Democracy Now!

Renowned climate activist and author Naomi Klein says responses to the climate crisis have for too long focused on individual consumer choices rather than the collective action needed to save the planet. In a new video for The Intercept, Klein argues, "So many environmental responses have just been minor tweaks to an economy based on endless consumption — take your electric car to the drive-thru for an Impossible Burger and a Coke with a paper straw. Look, of course it's better than the alternative. But it's nowhere close to the depth of change required if we hope to actually pull our planet back from the brink." Klein joins us for the hour to discuss her new book, "On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal."

Iran Rejects Talks with U.S. Following Disputed Drone Attacks in Saudi Arabia, Israelis Head to Polls to Decide Netanyahu's Fate, Afghanistan: Blast Near Presidential Rally Kills Dozens Amid Mounting Violence, Massive Blackout Hits Four Central American Nations, 2 Italian Officials Indicted over Migrant Deaths from 2013 Shipwreck, 2019 Was Northern Hemisphere's Hottest Summer on Record, Auto Workers Continue Strike with Support from Dems, Environmental Activists, Manhattan DA Subpoenas Trump Tax Returns, Acting Intelligence Dir. Refused to Turn Over Whistleblower Complaint That Could Involve Trump, House Dems Investigating Elaine Chao for Ethics Violations, Florida Judge Refuses to Toss Epstein "Sweetheart" Plea Deal, Study: 1 of Every 16 Women and Girls' First Sexual Experience Was Rape, Sen. Warren Launches Anti-Corruption Plan, Receives 2020 Endorsement from Working Families Party, Saturday Night Live Fires Racist, Homophobic New Cast Member

The Trump administration is finalizing plans to open one of the world's last pristine wilderness regions, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to oil and fracked gas drilling. Trump is pushing the drilling at a time when climate change is permanently altering the Arctic and devastating local communities. The plan calls for the creation of landing strips, drill pads, pipeline supports, a seawater treatment plant, 175 miles of roads, and other infrastructure in Alaska's north coast. On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted to block the Trump administration from opening up Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; however, a companion bill is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Senate. From Charlotte, North Carolina, we speak with Subhankar Banerjee, a professor of art and ecology at the University of New Mexico and the author of "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land."

A major new project from The Nation and the Columbia Journalism Review hopes to improve global coverage of the climate crisis, with more than 250 media outlets around the world — including Democracy Now! — signing on to the effort to publish or broadcast stories on climate. Organizers say this is one of the most ambitious efforts ever to organize the world's media around a single topic. The week of coverage, which leads up to next week's U.N. Climate Action Summit, kicked off on Sunday. As part of the effort, CBS News released a new poll of over 2,000 U.S. residents that measured attitudes around climate change, which found that two-thirds of Americans believe climate change is either a crisis or a serious problem, and a majority want immediate action to address the Earth's temperature rise. In San Francisco, we speak with Mark Hertsgaard, one of the co-founders of the project, called Covering Climate Now, and The Nation's environment correspondent and investigative editor.

President Trump is threatening to take military action after several large Saudi Arabian oil facilities were attacked Saturday by drones and cruise missiles. Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack, but numerous reports indicate the attack may have come from Iraq or Iran rather than Yemen. Crude oil prices soared more than 15% after the Aramco-run plants suffered heavy damage. One of the plants struck is the world's biggest petroleum-processing facility. According to one estimate, the attacks decreased Saudi's daily oil output by nearly 6 million barrels. While the United States has been quick to blame Iran, other world powers have not yet assigned blame. In our New York studio, we speak to Peter Salisbury, the International Crisis Group's senior analyst for Yemen. And from Washington, D.C., we speak with Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink and author of "Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

U.S. Threatens Military Action Against Iran After Oil Attacks in Saudi Arabia, United Auto Workers Strike to Demand Fair Wages, Healthcare & Job Security from GM, Purdue Pharma Files for Bankruptcy, Calls Mount to Impeach Justice Kavanaugh After NYT Report on Sexual Misconduct, Hong Kong Protesters Appeal to U.S., U.K. as Uprising Shows No Sign of Slowing Down, Outsiders Lead Tunisia's Presidential Exit Polls, Algeria Announces Elections Amid Ongoing Protests Against Ruling Elite, U.K. Judge Says Julian Assange a Flight Risk, Must Remain in Prison, Appeals Court Revives Emoluments Case Against Trump, Felicity Huffman Gets 2 Weeks in Prison for Paying Someone to Cheat on Daughter's SATs, NYC Activists Protest Microsoft for Collaborating with ICE, Bernie Sanders Previews Plan to Cut Homelessness, Set National Rent Control Standards, Greenpeace Activists Who Rappelled Off Houston Bridge Facing Charges, Greta Thunberg Leads School Strike for Climate in Front of White House

At Thursday's debate, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren defended their Medicare for All plan. They faced criticism from several rivals, including Senator Amy Klobuchar, who described it as a "bad idea," and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who claimed the bill shows Sanders and Warren do not "trust the American people."

