Democracy Now!

Israeli Military Forces Kill at Least 5 Palestinians Despite Ceasefire Agreement, Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank Celebrate Return of Nearly 2,000 Prisoners, Families Demand Hamas Return Bodies of 24 Israeli Hostages, Trump Co-Chairs Summit in Egypt for Ceasefire Signing Ceremony; Netanyahu Does Not Attend, Journalist Abducted by Israel Says She Was Tortured in Israeli Custody, Afghan Taliban Claims Its Forces Killed Dozens of Pakistani Soldiers, Russian Forces Attack Ukraine's Second-Largest City Kharkiv, Speaker Johnson Warns Government Shutdown Could Be the Longest in U.S. History, Several News Outlets Announce They Will Not Sign Pentagon's New Press Policy, 2003 CIA Cable Details Torture Methods Against a Detainee at a Black Site, Madagascar's President Flees the Country Following Gen Z" Protests, United Nations: 300,000 People Have Fled South Sudan in 2025, Economists Demand Relief for Poorer Countries Facing Unsustainable Debt Burdens, 64 Are Dead and Dozens Missing in Mexico After Heavy Rains Bring Flooding to Five States, New York AG Letitia James Campaigns for Zohran Mamdani, Warning of Trump's Retribution Campaign

To mark Indigenous Peoples' Day, we sit down with the award-winning Indigenous writer, journalist and filmmaker Julian Brave NoiseCat, member of the Canim Lake Band Tsq'escen and a descendant of the Lil'Wat Nation of Mount Currie. His debut book, We Survived the Night, is part-memoir, part-investigative journalism, telling both his family story and the story of Indigenous erasure and resistance in what is now called North America. I often think about what it must have meant for my ancestors to greet one another in the day by saying something as simple and profound as that they had 'survived the night,'" says NoiseCat. What did that mean in the winter of 1863, for example, when over two-thirds of our nation died of smallpox? What did it mean in the days after the children were taken away to Indian residential schools?"

Renowned Israeli historian, author and professor Ilan Pappe discusses the postwar prospects of Palestinian statehood and of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under investigation for corruption in Israel and subject to an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. Despite the newly implemented Gaza ceasefire, says Pappe, Israeli political leaders have not changed their policy aim to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their remaining territory. Nothing has changed in the dehumanization and the attitude of this particular Israeli government and its belief that it has the power to wipe out Palestine as a nation, as a people and as a country," he explains. Pappe's latest book is titled Israel on the Brink: And the Eight Revolutions That Could Lead to Decolonization and Coexistence.

War is over," declared Donald Trump Sunday night, as the first phase of the U.S.-backed 20-point Gaza peace plan got underway. Hamas has returned the remaining 20 living hostages back to Israel, while Israel has released around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. We get a reaction to the ceasefire from the Palestinian writer and human rights activist Ahmed Abu Artema. He recently evacuated Gaza, nearly two years after multiple family members, including his son, were killed in an Israeli military attack. We cannot say we are happy, because we lost everything," he says.

Trump Addresses Knesset as Israel and Hamas Exchange Captives, Israel Threatens to Arrest Palestinians Caught Celebrating Release of Prisoners, Israel Releases Remaining Gaza Flotilla Participants It Abducted on High Seas, Tens of Thousands Rally in London to Demand Justice for Palestinians, Trump Warns of More Layoffs as Mass Firings Target CDC and Education Dept., Appeals Court Blocks Deployment of National Guard to Chicago But Rules Federalization Can Continue, Chicago TV Producer Released Without Charge After Arrest by Federal Agents, Funds Not Feds": Chicago Protesters Demand ICE Funds Be Redirected to Social Programs, Anti-ICE Protesters in Portland Don Inflatable Costumes to Mock Trump's War Zone" Rhetoric, At Least 60 Killed by Paramilitary Attacks on Besieged City in Sudan's North Darfur, Kremlin Warns of Dramatic" Escalalation as Trump Mulls Long-Range Missiles for Ukraine, Madagascar's President Says He's Resisting a Coup as Soldiers Join Anti-Government Protests, Trump Threatens 100% Tariffs on China After Beijing Restricts Rare-Earth Minerals, Venezuelan Ambassador Warns U.S. Is Preparing an Invasion, 8 Charged with Felonies in Texas for Allegedly Assisting in Outlawed Abortions, 16 Killed as Explosion Destroys Tennessee Explosives Factory

Writer Cory Doctorow returns to Democracy Now! to discuss his new book Enshittification, which explores the term he coined in 2022 to describe how online platforms like Facebook degrade over time as companies seek to maximize profit at the expense of their users, and it has since become shorthand for describing a pervasive sense of dropping standards across various aspects of modern life.Enshittification is the collapse of discipline," says Doctorow. America's ruling class has managed to neutralize all the discipline that it ever faced. Their weirdest, worst ideas are the ones that we're all stuck with."Doctorow also elaborates on a point he makes in his book: Donald Trump's election represents the ultimate triumph of enshittification in the political realm."

