September 4, 2026 at 8:23 AM EDT
"They Got Zero Notice": 2,500 Workers Laid Off as Tyson Foods Shutters Meatpacking Plant in Illinois

"They Got Zero Notice": 2,500 Workers Laid Off as Tyson Foods Shutters Meatpacking Plant in Illinois Tyson Foods, the United States' largest meatpacking and processing company, shuttered a beef processing facility in Joslin, Illinois, last month, laying off more than 2,500 primarily immigrant workers "virtually overnight." Although Tyson Foods CEO and President Donnie King made over $34 million last year, nearly 800 times more than the median Tyson worker, the company cites a historic 75-year low in the U.S. cattle herd as a primary reason for the closure. We speak to Caitlyn Clark, director of the group Essential Workers for Democracy, which is working to institute democratic reforms within the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), a labor union that represents more than a million workers across the United States. These workers include the former Tyson plant meatpackers, who worked in "some of the most dangerous jobs in America" while making "billions of dollars in profit for Tyson." Clark ascribes the U.S. cattle shortage to climate change-induced drought in the American West, rising prices for diesel and fertilizer amid the U.S. war on Iran and years of corporate consolidation that has driven down profits for cattle ranchers. Since they were suddenly laid off, former Joslin plant workers have been protesting outside the shuttered plant, calling on Tyson "to extend their severance pay, and calling on Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to intervene to help keep the plant open," Clark tells us. "We need to take on the bosses and be serious about the level of inequality and exploitation that working people are facing today," she adds. "Working people need more, they deserve more, and they're ready to fight for it. It's time that our union leadership catch up."Tyson Foods, the United States' largest meatpacking and processing company, shuttered a beef processing facility in Joslin, Illinois, last month, laying off more than 2,500 primarily immigrant workers "virtually overnight." Although Tyson Foods CEO and President Donnie King made over $34 million last year, nearly 800 times more than the median Tyson worker, the company cites a historic 75-year low in the U.S. cattle herd as a primary reason for the closure. We speak to Caitlyn Clark, director of the group Essential Workers for Democracy, which is working to institute democratic reforms within the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), a labor union that represents more than a million workers across the United States. These workers include the former Tyson plant meatpackers, who worked in "some of the most dangerous jobs in America" while making "billions of dollars in profit for Tyson." Clark ascribes the U.S. cattle shortage to climate change-induced drought in the American West, rising prices for diesel and fertilizer amid the U.S. war on Iran and years of corporate consolidation that has driven down profits for cattle ranchers. Since they were suddenly laid off, former Joslin plant workers have been protesting outside the shuttered plant, calling on Tyson "to extend their severance pay, and calling on Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to intervene to help keep the plant open," Clark tells us. "We need to take on the bosses and be serious about the level of inequality and exploitation that working people are facing today," she adds. "Working people need more, they deserve more, and they're ready to fight for it. It's time that our union leadership catch up."

September 4, 2026 at 8:12 AM EDT
Stanford Student Newspaper Wins Suit over Trump's Crackdown on Pro-Palestine Speech

Stanford Student Newspaper Wins Suit over Trump's Crackdown on Pro-Palestine Speech A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration violated the constitutional rights of international students in seeking to deport them for their pro-Palestinian activism and criticism of Israel. The ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed by The Stanford Daily, the student newspaper at Stanford University, which claimed that some of its writers on student visas declined to report on topics related to Israel and Palestine, or requested their published articles be removed from the paper's website, for fear of deportation. "What we were hearing from the noncitizens in our newsroom and from noncitizens across campus -- current students, former students, alumni -- was that they were genuinely frightened because of what they saw in the headlines, what they saw happen to Rumeysa ?zturk," says George Porteous, editor-in-chief of The Stanford Daily. Rumeysa ?zturk is the former Tufts University graduate student arrested and detained by ICE after co-authoring an op-ed encouraging Tufts to divest from Israel in her university's student newspaper. "The chill is the point," adds Will Creeley, legal director at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, the organization that represented The Stanford Daily in court. "That's a First Amendment violation every day of the week. It's flatly un-American."A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration violated the constitutional rights of international students in seeking to deport them for their pro-Palestinian activism and criticism of Israel. The ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed by The Stanford Daily, the student newspaper at Stanford University, which claimed that some of its writers on student visas declined to report on topics related to Israel and Palestine, or requested their published articles be removed from the paper's website, for fear of deportation. "What we were hearing from the noncitizens in our newsroom and from noncitizens across campus -- current students, former students, alumni -- was that they were genuinely frightened because of what they saw in the headlines, what they saw happen to Rumeysa ?zturk," says George Porteous, editor-in-chief of The Stanford Daily. Rumeysa ?zturk is the former Tufts University graduate student arrested and detained by ICE after co-authoring an op-ed encouraging Tufts to divest from Israel in her university's student newspaper. "The chill is the point," adds Will Creeley, legal director at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, the organization that represented The Stanford Daily in court. "That's a First Amendment violation every day of the week. It's flatly un-American."

