Democracy Now!

The Global Sumud Flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces Thursday as its dozens of vessels approached the shores of Gaza. In response to the detention of the flotilla's activists, Italian labor unions have launched a nationwide general strike demanding their release and an end to Israel's relentless assault. Global Sumud Flotilla spokesperson Maria Elena Delia shares an update from Rome, where hundreds of thousands are participating in nonviolent protest.

The Oscar-winning actress and activist Jane Fonda is relaunching her father Henry Fonda's free speech organization, the Committee for the First Amendment. First established in 1947 to combat the rise of McCarthyism, the organization brings together members of the film and television industry to push back against and refuse government censorship. Fonda's announcement comes after the television network ABC brought back late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's show following widespread protest. Kimmel's show had been pulled from the air after he made comments criticizing the Trump administration's response to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. This regime is held up by pillars: military, media, professions and so forth. If each pillar organizes to remove support, we can do it," says Fonda about why she's decided to relaunch the organization now. We have to do it."

UPDATE: Mario Guevara was deported from the United States early on October 3, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.The Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara may be deported to El Salvador as soon as today despite holding work authorization in the United States and never having been charged with a crime. Guevara, who founded the outlet MG News, where he received awards for his coverage on immigration, has lived in the United States for nearly 20 years. He was arrested and jailed in June for live-streaming an anti-Trump No Kings" demonstration near Atlanta.Mario's case is really the tip of the spear, and today's deportation is deeply troubling," says lawyer Nora Benavidez. It is because of his journalistic work that they targeted him. They really do not want what he's doing to expose ICE." Benavidez also responds to the attempted deportations of pro-Palestine immigrant students on U.S. college campuses. It really mirrors the way that Mario has also been targeted because the government, very similarly, simply went after him for his speech," she says.

As officials with Hamas say they will respond soon" to President Trump's ceasefire proposal to end Israel's nearly two-year war on Gaza, brokered with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, we look at the many other deals Witkoff and his family are involved with. A New York Times investigation reveals that when Witkoff, a real estate developer and longtime friend of Trump, began his new position as a diplomat in the Middle East, his son Alex took over his company, the Witkoff Group. Since then, not only has the Witkoff Group continued to ink major deals with investors in the Gulf Arab states, but the elder Witkoff has not even fully divested from the company. There is no question that these relationships and these allegiances carry over between business and politics. ... [T]he Witkoffs and other people in the administration may or may not be profiting personally from them while they are trying to do this work," says Debra Kamin, who reported the story. We also speak to Kamin about turmoil in the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Trump.

Israeli Attacks Kill 22 Palestinians Since Dawn, Far-Right Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir Taunts Global Sumud Flotilla Activists, Over 1,000 Rabbis and Jewish Peace Activists in Brooklyn Demand Gaza Ceasefire, Trump Calls Gov't Shutdown an Unprecedented Opportunity" to Punish Political Opponents, Trump Admin Cuts Nearly $8B in Clean Energy Projects in States That Voted for Kamala Harris, Massive Fire Erupts at Chevron Oil Refinery in California, Trump Asks Universities to Sign Compact" Supporting His Agenda in Exchange for Funds, Immigration Judge Denies Asylum Bid of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Appeals Court Allows ICE to Deport Award-Winning Journalist Mario Guevara, Trump Declares U.S. Is in Armed Conflict" with Drug Cartels, Paramilitary Attacks on Besieged North Darfur City Killed 91 in September, Two Victims of Manchester Synagogue Attack Were Struck by Police Bullets, Including One Who Died, Sarah Mullally Named First-Ever Female Archbishop of Canterbury, FDA Approves Generic Version of Abortion Medication Mifepristone

A new investigation by Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Maria Hinojosa looks at reproductive rights in El Salvador, which has one of the world's most restrictive anti-abortion laws and has imprisoned women who suffered obstetric emergencies like miscarriages or stillbirths.While exact numbers are difficult to ascertain, one woman who spent time in prison in El Salvador for a miscarriage estimated that 90% of the women who are in prison in El Salvador are in prison for this," says Hinojosa.Hinojosa also cautions that a version of El Salvador's law could make its way to the United States as states pass more abortion bans following the end of Roe v. Wade.

We speak with the acclaimed filmmakers Raoul Peck and Alex Gibney about their latest documentary, Orwell: 2+2=5, which explores the life and career of George Orwell and why his political writing remains relevant today.We are living again and again - not only in the United States, but in many other countries, including in Europe, in Latin America, in Africa - the same playbook playing again and again," says Peck, who directed the film.Gibney, a producer on the film, says Donald Trump perfectly illustrates the assault on common sense" that is part of any authoritarian system. What you instinctively know to be true is upended by the authoritarian leader, so that everything flows from him," says Gibney. He just invents things on the spot, but he expects them to be revered as true."