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado, a leading Venezuelan opposition figure. Machado was set to run for president last year, but she was disqualified by the government of President Nicolas Maduro, with fellow opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez standing in for her. Venezuela's National Electoral Council ultimately declared Maduro the winner of the contested election, and he was sworn in for his third term in January.Machado has voiced support for U.S. sanctions against Venezuela and other efforts to topple the government; she aims to privatize the country's state oil industry and has praised right-wing Latin American leaders, including Argentina's Javier Milei and El Salvador's Nayib Bukele.Friday's Nobel announcement comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has openly campaigned for the award.It's a perplexing choice," says Greg Grandin, a historian of Latin America. They've given it to somebody who's completely aligned with the most militarist and darkest face of U.S. imperialism."

A ceasefire came into effect in Gaza on Friday after the Israeli government approved the first phase of the U.S.-backed plan to end two years of war in the Palestinian territory. The deal calls for a pause in Israeli attacks, the release of the remaining Israeli captives held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons, as well as an influx of badly needed humanitarian aid for the starving population of Gaza. Israeli forces have pulled back but continue to control roughly half the territory, with the ceasefire agreement calling for further withdrawals in later phases.This is a deal that really should have been made long, long ago," says Amjad Iraqi, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group. We've known that the parameters of this truce have been on the table for well over a year, if not since the very beginning of the war."Palestinian human rights attorney Diana Buttu says while people are happy for a pause in the slaughter, she finds it repulsive" that Palestinians had to bargain with their own oppressors. It should have been that the world put sanctions on Israel to stop the genocide, rather than forcing Palestinians to negotiate an end to it."

Israeli Government Approves First Phase of Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Grand Jury Indicts New York Attorney General Letitia James, 2025 Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Venezuelan Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado, Colombia's President Petro Claims Colombians Killed in Boat Struck by U.S., Peruvian Lawmakers Swear In New President, U.S. Begins Implementation of $20 Billion Bailout for Argentina, Federal Government Shutdown Enters 10th Day, Federal Judge Blocks Trump's Deployment of National Guard Troops in Illinois, National Guard Troops Set to Begin Patrols of Memphis, Oklahoma's Republican Governor Criticizes Trump's Deployment of Texas Troops to Illinois, Texas Court Halts Execution of Robert Roberson, Convicted over Shaken Baby Syndrome"

Israeli forces have abducted over 500 peace activists over the past week who were sailing to Gaza in an effort to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged territory. Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla say most of the participants were sent to Ktzi'ot Prison, notorious for harsh and abusive conditions. Some have reported physical abuse, humiliation and inhumane treatment by Israeli soldiers.Jewish American activist David Adler, co-general coordinator of the Progressive International, says he faced additional abuse because of his background.They reached down and saw my passport, which had my full name, David Rashi Kremen Adler, and asked if I was Jewish. I said I was Jewish. They ripped me by the ear and forced me to bend down and stare at the flag of the state of Israel," says Adler, who also describes being confronted in prison by the far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who called Adler a terrorist."

President Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase" of a U.S.-backed ceasefire deal for Gaza. The 20-point roadmap includes a swap of captives and a phased Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, though details on many of the planks remain sketchy. Democracy Now! spoke with Palestinian and Israeli analysts on how to interpret the peace plan.We're now at a fork in the road," says Mouin Rabbani, a Palestinian Middle East analyst. While it's very welcome, of course, that the genocide may be coming to an end ... this is a renewed Oslo process with an even lower political ceiling." He says there are calls around the globe for a different paradigm ... in which Israeli accountability for its actions replaces these meaningless, endless negotiations about nothing."Muhammad Shehada, a writer and analyst from Gaza, is critical of the deal, saying that as soon as a ceasefire deal is signed, nobody bothers with the details. Gaza disappears, and it's back to this slow, latent, invisible violence of starvation and engaging people in a permanent state of nonlife."Ori Goldberg, an Israeli political analyst and scholar, says that the deal was politically advantageous for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu can now be the complete package," says Goldberg. Netanyahu was the fearless leader who fought the difficult, inevitable war, but he is now the fearless leader who brings the difficult, inevitable deal."

