Democracy Now!

Tension between the U.S. and North Korea escalated sharply Tuesday after President Trump suggested he was prepared to start a nuclear war, threatening to unleash "fire and fury" against North Korea. Hours later, North Korea threatened to strike the U.S. territory of Guam in the western Pacific. Guam is home to 163,000 people as well as major U.S. military bases. For more, we speak with longtime investigative journalist Allan Nairn. *Related Segments with Allan Nairn*"Journalist Allan Nairn on Trump Administration's Revolutionary Dismantling of U.S. Government":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/9/journalist_allan_nairn_on_trump_administrations"Blackwater Founder Erik Prince Urges Trump to Privatize Afghan War & Install Viceroy to Run Nation":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/9/at_urging_of_blackwater_founder_trump"A Rightist Revolution: Allan Nairn on Trump Admin's Radical Agenda to Roll Back Social Progress":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/9/a_rightist_revolution_allan_nairn_on

Threat of Nuclear War Escalates as Trump Warns North Korea of "Fire and Fury", War Crimes Expert Quits U.N. Syria Inquiry Citing Lack of Political Will for Justice, Syrian-Palestinian Internet Activist Bassel Khartabil Killed by Assad Regime, White House Considering Unprecedented Plan to Privatize War in Afghanistan, Red Cross "Extremely Alarmed" by U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led Airstrikes in Yemen, Report: Trump Receives Daily Folder with Positive News Stories—About Himself, Trump Retweets Fox News Article Based on Leaked Classified Information, Google Engineer's Sexist Manifesto Sparks Industrywide Outrage, ACLU Sues Maine Governor for Deleting Critical Comments from His Facebook Page, Kenya: Early Election Results Show President Kenyatta Leading Challenger, U.N. Warns of Early Signs of Genocide in Central African Republic, Opposition in Democratic Republic of the Congo Launches General Strike, Demands Elections, Tunisian Fishermen Block Anti-Immigrant European Ship from Docking at Port, Bolivia: Indigenous & Environmentalists Protest Gov't Plan to Build Highway in Amazon, Ferguson Residents Build Memorial for Mike Brown on 3rd Anniversary of His Killing by Police, Mexican Cartoonist Eduardo del Río, known as Rius, Dies at 83

Governor Mark Dayton has condemned as terrorism Saturday's attack on the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. The explosive device was thrown through the mosque office's window around 5 a.m. as people were gathering for morning prayers. No one was injured, but the bombing damaged the office. The FBI has taken over the investigation, but so far President Donald Trump has not commented on the attack despite having sent over 25 tweets since the blast. Islamophobic attacks against Muslims and mosques nationwide have been on the rise since Trump was elected. We speak with Mohamed Omar, executive director of the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced that the FBI has formed a new team focused on investigating potential leaks to the press. During a press conference on Friday, Sessions said that leak investigations have tripled since President Donald Trump took office. Civil liberties groups criticized Sessions's remarks. Ben Wizner of the ACLU said, "A crackdown on leaks is a crackdown on the free press and on democracy as a whole." We speak with John Kiriakou, the former CIA analyst who exposed the Bush-era torture program and became the only official jailed in connection with it.

Is the Trump administration trying to silence government scientists from working or talking about climate change? According to news reports, as many as 50 senior Interior Department officials have been reassigned since Ryan Zinke became head of the department. We speak with Joel Clement, a senior official at the Interior Department. Up until recently, he focused on the dangers that climate change poses to Alaska Native communities in the Arctic. But, without explanation, Clement was recently transferred to an unrelated job within the Interior Department—he now collects royalty checks from oil and gas companies. Clement believes he was targeted for speaking out about climate change. He went public with his concerns in the pages of The Washington Post, where he wrote a piece titled "I'm a scientist. I'm blowing the whistle on the Trump administration."

Landmark Gov't Reports Says Impacts of Climate Change Already Being Felt in U.S., After Trump Took Office, Agriculture Dept. Told Staff Not to Use Words "Climate Change", Report: 6.5% of World's GDP Funneled into Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Pentagon Weighing Plan to Bomb ISIS in Philippines, Report: U.S.-Led Bombing, Artillery Strikes Kill 18 Civilians in Raqqa, Syria, North Korea Blasts U.N. Sanctions, Accuses U.S. of Pushing Peninsula to War, Trump's Nominee for Agriculture Dept.'s Top Scientist Called Progressives "Race Traitors", Amid Nationwide Campaign, Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez Wins Stay of Deportation, Yemenis Who Won U.S. Immigration Lottery Stranded by Trump's Travel Ban, Kenyan Voters Head to Polls in Presidential Election, Russia: Two Members of Pussy Riot Briefly Arrested at Demonstration, India: Police Arrest Medha Patkar & 11 Other Activists Fighting Sardar Sarovar Dam, Climate Activists Blockade Oil Train in Vancouver, Washington, Puerto Rico: Control Board to Slash Pensions & Cut Workdays, Judge Clears Way for Trial Against Military Psychologists Who Designed Bush Torture Program

