Democracy Now!

The nation continues to grapple with the fallout from this weekend's violence after a Nazi sympathizer drove into a crowd of anti-racist protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing one person and injuring 19. President Donald Trump finally condemned white supremacists on Monday for the bloodshed this weekend, after initially failing to directly blame the group. The move followed mounting pressure and severe backlash from nationwide street protests and corporate CEOs who resigned from Trump's American Manufacturing Council over his failure to quickly condemn the deadly violence. Meanwhile, a Foreign Policy report revealed that an FBI and Department of Homeland Security bulletin concluded that white supremacist groups were responsible for more homicides "than any other domestic extremist movement." Despite these findings, the Trump administration recently slashed funds to organizations dedicated to fighting right-wing violence. To discuss all these developments, we speak with award-winning acclaimed author Ta-Nehisi Coates in his first major interview since the inauguration of President Donald Trump. He is the author of a forthcoming book, due out in October, "We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy." *Related Segments*"We Were 8 Years in Power: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Obama, Trump & White Fear of 'Good Negro Government'":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/15/we_were_8_years_in_power"Ta-Nehisi Coates: I Would Like to See Donald Trump Resign & Leave White House":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/15/ta_nehisi_coates_i_would_like"Ta-Nehisi Coates on How Cities & Municipalities Are Winning Reparations for Slavery at Local Level":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/15/ta_nehisi_coates_on_how_cities"Full Interview: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Charlottesville, Trump, the Confederacy, Reparations & More":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/15/full_interview_ta_nehisi_coates_on

Durham, NC: Activists Topple Confederate Statue Amid Nationwide Protests Against White Supremacy, CEOs Resign from Trump Advisory Board over White Supremacist Violence in Charlottesville, VA, Trump Begrudgingly Condemns White Supremacist Violence But Fails to Fire Bannon, U.N. Condemns White Supremacist Violence in Charlottesville, VA, Nazi Sympathizer & Charlottesville Suspect James Alex Fields Denied Bond, Far-Right Extremists & White Supremacists Plan Slew of Upcoming Rallies, ACLU of Virginia Board Member Resigns over ACLU Defense of White Supremacists, New England Holocaust Memorial Vandalized on Monday for Second Time This Summer, Trump Says He's Considering Pardoning Notorious Racist AZ Sheriff Joe Arpaio, DOJ Demanding 1.3 Million Visitor IP Addresses for DisruptJ20.org Website, Syria: 30+ Civilians Reportedly Killed by U.S.-Led Airstrikes and Shelling in Raqqa, North Korea Holding Off on Guam Strike, Waiting to See What "Foolish Yankees" Will Do, Tens of Thousands of Residents Protest U.S. Military Bases in Okinawa, Japan, Venezuela: Thousands Attend Anti-Imperialist March as U.S. Threatens Military Intervention, Sierra Leone: More Than 300 Killed in Mudslides as Thousands Remain Missing, Israel Releases 5 Palestinian Journalists in West Bank and Gaza

On Saturday, President Trump addressed reporters at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, blaming the violence in Charlottesville on "many sides." We get response from Rev. Traci Blackmon, executive minister of Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ. "What is happening under this current administration is permission to hate," Blackmon says.

Jalane Schmidt, an organizer with the local Black Lives Matter movement and an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia, describes the school's history of connections to the KKK and its alumnus, white nationalist leader Richard Spencer.

We continue our roundtable discussion on violence that erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend as thousands of neo-Nazis, KKK members and other white nationalists began descending on the city to participate in the "Unite the Right" rally. Thousands of counterprotesters met in Charlottesville, including clergy, students, Black Lives Matter activists, and protesters with the antifascist movement known as "antifa." We are joined by two clergy members and a local Black Lives Matter activist who helped organize the demonstration. Rev. Traci Blackmon is executive minister of Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ. During a live interview with MSNBC at the march on Saturday, she was forced to flee as counterprotesters were attacked around her. Cornel West was also on site and describes the scene. We also speak with Jalane Schmidt, an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia.

