turn” at Dunn and across U.S. seems to symbolize re Free Speech today

01:20:10 BG Bryce’s family’s reaction to his activism, where he’s heading with his life, PhD

Listen to Everybody Has a Podcast ON YOUTUBE

https://youtu.be/MvPmfiMNPvg

Follow Bryce Green

On X - https://x.com/TheGreeneBJ

Read latest writings on Substack

https://brycegreene.substack.com/

Listen to Bryce on American Exception podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/american-exception/id1617469345?l=en-GB

Watch part of Bryce’s 2023 United Nations testimony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icYLdwEB8f0

Watch coverage of IU encampment with Bryce

https://www.pbs.org/video/protests-at-iu-over-israels-war-in-gaza-may-3-2024-xbyyhj/

Watch Bodycam footage before Bryce’s arrest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYNN_yqQYiY

Follow & message Ruth on IG

@RuthVacaIG

@VeganishVegetarian

Email Ray:

RayNowosielski@gmail.com

TrueStories.us

Copyright 2025 True Stories Inc.

Last year we started a tradition on this podcast of having Ruth’s BFF “Bling” on the day after The Oscars to get a fresh take on “Hollywood’s biggest night.” This is something Ruth and Bling have been doing for decades and that Ray started doing with Ruth after they met. One of our favorite topics! Join us for a laugh-filled convo among old friends about this year's movies and moments at the Academy Awards 2025.

Time stamp:

00:00- 02:39: Welcome to our 2nd Annual Academy Awards Recap with "Bling"! Who is Bling?

02:39: Why we didn't watch all of the nominated films, and why we are grateful for HULU airing the Oscars to all members

08:31: Our thoughts on Conan as a host, the production, and set design.

13:17: Let's talk about the winners of the night! Starting with Kieran Culkin ( A Real Pain) and his charming speech. Plus what we thought about A Real Pain, and how it was hard to love.

19:45: Feature Length Animated Film Winner: FLOW. Why Pablo, our 6 year old, was disappointed by its win.

21:43: How the Costume Designer presentation made Ruth laugh more than the Monologue.

Anora's win for Best Film Editing and Sean Baker's funny speech while breaking a Oscar record.

Comparing our notes and personality types.

27:08: Ruth's beef with Emilia Perez, Zoe Zaldana's speech and win, and the controversy around the film. Is okay to make films about other people's culture? What went wrong?

51:20: is Hulu gaslighting us? Why we missed the last two awards of the night. Our thoughts on the good an bad commercials, rivaling Superbowl commercials. Did Hulu just lose their deal with ABC?

56:17: Should Ruth style the Documentary nominees? Adrien Brody's gum spitting, speech and revealing his girlfriend's past and loyalty.

01:02:32: No More Land win and advocating for peace and resolution at the Oscar's podium. Why doesn't No More Land have distribution, even though it has won an Oscar? Is Hollywood blacklisting films about peace in the Middle East?

01:04:28: In Memoriam, where was Shannon Doherty? Bling's 007 thoughts, and how she noticed the commercials matched the commercials, until it got weird...We give our pitches for next year's pharma commercials.

01:08:17: Our last thoughts on Anora, Demi Moore, Best Actress, and highlighting independent films.

01:10:00: Our last reflection on the Oscars.

Listen to Everybody Has a Podcast ON YOUTUBE

https://www.youtube.com/@DoubleAsteriskMedia

Follow & message Ruth:

IG @RuthVaca

IG @VeganishVegetarian

Email Ray:

RayNowosielski@gmail.com

TrueStories.us

Copyright 2025 True Stories Inc.

If you’re a good person wishing you knew how to run for office, to make a difference during these troubled times, listen to this episode. Repping the famous #Ferguson area of St. Louis during the birth of the movement for Black Lives, Maria Chappelle-Nadal was no stranger to controversy or adversity over her 2 terms in the Missouri senate and 4 terms in the house of representatives. Now she’s an NAACP Image Award nominee for her very first outing as a media personality, having joined the team of iHeartPodcasts’ After the Uprising as co-host, investigator, writer and producer for Season 2 – and helping solve the murder of activist Darren Seals. She also ran in the ‘24 threeway race between Cori Bush and Wesley Bell and has much more to reveal about new U.S. Congressman Bell. An inspirational and very interesting episode!

