Facts Over Fear

The Alexander Brothers Verdict Is a Rare Reckoning in Sex-Trafficking Cases As the Epstein files raise new questions, civil rights attorney, Arick Fudali, who represents 11 of the Epstein survivors, breaks down a conviction that could send three wealthy brothers to prison for life. What does it means for the Epstein case and the future of accountability for the wealthy and elite? We discuss. FOLLO...

A $93 Billion Pentagon Binge and a White House That Wants Voter Restrictions FirstAmerican politics has always had its share of absurd moments. But lately, the headlines feel less like a functioning democracy and more like a surreal montage of power, money, and spectacle. Take this week. Actually, take the last 24 hours. A new report shows the Pentagon burned through a staggering $93 billion in a...

As the Olympic flame dims, the culture war burns brighter. So what, exactly, did we learn about men and women this week? To help me unpack it, I sat down with Jess Britvich — a former social worker turned razor-sharp content creator who covers the intersection of internet culture, trends, and politics. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, HuffPost, and BuzzFeed. She studied journalism and politica...

Need a sunny spot to your day? Olivia Zhang was 14. She was grieving. She built a global movement anyway so that kids with cancer could be seen and supported. And now, she’s teaching other young people how to build nonprofits and communities of care. FOLLOW NATALIEsubstack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnataliebinstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/#tiktok: https://www.tikto...

Here in Pittsburgh, there’s an organization quietly transforming maternal and infant health — one family at a time. Since opening its doors in 1982, The Midwife Center for Birth & Women’s Health has supported nearly 10,000 births. For more than four decades, The Midwife Center has championed personalized, relationship-based care that improves outcomes for parents and babies while expanding acc...

Recently, Colorado State Treasurer Dave Young joined 14 other state fiscal officers in sending a letter to the Trump administration, warning that large-scale immigration enforcement sweeps are destabilizing state and local economies. These aren’t cable news commentators or partisan activists. They are officials responsible for tracking billions of public dollars, monitoring tax collections, revenu...

As rural communities struggle with unconstitutional school funding, stagnant wages, rising electricity rates, and threats to Medicaid, candidates must answer one question: who is state policy really working for? Voters aren’t talking about abstract partisan fights. They’re asking whether their kids can get the education they deserve. Whether their paycheck stretches to the end of the month. Whethe...

Medical Debt & the Illusion of Security Following the death of Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek at age 48 after a two-year battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer, fans raised over $1.2 million (as of this recording) in seven hours to support his wife, Kimberly, and their six children. The GoFundMe describes a family facing financial instability after years of medical treatment left them d...

Is ICE uniquely “American?” Liana Maneese, Liberation Psychotherapist, Founder & Clinical Director of Transitional Characters, joined me to dive into this question and the role white women have traditionally played in the perpetuation of harmful systems, what happens when they “step out of line” and these cycles can be broken to create a more equitable future for all of us. ICE was created aft...

Arick Fudali, civil rights advocate and Partner and Managing Attorney at The Bloom Firm, is representing 11 survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking network at a moment when long-sealed documents are finally entering public view. But instead of clarity and accountability, the release of the so-called “Epstein files” has triggered new harm — exposing victims’ names through egregious redaction err...

ICE owes Lehigh County in Pennsylvania A LOT of back rent that (surprise!) they never paid. County Controller Mark Pinsley says the problem isn’t just a broken lease — it’s whether local government should be doing business with ICE at all. Is it time to evict? County Controller, Mark Pinsley, thinks so. Check out our interview about this and why he’s running for Congress. FOLLOW NATALIEsubstack: h...

Joanne Lee Molinaro Isn’t “Getting Political.” She Always Was. Recently, I interviewed Joanne Lee Molinaro — known to millions as The Korean Vegan. She built her platform focused on the intersections of culture, justice and connection through food: vegan Korean recipes rooted in memory, care and survival. Joanne has been using her platform to speak directly about Trump, ICE, immigration, fascism,...

