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As Puerto Ricans celebrate the imminent departure of disgraced Governor Ricardo Rosselló, we speak with Intercept reporter Ryan Grim about how Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez benefited from what's been described as a "coup" within the Democratic Party in Puerto Rico. In his recent book, Grim revealed pro-statehood politicians—including some Republicans—quietly took over the Puerto Rico Democrats in 2017 and then offered full support for Perez in exchange for his support for statehood. This helped give Perez enough delegates to beat Keith Ellison in the race to head the DNC.
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Democracy Now!
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Updated | 2024-11-24 14:15 |
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Special counsel Robert Mueller gave his much-anticipated testimony on Capitol Hill Wednesday, where he spoke for the first time about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections. Over the 7-hour hearing, Mueller stressed to the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees that despite Donald Trump's claims, he had not exonerated the president of obstruction of justice. Mueller's report was handed in 124 days ago, but only a redacted version was made available to the public. Ahead of Mueller's testimony, the Justice Department warned Mueller in a letter to "remain within the boundaries" of the public version of the report. The department also said that Mueller could not "discuss the conduct of uncharged third parties," which includes President Trump, his family and his close associates. Democratic lawmakers may have come away disappointed that Mueller didn't provide any critical testimony that would bolster their case for impeachment. For more, we speak with Ryan Grim, D.C. bureau chief for The Intercept. He's author of the new book, "We've Got People: From Jesse Jackson to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the End of Big Money and the Rise of a Movement."
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Celebrations were held throughout the night in Puerto Rico after Governor Ricardo Rosselló announced he would resign, following 12 days of mass protests. This came two days after more than 500,000 Puerto Ricans took to the streets in one of the largest protests in Puerto Rico's history. The protests began after Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism published close to 900 pages of shocking text messages between Rosselló, staffers and advisers. The group chat messages were riddled with misogyny, homophobia, profanity and violence. Some of the messages mocked victims of Hurricane Maria and joked about shooting San Juan Mayor Carmen YulÃn Cruz. For more on Rosselló's resignation and what lies ahead for the island, we speak with journalist Ed Morales, author of the forthcoming book, "Fantasy Island: Colonialism, Exploitation, and the Betrayal of Puerto Rico."
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Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló Resigns Amid Mass Protests, Trump Vetoes Pave Way for U.S. Weapons Sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Robert Mueller Tells Congress His Report Did Not Exonerate Trump, Federal Court Puts Trump's Asylum Ban on Hold, Federal Regulators Fine Facebook $5 Billion for Massive Privacy Breaches, New U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson Downplays Threat of Hard Brexit, Thousands Protest as Boris Johnson Begins Term as British Prime Minister, North Korea Test-Fires Missiles Ahead of U.S.-South Korea War Games, House Lawmakers Approve Resolution Opposing Boycotts of Israel, China's Military Warns It May Intervene to Quell Hong Kong Protests, 1.6 Million Face Hunger in Mozambique Following Deadly Cyclones, Record-Shattering Heat Wave Scorches Europe, Study: Current Pace of Climate Change Unparalleled in 2,000 Years, Joe Biden Defends His Role as Co-Author of 1994 Crime Bill, Rapper Meek Mill's 2008 Conviction Thrown Out by Philadelphia Judge
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Fifty years ago this week, a group of young radical Puerto Ricans took to the streets of New York City to announce the formation of the New York chapter of the Young Lords. Formed in the same radical tradition of the Black Panther Party, the activists soon became a force in the community that inspired people around the nation. The Young Lords occupied churches and hospitals to offer services to the community, and educated people about Puerto Rican culture and history. They called for self-determination for all Puerto Ricans, independence for the island of Puerto Rico, community control of institutions and land, freedom for all political prisoners and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam, Puerto Rico and other areas. While the group disintegrated in the mid-1970s, its impact is still felt today. Ahead of a commemorative event at the Schomburg Center in Harlem Friday, we speak with three former Young Lords: Denise Oliver-Velez, Carlito Rovira and Democracy Now!'s Juan González, who helped found the organization and served as its first minister of education. We also speak with Johanna Fernández, associate professor in the Department of History at CUNY's Baruch College. She is the author of the upcoming book "The Young Lords: A Radical History."
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July is slated to become the hottest month in recorded history, as extreme weather fueled by global warming wreaks havoc across the globe, from extreme heat waves in Europe and the U.S. to deadly monsoon flooding in South Asia. Severe rains have killed at least 660 people across India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan in a monsoon that is expected to continue throughout the week. A record heat wave is hitting Europe for the second time this summer, with Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam all at risk of hitting all-time high temperatures, and Spain facing the threat of severe fires. We speak with climate scientist Michael Mann, a distinguished professor and director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University, about the latest weather extremes across the globe and how the media can responsibly cover climate change.
