September 1, 2026 at 8:44 AM EDT
Amid Severe Water Crisis & Drought, Puerto Rico Marks 10 Years of "La Junta" Oversight

Amid Severe Water Crisis & Drought, Puerto Rico Marks 10 Years of "La Junta" Oversight Juan Carlos Da'vila reports from Puerto Rico as the island grapples with a severe water crisis. A record-breaking drought has led to severe shortages and a system of water rationing that residents say could have been prevented by better infrastructure maintenance. Climate scientists have warned for years that changing weather conditions in the Caribbean are likely to exacerbate existing infrastructure failings, but rather than address the root cause of the water shortage, explains Da'vila, a pattern of government inaction and failed public services is used to justify increasing privatization. Puerto Rico's water woes come 10 years after the United States passed the bankruptcy law PROMESA to restructure the U.S. territory's debt, installing an unelected board colloquially known as "La Junta" that continues to hold sweeping authority to determine fiscal and public policy. "This water crisis taking place right now in Puerto Rico, also La Junta bears some responsibility on it," says Puerto Rican investigative reporter Luis Valent?n. "It did not reduce the debt, and [so] pretty much crowds out resources that could be used for infrastructure work."Juan Carlos Da'vila reports from Puerto Rico as the island grapples with a severe water crisis. A record-breaking drought has led to severe shortages and a system of water rationing that residents say could have been prevented by better infrastructure maintenance. Climate scientists have warned for years that changing weather conditions in the Caribbean are likely to exacerbate existing infrastructure failings, but rather than address the root cause of the water shortage, explains Da'vila, a pattern of government inaction and failed public services is used to justify increasing privatization. Puerto Rico's water woes come 10 years after the United States passed the bankruptcy law PROMESA to restructure the U.S. territory's debt, installing an unelected board colloquially known as "La Junta" that continues to hold sweeping authority to determine fiscal and public policy. "This water crisis taking place right now in Puerto Rico, also La Junta bears some responsibility on it," says Puerto Rican investigative reporter Luis Valent?n. "It did not reduce the debt, and [so] pretty much crowds out resources that could be used for infrastructure work."

September 1, 2026 at 8:25 AM EDT
U.S. Deports Thousands to Countries They Don't Know Under Secretive "Third Country" Deal

U.S. Deports Thousands to Countries They Don't Know Under Secretive "Third Country" Deal As part of its mass deportation campaign, the Trump administration is secretly deporting immigrants to countries that they have no ties to. CNN correspondent Isobel Yeung recently traveled to the Central African Republic, which in recent months has accepted dozens of immigrants who had previously been granted deportation protections because they risk facing torture in their home countries. Despite the fact that the State Department warns U.S. citizens not to travel to the Central African Republic "under any circumstances," the Department of Homeland Security has now deported dozens of immigrants from countries including Afghanistan, Cuba, Russia and Iran to a legal limbo in a country wracked by civil war between Muslim and Christian militias and officially ruled by a Russia-backed authoritarian dictator. We play excerpts of Yeung's report, which features interviews with immigrants who now live precarious lives in the Central African Republic capital of Bangui, without family, friends or even a common language, and at risk of malaria, extortion and violence. "Many of them did not know where they were going to until they stepped foot on the flight," Yeung tells Democracy Now! They have been placed in temporary lodgings for three months, but after that, continues Yeung, "I don't think anyone knows where they're supposed to go." According to Third Country Deportation Watch, the United States has signed so-called third-country deportation agreements with as many as 35 governments around the world. Most of the over 20,000 people deported under these agreements have been turned back at ports of entry to Mexico, but an increasing number are being placed on deportation flights and sent to countries like Costa Rica and Ghana, far from their countries of birth. By carrying out this scheme and by threatening other immigrants with the possibility of third-country deportation to coerce them into choosing to "self-deport," the Trump administration "is really attacking and undermining the entire architecture of refugee protection," says Yael Schacher, a co-lead of Third Country Deportation Watch.As part of its mass deportation campaign, the Trump administration is secretly deporting immigrants to countries that they have no ties to. CNN correspondent Isobel Yeung recently traveled to the Central African Republic, which in recent months has accepted dozens of immigrants who had previously been granted deportation protections because they risk facing torture in their home countries. Despite the fact that the State Department warns U.S. citizens not to travel to the Central African Republic "under any circumstances," the Department of Homeland Security has now deported dozens of immigrants from countries including Afghanistan, Cuba, Russia and Iran to a legal limbo in a country wracked by civil war between Muslim and Christian militias and officially ruled by a Russia-backed authoritarian dictator. We play excerpts of Yeung's report, which features interviews with immigrants who now live precarious lives in the Central African Republic capital of Bangui, without family, friends or even a common language, and at risk of malaria, extortion and violence. "Many of them did not know where they were going to until they stepped foot on the flight," Yeung tells Democracy Now! They have been placed in temporary lodgings for three months, but after that, continues Yeung, "I don't think anyone knows where they're supposed to go." According to Third Country Deportation Watch, the United States has signed so-called third-country deportation agreements with as many as 35 governments around the world. Most of the over 20,000 people deported under these agreements have been turned back at ports of entry to Mexico, but an increasing number are being placed on deportation flights and sent to countries like Costa Rica and Ghana, far from their countries of birth. By carrying out this scheme and by threatening other immigrants with the possibility of third-country deportation to coerce them into choosing to "self-deport," the Trump administration "is really attacking and undermining the entire architecture of refugee protection," says Yael Schacher, a co-lead of Third Country Deportation Watch.