At the third presidential primary debate in Houston, Texas, senator and 2020 candidate Elizabeth Warren called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Warren also spoke about her stance on U.S. trade policy and how "our trade policy in America has been broken for decades."

After being questioned about the crisis in Venezuela, Senator Bernie Sanders defended his vision of democratic socialism. "I agree with what goes on in Canada and in Scandinavia: guaranteeing healthcare to all people as a human right. I believe that the United States should not be the only major country on Earth not to provide paid family and medical leave," Sanders said. "I believe that every worker in this country deserves a living wage and that we expand the trade union movement."

Debate moderator Jorge Ramos of Univision grilled former Vice President Joe Biden over the Obama administration's deportation record. Biden refused to answer whether he did anything to prevent Obama from deporting a record 3 million people.

During the third Democratic debate Thursday night, the discussion of race and racism got personal for former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, who brought up last month's El Paso massacre. He said the white gunman who killed 22 people, mostly Latinos, had driven to the border city "to kill people who look like me." Former Texas Congressmember Beto O'Rourke, who is from El Paso, said racism is endemic and foundational of the United States. He mentioned that this year will mark the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved African being brought to America, and promised he would create a slavery reparations commission.

The 10 leading Democratic presidential candidates appeared for the first time on the same stage Thursday night at a debate at Texas Southern University in Houston. It was the third debate of the primary season, but it marked the first time former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren took part in the same debate. Biden repeatedly faced criticism for his healthcare plans and for his vote to support the war in Iraq.

Ten Candidates Square Off in Third Democratic Presidential Debate, Greenpeace Activists Rappel Off Houston Bridge, Halting Oil Shipments, 2.2 Million Somalis At Risk of Starvation Amid Massive Drought, 7 Million People Displaced by Extreme Weather in First Half of 2019, House Votes to Block Drilling in Alaskan Wildlife Refuge as Trump Admin Readies Lease Sales, New York Schools Won't Penalize Students Who Join Climate Strike, Trump Admin Repeals Rule Protecting Drinking Water of 100+ Million, Trump Admin Allows Michigan Trophy Hunter to Import Body Parts of Endangered Rhino, House Committee Opens Impeachment Proceedings Against President Trump, Mexico Pushes Back Against Trump's Asylum Ban as Aid Groups Warn of Crisis, Immigrants Target ICE Headquarters and Amazon CEO's Home in D.C. Protests, Russian Police Raid Homes and Offices of Kremlin Opponents Nationwide, Iran's "Blue Girl" Dies After Self-Immolation Protest of Her Arrest for Attending Soccer Match, Human Rights Groups Blast Gates Foundation for Honoring Indian President, California Lawmakers Approve Ban of For-Profit Prisons and ICE Jails, California to Expand Labor Rights for "Gig Economy" Workers, Baltimoreans Protest Trump's Visit to City He Called "Rat and Rodent Infested"

Thousands of residents in Newark, New Jersey, remain unable to drink their tap water in an enduring public health nightmare. Lead contamination has plagued the city for years, but lead levels have spiked even higher in 2019. The crisis recently came to a head following revelations that water filters distributed to residents may not have been effective. New Jersey's political leaders are facing mounting criticism for their handling of the water crisis. Advocates say the city downplayed the severity of the problem for years and has been slow on solutions, comparing Newark's water crisis to Flint, Michigan. We speak with Yvette Jordan, teacher at Newark's Central High School and a resident of Newark's South Ward, and Erik Olson, a top official at the Natural Resources Defense Council, which filed a lawsuit against Newark over the summer, accusing the city of violating federal safe drinking water laws.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing worldwide condemnation for vowing to annex nearly a third of the occupied West Bank if he wins next week's snap election. The United Nations, the Arab League, the European Union and Russia have all criticized Netanyahu's plan, which he unveiled Tuesday. Netanyahu's pledge comes just a week before Israeli voters return to the polls on Tuesday for new elections after Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government following Israel's April 9 election. Netanyahu's annexation plan would crush hopes of an eventual Palestinian state. We speak with Noura Erakat, Palestinian human rights attorney and an assistant professor at Rutgers University.

