Democracy Now!

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said Wednesday the FBI should have considered halting its surveillance of Trump's campaign aide Carter Page months before it did, after it was revealed that accusations against him may not be credible. Horowitz made the comments while testifying to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, saying the FBI used false information to obtain approval to wiretap Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and raising wider concerns about the agency's use of surveillance. He testified a day after the highly secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court — known as the FISA Court — issued a public order accusing the FBI of misleading the court to gain approval to wiretap Page, and ordering the FBI to propose changes in how its investigators seek permission for domestic surveillance of U.S. citizens by January. Last week, Horowitz issued a first report finding a series of inaccuracies and omissions in the FBI's surveillance application process. We speak with Ashley Gorski, staff attorney with the National Security Project at the American Civil Liberties Union.

The trial to impeach President Trump could soon head to the Republican-controlled Senate, which requires a two-thirds supermajority vote to convict. Senate Majority Leader Republican Mitch McConnell has said he is not an "impartial juror" and that he would closely coordinate a Senate impeachment trial with the White House Counsel's Office, leading Democrats to accuse McConnell of trying to preside over a sham trial. We speak with John Bonifaz, who spearheaded the push for impeachment with his group, Free Speech for People. Bonifaz says that despite the low chance of conviction in the Senate, Wednesday's impeachment vote was important in holding "this lawless president" accountable. "I do agree that we need to demand a full and fair trial out of the United States Senate and that we cannot allow the kangaroo court that Mitch McConnell appears to be preparing for," he says.

President Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives in a historic vote Wednesday, making him only the third president to be formally charged with high crimes and misdemeanors under the Constitution. By a vote of 230 to 197, the House passed the first article of impeachment, which accuses President Trump of abuse of power. The House also approved the second article, which charges him with obstructing Congress by refusing to cooperate with the impeachment investigation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now says she will hold the articles back from being sent to the Republican-controlled Senate for a trial until Democrats are convinced it will be fair. "If we do not hold this president accountable for his abuses of power, we essentially watch democracy die," says our guest Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Democratic congressmember from Washington. "That's not going to happen on our watch."

President Trump Impeached for Abuse of Power & Obstruction of Congress, Trump Slams FBI, Democrats & Impeachment at Battle Creek Rally, McConnell Pushes Through 11 Federal Judge Nominations, DOJ Inspector General Testifies About FBI's Carter Page Surveillance, 7 Democratic Presidential Candidates to Take to Debate Stage in L.A. Tonight, Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Part of Affordable Care Act, Australia Protesters Pitch Tents Outside PM House over Climate Crisis, Report: U.N. Peacekeepers Fathered & Abandoned Hundreds of Children in Haiti, DRC: Families Sue Apple, Google, Microsoft over Children's Deaths in Cobalt Mines, Argentine Accused of Torture Under Dictatorship Extradited from France, CPJ: 25 Journalists Killed in 2019, Bolivia Issues Arrest Warrant for Evo Morales, Supreme Court Lets Stand Ruling Protecting Homeless People, NJ Restores Voting Rights to Residents on Probation or Parole, Uber Agrees to $4.4 Million Sexual Discrimination Settlement, Video of Epstein's First Reported Suicide Attempt Is Missing, Teenager Facing Life in Prison for Killing Man She Says Raped and Sex Trafficked Her

People in New York and New Jersey are celebrating two victories for immigrants' rights. In New York, thousands of undocumented people waited in line for hours at Departments of Motor Vehicles on Monday to apply for a driver's license, as the "Green Light Law" went into effect six months after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed it. The law allows undocumented people to apply for a driver's license using alternative forms of identification instead of providing a Social Security Number. Meanwhile, in the neighboring state of New Jersey, state lawmakers also passed a bill Monday to allow undocumented people to apply for driver's licenses. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has already said he'll quickly sign the bill, benefiting nearly 500,000 undocumented people in the state who are eligible to drive. Fourteen other states, including Delaware and California, also allow undocumented people to apply for a driver's license. We speak with Yaritza Mendez, associate director of organizing at Make the Road New York, who helped push the state's new Green Light Law. We're also joined by Haydi Torres, an organizer with Movimiento Cosecha, which led the push to pass a New Jersey bill granting driver's licenses to undocumented people, and David Cuautle, a 9-year-old who testified in front of the New Jersey state Assembly Judiciary Committee.

