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Updated 2025-08-19 03:30
Mehdi Hasan on George H.W. Bush's Ignored Legacy: War Crimes, Racism and Obstruction of Justice
George H.W. Bush died in Houston on Friday night at the age of 94. Bush was elected the 41st president of the United States in 1988, becoming the first and only former CIA director to lead the country. He served as Ronald Reagan's vice president from 1981 to 1989. Since Bush's death, the media has honored the former president by focusing on his years of service and his call as president for a kinder, gentler America. But the headlines have largely glossed over and ignored other parts of Bush's legacy. We look at the 1991 Gulf War, Bush's pardoning of six Reagan officials involved in the Iran-Contra scandal and how a racist election ad helped him become president. We speak with Intercept columnist Mehdi Hasan. His latest piece is titled "The Ignored Legacy of George H.W. Bush: War Crimes, Racism, and Obstruction of Justice."
Headlines for December 3, 2018
George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States, Dies at 94, Mexico: AMLO Sworn In as President, Vows to Create New National Guard, China and U.S. Agree to Temporary Trade Truce, Trump Plans to Cancel NAFTA, Pushes for New USMCA Deal, France: Hundreds of Thousands Continue to Protest Fuel Hikes, Khashoggi WhatsApp Messages May Have Been Intercepted by Saudis, Leaders Urge Decisive Action as COP24 Kicks Off in Poland, Officer Who Killed Unarmed Black Man in His Own Apartment Indicted for Murder, Wisconsin GOP Tries to Force Through Bills Limiting Power of Elected Democrats, Three Women Accuse deGrasse Tyson of Sexual Misconduct, Including Rape, Politico: DHS Requesting Cabinet Departments Send Civilian Forces to Border, NYC: Students Protest CUNY Board Chair's Support for Amazon HQ
Full Bernie Sanders Speech on Economic Justice, Healthcare, Opposing Trump & Ending the War in Yemen
Hundreds of international progressive leaders have traveled to Burlington, Vermont, for a gathering hosted by The Sanders Institute. Last night, former presidential candidate and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders kicked the event off with a keynote speech on healthcare, raising the minimum wage and his bipartisan resolution to end military support for the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led bombing of Yemen. He was introduced by Harvard professor Cornel West.
Medicare for All: As Healthcare Costs Soar, Momentum Grows to Guarantee Healthcare for All Americans
As Democrats prepare to take control of the House, pressure is growing on the Democratic leadership to embrace Medicare for all. Nearly 50 newly Democratic members of Congress campaigned for Medicare for all. In the last year, 123 incumbent House Democrats also co-sponsored Medicare-for-all legislation, double the number who supported a Medicare-for-all bill in the previous legislative session. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical, insurance and hospital companies are paying close attention. As The Intercept's Lee Fang reports, over the summer the groups formed a partnership to fight the growing support for expanding Medicare. We speak to three proponents of Medicare for all who have assembled in Burlington, Vermont, for a gathering of The Sanders Institute: Kelly Coogan-Gehr of National Nurses United, British anesthesiologist Dr. Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini and organizer Jo Beardsmore.
Headlines for November 30, 2018
Former Trump Lawyer Cohen Pleads Guilty to Lying to Cover for Trump, Trump Cancels G20 Meeting with Putin, Deutsche Bank Raided in Money Laundering Probe, Migrant Caravan Organizes for Fair Treatment as Members Start Hunger Strike, Reports: Tear Gas Used at Border Supplied by Co. Owned by Political Donor, U.S., Mexico and Canada Sign Trade Deal, Honduras: Court Convicts 7 Men for Murder of Activist Berta Cáceres, Body Search Ends in Paradise as Rains Batter Region, Zinke Promotes Logging While Visiting Wildfire-Devastated Area, Report: Health Effects of Smoke Exposure Last Months After Wildfires, CNN Fires Contributor for Defending Palestinian Rights, Philippines: News Site Rappler Indicted in Ongoing Crackdown, NYT: Facebook's Sandberg Asked for Intel on Soros After Public Criticism, News Outlet Mic Lays Off Workers After Being Sold, Sen. Scott Opposes Vote-Suppressing Farr, Ending Judicial Nomination, Police Arrest Suspect of Alabama Mall Shooting a Week After Wrongful Killing, Australia: Students Walk Out to Demand Climate Action, Community Leaders Hold G20 Counter-Event "The People's Summit"
George Monbiot: Ending Meat & Dairy Consumption Is Needed to Prevent Worst Impacts of Climate Change
We look at the link between climate change and meat consumption on the heels of a series of damning reports that say if humans don't act now to halt climate change, the results will be catastrophic. A new study by the World Meteorological Organization shows the past four years have been the hottest on record. On Tuesday, the United Nations reported that carbon emissions reached record highs in 2017 and are on the rise for the first time in four years. Radical reductions are necessary to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, the level that would prevent the worst effects of catastrophic climate change. Livestock for meat and dairy products worldwide is responsible for almost 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it the second largest source of emissions after the fossil fuels industry. We speak with British author and journalist George Monbiot, who argues that the fate of the planet depends on the way we choose to eat.