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Facing mass civil unrest and a growing protest movement, Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló is expected to resign today. El Nuevo DÃa first reported the news late Tuesday night. Rosselló has faced nearly two weeks of demonstrations—each one larger than the last—demanding he step down, following a massive leak revealing sexist, homophobic and violent text messages exchanged between the governor and government officials, in which he mocked victims of Hurricane Maria and joked about shooting San Juan Mayor Carmen YulÃn Cruz. We speak with Democracy Now! co-host Juan González on the significance of Rosselló's resignation.
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Robert Mueller Testifies Before Congress, Trump Rails Against Squad, Mueller Report in Speech to Teenagers, Disgraced Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló Expected to Step Down, ORR Says Unaccompanied Migrant Children Could Be Detained for Years, Immigration Agents Detain Texas Teen for 3+ Weeks Despite Being a U.S. Citizen, Tennessee Community Blocks ICE from Taking Neighbor by Forming Human Chain, Trump Threatens Guatemala with Tariffs and Other Penalties After Failure of Immigration Deal, DOJ Pursues Antitrust Probe into Big Tech, Reports: FTC to Accuse Facebook of Misleading Consumers on Personal Data Use, Former Defense Lobbyist Mark Esper Confirmed as New Defense Secretary, FBI Director Wray: Most Domestic Terror Committed by White Supremacists, Sen. Harris and Rep. Nadler Introduce Marijuana Decriminalization Bill, Joe Biden Unveils Criminal Justice Plan, Senate Passes Bill to Fund 9/11 September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Trump Sues House Committee and NY Officials to Halt Release of State Taxes, Boris Johnson Becomes New U.K. Prime Minister, Greta Thunberg Urges French Lawmakers to Act on Climate Crisis as Heat Wave Grips Europe, Climate Activists Call on Lawmakers to Pass "Climate Emergency" Resolution
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Many of Puerto Rico's most famous performers have been out in the streets in full force this week to show support for the growing movement calling for the immediate resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló. Singers Ricky Martin and Bad Bunny were in the streets of San Juan Monday, along with Grammy-winning artists Residente and iLe of the band Calle 13. They've also joined the protest through song. Last week, Residente, iLe and Bad Bunny released the song "Afilando Los Cuchillos," or "Sharpening the Knives." It quickly became the anthem of the movement. We speak with iLe, who says, "I've been waiting all my life for a moment like this."
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Half a million people took to the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Monday in a historic protest, more than a week after the Center for Investigative Journalism in Puerto Rico published 889 pages that included violently misogynistic and homophobic online chats between Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló and other government officials. The leaked documents revealed Rosselló had mocked victims of Hurricane Maria and joked about shooting San Juan Mayor Carmen YulÃn Cruz. It also exposed rampant corruption within the Puerto Rican government. Governor Rosselló and the 11 others implicated in the message scandal have been issued summonses by the island's Justice Department. Two top officials have resigned since the scandal broke, including former Secretary of State Luis Rivera MarÃn, but Rosselló is resisting calls to step down, saying the messages were "done on people's personal time" and a result of working long, stressful days. We speak with Carla Minet, executive director of the Center for Investigative Journalism in Puerto Rico.
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"Ricky Renuncia": Half a Million Puerto Ricans Flood San Juan Demanding Resignation of Gov. Rosselló
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An estimated half a million Puerto Ricans took to the streets of San Juan Monday to demand the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló. It was the largest demonstration yet since the massive leak of nearly 900 text messages—many of them graphic and offensive—between Rosselló and some of his closest advisers broke 11 days ago. Protesters blocked a major Puerto Rican highway for hours, chanting "Ricky renuncia!"—"Ricky resign!"—banging on drums and waving Puerto Rican flags. Several businesses and banks closed in solidarity with the national mobilization, with many taking the day off work to attend the protest. At around 11 p.m., police began firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who gathered outside the governor's mansion. The protest came a day after Governor Rosselló addressed the Puerto Rican people via Facebook Live, announcing he would not seek re-election next year and that he would step down from his leadership role as head of the ruling New Progressive Party. Democracy Now! correspondent Juan Carlos Dávila was in the streets of San Juan.
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Half a Million Puerto Ricans Take Over San Juan Streets to Call for Gov. Rosselló to Resign, Boris Johnson Becomes New British Prime Minister, Trump Admin Expands Deportation Powers, Putting 100,000s of Undocumented Immigrants at Risk, ICE Now Using DNA Testing on Asylum-Seeking Families, DOJ Tells Mueller His Testimony Must "Remain Within Boundaries" of Redacted Report, Trump Says He Can "Wipe Afghanistan Off the Face of the Earth" as He Meets Pakistani PM Imran Khan, Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte Calls for the Death Penalty for Drug Offenders, Syrian Airstrikes Kill At Least 50, Amid Ongoing Violence in Idlib, Press Freedom Group Calls for Accountability After Journalist Dies Behind Bars in Syria, WH and Congressional Leaders Raise Debt Ceiling, Increase Spending in Budget Deal, Trump Admin Wants to Restrict Access to Food Stamps for 3 Million People, Art Neville, New Orleans Funk Musician and Member of The Meters, Dies at 81, Paul Krassner, Writer, Activist & Counterculture Leader, Dies at 87
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The Environmental Protection Agency will not ban the widely used pesticide chlorpyrifos—even though the agency's own research shows that it can cause brain damage in children. The substance is sold under the commercial name Lorsban and is banned for household use. But it's still used by farmers on more than 50 fruit, nuts, cereal and vegetable crops. The announcement came Thursday. The Obama administration said it would ban the use of the toxic chemical in 2015, but the rule never took effect. It was suspended in 2017 by then-EPA head Scott Pruitt. We go to Seattle to speak with Patti Goldman, a managing attorney at Earthjustice who represented health and labor advocates in a lawsuit against the EPA's original decision in 2017.