September 4, 2026 at 8:00 AM EDT
Headlines for September 4, 2026

Headlines for September 4, 2026 As U.S. Conflict wIth Iran Enters 7th Month, Vance Declares, "I Wouldn't Call This a War" , Israel's National Security Minister Outlines Plan to Expel All Palestinians from Gaza Strip, 33 Democrats Join GOP Lawmakers to Pass Bill Stripping Funds from Schools That Boycott Israel, Missouri Supreme Court Blocks GOP's Gerrymandered Congressional Map, Federal Judge Warns Mail-In Voting Restrictions Would Lead to "Major Disenfranchisement", DOJ Says States Must Report Undocumented Immigrants or Lose Funds for Needy Families, U.S. Sends Third Deportation Flight to Cap-Haïtien Despite Rampant Insecurity in Haiti, Chinese National Is 57th to Die in Custody of ICE or Border Patrol Under Trump's Second Term, 76-Year-Old Green Card Holder with Cancer Freed After Two Months in ICE Jail, DOJ Indicts ICE Officer Who Shot Immigrant in Minneapolis, But Blocks More Serious Charges, Survivors Pulled from Flooded Tunnel in Nepal as Death Toll from Glacier's Collapse Nears 1,300, U.N. Warns the World Will "Overshoot" 1.5 degreesC Limit to Global Heating, U.N. Warns "Supersized" El Niño Will Persist into 2027, Fueling Extreme Weather and Food InsecurityAs U.S. Conflict wIth Iran Enters 7th Month, Vance Declares, "I Wouldn't Call This a War" , Israel's National Security Minister Outlines Plan to Expel All Palestinians from Gaza Strip, 33 Democrats Join GOP Lawmakers to Pass Bill Stripping Funds from Schools That Boycott Israel, Missouri Supreme Court Blocks GOP's Gerrymandered Congressional Map, Federal Judge Warns Mail-In Voting Restrictions Would Lead to "Major Disenfranchisement", DOJ Says States Must Report Undocumented Immigrants or Lose Funds for Needy Families, U.S. Sends Third Deportation Flight to Cap-Haïtien Despite Rampant Insecurity in Haiti, Chinese National Is 57th to Die in Custody of ICE or Border Patrol Under Trump's Second Term, 76-Year-Old Green Card Holder with Cancer Freed After Two Months in ICE Jail, DOJ Indicts ICE Officer Who Shot Immigrant in Minneapolis, But Blocks More Serious Charges, Survivors Pulled from Flooded Tunnel in Nepal as Death Toll from Glacier's Collapse Nears 1,300, U.N. Warns the World Will "Overshoot" 1.5 degreesC Limit to Global Heating, U.N. Warns "Supersized" El Niño Will Persist into 2027, Fueling Extreme Weather and Food Insecurity

September 3, 2026 at 8:46 AM EDT
AI Could Revolutionize Medicine, But Humans Must Be in Charge: Researcher Shreya Johri