Celebrations broke out in Gaza and Israel overnight after President Trump announced Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of a hostage-ceasefire deal. Trump said the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza would likely be released on Monday. Israel has also agreed to release hundreds of Palestinians held captive in Israeli prisons, but a final list of prisoners has not been released. Eyad Amawi, an aid coordinator who joins us from Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, has mixed feelings, happiness, worries and hopes" about the deal. He is cautious due to Israeli habits" during ceasefire agreements to grant themselves more time to punish our people, to increase the suffering."During the first phase of the deal, Israel will withdraw forces from parts of Gaza and allow more humanitarian aid into the besieged territory. A ceasefire is expected to begin after the Israeli government formally approves the deal.

Trump Says Israel and Hamas Have Agreed to Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Israel Continues Attacks on Gaza Even as Palestinians Celebrate News of Ceasefire, Spanish Parliament Approves Israel Arms Embargo as Dutch Protesters Hold Sit-Ins for Gaza, GOP Defeats Senate War Powers Resolution to Limit Trump's Strikes on Alleged Drug Traffickers, IRS to Furlough Nearly Half Its Workers as Government Shutdown Enters Second Week, 500 National Guard Troops Arrive in Chicago as Trump Calls for Mayor and Governor to Be Jailed, Pastor Shot in Head by Less Lethal" Round at Chicago-Area ICE Protest Joins Lawsuit, Trump Holds Roundtable on Antifa, Claims to Go After Its Funders", Antifa Expert to Flee with Family to Spain Following Death Threats, Former FBI Director Comey Pleads Not Guilty to Charges He Lied to Congress, WaPo: One-Quarter of FBI's Agents Assigned to Immigration Enforcement, Tennessee Lawmaker Justin Pearson Launches Primary Challenge to Incumbent Rep. Steve Cohen, 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature Awarded to Hungarian Novelist Laszlo Krasznahorkai, Jordanian American Omar Yaghi, Son of Palestinian Refugees, Wins 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The new documentary Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink looks at how hedge funds have gutted newsrooms across the country. The hedge fund strategy of distressed asset investing" involves buying up industries that are struggling to turn a profit, and then selling off their assets and laying off workers. You have people who are interested solely in making money off of the newspapers and not in serving the community and doing good journalism," says director Rick Goldsmith. This is happening all over the country, and more than half the daily newspapers are either owned or controlled by hedge funds."Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink is now streaming and airing on PBS.

We speak to journalist David Klion about the Trump-affiliated right wing's increasing grip on mainstream news media, as anti-woke" pundit Bari Weiss takes the helm as the new editor-in-chief of CBS News. The former New York Times opinion writer, who left the paper over what she alleged was a climate of censorship, brands herself as a champion of free speech, but in reality has a 20-year history of suppressing speech that she finds objectionable, especially when it's speech championing the rights of Palestinians and criticizing the state of Israel," says Klion. Weiss's ascension comes just after CBS's parent company, Paramount, completed a merger with Skydance, the media company founded by the son of billionaire Larry Ellison. Ellison, the founder of the tech company Oracle and soon-to-be part owner of social media platform TikTok in the U.S., is also a staunch supporter of Israel and has close ties to Donald Trump. Weiss's appointment by the Ellisons is an ideological power play," says Klion. It's about elevating her political ideology over the most important and storied news brands in the United States."

Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election for a House seat in Arizona two weeks ago, has still not been sworn in to Congress. Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is blaming the government shutdown for the delay, even though he previously expedited the swearing-in of multiple Republicans who won their special elections before election results were even in. It's more likely, say supporters, that Grijalva is being held up to prevent what she has pledged will be her first act in Congress: adding her name to and thus triggering a vote on California Congressmember Ro Khanna's bill for the public release of files related to the federal investigation of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. She needs to get sworn in today," says Khanna, adding that every day Grijalva is not seated in the House is breaking precedent and depriving people of who they voted for." Grijalva says, This is an incredibly scary precedent to set. If you don't agree with the politics of the speaker, then they can keep you out of your duly elected office."Khanna and Grijalva also discuss the legacy of Grijalva's late father, the longtime Arizona Congressmember Raul Grijalva; the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration; right-wing attacks on freedom of the press; and more.

As the government shutdown enters its second week, Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna of California says the Republicans could open government today." The two parties are at a standoff over provisions in the Republican spending bill that would cut health insurance benefits for millions of Americans. President Donald Trump said Tuesday furloughed government workers may not be paid, breaking with precedent and a 2019 law. In a shutdown, we always pay our troops, we always pay essential workers, and Trump is threatening both to lay them off illegally and not to pay them," says Khanna.