Should Saudi Crown Prince Be Charged With War Crimes? G20 Host Argentina Considers Probe
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could face prosecution in Argentina for alleged complicity in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudi-led humanitarian crisis in Yemen. On Wednesday, an Argentine prosecutor reportedly accepted a request by Human Rights Watch to prosecute the crown prince, just hours after he landed in Argentina ahead of the G20 summit. Argentina recognizes universal jurisdiction for war crimes and torture, which means it is able to press charges against the crown prince while he is in the country. We speak with Reed Brody, counsel and spokesperson for Human Rights Watch, and Shireen Al-Adeimi, Yemeni scholar, activist, and an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University.
In a Historic First, Senate Advances Bill to End U.S. Support for Illegal War in Yemen
The Senate voted Wednesday to advance a resolution to end military support for the Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war in Yemen. This marks the first time in U.S. history that the Senate has voted to advance a bill to withdraw military forces from an unauthorized war using the War Powers Resolution Act. Wednesday's vote sets the stage for a possible final vote on the measure within days, and has been seen as a rebuke of President Trump's handling of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Just hours before the vote, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis held a closed-door briefing with U.S. senators, urging them to vote against the resolution. Administration officials warned senators not to compromise ties with Saudi Arabia over the killing of Khashoggi and said U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen is necessary to counter Iran’s influence in the Middle East. We speak with Shireen Al-Adeimi, Yemeni scholar, activist, and an assistant professor at Michigan State University.
Headlines for November 29, 2018
Senate Votes to Advance Resolution to End War in Yemen, White House Blocks CIA Director From Briefing Senate on Khashoggi Murder, Senate Blocks Vote to Protect Special Counsel Mueller's Probe, Trump: A Pardon for Ex-Campaign Chair Manafort is "Not Off The Table", Tension Escalates Between Russia & Ukraine, Senate Advances Judicial Nominee Who Worked to Suppress Black Votes, House Dems Nominate Rep. Pelosi for House Speaker, Afghanistan: U.S. Airstrikes Kill at Least 30 Civilians, U.N. Report: Malnutrition On the Rise Worldwide, Public Outrage After Right-Wing Sinclair Airs Anti-Immigrant Piece, Senate Delays Vote on Controversial ICE Head Nominee, Report: Labor Sec. Acosta Helped Shield Billionaire Who Sexually Abused Dozens of Girls, Anti-Semitic Graffiti Found at Office of Holocaust Scholar in NYC, Overdoses Main Cause of Life Expectancy Decline in U.S., EU Seeks to Lead on Climate Change, Work Toward Carbon-Neutral Future, Brazil Withdraws as Host of 2019 UN Climate Change Conference, Climate Activists Scale Polish Power Plant Ahead of COP24
How Tear Gas Became a Favorite Weapon of U.S. Border Patrol, Despite Being Banned In Warfare
As the Trump administration continues to defend firing tear gas into crowds of asylum seekers, we look at the history of tear gas, which is banned in warfare but legal for federal authorities and police to turn on civilians. Border authorities' use of tear gas has spiked under the Trump administration, with the agency's own data revealing it has deployed tear gas over two dozen times this year alone. Customs and Border Protection told Newsweek Tuesday it began using tear gas under the Obama administration in 2010. The agency's use of tear gas has now reached a seven-year record high. We speak with Stuart Schrader, lecturer in sociology at Johns Hopkins University. He has studied how tear gas went from a weapon of war used in Vietnam to being deployed by law enforcement at home. His forthcoming book is titled "Badges Without Borders: How Global Counterinsurgency Transformed American Policing."
Honduras: As Berta Cáceres Murder Trial Nears End, Will True Perpetrators Be Brought to Justice?
Eight men are on trial in Honduras for the murder of environmentalist Berta Cáceres, who was gunned down in her home in La Esperanza in 2016. A verdict is expected this week. The assassination of Cáceres came a year after she won the Goldman Environmental Prize for her work protecting indigenous communities and her campaign against a massive hydroelectric dam project. We speak with Dana Frank, professor emerita at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her new book is titled, "The Long Honduran Night: Resistance, Terror, and the United States in the Aftermath of the Coup."
"It Is Not a Natural Disaster": Dana Frank on How U.S.-Backed Coup in Honduras Fueled Migrant Crisis
As the United States continues to face criticism for tear gassing asylum seekers on the U.S.-Mexico border, we look at the crisis in Honduras and why so many Hondurans are fleeing their homeland. Honduras has become one of the most violent countries in the world because of the devastating drug war and a political crisis that stems in part from a U.S.-backed 2009 coup. We speak with Dana Frank, professor emerita at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her new book is titled, "The Long Honduran Night: Resistance, Terror, and the United States in the Aftermath of the Coup."
Brother of Honduran President Is Arrested for Cocaine Trafficking as Migrants Flee Violent Drug War
The brother of Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández has been arrested in the United States for drug trafficking and weapons offenses. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman accused Tony Hernández of being "involved in all stages of the trafficking through Honduras of multi-ton loads of cocaine that were destined for the U.S." Hernandez is also accused of providing heavily armed security for cocaine shipments transported within Honduras, including by members of the Honduran National Police and drug traffickers. We speak with Dana Frank, professor emerita at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her new book is titled, "The Long Honduran Night: Resistance , Terror, and the United States in the Aftermath of the Coup."