President Trump has ousted John Bolton, becoming the third national security adviser to be ousted by Trump so far. Bolton has long been a fierce critic of diplomacy. He had strongly pushed for Trump to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. He also opposed negotiations with North Korea, as well as the Taliban in Afghanistan. And he was a key supporter of the attempted U.S.-backed coup in Venezuela and an advocate of regime change in Cuba and Nicaragua. Trump is expected to announce a replacement next week. We speak with Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and a member of the national board of Jewish Voice for Peace.

U.S. Denies Protected Status to Bahamians as 2,500 Listed as Missing, Supreme Court Allows Trump's Asylum Ban to Take Effect, "I Don't Want to Die": Honduran Teen with Cystic Fibrosis Says Deportation Would Kill Him, 37-Year-Old Mexican Man Dies in ICE Custody, the 8th Such Death This Fiscal Year, Reporters Barred from Secretive Immigration Tent Courts on Southern Border, Sacklers Would Remain Billionaires & Admit No Wrongdoing Under Tentative Opioid Settlement, Trump Says FDA Will Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes, U.N. Investigators Say U.S.-Led Forces Committed War Crimes in Syria, Skyrocketing Violence Continues Ahead of Colombian Elections, NC House Republicans Ram Through Veto Override with Democrats Absent During 9/11 Memorials, Families of Boeing Crash Victims Mark 6-Month Anniversary of Ethiopian Airlines Disaster, Famed Mexican Artist Francisco Toledo Dies in Oaxaca at 79

In her first extended broadcast interview in the United States, we spend the hour with Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist who has inspired millions across the globe. Last year she launched a school strike for the climate, skipping school every Friday to stand in front of the Swedish parliament, demanding action to prevent catastrophic climate change. Her protest spread, quickly going global. Hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren around the globe have participated in their own local school strikes for the climate. Since her strike began in 2018, Greta has become a leading figure in the climate justice movement. She has joined protests across Europe. She has addressed world leaders at the U.N. climate talks in Poland and the European Union Parliament. She has even met the pope. And now she is in New York to join a global climate strike on September 20 and address the U.N. Climate Action Summit on September 23. Greta has refused to fly for years because of emissions, so she arrived here after a two-week transatlantic voyage aboard a zero-emissions racing yacht. She is also planning to attend the U.N. climate summit in Santiago, Chile, in December. Greta joined us Tuesday in our Democracy Now! studio.

Trump Ousts National Security Adviser John Bolton, Palestinians Say Annexation of West Bank Would Be "Paramount to a War Crime", Scottish Court Declares Johnson's Suspension of Parliament Ahead of Brexit "Unlawful", Japan Warns Radioactive Water from Fukushima to Be Dumped into Pacific Ocean, Republicans Win Two Special Congressional Elections in North Carolina, Study: 1,700 Polling Places Have Closed Since Gutting of Voting Rights Act, California Votes to Force Gig Companies to Treat Contract Workers Like Employees, Number of Uninsured Americans Jumps to 27.5 Million, CDC Warns Against Vaping Use as Sixth User Dies in Growing Epidemic, Former Top FEMA Official in Puerto Rico Arrested in Bribery Probe, Hasan Minhaj to Congress: "Why Can't We Treat Our Student Borrowers the Way We Treat Our Banks?", Pioneering Photographer Robert Frank, 94, Dies, 18th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks Marked Across United States

Today marks a week since Ismail Ajjawi, a 17-year-old Palestinian student who was denied entry into the United States, began classes with his fellow Harvard freshmen. Ajjawi was initially turned away at Boston's Logan Airport after immigration officials searched his phone and computer, and interrogated him about his religion and social media posts by friends that were critical of U.S. policy. He was then forced to return home to Lebanon, but his case provoked outrage on the Harvard campus and among some Palestinian rights and academic freedom groups. Ajjawi, who is attending Harvard on a full scholarship, was educated in schools run by UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine. From Gaza City, we speak with Matthias Schmale, director of UNRWA operations in Gaza, and we're joined in Washington, D.C., by Theodore Kattouf, president and CEO of AMIDEAST, an education training nonprofit that works in the Middle East and Northern Africa.