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A historic indigenous resistance is unfolding on the Big Island of Hawaii, where thousands have descended on Mauna Kea, a sacred Native site, to defend it from the construction of a $1.4 billion telescope. Scientists say the Thirty Meter Telescope will help them peer into the deepest corners of space, but indigenous resisters say the construction was approved without their consent and will desecrate their sacred lands. Last week, police arrested 33 people—most of them Hawaiian elders—as they blocked a road to prevent work crews from reaching the site of the telescope being planned atop Mauna Kea. And on Sunday, demonstrators reported that more than 2,000 people had gathered at the access road to stop construction. We speak with Pua Case, an indigenous organizer and activist defending Hawaii's Mauna Kea.
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In Iran, authorities say they've arrested 17 Iranian citizens and charged them with being CIA-trained spies for the United States. Iranian media reports that some have already been executed. This comes as tensions in the Persian Gulf continued to mount over the weekend following Iran's seizure of a British oil tanker and its 23 crew members Friday in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said it seized the tanker in retaliation for the British impounding of an Iranian tanker earlier this month off the coast of Gibraltar. The Iranian National Guard released video Sunday showing the vessel flying an Iranian flag. Britain says Iran forced the Stena Impero out of international waters and rerouted the tanker into Iranian territory. We speak with Narges Bajoghli, professor of Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University and author of the forthcoming book, "Iran Reframed: Anxieties of Power in the Islamic Republic."
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Iran Says It Has Captured and Killed Spies as Oil Tanker Standoff Intensifies, Trump Revs Up Racist Attacks on Squad as AOC Hits Back: "We're Not Going Anywhere", Heat Wave Grips U.S. as July on Track for Hottest Month Ever Recorded, Fire Breaks Out at Brooklyn Jail as Prisoners Face Dangerous Heat Without Relief, Puerto Ricans Continue Mass Protests as Gov. Rosselló Says He Will Not Seek Re-election, Boris Johnson Expected to Become New U.K. Prime Minister, Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters Face Police Tear Gas and Violent Mob, Israel Begins Razing Palestinian Homes in Occupied Territories, Mueller to Testify Before House Committees Wednesday, 3 White Supremacists Sentenced to Jail for Violence in Charlottesville, VA, and California, LAPD Sent Informant to Spy on Anti-Trump Group, Bernie Sanders Introduces "Right to a Secure Retirement" Plan, Activists Protest Trump Admin Plan to Jail Migrant Children at Fort Sill
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In 2003, Katharine Gun, a young specialist working for Britain's Government Communications Headquarters, exposed a highly confidential memo that revealed the United States' collaboration with Britain in collecting sensitive information on United Nations Security Council members in order to pressure them into supporting the Iraq invasion. Gun leaked the memo to the press, setting off a chain of events that jeopardized her freedom and safety, but also opened the door to putting the entire legality of the Iraq invasion on trial. 

Acclaimed Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg described Gun's action as "the most important and courageous leak I have ever seen." Gun's incredible story is depicted in the new film "Official Secrets," which premieres in the U.S. August 30. We speak with Katharine Gun; the British journalists who reported on Gun's revelations in The Observer newspaper, Martin Bright and Ed Vulliamy; and Gavin Hood, director of "Official Secrets."
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On Thursday, President Trump attempted to distance himself from the racist chant of "send her back" about Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar at a Trump campaign rally Wednesday in North Carolina. The chants rang across the rally in response to Trump's own verbal attack against the congresswoman. He did nothing to intervene. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives narrowly passed a resolution condemning Trump's racist remarks against Congressmembers Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. We speak with Ibram X. Kendi, founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University.