AI Could Revolutionize Medicine, But Humans Must Be in Charge: Researcher Shreya Johri As part of our ongoing series on artificial intelligence, we speak with researcher Shreya Johri, who says AI has the power to revolutionize the field of medicine, particularly in diagnosing patients. Johri is a postdoctoral fellow at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and completed her Ph.D. at Harvard Medical School in 2025. She discusses ways that new technology is improving patient care, but she says AI must be treated like an additional tool and not be given control over patient care. "Doctors have to be responsible, have to take the responsibility of this, until we are more confident we have frameworks developed that can deploy these AI models in a more responsible way," she says.As part of our ongoing series on artificial intelligence, we speak with researcher Shreya Johri, who says AI has the power to revolutionize the field of medicine, particularly in diagnosing patients. Johri is a postdoctoral fellow at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and completed her Ph.D. at Harvard Medical School in 2025. She discusses ways that new technology is improving patient care, but she says AI must be treated like an additional tool and not be given control over patient care. "Doctors have to be responsible, have to take the responsibility of this, until we are more confident we have frameworks developed that can deploy these AI models in a more responsible way," she says.

September 3, 2026 at 8:34 AM EDT
"Modern-Day Poll Tax": Dem. Texas Commissioner Slams GOP Vote to Close 92 Polling Sites

"Modern-Day Poll Tax": Dem. Texas Commissioner Slams GOP Vote to Close 92 Polling Sites Ahead of the November midterm elections, Republican officials in the third most populous county of Texas have voted to slash the number of polling sites by nearly one-third. Tarrant County, which includes Fort Worth, will have just 224 polling sites for 1.3 million voters. The change was approved in a party-line vote Tuesday, with all three of the county's Republican commissioners voting in favor and the two Democrats opposing it. Civil rights groups including the ACLU and NAACP warn the changes will disproportionately affect voters of color. "The eyes of the nation are on Tarrant County," says Roderick Miles Jr., a Democratic Tarrant County commissioner, who calls the voting restriction a "modern-day poll tax."Ahead of the November midterm elections, Republican officials in the third most populous county of Texas have voted to slash the number of polling sites by nearly one-third. Tarrant County, which includes Fort Worth, will have just 224 polling sites for 1.3 million voters. The change was approved in a party-line vote Tuesday, with all three of the county's Republican commissioners voting in favor and the two Democrats opposing it. Civil rights groups including the ACLU and NAACP warn the changes will disproportionately affect voters of color. "The eyes of the nation are on Tarrant County," says Roderick Miles Jr., a Democratic Tarrant County commissioner, who calls the voting restriction a "modern-day poll tax."

September 3, 2026 at 8:21 AM EDT
"Catastrophic Failure": Postal Service Whistleblower Warns Mail-In Voting Rules Could Derail Election

"Catastrophic Failure": Postal Service Whistleblower Warns Mail-In Voting Rules Could Derail Election An anonymous federal whistleblower has warned that the Trump administration's new system for handling mail ballots through the U.S. Postal Service is untested, fatally flawed and likely to lead to a "catastrophic failure" if it's implemented ahead of November's midterm elections. This follows President Trump's executive order in March directing his administration to create federal lists of citizens and to refuse delivery of mail-in ballots to people not on those lists. The legality of Trump's executive order is being challenged. The new hurdles raised by the executive order for mail ballots and the rushed software system built to administer them "create this potential for grave, catastrophic failure," says David Kligerman from Whistleblower Aid, the organization representing the whistleblower.An anonymous federal whistleblower has warned that the Trump administration's new system for handling mail ballots through the U.S. Postal Service is untested, fatally flawed and likely to lead to a "catastrophic failure" if it's implemented ahead of November's midterm elections. This follows President Trump's executive order in March directing his administration to create federal lists of citizens and to refuse delivery of mail-in ballots to people not on those lists. The legality of Trump's executive order is being challenged. The new hurdles raised by the executive order for mail ballots and the rushed software system built to administer them "create this potential for grave, catastrophic failure," says David Kligerman from Whistleblower Aid, the organization representing the whistleblower.