As thousands of protesters rally to impeach President Trump in cities across the country ahead of a vote today on impeachment by the full Democrat-controlled House, we hold a roundtable discussion with Rep. Al Green of Texas, who became the first member of Congress to call for impeachment from the floor of the House of Representatives in 2017; Dahlia Lithwick, senior legal correspondent and Supreme Court reporter for Slate, host of the "Amicus" podcast; and Mark Green, co-author of "Fake President: Decoding Trump's Gaslighting, Corruption, and General Bullsh*t."

President Donald Trump is on the cusp of being impeached by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, with a historic vote set today on whether to formally accuse him of abusing his power in dealing with Ukraine to help himself politically, and then obstructing Congress by blocking their investigation. Trump lashed out directly at the vote on Tuesday, calling the proceedings to remove him from office an "attempted coup." Should the House approve either of the articles of impeachment, the Republican-controlled Senate will hold a trial with all 100 senators acting as jurors, with a two-thirds supermajority — 67 votes — required to convict. Meanwhile, thousands of protesters in favor of impeaching Trump took to the streets Tuesday in cities across the country. On what many are calling "Impeachment Day," we go to Capitol Hill to speak with Rep. Al Green of Texas, who was the first congressmember to call for President Trump's impeachment from the floor of the House of Representatives in 2017.

House to Hold Historic Impeachment Vote Today, Top U.S. Diplomat to Ukraine William Taylor to Step Down, Rick Gates Sentenced to 45 Days in Jail and $20,000 Fine, FISA Court Orders FBI to Change National Security Wiretaps After DOJ Report, Democratic Primary Debate to Go Forward After Labor Dispute Resolved, Senate Approves One of the Most Expensive Military Spending Bills in U.S. History, Trump Meets with Outgoing Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, Indian Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Controversial Citizenship Law, Strikes Continue Nationwide in France over Pension Overhaul, Bolivia's Evo Morales Names Two Possible Successors to His Party, Pope Lifts Secrecy Rules on Sexual Abuse Cases, Dozens of Women Slam Weinstein: "He Will Be Remembered as a Sexual Predator"

Ahead of the last Democratic presidential debate of the year this Thursday, seven candidates appeared Saturday at the historic Democratic Presidential Forum on Public Education in Pittsburgh, an event organized by public education organizations, unions, civil rights organizations and community groups. We play highlights from the forum and get response from Keron Blair, director of the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools in Atlanta; Jitu Brown, national director of the Journey for Justice Alliance; and Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education Action. She recently authored a report titled "Still Asleep at the Wheel: How the Federal Charter Schools Program Results in a Pileup of Fraud and Waste."

Burma's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has asked the U.N. International Court of Justice to drop the genocide case against Myanmar, formerly Burma. Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace Prize winner who spent over a decade fighting against the Burmese military, which she is now defending. Last week, Suu Kyi appeared in person at the court to dispute the charges and called the allegations of genocide against Rohingya Muslims "incomplete and misleading." The Burmese military killed and raped thousands of Rohingya and forced more than 700,000 to flee into neighboring Bangladesh in a brutal army crackdown in 2017. Gambia brought the genocide case to the International Court, accusing Burma of trying to "destroy the Rohingya as a group, in whole or in part, by the use of mass murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence." In Barcelona, Spain, we speak with Reed Brody, a counsel and spokesperson for Human Rights Watch. He is also helping Gambian victims seeking to prosecute the former dictator Yahya Jammeh.

Protests continue to erupt across India against a new anti-Muslim law that gives immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan a path to citizenship — unless they are Muslim. Police have responded with violence, leaving at least six dead. This comes amid a broader crackdown on India's Muslims. We get an on-the-ground update from New Delhi from Neha Dixit, an independent reporter who just received the 2019 International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists.