In Charlottesville, Virginia, the city is preparing for a white nationalist rally on Saturday protesting against the planned removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a downtown park. The "Unite the Right" event is expected to draw several thousands of people, including counterprotesters. White nationalist Richard Spencer has organized similar protests earlier this year. City officials are reportedly scrambling to find ways to halt the event. At least 60 publicly funded Confederacy symbols have been removed or renamed since the 2015 massacre of nine black parishioners in a Charleston, South Carolina, church by a self-described white supremacist, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. We speak with Wes Bellamy, vice-mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the youngest person to ever be elected to the Charlottesville City Council and has been leading the opposition to a Robert E. Lee statue in the city.

In Detroit, a recent study found that one in four Detroit properties have been subject to property tax foreclosure between 2011 and 2015—many of which may have been illegal. As downtown Detroit becomes increasingly gentrified, thousands of the city's longtime residents—mostly African-American families—have lost their homes to foreclosure. For more, we speak with Bernadette Atuahene, a professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology. She co-authored the study "Stategraft."

President Donald Trump continues to face widespread criticism from police chiefs across the country following a speech he gave to police officers in Long Island, New York, that appeared to openly endorse police brutality. Commenting on the need to crack down on gang members, Trump suggested that police officers have license to use excessive force on suspects. For more, we speak with Houston's police chief, Art Acevedo.*Related Segment*"Meet the Latino Police Chief Standing Up to Texas’ Anti-Immigrant 'Show Me Your Papers Law'":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/7/meet_the_latino_police_chief_standing

Is a new "show me your papers" law in Texas hurting public safety even before it takes effect on September 1? Senate Bill 4 makes it a Class A misdemeanor for local law enforcement officials to limit cooperation with federal immigration agents. The law requires police to comply with detainer requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and also allows officers to ask about the immigration status of anyone they detain. Law enforcement leaders say the crackdown on immigrants has already led to a decrease in Latino victims reporting crimes. A judge could decide as early as this week whether to put SB 4 on hold due to constitutional violations. We speak with Houston's first Latino police chief, Art Acevedo, who has already seen a decrease in Latino victims reporting rape—even as rapes reported by non-Latinos increased, and with reporter and Democracy Now! correspondent Renée Feltz. *Related Segment*"Houston PD Chief: Trump's Support of Police Brutality Reinforces View of Officers as 'Neanderthals'":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/7/houston_pd_chief_trump_s_support

South Asia: Heat Waves Could Make 1.5 Billion People's Homes Uninhabitable by 2100, Minnesota Mosque Bombed Saturday Before Morning Prayers, Court Overturns Sentences for Blackwater Contractors in 2007 Massacre, U.N. Imposes New Round of Sanctions on North Korea over Missile Tests, Rod Rosenstein Says Mueller Can Investigate Any Crimes Uncovered in Probe of Trump, Sessions Launches Administration-Wide Crackdown on Leaks, Trump Considering Naming Stephen Miller as Communications Director, Civil Rights Groups to Sue Trump Admin for Barring Trans People from Military Service, Chicago Sues Trump Admin for Withholding Funding to Sanctuary Cities, Afghanistan: Up to 50 Killed by Taliban and ISIS Militants, Yemen: U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led Airstrike Kills 12 Civilians, Including Children, Syria: U.S.-Led Airstrikes Reportedly Kill 6 Civilians in Raqqa, Venezuela: Maduro Condemns Right-Wing Paramilitary Attack as Terrorism, Human Rights Groups Denounce Israel's Plan to Shut Down Al Jazeera, Third Fox News Host Suspended over Accusations of Sexual Harassment, Nebraska: Hundreds Rally to Protest Construction of Keystone XL Pipeline, UAW Condemns Nissan Scare Campaign, After Unionization Bid Fails, NFL Legends Speak Out Against Racism at Football Hall of Fame Ceremony, NYC Mayor de Blasio Proposes Tax on Rich to Pay for Subway Upgrades, Martin Shkreli, "Most Hated Man in America," Convicted of Financial Fraud

