Democracy Now!

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."

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."

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

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?”

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.

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.

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.

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"

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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."

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

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/

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/

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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."

"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."

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is traveling to McAllen, Texas, today to visit some of the thousands of troops deployed at the U.S.-Mexico border by President Donald Trump. Nearly 6,000 active-duty troops are currently stationed in Texas, California and Arizona, following Trump's escalating attacks against the Central American caravan heading toward the border. Trump has warned that that number could swell to 15,000—more than the U.S. forces in Afghanistan and almost triple the number of troops in Iraq. According to some reports, the border deployments could cost $220 million, despite the fact the Pentagon does not see the caravan as a risk. Mattis's visit comes just days after the Trump administration announced new immigration rules to deny asylum to anyone who enters the country outside of a port of entry, a move the American Civil Liberties Union has called "illegal." We speak with Fernando Garcia, the founding director of the Border Network for Human Rights, an advocacy organization based in El Paso. We also speak with Liz Castillo, immigration reporter and managing editor with Neta, a community news outlet in the Rio Grande Valley.

Amazon has selected a pair of cities to host its new, expanded headquarters: Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, and Long Island City in Queens, New York. Amazon's decision came after a 14-month search that saw cities around the U.S. promise tax breaks, taxpayer-funded infrastructure and business-friendly ordinances in an effort to win what Amazon says will be $5 billion in new investment and thousands of jobs. Democratic Virginia Governor Ralph Northam called the Amazon headquarter "a big win for Virginia," and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has similarly applauded Amazon's decision. But many local politicians have openly criticized authorities in New York and Virginia for backing the deals, which will create a total of 50,000 jobs. We host a roundtable discussion about Amazon and corporate welfare. In New York, we speak with Ron Kim, member of the New York State Assembly. He recently co-wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times headlined "New York Should Say No to Amazon." In Washington, D.C., we speak with Greg LeRoy, executive director of Good Jobs First, a watchdog group on economic development incentives. And in Portland, Maine, we speak with Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. She is the author of "Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses."

After a months-long PR campaign, Amazon has officially announced it will split its so-called second headquarters between New York and Arlington, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C., after being offered more than $3 billion in tax breaks and other incentives. The news prompted protests at the site of Amazon's future office complex in Long Island City, New York, to condemn the city and state governments for showering Amazon with massive tax breaks and other giveaways to entice the company to expand into the city. As part of the deal, New York taxpayers will even build a helipad for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who is the richest man in the world. Many local politicians have openly criticized authorities in New York and Virginia for backing the deals, which will create a total of 50,000 jobs. We speak with New York Assemblymember Ron Kim, who is introducing legislation to block the deal and redirect taxpayer money away from Amazon subsidies and toward student debt relief. He recently co-wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times headlined "New York Should Say No to Amazon."

California Wildfires Kill 50 Across State as Blazes Rage On, Police Arrest 51 Activists Demanding Climate Action from Pelosi, Landmark Climate Lawsuit by Young Activists in Legal Limbo, Pentagon Chief Mattis to Visit 6,000 Troops at U.S.-Mexico Border, Congressional Progressives Appear to Downplay Plans to Abolish ICE, Congressional Race Results Still Uncertain One Week After Midterms, Georgia: Black Woman State Senator Arrested at Peaceful Voter Protest, Fates of Senior Trump Advisers in Doubt After Clashes with FLOTUS, Trump Lawyers Prepare Answers in Mueller Probe, CNN Sues Trump over Acosta Ban, Chicago: Police Shoot and Kill a Black On-Duty Security Guard, FBI: Hate Crimes Up for Third Consecutive Year, Viral Photo of Wisconsin Students Giving Nazi Salute Draws Fire, Audio Reveals Iowa Rep. Steve King Calling Immigrants "Dirt", U.N. Calls for Halt to Forced Repatriation of Rohingya Refugees, Gaza: Ceasefire Halts Palestinian Rockets and Israeli Airstrikes, German Chancellor Backs Plan to Create a European Union Army

Controversy is growing over President Trump's selection of Matt Whitaker to serve as acting attorney general following the ousting of Jeff Sessions. The state of Maryland is heading to court today to challenge the legality of Whitaker's appointment. The state contends that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should have been named acting attorney general instead of Whitaker, who was not confirmed by the Senate for his previous post—chief of staff to Sessions. Meanwhile, pressure is growing on Whitaker to recuse himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. We speak with Ian Millhiser, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund and the editor of ThinkProgress Justice.