Israel's Navy has intercepted dozens of ships in international waters, halting efforts by international activists to break Israel's siege of the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid to the starving population. Video live-streamed by the Global Sumud Flotilla showed Israeli commandos boarding ships and abducting dozens of activists on Wednesday. At least 201 people from 37 countries were taken into custody, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and Nelson Mandela's grandson, Mandla Mandela.Palestinian activist Saif Abukeshek, who is on the steering committee of the Global Sumud Flotilla, says this latest attack reveals ongoing international complicity with Israel's violations of international law. Israel has been committing genocide for 22 months, and nothing happens," says Abukeshek.We also speak with reporter Emily Wilder, who is on board the Conscience, still sailing toward Gaza as part of a later wave in the ongoing campaign to break the siege. She says that it was important for her, as a journalist, to bear witness and make it clear that Israel does not represent my voice."

Israeli Forces Abduct Hundreds of Activists in Raid of Gaza-Bound Humanitarian Aid Flotilla, Israeli Military Warns Gaza City Residents to Flee or Be Classified as Terrorists, Amid Government Shutdown, White House Freezes $26 Billion in Funds and Plans Mass Layoffs, Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Efforts to Fire Federal Reserve Governor - For Now, Trump Directive Classifies Anti-Capitalism" and Anti-American" Views as Domestic Terrorism, Jane Fonda Relaunches Henry Fonda's McCarthy-Era Committee for the First Amendment", Trump Shares Racist Deepfake Videos Mocking House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Trump Posts, Then Deletes, Deepfake Video Promoting Medbed" Conspiracy Theory, Federal Judge Orders ICE to Release DACA Recipient Catalina Xochitl" Santiago, Planned Parenthood Closes Two Remaining Clinics in Louisiana, At Least 2 Killed in Attack on Manchester Synagogue, Police Open Fire at Anti-Government Protesters in Morocco, Killing Two People, Primatologist and Conservationist Jane Goodall Dies at Age 91

A Reagan-appointed judge has issued a scathing ruling rebuking the Trump administration's targeting of pro-Palestine students. Judge William G. Young called the case AAUP v. Rubio perhaps the most important ever to fall within the jurisdiction of this district court" and ruled that contrary to the State Department's claims, non-citizens lawfully present here in [the] United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us."For more, we're joined by lawyer Alex Abdo, who worked on the case; Todd Wolfson, president of the plaintiff, the American Association of University Professors; and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, whose arrest and targeting by the Trump administration in March kicked off a heightened scrutiny of immigrants living and working on U.S. college campuses. If free speech means anything in this country, it means masked government agents can't pick you up off the street and throw you into jail because of what you've said," explains Abdo. He adds that the ruling will help support Khalil against the Trump administration's ongoing attempt to deport him. Details that emerged during the trial revealed that the Trump administration is continuing to target Khalil to make an example out of me."

At an unprecedented gathering of hundreds of top generals and admirals from U.S. military installations around the world, President Trump delivered a rambling speech Tuesday alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. They laid out their vision of a warrior" culture in the U.S. military and claimed the United States is facing an invasion from within." Eugene Fidell, a military scholar at Yale Law School, says the meeting was a means of exacting loyalty, special loyalty, from the most senior officers and enlisted personnel" and that by promoting a solely white male" image of the U.S. armed forces, the administration has made clear it wants to turn back the hands of the social clock."

We speak to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson as President Trump singles out the city as a training ground for the military and National Guard deployment. Militarized federal agents from the FBI and Border Patrol have already joined ICE agents for a city-wide crackdown against immigrants and protesters. Felony charges have been brought against protesters at ICE's Broadview detention center. This is yet another example of how this president is militarizing forces, ultimately with the goal to occupy cities," says Johnson, who calls Trump's threats a political stunt" and an affront to democracy."

Israel Kills 51 Palestinians in 24 Hours as Gaza-Bound Global Sumud Flotilla Sails into High-Risk Zone", Trump Gives Hamas Three or Four Days" to Respond to Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Parents of Israeli Soldiers March Alongside Hostage Families Calling for an End to Gaza War, Federal Judge Rules Trump Admin Unlawfully Targeted Noncitizens for Pro-Palestinian Activism, Trump and Hegseth Address 800 Military Generals and Admirals in Unprecedented Meeting, U.S. Gov't Shuts Down After Senate Funding Bill Fails, ICE Agents Assault Group of Reporters Documenting Arrests at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, Probe Launched After Local Journalist Was Shot by a Pepper Ball by Immigration Agents, Federal Authorities Rappel into Chicago Apartment Complex and Arrest Alleged Undocumented Immigrants, Mexican Immigrant Dies a Week After Shooting at Dallas ICE Facility, Pentagon Preserves Medals of Honor Awarded to Soldiers in the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, Powerful Earthquake Kills at Least 69 People in the Philippines, Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change Among Winners of 2025 Right Livelihood Award

