Over 2,000 people packed into the historic Riverside Church in New York on Monday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Democracy Now! The acclaimed singer, songwriter and artist Michael Stipe performed his song “No Time for Love Like Now,” accompanied by musician and producer Aaron Dessner, a founding member of The National. Dessner has also closely collaborated with Taylor Swift, co-producing several of her albums. “This evening feels like a clarion call, a voice of courage, of optimism and resilience and community in the face of system collapse,” said Stipe, former lead singer of R.E.M. Watch the entire event here.

United Nations expert Francesca Albanese’s latest report warns that Israel is systematically torturing Palestinians on a scale that “suggests collective vengeance and destructive intent” and that “torture has effectively become state policy” since October 2023. Of all the investigations Albanese has carried out, “this has been absolutely the most excruciating, that led me to say that Israel uses torture in a systematic and widespread fashion, intentionally and sadistically, to break the spirit of the Palestinians, not just as individuals, but as a people,” says Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory since 2022. This comes as Israeli forces reportedly tortured a Palestinian toddler earlier […]

Democracy Now! is joined by Ryan Schwank, an ICE whistleblower who has been speaking out about how the agency drastically slashed its training standards for new officers. Schwank worked as an ICE lawyer and legal instructor in Georgia until he resigned last month. Schwank says he received secretive orders to teach ICE trainees to violate the Constitution by entering homes without a judicial warrant. He also speaks about how violent arrest tactics by ICE agents, like those seen in Minneapolis, should only be employed in certain circumstances: “Those things should only be done as an act of necessity, when it’s the choice between the public’s safety and the use of force on the individual.”

The U.S. is threatening to intensify its bombardment of Iran as the country’s leadership rejects a 15-point U.S. proposal to end the war. Iran has issued a number of demands, including recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. Since the war began, Iran has largely blocked ships from passing through the critical strait, causing a global crisis as the prices of oil, natural gas and fertilizer soar. “We’re not just talking about potential spikes in food prices … but also potentially key shortages in the commodities that are necessary to produce food, like fertilizers,” says Adam Hanieh, director of the SOAS Middle East Institute at the University of London. “Many of the countries that are going to be most […]

“We Have No Intention of Negotiating”: Iran Rebuffs Trump’s Claims of Diplomacy, Iran Continues Attacks on Gulf Nations as Baghdad Blames U.S. for Strike That Killed Iraqi Soldiers, Rights Groups Say Israel Used Phosphorus Munitions and Targeted Civilian Infrastructure in Lebanon, Israel Bombs Tent Camp for Displaced Palestinians in Central Gaza, Israeli Police and Settlers Evict More Palestinian Families from Occupied East Jerusalem, U.S. Military Strikes Alleged Drug Boat in the Caribbean, Killing Four People, SCOTUS Hears Case on Trump Admin’s Efforts to Block Asylum Seekers at Border, U.S. Air Travelers Now Face the Longest Wait Times in TSA History, Jury Finds Alphabet and Meta Liable for Damages in Landmark Social Media […]