Time-stamp

00:01:00 Ruth+Ray Is our recurring opening annoying?

00:03:40 R+R Ray’s going to the NAACP Image Awards in L.A. Are we moving to L.A.?

00:08:15 R+R Maria Chappelle-Nadal’s backstory, the dirt on new U.S. Congressman Wesley Bell, will there be a Season 3 of After the Uprising?

00:13:30 R+R Ruth’s Jimmy John’s foodie hack and unsolicited advice to Jimmy John’s

00:23:30 R+R Ray’s long-time Valentine’s Day curse

00:32:15 Maria Chappelle-Nadal - How Ray & Maria celebrated Image Award news!

00:34:30 MCN How Ray nagged Maria into joining After the Uprising

00:38:00 MCN How 29 year old Maria first won elected office

00:43:15 MCN Ups and downs of Maria’s time in office, scariest moments

00:48:15 MCN What led Maria to her (now Image Award nom’d) turn in the media

00:51:30 MCN Learning to investigate murder and corruption in a podcast, “counting bodies,” getting in touch with alleged killers to accuse them

00:57:30 MCN The problem with Wesley Bell the former prosecutor of St Louis County, now U.S. Congressman, why the St. Louis press is IGNORING it

01:04:45 MCN Why Maria ran in ‘24 against Cori Bush & Wesley Bell

01:09:45 MCN Maria’s current endeavors, Hounding Clayton, hope in the time of Trump

Listen to Everybody Has a Podcast ON YOUTUBE

https://youtu.be/zQ30H8WM47I

Follow Maria Chappelle-Nadal’s on-going work holding feet to the fire in St. Louis by searching the handle “Hounding Clayton” on:

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@HoundingClayton

Bluesky - https://app.bsky.cz/profile/houndingclayton.bsky.social

X - https://x.com/HoundingClayton

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@hounding.clayton

IG - https://www.instagram.com/houndingclayton/

Listen to Maria’s Image Award-nominated turn as host, investigator, writer & producer of Season 2 of iHeartPodcasts’ AFTER THE UPRISING wherever you get your podcasts, including:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/after-the-uprising/id1568344817

Read the latest article quoting Maria Chappelle-Nadal, about Wesley Bell, as mentioned in this episode: https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/column/joe-holleman/settlement-pending-in-discrimination-lawsuit-involving-wesley-bell/article_d34a27b8-d374-11ef-a99a-e756e8941927.html

Follow & message Ruth:

IG @RuthVaca

IG @VeganishVegetarian

Email Ray:

RayNowosielski@gmail.com

TrueStories.us

Copyright 2025 True Stories Inc.

Happy Groundhog Day, everyone! The Bill Murray movie set during this quasi-holiday has inspired and made laugh people the world over, and it was conceived and written by Daniel Rubin, our guest this episode. This show’s hosts, spouses Ruth and Ray, fell in love - yuck - 15 years ago watching this movie together from two different coasts, a story they tell here. Rubin was a brand new screenwriter when he came up with, as his first real idea, the concept of an infinite time loop, a day lived again and again, one that has caught on in popular culture. As a teacher of how to break a story at a high level, Rubin provides a 30 minute “master class” for writers in this episode, breaking down how he developed an incredible idea into a winning film.

Time-stamp

00:01:00 R+R Larry David & when is it too late to wish Happy New Year?

00:02:35 R+R Background on Daniel Rubin & the interview

00:07:00 R+R Ruth’s story of being “inebriated” the first time she spoke to Daniel Rubin

00:09:00 R+R How Ruth & Ray fell in love over Groundhog Day

00:11:25 R+R What would you choose as your Groundhog Day to live over and over?

00:17:30 R+R Vince Vaughn Jon Favreau move Swingers

00:18:50 R+R Chicago dudes Vince Vaughn & John Cusack, 2 ends of political spectrum, Ray’s interview with Cusack, Ruth’s love of Joan Cusack, Ruth & Ray do improv

00:23:30 R+R Our 2025 NAACP Image Award nomination for podcast After the Uprising - Vote!