House to Vote Wednesday on Two Articles of Impeachment Against Trump, Democratic Candidates to Boycott Debate If Labor Dispute Not Resolved, Booker & Other Presidential Candidates Call on DNC to Change Debate Criteria, Sen. Graham Says Trump May Announce Drawdown of Troops in Afghanistan, Protests Against "Anti-Muslim" Citizenship Bill Sweep India, Pakistan's Former Military Ruler Pervez Musharraf Sentenced to Death for Treason, China Cancels Soccer Broadcast over Player's Criticism on Uyghurs, Boeing Temporarily Suspends Production of 737 MAX Jet, Sacklers Withdrew $10B from Purdue Pharma Amid Scrutiny over Opioid Crisis, Report: 91 Fortune 500 Companies Effectively Paid No Federal Taxes in 2018, Disabled Protesters Shut Down PG&E Headquarters over Power Outages, North Carolina Officer Fired for Body-Slamming 11-Year-Old Student, New York & New Jersey Move to Issue Licenses to Undocumented Residents

Executives at Boeing are reportedly considering ending production of the troubled 737 MAX passenger jet, which was grounded worldwide after two crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia that killed all 346 people on board. Last week, former Boeing manager Edward Pierson testified to the House Transportation Committee that he tried to warn executives about safety concerns four months before the first deadly crash, as well as before the second crash, but his warnings were ignored. We continue our conversation with Ralph Nader, longtime consumer advocate, corporate critic and three-time presidential candidate, whose great-niece Samya Stumo died on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March.

Donald Trump is set to become the third president to be impeached when the Democrat-controlled House votes Wednesday on two charges related to his attempts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rival Joe Biden. The vote will send the charges to the Republican-controlled Senate, which will then hold a trial on whether to remove Trump from office. Witnesses who could be called to testify include former national security adviser John Bolton and acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. Early Monday, the House Judiciary Committee released its full report on Trump's impeachment that is nearly 700 pages and explains in four parts the committee's justification for recommending two articles of impeachment against Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. A new Fox News poll says 54% of Americans want Trump impeached, and 50% want him impeached and removed. We speak with Ralph Nader, longtime consumer advocate, corporate critic and former presidential candidate, who says the articles of impeachment against Trump are "far too narrow and perilous." Congress has "come forward with a very narrow hand ... for the most impeachable president of all time," he says.

The COP25 United Nations climate summit ended in failure Sunday, after negotiators failed to agree to a deal that would limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — a key goal of the Paris Agreement. Scores of civil society groups condemned governments in the European Union, Australia, Canada and the U.S. for a deal that requires far less action than needed to avert catastrophic climate change. Indigenous leaders and environmentalists blasted the United Nations for marginalizing civil society groups over two weeks of negotiations at the climate summit, while welcoming polluters. For more on the outcome of the U.N. climate summit, we speak with Asad Rehman, executive director of War on Want, and Tasneem Essop, executive director of the Climate Action Network International.

U.N. Climate Talks End with Few of the Commitments Needed to Avert Catastrophe, Top Republicans Coordinating with White House on Senate Impeachment Trial, Trump Set to Withdraw 4,000 Troops from Afghanistan Amid Revelations About Failing War Effort, At Least 6 Dead in India as Protests Rage Against Anti-Muslim Citizenship Law, Fire Kills 10 at Bangladesh Factory with "No Safety Measures", Police in Lebanon Break Up Protests Against Corruption & Inequality, Judge Orders 234,000 Names Purged from Voter Rolls in Wisconsin, Key Battleground State, New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew to Join Republican Party After Meeting with Trump, Hallmark Channel Apologizes for Pulling Ads Showing Same-Sex Weddings, Pentagon Investigates Army and Navy Students over "White Power" Gestures, Boeing May End Production of 737 MAX Jets Following Deadly Crashes

A new report reveals how long-term disasters, including sea level rise and desertification, and short-term disasters, such as storms and fires, are especially threatening to people living in the Global South and island nations. We speak with the co-author of a new study that finds the climate crisis is already leading to a massive increase in the number of refugees being displaced around the world. Hossein Ayazi is a policy analyst with the Global Justice Program at the Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. We're also joined at the U.N. Climate Summit in Madrid by Saleemul Huq, climate scientist and the director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh. He is advising the bloc of Least Developed Countries in the climate negotiations.