Los Angeles-based Chicano band Las Cafeteras joins us in studio for an interview and performance. The band has been described by the Los Angeles Times as "a uniquely Angeleno mishmash of punk, hip-hop, beat music, cumbia and rock." This year they released a new album called "Tastes Like L.A." with the hit single, "If I was President." "In the left, we're always talking about what we're against," says one of the two co-founders of the band, Hector Flores. "We really want to reimagine and really think what we're for, because the day is coming and the day is here where we need to push forward an agenda of what we're for." We also speak with Denise Carlos.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday embraced a proposal to slash the number of immigrants allowed into the U.S. by half, in what would be the biggest overhaul of immigration law in over half a century. The RAISE Act would create a so-called merit-based immigration system that would favor applicants who speak English, have advanced degrees or can demonstrate job skills. The announcement comes as Trump replaced his ousted chief of staff, Reince Priebus, with retired General John Kelly, who was head of the Department of Homeland Security. We speak with two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist John Carlos Frey, whose new investigation in partnership with ABC's "20/20" is titled "Life and Death at the Border."

Opposition is growing to the Trump administration's new proposal to implement radical changes to U.S. immigration law and slash the number of immigrants allowed into the United States by half. The RAISE Act would create a so-called merit-based immigration system that would favor applicants who speak English, have advanced degrees or can demonstrate job skills. On Wednesday, CNN's Jim Acosta pressed senior policy adviser Stephen Miller over President Trump's push to admit only English-speaking immigrants in a back-and-forth that lasted for several minutes. Acosta asked Miller about the iconic poem "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus that is inscribed at the base of the State of Liberty, which reads: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." We speak about the woman who wrote those words, Emma Lazarus, with her biographer, Esther Schor, about why Lazarus wrote the poem, how it became one of the most iconic verses about the United States and why she has long been a target of white nationalists.

Special Prosecutor in Russia Probe Impanels Criminal Grand Jury, Amid Russia Probe, Senate Moves to Restrict President's Powers, Transcript: Trump Urged Mexican President Not to Discuss Border Wall, Transcript: Trump Angrily Ended Phone Call with Australian Prime Minister, U.S.-Led Coalition Attacks in Raqqa Level Homes, Killing Civilians, Canada Sees Influx of Haitian Asylum Seekers Fleeing the U.S., Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) Drops Support for Israel Anti-Boycott Bill, Nicaraguan Activists Opposing Canal Face Campaign of Harassment, West Virginia Democratic Governor Flips to Republican at Trump Rally, Russian Court Fines Opposition Leader over Call to Protest, Japan to Mark 72nd Anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings, Fox News Guest Says Senior Producer Solicited Sex in Exchange for Job, Justice Department to Cut Funds to Cities over Immigration Policies, Attack on L.A. Elote Seller Spurs Campaign for the City's 50,000 Street Vendors, Arizona Immigrant Rights Activist Celso Mireles Dies at 30

On Wednesday, two U.S. soldiers died in Afghanistan after a suicide car bomber rammed a NATO-led convoy near a major U.S. base in Kandahar. The attack came a day after at least 33 worshipers died when suicide bombers attacked a Shiite mosque in the city of Herat. The self-proclaimed Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. The latest round of violence comes as The New York Times reports that Trump may have found a reason to prolong the nearly 16-year-old war: Afghanistan's untapped mineral deposits, which could be worth nearly $1 trillion. Trump reportedly discussed Afghanistan's vast deposits of minerals with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and is considering sending an envoy to Afghanistan to meet with mining officials. We speak with Jodi Vittori, senior policy adviser for Global Witness on Afghanistan policy. Jodi spent 20 years in the U.S. military, where she served in several countries, including Afghanistan. She has received numerous military awards, including two Bronze Stars. We also speak with Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, a campaign to end U.S. military and economic warfare.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday embraced a proposal to slash the number of legal immigrants allowed into the U.S. by 50 percent over 10 years in what would be the biggest overhaul of immigration law in over half a century. The RAISE Act, or Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment, would create a so-called merit-based immigration system that would favor applicants who speak English, have advanced degrees or can demonstrate job skills. We speak with Congressmember Pramila Jayapal, who represents Washington's 7th District. She formerly served as executive director of OneAmerica, a pro-immigration advocacy group.

The New York Times is reporting the Justice Department is preparing to investigate universities' affirmative action policies for anti-white bias, in what critics say is the latest assault against civil rights by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The Times says the Justice Department sent out an internal announcement looking for lawyers to lead "investigations and possible litigation related to intentional race-based discrimination in college and university admissions." The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of affirmative action policies, which take race and ethnicity into account in college admissions in efforts to address centuries of institutionalized discrimination against people of color and women. We speak with Nikole Hannah-Jones, an award-winning reporter covering racial injustice at The New York Times Magazine.