00:27:25 Daniel Rubin - Certain kind of movie people become devoted to, why Groundhog Day creates devoted viewers?

00:30:45 DR How he grew up, inspired by Twilight Zone, Wonderful Life

00:32:30 DR Origin Story of Groundhog Day, unexpected Anne Rice vampire connection

00:37:40 DR Big ideas, Wonderful Life creator, what Daniel was going for, David Lynch, inspiration of Chicago comedy improv exercise “directed scene,” what the Studios would want

00:42:15 DR How did Groundhog Day become the holiday Daniel chose? And Punxsutawney PA? And a weatherman as the protagonist?

00:47:30 DR How the Bill Murray character came about

00:52:15 DR The “trigger warning” suicide element and Daniel’s thoughts

00:54:45 DR Other movies & shows that “robbed” Groundhog Day - Natasha Lyonne’s Russian Doll, X Files, Andy Samberg’s Palm Springs, Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow

00:57:00 DR Daniel Rubin meets Ruth (while she’s “inebriated”)

Listen to Everybody Has a Podcast ON YOUTUBE

https://youtu.be/1T0JdCW3-f4

Watch Groundhog Day on AppleTVhttps://tv.apple.com/us/movie/groundhog-day/umc.cmc.1w6jlmh7a3csaxq764zd0b6f0

Find out more about Daniel Rubin athttps://www.dannyrubin.com/

Follow & message Ruth:

IG @RuthVacaIG

@VeganishVegetarian

Email Ray:

RayNowosielski@gmail.com

TrueStories.us

Copyright 2024 True Stories Inc.

True crime media personality Collier Landry was only 12 years old when he gave the courtroom testimony that sent his father Dr. John Boyle to prison for the murder of Collier’s mother Noreen. 26 years later, Ray became friends with Collier while making their 2017 Investigation Discovery documentary ‘A Murder in Mansfield’, directed by Barbara Kopple. Collier is today a seasoned cinematographer and media maker in Los Angeles who has appeared on ‘Dr. Phil’ and produces his own always-on series ‘The Collier Landry Show’. We talk about his case, the making of our documentary, working with Kopple, David Cassidy and ‘American History X’ producer John Morrissey, filming the most intense scene of Ray’s career when Collier confronted his father in prison, “true crime” and much more.

Time-stamp

00:01:00 R+R Collier’s backstory summarized

00:10:00 R+R Our current listening and viewing

00:18:00 R+R Why Ray’s getting off social media

00:24:45 R+R Ruth’s & Ray’s 7th Wedding Anniversary, why are we together

00:30:00 R+R Weird tangent into the Western genre

00:35:00 R+R Our listenership, including in Sweden!

00:38:45 Collier Landry - How ‘A Murder in Mansfield’ began, meeting ‘American History X’s John Morrissey, “manifesting”

00:51:45 CL - Coming to know Barbara Kopple

00:54:00 CL - The most intense scene of Ray’s career, Collier confronts father in prison, sociopath thinking

01:10:45 CL - Collier’s mother Noreen, his history with narcissists in his life like his dad

01:21:00 CL - Ruth’s own history with crime and violence, parents and kids

01:28:45 CL - Gypsy Rose

Listen to Everybody Has a Podcast ON YOUTUBE

https://youtu.be/OmAB5Zg5A9k

Watch A Murder in Mansfield on Amazon Prime

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Mansfield-Season-1/dp/B07NBRNBGB

Listen to / Watch ‘The Collier Landry Show’ podcast wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube @CollierLandry

Follow Collier’s work on his web site

https://www.CollierLandry.com/

Follow Collier on social media

YouTube - @CollierLandry

TikTok - @CollierLandry

IG - @CollierLandry

Follow & message Ruth:

IG @RuthVaca

IG @VeganishVegetarian

Email Ray:

RayNowosielski@gmail.com

TrueStories.us

Copyright 2024 True Stories Inc.