September 3, 2026 at 8:14 AM EDT
Gloria Steinem, Feminist Icon & Ms. Magazine Co-Founder, Dies at 92

Gloria Steinem, Feminist Icon & Ms. Magazine Co-Founder, Dies at 92 Feminist icon Gloria Steinem has died at the age of 92. According to her Instagram page, she died Wednesday "at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her." Steinem was a tireless advocate for the social, economic and political advancement of women. Steinem co-founded Ms. magazine, the first major publication to be owned, run and written by women. She also helped found the National Women's Political Caucus with a group of women including Shirley Chisholm, Betty Friedan and Fannie Lou Hamer. Before becoming a feminist icon, she served as director of the Independent Research Service, a nonprofit educational foundation secretly funded by the CIA. In 2013, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. She spoke with Democracy Now! at the historic Women's March in Washington, D.C., on January 21, 2017. We play an excerpt.Feminist icon Gloria Steinem has died at the age of 92. According to her Instagram page, she died Wednesday "at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her." Steinem was a tireless advocate for the social, economic and political advancement of women. Steinem co-founded Ms. magazine, the first major publication to be owned, run and written by women. She also helped found the National Women's Political Caucus with a group of women including Shirley Chisholm, Betty Friedan and Fannie Lou Hamer. Before becoming a feminist icon, she served as director of the Independent Research Service, a nonprofit educational foundation secretly funded by the CIA. In 2013, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. She spoke with Democracy Now! at the historic Women's March in Washington, D.C., on January 21, 2017. We play an excerpt.

September 3, 2026 at 8:00 AM EDT
Headlines for September 3, 2026

Headlines for September 3, 2026 Iran's Red Crescent Asks ICC to Investigate U.S. Strike on Wedding That Killed Four, Widow of Airman Who Died Supporting U.S. Attacks on Iran Says She Was Denied Benefits, USS Abraham Lincoln Docks in Thailand After Unprecedented Wartime Deployment, Trump Nominates Hung Cao as Navy Secretary as GOP Lawmakers Call for Pete Hegseth's Ouster, Israeli Soldiers Fatally Shoot Two Palestinian Teens in Occupied West Bank, Israeli Defense Minister Seeks Trump's Support for Plans to Expel Palestinians from Gaza, Death Toll from Nepal Floods Tops 1,200 People, Former Venezuelan President Maduro and His Wife Ask Judge to Dismiss Drug Trafficking Charges, Chevron Pledges to Invest $7 Billion in Venezuela as U.S. Energy Secretary Touts Oil and Gas Deal, Rep. Greg Casar Blasts OpenAI for Withholding Info About Rogue AI Agent Hack, Trump Admin Sides with OpenAI in Legal Fight with New York Times and Other Newspapers, New York City Adopts AI Moratorium for K-8 Students, Workers Remove Giant Statue "Blue" from Kennedy Center GroundsIran's Red Crescent Asks ICC to Investigate U.S. Strike on Wedding That Killed Four, Widow of Airman Who Died Supporting U.S. Attacks on Iran Says She Was Denied Benefits, USS Abraham Lincoln Docks in Thailand After Unprecedented Wartime Deployment, Trump Nominates Hung Cao as Navy Secretary as GOP Lawmakers Call for Pete Hegseth's Ouster, Israeli Soldiers Fatally Shoot Two Palestinian Teens in Occupied West Bank, Israeli Defense Minister Seeks Trump's Support for Plans to Expel Palestinians from Gaza, Death Toll from Nepal Floods Tops 1,200 People, Former Venezuelan President Maduro and His Wife Ask Judge to Dismiss Drug Trafficking Charges, Chevron Pledges to Invest $7 Billion in Venezuela as U.S. Energy Secretary Touts Oil and Gas Deal, Rep. Greg Casar Blasts OpenAI for Withholding Info About Rogue AI Agent Hack, Trump Admin Sides with OpenAI in Legal Fight with New York Times and Other Newspapers, New York City Adopts AI Moratorium for K-8 Students, Workers Remove Giant Statue "Blue" from Kennedy Center Grounds