President Trump Hails Bill to Drastically Cut Legal Immigration, Trump Aide Stephen Miller Spars with CNN Journalist over Immigration, Federal Court Blocks Payout to U.S. Citizen Imprisoned by ICE for Over 3 Years, Trump Calls Russia Sanctions Bill Unconstitutional, Grudgingly Signs It, Boy Scouts and Mexican President Deny Trump Claims of Phone Calls, Veteran EPA Official Quits over Trump's Environmental Policies, Senate Bill Would End Federal Marijuana Prohibition, Offer Reparations, Coast Guard Commandant Voices Support for Transgender Servicemembers, Afghanistan: Suicide Car Bomb Kills Two U.S. Troops, Syrian Refugee Protest in Greece Calls for Expedited Asylum Claims, Brazilian Congress Votes to Retain President Michel Temer, NAACP Issues Travel Advisory for Missouri, Citing "New Jim Crow" Law, Video Appears to Show Baltimore Police Planting Evidence in Pot Bust, Hawaii: Six Arrested as Civil Disobedience Slows Telescope Construction

Newly released video footage shows U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents telling 16-year-old Mexican teenager Cruz Velazquez to drink from a bottle of liquid methamphetamine at a border checkpoint in San Diego, causing him to die from an acute drug overdose. In 2013, the teenager was crossing from Tijuana to California with two bottles of what he claimed was apple juice. The video shows the border agents, who suspected the liquid was liquid meth, repeatedly encouraging the teenager to drink from it and prove he wasn't lying. Minutes after the teenager sipped on the liquid, his body began convulsing, and he began shouting "my heart" in Spanish. He passed away shortly after. The agents only tested the liquid after Cruz took several sips and began overdosing. The officers were never disciplined. Critics say Velazquez's case is just the latest example of rampant abuse and mistreatment by border agents. We speak with John Carlos Frey, two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker. His new investigation is titled "Life and Death at the Border." The project was conducted in partnership with ABC's "20/20."

An explosive lawsuit filed by a former Fox News contributor is alleging that his former network fabricated quotes and worked directly with the White House to push a fake news story to prop up conspiracy theories linking the murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich last year to WikiLeaks. Rich was an aide at the Democratic National Committee who was fatally shot in Washington, D.C., in July 2016. In May of this year, Fox News published a piece titled "DC Murder Mystery: Slain DNC Staffer Was Wikileaks' Source, Say Investigators." The article claimed that Rich—not the Russians—provided WikiLeaks with internal emails from the DNC. The only person quoted in the piece—Fox contributor and retired D.C. police detective Rod Wheeler—is claiming Fox knowingly attributed false quotes to him. The complaint also alleges direct White House involvement in the story. For more, we speak with independent journalist Marcy Wheeler.

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Christopher Wray as the next director of the FBI, but in an unprecedented move, five senators voted against his nomination. Before yesterday, only one senator had ever voted against an FBI nominee. In addition, three senators abstained from the vote. Senator Ron Wyden, who voted against Wray's confirmation, said he did so because of Wray's position on government surveillance. "In his public and private statements, Chris Wray failed to oppose government backdoors into Americans' personal devices, or to acknowledge the facts about encryption. That it isn't about liberty versus security, it's about more security versus less security." The American Civil Liberties Union also criticized Wray for his involvement in the U.S. torture program under George W. Bush. We speak with independent journalist Marcy Wheeler and economist James Henry.

NYT: Justice Dept. to Sue Colleges for Affirmative Action Policies, Senate Confirms Corporate Lawyer Christopher Wray as FBI Chief, Lawsuit Claims White House Worked with Fox News to Peddle Seth Rich Conspiracies, U.S. Testing Intercontinental Missile as Tensions Rise with North Korea, Court Rules Dem. AGs Can Defend Subsidies to Insurance Companies, After Healthcare Failure, Republican Lawmakers Turn to Tax Reform, WH Confirms Trump Weighed In on Son's Statement About Russian Lawyer Meeting, Republican Senator Jeff Flake: "My Party is in Denial About Donald Trump", DEA Head Condemns Trump for Endorsing Police Brutality, DHS to Waive Environmental Rules While Building Border Wall, Report Blames Meat Industry Pollution for Massive "Dead Zone" in Gulf of Mexico, Afghanistan: Attack at Shiite Mosque in Herat Kills 29 People, Turkey: Mass Trial for Accused Architects of 2016 Failed Military Coup, Philando Castile's Cousin Faced 10 Years in Prison for Protesting Castile's Killing by Police, London: Workers at Bank of England Go on Strike for First Time in 50 Years

Former Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein assesses the Trump administration's first six months and responds to questions about an infamous photo that showed her sitting at the same table as Trump's former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a dinner in Moscow in 2015.