Hundreds of African migrants in Mexico are protesting the country's refusal to grant them transit visas to travel to the United States or Canada, where they want to apply for asylum. For months, thousands of African migrants have been forced by the Mexican government to stay in the southern state of Chiapas, on the Guatemalan border. Many of them have been sleeping in tent cities, cooking on the streets and bathing their children in buckets, without the promise of shelter, food or work permits. The long waits for African migrants began in June, when it was reported that Mexican immigration authorities were ignoring transit visa requests by African and Haitian migrants to legally cross through Mexico. For African migrants, the journey to Mexico often takes months as they cross the ocean to reach South America and then embark on a dangerous trek through the Colombian jungle and multiple Central American borders. We speak with Carolina Jiménez, Americas deputy director for research at Amnesty International in Mexico City.

The death toll in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian hit 50 Monday and is expected to keep rising exponentially. Many survivors of the Category 5 storm are now seeking refuge in the United States. At least 4,000 hurricane survivors have traveled to the U.S. since the hurricane hit, but many more are facing a struggle with paperwork and mounting confusion about what's necessary to gain entry. Over the weekend, more than 100 people seeking aid and refuge in the U.S. were turned away after boarding a ferry bound for Florida. Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan said that the U.S. is considering extending temporary protected status for Dorian survivors, while President Trump dismissed the idea of easing travel requirements for people from the Bahamas. We speak with Shevrin Jones, Democractic Florida representative. He is Bahamian-American, and his family lives in the Bahamas.

Wilbur Ross Under Fire After Reports of Political Meddling at NOAA, Trump Says "Bad People" from Hurricane-Ravaged Bahamas Trying to Enter U.S., Boris Johnson Dealt More Blows over Brexit Plan as U.K. Parliament Suspended, U.N. Human Rights Chief: Climate Change Greatest Threat to Human Rights, French Summer Heat Waves Linked to 1,500 Deaths, Paraguay: Human Remains Found Under Former Property of Ex-Dictator Alfredo Stroessner, Bangladesh Imposes Mobile Phone Blackout on Rohingya Refugees, North Korea Fires 2 Projectiles After Proposing Renewal of Talks with U.S., Reports: CIA Extracted Russian Informant Who Provided Intel on 2016 Election Meddling, New Details Emerge on Deals Between Scottish Airport and Trump Property, U.S. Military, California Court Reinstates Injunction on Trump "Asylum Ban", Attorneys General from 48 U.S. States Launch Antitrust Probe into Google, Jared Kushner's Assistant Announced as New Middle East Envoy, North Carolina Holds Special Election for 9th District Seat

At least 44 people are dead, and the number is expected to rise dramatically, as the Bahamas continues to reel from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Dorian last week. More than 70,000 on Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands have been left homeless, and hundreds, perhaps thousands, remain missing. As the Bahamas faces unprecedented destruction and thousands continue to seek shelter and aid, the island nation has been described as "ground zero" for the climate crisis. Despite this, the mainstream media has largely omitted any mention of global warming in its coverage of the disaster. We speak to Allison Fisher, outreach director of Public Citizen's Climate and Energy Program. She says, "If you are an American that is turning to one of these sources, whether it be ABC or NBC or your major paper in your state, for information, you are not hearing what the scientific community wants you to know, which is the climate crisis is making these storms much more dangerous and, in some cases, deadly."

The FBI is investigating the shooting of an undocumented immigrant by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic stop last week. The shooting occurred Thursday at a supermarket parking lot in Antioch, a suburb of Nashville, where workers often gather to be picked up for a day's work. ICE agents were attempting to detain an unnamed 39-year-old Mexican man, who reportedly attempted to flee in a white box truck, when one of the agents shot him twice. It has now been revealed that the ICE agent involved in the shooting is one of the officers who made headlines in July after community members blocked attempts to detain an undocumented man in Hermitage, Tennessee. We speak with Brenda Pérez, member of The MIX, a Nashville-based community organizing and immigrant rights group.

This weekend, President Trump publicly called off a secret meeting at Camp David with the Taliban and the president of Afghanistan that aimed to end the 18-year war, the longest in U.S. history. The United States and Taliban had appeared close to signing an agreement after holding nine rounds of talks in Doha, but the negotiations took a surprise turn when President Trump suggested a Camp David meeting that included Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who had not been involved in the previous talks. For more, we go to Kabul to speak with Ali Latifi, a freelance journalist; Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence; and Dr. Hakim Young, a medical humanitarian worker. And in Washington, D.C., we speak with Matthew Hoh, a senior fellow with the Center for International Policy.