Our ELECTION EP with the best possible guest for the subject, our Max documentary Gumbo Coalition’s Marc Morial! He’s a civil rights leader who turned out a record Black and Latine vote in 2020, president of the National Urban League, fmr mayor of New Orleans, spouse of CBS News’ Michelle Miller, son of Sybil Morial & first-black-mayor of New Orleans Dutch Morial and just a helluva good guy! We talk about 4 years of documenting him with 2-time Oscar-winner Barbara Kopple, filming our scene with Jared Kushner, updates for Gumbo Coalition fans and talk of what's at stake and what's ahead for the 2024 Election. We go DEEP.

Time-stamp

00:01:10 R+R Our background with Marc Morial & Max’s Gumbo Coalition

00:03:00 Trailer - Max’s Gumbo Coalition

00:04:45 R+R Marc’s basic background, making Max’s Gumbo Coalition, Whitney Young, the National Urban League, recent death of Marc’s mother / civil rights leader Sybil Morial, Dutch Morial as first black mayor of New Orleans, college friends with Martin Luther King, a civil rights love story, Medgar Evers’ murder, Marc’s time as New Orleans mayor

00:11:15 R+R Marc’s wife Michelle Miller of CBS News, wonderful fun Gumbo scene with Marc’s kids Mason & Margeaux first time voting, adding UnidosUS’ Janet Murguia to the film

00:15:30 R+R Marc’s arc from trying to work with Trump to opposition, our scene with Jared Kushner

00:19:00 R+R How Marc helped beat Trump in 2020, President Biden talks with Marc, live on January 6th

00:21:00 R+R Why have so many Black & Latine gone MAGA in last 4 years? Ruth’s personal background with the subject

00:26:45 Marc Morial - Becoming recent empty nest-er, recent passing of his mother Sybil

00:29:30 MM Making Max’s Gumbo Coalition was one of great experiences of his life, talk of a sequel or docu-series, how Barbara Kopple and our team works, invasiveness

00:41:30 MM Most frequent question he gets from Max’s Gumbo Coalition viewers, Missouri Urban League’s Save Our Sons prisoner to society program

00:43:30 MM Currently working with Biden White House & Kamala Harris on big housing initiative

00:46:15 MM Marc’s 2018 Jared Kushner meeting, trying to work with Trump White House, getting Criminal Justice Reform First Step Act passed, Cori Booker, Van Jones, Hakeem Jeffries, Cedric Richmond, Marc can “take a punch,” Charlottesville, January 6th

00:53:00 MM Marc as History Expert, how it informs his work with National Urban League, his take on where we are in History right now, the Age of Darkness, anti-intellectualism

00:57:30 MM Why Marc remains an eternal optimist, we’re not alone, outlook on Election 2024

Listen to Everybody Has a Podcast ON YOUTUBE

https://youtu.be/0p7uPKrwHkU

Watch Gumbo Coalition on Max

https://www.max.com/movies/gumbo-coalition/bf725175-769e-4e2c-8204-f3f1f04d6b77

Watch Marc weekly on his show America’s Black Forum

https://www.americasblackforum.com/

Follow Marc on social media

X - @MARCMORIAL

IG - @marcmorial

Check out the National Urban League

https://nul.org/

Follow & message Ruth:

IG @RuthVaca

IG @VeganishVegetarian

Follow & message Ray:

X @RayNowosielski

IG @BigPlayRay2023

TrueStories.us

Copyright 2024 True Stories Inc.

The MovieFilm Podcast has grown a huge audience of cinephiles who love getting besties Brian Hall's and Zaki Hasan's takes on movies and Hollywood since 2012, including their popular commentary tracks. Now, join us for a more up close and personal conversation than you might get on their own show, one filled with laughs and insights! Brian is living his dream as a writer on the Star Wars series Young Jedi Adventures, while Zaki is an esteemed movie critic whose reviews are found at the San Francisco Chronicle and many other places. We talk with them about how they cracked podcasting early, their best episodes, how they fell in love with movies, how they bonded, movies they walked out on, how Zaki introduces his kids to his favorites, their current work and future projects and what they're excited about next from the movies.