Tension between immigration agents and community activists is growing in Chicago, where ICE agents have deployed tear gas and pepper balls against ongoing protests outside Chicago's Broadview ICE detention facility.Democracy Now! speaks with community activist Cristobal Cavazos, who says that the people of Chicago have been steadfast in their mobilization against ICE, with communities engaging in daily protests and community safety patrols. We're really doing some historic mobilization here in Chicago, and we're super proud," says Cavazos. The key word here is 'resistance.'"

President Trump has directed 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to be deployed to Portland, claiming troops are necessary to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists." Trump's order comes after he signed an executive order claiming the decentralized antifa movement is a domestic terror organization." There is nothing going on right now in Portland or any part of Oregon that requires him to send in the federal military," says Sandy Chung, executive director of the ACLU of Oregon.

The U.S. government appears to be headed to a shutdown at midnight Wednesday after President Trump and Democratic leaders failed to reach an agreement on a spending bill. Democrats are looking to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act and reverse cuts to Medicaid and other healthcare programs that were implemented by the tax and spending bill passed earlier this year.The president is all too happy to fund programs he likes and defund programs he doesn't like," says David Dayen, executive editor of The American Prospect. That's the textbook definition of a government shutdown. And we've been in that state since the inauguration, practically, and now we're just going to admit it."

As the Israeli blockade of Gaza continues, a nearly 50-boat flotilla carrying humanitarian aid is currently some 150 nautical miles from Gaza. The grandson of Nelson Mandela, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandla" Mandela, speaks with Democracy Now! from the Global Sumud Flotilla.South Africans are beneficiaries of international solidarity. Those that rallied behind our cause and stood side by side in supporting the anti-apartheid movement ensured that we attained our freedom in our lifetime," says Mandela. This is why today we utilize our voice to support the oppressed and most vulnerable nations across the globe."

After a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan for the Gaza Strip on Monday that aims to end Israel's war on Gaza, free the remaining Israeli hostages and remove Hamas from power. Netanyahu expressed support for the deal, but he has already backed away from key elements, including a call for Israel to eventually pull its troops out of Gaza. Hamas has not responded yet to the deal. As part of his 20-point peace plan, Trump announced the establishment of an international transitional governing body called the Board of Peace," which Trump would head.Palestinian human rights attorney Diana Buttu says the deal is certainly not a plan that is going to end the genocide. What they're simply attempting to do is repackage it." Buttu also notes that while Trump met with Netanyahu before announcing the plan, Palestinians were not consulted. Buttu asks, Why is it that Palestinians have been forced to negotiate an end to their genocide?"

Netanyahu Agrees to 20-Point Peace Plan" for Gaza; Trump Warns Hamas to Agree or Face Destruction, Netanyahu Apologizes to Qatar over Airstrike That Targeted Hamas Delegation in Doha, Another Palestinian Baby Starves to Death as Israeli Attacks Kill More Civilians in Gaza, Journalist Charged with Hate Crime After Photographing Protest of New York Times's Gaza Coverage, Vance Warns We're Headed to a Shutdown" as Trump and Democratic Leaders Fail to Reach Spending Deal, U.N. Reinstates Sanctions on Iran over Nuclear Program, Trump Admin Strikes Deal with Iran to Deport Iranian Nationals, YouTube Agrees to Pay $24.5M to Settle Trump Lawsuit, HUD Fires Two Whistleblowers Over Trump Admin's Efforts to Dismantle Civil Rights Enforcement, Trump Again Threatens to Cut Off Federal Aid to NYC If Mamdani Is Elected Mayor, Trump Admin Allocates Public Land to Coal Mining and Provides $625M for Coal-Fired Power Plants, OpenAI Plans to Build 5 New Data Centers With Help of SoftBank and Oracle, Sen. Sanders: Nearly 700 Prescription Drugs Have Increased in Price Despite Trump's Pledges

The Black liberation activist Assata Shakur died on September 25, 2025, at the age of 78. She passed away in Cuba, where she received political asylum in 1984 after escaping the U.S. prison system, and where she continued to reside for decades despite U.S. attempts to capture and extradite her. In 1998, Shakur wrote an open letter to Pope John Paul II during his historic visit to Cuba, after New Jersey state troopers requested the pope call for her extradition. The New Jersey State Police and other law enforcement officials say they want to see me brought to 'justice.' But I would like to know what they mean by 'justice.' Is torture justice?" Shakur wrote. When my people receive justice, I am sure that I will receive it, too." We play Shakur's recording of her letter, in memory of her life and her work.