Trump Calls Off Secret Afghanistan Meeting, Putting Fate of Possible Peace Deal in Question, Bahama Grapples with Hurricane Dorian's Devastation as U.S. Turns Away Asylum Seekers, FBI Investigates Shooting of Undocumented Man by ICE Agent in Tennessee, Trump Admin Failing to Provide Legal Aid for Migrant Children, 8.5-Month-Pregnant Asylum Seeker Kicked Out of U.S. Under "Remain in Mexico" Policy, U.S. Air Force & House Dems Investigate Spending at Trump's Scottish Turnberry Resort, Heating of Pacific Ocean Threatens Marine Life, Endangered Species, Israeli Military Fatally Shoots Two Palestinian Teens in Gaza, Salvadoran Rape Survivor Faces New Trial for Having Stillborn, After Recent Acquittal, Russia and Ukraine Swap Dozens of Prisoners in Sign of Thawing Relations, Russian Pro-Kremlin Party Loses Strength in Local Elections, Colombia At Risk of Election-Related Violence as 2 More Indigenous Leaders Killed, Former South Carolina Gov. and Rep. Mark Sanford Enters 2020 GOP Race, Trump Will Be Able to Nominate 2 More Conservative Judges to 11th Circuit, Two More Black Transgender Murders Bring 2019 Total Death Count to At Least 18, Progressive News Site ThinkProgress Shuts Down After Failing to Secure Funding

Lisa Fithian is a longtime organizer and nonviolent direct action trainer since the 1970s. She has shut down the CIA. She has occupied Wall Street, disrupted the World Trade Organization and stood her ground in Tahrir Square. She has walked in solidarity with the tribal leaders at Standing Rock and defended communities in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. She joined us at the Democracy Now! studio to talk about her new book, which was published this week, titled "Shut It Down: Stories from a Fierce, Loving Resistance." Fithian is currently on a book tour and doing a new workshop called "Escalating Resistance: Mass Rebellion Training."

Zimbabwe's first post-independence leader, Robert Mugabe, has died at the age of 95. In 1963, he helped found the Zimbabwe African National Union in an effort to liberate the country from decades of white-minority rule. He was jailed from 1963 to 1974. Once freed, Mugabe became a leader of the liberation movement which successfully led to the formation of an independent Zimbabwe in 1979. He became Zimbabwe's first prime minister in 1980, but he would continue ruling the country for the next 37 years. While Mugabe has been hailed as one of the most significant anti-colonial leaders of the 20th century, he was widely criticized for how he led Zimbabwe and for his refusal to hand over power until he was ousted in a coup in 2017. His death was announced by his successor, President Emmerson Mnangagwa. To talk more about the legacy of Robert Mugabe, we speak with Horace Campbell, professor of African American studies and political science at Syracuse University.

Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm over the weekend, lingering for days and leaving nearly unimaginable destruction in its path. The airport on Grand Bahama Island has been completely decimated, and entire neighborhoods have been razed. Hundreds, if not thousands, remain missing. We speak with University of Miami assistant professor Erica Moiah James about the climate change-fueled hurricane and how the people in the Bahamas are on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

As Hurricane Dorian lashes North Carolina and continues its path north, the death toll in the Bahamas has risen to 30 people. The actual number is expected to be far higher, with hundreds, if not thousands, still missing in the island nation. We speak to Susan Mangicaro, senior adviser for emergency response at the International Medical Corps, about ongoing rescue efforts in the Bahamas.

Hurricane Dorian Death Toll in Bahamas Rises to 30, Likely Far Higher, Trump Personally Altered Map to Promote False Hurricane Threat to Alabama, Brazilian Archbishops Denounce Amazon Fires, Brazil's President Taunts U.N. Human Rights Chief over Her Family's Torture by Pinochet, Taliban Suicide Blast Kills 12 in Afghan Capital, Including Two NATO Soldiers, Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwean Liberation Fighter Turned Dictator, Dies at 95, Mike Pence Stayed in Trump Golf Resort 180+ Miles from Talks with Irish Leaders, Brother of British PM Boris Johnson Quits Parliament over Brexit, Federal Judge Rules Federal Terrorism Watchlist Unconstitutional, Trump Admin Calls for Privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Ex-Interior Department Official Who Backed Alaska Drilling Joins Oil Company, San Francisco Supervisors Declare NRA a Terrorist Organization, 12 Arrested in Massachusetts Protest of Amazon's Ties to ICE

Nearly 2 million people in the northeast state of Assam are at risk of being rendered stateless in India after the government published its National Register of Citizens list Saturday. The highly contested register was first created in 1951 and lists people who are able to prove they came to the state by March 24, 1971 — the day before neighboring Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, declared independence from Pakistan. The Indian government says the list helps identify Bangladeshi migrants who are not legal residents. Critics have denounced the register as an attempt to deport millions of Muslims. Residents suspected of being foreigners can be rounded up and sent to prison camps. Assam residents were in shock after the NRC was published. Assam residents who do not appear on the list have 120 days to appeal their exclusion before so-called foreigner tribunals. We speak with award-winning Indian author and journalist Siddhartha Deb, who was born in northeast India. "It's become this incredible exercise in disenfranchisement," he says. "The process has been riven with confusion, with arbitrariness for the past few years."