Israeli Forces Kill 8 Palestinians Across Gaza in the Past 24 Hours, Israeli Far-Right National Security Minister Ben-Gvir Prays at Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, Mideast Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner Set to Attend Gaza Ceasefire Talks in Egypt Today, Israeli Forces Intercept Another Gaza-Bound Humanitarian Aid Flotilla, Draft White House Memo States Furloughed Workers Could Be Prevented from Receiving Back Pay, FAA Warns of Staffing Shortages at Airports in Major Cities Amid Shutdown, National Guard Troops from Texas Arrive in Chicago, ACLU Accuses Trump Admin of Subjecting Immigrants to Inhumane Conditions at Angola Prison, Wired: ICE Bolstering Social Media Surveillance Nationwide, Attorney General Bondi Evades Questions on Epstein Files in Contentious Senate Hearing, Former FBI Director James Comey Set to Appear in Federal Court Today, SCOTUS Appears to Favor Removing Colorado's Ban on LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy" for Minors, Politico: Trump Admin Looking to Privatize $1.6 Trillion in Federal Student Loan Debt, California Governor Newsom Signs Law Aimed at Combating Antisemitism in Schools, Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $996 Million in Talc Baby Powder Cancer Case, Missouri Attorney General Subpoenas Planned Parenthood for Records of Abortion Patients

We speak with Plestia Alaqad, an award-winning Palestinian journalist whose on-the-ground reporting from Gaza captured global attention during the early days of Israel's military assault two years ago. Then just 21 years old, her video dispatches went viral and offered the world a rare glimpse of life under bombardment. Alaqad, who fled Gaza with her family in late 2023, has now published The Eyes of Gaza: A Diary of Resilience, drawn from the diary she kept in the weeks following October 7, 2023.Reflecting on the last two years, Alaqad says that Israel succeeded in isolating and dividing Gaza from the rest of the world" and making daily life intolerable for Palestinians. They've been displaced, bombed, trapped and starved deliberately by Israel."Alaqad also stresses that the story of Palestine goes beyond just the last two years. History didn't start on October 7. It's been two years of the genocide, but it's been 77 years, if not more, of the ongoing Nakba that started in 1948," she says.

As the world marks the second anniversary of the October 7 attack, we speak with Maoz Inon, an award-winning Israeli peace activist whose parents Bilha and Yakovi were both killed that day when Hamas fighters stormed their kibbutz near the Gaza border. Since then, Inon has become a world-famous advocate of peaceful coexistence for Israelis and Palestinians. His forthcoming book, co-authored with Palestinian peace activist Aziz Abu Sarah, is titled The Future Is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land.It's a very sad day, because so many lives were lost in the last two years," says Inon. Reflecting on his parents' lessons about life, Inon says it's up to current and future generations to build something better: It's our turn - our turn to sow the seeds of peace, the seeds of reconciliation, the seeds of equality, knowing that next year and next season will be better."

Israelis, Palestinians and people around the world are marking two years since the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza. The second anniversary of October 7 comes amid renewed hope for a ceasefire, as mediators from Hamas and Israel meet in Egypt to negotiate over U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for the future of Gaza. The proposal, like previous ones, calls for a swap of captives, as well as a phased Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza. But major questions remain over what both Israel and Hamas will agree to.We welcome any peace agreement," says Eyad Amawi, a representative of the Gaza Relief Committee and a coordinator for local NGOs, based in Deir al-Balah. We hope that a ceasefire agreement will [be] completely implemented and we can reinforce our society here and renew the life and return the hope for our civilians."

As Chicago braces for a possible deployment of National Guard troops by President Trump, we speak with Ed Yohnka from the ACLU of Illinois about how the administration's ongoing immigration crackdown is putting communities at risk. For weeks, federal agents with ICE and other agencies have carried out violent immigration arrests across Chicago, including in a high-profile raid on a residential building in which many U.S. citizens were also detained. There's no emergency," says Yohnka, who blames the administration for needlessly escalating tensions in Chicago, seemingly in search of excuses for more violence. And when anybody protests, then that's seized upon by the administration as a claim for the need to bring in further forces," says Yohnka.

Israelis Mark 2nd Anniversary of Hamas Attacks with Commemorations and Protests, Israeli Strikes Have Killed Over 100 in Gaza Since Trump Called for Halt to Bombings, 170 Activists, Including Greta Thunberg, Deported from Israel After Raid on Gaza-Bound Flotilla, U.N. Says Israeli Attacks Have Killed Over 100 Civilians in Lebanon Since Ceasefire, National Guard Troops Head to Chicago After Judge Declines to Block Deployment, Trump Administration Appeals Judge's Order Blocking Deployment of National Guard to Portland, Trump Threatens More Mass Layoffs, Blames Democrats, as Government Shutdown Enters 7th Day, U.S. Sends 10 Immigrants to Eswatini in Another Third Country" Deportation Flight, UNHCR Warns Countries Not to Abandon 1951 Refugee Convention, Syria Establishes Parliament with Few Women and Minority Lawmakers, ICC Convicts Former Sudanese Militia Leader of War Crimes in Darfur, Paramount Skydance Acquires The Free Press, Installs Bari Weiss as Editor-in-Chief of CBS News, Supreme Court Rejects Appeal from Jeffrey Epstein Co-Conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, Rep.-Elect Adelita Grijalva Blasts Delay to Her Swearing-In as an Epstein Cover-Up"