We spend the hour examining the "Unite the Right" white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, this weekend that erupted into violence, resulting in three deaths. After a torchlit march of hundreds on the University of Virginia campus Friday night, more than 1,000 white nationalists descended on the city on Saturday to oppose a plan to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a city park. They were met by anti-racist counterdemonstrators, and fights broke out before the rally began. Witnesses report police did little to intervene. Shortly after the protest began, a man later identified as James Alex Fields drove his vehicle into a crowd of counterdemonstrators in what many are calling an act of terrorism. A local paralegal named Heather Heyer was killed in the attack, and at least 19 others were injured. Two Virginia state troopers also died Saturday when their helicopter crashed en route to the scene of the violence. On Saturday, Trump addressed reporters at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, blaming the violence in Charlottesville on "many sides." We begin our roundtable discussion with Brandy Gonzalez, who survived the car rampage, and Lisa Moore, a registered nurse who assisted a victim of the car attack.

Thousands March Nationwide to Condemn Neo-Nazi Violence in Charlottesville, VA, White Supremacists Kill 1, Injure Dozens, During Ku Klux Klan Rally in Charlottesville, VA, Trump Refuses to Explicitly Condemn White Supremacist Violence, Afghanistan: Local Officials Say U.S. Airstrikes Kill 16 Civilians, Syria: Nearly 1,000 Civilians Reportedly Killed During U.S.-Led Offensive in Raqqa, Pakistan: ISIS Suicide Bomb Attack Kills 15 in Quetta, Latin America Outraged by Trump's Threat of U.S. Military Intervention in Venezuela, Bolivia: Indigenous Nations Protest as Morales Signs Law Paving Way for Amazon Highway, Israel: Thousands Protest Corruption Amid Netanyahu Bribery Investigation, Kenya: Police Kill 11 During Post-Election Demonstrations, Burkina Faso: 20 Killed After Gunmen Open Fire in Restaurant, Nepal and India: Nearly 100 Killed in Flash Flooding and Mudslides, Des Moines, Iowa: FBI Raid Catholic Worker House Where DAPL Sabotage Activists Live, NYC Becomes First U.S. City to Guarantee Lawyers for Poor Tenants Facing Eviction

Thousands of Yemenis and other nationals from countries covered by Trump's travel ban are currently stranded in different parts of the world as the State Department refuses to honor the fact that they won a U.S. government immigration lottery. Many of the winners have already sold their homes and cars, left their jobs and even relocated in anticipation of their move to the United States. Their eligibility to receive green cards under the program will end only three days after the travel ban is slated to expire on September 27, meaning their applications will likely not be processed in time, which lawyers say operates as an effective ban. We are joined by Hamed Sufyan Almaqrami, 29-year-old Yemeni Ph.D. student in applied linguistics who was awarded a diversity visa in 2016. Due to Trump's travel ban, he is now stranded in India. We also speak with his attorney, Yolanda Rondon of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and Stephen Pattison, a U.S. immigration attorney who spent nearly three decades with the State Department.

The front page of Guam's Pacific Daily News reads "14 Minutes!" That's how long it would take missiles fired from North Korea to reach the U.S. territory in the western Pacific if there is an escalation of the threat of nuclear war between the U.S. and North Korea. On Thursday, Trump again threatened North Korea, saying if it were to carry out an attack on Guam, the U.S. would retaliate with military action. The Pentagon controls about a third of all the land on Guam, which is home to 163,000 people and a sprawling complex of U.S. military bases, including the Air Force base where many of the United States' B-2 bombers take off from before flying over the Korean Peninsula. For decades, residents of Guam have resisted the militarization and colonization of their homeland by the United States, which has now put them in the crosshairs of a possible nuclear war between the U.S. and North Korea. We go to Guam to speak with LisaLinda Natividad, president of the Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice and a member of the Guam Commission on Decolonization, and with David Vine, author of "Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World."

Elected Officials Condemn Trump's Nuclear Threats Against North Korea, Trump Attacks Senate Leader McConnell over Legislative Failures, Double-Digit Premium Hikes to Follow Republican Healthcare Effort, Minnesota Lawmaker Condemns Trump's Silence over Mosque Bombing, Trump Adviser Sebastian Gorka Calls Mosque Attack a False Flag, President Trump Ramps Up North Korea "Fire and Fury" Threats, U.S., Canadian Diplomats in Cuba Suffer Deafness from Covert "Sonic Device", Russia: Journalist Jailed over Calls for Political Accountability, Central American LGBTQ Activists Arrive at U.S.-Mexico Border, Seeking Asylum, Yemen: Human Smugglers Intentionally Drown African Migrants at Sea, Ethiopia: Intense Drought Has Millions on Brink of Starvation, NOAA Climate Report Confirms 2016 was Hottest Year on Record, Greenland: Defrosting, Drying Tundra Burns in Unprecedented Wildfires, Nebraska: Over 460,000 Oppose Keystone XL Pipeline in Public Comments, New York: 5 Arrested Protesting Goldman Sachs Fossil Fuel Conference

It's been six months since Attorney General Jeff Sessions was sworn in as head of the Department of Justice. In that time, Sessions has managed to undo nearly every aspect of Obama's civil rights legacy. We look at how Sessions is using the Justice Department to roll back decades of progress on civil rights, voting rights, LGBT rights and police reform. We speak with Vanita Gupta, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. She is the former head of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice.