Democracy Now! was on the streets as thousands marched to the United Nations in New York City Friday while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly. Despite the fact that Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes he has presided over in Gaza, he was able to travel to the U.N. without incident, as the United States says it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC. We spoke to protesters demanding Netanyahu's arrest and an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza.

In an exclusive interview just hours after incumbent New York City Mayor Eric Adams's decision to end his reelection bid, we sat down with Democratic nominee for mayor, Zohran Mamdani, to lay out his campaign and his vision for an affordable city. We discuss his platform, his support for Palestinian rights and why he identifies as democratic socialist. Mamdani also responds to Adams's decision to drop out, which is expected to help consolidate votes for Mamdani's main opponent, disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The reason that Donald Trump is seeking to clear the lane for Andrew Cuomo is because he knows that Andrew Cuomo will clear the lane for Donald Trump's agenda," he says.

Israel Kills at Least 50 Palestinians over the Past Day in Gaza, Over 100 Diplomats Walk Out on Netanyahu During U.N. Speech, U.S. Revokes Visa for Colombian President Petro After He Joined Palestine Protest at U.N., NBC News: U.S. Military Officials Drawing Up Plans to Attack Venezuela, Oregon Sues Trump Admin over Plans to Deploy Troops to Portland, Armed Federal Agents Patrol Downtown Chicago as Trump Admin Escalates Immigration Crackdown, ICE Detains Des Moines School Superintendent Ian Roberts, NYC Mayor Eric Adams Announces He's Dropping Out of Mayoral Race, Iraq War Veteran Attacks Mormon Church in Michigan, Killing at Least 4 People, Iraq War Veteran Opens Fire at Bar in North Carolina, Killing 3 People, Trump to Attend Hegseth's Unprecedented Meeting with Top Generals and Admirals, Trump to Meet with Congressional Leaders to Avert Government Shutdown, SCOTUS Allows Trump Admin to Withhold $4 Billion in Foreign Aid, Russia Launches Onslaught of Drones and Cruise Missiles at Ukraine, Indigenous Rights Organization Accuses Ecuadorian Armed Forces of Killing Community Member, Missouri Governor Signs into Law Trump-Backed Congressional Map, NFL Announces Bad Bunny to Headline Super Bowl Halftime Show, Assata Shakur Dies at 78 in Havana

As the Trump administration escalates its pressure campaign on Venezuela, we speak with Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, who is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. In recent weeks, the U.S. has bombed multiple alleged Venezuelan drug boats" at sea, killing at least 17 people without providing any clear evidence that they were involved in drug trafficking or linked to the government in Caracas. The U.S. has also increased its military footprint in the Caribbean and placed a $50 million bounty on President Nicolas Maduro for information leading to his arrest for narcotrafficking.The U.S. military presence in the Caribbean is a threat to Venezuela and to the countries of the region," says Fernandez de Cossio. There's no real reason for that to be there, and the justification that they're fighting drugs or organized crime is believed by no one. ... They're assassinating people for no reason."

President Donald Trump is escalating his attack on progressive groups following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk and a deadly shooting that targeted an immigration jail in Dallas. White House officials have repeatedly blamed Democrats and left-wing groups for contributing to political violence, but investigative reporter Ken Klippenstein says the motivations of people who commit such acts are often more complicated.Klippenstein has reported on the backgrounds of Kirk's accused killer and the gunman who targeted the Dallas ICE facility, and says friends described both young men as somewhat isolated and largely uninterested in partisan politics. That was perhaps the most normal thing about these two shooters, that they were disengaged with politics," he says.

Israel's military has issued new evacuation orders for neighborhoods of Gaza City as Israeli ground forces pushed deeper into the Gaza Strip's largest urban area. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have already fled Gaza City for overcrowded areas further south, as Israeli forces systematically flatten much of the city. Meanwhile, Israeli bombardment continues to kill dozens of Palestinians every day amid widespread famine.People feel now it's a permanent state of displacement," says leading Al Jazeera reporter Hani Mahmoud, who has just left Gaza City. People have been herded from one area to another."Mahmoud also discusses the toll of reporting on the genocide despite Israel's repeated targeted assassinations of journalists in Gaza, including many with Al Jazeera. We believe the world deserves to learn the truth," he says of his choice to keep working despite the risks.