As this year's United Nations climate summit wraps up in Madrid, Spain, many activists, scientists, indigenous and grassroots climate leaders say that rich countries most responsible for the climate emergency have spent the talks dialing back ambition and blocking progress. This comes as deadly droughts, flooding, cyclones and wildfires rage around the world. This week, more than 70 developing countries have announced they will accelerate their climate plans, and 72 countries have signed onto goals to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But major emitters Australia, China, India, Brazil and Saudi Arabia have made no such promises, while the U.S. is slated to pull out of the Paris Agreement entirely by next year. For more on the negotiations at COP25, we speak with Saleemul Huq, climate scientist and the director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh. He is advising the bloc of Least Developed Countries in the climate talks.

The British Conservative Party has won a decisive majority in Thursday's general election, winning seats in Labour Party strongholds and paving the way for Britain's exit from the European Union by January 31. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is projected to have 364 seats in the House of Commons compared to Labour's 203 seats. That would give the Conservatives about a 75-seat majority, the largest since Margaret Thatcher's landslide in the 1987 election. Johnson's message throughout the campaign was focused on "getting Brexit done," reflecting public exhaustion with the issue that has paralyzed British politics ever since the 2016 referendum. His win comes despite his long record of racist and anti-Muslim statements, as well as accusations of sexual harassment. Following the election, Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn announced he will resign as party leader, though he will continue to sit as an MP. The Labour membership grew dramatically during Corbyn's tenure, with the party adopting radical policies focused on ending austerity, reinvesting in the National Health Service and promoting social justice. We get response from George Monbiot, a columnist for The Guardian and author of "Out of the Wreckage: A New Politics for an Age of Crisis," and Priya Gopal, university lecturer in the Faculty of English at the University of Cambridge and author of the new book "Insurgent Empire: Anticolonial Resistance and British Dissent."

Conservative Party Wins Landslide Victory in U.K. Elections, House Judiciary Committee to Vote on 2 Articles of Impeachment Today, Algeria: Thousands Protest Thursday's Presidential Election, Aung San Suu Kyi Asks ICJ to Drop Genocide Case Against Burma, India: Police Kill 2 People in Assam Amid Protests over Citizenship Bill, Thousands of Iraqis Gather in Tahrir Sq. to Demand Protest Movement Remain Peaceful, France: Unions Remain on Strike and Vow to Continue During Holiday Season, Thousands Take to Streets in Hong Kong, DHS Memo Reveals How ICE's Inadequate Medical Care Contributed to 4 Deaths, Trump Attacks 16-Year-Old Swedish Climate Activist Greta Thunberg

Located in the central Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and the Philippines, the Marshall Islands are one of the world’s lowest-lying island nations and declared a national climate crisis emergency in October. “We’re looking at changing the entire physical landscape of our island so we can stay above water,” says Marshall Islands poet and climate activist Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner. She joins us to describe the impact on her country and read her newest poem.

Inside the halls of the U.N. climate summit, hundreds of activists gathered Wednesday to demand rich countries step up their efforts to finance climate action. The protest began just as Democracy Now! was finishing our live broadcast, and we spoke to some of the people there from around the world, including Rita Iyke-Uwaka of Friends of the Earth Nigeria; Angela Valenzuela of Fridays for Future in Santiago, Chile; Sandra Tukup of CONFENIAE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon); Amalen Sathananthar of Artivist Network; Brandon Wu of ActionAid USA; and Nina Gualinga, an indigenous leader of the Kichwa community of Sarayaku in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

At the U.N. climate summit in Madrid, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg addressed world leaders Wednesday, hours after she was named Time magazine's Person of the Year. Thunberg came to the talks after a trip to meet with climate leaders across North America in anticipation of the scheduled climate conference in Santiago, Chile, before the talks were abruptly moved to the Spanish capital. In her address, Thunberg warned that the planet's carbon budget is down to just eight years, and urged bold action. "I still believe that the biggest danger is not inaction. The real danger is when politicians and CEOs are making it look like real action is happening when in fact almost nothing is being done apart from clever accounting and creative PR," Thunberg said.