The death toll in Gaza has risen to at least six after Israel launched its heaviest airstrikes on the region since 2014, targeting scores of buildings, including the TV station Al-Aqsa TV. Israeli airstrikes also reportedly hit dozens of homes. Militants in Gaza responded by launching hundreds of homemade rockets into Israel. One person in Israel, a Palestinian man in Ashkelon, was reportedly killed. Some 16 others were injured, including at least two critically. The escalation began after a team of Israeli commandos drove into the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis Sunday in a clandestine raid that killed seven Hamas members, including a commander. Israel said one of its soldiers had been killed in an exchange of fire before Israel called in tank fire and airstrikes while the commandos escaped back to Israel. We speak with Muhammad Shehada, a writer and activist from the Gaza Strip and a student of development studies at Lund University, Sweden. He writes for Haaretz, The Forward and other publications.

On Thursday, a federal judge in Montana temporarily halted the construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada's tar sands region in Alberta to refineries as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. The court's decision will require the Trump administration to review more thoroughly the potential negative impacts of the pipeline on the surrounding environment and climate change. President Obama halted the construction of the pipeline, which is being built by TransCanada, in 2015 following mass public protests, but Trump reversed the order shortly after he came into office. Environmental and indigenous groups hailed the decision Thursday. Sierra Club attorney Doug Hayes said in a statement, "The Trump administration tried to force this dirty pipeline project on the American people, but they can't ignore the threats it would pose to our clean water, our climate, and our communities." We speak with May Boeve, executive director of 350 Action, the political arm of the climate organization 350.org.

California's Camp Fire has become the state's deadliest fire on record, decimating the town of Paradise, killing 42 people and destroying 7,200 structures. The fires in California are so large they can be clearly seen from space. Smoke and ash have left millions of Californians exposed to air quality rated at "unhealthy" or "very unhealthy" levels, with residents of Los Angeles, Sacramento and the Bay Area warned against spending time outdoors. We speak with May Boeve, executive director of 350 Action, who says, "We are really daunted by the reality of the climate impacts that are facing us."

At least 44 people are dead and more than 200 remain missing as two massive wildfires, fueled by easterly winds and a historic drought, continue to rage in California. In Northern California's Butte County, the Camp Fire has become the state's deadliest fire in history, after the blaze swept through the town of Paradise, killing 42 people and destroying nearly 6,500 homes. In Southern California, a quarter-million residents of Los Angeles and Ventura counties were ordered to evacuate the Woolsey Fire—including the entire city of Malibu and parts of the San Fernando Valley. Governor Jerry Brown said Sunday that the fires were driven by climate change and that California needs to learn to adapt. We speak with climate expert Glen MacDonald, John Muir memorial chair of geography, director of the White Mountain Research Center and a UCLA distinguished professor. He was forced to evacuate his Thousand Oaks home due to the Woolsey Fire.

California's Record-Breaking Wildfires Kill At Least 44 Across State, Arizona's U.S. Senate Seat Flips Blue as Sinema Declares Victory, Trump Falsely Claims Voter Fraud in FL, Says Races Should Go to Republicans, Mississippi Senator Under Fire for "Public Hanging" Comment, Daily Beast: ICE Imprisoning Record High of 44,000 People, Audio of Khashoggi's Murder May Implicate Saudi Crown Prince, Amnesty Int'l Withdraws Top Honor from Burmese Leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Gaza: Israeli Airstrikes Kill 6 Palestinians as Fighting Intensifies, DRC: Ebola Outbreak Worst in Country's History, Kills Almost 200, NYT Investigation Accuses North Korea of Expanding Missile Program, Vatican Orders U.S. Bishops to Halt Vote on Stopping Child Sex Abuse, Roger Stone Associate Jerome Corsi Expects to Be Indicted by Mueller, In New Memoir, Michelle Obama Slams Trump's Sexism and Bigotry, Amazon Selects Queens, NY and D.C. Suburb for Headquarters Expansion, Trump Blames Democrats as Stock Market Falls 600 Points, Legendary Comic Book Creator Stan Lee Dies at 95

On November 7, 2018, a former marine opened fire at a country music bar in Thousand Oaks, California, killing 12 people, mostly college students. Police have identified the gunman as 28-year-old Ian David Long, a Marine veteran who had deployed to Afghanistan and had a history of mental health issues, including possible PTSD. The shooting has reignited a national discussion over mental healthcare for veterans returning from war. Earlier this year, Ian Long was evaluated by mental health professionals after police responded to a disturbance at his home, where he lived with his mother—and was cleared by the specialists. For more, we talk with Suzanne Gordon, whose new book probes the history of the Veterans Health Administration providing healthcare to U.S. veterans, generating medical innovations and healing the wounds of war.