On Tuesday, President Trump shocked the world by hinting the U.S. could carry out a nuclear strike on North Korea. Hours after he spoke, North Korea threatened to strike the U.S. territory of Guam in the western Pacific. China has warned that a "war of words" between the U.S. and North Korea could spiral out of hand. We speak with Andrew Bacevich, professor emeritus of international relations and history at Boston University. He is a retired colonel and Vietnam War veteran.

The war of words between the U.S. and North Korea continues to intensify, with North Korea threatening to strike the U.S. territory of Guam, while Defense Secretary General Mattis warned North Korea's actions could result in the "destruction of its people." This came after Trump vowed to strike at North Korea with "fire and fury." Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council recently imposed a new round of sanctions against North Korea over its test launches of two intercontinental ballistic missiles last month. We speak with journalist Tim Shorrock, who recently returned from South Korea.

Mattis Warns N. Korea Could Face "Destruction of Its People" as Tillerson Downplays Rhetoric, North Korea Military Announces Plan to Fire Missiles into Sea Off Guam, Peace Activists Protest Outside White House Calling for Negotiations with N. Korea, FBI Raids Home of Trump's Former Campaign Chair Paul Manafort, Five Die in Kenya as Protests Continue over Presidential Election, U.N.: $1 Billion Needed to Restore Basic Services to Mosul, Report: More Than 2,400 Have Died in 2017 Crossing Mediterranean, Migrant Helper in France Gets Suspended Four-Month Sentence, Canada Erects Camp on U.S. Border to Process Asylum Seekers, Four Palestinians Injured in Israeli Airstrikes Targeting Gaza, IDF Soldier Begins Prison Term for Executing Wounded Palestinian Man, Criminal Investigation Casts Doubts on Benjamin Netanyahu's Future, Farmworker Dies in Washington State After Being Denied Medical Help, Puerto Rican Protests Call for Investigation into PR's Debt

From Attorney General Jeff Sessions to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, many of Trump's key administration members are far-right-wing figures who are seeking to dismantle the very agencies that they have been picked to head. For more on this right-wing revolution, we speak with longtime activist and journalist Allan Nairn.*Related Segments with Allan Nairn*"Forget Russia. Is Provoking a Nuclear War with North Korea Grounds for Impeachment?":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/9/forget_russia_is_provoking_a_nuclear"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

The White House is considering an unprecedented plan to privatize the war in Afghanistan at the urging of Erik Prince, founder of the now-defunct private mercenary firm Blackwater. Prince told USA Today the plan would include sending 5,500 private mercenaries to Afghanistan to advise the Afghan army. It would also include deploying a private air force—with at least 90 aircraft—to carry out the bombing campaign against Taliban insurgents. The plan's consideration comes as a federal appeals court has overturned the prison sentences of former Blackwater contractors who were involved in a 2007 massacre in Nisoor Square in central Baghdad, killing 17 civilians when they opened fire with machine guns and threw grenades into the crowded public space. For more, we speak with longtime investigative journalist and activist Allan Nairn.*Related segments with Allan Nairn*"Forget Russia. Is Provoking a Nuclear War with North Korea Grounds for Impeachment?":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/9/forget_russia_is_provoking_a_nuclear"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"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

As tensions escalate between the United States and North Korea, the U.S. government is particularly ill-equipped to carry out effective diplomacy, thanks to the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the State Department. The U.S. currently has no ambassador to South Korea, no secretary of Asian Pacific affairs and no secretary of East Asian affairs. For more on the dismantling of the U.S. government, we speak to longtime journalist and activist Allan Nairn.*Related Segments with Allan Nairn*"Forget Russia. Is Provoking a Nuclear War with North Korea Grounds for Impeachment?":https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/9/forget_russia_is_provoking_a_nuclear"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

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.