September 2, 2026 at 8:49 AM EDT
"Stand Up for Multifaith Democracy": U.S. Activists, Lawmakers Protest India's RSS & Hindu Supremacy

"Stand Up for Multifaith Democracy": U.S. Activists, Lawmakers Protest India's RSS & Hindu Supremacy Demonstrators gathered outside Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday to protest against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a far-right Indian paramilitary Hindu nationalist organization with close ties to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leader of the RSS, Mohan Bhagwat, was holding a rally inside the arena to launch a global speaking tour marking the 100th anniversary of the RSS. The RSS's "explicitly stated mission, its purpose, is to create a Hindu Rashtra, a Hindu nation -- to take the India that is a secular and inclusive democracy and transform it into a country that is just for Hindus, where Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other minorities are basically erased," says Sunita Viswanath, co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights Action. "RSS affiliates, these Hindu right-wing organizations, exist in growing numbers in the diaspora, especially in America." "In 1939, [Madison Square Garden] hosted a Nazi rally with swastikas hung from the banners around a portrait of George Washington. They said they wouldn't do something like that again, and yet here they were hosting Mohan Bhagwat, spouting a similar fascist ideology," says Brad Lander, a Democratic nominee for Congress from New York City, who joined Saturday's protest.Demonstrators gathered outside Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday to protest against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a far-right Indian paramilitary Hindu nationalist organization with close ties to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leader of the RSS, Mohan Bhagwat, was holding a rally inside the arena to launch a global speaking tour marking the 100th anniversary of the RSS. The RSS's "explicitly stated mission, its purpose, is to create a Hindu Rashtra, a Hindu nation -- to take the India that is a secular and inclusive democracy and transform it into a country that is just for Hindus, where Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other minorities are basically erased," says Sunita Viswanath, co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights Action. "RSS affiliates, these Hindu right-wing organizations, exist in growing numbers in the diaspora, especially in America." "In 1939, [Madison Square Garden] hosted a Nazi rally with swastikas hung from the banners around a portrait of George Washington. They said they wouldn't do something like that again, and yet here they were hosting Mohan Bhagwat, spouting a similar fascist ideology," says Brad Lander, a Democratic nominee for Congress from New York City, who joined Saturday's protest.

September 2, 2026 at 8:32 AM EDT
"Went to Sea and Never Came Back": Families of Fishermen Seek Answers After Deadly U.S. Boat Strikes

"Went to Sea and Never Came Back": Families of Fishermen Seek Answers After Deadly U.S. Boat Strikes A year ago today, the United States bombed a small boat in the Caribbean, killing nine people on board. Two survivors clung to the wreckage for 45 minutes, reportedly waving for help, before a second "double-tap" strike killed them, too. President Trump posted a video of the first attack on social media, announcing that 11 terrorists had been killed in a military operation that would be called "Operation Southern Spear." The second video, showing the killing of the survivors, has never been released. The bombings have continued for a year, killing at least 227 people in nearly 70 separate strikes. The Pentagon often accuses the boats it targets of narcotrafficking. In a new documentary, the investigative team at Al Jazeera's Fault Lines traveled to St. Lucia and Colombia to speak with two families who believe their loved ones, both fishermen, were killed at sea by U.S. airstrikes. "They describe it as a war. They describe these people as enemy combatants that are attacking America," says Josh Rushing, a senior correspondent for Fault Lines who worked on the documentary. In reality, "it's unclear, really, if the U.S. government knows who they're killing " They've never named anyone in any of the strikes." "We had the 'war on drugs,' the 'war on terror.' This is kind of the worst of both," says Rushing.A year ago today, the United States bombed a small boat in the Caribbean, killing nine people on board. Two survivors clung to the wreckage for 45 minutes, reportedly waving for help, before a second "double-tap" strike killed them, too. President Trump posted a video of the first attack on social media, announcing that 11 terrorists had been killed in a military operation that would be called "Operation Southern Spear." The second video, showing the killing of the survivors, has never been released. The bombings have continued for a year, killing at least 227 people in nearly 70 separate strikes. The Pentagon often accuses the boats it targets of narcotrafficking. In a new documentary, the investigative team at Al Jazeera's Fault Lines traveled to St. Lucia and Colombia to speak with two families who believe their loved ones, both fishermen, were killed at sea by U.S. airstrikes. "They describe it as a war. They describe these people as enemy combatants that are attacking America," says Josh Rushing, a senior correspondent for Fault Lines who worked on the documentary. In reality, "it's unclear, really, if the U.S. government knows who they're killing " They've never named anyone in any of the strikes." "We had the 'war on drugs,' the 'war on terror.' This is kind of the worst of both," says Rushing.