Headlines for November 28, 2018
U.N. Report Warns World Falling Far Behind on Paris Climate Goals, Mexico Agrees to U.S. Demand to Hold Asylum Seekers While Claims Are Decided, Trump Administration Defends Tear Gas Use at U.S.-Mexico Border, Border Patrol Fired Tear Gas Dozens of Times Under President Obama, U.S. Waived Background Checks for Staff at Jail for Migrant Children, Mississippi: GOP's Cindy Hyde-Smith, Who Posed as Confederate Soldier, Wins Senate Seat, Ukraine's President Warns of "Full-Fledged War" with Russia, Trump "Not Even a Little Bit Happy" with Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Trump Says "We’re Not Necessarily Such Believers" in Climate Change, White House Bars CIA Chief from Briefing Senators on Khashoggi Murder, Senate to Vote on Ending U.S. Support for Saudi-Led War in Yemen, Argentina: Thousands Protest Austerity Measures on Eve of G20 Summit, Outgoing Mexican President to Present Jared Kushner with Award, Syrian Journalist Raed Fares, Who Faced Threats by Government and Rebels, Killed in Idlib, NYT: President Trump Briefed on What Manafort Told Mueller Probe, WikiLeaks Denies Guardian Report that Manafort Met Julian Assange, Fox News Admits It Allowed Former EPA Chief to Control Interviews, Louisiana Court to Hear Challenge to Bayou Bridge Oil Pipeline, NASA Probe Will Measure Marsquakes to Study Martian Interior
U.S. Prisons Have a Mental Health Crisis. This Story of a New York Prisoner's Death Helps Reveal Why
A major new Marshall Project investigation looks at the the mental health crisis in U.S. prisons by diving deep into the story of Karl Taylor, a prisoner who died at a maximum-security prison in the Catskills of New York after an altercation with prison guards in 2015. Karl Taylor was serving out a minimum 27-year sentence for a rape conviction when his life came to a sudden end at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in April of 2015. The African-American prisoner had been diagnosed with delusional disorder and paranoid personality disorder when he was taken into custody in 1995. By April of 2015, Taylor was housed in a special unit at Sullivan for prisoners classified as mentally ill. He had spent nearly ten years in solitary confinement. That’s when he got into what would turn out to be a fatal altercation with a prison guard. We speak with investigative reporter Tom Robbins, author of “Why Is Karl Taylor Dead?”
How a Climate Change-Fueled Drought & U.S.-Fed Violence Are Driving Thousands from Central America
President Trump is urging Mexico to deport the thousands of Central American migrants who are at or approaching the U.S. border in an attempt to seek asylum, days after U.S. border authorities fired tear gas into a crowd of asylum seekers as some tried to push their way through the heavily militarized border near San Diego. Trump tweeted, "Mexico should move the flag waving Migrants, many of whom are stone cold criminals, back to their countries. Do it by plane, do it by bus, do it anyway you want, but they are NOT coming into the U.S.A. We will close the Border permanently if need be. Congress, fund the WALL!" This comes just days before Andrés Manuel López Obrador is sworn in as Mexico's new president. López Obrador's incoming government has denied it made any deal with the Trump administration to force asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their U.S. asylum claims are processed. We speak with John Carlos Frey, Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter and PBS NewsHour special correspondent. He recently returned from reporting trips in Guatemala, Mexico City and Tijuana, where he was documenting the migrant caravan.
Border Patrol Officer Who Shot Unarmed Teenager on Mexican Soil Is Acquitted of Manslaughter Charges
Last week, a jury found Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz not guilty of involuntary manslaughter for shooting and killing 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez through the U.S.-Mexico border fence in 2012. The jury hung on whether to bring a charge of voluntary manslaughter, leaving it unclear whether prosecutors would seek to try Swartz a third time. A previous jury acquitted Swartz on murder charges but deadlocked on lesser manslaughter charges. Authorities claim José Elena Rodríguez was throwing rocks at agents over the border fence before Swartz opened fire. But medical examiners say José was shot as many as 11 times, with all but one of the bullets striking from behind, leading them to conclude the teen was shot in the back as he lay on the ground. We speak with John Carlos Frey, Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter and PBS NewsHour special correspondent. He has reported extensively on the killing of José Antonio Elena Rodríguez.
Witness: "No Warning" Before U.S. Border Patrol Started Tear Gassing Central American Asylum Seekers
The Mexican government is demanding a full investigation after U.S. border authorities fired tear gas Sunday into a crowd of Central American asylum seekers as they tried to push their way through the heavily militarized border near San Diego. Among those attacked were mothers and small children, who were left gagging and screaming as tear gas spread. The migrants are mostly from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, and are fleeing widespread violence, poverty and mass unemployment. The Border Patrol’s use of tear gas has been widely condemned. Trump is now urging Mexico to deport the thousands of Central American migrants who are at or approaching the U.S. border in an attempt to seek asylum. We go to San Diego to speak with Pedro Rios, the director of the American Friends Service Committee’s U.S./Mexico Border Program. He witnessed U.S. border agents using tear gas on Central American migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday.