Ten Democratic presidential hopefuls took to the stage in New York City Wednesday night for a climate town hall hosted by CNN. The event was held less than two weeks after the Democratic National Committee rejected a resolution that would have allowed candidates to participate in a debate focused on the climate crisis. For months, the Sunrise Movement and other environmental groups pushed the DNC to hold a climate debate, but the party refused. We host a roundtable with former EPA official Mustafa Ali, journalist Kate Aronoff and Sunrise Movement digital director Mattias Lehman.

While 2020 hopefuls Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders often aligned on climate policy at CNN's climate crisis town hall Wednesday evening, the candidates diverged on the question of nationalizing public utilities. Bernie is for the proposal, while Warren is against. We speak with journalist Kate Aronoff.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is facing scrutiny after being questioned about his relationship with the fossil fuel industry at CNN's town hall on the climate crisis Wednesday. An audience member asked Biden about his plans to attend a fundraiser hosted by fossil fuel executive Andrew Goldman the day after the town hall, despite taking a pledge to reject oil and gas money. Biden initially denied Goldman's ties to the fossil fuel industry, despite Goldman co-founding a natural gas company called Western LNG. When pressed by Anderson Cooper, Biden said he would look into the matter further. We host a roundtable with Mustafa Ali, former head of the environmental justice program at the Environmental Protection Agency; journalist Kate Aronoff; and Mattias Lehman, digital director at Sunrise Movement.

2020 Dem Candidates Talk Fracking, Green New Deal, Nuclear Energy & More at Climate Crisis Town Hall, Brexit Battle Heats Up as Lawmakers Vote to Block "No-Deal" Scenario, Trump Shows Doctored Hurricane Map as Dorian Hits U.S. Coast After Ravaging Bahamas, Report: FBI Tracking Immigration Activists Who Oppose Trump Policies, Aid Groups Uncover More Human Remains at Arizona-Mexico Border, State Dept. Official Offered Millions to Captain of Iranian Oil Tanker to Divert Vessel, Mexico: Main Suspect in 2014 Ayotzinapa Student Disappearance Acquitted, Denmark Bans PFAS from Food Packaging, Germany Announces Glyphosate Ban, Trump Admin Rolls Back Rules on Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs, Second Vaping-Related Death Identified in Oregon as Michigan Bans Flavored E-Cigarettes, Google Fined $170 Million After YouTube Illegally Collected Personal Data of Children, Odessa Gunman Obtained Gun Through Private Sale, Chanel Miller Reveals Identity Years After Rape by Brock Turner Sparked National Outcry, Immanuel Wallerstein, Noted Sociologist & World Systems Analyst, Dies at 88

Journalist and pro-democracy activist Omoyele Sowore is entering his second month in jail for calling for peaceful nationwide protests against the government. Sowore called his movement "Revolution Now" and mobilized activists to take to the streets August 5. But just two days before the protests were set to begin, Sowore was arrested by the state and accused of attempting to take over the government. He's been imprisoned for more than a month now as human rights groups continue to call for his immediate release. We speak with his wife Opeyemi Sowore and Nani Jansen Reventlow, one of the attorneys representing Omoyele Sowore.

American journalist and indigenous and environmental rights activist Brandon Lee remains in critical condition in the Philippines more than four weeks after being shot multiple times outside his home in the northern region of the country in early August. Lee was shot at least four times in the back and face on August 6 in what his family and advocates say was an attempt by the Philippines government to kill him. Brandon Lee is a Chinese American born and raised in San Francisco, but he has spent the last decade in the Philippines, where he has a wife and young daughter. He is a correspondent for the weekly newspaper Northern Dispatch and an activist with local peasant, indigenous rights and environmental organizations. Lee's editor at Northern Dispatch told the Committee to Protect Journalists that he has been targeted for this work since 2015, facing relentless surveillance from President Rodrigo Duterte's government. We speak with San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney, who led a fact-finding delegation to the Philippines last week to investigate the attack, and Filipina activist Raquel Redondiez, a friend of Brandon Lee.