September 1, 2026 at 8:12 AM EDT
The Biggest Oil Deal or Theft at Gunpoint? U.S. Claims Majority Control of Venezuela's Oil Reserves

The Biggest Oil Deal or Theft at Gunpoint? U.S. Claims Majority Control of Venezuela's Oil Reserves The U.S. has struck a deal to take majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela's oil reserves, nine months after the U.S. military abducted President Nicola's Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in a raid on Caracas and two months after The New York Times revealed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has become the de facto viceroy of Venezuela, effectively controlling Venezuela's finances, the distribution of its natural resources and its government. The new oil deal gives the Department of Defense a 35% stake in a joint U.S.-Venezuelan private company that now holds 100-year leases to 17 oil fields. It also gives the U.S. the right to buy some of the oil produced at cost -- a major triumph for the Trump administration as the war on Iran depletes the United States' strategic oil reserves. Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodr?guez claims U.S. investment in Venezuela's oil industry will jumpstart the country's floundering economy, but critics, including Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodr?guez, say the deal is not only "unfavorable to Venezuela" but also appears to violate the Venezuelan Constitution. "The whole history around this is extremely shady," adds Rodr?guez, who previously led Venezuela's Congressional Budget Office and now teaches at the University of Denver. "It's clear that this is not a deal that any Venezuelan government would have entered into unless this country had been subject to an invasion, and unless its authorities had been held at gunpoint. So, I think we've replaced gunboat diplomacy now for gunpoint diplomacy."The U.S. has struck a deal to take majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela's oil reserves, nine months after the U.S. military abducted President Nicola's Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in a raid on Caracas and two months after The New York Times revealed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has become the de facto viceroy of Venezuela, effectively controlling Venezuela's finances, the distribution of its natural resources and its government. The new oil deal gives the Department of Defense a 35% stake in a joint U.S.-Venezuelan private company that now holds 100-year leases to 17 oil fields. It also gives the U.S. the right to buy some of the oil produced at cost -- a major triumph for the Trump administration as the war on Iran depletes the United States' strategic oil reserves. Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodr?guez claims U.S. investment in Venezuela's oil industry will jumpstart the country's floundering economy, but critics, including Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodr?guez, say the deal is not only "unfavorable to Venezuela" but also appears to violate the Venezuelan Constitution. "The whole history around this is extremely shady," adds Rodr?guez, who previously led Venezuela's Congressional Budget Office and now teaches at the University of Denver. "It's clear that this is not a deal that any Venezuelan government would have entered into unless this country had been subject to an invasion, and unless its authorities had been held at gunpoint. So, I think we've replaced gunboat diplomacy now for gunpoint diplomacy."