Tensions are again rising in the Korean Peninsula between the U.S. and North Korea. On Friday, North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that experts say is capable of reaching the West Coast of the United States. North Korea says the test was a warning to the U.S. to stop imposing sanctions against North Korea. In response to the test, the U.S. flew two B-1 bombers over the Korean Peninsula and tested its Alaska-based THAAD missile defense system. The U.S. has deployed a similar THAAD missile defense system to South Korea, despite objections from local residents. We speak with former Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein, who just returned from a peace delegation to South Korea. Dr. Jill Stein was the Green Party's presidential nominee in 2016 and 2012.

The Trump administration has issued sanctions against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as tensions escalate in the country following a controversial vote to elect a new National Constituent Assembly—which will have the authority to rewrite Venezuela's constitution. According to the official tally, at least 8 million people—or 40 percent of eligible voters—cast ballots Sunday, despite an opposition boycott. The right-wing opposition has accused Maduro of attempting to consolidate his power. Two prominent leaders of the right-wing opposition—Leopoldo López and Antonio Ledezma—were taken from their homes by security forces early this morning. Meanwhile, the director of the CIA hints that the agency is working to push regime change. We host a debate with political science expert George Ciccariello-Maher and economist Francisco Rodríguez.

White House Comms Director Anthony Scaramucci Fired After 10 Days, Russia Mobilizes Troops as Pence Pledges U.S. Support to Former Soviet States, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Contempt of Court over Immigration Raids, Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, Father of Four, Faces Deportation, WaPo: President Trump Authored False Donald Jr. Statement on Russia Meeting, Venezuelan Opposition Leaders Arrested As U.S. Sanctions President Maduro, Syria: Hezbollah Prisoners Swapped for Rebels; U.S.-Led Strikes Kill Raqqa Civilians, Iraq: Children Among the Dead in U.S.-Led Coalition Attack in Hawija, Former British PM Tony Blair Won't Face Prosecution over Iraq Invasion, Saudi Women's Rights Activist Freed After 104 Days in Jail Without Trial, Kenyan Election Official Found Tortured, Murdered Ahead of Presidential Vote, Mexican Journalist Luciano Rivera Salgado Killed in Baja California, Richmond, California: 2 Arrested Protesting Kinder Morgan Pipeline, Warming from Climate Change Very Likely to Exceed 2 Degrees Celsius by 2100, Tennessee: Video Shows Officers Tasering Teen in Restraint Chair, Washington, D.C., Officer Suspended over White Supremacist T-Shirt

The White House appears ready to abandon the landmark Iranian nuclear deal in favor of what experts say could lead to war with Iran. The New York Times reported last week that President Donald Trump has instructed his national security aides to find a rationale for declaring that Iran is violating the terms of the accord. The order came despite the fact the Trump administration reluctantly certified that Iran has complied with its obligations under the agreement earlier this month. Last week, Trump intensified his threats against Iran during a speech in Youngstown, Ohio. Observers say Trump's actions are laying the groundwork for a disastrous military confrontation with Iran. We speak with Trita Parsi, founder and president of the National Iranian American Council.

As the Democrats prepare for the 2018 midterms, some ask whether the party is making a mistake by prioritizing the pursuit of wavering white voters over investing in and inspiring African-American voters. Last week in Virginia, party leaders unveiled their new slogan—"A Better Deal"—and rolled out an agenda to win back working-class voters they lost to President Donald Trump in November. The rebranding effort comes as the Democrats have lost all four special congressional elections this year to Republicans. The defeats come despite Trump's approval rating dipping to 36 percent. It's the lowest six-month approval rating of a U.S. president in 70 years. We speak to Steve Phillips of Democracy in Color, who says the party has invested $750 million on the 2018 midterms without addressing the Democrats' core problem of connecting with disillusioned voters. Phillips is the author of the New York Times best-selling book "Brown is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority."

President Donald Trump is facing widespread criticism from police chiefs across the country following a speech he gave on Friday to police officers in Long Island, New York, that appeared to openly endorse police brutality. Commenting on the need to crack down on gang members, Trump suggested that police officers have license to use excessive force on suspects. The remarks come amid a controversial roundup of undocumented minors in Suffolk County, where Trump spoke, who were detained based on unconfirmed allegations of gang affiliation by local police. Trump painted what some say was an overblown picture of gang violence in the community. Following Trump's remarks, the Suffolk County Police Department tweeted, "As a department, we do not and will not tolerate roughing up of prisoners." The International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Police Foundation also criticized Trump's speech, along with the police chiefs of New York, Boston, New Orleans, Houston, Los Angeles and other cities. We speak with chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, Maya Wiley, and Graham Weatherspoon, a retired New York police detective.