Headlines for November 27, 2018
Trump Defends Tear Gassing of Migrants, Blames Parents and "Grabbers", GM To Cut 15,000 Jobs Across North America, Trump Denies Findings of National Climate Report, Turkey Searches Saudi-Owned Villas for Jamal Khashoggi's Body, Saudi Crown Prince May Meet with Erdogan as G20 Host Argentina Mulls Criminal Charges, Report: Kushner Urged Administration to Inflate Saudi Arms Deals, CNN: U.S. "Slams Brakes" on U.N. Yemen Ceasefire Resolution, Afghanistan: IED Kills 3 U.S. Soldiers, Ukraine Declares Martial Law over Russian Naval Attack, Mueller Says Paul Manafort Lied in Russia Inquiry After Plea Deal, Rep. Mia Love Blasts Trump in Concession Speech, Democrat Pulls Ahead in California House Race, Mississippi: Nooses Found Outside Capitol Ahead of Senate Election, CDC Confirms 116 Cases of Rare Disease That Can Paralyze Children, Autopsy Reveals Trans Asylum-Seeker in ICE Custody Was Assaulted Before Death, Asylum-Seeker Held in Tacoma, WA ICE Jail Dies After 86-Day Fast, Activists Protest New York's $3 Billion Subsidy for Amazon "HQ2"
Bill McKibben: New Report Reconfirms Climate Change is Shrinking Inhabitable Parts of the Planet
On the heels of yet another alarming climate change report—this time released by a White House that openly denies global warming—we speak with 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben and public health scholar Kristie Ebi about President Trump's environmental policies, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal and what it will take to fight the growing threat of climate change.
Trump Admin Tries to Bury 1,656-Page Climate Report Warning of Devastating Health Impacts of Warming
The White House released an alarming climate change report on Black Friday, attempting to bury a 1,656-page government assessment that directly contradicts President Trump's history of climate change denial. The damning report, known as the National Climate Assessment, says that the consequences of climate change will leave no part of the U.S. untouched and that the warming climate will increase wildfires, crumble infrastructure, worsen air quality, destroy crops and lead to more frequent disease outbreaks. It also finds that global warming could shrink the U.S. economy by as much as 10 percent by the end of the century. The findings are a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration's insistence that environmental regulations hurt jobs and hinder economic growth. We speak with Kristie Ebi, a professor of global health at the University of Washington in Seattle and the lead author of the report's chapter on the human health impacts of climate change.
Rev. William Barber: Tear Gassing Central American Migrants is Inhumane, Unconstitutional, Immoral
U.S. border patrol officers fired tear gas into a crowd of desperate Central American asylum-seekers Sunday in Tijuana, Mexico as some tried to push their way through the heavily militarized border with the United States. Mothers and small children were left gagging and screaming as the tear gas spread. The migrants are from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, and are fleeing widespread violence, poverty and mass unemployment. We speak with Rev. Dr. William Barber, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign and president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach.
Rev. Barber: MS Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith Jokes About Hangings, But Her Policies Will Strangle the Poor
Mississippi voters will head to the polls Tuesday in the state's hotly contested runoff senate election, as incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith faces off against Democrat Mike Espy. In a state that Donald Trump won by 20 percentage points two years ago, Espy is attempting to become Mississippi's first African-American senator since Reconstruction. His opponent, incumbent Sen. Hyde-Smith, attended and graduated from an all-white segregationist high school and recently posed for photos with a Confederate Army cap and other Confederate artifacts. Earlier this month, a viral video showed Hyde-Smith praising a campaign supporter, saying, "If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row." Mississippi was once considered the lynching capital of the United States. We speak with Rev. Dr. William Barber, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign and president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach. He recently traveled to Mississippi to get out the vote.
Headlines for November 26, 2018
U.S. Border Patrol Fires Tear Gas at Families Seeking Asylum, Border Patrol Officer Who Shot Teen Acquitted of Manslaughter Charge, North Carolina: ICE Arrests Immigrant Who Left Church Sanctuary, White House Tries to Bury Climate Report With Devastating Conclusions, California: Camp Fire 100% Contained as Death Toll Climbs to 85, Russia Seizes Three Ukrainian Ships Near Crimean Peninsula, President Trump Contradicts CIA Findings on Jamal Khashoggi Murder, Yemen: U.N. Urges Warring Parties to Enter Peace Talks, UAE Pardons UK Academic of Spying After Months of Imprisonment, EU Approves Brexit Deal, France: Police Clamp Down on Paris Fuel Protesters as Unrest Deepens, Demonstrators March Worldwide to End Violence Against Women, Pakistan: Radical Cleric and At Least 1,000 Supporters Arrested, Pakistan: Separatist Group Attacks Chinese Consulate, Killing Four, Afghanistan: ISIS Bombing Kills 27 Soldiers at Army Base Mosque, Alabama: Police Kill Legally Armed Black Man at an Upscale Mall, Charlottesville: Trial to Begin for Neo-Nazi Charged with Murder, Ray Hill, Pioneering Radio Host and LGBT Activist, Dies at 78
Four Days in Occupied Western Sahara—A Rare Look Inside Africa's Last Colony
In this special rebroadcast of a Democracy Now! exclusive documentary, we break the media blockade and go to occupied Western Sahara in the northwest of Africa to document the decades-long Sahrawi struggle for freedom and Morocco's violent crackdown. Morocco has occupied the territory since 1975 in defiance of the United Nations and the international community. Thousands have been tortured, imprisoned, killed and disappeared while resisting the Moroccan occupation. A 1,700-mile wall divides Sahrawis who remain under occupation from those who fled into exile. The international media has largely ignored the occupation—in part because Morocco has routinely blocked journalists from entering Western Sahara. But in late 2016 Democracy Now! managed to get into the Western Saharan city of Laayoune, becoming the first international news team to report from the occupied territory in years.
Noam Chomsky on Pittsburgh Attack: Revival of Hate Is Encouraged by Trump's Rhetoric
It's been less than a month since a gunman stormed the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 Jewish worshipers. The massacre has been described as the worst anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. After the shooting, we spoke with Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned professor, linguist and dissident, about Pittsburgh, Israel's policies toward Gaza and other recent white supremacist and right-wing attacks in the U.S.