European Commission Proposes Sweeping European Green Deal, DOJ Inspector General Testifies to Senate Judiciary Committee, More Than 70 Troops Killed in Attack on Niger Military Camp, Demonstrations Sweep Algeria as Protesters Demand Boycott of Today's Election, Britain: Voters Head to Polls for Defining National Election Today, Aung San Suu Kyi Denies Genocide Against Muslim Rohingya at ICJ, India's Upper House Passes "Anti-Muslim" Citizenship Bill, Israel Dissolves Knesset as Country Heads Toward 3rd Election This Year, French Workers Continue Strike After PM Unveils Details of Pension Overhaul, Hundreds of Activists Protest at COP25 in Madrid, Spain, Harvey Weinstein Reaches Tentative $25 Million Settlement with Accusers, FTC Reaches Historic Settlement with University of Phoenix over False Advertising, Trump Signs Controversial Executive Order Cracking Down on BDS Movement, ICE Seeks to Fine Women Seeking Sanctuary from Deportation, Authorities Investigate Shooting Outside NJ Kosher Market as Hate Crime

Democracy Now! was broadcasting live from the United Nations climate summit in Madrid, Spain, when hundreds of climate advocates and people's movements at the U.N. climate action summit staged a protest inside the conference venue. As the demonstration unfolds, we speak with Tom Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network; Karin Nansen, chair of Friends of the Earth International; Nigerian climate activist Nnimmo Bassey with Health of Mother Earth Foundation; and indigenous climate activist Daiara Tukano from Brazil.

House Democrats have unveiled two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump that formally charge him with high crimes and misdemeanors after more than two months of investigation. On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined chairs of the impeachment inquiry committees to announce the charges of "abuse of power" and "obstruction of Congress." Democrats allege Trump withheld congressionally directed taxpayer funding for Ukraine's military until the Ukrainian president agreed to do what Trump called a "favor" by announcing Ukraine was investigating his potential 2020 political rival Joe Biden. Democrats say Trump then tried to block attempts by Congress to investigate the move. We speak with Ro Khanna, Democratic congressmember from California and a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

As world leaders gather to address the climate crisis in Madrid, massive wildfires have engulfed Australia in flames and smoke. More than 100 climate-fueled blazes have killed at least six people and pushed air quality levels in Sydney to 12 times hazardous levels. Thousands braved extreme air pollution Wednesday to protest the government's climate inaction outside Sydney Town Hall. As Democracy Now! broadcasts live from inside the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain, we speak with Australian environmental scientist Bill Hare, director of Climate Analytics and a coordinator of the Climate Action Tracker, which monitors global progress toward the Paris Agreement. The group's new report shows the world is on track to warm by 2.8 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, double the rate scientists say is needed to limit the worst impacts of climate change.

Former New York mayor and 2020 presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg spoke at the U.N. climate summit Tuesday, saying he came to the climate talks because "no one from the White House" was there. The event was billed as a media opportunity, but Bloomberg refused to answer questions from the press. Bloomberg entered the presidential race in November and has since spent tens of millions of dollars of his own money on the race. Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman followed Bloomberg through the conference venue, asking how he would address issues of inequality and whether his strategy to win the presidency was to outspend all his rivals. Bloomberg refused to answer all questions, and Kevin Sheekey, Bloomberg's presidential campaign manager, claimed the billionaire was not there "as a candidate."