N. Korea Tests Intercontinental Missile; U.S. Retaliates with Military Tests & Drills, Trump Replaces Chief of Staff Priebus with DHS Head John Kelly, Trump Threatens to End Health Insurance Payments Unless Lawmakers Repeal ACA, Cops Cheer as Trump Advocates for Police Brutality in Long Island Speech, Israeli Troops Shoot and Kill Teenager in Protests in Gaza Strip, Turkish Women Protest Rising Physical & Verbal Attacks in Public, In Visit to Estonia, VP Pence Warns of Russian Threat to Baltic States, Putin Orders 755 U.S. Diplomatic Staff Be Cut in Retaliation for U.S. Sanctions, Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif Ousted After Probe Sparked by Panama Papers, Venezuela: Maduro Claims Victory in Controversial Election as 10 Die in Protests, Facing Displacement, Residents Protest Massive Sardar Sarovar Dam in India, Video Shows CBP Agents Telling Mexican Teen to Drink Liquid Meth, Killing Him, Mexico: 170 Central Americans Found in Trailer After Being Abandoned by Traffickers

In Austin, Texas, four undocumented immigrants were arrested protesting President Trump's crackdown on sanctuary cities and plans to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This comes as Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out raids targeting undocumented teenagers it says are affiliated with gangs. ICE's criteria for assessing gang affiliation includes whether teenagers have tattoos, wear clothing typical to a gang or even spend time in an area that's known to have gangs. We speak with Catalina Adorno, one of those arrested in Texas, and with Alex Sanchez of Homies Unidos about how many immigrants are being wrongfully targeted as gang members.

Two Iowa-based Catholic Worker activists revealed they secretly carried out multiple acts of sabotage and arson in order to stop construction of the controversial $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline. We speak with Jessica Reznicek and Ruby Montoya about how they set fire to heavy machinery being used to construct the pipeline. They say their actions were inspired by the anti-nuclear Plowshares Movement which used nonviolent direct action to target nuclear warheads and military installations.

In an stinging defeat for the Republican Party and President Trump, the Senate voted by a slim margin—49 to 51—against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. As the bill was defeated, protesters outside the Capitol cheered and chanted "Yes, we did!" The loss was a stinging defeat for President Donald Trump and for Republicans who have spent seven years vowing to repeal and replace Obamacare. The so-called skinny repeal of Obamacare would have eliminated the individual mandate and the employer mandate, that requires certain businesses to provide health insurance to employees. We speak with Margarida Jorge of Health Care for America Now.

Republican Bid to Repeal Affordable Care Act Fails in Senate, Trump Retaliates Against Alaska over Senator's Healthcare Vote, Senate Approves Russia Sanctions Bill, Prompting Kremlin Retaliation, Republicans Warn Trump Against Firing Attorney General Sessions, Trump Admin Targets MS-13 Gang, Putting Immigrants in Crosshairs, DREAMer Who Died in Border Crossing Accused by ICE of Gang Ties, Connecticut Undocumented Mother Nury Chavarria Wins Deportation Stay, Department of Justice Argues Civil Rights Law Does Not Apply to Gays, Transgender Military Service Can Continue for Now, Says Top General, Anthony Scaramucci Assails White House Colleagues in Vulgar Rant, Palestinians Injured as Israel Removes Restrictions at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Wisconsin Lures Foxconn Plant with Offer of $3 Billion Tax Break, Oklahoma Sheriff Indicted After Prisoner Dies in Restraint Chair, Baltimore Ravens Lineman to Quit NFL over Brain Injury Report

Disability activists across the nation are staging historic protests in Washington, D.C., and other cities to fight the Republican effort to strip healthcare from tens of millions of people. On Tuesday, as the Senate voted to open debate, 31 protesters in the gallery were arrested, while 64 more, many in wheelchairs, were arrested in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building. The protests are continuing as Senate Republicans move forward with their attempts to repeal Obamacare. We speak with disability rights attorney Stephanie Woodward who has been arrested 16 times in recent weeks, community organizer Ola Ojewumi, and hip-hop artist Kalyn Heffernan, who recently occupied the Denver office of Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO).