It is a scene of utter devastation after the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian ravaged the Bahamas. Residents of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas are now bracing for the storm, which has been downgraded to Category 2. The official death in the Bahamas is at seven but is expected to rise. On the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama, as many as 13,000 homes have been destroyed or heavily damaged. Rescue efforts have been hampered by widespread flooding. Some reports say 70 to 80% of the affected areas remains underwater, including the Grand Bahama International Airport. The Bahamas Red Cross and other relief groups are scrambling to help survivors. From Freeport in Grand Bahama, we speak to Crystal deGregory, professor at Kentucky State University's Atwood Institute for Race, Education, and the Democratic Ideal, and Sam Teicher, the founder and chief reef officer for Coral Vita, which is based in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

13,000 Homes Destroyed, At Least 7 Dead as Hurricane Dorian Devastates Bahamas, Hong Kong Leader Carrie Lam Withdraws Extradition Bill After Months of Protest, Boris Johnson Faces Crushing Blow to Brexit Plan as MPs Rebel Against No-Deal Exit from EU, Walmart Will Stop Selling Assault Weapon Ammunition Following Spate of Deadly Mass Shootings, 14-Year-Old Alabama Teen Shoots and Kills 5 Family Members, Trump Admin Diverts $3.6 Billion from Defense Budget to Build Border Wall, Trump Admin Partially Backtracks on Plan to Deport Immigrants with Serious Health Conditions, Guatemalan Presidential Runner-Up and Ex-First Lady Sandra Torres Arrested, Italy Reaches Agreement to Form New Government, Trump Congratulates Poland on 80th Anniversary of Nazi Invasion, Elizabeth Warren and Other 2020 Hopefuls Release Climate Change Plans, Court Rules North Carolina GOP Engaged in "Extreme Partisan Gerrymandering" to Redraw Voting Map, Founder of LGBT "Conversion Therapy" Program Comes Out as Gay, Apologizes for Harmful Practice

Following another weekend of mass protests in Hong Kong, this marks 13 weeks of protesters calling for greater political freedom and the scrapping of a controversial extradition bill with China. For the past two days, thousands of students have boycotted the beginning of classes. On Sunday, protesters returned to Hong Kong's airport, where they barricaded roads in an attempt to shut down the airport again. On Saturday, police fired tear gas and water cannons during a chaotic night of street demonstrations. Some masked protesters were seen throwing Molotov cocktails at the police. Earlier today, Carrie Lam denied she ever offered to resign. From Hong Kong, we speak with Martin Lee, the founding chair of the Democratic Party of Hong Kong.

Hurricane Dorian is continuing to wreak havoc in the Bahamas, where massive storms and flooding have killed five people and left many stranded on the Grand Bahama and Abaco Islands over the weekend. The Category 3 storm pummeled the islands throughout Monday with up to 180-mile-per-hour winds and continued to be stalled in the region Tuesday. Hurricane Dorian is one of the strongest recorded storms to ever strike the Atlantic, and is expected to continue a destructive path toward Florida and then onward to the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. It made landfall as a Category 5 storm in the Bahamas Sunday. We speak to two guests: Christian Campbell, a Bahamian poet, scholar and essayist, and Tiphanie Yanique, an award-winning poet and novelist from the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Thomas.

A gunman killed seven people and injured 22 others on Saturday, including a 17-month-old girl. Police have identified the shooter as 36-year-old Seth Ator. He went on the rampage just hours after being fired from his trucking job. The deadly string of events began when a Midland police officer pulled over Ator for failing to use his signal. Police say Ator then opened fire using an AR-15-style weapon before speeding away. He then began shooting at random residents and motorists. The rampage ended 20 miles away when the gunman died in a shootout with police outside a movie theater in Odessa. Meanwhile, eight new laws easing gun restrictions went into effect in Texas on Sunday. It is now easier to carry guns in Texas churches, schools and apartment buildings. We speak to Ed Scruggs, president of the board of directors and spokesperson for Texas Gun Sense.