Ex-FBI Director James Comey Indicted as Trump Escalates Campaign of Retribution on Opponents, Israeli Attacks Kill Dozens in Gaza City as Some Palestinians Resist Forced Evacuation, Israel Bombs Yemen's Capital, Killing 8 and Wounding 142, No Justice If Palestine Is Not Freed": Mahmoud Abbas Addresses U.N. General Assembly, Benjamin Netanyahu's Jet Is Diverted to Evade Potential Arrest in Europe on ICC Warrant, Microsoft Cuts Off Some Services Used by Israeli Military Unit to Spy on Palestinians, Russia's Foreign Minister Says NATO and EU Have Declared a Real War" on Russia, Trump Administration Readies $20 Billion Bailout of Argentina and Trump Ally Javier Milei, Video Shows ICE Agent Assaulting Ecuadorian Mother Inside 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, Amazon Reaches $2.5 Billion Settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, Trump Signs Executive Order Allowing TikTok to Keep Operating in the U.S.

Spain and Italy are sending naval vessels to protect the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla after activists said drones repeatedly attacked their boats near Greece on Wednesday. Activists said the most recent strikes marked the seventh attack on the solidarity movement's vessels. The Global Sumud Flotilla is the largest humanitarian convoy in history to traverse the Mediterranean Sea, says David Adler, co-general coordinator of the Progressive International, who joins Democracy Now! from the flotilla. We are not here to drop the aid and go home and pat ourselves on the back. We are here to establish a humanitarian corridor for states themselves to assume their responsibilities and to deliver the aid at the scale that Gaza requires."

The Committee to Protect Journalists says recent Israeli strikes on newspaper offices in Yemen killed 31 journalists and media support workers, making it the deadliest attack on journalists anywhere in the world in 16 years. CPJ said the attack was the second-deadliest attack on the press ever recorded by the organization. These are civilians," says Niku Jafarnia, Middle East and North Africa researcher for Human Rights Watch. We have documented, like many other organizations, war crime after war crime after war crime, as well as acts of genocide and extermination, in the context of Gaza."

More than a dozen West African men who were deported to Ghana by the United States have since been returned to their home countries by the Ghanaian government, despite legitimate fears of torture or persecution at home. Ghana is one of a growing list of countries that have signed third country agreements" with the United States to accept U.S. deportees. Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, notes that in many cases judges have ordered the Trump administration not to deport immigrants to countries where they may face persecution. It's a complete ruse to get around the order from the immigration judge," he says. This fits a pattern of the Trump administration trying to evade court orders."

Hundreds of people who were once detained at the troubled immigration jail in the Florida Everglades, dubbed Alligator Alcatraz," have disappeared. Democracy Now! speaks with Shirsho Dasgupta, a Miami Herald reporter who found that, as of late August, about two-thirds of the 1,800 immigrants who were held there in July have gone missing from ICE's online database, with their families and attorneys unable to locate them. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court ruled the jail could continue to operate despite reports of abuse.What we're seeing at Alligator Alcatraz is basically a new model of immigration detention, where a state-run facility is operating as an extrajudicial black site, completely outside of the previous models of immigration detention in this country. And it's making what was already a terrible system somehow even worse," says Thomas Kennedy, policy analyst at the Florida Immigrant Coalition.

Israeli Military Strikes Have Killed at Least 30 Palestinians Since Dawn, Spain and Italy Send Naval Vessels to Protect Gaza-Bound Global Sumud Flotilla, Major News Outlets Call on Israel to Allow International Journalists into Gaza, Macron Claims Trump Assured Him West Bank Annexation Would Be a Red Line, Drone Attack in Israel Injures at Least 22 as Israelis Protest Netanyahu Before Departure to U.S., Trump Blames Radical Left Democrats" After Video Game Enthusiast Fires on Dallas ICE Facility, 39-Year-Old Prisoner Dies in California ICE Jail Days After Days of Medical Neglect, Journalist Mario Guevara Faces Deportation After Arrest While Documenting Anti-Trump Protest, Nearly 2 Million Evacuate as Typhoon Ragasa Batters Southern China, China's Leader Makes Landmark Pledge to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Ukraine's Zelensky Tells General Assembly Russia Will Expand Aggression Unless It's Stopped, Trump's Newly Appointed U.S. Attorney to Bring Charges Against Former FBI Director James Comey, Oklahoma High Schools Ordered to Install Chapters of Charlie Kirk's Youth Organization, U.S. Park Police Remove Statue of Trump Holding Hands with Jeffrey Epstein from National Mall, GOP Nominee in NYC Mayoral Race Says He Was Offered Money to Drop Out, French Ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy Sentenced to 5 Years for Campaign Finance Conspiracy, New Mexico Lawmaker's Daughter Calls Him Total Loser" over Propaganda Trip" to Israel

President Trump says he is designating the decentralized anti-fascist movement known as antifa" as a terrorist organization, as conservatives blame left-wing groups and ideas for creating the conditions that led to conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination. The Trump administration is using this as a catch-all to go against the broader left and anyone who speaks out against fascism right now, while at the same time giving continued unchecked authority to the FBI to ignore the rise of right-wing violence," says writer Will Potter. The intention is to capitalize on this to crack down on their opponents and to consolidate authoritarian power."Potter is the author of Little Red Barns, an investigation into the state repression of those who attempt to expose the harms of the factory farming industry, with mechanisms to criminalize journalism and label civil disobedience as terrorism through its crackdown on citizen journalists, environmentalists and animal welfare activists, says Potter.