Democrats Charge Trump with Two Articles of Impeachment, Trump Meets with Russian Foreign Minister, Who Denies Russia Meddled in 2016 Election, Democrats Agree with Trump on New NAFTA, Federal Judge Blocks Trump from Diverting Funds to Border Wall, Mass Protests Continue in France Against Macron's Pensions Plan, British Voters Head to the Polls Thursday, Protesters at COP25 Continue Demands for Urgent Action: "You Can't Drink Oil, Keep It in the Soil!", Thousands Protest Australian Government's Inaction as Smoke from Wildfires Blankets Sydney, At Least 6 Dead, 3 Missing, After Volcano Erupts in New Zealand, Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed Receives Nobel Peace Prize, Refuses to Hold Customary News Conference, Protesters in San Diego Decry Denial of Medical Care to Migrants in ICE Custody, Former Fed Chair Paul Volcker, Known for "Shock Therapy" to Economy, Dies at 92

Indigenous women protested outside the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain, on Tuesday morning to demand action to address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls across North America. Madrid police shut down the protest within minutes. On Monday, indigenous youth and elders gathered outside the Canadian Embassy in Madrid to protest the Canadian government's support of the Alberta tar sands extraction and new fossil fuel infrastructure, including a pipeline that would cut through indigenous lands to carry tar sands oil from Alberta to Wisconsin. We speak with one of those demonstrators: Eriel Deranger, a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and the executive director of Indigenous Climate Action. "Canada comes to these meetings touting themselves as a global leader in addressing the climate crisis, as having great relations with their indigenous peoples," she says. "But the reality is … not a single project that has ever been proposed in the Alberta tar sands has ever been denied."

"Our movements must be bigger than recycling and braver than holding signs," said Rose Whipple, a member of the Santee Dakota and Ho-Chunk, and youth delegate with SustainUS, who joined a panel of youth climate activists at the United Nations climate summit in Madrid, Spain. Indigenous peoples from Canada and the United States are at the summit, speaking out against extraction, new pipeline projects and the environmental devastation of their territories, and calling for movements to center the rights of indigenous peoples.

On Monday, indigenous activists from the Brazilian, Colombian and Ecuadorian Amazon rallied outside the COP25 venue to protest the targeting of indigenous forest protectors and the destruction of their lands, known as the "lungs of the Earth." Their protest came just days after two indigenous chiefs, Firmino Prexede Guajajara and Raimundo Guajajara, were gunned down in a drive-by shooting Saturday in Brazil.

We get response from London-based Asad Rehman, executive director of War on Want, on two major news developments: The United Kingdom — which will head the COP next year — is set to vote Thursday in what some are calling "the climate election," and the Washington Post has published a confidential trove of documents that reveal how senior U.S. officials have lied throughout the 18-year war in Afghanistan, the longest war in U.S. history, while hiding evidence the war had become unwinnable.

This week, Democracy Now! is broadcasting from inside the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain, where representatives from almost 200 countries have gathered to negotiate solutions to the climate crisis. Known as COP25 for "conference of parties," the summit offers a rare opportunity for all countries, especially those on the frontlines of the climate crisis, to have an equal say in negotiations. It comes four years after the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to "well below 2 degrees Celsius," or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. But as the summit heads into its final days, representatives from the Global South say that the United States and other rich countries are obstructing the talks and trying to avoid their obligation to assist poorer countries already facing the worst effects of the climate crisis. We speak with Harjeet Singh, climate change specialist at ActionAid, and Asad Rehman, executive director of War on Want. He has worked on climate change issues for over a decade. "The U.S. is in all streams of discussions that are happening, be it finance, be it loss and damage," he says. "They're everywhere. And everywhere they are obstructing and not allowing any progress to happen."

House Democrats to Unveil Articles of Impeachment Today, WaPo: Secret Afghanistan Papers Reveal How U.S. Officials Lied About War, Sanders & Khanna Urge Lawmakers to Vote Against National Defense Authorization Act, Russia and Ukraine Agree to Ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine, India's Lower House Passes "Anti-Muslim" Citizenship Bill, Protests Continue in Madrid, Spain, Amid COP25, Denmark Passes Climate Act to Reduce Emissions by 70% by 2030, More Than 100 Blazes Rage Across Australia Amid Worst Fire Season in History, Iraq: One Journalist Killed and a Second Disappeared After Covering Protests, Aung San Suu Kyi Arrives at The Hague for Genocide Case Against Burma, Supreme Court Lets Stand Anti-Abortion Kentucky Law, Houston Police Chief Slams Republicans for Loyalty to NRA, Spanish Activists Block Vessel Possibly Carrying Weapons for Yemen War

The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines has just determined that 47 major companies, including Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP and Total, could be found legally and morally liable for human rights harms to Filipinos resulting from climate change. The commission found the companies could be held accountable under civil and criminal laws. Climate activists have hailed the decision as a landmark victory for climate justice. According to Greenpeace, this marks the first time big polluting companies have been found responsible for human rights harms resulting from the climate crisis. We speak to Yeb Saño, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the former chief climate negotiator for the Philippines.