Starvation is now being used as a weapon of war in numerous conflicts across the globe - including Sudan, which continues to endure a yearslong famine. Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric doctor who just returned from Sudan, says that the famine is man-made. Atrocities in Palestine, atrocities in Sudan that relate to malnutrition, that relate to famine, are a consequence of underlying structures that enable these things to happen," says Haj-Hassan, who also volunteered in Gaza.

Palestinians are still being systematically starved in Gaza even as ceasefire talks are underway this week. It is a choice that Israel has, whether to feed the people or whether to starve them," says Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University. The children who have been through this will suffer physical and cognitive harm for the rest of their lives, and there is an obligation on those who perpetrated the crime, and indeed on the rest of us, to give them the support."

Global condemnation is mounting as hundreds of international activists remain in Israeli prison days after Israel's military raided and captured dozens of boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla. Reuters reports at least 170 flotilla activists, of the more than 400 arrested, have been deported from Israel. Many have described torture and mistreatment in Israeli custody. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg told Swedish officials she was held in a cell infested with bedbugs and deprived of food and water. Turkish activist Ersin Celik told the Anadolu news agency that guards had dragged little Greta by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag."Kieran Andrieu is a British Palestinian journalist who was recently deported to Britain after being detained aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla. Andrieu says that activists faced torturous conditions in Israeli prisons. They were throwing people's medicine in the bin in front of them and laughing in their faces," he says. They were totally and utterly insensitive to the possibilities of any of us dying."

President Trump is calling on negotiators to move fast" on Gaza ceasefire talks as delegations from Hamas and Israel convene in Egypt to discuss the 20-point plan announced last week by the White House. The deal calls for Hamas to release all remaining hostages and to disarm. Daniel Levy, president of the U.S./Middle East Project, says it is unclear whether the plan will lead to an end to genocide in Gaza, yet with all the faults in this plan, and there are multiple, ... Biden never pushed this hard," says Levy.

Gaza Ceasefire Talks Begin in Egypt Today, Israel Kills Seven Palestinians in Gaza Today, Tens of Thousands Rally in Tel Aviv in Support of Hostage Deal, Federal Judge Blocks Trump from Deploying National Guard Troops to Oregon, Trump Admin Plans to Send Hundreds of National Guard Troops to Chicago, Trump Uses Shutdown to Withhold Federal Funding from Democratic-Led Cities and States, WaPo: Trump Admin Looking to Change Age Requirements for Social Security Disability Payments, U.S. Forces Bomb Another Boat Off the Coast of Venezuela, Killing Four People, Russia Fires More Than 50 Missiles and Nearly 500 Drones at Ukraine, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu Resigns Less Than a Day After Forming His Cabinet, Global Sumud Flotilla Activists Allege Mistreatment by Israel in Detention, Major Pro-Palestinian Protests Erupt All Over the World, NYT: Trump Set to Lower Refugee Admissions, Supporting Mostly White South Africans, Journalist Mario Guevara Deported to El Salvador After Being Detained by ICE for Over 100 Days, Authorities Probing Alleged Arson Attack at Home of South Carolina Judge Criticized by Trump Admin

The Global Sumud Flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces Thursday as its dozens of vessels approached the shores of Gaza. In response to the detention of the flotilla's activists, Italian labor unions have launched a nationwide general strike demanding their release and an end to Israel's relentless assault. Global Sumud Flotilla spokesperson Maria Elena Delia shares an update from Rome, where hundreds of thousands are participating in nonviolent protest.

The Oscar-winning actress and activist Jane Fonda is relaunching her father Henry Fonda's free speech organization, the Committee for the First Amendment. First established in 1947 to combat the rise of McCarthyism, the organization brings together members of the film and television industry to push back against and refuse government censorship. Fonda's announcement comes after the television network ABC brought back late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's show following widespread protest. Kimmel's show had been pulled from the air after he made comments criticizing the Trump administration's response to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. This regime is held up by pillars: military, media, professions and so forth. If each pillar organizes to remove support, we can do it," says Fonda about why she's decided to relaunch the organization now. We have to do it."