September 1, 2026 at 8:00 AM EDT
Headlines for September 1, 2026

Headlines for September 1, 2026 Trump Reportedly Weighing More Strikes Against Iran, WaPo: Conservative Veterans Given Secret Pentagon Jobs, Army Civilian Chief Daniel Driscoll Resigns After Clashing with Hegseth, Israeli Attacks Kill at Least Four People, Including Three Children, in Gaza, School Principal in Nepal Evacuates 900 Students to Safety from Floods, Second Person Confirmed Dead After Flash Floods Sweep Grand Canyon National Park, Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Trump's Ballroom, Third Eyewitness in Fatal Shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Released from ICE Jail, U.S. Citizen Deported to Mexico Granted Permission to Return to the U.S., Federal Judge Extends Order Temporarily Pausing Border Wall Construction at Big Bend National Park, EEOC Finds Cisco Violated Civil Rights of Middle Eastern and Muslim Employees, 12 People Killed in Russian Attacks in Ukraine, Primary Elections Held Today in Massachusetts, Activist, Writer and Farmer Wendell Berry Dies at 92Trump Reportedly Weighing More Strikes Against Iran, WaPo: Conservative Veterans Given Secret Pentagon Jobs, Army Civilian Chief Daniel Driscoll Resigns After Clashing with Hegseth, Israeli Attacks Kill at Least Four People, Including Three Children, in Gaza, School Principal in Nepal Evacuates 900 Students to Safety from Floods, Second Person Confirmed Dead After Flash Floods Sweep Grand Canyon National Park, Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Trump's Ballroom, Third Eyewitness in Fatal Shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Released from ICE Jail, U.S. Citizen Deported to Mexico Granted Permission to Return to the U.S., Federal Judge Extends Order Temporarily Pausing Border Wall Construction at Big Bend National Park, EEOC Finds Cisco Violated Civil Rights of Middle Eastern and Muslim Employees, 12 People Killed in Russian Attacks in Ukraine, Primary Elections Held Today in Massachusetts, Activist, Writer and Farmer Wendell Berry Dies at 92

August 31, 2026 at 8:49 AM EDT
Jane Fonda Exclusive: Dolly Parton, a Feminist, Wrote the Anthem for Working Women with "9 to 5"

Jane Fonda Exclusive: Dolly Parton, a Feminist, Wrote the Anthem for Working Women with "9 to 5" Tributes continue to pour in for Dolly Parton after the iconic country singer, actor and philanthropist's death on August 25 at age 80. Her former co-star Jane Fonda tells Democracy Now! how they made the classic workplace comedy 9 to 5, for which Parton wrote the accompanying hit song. "She could see through people to their essence," Fonda says of Parton. "She loved everyone."Tributes continue to pour in for Dolly Parton after the iconic country singer, actor and philanthropist's death on August 25 at age 80. Her former co-star Jane Fonda tells Democracy Now! how they made the classic workplace comedy 9 to 5, for which Parton wrote the accompanying hit song. "She could see through people to their essence," Fonda says of Parton. "She loved everyone."

August 31, 2026 at 8:40 AM EDT
"We're Not Going Back": Ron Daniels on the Legacy of 1972 Gary Convention & 1963 March on Washington

"We're Not Going Back": Ron Daniels on the Legacy of 1972 Gary Convention & 1963 March on Washington As Gary, Indiana, recovers from flooding and a two-week power outage, we also speak with Ron Daniels, president of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century, who discusses the city's history as a site of Black struggle and organizing. In 1972, the city hosted the National Black Political Convention, which brought together thousands of activists to plan for increasing African American political power. Attendees included Coretta Scott King, Betty Shabazz, Jesse Jackson, Bobby Seale, Louis Farrakhan, Shirley Chisholm, Harry Belafonte and Amiri Baraka. "It was one of the great gatherings in the history of Black people in this country," says Daniels, who calls the current backlash to racial progress "the dying gasp of a system that needs a major overhaul."As Gary, Indiana, recovers from flooding and a two-week power outage, we also speak with Ron Daniels, president of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century, who discusses the city's history as a site of Black struggle and organizing. In 1972, the city hosted the National Black Political Convention, which brought together thousands of activists to plan for increasing African American political power. Attendees included Coretta Scott King, Betty Shabazz, Jesse Jackson, Bobby Seale, Louis Farrakhan, Shirley Chisholm, Harry Belafonte and Amiri Baraka. "It was one of the great gatherings in the history of Black people in this country," says Daniels, who calls the current backlash to racial progress "the dying gasp of a system that needs a major overhaul."