In Spain, the country's biggest fossil fuel polluters are also some of the most generous sponsors for this year's U.N. climate talks. On Saturday, we joined activists on a "toxic tour" of Madrid from the Madrid stock exchange to Santander Bank. Activists explained that when Spanish President Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain would host COP25, he went to IBEX 35 — the 35 biggest listed companies in the Spanish stock exchange — offering them a 90% tax break on a $2 million sponsorship. Advocates say that these same companies "have deep and dirty links to the fossil fuel industry." But midway through, the police shut down the tour, threatening fines of over 3,000 euros if the peaceful tour did not disperse. Climate justice campaigner for Friends of the Earth International Héctor de Prado says he was shocked and "ashamed" by the attempts by police to halt the tour. "It is not normal," he says.

At the end of Friday's major climate rally in Madrid, a group of indigenous activists took the stage to sing and give speeches, but after some speeches their microphone was cut and the lights on stage were shut off as they spoke. Democracy Now! spoke to Eriel Deranger of Indigenous Climate Action and later asked Greta Thunberg and Rose Whipple about the importance of listening to indigenous voices.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg also addressed Friday's climate march in Madrid. "The hope is not within the walls of COP25; the hope is out here with you," said Thunberg, who inspired the global youth strike movement.

Speakers at Friday's massive climate march in Madrid included the actor Javier Bardem. In 2007, he became the first Spanish actor to win an Academy Award for acting for his supporting role in "No Country for Old Men." He addressed the crowd in Spanish.

Speakers at Friday's climate march in Madrid included Brazilian indigenous leader Sônia Guajajara. A day after she spoke, two indigenous chiefs — Firmino Prexede Guajajara and Raimundo Guajajara — were gunned down in a drive-by shooting Saturday in Brazil.

As hundreds of thousands marched to the main stage during Friday's climate march in Madrid, two young children — a brother and sister aged 8 and 11 — staged an act of civil disobedience from a bridge overlooking the protest. While demonstrators marched beneath them, the two children rappelled from an overpass, dangling from ropes in mid-air to hang a banner calling for climate action. Democracy Now! briefly spoke to them after their action.

We broadcast from Madrid, Spain, where the 25th United Nations climate conference is in its second week and representatives from almost 200 countries have gathered for the final days of negotiations. The summit — known as COP25, or conference of parties — has so far focused on meeting the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to "well below 2 degrees Celsius," or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. But climate scientists say the talks are failing to produce the drastic measures necessary to address the climate crisis. Since the Paris Agreement four years ago, greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 4%, and this year's summit shows no sign of arresting that trend. On Friday, as hundreds of thousands prepared to take to the streets of Madrid in protest, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg told reporters that the global climate strikes have "not translated into action" by governments. Protesters then marched through Madrid's city center Friday night in a massive climate demonstration led by indigenous leaders and youth activists. Democracy Now! was there in the streets.

A group of climate activists walked out of a panel at the U.N. climate summit in Madrid on Thursday to protest the presence of Shell, BP and Chevron. Representatives from the oil companies were taking part in an event organized by the International Emissions Trading Association. This comes as the Spanish government is facing criticism for reaching out to Endesa, Spain's biggest corporate greenhouse gas polluter, to sponsor the U.N. climate talks. We speak with Pascoe Sabido, a researcher and campaigner for the Corporate Europe Observatory, who has been organizing toxic tours of Madrid to expose the corporations and financiers driving the climate crisis.