UPDATE: Mario Guevara was deported from the United States early on October 3, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.The Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara may be deported to El Salvador as soon as today despite holding work authorization in the United States and never having been charged with a crime. Guevara, who founded the outlet MG News, where he received awards for his coverage on immigration, has lived in the United States for nearly 20 years. He was arrested and jailed in June for live-streaming an anti-Trump No Kings" demonstration near Atlanta.Mario's case is really the tip of the spear, and today's deportation is deeply troubling," says lawyer Nora Benavidez. It is because of his journalistic work that they targeted him. They really do not want what he's doing to expose ICE." Benavidez also responds to the attempted deportations of pro-Palestine immigrant students on U.S. college campuses. It really mirrors the way that Mario has also been targeted because the government, very similarly, simply went after him for his speech," she says.

As officials with Hamas say they will respond soon" to President Trump's ceasefire proposal to end Israel's nearly two-year war on Gaza, brokered with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, we look at the many other deals Witkoff and his family are involved with. A New York Times investigation reveals that when Witkoff, a real estate developer and longtime friend of Trump, began his new position as a diplomat in the Middle East, his son Alex took over his company, the Witkoff Group. Since then, not only has the Witkoff Group continued to ink major deals with investors in the Gulf Arab states, but the elder Witkoff has not even fully divested from the company. There is no question that these relationships and these allegiances carry over between business and politics. ... [T]he Witkoffs and other people in the administration may or may not be profiting personally from them while they are trying to do this work," says Debra Kamin, who reported the story. We also speak to Kamin about turmoil in the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Trump.

Israeli Attacks Kill 22 Palestinians Since Dawn, Far-Right Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir Taunts Global Sumud Flotilla Activists, Over 1,000 Rabbis and Jewish Peace Activists in Brooklyn Demand Gaza Ceasefire, Trump Calls Gov't Shutdown an Unprecedented Opportunity" to Punish Political Opponents, Trump Admin Cuts Nearly $8B in Clean Energy Projects in States That Voted for Kamala Harris, Massive Fire Erupts at Chevron Oil Refinery in California, Trump Asks Universities to Sign Compact" Supporting His Agenda in Exchange for Funds, Immigration Judge Denies Asylum Bid of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Appeals Court Allows ICE to Deport Award-Winning Journalist Mario Guevara, Trump Declares U.S. Is in Armed Conflict" with Drug Cartels, Paramilitary Attacks on Besieged North Darfur City Killed 91 in September, Two Victims of Manchester Synagogue Attack Were Struck by Police Bullets, Including One Who Died, Sarah Mullally Named First-Ever Female Archbishop of Canterbury, FDA Approves Generic Version of Abortion Medication Mifepristone

A new investigation by Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Maria Hinojosa looks at reproductive rights in El Salvador, which has one of the world's most restrictive anti-abortion laws and has imprisoned women who suffered obstetric emergencies like miscarriages or stillbirths.While exact numbers are difficult to ascertain, one woman who spent time in prison in El Salvador for a miscarriage estimated that 90% of the women who are in prison in El Salvador are in prison for this," says Hinojosa.Hinojosa also cautions that a version of El Salvador's law could make its way to the United States as states pass more abortion bans following the end of Roe v. Wade.

We speak with the acclaimed filmmakers Raoul Peck and Alex Gibney about their latest documentary, Orwell: 2+2=5, which explores the life and career of George Orwell and why his political writing remains relevant today.We are living again and again - not only in the United States, but in many other countries, including in Europe, in Latin America, in Africa - the same playbook playing again and again," says Peck, who directed the film.Gibney, a producer on the film, says Donald Trump perfectly illustrates the assault on common sense" that is part of any authoritarian system. What you instinctively know to be true is upended by the authoritarian leader, so that everything flows from him," says Gibney. He just invents things on the spot, but he expects them to be revered as true."

Israel's Navy has intercepted dozens of ships in international waters, halting efforts by international activists to break Israel's siege of the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid to the starving population. Video live-streamed by the Global Sumud Flotilla showed Israeli commandos boarding ships and abducting dozens of activists on Wednesday. At least 201 people from 37 countries were taken into custody, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and Nelson Mandela's grandson, Mandla Mandela.Palestinian activist Saif Abukeshek, who is on the steering committee of the Global Sumud Flotilla, says this latest attack reveals ongoing international complicity with Israel's violations of international law. Israel has been committing genocide for 22 months, and nothing happens," says Abukeshek.We also speak with reporter Emily Wilder, who is on board the Conscience, still sailing toward Gaza as part of a later wave in the ongoing campaign to break the siege. She says that it was important for her, as a journalist, to bear witness and make it clear that Israel does not represent my voice."