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70 Catholics Arrested in Capitol Hill Protest of Trump's Immigration Policies, Asylum Seekers in Texas ICE Jail Launch Hunger Strike, House Democrats Grill Acting DHS Chief over Migrant Deaths and Squalid Jails, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Confronts DHS Chief over Racist & Sexist Border Patrol Posts, Trump Disavows "Send Her Home" Chant After Racist Attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ilhan Omar Greeted in Minnesota with Chants of "Welcome Home", House Approves Minimum Wage Hike to $15 an Hour, Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Would Bring Overtime Pay, Union Rights, Trump to Nominate Anti-Union Lawyer Eugene Scalia as Labor Secretary, Jeffrey Epstein Denied Bail Ahead of Sex Trafficking Trial, Iran Denies Trump's Claim the U.S. Shot Down Iranian Drone, Afghan Bombers Kill 20 in Attacks in Kandahar and Kabul, Arson Attack in Kyoto, Japan, Kills 33, Excessive Heat Warning Declared Across Much of U.S. , EPA Won't Ban Toxic Pesticide Despite Link to Brain Damage in Children, Trump Administration Proposes Slashing Regulations for Nuclear Power Plants
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We look at the award-winning documentary feature titled "For Sama," a devastating account of war-torn Syria told through the eyes of director Waad al-Kateab. She filmed hundreds of hours of footage in her native Aleppo to create a stunning depiction of life during wartime. Amid airstrikes and attacks on hospitals, Waad falls in love with one of the last remaining doctors in Aleppo, gets married and has a baby girl, Sama, to whom the film is dedicated. When protests against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad first began in 2011, Waad al-Kateab was a young economics student who began filming on a cellphone. For five years, she documented her own life and the lives of those around her as the Assad regime intensified its brutal response to the uprising. She eventually gathered hundreds of hours of footage. Ahead of the film's release in the U.S. next Thursday, we speak with Waad al-Kateab and her husband Hamza al-Kateab, a doctor and the co-founder and former director of the Al Quds Hospital in Aleppo.
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Close to 100,000 Puerto Ricans took to the streets Wednesday chanting "Ricky Renuncia!" as they called for the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló, following the leak by Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism of hundreds of misogynistic, homophobic and violent text messages between Rosselló and members of his Cabinet. On Monday, Denis Márquez of the Puerto Rican Independence Party introduced formal complaints against the governor and called for his impeachment. All of this comes as former Education Secretary Julia Keleher and five others have been arrested on charges of steering federal money to unqualified, politically connected contractors. We speak with Melissa Mark-Viverito, interim president of the Latino Victory Project, and, from San Juan, journalist Juan Carlos Dávila, Democracy Now!'s correspondent in Puerto Rico.
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House Lawmakers Vote to Table Trump Impeachment Resolution, Trump Renews Racist Attacks on Four Progressive Congresswomen, Rep. Ilhan Omar Introduces Bill Affirming the Right to Boycott, House Votes to Bar Trump's Planned Weapons Sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE, U.S. to Deploy 500 Troops to Saudi Air Base, Sudan's Military Rulers Agree to Share Power with Civilian Protesters, United Nations Declares Global Health Emergency as Ebola Spreads, Puerto Ricans Demand Resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló over Hateful Messages, AG Barr & Commerce Secretary Ross Held in Contempt of Congress, Sen. Rand Paul Blocks Vote on September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Drug Lord JoaquÃn "El Chapo" Guzmán Sentenced to Life in Prison, 1992 Video Shows Donald Trump Partying with Jeffrey Epstein, Prosecutors Drop Sexual Assault Charge Against Kevin Spacey, Pentagon IG Ordered to Probe U.S. Use of Ticks as Biological Weapons, Protests Mark Fifth Anniversary of Eric Garner's Killing by NYPD Cop, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Won't Say If Eric Garner's Killer Should Be Fired, Hawaiian Elders Arrested at Nonviolent Protest of Mauna Kea Telescope
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Abigail Disney, the heiress of the Disney fortune, is once again speaking out against the company's unfair labor and wage practices. She recently spoke to Disneyland employees in California, where they shared their experiences with the theme park's work environment. In the past, Abigail Disney has criticized Disney CEO Bob Iger's obscene salary and the drastic pay gap between Iger and other Disney employees. Abigail Disney also testified in May at the House Committee on Financial Services during a hearing on strengthening the rights and protections of workers. We speak with Abigail Disney, filmmaker and granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, the co-founder of The Walt Disney Company.
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While online shoppers around the world flocked to Amazon's mega-sale "Prime Day" this week, the retail giant faced growing outrage from protesters, workers and lawmakers for its unsafe working conditions and collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Demonstrators in Seattle delivered a petition with over 270,000 signatures to Amazon headquarters demanding it stop exploiting workers and cooperating with ICE. Lawmakers, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Ilhan Omar, co-signed a letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration demanding a full investigation into Amazon's workplace conditions on Tuesday, citing reports of Amazon workers facing severe physical and mental distress while on the job. Also on Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel challenged an Amazon executive on allegations that the company competes against its own sellers. We speak with Angeles Solis, lead organizer on the workplace justice team at Make the Road New York, and Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, who testified about Amazon Tuesday before a House Judiciary Subcommittee.
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It's been five years since Eric Garner, an African-American father of six, was killed when a white New York City police officer wrestled him to the ground and applied a fatal chokehold, while Garner, who was unarmed, said "I can't breathe" 11 times. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced they will not bring civil rights charges against Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer implicated in Garner's death. The move reportedly came after Attorney General William Barr ordered that the case be dropped. Earlier this year, a medical examiner testified that it was a chokehold that triggered an asthma attack that led to Garner's death, which was ruled a homicide. Pantaleo remains on the police force and earns a salary of more than $100,000. We speak with Jumaane Williams, public advocate for New York City.