Noam Chomsky: The Future of Organized Human Life Is At Risk Thanks to GOP's Climate Change Denial
As the death toll from the climate change-fueled Camp Fire in California continues to rise and hundreds remain missing, we rebroadcast our conversation about climate change with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky from October. He says Republican Party leaders are dedicated to "enriching themselves and their friends" at the cost of the planet, and warns: "We have to make decisions now which will literally determine whether organized human life can survive in any decent form."
A March to Disaster: Noam Chomsky Condemns Trump for Pulling Out of Landmark Nuclear Arms Treaty
President Donald Trump recently announced plans to pull the United States out of a landmark nuclear arms pact with Russia, in a move that could spark a new arms race. President Ronald Reagan and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF, in 1987. The INF banned all nuclear and non-nuclear missiles with short and medium ranges. The treaty helped to eliminate thousands of land-based missiles. We spoke with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky in October about the significance of the INF treaty and the impact of Trump's plan to pull out.
Noam Chomsky: Members of Migrant Caravan Are Fleeing from Misery & Horrors Created by the U.S.
Days after a federal judge in California temporarily halted Trump's asylum ban, we revisit our conversation with world-renowned professor, linguist and dissident Noam Chomsky about U.S. foreign policy in Central America. He joins us in Tucson, Arizona, where he teaches at the University of Arizona. Chomsky is also institute professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he has taught for 50 years. We ask him about the Central American caravan and national security adviser John Bolton declaring Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua to be part of a "troika of tyranny" and a "triangle of terror" earlier this month.
After Visiting Brazil's Lula in Prison, Noam Chomsky Warns Against "Disaster" Under Jair Bolsonaro
As Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro prepares to take office in January, we return to our conversation with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky shortly after the election. Bolsonaro's impending presidency marks the most radical political shift Brazil since military rule ended more than 30 years ago. Bolsonaro is a former Army officer who has praised Brazil's former military dictatorship, spoken in favor of torture and threatened to destroy, imprison or banish his political opponents. Bolsonaro has also encouraged the police to kill suspected drug dealers, and once told a female lawmaker she was too ugly to rape. Noam Chomsky calls Bolsonaro a "disaster for Brazil."
Costs of War: 17 Years After 9/11, Nearly Half a Million People Have Died in Global "War on Terror"
Nearly half a million people have died from violence in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan since George W. Bush declared a "war on terror" in the wake of 9/11, according to a "major new report":https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2018/Human%20Costs%2C%20Nov%208%202018%20CoW.pdf from Brown University's Costs of War Project. More than 17 years later, the war in Afghanistan is the longest war in U.S. history. Costs of War reports that more than 480,000 people have died from violence in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan—including soldiers, militants, police, contractors, journalists, humanitarian workers and civilians. Several times as many people have died indirectly because of water loss, sewage and other infrastructural problems, and war-related disease. The wars have uprooted 21 million Afghan, Iraqi, Pakistani and Syrian people who are now refugees of war or internally displaced. The cost of the global so-called war on terror will soon surpass $6 trillion. We speak with Neta Crawford, director of the Costs of War Project. She is a professor and department chair of political science at Boston University.
Did Israel Kill Yasser Arafat? Stunning Investigation Exposes Israel's Secretive Assassination Program
Israeli intelligence officials desperately tried to prevent Ronen Bergman from writing "Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations," a stunning book exposing the details of Israel's extrajudicial killing program. Israel even changed and extended secrecy laws to prevent Bergman from gaining access to historical documents. Despite this, Bergman gained unprecedented access while writing the book, scouring thousands of documents and meeting with some 1,000 sources. The result is a stunning investigation that dives deep into the targeted killing programs of Israel, which has assassinated more people than any other country in the Western world since World War II. We speak with Ronen Bergman about Israel's many attempts to kill the former chair of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat, and the possibility that they succeeded.
Trump Chooses "Relationship with Saudi Arabia" over Accountability for Jamal Khashoggi's Murder
Despite overwhelming evidence that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated at the order of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Trump stood by Saudi Arabia Tuesday in an extraordinary written statement riddled with exclamation points and subtitled "America First," writing, "It could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn't! That being said, we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." Trump's statement came even after The Washington Post reported last Friday that the CIA has "high confidence" that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Jamal Khashoggi's murder. Saudi officials have tried to dismiss Khashoggi's death as a rare, unauthorized killing, but a recent New York Times report suggests the kingdom has sought out private companies to assassinate perceived enemies since the beginning of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's rule. We speak with the Israeli investigative reporter who helped break the story, Ronen Bergman, author of "Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations." Ronen Bergman is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and the senior national security correspondent for Yedioth Ahronoth. His piece in The New York Times is titled "Saudis Close to Crown Prince Discussed Killing Other Enemies a Year Before Khashoggi's Death."