Mandatory Outpatient Treatment Is Expanding. Here’s What’s at Stake. FOLLOW NATALIEsubstack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnataliebinstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/#tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliebencivengathreads: https://www.threads.com/@nataliebencivengapodcast via spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/47JYsn9LQchErS3cnHP2YFpodcast via apple: https://podcast...

This week, nearly 900 nurses and advanced practitioners at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital are entering historic first contract negotiations. This is a major milestone not just for labor, but for people across Western #pennsylvania. I interviewed Lucy Ruccio, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner at Magee-Womens Hospital about why these negotiations matter, what nurses are asking for, and how community voices co...

Who Tells America’s Story? Race, History, and Culture Under ScrutinyHistorian and writer, Donald Earl Collins, joins to discuss the attempted erasure of Black history under the Trump regime. FOLLOW NATALIEsubstack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnataliebinstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/#tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliebencivengathreads: https://www.threads.com/@na...

ICE Out of Everywhere: Why a Nationwide Day of Action Is Taking ShapeMinneapolis and communities across the country are mobilizing against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Homeland Security after a series of deadly, high-profile incidents that advocates say underscore the urgent need to dismantle ICE entirely. The killings of Alex Pretti, Re...

Bailey Devine opens up about the risks of Long COVID, the lessons the pandemic taught her, and why ignoring safety is dangerous. FOLLOW NATALIEsubstack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnataliebinstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/#tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliebencivengathreads: https://www.threads.com/@nataliebencivengapodcast via spotify: https://open.spotify.com/s...

Small towns across the U.S. are suddenly facing a modern problem:Massive AI and cloud data centers showing up in neighborhoods that weren’t built for them and local governments being asked to approve them with barely enough information to make an informed decision. Thank you to Jamie Wiggan of Public Source for your reporting on this. We have to pay attention as communities around the country will...

They took her phone and left her stranded – even citizenship wasn't enough. A Syrian American graduate student describes being detained, searched, and cut off from the outside world by U.S. authorities at Newark Airport. U.S. authorities confiscated Elyanna Sharbaji’s phone at Newark Liberty International Airport on January 13, 2026. She was questioned by Customs and Border Protection, searche...

ICE is moving enforcement into neighborhoods — and Frontline DIGNITY is organizing a response. Executive Director Jaime Martinez explains why rapid response training matters, how fear and disinformation put communities at risk, and what real solidarity looks like right now. FOLLOW NATALIEsubstack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnataliebinstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/#t...

Just 40 miles north of Philadelphia, Bucks County has earned a reputation as the swingiest county in the swing state of Pennsylvania and one of the most closely watched political bellwethers in the country. Under the second Trump administration, the incumbent sheriff, Republican Frederick Harran, joined a growing number of conservative law enforcement officials by signing an agreement to cooperate...

As the Trump regime marches us towards war, what can we do? Facts Over Fear: Venezuela, Greenland and Iran are in Trump's sights. And with ICE waging war on American citizens, what is the next step towards collective liberation? Trump’s regime wants an empire, with or without the support of the American people. Taylor Goel, organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Pittsburgh chap...

Even as I type this, more breaking news keeps flooding in. Are we going to war with Iran? #Greenland? What the hell is happening in #Venezuela? #Minnesota? So how do you handle it all and what do you DO with it once you see it? Kim Lyons and I discuss how to keep your mental health in check in these unprecedented times at the end of this video. We also discussed:When the FBI Targets a Journalist:...

The End of an Era: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to Shut Down by May 2026 At its earliest iteration, the #Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has been around since 1786 — making it one of the country’s oldest newspapers. Yesterday, the paper announced it will cease operations by May 2026, a shocking development coming from Block Communications Inc., which cited more than $350 million in losses over the past 20 year...

ICE IS EVERYWHERE. Local police departments in towns like Stowe and Munhall entered into cooperation agreements with ICE — often without public notice or input — only to reverse course after residents and reporters started asking questions. PublicSource reporter Quinn Glabicki joined me to break down what’s happening. FOLLOW NATALIEsubstack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnataliebinstagram: ht...