President Trump is promoting unproven claims that both vaccines and the common painkiller acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol or by the brand name Tylenol, cause autism. Trump's recent anti-vaccine and anti-autism stances have been influenced by his Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist who unsuccessfully ran for president himself before throwing his support behind Trump's reelection campaign. The way they talk about autism, in this such sort of baby terms, in this very simplistic idea that we're going to find the cause of autism or the cure for autism, it rings hollow ... because we know it's a complex interplay between oncogenes and the environment," says Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccine expert and the parent of a child with autism, who notes that increased autism rates are also a consequence of improved diagnostic practices. He discusses the current state of autism research and the Trump administration's larger attacks on mainstream science.

On Tuesday, Donald Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly at its headquarters in New York City, criticizing the international governing body, immigration and the science of climate change, while boasting about his presidency and the military power of the United States. In what became the longest U.N. speech ever made by a U.S. president, Trump bragged about ending seven unendable wars" and said countries that do not crack down on immigration are going to hell." Trump was speaking to a far-right international around the world," says Washington Post journalist Ishaan Tharoor, who has covered all of Trump's U.N. speeches since his first term in office.This year's UNGA was also marked by the growing recognition of Palestinian statehood by member nations. Western countries including France and the U.K. broke with decades of precedent in doing so, making the U.S. the only member of the U.N. Security Council not to recognize a Palestinian state. Tharoor comments on the significance and limitations of these announcements, and on Trump's relationship with Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, who opened the UNGA just before Trump spoke.

Trump Blasts the United Nations, Saying Your Countries Are Going to Hell", Israel Intensifies Bombardment of Gaza City, Killing More Than 50 People Today, Global Sumud Flotilla Under Attack from Drones and Explosions, U.N. Commission: Israel Establishing Permanent Control in Gaza and Jewish Majority in West Bank, Trump Says Ukraine Could Win Back Territory Captured by Russia, Syrian Interim President al-Sharaa Interviewed by Former CIA Director David Petraeus, EU and WHO Dispute Trump's Claims Linking Acetaminophen During Pregnancy With Autism, Trump Suggests He Will Sue ABC After Jimmy Kimmel Returns to the Airwaves, At Least 11 People Killed After a Drone Attack Strikes a Birthday Party in Haiti, Immigrants Deported to Ghana Were Sent to Home Countries Despite Safety Concerns, Trump Admin Sanctions Wife of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Who Led Probe of Bolsonaro, Ryan Routh Found Guilty of Attempting to Assassinate President Trump, House Democrats Launch Probes Against Border Czar Tom Homan, Department of Agriculture Places Hunger Researchers on Leave, Democrat Adelita Grijalva Wins Special Election in Arizona's 7th Congressional District

Illinois Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh was thrown to the ground by ICE agents on Friday during a protest outside the Broadview Processing Center in Chicago, where immigrant detainees are held. At least 10 people were arrested as federal agents fired pepper balls and tear gas into the crowd, which was there to oppose the Trump administration's immigration crackdown known as Operation Midway Blitz."If they are willing to do that to a congressional candidate on camera in front of press, imagine what they are willing to do to their detainees behind boarded-up windows," says Abughazaleh.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the No Secret Police Act into law this week, banning all law enforcement - including federal immigration agents - from covering their faces while conducting raids in the state.What this law is trying to do is to take us back from the era of routine masking based on completely foundationless officer claims of fear," says Eva Bitran, the director of immigrants' rights at the ACLU of Southern California.Trump administration officials have already vowed to ignore the California law, and this is why we need to have a federal solution that will apply nationwide," says New York Congressmember Nydia Velazquez, who has introduced the No Masks for ICE Act in Congress. This administration is out of control, and it's affecting everyone."