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House Votes to Condemn Trump's Racist Tweets, Rep. Al Green Introduces Impeachment Articles, Kellyanne Conway to Reporter Asking About Trump's Racism: "What's Your Ethnicity?", Rights Groups File Lawsuits to Stop Trump's Draconian New Asylum Rule, White Police Officer Who Killed Eric Garner Will Not Face Federal Charges, Ex-Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo Arrested in California over Corruption Scandal, Press Freedom Advocates Call for Release of Yemeni Journalist Yahya al-Sawari, Planned Parenthood Removes President Dr. Leana Wen over Disagreements on Direction of Org., Organizations Say They Will Not Comply with Trump Ban on Abortion Referrals, Kamala Harris Unveils Prescription Drugs Plan as Joe Biden Shuns Medicare for All, Suspect Arrested in Murder of Beloved Louisiana Civil Rights Activist, Judge Recommends Daily Stormer Publisher Pay $14 Million to Woman Targeted with Anti-Semitic Trolling, Judge Sentences Charlottesville Neo-Nazi Murderer to 2 More Life Sentences, Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens Dies at 99, Activists Arrested as They Take Over ICE Headquarters in D.C.
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Amid labor strikes against poor working conditions and low wages for Amazon and McDonald's workers, we speak with 2020 presidential candidate Julián Castro about workers' rights, fair pay and where he stands on foreign policy, from China to Israel.
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As Trump faced national rebuke for his racist comments against four progressive congresswomen, his administration announced a new rule essentially banning most immigrants from seeking refuge in the United States. The rule, which the ACLU has already vowed to challenge in court, would deny asylum to any migrant who failed to apply for protection in another country they passed through on the way to the U.S. border—including children traveling alone. If enacted, the law would effectively block people from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, as well as Haitians, Cubans and many people from African countries, who come to the U.S. via the southern border. We speak with 2020 presidential candidate Julián Castro about the asylum ban and his immigration reform proposals.
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Congressmembers Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar condemned President Trump's spate of racist attacks against them in a news conference Monday. Their public rebuke followed Trump tweeting Sunday telling them to "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came." The comments have been widely condemned as racist and xenophobic. We hear from the progressive congresswomen in their own words.
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Trump Announces Radical Plan to Bar Almost All Migrants from Seeking Asylum at U.S. Border, Squad Rejects Trump's Racist Attacks & Calls for Impeachment as House Plans Resolution to Condemn, Protesters Call for Exit of Puerto Rican Gov. Rosselló After Leaked Text Messages, El Salvador Rape Survivor Being Retried for Homicide for Having Stillbirth, U.N. Report Accuses Venezuela's Special Forces of 1000s of Extrajudicial Killings, Workers and Activists Protest Amazon, Calling for an End to Labor Abuses, Collaboration with ICE, Washington Activist Protesting Immigrant Detention Shot Dead, Historian and Civil Rights Activist Sadie Roberts-Joseph Found Killed, Epstein Abuse Survivors Ask Judge to Deny Bail, Hawaiian Land Defenders Protest Construction of Thirty Meter Telescope at Mauna Kea
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Ongoing heavy rain has killed at least 67 people in Nepal, 25 in India and 14 in Bangladesh as flooding from monsoons has displaced 1 million people in South Asia. This year's flooding in the region has been worse than ever before and is likely fueled by rising global temperatures, which have led to more extreme weather. Scientists warn that the risk of deadly floods is not over. In the United States, New Orleans residents managed to avoid the worst of Tropical Storm Barry, but 11 million people continued to be on flash flood warning as the storm slowly made its way through Louisiana over the weekend. President Trump has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana, where more than 60,000 remained without power on Sunday. We speak with Dahr Jamail, a staff reporter at Truthout and author of "The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption." "We can look around the world and just see, right now, before our very eyes, evidence of how deep in this crisis we already are," says Jamail. "June was the hottest June ever recorded on the planet. The last five years are the hottest five years in history. This is the trajectory that we're on, and these numbers are only going to continue to increase."
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As immigrant communities face ongoing raids across the country, we speak with Rosa Sabido, one of dozens of undocumented immigrants living in churches across the United States. She entered sanctuary in May 2017 in the fellowship hall at United Methodist Church in Mancos, Colorado, after being told that her latest request of stay of deportation had been denied by ICE. She first came to the U.S. on a visitor visa in 1987 to see her mother and stepfather, who are both naturalized U.S. citizens. "We are in fear. We are on guard," says Sabido. "We are on constant panic, and we don't know what's going to happen in our communities."