September 2, 2026 at 8:15 AM EDT
U.S. Empire in Decline: Richard Wolff on Iran War, Rising Inequality, $40T National Debt & More

U.S. Empire in Decline: Richard Wolff on Iran War, Rising Inequality, $40T National Debt & More We speak to Richard Wolff, a prominent Marxist economist, about the economic fallout from the war on Iran, which recently reached the six-month mark. "Because it's only been going on for a few months, the impact on the prices we pay is about to unload itself," says Wolff. The U.S. national debt, which recently topped $40 trillion, is "one of the many signs of an economy and of an empire that is now in decline," says Wolff. "There is an enormous increase in defense spending, or now war spending, that is scheduled, and no comparable increase in revenue." Wolff also discusses how a global selloff of U.S. government bonds means increasing borrowing costs for everyday consumers.We speak to Richard Wolff, a prominent Marxist economist, about the economic fallout from the war on Iran, which recently reached the six-month mark. "Because it's only been going on for a few months, the impact on the prices we pay is about to unload itself," says Wolff. The U.S. national debt, which recently topped $40 trillion, is "one of the many signs of an economy and of an empire that is now in decline," says Wolff. "There is an enormous increase in defense spending, or now war spending, that is scheduled, and no comparable increase in revenue." Wolff also discusses how a global selloff of U.S. government bonds means increasing borrowing costs for everyday consumers.

September 2, 2026 at 8:00 AM EDT
Headlines for September 2, 2026

Headlines for September 2, 2026 U.S. Launches Wave of Attacks in Iran, Killing 11 People, German Officials Accuse Russia of an Attempted Drone Attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport Last Month, World Food Programme Announces It Will Halve Its Food Assistance in the Occupied West Bank, Israeli Court Brings Criminal Charges Against a Dozen Guards Accused of Beating Palestinian Prisoners, Ebola Outbreak Death Toll Tops 3,000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Whistleblower Warns USPS Mail Voting System Headed for "Catastrophic Failure" Ahead of Midterms, Federal Immigration Agents Arrest 50,000 People in August, 20-Year-Old Haitian Immigrant Dies by Suicide After Being Outfitted with an Ankle Monitor, Activist Ya'akub Vijandre Wins Right to Challenge ICE Detention After Nearly 1 Year Behind Bars, Mississippi Police Chief Fired over Racist Text Messages, House Censures GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards over Sexual Harassment Claims, 80-Year-Old Sen. Ed Markey Defeats Primary Challenger Who Raised Concerns over His AgeU.S. Launches Wave of Attacks in Iran, Killing 11 People, German Officials Accuse Russia of an Attempted Drone Attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport Last Month, World Food Programme Announces It Will Halve Its Food Assistance in the Occupied West Bank, Israeli Court Brings Criminal Charges Against a Dozen Guards Accused of Beating Palestinian Prisoners, Ebola Outbreak Death Toll Tops 3,000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Whistleblower Warns USPS Mail Voting System Headed for "Catastrophic Failure" Ahead of Midterms, Federal Immigration Agents Arrest 50,000 People in August, 20-Year-Old Haitian Immigrant Dies by Suicide After Being Outfitted with an Ankle Monitor, Activist Ya'akub Vijandre Wins Right to Challenge ICE Detention After Nearly 1 Year Behind Bars, Mississippi Police Chief Fired over Racist Text Messages, House Censures GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards over Sexual Harassment Claims, 80-Year-Old Sen. Ed Markey Defeats Primary Challenger Who Raised Concerns over His Age