While President Trump's ban on transgender people from military service has been widely criticized even by fellow Republicans, it has reignited a debate within the LGBT community. Some have questioned whether the discourse on transgender rights should be broadened to include a critique of militarism. "Trump's transphobia is disgusting, like his defense budget," trans activist and scholar Dean Spade wrote yesterday. "The liberation we are working toward requires that we fight for vets and everyone else who gets exploited and abandoned for U.S. military imperialism, but not that we participate in rhetoric that celebrates the U.S. military as an employer or ties trans well-being to military service." We speak to Dean Spade, who is a professor at Seattle University School of Law, as well as Fiona Dawson, creator of the media project TransMilitary. She attended the protest outside the White House on Wednesday following Trump's announcement.

In a move that shocked even the Pentagon, President Donald Trump has barred transgender people from serving in the military. He made the announcement via Twitter on Wednesday. The move could impact as many as 15,000 servicemembers. The New York Times reports Defense Secretary James Mattis only learned of Trump's plans on Tuesday. Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin said he learned of the policy change through Trump's tweet. Politico is reporting Trump may have made the snap decision in an attempt to secure congressional funding to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. A spending bill—which included money for the wall—was facing possible defeat in the House because some Republican lawmakers wanted to ban Pentagon-funded sex reassignment operations. We speak to Staff Sergeant Patricia King. She was the first infantry member to reveal she is transgender. King has served in the Army for 18 years, including three active combat deployments to Afghanistan.

President Trump Tweets Ban on Transgender People Serving in Military, Senate Republicans Mull "Skinny Repeal" of Affordable Care Act, Ex-Tea Party Lawmaker Pete Hoekstra Named Ambassador to Netherlands, Yemen: Cholera Cases Top 400,000 as U.N. Appeals for Humanitarian Aid, U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led Coalition Blamed for Attack That Killed 42 Migrants, Iraq: Thousands of Displaced Mosul Families Unable to Return Home, NYTimes: Trump May Expand Afghanistan War to Exploit Mineral Wealth, France: Human Rights Watch Says Police Abusing Migrants in Calais, Minneapolis Police to Require Officers to Use Body Cameras, Austin, TX: 15 Immigrant Activists Arrested at Sit-in Protest, El Paso, TX: Four Migrants Found Dead at Rio Grande Border Crossing, New York: Bronx Teen, Jailed at Rikers for Over a Year, Bailed Out

Journalist Joshua Green talks about how Steve Bannon used his experience in the video game industry to use Breitbart News to mobilize young, largely white men. "The reality is, Fox News' audience was geriatric and no one was connecting with this younger group," Bannon told Green. Bannon's hires at Breitbart include Milo Yiannopoulos, who has been widely accused of being a white nationalist. "Watch Part 1 || Joshua Green on the 'Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump & the Storming of the Presidency":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/7/26/joshua_green_on_the_devils_bargain"Watch Part 2 || Joshua Green on How a Racial Theorist Tied to Mussolini & Hitler Influenced Steve Bannon":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/7/26/joshua_green_on_how_steve_bannon

Journalist Joshua Green talks about two men who influenced Steve Bannon's philosophy: the Italian philosopher Julius Evola, whose ideas became the basis of fascist racial theory, and René Guénon, who developed an anti-modernism philosophy called "Traditionalism." Green writes about Evola and Guénon in his new book, "Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency.""Watch Part 1 || Joshua Green on the ‘Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump & the Storming of the Presidency’":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/7/26/joshua_green_on_the_devils_bargain"Watch Part 3 || Joshua Green on How Bannon's Experience with Video Gamers Gave Rise to the Alt-Right":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/7/26/joshua_green_on_how_bannons_experience

We turn now to look at the man many credit with helping Donald Trump become president: Steve Bannon, the former head of Breitbart News. During the early days of the Trump presidency, many suggested Bannon, Trump's chief strategist, was pulling many of the strings in the Oval Office. We speak to journalist Joshua Green about how Bannon took his hard-right nationalist politics from the fringes of the Republican Party all the way to the White House. Green has been closely following Bannon's career for years. In October 2015—before Bannon joined Trump's campaign—Green dubbed Bannon the "Most Dangerous Political Operative in America." His new book is "Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency.""Watch Part 2 || A Look at How a Racial Theorist Tied to Mussolini & Hitler Influenced Steve Bannon":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/7/26/joshua_green_on_how_steve_bannon"Watch Part 3 || Joshua Green on How Bannon's Experience with Video Gamers Gave Rise to the Alt-Right":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/7/26/joshua_green_on_how_bannons_experience

President Trump is continuing to publicly humiliate his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions, who was the first senator to endorse Trump during the 2016 race. On Twitter, Trump described Sessions as "beleaguered" and "very weak." At a press conference on Tuesday, Trump said he was "disappointed" Sessions had recused himself from the probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Meanwhile, Breitbart News and other right-wing outlets are openly criticizing Trump's treatment of Sessions. We speak with Joshua Green of Bloomberg Businessweek about the latest news plus his new book, "Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency."