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This weekend, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents launched a handful of raids across the country as part of President Trump's push to detain and deport thousands of undocumented migrants in 10 major cities. Agents in Chicago reportedly arrested a mother and her children only to quickly release them. Arrests were also attempted in New York City, in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Harlem, where immigrants reportedly refused to open their doors to ICE agents because they did not have warrants. Authorities say more raids are planned this week, prompting fear but also generating mass protests on the ground. We speak with Elora Mukherjee, a professor of law and director of the Immigrants' Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School. She has spent the past 12 years representing immigrant children and adults along the U.S.-Mexico border. "The raids will leave children without their parents. The raids will leave children without their caregivers," Mukherjee says. "The raids will leave U.S. citizen children without anyone in America to care for them. It is a heartbreaking situation."
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ICE Raids Roll Out on Smaller Scale While Immigrant Communities and Supporters Mobilize, Mike Pence Says Jailed Migrants "Well Cared For" After Visiting Texas Facilities, Trump Launches Racist Attack on Progressive Congresswomen of Color, Guatemala Cancels Meeting with Trump as Court Halts Contested Migration Deal, Labor Sec. Acosta Resigns Amid Epstein Scandal, South Asian Floods Kill Dozens, Displace At Least 1 Million People, Tunisia Recovers 82 Missing Bodies from Migrant Shipwreck, Algerians Protest Ruling Government for 21st Straight Week, Ecuador: Waorani Win Case to Protect Amazon Against Oil Exploitation, Israeli Army Kills Hamas Member in Gaza Strip, Somalia Attack Kills 26, Including Beloved Somali-Canadian Journalist, New Leak from Ex-U.K. Ambassador: Trump Withdrew from Iran Deal to Spite Obama, House Passes $733B Defense Bill, Aims to Curb Trump's Ability to Attack Iran, Tropical Storm Barry Brings Major Flooding, Wrecks Homes & Cuts Power in Louisiana, Noted Union Leader Héctor Figueroa Dies in New York at Age 57
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Since the 2009 U.S.-backed military coup in Honduras, extreme poverty and violence has skyrocketed in the country, forcing tens of thousands of Hondurans to flee to the U.S. with the hope of receiving political asylum. We speak with ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya in the capital of Tegucigalpa about the 10th anniversary of the coup in Honduras, U.S. intervention in Central America and its link to today's migration crisis.
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Immigrant communities across the country and their allies are preparing for nationwide raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement planned to begin Sunday that will target undocumented members of immigrant families in at least nine major cities. The cities where raids will take place are said to be Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco. New Orleans had been on the list, but the city announced this weekend that ICE was temporarily postponing the raids due to Tropical Storm Barry. We speak with a roundtable of immigrants' rights activists: Adelina Nicholls, the executive director of Georgia Latino Alliance of Human Rights in Atlanta; Shannon Camacho, the Los Angeles County Raids Rapid Response Network coordinator for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights; and Natalia Aristizabal, co-director of organizing at Make the Road New York. Camacho says, "We tell our community members that no matter what ICE does, don't open the door."
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Trump Backs Down on Adding Citizenship Question to 2020 Census, Immigrant Communities Brace for Weekend ICE Raids, Immigration Activists Disrupt Amazon Web Services Conference over ICE Ties, Salvadoran Journalist Manuel Duran Released from ICE Jail After 15 Months, New Orleans Braces for More Flooding as Tropical Storm Barry Looms, Britain Accuses Iran of Blocking Tanker's Passage Through Strait of Hormuz, Trump Threatens New Trade War as France Approves 3% Tax on Tech Giants, Jeffrey Epstein Asks for Release on Bail Ahead of Sex Trafficking Trial, R. Kelly Arrested on Federal Sex Crimes Charges, Gen. John Hyten, Trump's Joint Chiefs Nominee, Accused of Sexual Misconduct, House Democrats Authorize Subpoenas for Top Current and Former Trump Admin Officials, NJ Governor Signs Bill to Limit Use of Solitary Confinement in State Prisons, AFT Sues Betsy DeVos over Student Loan Forgiveness Program, U.N. Human Rights Council Votes to Probe Duterte's Deadly Drug War
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During a press conference Wednesday, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta dismissed calls for his resignation and defended the 2008 plea deal given to the billionaire serial child sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein while he was the U.S. attorney in Florida. Acosta has also come under fire for his proposal to cut funding for victims of sex trafficking. His 2020 budget proposal for the Department of Labor includes an almost 80% decrease in funds for the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, the office tasked with fighting child sex trafficking. Critics of the proposal argue it would effectively dismantle many programs aimed at preventing child sex trafficking and put large numbers of children at risk. We speak with Taina Bien-Aimé, executive director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women.
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Thousands gathered in Manhattan Wednesday to celebrate the U.S. women's national soccer team's fourth World Cup championship at a ticker tape parade that stretched up Broadway and past Wall Street. Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Rose Lavelle and their teammates rode floats through New York City's Canyon of Heroes, ending their celebrations at a ceremony at City Hall. Supporters chanted "U.S.A.!" and "Equal pay!" The U.S women's World Cup victory came just months after members of the 2015 women's team sued the U.S. Soccer Federation over gender discrimination. Their high-profile fight for pay equity is focusing the spotlight on the pay gap for all women, not just soccer players. We speak with Julie Suk, professor of sociology at the Graduate Center at CUNY.