August 31, 2026 at 8:32 AM EDT
"Left Behind and Overlooked": Indiana Energy Company Left Majority-Black Gary Powerless for Weeks

"Left Behind and Overlooked": Indiana Energy Company Left Majority-Black Gary Powerless for Weeks Thousands of residents recently spent two weeks without power in Gary, Indiana, following a storm that ripped through the majority-Black city. The blackout ground the city to a halt, trapping residents in their apartments, forcing the closure of many businesses and leading to fuel shortages at gas stations. Officials in Indiana estimate the storm might have caused up to $5 billion in damage in Gary and other communities. "We're still in the recovery phase, as we speak," says Gary Mayor Eddie Melton, who underscores that "hardening the infrastructure" should be a priority for the NIPSCO utility company. "We've never seen wind this strong before. " They need to ensure that the utility grid system is going to sustain that type of wind."Thousands of residents recently spent two weeks without power in Gary, Indiana, following a storm that ripped through the majority-Black city. The blackout ground the city to a halt, trapping residents in their apartments, forcing the closure of many businesses and leading to fuel shortages at gas stations. Officials in Indiana estimate the storm might have caused up to $5 billion in damage in Gary and other communities. "We're still in the recovery phase, as we speak," says Gary Mayor Eddie Melton, who underscores that "hardening the infrastructure" should be a priority for the NIPSCO utility company. "We've never seen wind this strong before. " They need to ensure that the utility grid system is going to sustain that type of wind."

August 31, 2026 at 8:26 AM EDT
The Real Reason There's a Munitions Shortage? Too Many Wars & a Dysfunctional Pentagon: William Hartung

The Real Reason There's a Munitions Shortage? Too Many Wars & a Dysfunctional Pentagon: William Hartung Top U.S. military leaders have reportedly advised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against extending the war in Iran because ongoing operations in the Middle East have degraded the Pentagon's ability to confront threats elsewhere. According to The Washington Post, the warnings appeared in a classified assessment for Hegseth prepared by the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force and the four-star commanders overseeing U.S. operations throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America. This comes after multiple reports have revealed the U.S. is facing a critical munitions shortage, having used up much of its global stockpile of expensive missile systems during the war against Iran. "The Pentagon is completely dysfunctional when it comes to fighting this kind of war," says defense analyst William Hartung, principal adviser at the Project on Government Oversight. He says the U.S. policy establishment and the defense industry are less interested in effectiveness than in running a "money-making machine."Top U.S. military leaders have reportedly advised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against extending the war in Iran because ongoing operations in the Middle East have degraded the Pentagon's ability to confront threats elsewhere. According to The Washington Post, the warnings appeared in a classified assessment for Hegseth prepared by the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force and the four-star commanders overseeing U.S. operations throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America. This comes after multiple reports have revealed the U.S. is facing a critical munitions shortage, having used up much of its global stockpile of expensive missile systems during the war against Iran. "The Pentagon is completely dysfunctional when it comes to fighting this kind of war," says defense analyst William Hartung, principal adviser at the Project on Government Oversight. He says the U.S. policy establishment and the defense industry are less interested in effectiveness than in running a "money-making machine."