Egypt's best-known political prisoner, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, was granted a presidential pardon on Monday and has reunited with his family after spending most of the last 12 years in prison. The writer and political dissident was a leading voice in the 2011 Arab Spring protests that toppled the Mubarak dictatorship, and he has been repeatedly targeted by the current authoritarian government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Most recently, he was sentenced to five years in prison for a Facebook post. That sentence ended last September, but authorities refused to release him, saying his two years of pretrial detention did not count. Monday's pardon comes after years of international pressure to Free Alaa," including in the United Kingdom, where he also holds citizenship. Both Alaa and his mother, Laila Soueif, participated in lengthy hunger strikes.Ahdaf Soueif, Abd El-Fattah's aunt, says his release has brought the family tremendous relief," as well as hope that this is the beginning of the release of a lot of other political prisoners" in Egypt.We also speak with journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous, who has covered the case for many years. Alaa is free, but he doesn't have justice," he says. There's still so many thousands of political prisoners in Egypt, including dozens who are behind bars simply for speaking out in solidarity with Palestine and against Israel's genocide in Gaza."

Israeli Attacks on Gaza Kill Dozens of Palestinians, Including Children, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Monaco Follow France in Recognizing Palestinian State, Italian Unions Lead General Strike Demanding End to Israel's Assault on Gaza, Supreme Court Allows Trump to Fire FTC Commissioner, ABC to Resume Broadcasts of Jimmy Kimmel Live!" But Sinclair Stations Will Continue Censorship, Trump Links Tylenol to Autism Without Evidence and Proposes Changes to Childhood Vaccine Schedule, Miami Herald: Two-Thirds of Immigrants Held at Alligator Alcatraz" in July Have Disappeared, NYT: Trump Admin Attempting to Limit Enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, Prominent Egyptian Blogger and Activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah Released from Prison, Colombian Government Terminates Arms Purchases from the United States, White House Rebuffs Offer by Maduro for Direct Talks with Trump, ICC Charges Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte with 3 Counts of Crimes Against Humanity

The U.K., Australia, Canada and Portugal took a historic step Sunday in formally recognizing the state of Palestine, but Palestinian physician and politician Mustafa Barghouti says it's not enough." From Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Barghouti says sanctions against Israel are needed to bring an end to its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and other abuses across Palestinian territory. Everything you see in terms of recognition today by France, Britain, Australia, Canada and others is happening only because of the steadfastness and resilience and resistance of the Palestinian people, because of the heroism of ordinary Palestinian citizens who refused to leave their country and who risked everything to stay in Palestine," he adds.

Following the U.K., Australia, Canada and Portugal's formal recognition of Palestine as a sovereign and independent state, Democracy Now! speaks with Israeli peace activist Yonatan Zeigen in Tel Aviv. This is a belated but blessed step forward," says Zeigen. We need to level the field in order for us, Israelis and Palestinians, to be able to shape the only viable future for us, which is a shared future." Zeigen's mother, Vivian Silver, a 74-year-old Canadian Israeli peace activist, was killed on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Be'eri.

As we broadcast today, Egyptian authorities announced a presidential pardon for Alaa Abd El-Fattah, a free speech and democracy activist imprisoned for six years on dubious charges of spreading false news." The blogger was a leading voice in the 2011 Arab Spring protests that toppled the Mubarak dictatorship, and was repeatedly targeted by the current authoritarian government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Monday's pardon comes after years of international pressure to Free Alaa," including in the United Kingdom, where he also holds citizenship.We might feel lonely and isolated and cold and wet and hungry when we're on the streets demonstrating," says Jeremy Corbyn, a member of British Parliament and former leader of the U.K. Labour Party who has supported freedom for El-Fattah, who has joint Egyptian-British citizenship, and met with his family members. It makes a difference, and his freedom is a product of all that solidarity all around the world."

The United Kingdom, Australia, Portugal and Canada have formally recognized Palestinian statehood, joining about 150 countries, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly this week, as France and five other states are also expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state on Monday. This is an opportunity to renew our political solidarity," says Jeremy Corbyn, member of the British Parliament and former leader of the U.K. Labour Party. It also actually further isolates the United States in global opinion, because the United States is the only real big country that still supports Israel." Corbyn joins us from a Palestinian flag-raising event in London.

We look at how the assassination of Charlie Kirk has emerged as a tool for the Trump administration to crack down on dissent and free speech, as tens of thousands gathered Sunday in Arizona for a memorial for the conservative activist, including his wife Erika Kirk. While she called for forgiveness, President Trump and other top speakers, including Vice President JD Vance and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, reiterated calls for revenge on political opponents. It is not just rhetoric," says Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. The president really is using every lever at his disposal to silence, suppress and even imprison his political enemies." Trump has also suggested that it should be illegal for journalists to cover his presidency in a negative light.

Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal Formally Declare Recognition of a Palestinian State, Israel Escalates Bombardment of Gaza City, Killing at Least 61 People in a Day, Israeli Airstrike Against Lebanon Kills 5 People, Including 3 Children, CPJ: Israeli Strikes Killed 31 Yemeni Journalists in Deadliest Attack on Press in 16 Years, Tens of Thousands Gather in Arizona for Charlie Kirk Memorial as Trump Says I Hate My Opponent", Trump Says It Is Really Illegal" for Journalists to Give His Administration Negative Coverage, New Pentagon Rule Bars Credentialed Reporters From Reporting on Unauthorized Info, Trump Urges Bondi to Prosecute His Political Rivals as U.S. Attorney Resigns Resigns Under Pressure, Trump Signs Executive Order Imposing $100,000 Fee for H-1B Visas, MSNBC: Trump Border Czar Homan Recorded Accepting $50K in Cash from FBI Agents, Ten People Arrested in Anti-ICE Protests in Chicago, 42-Year-Old Man Dies in ICE Custody in Long Island, ICE Detainees in Louisiana on Hunger Strike to Protest Conditions at Angola Prison, California Passes Bill Banning Law Enforcement from Wearing Masks, Trump Administration Ends U.S. Annual Report on Hunger in America, Sudan: RSF Drone Strike Kills at Least 85 People in Darfur, More Than 200 Protesters Arrested in Anti-Government Demonstrations in the Philippines, Tens of Thousands of Brazilians Protest Against Bill Granting Bolsonaro Amnesty, Trump Reveals Details About Possible TikTok Deal with China

Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman sat down with longtime political prisoner and Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier for his first extended television and radio broadcast interview since his release to home confinement in February. Before his commutation by former President Joe Biden, the 81-year-old Peltier spent nearly 50 years behind bars. Peltier has always maintained his innocence for the 1975 killing of two FBI officers. He is expected to serve the remainder of his life sentences under house arrest at the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Nation in Belcourt, North Dakota. In a wide-ranging conversation, we spoke to Peltier about his case, his time in prison, his childhood spent at American Indian boarding school and his later involvement in the American Indian Movement (AIM) and more. We still have to live under that, that fear of losing our identity, losing our culture, our religion," Peltier says about his continued commitment to Indigenous rights. The struggle still goes on for me. I'm not going to give up."

Israeli Forces Advance Deeper into Gaza City, Killing at Least 21 Palestinians Since Dawn, U.S. Vetoes U.N. Security Council Draft Resolution Calling for Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli Far-Right Minister Smotrich Calls Gaza Strip a Real Estate Bonanza", Delivery Driver Kills Two Israeli Soldiers at Jordan-West Bank Crossing, Afghanistan Rejects Trump's Calls for the U.S. to Retake Bagram Air Base, Trump Threatens to Revoke Broadcast Licenses of Networks over Negative Coverage, Trump Asks SCOTUS for Emergency Order to Remove Lisa Cook from Federal Reserve Board of Governors, At Least 11 Democratic Officials Arrested at Federal Plaza in Anti-ICE Protest in NYC, Report: ICE Placed More Than 10,000 People in Solitary Confinement, Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks Trump Administration from Immediately Deporting Guatemalan Children, CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel Votes to Restrict Access to MMRV Vaccine, After Deadly U.S. Strikes on Boats, Venezuela Mobilizes More Than 2,500 Soldiers to La Orchila Island, Hundreds of Thousands of Protesters Take Part in Demonstrations in France

A powerful new documentary produced by Fault Lines on Al Jazeera English tells the story of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the Palestinian pediatrician and director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza whom Israel has detained with virtually no contact to the outside world for almost nine months. He became known to millions of people around the world for his regular video dispatches from inside the hospital describing the toll of Israel's brutal military assault on Gaza and on the hospital itself. In late December 2024, Israel raided Kamal Adwan Hospital and forcibly evicted its staff and patients. Dr. Abu Safiya was arrested by Israeli soldiers and has been held without charge in harsh conditions ever since.We play clips from the documentary, The Disappearance of Dr. Abu Safiya, and speak with director Amel Guettatfi, as well as Dr. Azra Zyada in London, who was in frequent contact with Dr. Abu Safiya before his abduction.

We speak with the secretary general of Amnesty International about the human rights group's new report on the global political economy enabling Israel's genocide, occupation and apartheid" against Palestinians. Agnes Callamard says Israel's 24 months of genocide" since October 2023 would not be possible without international support and the continued supplying of Israel's war machine by major arms makers, technology firms and other companies. The report names the U.S. military contractors Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the Israeli arms companies Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, the South Korean conglomerate Hyundai and the U.S. tech company Palantir Technologies, among others. While Israel faces growing international condemnation over its actions in Gaza, Callamard says other states must push for an immediate ceasefire and impose consequences, including an arms embargo on Israel.You can denounce as much as you want. If you do not take actions, including economic actions, then your words are empty," says Callamard.