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"Unconscionable & Unacceptable": Rep. Barragán Decries Detention of Migrant Children in Prison Cells
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Yazmin Juárez, the Guatemalan mother whose child died from a lung infection after being held in an ICE detention center, testified before members of a congressional panel Wednesday. She shared the story of her daughter, 19-month-old Mariee, who died last year shortly after being released from the South Texas Family Detention Center in Dilley, Texas. Juárez filed a $60 million lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Patrol and the Department of Health and Human Services. The House subcommittee convened to examine the treatment of refugees in U.S. detention, just over a week after lawmakers flocked to the U.S.-Mexico border to observe the horrible treatment of refugee children and families in immigration jails amid reports of continued unsafe and unsanitary conditions for asylum seekers. Meanwhile, NBC reports that migrant children jailed in Yuma, Arizona, have been subjected to mistreatment and sexual violence. We speak with Democratic Rep. Nanette Barragán from California, who recently visited detention centers in Texas. She's the second vice-chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security.
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Labor Secretary Alex Acosta Refuses to Step Down over Plea Deal for Sex Offender Jeffrey Epstein, Jennifer Araoz, Alleged Survivor of Jeffrey Epstein, Says She Was Raped at Age 15, Guatemalan Mother Tells Lawmakers About Her Daughter's Death After ICE Detention, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Wants to Dismantle Department of Homeland Security, Trump Administration Warns It Will Begin Mass Arrests of Immigrants on Sunday, ICE Opens Three New Immigration Jails, Flouting Congressional Limits on Jailing Migrants, Six Arrested at Sit-in Protest of Joe Biden's Record on Deportations, Rep. Ilhan Omar Urges Boycott of Fox News Host Tucker Carlson over Racist Attack, White House "Social Media Summit" to Feature Far-Right Conspiracy Theorists, Federal Court Throws Out Emoluments Lawsuit Against President Trump, Trump Organization Cancels Golf Tournament Hosted by Miami-Area Strip Club, FBI Arrests Former Aides to Puerto Rico's Governor in Corruption Probe, Heavy Rains Bring Floods to Louisiana as Tropical Storm Strengthens Offshore, State Department Analyst Resigns in Protest of White House Censorship of Climate Testimony, Study Finds Antarctic Glacier Is Melting and Could Add 50cm to Sea Level Rise, Victorious U.S. Women's Soccer Team Honored in New York Amid Chants of "Equal Pay!"
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As the U.S. continues to crack down on migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, we look at one of the underreported driving factors leading people to flee their home countries: the climate crisis. John Carlos Frey, author of "Sand and Blood: America's Stealth War on the Mexico Border," spent time with Central American climate refugees traveling in a caravan toward the United States. He says, "If this drought continues, we're looking at all-out famine from Central America. ...That's one of the major reasons why they're coming. … The government doesn't even acknowledge the fact that there is a climate crisis in Central America."
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John Carlos Frey's new book, "Sand and Blood: America's Stealth War on the Mexico Border," chronicles how the U.S.-Mexico border became a war zone through decades of deadly bipartisan immigration policy. But it also examines the border through the personal history of his family. Born in Tijuana, Mexico, Frey moved to the U.S. with his family when he was a toddler in 1965. He grew up in southern San Diego, California, where he witnessed the effects of American immigration policy on the borderlands every day. His father was an American citizen. His mother was a Mexican immigrant. Frey's book is dedicated "To my mother, an immigrant from Mexico who came to America to provide a better life for me and my siblings, and to all the mothers and fathers who had the same intention and lost their lives in the attempt." We speak with John Carlos Frey in our New York studio.
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More than a week after lawmakers flocked to the U.S.-Mexico border to observe the horrible treatment of refugee children and families in immigration jails, reports of unsafe and unsanitary conditions for asylum seekers are continuing. In Clint, Texas, the Border Patrol station that garnered international attention for jailing hundreds of migrant children without access to sufficient food, water, beds or medical care now has a spreading outbreak of scabies, shingles and chickenpox, according to border agents. In Yuma, Arizona, NBC reports that jailed migrant children have been subjected to mistreatment and sexual violence. We speak with prize-winning author John Carlos Frey, whose new book, "Sand and Blood: America's Stealth War on the Mexico Border," examines the history of U.S. immigration policies, looking at how both Democrats and Republicans laid the groundwork for the deadly system we have today.