Headlines for November 21, 2018
Trump Sides with "Great Ally" Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi Killing, Lawmakers Condemn Trump's Defense of Saudi Arabia, WaPo Publisher Blasts Trump over Murder of Columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Rights Groups: Saudi Arabia Is Torturing Feminist Activists, Yemen: Saudi-Led War Caused 85,000 Young Children to Die from Hunger, Afghanistan: Suicide Bomber Kills 50 at Kabul Religious Gathering, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Warns Migrant Caravan over Asylum, Texas ICE Jail to Release 29 Families After Federal Ruling on Asylum, Mississippi GOP Senate Candidate Posed for Photos in Confederate Garb, Federal Judge Strikes Down Mississippi Anti-Abortion Law, NYT: Trump Sought Prosecution of James Comey, Hillary Clinton, WaPo: Dark Money Charity Paid Acting AG Matthew Whitaker $1.2 Million, Report: Oil Industry Knew About Dangers of Climate Change in 1954, Canada, U.S. Recall All Romaine Lettuce over E. Coli Warnings, Former MSU President Charged over Larry Nassar Sexual Abuse Cover-Up, Mujahid Farid, Who Fought for Elderly Prisoner Releases, Dies at 69
How America's Perpetual Warfare Abroad Is Fueling an Increase in White Supremacist Violence in U.S.
America's perpetual warfare abroad has led to an increase in white supremacist violence at home. That's one of the key findings in Frontline PBS and ProPublica reporter A.C. Thompson's new investigation, "Documenting Hate: New American Nazis," which premieres Tuesday evening on PBS. The documentary reveals the deep ties between the military and white supremacy, as Thompson examines the Pittsburgh shooting and the rise of violent hate groups such as Atomwaffen. Thompson interviews historian Kathleen Belew, who says there has always been a correlation in the U.S. between the aftermath of war and the rise of white supremacist violence. "If you look for instance at the surges in Ku Klux Klan membership, they align more consistently with the return of veterans from combat and the aftermath of war than they do with anti-immigration, populism, economic hardship or any of the other factors that historians have typically used to explain them," she notes. We speak with A.C. Thompson in Boston. His investigation premieres Tuesday on PBS stations and "online.":https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/documenting-hate-new-american-nazis/
New American Nazis: Inside the White Supremacist Movement That Fueled Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting
Neo-Nazis are on the rise in America. Nearly a month after a gunman killed eleven Jewish worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, we look at the violent hate groups that helped fuel the massacre. On the same day that shooter Robert Bowers opened fire in the synagogue, a neo-Nazi named Edward Clark that Bowers had been communicating with online took his own life in Washington, D.C. The man's brother, Jeffrey Clark, has since been arrested on weapons charges. The brothers were both linked to the violent white supremacist group Atomwaffen. We speak with A.C. Thompson, correspondent for FRONTLINE PBS and reporter for ProPublica. His investigation "Documenting Hate: New American Nazis" premieres tonight on PBS stations and "online.":https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/documenting-hate-new-american-nazis/
Federal Judge Blocks Trump's "Asylum Ban," Saying President Can't Rewrite Immigration Laws
In the latest pushback against President Trump's attack on immigrants rights, a federal judge in California has temporarily halted Trump's asylum ban, which attempted to deny asylum to anyone entering the country from outside of a legal port of entry. Trump announced the move earlier this month, but Monday, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar put a temporary halt on the order. Tigar wrote, “Asylum seekers will be put at increased risk of violence and other harms at the border, and many will be deprived of meritorious asylum claims. The government offers nothing in support of the new rule that outweighs the need to avoid these harms.” We speak with one of the lawyers who sued the Trump administration over the ban, legal director for the Center for Constitutional Rights Baher Azmy.
Headlines for November 20, 2018
California Judge Halts Trump's New Asylum Ban, U.S. Troops to Start Leaving Southern Border, CNN: Trump to Authorize Border Troops to Use Force Against Migrants, Mexicans Protest Central American Migrants in Tijuana, Chicago: Gunman Kills 3, Including Ex-Partner, at Mercy Hospital, Doctors Share Photos of Gun Violence in Response to NRA Attack, NorCal Camp Fire Death Toll at 79 as Flash Floods Warnings Are Issued, Report: DOJ Considered Sharing Confidential Census Data with Law Enforcement, Sackler Family Could Face Criminal Investigation over Opioid Crisis, WaPo: Ivanka Trump Used Personal Email Account for Official Business, Democrat Concedes in Remaining Texas Congressional Race, Democrats Sue to Block "Unconstitutional" Appointment of Acting AG Whitaker, Group of Democrats Release Letter Opposing Pelosi as House Speaker, Push for "Green New Deal" Gains Steam in House, Activists Disrupt DNC Chair Event, Urge Adoption of Green New Deal, Trump Considers First War Zone Visit in Wake of Recent Criticism, Nissan Chairman Arrested for Financial Misconduct, FBI Classifies Far-Right 'Proud Boys' as Extremist Group, Gaza: AP Reporter Shot and Wounded While on Duty, WH Restores Full Press Access for CNN's Acosta, Ilhan Omar Spearheads Effort to Overturn Congress Headscarf Ban
Filipino Reporter Maria Ressa on Duterte’s Targeting of the Press & How Facebook Aids Authoritarians
As Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte amps up his attacks on the free press, we speak with renowned Filipino journalist Maria Ressa about Duterte's deadly "war on drugs," his affinity for Donald Trump, and his weaponization of social media. Ressa is the CEO and executive editor of the leading independent Filipino news site The Rappler, which Duterte has repeatedly tried to shut down. Last week, the Filipino government indicted her for tax evasion in what is widely seen as the government's latest attack on the website. We speak with Maria Ressa in New York City. She has received the 2018 Knight International Journalism Award and the Committee to Protect Journalists 2018 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award.