Israeli Forces Abduct Hundreds of Activists in Raid of Gaza-Bound Humanitarian Aid Flotilla, Israeli Military Warns Gaza City Residents to Flee or Be Classified as Terrorists, Amid Government Shutdown, White House Freezes $26 Billion in Funds and Plans Mass Layoffs, Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Efforts to Fire Federal Reserve Governor - For Now, Trump Directive Classifies Anti-Capitalism" and Anti-American" Views as Domestic Terrorism, Jane Fonda Relaunches Henry Fonda's McCarthy-Era Committee for the First Amendment", Trump Shares Racist Deepfake Videos Mocking House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Trump Posts, Then Deletes, Deepfake Video Promoting Medbed" Conspiracy Theory, Federal Judge Orders ICE to Release DACA Recipient Catalina Xochitl" Santiago, Planned Parenthood Closes Two Remaining Clinics in Louisiana, At Least 2 Killed in Attack on Manchester Synagogue, Police Open Fire at Anti-Government Protesters in Morocco, Killing Two People, Primatologist and Conservationist Jane Goodall Dies at Age 91

A Reagan-appointed judge has issued a scathing ruling rebuking the Trump administration's targeting of pro-Palestine students. Judge William G. Young called the case AAUP v. Rubio perhaps the most important ever to fall within the jurisdiction of this district court" and ruled that contrary to the State Department's claims, non-citizens lawfully present here in [the] United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us."For more, we're joined by lawyer Alex Abdo, who worked on the case; Todd Wolfson, president of the plaintiff, the American Association of University Professors; and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, whose arrest and targeting by the Trump administration in March kicked off a heightened scrutiny of immigrants living and working on U.S. college campuses. If free speech means anything in this country, it means masked government agents can't pick you up off the street and throw you into jail because of what you've said," explains Abdo. He adds that the ruling will help support Khalil against the Trump administration's ongoing attempt to deport him. Details that emerged during the trial revealed that the Trump administration is continuing to target Khalil to make an example out of me."

At an unprecedented gathering of hundreds of top generals and admirals from U.S. military installations around the world, President Trump delivered a rambling speech Tuesday alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. They laid out their vision of a warrior" culture in the U.S. military and claimed the United States is facing an invasion from within." Eugene Fidell, a military scholar at Yale Law School, says the meeting was a means of exacting loyalty, special loyalty, from the most senior officers and enlisted personnel" and that by promoting a solely white male" image of the U.S. armed forces, the administration has made clear it wants to turn back the hands of the social clock."

We speak to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson as President Trump singles out the city as a training ground for the military and National Guard deployment. Militarized federal agents from the FBI and Border Patrol have already joined ICE agents for a city-wide crackdown against immigrants and protesters. Felony charges have been brought against protesters at ICE's Broadview detention center. This is yet another example of how this president is militarizing forces, ultimately with the goal to occupy cities," says Johnson, who calls Trump's threats a political stunt" and an affront to democracy."

Israel Kills 51 Palestinians in 24 Hours as Gaza-Bound Global Sumud Flotilla Sails into High-Risk Zone", Trump Gives Hamas Three or Four Days" to Respond to Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Parents of Israeli Soldiers March Alongside Hostage Families Calling for an End to Gaza War, Federal Judge Rules Trump Admin Unlawfully Targeted Noncitizens for Pro-Palestinian Activism, Trump and Hegseth Address 800 Military Generals and Admirals in Unprecedented Meeting, U.S. Gov't Shuts Down After Senate Funding Bill Fails, ICE Agents Assault Group of Reporters Documenting Arrests at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, Probe Launched After Local Journalist Was Shot by a Pepper Ball by Immigration Agents, Federal Authorities Rappel into Chicago Apartment Complex and Arrest Alleged Undocumented Immigrants, Mexican Immigrant Dies a Week After Shooting at Dallas ICE Facility, Pentagon Preserves Medals of Honor Awarded to Soldiers in the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, Powerful Earthquake Kills at Least 69 People in the Philippines, Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change Among Winners of 2025 Right Livelihood Award

Tension between immigration agents and community activists is growing in Chicago, where ICE agents have deployed tear gas and pepper balls against ongoing protests outside Chicago's Broadview ICE detention facility.Democracy Now! speaks with community activist Cristobal Cavazos, who says that the people of Chicago have been steadfast in their mobilization against ICE, with communities engaging in daily protests and community safety patrols. We're really doing some historic mobilization here in Chicago, and we're super proud," says Cavazos. The key word here is 'resistance.'"

President Trump has directed 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to be deployed to Portland, claiming troops are necessary to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists." Trump's order comes after he signed an executive order claiming the decentralized antifa movement is a domestic terror organization." There is nothing going on right now in Portland or any part of Oregon that requires him to send in the federal military," says Sandy Chung, executive director of the ACLU of Oregon.