In Spain, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has arrived in Madrid to take part in today’s strike as well as a major march set for 6 p.m. local time. Greta began the climate strike movement last year when she started 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. We speak with two youth climate strikers: Hilda Flavia Nakabuye is the founder of Fridays for Future Uganda and Angela Valenzuela is a coordinator with Fridays for Future in Chile, where this year’s U.N. climate summit had been scheduled but massive protests against neoliberalism forced the Chilean government to cancel the talks.

We broadcast from Madrid, Spain, where the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP25, began Monday and will continue through next week, as environmental leaders from around the world gather to negotiate global solutions to the climate crisis. Activists have converged on Madrid for the conference and are hosting an alternative summit of their own: Cumbre Social por el Clima — the Social Summit for the Climate. The alternative summit has been organized by social justice and environmental groups to draw attention to the ongoing political repression in Chile, corporate influence on the climate summit, Spain's own failure to address the climate crisis and the Eurocentrism of the climate conference. This is the third year in a row that the conference is being held in Europe. We speak with Tom Kucharz, one of the organizers of the alternative climate conference. He is a journalist and activist with the group Ecologists in Action.

Pelosi Calls On Democrats to Proceed With Drafting Articles of Impeachment, Joe Biden Lashes Out at Iowa Town Hall over His Son Hunter’s Work in Ukraine, Pentagon Weighs Sending Up to 14,000 More U.S. Troops to Middle East, Saudi Aramco Raises $25.6 Billion in Historic IPO, 140,000 Died Globally from Measles in 2018, 62 Refugees Died after Boat Capsized off Coast of Mauritania, Shocking Video Shows How Border Patrol Let Teenage Asylum Seeker Die in Custody, French Workers Continue National Strike into Second Day, Uber Says It Received 3,000 Reports of Sexual Assault in U.S. in 2018, The Guardian: Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib Targeted in Far-Right Online Operation, Ex-Cop Reveals How NYPD Forced Officers to Arrest Black & Latino Men, 700,000 Americans to Lose Access to Food Stamps, UNC Students Protest After School Secretly Gave $2.5M to Neo-Confederate Group, Nigerian Police Rearrest Journalist & Activist Omoyele Sowore

Medicare for All and tuition-free universities have been at the core of the 2020 Democratic presidential campaigns, creating a stark division between progressive candidates and their centrist counterparts. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have proposed to make Medicare for All and public universities cost-free by taxing massive corporations and the super wealthy, and earlier this year, Sanders introduced legislation that would cancel student loan debt. His plan would be paid for with a new tax on Wall Street, he says. It would also make public universities and community colleges free — a key pillar of Sanders’s 2020 education platform. These proposals are not radical ideas in Sweden, a country that has built one of the world’s most extensive social welfare systems. In Sweden, healthcare costs are largely subsided by the state. Daycare and preschool programs are mostly free. College and university are free. Public transportation is subsidized for many users. To explain how Sweden does it, we speak with Mikael Törnwall, Swedish author and journalist focusing on economic issues at Svenska Dagbladet, a Stockholm daily newspaper. His most recent book is titled "Who Should Pay for Welfare?"

In Stockholm, Democracy Now! sat down with one of the winners of this year's Right Livelihood Award: Sahrawi human rights leader Aminatou Haidar. For over three decades, Haidar has led a peaceful campaign to resist the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, which is often called Africa’s last colony. Morocco has occupied Western Sahara — a small region just south of Morocco in northwest Africa — since 1975. Thousands have been tortured, imprisoned, killed and disappeared while resisting the occupation. Peaceful protesters, led by women, are routinely beaten in the streets. Despite this violent repression, Haidar has led countless hunger strikes and demonstrations, and unflinchingly documented the abuses against the Saharawi people for more than 30 years. She is a former political prisoner who was jailed for four years in a secret prison. In granting her the award, the Right Livelihood Award Foundation cited her "steadfast nonviolent action, despite imprisonment and torture, in pursuit of justice and self-determination for the people of Western Sahara." Haidar says it's time for the international community to push for an end to the Morrocan occupation of Western Sahara. "My message is: Let's put an end to our suffering. Let's put an end to this injustice. Let's give a voice to Sahrawi people, let them choose their future."