Meet the Prisoners Being Paid $1 an Hour to Battle the Deadly Climate-Fueled Fires of California
As the death toll from the Camp Fire rises to 77, California is combatting its deadliest fire in state history using prison labor. Some 1,500 of the 9,400 firefighters currently battling fires in California are incarcerated. They make just a dollar an hour, but are rarely eligible to get jobs as firefighters after their release. According to some estimates, California saves up to $100 million a year by using prison labor to fight its biggest environmental problem. In September the Democracy Now! team traveled to the Delta Conservation Camp in Northern California, a low-security prison where more than 100 men are imprisoned. We interviewed incarcerated firefighters who had just returned from a 24-hour shift fighting the Snell Fire in Napa County.
Headlines for November 19, 2018
NorCal Wildfires Death Toll Soars to 77 as Trump Tours Devastation, Trump Claims Finland Prevents Fires by "Raking and Cleaning" Forests, Florida Democrats Concede Senate & Gubernatorial Races After Recounts, Abrams Ends her Georgia Governor Bid, Vows to Fight Voter Suppression, Orange County Flips to Democrats After Cisneros Wins House Race, CIA Says Crown Prince Ordered Khashoggi Murder, Yemen: Houthi Rebels Call for Ceasefire, Turkey: Government Arrests 14 in Crackdown on Academics and Activists, Trump to Nominate Acting EPA Chief Andrew Wheeler as Permanent Leader, Trump Attacks Admiral McRaven, Who Led Osama bin Laden Raid, White House Threatens to Revoke Credentials of CNN's Jim Acosta Again, President Trump Calls California Rep. "Little Adam Schitt" in Tweet, Education Dept. Seeks to Roll back Title IX Protections in Schools, Libya: Asylum-Seekers Refuse to Leave Docked Ship, Citing Torture, Gaza: Israeli Forces Wound 40 Palestinians at Friday Protest, Israeli PM Netanyahu Survives Leadership Challenge, Haiti: Six Dead Amid Anti-Corruption Protests, Cambodia: Khmer Rouge Leaders Found Guilty of Genocide, 45 Dead as Cyclone Gaja Pounds India, London: 85 Arrested as Extinction Rebellion Protesters Block Bridges
As Camp Fire Death Toll Rises, Meet the Prisoners Making $1 an Hour to Fight California's Wildfires
The death toll from the Camp Fire in California has risen to at least 63, with 631 people reported missing. As California continues to battle the deadliest fire in the state's history, we turn to the hidden heroes on the front lines the raging climate-fueled wildfires: prisoner firefighters. At least 1,500 of the 9,400 firefighters currently battling fires in California are incarcerated. They make just a dollar an hour battling on the front lines but are rarely eligible to get jobs as firefighters after their release. In September, the Democracy Now! team traveled to the Delta Conservation Camp about an hour north of San Francisco, a low-security prison where more than 100 men are imprisoned. We interviewed incarcerated firefighters who had just returned from a 24-hour shift fighting the Snell Fire in Napa County.
Color of Change: Facebook Retaliated Against Protests by Pushing Anti-Semitic, Anti-Black Narratives
A New York Times investigation has revealed that Facebook fought critics and a growing number of scandals following the 2016 election by launching a PR offensive backed by a dubious Republican opposition-research firm: Definers Public Affairs. We speak with Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, one of the organizations targeted by Definers Public Affairs. We also speak with Siva Vaidhyanathan, the author of "Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy." He is a professor of media studies and director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia. Vaidhyanathan's new article for Slate is titled "Facebook Is a Normal Sleazy Company Now."
NYT Investigation: How Facebook Used a Republican Firm to Attack Critics & Spread Disinformation
"Delay, Deny and Deflect." That's the name of a new bombshell investigation by The New York Times revealing that Facebook executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, were aware of a Russian misinformation campaign on the social media network and took a series of extraordinary private actions to preserve the company's reputation, launching an aggressive lobbying campaign to combat critics and spread misinformation. The New York Times investigation reveals that Facebook hired the Republican opposition-research firm Definers Public Affairs to discredit critics of Facebook, linking them to the billionaire liberal donor George Soros. Facebook also allegedly lobbied the Anti-Defamation League to condemn criticism of the company as anti-Semitic. Since the publication of the investigation, Facebook has announced it will cut ties with Definers. We speak with Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, one of the organizations targeted by Definers Public Affairs. We also speak with Siva Vaidhyanathan, the author of "Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy." He is a professor of media studies and director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia. Vaidhyanathan's new article for Slate is titled "Facebook Is a Normal Sleazy Company Now."
Exclusive: WikiLeaks Lawyer Warns U.S. Charges Against Assange Endanger Press Freedom Worldwide
The Justice Department has inadvertently revealed that it has prepared an indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. In an unusual development, language about the charges against Assange was copied and pasted into an unrelated court filing that was recently unsealed. In the document, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kellen S. Dwyer wrote, "Due to the sophistication of the defendant and the publicity surrounding the case, no other procedure is likely to keep confidential the fact that Assange has been charged." The news broke on Thursday night just hours after The Wall Street Journal reported the Justice Department was planning to prosecute Assange. Assange has been living since 2012 in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London where he has sought refuge and political asylum. It's unclear what charges may be brought against Assange; the Justice Department has previously considered prosecuting him over his role in the release of hacked DNC emails during the 2016 presidential campaign, as well as over the release of the so-called Iraq and Afghanistan War Logs, shared by U.S. military whistleblower Chelsea Manning. The Assange case has been closely followed by advocates for press freedom. Kenneth Roth of Human Rights Watch tweeted, "Deeply troubling if the Trump administration, which has shown little regard for media freedom, would charge Assange for receiving from a government official and publishing classified information—exactly what journalists do all the time." We speak with human rights attorney Jennifer Robinson, who has been advising Julian Assange and WikiLeaks since 2010.