The U.S. government appears to be headed to a shutdown at midnight Wednesday after President Trump and Democratic leaders failed to reach an agreement on a spending bill. Democrats are looking to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act and reverse cuts to Medicaid and other healthcare programs that were implemented by the tax and spending bill passed earlier this year.The president is all too happy to fund programs he likes and defund programs he doesn't like," says David Dayen, executive editor of The American Prospect. That's the textbook definition of a government shutdown. And we've been in that state since the inauguration, practically, and now we're just going to admit it."

As the Israeli blockade of Gaza continues, a nearly 50-boat flotilla carrying humanitarian aid is currently some 150 nautical miles from Gaza. The grandson of Nelson Mandela, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandla" Mandela, speaks with Democracy Now! from the Global Sumud Flotilla.South Africans are beneficiaries of international solidarity. Those that rallied behind our cause and stood side by side in supporting the anti-apartheid movement ensured that we attained our freedom in our lifetime," says Mandela. This is why today we utilize our voice to support the oppressed and most vulnerable nations across the globe."

After a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan for the Gaza Strip on Monday that aims to end Israel's war on Gaza, free the remaining Israeli hostages and remove Hamas from power. Netanyahu expressed support for the deal, but he has already backed away from key elements, including a call for Israel to eventually pull its troops out of Gaza. Hamas has not responded yet to the deal. As part of his 20-point peace plan, Trump announced the establishment of an international transitional governing body called the Board of Peace," which Trump would head.Palestinian human rights attorney Diana Buttu says the deal is certainly not a plan that is going to end the genocide. What they're simply attempting to do is repackage it." Buttu also notes that while Trump met with Netanyahu before announcing the plan, Palestinians were not consulted. Buttu asks, Why is it that Palestinians have been forced to negotiate an end to their genocide?"

Netanyahu Agrees to 20-Point Peace Plan" for Gaza; Trump Warns Hamas to Agree or Face Destruction, Netanyahu Apologizes to Qatar over Airstrike That Targeted Hamas Delegation in Doha, Another Palestinian Baby Starves to Death as Israeli Attacks Kill More Civilians in Gaza, Journalist Charged with Hate Crime After Photographing Protest of New York Times's Gaza Coverage, Vance Warns We're Headed to a Shutdown" as Trump and Democratic Leaders Fail to Reach Spending Deal, U.N. Reinstates Sanctions on Iran over Nuclear Program, Trump Admin Strikes Deal with Iran to Deport Iranian Nationals, YouTube Agrees to Pay $24.5M to Settle Trump Lawsuit, HUD Fires Two Whistleblowers Over Trump Admin's Efforts to Dismantle Civil Rights Enforcement, Trump Again Threatens to Cut Off Federal Aid to NYC If Mamdani Is Elected Mayor, Trump Admin Allocates Public Land to Coal Mining and Provides $625M for Coal-Fired Power Plants, OpenAI Plans to Build 5 New Data Centers With Help of SoftBank and Oracle, Sen. Sanders: Nearly 700 Prescription Drugs Have Increased in Price Despite Trump's Pledges

The Black liberation activist Assata Shakur died on September 25, 2025, at the age of 78. She passed away in Cuba, where she received political asylum in 1984 after escaping the U.S. prison system, and where she continued to reside for decades despite U.S. attempts to capture and extradite her. In 1998, Shakur wrote an open letter to Pope John Paul II during his historic visit to Cuba, after New Jersey state troopers requested the pope call for her extradition. The New Jersey State Police and other law enforcement officials say they want to see me brought to 'justice.' But I would like to know what they mean by 'justice.' Is torture justice?" Shakur wrote. When my people receive justice, I am sure that I will receive it, too." We play Shakur's recording of her letter, in memory of her life and her work.

Democracy Now! was on the streets as thousands marched to the United Nations in New York City Friday while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly. Despite the fact that Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes he has presided over in Gaza, he was able to travel to the U.N. without incident, as the United States says it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC. We spoke to protesters demanding Netanyahu's arrest and an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza.

In an exclusive interview just hours after incumbent New York City Mayor Eric Adams's decision to end his reelection bid, we sat down with Democratic nominee for mayor, Zohran Mamdani, to lay out his campaign and his vision for an affordable city. We discuss his platform, his support for Palestinian rights and why he identifies as democratic socialist. Mamdani also responds to Adams's decision to drop out, which is expected to help consolidate votes for Mamdani's main opponent, disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The reason that Donald Trump is seeking to clear the lane for Andrew Cuomo is because he knows that Andrew Cuomo will clear the lane for Donald Trump's agenda," he says.