August 31, 2026 at 8:13 AM EDT
"Catastrophe of Unimaginable Proportions": Nepal Flood Death Toll Tops 900; Near 5,000 Still Missing

"Catastrophe of Unimaginable Proportions": Nepal Flood Death Toll Tops 900; Near 5,000 Still Missing More than 900 people in Nepal are confirmed dead after a massive wall of water, mud and debris crashed through a Himalayan river valley on the border with Tibet. More than 4,200 people are missing in Nepal and hundreds more in Tibet. Families are searching hospitals for loved ones, and crews have buried hundreds of unidentified bodies in shallow graves. Rescue efforts are also underway for more than 900 hydropower workers, believed to be trapped in more than a dozen underground tunnels blocked by debris. The cause of the flash flooding is believed to have been the collapse of a glacier in the mountains, leading a wave of water, rocks and debris to carve its way through the valley. "This is a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions," says journalist Kunda Dixit, speaking to Democracy Now! from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu. "We used to say that the glaciers are melting in the Himalaya. Now it seems like the mountains are cracking up," says Dixit. "This has sort of redefined what global warming and climate change is doing, not just to Nepal and the Himalaya, but to the planet."More than 900 people in Nepal are confirmed dead after a massive wall of water, mud and debris crashed through a Himalayan river valley on the border with Tibet. More than 4,200 people are missing in Nepal and hundreds more in Tibet. Families are searching hospitals for loved ones, and crews have buried hundreds of unidentified bodies in shallow graves. Rescue efforts are also underway for more than 900 hydropower workers, believed to be trapped in more than a dozen underground tunnels blocked by debris. The cause of the flash flooding is believed to have been the collapse of a glacier in the mountains, leading a wave of water, rocks and debris to carve its way through the valley. "This is a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions," says journalist Kunda Dixit, speaking to Democracy Now! from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu. "We used to say that the glaciers are melting in the Himalaya. Now it seems like the mountains are cracking up," says Dixit. "This has sort of redefined what global warming and climate change is doing, not just to Nepal and the Himalaya, but to the planet."

August 31, 2026 at 8:00 AM EDT
Headlines for August 31, 2026

Headlines for August 31, 2026 U.S. Forces Target Iranian Launchers; Iran Retaliates Against U.S. Military Targets in the Region, U.S. Strikes Deal to Control 65 Billion Barrels of Venezuelan Oil, Death Toll in Nepal-Tibet Floods Surpasses 900 People, Flash Floods Sweep Grand Canyon National Park, Killing One Person, ICE Plans to Spend $2 Million to Purchase "Robot Dogs", Three Palestinians Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Occupied West Bank, Masked Israeli Settlers Attack NBC News Team Reporting in the Occupied West Bank, Israeli Strikes Kill Two Palestinians, Including 3-Year-Old Boy, in Gaza, Federal Judge Rules Trump Admin Violated Rights of International Students in Seeking to Deport Them for Pro-Palestinian Activism, Russian Attack on Ukrainian Weapons Depot Kills 38 People, Trump Threatens to Report NBC's Kristen Welker to the FCC, Protesters Rally Against RSS Event at Madison Square Garden, Thousands Rally for Voting Rights on Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on WashingtonU.S. Forces Target Iranian Launchers; Iran Retaliates Against U.S. Military Targets in the Region, U.S. Strikes Deal to Control 65 Billion Barrels of Venezuelan Oil, Death Toll in Nepal-Tibet Floods Surpasses 900 People, Flash Floods Sweep Grand Canyon National Park, Killing One Person, ICE Plans to Spend $2 Million to Purchase "Robot Dogs", Three Palestinians Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Occupied West Bank, Masked Israeli Settlers Attack NBC News Team Reporting in the Occupied West Bank, Israeli Strikes Kill Two Palestinians, Including 3-Year-Old Boy, in Gaza, Federal Judge Rules Trump Admin Violated Rights of International Students in Seeking to Deport Them for Pro-Palestinian Activism, Russian Attack on Ukrainian Weapons Depot Kills 38 People, Trump Threatens to Report NBC's Kristen Welker to the FCC, Protesters Rally Against RSS Event at Madison Square Garden, Thousands Rally for Voting Rights on Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington

August 28, 2026 at 8:40 AM EDT
"The Lion King" in Quechua?: New Film "Runa Simi" Profiles Indigenous Artist Keeping Language Alive

"The Lion King" in Quechua?: New Film "Runa Simi" Profiles Indigenous Artist Keeping Language Alive Experts estimate that a language is lost every two weeks -- and that half of the world's 7,000 spoken languages could be lost by the end of the century. Quechua is the most widely spoken Indigenous language in the Americas, with approximately 7 to 10 million speakers living primarily in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. But like so many Indigenous languages, Qechua is vulnerable due to cultural pressures and discrimination. The new documentary Runa Simi -- "our language" in Quechua -- follows Fernando Valencia, a Peruvian voice actor, Indigenous activist, radio host and single father, who has dubbed many online clips of animated movies into Quechua from his home in Cusco, Peru. In the film, Fernando pursues his most ambitious goal yet: to fully dub Disney's animated classic The Lion King into Quechua, with the help of his 8-year-old son, Dylan. "I am sharing our culture to the worldwide culture," says Fernando Valencia, who started dubbing films after noticing that Quechua-speaking Indigenous children were watching movies dubbed into Spanish that they couldn't understand. "There's like one hour a week of Quechua [in school], so it is very hard to actually learn it," says Fernando's son Dylan, who is now 14 years old. "Indigenous people in Peru are fighting for basic rights, like having water, electricity, healthcare, education in their own language," says Augusto Zegarra, the director of Runa Simi. "But they also have the right to access entertainment in their own language."Experts estimate that a language is lost every two weeks -- and that half of the world's 7,000 spoken languages could be lost by the end of the century. Quechua is the most widely spoken Indigenous language in the Americas, with approximately 7 to 10 million speakers living primarily in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. But like so many Indigenous languages, Qechua is vulnerable due to cultural pressures and discrimination. The new documentary Runa Simi -- "our language" in Quechua -- follows Fernando Valencia, a Peruvian voice actor, Indigenous activist, radio host and single father, who has dubbed many online clips of animated movies into Quechua from his home in Cusco, Peru. In the film, Fernando pursues his most ambitious goal yet: to fully dub Disney's animated classic The Lion King into Quechua, with the help of his 8-year-old son, Dylan. "I am sharing our culture to the worldwide culture," says Fernando Valencia, who started dubbing films after noticing that Quechua-speaking Indigenous children were watching movies dubbed into Spanish that they couldn't understand. "There's like one hour a week of Quechua [in school], so it is very hard to actually learn it," says Fernando's son Dylan, who is now 14 years old. "Indigenous people in Peru are fighting for basic rights, like having water, electricity, healthcare, education in their own language," says Augusto Zegarra, the director of Runa Simi. "But they also have the right to access entertainment in their own language."

August 28, 2026 at 8:35 AM EDT
"Who Paid, Who Gained": Juan Gonza'lez on How Chicago Funded Real Estate Instead of Social Services

"Who Paid, Who Gained": Juan Gonza'lez on How Chicago Funded Real Estate Instead of Social Services A team of researchers led by Democracy Now!'s Juan Gonza'lez at the University of Illinois Chicago recently released an in-depth study on how, through a program called Tax Increment Financing (TIF), Chicago has spent some $16 billion in property taxes it collected over the past 40 years to fund downtown development. The money was supposed to be used to eliminate urban blight. "TIF funding has actually exacerbated economic inequities throughout the city, pouring more than half of the billions of dollars that it collected into downtown neighborhoods, while 70 other community areas around the city were left to share the other half," says Gonza'lez.A team of researchers led by Democracy Now!'s Juan Gonza'lez at the University of Illinois Chicago recently released an in-depth study on how, through a program called Tax Increment Financing (TIF), Chicago has spent some $16 billion in property taxes it collected over the past 40 years to fund downtown development. The money was supposed to be used to eliminate urban blight. "TIF funding has actually exacerbated economic inequities throughout the city, pouring more than half of the billions of dollars that it collected into downtown neighborhoods, while 70 other community areas around the city were left to share the other half," says Gonza'lez.