Time-stamp

00:01:00 R+R Background on Zaki & Brian 1

00:03:00 R+R Ebert vs Siskel, movies as "empathy machines"

00:05:00 R+R Background on Zaki & Brian 2, writing for Star Wars, living dreams

00:10:00 R+R Our own movie nerdom, introducing Pablo to our faves through our new Movie Night, Indiana Jones Temple of Doom, Goonies, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Short Circuit, Inside Out, big misses Dennis the Menace & Inspector Gadget

00:22:25 Zaki+Brian being early to podcasting, how it started 2012, why it worked and what fans tell them

00:29:30 Z+B Bringing nerd appreciation for movies, Planet of the Apes, must listen gateway episode reccos for MovieFilm Podcast

00:31:30 Z+B The childhood movies that made them love Film, Ray's love of Back to the Future, the making of Thriller & 1980s 90s NBC TV, Zaki's love of Star Wars, Superman, Tron, Flash Gordon, The Black Hole, classic Universal monster movies, Brian's love of ET, Ruth growing up with Golden Age Mexican cinema, then Gone With the Wind & ET

00:43:00 Z+B How Brian & Zaki met, bonded, first movies they saw together

00:45:45 Z+B Movies that made them walk out, Where the Heart Is, Weekend at Bernies 2, Morbius, Tree of Life, I Heart Huckabees

00:50:00 Z+B If you could be any character in a movie, talking Marty McFly, Ferris Bueller, Superman, Starship Enterprise 00:55:00 Z+B Movies Ray and Zaki always watched together, James Bond

00:56:30 Z+B How Zaki intros his 6 children to his fave movies, West Wing, Ruth's and Ray's new Movie Night with Pablo, Indiana Jones, Terminator 2

00:59:45 Z+B Fave Foreign Films, Run Lola Run and 1990s foreign flicks, Coda, Cinema Paradiso, The Untouchables, Fantastic Planet, new drive toward Saudi film scene

01:03:30 Z+B Movies looking forward to in coming year, Tim Burton's return to form w Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, talk about Spielberg's Fablemans, Super/Man Christopher Reeves documentary, Superman Legacy

01:06:45 Z+B What one and done original movie would Zaki make?

01:07:30 Z+B Brian living childhood dream of working on Star Wars property, naming character after Zaki's daughter

Listen on YouTube to Everybody Has a Podcast With Ruth & Ray

https://youtu.be/oIh7qpvMhHI

Listen to The MovieFilmPodcast wherever you get your podcasts, including:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/george-bailey-axel-foley/id549057901?i=1000638696580

Read Zaki's movie reviews for The Wrap, IGN & San Francisco Chronicle at:

ZakisCorner.com Watch Brian Hall penned eps of Young Jedi Adventures on Disney+

https://video.disney.com/watch/full-episode-s1-e1-star-wars-young-jedi-adventures-5ffc080161535ebd6b4f2a72

Follow & message Ruth:

IG @RuthVaca

IG @VeganishVegetarian

Follow & message Ray:

X @RayNowosielski

IG @BigPlayRay2023

TrueStories.us

Copyright 2024 True Stories Inc.

We're back, with a new one for "After the Uprising" fans! After a summer off to release and promote season 2 of our NAACP Image Award nom'd iHeartPodcasts Black Lives Matter true crime, Ray talks with co-creator John Duffy about how the new season almost killed them. One of Ray's oldest friends, most frequent collaborators & Double Asterisk** partner, they laugh and banter while talking big topics, including the Ferguson 10th anniversary; five years spent investigating Black activist murders in St. Louis; the strange death of Danye Jones and their relationship with his mother Melissa McKinnies; maybe solving the murder of Darren Seals; working with new co-host (fmr Missouri state) Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal; the state of journalism and the podcast industry; Duffy's recent award-winning fiction book A Ballroom For Ghost Dancing; and his soon-to-be-released new book.

Time-stamp

00:01:30 Why we were off all summer, the work on finishing After the Uprising season 2 that dropped in June, maybe solving Darren Seals' murder, why it wasn't bigger news in St. Louis

Listen to this episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/vXAmOyciWl8

Find John Duffy and his work at:
www.JohnFDuffy.com/

www.DoubleAsteriskMedia.com/

Follow & message Ruth:

IG @RuthVaca

IG @VeganishVegetarian

Follow & message Ray:

X @RayNowosielski

IG @BigPlayRay2023

TrueStories.us

@2024 True Stories Inc.