Gunman Kills 7 People, Injures 22 in West Texas as State Enacts New Pro-Gun Legislation, Federal Court Rules Victims of 2015 Charleston Mass Shooting Can Sue U.S. Gov't, Hurricane Dorian Pummels Bahamas, Killing 5 People, Kabul Bomb Attack Kills At Least 16 as U.S. Announces Draft Peace Plan with Taliban, 2 Million People in Assam Face Statelessness, Imprisonment After India Publishes Citizens Register, Hong Kong Protesters Take to Streets as Chinese Media Ramps Up Threatening Rhetoric, U.K. PM Boris Johnson Threatens Snap Election as Labour Hopes to Force Brexit Extension, Far-Right Party Makes Gains But Fails to Overtake Major Parties in German Regional Elections, U.N. Says Western Countries May Be Complicit in Yemen War Crimes Days After Air Raid Kills 100 Prisoners, Hezbollah and Israel Exchange Cross-Border Fire in Lebanon, Colombia: Ex-FARC Rebels Killed in Bombing Raid, Colombian Mayoral Candidate Killed While Campaigning, At Least 25 Feared Dead After SoCal Boat Fire, Palestinian Student Turned Away by Immigration Allowed Entry to Start Freshman Year at Harvard

Democracy Now! travels to the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona to follow the humanitarian activist Scott Warren into the Sonoran Desert as he accompanies other No More Deaths volunteers as they leave water and food for migrants making the treacherous journey north. Warren is currently facing up to 10 years in prison for his humanitarian work in the Sonoran Desert, where the bodies and bones of more than 3,000 people — nearly all migrants — have been found since 2001. We also speak to the Tucson-based artist Alvaro Enciso, creator of the project Where Dreams Die. He has built and installed over 900 crosses across the treacherous Sonoran Desert to mark where migrants have died.

U.S. Border Patrol agents have killed 97 people since 2003, including at least six Mexicans on Mexican soil. Democracy Now! traveled to the borderlands of Arizona earlier this month to cover one of these killings: the death of José Antonio Elena Rodríguez, who was gunned down by a Border Patrol agent in 2012. We met with Richard Boren of the Border Patrol Victims Network in Nogales, Arizona, at exactly the spot where agent Lonnie Swartz pointed his gun through the border wall to shoot and kill José Antonio. At this site, Richard Boren displayed a banner with images of José Antonio and other victims of Border Patrol and told us their stories.

This fall, the Supreme Court will decide whether the parents of Sergio Hernández Güereca, a 15-year-old Mexican teen killed by a Border Patrol agent in 2010, can sue the American agent in a U.S. federal court. It's been nearly 10 years since Border Patrol agent Jesus Mesa Jr. shot across the El Paso-Juárez border and struck Hernández Güereca in the head. The central question in the case is whether a Mexican citizen killed on Mexican soil by a U.S. border agent is protected by the U.S. Constitution — allowing for the family members of victims to file civil lawsuits. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Hernández Güereca's case, the decision will likely impact other cross-border killing cases, including that of 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez, who was shot and killed by Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz on the Mexico side of the border in 2012. We speak with Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, who represents José Antonio Elena Rodríguez's family in the civil lawsuit.

Nearly seven years ago, 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez was killed in Nogales, Mexico, by U.S. Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz, who fired his gun from the U.S. side of the border. The teenager — who was unarmed — died face-down on the sidewalk just a couple of blocks from his home. Border Patrol has for years been plagued with hundreds of allegations of abuse and unnecessary use of deadly force, including the cross-border killings of at least six people on Mexican soil. Most cases are not investigated, and border agents are rarely criminally charged for using violent force. After nearly five years of legal delays, José Antonio's mother, Araceli Rodríguez, and his grandmother, Taide Elena, brought Lonnie Swartz to trial for second-degree murder in 2017. A Tucson jury acquitted him and were deadlocked on manslaughter charges. In a second trial in November 2018, Swartz was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter. During Democracy Now!'s trip to the borderlands, we spoke with José Antonio's family, including both Araceli Rodríguez and Taide Elena, at the exact spot where he was gunned down by Swartz. Araceli Rodríguez says, "He was murdered, and there has been no justice. He was killed, and the world is the same. He was murdered, and Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz is still free."

On Tuesday, the Trump administration reportedly ended its "medical deferred action" program, which allows immigrants with serious health problems to stay in the U.S. for up to two years beyond the terms of their visas to receive critical treatment. Just one day later, it announced that some children born to U.S. servicemembers and government employees stationed overseas will no longer automatically receive citizenship. The policy changes come days after the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to allow the Trump administration to implement its rule banning almost all migrants from seeking asylum in the United States. Amid these crackdowns, border wall construction began this week on federally protected lands in the remote Arizona desert, and many immigrant families remain separated due to Trump's "zero tolerance" policy, which was supposed to have ended more than a year ago. We speak with Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project.