As protesters shouted "Kill the bill! Kill the bill!" Senate Republicans voted Tuesday, by the narrowest of margins, to open debate on repealing Obamacare. Vice President Mike Pence broke a 50-50 tie in the Senate. Two Republican senators—Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska—joined Democrats in voting against the motion to proceed. Republican Senator John McCain cast a decisive vote to open debate, after flying in from Arizona, where he is being treated for brain cancer. But hours later, the effort to repeal or replace Obamacare faced another setback, when nine Republicans joined Democrats in rejecting the first healthcare proposal. We speak with Joshua Green of Bloomberg Businessweek about the latest news plus his new book, "Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency."

As Debate Begins, Senate Republicans Vote Down First Healthcare Bill, "I'd Rather Go to Jail Than Die Without Medicaid!": Nearly 100 Arrested as Senate Debates Healthcare, President Trump Continues to Humiliate Attorney General Sessions, AG Sessions: DOJ to Refuse Federal Grants to Sanctuary Cities, Kushner Testifies in Closed-Door Session with House Intelligence Committee, House Votes to Block White House Efforts to Weaken Russia Sanctions, Trump Ramps Up Threats Against Iran in Speech in Youngstown, Ohio, Senators Collins and Reed Caught on Hot Mic Worrying Trump is "Crazy", Palestinians Vow to Continue Protests Against Israeli Security Measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque, 26 Afghan Soldiers Killed in Taliban Attack on Military Base in Kandahar, Syria: 18 Civilians Reportedly Killed Amid U.S.-Led Offensive in Raqqa, Philippines: Duterte Threatens to Bomb Indigenous Filipino School, Chile: Hundreds March to Demand Legalization of Abortion

Fifty years ago this month, rebellions broke out in the cities of Newark and Detroit. It all began in Newark on July 12, 1967, when two white police officers detained and beat an African-American cabdriver. Shortly after, on July 23, police officers raided an after-hours club in an African-American neighborhood of Detroit, sparking another mass rebellion. Forty-three people died in Detroit, and 26 were killed in Newark, while 7,000 people were arrested. The rebellions reshaped both Newark and Detroit and marked the beginning of an era of African-American political empowerment. We speak with Larry Hamm, chairman of the People's Organization for Progress, and Scott Kurashige, author of the new book, "The Fifty-Year Rebellion: How the U.S. Political Crisis Began in Detroit."

With 10 people dead in San Antonio, Texas, following a human smuggling attempt, we look at how the U.S. border crackdown is contributing to human trafficking and increases in death among immigrants fleeing violence in Central America. We speak with Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and board member of Kids in Need of Defense.

Ten immigrants have died and 29 remain hospitalized in San Antonio, Texas, where dozens of undocumented immigrants were discovered packed in the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer. The youngest victims were just 15 years old. When the group of migrants was discovered in a Wal-Mart parking lot in San Antonio, eight men were already dead. Two more men died later, and 29 remain hospitalized. We speak with Eddie Canales, director of the South Texas Human Rights Center.

Republican Senators Slated to Put Healthcare to a Vote Today, Kushner to Testify for Second Day About Trump's Ties to Russia, Trump Intensifies Attacks on Sessions; Cruz & Giuliani Floated as Replacements, Iowa: 2 Catholic Workers Say They Sabotaged Dakota Access Pipeline, 2 Arrested as Protesters Blockade Kinder Morgan Terminal in Richmond, CA, San Antonio: 10th Migrant Dies After Dozens Found in Back of Sweltering Truck, Pakistan: 26 Killed in Suicide Bomb Attack Claimed by Pakistani Taliban, Israel Removing Metal Detectors from Al-Aqsa Mosque After Massive Protests, Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbi Blocked from Traveling to Israel, Philippines' Duterte Vows to Continue Bloody Drug War, Detroit Judge Halts Deportation of 1,400 Iraqis, Former Navy Sailor Sentenced to 40 Years for Murdering Trans Woman Dee Whigham, Baltimore Teens Build "Bad Batch" App to Tackle Drug Overdose Epidemic

Newly declassified State Department documents show oil contracts played a key role in the U.S.-backed 1953 coup in Iran that led to the overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. "What the documents show is actually the importance of oil in the coup," says Professor Ervand Abrahamian. "The conventional wisdom is, oh, it was all the Cold War scare, communism. But here you see, actually, very occasionally, when Eisenhower intervenes in a discussion, it’s about question of oil contracts and so on and how nationalization would disrupt the whole international framework and would be a threat to U.S. interests, oil interests, elsewhere."