Headlines for November 16, 2018
Deadly NorCal Wildfire Kills At Least 63; 631 Reported Missing, Wildfire Smoke Creates Hazardous Air Quality in NorCal, DOJ Accidentally Reveals Indictments Against WikiLeaks' Assange, Florida Senate Race Heads to Manual Recount, Democrats Score House Wins in Maine, California, U.S. Sanctions 17 Saudis over Khashoggi Murder, White House Weighing Extradition of Exiled Turkish Cleric, Central American LGBTQ Migrants Face Additional Hurdles on Journey to U.S. Border, North Korea Deports U.S. Citizen as Kim Jong-un Oversees Weapon Test, Bangladesh Delays Plans to Repatriate Rohingya to Burma Amid Uproar, Renowned Bangladeshi Photographer Granted Bail After Political Arrest, DRC: Seven U.N. Peacekeepers Killed in Ebola-Stricken Region, Women Sue Dartmouth, Accuse 3 Male Professors of Sexual Misconduct, Racist Kentucky Gunman Charged with Hate Crimes, FDA Announces Restrictions on Vaping Products, Maryland Journalists Move to Unionize, Housing Rights Activists March in NYC to Demand Universal Rent Control
Vermont Immigrant Rights Group Sues ICE for Monitoring, Infiltrating & "Hunting Down" Organizers
A major new federal lawsuit claims that immigration agents are targeting undocumented organizers for their activism in Vermont. The suit accuses Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles of carrying out a multiyear campaign of political retaliation against members of the group Migrant Justice. According to the lawsuit, Migrant Justice was infiltrated by an informant, and its members were repeatedly subjected to electronic surveillance. At least 20 active members of Migrant Justice have been arrested and detained by ICE. We speak with Will Lambek, an organizer with Migrant Justice, a Vermont-based group founded and led by immigrant farmworkers.
"He Was a Protector": Remembering Jemel Roberson, 26-Year-Old Chicago Security Guard Slain by Police
Community members are demanding answers for the police killing of a black security guard in the Chicago suburbs, after 26 year-old Jemel Roberson was shot and killed by a white policeman Sunday. Roberson jumped into action early Sunday morning when a shooting broke out at a bar where he was working as a security guard. He was restraining a shooting suspect when several police officers arrived on the scene, and a white police officer from the Midlothian Police Department shot and killed Roberson. Witnesses said the police officer opened fire even though people at the bar were screaming that Roberson was a security guard. Roberson was armed and held a valid gun owner's license. We speak with Avontea Boose, the partner of Jemel Roberson and mother of his 9-month-old son Tristan. She is currently expecting their second child. We also speak with Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney representing the children of Jemel Roberson.
Rep. Ro Khanna: By Blocking Yemen Resolution, House GOP Is Abdicating Its Duty to Decide War & Peace
House Republicans have quashed debate on a resolution that aims to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, by sneaking a single line into an unrelated resolution about wolves. The House voted 201 to 187 on the bill Wednesday, approving a provision that blocks the Democrats from forcing a vote on the U.S. role in Yemen under the War Powers Act. For nearly four years the United States has played a key role supporting the Saudi-led invasion, which has devastated Yemen, creating the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The U.N. is warning 14 million Yemenis are on the brink of famine. One new study has estimated the war has killed at least 57,000 people since the beginning of 2016. We speak with Congressmember Ro Khanna, who introduced the resolution in the House.
Headlines for November 15, 2018
GOP Halts Debate on Ending U.S. Support for Saudi-Led War in Yemen, Eleven Saudis Indicted in Murder of Journalist Khashoggi, Deadly Wildfires in California Kill At Least 59, Another 300 Missing, Two Prisoner Firefighters Among Those Injured Battling Wildfires, Report: Climate Change Could Intensify Hurricane Rainfall by 30%, Florida Recounts in Question as Multiple Counties Report Issues, NJ Elects First Democratic Korean-American Congressmember, Georgia: Voting Activists Arrested for Holding Balloons, Trump Claims Democratic Voters Put on Disguise to Vote Twice, Trump Threatens Violence Against Anti-Fascist Protesters, Pentagon Chief Admits No Long-Term Plan for Border Troop Deployment, "Sanctuary Caravan" to Assist Migrants at U.S.-Mexico Border, Sentencing Reform Package Draws Broad Early Support, Deputy Nat'l Sec. Adviser Reassigned in WH After Clashing with FLOTUS, Michael Avenatti Arrested on Suspicion of Domestic Violence, NY: Queens Cab Driver Becomes 8th Driver-for-Hire to Die by Suicide in Past Year, NYT: Facebook Hired Conservative Firm to Protect Image by Discrediting Critics, Senate Republicans Block Bill to Protect Special Counsel Mueller, British Deal to Leave EU in Crisis as Brexit Secretary Quits, Israeli Defense Minister Resigns over Gaza Ceasefire, Calls for Elections, CIA Considered Administering "Truth Serum" to 9/11 Detainees
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