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Children Recount Mistreatment, Sexual Abuse at Yuma, AZ Migrant Jail, Scabies, Shingles & Chickenpox Spreading Among Children at Clint, TX Migrant Jail, Jewish Activists Arrested After Protesting Migrant Detention on Capitol Hill, Judge Rejects DOJ Move to Replace Legal Team Charged with Census Citizenship Battle, Court Says Trump Cannot Block Critics on Twitter, U.K. Ambassador Resigns After Leaked Cables Scandal, Afghan Peace Talks Close as Deadly Attacks Continue, Appeals Court Hears Arguments on Constitutionality of Affordable Care Act, Megan Rapinoe to Trump: "Your Message Is Excluding People", Calls Grow for Acosta to Resign over Epstein Scandal, SF Man Apologizes for Calling Police on Black Man for Entering a Building, 2-Time Presidential Candidate Ross Perot Dies at 89, Billionaire Democratic Donor Tom Steyer Enters 2020 Race
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"This Is Not a Surprise": U.S. Sanctions and Saber Rattling Led to Iran's Renewed Uranium Enrichment
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In ongoing fallout from the Trump administration's decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear accord, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on Monday that Iran has begun enriching uranium above the level agreed to by the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran has threatened to continue to increase their production of enriched uranium if European signatories of the nuclear deal do not help ease the impact of the U.S. sanctions. We speak with Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the new think tank, the Quincy Institute, and author of "Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy."
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A political crisis in Brazil is growing in the wake of The Intercept's investigation into a judge who likely aided federal prosecutors in their corruption case against former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The Bolsonaro administration announced Monday that Brazilian Justice Minister Sérgio Moro has been granted a leave of absence from July 15-19 to "deal with personal matters." Leaked cellphone messages among Brazilian law enforcement officials and other data obtained by The Intercept point to an ongoing collaboration between then-Judge Sérgio Moro and the prosecutors investigating a sweeping corruption scandal known as Operation Car Wash. Lula was considered a favorite in the lead-up to the 2018 presidential election until he was put in jail and forced out of the race on what many say were trumped-up corruption charges. The leaked documents also reveal prosecutors had serious doubts about Lula's guilt. The jailing of Lula helped pave the way for the election of the far-right former military officer Jair Bolsonaro, who then named Judge Sérgio Moro to be his justice minister. The news of Moro's leave of absence comes amid increased calls for him to step down after new revelations of Moro's questionable role in Operation Car Wash were published in Brazil's leading conservative magazine, Veja, in partnership with The Intercept. We speak with Glenn Greenwald, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the founding editors of The Intercept. Greenwald has faced death threats and a possible government investigation due to his reporting on the scandal.
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Billionaire hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein was charged in a Manhattan federal court Monday with sex trafficking and conspiracy. He is accused of sexually assaulting and trafficking dozens of underage girls between 2002 and 2005 at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida. Epstein, who has counted Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton among his friends, pleaded not guilty and is being held in jail until his bond hearing next week. Several accusers were present in federal court in Manhattan on Monday. In November 2018, the Miami Herald published a series of articles by investigative reporter Julie Brown exposing Epstein's crimes and the high-powered people, such as President Trump's Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who protected him. Epstein's arrest after more than a decade of accusations is in part being hailed as a feat of local investigative journalism. We speak with Casey Frank, the senior editor for investigations at the Miami Herald.
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NY Prosecutors Charge Jeffrey Epstein with Trafficking Dozens of Girls, DOJ Says They Will Pursue New Path to Add Citizenship Question to 2020 Census, New NY Bill Allows Congress to Access Trump's State Tax Returns, Democrats Probe Trump Emoluments Violations, Issuing Dozens of Subpoenas, Protesters Vow to Stay in the Streets After Hong Kong Leader Calls Extradition Bill "Dead", Report: China's Separation of Uyghur Children from Families a "Cultural Genocide", 2 Indigenous Rights Activists Killed in Guatemala, 24 Ex-South American Officials Sentenced for Role in Operation Condor, German Charity Ship Saves 44 People at Sea as Clash Btw. Italy and Rescuers Continue, Trump Lashes Out at U.K. Ambassador, PM Theresa May Following Leaked Cables, U.N. Human Rights Chief Blasts U.S. Detention of Migrants, Bernie Sanders and AOC to Introduce Resolution Declaring Climate Emergency, Trump Touts "Environmental Leadership" Despite Destructive Climate Policies, Arizona Man Fatally Stabs Teenager for Playing Rap Music, Queens DA Race Headed to Recount After Latest Tally Separates Candidates by 16 Votes
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Following immense public pressure, prosecutors in Alabama have dropped manslaughter changers against Marshae Jones, a 28-year-old African-American woman whose pregnancy ended after she was shot in the stomach by a coworker. Local police accused Jones of starting the fight that led to the shooting in the parking lot of a Dollar General store outside of Birmingham. A grand jury then indicted Jones on manslaughter but dismissed any charges against the shooter. The case drew national outcry from women's rights advocates concerned about the criminalization of pregnant women and the legal implications of so-called fetal personhood. The National Abortion Federation, along with the Yellowhammer Fund and other reproductive justice advocacy groups, launched a successful campaign to get the charges against Jones dropped. Alabama is one of 38 states to have a fetal homicide law. We speak with Lynn Paltrow, founder and executive director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women.
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